Shrinkage deformation of different shape of foamed concrete specimen

In construction field, the most important element is concrete. Majority of construction in Malaysia use the concrete and the improvement of concrete technology is very important. Example of concrete technology improvement is foamed concrete. Foamed concrete is additional of foaming agent in the concrete mixture to control the concrete density and the foamed concrete do not used the course aggregate. The foaming agent used to trap the air to reduce the concrete density. The strength of foamed concrete is lower than normal concrete and it is suitable to be used at the uncritical structure in the construction. The foamed agent also expose to crack effected by drying shrinkage. Some of the factors causes the drying shrinkage are investigated. Two factors of drying shrinkage investigated in this study are different density of foamed concrete and different shapes of concrete specimens. Prism sized 100mm x 100mm x 500mm, cylinder sized 150mm 0 x 300mm and 150mm cube for 1200 kg/m3 and 1600 kg/m3 density were produced throughout this experiment. The uses of prism and cylinder specimens are because it is normal shape of concrete structure with different surface expose to environmental for shrinkage observation. The cube was used for compressive strength test to prove the targeted density. The result of compressive strength test shows the increments of concrete density produced high strength of concrete. On the other hand, the increments of concrete density reduce the shrinkage value as well as the reduction of surface exposes to the environmental

Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients with Schizophrenia：Curative Effect and Responses of Neurotransmitters in Brain and Different Brain Regions

BackgroundNeurotransmitters in multiple brain regions in schizophrenia patients have been extensively studied using encephal of luctuograph in terms of functional features, and also been explored using modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT) regarding their responses to MECT, but responses of neurotransmitters in a specific region to MECT have been rarely examined.ObjectiveTo examine pre- and post-treatment changes of neurotransmitters in brain and different brain regions in patients with schizophrenia with MECT, and to investigate the possible neurobiological mechanism of MECT.MethodsFifty-one schizophrenia patients were recruited from Changzhou Dean Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020. All of them had signed the written informed consent form of receiving MECT prior to the participation in the study, and received MECT with unchanged antipsychotic medications during the study period. Scores of new 5-factor model of the PANSS (20 items) , neurotransmitters in brain and different brain regions 24 hours before the first MECT and 24 hours after the end of MECT were compared among all patients.ResultsCompared with those 24 hours before the first MECT, scores of positive factor, negative factor, hostile excitement, anxiety and depression, cognitive and total PANSS score, as well as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in brain and left posterior brain region, and glutamate (Glu) in left posterior brain region significantly decreased, but dopamine (DA) in brain and right frontal brain region significantly increased 24 hours after the end of MECT (P<0.05) .ConclusionMECT has certain anti psychotic effect in patients with schizophrenia, its neurobiological mechanism may be related with the influence on GABA and DA in brain, GABA and Glu in left posterior brain region, as well as DA in right frontal brain region

Shifts in Soil Microbial Community Composition, Function, and Co-occurrence Network of Phragmites australis in the Yellow River Delta

Soil microorganisms play vital roles in regulating biogeochemical processes. The composition and function of soil microbial community have been well studied, but little is known about the responses of bacterial and fungal communities to different habitats of the same plant, especially the inter-kingdom co-occurrence pattern including bacteria and fungi. Herein, we used high-throughput sequencing to investigate the bacterial and fungal communities of five Phragmites australis habitats in the Yellow River Delta and constructed their inter-kingdom interaction network by network analysis. The results showed that richness did not differ significantly among habitats for either the bacterial or fungal communities. The distribution of soil bacterial community was significantly affected by soil physicochemical properties, whereas that of the fungal community was not. The main functions of the bacterial and fungal communities were to participate in the degradation of organic matter and element cycling, both of which were significantly affected by soil physicochemical properties. Network analysis revealed that bacteria and fungi participated in the formation of networks through positive interactions; the role of intra-kingdom interactions were more important than inter-kingdom interactions. In addition, rare species acted as keystones played a critical role in maintaining the network structure, while NO3−−N likely played an important role in maintaining the network topological properties. Our findings provided insights into the inter-kingdom microbial co-occurrence network and response of the soil microbial community composition and function to different P. australis habitats in coastal wetlands, which will deepen our insights into microbial community assembly in coastal wetlands

Exploring the potential association and experimental validation of disrupted circadian rhythms with polycystic ovary syndrome via meta-analysis and bioinformatics: a possible pathogenic mechanism

BackgroundPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been extensively studied as a common female endocrine disease. In recent years, the relationship between circadian rhythm and PCOS has gradually drawn attention, although the precise nature of this connection remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore further links between circadian rhythm and PCOS and to identify potential mediators of the pathogenesis of PCOS.MethodWe analyzed the available data on PCOS and circadian rhythm disorders. Consequently, we identified potential transcription factors (NPAS2, INSIG1, H3F3B, SCML1) through bioinformatics and verified them in a well-established PCOS mouse model.ResultsLuteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), and melatonin (ML) exhibited substantial changes in the PCOS patients compared to healthy controls, with ML serving as a crucial biomarker in circadian rhythms. PCR results from ovarian tissues demonstrated altered expression of circadian core oscillator in the PCOS mouse model, with NPAS2 expression aligning with the bioinformatics analysis trend. We used quercetin (QUE) as a treatment and observed that it improved the disturbed expression of circadian core oscillations.ConclusionOur research revealed the correlation between circadian rhythm disruptions and PCOS, identified potential targets, and provided unique insights into the pathogenesis of circadian rhythm-related PCOS. The improvement of circadian core oscillations in the QUE group offers a novel strategy for the treatment of PCOS

Diverse phylogeny and morphology of magnetite biomineralized by magnetotactic cocci

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are diverse prokaryotes that produce magnetic nanocrystals within intracellular membranes (magnetosomes). Here, we present a large‐scale analysis of diversity and magnetosome biomineralization in modern magnetotactic cocci, which are the most abundant MTB morphotypes in nature. Nineteen novel magnetotactic cocci species are identified phylogenetically and structurally at the single‐cell level. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the cocci cluster into an independent branch from other Alphaproteobacteria MTB, that is, within the Etaproteobacteria class in the Proteobacteria phylum. Statistical analysis reveals species‐specific biomineralization of magnetosomal magnetite morphologies. This further confirms that magnetosome biomineralization is controlled strictly by the MTB cell and differs among species or strains. The post‐mortem remains of MTB are often preserved as magnetofossils within sediments or sedimentary rocks, yet paleobiological and geological interpretation of their fossil record remains challenging. Our results indicate that magnetofossil morphology could be a promising proxy for retrieving paleobiological information about ancient MTB.This study was supported financially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 41920104009, 41890843 and 41621004), The Senior User Project of RVKEXUE2019GZ06 (Centre for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences), The Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (grant MGQNLM201704) and the Australian Research Council (grants DP140104544 and DP200100765)

The prevention and improvement effects of vitamin D on type 2 diabetes mellitus: evidence from an umbrella review on Meta-analyses of cohort studies and randomized controlled trials

BackgroundTo clarify whether Vitamin D prevent the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and improve glucose control in T2DM patients, we conducted this umbrella review, taking into account the inconsistent results of existing Meta-analyses. We aim to reveal the causal relationship between Vitamin D and T2DM through summarizing Meta-analyses of observational studies, and clarify the improvement on glucose control in T2DM patients through summarizing Meta-analyses of RCT studies between Vitamin D supplementation and T2DM patients, especially in T2DM patients with Vitamin D deficiency.MethodsWe collected the Meta-analyses of observational studies and RCTs in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane.Results16 Meta-analyses (6 effect sizes for cohort studies and 10 effect sizes for RCTs) were included in the umbrella Meta-analyses. Random-effects model was carried out to calculate the pooled point estimates and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). The results revealed that lower 25(OH)D levels increased the risk of T2DM (Pooled ESRR = 1.34; 95%CI: 1.16, 1.53), Vitamin D supplementation ameliorated FBG (ES = −0.56; 95%CI: −1.00, −0.11), HbA1c (ES = −0.11; 95%CI: −0.20, −0.02), insulin (ES = −0.38; 95%CI: −0.59, −0.18) and HOMA-IR (ES = −0.37; 95%CI: −0.57, −0.16) in T2DM patients, especially in those with Vitamin D deficiency (FBG = −0.98; HbA1c = −0.27; HOMA-IR = −0.52).ConclusionThe present umbrella Meta-analyses demonstrates the potential benefits of higher serum Vitamin D levels and Vitamin D supplementation in reducing the development and symptoms of T2DM

IndelFR: a database of indels in protein structures and their flanking regions

Insertion/deletion (indel) is one of the most common methods of protein sequence variation. Recent studies showed that indels could affect their flanking regions and they are important for protein function and evolution. Here, we describe the Indel Flanking Region Database (IndelFR, http://indel.bioinfo.sdu.edu.cn), which provides sequence and structure information about indels and their flanking regions in known protein domains. The indels were obtained through the pairwise alignment of homologous structures in SCOP superfamilies. The IndelFR database contains 2 925 017 indels with flanking regions extracted from 373 402 structural alignment pairs of 12 573 non-redundant domains from 1053 superfamilies. IndelFR provides access to information about indels and their flanking regions, including amino acid sequences, lengths, locations, secondary structure constitutions, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, domain information, 3D structures and so on. IndelFR has already been used for molecular evolution studies and may help to promote future functional studies of indels and their flanking regions

Association of serum 25(OH)D3 and cognitive levels with biological aging in the elderly: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundBiological aging, a fundamental process affecting health and longevity, is pivotal to understanding the physiological decline associated with aging. Serum vitamin D3 deficiency and cognitive impairment are common health issues among older adults. However, the joint associations of serum vitamin D levels and cognitive impairment with biological aging remain poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the independent and combined associations of serum vitamin D3 and cognitive impairment with biological aging in older adults.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included adults aged 60 years and older from the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Biological aging was measured using Phenotypic Age calculated from biomarkers. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Centre for the Establishment of a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) test, the Animal Fluency test (AFT), and the Digit Symbol Substitution test (DSST). Multivariable regression and restricted cubic spline models were used to examine the relationships between serum 25(OH)D3 levels, cognitive performance, and biological aging.ResultsAfter adjusting for all covariates, individuals in the highest quartile of cognitive performance had a reduced risk of biological aging compared to those in the lowest quartile (CERAD: OR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.57–1.46; AFT: OR 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29–0.82; DSST: OR 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24–0.77). A U-shaped relationship was observed between serum 25(OH)D3 levels and biological aging. Combined analyses revealed that individuals with both low serum 25(OH)D3 and low cognitive performance had the highest risk of biological aging across all cognitive tests (CERAD: OR 1.43; 95% CI, 1.02–1.98; AFT: OR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.24–2.32; DSST: OR 1.67; 95% CI, 1.22–2.27). Notably, in the DSST, individuals with normal serum 25(OH)D3 levels and normal cognitive performance showed a reduction in Phenotypic Age by 2.40 years (p < 0.01).ConclusionIn older adults, low serum 25(OH)D3 levels combined with low cognitive performance are strongly associated with an increased risk of biological aging

The Combined Effects of Amino Acid Substitutions and Indels on the Evolution of Structure within Protein Families

BACKGROUND: In the process of protein evolution, sequence variations within protein families can cause changes in protein structures and functions. However, structures tend to be more conserved than sequences and functions. This leads to an intriguing question: what is the evolutionary mechanism by which sequence variations produce structural changes? To investigate this question, we focused on the most common types of sequence variations: amino acid substitutions and insertions/deletions (indels). Here their combined effects on protein structure evolution within protein families are studied. RESULTS: Sequence-structure correlation analysis on 75 homologous structure families (from SCOP) that contain 20 or more non-redundant structures shows that in most of these families there is, statistically, a bilinear correlation between the amount of substitutions and indels versus the degree of structure variations. Bilinear regression of percent sequence non-identity (PNI) and standardized number of gaps (SNG) versus RMSD was performed. The coefficients from the regression analysis could be used to estimate the structure changes caused by each unit of substitution (structural substitution sensitivity, SSS) and by each unit of indel (structural indel sensitivity, SIDS). An analysis on 52 families with high bilinear fitting multiple correlation coefficients and statistically significant regression coefficients showed that SSS is mainly constrained by disulfide bonds, which almost have no effects on SIDS. CONCLUSIONS: Structural changes in homologous protein families could be rationally explained by a bilinear model combining amino acid substitutions and indels. These results may further improve our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms of protein structures

Dynamically-Driven Inactivation of the Catalytic Machinery of the SARS 3C-Like Protease by the N214A Mutation on the Extra Domain

Despite utilizing the same chymotrypsin fold to host the catalytic machinery, coronavirus 3C-like proteases (3CLpro) noticeably differ from picornavirus 3C proteases in acquiring an extra helical domain in evolution. Previously, the extra domain was demonstrated to regulate the catalysis of the SARS-CoV 3CLpro by controlling its dimerization. Here, we studied N214A, another mutant with only a doubled dissociation constant but significantly abolished activity. Unexpectedly, N214A still adopts the dimeric structure almost identical to that of the wild-type (WT) enzyme. Thus, we conducted 30-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for N214A, WT, and R298A which we previously characterized to be a monomer with the collapsed catalytic machinery. Remarkably, three proteases display distinctive dynamical behaviors. While in WT, the catalytic machinery stably retains in the activated state; in R298A it remains largely collapsed in the inactivated state, thus implying that two states are not only structurally very distinguishable but also dynamically well separated. Surprisingly, in N214A the catalytic dyad becomes dynamically unstable and many residues constituting the catalytic machinery jump to sample the conformations highly resembling those of R298A. Therefore, the N214A mutation appears to trigger the dramatic change of the enzyme dynamics in the context of the dimeric form which ultimately inactivates the catalytic machinery. The present MD simulations represent the longest reported so far for the SARS-CoV 3CLpro, unveiling that its catalysis is critically dependent on the dynamics, which can be amazingly modulated by the extra domain. Consequently, mediating the dynamics may offer a potential avenue to inhibit the SARS-CoV 3CLpro