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Steel slag is an industrial by-product of steel production which is obtained during the pyrometallurgical process. Technological dissemination on effective utilization of steel slag in vast quantities globally is essential as the generation of steel is escalating year by year and the availability of steel slag is also in millions of tons. Though steel slag has been used for various applications, large quantities of steel slag have been utilized in the field of construction only. This review focuses on the recent advances on utilization of steel slag in construction sector and the impact of steel slag incorporation has been described in detail. Utilization of steel slag in construction industry as aggregate and cementitious material for the applications toward bricks production, asphalt mixes, radiation shielding concrete, foam concrete, self-compacting concrete, ceramic manufacturing, waterproof mortars and geopolymer composites fabrication has been discussed in detail. Steel slag will be an alternate source to conserve natural resources by utilizing large quantity of steel slag in construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages exhibit a high degree of plasticity that is physiologically relevant in wound healing, and disruption in normal macrophage response leads to delayed wound closure resulting in chronic wounds. Here, we attempt to discern macrophage responses to hemin via regulation of the nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) that could help us better understand the pathophysiology of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). We demonstrate the alleviation of hemin-mediated Nrf2 suppression and M2 macrophage polarization by pterostilbene (PTS), a proven Nrf2 activator. IC-21 macrophages were treated with hemin under the normoglycemic or hyperglycemic environment with or without PTS and the expression levels of various markers, such as Nrf2 and its downstream target Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1), CD206, Ferroportin-1 among others were analyzed using qPCR and Western blot. Our results revealed that hemin under hyperglycemia reduced Nrf2 activation and its downstream targets, M2 polarization, and the induction of a proinflammatory cellular environment, and interestingly all of these were remedied by PTS treatment. Gelatin zymography of matrix metalloproteinase2 (MMP2) expression revealed that hemin under hyperglycemic condition significantly elevated MMP2 expression, which was reversed by PTS treatment. Further proteomic analysis using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) revealed a heightened cellular stress profile accompanying inflammation that was suppressed by PTS. This study has furthered our understanding on the role of Nrf2 in attenuating hemin-induced perturbations in macrophage responses and suggests a potential therapeutic target in the management of DFU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple remote aliquoting system (RAS) and a remote titration setup were developed to aid the analyses of highly radioactive samples inside a hot cell. The remote calibration of the RAS by a titrimetric method was validated and the systematic error and random error of the RAS were less than 1%. A method was developed for the determination of free acidity of solutions containing uranyl nitrate and plutonium nitrate without complexing agents. In this method, the first total acid was determined by a remote alkalimetric titration using a visual indicator. The free acidity was calculated by detecting the contribution of hydrolysable ions from the total acid. The relative standard deviation and recovery of free acidity for solutions having 0.092–0.56 M nitric acid using this method were < 1% and 100 ± 5% respectively for aliquots containing uranium 0.5–15.9 mg and plutonium 0.85–8.5 mg. Since no additional corrosive reagents were added in this method, the analytical waste solution generated was sent to process tanks directly without any treatment. The developed RAS and the free acidity titration method were adaptable to remote operation inside an alpha tight hot cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytochemical evaluation of the alcoholic extract of Rubia cordifolia Linn. roots resulted in the identification of two anthraquinone compounds 1a (1,4-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10(4aH,9aH)-dione) and 1b (2-methylanthracene-9,10(4aH,9aH)-dione). The isolated compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods and their structures were established. The derivatives were found to be nontoxic against Vero and HepG2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many educational institutions use data mining for maintaining the student records, specifically academic performances, which are more significant. The academic performances of the students are to be analyzed for improving their results and also the overall results of the institutions. Moreover, the prediction of academic performance of students has been an important and developing research domain in educational data mining (EDM), in which data mining and machine learning techniques are used for deriving data from educational warehouse. With that, this paper develops a novel approach called hybrid educational data mining model (HEDM) for analyzing the student performance for effectively enhancing the educational quality for students. The proposed model evaluates the student performances based on distinctive factors that provide appropriate results. Furthermore, the model combines the efficiencies of Naive Baye's classification technique and J48 Classifier for deriving the results and categorizing the student performance in precise manner. The model is evaluated with the benchmark education dataset that is available online in the WEKA environment. The results show that the proposed model outperforms the results of existing works in evaluating student performance in EDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stability study for dolutegravir bulk drug was performed and the degradation products formed were identified by chromatography (HPLC, LCMS) and spectroscopy (ESI-MS, FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR) techniques. Degradation of the drug in acidic and peroxide environment yielded one common major degradant f ((2,4-difluorophenyl) methanamine) with a mass peak at m/z = 182.44. In addition to this, five more minor degradation products (a, b, c, d and e) were formed. The structure interpretation showed that the drug degraded to its synthetic precursor and no extra structures were formed. Hence, it was suggested that drug dolutegravir should be kept away from acidic and oxygen rich conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical sensing application of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles. The MoS2 nanoparticles have been prepared by the gas-solid reaction method, and they have been characterized using different techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis, photoluminescence, FTIR, Raman, and impedance spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of MoS2 nanoparticles towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) has been studied using cyclic voltammetry. The experimental parameters such as the effect of scan rate and pH have been optimized for the electrochemical detection of 4-NP. The linear relationship between the peak current and the concentration of 4-nitrophenol was found to be in the range of 4 × 10−6 M to 2 × 10−8 M with an impressive detection limit of 10 nM. The performance of MoS2-modified glassy carbon electrode towards 4-NP detection shows good stability, reproducibility with the recovery percentage of ~ 95%. The obtained results clearly indicate the potential application of MoS2 nanoparticles for the selective and sensitive electrochemical detection of 4-NP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and reproducible measurements of the Young’s modulus of solders are complicated by the early onset of yielding, microporosity, and variations in cooling rate. In this study, we report measurements of Young’s modulus of an Sn–3.5 wt % Ag solder by two techniques: (a) loading–unloading measurements in tension, and (b) non-destructive resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. Both techniques yielded similar values of Young’s modulus. The modulus decreased with increasing microporosity, in accordance with predicted values. Cooling rate affected the Ag3Sn intermetallic morphology, but not Young’s modulus since the distribution of the particles was relatively random. This result was confirmed by microstructure-based finite element modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity has an important role in both the development and maintenance of bone mass. This is most evident in the rapid and intense bone loss observed in both humans and animals exposed to extended periods of microgravity in spaceflight. Here, cohabitating 9-week-old male C57BL/6 mice resided in spaceflight for ~4 weeks. A skeletal survey of these mice was compared to both habitat matched ground controls to determine the effects of microgravity and baseline samples in order to determine the effects of skeletal maturation on the resulting phenotype. We hypothesized that weight-bearing bones would experience an accelerated loss of bone mass compared to non-weight-bearing bones, and that spaceflight would also inhibit skeletal maturation in male mice. As expected, spaceflight had major negative effects on trabecular bone mass of the following weight-bearing bones: femur, tibia, and vertebrae. Interestingly, as opposed to the bone loss traditionally characterized for most weight-bearing skeletal compartments, the effects of spaceflight on the ribs and sternum resembled a failure to accumulate bone mass. Our study further adds to the insight that gravity has site-specific influences on the skeleton., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2019.)