Search

Concrete is porous, the partial pores in the internal structure of concrete are generated by hydration products, such as calcium hydroxide, dissolved in water. External harmful substances in the form of gases or aqueous solutions can penetrate concrete. The destruction of the internal structure of concrete leads to problems such as shortening of the service life of concrete as well as the corrosion and poor durability of steel. To improve the pore structure of concrete, a material can be added to concrete mixtures to cause the secondary hydration of the hydration products of cement. This reaction is expected to reduce the pore volume and increase the density of concrete. For existing concrete structures, inorganic crystalline materials can be used to protect the surface and reduce the intrusion of external harmful substances. In this study, the water–binder ratio was 0.4 and 0.6. Three inorganic crystalline materials and recycled fine aggregates (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% replacement of natural aggregates by weight) were used in the same cement-based composites. The results indicated that all specimens had a high total charge-passed value, and inorganic crystalline material C provided superior protection for green cement-based composites.

Green concrete (GC) was developed for realizing sustainable development, recycling waste materials, and reducing environmental pollution. For the practical use of GC, various harmful materials must blocked from entering its cracks and pores; and its strength and durability must be improved. The use of an inorganic coating material (ICM) for GC effectively prevents the intrusion of harmful materials and repairs the concrete. ICMs can reduce the permeability and increase the durability of concrete. This study investigated GC, construction waste, and ICMs and used recycled sand and gravel as well as construction waste as substitutes for cement. The results indicate that the coarse aggregate substitution, water-binder ratio, and recycled fine aggregate substitution must be controlled suitably in GC. Furthermore, the coating layer, fine aggregate substitution, and aging of the ICM mut be controlled suitably. GC with an ICM showed poorer performance than conventional concrete, mainly because of the high porosity. Nonetheless, the ICM somewhate reduces the porosity and resists the penetration of chloride ions, thereby promoting concrete quality.

This paper investigates two optimal portfolio selection problems for a rank-dependent utility investor who needs to manage his risk exposure: one with a single Value-at-Risk (VaR) constraint and the other with joint VaR and portfolio insurance constraints. The two models generalize existing models under expected utility theory and behavioral theory. To obtain explicit optimal solutions, the martingale method, quantile formulation, and relaxation method are used. We have specifically identified an equivalent condition under which the VaR constraint is effective. A numerical analysis is carried out to demonstrate theoretical results, and additional financial insights are presented. We find that, in bad market states, the risk of the optimal investment outcome is reduced when compared to existing models without or with one constraint.

Conventional cementitious materials as tunnel supporting materials are utilised in the construction of the final repository for spent nuclear fuel. However, the use of cementitious material releases alkaline ions from pH12 to pH13 plumed into groundwater. Such a high pH is detrimental to the performance of the bentonite functioning, which may possibly enhance the dissolution and alteration of the fracture buffer and filling materials. Instead, low-pH cementitious materials are being developed for use in geological repositories. This study is aimed at evaluating the usability of low-pH cementitious materials containing 40% silica fume or composites blended with 20% silica fume and 40% fly ash. Engineering properties were analysed and verified through experimental research using the flow, compressive strength, pH measurement and hydraulic conductivity. Test results show that the replacement level with 40% of silica fume or 20% of silica fume and 40% of fly ash was suitable for the mixture of low-pH cementitious. Compared to the compressive strength and water permeability of ordinary cementitious, those of low-pH cementitious enhanced better engineered performances at the age of 91 days. The information is contributed us to establish the long-term durability and environmental requirements of disposal repositories in Taiwan.

A simple Al3+ fluorescent chemosensor (1) based on diacylhydrazone has been designed and synthesized by the condensation reaction of 2-hydroxy naphthaldehyde and metaphthalic hydrazide. The chemose...

In this paper, we study a portfolio selection problem under safety first expected utility model with distortion (SFEUD model) where the underlying probability scale is transformed by a nonlinear distortion function. By employing the quantile formulation and the relaxation method, we obtain the general form of optimal solution to the problem, and the necessary and sufficient condition for existing such an optimal solution is also proved. We further demonstrate an analytical solution to the optimal strategies under four different monotonic cases. What’s more, the optimal terminal wealth process is replicated into a portfolio of options and deposits under specific circumstances. In addition, we empirically verify the model implication and figure out that investors’ realization of disaster risk can explain the price change of call options to some degree.

In this article we demonstrated the study of strength and durability of cement paste blended with waste solar PV cells. In order to investigate the corresponding performance of both strength and durability due to the sustainable use of solar PV panels in cement-based composite, in which the cement was replaced with amorphous PV powders from discarded solar PV panels with a high proportion of silicon dioxide. The conclusions were made on effect of this cement replacement. The use of ground solar cells for various properties of cement-based composite was investigated, and as a result, we identified the factors affecting the strength and durability for those of cement mortar specimens which had predefined and made in laboratory. As a summary, using solar PV cells as the cement replacement did not perform well from a strength perspective while it did give a better performance of durability.

This paper investigates the optimal investment strategy and the pricing of derivatives in an incomplete financial market with one risk-free asset, one stock and one non-redundant derivative security. In the exponential utility maximization criterion, a dynamic relationship between optimal positions for the stock and derivative security is established and the dynamic derivatives pricing formulae depending on the current optimal positions are also obtained by employing the stochastic control approach. The explicit representations of the corresponding solutions are demonstrated and their properties are discussed. Finally, numerical results are presented to characterize the behavior of the derivative security price.

For the sake of environmental protection and circular economy, cement reduction and cement substitutes have become popular research topics, and the application of green materials has become an important issue in the development of building materials. This study developed green pervious concrete using water-quenched blast-furnace slag (BFS) and co-fired fly ash (CFFA) to replace cement. The objectives of this study were to gauge the feasibility of using a non-cement binder in pervious concrete and identify the optimal binder mix design in terms of compressive strength, permeability, and durability. For filled percentage of voids by cement paste (FPVs) of 70%, 80%, and 90%, which mixed with CFFA and BFS as the binder (40 + 60%, 50 + 50%, and 60 + 40%) to create pervious concrete with no cement. The results indicate that the complete (100%) replacement of cement with CFFA and BFS with no alkaline activator could induce hydration, setting, and hardening. After a curing period of 28 days, the compressive strength with different FPVs could reach approximately 90% that of the control cement specimens. The cementless pervious concrete specimens with BFS:CFFA = 7:3 and FPV = 90% presented better engineering properties and permeability.

Ilan area is located between the east and the northeastern earthquake regions of Taiwan, which the earthquake occurs quite frequent. Langyang Plain is alluvial plain coupling with fine particles of loose granular soil and high groundwater level, the possibility of soil liquefaction in Ilan area is very high once the earthquake occurs. Therefore, soil liquefaction potential needs to be carefully investigated. In Ilan area the primary soil liquefaction areas was formed with precision is 1/25000 scale. February 6, 2016 Meinung earthquake in the southern Taiwan area brought a lot of liquefaction damages. Therefore, soil liquefaction once again gains people attention. The precision of soil liquefaction potential map is requested to improve to 1/2500 scale. In order to improve the precision of geospatial information effectively, the geological drilling density of 4 holes/km2 are demanded. The drilling method employs the SPT method in general. The soil physical test is taken every 1.5 m or the soil layer change. This study adds about 213 boreholes of geological drilling data in the densely populated areas, low floor houses, old buildings and complex geological conditions of Ilan area. It is believed that we can use the drilling data to know the soil liquefaction potential more accurately. Finally, this study will use SPT-N HBF analysis method to calculate soil liquefaction potential value. The method is a simple evaluation technique to determine the occurrence of soil liquefaction in Taiwan with good accuracy and reliability. The proposed analysis in this study can be used to accomplish more precise soil liquefaction potential with different size earthquake occurs in the region.

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on ovarian reserve in patients with diminished ovarian reserve undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. Material and Methods A total of 240 patients were randomly divided into the Han's acupoint nerve stimulator TEAS treatment (TES), comforting false Han's placebo (FHP), artificial endometrial cycle treatment (AEC), and control (CON) groups. Results Fifty-six patients in TES, 56 in FHP, 54 in AEC, and 60 in CON fulfilled the study, respectively. Antral follicle count and anti-Mullerian hormone levels were increased, whereas the estradiol level, follicle-stimulating hormone level, and follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone ratio were significantly decreased after treatment in the TES and AEC groups. After treatment, the number of oocytes retrieved and average number of embryos transferred were higher in the TES and AEC than in the CON and FHP groups. Clinical pregnancy rate in the TES group was markedly higher than values obtained for the other three groups. Conclusion TEAS and AEC treatments could improve basal endocrine levels in patients, and increase the number of oocytes retrieved and high-quality embryos. TEAS treatment could improve the clinical pregnancy rate in patients with decreased ovarian reserve during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycles.

In recent years, full-scale specimens for seismic test were important to safety assessment of the structure in nuclear power plants but the full-scale tests were not easy to realize due to the limited capable of the existing shaking table capacity. In Taiwan, it was first time to construct a 1/25 scale-down reinforced concrete reactor building specimen in a nuclear power plant and conduct to study the dynamic properties using shaking table test. The specimen was with a length of 2.9 m, width of 2.9 m, height of 2.9 m and weight of 28 tons and cast using the non-demoulding technology and self-consolidating concrete. The entirety structure was composed of a primary containment (thickness of 10 cm), a secondary containment (thickness of 7.5 cm) and three floors (thickness of 30 and 15 cm). The comparison of measured and calculated results demonstrate that ETABS numerical model was satisfactory and can be further used for numerical shaking table tests and real life structures.

This paper investigates a dynamic asset allocation problem for loss-averse investors in a jump-diffusion model where there are a riskless asset and N risky assets. Specifically, the prices of risky assets are governed by jump-diffusion processes driven by an m-dimensional Brownian motion and a (N − m)-dimensional Poisson process. After converting the dynamic optimal portfolio problem to a static optimization problem in the terminal wealth, the optimal terminal wealth is first solved. Then the optimal wealth process and investment strategy are derived by using the martingale representation approach. The closed-form solutions for them are finally given in a special example.

A 1/25 scale-down specimen was constructed of a reinforced concrete reactor building used in the nuclear power plant. The non-demoulding technology and self-consolidating concrete were used to cast the specimen with a length of 2.9 m, width of 2.9 m, height of 2.9 m and weight of 28 tons. The entirety struc-ture was composed of a primary containment (thickness of 10 cm), a secondary containment (thickness of 7.5 cm) and three floors (thickness of 30 and 15 cm). Shaking table tests were conducted on it in the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering. Testing results indicated that the scale-down specimen kept the structural integrity under a 0.6 g specific seismic wave hit. In addition, the ETABS model accurately represented the dynamic characteristics of the scale-down specimen by numerical method obtained the conservative results.

In the previous article we studied the strength quality of cement paste blended with waste solar PV cells. In this study, the similar research was performed by replacing cement paste with concrete except that a large w/c ratio of 0.55 was set since high permeability or more capillary pores may take a better observation on the experimental results. The conclusions were made on the effect of cement replacement with ground solar cells. The use of ground solar cells on the mechanical properties of cement-based composite was investigated, and as a result, we identified the strength performance for those of concrete specimens.

This study focuses on the effect of the amount of silica fume addition and volume fraction of steel fiber on the engineering properties of cementitious materials. Test variables include dosage of silica fume (5% and 10%), water/cement ratio (0.35 and 0.55) and steel fiber dosage (0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0%). The experimental results included: compressive strength, direct tensile strength, splitting tensile strength, surface abrasion and drop-weight test, which were collected to carry out the analysis of variance to realize the relevancy and significance between material parameters and those mechanical properties. Test results illustrate that the splitting tensile strength, direct tensile strength, strain capacity and ability of crack-arresting increase with increasing steel fiber and silica fume dosages, as well as the optimum mixture of the fiber cementitious materials is 5% replacement silica fume and 2% fiber dosage. In addition, the Pearson correlation coefficient was conducted to evaluate the influence of the material variables and corresponds to the experiment result.

In this article we demonstrated the study results of strength quality of cement paste blended with waste solar PV cells. The conclusions were made on effect of this cement replacement. The use of ground solar cells on the mechanical properties of cement-based composite was investigated, and as a result, we identified the factors affecting the strength for those of cement mortar specimens which predefined and made in lab.

It’s quite often that dispensing a topping material like concrete crystalline penetration sealer materials onto the surface of a plastic substance such as concrete to extend its service life span by surface protections from outside breakthrough. When applied to concrete it reacts with calcium hydroxide and reduces the porosity and permeability of the concrete matrix. This serves to increase the hardness and chemical resistance which, in turn, increases the service life span of the surface. A series of tests, such as rapid chloride permeability test, scanning electron microscope, and mercury intrusion porosimetry, were performed on the concrete test samples to examine the durability, by taking the penetration depth of concrete crystalline penetration sealer materials as a characterization parameter describing the durability in relation to water resistance. The penetration depth is a critical property for concrete crystalline penetration sealer materials to function effectively. The deeper the penetration, the greater the thickness of concrete strengthened, thus improving wear resistance, the life span and durability. The desirable depth drawn from tests is about 10mm with a minimum of 5mm. However the regular attainment of such penetration will require considerable care in surface preparation and in assuring that the concrete is properly dry. The quality of the concrete will also be a major factor in the depth of penetration obtained. Penetration depths may be greater with poor quality porous concrete while a 10mm depth may not be possible with high-quality dense concrete. Other Factors affecting concrete sealer penetration depth are related to the process, such as coverage and application, a user who should understand how it works, and material itself, having its own image.

In this article we demonstrated the study results of durability quality of cement paste containing waste solar PV cells. The conclusions were made on effect of this cement replacement. The use of ground solar cells on the durability properties of cement-based composite was investigated. As a result, we identified the factors affecting the durability for those of cement mortar specimens which predefined and made in lab.

Previous studies demonstrated that imatinib mesylate (IM) induces autophagy in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and that this process is critical to cell survival upon therapy. However, it is not known if the autophagic process differs at basal levels between CML patients and healthy individuals and if pretreatment CML cells harbor unique autophagy characteristics that could predict patients' clinical outcomes. We now demonstrate that several key autophagy genes are differentially expressed in CD34(+) hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, with the highest transcript levels detected for ATG4B, and that the transcript and protein expression levels of ATG4 family members, ATG5 and BECLIN-1 are significantly increased in CD34(+) cells from chronic-phase CML patients (P < .05). Importantly, ATG4B is differentially expressed in pretreatment CML stem/progenitor cells from subsequent IM responders vs IM nonresponders (P < .05). Knockdown of ATG4B suppresses autophagy, impairs the survival of CML stem/progenitor cells and sensitizes them to IM treatment. Moreover, deregulated expression of ATG4B in CD34(+) CML cells inversely correlates with transcript levels of miR-34a, and ATG4B is shown to be a direct target of miR-34a. This study identifies ATG4B as a potential biomarker for predicting therapeutic response in treatment-naive CML stem/progenitor cells and uncovers ATG4B as a possible drug target in these cells.

This study is aimed to evaluate the effect of sugarcane bagasse ash fineness on the properties of cement-based composites. Three sugarcane bagasse ash contents (10, 20 and 30% by weight of cement) and three particle sizes of bagasse ash (particles less than 45, 75 and 150 μm) were used as a partial replacement for cement in mortar specimens with a constant water/cementitious ratio of 0.55. The pozzolanic strength activity test, compressive strength test and scanning electron microscope observations were conducted and compared. Test results indicated that the compressive strength decreased with the addition of sugarcane bagasse ash content increased. Addition of sugarcane bagasse ash to replace cement in cementitious composites could provide hydration and pozzolanic reaction, but it would still keep more rugged and some larger pores observed from the paste surface and resulted in the weaker microstructures and poorer properties in cementitious composites. In conclusion, the critical usage of sugarcane bagasse ash is 10 % with 45μm particles.

It is quite common to dispense a topping material like crystalline penetration sealer materials (CPSM) onto the surface of a plastic substance such as concrete to extend its service life span by surface protections from outside breakthrough. The CPSM can penetrate into the existing pores or possible cracks in such a way that it may form crystals to block the potential paths which provide breakthrough for any unknown materials. This study investigated the crystalline mechanism formed in the part of concrete penetrated by the CPSM. We analyzed the chemical composites, in order to identify the mechanism of CPSM and to evaluate the penetrated depth. As shown in the results, SEM observes the acicular-structured crystals filling capillary pores for mortar substrate of the internal microstructure beneath the concrete surface; meanwhile, XRD and FT-IR showed the main hydration products of CPSM to be C-S-H gel and CaCO3. Besides, MIP also shows CPSM with the ability to clog capillary pores of mortar substrate; thus, it reduces porosity, and appears to benefit in sealing pores or cracks. The depth of CPSM penetration capability indicated by TGA shows 0–10 mm of sealer layer beneath the concrete surface.

Nowadays, its more common of dispensing a topping material like concrete crystalline penetration sealer materials (CSM) onto the surface of a plastic substance such as concrete to extend its service life span by surface protections from outside breakthrough. Its known as the CSM may penetrate into the existing pores or possible cracks in such a way that it may form crystals to block the potential paths which provide breakthrough for any unknown materials. Even though all kinds of test data and researches have been reported to boast of its advantages in both theoretical technologies and application functions, to accept that as an agreed fact, namely the major components and those proportions have not been fully announced in public or research. This study employed various experiments, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), to identify key components of CSM for developing another type of CSM so that its components could be open for the public. There are two types of commercial CSM adopted for the tests and then thru a series of discusses of test results the most possible components of CSM are proposed as a future reference of CSM related researches.

The most desired disaster prevention in Taiwan has to be typhoon; therefore there is a saying good weather, good life. The government does everything to prevent nature disaster, preparedness, response and recovery, especially on typhoon flooding survey. In order to conduct instant contingency handling disaster reaction in biggest disaster conditions, the government hopes to control the disaster immediately, and calculate the disaster loss. The main purpose of this study is to build a flood automation system. Apply auto-recording water level monitoring system (internal or external water) from water stations to collect stage data, and integrate Geographic Information System by the terrain grid computing, then obtain the instant scope of inundation and flood depth. Together with the instant rainfall and forecast to achieve the effectiveness of the flood watch or warning, then we should possibly control the instant information for the anticipation of the flood disaster. Taking it further with the Flood Security Plan, we have the best reference for decision-making use in the Emergency Response Center. The study area is located in Yilan County, the most sensitive flooded region, to set up immediate foregoing typhoon instant information system or so-called flood automation system, and then by several times of investigations and post-disaster flood scar volume measured we completely record ground hydrological information, and calibrate it with water level gauges built by Taiwan National Typhoon and Flood Research Center and AWRSIP weather telemetry information platform of synthetic aperture radar images on the flooded scope and depth. The concept of flood automation system is based on the fact that the occurrence and distribution of flood is not merely a product of chance, but the result of a combination of climatic, hydrologic, geologic, topographic and soil-forming factors that together form an integrated dynamic system, thus, through a combination of real-time rainfall forecast, flood recording, automation requirement, Geographic Information System, flood warning, instant data transmission and the internet, be setting up an ideal typhoon instant information system, which can become high accurate and be suitable for easy use of flooded areas, in order to achieve sustainable development in those areas.

This study was aimed to evaluate the protection effectiveness of various concrete surface treating materials. Four types of surface treating materials and six parameters were selected. Compressive strength test, absorption test and permeability test were performed. Taguchi method was adopted to identify the key factors influencing the protection effectiveness provided by the surface treatment. L16(81Î26) orthogonal array was chosen to reduce the number of experiments. The major sequentially influential factors are type of coating material, w/c ratio of concrete substrate and coating thickness.

This study investigated the influence of crystalline sealers and curing environment on compressive strength, splitting strength and elastic modulus of cement-based composites. Four kinds of crystalline sealers addition (0 %, 3 %, 5 % and 7 %) were used in the concrete specimens. SEM observations were assisted in verifying the results of mechanical properties. The test results demonstrated that the specimens increased the mechanical properties with the inclusion of crystalline sealers increased. The crystalline sealers reacted with cement to produce the crystals and hydrations, which could fill with the pore and supply a denser microstructure. This appearance was verified by the SEM micrographs. In inclusion, the cement-based composites containing 7 % crystalline sealers seem to give superior mechanical properties, and make the pores become finer and enhance the durability.

This study investigated the influence of individual constituents of calcined shale or hybrid constituents of calcined shale and fly ash or silica fume on the workability and compressive strength. Calcined shale is heat treated in a kiln and then ground to a finer powder and the calcination temperatures of 800 °C were used. The test results demonstrated that the workability and compressive strength decreased with the inclusion of calcined shale increased and the compressive strength of the specimens containing calcined shale all lower than that of the control specimens. It might be due to the higher water demand and lower CaO value. However, the hybrid batches with calcined shale and fly ash or silica fume enhanced better performance on compressive strength than individual constituents of calcined shale. The combination of 10 % calcined shale and 10 % silica fume in concrete seemed to give superior compressive strength and gave the highest value in the testing series. Finally, the inclusion of calcined shale is help to reduce the emissions of CO2and revealed an ecological advantage for concrete containing a binder blend of cement and calcined shale.

This study investigates the effectiveness of concrete protection with two inorganic silicate sealer materials (ISSMs). The Taguchi method and grey relational analysis (GRA) have been used to identify the key factors influencing concrete protection provided by the surface treatment. Seven control factors with two levels were selected. By using the orthogonal array L12 (27), 12 experiments are chosen and four tests—the compressive strength test, resistivity test, absorption test and permeability test—were performed. Results have shown that the major factors affecting the protection effectiveness of ISSM are the water-binder ratio of mortar substrate, age of substrate for sealer application, addition of pozzolanic material and sealer type.

The defining hallmark of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is the BCR-ABL fusion gene originating in a hematopoietic stem cell (1–4). The BCR-ABL oncoprotein (p210BCR-ABL) encoded by this gene displays constitutively elevated tyrosine kinase (TK) activity that drives the pathogenesis of the disease by perturbing multiple signaling pathways, including the RAS/MAPK, PI3K/AKT, and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/ signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) pathways (5,6). In particular, JAK2 physically interacts with the C-terminal region of BCR-ABL and is one of the most prominent targets of BCR-ABL (7,8). A recent study further suggests that the BCR-ABL–mediated signaling pathways in CML cells are controlled by JAK2 through direct phosphorylation of tyrosine 177 of BCR-ABL oncoprotein (9). Imatinib mesylate (IM) and other BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including dasatinib (DA) and nilotinib (NL), have been introduced into clinical practice with remarkable therapeutic effects on chronic-phase (CP) CML (10–13). However, early relapses and the emergence of IM-resistant disease at any time can pose major setbacks for some patients (8,14,15), usually due to the selection and outgrowth of preexisting subclones of cells with mutations in the BCR-ABL kinase domain (14,16). Clinical evidence indicates that single agent, molecularly targeted therapies do not cure most patients, as molecular remissions are rare and disease frequently recurs when IM is discontinued, even after many years of treatment (17–20). Experimental studies have also shown that the most primitive CML cells are largely quiescent and innately insensitive to TKIs (21–27). Combination therapies to target other proteins or pathways, in addition to BCR-ABL, appear to be more effective at inhibiting these cells (28–31). Recent studies further suggest that survival and growth of primitive CML cells may not even depend on BCR-ABL–TK activity (32,33). We and others have demonstrated that leukemic stem cells (LSCs) possess multiple unique features expected to promote both their innate and acquired resistance to TKI therapies (16,24–27,34,35). Improved treatment approaches to prevent the continuous development of resistant subclones by targeting other key molecular elements active in CML LSCs are thus clearly needed. One candidate target is Abelson helper integration site 1 (Ahi-1/ AHI-1), an oncogene that is upregulated in CML LSCs, together with BCR-ABL (34,36,37). Ahi-1/AHI-1 encodes a unique protein with multiple SH3 binding sites, an SH3 domain, and seven WD40 repeats, all known mediators of protein–protein interactions (38). We previously demonstrated that overexpression of Ahi-1/AHI-1 in primitive hematopoietic cells gives them a growth advantage in vitro and the ability to generate leukemia in vivo, synergizing with BCR-ABL to enhance these outcomes (39). Conversely, stable suppression of AHI-1 by small interfering RNA reduces the autonomous growth capability of very primitive CML cells and increases their response to TKIs in vitro. Importantly, AHI-1 physically interacts with BCR-ABL and JAK2 in CML cells to mediate these biological effects, although the nature of the direct or indirect interaction between AHI-1 and JAK2 still remains uncharacterized. We therefore hypothesized that a combination treatment strategy, designed to destabilize this new protein complex, might be a more effective approach to eliminating CML LSCs.

To provide a certain level of serviceability, road authorities need to perform appropriate and timely maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) activities. However, the vast expanse and different deterioration properties of road systems greatly increase the complexity of M&R activities. Because of lack of funding and resources, it is almost impossible for road engineers to monitor every road and to promptly maintain and rehabilitate any defects that have been identified. Therefore, the monitoring and reporting of defects by the public are becoming indispensable. For several years, location-based services (LBSs) have been applied to mobile devices with mobile positioning functions to provide users with location-specific services. Augmented reality (AR) can support users in manipulating virtual objects in real environments. In this study, a road monitoring and reporting system (RMRS) is developed including a mobile RMRS (an Android application) on smartphones and a web-based RMRS by integrating LBS and AR technologies. By using LBS and AR technologies, the time and costs of M&R activities can be significantly decreased, because routes of M&R activities can be planned in advance and the neighboring defects can be instantly identified and processed, which conforms exactly to the current policies of the Public Oversight of Public Works Projects and Smooth Roads Project in Taiwan. By using field data from Ilan County in Taiwan and considering the indefinite delivery contract, different strategies for M&R operations derived from the mobile and web-based RMRSs are analyzed. The results are presented to demonstrate the system’s benefits, costs, and feasibility.

Background/Aims: Intestinal mucositis (IM) is a commonly encountered side effect in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Bifidobacterium infantis (B. infantis) in attenuating the severity of chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis by regulating the T cell subsets in rats with colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were injected dimethyl hydrazine (DMH) subcutaneously for 10 weeks, and then injected SW480 cells in rectal mucosa to create a CRC model, and the rats were randomly divided into three groups: Control group (saline + saline), Chemotherapy group (saline + 5-FU+Oxaliplatin), B. infantis group (B. infantis + 5-FU+Oxaliplatin). IM was evaluated based on diarrhea severity, intestinal villus height, crypt depth, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α), T cell subsets (CD4+ IL17A+ cells and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs) and related cytokine profiles. Results: The results showed that the B. infantis group demonstrated a higher body weight (BW) and intestinal villus height and a deeper crypt depth compared to the Chemotherapy group. The level of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α which increased by chemotherapy, was lowered by B. infantis administration. Real time reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed B. infantis reduced relative expression of Th17 and Th1 cells related cytokines, and increased relative expression of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs related cytokines. Furthermore, Flow cytometry analysis showed B. infantis reduced CD4+ IL17A+ cells and increased CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) compared to the Chemotherapy group. Conclusion: B. infantis effectively attenuates chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis by decreasing Th1 and Th17 response and increasing CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs response.

To evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of panoramic radiography in detection of maxillary teeth roots projecting into the maxillary sinus.Paired panoramic radiographs and cone-beam CT (CBCT) images of maxilla from 110 subjects were analyzed. 42 males and 68 females (15~36 years old) with the second molars erupted completely were included. The 2 radiographic techniques were used to observe if the roots of maxillary teeth project into the sinus, including canine, the first premolar, the second premolar, the first molar and the second molar. With CBCT as a gold standard, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of panoramic radiography were evaluated, as well as the accuracy, prevalence, positive likehood ratio, and negtive likehood ratio.The sensitivity for canine, the first premolar, the second premolar, the first molar, and the second molar was 100%, 100%, 96%, 99%, and 96%, respectively. The specificity for canine, the first premolar the second premolar, the first molar, and the second molar was 94%, 92%, 84%, 67%, and 67%, respectively.Panoramic radiography has a high diagnostic sensitivity in detection of the teeth roots projecting into the maxillary sinus for maxillary teeth. However, it can't afford sufficient proof for orthodontic anchorage design because of low specificity, especially for the second premolar, the first molar and the second molar.

We reported here the clinical, genetic, and molecular characterization of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) with C5601T mutation in seven Chinese families. The ophthalmologic examinations of seven Chinese families who were clinically diagnosed LHON were conducted. Strikingly, these families exhibited very low penetrance of visual impairment, and the penetrance was 9.5%, 14.3%, 4.5%, 8.3%, 10.0%, 22.2% and 25.0%. Meanwhile, entire mitochondrial genome of seven probands was amplified by PCR using 24 pairs of oligonucleotide primers with overlapping fragments. Molecular analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in these pedigrees revealed the absence of three common LHON associated G11778A, G3460A and T14484C mutations but the presence of homoplastic LHON associated tRNAAla C5601T mutation in probands and other matrilineal relatives. These mtDNA polymorphism sites belongs to the Asian haplogroups G2, G2a1, G2a1, G2, G2b, G2a1 and G2. By analyzing mitochondrial genome, seven LHON families all carry the C5601T mutation. The C5601T mutation occurs at the highly conserved nucleotide (conventional position 59) of tRNAAla, thereby contributing to the structural formation and stabilization of functional tRNAs and leading to mitochondrial dysfunction involved in visual impairment. The incomplete penetrance of visual loss in these seven Chinese pedigrees strongly indicates that the tRNAAla C5601T mutation was itself insufficient to produce a clinical phenotype. The lack of functional mtDNA variants in these pedigrees ruled out the role of mitochondrial background in the phenotypic expression of visual loss. Therefore, nuclear backgrounds and environmental factors seem to be modifying factors for the phenotypic manifestation of the tRNAAla C5601T mutation in the seven Chinese families.

This study evaluates the permeability of cement-based composites, which are a mix of polyolefin fibers and silica fume. Test results indicate that permeability increases as the water/cementitious ratio increases. Silica fume in cement-based composites produced hydrated calcium silicate and filled the pores. However, permeability decreased as the addition of silica fume increased. Specimens containing polyolefin fibers also provided higher permeability resistance. The polyolefin fiber length did not have a significant effect on permeability. The decrease in the permeability is mainly due to the addition of silica fume and lower water/cementitious ratio. Addition of fibers marginally decreases the permeability. Incorporating polyolefin fiber and silica fume in composites achieved more significant decreases in permeability. The correlated test results reveal the interrelationship between them.

It is commonly accepted that absolute immunity from flood damage is not physically possible even in the distant future because of unpredictability of several natural forces which might cause unprecedented situation. Even so, with proper planning and continuous effort we can certainly look forward to an appreciable diminution of distress with an accelerated implementation of flood management measures. It is commonly accepted that the measures to mitigate flood losses need to be given the most efforts wherein flood damage assessment is the primary measure of mitigation. This has been viewed mainly as a physical method of protection from floods. To make the measures to mitigate flood losses, it first needs to effectively measure the flood influence in which flooded area and height may be the most desired measures for each of typhoon-induced flood events. On the other hand, sophisticated hydraulic modeling tools are now available to help us estimate the scale of we face from typhoon-induced flooding from a computational perspective. The flood scale in terms of area and height of typhoon-induced flood events may be the major contribution to feedback for the calibration of those sophisticated hydraulic modeling tools. Thus, a flood mark recording device is highly required to be re-examined for its use in such an increasing demand. It’s commonly accepted that a new generation of device should put economic, environmental, simple and practical considerations into its design concept. This becomes the main purpose of this study to modify an old-fashioned stream gauge to a better device, named as Double-Tube Flood Mark (DTFM) stream gauge. A number of DTFM stream gauges were installed in the low-lying plains to experience floods for recording their flood heights as a measure of flooded areas. For a comparative purpose, we set up the electronic stream gauges of the stilling well, which measured the height of a float in a hole dug alongside a stream channel. In addition, we also used other types of stream gauge include the pressure transducer, which inferred the depth of water in a stilling well by measuring the pressure of the column of water inside. The gage height values, taken at regular intervals, were recorded by depending on the technology--transmitted electronically to the dedicated databases. The verification showed a satisfactory result as expected. As a general conclusion, the field installment of a DTFM steam gauge is easy and fast. In the mean time, the cheap cost largely increases its placement at all kinds of possible locations to provide high accuracy of flood measures for the calibration of sophisticated hydraulic modeling.