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This study examined the performances of four newly developed binders in stabilising soft Finnish clay by considering both the mechanical behaviour and environmental effect (i.e., carbon footprint). Thirty-six compacted clay-binder mixtures were investigated via uniaxial compression tests, during which photogrammetric scans were performed at axial strains of 0, 1, 3, and 7.5%. The testing protocol enabled the characterisation of full-field radial deformations and fracture developments. Experimental results demonstrated that varying the amounts and types of industrial by-products used in the production of binders has substantial potential to reduce carbon footprints. In terms of radial deformations, their distributions were highly non-uniform at different heights and loading stages. Radial displacements increased continuously at axial strains smaller than 3% (corresponding to peak strength point), whereas such a continuity disappeared afterwards, and global failures appeared. Based on three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions, the observed failures were categorised into three modes: inclined shearing (IS), axial splitting (AS) and hybrid shearing-splitting (HSS). For the studied specimens, shearing was the most common mechanism leading to failure.

The presented dataset was collected in seven centrifuge tests, specifically designed for modelling the lateral response of offshore monopiles in dense sand. Two model piles with outer diameter D = 50 mm were loaded laterally at 100 × g. The embedding depths were 3D, 5D, 7D and 9D, with load eccentricity of 5, 10 and 15. Fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) were used to measure the tensile and compressive strains of the monopiles. The raw data obtained from different sensors during the tests and the analysed data (e.g. soil reaction, pile deflection) are included in separate editable files, enabling future reuse and development of the experimental results.

Peripheral nerve injuries often result in severe personal and social burden, and even with surgical treatment, patients continue to have poor clinical outcomes. Over the past two decades, electrical stimulation has been shown to promote axonal regeneration and alleviate refractory neuropathic pain. The aim of this study was to analyse this field using a bibliometric approach. Literature was searched through Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) for the years 2002–2023. Literature analysis included: (1) Describing publication trends in the field. (2) Exploring collaborative network relationships. (3) Finding research advances and research hotspots in the field. (4) Summarizing research trends in the field. With the number of studies in this field still increasing, a total of 693 publications were included in the analysis. This field of research is interdisciplinary in nature. Research hotspots include peripheral nerve regeneration, the treatment of neuropathic pain, materials for nerve injury repair, and the restoration of sensory function in patients with peripheral nerve injury. Correspondingly, the development of nerve conduits and systems for peripheral nerve electrical stimulation, clinical trials of peripheral nerve electrical stimulation, and tactile recovery and movement for amputees have shown significant promise as future research trends in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregates largely influence a road's dielectric properties, which is an important physical parameter when using non-destructive methods such as ground penetrating radar to evaluate a road's geometry. Due to the irregular shapes, the direct measurement of an aggregate piece by piece in the microwave domain is not easy. To address this problem, an epoxy-based composite is used to estimate the dielectric constant of the aggregates by resonant test and mixing law calculation. As a water-free binder, the epoxy composite eliminates the water effect on the dielectric properties. Meanwhile, the distribution of each component can be studied by X-ray computed tomography, which allows knowing the composite's morphology. Moreover, the composite has a smooth surface that avoids the texture effects on the dielectric measurement. In addition, the impedance analysis of individual aggregates at low frequencies was used to evaluate the results obtained with composites and mixing laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a significant medical problem worldwide. Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury of the kidney is a major cause of AKI. However, the pathogenesis that contributes to renal I/R injury is still unclear. Apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain (ARC) is abundantly expressed in various tissues, and has been reported to play a strong protective role during pathological processes. Our results indicated that ARC expression was decreased in the reperfused kidneys. ARC deficiency markedly accelerated renal dysfunction, promoted reperfusion-regulated tubular epithelial cell apoptosis, and enhanced the vulnerability of kidney to I/R damage. Furthermore, in the kidney samples of mice underwent renal I/R injury, ARC knockout significantly accelerated the expression levels of inflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and IL-2. In addition, renal I/R injury-induced apoptosis was further exacerbated in ARC-deficient mice through promoting the expression of cleaved Caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). From the molecular level, ARC deletion obviously accelerated mitochondrial injury, as evidenced by the further decreased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels and mitochondrial potential in hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R)-treated cells. Moreover, ARC knockout exacerbated AKI through activating phosphorylated protein kinase B (AKT), mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR) and p53, whereas reducing phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). Of note, blocking AKT/mTOR signaling markedly attenuated inflammation, mitochondrial damage and apoptosis stimulated by H/R in ARC knockdown cells. In summary, our results suggested that ARC played a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of AKI induced by renal I/R operation through regulating AKT/mTOR signaling.

Water plays a vital role on the hydromechanical behavior of unsaturated soils. An important concern in unsaturated soil mechanics is to determine the distribution of water within voids and its interaction with soil grains. This paper presents some results of the spatial distribution of water in different soils using the synchrotron-based X-ray microcomputed tomography (μ-CT). Three materials (glass beads, natural sand, and clay) were first prepared at a water content of about 10%, statically compacted under vertical total stress of 500 kPa, and then scanned by synchrotron X-rays at an energy of 18 or 20 keV. The three-dimensional (3D) microstructure of the samples including air, liquid, and solid phases was reconstructed, and some new observations were obtained: (i) the iodine-based contrast medium (KI) can increase the peak greyscale value of water from 110 to 122, enhance the air-water contrast, and thus facilitate the segmentation of water phase; (ii) in the compacted glass beads and sand, water distribution is characterized using the μ-CT and image reconstruction technique. The water contents obtained by phase segmentation, i.e., 10.2% and 9.3%, are comparable with those measured by the oven-drying method, i.e., 9.7% and 9.4% for the glass beads and sand, respectively; (iii) water is preferably distributed within aggregates when it is mixed with the oven-dried particles, and an aggregate-dominated 3D structure is observed. However, it is impossible to determine the water phase for the studied material even with the resolution of 0.65 μm/pixel.

Objective miRNAs are considered potential biomarkers that can be used for the grading of chronic hepatitis B (CHB)–related liver fibrosis. This meta-analysis aims to elucidate the diagnostic performance of miRNAs. Methods Databases were used to search for meta-analyses. A bivariate model was used to calculate pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). In addition, the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results A total of 9 studies with 1159 patients with CHB-related liver fibrosis were assessed. For diagnosis of significant liver fibrosis, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, and AUC were 0.73 (95% CI, 0.68–0.78), 0.78 (95% CI, 0.70–0.84), 3.32 (95% CI, 2.52–4.37), 0.34 (95% CI, 0.30–0.39), 9.70 (95% CI, 7.10–13.24), and 0.81 (95% CI, 0.77–0.84), respectively. Conclusion miRNAs are potential biomarkers of CHB-related liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]