RESUMEN
This paper proposes a combined inspection method for thermally damaged concrete under a hygrothermal environment. Experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed method. Concrete samples with different water-cement ratios (W/C = 0.3, 0.5, 0.7) and moisture contents (dried, 50% saturated, fully saturated) were exposed to elevated temperatures of 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C for 4 h. After cooling to room temperature, infrared thermal imaging (IRT), ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) measurements, and mechanical tests were carried out for the damaged concrete samples. The mechanical behavior of thermally damaged concrete with different degrees of water saturation was examined based on mechanical testing. The results show that water can affect the compressive strength and UPV of concrete under certain circumstances, and the residual strength and the heating temperature of the thermally damaged concrete can be evaluated by IRT and UPV measurements. When 50% saturated concrete specimens with a W/C ratio of 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 are exposed to 200 °C, 12.6%, 27.4%, and 34.6% increases in normalized compressive strength were observed before dropping to approximately 40% at 800 °C. With various moisture contents, the normalized compressive strength variation can be up to 40% at 400 °C in cases with W/C = 0.5 and 0.7. As for UPV, it generally decreases with the increase in moisture content when the peak temperature is 800 °C. On the contrary, whether concrete is saturated or not, there is little difference in temperature change in IRT detection. To obtain a more precise evaluation of concrete structures, IRT can be used to scan a large area to determine the damaged concrete area and areas suspected to be damaged, while UPV could be used to detect concrete members in suspected areas after the completion of IRT scanning.
RESUMEN
Monochromatic light is widely used in industry, medical treatment, and animal husbandry. Green-blue light has been found to stimulate the proliferation of satellite cells and the results of studies on the effects of blue light on poultry vary widely. It would be worthwhile to study the effect of blue light on poultry growth and how exposure to blue light affects metabolism and the intestinal microbiota. In this study, we irradiated Cherry Valley ducks with 460 nm wavelength light (blue light) for 3 weeks to explore the effects of blue light in comparison to those of white light (combined wavelength light) on animal growth and development. Our results showed that, under exposure to blue light, the body weight and average daily feed intake of ducks were decreased, but the leg muscle and relative length of the intestine were increased. Exposure to blue light chiefly enhanced the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities of the animal and decreased lipid levels in serum and liver. Metabolomic analysis revealed that blue light heightened cysteine and methionine metabolism, and increased serum taurine and primary bile acid levels, as well as up-regulating the metabolites L-carnitine and glutamine. Treatment with blue light significantly increased the beta diversity of intestinal microbiota and the relative abundances of bile acid hydrolase-producing bacteria, especially Alistipes. These changes promote the synthesis of secondary bile acids to further enhance lipid metabolism in the host, thereby reducing cholesterol accumulation in ducks. These results should help us better understand the effects of exposure to blue light on metabolite levels and the intestinal microbiota, and suggest that it may be possible to use colored light to control the development of livestock and poultry.
RESUMEN
Previous studies have shown that the composition and function of gut microbiota possibly contribute to the oxidative stress and host metabolism of sows. However, a functional link between gut bacteria with oxidative stress and stillbirth rate of sows remain unclear. To address this issue, the reproductive performance, oxidative stress and gut microbiota of sows with high (H) and low (L) stillbirth rate were analyzed. Results showed that, compared with the H group, the L group had a shorter farrowing duration as well as higher concentration of serum total antioxidant capacity and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity. For the gut microbiota composition of the tested sows, 6 genera differed between the two groups, 7 genera were correlative with stillbirth rate, and 2 genera were correlated with farrowing duration. The relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_UCG-001, Marvinbryantia and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-004 were negatively correlated with antioxidant capacity, but positively correlated with the stillbirth rate of sows. Furthermore, the microbiota functions in the polyketide sugar unit biosynthesis and nitrotoluene degradation were found to be different between the two groups through the phylotypic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states. Collectively, gut microbiota and their functions vary between sows with high or low stillbirth rate, while stillbirth rate and farrowing duration are significantly correlated with the gut microbiota composition and oxidative stress status of sows.
Asunto(s)
Heces/microbiología , Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Estrés Oxidativo/fisiología , Mortinato/veterinaria , Porcinos/microbiología , Animales , Bacterias/clasificación , Bacterias/genética , Femenino , Genómica , Paridad , Parto , EmbarazoRESUMEN
Aqueous battery has been gained much more interest for large-scale energy storage fields due to its excellent safety, high power density and low cost. Cryptomelane-type KMn8O16 confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) was successfully synthesized by a modified hydrothermal method, followed by annealed at 400°C for 3 h. The morphology and microstructure of as-prepared KMn8O16 investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with the energy spectrum analysis (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrate that one-dimensional nano rods with the length of about 500 nm constitute the microspheres with the diameter about 0.5~2 µm. The cyclic voltammetry measurement displays that the abundant intercalation of zinc ions on the cathode takes place during the initial discharge process, indicating that cryptomelane-type KMn8O16 can be used as the potential cathode material for aqueous zinc ion batteries. The electrode shows a good cycling performance with a reversible capacity of up to 77.0 mAh/g even after 100 cycles and a small self-discharge phenomenon.