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Electrochemical and dielectric properties of steel oxide films can have an impact on the corrosion process but are still poorly understood due to the unavailability of measurement methods. In this study, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was adopted to interpret steel corrosion induced by chloride in a simulated concrete pore solution. Particularly, validation of EIS data by Kramers–Kronig transforms was performed prior to further EIS interpretation. Relative dielectric permittivity of corroded steel/electrolyte interface was derived through theoretical induction and corrosion products were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results indicated that measured EIS data in the present study depicted good causality and stability. Corrosion at the steel/electrolyte interface induced by increasing chloride led to high relative permittivity within the low frequency domain while marginal difference could be observed at the high frequency range. AC conductivity of corrosion products at steel/solution interfaces revealed a notable frequency dependence, based on which three distinct frequency regions were subdivided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D printed concrete technology has received a traffic attention in construction industry in recent years, due to the potential advantage: time and labor savings, cost reduction, low environmental impact. In this study, the influence of distribution of aggregate and steel fiber on the mechanical properties of 3 D printed concrete is experimentally investigated. The distribution characteristic of aggregate and steel fiber in 3 D printed concrete are evaluated by using X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) with 2 D image analysis method. The cast concrete is performed as reference. It is found that the aggregate and fiber in cast concrete are relatively evenly distributed and no alignment, while there is an orientation probability of more than 40% for aggregate, and 74% for fiber, respectively, along the printing direction in ± 20° in printed concrete. Meanwhile, using X-CT, the porosity, void sizes, shapes and distributions in printed and cast concrete are also investigated. Furthermore, it is observed that the printed and cast samples comprise of different voids, due to the different construction processes. Finally, the results prove that the performance difference for the printed concrete at different directions possibly depends on the orientation distribution of the aggregate/fiber, as well as the irregular voids, since the aggregates/fibers are orientated by the nozzle along the printing direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are usually employed to replace partial cement and the pore-solution chemistry of blended cements is extremely essential for their cement hydration and durability. In this work, the pore-solutions of cement pastes with various water-to-cement (w/c) ratios and SCMs (fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and silica fume) are extracted for observing their ions and conductivities. The results illustrate that Na+, K+, OH−, Ca2+ and SO42− are the main and their concentrations are declined by the improving w/c ratios and SCMs dosages and thus decreasing their conductivities. The conductivity evolution shows three typical periods: induction (<5 h), acceleration (5 h-7d) and deceleration (>7d). The pore-solution conductivities of pastes with various w/c ratios are predicted well by the model established (R2 > 0.90) while the SCMs decline the model effectiveness. The OH−, K+ and SO42− provide the conductivities over 90% of the whole with the contributions in decreasing order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs are involved in the regulation of the autophagy and proliferation in several diseases. This study aims to verify the role of miR-25-3p in the proliferation and autophagy of renal cells in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). We found that kidney to body weight and blood urea content were increased in PKD mice. Cystic dilations were increased in kidney tissue from PKD mice, and autophagy-related protein ULK1 and the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I were decreased, indicating autophagy was inhibited in PKD mice. In addition, miR-25-3p was upregulated in PKD mice, and inhibition of miR-25-3p decreased cystic dilations in kidney tissues, increased ULK1 expression and the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I, indicating inhibition of miR-25-3p enhanced the autophagy in PKD. Besides, inhibition of miR-25-3p suppressed the proliferation of renal cells and downregulated E2F-1 and PCNA expressions. Importantly, miR-25-3p targetedly suppressed ATG14 expression in PKD cells. Finally, silencing ATG14 abolished the inhibition effect of miR-25-3p inhibitor on renal cell proliferation, and reversed the inhibition effect of miR-25-3p inhibitor on E2F-1 and PCNA expressions in in vitro and in vivo experiments, which suggested that ATG14 was involved in the regulation of miR-25-3p-mediated kidney cell proliferation. Therefore, inhibition of miR-25-3p promoted cell autophagy and suppressed cell proliferation in PKD mice through regulating ATG14. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]