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This paper aimed to improve the thermal and waterproof properties of foamed concrete through the synergic work of nano SiO2 aerogel powder (NSAP) and organosilicon waterproofing agent (OWA). Hence, several series of foamed concrete with a 0–3.0% of OWA and with 1–4% of NSAP addition were developed. The results show that OWA can decrease the dry bulk density, compressive strength, water absorption rate, and thermal conductivity. With the addition of NSAP, the water absorption rate reached a minimum value of 9.2% at 3.0% NSAP, while the thermal conductivity continued decreasing. Through the microscopic pore size distribution, XRD, and SEM, it was found that the addition of NSAP had no effect on the type of hydration product, but it can increase the average pore size and the amount of macropore and weaken the interfacial adhesion between hydration products. Comparing the heat transmission model, the presence of NSAP increased the heat transmission pathway and resistance, resulting in lower thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale (large-area), fine spatial resolution satellite sensor images are valuable data sources for Earth observation while not yet fully exploited by research communities for practical applications. Often, such images exhibit highly complex geometrical structures and spatial patterns, and distinctive characteristics of multiple land-use categories may appear at the same region. Autonomous information extraction from these images is essential in the field of pattern recognition within remote sensing, but this task is extremely challenging due to the spectral and spatial complexity captured in satellite sensor imagery. In this research, a semi-supervised deep rule-based approach for satellite sensor image analysis (SeRBIA) is proposed, where large-scale satellite sensor images are analysed autonomously and classified into detailed land-use categories. Using an ensemble feature descriptor derived from pre-trained AlexNet and VGG-VD-16 models, SeRBIA is capable of learning continuously from both labelled and unlabelled images through self-adaptation without human involvement or intervention. Extensive numerical experiments were conducted on both benchmark datasets and real-world satellite sensor images to comprehensively test the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method. The novel information mining technique developed here can be applied to analyse large-scale satellite sensor images with high accuracy and interpretability, across a wide range of real-world applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gonad development is a highly regulated process that coordinates cell specification and morphogenesis to produce sex‐specific organ structures that are required for fertility, such as testicular seminiferous tubules and ovarian follicles. While sex determination occurs within specialized gonadal supporting cells, sexual differentiation is evident throughout the entire organ, including within the interstitial compartment, which contains immune cells and vasculature. While immune and vascular cells have been traditionally appreciated for their supporting roles during tissue growth and homeostasis, an increasing body of evidence supports the idea that these cell types are critical drivers of sexually dimorphic morphogenesis of the gonad. Myeloid immune cells, such as macrophages, are essential for multiple aspects of gonadogenesis and fertility, including for forming and maintaining gonadal vasculature in both sexes at varying stages of life. While vasculature is long known for supporting organ growth and serving as an export mechanism for gonadal sex steroids in utero, it is also an important component of fetal testicular morphogenesis and differentiation; additionally, it is vital for ovarian corpus luteal function and maintenance of pregnancy. These findings point toward a new paradigm in which immune cells and blood vessels are integral components of sexual differentiation and organogenesis. In this review, we discuss the state of the field regarding the diverse roles of immune and vascular cells during organogenesis of the testis and ovary and highlight outstanding questions in the field that could stimulate new research into these previously underappreciated constituents of the gonad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of shellfish waste as a raw material in cement and concrete production is recognized as a feasible approach. Similar to limestone, seashell powder (SP), which is primarily made up of calcium carbonate, has been identified as a promising supplementary cementitious material (SCM). However, the current understanding of SP's chemical interactions within aluminum-rich cement systems remains limited, often resulting in its classification as simply an inert filler. Therefore, this research seeks to clarify the contribution of SP to fly ash (FA) cement by investigating the hydration products. The investigation reveals that SP facilitated hydration albeit to a lesser extent compared to limestone. In cements incorporating SP, the AFm phases, characterized by carboaluminate formations, became predominant, and the calcium carbonate content diminished over time, indicating reactive engagement of SP. The addition of 5 % SP enhanced the polymerization of the C-(A)-S-H structure in FA cement. Moreover, the substitution of cement with SP elevated the effective water to cement ratio, leading to a reduction in the Ca/Si ratio of C-(A)-S-H, while the Al/Si ratio remained virtually unchanged. Analysis identified the presence of monocarboaluminate (Ca/Al/C atomic ratio of 4: 1.97: 4.39) and hemicarboaluminate (Ca/Al/C atomic ratio of 4: 2.25: 2.40) in FA cements with 5 % and 10 % SP additions, respectively. Nonetheless, incorporating SP negatively impacted the compressive strength of FA cement, underscoring the importance of using SP in moderation. Specifically, the 28-day compressive strengths of FA cements with 5 % and 10 % SP additions measured at 42.9 MPa and 40.2 MPa, respectively. Moreover, SP-FA cement offers significant environmental advantages. This research innovatively elucidates the reaction mechanism of SP within fly ash cement, offering vital insights into SP's impact on the hydration process and advancing the recycling of shellfish waste. [Display omitted] • Seashell powder facilitated cement hydration to a lesser extent than limestone. • Seashell powder exhibits significant reactivity in fly ash cement. • Carboaluminate phases were detected by various means such as XRD and SEM. • 5 % seashell powder inspired the C-(A)-S-H polymerization. • Synergistic effects between seashell powder and fly ash were demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The activity index of solid waste based composites is higher than 95%. • Solid waste based composites can replace 40% cement in concrete. • The total amount of solid wastes in concrete is up to 83%. Waste rock is stripped from open pit iron mines, which is often used to prepare aggregate in concrete because of its stable performance. However, with the continuous improvement of aggregate performance, a vast amount of stone powder produced in the process of aggregate preparation causes secondary solid waste pollution. In this paper, the feasibility of preparing supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) by using solid waste based composites was investigated. The results show that the 28-d activity index of iron ore waste powder (IOWP) based admixture is higher than 95%, and when it is used to replace cement in concrete, the admixture can reach 40% and the performance of concrete is stable. When iron ore waste completely replaces aggregates and IOWP based admixture replaces part of cement for concrete, the solid waste content of solid waste aggregate concrete (SWAC) is up to 83% compared to natural aggregate concrete (NAC). This study provides a new idea for high value, high efficiency and scale development of solid wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]