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Abstract Dynamic communication between hepatocytes and the environment is critical in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Clinical immunotherapy against HCC is currently unsatisfactory and needs more systemic considerations, including the identification of new biomarkers and immune checkpoints. Transmembrane 4 L six family member 5 (TM4SF5) is known to promote HCC, but it remains unclear how cancerous hepatocytes avoid immune surveillance and whether avoidance can be blocked. We investigated how TM4SF5-mediated hepatic tumorigenesis avoids surveillance by natural killer (NK) cells, which are prevalent in the liver, and whether the avoidance can be blocked by anti-TM4SF5 agents. We used comprehensive structure activity relationship analysis to identify TM4SF5-specific isoxazole (TSI)-based small molecules that inhibit TM4SF5-mediated effects. TM4SF5 expressed by hepatocytes reduced NK cell cytotoxicity by downregulating stimulatory ligands/receptors, including signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 7 (SLAMF7). TM4SF5 bound SLAMF7 depending on N-glycosylation and caused intracellular trafficking of SLAMF7 from the plasma membrane to lysosomes for degradation. TSI treatments in cell lines and animal models of HCC blocked this binding, intracellular trafficking, and downregulation, resulting in higher levels of stimulatory NK cell ligands. In mouse xenograft models, TSI treatment abrogated HCC development by increasing the abundance and dispersion of Slamf7-positive cells in liver tissues, recapitulating the phenotype of Tm4sf5-knockout mice and indicating TSI-mediated restoration of NK cell surveillance. These findings suggest that TSIs can inhibit TM4SF5-mediated liver carcinogenesis by increasing NK cell surveillance.

This study investigated the multi-fiber pullout resistance of high-strength smooth steel fibers embedded in ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) at different loading rates. To discover the source of the fiber group effect on fiber pullout resistance, multi-fiber pullout tests were employed by changing the number of fibers, fiber-to-fiber distance, and difference in embedded lengths. The main source of the fiber group effect was found to be the reduced contact pressure per fiber, in the specimens containing more fibers, generated by matrix shrinkage: the fiber pullout stress at the static loading rate (0.0167 mm/s) decreased from 786.58 to 618.59 MPa (21.4 % reduction) as the number of fibers increased from 1 to 25. The equivalent bond strength of smooth steel fiber in UHPC generally increased from 4.5–5.2 to 5.9–7.1 MPa as the loading rate increased from 0.0167 to 1.67 mm/s. The favorable rate-sensitive pullout resistance of multi-fiber pullout specimens was notably affected by the number of fibers and fiber distance: the specimens containing nine fibers with a 2.7 mm fiber distance produced the highest dynamic increase factor (1.37) owing to enhanced interactions between interfacial cracks.

Abstract Although concrete materials generally exhibit outstanding mechanical properties, it is susceptible against crack formation. It has been reported that narrow cracks (≤ 150 µm) could be naturally sealed in the cement matrix by externally supplied water-induced hydration. However, the crack width of larger than 150 µm is difficult to be sealed without using additional self-healing admixture. In this study, the self-healing cementitious mortar was successfully developed by using a combination of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber and superabsorbent polymer (SAP), aiming to heal the wide cracks. Although the mechanical properties were slightly reduced, it shows outstanding self-healing performance by using the dual admixtures. A self-healing rate of 60% was observed in the control sample with an initial crack width of 300 µm, while a self-healing rate of nearly 100% was confirmed with suitable SAP and PVA. In addition, it was confirmed that lower hydration degree of self-healing mortar in early stage contributes to the enhanced self-healing performance of developed composite system by internally supplied water from SAP.

The self-stress sensing response of smart ultra-high-performance concrete (S-UHPC) under high cyclic compressive stress was investigated at different temperatures between 15 °C and 35 °C as a basic study for understanding the effects of temperature on the self-stress sensing response of S-UHPC. The S-UHPC has maintained the quasi-linear relationship between stress and fractional change in electrical resistivity (FCR) even under cyclic stress. The stress-sensing coefficient (SSC) of S-UHPC almost linearly decreased from 0.2450 %/MPa to 0.1722%/MPa with increasing the temperature from 15 °C to 35 °C. The lower SSC at higher temperature is based on the decreased electrical resistivity (∆ρ) of S-UHPCs owing to more activated ion movements in S-UHPCs.

A comprehensive study was conducted to predict the elastic modulus and Poisson ratio of hardened cement pastes (HCPs), including numerical work, comparison of two modelling approaches, and experimental validation. Modelling approach 1 (M1) applied a continuum micromechanics model (CMM) whereas modelling approach 2 (M2) used finite element analysis (FEA). This study presents a reliable method for predicting the mechanical properties of HCPs by firstly employing the microstructures of HCPs, obtained by CEMHYD3D analysis with random distribution of cement particles as input parameters for both M1 and M2 approaches. The elastic modulus and Poisson ratio predicted by M1 and M2 approaches were verified through the experimental data obtained from compressive tests combined with digital image correlation analysis. The elastic moduli of HCPs were significantly affected by the input C-S-H modulus, with 90% of reported C-S-H elastic moduli falling within the range of 20.25 GPa and 30.4 GPa. The predicted elastic moduli of HCPs were well-matched with experimental data when assigning the elastic modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus, of C-S-H, as 20.25, 12.98, and 8.17 GPa, respectively. A sensitivity analysis demonstrated a linear increase in the elastic modulus of HCPs with increase of C-S-H modulus, with correlation coefficients R² of 0.9985 and 0.9996 for HCPs with water-to-cement ratios (w/c) of 0.3 and 0.5, respectively. Additionally, the predicted results showed greater consistency at later age (after 7 d) compared to earlier stages. The integral absolute error values of the elastic moduli obtained via M1 and M2 for HCPs with w/c of 0.3 were 6.32% and 6.23%, respectively while those for HCPs with w/c of 0.5 were 4.8% and 5.67%, respectively. M1 approach is more recommended since it is straightforward with time and cost efficiency compared to M2 approach in addition to the suitable prediction accuracy.

Additive manufacturing technology has advanced beyond creating optimized features, from strengthening materials to make them lightweight to fabricating multi-material combinations that offer functionalities beyond the capabilities of individual materials. In this study, a lamination method for laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) is developed to achieve dense multi-material features, and a design that combines different and dissimilar materials is developed. To evaluate these novel developments, two materials—AISI 316L stainless steel and Inconel 625—are introduced. Tensile specimens, fabricated via multi-material additive manufacturing using LDED, are subjected to tensile tests that are recorded on video for digital image correlation. After the tests, fracture surface analyses of the fractured specimens are performed via scanning electron microscopy, and optical monitoring analyses are performed on the specimens that are not subjected to the tensile tests. The results indicate that the specimens demonstrate varied mechanical properties due to the influence of lamination direction and order, which affect the formation of critical cracks and pores.

In this study, three-dimensional simulations of cement hydration are conducted to investigate the effect of nano-CaCO3 (NC) agglomeration on the hydration process and microstructural evolution of cement pastes (CPs). Few experimental studies have reported on the effect of NC agglomeration on the properties of CPs because the degree of NC agglomeration is difficult to control in experiments. Herein, NC agglomeration was first investigated in a simulation by assigning different contents of NC in water-filled voxels in a three-dimensional cement hydration and microstructure development model (CEMHYD3D). CPs containing 3 wt% NC with a water-to-cement ratio (w/c) of 0.3 were considered in the simulation. Four levels (1, 2, 3, and 4) of NC agglomeration were investigated by assigning 8.5, 13.7, 19.8, and 27 vol% of NC in a C–H voxel, respectively. Agglomeration level 0 refers to the condition in which no NC particles are deposited in a water-filled voxel. An isothermal calorimetry test was conducted to validate the simulation results obtained for plain CPs. A comparison of experimental data and simulation results in terms of heat flow rate and heat formation revealed that level 3 showed better agreement than the other levels. The effect of NC agglomeration on cement hydration was more evident in the early stages of the process than in the later stages. Lower levels of agglomeration resulted in a faster hydration rate, a higher degree of hydration (DOH), and higher C–S–H and CH contents at an early age. However, the addition of NC particles did not result in an increase in ultimate DOH.

This study investigated the hydration of nano-silica-incorporated cement paste using multiphase voxels in the developed CEMHYD3D model. Multiphase voxels were firstly proposed to be able to consider the effects of nano particles on cement hydration process in microscale simulation. Multiphase voxels contain two phases in a voxel unlike conventional single-phase voxels used in current CEMHYD3D. Four types of multiphase voxels were developed in this study to consider the effects of adding nano-silica on cement hydration such as multiphase voxels of water and nano-silica (S–H), nano-silica and solid C–S–H (S-CSH), nano-silica and diffusing CH (S-CH*), nano-silica and diffusing C–S–H (S-CSH*). By using proposed multiphase voxels, the effects of nano-silica including nucleation sites and pozzolanic reaction were fully considered in the developed CEMHYD3D model. In addition, dissolution rate equations for four major phases of cement were proposed to simulate the cement hydration based on the number of calcium silicate hydrate. The effects of nano-silica on the heat formation and rate of heat obtained from simulation by using proposed multiphase voxels and dissolution rate equations in the developed model were consistent with those experimentally obtained for four different nano-silica substitutions of 0.0%, 1.5%, 3.0% and 5.0% by weight of binder with a water-to-binder ratio of 0.45. Researchers and construction industry can use the multiphase voxel method to simulate the hydration of cement-based materials containing nano particles in micro level simulation saving significantly computational cost.

Confluent and reticulated papillomatosis (CARP) is a rare keratinization disorder that presents with asymptomatic, reticulated papules coalescing into plaques, which adversely affect, most often, young black persons. Minocycline is considered the drug of choice, but it is not without its host of potential side effects, including drug hypersensitivity, drug-induced lupus/vasculitis/hepatitis, blue-gray skin hyperpigmentation, acute eosinophilic pneumonia, pseudotumor cerebri, and vestibular instability, among others. Alternatively, doxycycline might be considered as another first-line agent for CARP as it can effectively clear lesions while offering a more favorable side effect profile in select patients. Herein, we present a case of CARP successfully resolved with doxycycline after a protracted treatment history of topical and oral antifungal medications for suspected tinea versicolor (TV).

In this work, effect of sample size on mechanical properties in the net-shaped 316 L alloys produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) was studied. Tensile specimens with four different geometries, having the same total cross-sectional areas but with different tension beam widths of 0.75, 1.5, 3 and 6 mm, were produced by the LPBF and subjected to the tests. The experimental results indicated that there is a strong influence of the sample size of the mechanical properties in the as-built state. The yield strength increased and the ductility decreased pronouncedly with decreasing the sample size. Fine grain structures near the surface of the net-shaped samples due to the additional laser contour scanning is believed to be responsible to the strong sample size effect. The experiments also revealed that the sample size effect can be effectively reduced with the annealing heat treatments. The local strength of the fine-grained area near the surface was quantitatively characterized by an inverse finite element analysis. The local strength near the surface was found stronger in the direction parallel to the LPBF building direction than in the direction parallel to the LPBF transverse direction, leading to more significant size effect along this direction.

This study investigates the effect of input current direction on the electrical voltages of ultra-high-performance concrete containing fine steel slag aggregates (UA). For the application of electrical impedance tomography based on Laplace’s equation, electrical voltage should be identical under different input current directions. However, the electrical voltages of UA differ significantly corresponding to forward and backward current directions. The percentage differences of real voltages (VRE¯) corresponding to different input current directions are between 4.57% and 76.39% under different boundary conditions such as Wenner, same-boundary, and opposite-boundary conditions. VRE¯ originates from a different internal resistance of the internal path (Rip) corresponding to the input current direction. Among the investigated boundary conditions, the Wenner boundary condition provides the lowest VRE¯ because it leads to the generation of an almost uniform current density between the two inner probes used for measuring voltages than other conditions.

An innovative smart concrete anchorage (SCA) has been developed for monitoring the stress of prestressing (PS) tendons by utilizing smart ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). The smart UHPC contained 2 vol% steel fibers and fine steel slag aggregates instead of silica sands. The effects of different electrode materials, arrangements, and connectors on the self-stress sensing capacity of the SCA are discussed. A prototype SCA demonstrated its feasibility and sufficient self-stress sensing capacity to be used in monitoring the prestressing loss of the PS tendon. As the tensile stress of the PS tendon increased from 0 to 1488 MPa, the fractional change in resistivity (FCR) of the prototype SCA, with horizontally paired copper wire electrodes and a plug-in type connector, decreased linearly from 0% to −1.53%, whereas the FCR increased linearly from −1.53% to −0.04% as the tensile stress of the PS tendon decreased from 1488 to 331 MPa.

A high-stretch positive temperature coefficient (PTC) surface heating textile (PTC-SHT) was fabricated using a composite of PTC powder and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The PTC-SHT (heating area = 100 × 100 mm2) was produced by screen-printing the PTC-MWCNT composite paste onto a high-stretch textile with embroidered electrodes. Overall, the temperature increased to 56.1 °C with a power consumption of 5 W over 7 min. Subsequently, the surface temperature of the PTC-SHT remained constant despite the continued decrease in power consumption. This indicated that heating was accompanied by an increase in resistance of the PTC-SHT, which is typical of this process—i.e., heating to a constant temperature under a constant voltage over an extended period of time. In addition, 4.63 W power was required to heat the PTC-SHT surface from an external temperature of 5 to 45 °C in 10 min, after which stable low-temperature heat generation behavior was observed at a constant temperature of 50 °C, which was maintained over 40 min. In contrast, negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior has been observed in an NTC-SHT consisting of only MWCNTs, where a slow heating rate in the initial stage of power application and a continuous increase in surface temperature and power consumption were noted. The PTC-SHT consumed less power for heat generation than the NTC-SHT and exhibited rapid heating behavior in the initial stage of power application. The heat generation characteristics of the PTC-SHT were maintained at 95% after 100,000 cycles of 20% stretch–contraction testing, and the heating temperature remained uniformly distributed within ± 2 °C across the entire heating element. These findings demonstrated that an SHT with PTC characteristics is highly suitable for functional warm clothing applications that require low power consumption, rapid heating, stable warmth, and high durability.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is crucial for quantitative behavioral analysis of structural members such as fatigue, buckling, and crack propagation identification. However, formerly developed approaches cannot be implemented effectively for long-term infrastructure monitoring, owing to power inefficiency and data management challenges. This study presents the development of a high-fidelity and ultra-low-power strain sensing and visualization module (SSVM), along with an effective data management technique. Deployment of 24-bit resolution analog to a digital converter and precise half-bridge circuit for strain sensing are two significant factors for efficient strain measurement and power management circuit incorporating a low-power microcontroller unit (MCU), and electronic-paper display (EPD) enabled long-term operation. A prototype for SSVM was developed that performs strain sensing and encodes the strain response in a QR code for visualization on the EPD. For efficient power management, SSVM only activated when the trigger-signal was generated and stayed in power-saving mode consuming 18 mA and 337.9 μA, respectively. The trigger-signal was designed to be generated either periodically by a timer or intentionally by a push-button. A smartphone application and cloud database were developed for efficient data acquisition and management. A lab-scale experiment was carried out to validate the proposed system with a reference strain sensing system. A cantilever beam was deflected by increasing load at its free end, and the resultant strain response of SSVM was compared with the reference. The proposed system was successfully validated to use for long-term static strain measurement.

This study investigated the electromechanical response of smart ultra-high-performance concretes (smart UHPCs), containing fine steel slag aggregates (FSSAs) and steel fibers as functional fillers, under external loads corresponding to different measurement methods. Regardless of different measurement methods of electrical resistance, the smart UHPCs under compression showed a clear reduction in their electrical resistivity. However, under tension, their electrical resistivity measured from direct current (DC) measurement decreased, whereas that from alternating current (AC) measurement increased. This was because the electrical resistivity, from DC measurement, of smart UHPCs was primarily dependent on fiber crack bridging, whereas that from AC measurement was dependent on tunneling effects.

This experimental study investigates the effects of the aggregate surface conditions on the compressive strength of quick-converting track concrete (QTC). The compressive strength of QTC and interfacial fracture toughness (IFT) were investigated by changing the amount of fine abrasion dust particles (FADPs) on the aggregate surface from 0.00 to 0.15 wt% and the aggregate water saturation from 0 to 100%. The effects of aggregate water saturation on the compressive strength of the QTC and IFT were notably different, corresponding to the amount of FADPs. As the aggregate water saturation increased from 0 to 100%, in the case of 0.00 wt% FADPs, the IFT decreased from 0.91 to 0.58 MPa∙mm1/2, and thus, the compressive strength of the QTC decreased from 34.8 to 31.4 MPa because the aggregate water saturation increased the water/cement ratio at the interface and, consequently, the interfacial porosity. However, as the aggregate water saturation increased from 0 to 100%, in the case of 0.15 wt% FADPs, the compressive strength increased from 24.6 to 28.1 MPa, while the IFT increased from 0.41 to 0.88 MPa∙mm1/2 because the water/cement ratio at the interface was reduced as a result of the absorption by the FADPs on the surface of the aggregates and the cleaning effects of the aggregate surface.

Self-damage or/and stress-sensing concrete is a promising area of research for measuring the electromechanical response of structural materials using more robust sensors. However, the copper and silver paste sensors widely used in such applications can be expensive and have detrimental effects on the load carrying capacity and durability of the structural systems upon which they are installed. Accordingly, this study compared the performance of four electrode types—conventional copper tape with silver paste (CS), copper film with type 1 carbon tape (CC1), copper film with type 2 carbon tape (CC2), and copper wire and film with type 2 carbon tape (WC2)—to develop an economical and practical electrode for measuring the electromechanical response of self-damage-detecting concrete. The CC1 electrode exhibited comparable performance to the CS electrode in measuring the electromechanical response of self-damage-detecting concrete, despite requiring a longer polarization time (80 s) than the CS electrode (25 s). The CS electrode exhibited a higher damage-sensing capacity (GF2), whereas the CC1 electrode exhibited a higher strain-sensing capacity (GF1), as well as good damage-sensing capacity. Therefore, the CC1 electrode using copper film with type 1 carbon tape was determined to be the best alternative to the conventional CS electrode.

The zinc/bromine (Zn/Br2) flow battery is an attractive rechargeable system for grid-scale energy storage because of its inherent chemical simplicity, high degree of electrochemical reversibility at the electrodes, good energy density, and abundant low-cost materials. It is important to develop a mathematical model to calculate the current distributions in a Zn/Br2 flow cell in order to predict such quantities as current, voltage, and energy efficiencies under various charge and discharge conditions. This information can be used to design both of bench and production scale cells and to select the operating conditions for optimum performance. This paper reports a modeling methodology to predict the performance of a Zn/Br2 flow battery. The charge and discharge behaviors of a single cell is calculated based on a simple modeling approach by considering Ohm’s law and charge conservation on the electrodes based on the simplified polarization characteristics of the electrodes. An 8-cell stack performance is predicted based on an equivalent circuit model composed of the single cells and the resistances of the inlet and outlet streams of the positive and negative electrolytes. The model is validated by comparing the modeling results with the experimental measurements.

This study proposes a multi-channel electrical impedance-based crack localization technique of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCCs) under bending conditions. FRCCs have a self-sensing capability by adding conductive steel fibers into nonconductive cementitious composites, making it possible to measure electrical impedance without sensor installation. Moreover, FRCCs materials can be used as a structural member thanks to its own enhanced structural ductility as well as stiffness. In a structural health monitoring point of view, these characteristics make FRCCs suitable for monitoring structural hot spots, particularly where the crack is most likely to be initiated. Since the electrical impedance obtained from FRCCs is typically sensitive to environmental and operational conditions, false alarms are often triggered. The proposed technique can minimize the false alarms by using currently measured multi-path data as well as localize a crack within the sensing range. To examine the feasibility of crack localization in FRCCs, an instantaneous multi-channel electrical impedance acquisition system and a crack localization algorithm are developed. Subsequently, three-point bending tests are carried out under various temperature conditions. The validation test results reveal that cracks are successfully identified and localized even under varying temperature conditions.

Psoriasis, which presents as red, scaly patches on the body, is a common, autoimmune skin disease that affects 2 to 3 percent of the world population. To leverage recent molecular findings into the personalized treatment of psoriasis, we need a strategy that integrates clinical stratification with molecular phenotyping. In this study, we sought to stratify psoriasis patients by histological measurements of epidermal thickness, and to compare their molecular characterizations by gene expression, serum cytokines, and response to biologics. We obtained histological measures of epidermal thickness in a cohort of 609 psoriasis patients, and identified a mixture of two subpopulations-thick and thin plaque psoriasis-from which they were derived. This stratification was verified in a subcohort of 65 patients from a previously published study with significant differences in inflammatory cell infiltrates in the psoriatic skin. Thick and thin plaque psoriasis shared 84.8% of the meta-analysis-derived psoriasis transcriptome, but a stronger dysregulation of the meta-analysis-derived psoriasis transcriptome was seen in thick plaque psoriasis on microarray. RT-PCR revealed that gene expression in thick and thin plaque psoriasis was different not only within psoriatic lesional skin but also in peripheral non-lesional skin. Additionally, differences in circulating cytokines and their changes in response to biologic treatments were found between the two subgroups. All together, we were able to integrate histological stratification with molecular phenotyping as a way of exploring clinical phenotypes with different expression levels of the psoriasis transcriptome and circulating cytokines.