Structural silicone sealants after exposure to laboratory test for durability assessment

During the service life of structural sealant glazing (SSG) facades, the load-bearing capacity of the silicone bonds needs to be guaranteed. Laboratory tests can assess the durability of SSG-systems based on mechanical characteristics of the bond after simultaneous exposure to both climatic and mechanical loads. This article studies how the material characteristics of two common structural sealants are affected by laboratory and field exposure. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) confirms a reduction in the dynamic modulus of exposed silicone samples. Results from thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scattering/wide-angle X-ray scattering show differences between the two sealants and indicate no/minor changes in the composition and morphology of the laboratory and field exposed sealants. Mechanical characterization methods, such as DMA, and tensile and shear testing of the structural bond, are shown to be sensitive toward the combined climatic and mechanical loadings, and are hence suitable for studying degradation mechanisms of structural sealants.     

Simulation is essential for embedded control systems with task jitter

Sampling or task jitter affects the performance of digital control systems but realistic simulation of this effect has not been possible to date. Our previous work has developed a novel method to simulate sampling jitter in MATLAB/Simulink simulation software where the jitter is generated randomly. What has been missing is a way to capture sampling jitter from a target platform and then feed this timing information into the simulation. This paper presents a low-cost and novel solution to these problems. The method uses an Arduino board to capture task jitter from two different hardware platforms with multiple stressing conditions. Then the recorded performance data is used to drive realistic simulations of a control system. Measurement shows that the task jitter data does not follow any specific random distribution such as Gaussian or Uniform. Furthermore, very occasional timing patterns, which may not be picked up while testing a real system, can result in extreme controller responses. This novel method allows comparisons of different platforms and reduces the effort required to choose the most appropriate platform for full implementation.

     

Structural Aspects and Prediction of Calmodulin-Binding Proteins

Calmodulin (CaM) is an important intracellular protein that binds Ca²⁺ and functions as a critical second messenger involved in numerous biological activities through extensive interactions with proteins and peptides. CaM’s ability to adapt to binding targets with different structures is related to the flexible central helix separating the N- and C-terminal lobes, which allows for conformational changes between extended and collapsed forms of the protein. CaM-binding targets are most often identified using prediction algorithms that utilize sequence and structural data to predict regions of peptides and proteins that can interact with CaM. In this review, we provide an overview of different CaM-binding proteins, the motifs through which they interact with CaM, and shared properties that make them good binding partners for CaM. Additionally, we discuss the historical and current methods for predicting CaM binding, and the similarities and differences between these methods and their relative success at prediction. As new CaM-binding proteins are identified and classified, we will gain a broader understanding of the biological processes regulated through changes in Ca²⁺ concentration through interactions with CaM.     

Stem Photosynthesis—A Key Element of Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) Acclimatisation to Salinity

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is a leguminous plant of outstanding tolerance to abiotic stress. The aim of the presented study was to describe the mechanism of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) photosynthetic apparatus acclimatisation strategies to salinity stress. The seedlings were cultivated in a hydroponic system in media containing various concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, and 100 mM), imitating none, moderate, and severe salinity, respectively, for three weeks. In order to characterise the function and structure of the photosynthetic apparatus, Chl a fluorescence, gas exchange measurements, proteome analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis were done inter alia. Significant differences in the response of the leaf and stem photosynthetic apparatus to severe salt stress were observed. Leaves became the place of harmful ion (Na⁺) accumulation, and the efficiency of their carboxylation decreased sharply. In turn, in stems, the reconstruction of the photosynthetic apparatus (antenna and photosystem complexes) activated alternative electron transport pathways, leading to effective ATP synthesis, which is required for the efficient translocation of Na⁺ to leaves. These changes enabled efficient stem carboxylation and made them the main source of assimilates. The observed changes indicate the high plasticity of grass pea photosynthetic apparatus, providing an effective mechanism of tolerance to salinity stress.     

Synergistic effect of bulk phase doping and layered-spinel structure formation on improving electrochemical performance of Li-Rich cathode material

In this study, La was doped into the lithium layer of Li-rich cathode material and formed a layered-spinel hetero-structure. The morphology, crystal structure, element valence and kinetics of lithium ion migration were studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The La doped lithium-rich cathode material exhibited similar initial discharge capacity of 262.8 mAh g^?1 at 0.1 C compared with the undoped material, but the discharge capacity retention rate can be obviously improved to 90% after 50 cycles at 1.0 C. Besides that, much better rate capability and Li⁺ diffusion coefficient were observed. The results revealed that La doping not only stabilized the material structure and reduced the Li/Ni mixing degree, but also induced the generation of spinel phase to provide three-dimensional diffusion channels for lithium ion migration. Moreover, the porous structure of the doped samples also contributed to the remarkable excellent electrochemical performance. All of these factors combined to significantly improve the electrochemical performance of the material.     

The Emerging Regulatory Role of Circular RNAs in Periodontal Tissues and Cells

Periodontitis is a chronic complex inflammatory disease associated with a destructive host immune response to microbial dysbiosis, leading to irreversible loss of tooth-supporting tissues. Regeneration of functional periodontal soft (periodontal ligament and gingiva) and hard tissue components (cementum and alveolar bone) to replace lost tissues is the ultimate goal of periodontal treatment, but clinically predictable treatments are lacking. Similarly, the identification of biomarkers that can be used to accurately diagnose periodontitis activity is lacking. A relatively novel category of molecules found in oral tissue, circular RNAs (circRNAs) are single-stranded endogenous, long, non-coding RNA molecules, with covalently circular-closed structures without a 5’ cap and a 3’ tail via non-classic backsplicing. Emerging research indicates that circRNAs are tissue and disease-specific expressed and have crucial regulatory functions in various diseases. CircRNAs can function as microRNA or RNA binding sites or can regulate mRNA. In this review, we explore the biogenesis and function of circRNAs in the context of the emerging role of circRNAs in periodontitis pathogenesis and the differentiation of periodontal cells. CircMAP3K11, circCDK8, circCDR1as, circ_0062491, and circ_0095812 are associated with pathological periodontitis tissues. Furthermore, circRNAs are expressed in periodontal cells in a cell-specific manner. They can function as microRNA sponges and can form circRNA–miRNA–mRNA networks during osteogenic differentiation for periodontal-tissue (or dental pulp)-derived progenitor cells.     

Down-link OFDRMA communications

Wireless Networks - Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing with random multiple access (OFDRMA) is discussed for down-link communications, whereby a single base-station transmits information...     

Extremum Strategies of Approach of Controlled Objects in Dynamic Game Problems with Terminal Payoff Function

Cybernetics and Systems Analysis - The authors propose a method for solving the problem of approach of controlled objects in dynamic game problems with a terminal payoff function. The method is...     

Hydraulic reactivity and cement formation of baghdadite

In this study, the hydraulic reactivity and cement formation of baghdadite (Ca₃ZrSi₂O₉) was investigated. The material was synthesized by sintering a mixture of CaCO₃, SiO₂, and ZrO₂ and then mechanically activated using a planetary mill. This leads to a decrease in particle and crystallite size and a partial amorphization of baghdadite as shown by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and laser diffraction measurements. Baghdadite cements were formed by the addition of water at a powder to liquid ratio of 2.0 g/ml. Maximum compressive strengths were found to be ~2 MPa after 3-day setting for a 24-h ground material. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements showed an incongruent dissolution profile of set cements with a preferred dissolution of calcium and only marginal release of zirconium ions. Cement formation occurs under alkaline conditions, whereas the unground raw powder leads to a pH of 11.9 during setting, while prolonged grinding increased pH values to approximately 12.3.     

QoS metrics-in-the-loop for endowing runtime self-adaptation to robotic software architectures

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The design of robots capable of operating autonomously in changing and unstructured environments, requires using complex software architectures in which,...