The role of cholesterol in modifying the lipid-lowering effects of Fuzhuan brick-tea in Caenorhabditis elegans via SBP-1/SREBP

Fuzhuan brick-tea(FZT)has long been consumed for its supposed weight loss and lipid-lowering benefi ts.In this study,we show that the regulation of fat storage in Caenorhabditis elegans from a water extract of FZT was affected by cholesterol levels.We found that FZT signifi cantly decreased fat storage under normal cholesterol levels or in a cholesterol-free diet,while lipid accumulation was increased for a high cholesterol diet.Moreover,this mechanism may involve the conserved sterol regulatory element-binding protein(SREBP)/mediator-15(MDT-15)signaling pathway and the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-80.In addition,lipid synthesis-related genes inhibited by FZT were partially affected by a cholesterol-free diet.Thus,our fi ndings suggested that the potential lipid-lowering effects of FZT may depend on the cholesterol level,which may help to improve the consumption of FZT.

Investigation of Refractory Bricks and Oxide Materials Heated in Hydrogen Reduction Conditions

This study aims to provide the basic knowledge for furnace refractory design by investigating refractory property changes occurred in a hydrogen atmosphere.Since refractory bricks are thermodynamically stable in a hydrogen atmosphere at 1100°C,we tried to find out the minute changes.In this experiment,a refractory brick was prepared by andalusite,mullite chamotte,and clay as raw materials and heated to 1100°C in a 100%hydrogen atmosphere for 72 h.It was found that the strength of the brick was decreased and the color was changed to black by the reduction of impurities.And in addition,this study covered research on the slaking risk of MgO raw materials because the minimum temperature is expected to 400°C in fluidized reduction furnaces unlike shaft furnaces.

Visual Analysis of Domestic and Foreign Building Brick Skin Research Based on Citespace

With the progress of the times and the leap of science and technology,the application of brick materials and the research on the brick skin in modern architectural design have shown a dual-track development trend of returning to tradition and innovation.Based on the core collection database resources of Web of Science and the CiteSpace visual analysis tool,this paper constructed and analyzed the spatio-temporal map of keyword co-occurrence network,cluster structure,mutation phenomenon,time course and regional distribution map of building brick skin research.The study revealed that in recent years,the research on brick materials has spanned the study of single material properties and extensively involved in the broad world of construction,especially in the integration of green energy-saving technology,the innovation of fine construction technology of brick skin,and the frontier exploration of digital technology in brick masonry,which has shown particularly significant research vitality and development potential.

Triaxial elastoplastic damage constitutive model of unreinforced clay brick masonry wall

Due to differences in the properties of composition materials and construction techniques,unreinforced masonry is characterized by low strength,anisotropy,nonuniformity,and low ductility.In order to accurately simulate the mechanical behavior of unreinforced brick masonry walls under static and dynamic loads,a new elastoplastic damage constitutive model was proposed and the corresponding subroutine was developed based on the concrete material constitutive model.In the proposed constitutive model,the Rankine strength theory and the Drucker-Prager strength theory were used to define the tensile and compressive yield surface function of materials,respectively.Moreover,the stress updating algorithm was modified to consider the tensile plastic permanent deformation of masonry materials.To verify the accuracy of the proposed constitutive model,numerical simulations of the brick masonry under monotonic and cyclic uniaxial tension and compression loads were carried out.Comparisons among the numerical and theoretical and experimental results show that the proposed model can properly reflect the masonry material mechanical properties.Furthermore,the numerical models of four pieces of masonry walls with different mortar strengths were established.Low cyclic loadings were applied and the results show that the proposed constitutive model can properly simulate the wall shear failure characteristics,and the force-displacement hysteretic curves obtained by numerical simulation are in good agreement with the tests.Overall,the proposed elastic-plastic damage constitutive model can simulate the nonlinear behavior of unreinforced brick masonry walls very well,and can be used to predict the structural response of masonry walls.

Study on Mechanical Properties and Action Mechanism of Leather Industrial Sludge Aggregate Baking-Free Bricks

Taking an industrial sludge and its preparation of sludge wrap shell aggregates(WSAs)instead of sand to prepare baking-free brick as the research object,the development law of mechanical properties and the influence mechanism of macro and micro characteristic parameters of the bricks under different sludge and WSAs replacement rates were studied through the macroscopic mechanical properties test,with the help of nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),transmission electron microscopy-energy spectrum and other testing technology and pores and cracks analysis system(PCAS)software.The results showed that the compressive strength of each sample decreased with the increase of sludge content.When the sludge content was less than 30%,it was mainly affected by the water-binder ratio.When the sludge content was more than 30%,it was mainly affected by the sludge content.At the age of 7 days,with the increase in replacement rate of WSAs,the compressive strength of the S10 and S30 groups was higher than that of the control group.The compressive strength of the S50 experimental group was 30.38 MPa,and the loss of compressive strength was slight compared with the control group.The water absorption rate of the 28 days S100 experimental group increased by 10.71%compared with the control group.When the content of WSAs was less than 50%,the holes above 0.1μm in the brick can be reduced and transformed into smaller holes,with a decreasing trend of the plane porosity of the brick.The microscopic results of the baking-free brick showed that the three-phase system of WSAs-interface transition area-mortar was poorly bonded and delaminated compared with the gravel aggregate-interface transition area-mortar system,and damage was more likely to occur in the WSAs and interface transition area.The above results show that it is feasible to use sludge and WSAs instead of sand for the preparation of baking-free bricks.This technology not only solves the problem of sludge disposal,but also protects the over-exploitation of mineral resources,and the technology has a broad application prospect and market value.

Modeling of Fixed Bed Adsorption Column Parameters of Iron(II) Removal Using Ferrihydrite Coated Brick

Fixed-bed operating experimental column conditions were studied to evaluate the performance of brick from Bangui Region (in Central African Republic), coated with iron oxyhydroxide (ferrihydrite) for the removal of iron(II) from aqueous solution. The prediction of theoretical breakthrough profiles using Bohart and Adams sorption model was employed to achieve characteristic parameters such as depth of exchange zone, time required for exchange zone to move vertically, moving rate for the exchange zone and adsorption capacity useful for fixed-bed column reactor was investigated under varying operating conditions. The effects of bed depth and flow rate on iron(II) adsorption were studied. Our finding revealed that the Brick from Bangui Region (in Central African Republic), coated with ferrihydrite was a very efficient media for the removal of Fe(II) ions from water. The experimental data showed that the depth and the moving rate (10.3 ± 0.6 cm) and (0.208 ± 0.006 cm/min) respectively of the exchange zone (adsorption zone) were independent of variability of the height of the adsorbent bed column, however the variations of the flow rate affect the moving rate of the exchange zone. The bed depth service time (BDST) model was used and permitted us to predict the service times of columns operated at various flow rates and bed depths and these predicted values were compared with the experimental values.

Tailored deep-eutectic solvent method to enable 3D porous iron fluoride bricks for conversion-type lithium batteries

Conversion-type fluoride cathode can provide considerable energy density for Li batteries,however its scalable and facile synthesis strategies are still lacking.Here,a novel Fe-based deep eutectic solvent composed of nitrite and methylsulfonylmethane is proposed as both the reaction medium and precursor to synthesize O-doped FeF3porous bricks.This method is cheaper,safe,mildly operable,environmentally friendly and recyclable for non-fluorinated metal cations.The homogenization of charge and mass transport in cathode network effectively mitigates the volume extrusion and electrode coarsening even for the micro-sized monolithic particles.The Co-solvation modulated fluoride cathode delivers high reversible capacity in a wide temperature range(486 and 235 mA h g^(-1)at 25℃ and-20℃ respectively),excellent rate performance(312 mA h g^(-1)at 1000 mA g^(-1)),corresponding to an energy density as high as672.1 W h kg^(-1)under a power density of 2154.3 W kg^(-1).The successful operation of fluoride pouchcell with a capacity exceeding 450 mA h g^(-1)(even under thin Li foil and lean electrolyte conditions) indicates its potentiality of commercial application.

Thermo-Mechanical Properties Study of Stabilized Soil Bricks to Sugar Cane Molasses and Cassava Starch Binders

The current study deals Swith thermo-mechanical properties of stabilized soil small bricks with the help of organic binders of sugar cane molasses and cassava starch. Different formulations of soil concrete have been suggested after the geotechnical characterization of samples of soil was taken. From these, it arises that the studied soil is the most plastically clay (of type A3) according to GTR classification. Samples made of small bricks and measured out at 4%, 6% and 8% of binders (molasses, starch or molasses + starch) have been warmed up to different temperatures (100°C, 150°C, 200°C and 250°C) for the rising of the thermic behavior under different conditions and submitted to crushing testings for the estimation of characteristic resistances to the compression. According to the mechanical behavior, we note an improvement of resistances for small bricks measured 4%, 6% and 8%, of molasses respectively of 32.44%, 32.06% and 23.43% against the value of reference for small bricks without molasses. In the same way, the binder (molasses + starch) also reveals an improvement of resistance to the compression of 13.27%, 26.17% and 26.17%. On the contrary, the stabilization with the starch binder did not bring a significative improvement. According to the thermic influence, the heating at 100°C of stabilized small bricks at 4%, 6% and 8% of molasses, reveals a significative improvement of resistances. Moreover, the stabilization with the starch reveals on the contrary a good behavior for heatings at 150°C and 250°C. In short, for the binder (molasses + starch), it is the heating at 200°C that shows some improvements of remarkable resistances. Different analyses of realized statistics also show the effectivity of obtained results. For all realized formulations, the measuring out at 6% of binders (molasses, or molasses + starch) seems as optimal in front of the best thermo-mechanical revealed properties.

Influence of Firing Temperature on Properties of High Alumina Bricks

To reduce production costs and make full and reasonable use of raw materials,high alumina bricks were prepared using tabular corundum and mullite as aggregates,sillimanite as intermediate particles,and white fused corundum powder,α-alumina micropowder,and Suzhou soil as the matrix,firing at different temperatures(1420,1440,1460,1480,1500 and 1520℃)for 4 h.The apparent porosity(AP),the bulk density(BD),the cold crushing strength(CCS),the thermal shock resistance(TSR),the refractoriness under load(RUL)and the creep rate of the samples were tested.The effects of the firing temperature on the creep rate(1450℃×50 h,under a load of 0.2 MPa)of the samples were studied.The results show that with the sillimanite addition of 22.5 mass%,the sample fired at 1460℃for 4 h performs the best comprehensive properties:the AP of 17.5%,the BD of 2.75 g·cm^(-3),the CCS of 100.5 MPa,the TSR number of 35 cycles,the RUL of 1682℃,and the creep rate of-0.428%,which can prolong the service life of furnaces.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Mechanical Behaviour of Fired Clay Bricks after Exposure to High Temperatures

This paper reports the modeling of residual compressive strength of fired clay bricks submitted to elevated temperature. Five formulations were used and the explored temperatures were 95˚C, 200˚C, 550˚C, 700˚C and 950˚C. The stress–strain relationships and the mechanical properties (including Young’s modulus and compressive strength) were assessed using a uniaxial compressive strength machine. A proposed model equation was established and found satisfying. The elastic modulus was evaluated and tested with one existing model together with two proposed models. The proposed model was both satisfying and even more precise than the existing one. The overall results show that the effect of temperature on the mechanical properties of clays can be accurately described through the definition of thermal damage using elastic modulus.

Effect of Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic Waste on the Physico-Mechanical and Thermal Characteristics of Stabilized Laterite Bricks

The present work investigated the effect of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste on the physico-mechanical and thermal properties of cement-stabilized laterite bricks to see the durability of the modified bricks (CSLB). Samples were formulated by mixing laterite, cement, and different percentages of PET (0%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) by volume. The bricks were produced using the M7MI Hydraform standard interlocking block and kept in the shade for a curing period of 28 days. The addition of 3% to 5% PET to the laterite stabilized with 10% cement results in a decrease in both dry and wet compressive strength, which is determined using the Controlab compression machine. However, the obtained results are in concordance with the standards. The thermal conductivity of CSLB, determined using the box method with the EI700 measurement cell, decreases as the PET content of the mixture increases. A decrease in bulk density from 1.67 to 1.58 g/cm3 was observed.

Thermal and Mechanical Characterization of Compressed Clay Bricks Reinforced by Rice Husks for Optimizing Building in Sahelian Zone

This article deals with the characterization of local materials used in insulation building heat. These materials are bricks of earth compressed and stabilized with rice husks. Thermal conductivity, the specific heat and the thermal diffusivity of materials based on clay incorporating rate of 0, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% are determined. The results showed that the clay blocks + rice balls had better thermal insulators than simple clay blocks. However, these composite materials used for the envelope of the building must have sufficient mechanical resistance when used in construction. The measurement of mechanical properties such as compressive strength showed an improvement of 6% and beyond, a drop in resistance when increasing rice husks in clay is observed. These results allow to specify the optimal conditions of use of these materials for the building envelope.

Thermal Properties of Earth Bricks Stabilised with Cement and Sawdust Residue Using the Asymmetrical Hot-Plane Method

This paper presents an experimental study of the characterisation of local materials used in the construction and thermal insulation of buildings. These materials are compressed earth bricks stabilised with cement and sawdust. The thermal conductivity, diffusivity, effusivity, and specific heat of earth-based materials containing cement or sawdust have been determined. The results show that the blocks with earth + sawdust are better thermal insulators than the blocks with simple earth. We observe an improvement in thermal efficiency depending on the presence of sawdust or cement stabilisers. For cement stabilisation, the thermal conductivity increases (λ: 1.04 to 1.36 W·m-1·K-1), the diffusivity increases (from 4.32 × 10-7 to 9.82 × 10-7 m2·s-1), and the effusivity decreases (1404 - 1096 J·m-2·K-1·s-1/2). For sawdust stabilisation, the thermal conductivity decreases (λ: 1.04 to 0.64 W·m-1·K-1), the diffusivity increases (from 4.32 × 10-7 to 5.9 × 10-7 m2·s-1), and the effusivity decreases (1404 - 906 J·m-2·K-1·s-1/2). Improving the structural and thermal efficiency of BTC via stabilisation with derived binders or cement is beneficial for the load-bearing capacity and thermal performance of buildings.

Physico-Chemical Studies of the Bricks in Mud Raw Used in the Construction of Century-Old Huts(Straw Huts):Case of the Urban Commune of Kouroussa

Building construction using cement bricks on the one hand,and mud bricks on the other hand,presents problems of resistance and durability in the face of natural weathering in our country(Republic of Guinea).These difficulties could be linked to non-compliance with standards and the failure to master certain physico-chemical,mechanical and technical parameters when constructing a building.In order to remedy this problem,a series of studies were carried out on samples of mud bricks used in the construction of century-old straw hut buildings in the urban commune of Kouroussa(Republic of Guinea).To this end,the compressive strength of the brick samples was assessed either:0.10 MPa,and sensory techniques of certain characteristics were carried out to evaluate the cohesion of the elements in the brick samples,such as:coward boule technique,hand washing test,withdrawal of a soil(pellet or ring test)and of the jar test.The physico-chemical analyses methods were carried out using XRF(X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry),granulometry and Atterberg limits in accordance with NF P 94-051.These results showed a high insoluble residue content(49.9%)and the sample had a clay-like appearance with a low PI(Plasticity Index)=8%.This study could be an alternative guide for the authorities in charge of housing and construction in the Kouroussa prefecture(Republic of Guinea).because,the majority of houses in Upper Guinea are built with mud raw bricks or fired bricks.

Study on Phase Change Material in Grooved Bricks for Energy Efficiency of the Buildings

Phase change materials(PCMs)are an interesting technology due to their high density and isothermal behavior during phase change.Phase change material plays a major role in the energy saving of the buildings,which is greatly aided by the incorporation of phase change material into building products such as bricks,cement,gypsum board,etc.In this study,an experiment has been conducted with three identical small chambers made up of normal,grooved and PCM-treated grooved bricks.Before the inclusion of PCM in grooved bricks,PCM material behavior has been studied by different techniques such as DSC,TG/DTA,SEM,and XRD.Thermal properties and thermal stability were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter(DSC)and thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA)respectively.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)were used to determine the microstructure and crystalloid phase of the PCM before and after the accelerated thermal cycling test(0,60,120).These three identical model rooms built were exposed at a temperature just above 40°C with a heater.When the maximum outdoor temperature was 40-41°C,then the temperature of the PCM-treated grooved chamber was 32-33°C.The PCM-treated wall was tested and compared with a conventional and grooved wall.The difference between the PCM-treated grooved chamber and the untreated one was 8-9°C.PCM-treated bricks provided more efficient internal heat retention in summer when the outside temperature increased.

注浆加固砖砌体的受压性能试验研究

我国许多20世纪所修建的砖石砌体结构排水管渠面临年久失修、功能丧失等问题,影响城市的正常运作,亟需对其进行加固修缮。针对砌体结构排水管渠长期遭地下水冲刷、灰缝砂浆不饱满、性能劣化的特点,可采用注浆法填充原结构灰缝,在充分修复原结构的基础上再进行整体结构加固修复。为了验证注浆加固受损砌体的可行性,通过砌筑灰缝饱满度为50%~60%的砌体试件来模拟砌体灰缝砂浆长期受水流冲刷的状态,并完成6个注浆砖砌体、3个未注浆砖砌体的受压试验来对比分析注浆前后砖砌体的受力性能,根据试验结果,拟合砖砌体应力-应变曲线。结果表明,注浆后砖砌体的抗压强度为未注浆砌体的280%,注浆加固砌体的弹性模量和泊松比为未注浆砌体的281%、60%。证明注浆法能够改善受损砌体结构的力学性能,在砖石砌体结构排水管渠的加固工程中可起到修复原砌体结构的作用。

再生细骨料和砖粉双掺对3D打印混凝土性能的影响

为减少3D打印混凝土中天然骨料及胶凝材料的用量,本文采用再生混凝土细骨料替代部分天然细骨料,砖粉替代部分水泥,首先开展单掺再生细骨料(取代率为0、25%、50%、75%和100%)、单掺砖粉(取代率为0、5%、10%、15%、20%和30%)和两者双掺的现浇混凝土的流动性和抗压强度试验,以获得再生细骨料和砖粉的适宜取代率;然后探究50%再生细骨料和10%砖粉双掺及配合比调整方式(附加水、提高减水剂用量)对3D打印混凝土拌合物性能及硬化后力学性能的影响。试验结果表明,当再生细骨料的掺量不超过50%时,现浇混凝土抗压强度降低幅度在10%以内;随着砖粉掺量从0增加到30%,现浇混凝土抗压强度总体呈现先增后减、再稍有增加的趋势,当砖粉掺量为10%时,混凝土抗压强度最高;相比于单掺50%再生细骨料的混凝土,50%再生细骨料和10%砖粉双掺时混凝土强度有所增加,而流动性基本不变。对于3D打印混凝土,同时掺入50%再生细骨料和10%砖粉,并采用添加附加水的方式保持3D打印混凝土初始扩展度不变,会使得混凝土的可建造性提高,但坍落度、开放时间、抗压和劈裂抗拉强度降低,强度各向异性加剧;而提高减水剂用量不仅能显著提升3D打印混凝土的流动性能、开放时间和抗压强度,还能降低打印试件的强度各向异性。

汉画像砖本体构建及其应用

汉画像砖具有丰富的中华文化基因。文章基于图像学三层次分析理论,以四川汉画像砖为例,分析并定义汉画像砖的核心概念、类、属性及约束条件等,使用Protégé完成对汉画像砖领域本体的构建和实例化展示,基于应用结果对汉画像砖本体进行检验和评估。

滑坡诱发农村山区砖混结构变形及演化规律研究

作为西南山区最为频发的地质灾害之一,滑坡对山区中大量存在的砖混房屋造成严重影响,尤其农村山区中受灾最为严重,给人民群众生产生活造成巨大安全隐患.研究滑坡引起的上部砖混结构变形特征,对科学指导房屋设计防护及灾后监测点布置具有重要现实意义.本文以酉阳高园子滑坡为例,通过现场调查和裂缝参数拟合研究了滑坡区砖混结构变形破坏特征.同时基于PFC3D,构建了有限体积-离散元(Finite Volume Method-Discrete Element Method,FVM-DEM)滑坡-房屋单向耦合模型,模拟并分析了在不同工况下滑坡动态发育过程,进一步揭示了房屋裂缝产生及演化过程.结果表明:相比于普通无柱砖混结构,底框结构抵抗滑坡诱发变形破坏的能力更强,并且处于前后缘段的房屋相对中段房屋更易出现损伤破坏;房屋的长宽比不宜过小,布置房屋长边走向平行斜坡走向有利于减少滑坡对房屋造成的破坏.本文总结了在滑坡作用下,上部砖混结构的变形特征和裂缝开展规律,可为农村山区砖混结构设计和布置提供参考.

砖混建筑垃圾制备蒸压加气混凝土性能及水化机理

以砖混建筑垃圾为主要原料制备蒸压加气混凝土(AAC),考察了废弃混凝土(WC)、废弃黏土砖(CB)及其复配掺量对蒸压加气混凝土抗压强度和干体积密度的影响,并利用X射线衍射(XRD)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)分析了不同砖混配比加气混凝土样品的物相组成和微观形貌。结果表明,当建筑垃圾的掺量为50%~60%(质量分数,下同)时,以废弃混凝土或废弃黏土砖为原料制备的蒸压加气混凝土的抗压强度和干体积密度均能达到《蒸压加气混凝土砌块》(GB11968-2020)中A5.0 B07级别的要求。复配能进一步提升样品性能,随着废弃混凝土、废黏土砖质量比(m(WC)∶m(CB))的降低,所得样品的抗压强度不断升高,而干体积密度先降低后上升,当质量配比为2∶3~3∶2时,试样性能达到《蒸压加气混凝土砌块》(GB11968-2020)中A5.0 B06级别的要求。蒸压养护过程中,坯体中的SiO_(2)、Al_(2)O_(3)、Ca(OH)2、长石、富钙型水化硅酸钙(α-C_(2)SH)共同作用,生成大量片状托贝莫来石、半结晶的CSH(I)、CSH凝胶和少量水化石榴石、硬石膏,与原料中残留的石英、方解石一起填充在孔壁中,相互交织成网状,提高样品强度的同时降低其密度。砖混复配的样品含有更多结晶完整的托贝莫来石、CSH(I)以及适量的CSH凝胶,形成良好的网状致密结构,使样品综合性能更优。