11. Residual compressive behavior of self-compacting concrete after high temperature exposure - influence of binder materialsMarija Jelčić Rukavina, Ivan Gabrijel, Ivanka Netinger Grubeša, Ana Mladenovič, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: This paper presents an experimental investigation of the compressive behavior of highstrength self-compacting concrete exposed to temperatures up to 600 C. Ten different concrete compositions were tested, in which part of the cement (by weight) was replaced by three different mineral additives (5–15% metakaolin, 20–40% fly ash and 5–15% limestone). The stress–strain curves, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and strain at peak stress were evaluated from uniaxial compression tests. Scanning electron microscope micrographs were also taken to evaluate the damage caused by the high temperatures. A sharp decrease in mechanical properties and an increase in peak strain were observed already after 200 C for all mixes tested. The different mineral additives used in this study affected the variations of residual compressive strength by 24% and peak strain by 38%, while the variations of residual modulus elasticity were 14%. Comparing the obtained results with the recommendations for compressive strength given in regulatory code EN 1992-1-2 for high strength concrete, it can be concluded that the strength loss observed in EN 1992-1-2 at temperatures up to 400 C is too conservative. The Popovics model for the relationship between stress and strain provided a good approximation for the experimentally determined stress–strain curves at different temperatures.
Keywords: self-compacting concrete, mineral additives, high temperatures, residual mechanical properties, open access
Published in DiRROS: 28.04.2023; Views: 379; Downloads: 185
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12. Inter-person differences in isometric coactivations of triceps surae and tibialis anterior decrease in young, but not in older adults after 14 days of bed restMatjaž Divjak, Gašper Sedej, Nina Murks, Mitja Gerževič, Uroš Marušič, Rado Pišot, Boštjan Šimunič, Aleš Holobar, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: We examined activation patterns of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM), gastrocnemius lateralis (GL), soleus (SO), and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles in eight older (58.4 ± 3.3 years) and seven young (23.1 ± 2.9 years) participants, before and after 14 days of horizontal bed rest. Visual feedback on the exerted muscle torque was provided to the participants. The discharge patterns of individual motor units (MUs) were studied in three repetitions of isometric plantar flexion at 30 and 60% of Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MVC), before, and 1 day after the 14-day bed rest, respectively. In the GL and GM muscles, the older participants demonstrated higher MU discharge rates than the young, regardless of the contraction level, both before and after the bed rest. In the TA and SO muscles, the differences between the older and young participants were less consistent. Detailed analysis revealed person-specific changes in the MU discharge rates after the bed rest. To quantify the coactivation patterns we calculated the correlation coefficients between the cumulative spike trains of identified MUs from each muscle, and measured the root mean square difference of the correlation coefficients between the trials of the same session (intra-session variability) and between different sessions (inter-session variability) in each participant (intra-person comparison) and across participants (inter-person comparison). In the intra-person comparison, the inter-session variability was higher than the intra-session variability, either before or after the bed rest. At 60% MVC torque, the young demonstrated higher inter-person variability of coactivation than the older participants, but this variability decreased significantly after the bed rest. In older participants, inter-person variability was consistently lower at 60% than at 30% MVC torque. In young participants, inter-person variability became lower at 60% than at 30% MVC torque only after the bed rest. Precaution is required when analyzing the MU discharge and coactivation patterns, as individual persons demonstrate individual adaptations to aging or bed rest.
Keywords: high density electromyography, muscle disuse, motor units, discharge rate, aging
Published in DiRROS: 05.09.2022; Views: 640; Downloads: 359
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14. Effect of CeO[sub]2 doping on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of CoCuNiTi high-entropy alloy coatingsMing-xing Ma, Liang Zhao, Zhi-xin Wang, Shang-zhi Li, Chen Dong, 2021, original scientific article Keywords: high-entropy alloy coating, CoCuNiTi, microstructure, corrosion behavior, laser cladding
Published in DiRROS: 06.05.2022; Views: 534; Downloads: 126
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15. Next-generation sequencing to characterize pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from two Balkan countriesEva Sodja, Simon Koren, Nataša Toplak, Sara Truden, Marija Žolnir-Dovč, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: Objectives. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) provide a comprehensive analysis of the genetic alterations that are most commonly linked with pyrazinamide (PZA) resistance. There are no studies reporting molecular background of PZA resistance in TB isolates from Balkan Peninsula. We aimed to examine the feasibility of full-length analysis of a gene linked with PZA resistance, pncA, using Ion Torrent technology in comparison to phenotypic BACTEC MGIT 960 DST in clinical TB isolates from two countries of the Balkan Peninsula. Methods. Between 1996 and 2017, we retrospectively selected 61 TB isolates. To identify gene variants related to drug resistance in genomic DNA extracted from TB isolates, AmpliSeq libraries were generated automatically using the AmpliSeq™ Kit for Chef DL8 and the Ion AmpliSeq TB Research Panel. Result.s Of all 61 TB isolates included, 56 TB were phenotypically resistant to any antibiotic. Among them, 38/56 (67.9%) TB isolates were phenotypically resistant to pyrazinamide and pncA mutations were detected in 33/38 cases (86.8%). A mutation in the pncA promoter region was the most prevalent genetic alteration, detected in eight TB isolates. Comparison of NGS to conventional BACTEC MGIT 960 DST revealed very strong agreement (90.2%) between the two methods in identifying PZA resistance, with high sensitivity (89.5%) and specificity (95.7%) for NGS. Conclusions. Detection of PZA resistance using NGS seems to be a valuable tool for surveillance of TB drug resistance also in the Balkan Peninsula, with great potential to provide useful information at least one weak earlier than is possible with phenotypic DST.
Keywords: tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, high-throughput nucleotide sequencing, pyrazinamide, microbial sensitivity tests, next-generation sequencing, drug susceptibility testing, Slovenia, Republic of North Macedonia
Published in DiRROS: 10.01.2022; Views: 935; Downloads: 568
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