The test results of the mechanical properties of the 3D printed concrete specimens indicated that the compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural tensile strengths significantly depended on the bonding behavior at the interlayers of the printed specimens. In addition, although metal laths were expected to improve the tensile strength of the printed specimens, they adversely affected the tensile performance due to weak bonding between the reinforcements and concrete filaments.The purpose of this paper is to investigate how optimistic bias, consumption cognition, news attention, information credibility, and social trust affect the purchase intention of food consumption. Data used in this study came from a questionnaire survey conducted in college students in Taipei and Beijing. Respondents in the two cities returned 258 and 268 questionnaires, respectively. Samples were analyzed through structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the model. Results showed that Taiwanese college students did not have optimistic bias but Chinese students did. The models showed that both Taiwanese and Chinese students' consumption cognition significantly influenced their purchase intention, and news attention significantly influenced only Chinese students' purchase intention. Model comparison analysis suggested significant differences between the models for Taiwan and mainland China. The results revealed that optimistic bias can be reduced in different social contexts as that of the Taiwan model and the mainland Chinese model found in this study were indeed different. This study also confirmed that people had optimistic bias on food safety issues, based on which recommendations were made to increase public awareness of food safety as well as to improve government's certification system.In this study, the sulfate attack on uncarbonated cement paste partially exposed to Na2SO4 solution was experimentally investigated and compared with that on carbonated specimens with the same exposure regime and uncarbonated specimens without exposure. N2 was used to protect specimens from carbonation throughout the sulfate exposure period. The effects of the water-to-cement (w/c) ratio and the fly ash as cement replacement on the sulfate attack were evaluated. Portland cement paste specimens with different w/c ratios of 0.35, 0.45, and 0.55 or fly ash replacement rates of 10%, 20%, and 30% were prepared. These specimens were partially immersed in 5% Na2SO4 solution for 50 d and 100 d exposure periods. The micro-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of the partial sulfate attack on the uncarbonated cement paste using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo-gravimetric (TG) techniques. The results confirmed that, for uncarbonated cement paste, the chemical attack rather than the physical attack is the deterioration mechanism and is responsible for more severe damage in the evaporation zone (dry part) compared with the immersed zone (immersed part). When the effect of carbonation is well excluded, there is an optimal w/c ratio of 0.45 for minimizing the sulfate attack, while incorporating fly ash tends to reduce the sulfate attack resistance.This study analyzes the relationship between the mycobiome of the Lower Respiratory Tract (LRT) and the fungi in the domestic environment. Samples studied consisted of Broncho-Alveolar Lavage (BAL) from 45 patients who underwent bronchoscopy for different diagnostic purposes, and dust and air from the houses (ENV) of 20 of them (44.4%). Additionally, five bronchoscopes (BS) were also analyzed and negative controls were included for every procedure. All samples were processed for DNA extraction and cultures, which were performed in Sabouraud Dextrose and Potato Dextrose Agar. The fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS2) was sequenced by the Solexa/Illumina system and sequences were analyzed by QIIME 1.8.0 and compared with the UNITE Database for identification. The similarity between the two fungal communities (BAL and ENV) for a specific patient was assessed via the percentage of coincidence in the detection of specific operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and about 75% of co-occurrence was detected between the mycobiome of the LRT and the houses. Cultures confirmed the presence of the core mycobiome species. However, the low rate of isolation from BAL suggests that most of its mycobiome corresponds to non-culturable cells. This likely depends on the patient's immune system activity and inflammatory status.Spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) are nanostructures consisting of nucleic acids in a spherical configuration, often around a nanoparticle core. SNAs are advantageous as gene-regulating agents compared to conventional gene therapy owing to their low toxicity, enhanced stability, uptake by virtually any cell, and ability to penetrate the epidermal barrier. In this review we (i) describe the production, structure and properties of SNAs; (ii) detail the mechanism of SNA uptake in keratinocytes, regulated by scavenger receptors; and (iii) report how SNAs have been topically applied and intralesionally injected for skin disorders. Specialized SNAs called nanoflares can be topically applied for gene-based diagnosis (scar vs. normal tissue). https://www.selleckchem.com/products/a-196.html Topical SNAs directed against TNFα and interleukin-17A receptor reversed psoriasis-like disease in mouse models and have been tested in Phase 1 human trials. Furthermore, SNAs targeting ganglioside GM3 synthase accelerate wound healing in diabetic mouse models. Most recently, SNAs targeting toll-like receptor 9 are being used in Phase 2 human trials via intratumoral injection to induce immune responses in Merkel cell and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Overall, SNAs are a valuable tool in bench-top and clinical research, and their advantageous properties, including penetration into the epidermis after topical delivery, provide new opportunities for targeted therapies.Diseases caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella spp. can negatively impact turkey farming. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli and Salmonella spp. in healthy and diseased turkeys. A total of 30 fecal samples from healthy turkeys and 25 intestinal samples from diseased turkeys that died of enteritis were collected. Bacterial isolation and identification were based on biochemical properties and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antibiogram profiles were determined by disk diffusion. The tetracycline-resistance gene tetA was detected by PCR. All samples were positive for E. coli. Only 11 samples (11/30; 36.67%) were positive for Salmonella spp. from healthy turkeys, whereas 16 (16/25; 64%) samples were positive for Salmonella spp. from diseased turkeys. E. coli isolated from diseased turkeys showed higher resistance to levofloxacin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, and tetracycline. Salmonella spp. isolated from healthy turkeys exhibited higher resistance to gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, imipenem, and meropenem.