This paper presents an investigation into the ultimate and serviceability behavior of concrete beams strengthened in flexure with basalt-textile-reinforced polymer mortar (BTRM). The bond performance at the interface between the BTRM and concrete was studied by performing single shear tests, and the effectiveness of using an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin for bond enhancement was explored. The results suggested that using an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin can improve the interfacial stress transfer and ensure the tensile failure of the basalt textile in BTRM. Afterward, four-point bending tests were conducted to study the flexural performance of strengthened beams. It was found that the flexural strength of strengthened beams increased with the amount of textile, and the strength increase was more prominent for the strengthened beams with end anchorages. The increase in the failure force was up to 37% for the beam strengthened with five layers of the textile and an end anchorage. The calculated flexural strength exhibited a percentage error of no more than 7% compared to the test results. In addition, the Bischoff-I Equation can closely estimate the effective moment of inertia and provide an accurate prediction of deflection for strengthened beams. Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) externally attached to concrete have been developed and are widely utilized for retrofitting and strengthening concrete beams ,2,3,4. TThe advent of cement-based composites made by replacing the organic matrix with inorganic cementitious materials represents an attractive and prospective alternative that allows the above problems to be surmounted. In addition, using cementitious materials can provide the protection of fiber reinforcement, good resistance to temperature, and sound compatibility with the concrete substrate. Such composites are called textile-reinforced mortar (TRM), and different acronyms, such as TRC and FRCM, were used in different studies ,13,14,15Basalt fibers are made of melted basalt minerals drawn through a platinum–rhodium alloy wiredrawing leaky plate and are recognized as green, eco-friendly, high-performance synthetic fibers. Basalt fibers show good mechanical properties and durability at a highly competitive cost. Experimental investigations have been conducted on basalt-textile-reinforced mortar, revealing that BTRM shows good mechanical properties. The factors that affect the mechanical performance of BTRM have been distinguished, including the reinforcement amount , the morIn addition to the ultimate behavior, the strengthened concrete members should carry enough stiffness to resist deformation. Serviceability represents a crucial condition that should be satisfied for ordinary members. However, no investigations are available regarding the deflection behavior of BTRM-strengthened beams. Thus, the accurate calculation of member deflection cannot be performed at present, which constituted a motivation for the present study.This study intended to investigate the flexural performance of concrete beams strengthened in flexure with BTRM in terms of the ultimate and deflection behavior. Single shear tests were first conducted to explore the failure mechanism and stress transfer between the BTRM and concrete and determine the effectiveness of using an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin. Afterward, four-point bending was applied to strengthened concrete beams with various BTRM amounts to study the flexural performance, mainly in terms of failure, load-deflection behavior, and ultimate flexural strength as well as the effective moment of inertia. The flexural strength was calculated by a sectional analysis and compared with experimental results to determine the prediction accuracy. Additionally, the effective moment of inertia determined from the load-deflection response of strengthened beams was compared with existing equations to determine the optimal Equation with the best accuracy.The experimental program included single shear tests and bending tests. The single shear tests were conducted on BTRM–concrete interface specimens to study the bond properties between the BTRM and concrete to determine the effectiveness of using an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin and obtain the bond length required to achieve the tensile capacity of basalt textile. The bending tests were performed to study the flexural performance of concrete beams strengthened with BTRM in terms of failure modes, moment capacity, and deflection behavior, verifying the effectiveness of BTRM in improving the ultimate and deflection behavior of concrete beams. The basalt textile used was a commercially available bidirectional coated textile with a mesh size of 25 mm × 25 mm. The elastic modulus and tensile strength of the basalt textile were 80 GPa and 1500 MPa, respectively. The primer and PCM were provided by the same supplier. The primer consisted of acrylic acid and water with a mix ratio, in weight, of 1:1. The PCM that incorporated polyvinyl alcohol fibers with a volume fraction of 0.1% was used as a matrix to make BTRM and the bonding agent. The impregnation polymer was a two-component ambient-cured epoxy resin, and the mix ratio, in weight, between the base and hardener was 2:1. The flexural and compressive strengths of PCM after curing for seven days were 10.0 MPa (COV = 0.051) and 55.6 MPa (COV = 0.058), respectively. Ready-mix concrete was used to fabricate BTRM–concrete interface specimens, and the 28-day compressive strength of 40.2 MPa (COV = 0.064) was determined based on compression tests on three cubic specimens. A total of nine BTRM–concrete interface specimens were used in single shear tests. An adhesion promoter was intended to enhance the adhesion between the PCM and concrete, and impregnated resin was intended to increase the strength utilization of the basalt textile. Three scenarios were considered, depending on whether the adhesion promoter and impregnated resin were used: (i) S0 specimens with neither an adhesion promoter nor impregnated resin; (ii) SP specimens with an adhesion promoter but no impregnated resin; and (iii) SPR specimens with both an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin. Three parallel specimens were tested for each scenario. The BTRM–concrete interface specimens comprised one concrete prism with dimensions of 150 mm × 150 mm × 300 mm and the externally bonded BTRM. Six concrete beams with dimensions of 100 mm × 200 mm × 1500 mm were fabricated in the present study. x, where x indicates the number of textile layers, as shown in One of the concrete beams was used as a control beam without strengthening and was labeled as B0. Other beams were strengthened with BTRM incorporated into one layer or multiple layers of the basalt textile. Strengthened beams were identified as BThe basalt textile and PCM for strengthening concrete beams were the same as those for the interface specimens. The concrete beams were cast with another batch of concrete with a compressive strength of 34.8 MPa based on compression test results. The yielding and ultimate tensile strengths of HRB400 steel bars were 450 Mpa and 610 Mpa, respectively, and the corresponding strengths were 235 Mpa and 250 Mpa for HPB235 steel stirrups. The elastic modulus for the longitudinal steel reinforcement and stirrups was 200 Gpa. The elastic modulus and tensile strength of the basalt fiber sheet were 105 Gpa and 2131 Mpa, respectively. The application of BTRM followed the same procedure for fabricating BTRM–concrete interface specimens. The depth between two adjacent layers of basalt textile was 10 mm, resulting in total thicknesses of 20 mm and 40 mm for BTRM with three and five layers of the textile. If the end anchorage existed, the PCM surface was subjected to the same treatment as concrete, and the basalt fiber sheet was used to wrap the beam section with the impregnated resin. All beams were tested under four-point bending with a simply supported condition, as shown in Various failure modes were observed in the single shear tests, as shown in The strain profiles of basalt textile are plotted versus the distance from the loaded end at different loads for BTRM–concrete specimens in The analysis of the textile strain profiles also aimed to determine the critical bond length required to achieve the tensile strength of the textile. As the failure of the S0 specimens did not occur from the tensile failure of the textile, the critical bond length could not be determined. According to The applied force was plotted against the midspan deflection for the tested beams, as shown in u)P, was measured during bending tests and is presented in uP value of 93.5 kN. For the strengthened beams, uP ranged between 105.5 kN for B1 and 128.1 kN for B5E. The increases were 13% and 37% for B1 and B5E, respectively, compared to B0. In addition, the difference in uP between B3 and B3E was 4%, and this difference was 6% between B5 and B5E. Although end anchorage had a beneficial effect on the deflection and failure mode, slight differences in uP appeared for the strengthened beams with and without end anchorage. In addition, uP increased with an increase in the reinforcement amount of the textile, and a linear dependence was found between uP and the textile reinforcement amount, as shown in The maximum applied force, defined as the failure force  planar sections remain planes after cracking; (2) the contribution of concrete in tension on the moment capacity is negligible; (3) steel reinforcement has an elastic–plastic behavior, and the basalt textile shows a linear behavior up to failure; and (4) perfects bond between different materials exist.β1 represents the ratio of the stress block height to the neutral axis depth of the cracked section, and α1 indicates the ratio of the block stress to the compressive strength of concrete. Both α1 and β1 are related to the concrete strain corresponding to the compressive strength (ct)ε. Once flexural failure occurs, ctε reaches the ultimate compressive strain for concrete (0.0035). Based on the strain compatibility, the strains in the compression steel, tension steel, and textile can be obtained as follows: s,ε and fε represent the strains in the compression steel, tension steel, and textile; cx is the depth of the neutral axis of the cracked section; and s,d and fd indicate the depth of the compression steel, tension steel, and textile into the extreme compression fiber, respectively.A rectangular stress block approach given by ACI 318-19, developed for ordinary reinforced concrete beams, was used to analyze the ultimate moment of concrete beams strengthened with BTRM. According to the ACI 318-19 code, the equivalent stress magnitude and the position of the resultant compression force of the block could be determined using Equations (1) and (2): cx can be determined; therefore, the strains in different materials can be obtained. Afterward, the ultimate moment (u)M can be calculated by summing the moment about the neutral axis for different components, as expressed in Equation (7).Considering the force equilibrium about the axis normal to the section, Equation (6) can be established. By inserting Equations (3)–(5), uM values were no more than 7%, and the overall ratio between them was 0.96, indicating good accuracy of the moment capacity prediction based on the ACI code. To achieve more statistically significant conclusions, further studies are needed to increase the number of tests of the flexural strengthening of concrete beams with BTRM.The ultimate moments determined from the maximum applied force were compared with the calculated values for the beams. An inspection of c)E and the effective moment of inertia (e)I for any specific applied moment (a)M. eI is used to model the nonlinear behavior of members after concrete cracking and reflects the gradual transition of member stiffness from the uncracked section to a completely cracked section. The value of eI can be experimentally evaluated for concrete members based on the relationship between the applied force and deflection, which is contingent on the boundary condition and the type of loading. The equation to calculate eI is formulated in Equation (8) for simply supported beams under four-point bending.P is the applied force; L and a are the beam span and shear span; cE is the elastic modulus of concrete, which can be calculated as per ACI 318-19; and Δ is the midspan deflection.Flexural members should carry enough stiffness to resist a deflection that may affect the safety and serviceability conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to check the deflection of strengthened members to satisfy the serviceability requirements. The deflection behavior of concrete beams can be computed using an elastic deflection equation that incorporates the elastic modulus of concrete  and cracked (cIcrE) stiffness. Modifications have been made to the Branson equation to improve the prediction accuracy by accounting for different factors that affect the member stiffness. These factors include the tensile strength and stiffness of concrete, the amount and type of reinforcement, shrinkage, and creep. For example, Gao et al. proposed a modified version, adopted using the ACI 440 code [crM and aM are the cracking moment and the applied moment of interest and dβ is a correction factor that was empirically derived for FRP-bar-reinforced concrete. The prediction equation of 440 code , of the eI of reinforced concrete beams. The difference between the equation of Alsayed et al. and the ACI 440 Equation is that the power changed to 5.5.For a glass FRP bar, Alsayed et al.  developeeI for an un/IcrI ratio larger than 4.0, Bischoff [eI, regardless of the amount or type of reinforcement (steel or FRP). It was found that taking a weighted average of flexibility  is more appropriate to model deflection behavior over a wide range of member stiffness values. In some cases, the member stiffness is underestimated using the uniform value of eI based on the applied moment at the critical section, and an overprediction of deflection is the result. To account for variations in stiffness along the span, an additional integration factor, γ, that is dependent on the boundary condition and the loading type was proposed [γ can be determined using Equation (12a).By addressing the limitation of the Branson Equation, which may not give an accurate estimate of Bischoff ,32 develproposed , as showeI is provided using SIMTReC [Equation (13) for computing  SIMTReC .(13)Ie−According to ACI 318-19 , EquatioeI values, according to Equation (8), were plotted versus those applied to the experimental cracking moment ratio (a/Mcr)M for tested beams, as shown in eI predictions according to Alasyed et al., Bischoff-I, Bischoff-II, SIMTReC, ACI 440-15, and ACI 318-19 are also included in eI. The Bischoff-II equation provided the largest overprediction of eI, and the defection was significantly underestimated as a result. The Bischoff-II Equation tended to lead to a higher eI than the Bischoff-I Equation, as the former incorporated a lower cracking moment, as observed in [The experimentally evaluated erved in .eI immediately above the cracking moment. When a/McrM increased to around 1.7, e-ExpI was overestimated by all the prediction equations. In addition, the Bischoff-I and Bischoff-II Equations provided an overestimate of eI but seemingly gave nearly identical overall tendencies. For B0, the SIMTReC and ACI 318-19 equations could effectively model the experimental eI after the cracking moment, and the differences between the experimental results and predictions decreased with increasing a/McrM values. On the contrary, the Bischoff-II Equation significantly overestimated eI and led to a much smaller deflection value. It was found that the Bischoff-I Equation provided the prediction of eI with the best accuracy compared to the other equations, and this equation is recommended for computing the eI of strengthened beams. Regarding strengthened beams, the Alasyed et al., SIMTReC, and ACI 318-19 equations led to conservative predictions of eI is to calculate the deflection to check whether the serviceability requirements related to deflection limits can be met for concrete beams in service conditions. For instance, ACI 318-19 provides a deflection limit for concrete beams, which is set as Δ/L = 360. The experimental eI and the predicted values corresponding to the above deflection limit were plotted with the reinforcement ratio of basal textile, as shown in eI values ranged between 1.06 and 1.13. The reason for the close predictions from different equations is that the deflection limit (Δ/L = 360) led to an a/McrM value of about 3.5, at which the predicted eI curves were close to the experimental curve for all equations, as shown in eI, while the predictions from other equations would significantly deviate from the experimental eI. Furthermore, future studies are still needed to estimate eI values for more relaxed deflection limits, as none of the existing models can accurately predict eI values for large a/McrM values.The purpose of predicting This study addressed the ultimate and deflection behavior of concrete beams strengthened in flexure with BTRM. The bond performance between the BTRM and concrete was investigated via single shear tests, and the effectiveness of using an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin on bond enhancement was evaluated. Furthermore, bending tests were conducted to study the flexural behavior of strengthened concrete beams in terms of failure modes, ultimate strength, and the effective moment of inertia. The following conclusions can be drawn based on the test results and analyses.The bond failure between the BTRM and concrete occurred due to the debonding of BTRM. Using an adhesion promoter could shift the debonding failure to the tensile failure of the basalt textile, and textile tensile strength could be achieved. Utilizing both an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin led to textile failure with higher tensile strength, which was associated with the consolidating effects of the impregnated resin on the textile. In addition, the critical bond length required to achieve textile failure was equal to 125 mm when using the adhesion promoter and impregnated resin.The use of BTRM significantly affected the flexural performance of strengthened beams. The strengthened beams with multiple textile layers failed due to end debonding at the interface between the textile and mortar. With the use of end anchorage, the failure mode changed to flexural failure, along with the tensile failure of the textile. The failure force of the beams increased with the reinforcement amount of basalt textile in the BTRM. The maximum increase in the failure force was 37%, which was achieved by the beam strengthened with five layers of the textile and the use of end anchorage.A rectangular stress block approach was applied to calculate the moment capacity of BTRM-strengthened concrete beams. The calculated values were compared with the experimental results. The differences in the moment capacities between the calculations and test results were no more than 7%.e)I. The experimental value of eI was calculated using the load response and compared with different equations, including the Alasyed et al., Bischoff-I, Bischoff-II, SIMTReC, ACI 440-15, and ACI 318-19 equations. Among these equations, the Bischoff-I Equation provided the best approximation of eI compared to other prediction equations and thus is recommended for deflection behavior analysis for BTRM-strengthened beams when cr/MaM is no more than 3.0. The deflection behavior could be indicated by an elastic deformation approach that incorporated the effective moment of inertia (


Urban construction has produced a large amount of construction waste which has caused huge environmental problems. The sponge city is the development direction of urban construction, and permeable pavement concrete is an important material for sponge city construction. To see the law influencing different factors on the performance of recycled aggregate permeable pavement concrete, different water binder ratios, recycled aggregate particle gradations, ordinary aggregate substitution rates, and fly ash and admixture contents are designed to prepare permeable concrete. The compressive strength, permeability coefficient, frost resistance, and pore structure of permeable concrete are tested. The results show that when the replacement rate of recycled aggregate is 50%, the 28-d strength of concrete with a 0.25 water binder ratio can reach 28.9 MPa, and the permeability coefficient is 13.26 mm/s. The addition of fly ash will reduce the compressive strength, and the permeability coefficient increases first and then decreases with the increase of the fly ash content. When the mass fraction of fly ash instead of cement is 12%, the 28-d strength is 94.8% of that of the cement group, and the permeability coefficient can reach 14.03 mm/s. A water-reducing agent can obviously improve the workability of permeable concrete; the best content of the water-reducing agent is 0.2% of the cement mass. A reasonable amount of fly ash and water-reducing agent can optimize the number of harmless holes and less harmful holes in the concrete to improve the frost resistance and strength after the freeze–thaw, and the frost resistance is F150. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical guarantee for the resource utilization of recycled aggregate in permeable pavement concrete. In the process of urbanization, more and more roads are covered by impermeable concrete. The impermeability of these roads has a great impact on the environment, resulting in a series of environmental and safety problems. The groundwater in the area cannot be replenished, resulting in the gradual decline of the groundwater level. When a large amount of rainfall occurs, the surface water cannot be dredged in time, resulting in flood disasters which brings great challenges to the urban drainage system and transportation system. Due to its slow heat dissipation, it is also easy to bring a ‘heat-island effect’ to the city. Building a ‘sponge city’ is the only way in the process of urbanization. Permeable concrete has become one of the most important building materials for the ‘sponge city’ road because of its porosity and good water permeability . At the The researchers have carried out a series of studies on recycled aggregate permeable concrete. The content of recycled aggregate, that is, the substitution rate of recycled aggregate to ordinary aggregate, is the most influential factor on the performance of permeable concrete. Bhutta  found thAggregate gradation, mineral admixture, and the water binder ratio are also important factors affecting the performance of permeable concrete. Adding recycled aggregate with small particle size, the compressive strength of the test block will be relatively high, but its porosity and water permeability coefficient will be relatively low. When the particle size increases gradually, the compressive strength decreases. On the contrary, the porosity and water permeability coefficient will increase. The influence of the gradation of recycled aggregate on the concrete should be fully considered . The perReplacing cement with mineral admixtures, such as fly ash, can improve the performance of recycled aggregate permeable concrete to a certain extent. Peng  found thIn this paper, recycled aggregate is used to prepare permeable pavement concrete. The compressive strength, water permeability, and frost resistance of permeable concrete are studied from the aspects of water binder ratio, particle gradation of fully recycled aggregate, replacement rate of recycled aggregate, content of fly ash, and water-reducing agent to find a suitable proportion of recycled bone permeable concrete and optimize its performance indexes. It provides the theoretical basis and technical guarantee for the application of recycled aggregate to prepare pavement permeable concrete in the road construction of a ‘sponge city’.Ordinary portland cement is the most commonly used cementitious material for permeable concrete. P.O 42.5 cement produced by the Beijing Jinyu cement plant is selected for this test. All mineral components in cement are shown in Two kinds of coarse aggregate are used. The recycled aggregate (RA) is selected from the waste concrete of construction waste and processed by crushing and shaping. The ordinary aggregate (OA) is limestone stone with 5–15 mm continuous grading, which meets the national standards (GB/T 14685-2011 ‘pebble and crushed stone for construction’). See The alkali activity of coarse aggregate is an important technical index to measure the aggregate and has an important impact on the durability of concrete. The rapid alkali silica reaction expansion rates of the two aggregates are respectively tested (method in GB/T 14685-2011 ‘pebble and crushed stone for construction’), as shown in According to ‘specification of pebble and crushed stone for building (GB/T14685-2011)’, the 14d expansion rates of the two aggregates shows that they are smaller than 0.10%. Therefore, in most cases, it can be determined that there is no harm of alkali silicate reaction in the two kinds of coarse aggregates.The grade Ⅰ fly ash produced in Hebei is adopted. Its main chemical composition and related performance data are shown in Tap water shall be used as the mixing water and meet the standard requirements. The admixture is the air entraining polycarboxylic acid water reducer produced by Sika Company. The source solution concentration is 40%. Due to the high concentration, it is easy to cause excessive segregation and other problems after adding. It is often diluted to 15% and used in actual construction.The water permeability coefficient is measured with NELD-PC370 equipment. The cube with the size of 100 mm shall be sealed around the permeable concrete with fresh-keeping film. It is necessary to ensure that the top and bottom surfaces of the permeable concrete are used as the permeable surfaces. We install the sealed concrete test block on the permeability coefficient measuring instrument, set the size and water level difference of the permeable concrete test block in the instrument, first start the water pump, and then start the experiment after the water flow is stable. The set time is 1 min. after the water flows through the concrete test block, it flows into the lower bucket, and the permeability coefficient of the concrete test block is obtained by weighing the water quality in the bucket. The standard for determining the permeability coefficient is T/ZACA 001—2018 ‘test method for permeable coefficient of pervious cement concrete’.The rapid freeze–thaw test shall be carried out in accordance with GB/T 50082-2019 standard. The size of the quick freeze–thaw test piece of concrete is 100 mm × 100 mm × 400 mm. After the concrete is cured for 24 days under standard-curing conditions , soak the concrete in water (temperature 20 ± 2 °C) for four days, and put it into the freeze–thaw machine at 28 days. During freezing and melting, the minimum and maximum temperatures of the center of the test piece shall be controlled at (−18 ± 2) °C and (5 ± 2) °C, respectively. At any time, the center temperature shall not be higher than 7 °C and not lower than −20 °C. After a certain number of freeze–thaw cycles, we test the mass, dynamic elastic modulus, and compressive strength of the specimen. The size of the compressive strength specimen is 100 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm. As the strength grade of permeable concrete is below C30, the loading rate of concrete compressive strength is controlled at 0.3–0.5 MPa/s.The nuclear magnetic resonance adopts the MesoMR23-060H nuclear magnetic resonance tester with the resonance frequency of 23 MHz. Firstly, the concrete specimen is saturated with water in vacuum for more than 24 h, then the specimen is taken out, and the porosity and pore size distribution of the concrete specimen are tested by nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectrum analysis.Two kinds of recycled aggregates with different particle sizes are selected, namely small stone with particle diameter of 5–10 mm and large stone with particle diameter of 10–15 mm. The mass ratios of the two sizes of aggregates are designed to be 2:8, 3:7, 4:6, 5:5, 6:4, 7:3, and 8:2, respectively. The voids are tested with a 10 L capacity cylinder, as shown in The results show that when the ratio of small stone to large stone is 2:8, the porosity is the highest, which is 48.5%. When the ratio of small stone to large stone is 6:4, the porosity is the lowest, which is 41.5%. With the increase of small stone proportion, the porosity value shows a trend of decreasing first and then increasing. The voidage has a great influence on the strength and permeability coefficient of concrete. A more appropriate stone-grading porosity should be selected to ensure good water permeability without affecting the strength.When the ratio of small stone to large stone is 2:8 and 3:7, the concrete has good water permeability and high-water permeability coefficient, but the strength of the concrete is low. The strength of concrete with 0.25 water binder ratio is the highest when the gradation is 6:4, and the strength is the best when the ratio is 5:5. From the perspective of comprehensive strength and permeability coefficient, it is determined that when the particle gradation of recycled aggregate is 5:5 of small stone and large stone, the performance of concrete is the best. Under the conditions of 0.25 and 0.3 water binder ratio, the 28-d compressive strengths of concrete can reach 27.5 MPa and 21.4 MPa, respectively, and the permeability coefficients are 10.65 mm/s and 12.31 mm/s, respectively.After the reasonable gradation of recycled aggregate is determined, the content of recycled aggregates in all aggregates are designed to be 0, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% respectively. See It can be seen from To study the influence of fly ash content on recycled aggregate permeable pavement concrete, the ratio of water and cementitious material is controlled to be 0.25, the ratio of small stone to large stone in recycled aggregate is 5:5, and the mass ratio of recycled aggregate to ordinary aggregate is 5:5. Different fly ash contents are selected to be 0, 12%, 18%, 24%, and 30% (mass fraction of replacement cement). See It can be seen from The designed content of polycarboxylic acid water reducer (PC) is 0–0.5% of the cement mass. See The results show that the water-reducing agent can significantly improve the workability of permeable concrete, and the slump of concrete increases significantly with the increase of the water-reducing agent dosage. The appropriate addition of the water reducing-agent can improve the construction performance of recycled aggregate permeable pavement concrete. However, the water-reducing agent will have an adverse impact on the compressive strength of concrete. Taking the 28-day strength as an example, the compressive strength of the control group added with 0.5% water-reducing agent of cement quality is 24.6% lower than that of the control group without water-reducing agent, and the strength decreases significantly. Therefore, the dosage of the water-reducing agent should not be too much. The amount of the water-reducing agent has little effect on the permeability coefficient; this is consistent with reference . Based oFrost resistance is one of the important durability indexes of permeable concrete. Especially in cold areas, the ability to resist freeze–thaw cycle damage is an important index to ensure the service life of permeable concrete ,40. The If the mass loss rate of the concrete is more than 5% of the initial value or the remaining modulus of elasticity of the concrete is less than 60% (in accordance with GB/T 50082-2019 standard). According to the test results, the frost resistances of RA0 and RA50 are F125, the frost resistances of RA100 are F100, and FA12 and PC0.2 are F150. The frost resistance of fully recycled aggregate permeable concrete is the worst, and the frost resistance of 50% substitution rate is the same as that of all ordinary aggregate. Proper amounts of fly ash and the water-reducing agent can improve the frost resistance of permeable pavement concrete, and the loss of quality and dynamic elastic modulus of concrete after a rapid freeze–thaw cycle is the least.After a certain freeze–thaw cycle, the residual compressive strength of pavement concrete is very important to the bearing capacity of pavement. The compressive strength of concrete after failure of different freeze–thaw cycles is tested, and the results are shown in The residual compressive strength of fully recycled aggregate permeable pavement concrete after different freeze–thaw cycles is the lowest. When freeze–thaw failure occurs, it is only 36.7% of the initial value, which will seriously affect the service life of the pavement. The addition of recycled aggregate will reduce the compressive strength of concrete after a freeze–thaw cycle, but the introduction of fly ash and water reducer will greatly improve the frost resistance and compressive strength of concrete after a freeze–thaw cycle. When the content of fly ash is 12%, the concrete still has 66.8% of the initial strength in case of freeze–thaw failure.To explore the action mechanism of recycled aggregate, fly ash and water reducer on the frost resistance of permeable pavement concrete, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to test the porosity of concrete. The concrete holes are divided according to the hole diameter. Harmless hole is less than 0.02 μm, less harmful is 0.02–0.1 μm, harmful hole is 0.1–0.2 μm, and multi-harmful hole is above 0.2 μm. The porosity calculated according to classification is shown in The freeze–thaw damage of concrete is caused by the volume expansion caused by the ice formed by the water in the internal pores ,43. The The frost resistance of fully recycled aggregate permeable pavement concrete is the worst. This is because the number of harmful holes and multi-harmful holes of fully recycled aggregate concrete is significantly higher than that of other concrete. A large number of harmful holes and multi harmful holes accelerate the speed of concrete freeze–thaw damage. Proper addition of fly ash and air-entraining water reducer can increase the content of harmless holes below 0.02 μm; the frost resistance of concrete is directly related to the porosity of harmless holes and multi-harmful holes of concrete before freezing and thawing. That is, the more harmless holes and the fewer multi-harmful holes, the stronger the frost resistance of concrete. The freezing point of capillary water is related to the pore size. The smaller the pore size is, the lower the freezing point of water is. The introduction of harmless holes can play a good buffer role in the freezing and expansion of water in the pores so as to reduce the expansion pressure and slow down the damage of the internal structure of concrete.When the proportion of small stone to large stone is 5:5, the performance of concrete is the best. When the water binder ratios are 0.25 and 0.3, the 28-d compressive strengths of concrete can reach 27.5 MPa and 21.4 MPa, respectively, and the water permeability coefficients are 10.65 mm/s and 12.31 mm/s, respectively.The substitution of recycled aggregate for ordinary aggregate will have an adverse impact on the strength. The water permeability coefficient decreases with the increase of the mass fraction of recycled aggregate, replacing ordinary aggregate, and the influence of the water binder ratio on the content of recycled aggregate is not significant. The reasonable mass fraction of recycled aggregate replacing ordinary aggregate is 50%, and the 28-d strength of concrete with a 0.25 water binder ratio can reach 28.9 MPa, and the water permeability coefficient is 13.26 mm/s.The addition of fly ash will reduce the compressive strength, and the permeability coefficient increases first and then decreases with the increase of fly ash content. When the mass fraction of fly ash instead of cement is 12%, the 28-d strength is 94.8% of the cement group, and the permeability coefficient can reach 14.03 mm/s. A water-reducing agent can obviously improve the workability of permeable concrete; the best content of water-reducing agent is 0.2% of the cement mass.The frost resistance of fully recycled aggregate concrete is the worst, only reaching F100. Adding an appropriate amount of fly ash and air-entraining water reducer can greatly improve the frost resistance and freeze–thaw strength of concrete, and the frost resistance can reach F150. The strengthening mechanism is to effectively increase the number of harmless holes and less harmful holes in the concrete and optimize the internal hole structure of the concrete.This study reveals the action laws of different influencing factors on the compressive strength, water permeability, frost resistance, and pore structure of recycled aggregate permeable concrete and provides a theoretical basis for the engineering application of recycled aggregate in permeable pavement concrete materials.


Interrupted time series analysis was used to assess the effect of mitigation measures against SARS-COV-2, introduced in March and November 2020, on antibiotic prescription rates. In the pre-pandemic period, the antibiotic prescription rates displayed a linear decrease from 2010 to 2019 . In 2020, an immediate effect of mitigation measures on prescription rates was observed; in particular, the rate decreased steeply in April  and November 2020 . The decrease was observed in all ages and for all antibiotic subgroups. However, this effect was temporary. Regionally, prescription rates were highly correlated between 2019 and 2020/2021. Substantial reductions in antibiotic prescription rates following the mitigation measures may indicate limited access to medical care, changes in care-seeking behavior and/or a decrease of respiratory infections. Despite an all-time low of antibiotic use, regional variations remained high and strongly correlated with pre-pandemic levels.The aim of the study was to examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic had any effect on antibiotic prescription rates in children in Germany. Using the nationwide outpatient prescription data from the Statutory Health Insurance from 2010 to 2021, changes in the monthly prescriptions of systemic antibiotics dispensed to children aged 0–14 years were examined ( An increasing number of studies has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures affected the epidemiology of other infectious diseases. As compared to the pre-pandemic period, the incidence of both viral and bacterial infections decreased. For example, the Robert Koch Institute in Germany reported the decrease in the number of notifiable cases for all infectious diseases, except tick-borne encephalitis . In addiIn the pre-pandemic period between 2010 and 2019, the prescription rates displayed an expected seasonal pattern, with the highest prescription rates in December, January and February and the lowest rates in July. Overall, the secular trend was decreasing from 749 per 1000 children in 2010 to 401 per 1000 children in 2019, with a mean annual decrease of 6% . In 2020p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001).In 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, the antibiotic prescription rates varied regionally by a factor of 1.9 from 294 prescriptions in Brandenburg (East Germany) to 566 prescriptions per 1000 children in Saarland (West Germany). Antibiotic prescriptions in 2019 correlated strongly with those from 2020 . Gastrointestinal infections due to rotavirus infection (−83%) and shigellosis (−83%) also showed strong decreases.The substantial reductions in prescription rates may be explained by limited access to healthcare facilities and/or changes in care-seeking behavior. However, large-scale mitigation measures against SARS-CoV-2 may also have resulted in the reduction of other infections, in particular respiratory tract infections of both viral and bacterial origin , up to tThe re-increase of antibiotic prescriptions in 2021 compared with 2019 showed age-dependency and was less pronounced in children and adolescents older than five years compared with younger children. This might be due to age-dependent variation in health-seeking behavior on the one hand. On the other hand, it cannot be excluded that the second lockdown in 2021 was implemented stricter in schools than in kindergartens. At this point in time, it is not yet possible to judge whether the stronger decline in older children and adolescents will be sustainable in the coming years.Of note, despite an all-time low of antibiotic use, regional variations in prescription rates remained high and were strongly correlated with pre-pandemic levels. Large-scale mitigation measures against SARS-CoV-2, especially in 2020, were, for the most part, uniformly implemented in Germany and their effect on the circulation of respiratory pathogens is unlikely to have differed between German regions. Hence, the strong correlation of regional pre- and peri-pandemic prescription rates further supports the hypothesis that pre-existing antibiotic prescription paradigms are an important explanatory factor for intra-country regional variations. Future research should assess regional differences in attitudes and levels of knowledge in the community and among healthcare providers and may inform regionally tailored interventions to further promote judicious antibiotic prescribing.Several limitations of the study are worthy of mention. Firstly, we used secondary claims data to examine the association between risk-mitigation measures and antibiotic prescribing. This is an ecological study, which cannot establish causality. Secondly, our dataset did not contain information for antibiotics dispensed (i) by outpatient dentists and (ii) inpatient prescriptions. Finally, data for children insured privately in Germany are not part of our dataset. The latter group comprise about 13% of the general population and may differ in terms of health and socio-demographic status.n = 9,688,483 at 1 July 2021), covering approx. 83% of the total German population in this age group  in Germany from January 2010 to December 2021 which were collected in accordance with Article 300(2) of the Social Code Book V. The data contain all prescribed and dispensed medications , the date of prescription, the pharmacy dispensation date, the amount of the prescribed substance, the anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) code, the defined daily doses (DDD), packaging size, strength and formulation, as well as the generic and trade names. In addition, the data include information on outpatient’s age in years and region of residence. The latter is represented by the regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (ASHIPs). In brief, there are 17 ASHIPs in Germany, 15 of them in each German federal state and two ASHIPs presenting in the federal state North-Rhine Westphalia. The study population comprised all children aged between 0 and 14 years in the respective years (ge group .We examined the prescription of the following systemic antibiotics: (i) penicillins with extended spectrum (J01CA), (ii) narrow-spectrum penicillins , (iii) Penicillins with beta-lactamase inhibitors (J01CR), (iv) first-generation cephalosporins (J01DB), (v) second-generation cephalosporins (J01DC), (vi) third-generation cephalosporins (J01DD), (vii) sulphonamides/trimethoprim  and (viii) macrolides (J01FA). The remaining antibiotics were categorized into the group “other antibiotics”.We calculated annual and monthly antibiotic prescription rates per 1000 children over the period 2010 to 2021, overall, as well as by age group , region of residence  and antibiotic subgroup. The total annual number of persons with SHI per age group on July 1st of a given year, derived from national statistics provided by the German Ministry of Health, was used as a denominator .


Antibiotic resistance threatens public health worldwide, and inappropriate use of antibiotics is one of the main causes. Antibiotic use for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) has been defined as “antibiotics never events”, and urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious diseases for which antibiotics are prescribed in Korea. To establish an effective antimicrobial stewardship strategy, a qualitative assessment of antibiotic use in actual clinical syndrome is necessary.5 CFU/ml), performed in inpatient, outpatient, and emergency departments in April 2021 were screened in 26 hospitals located throughout Korea. Cases were classified into ABU, lower UTI, and upper UTI. The appropriateness of antibiotic use was retrospectively evaluated by infectious disease specialists using quality indicators based on the domestic clinical guideline for ABU and UTI.Cases of positive urine cultures . Antibiotics were prescribed in 21.7% (251 of 1157) of ABU without appropriate indication. Of 66 ABU cases with appropriate indication in which prophylactic antibiotics were prescribed, the duration of antibiotics was adequate in only 34.8% (Table 1). For lower UTI, the appropriateness of empirical and definite antibiotics was 77.8% (527 of 677) and 68.0% (353 of 519). In terms of upper UTI, 86.3% (745 of 863) and 78.2% (583 of 746) was appropriate, respectively. The duration of antibiotics was adequate in 65.7% (421 of 641) of lower UTI and 77.9% (592 of 760) in upper UTI .This nationwide qualitative assessment of antibiotic use in ABU and UTI revealed that a significant proportion of antibiotics were prescribed inappropriately and, furthermore the duration of antibiotics was prolonged unnecessarily. Interventions for appropriate antibiotic use in ABU and UTI at the national level are required.All Authors: No reported disclosures.


The “Warburg effect” provides a novel method for treating cancer cell metabolism. Overexpression of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and downregulation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) have been identified as biomarkers of abnormal cancer cell metabolism. Metformin (MET) is an effective therapy for breast cancer (BC), but its efficacy is largely reliant on the concentration of glucose at the tumor site. We propose a WZB117 (a GLUT1 inhibitor)-OCMC (O-carboxymethyl-chitosan)-MET combo strategy for simultaneous GLUT1 and mTOR targeting for alteration of BC metabolism. WZB117 conjugated polymeric nanoparticles were 225.67 ± 11.5 nm in size, with a PDI of 0.113 ± 0.16, and an encapsulation of 72.78 6.4%. OCMC pH-dependently and selectively releases MET at the tumor site. MET targets the mTOR pathway in cancer cells, and WZB117 targets BCL2 to alter GLUT1 at the cancer site. WZB117-OCMC-MET overcomes the limitations of MET monotherapy by targeting mTOR and BCL2 synergistically. WZB117-OCMC-MET activates AMPK and suppresses mTOR in a Western blot experiment, indicating growth-inhibitory and apoptotic characteristics. AO/EB and the cell cycle enhance cellular internalization as compared to MET alone. WZB117-OCMC-MET affects cancer cells’ metabolism and is a promising BC therapeutic strategy. Breast cancer (BC) is one of the leading causes of death among women, but it can also affect men . BC has Metformin (MET) (anti-diabetic drug), 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribose (AMPK pharmacologic activator), RL71 , dimethoxy-curcumin , Fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), and OSU-53 (thiazolidinedione compound) are a few therapeutics which show excellent therapeutic activity for the activation of AMPK and blocking of the mTOR pathway. MET exhibited the safest profile and was the most effective AMPK activator for anticancer therapy among all of these pharmaceuticals ,9,10,11.Glucose transporters (GLUT) are overexpressed in cancer cells to meet the increased glucose demand of onco-cells . Most ti3+ group of MET, enhancing its entrapment and drug loading [A good carrier is necessary for high loading and to overcome the limitations of MET’s poor bioavailability and short half-life . Chitosa loading ,26. The The method is applicable to the majority of malignancies  ,29,30,312) and cryoprotectant trehalose were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA. Acetonitrile and methanol were procured from S.D. Fine Chemicals, Mumbai, India. Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Media (DMEM) was from Himedia, Mumbai, India. The MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-10A cell lines were purchased from the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, India. All other chemicals used were of analytical grade.Apex Laboratories, Chennai, India, kindly gifted Metformin. The 140–220 K OCMC was procured from Indian Sea Food Pvt. Ltd., Kerala India. Crosslinker calcium chloride (CaCl2), was added into the OCMC solution dropwise until turbidity appeared. The resulting colloidal solution was homogenized by a high-speed homogenizer at 14,000 rpm for 6 min/3 cycles to formulate the OCMC-MET Nps. The formulation was centrifuged at 10,000 rpm, and the Nps were lyophilized using the cryo-protectant trehalose (5% w/v). Plackett–Burman Design (PBD) and Box–Behnken Design (BBD) were used to optimize the process parameters for OCMC-MET formulation [The OCMC-MET polymeric Nps were prepared by ionic gelation technology. The polymer solution was pre-incubated with MET (20 mg) overnight at 1000–2000 rpm. The crosslinking agent, calcium chloride , poly-dispersibility index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP) using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technology. All the DLS analyses were carried out at 25 °C in triplicate by the Malvern Zetasizer  at an angle of 90° with a viscosity value of 0.898 cP and a refractive index of 1.332 for data point analysis ,33. The In vitro MET release was evaluated using a dialysis membrane analysis . A total of 10 mg of the OCMC-MET formulation was submerged in 100 mL of simulated cancer fluid (pH 5.5) or normal body fluid (pH 7.4) at 37 °C and 100 rpm. Throughout the investigation, the sink conditions were maintained.WZB117 was esterified on the surface of OCMC-MET polymeric Nps using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) as a catalyst. WZB117 and DCC were dissolved in 20 mL of dichloromethane and stirred for 8 h at room temperature. After that, the solution was dropwise added to 30 mg of OCMC-MET, which was dissolved in 100 mL of sodium bicarbonate solution (pH = 8.3). The blended mixture of OCMC-MET and WZB117 was fluxed for 14 h . The finv/v) solution, with a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min and an injection volume of 10 µL. The mass range of the compounds was recorded in scan mode from 10 to 800 m/z. The sample solutions were injected into liquid chromatography mass spectrometry/mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) and the corresponding molecular ion peak was scanned. The appearance of any new fragment in the mass spectrum was recorded to confirm the conjugation in comparison to OCMC-MET.WZB117-OCMC-MET structural characterization was determined using FTIR and compared to the MET, OCMC, WZB117, and OCMC-MET spectra. For analysis, the material was formed into a pellet using KBr (1:1) at room temperature . The mas5 cells per well in 100 µL Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Media (DMEM) and cultured for 24 h [2 conditions with different concentrations (1.0–100 µg/mL) of MET, OCMC-MET, WZB117-OCMC-MET, and WZB117. As in the control, DMSO at a 0.5% (v/v) concentration was used. The media was removed after 48 h, and the cells were rinsed in 1 mL of PBS. Following that, each well received 20 µL of MTT solution (stock: 5.0 mg/mL in PBS) from the EZ-Cytox Cytotoxicity Assay Kit. The cells were cultured for 4 h to allow mitochondrial dehydrogenases to activate. Finally, the absorbance of the formazan at 450 nm was estimated using a microplate reader . The experiment was carried out three times. Nonlinear regression analysis and a dose-response curve were generated using GraphPad Prism 7.0  software to identify the concentration of each formulation that inhibited growth by 50% and the 95% confidence interval.The carcinoma cell line MCF-7, the highly aggressive TNBC cell line MDA-MB-231, and the non-carcinogenic cell line MCF-10A were used to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of WZB117-OCMC-MET. The EZ-Cytox Cytotoxicity Test Kit was used to evaluate the formulation’s cytotoxicity utilizing the 3--2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay . Cancer cells were plated in a 96-well plate at a density of 2 × 10for 24 h ,39. Foll50) in cancer cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) by the cytotoxicity (IC50) in normal cells (MCF-10A). SI values greater than 3 were found to be more cytotoxic to MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells.The Selectivity Index (SI) was calculated by dividing the cytotoxicity . According to the theory, CI < 1, =1, and >1 designate synergistic, additive, and antagonistic effects, respectively [® software using the formula:The combination of therapies must conform to their synergistic efficacy through the combination index (CI) hypothesis as defined by Compusynectively . Dose-rexA)1 and (xA)2 were concentrations of each drug alone that produced the therapeutic effect, whereas (A)1 and (A)2 were concentrations of drugs together that had the same effect.(mA)n is the median effect dose of the nth no of the sample, A is the dose, af is the fraction affected individual half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for different concentrations of MET and WZB117 which were determined in the cancer cell line cytotoxicity investigation and were used to compute the CI and DRI [ and centrifuged at 1500 rpm for 3 min to collect the cells. After washing with 1 mL PBS, the suspension was re-dispersed in 1 mL of DMEM solution. The cells were then stained for 15 min at 37 °C with an AO/EB combination (10 μL) containing 5 μg/mL AO and 5 μg/mL EB . To prevent additional dye penetration into cells, ice-cold PBS was used for washing. The cell pellets were obtained by centrifugation at 1000 rpm for 4 min. Cell pellets were re-dispersed in PBS and examined for apoptotic cells using a phase contrast microscope . At least 300 cells in each of the four fields were observed for viability, early and late apoptosis, and necrosis. The experiment was performed in triplicate. Cells without treatment served as controls.MET, OCMC-MET, WZB117, and WZB117-OCMC-MET were tested for their effect on apoptosis using two distinct stains, acridine orange (AO) and ethidium bromide (EB) . Cells w6 cells/mL were transferred to a lysis buffer at 65 °C [v/v). The DNA was re-suspended in Tris-EDTA buffer, pH 8.0, at 37 °C for 1 h. The extracted DNA was mixed with 1× loading dye and run in triplicate on a 1% agarose gel at 100 V for 15 min. The fragmented DNA was imaged using a UV transilluminator .DNA fragmentation was investigated as a qualitative biomarker of cell death. MDA-MB-231 cells treated with OCMC-MET, WZB117, and WZB117-OCMC-MET were compared to untreated MDA-MB-231 cells using the DNA ladder as a marker. Following the treatment, 5 × 10at 65 °C . The DNA5 cells/well) were plated in 6-well plates for 24 h in DMEM media. The cells were treated with an 8.3 µg/mL concentration of MET and an equivalent concentration of MET in the OCMC-MET and WZB117-OCMC-MET formulations. Treated cells were trypsinized, collected, and then centrifuged at 15,000 rpm for 3 min. Cells were washed twice with 1 mL of PBS. Cells were stained with 5 µL of annexin V-FITC and 10 µL of Propidium iodide (PI) and incubated for 45 min in the dark. The FAC Scan flow cytometer can distinguish between living, necrotic, early apoptotic, and late apoptotic cells (Beckton Dickinson Accuri C6). The % of annexin V-positive cells was used to calculate the degree of apoptosis.MDA-MB-231 cells (1 × 105 cells/well) cells were grown in 6-well plates and subsequently treated for 24 h with OCMC-MET, WZB117, and WZB117-OCMC-MET. Following treatment, a radioimmunoprecipitation assay buffer was used to lyse the cells. The cells were centrifuged  at 4 °C, and the supernatant were collected. The recovered material was used to electrophorese the proteins. Bradford’s technique was used to determine the total protein concentration. Proteins (30 g/lane) were electrophoresed in 10% SDS-PAGE before being transferred to PVDF membranes. These membranes were then treated overnight at 40 °C with primary antibodies against AMPK (1:200), pAMPK (1:1000), mTOR (1:1000), BCL2 (1:200), and GAPDH (1:200). An amount of 1 mL of TBST buffer was used for washing. PVDF membranes were incubated for 1 h with the secondary antibody, horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG. The downregulation of mTOR and BCL2 and the upregulation of AMPK were detected using 0.01% 3,3′-diaminobenzidine to predict the efficacy of WZB117-OCMC-MET compared to OCMC-MET and WZB117.BC is a metabolic condition that is caused by changes in the expression of the proteins AMPK and mTOR, as well as the glycolysis protein BCL2 . MAD-MB-Since MET is a nonfluorescent drug, formulations of OCMC-MET and WZB117-OCMC-MET with cysteine 5.5 (Cy5.5) coating were developed to examine cellular uptake. A total of 50 mg of the formulations were dissolved in 10 mL of distilled water (DI), and then 0.5 mg of Cy5.5 in DMSO was added dropwise. After complete solubilization, EDC and NHS were added and incubated for 5 h in the dark at room temperature with continuous stirring (500 rpm) at pH 5.5. Dialysis (MW cut-off = 2.5 kDa) was performed for 48 h to get the Cy5.5-conjugated OCMC-MET. The final product was lyophilized and stored at 8 °C until use. The Cy5.5-conjugated OCMC-MET was used to produce the WZB117-OCMC-MET . 4 for 48 h. Cy5.5-labeled WZB117-OCMC-MET was added to the Petri plate and incubated for 2 h at 37 °C. Cells were washed with 1 mL of PBS before being fixed with 0.4% w/v formaldehyde at 4 °C. The cells were incubated in DMEM with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) in a cold and dark place until imaging [MDA-MB-231 cancer cells were cultured in a Petri dish at 1 × 10 imaging . A CLSM 5 cells/well) and incubated for 24 h. After harvesting, the cells were washed with 1 mL PBS and treated with an 8.3 µg/mL concentration of MET and an equivalent concentration of MET in the OCMC-MET and WZB117-OCMC-MET formulations for 24 h. The trypsinized cells were then rinsed with PBS and fixed with 1 mL of ice-cold 70% ethanol. Finally, cells were treated for 45 min with 25 µg/mL PI and 200 mg/mL RNase A. The control (paclitaxel) was incubated separately and set aside as well. DNA content was measured using a forward scatter (FAC). Scan flow cytometer  was used to determine the samples after 48 h.The flow cytometer was used for the cell cycle analysis. MDA-MB-231 cells were planted in 6-well plates  in the polymeric network have a higher solvation propensity than non-ionic groups. As a result, higher swelling has been reported at pH 7.4 as compared to pH 5.5. The % of swelling of OCMC-MET after 0.5 h was approximately 10.33 ± 1.1% at pH 5.5 and 1.5 ± 0.4% at pH 7.4. After 5 h the swelling of the formulation was around 76.66 ± 16.8% for pH 5.5 and only 32.23 ± 5.6% for pH 7.4 . The sweThe MET release from the OCMC-MET formulation was pH-dependent due to the pH-sensitive OCMC polymer-MET complex. The protonation of the OCMC and MET in different pH conditions due to their differing pKa values was helpful for the endosomal escape and release of the drug MET in the cancer microenvironment at pH 5.5. MET was released from the polymeric Nps by erosion, swelling, and diffusion, resulting in increased drug bioavailability and a prolonged therapeutic impact D. Follow−1 for N-H, 1622 cm−1 for C=N, 1548 cm−1 N-H bending, and 1417 cm−1 band peak for –CH3. The OCMC FTIR spectra show O-H at 3369 cm−1, N-H at 1654 cm−1, COO at 1410 cm−1, and the C-O-C band peak at 1060 cm−1. The GLUT1 inhibitor exhibited its typical peak at 1424 cm−1 for the C-F, 1706 cm−1 for the C=O bond, and 1151 cm−1 for the C-O bond. The band at 1417 cm−1 for OCMC-MET could be assigned to the stretch vibration of COO-, 3547 cm−1 for the aromatic alcohol stretching of the OH group along with the MET peaks, as the absorption peak at 3367 cm−1 was the secondary amine stretching vibration, and 1634 cm−1 was assigned to the N-H bending vibration without much change. In the WZB117-OCMC-MET polymeric formulation appearance of 1778 cm−1 for the C=O ester band indicate the esterification method. All the other characteristic peaks for the OCMC, MET, and WZB117 are also clearly present in the WZB117-OCMC-MET FTIR spectrum  indicating that the glucose concentration of the cancer cells microenvironment plays a significant role in cancer cell proliferation. In combination with WZB117-OCMC-MET, however, a low dosage of the compounds was enough to significantly restrict cancer cell growth, proving that the decoration of OCMC-MET with WZB117 synergistically enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of MET at a lower dose.Different concentrations of MET, WZB117, OCMC-MET, and WZB117-OCMC-MET were studied for cancer cell growth A for 48 The selectivity index (SI) in 50 value of MET, OCMC-MET, WZB117-OCMC-MET, and WZB117 for further study is shown in WZB117 conjugated with OCMC-MET enhanced cytotoxicity in cancer cells even in a high glucose cancer microenvironment (25 mM) compared to normal cell glucose conditions (5.5 mM) (data not shown in the article). WZB117 effectively reduced the glucose concentration at the cancer site by transcellularly binding with the GLUT1 inhibitor and reducing the glucose concentration inside the cancer cells. The OCMC’s positively charge assist to release the MET exclusively inside the cancer cells. A comparatively high concentration of MET was able to accumulate inter-cellularly and inhibit the mTOR pathway for cancer cell death. To prove the concept, we have performed further cellular internalization and apoptosis studies. WZB117-OCMC-MET was found to be non-toxic to the MCF10A cells. The tentative reason for the non-toxicity of the conjugated formulation may be the pH-specific cleavage of the ester bonds of the conjugated WZB117-OCMC-MET only in the cancer microenvironment due to highly acidic conditions. Subsequently, the IC® program, version 1.0  was used to estimate the type of interaction between MET and WZB117 in combination. The median-effect strategy was applied to study the precise nature of the interaction between MET and WZB117. The current study found that combining MET and WZB117 had a synergistic growth inhibitory effect. As demonstrated in the Fa-CI plot , showing that conjugated formulations might limit proliferation and colony formation better than MET, OCMC-MET, and WZB117 over a prolonged time. The WZB117′s energy stress may be the principal cause of the WZB117-OCMC-MET long-term effects. Reduced glucose availability for cancer cells as a result of WZB117 conjugation increases MET’s thermogenic activity, resulting in energy depletion, which inhibits growth and contributes to cancer cell apoptosis. The efficacy of the MET and OCMC-MET was found to be very similar, indicating that the formulation with OCMC does not alter the therapeutic efficacy of the MET.MDA-MB-231 cells treated with MET, OCMC-MET, WZB117, and WZB117-OCMC-MET demonstrate a decrease in colony formation compared to the control group (consider 100% colony formation) C, providDuring the AO/EB staining study, four distinct morphological characteristics of apoptosis were observed D. The AO® data.After 24 h, the DNA was extracted, and the analysis was performed using agarose gel electrophoresis A. The reThe Annexin V-FITC/PI double labeling was applied to quantify the polymeric Nps apoptotic effect on the MDA-MB-231 cancer cell line B. The flFor anticancer apoptosis activity, MET activates AMPK and downregulates mTOR, and WZB117 inhibits GLUT1, which inhibits BCL2 for apoptosis activity. We used p-AMPK, p-mTOR, and BCL2 to demonstrate the apoptosis pathway of WZB117-OCMC-MET. WZB117-OCMC-MET was able to induce AMPK phosphorylation levels in MDA-MB-231 cells, resulting in a decrease in mTOR and it downregulates BCL2 simultaneously, as shown in To understand the cellular internalization efficacy of WZB117-OCMC-MET over OCMC-MET, both formulations were observed using CLSM after 2 h of incubation. MDA-MB-231 cells almost completely took up WZB117-OCMC-MET nanoparticles D comparep < 0.05). The data clearly revealed that when combination therapy was delivered, WZB117 lowered glucose concentrations and stopped glycolysis, allowing the MET to inhibit mTOR and cause apoptosis better than the mono OCMC-MET therapy.In general, cell replication necessitates the doubling of DNA and other biological components. The cell cycle is divided into four distinct phases defined by cell entry checkpoints: G1, S, G2, and M. The S phase is DNA synthesis. During G2, the cell prepares to divide, and division happens during M. External stimuli such as drugs, radiation, and reactive oxygen species induce DNA damage-related cell death. ® data also show that the WZB117-OCMC-MET formulation has a lower dose than the OCMC-MET formulation. The colony formation study indicated a long-term release profile for the WZB117-OCMC-MET, which also correlated with the in vitro release profile. DNA fragmentation, cellular internalization, and Western blot analysis demonstrate that the conjugated formulation outperforms monotherapy in terms of therapeutic efficacy. This polymeric Nps appears to be a cost-effective solution by using the repositioned safe-profile medication MET and the economical and easily available polymer OCMC. The formulation can be used to deliver the drug to the site of action, regardless of gender. WZB117-OCMC-MET targets cancer cell metabolism, so the formulation can also be used for other types of cancers that overexpress GLUT1 receptors. In future studies, the formulation might be used to test the effectiveness of an intraductal drug delivery system in an appropriate animal model. For underdeveloped and low-income nations, the technology would provide a superior approach to BC management in a safe and economical manner.The study proved that OCMC polymeric Nps of MET decorated with WZB117 improved treatment efficacy by dual targeting the GLUT1 and mTOR pathways to alter cancer metabolism and improve BC management. A cytotoxicity study demonstrated that the monotherapy of MET in the OCMC polymeric formulation required a higher dose to induce cellular toxicity, which may have a negative impact on cancer management due to the hypoglycemic condition caused by the use of a high dose of MET. The CompusynThe synthesis process of the conjugation of WZB117 with OCMC described in the articles is patented (Patent No: 408278) under the Indian patent Act, 1970.


The utilization of solid waste in useful product is becoming a great deal of worth for individuals, organizations, and countries themselves. The powder of waste glass and silica fumes are also considered major waste materials across the globe. In this paper, the physico-chemical, thermal, and morphological properties of both waste powders are investigated in order to determine their suitability for use as a partial replacement for cement in basic concrete. They are suitable for use in concrete due to their pozzolanic and other basic properties. Extensive testing, in terms of the compressive strength test, the slump test, and the flexural strength test, has been carried out to study the replacement of cement in the range of 5–15% by waste glass powder for curing ages of 7 and 28 days. The FTIR analyses of both materials are studied for determining the effect of characteristics of chemical bonding and intense bands with bending vibrations of O–Si–O bonds. Experimental results indicate towards the potential utilization of wastes in concrete in terms of green concrete. Cement production is expanding at a steady rate of 2.5 percent per year over the world [The principal environmental challenges created by the emission of carbon dioxide , and recycled glass fragments. When glass powder reacts with calcium hydroxide, it exhibits a pozzolanic behaviour, which is enhanced by a higher surface area for the reactions [Currently, material glass is used in the electronic sector to create a variety of screen-based goods such as LCDs, TVs, and tablets. Mirrors, hinged objects, and other similar items are used in the civil/construction businesses. In addition, they have uses in the food and medical industries, ranging from surgical equipment to beverage bottles . As a reeactions . Accordieactions ,19. Furteactions . There heactions ,22. Glaseactions . The ext2/kg. The surface area of portland cement determined by nitrogen absorption, for example, is roughly 1500 m2/kg. The amorphous character of SiO2 in silica fume, which gives great potential to react in Pozzolanic reactions, is a particularly favourable attribute when combined with the high surface area values [Silica fume is a by-product of the manufacturing of silicon metal or ferrosilicon alloys. The oxidized silicon vapour from the furnace condenses into small spherical particles, which are collected in silos as a dry powder . Dry powa values . The sura values ,27. Accoa values , condensa values , have rea values  suggestea values ,34,35,36Two distinct waste materials with the same quantity have been used for testing and comparative analysis of the concrete, e.g., glass milling (WGP) and silica fume. Physical properties of waste materials sample are listed in The comparison is based on the use of waste resources to replace a tiny portion of portland cement. This replacement must not modify the water content of the concrete, as it does with ordinary concrete. Water, ordinary and portland cement, aggregates, and waste material are the key components of this concrete mixture. During this process, suitable cooling processes are used together with material testing to achieve the desired strength. After selecting the optimal w/c ratio through suitable mix trials, the mix design is created. The proportions of the materials are likewise appropriate to the design.ck) of that mix, i.e., 20 MPa, cement, sand, and aggregates are used for mixing in the ratio of 1:1.5:3. M-20 signifies mixture of cement, sand, and aggregate that are prepared in such a manner that a cement concrete cube of size 15 cm × 15 cm × 15 cm is formed with characteristic strength (fck) of 20 MPa while examining it after being cured for 28 days. The characteristic strength (fck) signifies the strength under which not over 5% of test results are predictable to fail.The M-20 mix percentage is used to prepare samples. In M-20, M denotes Mix and 20 refers to the characteristic strength . The initial sample was made or the first mix was made entirely of cement, with no waste material substituted. Different waste materials are used to make different specimens, but the requirements and standards remain the same. In other words, the standards for preparing waste glass powder samples are comparable to those for silica fume samples. Cement is partially replaced in concrete by waste materials at a 5 percent ratio. The WMx-1 mix represents a 5% substitution of waste material for cement. As a result, Mx-0 contains 100% cement, whereas Mx-1 includes 95 percent cement and 5% waste material. Mx-2 includes 90% cement and 10% waste material, whereas Mx-3 contains 85% cement and 15% waste material. Samples of waste material cubes measuring 150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm were made (mm). The whole design of the mixing proportion of samples is provided in Six samples  for each test have been prepared with replacement of cement from waste material and without replacement of any cement particle, respectively.Firstly, concrete paste has been prepared with a proper proportion of the materials. To analyze the properties of prepared concrete the specimens were cast and cured prior. For the curing stage of the sample, proper environmental conditions have been maintained till the completion of the experiments. A humidity chamber is used for keeping the samples for one day from the setting, where the temperature range is maintained as 20–21 °C and humidity is about 96–97%. Ideal standard testing conditions  were also used for samples after the completion of the primary stage. The conditions were maintained until the testing duration (7 and 28 days).CTM IS: 14858 (2000) with an accuracy of ±1%) and the flexural strength test . For strength testing, a compression testing machine with a capacity of 2000 KN was used. The ASTM standards were used to conduct the slump test while compaction factor has been determined based on IS1199:1999 standards. Similarly, compression strength test was performed with standards ASTME-9 while flexural strength test was performed with standards ASTMC-293. The average of three tests has been calculated for the average compression strength and average flexural strength.The complete procedure of testing has been shown in To check the feasibility in construction and other applications, both waste materials have undergone extensive characterizations. The sample of SF was taken from the local site of the Hisar (Haryana) region of India. The sample was cleaned properly and put into the oven at 150 °C for removal of the moisture content prior from being used in the different laboratory level tests. It looks like grey powder to the naked eye, as seen in To measure the fineness or particles size of the materials, sieve analysis has been done. The particle size distribution of both waste items is determined using a mechanical sieve shaker. Standard sieves of brass with a metallic net of different grades are used. The sieves are arranged in such a way that the pan collects finer particles. The morphology of these waste items is also studied using the finest particles or the particles collected through PAN by using the ASTM D422 standard. The morphology and elemental content of the materials were studied using a scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope . Both materials’ particles have a smooth surface morphology, according to the findings. In comparison to smooth spherical, agglomerated particles of silica fume, WGP particles are shredded, uneven, and angular in shape.2), with a tiny fraction of CaO and C having a marginal 2.06% LOI. CaO has 1.92 percent and C has 1.12 percent, while Na2O, MgO, K2O, Al2O3, and other oxides have 2.02 percent.The elemental composition of materials is determined with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS). 2), which has a high specific surface area. They can react with portlandite and exhibit pozzolanic properties under these conditions [In the instance of WGP, it was revealed that the powder is primarily enriched with silica and calcium, with modest amounts of Na and Al. Both materials were found to be mostly enriched in amorphous silica  A single intense peak is observed around 21.6°, which confirmed the presence of silica fumes [2 was found at 27°, while the maximum peak of CaO was found between 23° and 35°. A previous study has provided similar results [XRD characterization of the powders was performed with the specifications utilising monochromatic Cu K-radiation operating at 50 kV and 80 mA to explore the availability of phases in the materials. For the testing, a Philips X-ray diffraction with an angular speed of 2°/min and a step of 0.02° was used. During the testing, the temperature range for two was 4°–60°. In ca fumes . The preca fumes . Therefo results .−1. This band is not only very bright, but it also has asymmetric bands that can be used as a diagnostic sign for the presence of silica in a sample. The band seen at 486 cm−1 is linked to the bending vibration of the O–Si–O bond. Furthermore, the 719 cm−1 band is caused by in-plane bending vibrations of Si–O bonds [−1, which corresponds to the Si–O asymmetric stretching vibrations in the SiO4 tetrahedral groups, and another at 485 cm−1, which corresponds to the O–Si–O bending vibrations in the SiO4 groups. A broad band was detected at 1646 and 3450 cm−1, respectively, ascribed to the δ–H–O–H and reticular v-OH functional groups.FTIR transmission spectrum of silica fume and WGP are shown in –O bonds . The FTIOne of the most important features of concrete mix design is workability, which is the time and work it takes to handle, install, compact, and finish new concrete. Slump, mini-slump flow, and slump flow tests are the most common procedures for testing the workability of concrete. The most essential factor in determining workability is the amount of water present. Slump tests were performed on both samples in this investigation. The slump test and compaction factor test were performed independently for each mix design of the concrete sample before the other tests.Furthermore, silica fume’s spherical form reduces water absorption; antiparticle friction is reduced since the particles serve as little bearings. The water-reducing ingredient is widely used with silica fume in order for it to compact easily with cement grains and act as a lubricant ,41. HoweAccording to the findings, the slump flow of concrete containing glass powder as a replacement for cement increases as the glass powder content increases. The glassy surface and low water absorption behaviour of glass powder could cause an increase in slump. Furthermore, glass powder has coarse particles when compared to cement, which may have led to the increase in a slump. Glass powder has a lower water absorption rate and a smoother texture than cement particles, which increases workability ,43,44. AAs a result of the reduced water demand for particle surface lubrication, the slump flow increases. On the other hand, the value of the compaction factor is found as 0.86 to 0.9 for WGP and 0.92 to 0.86 for silica fume concerning the replacement of 0 to 15% waste from basic concrete. The compaction factor of concrete decreases with an increase in percentage replacements of silica fume in it, while in the case of WGP it shows a different or opposite trend as shown in Following initial testing, each sample was evaluated for compressive and flexural strengths. When compared to other samples, the WMx-3 sample is expected to have a higher or maximum Compress . Similarly, when compared to other samples, the SMx-3 sample has a greater or maximum compressive strength . The results show that when 15% of the cement in both samples is replaced, the compressive strength of the concrete increases.2) for 7 days and SMx-3 (32.69 N/mm2) for 28 days. It was discovered that when adding 15% WGP, the average compressive strength improves by approximately 31% in 7 days and 16.5 percent in 28 days, while adding 15% silica fume, the average compressive strength increases by approximately 46% in 7 days and 16% in 28 days, respectively. Mx-0 < Mx-1 < Mx-2 < Mx-3. When compared to any of the WMx samples, the maximum compressive strength was found in samples SMx-3  is lower in the curing age of 7 days compared to the curing age of 28 days for both waste materials. During the investigation, however, the variation in increments was also noticed. The rate of improvement in the concrete’s compressive and flexural strength was substantially faster in the 7-day instance than in the 28-day example. The strength (CS and FS) of concrete improves with the curing age or time for any single design group, but at a slower rate than at the beginning. This could be owing to the waste materials’ delayed pozzolanic reactivity ,16.In this present work, the compressive strength of concrete was found to be increased with the incorporation of WGP and silica fume. In addition, the compressive strength and hardness of concrete were also affected by altering the waste material weight ratio. It was observed that after replacing 15% of the WGP, the average compressive strength of concrete rose by 31% after 7 days and by 16.5% after 28 days. In the case of 7 days, approximately 46% of the average compressive strength increases with the addition of 15% silica fume, while the improvement is 16% in the case of 28 days. When 15% of the concrete was replaced with silica fume, the improvement in concrete strength was substantially higher than when the same quantity of concrete was replaced with WGP. The slump value and compaction factor of both waste materials show opposite trends; in silica fume the value of the slump and compaction factor decreases with the replacements, which shows less workability, while in case of WGP, both values increase and are responsible for the good workability. Both the waste materials show better chemical bonding and pozzolanic properties with the replacements, that further tends to make them suitable for better alternative of cement in concrete. Hence, it was concluded that concrete strength increased with the replacement of cement content from WGP and silica fume.