Breed variations related to the tendon and ligament dimensions of the palmar metacarpal region have been described in horses; however, they have not been demonstrated in gaited horses or between the fore- and hindlimbs. In this study, we evaluate and compare the sonographic characteristics of the digital flexor tendons and ligaments of the palmar/plantar of the metacarpal and metatarsal regions in gaited horses and also establish normal reference ultrasound values for Mangalarga Marchador and Campeiro horses. Thus, the values presented in this paper can be used as a reference for the ultrasound evaluation of the digital flexor tendons and ligaments in the limbs of horses of these breeds.n = 25) and Campeiro (n = 25) breeds. The images were taken in six metacarpal/metatarsal zones, and the following measurements were taken: transverse area, circumference, dorsopalmar/plantar length, lateromedial length, and mean echogenicity. Differences were observed between breeds in the fore- and hindlimbs, and, even when not significant, the Campeiro breed tended to have higher values for most variables and structures. Variations between zones and between structures in the same zone followed a similar trend in both breeds for all variables. In addition, the dimensions and variations between zones and structures were different between the fore- and hindlimbs, highlighting the need for specific values for the digital flexor tendons and ligaments of the metatarsal plantar region. In conclusion, the digital flexor tendons, suspensory ligaments, and accessory ligaments of the digital deep flexor tendon are influenced by the breed factor in gaited horses, and they are different between the fore- and hindlimbs.The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the sonographic characteristics of the digital flexor tendons and ligaments of the palmar/plantar of the metacarpal and metatarsal regions in gaited horses, as well as to establish normal reference ultrasound values for Mangalarga Marchador (MM) and Campeiro breeds. Transverse sonographic images were obtained of 50 adult and healthy horses from the MM ( Gaited horses are characterized by their high performance and comfort . In BrazUltrasonography is the main tool used for the diagnosis of tendinopathies and desmopathies in horses . Breed vKnowledge of ultrasound characteristics and normal reference values is fundamental for accurate diagnosis, allowing the differentiation between normal and abnormal patterns ,11. ThusThe study was approved by the Animal Use Ethics Committee (CEUA) of Santa Catarina State University (UDESC) under protocol number 5868161216.A cross-sectional study of ultrasound morphometry of the digital flexor tendons and ligaments of the metacarpal/metatarsal palmar region in gaited horses.2 (155.22 to 217.50 kg/m2), metacarpal circumference of 17.59 ± 0.54 cm (17.00 to 19.00 cm), and metatarsal circumference of 19.43 ± 0.61 cm (18.50 to 20.50 cm). The Campeiro breed was represented by eighteen females, six stallions, and one gelding, with an average age of 7.2 ± 3.6 years (3.0 to 18.0 years), wither height of 1.45 ± 0.02 m (1.39 to 1.48 m), body weight of 394.60 ± 36.87 kg (321.00 to 459.00 kg), BMI of 188.64 ± 18.52 kg/m2 (156.69 at 222.45 kg/m2), metacarpal circumference of 18.10 ± 0.69 cm (17.00 to 19.50 cm), and metatarsal circumference of 19.58 ± 0.69 cm (18.50 to 21.00 cm). The animals came from four properties located in the cities of Tijucas do Sul (MM) in the state of Paraná and three properties in the city of Curitibanos (Campeiro) in the state of Santa Catarina  , wither height of 1.47 ± 0.03 m (1.40 to 1.52 m), body weight of 384.00 ± 39.93 kg (327.00 to 474.00 kg), body mass index (BMI) of 178.81 ± 17.18 kg/m Brazil) . The ownOnly horses enrolled in the Studbook of ABCCMM and the Brazilian Association of Campeiro Horse Breeders  that present the gaits in their different forms were included in the study. To minimize the effects of physical activity on tendons and ligaments, only horses that had not been in physical training for at least six months were used . Only clThe horses underwent a specific clinical examination of the locomotor system , which i®).To ensure better acoustic coupling during the ultrasound examination, trichotomy (blade 40) of the palmar/plantar region of the metacarpal/metatarsal was performed, as well as the lateral and medial sides of the distal third, followed by washing the region with water and soap. Alcohol (70%) was firmly applied to the skin with the aid of a compress, followed by the use of specific gel between the skin and the probe during the exam. Untamed horses and those that did not allow any preparation or examination to be performed were previously sedated by intravenous administration of 10 to 20 μg/kg detomidine hydrochloride , focus, and gain controls were standardized and constant across all evaluations. The exams were performed by an equine veterinarian with five years of experience in equine diagnostic imaging (JS), and the images were recorded and stored on an external hard disk for later measurement.2), circumference , dorsopalmar/plantar length , lateromedial length  [® software [The measured variables were transversal area  , and mea . Each vasoftware .Descriptive data analysis was performed by calculating the arithmetic means and standard deviations of the morphometric and ME variables of the tendons and ligaments. Three measurements were performed for each structure in each zone, for which the coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated, and the measurements were repeated when the CV was greater than 5%. The reference values were calculated as the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and 95% confidence interval based on the values obtained for the right fore- and hindlimbs. The normality of the data was evaluated using the Shapiro–Wilk test. To compare the mean values of the morphometric and ME variables between the different zones of each structure and between the different structures in each zone, the two-way ANOVA mixed model was used. The random factor ‘horse’ and the fixed factors ‘zones’ and ‘structure’ were tested. In cases of rejection of the null hypothesis, the Bonferroni test was applied. The student’s t-test was used to compare morphometric variables and mean echogenicity between breeds, ages, contralateral limbs, and between FL and HL. Analyses were performed using Graphpad Prism 7 software, with a significance level of 5%.For the MM breed, mean values of 22.8 cm and 24.6 cm in length were found for the palmar and plantar regions of the metacarpal and metatarsal, resulting in six zones of 3.8 cm and 4.1 cm, respectively. Campeiro horses presented mean values of 22.8 cm and 24.0 cm in length for the palmar and plantar regions of the metacarpal and metatarsal, resulting in six zones of 3.8 cm and 4.0 cm, respectively.Groups were formed to compare the values of the variables studied in each structure and zone, considering the contralateral limbs, FL, and HL in both breeds. Regarding age, two groups were formed for each breed: MM Group (1) nineteen horses aged ≤ 7 years, and Group (2) six horses > 7 years old; Campeiro Group (1) thirteen horses aged ≤ 6 years, and Group (2) twelve horses aged > 6 years. The division of age groups was based on values above and below the median age in each breed.The mean values and standard deviations of the morphometric and ME variables of the digital flexor tendons and ligaments of the palmar/plantar regions of the metacarpals/metatarsals of the MM and Campeiro breeds are shown in p < 0.05) between the zones of the digital flexor tendons and the ligaments of the metacarpal palmar region in horses of the MM and Campeiro breeds are shown in The values related to the significant mean difference  were more echogenic.The ALDDFT presented a reduction in the values of the TA and DP length in the distal direction. Regarding C, there was no variation in either breed, except between zones 2 and 3 in the Campeiro breed. For the LM length, zone 1 was larger and different from all other zones. There was no variation regarding the ME between zones in the Campeiro breed, and, for the MM breed, it was higher in zone 2, which differed only from zones 1 and 4.When assessing the SL, higher values of the TA alone were observed for zone 1. There were no variations between zones regarding the C, DP, and LM length for the MM breed, except for the LM length between zones 1 and 3. In the Campeiro breed, only zone 1 was larger in relation to the C and LM length. Little variation was observed for the ME in the Campeiro breed, and only zone 3 was more echogenic compared to zone 1. For the MM breed, zones 2 and 3 were more echogenic. The LB-SL and MB-SL showed a significant increase in all variables distally.p < 0.05) between the zones of the digital flexor tendons and the ligaments of the metatarsal plantar region in horses of the MM and Campeiro breeds are shown in The values related to the significant mean difference  of the morphometric and ME variables between the different structures in each zone of the metacarpal palmar region for the MM and Campeiro breeds are shown in The values related to the significant mean difference , the DDFT was higher than the SDFT. No difference was observed between the LB-SL and the LB-SL in any of the zones.For the C values in the FL, the SL was higher in zones 1, 2, and 3 in both breeds but did not differ from the DDFT in zone 1 or the ALDDFT in zones 2 and 3 in the MM breed. For the Campeiro breed, the SL presented a C like the ALDDFT in zone 2 and like the ALDDFT and SDFT in zone 3. The SDFT showed lower values in zone 1, progressing to the highest value in zones 4, 5, and 6, reversing its values in relation to the DDFT, which was the smallest structure in zones 3, 4, 5, and 6 in both breeds. The MB-SL was higher compared to the LB-SL in zone 3 for the MM breed and zone 1 for the Campeiro breed.When evaluating the values for DP length in the FL, the DDFT was the largest structure, followed by the SL and SDFT in zones 1, 2, 3, and 4, with similar values for the DDFT and SL in zone 4. The ALDDFT was the smallest structure from zone 1 to zone 4, and, in the most distal zones (5 and 6), the DDFT was larger than the SDFT. The LB-SL was higher than the MB-SL in zones 1 and 2. All differences related to DP length were similarly observed in both breeds.Regarding the LM length in the FL, higher values were observed in zone 1 for the ALDDFT, SL, and DDFT, which were similar in both breeds, except for the DDFT in the Campeiro breed. In zone 2, the SL was higher, followed by the SDFT in the MM breed. In the Campeiro breed, on the other hand, the SL and ALDDFT showed higher values in zone 2, which did not differ from each other. The SDFT was the smallest structure in zone 1, progressing to have the largest structure in zone 3. This observation occurred inversely to the DDFT, which was the smallest structure in zone 2 in both breeds. No differences were observed between the LB-SL and MB-SL.Regarding the ME, the DDFT and SDFT were the most echogenic structures in zone 1 in both breeds; however, for the Campeiro breed, the ALDDFT also presented similar values. In this zone, the SL was the structure with less echogenicity. From zone 2 to zone 4, the DDFT and ALDDFT were more echogenic, and in zone 3, the SL was similar. From zone 2, the SDFT was the least echogenic structure, and in zones 5 and 6, it showed less echogenicity in relation to the DDFT. The LB-SL was more echogenic compared to the MB-SL in all zones for the MM breed and only in zone 1 for the Campeiro breed.p < 0.05) of the morphometric and ME variables between the different structures in each zone of the metatarsal plantar region for the MM and Campeiro breeds are shown in The values related to the significant mean difference , and the DDFT was larger than the SDFT in zones 5 and 6. No differences were observed between the LB-SL and MB-SL in either breed.Regarding the C in the HL, the LS presented higher values in zones 1 and 2, followed by the DDFT and SDFT in both breeds, except that the DDFT was similar to the SL in zone 2 for the Campeiro breed. In zones 3 and 4, the SDFT started to acquire higher values, followed by the SL and DDFT in the Campeiro breed, with a similar presentation observed for the MM breed, except for zone 3, where the SL was similar to the SDFT. Similarly, to the TA, the ALDDFT was the smallest structure in all zones. However, the SDFT was larger than the DDFT in zones 5 and 6 in both breeds. The LB-SL was higher than the MB-SL in zones 1 and 3 only for the Campeiro breed.Regarding DP length, the SL showed higher values in zone 1, followed by the DDFT and SDFT in both breeds. From zone 2, the DDFT showed higher values, followed by the SL and SDFT in both breeds, except in zone 2 for the MM breed, in which the DDFT and SL were similar. In zones 5 and 6, the DDFT presented higher values than the SDFT, and the ALDDFT was the structure with the shorter DP lengths in all zones. The LB-SL showed higher values than the MB-SL in zone 2 in the MM and Campeiro breeds.For the LM length, the SL presented higher values in zone 1, followed by the DDFT and SDFT in both breeds. From zone 2, the SDFT began to show longer LM lengths in the Campeiro breed, followed by the SL and DDFT, which were similar. In the MM breed, the SDFT, SL, and DDFT did not differ from each other in zone 2, and from zone 3, the SDFT became the largest structure, followed by the SL and DDFT. The ALDDFT was again the structure with lower values from zone 1 to zone 4, and the SDFT showed higher values when compared to the DDFT in zones 5 and 6 in both breeds. For the MM breed, the LB-SL presented higher values than the MB-SL.A comparison of the ME values in the PLs showed that the ALDDFT was the most echogenic structure in all zones (1 to 4). However, in zone 1, it was similar to the DDFT, and in zone 2 it presented values similar to the DDFT and SL in the MM breed. The second most echogenic structure was the DDFT, which was equal to the SL in zones 1, 3, and 4 for the MM breed. For the Campeiro breed, like the MM breed, the DDFT was the second most echogenic structure. However, it was similar to SL in zones 3 and 4. The SDFT was the least echogenic structure in both breeds, and in zones 5 and 6, it also showed lower values compared to the DDFT. The LB-SL was more echogenic in zones 1 and 3 for the MM breed and only in zone 3 for the Campeiro breed.p < 0.05) were observed for morphometric and ME variables between age groups and between right and left contralateral limbs, for both the FL and HL in both breeds.No significant differences  can be observed, with higher values for the Campeiro breed, except for the C of the LB-SL, the DP length of the SL in the PL, and the DDFT and ALDDFT in the FL, which were larger in some zones in the MM breed , which were smaller than those used in the present study. In addition, care related to inter- and intra-rater variation was not mentioned, which may be suggested by the standard deviation, which was, on average, 195% higher [The TA values observed in the digital flexor tendons of Thoroughbred horses, draft horses, and ponies were higher when compared to those found in the gaited horses evaluated in the present study . In a st% higher .Variations between breeds regarding tendon and ligament dimensions have been attributed to the different physical constitutions between breed groups, such as height, body weight, and metacarpal diameter ,16. HoweStudies evaluating the morphometric and sonographic characteristics of the digital flexor tendons and ligaments of the metatarsal plantar region in healthy horses are scarce . In a stRegarding ME, few isolated differences between breeds were observed, which, therefore, are not considered different regarding this variable . ME-relaWhen comparing the ME between the different structures in the FL , it can Age-related differences were not observed with respect to morphometric and ME variables in tendons and ligaments of the palmar/plantar regions of the metacarpals and metatarsals, similar to the results found in the FL in other studies ,14,28. HAs limitations of this study, we can highlight that the ultrasound study was performed by only one evaluator, and it was not possible to verify whether the observations made by other observers would be similar. In addition, only non-training horses were used, so the characteristics seen in the image may have differences compared to horses in training.The present study demonstrates differences related to the morphometric and ME characteristics of tendons and ligaments between two horse breeds and between the FL and HL. The importance of evaluating tendons and ligaments in the plantar metatarsal region has been demonstrated since lesions also occur in this region ,30,31,32It is concluded that the Campeiro breed has digital flexor tendons, suspensory ligaments, and accessory ligaments of digital deep flexor tendons with larger dimensions than the Mangalarga Marchador breed. Variations related to size and echogenicity between zones and structures are similar between breeds in the fore- and hindlimbs. The size and echogenicity of the tendons and ligaments of the fore- and hindlimbs are different, as are the variations between the zones and structures. This study demonstrates that specific values should be used for ultrasound evaluations of the digital flexor tendons and ligaments in the fore- and hindlimbs of gaited horses. Therefore, the available data can be used as an aid for the ultrasound diagnosis of tendinopathies and desmopathies in horses of the Mangalarga Marchador and Campeiro breeds.


It is based on the preload-dependent activation of sarcomeres – the elementary contractile units in muscle cells. Recent findings show a natural variability in sarcomere length (SL) in resting cardiomyocytes that, moreover, is altered in an actively contracting myocyte. SL variability may contribute to the FSM but it remains unresolved whether the change in the SL variability is regulated by activation process n = 12) subjected to a longitudinal stretch with the carbon fiber (CF) technique. Each cell was tested in three states: without CF attachment , with CF attachment without stretch, and with CF attachment and ~ 10% stretch of initial SL. The cells were imaged by transmitted light microscopy to retrieve and analyze individual SL and SL variability off-line by multiple quantitative measures like coefficient of variation or median absolute deviation.To separate the roles of activation and SL, we characterized SL variability in isolated fully relaxed rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (per se does not contribute to the FSM in the heart.We found that CF attachment without stretch did not affect the extent of SL variability and averaged SL. In stretched myocytes, the averaged SL significantly increased while the SL variability remained unchanged. This result clearly indicates that the non-uniformity of individual SL is not sensitive to the average SL itself in fully relaxed myocytes. We conclude that SL variability  Sarcomere length (SL) is the fundamental parameter that controls preload-dependent regulation of muscle contraction , 7, 14. In resting skeletal and cardiac myocytes/myofibrils, SL heterogeneity may be as high as 20% of the average SL , 32, andvs the end-diastolic state at higher averaged SL i i , 22. Thi [Ca2+]i , 37, the [Ca2+]i .The phenomenon of SL non-uniformity has already been extensively studied in skeletal muscle , 11, 33.A limitation of the present study is the use of non-confocal transmission light (TL) mode of measurements. The images taken in this mode are less accurate in terms of spatial determination of sarcomeres , 36. An


Specifications that correspond with system performance may guarantee the addition of value. Most specifications for ready-mixed concrete address limits on discharge time and truck-drum revolution counts. These limits have been developed for conventional concrete. As the uses of supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) become ubiquitous, it is important to determine whether these specifications are applicable to SCMs, that is, systems containing fly ash. This paper presents results of the effects of mixing time and mixer revolution counts on characteristics of lab-made pastes and mortars containing 20% and 50% fly ash. Their characteristics assessed include time-variant ion concentrations, setting time, flow, compressive strength, porosity, and apparent chloride diffusivity coefficient. Results indicate that with increasing mixing time and mixer revolution counts, mixtures with a replacement of fly ash exhibit improved both fresh and hardened characteristics. When mixed for 60 min or 25,505 revolution count, the 28-day compressive strengths of mixtures containing 20% and 50% fly ash are 50% to 100% higher than the neat cement. Fly ash is suggested to adopt in the extended mixing processes of cement systems. Approximately 75 percent of the byproducts of this operation are fly ash5. Consequently, it is predicted that 500–550 million tons of fly ash are produced annually on a global scale7. Many sectors employ fly ash, including the agricultural and cement and concrete industries. It has been found that employing fly ash in the cement and concrete industries improves the performance characteristics of the hydrated products9. The main use of fly ash for the production of modern concrete composites, leading to new innovative solutions in this field, such as nano materials10, quaternary and ternary binders13, and active seeds15. The new innovative solutions can offer customized concrete products for various applications. However, more than 70 percent of the fly ash collected from power plants is not used, which poses a severe disposal challenge17. Coal-fired power facilities incur extra expenditures due to the disposal of fly ash. The annual cost is expected to be roughly $1.2 billion18. Therefore, more research and innovations that may expand the use of fly ash are necessary, particularly in the cement and concrete sectors. In addition to lowering disposal costs, this may enhance the performance characteristics of concrete mixes.Fly ash is a pozzolanic byproduct of the coal combustion process used to generate electricity. Currently, the coal combustion process accounts for roughly 50 to 55% of the United States' total energy generation19. There have been significant efforts to limit CO2 emissions from the cement and concrete sectors due to environmental concerns. Nevertheless, the CO2 emissions from these businesses remain notably high, and more efforts are required. American Coal Ash Association (ACAA)20 calculated that using fly ash as a source of supplemental cementing material (SCM) in concrete can save CO2 emissions by 10 to 14 tons/year in the U.S. alone. Not only can the partial replacement of fly ash promote sustainability by lowering CO2 emissions, but it also decreases the expenses associated with producing concrete and disposing of fly ash. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) rules encourage concrete systems containing fly ash. This is especially true when the price of fly ash concrete is comparable to or lower than that of portland cement concrete (PCC)21. Hence, not all cement should be replaced with fly ash in a given mix. In addition to environmental and economic benefits, it is recognised that substituting Portland cement (PC) with fly ash improves the fresh properties and hardened performance of the hydrated product. As a pozzolanic material, calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH2)) may be reacted to produce calcium silicate hydrates that increase strength (C-S–H). These hydrates result in a densified interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and improved concrete microstructures at the interface of cement paste and aggregates23. Consequently, the performance of concrete systems incorporating fly ash may be superior to that of conventional concrete systems, and this may include ready-mixed concrete.Concrete is the second most frequently utilized substance in the world, after water25, the majority of SHAs restrict these factors. Reduced workability makes it difficult to consolidate a new concrete. Improper placement and consolidation can lead to large voids, honeycombing, and increased permeability in hardened concrete28, resulting in a considerable decrease in compressive strength and durability. According to Anderson and Hodson29, the cost of polishing the hardened surface after casting is complete is about two to five times the cost of concrete's raw materials. Improved workability of fresh concrete can reduce placement efforts, resulting in lower construction expenses.Ready-mixed concrete is defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) as concrete that is made and delivered to a client in a fresh state. Specifications for ready-mixed concrete from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), ASTM, and/or the State Highway Agencies (SHAs) address discharge time, truck-drum rotations, and/or concrete temperature limitations. In the United States, 48 of 50 SHAs restrict the duration before discharge to between 45 and 120 min; 30 of 50 SHAs limit the number of truck drum spins to between 250 and 320; and 45 of 50 SHAs limit the concrete temperature to between 28 and 38 °C. Because increasing discharge duration and number of drum revolutions might affect the workability of new cement and concrete mixes30, more than fifty percent of ready-mixed concrete contains fly ash. In infrastructure systems, fly ash-containing concretes are omnipresent. Although numerous research has evaluated the impacts of mixing factors on the performance of PCC, few studies have evaluated the effects of mixing variables on the performance characteristics of fly-ash-containing concrete.According to the Portland Cement Association (PCA)31 stated that limit requirements had to be changed to performance-based specifications so as not to restrict the development of alternative systems . Before determining these difficulties, it is necessary to have a better knowledge of the performance characteristics of cementitious systems incorporating fly ash.Moreover, because PCC and concretes containing fly ash use the same limits of mixing time (i.e. 45 to 120 min) and total drum revolutions (i.e. 250 to 320 revolutions), contractors are questioning whether these current limits are still applicable to concretes containing fly ash and, if not, whether they should be modified. It is essential that the limit requirements adjust to new developments in materials and building processes, allowing for the addition of value. In addition, Hootonc), 28-day porosity, and apparent chloride diffusion coefficient (Da) are tested as hardened properties of cement mortars.This research describes the laboratory assessment of the effects of mixing time and mixer revolution counts on the fresh and hardened properties of PC pastes and mortars containing 20% and 50% fly ash by weight. This research evaluates the time-dependent concentrations of hydroxyl, calcium, and aluminate ions in solution, the setting time of pastes, and the flowability of new mortars. The 1-, 7-, and 28-day compressive strengths (fDa specimens. Type II de-ionized (DI) water (1 MΩ·cm at 25 °C) was used for all mixtures and experiments. Fine aggregate, used for the fc specimens, was procured from a local source in Saraburi, Thailand and met the requirements of ASTM C33. The fineness modulus of the fine aggregate was 3.1 determined following ASTM C136. The specific gravity of the fine aggregate was 2.47 and the absorption was 3.08%. The specific gravity and absorption values were determined following ASTM C128.Type I PC was obtained from SCG, Thailand and used for all mixtures in this research. Class-F fly ash per ASTM C618 was procured from a local powerplant. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) chemical composition of PC and fly ash is shown in Table The cement pastes and mortars were mixed in accordance with ASTM C305. The fly ash systems were prepared by substituting fly ash for cement by weight. A control combination (100% PC) was formulated and evaluated for comparison. The water-binder ratio (w/b) of the paste sample was 0.40. The specimens of mortar were made using a w/b ratio of 0.48 and a cement-fine aggregate ratio of 1.27:1. The C305 standard mandates two stages of mixing for pastes and mortars: low speed mixing (140 rpm) followed by intermediate speed mixing (250 and 285 rpm). Only the second stage's mixing time and speed were modified throughout this study. The mixing techniques for cement pastes and mortars are detailed in Table The time-variant hydroxyl ion concentrations in solution at early ages were evaluated using a pH electrode. The w/b value of the solutions was 4.0. Mixing for all systems was performed using a magnetic stirrer rotating at 0 and 400 rpm throughout the mixing period. Mixing at 0 rpm means the cement samples were manual mixed with water until they are uniform and then left without additional agitation. The time elapsed after introducing the unhydrated PC to the solution is referred to here as the “hydration time.” Solutions used for evaluating hydroxyl ion concentrations were analysed at 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and 240 min (mixed at 0 and 400 rpm).Using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), the amounts of aluminate and calcium ions were calculated. The process for determining hydroxyl ion concentrations was followed by mixing. At the same hydration durations as the studies of hydroxyl ion concentrations, solutions were evaluated at 300, 360, and 420 min of further hydration time.2O3) in 3 M hydrochloric acid (HCl)] was added to the solutions for the FAAS analyses. Concentrations of aluminate ions were determined using the FAAS with nitrous oxide-acetylene gas at a wavelength of 309.3 nm ignited at the temperature of 2600 to 2800˚C. The calcium concentrations were determined using air-acetylene gas at a wavelength of 422.7 nm ignited at the temperature of 2100 to 2400 ˚C. A blank sample (DI water only) was also analysed and used as a background correction.At each hydration time, test solution (30 ml) was decanted from the mixing beaker and filtered using a vacuum pump and No. 40 filter paper. Ten ml of filtered solution was used for analysing aluminate ion concentrations and 1 ml of filtered solution was used for analysing calcium ion concentrations. Because high concentrations of calcium ions occur at early ages, filtered solutions for analysing calcium ion concentrations were diluted prior to the FAAS analyses. Filtered solutions for determining calcium ion concentrations were diluted with 9 ml of DI water to obtain the solution within the detection range of the FAAS. After decanting and diluting, 1 ml of lanthanum acid solution [50 g/l lanthanum oxide  were utilised. Before the analysis, the Shapiro–Wilk test was used to determine whether the data had a normal distribution, and the Levene’s test was used to investigate whether the data had an equal variance. The following statistical hypotheses were defined as:H0 is rejected , it is concluded that there is statistically significant difference at the 5% level between the means of group populations. Alternatively, if the H0 is not rejected , it is concluded that there is no statistically significant difference at the 5% level between the means of group populations.The 95% confidence intervals were used for all analyses. If the Da.This section entails six experimental investigations including (1) ion concentration of hydroxyl, aluminate, and calcium, (2) flowability of fresh mixtures, (3) initial setting time, (4) compressive strengths at different curing times, (5) 28-d porosity, and (6) The effect of hydration time on the hydroxyl ion concentrations for the control, 20%, and 50% fly ash systems mixed at 0 and 400 rpm is shown Fig. 32. This is believed to occur because fly ash acts as “inert.” Hence, the fly ash mixtures contain less cement. Results in Fig. In Fig. Comparing the results in Fig. Figure 33 and Fraay et al.34 reported that the lime precipitation can occur when replacing cement with SCMs. Like the results of the aluminate ion concentrations in solutions mixed at different speeds 2, C-S–H, and ettringite. Results also indicate that increased mixing time leads to increased initial setting time of the control and 20% fly ash systems . This is likely because the ions in the systems are in the unstable state (as discussed) and the constituent’s particles are still deformed by a movement of mixing tools during continued mixing. This deformation of the particles likely disturbs the adhesion bonding of hydrating particles to form a larger structure. Hence, during mixing, the hydrating particles lose their load-supporting ability, consequently resulting in slower setting. After mixing discontinues, the adhesion bonding begins to form a larger structure and this structure, with time, begins to support external loads. However, it is assumed that part of water is consumed by hydration reactions during extended mixing since the hydration reactions can generate substantial amount of heat, and this heat of hydration leads to increased water evolution rate. Hence, less amount of water available for flow before casting and consolidating the specimens. This less amount of water of mixtures finally results in increased energy to cast and consolidate the specimens28. The hardened specimens seem to have higher void volume and larger void size. Voids in hardened cement systems generally results in lower fc and finally leads to deteriorate the durability and shorten serviceability. The porosity will be discussed later in Section "Figure Figure c of the control, 20%, and 50% fly ash systems as a function of mixing time and mixer revolution counts, respectively. Results indicate that increased percent replacement level of fly ash leads to lower 1-day compressive strength. Statistical analyses indicate that the 1-day fc of all systems is not influenced by mixing time and mixer revolution counts .Figure c for the control system and systems containing 20% and 50% fly ash, respectively. Results indicate that the 7-day fc of all systems is not significant affected by mixing time . In addition, the 7-day fc of the control systems does not have a significant effect by mixing time ; however, the 7-day fc of the 20% and 50% fly ash does .Figure c of the control, 20%, and 50% fly ash systems are shown in Fig. c, results indicate that mixing time does not a significant effect on 28-day fc of all systems. In summary, extended mixing time does not influence on both early- and later-age fc. Regarding the compressive strength of ready-mixed concrete systems, their current discharge time limits as specified in many SHAs seem impractical use. However, here, the mixer revolution counts do influence 28-day fc. Increased mixer revolution counts result in a reduction of 28-day fc of the control system but result in an increase of 28-day fc of the systems containing fly ash. It has been reported that an increase in the consolidation energy consumption is responsible for the 28-day fc drop that occurs as a function of the number of revolutions of the mixer28. The fc will begin to decrease as soon as the energy available is insufficient to consolidate the specimens. The voids of cement systems enlarge and increase. As aforementioned, larger voids and greater void volumes of cement systems likely lead to reduced fc and consequently lead to shorten their service life. When considering the revolution count, results apparently exhibit the SHAs’ limits should be in place. These can ensure the ready-mixed concrete can deliver to the users in good conditions. However, the systems that contain fly ash show an increase in 28-day fc, and it is assumed that this is because there is less water in their mixtures . Increased rates of water evaporation and hydration reactions were claimed to be the cause of less water being present in the mixtures by Dewar and Anderson43.The effects of mixing time and mixer revolution counts on the 28-day fc. The summary of the influence of mixer revolution counts on the fc of the control, 20%, and 50% fly ash systems is shown in Table c values (1- and 7-day) do not have a significant impact by increasing the mixer revolution counts. On the other hand, the 28-day fc will decrease for the control system as the number of mixer revolutions increases, but it will rise for the systems that include fly ash. Under the extended mixing conditions, the presence of fly ash in cementitious systems can improve the long-term compressive strength. Hence, the ready-mix concrete products should partially contain fly ash especially when a long haul is needed. As discussed before, the SHAs’ limits on discharge time and mixer revolution counts of ready-mixed concrete seems to require a revision when fly ash is present. In the revised versions, it is recommended that the longer discharge time and greater revolution count can be addressed, and this can be beneficial to the all stakeholders in ready-mixed concrete chain. The ready-mixed concrete producers can easily plan for various logistic routes and schedules. The consumers can receive a good quality of resulting concrete products. Finally, waste generated from over-limited ready-mixed concrete can be decreased that ultimately offer more cost effective and more sustainable manners to the industry44.Results herein indicate that mixing time does not have a significant influence on 1-, 7-, and 28-day fThe effects of mixing time and mixer revolution counts on the 28-day porosity of the control, 20%, and 50% fly ash systems are shown in Fig. c values are normalised with the mean 28-day fc for all mixtures. The linear fitted curve was illustrated in this study. The logarithmic fitted curve shown is reported by Neveille45 and the exponential and linear fitted curves are reported by Brandt46. Although different type of the fitted curve is not similar with the curves from previous studies, the linear fitted curve in this study is not distinguished from others. Results indicate that the 28-day fc is reduced with increasing porosity and this increased porosity is likely due to reduced flow caused by higher mixer revolution counts. It is assumed that the primary criteria reflecting the overall performance of macrostructures are parameters relating to the adequate flow of fresh cement mixtures resulting from extended mixing.Figure Da of the control, 20%, and 50% fly ash systems, respectively. Results indicate that neither mixing time nor mixer revolution counts has a significant effect on the Da for all systems . The control system exhibits higher Da than the systems containing fly ash . Consequently, only the influence of material components influences corrosion resistance, not mixing activities. It is common knowledge that adding fly ash to cement systems can result in a denser microstructure and reduced porosity at later ages. This is because pozzolanic reactions (reaction between CaO and S to form C-S–H products) progress at later ages48. Golewski47 mentioned that the homogenous and uniform structure of the portland cement system containing FA was seen after 14-day curing period, which resulted from the transformation of disordered phases into compact and homogenous forms and the filling of porous voids of C-S–H phase. Sabet et al.49 reported that the presence of fly ash in the cementitious systems can react with Ca(OH)2 to produce C-S–H products and also bind chloride ions by the aluminate phases during chloride exposed period. These lead to reduced transport rates, and finally the service life of concrete structure can be extended.Figure Increased mixing speed resulted in increased dissolution kinetics of hydroxyl ion in solutions and made calcium and aluminate ions stay in the unstable state.Increased replacement level of fly ash leads to increased flow values but slower setting time. Thus, while longer mixing processes lower the flow values, fly ash mixes can be castable due to better flow.c of systems with no fly ash reduce but the 28-day fc of the systems with fly ash increase.With increasing mixer revolution counts, the 28-day fThe porosity of the fly ash mortars does not influenced by mixing time and mixer revolution counts.a is not affected by these mixing time and mixer revolution counts. However, when fly ash presents, the Da can be affected by these mixing time and mixer revolution counts.The DThis study assessed the influence of extended mixing processes on the performance parameters of cementitious systems including fly ash. At various mixing periods and mixing speeds, the dissolution kinetics of hydroxyl, calcium, and aluminate ions were examined. At various mixing periods and mixing revolution counts, the fresh and hardened characteristics of pastes and mortars were examined. The findings suggested that:Existing requirements from the majority of SHAs may not be relevant to cementitious systems including fly ash, based on the study's findings about mixing time and mixer revolution counts. Ongoing research examines the influence of these present constraints on the performance qualities of concrete containing fly ash.


Given their considerable specific surface area and amorphous characteristics, nanoparticles exhibit excellent pozzolanic activity, and when undergoing a reaction with calcium hydroxide, this leads to the generation of a denser matrix by promoting the formation of a greater amount of C-S-H gel, thereby enhancing the strength and durability of the concrete and fortifying the overall structure. Indeed, the present study investigates a comparative study of the buckling and free vibration analyses of concrete beams reinforced with various types of nanoparticles. For its simplicity and accuracy, a higher-order shear deformation theory will be used to analytically model the reinforced concrete beam. Furthermore, the powerful Eshelby’s model is used to derive the equivalent nanocomposite properties. The soil medium is simulated with Pasternak elastic foundation, including a shear layer, and Winkler’s spring, interlinked with a Kerr foundation. The motion equations are derived using Hamilton’s principle. Moreover, based on Navier’s analytical methods, the closed-form solutions of simply supported beams have been obtained. Different parameters, such as type and volume percent of nanoparticles, geometrical parameters, choice of theory and soil medium, on the buckling and dynamic behavior of the beam, are exercised and shown. The major findings of this work indicate that the use of nanoparticles in concretes increases better mechanical resistance and amplifies the natural frequencies. In addition, the elastic foundation has a significant impact on the buckling and vibration performances of concrete beams. Civil engineering structures are dimensioned for an average lifespan of more than 100 years. Despite this, a number of disorders are to blame for shortening this intended life, and some buildings currently need maintenance to ensure the safety of users. In civil engineering, maintaining structures include safeguarding them by preventing corrosion or guaranteeing proper sealing, repairing them by exploring to make up for resistance losses caused by cracking, and further strengthening them by enhancing the structures’ toughness and performance.For the design of various technological issues, it is crucial to analyze the free vibration of concrete buildings. Engineers need to be aware of the frequencies and related modes in order to properly design the system due to the vibratory effect on equipment that is performance-sensitive and mounted on concrete beams. Additionally, as concrete is the most practical material for building structures, its quality must be improved to lessen vibrations. By enhancing the characteristics of concrete beams with the inclusion of nanomaterials to raise their rigidities, it is now possible to reduce free vibrations thanks to the advancements that nanotechnologies may offer to building materials.2, nano-Al2O3, and nano-Fe2O3 powders on the compressive strengths and capillary water absorption of cement mortar incorporating fly ash. The most favorable outcomes were achieved in the group of mortars supplemented with a combination of NS, NA, and NF powders at a concentration of 1.25 wt.%. Al-Jadiri et al. [2 revealed a microstructure with a high compaction degree and an increase in compression strength of 9%. Li et al. [2 nanoparticles in concrete reaches 2 wt.%, the compressive strength of the concrete reaches its maximum, exhibiting a 7% increase compared to concrete without TiO2 nanoparticle additives.Over the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in the produced work in the field of reinforced concretes with nanoparticles. Some examples of the experimental investigations on the effect of nanoparticles on concretes are cited herein. Mirzadeh  employedi et al.  studied 2 nano-particles. Numerical results indicate that considering the agglomeration effect leads to the decrease in buckling load of structure. Shokravi [2 nanoparticles. The same author [2 nanoparticles resting on soil bed, and by the means of analytical solutions, frequency of the system has been calculated. Harrat et al. [2 reinforced concrete beams using a simple two-phase homogenization model, when Chatbi et al. [2 enhanced concrete plates resting on Kerr’s 3-parameter elastic foundation. The predominant outcomes of those studies suggest that the incorporation of an optimal quantity of SiO2 nanoparticles enhances the mechanical properties of concrete. Furthermore, they deduced that the elastic foundation significantly influences the bending behavior of concrete structures. The collective findings of the research consistently indicate that the addition of SiO2 nanoparticles contributes to increased mechanical strength of concrete, leading to reduced strains and deflections. In a related study, the same researchers undertook an analytical investigation into the mechanical behavior of concrete beams reinforced with various clay nanoparticles (NCs) [Mathematically speaking, there are very few investigations on the impact of nanoparticles on reinforced concrete. Zamanian et al.  studied Shokravi  used Time author  studied e author  used a ht et al.  studied i et al.  also cones (NCs) . Additioes (NCs) . These iTo overcome the limitations of classical theories, many researches are seeking ways to develop new higher-order shear deformation theories. Atmane et al.  employedTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the literature lacks comprehensive analytical comparative studies assessing the performance of concrete beams reinforced with a variety of nanoparticles. Addressing this gap, our aim is to introduce a mathematical model for simulating concrete beams enriched with either silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, or zircon monoxide nanoparticles. Our primary objective is to enhance both the dynamic characteristics and mechanical properties of concrete structures by strategically integrating these entities within the concrete matrix. Additionally, our investigation thoroughly considers the distinct properties of these nanoparticles, with the aim of revealing their unique potential as enhancers for concrete. This analysis also seeks to accurately identify the nanoparticles that exhibit the highest efficacy in improving both the dynamic and static behaviors of concrete beams. This comprehensive exploration advances our understanding and highlights the pivotal role that nanoparticles play in elevating the overall structural performance of concrete.To ensure robustness and reliability, our structural modeling employs a higher-order shear deformation theory, forming the basis for deriving governing equations through Hamilton’s principle. Utilizing Navier’s analytical technique, we meticulously dissect the impact of multiple parameters—nanoparticle type, volume percentage, geometric dimensions, and the influence of an elastic foundation—on the buckling and dynamic analyses of the beam. This comprehensive exploration stands as a testament to our dedication to advancing the understanding and application of nanoparticle reinforced concrete, ushering in a new era of innovation in construction materials.This chapter offers a brief overview with an emphasis on the application of nanomaterials in alkali-activated materials. Due to the improved capabilities of nanoparticles, it has been shown that the use of nanomaterials in alkali-activated materials has tremendous promise for the construction industry. Due to its nucleation effect to accelerate the cement hydration process and pozzolanic activity , nano-si2 are comparable to that of fly ash. Notably, an increase in quartz content is observed, which can be attributed to the introduction of nano-silica. The presence of the C-S-H phase is confirmed by the presence of peaks at 29.5° and 32.05° 2-theta, highlighting its contribution to the mechanical characteristics of the geopolymer matrix.The XRD patterns shown in 2 has been extensively researched due to its many useful qualities, including its ability to filter the air and act as a self-cleaning agent [2 to concretes refines the microstructure, as evidenced by SEM images in Nano-TiOng agent ,24,25,262. As the alkali activator, a mixture of solid NaOH and liquid water glass with a 9.7% Na2O concentration was utilized. A mass ratio of 0.5% of nano-TiO2 was introduced to the system, with particle sizes ranging from 20 to 100 nm. According to the FTIR data [2 enhances transmittance at 1420, 946, and 457, which suggests that more hydration products (C-S-H and C-A-S-H gels) were formed. This is consistent with the denser microstructure that SEM examination revealed in samples that included TiO2.Yang et al.  investigTIR data , the addrV. In our analysis, these inclusions are assumed to have spherical shapes. The matrix (concrete), encompassing the complementary volume mV, is assumed to extend infinitely, ensuring that remote boundaries remain free of traction and displacement. The inclusions  undergo an inelastic strain known as eigenstrain. This eigenstrain emulates the strain experienced by the nanoparticle when it contracts under load-free conditions, unaffected by any matrix constraints. This interplay creates self-equilibrated residual stress fields within both the inclusion and the matrix, as depicted in When a matrix is infused with nanoparticles of varying physical and mechanical properties, resulting in a biphasic composite commonly referred to as a nanocomposite, the material inherently possesses heterogeneous characteristics. To homogenize these properties effectively, a robust and reliable model is required. Eshelby’s homogenization model is widely recognized and recommended for these biphasic nanocomposites . In this2, -TiO2, -ZrO are chosen for their spherical shape of inclusion in order that the Eshelby model could be used to calculate the buckling load and the frequencies of nanoparticle reinforced concrete beams.Nano-SiOTC of the nanocomposite is given in Equation (1):Eshelby’s homogenization model stands out as the predominant analytical framework for predicting the properties of a matrix reinforced with nanocomposites. Notably, this model is applicable under the condition of a spherical/ellipsoidal inclusion embedded within an infinite matrix , the nanI represents the identity matrix, mC and rC correspond to the stiffness tensors of the concrete matrix and the nano-inclusion reinforcement, respectively. While, mV and rV denote the volume fraction of the matrix and nano-sized reinforcement, while S represents the Eshelby tensor, which is influenced by the Poisson’s ratio of reinforcements.In Equation (1), mC and rC are formulated in Equation (2):Once again, for both isotropic materials (concrete matrix and nano-sized reinforcements) and according the well-known conversion formula, the stiffnesses E is the elastic Young’s modulus of either the concrete matrix or the nano-sized particles incorporations, and υ denotes the Poisson’s ratio. The subscripts 1, 2, 3 correspond to x, y, z directions of the composite Cartesian coordinate system, respectively.In which S is presented in Equation (3) as [For the incorporated reinforcements that are supposed to be spherically shaped, Eshelby’s tensor n (3) as :(3)S=S11For all other components:rυ represents the Poisson’s ratio of nano-sized particles reinforcements.Here, It is noted that the results evaluated using the classical beam theory of short beams may not be reliable . As a reL’, width ‘b’, and total thickness ‘h’, as shown in x = 0 and x = L.The reinforced concrete beam is assumed to possess dimensions of length ‘x, y, z) on which z is placed in the median plane of the beam:The embedded nanoparticles are distributed randomly within the concrete matrix, as depicted in x, y, and z) within the beam can be described as follows:The HSDT displacement field of a material point situated at coordinates ’ is a shape function utilized to characterize the distribution of transverse shear stress across the thickness of the structure. The specific shape functions for various higher-order shear theories are provided in Here, the axial displacement is denoted as ‘Throughout our analytical investigation, we systematically examined a selection of higher-order shear deformation theories outlined in The linear strain components can be derived from the displacement field in Equation (5) as:Qij are the elastic constants which can be obtained using Eshelby’s model.The constitutive stress–strain relations of the nanocomposite can be defined as:bδU and kδW are the virtual variation of the internal strain energy of the beam and foundation, respectively, δΦ is the virtual work carried out by external forces, while δK is the virtual kinetic energy.The virtual work’s principle is applied to develop the equations of motion:Firstly, the expression of the virtual strain energy carried out by the beam is:Submitting Equation (6) into Equation (10), the potential energy is given as follows:N’ represents the normal force in a structural element, ‘bM’ denotes the bending moment of the beam’s local y-axis, ‘sM’ indicates the shear force acting along the beam’s local z-axis, and ‘Q’ represents the torsional moment applied to the beam.‘By substituting Equation (6) into Equation (8), and the results into Equation (12), one obtains the stress resultants in the form of material stiffness and displacement components:Nx0’, the virtual work carried out by the external loading is:For the RC beam under axial in-plane compressive buckling load ‘The expression of the virtual strain energy carried out by the foundation is:Kerr’s foundation is a 3-parameter model. An upper layer The Kerr foundation becomes Pasternak foundation by taking infinite upper layer The variation of the kinetic energy of the beam is calculated by:0, δwb,δu and sδw, engender the following equations of motion:By substituting Equations (11), (15), and (16) into Equation (9), then, integrating by parts and collecting the coefficients of Navier’s admissible displacement functions in the form of trigonometric series which satisfy the boundary condition of the problems are given below:Finally, in order to obtain the analytical solutions, the results of the substitution can be arranged into the following matrix form:In the following sections, a range of analytical simulations are presented and discussed regarding the static  and dynamic  responses of concrete beams reinforced with various types of amorphous nanoparticles. For this purpose, a computer program is coded to simulate the beam structure considering the assumptions of the refined beam theory (RBT). It should be noted that the relevance of this work lies in the use of different types of nanoscale reinforcements for a concrete matrix to compare the effect of each in terms of mechanical and physical effectiveness.For this, a concrete matrix with a modulus of elasticity of The reinforcement nanoparticles incorporated in the beam were varied for the same concrete matrix. We selected three nano-sized particles with different nature and characteristics as shown in The following dimensionless parameters are used in presenting the numerical results in graphical forms.For vibration analysis:For buckling analysis:2 and ZrO nanoparticles are not available in the literature. Considering the material and the geometric parameters similar to Harrat et al. [2 reinforced concrete beams are adopted to compare with the present results as shown in It is important to first verify the accuracy of the present mathematical model, since numerical results for buckling and dynamic analyses of concrete structures reinforced with TiOt et al. , the resThe comparison of the results presented elucidate that the different beam theories are in absolute agreement with the predicted transverse displacement  is set to a constant value (LK = 10).To broaden the scope of this study, we will further assume that the reinforced concrete beam rests on Kerr’s 3-parameter elastic foundation  by introIn this section, we initiate an analytical analysis utilizing the refined beam theory (RPT) to explore buckling instabilities within a concrete beam enhanced by a range of nano-sized particles. The beam is assumed to be subjected to in-plane axial compressive loading parallel to the lengthwise direction of the beam ‘x’.2) and zirconium oxide (ZrO) is determined by varying the reinforcement volume (rV) from 0% (non-reinforced beam) to 30% reinforcement out of the total weight of the nanocomposite. Since there are no numerical results in the literature regarding the buckling analysis of TiO2 and ZrO nanoparticulated concrete beams, several beam theories, namely, Reddy’s [In  Reddy’s  third-or Reddy’s  trigonom Reddy’s  exponentComparing the results given in Vr) in a simply supported concrete beam (L/h = 10) subjected to uni-axial buckling loads. It can be deduced from the results that the critical buckling load increases as the reinforcement volume in the concrete matrix increases, making the beam more resilient to the buckle.As far as rV) of silica dioxide (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and zirconium oxide (ZrO) on the critical buckling load  have a strengthening effect on the beam, as the critical buckling load (2) in the concrete matrix seems to give even more strength to the beam and makes it more resistant to in-plane buckling loads compared to other types of reinforcements.It can be apparent from L/h) on the dimensionless critical buckling load (crN) of a simply supported reinforced concrete beam  subjected to a uni-axial load (0N). The results related to Reddy’s refined third-order deformation theory (TSDT) are exhibited for different types of nano-sized reinforcements. It is quite clear from the results presented in L/h), in which, the critical buckling load starts to become stable when L/h is greater than 20. In addition, by establishing an analogy between LK on the critical buckling load of a concrete beam reinforced with different types of nanoparticles. The beam is assumed to be subjected to in-plane compressive loads  and the upper spring parameters (UK) have a sliding effect on the non-dimensional critical buckling loads. Most especially, the shear layer parameter (SK) appears to be more effective than the upper spring constant. It can also be inferred that the presence of an elastic Kerr foundation significantly affects the buckling response of the reinforced concrete beam, thus resulting in a decrease in buckling loads with increasing stiffness components.It can be seen from 2) and zirconium oxide (ZrO) enhanced concrete beam is disclosed in Vr) of titanium oxide is confined between 0% (for a non-reinforced concrete beam) and 30%. Several beam theories are used to provide accurate results.With the following, the free vibrational analysis of reinforced concrete beams is analytically studied. Natural frequencies  of silica dioxide (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and zirconium oxide (ZrO) on natural frequencies (The effect of different volume fractions (L/h) on the non-dimensional frequency of concrete beams reinforced with various types of amorphous nanoparticles. As noted before, among those RC beams, the one enhanced with zirconium oxide nanoparticles has the lower natural frequencies compared to the ones enhanced with titanium or silica nanoparticles.LK (spring constant) on the non-dimensional frequency  and the upper spring parameters (UK) have a reducing effect on the frequencies. The shear layer parameter (SK) seems to have more effect than the upper spring constant. It can also be concluded that the presence of elastic Kerr foundation notably affects the dynamic behavior of reinforced concrete beams. By redistributing the forces of vibration, the foundation reduces the frequencies acting on the beam, improving its structural behavior.The pursuit of improving construction concrete has driven the incorporation of nanomaterials, resulting in nano-reinforced concretes with enhanced mechanical performance and increased density. This response addresses the demand for advanced materials in the construction industry, promoting sustainable and resilient infrastructure development.In our study, we focused on investigating the buckling and dynamic analyses of concrete beams reinforced with various types of nanoparticles. Employing Eshelby’s model, we accurately characterized the properties of the composite material. Utilizing a higher-order shear deformation theory, analytical results were obtained for the beam simulations.The improvement offered by nanoparticles in concrete is primarily influenced by their mechanical characteristics. Higher mechanical characteristics of nanoparticles result in greater improvements in the nanocomposite.Various parameters can affect the mechanical performance of nano-concrete, including the volume percentage of nanoparticles. The concentration of nanoparticles plays a crucial role in determining the mechanical properties of the composite material.Geometrical aspect ratios have a significant impact on the buckling and vibration behavior of nano-reinforced concretes. The critical buckling loads and eigenvalues of the structure are influenced by the proportions and dimensions of the components in the composite system.Higher-order deformation theories consistently provide consistent findings when analyzing nano-reinforced concretes. These theories are effective in capturing the complex behavior and accurately predicting the mechanical response of the composite material.The presence of an elastic foundation has a substantial influence on the buckling load and frequency of reinforced concrete beams. The characteristics of the foundation, such as stiffness and boundary conditions, significantly affect the structural behavior of the system.Our investigation revealed that titanium dioxide significantly improves mechanical properties against mechanical loads, but may reduce natural frequency and dynamic resilience. In contrast, zircon appears to offer the best overall performance as reinforcement against both mechanical and dynamic loads.Our investigation yielded significant insights and led to noteworthy conclusions:However, it is essential to acknowledge the limitations of our research, which focused solely on nano-titanium, nano-silica, and nano-zirconium. To broaden our understanding and encompass a wider range of structural elements, future investigations should explore the effects of alternative nano-reinforcements on the properties of concrete beams, plates, walls, and other structural components. Moreover, an exploration of alternative boundary conditions will be imperative. This will provide a more comprehensive understanding of their potential and pave the way for further advancements in the field of reinforced concrete structures.


UK improvement initiatives3 encourage hospitals to align with UKHSA guidance. UTI is a common infection in the emergency department (ED) and diagnosis can be challenging in the elderly.5UKHSA urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnostic guidance uses presence/absence of specific symptoms/signs to guide decisions on urine culture and antibiotic treatment.1 Identify ED patients aged 65 years+ (65+) with primary diagnosis of UTI. Limit to non-admitted for manageable sample. Complete retrospective chart review to elicit documented UTI symptoms/signs and associated: (i) urine dipstick testing; (ii) urine sampling for microscopy, culture and susceptibility (MC&S); and (iii) antibiotic treatment. Assess alignment with relevant UKHSA guidance. Estimate time taken.To explore retrospective chart review to quantify UTI treatment alignment with UKHSA UTI guidance.1 urine dipstick test; urine for MC&S; and UTI antibiotic treatment. Findings were mapped to illustrate if UKHSA diagnostic pathway and intended antibiotic prescribing decisions followed.Electronic patient record search for key terms  identifiTwenty-seven of 40 patients matched UKHSA criteria for lower UTI/pyelonephritis. Three of 27 followed recommended pathway of: no dipstick; urine for MC&S; and antibiotic. Twenty of 27 had urine dipstick test (not recommended); 16/27 had urine sample for MC&S (recommended); 26/27 received an antibiotic (recommended). Twenty-three who received antibiotics had dipstick testing, no urine for MC&S or both. One patient did not receive indicated antibiotic treatment. Documented symptoms/signs did not indicate UTI/pyelonephritis in 13/40 patients. Two of 13 followed the recommended pathway of: no dipstick; no urine for MC&S; and no antibiotic. Seven of 13 received a dipstick test; 6/13 had urine for MC&S; 9/13 received antibiotics which were not indicated. Five of 40 followed the recommended pathway; 30/40 received the recommended treatment. The time cost was around 30 min/patient.UKHSA guideline alignment was low. Testing in asymptomatic patients appeared to result in unnecessary antibiotic use. Retrospective chart review generated detailed data to assess alignment, however results may represent poor documentation not poor alignment. Retrospective chart review time cost too high for large numbers and assumes accurate documentation.


Antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern, and in recent years, there has been increased interest in ambulatory antimicrobial stewardship. Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is one of the most common outpatient diagnoses that results in an antibiotic prescription.To determine if a best practice alert (BPA) will affect the percentage of oral antibiotic prescriptions for adults with ARS.A prospective, pre/post study was initiated to evaluate the percentage of oral antibiotic prescriptions for ARS in 117 primary care clinics in the Midwest. Included in the study results were 16,570 adults who had an office visit for ARS: 8,106 patients from December 1, 2015, to February 28, 2016, were in the pre-intervention group without an active BPA, and 8,464 patients from December 1, 2016, to February 28, 2017, were in the post-intervention group when the BPA was active. The primary outcome was the number of oral antibiotic prescriptions for ARS compared with the number of office visits for ARS in the pre- and postintervention groups.P = 0.152). The BPA displayed for 7,780 visits, prompting discontinuation of an antibiotic for 10 (0.1%) visits in the postintervention group.The percentage of oral antibiotics prescribed for the pre- and postintervention groups were 94.8% and 94.3%, respectively (This study suggests that, although an electronic alert may be attractive to facilitate antimicrobial stewardship, it may be ineffective. These results warrant alternative measures to facilitate ambulatory antimicrobial stewardship. What is already known about this subjectThe majority of antibiotic expenditures are associated with the ambulatory setting, and a modifiable risk for reducing antibiotic resistance is reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions.Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is a common ambulatory diagnosis that often results in an antibiotic prescription, and treatment guidelines recommend to withhold antibiotics in mild-to-moderate ARS and those with a symptom duration of less than 10 days.Best practice alerts (BPAs) are automated alerts within the electronic medical record that help facilitate widespread communication of information to primary care providers and may be used as a tool for an antimicrobial stewardship strategy.What this study addsThis study explored the feasibility of using a BPA as an antimicrobial stewardship tool to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in ARS.Results suggest that this BPA was ineffective in reducing inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing in ARS.The BPA prompted the removal of an antibiotic prescription during a patient encounter; however, this action was largely dismissed by providers, and prescribing habits of providers did not change throughout the intervention period.2 Direct costs associated with the management of sinusitis in the United States surpasses $11 billion annually.3 Although ARS is the fifth most common diagnosis resulting in an antibiotic prescription, clinical guidelines recommend antibiotic therapy only if signs and symptoms are persistent for 10 or more days; are severe for at least 3-4 days ; or worsen after initial improvement (double sickening).5Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is a common respiratory illness with over 30 million diagnoses in the United States each year, of which 80% of cases receive antibiotic prescriptions.6 Over 60% of antibiotic expenditures are associated with the outpatient setting, where overprescribing of antibiotics has been suggested.8 Available data indicate that over 30% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in the United States may be inappropriate, and in ARS, it may be closer to 50%.8 Given that antibiotic use is a driving factor for antibiotic resistance,6 antimicrobial stewardship efforts should target common diagnoses, such as ARS, that often result in antibiotic use.An important modifiable risk factor for antibiotic resistance is reducing the number of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions.9 The use of best practice alerts (BPAs) is becoming a common strategy to provide real-time clinical decision support and steer clinicians towards providing evidence-based care.10Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for sinusitis represents an opportunity for quality improvement in the era of evidence-based practice. Aligning with recent sinusitis guidelines, a recommendation for reducing low-value care by the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Choosing Wisely is to avoid routine prescribing of antibiotics for acute mild-to-moderate sinusitis.Our institution implemented an electronic intervention in an effort to reduce the use of antibiotics for ARS. The objective of this study was to measure the effect of a BPA on the percentage of antibiotic prescribing for ARS.This study included office visits for ARS at 117 acute care , family medicine, and internal medicine clinics that represented 615 providers within an integrated health system in the Midwest . We conducted a quasi-experimental pre/post study that evaluated the proportion of ARS clinic visits resulting in an oral antibiotic prescription.International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes J01.00, J01.01, J01.10, J01.11, J01.20, J01.21, J01.30, J01.31, J01.40, J01.41, J01.80, J01.81, J01.90, and J01.91. Only the index office visit for each patient was included during the study time frame, and repeat visits were excluded.Patient office visits from December 1, 2015, to February 28, 2016, and December 1, 2016, to February 28, 2017, were included if the patient was aged ≥ 18 years and received a diagnosis of ARS using 11 Visits were excluded if patients had medical comorbidities, which included any of the following:Diagnoses used for patient exclusion were adapted from a previous study by Meeker et al. (2016), which evaluated antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections.A concomitant pulmonary illness or diagnosis requiring an antibiotic .A diagnosis associated with immunocompromise .A diagnosis within the previous 30 days for ARS or other acute respiratory tract infection .9 Optional justification for continuing the antibiotic order, designated as “acknowledgement reasons,” could be selected in the BPA response field. One of six discrete acknowledgment reasons, as developed by a physician-led clinical decision support committee, could be selected or entered as free text. The alert could be dismissed without requiring the clinician to provide justification for the antibiotic prescription.A real-time BPA was implemented in the electronic medical record to notify the provider of the Choosing Wisely recommendation when prescribing an antibiotic for a patient diagnosed with ARS during that visit . A diagnThe BPA began displaying to providers 6 weeks before the 3-month intervention period during peak winter months (December 2016-February 2017). Data from this period were compared with the same months the previous year (December 2015-February 2016) to minimize any confounding effect of seasonal variation. Data collected included baseline characteristics, oral antibiotics prescribed during office visits, antibiotic recommendation category for ARS , and provider responses to the BPA . DepartmS. pneumoniae or lack of appropriate bacterial coverage.4In this study, we categorized first-line antibiotics as amoxicillin or amoxicillin-clavulanate; second-line antibiotics as second- or third-generation cephalosporins, clindamycin, doxycycline, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, or minocycline; and other antibiotics were those not recommended because of high rates of resistance to P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.The primary outcome was the number of oral antibiotic prescriptions for ARS compared with the number of office visits for ARS in the pre- and postintervention groups. The difference in the percentage of antibiotics prescribed between the pre- and postintervention groups was tested using Pearson’s chi-square test. Secondary outcomes included the same evaluation across subgroups and postintervention months . The datThis work was reviewed by the Sanford Health Institutional Review Board and was determined to be quality improvement rather than human subjects research.P = 0.152). The overall percentage of oral antibiotic prescriptions based on department type for acute care, family medicine, and internal medicine were 97.2%, 93.2%, and 86.0%, respectively (P < 0.001).In the pre-intervention group, there were 14,566 unique patient visits, with 8,106 eligible for inclusion. In the postintervention group, there were 14,092 unique patient visits, with 8,464 eligible for inclusion. Results based on baseline characteristics are summarized in P = 0.749).The BPA displayed for 7,780 visits, prompting discontinuation of an antibiotic in 10 (0.1%) visits in the postintervention group. During the postintervention period, the percentage of oral antibiotics prescribed for the months of December 2016, January 2017, and February 2017 were 94.5%, 94.5%, and 94.1%, respectively (P < 0.001). The percentage of second-line antibiotic prescriptions was not significantly different, with 1,797 (23.4%) prescriptions in the pre-intervention group compared with 1,834 (22.9%) in the postintervention group (P = 0.436). Other antibiotic prescriptions declined from the pre-intervention group  compared with the post-intervention group .First-line antibiotic prescriptions increased from 3,842 (49.9%) in the pre-intervention group to 4,551 (57.0%) in the postintervention group (P < 0.001) and increasing age as a continuous variable (P < 0.001). Being in the BPA group was not associated with decreased odds of an antimicrobial prescription in the adjusted model (P = 0.125).A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for potential confounding variables related to whether an antibiotic was prescribed during the entire study time frame. The model included the presence of the BPA, age, insurance type, provider type, clinic type, and the following comorbidities: hypertension, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and depressive disorder. The only independent predictors of an antimicrobial prescription were a visit in the acute care department (P < 0.001). In the age subgroup analyses, patients were divided into 4 age cohorts , none of which demonstrated statistically significant changes in antimicrobial prescriptions after BPA implementation.Among the subgroups, only the acute care department demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the rate of antimicrobial prescribing , the results of this study cannot be extrapolated to the entire influenza season. The effect of the BPA was evaluated over a short time frame (3 months), and changes in prescribing behavior may have taken longer than the study period was able to detect. However, we evaluated 3 sequential months with the active BPA and did not see a statistically significant change in the proportion of prescribing across those months.The study time frame included only a portion of the influenza season. Since data were not collected throughout its continuum (usually regarded as October through March8 which may have contributed to our study’s high proportion of antibiotic prescribing. However, in regions with lower prescribing rates, there remains an opportunity to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for ARS.8An additional limitation was the geographical area in which the study was conducted. The Midwest has a higher antibiotic prescribing rate than other regions of the United States,11 Another recent study combined clinician education with prescribing audit and feedback, which improved guideline-concordant prescribing for common bacterial respiratory tract infections.18The ineffectiveness of our BPA could have been due to its workflow disruption, absence of functionality requiring antibiotic justification, and/or lack of provider training regarding the tool. A previous study implemented an electronic alert that required providers to justify antibiotic use in the patient’s medical record, which resulted in a reduced antibiotic prescribing rate in acute viral respiratory tract infections.Multiple factors may have led to the broad dismissal of the BPA by providers. No documentation was required to dismiss the alert nor was the alert preceded by provider education regarding ARS or antimicrobial stewardship. The BPA in this study may have been more effective if the strategy had also incorporated provider feedback, peer comparison, or provider incentives.Among primary care practices within an integrated health system in the Midwest, the use of a BPA failed to reduce the number of antibiotic prescriptions for ARS. These results support the need for alternative measures to facilitate ambulatory antimicrobial stewardship.


Their properties were also determined via zeta potential, surface tension, and rheological experiments. It was found that PCE-M had the best performance, with the lowest surface tension, highest zeta potential, and therefore highest charge density on the cement particles, lowest viscosity, and highest flowability of cement paste, and exhibited the best performance of concrete in terms of workability. The best performance of PCE-M in reducing the viscosity of cement and concrete can be ascribed to the smallest amount of water-repellent alkyl groups, enhancing the electrostatic repulsion and reducing the viscosity, thereby boosting the dispersion and stabilization of cement pastes and concrete. This study shed lights on designing other PCEs with high viscosity-reducing effects via an ester group control.Concrete is vital for the development of modern buildings. However, they suffer from the high viscosity problem in their application process due to the use of a low water–cement ratio in order to maintain their high strength. Developing PCEs with the presence of ester functional groups in their molecular structure is one of the most effective measures to improve the flowability of concrete. Here, three PCEs with different alkyl densities of acrylic acid ester: PCE-M, PCE-E, and PCE-B were designed to explore their viscosity-reducing effect on the performance of cement and concrete. The structures of the three PCEs were characterized via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( Nowadays, concrete has become increasingly demanding, especially for the ultra-high performance concrete, which has high strength and good durability due to the rapid development of modern buildings ,2,3. HowBased on the discussions above, in this paper, the effect of hydrophobic alkyl acrylate esters on the dispersion properties of PCE was explored. Three different PCEs were prepared from HPEG, AA, and monomers containing different ester groups in aqueous solution (methyl acrylate (MA), ethyl acrylate (EA), and butyl acrylate (BA), denoted as PCE-M, PCE-E, and PCE-B, respectively) via free radical polymerization. Their structural characterizations were performed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements. Zeta potential and surface tension were also measured to investigate the dispersibility of the cement. The rheological properties of cement paste were tested using a rheometer. The dispersion properties on cement and concrete were discussed. Finally, PCE-M, PCE-E, and PCE-B were tested through the applications of cement and concrete.−1) peaks in the PCEs were significantly less [−1 is the characteristic absorption peak of O-H, while 2914 cm−1 and 2876 cm−1 are the absorption peaks of the stretching vibration of C-H, 2914 cm−1 is the absorption peak in -CH3, 2876 cm−1 is the absorption peak of -C-H in -CH2, and 1728 cm−1 and 1100 cm−1 can be assigned to the characteristic stretching vibration of C=O and the absorption peak of the C-O-C ether bond in the molecular structure, respectively [FTIR analysis was employed to characterize the functional groups in both HPEG and different PCEs so as to confirm the occurrence of the polymerization process. tly less ,20. In aectively . These rectively .1H NMR spectra were carried out to analyze the molecular structures of the synthesized PCEs, as shown in 1H peak, which has a chemical shift value (δ) of 4.70 ppm, can be attributed to the D2O solvent [ solvent . Additio solvent .1H peaks, suggesting different H atoms at different positions of the PCEs structures. For example, from 1H peak intensities of H atoms at the positions from 1 to 10 decreased especially for PCE-E, the δ values for these ten peaks were similar, suggesting that all three PCEs have a similar structure at these positions. This is in good accordance with the experimental design of the structures of the three PCEs. However, the appearance of a new peak at δ = 1.86 ppm (position 11) of PCE-E, and new peaks at δ = 1.97 ppm (positions 11 and 12) and δ = 1.60 ppm (position 13) of PCE-B illustrate the successful synthesis of these PCEs with different hydrophobic alkyl acrylate ester groups.Likewise, the structure of the synthesized PCEs can also be confirmed via different δ values of the n), the heavy average molecular weight (Mw), the z-average molecular weight (Mz), and the dispersibility index of molecular weight , were described in w of the PCEs increased with the increase in the alkyl density of acrylic acid ester.In order to better analyze the molecular weight distribution of the synthesized PCEs, GPC tests were performed, as shown in 2+ and SO42−, usually form the shear plane of the cement [The zeta potential refers to the potential of the shear plane, which is an important index to characterize the stability of a colloidal dispersion system. Non-charged side chains of the PCEs and ions, including Cae cement ,29. PCEse cement . Normalle cement . Additioe cement . In compTo explore the effect of PCEs with different ester groups on the rheological properties of cement pastes, the plastic viscosity and yield stress changes of three different PCEs were tested, as shown in c), the time to reach 500 mm (T500), the slump flow, and the time to empty a slump cone of concrete (Tsf) can be used as indicators when testing the cohesiveness of concrete. All things being equal, a concrete mix with a short time has a relatively low cohesion when the air content is within a certain range, which facilitates a better application of the concrete mix in the project. c, T500, and Tsf,m. These results demonstrate that, compared with PCE-E and PCE-B, PCE-M has a better concrete application effect with a soft state and good compatibility. This is consistent with the GPC structural characterization results described above that PCE-M has the lowest molecular weight, which endows it a higher degree of freedom in water so that the molecular chains of PCE-M are more easily able to spread and quickly adsorbed onto the cement particles. Additionally, the lowest surface tension and highest absolute value of the zeta potential of PCE-M made it a high density of surface charge on the cement particles. Further, the lowest viscosity of PCE-M reflected from the rheological tests also contributed to its best concrete performance. The good concrete performance of PCE-M is also in accordance with the flowability results of the cement, as discussed above.In practice, the air content  were purchased from Macklin Chemical, China. The reference cement was supplied by Fushun Aosaier Co. , and its specifications are presented in Isobutene polyethylene glycol ether (HPEG), with a molecular weight of 2400, was supplied by Dongke Company, China. Ammonium persulfate , 3-mercaptopropionic acid , acrylic acid , methyl acrylate , ethyl acrylate , butyl acrylate , sodium hydroxide , and deuterium oxide  and solution B (4.1 mL AA and 3.4 mL MA) were added into the flask using a syringe pump and the solution was kept stirring at 80 °C for 1.5 h. After the reaction was completed, the pH of the polymer solution was adjusted to 6–8 using a NaOH solution (30%). When the reaction temperature was cooled to room temperature, the highly dispersed PCEs, with different acrylic ester groups synthesized from MA, EA, and BA, were obtained and denoted as PCE-M, PCE-E, and PCE-B, respectively. The reaction equations are shown in −1 and 4000 cm−1.The FTIR spectra  was used to characterize the functional groups on different PCEs. Firstly, the synthesized products were freeze dried at −80 °C for 24 h using a freeze dryer . Secondly, PCEs solutions with 10% solid content were prepared and determined using a refractometer (LB32T). Subsequently, 0.1 g of KBr was pressed under 15 MPa to make it as a tablet. Finally, 10 μL of different PCE solutions were dropped on the surface of KBr for analysis at the absorption wavelength range between 400 cm2O deuterated reagent, which was used as the solvent. After transferring to a nuclear magnetic tube, the 1H NMR spectra were analyzed at room temperature to determine the chemical shift values of different hydrogen atoms in the PCEs.The structure of the synthesized PCEs was confirmed using a 400M NMR spectrometer . After drying at a low temperature for 24 h, they were dissolved in a Dn), weight average molecular weight (Mw), and polydispersity index (PDI) of the synthesized PCEs. The synthesized product was dried under a low temperature for 24 h and prepared into a sample with a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL. Then, 40 μL of the solution was injected and a 0.4% NaNO3 aqueous solution was used as the mobile phase, with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min.LabSolutions GPC was used to determine the number average molecular weight . At a water–cement ratio of 800:1, 1 g of reference cement was poured into different beakers containing 800 mL of DI water and different dosages of polycarboxylate superplasticizers to prepare the diluted cement paste. After stirring for 5–10 min, followed by the subsequent standing period, the supernatant of the cement paste was taken to measure the zeta potential on the surface of the cement particles with different dosages of polycarboxylate superplasticizer. Three measurements were repeated at each dosage, and the average value was taken as the final zeta potential.The zeta potential of polycarboxylate superplasticizer cement pastes with different dosages of 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0% at 25 °C were characterized on the zeta potential and nano-particle size analyzer  . The amo−1 for 1 min. Subsequently, the shear rate was decreased step by step to 0 s−1, with a pause of 1 min in each speed. At the last 5 s, the shear stress and shear rate were taken. The rheological properties was described using Equation (1):0, n refer to the shear stress (Pa), yield stress (Pa), shear rate (s−1), consistency coefficient (Pa·sn), and rheological index, respectively.Rheological properties, such as yield stress and plastic viscosity, were determined using a rheometer . The cement pastes were prepared using the method described in μ and The equivalent plastic viscosity was calculated using Equation (2):500), and time to empty the inverted slump cone, were also tested by referring to the relevant test methods in GB8076-2008 [The performances of the PCEs in concrete, such as the slump flow, expansion flow, air content (Ac), time to reach 500 mm in diameter (T076-2008  Concrete076-2008  “Standar1H NMR, as well as property measurements for instance surface tension, zeta potential, and rheological experiments, have been performed to better understand the flowability and concrete performance of these PCEs. It was found that the greater the methyl content of the acrylate, the smaller the decrease in surface tension, i.e., PCE-M > PCE-E > PCE-B; the smaller the decrease in the zeta potential, i.e., the absolute magnitude of the zeta potential was PCE-M > PCE-E > PCE-B. In addition, the flow of the cement paste with the three PCEs was always PCE-M > PCE-E > PCE-B, both initially and after 30 min. The T500, Ac, and Tsf,m measured for the three PCEs after being added to the concrete in application tests also showed the similar trend: PCE-M < PCE-E < PCE-B. These results suggest that, with the smallest amount of water-repellent alkyl groups, PCE-M has the most profound influence on reducing the viscosity and increasing the flowability of cement, as well as enhancing the performance of concrete in terms of workability. The outstanding water-reducing effect of PCE-M can be attributed to the water-repellent groups in increasing the surface charge density and intermolecular electrostatic repulsion evidenced from the zeta potential data, reducing the viscosity and steric hindrance effect of cement paste, proved from the rheological experiments, etc., enhancing the dispersion and stabilization of cement pastes and concrete. This study provides ideas in studying and designing other PCEs with a high viscosity-reducing effect for both cement and concrete via an ester group control.Three PCEs with different alkyl densities of acrylic acid ester: PCE-M, PCE-E, and PCE-B have been prepared to explore the effect of different ester-based monomers on the performance and applications of cement and concrete. Structural characterizations, such as FTIR and