Kisspeptin is a potent activator of GnRH-induced gonadotropin secretion and is a proposed central regulator of pubertal onset. In mice, there is a neuroanatomical separation of two discrete kisspeptin neuronal populations, which are sexually dimorphic and are believed to make distinct contributions to reproductive physiology. Within these kisspeptin neuron populations, Kiss1 expression is directly regulated by sex hormones, thereby confounding the roles of sex differences and early activational events that drive the establishment of kisspeptin neurons. In order to better understand sex steroid hormone-dependent and -independent effects on the maturation of kisspeptin neurons, hypogonadal (hpg) mice deficient in GnRH and its downstream effectors were used to determine changes in the developmental kisspeptin expression. In hpg mice, sex differences in Kiss1 mRNA levels and kisspeptin immunoreactivity, typically present at 30 days of age, were absent in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV). Although immunoreactive kisspeptin increased from 10 to 30 days of age to levels intermediate between wild type (WT) females and males, corresponding increases in Kiss1 mRNA were not detected. In contrast, the hpg arcuate nucleus (ARC) demonstrated a 10-fold increase in Kiss1 mRNA between 10 and 30 days in both females and males, suggesting that the ARC is a significant center for sex steroid-independent pubertal kisspeptin expression. Interestingly, the normal positive feedback response of AVPV kisspeptin neurons to estrogen observed in WT mice was lost in hpg females, suggesting that exposure to reproductive hormones during development may contribute to the establishment of the ovulatory gonadotropin surge mechanism. Overall, these studies suggest that the onset of pubertal kisspeptin expression is not dependent on reproductive hormones, but that gonadal sex steroids critically shape the hypothalamic kisspeptin neuronal subpopulations to make distinct contributions to the activation and control of the reproductive hormone cascade at the time of puberty.
This paper summarizes the results of an experimental research on “sustainable” cementitious composites internally reinforced with industrial and recycled steel fibers, the latter being recovered from waste tires and employed in substitution and/or addition of the industrial steel ones. Specifically, six concrete mixtures including different amount of industrial/recycled steel fibers were produced and tested both in compression and bending. The obtained results confirm the promising prospects already observed by the authors in a previous study on concrete reinforced with recycled steel fibers obtained from waste tires. Furthermore, they clearly demonstrate that industrial fibers can be replaced by an equal amount of recycled ones without a significant decay in the relevant mechanical properties, provided that the recycled fibers present adequate geometrical characteristics
Reinforcing bars made of Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (GFRPs) are more and more common as internal reinforcement of concrete structures and infrastructures. Since the design of GFRP reinforced concrete members is often controlled by serviceability limit state criteria (i.e. deflection or crack width control), an accurate knowledge of the GFRP-concrete bond behavior is needed to formulate sound design equations. Furthermore, bond laws currently available and widely accepted for conventional steel rebars cannot be straightforwardly applied for GFRP ones. Hence, an experimental program consisting of 36 pullout bending tests was carried out to evaluate the bond performance between GFRP bars and steel fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC) by analyzing the influence of the following parameters: GFRP bar diameter, surface characteristics of the GFRP bars, bond length, and SFRSCC cover thickness. Based on the results obtained in this study, pullout failure was occurred for almost all the specimens. SFRSCC cover thickness and bond length plaid important role on the ultimate value of bond stress of GFRP bars. Moreover, the GFRP bars with ribbed and sand-coated surface treatment showed different interfacial bond behaviors
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