热处理工艺对TC4钛合金冲击磨损性能的影响

研究了退火和固溶时效处理对热轧态TC4钛合金的力学性能和组织的影响,并考察了其冲击磨损性能。结果表明:退火处理后试样组织中转变β相增加,强度、塑性和韧性均较热轧态有所提升;而固溶时效处理后试样组织的晶粒细化且尺寸更为均匀,同时具有最高的强度,而塑性和韧性则较热轧态有所降低。经过10 h的冲击磨损试验后,退火态试样的磨损率最低,而固溶时效态试样的磨损率最高。通过磨损断口观察发现退火态试样表面冲刷犁沟较短,且终点处存在合金的塑性堆积,同时磨损面组织发生塑性变形,晶粒延展拉长。退火态试样较高的塑性和韧性有助于吸收冲击能量,因此表现出较好的耐冲击磨损性能。     

Conductivity and Oxidation Behavior of Fe-16Cr Alloy as Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Interconnect Under Long-Stability and Thermal Cycles

Conductivity and oxidation behavior of Fe-16Cr alloy were investigated under long-term stability operation at 750℃ and thermal cycles from room temperature to 750℃.The results showed that the area specific resistance (ASR) of Fe-16Cr alloy increased over time and reached about 56.29 mΩcm ~(2 )after 40,000 h of long-term stability operation at 750℃ by theoretical calculation.The ASR of Fe-16Cr remained about 11 mΩcm ~(2 )after 52 thermal cycles from room temperature to750℃.The analysis of structure showed that the oxidized phase on the surface of Fe-16Cr was mainly composed of Cr _(2 )O _3and Fe Cr _(2 )O _(4 )spinel phase under long-term stability operation at 750℃.While the Cr _(2 )O _(3 )phase was mainly observed on the surface of Fe-16Cr alloy after 52 thermal cycles,the oxidation rates of Fe-16Cr alloy were 0.0142μm h~(-1 )and 0.06μm cycle~(-1 )under long-term stability operation and under thermal cycle,respectively.The property of Fe-16Cr alloy with 2.6 mm thickness met the lifespan requirement of interconnect for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks.The Cr element all diff used onto oxidation surface,indicating that it was necessary to spray a coating on the surface to avoid poisoning cell cathode of SOFCs.Two 2-cell stacks were assembled and tested to verify the properties of Fe-16Cr alloy as SOFC interconnect under long-term stability operation and thermal cycle condition.     

Characterization of the microbiota and resistome of bulk tank milk samples from Prince Edward Island dairy farms

Bulk tank milk (BTM) is regularly used for surveillance on dairy farms for disease conditions such as mastitis and Johne's disease. In this study, we used 16S rRNA sequencing and bait-capture enrichment to characterize the microbiota and resistome of BTM, and investigate potential differences between the cream or pellet fractions. A total of 12 BTM samples were taken from 12 Prince Edward Island dairy farms, in Atlantic Canada, in duplicates. The DNA was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and a suite of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. Target-capture enrichment of AMR genes was conducted before shotgun sequencing. The bioinformatics pipelines QIIME 2 and AMR++ were used for microbiota and resistome analysis, respectively. Differences between microbiotae were evaluated qualitatively with nonmetric multidimensional scaling and quantitatively with permutational ANOVA of UniFrac distances. A total of 47 phyla were present across the BTM samples. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the most abundant phyla. At the genus level, Corynebacterium, Acinetobacter, Lactobacillus, and Turicibacter were the most abundant. There was no significant difference in the Faith's phylogenetic diversity between the cream and pellet fraction. Faith's phylogenetic diversity differed marginally by stall type. There were 10,217 hits across 80 unique AMR genes, with tetracycline resistance being the most common class.     

Comparative study of the phenolics,antioxidant and metagenomic composition of novel soy whey-based beverages produced using three different water kefir microbiota

Water kefir microbiota was used to develop novel soy whey-based beverages that have antioxidant activity. In the present study, comparative phenolics, antioxidant and metagenomic composition of the soy whey beverages fermented using three different water kefir microbiota, named WKFS-A, WKFS-B and WKFS-C were investigated. WKFS-B beverage had the highest concentrations of isoflavone aglycones (208.73 ± 2.78 mg L⁻¹) and phenolic acids (132.33 ± 3.41 mg L⁻¹) compared with WKFS-A (193.88 ± 1.15 mg L⁻¹) and (91.73 ± 2.34 mg L⁻¹) and WKFS-C (160.63 ± 1.76 mg L⁻¹) and (97.13 ± 2.63 mg L⁻¹), respectively. The WKFS-B also showed higher DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power compared with WKFS-A and WKFS-C beverages. Microbial species diversity index analysis showed that a higher concentration of isoflavone aglycones, phenolic acids and increased antioxidant activity in the WKFS-B beverage correlates with the higher relative abundance of Lactobacillus genus. This study thus revealed that Lactobacillus dominated water kefir microbiota produces soy whey beverages with high phenolic acids, isoflavone aglycones and antioxidant activity.     

Some concerns regarding the CAT16 chromatic adaptation transform

In recent literature, a new chromatic adaptation transform, CAT16, has been published to improve upon the widely used CAT02 model. The CAT16 model is based on the form of the CAT02 transform adopted in CIECAM02, but uses a slightly different sensor space to fix some gamut problems plaguing CIECAM02 and adopts a two-step CAT to ensure symmetry and transitivity. CAT16 is included in CAM16 but is also being promoted as a stand-alone CAT, one that can be used outside of the CAM16 model. However, the use of CAT16 as a stand-alone model can cause inconsistencies in the calculated corresponding colors due to the presence of the relative luminance of the adapting white (Y_w) in the von Kries-Ives gain control factors. Such inconsistencies are not present for the stand-alone version of the CAT02 model, which, unlike the version adopted in CIECAM02, does not include the Y_w factors. CAT16 should therefore be modified by omitting the Y_w factors. In this article, we will briefly discuss these issues in more detail and provide a consistent two-step CAT adopting the CAT16 sensor space.     

Thermophilic biohydrogen production from sugarcane molasses under low pH: Metabolic and microbial aspects

By-products from sugarcane mills have a considerable energy potential, and therefore have been studied aiming to generate biogas emphasising biohydrogen (bioH₂). Sugarcane molasses, a byproduct from sugar production, are rich in carbohydrates, thus easily biodegraded by anaerobic microorganisms. This study evaluated the production of bioH₂ in unfavorable pH (3.80) using molasses as a feedstock in an anaerobic structured bed reactor (AnSTBR-A) under thermophilic conditions (55 °C). The AnSTBR-A operated with an organic loading rate (OLR) of 60 g L⁻¹ d⁻¹ was able to produce bioH₂ under long-term operation (392 days). The hydrogen yield (HY) was 1.18 mol H₂ mol total carbohydrates⁻¹. The results highlighted HY variation concomitant with metabolite concentrations. The main role to bioH₂ production in AnSTBR-A was acetate + lactate → butyric + bioH₂, with a predominance of the organism belonging to the Thermoanaerobacterium genus.     

Effect of <i>Lycopus lucidus</i> Turcz. supplementation on gut microflora and short chain fatty acid composition in Crj: CD-1 mice

We investigated the diversity and composition of microflora in feces of Lycopus lucidus Turcz.-fed mice. In addition, we evaluated the production of major cytokines (Interleukin-6 and -10) which are related to inflammation and fatty acid composition of several tissues. 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing-based microbiome taxonomic profiling analysis was performed utilizing the EzBioCloud data base. Male mice fed on L. lucidus showed a significantly reduced number of lactic acid bacteria and coliform in the feces compared with the control group (p < 0.05). 16S rDNA sequencing analysis of fecal samples showed that L. lucidus supplementation decreased the community of harmful microflora (Enterobacteriaceae including Escherichia coli and Bacteroides sp.) in feces compared with the control group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in mRNA expression of cytokine IL-6 and IL-10 between the control and L. lucidus fed groups. The fecal fatty acid composition in the L. lucidus group had percentages of 4:0, 6:0, 8:0 and 10:0 in the intestine but those short chain fatty acids were not detected in the control group. Our results showed that L. lucidus supplementation influenced gut environment by decreasing harmful microflora and increased the percentages of several short fatty acids.     

退火温度对EB熔炼低成本TC4钛合金宽厚板组织和性能的影响

采用EB炉一次熔炼TC4合金扁锭作为直轧坯料,在4200 mm宽厚板轧机上成功制备出规格46 mm×2650 mm×8700 mm的低成本TC4合金宽厚板,研究了退火温度对低成本TC4合金板材显微组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明:EB熔炼TC4合金扁锭经过两火换向轧制,粗大铸态组织得到充分破碎,热轧态TC4合金板材显微组织中等轴α或条状α含量较高,横纵向室温拉伸性能差异小,横向室温冲击吸收能量小于纵向,横纵向心部强度均高于表层。TC4合金板材经750~900 ℃退火,横纵截面为等轴组织,经950 ℃退火,横纵截面为双态组织,经980 ℃退火,横截面为双态组织,纵截面为魏氏组织。随着退火温度升高,TC4合金板材抗拉强度和规定塑性延伸强度呈下降趋势,伸长率基本不变,室温冲击吸收能量先升高后降低,900 ℃退火后,强度、伸长率和冲击吸收能量达到最佳匹配。     

Do Intermittent Renewables Threaten the Electricity Supply Security?

Around the globe, intermittent renewable energies in the form of wind and solar power are on the rise. Their subsidization can be seen as a market intervention, which may deter optimal investment. Thus, this study tests the effect of renewable energies on investment in conventional electricity generation technologies. We estimate a dynamic investment model for 14 European economies for the period 2004–2016 and find a non-negligible negative impact of intermittent renewables on investment in peak-load capacity (mainly gas), while base-load (particularly coal) plants are unaffected. However, the production flexibility of gas-fired plants represents a particularly vital function to balance the supply intermittency of wind and solar. Thus, dispatchable conventional power plants are still necessary to back the system under scarcity events, such as unfavorable weather conditions during high electricity demand. Policymakers should be aware of the adverse effects of RES on investment in peak-load plants and may consider a redesign of the current system, for example by introducing capacity markets.     

稀土含量对Ti6Al4V钛合金等离子渗氮层组织和摩擦学性能的影响

目的研究稀土含量对Ti6Al4V钛合金表面等离子体渗氮层结构和性能的影响。方法运用等离子表面改性技术对Ti6Al4V(TC4)钛合金进行等离子渗氮处理,渗氮过程中通入不同含量的稀土作为催渗剂,以获得钛合金表面强化层。利用金相显微镜和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察渗氮层组织,用X射线衍射仪(XRD)分析渗层相组成,用能谱仪(EDS)检测渗层的化学成分,用维氏显微硬度计测量渗层的显微硬度,用球-盘式摩擦磨损试验机和三维轮廓仪检测渗层的摩擦磨损性能。结果TC4钛合金表面等离子渗氮层结构包括表面化合物层(主要成分为δ-TiN)和扩散层(主要为N原子扩散形成的N-Ti固溶体),加入稀土可以促进N原子向基体的扩散,提高渗氮速度。渗层厚度增加,硬度和耐磨性能提高,扩散层使钛合金基体与化合物层之间的硬度梯度更加平缓。当稀土通入速率为60 mL/min时,渗层厚度可达155μm,表面硬度为1275HV0.05,摩擦系数降到0.27,磨损率明显降低。结论钛合金等离子渗氮过程中加入稀土可以有效提高渗速,改善渗氮层硬度,提高材料表面的耐磨性能。