Key Role of Microtubule and Its Acetylation in a Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle–Mediated Lysosome–Autophagy System

Autophagy is a biological process that has attracted considerable attention as a target for novel therapeutics. Recently, nanomaterials (NMs) have been reported to modulate autophagy, which makes them potential agents for the treatment of autophagy‐related diseases. In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNPs) are utilized to evaluate NM‐induced autophagy and debate the mechanisms involved. It is found that ZNPs undergo pH‐dependent ion shedding and that intracellular zinc ions (Zn²⁺) play a crucial role in autophagy. Autophagy is activated with ZNPs treatment, which is inhibited after Zn²⁺ sequestration via ethylenediamine tetra‐acetic acid. Lysosome‐based autophagic degradation is halted after ZNPs treatment for more than 3 h and is accompanied by blockage of lysophagy, which renews impaired lysosomes. Furthermore, the microtubule (MT) system participates in ZNP‐induced lysosome–autophagy system changes, especially in the fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes. MT acetylation is helpful for protecting from ZNP‐induced MT disruption, and it promotes the autophagic degradation process. In conclusion, this study provides valuable information on NM‐induced lysosome–autophagy system changes, particularly with respect to the role of lysophagy and the MT system, which point to some attractive targets for the design of engineered nanoparticles.     

Evolution of properties of parts during MIM and sintering of recycled oxide particles

Metal injection moulding (MIM) is an established process for high volume production of complex shaped metallic parts using commercially available feedstocks. The characteristics of parts after moulding, debinding, and sintering cannot be simply predictable from raw materials because the properties get altered with the process parameters and the corresponding levels of porosity during processing steps. In this study, physical properties, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the MIM parts have been characterised to understand the evolution of strength during various steps in MIM processing. Feedstocks with different binder loading show a considerable difference in physical as well as mechanical characteristics. During sintering of parts which have solid loading of grinding sludge, simultaneous in situ reduction and densification takes place, whereas only densification occurs in carbonyl iron parts. It is, therefore, possible to make complex shaped parts of different levels of porosity from downgraded shop floor metallic waste.     

Confined Transformation of UiO‐66 Nanocrystals to Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia with Hierarchical Pore Structures for Catalytic Applications

Solid acids as a substitution for hazardous liquid acids (e.g., HF and H₂SO₄) can promote many important reactions in the industry, such as carbon cracking, to proceed in a more sustainable way. Starting from a zirconium‐based metal‐organic framework (UiO‐66 nanocrystals), herein a transformative method is reported to prepare micro/mesoporous yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) encapsulated inside a mesoporous silica shell. It is then further demonstrated that the resultant reactor‐like catalysts can be used for a wide range of catalytic reactions. The acidity of the YSZ phase is found with rich accessible Lewis acid and Brønsted acid sites and they display superior performances for esterification (acetic acid and ethanol) and Friedel‐Crafts alkylation (benzylation of toluene). After being loaded with different noble metals, furthermore, hydrogenation of CO₂ and a one‐pot cascade reaction (nitrobenzene and benzaldehyde to N‐benzylaniline) are used as model reactions to prove the versatility and stability of catalysts. Based on the findings of this work, it is believed that this class of reactor‐like catalysts can meet future challenges in the development of new catalyst technology for greener heterogeneous catalysis.     

TiAl合金高温流变行为及流动应力模型

为了研究TiAl合金的热变形行为,掌握其热加工特性,采用Gleeble-1500试验机对TiAl合金在温度为1 050～1 200℃、应变速率为0. 001～1 s-1条件下的高温变形行为进行了研究,获得了上述变形条件范围内的流变行为数据,建立了适于TiAl合金的本构方程。结果表明:TiAl合金的流变行为对变形速率和温度敏感,在热压缩过程中TiAl合金的流动应力呈现出加工硬化和流变软化的特征。通过电子背散射衍射(EBSD)观测发现,软化机制主要是先在晶界位置发生动态再结晶,然后再结晶向晶内扩展。通过计算,TiAl合金的变形激活能为360 k J/mol。采用最小二乘法得出了TiAl合金的流动应力模型,基于此模型绘制的流变曲线与实验值吻合较好,误差小于±5%,能够对TiAl合金高温流变行为进行较为准确的预测。     

Magnetocaloric and magneto-transport properties of Gd10Co20Si70 alloy

We report the results of magnetic, thermodynamic, transport and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) studies of newly synthesized Gd_(10)Co_(20)Si_(70) alloy. These measurements confirm an antiferromagnetic transition at T_N=9 K. Both MCE and magnetoresistance (MR) show quadratic dependence on the applied magnetic field, indicating the presence of spin fluctuations in the alloy. The maximum values of the magnetic entropy change determined from the isothermal magnetization data for magnetic field change of 7 and9 T are found to be 10.5 and 15.6 J/kg·K, respectively. As a consequence of the spin fluctuations effect, the MCE peaks are pulled towards high temperature side as asymmetrically broadened peak. The MR attains a large positive value of 73%at 2 K in 8 T. The large MR and reversible MCE make this alloy an attractive multifunctional magnetic material.     

钛/铝异种金属冷金属过渡增材制造

采用TC4和ER2319焊丝直流/变极性冷金属过渡实现异种金属电弧增材制造，通过金相显微镜、扫描电镜、透射电镜、能谱、硬度试验、纳米压痕以及拉伸试验等方法对钛/铝构件界面组织特征与力学性能进行分析.结果表明，在钛合金表面堆积铝合金时，只有少量的钛合金熔化，钛原子扩散到液态铝合金中，形成不同长度的TiAl₃金属间化合物.10 μm左右的反应层在钛/铝界面形成.邻近钛侧的反应层均匀连续，靠近铝合金一侧的反应层呈现长条状或块状.界面反应层的显微硬度介于钛合金和铝合金显微硬度之间.构件的最高抗拉强度为111 MPa.     

The influence of the waveguide on the quality of measurements with ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry

The article is devoted to the study of the influence of geometric parameters of sound-conducting walls on the quality of measurement of liquid metal flow velocities by ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry. It was shown that the thickness and radius of a sound-conducting wall (waveguide) have a notable effect on the resulting velocity profiles. The flow in a round pipe, the length of which is much larger than its diameter, is considered as a reference flow. The positive effect of a stepwise waveguides with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the piezoelectric element of an ultrasonic transducer on the quality of velocity measurements was verified experimentally. It was found that the accuracy of the resulting velocity profiles largely depends on the length and the material of the waveguides, as well as the velocity of the incoming flow of liquid metal.     

Experimental study on gasification mechanism of unburned pulverized coal catalyzed by alkali metal vapor

The catalytic behavior of alkali vapor on unburned pulverized coal (UPC) prepared from bituminous coal, anthracite, semi coke and coke have been investigated. Experiment results show that the alkali metal vapor has catalytic effect on the gasification reaction of UPC. The catalytic effect of coke UPC is the most obvious, followed by anthracite UPC and bituminous coal UPC. Semi coke UPC is the least catalyzed by alkali metals but its gasification reactivity is the best. As the concentration of alkali metal vapor increases, the alkali metal content adsorbed by UPC increases, and there may be a phenomenon of saturated adsorption. The amount of alkali metal adsorbed is between 2% and 6%. AUPC has the highest ability to adsorb alkali metals, and SUPC is the weakest, which may be related to the minerals (CaO, Al₂O₃) in the coal ash. Changes in stomatal parameters are not the main factors affecting the catalytic effect. The results of X-ray diffraction experiments show that alkali metal aluminosilicate exists in the ash of coal after adsorption of alkali metal, and the average stack height of carbon atoms decreases significantly. The alkali metal catalytic gasification reaction is mainly achieved by destroying the carbon basic structural unit. The alkali metal nepheline and the interlayer compound may be the main catalytic substances, and the destructive ability of alkali intercalation is obviously stronger than that of alkali nepheline. The catalytic mechanism of alkali metals on unburned coal and the destruction mechanism of alkali metals on carbon crystals were discussed. It can provide reference for reducing alkali metal corrosion on coke and improving pulverized coal utilization rate.