NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation Is Involved in LPA1-Mediated Brain Injury after Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPA₁) contributes to brain injury following transient focal cerebral ischemia. However, the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation might be an underlying mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of brain injury associated with LPA₁ following ischemic challenge with transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Suppressing LPA₁ activity by its antagonist attenuated NLRP3 upregulation in the penumbra and ischemic core regions, particularly in ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1)-expressing cells like macrophages of mouse after tMCAO challenge. It also suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation, such as caspase-1 activation, interleukin 1β (IL-1β) maturation, and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) speck formation, in a post-ischemic brain. The role of LPA₁ in NLRP3 inflammasome activation was confirmed in vitro using lipopolysaccharide-primed bone marrow-derived macrophages, followed by LPA exposure. Suppressing LPA₁ activity by either pharmacological antagonism or genetic knockdown attenuated NLRP3 upregulation, caspase-1 activation, IL-1β maturation, and IL-1β secretion in these cells. Furthermore, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and p38 were found to be LPA₁-dependent effector pathways in these cells. Collectively, results of the current study first demonstrate that LPA₁ could contribute to ischemic brain injury by activating NLRP3 inflammasome with underlying effector mechanisms.     

Up-pulling force analysis for ESC hollow cylindrical casting

Electroslag casting(ESC)is an important method to produce high quality castings.In this study,the ESC up-pulling inner mold method(EUPIM)was used to produce hollow cylindrical castings with the multiple consumable electrodes.The radial deformation,the axial and radial internal stress of the inner mold,and the axial internal stress of the slag shell were analyzed using the finite element method(FEM)with the aid of ANSYS software.The ProCAST software was used to calculate the specific heat,heat conductivity and density curve of Cu.Simulation results show that the radial deformation,the axial and radial internal stress of the inner mold,and the axial internal stress of the slag shell near the slag-metal interface of hollow cylndrical casting gradually increase from 0 s to 360 s after the ESC starting(slagging)process but before applying the up-pulling force.The suitable initial up-pulling moment of the inner mold is at around 180-198 s after the starting process.     

Al2O3 eliminating defects in the Al coating by laser cladding to improve corrosion and wear resistance of Mg alloy

Although Al produces a solid metallurgical bonding with Mg alloy substrates, micropores or crevices in the Al coating can reduce the resistance of Mg alloy to corrosion. In this study, a composite coating with a defect-free microstructure was prepared on the AZ31 Mg alloy substrate by introducing Al₂O₃ into the Al matrix via the method of laser cladding. On the one hand, Al₂O₃ with thermal insulation had a low thermal expansion coefficient and was not very prone to voids during laser melting. On the other hand, Al₂O₃ particles with a small size acted as the filler in the micropores or crevices. The Al/Al₂O₃ coating exhibited a smaller current density (2.1 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm²) in comparison with those of bare substrate and Al coating (158.4 × 10⁻⁶ and 3.1 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm², respectively), which was mainly ascribed to the pore-free microstructure and high resistance to corrosion of Al₂O₃ phase. A favorable microhardness value of 95.3 HV was achieved for Al/Al₂O₃ coating, approximately 1.8 times higher than that of Al coating (52.8 V), which was mainly ascribed to the dispersion hardening of Al₂O₃ phase. Meanwhile, the Al/Al₂O₃ coating significantly reduced wear volume from 2.8 mm³/m of Al coating to 0.4 mm³/m, showing great potential for weight reduction applications.     

饱和尾粉砂动孔隙水压力发展特性试验研究

采用动三轴仪对内蒙古某尾矿库尾粉砂进行了动强度试验,研究了围压、相对密实度及固结比对动荷载作用下尾粉砂中孔隙水压力发展特性的影响。研究结果表明,随着固结比、相对密实度、围压的增大,动荷载作用下饱和尾粉砂孔压增长曲线形状由陡峭转变为平缓。随着围压及固结比增大,试样动力破坏形式从以孔压值为主要表征指标的液化破坏,转化为以动剪应变为主要破坏形式的软化破坏。动荷载作用下发生液化破坏的饱和尾粉砂孔压增长过程分可为初始增长阶段、稳定增长阶段和快速增长至破坏阶段,孔压增长曲线表现为明显的反S型,本文采用双对数函数对该试验孔压增长曲线进行拟合,结果表明该模型可以较好地模拟尾粉砂在动荷载作用下的孔压发展规律。     

煤矿主提升机平衡尾绳更换工艺的改进

更换煤矿主提升机平衡尾绳是煤矿重大检修项目之一,原施工方案为两条平衡尾绳同时更换,存在较多不合理之处,改进为以新绳带旧绳、单绳依次更换的方案,实现了安全、快捷地更换平衡尾绳,同时减少施工对矿井生产的影响,提高煤矿经济效益。     

Effects of Solution Treatment Temperatures on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TIG–MIG Hybrid Arc Additive Manufactured 5356 Aluminum Alloy

A novel additive manufacturing method with TIG–MIG hybrid heat source was applied for fabricating 5356 aluminum alloy component. In this paper the microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and fracture morphologies of both as-deposited and heat-treated component were investigated, and how these were affected by different heat-treated temperature. The as-deposited microstructure showed dominant equiaxed grains with second phase, and the size of them is coarse in the bottom region, medium in the middle region and fine in the top region owing to different thermal cycling conditions. Compared with as-deposited microstructure, the size of grain becomes large and second phases gradually dissolve in the matrix as heat-treated temperature increase. Different microstructures determine the mechanical properties of component. Results show that average ultimate tensile strength enhances from 226 to 270 MPa and average microhardness increases from 64.2 to 75.3 HV0.1 but ductility decreases from 33 to 6.5% with heat-treated temperature increasing. For all components, the tensile properties are almost the same in the vertical direction (Z) and horizontal direction (Y) due to equiaxed grains, which exhibits isotropy, and the mechanisms of these are analyzed in detailed. In general, the results demonstrate that hybrid arc heat source has the potential to fabricate aluminum alloy component.     

CO2 laser-assisted preparation of transparent Eu2Ti2O7 thin films

We present a laser-assisted preparation of transparent europium-titanate Eu₂Ti₂O₇ thin films with tailored structural and optical properties. We have evaluated the effects of the irradiation time on the structural and the optical properties of the films. This approach allows the preparation of nanocrystalline crack-free films and micro patterns. The amorphous thin films were prepared by a sol-gel method. The films were annealed by a CO₂ laser beam for various time intervals. The laser irradiation induced a crystallization process that resulted in the formation of Eu₂Ti₂O₇ nanocrystals. The nanocrystals regularly grew with increasing irradiation time reaching the size from 25?nm to 45?nm. A film of a thickness 480?nm exhibited an optical transmission of 91.9% that is close to the maximal theoretical limit. The film's refractive index at 632?nm was 2.26. A micrometric pattern was prepared by a direct laser writing followed by a wet chemical etching. Feasibility of the demonstrated approach, together with the high film's quality, and europium-titanate chemical resistivity open up many opportunities for advanced applications. The approach can be used for a preparation of protective coatings and integrated photonic devices such as planar optical waveguides and couplers.     

Synthesis of a foam ceramic based on ceramic tile polishing waste using SiC as foaming agent

Due to the large amount of ceramic tile polishing waste generated in China, the recycling of this waste residue becomes important. Herein a foam ceramic was successfully produced by using ceramic tile polishing waste as main raw material. In this research, SiC was added as the foam agent, and the foaming mechanism was also investigated. The results showed that the best dosage of SiC was 1%. Furthermore, in order to obtain a foam ceramic with better structure, the sodium phosphate was added in raw materials as foam stabilizer. The influence of this addition on the microstructure and properties of foam ceramic was investigated. It was found that the optimum additive amount of sodium phosphate is 2–3%.     

Nb modified structural,magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of double perovskite Ba2FeMo1−xNbxO6

A systematic study focusing on the effect of Niobium (Nb) doping on the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Ba₂FeMoO₆ samples is presented here. The samples of interest Ba₂FeMo_1?xNb_xO₆ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) were prepared using the solid state reaction method and were confirmed to possess a cubic structure with Fm-3m space group using the X-ray diffraction analysis and Rietveld refinement. A second order of ferromagnetic phase transition was recorded in both the pure as well as the Nb doped samples using the temperature dependent magnetization and Arrott plots analysis. The pristine Ba₂FeMoO₆ (BFMO) sample indicated a spontaneous magnetization (34.6 emu/g at 100 K) with a relatively sharp magnetic transition at the Curie temperature (T_C) of 315 K as compared to the doped samples. A magnetic entropy change of 0.93 Jkg^?1K^?1 at an applied magnetic field of 2.5 T was measured for the pure BFMO sample. The doped BFMO samples with Mo partially substituted by Nb however, were observed to effectively modify the T_C accompanied by a decrease in magnetization. The results investigated in this work suggest that the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the BFMO can be tailored by controlled Nb doping which is of significant importance in order to realize the numerous potential applications of the material in the magnetic refrigeration technology.     

Tailoring the electron-blocking layer by addition of YSZ to Ba-containing anode for improvement of ceria-based solid oxide fuel cell

The in-situ fabrication of an electron-blocking layer between the Ba-containing anode and the ceria-based electrolyte is an effective approach in suppressing the internal electronic leakage in ceria-based solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). To improve the thickness of the electron-blocking layer and to research the effect of the layer thickness on the improvement of SOFC, a Ba-containing compound (0.6NiO-0.4BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.2O_3-δ) modified by Y stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was employed as a composite anode in this research. SEM analyses demonstrated that the thickness of the interlayer can be simply controlled by regulating the proportion of YSZ at anode. The in-situ formed interlayer in the cell with the anode modified by 20?mol% YSZ possesses a thickness of 0.9?µm which is more suitable for the cell achieving an enhanced performance.