Plant Copper Amine Oxidases: Key Players in Hormone Signaling Leading to Stress-Induced Phenotypic Plasticity

Polyamines are ubiquitous, low-molecular-weight aliphatic compounds, present in living organisms and essential for cell growth and differentiation. Copper amine oxidases (CuAOs) oxidize polyamines to aminoaldehydes releasing ammonium and hydrogen peroxide, which participates in the complex network of reactive oxygen species acting as signaling molecules involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. CuAOs have been identified and characterized in different plant species, but the most extensive study on a CuAO gene family has been carried out in Arabidopsis thaliana. Growing attention has been devoted in the last years to the investigation of the CuAO expression pattern during development and in response to an array of stress and stress-related hormones, events in which recent studies have highlighted CuAOs to play a key role by modulation of a multilevel phenotypic plasticity expression. In this review, the attention will be focused on the involvement of different AtCuAOs in the IAA/JA/ABA signal transduction pathways which mediate stress-induced phenotypic plasticity events.     

Speciation of copper in high chloride concentrations,in the context of corrosion of copper canisters

Canisters with a cast iron insert for mechanical strength and a 50-mm thick copper shell as corrosion protection are planned to be used for disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Sweden and Finland. Chloride can be considered “beneficial”, as it promotes active dissolution of copper rather than passivation (which might result in pitting), but a high concentration of chloride in solution would increase the driving force for corrosion through the formation of soluble copper chloro complexes. Thermodynamic calculations are performed in this study with the PHREEQC software and three of its accompanying databases, and a comparison with experimental data is performed to select the database to be used when evaluating repository performance. The activity coefficient models are given special attention. For the assessment of chloride-assisted corrosion of a KBS-3 canister, chloride concentrations pessimistically up to 5 mol/kg are used (in Finland and Sweden, the groundwater and bentonite porewater chloride concentrations are not expected to exceed 1 mol/kg). The resulting copper solubilities are then considered in different mass transport cases.     

Influence of CO2 inleakage on the slight-alkalization of generator internal cooling water

The slight-alkalization of generator internal cooling water (GICW) is widely used to inhibit the corrosion of hollow copper conductor and thereby ensure the safe operation of the generator. CO₂ inleakage is increasingly identified as a potential security risk for GICW system. In this paper, the influence of CO₂ inleakage on the slight-alkalization of GICW was theoretically discussed. Based on the equilibriums of the CO₂-NaOH-H₂O system, CO₂ inleakage saturation was derived to quantify the amount of the dissolved CO₂ in GICW. This parameter can be directly calculated with the measured conductivity and the [Na⁺] of GICW. The influence of CO₂ inleakage on the slight-alkalization conditioning of GICW and the measurement of its water quality parameters were then analyzed. The more severe the inleakage, the narrower the water quality operation ranges of GICW, resulting in the more difficult the slight-alkalization conditioning of GICW. The temperature calibrations of the conductivity and the pH value of GICW show non-linear correlations with the amount of CO₂ inleakage and the NaOH dosage. This study provides insights into the influence of CO₂ inleakage on the slight-alkalization of GICW, which can serve as the theoretical basis for the actual slight-alkalization when CO₂ inleakage occurs.     

Mechanical properties,corrosion resistance,and rubber pad forming of cold differential speed-rolled pure titanium for bipolar plates of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells

Due to problems such as pores on surface-treated coatings, the corrosion resistance of pure titanium bipolar plates for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells can be further improved by increasing the corrosion resistance of pure titanium by using differential speed-rolling (DSR); however, these materials have not yet reached the standard requirements of bipolar plates (corrosion current density i_corr＜10³ nA·cm^?2). In this work, the corrosion resistance of pure titanium was improved by optimizing the DSR process while the strength was maintained. The best corrosion resistance of the DSR pure titanium was achieved when the roller speed ratio was 2, while i_corr was 429 nA·cm^?2 in a solution of 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 2 mg/L HF at room temperature. The formability of the DSR pure titanium for bipolar plates was verified. The optimal holding pressure range was 6.8–7.0 kN.     

Essential (Mg,Fe, Zn and Cu) and Non-Essential (Cd and Pb) Elements in Predatory Insects (Vespa crabro and Vespa velutina): A Molecular Perspective

The recent introduction of the Asian yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, into Europe has raised concern regarding the threat to honeybees and the competition with the European hornet, Vespa crabro. The aim of this study was to investigated essential (Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu) and non-essential (Cd and Pb) elements in these two species. Element concentrations were determined in the whole body and separately in the head, thorax and abdomen using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The changes in essential element concentration and speciation during metamorphosis were also studied using size exclusion chromatography followed by AAS and proteomic analysis. In both species, the essential elements were more concentrated in the abdomen due to the presence of fat bodies. Magnesium, Fe and Zn concentrations were significantly higher in V. crabro than in V. velutina and could have been related to the higher aerobic energy demand of the former species required to sustain foraging flight. Low concentrations of Cd and Pb were indicative of low environmental exposure. The concentration and speciation of essential elements, particularly Fe, varied among the developmental stages, indicating a modification of ligand preferences during metamorphosis. Overall, the results in the present study provide a better understanding of the hornet metal metabolism and a foundation for additional studies.     

Corrosion behavior of copper in extremely harsh marine atmosphere in Nansha Islands,China

The corrosion behavior of pure copper exposed to the atmosphere of Nansha Islands for 21 months was studied by mass loss method, composition analysis, morphology observation and electrochemical measurements. The results showed that the average corrosion rate of copper exposed for one year was approximately 7.85 μm/a, implying that Nansha Islands was classified as a corrosion category of CX. The structure and properties of the corrosion product layer generated on the front and back sides of the exposed sample differed significantly. The inner corrosion product layer (Cu₂O) on the front side was relatively thick and dense, whereas the outer product layer (Cu₂Cl(OH)₃) was extremely thin. However, the outer product layer on the back side was thicker than the inner layer. Electrochemical measurements indicated that the protection afforded by the corrosion product layer on the front side was improved gradually, while that on the back side was deteriorated.     

Formation mechanism of hydride precipitation in commercially pure titanium

Since titanium has high affinity for hydrogen and reacts reversibly with hydrogen,the precipitation of titanium hydrides in titanium and its alloys cannot be ignored.Two most common hydride precipitates in α-Ti matrix are γ-hydride and δ-hydride,however their mechanisms for precipitation are still unclear.In the present study,we find that both γ-hydride and δ-hydride phases with different specific orienta-tions were randomly precipitated in the as-received hot forged commercially pure Ti.In addition,a large amount of the titanium hydrides can be introduced into Ti matrix with selective precipitation by using electrochemical treatment.Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy is used to study the precipitation mechanisms of the two hydrides.It is revealed that the γ-hydride and δ-hydride precipita-tions are both formed through slip + shuffle mechanisms involving a unit of two layers of titanium atoms,but the difference is that the γ-hydride is formed by prismatic slip corresponding to hydrogen occupy-ing the octahedral sites of α-Ti,while the δ-hydride is formed by basal slip corresponding to hydrogen occupying the tetrahedral sites of cα-Ti.     

TiO2上的CuAg纳米粒子用于高效乙醛光降解

光降解乙醛(CH3CHO)是一种新型高效的乙醛去除方法，通常采用TiO2作为光催化剂。然而TiO2对乙醛吸附能力较弱，对产物的选择性较低，电子-空穴对重组率较高，严重限制了对乙醛的降解性能。本研究通过在TiO2上负载CuAg纳米粒子(CuAg/TiO2)，成功构建了高效稳定的光催化降解乙醛催化剂，有效解决了TiO2的固有缺陷。在自然光照射下，CuAg/TiO2对乙醛的降解率高达42.49%。连续4轮全光谱光催化降解乙醛，CuAg/TiO2活性均保持在98.89%以上。进一步的机理研究表明，CuAg/TiO2中的CuAg纳米粒子在光照下产生热电子，随后热电子转移到TiO2和吸附在Ag位点上的氧中。CuAg/TiO2上生成的超氧自由基能有效地降解乙醛，从而在乙醛降解过程中表现出优异的性能。     

羧基含氟聚合物纳米纤维膜的制备及对铜(II)的吸附性能

以甲基丙烯酸十二氟庚酯(DFHMA)和甲基丙烯酸(MAA)为单体,通过溶液聚合法制备出共聚物DFHMA-co-MAA,将DFHMA-co-MAA与聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)按一定质量共混,采用静电纺丝方法,制备出羧基含氟聚合物(PVDF-DM)纳米纤维膜,用以吸附溶液中Cu(II)。讨论了PVDF和DFHMA-co-MAA的质量配比对纤维微观形貌和对Cu(II)吸附性能的影响,得出当PVDF与DFHMA-co-MAA的质量比为1∶2时,纤维的微观直径较均一且吸附性能最佳,故实验采用该质量配比制备PVDF-DM。使用红外光谱对PVDF-DM进行表征,显示出PVDF-DM纤维膜中含有—OH和C＝O等活性吸附基团。以PVDF-DM纳米纤维膜为吸附剂,探讨了吸附剂用量、吸附pH值和吸附时间对Cu(II)吸附性能的影响,并研究了吸附过程的动力学模型。结果表明,室温下,当吸附剂用量为0.03g,pH=5时,吸附60min达到吸附平衡,吸附率和吸附量分别为94.37%和62.91mg/g,PVDF-DM纳米纤维膜对Cu(II)的吸附过程同时满足拟一级动力学和拟二级动力学模型,说明该吸附过程包含了化学吸附和物理吸附。PVDF-DM纳米纤维膜循环使用5次后,吸附能力仅降低16.23%,说明PVDF-DM纳米纤维膜具有很好的再生使用能力。