Measurement of topcoat thickness of thermal barrier coating for gas turbines using terahertz waves

The topcoat thickness of thermal barrier coating (TBC) samples was measured using terahertz (THz) waves. The index of refraction of yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ), which is the topcoat material, is necessary to obtain the topcoat thickness from time domain re?ectometry. Time domain THz spectroscopy was applied to YSZ samples, and the index of refraction was measured to be 4.8 in the frequency region 0.1 to 1.2 THz. The topcoat thickness of six di?erent TBC samples, which varied from 300 to 600 µm, was measured using THz waves. The results were in agreement with microscope observation results to within measurement error. In addition, the topcoat thickness pro?le of a turbine blade sample was measured with a resolution of 2.4 µm. The pro?le showed a standard deviation of 4 µm, which re?ects the actual variation in the topcoat thickness. The results showed that THz waves are e?ective for high‐resolution measurement of the topcoat thickness. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 183(4): 1–9, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.22385     

Metal Pipe Joining with Aluminum Alloy by Ultrasonic Insert Casting

Insert casting of aluminum is widely used in industry. In order to realize better metallurgical bonding between metallic pipe and aluminum alloy castings, a new insert casting method with aided by high-power ultrasound has been developed. The bonding strength between the metal pipe and the cast aluminum alloy was evaluated by shear testing, EPMA analysis at the bonding interface was performed. The experimental results indicate that the application of ultrasonic vibration was effective during insert casting, particularly immediately after the primary a phase began to emerge in the cast aluminum melt. In the case of 6061 Al pipe/AC4C joint, the shear strength was approximately 60 times higher than without ultrasound vibration. This bonding reflects the break up of the oxide film on the aluminum pipe surface by the ultrasound cavitation effect. For the steel pipe/AC4C joint, the bonding shear strength had a several-fold enhancement. Ultrasound may promote a chemical reaction between steel and cast aluminum alloys, leading to excellent bonding.     

An investigation of the effect of fatigue deformation on the residual mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V ELI

Tensile properties, hardness, and Charpy impact toughness of Ti-6Al-4V extralow interstitial (ELI) with equiaxed α and Widmanstätten α structures at various stages of fatigue were investigated. Fatigue crack initiation characteristics of the same alloy were also investigated in this study. In the equiaxed α structure, fatigue cracks initiated mainly at the interface between primary-α grains, while in the Widmanstätten α structure, they initiated across α plates at an angle of around 45 deg to the stress axis. Specimens with the Widmanstätten α structure fractured before adequate fatigue hardening was achieved because a multitude of microcracks readily formed. Specimens with the equiaxed α structure fractured after adequate fatigue hardening developed. Tensile strength, 0.2 pct proof stress, and hardness increased clearly with increasing stress cycles and fatigue steps, particulary in the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) region, while impact toughness and elongation showed a reverse trend. It is suggested, therefore, that the dislocation density multiplies more rapidly near the specimen surface during the early stages of fatigue, while during the later stages of fatigue, dislocation density increases near the center of the specimen. Also, the dislocation multiplication will continue until saturation of the entire specimen has occurred.     

Effects of microstructure on the short fatigue crack initiation and propagation characteristics of biomedical α/β titanium alloys

This article presents the results of a study of the effects of microstructure on the fatigue strength and the short fatigue crack initiation and propagation characteristics of a biomedical α/β titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-7Nb. The results are compared to those obtained from a Ti-6Al-4V extra-low interstitial (ELI) alloy. Fatigue crack initiation occurs mainly at primary α grain boundaries in an equiaxed α structure, whereas, in a Widmanst?tten α structure, initiation occurs within the α colonies and prior β grains, where α plates are inclined at around 45 deg to the stress-axis direction. In an equiaxed α structure, the short fatigue crack initiation and propagation life, where the length of the crack (a) is in a microstructurally short fatigue-crack regime (2a < 50 μm), occupies around 50 pct of the total fatigue life. On the other hand, the fatigue crack in a Widmanst?tten α structure initiates at very early stages of fatigue, and, therefore, the fatigue crack-initiation life occupies a few percentages of the total fatigue life in an α structure. Then, the short fatigue crack propagates rapidly and is arrested at the grain boundaries of α colonies or prior β grains for a relatively long period, until the short crack passes through the boundaries to specimen failure. Therefore, the short fatigue crack-arrest life occupies more than 90 pct of the total fatigue life in a Widmanst?tten α structure. These trends are similar between the Ti-6Al-7Nb and Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloys and biomedical α/β titanium alloys. The total fatigue life for the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy with an equiaxed α structure is changed by the volume fraction of primary α phase and the cooling rate after solution treatment. By increasing the volume fraction of the primary α phase from 0 to 70 pct, the fatigue limit of the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy is raised. Changing the cooling rate after solution treatment by switching from air cooling to water quenching improves the fatigue limit of the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy significantly.     

The Effects of Conventional Stabilizers and Phenol Compounds Used as Antioxidants on the Stabilization of Nitrocellulose

The thermal behavior of nitrocellulose (NC) containing diphenylamine (DPA), 2‐nitrodiphenylamine (2‐NO₂‐DPA), N‐nitrosodiphenylamine (N‐NO‐DPA), ethyl centralite (EC), akardite II (AKII), 1,1,3‐tri‐(2‐methyl‐4‐hydroxy‐5‐tert‐butyl‐phenyl)‐butane (BP_less), 3‐(3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐hydroxy‐phenyl)‐propionic acid octadecyl ester (BP_hin), and 3‐(3‐tert‐butyl‐4‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐phenyl)‐propionic acid 2‐(9‐{2‐[3‐(3‐tert‐butyl‐4‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐phenyl)‐propionyloxy]‐1,1‐dimethyl‐ethyl}‐2,4,8,10‐tetraoxa‐spiro [5.5] undec‐3‐yl)‐2‐methyl‐propyl ester (BP_semi) was observed during isothermal storage at 393 K using a C80 microcalorimeter. The results indicate that each stabilizer decreased NC's maximum heat release rate and increased the induction period of heat release. We also observed that the maximum heat release rate and the induction period were dependent on the amount of stabilizer. DPA decreased the maximum heat release rate to the greatest extent, with the other stabilizers having similar effects on the decrease of maximum heat release rate. AKII prolonged the induction period of heat release most. The order of prolongation of the induction period was AKII>2‐NO₂‐DPA≈DPA>N‐NO‐DPA≈EC>BP_less≈BP_semi≈BP_hin.     

Partial oxidation of n-hexadecane and polyethylene in supercritical water

In this study, we show the results of partial oxidation experiments of n-hexadecane (n-C₁₆) and polyethylene (PE) in supercritical water (SCW). The experiments were carried out at 673 or 693 K of reaction temperature and 5 or 30 min of reaction time using a 6 cm³ of a batch type reactor. Water density ranged from 0.1 to 0.52 g/cm³ (water pressure: 20–40 MPa). The loaded amount of oxygen was set to 0.3 of the ratio of oxygen atom to carbon atom. Some experiments were made using CO instead of oxygen for the partial oxidation of n-C₁₆ and PE to explore the effect of water gas shift reaction. In the results of partial oxidation of n-C₁₆, the yield of CO and some compounds containing oxygen atoms, such as aldehydes and ketones increased with increasing water density. Moreover, 1-alkene/ n-alkane ratio in the products decreased with increasing water density. The 1-alkene/n-alkane ratio was lower than that of pyrolysis in SCW. Also for the case of PE experiments, in dense SCW (0.42 g/cm³), the 1-alkene/n-alkane ratio in partial oxidation was lower than that in SCW pyrolysis. In the case of CO experiments for n-C₁₆ and PE, 1-alkene/n-alkane ratio was a little lower than that of pyrolysis in SCW. These results show that the yield of n-alkane, which is a hydrogenated compound, was higher through water gas shift reaction in SCW and also through partial oxidation in SCW. Therefore, these results suggest the possibility of hydrogenation of hydrocarbon through partial oxidation followed by the water gas shift reaction.     

Pathogenic Impact of α-Synuclein Phosphorylation and Its Kinases in α-Synucleinopathies

α-Synuclein is a protein with a molecular weight of 14.5 kDa and consists of 140 amino acids encoded by the SNCA gene. Missense mutations and gene duplications in the SNCA gene cause hereditary Parkinson’s disease. Highly phosphorylated and abnormally aggregated α-synuclein is a major component of Lewy bodies found in neuronal cells of patients with sporadic Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and glial cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in oligodendrocytes with multiple system atrophy. Aggregated α-synuclein is cytotoxic and plays a central role in the pathogenesis of the above-mentioned synucleinopathies. In a healthy brain, most α-synuclein is unphosphorylated; however, more than 90% of abnormally aggregated α-synuclein in Lewy bodies of patients with Parkinson’s disease is phosphorylated at Ser129, which is presumed to be of pathological significance. Several kinases catalyze Ser129 phosphorylation, but the role of phosphorylation enzymes in disease pathogenesis and their relationship to cellular toxicity from phosphorylation are not fully understood in α-synucleinopathy. Consequently, this review focuses on the pathogenic impact of α-synuclein phosphorylation and its kinases during the neurodegeneration process in α-synucleinopathy.     

Psychological Stress Exacerbates Inflammation of the Ileum via the Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone-Mast Cell Axis in a Mouse Model of Eosinophilic Enteritis

The effects of psychological stress on eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders have not been elucidated. This study investigated the effects of psychological stress in a mouse model of eosinophilic enteritis (EoN). BALB/c mice were treated with ovalbumin (OVA) to create an EoN model and subjected to either water avoidance stress (WAS) or sham stress (SS). Microscopic inflammation, eosinophil and mast cell counts, mRNA expression, and protein levels of type 2 helper T cell (Th2) cytokines in the ileum were compared between groups. We evaluated ex vivo intestinal permeability using an Ussing chamber. A corticotropin-releasing hormone type 1 receptor (CRH-R1) antagonist was administered before WAS, and its effects were analyzed. WAS significantly increased diarrhea occurrence and, eosinophil and mast cell counts, and decreased the villus/crypt ratio compared to those in the SS group. The mRNA expression of CRH, interleukin IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, eotaxin-1, and mast cell tryptase β2 significantly increased, and the protein levels of IL-5, IL-13, and OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) also significantly increased in the WAS group. Moreover, WAS significantly increased the intestinal permeability. The CRH-R1 antagonist significantly inhibited all changes induced by WAS. Psychological stress exacerbated ileal inflammation via the CRH-mast cell axis in an EoN mouse model.     

Crucial Role of FABP3 in αSyn-Induced Reduction of Septal GABAergic Neurons and Cognitive Decline in Mice

In synucleinopathies, while motor symptoms are thought to be attributed to the accumulation of misfolded α-synuclein (αSyn) in nigral dopaminergic neurons, it remains to be elucidated how cognitive decline arises. Here, we investigated the effects of distinct αSyn strains on cognition and the related neuropathology in the medial septum/diagonal band (MS/DB), a key region for cognitive processing. Bilateral injection of αSyn fibrils into the dorsal striatum potently impaired cognition in mice. The cognitive decline was accompanied by accumulation of phosphorylated αSyn at Ser129 and reduction of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic but not cholinergic neurons in the MS/DB. Since we have demonstrated that fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3) is critical for αSyn neurotoxicity in nigral dopaminergic neurons, we investigated whether FABP3 also participates in αSyn pathology in the MS/DB and cognitive decline. FABP3 was highly expressed in GABAergic but rarely in cholinergic neurons in the MS/DB. Notably, Fabp3 deletion antagonized the accumulation of phosphorylated αSyn, decrease in GABAergic neurons, and cognitive impairment caused by αSyn fibrils. Overall, the present study indicates that FABP3 mediates αSyn neurotoxicity in septal GABAergic neurons and the resultant cognitive impairment, and that FABP3 in this subpopulation could be a therapeutic target for dementia in synucleinopathies.     

Synthesis of highly crystalline hexagonal cesium tungsten bronze nanoparticles by flame-assisted spray pyrolysis

Highly crystalline and hexagonal single-phase cesium tungsten bronze (Cs_0.32WO₃) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a flame-assisted spray pyrolysis followed by annealing under a reducing gas atmosphere. The resulting Cs_0.32WO₃ nanoparticles featured a pure hexagonal Cs_0.32WO₃ phase with a high crystallinity and homogeneous chemical composition. Unlike conventional methods, the proposed process in this paper has several advantages, including a short reaction time and the ability to yield products with high purity and good energy efficiency. Furthermore, the Cs_0.32WO₃ nanoparticles produced in this research showed a remarkable near-infrared shielding ability with a 97.7% cut-off at 1500?nm.