Influence of boron and oxygen on the microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength Ti66Nb13Cu8Ni6.8Al6.2 alloys

The influence of boron additions and different oxygen contamination levels on the microstructure and the mechanical properties in the Ti_66?xNb₁₃Cu₈Ni_6.8Al_6.2B_x (0 ? x ? 1) system were investigated. The alloys were prepared by levitation copper mould casting as rods with a diameter of 5 mm using different grades of starting elements. The alloy without boron exhibits a maximum compressive stress of more than 2500 MPa, associated with a compressive strain of more than 30%. The ultimate tensile stress is ～1075 MPa with a maximum elongation of 1.6%. Increased oxygen content leads to a rise of yield strength due to solid solution hardening. Boron additions promote grain refinement and reinforce the interdendritic phase compound by forming needle-like TiB precipitates. This change in microstructure increases the yield stress and the Young’s modulus and lowers the plastic strain. The microstructure was analysed in terms of the boron content by means of scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The presented mechanical properties are compared with the compression and tensile properties of the commercially available Ti6Al4V ELI (ELI = extra low interstitial) alloy.     

Doxorubicin Impairs Smooth Muscle Cell Contraction: Novel Insights in Vascular Toxicity

Clinical and animal studies have demonstrated that chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (DOX) increases arterial stiffness, a predictor of cardiovascular risk. Despite consensus about DOX-impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation as a contributing mechanism, some studies have reported conflicting results on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) function after DOX treatment. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of DOX on VSMC function. To this end, mice received a single injection of 4 mg DOX/kg, or mouse aortic segments were treated ex vivo with 1 μM DOX, followed by vascular reactivity evaluation 16 h later. Phenylephrine (PE)-induced VSMC contraction was decreased after DOX treatment. DOX did not affect the transient PE contraction dependent on Ca²⁺ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (0 mM Ca²⁺), but it reduced the subsequent tonic phase characterised by Ca²⁺ influx. These findings were supported by similar angiotensin II and attenuated endothelin-1 contractions. The involvement of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels in DOX-decreased contraction was excluded by using levcromakalim and diltiazem in PE-induced contraction and corroborated by similar K⁺ and serotonin contractions. Despite the evaluation of multiple blockers of transient receptor potential channels, the exact mechanism for DOX-decreased VSMC contraction remains elusive. Surprisingly, DOX reduced ex vivo but not in vivo arterial stiffness, highlighting the importance of appropriate timing for evaluating arterial stiffness in DOX-treated patients.     

Proteins Marking the Sequence of Genotoxic Signaling from Irradiated Mesenchymal Stromal Cells to CD34+ Cells

Non-targeted effects (NTE) of ionizing radiation may initiate myeloid neoplasms (MN). Here, protein mediators (I) in irradiated human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) as the NTE source, (II) in MSC conditioned supernatant and (III) in human bone marrow CD34+ cells undergoing genotoxic NTE were investigated. Healthy sublethal irradiated MSC showed significantly increased levels of reactive oxygen species. These cells responded by increasing intracellular abundance of proteins involved in proteasomal degradation, protein translation, cytoskeleton dynamics, nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, and those with antioxidant activity. Among the increased proteins were THY1 and GNA11/14, which are signaling proteins with hitherto unknown functions in the radiation response and NTE. In the corresponding MSC conditioned medium, the three chaperones GRP78, CALR, and PDIA3 were increased. Together with GPI, these were the only four altered proteins, which were associated with the observed genotoxic NTE. Healthy CD34+ cells cultured in MSC conditioned medium suffered from more than a six-fold increase in γH2AX focal staining, indicative for DNA double-strand breaks, as well as numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations within three days. At this stage, five proteins were altered, among them IQGAP1, HMGB1, and PA2G4, which are involved in malign development. In summary, our data provide novel insights into three sequential steps of genotoxic signaling from irradiated MSC to CD34+ cells, implicating that induced NTE might initiate the development of MN.     

Cumin Prevents 17β-Estradiol-Associated Breast Cancer in ACI Rats

Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of cancer deaths in women in less developed countries and the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the U.S. In this study, we report the inhibition of E2-mediated mammary tumorigenesis by Cuminum cyminum (cumin) administered via the diet as cumin powder, as well as dried ethanolic extract. Groups of female ACI rats were given either an AIN-93M diet or a diet supplemented with cumin powder (5% and 7.5%, w/w) or dried ethanolic cumin extract (1%, w/w), and then challenged with subcutaneous E2 silastic implants (1.2 cm; 9 mg). The first appearance of a palpable mammary tumor was significantly delayed by both the cumin powder and extract. At the end of the study, the tumor incidence was 96% in the control group, whereas only 55% and 45% animals had palpable tumors in the cumin powder and extract groups, respectively. Significant reductions in tumor volume (660 ± 122 vs. 138 ± 49 and 75 ± 46 mm³) and tumor multiplicity (4.21 ± 0.43 vs. 1.16 ± 0.26 and 0.9 ± 0.29 tumors/animal) were also observed by the cumin powder and cumin extract groups, respectively. The cumin powder diet intervention dose- and time-dependently offset E2-related pituitary growth, and reduced the levels of circulating prolactin and the levels of PCNA in the mammary tissues. Mechanistically, the cumin powder diet resulted in a significant reversal of E2-associated modulation in ERα, CYP1A1 and CYP1B1. Further, the cumin powder diet reversed the expression levels of miRNAs (miR-182, miR-375, miR-127 and miR-206) that were highly modulated by E2 treatment. We analyzed the composition of the extract by GC/MS and established cymene and cuminaldehyde as major components, and further detected no signs of gross or systemic toxicity. Thus, cumin bioactives can significantly delay and prevent E2-mediated mammary tumorigenesis in a safe and effective manner, and warrant continued efforts to develop these clinically translatable spice bioactives as chemopreventives and therapeutics against BC.     

Isolate-Specific Effect of Entomopathogenic Endophytic Fungi on Population Growth of Two-Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) and Levels of Steroidal Glycoalkaloids in Tomato

Journal of Chemical Ecology - Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) can be experimentally established in several plant species as endophytes. Ecological effects of EPF inoculations on plant growth and...     

Towards the co-evolution of industrial products and its production systems by combining models from development and hardware/software deployment in cyber-physical systems

Industrial production systems and industrially manufactured products are constantly evolving due to technical innovations and customers’ demands. Therefore, ensuring an optimized co-evolution of both becomes an important yet challenging task. Approaches for model-based systems engineering have been widely investigated and have already had significant impact on industrial practice. However, existing model-based approaches mostly are focusing on particular aspects of a production system and do not provide a holistic approach for optimizing automated production systems, their deployment, and their co-evolution with the product. As a first step towards this direction, this contribution proposes the combination of an engineering approach for aPS based on systems modeling language with models and techniques for deployment of software and hardware to cyber-physical system architectures, which have been investigated in the field of computer science, and motivates the possibilities of a combined approach.     

Determination of the botanical origin of honey by Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy: an approach for routine analysis

Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy has been established for analysing most of the physical–chemical parameters of honey. Additionally this technique can be used for determination of the botanical origin of a honey sample by comparison of the mid-infrared spectra. In this study calibrations for authentification of the main regional honey types should be developed to be able to measure simultaneously physical–chemical properties and the botanical origin at a minimum of time and at low costs. Honey samples from local beekeepers were collected and characterized by standard methods. The most common honey types were used for calibration. We recorded the mid infrared spectrum from each honey sample. Classification models were achieved by PCA-calibration and validated with samples from various botanical origins. Honey of Brassica spp., Robinia pseudoacacia, Calluna vulgaris, Trifolium spp., Tilia spp., Helianthus annuus, Centaurea cyanus and honeydew honey was used for calibration. Afterwards the calibration models were improved during routine analysis. Most of the honey samples from rape, false acacia, heather and honeydew can be classified correctly by the FTIR in consideration of the physical–chemical and sensorial properties.     

Parallel FTIR-ATR and gravimetrical in-situ measurements on sodium alanate powder samples during hydrogen desorption

An experimental set-up has been developed to carry out in-situ measurements on hydrogen storage materials. It has been used to perform FTIR–ATR measurements on sodium alanate samples during hydrogen desorption and, in parallel, to perform gravimetrical measurements on the same sample. The ATR spectra showed the typical broad Al–H vibrational features, changing according to the phase change the material undergoes during the load cycle. It is shown that the absorbance of the material at these bands and the hydrogen content correspond to each other in a reproducible way. This behavior may be used to measure the hydrogen mass released by an alanate hydrogen reservoir by measuring the optical absorbance at defined wavelengths. In this paper the results of these experiments that may give rise to the realization of a level sensor in future hydrogen storage applications are presented.     

Public acceptance of recycled water

Recycling water is not new. Yet, there are many examples from around the world of recycled water projects that have failed because of public opposition. This article reviews the literature investigating factors associated with public acceptance of recycled water, as well as publicly accessible reports and case studies, which have developed or tested approaches to increase public acceptance. The article concludes by summarizing the state of knowledge in this area, and advancing key research questions relating to public acceptance of recycled water that urgently need to be investigated.     

Internal doses of acrylamide and glycidamide in mice fed diets with low acrylamide contents

The formation of acrylamide during heating of certain foodstuffs constitutes a potential health hazard. The health risk assessment should be based on knowledge about the relation between dietary exposure to acrylamide and internal doses of acrylamide and its genotoxic metabolite glycidamide. The primary aim of this study in mice was to measure these relationships at low levels of acrylamide intake through the diet. A secondary aim was to clarify which extraction method should be used when analyzing acrylamide in food in order to obtain a correct measure of the acrylamide that is available for absorption. In the analysis procedure, alkaline extraction has earlier shown much higher measured acrylamide levels in certain foods compared to water extraction. In this subcronic study the administered diets were composed to give five levels of acrylamide intakes between 3 and 50 mug/kg body weight per day (calculated on figures obtained after water extraction). Internal doses of acrylamide and glycidamide were measured through hemoglobin (Hb)-adducts. The results showed linear relationships between the exposure of acrylamide and Hb-adduct levels from both acrylamide and glycidamide at these low exposure levels. The study also showed that the "extra" acrylamide measured with alkaline extraction does not correspond to bioavailable acrylamide.