Effects of divalent cations on Halobacterium salinarum cell aggregation

Ca(2+) was found to be essential for initiating Halobacterium salinarum CCM 2090 cell aggregation. The floc formed from such aggregation could easily be dissociated without cellular lysis by sodium citrate. Cr(2+), Mn(2+), Fe(3+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) could replace Ca(2+). However, Mg(2+), Sr(2+), Mo(2+), Cd(2+), Sn(2+), Hg(2+), and Pb(2+) induced no flocculation of cells of this halophilic archaeon. Mg(2+) acted antagonistically against Ca(2+)-induced aggregation. Such aggregation might be directly caused by the interaction of Ca(2+) and aggregation factors from 55 degrees C-treated cell extract.     

Effects of Nano Metal Coatings on Growth Kinetics of α-Al2O3 Formed on Ni-50Al Alloy

The effects of pure metal coatings, including Ni, Fe and Cr, on long-term oxidation kinetics, surface morphology and structure were studied. Ni-50Al alloy and Ni-coated, Fe-coated and Cr-coated samples were pre-oxidized at 900 °C in air. They were then oxidized isothermally at 1,000 °C in air. The bare Ni-50Al alloy oxidized rapidly during the initial stage of oxidation due to the formation of θ-Al₂O₃, but the oxidation rate decreased after α-Al₂O₃ had developed. Oxidation of the Ni-coated sample was slow from the beginning of oxidation even though the θ-Al₂O₃ was predominated for a longer oxidation time. No θ-Al₂O₃ developed on the Cr and Fe-coated samples, but the oxidation rates of these samples were much faster than those of bare and Ni-coated samples. Cross-sectional images revealed that the grain size of α-Al₂O₃, which formed on Cr and Fe-coated samples, was smaller than those of bare and Ni-coated samples. These metal coatings affected the microstructure of α-Al₂O₃ and they showed a strong effect on the growth rate of α-Al₂O₃ in the steady-state oxidation stage.     

Laser roll welding of dissimilar metal joint of titanium to aluminium alloy

Recently, the demand for dissimilar metal joints of titanium to aluminium alloy has arisen in industry, especially in the transportation vehicle industry. However, it is well known that fusion welding of titanium to aluminium alloy is difficult because of generating the brittle intermetallic compound at the joint interface. Therefore, new welding processes with high reliability and productivity for these dissimilar materials are demanded. In the present work, Laser roll welding of titanium to aluminium alloy using a 2 kW fibre laser was tried to investigate the effects of the process parameters on the formation of the interlayer and the mechanical properties of the joint. As a result, the cross-section of the joint shows partial melting of the aluminium sheet and spreading of molten aluminium alloy on the titanium sheet occurs during the welding thermal cycle. Various types of intermetallic compound were confirmed at the interlayer of the welded joint. The specimen with a bonding width of 2.8 mm failed in the base metal of titanium in the tensile shear test. In Erichsen cupping tests, the Erichsen value was 5.7 mm. This value was 89% of the base metal of aluminium sheet.     

Controlled bridge transfer (CBT) gas metal arc process for steel sheets joining

In non-pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW), spatter can be reduced by lowering the short-circuit current to a low level just before the re-arcing. The reduction in spatter requires an improvement in the accuracy of predicting the re-arcing by stabilizing the metal transfer and improving the robustness of the accuracy against disturbances. The controlled bridge transfer (CBT) process optimizes the accuracy of predicting the re-arcing in real time in response to the metal transfer, realizes spatter reduction and stable arc in non-pulsed GMAW. Traditionally, GMAW is carried out using electrode positive polarity. However, this polarity is not sufficient for welding extra-thin steel sheets, specifically those thinner than 1.0 mm. With electrode negative (EN) CBT process, although slight arc voltage fluctuation occurs caused by the behaviour of cathode spots on the tip of the wire during EN polarity GMAW, instantaneous voltage uses command computation to improve the transient response against the disturbance. Consequently, a stable arc can be obtained without increasing the number of short circuits in a unit time to obtain spatter-free welds.     

MICROSOLIDIFICATION PROCESS IN MULTICOMPONENT SYSTEM

In conventional solidification of multicomponent mixtures, a mushy zone appears between the pure solid and liquid regions and promotes stable solidification by accepting the rejected solute regionally. From the standpoint that the fineness of inhomogeneity influences the mechanical properties in material processing, the linking of macro heat transfer and microsolidification in the mushy zone was studied. First, the crystal growth and its accompanying concentration field near the advancing front of the mushy zone were observed precisely by using the light absorption method. It was clarified that the mushy zone consisted of the leading front in which the frame structure formed with an accompanying concentration boundary layer and a growing region where the solidification proceeds by fattening of the crystals. Second, the mechanism of side-branch evolution was studied in conjunction with interfacial instability due to constitutional supercooling and curvature supercooling around the primary arm surface. Summarizing these results, the microsolidification process is discussed quantitatively in relation to macro heat transfer.     

DNA adsorption characteristics of hollow spherule allophane nano-particles

To understand the propensity of natural allophane to adsorb the DNA molecules, the adsorption characteristics were assessed against natural allophane (AK70), using single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) and adenosine 5′-monophosphate (5′-AMP) as a reference molecule. The adsorption capacity of ss-DNA on AK70 exhibited one order of magnitude lower value as compared with that of 5′-AMP. The adsorption capacity of ss-DNA decreased with increasing pH due to the interaction generated between phosphate groups of ss-DNA and functional Al–OH groups on the wall perforations through deprotonating, associated with higher energy barrier for the adsorption of ss-DNA. The adsorption morphologies consisting of the individual ss-DNA with mono-layer coverage of the clustered allophane particle were observed successfully through transmission electron microscopy analysis.     

Lessons from Mouse Models of High-Fat Diet-Induced NAFLD

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a clinicopathologic spectrum of diseases ranging from isolated hepatic steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the more aggressive form of fatty liver disease that may progress to cirrhosis and cirrhosis-related complications, including hepatocellular carcinoma. The prevalence of NAFLD, including NASH, is also increasing in parallel with the growing epidemics of obesity and diabetes. However, the causal relationships between obesity and/or diabetes and NASH or liver tumorigenesis have not yet been clearly elucidated. Animal models of NAFLD/NASH provide crucial information, not only for elucidating the pathogenesis of NAFLD/NASH, but also for examining therapeutic effects of various agents. A high-fat diet is widely used to produce hepatic steatosis and NASH in experimental animals. Several studies, including our own, have shown that long-term high-fat diet loading, which can induce obesity and insulin resistance, can also induce NASH and liver tumorigenesis in C57BL/6J mice. In this article, we discuss the pathophysiology of and treatment strategies for NAFLD and subsequent NAFLD-related complications such as NASH and liver tumorigenesis, mainly based on lessons learned from mouse models of high-fat diet-induced NAFLD/NASH.     

Enhanced electrical conductivities of N-doped carbon nanotubes by controlled heat treatment

The thermal stability of nitrogen (N) functionalities on the sidewalls of N-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes was investigated at temperatures ranging between 1000 °C and 2000 °C. The structural stability of the doped tubes was then correlated with the electrical conductivity both at the bulk and at the individual tube levels. When as-grown tubes were thermally treated at 1000 °C, we observed a very significant decrease in the electrical resistance of the individual nanotubes, from 54 kΩ to 0.5 kΩ, which is attributed to a low N doping level (e.g. 0.78 at% N). We noted that pyridine-type N was first decomposed whereas the substitutional N was stable up to 1500 °C. For nanotubes heat treated to 1800 °C and 2000 °C, the tubes exhibited an improved degree of crystallinity which was confirmed by both the low R value (I(D)/I(G)) in the Raman spectra and the presence of straight graphitic planes observed in TEM images. However, N atoms were not detected in these tubes and caused an increase in their electrical resistivity and resistance. These partially annealed doped tubes with enhanced electrical conductivities could be used in the fabrication of robust and electrically conducting composites, and these results could be extrapolated to N-doped graphene and other nanocarbons.     

Guanabenz Downregulates Inflammatory Responses via eIF2α Dependent and Independent Signaling

Integrated stress responses (ISR) may lead to cell death and tissue degeneration via eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 α (eIF2α)-mediated signaling. Alleviating ISR by modulating eIF2α phosphorylation can reduce the symptoms associated with various diseases. Guanabenz is known to elevate the phosphorylation level of eIF2α and reduce pro-inflammatory responses. However, the mechanism of its action is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the signaling pathway through which guanabenz induces anti-inflammatory effects in immune cells, in particular macrophages. Genome-wide mRNA profiling followed by principal component analysis predicted that colony stimulating factor 2 (Csf2, or GM-CSF as granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor) is involved in the responses to guanabenz. A partial silencing of Csf2 or eIF2α by RNA interference revealed that Interleukin-6 (IL6), Csf2, and Cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox2) are downregulated by guanabenz-driven phosphorylation of eIF2α. Although expression of IL1β and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNFα) was suppressed by guanabenz, their downregulation was not directly mediated by eIF2α signaling. Collectively, the result herein indicates that anti-inflammatory effects by guanabenz are mediated by not only eIF2α-dependent but also eIF2α-independent signaling.