Structure and Thermal Expansion of YSZ and La2Zr2O7 Above 1500°C from Neutron Diffraction on Levitated Samples

High‐temperature time‐of‐flight neutron diffraction experiments were performed on cubic yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ, 10 mol% YO_1.5) and lanthanum zirconate (LZ) prepared by laser melting. Three spheroids of each composition were aerodynamically levitated and rotated in argon flow and heated with a CO₂ laser. Unit cell, positional and atomic displacement parameters were obtained by Rietveld analysis. Below ~1650°C the mean thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) for YSZ is higher than for LZ (13 ± 1 vs. 10.3 ± 0.6) × 10^?6/K. From ~1650°C to the onset of melting of LZ at ~2250°C, TEC for YSZ and LZ are similar and within (7 ± 2) × 10^?6/K. LZ retains the pyrochlore structure up to the melting temperature with Zr coordination becoming closer to perfectly octahedral. Congruently melting LZ is La deficient. The occurrence of thermal disordering of oxygen sublattice (Bredig transition) in defect fluorite structure was deduced from the rise in YSZ TEC to ~25 × 10^?6/K at 2350°C–2550°C with oxygen displacement parameters (U_iso) reaching 0.1 Å², similar to behavior observed in UO₂. Acquisition of powder‐like high‐temperature neutron diffraction data from solid‐levitated samples is feasible and possible improvements are outlined. This methodology should be applicable to a wide range of materials for high‐temperature applications.     

West Siberian palsa peatlands: distribution,typology, cyclic development,present day climate-driven changes,seasonal hydrology and impact on CO2 cycle

Palsa peatlands occupy extensive areas in Western Siberia which is one of the most paludified flat lowlands of the world. Climatic changes in Western Siberia are more dramatic compared with other northern regions, and changes in palsa landscapes are more notable due to the severe continental climate here. The distribution, peculiarities and climate-indication capacities of West Siberian palsas are poorly known outside Russia. Thus, Western Siberia is one of the most interesting vast natural polygons for studying climate-driven changes in the landscapes. This paper aims to fill the gap in knowledge on West Siberian palsas and their capacity as a climate regulator. We present issues in distribution, typology and cyclic development of palsa peatlands and their actual climate-driven changes. We also analyse the role of palsas in the atmospheric cycle of CO₂, and the hydrology of the palsa regions.     

Nonlinear Elasticity of Silica Glass

In situ Brillouin light scattering measurements with a spatial resolution of ~1 μm have been carried out to study the elastic moduli of silica glass fibers in a single two‐point bend experiment to nominal strains of 7% in both tensile and compressive regions. Such data are necessary in order to convert the failure strains obtained from two‐point bend experiments into failure stress. For the first time, the neutral axis shift in a bent silica glass fiber was observed in our measurements, with more of the fiber deforming in compression than in tension, resulting from the nonlinear elastic behavior of silica glass. Understanding the neutral axis shift will improve the accuracy of strain and stress calculations in bent fibers. This study shows that an expression including a fifth‐order term is required to capture both the minimum in compression and the maximum in tension in the strain‐dependent Young's modulus of silica glass. A stress versus strain relation over a broad range of compressive and tensile strains was established for silica glass in this study, which will significantly improve our understanding of its deformation behavior.     

二氧化碳管道意外泄漏减压过程的断裂控制研究进展

管道是二氧化碳捕集、利用和封存（carbon capture, utilization, and storage,CCUS）技术产业链中输运大量二氧化碳（CO₂）的最优方式,但其在运行中具有意外泄漏风险。本文从实验和计算机模拟两个方面综述了国内外开展CO₂管道泄漏减压、断裂扩展的研究进展,分析了相态、管材、埋地条件等初始状态对裂纹扩展规律的影响。阐述了状态方程、杂质因素、理论模型对开展实验和模拟计算研究的影响。归纳了适用于建立减压波预测模型的状态方程,开展流固耦合研究的理论方法和模拟仿真软件,设计CO₂输运管道参考的技术文档。总结了当前CO₂管道泄漏减压、断裂扩展控制研究方面需深入研究的科学问题,展望了亟待开展的研究内容,包括构建多元混合物状态方程在三相点、相间线的计算模型;探究裂纹裂间处CO₂热物性质与裂纹断裂扩展的耦合关系;建立管道止裂准则,开发、优化CO₂输运管道专用止裂器。     

Chemical Processes During Energy‐Saving Preparation of Lightweight Ceramics

Lightweight glass‐ceramic material similar to foam glass was obtained at 700°C–800°C directly from alkali‐activated silica clay and zeolitized tuff without preliminary glass preparation. It was characterized by low bulk density of 100–250 kg/m³ and high pore size homogeneity. Chemical processes occurring in alkali‐activated silica clay and zeolitized tuff were studied using X‐ray diffraction, thermal gravimetry, IR‐spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Pore formation in both compositions is caused by dehydration of hydrated sodium polysilicates (Na₂O·mSiO₂·nH₂O), formed during alkali activation. Additional pore‐forming gas source in alkali‐activated zeolitized tuff is trona, Na₃(CO₃)(HCO₃)·2H₂O, formed during interaction between unbound NaOH and CO₂ and H₂O from air. Influence of mechanical activation of raw materials on chemical processes occurring in alkaline compositions was also studied.     

Metabolic Syndrome and β-Oxidation of Long-Chain Fatty Acids in the Brain,Heart, and Kidney Mitochondria

We present evidence that metabolic syndrome (MetS) represents the postreproductive stage of the human postembryonic ontogenesis. Accordingly, the genes governing this stage experience relatively weak evolutionary selection pressure, thus representing the metabolic phenotype of distant ancestors with β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids (FAs) as the primary energy source. Mitochondria oxidize at high-rate FAs only when succinate, glutamate, or pyruvate are present. The heart and brain mitochondria work at a wide range of functional loads and possess an intrinsic inhibition of complex II to prevent oxidative stress at periods of low functional activity. Kidney mitochondria constantly work at a high rate and lack inhibition of complex II. We suggest that in people with MetS, oxidative stress is the central mechanism of the heart and brain pathologies. Oxidative stress is a secondary pathogenetic mechanism in the kidney, while the primary mechanisms are kidney hypoxia caused by persistent hyperglycemia and hypertension. Current evidence suggests that most of the nongenetic pathologies associated with MetS originate from the inconsistencies between the metabolic phenotype acquired after the transition to the postreproductive stage and excessive consumption of food rich in carbohydrates and a sedentary lifestyle.