Weldability of low-alloy steels in submersion-arc welding at high linear energies

Results of analysis of investigations of welded joints produced in welding low-alloy high-strength 07G2NDMFBT steel at linear energies up to 6 kJ/mm show that the proposed combinations of welding materials and the technology of multi-arc submerged-arc welding result in high hot-cracking resistance and high properties of the weld metal. However, regardless of the high cold-cracking resistance of the steel, in welding at high heat inputs there is a considerable degradation of the structure and the toughness of the metal in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone decreases under the effect of the welding thermal cycle. Consequently, it is concluded that the weldability of this steel is limited and it is therefore necessary to apply restrictions in the practical application of the processes with high heat input.     

Brazing of absorbers of planar solar heating collectors produced from materials of the Cu–CuZn system

The technology of brazing the absorber of planar solar heating collectors, consisting of a ray-receiving panel, produced from copper sheets with a composite selective coating and a tubular part, produced from L63 brass, is examined. The design of the absorber developed by the authors is described. The requirements on brazing technology to preserve the selective multilayer coating during heating of the Sun ray collector panel are determined. The experimental results are used for selecting the brazing alloys, fluxes and temperature–time parameters used in the development of the industrial technology of brazing the Sun ray collector panel of the absorber.     

Surface Properties of Films Composed of Aluminum and Its Alloy with Lanthanum

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - Optical constants n and k of polycrystalline films of aluminum and Al–4.45 at % La alloy have been measured at room temperature. The...     

Improving Homology-Directed Repair in Genome Editing Experiments by Influencing the Cell Cycle

Genome editing is currently widely used in biomedical research; however, the use of this method in the clinic is still limited because of its low efficiency and possible side effects. Moreover, the correction of mutations that cause diseases in humans seems to be extremely important and promising. Numerous attempts to improve the efficiency of homology-directed repair-mediated correction of mutations in mammalian cells have focused on influencing the cell cycle. Homology-directed repair is known to occur only in the late S and G2 phases of the cell cycle, so researchers are looking for safe ways to enrich the cell culture with cells in these phases of the cell cycle. This review surveys the main approaches to influencing the cell cycle in genome editing experiments (predominantly using Cas9), for example, the use of cell cycle synchronizers, mitogens, substances that affect cyclin-dependent kinases, hypothermia, inhibition of p53, etc. Despite the fact that all these approaches have a reversible effect on the cell cycle, it is necessary to use them with caution, since cells during the arrest of the cell cycle can accumulate mutations, which can potentially lead to their malignant transformation.     

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.     

Novel Epoxides of Soloxolone Methyl: An Effect of the Formation of Oxirane Ring and Stereoisomerism on Cytotoxic Profile,Anti-Metastatic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities In Vitro and In Vivo

It is known that epoxide-bearing compounds display pronounced pharmacological activities, and the epoxidation of natural metabolites can be a promising strategy to improve their bioactivity. Here, we report the design, synthesis and evaluation of biological properties of αO-SM and βO-SM, novel epoxides of soloxolone methyl (SM), a cyanoenone-bearing derivative of 18βH-glycyrrhetinic acid. We demonstrated that the replacement of a double-bound within the cyanoenone pharmacophore group of SM with α- and β-epoxide moieties did not abrogate the high antitumor and anti-inflammatory potentials of the triterpenoid. It was found that novel SM epoxides induced the death of tumor cells at low micromolar concentrations (IC₅₀^(24h) = 0.7–4.1 µM) via the induction of mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, reinforced intracellular accumulation of doxorubicin in B16 melanoma cells, probably by direct interaction with key drug efflux pumps (P-glycoprotein, MRP1, MXR1), and the suppressed pro-metastatic phenotype of B16 cells, effectively inhibiting their metastasis in a murine model. Moreover, αO-SM and βO-SM hampered macrophage functionality in vitro (motility, NO production) and significantly suppressed carrageenan-induced peritonitis in vivo. Furthermore, the effect of the stereoisomerism of SM epoxides on the mentioned bioactivities and toxic profiles of these compounds in vivo were evaluated. Considering the comparable antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects of SM epoxides with SM and reference drugs (dacarbazine, dexamethasone), αO-SM and βO-SM can be considered novel promising antitumor and anti-inflammatory drug candidates.     

Reactions with 2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-benzo[b]thiepin-5-one and its Derivatives

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-benzo[b]thiepin-5-one, its 7-methyl derivative, and their S, S-dioxides condense with aromatic aldehydes to give the corresponding 4-arylidene derivatives 3 and 4 . Compounds 4 react with hydrazine and phenylhydrazine to yield 3, 3a, 4, 5-tetrahydro-2 H-benzo-[b]thiepino[4, 5-c]pyrazole S, S-dioxide derivatives 5 and 6 . Some of the arylidene derivatives 4 add GRIGNARD reagents to give 7 . The IR spectra of representative examples are discussed.     

Characteristics of electrocodeposited Ni-Co-SiC composite coating

Electrodeposited composites are gaining importance for their advantages including low cost, ease and simplicity of operation to tailor made coatings for tribological applications. Generally, composites containing carbides (like SiC) are preferred for high wear resistance along with increased hardness, improved corrosion resistance, and high temperature oxidation resistance as compared to alloy and pure metal electroplating. In the present work, electrolytic codeposition technique was adopted in the deposition of Ni-Co-SiC composite coating on mild steel substrate, using nickel alloyed with cobalt as the binder phase with SiC as dispersed particles. To improve the properties of coating further, Cr plating was also performed. Since the particle size and volume percent variation of dispersoid have great importance in codeposition, so the effect of these two variables on the process of codeposition and properties was observed. Morphological studies of Ni-Co-SiC coating were carried out with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis to correlate the mechanical and corrosion behaviour of the coating.