Effect of Mo on corrosion behavior of Ni20Cr–xMo alloys in air with NaCl–KCl–CaCl2 vapor at 570°C

The effect of Mo on the corrosion behavior of Ni20Cr–xMo alloys in an oxidizing chlorine-containing atmosphere using air mixed with the salt-vapor mixture of NaCl–KCl–CaCl₂ at 570°C was investigated. The results revealed that the corrosion performance of the Ni20Cr alloys in the oxidizing chlorine atmosphere was improved by Mo addition of up to 3 wt%. The Mo-free alloy formed a potassium chromate during corrosion as a result of the reaction between the Cr₂O₃ scale and KCl vapor. The chromate formation increased the chlorine potential at the scale surface and induced the breakdown of the protective Cr₂O₃ scale, resulting in internal chromium chloride precipitates and a Cr-depleted zone. In contrast, the presence of Mo resulted in the formation of a NiO scale, which did not react with the salt vapors and, therefore, prevented the formation of chromates. The beneficial effect of Mo on the high-temperature chlorination of Ni–Cr alloys in salt-vapor-containing atmospheres was ascribed to the suppression of chlorine generation due to NiO scale formation.     

The enhancing effect of surface coatings on cast-in bonding of steel and titanium inserts in aluminium castings

Insertion bonding of mild steel and titanium pipes in aluminium castings was performed in two ways; either by holding paired pipe and aluminium cylinder specimens at constant high temperatures, or by pouring molten aluminium into sand moulds containing inserts. The surfaces of the inserts were electroplated using Ag or Au, or spray coated with Al-Si alloy. The bonding was evaluated by shear strength measurements and microstructure observations. To verify the effect of surface coatings, the contact between the molten aluminium and the specimens was observed. At constant high temperatures, coated steels showed good metallurgical bonding when they were maintained for about 200 s in contact with molten aluminium. The time necessary for bonding was shorter with titanium inserts. In bonded specimens, alloyed microstructures were observed at the interfaces. There was no bonding with uncoated specimens. All coatings used were effective when poured, but preheating of the moulds was necessary to allow sufficient solidification time for the melt/insert volume ratios which were 32 and 36. Process analysis by the finite difference method showed that bonding required a period of liquid phase contact of the melt with the inserts. Observation of aluminium droplet contact with the inserts showed that uncoated surfaces of steel and titanium are not wetted by the melt due to stable oxide skins. With Ag electroplating, aluminium droplets can make wet contact with the specimens. The contact angle decreased from about 140° in uncoated specimens to 15°-45° with Ag plating. The plating prevents surface oxidation of the inserts and promotes wet contact when the active aluminium liquid surface is exposed. The Al-Si alloy spray coating has some effect in promoting wettability, but it is inferior to Ag plating.     

A novel l-amino acid ligase from bacillus licheniformis

l-Amino acid alpha-ligase (EC 6.3.2.28) catalyzed formation of alpha-peptide bond in unprotected l-amino acids in an ATP-dependent manner. BL00235 gene in Bacillus licheniformis NBRC12200 coded as a new l-amino acid ligase. BL00235 substrate specificity was strict; only methionine or leucine was acceptable as dipeptide N-terminal residues.     

A novel ATP regeneration system using polyphosphate-AMP phosphotransferase and polyphosphate kinase

Polyphosphate-AMP phosphotransferase (PAP) and polyphosphate kinase (PPK) were used for designing a novel ATP regeneration system, named the PAP-PPK ATP regeneration system. PAP is an enzyme that catalyzes the phospho-conversion of AMP to ADP, and PPK catalyzes ATP formation from ADP. Both enzymes use inorganic polyphosphate [poly(P)] as a phosphate donor. In the PAP-PPK ATP regeneration system, ATP was continuously synthesized from AMP by the coupling reaction of PAP and PPK using poly(P). Poly(P) is a cheap material compared to acetyl phosphate, phosphoenol pyruvate and creatine phosphate, which are phosphate donors used for conventional ATP regeneration systems. To achieve efficient synthesis of ATP from AMP, an excessive amount of poly(P) should be added to the reaction solution because both PAP and PPK consume poly(P) as a phosphate donor. Using this ATP generation reaction, we constructed the PAP-PPK ATP regeneration system with acetyl-CoA synthase and succeeded in synthesizing acetyl-CoA from CoA, acetate and AMP. Since too much poly(P) may chelate MG2+ and inhibit enzyme activity, the Mg2+ concentration was optimized to 24 mM in the presence of 30 mM poly(P) in the reaction. In this reaction, ATP was regenerated 39.8 times from AMP, and 99.5% of CoA was converted to acetyl-CoA. In addition, since the PAP-PPK ATP regeneration system can regenerate GTP from GMP, it could also be used as a GTP regeneration system.     

Cytoprotective effects of geraniin against peroxynitrite- and peroxyl radical-induced cell death via free radical scavenging activity

The role of natural antioxidants in combating the deleterious effects of free radicals has received much attention. In the present study, the cytoprotective effects and the free radical scavenging activity of geraniin, a hydrolysable ellagitannin from Nephelium lappaceum rind, were evaluated by using various approaches. Addition of geraniin to the culture media resulted in a profound cytoprotective effect against damages induced by the peroxynitrite generator 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1), and the peroxyl radical generator 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH). Geraniin exhibits more potent cytoprotective activity than that of 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox). Geraniin exhibited potent antioxidant activity against reactive species, such as nitric oxide, superoxide anion, and chemically synthesized peroxynitrite. Kinetic analysis of reactivity against peroxyl radicals generated by AAPH revealed that geraniin possesses potent reactivity against peroxyl radicals with higher stoichiometric number than Trolox. The cytoprotective effect of geraniin was only observed when geraniin and these toxic compounds were co-existing, suggesting that geraninn exhibits cytoprotective effects via free radical scavenging activity in the extracellular fluid.     

Quantum Effects on Hydrogen Isotopes Adsorption in Nanopores

We have investigated the applicability of simulations and theoretical techniques for exploring the selectivities of hydrogen isotopes. We have simulated the adsorption isotherms of H₂ in an idealized carbon slit pore at 77 K by using the grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations with the Feynman-Hibbs effective potential (FH-GCMC) and the rigorous path integral method (PI-GCMC), and we obtained good agreement between the isotherms from both simulations. This suggests that FH-GCMC, which uses the approximative Feynman-Hibbs treatment, is as useful as PI-GCMC for exploring H₂ adsorption at 77 K. Moreover, we show that the ideal adsorption solution theory (IAST) can predict the selectivity of D₂ over H₂ in the interstices of single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) bundles at 77 K (below 0.1 MPa) very well by comparing the obtained results with the mixture adsorption FH-GCMC simulations. This indicates that IAST is also applicable to the estimation of the selectivity of D₂ over H₂ at moderate pressures and at 77 K from experimental single-component adsorption isotherms. We also demonstrate that the FH-GCMC simulation can reproduce the experimental adsorption isotherms of H₂ and D₂ in aluminophosphate AlPO₄-5 at 77 K. Finally, we analyze the selectivity of D₂ over H₂ by IAST with the experimental single-component adsorption isotherms of H₂ and D₂ at 77 K for a variety of adsorbents: AlPO₄-5, activated carbon fibers (ACFs), HiPco SWNT, and SWNHs. The selectivities predicted by the experimental adsorption data based on the results from the FH-GCMC simulations are presented and discussed.     

Gyromagnetic nonlinear element and its application as a pulse-shaping transmission line

The generation of a bipolarity solitary wave (soliton) is examined by using a transmission line containing gyromagnetic nonlinear inductors. The results indicate that a transmission line of the form shown here can be used in high-peak-power pulse-generating networks.     

Pre-treatment of sperm reduces success of ICSI in the pig

In pigs, although ICSI is a feasible fertilization technique, its efficiency is low. In general, injected pig sperm are insufficient to induce oocyte activation and embryonic development. Pretreatments for disrupting sperm membranes have been applied to improve the fertility of ICSI oocytes; however, we hypothesize that such pretreatment(s) may reduce the ability of the sperm to induce oocyte activation. We first evaluated the effects of sperm pretreatments (sonication (SO) to isolate the sperm heads from the tails, Triton X-100 (TX), and three cycles of repeated freezing/thawing (3×-FT) for disrupting sperm membranes) on the rate of pronucleus (PN) formation after ICSI. We found that oocytes injected with control (whole) sperm had higher rates of PN formation than those obtained after subjecting the sperm to SO, TX, and 3×-FT. The amounts of phospholipase Cζ (PLCζ), which is thought to be the oocyte-activating factor in mammalian sperm, in sperm treated by each method was significantly lower than that in whole untreated sperm. Furthermore, using immunofluorescence, it was found that in pig sperm, PLCζ was localized to both the post-acrosomal region and the tail area. Thus we demonstrated for the first time that sperm pretreatment leads to a reduction of oocyte-activating capacity. Our data also show that in addition to its expected localization to the sperm head, PLCζ is also localized in the tail of pig sperm, thus raising the possibility that injection of whole sperm may be required to attain successful activation in pigs.