Energy-absorption-based explanation of the photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanism of TiO2 nanofibers

As is reported, the photocatalytic activity will increase significantly when TiO₂ nanoparticles are agglomerated into TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs), but the photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanisms are still not fully understood. As is widely accepted, the optical absorption process plays a key role in photocatalysis, and it can even be said that the optical absorption capability of the photocatalyst directly determines its photocatalytic activity, while the influence of the structure on the optical absorption characteristics of TiO₂ has largely been ignored in the existing explanations. In this paper, optical simulations are introduced into analyzing optical characteristics of TiO₂ Nanofibers with which, the photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanism is further discussed, and a photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanism of TiO₂ Nanofibers is proposed.     

矩形管状构件端板与底板螺栓连接节点的性能

研究矩形空心截面外伸端板接头的屈服机制,认为螺栓位于端板的角部。现有规范没有针对钢结构和铝合金结构中的这类连接节点给出相应的设计准则。采用欧洲规范中的对称分量法研究考虑和不考虑撬力作用下新屈服机制的可靠性,基于试验结果建议采用新屈服机制。     

Influence of zirconium content on microstructure and creep properties of Mo–9Si–8B alloys

Mo–Si–B alloys with a molybdenum solid solution accompanied by two intermetallic phases and Mo₅SiB₂ are a prominent example for a potential new high temperature structural material. In this study the influence of 1, 2 and 4 at.% zirconium on microstructure and creep properties of Mo–9Si–8B (at.%) alloys produced by spark plasma sintering is investigated. Creep experiments have been carried out at temperatures of 1100 °C up to 1250 °C in vacuum. The samples exhibit sub-micron grain sizes as small as 450 nm due to the chosen production route. With addition of 1 at.% zirconium, formation of SiO₂ on the grain boundaries can be prevented, thereby enhancing grain boundary strength and creep properties significantly. Moreover ZrO₂ particles also enhance creep resistance of the molybdenum solid solution. Creep deformation is a combination of dislocation creep in the grains including dislocation-particle interaction and grain boundary sliding leading to intergranular fracture surfaces. It is promising to use grain size adjustments in order to balance the creep and oxidation resistance of the investigated material.     

An approach of topology optimization of multi-rigid-body mechanism

Topology synthesis of multi-rigid-body mechanisms has always been a very important stage in the mechanism design process. In most cases, the topology of the multi-rigid-body mechanism for particular task is obtained by designers’ experience and ingenuity, rather than automatic approach. In this work, an approach of topology optimization of multi-rigid-body mechanisms is investigated. The core process of the approach is an automatic optimization design process. In this approach, we construct kinematics mapping from truss structures to the joint-linked mechanisms, which transforms the topology optimization problem of multi-body system into the truss structure optimization problem. We also develop a new strategy for topology optimization of statically determinate truss, the advantage of which lies in the ability dealing with statically determinate truss topology optimization problem compared to the existing methods. By automatically optimizing the topology of the truss structure, the topology of the multi-rigid-body mechanism is optimized automatically, accordingly. Here, we utilize the investigated approach to design suitable layout for multi-rigid-body micro-displacement amplifying mechanisms (MMAMs) with a large amplification ratio (>50). The layout consists of not only the topology information of the mechanism, but also the dimension parameters of the mechanism. The procedure of the approach is carried out in steps, and a human–computer interaction program has been developed for it. Using the developed program, different MMAMs are achieved. Meanwhile, the direct kinematics analysis of the MMAMs is achieved automatically, the existence of dead point position in the mechanism within movement range is checked and the micro-displacement amplification ratio is calculated out. The computing results are validated by the ADAMS^® motion simulation, which proves that the achieved MMAMs fully fulfill the functional requirement. Along with two of the achieved MMAMs, the approach is explained, its functionality is shown, its advantages, limitations, some open problems and future works are discussed.     

Reliability matrix solution to multiple mechanism prediction

We present a method for predicting the failure rate and thus the reliability of an electronic system by summing the failure rate of each known failure mechanism. We use a competing acceleration factor methodology by combining the physics of failure for each mechanism with its own effect as observed by High/Low temperature and High/Low voltage stresses. Our Multiple High Temperature Overstress Life-test (M-HTOL) method assumes that the lifetime of each failure mechanism follows constant rate distribution whereby each mechanism is independently accelerated by its own stress factors. Stresses include temperature, frequency, current, and other factors that can be entered into a reliability model. The overall failure rate thus, also follows an exponential distribution and is described as the standard FIT (Failure unIT or Failure in Time). This method combines mathematical models for known failure mechanism and solves them simultaneously for a multiplicity of accelerated life test results to find a consistent set of weighting factors for each mechanism. The result of solving the system of equations is a more accurate and a unique combination for each system model by proportional summation of each of the contributing failure mechanisms.     

Cancer Cell Response to Anthracyclines Effects: Mysteries of the Hidden Proteins Associated with These Drugs

A comprehensive proteome map of T-lymphoblastic leukemia cells and its alterations after daunorubicin, doxorubicin and mitoxantrone treatments was monitored and evaluated either by paired comparison with relevant untreated control and using multivariate classification of treated and untreated samples. With the main focus on early time intervals when the influence of apoptosis is minimized, we found significantly different levels of proteins, which corresponded to 1%–2% of the total amount of protein spots detected. According to Gene Ontology classification of biological processes, the highest representation of identified proteins for all three drugs belong to metabolic processes of proteins and nucleic acids and cellular processes, mainly cytoskeleton organisation and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Importantly, we observed significant proportion of changes in proteins involved in the generation of precursor metabolites and energy typical for daunorubicin, transport proteins participating in response to doxorubicin and a group of proteins of immune system characterising response to mitoxantrone. Both a paired comparison and the multivariate evaluation of quantitative data revealed daunorubicin as a distinct member of the group of anthracycline/anthracenedione drugs. A combination of identified drug specific protein changes, which may help to explain anti-cancer activity, together with the benefit of blocking activation of adaptive cancer pathways, presents important approaches to improving treatment outcomes in cancer.     

Comparisons of adaptive fault‐tolerant insensitive control methods for a class of linear systems

In this paper, the problem of fault‐tolerant insensitive control is addressed for a class of linear time‐invariant continuous‐time systems against bounded time‐varying actuator faults and controller gain variations. Adaptive mechanisms are developed to adjust controller gains in order to compensate for the detrimental effects of partial loss of control effectiveness and bias‐actuator faults. Variations of controller gains arise from time‐varying and bounded perturbations that are supposed to always exist in adaptive mechanisms. Based on the disturbed outputs of adaptive mechanisms, three different adaptive control strategies are constructed to achieve bounded stability results of the closed‐loop adaptive fault‐tolerant control systems in the presence of actuator faults and controller gain variations. Furthermore, comparisons of convergence boundaries of states and limits of control inputs among adaptive strategies are developed in this paper. The efficiency of the proposed adaptive control strategies and their comparisons are demonstrated by a rocket fairing structural‐acoustic model.     

Vitamin E and its anticancer effects

Abstract

Vitamin E is a lipid soluble vitamin comprising of eight natural isoforms, namely, α, β, δ, γ isoforms of tocopherol and α, β, δ, γ isoforms of tocotrienol. Many studies have been performed to elucidate its role in cancer. Until last decade, major focus was on alpha tocopherol and its anticancer effects. However, major clinical trials using alpha-tocopherol like SELECT trial and ATBC trial did not yield meaningful results. Hence there was a shift of focus to gamma-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol and tocotrienol. Unlike alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol can scavenge reactive nitrogen species in addition to reactive oxygen species. Antiangiogenic effect, inhibition of HMG CoA reductase enzyme and inhibition of NF-κB pathway make the anti-cancer effects of tocotrienols unique compared to other vitamin E isoforms. Preclinical research on non-alpha tocopherol isoforms of vitamin E showed promising data on their anticancer effects. In this review, we deal with the current understanding on the potential mechanisms involved in the anticancer effects of vitamin E and the controversies in this field over last three decades. We also highlight the need to conduct further research on the anticancer effects of non-alpha-tocopherol isoforms in larger population and clinical setting.     

Computational micromechanics of fatigue of microstructures in the HCF–VHCF regimes

Advances in higher resolution experimental techniques have shown that metallic materials can develop fatigue cracks under cyclic loading levels significantly below the yield stress. Indeed, the traditional notion of a fatigue limit can be recast in terms of limits associated with nucleation and arrest of fatigue cracks at the microstructural scale. Although fatigue damage characteristically emerges from irreversible dislocation processes at sub-grain scales, the specific microstructure attributes, environment, and loading conditions can strongly affect the apparent failure mode and surface to subsurface transitions. In this paper we discuss multiple mechanisms that occur during fatigue loading in the high cycle fatigue (HCF) to very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regimes. We compare these regimes, focusing on strategies to bridge experimental and modeling approaches exercised at multiple length scales and discussing particular challenges to modeling and simulation regarding microstructure-sensitive fatigue driving forces and thresholds. We conclude by discussing some of the challenges in predicting the transition of failure mechanisms at different stress and strain amplitudes.