Reactive wetting phenomena of MgO-C refractories in contact with CaO-SiO2 slag

Wetting phenomena between MgO C and CaO SiO2 slags were investigated by varying carbon content.A sessile drop technique was adopted to study the wetting phenomena in conjunction with a high speed camera for the observation of intrinsic wetting phenomena.The results show that the high content of SiO2 and the presence of Al2O3 in slags enhance the diffusion of Mg2+,leading to the promotion of reactive wetting.The carbon in MgO C refractory impedes the penetration of slags by repelling the slag and slowing the diffusion of Mg2+.This accounts for the non-wetting behavior of the slag on MgO C refractory with 17% (mass fraction) carbon similar to that of graphite.     

Rhabdomyolysis-Induced AKI Was Ameliorated in NLRP3 KO Mice via Alleviation of Mitochondrial Lipid Peroxidation in Renal Tubular Cells

Introduction: A recent study showed that early renal tubular injury is ameliorated in Nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) KO mice with rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury (RIAKI). However, the precise mechanism has not been determined. Therefore, we investigated the role of NLRP3 in renal tubular cells in RIAKI. Methods: Glycerol-mediated RIAKI was induced in NLRP3 KO and wild-type (WT) mice. The mice were euthanized 24 h after glycerol injection, and both kidneys and plasma were collected. HKC-8 cells were treated with ferrous myoglobin to mimic a rhabdomyolytic environment. Results: Glycerol injection led to increase serum creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and renal kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) level; renal tubular necrosis; and apoptosis. Renal injury was attenuated in NLRP3 KO mice, while muscle damage and renal neutrophil recruitment did not differ between NLRP3 KO mice and WT mice. Following glycerin injection, increases in cleaved caspase-3, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and a decrease in the glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX-4) level were observed in the kidneys of mice with RIAKI, and these changes were alleviated in the kidneys of NLRP3 KO mice. NLRP3 was upregulated, and cell viability was suppressed in HKC-8 cells treated with ferrous myoglobin. Myoglobin-induced apoptosis and lipid peroxidation were significantly decreased in siNLRP3-treated HKC-8 cells compared to ferrous myoglobin-treated HKC-8 cells. Myoglobin reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential and increased mitochondrial fission and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation levels, which were restored to normal levels in NLRP3-depleted HKC-8 cells. Conclusions: NLRP3 depletion ameliorated renal tubular injury in a murine glycerol-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) model. A lack of NLRP3 improved tubular cell viability via attenuation of myoglobin-induced mitochondrial injury and lipid peroxidation, which might be the critical factor in protecting the kidney.     

Effects of honing treatment on AIP-TiN and TiAlN coated end-mill for high speed machining

The objective of this work is to compare the tool performance of TiN and TiAlN coated carbides end-mills deposited by an arc ion plating (AIP) method, using honing treatment to polish the cutting edge surface sleekly. The curve of surface roughness versus honing time showed a rapid improvement initially and thereafter became steady, manifesting a saturation effect. The optimal honing time related to surface roughness was determined to be approximately 20 s. As the surface roughness increased, the critical loads reduced. At an average surface roughness (Ra) of 0.028 μm, the highest critical loads of TiN and TiAlN coating layers were 98 and 114 N, respectively. Tool performances of uncoated and coated tools were conducted under high speed machining (HSM) of AISI D2 cold-worked die steel (62 HRC). Consequently, the TiAlN coated end-mill using honing treatment showed excellent tool life under HSM conditions.     

ANTIGENOTOXIC, FIBRINOLYTIC AND IMMUNOMODULATING ACTIVITY OF TRADITIONALLY FERMENTED SOY PRODUCT, CHUNGKUKJANG

Fibrinolytic, antigenotoxic and immunomodulating properties of chungkukjang were evaluated. The purified fibrinolytic enzyme was characterized as an alkaline serine protease with molecular weight of 22 kDa determined by fibrin zymography and stable over pH range 6.0–10.0 below 50C. The comet assay showed that N-methyl-N ' -nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced DNA damage level (190.8 AU) in 3T3 cells was considerably decreased to 121.2 AU with chungkukjang extracts (CB) showing 49.7% of protection. Incubation of the 3T3 cells with CB significantly reduced the cytotoxicity of MNNG. [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay revealed that the addition of CB enhanced the proliferation of RAW 264.7 (mouse leukemic monocyte macrophage cell line) macrophages up to about 150% of the control levels. RAW 264.7 macrophages incubated with CB induced a strong increase in nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor -α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1α (IL-1α) with a dose-dependent manner. After 24 h incubation with 1 mg/mL of CB, NO, TNF-α and IL-1α showed the highest production of 511, 2.46 and 0.258 ng/mL, respectively.     

A technique for the fabrication of various multiparametric porous silicon samples on a single substrate

Porous silicon (PSi) samples generally have a uniform thickness and pore size according to specific anodization conditions, as the Si wafer is entirely immersed into hydrofluoric (HF) acid during the anodization process. In contrast, multiparametric (MP) PSi, as described in the present work, is fabricated by inserting a Si wafer gradually (or by stages) into a HF solution during the anodization process. Consequently, MP-PSi allows single layer fabrication with a pore-size and layer thickness gradient or various multilayers, on a single substrate. Therefore, MP-PSi can be readily used in sensor application areas to determine optimized detection conditions for various materials, such as gas, liquid, and bio-materials. MP-PSi layer with a lateral pore gradient distribution can also be used as size-exclusion matrix. In addition, the MP-PSi multilayer array is expected to open up application areas involving optical electronic nose systems.     

Ceramic-metal package for high power LED lighting

High power light-emitting diodes (LEDs)lighting has drawn a great interest in the field of street light system in recent years.Key parameters for successful launching of LED street light in the commerc...     

Photodecomposition and bactericidal effects of TiO2 thin films prepared by a magnetron sputtering

TiO₂ thin films were deposited on either glass or Si wafer substrate using a reactive magnetron sputtering by varying the process conditions including O₂/(Ar+O₂) ratio, working pressure, sputtering time and dc power, to examine the influence of surface morphology and crystallinity on photodecomposition efficiency of phenol and bactericidal activity of Escherichia coli (E. coli 078). The UV illuminated nanoporous anatase TiO₂ films with a higher roughness (205 Å) and crystallinity behaved as the best photocatalysts by 60% of phenol photodecomposition and 70% of bacteria cell (E. coli) destruction. Therefore, it was conceivable that the photocatalytic efficiency may be governed by the specific surface area, which was directly related to the crystallinity and the roughness of the films.     

Prediction of fatigue crack growth path in mechanical joints using a weight function approach

Cracks often initiate from the mechanical joints which are widely used in structural components. It has been reported that cracks in mechanical joints are under mixed‐mode condition and there is a critical angle at which mode I stress intensity factor becomes maximum. The crack propagates in an arbitrary direction and the prediction of fatigue crack growth path is needed to provide against crack propagation and examine safety. In this study, mixed‐mode fatigue crack growth tests are performed for horizontal and critical inclined cracks in mechanical joints. Fatigue crack growth paths are predicted using a weight function approach and maximum tangential stress criterion.