Dense and core-rim structured B4C-TiB2 ceramics with Mo-Co-WC additive

B₄C-TiB₂ ceramics (TiB₂ ranging 5~70 vol%) with Mo-Co-WC as the sintering additive were prepared by spark plasma sintering. In comparison with B₄C-TiB₂ without additive, the enhanced densification was evident in the sintered specimen with Mo-Co-WC additive. Core-rim structured grain was observed around TiB₂ grains. The interface of the rim between TiB₂ and B₄C phases demonstrated different feature: the inner borderline of the rim exhibited a smooth feature, whereas a sharp curved grain boundary was observed between the rim and the B₄C grain. The formation mechanism is discussed: the epitaxial growth of (Ti,Mo,W)B₂ rim around the TiB₂ core may occur as a result of the solid solution and dissolution-precipitation between TiB₂ phase and the sintering additive. It was revealed that the fracture toughness increased as the content of TiB₂ content increased, alongside the decreased hardness. B₄C-30 vol% TiB₂ specimen demonstrated the optimal combination of mechanical properties, reaching Vickers hardness of 24.3 GPa and fracture toughness of 3.33 MPa·m^1/2.     

Ablative Radiotherapy Reprograms the Tumor Microenvironment of a Pancreatic Tumor in Favoring the Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy

The low overall survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer has driven research to seek a new therapeutic protocol. Radiotherapy (RT) is frequently an option in the neoadjuvant or palliative settings for pancreatic cancer treatment. This study explored the effect of RT protocols on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and their consequent impact on anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) therapy. Using a murine orthotopic pancreatic tumor model, UN-KC-6141, RT-disturbed TME was examined by immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that ablative RT is more effective than fractionated RT at recruiting T cells. On the other hand, fractionated RT induces more myeloid-derived suppressor cell infiltration than ablative RT. The RT-disturbed TME presents a higher perfusion rate per vessel. The increase in vessel perfusion is associated with a higher amount of anti-PD-L1 antibody being delivered to the tumor. Animal survival is increased by anti-PD-L1 therapy after ablative RT, with 67% of treated animals surviving more than 30 days after tumor inoculation compared to a median survival time of 16.5 days for the control group. Splenocytes isolated from surviving animals were specifically cytotoxic for UN-KC-6141 cells. We conclude that the ablative RT-induced TME is more suited than conventional RT-induced TME to combination therapy with immune checkpoint blockade.     

Cell-Free Synthesis of Selenoproteins in High Yield and Purity for Selective Protein Tagging

The selenol group of selenocysteine is much more nucleophilic than the thiol group of cysteine. Selenocysteine residues in proteins thus offer reactive points for rapid post-translational modification. Herein, we show that selenoproteins can be expressed in high yield and purity by cell-free protein synthesis by global substitution of cysteine by selenocysteine. Complete alkylation of solvent-exposed selenocysteine residues was achieved in 10 minutes with 4-chloromethylene dipicolinic acid (4Cl-MDPA) under conditions that left cysteine residues unchanged even after overnight incubation. Gd^III−Gd^III distances measured by double electron–electron resonance (DEER) experiments of maltose binding protein (MBP) containing two selenocysteine residues tagged with 4Cl-MDPA-Gd^III were indistinguishable from Gd^III−Gd^III distances measured of MBP containing cysteine reacted with 4Br-MDPA tags.     

智能站设计在变电二次继电保护中的作用

分析了智能站设计在变电二次机电保护过程中的重要作用,探讨了智能站设计的主要概念以及变电站二次机电保护的主要过程,并分析了智能站设计的相关要素,提出了智能站设计的主要对策和相关注意事项.希望能够为相关工作人员开展智能站设计工作起到一些参考和借鉴作用,从而进一步提升我国变电站二次继电保护水平,保障相关供电系统的安全运行,促进我国电力事业的快速发展.     

Flame characteristics of premixed H2-air mixtures explosion venting in a spherical container through a duct

The explosion venting duct can effectively reduce the hazard degree of a gas explosion and conduct the venting energy to the safe area. To investigate the flame quantitative propagation law of explosion venting with a duct, the effects of hydrogen fraction and explosion venting duct length on jet flame propagation characteristics of premixed H₂-air mixtures were analyzed through experiment and simulation. The experiment results under initial conditions of room temperature and 1 atm show that when hydrogen fraction was high enough, part of the unburned hydrogen was mixed with air again to reach an ignitable concentration, resulting in the secondary combustion was easier produced and the duration of the secondary flame increased. With the increase of venting duct length, the flame front distance and propagation velocity increased. Meanwhile, the spatial distribution of pressure field and temperature field, and the propagation process and mechanism of the flame venting with a duct were analyzed using FLUENT software. The variation of the pressure wave and the pressure reflection oscillation law in the explosion venting duct was captured. Therefore, in the industrial explosion venting design with a duct, the hazard caused by the coupling of venting pressure and venting flame under different fractions should be considered comprehensively.     

Fabrication of direct Z-scheme FeIn2S4/Bi2WO6 hierarchical heterostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity for tetracycline hydrochloride photodagradation

A series of direct Z-scheme FeIn₂S₄/Bi₂WO₆ hierarchical heterostructures with intimate interface contacts were synthesized by in-situ growth route and characterized by systematical analyses. All as-prepared FeIn₂S₄/Bi₂WO₆ nanocomposites showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity towards photodegradation for the removal of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in comparison with individual FeIn₂S₄ and Bi₂WO₆. Meanwhile, the highest photocatalytic degradation activity can be achieved by modulating adding amount of FeIn₂S₄ in FeIn₂S₄/Bi₂WO₆ nanocomposites and the optimized component ratio of FeIn₂S₄ to Bi₂WO₆ is determined to be 10 wt%. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to efficient separation between photogenerated holes and electrons based on the construction of direct Z-scheme system. The high photocatalytic stability of resultant 10 wt% FeIn₂S₄/Bi₂WO₆ nanocomposites was revealed through six successive recycling reactions. The main intermediate generated during TCH photodegradation was explored by HPLC-MS. Besides, the direct Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism was confirmed by band position analysis, electron spin resonance (ESR) and active species capture experiment.     

Study on Wettability and Corrosion Behavior of Al2O3 Doped Polyurea Coatings

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - The Al2O3 powder was added as a filler to polyurea and the effect of doping amount on Shore hardness and wetting property were...