Tribological behavior of composites fabricated by reactive SPS sintering in Ti-Si-C system

In this study, wear and friction behavior of two based-composites from the Ti-Si-C system, (40 wt% TiC; 28 wt% Ti₅Si₃; 17 wt% Ti₃SiC₂) and (18 wt% TiC; 26 wt% Ti₅Si₃; 41 wt% Ti₃SiC₂) reinforced by 15 wt% of large size SiC (100-150 µm) particles were investigated. The four-phase composites exhibited approximatively the same friction coefficient (µ ~ 0.9) under high loads (10 N and 7 N). The composite with high Ti₃SiC₂ showed higher wear rate values by one order of magnitude. However, under 1 N, the composite with high TiC content showed a higher running-in period and a lower steady state µ value (0.37 after 1000 m sliding distance). Scanning electron microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray and Raman spectroscopy analysis of the worn surfaces of the two composites revealed that oxidation was the dominant wear mechanism. The oxidation process and the removal kinetics of the oxides during sliding controlled the tribological behavior of the composites. The influence of processing variables on microstructures development and wear mechanisms of the composites is discussed.     

Research on the overall architecture of Internet of Things middleware for intelligent industrial parks

With the continuous development of the Internet of Things technology and the proposal of “Made in China 2025”, the construction of IoT applicat     

Influence of episodic wind events on thermal stratification and bottom water hypoxia in a Great Lakes estuary

Hypoxia formation and breakdown were tracked during 2015 in Muskegon Lake estuary at multiple locations, and five years (2011–2015) of time-series buoy observatory data were evaluated for the effect of episodic wind-events on lake mixing. Bi-weekly water temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) profiles at four locations revealed that hypoxia occurred at all sites and persisted for 2–3 months during summer 2015. On one date in late-summer, up to 24% of the lake’s volume was estimated to be mildly hypoxic (DO < 4 mg L^?1) as defined by lake sturgeon requirements. Patterns of wind speed and water column stability in late spring indicated that high winds and low stability delayed the onset of hypoxia while in late summer low winds and high stability delayed degradation of hypoxia. Wind speeds appear to play a great role in the interannual variability of stratification and subsequent hypoxia. Water temperature and DO profiles taken before and after one mid-summer mixing event (wind speed >7.7 m s^?1 for 10 h), indicated that while the wind was unable to completely mix the entire water column, it deepened the epilimnion by ～1.5 m and sheared a thin layer from the upper hypolimnion. By entraining internally loaded nutrients, such episodic wind-events may initiate and sustain algal blooms in nutrient limited surface waters. Quantifying the variable role of wind and mixing events will be key to integrating limnological processes into climate models of the future.     

Study of new flow field geometries to enhance water redistribution and pressure head losses reduction within PEM fuel cell

Efficiency of fuel cell is dependent on reactant distribution, products evacuation, pressure losses and many of these factors is dependent on the design of flow field plate. With an effective design, reactant distribution, pressure drop, and water and heat management can be further improved. In this work, two new designs, as multi-serpentine set-up with additional slots and hybrid geometry, on stainless steel bipolar plates, are presented. Electrical performance, and pressure head losses are analyzed by electrochemical methods such as polarization curve and use of electrochemical noise as a diagnostic tool to further understand the impact of water management on performance. On the one hand, multi-serpentine design shows the best electrical performance with an increase of 0.2 V (66%) at 0.9 A/cm² in comparison of traditional serpentine design. On the other hand, hybrid design reveals the lowest pressure head losses, with a decrease of 2 mbar (about 50%) in comparison of traditional serpentine design, and a higher stability with time that can be useful to downsize compressor and provide lower impact on fuel cell stack durability.     

Group IVB metallocene polyesters containing camphoric acid and preliminary cancer cell activity

Polyesters were formed from the reaction of the salt of camphoric acid and Group IVB metallocene dichlorides using the interfacial polycondenzation process. The polyesters were formed in good yields with moderate chain lengths. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows bands characteristic of the presence of both reactants with new bands characteristic of the formation of the M?O and M–O(CO) linkage present. The polymers largely exist in a bridging geometry of the carbonyl groups about the metal atom. Nuclear magnetic resonance shows the presence of bands derived from both reactants. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy shows ion fragments to three units for the polymers with isotopic abundance characteristic of the presence of metal atoms in the ion fragment clusters. All the polymers exhibit good ability to inhibit all the tested cancer cell lines but the zironocene and hafnocene polymers exhibit especially good inhibition of the tested cancer cell lines that included two pancreatic cancer cell lines. They represent a potential new group of anticancer drugs.     

Distinctive Microbial Signatures and Gut-Brain Crosstalk in Pediatric Patients with Coeliac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Coeliac disease (CD) and Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are immune-mediated diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that dysbiosis in the gut microbiome plays a role in the pathogenesis of both diseases and may also be associated with the development of neuropathy. The primary goal in this cross-sectional pilot study was to identify whether there are distinct gut microbiota alterations in children with CD (n = 19), T1DM (n = 18) and both CD and T1DM (n = 9) compared to healthy controls (n = 12). Our second goal was to explore the relationship between neuropathy (corneal nerve fiber damage) and the gut microbiome composition. Microbiota composition was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Corneal confocal microscopy was used to determine nerve fiber damage. There was a significant difference in the overall microbial diversity between the four groups with healthy controls having a greater microbial diversity as compared to the patients. The abundance of pathogenic proteobacteria Shigella and E. coli were significantly higher in CD patients. Differential abundance analysis showed that several bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) distinguished CD from T1DM. The tissue transglutaminase antibody correlated significantly with a decrease in gut microbial diversity. Furthermore, the Bacteroidetes phylum, specifically the genus Parabacteroides was significantly correlated with corneal nerve fiber loss in the subjects with neuropathic damage belonging to the diseased groups. We conclude that disease-specific gut microbial features traceable down to the ASV level distinguish children with CD from T1DM and specific gut microbial signatures may be associated with small fiber neuropathy. Further research on the mechanisms linking altered microbial diversity with neuropathy are warranted.     

Synergistic fire-retardancy properties of melamine coated ammonium poly(phosphate) in combination with rod-like mineral filler attapulgite for polymer-modified bitumen roofing membranes

A novel intumescent (carbonization, acid donor and foaming) fire retardant that mimics carbon nanotubes was introduced into bitumen roofing and characterized using cone calorimetry as the main analytical tool. The experimental results indicate that 18% (by mass) attapulgite mineral (ATTP) mixed with base bitumen decreased the peak heat release rate per unit area (pHRRPUA) by 10%. Further, incorporation of melamine coated ammonium polyphosphate (MAPP) decreased the pHRRPUA by 52% and a mixture of these (3:1, ATTP:MAPP) decreased the pHRRPUA by 25% as compared to adding CaCO₃ as a filler. The residual mass loss after the cone test was also improved with up to 3%. The indication of a positive synergistic flame retardant effect of the ATTP-MAPP mixture is supported by thermogravimetric analysis. The addition of this rod-like mineral improved the general fire retardant properties of the base bitumen and increased the viscosity. Therefore, the polymer-modified bitumen with both fire retardant and rheological properties (providing mechanical strength) is a promising novel approach in the design of bitumen roofing membranes.     

Cellular Disulfide Bond Formation in Bioactive Peptides and Proteins

Bioactive peptides play important roles in metabolic regulation and modulation and many are used as therapeutics. These peptides often possess disulfide bonds, which are important for their structure, function and stability. A systematic network of enzymes—a disulfide bond generating enzyme, a disulfide bond donor enzyme and a redox cofactor—that function inside the cell dictates the formation and maintenance of disulfide bonds. The main pathways that catalyze disulfide bond formation in peptides and proteins in prokaryotes and eukaryotes are remarkably similar and share several mechanistic features. This review summarizes the formation of disulfide bonds in peptides and proteins by cellular and recombinant machinery.