Microstructures and formation mechanism of hypoeutectic white cast iron by isothermal electromagnetic rheocast process

An investigation was made on the evolution of microstructures of hypoeutectic white cast iron slurry containing 2.5wt.%C and 1.8wt.%Si produced by rheocasting in which the solidifying alloy was vigorously agitated by electromagnetic stirrer during isothermal cooling processes. The results indicated that under the proper agitating temperatures and speeds applied, the dendrite structures in white cast iron slurry were gradually evolved into spherical structures during a certain agitating time. It also revealed that the bent dendrites were formed by either convection force or by the growth of the dendrites themselves in the bending direction; then, as they were in solidifying, they were gradually being alternated into separated particles and into more spherical structures at the end of the isothermal cooling process. Especially, the dendrites were granulated as the bending process proceeding, which suggested that they were caused by unwanted elements such as sulfur and phosphor usually contained in engineering cast iron. Convective flow of the melt caused corrosion on the dendritic segments where they were weaker in strength and lower in melting temperature because of higher concentration of sulfur or phosphor. And the granulation process for such dendrites formed in the melt became possible under the condition. Certainly, dendrite fragments are another factors considerable to function for spherical particles formation. A new mechanism, regarding to the rheocast structure formation of white cast iron, was suggested based on the structural evolution observed in the study

Low-Cost Efficient Magnetic Adsorbent for Phosphorus Removal from Water

Adsorption using magnetic adsorbents makes the phosphorus removal from water simple and efficient. However, most of the reported magnetic adsorbents use chemically synthesized nanoparticles as magnetic cores, which are expensive and environmentally unfriendly. Replacing the nanomagnetic cores by cheap and green magnetic materials is essential for the wide application of this technique. In this paper, coal-fly-ash magnetic spheres (MSs) were processed to produce a cheap and eco-friendly magnetic core. A magnetic adsorbent, ZrO2 coated ball-milled MS (BMS@ZrO2), was prepared through a simple chemical precipitation method. Careful structural investigations indicate that a multipore structural amorphous ZrO2 layer has grown on the MS core. The specific surface area of BMS@ZrO2 is 48 times larger than that of the MS core. The highest phosphorus adsorption is tested as 16.47 mg g-1 at pH = 2. The BMS@ZrO2 adsorbent has a saturation magnetization as high as 33.56 emu g-1, enabling efficient magnetic separation. Zeta potential measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveal that the phosphorus adsorption of BMS@ZrO2 is triggered by the electrostatic attraction and the ligand exchange mechanism. The BMS@ZrO2 adsorbent could be reused several times after proper chemical treatment

Gut stem cell aging is driven by mTORC1 via a p38 MAPK-p53 pathway.

Nutrients are absorbed solely by the intestinal villi. Aging of this organ causes malabsorption and associated illnesses, yet its aging mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that aging-caused intestinal villus structural and functional decline is regulated by mTORC1, a sensor of nutrients and growth factors, which is highly activated in intestinal stem and progenitor cells in geriatric mice. These aging phenotypes are recapitulated in intestinal stem cell-specific Tsc1 knockout mice. Mechanistically, mTORC1 activation increases protein synthesis of MKK6 and augments activation of the p38 MAPK-p53 pathway, leading to decreases in the number and activity of intestinal stem cells as well as villus size and density. Targeting p38 MAPK or p53 prevents or rescues ISC and villus aging and nutrient absorption defects. These findings reveal that mTORC1 drives aging by augmenting a prominent stress response pathway in gut stem cells and identify p38 MAPK as an anti-aging target downstream of mTORC1

Intensity modulated radiation therapy for elderly patients with esophageal cancer: Our experience

The aim of this study was to discuss the treatment mode of radical radiotherapy for elderly patients with esophageal cancer. The clinical data of 136 elderly patients (≥60 years old) with esophageal cancer (EC) who received radical intensity-modulated radiotherapy in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Cox risk model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis, and Kaplan Meier method was used to calculate progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Cox regression analysis showed that ECOG score, basic diseases, T stage, radiation dose, radiation injury and chemotherapy were the prognostic factors of elderly patients. The median OS of the radiotherapy group, concurrent chemoradiotherapy group and sequential chemoradiotherapy group were 17, 41 and 10 months (p=0.009), respectively. The 3-year OS and PFS of concurrent intravenous chemotherapy and oral chemotherapy were 50%, 42.9% and 34.1%, 28.6% (p=0.641, p=0.702), respectively. The median OS of IFI and ENI were 23 and 24 months (p=0.219) and the local recurrence rate were 59.8% and 43.2% (p=0.069), respectively, but the incidence and mortality of radiation pneumonia and esophagitis in ENI were higher. The 3-year OS and PFS the low-dose group (≤60Gy) and high-dose group (>60Gy) were 19.1%, 40.4% and 14.9%, 29.2% (p=0.012, p=0.049), respectively. In conclusion, for elderly patients with inoperable EC, radical chemoradiotherapy should be considered a preferable selection. Among them, oral drugs and high-dose involved field irradiation exhibited better curative effects and safety

Joint analysis of three genome-wide association studies of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese populations

We conducted a joint (pooled) analysis of three genome-wide association studies (GWAS) 1-3 of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in ethnic Chinese (5,337 ESCC cases and 5,787 controls) with 9,654 ESCC cases and 10,058 controls for follow-up. In a logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, study, and two eigenvectors, two new loci achieved genome-wide significance, marked by rs7447927 at 5q31.2 (per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 0.85, 95% CI 0.82-0.88; P=7.72x10−20) and rs1642764 at 17p13.1 (per-allele OR= 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.91; P=3.10x10−13). rs7447927 is a synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TMEM173 and rs1642764 is an intronic SNP in ATP1B2, near TP53. Furthermore, a locus in the HLA class II region at 6p21.32 (rs35597309) achieved genome-wide significance in the two populations at highest risk for ESSC (OR=1.33, 95% CI 1.22-1.46; P=1.99x10−10). Our joint analysis identified new ESCC susceptibility loci overall as well as a new locus unique to the ESCC high risk Taihang Mountain region

Research of Turbine Tower Optimization Based on Criterion Method

Tower cost makes up an important part in the whole wind turbine construction especially for offshore wind farms. The main method to reduce tower cost is to reduce tower weight by optimum design. This paper proposes a two-level optimization criterion method for the optimal design of steel conical tower considering different structural reliability and uncertainty, along with the discreteness of design variables such as tower thickness and bolt type. In the first level, the tower shell geometry can be obtained by section design method; in the second level, bolted connections and flanges are designed based on the results of the first level. Then, summarized analysis and iterative calculation is performed to obtain optimum tower design with constant strength and rigidness. This method will play an important role in offshore customized turbine design

Biofilm microenvironment triggered self-enhancing photodynamic immunomodulatory microneedle for diabetic wound therapy

Abstract The treatment of diabetic wounds faces enormous challenges due to complex wound environments, such as infected biofilms, excessive inflammation, and impaired angiogenesis. The critical role of the microenvironment in the chronic diabetic wounds has not been addressed for therapeutic development. Herein, we develop a microneedle (MN) bandage functionalized with dopamine-coated hybrid nanoparticles containing selenium and chlorin e6 (SeC@PA), which is capable of the dual-directional regulation of reactive species (RS) generation, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), in response to the wound microenvironment. The SeC@PA MN bandage can disrupt barriers in wound coverings for efficient SeC@PA delivery. SeC@PA not only depletes endogenous glutathione (GSH) to enhance the anti-biofilm effect of RS, but also degrades GSH in biofilms through cascade reactions to generate more lethal RS for biofilm eradication. SeC@PA acts as an RS scavenger in wound beds with low GSH levels, exerting an anti-inflammatory effect. SeC@PA also promotes the M2-phenotype polarization of macrophages, accelerating wound healing. This self-enhanced, catabolic and dynamic therapy, activated by the wound microenvironment, provides an approach for treating chronic wounds

Gut stem cell aging is driven by mTORC1 via a p38 MAPK-p53 pathway.

Nutrients are absorbed solely by the intestinal villi. Aging of this organ causes malabsorption and associated illnesses, yet its aging mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that aging-caused intestinal villus structural and functional decline is regulated by mTORC1, a sensor of nutrients and growth factors, which is highly activated in intestinal stem and progenitor cells in geriatric mice. These aging phenotypes are recapitulated in intestinal stem cell-specific Tsc1 knockout mice. Mechanistically, mTORC1 activation increases protein synthesis of MKK6 and augments activation of the p38 MAPK-p53 pathway, leading to decreases in the number and activity of intestinal stem cells as well as villus size and density. Targeting p38 MAPK or p53 prevents or rescues ISC and villus aging and nutrient absorption defects. These findings reveal that mTORC1 drives aging by augmenting a prominent stress response pathway in gut stem cells and identify p38 MAPK as an anti-aging target downstream of mTORC1