Effect of Al on Microstructure and Properties of Hot-Rolled 2205 Dual Stainless Steel

The microstructure, mechanical properties, oxidation, and corrosion resistance of 2205 stainless steels without and with Al in a range of 0.5 to 2.5 wt.% were investigated in this paper. The results showed that the matrix phase transformed from austenite to ferrite. The volume fraction of the ferrite in the steels decreased at first and then increased and was the lowest in the steel with 0.5 wt.% Al. Most of the Al was dissolved in the ferrite and austenite phases in the steels. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation rate of the steels increased at first and then decreased with the increasing Al content, with the highest values in the steel with 0.5 wt.% Al. The yield strength of the steels slightly increased from 544 to 607 MPa due to the addition of Al. The oxidation rates of the steels with Al were much lower than that of the steel without Al, and the rate of the steel with 1.5 wt.% Al was the lowest, approximately 10 times lower than that of the steel without Al. The corrosion rates of the steels with 0.5 and 1.0 wt.% Al were slightly higher than that of the alloy without Al. In general, the steel with 1 wt.% Al had optimal properties

Spermidine endows macrophages anti-inflammatory properties by inducing mitochondrial superoxide-dependent AMPK activation, Hif-1α upregulation and autophagy.

Distinct metabolic programs, either energy-consuming anabolism or energy-generating catabolism, were required for different biological functions. Macrophages can adopt different immune phenotypes in response to various cues and exhibit anti- or pro-inflammatory properties relying on catabolic pathways associated with oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) or glycolysis. Spermidine, a natural polyamine, has been reported to regulate inflammation through inducing anti-inflammatory (M2) macrophages. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We show here that the M2-polarization induced by spermidine is mediated by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS). The levels of mitochondrial superoxide and H2O2 were markedly elevated by spermidine. Mechanistically, mtROS were found to activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which in turn enhanced mitochondrial function. Furthermore, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (Hif-1α) was upregulated by the AMPK activation and mtROS and was required for the expression of anti-inflammatory genes and induction of autophagy. Consistent with previous report that autophagy is required for the M2 polarization, we found that the M2 polarization induced by spermidine was also mediated by increased autophagy. The macrophages treated with spermidine in vitro were found to ameliorate Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice. Thus, spermidine can elicit an anti-inflammatory program driven by mtROS-dependent AMPK activation, Hif-1α stabilization and autophagy induction in macrophages. Our studies revealed a critical role of mtROS in shaping macrophages into M2-like phenotype and provided novel information for management of inflammatory disease by spermidine

A Review of Converter Circuits for Ambient Micro Energy Harvesting

The Internet of Things (IoT) has a great number of sensor nodes distributed in different environments, and the traditional approach uses batteries to power these nodes: however, the resultant huge cost of battery replacement means that the battery-powered approach is not the optimal solution. Micro energy harvesting offers the possibility of self-powered sensor nodes. This paper provides an overview of energy harvesting technology, and describes the methods for extracting energy from various sources, including photovoltaic, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, and RF; in addition, the characteristics of the four types of energy sources and the applicable circuit structures are summarized. This paper gives the pros and cons of the circuits, and future directions. The design challenges are the efficiency and size of the circuit. MPPT, as an important method of improving the system efficiency, is also highlighted and compared

Room-Temperature Synthesis of Highly-Efficient Eu3+-Activated KGd2F7 Red-Emitting Nanoparticles for White Light-Emitting Diode

Luminescent materials with high thermal stability and quantum efficiency are extensively desired for indoor illumination. In this research, a series of Eu3+-activated KGd2F7 red-emitting nanoparticles were prepared at room temperature and their phase structure, morphology, luminescence properties, as well as thermal stability, have been studied in detail. Excited by 393 nm, the resultant nanoparticles emitted bright red emissions and its optimal status was realized when the Eu3+ content was 30 mol%, in which the concentration quenching mechanism was triggered by electric dipole–dipole interaction. Through theoretical analysis via the Judd–Ofelt theory, one knows that Eu3+ situates at the high symmetry sites in as-prepared nanoparticles. Moreover, the internal and extra quantum efficiencies of designed nanoparticles were dependent on Eu3+ content. Furthermore, the studied nanoparticles also had splendid thermal stability and the corresponding activation energy was 0.18 eV. Additionally, via employing the designed nanoparticles as red-emitting constituents, a warm white light-emitting diode (white-LED), which exhibits low correlated color temperature (4456 K), proper luminous efficiency (17.2 lm/W) and high color rendering index (88.3), was developed. Our findings illustrate that Eu3+-activated KGd2F7 nanoparticles with bright red emissions are able to be used to promote the performance of white-LED

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Differences in the expression profiles of claudin proteins in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma compared with non-neoplastic mucosa

Abstract Background Several studies have suggested that claudin proteins, which are the main components of tight junction structures, are related to the regulation of cell polarity and cell differentiation. Method To explore the expression profiles of the tight junction proteins claudin-2, − 5, − 8 and − 9 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, IHC (immunohistochemical analysis), Western blot and real-time PCR were used to detect the expression profiles of these claudin proteins in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and in non-neoplastic mucosal tissues. Results According to our study, the expression levels of claudin-2 and claudin-5 were reduced, while the expression of claudin-8 was increased in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues in comparison with non-neoplastic mucosal tissues. Correlations between claudin-2 and -5 expression and metastatic progression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were also found. Conclusion In summary, our research reveals distinct expression profiles of claudin-2, − 5 and − 8 in non-neoplastic mucosal tissues and nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues. In addition, the expression of these claudin proteins was highly correlated with metastatic progression and prognosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and had predictive value for the metastasis and survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

Retraction Note to: Differences in the expression profiles of claudin proteins in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma compared with non-neoplastic mucosa

The editor has retracted this article [1] because of flaws and inconsistencies in the methodology, reporting and interpretation of the data