Effect of Temperature on AZ31 Alloys Production by Gas Atomization Method

This study experimentally investigates the effect of temperature on the size and shape of the AZ31 alloy powder made by the gas atomization method. A constant nozzle diameter of 2mm was used during the tests at a gas pressure of 35 bar and three different temperatures of 790, 820, and 850°C. Argon gas was used for the atomization of the melt while the shape of the powder produced was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, XRD and XRF analyses were adopted to determine the phases of the powders' internal structure as well as the percentages of each phase. Furthermore, a laser-assisted measurement device was utilized for powder size analysis. The results revealed that most of the AZ31 alloy powders got into flake and spherical forms and few in the form of ligaments, rods or droplets depending on the temperature. Moreover, the finest powder was obtained at a temperature of 790 °C with powder shape of both droplet and spherical

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field