New Spheroidizing Technique of Ultra-High Carbon Steel With Aluminum Addition

A new spheroidizing process of ultra-high carbon steel （UHCS） containing C 1.55%, Cr 1.45%, and Al 1.5% in mass percent has been proposed. The effect of processing parameters on the microstructure was analyzed. The UHCS produced by this new process has a microstructure with recrystallized ferrite matrix and fine and uniform carbide particles. After this spheroidizing, the UHCS exhibits good mechanical properties at ambient temperature, for example σb= 1 100 MPa, σs =915 MPa, δ=8% and high ratio of σs/σb.

Spheroidizing mechanism and practice of eutectic carbides in Fe-W-C alloy

The influences of Ce, K and Na on the structures and properties of Fe-W-C alloy were investigated, and the idea estimating spheroidizing effect of carbides using circular degree(C.D) was put forward. The result shows that eutectic carbide turns into sphericity from network after modification, carbide is refined and uniformly distributed and C.D of eutectic carbide increases. The mechanism of carbide spheroidizing was analyzed. The impact toughness and abrasion resistance of Fe-W-C obviously improve with the rise of C.D of carbides. The service life of modified Fe-W-C roll is 30% higher than that of high chromium cast iron roll, while its production cost is reduced by 30%.

Spheroidizing Kinetics and Optimization of Heat Treatment Parameters in CK60 Steel Using Taguchi Robust Design

For processing parts made from medium carbon steel, toughness and flexibility are of importance. There- fore, to achieve these properties, the cementite in the steels is spheroidized through heat treatment. Different parameters such as the time and temperature of spheroidizing and the initial microstructure of the steel affect the amount of spheroidized cementite. In the present work, the percent of contribution of two parameters, i.e. initial microstructure and spheroidizing time, to the percent of spheroidization in CK60 steel was investigated using Taguchi robust design. The initial microstructures consisted of martensite, coarse pearlite, fine pearlite and bainite and the chosen spheroidization times were 4, 8, 12, and 16h. Spheroidizing was done at the constant temperature 700℃. After spheroidizing was completed, the samples were prepared in order to observe their microstructure under an optical microscope and to determine the spheroidized percent using MIPTM （metallographic image processing） software. It was found that the spheroidizing time had the most influence （58.5 ~//0） on spheroidized percent and the initial microstructure only had a 31.1% contribution. Finally, the instantaneous growth rate of the carbide was also deduced.

Valence electron theory of graphite spheroidizing in primary crystallization

Bond-length-difference (BLD) analysis results show that austenrte and cementite containing Mg, Zr. S have very different valence electron structures from Fe -C austenite and cementite. We find that this difference is the tie of absorption hypothesis, surface tension hypothesis, undercooling hypothesis in graphite spheroidizing theory. By using "the model of valence electron theory of drag-like effect" in our previous paper in crystallization theory, the spheroidizing effect of Mg and Zr and the anti-spheroidizing effect of S can be explained with the valence electron structure data of phases. Therefore, electron theory of graphite spheroidizing can be advanced.

Spheroidizing Behavior and Spheroidizing Kinetics of W-phase During Solid-Solution Treatment in Mg–Zn–Y–Mn–(B)Alloys

The spheroidizing mechanism of W-phase in the Mg–Zn–Y–Mn–（B） alloys during solid-solution treatment was investigated by using kinetic methodologies. The microstructure and mechanical properties of heat-treated Mg_（94）Zn_（2.5）-Y_（2.5）Mn_1 alloy containing 0.003 wt% B were compared with heat-treated Mg_（94）Zn_（2.5）-Y_（2.5）Mn_1 alloy. The heat-treated Mg_（94）Zn_（2.5）-Y_（2.5）Mn_1 alloy with 0.003 wt% B contained fine and uniform W-phase particles, which exhibited optimal mechanical performance. The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation were 287.7, 125.5 MPa and 21.1%,respectively.

A novel DPSS filter optimization scheme to reduce the intrinsic interference of FBMC-QAM systems

In order to reduce the intrinsic interference of the filter bank multicarrier-quadrature amplitude modulation(FBMC-QAM)system,a novel filter optimization scheme based on discrete prolate spheroidal sequences(DPSS)is proposed.Firstly,a prototype filter function based on DPSS is designed,since the eigenvalue can be used as an indicator of the energy concentration of DPSS,so a threshold is set,and the sequence with the most concentrated energy is selected under the threshold,that is,the sequence with the eigenvalue higher than the threshold,and the prototype filter function is rewritten as a weighted sum function of multiple eigenvectors.Under the energy constraints of the filter,the relationship between the eigenvectors and the intrinsic interference function is established,and the function problem is transformed into an optimization problem for the weighted coefficients.Through the interior point method,the most suitable weight is found to obtain the minimum intrinsic interference result.Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that compared with the prototype filters such as Type1 and CaseC,the DPSS filter applying the proposed optimization algorithm can effectively suppress the intrinsic interference of the system and obtain a better bit error rate(BER)performance.

Spatiotemporal pharmacometabolomics based on ambient mass spectrometry imaging to evaluate the metabolism and hepatotoxicity of amiodarone in HepG2 spheroids

Three-dimensional(3D)cell spheroid models combined with mass spectrometry imaging(MSI)enables innovative investigation of in vivo-like biological processes under different physiological and pathological conditions.Herein,airflow-assisted desorption electrospray ionization-MSI(AFADESI-MSI)was coupled with 3D HepG2 spheroids to assess the metabolism and hepatotoxicity of amiodarone(AMI).High-coverage imaging of>1100 endogenous metabolites in hepatocyte spheroids was achieved using AFADESI-MSI.Following AMI treatment at different times,15 metabolites of AMI involved in Ndesethylation,hydroxylation,deiodination,and desaturation metabolic reactions were identified,and according to their spatiotemporal dynamics features,the metabolic pathways of AMI were proposed.Subsequently,the temporal and spatial changes in metabolic disturbance within spheroids caused by drug exposure were obtained via metabolomic analysis.The main dysregulated metabolic pathways included arachidonic acid and glycerophospholipid metabolism,providing considerable evidence for the mechanism of AMI hepatotoxicity.In addition,a biomarker group of eight fatty acids was selected that provided improved indication of cell viability and could characterize the hepatotoxicity of AMI.The combination of AFADESI-MSI and HepG2 spheroids can simultaneously obtain spatiotemporal information for drugs,drug metabolites,and endogenous metabolites after AMI treatment,providing an effective tool for in vitro drug hepatotoxicity evaluation.

The generation and properties of human cortical organoids as a disease model for malformations of cortical development

As three-dimensional“organ-like”aggregates,human cortical organoids have emerged as powerful models for studying human brain evolution and brain disorders with unique advantages of humanspecificity,fidelity and manipulation.Human cortical organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells can elaborately replicate many of the key properties of human cortical development at the molecular,cellular,structural,and functional levels,including the anatomy,functional neural network,and interaction among different brain regions,thus facilitating the discovery of brain development and evolution.In addition to studying the neuro-electrophysiological features of brain cortex development,human cortical organoids have been widely used to mimic the pathophysiological features of cortical-related disease,especially in mimicking malformations of cortical development,thus revealing pathological mechanism and identifying effective drugs.In this review,we provide an overview of the generation of human cortical organoids and the properties of recapitulated cortical development and further outline their applications in modeling malformations of cortical development including pathological phenotype,underlying mechanisms and rescue strategies.

Changes of protein expression during tumorosphere formation of small cell lung cancer circulating tumor cells

Small cell lung cancer(SCLC)is frequently disseminated and has a dismal prognosis with survival times of approximately two years.This cancer responds well to initial chemotherapy but recurs within a short time as a globally chemoresistant tumor.Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)are held responsible for metastasis,the extremely high numbers of these cells in advanced SCLC allowed us to establish several permanent CTC cell lines.These CTCs are distinguished by the spontaneous formation of large spheroids,termed tumorospheres,in regular tissue culture.These contain quiescent and hypoxic cells in their interior and are associated with high chemoresistance compared to single cell cultures.Nine CTC lines were compared for their expression of 84 proteins associated with cancer either as single cells or in the form of tumorospheres in Western blot arrays.With the exception of the UHGc5 line,all other CTC lines express EpCAM and lack a complete EpCAM-negative,vimentin-positive epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)phenotype.Upon formation of tumorospheres the expression of EpCAM,that mediates cell-cell adhesion is markedly upregulated.Proteins such as E-Cadherin,p27 KIP1,Progranulin,BXclx,Galectin-3,and Survivin showed variable changes for the distinct CTC cell lines.In conclusion,EpCAM presents the most critical marker for individual SCLC CTCs and the assembly of highly chemoresistant tumorospheres.

Ca^(2+)-induced myelin pathology precedes axonal spheroid formation and is mediated in part by store-operated Ca^(2+)entry after spinal cord injury

The formation of axonal spheroid is a common feature following spinal cord injury.To further understand the source of Ca^(2+)that mediates axonal spheroid formation,we used our previously characterized ex vivo mouse spinal cord model that allows precise perturbation of extracellular Ca^(2+).We performed twophoton excitation imaging of spinal cords isolated from Thy1YFP+transgenic mice and applied the lipophilic dye,Nile red,to record dynamic changes in dorsal column axons and their myelin sheaths respectively.We selectively released Ca^(2+)from internal stores using the Ca^(2+)ionophore ionomycin in the presence or absence of external Ca^(2+).We reported that ionomycin dose-dependently induces pathological changes in myelin and pronounced axonal spheroid formation in the presence of normal 2 m M Ca^(2+)artificial cerebrospinal fluid.In contrast,removal of external Ca^(2+)significantly decreased ionomycin-induced myelin and axonal spheroid formation at 2 hours but not at 1 hour after treatment.Using mice that express a neuron-specific Ca^(2+)indicator in spinal cord axons,we confirmed that ionomycin induced significant increases in intra-axonal Ca^(2+),but not in the absence of external Ca^(2+).Periaxonal swelling and the resultant disruption in the axo-myelinic interface often precedes and is negatively correlated with axonal spheroid formation.Pretreatment with YM58483(500 n M),a well-established blocker of store-operated Ca^(2+)entry,significantly decreased myelin injury and axonal spheroid formation.Collectively,these data reveal that ionomycin-induced depletion of internal Ca^(2+)stores and subsequent external Ca^(2+)entry through store-operated Ca^(2+)entry contributes to pathological changes in myelin and axonal spheroid formation,providing new targets to protect central myelinated fibers.

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of heating and melting behaviors of cerium oxide powders in radio frequency thermal plasma

The present study aims at the numerical simulations of the melting process of cerium oxide particles in RF thermal plasma.The physical model and the calculating method were described firstly;the interaction between cerium oxide particles and plasma was analyzed;specific attention was given to the effects of particle initial size,injection velocity on the particle melting and trajectory in plasma.The influence of the temperature field and velocity field distribution of the plasma around the particle trajectory on the melting effect is analyzed,and the relationship between the heat absorption efficiency of the particles and the particle size reduction process is further determined.It is also found that there exists an optimal particle initial injection velocity which led to a more concentrated final particle size distribution and a more significant reduction of particle size.The results could provide effective guidance for understanding the plasma spheroidization process of uranium dioxide and cerium dioxide powder particles.

Essential tremor:A three-dimensional neurosphere in vitro model to assess the neurotoxicity of harmane

Objectives: To use a novel in vitro model of three-dimensional(3D) neurosphere cultures to assess neurotoxic or neuroprotective effects with harmane as a model compound.Methods: A reproducible model of 3D spheroids was developed from embryonic mouse cortical neurons,using molded agarose micro-wells;this method seems particularly practical as it is customizable and widely available and does not require specific cell treatments or assay components different from 2D cultures, allowing for the easy transposition of routine protocols. To assess the neurotoxic effects of harmane, a resazurin assay was performed to measure cell viability, and a highly sensitive fluorometric method, based on the oxidation of dichlorodihydrofluorescein, was applied to measure eventually induced reactive oxygen species(ROS) after exposure to harmane at increasing concentrations of 50 100,and 250 μm.Results: Hydrogel microwells facilitated the assembly of spheroids containing neurons and glial cells into a complex 3D structure and prevented the agglomeration of spheroids. Exposure to harmane induced cytotoxicity in 3D neural spheroids, which was correlated with harmane concentrations, with a 27%reduction in viability at 250 μm. Harmane that did not induce significant levels of oxidative stress was detected for all tested concentrations.Conclusion: This 3D neurosphere model mimics a neuronal microenvironment, allowing a fine study of neurodegenerative disorders and the effects of chemicals on the brain. This model opens novel opportunities, not only from a pathogenetic point of view but also from a therapeutic perspective.

Morphogenesis of Floating Bone Segments: A Legacy of Serial Tensile Cross-Strut Microdamage in Trabecular Disconnection “Crumple Zones”?

Trabecular bone disconnection “hotspots” of real termini (ReTm) previously mapped as loci of weakness in the female aging spine and hip may be a source of free-floating cancellous segments found in the medullary space using a bespoke, thick slice histological method for identifying ReTm. A factor in their origin is apparently microdamage proliferation (differentiated by en bloc silver staining) with occasional callus moderation. Validation of similar “floating segments” (FS) in the ex-breeder rat suggested a pilot model for a potentially common phenomenon. Following marrow elution and density fractionation of the isolated floating segments from the whole proximal rat femora, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental microanalysis (EDS) was performed. The eluent contained numbers of vertically truncated, laterally branched floating segments (acute severance of sequential tensile cross-struts, causing chronic compression overload of axial-struts, with ii) inadequate stabilising callus, facilitating ReTm stacking into predetermined, substructural “crumple zones” of force containment, spheroidal attrition and particulate dissociation. As a catabolic outcome of altered tensile and hormonal influence, FS number may add a novel variable to cancellous bone kinetics particularly in women of relevance to fracture predisposition.

基于PSWF的正交载波调制方法

为了提高通信系统的能效,提出了一种高效正交载波调制方法。在该方法中,基于能效优先原则,采用频谱混叠、时域正交的椭圆球面波函数(prolate spheroidal wave function,PSWF)设计基带脉冲波形,通过正交的同频载波实现载波调制。理论分析及数值仿真了该调制方法的差错性能、频域能量集中度。仿真结果表明,带内能量聚集度可达99.8%,该特性可大幅减小对相邻用户的电磁干扰,并有利于提高信号的抗干扰性能。

Effect of Rare Earth on Microstructures and Properties of High Speed Steel With High Carbon Content

The effects of rare earth （RE） on the microstructures and properties of high carbon high speed steel （HCHSS） were investigated. The results show that when suitable RE is added to the HCHSS, the effect of RE on the austenite and eutectic carbides is obvious. The austenite grain and coarse eutectic structure are refined, and flake carbides in the eutectic structures become short and fine. After heat treatment, most of the eutectic carbides are spheroidized and distributed in a uniform manner. The hardness and red hardness of modified HCHSS are slightly increased; impact toughness is greatly increased by 37.81% and reaches 10.17 J/cm^2. The mechanism by which RE improves the structures and properties of HCHSS is also analyzed.

Spheroidization and Ostwald Growth of Carbide in Isothermal Process of Hot-Deformed High Carbon Chromium Cast Steel

In isothermal spheroidizing process,the spheroidization and growth of the carbide formed in hot-deformed high-carbon chromium cast steel at high temperature were investigated.The results showed that the spheroidizing growth of carbide proceeds in such a way that the bigger carbide particles swallow the smaller ones,and the short rhabdoid carbides dissolve and are spheroidized by itself.When the samples were held at 720℃ for more than 3 h,the spheroidization is not obvious.The feature of the process is the size increment and the amount decrement of carbide particles.The empirical equation for growth rate of carbides was obtained.The volume fraction of carbides keeps constant.The growth process agrees well with Ostwald Ripening Law.

大张角聚焦换能器中的张角变化对生物组织温度场的影响

高强度聚焦超声(HIFU)是现代医学肿瘤治疗物理疗法的一项重要技术,其原理是通过聚焦方法将大面积超声聚焦换能器辐射出的声能量汇聚于面积极小的聚焦区,使聚焦区获得较强的声能量并利用超声波的热效应在短时间内使病灶部位获得较高的温升,从而使肿瘤组织热凝固坏死.大张角聚焦换能器指的是球面半张角大于16.6°的球壳式聚焦换能器.相对于传统的小张角换能器,大张角聚焦换能器拥有更强的声聚焦效应,聚焦区半径更小,穿透性更好,声能量聚焦效果明显强于小张角换能器,所以可以获得更好的温升.利用Spheroidal Beam Equation(SBE)方程求解大张角聚焦换能器条件下的声场获得空间热源的产热率,然后通过Pennes方程解出大张角聚焦换能器条件下生物组织中的温度场分布.研究不同改变张角方式下大张角聚焦换能器作用下生物组织的温升分布情况,研究结果表明改变换能器的孔径以改变张角时,张角越大温升越大,而改变其焦距以改变张角时,温度变化则相反.实验也验证了换能器孔径变化对生物组织中的温升的影响.

REMAINING LIFE ASSESSMENT OF A 1Cr5Mo STEEL BY USING Z-PARAMETER METHOD

Z-parameter method based on the Larson-Miller relationship is proposed to assess remaining life of a 1Cr5Mo steel. The non-linear master curve of stress a vs. Larson-Miller parameter P of the steel can be expressed as: P=29.608-5. 085logσ. A family of curves parallel to the master curve can be expressed as: P=29.608-Z-5.085logσ, where the value of Z represents the magnitude deviated from the master curve. A relationship between the value of Z-parameter and the level of spheroidization E (mi-crostructural degradation) can be expressed as: Z=0.203(E-1).

Primary porcine hepatocytes with portal vein serum cultured on microcarriers or in spheroidal aggregates

AIM To develop a culture mode providingdurable biomaterials with high yields andactivities used in bioartificial liver.METHODS Hepatocytes were isolated from awhole pig liver by Seglen’s method of orthotopicperfusion with collagenase.In culture onmicrocarriers,primary porcine hepatocyteswere inoculated at a concentration of 5×10~7/mLinto the static culture systems containing 2 g/LCytodex-3,then supplemented with 100 mL/Lfetal calf serum(FCS)or 100 mL/L porcineportal vein serum(PPVS)respectively.Inspheroidal aggregate culture hepatocytes wereinoculated into 100 mL siliconized flasks at aconcentration of 5.0×10~6/mL.RESULTS In culture on microcarriershepatocytes tended to aggregate on Cytodex-3obviously after being inoculated.Typical multi-cellular aggregated spheroids could be found inthe two systems 24 h-48 h after hepatocyteswere cultured.The morphological charact-eristics and synthetic functions were maintainedfor 5 wk in FCS culture system and 8 wk in PPVSculture system.In spheroidal aggregate cultureabout 80%-90% isolated hepatocytes becameaggregated spheroids 24h after cultured insuspension and mean diameter of the spheroidswas 100μm.The relationship among thehepatocytes resembled that in the liver in vivo.Synthetic functions of albumin and urea of the spheroids were twice those of hepatocytescultured on monolayers.CONCLUSION As high-yields and high-activitymodes of culture on microcarriers or inspheroidal aggregate culture with portal veinserum are promising to provide biomaterials forbioartificial liver(BAL)efficiently.

Formation Mechanism of Chunky Graphite and Its Preventive Measures

The formation mechanism of chunky graphite has been reviewed and studied. The study consisted of a unidirectional solidification method, a small droplet method and a furnace cooling method. Four kinds of iron samples were prepared, namely, the pure Fe-C, Fe-C-S, Fe-C-Ce and Fe-C-Si-Ce alloys, and three kinds of nickel samples, namely the Ni-C, Ni-C-S and Ni-C-Mg alloys. The results of the unidirectional solidification of the Ni-C alloys showed that spheroidal graphite is not observed in the continuous solidified region, in which only flake-like graphite is observed, while spheroidal graphite is usually observed in the quenched liquid region. The existence of spheroidal graphite in the solidified phase is recognized only in the discontinuous growth mode of the Ni-C-Mg alloy solidified at 150 mm/h. This means that the spheroidal graphite is directly crystallized from the melt and entrapped by the flake-like chunky graphite that is formed by the continuous growth mode. In the small droplet method, a small piece of the Fe-C or Fe-C-Ce sample was melted on a pure graphite plate then cooled at a different cooling rate in a He-3%H2 atmosphere. The graphite in the Fe-C-Ce alloy is usually spherical. Nevertheless, the graphite morphology of the final solidified area changed from spherical to chunky and chunky to ledeburite with an increase in the cooling rate. This means that the chunky graphite is formed in the residual liquid region by the solidification into Fe-graphite system. The sample was cooled in a furnace, and the graphite morphology changes from spherical to chunky and chunky to ledeburite with the decrease in the Si content. These phenomena can be confirmed by the cooling curves of these samples.