Corrosion Resistance of CrO, ZrO, and MnO Oxide Films to Lead-Bismuth Eutectic: A Comparative Study.

In this study, the stability of CrO, ZrO, and MnO oxide films in high-temperature liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) was systematically investigated using both experimental and first principles calculation methods. The research findings indicated that CrO demonstrated superior structural integrity at corrosion temperatures of both 600 °C and 700 °C and displayed exceptional resistance to LBE corrosion. ZrO demonstrates resistance to LBE infiltration.

Phase-Field Simulation of Spinodal Decomposition in U-50Zr Metallic Nuclear Fuel.

During the γ phase-δ phase transition, U-50Zr fuel experiences spinodal decomposition, which has a significant effect on fuel properties. However, little is known about the spinodal decomposition of U-50Zr. The spinodal decomposition behavior in U-50Zr is studied in this research using the phase-field approach.

Corrosion Behavior of 20G and TP347H in Molten LiCl-NaCl-KCl Salt.

The corrosion behavior of 20G and TP347H materials was investigated in molten LiCl-NaCl-KCl salt. The corrosion rates of these materials in molten chloride salt are high and are strongly affected by the alloying surface oxide formation. The 20G shows uniform surface corrosion with almost no protective oxide formation on the surface.

The Effects of Irradiation on the Improvement in Oxidation Behavior of MX-ODS Steel in Liquid Pb.

Lead-cooled fast reactors exhibit strong inherent safety performance and good economic features, while material degradation due to corrosion and irradiation is still challenging. Oxide dispersion-strengthened steels are one of the promising candidates for fuel cladding materials. The effects of both irradiation and corrosion on ODS steel need to be further studied.

A novel approach on designing ultrahigh burnup metallic TWR fuels: Upsetting the current technological limits.

Abstract: The grand challenge of "net-zero carbon" emission calls for technological breakthroughs in energy production. The traveling wave reactor (TWR) is designed to provide economical and safe nuclear power and solve imminent problems, including limited uranium resources and radiotoxicity burdens from back-end fuel reprocessing/disposal. However, qualification of fuels and materials for TWR remains challenging and it sets an "end of the road" mark on the route of R&D of this technology.

NRSF regulates age-dependently cognitive ability and its conditional knockout in APP/PS1 mice moderately alters AD-like pathology.

NRSF/REST (neuron-restrictive silencer element, also known as repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor), plays a key role in neuronal homeostasis as a transcriptional repressor of neuronal genes. NRSF/REST relates to cognitive preservation and longevity of humans, but its specific functions in age-dependent and Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related memory deficits remain unclear. Here, we show that conditional NRSF/REST knockout either in the dorsal telencephalon or specially in neurons induced an age-dependently diminished retrieval performance in spatial or fear conditioning memory tasks and altered hippocampal synaptic transmission and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity.

Rational design, synthesis, and pharmacological characterisation of dicarbonyl curcuminoid analogues with improved stability against lung cancer via ROS and ER stress mediated cell apoptosis and pyroptosis.

Curcumin is a natural medicine with a wide range of anti-tumour activities. However, due to β-diketone moiety, curcumin exhibits poor stability and pharmacokinetics which significantly limits its clinical applications. In this article, two types of dicarbonyl curcumin analogues with improved stability were designed through the calculation of molecular stability by density functional theory.

Acquiring new memories in neocortex of hippocampal-lesioned mice.

The hippocampus interacts with the neocortical network for memory retrieval and consolidation. Here, we found the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) modulates learning-induced cortical long-range gamma synchrony (20-40 Hz) in a hippocampal-dependent manner. The long-range gamma synchrony, which was coupled to the theta (7-10 Hz) rhythm and enhanced upon learning and recall, was mediated by inter-cortical projections from layer 5 neurons of the LEC to layer 2 neurons of the sensory and association cortices.

Effect of Carbon on Dislocation Loops Formation during Self-Ion Irradiation in Fe-Cr Alloys at High Temperatures.

In this study, two types of ferritic model alloys (Fe-9Cr and Fe-9Cr-C) were simultaneously irradiated with 3.5 MeV Fe ions at 450 °C and 550 °C to a dose of 3dpa at the peak damage region, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to investigate the microstructural evolution of the Fe-Cr alloys after irradiation.

Design and Synthesis of Novel Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid (NDGA) Analogues as Potential FGFR1 Kinase Inhibitors With Anti-Gastric Activity and Chemosensitizing Effect.

Aberrant fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR1), a key driver promoting gastric cancer (GC) progression and chemo-resistance, has been increasingly recognized as a potential therapeutic target in GC. Hereon, we designed and synthesized a series of asymmetric analogues using and NDGA as lead compounds by retaining the basic structural framework (bisaryl-1,4-dien-3-one) and the unilateral active functional groups (3,4-dihydroxyl). Thereinto, showed considerable inhibitory activity against FGFR1.

Effects of Silicon Content and Tempering Temperature on the Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of HT-9 Steels.

Two kinds of experimental ferritic/martensitic steels (HT-9) with different Si contents were designed for the fourth-generation advanced nuclear reactor cladding material. The effects of Si content and tempering temperature on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of these HT-9 steel were studied. The microstructure of experimental steels after quenching and tempering were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM); the mechanical properties were investigated by means of tensile test, Charpy impact test, and hardness test.

Tire-Road Contact Area on Asphalt Concrete Pavement and Its Relationship with the Skid Resistance.

Sufficient pavement skid resistance is one of the essential factors to ensure traffic safety. The real contact area (r) between the tire and road is significant for understanding and improving the skid resistance performance. In this study, the tire-road contact area is measured by squeezing a smooth underside-dyed rubber block into the specimens, using a self-designed fixture mounted on the universal test machine.

Transcription Factor 4 Safeguards Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus Development by Regulating Neural Progenitor Migration.

The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampal formation plays essential roles in learning and memory. Defective DG development is associated with neurological disorders. Here, we show that transcription factor 4 (Tcf4) is essential for DG development.

Xenon Diffusion Mechanism and Xenon Bubble Nucleation and Growth Behaviors in Molybdenum via Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

The behaviors of xenon in molybdenum were studied using molecular statics andmolecular dynamics simulations. The diffusion mechanism of xenon atoms was studied combiningmolecular dynamics, nudged elastic band, and temperature-accelerated dynamics methods. Thevacancy-assisted diffusion mechanism was analyzed and the corresponding energy barriers werecalculated.

A Coupled EBSD/TEM Analysis of the Microstructure Evolution of a Gradient Nanostructured Ferritic/Martensitic Steel Subjected to Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment.

Surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) was performed on a reduced ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel to form a nanostructured (NS) layer on the surface of the sample. Both electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and TEM were used to investigate the microstructure evolution during SMAT. The experimental results showed that there were three different zones after SMAT: (i) The "ultrafine grain" (UFG) zone, observed at the top-most surface region, (ii) the "transition zone" in which the original grains were fragmented under the severe plastic deformation and (iii) the "deformed zone" in which the original grains were simply deformed.

The role of 19S proteasome associated deubiquitinases in activity-dependent hippocampal synaptic plasticity.

Posttranslational modification and degradation of proteins by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is crucial to synaptic transmission. It is well established that 19S proteasome associated deubiquitinases (DUBs) reverse the process of ubiquitination by removing ubiquitin from their substrates. However, their potential contribution to hippocampal synaptic plasticity has not been addressed in detail.

Design, synthesis and QSAR study of novel isatin analogues inspired Michael acceptor as potential anticancer compounds.

Molecular hybridization is considered as an effective tactic to develop drugs for the treatment of cancer. A series of novel hybrid compounds of isatin and Michael acceptor were designed and synthesized on the basis of association principle. These hybrid compounds were tested for cytotoxic potential against human cancer cell lines namely, BGC-823, SGC-7901 and NCI-H460 by MTT assay.

A novel non-ATP competitive FGFR1 inhibitor with therapeutic potential on gastric cancer through inhibition of cell proliferation, survival and migration.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), belonging to receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), possesses various biological functions. Over-expression of FGFR1 has been observed in multiple human malignancies. Hence, targeting FGFR1 is an attractive prospect for the advancement of cancer treatment options.

Novel antioxidants' synthesis and their anti-oxidative activity through activating Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Novel structure compounds (WS) containing 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl and acyl pyrazole were designed and synthesized based combination principles. Among them, WS13 was screened out to possess desirable anti-oxidative activity in vitro. Cell survival assay and apoptosis experiment in HO induced PC12 cells injury model all showed that its cytoprotection exhibited a concentration-effect manner.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of asymmetric EF24 analogues as potential anti-cancer agents for lung cancer.

The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway has been targeted for the therapy of various cancers, including lung cancer. EF24 was considered as a potent inhibitor of NF-κB signaling pathway. In this study, a series of asymmetric EF24 analogues were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-cancer activity against three lung cancer cell lines (A549, LLC, H1650).

Synthesis, biological evaluation, QSAR and molecular dynamics simulation studies of potential fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 inhibitors for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Accumulating evidence suggests that fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is an attractive target in gastric cancer therapy. Based on our previous discovery of two non-ATP competitive FGFR1 inhibitors, A114 and A117, we designed and screened a series of compounds with the framework of bisaryl-1,4-dien-3-one. Among them, D12 and D15 exhibited the most potent FGFR1 inhibitory activity, which was ATP-independent.

Translation of BDNF-gene transcripts with short 3' UTR in hippocampal CA1 neurons improves memory formation and enhances synaptic plasticity-relevant signaling pathways.

While the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and its multiple transcripts have been recognized as a key factor for learning, but the specific involvement of BDNF translated from BDNF transcripts with short-3' untranslated region (short 3' UTR) in learning and memory requires further analysis. In this paper, we present data to show that the transduction of hippocampal CA1 neurons with AAV9-5' UTR-BDNF (short 3' UTR)-IRES-ZsGreen and the subsequent expression of BDNF enhanced the phosphorylation of synaptic plasticity relevant proteins and improved passive avoidance and object location, but not object recognition memory. In addition, BDNF improved the relearning of object location.

Irradiation Induced Microstructure Evolution in Nanostructured Materials: A Review.

Nanostructured (NS) materials may have different irradiation resistance from their coarse-grained (CG) counterparts. In this review, we focus on the effect of grain boundaries (GBs)/interfaces on irradiation induced microstructure evolution and the irradiation tolerance of NS materials under irradiation. The features of void denuded zones (VDZs) and the unusual behavior of void formation near GBs/interfaces in metals due to the interactions between GBs/interfaces and irradiation-produced point defects are systematically reviewed.

Investigation of High-Energy Ion-Irradiated MA957 Using Synchrotron Radiation under Tension.

In this study, an MA957 oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloy was irradiated with high-energy ions in the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System. Fe ions at an energy of 84 MeV bombarded MA957 tensile specimens, creating a damage region ~7.5 μm in depth; the peak damage (~40 dpa) was estimated to be at ~7 μm from the surface.