Evaluation of Wear Resistance in Tungsten-Doped Diamond-like Carbon Coatings (WC/C) on Coated and Uncoated Surfaces Under Starved Oil Lubrication with R452A Refrigerant.

This article assesses the potential of using a diamond-like carbon coating doped with tungsten, a-C:H:W (WC/C), on the sliding pairs of refrigeration compressors. The ability of WC/C coating to provide low wear and a low coefficient of friction was experimentally verified in a specific refrigeration compressor operating environment (lubrication with oil diluted with refrigerant) and under extreme operating conditions (starved lubrication with a small amount of oil). Conditions of starved lubrication with a substance of reduced lubricity promote a temperature increase and high mechanical (friction) stresses on the surface of the sliding pairs.

Composite Materials Used for Dental Fillings.

This article explores the properties of composite materials employed in dental fillings. A traditional nano-hybrid composite containing nanofiller particles exceeding 82% by weight served as a benchmark. The remaining samples were fabricated from ormocer resin, maintaining an identical nanofiller content of 84%.

Exploratory Data Analysis for the Evaluation of Tribological Properties of Wear-Resistant Surface Layers Modified with Rare-Earth Metals.

The role of rare Earth metals in the improvement of the properties of metals and alloys has been analysed and described in multiple studies. Their effects on changes in microstructure and mechanical properties are most pronounced. This paper focuses on the beneficial effect of rare Earth metal oxides on the wear resistance of surface layers applied to castings intended for structural elements of machinery and equipment in mining and recycling.

Dystrophin deficiency affects human astrocyte properties and response to damage.

In addition to progressive muscular degeneration due to dystrophin mutations, 1/3 of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients present cognitive deficits. However, there is currently an incomplete understanding about the function of the multiple dystrophin isoforms in human brains. Here, we tested the hypothesis that dystrophin deficiency affects glial function in DMD and could therefore contribute to neural impairment.

Assessment of the Functional Properties of 316L Steel Alloy Subjected to Ion Implantation Used in Biotribological Systems.

Clinical trials conducted in many centres worldwide indicate that, despite advances made in the use of biomaterials for medical applications, tribocorrosive wear remains a significant issue. The release of wear residue into body fluids can cause inflammation and, as a result, implant failure. Surface modification is one of the methods used to improve the mechanical, tribological, and fatigue properties of biomaterials.

Tribochemical Interactions between Graphene and ZDDP in Friction Tests for Uncoated and W-DLC-Coated HS6-5-2C Steel.

If a lubricant contains structures capable of conducting energy, reactions involving zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) may take place both very close to and away from the solid surfaces, with this indicating that ZDDP can be a highly effective anti-wear (AW) additive. The central thesis of this article is that the tribocatalytic effect is observed only when the energy emitted by the solids is transmitted by ordered molecular structures present in the lubricant, e.g.

Tribochemical Interactions between Carbon Nanotubes and ZDDP Antiwear Additive during Tribofilm Formation on Uncoated and DLC-Coated Steel.

The data from the authors' earlier investigations show that molecules of zinc dithiophosphate (ZDDP) added to a lubricant can absorb energy emitted by a solid surface, which is where triboreactions occur. If the lubricant contains structures able to conduct energy, the ZDDP reactions can occur even at a relatively large distance from the solid surface, which should increase the effectiveness of ZDDP as an antiwear additive. The purpose of this paper was to verify the thesis that the tribocatalytic effect depends on the ability of the solid surface to emit electrons/energy and the ability of ordered molecular structures, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), to conduct energy and, most likely, to enhance the energy transfer.

Microarray analysis of LTR retrotransposon silencing identifies Hdac1 as a regulator of retrotransposon expression in mouse embryonic stem cells.

Retrotransposons are highly prevalent in mammalian genomes due to their ability to amplify in pluripotent cells or developing germ cells. Host mechanisms that silence retrotransposons in germ cells and pluripotent cells are important for limiting the accumulation of the repetitive elements in the genome during evolution. However, although silencing of selected individual retrotransposons can be relatively well-studied, many mammalian retrotransposons are seldom analysed and their silencing in germ cells, pluripotent cells or somatic cells remains poorly understood.

Apoptosis and DNA methylation.

Epigenetic mechanisms assist in maintaining gene expression patterns and cellular properties in developing and adult tissues. The molecular pathology of disease states frequently includes perturbation of DNA and histone methylation patterns, which can activate apoptotic pathways associated with maintenance of genome integrity. This perspective focuses on the pathways linking DNA methyltransferases and methyl-CpG binding proteins to apoptosis, and includes new bioinformatic analyses to characterize the evolutionary origin of two G/T mismatch-specific thymine DNA glycosylases, MBD4 and TDG.

The non-methylated DNA-binding function of Kaiso is not required in early Xenopus laevis development.

Mammalian forms of the transcription repressor, Kaiso, can reportedly bind methylated DNA and non-methylated CTGCNA motifs. Here we compare the DNA-binding properties of Kaiso from frog, fish and chicken and demonstrate that only the methyl-CpG-binding function of Kaiso is evolutionarily conserved. We present several independent experimental lines of evidence that the phenotypic abnormalities associated with xKaiso-depleted Xenopus laevis embryos are independent of the putative CTGCNA-dependent DNA-binding function of xKaiso.

The interaction of xKaiso with xTcf3: a revised model for integration of epigenetic and Wnt signalling pathways.

We demonstrate that a direct interaction between the methyl-CpG-dependent transcription repressor Kaiso and xTcf3, a transducer of the Wnt signalling pathway, results in their mutual disengagement from their respective DNA-binding sites. Thus, the transcription functions of xTcf3 can be inhibited by overexpression of Kaiso in cell lines and Xenopus embryos. The interaction of Kaiso with xTcf3 is highly conserved and is dependent on its zinc-finger domains (ZF1-3) and the corresponding HMG DNA-binding domain of TCF3/4 factors.

Detection of small RNAs in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by RNomics and structure-based bioinformatic tools.

Inactivation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) hfq gene, encoding the Sm-like Hfq protein, resulted in pleiotropic effects that included an attenuated virulence. As regulation by Hfq often involves the action of small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs), we have used a shotgun cloning approach (RNomics) and bioinformatic tools to identify sRNAs in strain PAO1. For cDNA library construction, total RNA was extracted from PAO1 cultures either grown to stationary phase or exposed to human serum.

Identification of novel guide RNAs from the mitochondria of Trypanosoma brucei.

The majority of mitochondrial mRNAs in African trypanosomes are subject to an RNA editing reaction, which is characterized by the insertion and/or deletion of U nucleotides only. The reaction creates functional mRNAs and is catalyzed by a high molecular mass enzyme complex, the editosome. Editosomes interact with a unique class of small non-coding, 3'-oligouridylated (oU) RNAs, so-called guide RNAs (gRNAs).

Small ncRNA transcriptome analysis from kinetoplast mitochondria of Leishmania tarentolae.

Gene expression in mitochondria of kinetoplastid protozoa requires RNA editing, a post-transcriptional process which involves insertion or deletion of uridine residues at specific sites within mitochondrial pre-mRNAs. Sequence specificity of the RNA editing process is mediated by oligo-uridylated small, non-coding RNAs, designated as guide RNAs (gRNAs). In this study, we have analyzed the small ncRNA transcriptome from kinetoplast mitochondria of Leishmania tarentolae by generating specialized cDNA libraries encoding size-selected RNA species.

Identification of small non-coding RNAs from mitochondria and chloroplasts.

Small non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been identified in a wide spectrum of organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. In eukarya, systematic searches for ncRNAs have so far been restricted to the nuclear or cytosolic compartments of cells. Whether or not small stable non-coding RNA species also exist in cell organelles, in addition to tRNAs or ribosomal RNAs, is unknown.