The Degradation of Intramuscular Connective Tissue In Vitro with Purified Cathepsin L from Bovine Pancreas.

To investigate the possible degradation of the intramuscular connective tissue (IMCT) with cathepsin L, isolated IMCTs were incubated with purified cathepsin L in vitro. Here, we prepared purified cathepsin L from bovine pancreas by using DEAE Sephacel, Sephacryl S-100 HR, SP Sepharose FF, and con A-Sepharose affinity chromatography in sequence. An SDS-PAGE analysis of CNBr-digested peptides showed that the degradation of collagen in IMCT could take place on terminal non-helical peptides rather than the triple helix region.

Effect of Chromium Carbide Addition on the Microstructures and Properties in Dual Carbide Phases Reinforced Ni-Based Composite Coatings by Plasma Cladding.

CrC-modified NiCr-TiC composite coatings were prepared using the plasma spraying technique for different CrC contents on the microstructure and the properties of the Ni-based TiC cladding layer were investigated. The microstructures of the coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, and the friction and wear performance of the coating was evaluated by the wear tests. The results revealed that the surfaces of the CrC-modified NiCr-TiC composite coatings with varying CrC contents were dense and smooth.

Investigation on Microstructures and High-Temperature Oxidation Resistance of Cr Coatings on Zircaloy-4 by Multi-Arc Ion Plating Technology.

Introducing the oxidation-resistant coating on Zr alloy is considered to be one of the potential solutions for accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) materials. In this study, pure Cr coatings were prepared on a Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) alloy surface by multi-arc ion plating under different process parameters. The ability of Cr coating on Zry-4 alloy cladding to improve the oxidation resistance to prevent a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) was studied.

Resonance vibration ameliorating tenderness of yak longissimus thoracis et lumborum: A novel physical tenderization technology.

Physical tenderization technologies for beef have been of particular interest to the meat industry. Here a novel tenderization technology by mechanical resonance vibration was proposed. The fundamental natural frequency (NF) of the yak longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) was obtained through a hammer impacting on the muscle, and was reported to be 24.

Effects of TiAl Alloy as a Binder on Cubic Boron Nitride Composites.

Owing to their extreme hardness, cubic boron nitride (cBN) composites are widely used in cutting applications. The performance of cBN composites is closely related to the characteristics of the binder. Therefore, novel binders must be developed to improve the performance of cBN composites.

Effect of Ti/Ni Coating of Diamond Particles on Microstructure and Properties of High-Entropy Alloy/Diamond Composites.

In this study, an effective way of applying Ti/Ni deposited coating to the surface of diamond single crystal particles by magnetron sputtering was proposed and novel high-entropy alloy (HEA)/diamond composites were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The results show that the interfacial bonding state of the coated diamond composite is obviously better than that of the uncoated diamond composite. Corresponding mechanical properties such as hardness, density, transverse fracture strength and friction properties of the coated diamond composite were also found to be better than those of the uncoated diamond composite.

Effect of Binding and Dispersion Behavior of High-Entropy Alloy (HEA) Powders on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties in a Novel HEA/Diamond Composite.

This study reports the results of the addition of diamonds in the sintering process of a FCC-structured CoCrFeNiMo high-entropy alloy. The effect of raw powder states such as elemental mixed (EM) powder, gas atomization (GA) powder and mechanical alloying (MA) powder on the uniformity of constituent phase was also investigated. Examination of microstructure and evaluation of mechanical properties of the composites depending on the mixing processes were performed.

Polysynthetic twinned TiAl single crystals for high-temperature applications.

TiAl alloys are lightweight, show decent corrosion resistance and have good mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, making them appealing for high-temperature applications. However, polysynthetic twinned TiAl single crystals fabricated by crystal-seeding methods face substantial challenges, and their service temperatures cannot be raised further. Here we report that Ti-45Al-8Nb single crystals with controlled lamellar orientations can be fabricated by directional solidification without the use of complex seeding methods.

NADPH oxidase 1 and its derived reactive oxygen species mediated tissue injury and repair.

Reactive oxygen species are mostly viewed to cause oxidative damage to various cells and induce organ dysfunction after ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, they are also considered as crucial molecules for cellular signal transduction in biology. NADPH oxidase, whose only function is reactive oxygen species production, has been extensively investigated in many cell types especially phagocytes.