Search

The heme oxygenase (HO) system is an important regulatory arm of the intrinsic cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory system. HO-2 plays an important role in regulating inflammation following injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of HO-2 overexpression on inflammatory responses. A skin transplantation model, involving the application of skin grafts from wild-type or HO-2 overexpressing mice to BALB/c mice, was used for investigation. HO-2 overexpression suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6) in macrophages compared to that in macrophages obtained from control mice. HO-2 overexpression also significantly prolonged the survival of allografted skin. Our findings suggest that HO-2 attenuates inflammatory responses and effectively prolongs skin graft survival.

This study systematically investigated the low cycle fatigue deformation of a high Nb-containing TiAl alloy with a nominal chemical composition of Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.02Y at 850 °C by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD) techniques. Cyclic stress-strain (CSS) behavior, lattice strain, and peak broadening of {100}α2, {201}γ, and {202}ωo planes, phase transformations, and crack propagation behavior were obtained for samples with three total strain amplitudes: Δet/2 = ±0.25%, Δet/2 = ±0.28%, and Δet/2 = ±0.30%. At early deformation stages, α2lamellae transformed into ωo phase with a distinct orientation relationship, and a certain orientation relationship (OR) between them was observed after the following cyclic deformation. Furthermore, γ particles precipitated within the single ωo area. In addition, according to the peak intensity and peak broadening results, the ωo → B2 phase transformation occurred, leading to the appearance of single B2-phase areas. The lattice strains in the ωo phase were always in tension during the cyclic deformation and large differences of the lattice strains were found in the γ phase and α2 phase, not only the values but also the directions, which resulted in crack nucleated at and propagated along the α2/γ lamellar interface. This study provides a better understanding of the low cycle fatigue deformation of TiAl alloys.

Creep rupture tests of the as-forged Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-(W,B,Y) alloy with a duplex microstructure were carried out at 750–850 °C and 130–300 MPa. An investigation was performed to study the effects of temperature and stress on the microstructure and texture evolution, as well as on the creep properties of the forged high Nb-containing TiAl alloy with a duplex microstructure. The results show that the stress exponent n = 2.8–3.3, and the creep activation energy values are in the range of 300–400 kJ/mol. After creep, a regular arrangement of ωo precipitations was observed in the βo region. The un-transformed βo phase, which remained in the ωo interval, was examined using high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). It is shown that the growth of ωo precipitations and the morphology of residual βo phases are related to the creep temperature and stress. Certain βo stabilizer elements, such as Nb, segregate into α2 plates and cause ωo precipitation during dissolution of α2 plates at high temperature. The interfacial structure between the ωo and α2 phases was studied in detail using HRTEM. Meanwhile, texture evolution and dynamic recrystallization of the γ phase were studied using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Observations on the deformation structure also demonstrate that ωo precipitation acts as an obstacle inhibiting crack propagation and growth of the γ phase. The corresponding formation mechanism and possible effects on creep are discussed.

Phase equilibria in the Ti-Al-Nb ternary system at 1400 °C was established, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA). No ternary compound was observed in this work. Compared with the calculated results, the α + β + γ three-phase region moves to higher Nb and Al contents and the σ + β + γ three-phase region moves to a lower Ti content in our experimental results. The tie-triangle of σ + δ + β moves to lower Ti and higher Nb contents. As a result, the homogeneity range of single α phase hugely expands to higher Nb and Al contents and the homogeneity range of single β phase region hugely expands to a higher Al content. The phase regions are also different with the previous reported experimental results.

Ordered omega (ω o ) phases are considered to be equilibrium phases in high Nb-TiAl alloys at intermediate temperatures. However, most studies have focused on the evolution behaviors of these phases during annealing, while the precipitation behavior has not been systematically studied. In the present work, the precipitation behavior of the ω o phase (B8 2 structure) in the Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.02Y (at.%) alloy during annealing at 850 °C was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After annealing at 1150 °C for 2 h followed by water quenching, the ω o phase in the as-cast alloy transformed to the β o phase. At the initial stage of annealing processing at 850 °C, the ω o phase re-precipitated at the γ/β o boundaries and the size of the ω o phase increased with the annealing time. Moreover, the γ plates precipitated within the β o phase at this temperature became coarser and tended to globalize during annealing. In addition, the α 2 and D8 8 -ω phases were also observed at the γ/β o boundaries. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis showed that the D8 8 -ω phase is rich in W and Nb elements. The corresponding mechanisms of the transformation mentioned above were discussed.

The large scale ingot of Ti-45Al-8.5 Nb-(W, B, Y) alloy, which was manufactured by plasma arc cold hearth melting process, was successfully forged by a two-step canned forging process with a total deformation of 85%. The pancake is crack-free with smooth surface and presents recrystallized duplex microstructure. Additionally, the fraction of β/B2 phase in the as-forged microstructure has dropped. The high angle grain boundaries are dominant among recrystallized grains. After the heat treatments at different temperatures, the fine duplex, nearly lamellar and fully lamellar microstructures can be obtained respectively. Compared with the as-cast condition at room temperature, the ultimate tensile strength increases from 633 MPa to 897 MPa and the elongation improves from 0.23% to 2.2%. The strengths of as-forged TiAl alloy are relatively high at high temperatures. Moreover, superplastic behavior appears above 900 °C.

Individual panic behavior during an emergency is contagious. It often leads to collective panic behavior, which can be disruptive and even disastrous if handled incorrectly. In this paper, a novel kinetic model is developed to describe the dynamics of panic spreading in a real emergency. The global dynamics of the proposed model are analyzed by using the method of Lyapunov function and the Poincare–Bendixson property, and the obtained theoretical results are numerically validated. The Runge–Kutta method is used for numerical simulations, and these simulations are used to investigate the impact of corresponding management strategies on the containment of individual panic behavior. Meanwhile, the implications of these simulation results are discussed with the “2011 Xiangshui chemical explosion rumor” event. Finally, some recommendations for emergency management agencies are put forward by us to reduce individual panic behavior.

Hypodermin A (HA), a serine protease secreted by first-instar larvae of Hypoderma lineatum (Diptera: Oestridae) is associated with inflammatory and the specific immune responses in cattle hosts. In the present study, the cDNA sequence of HA was synthesized, and found to have fifteen amino acids which differed from the sequence available in GenBank. We then examined the association between recombinant HA and guinea-pig complement component 3 (C3) through a co-immunoprecipitation assay. Cos7 cells stably expressing HA were generated, and were found to be more resistant to lysis by guinea-pig C3 than the controls. HA was also able to degrade the C6 and C5b-9 of guinea-pig C3. The presumed DNA binding site of HA with guinea-pig C3 was detected by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). In contrast, after stable transfection, mHA was unable to reduce the amount of C3 or to inhibit its cytotoxicity, while HA could degrade guinea-pig C3 and inhibit the complement pathway. The findings suggest that recombinant HA could serve as an immunosuppressive agent against organ rejection after xenotransplantation.