Search Results (11,657)

Drying in granular porous media is governed by coupled thermal and hydraulic processes that can be substantially modified by biological activity. This proof-of-concept study investigated how surface heating and fungal colonization influence the evolution of thermal conductivity (λ) and matric suction (ψ) as functions of volumetric water content ${\theta }_v$ in Ottawa 20/30 sand. Four treatments were examined: sterile sand at 22 °C (T1), sterile sand at 28 °C (T2), fungal-amended sand with 10% biomass and 9-day incubation (T3), and fungal-amended sand with 15% biomass and 30-day incubation (T4). Samples were instrumented to monitor ${\theta }_v$, λ, and ψ during controlled evaporation using synchronized HYPROP and VARIOS measurements on the same specimen. Across all treatments, λ increased with ${\theta }_v$ (that is, λ declined as drying progressed), and ψ reflected the transition from hydraulically connected to disconnected pore water. Heating shortened the drying time but did not materially change the form of the λ–${\theta }_v$ relationship or generate strong matric gradients in sterile sand. Low biomass (T3) produced thermal and hydraulic responses comparable to the heated sterile control (T2), indicating limited pore-scale modification at early colonization. In contrast, high biomass (T4) widened the effective saturation range, maintained low and nearly uniform ψ across depth, and exhibited the steepest mid-range λ–${\theta }_v$ slope with a higher peak λ (~4 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹), consistent with hyphae and extracellular polymers stabilizing thin water films. A soil water retention curve (SWRC) analysis using the van Genuchten model further indicated increased water retention and delayed air entry with an increasing fungal biomass, with approximate air-entry values increasing from ~1.8 kPa (T3) to ~3.0 kPa (T4). Tests were terminated upon tensiometer cavitation rather than complete gravimetric dryness, constraining observations at very low ${\theta }_v$. These results indicate that heating primarily affects the rate of drying, whereas fungal networks alter the pathway by preserving hydraulic and thermal continuity at relatively high ${\theta }_v$. This behavior suggests a potential role of bio-mediated structuring in influencing near-surface thermo-hydraulic processes relevant to energy foundations, soil covers, and desiccation management in biologically active or bio-engineered soils. Full article

Peach bacterial shot hole is a major disease limiting the yield and quality in most peach-producing areas worldwide. To clarify its etiology and support the development of targeted management strategies, diseased samples were collected from Changli County peach orchards. The pathogen was isolated, purified and verified by Koch’s postulates. Based on morphological, biochemical and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, the causal agent was identified as Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (isolate TCK-5). Biological characterization revealed that TCK-5 grew optimally in KB and NB medium at 28 °C, pH 7.0–7.5 and 0.5–1.0% NaCl, efficiently utilized glycerol and organic nitrogen source (proteose peptone, beef extract and yeast extract), with light showing no significant effect on growth. The strain TCK-5 exhibited a lethal temperature of 51 °C, indicating that heat treatment above this threshold effectively disinfects pruning tools and contaminated plant debris. Among 18 bactericides tested in vitro, biological bactericide outperformed chemical ones, with 0.3% Tetramycin AS (EC₅₀ = 0.1051 mg/L) and 3% Zhongshengmycin SL (EC₅₀ = 2.9252 mg/L) exhibiting the strongest inhibitory activity. This study fills a regional knowledge gap in the epidemiological distribution of the pathogen in northern China and advances current understanding of X. arboricola pv. pruni occurrence, providing a scientific basis for subsequent epidemic monitoring and integrated control of peach bacterial shot hole. Full article

This study investigates the elastic anisotropy and thermodynamic properties of the L1₂-type ScAl₃ phase under extreme conditions (0–1500 K and 0–50 GPa) using first-principles calculations. The elastic constants were determined using a precise stress–strain method, with polycrystalline moduli derived via the Voigt–Reuss–Hill (VRH) approximation. A systematic analysis was conducted to characterize the elastic anisotropy of Young’s modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio. Results demonstrate that ScAl₃ is mechanically stable and exhibits near-perfect elastic isotropy (A^U = 0.0001). Thermodynamic analysis via the quasi-harmonic Debye–Grüneisen model reveals that the phase maintains its structural integrity and significant heat resistance up to 1500 K, despite thermal softening. These findings provide theoretical insights into the physical nature of ScAl₃ intermetallics and offer quantitative guidance for the design and thermal treatment of Sc-reinforced aluminum alloys in high-temperature aerospace applications due to their superior combination of strength and toughness. Full article

Thermophilic microbial inoculant (CI) has been demonstrated to optimize the green waste composting (GWC) process. The pathways through which it enhances lignocellulose degradation remain unclear. This study evaluated composting performance under four treatments: CI, effective microorganisms (EM), Phanerochaete chrysosporium (WF), and natural composting (CK). To elucidate the biological differences between efficient lignocellulose-degrading systems and CK, metagenomic analyses were conducted on CI and CK based on lignocellulose degradation rates. The results indicated that CI inoculation did not negatively affect the compost heating process and produced a nitrogen-rich, safe, and mature compost product. Compared to other treatments, CI increased the lignocellulose degradation rate by 3.66% to 31.8%. Metagenomic analysis revealed that CI inoculation enriched genes encoding glycoside hydrolases (GHs), glycosyl transferases (GTs), carbohydrate esterases (CEs), and carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) across multiple composting phases, positively impacting dominant carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) families including AA3, CE1, and CE7. CI inoculation also elevated the relative abundance of lignocellulose-degrading microorganisms (0.70~2.73%), simplified microbial network structure, and strengthened microbial cooperation. Within the microbial network, Chryseolinea, Protaetiibacter, and unclassified_f__Burkholderiaceae were identified as core taxa involved in lignocellulose degradation. Redundancy analysis (RDA) identified temperature as the primary factor influencing biological factors, with CI improving composting efficiency by optimizing the microenvironment. Collectively, this work provides a novel strategy for microbial inoculant application in composting and offers new perspectives for identifying core taxa, contributing to advancing composting efficiency. Full article

To enhance the interfacial bonding between bamboo and the polymer matrix in natural fiber composites (NFCs), vacuum heat treatment was applied to moso bamboo strips at temperatures ranging from 140 to 180 °C with holding times of 4 and 6 h. The effects of treatment conditions on the surface characteristics and chemical composition of bamboo were systematically investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed to evaluate the changes in microstructure, surface wettability, and the main functional groups including α-cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The results indicate that the severity of heat treatment (temperature–time combination) significantly influences the physicochemical properties of bamboo. Hemicellulose, which exhibited the lowest thermal stability, underwent pronounced degradation above 140 °C and showed the most substantial compositional variation. Although the relative contents of α-cellulose and lignin increased with increasing treatment severity, their absolute contents decreased. The vacuum environment was found to retard the degradation of α-cellulose to some extent. At 180 °C, severe disruption of the cell wall structure was observed, accompanied by the deformation and collapse of cell lumens. In addition, heat treatment increased the surface contact angle, indicating enhanced hydrophobicity, with temperature exerting a more pronounced effect than treatment time. FTIR analysis revealed a marked reduction in the intensity of the C=O stretching vibration of hemicellulose (~1730 cm⁻¹) and the O–H stretching vibration (~3400 cm⁻¹), while the aromatic structure of lignin remained relatively stable. Overall, vacuum heat treatment effectively enhanced the surface hydrophobicity of bamboo, providing a theoretical basis and technical support for the development of bamboo-reinforced natural fiber composites. Full article

This article presents a new combined post-processing concept to improve the quality of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of 17-4PH stainless steel (SS) cylindrical parts fabricated from N₂-atomised LaserForm 17-4PH (B) powder. The concept is based on consecutive heat treatment procedures and diamond burnishing (DB) processes. A two-stage study was conducted. The first stage was an LPBF process experiment. The following combination of LPBF parameter values was selected after optimisation: a laser power of $\mathrm{P}=150 \mathrm{W}$, laser scanning speed of v = 1200 mm/s, and layer thickness of $\mathrm{t}=40 \mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{m}$. In the second stage, this combination was used to evaluate the effects of two heat treatment procedures (HT1 and HT2) and two DB processes (using burnishing forces of 100 N and 300 N) on the tensile properties and surface integrity of LPBF 17-4PH SS cylindrical samples. The HT2 procedure, including annealing $({1200}^{\circ }$, $4 \mathrm{h})$, solution treatment (${1060}^{\circ }$, $1 \mathrm{h})$, cooling (${-70 }^{\circ }\mathrm{C},2 \mathrm{h}$), and ageing (${482}^{\circ }$, $4 \mathrm{h}$) led to yield limit, tensile strength, and Vickers hardness values of $\mathrm{Y}\mathrm{L}=1071 \mathrm{M}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{a}$, $\mathrm{T}\mathrm{S}=1410 \mathrm{M}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{a}$, and $523 \mathrm{H}\mathrm{V},$ respectively. The concept presented takes advantage of the combination of the transformation, precipitation and strain-hardening effects. The combined effect was most pronounced in the samples subjected to the HT2 procedure and subsequent DB (300 N), for which a retained austenite fraction of 6.93%, surface microhardness of ${563 \mathrm{H}\mathrm{V}}_{0.05}$ and the maximum values of the compressive axial and hoop RSs of $-1426.3 \mathrm{M}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{a}$ and $-1095.9 \mathrm{M}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{a}$, respectively, were measured. Full article

Background/Objectives: Exploiting the metabolic properties of postbiotics is a novel strategy for managing metabolic disorders, including diabetes. Inactivated microorganisms, a major class of postbiotics, improve glycemic control in preclinical and clinical studies. Here, we examined whether heat-killed (HK) Mycobacterium aurum (M. aurum) exerts prophylactic or therapeutic anti-hyperglycemic effects in diabetic mice. Methods: Diabetes was induced in male BALB/c mice by streptozotocin (STZ; 150 mg/kg) injection. HK M. aurum (1 mg) was given orally (three prophylactic doses before STZ) or intradermally (six weekly therapeutic doses after STZ). We assessed glycemic parameters, serum C-peptide/insulin (ELISA), and tissue protein expression (Western blot). Results: Neither route altered body weight or glucose homeostasis in non-diabetic mice. In STZ-diabetic mice, oral prophylactic treatment significantly attenuated hyperglycemia (39–60% reduction weeks 5–8 post-STZ) and showed a trend toward improved serum C-peptide, but did not affect dysregulated expression of skeletal muscle (SM), hepatic, pancreatic and renal proteins involved in glucose transport (GLUT2, GLUT4, and SGLT2), glycolysis (α-LDH), mitochondrial uncoupling (UCP2 and UCP3), and antioxidant defense (CAT). Therapeutic intradermal administration significantly decreased blood glucose (~30% at week 5, ~40% at week 6) and modestly enhanced insulin secretion. Hepatic UCP2 and α-LDH and SM UCP3 protein levels were normalized toward non-diabetic levels, whereas hepatic GLUT2 and SM GLUT4 remained largely unchanged. These correlative findings suggest effects independent of insulin-dependent glucose transport, but do not demonstrate direct functional improvement in mitochondrial or redox status. Conclusions: HK M. aurum exerts partial anti-hyperglycemic effects in STZ-induced diabetic mice, but the associated protein changes require functional validation before its role as a postbiotic in β-cell dysfunction can be established. Full article

Al-Sc alloys are widely applied in aerospace and automotive lightweighting owing to the excellent performance imparted by nano-sized Al₃Sc precipitates. Accurate simulation of the full-cycle precipitation kinetics is critical for optimizing aging heat treatment processes, but the traditional Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner (LSW) theory is only applicable to the coarsening stage, while the conventional Kampmann-Wagner-Numerical (KWN) model suffers from severe numerical diffusion and fails to correct errors caused by discontinuous precipitate size distributions. To address these issues, a high-resolution population dynamics model based on the Van Leer limiter was established in this study, which is an improved KWN model that simultaneously considers interfacial energy transition during nucleation and coarsening and the effect of precipitate volume fraction on particle growth rate. Isothermal aging precipitation of Al₃Sc in Al-0.2 wt.% Sc and Al-0.3 wt.% Sc alloys at 350 °C was systematically simulated, and key kinetic parameters including nucleation rate, critical nucleation radius, average precipitate radius, and normalized size distribution were calculated. The results show that the simulated average radius and normalized size distribution are in excellent agreement with experimental data, and the model accurately captures the plateau characteristic of average radius evolution during aging. Increasing Sc content significantly shortens the nucleation-growth stage and advances the onset of coarsening by approximately one order of magnitude. Compared with the LSW theory, the proposed model achieves second-order accuracy in smooth regions and suppresses spurious oscillations in discontinuous regions, fully reproducing the incubation, nucleation-growth, and coarsening stages of precipitation. This high-resolution model provides reliable theoretical support for the aging process optimization of Al-Sc alloys and offers an effective numerical method for precipitation kinetics simulation of other dilute binary alloys. Full article

This research developed a ZrSi₂-TiB₂-modified alumina fiber/boron phenolic resin ceramizable composite intended to fulfill the criteria for high-temperature resistance, oxidation resistance, and structural load-bearing capacity in reusable thermal protection systems. The composite exhibits a low thermal conductivity of 0.405 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹, a reduced density of 2.11 g·cm⁻³, and a high mass retention rate of 89.45% after heat treatment at 1200 °C in air. During thermal cycling at 1200 °C with a 30 min dwell time, it consistently demonstrates excellent stability, mass retention, and mechanical properties, indicating its potential for applications in reusable thermal protection systems. Following 20 cycles, the variation in length and width remains below 0.6%, the mass retention surpasses 80%, and the flexural strength remains above 20 MPa after 15 cycles. Microstructural evolution and thermodynamic analysis disclose that the in situ ceramization reaction of ZrSi₂ and TiB₂ consumes oxygen, inhibits oxygen diffusion, and fills pores and microcracks with oxidation products (SiO₂ and B₂O₃), thereby forming self-healing and densifying phases. This synergistic mechanism of self-healing and densification ensures the reusability of the composite. The research illustrates the performance evolution patterns and strengthening mechanisms of the composite under extreme thermal conditions, confirming its outstanding performance in repeated usage evaluations. Full article

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited targeted therapeutic options, underscoring the urgent need for novel treatment strategies. Feilike (FLK), a Traditional Chinese Medicine formula with heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, aligns with key pathological features implicated in breast cancer progression. In addition, several of its components have demonstrated anti-tumor activity, positioning FLK as a potential therapeutic candidate for TNBC. In this study, we employed an integrated approach combining network pharmacology, transcriptomic analysis, and experimental validation to investigate the anti-TNBC effects of FLK. Our results demonstrate that FLK significantly inhibits the proliferation of TNBC cell lines and patient-derived organoids and induces typical pyroptotic features, including cell swelling and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Mechanistically, FLK triggers a mutant p53 signaling cascade involving calcium dysregulation, endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which collectively activate the P38/JNK–Caspase-3/GSDME pathway to induce pyroptosis. In vivo, FLK markedly suppresses tumor growth in a 4T1 orthotopic mouse model and enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of Cyclophosphamide. Furthermore, Licochalcone B (LCB) is identified as a key bioactive constituent that recapitulates the pyroptosis-inducing effects of FLK. Collectively, our findings uncover a previously unrecognized mutant p53–ERS–ROS–MAPK signaling axis underlying FLK-induced pyroptosis and provide mechanistic insight and experimental evidence supporting the repurposing of FLK as a potential therapeutic strategy for TNBC. Full article

Metallic glasses can be transformed into nanocrystalline–amorphous alloys via controlled crystallisation with fast nucleation and slow grain growth. This can be achieved either through appropriate chemical composition of amorphous precursors or by applying ultra-rapid annealing (URA). Typically, heating between preheated copper blocks is used to ensure the URA conditions. In this work, ribbons were heated by an electric current flowing along their length, and the temperature was monitored using pyrometers. The investigated alloys were Fe_86-xNi_xB₁₄ (at. %), where x = 4, 6 or 10. Properly adjusted isothermal annealing at 380–410 °C for 1–20 s induced crystallisation, with the nanocrystalline bcc-Fe(Ni) phase occupying 0–55% of the volume. With increasing annealing time, the coercive field increased from 9 A/m in the amorphous state to 25 A/m and 17 A/m for x = 4 and x = 10, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that samples annealed at higher temperatures for shorter times exhibited smaller grain sizes compared to those annealed at lower temperatures for longer times, which resulted in improved magnetic softness. An increase in nickel content reduced coercivity, improved ductility, and offered a wider window for the choice of annealing temperature. Full article

Hot-press forming (HPF) steel is a promising lightweight material for automotive applications but suffers from oxidation and reduced corrosion due to high-temperature processing. Aluminized coatings, particularly Al-10Si, are widely used to mitigate this issue. However, HPF heat treatment can create brittle alloy layers with cracks, compromising retention and increasing corrosion risk. This study investigated the effects of Sr addition on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of Al-Si-coated HPF steel. Al-Si and Al-Si-Sr coatings were applied to steel substrates and subjected to heat treatment to produce heat-treated (HT) Al-Si and HT Al-Si-Sr samples. Sr addition refined and spheroidized eutectic Si particles, improved coating homogeneity, and mitigated vertical crack formation in the Al-Fe-Si intermetallic layer. The resulting dense, crack-free alloy layer effectively shielded the Fe substrate from corrosion. After heat treatment, Sr facilitated the formation of a fine lamellar microstructure and a dense, continuous oxide film, enhancing coating retention and sustaining barrier protection. These improvements significantly delayed corrosion propagation into the Fe substrate. Corrosion resistance was evaluated using salt-spray tests (ASTM B117), potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solutions. Microstructural analyses revealed that even minimal Sr content (0.05%) considerably enhanced the performance of Al-Si coatings, demonstrating industrial applicability. This study highlights the potential of Sr-added Al-Si coatings in addressing the demand for lightweight and corrosion-resistant materials in the automotive industry, offering a viable solution for high-performance and environmentally sustainable applications. Full article

15Cr14Co12Mo5Ni2, as a new type of low-carbon high-alloy aviation gear steel, has shown significant application potential in the transmission systems of aero engines due to its excellent high-temperature performance. In this paper, the aviation gear steel 15Cr14Co12Mo5Ni2 was treated by a carburizing and quenching process. The microstructure distributions of the carburized and quenched aviation gear steel at different austenitization temperatures (1020 °C, 1050 °C and 1080 °C) were analyzed by OM, SEM and EBSD. Subsequently, the axial tension–compressive fatigue tests (stress ratio R = −1) were carried out using a high-frequency fatigue testing machine after heat treatment at different austenitization temperatures, and the stress–number of cycles (S-N) curves were obtained by fitting the number of fatigue fracture cycles. The fracture morphologies were observed by SEM and the fracture mechanisms were analyzed. The research results show that the distribution of the microstructure and carbides exhibits gradient characteristics, and the carbide content decreases and the effective carburized layer depth decreases from 0.65 mm to 0.45 mm with increasing austenitization temperature, and the main carbide types are M₂₃C₆ and M₇C₃. The fatigue life of 15Cr14Co12Mo5Ni2 gear steel decreases as the austenitization temperature increases. Within the selected temperature range of 1020 °C, 1050 °C, and 1080 °C in this study, the fitted fatigue strengths at a given fatigue life of 10⁶ cycles are 192 MPa, 183 MPa, and 158 MPa, respectively. No obvious crack initiation site can be directly observed from the fracture morphologies of all specimens. Based on the characteristics of crack propagation, it is inferred that the crack source is located in the core or near-core region, and the cracks propagate outward from the core and the propagation rate accelerates with the increasing austenitization temperature, eventually fracturing in the carburized layer. The fracture mechanism of 15Cr14Co12Mo5Ni2 gear steel at the austenitization temperatures of 1020 °C was a mixed mode of intergranular and cleavage brittle fracture, while at 1050 °C and 1080 °C, it was mainly brittle fracture accompanied by local ductile fracture. Full article

The reagent regime is a key means to regulate mineral flotation behavior, with collectors being particularly crucial for enhancing the flotation process. This paper systematically investigates the action mechanisms of hydrocarbon oil components such as n-Nonane, n-Dodecane, n-Tridecane, n-Tetradecane, and n-Pentadecane in coal slime flotation through a combined approach of molecular dynamics simulation and experimental verification. The simulation results show that as the alkane chain length increases, the absolute value of the adsorption energy between the alkane and coal gradually increases (the adsorption energy is negative, indicating that the adsorption process can occur spontaneously), with n-Pentadecane exhibiting the highest adsorption energy. Experimentally, the oil–water mixture achieved optimal dispersity after ultrasonic treatment and standing for 10 min. This dispersity is characterized by the average oil droplet diameter and the most uniform droplet size distribution under the test conditions. The wetting heat test further verified that pentadecane exhibits the strongest interaction with coal slime and the fastest adsorption rate. In flotation tests, n-Tetradecane demonstrated the best actual flotation performance, with a clean coal yield of 70.88%, a combustible recovery of 82.55%, and a flotation perfection index of 50.75%. This study reveals the influence mechanism of alkane chain length on coal slime flotation behavior, providing a theoretical basis for the screening and compounding of efficient collectors. Full article

This study systematically investigated flow boiling characteristics within a novel three-layer microchannel heat sink with 3/4 open-ring pin fin arrays, designed for high-heat-flux thermal management of low-carbon metallurgical reactors. Two-phase flow regimes, pressure drop, and wall temperature responses were analyzed. To evaluate the impact of functional surface material properties on thermo-hydraulic behavior, a hydrophilic nano-coating modification was applied to the inner copper channel walls for comparison. Increasing the flow rate triggered a transition from a vapor-dominated confined slug flow to a liquid-dominated dispersed bubble flow, which effectively improved the thermo-hydraulic stability. Hydrophilic surface modification resulted in an average pressure drop reduction of 33% and significantly diminished the sensitivity of flow resistance to velocity variations. Through hydrophilic treatment, the localized vapor film effect at high velocities was suppressed, and temperature field homogenization was promoted, yielding a maximum convective heat transfer coefficient of 7760 W/(m²·°C), i.e., 72.9% enhancement over the baseline heat sink. The underlying mechanism is attributed to the formation of a stable near-wall thin liquid film and the promotion of high-frequency nucleate boiling. These results will be of high relevance for developing efficient cooling solutions for power electronics, thereby supporting the advancement of low-carbon metallurgical reactors. Full article