直接使用半固态等温热处理法将工业冷轧ZL104铝合金制备成半固态坯

Semi-solid isothermal heat treatment was proposed to directly process cold-rolled ZL104 aluminum alloys and obtain semi-solid billets. The effects of two process parameters, namely, temperature and processing time, on the microstructure and hardness of the resulting billets were also experimentally examined. Average grain size (AGS) increased and the shape factor (SF) of the grain improved as the process temperature increased. The SF of the grain also increased with increasing processing time, and the AGS was augmented when the processing time was prolonged from 5 to 20 min at 570°C. The hardness of the aluminum alloy decreased because of the increase in AGS with increasing temperature and processing time. The optimal temperature and time for the preparation of semi-solid ZL104 aluminum alloys were 570°C and 5 min, respectively. Under optimal process parameters, the AGS, SF, and hardness of the resulting alloy were 35.88 μm, 0.81, and 55.24 MPa, respectively. The Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner relationship was analyzed to determine the coarsening rate constant at 570°C, and a rate constant of 1357.2 μm3/s was obtained.     

Agreement between NSFC and DFG Signed in Beijing

On Apr. 11, Prof. Chen Yiyu, on behalf of NSFC, signed the "Agreement between NSFC and DFG onsupport of Sino-German joint interdisciplinary research programs (SG-JIRP)"with visiting Prof. Winnacker,President of DFG. . The agreement aims to encourage scientists from both countries to undertake ambitious long-term research at an international level, promote interdisciplinary research and foster young researchers. It willserve as a platform for joint interdisciplinary research. Groups…     

Structure of human follicle-stimulating hormone in complex with its receptor

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is central to reproduction in mammals. It acts through a G-protein-coupled receptor on the surface of target cells to stimulate testicular and ovarian functions. We present here the 2.9-A-resolution structure of a partially deglycosylated complex of human FSH bound to the extracellular hormone-binding domain of its receptor (FSHR(HB)). The hormone is bound in a hand-clasp fashion to an elongated, curved receptor. The buried interface of the complex is large (2,600 A2) and has a high charge density. Our analysis suggests that all glycoprotein hormones bind to their receptors in this mode and that binding specificity is mediated by key interaction sites involving both the common alpha- and hormone-specific beta-subunits. On binding, FSH undergoes a concerted conformational change that affects protruding loops implicated in receptor activation. The FSH-FSHR(HB) complexes form dimers in the crystal and at high concentrations in solution. Such dimers may participate in transmembrane signal transduction.     

Fluid inclusions evidence for differential exhumation of ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks in the Sulu terrane

Since the discovery of coesite and diamond inclusions in eclogites from the Dabie-Sulu orogen, east-central China[1―3], this largest ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamor- phic terrane in the world has attracted extensive scientific interests. A number of hydrous minerals such as zoisite, phengite, magnesite and talc have been found in the UHP rocks, showing that fluids have played an important role in this type of extreme metamorphic evolution[4―8]. Sev-eral techniques have been applied to th…     

Terahertz-field-induced insulator-to-metal transition in vanadium dioxide metamaterial

Electron-electron interactions can render an otherwise conducting material insulating, with the insulator-metal phase transition in correlated-electron materials being the canonical macroscopic manifestation of the competition between charge-carrier itinerancy and localization. The transition can arise from underlying microscopic interactions among the charge, lattice, orbital and spin degrees of freedom, the complexity of which leads to multiple phase-transition pathways. For example, in many transition metal oxides, the insulator-metal transition has been achieved with external stimuli, including temperature, light, electric field, mechanical strain or magnetic field. Vanadium dioxide is particularly intriguing because both the lattice and on-site Coulomb repulsion contribute to the insulator-to-metal transition at 340?K (ref. 8). Thus, although the precise microscopic origin of the phase transition remains elusive, vanadium dioxide serves as a testbed for correlated-electron phase-transition dynamics. Here we report the observation of an insulator-metal transition in vanadium dioxide induced by a terahertz electric field. This is achieved using metamaterial-enhanced picosecond, high-field terahertz pulses to reduce the Coulomb-induced potential barrier for carrier transport. A nonlinear metamaterial response is observed through the phase transition, demonstrating that high-field terahertz pulses provide alternative pathways to induce collective electronic and structural rearrangements. The metamaterial resonators play a dual role, providing sub-wavelength field enhancement that locally drives the nonlinear response, and global sensitivity to the local changes, thereby enabling macroscopic observation of the dynamics. This methodology provides a powerful platform to investigate low-energy dynamics in condensed matter and, further, demonstrates that integration of metamaterials with complex matter is a viable pathway to realize functional nonlinear electromagnetic composites.     

Microstru cture and oxygen storage capacity of Sr-modified Pt/CeO2 –ZrO2catalysts

Strontium was introduced into CeO2–ZrO2 mixed oxides (CZ) by doping and impreg-nation metho ds, and then Pt was impregnated on the Sr-modifie d CZ to obtain the catalysts. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-photon spectra (XPS), high-resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HRTEM) and H2 temperature programmed reduction (TPR) were carried out to characterize the micro-structure and reducibility of catalysts. The oxygen storage capacity (OSC) was evaluated with CO serving as probe gas. The results showed that the incorporation of Sr₂₊ in the lattice of CZ could promote the OSC properties by increasing the structure defects and enhancing the diffusion rate of oxygen from bulk to surface. For the Sr-impregnated sample, the strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) between Pt and CZ was interrupted, since Sr covered parti al surface Ce species. Such interruption retarded the back-spillover effect occurring at the Pt/Ce interface at low temperature, resulting in the loss of OSC. Meanwhile, it was found that a part of impregnated Sr₂₊ could partially diffuse from the surface to the inner atomic layers of CZ and partially incorporated in the lattice during the calcination. The OSC performance of Sr-impregnated sample therefore climbed remarkably with the rise of temperature.     

Expression of Aspergillus niger 9891 Endoinulinase in Pichia pastoris

An endoinulinase gene from Aspergillus niger 9891 (CGMCC0991) has been expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 using pPIC9 vector. The recombinant endoinulinase was highly expressed and the optimization of the expression in a 7 liter of fermentor has been investigated. In fermented broth, the concentration of protein secreted is 2.15 mg/ml. The activity of endoinulinase is 1501 U/ml with sucrose as substrate and 291 U/ml with inulin as substrate, 105 and 273 times higher than that from the original strain respectively.     

Rapid Screening for Insecticidal Compounds Using [3H] EBOB Binding Assay

Binding assay is a convenient, simple, inexpensive, and rapid method that can be used for rapid screening insecticidal compounds. The present study examines 6 compounds for their inhibition of [^3H] EBOB bound to housefly-head membranes, of which 3 compounds have potency for housefly-head membranes.     

低氧LiF–NdF3熔盐体系阳极过程的电化学行为研究

The oxidation of oxygen ions and the generation of an anode effect at a low oxygen content of 150 mg/kg were discussed in this paper. Cyclic voltammetry and square-wave voltammetry tests were conducted to explore the anodic processes of LiF–NdF₃ melt after a lengthy period of pre-electrolysis purification at 1000°C (during which the oxygen content reduced from 413 to 150 mg/kg). The oxidation process of oxygen ions was found to have two stages: oxidation product adsorption and CO/CO₂ gas evolution. The adsorption stage was controlled by diffusion, whereas the gas evolution was controlled by the electrochemical reaction. In comparison with oxygen content of 413 mg/kg, the decrease in the amplitude of the current at low oxygen content of 150 mg/kg was much gentler during the forward scanning process when the anode effect occurred. Fluorine-ion oxidation peaks that occurred at about 4.2 V vs. Li/Li+ could be clearly observed in the reverse scanning processes, in which fluorine ions were oxidized and perfluorocarbons were produced, which resulted in an anode effect.