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This paper describes the results of a series of tests on a heavy-duty truck diesel engine using conventional and low viscosity lubricants. The objectives were to explore the impact of reducing lubricant viscosity on wear, friction and fuel consumption. The radiotracing Thin Layer Activation method was used to make on-line measurements of wear at the cylinder liner, top piston ring, connecting rod small end bush and intake cam lobe. The engine was operated under a wide range of conditions (load, speed and temperature) and with lubricants of several different viscosity grades. Results indicate the relationship between lubricant viscosity and wear at four critical locations. Wear at other locations was assessed by analysis of wear metals and post test inspection. The fuel consumption was then measured on the same engine with the same lubricants. Results indicate the relationship between oil viscosity and fuel consumption under a wide range of operating conditions. Expected fuel consumption improvements over a typical drive cycle were calculated. Friction of the whole engine was calculated from measurements of cylinder pressure and brake torque, with two of the low viscosity oils and, in addition, a five stage motored friction teardown test was performed. Together these results were used to explore the relationship between lubricant viscosity and friction across a range of operating conditions.

Experimental excitation functions for proton induced reactions on natural vanadium in the 37-65 MeV energy range were measured with the activation method using a stacked foil irradiation technique. By using high resolution gamma spectrometry cross-section data for the production of \\(^{51,48}\\)Cr, \\(^{48}\\)V, \\(^{48,47,46,44m,44g,43}\\)Sc and \\(^{43,42}\\)K were determined. Comparisons with the earlier published data are presented and results predicted by different theoretical codes (EMPIRE and TALYS) are included. Thick target yields were calculated from a fit to our experimental excitation curves and compared with the earlier experimental yield data. Depth distribution curves to be used for thin layer activation (TLA) are also presented.

Excitation functions were measured for production of the \\(^{113,111,110}\\)Sn, \\(^{115m,114m,113m,112m,111g,110g}\\)In and \\(^{111m,109}\\)Cd radioisotopes by bombardment of In targets with proton beams up to 70 MeV, some of them for the first time. The new results are compared with the earlier experimental data and with the theoretical data in the TENDL-2014 (Talys1.6 based) library. Thick target yields were deduced and application of the new data for production of medically relevant \\(^{110m}\\)In, \\(^{111g}\\)In, \\(^{113m}\\)In and \\(^{114m}\\)In, as well as applicability for thin layer activation (TLA) are discussed.

As a part of a thorough work of excitation functions of deuteron induced reactions, experimental cross-sections of ^{185,183m,183g,182}Os and ^{188,186,184m,184g,183}Re activation products on natRe were measured up to 40 MeV for the first time with the activation method using a stacked foil irradiation technique and high resolution \\gamma-spectrometry. Comparison with the former results of other laboratories and with the predictions of the ALICE-IPPE and EMPIRE-3 model codes, modified for improved calculations for deuteron reactions, and with data in the TENDL-2011 library are also presented. Thick target yields were given deduced from our experimental cross-sections and compared with the few literature values. For practical applications (thin layer activation) also activity versus depth distributions were calculated for selected isotopes.

Excitation functions for the production of the 181,182m,182g,183,184g,186Re and 183,184Ta radionuclides from proton bombardment on natural tungsten were measured using the stacked-foil activation technique for the proton energies up to 40 MeV. A new data set has been given for the formation of the investigated radionuclides. Results are in good agreement with the earlier reported experimental data and theoretical calculations based on the ALICE-IPPE code. The thick target integral yields were also deduced from the measured excitation functions. The deduced yield values were compared with the directly measured thick target yield (TTY), and found acceptable agreement. The investigated radionuclide 186Re has remarkable applications in the field of nuclear medicine, whereas the data of 183,184gRe and 183Ta have potential applications in thin layer activation analysis and biomedical tracer studies, respectively.

Photocatalytic oxidation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) is a promising technology for environmental protection and green sustainable development. However, its practical application remains limited due to inefficient activation of NO and O2, stemming from inadequate structural design of photocatalysts. Herein, we developed a thin-layer two-dimensional (2D) material Bi2MoO6 (BMO) via cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTAC) addition in synthesis process, which effectively modulates the surface electronic structure, enhance the light absorption and activation of NO and O2. This thin-layer Bi2MoO6 nanosheets achieved a NO oxidation efficiency of 45.3 ​%, which was about 5.5 times that of traditional bulk BMO (8.2 ​%). Additionally, it demonstrated superior selectivity for NO2−/NO3− production (86.6 ​%) compared to bulk BMO (60.5 ​%) and significantly reduced the formation of toxic NO2 byproducts (13.4 ​% vs. 39.5 ​%). Combining experimental characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) simulations, it demonstrated that the electron-hole pair separation could be promoted and targeted adsorption activation of O2 can be enhanced to form superoxide radicals (•O2−) and singlet oxygen (1O2) via the effect of surface charge transfer adjustment on the thin-layer structure of Bi2MoO6, which are key factors affecting the efficiency and selectivity of photocatalytic oxidation of NO. This work provides important insights into the formation of directed ROS and proposes a unique mechanism for selective NO oxidation.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is higher expressed on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in most malignant epithelial neoplasms, which is lower expressed in normal tissues. As a promising small molecular probe, FAP inhibitor (FAPI) shows the specific binding to FAP. This study aimed to explore a novel molecular probe [ 99m Tc]Tc-HYNIC-FAPI targeting CAFs. The in vitro characteristics of the probe were also evaluated. The FAPI targeting FAP was designed, synthesized and conjugated with the chelator 6-hydrazinylnicotinic acid (HYNIC) for radiolabeling with 99m Tc. The radiolabeling yield, radiochemical purity and stability were evaluated by Instant thin-layer chromatography (ITLC) and High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Lipophilicity was performed by the distribution coefficient test. The binding and migration ability of the probe was assessed using the FAP transfected tumor cell line. The radiolabeling yield of [ 99m Tc]Tc-HYNIC-FAPI was (97.29 ± 0.46) %. The radiochemical purity was more than 90% and kept stable until 6 h. The radioligand was shown as lower lipophilicity, of which logD7.4 value was − 2.38 ± 0.13. In vitro experiments, the results indicated that the probe showed binding properties, and inhibited the migration of tumor cells. The novel [ 99m Tc]Tc-HYNIC-FAPI probe was successfully radiosynthesized and exhibited good radiochemical purity, stability and in vitro binding ability to tumor cells. The [ 99m Tc]Tc-HYNIC-FAPI will be a promising SPECT/CT imaging probe.

Chronic inflammation of the arterial wall is a key element in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, yet the factors that trigger and sustain the inflammation remain elusive. Inflammasomes are cytoplasmic caspase-1-activating protein complexes that promote maturation and secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin(IL)-1beta and IL-18. The most intensively studied inflammasome, NLRP3 inflammasome, is activated by diverse substances, including crystalline and particulate materials. As cholesterol crystals are abundant in atherosclerotic lesions, and IL-1beta has been linked to atherogenesis, we explored the possibility that cholesterol crystals promote inflammation by activating the inflammasome pathway. Here we show that human macrophages avidly phagocytose cholesterol crystals and store the ingested cholesterol as cholesteryl esters. Importantly, cholesterol crystals induced dose-dependent secretion of mature IL-1beta from human monocytes and macrophages. The cholesterol crystal-induced secretion of IL-1beta was caspase-1-dependent, suggesting the involvement of an inflammasome-mediated pathway. Silencing of the NLRP3 receptor, the crucial component in NLRP3 inflammasome, completely abolished crystal-induced IL-1beta secretion, thus identifying NLRP3 inflammasome as the cholesterol crystal-responsive element in macrophages. The crystals were shown to induce leakage of the lysosomal protease cathepsin B into the cytoplasm and inhibition of this enzyme reduced cholesterol crystal-induced IL-1beta secretion, suggesting that NLRP3 inflammasome activation occurred via lysosomal destabilization. The cholesterol crystal-induced inflammasome activation in macrophages may represent an important link between cholesterol metabolism and inflammation in atherosclerotic lesions.

The aim of the present work was to partially purify and characterize an Antarctic polygalacturonase and to determine the enzyme’s potential in pectin extraction and vegetal maceration at 20 °C. Polygalacturonase was purified by chromatography to obtain an enzymatic preparation of specific activity 30.3 U.mg –1 . Optimal conditions for the polygalacturonase activity were 45 °C and pH 5.0–6.0, and the activation energy for the reaction was 41.8 kJ.mol –1 . Of the enzyme activity, 100% was retained after 3 h at 40 °C. The enzyme was remarkably stable for an hour over a wide range of pH (2.0–12.0). Polygalacturonase activity was slightly reduced in the presence of Ca +2 , Fe +3 , K + , Mn +2 , and Zn +2 , whereas Hg +2 reduced the activity by 60%, suggesting a thiol-dependent catalysis. The apparent molecular weight of the enzyme was 33 kDa. The kinetic constants evaluated against polygalacturonic acid were 0.17 mg.ml –1 (K m ), 480 s –1 (K cat ), and 7.9 µmol.mg –1 .min –1 (V max ). The enzyme was active against different pectic substrates. Thin-layer chromatography revealed an endo -mechanism of action. Polygalacturonase digested lime pomace to aid the extraction of high-methoxylated pectin at 20 °C and increased the vegetal maceration of Capsicum annuum by 24% over the control values.

Object detection methods based on deep learning have significantly reduced time-consuming tasks. Semantic segmentation has shown remarkable progress in the study of rocks, especially when applied to petrographic thin sections. Despite the development of various models for specific applications in this field with promising results, their widespread adoption remains limited. This hesitation is largely due to a lack of user confidence stemming from the absence of explainability in the outcomes provided by these models. This study explores the explainability of the state-of-the-art YOLOv11 model in detecting andalusite, biotite, and grains with oolitic textures. We trained three models using plane-polarized-light thin-section microphotographs of the selected targets. Subsequently, we applied color and singular value perturbations to the annotated images using color masks and analyzed the model’s inference through connected region heatmaps. Our findings suggest that the trained models prioritize low-frequency attributes like shape, predominant colors, and contrast over the studied targets’ characteristic tones. These insights contribute to the practical application of deep learning for detecting and segmenting grains and minerals in thin sections.