Shock Damage Research Articles

L-cysteine improves boar semen motility at 5 ºC but does not affect the oxidative status

Hypothermic storage has been proposed as a method to reduce bacterial loads and promoting prudent use of antibiotics. Reducing temperature, however, can lead to cold shock damage and oxidative stress in boar semen. This study verified the effect of L-cysteine on the quality of semen stored at 5 °C for 120 h. Twenty-one normospermic ejaculates were diluted in Beltsville Thawing Solution into five treatments: Positive control (Pos_Cont, storage at 17 °C without L-cysteine) and groups with 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mmol/L of L-cysteine supplementation stored at 5 °C. Variables were analyzed as repeated measures, considering treatment, storage time, and interaction as main factors. The effects of different L-cysteine concentrations were also evaluated using polynomial orthogonal contrasts. Sperm motility and pH were higher in the Pos_Cont compared to the groups stored at 5 °C (P < 0.05). In polynomial orthogonal contrast models, total motility was affected by the interaction between L-cysteine and storage time (P = 0.04), with a linear increase in motility when increasing the amount of L-cysteine at 72 and 120 h. Progressive motility increased quadratically as the L-cysteine reached 1 mmol/L (P < 0.01). In the thermoresistance test at 120 h, sperm motility increased quadratically up to an L-cysteine dose of 1 mmol/L (P < 0.05). Sulfhydryl content linearly increased with L-cysteine supplementation (P = 0.01), with no effect on intracellular ROS and sperm lipid peroxidation (P ≥ 0.06) in 5ºC-stored doses. In conclusion, L-cysteine supplementation has a positive effect on sperm motility up to 120 h of storage at 5 °C.

Troponin in cardiogenic shock not caused by acute myocardial infarction, a predictor of mortality

Abstract Background Cardiogenic shock is associated with a high mortality and morbidity due to organ damage and multi-organ failure including direct damage to the myocardium. Purpose This study aimed to assess troponin as a marker of myocardial damage in patients with cardiogenic shock outside of a myocardial infarction (e.g., non-ischaemic cardiogenic shock). Methods Data from unselected patients with cardiogenic shock not caused by myocardial infarction were anonymised and combined in a multicentre cohort study from 15 centres in 5 European countries (2011-2020). Cardiogenic shock was defined by clinical signs and symptoms, elevated lactate concentrations (arterial &amp;gt;2.0 mmol/l, venous &amp;gt;2.5 mmol/l), and hypotension (systolic &amp;lt;90 mmHg or need for vasopressors). Patients with need for urgent coronary revascularisation, predominant right heart failure, eCPR or cardiogenic shock after cardiotomy were excluded. Baseline was defined to reflect the worst clinical status within 6 hours before/after admission (for patients not treated with mechanical circulatory support) or after device implantation (for patients treated with mechanical circulatory support). Troponin concentrations at baseline as well as after 24 hours were quantified using the Elecsys® Troponin T high-sensitive assay by Roche (99th percentile 14 ng/l). Baseline troponin (displayed per 250 ng/l) and its increase within 24 hours were associated with 30-day mortality by fitting Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, baseline creatinine, baseline lactate, baseline pH, prior cardiac arrest, duration of CPR, acute-on-chronic or de novo heart failure, and mechanical ventilation. Results Overall, 477 patients were analysed [mean age 62 (±15) years, 144 women (30.2%), acute-on-chronic heart failure in 255 (53.6%)]. Median LVEF was 20% (IQR 15-30%), CPR was performed in 196 cases (41.1%), median lactate at baseline was 7.3 mmol/l (IQR 4.2-10.8 mmol/l) and median baseline troponin T was 164 ng/l (IQR 77-678 ng/l). Patients with a higher troponin T at baseline (e.g., ≥median) more frequently presented with de novo heart failure (54.8 vs. 37.9%, p&amp;lt;0.01) or after prior CPR (47.7 vs. 34.3%, p&amp;lt;0.01) although other parameters reflecting cardiogenic shock severity (e.g., blood pressure, baseline lactate or LVEF) were not significantly different. Finally, troponin T at baseline showed a significant association with 30-day mortality (HR 1.006, 95% CI: 1.0-1.011, p = 0.041) while the relative troponin T increase within 24 hours did not (HR 1.005, 95% CI: 0.997-1.013, p = 0.212) (Figure 1). Conclusion Cardiac organ damage in cardiogenic shock outside of a myocardial infarction (e.g., non-ischaemic cardiogenic shock) is associated with increased risk of death within 30 days. Elevated troponin levels could identify a group of patients with cardiogenic shock in need for cardioprotective therapies.Figure 1

Features of volume-planning decisions of civil defense protective structures

In the conditions of the large-scale war of Russia against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, the problem of protecting the population and employees of enterprises, which continue to work in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions of possible shock, explosive and fire damage, has become urgent. Among the methods and means of protecting population from emergency situations, sheltering the population in protective structures is of great importance. Experience has confirmed that sheltering people in protective structures effectively reduces the degree of damage from possible damaging factors and preserves people’s lives and health from emergency situations [8, 16]. Premature accumulation of the fund of protective structures in Ukraine is decided on the basis of construction standards SBN V.2.2.5-97 «Protective structures of civil defense» [9] and rules taking into account the development of destruction means and the economic capabilities of the state [10, 11]. The article provides a classification of protective structures of civil defense, describes their main characteristics, analyzes their volume-planning solutions and life support systems.

Rate-dependent adhesion together with limb collaborations facilitate grasshoppers reliable attachment under highly dynamic conditions

Dynamic attachment is indispensable for animals to cope with unexpected disturbances. Minor attention has been paid to the dynamic performance of insects' adhesive pads. Through experiments pulling whole grasshoppers off a glass rod at varying speeds, surprising findings emerged. The feet did not always maintain contact but released and then reconnected to the substrate rapidly during leg extension, potentially reducing the shock damage to pads. As the pulling speeds increased from 1 to 400mm/s, the maximum forces of single front tarsus insects and entire tarsi insects were nearly proportional to the 1/3 power of pulling speeds by 0.11 and 0.29 times, respectively. The force of some individuals could be even 800 times greater than their weight, which is unexpectedly high for smooth insect pads. This work not only helps us to understand the attachment intelligence of animals but is also informative for artificial attachment in extreme situations.

Study of the influence of ZrB2 content and thermal shock on the elastic modulus of spark plasma sintered ZrB2-B4C composites using a non-destructive ultrasonic technique

Non-destructive ultrasound phase spectroscopy (UPS) was used to study the influence of thermal shock on the longitudinal elastic constant (C11) of ZrB2-B4C composites. C11 of the composites was measured in the as-fabricated condition and after different numbers of thermal shock cycles. The relative change in C11 was used as the thermal shock resistance parameter. Composites with 70 and 50 vol% ZrB2 were subjected to three thermal shock temperature differences (ΔT) of 600 °C, 800 °C, and 1000 °C, respectively. The rate of drop in C11 increased significantly with an increase in ΔT and B4C content. The mechanism of thermal shock damage has been discussed considering the influence of processing-induced thermal residual stresses and the average stress state in both phases during thermal shock. It was shown that the powder particle arrangement plays a major role in the damage mechanism and B4C-B4C particle contacts provide easy paths for crack propagation.

Influence of the skull bone and brain tissue on the sound field in transcranial extracorporeal shock wave therapy: an exvivo study.

Focused ultrasound is mainly known for focal ablation and localized hyperthermia of tissue. During the last decade new treatment options were developed for neurological indications based on blood-brain-barrier opening or neuromodulation. Recently, the transcranial application of shock waves has been a subject of research. However, the mechanisms of action are not yet understood. Hence, it is necessary to know the energy that reaches the brain during the treatment and the focusing characteristics within the tissue. The sound field of a therapeutic extracorporeal shock wave transducer was investigated after passing human skull bone (n=5) or skull bone with brain tissue (n=2) in this ex vivo study. The maximum and minimum pressure distribution and the focal pressure curves were measured at different intensity levels and penetration depths, and compared to measurements in water. Mean peak negative pressures of up to -4.97 MPa were reached behind the brain tissue. The positive peak pressure was attenuated by between 20.85 and 25.38 dB/cm by the skull bone. Additional damping by the brain tissue corresponded to between 0.29 and 0.83 dB/cm. Compared to the measurements in water, the pulse intensity integral in the focal spot was reduced by 84 % by the skull bone and by additional 2 % due to the brain tissue, resulting in a total damping of up to 86 %. The focal position was shifted up to 8 mm, whereas the basic shape of the pressure curves was preserved. Positive effects may be stimulated by transcranial shock wave therapy but damage cannot be excluded.

In situ study of thermal shock damage to high-temperature ceramics

In situ study of thermal shock damage to high-temperature ceramics

Melatonin in plants: A pleiotropic molecule for abiotic stresses and pathogens infection

Melatonin is a pleiotropic molecule with diverse physiological effects in plants. Pleiotropy refers to a single molecule's ability to produce multiple effects within an organism, making it a multifunctional molecule that can influence various physiological processes simultaneously. In this review, we focus on exploring Melatonin's role in potato plants, specifically examining the evidence supporting its involvement in abiotic stress responses and defense against pathogen infection. Previous studies have demonstrated that Melatonin plays a crucial role in regulating abiotic stress responses in potato plants. It acts as an effective antioxidant, safeguarding the plant against oxidative stress induced by high salinity and drought. Melatonin mitigates the detrimental impacts of chilling stress, cold shock, and frost damage, thereby enhancing the potato plants' tolerance to ultraviolet radiation. Melatonin exhibits significant involvement in protecting potato plants against pathogen infection. It acts as an inducer of defense responses, triggering the production of defense compounds in potato plants. Melatonin displays antifungal properties, effectively inhibiting the growth of various fungal pathogens. This review emphasizes the pleiotropic nature of Melatonin in potato plants, particularly in relation to abiotic stress responses and defense against pathogen infection. Future research should focus on elucidating the underlying mechanisms by which Melatonin safeguards potato plants from these stressors, as well as exploring the roles of other molecules involved in this process. Furthermore, it is essential to investigate the effects of Melatonin in other plant species to determine the breadth of its biological activities. Overall, by comprehending the multifaceted functions of Melatonin in potato plants, we can enhance our understanding of plant physiology and potentially develop strategies for improving stress tolerance and disease resistance in horticultural crops.

Calcium zirconate–based refractory with improved thermal shock damage resistance from Egyptian dolomite and zirconia through in situ spinel synthesis

Calcium zirconate–based refractory with improved thermal shock damage resistance from Egyptian dolomite and zirconia through in situ spinel synthesis

A novel shock life model for BGA solder joints based on evolutionary power spectral density

Multiple shock damage of Ball grid array (BGA) solder joint is one of the important reasons for space mission failure. A novel shock life model is proposed for BGA solder joints to evaluate its life under shock loads based on the evolutionary power spectral density (EPSD). Considering the bandwidth and non-Gaussian features of the stress signals during different stages, the shock stress response was treated as a non-stationary and non-Gaussian stochastic process. EPSD of the shock stress response is derived in matrix form based on wavelet transforms. The weight coefficient and non-Gaussian damage factor are proposed to describe the influence of the bandwidth and non-Gaussian characteristics of shock response on fatigue damage, respectively. The damage values of different stress stages were calculated by weight coefficient and corrected using non-Gaussian damage factor. Then the shock life model is proposed based on damage accumulation theory. Tests for the BGA solder joints shock life were conducted, and the result shows that the proposed model is feasible. Therefore, the developed method in the paper is expected to provide reference for the prediction of BGA solder joint shock life in aerospace engineering.

P-138 Protein concentration of 5 mg/mL in recovery medium for thawed blastocysts is equivalent to 10 mg/mL in post-thaw survival and pregnancy rates

Abstract Study question Are comparable survival and pregnancy rates obtained when recovery media are supplemented with 5mg/mL protein versus customary 10mg/mL protein in Frozen Embryo Transfer cycles? Summary answer Recovery medium containing 5mg/mL protein compared to 10mg/mL yielded similar outcomes in blastocyst survival and pregnancy rates. What is known already Accepted practice has been to culture thawed blastocysts in medium with the same protein concentration as the vitrification media (20% protein) to minimize osmotic stress and optimize survival and implantation rates. The potential to acquire similarly positive outcomes with supplementation of only 5 mg protein/ml has been explored and demonstrated, challenging the requirement for high protein levels in recovery media. Study design, size, duration From July through August 2022, a prospective study was conducted in a university laboratory to compare the survival and implantation rates in Frozen Embryo Transfer cycles using vitrified blastocysts recovered in Continuous Single Culture–NX Complete (CSCM-NXC) (5mg/mL Human Serum Albumin (HSA)) or global HP[LW1] (8.8mg/mL HSA and 1.2mg/mL α-and ß-globulins). 50 blastocysts were warmed per condition. Comparative analyses included survival and implantation rates, beta HCG levels, and clinical pregnancy rates by fetal cardiac activity. Participants/materials, setting, methods To evaluate the effect of protein level in recovery medium for vitrified blastocysts, CSCM-NXC and global HP, with 5mg/mL and 10mg/mL total protein, respectively, were compared. Blastocysts were vitrified in Irvine Scientific Vit Kit – Freeze and were warmed in Irvine Scientific Vit Kit – Warm. Minimum recovery time was the same for all blastocysts (30 minutes), and is defined as the time from completion of the warming procedure to the time of embryo transfer. Main results and the role of chance In both study arms, one blastocyst was removed from the data analysis due to embryo transfer cancellation that was not related to embryo survival or suitability for transfer, resulting in N = 49 for each group. Chi-square analysis was performed to assess statistical significance of all compared parameters, and a p value &amp;lt; 0.05 was considered significant. Average patient age (years) for CSCM-NXC was 36.1 and for global HP, 35.0. There was no difference between blastocysts warmed in CSCM-NXC and global HP in average recovery time, i.e., 3.8 and 3.9 hours, respectively, or survival rates, 98.4% and 98.1% respectively. Comparison of patients with blastocysts warmed in CSCM-NXC reflected a trend towards higher outcomes compared to those in global HP with initial positive beta HCG rates of 64.6% vs 56.3% and ongoing clinical pregnancy rates of 52.1% vs 45.8%, respectively. Implantation rates were 56.1% and 57.7% in CSCM-NXC and global HP, respectively. Incidence of monozygotic twinning of 0% in CSM-NXC and 3.3% in Global HP was observed. Limitations, reasons for caution As this is a challenge to accepted formulation of recovery media for vitrified blastocysts, specifically with respect to protein supplementation - a strategy for minimizing osmotic shock and potential damage to warming embryos - more expansive and robust studies must be undertaken to increase the statistical power of this study. Wider implications of the findings As frozen embryo transfers are utilized more routinely in assisted reproductive treatment, the clinical finding that a commercial recovery medium containing of 5mg/mL protein, the standard for routine embryo culture, can support the recovery of vitrified embryos and lead to successful pregnancy could increase the efficiency in the laboratory. Trial registration number na

Experimental study on acoustic emission characteristics of high temperature thermal shock directional fracturing of granite with different heating conditions

High temperature thermal shock directional fracturing of hard rock has tremendous promise in the mining and tunneling industries, but the utilization mechanism is unclear and must be resolved before taking it to the field application stage. In this study, the granite specimens were subjected to bidirectional horizontal loads using the real triaxial pressure testing machine, and the thermal shock fracturing tests were conducted utilizing the homemade thermal shock system. The AE (acoustic emission) system tracked the whole granite fracture process throughout the test in real time. The results showed that the granite‘s fracture time under the high temperature thermal shock was negatively related to the peak heating temperature and heating rate. The spectral analysis of the AE was employed to consider a large number of 20–40 kHz AE signals as a sign of thermal shock damage. By spatial localization of AE events, it was determined that the thermal shock cracks sprouted at the borehole edge in the specimen’s center. In the horizontal direction, the cracks extended from the center to the specimen edge; in the vertical direction, the cracks extended from the specimen surface to the deeper portion of the specimen. The RA-AF value analysis indicated that the granite thermal shock damage mode was a mixed tensile-shear damage mode dominated by tensile damage. In addition, the higher the heating rate, the higher the percentage of tensile cracks. Increasing the heating temperature promoted the formation of shear damage inside the specimen when the heating rate was equal. Analyzing the b-value and βt-value indicated that at low heating rates (10 and 60 °C/min), many micro-cracks formed inside the granite before merging into macro-cracks. However, with the higher heating rate (110 °C/min), the formation of micro-cracks and the macro-cracks within the granite proceeded almost simultaneously. The research results provided some experimental foundation and theoretical guidance for high temperature thermal shock directional fracturing of hard rocks.

Structure Control and Evaluation of Effective Fracture Energy on Alumina-Magnesia Monolithic Refractories Prepared with CaO·6Al&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; Aggregate

Alumina-magnesium castable refractories are used for the inner walls of molten steel ladles. The main cause of damage to these refractories is thermal shock caused by rapid temperature changes during the loading and unloading of molten steel. Therefore, the thermal shock damage resistance coefficient R'''' is a parameter that expresses the resistance of refractories to thermal shock, and the evaluation of effective fracture energy is important for improving R''''. In this refractory, CaO·6Al2O3 (CA6) is formed from the raw materials alumina and alumina cement; CA6 has the advantage of inhibiting crack propagation and improving mechanical properties. On the other hand, CA6 has the disadvantage of volumetric expansion during formation. Therefore, microstructural changes caused by the formation of CA6 significantly affect the mechanical properties of refractories. In this study, CA6 was used as raw material and replaced with CA6 generated in-situ. The amount of coarse-grained alumina added was adjusted to control the microstructure. The effect of the microstructure change on the effective fracture energy was then evaluated. As a result, the effective fracture energy was improved in the sample with more coarse-grained alumina added, due to the replacement of CA6 aggregate.

Is the in-situ ZnAl2O4 formation an alternative for magnesia-alumina spinel zero-carbon shaped refractories?

The ever-increasing demand for cleaner steels is the driving force for developing zero-carbon bricks. These refractories have some advantages such as lower thermal conductivity and no direct CO2 emissions, reducing thermal losses and environmental impacts related to their use. Aiming at enhancing some properties of these refractories, the addition of spinel-like inducers (MgO or ZnO) was compared. These oxides react with alumina forming MgAl2O4 and ZnAl2O4, respectively. The spinel formation of the former phase is well-known to be a counter-diffusional solid-state reaction, in which the Kirkendall effect leads to residual porosity. This work assessed the diffusion mechanisms in the Al2O3–MgO and Al2O3–ZnO systems, addressing the role played by the Kirkendall effect on the physical and thermomechanical properties of shaped refractory. Supported by XRD analyses, the early gahnite formation, which starts close to 800 °C and is fully completed at 1200 °C, was attested. This fast spinelization, the thermal expansion mismatch between ZnAl2O4 and Al2O3, and the residual porosity due to the Kirkendall effect led to a higher thermal shock damage resistance. Further analysis of the microstructural features highlighted that a homogeneous sintering reaction was carried out between the MgO and Al2O3 oxides. However, for the ZnO-containing composition, substantial voids were present between the matrix and aggregates due to the Kirkendall effect, inhibiting the sample densification. Additionally, a coating was formed at the alumina-coarse boundaries, indicating a high ZnO diffusion from the matrix to the aggregates. This resulted in higher porosity, and thus diminishing the mechanical strength, which could not be suitable for the working linings of steel ladles. However, controlled generation of residual porosity enhanced the thermal shock damage resistance. Moreover, the addition of ZnO can help to anticipate the in-situ spinalization for applications in the aluminum industry or to produce pre-reacted spinel-like ZnAl2O4 raw materials.

Impacts of different cooling methods on the dynamic tensile properties of thermal-treated granite

Hot dry rock (HDR) is a kind of clean, renewable energy and has received widespread attention worldwide in recent years. It is significant to explore the dynamic tensile properties of thermal-treated granite using different cooling methods for mining HDR. In the current work, a series of tests were performed containing ultrasonic testing and Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) tests on granite at different temperatures (25, 200, 400, 500, 600, and 800 °C) after different cooling methods (including natural, water, and liquid nitrogen cooling). Then the dynamic tensile properties, thermal shock damage, and energy evolution process of granite using different cooling methods were compared and analyzed. The high-speed camera and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technology were used to analyze the tensile failure mode and the failure mechanism under different thermal treatment and cooling conditions. According to the experimental results, with the increasing thermal treatment temperature by adopting the three cooling methods, the P-wave velocity, dynamic tensile strength, and final absorbed energy of granite decreased, and thermal shock damage increased. In addition, the effect of liquid nitrogen cooling on thermal-treated granite was the most obvious among the three methods, followed by water cooling and natural cooling. Moreover, with the increasing treatment temperature, the time for the occurrence of central cracks in the specimen after impact was prolonged, and the areas of the shear failure zone and tensile failure zone increased; the influence of different cooling methods was also evident (natural cooling < water cooling < liquid nitrogen cooling). The experimental findings were expected to offer a reference for understanding the dynamic tensile properties and failure mechanism of thermal-treated granite after rapid cooling. By studying the degree of deterioration of rock dynamic properties by different cooling methods, the exploitation efficiency of geothermal wells can be improved.

Microstructural evolution of graded W-Cu materials under repeated thermal shocks

To investigate the stability of W-Cu functional graded materials (FGMs) under transient-state heat load, continuous W-Cu FGMs from pure W to W-36 Cu(vol%) layer and W/W-30 Cu(vol%) joints were employed for thermal shock tests at temperatures of 1000 °C-RT under different cycles (50, 100, 150, 200). The results show that the thermal shock damage mainly occurs in the forms of Cu exudation to the sample surface, pores, and cracks caused by various thermal stresses, which were induced by the mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) between W and Cu, temperature gradient and composition gradient inside W-Cu FGMs. For the continuous W-Cu FGMs, Cu exudation to the surfaces and the maximum exudation occurs in the W-22Cu region, and some microcracks appear in this region after 200 times of thermal shocks. However, for the W/W-30 Cu joints, a macrocrack appears through the entire interfaces between W and W-30Cu layer after 50 thermal shock cycles, and the crack width gradually becomes larger with the increase of the times of thermal shocks.

Type I and II interferons induce granulopoiesis and correlate with organ damage during infection-induced shock

Abstract The mechanisms that drive pathology in infection-induced shock are not well understood. The tick-borne pathogen Ixodes ovatuserhlichia (IOE) induces severe inflammation, vascular damage, liver injury, and death. Mice that lack the receptor for type I IFN, or receptors for both type I and II IFNs, improves survival by 50–70 and 90%, respectively. IOE infection induced a significant increase in circulating granulocytes that depended on both type I and II IFNs. We also observed an IFN-dependent increase in eosinophils and basophils in the bone marrow in IOE-infected C57BL/6TA (WT). Although IOE infection induced an increase in bone marrow IL-5 and GM-CSF levels independent of IFN signaling, bone marrow concentrations of IL-3 and IL-13, both known to promote eosinophil differentiation and survival, increased in an IFNAR-dependent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrate an infection- and IFN-dependent increase of CCL3 and CCL5, two chemokines that promote eosinophil activation and migration. While bone marrow and blood eosinophils and basophils were increased, we observed a specific depletion of eosinophils in WT liver at day 7 post-IOE infection, correlating with increased cell death and severe liver pathology. In contrast, basophil frequencies were increased in IOE-infected WT mice. Additionally, Ifnar-deficient and Ifnar-Ifngr-deficient mice exhibited normal eosinophil and basophil frequencies and reduced liver inflammation, similar to uninfected mice. Together, our data reveal an IFN-driven cytokine and chemokine response that correlates with rampant granulopoiesis and mortality and provide evidence that IFN-induced eosinophil activation may contribute to vascular leak and liver damage in infection-induced shock. Supported by grants from NIH R35GM131842

Immunopathological Alterations after Blast Injury and Hemorrhage in a Swine Model of Prolonged Damage Control Resuscitation.

Trauma-related hemorrhagic shock (HS) remains a leading cause of death among military and civilian trauma patients. We have previously shown that administration of complement and HMGB1 inhibitors attenuate morbidity and mortality 24 h after injury in a rat model of blast injury (BI) and HS. To further validate these results, this study aimed to develop a swine model and evaluate BI+HS-induced pathophysiology. Anesthetized Yucatan minipigs underwent combined BI and volume-controlled hemorrhage. After 30 min of shock, animals received an intravenous bolus of PlasmaLyte A and a continuous PlasmaLyte A infusion. The survival rate was 80% (4/5), and the non-survivor expired 72 min post-BI. Circulating organ-functional biomarkers, inflammatory biomarkers, histopathological evaluation, and CT scans indicated evidence of multiple-organ damage, systemic innate immunological activation, and local tissue inflammation in the injured animals. Interestingly, a rapid and dramatic increase in plasma levels of HMGB1 and C3a and markedly early myocarditis and encephalitis were associated with early death post-BI+HS. This study suggests that this model reflects the immunopathological alterations of polytrauma in humans during shock and prolonged damage control resuscitation. This experimental protocol could be helpful in the assessment of immunological damage control resuscitation approaches during the prolonged care of warfighters.

Optimization of stocking density and shipping duration for transportation of Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis (Temminck et Schlegel), eggs, and experimental verification of polyethylene glycol treatment to reduce collision damage

AbstractPacific bluefin tuna (PBT), Thunnus orientalis, is one of the most important species for aquaculture worldwide. For the conservation of this species and sustainable development of the tuna farming industry, production based on closed‐cycle aquaculture should be promoted. In this study, to develop an efficient method for transporting PBT eggs, we simulated egg transportation to optimize stocking density and shipping duration, which are the two variables critical to the transportation procedure of PBT. Based on the findings of this study, we concluded that PBT eggs should be transported at a density of 1 × 104 eggs/L within 12 h in the field. Furthermore, we showed that collisions between eggs during transportation negatively affected the normal hatching rates of eggs, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment (at 1000 μg/mL for 12 h) could reduce such damage. Our results suggest that PEG treatment is a practical approach that contributes to the stable transportation of PBT eggs, particularly in cases where the effects of physical shock damage is considerably increased.

Mechanism of thermal shock damage of Mo–W–ZrO2 cermet sensor for molten steel temperature caused by water vapor during sintering

Mo–W–ZrO2 cermet has been used in molten steel temperature sensors for thin-walled structures with fast responses. However, thermal shock damage often occurs when it is dipped into molten steel because of the presence of water vapor during sintering; this study investigates this underlying mechanism. The results reveal that water vapor decreases the perimeter to area ratio of the metal phase from 1 (sintered in the absence of water vapor) to 0.92. This implies that the metal phase tends to agglomerate and coarsen, thus resulting in a decrease in the bridge toughening performance of the metal phase. Moreover, water vapor causes segregation of metal elements in the metal phase, which may reduce their strength and further lead to a decrease in the toughening performance. As the water vapor is removed, the cermet sensor is able to withstand the severe thermal shock test of dipping it into molten steel for temperature measurement. Furthermore, the relationship between the thermal shock damage and the evolution of the microstructure and composition of the cermet is clarified; this may have implications for optimizing the thermal shock resistance of other cermets.