Mouse Anti-Bovine Myosin Hybridoma [CG-43]

To improve the dimensional stability of Al-Cu-Li-Sc-(Ag) alloys and identify the underlying micro-yield mechanism, the effects of silver (Ag) content (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 wt%) on the microstructure, micro-yield behaviour and dimensional stability of Al-Cu-Li-Sc-(Ag) alloys were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cyclic load-unload test and thermal cycle test. The results showed that increasing the Ag content promoted the precipitation of the T-1 and delta' phases in the alpha-Al matrix and decreased their diameters, which resulted in the increase of the micro-yield strength and strain hardening rate of the Al-Cu-Li-Sc-(Ag) alloys. Because T-1 and delta' precipitates can effectively pin the mobile dislocations and impede their movement, the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) resulting from the pinning of mobile dislocations by T-1 and delta' precipitates played a critical role in the micro-yield behavior. There existed a relation between sigma(mys) and tau(CRSS) similar as that of macro-yield strength, sigma(mys) = alpha center dot tau(CRSS) + sigma(0)'. However, the low alpha value in the micro-yield stage compared with the macro-yield stage indicated that fewer activated slip systems would be enough to produce a residual strain of 1 x 10(-6) at the beginning of the micro-yield stage. The thermal cycle decreased the residual relative length (RRL) of the alloys and the stable RRL after the thermal cycle could serve as an indicator of the thermal dimensional stability of the alloys. Increasing the Ag content decreased the stable RRL of the Al-Cu-Li-Sc-(Ag) alloys and hence improved their thermal dimensional stability.

Temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration are important abiotic factors that can limit the growth and survival of sea cucumbers by affecting their immune systems. As global warming intensifies, sea cucumbers are increasingly exposed to adverse environmental conditions, which can cause severe economic losses and limit the sustainable development of sea cucumber aquaculture. It is therefore important to better understand how sea cucumbers respond to environmental stress, especially with regard to its effects on immunity. In the present study, the time series of immunity-related gene expression in sea cucumbers under thermal and hypoxic stresses were analyzed separately. The expression trends of 17 genes related to the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) pathway, the protease family, the complement system, heat shock proteins (HSPs) and the transferrin family during exposure to two stresses at eight time points were concluded. These genes have interconnected roles in stress defense. The expression levels of genes relating to the NF-kappa B pathways and HSPs were strongly affected in the sea cucumber thermal stress response, while melanotransferrin (MO), ferritin (Ft) and mannan-binding C-type lectin (MBCL) were affected by hypoxia. In contrast, complement factor B (Bf), myosin V (Mys) and serine protease inhibitor (SPI) were not that sensitive during the initial period of environmental stress. Similar expression patterns under both thermal and hypoxic stress for certain genes, including an increase in Hsp90 and decreases in lysozyme (Lys), major yolk protein (MYP) and cathepsin C (CTLC) were observed in sea cucumbers. Conversely, NF-kappa B and Hsp70 were differentially affected by the two stress treatments. Lysozyme-induced immune defense was inconstant in sea cucumbers coping with stress. A gene ontology (GO) analysis of the selected genes revealed that the most co-involved terms related to immunity and iron ion. Our analysis suggests that sea cucumbers demonstrate complex and varied immune responses to different types of stresses. This dynamic image of the immune responses and stress tolerance of sea cucumbers provides new insights into the adaptive strategies of holothurians in adverse environments.