Analysis of the dislocation activity of Mg-Zn-Y alloy using synchrotron radiation under tensile loading.

An understanding of deformation behavior and texture development is crucial for the formability improvement of Mg alloys. X-ray line profile analysis using the convolutional multiple whole profile (CMWP) fitting method allows the experimental determination of dislocation densities separately for different Burgers vectors up to a high deformation degree. A wider use of this technique still requires exploration and testing of various materials. In this regard, the reliability of the CMWP fitting method for Mg-Zn-Y alloys, in terms of the dislocation activity during tensile deformation, was verified in the present study by the combined analysis of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) investigation and visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) simulation. The predominant activity of non-basal 〈a〉 dislocation slip was revealed by CMWP analysis, and Schmid factor analysis from the EBSD results supported the higher potential of non-basal dislocation slip in comparison with basal 〈a〉 dislocation slip. Moreover, the relative slip activities obtained by the VPSC simulation also show a similar trend to those obtained from the CMWP evaluation.

Quorum sensing-dependent metalloprotease VvpE is important in the virulence of Vibrio vulnificus to invertebrates.

Vibrio vulnificus, a Gram-negative bacterium, is an opportunistic human pathogen responsible for fatal septicemia caused by contaminated sea foods in eastern Asia. Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-density dependent gene regulation mechanism that controls the expression of many virulence genes in various bacteria and V. vulnificus has been also suggested to express their virulence genes through the QS system. In this study, we investigated the role of QS system and QS-regulated exoproteases in the virulence of V. vulnificus using several invertebrate host models, Tenebrio molitor, an insect, Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode, and brine shrimp (Artemia), an aquatic crustacean. When the culture supernatant of smcR (major QS regulator of V. vulnificus) mutant was injected to T. molitor larvae, it failed to induce the melanization of T. molitor larvae, while the culture supernatant of luxO (upstream negative regulator of smcR) mutant more strongly induced the melanization than wild type. These results demonstrated that QS system of V. vulnificus is crucial for virulence to T. molitor larvae. Among several QS-dependently expressed exoproteases of V. vulnificus, vvpE encoding a metalloprotease was mainly responsible for the melanization of T. molitor larvae, in that the culture supernatant of vvpE mutant failed to induce the melanization. This result was confirmed using the C. elegans and Artemia salina model systems, in which the vvpE mutant strains were attenuated in killing C. elegans and A. salina, compared with wild type, indicating that VvpE is important in the infection of V. vulnificus. In conclusion, we suggest that QS system and a QS-dependent exoprotease, VvpE are crucial for the V. vulnificus virulence to invertebrates.

Optimal placement of inherent zeros in polynomial-based motion profiles for minimizing residual vibration and travel time under system uncertainties.

Various industrial processes require motion profiles that determine machine movement over time for workpiece transfer, with the goal of minimizing transfer time to enhance productivity. However, pursuing the maximum speed can trigger excessive motion-induced vibration, which can reduce the manufacturing efficiency, accuracy and operational lifespan of the system. This study proposes a generalized motion profile optimization method that considers the strategic placement of inherent zeros within the motion profile: each inherent zero contributes to the reduction of residual vibration or optimization of arrival time. By offering freedom to the placement of zeros, four optimization options for polynomial-based motion profiles of each order are proposed, expanding on existing work that offered a single option. All proposed optimization options have closed-form solutions, making them easily applicable to industrial applications. The practical applicability of the suggested methodology is demonstrated through case studies and experiments.

Experimental development of levitation control for a high-accuracy magnetic levitation transport system.

In this paper, we present the experimental levitation control development in a high-accuracy magnetic levitation transport system. With this levitation control implementation, the input and output of sub-systems can be verified through a real-time system. The levitation control loop has a fast response, and the control algorithms are easily implemented. In addition, a notch filter and a low-pass filter are designed to minimize mechanical resonance and sensor noise, respectively. Moreover, a section control algorithm is developed to reduce sudden changes in the levitation forces. From the results, the total current required to levitate the carrier is approximately 3.1 A, and it is decreased to approximately 2.45 A at the desired airgap. The maximum peak-to-peak variation of the airgap measurement at a standstill is approximately 50µm, and at low and high movement speeds, it is approximately 300µm and 700µm, respectively. Moreover, the good levitation control performance in the deadzone, where one pair of the levitation electromagnets is disabled, is also verified.

Interspecies signaling through QscR, a quorum receptor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The QS machinery of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic human pathogen, consists of three acyl-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) signaling systems, LasR-I, RhlR-I, and QscR. QscR, known as an orphan receptor and a repressor of other QS systems, operates its own regulon using N-3-oxododecanoyl HSL (3OC12), which is synthesized by LasI, as its signal. In this study, we addressed the role of QscR in interspecies communication. We found that QscR auto-activates its own transcription in the presence of 3OC12. In a single population of P. aeruginosa, where 3OC12 is the sole signal available for QscR, the QscR regulon is activated by 3OC12 produced by the LasI-R system. However, the broad signal specificity of QscR allowed it to respond to a non-P. aeruginosa signal, such as N-decanoyl HSL (C10) and N-3-hydroxydecanoyl HSL (3OHC10), which preferentially activated QscR to LasR. The signal extracts from Pseudomonas fluorescens and Burkholeria vietnamiensis also preferentially activated QscR. These non-P. aeruginosa signals activated QscR more strongly than 3OC12, the authentic P. aeruginosa signal. Since a variety of acyl-HSLs are produced in the multi-species habitat of nature, our study provides a clue for the particular situation that allows QscR to secede from the conventional QS cascade in mixed microbial community.

Growth phase-differential quorum sensing regulation of anthranilate metabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) plays a role in the regulation of virulence genes and it is intertwined in the las/rhl quorum sensing (QS) circuits of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PQS is synthesized from anthranilate by pqsA-D and pqsH whose expression is influenced by the las/rhl systems. Since anthranilate can be degraded by functions of antABC and catBCA, PQS synthesis might be regulated by the balance between the expression of the pqsA-D/phnAB, pqsH, antABC, and catBCA gene loci. antA and catA are repressed by LasR during log phase and activated by RhlR in late stationary phase, whereas pqsA-E/phnAB is activated by LasR in log phase and repressed by RhlR. QscR represses both but each repression occurs in a different growth phase. This growth phase-differential regulation appears to be accomplished by the antagonistic interplay of LasR, RhlR, and QscR, mediated by two intermediate regulators, AntR and PqsR, and their cofactors, anthranilate and PQS, where the expressions of antR and pqsR and the production of anthranilate and PQS are growth phase-differentially regulated by QS systems. Especially, the anthranilate level increases in an RhlR-dependent manner at late stationary phase. From these results, we suggest that RhlR and LasR regulate the anthranilate metabolism in a mutually antagonistic and growth phase-differential manner by affecting both the expressions and activities of AntR and PqsR, and that QscR also phase-differentially represses both LasR and RhlR functions in this regulation.