Findings suggested that increased TGF-β3 and MMP-3 contribute to the pathogenesis of valvular degeneration associated with CMVD. In addition, it is possible that the use of ACEI could effectively block pathological alterations in VICs associated with CMVD in vitro. Impact on Human Medicine-CMVD is associated with primary mitral valve prolapse and Marfan syndrome in humans. Results of the study reported here will help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of CMVD in dogs and humans.

Synopsis : Charpy impact value of the case hardening steel subjected to combined heat treatment with excess vacuum carburizing and subsequent induction hardening was evaluated. The purpose of this study is to clarify the effect of retained austenite and cementite on the impact property. The characteristic of combined heat treatment is that the initial microstructure can be designed easily. The initial microstructure is designed by carburizing and annealing at the hyper-eutectoid composition of 1.3 mass% C and subsequent induction heating temperature is chosen between A cm and A 1 to obtain different amounts of retained austenite and cementite. The impact value improves by the induction hardening with increasing heating temperature and the tempering. The steel treated at the low heating temperature shows intra-granular fracture irrespective of the presence of pro-eutectoid cementite. As the heating temperature increases, the formation of C solid solution progresses by the decomposition of cementite and increased retained austenite transforms into the deformation-induced martensite by the impact energy, thereby increases intra-granular strength. Hence critical fracture strength transits to grain boundary strength and showed inter-granular fracture at the interface of cementite and matrix in this study. The impact value showed the correlation with the amounts of retained austenite before the test and the decrement in retained austenite before and after the test. The effect of retained austenite is due to the plastic deformation of austenite, the increase of the compressive residual stress generated by deformation-induced martensite transformation, and the consumption of the impact energy as the driving force for deformation-induced martensite transformation.

Diol dehydratase-reactivase (DD-R) is a molecular chaperone that reactivates inactivated holodiol dehydratase (DD) by cofactor exchange. Its ADP-bound and ATP-bound forms are high-affinity and low-affinity forms for DD, respectively. Among DD-Rs mutated at the nucleotide-binding site, neither the Dα8N nor Dα413N mutant was effective as a reactivase. Although Dα413N showed ATPase activity, it did not mediate cyanocobalamin (CN-Cbl) release from the DD·CN-Cbl complex in the presence of ATP or ADP and formed a tight complex with apoDD even in the presence of ATP, suggesting the involvement of Aspα413 in the nucleotide switch. In contrast, Dα8N showed very low ATPase activity and did not mediate CN-Cbl release from the complex in the presence of ATP, but it did cause about 50% release in the presence of ADP. The complex formation of this mutant with DD was partially reversed by ATP, suggesting that Aspα8 is involved in the ATPase activity but only partially in the nucleotide switch. Among DD-Rs mutated at the Mg(2+)-binding site, only Eβ31Q was about 30% as active as wild-type DD-R and formed a tight complex with apoDD, indicating that the DD-R β subunit is not absolutely required for reactivation. If subunit swapping occurs between the DD-R β and DD β subunits, Gluβ97 of DD would coordinate to Mg(2+). The complex of Eβ97Q DD with CN-Cbl was not activated by wild-type DD-R. No complex was formed between this mutant and wild-type DD-R, indicating that the coordination of Gluβ97 to Mg(2+) is essential for subunit swapping and therefore for (re)activation.

No abstract

Friction property of the case hardening steel subjected to excess vacuum carburizing and subsequent severe plastic deformation and induction hardening was evaluated by the traction test. The purpose of this study is to clarify the effect of fine microstructure on the friction property, focusing on the interaction between the fine microstructure and the lubricating oil additives. The vacuum carburizing treatment is performed at the hyper-eutectoid composition of 1.0 mass% C. Subsequently, the carburized surface was formed the white layer by the surface-nanostructured wearing (SNW) process, and the specimen having the initial microstructure was subjected to induction hardening. The microstructure of the condition with SNW was finer compared to that with SNW-less. According to the traction test, traction coefficient (μ) in the specimen having the fine microstructure on the rolling contact surface decreased. Therefore, it was found that the decrease of μ could be achieved by the application of high-density lattice defects (grain boundaries in this study). After the test, the rolling contact surface of the specimen with fine microstructure became smooth, and the surface showed high reactivity with the lubricating oil additives and formed the compound film of Fe-O-P system having a fine, spherical morphology. The surface roughness was improved by the presence of the wear particles on the surface. Therefore, it was thought that the μ was decreased because the transition to a mild friction condition was caused due to the dispersion of the contact pressure.