The Effect of Heat Treatment on Interface Properties of S45C Steel/Copper Compound Casting
ABSTRACT 
 
The bonding of an S45C steel inserted into copper during cast welding and heat treatment was examined. The interface shear strength was made with a push-out test. After cast welding, a cast-welding layer formed between steel and copper. After marquenching, martempering and austempering heat treatment, there was a cast-welding layer near the steel matrix, an irregular layer near the copper matrix and between of them was a middle layer. Through X-ray diffraction analysis was used to determine that the interface layer consisted of carbon and CuFeO2. Through electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA), it was showed that iron atoms and carbons, mostly, diffused into the copper matrix. The interface shear strengths of the compound casting while with marquenching, martempering, and austempering were 6.29 MPa, 8.23 MPa, and 8.33 MPa, respectively; The fractured region was all happened near S45C steel matrix in the cast welding layer.
DEVELOPMENT OF POST-OXIDATION TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE WEAR AND CORROSION RESISTANCE
Gas nitrocarburizing and post-oxidation treatments were performed on 42CrMo4 steel and GS600 cast iron, to improve wear and corrosion resistance. In both materials the compounds layer after nitrocarburizing, mainly composed by ?-Fe2-3(N,C) and ?’- Fe4N phase. First the oxidizing step, a subsequent impregnation with two different lubricating oils was performed in order to further enhance corrosion resistance. Wear resistance was measured using a ball-on-disk tribometer with Al2O3 and 100Cr6 counterpart and the corrosion resistance of the samples was studied using salt spray test in accordance with ASTM B117 and electrochemical cell. Experimental results show that the nitrocarburizing treatment improves significantly the wear resistance of the steel but not the wear resistance of the studied cast irons. The application of nitrocarburizing alone does not significantly improve corrosion resistance and it may even promote localized corrosion. The subsequent postoxidation step leads to a slight decrease of the corrosion rate, because it partially seals the porous nitrocarburized layer. The final oil impregnation step resulted much more effective in further decreasing the corrosion rate by one order of magnitude.
Calyculins and Related Marine Natural Products as Serine-Threonine Protein Phosphatase PP1 and PP2A Inhibitors and Total Syntheses of Calyculin A, B, and C
Calyculins, highly cytotoxic polyketides, originally isolated from the marine sponge Discodermia calyx by Fusetani and co-workers, belong to the lithistid sponges group. These molecules have become interesting targets for cell biologists and synthetic organic chemists. The serine/threonine protein phosphatases play an essential role in the cellular signalling, metabolism, and cell cycle control. Calyculins express potent protein phosphatase 1 and 2A inhibitory activity, and have therefore become valuable tools for cellular biologists studying intracellular processes and their control by reversible phosphorylation. Calyculins might also play an important role in the development of several diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and type 2-diabetes mellitus. The fascinating structures of calyculins have inspired various groups of synthetic organic chemists to develop total syntheses of the most abundant calyculins A and C. However, with fifteen chiral centres, a cyano-capped tetraene unit, a phosphate-bearing spiroketal, an anti, anti, anti dipropionate segment, an α-chiral oxazole, and a trihydroxylated γ-amino acid, calyculins reach versatility that only few natural products can surpass, and truly challenge modern chemists’ asymmetric synthesis skills.