Abstract Curcumin, a natural polyphenol derived from Curcuma longa, exhibits potent multimodal anticancer activity by modulating critical oncogenic pathways (e.g., NF-κB, STAT3, PI3K/Akt/mTOR), inducing apoptosis, suppressing angiogenesis, and reversing multidrug resistance (MDR). However, its clinical translation is severely hindered by poor aqueous solubility, rapid metabolism, and negligible oral bioavailability (typically <1% in serum), which result in subtherapeutic concentrations at tumor sites. Smart nanoparticle delivery systems have emerged as a transformative strategy to overcome these limitations, enabling enhanced solubility, controlled release, and targeted accumulation in tumors. This review comprehensively summarizes the advancements in curcumin-loaded nanocarriers, including polymeric nanoparticles (e.g., PLGA, chitosan), lipid-based systems (e.g., liposomes, NLCs), inorganic nanoparticles (e.g., mesoporous silica, gold nanoparticles), and stimuli-responsive platforms (pH-, redox-, enzyme-sensitive). These nanosystems leverage passive targeting via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and active targeting through ligand conjugation (e.g., folate, transferrin, hyaluronic acid), significantly improving tumor-specific delivery and curcumin’s bioavailability—exemplified by a 178-fold increase in plasma AUC in healthy human volunteers following oral administration of the co-grinding formulation CUMINUP60® compared to standard crystalline curcumin. Preclinical and clinical studies demonstrate that nanoformulated curcumin synergizes with conventional chemo/radiotherapy, sensitizes resistant cancers, and modulates the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. For instance, Phase I/II trials indicate that formulations like nanomicellar curcumin (Sinacurcumin®) can modulate inflammatory cytokines, while liposomal variants (Lipocur™) have shown target engagement in metastatic cancers, albeit with the need for dose optimization. Hybrid nanocarriers co-delivering curcumin with chemotherapeutics or siRNA further augment therapeutic outcomes in models of colorectal, breast, pancreatic, and glioblastoma cancers. Despite these progresses, the gap between preclinical success and clinical translation remains significant. This review critically analyzes the barriers impeding commercialization, specifically highlighting the heterogeneity of the EPR effect, the lack of scalable GMP-compliant manufacturing for complex nanocarriers, and the regulatory hurdles regarding long-term biocompatibility and safety assessments. Graphical Abstract
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Medical technology
Nina Girotto Erhardt, Jan Berges, Samuel Poncé
et al.
Abstract We investigate the superconducting properties of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) monolayer across a broad doping range, successfully recreating the so far unresolved superconducting dome. Our first-principles findings reveal several dynamically stable phases across the doping-dependent phase diagram. We observe a doping-induced increase in the superconducting transition temperature T c , followed by a reduction in T c due to the formation of charge density waves (CDWs), polaronic distortions, and structural transition from the H to the 1T′ phase. Our work reconciles various experimental observations of CDWs in MoS2 with its doping-dependent superconducting dome structure, which occurs due to the 1 × 1 H to 2 × 2 CDW phase transition.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Chemistry
This study uncovers new opportunities for microstructure engineering of AA6061 using pulsed lasers in powder bed fusion. Experimental analysis reveals that pulsed lasers allow for extensive control of grain sizes. Lower frequencies or duty cycles induce remelting cycles that promote finer grains and homogenized subgrain structures, while higher frequencies with high duty cycles sustain elevated temperatures, reducing cooling rates and resulting in coarser grains. Pulsing strategy is demonstrated as facile route for tailoring microstructure through enhanced control over solidification. These findings present an effective means in additive manufacturing by linking pulsed laser dynamics to microstructure evolution towards desired material properties.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
Asymmetric cryorolling demonstrates significant potential for producing materials with high strength and excellent electrical conductivity. This study presents an innovative Dynamic Offsets and Shear Force Adjustments Cryorolling (DSCR) technique coupled with short-time annealing (DSCRA), systematically investigating its synergy in tailoring mechanical properties, microstructural, recrystallization behavior, and thermal stability of pure copper. Compared to conventional symmetric rolling (SR) followed by annealing (SRA), the DSCRA specimens exhibit 27.9% higher microhardness and 18.3% enhanced ultimate tensile strength under annealing at 180 °C for 15 min, primarily driven by optimized dislocation strengthening and grain boundary strengthening. Both SRA and DSCRA specimens achieve >95% IACS electrical conductivity at elevated annealing temperatures. Microstructural analysis reveals that DSCRA specimens generate weaker and more homogeneous texture prior to recrystallization, resulting in 31.3% higher grain growth activation energy and superior thermal stability. These findings establish DSCRA as an industrially scalable strategy for manufacturing high-performance copper plates, providing critical insights for designing deformation-annealing protocols for conductive structural materials.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
ABSTRACT The growth of hybrid nanostructures composed of inorganic materials and biomolecules has garnered significant attention due to their potential applications across diverse fields. However, the mutual competition mechanisms at the bio‐nano interface, particularly from the perspective of dimensional evolution, have been seldom explored. Herein, we ascertain a distinct dimensional evolution by establishing a synergistic growth model system that hybridizes protein fibrils and gold nanostructures. Specifically, ionic gold precursors increase in dimension from zero to three dimensions, while amyloid proteins conversely decrease from three to one dimension. This dimensional evolution has important implications for reducing the bio‐nano interface and potentially limiting harmful coupling between biomolecules and inorganic nanomaterials, despite the fact that they can act as templates or scaffolds for each other to promote dimensional evolution. The findings highlight the potential of these hybrid systems in biomedical applications, such as targeted drug delivery and bioimaging, by leveraging the unique dimensional coupling between proteins and gold nanostructures. This work provides insights into the complex bio‐nano interactions between organisms and inorganic materials, emphasizing the need for precise and rational design of bio‐nano systems suitable for clinical applications.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Medical technology
Hou Shiyao, Zhang Yang, Yang Dongou, Zhao Yang, Chen Liqing
The development and application of ultra-high strength spring flat steel is of great significance in achieving automotive lightweight. Understanding the continuous cooling transformation behavior of this type of steel aids in developing its post-hot rolling cooling and quenching-tempering processes. On the basis of mechanical property testing， this study focuses on a newly designed ultra-high strength flat spring steel， 50SiMnCr， to investigate the effect of cooling rate on the microstructure and hardness of experimental steel by a combination of metallographic-hardness and thermal expansion method， thereby constructing continuous cooling transformation （CCT） curves. The results show that the strength and ductility of 50SiMnCr steel meet the requirements of the 2000 MPa level， with phase transition point Ac1=721 ℃， Ac3=758 ℃， Ms=220 ℃ and Mf=103 ℃. Ferrite and pearlite transformation occurs when the cooling rate is 0.05 ℃/s-0.5 ℃/s. Bainite transformation takes place when the cooling rate is increased to 1 ℃/s. Martensite transformation happens when the cooling rate is above 2 ℃/s. The hardness of the this steel increases with increasing the cooling rate.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Technology
The creation of self-healing polymers with superior strength and stretchability from biodegradable materials is attracting increasing attention. In this study, we synthesized new biomass-derived cellulose acetate (CA) derivatives by ring-opening graft polymerization of δ-valerolactone followed by the introduction of ureidopyrimidinone (Upy) groups in the polymer side chains. Due to the semicrystalline aliphatic characteristics of the side chain poly(δ-valerolactone) (PVL) and quadruple hydrogen bonds formed by the Upy groups, the stretchability of the resulting polymers was significantly enhanced. Moreover, the shape memory ability and self-healing property (58.3% of self-healing efficiency) were successfully imparted to the polymer. This study demonstrates the great significance of using biomass sources to create self-healing polymers.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Biotechnology
Oleksandr Diachenko, Maksym Delembovskyi, Kateryna Levchuk
et al.
The production of concrete mixes, along with their use in the production of building materials and structures, is one of the key processes in the construction industry during the construction, restoration and repair of buildings and structures. Because of this, the need to create modern concrete mixing plants that will meet the requirements of minimum energy consumption and maximum productivity of concrete mixture production is an urgent task. Not only the main operations, which include the dosing of the components of the mixture and their mixing, but also the maintenance operations, namely operations that ensure the timely movement of the components of the concrete mixture from warehouses to the main technological equipment, affect the set rhythm of the concrete mixture production. Conveyors of various types and designs are used to move bulk materials, such as crushed stone and sand.
For the rational selection of such equipment in accordance with the characteristics of the cargo to be transported, knowledge of the types of conveyors, their structures and parameters, understanding of operation issues and methods of parameter calculation are required. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the following parameters: maximum cargo transportation productivity, low energy consumption per unit of moved products, low metal content of the structure.
The work reviewed the most common designs of conveyors used to move bulk materials in concrete mixing plants, analyzed the disadvantages and advantages of conveyors, as well as technical parameters. As a result, the predominant directions for the use of belt and plate conveyors at construction enterprises were determined. The advantages of belt conveyors, which contribute to their widespread distribution, are high productivity, simplicity of design, reliability, quiet operation, low specific power consumption.
When choosing a conveyor, it is recommended to choose the equipment with the highest productivity and the lowest power of the drive motors, however, the performance should be clearly related to other technological equipment.
Elahe Majidnia, Noushin Amirpour, Mehdi Ahmadian
et al.
One promising treatment for degenerative retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the delivery of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells using degradable scaffolds. Tough-aligned scaffolds are promising candidates for some applications of tissue engineering, such as peripheral nerve regeneration. However, aligned scaffolds have not been investigated in retinal tissue engineering so far. Here, a comparison was made between aligned and random scaffolds fabricated from polycaprolactone (PCL) and human amniotic membrane powder (HAMP) as a scaffold for RPE cells. The effects of alignment on mechanical properties, porosity, hydrophilicity, degradation of the scaffolds, and the cellular interaction of RPE cells were investigated. The results revealed that the aligned scaffold has a lower average fiber diameter, porosity, hydrophilicity, and Young’s modulus and also a higher maximum strain in failure compared with the random scaffold. However, the proliferation of RPE cells increased on the random scaffold compared to the aligned scaffold. Hence, the rest of the specialized cellular evaluations, such as immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, and functional assessments were performed on random scaffolds. The seeded cells showed an expression of RPE signature genes and functionally secreted VEGF and PEDF. Therefore, a HAMP-based substrate was fabricated for potential use as a scaffold for RPE cell transplantation.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
In this work, a robust epoxy adhesive (EP) @ superhydrophobic SiO2 (SH-SiO2)-based superhydrophobic coating was prepared on the aluminum substrate by a simple one-step spraying strategy. The prepared EP@SH-SiO2 coating exhibits hierarchical micro/nanostructures and is capable of maintaining a contact angle of more than 150° after 1000 cm of abrasion length and 80 tape-peeling repetitions. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum mechanics calculations show that the improved mechanical resistance is attributed to the enhanced interfacial interaction between the EP@SH-SiO2 coating and the underlying substrate induced by the epoxy adhesive. Electrochemical measurements in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution show the corrosion inhibition efficiency of the EP@SH-SiO2 coating reaches up to 99.99%, and even after 8 days of immersion, the low frequency impedance modulus of the EP@SH-SiO2 sample is still ∼1 order of magnitude higher than that bare aluminum, demonstrating excellent long-term corrosion protection. The diffusion behavior of the corrosive medium in the EP@SH-SiO2 coating was revealed by MD simulation to support the experimental results. Additionally, the EP@SH-SiO2 coating exhibits good chemical stability and hydrophobic repair properties. This work will provide a new perspective for the preparation and study of robust superhydrophobic aluminum for corrosion protection properties.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
The construction industry has grown enormously over the last few decades. Concrete has been the key component in most construction works. Concrete is very good in compression but the weak tensile properties have made an urge to improve its tensile properties with different reinforcement materials. The reinforced concrete has more tensile strength compared to non-reinforced concrete. There are several types of fibers used in reinforced concrete. The Usage of natural fibers in concrete has not only improved the tensile properties but also has a positive impact on Environment. There are many varieties of natural fibers available in the market. This state-of-the-art review represents the potential of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibers as reinforcement. Several researchers have used OPEFB fibers as reinforcement in composite materials in the construction industry. In this state-of-the-art review, the overall performance of OPEFB fibers and their composites are reported. The surface morphology of OPEFB fibers, physical properties, mechanical properties, and various treatment methods for improving durability are presented.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
Mohamad Reda. A. Refaai, Vinjamuri SNCH Dattu, N. Gireesh
et al.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, have been progressively prevalent due to their capability to operate quickly and their vast range of applications in a variety of real-world circumstances. The utilization of UAVs in precision farming has lately gained a lot of attention from the scientific community. This study addresses with the assistance of drones in the precision agricultural area. This paper makes significant contributions by analyzing communication protocols and applying them to the challenge of commanding a fleet of drones to protect crops from parasite infestations. In this research, the effectiveness of nine powerful deep neural network models is measured for the detection of plant diseases using diverse methodologies. These deep neural networks are adapted to the immediate situation using transfer learning and deep extraction of features approaches. The presented study takes into account the used pretrained deep learning model for extracting features and fine-tuning. The deep feature extraction characteristics are subsequently categorized using support vector machines (SVMs) and extreme learning machines (ELMs). For measuring performance, the precision, sensitivities, specific, and F1-score are all evaluated. Deep feature extraction and SVM/ELM classification generated better outcomes than transfer learning, according to the analysis result. Furthermore, the analysis of the various methodologies tries to assess their effectiveness and costs. The different approaches, for example, confront difficulties such as investigating the region in the shortest possible time feasible, while eliminating the same region being searched by more drones, detecting parasites, and stopping their spread by applying the appropriate number of pesticides. Simulation models are a significant aid to researchers in conducting to evaluate these technologies and creating specific tactics and coordinating procedures capable of effectively supporting farms and achieving the aim. The main objective of this paper is to compare the search techniques of two distinct methods of parasitic to identify performance.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
The air suspension system has become more and more popular in heavy vehicles and buses to improve ride comfort and road holding. This paper focuses on the evaluation of the dynamic load reduction at all axles of a semi-trailer with an air suspension system, in comparison with the one using a leaf spring suspension system on variable speed and road types. First, a full vertical dynamic model is proposed for a tractor semi-trailer (full model) with two types of suspension systems (leaf spring and air spring) for three axles at the semi-trailer, while the tractor’s axles use leaf spring suspension systems. The air suspension systems are built based on the GENSYS model; meanwhile, the remaining structural parameters are considered equally. The full model has been validated by experimental results, and closely follows the dynamical characteristics of the real tractor semi-trailer, with the percent error of the highest value being 6.23% and Pearson correlation coefficient being higher than 0.8, corresponding to different speeds. The survey results showed that the semi-trailer with the air suspension system can reduce the dynamic load of the entire field of speed from 20 to 100 km/h, given random road types from A to F according to the ISO 8608:2016 standard. The dynamic load coefficient (<i>DLC</i>) with the semi-trailer using the air spring suspension system can be reduced on average from 14.8% to 29.3%, in comparison with the semi-trailer using the leaf spring suspension system.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Production of electric energy or power. Powerplants. Central stations
CAO Bo-yuan, LI Rong, CHENG Kai, WANG Yao-hui, LIU Gao-jian, LIANG Yong-ren
During the exploitation and transportation of natural gas and petroleum, the sulfur content in the precipitated water is getting higher and higher, which could cause severe corrosion of the carbon steel joints in the gathering pipeline. In order to improve the corrosion resistance of steel substrate and extend the service life of connector, a Ni-W coating was prepared on the carbon steel connecting piece by electroplating method for improving the corrosion resistance of the carbon steel connecting piece. The corrosion behavior of Ni-W coating and L245 steel in the environment containing Na2S simulated production water was studied by immersion method and electrochemical method. Furthermore, the surface morphology, composition and structure of the corrosion products of Ni-W coating and L245 steel were compared and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results showed that the sulfur ions could accelerate the corrosion of L245 steel, and the Ni-W alloy coating would effectively improve the corrosion resistance of L245 steel in a sulfur-containing solution. When the sulfur ion concentration was 0.005 0 mol/L, the OH- generated from the sulfur ion hydrolysis reaction was adsorbed on the surface of the passivation film, which reduced the corrosion of the Ni-W coating.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Technology
Surface modification is an important technique for maintaining relatively favorable mechanical properties to surface properties and corrosion resistance. In this study, Surface shot peening technology is applied to low alloy steel production nanocrystallines. The microstructure near the surface layer was characterized by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. The corrosion behavior of the shot-treated surface layer was analyzed by polarization and pitting test, and the surface morphology of the corroded sample was observed by a scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the surface layer of the alloy after shot peening can be divided into three parts: equiaxed nanoparticle layer (NG), ultrafine grain layer (FG) and elongated fine grain layer (EG). Surface nanocrystallization improved the potential polarization behavior of low alloy steel in 3.5% NaCl solution. The microhardness of the near surface region showed a significant increase compared to the as-received steel sample, showing a more stable electrochemical performance. Shot peening also significantly reduced the pitting rate and maximum pitting depth in 10% FeCl3 solution. The surface nano-layer structure produced by the shot peening process could provide more nucleation sites, thereby improving the uniformity and compactness of the passivation film, resulting in better corrosion resistance. The above experimental results clearly showed that the overall and local corrosion resistance of the low alloy carbon steel in the chloride ion-containing solution can be improved by shot peening.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Chemical technology
Studies on sustainable construction materials are on the rise with their environmental, social, and economic benefits. This study identifies the key indicators for measuring sustainable construction materials. The design used for the study was that of a survey which relied on a questionnaire with five‐point Likert scale to generate data for the analysis. For this purpose, 25 indicators from the three dimensions (environmental, social, and economic) identified from the literature were presented to the respondents in a structured questionnaire, and responses were collected and analysed using SPSS. The study identified three key environmental indicators for measuring sustainable construction materials, and these indicators are human toxicity, climate change, and solid waste. Furthermore, adaptability, thermal comfort, local resources, and housing for all were identified as the four key social indicators for sustainable construction materials. In addition, maintenance cost, operational cost, initial cost, long‐term savings, and life span were found to be the five key economic indicators for measuring sustainable construction materials. The study therefore suggests that these twelve indicators should be considered in future studies that seek to measure sustainable construction materials.