Construção, caracterização e aplicação de eletrodos para descarga por arco de cátodo oco

The system built to characterize electrodes and, consequently, deposited fine films are constituted by a hollow cathode that works to discharges and low pressures (approximately 10-3 to 5 mbar), a source DC (0 to 1200 V), a cylindrical camera of closed borossilicato for flanges of stainless steel with an association of vacuum bombs mechanical and spread. In the upper flange it is connected the system of hollow cathode, which possesses an entrance of gas and two entrances for its refrigeration, the same is electrically isolated of the rest of the equipment and it is polarized negatively. In front of the system of hollow cathode there is a movable sample in stainless steel with possibility of moving in the horizontal and vertical. In the vertical, the sample can vary its distance between 0 and 70 mm and, in the horizontal, can leave completely from the front of the hollow cathode. The sample and also the cathode hollow are equipped with cromel-alumel termopares with simultaneous reading of the temperatures during the time of treatment. In this work copper electrodes, bronze, titanium, iron, stainless steel, powder of titanium, powder of titanium and silício, glass and ceramic were used. The electrodes were investigated relating their geometry change and behavior of the plasma of the cavity of hollow cathode and channel of the gas. As the cavity of hollow cathode, the analyzed aspects were the diameter and depth. With the channel of the gas, we verified the diameter. In the two situations, we investigated parameters as flow of the gas, pressure, current and applied tension in the electrode, temperature, loss of mass of the electrode with relationship at the time of use. The flow of gas investigated in the electrodes it was fastened in a work strip from 15 to 6 sccm, the constant pressure of work was among 2.7 to 8 x 10-2 mbar. The applied current was among a strip of work from 0,8 to 0,4 A, and their respective tensions were in a strip from 400 to 220 V. Fixing the value of the current, it was possible to lift the curve of the behavior of the tension with the time of use. That curves esteem in that time of use of the electrode to its efficiency is maximum. The temperatures of the electrodes were in the dependence of that curves showing a maximum temperature when the tension was maximum, yet the measured temperatures in the samples showed to be sensitive the variation of the temperature in the electrodes. An accompaniment of the loss of mass of the electrode relating to its time of use showed that the electrodes that appeared the spherical cavities lost more mass in comparison with the electrodes in that didn't appear. That phenomenon is only seen for pressures of 10-2 mbar, in these conditions a plasma column is formed inside of the channel of the gas and in certain points it is concentrated in form of spheres. Those spherical cavities develop inside of the channel of the gas spreading during the whole extension of the channel of the gas. The used electrodes were cut after they could not be more used, however among those electrodes, films that were deposited in alternate times and the electrodes that were used to deposit films in same times, those films were deposited in the glass substrata, alumina, stainless steel 420, stainless steel 316, silício and steel M2. As the eletros used to deposit films in alternate time as the ones that they were used to deposit in same times, the behavior of the thickness of the film obeyed the curve of the tension with relationship the time of use of the electrode, that is, when the tension was maximum, the thickness of the film was also maximum and when the tension was minimum, the thickness was minimum and in the case where the value of the tension was constant, the thickness of the film tends to be constant. The fine films that were produced they had applications with nano stick, bio-compatibility, cellular growth, inhibition of bacterias, cut tool, metallic leagues, brasagem, pineapple fiber and ornamental. In those films it was investigated the thickness, the adherence and the uniformity characterized by sweeping electronic microscopy. Another technique developed to assist the production and characterization of the films produced in that work was the caloteste. It uses a sphere and abrasive to mark the sample with a cap impression, with that cap form it is possible to calculate the thickness of the film. Through the time of life of the cathode, it was possible to evaluate the rate of waste of its material for the different work conditions. Values of waste rate up to 3,2 x 10-6 g/s were verified. For a distance of the substratum of 11 mm, the deposited film was limited to a circular area of 22 mm diameter mm for high pressures and a circular area of 75 mm for pressure strip. The obtained films presented thickness around 2,1 µm, showing that the discharge of arch of hollow cathode in argon obeys a curve characteristic of the tension with the time of life of the eletrodo. The deposition rate obtained in this system it is of approximately 0,18 µm/min

Modelado de fractura dúctil sobre aceros modificados superficialmente 545-A

Históricamente la fractura ha sido considerada siempre como un efecto indeseado entre los materiales, dado que su aparición supone un cese del material en servicio, puesto que un material fracturado carece de importancia desde el punto de vista comercial. Consecuentemente, la Mecánica de Fractura ha experimentado un desarrollo importante en las últimas décadas como no lo hizo en toda la historia de los materiales. El desarrollo de nuevos campos a nivel científico y técnico han estado de la mano con el desarrollo de nuevos materiales que satisfagan las necesidades particulares de cada sector o aplicación. Este requerimiento se ve acentuado cuando se incorpora el aspecto económico, dado que, así como se necesitan materiales con mayor resistencia a la fractura, corrosión etc, también se necesita que su precio en el mercado sea accesible y que permita una aplicación rentable. En los últimos 70 años, desde los requerimientos de nuevos materiales resistentes a la fractura con los buques Liberty hasta el boom petrolero, pasando por las aplicaciones aeroespaciales se han desarrollado diversas teorías que explican el comportamiento de los materiales, en cuando a la tenacidad a la fractura en distintas temperaturas, composiciones químicas, materiales compuestos etc. Uno de los sectores que más ha demandado un desarrollo, por su amplitud en cuanto a requerimientos y consumo global, así como su impacto en la economía mundial, es el sector de gas, petróleo y petroquímica. Muchos de los proyectos que se intentaron desarrollar hasta hace menos de 25 años eran inviables por su elevado coste de ejecución y su bajo retorno de inversión debido a la caída de los precios del petróleo. Con una demanda creciente a nivel mundial y unos precios que apuntan hacia la estabilización o alza moderada, nuevos sistemas de trasporte por tuberías han sido necesarios desarrollar, desde el punto de vista de ingeniería, con el menos coste posible y de un modo seguro. Muchas de estas aplicaciones se vieron incrementadas cuando nuevos requerimientos en cuanto a resistencia a la corrosión fueron necesarios: demanda de materiales que no se corroan, con prestaciones seguras a nivel mecánico y un bajo coste. Esta nueva etapa se conoce como Aleaciones Resistentes a la Corrosión (CRA´s por sus siglas en inglés) en las cuales uno de los factores de diseño seguro recaían indiscutiblemente en la mecánica de fractura. Por estas razones era necesario entender como influía en la resistencia a la fractura las aportaciones que podrían hacerse sobre una superficie metálica. Al realizar el presente estudio se comenzó analizando la influencia que tenían modificaciones en el rango iónico sobre aceros al carbono. Estudios previos sobre láminas de acero ferrítico usadas en reactores de fisión nuclear demostraron que aportes de iones, en este particular el Helio, influían en el comportamiento de la tenacidad a la fractura en función de la temperatura. De este modo, un primer análisis fue hecho sobre la influencia de iones de nitrógeno aportados sobre superficies de acero al carbono y como modificaban su tenacidad a la fractura. Este primer análisis sirvió para comprobar el impacto que tenían pequeñas dosis de iones de nitrógeno en la tenacidad a la fractura. Otro desarrollo con una mayor aplicación industrial fue hecho sobre superficies de acero al carbono con aporte por soldadura de los materiales más usados para evitar la corrosión. El análisis se centró fundamentalmente en la influencia que tenían distintos materiales aportados como el MONEL 400, DUPLEX 928, INCONEL 625 y STAINLESS-STEEL 316 en referencia a características de diseño como la tensión elástica y la tensión a la rotura. Este análisis permitió conocer el impacto de los materiales aportados en los ensayos de tracción en probetas de acero al carbono. Una explicación acerca del comportamiento fue soportada por el análisis macrofractográfico de los perfiles fracturados y las macro deformaciones en la superficie de las probetas. Un posterior desarrollo teórico permitió modelar matemáticamente la fractura de las probetas aportadas por soldadura en la región elástica por medio de la Ley de Hooke, así como la teoría de Plasticidad de Hill para la región de deformación plástica. ABSTRACT Fracture mechanics has been extensively studied in the last 70 years by the constant requirements of new materials with low costs. These requirements have allowed surface modified welded materials in which it is necessary to know the influence of design fundamentals with the material surface welded. Several specimens have been studied for ductile fracture in longitudinal tensile tests for carbon steel surface-modified by weld overlay MONEL 400, DUPLEX 928, INCONEL 625 and STAINLESS-STEEL 316. Similarly of macro photographic analyzes to level the fractured surfaces that explain the behavior curves obtained in Tensile – displacement charts. The contribution of weld overlay material shows a significant impact on the yield and tensile stress of the specimens which was modeled according to Hooke's law for elastic area and Hill´s theory of plasticity to the plastic one.

Construção, caracterização e aplicação de eletrodos para descarga por arco de cátodo oco

The system built to characterize electrodes and, consequently, deposited fine films are constituted by a hollow cathode that works to discharges and low pressures (approximately 10-3 to 5 mbar), a source DC (0 to 1200 V), a cylindrical camera of closed borossilicato for flanges of stainless steel with an association of vacuum bombs mechanical and spread. In the upper flange it is connected the system of hollow cathode, which possesses an entrance of gas and two entrances for its refrigeration, the same is electrically isolated of the rest of the equipment and it is polarized negatively. In front of the system of hollow cathode there is a movable sample in stainless steel with possibility of moving in the horizontal and vertical. In the vertical, the sample can vary its distance between 0 and 70 mm and, in the horizontal, can leave completely from the front of the hollow cathode. The sample and also the cathode hollow are equipped with cromel-alumel termopares with simultaneous reading of the temperatures during the time of treatment. In this work copper electrodes, bronze, titanium, iron, stainless steel, powder of titanium, powder of titanium and silício, glass and ceramic were used. The electrodes were investigated relating their geometry change and behavior of the plasma of the cavity of hollow cathode and channel of the gas. As the cavity of hollow cathode, the analyzed aspects were the diameter and depth. With the channel of the gas, we verified the diameter. In the two situations, we investigated parameters as flow of the gas, pressure, current and applied tension in the electrode, temperature, loss of mass of the electrode with relationship at the time of use. The flow of gas investigated in the electrodes it was fastened in a work strip from 15 to 6 sccm, the constant pressure of work was among 2.7 to 8 x 10-2 mbar. The applied current was among a strip of work from 0,8 to 0,4 A, and their respective tensions were in a strip from 400 to 220 V. Fixing the value of the current, it was possible to lift the curve of the behavior of the tension with the time of use. That curves esteem in that time of use of the electrode to its efficiency is maximum. The temperatures of the electrodes were in the dependence of that curves showing a maximum temperature when the tension was maximum, yet the measured temperatures in the samples showed to be sensitive the variation of the temperature in the electrodes. An accompaniment of the loss of mass of the electrode relating to its time of use showed that the electrodes that appeared the spherical cavities lost more mass in comparison with the electrodes in that didn't appear. That phenomenon is only seen for pressures of 10-2 mbar, in these conditions a plasma column is formed inside of the channel of the gas and in certain points it is concentrated in form of spheres. Those spherical cavities develop inside of the channel of the gas spreading during the whole extension of the channel of the gas. The used electrodes were cut after they could not be more used, however among those electrodes, films that were deposited in alternate times and the electrodes that were used to deposit films in same times, those films were deposited in the glass substrata, alumina, stainless steel 420, stainless steel 316, silício and steel M2. As the eletros used to deposit films in alternate time as the ones that they were used to deposit in same times, the behavior of the thickness of the film obeyed the curve of the tension with relationship the time of use of the electrode, that is, when the tension was maximum, the thickness of the film was also maximum and when the tension was minimum, the thickness was minimum and in the case where the value of the tension was constant, the thickness of the film tends to be constant. The fine films that were produced they had applications with nano stick, bio-compatibility, cellular growth, inhibition of bacterias, cut tool, metallic leagues, brasagem, pineapple fiber and ornamental. In those films it was investigated the thickness, the adherence and the uniformity characterized by sweeping electronic microscopy. Another technique developed to assist the production and characterization of the films produced in that work was the caloteste. It uses a sphere and abrasive to mark the sample with a cap impression, with that cap form it is possible to calculate the thickness of the film. Through the time of life of the cathode, it was possible to evaluate the rate of waste of its material for the different work conditions. Values of waste rate up to 3,2 x 10-6 g/s were verified. For a distance of the substratum of 11 mm, the deposited film was limited to a circular area of 22 mm diameter mm for high pressures and a circular area of 75 mm for pressure strip. The obtained films presented thickness around 2,1 µm, showing that the discharge of arch of hollow cathode in argon obeys a curve characteristic of the tension with the time of life of the eletrodo. The deposition rate obtained in this system it is of approximately 0,18 µm/min

Additive manufacturing in the cycling industry: mainstream or gimmick?

INTRODUCTION. Additive manufacturing (AM) for various industries has been trailed, prototyped and used in limited production runs (Gibson, 2015). But considering additive manufacturing with metallic materials has been around for over 15 years the penetration into an industry such as cycling that values customisation and progressive design techniques has been quite limited. This case study looks at the potential of and why additive manufacturing has not progressed from concept development and prototyping into production and mainstream. Selective Laser Melting (SLM) additive manufacturing systems mainly use Stainless Steel 316 (SS316) and Titanium 6Al.4V (Ti64) as a baseline material; both these materials are extremely common in the custom and high volume bike industries. For the purposes of this article we will focus on smaller custom bike manufacturers who are typically more agile and open to high levels of customisation in their products. The study finds that whilst a high number of companies will experiment and prototype with additive manufacturing there is little evidence that the design and development process translates to ongoing production for sale to the consumer, this could be due to knowledge of design and fabrication techniques.

Deformation dynamics of SS-316 Between 1023-K TO 1223-K In The Framework of Cottrell-Stokes Law

Kocks' formalism for analysing steady state deformation data for the case where Cottrell-Stokes law is valid is extended to incorporate possible back stresses from solution and/or precipitation hardening, and dependence of pre-exponential factor on the applied stress. A simple graphical procedure for exploiting these equations is demonstrated by analyzing tensile steady state data for a type 316 austentic stainless steel for the temperature range 1023 to 1223 K. In this instance, the computed back stress values turned out to be negative, a physically meaningless result. This shows that for SS 316, deformation in this temperature regime can not be interpreted in terms of a mechanism that obeys Cottrell-Stokes law.

Identification of MnCr2O4 nano-octahedron in catalysing pitting corrosion of austenitic stainless steels

Pitting corrosion of stainless steels, one of the classical problems in materials science and electrochemistry, is generally believed to originate from the local dissolution in MnS inclusions, which are more or less ubiquitous in stainless steels. However, the initial location where MnS dissolution preferentially occurs is known to be unpredictable, which makes pitting corrosion a major concern. In this work we show, at an atomic scale, the initial site where MnS starts to dissolve in the presence of salt water. Using in situ ex-environment transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we found a number of nano-sized octahedral MnCr2O4 crystals (with a spinel structure and a space group of Fd (3) over barm) embedded in the MnS medium, generating local MnCr2O4/MnS nano-galvanic cells. The TEM experiments combined with first-principles calculations clarified that the nano-octahedron, enclosed by eight {1 1 1} facets with metal terminations, is "malignant", and this acts as the reactive site and catalyses the dissolution of MnS. This work not only uncovers the origin of MnS dissolution in stainless steels, but also presents an atomic-scale evolution in a material's failure which may occur in a wide range of engineering alloys and biomedical instruments serving in wet environments. (C) 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of metal transfer modes and shielding gas composition on the emission of ultraafine particles in MAG steel welding

The present study aims to characterize ultrafine particles emitted during gas metal arc welding of mild steel and stainless steel, using different shielding gas mixtures, and to evaluate the effect of metal transfer modes, controlled by both processing parameters and shielding gas composition, on the quantity and morphology of the ultrafine particles. It was found that the amount of emitted ultrafine particles (measured by particle number and alveolar deposited surface area) are clearly dependent from the main welding parameters, namely the current intensity and the heat input of the Welding process. The emission of airborne ultrafine particles increases with the current intensity as fume formation rate does. When comparing the shielding gas mixtures, higher emissions were observed for more oxidizing mixtures, that is, with higher CO2 content, which means that these mixtures originate higher concentrations of ultrafine particles (as measured by number of particles. by cubic centimeter of air) and higher values of alveolar deposited surface area of particles, thus resulting in a more hazardous condition regarding welders exposure.

Étude de l'influence de la réassociation en surface des atomes N et O sur l'inactivation des spores bactériennes dans une post-décharge N2-O2 basse pression en flux

Le recours au plasma pour stériliser des dispositifs médicaux (DM) est un domaine de recherche ne datant véritablement que de la fin des années 1990. Les plasmas permettent, dans les conditions adéquates, de réaliser la stérilisation à basse température (≤ 65°C), tel qu’exigé par la présence de polymères dans les DM et ce contrairement aux procédés par chaleur, et aussi de façon non toxique, contrairement aux procédés chimiques comme, par exemple, l’oxyde d’éthylène (OEt). Les laboratoires du Groupe de physique des plasmas à l’Université de Montréal travaillent à l’élaboration d’un stérilisateur consistant plus particulièrement à employer les effluents d’une décharge N2-%O2 basse pression (2-8 Torrs) en flux, formant ce que l’on appelle une post-décharge en flux. Ce sont les atomes N et O de cette décharge qui viendront, dans les conditions appropriées, entrer en collisions dans la chambre de stérilisation pour y créer des molécules excitées NO*, engendrant ainsi l’émission d’une quantité appréciable de photons UV. Ceux-ci constituent, dans le cas présent, l’agent biocide qui va s’attaquer directement au bagage génétique du micro-organisme (bactéries, virus) que l’on souhaite inactiver. L’utilisation d’une lointaine post-décharge évite du même coup la présence des agents érosifs de la décharge, comme les ions et les métastables. L’un des problèmes de cette méthode de stérilisation est la réduction du nombre de molécules NO* créées par suite de la perte des atomes N et O, qui sont des radicaux connus pour interagir avec les surfaces, sur les parois des matériaux des DM que l’on souhaite stériliser. L’objectif principal de notre travail est de déterminer l’influence d’une telle perte en surface, dite aussi réassociation en surface, par l’introduction de matériaux comme le Téflon, l’acier inoxydable, l’aluminium et le cuivre sur le taux d’inactivation des spores bactériennes. Nous nous attendons à ce que la réassociation en surface de ces atomes occasionne ainsi une diminution de l’intensité UV et subséquemment, une réduction du taux d’inactivation. Par spectroscopie optique d’émission (SOE), nous avons déterminé les concentrations perdues de N et de O par la présence des matériaux dans le stérilisateur, ainsi que la diminution de l’émission UV en découlant. Nous avons observé que cette diminution des concentrations atomiques est d’autant plus importante que les surfaces sont catalytiques. Au cours de l’étude du phénomène de pertes sur les parois pour un mélange N2-%O2 nous avons constaté l’existence d’une compétition en surface entre les atomes N et O, dans laquelle les atomes d’oxygènes semblent dominer largement. Cela implique qu’au-delà d’un certain %O2 ajouté à la décharge N2, seuls les atomes O se réassocient en surface. Par ailleurs, l’analyse des courbes de survie bi-phasiques des micro-organismes a permis d’établir une étroite corrélation, par lien de cause à effet, entre la consommation des atomes N et O en surface et la diminution du taux d’inactivation des spores dans la première phase. En revanche, nous avons constaté que notre principal agent biocide (le rayonnement ultraviolet) est moins efficace dans la deuxième phase et, par conséquent, il n’a pas été possible d’établir un lien entre la diminution des concentrations et le taux d’inactivation de cette phase-là.

Estudo sobre o efeito dos parâmetros de processamento dos pós e sinterização do aço inox 316l reforçado com NbC

This masther dissertation presents a contribution to the study of 316L stainless steel sintering aiming to study their behavior in the milling process and the effect of isotherm temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties. The 316L stainless steel is a widely used alloy for their high corrosion resistance property. However its application is limited by the low wear resistance consequence of its low hardness. In previous work we analyzed the effect of sintering additives as NbC and TaC. This study aims at deepening the understanding of sintering, analyzing the effect of grinding on particle size and microstructure and the effect of heating rate and soaking time on the sintered microstructure and on their microhardness. Were milled 316L powders with NbC at 1, 5 and 24 hours respectively. Particulates were characterized by SEM and . Cylindrical samples height and diameter of 5.0 mm were compacted at 700 MPa. The sintering conditions were: heating rate 5, 10 and 15◦C/min, temperature 1000, 1100, 1200, 1290 and 1300◦C, and soaking times of 30 and 60min. The cooling rate was maintained at 25◦C/min. All samples were sintered in a vacuum furnace. The sintered microstructure were characterized by optical and electron microscopy as well as density and microhardness. It was observed that the milling process has an influence on sintering, as well as temperature. The major effect was caused by firing temperature, followed by the grinding and heating rate. In this case, the highest rates correspond to higher sintering.

Placas de aço inoxidável 316L aplicadas no reparo de fratura experimental diafisária do rádio e ulna de cães

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi o de estudar a resistência à corrosão em placas de aço inoxidável 316L, com diferentes tipos de acabamento e tratamento superficial, e a possível interferência dessa reação corrosiva na consolidação óssea. Utilizaram-se placas semi-acabadas, polidas, tratadas com jatos de microesferas de vidro e passivadas, as quais foram aplicadas na epífise distal do rádio de cães. Foram utilizados 12 animais, divididos em dois grupos, nos quais, após osteotomia bilateral do rádio e ulna, foram realizadas osteossínteses do rádio, totalizando 24 procedimentos. Avaliou-se a evolução clínica e radiográfica das regiões que receberam os implantes aos 30, 60, 90, 180, 240 e 360 dias. Os animais do grupo 1 (GI) foram sacrificados aos 180 dias e os do GII aos 360 dias para estudo histológico e de microscopia eletrônica de varredura do local da osteotomia sob a região dos implantes metálicos e para estudo da resistência à corrosão no organismo, pelos implantes metálicos, por meio de análises química e metalográfica (microscopia óptica e eletrônica de varredura e espectroscopia de espalhamento de energia por raios X). Os animais recuperaram a função dos membros operados 24 horas após a cirurgia. Radiograficamente, verificou-se a consolidação óssea em todos os animais. Macro e microscopicamente não foram observados sinais de corrosão nos implantes metálicos, exceto em uma placa passivada, aplicada no rádio esquerdo de um animal, na qual a corrosão foi detectada pela microscopia óptica e eletrônica de varredura. Este estudo permite concluir que as placas de aço inoxidável 316L, independente do acabamento superficial a que foram submetidas, não sofreram corrosão ou reações adversas e foram efetivas no tratamento das fraturas experimentais do rádio e ulna de cães.

Análise da influência de superfícies refletivas nas perdas de calor de sistema térmicos

The use of reflective surfaces functioning as thermal insulator has grown significantly over the years. Reflective thermal insulator are materials that have several characteristics such as low emissivity, low absorptivity and high reflectivity in the infrared spectrum. The use of these materials has grown a lot lately, since it contains several important radioactive properties that minimize the heat loss of thermal systems and cooling systems that are used to block the heat on the roof of buildings. A system made of three surfaces of 316 stainless steel mirror was built to analyze the influence of reflective surfaces as a way to reduce the heat loss and thereby conserve the energy of a thermal system. The system was analyzed both with and without the presence of vacuum, and then compared with a system that contained glass wool between the stainless steel mirror walls, since this isolator is considered resistive and also broadly used around the world in thermal systems. The reflectivity and emissivity of the surfaces used were also measured in this experiment. A type K thermocouple was fixed on the wall of the system to obtain the temperature of the stainless steel mirror surfaces and to analyze the thermal behavior of each configuration used. The results showed an efficiency of 13% when the reflective surfaces were used to minimize the heat loss of the thermal system. However, the system with vacuum had the best outcome, a 60% efficiency. Both of these were compared to the system made of glass wool as a thermal insulator

Cardiovascular responses to microinjection of L-glutamate into the NTS in AV3V-lesioned rats

The excitatory amino acid L-glutamate injected into the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in unanesthetized rats similar to peripheral chemoreceptor activation increases mean arterial pressure (MAP) and reduces heart rate. In this study, we investigated the effects of acute (I day) and chronic (15 days) electrolytic lesions of the preoptic-periventricular tissue surrounding the anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V region) on the pressor and bradycardic responses induced by injections of L-glutamate into the NTS or peripheral chemoreceptor activation in unanesthetized rats. Male Holtzman rats with sham or electrolytic AV3V lesions and a stainless steel cannula implanted into the NTS were used. Differently from the pressor responses (28 +/- 3 mm Hg) produced by injections into the NTS of sham-lesioned rats, L-glutamate (5 nmol/ 100 nl) injected into the NTS reduced MAP (-26 +/- 8 mm Hg) or produced no effect (2 7 turn Hg) in acute and chronic AV3V-lesioned rats, respectively. The bradycardia to L-glutamate into the NTS and the cardiovascular responses to chemoreflex activation with intravenous potassium cyanide or to baroreflex activation with intravenous phenylephrine or sodium nitroprusside were not modified by AV3V lesions. The results show that the integrity of the AV3V region is essential for the pressor responses to L-glutamate into the NTS but not for the pressor responses to chemoreflex activation, suggesting dissociation between the central mechanisms involved in these responses. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lateral hypothalamus lesions influences water and salt intake, and sodium and urine excretion, and arterial blood pressure induced by L-NAME and FK 409 injections into median preoptic nucleus in conscious rats

Male Holtzman rats weighting 200-250 g were anesthetized with zoletil 50 mg/Kg (tiletamine chloridrate 125,0 mg and zolazepan chloridrate 125,0 mg) into quadriceps muscle and submitted an electrolytic lesion of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and a stainless steel cannula was implanted into their median preoptic nucleus (MnPO). We investigated the effects of the injection into the (MnPO) of FK 409 (20 mug/0.5 mul), a nitric oxide (NO) donor, and N-W-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) 40 mug/0.5 mul, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (NOSI), on the water and sodium appetite and the natriuretic, diuretic and cardiovascular effects induced by injection of L-NAME and FK 409 injected into MnPO in rats with LH lesions. Controls were injected with a similar volume of 0.15 M NaCl. L-NAME injected into MnPO produced an increase in water and sodium intake and in sodium and urine excretion and increase de mean arterial pressure (MAP). FK 409 injected into MnPO did not produce any change in the hydro electrolytic and cardiovascular parameters in LH-sham and lesioned rats. FK 409 injected before L-NAME attenuated its effects. These data show that electrolytic lesion of the LH reduces fluid and sodium intake as well as sodium and urine excretion, and the pressor effect induced by L-NAME. LH involvement with NO of the MnPO excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms related to water and sodium intake, sodium excretion and cardiovascular control is suggested. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

AV3V lesions reduce the pressor response to L-glutamate into the RVLM

Neurons from the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) directly activate sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord. Hypertensive responses and sympathetic activation produced by different stimuli are strongly affected by lesions of the preoptic periventricular tissue surrounding the anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V region). Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effects of acute (1 day) and chronic (IS days) electrolytic lesions of the AV3V region on the pressor responses produced by injections of the excitatory amino acid L-glutamate into the RVLM of unanesthetized rats. Male Holtzman rats with sham or electrolytic AV3V lesions and a stainless steel cannula. implanted into the RVLM were used. The pressor responses produced by injections of L-glutamate (1, 5 and 10 nmol/100 nl) into the RVLM were reduced 1 day (9 +/- 4, 39 +/- 6 and 37 +/- 4 mm Hg, respectively) and 15 days after AV3V lesions (13 +/- 6, 39 +/- 4 and 43 +/- 4 mm Hg, respectively, vs. sham lesions: 29 +/- 3, 50 +/- 2 and 58 +/- 3 mm Hg, respectively). Injections of L-glutamate into the RVLM in sham or AV3V-lesioned rats produced no significant change in the heart rate (HR). Baroreflex bradycardia and tachycardia produced by iv phenylephrine or sodium nitroprusside, respectively, and the pressor and bradycardic responses to chemoreflex activation with iv potassium cyanide were not modified by AV3V lesions. The results suggest that signals from the AV3V region are important for sympathetic activation induced by L-glutamate into the RVLM. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Central cholinergic blockade reduces the pressor response to L-glutamate into the rostral ventrolateral medullary pressor area

Injections of the excitatory amino acid L-glutamate (L-glu) into the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) directly activate the sympathetic nervous system and increase mean arterial pressure (MAP). A previous study showed that lesions of the anteroventral third ventricle region in the forebrain reduced the pressor response to L-glu into the RVLM. In the present study we investigated the effects produced by injections of atropine (cholinergic antagonist) into the lateral ventricle (LV) on the pressor responses produced by L-ghl into the RVLM. Male Holtzman rats (280-320 g, n=5 to 12/group) with stainless steel cannulas implanted into the RVLM, LV or 4th ventricle (4th V) were used. MAP and heart rate (HR) were recorded in unanesthetized rats. After saline into the LV, injections of L-glu (5 nmol/100 nl) into the RVLM increased MAP (51 +/- 4 mm Hg) without changes in HR. Atropine (4 nmol/1 PI) injected into the LV reduced the pressor responses to L-glu into the RVLM (36 +/- 5 mm Hg), However, atropine at the same dose into the 4th V or directly into the RVLM did not modify the pressor responses to L-glu into the RVLM (45 +/- 2 and 49 +/- 4 mm Hg, respectively, vs. control: 50 +/- 4mmHg). Central cholinergic blockade did not affect baro and chemoreflex nor the basal MAP and HR. The results suggest that cholinergic mechanisms probably from forebrain facilitate or modulate the pressor responses to L-glu into the RVLM. The mechanism is activated by acetylcholine in the forebrain, however, the neurotransmitter released in the RVLM to facilitate the effects of glutamate is not acetylcholine. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.