Hydrothermally extracted nanohydroxyapatite from bovine bone as bioceramic and biofiller in bionanocomposite

Bones have an extraordinary capacity to restore and regenerate in case of minor injury. However, major injuries need orthopedic surgeries that required bone implant biomaterials. In this study, n-HAP powder was extracted from bovine bone by hydrothermal and calcined at different calcination temperatures (600-1100°C) without the use of solvents. The n-HAP powders produced were used to fabricate two types of biomaterials (HAP bioceramics and PLA/n-HAP bionanocomposite). The raw-HAP and calcined n-HAP powder samples were compacted into green bodies and were sintered at various temperatures (1000-1400°C) to produce HAP bioceramics. The best calcined n-HAP was mixed with PLA by melt mixing and injection moulding to fabricate PLA/n-HAP bionanocomposite. Characterizations of the n-HAP powder, n-HAP bioceramics and PLA/n-HAP bionanocomposite samples were done by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, universal testing machine (UTM) and melt flow index (MFI) analyses. TGA data revealed that n-HAP was thermally stable at 1300ºC. The extracted n-HAP powder was highly crystalline and crystallite size was in the range of 10-83 nm as confirmed by XRD. Density and hardness of the n-HAP bioceramics increased as sintering temperature increased and showing maximum values at a temperature of 1400°C. The results of PLA/n-HAP bionanocomposite revealed that the higher n-HAP loaded (at 5wt%), the lower the tensile strength of bionanocomposite due to poor interfacial adhesion. The interfacial adhesion was improved by loading of 1.0 wt% maleic anhydride (MAH) as a compatibilizer. The biocompatibility of bionanocomposite was evaluated in simulated body fluids (SBF). The results showed that apatite layers were grown on the surfaces of both biomaterials. Therefore, both biomaterials formulated shall be promising medical biomaterials for orthopedic applications

Trick or Heat? Manipulating Critical Temperature-Based Control Systems Using Rectification Attacks

Temperature sensing and control systems are widely used in the closed-loop control of critical processes such as maintaining the thermal stability of patients, or in alarm systems for detecting temperature-related hazards. However, the security of these systems has yet to be completely explored, leaving potential attack surfaces that can be exploited to take control over critical systems. In this paper we investigate the reliability of temperature-based control systems from a security and safety perspective. We show how unexpected consequences and safety risks can be induced by physical-level attacks on analog temperature sensing components. For instance, we demonstrate that an adversary could remotely manipulate the temperature sensor measurements of an infant incubator to cause potential safety issues, without tampering with the victim system or triggering automatic temperature alarms. This attack exploits the unintended rectification effect that can be induced in operational and instrumentation amplifiers to control the sensor output, tricking the internal control loop of the victim system to heat up or cool down. Furthermore, we show how the exploit of this hardware-level vulnerability could affect different classes of analog sensors that share similar signal conditioning processes. Our experimental results indicate that conventional defenses commonly deployed in these systems are not sufficient to mitigate the threat, so we propose a prototype design of a low-cost anomaly detector for critical applications to ensure the integrity of temperature sensor signals.Comment: Accepted at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS), 201

Tradeoffs between AC power quality and DC bus ripple for 3-phase 3-wire inverter-connected devices within microgrids

Visions of future power systems contain high penetrations of inverters which are used to convert power from dc (direct current) to ac (alternating current) or vice versa. The behavior of these devices is dependent upon the choice and implementation of the control algorithms. In particular, there is a tradeoff between dc bus ripple and ac power quality. This study examines the tradeoffs. Four control modes are examined. Mathematical derivations are used to predict the key implications of each control mode. Then, an inverter is studied both in simulation and in hardware at the 10 kVA scale, in different microgrid environments of grid impedance and power quality. It is found that voltage-drive mode provides the best ac power quality, but at the expense of high dc bus ripple. Sinusoidal current generation and dual-sequence controllers provide relatively low dc bus ripple and relatively small effects on power quality. High-bandwidth dc bus ripple minimization mode works well in environments of low grid impedance, but is highly unsuitable within higher impedance microgrid environments and/or at low switching frequencies. The findings also suggest that the certification procedures given by G5/4, P29 and IEEE 1547 are potentially not adequate to cover all applications and scenarios

The high magnetic coupling passive loop: A steady-state and transient analysis of the thermal behavior

This paper deals with a new concept of technology for the mitigation of the magnetic field produced by underground power lines called "High Magnetic Coupling Passive Loop" (HMCPL). The working principle of this technique is the creation of a current with the same amplitude but opposite phase for each source conductor, in order to nullify the magnetic field in a specified region. Since the number of thermal sources in the shielding region is roughy doubled, the aim of the paper is the investigation of the thermal behavior of HMCPL directly buried in the ground, both in transient and in steady-state conditions. The study is carried out with simulations in order to verify any possible configurations of the shield. Results confirm that HMCPL is a safe technology which does not modify the thermal behavior of the power lin

Charge Management for Gravitational Wave Observatories using UV LEDs

Accumulation of electrical charge on the end mirrors of gravitational wave observatories, such as the space-based LISA mission and ground-based LIGO detectors, can become a source of noise limiting the sensitivity of such detectors through electronic couplings to nearby surfaces. Torsion balances provide an ideal means for testing gravitational wave technologies due to their high sensitivity to small forces. Our torsion pendulum apparatus consists of a movable Au-coated Cu plate brought near a Au-coated Si plate pendulum suspended from a non-conducting quartz fiber. A UV LED located near the pendulum photoejects electrons from the surface, and a UV LED driven electron gun directs photoelectrons towards the pendulum surface. We have demonstrated both charging and discharging of the pendulum with equivalent charging rates of $\sim$$10^5 e/\mathrm{s}$, as well as spectral measurements of the pendulum charge resulting in a white noise level equivalent to $3\times10^5 e/\sqrt{Hz}$.Comment: 5 pages, submitted to PR

Smart Grid Security: Threats, Challenges, and Solutions

The cyber-physical nature of the smart grid has rendered it vulnerable to a multitude of attacks that can occur at its communication, networking, and physical entry points. Such cyber-physical attacks can have detrimental effects on the operation of the grid as exemplified by the recent attack which caused a blackout of the Ukranian power grid. Thus, to properly secure the smart grid, it is of utmost importance to: a) understand its underlying vulnerabilities and associated threats, b) quantify their effects, and c) devise appropriate security solutions. In this paper, the key threats targeting the smart grid are first exposed while assessing their effects on the operation and stability of the grid. Then, the challenges involved in understanding these attacks and devising defense strategies against them are identified. Potential solution approaches that can help mitigate these threats are then discussed. Last, a number of mathematical tools that can help in analyzing and implementing security solutions are introduced. As such, this paper will provide the first comprehensive overview on smart grid security