Mechanical properties and microstructure characterisation of Au-Pt dental alloy

Development of a dental alloy with high Au content is based on the ternary system of Au-Pt-Zn with a nominal composition of 86,9Au-9,9Pt-1,5Zn, and about 1,5 wt.% micro-alloying elements (in, Ir, Rh). The results analyses of different heat-treated states showed that the optimal mechanical properties and hardness of an Au-Pt-Zn alloy can be reached with combinations of heat treatment for 20 minutes at 723 K and then slowly cooling, if the alloy was annealed at 1223 K for 30 minutes and the water quenched. Research results confirmed that the microstructure of the Au-Pt-Zn alloy consists of two phases: alpha(1)-phase rich in Au (main phase) and alpha(2)-phase rich in Pt (minor phase). During XRD analysis and use of the Rietveld method, it was found that the alpha(1)-phase content is about 98,5 wt.% while the content of alpha(2)-phase is 1,5 wt.%. STA analyses show that the Au-Pt-Zn alloy has a solidus temperature of about 1292 K and a liquidus temperature of about 1412 K

Proton Decay in Minimal Supersymmetric SU(5)

We systematically study proton decay in the minimal supersymmetric SU(5) grand unified theory. We find that although the available parameter space of soft masses and mixings is quite constrained, the theory is still in accord with experiment.Comment: 12 pages, uses axodraw.sty, few more comments, one new referenc

Supersymmetry breaking induced by radiative corrections

We show that simultaneous gauge and supersymmetry breaking can be induced by radiative corrections, a la Coleman-Weinberg. When a certain correlation among the superpotential parameters is present, a local supersymmetry-breaking minimum is found in the effective potential of a gauge non-singlet field, in a region where the tree-level potential is almost flat. Supersymmetry breaking is then transmitted to the MSSM through gauge and chiral messenger loops, thus avoiding the suppression of gaugino masses characteristic of direct gauge mediation models. The use of a single field ensures that no dangerous tachyonic scalar masses are generated at the one-loop level. We illustrate this mechanism with an explicit example based on an SU(5) model with a single adjoint. An interesting feature of the scenario is that the GUT scale is increased with respect to standard unification, thus allowing for a larger colour Higgs triplet mass, as preferred by the experimental lower bound on the proton lifetime.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures. Two references added, small redactional changes, some discussion improved. Results unchange

Report of the JRC’s Descriptor 2 workshop in support to the review of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU concerning MSFD criteria for assessing Good Environmental Status for NIS

The MSFD workshop on non-indigenous species (NIS, MSFD D2), held in Ispra JRC (10th-11th of September 2015) aimed to provide clear proposals and conclusions on some of the outstanding issues identified in the D2 review manual (May 2015 consultation version: D2 review manual: https://circabc.europa.eu/sd/a/cd4bbd6a-454a-40db-b805-52fb195d4e56/COMDEC_Review_D2_V6.pdf) in the broader context of support to the review of Commission Decision 2010/477/EU. This report is complementing the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU review manual (JRC96884) and presents the result of the scientific and technical review concluding phase 1 of the review of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU in relation to Descriptor 2. The review has been carried out by the EC JRC together with experts nominated by EU Member States, and has considered contributions from the GES Working Group in accordance with the roadmap set out in the MSFD implementation strategy (agreed on at the 11th CIS MSCG meeting). The main issues addressed and tackled in this workshop’s report are: - Proposed changes in D2 assessment criteria; - Indicators and methodological standards; - GES threshold values and reference points; - Way forward.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Dual-source computed tomography coronary angiography: influence of obesity, calcium load, and heart rate on diagnostic accuracy

Aims To prospectively investigate the diagnostic accuracy of dual-source computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) to diagnose coronary stenoses in relation to body mass index (BMI), Agatston score (AS), and heart rate (HR) as compared with catheter coronary angiography (CCA). Methods and results Hundred and fifty consecutive patients (47 female, mean age 62.9 ± 12.1 years) underwent dual-source CTCA without HR control. Patients were divided into subgroups depending on the median of their BMI (26.0 kg/m2), AS (194), and HR (66 b.p.m.). CCA was considered the standard of reference. Mean BMI was 26.5 ± 4.2 kg/m2 (range 18.3-39.1 kg/m2), mean AS was 309 ± 408 (range 0-4387), and HR was 68.5 ± 12.6 b.p.m. (range 35-102 b.p.m.). Diagnostic image quality was found in 98.1% of all segments (2020/2059). Considering not-evaluative segments at CTCA as false-positive, overall per-patient sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive value were 96.6%, 86.8%, 82.6%, and 97.5%, respectively. High HR did not deteriorate diagnostic accuracy of CTCA. High BMI and AS were associated with a decrease in per-patient specificity to 84.1% and 77.8%, respectively, while sensitivity and negative predictive value remained high. Conclusion Dual-source CTCA provides high diagnostic accuracy irrespective of the HR and serves as a modality to rule-out coronary artery stenoses even in patients with high BMI and A

Machine Learning Predicts Reach-Scale Channel Types From Coarse-Scale Geospatial Data in a Large River Basin

Hydrologic and geomorphic classifications have gained traction in response to the increasing need for basin-wide water resources management. Regardless of the selected classification scheme, an open scientific challenge is how to extend information from limited field sites to classify tens of thousands to millions of channel reaches across a basin. To address this spatial scaling challenge, this study leverages machine learning to predict reach-scale geomorphic channel types using publicly available geospatial data. A bottom-up machine learning approach selects the most accurate and stable model among∼20,000 combinations of 287 coarse geospatial predictors, preprocessing methods, and algorithms in a three-tiered framework to (i) define a tractable problem and reduce predictor noise, (ii) assess model performance in statistical learning, and (iii) assess model performance in prediction. This study also addresses key issues related to the design, interpretation, and diagnosis of machine learning models in hydrologic sciences. In an application to the Sacramento River basin (California, USA), the developed framework selects a Random Forest model to predict 10 channel types previously determined from 290 field surveys over 108,943 two hundred-meter reaches. Performance in statistical learning is reasonable with a 61% median cross-validation accuracy, a sixfold increase over the 10% accuracy of the baseline random model, and the predictions coherently capture the large-scale geomorphic organization of the landscape. Interestingly, in the study area, the persistent roughness of the topography partially controls channel types and the variation in the entropy-based predictive performance is explained by imperfect training information and scale mismatch between labels and predictors

Industrial control measurements of high chromium steel rolls heat treatment

In this paper, industrial control measurements of the heat treatment of high chromium steel (HCS) rolls is presented. Measurements of the gas fired car bottom chamber furnace Bosio PP- KP 70/1150 were carried out in the company Valji d. o. o., Štore, Slovenia. Temperature in the individual heating zones of the furnace, temperatures of the roll surface, furnace external walls, and gas consumption was monitored throughout the whole process of heat treatment. The temperature profile of the rolls cross-section was calculated using computer simulation. Periodical measurements of CO and NOx emissions were also carried out with the aim of combustion evaluation and ecological integrity. The successfulness of heat treatment was examined through microstructure observation, hardness measurement, and the amount of retained austenite in the heat treated rolls

Report of the JRC’s Descriptor 2 workshop in support to the review of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU concerning MSFD criteria for assessing Good Environmental Status for NIS

The MSFD workshop on non-indigenous species (NIS, MSFD D2), held in Ispra JRC (10th-11th of September 2015) aimed to provide clear proposals and conclusions on some of the outstanding issues identified in the D2 review manual (May 2015 consultation version: D2 review manual: https://circabc.europa.eu/sd/a/cd4bbd6a-454a-40db-b805-52fb195d4e56/COMDEC_Review_D2_V6.pdf) in the broader context of support to the review of Commission Decision 2010/477/EU. This report is complementing the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU review manual (JRC96884) and presents the result of the scientific and technical review concluding phase 1 of the review of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU in relation to Descriptor 2. The review has been carried out by the EC JRC together with experts nominated by EU Member States, and has considered contributions from the GES Working Group in accordance with the roadmap set out in the MSFD implementation strategy (agreed on at the 11th CIS MSCG meeting). The main issues addressed and tackled in this workshop’s report are: - Proposed changes in D2 assessment criteria; - Indicators and methodological standards; - GES threshold values and reference points; - Way forwar

Industrial control measurements of high chromium steel rolls heat treatment

In this paper, industrial control measurements of the heat treatment of high chromium steel (HCS) rolls is presented. Measurements of the gas fired car bottom chamber furnace Bosio PP- KP 70/1150 were carried out in the company Valji d. o. o., Štore, Slovenia. Temperature in the individual heating zones of the furnace, temperatures of the roll surface, furnace external walls, and gas consumption was monitored throughout the whole process of heat treatment. The temperature profile of the rolls cross-section was calculated using computer simulation. Periodical measurements of CO and NOx emissions were also carried out with the aim of combustion evaluation and ecological integrity. The successfulness of heat treatment was examined through microstructure observation, hardness measurement, and the amount of retained austenite in the heat treated rolls