Determination of concentration of the pseudomycelles from fermentation broth via spectroscopy and Neubauer chamber

The present work presents an alternative technique to obtain the concentration of pseudomycelles as number of pseudomycelles/sample volume, obtained by Neubauer chamber, as function of absorbance from spectroscopy. Samples of broth from fermentation via bacteria Streptomyces tsukubaensis were analyzed, making it possible to obtain a linear relationship between the number of pseudomycelles/ sample volume and absorbance, with determination coefficient of 0.995. In addition, a morphological analysis of the unfermented pseudomycelles was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at the magnifications of 20, 2000, 5000, 10000 and 20000 x. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.398701

Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the Ti-35Nb alloys applied as biomaterial

Orientadores: Rubens Caram Junior, Itamar FerreiraDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia MecanicaResumo: As ligas de titânio correspondem à classe mais versátil de materiais metálicos empregados em implantes ortopédicos. Dentre tais ligas, encontram-se as do tipo ß, que devem se tornar em breve o padrão nesse tipo de aplicação.O presente trabalho tem como objetivo a preparação e a caracterização de amostras da liga de titânio tipo ß ?de composição Ti-35Nb (% em peso) processadas sob duas condições distintas de resfriamento, rápida e lentamente, a partir do campo de temperaturas ß. Foram realizados estudos ligados à estabilidade microestrutural, ao efeito de tratamentos térmicos na microestrutura, ao comportamento mecânico, à resistência à corrosão e finalmente, à resistência à fadiga, em meio neutro e em meio agressivo. Observou-se que sob resfriamento lento, a microestrutura da liga Ti-35Nb é formada pela fase ß ?com precipitados da ß e de martensita a". Tratamentos térmicos de envelhecimento resultaram na transformação da martensita a" em fase ß, seguida da nucleação das fases ? ?e a. Ensaios mecânicos mostraram que o módulo de elasticidade e a dureza de ligas resfriadas lentamente foram significativamente superiores aos valores obtidos com as amostras resfriadas rapidamente. Da mesma forma, observou-se que as amostras resfriadas lentamente apresentam maior limite de resistência à tração e inferior nível de ductilidade. Ensaios de resistência à corrosão mostraram comportamento semelhante para ambas as amostras resfriadas rápida e lentamente, o que mostra que a taxa de resfriamento e conseqüentemente, as fases formadas não alteram significativamente a resistência à corrosão. Os ensaios de fadiga mostraram que as amostras processadas sob as duas condições de resfriamento apresentaram limite de resistência à fadiga inferior ao da liga Ti-6Al-4V. A liga resfriada rapidamente apresentou valor maior que a mesma liga resfriada em forno. Os valores de resistência à fadiga em solução de 0,9% NaCl de amostras resfriadas rápida e lentamente exibiram leve tendência de redução em relação ao meio neutro.Abstract: Titanium alloys form the most versatile class of metallic materials used as biomaterials. Among them, one finds the ß ?type alloy, which must soon become the standard metallic materials for orthopedic applications. The aim of this work is to prepare and characterize a type ß ?titanium alloy containing 35 wt.% Nb. Samples of such alloy were rapidly and slowly cooled from the ß ?field temperatures. This work includes studies of microstructure stability, effects of heat treatment on the microstructure, evaluation of corrosion resistance and finally, analysis of fatigue resistance in non-aggressive and aggressive media. The results obtained allowed one to observe that microstructure of slowly cooled samples is formed by precipitates of ß ?and a phases in a ? ?matrix. Under rapid cooling, the microstructure consists of ß ?phase and a" martensite. Aging heat treatments resulted in the transformation of a" martensite into ß ?phase, followed by ? ?phase precipitation and hence, a ?phase nucleation. Mechanical testing showed that the elastic modulus and Vickers hardness of slowly cooled samples were significantly higher than that obtained in the case of the rapidly cooled samples. On the other hand, it was observed that slowly cooled samples showed higher tensile strength and lower ductility. Corrosion resistance testing led to the conclusion that both rapidly and slowly cooled samples have similar corrosion behavior, which allows one to conclude that cooling rate and consequently, the phases in the microstructure do not have a relevant influence on the corrosion resistance. Fatigue testing showed that both types of sample (rapidly and slowly cooled samples) have fatigue resistance lower than that of the Ti-6Al- 4V alloy. The rapidly cooled sample showed fatigue resistance higher than that of slowly cooled samples. The fatigue resistance measured in a NaCl (0,9% vol.) solution of both types of samples showed a slight tendency of reduction when compared to the same samples tested in nonaggressive medium.MestradoMateriais e Processos de FabricaçãoMestre em Engenharia Mecânic

Isothermal omega assisted alpha phase precipitation and microstructural evolution of an aged Ti-30Nb-3Fe alloy

The mechanical behavior of metastable β Ti alloys can be controlled through heat treatments. Thus, the relationship between the precipitation of α phase and the mechanical properties of these alloys is of special interest. In this work, the microstructure evolution of Ti-30Nb-3Fe alloy during aging heat treatments was evaluated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Moreover, Vickers hardness and elastic modulus were measured as a function of aging time. Finally, the ultimate strength and ductility of the alloy aged at 500 °C was assessed by tensile tests. In comparison to a Ti-30Nb alloy, the addition of Fe lowered the β-transus temperature, decreased the martensite start temperature to a value below room temperature, increased the precipitation temperature and reduced the dissolution temperature of ω phase, and lastly, decreased the α phase precipitation temperature. Low heating rates enabled isothermal ω phase precipitation and growth, providing favorable conditions for α phase precipitation and increasing the amount of α phase precipitates. Compared to the solution heat-treated and water-quenched condition, aging heat-treated Ti-30Nb-3Fe alloy presented higher Vickers hardness and mechanical strength, without significant loss of ductility233CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP405054/2016-588887.357955/2019-002016/24693-3The authors gratefully acknowledge the LNNano (National Nanotechnology Laboratory) at the CNPEM (National Center for Research on Energy and Materials) for allowing access to its SEM facilities. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Brazilian research funding agencies FAPESP (State of São Paulo Research Foundation) for Grant #2016/24693-3, CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) for Grant #405054/2016-5, and CAPES/PNPD (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) for Grant #88887.357955/2019-00. We thank the Brazilian Niobium Mining and Processing Company CBMM for supplying the Nb used in this stud

Selective Laser Melting of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy: Correlation Between Processing Parameters, Microstructure and Corrosion Properties

Additive Manufacturing technology has continually advanced, allowing microstructure and property optimization. In recent years, several studies have been carried out with the aim of understanding mechanisms of formation and evolution of the microstructure and, consequently, their influence on mechanical properties. However, correlations between microstructure and corrosion properties are not completely understood, making more systematic investigations necessary. In this work, samples of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy were produced by combining different laser powers and scanning speeds in order to generate different energy density values (VED) with subsequent microstructures and properties. The samples were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy, hardness and relative density. Complementarily, corrosion tests were carried out. For the entire set of parameters used, the processed samples showed the formation of acicular martensite α´, followed by different levels of porosity depending on the applied energy density. VED proved to be an important control parameter, and the best combinations of hardness and corrosion resistance were obtained for the parameter ratio that generated energy densities greater than 100 J/mm3

Situação epidemiológica da doença meningocócica no Estado do Paraná, Brasil / Epidemiological situation of meningococcal disease in the State of Paraná, Brazil

Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a situação epidemiológica da doença meningocócica (DM) no estado do Paraná. Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo dos casos confirmados de DM disponibilizados no DATASUS, no estado do Paraná, no período de 2010 até 2019. As variáveis analisadas foram macrorregião/município de residência, sexo, raça e faixa etária do paciente, forma clínica e evolução, sorogrupo do agente etiológico e critérios para o diagnóstico. Foram consideradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas quando p<0,05. No período do estudo, foram notificados 699 casos da DM no Paraná, sendo a forma clínica meningite meningocócica (MM) responsável por 276 casos (39,48%) seguida pela MM com meningococcemia (MCC) (248; 35,8%) e MCC apenas (166; 23,75%). A doença acometeu todas as faixas etárias, principalmente crianças menores de 4 anos. Houve associação entre a forma clínica da doença e a faixa etária (p<0,01), e entre a forma clínica e desfecho (p<0,01), mas não houve associação com sexo, raça e sorogrupo. Quanto à evolução clínica, um total de 150 casos (21,74%) evoluíram para óbito, sendo a forma clínica MCC a mais expressiva.  Quanto ao diagnóstico, a maior parte dos casos foram confirmados por PCR viral (182; 26,38%), cultura (177; 25,65%) e aglutinação do látex (162; 23,48%). Os sorotipos B e C foram responsáveis por 45% dos casos notificados no período. Esse panorama reforça a necessidade de intervenções e investimentos que visem a redução da morbimortalidade associada à DM

Cold deformation, phases transformations and mechanical strength of Ti-Nb-Sn alloys for biomedical uses

Orientador: Rubens Caram JuniorTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia MecânicaResumo: Ligas de titânio com altos teores de elementos _ estabilizadores, solubilizadas em altas temperaturas e resfriadas rapidamente exibem limitada resistência mecânica e boa ductilidade, o que e resultado da formação de martensita ortorrômbica ou da manutenção da fase _ metaestável. Tal resistência pode ser significativamente aumentada por meio da aplicação de tratamentos térmicos de envelhecimento, que promovem a precipitação de novas fases, combinados com encruamento produzido por deformação plástica a frio. Este trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de ligas do sistema Ti-Nb-Sn com propriedades mecânicas otimizadas visando sua utilização como biomaterial. Inicialmente, ligas de titânio com diferentes elementos de liga foram submetidas a ensaios de citocompatibilidade in vitro. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que ligas Ti-Nb-Sn sao biocompativeis. Na sequencia, amostras de ligas Ti-Nb-Sn preparadas em forno de fusao a arco foram tratadas termicamente objetivando homogeneizacao quimica e microestrutural, solubilizadas em alta temperatura, resfriadas rapidamente e deformadas plasticamente a frio. Tais amostras foram tratadas termicamente para promover a recuperacao, a recristalizacao e o envelhecimento da microestrutura. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a aplicacao de deformacao plastica e recozimento produz o refinamento da microestrutura. A aplicacao de tratamentos termicos de envelhecimento a 350 °C resultou na decomposicao da fase martensita ortorrombica e na formacao das fases _, w e a. Constatou-se que o comportamento mecanico das amostras envelhecidas reflete a combinacao das fases e suas respectivas fracoes volumetricas. O refino microestrutural e a precipitação da fase a resultaram em expressivo aumento da dureza, modulo de elasticidade e resistencia mecanica, bem como na queda da ductilidade. Finalmente, a aplicacao de condicoes de processamento otimizadas resultou em amostras com elevada resistencia mecanica e razoavel ductilidade. A liga Ti-35Nb-4Sn apresentou reduzido modulo de elasticidade e alta resistencia a tracao, condicao ideal para aplicacao biomedicaAbstract: Titanium alloys with high _ stabilizing elements content, solution heat treated at high temperatures and rapidly cooled to room temperature, exhibit limited mechanical strength and good ductility as a result of orthorhombic martensite formation or maintenance of the _ metastable phase. However, mechanical strength may be significantly improved by applying aging heat treatment, which leads to precipitation of new phases, combined with hardening provided by cold plastic deformation. The aim of this work is the development of alloys in the Ti-Nb-Sn system with optimized mechanical properties to be applied as biomaterial. Initially, titanium alloys with different alloying elements were tested in terms of cytocompatibility. The results suggest that Ti-Nb-Sn alloys are biocompatible. Following, Ti-Nb-Sn samples were prepared in arc furnace, heat treated aiming chemical and microstructural homogeneity, solution heat treated at high temperature, rapidly cooled to room temperature and cold plastically deformed. These samples were heat treated to promote recovery, recrystallization and aging of the microstructure. The results indicate that application of plastic deformation and annealing produces very refined microstructure. Application of aging heat treatments at 350 ° C resulted in decomposition of orthorhombic martensite phase and formation of _, w and a phases. It was found that mechanical properties of aged samples reflect the combination of such phases and their volume fractions. Microstructural refinement and a phase precipitation resulted in significant increase in hardness, elastic modulus and mechanical strength, as well as a decrease in ductility. Finally, application of optimal processing conditions resulted in samples with high mechanical strength and reasonable ductility. The Ti-35Nb-4Sn alloy showed lower elastic modulus and superior tensile strength. These results consist in ideal conditions for biomedical applicationsDoutoradoMateriais e Processos de FabricaçãoDoutora em Engenharia Mecânic

Determination of concentration of the pseudomycelles from fermentation broth via spectroscopy and Neubauer chamber

The present work presents an alternative technique to obtain the concentration of pseudomycelles as number of pseudomycelles/sample volume, obtained by Neubauer chamber, as function of absorbance from spectroscopy. Samples of broth from fermentation via bacteria Streptomyces tsukubaensis were analyzed, making it possible to obtain a linear relationship between the number of pseudomycelles/ sample volume and absorbance, with determination coefficient of 0.995. In addition, a morphological analysis of the unfermented pseudomycelles was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at the magnifications of 20, 2000, 5000, 10000 and 20000 x. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.398701