Molten hydroxide synthesis as an alternative to molten salt sythesis for producing K0.5Na0.5NbO3 lead free ceramics

Lead-free piezoelectric materials have grown in importance through increased environmental concern and subsequent EU and worldwide legislation, with the aspiration to reduce the use of Pb-based materials in all sectors. Integration of the next generation of lead-free piezoelectric materials with substrates to form functional micro devices has received less attention. Low temperature synthesis methods for K0.5Na0.5NbO3 powder were developed to overcome the issue of poor purity of the final product during high temperature sintering. Molten hydroxide synthesis (MHS), derived from molten salt synthesis (MSS), has been developed to overcome a Na ion preference in the molten salt synthesis reaction that leads to NaNbO3 production instead of K0.5Na0.5NbO3 when stoichiometric amounts of precursors are used. MHS makes use of a KOH molten reaction aid in place of the NaCl/KCl molten salt mix of the MSS. In a two stage reaction K rich intermediate niobates are produced and subsequent reactions with Na species produce KNN

Suppression of inelastic bound state resonance effects by the dimensionality of atom-surface scattering event

We develop a multidimensional coupled channel method suitable for studying the interplay of bound state resonance and phonon assisted scattering of inert gas atoms from solid surfaces in one, two and three dimensions. This enables us to get insight into the features that depend on the dimensionality of inelastic resonant processes typically encountered in low energy He atom scattering from surfaces, in general, and to elaborate on the observability of recently conjectured near threshold resonances in scattering from Einstein phonons, in particular.Comment: 2 figure

Commensurate sliding on a multiple-well substrate potential

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Synthesis and development of lead zirconate titanate inks for direct writing

The work presented in this thesis is focused on the development of a novel low processing temperature PZT (lead zirconate titanate) ink for direct writing of functional microsystems. The work examines both the synthesis of PZT powder for use in the ink as well as the formulation of the ink. Two different routes were investigated for the powder synthesis: electro hydrodynamic atomisation (EHDA) and molten salt synthesis (MSS). EHDA is a technique that leads to the formation of small and spherical droplets that, after drying, result in solid particles. Several process parameters were investigated in order to determine their influence on particle size. PZT sols with concentrations up to 0.6 M were electrosprayed under different conditions: the flow rate was varied from 0.2 to 0.6 ml h1 and the distance between the needle and the bottom electrode was increased from 20 to 40 mm. The solvent was dried by the use of a focused lamp with temperature between 200 and 680oC. It was determined that, in order to reduce the size of the PZT particles, low concentration and low flow rate were needed. The needle-electrode distance was found not to have a strong effect on size. However an increase in the focus temperature to a threshold of 520oC led to a reduction of the particle diameter. A further increase of the degree of heating led to the formation of big and irregular particles. Small PZT particles with diameter of 260 nm were obtained under the following conditions: flow rate of 0.2 ml h1, sol concentration of 0.2 M, needle-electrode distance of 30 mm and drying temperature of 520oC. The synthesised powder was spherical in shape, that made it suitable for IJP, but the yield was very low. In order to overcome the problem associated with the low yield of EHDA, MSS was investigated. Also in this case process parameters were studied with the purpose to reduce particle size. The optimum synthesis conditions were found to be 1 hour at 850oC, with a ramp rate of 3.3oC min1. Under these circumstances, PZT particles with a mean diameter of 340 nm were synthesised. From the investigation it came to light that long times and higher temperatures led to an increase in particle size due to coarsening process. Short times and low temperatures led instead to an incomplete reaction between the starting oxides. A reaction mechanism for the formation of PZT is also proposed: fully dissolved Pb reacts with the insoluble TiO2 to form PbTiO3. Then ZrO2 reacts with PT and the remaining Pb to form PZT. Composite inks were formulated from the powders synthesised by both the routes. In the case of EHDA however the formulation was hampered due to a low amount of powder available. This resulted in a quick powder sedimentation that led to nozzle clogging during printing. Inks composed of MSS powder were formulated with different solid loadings to identify under which conditions the nozzles were clogging. Two different patterns were printed on the substrate: a 20x20 drops for the identification of the ink behaviour on the wafer, and a line array pattern to determine in which conditions printing quality was enhanced.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

‘It is not fashionable to suffer nowadays’: Community motivations to repeatedly participate in outreach HIV testing indicate UHC potential in Tanzania

OBJECTIVE: This study examined people’s motivations for (repeatedly) utilizing HIV testing services during community-based testing events in urban and rural Shinyanga, Tanzania and potential implications for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). METHODS: As part of a broader multidisciplinary study on the implementation of a HIV Test and Treat model in Shinyanga Region, Tanzania, this ethnographic study focused on community-based testing campaigns organised by the implementing partner. Between April 2018 and December 2019, we conducted structured observations (24), short questionnaires (42) and in-depth interviews with HIV-positive (23) and HIV-negative clients (8). Observations focused on motivations for (re-)testing, and the counselling and testing process. Thematic analysis based on inductive and deductive coding was completed using NVivo software. RESULTS: Regular HIV testing was encouraged by counsellors. Most participants in testing campaigns were HIV-negative; 51.1% had tested more than once over their lifetimes. Testing campaigns provided an accessible way to learn one’s HIV status. Motivations for repeat testing included: monitoring personal health to achieve (temporary) reassurance, having low levels of trust toward sexual partners, feeling at risk, seeking proof of (ill)-health, and acting responsibly. Repeat testers also associated testing with a desire to start treatment early to preserve a healthy-looking body, should they prove HIV positive. CONCLUSIONS: Community-based testing campaigns serve three valuable functions related to HIV prevention and treatment: 1) enable community members to check their HIV status regularly as part of a personalized prevention strategy that reinforces responsible behaviour; 2) identify recently sero-converted clients who would not otherwise be targeted; and 3) engage community with general prevention and care messaging and services. This model could be expanded to include routine management of other (chronic) diseases and provide an entry for scaling up UHC

A novel non-invasive device for the assessment of central venous pressure in hospital, office and home

Background: Venous congestion can be quantified by central venous pressure (CVP) and its monitoring is crucial to understand and follow the hemodynamic status of patients with cardio-respiratory diseases. The standard technique for CVP measurement is invasive, requiring the insertion of a catheter into a jugular vein, with potential complications. On the other hand, the current non-invasive methods, mainly based on ultrasounds, remain operator-dependent and are unsuitable for use in the home environment. In this paper, we will introduce a novel, non-invasive device for the hospital, office and home assessment of CVP. Methods: After describing the measurement concept, we will report a preliminary experimental study enrolling 5 voluntary healthy subjects to evaluate the VenCoM measurements’ repeatability, and the system’s capability in measuring small elicited venous pressure variations (2 mmHg), as well as an induced venous hypertension within a pathological range (12÷20 mmHg). Results: The experimental measurements showed a repeatability of ±1mmHg. The VenCoM device was able to reliably detect the elicited venous pressure variations and the simulated congestive status. Discussion and Conclusion: The proposed non-invasive VenCoM device is able to provide a fast and repeatable CVP estimate, having a wide spectrum of potential clinical applications, including the monitoring of venous congestion in heart failure patients and in subjects with renal and hepatic dysfunction, as well as pulmonary hypertension (PH) that can be extended to pneumonia COVID-19 patients even after recovery. The device needs to be tested further on a large sample size of both healthy and pathological subjects, to systematically validate its reliability and impact in clinical setting

Comparison of Bone Segmentation Software over Different Anatomical Parts

Three-dimensional bone shape reconstruction is a fundamental step for any subject-specific musculo-skeletal model. Typically, medical images are processed to reconstruct bone surfaces via slice-by-slice contour identification. Freeware software packages are available, but commercial ones must be used for the necessary certification in clinics. The commercial software packages also imply expensive hardware and demanding training, but offer valuable tools. The aim of the present work is to report the performance of five commercial software packages (Mimics®, Amira™, D2P™, Simpleware™, and Segment 3D Print™), particularly the time to import and to create the model, the number of triangles of the mesh, and the STL file size. DICOM files of three different computed tomography scans from five different human anatomical areas were utilized for bone shape reconstruction by using each of these packages. The same operator and the same hosting hardware were used for these analyses. The computational time was found to be different between the packages analyzed, probably because of the pre-processing implied in this operation. The longer “time-to-import” observed in one software is likely due to the volume rendering during uploading. A similar number of triangles per megabyte (approximately 20 thousand) was observed for the five commercial packages. The present work showed the good performance of these software packages, with the main features being better than those analyzed previously in freeware packages

Preliminary Design and Numerical Analysis of a Scrap Tires Pyrolysis System

Abstract A plant prototype for whole scrap tires disposal and the consequent syngas production via pyrolysis has been developed. A numerical analysis on the innovative pyrolysis reactor, constituted by an autoclave closing device and an explosion-proof water system has been carried out. The aim of this analysis is to investigate the fluid-dynamics in the pyrolysis chamber and model the syngas production. The simulations, performed in the pre-realization system phase, have allowed to determine: i) the flow field of the fluid within the reactor, so as to optimize the geometry (e.g. size, vacuum system, water tank); ii) the temperature range, in order to determine the correct placement of thermocouples within reactor and prevent overheating that could compromise the safety of the system; iii) the pressure range, necessary to avoid the eventual flooding of the tires themselves. Thanks to these results, the test bench has been built at the CURTI S.p.A laboratory and experimental analysis has been performed. The experimental data are acquired and then elaborated, as shown in the paper