Hydrothermal synthesis of perovskite and pyrochlore powders of potassium tantalate

Potassium tantalate powders were hydrothermally synthesized at 100 to 200 °C in 4 to 15 M aqueous KOH solutions. A defect pyrochlore, Kta_(2)O_(5)(OH). nH2O (n ≈ 1.4), was obtained at 4 M KOH, but at 7–12 M KOH, this pyrochlore was gradually replaced by a defect perovskite as the stable phase. At 15 M KOH, there was no intermediate pyrochlore, only a defect perovskite, K_(0.85)Ta_(0.92)O_(2.43)(OH)_(0.57) 0.15H_(2)O. Synthesis at higher KOH concentrations led to greater incorporation of protons in the perovskite structures. The potassium vacancies required for charge compensation of incorporated protons could accommodate water molecules in the perovskite structure

Hydrothermal synthesis of KNbO_3 and NaNbO_3 powders

Orthorhombic KNbO_3 and NaNbO_3 powders were hydrothermally synthesized in KOH and NaOH solutions (6.7–15 M) at 150 and 200 °C. An intermediate hexaniobate species formed first before eventually converting to the perovskite phase. For synthesis in KOH solutions, the stability of the intermediate hexaniobate ion increased with decreasing KOH concentrations and temperatures. This led to significant variations in the induction periods and accounted for the large disparity in the mass of recovered powder for different processing parameters. It is also believed that protons were incorporated in the lattice of the as-synthesized KNbO_3 powders as water molecules and hydroxyl ions

Reactions of rare earth hafnates and zirconates with silicate melts of different basicity

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An experimentally-validated computational framework for CMAS degradation of environmental barrier coatings

The work addresses reactions between silicate deposits, generically known as CMAS, and yttrium disilicate (YDS), a candidate environmental barrier coating (EBC) for SiC/SiC composites. The primary goal is to elucidate effects of deposit composition, exposure temperature and time on the extent of YDS recession as well as the associated compositional and morphological evolution of reacting phases. Phase equilibrium calculations are used to assess deposits of twelve different compositions at 1300°C and 1400°C; experimental observations of YDS recession are reported for three of these compositions at both temperatures. The results show that recession depths reach terminal values for exposure times ≥ 100h. Terminal recession depths are sensitive to deposit composition but only weakly affected by temperature. Deposits with high initial Ca:Si ratio react most severely with YDS, forming a thick layer containing an apatite reaction product interpenetrated by residual melt. The severity of the reaction decreases with decreasing Ca:Si ratio, and is least severe for deposits with insufficient Ca:Si ratio to produce apatite. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Metal-Matrix Composites and Thermal Spray Coatings for Earth Moving Machines

In the ninth quarter, investigations in steel matrix composites focused on characterization of abrasive wear and fracture test coupons in order to gain a better understanding of the material attributes contributing to the observed behavior in each test. Both the wear and fracture work found that the performance of the carbide cermet based composites was significantly affected by the dissolution of the hard particles and the elements added in hopes of discouraging dissolution. both thrusts focused on abrasive wear characterization. In abrasive wear this led to increase matrix hardness which increased wear resistance, however the fracture toughness of the composites were significantly reduced. In contrast, the oxide based composites demonstrated good fracture characteristics and the oxide particles provided superior protection to the high stress gouging wear imparted by pin-abrasion testing. For the thermal spray coating effort, modified coatings and fusing parameters were explored on simulated components. Significant improvements appear to have been achieved, and are demonstrated in the lack of observable cracking in the coatings. The abrasive wear characteristics of these components will be explored in the 10th quarter. An overview of the progress during the 9th quarter of this project is given below. Additional research details are provided in the limited rights appendix to this report

Understanding Silicate Deposit Variability and its Implications for Evaluating TBCs and EBCs

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Loss of Raf kinase inhibitor protein expression is associated with human papillomavirus 16 infection in anal tumors

There has been an increase in the incidence of anal cancer in the past two decades, with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) being the most frequent histological type identified. Among the risk factors, high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most pervasive. Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) is expressed in a number of normal human tissues and previous studies have demonstrated the prognostic value of the loss of RKIP expression in several gastrointestinal tumors. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the clinical implications of RKIP expression in a series of neoplastic lesions of the anal canal. The resected tumors of 48 patients [8 high-grade intraepithelial lesions (HSILs), 14 adenocarcinomas and 26 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs)] were immunohistochemically evaluated for RKIP expression, and the results were correlated with clinicopathological data. The results identified a decreased 5-year overall survival rate in patients with adenocarcinoma (40.8%) compared with patients with SCC (76.7%), and a decreased 5-year disease-free survival rate in patients at clinical stages III/IV (37.3 vs. 62.5 and 82.6% for clinical stages 0 and I/II, respectively). Low RKIP expression was revealed in 62.5% of HSILs, 88.5% of SCCs and 100.0% of the adenocarcinomas. High RKIP expression was associated with patient ethnicity (37.5% in non-Caucasians vs. 7.5% in Caucasians) and patient age (33.3% in younger patients vs. 0.0% in older patients). Finally, high RKIP expression was correlated with HPV16 infection status (40% in HPV- vs. 5.3% in HPV+ patients). A correlation was identified between high RKIP expression and lesions with a generally improved prognosis, such as those diagnosed in younger patients, in situ lesions and lesions of lower clinical grades; there was also a negative correlation between high RKIP expression and HPV16 positivity in patients.São Paulo Research Foundation (grant nos. 2010/16795-4 and 2011/08523-7) and Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication (grant no. MCT/FINEP/CT-INFRA-PROINFRA 01/2011)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bushmeat hunting and extinction risk to the world's mammals

Terrestrial mammals are experiencing a massive collapse in their population sizes and geographical ranges around the world, but many of the drivers, patterns and consequences of this decline remain poorly understood. Here we provide an analysis showing that bushmeat hunting for mostly food and medicinal products is driving a global crisis whereby 301 terrestrial mammal species are threatened with extinction. Nearly all of these threatened species occur in developing countries where major coexisting threats include deforestation, agricultural expansion, human encroachment and competition with livestock. The unrelenting decline of mammals suggests many vital ecological and socio-economic services that these species provide will be lost, potentially changing ecosystems irrevocably. We discuss options and current obstacles to achieving effective conservation, alongside consequences of failure to stem such anthropogenic mammalian extirpation. We propose a multi-pronged conservation strategy to help save threatened mammals from immediate extinction and avoid a collapse of food security for hundreds of millions of people

Assessment of Cytomegalovirus-Specific Cell-Mediated Immunity for the Prediction of Cytomegalovirus Disease in High-Risk Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients: A Multicenter Cohort Study

In high-risk solid-organ transplant recipients receiving antiviral prophylaxis, the measurement of specific cell-mediated immunity using the Quantiferon assay appropriately stratified the individual risk of developing subsequent cytomegalovirus diseas