Funding Opportunities in Local Foods

This study presents information about 31 federal, state and private grant programs that are available as funding sources for development of local food systems. The summary includes name of the program, general eligibility and deadlines, and website links for further details

Supporting Local Food System Development in Your Community

Supporting Local Food System Development in Your Community provides local government officials, community activists, and others with seven steps to help organize and promote the development of a local food system in your community.https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/extension_pubs/1010/thumbnail.jp

Mechanical performance of novel bioactive glass containing dental restorative composites

OBJECTIVES. Bioactive glass (BAG) is known to possess antimicrobial properties and release ions needed for remineralization of tooth tissue, and therefore may be a strategic additive for dental restorative materials. The objective of this study was to develop BAG containing dental restorative composites with adequate mechanical properties comparable to successful commercially available composites, and to confirm the stability of these materials when exposed to a biologically challenging environment. METHODS. Composites with 72 wt.% total filler content were prepared while substituting 0 – 15% of the filler with ground BAG. Flexural strength, fracture toughness, and fatigue crack growth tests were performed after several different soaking treatments: 24 hours in DI water (all experiments), two months in brain-heart infusion (BHI) media+S. mutans bacteria (all experiments) and two months in BHI media (only for flexural strength). Mechanical properties of new BAG composites were compared along with the commercial composite Heliomolar by two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparison test (p≤0.05). RESULTS. Flexural strength, fracture toughness, and fatigue crack growth resistance for the BAG containing composites were unaffected by increasing BAG content up to 15% and were superior to Heliomolar after all post cure treatments. The flexural strength of the BAG composites was unaffected by two months exposure to aqueous media and a bacterial challenge, while some decreases in fracture toughness and fatigue resistance were observed. The favorable mechanical properties compared to Heliomolar were attributed to higher filler content and a microstructure morphology that better promoted the toughening mechanisms of crack deflection and bridging. SIGNIFICANCE. Overall, the BAG containing composites developed in this study demonstrated adequate and stable mechanical properties relative to successful commercial composites.Keywords: Fatigue, Hydration, Bacteria, Bioactive Glass, Fracture Toughness, Resin Composite, StrengthThis is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The article is copyrighted by the Academy of Dental Materials and published by Elsevier Ltd. It can be found at: http://www.demajournal.com/

Characterization of fatigue-induced free volume changes in bulk metallic glass using positron annihilation spectroscopy

Depth-profiled Doppler broadening spectroscopy of positron annihilation on the cyclic fatigue-induced fracture surfaces of three amorphous Zr₄₄Ti₁₁Ni₁₀Cu₁₀Be₂₅ metallic glass specimens reveals the presence of a 30–50 nm layer of increased free volume that is generated by the propagating fatigue crack tip. The presence and character of this fatigue transformation zone is independent of the initial amount of bulk free volume, which was varied by structural relaxation via annealing, and the voids generated in the zone by intense cyclic deformation are distinct from those typical of the bulk.Keywords: fatigue cracks, copper alloys, Doppler broadening, deformation, beryllium alloys, voids (solid), annealing, zirconium alloys, titanium alloys, nickel alloys, metallic glasses, positron annihilatio

Sea Urchins Predation Facilitates Coral Invasion in a Marine Reserve

Macroalgae is the dominant trophic group on Mediterranean infralittoral rocky bottoms, whereas zooxanthellate corals are extremely rare. However, in recent years, the invasive coral Oculina patagonica appears to be increasing its abundance through unknown means. Here we examine the pattern of variation of this species at a marine reserve between 2002 and 2010 and contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms that allow its current increase. Because indirect interactions between species can play a relevant role in the establishment of species, a parallel assessment of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, the main herbivorous invertebrate in this habitat and thus a key species, was conducted. O. patagonica has shown a 3-fold increase in abundance over the last 8 years and has become the most abundant invertebrate in the shallow waters of the marine reserve, matching some dominant erect macroalgae in abundance. High recruitment played an important role in this increasing coral abundance. The results from this study provide compelling evidence that the increase in sea urchin abundance may be one of the main drivers of the observed increase in coral abundance. Sea urchins overgraze macroalgae and create barren patches in the space-limited macroalgal community that subsequently facilitate coral recruitment. This study indicates that trophic interactions contributed to the success of an invasive coral in the Mediterranean because sea urchins grazing activity indirectly facilitated expansion of the coral. Current coral abundance at the marine reserve has ended the monopolization of algae in rocky infralittoral assemblages, an event that could greatly modify both the underwater seascape and the sources of primary production in the ecosystem

On the Room-Temperature Mechanical Properties of an Ion-Irradiated TiZrNbHfTa Refractory High Entropy Alloy

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) are potential candidate materials for use in next-generation nuclear reactors due to their excellent mechanical performance at high temperatures. Here, we investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of the nanocrystalline RHEA TiZrNbHfTa before and after irradiation with He2+ ions to determine radiation-induced property changes. Using nanoindentation and in situ microtensile testing we find only small changes in hardness after irradiation but a significant increase in yield and ultimate tensile strength without loss in ductility. This is associated with radiation hardening and a shift from shear localization failure with smooth fracture surfaces to a fracture morphology consisting of fine dimples and intergranular failure characteristics. Overall, the material shows excellent damage-tolerant properties with good combinations of strength and ductility both prior to and after ion irradiation

High strain rate in situ micropillar compression of a Zr-based metallic glass

Abstract: High strain rate micromechanical testing can assist researchers in elucidating complex deformation mechanisms in advanced material systems. In this work, the interactions of atomic-scale chemistry and strain rate in affecting the deformation response of a Zr-based metallic glass was studied by varying the concentration of oxygen dissolved into the local structure. Compression of micropillars over six decades of strain rate uncovered a remarkable reversal of the strain rate sensitivity from negative to positive above ~ 5 s−1 due to a delocalisation of shear transformation events within the pre-yield linear regime for both samples, while a higher oxygen content was found to generally decrease the strain rate sensitivity effect. It was also identified that the shear band propagation speed increases with the actuation speed, leading to a transition in the deformation behaviour from serrated to apparent non-serrated plastic flow at ~ 5 s−1. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.