Effect of tool offset and tilt angle on weld strength of butt joint friction stir welded specimens of AA2024 aluminum alloy welded to commercial pure cupper

The aim of the present work is to investigate the mechanical properties and microstructure of butt joints friction stir welded (FSW) of dissimilar material specimens welded with single pass .The material used is AA2024 aluminum alloy  5 mm thick and pure commercial copper   .20 mm Flat shoulder tool  6 mm Pin diameter with a rotational speed of 900 rpm and 25 mm/min feed  is used in this work ,the tool is tilted 2o to the Z axes of the machine. The welded specimens have been tensile tested at room temperature in order to analyze the mechanical properties with respect to the parent metals. The microstructure of the welded specimens has been studied by employing optical microscopy. Micro-hardness examination is also performed on the welded specimens. FSW specimens welded with flat shoulder tool  and 2o tilt angle showed higher ultimate stress  than the specimens welded with flat shoulder tool and zero tilt angle . Specimens welded with 1 mm pin offset showed higher strength than the specimens welded with 0.5 and 1.5 mm pin offset. Keywords: Friction stir welding, subsequent passes , mechanical propertie

Hypophosphatemia and Hyponatremia in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients and Its Relation to Clinical Characteristic and Disease Activity

Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic auto-immune disease with diverse manifestations, ranging from mild rash or arthritis to severe organ-threatening involvement.Objective: The aim of the work was to find-out the possible association of hypophosphatemia and hyponatremia with disease activity in SLE patients.Patients and methods: A total of 100 patients with SLE were involved in this study and the serum level of sodium and phosphorus, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leucocytic and platelet counts, and 24 hr. protein were measured. SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score was assessed,Results: The majority of patients were females; 94 (94%) and 6 males (6%) (F:M 15.7:1). The age of the patient ranged from 17 to 63 years with a mean age of 34.23 ±11.19 years. The disease duration was 48±55.7 months. 7. 41% of SLE patients were hyponatremic and 49% showed normonatremic. There was a significant correlation between Na level, SLEDAI score, vasculitis and arthritis and insignificant correlation with ESR. 47 patients were hypophosphatemic  (47%) and 53 (53%) were normophophatemic. There was a significant correlation between phosphate level and SLEDAI, oral ulcers p=0.001 and arthritis p<0.0004 but negatively related with ESR.Conclusion: It could be concluded that hyponatremia and hypophosphatemia are significantly related to SLEDAI, so it could be used as indicators of SLE activity and sever inflammation

Cytokine gene polymorphisms and serum cytokine levels in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated associations between cytokine gene polymorphisms and the risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We therefore examined polymorphisms in the genes encoding interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β(1)), and compared the serum levels of these cytokines in IPF patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, we examined the association of the studied genotypes and serum cytokine levels with physiological parameters and the extent of parenchymal involvement determined by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). METHODS: Sixty patients with IPF and 150 healthy controls were included. Cytokine genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) method. In a subset of patients and controls, serum cytokine levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: There was no difference between IPF patients and controls in the genotype and allele distributions of polymorphisms in TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10, and TGF-β(1) (all p > 0.05). The TNF-α (−308) GG, IL-6 (−174) GG and CG, and IL-10 (−1082, -819, -592) ACC ATA genotypes were significantly associated with HRCT scores (all p < 0.05). IL-10 (−1082, -819, -592) ACC haplotype was associated with the diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, and ATA haplotype was associated with the partial pressure of oxygen (PaO(2)) (all p < 0.05). The TGF-β(1) (codons 10 and 25) TC GG, TC GC, CC GG and CC GC genotypes were significantly associated with the PaO(2) and HRCT scores (p < 0.05). The TGF-β(1) (codons 10 and 25) CC GG genotype (5 patients) was significantly associated with higher PaO(2) value and less parenchymal involvement (i.e., a lower total extent score) compared to the other TGF-β(1) genotypes (81.5 ± 11.8 mm Hg vs. 67.4 ± 11.1 mm Hg, p = 0.009 and 5.60 ± 1.3 vs. 8.51 ± 2.9, p = 0.037, respectively). Significant differences were noted between patients (n = 38) and controls (n = 36) in the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 (both, p < 0.0001), but not in the levels of TNF-α and TGF-β(1) (both, p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The studied genotypes and alleles do not predispose to the development of IPF but appear to play an important role in disease severity. Our results suggest that the TGF-β(1) (codons 10 and 25) CC GG genotype could be a useful genetic marker for identifying a subset of IPF patients with a favorable prognosis; however, validation in a larger sample is required

Thrombocytopenia in systemic lupus erythematosus patients and its association with antiphospholipid antibodies

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by immune-mediated inflammation in different organs. The course of the disease is characterized by relapses and remissions, and the degree of severity of the clinical manifestations is greatly affected by the number and nature of the various organ affection. The death rate in patients with SLE is still significant, and it may be due to lupus activity, when vital organs are affected, the complications of treatment especially infections or long-term complications, such as cardiovascular disorders. Objective: To detect the relation between thrombocytopenia in SLE patients and presence antiphospholipid antibodies.Patients and methods: This study was a cross-sectional study included 100 SLE patients who attended to Sohag University Hospitals. Patients included in this study were classified as SLE patients according to either the 2012 SLICC criteria or the new 2017 ACR/EULAR SLE classification criteria. All of the participants were subjected to the following: Full history, full clinical examination, routine investigations, ANA by immunofluorescence, and ANA profile for the most common 19 autoantibodies by immunoblot. All of the participants were subjected to detection of serum titers of all antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) including lupus anticoagulant (LA), anti-cardiolipin (aCL) and anti-beta2-glycoprotein I (ab2GPI).Results: In this study, we demonstrated that aPLs are strongly associated with increased risk of thrombocytopenia in SLE patients. We identified aPL profiles, especially LA and IgM isotypes, as biomarkers for the risk stratification of thrombocytopenia in SLE patients.Conclusions: We concluded that aPLs are strongly associated with increased risk of thrombocytopenia in SLE patients

Fully Differential Cross Sections for Electron-Impact Excitation-Ionization of Aligned D₂

We examine fully differential cross sections for 176 eV electron-impact dissociative excitation-ionization of orientated D2 for transitions to final ion states 2sσg, 2pσu, and 2pπu. In previous work [Phys. Rev. A 88, 062705 (2013)PLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.88.062705], we calculated these cross sections using the molecular four-body distorted wave (M4DW) method with the ground-state D2 wave function being approximated by a product of two Dyson 1s-type orbitals. The theoretical results were compared with experimental measurements for five different orientations of the target molecule (four in the scattering plane and one perpendicular to the scattering plane). For the unresolved 2sσg + 2pπu final states, good agreement with experiment was found for two of the five measured orientations, and for the 2pσu final state, good agreement was found for three of the five orientations. However, theory was a factor of 200 smaller than experiment for the 2pσu state. In this paper, we investigate the importance of the approximation for the molecular ground-state wave function by repeating the M4DW calculation using a better variational wave function for the ground state

Enhancement of alpha amylase production by Aspergillus flavus AUMC 11685 on mandarin (Citrus reticulata) peel using submerged fermentation

Mandarin peel as submerged fermentation (SmF) source was tested for the production of alpha amylase enzyme by strain of Aspergillus flavus AUMC 11685. Incubation period, concentration of substrate, temperature, pH and size of inoculum were optimized to achieve the maximum production of alpha amylase enzyme by Aspergillus flavus using mandarin peel. The maximum production of alpha amylase enzyme by Aspergillus flavus&nbsp;was recorded at 4-5 days of incubation, 3% substrate concentration, inoculum concentration 10%, temperature 28-40°C and pH 4-5.5. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.81827

Experimental and Theoretical Cross Sections for Molecular-frame Electron-impact Excitation-ionization of D₂

We present both experimental and theoretical results for the dissociative ionization of D2 molecules induced by electron impact. Cross sections are determined in the molecular frame and are fully differential in the energies and emission angles of the dissociation fragments. Transitions are considered from the X1Σg+ electronic ground state of D2 to the 2sσg, 2pπu and 2pσu excited states of D2+. The experimental results are compared to calculations performed within the molecular four-body distorted-wave framework to describe the multicenter nature of the scattering process. The cross sections reveal a dramatic dependence on both the alignment of the internuclear axis with respect to the direction of the projectile momentum and on the symmetry of the excited dissociating state which is energetically resolved

Strength Reduction in Electrical and Elastic Networks

Particular aspects of problems ranging from dielectric breakdown to metal insu- lator transition can be studied using electrical o elastic networks. We present an expression for the mean breakdown strength of such networks.First, we intro- duce a method to evaluate the redistribution of current due to the removal of a finite number of elements from a hyper-cubic network of conducatances.It is used to determine the reduction of breakdown strength due to a fracture of size $\kappa$.Numerical analysis is used to show that the analogous reduction due to random removal of elements from electrical and elastic networks follow a similar form.One possible application, namely the use of bone density as a diagnostic tools for osteorosporosis,is discussed.Comment: one compressed file includes: 9 PostScrpt figures and a text fil

Ambipolar operation of hybrid SiC-carbon nanotube based thin film transistors for logic circuits applications

We report on the ambipolar operation of back-gated thin film field-effect transistors based on hybrid n-type-SiC/p-type-single-walled carbon nanotube networks made with a simple drop casting process. High-performances such an on/off ratio of 105, on-conductance of 20 μS, and a subthreshold swing of less than 165 mV/decades were obtained. The devices are air-stable and maintained their ambipolar operation characteristics in ambient atmosphere for more than two months. Finally, these hybrid transistors were utilized to demonstrate advanced logic NOR-gates. This could be a fundamental step toward realizing stable operating nanoelectronic devices

High Genetic Diversity of Human Rhinovirus among Pilgrims with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections during 2019 Hajj Pilgrimage Season

OBJECTIVES: Acute Respiratory tract infections (ARI) due to Human Rhinoviruses (HRV) are common in pilgrims during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of HRV among pilgrims with respiratory symptoms during Hajj 2019. METHODS: HRV infection was detected using multiplex real time RT-PCR. Cycle sequencing was performed on positive samples and the sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: 19 HRV-positive respiratory samples were sequenced. All three serotypes of HRV were identified: HRV-A (13; [68.42%)) was more common than HRV-B (2; [10.53%]), and HRV-C (4; [21.05%]). HRV-A species were found to be of genotypes A101, A21, A30, A57, A23, A60 and A11. HRV-B species belonged to genotypes B4 and B84, and HRV-C species were of genotypes C15, C3 and C56. CONCLUSIONS: Sequencing studies of respiratory tract viruses in pilgrims are important. We provide preliminary evidence of high diversity of HRV genotypes circulating in pilgrims in a restricted area during Hajj. This requires further clinical and sequencing studies of viral pathogens in larger consorts of overseas and local pilgrims