The Machinability Performance of RBD Palm Oil Dielectric Fluid on Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) of AISI D2 Steel

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a high-precision manufacturing process that may be implemented to any electrically conductive material, notwithstanding its of mechanical residences. It’s far a non-contact process using thermal energy that is used in a wide range of applications, especially for difficult-to-cut materials with complicated shapes and geometries. The dielectric is critical in this process as it focuses the plasma channel above the processing and also serves as a debris carrier. The long-term use of dielectric used in EDM process pollutes to the atmosphere and is harmful to the operator's health. This study compares the efficiency of refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil (cooking oil) with traditional hydrocarbon dielectric, kerosene using copper electrode in the finishing process of AISI D2 steel. Low peak current, Ip 1A to 5A and pulse duration, ton up to 150μs were chosen as the main parameters. The effects of material removal rate (MRR), electrode wear rate (EWR), and surface roughness (Ra) were evaluated. The result shows that RBD palm oil has higher MRR which is 33.4821mm3/min while kerosene is 22.4888mm3/min, both at Ip=5A and ton=150µs. The improvement when RBD palm oil is used as dielectric is 48.88% compared to kerosene. With the increase in peak current, the EWR increases but it is inversely proportional to the pulse duration. The lowest EWR is obtained at the same IP=1A and ton=150µs for both RBD palm oil and kerosene which is 0.0010mm3/min and 0.0002mm3/min respectively. The minimum value of Ra for RBD palm oil is 2.15µm at IP=1A and ton=150µs, while for kerosene it is 2.11µm at IP=1A and ton=150µs. In terms of finishing process efficiency, RBD palm oil, a biodegradable oil-based dielectric fluid, has shown significant potential in EDM processing of AISI D2 steel

Surface Roughness and Surface Topography of Inconel 718 in Powder Mixed Dielectric Electrical Discharge Machining (PMEDM)

In high speed EDM, maximum material removal rate (MRR) is a desirable to increase productivity rate and reducing production cost to the need of industry. However, the surface finish of the machined surface also cannot be neglected since it related to product quality and safety factor especially when to cut difficult to machine material such Inconel 718, which is widely used in aerospace industry. Surface roughness as one of the surface integrity criteria was choose as a response in this research. High discharge current from 20A to 40A, longer pulse on-time (pulse duration) from 200µs to 400µs and the different concentration of the nano Alumina powder were selected as the main parameters, respectively. The effect of powder mixed dielectric in EDM performance in terms of surface roughness was evaluated. The dielectric circulating system known as High Performance Electrical Discharge Machine (HPEDM) was attached to the conventional EDM machine to run the experiments involving powder mixed dielectric. The experiment results shows that, the highest peak current deteriorated the surface roughness. The surface roughness, Ra was increased with the increasing of the peak current. The result also shows that an increasing of the pulse duration the surface roughness was slightly improved. It is observed that, the value of Ra was closely related to the surface topography characteristic of the machined surfaces and directly depends on the applied discharge energy. There is no improvement in surface roughness when powder additive was mixed in a dielectric fluid

Anisotropic electrical and thermal magnetotransport in the magnetic semimetal GdPtBi

The half-Heusler rare-earth intermetallic GdPtBi has recently gained attention due to peculiar magnetotransport phenomena that have been associated with the possible existence of Weyl fermions, thought to arise from the crossings of spin-split conduction and valence bands. On the other hand, similar magnetotransport phenomena observed in other rare-earth intermetallics have often been attributed to the interaction of itinerant carriers with localized magnetic moments stemming from the $4f$-shell of the rare-earth element. In order to address the origin of the magnetotransport phenomena in GdPtBi, we performed a comprehensive study of the magnetization, electrical and thermal magnetoresistivity on two single-crystalline GdPtBi samples. In addition, we performed an analysis of the Fermi surface via Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in one of the samples and compared the results to \emph{ab initio} band structure calculations. Our findings indicate that the electrical and thermal magnetotransport in GdPtBi cannot be solely explained by Weyl physics and is strongly influenced by the interaction of both itinerant charge carriers and phonons with localized magnetic Gd-ions and possibly also paramagnetic impurities.Comment: 11 figure

Preparation and characterization of layer-diffusion processed InBi2Se4 thin films for photovoltaics application

In this research work, optoelectronic properties of Indium bismuth selenide (InBi2Se4) thin films are studied for their potentials for photovoltaic applications. The InBi2Se4 films are prepared via a thermal co-evaporation technique on glass substrate using Bi2S3 powders and indium granules. The as-deposited films are then annealed at different temperatures to convert into InBi2Se4 thin films. Results show that the obtained InBi2Se4 films possess excellent optoelectronic properties as an optimum bandgap of 1.2 eV was obtained for the film annealed at 350oC. Based on characterisation results of current and voltage realiationships, both as-deposited and annealed InBi2Se4 thin films show a linear relationship between current and annealing temperature. It was also noted that with increasing grain-size of the film, the current is also increased at a fixed applied voltage

Valorization of lemon peel waste as biosorbent for the simultaneous removal of nickel and cadmium from industrial effluents

The valorization of agricultural waste as biosorbent requires studies dealing with aqueous systems containing coexisting heavy metals. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study the competitive biosorption of Ni(II) and Cd(II) on alkalimodified lemon peel. The biosorption kinetic analysis indicated that the uptake of Ni(II) on lemon peel was better described by pseudo first-order model whereas for Cd(II) results were no conclusive. A rapid uptake of both metals on alkali-modified lemon peel was detected during the first 10 min obtaining more than 90% of the maximum sorption. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ni(II) and Cd(II) for single metal systems at optimum conditions (pH = 5, S/L = 5 g L−1, 25 ◦C), which were obtained from Langmuir model, reached as high as about 0.626 and 0.726 mmol g−1, respectively. These values were reduced 30 and 20 % in the presence of 100 mg L−1 of Cd and Ni, respectively. Regarding the reusability of the biosorbent, after five consecutives adsorption–desorption cycles using HNO3 and H2SO4 as desorption reagents percentages of 90 and 70 % were recovered for Ni and Cd. The promising results obtained through this work are expected to promote the use of lemon peel as an efficient biosorbent for industrial applications.Universidad de Málaga/CBUA: Funding for open access charg

Applications of Isothermal Titration Calorimetry in Biophysical Studies of G-quadruplexes

G-quadruplexes are higher-order nucleic acids structures formed by G-rich sequences that are stabilized by tetrads of hydrogen-bonded guanine bases. Recently, there has been growing interest in the study of G-quadruplexes because of their possible involvement in many biological processes. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) has been proven to be a useful tool to study the energetic aspects of G-quadruplex interactions. Particularly, ITC has been applied many times to determine the thermodynamic properties of drug-quadruplex interactions to screening among various drugs and to address drug design. In the present review, we will focus on the ITC studies of G-quadruplex structures and their interaction with proteins and drugs and the most significant results will be discussed

Oceanic response to Pliensbachian and Toarcian magmatic events: Implications from an organic-rich basinal succession in the NW Tethys

The Bächental bituminous marls (Bächentaler Bitumenmergel) belonging to the Sachrang Member of the Lower Jurassic Middle Allgäu Formation were investigated using a multidisciplinary approach to determine environmental controls on the formation of organic-rich deposits in a semi-restricted basin of the NW Tethys during the Early Jurassic. The marls are subdivided into three units on the basis of mineralogical composition, source-rock parameters, redox conditions, salinity variations, and diagenetic processes. Redox proxies (e.g., pristane/phytane ratio; aryl isoprenoids; bioturbation; ternary plot of iron, total organic carbon, and sulphur) indicate varying suboxic to euxinic conditions during deposition of the Bächental section. Redox variations were mainly controlled by sea-level fluctuations with the tectonically complex bathymetry of the Bächental basin determining watermass exchange with the Tethys Ocean. Accordingly, strongest anoxia and highest total organic carbon content (up to 13%) occur in the middle part of the profile (upper tenuicostatum and lower falciferum zones), coincident with an increase in surface-water productivity during a period of relative sea-level lowstand that induced salinity stratification in a stagnant basin setting. This level corresponds to the time interval of the lower Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE). However, the absence of the widely observed lower Toarcian negative carbon isotope excursion in the study section questions its unrestricted use as a global chemostratigraphic marker. Stratigraphic correlation of the thermally immature Bächental bituminous marls with the Posidonia Shale of SW Germany on the basis of C27/C29 sterane ratio profiles and ammonite data suggests that deposition of organic matter-rich sediments in isolated basins in the Alpine realm commenced earlier (late Pliensbachian margaritatus Zone) than in regionally proximal epicontinental seas (early Toarcian tenuicostatum Zone). The late Pliensbachian onset of reducing conditions in the Bächental basin coincided with an influx of volcaniclastic detritus that was possibly connected to complex rifting processes of the Alpine Tethys and with a globally observed eruption-induced extinction event. The level of maximum organic matter accumulation in the Bächental basin corresponds to the main eruptive phase of the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province (LIP), confirming its massive impact on global climate and oceanic conditions during the Early Jurassic. The Bächental marl succession is thus a record of the complex interaction of global (i.e., LIP) and local (e.g., redox and salinity variations, basin morphology) factors that caused reducing conditions and organic matter enrichment in the Bächental basin. These developments resulted in highly inhomogeneous environmental conditions in semi-restricted basins of the NW Tethyan domain during late Pliensbachian and early Toarcian time

An Updated Review of Tyrosinase Inhibitors

Tyrosinase is a multifunctional, glycosylated, and copper-containing oxidase, which catalyzes the first two steps in mammalian melanogenesis and is responsible for enzymatic browning reactions in damaged fruits during post-harvest handling and processing. Neither hyperpigmentation in human skin nor enzymatic browning in fruits are desirable. These phenomena have encouraged researchers to seek new potent tyrosinase inhibitors for use in foods and cosmetics. This article surveys tyrosinase inhibitors newly discovered from natural and synthetic sources. The inhibitory strength is compared with that of a standard inhibitor, kojic acid, and their inhibitory mechanisms are discussed

Tetrahymena Metallothioneins Fall into Two Discrete Subfamilies

BACKGROUND: Metallothioneins are ubiquitous small, cysteine-rich, multifunctional proteins which can bind heavy metals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We report the results of phylogenetic and gene expression analyses that include two new Tetrahymena thermophila metallothionein genes (MTT3 and MTT5). Sequence alignments of all known Tetrahymena metallothioneins have allowed us to rationalize the structure of these proteins. We now formally subdivide the known metallothioneins from the ciliate genus Tetrahymena into two well defined subfamilies, 7a and 7b, based on phylogenetic analysis, on the pattern of clustering of Cys residues, and on the pattern of inducibility by the heavy metals Cd and Cu. Sequence alignment also reveals a remarkably regular, conserved and hierarchical modular structure of all five subfamily 7a MTs, which include MTT3 and MTT5. The former has three modules, while the latter has only two. Induction levels of the three T. thermophila genes were determined using quantitative real time RT-PCR. Various stressors (including heavy metals) brought about dramatically different fold-inductions for each gene; MTT5 showed the highest fold-induction. Conserved DNA motifs with potential regulatory significance were identified, in an unbiased way, upstream of the start codons of subfamily 7a MTs. EST evidence for alternative splicing in the 3′ UTR of the MTT5 mRNA with potential regulatory activity is reported. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The small number and remarkably regular structure of Tetrahymena MTs, coupled with the experimental tractability of this model organism for studies of in vivo function, make it an attractive system for the experimental dissection of the roles, structure/function relationships, regulation of gene expression, and adaptive evolution of these proteins, as well as for the development of biotechnological applications for the environmental monitoring of toxic substances