Tribological improvement using ionic liquids as additives in synthetic and bio-based lubricants for steel-steel contacts

This study investigates the performance of three ionic liquids (ILs), trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinate, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium decanoate, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, as lubricant additives in synthetic oil polyalphaolefin (PAO8) and bio-based oil trimethylolpropane trioleate (TMPTO). The ILs were added at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% concentrations and evaluated in terms of their miscibility with base oils as well as friction- and wear-reducing abilities. Four-ball and high-frequency reciprocating rig (HFRR) tribotesters were employed to evaluate the tribological performance under a boundary lubrication regime. Worn steel surfaces were characterized using optical microscopy, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The results suggested that the addition of trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinate and trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium decanoate improved the tribological performance of both PAO8 and TMPTO at an optimum concentration of 1 wt%. They showed good friction reduction, lower overall surface wear, and improved surface finishing. 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate managed to improve the tribological performance of both base oils only at 0.5 wt%. A further increase in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate concentration caused detrimental effects on the steel surface due to the formation of halogenic compounds

Experimental investigation of tribological properties of laser textured tungsten doped diamond like carbon coating under dry sliding conditions at various loads

Laser micro texturing technique has shown its potential in reducing friction and wear at various mechanical interfaces such as automotive and cutting tools etc. Automotive parts are coated with Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coatings to enhance their performance. Due to stringent condition at the automotive contacts and demand for performance enhancement, increase in performance of DLC coatings is required. In this study laser micro texturing is being combined with tungsten doped DLC coating. In order to analyze the benefits of laser micro texturing on tungsten doped DLC coating. Tribological testing was conducted on a reciprocating test rig at various loading conditions. The results indicated that laser textured tungsten doped DLC coating showed the lower coefficient of friction compared to un-textured tungsten doped DLC coating at a load of 15 N, 25 N and 35 N. Higher graphitization was observed in the case of un-textured coating at 35 N load

Distinct colonization patterns and cDNA-AFLP transcriptome profiles in compatible and incompatible interactions between melon and different races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis

Background: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis Snyd. & Hans. (FOM) causes Fusarium wilt, the most important infectious disease of melon (Cucumis melo L.). The four known races of this pathogen can be distinguished only by infection on appropriate cultivars. No molecular tools are available that can discriminate among the races, and the molecular basis of compatibility and disease progression are poorly understood. Resistance to races 1 and 2 is controlled by a single dominant gene, whereas only partial polygenic resistance to race 1,2 has been described. We carried out a large-scale cDNA-AFLP analysis to identify host genes potentially related to resistance and susceptibility as well as fungal genes associated with the infection process. At the same time, a systematic reisolation procedure on infected stems allowed us to monitor fungal colonization in compatible and incompatible host-pathogen combinations. Results: Melon plants (cv. Charentais Fom-2), which are susceptible to race 1,2 and resistant to race 1, were artificially infected with a race 1 strain of FOM or one of two race 1,2 w strains. Host colonization of stems was assessed at 1, 2, 4, 8, 14, 16, 18 and 21 days post inoculation (dpi), and the fungus was reisolated from infected plants. Markedly different colonization patterns were observed in compatible and incompatible host-pathogen combinations. Five time points from the symptomless early stage (2 dpi) to obvious wilting symptoms (21 dpi) were considered for cDNA-AFLP analysis. After successful sequencing of 627 transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) differentially expressed in infected plants, homology searching retrieved 305 melon transcripts, 195 FOM transcripts expressed in planta and 127 orphan TDFs. RNA samples from FOM colonies of the three strains grown in vitro were also included in the analysis to facilitate the detection of in planta-specific transcripts and to identify TDFs differentially expressed among races/strains. Conclusion: Our data suggest that resistance against FOM in melon involves only limited transcriptional changes, and that wilting symptoms could derive, at least partially, from an active plant response. We discuss the pathogen-derived transcripts expressed in planta during the infection process and potentially related to virulence functions, as well as transcripts that are differentially expressed between the two FOM races grown in vitro. These transcripts provide candidate sequences that can be further tested for their ability to distinguish between races. Sequence data from this article have been deposited in GenBank, Accession Numbers: HO867279-HO867981

Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study

Despite current guidelines, intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery remains widespread. Drains were not associated with earlier detection of intraperitoneal collections, but were associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased risk of surgical-site infections.Background Many surgeons routinely place intraperitoneal drains after elective colorectal surgery. However, enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines recommend against their routine use owing to a lack of clear clinical benefit. This study aimed to describe international variation in intraperitoneal drain placement and the safety of this practice. Methods COMPASS (COMPlicAted intra-abdominal collectionS after colorectal Surgery) was a prospective, international, cohort study which enrolled consecutive adults undergoing elective colorectal surgery (February to March 2020). The primary outcome was the rate of intraperitoneal drain placement. Secondary outcomes included: rate and time to diagnosis of postoperative intraperitoneal collections; rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); time to discharge; and 30-day major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade at least III). After propensity score matching, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate the independent association of the secondary outcomes with drain placement. Results Overall, 1805 patients from 22 countries were included (798 women, 44.2 per cent; median age 67.0 years). The drain insertion rate was 51.9 per cent (937 patients). After matching, drains were not associated with reduced rates (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 2.23; P = 0.287) or earlier detection (hazard ratio (HR) 0.87, 0.33 to 2.31; P = 0.780) of collections. Although not associated with worse major postoperative complications (OR 1.09, 0.68 to 1.75; P = 0.709), drains were associated with delayed hospital discharge (HR 0.58, 0.52 to 0.66; P < 0.001) and an increased risk of SSIs (OR 2.47, 1.50 to 4.05; P < 0.001). Conclusion Intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery is not associated with earlier detection of postoperative collections, but prolongs hospital stay and increases SSI risk

Biallelic variants in PCDHGC4 cause a novel neurodevelopmental syndrome with progressive microcephaly, seizures, and joint anomalies.

PURPOSE: We aimed to define a novel autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder, characterize its clinical features, and identify the underlying genetic cause for this condition. METHODS: We performed a detailed clinical characterization of 19 individuals from nine unrelated, consanguineous families with a neurodevelopmental disorder. We used genome/exome sequencing approaches, linkage and cosegregation analyses to identify disease-causing variants, and we performed three-dimensional molecular in silico analysis to predict causality of variants where applicable. RESULTS: In all affected individuals who presented with a neurodevelopmental syndrome with progressive microcephaly, seizures, and intellectual disability we identified biallelic disease-causing variants in Protocadherin-gamma-C4 (PCDHGC4). Five variants were predicted to induce premature protein truncation leading to a loss of PCDHGC4 function. The three detected missense variants were located in extracellular cadherin (EC) domains EC5 and EC6 of PCDHGC4, and in silico analysis of the affected residues showed that two of these substitutions were predicted to influence the Ca2+-binding affinity, which is essential for multimerization of the protein, whereas the third missense variant directly influenced the cis-dimerization interface of PCDHGC4. CONCLUSION: We show that biallelic variants in PCDHGC4 are causing a novel autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder and link PCDHGC4 as a member of the clustered PCDH family to a Mendelian disorder in humans

Best Proximity Results with Applications to Nonlinear Dynamical Systems

Best proximity point theorem furnishes sufficient conditions for the existence and computation of an approximate solution ω that is optimal in the sense that the error σ ( ω , J ω ) assumes the global minimum value σ ( θ , ϑ ) . The aim of this paper is to define the notion of Suzuki α - Θ -proximal multivalued contraction and prove the existence of best proximity points ω satisfying σ ( ω , J ω ) = σ ( θ , ϑ ) , where J is assumed to be continuous or the space M is regular. We derive some best proximity results on a metric space with graphs and ordered metric spaces as consequences. We also provide a non trivial example to support our main results. As applications of our main results, we discuss some variational inequality problems and dynamical programming problems

Some Generalized Fixed Point Results with Applications to Dynamic Programming

The aim of this paper is to introduce some generalized contractions and prove certain new fixed point results for self-mappings satisfying these contractions in the setting of F-metric space. As an application of our results, we investigate the problem of dynamic programming related to the multistage process which formulates the problems of computer programming and mathematical optimization. We also provide an example to support the validity of our main results