Nucleation of recrystallisation in castings of single crystal Ni-based superalloys

Recrystallisation in single crystal Ni-based superalloys during solution heat treatment results in a significant cost to the investment casting industry. In this paper two sources of surface nucleation have been identified in the alloy CMSX-4^®. Firstly, Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) has revealed micro-grains of γ', between 2 and 30 μm diameter in the layer of surface eutectic found in the upper part of the casting. These have high angle boundaries with respect to the bulk single crystal and a fraction coarsen during solution heat treatment. Secondly, in the lower regions where surface eutectic does not form, locally deformed regions, 5–20 μm deep, form where the metal adheres to the mould. The local strain causes misorientations up to ≈20° with respect the bulk single crystal, and after heat treatment these regions develop into small grains of similar low-angle misorientations. However, they also form twins to produce further grains which have mobile high-angle boundaries with respect to the bulk single crystal. Experiments have shown that micro-grains at the surface grow to cause full recrystallisation where there is sufficient strain in the bulk material, and by removing these surface defects, recrystallisation can be completely mitigated. Etching of the cast surface is demonstrated to be an effective method of achieving this.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Rolls-Royce plc for financial support from Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Awards and the EPRSC-Rolls-Royce Strategic Partnership Grant EP/H500375/

Traditional birth attendants lack basic information on HIV and safe delivery practices in rural Mysore, India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is little research on HIV awareness and practices of traditional birth attendants (TBA) in India. This study investigated knowledge and attitudes among rural TBA in Karnataka as part of a project examining how traditional birth attendants could be integrated into prevention-of-mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programs in India.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March 2008 and January 2009 among TBA in 144 villages in Mysore <it>Taluk</it>, Karnataka. Following informed consent, TBA underwent an interviewer-administered questionnaire in the local language of <it>Kannada </it>on practices and knowledge around birthing and HIV/PMTCT.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 417 TBA surveyed, the median age was 52 years and 96% were Hindus. A majority (324, 77.7%) had no formal schooling, 88 (21.1%) had up to 7 years and 5 (1%) had more than 7 yrs of education. Only 51 of the 417 TBA (12%) reported hearing about HIV/AIDS. Of those who had heard about HIV/AIDS, only 36 (72%) correctly reported that the virus could be spread from mother to child; 37 (74%) identified unprotected sex as a mode of transmission; and 26 (51%) correctly said healthy looking people could spread HIV. Just 22 (44%) knew that infected mothers could lower the risk of transmitting the virus to their infants. An overwhelming majority of TBA (401, 96.2%) did not provide antenatal care to their clients. Over half (254, 61%) said they would refer the woman to a hospital if she bled before delivery, and only 53 (13%) felt referral was necessary if excessive bleeding occurred after birth.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Traditional birth attendants will continue to play an important role in maternal child health in India for the foreseeable future. This study demonstrates that a majority of TBA lack basic information about HIV/AIDS and safe delivery practices. Given the ongoing shortage of skilled birth attendance in rural areas, more studies are needed to examine whether TBA should be trained and integrated into PMTCT and maternal child health programs in India.</p

Repair and Reconstruction of a Resected Tumor Defect Using a Composite of Tissue Flap–Nanotherapeutic–Silk Fibroin and Chitosan Scaffold

A multifaceted strategy using a composite of anti-cancer nanotherapeutic and natural biomaterials silk fibroin (SF) and chitosan (CS) blend scaffolds was investigated for the treatment of a tissue defect post-tumor resection by providing local release of the therapeutic and filling of the defect site with the regenerative bioscaffolds. The scaffold-emodin nanoparticle composites were fabricated and characterized for drug entrapment and release, mechanical strength, and efficacy against GILM2 breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo in a rat tumor model. Emodin nanoparticles were embedded in SF and SFCS scaffolds and the amount of emodin entrapment was a function of the scaffold composition and emodin loading concentration. In vitro, there was a burst release of emodin from all scaffolds during the first 2 days though it was detected even after 24 days. Increase in emodin concentration in the scaffolds decreased the overall elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength of the scaffolds. After 6 weeks of in vivo implantation, the cell density (p < 0.05) and percent degradation (p < 0.01) within the remodeled no emodin SFCS scaffold was significantly higher than the emodin loaded SFCS scaffolds, although there was no significant difference in the amount of collagen deposition in the regenerated SFCS scaffold. The presence and release of emodin from the SFCS scaffolds inhibited the integration of SFCS into the adjacent tumor due to the formation of an interfacial barrier of connective tissue that was lacking in emodin-free SFCS scaffolds. While no significant difference in tumor size was observed between the in vivo tested groups, tumors treated with emodin loaded SFCS scaffolds had decreased presence and size and similar regeneration of new tissue as compared to no emodin SFCS scaffolds

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 354 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Previous GBD studies have shown how the decline of mortality rates from 1990 to 2016 has led to an increase in life expectancy, an ageing global population, and an expansion of the non-fatal burden of disease and injury. These studies have also shown how a substantial portion of the world's population experiences non-fatal health loss with considerable heterogeneity among different causes, locations, ages, and sexes. Ongoing objectives of the GBD study include increasing the level of estimation detail, improving analytical strategies, and increasing the amount of high-quality data. Methods: We estimated incidence and prevalence for 354 diseases and injuries and 3484 sequelae. We used an updated and extensive body of literature studies, survey data, surveillance data, inpatient admission records, outpatient visit records, and health insurance claims, and additionally used results from cause of death models to inform estimates using a total of 68 781 data sources. Newly available clinical data from India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, China, Brazil, Norway, and Italy were incorporated, as well as updated claims data from the USA and new claims data from Taiwan (province of China) and Singapore. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, as the main method of estimation, ensuring consistency between rates of incidence, prevalence, remission, and cause of death for each condition. YLDs were estimated as the product of a prevalence estimate and a disability weight for health states of each mutually exclusive sequela, adjusted for comorbidity. We updated the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary development indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Additionally, we calculated differences between male and female YLDs to identify divergent trends across sexes. GBD 2017 complies with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting. Findings: Globally, for females, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias in both 1990 and 2017. For males, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and tuberculosis including latent tuberculosis infection in both 1990 and 2017. In terms of YLDs, low back pain, headache disorders, and dietary iron deficiency were the leading Level 3 causes of YLD counts in 1990, whereas low back pain, headache disorders, and depressive disorders were the leading causes in 2017 for both sexes combined. All-cause age-standardised YLD rates decreased by 3·9% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·1–4·6) from 1990 to 2017; however, the all-age YLD rate increased by 7·2% (6·0–8·4) while the total sum of global YLDs increased from 562 million (421–723) to 853 million (642–1100). The increases for males and females were similar, with increases in all-age YLD rates of 7·9% (6·6–9·2) for males and 6·5% (5·4–7·7) for females. We found significant differences between males and females in terms of age-standardised prevalence estimates for multiple causes. The causes with the greatest relative differences between sexes in 2017 included substance use disorders (3018 cases [95% UI 2782–3252] per 100 000 in males vs s1400 [1279–1524] per 100 000 in females), transport injuries (3322 [3082–3583] vs 2336 [2154–2535]), and self-harm and interpersonal violence (3265 [2943–3630] vs 5643 [5057–6302]). Interpretation: Global all-cause age-standardised YLD rates have improved only slightly over a period spanning nearly three decades. However, the magnitude of the non-fatal disease burden has expanded globally, with increasing numbers of people who have a wide spectrum of conditions. A subset of conditions has remained globally pervasive since 1990, whereas other conditions have displayed more dynamic trends, with different ages, sexes, and geographies across the globe experiencing varying burdens and trends of health loss. This study emphasises how global improvements in premature mortality for select conditions have led to older populations with complex and potentially expensive diseases, yet also highlights global achievements in certain domains of disease and injury

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Not AvailableTHE PAPER PROVIDES USEFUL INFORMATION ON LANDSLIDES IN HIMALAYAN REGION. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED BY CSWCRTI , DEHRADUN CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY ADOPTED IN TACKLING LANDSLIDE PROBLEMS IN OTHER AREAS WITH SUITABLE MODIFICATIONS.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableDISCUSSES IMPORTANT FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE RUNOFF AND SOIL LOSS EROSION ARE RAINFALL , SLOPE OF LAND , SOIL CHARACTERISTICS AND VEGETAL COVER AND LAND USE. THE DATA COLLECTED IN ALLUVIAL SOILS , RED SOILS AND BLACK SOILS ON DIFFERENT SLOPES AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED. IMPORTANT GRASSES AND LEGUMES FOR SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION AND ALSO PRODUCTION OF FORAGES HAVE ALSO BEEN ELBORATED.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableTHE PAPER DISCUSSES THE METHOD OF PROPOGATION AND MANAGEMENT OF NAPIER AND HYBRID GRASSES IN DOON VALLEY AND ADJOINING HILLS. NAPIER GRASS YIELDED ABOUT 300 TO 350 sq/ha OF GREEN FODDER/CUT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS WHICH AT RS 2 /- CAN FETCH AN ANNUAL INCOME OF RS 600 TO 700 /ha DEPENDING UPON THE PROXIMITY OF THE PLANTING SITE TO THE MARKET. NAPIER AND HYBRID NAPIER GRASSES ARE EXCELLENT RAW MATERIALS FOR STABILIZING THE LAND SLIDES, RECLAIMED TORRENT BEDS, ERODED LAND AND GULLIED LANDS.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableTHE PAPER DESCRIBES HOW KUDZU ( PUERARIA THUMBERGIANA) HAS SUCCESSFULLY BEEN INTRODUCED AT SELAKUI ( DOON VALLEY) AND NALOTA NALA ( MUSSOORIE HILLS) FOR LANDSLIDE CONTROL. THE PLANT NOT ONLY PROVIDES PROTECTION AGAINST SOIL EROSION TO THE SITE WHERE IT GROWS BUT ALSO PROVIDES GOOD NUTRITIVE FODDER FOR THE CATTLE FROM ITS LUXURIANT FOLIAGE TO THE TUNE OF 110 TO 650 qlts/ha ANNUALLY DEPENDING UPON THE SITE CONDITIONS. ONE TO TWO YEAR OLD THICKER SHOOTS WHICH ARE NOT SUITED FOR FODDER CONSUMPTION WERE FOUND TO HAVE GOOD USE AS RAW MATERIAL FOR MANUFACTURE OF HAND MADE PAPER. GROWTH AND YIELD DATA SHOWED THAT THIS PLANT CAN YIELD ABOUT 100 TO 160 qlts/ha OF THICK SHOOTS ( MEANT FOR PAPER INDUSTRY) WHICH WILL YIELD ABOUT 60 TO 95 qlts/ha OF BARK FIBRE.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableRESEARCH DATA ON RUNOFF AS INFLUENCED BY TREE HARVESTING AND MAN- MADE PLANTATIONS ARE PRESENTED. TWO SMALL FOREST ( BRUSH) WATERSHEDS W, F (1.45 ha) AND W2F(0.78 ha) WERE CALIBRATED FOR 8 YEARS ( 1961-68) . DURING CALIBRATION PERIOD W1F GAVE 18% MORE RUNOFF AND 63 % HIGHER PEAK RATE OF RUNOFF AS COMPARED TO W2F. IN THE YEAR 1969, W1F WAS CLEAR FELLED AND REFORESTED WITH EUCALYPTUS SPP. THE POST- CALIBRATION RELATIONSHIP INDICATES THAT W1F ( TREATED) AFTER AFFORESTATION GAVE 10% LESS RUNOFF AND PEAK RATES OF RUNOFF AS COMPARED TO W2F ( UNTREATED) THE TOTAL REDUCTION OF 28% IN RUNOFF AND 73% IN PEAK RATE IS DUE TO AFFORESTATION RESULTING IN FULLY STOCKED PLANTATION AND A DENSE UNDERGROWTH. THE STUDY HAS QUANTITATIVELY INDICATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AFFORESTATION IN REDUCING RUNOFF AND ITS PEAK RATE BY 28% AND 75% RESPECTIVELY.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableTHE PAPER REVIEWS THE SCOPE OF RAISING MULBERRY PLANTATIONS AS A FARM PROGRAMME THE METHODS OF RAISING AND MANAGEMENT OF THESE PLANTATIONS , THE METHODOLOGY OF SILK- WORMS REARING AND AN ANALYSIS OF THE ECONOMICS OF THIS INDUSTRY.Not Availabl