5,478 research outputs found
Application of Cryogenic Treatment to Extend the Life of the TiAlN-Coated Tungsten Carbide Milling Cutter
Cutting tools are important to the manufacturing industry since they will affect production efficiency and product quality. Cryogenic treatment can improve the material properties by decreasing residual stress, stabilizing dimensional accuracy, and increasing wear resistance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility and effect of cryogenic treatment on the performance of TiAlN-coated tungsten carbide milling cutters for machining the Inconel alloy 625 in terms of different testing methods (e.g., hardness, wear resistance, residual stress, microstructure, and tool life test). Experimental results indicate that after cryogenic treatment there is less wear, the microstructure is denser, residual stress is decreased, the adhesion of coating and tungsten carbide is improved, and the tool life is effectively improved
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Densely distributed and real-time scour hole monitoring using piezoelectric rod sensors
This study aims to validate a piezoelectric driven-rod scour monitoring system that can sense changes in scour depth along the entire rod at its instrumented location. The proposed sensor is a polymeric slender rod with a thin strip of polyvinylidene fluoride that runs through its midline. Extraction of the fundamental frequency allows the direct calculation of the exposed length (or scour depth) of the slender rod undergoing fluid flow excitation. First, laboratory validation in dry conditions is presented. Second, hydrodynamic testing of the sensor system in a soil-bed flume is discussed. Each rod was installed using a three-dimensional-printed footing designed for ease of installation and stabilization during testing. The sensors were installed in a layout designed to capture symmetric scour conditions around a scaled pier. In order to analyze the system out of steady-state conditions, water velocity was increased in stages during testing to induce different degrees of scour. As ambient water flow excited the portion of the exposed rods, the embedded piezoelectric element outputted a time-varying voltage signal. Different methods were then employed to extract the fundamental frequency of each rod, and the results were compared. Further testing was also performed to characterize the relationship between frequency outputs and flow velocity, which were previously thought to be independent. In general, the proposed driven-rod scour monitoring system successfully captured changing frequencies under varied flow conditions
Toward a Background Independent Quantum Theory of Gravity
Any canonical quantum theory can be understood to arise from the
compatibility of the statistical geometry of distinguishable observations with
the canonical Poisson structure of Hamiltonian dynamics. This geometric
perspective offers a novel, background independent non-perturbative formulation
of quantum gravity. We invoke a quantum version of the equivalence principle,
which requires both the statistical and symplectic geometries of canonical
quantum theory to be fully dynamical quantities. Our approach sheds new light
on such basic issues of quantum gravity as the nature of observables, the
problem of time, and the physics of the vacuum. In particular, the observed
numerical smallness of the cosmological constant can be rationalized in this
approach.Comment: Awarded Honorable Mention, 2004 Gravity Research Foundation Essay
Competition; 8 pages, LaTe
Multistep Measurement of Plantar Pressure Alterations Using Metatarsal Pads
Metatarsal pads are frequently prescribed for nonoperative management of metatarsalgia due to various etiologies. When appropriately placed, they are effective in reducing pressures under the metatarsal heads on the plantar surface of the foot. Despite the positive clinical reports that have been cited, there are no quantitative studies documenting the load redistribution effects of these pads during multiple step usage within the shoe environment. The objective of this study was to assess changes in plantar pressure metrics resulting from pad use. Ten normal adult male subjects were tested during a series of 400-step trials. Pressures were recorded from eight discrete plantar locations at the hindfoot, midfoot, and forefoot regions of the insole. Significant increases in peak pressures, contact durations, and pressure-time integrals were noted at the metatarsal shaft region with pad use (P ≤ .05). Statistically significant changes in metric values were not seen at the other plantar locations, although metatarsal pad use resulted in mild decreases in mean peak pressures at the first and second metatarsal heads and slight increases laterally. Contact durations decreased at all metatarsal head locations, while pressure-time integrals decreased at the first, second, third, and fourth metatarsal heads. A slight increase in pressure-time integrals was seen at the fifth metatarsal head. The redistribution of plantar pressures tended to relate not only to the dimensions of the metatarsal pads, but also to foot size, anatomic foot configuration, and pad location. Knowledge of these parameters, along with careful control of pad dimensions and placement, allows use of the metatarsal pad as an effective orthotic device for redistributing forefoot plantar pressures
Equitable colorings of Kronecker products of graphs
AbstractFor a positive integer k, a graph G is equitably k-colorable if there is a mapping f:V(G)→{1,2,…,k} such that f(x)≠f(y) whenever xy∈E(G) and ||f−1(i)|−|f−1(j)||≤1 for 1≤i<j≤k. The equitable chromatic number of a graph G, denoted by χ=(G), is the minimum k such that G is equitably k-colorable. The equitable chromatic threshold of a graph G, denoted by χ=∗(G), is the minimum t such that G is equitably k-colorable for k≥t. The current paper studies equitable chromatic numbers of Kronecker products of graphs. In particular, we give exact values or upper bounds on χ=(G×H) and χ=∗(G×H) when G and H are complete graphs, bipartite graphs, paths or cycles
Report on Characterization of U-10 wt.% Zr Alloy
This report summarizes the chemical and structural characterization results for a U-10 wt.% Zr alloy to be used in an ultra-high burn-up nuclear fuel concept. The as-cast alloy material was received from Texas A and M University. Characterization and an initial heat treatment of the alloy material were conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The as-received ingot was sectioned for X-ray analysis, metallography, SEM, TEM, and heat treatments, as shown in Figure 1
Inconsistency of QED in the Presence of Dirac Monopoles
A precise formulation of local gauge invariance in QED is presented,
which clearly shows that the gauge coupling associated with the unphysical
longitudinal photon field is non-observable and actually has an arbitrary
value. We then re-examine the Dirac quantization condition and find that its
derivation involves solely the unphysical longitudinal coupling. Hence an
inconsistency inevitably arises in the presence of Dirac monopoles and this can
be considered as a theoretical evidence against their existence. An
alternative, independent proof of this conclusion is also presented.Comment: Extended and combined version, refinements added; 20 LaTex pages,
Published in Z. Phys. C65, pp.175-18
Single-nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic risk score and patient age at prostate cancer diagnosis
Importance: Few studies have evaluated the association between a single-nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic risk score (GRS) and patient age at prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis.
Objectives: To test the association between a GRS and patient age at PCa diagnosis and to compare the performance of a GRS with that of family history (FH) in PCa risk stratification.
Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort study of 3225 white men was conducted as a secondary analysis of the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) chemoprevention trial, a 4-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study conducted from March 2003 to April 2009 to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dutasteride in reducing PCa events. Participants were confirmed to be cancer free by prostate biopsy (6-12 cores) within 6 months prior to the study and underwent 10 core biopsies every 2 years per protocol. The dates for performing data analysis were from July 2016 to October 2019.
Interventions: A well-established, population-standardized GRS was calculated for each participant based on 110 known PCa risk-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which is a relative risk compared with the general population. Men were classified into 3 GRS risk groups based on predetermined cutoff values: low (\u3c0.50), average (0.50-1.49), and high (≥1.50).
Main Outcomes and Measures: Prostate cancer diagnosis-free survival among men of different risk groups.
Results: Among 3225 men (median age, 63 years [interquartile range, 58-67 years]) in the study, 683 (21%) were classified as low risk, 1937 (60%) as average risk, and 605 (19%) as high risk based on GRS alone. In comparison, 2789 (86%) were classified as low or average risk and 436 (14%) as high risk based on FH alone. Men in higher GRS risk groups had a PCa diagnosis-free survival rate that was worse than that of those in the lower GRS risk group (χ2 = 53.3; P \u3c .001 for trend) and in participants with a negative FH of PCa (χ2 = 45.5; P \u3c .001 for trend). Combining GRS and FH further stratified overall genetic risk, indicating that 957 men (30%) were at high genetic risk (either high GRS or positive FH), 1667 men (52%) were at average genetic risk (average GRS and negative FH), and 601 men (19%) were at low genetic risk (low GRS and negative FH). The median PCa diagnosis-free survival was 74 years (95% CI, 73-75 years) for men at high genetic risk, 77 years (95% CI, 75 to \u3e80 years) for men at average genetic risk, and more than 80 years (95% CI, \u3e80 to \u3e80 years) for men at low genetic risk. In contrast, the median PCa diagnosis-free survival was 73 years (95% CI, 71-76 years) for men with a positive FH and 77 years (95% CI, 76-79 years) for men with a negative FH.
Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that a GRS is significantly associated with patient age at PCa diagnosis. Combining FH and GRS may better stratify inherited risk than FH alone for developing personalized PCa screening strategies
On V_ud determination from kaon decays
The pion beta decay pi^+ -> pi^0 e^+ nu proceeds through pure weak vector
hadronic currents and, therefore, the theoretical prediction for it is more
reliable than for the processes with axial-vector current contribution. For
example, recently the pion beta decay has been used for V_ud determination. The
main aim of this letter is to point that kaon beta decay K^0 -> K^+(pi^+ pi^0)
e^- nu-bar analogously can be used for this purpose.Comment: 3 pages, no figures, one reference adde
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