Investigating dimensional and geometrical accuracy of isothermally forged blades

Compressor blades are one of the well-known products made of titanium alloys. They are usually manufactured by a forging process followed by a sequence of machining processes. Precision forging eliminates a considerable amount of machining; however, due to the close tolerances, the process should be designed in a manner to meet dimensional and geometrical tolerances as well as the desired mechanical and metallurgical properties. In this paper, effects of two main process parameters, the process temperature and strain rate, on the dimensional and geometrical accuracy of the isothermally forged blades are investigated experimentally. The results are analyzed by the response surface method (RSM). In order to justify the results and have a tool for further studies, a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element method model is developed and verified by the experimental results. The results show that the process temperature and pressing speed and their interaction have a meaningful effect on the thickness error; however, the interaction effect of the process temperature and pressing speed on the twist error is not considerable and moreover the bow error of the forged blades is not significant. Finally, the results show that for a given geometry, by selection of appropriate process parameters, a sound workpiece with acceptable dimensional and geometrical aspects can be manufactured without any need for a die shape compensation

Fluoxetine selectively induces p53-independent apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells

Fluoxetine has been shown to induce anti-tumour activity. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of fluoxetine on HCT116+/+ and p53 gene-depleted HCT116-/- human colorectal cancer cells and the mechanisms, including potential p53-dependence, of its action. Fluoxetine-induced apoptosis was investigated by mitochondrial membrane potential assay, Annexin V assay, two-step cell cycle analysis using NC-3000™ system and pharmacological inhibition assays. Fluoxetine induced very selectively concentration-dependent apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells by altering mitochondrial membrane potential and inducing translocation of phosphatidylserine to the outer membrane layer. Further evidence of the preponderance of apoptosis in fluoxetine-induced cell death is provided by the finding that the cell death was not blocked by inhibitors of parthanatos, a form of cell death that results from overactivation of the enzyme poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) but is different from apoptosis. Data obtained indicate fluoxetine caused cell cycle event at Sub-G1 and G0/G1 phases in both cell lines. In terms of apoptosis, there is no significant difference between the responses of the two cell lines to fluoxetine. In conclusion, fluoxetine's cytotoxicity induces mainly apoptosis and causes DNA fragmentation in human colorectal cancer cells, which seemed to be independent of the p53 protein, as no significant difference in death profiles in response to fluoxetine treatment was observed in both the p53-intact and the p53-deleted cell lines. Fluoxetine, therefore, has potential for being repurposed as a drug for the treatment of colon cancer and thus deserves further investigations in this context

Herpes Simplex virus meningitis in children in South East of Caspian Sea, Iran

Background: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a member of Herpesviridae and a leading cause of human viral diseases. Meningitis occurs as a complication of HSV-1 or HSV-2 primary infection. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate HSV meningitis in children in Gorgan province, Iran. Patients and Methods: Forty-five cerebrospinal fluid samples were taken from children referred with meningitis symptoms. Samples with negative bacterial culture results were tested for viral, biochemical and cytological assays. DNA extraction and PCR were performed. Results: HSV-1 detected in 4 (8.8%) samples without any HSV-2 infections. Cases with positive results had fever and CSF pleocytosis. Vomiting, headache and higher count of WBC were observed in 3, 2 and 3 cases respectively. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose and protein levels were normal and 3 cases showed positive C-reactive protein (CRP) results. Also erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was higher than normal in all positive cases. Conclusions: Distribution of HSV types in children with meningitis in our area predominantly was type 1 compared with type 2, which has been reported more in other area. © 2014, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences; Published by Kowsar Corp

Development of a Degradation Model for the Collapse Analysis of Composite Aerospace Structures

For stiffened structures in compression the most critical damage mechanism leading to structural collapse is delamination or adhesive disbonding between the skin and stiffener. This paper presents the development of a numerical approach capable of simulating interlaminar crack growth in composite structures as a representation of this damage mecha-nism. A degradation methodology was proposed using shell layers connected at the nodes by user-defined multiple point constraints (MPCs), and then controlling the properties of these MPCs to simulate the initiation and propagation of delamination and disbonding. A fracture mechanics approach based on the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) is used to detect growth at the delamination front. Numerical predictions using the degradation methodology were compared to experimental results for double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens to dem-onstrate the effectiveness of the current approach. Future development will focus on address-ing the apparent conservatism of the VCCT approach, and extending the application of the method to other specimen types and stiffened structures representative of composite fuselage designs. This work is part of the European Commission Project COCOMAT (Improved MA-Terial Exploitation at Safe Design of COmposite Airframe Structures by Accurate Simulation of COllapse), an ongoing four-year project that aims to exploit the large strength reserves of composite aerospace structures through more accurate prediction of collapse

Mutations in pre-core and basal-core promoter regions of hepatitis B virus in chronic HBV patients from Golestan, Iran

Objective(s): It has been reported that the mutation of the pre-core (PC) and basal-core promoter (BCP) may play an important role in the development of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study the PC and BCP mutations were investigated in chronic HBV patients. Materials and Methods: In this study, 120 chronic HBV patients from Golestan, Northeast of Iran who were not vaccinated against HBV, were recruited from the year 2008 to 2012. HBV-DNA extraction from plasma and PCR were performed and positive PCR products were subjected to automated sequencing. Results: One hundred out of 120 (83.3%) patients were HBeAg negative. Comparison of our nucleotide sequences with reference sequence showed high rate mutation in BCP and PC region (96.66%). Frame shift mutation was found in 78 (65%) of patients in BCP region, among them 8 (6.6%) patients showed mutation in PC region. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated high rate of mutations in BCP and PC regions among HBV chronic patients in Northeast of Iran

Impact of Regular Salah Practice on Resting Pulse Rate

The aim of the present study was to find out the impact of regular salah practice on resting pulse rate. For the purpose of the study 10 middle aged men were selected from Masjeed Mahmood, Chidambaram, Tamilnadu, India as subjects at purposive random sampling. The age range of subjects between 39 to 44 years. The subject follow the Salah standing, bowing, prostration and sitting for five to fifteen minutes. The Salah was carried five sessions a day such as 5:30 to 5:40 (Fajer), 13:15 to 13:25 (Zuhar), 17:00 to 17:10 (Aser), 18:30 to 18:45 (Magrib) and 20:00 to 20:15 (Isha). The resting pulse rate in the redial of the subjects was taken by using a stop watch per minute. The test was assessed before and after the salah programme respectively. The collected date on criterion variable was statistically assessed for significance by using two-way factorial ANOVA. The level of significance was fixed at 0.05. The result of the study shows that there was a significant difference in factor A & B but not in the interaction on pulse rate due to different salah for a day

EFFECT OF BIOVET AND PROBIOTIC (BM-TECHNOLOGY) ON MILK PRODUCTION IN LACTATING BUFFALOES

This trial was conducted for a period of 90 days at the Livestock Experiment Station, Bahadurnagar, Okara, Pakistan during September - November, 2002. Eighteen lactating buffaloes were divided into three groups A, B and C, with six animals in each group. Animals of Group A were fed a concentrate ration with 2 ml of Biovet per kg of feed, while those of Group B were fed an experimental ration having probiotic 500 gms in 100 kg of concentrate mixture. The Group C animals served as control group. The average daily milk yield was 7.60, 7.39 and 6.15 litres in groups A, B and C, respectively. The corresponding values for milk fat were 7.60, 7.39 and 6.15 percent. The daily feed intakes for concentrate mixture were 4.36, 4.38 and 4.41 kg, while fodder intakes were 35.28, 35.29 and 37.46 kg in respective groups. The values for feed efficiency per kg were 1.70, 1.75 and 2.14 on dry matter basis, 0.197, 0.203 and 0.251 on crude protein basis, while 1.05, 1.08 and 1.35 on TDN basis in Groups A, B and C, respectively. It was also observed that under same feeding and management conditions, the lactating buffaloes supplemented with Biovet (Group A) produced more milk @ 1.45 litres per day, while Group B buffaloes supplemented with probiotic produced 1.22 litres more milk per day than Group C. There was a significant (P<0.05) difference in milk yield between groups A and C, and B and C, while these differences were not significant for average daily feed intake and feed efficiency on crude protein basis. The Biovet (BM-Technology) has favourable effect on milk yield and feed efficiency due to beneficial micro-organisms (BM) and combined function for increased digestibility of concentrate mixture and fodder in lactating buffaloes