Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing Using Critical Raw Materials: A Review.

The term "critical raw materials" (CRMs) refers to various metals and nonmetals that are crucial to Europe's economic progress. Modern technologies enabling effective use and recyclability of CRMs are in critical demand for the EU industries. The use of CRMs, especially in the fields of biomedicine, aerospace, electric vehicles, and energy applications, is almost irreplaceable. Additive manufacturing (also referred to as 3D printing) is one of the key enabling technologies in the field of manufacturing which underpins the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 3D printing not only suppresses waste but also provides an efficient buy-to-fly ratio and possesses the potential to entirely change supply and distribution chains, significantly reducing costs and revolutionizing all logistics. This review provides comprehensive new insights into CRM-containing materials processed by modern additive manufacturing techniques and outlines the potential for increasing the efficiency of CRMs utilization and reducing the dependence on CRMs through wider industrial incorporation of AM and specifics of powder bed AM methods making them prime candidates for such developments

27 Al NMR/MRI Studies of the Transport of Granular Al 2 O 3

The NMR/MRI techniques are applicable to the studies of motion of granular solids, providing information on the velocities, effective diffusivities and correlation times of the moving particles. The studies of transport of granular solids reported to-date are based on the detection of the 1H NMR signal of the liquid phase of liquid-containing solid materials. Yet, the solid phase of many granular solids contains magnetic nuclei, providing in principle an opportunity to study motion of such solids by directly detecting the NMR signal of the solid phase. In this paper, we demonstrate that this can be performed with the use of conventional echo pulse sequences in combination with the conventional motion encoding schemes. The detection of the 27Al NMR signal of the Al2O3 powder was used to obtain velocity maps of the powder packed in a spinning cylinder, and to measure the velocity distribution (average propagator) for the gravity driven transport of the same powder in a vertical pipe

Possible Applications of Dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in Conjunction with Zero- to Ultralow-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

The combination of a powerful and broadly applicable nuclear hyperpolarization technique with emerging (near-)zero-field modalities offer novel opportunities in a broad range of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging applications, including biomedical diagnostics, monitoring catalytic reactions within metal reactors and many others. These are discussed along with a roadmap for future developments.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

NMR metabolic profiling of the liver following administrationof alcohol andthemushroom Ganoderma lucidum in rats

We have evaluated the efficiency of a metabonomic approach to metabolic phenotyping and detection of early metabolic changes under a toxic influence. For this purpose, a metabolic profiling of rat liver was performed with 1H NMR spectroscopy. Rat tissues from animals in three groups were analyzed. Group C consisted of control animals; animals in group A received alcohol repeatedly (15 % ethanol); and animals in group A+ R received alcohol in combination with a hepatoprotective herbal medicine (Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum) repeatedly. Noteworthy, alcohol consumption did not cause pathological changes, but stimulated hepatocyte proliferation. Our data suggest that changes in metabolite concentrations in A represent a typical metabolic response to alcohol consumption, namely decrease in glycine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, choline and lactate content, and increase in TMAO content. Treatment with Reishi (A+ R) had positive effects, in that it restored the levels of glycine, valine and TMAO. Furthermore, increase in NAD, ATP, UTP, succinate, pyranose, and acetate concentrations was observed in A+ R. A correlation was found between the valine, isoleucine, lactate, cho­line, and pyranose content and the num­ber of binuclear hepatocytes. Binuclear hepatocytes indicate proliferative activity, and the concentration of the metabolites participating in the formation of new hepatic cells decreases. Thus, the study of liver tissues by 1H NMR spectroscopy allows for detection of early changes in metabolite concentra­tions following chronic consumption of alcohol at insignificant doses. Consequently, 1H NMR spectro­scopy can serve as a promising approach to detecting alcohol-related liver pathologies and assessing the efficiency of the therapy used

Compression Deformation and Fracture Behavior of Additively Manufactured Ti–6Al–4V Cellular Structures

Corresponding research was carried out to assess if the porous structures with modified diamond-shaped lattice cells can provide better integrity of the constructions in the case of overloading. The aim of the study is designing the structures with high porosity for the biomedical applications (implants) having good load bearing capacity. Studied lattice structures are based on the modified tetrahedral beam-based cells with spherical reinforcements at the beam joints and variable beam diameter. Samples with a porosity of 50–80% were studied in present research. Structures were additively manufactured from a titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V using SLM. Sample compression tests were carried out according to the ISO 13314 standard. Loading experiments were carried out and critical parameters extracted from the stress-strain curves. Finite element modeling was carried out for the analysis of the stress and assessment of the potential failure mechanisms. Corresponding hypothesis explaining the appearance of shear bands in porous structures under compression is formulated. Obtained results show that when the sample porosity rises from 50% to 80%, corresponding plateau stress decreases by 13 times, first maximum compressive strength decreases by 12 times, and compression offset stress decreases by 12 times, while the plateau end does not change significantly. The experiments revealed the barrel distortion of the samples geometry, which corresponds to the general knowledge how the friction between the solid compressing surfaces (anvils of the compression testing machine) and the lattice affects the sample deformation. Compression experiments also revealed the formation of shear bands during sample deformation. The stochastic nature of their development suggests that the main reason of shear bands appearing is the initial inhomogeneity of the boundary conditions of the experiment. Suggested modifications of the basic cells show a good potential for achieving regular beam-based lattice structures with high porosity and increased load bearing capacity. More experiments are needed for statistical analysis, and improvements of the loading experiments methodology for better failure mode analysis are planned for the future. © 2021 The Authors.The research was carried out within the state assignment of Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, grant number 0836-2020-0020

Exploring the effects of replicating shape, weight and recoil effects on VR shooting controllers

Commercial Virtual Reality (VR) controllers with realistic force feedback are becoming available, to increase the realism and immersion of first-person shooting (FPS) games in VR. These controllers attempt to mimic not only the shape and weight of real guns but also their recoil effects (linear force feedback parallel to the barrel, when the gun is shot). As these controllers become more popular and affordable, this paper investigates the actual effects that these properties (shape, weight, and especially directional force feedback) have on performance for general VR users (e.g. users with no marksmanship experience), drawing conclusions for both consumers and device manufacturers. We created a prototype replicating the properties exploited by commercial VR controllers (i.e. shape, weight and adjustable force feedback) and used it to assess the effect of these parameters in user performance, across a series of user studies. We first analysed the benefits on user performance of adding weight and shape vs a conventional controller (e.g. Vive controller). We then explore the implications of adding linear force feedback (LFF), as well as replicating the shape and weight. Our studies show negligible effects on the immediate shooting performance with some improvements in subjective appreciation, which are already present with low levels of LFF. While higher levels of LFF do not increase subjective appreciations any further, they lead users to reach their maximum distance skillset more quickly. This indicates that while adding low levels of LFF can be enough to influence user’s immersion/engagement for gaming contexts, controllers with higher levels of LFF might be better suited for training environments and/or when dealing with particularly demanding aiming tasks

Spin-locking in low-frequency reaction yield detected magnetic resonance

The purported effects of weak magnetic fields on various biological systems from animal magnetoreception to human health have generated widespread interest and sparked much controversy in the past decade. To date the only well established mechanism by which the rates and yields of chemical reactions are known to be influenced by magnetic fields is the radical pair mechanism, based on the spin-dependent reactivity of radical pairs. A diagnostic test for the operation of the radical pair mechanism was proposed by Henbest et al. [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2004, 126, 8102] based on the combined effects of weak static magnetic fields and radiofrequency oscillating fields in a reaction yield detected magnetic resonance experiment. Here we investigate the effects on radical pair reactions of applying relatively strong oscillating fields, both parallel and perpendicular to the static field. We demonstrate the importance of understanding the effect of the strength of the radiofrequency oscillating field; our experiments demonstrate that there is an optimal oscillating field strength above which the observed signal decreases in intensity and eventually inverts. We establish the correlation between the onset of this effect and the hyperfine structure of the radicals involved, and identify the existence of ‘overtone’ type features appearing at multiples of the expected resonance field positio

In Vivo Assessment of Cold Adaptation in Insect Larvae by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Background Temperatures below the freezing point of water and the ensuing ice crystal formation pose serious challenges to cell structure and function. Consequently, species living in seasonally cold environments have evolved a multitude of strategies to reorganize their cellular architecture and metabolism, and the underlying mechanisms are crucial to our understanding of life. In multicellular organisms, and poikilotherm animals in particular, our knowledge about these processes is almost exclusively due to invasive studies, thereby limiting the range of conclusions that can be drawn about intact living systems. Methodology Given that non-destructive techniques like 1H Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy have proven useful for in vivo investigations of a wide range of biological systems, we aimed at evaluating their potential to observe cold adaptations in living insect larvae. Specifically, we chose two cold-hardy insect species that frequently serve as cryobiological model systems–the freeze-avoiding gall moth Epiblema scudderiana and the freeze-tolerant gall fly Eurosta solidaginis. Results In vivo MR images were acquired from autumn-collected larvae at temperatures between 0°C and about -70°C and at spatial resolutions down to 27 µm. These images revealed three-dimensional (3D) larval anatomy at a level of detail currently not in reach of other in vivo techniques. Furthermore, they allowed visualization of the 3D distribution of the remaining liquid water and of the endogenous cryoprotectants at subzero temperatures, and temperature-weighted images of these distributions could be derived. Finally, individual fat body cells and their nuclei could be identified in intact frozen Eurosta larvae. Conclusions These findings suggest that high resolution MR techniques provide for interesting methodological options in comparative cryobiological investigations, especially in vivo

Resources for sports engineering education

This paper serves as a resource guide for Sports Engineering educators. The paper covers key topics in Sports Engineering, including ball impact, friction, safety and materials. A variety of resource types are presented to reflect modern methods of learning and searching for information, including textbooks, research and review papers, websites and videos. The field could benefit from more resources specifically designated for teaching Sports Engineering, particularly textbooks

持続的発展のための科学技術への新たな要請 : シベリアの科学者集団の対応(東北アジアの民族と自然-人間と自然の共生をめざして)

開所記念講演Memorial Lectur