Corrosion Protection of Monel Alloy Coated with Graphene Quantum Dots Starts with a Surge

There has been an active interest in protecting metals and alloys using graphene coating. The mechanism by which corrosion protection occurs has not been well understood as the couple involved are both good electron conductors. In this work, we demonstrate that Monel alloy coated with graphene quantum dots (GQD) changes the corrosion rate with a surge (increase) caused by the galvanic coupling of the two materials. This surge results in the protective layer formation on Monel to inhibit the corrosion. X-ray fluorescence spectrum of Monel (400) alloy showed the composition of it as Ni (67.05%) and Cu (29.42%). The Tafel experiments carried out in NaCl and Na2SO4 electrolytes showed an initial enhancement of the corrosion rate followed by a decrease upon successive polarizations. Monel coated with graphene oxide (an insulator) shows no initial enhancement of corrosion rate; the coated samples showed a lower corrosion rate in comparison to the uncoated samples. X-ray fluorescence, Fourier Transform spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman imaging studies have been carried out for understanding this transformation. Distinct peaks due to Ni-O stretching and Ni-O-H bending vibration were observed in the FTIR spectrum

Effect of Nanostructure on the Thermal Oxidation of Atomized Iron

The effect of nanostructure on the thermal oxidation of atomized iron has been investigated. Above 500oC atomized iron is oxidized in the presence of air. However, when iron is compacted with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) this oxidation is shifted by more than 100oC. Iron is protected by the nanostructure environment A large number of compositions of atomic ratios of iron and MWCNT have been examined in this study to understand the effect in detail. The effect of nanostructure in the thermal oxidation of iron is interpreted as due to iron atom experiencing extensive overlap and confinement effect causing spin transfer. Based on the theoretical calculations reported in the literature this confinement effect of iron is suggested to produce a transformation from 3d64s2 to an effective configuration of 3d84s0 producing spintronics effect. (Refer to PDF file for exact formulas)

Implementation of dual stack technique for reducing leakage and dynamic power

This paper deals with proposal of a new dual stack approach for reducing both leakage and dynamic powers. The development of digital integrated circuits is challenged by higher power consumption. Thecombination of higher clock speeds, greater functional integration, and smaller process geometries has contributed to significant growth in power density. Scaling improves transistor density and functionality ona chip. Scaling helps to increase speed and frequency of operation and hence higher performance. As voltages scale downward with the geometries threshold voltages must also decrease to gain the performance advantages of the new technology but leakage current increases exponentially. Today leakage power has become anincreasingly important issue in processor hardware and software design. It can be used in various applications like digital VLSI clocking system, buffers, registers, microprocessors etc. The leakage power increases astechnology is scaled down. In this paper, we propose a new dual stack approach for reducing both leakage and dynamic powers. Moreover, the novel dual stack approach shows the least speed power product whencompared to the existing methods. All well known approach is “Sleep” in this method we reduce leakage power. The proposed Dual Stack approach we reduce more power leakage. Dual Stack approach uses theadvantage of using the two extra pull-up and two extra pull-down transistors in sleep mode either in OFF state or in ON state. Since the Dual Stack portion can be made common to all logic circuitry, less number of transistors is needed to apply a certain logic circuit.The dual stack approach shows the least speed power product among all methods. The Dual Stack technique provides new ways to designers who require ultra-low leakage power consumption with much less speedpower product

Evaluation of Natural Plant Powders with Potential Use in Antimicrobial Packaging Applications

This study investigates the antimicrobial effects of vanillin, turmeric and curcumin in the forms of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) solution as well as polymer packaging. Five types of common pathogens and food spoilage bacteria were used in this study: Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes representing gram-positive bacteria; Shigella sonnei, Salmonella typhimurium as well as E.coli O157:H7 representing gram- negative bacteria. Turmeric is chosen as the antimicrobial agent to be incorporated into packaging materials. In order to study the antimicrobial effect as packaging application, two types of the polymer based turmeric products were produced. They are LDPE based turmeric pellets produced by a single screw extruder, and turmeric coated BOPP films. Finally, a comparison on antimicrobial effect was conducted. between two solvents regent alcohol and DMSO

Hirayama Disease – A case report

Hirayama Disease is a non-progressive juvenile spinal muscular atrophy of the distal upper limb. The flexionmovement results in cervical myelopathy which affects the dorsal aspect of the cervical cord. It is a benign motorneuron disorder and its initial course is progressive which subsequently becomes stationary. These findings are quitesensitive to magnetic resonance imaging in flexion position which sometimes may be missed in neutral position. Wehereby report a case an adolescent boy who presented with asymmetrical weakness of both hands and his magneticresonance imaging in flexion revealed changes suggestive of Hirayama disease

COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF STROKE

Objective: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disabilities worldwide. Cost-effectiveness analysis helps identify neglected opportunities by highlighting interventions that are relatively inexpensive, yet have the potential to reduce the disease burden substantially. In India, there are wide social and economic disparities. Socioeconomic environment influences occupation, lifestyle, and nutrition of social classes which in turn would influence the prevalence and profile of stroke. By reduction of delays in access to hospital and improving provision of affordable treatments can reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with stroke in India. This study is designed to measure and compare the costs (resources consumed) and consequences (clinical, economic, and humanistic) of pharmaceutical products and services and their impact on individuals, healthcare systems and society.Methods: The purpose of this study is to analyze and conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis for the treatment of stroke in Guntur City Hospitals. The patients were treated either with aspirin or clopidogrel. The health outcomes were measured using Modified Rankin Scale, A prominent risk assessment scale for stroke. The pharmacoeconomic data were computed from the patient data collection forms.Result: The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of aspirin and clopidogrel were calculated to be Rs. 8046.2/year.Conclusion: The study concludes that aspirin has the increased socioeconomic impact when compared to Clopidogrel and we can see that the earlier therapy has supported discharge, home-based rehabilitation along with reduced hospital stay and hence preferable

Improving educational achievement and anaemia of school children: design of a cluster randomised trial of school-based malaria prevention and enhanced literacy instruction in Kenya

BACKGROUND: Improving the health of school-aged children can yield substantial benefits for cognitive development and educational achievement. However, there is limited experimental evidence on the benefits of school-based malaria prevention or how health interventions interact with other efforts to improve education quality. This study aims to evaluate the impact of school-based malaria prevention and enhanced literacy instruction on the health and educational achievement of school children in Kenya. DESIGN: A factorial, cluster randomised trial is being implemented in 101 government primary schools on the coast of Kenya. The interventions are (i) intermittent screening and treatment of malaria in schools by public health workers and (ii) training workshops and support for teachers to promote explicit and systematic literacy instruction. Schools are randomised to one of four groups: receiving either (i) the malaria intervention alone; (ii) the literacy intervention alone; (iii) both interventions combined; or (iv) control group where neither intervention is implemented. Children from classes 1 and 5 are randomly selected and followed up for 24 months. The primary outcomes are educational achievement and anaemia, the hypothesised mediating variables through which education is affected. Secondary outcomes include malaria parasitaemia, school attendance and school performance. A nested process evaluation, using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion and a stakeholder analysis will investigate the community acceptability, feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the interventions. DISCUSSION: Across Africa, governments are committed to improve health and education of school-aged children, but seek clear policy and technical guidance as to the optimal approach to address malaria and improved literacy. This evaluation will be one of the first to simultaneously evaluate the impact of health and education interventions in the improvement of educational achievement. Reflection is made on the practical issues encountered in conducting research in schools in Africa. TRIAL REGISTRATION: National Institutes of Health NCT00878007

Significance testing as perverse probabilistic reasoning

Truth claims in the medical literature rely heavily on statistical significance testing. Unfortunately, most physicians misunderstand the underlying probabilistic logic of significance tests and consequently often misinterpret their results. This near-universal misunderstanding is highlighted by means of a simple quiz which we administered to 246 physicians at two major academic hospitals, on which the proportion of incorrect responses exceeded 90%. A solid understanding of the fundamental concepts of probability theory is becoming essential to the rational interpretation of medical information. This essay provides a technically sound review of these concepts that is accessible to a medical audience. We also briefly review the debate in the cognitive sciences regarding physicians' aptitude for probabilistic inference

Combination of searches for heavy spin-1 resonances using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A combination of searches for new heavy spin-1 resonances decaying into different pairings of W, Z, or Higgs bosons, as well as directly into leptons or quarks, is presented. The data sample used corresponds to 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at = 13 TeV collected during 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Analyses selecting quark pairs (qq, bb, , and tb) or third-generation leptons (τν and ττ) are included in this kind of combination for the first time. A simplified model predicting a spin-1 heavy vector-boson triplet is used. Cross-section limits are set at the 95% confidence level and are compared with predictions for the benchmark model. These limits are also expressed in terms of constraints on couplings of the heavy vector-boson triplet to quarks, leptons, and the Higgs boson. The complementarity of the various analyses increases the sensitivity to new physics, and the resulting constraints are stronger than those from any individual analysis considered. The data exclude a heavy vector-boson triplet with mass below 5.8 TeV in a weakly coupled scenario, below 4.4 TeV in a strongly coupled scenario, and up to 1.5 TeV in the case of production via vector-boson fusion