T Dependence of the Mechanical Properties on the Microstructural Parameters of WC-Co

Abstract The effect of binder content and WC grain size on the mechanical properties is widely investigated in literature. An increase in binder amount and WC grain size leads to a decrease in hardness and an increase in fracture toughness. Actually, these correlations are related to the influence of binder content and WC grain size through the contiguity and mean binder free path, which are the microstructural parameters that affect the mechanical properties. The aim of this study is to verify the dependence of the two microstructural parameters that govern the WCCo mechanical behaviour, namely the contiguity and mean binder free path, on the mechanical properties of an extended range of WC-Co samples, which differ in terms of Co content and tungsten carbide grain size

Placental thrombomodulin expression in recurrent miscarriage

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early pregnancy loss can be associated with trophoblast insufficiency and coagulation defects. Thrombomodulin is an endothelial-associated anticoagulant protein involved in the control of hemostasis and inflammation at the vascular beds and it's also a cofactor of the protein C anticoagulant pathway.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>We evaluate the Thrombomodulin expression in placental tissue from spontaneous recurrent miscarriage and voluntary abortion as controls. Thrombomodulin mRNA was determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Reduced expression levels of thrombomodulin were found in recurrent miscarriage group compared to controls (1.82-fold of reduction), that corresponds to a reduction of 45% (from control group Delta CT) of thrombomodulin expression in spontaneous miscarriage group respect the control groups.</p> <p>Summary</p> <p>We cannot state at present the exact meaning of a reduced expression of Thrombomodulin in placental tissue. Further studies are needed to elucidate the biological pathway of this important factor in the physiopathology of the trophoblast and in reproductive biology.</p

Shot peening of a sintered Ni-Cu-Mo steel produced by diffusion bonded powders

The influence of the mechanical properties of a diffusion bonded Ni-Cu-Mo sintered steel on the residual stressesand the plastic deformation promoted by both steel and ceramic shot peening was investigated. While steel shotsdeform the surface more extensively than ceramic ones, leading to a thicker surface densification, ceramic shotsare more effective in terms of maximum compressive residual stresses. The increase in the yield strength of thebase material enhances residual stresses and reduces plastic deformation. The strain induced transformation ofNi-rich austenite in martensite causes a slight decrease of tensile elongation and of impact energy in specimenssintered at low temperature

Drought tolerance in grapevine rootstocks: an association genetics approach

Water deficit is widely recognized as one of the major constraint in the Mediterranean and semi-arid regions where a large part of the world's premium wines are produced. Since the introduction of new varieties in the wine industry is not so straightforward, breeding grapevine rootstocks for tolerance to drought is becoming a key strategy for the future. A Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) and a Candidate Gene (CG) approach were used to investigate the genetic basis of drought response mechanisms in an ad hoc core-collection consisting of 96 different genotypes of Vitis spp. and hybrids, selected to ensure the maximum genetic variability of a larger population of commercial, germplasm and new bred rootstocks. The physiological and growth responses to water deficit of more than 500 one-year old potted cuttings were evaluated over 30 days in semi-controlled conditions. For each genotype, three well-watered control plants were mantained at 90% of the Field Capacity (FC) determined by gravimetric method and three plants were subjected to water stress. After 7 days, water deficit was gradually established to reach first a moderate stable water deficit (50% FC for 7 days) and then a more severe and stable water deficit (30% FC for 7 days). Finally, stressed plants were fully irrigated to evaluate the level of plant recovery. Stomatal conductance was correlated with plant growth evaluation (leaves and shoots biometric measures) to define different response classes and thermal infrared imaging was implemented for the first time as a valuable remote sensing tool for high-throughput phenotyping in a GWAS experiment. Acknowledgements: Italian "Progetto AGER, bando Viticoltura da Vino" (SERRES, 2010-2105

Development of low blood glucose readings in nine non-diabetic patients treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors: a case series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Treatment with various biological agents in disease states such as rheumatoid arthritis has been associated with multiple side effects. Whereas many of these are frequently reported in the literature, hypoglycemia, a possible side effect of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors, may be underpublicized.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report nine cases of non-diabetic Caucasian women who were between 29 and 68 years of age and who developed low glucose readings after treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors. We provide a more detailed discussion of existing evidence of the role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the pathogenesis of inflammation and its impact on glycemic equilibrium.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Physicians using tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors in the treatment of various rheumatic and other autoimmune diseases should be aware of the potential for the development of glycemic disturbance in these patients. A further role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors in the glycemic equilibrium warrants larger controlled trials in patients with and those without a history of diabetes.</p

Self-perceived normality in defecation habits

Background: Available information on normal bowel habits was mainly gathered by means of telephone interviews or mailed questionnaires. Aims: We undertook a prospective study to evaluate the defecatory habits in subjects perceiving themselves as normal concerning this function. Subjects and Methods: A questionnaire (4-week diary with "yes-no" daily answers to six questions concerning bowel habits) was distributed to 204 subjects perceiving their defecation behaviour as normal. Results: The completed questionnaire was returned by 140 subjects. No significant differences were found between sexes or age groups for any variable, even though straining at stool and feeling of incomplete and/or difficult evacuation showed a trend to increase with age. No subject had less than three bowel movements per week or more than three per day. The percentage of symptoms linked to an abnormal defecatory behaviour was well below 10%. Fifty-five percent of subjects reported at least one parameter of abnormal functioning; the most frequent was straining at stool and the rarer was the manual manoeuvres to help defecation. Conclusions: In normal subjects the prevalence of symptoms considered in Rome II criteria as part of an abnormal defecatory behaviour (in more than 25% of defecations) is well below 10%, manual manoeuvres are almost never used to help defecation, and the frequency of defecations is at least three per week. © 2005 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l

Flashback analysis and avoidance in swirl burners

This study is aimed to investigate and demonstrate the feasibility and validity of various flame flashback resistance techniques for premixed fuel conditions. It presents a series of experiments to determine the impact of different configurations on flame flashback mechanisms. Experiments were performed using a 150 kW tangential swirl burner working on premixed mode with various swirl numbers; the flow field characteristics were measured by 1D LDA. The first part of the project targeted the effect of central fuel injector geometries on flame flashback mechanisms, especially combustion induced vortex breakdown (CIVB). It was found that changing the central fuel injector outside diameter can significantly alter the flame flashback mechanism. Large injector diameters result in boundary layer flashback (BLF), contrary, the use of small injectors diameter led to CIVB. Thus a dimensionless number (χ) which represent the ratio between the injector outside diameter and the nozzle inside diameter was introduced. Using this dimensionless number the critical value of transition from CIVB to BLF has been defined, the value being χ= 0.280 for Sg=1.12 and χ= 0.320 for Sg= 0.9. The second part was about the effect of using axial air injection instead of central fuel injectors. It was found that axial air jets have a considerable potential for flame stability requirements, they producing wider stability operation than that of central injectors. Moreover, the stability limits increase regarding both equivalence ratio and inlet tangential velocity. It appeared that using such air jets could reduce the combustor maintenance cost that arises due to a continuous harsh environment. However, it was found that axial air jets could enforce flame propagation during flashback via wall boundary layer. Thus, the third part of the study was about the validity of using micromeshes to improve BLF resistance in addition to axial air injection. It was found that using both techniques produced high flashback resistance for both mechanisms, i.e. CIVB and BLF

Estresse e Burnout entre residentes multiprofissionais

OBJECTIVE: To identify associations between high-stress and burnout syndrome in multidisciplinary residents from a federal university in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. METHOD: This is an analytical, cross-sectional and quantitative study. A socio-demographic questionnaire, the Work Stress Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Health Services Survey (MBI-HSS) were applied to 37 residents between April and June 2011. P-valuesOBJETIVO: Identificar la asociación entre alto estrés y Burnout en residentes Multiprofesionales de una universidad federal de Rio Grande do Sul. MÉTODO: se trata de un estudio analítico, transversal, cuantitativo. Se aplicaron un formulario de datos socio-demográficos, la Escala de Estrés en el Trabajo y el Maslach Burnout Inventory- Health Services en 37 residentes entre Abril y Junio de 2011. Valores de pOBJETIVO: identificar a associação entre alto estresse e Burnout em residentes multiprofissionais de uma universidade federal do Rio Grande do Sul. MÉTODO: trata-se de estudo analítico, transversal, quantitativo. Aplicaram-se um formulário de dados socio demográficos, a Escala de Estresse no Trabalho e o Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) em 37 residentes entre abril e junho de 2011. Valores de

Esterase-sensitive prodrugs of a potent bisubstrate inhibitor of Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase (NNMT) display cellular activity

Microbial Biotechnolog

Lethal effect of high concentrations of Parecoxib and Flunixin meglumine on the in vitro culture of bovine embryos

Abstract Since cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors have been pointed out as potential treatments to increase pregnancy rates after embryo transfer, the present experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of flunixin meglumine (FM) and parecoxib (P), a COX-1 and 2 or COX-2 specific inhibitor, respectively, on the development of bovine embryos until the hatched blastocyst stage. In vitro produced bovine embryos were cultured in media with different concentrations of FM (0.14; 1.4; 14; 140 or 1400 µg/ml) or P (0.09; 0.9; 9; 90 or 900 µg/ml) and the production rates were evaluated. Concentrations of FM ≤14 µg/ml and P ≤90 µg/ml did not impair embryo development, although compiled data from non-lethal FM concentrations (≤14 µg/ml) indicated a toxic effect enough to decrease the hatching rate of blastocysts. Concentrations of FM at 140 and 1400 µg/ml and P at 900 µg/ml were lethal as no cleavage was detected on presumptive zygotes