Design and validation of an innovative 3D printer containing a co-rotating twin screw extrusion unit

This paper presents the design and validation of an innovative 3D printer containing a co-rotating twin screw extrusion unit (Co-TSE). Single screw print heads were developed in the mid-2000s as an alternative to filament-based 3D printers, but they have limited process flexibility and mixing capacity. The new design accepts material in powder or micro-pellet form, and its dispersive and distributive mixing capacity can be fine tuned by setting output and screw rotation speed independently. The design combines a miniaturized modular Co-TSE operated under starve-fed conditions with a benchtop Cartesian platform. Numerical calculations were performed to ascertain whether the appropriate thermomechanical environment for polymer processing could be created by the proposed design. A prototype was built and extrusion tests were performed under different operating conditions, using polypropylene and a 90/10 wt% polypropylene/polystyrene blend. Two screw configurations were used, with and without kneading discs, to assess the response of the extrusion unit in terms of flow characteristics and mixing performance. The restriction to flow created by the mixing elements determines the starting melt position, and the average residence times, while their shearing and extensional action enhances homogenization effectiveness. The screw configuration and rotation speed do not affect the output, which depends only on the feed rate. Preliminary deposition tests were conducted to determine the feasible printing parameters. A standard tensile test specimen, a square scaffold and a multicolored rectangular box were successfully printed, validating the innovative design. The mechanical properties of printed test specimens were within the expected values.This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), grants 2016-4/442109 and 142348/2018-0, and by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), finance code 001

Low mutation percentage of KRAS and BRAF genes in Brazilian anal tumors

Anal cancer is a rare type of digestive tract disease, which has had a crescent incidence in a number of regions. Carcinomas are most frequently found, with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) comprising similar to 95% of all anal tumors. The major risk factor for development of this type of tumor is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. However, previous studies have identified patients with anal cancer that are HPV-/p16-and observed that they have a poorer outcome compared with HPV+/p16+ patients. This suggests that molecular profile may drive anal cancer progression. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the mutational status of two important oncogenes, KRAS and BRAF, in a series of anal cancer lesions. Resected tumors of the anal canal (n=43) were evaluated, nine of these were high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesion cases (HSIL), 11 were adenocarcinomas, and 23 SCCs. Direct sequencing of KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase (KRAS; codons 12 and 13) and B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF; codon 600) was performed and associated with patient clinicopathological and molecular features. There was a trend of poorer prognosis of adenocarcinoma compared with HSIL and SCC. Analysis indicated one SCC patient (2.3%) exhibited a KRAS p.G13D mutation, and one adenocarcinoma patient (2.3%) exhibited a BRAF p.V600E mutation. It was observed that, these mutations are rare in anal tumors, and certain patients may be at a disadvantage using targeted therapies based on KRAS and BRAF mutational status. As there is a low mutation percentage in SCCs, adenocarcinomas and HSIL, there may exist other underlying molecular alterations that result in anal cancer development, which require further elucidation.The present study was partially supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (grant no. 2010/16795-4 to Dr Adhemar Longatto-Filho) and the Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia/Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (grant no. CT-INFRA-PROINFRA 01/2011). Dr Lucas Tadeu Bidinotto received a São Paulo Research Foundation fellow-ship (grant no. 2011/08523-7).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Doped Semiconductor Nanocrystals: Development and Applications

This chapter aims to show significant progress that our group has been developing and the applications of several doped semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs), as nanopowders or embedded in glass systems. Depending on the type of dopant incorporated in the nanocrystals, the physical, chemical, and biological properties can be intensified. However, it can also generate undesired toxic effects that can potentially compromise its use. Here we present the potential of zinc oxide NCs doped with silver (Ag), gold (Au), and magnesium (Mg) ions to control bacterial diseases in agriculture. We have also performed biocompatibility analysis of the pure and Ag-doped sodium titanate (Na2Ti3O7) NCs in Drosophila. The doped nanocrystals embedded in glassy systems are chrome (Cr) or copper (Cu) in ZnTe and Bi2Te3 NCs for spintronic development nanodevices. Therefore, we will show several advantages that doped nanocrystals may present in the technological and biotechnological areas

Ferritic stainless steel welding with the A-TIG process

O processo de soldagem TIG com fluxo (processo A-TIG) apresenta como principal vantagem a possibilidade de se obter uma maior penetração do cordão de solda empregando os mesmos parâmetros de soldagem do processo TIG convencional. Diversos estudos mostram a influência dos fluxos ativos sobre as características geométricas das soldas em aços inoxidáveis austeníticos, porém pouco se sabe sobre a influência deste processo nas características geométricas e metalúrgicas de cordões de solda em aços inoxidáveis ferríticos. Neste trabalho são aplicados diferentes tipos de fluxo na soldagem de aço inoxidável ferrítico com o objetivo de verificar possíveis influências no perfil do cordão de solda, no seu aspecto visual, na microestrutura, na dureza da zona fundida e na resistência ao impacto (ensaio Charpy). As soldagens "bead-on-plate" foram realizadas sem metal de adição. Foram utilizados seis tipos de fluxo, sendo um óxido elaborado em laboratório (TiO2) e cinco fluxos comerciais. Os resultados mostraram que a utilização do fluxo permite um aumento na penetração com mudanças significativas no aspecto do cordão de solda. Verificou-se ainda que a microestrutura e a dureza do cordão de solda do aço estudado não foram afetadas pelo tipo de fluxo utilizado, com a microestrutura analisada em microscópio óptico. O aço em estudo mostrou um alto grau de fragilidade à temperatura ambiente._________________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMO: The A-TIG welding process presents as main advantage the possibility of increase in the penetration depth using the same parameters as conventional TIG welding. Many researchers show the influence of the active flux on the weld geometry in austenitic stainless steel, however little it is known of the influence of this process in the weld fillet shape and metallurgic characteristics of the weld fillet in ferritic stainless steel. In this work different types of flux are applied with the objective to verify possible influences on the weld fillet in ferritic stainless steel welding, such its visual aspect, the microstructure, the hardness and resistance to the impact of the fusion zone. Bead on plate welds were made without metal filler. Six types of flux had been used, and one flux was prepared in laboratory (TiO2) and the others five were commercial flux. The results indicate that the use of the flux allows increase in the penetration with significant changes in the aspect of the weld fillet. It was verified that the microstructure and the hardness of the weld fillet of this ferritic stainless steel was not been affected by the flux type. The result of the Charpy test in the metal base it was batter in the fusion zone

Dbx1-Expressing Cells Are Necessary for the Survival of the Mammalian Anterior Neural and Craniofacial Structures

Development of the vertebrate forebrain and craniofacial structures are intimately linked processes, the coordinated growth of these tissues being required to ensure normal head formation. In this study, we identify five small subsets of progenitors expressing the transcription factor dbx1 in the cephalic region of developing mouse embryos at E8.5. Using genetic tracing we show that dbx1-expressing cells and their progeny have a modest contribution to the forebrain and face tissues. However, their genetic ablation triggers extensive and non cell-autonomous apoptosis as well as a decrease in proliferation in surrounding tissues, resulting in the progressive loss of most of the forebrain and frontonasal structures. Targeted ablation of the different subsets reveals that the very first dbx1-expressing progenitors are critically required for the survival of anterior neural tissues, the production and/or migration of cephalic neural crest cells and, ultimately, forebrain formation. In addition, we find that the other subsets, generated at slightly later stages, each play a specific function during head development and that their coordinated activity is required for accurate craniofacial morphogenesis. Our results demonstrate that dbx1-expressing cells have a unique function during head development, notably by controlling cell survival in a non cell-autonomous manner

The phenotype of Floating-Harbor syndrome: Clinical characterization of 52 individuals with mutations in exon 34 of SRCAP

Background: Floating-Harbor syndrome (FHS) is a rare condition characterized by short stature, delays in expressive language, and a distinctive facial appearance. Recently, heterozygous truncating mutations in SRCAP were determined to be disease-causing. With the availability of a DNA based confirmatory test, we set forth to define the clinical features of this syndrome. Methods and results. Clinical information on fifty-two individuals with SRCAP mutations was collected using standardized questionnaires. Twenty-four males and twenty-eight females were studied with ages ranging from