A statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of medical sheepskins for the prevention of pressure sores

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Surface engineering of titanium for biomedical applications by anodizing

Abstract: Competitive manufacturing implies fit for purpose and efficient manufacturing practices. Dental implants are biomedical parts that are manufactured from either Grade 4 or 5 Titanium alloy. In certain situations it may be beneficial for patient satisfaction purposes and for product identification marking to change the appearance (colour and reflectance) of the implant. In the present study, a TiO2 based coating is applied on commercially pure titanium (Grade 4) alloy substrates by the anodizing process. The objective of this study was to engineer the aesthetic appearance of the dental implants while monitoring its effect on aspects as regards to biocompatibility and function. Chromaticity (colour and hue) and reflectance are investigated as a function of the anodizing process parameters (electrolyte voltage, current and electrolyte). Grade 4 titanium was anodized in diluted sulphuric acid electrolyte at various voltages. The reflectance of the anodized specimens was measured with a spectrophotometer. Surface roughness, oxide film thickness and chemical composition of the oxide phase were measured. By varying the electrolyte voltage between 5 V to 40 V different colour ranges were produced. It can be concluded that the surface colour of anodized titanium is dependent on the oxide layer thickness and therefore the applied voltage. Conventional surface roughness did not change and was similar to the virgin material. Elevated voltages resulted in a more crystalline oxide layer. The aesthetic appearance of titanium implants may be improved

Gravity model improvement using GEOS-3 (GEM 9 and 10)

The use of collocation permitted GEM 9 to be a larger field than previous derived satellite models, GEM 9 having harmonics complete to 20 x 20 with selected higher degree terms. The satellite data set has approximately 840,000 observations, of which 200,000 are laser ranges taken on 9 satellites equipped with retroreflectors. GEM 10 is complete to 22 x 22 with selected higher degree terms out to degree and order 30 amounting to a total of 592 coefficients. Comparisons with surface gravity and altimeter data indicate a substantial improvement in GEM 9 over previous satellite solutions; GEM 9 is in even closer agreement with surface data than the previously published GEM 6 solution which contained surface gravity. In particular the free air gravity anomalies calculated from GEM 9 and a surface gravity solution are in excellent agreement for the high degree terms

A numerical analysis of machining induced residual stresses of Grade 5 Titanium Alloy

In general most manufacturing techniques alter the surface integrity of the final component. Surface integrity refers to the surface properties and their influence on the functional performance of manufactured components1. Machining induced residual stress is a surface integrity descriptor that may have a significant influence on the mechanical behavior of metallic parts subjected to dynamic loads2. Most manufacturing processes introduce some form of residual stress to the material. Cutting or more specifically machining involves large plastic deformation and elevated temperatures that may induce significant residual stresses in the surface and near surface region. When turning steel these stresses are largely tensile in nature and extend to a depth of approximately 200 μm1

Effect of constitutive modeling during finite element analysis of machining-induced residual stresses in Ti6Al4V

Residual stress is an important surface integrity descriptor that may have a marked effect on the functional performance of machined alloy parts. This paper describes a finite element evaluation of the effect of different constitutive models on machining induced residual stresses for Ti6Al4V titanium alloy. A two dimensional orthogonal turning process is modelled and the results compared to experimental data. Residual stress is evaluated with respect to different elastic-viscoplastic constitutive models at certain cutting speeds and feeds. The general-purpose finite element code MSC Marc@ was used with comparisons with experimental data made relative to residual stress, cutting force and temperature. The magnitude and extent (depth) of the residual stress field is evaluated with regards to the different material models and compared with experimental data

On machinability of titanium grade 4 under minimum quantity lubrication assisted high speed machining

Abstract: The wonder metal Titanium and its alloys are prime candidate for various automotive, biomedical and aerospace applications due to their good strength-to-weight ratio, biocompatibility and corrosion resistance. Titanium and its alloys are known as difficult-to-machine materials i.e. their machining is challenging. The experimental work reported in the present paper attempts to enhance the machinability of Titanium Grade 4 under the influence of minimum quantity lubrication at high speed conditions. In this work a total of twenty seven experiments has been conducted based on full factorial design of experiment technique. Cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut are varied at three levels each and the values of important MQL parameters are fixed. The effects of machining parameters on surface roughness are discussed. Machining at optimum combination of parameters resulted in precision finish with maximum roughness value 2.16 μm and maximum tool flank wear value 0.201 mm. The research results reveal the superiority of MQL over conventional wet cooling to successfully machine Titanium Grade 4 at high speed conditions with sustainability

Parametric optimization MRR and surface roughness in wire electro discharge machining (WEDM) of D2 steel using Taguchi based utility approach

Abstract: This paper reports the effect of process parameters on material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (Ra) in wire electro discharge machining of AISI D2 steel. The experiments were performed by different cutting conditions of pulse on time (Ton), pulse off time (Toff), servo voltage (SV) and wire feed (WF) by keeping workpiece thickness constant. Taguchi L27 orthogonal array of experimental design is employed to conduct the experiments. Multi-objective optimization was performed using Taguchi based utility approach to optimize MRR and Ra. Analysis of means and variance on to signal to noise ratio was performed for determining the optimal parameters. It reveals that the combination of Ton3, Toff1, SV1, WF2 parameter levels is beneficial for maximizing the MRR and minimizing the Ra simultaneously. The results indicated that the pulse on time is the most significant parameter affects the MRR and Ra. The melted droplets, solidified debris around the craters, cracks, and blow holes were observed on the machined surface for a higher pulse on time and lower servo voltage. Recast layer thickness increased from an increase in pulse on time duration. The machined surface hardness of D2 steel is increased due to the repetitive quenching effect and formation oxides on the machined surface

Le point sur la pratique infirmière avancée [Update on advanced practice nursing].

We report outcomes of a clinical audit examining criteria used in clinical practice to rationalize endotracheal tube (ETT) suction, and the extent these matched criteria in the Endotracheal Suction Assessment Tool(ESAT)©. A retrospective audit of patient notes (N = 292) and analyses of criteria documented by pediatric intensive care nurses to rationalize ETT suction were undertaken. The median number of documented respiratory and ventilation status criteria per ETT suction event that matched the ESAT© criteria was 2 [Interquartile Range (IQR) 1-6]. All criteria listed within the ESAT© were documented within the reviewed notes. A direct link was established between criteria used for current clinical practice of ETT suction and the ESAT©. The ESAT©, therefore, reflects documented clinical decision making and could be used as both a clinical and educational guide for inexperienced pediatric critical care nurses. Modification to the ESAT© requires "preparation for extubation" to be added

Nearly Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Phlebovirus-Like Virus Detected in a Human Plasma Sample by High-Throughput Sequencing.

Here, we report a novel phlebovirus-like virus sequence detected in a plasma sample from a febrile adult patient collected in the United Republic of Tanzania in 2014. A nearly complete RNA sequence was generated by high-throughput sequencing on a HiSeq 2500 instrument and further confirmed after repeating the analysis, starting from the initial sample

Virosaurus A Reference to Explore and Capture Virus Genetic Diversity.

The huge genetic diversity of circulating viruses is a challenge for diagnostic assays for emerging or rare viral diseases. High-throughput technology offers a new opportunity to explore the global virome of patients without preconception about the culpable pathogens. It requires a solid reference dataset to be accurate. Virosaurus has been designed to offer a non-biased, automatized and annotated database for clinical metagenomics studies and diagnosis. Raw viral sequences have been extracted from GenBank, and cleaned up to remove potentially erroneous sequences. Complete sequences have been identified for all genera infecting vertebrates, plants and other eukaryotes (insect, fungus, etc.). To facilitate the analysis of clinically relevant viruses, we have annotated all sequences with official and common virus names, acronym, genotypes, and genomic features (linear, circular, DNA, RNA, etc.). Sequences have been clustered to remove redundancy at 90% or 98% identity. The analysis of clustering results reveals the state of the virus genetic landscape knowledge. Because herpes and poxviruses were under-represented in complete genomes considering their potential diversity in nature, we used genes instead of complete genomes for those in Virosaurus