Effect of Fe content, sintering temperature and powder processing on the microstructure, fracture and mechanical behaviours of Ti-Mo-Zr-Fe alloys

[EN] The present work studies the effect of iron on the microstructural characterization and mechanical properties of Ti12Mo6ZrxFe alloys that fabricated by two different techniques elemental blend (EB) at 600 MPa and mechanical alloying (MA) at 600 MPa and 900 MPa with different sintering temperatures. The Ti12Mo6ZrxFe (x = 1, 2, 3 and 4 wt.%) alloys were investigated to develop new biomedical materials used for dental implant application. The microstructure, residual porosity and the mechanical properties of the sintered Ti12Mo6ZrxFe alloys were investigated by using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM(, Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), microhardness and bending stress-strain curves. The results indicated that addition of Zr and a small amount of Fe improves the beta-phase stability and improving the properties of Ti-Mo alloy. In addition, with increasing the sintering temperatures, the microstructure became more homogeneous for beta phase, which decreases in the modulus and strength. The Mechanical alloying allows highly homogeneous composition and particle morphology. Bending strength in EB is much higher than MA techniques. Increasing of compaction pressure during MA technique increases the bending strength and decreases the porosity. Moreover, the Ti12Mo6Zr2Fe alloys exhibited higher bending strength/modulus ratios. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The authors would like to thank the SME (Electron Microscopy Service) of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) - Spain, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the Research Project MAT2014-53764-C3-1-R, and the European Commission due to the FEDER funds.Mohan, P.; Elshalakany, AB.; Osman, T.; Amigó, V.; Mohamed, A. (2017). Effect of Fe content, sintering temperature and powder processing on the microstructure, fracture and mechanical behaviours of Ti-Mo-Zr-Fe alloys. Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 729:1215-1225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2017.09.255S1215122572

Edge-detected guided morphological filter for image sharpening

A new edge-guided morphological filter is proposed to sharpen digital images. This is done by detecting the positions of the edges and then applying a class of morphological filtering. Motivated by the success of threshold decomposition, gradient-based operators are used to detect the locations of the edges. A morphological filter is used to sharpen these detected edges. Experimental results demonstrate that the performance of these detected edge deblurring filters is superior to that of other sharpener-type filters

Edge-detected guided morphological filter for image sharpening

A new edge-guided morphological filter is proposed to sharpen digital images. This is done by detecting the positions of the edges and then applying a class of morphological filtering. Motivated by the success of threshold decomposition, gradient-based operators are used to detect the locations of the edges. A morphological filter is used to sharpen these detected edges. Experimental results demonstrate that the performance of these detected edge deblurring filters is superior to that of other sharpener-type filters

Preparation of a Combined Inactivated Vaccine against Riemerella anatipestifer and Duck Viral Hepatitis

Riemerella anatipestifer (R. anatipestifer) infection and duck virus hepatitis (DVH) are enormous dangers for the duck industry and its investment. So, in the current study, a combined inactivated vaccine against both of them was prepared to combat their adverse effect. One hundred and thirty-three ducks of one-day-old of age were used and grouped randomly into four groups. Group (1) was vaccinated with R. anatipestifer vaccine, group (2) was vaccinated with DHV vaccine, group (3) was vaccinated with the prepared combined vaccine of both and finally, group (4) was kept as a negative control. Vaccination was at one day old of age. The vaccinated groups with Riemerella vaccine had 72.7% protection against challenges with the virulent strain with the highest antibody titers in 6th week as measured by the indirect Hemagglutination test. The control group had 90.9% mortality when challenged against R. anatipestifer, with no detectable antibody titers. DVH-vaccinated groups exhibited their highest serum-neutralizing antibody titers by the 5th and 6th weeks post-vaccination. The Control group had no detectable antibody titers against DVH. Statistically, it was clear that there were no significant differences between the results of different groups vaccinated with combined or single vaccines of the same agent. Briefly, combined vaccines of R. Anatipestifer and duck viral hepatitis have harmonized effects with the priority to decrease the stress on birds and workers. Besides its efficiency, the economic side as providing one-shot vaccines instead of each one separately

Synthesis and optical properties of polyvinylidene difluoride nanocomposites comprising MoO3/g-C3N4

The present study describes the optical properties for prepared polymer nanocomposites of PVDF at different content of MoO3/g-C3N4. The structural properties of polymer films were analysed via XRD, FTIR and ESEM techniques. The XRD diffraction patterns of PVDF with different concentrations of MoO3/g-C3N4 have two characteristic peaks at 2 θ = 18.4° and 20.3° where first peak was assigned to α-phase, while last peak was attributed to β-phase. The ESEM micrographs of PVDF-MoO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposites have shown smooth surface topography. According to the UV–visible absorption spectra, the UV absorption of PVDF was increased when adding MoO3/g-C3N4 nanoparticles where distinct peak was appeared in the UV region at 310 nm and its edges become more intense and moved towards higher wavelength after MoO3/g-C3N4 incorporation. The optical values of (Edir) and (Eind) energies have decreased with increasing the nanoparticle composites content. The optical band gap energy (Eopt) was decreasing from 5.66 eV to 4.56 eV as increasing the content of MoO3/g-C3N4. The refractive index (n) was increased with increasing the concentration of MoO3/g-C3N4 in nanocomposites samples, except for the sample with 0.25 wt%. The distinctive optical characteristics of PVDF-MoO3/g-C3N4 qualify such polymer nanocomposites for optoelectronic applications

Bioactive pyrrole alkaloids isolated from the Red Sea : marine sponge Stylissa carteri

Fifteen pyrrole alkaloids were isolated from the Red Sea marine sponge Stylissa carteri and investigated for their biological activities. Four of them were dibrominated [(+) dibromophakelline, Z-3-bromohymenialdisine, (±) ageliferin and 3,4-dibromo-1H-pyrrole-2-carbamide], nine compounds were monobrominated [(-) clathramide C, agelongine, (+) manzacidin A, (-) 3-bromomanzacidin D, Z-spongiacidin D, Z-hymenialdisine, 2-debromostevensine, 2-bromoaldisine and 4-bromo-1H-pyrrole-2-carbamide)] and finally, two compounds were non-brominated derivatives viz., E-debromohymenialdisine and aldisine. The structure elucidations of isolated compounds were based on 1D & 2D NMR spectroscopic and MS studies, as well as by comparison with literature. In-vitro, Z-spongiacidin D exhibited a moderate activity on (ARK5, CDK2-CycA, CDK4/CycD1, VEGF-R2, SAK and PDGFR-beta) protein kinases. Moreover, Z-3-bromohymenialdisine showed nearly similar pattern. Furthermore, Z-hymenialdisine displayed a moderate effect on (ARK5 & VEGF-R2) and (-) clathramide C showed a moderate activity on AURORA-A protein kinases. While, agelongine, (+) manzacidin A, E-debromohymenialdisine and 3,4-dibromo-1H-pyrrole-2-carbamide demonstrated only marginal inhibitory activities. The cytotoxicity study was evaluated in two different cell lines. The most effective secondary metabolites were (+) dibromophakelline and Z-3-bromohymenialdisine on L5178Y. Finally, Z-hymenialdisine, Z-3-bromohymenialdisine and (±) ageliferin exhibited the highest cytotoxic activity on HCT116. No report about inhibition of AURORA-A and B by hymenialdisine/hymenialdisine analogs existed and no reported toxicity of ageliferin existed in literature

Rasch model of the child perceptions questionnaire in multi-country data

Objective To be fit-for-purpose, oral health-related quality of life instruments must possess a range of psychometric properties which had not been fully examined in the 16-item Short Form Child Perceptions Questionnaire for children aged 11 to 14 years (CPQ11-14 ISF-16). We used advanced statistical approaches to determine the CPQ’s measurement accuracy, precision, invariance and dimensionality and analyzed whether age range could be extended from 8 to 15 years. Methods Fit to the Rasch model was examined in 6648 8-to-15-year-olds from Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil and Mexico. Results In all but two items, the initial five answer options were reduced to three or four, to increase precision of the children’s selection. Items 10 (Shy/embarrassed) and 11 (Concerned what others think) showed an ‘extra’ dependency between item scores beyond the relationship related to the underlying latent construct represented by the instrument, and so were deleted. Without these two items, the CPQ was unidimensional. The three oral symptoms items (4 Food stuck in teeth, 3 Bad breath and 1 Pain) were required for a sufficient person-item coverage. In three out of 14 items (21 %), Europe and South America showed regional differences in the patterns of how the answer options were selected. No differential item functioning was detected for age. Conclusion Except for a few modifications, the present analysis supports the combination of items, the cross-cultural validity of the CPQ with 14 items and the extension of the age range from 8 to 15 years. Clinical significance The valid, reliable, shortened and age-extended version of the CPQ resulting from this study should be used in routine care and clinical research. Less items and a wider age range increase its usability. Symptoms items are needed to precisely differentiate between children with higher and lower quality of life

Global matrix 2.0:Report card grades on the physical activity of children and youth comparing 38 countries

The Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance organized the concurrent preparation of Report Cards on the physical activity of children and youth in 38 countries from 6 continents (representing 60% of the world's population). Nine common indicators were used (Overall Physical Activity, Organized Sport Participation, Active Play, Active Transportation, Sedentary Behavior, Family and Peers, School, Community and the Built Environment, and Government Strategies and Investments), and all Report Cards were generated through a harmonized development process and a standardized grading framework (from A = excellent, to F = failing). The 38 Report Cards were presented at the International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health in Bangkok, Thailand on November 16, 2016. The consolidated findings are summarized in the form of a Global Matrix demonstrating substantial variation in grades both within and across countries. Countries that lead in certain indicators often lag in others. Average grades for both Overall Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior around the world are D (low/poor). In contrast, the average grade for indicators related to supports for physical activity was C. Lower-income countries generally had better grades on Overall Physical Activity, Active Transportation, and Sedentary Behaviors compared with higher-income countries, yet worse grades for supports from Family and Peers, Community and the Built Environment, and Government Strategies and Investments. Average grades for all indicators combined were highest (best) in Denmark, Slovenia, and the Netherlands. Many surveillance and research gaps were apparent, especially for the Active Play and Family and Peers indicators. International cooperation and cross-fertilization is encouraged to address existing challenges, understand underlying determinants, conceive innovative solutions, and mitigate the global childhood inactivity crisis. The paradox of higher physical activity and lower sedentary behavior in countries reporting poorer infrastructure, and lower physical activity and higher sedentary behavior in countries reporting better infrastructure, suggests that autonomy to play, travel, or chore requirements and/or fewer attractive sedentary pursuits, rather than infrastructure and structured activities, may facilitate higher levels of physical activity.</p

The Physical Processes of CME/ICME Evolution

As observed in Thomson-scattered white light, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are manifest as large-scale expulsions of plasma magnetically driven from the corona in the most energetic eruptions from the Sun. It remains a tantalizing mystery as to how these erupting magnetic fields evolve to form the complex structures we observe in the solar wind at Earth. Here, we strive to provide a fresh perspective on the post-eruption and interplanetary evolution of CMEs, focusing on the physical processes that define the many complex interactions of the ejected plasma with its surroundings as it departs the corona and propagates through the heliosphere. We summarize the ways CMEs and their interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) are rotated, reconfigured, deformed, deflected, decelerated and disguised during their journey through the solar wind. This study then leads to consideration of how structures originating in coronal eruptions can be connected to their far removed interplanetary counterparts. Given that ICMEs are the drivers of most geomagnetic storms (and the sole driver of extreme storms), this work provides a guide to the processes that must be considered in making space weather forecasts from remote observations of the corona.Peer reviewe