Evaluation of Tensile Properties and their Correlation with Microstructural Characteristics of a Closed Die Forging of Iso-symmetrical Aerospace Grade Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

In the present technical paper an iso-symmetrical forging in titanium alloy, i.e., Ti-6Al-4V is chosen for cut-up evaluation and study of mechanical properties and their correlation with microstructural characteristics. Tensile test specimens were extracted from rim, web and bore regions of the forgings aligned in radial and tangential directions. Test specimens varying from various locations were extracted to conduct the tests (ASTM E8) at various temperatures from room temperature to 300 °C. Statistical analyses of the tested data were carried out to quantify the variation in tensile properties along rim, web, and bore regions at room temperature. Effects of radial and tangential alignments of specimens at room temperature was also studied. Among the different test specimens, the specimen that exhibited mechanical properties close to average values were further subjected to microstructural and fractographic investigations using optical and scanning electron microscopes. These studies revealed that there is a marginal inhomogenity in the microstructure of the forgings and this variation controls the mechanical properties and fracture characteristics of the material. Microstructure marginally varies from rim to bore region. Similarly, along the thickness of the forging, there is a small variation in the microstructure. The aforementioned correlations have established the fact that the microstructure variations from different locations and among different specimen orientations have resulted in mild variation in the tensile properties.Defence Science Journal, Vol. 65, No. 2, March 2015, pp.171-178, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.65.723

Extraction of Symmetrical Components and Fault Indication

At present the conventional and practical problems are being solved by computer based software known as Simulation software due to their higher precision and accuracy. In our project we encounter one of such problems like the following. There are many faults we come across in electrical power system such as Line to ground (LG) fault, Line to Line (LL) fault and 3-PHASE Fault. In this project the main focus is to design a circuit for extraction of Symmetrical Components and indicating the type of fault. The project consists of both Software and Hardware parts. A part of this circuit consists of transformers, phase shifters and low pass filters which result in symmetrical components. The faults are detected by various combinations of symmetrical components through AND gate and NOT gate. The faults are indicated by glowing a LED in that respective circuit. First the simulation of the circuit is done in PSPICE simulation software to generate symmetrical components and the output is verified. After the verification of output, the whole setup is designed in hardware and it is tested to run according to the desired parameters

Bacteriological profile, antibiotic sensitivity pattern, and detection of extended‑spectrum β-lactamase in the isolates of urinary tract infection from children

Background: Appropriate use of antibiotic in children with urinary tract infection (UTI) is essential so as to curb the spread of drug-resistantorganisms. Objectives: To study the bacteriological profile and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in children with UTI and to determine theprevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producers of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species. Methods: This prospectivestudy was conducted from October 2010 to September 2011. The children between age group of 3 and 14 years who attended PediatricDepartment at a tertiary care hospital were included in the study. Single midstream urine specimen was collected from each patient withsuspected UTI. Result: Out of 184 urine samples with suspected UTI, 122 children had culture-proven UTI. Of 122 cases, 81 (66.39%)cases were seen in females. The most common organism isolated was E. coli (50%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (23.77%) andEnterococcus species (8.19%). E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Citrobacter freundii, and Proteus mirabilis responded better to nitrofurantoin (NIT)(76.8%). Ceftriaxone (79.12%), cefotaxime (74.8%), and cefixime (71.7%) showed higher sensitivity as compared to ceftazidime (63.4%)and cefoperazone (CPZ) (59.4%). Among aminoglycosides, amikacin (82.4%) had a better response as compared to gentamicin (64.6%). Outof 61 E. coli and 31 Klebsiella species, 35 (38.04%) were ESBL producers. The sensitivity of these organisms to imipenem was 100% with agood response to meropenem, CPZ-sulbactam, and piperacillin-tazobactam. Conclusion: E. coli and Klebsiella spp. were the most commonisolates and many of them were ESBL producers. NIT seemed to be a reasonable alternative to cephalosporins for the treatment of UTIs inchildren. Carbapenems were found to be effective in ESBLs and non-ESBL producing uropathogens and can be considered as reserve drugs

IRS-IC applications for coastal zone management

IRS-1A and 1B data have been found to be useful in providing information on the extent and condition of coastal habitats, coastal processes and water quality of coastal waters. These inputs formed major elements for preparing coastal zone management plans. IRS-1C data having improved spatial resolution (5.6 m PAN data), extended spectral range inclusion of middle infra-red band in LIAA-III) and increased repetitivity (5 days for WiFS data have opened up new vistas of applications in the coastal zone. Preliminary analysis of IRS-1C data indicates that coral reef zonation, identification of tree and shrub mangroves, seaweed/sea grass beds, improved delineation of coastal features such as fringe mangroves, mudflats, beach, dune vegetation, saline areas, etc. as well as better understanding of suspended sediment patterns are now possible. These additional information will certainly form vital remote-sensing-based input for preparing coastal zone management plans

Fabrication of α‑Fe2O3 Nanostructures: synthesis, characterization, and their promising application in the treatment of Carcinoma A549 Lung Cancer Cells

In the present work, iron nanoparticles were synthesized in the α-Fe2O3 phase with the reduction of potassium hexachloroferrate(III) by using l-ascorbic acid as a reducing agent in the presence of an amphiphilic non-ionic polyethylene glycol surfactant in an aqueous solution. The synthesized α-Fe2O3 NPs were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry. The powder X-ray diffraction analysis result confirmed the formation of α-Fe2O3 NPs, and the average crystallite size was found to be 45 nm. The other morphological studies suggested that α-Fe2O3 NPs were predominantly spherical in shape with a diameter ranges from 40 to 60 nm. The dynamic light scattering analysis revealed the zeta potential of α-Fe2O3 NPs as −28 ± 18 mV at maximum stability. The ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry analysis shows an absorption peak at 394 nm, which is attributed to their surface plasmon vibration. The cytotoxicity test of synthesized α-Fe2O3 NPs was investigated against human carcinoma A549 lung cancer cells, and the biological adaptability exhibited by α-Fe2O3 NPs has opened a pathway to biomedical applications in the drug delivery system. Our investigation confirmed that l-ascorbic acid-coated α-Fe2O3 NPs with calculated IC50 ≤ 30 μg/mL are the best suited as an anticancer agent, showing the promising application in the treatment of carcinoma A549 lung cancer cells

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Effect of environmental enrichment exposure on neuronal morphology of streptozotocin-induced diabetic and stressed rat hippocampus

Background: Environmental enrichment (EE) exposure is known to influence the structural changes in the neuronal network of hippocampus. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of EE exposure on the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic and stressed rat hippocampus. Methods: Male albino rats of Wistar strain (4-5 weeks old) were grouped into normal control (NC), vehicle control (VC), diabetes (DI), diabetes + stress (DI + S), diabetes + EE (DI + E), and diabetes + stress + EE (DI + S + E) groups (n = 8 in each group). Rats were exposed to stress and EE after inducing diabetes with STZ (40 mg/kg). Rats were sacrificed on Day 30 and brain sections were processed for cresyl violet staining to quantify the number of surviving neurons in the CA1, CA3, and dentate hilus (DH) regions of hippocampus. Results: A significant (p < 0.001) decrease in the number of survived neurons was noticed in DI (CA1, 34.06 ± 3.2; CA3, 36.1 ± 3.62; DH, 9.83 ± 2.02) as well as DI + S (CA1, 14.03 ± 3.12; CA3, 20.27 ± 4.09; DH, 6.4 ± 1.21) group rats compared to NC rats (CA1, 53.64 ± 2.96; CA3, 62.1 ± 3.34; DH, 21.11 ± 1.03). A significant (p < 0.001) increase in the number of survived neurons was observed in DI + E (CA1, 42.3 ± 3.66; CA3, 46.73 ± 4.74; DH, 17.03 ± 2.19) and DI + S + E (CA1, 29.69 ± 4.47; CA3, 36.73 ± 3.89; DH, 12.23 ± 2.36) group rats compared to DI and DI + S groups, respectively. Conclusions: EE exposure significantly reduced the amount of neuronal damage caused by complications of diabetes and stress to the neurons of hippocampus