Mechanism and kinetics of aging in Inconel 718

Age hardening in Inconel 718 is investigated using Brinell hardness measurements. Formation of a precipitate causes an increase in hardness

Evaluation of a Bioprocessed Soybean Meal on Nursery Pig Immune Status and Disease Resistance

Weaning is a stressful time in a piglet’s life that can have negative impacts on performance and health if not managed properly. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of a bioprocessed SBM alone or in combination with spray-dried plasma (SDP) or fishmeal (FM) on immune response at weaning with no imminent disease threat and during a porcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSV) challenge. In the first trial, 239 pigs (initial BW 6.56 ± 0.87 kg, 21 d of age) were used in a 35-d study and allotted to one of 4 dietary treatments (10 pens/trt) according to initial BW and sex: positive control (CON; corn/SBM diet) containing SDP and FM, the CON with bioprocessed SBM replacing FM (BPSBM+SDP), the CON with bioprocessed SBM replacing SDP (BPSBM+FM), and the CON with bioprocessed SBM replacing SDP and FM (BPSBM). Experimental diets were fed in Phase I (d 1-7 after weaning) and II (d 8- 21) followed by a common Phase III diet (d 22-35). Assessment of immune response was based on mitogenic lymphocyte proliferation and dermal hypersensitivity and anti- IgG assay to previously sensitized antigens. Pigs fed CON were heavier (P \u3c 0.01) than pigs fed BPSBM+FM and BPSBM, and not different from pigs fed BPSBM+SDP, at the end of Phase I and II (6.99, 6.80, 6.52, or 6.60 kg, pooled SEM 0.08, respectively in Phase I or 12.47, 12.18, 11.42, and 11.85 kg, pooled SEM 0.21, in Phase II, respectively). There was no difference in lymphocyte proliferation or dermal hypersensitivity due to experimental diet. Secondary anti-OVA IgG was 2-fold lower based on optical density values in pigs fed CON compared with BPSBM+FM and BPSBM (0.78 vs. 1.56 and 1.55, pooled SEM 0.42 OD405nm, respectively). In the second trial, a total of 72 barrows (initial BW 6.68 ± 0.15 kg, 21 d of age) were used in a 21-d study (-7 to 14 d post-inoculation, DPI) with 48 PRRSV infected (POS) and 24 uninfected (SHAM) pigs. All pigs were housed individually (12 pigs/room) with POS and SHAM pigs in separate buildings and no staff transfer between buildings. POS pigs were allotted to one of the 4 diets from the first trial and SHAM pigs were allotted to either the CON or BPSBM diets. Experimental diets were fed in Phase I (-7 to 0 DPI) and II (1 to 14 DPI). On -7 DPI, SHAM pigs were vaccinated with a commercial porcine circovirus (PCV2) vaccine for determination of PCV2 neutralizing antibodies. On 0 DPI, POS pigs received a 1 x 105 tissue culture infective dose of PRRSV (NADC20) diluted in 1 mL of cell culture media. Body weight and rectal temperature were measured, and a blood sample collected on 0, 3, 7, 10, and 14 DPI. At 14 DPI, all pigs were euthanized and the lungs were removed for gross and microscopic lesion scoring. SHAM pigs had negative serum virus titers at all timepoints while POS pigs had positive serum virus titers at 3, 7, 10, and 14 DPI. POS pigs had higher rectal temperatures at 3 DPI (39.5 vs. 38.9, pooled SEM 0.09 °C, P \u3c 0.001). Dietary treatment did not impact growth performance or serum virus load at any time point. In SHAM pigs, pigs fed BPSBM had a greater proportion of pigs (P \u3c 0.05) with high levels of circulating PCV2 neutralizing antibodies compared to CON-fed pigs. The similar growth performance in pigs from both trials indicates that bioprocessed SBM can successfully replace SDP or FM and the positive impact of bioprocessed SBM on adaptive immune response indicates potential improved disease protection within commercial vaccination programs

Physician Peer Review Immunity: Time to Euthanize a Fatally Flawed Policy

This appeal involves a pretrial discovery dispute. The sole issue presented is whether the trial court erred by refusing to order the discovery of the Bard Report and other records sought by Lee Medical that relate to TriStar\u27s decision to stop outsourcing the vascular access services at its hospitals. [The court held that the consideration of whether to stop outsourcing the provision of vascular access services was not a peer review proceeding for the purpose of Tenn.Code Ann. § 63–6–219(e)] Courts construing ambiguous statutes may also consider matters beyond the text of the statute. Our conclusions regarding the scope of the privilege in Tenn.Code Ann. § 63–6–219(e) based on the statutory language, legislative history and prior amendments are buttressed by five considerations external to the statute itself. ... Fourth, the history of the use of “peer review” in the field of health care demonstrates that its focus has consistently been on physicians....Despite some internal dissent, the medical profession firmly believes that the peer review process is fundamental to improving the quality of health care

Silicon on ceramic process. Silicon sheet growth development for the large-area silicon sheet task of the low-cost silicon solar array project

The technical and economic feasibility of producing solar-cell-quality sheet silicon was investigated. The sheets were made by coating one surface of carbonized ceramic substrates with a thin layer of large-grain polycrystalline silicon from the melt. Significant progress was made in all areas of the program

Seismicity induced during the development of the Rittershoffen geothermal field, France

The development of the Rittershoffen deep geothermal field (Alsace, Upper Rhine Graben) between 2012 and 2014 induced unfelt seismicity with a local magnitude of less than 1.6. This seismicity occurred during two types of operations: (1) mud losses in the Muschelkalk formation during the drilling of both wells of the doublet and (2) thermal and hydraulic stimulations of the GRT-1 well. Seismicity was also observed 4 days after the main hydraulic stimulation, although no specific operation was performed. During chemical stimulation, however, no induced seismicity was detected. In the context of all field development operations and their injection parameters (flow rates, overpressures, volumes), we detail the occurrence or lack of seismicity, its magnitude distribution and its spatial distribution. The observations suggest the presence of the rock stress memory effect (Kaiser effect) of the geothermal reservoir as well as uncritically stressed zones connected to the GRT-1 well and/or rock cohesion. A reduction of the seismic rate concurrent with an increase of injectivity was noticed as well as the reactivation of a couple of faults, including the Rittershoffen fault, which was targeted by the wells. These results are derived from the homogeneous and consistent catalogue of more than 1300 local earthquakes that is provided. This reference catalogue is based on a standard detection method, whose output was manually verified and improved. The given absolute locations have been computed in a calibrated, geologically realistic 3D velocity model. Our work builds on previous analyses addressing the seismicity induced by the GRT-1 hydraulic stimulation and places the results into a historical context, thus considering the full dynamics of the observed phenomena. This paper also complements existing descriptions of the hydrothermal characteristics of the deep reservoir by providing insights separate from the wells

Dip-coating process: Silicon sheet growth development for the large-area silicon sheet task of the low-cost silicon solar array project

The objective of this research program is to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of producing solar-cell-quality sheet silicon by coating one surface of carbonized ceramic substrates with a thin layer of large-grain polycrystalline silicon from the melt. The past quarter demonstrated significant progress in several areas. Seeded growth of silicon-on-ceramic (SOC) with an EFG ribbon seed was demonstrated. Different types of mullite were successfully coated with silicon. A new method of deriving minority carrier diffusion length, L sub n from spectral response measurements was evaluated. ECOMOD cost projections were found to be in good agreement with the interim SAMIS method proposed by JPL. On the less positive side, there was a decrease in cell performance which we believe to be due to an unidentified source of impurities

Petrogenesis of crustal wehrlites in the Oman ophiolite: Experiments and natural rocks

In the Wadi Haymiliyah of the Oman ophiolite (Haylayn block), discordant wehrlite bodies ranging in size from tens to hundreds of meters intrude the lower crust at different levels. We combined investigations on natural wehrlites from the Wadi Haymiliyah section with an experimental study on the phase relations in a wehrlitic system in order to constrain the petrogenesis of the crustal wehrlites of the Oman ophiolite. Secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses of clinopyroxenes from different wehrlite bodies imply that the clinopyroxenes were crystallized from tholeiitic, mid-ocean ridge (MORB)–type melts. The presence of primary magmatic amphiboles in some wehrlites suggests a formation under hydrous conditions. Significantly enhanced 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios of separates from these amphiboles imply that the source of the corresponding magmatic fluids was either seawater or subduction zone–related. The experiments revealed that under wet conditions at relatively low temperatures, a MORB magma has the potential to produce wehrlite in the ocean crust by accumulation of early olivine and clinopyroxene. These show typically high Mg# which is a consequence of the oxidizing effect of the prevailing high aH2O. First plagioclases crystallizing after clinopyroxene under wet conditions are high in An content, in contrast to the corresponding dry system. Trace element compositions of clinopyroxenes of those wehrlites from the Moho transition zone are too depleted in HREE to be in equilibrium with present-day MORB, implying a genetic relation to the V2 lavas of the Oman ophiolite, which are interpreted to be the result of fluidenhanced melting of previously depleted mantle. We present a model on the petrogenesis of the crustal wehrlites in an upper mantle wedge above an initial, shallow subduction zone at the beginning of the intraoceanic thrusting