Bio-corrosion behavior and mechanical characteristics of magnesium-titania-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites coated by magnesium-oxide flakes and silicon for use as resorbable bone fixation material

This study was aimed to improve of the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of Mg/15TiO2/5HA nanocomposite by silicon and magnesium oxide coatings prepared using a powder metallurgy method. The phase evolution, chemical composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of uncoated and coated samples were characterized. Electrochemical and immersion tests used to investigate the in vitro corrosion behavior of the fabricated samples. The adhesion strength of ~36 MPa for MgO and ~32 MPa for Si/MgO coatings to substrate was measured by adhesion test. Fabrication a homogenous double layer coating with uniform thicknesses consisting micro-sized particles of Si as outer layer and flake-like particles of MgO as the inner layer on the surface of Mg/15TiO2/5HA nanocomposite caused the corrosion resistance and ductility increased whereas the ultimate compressive stress decreased. However, after immersion in SBF solution, Si/MgO-coated sample indicates the best mechanical properties compared to those of the uncoated and MgO-coated samples. The increase of cell viability percentage of the normal human osteoblast (NHOst) cells indicates the improvement in biocompatibility of Mg/15TiO2/5HA nanocomposite by Si/MgO coating

A case report of Hymenolepis diminuta infection in a Malaysian child

We report a case of Hymenolepis diminuta infection in a 2-year-old Malaysian child. This case was initially reported as ‘normal’ after the examination of proglottids shed from the anus of the child at a private laboratory on two occasions. The putative proglottids shed was then referred to the Parasite Southeast Asia Diagnostic (Para:SEAD) Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya for further examination. Microscopic examination confirmed that the child was infected with H. diminuta based on the characteristic eggs found in the proglottids. She was treated with a single dose praziquantel (20 mg/kg of body weight) and recovered well

Silane treatments on cellulose fabric/PLA composites

Regenerated cellulose fabric has potential as reinforcement for polylactic acid in fabricating green composites. In combining the constituents, incompatibility is common problem, leading to deteriorated or less than expected properties. Attempting to enhance compatibility between cellulose fabric and polylactic acid, this study applies fabric surface treatments by silane coupling agent. Conventional method using silane solution and a new method using atmospheric glow discharge plasma polymerization were performed. The treated fabric was characterized, in terms of surface morphology and existing molecular bonds. Mechanical properties of the resulted composites were evaluated. The characterization hinted that both silane treatments indeed modified the fabric's surface. The resulted composites having surface treated fabrics exhibited improved mechanical properties compared to those of untreated one. Between the two silane treatments, atmospheric plasma polymerization method resulted composites with higher strength and elongation at break yet lower stiffness. © 2012 by Asian-Australian Association for Composite Materials (AACM)

Uniaxial and biaxial ratcheting behavior of pressurized aisi 316l pipe under cyclic loading: experiment and simulation

Ratcheting defined as the progressive accumulation of plastic strain occurring during cyclic loading in the presence of the mean stress is one of the most prevalent failure modes in engineering structures. Experimental studies were conducted to characterize the uniaxial and biaxial ratcheting responses of an AISI 316L pipe. Experimental results show that an obvious cyclic hardening occurs in the AISI 316L pipe under uniaxial strain loading. Uniaxial ratcheting rate obtained from the axial cyclic experiment reaches a quasi-steady rate after a certain number of loading cycles. Moreover, using a designed four-point bending experimental setup, different axial stress amplitudes in the presence of the constant hoop stress were considered to characterize the biaxial ratcheting response of the material. The ratcheting strain and ratcheting strain rate in the hoop direction increase with increasing axial stress amplitudes under the constant hoop stress. To simulate the uniaxial and biaxial ratcheting behavior of the AISI 316L pipe, the Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening model was used. Using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique, parameters of the Chaboche model were identified efficiently from the monotonic response of a cold-worked sample. The elastic limit of the material was measured using a very careful quasi-static cyclic compression experiment. The procedure to calibrate the material parameters for the Chaboche model and finite element simulation results were validated well with experimental data for the AISI 316L pipe. It is shown that the Chaboche model with the suitably-calibrated parameters from the experimental study can be applied to rigorously predict the ratcheting behavior of the AISI 316L pipe under cyclic uniaxial and biaxial loading conditions