Improving the Mechanical Strength of Ductile Cast Iron Welded Joints Using Different Heat Treatments

The main advantage of welding cast iron is to recover parts by repairing defects induced by casting processes (porosities, etc.), before they enter their working cycle, as well as repair cracks or fractures when already in service. This method contributes to decreased foundry industrial waste and avoids the additional energy costs of their immediate recycling. Therefore, it is necessary to have a welded joint with similar or better characteristics than the parent material. The major problem of welding cast iron is that this material has a very high content of carbon in comparison to steel (≈3%). Therefore, when it is heated by the very high temperatures from arc welding and during its process of solidification, very hard and brittle phases originate, known as ledeburite and martensite, and appear in the partially melted zone and in the heat-affected zone. Eventually, this problem can be solved by implementing heat treatments such as preheat or post weld heat treatments under specific parameters. Therefore, in this study, the aim is to collect data about the effects of heat treatments performed at different temperatures on welded joints of high strength ductile cast iron (SiboDur® 450), and to evaluate the effects of heat treatments performed at diverse temperatures on welded joints of this type of material, using Shield Metal Arc Welding and nickel electrodes. Mechanical strength, hardness, and microstructure were analyzed, showing that the best mechanical strength in the joint (380 MPa) was obtained using two passes of E C Ni-Cl (ISO EN 1071:2015) filler metal and post weld heat treatments (PWHT) of 400 °C for two hours.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor for the point-of-care detection of a breast cancer biomarker (CA 15-3)

The incidence of breast cancer has been increasing over the years. To control and monitor this disease several tumor biomarkers have been proposed for early diagnosis, patient follow-up and/or treatment guidance. The only serum breast cancer biomarker in current use is the cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3). In this work a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based electrochemical (voltammetric) sensor to monitor breast cancer was developed, based on direct surface imprinting of CA 15-3 on a screen-printed gold electrode (Au-SPE). The imprinting was performed in two steps: (1) adsorption of CA 15-3 on the surface of the Au-SPE and (2) electropolymerization of 2-aminophenol around the adsorbed protein. After extraction of the imprinted protein voltammetric analysis was conducted using hexacyanoferrate(II/III) as redox probe, measuring the signals before and after protein binding. The sensor was characterized by voltammetric techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and the analytical responses of imprinted and non-imprinted polymer sensors were studied. A linear relationship between the peak current intensity of the redox probe and the logarithm of CA 15-3 concentration was established between 5 and 50 U mL−1, achieving a limit of detection of 1.5 U mL−1. The prepared MIP-sensor provides fast (15 min) analysis and is cheap, easy to prepare, disposable and could easily be integrated in small portable point-of care devices.João Paulo Grosso Pacheco is grateful to FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for a Pos-Doc. grant (SFRH/BPD/101419/2014), financed by POPH-QREN-Tipologia 4.1-Formação Avançada, subsidized by Fundo Social Europeu and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. Maria Freitas is grateful to FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) for her PhD grant (SFRH/BD/111942/2015). This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT) through project UID/QUI/50006/2013. The authors are greatly indebted to all financing sources.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Common property to co-management: Social change and participation in Brazil's first Maritime Extractive Reserve.

Maritime Extractive Reserves, a new type of government-community collaborative management regime, are being established in coastal areas of Brazil in order to protect natural resources while sustaining local livelihoods. The long-term participation of resource users provides the cornerstone of this conservation and development model. This approach to conservation is supported by common property theory that questions the inevitable destruction of collectively managed resources. This thesis explores the relationship between Maritime Extractive Reserves in Brazil and the traditional coastal communities they are created to protect. Specifically, it investigates the quality of the institutions which have traditionally governed the beach seining community in Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It then analyses the levels and kinds of participation and perceptions of the newly created Extractive Reserve, which attempts to build upon these traditional relationships. Finally, the study identifies community level factors that constrain or provide potential for long-term participatory conservation in this area. A case study approach is adopted, involving both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Data were collected through a questionnaire, participant observation, formal and informal interviews, focus groups and document review. This hybrid approach enables contextual exploration for which qualitative methods are essential ensuring a higher degree of accuracy and reliability than either could offer in isolation. The data reveal that, although local traditional resource management institutions have a long history and were once effective, they have weakened over time. The data also indicate that there are significant social barriers to collective action within this user group which have implications for the operational viability of the Extractive Reserve concept. These barriers include weak organization, hierarchical structures, high levels of intra-community conflict and mistrust of government. Consequently, both the quantity and quality of participation in the reserve is low and therefore, local fishers are not becoming decisive players in the decision-making process. The implications of these conclusions for future maritime conservation policy in Brazil are explored

Heme modulates smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration via NADPH oxidase: A counter-regulatory role for heme oxygenase system

AbstractAccumulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in response to inflammatory stimuli is a key event in atherogenesis, which commonly occurs in sinuous vessels with turbulent blood flow what leads to hemolysis and consequent free heme accumulation, a known pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory molecule.In this work, we investigated the effects of free heme on VSMC, and the molecular mechanisms underlying this process.Free heme induces a concentration-dependent migration and proliferation of VSMC which depends on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from NADPH oxidase (NADPHox) activity. Additionally, heme activates redox-sensitive proliferation-related signaling routes, such as Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) and NF-κB, and induces Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. NADPHox-dependent proliferative effect of heme seems to be endogenously modulated by HO since the pretreatment of VSMC with HO inhibitors potentiates heme-induced proliferation and, in parallel, increases ROS production. These effects were no longer observed in the presence of heme metabolites, carbon monoxide and biliverdin.The data indicate that VSMC proliferation induced by heme is endogenously modulated by a critical counter-regulatory crosstalk between NADPHox and HO systems

Differential gene expression and immunolocalization of platelet-derived growth factors and their receptors in caprine ovaries

AbstractThis study evaluated the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression and immunolocalization of all members of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family in caprine ovaries by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Detectable levels of PDGF-A mRNA were not observed in primordial follicles. Higher levels of PDGF-B mRNA were observed in primary follicles than in primordial follicles (P < 0.05). PDGF-D mRNA levels were higher in secondary follicles than in the other preantral follicle categories (P < 0.05). PDGF-B mRNA expression was higher than PDGF-C mRNA expression in primary follicles (P < 0.05). In antral follicles, PDGF-A mRNA expression was higher in cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) from small antral follicles than in those from large antral follicles and their respective granulosa/theca (GT) cells (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in COCs from small and large antral follicles, PDGF-A mRNA expression was higher than that of the other PDGF isoforms (P < 0.05). The mRNA levels of PDGF-B and PDGF-D and PDGFR-α and PDGFR-β were higher in GT cells from large antral follicles than in GT cells from small antral follicles and in their respective COCs (P < 0.05). In COCs and GT cells from small antral follicles, the mRNA levels of PDGFR-α were higher than those of PDGFR-β (P < 0.05). All proteins were observed in the cytoplasm of oocytes from all follicular categories. In granulosa cells, all PDGFs and PDGFR-β were detected from starting at the secondary stage, and in theca cells, all proteins, except PDGF-C, were detected starting at the antral stage. In conclusion, PDGF and its receptors are differentially expressed in the oocytes and ovarian cells according to the stage of follicular development, suggesting their role in the regulation of folliculogenesis in goats

Theory of excited state absorptions in phenylene-based π\pi-conjugated polymers

Within a rigid-band correlated electron model for oligomers of poly-(paraphenylene) (PPP) and poly-(paraphenylenevinylene) (PPV), we show that there exist two fundamentally different classes of two-photon A$_g$ states in these systems to which photoinduced absorption (PA) can occur. At relatively lower energies there occur A$_g$ states which are superpositions of one electron - one hole (1e--1h) and two electron -- two hole (2e--2h) excitations, that are both comprised of the highest delocalized valence band and the lowest delocalized conduction band states only. The dominant PA is to one specific member of this class of states (the mA$_g$). In addition to the above class of A$_g$ states, PA can also occur to a higher energy kA$_g$ state whose 2e--2h component is {\em different} and has significant contributions from excitations involving both delocalized and localized bands. Our calculated scaled energies of the mA$_g$ and the kA$_g$ agree reasonably well to the experimentally observed low and high energy PAs in PPV. The calculated relative intensities of the two PAs are also in qualitative agreement with experiment. In the case of ladder-type PPP and its oligomers, we predict from our theoretical work a new intense PA at an energy considerably lower than the region where PA have been observed currently. Based on earlier work that showed that efficient charge--carrier generation occurs upon excitation to odd--parity states that involve both delocalized and localized bands, we speculate that it is the characteristic electronic nature of the kA$_g$ that leads to charge generation subsequent to excitation to this state, as found experimentally.Comment: Revtex4 style, 2 figures inserted in the text, three tables, 10 page

Genetic diversity analysis of varronia curassavica Jacq. accessions using ISSR markers

Varronia curassavica Jacq. is a medicinal and aromatic plant from Brazil with significant economic importance. Studies on genetic diversity in active germplasm banks (AGB) are essential for conservation and breeding programs. The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity of V. curassavica accessions of the AGB of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), using inter-simple sequence repeat molecular markers. Twenty-four primers were tested, and 14 were polymorphic and informative, resulting in 149 bands with 97.98% polymorphism. The UPGMA dendrogram divided the accessions into Clusters I and II. Jaccard similarity coefficients for pair-wise comparisons of accessions ranged between 0.24 and 0.78. The pairs of accessions VCUR-001/VCUR-503, VCUR-001/VCUR-504, and VCUR-104/VCUR-501 showed relatively low similarity (0.24), and the pair of accessions VCUR-402/VCUR403 showed medium similarity (0.78). Twenty-eight accessions were divided into three distinct clusters, according to the STRUCTURE analysis. The genetic diversity of V. curassavica in the AGB of UFS is low to medium, and it requires expansion. Accession VCUR-802 is the most suitable for selection in breeding program of this species, since it clearly represents all of the diversity present in the AGB153CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFINANCIADORA DE ESTUDOS E PROJETOS - FINEPFUNDAÇÃO DE APOIO À PESQUISA E À INOVAÇÃO TECNOLÓGICA DO ESTADO DE SERGIPE - FAPITECnão temnão temnão temnão te

Relativistic Laser-Matter Interaction and Relativistic Laboratory Astrophysics

The paper is devoted to the prospects of using the laser radiation interaction with plasmas in the laboratory relativistic astrophysics context. We discuss the dimensionless parameters characterizing the processes in the laser and astrophysical plasmas and emphasize a similarity between the laser and astrophysical plasmas in the ultrarelativistic energy limit. In particular, we address basic mechanisms of the charged particle acceleration, the collisionless shock wave and magnetic reconnection and vortex dynamics properties relevant to the problem of ultrarelativistic particle acceleration.Comment: 58 pages, 19 figure

Quantificação do carbono das substâncias húmicas em diferentes sistemas de uso do solo e épocas de avaliação.

A quantificação do carbono nas diferentes frações da matéria orgânica do solo (MOS) torna-se necessária devido ao interesse de se conhecer o potencial de captura e armazenamento do carbono nos diferentes sistemas de uso do solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar o carbono das substâncias húmicas em diferentes sistemas de uso do solo e épocas de avaliação e correlacioná-lo com algumas propriedades químicas e físicas do solo. Os sistemas selecionados foram: preparo convencional (PC-milho/feijão), plantio direto (PD-berinjela/milho), consórcio maracujá/Desmodium sp, cultivo com figo e sistema agroflorestal. As amostras de solo foram coletadas em duas profundidades (0-5 e 5-10 cm) e épocas (17/11/2005–verão e 23/6/2006-inverno). Foi determinado o carbono orgânico total (COT) e realizado o fracionamento químico da MOS, quantificando-se o carbono da fração humina (C-HUM), fração ácido húmico (C-FAH) e fração ácido fúlvico (C-FAF). O C-HUM constituiu a maior parte do COT, havendo correlação significativa com o COT em todos os sistemas avaliados e estações. Analisando o C-FAH foi possível identificar alterações no solo relacionadas aos sistemas de uso, na profundidade de 0-5 cm e no verão, destacando-se o PD com os maiores teores. Com o C-FAF ocorreu este mesmo comportamento, mas na profundidade de 5-10 cm e no inverno, destacando-se o PC com maiores valores. Foram verificadas correlações significativas entre Valor S, Valor T e DMP em todos os sistemas, com exceção da área de PC. O PD aumenta os teores de C-FAH, nas duas profundidades e nas duas estações, quando comparado ao PC do solo

Secondary forest fragments offer important carbon‐biodiversity co‐benefits

Tropical forests store large amounts of carbon and high biodiversity, but are being degraded at alarming rates. The emerging global Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) agenda seeks to limit global climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the growth of trees. In doing so, it may also protect biodiversity as a free co‐benefit, which is vital given the massive shortfall in funding for biodiversity conservation. We investigated whether natural forest regeneration on abandoned pastureland offers such co‐benefits, focusing for the first time on the recovery of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of trees, including the recovery of threatened and endemic species richness, within isolated secondary forest fragments. We focused on the globally threatened Brazilian Atlantic Forest, where commitments have been made to restore one million hectares under FLR. Three decades after land abandonment, regenerating forests had recovered ~20% (72 Mg/ha−1) of the above‐ground carbon stocks of a primary forest, with cattle pasture containing just 3% of stocks relative to primary forests. Over this period, secondary forest recovered ~76% of taxonomic, 84% of phylogenetic and 96% of functional diversity found within primary forests. In addition, secondary forests had on average recovered 65% of threatened and ~30% of endemic species richness of primary Atlantic forest. Finally, we find positive relationships between carbon stock and tree diversity recovery. Our results emphasize that secondary forest fragments offer co‐benefits under FLR and other carbon‐based payments for ecosystem service schemes (e.g. carbon enhancements under REDD +). They also indicate that even isolated patches of secondary forest could help to mitigate climate change and the biodiversity extinction crisis by recovering species of high conservation concern and improving landscape connectivity