The Use of a Solid Hydrocarbon as a Graphite Substitute for Astaloy CrM Sintered Steel

YesAbstract Höganäs Astaloy CrM powder was used to prepare mixtures with 0.3-1.6 % carbon contents, both with and without 1 wt.% manganese additions. The carbon was added in three ways: as a graphite powder, as a solid CnHm hydrocarbon powder, and as a mixture of both. Green compacts were pressed at 300 - 800 MPa and sintered isothermally at temperatures in the range 1170 - 1295°C under flowing high purity nitrogen or nitrogen/hydrogen (9:1) atmosphere. Compressibility of the powder mixtures was investigated. Carbon loss occurring during sintering was carefully monitored. Sintering behaviour of numerous combinations of carbon content was investigated by dilatometry. For high carbon contents and high sintering temperatures, densification resulted from controlled generation of a liquid phase. Advantages of using solid hydrocarbon as a carbon donor and of Mn addition in powder metallurgy processing of steels are indicated

Triple correlation for detection of damage-related nonlinearities in composite structures

Nonlinear effects in vibration responses are investigated for the undamaged composite plate and the composite plate with a delamination. The analysis is focused on higher harmonic generation in vibration responses for various excitation amplitude levels. This effect is investigated using the triple correlation technique. The dynamics of composite plate was modelled using two-dimensional finite elements and the classical lamination theory. The doubled-node approach was used to model delamination area. Mode shapes and natural frequencies were estimated based on numerical models. Next, the delamination divergence analysis was used to obtain relative displacements for delaminated plies. Experimental modal analysis test was carried out to verify the numerical models. The two strongest vibration modes as well as two vibration modes with the smallest and largest motion level of delaminated plies were selected for nonlinear vibration test. The Fisher criterion was employed to verify the effectiveness and confidence level of the proposed technique. The results show that the method can be used not only to reveal nonlinearities, but also to reliably detect impact damage in composites. These results are confirmed using the statistical analysis

Electrically controlled optical latch and switch requires less current

Electrically controlled optical latch consists of a sensitive phototransistor and a solid-state light source. This design requires less current to activate an optically activated switch than in prior art

Surge-type glaciers in the Tien Shan (Central Asia)

Surge-Type glaciers have been observed in several mountain ranges of the world. Though Karakoram and Pamir are the hot spots for the occurrence of surge-Type glaciers in High Mountain Asia, few surge-Type glaciers also exist in Tien Shan. These have not been studied or reported in detail in the recent literature. We have identified 39 surge-Type glaciers and five tributary surges in Tien Shan either from available literature or by visual interpretation using available images from the period 1960 until 2014. Out of the 39 glaciers, 9 are confirmed as surge-Type, 13 are very probably surge-Type, and the remaining are possibly of surge-Type. Most of the surge-Type glaciers are located in Ak-Shiirak and Central Tien Shan. Compared with the normal glaciers of Tien Shan, the surge-Type glaciers are larger, cover higher ranges of elevations, and have shallower slopes. There is no significant difference in aspect. The largest surge events were observed in Central Tien Shan: North Inylchek Glacier (years 1996/1997) and Samoilowich Glacier (years 1992 until 2006) advanced several kilometers. The surge cycle was around 50 years for both of these glaciers. The advance was less pronounced for all other surge-Type glaciers during the period ca. 1960-2014. Some of the tributary glaciers behaved differently than the main glaciers in the sense that they continuously advanced during the entire period of our study, whereas the main glaciers have remained stable or retreated.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Real-world outcomes of sipuleucel-T treatment in PROCEED, a prospective registry of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

BackgroundThe large registry, PROVENGE Registry for the Observation, Collection, and Evaluation of Experience Data (PROCEED)(NCT01306890), evaluated sipuleucel-T immunotherapy for asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).MethodsPROCEED enrolled patients with mCRPC receiving 3 biweekly sipuleucel-T infusions. Assessments included overall survival (OS), serious adverse events (SAEs), cerebrovascular events (CVEs), and anticancer interventions (ACIs). Follow-up was for ≥3 years or until death or study withdrawal.ResultsIn 2011-2017, 1976 patients were followed for 46.6 months (median). The median age was 72 years, and the baseline median prostate-specific antigen level was 15.0 ng/mL; 86.7% were white, and 11.6% were African American. Among the patients, 1902 had 1 or more sipuleucel-T infusions. The median OS was 30.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 28.6-32.2 months). Known prognostic factors were independently associated with OS in a multivariable analysis. Among the 1255 patients who died, 964 (76.8%) died of prostate cancer (PC) progression. The median time from the first infusion to PC death was 42.7 months (95% CI, 39.4-46.2 months). The incidence of sipuleucel-T-related SAEs was 3.9%. The incidence of CVEs was 2.8%, and the rate per 100 person-years was 1.2 (95% CI, 0.9-1.6). The CVE incidence among 11,972 patients with mCRPC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database was 2.8%; the rate per 100 person-years was 1.5 (95% CI, 1.4-1.7). One or more ACIs (abiraterone, enzalutamide, docetaxel, cabazitaxel, or radium 223) were received by 77.1% of the patients after sipuleucel-T; 32.5% and 17.4% of the patients experienced 1- and 2-year treatment-free intervals, respectively.ConclusionsPROCEED provides contemporary survival data for sipuleucel-T-treated men in a real-world setting of new life-prolonging agents, which will be useful in discussing treatment options with patients and in powering future trials with sipuleucel-T. The safety and tolerability of sipuleucel-T in PROCEED were consistent with previous findings

Mass changes of southern and northern inylchek glacier, Central Tian Shan, kyrgyzstan, during ∼1975 and 2007 derived from remote sensing data

Glacier melt is an essential source of freshwater for the arid regions surrounding the Tian Shan. However, the knowledge about glacier volume and mass changes over the last decades is limited. In the present study, glacier area, glacier dynamics and mass changes are investigated for the period ∼1975-2007 for Southern Inylchek Glacier (SIG) and Northern Inylchek Glacier (NIG), the largest glacier system in Central Tian Shan separated by the regularly draining Lake Merzbacher. The area of NIG increased by 2.0 ± 0.1 km2 (∼1.3%) in the period ∼1975-2007. In contrast, SIG has shrunk continuously in all investigated periods since ∼1975. Velocities of SIG in the central part of the ablation region reached ∼100-120 m a-1 in 2002/2003, which was slightly higher than the average velocity in 2010/2011. The central part of SIG flows mainly towards Lake Merzbacher rather than towards its terminus. The measured velocities at the distal part of the terminus downstream of Lake Merzbacher were below the uncertainty, indicating very low flow with even stagnant parts. Geodetic glacier mass balances have been calculated using multioral digital elevation models from KH-9 Hexagon (representing the year 1975), SRTM3 (1999), ALOS PRISM (2006) and SPOT-5 high-resolution geometrical (HRG) data (2007). In general, a continuous mass loss for both SIG and NIG could be observed between ∼1975 and 2007. SIG lost mass at a rate of 0.43 ± 0.10 m w.e. a-1 and NIG at a rate of 0.25 ± 0.10 m w.e. ag-1 within the period ∼1975-1999. For the period 1999-2007, the highest mass loss of 0.57 ± 0.46 m w.e. ag-1 was found for NIG, whilst SIG showed a potential moderate mass loss of 0.28 ± 0.46 m w.e. a-1. Both glaciers showed a small retreat during this period. Between ∼1975 and 1999, we identified a thickening at the front of NIG with a maximum surface elevation increase of about 150 m as a consequence of a surge event. In contrast significant thinning (>0.5 m a-1) and comparatively high velocities close to the dam of Lake Merzbacher were observed for SIG, indicating that Lake Merzbacher enhances glacier mass loss.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The effects of sample position and gas flow pattern on the sintering of a 7xxx aluminum alloy

The effects of sample position and gas flow pattern on the sintering of a 7xxx aluminum alloy Al-7Zn-2.5Mg-1Cu in flowing nitrogen have been investigated both experimentally and numerically. The near-surface pore distribution and sintered density of the samples show a strong dependency on the sample separation distance over the range from 2 mm to 40 mm. The open porosity in each sample increases with increasing separation distance while the closed porosity remains essentially unchanged. A two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been developed to analyze the gas flow behavior near the sample surfaces during isothermal sintering. The streamlines, velocity profile, and volume flow rate in the cavity between each two samples are presented as a function of the sample separation distance at a fixed nitrogen flow rate of 6 L/min. The CFD modeling results provide essential details for understanding the near-surface pore distribution and density of the sintered samples. It is proposed that the different gas flow patterns near the sample surfaces result in variations of the oxygen content from the incoming nitrogen flow in the local sintering atmosphere, which affects the self-gettering process of the aluminum compacts during sintering. This leads to the development of different near-surface pore distributions and sintered densities

Outcome of children relapsing after first allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia: a retrospective I-BFM analysis of 333 children

Outcome of 333 children with acute myeloid leukaemia relapsing after a first allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation was analyzed. Four-year probability of overall survival (4y-pOS) was 14%. 4y-pOS for 122 children receiving a second haematopoietic stem cell transplantation was 31% and 3% for those that did not (P = <0·0001). Achievement of a subsequent remission impacted survival (P = <0·0001). For patients receiving a second transplant survival with or without achieving a subsequent remission was comparable. Graft source (bone marrow vs. peripheral blood stem cells, P = 0·046) and donor choice (matched family vs. matched unrelated donor, P = 0·029) positively impacted survival after relapse. Disease recurrence and non-relapse mortality at four years reached 45% and 22%

Distortion in a 7xxx aluminum alloy during liquid phase sintering

The distortion in a sintered 7xxx aluminum alloy, Al-7Zn-2.5Mg-1Cu (wt. pct), has been investigated by sintering three rectangular bars in each batch at 893 K (620 °C) for 0 to 40 minutes in nitrogen, followed by air or furnace cooling. They were placed parallel to each other, equally spaced apart at 2 mm, with their long axes being perpendicular to the incoming nitrogen flow. Pore evolution in each sample during isothermal sintering was examined metallographically. The compositional changes across sample mid-cross section and surface layers were analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling, respectively. The two outer samples bent toward the middle one, while the middle sample was essentially distortion free after sintering. The distortion in the outer samples was a result of differential shrinkage between their outer and inner surfaces during isothermal sintering. The porous outer surface showed an enrichment of oxygen around the large pores as well as lower magnesium and zinc contents than the interior and inner surface of the same sample, while the inner surface was distinguished by the presence of AlN. The differential shrinkage was caused by different oxygen contents in local sintering atmosphere and unbalanced loss of magnesium and zinc between the outer and inner surfaces