The effect of non-metallic inclusion size and orientation on tensile properties of stainless steel (simulation and experiment)

In this study, the effect of non-metallic inclusions (NMIs) on tensile behavior of titanium stabilized Fe-20Cr-9Ni steel was investigated. The size of NMIs was decreased via the electro-slag remelting (ESR) process. JK-inclusion rating method revealed that the studied steel consisted of D-type (square-shaped) inclusions. According to energy dispersive spectroscopy, it was determined that the appeared inclusions in the matrix of the titanium stabilized Fe-20Cr-9Ni steel is predominantly titanium nitride (TiN). As a result of the ESR process, excellent improvement in the tensile properties of the studied steel was observed. Subsequently, the effect of inclusion size (d = 5, 10, 25, 50 µm) and orientation (α = 0, 45°) on stress concentration factor around the non-metallic inclusion and metallic matrix was simulated. The result of finite element analysis indicated that, for both square (α = 0 °) and rhombus (α = 45°) shape inclusions, increasing inclusion size has resulted in high-stress concentration factor during plastic deformation. On the other hands, generated Mises stress field around the non-metallic inclusion presented that, for the same inclusion size, rhombus (α = 45°) shape inclusion is more susceptible to homogenous deformation in comparison with square (α = 0°) one

Comparison of data mining techniques to predict and map the Atterberg limits in central plateau of Iran

The Atterberg limits display soil mechanical behavior and, therefore, can be so important for topics related to soil management. The aim of the research was to investigate the spatial variability of the Atterberg limits using three most common digital soil-mapping techniques, the pool of easy-to-obtain environmental variables and 85 soil samples in central Iran. The results showed that the maximum amount of liquid limit (LL) and plastic limit (PL) were obtained in the central, eastern and southeastern parts of the study area where the soil textural classes were loam and clay loam. The minimum amount of LL and PL were related to the northwestern parts of the study area, adjacent to the mountain regions, where the samples had high levels of sand content (>80%). The ranges of plasticity index (PI) in the study area were obtained between 0.01 to 4%. According to the leave-in-out cross-validation method, it should be highlighted the combination of artifiial bee colony algorithm (ABC) and artifiial neural network (ANN) techniques were the best model to predict the Atterberg limits in the study area, compared to the support vector machine and regression tree model. For instance, ABC-ANN could predict PI with RMSE, R2 and ME of 0.23, 0.91 and -0.03, respectively. Our fiding generally indicated that the proposed method can explain the most of variations of the Atterberg limits in the study area, and it could berecommended, therefore, as an indirect approach to assess soil mechanical properties in the arid regions, where the soil survey/sampling is difficult to undertake

Erratum – Carrier Status for p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His CYP1B1 Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran

This is an Erratum to "Carrier Status for p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His CYP1B1 Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran" [J Ophthalmic Vis Res 2021;16(4):574–581] and does not have an abstract. Please download the PDF or view the article HTML

Carrier Status for p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His CYP1B1 Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran

Purpose: To estimate carrier frequencies of CYP1B1 mutations p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His, respectively, in Talesh and the east of Guilan province in Iran with a maximum error of 2%. Previously, it was shown that these CYP1B1 mutations may be relatively prevalent in these regions. Methods: Population-based screenings were performed. DNA was extracted from saliva samples of 1036 individuals from Talesh and 3029 individuals from the east of Guilan. P.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His screenings were performed, respectively, by RFLP and ARMS-based PCR protocols. For confirmation, the DNA of individuals with mutations was sequenced using the Sanger protocol. Results: Nine individuals from Talesh (0.86%; 95%CI: 0.45–1.64%) carried the p.Gly61Glu mutation, and 73 from the east of Guilan (2.41%; 95%CI: 1.91–3.04%) carried p.Arg368His. There was no significant difference in frequencies between urban and rural regions of the various cities, nor among four cities within the east of Guilan. Conclusion: The frequencies of p.Gly61Glu carriers in Talesh and of p.Arg368His carriers in the east of Guilan were within the 95% confidence interval of a previous study based on screenings of fewer individuals. The reliability of the recent estimates is higher, as the confidence interval for p.Gly61Glu decreased from 6.5% to 1.19% and the interval for p.Arg368His decreased from 4% to 1.13%. Based on the new findings, the maximum expected frequency of p.Gly61Glu carriers in Talesh is 1.64%, and of p.Arg368His carriers in the east of Guilan is 3%. The need for performing premarital screenings in the respective cities can be evaluated

Reverse contrast enhancement in digital radiography in detection of vertical root fracture (in vitro)

Background and Aims: Diagnosis of vertical root fractures often poses a clinical dilemma. Diagnosis of VRF in intraoral radiographs, except in cases where the beam is perpendicular to the direction of fracture is difficult. Misdiagnosis often leads to wrong decisions about the design of teeth future treatment plan. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of reverse contrast enhancement options in digital radiography, and to compare it with the original images to find a suitable method to detect vertical root fracture.   Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, digital radiography with phosphor plate detector was taken from 40 extracted single root teeth. From each intact and fractured tooth, the original and reverse contrast images captured and stored. Two expert observers viewed the images twice with an interval of two weeks. Diagnostic criteria (Accuracy, PPV, NPV, Specificity and Sensitivity) in form of absolute and complete for each observer and each images was calculated. Inter and intra observer reliability was obtained using Mc-Nemar test.   Results: No significant differences in inter-observer reliability between the initial appearance and reverse contrast was observed (P>0.05), but in view of the intra-observer reliability in two cases, the difference was significant (P0.05), whereas significant difference between the two images was found in NPV index (P<0.05).   Conclusion: The use of reverse contrast enhancement option for detection of vertical root fracture did not show significant difference from initial view

Economic burden of neurological disorders in an aging society (Japan): A panel data analysis

Japan's aging population poses a variety of problems, one of which is the increase in neurological disorders. In this study, we propose a framework quantifying the decline in gross domestic product (GDP) resulting from the reduction of labor from two neurological disorders, Alzheimer's disease and strokes. Using panel data from Japanese prefectures between 2001 and 2012, this analysis first estimates the hours of labor lost due to the prevalence of or the informal care associated with the two diseases. This measure gives us an approximation of the total loss of GDP per prefecture due to these neurological disorders. Our findings show that the loss has been decreasing, but remains higher than that estimated using accounting methods. This evolution might be explained by higher values for capital and total factor productivity. In addition, it appears that the GDP of urban prefectures and prefectures relying heavily on tourism are less affected by the labor shortage. The study confirms the importance of investments in research and development (R&D) and capital stock to soften the effects of labor shortages. Nevertheless, given the aging trend in Japan and many other G20 economies, increasing R&D and private capital stock may not prove sustainable in the future

Erratum – Carrier Status for P.Gly61Glu and P.Arg368His CYP1B1 Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran

This is an Erratum to "Carrier Status for p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His CYP1B1 Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran" [J Ophthalmic Vis Res 2021;16(4):574–581] and does not have an abstract. Please download the PDF or view the article HTML

Reorganization of substance use treatment and harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a global survey /

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted people with substance use disorders (SUDs) worldwide, and healthcare systems have reorganized their services in response to the pandemic. Methods: One week after the announcement of the COVID-19 as a pandemic, in a global survey, 177 addiction medicine professionals described COVID-19-related health responses in their own 77 countries in terms of SUD treatment and harm reduction services. The health responses were categorized around (1) managerial measures and systems, (2) logistics, (3) service providers, and (4) vulnerable groups. Results: Respondents from over 88% of countries reported that core medical and psychiatric care for SUDs had continued; however, only 56% of countries reported having had any business continuity plan, and 37.5% of countries reported shortages of methadone or buprenorphine supplies. Participants of 41% of countries reported partial discontinuation of harm-reduction services such as needle and syringe programs and condom distribution. Fifty-seven percent of overdose prevention interventions and 81% of outreach services were also negatively impacted. Conclusions: Participants reported that SUD treatment and harm-reduction services had been significantly impacted globally early during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our findings, we highlight several issues and complications resulting from the pandemic concerning people with SUDs that should be tackled more efficiently during the future waves or similar pandemics. The issues and potential strategies comprise the following: (1) helping policymakers to generate business continuity plans, (2) maintaining the use of evidence-based interventions for people with SUDs, (3) being prepared for adequate medication supplies, (4) integrating harm reduction programs with other treatment modalities, and (5) having specific considerations for vulnerable groups such as immigrants and refugees