Mechanical properties and microstructure characterisation of Au-Pt dental alloy

Development of a dental alloy with high Au content is based on the ternary system of Au-Pt-Zn with a nominal composition of 86,9Au-9,9Pt-1,5Zn, and about 1,5 wt.% micro-alloying elements (in, Ir, Rh). The results analyses of different heat-treated states showed that the optimal mechanical properties and hardness of an Au-Pt-Zn alloy can be reached with combinations of heat treatment for 20 minutes at 723 K and then slowly cooling, if the alloy was annealed at 1223 K for 30 minutes and the water quenched. Research results confirmed that the microstructure of the Au-Pt-Zn alloy consists of two phases: alpha(1)-phase rich in Au (main phase) and alpha(2)-phase rich in Pt (minor phase). During XRD analysis and use of the Rietveld method, it was found that the alpha(1)-phase content is about 98,5 wt.% while the content of alpha(2)-phase is 1,5 wt.%. STA analyses show that the Au-Pt-Zn alloy has a solidus temperature of about 1292 K and a liquidus temperature of about 1412 K

Anaerobic Treatment of Pharmaceutical Waste Fermentation Broth

The feasibility of anaerobic co-digestion of pharmaceutical waste fermentation broth (spent mycelia) mixed with pig slurry and corn-grass silage was studied. The waste broth proved very toxic to luminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri (30 min EC50 = 1.19–3.35 vol. %) while it expressed lower toxicity to activated sludge (180 min EC50 = 4.11–15.32 vol. %). Initially, stabilization studies in aerobic and anaerobic conditions were performed to confirm feasibility of anaerobic degradation. A 30 L conventional mesophilic reactor was used for further digestion experiments. The control experiment (pig slurry and corn-grass silage only) with OLR of 1.5 kg m–3 d–1 achieved 70 % COD removal and methane production of 25.4 L d–1. The first experiment with added fermentation broth (OLR of 1.8 kg m–3 d–1) achieved 79 % COD removal and good methane production (30.9 L d–1). The second experiment with more fermentation broth (OLR of 2.2 kg m–3 d–1) failed after 20 days, but the system recovered when the OLR was reduced to 2.0 kg m–3 d–1. In the third experiment only pharmaceutical broth was used as a substrate. The process failed after 10 days of operation due to toxic shock. It has been concluded that the toxic impact could be avoided with an OLR not higher than 2.0 kg m–3 d–1, but at the same time pharmaceutical broth must not contribute more than 25 % to the total OLR

Mehanička svojstva i mikrostrukturna karakterizacija Au-Pt dentalne slitine

Development of a dental alloy with high Au content is based on the ternary system of Au-Pt-Zn with a nominal composition of 86,9Au-9,9Pt-1,5Zn, and about 1,5 wt.% micro-alloying elements (In, Ir, Rh). The results analyses of different heat-treated states showed that the optimal mechanical properties and hardness of an Au-Pt-Zn alloy can be reached with combinations of heat treatment for 20 minutes at 723 K and then slowly cooling, if the alloy was annealed at 1223 K for 30 minutes and the water quenched. Research results confirmed that the microstructure of the Au-Pt-Zn alloy consists of two phases: _1-phase rich in Au (main phase) and _2-phase rich in Pt (minor phase). During XRD analysis and use of the Rietveld method, it was found that the _1-phase content is about 98,5 wt.% while the content of _2-phase is 1,5 wt.%. STA analyses show that the Au-Pt-Zn alloy has a solidus temperature of about 1292 K and a liquidus temperature of about 1412 K.Razvoj dentalne slitine s visokim sadržajem zlata zasnovan je na ternarnom sustavu Au-Pt-Zn s nominalnim sastavom 86,9Au-9,9Pt-1,5Zn i oko 1,5 mas. % mikrolegirajučih elemenata (In, Ir, Rh). Rezultati analize su pokazali da se u slučaju slitine odžarene kod 1223 K u trajanju od 30 minuta i zakaljena u vodi optimalna mehanička svojstva i tvrdoća Au-Pt-Zn slitine mogu postići kombinacijom toplinske obrade na 720 oC u trajanju 20 minuta s naknadnim sporim hlađenjem. Rezultati istraživanja su potvrdili da se mikrostruktura Au-Pt-Zn slitine sastoji od dvije faze: _1-faze bogate sa zlatom (primarna faza) i _2 - faze bogate s platinom (sekundarna faza). Tijekom XRD analize i primjenom Rietveldove metode utvrđeno je da je sadržaj _1-faze oko 98,5 mas. %, dok je sadržaj _2-faze iznosio oko 1,5 mas. %. STA analiza je pokazala da je Au-Pt-Zn slitina imala solidus temperaturu oko 1292 K, a likvidus temperaturu oko 1412 K

Discourse of the real kind: A post-foundational approach to organizational discourse analysis

In response to the postmodern invasion of organization studies, some critics have issued increasingly loud cries that we should ‘get real’ about organizational discourse analysis. But what precisely do these proponents take to be the ‘real’? In this article we trace out some of the attempts of ‘getting real’, arguing that these approaches have some important limitations. We then explore the relevance of a post-foundational approach to discourse, which, we argue, have far reaching implications for the study of organizational discourse. We argue that such approach offers us a way of theoretically linking the ‘real’ with (1) the way discourses are structured around fundamental gaps, (2) how discourses are brought together through nodal points and (3) how discourses generate affective and emotional attachment. We then offer some suggestions of how these points can be used to study organizational processes. We conclude by reflecting on some of the limitations of this approach to studying discourse

A “Crossomics” Study Analysing Variability of Different Components in Peripheral Blood of Healthy Caucasoid Individuals

Background: Different immunotherapy approaches for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases are being developed and tested in clinical studies worldwide. Their resulting complex experimental data should be properly evaluated, therefore reliable normal healthy control baseline values are indispensable. Methodology/Principal Findings: To assess intra- and inter-individual variability of various biomarkers, peripheral blood of 16 age and gender equilibrated healthy volunteers was sampled on 3 different days within a period of one month. Complex "crossomics'' analyses of plasma metabolite profiles, antibody concentrations and lymphocyte subset counts as well as whole genome expression profiling in CD4(+)T and NK cells were performed. Some of the observed age, gender and BMI dependences are in agreement with the existing knowledge, like negative correlation between sex hormone levels and age or BMI related increase in lipids and soluble sugars. Thus we can assume that the distribution of all 39.743 analysed markers is well representing the normal Caucasoid population. All lymphocyte subsets, 20% of metabolites and less than 10% of genes, were identified as highly variable in our dataset. Conclusions/Significance: Our study shows that the intra- individual variability was at least two-fold lower compared to the inter-individual one at all investigated levels, showing the importance of personalised medicine approach from yet another perspective

Videogame consumption: The apophatic dimension

This article applies psychological-sociological accounts of the ‘apophatic’, a form of negative thinking, to examples of gaming practices to conceptualise a new theory of videogame consumption. It challenges the prevailing notion that the games consumer is always a ‘cataphatic’ thinker – that is, an activistic, rational-pleasure seeker – and looks to the ‘sorrows’ of gaming to find evidence of its more undesirable nature. The term ‘apophatic’ is characterised as an attempt to de-value the rational value purportedly placed on gaming practices. ‘Griefing’ other players is a good example of this apophatic ethic, where players derive value from the subversion of serious play through the disruption and destruction of other players’ game worlds. The struggle with ‘failure’ is another. As such, the article concludes with a reflection on the almost unsayable nature of videogame consumption, and suggests that consumer value may be derived from its more negative, spiritual-like aspects

Narcissism and the strategic pursuit of short-term mating : universal links across 11 world regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2.

Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating