The effect of boron on oxide scale formation in a new polycrystalline superalloy

Boron addition to a new polycrystalline nickel-based superalloy promotes the formation of a hitherto unreported aluminoborate phase, in the scale produced by oxidation in air at 900 °C for ~ 10,000 h. Atom probe tomography provides unambiguous confirmation of this. The ramifications of its formation are discussed

Evaluation of absorbent materials for use as ad hoc dry decontaminants during mass casualty incidents as part of the UK’s Initial Operational Response (IOR)

Copyright: © 2017 Kassouf et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.The UK's Initial Operational Response (IOR) is a revised process for the medical management of mass casualties potentially contaminated with hazardous materials. A critical element of the IOR is the introduction of immediate, on-scene disrobing and decontamination of casualties to limit the adverse health effects of exposure. Ad hoc cleansing of the skin with dry absorbent materials has previously been identified as a potential means of facilitating emergency decontamination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro oil and water absorbency of a range of materials commonly found in the domestic and clinical environments and to determine the effectiveness of a small, but representative selection of such materials in skin decontamination, using an established ex vivo model. Five contaminants were used in the study: methyl salicylate, parathion, diethyl malonate, phorate and potassium cyanide. In vitro measurements of water and oil absorbency did not correlate with ex vivo measurements of skin decontamination. When measured ex vivo, dry decontamination was consistently more effective than a standard wet decontamination method ("rinse-wipe-rinse") for removing liquid contaminants. However, dry decontamination was ineffective against particulate contamination. Collectively, these data confirm that absorbent materials such as wound dressings and tissue paper provide an effective, generic capability for emergency removal of liquid contaminants from the skin surface, but that wet decontamination should be used for non-liquid contaminants.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Bending properties of finger-jointed Malaysian dark red meranti

The mechanical performance of dark red meranti (Shorea spp.) containing structural finger joints was investigated in four-point bending. The influence of variation in density on the bending strength (MOR) and stiffness (MOE) of dark red meranti (DRM) was studied. The effect on these properties of variation in end pressure when bonding was examined. The orientation of finger joints and the effect of cross-sectional area of bonded joints on the bending properties were also investigated. The results of this study indicate a positive relationship between the density and the MOR of DRM specimens. Sufficiently high end pressure is needed to produce strong finger joints. The orientation of finger joints and the changes in cross-sectional area of bonded joints showed no influence on the MOR. The MOE of DRM was not affected by the finger jointing of the pieces. In conclusion, finger-jointed DRM exhibits potential for structural uses, particularly for glulam beams

An Analysis of Resting-State Functional Transcranial Doppler Recordings from Middle Cerebral Arteries

Functional transcrannial Doppler (fTCD) is used for monitoring the hemodynamics characteristics of major cerebral arteries. Its resting-state characteristics are known only when considering the maximal velocity corresponding to the highest Doppler shift (so called the envelope signals). Significantly more information about the resting-state fTCD can be gained when considering the raw cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) recordings. In this paper, we considered simultaneously acquired envelope and raw CBFV signals. Specifically, we collected bilateral CBFV recordings from left and right middle cerebral arteries using 20 healthy subjects (10 females). The data collection lasted for 15 minutes. The subjects were asked to remain awake, stay silent, and try to remain thought-free during the data collection. Time, frequency and time-frequency features were extracted from both the raw and the envelope CBFV signals. The effects of age, sex and body-mass index were examined on the extracted features. The results showed that the raw CBFV signals had a higher frequency content, and its temporal structures were almost uncorrelated. The information-theoretic features showed that the raw recordings from left and right middle cerebral arteries had higher content of mutual information than the envelope signals. Age and body-mass index did not have statistically significant effects on the extracted features. Sex-based differences were observed in all three domains and for both, the envelope signals and the raw CBFV signals. These findings indicate that the raw CBFV signals provide valuable information about the cerebral blood flow which can be utilized in further validation of fTCD as a clinical tool. © 2013 Sejdić et al

An Atom Probe Tomography study of site preference and partitioning in a nickel-based superalloy

Atom Probe Tomography (APT) has been utilised for an in-depth examination of the commercial polycrystalline Ni-based superalloy RR1000, assessing compositions of the primary, secondary and tertiary γ′ phases. Clear differences in the phase chemistries are noted, particularly for the tertiary γ′ to which much of the alloy strength is attributed. Trace amounts of Hf are found to segregate strongly to the primary and secondary γ′ phases, but also exhibit an extended diffusion profile across the γ-γ′ interface up to 80 nm wide. Ti, Al and Mo demonstrate similar, yet not as pronounced diffusion profiles, indicating assumed phase chemistries may not be representative of those regions adjacent to the γ-γ′ interface. Within γ′, unique element site-occupancy preferences for this alloy were identified. Finally, the grain boundary chemistry across a γ-γ interface and that of an intragranular boride were analysed, identifying the latter as a mixed M5B3 boride rich in Mo and Cr. These demonstrate further the depth of information on Ni-alloys accessible by APT, while the overall implications of results in comparison with other in-service/model alloys are also discussed

Process evaluation of appreciative inquiry to translate pain management evidence into pediatric nursing practice

Background Appreciative inquiry (AI) is an innovative knowledge translation (KT) intervention that is compatible with the Promoting Action on Research in Health Services (PARiHS) framework. This study explored the innovative use of AI as a theoretically based KT intervention applied to a clinical issue in an inpatient pediatric care setting. The implementation of AI was explored in terms of its acceptability, fidelity, and feasibility as a KT intervention in pain management. Methods A mixed-methods case study design was used. The case was a surgical unit in a pediatric academic-affiliated hospital. The sample consisted of nurses in leadership positions and staff nurses interested in the study. Data on the AI intervention implementation were collected by digitally recording the AI sessions, maintaining logs, and conducting individual semistructured interviews. Data were analysed using qualitative and quantitative content analyses and descriptive statistics. Findings were triangulated in the discussion. Results Three nurse leaders and nine staff members participated in the study. Participants were generally satisfied with the intervention, which consisted of four 3-hour, interactive AI sessions delivered over two weeks to promote change based on positive examples of pain management in the unit and staff implementation of an action plan. The AI sessions were delivered with high fidelity and 11 of 12 participants attended all four sessions, where they developed an action plan to enhance evidence-based pain assessment documentation. Participants labeled AI a 'refreshing approach to change' because it was positive, democratic, and built on existing practices. Several barriers affected their implementation of the action plan, including a context of change overload, logistics, busyness, and a lack of organised follow-up. Conclusions Results of this case study supported the acceptability, fidelity, and feasibility of AI as a KT intervention in pain management. The AI intervention requires minor refinements (e.g., incorporating continued follow-up meetings) to enhance its clinical utility and sustainability. The implementation process and effectiveness of the modified AI intervention require evaluation in a larger multisite study

On the microtwinning mechanism in a single crystal superalloy

© 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. The contribution of a microtwinning mechanism to the creep deformation behaviour of single crystal superalloy MD2 is studied. Microtwinning is prevalent for uniaxial loading along 〈011〉 at 800°C for the stress range 625 to 675 MPa and 825°C for 625 MPa. Using quantitative stereology, the twin fraction and twin thickness are estimated; this allows the accumulated creep strain to be recovered, in turn supporting the role of the microtwinning mode in conferring deformation. Atom probe tomography confirms the segregation of Cr and Co at the twin/parent interface, consistent with the lowering of the stacking fault energy needed to support twin lengthening and thickening. A model for diffusion-controlled growth of twins is proposed and it is used to recover the measured creep strain rate. The work provides the basis for a thermo-mechanical constitutive model of deformation consistent with the microtwinning mechanism

Strong Ultraviolet Pulse From a Newborn Type Ia Supernova

Type Ia supernovae are destructive explosions of carbon oxygen white dwarfs. Although they are used empirically to measure cosmological distances, the nature of their progenitors remains mysterious, One of the leading progenitor models, called the single degenerate channel, hypothesizes that a white dwarf accretes matter from a companion star and the resulting increase in its central pressure and temperature ignites thermonuclear explosion. Here we report observations of strong but declining ultraviolet emission from a Type Ia supernova within four days of its explosion. This emission is consistent with theoretical expectations of collision between material ejected by the supernova and a companion star, and therefore provides evidence that some Type Ia supernovae arise from the single degenerate channel.Comment: Accepted for publication on the 21 May 2015 issue of Natur