Spheroidization of medium-carbon steels

Spheroidization experiments were made on a medium- carbon AISI 4037 steel, using both intercritical and subcritical annealing cycles. The results indicate that in the subcritical cycle the spheroidization occurred much more quickly than expected, so that shorter times were sufficient to achieve high formability. On the other hand, the hardness dropped faster in the intercritical cycle. Although more work needs to be done, these results suggest that using a subcritical spheroidization process instead of an intercritical process could achieve considerable savings in time, energy, and cost.     

采用有限元分析法量化不同中空玻璃边缘密封的热位移

间隔条和玻璃板片之间的相对热位移是中空玻璃边缘密封乃至中空玻璃(IGU)本身老化的主要原因之一.作者采用有限元分析法(FEA),建立了发生在大尺寸(1.5 m×2.1 m)的中空玻璃边缘密封的热位移与温差变化之间的模型,这是三种商业化的、不同材质的、不同设计的间隔条,在温度变化为-30～ 60℃范围内的模型.此模型是基于铝间隔条和镀锌钢间隔条与尼龙插角的搭配,不锈钢间隔条和弯曲插角的搭配.尼龙插角假定为实心的并稳固地固定于间隔条上;弯曲插角被建模成实心弯曲的金属插角,并同样稳固地固定于间隔条上.由于实际的弯曲插角是空心的,模型可能高估了这种转角设计的应力.正如预期那样,在低温时,插角会被向内拉,导致弯曲角度大于90°;在高温下,插角会被向外推,导致弯曲角度小于90°.通过检测发生在中空玻璃周边第一道密封的聚异丁烯密封胶厚度的变化,作者发现,到目前为止,不锈钢间隔条对于截面积的变化影响最小;铝制间隔条的影响最大.这个发现与基于间隔条材料与浮法玻璃之间热膨胀系数差异而预期的性能一致.因此,热位移引起的第一道密封的有效扩散横截面变化,可以解释为何具有不同间隔条材料的中空玻璃之间的性能差异.     

Recovery of eicosapentaenoic acid from fungal mycelia by solvent extraction

Utilization of lipids containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) produced by microorganisms requires processes for their efficient recovery from microbial cells. Recovery of EPA from mycelia of the fungusPythium irregulare by solvent extraction with hexane-isopropanol (HIP) in a pilot-plant colloid mill was investigated. Extraction efficiencies of 96% for lipid and EPA were achieved with a 3∶2 (vol/vol) HIP mixture by milling wet, filtered mycelia for 5 min at a solvent/dry solids ratio of 100 L/kg. The process yielded a crude extract that contained up to 96% lipid and an EPA content as high as 24% (with no selectivity for EPA).     

Avoiding semantic and temporal gaps in developing software intensive systems

Development of software intensive systems (systems) in practice involves a series of self-contained phases for the lifecycle of a system. Semantic and temporal gaps, which occur among phases and among developer disciplines within and across phases, hinder the ongoing development of a system because of the interdependencies among phases and among disciplines. Such gaps are magnified among systems that are developed at different times by different development teams, which may limit reuse of artifacts of systems development and interoperability among the systems. This article discusses such gaps and a systems development process for avoiding them.     

The incidence of drug-related problems as a cause of hospital admissions in children

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of hospital admissions for drug-related problems (DRPs) among children, and to examine cases for causality, preventability and clinical severity. DESIGN: Prospective assessment involving review of case notes and parent interview to determine if an admission was associated with a DRP. PATIENTS AND SETTING: All patients admitted to a large university-affiliated paediatric hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, for medical reasons (i.e., not surgical, trauma or oncology patients) during 56 consecutive days from 24 June to 19 August 1996 for which a DRP could be identified. Patients whose parents or guardians could not communicate adequately in English were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence, type, causality, preventability and clinical severity of DRPs associated with admission. RESULTS: Of 1682 eligible patients admitted to the Royal Children's Hospital during the study period, 58 admissions (3.4%) were associated with DRPs. Non-compliance was implicated in 50%. Causality was ranked as "definite" (34.5%), "possible" (56.9%) and "doubtful" (8.6). Two-thirds of admissions associated with DRPs were deemed preventable. Although no patients died from DRPs, four were admitted to the intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of DRPs as a cause of hospital admission in this study falls within the range of incidences published for the Australian adult population (range, 2.4%-22%). In contrast to findings among Australian adults, a high proportion of admissions for DRPs in this study were associated with non-compliance. The high percentage of preventable admissions indicates that further study is necessary to characterise risk factors within this population and to test prevention strategies.     

The effect of fertilizer nitrogen input to grass-clover swards and calving date on the productivity of pasture-based dairy production

The objective of this systems-scale study was to investigate grazing season timeframes on pasture and milk production and on milk processability of dairy systems with compact spring-calving dairy cows grazing white clover (Trifolium repens L.) based grassland. Fifty-four primiparous and multiparous Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were used in a one-factor study with 3 systems (n = 18) and repeated over 2 yr (2008/09 and 2009/10). The 3 systems were: early spring calving with annual fertilizer N input of 100 kg·ha^?1 applied in spring (ES100N; 2.1 cows·ha^?1; grazing February to November), early spring calving without fertilizer N (ES0N; 1.6 cows·ha^?1; grazing February to November) and late spring calving without fertilizer N (LS0N; 1.53 cows·ha^?1; grazing April to January). Annual pasture production was affected by an interaction between grazing system and year: Mean annual pasture yields for 2008 and 2009 were ES100N; 10.35 and 9.88, ES0N; 8.88 and 8.63, LS0N; 9.18 and 10.31 t of dry matter (DM)·ha^?1 (SEM 0.39). LS0N had higher pasture DM yield in 2009 due to higher clover DM production and biological N fixation compared with the other systems. Clover stolon and root mass in the following February was correlated with stolon and root mass in the previous November with 64% of stolon mass present on LS0N in February (R² = 0.84). There were no detectable differences in per-lactation milk yield (6,335 kg·cow^?1), fat, protein and lactose yields (271, 226, 297 kg·cow^?1, respectively), cow liveweight (585 kg) or body condition score (3.02). Although winter grazing favored subsequent clover DM production, biological N fixation and pasture DM production, delaying calving date in spring and extending lactation into the following winter led to inefficient use of this pasture by the grazing herd and lowered the quality of late-lactation milk for processing purposes. Hence, a mean calving date in mid- to late-February is recommended for zero-fertilizer N input clover-based grassland.     

Corneal erosions in contact lens wear

Contact lens wear continues to be the highest single risk factor for microbial keratitis, particularly when worn in the extended wear modality. For microbial keratitis to occur, the presence of at least a bacterial load as well as a break in the corneal surface is required. One such break occurs in the case of a corneal erosion. These well-circumscribed areas of full thickness epithelial loss can occur both with and without contact lens wear, however the risk of infection is greater in the presence of a lens due to its capacity to provide a vector for the entry of bacterial pathogens. While erosions in non-contact lens wearers are thought to result from defective epithelial basement membrane anchoring, the underlying causes during contact lens wear are yet unknown. This article sets out to review corneal erosions associated with contact lens wear, their associated risk factors such as extended wear, the mechanisms that may be responsible for their formation and the factors that differentiate them from other contact lens related adverse events. Appropriate diagnosis and understanding of the relevant pathophysiology is important to the effective treatment and an understanding of the aetiological factors responsible for erosions is critical to the development of preventative strategies and effective clinical care.