Experimental evaluation and FE simulation of thermal conditions at tool surface during cooling and deformation phases in hot forging operations

In hot and warm forging operations, surface layers of tools at the tool-workpiece interface are not only exposed to high mechanical stresses but also to severe temperature cycles, which often lead to loss of strength and hardness and thermal fatigue failure as well.This paper offers an approach for determining heat transfer conditions at the surface of punches and dies during both the deformation and the cooling-lubrication phases of forging cycles. The approach is based on temperature readings inside the tool, FE simulation and inverse analysis. An application case is illustrated where operating conditions reproduce hot forging of turbine airfoil sections.     

PTFE–PMMA core–shell colloidal particles as building blocks for self‐assembled opals: synthesis,properties and optical response

A seeded surfactant‐free methyl methacrylate emulsion polymerization is employed to prepare core–shell particles with predetermined size and narrow size distribution. The particle size is determined by the ratio between methyl methacrylate (MMA, shell) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, core). Monodisperse particles in the 100–350 nm range are obtained. These particles are used to grow colloidal photonic crystals (opals) of very high optical quality, thus indirectly demonstrating the excellent control of microbead size distribution achieved by this preparation technique. The optical properties of the opals are investigated by means of reflectance and polarized‐angle‐resolved transmittance spectroscopies. These data provide a rough determination of the effective refractive index of the system, which is favorably compared with values obtained by simple effective medium models. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nanofiber density determines endothelial cell behavior on hydrogel matrix

When cultured under static conditions, bacterial cellulose pellicles, by the nature of the polymer synthesis that involves molecular oxygen, are characterized by two distinct surface sides. The upper surface is denser in fibers (entangled) than the lower surface that shows greater surface porosity. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used to exploit how the microarchitecture (i.e., surface porosity, fiber network structure, surface topology, and fiber density) of bacterial cellulose pellicle surfaces influence cell–biomaterial interaction and therefore cell behavior. Adhesion, cell ingrowth, proliferation, viability and cell death mechanisms were evaluated on the two pellicle surface sides. Cell behavior, including secondary necrosis, is influenced only by the microarchitecture of the surface, since the biomaterial is extremely pure (constituted of cellulose and water only). Cell–cellulose fiber interaction is the determinant signal in the cell–biomaterial responses, isolated from other frequently present interferences such as protein and other chemical traces usually present in cell culture matrices. Our results suggest that microarchitecture of hydrogel materials might determine the performance of biomedical products, such as bacterial cellulose tissue engineering constructs (BCTECs).     

The process of developing a nutrition-sensitive agriculture intervention: a multi-site experience

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) interventions are of increasing interest to those working in global health and nutrition. However NSA is a broad concept, and there are numerous candidate NSA interventions that could be implemented in any given setting. While most agriculture interventions can be made “nutrition-sensitive”, there are few guidelines for helping to decide what agriculture component should be tried in an NSA intervention. Based on previous models, we developed a framework with explicit questions about community factors (agricultural production, diets, power and gender), project factors (team capacity, budget, timelines) and external factors that helped our team of agriculture scientists, nutritionists and local officials identify NSA interventions that may be feasibly implemented with a reasonable chance of having positive agricultural and nutritional impacts. We applied this framework to two settings in upland Vietnam, and one setting in upland Thailand. From an initial list of nineteen interventions that have been tried elsewhere, or may reasonably be expected to be appropriate for NSA, five or six candidate interventions were chosen per site. Based on the criteria, three to four interventions were selected per site and are being implemented. Poultry rearing and home gardening were selected in each site. They and the other selected interventions, hold promise for capitalizing on underused agricultural potential to improve diets, while working with (or improving) existing gender relationships and power structures. The process for identifying NSA interventions was thorough and identified reasonable candidates, but it was very time consuming. Further efforts should focus on streamlining the process, so that promising and appropriate NSA interventions can be identified quickly and reliably.     

A Ginzburg–Landau model for material aging depending on temperature

ABSTRACT

We consider a model describing the behavior of a body subject to aging and fatigue. These phenomena are supposed to be affected by both mechanical and thermal effects. The material is assumed to be viscoelastic where the stress–strain relation is based on a new fractional derivative proposed in Caputo and Fabrizio. The order of derivative is regarded as a new variable whose evolution is ruled by a Ginzburg–Landau equation. The model also includes an evolutive equation for the temperature deducing from the first law of thermodynamics. In this article, thermodynamic compatibility is shown and some numerical simulations are performed.     

New optimization method based on energy management in microgrids based on energy storage systems and combined heat and power

Microgrids can be assumed as a solution model for green energy sources, energy storage systems, and combined heat and power (CHP) systems. In this work, the cost and emission minimization based on a demand response (DR) program is considered an optimization problem. To solve the mentioned problem a new multiobjective optimization algorithm (improved particle swarm optimization) is proposed based on a fuzzy mechanism to select the optimal value. The microgrid system includes two CHP units, fuel cell and battery systems, and the heat buffer tank. In this problem, two different feasible operating regions have been assumed in CHPs. Accordingly, to decrease the operational cost, time-of-use, and real-time pricing DR programs have been simulated, and the impacts of the mentioned models are evaluated overload profiles. The effectiveness of proposed models has been applied on different cases studies by different scenarios. The proposed model solved the DR program, time of use-DR and real-time pricing-DR problems. The proposed model could reduce the cost about 10%.     

Reactive blending of commercial PET and PC with freshly added catalysts

Reactive blending of commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and bisphenol A polycarbonate (PC), with catalysts added in the form of powder dispersed on the polymers just before melt mixing, was performed in a Brabender Plasticord 2000 apparatus at 275°C. Catalytic activity of the catalysts freshly added to polymers was found to be much higher as compared with that of the residues of the same type of catalysts remaining in PET after its synthesis. Furthermore, the catalytic activity appeared to be strongly dependent on the structure of the ligand that influences the catalyst solubility in the polymer melt. N.m.r. spectroscopy, selective degradation of PC fragments, solubility tests in methylene chloride and d.s.c. measurements made it possible to range the catalysts studied according to their catalytic activity.     

Mitochondrial Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase and Disease: The Yeast Contribution for Functional Analysis of Novel Variants

In most eukaryotes, mitochondrial protein synthesis is essential for oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) as some subunits of the respiratory chain complexes are encoded by the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mutations affecting the mitochondrial translation apparatus have been identified as a major cause of mitochondrial diseases. These mutations include either heteroplasmic mtDNA mutations in genes encoding for the mitochondrial rRNA (mtrRNA) and tRNAs (mttRNAs) or mutations in nuclear genes encoding ribosomal proteins, initiation, elongation and termination factors, tRNA-modifying enzymes, and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (mtARSs). Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) catalyze the attachment of specific amino acids to their cognate tRNAs. Differently from most mttRNAs, which are encoded by mitochondrial genome, mtARSs are encoded by nuclear genes and then imported into the mitochondria after translation in the cytosol. Due to the extensive use of next-generation sequencing (NGS), an increasing number of mtARSs variants associated with large clinical heterogeneity have been identified in recent years. Being most of these variants private or sporadic, it is crucial to assess their causative role in the disease by functional analysis in model systems. This review will focus on the contributions of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the functional validation of mutations found in mtARSs genes associated with human disorders.     

Towards a technological ripening index for olive oil fruits

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to study the evolution of sugar and oil contents in Frantoio cultivar olives during ripening in order to propose a technological ripening index for olive oil fruits. Olive fruits were picked at nine different farms once a week from the beginning of September to the beginning of December during three crop seasons. RESULTS: As a result of the biochemical phenomenon of oil formation in olive fruits, sugar concentration during ripening was shown to follow a sigmoidal decrease, which recurred periodically in different microclimates over years. This trend resulted to be the cause of an opposite sigmoidal increase in oil content. Experimental data for sugar and oil contents were also statistically related by significant linear relationships. In addition, it was observed that reaching a minimum environmental temperature of ⩽10 °C resulted in a definite minimum asymptotic value for sugars. CONCLUSION: Sugar concentration can be proposed as an accurate, reproducible index for technological ripening of olive oil fruits by the following prediction function: proper ripening degree of olives corresponds to achievement of a constant minimum value for sugar content and, consequently, a constant maximum value for oil content, associated with reduced risk of fermentation activities of olive paste. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

A delamination test for structural wood adhesives used in thick joints

A test method was developed for the measurement of delamination of structural wood adhesives applied in thick joints. Large differences were observed within a range of 8 commercial epoxy-based products.