A Damage-tolerant Bulk Metallic Glass at Liquid-nitrogen Temperature

Tensile tests and notch toughness tests were conducted on Zr61Ti2Cu25Al12 glass （ZT） at room temperature and liquid-nitrogen temperature. The tensile strength of ZT was improved from 1.63 GPa at room temperature to 1.72 GPa at liquid-nitrogen temperature. Micro-notches with a root radius of 1-3μm were introduced to test the notch toughness of ZT at room temperature and liquid-nitrogen temperature. The test results revealed that the notch toughness of ZT at liquid-nitrogen temperature is comparable to that of ZT at room temperature. The combination of high yield strength and notch toughness of ZT at liquid-nitrogen temperature is comparable to that of the best cryogenic engineering materials.     

Effect of isoflupredone acetate with or without insulin on energy metabolism, reproduction, milk production, and health in dairy cows in early lactation

Glucocorticoids are commonly used to treat cows with clinical ketosis and fatty liver disease, but their use is controversial. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effects of isoflupredone acetate alone or with insulin on the energy metabolism of dairy cows in early lactation in a large double-blind, randomized clinical trial. A total of 1,162 Holstein cows and first-lactation heifers were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 3 treatments between the day of parturition and 8 DIM: group A, 20 mg i.m. injection of isoflupredone and 100 units of insulin; group B, 20 mg i.m. injection of isoflupredone; group C (control group), 10 mL i.m. injection of sterile water. Treatments were randomized across 24 dairy farms located near Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Serum samples obtained at the time of treatment and at wk 1 and 2 following treatment were analyzed for β-hydroxybutyrate, nonesterified fatty acids, glucose, calcium, potassium, sodium, and chloride. Cows were assigned a body condition score at the time of enrollment. Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures mixed model that accounted for the effects of parity and body condition score, and the random effects of cow and farm. Cows that received isoflupredone with insulin and isoflupredone alone had higher β-hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations 1 wk after treatment compared with control cows. Cows that received isoflupredone acetate plus insulin had lower glucose concentrations at 1 wk after treatment. Calcium concentrations 1 wk after treatment were lower for cows that received isoflupredone and insulin or isoflupredone only compared with control cows. Serum sodium, potassium, and chloride concentrations were not influenced by treatment. The effect of treatment on the proportion of cows with subclinical ketosis was evaluated with a logistic regression model. Over the 2 wk following treatment, a significant increase in the prevalence of subclinical ketosis was observed in the isoflupredone plus insulin group relative to the control group. Among 972 cows that were not ketotic at enrollment, cows that received isoflupredone acetate plus insulin or isoflupredone acetate only were, respectively, 1.72 and 1.59 times more likely than control cows to develop subclinical ketosis 1 wk after treatment. There were no treatment effects on test-day milk production, milk fat and protein percentages, or the intervals from calving to first insemination or pregnancy.     

Prediction of the heat transfer rate of a single layer wire-on-tube type heat exchanger using ANFIS

In this paper, we applied an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model for prediction of the heat transfer rate of the wire-on-tube type heat exchanger. Limited experimental data was used for training and testing ANFIS configuration with the help of hybrid learning algorithm consisting of backpropagation and least-squares estimation. The predicted values are found to be in good agreement with the actual values from the experiments with mean relative error less than 2.55%. Also, we compared the proposed ANFIS model to an ANN approach. Results show that the ANFIS model has more accuracy in comparison to ANN approach. Therefore, we can use ANFIS model to predict the performances of thermal systems in engineering applications, such as modeling heat exchangers for heat transfer analysis.     

Progress Towards Metal Additive Manufacturing Standardization to Support Qualification and Certification

As the metal additive manufacturing (AM) industry moves towards industrial production, the need for qualification standards covering all aspects of the technology becomes ever more prevalent. While some standards and specifications for documenting the various aspects of AM processes and materials exist and continue to evolve, many such standards still need to be matured or are under consideration/development within standards development organizations. An important subset of this evolving the standardization domain has to do with critical property measurements for AM materials. While such measurement procedures are well documented, with various legacy standards for conventional metallic material forms such as cast or wrought structural alloys, many fewer standards are currently available to enable systematic evaluation of those properties in AM-processed metallic materials. This is due in part to the current lack of AM-specific standards and specifications for AM materials and processes, which are a logical precursor to the material characterization standards for any material system. This paper summarizes some of the important standardization activities, as well as limitations associated with using currently available standards for metal AM with a focus on measuring mission-critical properties. Technical considerations in support of future standards development, as well as a pathway for qualification/certification of AM parts enabled by the appropriate standardization landscape, are discussed.     

Addition of straw to the early-lactation diet: Effects on feed intake,milk yield,and subclinical ketosis in Holstein cows

This study evaluated feed intake, milk yield, and subclinical ketosis in dairy cows in early lactation fed 2 different diets postpartum. Cows are typically offered a high-energy ration immediately after calving. We compared a conventional high-energy total mixed ration (TMR) with a transition ration that contained chopped straw. We predicted that adding chopped straw would increase dry matter intake, milk production, and indicators of energy metabolism during the first 3 wk of lactation compared to cows fed a conventional high-energy TMR. We also predicted that carryover effects would be likely for at least 2 wk after treatment ended. A total of 68 mixed-age Holstein cows were enrolled in the study 3 wk before their expected calving. All cows were managed on a single high-forage diet during the dry period. At calving, cows were allocated to 1 of the 2 diets: half to the conventional high-energy TMR (CTMR; n = 34; net energy for lactation = 1.61 Mcal/kg; neutral detergent fiber = 31.7%), and the other half to a high-forage TMR containing chopped wheat straw, equivalent to 4.27% dry matter (STMR; n = 34; net energy for lactation = 1.59 Mcal/kg; neutral detergent fiber = 33.7%) for 3 wk after calving. Cows on STMR were then shifted to CTMR for the next 2 wk to study short-term residual effects on the performance of cows. Treatments were balanced for parity, body condition score, and body weight. Feed intake was measured daily from 2 wk before to 5 wk after calving using automatic feed bins. Blood was sampled twice weekly from 2 wk before to 5 wk after calving, and β-hydroxybutyrate and glucose were measured in serum samples. Subclinical ketosis was identified using a threshold of β-hydroxybutyrate ≥1.0 mmol/L in wk 1 after calving and ≥1.2 mmol/L in wk 2 to 5 after calving. Cows were milked twice daily, and weekly samples (composite samples of morning and afternoon milkings) were analyzed to determine total solids, fat, protein, lactose, and somatic cell count. Data were analyzed in 2 separate periods: the treatment phase (wk +1, +2, and +3) and the post-treatment phase (wk +4 and +5). The addition of straw to the TMR negatively affected the dry matter intake of STMR cows during wk 2 and 3 of lactation. Daily milk yield during the first 5 wk of lactation was lower in STMR cows than in CTMR cows. Concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate were higher in CTMR cows than in STMR cows during wk 1, but this effect was reversed during wk 2 and 3 of lactation. By 21 d in milk, STMR cows had a greater risk of developing subclinical ketosis than CTMR cows. Adding chopped wheat straw to the TMR during the first 21 d after calving lowered dry matter intake and provided no metabolic or production benefits to lactating dairy cattle.     

Hierarchical 3D starfish-like Ni3S4–NiS on reduced graphene oxide for high-performance supercapacitors

In this research, Ni₃S₄–NiS with starfish morphology was synthesized with a simple hydrothermal method and then hybridized with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as a material for high-performance supercapacitors. The crystal structure and morphology of the as-prepared materials were studied by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Uniform distribution of Ni₃S₄–NiS on rGO was observed from electron microscopy images. The results showed that Ni₃S₄–NiS/rGO with a specific capacitance of 1578 Fg^-1 and discharge time of 603 s at the current density of 0.5 Ag^-1 has more capacity and stability relative to Ni₃S₄–NiS. The cyclic stability after 5000 cycles showed that the Ni₃S₄–NiS/rGO electrode is stable, and 91% of its corresponding initial capacitance retained at the end of 5000 cycles. The good results in capacitance and stability of this electrode can be regarded as an improvement for the development of highly efficient and economic supercapacitors for portable electronic devices.     

Homotopy analysis method for solving multi-term linear and nonlinear diffusion–wave equations of fractional order

In this paper we have used the homotopy analysis method (HAM) to obtain solutions of multi-term linear and nonlinear diffusion–wave equations of fractional order. The fractional derivative is described in the Caputo sense. Some illustrative examples have been presented.     

Improving the transmission efficiency in eight-channel all optical demultiplexers

Photonic Network Communications - In order to improve the transmission efficiency in eight-channel optical demultiplexers, we are going to use novel resonant cavities for performing the wavelength...     

Crown ether complex cation ionic liquids: synthesis and catalytic applications for the synthesis of tetrahydro-4H-chromene and 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives

A series of crown ether complex cation ionic liquids (CECILs) are synthesized by crown ethers chelated with sodium benzenesulfonates, and used as a green and environmental catalyst, for the synthesis of tetrahydro-4H-chromene and 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives by three-component reactions of aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile with cyclic β-dicarbonyls or cyclic β-enaminoketones respectively, in H₂O/EtOH (1:1), at the reflux condition. CECILs, as a green and environmental catalyst, can be easily obtained and are stable. Furthermore, high conversions, short reaction times, and cleaner reaction profiles are some of the advantages of this method.