Effect of acidic etching and fluoride treatment on corrosion performance in Mg alloy AZ91D (MgAlZn)

Fluoride activation of Mg AZ91D die-cast alloy surfaces by ammonium fluoride pre-treatment is an important procedure in industry. The procedure forms a fluoride rich layer on the surface enabling the formation of coatings in a uniform manner during further treatments. The present study explores the time dependence of the sequential two-step pre-treatment process – acid etching in H₂SO₄ (first step) and steeping in NH₄F (second step) – on the corrosion properties of AZ91D alloy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) show the α phase to be selectively etched via a “peeling-off” mechanism that eventually leads to the undercutting and undermining of the β-phase network. After ammonium fluoride treatment, variations in structure and chemical composition of the fluoride rich layer were shown to depend on the underlying phase of the alloy surface by SEM and time-of-flight secondary-ion-mass-spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS). After step 1 (acid etching), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5% NaCl solution indicates greater charge transfer resistance (R_t) for samples of greater exposed β surface area. This greater R_t increases after step 2 (NH₄F steeping). Furthermore, the corrosion protection properties of F-coated AZ91D can be significantly enhanced by optimizing the durations of the two pre-treatment steps. Indeed, over extension of the duration of either step 1 or step 2 leads to deterioration of the overall corrosion resistance.     

Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and antihypertensive effect of fermented milk

Milk was fermented with a total of 25 lactic acid bacteria to assay in vitro inhibitory activity towards angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE). The tested strains belonged to Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lacobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus jensenii, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Lactococcus. raffinolactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris. The ACE inhibitory potencies of theses strains varied and seven of them showing the highest ACE inhibitory activity were selected for further studies. The development of ACE inhibitory activity during fermentation correlated with degree of hydrolysis. Modification of fermentation conditions or pH control did not affect the ACE inhibitory activity. ACE inhibitory compounds from Lb. jensenii fermented milk were isolated by reversed phase HPLC and identified by MS-analysis and amino acid sequencing. The active compounds were peptides from β-casein. The milk fermented with Lb. jensenii caused a transient reduction of blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.     

Usability of one-class classification in mapping and detecting changes in bare peat surfaces in the tundra

Arctic areas have experienced greening and changes in permafrost caused by climate change during recent decades. However, there has been a lack of automated methods in mapping changes in fine-scale patterns of permafrost landscapes. We mapped areal coverage of bare peat areas and changes in them in a peat plateau located in north-western Russia between 2007 and 2015. We utilized QuickBird and WorldView-3 satellite image data in an object-based setting. We compared four different one-class classifiers (one-class support vector machine, binary support vector machine, random forest, rotation forest) both in a fully supervised binary setting and with positive and unlabelled training data. There was notable variation in classification performance. The bare peat area F-score varied between 0.77 and 0.96 when evaluated by cross-validated training data and between 0.22 and 0.57 when evaluated by independent test data. Overall, random forest performed the most robustly but all classifiers performed well in some classifications. During the 8 year period, there was a 21%–26% decrease in the bare peat areal coverage. We conclude that (1) tested classifiers can be used in one-class settings and (2) there is a need to develop methods for tracking changes in single land cover types.     

Modelling and analysis of the oxidation influence on creep behaviour of thin-walled structures of the single-crystal nickel-base superalloy René N5 at 980 °C

Creep test results of thin-walled specimens of the single-crystal nickel-base superalloy René N5 at 980 °C under vacuum as well as under air show different creep properties depending on material thickness and atmosphere. The differences in creep strength and strain were analysed based on a creep-oxidation model. The model specifies the primary and secondary creep stages of thin-walled specimens by a sequence of layers. The model takes different zones affected by oxidation into account. Four layers were experimentally observed and considered in the model: oxide layer, γ′-free layer, γ′-reduced layer and the two-phase substrate in the sample as centre. Material parameters for growth laws of each layer were identified both by experimental analyses and by thermodynamic simulations. The final creep-oxidation model characterizes the creep behaviour of samples with small thicknesses and low initial stress with high accuracy.     

The tempering parameter for evaluating softening of hot and warm forging die steels

The tempering characteristics of three different hot and warm forging die steels (FX, 2714, and WF) were systematically studied over a range of temperatures (316–677 °C) and a range of times (1–300 h). The softening rate for each steel was determined by the change in room temperature hardness. In this study, the hardness data are quantitatively related to the tempering parameter via regression analysis. The tempering parameter (also known as the Hollomon–Jaffe parameter or the Larson–Miller parameter) accounts for the effects of both tempering time and tempering temperature. Room temperature hardness is a measure of the microstructural change that occurs during the tempering process. Results from this study show a bilinear softening as a function of the tempering parameter. For hot and warm forging application the second portion of the curve is more applicable, since these die steels are tempered to some extent before initial use. The slope of the curve can be used as a measure of softening, which is one of the contributing factors on how well the die steel will perform in actual forging operations. These results indicate that WF has the highest resistance to softening during use, FX is somewhat less resistance to softening, and 2714 is the least resistant of the three die steels studied.     

Ion mobility distributions during the initial stages of new particle formation by the ozonolysis of α-pinene

An ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) was used to study gas phase compounds during nucleation and growth of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). In this study SOA particles were generated by oxidizing α-pinene with O(3) and OH in a 6 m(3) reaction chamber. Positive ion peaks with reduced mobilities of 1.59 cm(2)(Vs)(-1) and 1.05 cm(2)(Vs)(-1) were observed 7 min after α-pinene and ozone were added to the chamber. The detected compounds can be associated with low volatility oxidation products of α-pinene, which have been suggested to participate in new particle formation. This is the first time that IMS has been applied to laboratory studies of SOA formation. IMS was found suitable for continuous online monitoring of the SOA formation process, allowing for highly sensitive detection of gas phase species that are thought to initiate new particle formation.     

The composition of the boundary region of MnS inclusions in stainless steel and its relevance in triggering pitting corrosion

Recently, controversy has arisen on the presence of a Cr-depleted zone around MnS inclusions in stainless steels and the relevance of such zones to pit initiation events. In the present work, we use a scanning Auger microscope (SAM) combined with simple pitting immersion tests to elucidate this question in more detail. The SAM analysis of 27 inclusions of a high S-containing DIN 1.4305 stainless steel indicated no Cr-depletion at the inclusion/matrix-interface with a lateral resolution of ±20 nm. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterization of the sample surface after an exposure to 10% FeCl₃ solution shows that pitting attack in all cases initiates at inclusion sites. Different pit initiation morphologies were observed (inside the inclusion, around the inclusion, mixed attack morphology). However, even the attack morphology “around an inclusion” cannot be ascribed to Cr depletion at the inclusion. Although in special cases (special composition or heat treatment history of the steel) a Cr-depleted may be induced at the matrix/inclusion-interface, the present work shows that this approach does not generally hold and therefore the presence of such a depletion zone cannot be the general explanation for pitting of stainless steels in the vicinity of inclusions.     

Further improvement of broad specificity hapten recognition with protein engineering

Sulfa-antibiotics (sulfonamides) are widely used in veterinarymedicine. Meat and milk from treated animals can be contaminatedwith sulfa residues. Current sulfonamide assays are unfit forscreening of food, because they are either too laborious, insensitiveor specific for a few sulfa compounds only. An immunoassay fordetection of all sulfas in a single reaction would be usefulfor screening. Previously we have improved the broad specificitysulfa binding of antibody 27G3 with random mutagenesis and phagedisplay. In order to improve the properties of this antibodyfurther, mutants from the previous study were recombined andmore mutations introduced. These new libraries were enrichedwith phage display and several different mutant antibodies wereisolated. The cross-reaction profile of the best mutant wasbetter than that of the wild-type antibody and the mutants ofthe previous study: it was capable of binding 10 of the tested13 sulfonamides within a narrow concentration range and alsobound the rest of the sulfas 5- to 11-fold better than the mutantsof the previous study.     

Folate, vitamin D, and iron intakes are low among pregnant Finnish women

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate dietary habits and nutrient intake of Finnish pregnant women, to relate these to the use of dietary supplements, and to explore possible dietary variations according to age and education. DESIGN: A random dietary survey using two five day estimated food records. SETTING: Pregnant women from 13 maternity clinics in the city of Oulu, Finland. SUBJECTS: One hundred and eighteen pregnant women in their third trimester. MAIN RESULTS: The main sources of energy were cereal products and milk products. The consumption of fish and poultry was low. Women with a higher educational level consumed more vegetables, fruit, fruit juices, and tea and less sausages, inner organs and coffee than women with a lower educational level. Younger women (< 25 y) consumed more sugar and pork and less berries, butter and inner organs than older women. On average 15% of the total energy was supplied by protein, 33% by fats, 52% by carbohydrates, and 12% by sucrose. Compared to the Nordic nutrition recommendations, the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids and the intake of dietary fibre were low and the intake of sugar high. The intakes of vitamins and minerals met or exceeded the recommended allowances, except for vitamin D, folate, and iron. Of the subjects 70% used dietary supplements. With the exception of vitamin D, folate, and iron, both the supplement users and non-users had an adequate nutrient intake from their diet. CONCLUSIONS: A balanced diet covers the increased nutrient requirements during pregnancy, with the exception for vitamin D, folate, and iron. The use of dietary supplements during pregnancy is excessive and partly focused on the wrong nutrients. Young and less educated, and smoking pregnant women need more nutritional guidance.     

Effect of betaine on the growth performance of chicks inoculated with mixed cultures of avian Eimeria species and on invasion and development of Eimeria tenella and Eimeria acervulina in vitro and in vivo

At 7 d postinoculation (DPI) with a mixed culture of avian Eimeria species, 21-d-old chicks maintained in batteries and floor pens on a diet containing 0.15% (3 lb/ton) betaine plus 66 ppm (60 g/ton) salinomycin were significantly heavier and had significantly lower feed conversion ratios and mortality than chicks fed diets containing 0.15% betaine or 66 ppm salinomycin alone, or the control diet. At 31 DPI, when the chicks were 45 d old, the differences between the diet groups were not as great as at 7 DPI. In vitro, except at high concentrations, betaine was nontoxic to sporozoites of Eimeria tenella or Eimeria acervulina and had little effect on their invasion and development in cultured cells. In vivo, invasion by E. tenella and E. acervulina sporozoites was significantly reduced in all chicks fed diets containing betaine or salinomycin compared with that in control chicks. There was a significant interaction between betaine and salinomycin that impacted on invasion by both species. Overall development of E. tenella did not appear to be adversely affected by addition of betaine to diets containing salinomycin. Conversely, development of E. acervulina was reduced in chicks fed diets containing 0.075% (1.5 lb/ton) betaine plus 66 ppm salinomycin as compared with that in chicks fed salinomycin alone.