Evaluation of hydroxyapatite coatings on borate passivated 316L SS in Ringer's solution

Surgical grade stainless steel (316L SS) is one of the widely used implant material in orthopedic surgeries. But often the release of metal ions is evidenced from the implants and subsequently a second surgery is required to remove the implant material. One way to control this release of metal ions is to coat the implant material with a biocompatible material like hydroxyapatite. In this paper we have reported a successful coating of hydroxyapatite over borate passivated 316L SS by a dip coating method. The coatings were characterized by electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Also X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies were performed to confirm the quality of the coatings. Results of accelerated leach out characteristics by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP–AES) and the evaluation of shear strength are also presented to support the corrosion resistant nature of the coatings. The enhanced bio-resistivity of the as-formed HAP coatings on passivated 316L SS is attributed to the protective passive layer formed by borate buffer solution at selected potentials.     

Interactive multiscale tensor reconstruction for multiresolution volume visualization

Large scale and structurally complex volume datasets from high-resolution 3D imaging devices or computational simulations pose a number of technical challenges for interactive visual analysis. In this paper, we present the first integration of a multiscale volume representation based on tensor approximation within a GPU-accelerated out-of-core multiresolution rendering framework. Specific contributions include (a) a hierarchical brick-tensor decomposition approach for pre-processing large volume data, (b) a GPU accelerated tensor reconstruction implementation exploiting CUDA capabilities, and (c) an effective tensor-specific quantization strategy for reducing data transfer bandwidth and out-of-core memory footprint. Our multiscale representation allows for the extraction, analysis and display of structural features at variable spatial scales, while adaptive level-of-detail rendering methods make it possible to interactively explore large datasets within a constrained memory footprint. The quality and performance of our prototype system is evaluated on large structurally complex datasets, including gigabyte-sized micro-tomographic volumes.     

Mechanical,morphological and thermal properties of short carbon and aramid fibres-filled bromo-isobutylene-isoprene rubber vulcanised with 4, 4’ bis(maleimido)diphenylmethane

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the use of a combination of 4, 4’ bis(maleimido)diphenylmethane and ZnO as a high-temperature processable vulcanising agent for the short aramid and carbon fibre-filled bromo-isobutylene-isoprene rubber. The fibre breakage analysis, cure characteristics, mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of the composites were evaluated with different fibre loading. The fibre breakage analyses revealed that the aramid fibres have good length retention property compared to carbon fibres. The morphological analysis of the extracted aramid fibres showed severe surface roughness primarily due to fibrillation after shear mixing. The fibrillated aramid fibres lead to aggregation and poor dispersion of the fibres in the rubber matrix. However, fibrillation imparted surface roughness and increased surface area on the aramid fibres which improved the fibre–matrix interaction via mechanical anchoring. On the other hand, the carbon fibre-filled composite showed poor fibre–matrix interaction and inferior strength and modulus.     

A study on new benzotriazole derivatives as inhibitors on copper corrosion in ground water

The corrosion inhibition properties of newly synthesized 1-(2-pyrrole carbonyl)-benzotriazole (PCBT) and 1-(2-thienyl carbonyl)-benzotriazole (TCBT) in combination with the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) on metallic copper were studied in ground water environment and the results were compared with benzotriazole (BTA). Various electrochemical studies such as open circuit potential (OCP), potentiodynamic polarization, ac impedance and cyclic voltammetric (CV) were made. Surface analytical techniques like FT-IR and XRD were also performed. The results indicated that PCBT is a better corrosion inhibitor for copper and the formulation consisting of PCBT and TX-100 offered improved inhibition efficiency (IE) in a synergistic manner.     

Entropy analysis of MHD flow of Jeffrey fluid in an inclined channel

This study is aimed at investigating the influence of entropy analysis of magnetohydrodynamic flow of Jeffrey fluid in an inclined micro-channel in the presence of thermal radiation and field suction/injection. We have improved the mathematical model of the physical problem under consideration. The designed equations have been solved by applying the shooting-based fourth-order, Runge–Kutta method with the boundary conditions, which describe velocity slip and temperature jump conditions at the fluid–wall inter-face. Numerical efforts are described graphically and mentioned quantitatively concerning different parameters such as Jeffery parameter, Bejan number, and entropy generation embedded in the problem. The numerical results for the expression of the irreversibility ratio are obtained. It is observed that the wall inclination strengthens the entropy production rate in the micro-channel, and the thermal buoyancy layer induces an increase in fluid velocity as suction.     

Impact of Obesity-Induced Inflammation on Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD)

Overweight and obesity are key risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Obesity is currently presented as a pro-inflammatory state with an expansion in the outflow of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), alongside the expanded emission of leptin. The present review aimed to evaluate the relationship between obesity and inflammation and their impacts on the development of cardiovascular disease. A literature search was conducted by employing three academic databases, namely PubMed (Medline), Scopus (EMBASE), and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). The search presented 786 items, and by inclusion and exclusion filterers, 59 works were considered for final review. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) method was adopted to conduct quality assessment; 19 papers were further selected based on the quality score. Obesity-related inflammation leads to a low-grade inflammatory state in organisms by upregulating pro-inflammatory markers and downregulating anti-inflammatory cytokines, thereby contributing to cardiovascular disease pathogenesis. Because of inflammatory and infectious symptoms, adipocytes appear to instigate articulation and discharge a few intense stage reactants and carriers of inflammation. Obesity and inflammatory markers are strongly associated, and are important factors in the development of CVD. Hence, weight management can help prevent cardiovascular risks and poor outcomes by inhibiting inflammatory mechanisms.     

SBR-clay-carbon black hybrid nanocomposites for tire tread application

Styrene butadiene rubber-organoclay nanocomposites were prepared with Cloisite 15A via melt intercalation. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy indicated that the nanostructures are partially exfoliated and intercalated. The nanocomposites exhibited great improvements in tensile strength and tensile modulus. The incorporation of organoclay gave rise to considerable reduction of tan delta and increase in storage modulus in the rubbery region. It is shown that after 6 phr (parts per hundred rubber) clay loading there is not much increase in the properties. The effect of carbon black (N330) on mechanical properties, dynamic mechanical properties, heat build up, abrasion resistance in the nanocomposites having the optimized clay level (6 phr) was investigated. Optimum results were obtained with the addition of 25 phr carbon black. For comparison with the 6phr nanoclay and 25phr N330 (high abrasion furnace carbon black) filled SBR composites, 40 phr N330 filled SBR composites was used. The 6phr organoclay and 25phr N330 filled SBR nanocomposite showed better properties than 40phr carbon filled SBR compound. These results indicate that 6phr organoclay can be replaced by 15 phr carbon black from the conventional SBR-carbon black based tire tread compounds. The Dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) results revealed that the new tire tread compound gives better rolling resistance and comparable wet grip resistance and lower heat build up than that of conventional tread compound.