Oxidation Mechanism of Ni—20Cr Foils and Its Relation to the Oxide-Scale Microstructure

The oxidation behavior of Ni—20Cr foils of 100- and 200-m thickness wasstudied in air between 500 and 900°C. Simultaneously, the morphology,microstructure, and composition of the oxide layers were determined byscanning and transmission electron microscopies. Depending on thetemperature, the oxide layer differed significantly. The scale formedat all temperatures was complex, with an outer NiO layer having columnargrains, and an inner layer of equiaxedNiCr₂O₄+NiO+Cr₂O₃ grains. At low temperatures (500 and 600°C),the chromium content was insufficient to form a continuousCr₂O₃ layer, while such a continuous layer formed at theinner interface at oxidation temperatures of 700 to 900°C. At 600°C,internal oxidation of chromium occurred in the substrate. The oxidationmechanism is described taking into account these morphologies and theoxidation kinetics. The observation of no significant differences betweenthe oxidation behavior of thin strips and thick materials is related to thelimited exposure times of the study.     

The need to quantify right-to-left shunt in acute ischemic stroke: a case-control study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although right-to-left shunt (RLSh) has been reported to be significantly more frequent in young stroke patients with cryptogenic stroke, its relevance in a nonselected population of acute ischemic stroke is not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of the RLSh magnitude as a risk factor for stroke in nonselected patients. METHODS: Two hundred eight patients hospitalized consecutively with transient ischemic attack or acute cerebral infarction and 100 healthy control subjects were studied. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) was performed in both middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) after intravenous application of agitated saline solution. The magnitude of RLSh was quantified by counting the number of signals in 1 MCA during a Valsalva maneuver. RLSh was classified as "no shunt," "small" (< 10 signals), and "large" (> 10 signals), with the latter including the "shower" (> 25 signals) and "curtain" (uncountable signals) patterns. Extensive investigations, including contrast transesophageal echocardiography, were carried out on patients diagnosed as suffering from stroke of an uncertain etiology. The importance of RLSh for stroke was assessed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Contrast TCD detected a large RLSh in 40 (19.7%) patients and in 21 (21%) control subjects, all with cardiac RLSh characteristics. A large RLSh was present in 4.7% of atherothrombotic strokes, 10.5% of cardioembolic strokes, 15.4% of lacunar strokes, and 45.3% of cryptogenic strokes (P<0.001). Although the overall frequency of RLSh was not significantly different between patients and control subjects, the detection of curtain or shower patterns by contrast TCD was associated with a higher risk of stroke (odds ratio, 3.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.29 to 9.87), particularly with cryptogenic stroke (odds ratio, 12.4; 95% confidence interval, 4.08 to 38.09) after adjustment for concomitant vascular risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to quantify RLSh by contrast TCD during the Valsalva maneuver given that only those with shower and curtain patterns are associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke in a nonselected population.     

Room-temperature magnetic refrigerator using permanent magnets

A magnetic refrigerator device based on adiabatic magnetic refrigeration is described. The magnetic material is cyclically magnetized and demagnetized by permanent magnets in an adiabatic process. A temperature difference of 1.6 K between the hot and cold regions was obtained under a low magnetic field (0.3 T). Gadolinium was the magnetic material used in experiments at room temperature. The range of working temperatures is between 70 and 300 K for a variety of active magnetic materials. The optimized experimental setup increased the device efficiency by achieving a temperature difference between hot and cold sources up to 5 K     

Wolfram syndrome: a neuropathological study

Neuropathological examination was carried out on a patient aged 37 years who had suffered from Wolfram syndrome. Atrophy of the olfactory bulbs and tracts, atrophy of the optic nerves and chiasm, loss of neurons in the lateral geniculate nuclei mainly affecting the small cell layers, atrophy of the superior colliculus, loss of fibers in the cochlear nerve and mild loss of neurons in the cochlear nuclei and inferior colliculus, mild olivopontocerebellar atrophy, and demyelination of the pyramidal tracts were the main neuropathological findings. These correlated with anosmia, loss of vision, loss of hearing, cerebellar symptoms and signs, Babinski sign, and clonus, respectively, clinically observed in this patient. Mild neuron loss and gliosis in the preoptic and paraventricular area of the hypothalamus and mild motor neuron loss in the spinal cord did not reach thresholds of impaired function, although loss of neurons in discrete bulbar nuclei might have accounted for the late episode of food aspiration and suffocation. The relationship between memory loss, personality disturbances, and signs of prefrontal release and mild loss of neurons in the anterior and dorso-medial nuclei of the thalamus remains unclear.     

Influence of Laser Welding on the Alumina Growth on a Thin FeCrAl-RE Foil at High Temperature

We study isothermal oxidation of laser welded FeCrAl-RE samples containing specific fractions of seams in a bead-on-plate configuration at approximately 900°C using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) techniques. An important reduction in the alumina-growth rate over the fusion zone compared to the base material occurs at 900°C, thereby, suppressing the discontinuous increase in mass gain commonly observed for alumina-forming alloys when the temperature decreases from 1000°C to 900°C. This phenomenon is mainly related to the concomitant dramatic chromium carbide precipitation at the fusion zone/oxide film interface and possible earlier injection of the rare earth elements into the oxide layer. On one hand, chromium carbide precipitation, which is linked to the laser melting-induced high free carbon, contributes to improve the effectiveness of the diffusion barrier provided by the thermally growing scale. On the other hand, due to their initial high enrichment at the fusion zone surfaces, rare earth elements can penetrate in the oxide layer and promote the elimination of detrimental phase transformation of metastable platelets (γ,θ-Al₂O₃) to α-Al₂O₃ during the initial stages of oxidation.     

Nonlinear response of masonry wall structures subjected to cyclic and dynamic loading

The assessment of the dynamic or seismic performance of complex structures often requires the integration in the time domain of the structural equation of motion in the frame of a nonlinear analysis. Although sophisticated methods have been developed for the nonlinear analysis of masonry wall structures, including the macro- and micro-modeling approaches, these require large computational effort still limiting the extent and complexity of the structures analyzed. This paper presents an alternative method based on the Generalized Matrix Formulation for masonry skeletal structures and load bearing wall systems, which has been proved as an efficient formulation for the analysis of the strength capacity of these kinds of structures (Roca et al. (2005) [17]). The basic formulation has been complemented with a uniaxial cyclic constitutive model for masonry and a time integration scheme. The ability of the resulting approach to predict the nonlinear dynamic response of masonry structures is shown through its application to the time domain analysis of an experimental scale masonry building with available experimental results on its dynamic response.     

Experimental and analytical study of the structural response of segmental tunnel linings based on an in situ loading test.: Part 1: Test configuration and execution

During the last years the use of segmental linings in tunnels bored with tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have increased considerably. Despite this, uncertainties remain on the structural behavior of segmental tunnel linings. To overcome them, a new methodology for an in situ real scale test on this kind of tunnels was developed and applied on an experimental section placed at the new Line 9 (L9) of the metro of Barcelona. The main particularity of this test falls on its performance in the definitive placement of the rings and, therefore, in the real work conditions of the tunnel. The main advantage to previous real scale test experiences was the consideration of the real ground–structure interaction. The experimental section was composed by 15 rings built using steel fibers as a unique reinforcement. Significant loads were applied to the tunnel crown (max 3000 kN) by means of three hydraulic flat jacks embedded at the extrados of the loaded ring. A complete set of internal and external instrumentation was placed on the experimental section to obtain the necessary measurements to characterize the lining behavior. Such measurements were intensively treated and its main results are presented and analyzed in detail in this paper. This in situ test provides significant evidences of the structural response of SFRC segmental tunnel linings in hard ground conditions.     

Metallation of Isatin (2,3-Indolinedione). X-Ray Structure and Solution Behavior of Bis(Isatinato)Mercury(II)

The first X-ray structure of an isatin (2,3-indolinedione, isaH) metal complex, bis(isatinato)memury(II) (C(16)H(8)N(2)O(4)Hg) (1), was determined. (1) was obtained from the reaction of isaH with mercury(II) acetate in methanol. Analogously, treatment of sodium saccharinate and mercury(II) acetate in methanol yielded Hg(saccharinato)(2) (*)0.5CH(3)OH (3). (1) crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/ a with a = 7.299(1) A, b = 8.192(1) A, c = 11.601(1) A , beta = 105.82(1) degrees , V = 667.4 A(3), Z = 2, D(calc) = 2.452 g cm(-3), MoKalpha radiation(lambda = 0.71073 A), mu = 115.5 cm(-1), F(000) = 460, 21(1) degrees C. The structure was refined on the basis of 2023 observed reflections to R= 0.044. The two deprotonated, non coplanar isa ligands are trans to each other in a head to tail orientation and bound to the Hg through the nitrogen in a linear N-Hg-N arrangement. The Hg atom is at the center of symmetry of the complex and displaced by 0.62 A from the two planes of the isa ligands (tau Hg-N1-C2-O2= -16 degrees ). The Hg-N bond length is 2.015 A. Nopi-aryl-memury(ll)-pi-aryl stacking interaction was observed either in the solid state or in the solution state. The IR, electronic, and (1)H and (13)CNMR spectral data of (1) and (3) suggest binding of the memury to the heterocyclic nitrogen, in agreement with the crystal structure determination of (1).     

An iron-based T 1 contrast agent made of iron-phosphate complexes: In vitro and in vivo studies

A new iron-based T ₁ contrast agent consisting of a complex of iron ions coordinated to phosphate and amine ligands (Fe_(phos) in short) has been characterized by spectroscopic and magnetic measurements. NMR relaxation studies showed r ₁ values to be dependent on the phosphate salt concentration, K₂HPO₄, present in the medium. r ₁ reaches a maximum value of 2.5 mM^?1 s^?1 for measurements carried out at 7 T and 298 K. ³¹P MRS, Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements of Fe_(phos) solutions suggest paramagnetic Fe³⁺ ions present in the studied iron–phosphate complex. In vitro and in vivo toxicity experiments with C6 cells and CD1 mice, respectively, demonstrated lack of toxicity for Fe_(phos) at the highest dose tested in the MRI experiments (12 mM iron for C6 cells and 0.32 mmol iron/kg for mice). Finally, T ₁ weighted images of brain tumours in mice have shown positive contrast enhancement of Fe_(phos) for tumour afflicted regions in the brain.