The densification and strength of porous Y-TZP materials with a bimodal particle size distribution for dental applications

In this study the densification behavior of bimodal Y-TZP powder compacts consisting of nano/sub-micron-sized particles was studied and an explanation for their improved flexural strength while biscuit-sintered is provided. An in situ-heating TEM analysis revealed that up to 800 °C only the nanoparticles sinter in a bimodal mixture without any densification. By increasing the temperature to 900 °C the densification of the nanoparticles begins and partially densified nanoparticle clusters migrate into the contact area between the core particles. Consequently, the driving force for the sintering of the powder-blend compacts is reduced and this is reflected in a slower densification compared to that of the core material. At 1000 °C the sintered nanoparticle clusters begin to incorporate into the core material, resulting in a sharp increase in the strength due to the increased neck area. Biscuit-sintered powder-blend compacts reached a plateau of strength at 670 MPa, which was reached at a relative density of 70%.     

Comparative Analyses of Medicinal Chemistry and Cheminformatics Filters with Accessible Implementation in Konstanz Information Miner (KNIME)

High-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) is, in conjunction with rapid advances in computer hardware, becoming a staple in drug design research campaigns and cheminformatics. In this context, virtual compound library design becomes crucial as it generally constitutes the first step where quality filtered databases are essential for the efficient downstream research. Therefore, multiple filters for compound library design were devised and reported in the scientific literature. We collected the most common filters in medicinal chemistry (PAINS, REOS, Aggregators, van de Waterbeemd, Oprea, Fichert, Ghose, Mozzicconacci, Muegge, Egan, Murcko, Veber, Ro3, Ro4, and Ro5) to facilitate their open access use and compared them. Then, we implemented these filters in the open platform Konstanz Information Miner (KNIME) as a freely accessible and simple workflow compatible with small or large compound databases for the benefit of the readers and for the help in the early drug design steps.     

Improvement of ammonia removal in activated sludge process with feedforward-feedback aeration controllers.

In the paper three linear aeration controllers that can be easily implemented are presented and evaluated on the activated sludge process pilot plant. Controllers differ according to the information that is used about the process, which can be oxygen in the last aerobic reactor, ammonia in the last aerobic reactor and ammonia in the influent. The aeration controllers that are addressed are: oxygen cascade PI controller, ammonia cascade PI controller and ammonia feedforward-cascade PI controller. Experiments show that, in comparison with the oxygen cascade PI controller, the ammonia cascade PI controller allows better control of effluent ammonia and airflow savings of around 23%, while the ammonia feedforward-cascade PI controller gives the best reduction of ammonia peaks and can save up to 45% of the airflow.     

Fully Transparent Friction‐Modulation Haptic Device Based on Piezoelectric Thin Film

Standing Lamb waves in vibrating plates enable haptic interfaces. If the out‐of‐plane displacement of these waves exceeds 1 µm at frequencies above 25 kHz, a silent friction modulation can be created between a human finger and a vibrating plate. A fully transparent friction‐modulation haptic device based on a piezoelectric thin film is demonstrated. The antisymmetric Lamb mode induced at 73 kHz allows for a functional performance that fulfills all conditions for practical use. Out‐of‐plane displacement reaches 2.9 µm when 150 V unipolar voltage is applied. The average transmittance of the whole transducer reaches 75%. The key points of this technology are: 1) a thin HfO₂ layer between lead zirconate titanate film and substrate that prevents chemical reaction between them; 2) the efficient integration of transparent indium tin oxide electrodes and solution‐derived piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate thin film onto optical‐grade fused silica; and 3) the use of a transparent insulating layer made of SU‐8 photoresist.     

Influence of natural antioxidants on the formation of trans‐fatty‐acid isomers during heat treatment of sunflower oil

The intake of foods containing trans fatty acids (TFAs) can have deleterious effects on human health, mainly on the cardiovascular system. Thus, it is important to consider the processes that form TFAs in foods, and the alternatives to minimise their formation. The influence of two added natural antioxidants on TFA formation during heat treatment (120 h at 180°C) of sunflower vegetable oil were examined: rosemary extract (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) (1 g per kg oil) and lutein (0.1 g per kg oil). Changes in FA composition were determined using Ag‐ion SPE and gas–liquid chromatography, with total polar compounds determined using dielectric constant measurements and the index of atherogenicity was calculated. Total TFAs with ≥1 trans double bond increased from 0.91 to 1.71% in control samples; this increase was significantly less with both rosemary extract (1.55%) and lutein (1.43%) additions. Among the individual TFAs, significant increases were seen for C18:1,t‐9, C18:2,t‐9,t‐12 and C18:2,c‐9,t‐12/9‐t,12‐c. Polar compounds also increased, with the highest concentrations in control samples, and significantly less with both rosemary extract and lutein additions. According to results of our study, we can summarize that addition of lutein have greater effect on reduction of TFA formation than rosemary extract. Practical applications: Antioxidants, particularly from plants, are widely used in the food industry. They can provide benefits in food preparation, including improving colour, odour and stability, acting as acid regulators and natural preservatives. They have also become accepted by customers and consumers, and so indirectly they have had effects on consumer perception. Addition of natural antioxidants such as rosemary extract is usually limited by the sensory characteristics of the food, with one study showing that addition of rosemary extract at 1–3 g per kg vegetable oil is recommended. The effects of antioxidants on the formation of TFAs in vegetable oils has not been well studied in the literature. Among the already known benefits, the use of such antioxidants as functional ingredients in lipid technologies might reduce the formation of TFAs during thermal treatment.     

Dielectric relaxations of lead zirconate titanate films up to millimeter-wave frequencies

Modern high-frequency applications critically depend on the availability of data on the dielectric properties of functional materials in the microwave and millimeter-wave range. This paper investigates the dielectric response of polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films prepared by solution deposition at frequencies between 10 MHz and 70 GHz and temperatures of 305–395 K by measuring the S-parameters of coplanar waveguides (CPW). The real and imaginary parts of the permittivity of the PZT film are de-coupled from the electrical properties of both the fused silica substrate and the copper electrodes. Two dielectric relaxations are identified: one around 850 MHz, with room-temperature permittivity dropping from 1080 to 560, and one around 36 GHz, with permittivity dropping below 100, respectively. The low-frequency relaxation shows a shift to lower frequencies with increasing temperature; it is explained by the conventional Arlt model of mechanical shear mode resonance across the film thickness. The high-frequency relaxation, which is practically independent of temperature, is attributed to the response of ferroelectric domain walls.