Influence of the substitutional solute on the mechanical properties of Ti-Nb binary alloys for biomedical use

Titanium alloys are widely used in the manufacture of biomedical implants because they possess an excellent combination of physical properties and outstanding biocompatibility. Today, the most widely used alloy is Ti-6Al-4V, but some studies have reported adverse effects with the long-term presence of Al and V in the body, without mentioning that the elasticity modulus value of this alloy is far superior to the bone. Thus, there is a need to develop new Ti-based alloys without Al and V that have a lower modulus, greater biocompatibility, and similar mechanical strength. In this paper, we investigated the effect of Nb as a substitutional solute on the mechanical properties of Ti-Nb alloys, prepared in an arc-melting furnace and characterized by density, X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, hardness and elasticity modulus measurements. The X-ray and microscopy measurements show a predominance of the α phase. The microhardness values showed a tendency to increase with the concentration of niobium in the alloy. Regarding the elasticity modulus, it was observed a nonlinear behavior with respect to the concentration of niobium. This behavior is associated with the presence of the α phase.

Stability and dynamics of terrestrial planets in binary star systems: application on Alpha Centauri

Binary stars are frequent in the universe, with about 50% of the known main sequence stars being located at a multiple star system (Abt, 1979). Even though, they are universally thought as second rate sites for the location of exo-planets and the habitable zone, due to the difficulties of detection and high perturbation that could prevent planet formation and long term stability. In this work we show that planets in binary star systems can have regular orbits and remain on the habitable zone. We introduce a stability criterium based on the solution of the restricted three body problem and apply it to describe the short period planar and three-dimentional stability zones of S-type orbits around each star of the Alpha Centauri system. We develop as well a semi-analytical secular model to study the long term dynamics of fictional planets in the habitable zone of those stars and we verify that planets on the habitable zone would be in regular orbits with any eccentricity and with inclination to the binary orbital plane up until 35 degrees. We show as well that the short period oscillations on the semi-major axis is 100 times greater than the Earth's, but at all the time the planet would still be found inside the Habitable zone.

Zearalenone, an estrogenic mycotoxin, is an immunotoxic compound

The aim of this study was to assess the toxic effects of zearalenone (ZEA) on the immune function. Ovariectomised rats were treated daily by gavage with 3.0 mg/kg of ZEA for 28 days. Body weight gain, food consumption, haemotological parameters, lymphoid organs, and their cellularities were evaluated. Moreover, acquired immune responses and macrophage activity were also assessed. ZEA promoted reduction in body weight gain, which is not fully explained by diminished food consumption. Despite no effect on haematological parameters, ZEA caused thymic atrophy with histological and thymocyte phenotype changes and decrease in the B cell percentage in the spleen. With respect to acquired and innate immune responses, no statistically significant differences in delayed-type hypersensitivity were noticed; however, in the ZEA-treated rats, antibody production and peroxide release by macrophages were impaired. The observed results could be related to ZEA activity on ERs; thus, ZEA is an immunotoxic compound similar to estrogen and some endocrine disruptors.

Molecular origin of charge traps in polyfluorene-based semiconductors

The comprehensive control of morphology and structure is of extreme importance in semiconducting polymers when used as active layers in optoelectronic devices. In the work reported here, a systematic investigation of the structural and dynamical properties of poly(9,9-di-n-octyl-fluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole), known as F8BT, and their correlation with electrical properties is presented when the material is used as an active layer in optoelectronic devices. By means of X-ray diffraction, one observes that in thick layer films (thickness of about 4 μm) grown by drop-cast deposition, a solvent induced crystalline phase exists which evolves to a stable phase as the temperature is raised. This was not observed in thin films (thickness of about 250 nm) prepared by spin-coating within the investigated temperature range. By modeling the current-voltages characteristics of both thick and thin film devices, important information on the influence of crystallization on the trapping states could be drawn. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the charge carrier mobility was found to be closely related to that of the molecular relaxation processes. The understanding of the nature of such molecular relaxations, measured by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance methods, allows one to understand the importance of molecular relaxations and microstructure changes on the trap states of the system.

Structural and vibrational study of 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone: a potential metal-protein attenuating compound (MPAC) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

A comprehensive structural and vibrational study of the potential metal-protein attenuating compound 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone is reported. X-ray diffraction data, as well as FT-IR and Raman frequencies, were compared with the respective theoretical values obtained from DFT calculations. Theory agrees well with experiment. In this context, an attempt of total assignment concerning the FT-IR and Raman spectra of the title compound was performed, shedding new light on previous partial assignments published elsewhere.

Transformaciones basadas en el algoritmo Local Binary Pattern de imágenes capturadas con la Kinect para clasificación facial

Máster Universitario en Sistemas Inteligentes y Aplicaciones Numéricas en Ingeniería (SIANI)

Liquid-liquid equilibria in binary solutions formed by [Pyridinium-Derived][F4B] ionic liquids and alkanols:new experimental data and validation of a multiparametric model for correlating LLE data

[EN]Experimental solubility data are presented for a set of binary systems composed of ionic liquids (IL) derived from pyridium, with the tetrafluoroborate anion, and normal alcohols ranging from ethanol to decanol, in the temperature interval of 275 420 K, at atmospheric pressure. For each case, the miscibility curve and the upper critical solubility temperature (UCST) values are presented. The effects of the ILs on the behavior of solutions with alkanols are analyzed, paying special attention to the pyridine derivatives, and considering a series of structural characteristics of the compounds involved.

Correlation and prediction of mixing thermodynamic properties of ester-containing systems Ester+alkane and ester+ester binary systems and the ternary dodecane+ethyl pentonoate+ethyl ethanoate

[EN]Excess thermodynamic properties VE m and HE m, have been measured for the ternary mixture dodecane + ethyl pentanoate + ethyl ethanoate and for the corresponding binaries dodecane + ethyl pentanoate, dodecane + ethyl ethanoate, ethyl pentanoate + ethyl ethanoate at 298.15 K. All mixtures show endothermic and expansive effects. Experimental results are correlated with a suitable equation whose final form for the excess ternary quantity ME contains the particular contributions of the three binaries (i–j) and a last term corresponding to the ternary, all of them obtained considering fourth-order interactions.

Measurements and correlations of the isobaric vapor-liquid equilibria of binary mixtures and excess properties for mixtures containing and alkyl (Methyl, Ethyl) butanoate with an alkane (Heptane, Nonane) at 101.32 kPa.

[EN]In this work, the measurements of the isobaric vapor−liquid equilibrium (VLE) data at 101.32 kPa and the excess molar volumes (vE), obtained at 10 K intervals of temperature in the range (288.15 to 328.15) K, for four binary systems comprised of methyl or ethyl butanoate with two alkanes (heptane and nonane) are presented.

Multiproperty modeling for a set of binary systems. Evaluation of a model to correlate simultaneously several mixing properties of methyl ethanoate+alkanes and new experimental data

[EN] This work makes a theoretical–experimental contribution to the study of ester and alkane solutions. Experimental data of isobaric vapor–liquid equilibria (VLE) are presented at 101.3 kPa for binary systems of methyl ethanoate with six alkanes (from C5 to C10), and of volumes and mixing enthalpies, vE and hE.

Binary liquid-liquid equilibria for systems of mono or disubstituted haloakanes (Cl,Br) and pyiridinium based ionic liquids. Advances in the experimentation and interpretation of results

[EN]This work presents the measurements made to define the temperature−composition curves for a set of binary systems composed of several pyridinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) [bpy][BF4] and [bYmpy][BF4] (Y = 2,3,4) with mono- and dihaloalkanes (Cl and Br) in the temperature interval [280−473] K and at atmospheric pressure. With the exception of the short chain dichloroalkanes (1,1- and 1,2-), all the compounds present some degree of immiscibility with the ionic liquids selected.

Exploring the use of local binary patterns as focus measure

[EN]In this work local binary patterns based focus measures are presented. Local binary patterns (LBP) have been introduced in computer vision tasks like texture classification or face recognition. In applications where recognition is based on LBP, a computational saving can be achieved with the use of LBP in the focus measures. The behavior of the proposed measures is studied to test if they fulfill the properties of the focus measures and then a comparison with some well know focus measures is carried out in different scenarios.

Spontane-Desorption-Massenspektrometrie zur Charakterisierung von gemischten, selbstorganisierten Schichten zur Metallabscheidung und zur Beobachtung von chemischen Reaktionen in dünnsten Filmen

Spontane-Desorption-Massenspektrometrie zur Charakterisierung von gemischten, selbstorganisierten Schichten zur Metallabscheidung und zur Beobachtung von chemischen Reaktionen in dünnsten Filmen Stephan Krämer Ein Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, selbstorganisierte Schichten aus steifen benzolhaltigen Thiolen herzustellen und zu charakterisieren. Diese selbstorganisierten Schichten sollten als optimale Substrate zur Abscheidung von Metallen durch CVD dienen.In einem ersten Schritt wurden Schichten aus Biphenylthiol (BT) und Biphenyldithiol (BDT) auf Edelmetalloberflächen hergestellt. Die Abhängigkeit der Eigenschaften der Schicht von dem verwendeten Substrat und von der Dauer der Selbstorganisation wurde mit der Spontane-Desorption-Massenspektrometrie untersucht. Die Untersuchung der Schichtdicke erfolgte mit Oberflächenplasmonen-Spektroskopie und die Frage der Struktur der Schichten wurde versucht, mit Hilfe der Fourier-Transform-Infrarot-Spektroskopie zu klären. Nach der Charakterisierung der reinen Schichten wurden binäre Mischungen aus BT und BDT hergestellt und auf Goldoberflächen abgeschieden. Die so hergestellten binären Schichten wurden als Substrate zur Abscheidung von Gold benutzt. Dazu wurde mit Hilfe der CVD-Technik Gold auf den Filmen abgeschieden. Im nächsten Schritt wurden die einfacheren Halogen-substituierten Phenylthiole sowohl als reine Schichten als auch als binäre Mischungen untersucht. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt stellte die Untersuchungen zur Abscheidung von Metallen auf selbstorganisierten Schichten durch CVD dar. Neben der schon vorgestellten Abscheidung von Gold wurde die Abscheidung von Palladium und von Kupfer untersucht. Im letzten Teil dieser Arbeit wurden der Verlauf einer chemischen Reaktion in einem ultradünnen Polymerfilm beobachtet. Dazu wurden die Vernetzungsreaktion und die Hydrolyse des Copolymer P[tBMA1-co-DMIMA0,11] untersucht.