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Air Environment (air + environment)
Selected AbstractsCorrosion fatigue behaviour of a 15Cr-6Ni precipitation-hardening stainless steel in different tempersFATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 6 2000C.-K. Lin Systematic fatigue experiments, including both high-cycle axial fatigue (S,N curves) and fatigue crack growth (FCG, da/dN,,K curves), were performed on a precipitation-hardening martensitic stainless steel in laboratory air and 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Specimens were prepared in three tempers, i.e. solution-annealed (SA), peak-aged (H900) and overaged (H1150) conditions, to characterize the effects of ageing treatment on the corrosion fatigue (CF) resistance. S,N results indicated that fatigue resistance in all three tempers was dramatically reduced by the aqueous sodium chloride environment. In addition, the smooth-surface specimens in H900 temper exhibited longer CF lives than the H1150 ones, while those in SA condition stood in between. However, for precracked specimens, the H1150 temper provided superior corrosive FCG resistance than the other two tempers. Comparison of the S,N and FCG curves indicated that early growth of crack-like defects and short cracks played the major role in determining the CF life for smooth surface. The differences in the CF strengths for the S,N specimens of the given three tempers were primarily due to their inherent differences in resistance to small crack growth, as they were in the air environment. [source] Thermal properties of extruded/injection-molded poly(lactic acid) and biobased composites,,JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008Abdellatif A. Mohamed Abstract To determine the degree of compatibility between poly(lactic acid) and different biomaterials (fibers), poly(lactic acid) was compounded with sugar beet pulp and apple fibers. The fibers were added in 85 : 15 and 70 : 30 poly(lactic acid)/fiber ratios. The composites were blended by extrusion followed by injection molding. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were used to analyze the extruded and extruded/injection-molded composites. After melting in sealed differential scanning calorimetry pans, the composites were cooled through immersion in liquid nitrogen and aged (stored) at room temperature for 0, 7, 15, and 30 days. After storage, the samples were heated from 25 to 180°C at 10°C/min. The neat poly(lactic acid) showed a glass-transition transition at 59°C with a change in heat capacity (,Cp) value of 0.464. The glass transition was followed by crystallization and melting transitions. The enthalpic relaxation of the poly(lactic acid) and composites steadily increased as a function of the storage time. Although the presence of fibers had little effect on the enthalpic relaxation, injection molding reduced the enthalpic relaxation. The crystallinity percentage of the unprocessed neat poly(lactic acid) dropped by 95% after extrusion and by 80% for the extruded/injection-molded composites. The degradation was performed in air and nitrogen environments. The degradation activation energy of neat poly(lactic acid) exhibited a significant drop in the nitrogen environment, although it increased in air. This meant that the poly(lactic acid) was more resistant to degradation in the presence of oxygen. Overall, injection molding appeared to reduce the activation energy for all the composites. Sugar beet pulp significantly reduced the activation energy in a nitrogen environment. In an air environment, both sugar beet pulp and apple fibers increased the activation energy. The enzymatic degradation of the composites showed a higher degradation rate for the extruded samples versus the extruded/injection-molded composites, whereas the apple composites exhibited higher weight loss. The thermogravimetric analysis data showed that the degradation of unprocessed and extruded neat poly(lactic acid) followed a one-step mechanism, whereas extruded/injection-molded composites showed two-step degradation. A higher fiber content resulted in up to three-step degradation mechanisms. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008 [source] Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles and Titanium Oxide Nanofibers: Toward Multifibrous NanocompositesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 9 2010Fredrick O. Ochanda A new method was investigated to produce new multiscale fibrous nanocomposites comprised of titanium oxide (TiO2) nanofibers and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs). The process involved electrospinning TiO2 precursor solution containing colloidal solution of Ag NPs, and organic solvent (dimethyl- n,n -formamide) to fabricate a porous, nonwoven, free-standing nanofiber mesh. Postprocess heating of the electrospun nanofibers entailed calcination in air environment at 500°C for 3 h. Microemulsion processing was used to generate NPs of Ag in a monodispersed distribution throughout the colloidal solution. X-ray diffraction data were consistent with the anatase phase of TiO2, while transmission electron microscopy and hydrogen desorption measurements revealed a very porous microstructure. It was demonstrated that NP colloidal stability is solvent dependent. It is anticipated that incorporation of metal particles in nanofibers will lead to enhanced photocurrent generation, when used in functional devices. [source] Effects of indoor air purification by an air cleaning system (Koala technology) on semen parameters in male factor infertility: results of a pilot studyANDROLOGIA, Issue 3 2009R. Paradisi Summary A number of studies indicated a clear decline in semen quality in the past 30,50 years and there is accumulating evidence that this decline might result from exposure to high levels of air pollution. To examine the impact of environment on male reproductive ability, we undertook for the first time a pilot study on semen quality of infertile men exposed to purification of indoor air. Ten subjects with a history of unexplained male infertility and poor semen quality were exposed for at least 1 year to a cleaning indoor air system (Koala technology). The key feature of this air purifier is the unique innovative multiple filtering system. The treatment of total purification of indoor air showed neither improvements in semen parameters nor variation in reproductive hormones (P = N.S.), but induced an evident increase (P < 0.03 and more) in seminal leucocytic concentrations. Within the limits due to the small sample of subjects recruited, the sole purification of indoor air does not seem enough to improve semen quality, although the increase in leucocytic concentrations could indicate an activation of the role of immunosurveillance in a purified indoor air environment. [source] Structural Consideration of Mammalian D -Aspartyl EndopeptidaseCHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 6 2010Tadatoshi Kinouchi Abstract D -Aspartyl endopeptidase (DAEP) is a specific protease for D -aspartic acid (D -Asp)-containing protein, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related and misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, DAEP would serve as a defensive system against the noxious D -Asp-containing protein. However, it is unclear how DAEP exerts its unique enzymatic function, since its higher-order structure remains quite unsolved. In this study, we analyzed the conformation of purified DAEP from the mitochondrial membrane of mouse by atomic force microscopy the advantage of which is its ability to study biological macromolecules and even living organisms in an ambient air environment. DAEP formed a ring-like structure with a diameter of ca. 40,nm. Our data suggest that DAEP topologically belongs to the AAA+ protease family such as proteasome, Lon, and mitochondrial membrane-bound i-/m-AAA protease. [source] | ||||||||||