Analysis Of Defects Research Articles

Development of an online optical prototype for the simultaneous analysis of defects or gels in industrially synthesized polypropylene films. Part 1: Comparison with ASTM D 3351–93 methods

Polypropylene (PP) films are crucial in various industrial applications, from packaging to medical products. However, a common challenge in PP manufacturing is the presence of gel-like defects. These gels are minor defects on the surface of the films that significantly affect the physicochemical, mechanical, and organoleptic properties of the films, compromising the quality of the final product. This first research focuses on developing and validating an in-line optical method to replace the international method ASTM D 3351–93. The main objective was to create a methodology that has the same scope and analytical performance as those reported by ASTM D 3351–93 in such a way that it can compete with it in terms of precision and accuracy, thus allowing end users to this ASTM, such as PP producers, PP marketers, PP film producers, among others internationally, can use this new methodology with necessary analytical support. This analytical methodology integrates the PP extrusion zones, the film processing stages, and the optical zone for reading and processing analytical data. Additionally, it has the advantage of working with a sample size that is even more representative of the population and has less human error since only one operator is required to carry out the test; this method also has much shorter response times. The developed prototype had 14 online stages that allowed representative quantities of samples to be taken and processed thermally and mechanically for ideal optical measurement. For the online method, a 6-point calibration curve is carried out at concentrations of 40, 10, 5, 2, 1 and 0 ppm for the gel or defect sizes of 200, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800 and 900 µm, showing excellent linearity where the correlation coefficient varied between 0.997 and 0.999, the limits of detection (LOD) varied between 0.85 and 2.61 and the limits of quantification (LOQ) ranged between 2.82 and 8.71. The statistical analyzes by ANOVA of the comparison between the ASTM D 3351–93 method and the proposed simultaneous method indicate that the p value of the evaluation of the means was 0.946, which suggests that the means are not statistically different. To complement, the Tukey test was carried out at 95 %, indicating that the methods have statistical equivalence.•Process optimization•Determination of defects or imperfections in PP films

The effect of mofettes and natural carbonated mineral water on accelerating bone healing in a femoral defect model in rats

Abstract: (1) Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the effecs of mofettes and car-bonated mineral water baths on bone healing using a rat femoral defect model; (2) Methods: A 2mm diameter unicortical defect in the left femoral diaphysis in 40 Wistar Rats was surgically created. Furthermore, the subjects were divided into 4 treatment-groups: control, mofette therapy, mofette therapy and carbonated mineral water bath, and carbonated mineral water bath. At the end of the 2-week treatment and at 4 and 6 weeks, the animals were evaluated through Micro-CT analysis of the bone defect and histological analysis of bone tissue and skin; (3) Results: The pro-cesses of bone consolidation and repair are not completed at 6 weeks in all groups. However, comparing the proliferated bone tissue in the created orifice and the degree of thickening of the femoral wall, it can be affirmed that at 6 weeks, the best results are present in Group 4, treated with carbonated mineral water baths, followed by the combination of mofettes and carbonated water. (4) The use of these treatments could open a new possibility for shortening the healing time in patients with bone defects, as it is non-invasive and accessible.

Laser Three-Dimensional incremental Multi-Routine interval scanning for quantitative removal of CFRP: Defect Analysis, ablation mechanism and strategy optimization

Deliberating on the necessity for precise removal of impaired sectors within the realm of aerospace industry's composite material rehabilitation, a novel method is proposed using a nanosecond laser to achieve quantitative removal of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) via the three-dimensional incremental multi-routine interval scanning (3D-IMRIS). This study for the first time establishes a finite element simulation of multi-routine laser machining CFRP considering anisotropy, which aims at combining experiments and numerical simulation to analyze the ablation mechanism of CFRP in different modes, and optimize the removal strategy. The results reveal that the processing defects mainly consist of fiber expansion and thermal damage. This expansion can be attributed to the reconfiguration of carbon atoms in the fibers exhibiting a low level of graphitization, induced by transient heating and high-temperature gradients caused by laser interaction. In addition, the primary removal mechanisms for CFRP composites are photothermal ablation and thermo-mechanical peeling effect. The 3D-IMRIS mode effectively addresses the challenge of heat accumulation during laser processing by redirecting it towards heat utilization, resulting in a remarkable 94.2% reduction in the overall back Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ). Furthermore, the optimized scanning strategy increased material removal efficiency by 308.7% during 32 repeated scans, while the micro surface defects are also less.

Analysis of CdS/CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells as a Function of CdS Doping Concentration: A Numerical Simulation Perspective

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) photovoltaics, incorporating a thin film of Cadmium Sulfide (CdS), present a costeffective yet less efficient solar cell technology. Improving CdS/CdTe solar cell efficiency involves optimizing parameters like doping concentration and CdS layer thickness. However, limited research on cell defects necessitates a comprehensive analysis, including the often-overlooked impact of temperature. This study aims to analyze defect-free and defective CdS/CdTe solar cells, exploring the effects of doping concentration and other parameters. Using the SCAPS-1D simulator, design parameter variations will be investigated, and key metrics— open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), fill factor (FF), and efficiency (η)—will be extracted. Simulation results indicate minimal efficiency impact from increased doping concentration in the ntype CdS layer for defect-free devices. The optimal doping concentration for CdS is 5 × 10<sup>18</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>, with an optimum electron affinity of 4.0 eV. CdS thickness shows no significant efficiency impact, with the chosen optimum at 10 nm. In the defect-free CdS/CdTe solar cell, key metrics were Voc: 1.06 V, Jsc: 24.60 mA cm<sup>-2<sup>, FF: 87.89%, and η: 23.01%. Analysis of defects revealed single acceptor defects significantly impacting solar cell performance in both interfacial and bulk defects. Defect structure simulations demonstrated that increasing doping concentration, decreasing electron affinity, and thickness enhance efficiency. New optimum values for these parameters—1 × 10<sup>18</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>, 4.0 eV, and 10 nm—yielded Voc: 1.03 V, Jsc: 23.88 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>, FF: 87.15%, and η: 21.40%. Additionally, a temperature decrease was associated with increased efficiency.

A novel mitochondrial DNA variant in MT-ND6: m.14430A>C p.(Trp82Gly) identified in a patient with Leigh syndrome and complex I deficiency

Leigh syndrome is a severe progressive mitochondrial disorder mainly affecting children under the age of 5 years. It is caused by pathogenic variants in any one of more than 75 known genes in the nuclear or mitochondrial genomes.A 19-week-old male infant presented with lactic acidosis and encephalopathy following a 2-week history of irritability, neuroregression and poor weight gain. He was hypotonic with pathological reflexes, impaired vision, and nystagmus. Brain MRI showed extensive bilateral symmetrical T2 hyperintense lesions in basal ganglia, thalami, and brainstem. Metabolic workup showed elevated serum alanine, and heavy lactic aciduria with increased ketones, fumarate, malate, and alpha-ketoglutarate as well as reduced succinate on urine organic acid analysis. Lactic acidemia persisted, with only a marginally elevated lactate:pyruvate ratio (16.46, ref. 0–10). He demised at age 7 months due to respiratory failure.Exome sequencing followed by virtual gene panel analysis for pyruvate metabolism and mitochondrial defects could not identify any nuclear cause for Leigh syndrome. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome sequencing revealed 88% heteroplasmy for a novel variant, NC_012920.1(MT-ND6):m.14430A>C p.(Trp82Gly), in blood DNA. This variant was absent from the unaffected mother's blood, fibroblast, and urine DNA, and detected at a level of 5% in her muscle DNA.Mitochondrial respiratory chain analysis revealed markedly reduced mitochondrial complex I activity in patient fibroblasts (34% of parent and control cells), and reduced NADH-linked respirometry (less than half of parental and control cells), while complex II driven respirometry remained intact. The combined clinical, genetic, and biochemical findings suggest that the novel MT-ND6 variant is the likely cause of Leigh syndrome in this patient. The mitochondrial ND6 protein is a subunit of complex I.An interesting finding was the absence of a significantly elevated lactate:pyruvate ratio in the presence of severe lactatemia, which directed initial diagnostic efforts towards excluding a pyruvate metabolism defect. This case highlights the value of a multidisciplinary approach and complete genetic workup to diagnosing mitochondrial disorders in South African patients.

Computational study and ion diffusion analyses of native defects and indium alloying in β-Ga2O3 structures

Wide band gap semiconductors like gallium oxide are promising materials for high-power optoelectronic device applications. We show here a combined density functional theory and molecular dynamics study of diffusion pathways for different defects in β-Ga2O3. Molecular dynamics simulations result in a smaller equilibrium volume compared to density functional theory, but the overall lattice remains relatively unchanged even with the inclusion of defects, outside of the local distortions that occur to accommodate the presence of a defect. Slight thermal expansion occurs with elevated temperature and a combination of electron localization function and Bader charge analysis reveals that the oxygen interstitial is the most mobile defect as temperature is increased. However, interstitial cations may diffuse at elevated temperature due to a relatively small amount of charge transfer between the defect and lattice. The mobile oxygen defects are shown to increase the mobility of oxygen ions from the lattice, which can be beneficial for electrochemical applications when controlled through annealing processes.

Semi-supervised segmentation of metal-artifact contaminated industrial CT images using improved CycleGAN.

Accurate segmentation of industrial CT images is of great significance in industrial fields such as quality inspection and defect analysis. However, reconstruction of industrial CT images often suffers from typical metal artifacts caused by factors like beam hardening, scattering, statistical noise, and partial volume effects. Traditional segmentation methods are difficult to achieve precise segmentation of CT images mainly due to the presence of these metal artifacts. Furthermore, acquiring paired CT image data required by fully supervised networks proves to be extremely challenging. To address these issues, this paper introduces an improved CycleGAN approach for achieving semi-supervised segmentation of industrial CT images. This method not only eliminates the need for removing metal artifacts and noise, but also enables the direct conversion of metal artifact-contaminated images into segmented images without the requirement of paired data. The average values of quantitative assessment of image segmentation performance can reach 0.96645 for Dice Similarity Coefficient(Dice) and 0.93718 for Intersection over Union(IoU). In comparison to traditional segmentation methods, it presents significant improvements in both quantitative metrics and visual quality, provides valuable insights for further research.

Analysis of metallurgical defects in enamel steel castings

Abstract The relevant experiments and studies were conducted to address the metallurgical defects such as subcutaneous bubbles and slag inclusions occurring during the enamel steel continuous casting process. According to the high-temperature experimental results, calculations were made to determine the changes in viscosity and tension due to the steel reaction with the slag. Based on the experimental findings, there was a notable variation in the content of SiO2 and Al2O3 in the slag before and after the reaction. The concentration of the element Al in the steel melt significantly decreased, whereas the concentration of Ti showed a minimal change. These observations indicate that the reduction of SiO2 at the slag–steel interface is predominantly attributed to the role of Al. The calculation results showed that at 300 s of reaction time, the viscosity rapidly increased from 0.108 to 0.133 Pa·s and then slowly increased to 0.155 Pa·s; The interfacial tension rapidly decreased from its initial value of 1,380 mJ·m−2 to a minimum of 1,320 mJ·m−2, and it then slowly increased to an equilibrium state. Therefore, the main cause of the occurrence of porosity defects in the enamel steel continuous casting process is the reduction of interfacial tension between slag, steel, and gas caused by the reaction between the slag and steel, as well as the foaming of the slag.

Failure analysis on abnormal cracking of the main landing gear door of a civil aircraft

Among the myriad structural and moving components integral to civil aircraft, only a select few confront the dual challenges of meeting aerodynamic and mechanical performance criteria, a circumstance exemplified by landing gear doors. The failure of landing gear poses a substantial threat to both the structural integrity and the safety of an aircraft during flight. Surprisingly, the existing literature lacks an in-depth investigation into the failure of landing gear doors. This paper addresses this gap by examining the abnormal cracking failure observed in the main landing gear door of a civil aircraft. The purpose of this paper is to find out the root cause of the failure, so a comprehensive investigation of the landing gear outer door is carried out. This investigation employed various techniques, including computed tomography, three-dimensional scanning analysis, macroscopic and microscopic morphology analysis using optical microscopy, three-dimensional stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and micro-area composition analysis using energy dispersive spectrometry. Through repeated sorting and comprehensive analysis of various failure forms and defects, the root causes of the main landing gear door failure were conclusively identified. Evidence revealed that the crack originated at the upper edge corner of the main landing gear door, precisely where abnormal contact and wear with the hinge joint occurred. Targeted countermeasures were proposed from aspects such as design, manufacturing, and installation, and the suggested improvements were adopted.

Metabolites rapid-annotation in mice by comprehensive method of virtual polygons and Kendric mass loss filtering: A case study of Dendrobium nobile Lindl

With significant advancements in high-resolution mass spectrometry, there has been a substantial increase in the amount of chemical component data acquired from natural products. Therefore, the rapid and efficient extraction of valuable mass spectral information from large volumes of high-resolution mass spectrometry data holds crucial significance. This study illustrates a targeted annotation of the metabolic products of alkaloid and sesquiterpene components from Dendrobium nobile (D. nobile) aqueous extract in mice serum through the integration of an in-houses database, R programming, a virtual metabolic product library, polygonal mass defect filtering, and Kendrick mass defect strategies. The research process involved initially establishing a library of alkaloids and sesquiterpenes components and simulating 71 potential metabolic reactions within the organism using R programming, thus creating a virtual metabolic product database. Subsequently, employing the virtual metabolic product library allowed for polygonal mass defect filtering, rapidly screening 1705 potential metabolites of alkaloids and 3044 potential metabolites of sesquiterpenes in the serum. Furthermore, based on the chemical composition database of D. nobile and online mass spectrometry databases, 95 compounds, including alkaloids, sesquiterpenes, and endogenous components, were characterized. Finally, utilizing Kendrick mass defect analysis in conjunction with known alkaloids and sesquiterpenes targeted screening of 209 demethylation, methylation, and oxidation products in phase I metabolism, and 146 glucuronidation and glutathione conjugation products in phase II metabolism. This study provides valuable insights for the rapid and accurate annotation of chemical components and their metabolites in vivo within natural products.

Computational Prediction of an Antimony-Based n-Type Transparent Conducting Oxide: F-Doped Sb2O5.

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) possess a unique combination of optical transparency and electrical conductivity, making them indispensable in optoelectronic applications. However, their heavy dependence on a small number of established materials limits the range of devices that they can support. The discovery and development of additional wide bandgap oxides that can be doped to exhibit metallic-like conductivity are therefore necessary. In this work, we use hybrid density functional theory to identify a binary Sb(V) system, Sb2O5, as a promising TCO with high conductivity and transparency when doped with fluorine. We conducted a full point defect analysis, finding F-doped Sb2O5 to exhibit degenerate n-type transparent conducting behavior. The inherently large electron affinity found in antimony oxides also widens their application in organic solar cells. Following our previous work on zinc antimonate, this work provides additional support for designing Sb(V)-based oxides as cost-effective TCOs for a broader range of applications.

Fast adaptive time-varying window length STFT for compound track short-wave defects identification

Track short-wave defect, as a common defect of railway tracks, can cause dynamic response on both vehicle and its components and thus severely affect the stability and safety of running vehicle. The vibration signal, collected by an accelerator mounted on the axle box of vehicle, is a kind of vehicle dynamic response signal. It consists of complex periodic and impact signal components, which poses challenges for track short-wave defects identification. In this paper, the forms and features of vibration signal of vehicle dynamic response are analyzed at first. Then, based on short-time Fourier transform (STFT), a fast adaptive time-varying window length STFT (FATW-STFT) is developed for compound track short-wave defect analysis. Specifically, by quickly calculating a series of time-frequency planes with various window length, modified kurtosis, boundary function, and Rényi entropy are introduced to sift the time-frequency planes and optimize the window lengths at each time point. Unlike other STFT-based methods, FATW-STFT uses fully adaptive window length optimization to distinguish both periodic and impactive signal components, which helps to detect multiform track short-wave defects such as corrugation and impact of welded joint. Both the simulated and measured results indicate that the proposed approach can rapidly and effectively identify the compound track short-wave defects and possesses potential prospect of practical applications.

Role of customized scan strategies and dwell time on microstructure and properties of additively manufactured 316L stainless steel

Direct energy deposition (DED)-based additive manufacturing facilitates fabrication of medium-to-large functional parts. This study assesses the role of varying scan strategies and dwell time between each layer to control the cooling rate of 316L stainless steel produced by the laser-engineered net shaping-DED method. Customized print patterns were designed, keeping other optimized print parameters constant to obtain printed parts with better dimensional tolerance. The parts, which were >99% dense, were fabricated in a controlled argon environment. A heterogeneous microstructure consisting of a cellular columnar and equiaxed substructure was obtained. Two-dimensional X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of a single-phase γ-austenitic FCC phase. A refined microstructure with less elemental segregation was noticed with an increase in dwell time between the print layers. Internal defect analysis using X-ray micro-computed tomography revealed low lack-of-fusion voids along the build direction without any micro-cracks, which is attributed to higher cooling rates between subsequent print layers. As demonstrated in a mechanical performance evaluation of tensile and micro-hardness properties, better performance can be achieved by controlling the cooling rate and customizing deposition patterns.

Healing of Skin Wounds in Rats Using Creams Based on Symphytum Officinale Extract.

Rosmarinic acid is a well-known natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound, and it is one of the polyphenolic compounds found in comfrey plants. Comfrey root also contains allantoin, which helps with new skin regeneration. This study aimed to investigate the healing and skin regeneration process of skin wounds in Wistar rats using creams based on comfrey extract and to correlate the results with active compounds in the extract. The obtained results showed that comfrey root is rich in bioactive compounds, including allantoin, salvianolic acid, and rosmarinic acid, which are known for their great free radical scavenging activity, and the high antioxidant activity of the extract may be mainly due to these compounds. The obtained extract has an antimicrobial effect on Staphylococcus aureus (1530.76/382.69), Escherichia coli (6123.01/6123.01), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6123.01/6123.01). The macroscopic evaluation and the histological analysis of the skin defects 14 days after the intervention showed faster healing and complete healing in the skin excisions treated with oil-in-water cream with 20% extract of comfrey as the active ingredient.

The Most Common Types of Bias in a Human Bitemark Analysis

Given that some suspected perpetrators were wrongly convicted, a defective bitemark analysis is comparable to dentists’ most crucial clinical decisions regarding assessment. Bias affects human bitemark analysis beyond the limitation of the evidence itself. The aim of this study was to explore the potential for different types of bias in bitemark analysis and the methods involved in that analysis by conducting a scoping review. Results showed that the 14 articles that explore the topic of bias in bitemark analysis were published from 2006-2022. Publications were from the USA mainly (n = 7), followed by the UK (n = 3), Australia (n = 2), New Zealand, (n = 1) and the Netherlands (n = 1). Of these publications, 36% addressed contextual bias, while 57% acknowledged cognitive bias. According to the findings, preventive measures consist of limiting the availability of unrelated data during research, employing several comparison samples for a more impartial assessment, and repeating the analysis while being blind to past findings. Nevertheless, the physical limitations of the evidence such as distortions are still strongly present.

Sieve classification and bean defects of coffee genotypes from the Big Coffee VL group

The aim of this study was to evaluate large-bean coffee genotypes from the Big Coffee VL group in terms of bean size and the percentage of post-harvest defects, according to the official Brazilian classification. The experiment was carried out in the Coffee Crop Sector of the Department of Agriculture at the Federal University of Lavras, where the progenies with the greatest production potential were selected, known as "elite" progenies. The experimental design was the Completely Randomized Design. Twelve progenies were selected, arranged in 6 replicates. The samples consisted of 300 grams of fruit from each progeny, which were classified according to grain size: large grains were those retained on the 17 (round sieve) and 13 (oblong sieve) sieves; medium grains were those retained on the 15 (round sieve) and 10 (oblong sieve) sieves and small grains were those retained at the bottom of the sieves. The percentage of mocha grains was obtained from the sum of all the sieves for mocha grains 10 and above. The data was submitted to analysis of variance and grouped using the Scott-Knott test at 5% significance. It was observed that there is genetic variability between the progenies that are segregating for the grain size characteristic, with some progenies standing out for their superior performance: M20, M4, G16 and G17. In terms of defect analysis, P14, P23, P32, M4, M5, M11, M20, G9 and G16 showed the lowest percentage of bored fruit. As the selected progenies are still segregating, further studies could be carried out.

Effect of Additives on Heat Hardened Inorganic Solid Foundry Binder

AbstractRenewed interest in inorganic binders for sand molding has also intensified research on different forms of it. In this study, solid inorganic sodium silicate binder was tested with different additives to see how these affected the silica mold quality. The five additives used were: glucose, sucrose, boric acid, aluminum oxide and iron(III)oxide powders. The mold quality was assessed through tests like bending strength, tensile strength, hot distortion, wear resistance, gas evolution and collapsibility tests. In addition, SEM imaging was done on some select mold fracture samples. In the end, a casting trial was carried out followed by a surface roughness and defects analysis. A reduction in mold strength was noticed with glucose and boric acid, while collapsibility was improved by glucose, sucrose and boric acid additives. Casting trials have shown the best surface finish to be obtained with sucrose additive. All the casts in general showed some penetration; however, repeat casts have proven that altering some casting parameters could result in casts with excellent surface finish using solid silicates.

Fault diagnosis and analysis of a 110 kV transformer

This paper aims to provide valuable insights and assistance for ensuring the safe operation of a 110 kV main transformer by conducting an in-depth analysis of tap changer breather oil leakage defects. By employing transformer testing, disassembly analysis, and other methods, this study successfully identifies and prevents the possibility of transformer failure. The analysis reveals that the deformation of the transformer winding is caused by insufficient short-circuit resistance, which leads to the deformation of the medium-voltage windings under the continuous action of electrodynamic forces during near-area short-circuit currents. Near-area short-circuits are a significant contributing factor to transformer failures. Therefore, it is recommended to enhance operation and maintenance management for older main transformers and optimize protection settings to reduce the risk of near-area short-circuit failures, thus ensuring the safe and stable operation of the main transformer.

Local defect and mid-gap state analysis of GaN using monochromated EELS combined with nanodiffraction and atomic-resolution imaging

Defects in semiconductor materials significantly impact their inherent properties, making the evaluation of local defects and their energy levels crucial for controlling device performance. With advancements in monochromators, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) combined with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has emerged as a promising approach for assessing crystal and band structures of semiconductor materials at the nanoscale. However, there is limited experimental research investigating the relationship between actual defective structures in local regions and mid-gap states. In this study, we conducted high-energy resolution EELS (HR-EELS) measurements with an energy resolution of less than 100 meV to detect the mid-gap states of GaN. Various defects were intentionally induced through Ga-ion implantation, and the defect concentration varied in the depth direction. To understand the origin of the mid-gap states, we performed 4D-STEM analysis and atomic-resolution STEM observations. The HR-EELS measurements provided insights into the depth-dependent valence-loss spectra, revealing that the intensities corresponding to mid-gap states gradually increased toward the surface, whereas the slope at the onsets corresponding to interband transition decreased. Furthermore, local structural analysis unveiled the presence of structural disorder and defective structures, indicating the existence of extended defects such as stacking faults and domain boundaries. Observably, these defective structures were abundant near the surface and less pronounced in deeper regions. Based on these experimental findings, we concluded that the variations in valence-loss spectra can be utilized to qualitatively evaluate the crystal imperfections at the nanoscale.

Comparative Analysis of Shape Defects Induced by the Micro-Machining of Glassy Polymers

Abstract This paper aims to investigate the cutting behavior of optical glassy polymers in order to identify the shape defects induced by the micro-machining processes. Polycarbonate (PC), Allyl Diglycol Carbonate (CR39), and polythiourethane (MR7) polymers are considered in this study to perform micro-machining experiments using the orthogonal cutting configuration. The comparative analysis is carried out by conducting the cutting experiments on hybrid samples that are composed of two types of polymers (MR7-PC, CR39-PC, and MR7-CR39) and then comparing the topographic state of the machined hybrid surfaces. Results show that PC is by far the polymer that generates the most shape defects because of its high rate of spring-back. This finding has been validated by nanoindentation experiments that reveal the highest mechanical reaction of PC at the time of nanoindentation unloading. This study demonstrates also that the measured thrust forces could be an indicator for predicting the spring-back defects induced by micro-machining.