Novel Method For Processing Research Articles

Investigation on femtosecond laser combined with dynamic wet etching machining of SiC/SiC

SiC/SiC (Silicon Carbide fiber reinforced Silicon Carbide) is widely used in aerospace and gas turbine fields due to its excellent resistance to high temperature, corrosion and low density. However, the difficult processing of SiC/SiC is the main factor limiting its further application. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel method for processing SiC/SiC using femtosecond laser combined with dynamic wet etching. A comparative analysis of the micro-pore morphology and elemental composition obtained through processing in air, water, and NaOH solution is presented. Demonstrates the excellent surface quality achieved with NaOH processing, which effectively reduces defects such as recast layers and microcracks. The results suggest that the operating mechanism involves the combined effects of a wet-oxygen coupling environment, high-temperature decomposition, localized chemical wet etching, and the influence of the liquid layer.

Supercritical processing of thermally stable multiwalled carbon nanotube/boron nitride nanohybrids with synergistically improved electrical conductivity

A novel method of processing of thermally stable nanohybrids (NHs) with synergistically improved electrical conductivity (σDC) has been developed in supercritical carbon dioxide (SCC). Processing of NHs was executed through dispersion of selected weight fractions (wt%) of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) into carboxylate functional multiwalled carbon nanotube (c-MWCNT) at 1200 psi, 90 ± 1°C over 5 hr in SCC. Formation of NHs was ascertained through diverse analytical methods. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectra, elemental mapping and X-ray diffraction analysis reveals deposition of h-BN over the surface of c-MWCNT. NHs derived at 5 wt% of h-BN has shown reduced optical band gap (Eg, 3.34 eV) with 41 % increase in crystallite size. Working electrodes (WEs) derived from NHs has rendered increasing trend of DC conductivity (mS/cm) with concentration of h-BN up to 5 wt% at 100 V. WEs involving h-BN (5 wt%) has shown enhanced DC conductivity (0.93) followed by c-MWCNT (0.63) and h-BN (0.41) at 100 V. Present investigation delivers a clean, dry and environmentally benign method of processing of NHs suitable for development of inexpensive WEs for potential applications in hydrogen storage, electrocatalysis and sensors.

Utilising Twitter for disaster management of fire events: steps towards efficient automation

The present article introduces a novel method for processing and visualising information linked to fire events, from Twitter, which is utilised as a source of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI). The fire of North East Attica (August 2017, Greece) was used as a case study. That fire resulted in the burn of 15,000 decares of woodland, while state of emergency was declared in the region and thousands of citizens were incited to leave from the area. A tweet corpus consisted of 74,292 tweets was processed, containing certain words and hashtags linked to the fire event and posted within a week since the fire occurrence. After about 24,000 classified and geo-referenced point observations were extracted, data processing was performed with the use of machine learning and of an innovative script, developed in R, for geo-referencing social media data, related to disaster management. The classification structure applied consisted of four main categories: (I) tweets related to simple fire event detection, (II) tweets related to crisis management, (III) tweets related to consequences of the fire and (IV) tweets related to the tracking of the fire event.; further sub-classifications were performed to quantify the consequences of the fire, and to indicate the precision of the geo-referenced contents. The final output consisted of scatter plots that analyse the frequency of the extracted content, along with maps that visualised the processed information. Both graphs and maps utilised certain subsets of the data, posted through Twitter in certain time periods. Author visualization approaches considered the need for having maps that can make sense to all disaster management (DM) stakeholders: from decision makers up to simple citizens and volunteers that want to protect human lives and property. The results of the current research provide steps towards efficient automation and give an initial credible overview to the readers about the generated graphs and maps, at a glance. Finally, the author’s methodological framework, at the current stage, drastically reduces the time needed for data processing to less than 2 h.

Color shift as a mechanism for depth modulation of skin images

To the Editor: Dermatologic structures are present at varying cutaneous levels, prompting investigation of imaging approaches that facilitate depth-resolved skin examinations. Image-based skin assessment is limited by the data present in the files, which are determined by the format (bit depth/color compression) and illuminant characteristics. To address these variables, clinical photographs were acquired in uncompressed RAW format with cross-polarized lighting,1Anderson R.R. Polarized light examination and photography of the skin.Arch Dermatol. 1991; 127: 1000-1005Crossref PubMed Scopus (264) Google Scholar providing both increased color depth (14-bit vs. 8-bit compression in JPEG) and increased light penetration into the tissue, respectively. The resulting dynamic color file can be processed to highlight surface or subsurface structures. Photographs were acquired of anatomic regions of interest using a Nikon (Tokyo, Japan) digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera with a 60-mm macro lens; a standard flash; and 2 crossed polarizing filters, oriented at 90° from one another. The resulting files were processed with Adobe (San Jose, CA) software for feature extraction2Evans S. Noorbhai S. Lawson Z. Stacey-Jones S. Carabott R. Contrast enhancement of bite mark images using the grayscale mixer in ACR in Photoshop®.J Forensic Sci. 2013; 58: 804-810Crossref PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar (Figs 1 and 2). Specific colors in the RAW file were enhanced by darkening or lightening them in relation to the surrounding tissue, increasing conspicuity.3Braga J.C. Scope A. Klaz I. Mecca P. Spencer P. Marghoob A.A. Melanoma mimicking seborrheic keratosis: an error of perception precluding correct dermoscopic diagnosis.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008; 58: 875-880Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (33) Google Scholar Orange and red luminance levels are increased or decreased to their maximum or minimum levels, suppressing or enhancing hemoglobin and melanin, respectively.4Shah K.N. Hanlon K. Muntifering M. Visualizing vascular and pigment structures using dermoscopy and targeted luminance adjustments.Dermatol Pract Concept. 2015; 5 (28 p.156-157)Google Scholar Depending on acquisition and tissue variables including skin type, exposure, and subject-to-camera distance, other colors can be targeted to reveal additional data points; for example, reduction in green luminance may be used to target deep vasculature. Visible depth can be modulated to draw out deeper structures by shifting color temperatures and tint toward blue/green or toward yellow/magenta for more superficial structures. Color shifting can be thought of as a correction to the illumination light; therefore, it is the inverse of the expected direction, with warmer light illuminating deep regions and cooler light illuminating superficial structures. The depth assessment can be done continuously, with the dynamic RAW file exhibiting latent data at different locations across the visible spectrum.Fig 2The dorsal aspect of the hands, showing the (A) original, unaltered, cross-polarized photograph on the left, followed by iterations of the same file processed for (B) epidermal pigment, (C) superficial vascularity, and (D) deep structures on the right.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT) In this manner, vascularity is visualized separately from pigment, and depth is resolved through color shifting. Superficial pigmentation distributed over sun-damaged skin, such as lentigines, is enhanced or suppressed. Dermal structures, such as blood vessels, are separated from epidermal processes, such as telangiectasia. There are commercially available systems, such as Visia (Canfield Scientific) and Siascopy (Astron Clinica), that incorporate algorithms to visualize vascular and pigmentary features, as well as a plethora of research into spectral imaging (see Supplemental References; available via Mendeley at https://doi.org/10.17632/8tygks4y2y.1). We demonstrate a novel method for processing polarized color image data, permitting wide-field visualization of structures at different depths that could help target lesions for further examination with a dermoscope. The flexible RAW file is most beneficial when visualized in real time, with the viewer having the ability to shift between epidermis and dermis, in small increments, such that only the feature of interest is perceived at a given depth. Morphologic data can be identified in the processed versions of the file that were challenging to identify in the original image and to the naked eye. Visualizing features at different depths in the skin can not only help in forming clinical judgement but also in evaluating change and treatment. Both medical and cosmetic dermatologic conditions5Demirli R. Otto P. Viswanathan R. Patwardhan S. Larkey J. RBX® technology overview.2007Google Scholar benefit from improved visual evaluation.

Breeding systems in Cyrtanthus (Amaryllidaceae): variation in self-sterility and potential for ovule discounting.

Breeding systems of plants determine their reliance on pollinators and ability to produce seeds following self-pollination. Self-sterility, where ovules that are penetrated by self-pollen tubes that do not develop into seeds, is usually considered to represent either a system of late-acting self-incompatibility or strong early inbreeding depression. Importantly, it can lead to impaired female function through ovule or seed discounting when stigmas receive mixtures of self and cross pollen, unless cross pollen is able to reach the ovary ahead of self pollen ('prepotency'). Self-sterility associated with ovule penetration by self-pollen tubes appears to be widespread among the Amaryllidaceae. We tested for self-sterility in three Cyrtanthus species - C.contractus, C.ventricosus and C.mackenii - by means of controlled hand-pollination experiments. To determine the growth rates and frequency of ovule penetration by self- versus cross-pollen tubes, we used fluorescence microscopy to examine flowers of C.contractus harvested 24, 48 and 72h after pollination, in conjunction with a novel method of processing these images digitally. To test the potential for ovule discounting (loss of cross-fertilisation opportunities when ovules are disabled by self-pollination), we pollinated flowers of C.contractus and C.mackenii with mixtures of self- and cross pollen. We recorded full self-sterility for C.contractus and C.ventricosus, and partial self-sterility for C.mackenii. In C.contractus, we found no differences in the growth rates of self- and cross-pollen tubes, nor in the proportions of ovules penetrated by self- and cross-pollen tubes. In this species, seed set was depressed (relative to cross-pollinated controls) when flowers received a mixture of self and cross pollen, but this was not the case for C.mackenii. These results reveal variation in breeding systems among Cyrtanthus species and highlight the potential for gender conflict in self-sterile species in which ovules are penetrated and disabled by pollen tubes from self pollen.

Soft magnetic property of (Fe60Co35Ni5)78 Si6B12Cu1Mo3 alloys by laser additive manufacturing

Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) is a novel method for processing compositionally graded alloys and becomes increasingly important in the context of next-generation manufacturing technology. In this work, (Fe60Co35Ni5)78Si6B12Cu1Mo3 soft magnetic alloys with different laser power were designed and processed by the LAM. The magnitudes of magnetic properties were analyzed, and the relationships among composition-microstructure-magnetic properties assessed. Results show that the (Fe60Co35Ni5)78Si6B12Cu1Mo3 alloys by LAM exhibits relative uniform microstructure and comparable magnetic property compared with those conventional processed alloys. The bcc dominated microstructures exhibit a substantially higher saturation magnetization (Ms). With the increase in power, the average grain size of the alloy increased slightly and the increasing volume fraction of the FeSi phase leaded to the enhancement of magnetization. The (Fe60Co35Ni5)78 Si6B12Cu1Mo3 alloys with laser power of 3000 W exhibits the highest Ms (199 emu/g). The appearance of Fe3B results in coarse dendrites and high coercivity (Hc) in the multiple re-heating cycles.

Development of a decellularization method to produce nerve allografts using less invasive detergents and hyper/hypotonic solutions

Here, we describe a novel method of processing decellularized nerve grafts using osmotic effects of hypotonic and hypertonic solutions and Triton X-100 (a nonionic detergent) and CHAPS (an amphoteric detergent). To evaluate decellularization, the devised method and Hudson's method were compared with respect to remaining cellular components (as assessed by H&E staining and S-100 immunoreactivity) and extracellular matrix structural integrity (as assessed by H&E staining and laminin immunoreactivity) by using rat sciatic nerves. In addition, a 1.5-cm sciatic nerve gap rat model was treated by implanting decellularized nerve grafts prepared using the devised method, Hudson's method, or an autograft to evaluate nerve regeneration. Nerve histomorphometry of distal stumps and wet muscle mass were evaluated at 12 weeks after implantation. The devised method produced outcomes similar to those of Hudson's method in terms of cellular component removal, but the devised method was significantly better in terms of ECM preservation. Histomorphometric study showed that the devised method produced significantly fewer nerve fiber and axonal densities than autografting, but much more than Hudson's method. The wet muscle mass of the devised method was also significantly lower than that of autografting, but much higher than that of Hudson's method. The described process for producing decellularized nerve grafts yielded better outcomes with respect to peripheral nerve regeneration than the established ionic detergent-based methods in a rat model. This study indicates that decellularized nerve grafts produced in this manner show favorable nerve regeneration used for bridging nerve gaps.

Novel Method for Processing the Dynamic Calibration Signal of Pressure Sensor.

Dynamic calibration is one of the important ways to acquire the dynamic performance parameters of a pressure sensor. This research focuses on the processing method for the output of calibrated pressure sensor, and mainly attempts to solve the problem of extracting the true information of step response under strong interference noise. A dynamic calibration system based on a shock tube is established to excite the time-domain response signal of a calibrated pressure sensor. A key processing on difference modeling is applied for the obtained signal, and several generating sequences are established. A fusion process for the generating sequences is then undertaken, and the true information of the step response of the calibrated pressure sensor can be obtained. Finally, by implementing the common QR decomposition method to deal with the true information, a dynamic model characterizing the dynamic performance of the calibrated pressure sensor is established. A typical pressure sensor was used to perform calibration tests and a frequency-domain experiment for the sensor was also conducted. Results show that the proposed method could effectively filter strong interference noise in the output of the sensor and the corresponding dynamic model could effectively characterize the dynamic performance of the pressure sensor.

Reprint of “Enhanced Fourier transform for Orbitrap mass spectrometry”

A novel method for processing of periodic signals, which combines absorption spectra presentation with magnitude spectra and finite-impulse-response filtering, is applied to image current transients acquired in Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Phasing of signal for absorption spectra is facilitated by the excitation-by-injection mechanism of forming coherent ion packets in the Orbitrap analyzer. In conjunction with extensive refinement of the trap and electronics design of the Orbitrap analyzer, this method allows completion of the excitation process and initiation of detection within a fraction of a millisecond after ejection of ions from an external storage device into the Orbitrap analyzer, thus avoiding baseline roll and large non-linear phase corrections. For most real-life analytes with limited signal decay over acquisition time, the method achieves a 2-fold increase of resolving power relative to the traditional Fourier transform processing method. For rapidly decaying signals of intact proteins, the relative increase in resolving power is reduced to about 1.4, which accords with theory. Peak shape and mass accuracy in LC/MS measurements obtained employing the novel method appear to be similar to those observed in traditional magnitude-mode FT spectra. Performance of the method was optimized using calibration mixtures and tested on different real-life samples, including complex peptide mixtures and proteins supplied to the mass spectrometer in infusion and LC/MS modes.

Enhanced Fourier transform for Orbitrap mass spectrometry

A novel method for processing of periodic signals, which combines absorption spectra presentation with magnitude spectra and finite-impulse-response filtering, is applied to image current transients acquired in Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Phasing of signal for absorption spectra is facilitated by the excitation-by-injection mechanism of forming coherent ion packets in the Orbitrap analyzer. In conjunction with extensive refinement of the trap and electronics design of the Orbitrap analyzer, this method allows completion of the excitation process and initiation of detection within a fraction of a millisecond after ejection of ions from an external storage device into the Orbitrap analyzer, thus avoiding baseline roll and large non-linear phase corrections. For most real-life analytes with limited signal decay over acquisition time, the method achieves a 2-fold increase of resolving power relative to the traditional Fourier transform processing method. For rapidly decaying signals of intact proteins, the relative increase in resolving power is reduced to about 1.4, which accords with theory. Peak shape and mass accuracy in LC/MS measurements obtained employing the novel method appear to be similar to those observed in traditional magnitude-mode FT spectra. Performance of the method was optimized using calibration mixtures and tested on different real-life samples, including complex peptide mixtures and proteins supplied to the mass spectrometer in infusion and LC/MS modes.

Microwave assisted retting – A novel method of processing of flax stems

A new method for retting of flax stem was introduced by using microwave energy. The combined effect of pre-soaking, microwave volumetric heating and the non-thermal effect of microwave energy were applied in the retting of flax stem. Effective retting was observed in various combinations of pre-soaking, Microwave treatment times and microwave energy. The samples soaked for 24 and 36 h with microwave treatments of 20 min showed better retting efficiency. Fried tests, Near Infrared analysis and fibre diameter analysis were done to find out the retting efficiency. The effect of non-thermal effect of microwave in flax retting was proved experimentally. Colourimetric tests and tensile strength tests were conducted to compare the quality of fibres after microwave retting and no significant changes in the physical qualities were observed. The water released after pre-soaking was not contaminated because of less microbial activity in short duration of the entire process. In industrial point of view, this method is acceptable because of the ease of recyclability of the pre-soaked water and comparably short duration of the process.

A novel method for processing of Bangladeshi zircon: Part I: Baking, and fusion with NaOH

Dry ground Bangladeshi zircon (44–53 µm) is found completely inert in 6 M HCl, 6 M HNO 3, 6 M HClO 4, 3 M H 2SO 4 and 6 M HCl + 2 M HNO 3 during leaching at their boiling point temperatures under reflux for 4 h. In the 6 M HF and 6 M NaOH solution, only ∼ 5% zircon is dissolved under similar conditions. The mechanical activation of zircon with NaOH at ambient temperature, by grinding in a ball mill for 300 h, is also ineffective with only 2% Zr(IV) dissolved. However, up to 86% zircon can be dissolved on leaching a sodium carbonate baked mass with 6 M HCl under reflux for 1 h. The optimum conditions of baking were found to be 1273 °K for 2.5 h with a Na 2CO 3:zircon wt. ratio of 0.6. Higher Na 2CO 3:zircon wt. ratios and longer baking times decreased the recovery percentage. The investigation has found for the first time that zircon is completely and rapidly decomposed by fusion with 8 mol NaOH to give a semi-crystalline fused mass. The rate of fusion was monitored by leaching Zr(IV) from the fused mass with 5 M HCl under reflux for 30 min. The optimized fusion conditions were 973 °K for 15 min with a NaOH:zircon wt. ratio of 1.8, or mole ratio of 8:1, which gives the following reaction for fusion: ZrSiO 4 + 8NaOH → Na 4ZrO 4 + Na 4SiO 4 + 4H 2O. The rate of dissolution of zircon in molten NaOH was found to follow the law: 1 − (1 − R) 1/3 = ( k / ρr o) [NaOH/zircon] a t. The calculated value of ‘ k’ was 10 − 4.00 ± 0.04 g min − 1 cm − 2 (for ρ = 4.7 g cm − 3 and r o = 26.5 µm) at 973 °K and a = 1.0. The calculated activation energy for fusion is 125 kJ mol − 1 which is indicative of a chemically controlled reaction with the slow step being the first reaction of NaOH with zircon.

A novel method for processing of Bangladeshi zircon: Part II: Leaching of zircon-caustic fused mass by hydrochloric acid

A thorough investigation on the leaching and kinetics of extraction of Zr(IV) from a semi-crystalline zircon–NaOH fused material by hydrochloric acid has been carried out. The fused material was produced by mixing NaOH/zircon at a wt. ratio of 1.8 (mole ratio 9) at 973° K for 15 min. Conditioning was done by water washing, drying, grinding and sieving. The optimum conditions for dissolution of Zr(IV) were leaching by 4 M HCl under reflux for only 5 min with a solid to liquid ratio of 1.41:10 w(g)/v(mL). By applying staged leaching it was possible to obtain a solution containing up to 112 g/L Zr(IV). The rate of leaching was found to be directly proportional to [HCl] 2 and very dependent on the temperature. The rate constant at 382° K with a particle diameter of 48.5 ± 4.5 μm was determined to be 10 − 1.91 g dm 4/min mol 2 and the activation energy, E a, was 64.3 kJ/mol indicating chemical reaction control. Stirring had little effect on the rate of dissolution due to the high porosity of the conditioned fused material. However, the rate was inversely proportional to the radius of the particles used. The novelty of the process is the fast rate of dissolution of the caustic fused material to give a concentrated solution of Zr(IV).

Bayesian estimation of relaxation times T 1 in MR images of irradiated Fricke-agarose gels

The authors present a novel method for processing T 1-weighted images acquired with Inversion-Recovery (IR) sequence. The method, developed within the Bayesian framework, takes into account a priori knowledge about the spatial regularity of the parameters to be estimated. Inference is drawn by means of Markov Chains Monte Carlo algorithms. The method has been applied to the processing of IR images from irradiated Fricke-agarose gels, proposed in the past as relative dosimeter to verify radiotherapeutic treatment planning systems. Comparison with results obtained from a standard approach shows that signal-to noise ratio (SNR) is strongly enhanced when the estimation of the longitudinal relaxation rate ( R1) is performed with the newly proposed statistical approach. Furthermore, the method allows the use of more complex models of the signal. Finally, an appreciable reduction of total acquisition time can be obtained due to the possibility of using a reduced number of images. The method can also be applied to T 1 mapping of other systems.

Filtration and Agar Embedding Applied to Fine Needle Aspirates for Tumor Diagnosis by Electron Microscopy

To develop a novel method for processing of fine needle aspirates subjected to electron microscopic (EM) study. Included 70 cases of poorly differentiated malignant tumors in which a definitive diagnosis was not possible on light microscopic (LM) examination and that thus required application of an ancillary technique such as FNA/EM, for diagnosis. We have established a novel method of processing, a technique of filtration through nylon mesh filters to eliminate red blood cells (RBCs) and necrotic debris, followed by agar well embedding to avoid loss of diagnostic material during processing without centrifugation at later steps after agar embedding, thus minimizing the time required for processing. It was successfully carried out in 70 cases. The combined technique was extremely effective in eliminating RBCs and necrotic debris. It also avoided further loss of valuable diagnostic material. An accurate diagnosis was rendered in 70 cases; that was not possible by LM alone. The whole procedure saves two to three hours of processing as centrifugation is not required after the agar embedding step. This technique was found to be cost- and time-effective, particularly suitable for developing countries, where financial resources are limited.

A Novel Method of Processing of Solid Wastes: Recovery of Valuables from Black-Ash Process Sludge

A novel method of processing of solid wastes from chemical industries is described. Black-ash sludge from barium chemical industries can be a source of barium chloride, which on reaction with sodium adipate gives barium adipate. The kinetics of calcination of barium adipate forming barium carbonate as a solid and cyclopentanone as a gaseous product is discussed.

Toxicological safety of irradiated foods.

The treatment of foods with ionizing radiation has been intensely in­ vestigated for the past two decades. Although the concept of prolonging the useful storage life by exposure to X irradiation was patented as early as 1930 (1), feasibility studies on this novel method of processing were not un­ dertaken until shortly after World War II. Early studies in the United States and Great Britain demonstrated a number of possible industrial ap­ plications on a theoretical and laboratory basis (2) . Because of the potential logistic advantages of preserving food for long periods of time without the benefit of refrigeration, the U. S. Army Quartermaster Corps embarked on an extensive radiation sterilization of foods program in 1953. Concurrently, interests in certain advantages of food irradiation became well established in a number of countries. Terms of reference.-The major potential applications of food irradiation which have become apparent are summarized as follows : 1 . Pasteurization-the prolongation of storage life of foods in their fresh state by inactivation of the vegetative forms of spoilage bacteria, fungi, etc. 2. Sterilization-the stabilization of foods for long-term storage without refrigeration by inactivation of all vegetative forms of bacteria, fungi, etc., and by complete inactivation of all resting spores of public health signi­ ficance. 3. Disinfection-the inactivation of certain pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., Salmonella) in foods. 4. Disinfestation-the sexual sterilization of various insects or parasites in bulk or packaged forms of food. 5 . Sprout inhibition-the suppression of sprouting in bulk stored pota­ toes and root crops. More detailed potential applications of food irradiation are listed in Table I (3). Several new and more exacting terms for food irradiation applica­ tions have recently been proposed by an international expert committee (4): Radappertization (radiation treatment to achieve commercial sterility) j Radicidation (radiation treatment for destruction of pathogenic organisms) j and Radurization (radiation treatment for prolonging storage life) .