The analysis of densitometry image of bone tissue based on computer simulation of X-ray radiation propagation through plate model

In this work, we have presented an attempt at the computer modelling of the attenuation effect of X-ray radiation which occurs in the densitometry test. The purpose of the modelling is to examine the extent to which the parameters of the plate model of bone tissue affect bone mineral density (BMD) parameter. In the modelling the fundamental functions realised by a densitometry device have been taken into consideration. Certain necessary assumptions simplifying the computation of the complex physical processes that occur during the transition of X-ray radiation through an object have been made. In order to compute the image produced by interaction of radiation the attenuation law is applied. The modelling of an object consists in defining its dimensions and its material characteristics. In the presented simulation the material characteristics of the object are limited to its attenuation coefficient. A different value of the coefficient can be defined for each voxel. The result image is produced by the calculation of partial attenuation in the individual voxels. The levels of grey in the image represent the value of the computed radiation intensity which is recorded in the "detector" after transition through the object. The simulation has been performed for the plate model representing trabecular bone tissue with 0.1mm porosity compartments. The results of the simulation of the plate model are presented. It can be observed that for certain modelled porosity compartments the size, structure and spatial arrangement are not properly recorded in the two-dimensional "detector". The recorded simulation results may be found useful for explaining difference that has been noticed between the BMD obtained from the densitometry test and the bone susceptibility to fracture.     

Impact of dietary fat on gut microbiota and low-grade systemic inflammation: mechanisms and clinical implications on obesity

Dietary fat strongly affects human health by modulating gut microbiota composition and low-grade systemic inflammation. High-fat diets have been implicated in reduced gut microbiota richness, increased Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, and several changes at family, genus and species levels. Saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), polyunsaturated (PUFA) and conjugated linolenic fatty acids share important pathways of immune system activation/inhibition with gut microbes, modulating obesogenic and proinflammatory profiles. Mechanisms that link dietary fat, gut microbiota and obesity are mediated by increased intestinal permeability, systemic endotoxemia, and the activity of the endocannabinoid system. Although the probiotic therapy could be a complementary strategy to improve gut microbiota composition, it did not show permanent effects to treat fat-induced dysbiosis. Based upon evidence to date, we believe that high-fat diets and SFA consumption should be avoided, and MUFA and omega-3 PUFA intake should be encouraged in order to regulate gut microbiota and inflammation, promoting body weight/fat control.     

Sound fields for coded excitations in water and tissue: experimental approach

Coded ultrasonography is intensively studied in many laboratories due to its remarkable properties, particularly increased penetration depth and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, no data on the spatial behavior of the pressure field generated by coded bursts transmissions in the tissue were yet reported. This paper reports the results of investigations of the field structure in water, in degassed beef liver and in pork tissue using four different excitations signals, two and 16 periods sine bursts and sinusoidal sequences with phase modulation using 13-bits Barker code and 16-bits Golay complementary codes. The results of measured pressure field distributions before and after compression were compared with those recorded using short pulse excitation.     

Chronic antidepressant-like effect of EMD386088, a partial 5-HT6 receptor agonist,in olfactory bulbectomy model may be connected with BDNF and/or CREB signalling pathway

Background

The removal of the olfactory bulbs has been attributed to behavioral changes and neuroplasticity manifesting themselves among others like increases in brain neurotrophin expression and neurogenesis. Earlier data presented that EMD386088, a 5-HT₆ receptor partial agonist, exerts antidepressant-like properties after chronic administration in olfactory bulbectomy (OB) model as was it compared with amitriptyline (AMI). The aim of this study was to compare acute and chronic biochemical effects of EMD386088, administered in its antidepressant active (2.5 mg/kg) and non-active (1.25 mg/kg) doses, found in the open field test in OB rats, with those of AMI (10 mg/kg). The levels of 5-HT₆ receptor protein and selected neurotrophins in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (Hp) of rats have been examined.

Effect of long-term administration of ranitidine,a histamine H2 receptor antagonist,on bone metabolism in young growing rats

Background

Histamine regulates function of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, however data regarding the influence of histamine H2 receptors antagonists on bone tissue are ambiguous. Factors that influence growing skeleton may have an important impact on the peak bone mass and future risk of fractures. The aim of our study was the assessment of influence of ranitidine, on growing bones.

Optimisation of Shrinkage and Strength on Thick Plate Part Using Recycled LDPE Materials

Achieving good quality of products from plastic injection moulding processes is very challenging, since the process comprises many affecting parameters. Common defects such as warpage are hard to avoid, and the defective parts will eventually go to waste, leading to unnecessary costs to the manufacturer. The use of recycled material from postindustrial waste has been studied by a few researchers. However, the application of an optimisation method by which to optimise processing parameters to mould parts using recycled materials remains lacking. In this study, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) methods were conducted on thick plate parts moulded using virgin and recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) materials (100:0, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50; virgin to recycle material ratios) to find the optimal input parameters for each of the material ratios. Shrinkage in the x and y directions increased in correlation with the recycled ratio, compared to virgin material. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of the thick plate part continued to decrease when the recycled ratio increased. R30 (70:30) had the optimum shrinkage in the x direction with respect to R0 (100:0) material where the shrinkage increased by 24.49% (RSM) and 33.20% (PSO). On the other hand, the shrinkage in the y direction for R30 material increased by 4.48% (RSM) and decreased by 2.67% (PSO), while the tensile strength of R30 (70:30) material decreased by 0.51% (RSM) and 2.68% (PSO) as compared to R0 (100:0) material. Validation tests indicated that the optimal setting of processing parameter suggested by PSO and RSM for R0 (100:0), R30 (70:30), R40 (60:40) and R50 (50:50) was less than 10%.     

Research on Reduction of Selected Iron-Bearing Waste Materials

During the steel production process, nearly twice as many input materials are used as compared to finished products. This creates a large amount of post-production waste, including slag, dust, and sludge. New iron production technologies enable the reuse and recycling of metallurgical waste. This paper presents an investigation on the reduction of selected iron-bearing waste materials in a laboratory rotary furnace. Iron-bearing waste materials in the form of dust, scale, and sludge were obtained from several Polish metallurgical plants as research material. A chemical analysis made it possible to select samples with sufficiently high iron content for testing. The assumed iron content limit in waste materials was 40 wt.% Fe. A sieve analysis of the samples used in the subsequent stages of the research was also performed. The tests carried out with the use of a CO as a reducer, at a temperature of 1000 °C, allowed to obtain high levels of metallization of the samples for scale 91.6%, dust 66.9%, and sludge 97.3%. These results indicate that in the case of sludge and scale, the degree of metallization meets the requirements for charge materials used in both blast furnace (BF) and electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking processes, while in the case of reduced dust, this material can be used as enriched charge in the blast furnace process. Reduction studies were also carried out using a gas mixture of CO and H₂ (50 vol.% CO + 50 vol.% H₂). The introduction of hydrogen as a reducing agent in reduction processes meets the urgent need of reducing CO₂ emissions. The obtained results confirm the great importance and influence of the selection of the right amount of reducer on the achievement of a high degree of metallization and that these materials can be a valuable source of metallic charge for blast furnace and steelmaking processes. At an earlier stage of the established research program, experiments of the iron oxides reduction from iron-bearing waste materials in a stationary layer in a Tammann furnace were also conducted.     

Effect of Thermal Aging on the Mechanical Properties of High Tenacity Polyester Yarn

Textile materials produced from a high tenacity industrial polyester fiber are most widely used in the mechanical rubber goods industry to reinforce conveyor belts, tire cords, and hoses. Reinforcement of textile rubber undergoes a vulcanization process to adhere the textile materials with the rubber and to enhance the physio-mechanical properties of the product. The vulcanization process has an influence on the textile material being used as a reinforcement. In this work, the effects of aging temperature and time on the high tenacity polyester yarn’s mechanical and surface structural properties were investigated. An experiment was carried out on a pre-activated high tenacity polyester yarn of different linear densities, by aging the yarn specimens under various aging temperatures of 140, 160, 200, and 220 °C for six, twelve, and thirty-five minutes of aging time. The tensile properties and surface structural change in the yarns pre- and post-aging were studied. The investigation illustrates that aging time and temperature influence the surface structure of the fiber, tenacity, and elongation properties of the yarn. Compared to unaged yarn, an almost five times higher percentage of elongation was obtained for the samples aged at 220 °C for 6 min, while the lowest tenacity was obtained for the sample subjected to aging under 220 °C for 35 min.     

The Effect of Increasing the Amount of Indium Alloying Material on the Efficiency of Sacrificial Aluminium Anodes

Al-Zn-In alloys having 4.2% zinc content and various indium content in the range of 0.02–0.2% were tested with respect to the most important electrochemical properties of sacrificial anodes in a cathodic protection, i.e., the current capacity and potential of the operating anode. The distribution of In and Zn in the tested alloys was mapped by means of the EDX technique, which demonstrated that these elements dissolve well in the alloy matrix and are evenly distributed within it. The current capacity of such alloys was determined by means of the method of determining the mass loss during the dissolution by a current of known charge. The results obtained demonstrate that the current capacity of Al-Zn-In alloy decreases with the increase in the In content, which results in an increased consumption of anode material and shorter lifetime of anodes. With 0.02% In content, the capacity amounted to approx. 2500 Ah/kg, whereas the alloy with 0.2% In had as much as 30% lower capacity amounting to approx. 1750 Ah/kg. Microscopic examination for the morphology and surface profile of the samples after their exposure demonstrated that a higher indium content in the alloy results in a more uneven general corrosion pattern during the dissolution of such alloy, and the cavities (pits) appearing on the alloy surface are larger and deeper. As the indium content is increased from 0.02% to 0.05%, the Al-Zn-In alloy potential decreases by about 50 mV to −1100 mV vs. Ag/AgCl electrode, which is advantageous in terms of using this alloy as a sacrificial anode. When the indium content is further increased from 0.05% to 0.2%, the potential of the alloy is no longer changed to a more negative one. The results obtained from all these tests demonstrate that alloys containing up to 0.05% of In additive are practically applicable for cathodic protection.