Phase Stability and Mechanical Properties of Metastable Ti-X-Sn-Zr (x=Cr, Nb or Fe) Alloys

Metastable beta Ti-Cr-Sn-Zr alloys used as biomaterial show low Young’s modulus and super-elasticity according to the phase stability of their beta phase. In this study, we substituted Nb and Fe for Cr in metastable beta Ti-2Cr-6Sn-45Zr alloy and investigated their effect. We investigated how the added amount of Cr, Nb and Fe influences the phase stability and the properties of low Young’s modulus and super-elasticity in Ti-x-Sn-Zr (x=Cr, Nb or Fe) alloys. The Young’s modulus of a Ti-x-Sn-Zr (x=Cr, Nb or Fe) alloy decreases with the addition of Cr, Nb or Fe. However, the Young’s modulus of a Ti-x-Sn-Zr (x=Cr, Nb or Fe) alloy increases with the addition of Cr, Nb or Fe after showing own minimum value respectively. Minimum Young’s modulus of several Ti-x-Sn-Zr (x=Cr, Nb or Fe) alloys were under 50GPa. The required amount of Cr, Nb or Fe in the Ti-x-Sn-Zr (x=Cr, Nb or Fe) alloy having minimum Young’s modulus is different according to the beta stabilizing ability of each element. Fe amounts were the smallest and Nb amounts were the largest. Ti-x-Sn-Zr (x=Cr, Nb or Fe) alloy with minimum Young’s modulus shows a stress-induced martensitic transformation. However, only Ti-Cr-Sn-Zr alloys showed definite super-elasticity. The recovered strain by super-elasticity is small in Ti-Nb-Sn-Zr alloy. Ti-Fe-Sn-Zr alloy didn’t show super-elasticity or large elongation.

Static Recovery Activation Energy of Pure Aluminum at Room Temperature

Thermally activated energy, which varies linearly with static recovered strain, is calculated from static recovery experiments of pure aluminum initially plastically deformed by strain-rate-controlled tensile tests up to 10% engineering strain at room temperature. The activation energy at the initial static recovery is 20 kJ mol−1, which is much less than that of pure copper and attributed to the dislocation annihilation by glide or cross-slip as well as higher stacking fault energy. Once dislocation annihilation processes are exhausted, more energy is required for subgrains to form and then grow. Eventually the recovered strain is slowed down and gradually saturated.

Mineralization of Individual Congeners of Linear Alkylbenzenesulfonate by Defined Pairs of Heterotrophic Bacteria

ABSTRACT Parvibaculum lavamentivorans DS-1T utilized the commercial surfactant linear alkylbenzenesulfonate (LAS) (20 congeners with C10 to C13 side chains) as a carbon and energy source by shortening the side chain, and sulfophenylcarboxylates (SPCs) and similar compounds (e.g., α,β-unsaturated SPCs [SPC-2Hs]) were excreted with quantitative recovery of the sulfophenyl moiety. 2-(4-Sulfophenyl)decane (2-C10-LAS) was converted largely to 3-(4-sulfophenyl)butyrate (3-C4-SPC), as were 2-C12-LAS and 2-C14-LAS; the other products were 5-C6-SPC (SPC+2C) and 3-C4-SPC-2H. 2-C11-LAS was converted largely to 4-C5-SPC with the corresponding SPC+2C and SPC-2H; similarly, 3-C12-LAS yielded 4-C6-SPC with the corresponding SPC+2C and SPC-2H. This pattern of products confirmed that LAS is degraded by ω-oxygenation and chain shortening through β-oxidation. At least nine major SPCs were formed from commercial LAS. The novel isolates Comamonas testosteroni SPB-2 and KF-1 utilized 3-C4-SPC; Delftia acidovorans SPH-1 utilized 4-C6-SPC enantioselectively. The substrate-dependent oxygen uptake of whole cells of strain SPB-2 indicated that there was inducible oxygenation of 3-C4-SPC and of 4-sulfophenol in whole cells of the strains of C. testosteroni during growth with 3-C4-SPC or 4-sulfophenol. The degradative pathways apparently involved 4-sulfocatechol and 4-sulfocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase. Strain SPB-2 and strain DS-1T grew together in LAS-salts medium, and only seven of the nine major SPCs were recovered. Strain SPB-2 utilized 3-C4-SPC, 3-C5-SPC, and 3-C4-SPC-2H. Strain SPH-1 grew together with strain DS-1T in LAS-salts medium, and a different set of seven major SPCs was recovered. Strain SPH-1 utilized 4-C6-SPC, 4-C5-SPC, 4-C6-SPC-2H, and 4-C5-SPC-2H. A three-member community consisting of strains DS-1T, SPB-2, and SPH-1 utilized four major SPCs. We inferred that this community mineralized the major SPCs derived from 8 of the 20 LAS congeners.

Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 after Freezing and Thawing in Ground Beef Patties

Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains QA 326, and ATCC 43889,43894, and 43895 after freezing (−20°C, 24 h) and thawing (4°C for 12 h, 23°C for 3 h, or microwave heating of 700 W for 120 s) in ground beef patties was determined by reference most probable number (MPN), hydrophobic grid membrane filter SD-39 agar, and sorbitol MacConkey agar (SMA) spread-plating methods. Populations decreased from 0.62 to 2.52 log10 CFU/g, with the extent varying significantly by strain. Strain QA 326 populations almost always decreased the most, up to 1.87 log10 CFU/g more than the least sensitive strain. Microwave heating was the most lethal thawing treatment for strain QA 326, and 4°C thawing was the most lethal treatment for strain ATCC 43894. Thawing treatments varied in relative lethality for the other two strains. For strain QA 326 (4°C and microwave thaw treatments) and strain ATCC 43889 (4 and 23°C thawing), the enumeration method significantly affected a population decrease. The SD-39 agar method best recovered strain QA 326 while the SD-39 agar method and the reference MPN method best recovered strain ATCC 43889 after 4 and 23°C thawing, respectively. The greatest difference in population decrease measured by any two methods was 0.58 log10 CFU/g. Results showed (i) a wide range in freeze-thaw sensitivity among E. coli O157:H7 strains, (ii) no thawing method had consistently and significantly greater lethality, and (iii) the reference MPN, SD-39 agar, and SMA methods differed little in ability to enumerate E. coli O157:H7.

Hypovirus Transmission to Ascospore Progeny by Field-Released Transgenic Hypovirulent Strains of Cryphonectria parasitica

Strains of the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, have been genetically engineered to contain an integrated full-length cDNA copy of the prototypic virulence-attenuating hypovirus CHV1-EP713. Unlike natural hypovirulent C. parasitica strains, these transgenic hypovirulent strains are able to transmit virus to ascospore progeny under laboratory conditions. This ability provides the potential to circumvent barriers to cytoplasmic virus transmission imposed by the fungal vegetative incompatibility system. During July 1994, transgenic hypovirulent strains were introduced into a Connecticut forest site (Biotechnology Permit 94-010-01). Subsequent analysis of the release site confirmed hypovirus transmission from transgenic hypovirulent strains to ascospore progeny under field conditions. Additionally, it was possible to recover transgenic hypovirulent strains from the test site as long as 2 years after the limited, single-season release. Evidence also was obtained for cytoplasmic transmission of transgenic cDNA-derived hypovirus RNA, including transmission to mycelia of a virulent C. parasitica canker after treatment with conidia of a transgenic strain. Finally, a transgenic hypovirulent strain was recovered from a superficial canker formed on an untreated chestnut tree. Genetic characteristics of the recovered strain suggested that the canker was initiated by an ascospore progeny derived from a cross involving an input transgenic hypovirulent strain. The durability of a molecular marker for field-released cDNA-derived hypovirus RNA is discussed.