Mechanical and structural characterization of tibial prosthetic interfaces before and after aging under simulated service conditions

Portuguese school buildings are generally characterized by an in service thermal discomfort. The refurbishments that the schools have recently undergone, have not fully considered the climatic diversity and the economic reality of the country and, for that reason, there are still some discomfort in these schools. This work studies the Portuguese Brandão schools model (from the 70’s), which comprises about 100 non-refurbished basic schools. A prototype classroom was prepared in a Brandão school, in Porto. The in situ experimental campaign consisted in temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration and energy consumption measurements. With this prototype, some studies were carried out regarding the thermal behavior before and after a refurbishment process, by experimental monitoring. The prototype construction has included the improvement of the envelope (roof insulation and solar protection) and of the technical systems (ventilation and heating). The main goal was the assessment of the discomfort in this prototype before and after the refurbishment in free-running conditions or with some intermittent heating strategies. Discomfort indexes have been developed for the assessment of the discomfort. This work presents the prototype thermal performance in pre-existing in service conditions and the improvement in the thermal behavior of the environment after the refurbishment.

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An Electron Microscope Study of Interdiffusion and Compound Formation in Ta-Au Thin Films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100070606 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 32-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

T. C. Tisone ◽

S. Lau

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscope ◽

Electron Microscope Study ◽

Thermally Grown Oxide ◽

Ion Milling ◽

Compound Formation ◽

Technology Application ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Before And After ◽

Au Thin Films

In a study of the properties of a Ta-Au metallization system for thin film technology application, the interdiffusion between Ta(bcc)-Au, βTa-Au and Ta2M-Au films was studied. Considered here is a discussion of the use of the transmission electron microscope(TEM) in the identification of phases formed and characterization of the film microstructures before and after annealing.The films were deposited by sputtering onto silicon wafers with 5000 Å of thermally grown oxide. The film thicknesses were 2000 Å of Ta and 2000 Å of Au. Samples for TEM observation were prepared by ultrasonically cutting 3mm disks from the wafers. The disks were first chemically etched from the silicon side using a HNO3 :HF(19:5) solution followed by ion milling to perforation of the Au side.

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New ultrastructural findings about Borrelia burgdorferi by cryofixation, negative staining, thin sectioning and scanning techniques

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100160467 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 582-583

Author(s):

S. F. Hayes ◽

M. D. Corwin ◽

T. G. Schwan ◽

D. W. Dorward ◽

W. Burgdorfer

Keyword(s):

Lyme Disease ◽

Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽

Structural Characterization ◽

Negative Staining ◽

Low Speed ◽

Thin Sectioning ◽

Ultrastructural Findings

Characterization of Borrelia burgdorferi strains by means of negative staining EM has become an integral part of many studies related to the biology of the Lyme disease organism. However, relying solely upon negative staining to compare new isolates with prototype B31 or other borreliae is often unsatisfactory. To obtain more satisfactory results, we have relied upon a correlative approach encompassing a variety EM techniques, i.e., scanning for topographical features and cryotomy, negative staining and thin sectioning to provide a more complete structural characterization of B. burgdorferi.For characterization, isolates of B. burgdorferi were cultured in BSK II media from which they were removed by low speed centrifugation. The sedimented borrelia were carefully resuspended in stabilizing buffer so as to preserve their features for scanning and negative staining. Alternatively, others were prepared for conventional thin sectioning and for cryotomy using modified procedures. For thin sectioning, the fixative described by Ito, et al.

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