VHCF Behavior of Welded Joints with HFMI Treatment under Moisture Conditions

Fatigue tests of cruciform welded joints made of Q355B steel at very-high-cycle fatigue (VHCF) regimes were carried out on as-welded specimens using highfrequency mechanical impact (HFMI) treatment in dry air and water-spray environments, respectively. The influence of the environment on fatigue life was more obvious in the VHCF regime. It was found that S-N curves became flat over the range of 106–108 cycles for as-welded specimens, while a continuously decreasing S-N curve existed for HFMI-treated specimens. Fatigue cracks initiated from the weld toe of the as-welded specimens in dry air and water-spray environments. Due to residual stress, the crack initiation site transition of HFMI-treated specimens from the weld toe to the weld root and base metal was observed at lower stress levels. Moreover, hydrogen-assisted quasi-cleavage and intergranular fracture were captured using a scanning electron microscope and a hydrogen permeation test.

Microbial contamination of hands with or without the use of bidet toilets (electric toilet seats with water spray) after defecation

Bidet toilets (electric toilet seats with water spray) are increasing in popularity worldwide. However, the extent of reduction of microbial contamination of the hands with the use of bidet toilets after defecation is unclear. Microbe contamination of the hands with and without the use of bidet toilets after defecation was examined in 32 nursing students. Double gloves were worn on the dominant hand and four layers of toilet paper were used to wipe the buttocks after defecation, and microbe contamination of the second glove (outer glove) of the double gloves was examined. The volunteers were free to select the flow volume, wash time of the bidet, and the type of bidet. Without the use of a bidet toilet, the average value ± standard deviation of the number of microbes attached to the gloves was 39,499.3 ± 77,768.3 colony forming units (cfu)/glove; however, it was 4,146.9 ± 11,427.7 cfu/glove when the bidet toilet was used. The number of microbes adhering to gloves was significantly reduced when a bidet toilet was used (p < 0.00001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test).

Ripening Regulation of Banana Cv. Malbhog Using Different Ripening Inducers

This experiment was carried out under the study entitled “Ripening regulation of the banana Cv. Malbhog using different ripening inducers” for controlling the ripening of the banana, for improvement of quality attributes and post-harvest life of banana. The experiment was conducted at laboratory of horticulture, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal from 14th March to 16th April 2019. These experiments were laid out in completely randomized design in which the first experiment comprised of seven treatments consisting of distilled water spray, ethephon @ 250 ppm, ethephon @ 500 ppm, ethephon @750 ppm, ethephon@1000 ppm, Dhurseli (Colebrookea oppositifolia) leaves and Ripe banana replicated thrice. Different post-harvest parameters were recorded at the interval of two days for the experiment till any one of the treatment attained score 6 in the color chart. In this experiment, the CI-6 stage was reached earlier on the 9th day with the use of ethephon @ 1000 ppm but ethephon @ 500 ppm was found more effective regarding quality parameters with TSS (21˚B), and TSS/TA (34.66). The maximum physiological loss in weight (12.927%) and pulp peel ratio (3.65) was observed with ethephon@1000ppm and the minimum was achieved in banana sprayed with distilled water. The shelf life of banana was seen minimum (13.33 days) in ethephon @ 1000 ppm and maximum (20.33 days) in banana sprayed with distilled water.