Experimentation Investigation of Hard facing Layer by MMAW on Alloy Steel

The wearing of metal parts might be defined as a gradual decay or breakdown of the metal. When a part becomes so deformed that it cannot perform adequately, it must be replaced or rebuilt. While the end results of wear are similar, the causes of wear are different. It is essential to understand the wear factors involved before making a hard surfacing product selection. It would be easy to select a surfacing alloy if all metal components were subjected to only one type of wear. However, a metal part is usually worn by combinations of two or more types of wear. This makes an alloy selection considerably more complicated. A hard surfacing alloy should be chosen as a compromise between each wear factor. The initial focus should centre on the primary wear factor and then the secondary wear factor(s) should be examined. For example: upon examining a worn metal part, it is determined that the primary wear factor is abrasion and the secondary wear factor is light impact. The surfacing alloy chosen should have very good abrasion resistance but also have a fair amount of impact resistance. Keywords: Welding, Hard Facing Electrodes, Alloys, Afrox 300.

Factors Associated With Patient's Refusal of Recommended Cancer Surgery: Based on Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results

ObjectivesMost non-metastatic cancer patients can harvest a preferable survival after surgical treatment, however, patients sometimes refuse the recommended cancer-directed surgery. It is necessary to uncover the factors associated with patent's decision in taking cancer surgery and explore racial/ethnic disparities in surgery refusal.MethodsBased on the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-18 program, we extracted data of non-metastatic cancer patients who didn't undergo surgery. Ten common solid cancers were selected. Four racial/ethnic categories were included: White, black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander (API). Primary outcome was patient's refusal of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression models were used, with reported odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsAmong 318,318 patients, the incidence of surgery refusal was 3.5%. Advanced age, female patients, earlier cancer stage, uninsured/Medicaid and unmarried patients were significantly associated with higher odds of surgery refusal. Black and API patients were more likely to refuse recommended surgery than white patients in overall cancer (black-white: adjusted OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.11–1.26; API-white: adjusted OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.41–1.72); those racial/ethnic disparities narrowed down after additionally adjusting for insurance type and marital status. In subgroup analysis, API-white disparities in surgery refusal widely existed in prostate, lung/bronchus, liver, and stomach cancers.ConclusionsPatient's socioeconomic conditions reflected by insurance type and marital status may play a key role in racial/ethnic disparities in surgery refusal. Oncological surgeons should fully consider the barriers behind patient's refusal of recommended surgery, thus promoting patient-doctor shared decision-making and guiding patients to the most appropriate therapy.

COVID-19 Health Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused numerous deaths, drained resources, halted trade, and shattered economies across the world. Humankind is faced with the challenge of survival, putting a halt on the growth dynamics. Lockdowns imposed by governments have flattened the curve of COVID-19 victims, but only to delay the spread of the deadly virus. Till the time a complete cure is discovered, people have managed to find ways to prevent the spread of the virus by developing new norms of day-to-day survival. The study aims to highlight the COVID-19 crisis and measures to maintain sustainability in the new normal. The methodology used is primarily based on published literature and data. Findings of the study indicate that there is absolute uncertainty on ‘What Next' and ‘How'. Hence, it is concluded that any resurgence attempt to equipoise this catastrophe is predicted to be prolonged and so its end results.