Contribution of Stress Testing to the Management of Ischemic Heart Disease in Mali

Introduction: Exercise stress testing (on a treadmill or ergometer bicycle) is an important test in cardiology for diagnosing myocardial ischemia. This test in Mali is still in its beginning compared to other countries in the sub-region. The lack of data in Mali prompted this study, which aimed to evaluate the indications of this activity and its diagnostic contribution to cardiology in Mali. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, descriptive study. The study was conducted at the “TOUCAM” medical clinic in Kati based on the analysis of stress test reports between January 2016 and August 2022. Result: During the study period, we documented 73 patients who underwent exercise testing on a bicycle ergometer for suspected coronary heart disease. The mean age of our patients was 47.5 ± 13.8 years (14 and 79 years). Males accounted for the majority (78.1%). The sex ratio is 3.5. More than half of our patients were overweight or obese (77.1%). Hypertension and diabetes affected 52.1% and 25.8% of patients, respectively. 20.8% of patients had coronary artery disease. renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers (56.8%) and beta-blockers (51.3%). The main indications were chest pain (63.0%) and ischemia detection (15.1%). A modified STEEP protocol was used. The majority of our patients (71.2%) achieved at least 85% of their maximum theoretical heart rate. The main reason for the termination of the study was fatigue (57.3%). The average duration was 11.3 ± 4.2 minutes. 24.7% thought the stress tests were positive and 17.8% thought they were controversial. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the importance of stress testing in the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic heart disease, especially in settings where we have very limited access to coronary angiography.

New method of online testing and data processing for LED lamps

In order to achieve quick and accurate lifetime prediction of LED lighting products under the testing time of 2 000 h, a method of online testing of luminous flux is proposed under the condition of temperature stress.Exponential fitting of lumen maintenance, the Bayesian estimation of failure probability, the Weibull distribution of lifetime and the Arrhenius model of the decay rate are used in combination to acquire the distribution of failure probability over time at the ambient temperatures of 25 ℃. The lifetime test of the same lamps based on the Energy Star standard under the testing time of 6 000 h is also implemented to verify the effectiveness of the method. The errors of lifetimes acquired with the proposed method are 7%, 4%, 3% and 1% at the failure probabilities of 62. 3%, 10%, 5% and 1%,respectively.

Nondestructive Testing and Characterization of Residual Stress Field Using an Ultrasonic Method

To address the difficulty in testing and calibrating the stress gradient in the depth direction of mechanical components, a new technology of nondestructive testing and characterization of the residual stress gradient field by ultrasonic method is proposed based on acoustoelasticity theory. By carrying out theoretical analysis, the sensitivity coefficients of different types of ultrasonic are obtained by taking the low carbon steel（12%C） as a research object. By fixing the interval distance between sending and receiving transducers, the mathematical expressions of the change of stress and the variation of time are established. To design one sending-one receiving and oblique incidence ultrasonic detection probes, according to Snell law, the critically refracted longitudinal wave（LCR wave） is excited at a certain depth of the fixed distance of the tested components. Then, the relationship between the depth of LCR wave detection and the center frequency of the probe in Q235 steel is obtained through experimental study. To detect the stress gradient in the depth direction, a stress gradient LCR wave detection model is established, through which the stress gradient formula is derived by the relationship between center frequency and detecting depth. A C-shaped stress specimen of Q235 steel is designed to conduct stress loading tests, and the stress is measured with the five group probes at different center frequencies. The accuracy of ultrasonic testing is verified by X-ray stress analyzer. The stress value of each specific depth is calculated using the stress gradient formula. Accordingly, the ultrasonic characterization of residual stress field is realized. Characterization results show that the stress gradient distribution is consistent with the simulation in ANSYS. The new technology can be widely applied in the detection of the residual stress gradient field caused by mechanical processing, such as welding and shot peening.

Stress-deformed state of cylindrical specimens during indirect tensile strength testing

In this study, the interaction between cylindrical specimen made ofhomogeneous, isotropic, and linearlyelastic material and loading jaws of any curvature is considered in the Brazilian test. It is assumed thatthe specimen is diametrically compressed by elliptic normal contact stresses. The frictional contactstresses between the specimen and platens are neglected. The analytical solution starts from the contactproblem of the loading jaws of any curvature and cylindrical specimen. The contact width, correspondingloading angle （2 ^0）, and elliptical stresses obtained through solution of the contact problems are used asboundary conditions for a cylindrical specimen. The problem of the theory of elasticity for a cylinder issolved using Muskhelishvili＇s method. In this method, the displacements and stresses are represented interms of two analytical functions of a complex variable. In the main approaches, the nonlinear interactionbetween the loading bearing blocks and the specimen as well as the curvature of their surfacesand the elastic parameters of their materials are taken into account. Numerical examples are solved usingMATLAB to demonstrate the influence of deformability, curvature of the specimen and platens on thedistribution of the normal contact stresses as well as on the tensile and compressive stresses actingacross the loaded diameter. Derived equations also allow calculating the modulus of elasticity, totaldeformation modulus and creep parameters of the specimen material based on the experimental data ofradial contraction of the specimen.

Flexible substructure online hybrid test system using conventional testing devices

This paper presents a substructure online hybrid test system that is extensible for geographically distributed tests. This system consists of a set of devices conventionally used for cyclic tests to load the tested substructures onto the target displacement or the target force. Due to their robustness and portability, individual sets of conventional loading devices can be transported and reconfigured to realize physical loading in geographically remote laboratories. Another appealing feature is the flexible displacement-force mixed control that is particularly suitable for specimens having large disparities in stiffness during various performance stages. To conduct a substructure online hybrid test, an extensible framework is developed, which is equipped with a generalized interface to encapsulate each substructure. Multiple tested substructures and analyzed substructures using various structural program codes can be accommodated within the single framework, simply interfaced with the boundary displacements and forces. A coordinator program is developed to keep the boundaries among all substructures compatible and equilibrated. An Interuet-based data exchange scheme is also devised to transfer data among computers equipped with different software environments. A series of online hybrid tests are introduced, and the portability, flexibility, and extensibility of the online hybrid test system are demonstrated.

An inverse method for online stress monitoring and fatigue life analysis of boiler drums

A method based on solution of the inverse heat conduction problem was presented for online stress monitoring and fatigue life analysis of boiler drums. The mathematical model of the drum temperature distribution is based on the assumptions that the difference of temperature along the longitudinal axis of the boiler drum is negligible with changes only in the radial direction and the circumferential direction, and that the outer surface of drum is thermaUy insulated. Combining this model with the control-volume method provides temperatures at different points on a cross-section of the drum. With the temperature data, the stresses and the life expectancy of the boiler drum are derived according to the ASME code. Applying this method to the cold start-up process of a 300 MW boiler demonstrated the absence of errors caused by the boundary condition assumptions on the inner surface of the drum and testified that the method is an applicable technique for the online stress monitoring and fatigue life analysis of boiler drums.

Design and Develop Online Monitoring and Early-warning System of Crane Structural Stress

This paper proposed an online monitoring and early-warning system of dynamic stress of crane metal structure, and designed this system’s hardware,including sensor unit,data gathering unit,and controlling & processing unit of this sys- tem,and discussed the waterproof protection for resistance strain wafer and scheme of data gathering and transmission of dynamic strain gauge,moreover developed system software of real-time and online monitoring dynamic stress,including data gathering by DLL and data display & processing based on Visual C++.The system applies the dynamic strain gauge to gather the data of the stress,and communicates between PLC control system of crane and upper industrial computer,so that realize the real-time online monitoring and early-warning for crane’s metal structure stress.The test results show this system carry on real time and online monitoring to dynamic stress of loud-bearing metal structure longly and stability,and can give an alarm and overload protection on time.So the system has good practice value.

Shortness of breath in clinical practice: A case for left atrial function and exercise stress testing for a comprehensive diastolic heart failure workup

The symptom cluster of shortness of breath(SOB) contributes significantly to the outpatient workload of cardiology services. The workup of these patients includes blood chemistry and biomarkers, imaging and functional testing of the heart and lungs. A diagnosis of diastolic heart failure is inferred through the exclusion of systolic abnormalities, a normal pulmonary function test and normal hemoglobin, coupled with diastolic abnormalities on echocardiography. Differentiating confounders such as obesity or deconditioning in a patient with diastolic abnormalities is difficult. While the most recent guidelines provide more avenues for diagnosis, such as incorporating the left atrial size, little emphasis is given to understanding left atrial function, which contributes to at least 25% of diastolic left ventricular filling; additionally, exercise stress testing to elicit symptoms and test the dynamics of diastolic parameters, especially when access to the "gold standard" invasive tests is lacking, presents clinical translational gaps. It is thus important in diastolic heart failure work up to understand left atrial mechanics and the role of exercise testing to build a comprehensive argument for the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure in a patient presenting with SOB.

The Study of Electromagnetic Stress Testing Method on Oil-Gas Pipelines Based on WT

This paper proposes an effective method for early diagnosis (stress concentrating) of the oil-gas pipeline. Based on the principle of electromagnetic induction Faraday, we have designed and realized the nondestructive testing system for stress concentration area of ferromagnetic materials by means of the research of metal materials inverse magnetostrictive effect mechanism. The system changes the influence degree of the stress in ferromagnetic materials’ magnetic conductance to the corresponding voltage array by using discrete wavelet analysis method to process the data, in which not only the measuring accuracy is improved, but also the stress concentration is more directly reflected. The experiments confirm that the electromagnetic stress testing method is feasible and valid.

Non-Contact Stress Measurement during Tensile Testing Using an Emat for SH₀-Plate Wave and Lamb Wave

The stress on a test specimen during tensile testing is generally measured by a strain gauge. This method has some problems in that it would influence the measurement conditions of the tensile test and can evaluate only the position at which the strain gauge is attached. The acoustoelastic method is proposed as a method replacing the strain gauge method. However, an ultrasonic sensor with a piezoelectric oscillator requires a coupling medium to inject an ultrasonic wave into a solid material. This condition, due to the error factor of the stress measurement, makes it difficult for the ultrasonic sensor to move on the specimen. We then tried to develop a non-contact stress measurement system during tensile testing using an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) with an SH0-plate wave and S0-Lamb wave. The EMAT can measure the propagation time in which the ultrasonic wave travels between a receiver and a transmitter without a coupling medium during the tensile testing and can move easily. The interval between the transmitter and the receiver is 10mm and can be moved along the parallel direction or the vertical direction of the tensile load. The transit time was measured by a cross-correlation method and converted into the stress on the test specimen using the acoustoelastic method. We confirmed that the stress measurement using an SH0-plate wave was superior to that with an S0-Lamb wave.

Acoustic cardiography to improve detection of coronary artery disease with stress testing

AIM:To assess if performance of 12-lead exercise tolerance testing(ETT) can be improved by simultaneous acoustic cardiography and to compare the diagnostic performances of electrocardiography(ECG) during ETT and acoustic cardiography for detection or exclusion of angiographically proven coronary artery disease(CAD).METHODS:We conducted an explorative study with retrospective data analysis using a convenience sample of consecutive patients(n = 59,mean age:62 years) from an outpatient clinic in Switzerland,who were referred for ETT by their general practitioner on suspicion of CAD,and in whom,coronary angiography was carried out.Measurements included sensitivity,specificity,likelihood ratios and receiver operating characteristic curves.A standard,symptom-limited,12-lead ECG exercise tolerance test was performed by independent persons with simultaneous acoustic cardiography and subsequent cardiac angiography for determination of significant CAD.RESULTS:Thirty-four of the 59 adult subjects(58%) had a final diagnosis of CAD by angiography,and in 25 subjects,CAD was excluded by angiography.Sensitivity/specificity of ST segment depression in the group was 29%/92%,whereas the most powerful acoustic cardiographic parameter was the strength of the fourth heart sound(S4),with corresponding sensitivity/specificity of 53%/92%.The disjunctive combination of the S4 and ST depression had sensitivity/specificity of 68%/84%.CONCLUSION:In this preliminary pilot study,the use of acoustic cardiography alone during ETT or disjunctively with ST depression has been shown to be a simple and convenient method for the detection of CAD,which was superior to ST depression on the standardized ECG.

Application of Nonlinear Lamb Wave Mixing Method for Residual Stress Measurement in Metal Plate

Harmonic nonlinear ultrasound can offer high sensitivity for residual stress measurements;however,it cannot be used for local stress measurements at a point in space and exhibits nonlinear distortions in the experimental system.This paper presents a feasibility study on the measurement of residual stress in a metal plate using a nonlinear Lamb wave-mixing technique.The resonant conditions for two Lamb waves to generate a mixing frequency wave are obtained via theoretical analysis.Finite element simulations are performed to investigate the nonlinear interactions between the two Lamb waves.Results show that two incident A0 waves interact in regions of material nonlinearity and generate a rightward S0 wave at the sum frequency.Residual stress measurement experiments are conducted on steel plate specimens using the collinear Lamb wave-mixing technique.By setting different delays for two transmitters,the generated sum-frequency component at different spatial locations is measured.Experimental results show that the spatial distribution of the amplitude of the sum-frequency component agrees well with the spatial distribution of the residual stress measured using X-rays.The proposed collinear Lamb wave-mixing method is effective for measuring the distribution of residual stress in metal plates.

ASP在Online Testing System中的应用

随着Internet的日益发展、普及,人们对WEB的要求越来越高,需要灵活的动态网页技术。动态网页技术ASP具有保密性好、与所有脚本语言兼容、易编写、无需编译等特点,且ASP在与数据库的连接上采用ADO(ActiveX Data Objects)技术访问后台数据库,这些深受网页制作者的欢迎。在Online Testing System中动态网页制作中采用ASP,具有一定实用价值。

Research on magnetic testing method of stress distribution

For implementing nondestructive evaluation of stress distribution inside ferromagnetic material, a magnetic testing method was developed which does not need artificial magnetizing field. This method was implemented by testing the normal component of the magnetic flux leakage above the object being tested with a constant lift off from 1 to 10?mm. The distribution of the stress inside the specimen can be gotten from that of the normal component of the magnetic flux leakage. A stress concentration specimen, which is a 10?mm thickness mild steel plate with a welding seam on it, was tested using this method. The stress distribution of the magnetic testing was identical with that of small hole stress testing method. It indicates that the stress distribution of ferromagnetic material can be known by the magnetic testing method.

A generalized nonlinear three-dimensional Hoek‒Brown failure criterion

To understand the strengths of rocks under complex stress states,a generalized nonlinear threedimensional(3D)Hoek‒Brown failure(NGHB)criterion was proposed in this study.This criterion shares the same parameters with the generalized HB(GHB)criterion and inherits the parameter advantages of GHB.Two new parameters,b,and n,were introduced into the NGHB criterion that primarily controls the deviatoric plane shape of the NGHB criterion under triaxial tension and compression,respectively.The NGHB criterion can consider the influence of intermediate principal stress(IPS),where the deviatoric plane shape satisfies the smoothness requirements,while the HB criterion not.This criterion can degenerate into the two modified 3D HB criteria,the Priest criterion under triaxial compression condition and the HB criterion under triaxial compression and tension condition.This criterion was verified using true triaxial test data for different parameters,six types of rocks,and two kinds of in situ rock masses.For comparison,three existing 3D HB criteria were selected for performance comparison research.The result showed that the NGHB criterion gave better prediction performance than other criteria.The prediction errors of the strength of six types of rocks and two kinds of in situ rock masses were in the range of 2.0724%-3.5091%and 1.0144%-3.2321%,respectively.The proposed criterion lays a preliminary theoretical foundation for prediction of engineering rock mass strength under complex in situ stress conditions.

Prestressed tensioning method and its application to testing anchor stress of anchor cables for side-slope stabilization

The anchor stress extent of a prestress anchor cable project has a direct relation with the project safety and performance. Prestressed tensioning method is a kind of nondestructive testing method, by which a reverse stretching load is applied on the external exposure section of anchor cable under construction or in service, and then the elongation variation of stress bars is measured to determine the anchor stress. We elaborated the theory and testing mechanism of prestressed tensioning method, and systematically studied key issues during the prestressed tensioning process of anchor cable by using physical model test, including the composition of tension stress-elongation curve, the variation of anchor stress, the compensation of locked anchor stress, and the judgment of anchor stress, and verified the theory feasibility of prestressed tensioning method. A case study on slope anchor cable of one highway project was conducted to further discuss on the test method, operation procedures and judgment of prestressed tensioning method on obtaining anchor stress, and then the test data of three situations were analyzed. The result provides a theoretical basis and technical base for the application of prestressed tensioning method to the evaluation of construction quality and operation conditions of anchor cable project.

SYNTHETIC STRESSLIFE TESTING OF MECHATRONIC PRODUCTS UNDER VARIABLE STRESS SPECTRUM

Mechatronic products usually endure the variable stress spectrum when they operate in certain operational condition and environmental condition, which obey the Weibull distribution. In accordance with the features of mechatronic product, this paper analyzes the failure mode, its corresponding sensitive stress and the design principles of life testing profiles. Based on the above analyses, this paper presents a synthetic stress life testing method based on the hybrid Weibull distribution and its statistical method under variable stress spectrum to evaluate the reliability and life indices of mechatronic products. Because the mechatronic products have many characteristics such as high price, long life and small testing samples, the synthetic stress life testing method under variable load spectrum can simulate the real various spectra, decrease the life testing time and reduce the testing samples. So it is effective to carry out the life testing to mechatronic products. The application results of hydraulic pumps indicate that this method can easily handle the experimental data under variable amplitude spectrum, obtain the high precision parameters point estimation and confidence interval estimation and reduce the testing cost greatly.

Current Techniques and Practices for Myocardial Stress Testing—A Comparative Survey between Malta and International Nuclear Medicine Centres

Objectives: The study compared cardiac scintigraphy stress scanning practices applied in a National Maltese Nuclear Medicine centre and in international centres. This was achieved through the design of an online survey which investigated participant knowledge of stress testing, and current procedural practice. Methods: An online survey comprising 12 questions was prepared using Survey Monkey. Professional Nuclear Medicine groups such as the Medical-Physics-Engineering community and Virtual Radiopharmacy were targeted. Access to the survey remained open for eight months during which a periodic reminder was sent to optimise the response rate. Forty-three members responded from across Europe and Australasia. Chi-square tests and comparisons between multiple responses using IBM SPSS 20 were used to evaluate the results. Information related to Maltese practice was collated separately for review and comparative purposes. Results: The online survey participants comprised United Kingdom [72%], other European countries [18%] and Australasia [9%]. The majority of respondents [n = 39] reported pharmacological stress testing as being performed either alone or in conjunction with exercise stress testing as the preferred option. Most participants [60%] were aware of local stress test protocols but had limited knowledge in relation to guidelines designed for cases where patients were not suitable for pharmacological stress testing. Conclusion: The survey provided information about procedures within participating centres for scintigraphic cardiac stress scanning. Differences were identified with regards to the preferred radiopharmaceutical tracers and procedural protocols. Further investigation of examination techniques is warranted, with the aim of increasing standardisation of protocol compliance and the application of more suitable practice.

Advanced test methods of material property characterization:high strain-rate testing and experimental simulation of multiaxial stress states

Optimum utilization of the loading capability of engineering materials is an important and active contribution to protect nature's limited resources,and it is the key for economic design methods.In order to make use of the materials' resources,those must be known very well;but conventional test methods will offer only limited informational value.The range of questions raised is as wide as the application of engineering materials,and partially they are very specific.The development of huge computer powers enables numeric modelling to simulate structural behaviour in rather complex loading environments-so the real material behaviour is known under the given loading conditions.Here the art of material testing design starts.To study the material behaviour under very distinct and specific loading conditions makes it necessary to simulate different temperature ranges,loading speeds, environments etc.and mostly there doesn't exist any commonly agreed test standard.In this contribution two popular,non-standard test procedures and test systems will be discussed on the base of their application background,special design features as well as test results and typically gained information:The demand for highspeed tests up to 1000 s^(-1) of strain rate is very specific and originates primarily in the automotive industry and the answers enable CAE analysis of crashworthiness of vehicle structures under crash conditions.The information on the material behaviour under multiaxial loading conditions is a more general one.Multiaxial stress states can be reduced to an equivalent stress,which allows the evaluation of the material's constraint and criticality of stress state.Both discussed examples shall show that the open dialogue between the user and the producer of testing machines allows custom-tailored test solutions.

A recoverable stress testing algorithm for compression and encryption cards

This study proposes a recoverable stress testing algorithm （RSTA） for such special devices as compression/decompression card and encryption/deeryption card. It uses a chaos function to generate a random sequence, and then, according to the random sequence, generates an effective command sequence. The dispatch of command obeys a special schedule strategy we designed for such devices, i.e., the commands are sent according to the command sequence, and the complete commands are put in a buffer for further result check. RSTA is used to test the HIFN compression acceleration card SAICHI-1000. Test results show that RSTA can make the card work continuously and adequately.