Posterior Urethral Valves without Reflux Associated with Bilateral Renal Cortical Atrophy: Diagnosis and Management

The objective of this case report was to highlight the characteristics of posterior urethral valves observed in a 3-year-old patient and to describe their management. The case of a 4-year-old patient treated for a posterior urethral valve with bilateral renal cortical atrophy was reviewed. The diagnosis was confirmed by abdominal ultrasound, cystography and abdominal CT. He was referred to Martinique (a tertiary health establishment) for effective support. From the acute situation to the fortuitous discovery, its understanding must be deepened because of the potential immediate symptomatic impact in the form of renal colic which can be associated with sepsis, as well as in the long term on renal function. This observation is intended to help the attending physician to initiate his diagnosis and treatment.

Research of vibrations effect on hydraulic valves in military vehicles

The paper discusses minimizing the effect of external mechanical vibration on hydraulic valves in different military hydraulic drive systems.The current research work presents an analysis of the potential to reduce vibration on the valve casing by installing a valve flexibly on a vibrating surface,i.e.,by introducing a material with known stiffness and damping characteristics between the valve casing and the vibrating surface-a steel spring package or special cushions made of elastomer material or of oilresistant rubber.The article also demonstrates that elastomer cushions placed inside the valve casingbetween the casing and the centering springs-can be used as a supplementary or alternative solution in the analyzed method for mitigating the transfer of vibrations.By using materials with appropriately selected elastic and dissipative properties,the effectiveness of vibro-isolation can be increased.The presented theoretical analyzes by linear and non-linear mathematical models have been verified experimentally.

Outcomes of Self-Expanding Transcatheter Pulmonary Valves:Extended Follow-Up of a Prospective Trial

Background:The Venus-P valve was the first self-expanding valve used world-wide for transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement(TPVR)in patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation(PR).We intended to report the extended follow-up results from the prospective trial(No.NCT02590679).Methods:A total of 38 patients with severe PR(mean age 24.2±13.2)were included.Follow-up data were obtained after implanted at 1,6,and 12 months and yearly after.The frame geometry was assessed on post-implant computer tomography(CT)scanning by calculating the non-circularity[circularity ratio(minimum diameter/maximum diameter)<0.9]and under-expansion[expansion ratio(derived external valve area/nominal external valve area)<0.9).Adverse events(all-cause mortality,reintervention,valve dysfunction,stent fracture and endocarditis)were recorded.Results:All valves were implanted successfully with normal function at discharge.Geometric CT analysis showed underexpanded valve was detected in 22 patients(63%)and non-circular valve was seen in 16 patients(46%).During a median follow-up of 4.8 years(range 0.3-8.1),there were 1 death and 1 surgical explant,both resulting from endocarditis.Five-year freedom from valve dysfunction and stent fracture were 84.8%(95%CI 74.8-94.7)and 83.5%(95%CI 73.8-93.2).Endocarditis occurred in 3 patients at a median time of 7 months.Stent fracture was more common in patients with non-circularity stents.Conclusion:TPVR using Venus-P valve is associated with favorable outcomes at 5 years.Non-circular shapes in the valve level may have a higher risk of stent fracture.

Research and Development of Electro‑hydraulic Control Valves Oriented to Industry 4.0:A Review

Electro-hydraulic control valves are key hydraulic components for industrial applications and aerospace,which controls electro-hydraulic motion.With the development of automation,digital technology,and communication technology,electro-hydraulic control valves are becoming more digital,integrated,and intelligent in order to meet the requirements of Industry 4.0.This paper reviews the state of the art development for electro-hydraulic control valves and their related technologies.This review paper considers three aspects of state acquisition through sensors or indirect acquisition technologies,control strategies along with digital controllers and novel valves,and online maintenance through data interaction and fault diagnosis.The main features and development trends of electro-hydraulic control valves oriented to Industry 4.0 are discussed.

Output Waveform Analysis of an Electro-hydraulic Vibrator Controlled by the Multiple Valves

The existing research of the electro-hydraulic vibrator mainly focuses on system stability, working frequency width and output waveform distortion. However, this high frequency performance of the electro-hydraulic vibrator is difficult to be improved greatly due to fast insufficiently frequency response of the servo valve itself and limited compensation capability of the control structure in the vibrator system. In this paper, to realize high frequency vibration, an improved two-dimensional valve （here within defined as a 2D valve） as a main control component is adopted to the parallel connection with a servo valve to control the electro-hydraulic vibrator, Because the output waveforms of this electro-hydraulic vibrator are incapable to be verified through timely feedback as in the conventional electro-hydraulic servo system, the analysis to the output waveform becomes crucial to the design and control of the electro-hydraulic vibrator. The mathematical models of hydraulic actuation mechanism and the orifice area of the parallel valves connection are established first. And then the vibration process is divided into two sections in terms of the direction of the flow, the analytical expression of the excited waveform is solved. Based on relationships exist between working states and the control parameters the analytical results, the vibration boundary positions and the are derived. Finally an experimental system was built to validate the theoretical analysis. It is verified that this electro-hydraulic vibration system could achieve high working frequency, up to 2 000 Hz. The excited waveform is similar to the sinnsoidal waveform. And the ascent and decent slopes of the waveforms are somewhat asymmetrical. This asymmetry is not only caused by the change of the direction of the elastic force but also dependent on the bias position of the vibration. Consequentky the distortion of effective working waveform is less tha~ 10%. This electro-hydraulic vibrator controlled by the multiple valves could not only greatly enhance the working frequency but also precisely control the vibration characteristic variables such as waveform shape.

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS OF CAVITATION EFFECTS ON FLOW CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL ORIFICES AND VALVES IN WATER HYDRAULICS

The flow characteristics and cavitation effects of water passing throughsmall sharp-edged cylindrical orifices and valves of different shapes in water hydraulics areinvestigated. The test results using orifices with different aspect ratios and different diametersshow that the flow coefficients in the case of non-cavitating flow are larger than that of flow inthe case of cavitation occurrence. The flow coefficients of flow with cavitation initially decreaseas Reynolds number increases and ultimately tend to be of constant values close to contractioncoefficient. Large aspect ratio has an effect of suppressing cavitation. The experimental resultsabout disc valves illustrate that the valves with sharp edge at large opening are less affected bycavitation than that at small opening. Throttle with triangle notch has better anti-cavitationability than that with square notch. The flowrate of the throttle with square notch is significantlyaffected by the flow direction or the flow passage shape.

A comprehensive review of cavitation in valves:mechanical heart valves and control valves

Valves are widely used in various working conditions for their flow control functions,and the cavitation inside valves has been investigated owing to its harm to the valve itself and the connecting downstream parts.This paper presents a comprehensive review of the progress that has been achieved in the past years about cavitation in valves including both mechanical heart valves and control valves.The review is divided in the following parts,namely the location where there is a high possibility of the occurrence of cavitation,the parameters that affect cavitation intensity,and the methods to minimize cavitation intensity.It should be noticed that although simulation has been widely used,advanced experiments are still needed in order to obtain accurate analysis of cavitation in valves and the cavitation model still needs to be improved.

Advances in Technologies of Piezoelectric Pumping with Valves

Piezoelectric pump faces unprecedented challenges when higher expectation and requirements need to be met in their applications mainly to medical treatment,hygiene and public health,and preventive healthcare.Specifically,the piezoelectric pump with valve has the disadvantages of complex structure,high duty cycle of valves,and valve movement lagged behind piezoelectric ceramics oscillation.In an attempt to inhibit its shortcomings,some researchers presented novel concepts for structural design of piezoelectric pump with valve,which could become a new research focus.Among them,the investigation into various soft valves,represented by soft structure valves made of rigid materials and soft material valves made of flexible materials,has been fruitful in recent years.The integrated design of both material and structure can tackle the problems encountered in the study of piezoelectric pump with valve,thus simplifying the pump structure,reducing the duty-cycle of valves,and improving the lagging of valve motion.In addition,new inventions of pump structure have sprung up,such as the pumps containing a single-chamber with double-drive,single-chamber with single-drive in series and single-chamber with single-drive in parallel,as well as the mixed-chamber in series and parallel.After surveying the recent progresses made by dominant academia in the development of piezoelectric pump encompassing valve,with a particular emphasis on structure design of both valve and pump body,we also summarize and identify the future research directions.

Forming Mechanism of Gaseous Defect in Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb Exhaust Valves Formed with Permanent Mold Centrifugal Casting Method

A method combining theoretical analysis with experiment is adopted and the flowing process of Ti-48A1-2Cr-2Nb alloy melt poured in a permanent mould during the centrifugal casting process has been analyzed. A mathematical model of the filling process is established and the forming mechanism of internal gaseous defect is summarized. The results of calculation show that the melt fills the mould with varying cross-section area and inclined angle. The filling speed of the cross-section is a function of filling time. The cross-section area is directly proportional to the filling speed and the inclined angle is inversely proportional to the filling speed at a given rotating speed of the platform. Both of them changes more obvious near the mould entrance. The gaseous defect can be formed in several ways and the centrifugal field has an important influence on the formation of the defect. In addition, the filling process in centrifugal field has been verified by wax experiments and the theoretical analysis are consistent with experimental results.

General Consideration of Measuring System for Operational Test of Thyristor Valves of Ultra High Voltage DC Power Transmission

Thyristor valve is one of the key equipments for ultra high voltage direct current(UHVDC) power transmission projects.Before being installed on site,they need to be tested in a laboratory in order to verify their operational performance to satisfy the technical specification of project related.Test facilities for operational tests of thyristor valves are supposed to enable to undertake more severe electrical stresses than those being applied in the thyristor valves under test(test objects).On the other hand,the stresses applied into the test objects are neither higher nor lower than specified by the specification,because inappropriate stresses applied would result in incorrect evaluation of performance on the test objects,more seriously,would cuase the damage of test objects with expensive cost losing.Generally,the process of operational tests is complicated and performed in a complex synthetic test circuit(hereafter as STC),where there are a lot of sensors used for measuring,monitoring and protection on line to ensure that the test circuit functions in good condition.Therefore,the measuring systems embedded play a core role in STC,acting like "eyes".Based on the first project of building up a STC in China,experience of planning measuring systems is summarized so as to be referenced by related engineers.

Partitioning of Water Distribution Network into District Metered Areas Using Existing Valves

Water distribution network(WDN)leakage management has received increased attention in recent years.One of the most successful leakage-control strategies is to divide the network into District Metered Areas(DMAs).As a multi-staged technique,the generation of DMAs is a difficult task in design and implementation(i.e.,clustering,sectorization,and performance evaluation).Previous studies on DMAs implementation did not consider the potential use of existing valves in achieving the objective.In this work,a methodology is proposed for detecting clusters and reducing the cost of additional valves and DMA sectorization by considering existing valves as much as possible.The procedure of DMAs identification has been divided into three stages,i.e.,a)clusters identification;b)sectorization or boundaries optimization and c)performance evaluation of the partitioned network.The proposed methodology is evaluated on a simple network and a real-world water network with the findings provided and compared to the DMAs,established for a raw water network with no existing valves.It is found that there is an adequate difference in cost of strategy implementation in both the cases for the network under consideration and the existing valve system achieved better network performance in terms of resilience index.

Univariate Risk Factors for Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in Patients Undergoing Prosthetic Heart Valves Replacement Surgery

Data from 736 patients undergoing prosthetic heart valve replacement surgery and concomitant surgery （combined surgery） from January 1998 to January 2004 at Union Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identity risk factors for prolonged mechanical ventilation. The results showed that prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass duration, prolonged aortic cross clamp time and low ejection fraction less than 50 percent （50 %） were found to be independent predictors for prolonged mechanical ventilation. Meanwhile age, weight, and preoperative hospital stay （days） were not found to be associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation. It was concluded that. for age and weight, this might be due to the lower number of old age patients （70 years and above） included in our study and genetic body structure of majority Chinese population that favor them to be in normal weight, respectively.

Management of the Valves of the Posterior Urethra in Urology

Aim: Describe the clinical, radiological and management of patients with posterior urethral valves. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study over a period going from January 2011 to December 2016, reviewing 12 cases of patients treated for valves of the urethra posterior to the medical surgical center of urology in Cameroon at Douala. The variables studied were clinical, paraclinical, therapeutic and evolutionary. Results: In 5 years, we had diagnosed and treated 12 cases of posterior urethral valves, an average of 2.4 per year. The average age of patients was 41.6 months with extrems of 3 and 156 months. The reason for consultation was dominated by urinary tract infections. Urethrocystography and echography were performed in all patients and allowed to objectify a bilateral ureterohydronephrosis, a diverticular bladder in 9 cases and 4 cases of vesico-ureteral reflux, including a grade 4 according to the classification of Cendron, 8 patients suffered from acute urinary failure. Renal scintigraphyrealised on 3 patients had as objective in 1 patient the existence of a disfunctioning kidney. The treatment consisted of an endoscopic incision of the valves (n = 8), a vesicostomy (n = 3) and an iterative urethral dilatation with double J catheter placement (n = 1). The evolution was favorable (n = 7), and 5 cases of death were recorded. Conclusion: The endoscopic incision is the gold-standard of the treatment of the valves of the posterior urethra. The vesicostomy is an alternative in the absence of adequate technical platform. Despite adequate support, the prognosis remains burdened with significant mortality.

Is it the time to reconsider the choice of valves for cardiac surgery： mechanical or bioprosthetic？

Valvular heart disease is a pathologic process involving one or more of the four valves(aortic,pulmonary,mitral and tricuspid)of the heart typified by stenosis or regurgitation and leading to patient symptoms.The most common causes are tissue degeneration,rheumatic fever and congenital heart diseases.Aortic valve replacement(AVR)using either mechanical or bioprosthetic(tissue)valves via open-heart surgical

Improving Concrete Containment Structures Associated with Fixed-Cone Valves

Fixed-Cone valves are often used to dissipate energy and regulate flow at the low level outlet works of dams. Fixed-Cone valves, also known as Howell-Bunger valves, create an expanding conical jet allowing the energy of the water to dissipate over a large area. However, in many applications constructing the large stilling basin necessary for these valves is either not possible or not feasible. In order to reduce the relative size of the stilling basin, hoods or concrete containment structures have been used in conjunction with Fixed-Cone valves. This paper discusses the use of baffles in concrete containment structures in order to dissipate energy in a considerably confined space. It was determined that using baffles, in place of a deflector ring and end sill (Used in traditional containment structures.), significantly improves the function of containment structures by reducing downstream flow velocities and improving flow patterns and stability. This information will be useful to engineers allowing them to minimize scour and erosion associated with concrete containment structures.

Optimization of the Open Degree of Key Valves Based on Relative Entropy and Pipeline Leakage

Based on information entropy theory, the definition of relative entropy, and the relative entropy minimum principle, this study establishes a multi-objective optimization model for a key valve opening of an urban water distribution network(WDN). Each node pressure is taken as the main research object to reduce pipeline leakage. Moreover, genetic algorithm is applied in the proposed model to solve the key valve opening of the actual WDN in a city in southern China. Using the proposed model, the relevant decision variables of a WDN can be optimized to provide a new manner of network dispatching.

Role of TbFe on Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy and Giant Magnetoresistance Effect in [Co/Ni]_N-Based Spin Valves

The exchange-coupled [Co/Ni]N/Tb Fe nano-magnetic films can display strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA) which depends on the Tb:Fe component ratio, Tb Fe layer thickness and the repetition number N of [Co/Ni]Nmultilayer. Perpendicular spin valves in the nano thickness scale, consisting of a [Co/Ni]3free and a [Co/Ni]5/Tb Fe reference multilayer, show high giant magnetoresistance(GMR) signal of 6.5 % and a large switching field difference over3 k Oe. However, unexpected slanting of the free layer magnetization, accompanied by a reduced GMR ratio, was found to be caused by the presence of a thick Fe-rich or even a thin but Tb-rich Tb Fe layer. We attribute this phenomenon to the large magnetostriction effect of Tb Fe which probably induces strong stress acting on the free layer and hence reduces its interfacial PMA.

Imaging of pannus formation in patients with mechanical heart valves

Patient-prosthesis mismatch(PPM) should be recognized in patients with elevated transprosthetic gradients but without leaflet immobility, since the treatment strategy may differ in either etiology. However, thrombus and/or pannus formation should be excluded before a diagnosis of PPM is made. Particularly, pannus formation may not be diagnosed with 2-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. Electrocardiographically gated 64-section multidetector computed tomography(MDCT) may be a promising tool in diagnosing or excluding pannus formation. Our report underlines the utility of MDCT in this regard and also emphasizes the importance of recognition of PPM as a differential diagnosis in such patients.

Management of Posterior Urethral Valves about 26 Cases

Aim: To improve management of the posterior urethral valve (PUV) in children in a hospital environment. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study that covered a sixteen (16) years period, from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2017, In pediatric surgery and urology departments of our teaching hospital, 26 cases of posterior urethral valve (PUV) were involved. The diagnosis was made by retrograde urethrocystography and micturition, supplemented by ultrasound. Results: During this period, 26 patients (1.7%) had a PUV. The mean age of the patients was 73, 2 months with extremes ranging from 6 to 180 months. Fifteen patients consulted for dysuria, 8 for complete retention of urine. Only one patient had a history of rolling the valves to the benign ones. The main complications found were urinary tract infection in 15 children, urolithiasis in 3 children and renal failure in 2 children. Two children had serum creatinine values of 50 and 58 mg/L. The lamination of the posterior urethral valves was performed in all patients. In our series, we had one death from chronic renal failure in a 6-year-old child with a bilateral mute kidney at IVU. Conclusion: The valve diagnosis of the posterior urethra is made late because the diagnosis is still postnatal.

Mechanisms of Spin-Dependent Heat Generation in Spin Valves

The extra heat generation in spin transport is usually interpreted in terms of the spin relaxation. Reformulating the heat generation rate, we find alternative current-force pairs without cross effects, which enable us to interpret the product of each pair as a distinct mechanism of heat generation. The results show that the spin-dependent part of the heat generation includes two terms. One is proportional to the square of the spin accumulation and arises from the spin relaxation. However, the other is proportional to the square of the spin-accumulation gradient and should be attributed to another mechanism, the spin diffusion. We illustrate the characteristics of the two mechanisms in a typical spin valve with a finite nonmagnetic spacer layer.