Adding vortexing to the Maki technique provides no benefit for the diagnosis of catheter colonization or catheter-related bacteremia

BACKGROUND A previous study compared vortexing and Maki techniques for the diagnosis of catheter-related bloodstream infection(CRBSI),and concluded that vortexing was not superior to Maki method.AIM To determine whether the combined use of vortexing and Maki techniques provides profitability versus the Maki technique for the diagnosis of catheter tip colonization(CTC)and CRBSI.METHODS Observational and prospective study carried out in an Intensive Care Unit.Patients with suspected catheter-related infection(CRI)and with one central venous catheter for at least 7 days were included.The area under the curve(AUC)of the Maki technique,the vortexing technique and the combination of both techniques for the diagnosis of CTC and CRBSI were compared.RESULTS We included 136 episodes of suspected CRI.We found 21 cases of CTC of which 10 were also CRBSI cases.Of the 21 CTC episodes,18(85.7%)were diagnosed by Maki technique and vortexing technique,3(14.3%)only by the technique of Maki,and none only by technique of vortexing.Of the 10 CRBSI episodes,9(90.0%)were diagnosed by the techniques of Maki and vortexing,1(10.0%)was diagnosed only by the technique of Maki,and none only by the technique of vortexing.We no found differences in the comparison of AUC between the technique of Maki and the combination of Maki and vortexing techniques for the diagnosis of CTC(P=0.99)and CRBSI(P=0.99).CONCLUSION The novel finding of our study was that the combined use of vortexing and Maki techniques did not provide profitability to the technique of Maki alone to CRBSI diagnosis of.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF GAS—SOLID SUSPENSION FLOWS IN VORTEXING FLUIDIZED BED CHAMBER FREEBOARD

Gas flows and particle mass flux were measured and clutriation experimentswere conducted in two cold test models of vortexing fluidized bed(VFB).The experimen-tal results show that the secondary air injected tangentially creates strong vortexes,estab-lishes particle suspension layers and internal circulation,and suppresses the elutriation offine particles greatly.The vortexing fluidized bed combustion has bright prospect bccauseof its much higher combustion efficiency and desulphidation efficiency than bubblingfluidized bed combustion due to long particle residence time and high slip velocity betweengas and solid,and its simpler configuration and lower cost than circulating fluidized bedcombustion.

Influence of layer thickness on formation quality,microstructure,mechanical properties,and corrosion resistance of WE43 magnesium alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)of Mg alloys has provided tremendous opportunities for customized production of aeronautical and medical parts.Layer thickness(LT)is of great significance to the L-PBF process but has not been studied for Mg alloys.In this study,WE43 Mg alloy bulk cubes,porous scaffolds,and thin walls with layer thicknesses of 10,20,30,and 40μm were fabricated.The required laser energy input increased with increasing layer thickness and was different for the bulk cubes and porous scaffolds.Porosity tended to occur at the connection joints in porous scaffolds for LT40 and could be eliminated by reducing the laser energy input.For thin wall parts,a large overhang angle or a small wall thickness resulted in porosity when a large layer thicknesses was used,and the porosity disappeared by reducing the layer thickness or laser energy input.A deeper keyhole penetration was found in all occasions with porosity,explaining the influence of layer thickness,geometrical structure,and laser energy input on the porosity.All the samples achieved a high fusion quality with a relative density of over 99.5%using the optimized laser energy input.The increased layer thickness resulted to more precipitation phases,finer grain sizes and decreased grain texture.With the similar high fusion quality,the tensile strength and elongation of bulk samples were significantly improved from 257 MPa and 1.41%with the 10μm layer to 287 MPa and 15.12%with the 40μm layer,in accordance with the microstructural change.The effect of layer thickness on the compressive properties of porous scaffolds was limited.However,the corrosion rate of bulk samples accelerated with increasing the layer thickness,mainly attributed to the increased number of precipitation phases.

Microstructure and thermal properties of dissimilar M300–CuCr1Zr alloys by multi-material laser-based powder bed fusion

Multi-material laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) allows manufacturing of parts with 3-dimensional gradient and additional functionality in a single step. This research focuses on the combination of thermally-conductive CuCr1Zr with hard M300 tool steel.Two interface configurations of M300 on CuCr1Zr and CuCr1Zr on M300 were investigated. Ultra-fine grains form at the interface due to the low mutual solubility of Cu and steel. The material mixing zone size is dependent on the configurations and tunable in the range of0.1–0.3 mm by introducing a separate set of parameters for the interface layers. Microcracks and pores mainly occur in the transition zone.Regardless of these defects, the thermal diffusivity of bimetallic parts with 50vol% of CuCr1Zr significantly increases by 70%–150%compared to pure M300. The thermal diffusivity of CuCr1Zr and the hardness of M300 steel can be enhanced simultaneously by applying the aging heat treatment.

Mechanical behaviours of bedded sandstone under hydromechanical coupling

The combination of the dipping effect and hydromechanical(H-M)coupling effect can easily lead to water inrush disasters in water-rich roadways with different dip angles in coal mines.Therefore,H-M coupling tests of bedded sandstones under identical osmotic pressure and various confining pressures were conducted.Then,the evolution curves of stress-strain,permeability and damage,macro-and mesoscopic failure characteristics were obtained.Subsequently,the mechanical behaviour was characterized,and finally the failure mechanism was revealed.The results showed that:(1)The failure of the sandstone with the bedding angle of 45°or 60°was the structure-dominant type,while that with the bedding angle of 0°,30°or 90°was the force-dominant type.(2)When the bedding angle was in the range of(0°,30°)or(45°,90°),the confining pressure played a dominant role in influencing the peak strength.However,withinβ∈(30°,45°),the bedding effect played a dominant role in the peak strength.(3)With the increase in bedding angle,the cohesion increased first,then decreased and finally increased,while the internal friction angle was the opposite.(4)When the bedding angle was 0°or 30°,the“water wedging”effect and the“bedding buckling”effect would lead to the forking or converging shear failure.When the bedding angle was 45°or 60°,the sliding friction effect would lead to the shear slipping failure.When the bedding angle was 90°,the combination of the“bedding buckling”effect and shear effect would lead to the mixed tension-shear failure.The above conclusions obtained are helpful for the prevention of water inrush disasters in water-rich roadways with different dips in coal mines.

The influences of perforating phase and bedding planes on the fracture deflection in laminated shale

The perforating phase leads to complex and diverse hydraulic fracture propagation behaviors in laminated shale formations. In this paper, a 2D high-speed imaging scheme which can capture the interaction between perforating phase and natural shale bedding planes was proposed. The phase field method was used to simulate the same conditions as in the experiment for verification and hydraulic fracture propagation mechanism under the competition of perforating phase and bedding planes was discussed.The results indicate that the bedding planes appear to be no influence on fracture propagation while the perforating phase is perpendicular to the bedding planes, and the fracture propagates along the perforating phase without deflection. When the perforating phase algins with the bedding planes, the fracture initiation pressure reserves the lowest value, and no deflection occurs during fracture propagation. When the perforating phase is the angle 45°, 60°and 75°of bedding planes, the bedding planes begin to play a key role on the fracture deflection. The maximum deflection degree is reached at the perforating phase of75°. Numerical simulation provides evidence that the existence of shale bedding planes is not exactly equivalent to anisotropy for fracture propagation and the difference of mechanical properties between different shale layers is the fundamental reason for fracture deflection. The findings help to understand the intrinsic characteristics of shale and provide a theoretical basis for the optimization design of field perforation parameters.

Optimal mining sequence for coal faces under a bedding slope:insight from landslide prevention

Repetitive mining beneath bedding slopes is identified as a critical factor in geomorphic disturbances, especially landslides and surface subsidence. Prior research has largely concentrated on surface deformation in plains due to multi-seam coal mining and the instability of natural bedding slopes, yet the cumulative impact of different mining sequences on bedding slopes has been less explored. This study combines drone surveys and geological data to construct a comprehensive three-dimensional model of bedding slopes. Utilizing FLAC3D and PFC2D models, derived from laboratory experiments, it simulates stress, deformation, and failure dynamics of slopes under various mining sequences. Incorporating fractal dimension analysis, the research evaluates the stability of slopes in relation to different mining sequences. The findings reveal that mining in an upslope direction minimizes disruption to overlying strata. Initiating extraction from lower segments increases tensile-shear stress in coal pillar overburdens, resulting in greater creep deformation towards the downslope than when starting from upper segments, potentially leading to localized landslides and widespread creep deformation in mined-out areas. The downslope upward mining sequence exhibits the least fractal dimensions, indicating minimal disturbance to both strata and surface. While all five mining scenarios maintain good slope stability under normal conditions, recalibrated stability assessments based on fractal dimensions suggest that downslope upward mining offers the highest stability under rainfall, contrasting with the lower stability and potential instability risks of upslope downward mining. These insights are pivotal for mining operations and geological hazard mitigation in multi-seam coal exploitation on bedding slopes.

Influence of the Nature of the Incoming Sludge on the Performance of a Vertical Flow Reed Beds in Dakar-Senegal

This work investigates the influence of the type sludge on drainage, plant development, purification performances and biosolids quality. Drainage properties were measured through the frequency of clogging, the percentage of leachate recovered and the dryness of accumulated sludge. Plant development was measured through the density, the height and the stem diameter. Purification performance was evaluated from the reduction rate. Biosolids quality was measured after 3 months of maturation. The results show that the clogging frequencies were 9.5%;0% and 3.7%;the volume of leachate recovered was 42.2%;20.4% and 24.7% and, the dryness was 33.4%;61.1% and 52.4% for FS-ST, FS-STT and SS respectively. Plants densities were about, with densities 197.1, 171.3 and 178.3 plants/m2 in beds fed respectively with FS-ST, FS-STT and SS. Despite the high removal rates, the concentrations of pollutants in the leachates are above the Senegalese standard NS 05-061 for discharge into the environment. The biosolids are all mature with C/N and NH4+/NO3?ratios lower than 12 and 1 respectively. The biosolids are also rich in organic and mineral elements. The concentrations of Ascaris eggs are higher than the WHO recommendations. These biosolids should be stored for additional time or composted.

Filtration performance and modeling of granular bed for dust removal from coal pyrolytic vapors

Dust removal from pyrolytic vapors at high temperatures is an obstacle to the industrialization of the coal pyrolysis process.In this work,a granular bed with expanded perlites as filtration media was designed and integrated into a 10 t·d^(–1)coal pyrolysis facility.The testing results showed that around 97.56%dust collection efficiency was achieved.As a result,dust content in tar was significantly lowered.The pressure drop of the granular bed maintained in the range of 356 Pa to 489 Pa.The dust size in the effluent after filtration exhibited a bimodal distribution,which was attributed to the heterogeneity of the dust components.The effects of filtration bed on pyrolytic product yields were also discussed.A modified filtration model based on the macroscopic phenomenological theory was proposed to describe the performance of the granular bed.The computation results were well agreed with the experimental data.

Hydrodynamic analysis of carbon nanotube clusters in distributor-less conical fluidized beds with step-by-step scaling

As a high-performance material with great application potential,the application of carbon nanotubes has been limited by their production volume.A distributor-less conical fluidized bed is the main equipment used in the industrial production of carbon nanotubes.To improve the production volume and product quality of carbon nanotubes,the study of fluidized-bed-diameter scaling is important.Three different diameters of distributor-less conical fluidized beds were established,and then the particle behavior and bubble characteristics of carbon nanotube clusters at these bed diameters were investigated.Time-series and wavelet analysis methods were used to analyze the pressure-fluctuation signals inside the fluidized beds.Results showed that the distributor-less design caused the airflow to break through the middle of the bed,which did not change with the change in bed diameter.The powder-bridging phenomenon of carbon nanotube clusters in a 100-mm-diameter fluidized bed was related to the special microstructure of carbon nanotube clusters.The frequency of pressure fluctuations in the bed decreased nonlinearly with increasing bed diameter.This study can guide the design and scale-up of distributor-less conical fluidized beds,especially for the scale-up of carbon nanotube production equipment,which can contribute to the improvement of carbon nanotubes’capacity and quality in industrial production.

Young's double slit interference with vortex source

The fast and convenient demultiplex of optical vortex(OV) mode is crucial for its further application. We propose a novel approach that combines classic Young's doublet with an OV source to effectively identify the OV mode through the analysis of interference patterns. The interference patterns of the OV source incident on the double slits can be perfectly illustrated by using both the classical double-slit interference method and the Huygens–Fresnel principle. The interference fringes will twist along the negative or positive direction of x axis when topological charge(TC)l>0 or l<0, and the degree of the movement varies with the TC, allowing for a quantitative display of the OV characteristics through the interference patterns. Additionally, we deduce analytically that the zeroth-order interference fringe has a linear relationship with the TC and the vertical position. These findings highlight the ability to identify the OV mode by analyzing the interference patterns produced by Young's doublet.

Numerical Study on the Effect of Vortex Generators on the Aerodynamic Drag of a High-Speed Train

A relatively high aerodynamic drag is an important factor that hinders the further acceleration of high-speed trains.Using the shear stress transport(SST)k-ωturbulence model,the effect of various vortex generator types on the aerodynamic characteristics of an ICE2(Inter-city Electricity)train has been investigated.The results indi-cate that the vortex generators with wider triangle,trapezoid,and micro-ramp arranged on the surface of the tail car can significantly change the distribution of surface pressure and affect the vorticity intensity in the wake.This alteration effectively reduces the resistance of the tail car.Meanwhile,the micro-ramp vortex generator with its convergent structure at the rear exhibits enhancedflow-guiding capabilities,resulting in a 15.4%reduction in the drag of the tail car.

Mechanical and damping performances of TPMS lattice metamaterials fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Lattice metamaterials based on three-period minimum surface(TPMS)are an effective means to achieve lightweight and high-strength materials which are widely used in various fields such as aerospace and ships.However,its vibration and noise reduction,and damping properties have not been fully studied.Therefore,in this study,the TPMS structures with parameterization were designed by the method of surface migration,and the TPMS structures with high forming quality was manufactured by laser powder bed fusion(LPBF).The mechanical properties and energy absorption characteristics of the beam and TPMS structures were studied and compared by quasi-static compression.The modal shapes of the beam lattice structures and TPMS structures were obtained by the free modal analysis,and the damping properties of two structures were obtained by modal tests.For the two structures after heat treatment with the same porosity of 70%,the yield strength of the beam lattice structure reaches 40.76 MPa,elastic modulus is 20.38 GPa,the energy absorption value is 32.23 MJ·m^(-3),the damping ratio is 0.52%.The yield strength,elastic modulus,energy absorption value,and damping ratio of the TPMS structure are 50.74 MPa,25.37 GPa,47.34 MJ·m^(-3),and 0.99%,respectively.The results show that TPMS structures exhibit more excellent mechanical properties and energy absorption,better damping performance,and obvious advantages in structural load and vibration and noise reduction compared with the beam lattice structures under the same porosity.

Alloy design for laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing:a critical review

Metal additive manufacturing(AM)has been extensively studied in recent decades.Despite the significant progress achieved in manufacturing complex shapes and structures,challenges such as severe cracking when using existing alloys for laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)AM have persisted.These challenges arise because commercial alloys are primarily designed for conventional casting or forging processes,overlooking the fast cooling rates,steep temperature gradients and multiple thermal cycles of L-PBF.To address this,there is an urgent need to develop novel alloys specifically tailored for L-PBF technologies.This review provides a comprehensive summary of the strategies employed in alloy design for L-PBF.It aims to guide future research on designing novel alloys dedicated to L-PBF instead of adapting existing alloys.The review begins by discussing the features of the L-PBF processes,focusing on rapid solidification and intrinsic heat treatment.Next,the printability of the four main existing alloys(Fe-,Ni-,Al-and Ti-based alloys)is critically assessed,with a comparison of their conventional weldability.It was found that the weldability criteria are not always applicable in estimating printability.Furthermore,the review presents recent advances in alloy development and associated strategies,categorizing them into crack mitigation-oriented,microstructure manipulation-oriented and machine learning-assisted approaches.Lastly,an outlook and suggestions are given to highlight the issues that need to be addressed in future work.

High-Efficiency Dynamic Scanning Strategy for Powder Bed Fusion by Controlling Temperature Field of the Heat-Affected Zone

Improvement of fabrication efficiency and part performance was the main challenge for the large-scale powder bed fusion(PBF)process.In this study,a dynamic monitoring and feedback system of powder bed temperature field using an infrared thermal imager has been established and integrated into a four-laser PBF equipment with a working area of 2000 mm×2000 mm.The heat-affected zone(HAZ)temperature field has been controlled by adjusting the scanning speed dynamically.Simultaneously,the relationship among spot size,HAZ temperature,and part performance has been established.The fluctuation of the HAZ temperature in four-laser scanning areas was decreased from 30.85℃to 17.41℃.Thus,the consistency of the sintering performance of the produced large component has been improved.Based on the controllable temperature field,a dynamically adjusting strategy for laser spot size was proposed,by which the fabrication efficiency was improved up to 65.38%.The current research results were of great significance to the further industrial applications of large-scale PBF equipment.

Detection accuracy of target accelerations based on vortex electromagnetic wave in keyhole space

The influence of the longitudinal acceleration and the angular acceleration of detecting target based on vortex electromagnetic waves in keyhole space are analyzed.The spectrum spreads of different orbital angular momentum(OAM)modes in different non-line-of-sight situations are simulated.The errors of target accelerations in detection are calculated and compared based on the OAM spectra spreading by using two combinations of composite OAM modes in the keyhole space.According to the research,the effects about spectrum spreads of higher OAM modes are more obvious.The error in detection is mainly affected by OAM spectrum spreading,which can be reduced by reasonably using different combinations of OAM modes in different practical situations.The above results provide a reference idea for investigating keyhole effect when vortex electromagnetic wave is used to detect accelerations.

Revisit of the anisotropic vortex states of 2H-NbSe_(2) towards the zero-field limit

We revisited the vortex states of 2H-NbSe_(2) towards zero fields by a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope.Fine structures of the anisotropic vortex states were distinguished, one is a spatially non-splitting zero bias peak, and the other is an in-gap conductance anomaly resembling evolved crossing features around the center of the three nearest vortices.Both of them distribute solely along the next nearest neighboring direction of the vortex lattice and become unresolved in much higher magnetic fields, implying an important role played by the vortex–vortex interactions. To clarify these issues,we have studied the intrinsic vortex states of the isolated trapped vortex in zero fields at 0.45 K. It is concluded that the anisotropic zero bias peak is attributed to the superconducting gap anisotropy, and the spatially evolved crossing features are related to the vortex–vortex interaction. The vortex core size under the zero-field limit is determined. These results provide a paradigm for studying the inherent vortex states of type-II superconductors especially based on an isolated vortex.

Gyrokinetic simulation of magnetic-island-induced electric potential vortex mode

Ion temperature gradient(ITG)-driven turbulence with embedded static magnetic islands is simulated by utilizing a gyrokinetic theory-based global turbulence transport code(GKNET)in this work.Different from the traditional equilibrium circular magnetic-surface average(EMSA)method,an advanced algorithm that calculates the perturbed magnetic-surface average(PMSA)of the electric potential has been developed to precisely deal with the zonal flow component in a non-circular magnetic surface perturbed by magnetic islands.Simulations show that the electric potential vortex structure inside islands induced by the magnetic islands is usually of odd parity when using the EMSA method.It is found that the odd symmetry vortex can transfer into an even one after a steep zonal flow gradient,i.e.the flow shear has been built in the vicinity of the magnetic islands by adopting the PMSA algorithm.The phase of the potential vortex in the poloidal cross section is coupled with the zonal flow shear.Such an electric potential vortex mode may be of essential importance in wide topics,such as the turbulence spreading across magnetic islands,neoclassical tearing mode physics,and also the interaction dynamics between the micro-turbulence and MHD activities.

Experimental study on secondary air mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed with a multitracer-gas method

A multitracer-gas method was proposed to study the secondary air(SA)mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed(CFB)using carbon monoxide(CO),oxygen(O_(2)),and carbon dioxide(CO_(2))as tracer gases.Experiments were carried out on a cold CFB test rig with a cross-section of 0.42 m×0.73 m and a height of 5.50 m.The effects of superficial velocity,SA ratio,bed inventory,and particle diameter on the SA mixing were investigated.The results indicate that there are some differences in the measurement results obtained using different tracer gases,wherein the deviation between CO and CO_(2) ranges from 42%to 66%and that between O_(2) and CO_(2) ranges from 45%to 71%in the lower part of the fluidized bed.However,these differences became less pronounced as the bed height increased.Besides,the high solid concentration and fine particle diameter in the CFB may weaken the difference.The measurement results of different tracer gases show the same trends under the variation of operating parameters.Increasing superficial velocity and SA ratio and decreasing particle diameter result in better mixing of the SA.The effect of bed inventory on SA mixing is not monotonic.

Characterization, preparation, and reuse of metallic powders for laser powder bed fusion: a review

Laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF) has attracted significant attention in both the industry and academic fields since its inception, providing unprecedented advantages to fabricate complex-shaped metallic components. The printing quality and performance of L-PBF alloys are infuenced by numerous variables consisting of feedstock powders, manufacturing process,and post-treatment. As the starting materials, metallic powders play a critical role in infuencing the fabrication cost, printing consistency, and properties. Given their deterministic roles, the present review aims to retrospect the recent progress on metallic powders for L-PBF including characterization, preparation, and reuse. The powder characterization mainly serves for printing consistency while powder preparation and reuse are introduced to reduce the fabrication costs.Various powder characterization and preparation methods are presented in the beginning by analyzing the measurement principles, advantages, and limitations. Subsequently, the effect of powder reuse on the powder characteristics and mechanical performance of L-PBF parts is analyzed, focusing on steels, nickel-based superalloys, titanium and titanium alloys, and aluminum alloys. The evolution trends of powders and L-PBF parts vary depending on specific alloy systems, which makes the proposal of a unified reuse protocol infeasible. Finally,perspectives are presented to cater to the increased applications of L-PBF technologies for future investigations. The present state-of-the-art work can pave the way for the broad industrial applications of L-PBF by enhancing printing consistency and reducing the total costs from the perspective of powders.