Correlation between Low Tube Voltage in Dual Source CT Coronary Artery Imaging with Image Quality and Radiation Dose

The influence of low tube voltage in dual source CT（DSCT） coronary artery imaging on image quality and radiation dose and its application value in clinical practice were investigated. Totally, 300 cases of chest pain with low body mass index（BMI 〈18.5 kg/m2） subjected to DSCT coronary artery imaging were prospectively enrolled. The heart rate in all patients were greater than 65/min. The retrospective ECG gated scanning mode and simple random sampling method were used to assign the patients into groups A, B and C（n=100 each）. The patients in groups A, B and C experienced 120-, 100-, and 80-kV tube voltage imaging respectively, and the image quality was evaluated. The CT volume dose index（CTDIvol） and dose length product（DLP） were recorded, and the effective dose（ED） was calculated in each group. The image quality scores and radiation doses in groups were compared, and the influence of tube voltage on image quality and radiation dose was analyzed. The results showed that the excellent rate of image quality in groups A, B and C was 95.69%, 94.72% and 96.33% respectively with the difference being not statistically significant among the three groups（P〉0.05）. The CTDIvol values in groups A, B and C were 51.35±12.21, 21.28±7.13 and 6.34±3.34 mGy, respectively, with the difference being statistically significant（P〈0.05）. The ED values in groups A, B and C were 9.27±1.63, 4.56±2.29 and 2.29±1.69 mSv, respectively, with the difference being statistically significant（P〈0.05）. It was suggested that for the patients with low BMI, the application of DSCT coronary artery imaging with low tube voltage can obtain satisfactory image quality, and simultaneously, significantly reduce the radiation dose.

Performance analysis of air-water dual source heat pump water heater with heat recovery

A new air-water dual source heat pump water heater with heat recovery is proposed.The heat pump system can heat water by using a single air source,a single water source,or air-water dual sources.The water is first pre-heated by waste hot water,then heated by the heat pump.Waste heat is recovered by first preheating the cold water and as water source of the heat pump.According to the correlated formulas of the coefficient of performance of air-source heat pump and water-source heat pump,and the gain coefficient of heat recovery-preheater,the formulas for the coefficient of performance of heat pump in six operating modes are obtained by using the dimensionless correspondence analysis method.The system characteristics of heat absorption and release associated with the heat recovery-preheater are analyzed at different working conditions.The developed approaches can provide reference for the optimization of the operating modes and parameters.The results of analysis and experiments show that the coefficient of performance of the device can reach 4-5.5 in winter,twice as much as air source heat pump water heater.The utilization of waste heat in the proposed system is higher than that in the system which only uses waste water to preheating or as heat source.Thus,the effect of energy saving of the new system is obvious.On the other hand,the dimensionless correspondence analysis method is introduced to performance analysis of the heat pump,which also has theoretical significance and practical value.

Design and analysis of a novel dual source vapor injection heat pump using exhaust and ambient air

A novel dual source vapor injection heat pump(DSVIHP)using exhaust and ambient air is proposed.The air exhausted from the building first releases energy to the medium-pressure evaporator and is then mixed with the ambient air to heat the low-pressure evaporator.A vapor injection(VI)compressor of two inlets is connected with the low and medium pressure evaporators.It’s first time that a VI compressor is employed to recover the ventilation heat.The system can minimize the ventilation heat loss and provide a unique defrosting approach by using the exhaust waste heat.Fundamentals of the proposed DSVIHP are illustrated.Mathematical models are built.Both energetic and exergetic analyses are carried out under variable conditions.The results indicate that the DSVIHP has superior thermodynamic performance.The superiority is more appreciable at a lower ambient temperature.It has a higher COP than the conventional vapor injection heat pump and air source heat pump by 11.3%and 23.2%respectively at an ambient temperature of-10°C and condensation temperature of 45°C.The waste heat recovery ratio from the exhaust air is more than 100%.The novel DSVIHP has great potential in the cold climate area application.

A cased-hole acoustic logging technique using the dual source of opposite polarity

It is usually difficult to measure acoustic velocities through a casing, especially when the casing is poorly bonded with formation. An acoustic logging technique using the dual source of opposite polarity is proposed to enhance the Signal to Noise Ratio of the formation signal and to reduce the casing wave in the data acquisition process. In what follows, a theoret- ical modeling is used to caculate the wavefroms of cased wells. And then, a scaled experiment was conducted in the 1：10 scaled experimental well using the proposed technique in the poorly- bonded condition. The results show that this technique can effectively suppress the casing wave and enhance the formation wave, even in the poorly-bonded condition. By analyzing the measured wavefroms, the amplitude of casing wave is reduced to 12% compared to the conventional one-source technique, and the compressional wave velocity can be easily obtained by using this technique. Both the theoretical modeling and experiment results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique. This study establishes the theoretical and experimental foundation for the cased-hole, dual source of opposite polarity, acoustic logging tool development.

Research on Grid Planning of Dual Power Distribution Network Based on Parallel Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm

A distribution network plays an extremely important role in the safe and efficient operation of a power grid.As the core part of a power grid’s operation,a distribution network will have a significant impact on the safety and reliability of residential electricity consumption.it is necessary to actively plan and modify the distribution network’s structure in the power grid,improve the quality of the distribution network,and optimize the planning of the distribution network,so that the network can be fully utilized to meet the needs of electricity consumption.In this paper,a distribution network grid planning algorithm based on the reliability of electricity consumption was completed using ant colony algorithm.For the distribution network structure planning of dual power sources,the parallel ant colony algorithm was used to prove that the premise of parallelism is the interactive process of ant colonies,and the dual power distribution network structure model is established based on the principle of the lowest cost.The artificial ants in the algorithm were compared with real ants in nature,and the basic steps and working principle of the ant colony optimization algorithm was studied with the help of the travelling salesman problem(TSP).Then,the limitations of the ant colony algorithm were analyzed,and an improvement strategy was proposed by using python for digital simulation.The results demonstrated the reliability of model-building and algorithm improvement.

Dual Power Allocation Optimization Based on Stackelberg Game in Heterogeneous Network with Hybrid Energy Supplies

In heterogeneous network with hybrid energy supplies including green energy and on-grid energy, it is imperative to increase the utilization of green energy as well as to improve the utilities of users and networks. As the difference of hybrid energy source in stability and economy, thus, this paper focuses on the network with hybrid energy source, and design the utility of each user in the hybrid energy source system from the perspective of stability, economy and environment pollution. A dual power allocation algorithm based on Stackelberg game to maximize the utilities of users and networks is proposed. In addition, an iteration method is proposed which enables all players to reach the Stackelberg equilibrium(SE). Simulation results validate that players can reach the SE and the utilities of users and networks can be maximization, and the green energy can be efficiently used.

Radiation dose analysis of computed tomography coronary angiography in Children with Kawasaki disease

BACKGROUND There is evolving role of computed tomography coronary angiography(CTCA)in non-invasive evaluation of coronary artery abnormalities in children with Kawasaki disease(KD).Despite this,there is lack of data on radiation dose in this group of children undergoing CTCA.AIM To audit the radiation dose of CTCA in children with KD.METHODS Study(December 2013-February 2018)was performed on dual source CT scanner using adaptive prospective electrocardiography-triggering.The dose length product(DLP in milligray-centimeters-mGy.cm)was recorded.Effective radiation dose(millisieverts-mSv)was calculated by applying appropriate age adjusted conversion factors as per recommendations of International Commission on Radiological Protection.Radiation dose was compared across the groups(0-1,1-5,5-10,and>10 years).RESULTS Eighty-five children(71 boys,14 girls)with KD underwent CTCA.The median age was 5 years(range,2 mo-11 years).Median DLP and effective dose was 21 mGy.cm,interquartile ranges(IQR)=15(13,28)and 0.83 mSv,IQR=0.33(0.68,1.01)respectively.Mean DLP increased significantly across the age groups.Mean effective dose in infants(0.63 mSv)was significantly lower than the other age groups(1-5 years 0.85 mSv,5-10 years 1.04 mSv,and>10 years 1.38 mSv)(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the effective dose between the other groups of children.All the CTCA studies were of diagnostic quality.No child required a repeat examination.CONCLUSION CTCA is feasible with submillisievert radiation dose in most children with KD.Thus,CTCA has the potential to be an important adjunctive imaging modality in children with KD.

Vertical-dual-source tunnel FETs with steeper subthreshold swing

In order to improve the drive current and subthreshold swing（SS）, a novel vertical-dual-source tunneling field-effect transistor（VDSTFET） device is proposed in this paper. The influence of source height, channel length and channel thickness on the device are investigated through two-dimensional numerical simulations. Si-VDSTFET have greater tunneling area and thinner channel, showing an on-current as high as 1.24 A at gate voltage of 0.8 V and drain voltage of 0.5 V, off-current of less than 0.1 f A, an improved average subthreshold swing of 14 m V/dec,and a minimum point slope of 4 m V/dec.

Supplier Development under Supply Risk and Reputational Risk

This paper considers the supplier investment decision-making problem in a supply chain consisting of an original equipment manufacturer(OEM),a global supplier,and a local supplier.To reduce dependence on global suppliers and improve supply stability,we develop a differential game model to investigate the optimal investment decisions of the OEM towards the local supplier under different risk scenarios and the impact of different risks on the optimal decisions.The results show that investment efficiency and risks have a significant impact on OEM investment decisions.Specifically,when the OEM has higher investment efficiency,investing in the local supplier is profitable for the OEM;conversely,when the investment efficiency of the OEM is lower,it does not invest.In addition,an increase in the supply risk of the global supplier will lower the entry threshold for OEM investment,but an increase in the supply risk of the local supplier and the reputational risk of both will increase this threshold,meaning that only the OEM with significantly higher investment efficiency can profit.

Numerical simulation for pulsed laser-gas tungsten arc hybrid welding of magnesium alloy

Based on the extended application of COMSOL multiphysics, a novel dual heat source model for pulsed laser-gas tungsten arc （GTA） hybrid welding was established. This model successfully solved the problem of simulation inaccuracy caused by energy superposition effect between laser and arc due to their different physical characteristics. Numerical simulation for pulsed laser-GTA hybrid welding of magnesium alloy process was conducted, and the simulation indicated good agree- ments with the measured thermal cycle curve and the shape of weld beads. Effects of pulse laser parameters （laser-excited current, pulse duration, and pulse frequency） on the temperature field and weld pool morphology were investigated. The experimental and simulation results suggest that when the laser pulse energy keeps constant, welding efficiency of the hybrid heat source is increased by increasing laser current or decreasing pulse duration due to the increased ratio of the weld bead depth to width. With large laser currents, severe spatters tend to occur. For optimized welding process, the laser current should be controlled in the range of 150-175 A, the pulse duration should be longer than 1 ms, and the pulse frequency should be equal to or slightly greater than 20 Hz.

Retailers’ Order Strategies in Transshipments in Disruption Risks of Supply Chains

This article investigates the order problem in a two-stage supply chain consisting of retail- ers, primary suppliers and backup suppliers. From retailers＇ perspectives, the optimal offering strategies in unidirectional transshipments are analyzed on the basis of disruption risks in supply chains. With a focus on retailers＇ profits, it develops the decision model of retailers＇ orders in the dual sourcing mode and in the mode of capacity options, to maximize the retailers＇ expected profits. The simulation shows that retailers＇ optimal order decisions are not correlated with the joint disruption probability in the two order modes without service constraints; retailers＇ optimal decisions are influenced by the joint disruption probability in the two order modes with service constraints, and the impact of the joint disruption probability of the primary suppliers＇ optimal order from retailers differs in the two modes. Retailers＇ order decisions in respect of backup suppliers are more sensitive to the changing volumes of transshipments. The contribution of this article is the impact of main parameters on retailers＇ decisions, providing some guidance for enterprises to make order decisions.

A four-dimensional interaction-based appraisal approach towards the performance enhancement of a vehicular waste heat recovery system

The non-linear multifactorial impacts on fuel-saving potential constrain the practical performance of the vehicular waste heat recovery system(WHRS). This study proposed a four-dimensional interaction-based appraisal approach to interpreting these impacts for enhancing WHRS's in-vehicle performance. The interaction incorporates a heat exchanger, configuration, engine,and vehicle. The proposed approach comprises two successive steps, emphasizing evaluation under the rated(Step 1) and off-design(Step 2) heat source conditions. A case study of waste heat recovery from a passenger vehicle was conducted to evaluate the in-vehicle performance of a novel co-split system and two single-split ones(with/without a regenerator) through this approach. The novel system theoretically modifies vehicular performance but remains ambiguous concerning real-world behaviour, which is assessed and verified by the proposed approach. Two key factors determining vehicular performance were identified by Step 1, namely, net power output and engine backpressure. As the co-split system modified both factors, its fuel-saving potential could be increased by up to 20.3% compared with single-split systems. Also, the limiting factor for off-design performance was pinpointed by Step 2, namely, the mismatch between the heat source and working fluid, which led to the solution, i.e., the synergistic split regulation of the working fluid and heat source. An up to 8.8% improvement in net power output was achieved by the co-split system at off-design heat sources compared with fixed split ratios. Consequently, the approach enables holistic performance improvement of the vehicular WHRS under design/off-design heat source conditions.