Evaluation of the Impact of Refined Quality Control Management Model on the Qualified Rate of Disinfection and Sterilization of Surgical Instruments in the Sterilization Supply Center

Objective:To evaluate the application value of a refined quality control management model for a sterilization supply center.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the work situation of the sterilization supply center from January 2021 to January 2023.The work situation before January 31,2022,was classified as the control group;a routine quality control management model was implemented,and the work situation after January 31,2022,was classified as the observation group.The quality of medical device management and department satisfaction between the two groups were compared.Results:The timely recovery and supply rate,classification and cleaning pass rate,disinfection pass rate,packaging pass rate,sterilization pass rate,and department satisfaction score in the observation group were all higher than those of the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Implementing a refined quality control management model in the sterilization supply center can improve the quality management level of medical devices and department satisfaction and is worthy of promotion.

Extraterrestrial Life in the Thermosphere: Plasmas, UAP, Pre-Life, Fourth State of Matter

“Plasmas” up to a kilometer in size and behaving similarly to multicellular organisms have been filmed on 10 separate NASA space shuttle missions, over 200 miles above Earth within the thermosphere. These self-illuminated “plasmas” are attracted to and may “feed on” electromagnetic radiation. They have different morphologies: 1) cone, 2) cloud, 3) donut, 4) spherical-cylindrical;and have been filmed flying towards and descending from the thermosphere into thunderstorms;congregating by the hundreds and interacting with satellites generating electromagnetic activity;approaching the Space Shuttles. Computerized analysis of flight path trajectories documents these plasmas travel at different velocities from different directions and change their angle of trajectory making 45°, 90°, and 180° shifts and follow each other. They’ve been filmed accelerating, slowing down, stopping, congregating, engaging in “hunter-predatory” behavior and intersecting plasmas leaving a plasma dust trail in their wake. Similar life-like behaviors have been demonstrated by plasmas created experimentally. “Plasmas” may have been photographed in the 1940s by WWII pilots (identified as “Foo fighters”);repeatedly observed and filmed by astronauts and military pilots and classified as Unidentified Aerial—Anomalous Phenomenon. Plasmas are not biological but may represent a form of pre-life that via the incorporation of elements common in space, could result in the synthesis of RNA. Plasmas constitute a fourth state of matter, are attracted to electromagnetic activity, and when observed in the lower atmosphere likely account for many of the UFO-UAP sightings over the centuries.

Effect of power supply parameters on discharge characteristics and sterilization efficiency of magnetically driven rotating gliding arc

Plasma sterilization is a new generation of high-tech sterilization method that is fast,safe,and pollution free.It is widely used in medical,food,and environmental protection fields.Home air sterilization is an emerging field of plasma application,which puts higher requirements on the miniaturization,operational stability,and operating cost of plasma device.In this study,a novel magnetically driven rotating gliding arc(MDRGA)discharge device was used to sterilize Lactobacillus fermentation.Compared with the traditional gas-driven gliding arc,this device has a simple structure and a more stable gliding arc.Simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics showed that adding permanent magnets can form a stable magnetic field,which is conducive to the formation of gliding arcs.Experiments on the discharge performance,ozone concentration,and sterilization effect were conducted using different power supply parameters.The results revealed that the MDRGA process can be divided into three stages:starting,gliding,and extinguishing.Appropriate voltage was the key factor for stable arc gliding,and both high and low voltages were not conducive to stable arc gliding and ozone production.In this experimental setup,the sterilization effect was the best at 6.6 kV.A high modulation duty ratio was beneficial for achieving stable arc gliding.However,when the duty ratio exceeded a certain value,the improvement in the sterilization effect was slow.Therefore,considering the sterilization effect and energy factors comprehensively,we chose 80%as the optimal modulation duty ratio for this experimental device.

FPGA-based plasma sterilization device for wound-edge recognition

There is a currently a lack of large-area plasma sterilization devices that can intelligently identify the shape of a wound for automatic steriliza-tion.For this reason,in this work,a plasma sterilization device with wound-edge recognition was developed using afield-programmable gate array(FPGA)and a high-performance image-processing platform to realize intelligent and precise sterilization of wounds.SOLIDWORKS was used to design the mechanical structure of the device,and it was manufactured using 3D printing.The device used an improvement of the traditional Sobel detection algorithm,which extends the detection of edges in only the x and y directions to eight directions(0○,45○,90○,135○,180○,225○,270○,and 315○),completing the wound-edge detection by adaptive thresholding.The device can be controlled according to different shapes of sterilization area to adjust the positioning of a single plasma-jet tube in the horizontal plane for two-dimensional move-ment;the distance between the plasma-jet tube and the surface of the object to be sterilized can be also adjusted in the vertical direction.In this way,motors are used to move the plasma jet and achieve automatic,efficient,and accurate plasma sterilization.It was found that a good sterilization effect could be achieved at both the culture-medium level and the biological-tissue level.The ideal sterilization parameters at the culture-medium level were a speed of 2 mm/s and aflow rate of 0.6 slm,while at the biological-tissue level,these values were 1 mm/s and 0.6 slm,respectively.

A novel Ag/ZnO core-shell structure for efficient sterilization synergizing antibiotics and subsequently removing residuals

The massive use of antibiotics has led to the aggravation of bacterial resistance and also brought environmental pollution problems.This poses a great threat to human health.If the dosage of antibiotics is reduced by increasing its bactericidal performance,the emergence of drug resistance is certainly delayed,so that there's not enough time for developing drug resistance during treatment.Therefore,we selected typical representative materials of metal Ag and semiconductor ZnO nano-bactericides to design and synthesize Ag/ZnO hollow core-shell structures(AZ for short).Antibiotics are grafted on the surface of AZ through rational modification to form a composite sterilization system.The research results show that the antibacterial efficiency of the composite system is significantly increased,from the sum(34.7%+22.8%-57.5%)of the antibacterial efficiency of AZ and gentamicin to 80.2%,net synergizes 22.7%,which fully reflects the effect of 1+1>2.Therefore,the dosage of antibiotics can be drastically reduced in this way,which makes both the possibility of bacterial resistance and medical expenses remarkably decrease.Subsequently,residual antibiotics can be degraded under simple illumination using AZ-self as a photocatalyst,which cuts off the path of environmental pollution.In short,such an innovative route has guiding significance for drug resistance.

Sterilization Effect of Cooking Process for Guilin Rice Noodles Based on Heat Conduction Model

Guilin rice noodles, a unique cuisine from Guilin, Guangxi, is renowned both domestically and internationally as one of the top ten “Guilin Classics”. Utilizing a heat conduction model, this study explores the effectiveness of the cooking process in sterilizing Guilin rice noodles before consumption. The model assumes that a large pot is filled with boiling water which is maintained at a constant high temperature heat resource through continuous gentle heating. And the room temperature is set as the initial temperature for the preheating process and the final temperature for the cooling process. The objective is to assess whether the cooking process achieves satisfactory sterilization results. The temperature distribution function of rice noodle with time is analytically obtained using the separation of variables method in the three-dimensional cylindrical coordinate system. Meanwhile, the thermal diffusion coefficient of Guilin rice noodles is obtained in terms of Riedel’ theory. By analyzing the elimination characteristics of Pseudomonas cocovenenans subsp. farinofermentans, this study obtains the optimal time required for effective sterilization at the core of Guilin rice noodles. The results show that the potential Pseudomonas cocovenenans subsp. farinofermentans will be completely eliminated through continuously preheating more than 31 seconds during the cooking process before consumption. This study provides a valuable reference of food safety standards in the cooking process of Guilin rice noodles, particularly in ensuring the complete inactivation of potentially harmful strains such as Pseudomonas cocovenenans subsp. farinofermentans.

Risk Assessment of Hydrogen Peroxide Low- Temperature Plasma Sterilization Using Different Monitoring Methods

Objective:This study aims to evaluate the application value of biological monitoring and different types of chemical indicator cards in batch monitoring of hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilization.The goal is to standardize the selection of loading conditions for this sterilization method and avoid positive biological monitoring results.Methods:Physical monitoring,Class I chemical indicator card monitoring,Class IV chemical indicator card monitoring,and biological monitoring were used to monitor the hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilization process.The sterilization effect on instruments inside the Johnson&Johnson 100S plasma sterilizer was monitored and the qualification of various monitoring methods was compared.Results:The comparison showed that when non-standard or adsorption-prone packaging materials were used,the interception rate of biological monitoring and Class IV chemical indicator cards was significantly higher than that of physical monitoring and Class I chemical indicator cards.These methods more intuitively and effectively detected sterilization failures.Conclusion:Biological monitoring and Class IV chemical indicator cards are safe,fast,accurate,and easy to interpret in hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilization,especially for monitoring instruments inside packages.They provide a reliable basis for the release of sterilized instrument packages.Identifying the reasons for positive biological monitoring results in hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilization and taking effective measures promptly can minimize associated risks.

Experimental confirmation of the linear relation between plasma current and external vertical magnetic field in EXL-50 spherical torus energetic electron plasmas

A three-fluid equilibrium plasma with bulk plasma and energetic electrons has been observed on the Xuanlong-50(EXL-50) spherical torus, where the energetic electrons play a crucial role in sustaining the plasma current and pressure. In this study, the equilibrium of a multi-fluid plasma was investigated by analyzing the relationship between the external vertical magnetic field(B_(V)),plasma current(I_(p)), the poloidal ratio(β_(p)) and the Shafranov formula. Remarkably, our research demonstrates some validity of the Shafranov formula in the presence of multi-fluid plasma in EXL-50 spherical torus. This finding holds significant importance for future reactors as it allows for differentiation between alpha particles and background plasma. The study of multi-fluid plasma provides a significant reference value for the equilibrium reconstruction of burning plasma involving alpha particles.

Numerical studies for plasmas of a linear plasma device HIT-PSI with geometry modified SOLPS-ITER

The HIT-PSI is a linear plasma device built for physically simulating the high heat flux environment of future reactor divertors to test/develop advanced target plate materials.In this study,the geometry-modified SOLPS-ITER program is employed to examine the effects of the magnetic field strength and neutral pressure in the device on the heat flux experienced by the target plate of the HIT-PSI device.The findings of the numerical simulation indicate a positive correlation between the magnetic field strength and the heat flux density.Conversely,there is a negative correlation observed between the heat flux density and the neutral pressure.When the magnetic field strength at the axis exceeds 1 tesla and the neutral pressure falls below 10 Pa,the HIT-PSI has the capability to attain a heat flux of 10 MW·m-2 at the target plate.The simulation results offer a valuable point of reference for subsequent experiments at HIT-PSI.

Studies on the motion and radiation of interior plasmas in gas-filled hohlraums with different laser entrance hole sizes

An experiment on 100 k J laser facility is performed to study the motive features and radiation properties of plasmas from different areas inside gas-filled cylindrical hohlraums.These hohlraums are designed to possess one open end and one laser entrance hole(LEH)with different diameters,which would or not result in the blocking of the LEH.An x-ray streak camera that is set at 16 degrees with respect to the hohlraum axis is applied to acquire the timeresolved x-ray images from the open end.Based on the images,we can study the evolutions of the wall plasma,corona bubble plasma and LEH plasma simultaneously through an equivalent view field of hohlraum interior.Multi-group flat response x-ray detectors are applied to measure the x-ray fluxes.In order to understand these characteristics,our two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic code is used to simulate the experimental results.For the accuracy of reproduction,dielectronic recombination and two parameter corrections are applied in our code.Based on the comparison between experiments and simulations,we quantitatively understand the blocking process of LEH and the motion effects of other plasmas.The calibrated code is beneficial to design the gas-filled hohlraum in a nearby parameter space,especially the limit size of LEH.

Abnormal transition of the electron energy distribution with excitation of the second harmonic in low-pressure radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas

The self-excited second harmonic in radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasma was significantly enhanced by adjusting the external variable capacitor.At a lower pressure of 3 Pa,the excitation of the second harmonic caused an abnormal transition of the electron energy probability function,resulting in abrupt changes in the electron density and temperature.Such changes in the electron energy probability function as well as the electron density and temperature were not observed at the higher pressure of 16 Pa under similar harmonic changes.The phenomena are related to the influence of the second harmonic on stochastic heating,which is determined by both amplitude and the relative phase of the harmonics.The results suggest that the self-excited high-order harmonics must be considered in practical applications of lowpressure radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas.

Nonlinear dynamics of the reversed shear Alfvén eigenmode in burning plasmas

In a tokamak fusion reactor operated at steady state,the equilibrium magnetic field is likely to have reversed shear in the core region,as the noninductive bootstrap current profile generally peaks off-axis.The reversed shear Alfvén eigenmode(RSAE)as a unique branch of the shear Alfvén wave in this equilibrium,can exist with a broad spectrum in wavenumber and frequency,and be resonantly driven unstable by energetic particles(EP).After briefly discussing the RSAE linear properties in burning plasma condition,we review several key topics of the nonlinear dynamics for the RSAE through both wave-EP resonance and wave-wave coupling channels,and illustrate their potentially important role in reactor-scale fusion plasmas.By means of simplified hybrid MHD-kinetic simulations,the RSAEs are shown to have typically broad phase space resonance structure with both circulating and trapped EP,as results of weak/vanishing magnetic shear and relatively low frequency.Through the route of wave-EP nonlinearity,the dominant saturation mechanism is mainly due to the transported resonant EP radially decoupling with the localized RSAE mode structure,and the resultant EP transport generally has a convective feature.The saturated RSAEs also undergo various nonlinear couplings with other collective oscillations.Two typical routes as parametric decay and modulational instability are studied using nonlinear gyrokinetic theory,and applied to the scenario of spontaneous excitation by a finite amplitude pump RSAE.Multiple RSAEs could naturally couple and induce the spectral energy cascade into a low frequency Alfvénic mode,which may effectively transfer the EP energy to fuel ions via collisionless Landau damping.Moreover,zero frequency zonal field structure could be spontaneously excited by modulation of the pump RSAE envelope,and may also lead to saturation of the pump RSAE by both scattering into stable domain and local distortion of the continuum structure.

Improving plasma sterilization by constructing a plasma photocatalytic system with a needle array corona discharge and Au plasmonic nanocatalyst

Efficient sterilization by a plasma photocatalytic system(PPS)requires strong synergy between plasma and photocatalyst to inactivate microorganisms while suppressing the formation of secondary pollutants.Here,we report that a PPS constructed from a needle array corona discharge and Au/TiO2plasmonic nanocatalyst could remarkably improve the sterilization of Escherichia coli(E.coli)and alleviate formation of the discharge pollutant O3.At 6 kV,the combination of corona discharge and Au/TiO2achieves sterilization efficiency of 100%within an exposure time of 5 min.At 5 kV and an exposure time of 8 min,the presence of Au/TiO2improves sterilization efficiency of the corona discharge from 73%to 91%and reduces the O3concentration from 0.38 to 0.04 ppm,whereas the presence of TiO2reduces the sterilization efficiency and O3concentration to 66%and 0.17 ppm,respectively.The Au/TiO2in the PPS enables a uniform corona discharge,enhances the interaction between plasma,E.coli and nanocatalysts,and suppresses the formation of O3.Further,the Au/TiO2can be excited by ultraviolet-visible light emitted from the plasma to generate electron-hole pairs,and thus contributes to the formation of reactive radicals and the oxidative inactivation of E.coli.The PPS constructed from a needle array corona discharge and Au-based plasmonic nanocatalyst provides a promising approach for developing high-efficiency sterilization techniques.

Recent developments in deep-ultraviolet sterilization of human respiratory RNA viruses

Deep-ultraviolet(DUV)sterilization technology using DUV-LEDs has attracted considerable attention owing to its portability,eco-friendliness,high potency,and broad-spectrum sterilization.This study compiles the developments of recent DUV sterilization research.Recent works have investigated DUV sterilization from the perspective of device improvement and principle investigation:one employed a novel epitaxial structure to optimize the performance and fabrication cost of DUV-LEDs and realized potent virus disinfection effects for various respiratory RNA viruses,and another work explained the disinfection phenomenon of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants(Delta and Omicron)in a cryogenic environment.These studies have contributed significantly to the development of DUV sterilization.

Effects of Different Sample Parts and Sterilization Methods on Contamination and Survival Rates of Shoots with Buds in Chinese Chestnut

In this study,we investigated the preferable explant types and sterilization method for tissue culture in Chinese chestnut,in order to provide a technical support for the asexual reproduction of Chinese chestnut.The base,middle and apex parts of annual shoots with buds in Chinese chestnut were sampled and cut to 2-3 cm stem segments each with one bud,then sterilized orderly with different duration in 2%NaClO plus 0.1%HgCl_(2)solutions.The results indicated that the duration of 2%NaClO for 20 min+0.1%HgCl_(2)for 15 min exerted an effective disinfection property on the middle parts of annual shoots with buds,and achieved a contamination rate under 5%and a survival rate over 90%.

Effect of gas flow on the nanoparticles transport in dusty acetylene plasmas

This article presents simulation results on the effects of neutral gas flow for nanoparticle transport in atmospheric-pressure,radio-frequency,capacitively-coupled,and acetylene discharge.The acetylene gas is set to flow into the chamber from the upper showerhead electrode.The internal energy of the gas medium therein is transferred into kinetic energy so the gas advection can be triggered.This is represented by the pressure volume work term of the gas energy converse equation.The gas advection leads to the gas temperature sink at the gas inlet,hence a large gas temperature gradient is formed.The thermophoresis relies on the gas temperature gradient,and causes the profile of nanoparticle density to vary from a double-peak structure to a single-peak one.The gas advection influences the properties of electron density and temperature as well and causes the drift-ambipolar mode profile of electron density asymmetric.In the bulk region,i.e.away from the inlet,the gas advection is more like one isovolumetric compression,which slightly increases the temperature of the gas medium at consuming its kinetic energy.

Study of the 6.x nm short wavelength radiation spectra of laser-produced erbium plasmas for BEUV lithography

Beyond extreme ultraviolet(BEUV)radiation with a wavelength of 6.x nm for lithography is responsible for reducing the source wavelength to enable continued miniaturization of semiconductor devices.In this work,the Required BEUV light at 6.x nm wavelength was generated in dense and hot Nd:YAG laser-produced Er plasmas.The spectral contributions from the 4p–4d and 4d–4f transitions of singly,doubly and triply excited states of Er XXIV–Er XXXII in the BEUV band were calculated using Cowan and the Flexible Atomic Code.It was also found that the radiative transitions between multiply excited states dominate the narrow wavelength window around 6.x nm.Under the assumption of collisional radiative equilibrium of the laser-produced Er plasmas,the relative ion abundance in the experiment was inferred.Using the Boltzmann quantum state energy level distribution and Gram–Charlier fitting function of unresolved transition arrays(UTAs),the synthetic spectrum around 6.x nm was finally obtained and compared with the experimental spectrum.The spatio-temporal distributions of electron density and electron temperature were calculated based on radiation hydrodynamic simulation in order to identify the contributions of various ionic states to the UTAs arising from the Er plasmas near 6.x nm.

Extreme ultraviolet spectral characteristic analysis of highly charged ions in laserproduced Cu plasmas

This paper reports the results of spectral measurements and a theoretical analysis of the temporal and spatial evolution of laser-produced Cu plasma in vacuum in the range of 8–14 nm.The time dependence of the extreme ultraviolet band spectrum at different positions near the target surface was obtained and found to be dominated by three broad-band features.The 3p and 3d excitations of Cu5+–Cu9+ions were calculated using the Hartree–Fock theory with configuration interactions.The characteristics of the spectral line distribution for the 3p–nd and 3d–nf transition arrays were analyzed.Based on the steady-state collisional radiation model and the normalized Boltzmann distribution,the complex spectral structure in the band of 13–14 nm is accurately explained through consistency comparisons and benchmarking between the experimental and theoretical simulation spectra,demonstrating that the structure mainly stems from the overlapping contribution of the 3d–4f and 3p–3d transition arrays for the Cu5+–Cu9+ions.These results may help in studying the radiation characteristics of isoelectronic series highly-charged ions involving the 3d excitation process.

Effects of Different Sterilization Conditions on Active Components and Flavor of Apple Vinegar

[Objectives]To explore the effects of different sterilization conditions on nutrition and flavor of apple vinegar.[Methods]Five kinds of high temperature short time(HTST)sterilization conditions were selected to treat apple vinegar,and the volatile aroma components and the content of active components in apple vinegar before and after sterilization were analyzed.[Results]Compared with the control,the contents of total acid and malic acid in the samples after sterilization changed little,but the contents of citric acid increased significantly(P<0.01),and the contents of total phenols,ascorbic acid and total flavonoids decreased.Ethyl acetate,isopentyl acetate,ethyl caprylate,phenethyl acetate,1-pentanol,phenylethyl alcohol,acetic acid,and sec-butyl ether were the characteristic aroma components which contributed to the flavor of apple vinegar.As sterilization temperature increased,the content of esters decreased,while the content of acids,alcohols and aldehydes increased.The contents of nutrition,active components and volatile aroma components in apple vinegar under 100℃and 30 s sterilization conditions had little change compared with other sterilization conditions,so 100℃and 30 s were the optimal sterilization conditions.[Conclusions]Under different sterilization conditions,the content of flavor components in apple vinegar will change greatly,which will affect the quality of apple vinegar.

Efficient combination and enhancement of high-power mid-infrared pulses in plasmas

High-power intense optical sources in the mid-to-long wavelength infrared region are very attractive for a wide range of fields from fundamental research to materials science and biology applications.However,there are still significant challenges in extending long-wavelength infrared pulses into the relativistic regime using conventional optical techniques.Here,based upon a new type of plasma-based optical method,we present an efficient scheme capable of combining several high-power long-wavelength infrared laser pulses into one single,more intense pulse,thus bringing the intensity of the output pulse to the relativistic regime.Such intense infrared pulses will open up new possibilities for strong-field physics and ultrafast applications.Furthermore,this is beneficial to understand the underlying physics and nonlinear processes of modulation,propagation and energy transfer of high-power intense laser pulses in plasmas.