Effects of diamond particle size on microstructure and properties of diamond/Al-12Si composites prepared by vacuum-assisted pressure infiltration

Diamond/aluminium composites have attracted attention in the field of thermal management of electronic packaging for their excellent properties.In order to solve the interfacial problem between diamond and aluminium,a novel process combining pressure infiltration with vacuum-assisted technology was proposed to prepare diamond/aluminum composites.The effect of diamond particle size on the microstructure and properties of the diamond/Al-12Si composites was investigated.The results show that the diamond/Al-12Si composites exhibit high relative density and a uniform microstructure.Both thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion increase with increasing particle size,while the bending strength exhibits the opposite trend.When the average diamond particle size increases from 45μm to 425μm,the thermal conductivity of the composites increases from 455 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)to 713 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)and the coefficient of thermal expansion increases from 4.97×10^(-6)K^(-1)to 6.72×10^(-6)K^(-1),while the bending strength decreases from 353 MPa to 246 MPa.This research demonstrates that high-quality composites can be prepared by the vacuum-assisted pressure infiltration process and the thermal conductivity of the composites can be effectively improved by increasing the diamond particle size.

Glomerular filtration rate and comorbidity factors in elderly hospitalizations

BACKGROUND With an increase in the elderly population,the frequency of hospitalizations in recent years has also risen at a rapid pace.This,in turn,has resulted in poor outcomes and costly treatments.Hospitalization rates increase in elderly patients due to a decline in glomerular filtration rate(GFR).AIM To investigate the connection between GFR and comorbidity and reasons for hospitalization in elderly patients.METHODS We analyzed patients aged 75 years and over who were admitted to the internal medicine clinic of a tertiary hospital in Eskisehir.At admission,we calculated GFR values using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study formula and classified them into six categories:G1,G2,G3a,G3b,G4,and G5.We analyzed associations with hospitalization diagnoses and comorbidity factors.RESULTS The average age of the patients was 80.8 years(±4.5 years).GFR was 57.287±29.5 mL/kg/1.73 m2 in women and 61.3±31.5 mL/kg/1.73 m2 in men(P=0.106).Most patients were admitted to the hospital at G2 stage(32.8%).The main reasons for hospitalization were anemia(34.4%and 28.6%)and malnutrition(20.9%and 20.8%)in women and men,respectively(P=0.078).The most frequent comor-bidity leading to hospitalization was arterial hypertension(n=168,28%),fo-llowed by diabetes(n=166,27.7%)(P=0.001).CONCLUSION When evaluating geriatric patients,low GFR alone does not provide sufficient information.Patients’comorbid factors should also be taken into account.There is no association between low GFR during hospitalization and hospitalization-Hamarat H.Aging and GFR related diagnoses.Knowing the GFR value before hospitalization will be more informative in such studies.

Longitudinal assessment of measured and estimated glomerular filtration-rate in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease:Real practice experience

BACKGROUND Equations for estimation glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)have been associated with poor clinical performance and their clinical accuracy and reliability have been called into question.AIM To assess the longitudinal changes in measured glomerular filtration rate(mGFR)in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease(ADPKD).METHODS Analysis of an ambispective data base conducted on consecutive patients diagnosed with ADPKD.The mGFR was assessed by iohexol clearance;while eGFR was calculated by three different formulas:(1)The chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration(CKD-EPI);(2)Modification of diet in renal disease(MDRD);and(3)The 24-hour urine creatinine clearance(CrCl).The primary end-points were the mean change in mGFR between the baseline and final visit,as well as the comparison of the mean change in mGFR with the change estimated by the different formulas.RESULTS Thirty-seven patients were included in the study.As compared to baseline,month-6 mGFR was significantly decrease by-4.4 mL/minute±10.3 mL/minute(P=0.0132).However,the CKD-EPI,MDRD,and CrCl formulas underestimated this change by 48.3%,89.0%,and 45.8%respectively,though none of these differences reached statistical significance(P=0.3647;P=0.0505;and P=0.736,respectively).The discrepancies between measured and estimated glomerular filtration rate values,as evaluated by CKD-EPI(r=0.29,P=0.086);MDRD(r=0.19,P=0.272);and CrCl(r=0.09,P=0.683),were not correlated with baseline mGFR values.CONCLUSION This study indicated that eGFR inaccurately reflects the decline in mGFR and cannot reliably track changes over time.This poses significant challenges for clinical decision-making,particularly in treatment strategies.

A high Li-ion diffusion kinetics in multidimensional and compact-structured electrodes via vacuum filtration casting

Manufacturing process,diffusion co-efficient and areal capacity are the three main criteria for regulating thick electrodes for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).However,simultaneously regulating these criteria for LIBs is desirable but remains a significant challenge.In this work,niobium pentoxide(Nb_(2)O_(5))anode and lithium iron phosphate(LiFePO_(4))cathode materials were chosen as the model materials and demonstrate that these three parameters can be simultaneously modulated by incorporation of micro-carbon fibers(MCF)and carbon nanotubes(CNT)with both Nb_(2)O_(5) and LFP via vacuum filtration approach.Both as-prepared MNC-20 anode and MLC-20 cathode achieves high reversible areal capacity of≈5.4 m A h cm^(-2)@0.1 C and outstanding Li-ion diffusion coefficients of≈10~(-8)cm~2 s~(-1)in the half-cell configuration.The assembled MNC-20‖MLC-20 full cell LIB delivers maximum energy and power densities of244.04 W h kg^(-1)and 108.86 W kg^(-1),respectively.The excellent electrochemical properties of the asprepared thick electrodes can be attributed to the highly conductive,mechanical compactness and multidimensional mutual effects of the MCF,CNT and active materials that facilitates rapid Li-ion diffusion kinetics.Furthermore,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),symmetric cells analysis,and insitu Raman techniques clearly validates the enhanced Li-ion diffusion kinetics in the present architecture.

Machine learning-based comparison of factors influencing estimated glomerular filtration rate in Chinese women with or without nonalcoholic fatty liver

BACKGROUND The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver(NAFLD)has increased recently.Subjects with NAFLD are known to have higher chance for renal function impairment.Many past studies used traditional multiple linear regression(MLR)to identify risk factors for decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR).However,medical research is increasingly relying on emerging machine learning(Mach-L)methods.The present study enrolled healthy women to identify factors affecting eGFR in subjects with and without NAFLD(NAFLD+,NAFLD-)and to rank their importance.AIM To uses three different Mach-L methods to identify key impact factors for eGFR in healthy women with and without NAFLD.METHODS A total of 65535 healthy female study participants were enrolled from the Taiwan MJ cohort,accounting for 32 independent variables including demographic,biochemistry and lifestyle parameters(independent variables),while eGFR was used as the dependent variable.Aside from MLR,three Mach-L methods were applied,including stochastic gradient boosting,eXtreme gradient boosting and elastic net.Errors of estimation were used to define method accuracy,where smaller degree of error indicated better model performance.RESULTS Income,albumin,eGFR,High density lipoprotein-Cholesterol,phosphorus,forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1),and sleep time were all lower in the NAFLD+group,while other factors were all significantly higher except for smoking area.Mach-L had lower estimation errors,thus outperforming MLR.In Model 1,age,uric acid(UA),FEV1,plasma calcium level(Ca),plasma albumin level(Alb)and T-bilirubin were the most important factors in the NAFLD+group,as opposed to age,UA,FEV1,Alb,lactic dehydrogenase(LDH)and Ca for the NAFLD-group.Given the importance percentage was much higher than the 2nd important factor,we built Model 2 by removing age.CONCLUSION The eGFR were lower in the NAFLD+group compared to the NAFLD-group,with age being was the most important impact factor in both groups of healthy Chinese women,followed by LDH,UA,FEV1 and Alb.However,for the NAFLD-group,TSH and SBP were the 5th and 6th most important factors,as opposed to Ca and BF in the NAFLD+group.

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.

Deep bed filtration model for cake filtration and erosion

Many phenomena in nature and technology are associated with the filtration of suspensions and colloids in porous media. Two main types of particle deposition,namely, cake filtration at the inlet and deep bed filtration throughout the entire porous medium, are studied by different models. A unified approach for the transport and deposition of particles based on the deep bed filtration model is proposed. A variable suspension flow rate, proportional to the number of free pores at the inlet of the porous medium, is considered. To model cake filtration, this flow rate is introduced into the mass balance equation of deep bed filtration. For the cake filtration without deposit erosion,the suspension flow rate decreases to zero, and the suspension does not penetrate deep into the porous medium. In the case of the cake filtration with erosion, the suspension flow rate is nonzero, and the deposit is distributed throughout the entire porous medium. An exact solution is obtained for a constant filtration function. The method of characteristics is used to construct the asymptotics of the concentration front of suspended and retained particles for a filtration function in a general form. Explicit formulae are obtained for a linear filtration function. The properties of these solutions are studied in detail.

A new vacuum-assisted low-pressure investment casting process for K446 alloy

Non-metallic inclusions and zyglo indications frequently occur in the superalloy castings produced through the traditional vacuum gravity investment casting process,particularly in components with thin-walled and complex structural features.The vacuum-assisted low-pressure casting(VLC),a type of counter-gravity casting(CGC)method,has been developed to minimize non-metallic inclusions and zyglo indications in superalloy castings.Rectifying frames for gas turbines made from K446 alloy were produced semi-continuously using the VLC process and subsequently evaluated through tensile testing,chemical composition analysis,X-ray diffraction,and zyglo penetrant inspection.The results indicate a roughly 10%improvement in tensile strength at 800℃ compared to gravity casting.Moreover,no significant changes are observed in the chemical composition of the alloys from the beginning to the end of a casting campaign,indicating that the developed VLC process is viable for the engineering-scale production of superalloy castings.Compared to traditional vacuum gravity casting(GC)method,the application of VLC can reduce the numbers of non-metallic inclusions and Zyglo indications in the castings by over 80%.At the same time,it significantly shortens the production time by 3 to 5 days.

Clinical efficacy of endovascular revascularization combined with vacuum-assisted closure for the treatment of diabetic foot

BACKGROUND The diabetic foot is a common cause of disability and death,and comorbid foot infections usually lead to prolonged hospitalization,high healthcare costs,and a significant increase in amputation rates.And most diabetic foot trauma is complicated by lower extremity arteriopathy,which becomes an independent risk factor for major amputation in diabetic foot patients.AIM To establish the efficacy and safety of endovascular revascularization(ER)combined with vacuum-assisted closure(VAC)for the treatment of diabetic foot.METHODS Clinical data were collected from 40 patients with diabetic foot admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from April 2018 to April 2022.Diabetic foot lesions were graded according to Wagner’s classification,and blood flow to the lower extremity was evaluated using the ankle-brachial index test and computerized tomography angiography of the lower extremity arteries.Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pumps were used to achieve glycemic control.Lower limb revascularization was facilitated by percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty(BA)or stenting.Wounds were cleaned by nibbling debridement.Wound granulation tissue growth was induced by VAC,and wound repair was performed by skin grafting or skin flap transplantation.RESULTS Of the 35 cases treated with lower limb revascularization,34 were successful with a revascularization success rate of 97%.Of these,6 cases underwent stenting after BA of the superficial femoral artery,and 1 received popliteal artery stent implantation.In the 25 cases treated with infrapopliteal artery revascularization,39 arteries were reconstructed,7 of which were treated by drug-coated BA and the remaining 32 with plain old BA.VAC was performed in 32 wounds.Twenty-four cases of skin grafting and 2 cases of skin flap transplantation were performed.Two patients underwent major amputations,whereas 17 had minor amputations,accounting for a success limb salvage rate of 95%.CONCLUSION ER in combination with VAC is a safe and effective treatment for diabetic foot that can significantly improve limb salvage rates.The use of VAC after ER simplifies and facilitates wound repair.

Influence of Rayleigh-Taylor Instability on Impurity Dynamics during Column Back-Flushing Filtration

During the manufacturing or processing of materials,large volumes of water of the required quality are often needed.Industrial water treatment and water purification is the process of removing impurities and pollution from the considered medium.To obtain liquid with specified quality parameters,complex systems of filters and treatment facilities are generally used.In this work,the cleaning process for a filtration column is studied.Three-dimensional numerical simulations of flow in a columnar array consisting of a porous medium are conducted.In particular,a model case corresponding to laboratory conditions is examined,with potassium salt being considered as a pollutant.It is assumed that the vertical column is a desalination system,as a result of which saturation and clogging of the pores of the medium occur;at the end of the operating cycle of such a filter,washing is required.Filtration modeling is implemented through the Brinkman approach taking into account density stratification.It is found that owing to density stratification and related effects,clean water moves in the central part of the filter,while contaminants near the side walls remain motionless for a long time.A solution to this problem is presented by changing the flow rate of supplied water.

Ablation behaviour and mechanical performance of ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC modified carbon/carbon composites prepared by vacuum infiltration combined with reactive melt infiltration

The development of advanced aircraft relies on high performance thermal-structural materials,and carbon/carbon com-posites(C/C)composited with ultrahigh-temperature ceramics are ideal candidates.However,the traditional routes of compositing are either inefficient and expensive or lead to a non-uniform distribution of ceramics in the matrix.Compared with the traditional C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the reactive melt infiltration of ZrSi_(2),C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the vacuum infiltration of ZrB_(2) combined with reactive melt infiltration have the higher content and more uniform distribution of the introduced ceramic phases.The mass and linear ablation rates of the C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites were respectively 68.9%and 29.7%lower than those of C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by reactive melt infiltration.The ablation performance was improved because the volatilization of B_(2)O_(3),removes some of the heat,and the more uniformly distributed ZrO_(2),that helps produce a ZrO2-SiO2 continu-ous protective layer,hinders oxygen infiltration and decreases ablation.

Changes in filtration and capacitance properties of highly porous reservoir in underground gas storage:CT-based and geomechanical modeling

The paper presents the results of comprehensive studies of filtration and capacitance properties of highly porous reservoir rocks of the aquifer of an underground gas storage facility.The geomechanical part of the research included studying the dependence of rock permeability on the stress-strain state in the vicinity of the wells,and physical modeling of the implementation of the method of increasing the permeability of the wellbore zone-the method of directional unloading of the reservoir.The digital part of the research included computed tomography(CT)-based computer analysis of the internal structure,pore space characteristics,and filtration properties before and after the tests.According to the results of physical modeling of deformation and filtration processes,it is found that the permeability of rocks before fracture depends on the stress-strain state insignificantly,and this influence is reversible.However,when downhole pressure reaches 7-8 MPa,macrocracks in the rock begin to grow,accompanied by irreversible permeability increase.Porosity,geodesic tortuosity and permeability values were obtained based on digital studies and numerical modeling.A weak degree of transversal anisotropy of the filtration properties of rocks was detected.Based on the analysis of pore size distribution,pressure field and flow velocities,high homogeneity and connectivity of the rock pore space is shown.The absence of pronounced changes in pore space characteristics and pore permeability after non-uniform triaxial loading rocks was shown.On the basis of geometrical analysis of pore space,the reasons for weak permeability anisotropy were identified.The filtration-capacitance properties obtained from the digital analysis showed very good agreement with the results of field and laboratory measurements.The physical modeling has confirmed the efficiency of application of the directional unloading method for the reservoir under study.The necessary parameters of its application were calculated:bottomhole geometry,stage of operation,stresses and pressure drawdown value.

Detection of decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with type 2 diabetes by cystatin C-based equations

BACKGROUND Aging population is a significant issue in Viet Nam and across the globe.Elderly individuals are at higher risk of chronic kidney disease(CKD),especially those with diabetes.Several studies found that the estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)determined using creatinine-based equations was not as accurate as that determined using cystatin C-based equations.Cystatin C-based equations may be beneficial in elderly patients with an age-associated decline in kidney function.Early determination of eGFR decline and associated factors would aid in appropriate interventions to improve kidney function in elderly patients with diabetes.AIM To determine the utility of cystatin C-based equations in early detection of eGFR decline and to explore factors associated with eGFR decline in elderly patients with diabetes.METHODS This cross-sectional study included 93 participants aged≥60 years evaluated in Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital between October 2022 and July 2023,including 47 and 46 participants with and without diabetes respectively,according to the American Diabetes Association criteria for diabetes.The kappa coefficient,Student’s t,Mann-Whitney,χ2,Pearson’s correlation,multivariate logistic regression,and multiple linear regression analyses were employed.RESULTS The eGFRs were lower with the cystatin C-based equations than with the creatinine-based equations.Good agreement was found between the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease(MDRD)and CKD Epidemiology Collaboration(CKD-EPI)2021 creatinine-cystatin C equations(kappa=0.66).In the diabetes group,30%of the participants had low eGFR.Both plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin were associated with an increased risk of eGFR decline(P<0.05)and negatively correlated with eGFR(P=0.001).By multivariate logistic regression,total cholesterol,and exercise were independently associated with low eGFR.By multiple linear regression,higher plasma glucose levels were correlated with lower eGFR(P=0.026,r=-0.366).CONCLUSION Cystatin C-based equations were superior in the early detection of a decline in eGFR,and the MDRD equation may be considered as an alternative to the CKD-EPI 2021 creatinine-cystatin C equation.Exercise,plasma glucose,and total cholesterol were independently associated with eGFR in patients with diabetes.

Gel Filtration Chromatography Combined with Bradford Method for Determination of Total Residual Protein in Ferment Antibiotics

Aim A novel method has been developed for evaluation of the levels of total residual protein in antibiotics produced by fermentation using gel filtration chromatography (GFC) combined with Bradford assay based on determination of residual protein in lincomycin hydrochloride. Methods The chromatographic conditions were SuperdexTM peptide column, 0.01 mol*L-1 phosphate buffer solution as mobile phase, and flow rate of 1 mL·min-1. Five hundred microliters of lincomycin hydrochloride solution (3 g of lincomycin hydrochloride dissolved in 10 mL of mobile phase) was injected into the chromatograph and the eluted solution was collected between 6 min and 14.5 min (protein eluted from column within this period), and the residual content of total protein in the eluted solution was assayed using Bradford assay method. Results The average recovery was more than 90% for bovine serum albumin, the calibration equation for the range of 0-12 μg·mL-1 of protein was y=-0.002 4x2+0.064 2x+0.002 9, r2=0.999 9, RSD=0.1%-0.9%, and the LOD and LOQ were 3 and 10 ng·mL-1 of protein, respectively. Conclusion The novel method for determining the residual protein in ferment antibio-tics is simple, rapid, and precise.

Responses of Filtration Rate of Freshwater Mussel Anodonta woodiana to Ambient Ammonia Concentration

By using one static water system,the filtration rates of one kind of freshwater mussel Anodonta woodiana with different body weight(accounted by dry weight of soft tissue)were studied under semi-field conditions.During the experiments,the water temperature and the suspended particulate matters concentration were kept relative invariable and there were four ambient ammonia concentration levels.The ambient water ammonia concentration was obtained by the excretion of the freshwater mussel and the accession of ...

The effect of coupling coagulation and flocculation with membrane filtration in water treatment:A review

Water supply and sanitation demands are foreseen to face enormous challenges over the coming decades to meet the fast growing needs in a global perspective. Significant growth in the industry is predicted and membrane separation technologies have been identified as one of the possible solutions to meet future demands. Application and implementation of membrane technology is expected both in production of potable water as well as in treatment of wastewater. In potable water production membranes are substituting conventional separation technologies due to the superior performance, potential for less chemical use and sludge production, as well as the potential to fulfill hygienic barrier requirements. Membrane bio-reactor （MBR） technology is probably the membrane process which has had most success and has the best prospects for the future in wastewater treatment. Trends and developments indicate that this technology is becoming accepted and is rapidly becoming the best available technology for many wastewater treatment applications. A major drawback of MBR systems is membrane fouling. Studies have shown that fouling mitigation in MBR systems can potentially be done by coupling coagulation and flocculation to the process.

Numerical simulation on trapping efficiency of steady filtration process in diesel particulate filter and its experimental verification

Taking wall-flow diesel particulate filter(DPF) as the research objective and separately assuming its filtering wall to be composed of numerous spherical or cylindrical elements, two different mathematical models of steady filtration for wall-flow diesel particulate filter were developed and verified by experiments as well as numerically solved. Furthermore, the effects of the macroand micro-structural parameters of filtering wall and exhaust-flow characteristic parameters on trapping efficiency were also analyzed and researched. The results show that: 1) The two developed mathematical models are consistent with the prediction of variation of particulate size; the influence of various factors on the steady trapping efficiency is exactly the same. Compared to model 2, model 1 is more suitable for describing the steady filtration process of wall-flow diesel particulate filter; 2)The major influencing factors on steady trapping efficiency of wall-flow diesel particulate filter are the macro-and micro-structural parameters of filtering wall; and the secondary influencing factors are the exhaust-flow characteristic parameters and macro-structural parameters of filter; 3)The steady trapping efficiency will be improved by increasing filter body volume, pore density as well as wall thickness and by decreasing exhaust-flow, but effects will be weakened when particulate size exceeds a certain critical value; 4) The steady trapping efficiency will be significantly improved by increasing exhaust-flow temperature and filtering wall thickness, but effects will be also weakened when particulate size exceeds a certain critical value; 5) The steady trapping efficiency will approximately linearly increase with reducing porosity, micropore aperture and pore width.

Preliminary study of a dot immunogold filtration assay for rapid detection of anti-HCV IgG

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＨｅｐａｔｉｔｉｓＣｉｓａｗｏｒｌｄｗｉｄｅｅｐｉｄｅｍｉｃｄｉｓｅａｓｅｓｔｅｍｍｉｎｇｆｒｏｍｔｈｅｈｅｐａｔｉｔｉｓＣｖｉｒｕｓ（ＨＣＶ）．ＨＣＶｉｓｎｏｔｏｎｌｙｔｈｅｐａｔｈｏｇｅｎｉｃｆａｃｔｏｒｏｆｈｅｐａｔｉ...

Dot immunogold filtration assay for rapid detection of anti-HAV IgM in Chinese

INTRODUCTION The hepatitis A virus specific immunoglobulin M(IgM)antibody is a specific serological marker forearly diagnosis of hepatitis A..At present,themethods used at home or abroad for detecting anti-HAV IgM are RIA,ELISA and SPHAI.The dotimmunogold combination assay that has beendeveloped since 1989 is a new technique with theproperty of simple and rapid immunologicaldetection,by using the red colloidal gold particles tolabel the antibodies as indicator,and the

NON-NEWTON FILTRATION EQUATION WITH SPECIAL MEDIUM VOID

This paper considers the existence and asymptotic estimates of global solutions and finite time blowup of local solution of non-Newton filtration equation with special medium void of the following form:where , ft is a smooth bounded domain in RN(N≥3), 0∈Ω, The result of asymptotic estimate of global solution depends on the best constant in Hardy inequality.