Absolute Wall Thickness Measurement of Conducting Plates Using Pulsed Eddy Currents

The method using pulsed eddy currents to determine the thickness of a conduction plate is extended to enable the simultaneous measurement of the plate thickness and material properties. For optimal performance, a probe must be designed depending on the thickness range that should be accessible. The need for a calibration of the material properties of a conducting plate to enable the measurement of its thickness has been removed. All that is needed is a probe with known dimensions and suitable hardware to create a current pulse and measure a transient magnetic induction.

Sonographic gallbladder wall thickness measurement and the prediction of esophageal varices among cirrhotics

Acute variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension(PHT) is the most serious emergency complication among those patients and could have catastrophic outcomes if not timely managed. Early screening by esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy(EGD) for the presence of esophageal varices(EVs) is currently recommended by the practice guidelines for all cirrhotic patients. Meanwhile, EGD is not readily accepted or preferred by many patients. The literature is rich in studies to investigate and validate non-invasive markers of EVs prediction aiming at reducing the unneeded endoscopic procedures. Gallbladder(GB) wall thickness(GBWT) measurement has been found promising in many published research articles. We aim to highlight the validity of sonographic GBWT measurement in the prediction of EVs based on the available evidence. We searched databases including Cochrane library, Pub Med, Web of Science and many others for relevant articles. GBWT is associated with the presence of EVs in cirrhotic patients with PHT of different etiologies. The cut-off of GBWT that can predict the presence of EVs varied in the literature and ranges from 3.1 mm to 4.35 mm with variable sensitivities of 46%-90.9% and lower cutoffs in viral cirrhosis compared to non-viral, however GBWT > 4 mm in many studies is associated with acceptable sensitivity up to 90%. Furthermore, a relation was also noticed with the degree of varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy.Among cirrhotics, GBWT > 3.5 mm predicts the presence of advanced(grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ) EVs with a sensitivity of 45%, the sensitivity increased to 92% when a cut-off ≥ 3.95 mm was used in another cohort. Analysis of these results should carefully be revised in the context of ascites, hypoalbuminemia and other intrinsic GB diseases among cirrhotic patients. The sensitivity for prediction of EVs improved upon combining GBWT measurement with other non-invasive predictors, e.g., platelets/GBWT.

Thermal Analysis of Turbine Blades with Thermal Barrier Coatings Using Virtual Wall Thickness Method

Avirtual wall thicknessmethod is developed to simulate the temperature field of turbine bladeswith thermal barrier coatings(TBCs),to simplify the modeling process and improve the calculation efficiency.The results show that the virtualwall thickness method can improve themesh quality by 20%,reduce the number ofmeshes by 76.7%and save the calculation time by 35.5%,compared with the traditional real wall thickness method.The average calculation error of the two methods is between 0.21%and 0.93%.Furthermore,the temperature at the blade leading edge is the highest and the average temperature of the blade pressure surface is higher than that of the suction surface under a certain service condition.The blade surface temperature presents a high temperature at both ends and a low temperature in themiddle height when the temperature of incoming gas is uniformand constant.The thermal insulation effect of TBCs is the worst near the air film hole,and the best at the blade leading edge.According to the calculated temperature field of the substrate-coating system,the highest thermal insulation temperature of the TC layer is 172.01 K,and the thermal insulation proportions of TC,TGO and BC are 93.55%,1.54%and 4.91%,respectively.

Determination of Average Wall Thickness of Mesoporous Silica

Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) experiment using Synchrotron Radiation as X-ray source was used to determine the average wall thickness of mesoporous silica prepared by condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) using non-ionic alkylpolyethyleneoxide (AEO(9)) surfactant as templates. The results agreed with that of high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) measurement.

Evaluation of Average Wall Thickness of Organically Modified Mesoporous Silica

The small angle X-ray scattering of organically modified MSU-X silica prepared by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) show negative deviation from Debye’s theory due to the existence of the organic interface layer. By exerting correction of the scattering negative deviation, Debye relation may be recovered, and the average wall thickness of the material may be evaluated.

Automatic girth welding and performance evaluation of the joints of hot-induction-bend and line pipes with different wall thickness

During the process of laying long-distance oil and gas transmission pipelines, the hot-induction-bend method is extensively used when the direction has to be changed. By considering the pipeline＇ s ongoing processing and loading states during service, the pipeline that is generally used exhibits thicker walls than those that are observed in the line pipe. As such, during pipeline construction, hot-induction-bend and line pipes with different wall thickness are girth-welded. The chemical composition of hot-induction-bend and line pipes differs, with the carbon content being particularly higher in the hot-induction-bend pipe;it also depicts a higher carbon equivalent, which makes it possible to modify the girth of the pipe. In this study, using Baosteel＇ s standard X70M UOE hot- induction-bend and line pipes, solid-wire automatic gas-metal-arc girth welding was performed and the performance of the girth-welded joint was evaluated. Furthermore,the weldability of the pipeline girth and the microstructure of the girth-welded joint were analyzed. The results reveal that Baosteel＇ s standard UOE hot-induction-bend and line pipes exhibit good girth weldability, and their technical quality can be guaranteed in case of consumer field- construction applications.

AXISYMMETRIC PROBLEMS OF CYLINDRICAL SHELLS WITH VARIABLE WALL THICKNESS

The purpose of this paper is to give the general solutions for axisymmetric eylindrical shells with paraholically varying wall thickness.

Study of Individual Characteristic Abdominal Wall Thickness Based on Magnetic Anchored Surgical Instruments

Background：Magnetic anchored surgical instruments （MASI）,relying on magnetic force,can break through the limitations of the single port approach in dexterity.Individual characteristic abdominal wall thickness （ICAWT） deeply influences magnetic force that determines the safety of MASI.The purpose of this study was to research the abdominal wall characteristics in MASI applied environment to find ICAWT,and then construct an artful method to predict ICAWT,resulting in better safety and feasibility for MASI.Methods：For MASI,ICAWT is referred to the thickness of thickest point in the applied environment.We determined ICAWT through finding the thickest point in computed tomography scans.We also investigated the traits of abdominal wall thickness to discover the factor that can be used to predict ICAWT.Results：Abdominal wall at C point in the middle third lumbar vertebra plane （L3） is the thickest during chosen points.Fat layer thickness plays a more important role in abdominal wall thickness than muscle layer thickness.＂BMI-ICAWT＂ curve was obtained based on abdominal wall thickness of C point in L3 plane,and the expression was as follow：f（x） =P1 × x^2 ＋ P2 x x ＋ P3,where P1 =0.03916 （0.01776,0.06056）,P2 =1.098 （0.03197,2.164）,P3 =-18.52 （-31.64,-5.412）,R-square：0.99.Conclusions：Abdominal wall thickness of C point at L3 could be regarded as ICAWT.BMI could be a reliable predictor of ICAWT.In the light of ＂BMI-ICAWT＂ curve,we may conveniently predict ICAWT by BMI,resulting a better safety and feasibility for MASI.

Left atrial wall thickness： anatomic aspects relevant to catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation

Background The success and complication rates of atrial fibrillation （AF） ablation may be related to regional differences in left atrial （LA） wall thickness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the transmural LA wall thickness in various regions. Methods We measured LA wall thickness in 36 human heart specimens using calipers at three planes including left pulmonary veins （PVs） vestibule plane, right PVs vestibule plane and the middle plane between the two. In each plane, eight points were selected, including superior, middle and inferior levels at anterior and posterior wall, roof and bottom. Results The anterior and posterior wall thickness displayed gradient from superior to inferior level （anterior wall： （2.73＋1.01） mm, （2.08＋0.91） mm and （1.54＋0.69） mm; posterior wall： （1.74＋0.68） mm, （1.48＋0.39） mm and （1.27＋0.42） mm）. At the roof, LA wall thickness was thickest in middle plane （（2.01＋1.02） mm） and was thinnest in left PVs vestibule plane （（1.29＋0.41） mm）. The posterior wall thickness in left PVs vestibule plane was thinner than in the other two planes （P 〈0.05-0.001）, and was thinner in right PVs vestibule plane than in middle plane （P 〈0.01-0.001）. Whereas in anterior wall, the wall thickness in left PVs vestibule plane was thicker than in middle and right PVs vestibule plane. Conclusions Significant variations exist for mean LA wall thickness at different regions which are often targeted during circumferential pulmonary venous ablation （CPVA）. Appreciating these differences may have significant implications in catheter ablation of AF.

Hot-rolled strips of up to 19 mm in thickness and their processing to helically welded large diameter pipes of grade X80

Hot-rolled wide strip for production of large diameter,heavy gauged(up to 19 mm) helical line pipe grade X80 was a priority development over the last three years.Microstructure,texture and mechanical properties of strips have been characterised.Also the welding conditions have been simulated.The favourable microstructure is achieved by the proper selection of an appropriate chemical composition of low carbon content and increased niobium micro alloying in combination with suitable strictly controlled hot-rolling parameters.The addition of niobium in combination with the adjustment of other alloying elements increases the recrystallisation stop temperature and thus makes it possible to apply a high temperature processing(HTP) concept.The homogeneous bainitic microstructure across the strip gauge is then formed during accelerated cooling on the run-out table of the hot-rolling mill.All results indicated excellent properties of these hot strips which make it suitable for spiral pipes of grade X80 for example 18.9mm×Φ1 220 mm at dimension.

Simulation Analysis of Torsion Beam Hydroforming Based on the Fluid-Solid Coupling Method

Hydroformed parts are widely used in industrial automotive parts because of their higher stiffness and fatigue strength and reduced weight relative to their corresponding cast and welded parts.This paper reports a hydraulicforming experimental platform for rectangular tube fittings that was constructed to conduct an experiment on the hydraulic forming of rectangular tube fittings.A finite element model was established on the basis of the fluid–solid coupling method and simulation analysis.The correctness of the simulation analysis and the feasibility of the fluid–solid coupling method for hydraulic forming simulation analysis were verified by comparing the experimental results with the simulation results.On the basis of the simulation analysis of the hydraulic process of the torsion beam using the fluid–solid coupling method,a sliding mold suitable for the hydroforming of torsion beams was designed for its structural characteristics.The effects of fluid characteristics,shaping pressure,axial feed rate,and friction coefficient on the wall thicknesses of torsions beams during formation were investigated.Fluid movement speed was related to tube deformation.Shaping pressure had a significant effect on rounded corners and straight edges.The axial feed speed was increased,and the uneven distribution of wall thicknesses was effectively improved.Although the friction coefficient had a nonsignificant effect on the wall thickness of the ladder-shaped region,it had a significant influence on a large deformation of wall thickness in the V-shaped area.In this paper,a method of fluid-solid coupling simulation analysis and sliding die is proposed to study the high pressure forming law in torsion beam.

Prognostic role of intestinal ultrasound in Crohn’s disease

The majority of patients affected by Crohn’s disease(CD)develop a chronic condition with persistent inflammation and relapses that may cause progressive and irreversible damage to the bowel,resulting in stricturing or penetrating complications in around 50%of patients during the natural history of the disease.Surgery is frequently needed to treat complicated disease when pharmacological therapy failes,with a high risk of repeated operations in time.Intestinal ultrasound(IUS),a non-invasive,cost-effective,radiation free and reproducible method for the diagnosis and follow-up of CD,in expert hands,allow a precise assessment of all the disease manifestations:Bowel characteristics,retrodilation,wrapping fat,fistulas and abscesses.Moreover,IUS is able to assess bowel wall thickness,bowel wall stratification(echo-pattern),vascularization and elasticity,as well as mesenteric hypertrophy,lymph-nodes and mesenteric blood flow.Its role in the disease evaluation and behaviour description is well assessed in literature,but less is known about the potential space of IUS as predictor of prognostic factors suggesting response to a medical treatment or postoperative recurrence.The availability of a low cost exam as IUS,able to recognize which patients are more likely to respond to a specific therapy and which patients are at high risk of surgery or complications,could be a very useful instrument in the hands of IBD physician.The aim of this review is to present current evidence about the prognostic role that IUS can show in predicting response to treatment,disease progression,risk of surgery and risk of post-surgical recurrence in CD.

Non-invasive evaluation of lower urinary tract symptoms(LUTS)in men

Lower urinary tract symptoms(LUTS)are common in males over the age of 40 years old and are likely to increase with an aging population.Currently urodynamic studies are the gold standard to determine the aetiology of voiding dysfunction and LUTS.However,due to its invasive nature,a great number of non-invasive ultrasound based investigations have been developed to assess patients with symptomatic LUTS.The clinical application of noninvasive tests could potentially stratify patients who would require more invasive investigations and allow more precise patient directed treatment.A PubMed literature review was performed and we will discuss the non-invasive investigations that have been developed thus far,focusing on bladder wall and detrusor wall thickness(BWT&DWT),ultrasound estimated bladder weight(UEBW)and intravesical prostatic protrusion(IPP).

Investigation of spherical and concentric mechanism of compound droplets

Polymer shells with high sphericity and uniform wall thickness are always needed in the inertial confined fusion(ICF)experiments.Driven by the need to control the shape of water-in-oil(W1/O)compound droplets,the effects of the density matching level,the interfacial tension and the rotation speed of the continuing fluid field on the sphericity and wall thickness uniformity of the resulting polymer shells were investigated and the spherical and concentric mechanisms were also discussed.The centering of W1/O compound droplets,the location and movement of W1/O compound droplets in the external phase(W2)were significantly affected by the density matching level of the key stage and the rotation speed of the continuing fluid field.Therefore,by optimizing the density matching level and rotation speed,the batch yield of polystyrene(PS)shells with high sphericity and uniform wall thickness increased.Moreover,the sphericity also increased by raising the oil/water(O/W2)interfacial tension,which drove a droplet to be spherical.The experimental results show that the spherical driving force is from the interfacial tension affected by the two relative phases,while the concentric driving force,as a resultant force,is not only affected by the three phases,but also by the continuing fluid field.The understanding of spherical and concentric mechanism can provide some guidance for preparing polymer shells with high sphericity and uniform wall thickness.

Frozen curtain characteristics during excavation of submerged shallow tunnel using Freeze-Sealing Pipe-Roof method

The Freeze-Sealing Pipe-Roof(FSPR)method,which has been applied for the first time in the Gongbei Tunnel of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge,is a new approach of tunnel pre-support that allows flexible adjustment of freeze tube arrangement and can be adapted to different environmental conditions.When the FSPR method is used to construct shallow burial submerged tunnels,the frozen wall to hold back groundwater during excavation will be weakened by air and water flows inside and outside the tunnel,and its waterproof performance needs to be further investigated.In this paper,a two-dimensional numerical model of the temperature field considering excavation and moving water boundary is established based on the preliminary design scheme and in-situ conditions and is used to analyze the variation in frozen curtain properties with various active freezing times during excavation.The results show that excavation has a weakening effect on both sides of the frozen wall,with a greater effect on the inner side,and a positive temperature appears in the local area inside the jacked pipe.The concrete fill in the jacked pipe obviously improves the freezing efficiency,and the tunnel excavation after 60 days of active freezing in the interval filling mode can ensure that the frozen soil thickness at the thinnest segment exceeds 2 m,i.e.,the design requirement.In practice,the active freezing time can be extended appropriately to reduce the influence of river water flow above the tunnel.The study serves as a technical reference for the design and implementation of similar projects.

Performance and variability patterns in wood properties and growth traits in the parents, F1 and F2 generation hybrid clones of Populus deltoides

The performance and variability patterns in the wood element’s dimensions, specific gravity and growth parameters namely ramet height and GBH were evaluated in 16 clones of parents, F1 and F2 hybrids of Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. Ramet radial variations were nonsignificant, while inter-clonal variations due to interaction of clone/replication were significant for all the wood traits except vessel element length. Inter-clonal variations were significant only for fiber length and fiber wall thickness. Fiber length and specific gravity were significantly higher in female, while wall thickness and vessel element length were higher in male clones. Female parents （G48 and S7C8） showed higher fiber length and specific gravity than of the male parent （G3）, while vessel diameter and wall thickness were higher in male par- ent （G3）. There is not much difference in fiber length and vessel element’s dimensions among the parents, F1 and F2 generation hybrid clones. Specific gravity did not showed any trend for parents, F1 and F2 generations. Generally female clones showed higher growth rate. Broad sense heritability for wood traits ranged from 0.143 （fiber length） to 0.505 （fiber wall thickness）, while for growth traits it was 0.374 （GBH） and 0.418 （height）. Genetic gain for all the wood and growth traits was positive for most of the wood traits. The highly divergent male clone （78） and female clones （S7C8, G48, W/A 49） in number of combinations could be used for developing new hybrids of desired wood traits to develop new clones.

Prediction of Mechanical Properties of Structural Bamboo and Its Relationship with Growth Parameters

Bamboo is a renewable natural building material with good mechanical properties.However,due to the heterogeneity and anisotropy of bamboo stalk,a large amount of material performance testing costs are required in engineering applications.In this work,longitudinal compression,bending,longitudinal shear,longitudinal tensile,transverse compression and transverse tensile tests of bamboo materials are conducted,considering the influence of the bamboo nodes.The mechanical properties of the whole bamboo stalk with the wall thickness and outer circumference are explored.Through univariate and multiple regression analysis,the relationship between mechanical properties and wall thickness and perimeter is fitted,and the conversion parameters between different mechanical properties are derived.The research results show that the transverse compressive strength of nodal specimen,and transverse tensile strength of nodal and inter-node specimens increase with the increase of wall thickness and outer circumference,but other mechanical properties decrease with the increase of wall thickness and outer circumference.The prediction formula and conversion parameters of bamboo mechanical properties proposed in this research have high applicability and accuracy.Moreover,this research can provide references for the evaluation of bamboo performance and saving test costs.

Inverse problem of pulsed eddy current field of ferromagnetic plates

To determine the wall thickness, conductivity and permeability of a ferromagnetic plate, an inverse problem is established with measured values and calculated values of time-domain induced voltage in pulsed eddy current testing on the plate. From time-domain analytical expressions of the partial derivatives of induced voltage with respect to parameters,it is deduced that the partial derivatives are approximately linearly dependent. Then the constraints of these parameters are obtained by solving a partial linear differential equation. It is indicated that only the product of conductivity and wall thickness, and the product of relative permeability and wall thickness can be determined accurately through the inverse problem with time-domain induced voltage. In the practical testing, supposing the conductivity of the ferromagnetic plate under test is a fixed value, and then the relative variation of wall thickness between two testing points can be calculated via the ratio of the corresponding inversion results of the product of conductivity and wall thickness. Finally, this method for wall thickness measurement is verified by the experiment results of a carbon steel plate.

A cell wall invertase modulates resistance to fusarium crown rot and sharp eyespot in common wheat

Fusarium crown rot(FCR) and sharp eyespot(SE)are serious soil-borne diseases in wheat and its relatives that have been reported to cause wheat yield losses in many areas. In this study, the expression of a cell wall invertase gene, TaCWI-B1,was identified to be associated with FCR resistance through a combination of bulk segregant RNA sequencing and genome resequencing in a recombinant inbred line population. Two biparental populations were developed to further verify TaCWI-B1 association with FCR resistance.Overexpression lines and ethyl methanesulfonate(EMS) mutants revealed TaCWI-B1 positively regulating FCR resistance. Determination of cell wall thickness and components showed that the TaCWI-B1-overexpression lines exhibited considerably increased thickness and pectin and cellulose contents. Furthermore, we found that TaCWI-B1 directly interacted with an alphagalactosidase(TaGAL). EMS mutants showed that TaGAL negatively modulated FCR resistance. The expression of TaGAL is negatively correlated with TaCWI-B1 levels, thus may reduce mannan degradation in the cell wall, consequently leading to thickening of the cell wall. Additionally, TaCWI-B1-overexpression lines and TaGAL mutants showed higher resistance to SE;however, TaCWI-B1 mutants were more susceptible to SE than controls.This study provides insights into a FCR and SE resistance gene to combat soil-borne diseases in common wheat.

Variations in wood anatomical properties and specific gravity of half sib progenies of Populus deltoides

We studied radial and inter-progeny variations in the dimen- sions of the wood elements and specific gravity of 21 half sib progenies of Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. The female parents of half sib progenies were G48 and $7C13 clones. Variance ratio （F） test indicated that inter-progeny variations in the dimensions of wood elements and specific gravity were significant for all wood traits while variations were significant for radial location for specific gravity only. Hierarchical clus- ter analysis was done by Squared Euclidean Distance for all of 21 proge- nies considering six wood traits. 21 progenies were grouped into 4 clus- ters. Cluster 1 was the largest cluster with 11 progenies, whereas cluster 3 had only one progeny. Selected progenies in clusters 3 （progeny 155, male） and 4 （progeny 108, 196, both female） were highly divergent from the other progenies so they were used in combinations as parents of hybrids to develop new clones with desired characters. Progeny 155 showed higher growth, fiber dimensions, and specific gravity, thus, should be used for the development of new clones.