3D Wall Research Articles

Towards development of sustainable lightweight 3D printed wall building envelopes – Experimental and numerical studies

3D printing technology can be of crucial importance in the design of sustainable and energy-efficient building envelopes. With this technology, there is the potential to mechanically and thermally optimise the topology of printed walls. Additionally, the printing and infill materials used can be insulating, and thus contributing to the overall reduction of heat loss. To date, limited examples of 3D printed envelopes and information about the thermal and mechanical performance of 3D printed walls are available. This study developed a 3D printable wall element with an insulating property for application in building envelopes. Seven wall topologies are studied through simulations of mechanical and thermal performance using two mixtures: a control mixture (normal-weight) and a lightweight mixture containing expanded thermoplastic microspheres (ETM) for thermal insulation. One wall topology is selected based on the performance of the simulation and printed using both mixtures. The 3D printed envelopes were tested under compressive strength and analysed with the ARAMIS system, a digital image correlation (DIC) technology. Computer simulations and the DIC analysis identified the main causes for failure, which are the inter-filament weakness and the imperfections of the geometry of the printed envelope.

Structural analysis of a 3D dry-stack tyre wall by finite-discrete element method

This paper adopted a combined finite and discrete element method to investigate the structural performance of tyre walls built with tyre-encased-soil elements (TESEs). A full-scale three-dimensional tyre wall was simulated using Abaqus/Explicit, and the detailed procedures were discussed. The numerical model was verified against the experimental results, and the wall’s quasi-static structural responses under monotonic and cyclic loading were examined. Numerical modelling provided a deeper understanding of the tyre wall behaviour that was not captured experimentally due to time and equipment-related constraints, i.e., forces at the boundaries, wall permanent deformation profile, change in size of the gap openings during loading and unloading, as well as the stress distributions during different stage of loadings. From laboratory experimental observation, the tyre wall had a rotational gap opening mostly located at the mid-height portions due to the lateral loading, and this mechanism has been well replicated by the numerical modelling. The tyre wall was found similar to masonry walls regarding the force–displacement mechanism, however, tyre walls were distinct from masonry walls as the compressive crushing of a wall unit is an unlikely failure mechanism. The numerical modelling also showed that the forces at the boundaries enhanced the lateral load resistance of the wall. The results will encourage built environment professionals to adopt tyre walls in low-rise building constructions, which can assist in solving tyre recycling/storage problems and promote a more sustainable construction practice.

3D printed medical surgical cotton fabric- poly lactic acid biocomposite: A feasibility study

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing is an advanced Additive Manufacturing (AM) method for developing thermoplastic-based parts. Researchers studied FDM-based 3D printing of PLA with whole biomass and biomass resources such as lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. These composites are environmentally friendly, sustainable and have wide applications in healthcare. There is scope for developing the 3D printing of biocomposite with medical surgical cotton fabric, where PLA is unique for such manufacturing. The development and characterisation of FDM 3D printed medical surgical cotton fabric- PLA biocomposite is the primary objective of this work. Experimental methods used for the development of biocomposites involve the use of three types of cotton fabric of pore sizes 0.6 mm x 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm x 0.8 mm, and 1.0 mm x 1.0 mm with three different 3D printing pore sizes 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm x 1.0 and 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm. The development of biocomposites is found feasible. Breaking strength, percentage extension, and water absorption capacity increased in 3D printing pore sizes and pore wall width for each fabric. The maximum 235.40 N and minimum 123.20 N breaking strength, maximum 2.288 % and minimum 1.506 % extension, and maximum 7.63 % and minimum 3.57 % absorption capacity have been observed for the developed biocomposite. The behaviours of these biocomposites are adequate for healthcare applications and may be used as a bandage in wound healing. The present work is limited to the feasibility study of the unique biocomposite. Analysis of other properties and testing of biocomposite on animals and humans may be carried out in future work.

Изменение показателей деформации левого желудочка при гипертонической болезни в сочетании с его диастолической дисфункцией

Aim: To study the parameters of longitudinal, radial and circular deformation of the left ventricle in patients with hypertension, depending on the presence of its diastolic dysfunction. Design: Single-stage cross-sectional cohort study. Materials and methods. 60 patients (28 female and 32 male, the average age — 42 ± 9.4 years.) with hypertonic disease 1–2 stage, leading to the Cardiology Department of the first Clinical Hospital of the state of Chita II. Deformation of the left gastric myocardium was studied on the device Artida pro Toshiba (Japan) by the method of dual sero-modal modeling with the help of automatic post-processing given in the 2D Wall Motion Tracking program. Define the mean of the global segment. Results. Differences were revealed in the groups of patients with hypertension in terms of global and longitudinal deformation: global longitudinal deformation decreased in the group of patients with GB in combination with diastole disorder by 23.3% compared with patients without diastolic dysfunction (p = 0.0047). The index of radial deformation also decreased in patients of group 2 by 28.1% (p = 0.003). The anterior middle segment of the LV makes a significant contribution to the reduction of the global level of longitudinal strain in patients with hypertension in combination with a violation of diastole. Conclusion. In patients with hypertension, latent myocardial dysfunction is observed, more pronounced in patients with the presence of diastolic relaxation of the left ventricle. Keywords: left ventricular deformity, hypertension, diastolic dysfunction

Serial changes of right ventricular function assessed by three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in clinically well adult heart transplantation patients.

The present study aimed to evaluate serial changes of right ventricular (RV) function in clinically well adult heart transplantation (HT) patients using three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3D-STE). We included 58 adult HT patients, who were free from severe valvular insufficiency, severe coronary artery disease, acute rejection, or multiple organ transplantation, and 58 healthy controls. The healthy controls were matched by the distribution of age and sex with HT group. Conventional and three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography was performed in all HT patients at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-months post-HT. And all the healthy controls underwent conventional and 3D echocardiography when recruited. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), S' and RV fractional area change (RV FAC) were measured. Two-dimensional RV free wall longitudinal strain (2D-RV FWLS) was derived from two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). 3D RV free wall longitudinal strain (3D-RV FWLS) and RV ejection fraction (RVEF) were assessed by 3D-STE. TAPSE, S', RV FAC, 2D-RV FWLS, 3D-RV FWLS, and RVEF increased significantly from 1 to 6months post-HT (P < 0.05). TAPSE, S', RV FAC and 2D-RV FWLS showed no significant changes from 6 to 12months post-HT (P > 0.05), while 3D-RV FWLS and RVEF were still significantly increased: 3D-RV FWLS (17.9 ± 1.0% vs. 18.7 ± 1.4%, P < 0.001) and RVEF (45.9 ± 2.2% vs. 46.8 ± 2.0%, P = 0.025). By 12months post-HT, TAPSE, S', RV FAC, 2D-RV FWLS, 3D-RV FWLS and RVEF were significantly lower than the healthy controls: TAPSE (15.1 ± 2.1mm vs. 23.5 ± 3.0mm, P < 0.001), s' (10.3 ± 1.9cm/s vs. 12.9 ± 2.0cm/s, P < 0.001), RV FAC (45.3 ± 1.8% vs. 49.2 ± 3.8%, P < 0.001), 2D-RV FWLS (19.9 ± 2.3% vs. 23.5 ± 3.8%, P < 0.001), 3D-RV FWLS (18.7 ± 1.4% vs. 22.4 ± 2.3%, P < 0.001) and RVEF (46.8 ± 2.0% vs. 49.9 ± 5.7%, P < 0.001). RV systolic function improved significantly over time in clinically well adult HT patients even up to 12months post-HT. By 12months post-HT, the patient's RV systolic function remained lower than the control. 3D-STE may be more suitable to assess RV systolic function in HT patients.

Simulation of radio-frequency heating and fast-ion generation in Wendelstein 7-X

The next scientific operation phase of Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is scheduled to begin in late autumn of 2022 and will, for the first time, include experiments in which the ICRH (ion-cyclotron-resonance heating) antenna will be used.In addition to heating the plasma, this system will generate fast ions and thus offers a new way to assess fast-ion confinement in a stellarator such as W7-X. The first plasmas that will be used for the upcoming ICRH operation will be Helium-4 plasmas with a small Hydrogen minority on the order of about 10%. In tokamaks such plasmas typically offer good power absorption and are thus considered a safe way for gaining first experiences with the new antenna in W7-X.This assessment is confirmed by the SCENIC simulations carried out in this contribution that use profiles foreseen for the upcoming campaign as input. The simulations are carried out in the standard configuration of W7-X in low-beta (0.3% ≲ 〈β〉 ≲ 1%) plasmas. However, also scans over minority concentration and background-plasma density are performed. We find that the power absorbed by the Hydrogen minority directly from the radio-frequency wave is typically (provided that the minority concentration is not too high) on the order of about 90% with the rest going to the electrons. Very little power goes to the Helium-4 ions. Under the present simulation conditions only fast-ion energies up to about E ≈ 50 keV can be reached.Combining SCENIC and ASCOT simulations enables us to track lost particles through the scrape-off-layer to the 3D wall of W7-X and to compute wall loads caused by ICRH. The results show that the wall loads that can be expected from ICRH under the first operating conditions are benign.

An exceptional sedimentary record of initial rifting on the East African Plateau in the Miocene: Lessons from depositional cyclicity and palaeoenvironmental proxies

AbstractKnowledge about the initial tectonic and depositional dynamics, as well as the influence of early rifting on climate and environmental evolution remains speculative to a large extent, because sediments are usually deeply buried. Within the East African Rift System, inversion tectonics uplifted a few of these successions to the surface hence presenting rare windows into the pre‐rift depositional history. One such example, an exceptional 700 m long and up to 60 m high fresh road cut provided the opportunity to study in detail initial rift successions of the southern Albertine Rift (Western Uganda). This focusses on the basal and poorly known Middle to Late Miocene in order to unravel the climatic, environmental, hydrological and tectonic evolution of the initial Albertine Rift. A large and robust multi‐proxy dataset was gathered comprising 169 m of stratigraphic thickness, which spans from 14.5 to 4.9 Ma according to a revised lithostratigraphic model. Fieldwork comprised logging of the sedimentary record, spectral gamma ray, magnetic susceptibility and 2D wall mapping with photomosaics. Additionally, the sections were sampled for bulk mineral and clay mineral analysis. The succession exposes a suite of lithofacies and architectural elements detailing the evolution of a fluvio‐lacustrine system. Five depositional environments were identified which show an overall back‐stepping trend from an alluvial plain to a delta plain and finally palustrine/shallow lacustrine conditions. Mesoscale base‐level cycles, preservation potential of architectural elements, and stacking pattern exhibit limited accommodation space. However, it increases over time. This overall trend indicates increasing tectonic subsidence, which can be explained by flexural downwarp within the pre‐rift phase and in the upper part grading into fault‐controlled crustal extension of the syn‐rift phase, which more and more disrupted a large‐scale river system. From the Middle Miocene up to the early Pliocene, this study revealed that palaeoclimate trends become marked by increasing and more fluctuating Th concentrations, loss of feldspar, intercalated lenses of hydroxosulphate minerals, and a shift from smectite‐dominated to kaolinite‐dominated clays. These signals are all interpreted as detrital except for the hydroxosulphates, and they mirror the increasing intensity of chemical weathering and stripping of soils in the catchment. A trend towards increasing humidity is supported by an increase in lacustrine sediment facies and a lake‐level rise. Nevertheless, intercalation of hydroxosulphate, ferricretes and pedogenised horizons prove ongoing seasonality and dry intervals. Finally, based on a revised stratigraphic model a sequence stratigraphic correlation of the outcrop's depositional cycles with basin‐scale cycles is presented. According to these cycles, transition from the pre‐rift to the syn‐rift stage is marked by an unconformity and a tectonic pulse in the latest Miocene. However, the response of fluvial supply, the depositional system as well as climate conditions are less punctuated and characterised by gradual trends and temporal delays. The long pre‐rift phase (ca 10 Myr) and the gradual transition to the syn‐rift phase is in accordance with the active rifting model, which is based on thermal thinning of the lithosphere by asthenospheric upwelling.

High-precision 2D surface phosphor thermometry at kHz-rates during flame-wall interaction in narrow passages

This work demonstrates high-speed 2D wall temperature measurements occurring during flame-wall interaction (FWI) within a narrow channel. Such measurements are essential to understand transient wall heat transfer and flame behavior occurring within micro-combustors and designated engine crevices. Wall temperature is measured using the phosphor Bismuth-doped Scandium vanadate (ScVO4:Bi3+). ScVO4:Bi3+ exhibits a short phosphorescence lifetime (∼ 2 µs at room temperature), enabling kHz measurement rates. ScVO4:Bi3+ also exhibits a high temperature sensitivity, which yields single-shot precision < 0.5 K within the temperature range of 295 – 335 K. A frequency-doubled Ti:Sapphire laser emitting light at 400 nm is used to excite ScVO4:Bi3+, and wall temperature is measured within a ∼ 22 × 22 mm2 region with 380 µm spatial resolution. Phosphor thermometry and CH* imaging are combined at 1 kHz to measure the spatiotemporal dynamics of the flame and wall temperature (Twall) within a 2 mm crevice passage in a fixed volume chamber designed for heat transfer studies. Measurements describe Twall signatures associated with transient FWI events, including unique Twall features associated with wrinkled flame fronts. For our operating conditions, Twall associated with flame cusps consistently exhibit temperatures 5 – 20 K lower than flame crest regions. The most extreme difference is seen for large cusp formation, where local wall cooling is noticeable at the trough of the flame cusp. This cooling feature may be caused by intrinsic flame/flow instabilities, which locally and temporally cool the wall.

Automated morphologic analysis of intracranial and extracranial arteries using convolutional neural networks.

To develop an automated method for 3D magnetic resonance (MR) vessel wall image analysis to facilitate morphologic quantification of intra- and extracranial arteries, including vessel centerline tracking, vessel straightening and reformation, vessel wall segmentation based on convoluted neural networks (CNNs), and morphological measurement. MR vessel wall images acquired using DANTE-SPACE sequences and corresponding time-of-flight-MRA images of 67 subjects (including 47 healthy volunteers and 20 patients with atherosclerosis) were included in this study. The centerline of the vessel was firstly extracted from the MRA images and copyed to the 3D MR vessel wall images through the registration relationship between the MRA images and the MR vessel wall images to extract, straighten, and reconstruct interested vessel segments into 2D slices. Then a complete CNN-based Unet-like method was used to automatically segment the vessel wall to obtain quantitative morphological measurements such as maximum wall thicknesses and normalized wall index (NWI). The proposed automatic segmentation network was trained and validated with 11,735 slices and tested on 2517 slices. The method showed satisfactory agreement with manual segmentation method. The Dice coefficients of intracranial arteries were 0.90 for lumen and 0.78 for vessel wall, while the Dice coefficients of extracranial arteries were 0.90 for lumen and 0.82 for vessel wall. The maximum wall thickness and NWI obtained from the proposed automatic method were slightly larger than those obtained from the manual method for both intra- and extracranial arteries. However, there was no significant difference of the quantitative measurements between the two methods (p > 0.05). In addition, the automatically measured NWI of plaque slice was significantly larger than that of normal slice. We propose an automatic analysis method of MR vessel wall images, which can realize automatic segmentation of intra- and extracranial vessel wall. It is expected to facilitate large-scale arterial vessel wall morphological quantification. We have proposed an automatic method for analysis of intra- and extracranial MR vessel wall images simultaneously based on CNN, which can facilitate large-scale quantitative analyses of vessel walls.

Analysis of Jet Wall Flow and Heat Transfer Conveying ZnO-SAE50 Nano Lubricants Saturated in Darcy-Brinkman Porous Medium

The problem of 2D (two-dimensional) wall jet flow, along with heat transfer incorporated by nanofluid in a Darcy-Brinkman medium, while recognizing the requirement for efficient heating and cooling systems. Following the use of similarity variables, the resultant system of ODEs (ordinary differential equations) is solved using the well-known and efficient bvp4c (boundary-value problem of the 4th order) technique. The significance of physical quantities for the under-consideration parameters is illustrated and explained. The findings show that the nanoparticle volume fraction and porosity parameters decrease the velocity, but increase the temperature. In addition, the temperature uplifts in the presence of radiation effect. The suction parameter initially decreases and then increases the velocity near the surface, while the temperature declines.

Space-streamline-based method of characteristics for inverse design of three-dimensional super/hypersonic flows

The inverse design of super/hypersonic flows is widely utilized in aerospace, especially in waveriders, inlets, and nozzles. However, most of the existing methods are intended for the two-dimensional (2D) problem. The inverse method for generalized three-dimensional (3D) supersonic flows is still immature and is the main purpose of the space-streamline-based method of characteristics (SMOC) presented in this paper. The key of SMOC is to integrate an additional Euler predictor–corrector algorithm for pressure gradients in the unit calculation process. In this way, the temporary orientation of the osculating plane (OP) of the space streamline is determined, and the conventional 2D axisymmetric method of characteristics can be adopted in the OP. Three common unit processes of SMOC and the posedness are introduced, and the astringency is demonstrated by corresponding algebraic calculations. With this method, inviscid super/hypersonic flows can be solved on the basis of specified flow features, such as a 3D shock surface or a 3D wall pressure distribution. The accuracy and efficiency of SMOC are verified by using an inverse design example, that is, the flow produced by an elliptic conical surface at a freestream Mach number of 6. The numerical simulation of the inverse design result indicates that the 3D shock wave geometry and the 3D wall pressure distribution match the targets completely. The relative root-mean-squared error of the surface geometry is 10−3 magnitude, and the computation time cost of the inverse design is less than that of the general direct Euler solver.

Quantifying Effect of Post-Tensioned Bars for Precast Concrete Shear Walls

A hybrid concrete wall is made up of a traditional reinforced concrete wall with post-tensioned technology. Recent research has shown that post-tensioned (PT) reinforced concrete shear walls have a wide range of advantages when it comes to resisting lateral forces and lateral moments caused by earthquake loading. To explore the PT reinforced concrete wall behavior subjected to seismic load, the concrete models were augmented with various material models, including the KCC, CDP, and Winfrith models for a PT 2D wall under pushover analysis. To ensure that the overall behavior forecast was qualitatively acceptable, the models’ performance was compared to experimental findings. Then, the post-tensioned modeling approach was implemented with the 3D wall in order to predict structural responses of the PT 3D wall. The well-validated finite element models were ultilized to estimate the effects of the post-tensioned bars on lateral resisting capacities of the precast concrete shear wall.

Shake Table Test of Scaled Masonry Structure Using Rubber Tire Crumbs Mortar

The existence of masonry walls in structures is very useful in increasing the structure's resistance to lateral loads. The role of the walls is more important in providing adequate stiffness and damping than in resisting axial forces. The use of rubber tire crumbs (RTC) mortar on masonry walls is to increase the ductility and damping capacity of the wall. This study examines the application of RTC mortar on masonry walls, in particular for increasing the damping ratio of the wall. This study aims to determine the optimum RTC content in mortar by observing its dynamic properties using the shake table test. The specimens were 4 scaled models with mortar containing 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% RTC. The prototype is a 3D half-brick wall 2.5 m high and a 2.5 x 2.5 m² plane, with a scale of 2 to provide a miniature model. There are 2 types of loads, namely sinusoidal loads and Yogya earthquake loads. The sinusoidal load has an amplitude of 0.1g with a frequency range between 4 Hz and 20 Hz, while the Yogya earthquake load has an amplitude between 0.1 g and 0.9 g. The results showed that the use of RTC mortar on the masonry wall structures can increase the damping capacity of the walls and reduce the drift ratio. This study recommends that the optimum RTC content is 30% of the sand volume.

Effects of spatial boundaries on episodic memory development.

Children's spatial mapping starts out particularly sensitive to 3D wall-like boundaries and develops over early childhood to flexibly include other boundary types. This study investigated whether spatial boundaries influence children's episodic memory, as in adults, and whether this effect is modulated by boundary type. Eighty-one Korean children (34girls, 36-84months old) re-enacted a sequence of three discrete hiding events within a space containing one of three boundaries: 3D wall, aligned objects, or 2D line. Children's memory of events occurring on one side of the boundary developed earlier than those that crossed the boundary. At first, this interaction only applied to the 3D wall and extended to other boundary types with age, suggesting that children's changing spatial representations influence their episodic memory development.

Semiautomated Segmentation and Volume Measurements of Cervical Carotid High-Signal Plaques Using 3D Turbo Spin-Echo T1-Weighted Black-Blood Vessel Wall Imaging: A Preliminary Study.

Unstable carotid plaques are visualized as high-signal plaques (HSPs) on 3D turbo spin-echo T1-weighted black-blood vessel wall imaging (3D TSE T1-BB VWI). The purpose of this study was to compare manual segmentation and semiautomated segmentation for the quantification of carotid HSPs using 3D TSE T1-BB VWI. Twenty cervical carotid plaque lesions in 19 patients with a plaque contrast ratio of > 1.3 compared to adjacent muscle were studied. Using the mean voxel value for the adjacent muscle multiplied by 1.3 as a threshold value, the semiautomated software exclusively segmented and measured the HSP volume. Manual and semiautomated HSP volumes were well correlated (r = 0.965). Regarding reproducibility, the inter-rater ICC was 0.959 (bias: 24.63, 95% limit of agreement: −96.07, 146.35) for the manual method and 0.998 (bias: 15.2, 95% limit of agreement: −17.83, 48.23) for the semiautomated method, indicating improved reproducibility by the semiautomated method compared to the manual method. The time required for semiautomated segmentation was significantly shorter than that of manual segmentation times (81.7 ± 7.8 s versus 189.5 ± 49.6 s; p < 0.01). The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the semiautomated segmentation method allows for reliable assessment of the HSP volume in patients with carotid plaque lesions, with reduced time and effort for the analysis.

PACER: a novel 3D plant cell wall model for the analysis of non-catalytic and enzymatic responses

BackgroundSubstrate accessibility remains a key limitation to the efficient enzymatic deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass. Limited substrate accessibility is often addressed by increasing enzyme loading, which increases process and product costs. Alternatively, considerable efforts are underway world-wide to identify amorphogenesis-inducing proteins and protein domains that increase the accessibility of carbohydrate-active enzymes to targeted lignocellulose components.ResultsWe established a three-dimensional assay, PACER (plant cell wall model for the analysis of non-catalytic and enzymatic responses), that enables analysis of enzyme migration through defined lignocellulose composites. A cellulose/azo-xylan composite was made to demonstrate the PACER concept and then used to test the migration and activity of multiple xylanolytic enzymes. In addition to non-catalytic domains of xylanases, the potential of loosenin-like proteins to boost xylanase migration through cellulose/azo-xylan composites was observed.ConclusionsThe PACER assay is inexpensive and parallelizable, suitable for screening proteins for ability to increase enzyme accessibility to lignocellulose substrates. Using the PACER assay, we visualized the impact of xylan-binding modules and loosenin-like proteins on xylanase mobility and access to targeted substrates. Given the flexibility to use different composite materials, the PACER assay presents a versatile platform to study impacts of lignocellulose components on enzyme access to targeted substrates.

Validation of a new intuitive software for automatic heart function analysis. An intraobserver variability study

Funding AcknowledgementsType of funding sources: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): University Hospital of PaduaBackground/Introduction: In recent years there has been a growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the echocardiography field. This is in order to simplify, reduce time and amplify the use of advanced analyses in the echo lab.Purposeto compare results of the fully automated analysis and manual tracing analysis using a new intuitive software.Methods28 consecutive previously healthy patients less than 18 years old who were screened at our Center for cardiac evaluation within 6 months after an asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic COVID19 infection were enrolled. All they were in sinus rhythm. Standard transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was performed for each patient using Canon Aplio i900, software 2D Wall Motion Tracking. Optimized apical 4-, 3- and 2- chamber views, mitral valve inflow pattern and LVOT Doppler interrogation were collected. Off-line data analysis of each examination was performed by both fully automated analysis (AI) and pediatric cardiologists with experience in echocardiography i.e. by manual tracing, evaluation and adjustment of the track by the operator (Echocardiographers). Operators were blinded to the AI analysis. To measure intraobserver variability, evaluations of 16 patients datasets were performed twice by both operators and AI.ResultsPatients’ demographic data were: age 9,8+/-4,7 years; males 22 (78%); height 134,3+/- 34,9 cm; weight 41,8+/-28,7 kg; BSA 1,2+/-0,4 mq, HR 85+/-15/min.The time taken for off-line analysis by AI and echocardiographers was 4-5 and 13-20 minutes, respectively.Reproducibility of echocardiographers’ analysis was found to be excellent for left ventricle assessment (IC from 0,88 to 0,98); moderate for LVOT mean gradient (IC 0,73), RV end diastolic area (IC 0,69) and right atrial strain (IC 0,59); poor for deceleration time (IC 0,5), left ventricle strain (IC 0,49), RV FAC and strain (IC from 0,27 to 0,45).Conversely, reproducibility of the AI analysis was found to be excellent for any parameter (ICC from 0,87 to 0,99) (Table 1).About the mitralic valve inflow pattern assessment, despite the excellent reproducibility of AI analysis, the margin of error was found to be high. Particularly, a systematic error was observed with a tendency of the AI to overestimate deceleration time (DT-AI 176,6 ± 63,8 vs DT-Ecocardiographers 150,4 ± 24,3).Conclusion(s): Fully automated analysis is technically simple, less time consuming and highly reproducible. AI analysis of the mitralic inflow pattern should be optimized, having found a systematic error in the calculation of deceleration time. Reproducibility is the strong point of AI. This reduces the variability of manual measurements between different sonographers and at different times. Table 1. Echocardiographic measurements

Numerical analysis of masonry walls with horizontal chases using the Lattice Discrete element method (LDEM)

This work presents the numerical simulation of small-scale masonry walls (1:5) with chases using the Lattice Discrete Element Method (LDEM). Experimental compression tests were originally developed using small-scale masonry walls with chase depth of 20, 30, and 50% of its thickness, with those cuts being located at their central part. To conduct the tests, in-plane strains; out-of-plane displacements; stresses and characterization of the failure mechanism (according to different chase depths) have been used to compare the proposed numerical models. The LDEM consists of discretizing the continuum by means of a 3D lattice of uniaxial elements with a constitutive law that carries the elastic and fracture properties of the material. Two types of models were proposed, one of them was simply supported and simplified 3D model. This model, where the wall was simulated using a homogeneous material, presented a good agreement with the experimental results for the pre-peak behavior of walls with cuts of 20 and 30% of their thickness. The failure mechanism observed in the numerical simulations was identical to the experimental counterpart; nonetheless, cracks appeared in random locations. In the simply supported 3D model, in which the mortar joints were simulated, the pre-peak and post-peak behavior were better represented. Moreover, the crack pattern was befitting with the tested small-scale masonry walls with chases of 20% and 30% of its thickness. The 3D wall model with a fixed support at one end and a simply pinned at the other end presented a good representation of the tested small-scale masonry walls with chases of 50% of its thickness. The LDEM models were a good alternative for representing the behavior of the chased walls and to predict the strength and failure mechanisms within this kind of structure.

Comparison of the influence of 2D and 3D geometry of the main chamber on plasma parameters in the SOL of ASDEX Upgrade

In this paper the influence of toroidally asymmetric wall features on plasma solutions for ASDEX Upgrade is investigated by using the 3D scrape-off-layer simulation code EMC3-EIRENE. A comparison of simulation results in a 2D case with a toroidally symmetric first wall and divertor and a 3D case that differs from the 2D setup by including the 3D structure of the poloidal rib-limiters on the low field side of ASDEX Upgrade, highlights notable differences in the main chamber neutral particle distributions, ionisation sources and plasma flow patterns. Both neutral particle distribution and ionisation sources extend poloidally further upwards at the outer mid-plane in the 3D case and the plasma flow is globally influenced by the 3D wall features. Both simulations are conducted with identical input parameters to isolate the influence of wall geometry from other factors. By analysing the transport of neutrals from different poloidal locations it was possible to explain the observed discrepancies by different transport paths for recycled neutrals from the divertor region, only accessible in the 3D version of the wall geometry. Together with observed differences in fall-off lengths for plasma flow and electron temperature at the outer mid-plane, presented results are of key importance for interpreting global impurity migration experiments.

Coupled Active Control Technique for Oscillating Blades in a Cycloidal Rotor Using CFD and ANN Analysis by Including 3D End Wall Effects

Cycloidal rotors have shown to be susceptible to achieving larger efficiency enhancements when being subjected to various designs and operating conditions. In this work, an improvement on the performance of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-scale cycloidal rotor is demonstrated at hovering mode and for various operating conditions with three end wall designs. The novel concept of actively controlling the pitching oscillations at different rotational speeds is obtained from a coupled methodology of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and artificial neural network (ANN). In this approach, rather than a free-sided rotor, the effects of employing single and double end walls are targeted for optimizing the operation at hover state. A detailed database from numerous combinations of operating conditions is obtained from CFD predictions. Over 18 principal parameters are processed and computed along the continuous 360° circular trace, which is showing novel results. Subsequent to performing a precise database from the rotating-oscillating blades under various operating conditions for all three designs, the ANN approach is trained from the CFD data for optimization analysis and to propose the optimum pitching schedules by using a parametric study on the cyclorotor performance at each operating condition. Because each design can be used in its specific application, the optimum operating state for each of the end wall designs is further illustrated and reported as baseline data. The coupled analysis from CFD and ANN methodologies reports the efficiency achieved with free sides, doubled end walls, and a single side end wall, respectively. Moreover, employing a single side end wall results in 18.8% efficiency, and the double-sided model in 13.6% efficiency reduction compared with the free-sided cyclorotor. The computations on horizontal and vertical force productions are revealing an 8% and 11% higher horizontal force for the free-sides design than those of double end wall and single end wall models, and an average of 7% and 16% higher values in vertical force generation in double end wall model compared with free-sided and single end wall designs.