Edge Of Cup Research Articles

Recognition of Glaucomatous Fundus Images Using Machine Learning Methods Based on Optic Nerve Head Topographic Features.

Machine learning classifiers are an effective approach to detecting glaucomatous fundus images based on optic disc topographic features making it a straightforward and effective approach. Retrospective case-control study. The aim was to compare the effectiveness of clinical discriminant rules and machine learning classifiers in identifying glaucomatous fundus images based on optic disc topographic features. The study used a total of 800 fundus images, half of which were glaucomatous cases and the other half non-glaucomatous cases obtained from an open database and clinical work. The images were randomly divided into training and testing sets with equal numbers of glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous images. An ophthalmologist framed the edge of the optic cup and disc, and the program calculated five features, including the vertical cup-to-disc ratio and the width of the optic rim in four quadrants in pixels, used to create machine learning classifiers. The discriminative ability of these classifiers was compared with clinical discriminant rules. The machine learning classifiers outperformed clinical discriminant rules, with the extreme gradient boosting method showing the best performance in identifying glaucomatous fundus images. Decision tree analysis revealed that the cup-to-disc ratio was the most important feature for identifying glaucoma fundus images. At the same time, the temporal width of the optic rim was the least important feature. Machine learning classifiers are an effective approach to detecting glaucomatous fundus images based on optic disc topographic features and integration with an automated program for framing and calculating the required parameters would make it a straightforward and effective approach.

Inventory of Macroscopic Fungi in Oil Palm Plantations in Pantok West Borneo

Fungi are one of the abundant biodiversity both in Indonesia and in the world, so there are still many species of fungi that have not been successfully identified or known for their benefits. The purpose of this study was to determine the species of macroscopic fungi that can be collected in oil palm plantations in Pantok, West Kalimantan. This study used a qualitative approach, mushroom sampling using the plot method with roaming techniques, all species of macroscopic fungi found in oil palm plantations were recorded morphological characteristics and position of discovery in the observation sheet, then measured environmental factors, and the mushrooms obtained were preserved. Sample identification was carried out by matching morphologies including cup type and edges, cup color, stalk color and surface, stalk mounting type on the cup, and substrate. Using a mushroom identification book that refers to McKnight & McKnight (1987), Roberts & Shelley (2013), Moor and O'Sullivan (2014), and Laessoe (2013). The field data analysis used is descriptive analysis by describing the species of macroscopic fungi found in oil palm plantations. As for the data validity checking technique on the identification results using the website https://www.indexfungorum.org/ to see the validity of the scientific name of each fungus found. In this study there were 17 species of macroscopic fungi found, these fungi belonged to 1 phylum, namely the Basidiomycota phylum and consisted of 11 families, namely the Polyporaceae, Boletaceae, Entolomataceae, Ganodermataceae, Marasmiaceae, Omphalotaceae, Psathyrellaceae, Schizophyllaceae, Tricholomataceae, and Pluteaceae families. The environmental factors of this study were less favorable for fungal growth. From the results of this study it can be concluded that the diversity of fungi in oil palm plantations in Pantok, West Kalimantan is quite varied, this is influenced by environmental factors in the plantation.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Numerical Simulation on Flow Behavior of Molten Slag–Metal Mixture over a Spinning Cup

Centrifugal granulation technology using a spinning cup opens a potential way to recycle steel slag that is currently difficult to reuse. The objective of this research was to study the flow characteristics of a molten slag–metal mixture that was produced during smelting reduction in molten steel slag, passing over a spinning cup, so as to explore the feasibility of using centrifugal granulation technology to treat the steel slag. This was achieved by developing and implementing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that incorporated free-surface multiphase flow to predict the thickness of the liquid slag film at the edge of the spinning cup (slag film thickness for short), which was an important parameter for estimating the size of the slag particles resulting from centrifugal granulation of the molten slag–metal mixture. The influences of various relevant parameters, including spinning cup diameter, slag feeding rate, cup spinning speed, etc., on the slag film thickness were analyzed. Additionally, hot experiments on centrifugal granulation of a molten slag–metal mixture were conducted to verify the results of the numerical simulations. The experimental results indicated a progressive reduction in the Sauter mean diameter of the slag particles as the metallic iron content in the slag increased. Specifically, when the iron content rose from 5% to 15% at a cup spinning speed of 2500 RPM, the Sauter mean diameter decreased by 13.77%. The numerical simulation results showed that the slag film thickness had a positive relationship to the slag feeding rate but a negative relationship to the spinning cup diameter and the cup spinning speed. Furthermore, the ratio between the mean slag particle diameter and the slag film thickness decreased nearly linearly with the increase in the metallic iron content in slag, with the average ratio being approximately 4.25, and this relationship was useful for estimating the slag particle size from the slag film thickness. Therefore, the present research results can provide theoretical guidance for the industrial application of spinning cup centrifugal granulation technology to effectively treat and recycle steel slags.

Experimental investigation on centrifugal granulation of molten yellow phosphorus slag

Centrifugal granulation with waste recovery was proposed to recover the waste heat from the molten yellow phosphorus slag produced by an electric arc furnace and reduce pollution. The yellow phosphorus slag was heated to the same temperature as industrial electric furnaces and then granulated by centrifugal granulation. The study mainly investigated the effect of operating parameters on particle diameter distribution, flight distance distribution, and fiber mass fraction during the granulation process. The results showed that the average diameter was mainly 1.5–3 mm, and tended to decrease with the decrease of the mass flow rate, the increase of the rotating speed, and the increase of the rotary cup diameter. The particle diameter obeyed a log-normal distribution. As the rotating speed increased and the rotary cup diameter increased, the average flight distance and the distribution of flight distance were dispersed. The average flight distance was related to the linear velocity at the edge of the rotary cup. Increasing slag temperature, mass flow rate, and decreasing rotary cup diameter can reduce the fiber mass fraction. Re and We numbers can determine whether fibers produce.

Endoscopic Tendon Release for Iliopsoas Impingement After Total Hip Arthroplasty—Excellent Clinical Outcomes and Low Failure Rates at Short-Term Follow-Up

To investigate the clinical effectiveness of endoscopic iliopsoas tendon release (IPR) at the lesser trochanter (LT) in patients with iliopsoas impingement (IPI) after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Between November 2017 and March 2021, a consecutive series of 36 patients were treated with endoscopic IPR for diagnosed IPI. Patients included had acetabular cup position confirmed by functional imaging (OPS, Corin, Pymble, NSW), typical clinical symptoms of IPI, and a positive response to diagnostic injection. Clinical assessment included validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) along with hip flexion strength and active range of motion at different time marks up to 2-year follow-up, as well as surgical complications. Overall, 36 consecutive patients (11 males) with a mean age of 62 ± 12 years were included. All patients had failed nonoperative management. Dynamic computed tomography assessment was available in 89% of the patients, edge loading was reported in 10%, and variable cup overhang was reported in 50%. Clinically, PROMs were significantly improved at every time mark when compared with preoperative values (P < .001), showing the biggest improvement within the first 4 weeks after surgery. At the 6-month follow-up, peak isometric hip flexion strength on the operated side was 20% lower than the contralateral side (P < .001). Failure rate of the procedure was 2.8% (1 case). Linear regression showed no association between cup overhang and clinical outcomes. Endoscopic IPR at the LT is a safe and reproducible technique associated with significant and immediate improvement in pain, functional outcomes, and high patient satisfaction. With minimal short-term weakness, no complications, and only a single revision, even in cases with cup malposition and/or edge loading, we believe that endoscopic IPR can be considered as one of the first-line operative options in patients with symptomatic IPI, irrespective of component position. Level IV, case series.

Determining the orientation of acetabular prosthesis in total hip arthroplasty by refering to the anatomical landmarker of acetabular notches

The aim of this study was to explore a novel method to determine the orientation of acetabular prosthesis in total hip arthroplasty (THA) by refering to the anatomical landmarker of acetabular notches. Forty-one normal developmental hips were included in the present study. The acetabulums were reamed according to standard surgical procedures of THA on life-size 3D printing pelvis models. The inferior edge of acetabular cup were placed (1–5) mm proximal and distal to the proximal line of the anterior and posterior acetabular notches (PLAPAN) respectively to determine cup inclination. The inferior edge of acetabular cup were placed (1–5) mm pronating and supinating around the proximal point of acetabular posterior notch (PPAPN) respectively to determine cup anteversion. The pelvis plain radiographs were took and the inclination and anteversion of the acetabular cup at 22 positions were calculated. In the normal developmental hip, the mean inclination of acetabular prothesis were (35.10 ± 3.22)° and (45.90 ± 2.68)° when the inferior edge of the acetabular cup was 3 mm proximal and 1 mm distal to the PLAPAN. The optimal cup inclination could be obtained when the inferior edge of the acetabular cup was 1 mm proximal to the PLAPAN (the mean inclination was (40.71 ± 2.80)°). The mean anteversion of acetabular prothesis were (10.67 ± 4.55)° and (20.86 ± 4.44)° when the inferior edge of the acetabular cup was 1 mm pronating and 1 mm supinating around the PPAPN. The optimal cup anteversion could be obtained when the inferior edge of the acetabular cup was parallel to the PLAPAN (the mean anteversion was (18.00 ± 1.64)°). The inclination and anteversion of acetabular prosthesis could be determined by refering the anatomical landmarks of acetabular notches, which could help orthopedists to install the acetabular prosthesis quickly and safely in THA.

Convergence of Ras- and Rac-regulated formin pathways is pivotal for phagosome formation and particle uptake in Dictyostelium

Macroendocytosis comprising phagocytosis and macropinocytosis is an actin-driven process regulated by small GTPases that depend on the dynamic reorganization of the membrane that protrudes and internalizes extracellular material by cup-shaped structures. To effectively capture, enwrap, and internalize their targets, these cups are arranged into a peripheral ring or ruffle of protruding actin sheets emerging from an actin-rich, nonprotrusive zone at its base. Despite extensive knowledge of the mechanism driving actin assembly of the branched network at the protrusive cup edge, which is initiated by the actin-related protein (Arp) 2/3 complex downstream of Rac signaling, our understanding of actin assembly in the base is still incomplete. In the Dictyostelium model system, the Ras-regulated formin ForG was previously shown to specifically contribute to actin assembly at the cup base. Loss of ForG is associated with a strongly impaired macroendocytosis and a 50% reduction in F-actin content at the base of phagocytic cups, in turn indicating the presence of additional factors that specifically contribute to actin formation at the base. Here, we show that ForG synergizes with the Rac-regulated formin ForB to form the bulk of linear filaments at the cup base. Consistently, combined loss of both formins virtually abolishes cup formation and leads to severe defects of macroendocytosis, emphasizing the relevance of converging Ras- and Rac-regulated formin pathways in assembly of linear filaments in the cup base, which apparently provide mechanical support to the entire structure. Remarkably, we finally show that active ForB, unlike ForG, additionally drives phagosome rocketing to aid particle internalization.

CFD Numerical Simulation on the Mode of Ligament Disintegration during Centrifugal Granulation of Molten Slag by Using a Spinning Cup

In order to study the behavior of molten blast furnace slag ligament breakup into droplets by centrifugal granulation with a spinning cup, three-dimensional transient CFD model simulations were performed in the present work to study the process of the slag deformation into ligaments upon leaving the spinning cup, which eventually disintegrate into droplets. The formation of molten slag ligaments at the edge of the spinning cup and their disintegration into droplets were numerically revealed so that the behavior and mechanism of the slag ligament breakup into droplets could be investigated. This work specifically examined the influence of cup spinning speed on the diameter and length of the molten slag ligaments around the cup periphery and the diameter of the droplets produced. The simulation results show that, for the same slag flowrate, with the increase in cup spinning speed, the slag film thickness at the cup edge decreases, the number of molten slag ligaments increases, and the diameter of the ligaments decreases, thus reducing the diameter of slag droplets. Moreover, as the number of molten slag ligaments increases as a result of the increased cup spinning speed, the flowrate of a single ligament decreases, so that the ligament disintegrates in a shorter radial distance, that is, the length of the ligament is shortened. In addition, this work also investigated the behavior and mechanism of a single molten slag ligament breakup into droplets. It was found that the process of molten slag ligament breakup into droplets under the action of centrifugal force and surface tension can also be approximately explained by the theory of the Rayleigh disintegration mechanism.

Effect of delamination of plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coating on loosening behaviors of acetabular cups subjected to cyclic loading

An observation system of loosening behavior of an acetabular cup by interfacial dam ages induced by cyclic loading was successfully developed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of inplane cup angles, which changed the distance between position of screw holes and loading points, to the loosening behavior of the acetabular cup. Recently artificial hip joint is widely used to replace in human in order to reduce the pain in patients Revision cases of acetabular cups have been increased due to loosening. Loosening was considered to be caused by infection or osteolysis . However, in the long-term use of total hip joints, loosening without infections, called “aseptic loosening,” is a major cause of revisions. However, the mechanism of progression of aseptic loosening is still unclear. One of the unrevealed factor is interfacial damages by loading, and then it should be investigated an experimental system which can exclude the effects of infections. A cyclic loading system using a fatigue testing machine to an assembly of a stem, a femoral head, a liner and a acetabular cup was designed. The acetabular cup coated by plasma-sprayed hydroxyaptite (HAp) to simulate practical fixation condition of cementless bonding of the acetabular cup to surrounding acetabulum. AE (Acoustic Emission) sensor system was subsequently attached on the bottom of the acetabular cup to observe damages at the interface between the embedded acetabular cup with simulated bone during the cyclic loading. Interfacial damages were intermittently observed at the edge of the acetabular cup during cyclic loading tests and those frequency were varied by changing an inplane cup angles. SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope) observed significant delamination of HAp coating after the cyclic loading, which attributed to the rotational displacement of the acetabular cup. Furthermore, observed values of the rotational displacement of the acetabular cup were compatible with those observed in normal patient of THA(Total Hip Arthroplasty). The result demonstrated that loosening behavior of the acetabular cup can be occurred only by mechanical damages such as delamination of HAp coating , wear or damages in simulated bone, which enlightened the importance of mechanical factors in practical loosening behavior of aceptic loosening.

Atomization and spray characteristics around an ERBS using various operational models and conditions: numerical investigation

The impetus of the current paper is to conduct numerical evaluations about the fundamental behaviors of the flow in an electrostatic rotary bell sprayer (ERBS) during the formation of the droplets and depositing on a target. The effect of operational parameters like bell rotational speed, shaping air and paint flow rate, electrical charge values and droplet distributions are considered precisely. Here, an Eulerian-Lagrangian algorithm that contains a model for airflow field, spray dynamics, electric charge field, droplet trajectory tracking and wall film dynamics has been extended by using the OpenFOAM package. The fluid dynamics is computed by using a large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence model. The mechanism of atomization is facilitated by the action of the centrifugal force that conducted the disintegrated droplets to the cup edge. Following that, the high-velocity droplets affected by the shaping airflow and electric force are transported towards the workpiece. The effect of the bell rotational speed in comparison with other parameters is dominant. The measured size of the droplets is controlled by increasing the bell rotational speed or decreasing the paint flow rate, in this case, promoting a reduction in droplet size. The droplet size near the bell cup was increased noticeably, however, their radius becomes more uniform at a longer lateral distance. Investigation of the various breakup models is one of the main goals of this work to predict the droplet size more precisely. The Reitz-KHRT, Reitz-Diwakar, Pilch-Erdman and the newly modified TAB model are examined in order to predict the breakup process in the ERBS. As the paint droplets are a viscous fluid a modification of the Taylor Analogy Breakup (TAB) approach taking non-linear influences for large viscosity into account is recommended. The use of the breakup models creates a smaller droplet size and this means they are more sensitive to recirculation regions flow pattern. The implemented wall film function was able to predict the transport in the boundary layer over the target. The numerical results describe exact values for the size, distribution, velocity and trajectory of the particles in ERBS, and these results are important for coating industries, in order to optimize their working conditions.

Four Earing’s Prediction in Deep Drawing of AISI 1008 Steel Sheet Conical Product

Earing is a phenomenon that appears in deep drawing of parts produced using this process because of the anisotropic material properties. Most of, recent theories didn’t fully employ the mechanical materials properties, and ears number achieved depends on the FE simulation approaches. To anticipate the ears form issue in conical parts of AISI 1008 steel sheet deep drawing, in this work a new method is used to predict the earing formation during deep drawing. This method proposed combines the yielding limits and anisotropy r-values of the material to determine Hill48 yield criterion variables using several conical angles with several punch velocities. Equation for the value of yielding and anisotropy index for different orientation is used. AISI 1008 steel sheet is used as a case in this work, the zone of deformation or blank is partitioned radially to equal parts according to the anisotropic behavior. Hill48 yield function constants solved based on the material yielding point and anisotropy index together for the parallel deformed regions. A simulation using FE software for the process on the base of this method is executed to compare it results of lab work. and it noticed that Increasing speed may contribute slightly in decreasing the severity of anisotropy effect and this can be explained the process propagate the material need time to flow and if the speed increase this lead to increasing in strain hardening of the material[m]. Increasing die angle shows that the different between the highest point to lowest point in the cup edge may increase. This work produces a conductive and dependable way to anticipate the forms of earing during cup drawing, which will have positive effective in manufacturing implementations and numerical outcomes and shows high agreement with lab work.

Numerical Investigation of Magnetic Field in AMF Vacuum Arc Switch With Transverse Magnetic Field From Three-Phase Structure

When short current is interrupted in three-phase vacuum interrupter in switchgear, the “U”-type loop composed of external busbar, conductive rod, and vacuum interrupter, and its adjacent phases will generate external actual transverse magnetic field (EATMF) in the interrupter. The existence of EATMF will deflect the vacuum arc, which will affect the breaking performance of vacuum switch. In view of this situation, this article establishes two kinds of electrode system simulation models considering and not considering EATMF. The simulation results show that EATMF is not uniformly distributed in the interelectrode region, but is stronger in the contact cup edge area outside the “U”-type loop, weaker in the “U”-type loop, and mainly affects <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${B} _{x}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> . In different short-circuit cases, EATMF is also different due to the difference of phase distance and short current. In the case of three-phase short circuit, the magnetic field in the interelectrode region of the middle phase is most significantly affected by EATMF. EATMF is closely related to the structure size of vacuum switch. By changing the structure size of vacuum switch (e.g., phase spacing <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${d}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , conductive rod length <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${h} _{1}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${h} _{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ), EATMF can be weakened to some extent.

Improved automated detection of glaucoma by correlating fundus and SD‐OCT image analysis

AbstractGlaucoma is a multifactorial ocular disease. Ophthalmologists mostly use fundus or optical coherence tomography (OCT) for diagnosis of glaucoma. In this study, a hybrid computer‐aided‐diagnosis (H‐CAD) system has been proposed that integrates both fundus and OCT imaging technologies for reliable diagnosis of glaucoma. Fundus module inspects the outer layer of eye's posterior part. It considers a variety of structural and textural features and makes a decision using support vector machine (SVM). In OCT module, the cup to disc ratio (CDR) has been computed by examining the internal layers of the retina. The cup contour has been extracted from inner‐limiting‐membrane (ILM) layer using a set of novel techniques for the calculation of cup diameter. Similarly, in the disc diameter calculation the retinal‐pigment‐epithelium (RPE) layer termination points have been identified by a number of innovative strategies to locate disc margin. Furthermore, a new criterion based on the mean value of RPE‐layer end points has been proposed for the determination of cup edges. A local‐dataset annotated by four ophthalmologists has been used for evaluation of proposed H‐CAD system. The evaluations and results have shown that the final result of H_CAD system is more trustable than its contemporary automated models.

Robust retinal optic disc and optic cup segmentation via stationary wavelet transform and maximum vessel pixel sum

Glaucoma leads to irreversible blindness and its diagnosis relies heavily on cup to disc ratio. This ratio can be calculated by segmenting the optic disc (OD) and optic cup (OC) from the fundus image. However, the segmentation of OD and OC is a complex process and should be carried out with utmost accuracy to screen the risk of glaucoma. In order to circumvent this complexity, this study presents two novel algorithms to segment the OD and OC boundaries, respectively by creating an automated region of interest (ROI). The first algorithm uses the inverse polar transform to segment OD where the horizontal coefficients of sixth level decomposition Daubechies stationary wavelet transform of ROI is processed. The second algorithm uses maximum vessel pixel sum to extract the complete OC region by extending the partial cup edges to the nasal side of the cup boundary. This approach covers the region under central retinal blood vessels also which were missing in earlier research. The proposed algorithms achieved an accuracy rate up to 99.70% for OD and 99.47% for OC segmentation, respectively even under severe retinal pathological conditions.

Finite Element Analysis of Stress Distribution in Flat and Elevated-Rim Polyethylene Acetabular Liners.

BackgroudNo study has compared flat and elevated-rim polyethylene liners in terms of stress distribution on the bearing surface. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in stress distribution between flat and elevated-rim polyethylene liners.MethodsA stress analysis was performed by using the 3-dimensional finite element method. The cup was placed at an open angle of 20°, the flat liner and the liner with a 10° elevation was placed at inclination angles of 80°, 70°, and 60°.ResultsCompared with the 60° flat liner, the 80° and 70° flat liners showed higher stress at the liner edge. In the elevated-rim liner, the stress was high at the liner edge along the cup edge. When the von Mises equivalent stress was applied to each element of the liner, the high stress area (volume) was the largest for the 80° flat liner, second largest for the 80° elevated-rim liner, and third largest for the 70° flat liner. The average contact pressure also followed the same order.ConclusionsElevated-rim liners affect the stress distribution by increasing the area of contact. However, since elevated-rim liners exhibit high stress at the cup edge, they are likely to result in new problems including liner failure. These findings could aid surgeons in the selection of liners and determination of revision methods such as isolated liner exchange vs. acetabular cup revision for a well-fixed metal cup with a higher inclination angle in revision total hip arthroplasty.

Literatura — film — teatr. Praktyki intermedialne w spektaklach biograficznych. Studium przypadku

The starting point of these considerations in the form of a case study are two issues: intermediality as a distinguishing mark of contemporary hybrid art forms and numerous references to famous films in the latest Polish theatre. The article concerns the performance Between the mouth and the edge of the cup (directed by Remigiusz Brzyk, Zaglebie Theatre in Sosnowiec, 17.05.2019). This performance, inspired by the biography of Maria Rodziewiczowna, is an example of the corelation of various media and an autothematic show whose theme is the writer's biography, popular novel, film and their reception.

Early Cup Loosening After Metal-on-Metal Total Joint Replacement of the Trapeziometacarpal Joint: A Retrieval Study

To investigate the possible mechanisms behind early cup loosening in a metal-on-metal trapeziometacarpal joint replacement. The trapezia from 5 female patients were removed as part of a salvage procedure after a median of 22 months (range, 7-43 months) after implantation. Three osteoarthritic patients with symptomatic cup loosening and 2 with instability had a median age of 62 years (range, 59-65 years) at primary surgery. The trapezia with cups in situ were preserved and processed for histomorphometry. Studies with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy were also performed on 2 of the specimens. In all 5 specimens, osteolytic lesions undermined the cups and were also seen at the cup edges, completely surrounding the loose cups. Large amounts of dark particular material were seen in the periprosthetic tissues, mostly internalized by macrophages. The presence of chrome and cobalt in these regions was confirmed. Four of the 5 cups showed marked or complete loss of hydroxyapatite. We have found several possible explanations for the poor performance of this cup, including its cannulated design and metal-on-metal bearing. The changes seen are early and advanced, raising serious concerns about the implant and particularly the articulation. Therapeutic V.

FE simulation study of deep drawing process of SUS304 cups having no delayed cracks under enhanced blank holding force

In the experiment, delayed cracks in deep drawing processes of metastable stainless steel SUS304 cylindrical cups were prevented using elevated blank holding force aided by nanolubrication. Besides tensile residual hoop stresses, the elimination of the cracks was also attributed to the change in wall thickening profile along the wavy cup edges. The wall thickening is a result of the high circumferential stress acting in the flange, leading to the high concentration of deformation-induced martensite and high risk of cracks. The amount of increase in wall thickness in the valleys along the edge during the deep drawing process was higher than the peaks at low blank holding force range due to shorter heights. Therefore, the portions of blank equivalent to the valleys were subject to higher holding force during the process, resulting in decrease in degree of wall thickening with increase in height for blank holding force up to 25 kN. However, the wall thickening and the height increased at blank holding force of 28 kN due to the same amount of increase in wall thickness in both valleys and peaks, resulting in a larger contacting area and lower holding force. Therefore, the wall thickness in the valleys sharply increased, and the formation of the cracks persists. Within the crack-free range, that is, from 29 to 31 kN, both the heights and wall thickening decreased. The decrease in frictional force by means of the nanolubrication has facilitated the flow of material into the die, resulting in lower cup height. It also facilitated the flow of materials away from the thick valley regions under the high pressure, resulting in significant decrease in degree of wall thickening. The cracks were prevented. The amount of compression at blank holding force of 32 kN was insufficient to suppress the increase in wall thickening in valleys, resulting in the formation of the cracks again.

Energy saving from furnace slag: An analysis of free-surface film flow characteristics of liquid slag on the rotary cup

Blast furnace (BF) slag is regarded as a high-grade waste heat resource. Dry centrifugal granulation technology became an important method for its low-energy consumption, recovering waste heat, etc. In this paper, the analytic formulas of liquid film thickness and the average radial velocity were obtained by micro-element force analysis. The influence of various factors on liquid film was analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD)simulation. It was revealed that liquid film produced a slip when the cup diameter was 50 mm and the rotary speed was 1500 rpm. The critical rotary speed of the slip increased with an increase in the cup diameter. The liquid film thickness changed almost linearly with the inlet mass flow rate. With the amount of slag constant, the influence of the slag inlet conditions on the liquid film at the edge of the cup was negligible. The surface tension mainly affected the initial spreading process of the liquid film. With the increase of the cup edge inclination angle, liquid film thickness increased.

Total hip arthroplasty using stem-first technique with navigation: the potential of achievement of the optimal combined anteversion being a risk factor for anterior cup protrusion.

In the combined anteversion (CA) technique for total hip arthroplasty (THA) with a cementless stem, cup anteversion is strongly influenced by the native femoral anteversion. It is hypothesized that in cases with large native femoral anteversion, cup anteversion can be decreased, and anterior cup protrusion from the anterior edge of the acetabulum could occur due to the achievement of optimal CA. In this study, the accuracy of CA in THA with the CA technique using imageless navigation and the relationship between the protrusion of the anterior edge of cup and optimum CA was retrospectively evaluated. Ninety-seven patients (104 hips) who underwent primary THA by the CA technique using image-free navigation were enrolled in the study. The femoral stem was placed following the individual femoral anteversion so that the target cup anteversion could be determined following a mathematical formula (37 = femoral stem anteversion × 0.7 + cup anteversion). Results The resulting CA values effectively achieved accurate CA with 39.49 ± 5.03° postoperatively. On the other hand, anterior cup protrusion was measured by computed tomography image. A cup protrusion length of more than 3mm was indicated for 60 cases (57.7%). All included patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 as protrusion positive and Group 2 as protrusion negative. In Group 1, preoperative femoral anteversion and postoperative stem anteversion were significantly higher, while postoperative cup anteversion was significantly lower. However, the postoperative CA value indicated no significant difference between the groups. The CA (stem-first) technique with image-free navigated THA could effectively achieve accurate CA. On the other hand, a large number of cases revealed anterior cup protrusion due to the low cup anteversion.