Interruption Of Process Research Articles

The Use of Digital Twins in Finite Element for the Study of Induction Motors Faults

Induction motors play a key role in the industrial sector. Thus, the correct diagnosis and classification of faults on these machines are important, even in the initial stages of evolution. Such analysis allows for increased productivity, avoids unexpected process interruptions, and prevents damage to machines. Usually, fault diagnosis is carried out by analyzing the characteristic effects caused by the faults. Thus, it is necessary to know and understand the behavior during the operation of the faulty machine. In general, monitoring these characteristics is complex, as it is necessary to acquire signals from the same motor with and without failures for comparison purposes. Whether in an industrial environment or in laboratories, the experimental characterization of failures can become unfeasible for several reasons. Thus, computer simulation of faulty motors digital twins can be an important alternative for failure analysis, especially in large motors. From this perspective, this paper presents and discusses several limitations found in the technical literature that can be minimized with the implementation of digital twins. In addition, a 3D finite element model of an induction motor with broken rotor bars is demonstrated, and motor current signature analysis is used to verify the fault effects. Results are analyzed in the time and frequency domain. Additionally, an artificial neural network of the multilayer perceptron type is used to classify the failure of broken bars in the 3D model rotor.

On the influence of process interruptions during additive manufacturing on the fatigue resistance of AlSi12

The process of laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M) is one of the most promising technologies in the field of additive manufacturing. The high freedom of design enables the integration of functionality and production of customized parts. Main drawbacks of this technology are related to relatively low build rates and reliability. The reliability of parts can be derogated due to various process instabilities leading to process-induced defects and process errors, where the latter can even lead to an interruption of the process. Due to limited build rates, a continuation of the process would be highly desirable, however, data reporting on the structural integrity of such interruptedly built parts are hardly available in literature so far. To tackle this research gap, the current study investigates the influence of process interruptions on the properties of AlSi12 processed by PBF-LB/M. The influence of the interruption on microstructure evolution is examined by electron backscatter diffraction. Mechanical properties of these specimens under monotonic and cyclic loading ranging from low-cycle fatigue up to very high-cycle fatigue regimes are investigated and compared to data obtained from counterparts built without interruption.

Cuidados enfermeros en adaptación al rol de cuidadores informales de personas con enfermedad de Parkinson

IntroductionParkinson's disease (PD) is catastrophic, chronic, and neurodegenerative. In advanced stage requires a permanent informal caregiver. The adaptation of the caregiver to their role is unknown, a fundamental aspect to guarantee the quality of care. ObjectivePrepare a healthcare proposal with standardized language to promote the adaptation of informal caregivers of Parkinson's patients to their social role. MethodsTwo-phase study: literature review and preparation of a care proposal. Search in ProQuest, Scielo, Scient Direct, Pubmed, and Google Scholar databases, in English, Spanish and Portuguese languages, for the last five years. Descriptors: Parkinson's disease, chronic disease, caregivers, adaptation, nursing process. The proposal articulates the Callista Roy adaptation model with the nursing process using NANDA-NOC-NIC taxonomy. ResultsFew publications on coping and adaptation of caregivers and on the Nursing Process to caregivers using standardized language. Committed adaptation modes: role function and Self-concept. Relevant nursing diagnoses: tiredness of the caregiver role, interruption of family processes, impairment of social interaction, ineffective relationship, compromised family coping, willingness to improve self-concept, risk of low situational self-esteem, and body image disorder. Two NOC outcomes and three NIC interventions were linked for each diagnosis. ConclusionsThe articulation of the Callista Roy adaptation model with the standardized language NANDA-NOC-NIC is an innovative contribution to the disciplinary and professional development of neurological and community nursing. The proposal makes it possible to monitor the levels of adaptation of the informal caregiver and intervene in a timely manner.

To improve patients’ empowerment by selfconnection in home parenteral nutrition

Abstract One promising approach for patients who need parenteral nutrition to live an almost normal life, is to provide extra-hospital therapy. This therapy is supported by an ambulatory care service whose staff connects and disconnects the nutritional fluid day by day. The nutrition therapy takes a long time every day and studies show that this therapy significantly disturbs patients’ daily life. Although home parenteral nutrition is part of the range of services provided by the statutory health insurance (German GKV), it is also expensive in the long run. Therefore, the cost-effectiveness of this form of therapy is constantly reviewed on an individual basis. Aim of this project is to enable a more autonomous life for patients by self-determined in between disconnection and connection of the therapy independently of the ambulatory care service. It has to be taken into account that any interruption of the nutrition process poses health risks to the patient, e.g. if air bubbles or bio contaminants enter the tube system. Flushing with saline solution before and after connecting is therefore an elementary component of the nutrition process. The redesigning of the connecting/disconnecting system and the subsequent development of an automated port flushing system integrated into a mobile feeding pump to realize a safe interruption of the therapy is the overall goal of the project. This paper deals with redesigning the connecting system. After having analysed group discussions, detected impact factors are used as basis of an experimental setup to get the final requirements for redesigning the connector system. The experimental study is done according to the rules of Design of Experimental (DoE). DoE is a statistical method to determine the optimal number of tests by using a complete factorial design. Two repetitions of the tests were carried out to analyse the significance of the impact factors by ANOVA (Analysis of Variance).

Decreasing pH impairs sexual reproduction in a Mediterranean coral transplanted at a CO2 vent.

ABSTRACTOcean acidification, due to the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere and its absorption by the oceans, affects many aspects of marine calcifying organisms' biology, including reproduction. Most of the available studies on low pH effects on coral reproduction have been conducted on tropical species under controlled conditions, while little information is reported for either tropical or temperate species in the field. This study describes the influence of decreasing pH on sexual reproduction of the temperate non‐zooxanthellate colonial scleractinian Astroides calycularis, transplanted in four sites along a natural pH gradient at the underwater volcanic crater of Panarea Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). The average pH values of each site (range: pHTS 8.07–7.40) match different scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the end of the century. After 3 months under experimental conditions, the reproductive parameters of both oocytes and spermaries (abundance, gonadal index, and diameters) seem to be unaffected by low pH. However, a delay in spermary development in the pre‐fertilization period and a persistence of mature oocytes in the fertilization period were observed in the most acidic site. Furthermore, no embryos were found in colonies from the two most acidic sites, suggesting a delay or an interruption of the fertilization process due to acidified conditions. These findings suggest a negative effect of low pH on A. calycularis sexual reproduction. However, long‐term experiments, including the synergistic impact of pH and temperature, are needed to predict if this species will be able to adapt to climate change over the next century.

Dynamics of Ecological Communities Following Current Retreat of Glaciers

Glaciers are retreating globally, and the resulting ice-free areas provide an experimental system for understanding species colonization patterns, community formation, and dynamics. The last several years have seen crucial advances in our understanding of biotic colonization after glacier retreats, resulting from the integration of methodological innovations and ecological theories. Recent empirical studies have demonstrated how multiple factors can speed up or slow down the velocity of colonization and have helped scientists develop theoretical models that describe spatiotemporalchanges in community structure. There is a growing awareness of how different processes (e.g., time since glacier retreat, onset or interruption of surface processes, abiotic factors, dispersal, biotic interactions) interact to shape community formation and, ultimately, their functional structure through succession. Here, we examine how these studies address key theoretical questions about community dynamics and show how classical approaches are increasingly being combined with environmental DNA metabarcoding and functional trait analysis to document the formation of multitrophic communities, revolutionizing our understanding of the biotic processes that occur following glacier retreat.

Tailings desiccation process studied in environmental chamber experiment

Case studies and numerical simulations show that the long-term stability of tailings dams largely depends on the evolution of their water content. Therefore, desiccation is one of the critical processes influencing the tailing dam's safety. In this work, the air-drying of tailings, starting from a sludge condition, is studied using a fully instrumented column experiment, performed in an environmental chamber with temperature and relative humidity control. Based on the experimental observations, a conceptual model for the desiccation process is proposed. The model consists of the combination of two mechanisms driven by evaporation: shrinkage and capillary rise. The latter is only activated after a granular structure develops (shielding skeleton), capable of sustaining the suction-induced intergranular forces. This evidence explains the tendency of real deposits to develop an unsaturated, dry tailings crust enclosing a body of mud-consistency tailings. In addition, the role of dissolved salts in the desiccation process was observed. Solutes in pore water limit the evaporation rate throughout the test by increasing osmotic suction. Moreover, salt precipitation was observed to cause an interruption of the desiccation process on two occasions during the experiment: first, by the formation of a superficial precipitation crust and later by pore clogging within a shallow layer.

Refugees, coronavirus and the politics of representation in the Spanish press

COVID-19 outbreak brought important consequences for global mobility. Border closures throughout the world meant the interruption of migratory processes, both forced and volunteer, leaving millions of people stuck on the way. This article analyses the news articles published by the Spanish newspapers El País and El Mundo, to find out if the pandemic has meant a change in the politics of representation of migration and refuge in the Spanish media during the first months of 2020. The qualitative content analysis focuses on the main sources and predominant themes in media coverage, as well as the labels applied to migrants and refugees in different contexts. The results show that changes have taken place due to the pandemic, with new nuances in the representation of migrants and refugees as victims or as a threat, but also giving space to new types of representation: migrants as necessary, and as active agents in the context of a global emergency.

DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF ULTRASOUND IN THE DETECTION OF PNEUMOTHORAX IN CHEST TRAUMA PATIENTS WITH CT AS THE GOLD STANDARD

Background: To study the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in the detection of pneumothorax in chest trauma patients with CT as the Gold Standard
 Methods: The present study was conducted from 31th July 2018 to 30th July 2019. A total of 36 patients were enrolled in the study.
 Results: By chest ultrasound, pneumothorax was detected in 15 of 24 patients. The sensitivity of chest ultrasound for the diagnosis of pneumothorax was 62.5%, specificity was 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) was 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) was 54.14% and accuracy was 75%.
 Conclusion: Chest ultrasound can play an important role in the emergency department aiding a physician for bedside rapid and accurate diagnosis of pneumothorax without interruption in the resuscitation process and without transferring the patient to the radiology section.
 Keywords: Ultrasound, CT, Pneumothorax

DISCONTINUOUS DRILLING OF INCONEL 718

Inconel 718 as one of the most common nickel-base alloys is mainly characterized by its high-temperature strength. Thus, in particular drilling is subject to high tool wear due to high thermomechanical loads on the cutting edges. To reduce those effects an alternative process design of discontinuous drilling was developed which contains a periodical interruption of the machining process with the aim of a targeted wetting and cooling of the tool at regular intervals. Thus, a significant reduction of the thermal load on the tool should provide a benefit to the drilling process and extend the tool life. Numerical and experimental investigations were used to analyze the introduced process strategy modification.

Mechanistic insights into flow-dependent virus retention in different nanofilter membranes

Virus filtration is a downstream unit operation in the manufacturing of biotherapeutics to remove potential viral contaminations based on size exclusion. While even very small viruses are effectively retained under normal flow conditions, process interruptions can compromise the virus-reduction capacity of a filter. Yet, direct insights into the underlying flow-dependent retention and breakthrough mechanisms of relevant parvoviruses are still lacking. To study the retention of parvoviruses inside the polymeric structures of four commonly used filter types, minute virus of mice (MVM) was fluorescently labeled and visualized in membrane cross-sections post-filtration by laser scanning microscopy. The virus retention profiles revealed a membrane structure-specific accumulation of viral particles at a distinct depth in the separation-active layers. Pressure release experiments showed that flow interruption-induced virus breakthrough is associated with the mobilization and deeper migration of viruses into denser membrane layers. Moreover, we discovered that local clusters of breakthrough foci in a particular filter type are responsible for the substantial transmission of viruses to the filtrate. Taken together, the membrane-specific phenomena visualized herein contribute to a better understanding of the underlying virus retention mechanisms and provide cues for a specific optimization of virus filtration processes.

Online microbial monitoring of drinking water: How do different techniques respond to contaminations in practice?

Safeguarding the microbial water quality remains a challenge for drinking water utilities, and because of population growth and climate change, new issues arise regularly. To overcome these problems, biostable drinking water production and water reuse will become increasingly important. In this respect, high-resolution online microbial monitoring during treatment and distribution could prove essential. Here, we present the first scientific and practical comparison of multiple online microbial monitoring techniques in which six commercially available devices were set up in a full-scale drinking water production plant. Both the devices’ response towards operational changes and contaminations, as well as their detection limit for different contaminations were evaluated and compared. During normal operation, all devices were able to detect abrupt operational changes such as backwashing of activated carbon filters and interruption of the production process in a fast and sensitive way. To benchmark their response to contaminations, the calculation of a dynamic baseline for sensitive separation between noise and events is proposed. In order of sensitivity, enzymatic analysis, ATP measurement, and flow cytometric fingerprinting were the most performant for detection of rain- and groundwater contaminations (0.01 – 0.1 v%). On the other hand, optical classification and flow cytometric cell counts showed to be more robust techniques, requiring less maintenance and providing direct information about the cell concentration, even though they were still more sensitive than plate counting. The choice for a certain technology will thus depend on the type of application and is a balance between sensitivity, price and maintenance. All things considered, a combination of several devices and use of advanced data analysis such as fingerprinting may be of added value. In general, the strategic implementation of online microbial monitoring as early-warning system will allow for intensive quality control by high-frequency sampling as well as a short event response timeframe.

Allelopathy of Lantana camara as an Invasive Plant.

Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) is native to tropical America and has been introduced into many other countries as an ornamental and hedge plant. The species has been spreading quickly and has naturalized in more than 60 countries as an invasive noxious weed. It is considered to be one of the world’s 100 worst alien species. L. camara often forms dense monospecies stands through the interruption of the regeneration process of indigenous plant species. Allelopathy of L. camara has been reported to play a crucial role in its invasiveness. The extracts, essential oil, leachates, residues, and rhizosphere soil of L. camara suppressed the germination and growth of other plant species. Several allelochemicals, such as phenolic compounds, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, and a flavonoid, were identified in the extracts, essential oil, residues, and rhizosphere soil of L. camara. The evidence also suggests that some of those allelochemicals in L. camara are probably released into the rhizosphere soil under the canopy and neighboring environments during the decomposition process of the residues and as leachates and volatile compounds from living plant parts of L. camara. The released allelochemicals may suppress the regeneration process of indigenous plant species by decreasing their germination and seedling growth and increasing their mortality. Therefore, the allelopathic property of L. camara may support its invasive potential and formation of dense monospecies stands.

Embodied negation and levels of concreteness: A TMS study on German and Italian language processing

According to the embodied cognition perspective, linguistic negation may block the motor simulations induced by language processing. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied to the left primary motor cortex (hand area) of monolingual Italian and German healthy participants during a rapid serial visual presentation of sentences from their own language. In these languages, the negative particle is located at the beginning and at the end of the sentence, respectively. The study investigated whether the interruption of the motor simulation processes, accounted for by reduced motor evoked potentials (MEPs), takes place similarly in two languages differing on the position of the negative marker. Different levels of sentence concreteness were also manipulated to investigate if negation exerts generalized effects or if it is affected by the semantic features of the sentence. Our findings indicate that negation acts as a block on motor representations, but independently from the language and words concreteness level.

Effects of process interruptions on microstructure and mechanical properties of three face centered cubic alloys processed by laser powder bed fusion

Many factors can influence the thermal history during laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) that contribute to the microstructure and mechanical performance of produced components. These factors can include process parameters, geometry, feedstock characteristics, and more. In this work, we report on the effect that process interruptions have on the thermal history during L-PBF fabrication of simple geometries made out of three alloys of interest: AlSi10Mg, Inconel 718 and Inconel 625. Systematic experiments were carried out with programmed process interruptions lasting one hour and simulating a stop to refill the system with powder, or an unexpected power outage. Specimens produced through these experiments enabled studying microstructural differences using microscopy techniques, and the evaluation of tensile and hardness properties when compared to uninterrupted controls. The findings from this study indicate that there were no distinguishable microstructural differences from interrupted specimens and uninterrupted controls for all three materials. Also, although Inconel 718 interrupted specimens showed a slight reduction in ultimate tensile strength and elongation, these properties remained essentially unchanged for AlSi10Mg and Inconel 625. Although a more comprehensive study is still required that accounts for the effect of thermal post-processing and other factors, the results described here provide several observations of the potential effects of process interruptions, and the implications towards process validation and quality assurance of L-PBF.

Kinetic model based on initial rates of alkali hydrothermal dissolution of Verdete rock

This work aimed to obtain the kinetic parameters of the hydrothermal dissolution of a Brazilian glauconitic siltstone (known as Verdete) with calcium hydroxide. Heat treatments were carried out in stainless steel autoclaves internally coated with Teflon in conventional and rotary (84 rpm) furnaces. The aqueous fraction of hydrothermal products was analyzed by flame photometry and pH-metry. The product was also characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After an initial inertia of 30–45 min, the concentration of OH− ions decreased as K+ ions were extracted from the K-feldspar structure. K recovery was proportional to the Ca(OH)2/Verdete ratio and gradually increased over time, reaching 65% after 24 h. Ca(OH)2 and Verdete agglomerated when high temperatures (453 K) and Ca(OH)2/Verdete ratios were employed simultaneously, causing loss of reaction surface area and interruption of the dissolution process. Agglomerations were avoided when rotating the furnace. However, rotation did not seem to increase the K+ extraction rate, which demonstrated to be proportional to OH− concentration. The dissolution reaction was half-order in respect to OH− concentration, and presented a 26.9 kJ mol−1 activation energy.

Process monitoring based on plasma emission for power-modulated glass welding with bursts of subpicosecond laser pulses.

Defects and process irregularities influence the bonding strength and thus the stability and lifetime of welded glass components. The present paper proposes to monitor the laser-based glass welding process by means of a single photodetector that records the radiation emitted from the laser-induced plasma. It is shown that the plasma emission provides information about irregularities of the welded seam height, gap bridging, process interruptions, and the position of the seam. The method is suitable for different welded glass types.

Lessons from pathophysiology: Use of individualized combination treatments with immune interventional agents to tackle severe respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19

Aims Infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) may lead to the development of severe respiratory failure. In hospitalized-patients, prompt interruption of the virus-driven inflammatory process by using combination treatments seems theoretically of outmost importance. Our aim was to investigate the hypothesis of multifaceted management of these patients.Methods A treatment algorithm based on ferritin was applied in 311 patients (67.2% males; median age 63-years; moderate disease, n=101; severe, n=210). Patients with ferritin <500ng/ml received anakinra 2-4mg/kg/day ± corticosteroids (Arm A, n=142) while those with ≥500ng/ml received anakinra 5-8mg/kg/day with corticosteroids and γ-globulins (Arm B, n=169). In case of no improvement a single dose of tocilizumab (8mg/kg; maximum 800mg) was administered with the potential of additional second and/or third pulses. Treatment endpoints were the rate of the development of respiratory failure necessitating intubation and the SARS-CoV-2-related mortality. The proposed algorithm was also validated in matched hospitalized-patients treated with standard-of-care during the same period.Results In overall, intubation and mortality rates were 5.8% and 5.1% (0% in moderate; 8.6% and 7.6% in severe). Low baseline pO2/FiO2 and older age were independent risk factors. Comparators had significantly higher intubation (HR=7.4; 95%CI: 4.1-13.4; p<0.001) and death rates (HR=4.5, 95%CI: 2.1-9.4, p<0.001). Significant adverse events were rare, including severe secondary infections in only 7/311 (2.3%).Conclusions Early administration of personalized combinations of immunomodulatory agents may be life-saving in hospitalized-patients with COVID-19. An immediate intervention (the sooner the better) could be helpful to avoid development of full-blown acute respiratory distress syndrome and improve survival.

Fluidized bed spray-coating of enzyme in a cross-linked alginate matrix shell (CLAMshell)

One-step encapsulation of subtilisin by fluidized bed spray-coating in a cross-linked alginate matrix shell (CLAMshell) particle is introduced. The CLAMshell process maximizes process productivity, while simultaneously improving coating quality of spray-coated enzyme. Overall, higher spray rates were achieved with improved mechanical strength of the coating, significantly limiting attrition and suppressing surface damage. Incorporating the CLAMshell formulation improved the overall coating process compared to coatings of cargo-only by achieving a 40% faster spray rate and maintaining coating efficiencies above 90%, with aggregates and fines below 2% of the final product. Process interruptions for removing excessive fines obstructing the outlet filter were eliminated and filter fouling was minimized. Increased alginate content and combination with polyvinyl alcohol in the coating yielded the greatest mechanical strength with low attrition and minor particle damage. CLAMshell particles exhibited high coating integrity through delayed dissolution of the salt core in solution, indicating potential controlled release applications.

Sensor-Guided Assembly of Segmented Structures with Industrial Robots

This paper presents a robotic assembly methodology for the manufacturing of large segmented composite structures. The approach addresses three key steps in the assembly process: panel localization and pick-up, panel transport, and panel placement. Multiple stationary and robot-mounted cameras provide information for localization and alignment. A robot wrist-mounted force/torque sensor enables gentle but secure panel pick-up and placement. Human-assisted path planning ensures reliable collision-free motion of the robot with a large load in a tight space. A finite state machine governs the process flow and user interface. It allows process interruption and return to the previous known state in case of error condition or when secondary operations are needed. For performance verification, a high resolution motion capture system provides the ground truth reference. An experimental testbed integrating an industrial robot, vision and force sensors, and representative laminated composite panels demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed assembly process. Experimental results show sub-millimeter placement accuracy with shorter cycle times, lower contact force, and reduced panel oscillation than manual operations. This work demonstrates the versatility of sensor guided robotic assembly operation in a complex end-to-end tasks using the open source Robot Operating System (ROS) software framework.