Perforated Drum Research Articles

Scale-up of the film coating process using the example of vitamin and mineral complexes: from idea to process validation

Introduction. The development of defect-free film coating modes is an urgent task when transferring film-coated tablets technology. Technology transfer is an integral stage of the life cycle of any drug approved for industrial production. During the development of the technological process, deviations may occur, to eliminate which it is necessary to introduce auxiliary operations or change the chain of technological equipment.Aim. Optimize the process of applying a film coating to tablets of the core of the vitamin and mineral complex.Materials and methods. The objects of the study were biconvex core tablets in the form of a boat of a vitamin and mineral complex consisting of vitamins C + E + B1 and minerals. To ensure the required technological properties, auxiliary substances were used: microcrystalline cellulose, sodium croscarmellose, potato starch, calcium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide. Ready-made film-forming mixtures (Colorcon®) in beige Opadry® II 85F 270000 were used as film-forming compositions. The film coating was applied in the craters with a perforated drum BG-80 (Pro-face, China) and BGK-150 (Zhejiang Canaan Technology Limited, China).Results and discussion. The process of applying a film coating to the core tablets of a vitamin and mineral complex has been studied. The analysis of the current technological chain showed a number of disadvantages – a large amount of manual labor, the need for matting the drum, the duration of the process, low loading, braking of the production cycle due to lagging at the stage of applying the film shell. To solve the discovered problems, a project was developed to scale the technology at the stage of applying a film shell to tablets-the cores of a vitamin and mineral complex. During the implementation of the process, new equipment was purchased and installed for production. The development of the technological process made it possible to multiply the one-time loading into the boiler (by 2–3 times), automate the process due to the automatic operation function according to the parameters set before the start of the technological process, and exclude the matting of the drum from preparatory work. The quality of film-coated tablets has improved, and the risk of defects has significantly decreased.Conclusion. During the study, it was proved that transferring the film coating process to another piece of equipment can improve the quality of the resulting film-coated tablets and optimize the technological process. A multiple increase in the loading size is not carried out at the same time by changing the number of nozzles and the inner section of the hose for applying the film coating material.

Infectivity of Wild-Bird Origin Influenza A Viruses in Minnesota Wetlands across Seasons.

The environmental tenacity of influenza A viruses (IAVs) in the environment likely plays a role in their transmission; IAVs are able to remain infectious in aquatic habitats and may have the capacity to seed outbreaks when susceptible wild bird hosts utilize these same environments months or even seasons later. Here, we aimed to assess the persistence of low-pathogenicity IAVs from naturally infected ducks in Northwestern Minnesota through a field experiment. Viral infectivity was measured using replicate samples maintained in distilled water in a laboratory setting as well as in filtered water from four natural water bodies maintained in steel perforated drums (hereafter, mesocosms) within the field from autumn 2020 to spring 2021. There was limited evidence for the extended persistence of IAVs held in mesocosms; from 65 initial IAV-positive samples, only six IAVs persisted to at least 202 days in the mesocosms compared to 17 viruses persisting at least this long when held under temperature-controlled laboratory settings in distilled water. When accounting for the initial titer of samples, viruses detected at a higher concentration at the initiation of the experiment persisted longer than those with a lower starting titer. A parallel experimental laboratory model was used to further explore the effects of water type on viral persistence, and the results supported the finding of reduced tenacity of IAVs held in mesocosms compared to distilled water. The results of this investigation provide evidence that many factors, including temperature and physicochemical properties, impact the duration of viral infectivity in natural settings, further extending our understanding of the potential and limitations of environmental-based methodologies to recover infectious IAVs.

Organic waste handling with cylindrical rotating perforated drum type: Case study of Ciater Permai, South Tangerang, Indonesia

Over the years, organic solid waste has become the main issue and is larger than plastic waste. According to local government data, organic waste reaches almost 50% of total waste. This research aimed to find out how effectively and efficiently cylindrical rotating perforated drum types could handle organic waste generated from households. Also, to analyze challenges, strengths, knowledge gaps, and opportunities in implementing this technology for handling organic waste. This study was conducted in South Tangerang, Indonesia, involving a residential area with a population of around 390 persons, for 24 days using rotational cylindrical organic waste processing equipment with a total capacity of 60 liters. This tool was placed in an open area exposed to sufficient sunlight and adequate air circulation. To start with, the drum was filled with starters such as soil, and then every day roughly 1 kg of organic waste was thrown inside the drum, continued by rotating it 5-6 times. After 24 days, the daily average of total mixed waste was 158 kg, while organic waste was 72.7 kg. There was a 10 kg difference between the “should-be” weight and the actual weight, which was 46.33 kg and 35.15 kg, respectively. The weight of the organic waste had dropped by 24% of the total incoming waste. It is envisaged that the community will be able to use this invention independently in order to minimize the load of urban solid waste accumulation. Furthermore, the development of this waste processing equipment is the first step toward establishing the habit of waste sorting in each citizen’s household.

Design, construction and performance evaluation of paddy rice solar drum dryer equipped with perforated drum

Abstract A solar drum dryer was designed and constructed for paddy drying, including a fixed outer drum and inner perforated drum, which rotated at the desired rotational speed inside the outer drum. The maximum capacity of the dryer was 10 000 g. The rotational speed of the inner drum was controlled. The thermal energy required for the dryer was provided by a solar absorber plate. The dryer performance was examined at three levels of rotational speed (0.21, 0.42 and 0.84 r.p.m.), drum slope (1°, 1.5° and 2°) and air velocity (1.7, 1.8 and 1.9 m.s−1). The diameter of the drum was the geometrical parameter that affected the movement of the particles and the ratio of the particle diameter to the drum diameter changed with the change in the drum diameter. Therefore, increasing the diameter of the drum caused a reduction in the repose angle of the paddy without any effect on the filling angle. The displacement of the product along the drum increased with increasing slope and rotational speed. At the lowest air velocity, the time required to remove moisture (<13%) was less. The results showed a significant reduction in cracked brown rice for the paddy dried by the drum dryer at 43–46°C compared with those dried using a batch dryer. The highest stress-cracking index (11) was observed for the paddy with an initial moisture of 16%. The results showed that for proportional final moisture content, a longer drum should be considered to intensify the slope and rotational speed of the inner drum.

Effects of air-suction guide structures on the condensing zone of pneumatic compact spinning with perforated drum

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of air-suction slots geometry on the condensing zone of pneumatic compact spinning.Design/methodology/approachThis paper investigated the condensing zone of pneumatic compact spinning with perforated drum for different structures of air-inlet slot geometry with computational fluid dynamics. For this purpose, three air-suction guides with different air-slots were designed. To create the condensing zone for the numerical simulation, a suction insert and the perforated drum were also designed. Flow velocity components on the X, Y, and Z axes, static pressure distribution and the streamline diagram were used for comparative analysis. Designed air-suction guides were produced with a 3D printer and used for yarn production.FindingsNumerical simulation results showed that condensing effects were provided for all three types of air-suction guides and approaching air-slots on the suction guides resulted in greater flow components but may cause fluctuations. Experimental results also showed that actual flow velocity components (Z-axis) are effective on hairiness (H) properties of the yarn while assisting flow-velocity components are more effective on the evenness and tenacity properties of the yarn.Originality/valueThis paper presents the numerical flow field simulation of compact spinning for different structures of air-suction guides with detailed measurements. To know the effects of air-suction guides on the condensing zone may be helpful to improve yarn properties. In addition, a 3D printer was used for the production of designed parts.

Assessment of the success rates and clinical outcomes following myringoplasty in subjects of age less than 15 years and improvement by pure tone audiometry

Background: While performing myringoplasty in pediatric age group, confrontations are different consideration that in adults. The surgical treatment of perforated drum in children has always been controversial. This controversy is certainly enhanced by variable success rates mentioned in literature. Aim: The present study was aimed at assessing the success rates and clinical outcomes following Myringoplasty in subjects of age less than 15 years and improvement by Pure Tone Audiometry. Methods: In of 42 children aged upto 15 years, under general anesthesia, Underlay technique was used either through post aural or endomeatal route. Follow up was done biweekly for first week, weekly upto 6 weeks and then after 3 months and 6 months. Dry mopping of external auditory canal was done. The outcome of myringoplasty was judged by two criteria, the graft take up and audiological result. Results: Mean AB Gap closure=10.5. 31 patient 62% showed AB gap closure within 10 dB. AB gap closure within 10-20 dB was achieved in 17 cases 34% and within 20-25 dB in 2 cases 4%. Mean age was 9.7 years. 34 cases (68%) were male and 16 cases (32%) were female.

Development of a manual egusi (Citrulus Vulgaris) washing machine

Egusi is an important oil seed plant used in the food industry. However, the washing of egusi seeds after harvest has been a major challenge to the egusi farmers in Nigeria. The washing of egusi seeds after harvest is locally done by the use of basket containing unwashed egusi seeds submerged inside water and washed with hand to remove the slime and dirt which is labour intensive and time consuming. A manual egusi (Citrulus Vulgaris) washing machine was developed to help egusi farmers in washing of egusi seeds after manual pod cracking and seeds scooping. The average length, width, thickness and sphericity of 100 egusi seeds were first determined to be 15 mm, 8.8 mm, 2.06 mm and 0.43 mm and used in the machine design. The machine was designed and fabricated using available materials and it consist of five major components which are; cylindrical drum, perforated drum, roller, water tank and frame with a capacity of 32.14kg/batch. The machine was evaluated to have 75.3% washing efficiency, 0.08% percentage loss, and 0.0% damaged egusi respectively.

DETERMINATION OF THE MODE OF FUNCTIONING OF THE CENTRIFUGAL-GRAVITATIONAL SEPARATOR OF THE GRINDING DEVICE

The peculiarity of harvesting legumes is the need to process their heap on grater devices with subsequent separation. To improve the technical and economic performance of seed heap processing equipment, it is advisable to combine wiping and separation operations by combining a grater working body and a separating rotating sieve of cylindrical or conical shape. The analysis of influence of geometry of rotary sieve drums allows to define the rational form and parameters of work of the separating device which will provide the necessary quality of seed material. Analysis of the literature on the processes of sieve separation of grain and seed mixtures showed the advantages of centrifugal separators with a rotating sieve surface. Improving the efficiency of separation of mixtures by rotary sieves is achieved by the simultaneous use of centrifugal, Coriolis and gravitational forces. The aim of the study is to increase the efficiency of separation of seed heaps of legumes after treatment with a grater device by determining the trajectory of the seeds along the rotational surfaces. Earlier, the authors developed a grater-separating unit in which a cylindrical perforated drum is used to remove unworn seeds. This design does not use the surface of the sieve effectively enough. To increase the uniformity of the load on the steaming surface of the rotary drum, it is advisable to reduce its area in the direction of seed movement. To do this, use a conical separating surface to reduce the radius of the cone in the direction of movement of the material. When considering the movement of a particle, it is represented as a material point with mass m moving along a conical surface that rotates around a vertical axis. As a result of theoretical researches the dependence which defines time of stay of a particle on a sieve depending on a coordinate (length of a generating cone) is received. A graphical interpretation of this dependence for certain values of design parameters is also presented. As a result of research, it was found that increasing the residence time of the material on the sieve due to the use of a conical surface increases the yield of pure seeds, and also contributes to the uniform loading of the sieve surface, which improves the quality of the source material.

Feasibility of In-line monitoring of critical coating quality attributes via OCT: Thickness, variability, film homogeneity and roughness

The feasibility of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for in-line monitoring of pharmaceutical film coating processes has recently been demonstrated. OCT enables real-time acquisition of high-resolution cross-sectional images of coating layers and computation of coating thickness. In addition, coating quality attributes can be computed based on in-line data. This study assesses the in-line applicability of OCT to various coating functionalities and formulations. Several types of commercial film-coated tablets containing the most common ingredients were investigated. To that end, the tablets were placed into a miniaturized perforated drum. An in-line OCT system was used to monitor the tablet bed. This set-up resembles the final stage of an industrial pan coating process. All investigated coatings were measured, and the coating thickness, homogeneity and roughness were computed. The rotation rate was varied in a range comparable to large-scale coating operations, and no influence on the outcome was observed. The results indicate that OCT can be used to determine end-point and establish in-process control for a wide range of coating formulations. The real-time computation of coating homogeneity and roughness can support process optimization and formulation development.

CFD simulation on the flow characteristics in the PWR lower plenum with different internal structures

The detailed thermal-hydraulic phenomena inside the lower plenum of Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) in Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) affect the mass flow rate distributions at core inlet significantly, leading to an impact on the operation safety of nuclear reactors. From the engineering point of view, a homogeneous flow rate distribution at the core inlet is expected. Actually, series of design concepts of lower plenum internal structures were proposed for different PWRs in the world. In this paper, the three-dimensional CFD simulations with three types of internal structures in the lower plenum, TYPE 1 (Vortex suppression plate with the secondary supports), TYPE 2 (Flow distribution skirt board with square coolant holes), TYPE 3 (Ellipsoid perforated drums and supports), were performed. The influence of different internal structures on the flow characteristics in the lower plenum were achieved and analyzed. The three types of internal structures were adapted into the same experimental facility “BORA”, which is a 1/5th scale 4-loops mock-up model, to realize the single variable criterion and obtain a uniform standard during the comparison. Results indicate that the mass flow rates in central fuel assemblies are much higher than that in peripheral fuel assemblies at core inlets with TYPE 1 and TYPE 2 internal structures, while the core inlet mass flow rate distribution with TYPE 3 internal structure is more homogeneous. This research has high reference value for the future advanced PWR lower plenum internal structures optimization and design.

Investigation of press classification process of weak rocks

Abstract In metallurgical production weak limestones and dolomites are widely used as flux materials with lump sizes of 25–70 mm in the iron and steel smelting to protect the melt’s surface from oxidation and remove harmful impurities. It was found that a characteristic feature of weak rocks is presence of a large number of so-called ‘hard-to-separate’ grains in the incoming mined rock, the size of which is comparable with the size of sieve openings. As a rule, these grains are either removed to the topsize or are stuck in the sieve openings, significantly reducing the grading process efficiency. The proposed study presents an analysis of the movement nature of a single hard-to-separate grain in reference to a sieve opening of a perforated drum, inside which a shaft with a screw surface is located; the perforated drum and the shaft rotate in opposite directions, grinding and classifying the mined rock at the same time. In this case, a press classification principle is used, which makes it possible to effect a forced impact on the hard-to-separate grains from the working body to pass them through the sieve openings. The embodiment is protected by a patent of the Russian Federation. A theoretical analysis of the nature of different movement types of a single hard-to-separate grain in relation to a sieve opening is carried out and the conditions for their realization are shown. The comparative tests of stress-free screening of weak rocks and press classification confirmed the increase in productivity (weight yield of grains) with the proposed screening method due to the forced passage of hard-to-separate grains into the openings.

Numerical analysis of the ROCOM boron dilution benchmark experiment using the CUPID code

Abstract The Rossendorf Coolant Mixing Model (ROCOM) boron dilution benchmark experiment was assessed using the CUPID code in the framework of a Coordinated Research Project by the International Atomic Energy Agency, namely, “Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics Codes for Nuclear Power Plant Design.” Two-equation Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence models, such as the standard k-e model, Re-Normalization Group (RNG) k-e model, and Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω model, were tested, and predictions of boron concentration were compared to measurements at the downcomer and core inlet in the reactor pressure vessel. The analysis result showed that the de-borated water slug injected from one cold leg was diffused by the turbulence mixing effect as it flowed downward in the downcomer and passes through a perforated drum in the lower plenum. The applied turbulence model affected the mixing patterns of the de-borated water, which resulted in a local distribution of boron concentration at the core inlet. This was the main concern of the boron dilution phenomena from the viewpoint of safety analysis. The result showed combining the CUPID code with the RANS turbulence models could reasonably predict the boron dilution phenomena in the reactor vessel when the proper y-plus wall treatment was assured, considering the characteristics of the turbulence models.

Analysis of Buoyancy-Driven Flow in the Rocom Test Facility

In emergency core cooling (ECC) situations after a loss of coolant accident, cold ECC water is injected into the hot water of the cold leg and downcomer. Temperature distributions near the wall and temperature gradients in time are important to be known for the assessment of thermal stresses.Numerous experiments were realized in the test facility ROCOM of the Helmholz Zentrum Dresden- Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany to investigate the effects of density differences between the primary loop inventory and the ECC water on the mixing in the downcomer. In 2005, an experiment with 5% flow rate in loop 1 and 10% density difference between ECC and loop water were compared to CFD calculations with Trio_U. In this paper, the same experiment is analyzed here with the TrioCFD code, taking into account 10 years of code and hardware development. The comparison of the LES to the experiment is globally satisfying. However, the calculation shows important turbulent fluctuations overestimating the measurements at the upper and lower downcomer sensors. Besides this, the resistance of the perforated drum seems to be under predicted. For further studies, a key issue seems to be an improved finer meshing of the perforated drum and of the wall near region of the downcomer.

Comparative analysis on pneumatic compact spinning systems

Purpose – Pneumatic compact spinning is the most widely used compact spinning method at present, in which the negative pressure airflow is used to condense the fiber bundle and decrease the spinning triangle. Compact spinning with perforated drum and lattice apron are mainly two kinds of pneumatic compact spinning now. The purpose of this paper is to study the comparative analysis on four kinds of pneumatic compact spinning systems, including two kinds of compact spinning with perforated drum: Rieter’s COM4 and complete condensing spinning (CCS), two kinds of compact spinning with lattice apron: Sussen’s three-line compact spinning (TLCS) and Toyota’s four-line compact spinning (FLCS). Design/methodology/approach – First, the basic properties of four systems were introduced and comparatively analyzed. Then, the 29.2 tex (20S), 14.6 tex (40S), 9.7 tex (60S) and 7.3 tex (80S) combed cotton yarns were spun in the four pneumatic compact spinning systems and ring spinning system, respectively. The evenness, breaking strength and hairiness of spun yarns were tested. Finally, the properties of corresponding woven fabric were tested. Findings – It is shown that comparing to compact spinning with lattice apron, the disposable input cost of compact spinning with perforated drum is higher, but the maintenance cost is lower. Comparing to compact spinning with lattice apron, the evenness of yarn spun by compact spinning with perforated drum is improved whereas the breaking strength is decreased. Furthermore, although harmful long hairiness (=3 mm) of yarn spun by CCS is a little more, the beneficial short hairiness (1-2 mm) is also more, which can make the fabric fullness and have better comfortable feeling. Originality/value – In the paper, comparative analysis on four kinds of pneumatic compact spinning systems, compact spinning with perforated drum: Rieter’s COM4 and CCS, and compact spinning with lattice apron: Sussen’s TLCS and Toyota’s FLCS, were studied. The basic properties, spun yarn qualities and properties of corresponding woven fabric of four systems were analyzed comparatively.

Numerical simulation of the three-dimensional flow field in four pneumatic compact spinning using the Finite Element Method

Pneumatic compact spinning is one of the most widely used compact spinning systems, which is achieved by utilizing airflow condensing equipment to condense fibers in bundle and improve yarn properties. Therefore, research on flow field in the condensing zone is always the emphasis and difficulty for pneumatic compact spinning. In this paper, the three-dimensional flow field of four different kinds of pneumatic compact spinning systems, including two types of roller-type compact spinning, namely compact spinning with a perforated drum and compact spinning with a groovy drum, and two types of lattice apron-type compact spinning, namely three-line rollers compact spinning and four-line rollers compact spinning, are investigated using the Finite Element Method. Firstly, four three-dimensional physical models of the condensing zone are built by AutoCAD software respectively according to the measured geometric parameters of practical condensing zones. Then, using ANSYS software, the numerical simulations of the three-dimensional flow field in the condensing zone for four kinds of compact spinning systems are obtained. It is shown that the flow field distribution of the condensing zone of roller-type compact spinning is different from that of lattice apron-type compact spinning and the flow field distribution of the condensing zone is significantly related to yarn properties. Comparing with roller-type compact spinning, lattice apron-type compact spinning has lower negative value of the flow velocity in the X-axis direction, a higher value in the Y-axis direction and a higher value in the Z-axis direction. Combined with yarn experiments, it is shown that the flow velocity component in the X-axis direction has an assistant condensing effect and the negative value mainly increases yarn beneficial hairiness. Roller-type compact spinning has a higher negative value and more beneficial hairiness correspondingly than lattice apron-type compact spinning; the flow velocity component in the Y-axis direction has a direct condensing effect, which is of benefit mainly for improving strength and reducing hairiness. Lattice apron-type compact spinning has a higher value and higher strength and less hairiness than roller-type compact spinning; the flow velocity component in the Z-axis direction has an assistant condensing effect, which is mainly of benefit for improving yarn evenness. Lattice apron-type compact spinning has a higher value and better evenness than roller-type compact spinning.

EAR COMPLICATIONS OF THE CRAWLING MAGGOTS

Abstract Objective: To assess the different complications of maggots invasion into the human ear by examination under microscope (EUM). Study Design: Prospective descriptive study. Settings: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawal Victoria Hospital. Bahawalpur. Duration of Study: December 2012 to December 2013 (1 year). Material and Methods: We collected all cases of maggots in the ear coming to the emergency and out-patient departments of Bahawal Victoria Hospital meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria during the duration of the study. After the formal permission from the hospital ethical committee these cases were entered in the study and the successful treatment of the disease in the form of complete removal of all the maggots from the ear was achieved in the in-patient department. After that we assessed the different com-plications produced by the maggots by doing examina-tion under microscope. The findings were noted and recorded on a prescribed questionnaire. Results: There were a total of twenty (20) cases with maggots in the ear. Ten patients were males and ten were females (50%). Fifteen patients (75%) were below five years of age, four patients (20%) were from six to ten years of age and one patient was above 11 years. All twenty patients (100%) gave the history of ipsilateral ear discharge and pain in the ear. Bleeding was present in seventeen patients (85%). Thirteen patients (65%) had hearing difficulty. Only one patient (5%) was mentally retarded. All patients (100%) belo-nged to poor socioeconomic class. One patient (5%) was having bilateral maggots in his ears. Excoriation of the skin of pinna was found in fourteen patients (70%), and one patient (5%) had skin loss of part of auricle. In the external auditory canal, ten patients (50%) had bruising and ten had skin ulceration (50%). Tympanic membrane perforation was found in thirteen patients (65%). Out of these thirteen patients with per-forated drums, five patients (38.4%) were having mid-dle ear granulations. Conclusion: Maggots ear also known as aural myiasis involves poor malnourished children and young adults. It can be responsible for variable degree of damage to the structures of human ear causing important compli-cations. Improving the hygiene, nutritional status and treating the underlying ear disease, this problem can be overcome easily. Key words: Myiasis, maggots, ear discharge.

Models and experiments for energy consumption and quality of green tea drying

AbstractAn experimental apparatus has been developed to evaluate the drying process of green tea leaves. Tea drying is an energy‐intensive process which results in the removal of leaf moisture; it is essential to the quality of the final product. In order to more efficiently use process energy, a prototype drying system has been built and tested. The prototype incorporates a rotating perforated drum which helps speed the drying process. Experiments were carried out with multiple temperatures, airflow rates, and drum rotation rates; a subset of those results is shown here. In particular, the impact of airflow rate on the process was studied. It was found that as the airflow increased, the drying rate increased, as expected. However, the efficiency of energy use, which was quantified by the Specific Energy Consumption rate, varied considerably with flow. While higher flows led to faster drying, it resulted in a lower energy efficiency. Also, a two parameter predictive model was developed that was able to accurately match the moisture removal rates for a very wide range of flows. This predictive model, which is based on thermal‐fluid fundamentals, can be used to extrapolate the presented results to cases which were not considered.

Research on pneumatic compact spun yarn quality

Compact spinning is one of the most important improvements of traditional ring spinning, which is implemented by adding a fiber condensing device to condense the fiber bundle and decrease the spinning triangle. Pneumatic compact spinning is the most widely used compact spinning method at present. Compact spinning with perforated drum and compact spinning with lattice apron are the two main kinds of pneumatic compact spinning. Therefore, in this paper, comparison analysis of yarn quality between compact spinning with perforated drum and compact spinning with lattice apron is presented. First, 9.7 tex cotton-combed yarn is spun in three different kinds of pneumatic compact spinning systems, including two kinds of compact spinning with perforated drum: Rieter’s COM4 and complete condensing spinning system (CCSS), and one lattice apron compact spinning system: Toyota’s four-line compact spinning. The test results of yarn qualities show that comparing with other two kinds of compact spinning systems, the yarn spun in CCSS has the best evenness, least long hairiness, and slightly lower strength. Then, the properties of spun yarns are analyzed using two methods. First, using Fluent Software, numerical simulations of three-dimensional flow field in condensing zone of three kinds of compact spinning system are presented, respectively. Second, the fiber movements in condensing zones are captured using high speed camera system OLYMPUS i-speed3.

Development of Electromagnetic Shielding Wearable Electronic Textiles using Core Conductive Fabrics

Today wearable electronics are playing a vital role in many applications such as Military, Medical application, telecommunications and health care garments. Conductive textiles also provide wide range of applications in areas of civilian and military purposes. In this research work an attempt has been made to design and develop core-sheath conductive yarns with copper filament and optical fibre as core and cotton as sheath using Dref-3 Friction spinning system. The special guide mechanism has been designed and used to produce uniform structure of core-sheath conductive yarns. Three different core-sheath ratios such as 67/33, 80/20 and 90/10 respectively, were produced by varying the draft in the second drafting unit which fed the cotton carded slivers to cover the core component. Copper filament of 38 SWG British Standard Gauge has been used as core component. The nominal count of core-sheath conductive yarn produced in this research was 328 tex and core component kept as constant 261 tex for all the yarn samples. Optical core conductive yarns are produced by using CK-20 type optical fibres. The process parameters such as perforated drum speed and yarn delivery speed are 4000 revolution per minute and 70 metres per minute respectively, kept as constant for all the samples. The copper core conductive yarns were used to develop the conductive fabrics. These fabrics have very good scope for many applications for development of electromagnetic shielding wearable textiles, mobile phone charging and body temperature sensing garments. It also has the optical fibre core conductive yarns which were used for the development of signal transferring garment for telecommunication and data transferring purpose. In this work two sensors have been integrated in sensorized garments for monitoring the body temperature. Moreover, it has been pointed out the use of these sensorized garments as a valid alternative to existing instrumentations which are in several health care areas. The results on the copper core conductive yarns and Optical core conductive yarns have studied. The characteristics of core conductive fabrics such as air permeability, tensile strength, electromagnetic shielding effect, aerial density, and fabric cover factor have been analysed. The performance of the conductive fabric garment has been briefly reported. The copper core conductive yarn, Optical core conductive yarn, copper conductive fabric and conductive fabric garment have the very high potential which is to be commercialized.

Editorial

On the evening of April 15th, the emergency department at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary was full. Patients who were cleared of other major medical trauma next door at Massachusetts General Hospital arrived to be evaluated for ear pain, hearing loss, and other head and neck injuries. Over 250 people were maimed by the dual blasts at the Boston Marathon earlier in the day, and we were seeing the aftermath.Figure: Aaron Remenschneider, MD, MPHMost patients had hearing loss, tinnitus, and mild disequilibrium. On exam, they had tympanic membrane perforations, large and small. Pieces of metallic shrapnel were identified and carefully removed from patients' faces, necks, and arms. Audiograms revealed both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, often worse in the ear facing the blast. Careful eversion of perforated drum edges was performed, and selected patients with sensorineural hearing loss were treated with oral steroids. Later in the evening, the otolaryngology team visited patients with significant soft tissue and limb injury in the intensive care unit—proximity to the blast seemed to predict substantial tympanic membrane loss. Examination of patient after patient continued through the night and into the next day.Figure: Daniel Lee, MDIn the ensuing weeks, we have seen dozens of these victims in our clinic and emergency room. Our treatment recommendations were based on experience with traumatic perforations from other causes, clinical and scientific literature on noise-induced hearing loss, and recommendations from the military literature and military colleagues. Whether differences exist in the expected outcomes between civilians and military personnel is unknown. Fortunately, blast injuries to the ear are rare occurrences in our society. The otologic morbidity from this single event was unprecedented for our city, and it has led otolaryngologists and audiologists from each of Boston's major medical centers to come together in an effort to study the nature of patient injuries and to document their outcomes over time.Figure: Alicia Quesnel, MDThe primary aim of the study is to correlate tympanic membrane perforation size with rates of healing, including the success of tympanoplasty. Secondary aims include understanding the effect of steroids on sensorineural hearing loss after acoustic trauma, and relating distance from the blast to sensorineural hearing loss and tympanic membrane perforation. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, and Tufts Medical Center all saw patients affected by the events of April 15 and agreed to pool data for meaningful analysis. Standardized data collection forms with serial audiograms will comprise the core data set. We have evaluated over 100 patients, and we expect to enroll and follow these individuals over the next twelve months. Data collection has already begun in this multicenter study. In our effort to provide the highest quality of care to the Boston Marathon bombing victims, we must acknowledge what we do not know about blast-related ear injury. We hope to learn more about the consequences of acoustic trauma through this research, and we appreciate all we have already learned from these individuals about inner strength and resilience.