Venom flow in rattlesnakes: mechanics and metering

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (24) ◽  
pp. 4345-4351
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Young ◽  
Krista Zahn

SUMMARY The functional morphology of venom injection in Crotalus atrox was explored using high-speed digital videography combined with direct recording of venom flow using perivascular flow probes. Although venom flow was variable, in most strikes the onset of venom flow was coincidental with fang penetration, and retrograde flow (venom suction) was observed prior to fang withdrawal. The duration of venom flow was consistently less than the duration of fang penetration. The occurrence of retrograde flow, ‘dry bites’ (which accounted for 35 % of the strikes) and unilateral strikes all support a hypothesis for venom pooling in the distal portion of the venom-delivery system. No significant difference in temporal or volumetric aspects of venom flow were found between defensive strikes directed at small and large rodents. With the species and size of target held constant, the duration of venom flow, maximum venom flow rate and total venom volume were all significantly lower in predatory than in defensive strikes.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah N Alhawsawi ◽  
Majid Sarvi ◽  
Emad Felemban ◽  
Abbas Rajabifard ◽  
Jianyu Wang

The aim of this study is to understand the collective movements of individuals and to observe how individuals interact within a physical environment in a crowd dynamic, which has drawn the attention of many researchers. We conducted an experimental study to observe interactions in the collective motions of people and to identify characteristics of pedestrians when passing obstacles of different sizes (bar-shaped, 1.2 m, 2.4 m, 3.6 m and 4.8 m), going through one narrow exit and employing three different flow rates in walking and running conditions. According to the results of our study, there were no differences in collision-avoidance behaviour of pedestrians when walking or running. The pedestrians reacted early to the obstacles and changed the direction in which they were walking by quickly turning to the left or to the right. In terms of the speed of the pedestrians, the average velocity was significantly affected while performing these tasks, decreasing as the size of the obstacle increased; therefore, the size of obstacles will affect flow and speed levels. Travel time was shorter when participants were in the medium-flow rate experiments. In terms of the distance of each individual’s travel, our data showed that there was no significant difference in all the flow rate experiments for both speed levels. Our results also show that when the pedestrians crossed an obstacle, the lateral distance averaged from 0.3 m to 0.7 m, depending on the flow rate and speed level. We then explored how the body sways behaved while avoiding obstacles. It is observed that the average sway of the body was less in the high-speed conditions compared to the low-speed conditions – except for the HF & 4.8 m experiment. These results are expected to provide an insight into the characteristics of the behaviour of pedestrians when avoiding objects, and this could help enhance agent-based models.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257137
Author(s):  
Martin Koch ◽  
Christian Graetz

Objectives High-speed tooth preparation requires effective cooling to avoid thermal damage, which generates spray mist, which is a mixture of an aerosol, droplets and particles of different sizes. The aim of this experimental study was to analyze the efficacy of spray mist reduction with an intraoral high-volume evacuation system (HVE) during simulated high-speed tooth preparation for suboptimal versus optimal suction positions of 16 mm sized cannulas and different flow rates of the HVE. Material and methods In a manikin head, the upper first premolar was prepared with a dental turbine, and generated particles of 5–50 microns were analyzed fifty millimeters above the mouth opening with the shadow imaging technique (frame: 6.6×5.3×1.1 mm). This setup was chosen to generate a reproducible spray mist in a vertical direction towards an imaginary operator head (worst case scenario). The flow rate (FR) of the HVE was categorized into five levels (≤120 l/min up to 330 l/min). The number of particles per second (NP; p/s) was counted, and the mass volume flow of particles per second (MVF; μg/s*cm3) was calculated for 10 sec. Statistical tests were nonparametric and two-sided (p≤0.05). Results With increasing flow rate, the NP/MVF values decreased significantly (eta: 0.671/0.678; p≤0.001). Using a suboptimally positioned cannula with an FR≤160 l/min, significantly higher NP values (mean±SD) of 731.67±54.24 p/s (p≤0.019) and an MVF of 3.72±0.42 μg/s*cm3 (p≤0.010) were measured compared to those of the optimal cannula position and FR≥300 l/min (NP/MVF: 0/0). No significant difference in NP and MVF was measurable between FR≥250 l/min and FR>300 l/min (p = 0.652, p = 0.664). Conclusion Within the limitations of the current experimental study, intraoral high-flow rate suction with ≥300 l/min with an HVE effectively reduced 5–50 μm sized particles of the spray mist induced by high-speed tooth preparation with a dental turbine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 02 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel Stringer ◽  
Sarah Malley ◽  
Darrell M. Hutto ◽  
Jason A. Griggs ◽  
Susana M. Salazar Marocho

Background: The most common approach to remove yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) fixed-dental prostheses (FDPs) is by means of diamond burs attached to a high-speed handpiece. This process is time-consuming and destructive. The use of lasers over mechanical instrumentation for removal of FDPs can lead to efficient and predictable restoration retrievability. However, the heat produced might damage the tooth pulp (>42˚C). Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum temperature (T) reached during the use of different settings of the erbium, chromium:yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet Er,Cr:YSGG laser through a YSZ ceramic. Methods: YSZ slices (1 mm thick) were assigned into 7 groups. For the control group, a diamond bur was used to cut a 1 mm groove into the YSZ slices. For the 6 experimental groups, the laser was operated at a constant combination of 33% water and 66% air during 30 s with two different power settings (W) at three frequencies (PPS), as follows (W/PPS): 2.5/20, 2.5/30, 2.5/45, 4.5/20, 4.5/30, 4.5/45. The T through the YSZ slice was recorded in degrees Celsius by using a digital thermometer with a K thermocouple. Results: The median T of the control group was 26.5˚C. The use of 4.5 W resulted in the median T (˚C) of 44.2 at 20 PPS, 53.3 at 30 PPS, and 58.9 at 45 PPS, while 2.5 W showed 34.6, 31.6, and 25.0 at 20, 30, and 45 PPS, respectively. KruskalWallis one-way ANOVA showed that within each power setting, the T was similar. The high power and lowest frequency (4.5/20) showed no significant difference from the 2.5 W settings and the control group. Conclusion: The lower power setting (2.5 W) is a potential method for the use of the Er,Cr:YSGG laser to debond YSZ structures. The higher power (4.5 W) with high frequencies (30 and 45 PPS) is unsuitable.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 228080002098740
Author(s):  
Haiyun Liu ◽  
Yanfeng Li ◽  
Guangquan Chai ◽  
Yuan Lv ◽  
Changjian Li ◽  
...  

Objective: To evaluate the effect of synchronous water irrigation on the fatigue resistance of nickel-titanium instrument. Methods: A standardized cyclic fatigue test models were established, and five types of nickel-titanium instruments (PTU F1, WO, WOG, RE, and M3) were applied. Each instrument was randomly divided into two groups ( N = 12). There was synchronous water irrigation in the experimental group, and no water irrigation in the control group. Besides, ProTaper Universal F1 was randomly divided into 10 groups ( N = 20). In the static group, nickel-titanium instruments were divided into one control group (no irrigation, N = 20) and six experimental group (irrigation, N = 20) based on different flow rate, angle and position; while in the dynamic group, instruments were divided into one control group (no irrigation, N = 20) and two experimental group (irrigation, N = 20) based on different flow rate. The rotation time (Time to Failure, TtF) of instruments was recorded and analyzed. Results: According to the static experiments, the TtF of instruments in all experimental groups was significantly higher than that in the static control group. Besides, the dynamic tests of PTU F1 showed that the TtF in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the dynamic control group. Compared with control group, the TtF in the experimental groups increased by at least about 30% and up to 160%. The static and dynamic tests of PTU F1 showed that the TtF of nickel-titanium instrument in all experimental groups was significantly higher than that in the control group. However, there was no significant difference between any two experimental groups. Conclusion: Regardless of dynamic or static model, TtF with irrigation was longer than that with non-irrigation, indicating that synchronous irrigation can increase the fatigue resistance of nickel-titanium instrument. However, different irrigation conditions may have the same effect on the fatigue resistance.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1595
Author(s):  
Asif Javed ◽  
Peter Rättö ◽  
Lars Järnström ◽  
Henrik Ullsten

One severe weakness of most biopolymers, in terms of their use as packaging materials, is their relatively high solubility in water. The addition of kraft lignin to starch coating formulations has been shown to reduce the water solubility of starch in dry coatings. However, lignin may also migrate into aqueous solutions. For this paper, kraft lignin isolated using the LignoBoost process was used in order to examine the effect of pH level on the solubility of lignin with and without ammonium zirconium carbonate (AZC). Machine-glazed (MG) paper was coated in a pilot coating machine, with the moving substrate at high speed, and laboratory-coated samples were used as a reference when measuring defects (number of pinholes). Kraft lignin became soluble in water at lower pH levels when starch was added to the solution, due to the interactions between starch and lignin. This made it possible to lower the pH of the coating solutions, resulting in increased water stability of the dry samples; that is, the migration of lignin to the model liquids decreased when the pH of the coating solutions was reduced. No significant difference was observed in the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) between high and low pH for the pilot-coated samples. The addition of AZC to the formulation reduced the migration of lignin from the coatings to the model liquids and led to an increase in the water contact angle, but also increased the number of pinholes in the pilot-coated samples.


Author(s):  
Christoph Bettag ◽  
Christian von der Brelie ◽  
Florian Baptist Freimann ◽  
Ulrich-Wilhelm Thomale ◽  
Veit Rohde ◽  
...  

AbstractDiagnosis of symptomatic valve malfunction in hydrocephalic patients treated with VP-Shunt (VPS) might be difficult. Clinical symptoms such as headache or nausea are nonspecific, hence cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) over- or underdrainage can only be suspected but not proven. Knowledge concerning valve malfunction is still limited. We aim to provide data on the flow characteristics of explanted shunt valves in patients with suspected valve malfunction. An in vitro shunt laboratory setup was used to analyze the explanted valves under conditions similar to those in an implanted VPS. The differential pressure (DP) of the valve was adjusted stepwise to 20, 10, 6, and 4 cmH2O. The flow rate of the explanted and the regular flow rate of an identical reference valve were evaluated at the respective DPs. Twelve valves of different types (Codman CertasPlus valve n = 3, Miethke Shuntassistant valve n = 4, Codman Hakim programmable valve n = 3, DP component of Miethke proGAV 2.0 valve n = 2) from eight hydrocephalic patients (four male), in whom valve malfunction was assumed between 2016 and 2017, were replaced with a new valve. Four patients suffered from idiopathic normal pressure (iNPH), three patients from malresorptive and one patient from obstructive hydrocephalus. Post-hoc analysis revealed a significant difference (p < 0.001) of the flow rate between each explanted valve and their corresponding reference valve, at each DP. In all patients, significant alterations of flow rates were demonstrated, verifying a valve malfunction, which could not be objectified by the diagnostic tools used in the clinical routine. In cases with obscure clinical VPS insufficiency, valve deficiency should be considered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 168781402110208
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Lifeng Wang ◽  
Yaodong Zhang ◽  
Yongde Zhang

The thermal deformation of high-speed motorized spindle will affect its reliability, so fully considering its thermal characteristics is the premise of optimal design. In order to study the thermal characteristics of high-speed motorized spindles, a coupled model of thermal-flow-structure was established. Through experiment and simulation, the thermal characteristics of spiral cooling motorized spindle are studied, and the U-shaped cooled motorized spindle is designed and optimized. The simulation results show that when the diameter of the cooling channel is 7 mm, the temperature of the spiral cooling system is lower than that of the U-shaped cooling system, but the radial thermal deformation is greater than that of the U-shaped cooling system. As the increase of the channel diameter of U-shaped cooling system, the temperature and radial thermal deformation decrease. When the diameter is 10 mm, the temperature and radial thermal deformation are lower than the spiral cooling system. And as the flow rate increases, the temperature and radial thermal deformation gradually decrease, which provides a basis for a reasonable choice of water flow rate. The maximum error between experiment and simulation is 2°C, and the error is small, which verifies the accuracy and lays the foundation for future research.


ORL ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Jingjing Liu ◽  
Tengfang Chen ◽  
Zhenggang Lv ◽  
Dezhong Wu

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> In China, nasal cannula oxygen therapy is typically humidified. However, it is difficult to decide whether to suspend nasal cannula oxygen inhalation after the nosebleed has temporarily stopped. Therefore, we conducted a preliminary investigation on whether the use of humidified nasal cannulas in our hospital increases the incidence of epistaxis. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We conducted a survey of 176,058 inpatients in our hospital and other city branches of our hospital over the past 3 years and obtained information concerning their use of humidified nasal cannulas for oxygen inhalation, nonhumidified nasal cannulas, anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, and oxygen inhalation flow rates. This information was compared with the data collected at consultation for epistaxis during these 3 years. <b><i>Results:</i></b> No significant difference was found between inpatients with humidified nasal cannulas and those without nasal cannula oxygen therapy in the incidence of consultations due to epistaxis (χ<sup>2</sup> = 1.007, <i>p</i> &#x3e; 0.05). The same trend was observed among hospitalized patients using anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs (χ<sup>2</sup> = 2.082, <i>p</i> &#x3e; 0.05). Among the patients with an inhaled oxygen flow rate ≥5 L/min, the incidence of ear-nose-throat (ENT) consultations due to epistaxis was 0. No statistically significant difference was found between inpatients with a humidified oxygen inhalation flow rate &#x3c;5 L/min and those without nasal cannula oxygen therapy in the incidence of ENT consultations due to epistaxis (χ<sup>2</sup> = 0.838, <i>p</i> &#x3e; 0.05). A statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of ENT consultations due to epistaxis between the low-flow nonhumidified nasal cannula and nonnasal cannula oxygen inhalation groups (χ<sup>2</sup> = 18.428, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). The same trend was observed between the 2 groups of low-flow humidified and low-flow nonhumidified nasal cannula oxygen inhalation (χ<sup>2</sup> = 26.194, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> Neither high-flow humidified nasal cannula oxygen inhalation nor low-flow humidified nasal cannula oxygen inhalation will increase the incidence of recurrent or serious epistaxis complications; the same trend was observed for patients who use anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs. Humidification during low-flow nasal cannula oxygen inhalation can prevent severe and repeated epistaxis to a certain extent.


Author(s):  
O Kocar ◽  
H Livatyalı

An aluminized 22MnB5 (Boron) steel sheet, used for structural parts in the automotive industry, was subjected to press-hardening followed by austenitizing, both in a conventional furnace and via the conductive (electric resistance) heating method, an innovative technique based on the Joule’s principle for fast heating of the sheet metal. Conductive heating presents a number of advantages over the in-furnace heating method. These include a more efficient use of energy, as well as the requirement of less time and space for heating, thus lowering costs. After press-hardening was performed using both methods, the microstructural and mechanical characterizations of both specimens were examined for optical microscopy, hardness, tensile strength, and high-speed impact tests. The results showed that the press-hardening process transformed the ferritic–pearlitic microstructure in the as-received state into martensite after die quenching and caused a substantial increase in hardness and strength at the expense of ductility and impact toughness. On the other hand, no significant difference was observed in either the microstructure or mechanical properties with respect to the heating method used. The results obtained in the present investigation concur with the findings of current literature.


Author(s):  
Afshin Goharzadeh ◽  
Keegan Fernandes

This paper presents an experimental investigation on a modified airlift pump. Experiments were undertaken as a function of air-water flow rate for two submergence ratios (ε=0.58 and 0.74), and two different riser geometries (i) straight pipe with a constant inner diameter of 19 mm and (ii) enlarged pipe with a sudden expanded diameter of 19 to 32 mm. These transparent vertical pipes, of 1 m length, were submerged in a transparent rectangular tank (0.45×0.45×1.1 m3). The compressed air was injected into the vertical pipe to lift the water from the reservoir. The flow map regime is established for both configurations and compared with previous studies. The two phase air-water flow structure at the expansion region is experimentally characterized. Pipeline geometry is found to have a significant influence on the output water flow rate. Using high speed photography and electrical conductivity probes, new flow regimes, such as “slug to churn” and “annular to churn” flow, are observed and their influence on the output water flow rate and efficiency are discussed. These experimental results provide fundamental insights into the physics of modified airlift pump.


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