Investigation of Floating Transportation Equipment for the Offshore Wind Power

This paper presents a floating transportation equipment (FTE) for the negative pressure suction bucket foundation (NPSBF) of offshore wind turbines, and the basic design and main transportation means are introduced. The hydrodynamic characteristics of integrated FTE-NPSBF structure are comprehensively studied. The ability of FTE as a transportation aid to provide stability for the NPSBF is verified, and the vibration reduction measures under the condition of wave resonance during the floating transportation process are given.

JEH Roberts (1881–1948): Pioneer thoracic surgeon

JEH Roberts was a leading figure in the new specialty of thoracic surgery before Second World War. His interest in this branch of surgery began during First World War when he served as a Major in a casualty clearing station and operated under local anaesthesia and without X-ray facilities. He reported a series of 199 cases of severe chest injury in which operation had been carried out in 67 patients – of whom 34 had made a complete recovery, a remarkable achievement in 1917. He was the first to use negative pressure suction drainage of the chest to encourage full expansion of the lung after thoracotomy, and he developed a plastic operation on the chest wall to treat chronic empyema. Together with HP Nelson, he described one-stage lobectomy for lung resection and developed a new lung tourniquet for use during this operation.

DESIGN AND TEST OF NEGATIVE PRESSURE CHAMBER ROTARY BUCKWHEAT SEED METERING DEVICE

A negative pressure chamber rotary precision seed metering device was designed to achieve the buckwheat precision sowing goal, solving the problems of traditional negative pressure chamber poor sealing and air suction seed metering device high power consumption. The planting plate of the device was fixedly connected with the shell of the air chamber forming a negative pressure chamber, which rotates around an axis. A planting plate suitable for buckwheat seed metering was designed. Single factor test and response surface test were carried out on the seed metering device. Results showed that the buckwheat precision seed metering achieved best performance when the negative pressure, suction hole diameter and rotation speed was 2.4 kPa, 2.0 mm and 25 r/min respectively. The qualified index, multiples index and miss-seeding index were respectively 88.32%, 7.35%, and 4.33%, which met the technical requirements of buckwheat precision sowing. The results of the study provided references for the design and application of buckwheat precision seed metering device.

CFD Analyses: The Effect of Pressure Suction and Airflow Velocity on Coronavirus Dispersal

Hospital emergency departments (EDs) are hubs for highly transmissible infectious diseases, posing the highest risk of viral infection transmission. With the current COVID-19 outbreak, it has become clear that the ED design needs to be altered in order to be successful in containing the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to use a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to evaluate the ventilation system design for an emergency department at a university hospital. The kinetic energy and velocity patterns of turbulence were analyzed to determine which areas of the ED were most susceptible to viral transmission. Additionally, the impact of pressure suction on COVID-19 dispersion has been investigated. Three critical areas of the ED, overnight patient beds, surgical rooms, and resuscitation rooms, all had much higher air velocity, dispersion, and mixing levels than the rest of the department’s spaces, according to the simulation findings. Air transmission from these sites to adjacent regions is a possibility in the scenario studied, increasing the likelihood of the virus spreading from these locations and infecting people in the surrounding areas. The results of these simulations may be utilized to provide recommendations to the hospital administration about the placement of inlets and outlets, the separation of areas, and the interior design of the spaces and corridors.

The evaluation of zebrafish cardiovascular and behavioral functions through microfluidics

This study proposed a new experimental approach for the vascular and phenotype evaluation of the non-anesthetized zebrafish with representative imaging orientations for heart, pectoral fin beating, and vasculature views by means of the designed microfluidic device through inducing the optomotor response and hydrodynamic pressure control. In order to provide the visual cues for better positioning of zebrafish, computer-animated moving grids were generated by an in-house control interface which was powered by the larval optomotor response, in conjunction with the pressure suction control. The presented platform provided a comprehensive evaluation of internal circulation and the linked external behaviors of zebrafish in response to the cardiovascular parameter changes. The insights from these imaging sections was extended to identify the linkage between the cardiac parameters and behavioral endpoints. In addition, selected chemicals such as ethanol and caffeine were employed for the treatment of zebrafish. The obtained findings can be applicable for future investigation in behavioral drug screening serving as the forefront in psychopharmacological and cognition research.

Use of Intrapleural Fibrinolytic Therapy in a Trapped Lung following Acute Traumatic Haemothorax

Retained haemothorax is a common sequela of traumatic haemothorax and refers to blood that cannot be drained from the pleural cavity. We report a case of trapped lung secondary to retained haemothorax in a patient who sustained a penetrating chest injury. Initial chest computed tomography (CT) showed a large haemothorax that was managed with an intercostal drain insertion (ICD). Repeat chest CT and thoracic ultrasonography performed after ICD removal showed an organized pleural space resembling haematoma. ICD was reinserted with administration of intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT). Subsequent chest CT showed the development of a pleural rind and trapped lung. A second ICD was inserted, and further IPFT were administered together with aggressive negative pressure suction. Haemoglobin remained stable. The patient made a full recovery and imaging performed two weeks later showed minor blunting of the costophrenic angle. This case highlights the feasibility and safety of IPFT in the management of trapped lung associated with traumatic retained haemothorax as an alternative to surgery.