Flexible connector for use in aircraft

The invention concerns a connector, in an aircraft engine, for mounting a ring to a turbine rotor which the ring surrounds. The ring carries propeller blades, and the connector transmits both thrust and torque loads between the ring and the rotor, without significant deformation. However, the connector does deform in order to accommodate differential thermal growth between the ring and the rotor

Fan blade protection system

In one type of aircraft propulsion system, propeller blades are mounted on a ring which surrounds a turbine. An annular space exists between the turbine and the ring. If a propeller blade should break free, the unbalanced centrifugal load tends to deform the ring. The invention reduces the deformation, as by locating spacers between the turbine and the ring

Rotating cowling

The invention concerns a cowling for aircraft propulsion systems of the counterrotating propeller type. The cowling includes a pair of mounting rings located fore and aft of a propeller array. Removable panels extend between the mounting rings and contain openings through which the propeller blades extend

Aberrant migration and surgical removal of a heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) from the femoral artery of a cat.

A cat was evaluated for an acute-onset of right pelvic limb paresis. Thoracic radiographs revealed normal cardiac size and tortuous pulmonary arteries. Abdominal ultrasound identified a heartworm (HW) extending from the caudal abdominal aorta into the right external iliac artery and right femoral artery. The cat was HW-antigen positive. Echocardiography revealed a HW within the right branch of the main pulmonary artery and evidence of pulmonary hypertension. An agitated-saline contrast echocardiogram revealed a small right to left intracardiac shunt at the level of the atria. Surgical removal of the HW was performed with no substantial postoperative complications. There was return of blood flow and improved motor function to the limb. The cat remains mildly paretic on the affected limb with no other clinical signs

Nurses need to know appropriate clinical range when taking observations

All nursing students are taught a range of core nursing skills in their first year at Birmingham City University. These include nursing observations such as taking manual blood pressure, tympanic temperature and pulse, and assessing an individuals respiration. The observations enable nursing students to detect changes in the individuals condition quickly and accurately. They can be reported to mentors on placement so that appropriate actions can be decided. Undertaking nursing observations is a fundamental element of care

Stigma as a fundamental hindrance to the United States opioid overdose crisis response.

Alexander Tsai and co-authors discuss the role of stigma in responses to the US opioid crisis

Predicting 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery: Evaluation of the National Hip Fracture Database case-mix adjustment model.

OBJECTIVES: The National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) publishes hospital-level risk-adjusted mortality rates following hip fracture surgery in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The performance of the risk model used by the NHFD was compared with the widely-used Nottingham Hip Fracture Score. METHODS: Data from 94 hospitals on patients aged 60 to 110 who had hip fracture surgery between May 2013 and July 2013 were analysed. Data were linked to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) death register to calculate the 30-day mortality rate. Risk of death was predicted for each patient using the NHFD and Nottingham models in a development dataset using logistic regression to define the models' coefficients. This was followed by testing the performance of these refined models in a second validation dataset. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate was 5.36% in the validation dataset (n = 3861), slightly lower than the 6.40% in the development dataset (n = 4044). The NHFD and Nottingham models showed a slightly lower discrimination in the validation dataset compared with the development dataset, but both still displayed moderate discriminative power (c-statistic for NHFD = 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67 to 0.74; Nottingham model = 0.70, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.75). Both models defined similar ranges of predicted mortality risk (1% to 18%) in assessment of calibration. CONCLUSIONS: Both models have limitations in predicting mortality for individual patients after hip fracture surgery, but the NHFD risk adjustment model performed as well as the widely-used Nottingham prognostic tool and is therefore a reasonable alternative for risk adjustment in the United Kingdom hip fracture population.Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2017;6:550-556

The effect of face velocity, pleat density and pleat orientation on the most penetrating particle size, pressure drop and fractional efficiency of HEPA filters

The increasing need for clean air in critical industrial applications has highlighted the importance of the role of air filters in providing improved air quality. Actual performance of air filters installed in air handling units and in the intake of gas turbines tends to deviate from the performance predicted by laboratory results. Therefore, accurate filter performance prediction is important to estimate filter lifetime, and to reduce energy and maintenance operating costs. To ensure that the desired efficiency of a HEPA filter is attained, the effects of face velocity, pleat density and pleat orientation on the Most Penetrating Particle Size (MPPS) of pleated HEPA filters must be examined. This paper compares the effects of varying these parameters on the MPPS. The paper also presents the initial pressure drop response and fractional efficiency curves using DEHS testing according to DIN 1822 for vertical and horizontal pleat orientations. It analyzes the underlying reasons causing surface area losses for different flow rates, pleat density and orientation as well as the effects on filter permeability. The tests conducted in this study used full scale HEPA pleated V-shaped filters from Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and gas turbine applications