Design and the main parameters of tube-shaped ultrasound wave guide wire

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death among people up to 65 years old. One of the most common cardiovascular disease is thrombosis. To remove the blood clot inside the artery, advanced invasive devices are needed. Nevertheless, medicine of today is not technically fully ready to cope with the challenges. Because of that, tube-shaped ultrasound waveguide wire was designed and the main parameters, such as resonant frequency for displacement towards z axis were examined

Mechanism of generation of the flexural vibrations in an ultrasonic waveguide

This article deals with the problem of transfer of ultrasonic vibrations on flexible hub-waveguide system and is a continuation of research in this field [1-3]. The main field of application of flexible hub-waveguides-minimally invasive surgery for treatment of vascular diseases, where they are used to restore patency of blood vessels by destroying blood clots and tromboèmbolov. Thanks to the possibility of elastic deformation of flexible hub-waveguides, they can be delivered through a catheter system to the most remote places of the blood vessels, producing ultrasonic processing of affected sites with minimal surgical intervention. It should be borne in mind that during the work of the PA system can change its own hub-frequency waveguides and frequency generator, and this can lead to beating frequencies, formation of flexural vibrations of a working part, etc. This article therefore tasked to define the conditions of formation of low-frequency oscillations of a bend when passing ultrasonic vibrations of flexible waveguide system

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the tube-shaped waveguide wire

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death among people up to 65 years old. One of the most common cardiovascular disease is thrombosis. To remove the blood clot inside the artery, usage of advanced invasive mechanical devices is needed. There is a need for the new alternative less risky and hazardous way of arterial thrombosis treatment. This paper presents a new design of a less risky ultrasonic blood vessels cleaning system

Design and the main parameters of tube-shaped ultrasound wave guide wire

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death among people up to 65 years old. One of the most common cardiovascular diseases is arterothrombosis. For recanalization of arteries usage of advanced invasive mechanical devices is required. The tube-shaped ultrasound waveguide wire was designed, investigated and validated by computational finite element method and experimental techniques

Relationship of suicide rates with climate and economic variables in Europe during 2000-2012

The derived models explained 62.4 % of the variability of male suicidal rates. Economic variables alone explained 26.9 % and climate variables 37.6 %. For females, the respective figures were 41.7, 11.5 and 28.1 %. Male suicides correlated with high unemployment rate in the frame of high growth rate and high inflation and low GDP per capita, while female suicides correlated negatively with inflation. Both male and female suicides correlated with low temperature. Data from 29 European countries covering the years 2000-2012 and concerning male and female standardized suicidal rates (according to WHO), economic variables (according World Bank) and climate variables were gathered. The statistical analysis included cluster and principal component analysis and categorical regression. It is well known that suicidal rates vary considerably among European countries and the reasons for this are unknown, although several theories have been proposed. The effect of economic variables has been extensively studied but not that of climate. The current study reports that the climatic effect (cold climate) is stronger than the economic one, but both are present. It seems that in Europe suicidality follows the climate/temperature cline which interestingly is not from south to north but from south to north-east. This raises concerns that climate change could lead to an increase in suicide rates. The current study is essentially the first successful attempt to explain the differences across countries in Europe; however, it is an observational analysis based on aggregate data and thus there is a lack of control for confounders. RESULTS METHODS BACKGROUND DISCUSSIO

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Situation in Lithuania and in the other Baltic countries in bioenergy production and utilization

Vytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Investigation of the energy efficiency of biogas production from mixtures of sewage sludge and organic waste

Šiuo tyrimu buvo ekspermentiškai nustatytas biodujų gamybos iš nuotekų dumblo ir žuvų bei mėsos perdirbimo atliekų mišinių efektyvumas. Tyrimai atlikti Aleksndro Stulginskio universiteto energetikos ir biotechnologijų inžinerijos instituto biodujų laboratorijoje. Tyrimai atlikti 19 litrų vertikaliuose laboratoriniuose reaktoriuose, taikant nuolatines žaliavų įkrovas ir palaikant mezofilinę 37±0,5 oC temperatūrą. Nuotekų dumblo ir žuvies atliekų mišinys (12 % pagal masę) padidino biodujų išeigą 60 %. Biodujų išeiga, naudojant nuotekų dumblo ir mėsos atliekų (5,3 %) mišinį padidėjo 3 kartusThe aim of the investigation was to experimentally evaluate the efficiency of biogas production from sewage sludge and mixtures with organic waste. Investigations were carried in ASU Institute of Energy and Biotechnology Engineering, Biogas laboratory. The investigation of biogas production was conducted in 19 litters vertical digester applying continuous feeding state. The reactor was maintained at a constant mesophilic 37 ± 0,5 °C temperature. The mixture of fish (12 % by weight) waste with sewage sludge has increased biogas yields by 60 %. Biogas yield from mixtures of sewage sludge with meat processing wastes (with adding 5,3 % by weight ) was increased by 3 three timesVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Finger tapping test movement analysis by method of nonlinear dimensional reduction

Finger Tapping Test and other performance based tests are widely used in the assessment of the functional state of the central nervous system. The aim of the study was to assess the Tapping Test data by method of nonlinear dimensional reduction (by grouping them to various components). The study was performed in the Laboratory of Human Kinetics at the Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education. The fi nger movements data were registered by using a special computer program, created in the laboratory of Kinesiology, Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education. The subjects of the study were 10 athletes aged 12—25 years. All the subjects did a clasical 60 seconds Finger Tapping Test, and the time intervals of each fi nger movement were recorded in milliseconds. All the subjects took part in two investigations: before and after an exhausting training session. The method of nonlinear dimensional reduction of data was created in Kaunas University of Technology in the Department of Applied Mathematics. The results obtained during the study showed that the correlation index helped to get new information about the peculiarities of the central nervous system of the subjects, actualizing the motor acts, and we could also compare different experemental groups. In conclusion we can to point out that the method of nonlinear dimensional reduction allows us to obtain new information about the peculiarities of functioning of the central nervous system. The most sensitive changes can be obtained in case of grouping three intervals. The data become less informative if we use the grouping of two intervals. Using four or more intervals for grouping makes the information more superfi cial again

Investigation of novel design piezoelectric bending actuators

Two piezoelectric bending actuators of a novel design are presented and analysed in the paper. Numerical modelling and experimental study of the piezoelectric bending actuators were performed to verify operating principle and to investigate dynamic characteristics of the actuators. Numerical calculations are performed by using finite element method. Results of experimental study of piezoelectric actuators are compared with the results of finite element simulations. Results of the numerical and experimental research are analysed and discussed