Advances in the DEM and coupled DEM and FEM techniques in non linear solid mechanics

In this chapter we present recent advances in the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and in the coupling of the DEM with the Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving a variety of problems in non linear solid mechanics involving damage, plasticity and multifracture situations

Advances in the DEM and coupled DEM and FEM techniques in non linear solid mechanics

Abstract In this chapter we present recent advances in the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and in the coupling of the DEM with the Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving a variety of problems in non linear solid mechanics involving damage, plasticity and multifracture situations.Preprin

Consenso colombiano de atención, diagnóstico y manejo de la infección por SARS-COV-2/COVID-19 en establecimientos de atención de la salud Recomendaciones basadas en consenso de expertos e informadas en la evidencia

The “Asociación Colombiana de Infectología” (ACIN) and the “Instituto de Evaluación de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Salud” (IETS) created a task force to develop recommendations for Covid 19 health care diagnosis, management and treatment informed, and based, on evidence. Theses reccomendations are addressed to the health personnel on the Colombian context of health services. © 2020 Asociacion Colombiana de Infectologia. All rights reserved

Global epidemiology and clinical outcomes of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and associated carbapenemases (POP): a prospective cohort study

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) is a global threat, but the distribution and clinical significance of carbapenemases are unclear. The aim of this study was to define characteristics and outcomes of CRPA infections and the global frequency and clinical impact of carbapenemases harboured by CRPA. Methods: We conducted an observational, prospective cohort study of CRPA isolated from bloodstream, respiratory, urine, or wound cultures of patients at 44 hospitals (10 countries) between Dec 1, 2018, and Nov 30, 2019. Clinical data were abstracted from health records and CRPA isolates were whole-genome sequenced. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality from the day the index culture was collected. We compared outcomes of patients with CRPA infections by infection type and across geographic regions and performed an inverse probability weighted analysis to assess the association between carbapenemase production and 30-day mortality. Findings: We enrolled 972 patients (USA n=527, China n=171, south and central America n=127, Middle East n=91, Australia and Singapore n=56), of whom 581 (60%) had CRPA infections. 30-day mortality differed by infection type (bloodstream 21 [30%] of 69, respiratory 69 [19%] of 358, wound nine [14%] of 66, urine six [7%] of 88; p=0·0012) and geographical region (Middle East 15 [29%] of 52, south and central America 20 [27%] of 73, USA 60 [19%] of 308, Australia and Singapore three [11%] of 28, China seven [6%] of 120; p=0·0002). Prevalence of carbapenemase genes among CRPA isolates also varied by region (south and central America 88 [69%] of 127, Australia and Singapore 32 [57%] of 56, China 54 [32%] of 171, Middle East 27 [30%] of 91, USA ten [2%] of 527; p<0·0001). KPC-2 (n=103 [49%]) and VIM-2 (n=75 [36%]) were the most common carbapenemases in 211 carbapenemase-producing isolates. After excluding USA patients, because few US isolates had carbapenemases, patients with carbapenemase-producing CRPA infections had higher 30-day mortality than those with non-carbapenemase-producing CRPA infections in both unadjusted (26 [22%] of 120 vs 19 [12%] of 153; difference 9%, 95% CI 3–16) and adjusted (difference 7%, 95% CI 1–14) analyses. Interpretation: The emergence of different carbapenemases among CRPA isolates in different geographical regions and the increased mortality associated with carbapenemase-producing CRPA infections highlight the therapeutic challenges posed by these organisms. Funding: National Institutes of Health

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection ar

Unified Lagrangian formulation for fluid and solid mechanics, fluid-structure interaction and coupled thermal problems using the PFEM

The objective of this work is the derivation and implementation of a unified Finite Element formulation for the solution of fluid and solid mechanics, Fluid-Structure Inter- action (FSI) and coupled thermal problems. The unified procedure is based on a stabilized velocity-pressure Lagrangian formulation. Each time step increment is solved using a two-step Gauss-Seidel scheme: first the linear momentum equations are solved for the velocity increments, next the continuity equation is solved for the pressure in the updated configuration. The Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) is used for the fluid domains, while the Finite Element Method (FEM) is employed for the solid ones. As a consequence, the domain is remeshed only in the parts occupied by the fluid. Linear shape functions are used for both the velocity and the pressure fields. In order to deal with the incompressibility of the materials, the formulation has been stabilized using an updated version of the Finite Calculus (FIC) method. The procedure has been derived for quasi-incompressible Newtonian fluids. In this work, the FIC stabilization procedure has been extended also to the analysis of quasi-incompressible hypoelastic solids. Specific attention has been given to the study of free surface flow problems. In particular, the mass preservation feature of the PFEM-FIC stabilized procedure has been deeply studied with the help of several numerical examples. Furthermore, the conditioning of the problem has been analyzed in detail describing the effect of the bulk modulus on the numerical scheme. A strategy based on the use of a pseudo bulk modulus for improving the conditioning of the linear system is also presented. The unified formulation has been validated by comparing its numerical results to ex- perimental tests and other numerical solutions for fluid and solid mechanics, and FSI problems. The convergence of the scheme has been also analyzed for most of the prob- lems presented. The unified formulation has been coupled with the heat tranfer problem using a staggered scheme. A simple algorithm for simulating phase change problems is also described. The numerical solution of several FSI problems involving the temperature is given. The thermal coupled scheme has been used successfully for the solution of an industrial problem. The objective of study was to analyze the damage of a nuclear power plant pressure vessel induced by a high viscous fluid at high temperature, the corium.&nbsp; The numerical study of this industrial problem has been included in this work

A particle finite element method for analysis of industrial forming processes

We present a generalized Lagrangian formulation for analysis of industrial forming processes involving thermally coupled interactions between deformable continua. The governing equations for the deformable bodies are written in a unified manner that holds both for fluids and solids. The success of the formulation lays on &nbsp;a &nbsp;residual-based &nbsp;expression of the mass conservation equation obtained using the Finite Calculus (FIC) method that provides the necessary stability for quasi/fully incompressible situations. The &nbsp;governing equations are discretized with the FEM via a mixed formulation using simplicial elements with equal linear interpolation for the velocities, the pressure and the temperature. The merits of the formulation &nbsp;are demonstrated in the solution of 2D and 3D thermally-coupled forming processes using the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM)