Numerical simulations of the full ink-jet printing processes: From jetting to evaporation

Ink-jet printing requires to perfectly control both the jetting of droplets and the subsequent droplet evaporation and absorption dynamics. Considerable complexity arises due to the fact that ink is constituted of a mixture of different liquids, surfactants and pigments. Using a sharp-interface ALE finite element method, we numerically investigate the main aspects of ink-jet printing, both on the jetting side and on the drying side. We show how a short pause in jetting can result in clogged nozzles due to solvent evaporation and discuss approaches how to prevent this undesired phenomenon. Once the droplets have been jetted on paper and is evaporating, the print quality can be deteriorated by the well-known coffee-stain effect, i.e. the preferential deposition of particles near the rim of the droplet. This can be prevented in several ways, e.g. employing controlled Marangoni flow via surfactants or co-solvents or printing on a primer layer jetted in beforehand, thus creating a homogeneous deposition pattern for a perfect final printout

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Acoustic bubble sorting for ultrasound contrast agent enrichment

An ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) suspension contains encapsulated microbubbles with a wide size distribution, with radii ranging from 1 to 10 μm. Medical transducers typically operate at a single frequency, therefore only a small selection of bubbles will resonate to the driving ultrasound pulse. Thus, the sensitivity can be improved by narrowing down the size distribution. Here, we present a simple lab-on-a-chip method to sort the population of microbubbles on-chip using a traveling ultrasound wave. First, we explore the physical parameter space of acoustic bubble sorting using well-defined bubble sizes formed in a flow-focusing device, then we demonstrate successful acoustic sorting of a commercial UCA. This novel sorting strategy may lead to an overall improvement of the sensitivity of contrast ultrasound by more than 10 dB

Microbubbles for medical applications

Ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) suspensions contain encapsulated microbubbles with radii ranging from 1 to 10 micrometers. The bubbles oscillate to the driving ultrasound pulse generating harmonics of the driving ultrasound frequency. This feature allows for the discrimination of non-linear bubble echoes from linear tissue echoes facilitating the visualization and quantification of blood perfusion in organs. Targeting the microbubbles to specific receptors in the body has led to molecular imaging application with ultrasound and targeted drug delivery with drug-loaded microbubbles. Traditional UCA production methods offer high yield but poor control over the microbubble size and uniformity. Medical ultrasound transducers typically operate at a single frequency, therefore only a small selection of bubbles resonates to the driving ultrasound pulse. Here we discuss recent lab-on-a-chip based production and sorting methods that have been shown to produce highly monodisperse bubbles, thereby improving the sensitivity of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging and molecular imaging with microbubbles. Moreover, monodisperse UCA show great potential for targeted drug delivery by the well-controlled bubble response