Development of a Pipe Crawler Inspection Tool for Fossil Energy Power Plants

Fossil fuel power plants are complex systems containing multiple components that create extreme environments for the purpose of extracting usable energy. Failures in the system can lead to increased down time for the plant, reduction of power and significant cost for repairs. In the past, inspections and maintenance of the plant\u27s superheater tubes has been predominantly manual, laborious, and extremely time consuming. This is due to the pipe\u27s small diameter size (between 1.3 and 7.6 cm) and the coiled structure of the tubing. In addition, the tubes are often stacked close to each other, limiting access for external inspection. Detection of pipe degradation, such as increased levels of corrosion, creep, and the formation of micro-cracks is possible using standard non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods, including ultrasonic, radiography and electromagnetic methods. However, when the access to the sub-systems is limited or the configuration of the structure is prohibitive, alternative methods are needed for deploying the NDE tools. This research effort considers a novel robotic inspection system for the evaluation of small pipes found in typical boiler superheaters that have limited access. The pipe crawler system is an internal inspection device that can potentially navigate through the entire pipe length using linear actuators to grip the walls and inch along the pipe. The modular nature of the system allows it to traverse through straight sections and multiple 90-degree and 180-degree bends. The crawler is also capable of providing visual inspections, ultrasonic thickness measurements, and generating inner diameter surface maps using LiDAR (light detection and ranging). Ultimately, the development of this robotic inspection tool can provide information regarding the structural integrity of key pipeline components in fossil fuel power plants that are not easily accessible

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

DISEÑO DE UN BANCO DE HERRAMIENTAS TECNOLOGICAS APLICADO EN LA ACTUALIZACION DE PROCESOS DE FORMACION ACADEMICA EN EL PROGRAMA DE INGENIERIA INDUSTRIAL DE LA UNIVERSIDAD LIBRE SECCIONAL CUCUTA

Proyecto de creación de una banco de herramientas tecnológicas a partir de software libre y gratuito, disponible en la red mundial de información Internet, para actualizar los procesos de formación académica y de enseñanza-aprendizaje de docentes y alumnos del programa de Ingeniería Industrial, mediante su utilización como componente práctico de refuerzo y afianzamiento de fundamentos, principios y formulaciones teóricas impartidas dentro del contenido curricular del mismo

REV, a BRET-based sensor of ERK activity

Networks of signaling molecules are activated in response to environmental changes. How are these signaling networks dynamically integrated in space and time to process particular information? To tackle this issue, biosensors of single signaling pathways have been engineered. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-based biosensors have proven to be particularly efficient in that matter due to the high sensitivity of this technology to monitor protein–protein interactions or conformational changes in living cells. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) are ubiquitously expressed and involved in many diverse cellular functions that might be encoded by the strength and spatio-temporal pattern of ERK activation.We developed a BRET-based sensor of ERK activity, called Rluc8-ERKsubstrate-Venus (REV). As expected, BRET changes of REV were correlated with ERKphosphorylation, which is required for its kinase activity. In neurons, the nature of the stimuli determines the strength, the location, or the moment of ERK activation, thus highlighting how acute modulation of ERK may encode the nature of initial stimulus to specify the consequences of this activation. This study provides evidence for suitability of REV as a new biosensor to address biological questions

La información reservada en el ordenamiento jurídico colombiano: reflexiones, prácticas e implicaciones para el derecho disciplinario

En el contexto de una sociedad de la información y el conocimiento, en el ejercicio de la función pública se convierte en un reto permanente el adecuado tratamiento de la información, particularmente aquella calificada y establecida por la Constitución y la ley como reservada. Si bien en las iniciativas internacionales de acceso a la información pública se encuentran marcos de referencia asociados con la información reservada, luego de una revisión profunda del marco normativo y jurisprudencial colombiano, se encuentra que no existe una vista homogénea del tema. Esto permite plantear lineamientos y prácticas de seguridad y control que aseguren el cumplimiento del deber funcional de protección de dicha información con arreglo a la ley y teniendo claridad de las responsabilidades y sanciones disciplinarias propias de la relación especial de sujeción de los servidores públicos y particulares que cumplen función pública

Health Disparities in Appalachia: The First In A Series Exploring Health Issues in Appalachia

Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia: Disparities and Bright Spots is an innovative research initiative sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and administered by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. This multi-part health research project will, in successive reports: measure population health and document disparities in health outcomes in the Appalachian Region compared to the United States as a whole, as well as disparities within the Appalachian Region; identify "Bright Spots," or communities that exhibit better-than-expected health outcomes given their resources; and explore a sample of the Bright Spot communities through in-depth, field-based case studies. Taken together, these reports will provide a basis for understanding and addressing health issues in the Appalachian Region. This research initiative aims to identify factors that support a Culture of Health in Appalachian communities and explore replicable activities, programs, or policies that encourage better-than-expected health outcomes that could translate into actions that other communities can replicate.This first report, Health Disparities in Appalachia, measures population health in Appalachia and documents disparities between the Region and the nation as a whole, as well as disparities within the Appalachian Region

Efficacy and safety of elafibranor in primary biliary cholangitis

Abstract: Background Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare, chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by the destruction of interlobular bile ducts, leading to cholestasis and liver fibrosis. Whether elafibranor, an oral, dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha and delta agonist, may have benefit as a treatment for primary biliary cholangitis is unknown. Methods In this multinational, phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned (in a 2:1 ratio) patients with primary biliary cholangitis who had had an inadequate response to or unacceptable side effects with ursodeoxycholic acid to receive once-daily elafibranor, at a dose of 80 mg, or placebo. The primary end point was a biochemical response (defined as an alkaline phosphatase level of = 15% from baseline, and normal total bilirubin levels) at week 52. Key secondary end points were normalization of the alkaline phosphatase level at week 52 and a change in pruritus intensity from baseline through week 52 and through week 24, as measured on the Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (WI-NRS; scores range from 0 [no itch] to 10 [worst itch imaginable]). Results A total of 161 patients underwent randomization. A biochemical response (the primary end point) was observed in 51% of the patients (55 of 108) who received elafibranor and in 4% (2 of 53) who received placebo, for a difference of 47 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI], 32 to 57; P<0.001). The alkaline phosphatase level normalized in 15% of the patients in the elafibranor group and in none of the patients in the placebo group at week 52 (difference, 15 percentage points; 95% CI, 6 to 23; P=0.002). Among patients who had moderate-to-severe pruritus (44 patients in the elafibranor group and 22 in the placebo group), the least-squares mean change from baseline through week 52 on the WI-NRS did not differ significantly between the groups (-1.93 vs. -1.15; difference, -0.78; 95% CI, -1.99 to 0.42; P=0.20). Adverse events that occurred more frequently with elafibranor than with placebo included abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Conclusions Treatment with elafibranor resulted in significantly greater improvements in relevant biochemical indicators of cholestasis than placebo. (Funded by GENFIT and Ipsen; ELATIVE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04526665.

Efficacy and Safety of Elafibranor in Primary Biliary Cholangitis

Background Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare, chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by the destruction of interlobular bile ducts, leading to cholestasis and liver fibrosis. Whether elafibranor, an oral, dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha and delta agonist, may have benefit as a treatment for primary biliary cholangitis is unknown.Methods In this multinational, phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned (in a 2:1 ratio) patients with primary biliary cholangitis who had had an inadequate response to or unacceptable side effects with ursodeoxycholic acid to receive once-daily elafibranor, at a dose of 80 mg, or placebo. The primary end point was a biochemical response (defined as an alkaline phosphatase level of &lt;1.67 times the upper limit of the normal range, with a reduction of &gt;= 15% from baseline, and normal total bilirubin levels) at week 52. Key secondary end points were normalization of the alkaline phosphatase level at week 52 and a change in pruritus intensity from baseline through week 52 and through week 24, as measured on the Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (WI-NRS; scores range from 0 [no itch] to 10 [worst itch imaginable]).Results A total of 161 patients underwent randomization. A biochemical response (the primary end point) was observed in 51% of the patients (55 of 108) who received elafibranor and in 4% (2 of 53) who received placebo, for a difference of 47 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI], 32 to 57; P&lt;0.001). The alkaline phosphatase level normalized in 15% of the patients in the elafibranor group and in none of the patients in the placebo group at week 52 (difference, 15 percentage points; 95% CI, 6 to 23; P=0.002). Among patients who had moderate-to-severe pruritus (44 patients in the elafibranor group and 22 in the placebo group), the least-squares mean change from baseline through week 52 on the WI-NRS did not differ significantly between the groups (-1.93 vs. -1.15; difference, -0.78; 95% CI, -1.99 to 0.42; P=0.20). Adverse events that occurred more frequently with elafibranor than with placebo included abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.Conclusions Treatment with elafibranor resulted in significantly greater improvements in relevant biochemical indicators of cholestasis than placebo. (Funded by GENFIT and Ipsen; ELATIVE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04526665.