Material Induced Anisotropic Damage

The anisotropy in damage can be driven by two different phenomena; anisotropic defor-mation state named Load Induced Anisotropic Damage (LIAD) and anisotropic (shape and/or distribution) second phase particles named Material Induced Anisotropic Damage (MIAD). Most anisotropic damage models are based on LIAD. This work puts emphasis on the presence of MIAD in DP600 steel. Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) analysis was carried out on undeformed and deformed tensile specimens. The martensite morphology showed anisotropy in size and orientation. Consequently, significant MIAD was observed in the deformed tensile specimens. A through thickness shear failure is observed in the tensile specimen, which is pulled along the rolling direction (RD), whereas a dominant ductile fracture is observed when pulled perpendicular to RD. The Modified Lemaitre’s (ML) anisotropic damage model is improved to account for MIAD in a phenomenological manner. The MIAD parameters are determined from tensile tests carried out in 0o, 45o and 90o to the RD. The formability of DP600 is lower in the RD compared to that in 90o to the RD, due to the phenomenon of MIAD

Simulation of stretch forming with intermediate heat treatments of aircraft skins - A physically based modeling approach

In the aerospace industry stretch forming is often used to produce skin parts. During stretch forming a sheet is clamped at two sides and stretched over a die, such that the sheet gets the shape of the die. However for complex shapes it is necessary to use expensive intermediate heat-treatments in between, in order to avoid Lüders lines and still achieve large deformations. To optimize this process FEM simulations are performed. The accuracy of finite element analysis depends largely on the material models that describe the work hardening during stretching and residual stresses and work hardening reduction during heat treatments due to recovery and particle coarsening. In this paper, a physically based material modeling approach used to simulate the stretch forming with intermediate heat treatments and its predictive capabilities is verified. The work hardening effect during stretching is calculated using the dislocation density based Nes model and the particle coarsening and static recovery effects are modeled with simple expressions based on physical observations. For comparison the simulations are also performed with a phenomenological approach of work hardening using a power law. The Vegter yield function is used to account for the anisotropic and biaxial behavior of the aluminum sheet. A leading edge skin part, made of AA 2024 has been chosen for the study. The strains in the part have been measured and are used for validation of the simulations. From the used FEM model and the experimental results, satisfactory results are obtained for the simulation of stretching of aircraft skins with intermediate heat treatments and it is concluded that the physics based material modeling gives better results

Toxoplasma prevalence in Dutch slaughter pigs in the period 2012-2014

Toxoplasma gondii has frequently been named as one of the most important foodborne pathogens, in terms of its impact on human health. EFSA advised to include serological testing of pigs on T. gondii infections and audits of pig farms on risk factors for T. gondii infection (EFSA, 2011). In order to generate knowledge about the epidemiology and prevalence of T. gondii infections in pig herds we studied the long term seroprevalence on farms, persistence of infection and variation in results between and within farms. Sera which were routinely taken in Dutch pig slaughterhouses in the Netherlands for the serological monitoring of Mycobacterium avium infections in pigs (Hiller 2013) were also tested for anti T. gondii antibodies. Results of 120,666 sera, collected from January 2012 until August 2014, showed an average of 2% serological prevalence in pigs. Pigs from organic farms had a prevalence of 3,6%. Farm prevalence was much higher, ranging from approximately 30% for conventional farms to 90% for organic farms. Pigs delivered to the slaughterhouse during winter months had a higher prevalence than pigs delivered during summer months.It could be concluded that serological monitoring can be very useful in detecting farms infected with T. gondii. A test cut off of 20PP was the most appropriate

Case study: Tuberculination, serology and bacteriology of sows at a farrowing unit suspected of an infection with Mycobacterium avium

Mycobacterium avium (MA) is considered a zoonotic hazard in pork. Herds delivered at slaughter showing gross lesions indicative of a mycobacterial infection, eg. specific abcesses in lymphoreticular tissue, were bacteriologically positive for MA. A risk factor analysis revealing different possible sources of primary infection was carried out at farms supplying these pigs. Also the common farrowing farm supplying the piglets to these farms was taken into account as a possible source of infection. Intradermal tuberculin testing, serology and tissue sampling was carried out on the sows and finishing pigs

Novel applications of therapeutic hypothermia: report of three cases

Therapeutic hypothermia can provide neuroprotection in various situations where global or focal neurological injury has occurred. Hypothermia has been shown to be effective in a large number of animal experiments. In clinical trials, hypothermia has been used in patients with postanoxic injury following cardiopulmonary resuscitation, in traumatic brain injury with high intracranial pressure, in the perioperative setting during various surgical procedures and for various other indications. There is thus evidence that hypothermia can be effective in various situations of neurological injury, although a number of questions remain unanswered. We describe three patients with unusual causes of neurological injury, whose clinical situation was in fundamental aspects analogous to conditions where hypothermia has been shown to be effective

Case studies: Tuberculination in pig herds suspected of infection with Mycobacterium avium

Mycobacterium avium, both subspecies hominissuis (MAH) and subsp avium (MAA), are considered a significant zoonotic hazard in pigs. Therefore special attention is given to detect the presence of this hazard in pigs during post mortem meat inspection. Herds delivered at slaughter were monitored on blood antibodies against MAH. Herds with an antibody response against a MAH infection were visited. Initially a questionnaire assessing relevant risk factors for MAH was applied

A European interlaboratory trial to evaluate the performance of different PCR methods for Mycoplasma bovis diagnosis

Background Several species-specific PCR assays, based on a variety of target genes are currently used in the diagnosis of Mycoplasma bovis infections in cattle herds with respiratory diseases and/or mastitis. With this diversity of methods, and the development of new methods and formats, regular performance comparisons are required to ascertain diagnostic quality. The present study compares PCR methods that are currently used in six national veterinary institutes across Europe. Three different sample panels were compiled and analysed to assess the analytical specificity, analytical sensitivity and comparability of the different PCR methods. The results were also compared, when appropriate, to those obtained through isolation by culture. The sensitivity and comparability panels were composed of samples from bronchoalveolar fluids of veal calves, artificially contaminated or naturally infected, and hence the comparison of the different methods included the whole workflow from DNA extraction to PCR analysis. Results The participating laboratories used i) five different DNA extraction methods, ii) seven different real-time and/or end-point PCRs targeting four different genes and iii) six different real-time PCR platforms. Only one commercial kit was assessed; all other PCR assays were in-house tests adapted from published methods. The analytical specificity of the different PCR methods was comparable except for one laboratory where Mycoplasma agalactiae was tested positive. Frequently, weak-positive results with Ct values between 37 and 40 were obtained for non-target Mycoplasma strains. The limit of detection (LOD) varied from 10 to 103 CFU/ml to 103 and 106 CFU/ml for the real-time and end-point assays, respectively. Cultures were also shown to detect concentrations down to 102 CFU/ml. Although Ct values showed considerable variation with naturally infected samples, both between laboratories and tests, the final result interpretation of the samples (positive versus negative) was essentially the same between the different laboratories. Conclusion With a few exceptions, all methods used routinely in the participating laboratories showed comparable performance, which assures the quality of diagnosis, despite the multiplicity of the methods

Improved precision of noise estimation in CT with a volume-based approach

Assessment of image noise is a relevant issue in computed tomography (CT). Noise is routinely measured by the standard deviation of density values (Hounsfield units, HU) within a circular region of interest (ROI). We explored the effect of a spherical volume of interest (VOI) on noise measurements. Forty-nine chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients underwent CT with clinical protocol (regular dose [RD], volumetric CT dose index [CTDIvol] 3.04 mGy, 64-slice unit), and ultra-low dose (ULD) protocol (median CTDIvol 0.38 mGy, dual-source unit). Noise was measured in 27 1-cm(2) ROIs and 27 0.75-cm(3) VOIs inside the trachea. Median true noise was 21 HU (range 17-29) for RD-CT and 33 HU (26-39) for ULD-CT. The VOI approach resulted in a lower mean distance between limits of agreement compared to ROI: 5.9 versus 10.0 HU for RD-CT (−40%); 4.7 versus 9.9 HU for ULD-CT (−53%). Mean systematic bias barely changed: −1.6 versus −0.9HU for RD-CT; 0.0 to 0.4HU for ULD-CT. The average measurement time was 6.8 s (ROI) versus 9.7 (VOI), independent of dose level. For chest CT, measuring noise with a VOI-based instead of a ROI-based approach reduces variability by 40-53%, without a relevant effect on systematic bias and measurement time

Predicted versus CT-derived total lung volume in a general population:The ImaLife study

Predicted lung volumes based on the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) model are used in pulmonary disease detection and monitoring. It is unknown how well the predicted lung volume corresponds with computed tomography (CT) derived total lung volume (TLV). The aim of this study was to compare the GLI-2021 model predictions of total lung capacity (TLC) with CT-derived TLV. 151 female and 139 male healthy participants (age 45-65 years) were consecutively selected from a Dutch general population cohort, the Imaging in Lifelines (ImaLife) cohort. In ImaLife, all participants underwent low-dose, inspiratory chest CT. TLV was measured by an automated analysis, and compared to predicted TLC based on the GLI-2021 model. Bland-Altman analysis was performed for analysis of systematic bias and range between limits of agreement. To further mimic the GLI-cohort all analyses were repeated in a subset of never-smokers (51% of the cohort). Mean±SD of TLV was 4.7 ±0.9 L in women and 6.2±1.2 L in men. TLC overestimated TLV, with systematic bias of 1.0 L in women and 1.6 L in men. Range between limits of agreement was 3.2 L for women and 4.2 L for men, indicating high variability. Performing the analysis with never-smokers yielded similar results. In conclusion, in a healthy cohort, predicted TLC substantially overestimates CT-derived TLV, with low precision and accuracy. In a clinical context where an accurate or precise lung volume is required, measurement of lung volume should be considered.</p

The (co-)occurrence of problematic video gaming, substance use, and psychosocial problems in adolescents

Aims. The current study explored the nature of problematic (addictive) video gaming and the association with game type, psychosocial health, and substance use. Methods. Data were collected using a paper and pencil survey in the classroom setting. Three samples were aggregated to achieve a total sample of 8478 unique adolescents. Scales included measures of game use, game type, the Video game Addiction Test (VAT), depressive mood, negative self-esteem, loneliness, social anxiety, education performance, and use of cannabis, alcohol and nicotine (smoking). Results. Findings confirmed problematic gaming is most common amongst adolescent gamers who play multiplayer online games. Boys (60%) were more likely to play online games than girls (14%) and problematic gamers were more likely to be boys (5%) than girls (1%). High problematic gamers showed higher scores on depressive mood, loneliness, social anxiety, negative self-esteem, and self-reported lower school performance. Nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis using boys were almost twice more likely to report high PVG than non-users. Conclusions. It appears that online gaming in general is not necessarily associated with problems. However, problematic gamers do seem to play online games more often, and a small subgroup of gamers – specifically boys – showed lower psychosocial functioning and lower grades. Moreover, associations with alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use are found. It would appear that problematic gaming is an undesirable problem for a small subgroup of gamers. The findings encourage further exploration of the role of psychoactive substance use in problematic gaming