Conventional Equipment (conventional + equipment)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A Hand-Carried Personal Ultrasound Device for Rapid Evaluation of Left Ventricular Function: Use After Limited Echo Training

ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2003
Kristina Lemola
A hand-carried personal ultrasound device (HCPUD) may be used for rapid cardiac screening by physicians with limited echo training. Our objective was to determine the accuracy of rapid HCPUD evaluation of left ventricular (LV) size and function when used by a Cardiology Fellow. Forty-five patients underwent an HCPUD exam using a 2.4-kg device with a 2- to 4-MHz curved transducer and color power Doppler (SonoSite). The results were compared with sonographer-performed and echocardiographer-interpreted exams using conventional equipment. The HCPUD exam lasted 6 ± 2 minutes. There was 100% agreement between HCPUD and conventional echo on qualitative assessment of LV systolic function. Comparing the HCPUD and conventional linear measurements of left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) and of interventricular septal (IVS) thickness: LVEDD is HCPUD = 0.94 conventional ,0.2,r = 0.82, P < 0.0001; IVS is HCPUD= 0.59conventional+0.6, r = 0.69, P < 0.0001. Thus, an HCPUD can effectively be used after limited training to rapidly screen for qualitative abnormalities of LV systolic function. Quantitative measurements of smaller structures with the HCPUD are more challenging. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 20, May 2003) [source]


Prolonged recording of oesophageal and lower oesophageal sphincter pressure using a portable water-perfused manometric system

NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY & MOTILITY, Issue 2 2001
M. A. Van Herwaarden
The aim of our study was to investigate the recording fidelity of a water-perfused micromanometric catheter with incorporated sleeve combined with a newly developed portable water-perfused manometric system for pharyngeal, oesophageal and lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) pressure recording. The system's performance was assessed in prolonged recordings in ambulant gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) patients. Eighty 24-h studies in GORD patients, carried out with the perfused portable manometric system, were evaluated. Twelve of these recordings were analysed in detail in order to compare oesophageal and LOS motor patterns with those described previously. Paired 2-h manometric recordings of the pharynx, oesophagus, LOS and stomach, using the new system and a conventional perfused stationary manometric system, were performed in eight healthy subjects. With the portable manometric system oesophageal contractions, transient LOS relaxations, swallow-associated prolonged LOS relaxations and LOS pressures were recorded with equal fidelity to the conventional manometric system. Recordings obtained with the portable system showed meal-related and diurnal variations in oesophageal and LOS variables that were similar to these found in studies using conventional equipment. The new manometric system, consisting of a perfused micromanometric catheter with incorporated sleeve and a portable perfusion system, enables prolonged studies on oesophageal and LOS motor patterns in ambulant subjects. [source]


Active capping demonstration in the Anacostia river, Washington, D.C.

REMEDIATION, Issue 1 2006
Danny Reible
An active capping demonstration project in Washington, D.C., is testing the ability to place sequestering agents on contaminated sediments using conventional equipment and evaluating their subsequent effectiveness relative to conventional passive sand sediment caps. Selected active capping materials include: (1) AquaBlokTM, a clay material for permeability control; (2) apatite, a phosphate mineral for metals control; (3) coke, an organic sequestration agent; and (4) sand material for a control cap. All of the materials, except coke, were placed in 8,000-ft test plots by a conventional clamshell method during March and April 2004. Coke was placed as a 1.25-cm layer in a laminated mat due to concerns related to settling of the material. Postcap sampling and analysis were conducted during the first, sixth, and eighteenth months after placement. Although postcap sampling is expected to continue for at least an additional 24 months, this article summarizes the results of the demonstration project and postcap sampling efforts up to 18 months. Conventional clamshell placement was found to be effective for placing relatively thin (six-inch) layers of active material. The viability of placing high-value or difficult-to-place material in a controlled manner was successfully demonstrated with the laminated mat. Postcap monitoring indicates that all cap materials effectively isolated contaminants, but it is not yet possible to differentiate between conventional sand and active cap layer performance. Monitoring of the permeability control layer indicated effective reductions in groundwater seepage rates through the cap, but also showed the potential for gas accumulation and irregular release. All of the cap materials show deposition of new contaminated sediment onto the surface of the caps, illustrating the importance of source control in maintaining sediment quality. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Guidance on Safety/Health for Process Intensification Including MS Design.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 3 2010
III: Risk Analysis
Abstract The new technology of process intensification by multiscale equipment can significantly contribute to achieve a safer design by going from batch/semi-batch to continuous operation combined with a reduction of inventory of hazardous substances in critical stages. On the other hand, the shift to higher space-time-yields comprises new risks such as runaway reactions with hot spot formation, described in Part,I, and handling an explosive atmosphere in the presence of potential permanent ignition sources, described in Part,II. A tool was developed for preliminary risk assessments, called HAZOP-LIKE study, to cover the characteristic features of micro-designed equipment that are relatively unimportant when handling conventional equipment. Two generic cases concerning liquid/liquid and gas/gas reactions were studied to demonstrate the method. [source]


The efficient and specific isolation of the antibodies from human serum by thiophilic paramagnetic polymer nanospheres

BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2009
Hao Qian
Abstract A rapid and effective method to specifically isolate the antibodies from human serum was presented based on the fast magnetic separation and specific adsorption of the novel thiophilic magnetic polymer nanospheres, which were synthesized by using miniemulsion copolymerization. After the thiophilic heterocyclic ligands of 2-mercaptonicotinic acid were first activated via divinyl sulfone, they were immobilized on the surface of these magnetic nanospheres, through which the strong specificity to immunoglobulin G was evidently expressed in the isolation of antibodies from human serum. The mild conditions used in the process, including the physiological pH range, low temperature, and low ion strength, were so favorable for keeping the biological activity of antibodies, which resulted in their bioactivity purity to exceed 99%. The efficient isolation, simplicity process, mild conditions, and the conventional equipments required make this technology so attractive to purify antibodies from human serum. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009 [source]