Search Results (4)

Introduction: A new core biopsy needle with a novel tapered stylet tip has been introduced for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNB). The tapered point stylet is purported to improve ease of puncture, leading to improved tissue acquisition and accuracy. However, there are no data available in the published literature. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of the tapered stylet needle with conventional end-cutting FNB needles for tissue acquisition from solid lesions. Methods: Patients who underwent EUS-FNB of a solid lesion using the tapered stylet FNB needle across four tertiary hepatopancreaticobiliary centres in the UK were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, and performance outcomes were included in the analysis. Diagnostic performance was compared with a similar cohort of patients who underwent EUS-FNB using standard end-cutting FNB needles with a blunt-tipped stylet. The primary outcome was accuracy for the diagnosis of malignancy. Results: A total of 270 patients were included for analysis; 129 patients (48%) had sampling with the novel tapered stylet tip needle, among which 50% were female, the median age was 69, 74% had pancreatic lesions, and 80% had a final diagnosis of malignancy; 141 control cases (52%) were included for comparison, among which 48% were female, the median age was 68, 67% had pancreatic lesions, and 72% had a final diagnosis of malignancy. The tapered stylet needle demonstrated a sensitivity of 90% and an NPV of 72% for the diagnosis of malignancy compared with 88% and 77% for controls (p = 0.147). The overall diagnostic accuracy of the tapered stylet needle was 92.2% compared with 91.5% for controls (p = 0.634). Conclusions: The novel tapered tip stylet FNB needle demonstrated comparable sensitivity, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy to conventional FNB needles. This is the first and largest study reporting results for this new needle. However, further large comparative studies are warranted to validate our results and to determine if the tapered stylet offers an advantage over the conventional design. Full article

Vehicles are rapidly evolving into objects of intelligent interconnection. Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications enable the interconnection between vehicles, while also leading to new electromagnetic exposure scenarios. This paper integrates a monopole array antenna into a shark-fin antenna on the car roof for V2V communications and evaluates the specific absorption rate (SAR) and temperature rise of a human body in a smart mobility communication scenario operating at 5.9 GHz. The V2V antenna is modeled and placed on a 3D vehicle model using COMSOL Multiphysics (v.6.2) to numerically estimate the SAR in the head and body regions of the human body model (adult male) inside the vehicle. Both the localized and whole-body 30 min average SAR are lower than the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) occupational restrictions for electromagnetic field exposure from 100 kHz to 6 GHz, being equal in the worst-case scenario to 0.981 W/kg (for the head), which is 9.81% of the ICNIRP limit (10 W/kg), and 0.008728 W/kg (for the whole-body average), which is 2.18% of the ICNIRP limit (0.4 W/kg). The 30 min average human core temperature rise is 0.055 °C, which is 5.5% of the ICNIRP limit. This indicates that, in typical automotive scenarios, the electromagnetic exposure from a monopole array antenna for V2V communications does not pose threat to the human body. This study provides knowledge related to emerging exposure scenarios in intelligent mobility communication, which is beneficial for evaluating possible health impacts and designing public health management policies. Full article

The vortex shedding and shock generated inside the pump used in nuclear power plants during operation lead to energy loss and efficiency reduction, and the noise induced by the flow affects the system’s safety and reliability. The groove-type geometry of shark skin surface has features such as low hydraulic drag coefficient and low turbulence noise and has been widely applied in energy engineering. This study adopted computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational aerodynamic acoustics (CAA) methods to research the effects of Space-V-groove and V-groove bionic impellers on hydraulic performance and acoustic characteristics. In addition, the impacts of both bionic groove geometries on the external characteristics, wall shear stress, blade surface velocity, and vortex core distribution were compared and analyzed. The results found that Space-V-groove can effectively improve hydraulic performance. At the rated flow rate, the drag reduction rates of Space-V-groove and V-groove pumps are 2.86% and 1.82%, while the total sound pressure level is reduced by 1.36% and 1.2%, respectively. The Space-V-groove geometry is more effective in destroying the shedding vortex and trailing vortex, thereby modifying the turbulence in the impeller flow path and reducing energy loss and noise. Full article

Northeast Shark River Slough (NESS), lying at the northeastern perimeter of Everglades National Park (ENP), Florida, USA, has been subjected to years of hydrologic modifications. Construction of the Tamiami Trail (US 41) in 1928 connected the east and west coasts of SE Florida and essentially created a hydrological barrier to southern sheet flow into ENP. Recently, a series of bridges were constructed to elevate a portion of Tamiami Trail, allow more water to flow under the bridges, and attempt to restore the ecological balance in the NESS and ENP. This project was conducted to determine aspects of soil physiochemistry and microbial dynamics in the NESS. We evaluated microbial respiration and enzyme assays as indicators of nutrient dynamics in NESS soils. Soil cores were collected from sites at certain distances from the inflow (near canal, NC (0–150 m); midway, M (150–600 m); and far from canal, FC (600–1200 m)). Soil slurries were incubated and assayed for CO₂ emission and β-glucoside (MUFC) or phosphatase (MUFP) activity in concert with physicochemical analysis. Significantly higher TP contents at NC (2.45 times) and M (1.52 times) sites than FC sites indicated an uneven P distribution downstream from the source canal. The highest soil organic matter content (84%) contents were observed at M sites, which was due to higher vegetation biomass observed at those sites. Consequently, CO₂ efflux was greater at M sites (average 2.72 µmoles g dw⁻¹ h⁻¹) than the other two sites. We also found that amendments of glucose increased CO₂ efflux from all soils, whereas the addition of phosphorus did not. The results indicate that microbial respiration downstream of inflows in the NESS is not limited by P, but more so by the availability of labile C. Full article