Additively manufactured respirators: quantifying particle transmission and identifying system-level challenges for improving filtration efficiency

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical professionals, including N95-type respiratory protective masks. To address this shortage, many have looked to the agility and accessibility of additive manufacturing (AM) systems to provide a democratized, decentralized solution to producing respirators with equivalent protection for last-resort measures. However, there are concerns about the viability and safety in deploying this localized download, print, and wear strategy due to a lack of commensurate quality assurance processes. Many open-source respirator designs for AM indicate that they do not provide N95-equivalent protection (filtering 95% of SARS-CoV-2 particles) because they have either not passed aerosol generation tests or not been tested. Few studies have quantified particle transmission through respirator designs outside of the filter medium. This is concerning because several polymer-based AM processes produce porous parts, and inherent process variation between printers and materials also threaten the integrity of tolerances and seals within the printed respirator assembly. No study has isolated these failure mechanisms specifically for respirators. The goal of this paper is to measure particle transmission through printed respirators of different designs, materials, and AM processes. The authors compare the performance of printed respirators to N95 respirators and cloth masks. Respirators in this study printed using desktop- and industrial-scale fused filament fabrication processes and industrial-scale powder bed fusion processes were not sufficiently reliable for widespread distribution and local production of N95-type respiratory protection. Even while assuming a perfect seal between the respirator and the user’s face, although a few respirators provided >90% efficiency at the 100−300 nm particle range, almost all printed respirators provided <60% filtration efficiency. Post-processing procedures including cleaning, sealing surfaces, and reinforcing the filter cap seal generally improved performance, but the printed respirators showed similar performance to various cloth masks. The authors further explore the process-driven aspects leading to low filtration efficiency. Although the design/printer/material combination dictates the AM respirator performance, the identified failure modes originate from system-level constraints and are therefore generalizable across multiple AM processes. Quantifying the limitations of AM in producing N95-type respiratory protective masks advances understanding of AM systems toward the development of better part and machine designs to meet the needs of reliable, functional, end-use parts.     

基于多线程技术的监控系统的设计

详细介绍在32位操作系统Windows95／98下，用C Builder3．0开发基于多线程技术的监控系统的有关方法。     

IS-2000规范在Walsh Code定义上的局限性

本文针对IS-2000规范关于W alsh Code的定义,发现IS-2000规范有关W alshCode的定义不合理,在前向RC 3下限制了最大数据用户数和最高数据速率;如按本文修改规范关于W alsh Code的定义,不但可以在前向RC 3下提高最大数据用户数,同时在理论上可以将最高数据速率提高一倍。     

CDMA基带信号发生器设计与仿真

主要研究了CDMA蜂窝通信系统的工作原理，且以基于IS－95标准的前向链路为主。利用MATLAB软件建立了前向链路中各器件的模块，实现了CDMA基带信号发生器，并在时域及频内进行了测量。     

An engineering process for the verification of real-time systems

The complete verification of the timing properties of a large critical system cannot be undertaken in a single step or with a single method. In this paper we present a process that links together a number of techniques and approaches that cover all stages of development from requirements analysis to code testing. The key elements of the process are: a constrained form of timed automata that uses delay and deadline to define temporal behaviour, notions of rely and guarantee to cover temporal dependencies, model checking for design verification, SPARK and Ravenscar restrictions for programming, and scheduling and response time analysis for asserting implementation compliance. Extended examples of the use of the process are given.     

挤压变形对Mg95Zn4.3Y0.7合金组织和性能的影响

研究了在250℃、不同挤压比下挤压变形对Mg95 Zn4.3 Y0.7合金组织及性能的影响。结果表明，Mg95 Zn4.3 Y0.7经过挤压变形后，合金中晶界处的共晶相破碎，弥散分布至晶粒内部，并且晶粒显著细化。同时，随着挤压比的增大，晶粒细化程度增加，合金的力学性能单调增加。当挤压比为16时，合金晶粒尺寸为5-8μm，抗拉强度为288.9MPa，显微硬度HV值为117.8。     

镍基合金激光直接制造的显微组织与缺陷分析

采用FGH95镍基高温合金粉末进行激光直接制造工艺实验，研究了不同工艺参数对表面形貌、显微组织和显微硬度的影响。结果表明，成形件表面平整无变形，显微组织为细小而致密的柱状晶。有层内生长和外延式生长两种生长方式。同时对其中出现的缺陷也作了研究分析，得到了优化的工艺参数。     

Epileptic seizure classification in EEG signals using second-order difference plot of intrinsic mode functions

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder which is characterized by transient and unexpected electrical disturbance of the brain. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a commonly used signal for detection of epileptic seizures. This paper presents a new method for classification of ictal and seizure-free EEG signals. The proposed method is based on the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the second-order difference plot (SODP). The EMD method decomposes an EEG signal into a set of symmetric and band-limited signals termed as intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). The SODP of IMFs provides elliptical structure. The 95% confidence ellipse area measured from the SODP of IMFs has been used as a feature in order to discriminate seizure-free EEG signals from the epileptic seizure EEG signals. The feature space obtained from the ellipse area parameters of two IMFs has been used for classification of ictal and seizure-free EEG signals using the artificial neural network (ANN) classifier. It has been shown that the feature space formed using ellipse area parameters of first and second IMFs has given good classification performance. Experimental results on EEG database available by the University of Bonn, Germany, are included to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

S3C6410和CR95HF的RFID读卡系统设计

针对目前读卡器主频低、速度慢、便携性差等不足,提出了一种基于S3C6410的RFID读卡系统设计方案。本文以高性能的S3C6410嵌入式微处理器为核心,选用新型的CR95HF射频芯片,开发设计了一款高主频的搭载Android嵌入式系统的新型手持式RFID读卡器。该读卡器工作在高频13.56MHz,支持ISO14443、ISO15693等多种协议。实验证明,该读卡器能对符合协议的标签进行读写操作,读写距离能够满足需要,具有便携、稳定性高、处理速度快等特点。     

Assessment of a redox alkaline/iron-chelate absorption process for the removal of dilute hydrogen sulfide in air emissions

The oxidative absorption of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) into a solution of ferric chelate of trans-1,2- diaminocyclohexanetetraacetate (CDTA) was studied in a counter-current laboratory column randomly packed with 15 mm plastic Ralu rings. The present investigation takes concern about the Kraft pulping situation where dilute H₂S concentrations are omnipresent in large-volume gas effluents. A fractional two-level factorial approach was instigated to determine the significance of six operating variables, namely the solution's alkalinity (pH; 8.5-10.5), the liquid mass flow rate (L;1.73-), the solution's ionic strength (I_C;0.01-), the gas mass flow rate (G;0.19-), the inlet H₂S concentration (C_H2S,0;70-430 ppm) and the initial ferric CDTA concentration (C_Fe,0;100 -). Initially, a Plackett-Burman design matrix of seven duplicated experiments revealed that pH is the leading factor controlling the H₂S conversion rate while the ionic strength and ferric CDTA concentration effects remained negligible within the factorial domain. Surface response analysis based on 11 duplicated factorial experiments plus 10 central composite trials revealed that the H₂S conversion significantly increases with liquid flow rate but decreases with growing H₂S load up. Further examination about the influence of ferric CDTA on H₂S absorption rate was set up over a broader concentration range (C_Fe,0;0- at pH of 9.5 and 10.5. It showed good potential at as H₂S conversion increased by a significant 25% for both pH values in comparison to pure alkaline solutions containing no ferric CDTA.