An unusual case of an irretrievable hemodialysis catheter in a patient with end stage renal disease

Hemodialysis catheters are associated with higher risks of complications compared to arteriovenous fistulas and grafts. Some common complications of dialysis catheters include infection, thrombus formation, central venous stenosis, and mechanical dysfunction. Rarely, catheters can become firmly adhered to a vessel wall. Catheter adhesion is a serious complication that can impact the delivery of safe and effective dialysis to affected patients. Adherent catheters commonly present insidiously with no overt diagnostic signs and symptoms or antecedent catheter malfunction. Prognosis is variable, but can be potentially fatal depending on the severity of adhesion, and sequelae of complications. There are no standardized methods of therapy and treatment strategies are anecdotally reported by interventional radiology, vascular, and cardiothoracic surgery. We hereby describe a case of hemodialysis catheter that has become firmly embedded within the superior vena cava wall. We review the available literature on the epidemiology, risk factors, long‐term sequelae, and known management strategies of adherent catheters. The development of preventative measures will be of great importance given serious complications and limited treatment options. Clinical awareness and understanding of this rare condition is imperative to the prevention and management of adherent catheters.     

Slot Numbering and Distributed Winding Effects Analysis on the Torque/Current Spectrum of Three-phase Wound-rotor Induction Machine Using Discrete Modeling Method

Smooth torque production by induction machines is an improbable phenomena that is taken into account only in classic and ideal studying methods. In this research, slot numbering and also non-sinusoidal winding function effects are studied for a three-phase wound-rotor induction machine, which is addressed for the first time, and a new formula is introduced for calculating the spectral components of machine torque and current. To reach this aim, mathematical modeling of the air-gap function is proposed, and a discrete time modeling of the machine is introduced to study the effects of space harmonics on the torque/current spectral. To study the mentioned phenomena, in the first part, the winding functions are considered as ideally sinusoidal and the behavior of simulated machines is investigated based on the winding function approach and numerical method analysis. Two certain formulas are introduced for the spectral components of torque ripple and stator currents according to the slot numbers, rotor speed, and number of machine poles. In the second part, slot opening effects are neglected and non-sinusoidal windings are considered for obtaining the same results. Finally, considering both effects, model validation is confirmed by a finite-element-based method, and the introduced method is proven.     

Investigation of styrene/1‐hexene copolymerization by homogeneous and heterogeneous bisindenyl ethane zirconium dichloride catalyst system

Homogeneous copolymerization of styrene and 1‐hexene was carried out in toluene at room temperature using bisindenyl ethane zirconium dichloride/methylaluminoxane (MAO). The supported catalyst was prepared with immobilization of Et(Ind)₂ZrCl₂/MAO on silica (calcinated at 500°C) with premixed method. Heterogeneous copolymerization of styrene/1‐hexene with different mole ratios was carried out in the presence of supported catalyst system. The copolymers obtained from homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst system were characterized by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. Composition of the resulting copolymers was determined by ¹H NMR data. Analysis of ¹³C NMR spectra of obtained copolymers by homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst systems present isotactic olefin‐enriched copolymers. Molecular weight and thermal behavior of resulting copolymers was investigated. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 4008–4014, 2007     

E2LG: a multiscale ensemble of LSTM/GAN deep learning architecture for multistep-ahead cloud workload prediction

The Journal of Supercomputing - Efficient resource demand prediction and management are two main challenges for cloud service providers in order to control dynamic autoscaling and power consumption...     

Effect of Acidic and Basic Solutions on Electron Beam Irradiated Epoxy Nanocomposites Containing Nanoclay,CaCO3 and TiO2 Nanoparticles

High chemical resistance is the main prerequisites for materials that are intended to be utilized in usages such as chemicals storage containers production. Nanocomposites of epoxy resin containing nanoclay, CaCO₃ and TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared and their chemical resistance was studied. Moreover, the effect of electron beam irradiation was explored. TEM micrographs proved the dispersion of nano-size particles in the polymeric matrix. XRD patterns showed an exfoliated structure for nanocomposite containing 1 % nanoclay and intercalated structures for nanocomposites with higher nanoclay contents. SEM showed the pits that appeared in epoxy/nanoclay structure due to chemical corrosion. Weight loss measurements revealed that an addition of 1 % nanoclay to the epoxy matrix is effective for improving the chemical properties of the polymer. Desirable effect of 100 kGy irradiation on chemical resistance properties of the samples was also observed in both acidic and basic environments.     

Effect of lignin removal on mechanical,thermal, and morphological properties of polylactide/starch/rice husk blend used in food packaging

The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility of using cost‐effective natural filler in a biodegradable polymer and find new set of materials for green biocomposites to be used in food packaging. In this regard, rice husk (RH) and bleached rice husk (BRH) have been used in the form of powder and the effect of lignin removal on mechanical and thermal properties of prepared composites with poly(l ‐lactide) and starch were studied. Using FTIR technique, the lignin removal from RH has been approved. The tensile, charpy impact, and hardness tests were implemented to investigate the mechanical properties. It was concluded that filler caused increase both in the toughness and the Young modulus of samples. It was also found that the lack of lignin in BRH samples improves the mechanical properties. It was clearly observed that the BRH samples show larger modulus, charpy impact strength, and hardness compared to those filled with RH. Despite larger values for the elongations at break of RH samples, the mechanical properties showed a significant improvement (between 25 and 50% improvements) on lignin removal. The differential scanning calorimetry thermograms revealed an improvement in crystallization behavior and reduction of T_g from 47 to 31°C in the case of BRH‐filled samples. Finally, due to the removal of toxic lignin in the samples and modification of mechanical properties by this method, the BRH could have the ability of wide use in the bioplastics and food packaging industries. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41095.     

Influence of punctures, cuts, and surface morphologies of golden delicious apples on penetration and growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7

The ability of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to penetrate and grow within punctures, fresh-cut surfaces, and calyces of Golden Delicious apples was investigated. A three-strain cocktail of E. coli O157:H7 resistant to ampicillin was used to inoculate fresh and 48-h-old punctures, fresh-cut surfaces, and open or closed calyces. A concentric cutting procedure was used to evaluate depth of penetration within punctures and prevent cross contamination during sampling. Within 2 h, E. coli O157:H7 penetrated vertically through the fresh punctures and 3.4 mm within the underlying parenchyma. After 48 h, E. coli O157: H7 cells penetrated up to 5.5 mm within the punctures and >2.6 mm horizontally away from fresh punctures. However, 48-h-old punctures did not permit penetration beyond their boundaries. Fresh-cut surfaces permitted up to 2.8 mm penetration after 24 h. Onset of growth of E. coli O157:H7 occurred 4 to 8 h postinoculation on fresh punctures and fresh-cut surfaces with populations increasing by 3 logs after 48 h. E. coli O157:H7 penetrated within calyces regardless of the extent of opening or method of inoculation. However, E. coli O157:H7 was never recovered from the inner core of apples. Computed tomography scan imaging revealed that closed calyces effectively prevented penetration of sodium iodide solutions within the calyx cavity. Lack of solution penetration may explain why sanitizing treatments are ineffective in inactivating microbial cells within the calyx. Understanding the role of morphological differences in permitting or restricting bacterial penetration may lead to development of more effective strategies to enhance the safety of fresh horticultural products.     

Evaluation of sanitizer penetration and its effect on destruction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Golden Delicious apples

This study was conducted to determine the penetration of 5% trisodium phosphate solution at various depths within punctures and calyces of apples spot inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and the effect of solution agitation on destruction of the pathogen. Sanitizer solutions containing radiolabeled disodium phosphate (DSP32) were able to penetrate apple tissues through punctures and calyx cavities. However, agitation of the solutions did not result in significantly greater penetration in these areas (P > 0.05). Overall, there were 1.57- and 1.1-log reductions of pathogen cells within 4-h-old punctures treated with and without trisodium phosphate solution agitation, respectively. Sanitizer solutions were effective in destroying pathogen cells residing within the upper 4.2-mm region of the punctures. Destruction of pathogen cells within open and closed calyces occurred mainly within the basin and the upper 3 mm of the calyx cavity. Treatment with agitated sanitizer solution resulted in a 0.67-log reduction in pathogen concentration within open calyces. In contrast, treatment of closed calyces resulted in a 1.37-log reduction, mainly within the basin. Washing with water alone appeared to result in further penetration of the cells within calyces without significantly reducing the number of pathogen cells (P > 0.05). To develop more effective methods for reducing contamination on produce, it is important to know the extent of sanitizer penetration and its effect on destruction of pathogens.     

Extraction of dyes from Delphinium Zalil flowers and dyeing silk yarns

Delphinium Zalil from the family Ranunculaceae grows naturally in mountainous area of northeast of Iran. It has beautiful yellow flowers which contain flavonoids. In this study, the flowers of D. Zalil were collected, dried, powdered, and extracted with different solvent systems. Quercetin is identified as the main aglycone responsible for the color in these flowers. The flowers were then used for dyeing silk yarns. The color strength values were used to optimize the dyeing process. Pre-mordanting was proved to increase the dye absorption which may lead to an optimum usage of mordant. This would certainly be of special interest to environmentalists. Dyed silk yarns presented good light fastness compared to Blue Scale.