P189 Use of transabdominal ultrasonography for the evaluation of Crohn’s disease activity

Background Ileocolonoscopy is accepted as the gold standard method for the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease (CD). However, there are cases where it is inadequate due to being invasive, failure to allow endoscopic exploration of the small intestine, and failure to show the extraintestinal pathologies. In the present study, it is aimed to compare clinical, endoscopic scores and computerised tomography enterography (CTE) findings with transabdominal ultrasonography (TAUS) findings in order to evaluate the activity of CD. Methods The study included 79 patients diagnosed with CD. Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) were used for the evaluation of the clinical activities of the patients. The patients with CDAI equal to 150 and more and HBI equal to 5 points and more were assessed as clinically active. Colonoscopic disease activity was assessed by The Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’ disease (SES-CD), SES-CD score of 3 and higher was defined as endoscopically active. In the evaluation of CTE and TAUS, the measurement of the thickness of the intestinal wall above 3 mm was accepted as pathological. Abscess, mass, fistula and ileus were evaluated as complications. Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) flow velocity was assessed by Color Doppler US. Limberg score was graded from Grades 0 to 4 for Doppler TAUS. Results Of the patients, 57 (72.1%) were male and 22 (27.8%) were female. Age average of the patients was 37.5 years (17–64) and the mean duration of disease was 48.6 months (0–240 months). Increase in the wall thickness in CTE and TAUS, detection of inflammation and complication in mesenteric fatty planes were found to be highly significant (p ˂ 0.0001). Wall thickness increase sensitivity level of TAUS according to CTE was 82%, specificity level was 97%, sensitivity level of the inflammation finding in mesenteric fatty planes was measured as 80%, and specificity level as 95%. A significant correlation was found between the wall thickness increase in CTE and TAUS and inflammation in mesenteric fatty planes via CDAI, HBI and SES-CD scoring (p ˂ 0.05). In addition, there was a significant relationship between the presence of lymphadenopathy in CTE in active patients according to HBI (p ˂ 0.05). According to the CDAI and SES-CD scores, Doppler flow velocity of SMA was significantly higher in the active group than the inactive group (p ˂ 0.05). CDAI, HBI and SES-CD results were found highly significant via the Limberg Scoring results (p < 0.0001). Conclusion In the current study, it is shown that TAUS is a diagnostic tool as effective as CTE in the evaluation of CD activity. In addition, it is an important finding that the flow velocity of SMA increases as correlated with inflammation via the Doppler feature of TAUS.

Design Advantages on Umbilical Systems Brought by a New High Performance SDSS Tube

Subsea umbilical systems developed for deep offshore applications become more and more demanding regarding injection capacity, number of functionalities and water depth. Some applications, such as subsea boosting, subsea separation or gas lift are even more severe, leading to tube temperature, which can exceed, in some cases 70°C. These operating conditions and requirements are significantly impacting the performance of the main umbilical. The most common solution, to avoid such issues, is to design thicker tubes to improve the strength of the umbilical cross section. The positive effect of the wall thickness increase has to be opposed to major drawbacks, such as weight increase and fatigue performance degradation generating more issues than providing solutions. To face these challenges, Vallourec Umbilicals, with the technical support of TOTAL SA headquarter Technology Division, has developed a new manufacturing process for seam welded stainless steel tubes (SAF 2507), with higher mechanical properties and tighter wall thickness tolerances. The benefit of this innovation is to provide for a given application (i. e. pressure, water depth and temperature) thinner tubes able to meet severe operating conditions without impacting performances of the umbilical structure. This paper, after a description of the manufacturing process and product qualification protocol (that led to a Type Approval Certificate from Bureau Veritas in October 2012), presents the technical advantages brought by seam welded solution, compared to seamless super duplex tubes.

Influence by Casing Geometric Imperfection on Anti-Collapse Strength with Finite Element Calculation

This essay was to build a finite element model to find the influence by oil casing geometric imperfection on anti-collapse strength. Two types of oil casing, Ф177.8×10.36mm/P110 andФ127×9.19mm/ P110, was taken for the calculation, considering the influence on anti-collapse strength by casing with two elements separately, ovality and non-uniformity of wall thickness. The calculation show that the anti-collapse strength of perfect casing perform better than that of imperfect casing. Ovality is an important factor for the anti-collapse strength, and the anti-collapse strength decrease rapidly as the ovality increase. Non-uniformity of wall thickness is the less important factor for anti-collapse strength, and the anti-collapse strength decrease slightly and slowly while the non-uniformity of wall thickness increase.

Numerical Simulation of Double Rollers Clamping Spinning Process for Flanging

Double rollers clamping spinning (DRCS) is a new process to form thin-walled rotary shell parts with complex flange, which adopts two rollers to clamp the workpiece in the forming. Using FE simulation code ABAQUS/Explicit, the 3D simulation model of DRCS process for flanging is established, and the whole DRCS process and material deformation have been simulated. Distribution of equivalent stress, equivalent strain and wall thickness of flange in the DRCS process are obtained. And then, the effects of roller feed rate and flange length on the formed flange part are studied. Results show that equivalent stress, equivalent strain and reduction in wall thickness increase with the decrease of roller feed rate, while increase with the increase of flange length. The results obtained in this paper can provide the references to determine and optimize the new spinning process parameters.

Ultrastructure of the Aspergillus nidulans hypA1 restrictive phenotype shows defects in endomembrane arrays and polarized wall deposition

Aspergillus nidulans Eidam (G. Wint.) wild-type hyphal morphogenesis requires the hypA gene product. Like its homolog in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meyen ex E.C. Hansen, TRS120, hypA encodes a cytoplasmic protein likely associated with endomem branes. hypA is not essential, but hypA1 temperature-sensitive strains grow poorly at restrictive temperatures. In younger cells, endomembrane arrays were aberrant, only sometimes resembling wild type. In older cells, Golgi equivalents were swollen, impacted with electron-dense granules. In hypA1 strains grown at 42 °C, the poorly polarized hyphae lack recognizable Spitzenkörper and have walls at least four-fold thicker than those of wild-type or hypA1 strains grown at 28 °C. At restrictive temperatures, both hyphal width and wall thickness increase markedly in basal regions, suggesting wall deposition is impaired. Septa are thicker than in wild type, but have medial pores and Woronin bodies. Individual nuclei and mitochondria are smaller at 42 °C than at 28 °C, but each collectively occupies similar proportions of the cytoplasm. Mitochondrial cristae are reduced in number and width at 42 °C, possibly compromising metabolic efficiency; in older cells, cristae are widely spaced and randomly inserted. If hypA1 cells grown at 42 °C are shifted to 28 °C, the thickened wall is precisely degraded for growth of wild-type branches, which form within 1 h, suggesting areas of nascent polarity formed at 42 °C require the hypA product for wild-type function.Key words: endomembrane, filamentous fungus, electron microscopy, cell wall, secretion, Saccharomyces TRS120.

Deformation Behavior of Intrusion Bending for Steel Pipes

We have investigated the intrusion bending for steel pipes for several years. The bending machine consists of three parts. They are called pusher, guide cylinder and gyro. The aim of this investigation is to reveal the effect of size and strength of materials, pushing forces and so on. That we study in this report are as follows: (1) The effect of bending radius ratio on ovality of outer diameter and eccentricity of wall thickness, and (2) the effect of ratio of wall thickness to outer diameter on ovality of outer diameter and eccentricity of wall thickness. The conclusions of this study are summarized as follows. (1) The ovality of outer diameter and the eccentricity of wall thickness increase as the bending radius ratio decreases. (2) The ovality of outer diameter decreases and the eccentricity of wall thickness increase as thickness outside diameter ratio increases.

Anatomical Variation in Planted Kelempayan (Neolamarckia Cadamba, Rubiaceae)

Six plantation grown Kelempayan trees [Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser, syn. Anthocephalus chinensis (Lamk.) A. Rich. ex Walp., Rubiaceae] were sampled along their radii and at five different height levels to evaluate variations of wood anatomical properties. Analysis of variance indicates that between tree differences in all anatomical properties measured were significant. Vessel proportion increases while ray proportion decreases with height, while both fibre diameter and fibre lumen diameter decrease with height. No significant trend was found for fibre length vertically. Cell wall substance and vessel and ray proportion increase from pith to bark, while fibre proportion decreases. Fibre length and fibre wall thickness increase from pith to bark, while fibre diameter and fibre lumen diameter first increase and then decrease. Within-tree variations are more consistent radially than vertically.

Dimensional Changes in Tube Swaging

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the wall thickness of tubes sunk by the rotary swaging process. The independent variables were: Workpiece material, original wall thickness of tube, die angle, die overgrind, and diameter reduction. The results indicated that of these five variables only the diameter reduction was a factor in wall-thickness increase. Material and other process variables did not appear to have appreciable effect within the range studied.