We compared changes in core temperature and systemic heat balance with a new negative pressure/warming device (Vital Heat(R) ) that uses negative pressure combined with heat to facilitate warming in vasoconstricted postoperative patients to those resulting from passive insulation or forced air. Seven healthy volunteers were anesthetized and cooled to a tympanic membrane temperature near 34 degr...

BACKGROUND Perioperative hypothermia is common during anesthesia and surgery and is accompanied by several complications. Forced-air warming is recognized as an effective procedure to prevent hypothermia. The aim of this study was to compare a resistive heating device with a forced-air warming device. METHODS Prospective randomized trial. SETTING heat transfer laboratory of a University hos...

Little is known about the processes of infiltration and water movement in the upper layers of blanket peat. A tension infiltrometer was used to measure hydraulic conductivity in a blanket peat in the North Pennines, England. Measurements were taken from the surface down to 20 cm in depth for peat under four different vegetation covers. It was found that macropore flow is a significant pathway f...

The advanced power extraction (APEX) study aims at exploring new and innovative blanket concepts that can efficiently extract power from fusion devices with high neutron wall load. Among the concepts under investigation is the free liquid FW/liquid blanket concept in which a fast flowing liquid FW ( 2–3 cm) is followed by thick flowing blanket (B) of 40–50 cm thickness with minimal amount of st...

Dense self-supported Pd-alloy membranes are used to selectively separate hydrogen and hydrogen isotopes. In particular, deuterium (D) and tritium (T) are currently identified as the main elements for the sustainability of the nuclear fusion reaction aimed at carbon free power generation. In the fusion nuclear reactors, a breeding blanket produces the tritium that is extracted and purified befor...

LIBRA-SP is a 1000 MWe light ion beam power reactor design study. The reactor structure is made of a low activation ferritic steel and uses LiPb as a breeder. The total activities in the blanket and reflector at shutdown are 721 MCi and 924 MCi, respectively. Hands-on maintenance is impossible anywhere inside the reactor chamber. The biological dose rates near the diode are too high at all time...

BACKGROUND A new biological domestic wastewater treatment process, which has been presented these days in activated sludge modification, is Upflow Sludge Blanket Filtration (USBF). This process is aerobic and acts by using a sludge blanket in the separator of sedimentation tank. All biological flocs and suspended solids, which are presented in the aeration basin, pas through this blanket. The p...