Bed Area Research Articles

International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Study of Reproducibility in Assessment of Pathologic Response in Resected Lung Cancers After Neoadjuvant Therapy

IntroductionPathologic response has been proposed as an early clinical trial end point of survival after neoadjuvant treatment in clinical trials of NSCLC. The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) published recommendations for pathologic evaluation of resected lung cancers after neoadjuvant therapy. The aim of this study was to assess pathologic response interobserver reproducibility using IASLC criteria. MethodsAn international panel of 11 pulmonary pathologists reviewed hematoxylin and eosin–stained slides from the lung tumors of resected NSCLC from 84 patients who received neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors in six clinical trials. Pathologic response was assessed for percent viable tumor, necrosis, and stroma. For each slide, tumor bed area was measured microscopically, and pre-embedded formulas calculated unweighted and weighted major pathologic response (MPR) averages to reflect variable tumor bed proportion. ResultsUnanimous agreement among pathologists for MPR was observed in 68 patients (81%), and inter-rater agreement (IRA) was 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76–0.92) and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.79–0.93) for unweighted and weighted averages, respectively. Overall, unweighted and weighted methods did not reveal significant differences in the classification of MPR. The highest concordance by both methods was observed for cases with more than 95% viable tumor (IRA = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96–1) and 0% viable tumor (IRA = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89–0.98). The most common reasons for discrepancies included interpretations of tumor bed, presence of prominent stromal inflammation, distinction between reactive and neoplastic pneumocytes, and assessment of invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma. ConclusionsOur study revealed excellent reliability in cases with no residual viable tumor and good reliability for MPR with the IASLC recommended less than or equal to 10% cutoff for viable tumor after neoadjuvant therapy.

Application of intraoperative optical coherence tomography in deep lamellar keratoplasty

Objective: To evaluate the clinical application value of intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) using the big-bubble technique to bare Descemet's membrane. Methods: Retrospective case series. Clinical data of 92 patients (92 eyes) with monocular stromal corneal diseases who underwent big-bubble DALK in the Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from January 2020 to August 2021 were collected. There were 53 males and 39 females. The average age was (53.2±16.0) years old. All patients underwent iOCT scanning to determine the location and depth of the injection needle after initial removal of the corneal lesion, to observe the integrity of the recipient bed, Descemet's membrane, after complete lesion removal, and to observe the adhesion between the corneal graft and the recipient bed and check folds on the recipient bed after suturing of the corneal graft. The intraoperative perforation of Descemet's membrane, postoperative thickness of the cornea and the recipient bed, visual acuity, and corneal astigmatism were recorded. Results: By iOCT, the thickness of the recipient bed was found to be about 1/2 of the corneal thickness and relatively uniform in all directions in 62 eyes (67.4%), so the sterile air was injected from the center of the recipient bed to separate it from the stromal layer. In 30 eyes (32.6%) with an uneven thickness of the recipient bed, the sterile air was injected from the paracentral area of the recipient bed. Under the guidance of iOCT scanning, 89 eyes (96.7%) did not experience any perforation of Descemet's membrane during surgery. The Descemet's membrane folds in the central 5-mm area of the recipient bed was observed and flattened in 20 eyes with the assistance of iOCT scanning. The postoperative corneal thickness was (578.95±108.26) μm, and the recipient bed thickness was (36.06±23.11) μm. The best corrected visual acuity of all patients at 6 months after surgery was 0.57±0.25 logMAR, which was significantly better than that before surgery (1.61±1.27 logMAR; P<0.001). The average corneal astigmatism at 6 months after surgery was (2.72±2.44) diopters. Conclusions: The application of iOCT scanning in DALK surgery assisted by the big-bubble method can provide safe guidance for surgeons to adopt correct surgical procedures, decrease the risk of Descemet's membrane perforation, reduce the recipient bed folds, and facilitate corneal interlayer adhesion, thereby improving the visual prognosis.

Temporal evolution of lake level fluctuations under flood conditions and impacts on the littoral ecosystems

Lake levels fluctuations are conditioned by seasonal variability, water resources management and climate change. Recent studies have shown that global warming potentially affects the risk of flooding and that the decisive factor for flood events is not temperature, but precipitation characteristics and hydrological conditions. Flood events have numerous impacts on social, economic and environmental aspects depending on how humans have altered lands, natural rivers and lake dynamics. Flood protection measures can cause conflicts with conservation measures and with ecosystem services because natural capital is not considered able to control floods and to contribute control floods and that it can contribute to human health and safety. In this paper we analysed the flood events in Lake Maggiore for return time periods of 3 – 5 – 10 – 25 – 50 – 100 – 250 – 500 years, considering the flood frequency in the last ten years using 1868-2021 as a reference period. We discussed the probability distribution of flood peaks, the correlation and linear regression between the lake level fluctuations and macroinvertebrates occurrence. We also presented lake coasts flood hazard mapping. The probability distribution that better describes the annual peak level is the Gumbel function, while for spring and autumn flood events the better distribution is the Log-Pearson type III. One of the historical flood events in terms of magnitude was in 2000, characterized by a return time of about 50 years. The last flood event in 2020, was characterized by a return period of about 10 years. Considering the seasonal frequency of flood, the autumn magnitude was higher than the spring one, and the differences between seasonal flood events progressively increased. The results suggested a high probability of a flood event every three years and also a forecast of a flood of about 197 m asl (3.14 m above the average lake level) every 10 years. Raising the lake level will affect the reed bed area from 193 m asl, and it will be more effective at 194.5 m (up to a 10% reduction). During flood events, the whole reed bed area is submerged. As regard macroinvertebrates composition and abundance, the first results show significant negative relationships between all sampling stations altogether vs the abundance of Cladotanytarsus sp. (Chironominae) and nearly significant positive relationships between water levels at Magadino vs Pscectrocladius sordidellus (Orthocladiinae) abundances. These few results are perhaps due to the current limited data availability.

Environmental assessment of oyster beds in the northern Arabian Gulf Coast of the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab of Emirates (UAE) hosts valuable coastal and marine biodiversity, and oysters are one of the habitants of its marine ecosystem. Oysters play an essential role in the nearshore coasts where they work as an active filter. They filter nutrients, phytoplankton, sediments, heavy metals, and toxins out of the water, which improves the water quality. This is the first study that characterizes oyster bed habitats in the UAE by analyzing water quality parameters, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs)and heavy metals in water, sediments and oyster samples collected from five locations along the coasts of Sharjah, Ajman, and Umm al Quwain. Oyster bed areas supported a diverse assemblage of benthic life including oysters, scallops, pen shells, hard corals, and macroalgae. Mobile species in these habitats included groupers, emperors, snappers, sea snakes, among others. The phytoplankton assemblages were dominated by diatoms, dinoflagellates, and small cryptophytes. Harmful diatom Pseudonitzschia was found in all locations. No detectable concentrations of PAHs and OCPs were reported in this study, and water quality parameters were within the acceptable levels for the region. On the other hand, water quality index was reported marginal, mostly due to the presence of higher than acceptable concentrations of chromium and mercury in all sites studied. Bioconcentration factors concluded that oysters were able to bioconcentrate metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and zinc, when compared to water. No detectable concentrations of lead and mercury were reported in oysters, suggesting higher depuration rates for those metals.

Unlocking potential: clinical benefits of enlarging the nail bed explored through continuous W-shaped incisions

PurposeNail bed atrophy, a common condition for which conservative treatments have limited efficacy, continues to present challenges in determining the optimal surgical intervention. This study introduces a novel technique for nail bed expansion.Materials and MethodsA total of 34 patients with nail bed atrophy, selected between 2015 and 2020 (ChiCTR2000036232), were randomized into a control group (n = 17) and a surgical group (n = 17). While no specialized treatment was administered to the control group, the surgical group underwent continuous W-shaped incisions on the ventral side of the digits.ResultsFollowing a 12-month follow-up period, changes in nail bed height, width, area, esthetic satisfaction, pain levels, and tactile sensation were assessed in both groups. In the surgical group, the height, width, and area of the nail bed increased significantly by 1.50 ± 0.49 times, 1.16 ± 0.23 times, and 1.69 ± 0.60 times, respectively, compared to the preoperative measurements. The newly-formed nail plate exhibited improved esthetics, characterized by its smoothness and transparency, a marked improvement over the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, this surgical approach showed significant effects, regardless of whether it was applied to fingers or toes.Conclusion:The continuous W-shaped incision technique demonstrated substantial benefits and could be a practical therapeutic approach for nail bed enlargement.

Synthesis and Radiolabeling of Glu-Urea-Lys with 99mTc-Tricarbonyl-Imidazole-Bathophenanthroline Disulfonate Chelation System and Biological Evaluation as Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Inhibitor.

Background: The Glu-Urea-Lys (EUK) pharmacophore as prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted ligand was synthesized, radiolabeled with 99mTc-tricarbonyl-imidazole-BPS chelation system, and biological activities were evaluated. The strategy [2 + 1] ligand is applied for tricarbonyl labeling. (5-imidazole-1-yl)pentanoic acid as a monodentate ligand and bathophenanthroline disulfonate (BPS) as a bidentate ligand formed a chelate system with 99mTc-tricarbonyl. EUK-pentanoic acid-imidazole and EUK were evaluated for PSMA active site using AutoDock 4 software. Materials and Methods: EUK-pentanoic acid-imidazole was synthesized in two steps. BPS was radiolabeled with 99mTc-tricarbonyl at 100°C for 30 min. The purified 99mTc(CO)3(H2O)BPS was used to radiolabel EUK-pentanoic acid-imidazole at 100°C, 30 min. Radiochemical purity, Log P, and stability studies were carried out within 24 h. Affinity of 99mTc(CO)3BPS-imidazole-EUK was performed in the saturation binding studies using LNCaP cells at 37°C for 1 h with a range of 0.001-1000 nM radiolabeled compound range. Internalization studies were performed in LNCaP cells with 1000 nM radiolabeled compound incubated for (0-2) h at 37°C. Biodistribution was studied in normal male Balb/c mice. The artificial intelligence predicts the uptake of radiolabeled compound in tumor. Results: The structures of synthesized compounds were confirmed by mass spectroscopy. Radiochemical purity, Log P, and protein binding were ≥95%, -0.2%, and 23%, respectively. The radiolabeled compound was stable in saline and human plasma within 24 h with radiochemical purity ≥90%. There was no release of 99mTc within 4 h in competition with histidine. The affinity was 82 ± 26.38 nM, and the activity increased inside the cells over time. Biodistribution studies showed radioactivity accumulation in kidneys less than 99mTc-HYNIC-PSMA. There was a moderate accumulation of radioactivity in the liver and intestine. Conclusion: Based on the results, 99mTc(CO)3BPS-imidazole-EUK can potentially be used as an imaging agent for studies at prostate bed and distal areas. The chelate system can be potentially labeled with rhenium for imaging studies (fluorescent or scintigraphy) and therapy.

Numerical investigation on the influence of a spoiler structure for local scour protection

As a Marine structure, monopile foundations can significantly change the hydrodynamic conditions around the piles, leading to local scour. The main causes of local scour around monopile foundations are horseshoe vortex, downward flow, and wake vortex. In this study, a large-diameter monopile foundation of offshore wind power is taken as the research object. A novel spoiler structure is proposed and a three-dimensional numerical model is established. Based on numerical simulation, the influence mechanism of spoiler structure on local scour around monopile is investigated in constant current. The influence of length L and height H2 of the spoiler on the location and strength of local horseshoe vortex is discussed, and the distribution characteristics of the bed shear stress are obtained. By comparing the distribution of local horseshoe vortex and bed shear stress with and without spoiler, it is found that the spoiler ribs can significantly reduce the strength of horseshoe vortex and the regional shear stress between ribs. The local horseshoe vortex presents three flow mechanisms under different geometric spoiler structures, namely independent horseshoe vortex, disturbed horseshoe vortex, and separated horseshoe vortex. In the three horseshoe vortex states, the protected bed area has a linear relationship with the spoiler geometric length or height. Additionally, the spoiler exhibits good scour protection characteristics with L/H2=1. By analyzing the flow field characteristics around the spoiler, the influence mechanism of ribs on the horseshoe vortex and shear stress distribution around the monopile foundation is revealed. Overall, the novel spoiler structure shows promising results for local erosion protection, and it has practical importance for guiding the protection design of monopile foundations.

Effect of sand mining on riparian landcover transformation in Dallung-Kukou catchment of the White Volta basin, Ghana

Rapid urbanization has increased demand for sand in the construction industry to meet housing and infrastructure needs of urban population. The Dallung-Kukuo catchment of the White Volta River Basin is a major sand mining site for the construction industry in Tamale and other peri-urban communities. On the contrary, the river serves as a major source of water supply to the population. Riparian vegetation is essential to water protection, but research has focused extensively on the impact of sand mining on water quality in the river basin. The present study employed GIS and remote sensing techniques coupled with in-situ vegetation sampling to assess riparian land cover changes from 1990 to 2021. Land cover images of the catchment revealed a 14.9% increase in sand mining area, while river bed area and woodland cover decreased by 0.7% and 20%, respectively, from 1990 to 2021. A comparison of woody plant diversity also showed a higher Shannon diversity index in the unmined area of the riparian zone (3.0) compared to the sand mining area (2.0). Environmental Protection Agency and traditional authorities should intensify monitoring to protect the White Volta basin from unsustainable exploitation.

Age and growth analyses of the purple sea urchin Heliocidaris crassispina inhabiting different feeding environments in the Shimane Peninsula, Japan

The purple sea urchin Heliocidaris crassispina is an echinoid responsible for the denudation of rocky shore seaweed in recent years. We used the gonad index to estimate the spawning period and rotula bones of the mouth to determine the age of H. crassispina individuals living in different feeding environments in the Shimane Peninsula. Seasonal changes in the gonad index suggested that the spawning season for H. crassispina was from May to July, with peak spawning in June. Ring forms in H. crassispina once a year based on the timing of the appearance of the dark zone on the rotula bone; this generally begins around June during the peak spawning period. The age (years) and test diameter (TD, mm) data were fitted to various growth equations. The von Bertalanffy equation that separately used data from the “seaweed bed area” and the “isoyake area” (rocky shore seaweed denudation) resulted in the best fit, with TDt=70.5 (1−e−0.174(t+1.018)) and TDt=60.8 (1−e−0.191(t+1.463)), respectively. This suggested that differences in the feeding environment have a significant effect on the growth of H. crassispina, even in the same bay area. Furthermore, the oldest specimen was estimated to be 25 years old, suggesting that H. crassispina has a higher longevity than that previously reported. Therefore, it is important to manage the H. crassispina population by systematic extermination and not by relying on natural mortality to prevent the decline of seaweed beds.

Palliative care unit treatment and care for a terminal breast cancer patient with untreated obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Although palliative care units treat patients with various comorbidities, there are no reports of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The treatment and care of a breast cancer patient with OCD are presented. A woman in her 40s was admitted to the palliative care unit for terminal breast cancer. She spent most of the day cleaning the bath and bed areas, ignoring efforts to restrain her actions by the staff. After being diagnosed with OCD, the above symptoms improved through the coordinated action of the staff and medication. This is the first report of the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with OCD in a palliative care unit. Early psychiatric diagnosis and subsequent staff response contributed to improvement in the patient's quality of life.

Invasive diatom, Cymbella janischii adhering on body surface of native aquatic beetles, Grouvellinus nitidus (Elmidae) and Ectopria opaca (Psephenidae) in Japan

AbstractCymbella janischii, an invasive species of diatom, has been broadening its geographical range in Japan since 2004, flourishing in substantial colonies in river beds. As thick and mucilaginous colonies of this diatom often cover large areas of river beds, this elicits concerns regarding the potential alteration of sedimentary bottom structures and resultant effects on the native ecosystems. The presence of the diatoms growing on the body surface of two aquatic beetles, Grouvellinus nitidus (Elmidae) and Ectopria opaca (Psephenidae) in a Japanese river was confirmed. This constitutes the inaugural documentation of invasive diatoms having a specific relationship with native aquatic insects at an individual level.

Seasonal variations of macrozoobenthic community trophic structure in the waters adjacent to the seaweed beds of Dalian Island in the North Yellow Sea.

To investigate the effects of algal detritus export on the trophic structure of macrozoobenthic community in the adjacent benthic habitat during the bloom and decline of macroalgae, we collected macrozoobenthos from the adjacent sea area of Dalian Island in the North Yellow Sea in May (the algal bloom period) and August (the algal decay period) of 2020. We quantifyied the seasonal changes in the trophic structure of macrozoobenthic community by using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope techniques. Results showed that δ13C and δ15N values of macrozoo-benthos in May ranged from -23.14‰ to -14.24‰, 6.21‰ to 12.90‰, respectively, and -22.36‰ to -14.13‰, 5.33‰ to 12.00‰, respectively in August. Results of PERMANOVA analysis showed that δ13C values of macrozoobenthos differed significantly between the two months, while δ15N values were not significantly different. Based on the Euclidean distance, the macrozoobenthic communities in both months could be classified into five trophic functional groups. The trophic levels of macrozoobenthos ranged from 2.00 (Nitidotellina minuta) to 3.97 (Glycera onomichiensis) in May and from 2.00 (N. minuta) to 3.96 (G. onomichiensis) in August. The δ13C range, δ15N range, mean centroid distance, total area and corrected standard ellipse areas which represented community trophic structure indices in August were higher than those in May. Our results indicated that the trophic diversity level and trophic niche width of the macrozoobenthic community in the adjacent sea area of the seaweed bed were higher in the algal decline season.

Detection of reed using cnn method and analysis of the dry reed (phragmites australis) for a sustainable lake area

BackgroundCommon reed (Phragmites australis L.) is a highly productive wetland plant and a possible valuable resource of renewable biomass worldwide. For a sustainable management the exploitation of reed is beneficial because the increasing demand for sustainable biomass which presents reed bed areas and wetlands. Knowing the properties of plant biomass obtained from reeds is essential both for the effect on combustion equipment and for the impact on the environment. Brates Lake, situated in Galati, Romania is a natural watershed with reed plantations.ResultsWe used the convolutional neural network method combined with the cropped image techniques represent a powerful tool for high-precision image-based biomass detection in lake areas. The study aimed to investigate the morphological and chemical parameters through SEM–EDX analysis and pH, conductivity, nitrate anion, nitrite anion, total nitrogen, sulphate anion, sulphide anion, phosphate anion concentrations were determined from reed extract. The samples have a moderately acidic reaction pH 4.91–4.98. The number of soluble salts in the reed extract is in the range of 3.24–4.70 g/L, the values are within normal limits, providing the plant with the necessary nutrients.ConclusionsThis is the first time that neural networks are used for the detection and prediction of areas at risk for biodiversity (reduction of water gloss until it disappears, imbalances caused by keeping reeds dry in water) caused by the aggressive and uncontrolled growth of reeds.

AI-based computer-aided diagnostic system of chest digital tomography synthesis: Demonstrating comparative advantage with X-ray-based AI systems

Background:Compared with chest X-ray (CXR) imaging, which is a single image projected from the front of the patient, chest digital tomosynthesis (CDTS) imaging can be more advantageous for lung lesion detection because it acquires multiple images projected from multiple angles of the patient. Various clinical comparative analysis and verification studies have been reported to demonstrate this, but there is no artificial intelligence (AI)-based comparative analysis studies. Existing AI-based computer-aided detection (CAD) systems for lung lesion diagnosis have been developed mainly based on CXR images; however, CAD-based on CDTS, which uses multi-angle images of patients in various directions, has not been proposed and verified for its usefulness compared to CXR-based counterparts.Background and objective:This study develops and tests a CDTS-based AI CAD system to detect lung lesions to demonstrate performance improvements compared to CXR-based AI CAD.Methods:We used multiple (e.g., five) projection images as input for the CDTS-based AI model and a single-projection image as input for the CXR-based AI model to compare and evaluate the performance between models. Multiple/single projection input images were obtained by virtual projection on the three-dimensional (3D) stack of computed tomography (CT) slices of each patient’s lungs from which the bed area was removed. These multiple images result from shooting from the front and left and right 30/60∘. The projected image captured from the front was used as the input for the CXR-based AI model. The CDTS-based AI model used all five projected images. The proposed CDTS-based AI model consisted of five AI models that received images in each of the five directions, and obtained the final prediction result through an ensemble of five models. Each model used WideResNet-50. To train and evaluate CXR- and CDTS-based AI models, 500 healthy data, 206 tuberculosis data, and 242 pneumonia data were used, and three three-fold cross-validation was applied.Results:The proposed CDTS-based AI CAD system yielded sensitivities of 0.782 and 0.785 and accuracies of 0.895 and 0.837 for the (binary classification) performance of detecting tuberculosis and pneumonia, respectively, against normal subjects. These results show higher performance than the sensitivity of 0.728 and 0.698 and accuracies of 0.874 and 0.826 for detecting tuberculosis and pneumonia through the CXR-based AI CAD, which only uses a single projection image in the frontal direction. We found that CDTS-based AI CAD improved the sensitivity of tuberculosis and pneumonia by 5.4% and 8.7% respectively, compared to CXR-based AI CAD without loss of accuracy.Conclusions:This study comparatively proves that CDTS-based AI CAD technology can improve performance more than CXR. These results suggest that we can enhance the clinical application of CDTS. Our code is available at https://github.com/kskim-phd/CDTS-CAD-P.

Neoadjuvant tislelizumab combined with APF for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A prospective single-arm clinical trial.

6080 Background: Seeking out a more effective and less-toxic regimen is necessary for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant anti-programmed cell death-1 antibody tislelizumab combined with APF (albumin-bound paclitaxel, platinum and fluorouracil) followed by surgery or concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Methods: In this prospective, single-center, single-arm clinical study, previously untreated patients with locally advanced HNSCC, aged 18-75 years without severe comorbidities and contraindications to immunotherapy are enrolled. Eligible patients received A (200 mg/m2 d1) P (60 mg/m2 d1- d2) F (600 mg/m2 CIV120h) induction chemotherapy along with tislelizumab (200 mg d1) every 3 weeks. The curative effect is evaluated (RECIST 1.1) after 3 cycles and a multidisciplinary team discuss whether to perform surgery. For patients undergoing surgery, treatment is completed if there is no residual and extra-capsular lymph node invasion; in case of positive surgical margin, or extracapsular lymph node invasion, or residual lymph nodes, patient will receive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (tumor bed and neck lymph drainage area 66 Gy~70 Gy, P 60 mg/m2). Those not suitable for surgery will receive radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy (GTV 66Gy~70Gy, PTV 50Gy, P 60 mg/m2) within 3 weeks after neoadjuvant treatment. The primary endpoint of efficacy evaluation is the pathological complete response (pCR) rate. Safety evaluation indicators include vital signs, laboratory indicators and adverse events (NCI CTC AE4.0). Results: From Apr 2022 to Jan 2023, 12 patients are screened and enrolled. For the 7 patients who complete 3 cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, 3 patients (42.8%) successfully undergo surgery, with 2 patients (28.5%) achieving pCR and 1 patient (14.3%) achieving major pathological response (MPR). For the other 4 patients, 1 patient (14.3%) achieve pCR by multipoint biopsy of the primary lesion and 2 patients (28.5%) obtain radiologic partial response (PR) by MRI. 1 patient’ lymph nodes tend to increase during radiotherapy and that patient withdraw from clinical trial and undergo salvage surgery. The objective response rate (ORR) of neoadjuvant treatment is 85.7% and pCR rate is 42.9%. Grade 2 or higher AEs during neoadjuvant therapy include grade 2 liver function damage (n = 1, 8.3%), grade 3 myelosuppression (n = 1, 8.3%). 1 (8.3%) patient developed radiation-related oral mucositis (RTOG 2). No other obvious adverse reactions of radiotherapy, chemotherapy or immunotherapy are observed. Conclusions: Combining Tislelizumab with APF followed by surgery or radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy is feasible and effective in patients with locally advanced HNSCC, and further studies are needed to verify its effectiveness and safety.

The research of gas-solid fluidized bed bubbling behavior based on CFD-DEM coupled simulation

Fluidized bed is an efficient reactor. For fluidized beds, the changes and bubbling behavior of the bed are important indicators of fluidization quality. Different operating conditions can affect the bed state and bubbling behavior. Moreover, the generation and rupture laws of bubbles under different operating conditions have not been thoroughly studied. Based on the CFD-DEM method, this paper investigates the bubbling behavior and bed state of fluidized beds with different boiler shapes. The simulation results indicate that the inclined fluidized bed has the most significant range of variation and the largest cross-sectional area of bubbles, with a maximum area of 231.76 mm2. The bubbling interface area of the conical fluidized bed without corners is only 83.76 mm2. Smaller bubbles tend to have a larger aspect ratio and a form factor closer to 1. In addition, the merging phenomenon in the early stage of bubble formation makes it more difficult to track the rupture. These results will help improve the contact between gas and solid phases, providing a theoretical basis for improving the performance of fluidized beds.

Mapping of seagrass ecosystem on Bontosua Island, Pangkep District, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract. Rosalina D, Jamil K, Arafat Y, Amalia R, Leilani A. 2023. Mapping of seagrass ecosystem on Bontosua Island, Pangkep District, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 2023-2030. Bontosua Island is one of the islands in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, that has a seagrass ecosystem. The purpose of this study was to assess the density, cover, area, and condition of seagrass on Bontosua Island. The data collection involved the use of a quadratic transect method in the field and the Lyzenga method for remote sensing. The identification of seagrass areas was made using Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS satellite. Six seagrass species were identified, namely Cymodocea rotundata, Thalassia hemprichii, Halodule uninervis, Halodule pinifolia, Syringodium isoetifolium and Halophila sp. The results showed that C. rotundata had the highest density value of 89 Ind/m² and was categorized as rather dense, while C. rotundata also had the highest percentage cover of 58%, and Halophila sp. had the lowest percentage cover of 2%. The distribution area of seagrass beds on Bontosua Island was approximately 28.26 ha, out of a total area of 92 ha, of which approximately 6 ha was land. Observations on the condition of seagrass beds showed that 16.65 ha was healthy, 6.3 ha was unhealthy, while 5.31 ha was poor.

Numerical modeling of transient cuttings transport in deviated wellbores

Hole-cleaning optimization is one of the major challenges while drilling long-reach horizontal wells. Accumulation of cuttings can affect the equivalent circulating density (ECD) by decreasing the open flow area and increasing the average density of the drilling fluid. The transient development or removal of cuttings bed due to variation of operating parameters are often ignored in the majority of prior numerical studies. In this paper, it is aimed to develop a transient cutting transport model to predict ECD while drilling. A one-dimensional transient two-phase hydraulic model based on the drift-flux approach is developed to predict the cuttings transport considering cuttings deposition and entrainment. The numerical method employs an upwind scheme to discretize the governing equations. To account for the effect of operating parameters on the cuttings bed, two empirical correlations were employed from the literature. A new empirical correlation is also developed for the prediction of cuttings bed hold-up through regression analysis of the experimental results of a published study. A computer program is developed to solve the governing equations and predict the ECD taking into account the effect of suspended cuttings and cuttings bed along the wellbore trajectory. The numerical model is validated by comparing the predicted return weight of cuttings with measured data in the literature for the cases of no pipe rotation and pipe rotation. The effects of employed empirical correlations on predicted ECD profiles are also examined for a hypothetical well. It is realized that the predicted cuttings bed area of the proposed correlation falls between the predictions of the existing empirical correlations. It is concluded that the most conservative prediction in terms of cutting accumulation in the wellbore cannot necessarily yield a conservative prediction in terms of ECD for early times.

Door to diuretics time is longer among heart failure patients with atrial fibrillation

Hole-cleaning optimization is one of the major challenges while drilling long-reach horizontal wells. Accumulation of cuttings can affect the equivalent circulating density (ECD) by decreasing the open flow area and increasing the average density of the drilling fluid. The transient development or removal of cuttings bed due to variation of operating parameters are often ignored in the majority of prior numerical studies. In this paper, it is aimed to develop a transient cutting transport model to predict ECD while drilling. A one-dimensional transient two-phase hydraulic model based on the drift-flux approach is developed to predict the cuttings transport considering cuttings deposition and entrainment. The numerical method employs an upwind scheme to discretize the governing equations. To account for the effect of operating parameters on the cuttings bed, two empirical correlations were employed from the literature. A new empirical correlation is also developed for the prediction of cuttings bed hold-up through regression analysis of the experimental results of a published study. A computer program is developed to solve the governing equations and predict the ECD taking into account the effect of suspended cuttings and cuttings bed along the wellbore trajectory. The numerical model is validated by comparing the predicted return weight of cuttings with measured data in the literature for the cases of no pipe rotation and pipe rotation. The effects of employed empirical correlations on predicted ECD profiles are also examined for a hypothetical well. It is realized that the predicted cuttings bed area of the proposed correlation falls between the predictions of the existing empirical correlations. It is concluded that the most conservative prediction in terms of cutting accumulation in the wellbore cannot necessarily yield a conservative prediction in terms of ECD for early times.

Mapping Sea Grass Coverage of Tanjung Benoa Bali Using Medium Resolution Satellite Imagery Sentinel 2B

Seagrass beds are important components of a coastal ecosystem. This ecosystem serves as the primer producers of the water food chain, habitat for marine biota, produces organic carbon, and indirectly contributes to the economic well-being of coastal communities. However, the ecosystem is vulnerable to damage caused by natural factors and human activities. The objectives of this study were, firstly to identify the distribution of seagrass beds in Tanjung Benoa using Sentinel 2B satellite imagery and secondly to compare classification results from two different approaches namely pixel-based image classification and object-based image classification. Accuracy-test was carried out using field data reference of 195 sample points in the form of a 10 m X 10 m transect. The image pre-processing process was conducted with Bottom of Atmosphere (BoA) correction using the Dark Object Subtraction (DOS) method. Furthermore, the water column correction was performed using the Depth Invariant Index (DII) and the Lyzenga algorithm. The mapping results showed that the area of seagrass beds in the shallow waters of Tanjung Benoa reaches 242.99 ha. There were seven seagrass species in the study area, with an average cover of 75%. The accuracy of object-based image classification was higher than that of pixel-based classification with a difference up to 25% for six classes classification and 15% for two classes classification. Excellent results for classifying seagrasses based on cover density can be obtained when high-resolution satellite imagery and OBIA are combined with the SVM or Fuzzy Logic algorithm.