Vertical Thickness Research Articles

EPHA2, EPHA4, and EPHA6 Expression in Uveal Melanomas: Searching for the Culprits of Neoplasia.

Uveal melanomas (UMs) comprise the most common primary intraocular malignancies in adults, with the eye representing the second most common site for melanoma, following the skin. Prognosis remains poor, with approximately half of the cases presenting with metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. Erythropoietin-producing human hepatocellular receptors (EPHs) comprise the largest known family of tyrosine receptors, in which, along with their ligands, ephrins, play an important role in a plethora of processes in human physiology, and are implicated in key steps of carcinogenesis. In the present study, EPHA2, EPHA4, and EPHA6 immunohistochemical expressions were investigated in UM tissues and further correlated to a multitude of clinicopathological parameters, including disease stage and patients’ overall survival (OS). High levels of EPHA2 expression were significantly associated with increased tumor vertical thickness (p = 0.03) and the presence of intrascleral involvement (p = 0.05), whereas high EPHA6 nuclear expression was associated with older age at diagnosis (p = 0.03) and absence of retinal detachment (p = 0.05). In a multivariate survival analysis, increased EPHA4 expression was associated with shortened OS along with the presence of metastasis (p < 0.001) and monosomy 3 (p = 0.02). In a separate model, the concurrent overexpression of at least two of the investigated EPHs (HR = 14.7, p = 0.03) also proved to be an independent poor prognostic factor. In conclusion, our results implicate these specific members of the EPHA group as potential biomarkers for disease prognosis as well as possible targets for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.

Plasmonic excitations in nanorings: Thickness dependent unusual coupling effects

Plasmonic coupling in both metallic and graphene nanostructures, is of particular interest for fundamental physics and potential applications. Here, we study plasmonic coupling in gold nanorings possessing different vertical thickness, by using three-dimensional finite element method as implemented in COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS. As well known, the coupling between inner and outer edges will result in mode splitting, namely, a symmetric (lower frequency) mode and an antisymmetric (higher frequency) mode; and a larger coupling corresponds to a larger mode shifting, e.g. with a blueshift for the antisymmetric mode and a redshift for the symmetric mode. However, in very thin gold nanorings, we find as increasing the ratio of inner radius to outer radius (equivalently increasing the coupling), the antisymmetric mode exhibits a redshift at first and then a blueshift, which is consistent with that in graphene nanorings of zero thickness. We show this unusual coupling effect depends on the thickness and size of nanorings, and is more significant in nanorings of smaller thickness and size. Our work is a nature extension of recent plasmonic studies, and offers an alternative way to tune in-plane plasmonic resonances by the vertical dimension.

Early stage diapirism in the Red Sea deep-water evaporites: Origins and length-scales

Rayleigh-Taylor models for diapirism predict that diapirs should develop with characteristic spacings, whereas other models predict varied spacings. The deep-water Miocene evaporites in the Red Sea provide a useful opportunity to quantify length scales of diapirism to compare with model predictions. We first review the stratigraphy of the uppermost evaporites in high-resolution seismic data, revealing tectonic growth stratigraphy indicating that halokinetic movements occurred while the evaporites were being deposited. In some places, movements continued after the Miocene evaporite phase. The S-reflection marking the top of the evaporites is an erosional surface, in places, truncating anticlines of layered evaporites. In others, reflections within the uppermost evaporites are conformable, suggesting a lack of erosion. The top of the evaporites therefore had relief at the end of the Miocene. We select for numerical analysis 14 long profiles of topography of the S-reflection. Variograms derived from them after detrending reveal minor periodicity, though with varied wavelength, and varied roughness of the surface. However, an average variogram computed from these profiles is nearly exponential, indicating that the evaporite surface is mostly stochastic with no uniform scale of diapirism. An exponential model fitted to that average variogram suggests a spatial range over which the S-reflection topography becomes decorrelated of 3 km, which is comparable with the mean vertical thickness of the evaporite body. Power spectra of the evaporite surface are flatter at long wavelengths, which we interpret as due to weakness of halite preventing large surface relief from developing. The results suggest only modest periodicity, so the Rayleigh-Taylor model does not explain deformation in the Red Sea evaporites studied here. Their topography may turn out to be useful for suggesting the vertical scales and lengthscales of relief to expect of early stages of other salt giants, such as that of the Santo Basin.

Contribution of Undesired Medial Surface Shape to Suboptimal Voice Outcome After Medialization Laryngoplasty

Voice production in pathological conditions or after surgical intervention often involves undesired medial surface shape such as reduced vertical thickness and/or left-right asymmetry in medial surface shape. The effect of such undesired medial surface on voice production remains unclear, and is often not taken into consideration during planning of surgical intervention, due to difficulty of imaging the medial surface in patients. This study aims to better understand how voice outcomes are impacted by undesired medial surface shape. Computational simulations were conducted to parametrically manipulate medial surface shape and stiffness and observe its consequence on voice production. The results showed that undesired medial surface shape can result in incomplete glottal closure, weak voice production, increased phonation threshold, and significantly reduced vocal efficiency, particularly in the presence of left-right stiffness asymmetry. In addition to approximating the vocal folds, medialization laryngoplasty should aim to sufficiently increase medial surface thickness, which may improve voice outcomes in patients whose voices remain unsatisfactory or suboptimal after initial intervention. While a divergent implant may increase medial surface thickness, precise implant placement in anticipation of tissue and implant deformation during the insertion process is equally important in order to achieve desired medial surface shape and optimal voice outcomes.

Glottic Insufficiency in the Vertical Plane in Patients With Unknown-Source Unilateral Vocal Fold Hypomobility

To observe the laryngeal CT and strobe laryngoscopy signs of unilateral vocal fold hypomobility (UVFHM) in patients with well-closed glottises in the horizontal plane. A retrospective analysis was performed on 18 subjects with well-closed glottises in the horizontal plane using strobe laryngoscopy, 9 patients diagnosed with unilateral vocal fold hypomobility with an unknown etiology were enrolled in the UVFHM group, and 9 healthy matched subjects with symmetrical bilateral vocal fold movement were enrolled in the control group. Vertical plane distances of bilateral vocal folds and three-dimensional structural parameters of vocal folds were measured through laryngeal CT. Glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane and reflux findings scores (RFS) were assessed under laryngeal CT and strobe laryngoscopy. Reflux symptom index (RSI) were collected. SPSS25.0 software was used for statistical analysis. The height differences in vertical plane and thicknesses of bilateral vocal folds in the UVFHM group were larger than those in the control (P < 0.05), while the length, width and subglottic convergence angle of the vocal folds were not statistically significant between the two groups (P > 0.05). In the UVFHM group, laryngeal CT showed that 77.78% of patients (7/9) had glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane, with height differences ranging from 0.3 to 1.9 mm and a mean of 0.76mm. However, strobe laryngoscopy showed that 33.33% (3/9) had glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane. The proportion of patients with glottic insufficiency in vertical plane in the UVFHM group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). RSI and RFS scores of the UVFHM group were higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane often occurred in patients with UVFHM with an unknown cause of hoarseness, so the presence of glottic insufficiency in the vertical plane should be considered when hoarseness is detected by clinicians. Laryngeal dynamic CT can enhance the diagnostic rate compared to strobe laryngoscopy. Unexplained UVFHM patients have higher RSI and RFS compared to control subjects, warranting further research about the relationship between UVFHM and laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Effect of altitude on vertical temperature distribution and longitudinal smoke layer thickness in long tunnel fires

SummaryBased on large eddy simulation, a series of long tunnel fire experiments with different heat release rates (HRRs) and altitudes were carried out. The vertical temperature and thickness of fire smoke are studied. The simulation results show that the higher the altitude, the lower the flame temperature rise, while the change of smoke plume temperature rise is opposite. The movement of smoke in the tunnel can be divided into four regions, and the smoke layer thickness in the longitudinal direction of the tunnel corresponds to the latter three regions. The thickness in Region II increases along the longitudinal direction, the thickness in Region III is a constant value, and the thickness in Region IV increases along the longitudinal direction. Besides, the change of altitude only has an effect on the smoke layer thickness in Region IV. Then, by considering the altitude, HRR, and smoke layer thickness, and using dimensional analysis, an empirical formula for predicting the smoke layer thickness under the influence of altitude in Region IV was established.

Kinematic footprint of the Milky Way spiral arms in Gaia EDR3

ABSTRACT The Milky Way spiral arms are well established from star counts as well as from the locus of molecular clouds and other young objects; however, they have only recently started to be observed from a kinematics point of view. Using the kinematics of thin disc stars in Gaia EDR3 around the extended solar neighbourhood, we create x–y projections coloured by the radial, residual rotational, and vertical Galactocentric velocities (U, ΔV, W). The maps are rich in substructures and reveal the perturbed state of the Galactic disc. We find that local differences between rotational velocity and the azimuthally averaged velocity, ΔV, display at least five large-scale kinematic spirals; two of them closely follow the locus of the Sagittarius-Carina and Perseus spiral arms, with pitch angles of 9.12° and 7.76°, and vertical thickness of ∼400 pc and ∼600 pc, respectively. Another kinematic spiral is located behind the Perseus arm and appears as a distortion in rotation velocities left by this massive arm but with no known counterpart in gas or stars overdensity. A weaker signal close to the Sun’s position is present in our three velocity maps, and appears to be associated with the Local arm. Our analysis of the stellar velocities in the Galactic disc shows kinematic differences between arms and interarms that are in favour of Milky Way spiral arms that do not corotate with the disc. Moreover, we show that the kinematic spirals are clumpy and flocculent, revealing the underlying nature of the Milky Way spiral arms.

Effect of Ti-Base Abutment Gingival Height on Maintenance of Crestal Bone in Thick Biotype Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial with 1-Year Follow-up.

To determine the effect of 0.7- and 2.4-mm transmucosal abutment height titanium bases on the crestal bone stability and peri-implant soft tissue condition of bone-level implants with platform switching in patients with vertically thick soft tissues. Sixty bone-level platform-switched implants were placed in the molar and premolar regions of both arches in 60 patients. All epicrestally inserted nonsubmerged implants had a 4.1-mm diameter and, after osteointegration, were randomly allocated into two groups: (1) the short group, with a titanium base of 0.7-mm transmucosal abutment height, and (2) the high group with a 2.4-mm height. Monolithic zirconia restorations were fabricated for all implants. Parallel intraoral radiographs were obtained after the delivery of restorations (T1) and after 1 year (T2). Crestal bone levels and peri-implant soft tissue conditions were calculated for each implant. The significance level was set at α = .05. After 1 year, 55 patients were evaluated, with a mean bone loss of 0.6 ± 0.51 mm (median: 0.71, range: 0 to 2.09 mm) in the short group (23 patients) and 0.45 ± 0.59 mm (median: 0.65, range: 0 to 2.12 mm) in the high group (22 patients), showing no significant difference between groups (P = .168). A significant increase in marginal bone height was noted between the T1 and T2 time points in the short and high (P = .029 and .001, respectively) groups. The peri-implant soft tissue health parameters did not show statistically significant differences. Crestal bone stability after 1 year of follow-up around epicrestally placed platform-switched implants is not influenced by transmucosal abutment height, if the vertical soft tissue thickness is ≥ 3 mm.

Abstract No.: ABS2511: Ultrasound assessment of airway parameters and their clinical correlation to predict difficult airway and laryngoscopy.

Background&Aims:Increased tongue thickness, pre-epiglottic depth and anterior-neck soft tissue thickness are likely to be associated with difficultairways. This study was aimed to find out various ultrasound airway assessment measurements and their efficacy and correlation with difficult airway and laryngoscopy.Methods:A prospective hospital based observational study was conducted at KLEA’s Dr.Prabhakar Kore Hospital and MRC, KAHER, Belagavi, after attaining institutional ethical committee clearance, in 60 adult American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)I/II patients undergoing tracheal intubationunder general anaesthesia. Patients with head andneck or cervical spine pathology were excluded. Ultrasonographic assessmentof tongue thickness, ratio of Pre-E/E-VC and anterior neck soft tissue thickness at level of vocal cords weredone with patients in supine position, before induction of anaesthesia. These were compared with Cormack-Lehane grading assessed during laryngoscopy and intubation. These assessments were conducted to investigate the potential predictive value of their combination for difficult laryngoscopy.Results:Using Pearson’s correlation, tongue thickness was found to be highly significant in correlation with the Cormack-Lehanegrading along with ratio of Pre-E/E-VC thus to predict difficult laryngoscopy with a significant p value of <0.0001. Thesensitivity of Pre-E/E-VC ratio was found to be 91.67% with a diagnosing accuracy of around 82%. Conclusion:The ultrasound parameters have greater sensitivity and specificity than conventional airway tests. The maximum vertical tongue thickness and ratio of pre-epiglottic space to distance from epiglottis to midpoint-of-vocalcords have better prediction for difficult laryngoscopy.

The Milky Way’s middle-aged inner ring

Aims. We investigate the metallicity, age, and orbital anatomy of the inner Milky Way, specifically focussing on the outer bar region. Methods. We integrated a sample of APOGEE DR16 inner Galaxy stars in a state of the art bar-bulge potential with a slow pattern speed and investigated the link between the resulting orbits and their [Fe/H] and ages. By superimposing the orbits, we built density, [Fe/H], and age maps of the inner Milky Way, which we divided further using the orbital parameters eccentricity, |Xmax|, and |Zmax|. Results. We find that at low heights from the Galactic plane, the Galactic bar gradually transitions into a radially thick, vertically thin, elongated inner ring with average solar [Fe/H]. This inner ring is mainly composed of stars with AstroNN ages between 4 and 9 Gyr with a peak in age between 6 and 8 Gyr, making the average age of the ring ∼6 Gyr. The vertical thickness of the ring decreases markedly towards younger ages. We also find very large L4 Lagrange orbits that have average solar to super-solar metallicities and intermediate ages. Lastly, we confirm a clear X-shape in the [Fe/H] and density distributions at large Galactic heights. Conclusions. The orbital structure obtained for the APOGEE stars reveals that the Milky Way hosts an inner ring-like structure between the planar bar and corotation. This structure is on average metal rich, intermediately aged, and enhances the horizontal metallicity gradient along the bar’s major axis.

Repression of the Antioxidant Pyrroloquinoline Quinone in Skin Aging Induced by Bmi-1 Deficiency.

It is uncertain whether Bmi-1 deficiency could lead to skin aging by redox imbalance and DNA damage. In this study, we first confirmed that Bmi-1 had a relatively high expression level in the skin and Bmi-1 expression levels gradually decreased with age. Then, we studied the role of Bmi-1 in the skin using a Bmi-1−/− mouse model. Bmi-1−/− mice were supplemented with or without pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) for 5 weeks, and their skin phenotypes were compared with Bmi1−/− and wild-type littermates. Our results showed that Bmi-1−/− mice displayed decreased vertical thickness of skin, sparse hair follicles, and thinner and more irregular collagen bundles. Mechanistically, increased oxidative stress with reducing antioxidant capacity and induced DNA damage occurred in Bmi-1−/− mice. Subsequently, this would lead to reduced cell proliferation, increased cell senescence and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and the degradation of fibroblast function and further reduce collagen synthesis. All pathological alterations in the skin of Bmi-1−/− mice were alleviated by PQQ supplementation. These results demonstrated that Bmi-1 might play a key role in protection from skin aging by maintaining redox balance and inhibiting DNA damage response and will be a novel and potential target for preventing skin aging.

Simulating the stratigraphy of meandering channels and point bars of Cretaceous system using spectral decomposition tool, Southwest Pakistan: Implications for petroleum exploration

Fluvial channels (FC) and point bars sandstone (PDs) sedimentary fills form primary brilliant stratigraphic petroleum systems within the transgressive system tract (TST). They are developed during the rapid rise and subsequent standstill of sea-level, which fills the reservoirs with FC and PD. These petroleum systems are ultra-thin-bedded (UTB) due to the very small vertical thickness of TST within the complete depositional sequences. Hence, they create hurdles in the prediction of lithology and porosity for these stratigraphic traps. The continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is the only sub-surface seismic imaging tool of spectral decomposition that can resolve the thin-beds of petroleum-bearing stratigraphic traps. This method removes the tuning effects of ambiguous lithology and fluids that masks the reservoir zones, and hence, generates false bright spots. This method decomposes the conventional seismic data into its constituent frequency components without fixing the vertical time window for the stratigraphic systems. These frequency components are further used for the prediction of lithology and porosity for resolving sub-surface depositional systems. Therefore, the CWT has delineated the fluvial sandstone facies, fractures connectivity, and architecture of the fluvial depositional system during the sea-level fluctuations. The 48-Hz has imaged the regional standstill of sea level, which have accumulated the porous sedimentary facies of coarse-grained FC andPDs. A very local sea-level rise was imaged in the eastern to the central part of this petroleum system. This sea-level fluctuation has implicated that there were minor cycles of transgressive sea-level, which has developed a pure stratigraphic play. The trace envelope attribute experienced a poor correlation coefficient with R2<0.2. The 48-Hz CWT experienced a correlation coefficient of R2>0.91 for FC and PDs. The conventional inverted reservoir simulation has imaged the low-frequency variance inside ~15-31% porous zones of FC and PDs. The 48-Hz volume has imaged the laterally continuous and hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs with >25% porosity. 48-Hz CWT model also has imaged the coarse-grained FC of aggradational meandering channel stream, which were implicated to develop during stand-still of sea-level. These sandstone lenses were enclosed at the top by progradational shale facies of the highstand system tract (HST) and bottom and lateral by the shales of the TST. This workflow serves as an analogue within the SE-Asian sedimentary Basins and similar worldwide geological basins.

Reassessing Depositional Conditions of the Pre-Apulian Zone Based on Synsedimentary Deformation Structures during Upper Paleocene to Lower Miocene Carbonate Sedimentation, from Paxoi and Anti-Paxoi Islands, Northwestern End of Greece

The studied area is situated in northwestern Greece and corresponds to the northern end of the Pre-Apulian Zone, in contact with the Apulian platform to the west and the Ionian Basin to the east. The proposed model is based on fieldwork, measured deformation structures, and age determination of the studied deposits. Until now, the known Pre-Apulian platform or Pre-Apulian zone represents the margins of the Apulian platform to the Ionian Basin and was formed due to the normal faults’ activity during the Mesozoic to Cenozoic Eras. Soft sediment deformation (SSD) structures are widespread within the upper Paleocene to lower Miocene limestones/marly limestones that are exposed in both Paxoi and Anti-Paxoi Islands, mostly along their eastern coasts, across sections of 2–3 km long and up to 60 m high. SSD structures, with a vertical thickness up to 10 m, have been observed in limestones and were formed during or immediately after deposition, during the first stage of sediment consolidation. SSD structures are cross-cut by normal faults, indicating their development during the rift stage. There are at least five different SSD horizons, and most of them present either an eastward or a westward progradation. These SSD structures are classified into four (4) different types of deformations: (1) thick synclines and anticlines, formed due to strong synsedimentary deformation; (2) strong and thick SSD structures that produced erosional contacts both with the underlying and the overlying undeformed horizons; (3) thin slumps, having sharp contacts with the underlying undeformed horizons and erosional contacts with the overlying undeformed horizons; and (4) thin slump horizons passing laterally to undeformed deposits in the same horizon. The studied SSD structures and their age of development introduce active margins between the Apulian platform and the Ionian Basin that have been influenced by normal fault activity. These normal faults have been active since the Ionian Basin changed gradually to a foreland basin, and after the tectonic regime changed from extension to compression, during the early to middle Eocene. It seems that compression in the studied Apulian platform margins arrived later and after the lower Miocene, and after the development of the SSD structures. The confinement of the lower Miocene deposits, both northwards and southwards (in Anti-Paxoi Island), indicates the presence of active transfer faults, with flower structure geometry, that were formed during sedimentation, producing highs and troughs. The present open anticline geometry of Paxoi Island indicates that the Island represents the forebulge area of the middle Miocene Ionian Foreland due to Ionian Thrust activity.

Seismic Work Flow Characterizes Deep, Thin Formation Layers Offshore South China Sea

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 30164, “Deep and Thin Overpressure Reservoir Characterization of Paleogene Wenchang Formation in the Enping 17 Sag of the South China Sea,” by Jun Liu and Yingwei Li, CNOOC, and Donghai Liang, Schlumberger, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2021 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. The complete paper describes an integrated work flow for 3D seismic reservoir characterization of offshore deep and thin layers in the Eocene Wenchang formation (WCF) without sufficient well data. The work flow includes seismic data reprocessing, well-log-based rock physics analysis, seismic structure interpretation, 3D simultaneous amplitude variation with offset (AVO) inversion, 3D lithology prediction, and geological integrated analysis. Formation Development and Objectives The Pearl River Mouth basin (PRMB) on the northern continental margin of the South China Sea has undergone multistage extensional rifts. The Enping Sag lies in the Zhu1 depression, north of the PRMB, and consists of three subsags. Enping 17 is the largest and deepest sag, with an area of 550 km2, and the thickness of Eocene sediments is greater than 3000 m. The deep middle Eocene WCF, with gray lacustrine mudstones, is hydrocarbon-rich and is the major source rock in the area. A wildcat well had penetrated the WCF at an area with a vertical thickness of 380 m. During drilling, the mud weight was increased to 1.46 g/cm3 from 4570 m total vertical depth (TVD) downward because of increasing pore pressure and higher background gas abnormalities in the WCF. A high pore-pressure gradient of 14.5 KPa/m was measured by drillstem test (DST) at a depth of 4641.5 m TVD. Under the protection of the high pore pressure, the high-quality reservoir layer from 4642 to 4651 m TVD was encountered with 12% average porosity, 3.6-md permeability, and 47.1% saturation. Although a hydrocarbon sample was not obtained during the downhole test because of technical restrictions of DST in 1985, gas surge and a small amount of gas and condensate oil were observed after the test instruments were pulled to surface. With the subsequent development of field techniques, it was likely that current drilling and DST techniques could achieve productive oil flow in this layer.

Seismic behavior of prefabricated steel reinforced concrete shear walls with new type connection mode

This paper proposed a new connection mode of prefabricated steel reinforced concrete (SRC) shear wall. The vertical rebars inside the edge concealed columns of the prefabricated SRC shear wall were welded by lap welding, the section steels inside the edge concealed columns of the prefabricated SRC shear wall were welded by ending plates, and the connection of the wall panel in the middle part of the shear wall was realized through the bolt connection between the wall footing unit and the connecting steel plate. Then the concrete was finally poured in the connecting area of the edge concealed column of the shear wall. In order to study the seismic behavior of this new type prefabricated SRC shear walls, the pseudo-static test and nonlinear finite element analysis were carried out. At the same time, parameterized analysis was carried out on the key factors affecting the new type prefabricated SRC shear wall, including axial compression ratio, concrete strength grade, steel ratio of edge concealed columns, reinforcement ratio of vertical rebar section and thickness of connecting steel plate. The research results show that the failure mode of the new type prefabricated SRC shear wall is the same as that of the integrally cast SRC shear wall, and the seismic behavior and bearing capacity are slightly lower, but the difference is very small and in an acceptable range. The increase of axial compression ratio, concrete strength grade and steel ratio of edge concealed column will increase the bearing capacity of the new type prefabricated SRC shear wall, but at the same time, it will reduce the ductility of the new type prefabricated SRC shear wall. The reinforcement ratio of vertical rebar section and the thickness of the connecting steel plate have little effect on the mechanical performance of the new type prefabricated SRC shear wall. Finally, the reasonable value range of the key parameters affecting the mechanical performance of the new type prefabricated SRC shear wall and the calculation method of the shear capacity of the horizontal connection was proposed, which provided a basis for the subsequent design.

Bone Dimensional Change Following Immediate Implant Placement in Posterior Teeth with CBCT: A 6-Month Prospective Clinical Study.

This prospective clinical study aimed to evaluate the peri-implant hard tissue dimensional change at 6 months of immediate implant placement with bone graft materials in the posterior area using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Twelve dental implants were placed concurrently following tooth extraction in the posterior area and filled with xenograft particles. The CBCT images were taken immediately after surgical procedures and then at 6 months follow-up. To evaluate the hard tissue changes, the vertical and horizontal bone thickness were analyzed and measured using ImageJ software. Paired t-test or Wilcoxon match-pair signed-rank test was done to analyze the changes of hard tissue values at the same level between immediately and 6 months following immediate implant placement. Independent t-test or Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyze the dimensional change in the vertical and horizontal direction in buccal and lingual aspects. The level of significance was set at p value = 0.05. All implants were successfully osseointegrated. At 6 months follow-up, the vertical bone change at the buccal aspect was −0.69 mm and at the lingual aspect −0.39 mm. For horizontal bone thickness, the bone dimensional changes at 0, 1, 5, and 9 mm levels from the implant platform were −0.62 mm, −0.70 mm, −0.24 mm, and −0.22 mm, respectively. A significant bone reduction was observed in all measurement levels during the 6 months after implant placement (p value < 0.05). It was noted that even with bone grafting, a decrease in bone thickness was seen following the immediate implant placement. Therefore, this technique can be an alternative method to place the implant in the posterior area.

Effect of the complex air–sea interface on a hybrid atmosphere-underwater optical wireless communications system

Wireless optical communication (WOC) through the atmosphere–ocean system is fundamentally complex because of the diversity, concentration, types and vertical thickness of the constituents and poses a major challenge from the optical characteristics of bubbles at the air–sea interface and water constituents (phytoplankton, suspended sediments, and dissolved organic matter), and stratification (medium inhomogeneity). The present study aims to analyse the effects of atmospheric aerosols (their intensity, diversity, and vertical thickness), waves/bubbles at the air–sea interface, seawater constituents (phytoplankton, suspended sediments, and dissolved organic matter), and medium inhomogeneity along the path between a laser transmitter in the airborne platform and a receiver in the underwater platform using Monte Carlo technique. For the first time, our analysis showed that for a homogeneous atmosphere–ocean channel (7 km in the atmosphere column and 42 m in the ocean medium), the estimated normalized received power reduced to 17 dB and the time delay spread increased to 1.01 ns (considering a receiver of 7” and an aperture FOV of 180°) when compared to those values for a stratified atmosphere–ocean channel. The bubbles (both clean and coated) relative to the particulates in open oceanic water under high wind speeds have a significant impact on the spatio-temporal spread of the laser beam. There is also a well pronounced effect of coated bubbles on the received signal power in open ocean water. In contrast, the particulates have a higher impact on the received signal power than the clean/coated bubbles in turbid coastal water. These results suggest that the normalized received power when calculated for the cases of dense bubble populations under high wind speeds (at a wind speed 18 ms−1) reduced to 8–9 dB and increased to 0.0025 scintillation index. The coated bubbles at the air–water interface reduced the normalized received power by 1.41 dB compared to the clean bubbles. Further, our analysis indicated that the expansion of beam width and the reduction of beam divergence angle can be utilized to mitigate the performance degradation (power loss) caused by bubbles at the air–sea interface. These results and analyses will be helpful for a system designer to accurately define/decide the system parameters and build a functional communication system for the inhomogeneous atmosphere–ocean system.

An Ancient &gt;200 m Cumulative Normal Faulting Displacement Along the Futagawa Fault Dextrally Ruptured During the 2016 Kumamoto, Japan, Earthquake Identified by a Multiborehole Drilling Program

AbstractThe Mw 7.0 mainshock of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence was triggered by dextral rupture of the Futagawa fault within the Aso volcanic region, Southwestern Japan. To reproduce its faulting patterns and to reveal the geological and geophysical characteristics of the fault and surrounding lithological units, we report the results of a multiple‐borehole drilling program penetrating the Futagawa fault zone. By combining core descriptions with geophysical logs, we identified &gt;200 m of normal faulting displacement along the currently dextral strike‐slip Futagawa fault. Considering previous kinematic and chronological studies of the fault, we interpret that the Futagawa fault dominantly slipped as a normal fault in a short period (∼300–87 ka) before switching to its current transtensional (dominant strike‐slip) regime ∼87 ka caused by a local change in the stress field associated with the termination of the Aso caldera‐forming eruptions. In the main borehole, three damage/slip zones were penetrated at depths of ∼354, 461, and 576 m. The 461 damage zone was identified as ∼45 m in vertical thickness and thicker than the other damage zones (∼3–6 m vertically) and was characterized by high fracture density and the presence of strike‐slip slickenlines. Depth profiles of physical properties revealed different patterns near the three damage zones; both the resistivity and the P‐wave velocity showed stronger deterioration at the 461 damage zone than the others. Based on these geological and geophysical observations, we suggest that the 461 damage zone is the primary candidate for seismogenic faulting during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake mainshock.

Data-driven sequence labeling methods incorporating the long-range spatial variation of geological data for lithofacies sequence estimation

The use of geophysical well-log data for interpreting the stratigraphic lithofacies sequence is cost effective. In this study, several data-driven lithofacies sequence estimation models are developed, where long- and short-term memory (LSTM) and bidirectional LSTM (BLSTM) are applied to efficiently complement the long-range spatial variation of successive well-log and lithofacies measurements. During the development, the models using the autoregressive (AR) input variables of lithofacies are designed to incorporate the lithofacies sequence pattern into the estimation. The performances of the proposed models are comparatively validated with an artificial deep neural network (DNN)-based model that does not consider long-range variation. Accordingly, a total of six estimation models are examined: DNN, AR-DNN, LSTM, AR-LSTM, BLSTM, and AR-BLSTM. For model implementation, synthetic data and actual data acquired from the Satyr-5 well in Western Australia are used. For the synthetic data, the results indicate that the incorporation of nonstationary statistical information improves the performance of BLSTM-based models. In addition, AR-input information is effective with respect to the estimation of the vertical thickness of lithofacies. The advantage of using AR inputs can also be observed for actual data, where AR-based models perform significantly better than the other models. Quantitatively speaking, the fitness of DNN-, LSTM-, and BLSTM-based models is 81.79 %, 84.53 %, and 85.08 %, respectively, whereas that of AR-DNN-, AR-LSTM-, and AR-BLSTM-based models is 85.43 %, 85.72 %, and 86.56 %, respectively. The proposed models are expected to be useful with respect to interpreting the heterogeneity of lithofacies distribution in a cost-effective and computationally efficient way. Particularly, BLSTM-based models are widely applicable because they perform well regardless the spatial statistics of lithofacies sequences.

Seismic resonance: Wavelet-free reflectivity retrieval via modified cepstral decomposition

Spectral decomposition is a proven tool in seismic interpretation. It helps interpreters highlight channels and map temporal bed thickness and other geologic discontinuities. In spectrally decomposed seismic data, amplitude spectra contain notch patterns. The period of these notch patterns inversely correlates to the reservoir layer’s thickness and/or its interval velocity. Additional cepstral decomposition will directly extract the bed time thickness or arrival time under simple reflectivity setups. Based on these observations, we have adopted a new workflow for reflectivity retrieval in stably phased seismic. There is no need to understand the details of the wavelet in this workflow. We find that the reflector time and its “apparent strength” can be identified in a transformed seismic resonance domain resulting from a modified cepstrum analysis. We find that linear hot spots in this domain lead to direct quantification of the reflectivity series. The timing and strength of the linear hot spots reveals reflector times and scaled reflectivity coefficients. We applied this method for thickness prediction for a target deepwater reservoir with a complex geologic setting. Because of the large reservoir thickness variations and weak impedance contrast with underlying lithology, identification of the base reservoir and therefore the reservoir thickness has been historically challenging in this field. In a blind test, the reservoir thicknesses evaluated from this method are close to the true vertical thickness found in wells.