A Systematic Literature Review of the Use of Robotic Surgical Procedures in Thyroid Neoplasms

Background and Aim: The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased worldwide during the last decade, being one of the most common endocrine malignancies. Surgical resection, namely conventional thyroidectomy, remains at the frontline of therapy, Minimally invasive techniques gained popularity through the years. The purpose of this systematic review was to understand the most common techniques and to evaluate the outcomes of minimally invasive techniques. Materials and Methods: A literature search was conducted on 20 August 2023 using two MeSH terms: “Robotic Surgical Procedure” and “Thyroid Neoplasms” using PICOTS and PRISMA Statements. The results were narrowed to the articles available in full text. Results: A total of 31 items were retained. The article’s titles and abstracts were screened and nine articles were removed as five articles were reviews, two articles were case repots, one was a letter to the editor and one was describing the impact of augmented reality. Remaining 22 articles to analyze the content. Conclusion: This study found that the most used minimally invasive thyroid surgical techniques are robotic transaxillary thyroidectomy and robotic thyroidectomy by bilateral axillo-breast approach. From the systematic review, it can be concluded that for selected patients (well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma), these modern techniques are not inferior to standard of care and are a safe alternative, with the advantage of avoiding a potentially disfiguring scar in the neck, when performed by surgeons who are familiar with and experienced in endoscopic and robotic techniques

Exergetic Analysis of a Cogeneration System for Cooling and Heating

The paper deals with a heat pump system for the food industry characterized by two products - refrigeration and heating. The working fluid is ammonia, an ecological refrigerant harmless for the environment. For every apparatus, corresponding to its utility and operating field, the exergetic balance states the “product” and “fuel”. The work analyses the conduct of the system at the variation of the operating and constructive parameters. The exergoeconomic technique succeeds in pointing out for every dissipative zone the exergy destruction and losses

Soil fertility in the Central-southern part of Romania expressed by soil reaction and nutrient content: a case study from the Raul Alb catchment, Dambovita County

The field research took place between 2019 and 2020, in the upper river basin of the Raul Alb creek, located in the northwest of Dambovita County, the analysed land area being 4034 ha. Underlying the research of the complex erosion phenomena faced by the analysed territory was the soil survey, which consisted of sampling 46 soil profiles in the representative areas for the analysed territory. For the analysis of the soil fertility, chemical analyses were performed regarding the pH, humus content, reported to the soil texture in the topsoil and the supply of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), also physical-mechanical analysis (soil texture), interpreted according to the “Methodology for the Development of Pedological Studies, Volumes I, II, III, 1987”. By centralising the obtained results, it found that 59.42% of the total analysed land surface had a weak alkaline pH, at least in the topsoil, due to the CaCO3 content. For the supply of humus, the most significant share is that of the extremely low-supplied soils with this element in the topsoil, i.e. 73.42% of the mapped area, and in terms of the nitrogen supply, 26.67% of the total surface of the river basin shows severe deficiencies in this element. The situation is worrying indeed in the case of the supply of soils with mobile phosphorus, with 3 280.27 ha of the mapped surface having very low or low contents of this element, making up 81.31%. However, for potassium, the soils from the upper sector of the Raul Alb catchment are mostly moderately and well supplied, with only 620.85 ha (15.39%) being extremely poorly supplied with this element

The degree of soil fertility in the drainage basin of Râul Alb stream, Dâmboviţa county, up to the point it meets Bărbuleţu stream, expressed through the soil reaction and the supply of nutrients (organic matter, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium)

The field research took place in the interval 2019-2020, in the higher drainage basin of Râul Alb stream, located in the north-western part of Dâmboviţa County, the analysis covering an area of 4034 ha. The research into the complex phenomena of erosion in the analyzed area was based on a pedological study, which consisted in performing 46 pedological profiles in representative areas of the analyzed region. After centralizing the results, it was noted that 59.42% of the entire analyzed area display a low alkaline reaction, at least at the level of the upper layer, because of its CaCO3 content, which exacerbates the risk of landslide. From the point of view of the supply of nutrients (humus), most of the soils have a low and extremely low supply of these elements at the level of the upper layer, namely 73.42% of the analyzed area; as for the nitrogen supply, 26,68% of the entire surface of the drainage basin display severe shortages of this element. The situation is really serious in the case of the supply of mobile phosphorus in the soil, 3280.27 ha of the analyzed surface are low and very low in phosphorus, namely 76.20%, while the levels of potassium supply in the soils in the higher drainage basin of Râul Alb stream are mostly moderate and good, only 620.85 ha (14.42%) are extremely low and low in potassium supply

Scientific contributions in order to calculate rainfall erosivity factor (R) from revised universal soil loss equation (rusle) for Valea Tata watershed, Dambovita county, Romania

The research studies on the occurrence of complex soil erosion phenomena in the hydrographic basin of the Valea Tata stream, a right bank tributary of the Ialomita river, were carried out in the period 2017-2021 and aimed to quantify the amount of soil that is lost annually from the surface of the analyzed watershed. The main objective of this study was to calculate the rainfall erosivity factor (R) included in the Revised Universal Soil Erosion Equation (RUSLE) based on the records made in the period 2017-2021 on the experimental field as well as the data recorded at the climate monitoring stations in the proximity of the watershed for a period of 30 years for the calculation of soil loss from the Valea Tata watershed depending on the rain aggressiveness. The average value obtained for the Moroeni climate monitoring station was 289.54 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1 with a minimum value of 83.20 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1 and a maximum value of 964.06 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1 while for Fieni climate monitoring station the values obtained were between 60.99 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1 and 537.22 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1 with an average value of 193.38 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1 . For the experimental field, where the rainfall data, rain intensity and duration of the erosive events were more complex, the results obtained for the erosivity factor (R) has values between 149.50 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1 and 800.80 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1 with an average value of 284.91 MJ mm ha-1 h -1 year-1

Research on soil degradation resulting from sheet and gully erosion processes. Case study – the Raul Alb hydrographic basin, Dambovita county, up to the point it meets Barbuletu stream

The research works focused on the upper hydrographic basin of the Raul Alb creek up to the point it meets Barbuletu stream, covering an area of 4 034 ha and aimed at establishing the degree of soil degradation as a result of the complex action of sheet and gully erosion. Following the pedological study, seven soil types have been identified, each with several subtypes, which fall into five large soil classes. Regosols account for 51.00% of the catchment area, followed by eutric cambisols, 18.70%, rendzic leptosols 11.55% and phaeozems 11.00%. The fluvisol, anthrosol and luvisol total 7.75% of the entire basin. The class of Entisols is present in 56.10% of the area, followed by Mollisols 22.55% and Inceptisols 18.70% of the analysed area. The Entisol class (eroded phases) is to be found in 2.26% of the area, whereas the Alfisols account only for 0.39% of the hydrographic basin. In terms of sheet erosion, slightly eroded lands represent 48.26% of the total of 4 034 ha investigated, followed by the moderately eroded ones, 43.97%, whereas 2.27% of soils are strongly and excessively eroded and only 5.50% are not affected by sheet erosion. Deep water erosion is represented by rills, gullies and ravines. Gullies can be found in 35 of the 43 units of identified soils, ravines are present in 2 soil units and only 5 soil units are not affected by gully erosion

Large olfactory groove meningiomas: Clinical outcome considering different surgical approaches

Olfactory groove meningiomas (OGMs) account for 4.5 to 13% of all intracranial meningiomas (1,2). They arise in the anterior cranial fossa at the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone and the area of the suture adjoining the planum sphenoidale.We performed a large retrospective study of 98 patients (59 females and 39 males) evaluated and operated in the Neurosurgical Department of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurovascular Diseases between 1979 – 2009. This represented 7.93% of all intracranial meningiomas operated in our department (1235 cases). These operations were done by or under the supervision of the senior neurosurgeon (LD). For the surgical removal of the OGMs we used both frontolateral (67 cases) or bifrontal approaches (31 cases). We achieved total removal of the meningioma in most of the cases (93.9%), meaning in 66 patients operated through unilateral frontolateral craniotomy (98.5%), and in 26 patients operated through bifrontal craniotomy (83.9%). As postoperative complications, were encountered: subdural hygroma, postoperative hemorrhage, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, postoperative seizures, diffuse cerebral edema and local infection. Postoperative mortality was 7.14% (7 patients). Frontolateral approach allowed, even in large OGMs, very good postoperative results, with high rates of total tumor resection and low rates of morbidity and mortality

SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections: Incidence and Risk Factors in a Large European Multicentric Cohort of Health Workers

The research aimed to investigate the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections and their determinants in a large European cohort of more than 60,000 health workers

Contributions to energy storage using hybrid systems from alternative energy sources

La thèse intitulée «Contributions aux systèmes de stockage d’énergie en utilisant des systèmes à partir de sources d’énergie alternatives» propose une étude des technologies de stockage d'énergie en sachant qu'elles sont considérées comme l'une des options qui peuvent faciliter une forte pénétration de sources renouvelables. Dans ce contexte, le travail présenté vise à comprendre les défis liés au stockage de l'énergie et à développer un modèle général d'étude utilisant l'air comprimé comme moyen de stockage d'énergie.La thèse est structurée dans dix chapitres dont les quatre premiers sont consacrés à la présentation potentielle des sources d'énergie renouvelables, à l'évolution du secteur de l'énergie au cours des dernières décennies et aux technologies de stockage d'énergie, notamment sous forme d'air comprimé. Les six autres chapitres concernent les calculs thermodynamiques théoriques dans la mesure où il s'agit d'étudier les performances d'un système de stockage d'énergie hybride et de présenter un modèle mathématique contenant les étapes prises en compte dans la conversion de l'énergie renouvelable en énergie mécanique, stockées dans une forme d'air comprimé et plus tard reconvertis en électricité. De plus, ces chapitres présentent des données expérimentales obtenues sur une installation de laboratoire qui ont contribué à la validation des résultats théoriques obtenus suite à une simulation Matlab, et enfin une étude de cas pour une application à petite échelle, 30 kWh d'énergie stockée, où vise à trouver une configuration optimale. De l'ensemble du système en termes de pression de travail de l'air, analysé sous deux points de vue, technique et économique. La thèse se termine par un chapitre de conclusions générales et nous constatons qu'il reste encore quelques défis à surmonter pour que le stockage de l'énergie sous forme d'air comprimé soit une solution possible d'une perspective économique.The thesis entitled «Contributions to energy storage using hybrid systems from alternative energy sources» proposes a study of the energy storage technologies knowing the fact that these are considered one of the options that can facilitate a high penetration of renewable sources. In this context, the presented work aims to understand challenges in terms of energy storage and to develop a general studying model using compressed air as an energy storage medium.The thesis is structured in ten chapters from which the first four are dedicated to the presentation of the renewable energy sources potential, to the energy sector evolution in the last decades and to the energy storage technologies, especially in the form of compressed air. The other six chapters are dealing with the theoretical thermodynamic calculations as far as that goes in investigating the performances of a hybrid energy storage system and presenting a mathematical model containing the steps taken into account in the renewable energy conversion into mechanical energy, stored in a form of compressed air and later reconverted into electricity. In addition these chapters present experimental data obtained on a laboratory installation which helped in validating the theoretical results obtained following a Matlab simulation, and finally a case study for a small scale application, 30 kWh of energy stored, where is aiming to find an optimal configuration of the whole system in terms of air working pressure, being analyzed from two points of view, technical and economic. The thesis ends with a chapter of general conclusions and indicates that there are still challenges that must be overcome in order to make the energy storage in a form of compressed air a feasible solution from an economic perspective

Contributions aux systèmes de stockage d’énergie en utilisant des systèmes hybrides à partir de sources d’énergie alternatives

The thesis entitled «Contributions to energy storage using hybrid systems from alternative energy sources» proposes a study of the energy storage technologies knowing the fact that these are considered one of the options that can facilitate a high penetration of renewable sources. In this context, the presented work aims to understand challenges in terms of energy storage and to develop a general studying model using compressed air as an energy storage medium.The thesis is structured in ten chapters from which the first four are dedicated to the presentation of the renewable energy sources potential, to the energy sector evolution in the last decades and to the energy storage technologies, especially in the form of compressed air. The other six chapters are dealing with the theoretical thermodynamic calculations as far as that goes in investigating the performances of a hybrid energy storage system and presenting a mathematical model containing the steps taken into account in the renewable energy conversion into mechanical energy, stored in a form of compressed air and later reconverted into electricity. In addition these chapters present experimental data obtained on a laboratory installation which helped in validating the theoretical results obtained following a Matlab simulation, and finally a case study for a small scale application, 30 kWh of energy stored, where is aiming to find an optimal configuration of the whole system in terms of air working pressure, being analyzed from two points of view, technical and economic. The thesis ends with a chapter of general conclusions and indicates that there are still challenges that must be overcome in order to make the energy storage in a form of compressed air a feasible solution from an economic perspective.La thèse intitulée «Contributions aux systèmes de stockage d’énergie en utilisant des systèmes à partir de sources d’énergie alternatives» propose une étude des technologies de stockage d'énergie en sachant qu'elles sont considérées comme l'une des options qui peuvent faciliter une forte pénétration de sources renouvelables. Dans ce contexte, le travail présenté vise à comprendre les défis liés au stockage de l'énergie et à développer un modèle général d'étude utilisant l'air comprimé comme moyen de stockage d'énergie.La thèse est structurée dans dix chapitres dont les quatre premiers sont consacrés à la présentation potentielle des sources d'énergie renouvelables, à l'évolution du secteur de l'énergie au cours des dernières décennies et aux technologies de stockage d'énergie, notamment sous forme d'air comprimé. Les six autres chapitres concernent les calculs thermodynamiques théoriques dans la mesure où il s'agit d'étudier les performances d'un système de stockage d'énergie hybride et de présenter un modèle mathématique contenant les étapes prises en compte dans la conversion de l'énergie renouvelable en énergie mécanique, stockées dans une forme d'air comprimé et plus tard reconvertis en électricité. De plus, ces chapitres présentent des données expérimentales obtenues sur une installation de laboratoire qui ont contribué à la validation des résultats théoriques obtenus suite à une simulation Matlab, et enfin une étude de cas pour une application à petite échelle, 30 kWh d'énergie stockée, où vise à trouver une configuration optimale. De l'ensemble du système en termes de pression de travail de l'air, analysé sous deux points de vue, technique et économique. La thèse se termine par un chapitre de conclusions générales et nous constatons qu'il reste encore quelques défis à surmonter pour que le stockage de l'énergie sous forme d'air comprimé soit une solution possible d'une perspective économique