Sensitivity of Deep-Towed Marine Electrical Resistivity Imaging Using Two-Dimensional Inversion: A Case Study on Methane Hydrate

Uncertain physical properties of methane hydrate (MH) above a bottom simulating reflector should be estimated for detecting MH-bearing formations. In contrast to general marine sediments, MH-bearing formations have a relatively high electrical resistivity. Therefore, marine electrical resistivity imaging (MERI) is a well-suited method for MH exploration. The authors conducted sensitivity testing of sub-seafloor MH exploration using a two-dimensional (2D) inversion algorithm with the Wenner, Pole-Dipole (PD) and Dipole-Dipole (DD) arrays. The results of the Wenner electrode array show the poorest resolution in comparison to the PD and DD arrays. The results of the study indicate that MERI is an effective geophysical method for exploring the sub-seafloor electrical structure and specifically for delineating resistive anomalies that may be present because of MH-bearing formations at a shallow depth beneath the seafloor

Seabed gas emissions and submarine landslides off SW Taiwan

Methane emissions out of the seabed could seriously affect Earthâs climate and are usually associated with the dissociation of gas hydrates stored in marine sediments on the continental margins. Spatially, gas emissions out of the seafloor are not evenly distributed in continental margins. Gas emissions out of the seabed generally occur through submarine mud volcanoes and gas seeps. To understand the seabed gas emissions off SW Taiwan, we investigate the distributions of active submarine mud volcanoes, gas seeps, and gas plumes off SW Taiwan. We examine all of the available sub-bottom profiler and EK echo sounder data. We identified 19 submarine mud volcanoes, 220 gas seeps, and 295 gas plumes. The gas emissions are generally distributed at the crests of mud diapiric ridges. Most of the active mud volcanoes and gas seeps cluster at the KASMVG (Kaoping submarine mud volcanoes group) area. We speculate that the intensive mud volcanism and gas seepage at the KASMVG area are ascribed to submarine channel erosion along the continental slope base. The erosion causes a deep V-shaped channel and a steep BSR (Bottom-Simulating Reflector) slope curve across the continental margin. The upward migration rate of free gas beneath the BSR is thus increased and intensifies mud volcanism and gas seepage at the KASMVG area. The gas seeps can reduce the slope stability and generate small-scale slides. The development of mud volcanoes in an area could effectively disturb the seabed morphology so that large-scale submarine landslides cannot easily happen

Postchemoradiotherapy Pathologic Stage Classified by the American Joint Committee on the Cancer Staging System Predicts Prognosis of Patients with Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

IntroductionTo determine whether the postchemoradiotherapy (post-CRT) pathologic stage predicts the outcomes of patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) undergoing preoperative CRT followed by surgery.MethodsFrom three phase II trials of preoperative CRT for locally advanced ESCC, 140 patients were included. Preoperative CRT comprised twice weekly paclitaxel and cisplatin-based regimens and 40-Gy radiotherapy in 20 fractions. The post-CRT pathologic stage was classified according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer, 7th edition staging system. The prognostic effects of clinicopathologic factors were analyzed using Cox regression.ResultsWith a median follow-up of 61.9 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort were 24.5 and 30.9 months, respectively. The post-CRT pathologic stage was 0 in 34.5%, I in 12.9%, II in 29.3%, III in 13.6%, and ypT0N1-2 in 6.4% of the patients. The median PFS was 47.2, 25.9, 16.0, 9.4, and 15.1 months, and the median OS was 57.4, 34.1, 26.2, 14.1, and 17.6 months for patients with post-CRT pathologic stage 0, I, II, III, and ypT0N1-2, respectively. In multivariate analysis, performance status (p < 0.001), tumor location (p = 0.016), and extranodal extension (p = 0.024) were independent prognostic factors for PFS, whereas performance status (p < 0.001) and post-CRT pathologic stage (p = 0.027) were independent prognostic factors for OS.ConclusionsThe post-CRT pathologic stage classified by American Joint Committee on Cancer, 7th edition staging system predicted the survival of locally advanced ESCC patients who underwent preoperative paclitaxel and cisplatin-based CRT followed by esophagectomy

Turbidity Currents, Submarine Landslides and the 2006 Pingtung Earthquake off SW Taiwan

Submarine landslides or slumps may generate turbidity currents consisting of mixture of sediment and water. Large and fast-moving turbidity currents can incise and erode continental margins and cause damage to artificial structures such as telecommunication cables on the seafloor. In this study, we report that eleven submarine cables across the Kaoping canyon and Manila trench were broken in sequence from 1500 to 4000 m deep, as a consequence of submarine landslides and turbidity currents associated with the 2006 Pingtung earthquakes offshore SW Taiwan. We have established a full-scale scenario and calculation of the turbidity currents along the Kaoping canyon channel from the middle continental slope to the adjacent deep ocean. Our results show that turbidity current velocities vary downstream ranging from 20 to 3.7 and 5.7 m/s, which demonstrates a positive relationship between turbidity current velocity and bathymetric slope. The violent cable failures happened in this case evidenced the destructive power of the turbidity current to seafloor or underwater facilities that should not be underestimated

The Observation for Ocular Surface Diseases in Respiratory Care Center in One Regional Teaching Hospital in Southern Taiwan

Abstract: Purpose: To discover the incidence of ocular surface diseases in the RCC in one region hospital in southern Taiwan. Methods: A prospective study was performed from January 2014 to May 2014. We recorded the causes of admission, eyelid position, abnormal findings of the conjunctiva and cornea. Besides, we also collected data about age, sex, sedation score, the intubation or not, the ventilator setting, date of admission, endotracheal tube or tracheostomy used et al. Results: Total 30 patients were examined in RCC. The mean age of the patients was 60.5 years (range 32-82). 18 patients were male and 12 were female. 24 patients had been sedated or non-sedated with various ventilators. 6 patients were in T-piece trial. 22 patients had tube intubation and 8 patients had received tracheostomy. Mean stay time was 20.5 days. The percent of ocular surface diseases were 33.3% (10/30), and lagophthalmos was observed about 33.3% due to sedation. 23.3% (7/30) patients had conjunctival problems and 26.6% (8/30) had keratopathy. We found that 80% (8/10) patients with lagophthalmos had eye disorders. The endotracheal tube intubation group had a relatively higher incidence of ocular surface diseases (7/22；32%). If the sedation score lower than 8, 26 % patients may have eye diseases. Conclusion: The incidence of ocular surface diseases is closely related to heavy sedation or muscle relaxants. The assessment of eyelid position in relation to the ocular surface disease is the most important observation required in RCC. How to set up the routine protocol for eye care for the staff in ICU becomes valuable and serious today. We must keep in mind that prevention is always better than cure

Lessons Learned of NSPO’s Picosatellite Mission: Yamsat - 1A, 1B & 1C

The YamSat is the first developed picosatellite in National Space Program Office’s (NSPO), Taiwan, R.O.C. It is scheduled to flight in the CubeSat launch in 2003. The rapid-prototyping system engineering different from the past formal discipline opens a new satellite development model in NSPO. The YamSat Test Readiness Review Meeting was successfully held in January 2002 and the environmental tests were completed by end March 2002. Besides the breadboard model and engineering test bed to prove of operation concept are built, three YamSats (1A, 1B, & 1C) instead of one are manufactured with slightly different configurations and purposes. The YamSat- 1A is for flight with ambitious and novel R.O.C. made components, including 15 domestic organizations and companies’ participation. The YamSat-1B is basically for backup purpose and demonstration, whereas the YamSat-1C is for amateur communication experiment end-to-end field test, and for public education purpose. This new experience gives fruitful lessons learned and provides low cost space experimentation and education to the next built picosatellites in Taiwan’s universities. Detailed mission and lessons learned are addressed in this paper

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements