Evaluation of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) treatment for moderate-to-severe ARDS in critically ill patients with COVID-19: A multicenter cohort study

Background: Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is used as rescue therapy in patients with refractory hypoxemia due to severe COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) despite the recommendation against the use of this treatment. To date, the effect of iNO on the clinical outcomes of critically ill COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS remains arguable. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the use of iNO in critically ill COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study included critically ill adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 treated from March 01, 2020, until July 31, 2021. Eligible patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS were subsequently categorized into two groups based on inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) use throughout their ICU stay. The primary endpoint was the improvement in oxygenation parameters 24 h after iNO use. Other outcomes were considered secondary. Propensity score matching (1:2) was used based on the predefined criteria. Results: A total of 1598 patients were screened, and 815 were included based on the eligibility criteria. Among them, 210 patients were matched based on predefined criteria. Oxygenation parameters (PaO2, FiO2 requirement, P/F ratio, oxygenation index) were significantly improved 24 h after iNO administration within a median of six days of ICU admission. However, the risk of 30-day and in-hospital mortality were found to be similar between the two groups (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.77, 1.82; p = 0.45 and HR: 1.40; 95% CI: 0.94, 2.11; p= 0.10, respectively). On the other hand, ventilator-free days (VFDs) were significantly fewer, and ICU and hospital LOS were significantly longer in the iNO group. In addition, patients who received iNO had higher odds of acute kidney injury (AKI) (OR (95% CI): 2.35 (1.30, 4.26), p value = 0.005) and hospital/ventilator-acquired pneumonia (OR (95% CI): 3.2 (1.76, 5.83), p value = 0.001). Conclusion: In critically ill COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS, iNO rescue therapy is associated with improved oxygenation parameters but no mortality benefits. Moreover, iNO use is associated with higher odds of AKI, pneumonia, longer LOS, and fewer VFDs

Circular Carbon Economy (CCE): A Way to Invest CO2 and Protect the Environment, a Review

Increased levels of carbon dioxide have revolutionised the Earth; higher temperatures, melting icecaps, and flooding are now more prevalent. Fortunately, renewable energy mitigates this problem by making up 20% of human energy needs. However, from a “green environment” perspective, can carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere be reduced and eliminated? The carbon economic circle is an ideal solution to this problem, as it enables us to store, use, and remove carbon dioxide. This research introduces the circular carbon economy (CCE) and addresses its economic importance. Additionally, the paper discusses carbon capture and storage (CCS), and the utilisation of CO2. Furthermore, it explains current technologies and their future applications on environmental impact, CO2 capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). Various opinions on the best way to achieve zero carbon emissions and on CO2 applications and their economic impact are also discussed. The circular carbon economy can be achieved through a highly transparent global administration that is supportive of advanced technologies that contribute to the efficient utilisation of energy sources. This global administration must also provide facilities to modernise and develop factories and power stations, based on emission-reducing technologies. Monitoring emissions in countries through a global monitoring network system, based on actual field measurements, linked to a worldwide database allows all stakeholders to track the change in greenhouse gas emissions. The process of sequestering carbon dioxide in the ocean is affected by the support for technologies and industries that adopt the principle of carbon recycling in order to maintain the balance. This includes supporting initiatives that contribute to increasing vegetation cover and preserving oceans from pollutants, especially chemicals and radioactive pollutants, which will undoubtedly affect the process of sequestering carbon dioxide in the oceans, and this will contribute significantly to maintaining carbon dioxide at acceptable levels

PROPAGATION OF CRYOGENIC THERMAL FRACTURES FROM UNCONFINED PMMA BOREHOLES

In cryogenic fracturing, a rock surface exposed to cryogenic fluids undergoes a large thermal gradient, and the resultant local tensile stress overcomes rock strength and initiates fractures. This study investigates the development of cracks generated from the cryogenic treatment of a borehole under no external confining stress on specimens. The experiments were performed on transparent PMMA specimens to observe fracture proliferation around boreholes. Liquid nitrogen was flowed through the boreholes to cool the borehole surface. The results show that initial fracture growth is characterized by abrupt starts and stops, and as the fracture propagates outward, the growth appears more continuous. In an early stage, horizontal/radial fractures and vertical fractures are the defining patterns. Horizontal fractures tend to be separated by a specific exclusion distance (i.e., spacing between cracks). While distinct horizontal/vertical fractures and exclusion distance manifest themselves at an early stage, fractures resulting from fracture interactions and curvatures can develop into complex shapes at later stages. Cryogenic thermal loading induces distinctively curved fractures. The tendency of curvature may prevent greater penetration. An increase in the borehole pressure during liquid nitrogen flow, however, can lessen fracture tortuosity and facilitate radial propagation. A high flow pressure and rate are also advantageous in that they accelerate cooling and fracture propagation. View Full-Text Keywords: cryogenic fracturing; thermal fractures; liquid nitrogen; thermal shock; thermal stress; hydraulic fracturing; well stimulatio

Comprehensive Review of the Properties and Modifications of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers are considered a promising composite for many industrial applications including in the automation, renewable energy, and aerospace industries. They exhibit exceptional properties such as a high strength-to-weight ratio and high wear resistance and stiffness, which give them an advantage over other conventional materials such as metals. Various polymers can be used as matrices such as thermosetting, thermoplastic, and elastomers polymers. This comprehensive review focuses on carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polymers due to the advantages of thermoplastic compared to thermosetting and elastomer polymers. These advantages include recyclability, ease of processability, flexibility, and shorter production time. The related properties such as strength, modulus, thermal conductivity, and stability, as well as electrical conductivity, are discussed in depth. Additionally, the modification techniques of the surface of carbon fiber, including the chemical and physical methods, are thoroughly explored. Overall, this review represents and summarizes the future prospective and research developments carried out on carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polymers

Impact of clay mineralogy on the petrophysical properties of tight sandstones

A full petrographic and petrophysical characterization of tight sandstones has been conducted as part of ongoing study of Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery (CO2-EOR/EGR) and CO2sequestration. The main purpose of this study is to give novel perception into the interplay of the rock characteristics and fluid flow in tight formations, which are candidates for EOR/EGR processes (macroscopic sweep vs. microscopic displacement efficiency). To achieve this, several experimental techniques, including routine core analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), thin sections petrography, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and capillarity/pore size distributions by using Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT), were conducted. Three tight sandstone rock samples (Bandera, Kentucky, and Scioto) were used in this work and particular attention was paid to the impact of clay content on rock's pore system and other petrophysical characteristics and hence fluids flow during production process. Results indicate that the presence of fibrous illite clay acting as pore bridging in Bandera and Kentucky samples have blocked the overall micro-pore system causing a significant reduction in the micro-pore throat system to 36% in Bandera sand and 50.9% in Kentucky sample. On the other hand, absence of fibrous illite and the presence of illite platelets in the Scioto sandstone led to a clear preservation of the sample's micro-pore throat attributing to a total of 59.1% of the total pore throat system. A new dimensionless number (dimensionless micro-pore throat modality) was established, defined as the ratio of micro-to macro-pore sizes. This shows that Scioto has the highest value of 1.44 implying that both macro- and micro-pore systems contribute to flow. Therefore, the mitigation of oil bypass from smaller pores should be a key criterion in selecting the proper recovery methods. Results show the effect of clay mineralogy on pore system considering a part of the physical and spatial properties the pore/grain framework of the tight sandstones.</p

A Developed Plasmatron Design to Enhance Production of Hydrogen in Synthesis Gas Produced by a Fuel Reformer System

Feeding IC engines with hydrogen-rich syngas as an admixture to hydrocarbon fuels can decrease pollutant emissions, particularly NOx. It offers a potential technique for low-environmental impact hydrocarbon fuel use in automotive applications. However, hydrogen-rich reformate gas (syngas) production via fuel reforming still needs more research and optimization. In this paper, we describe the effect of a plasma torch assembly design on syngas yield and composition during plasma-assisted reforming of gasoline. Additionally, erosion resistance of the cathode-emitting material under the conditions of gasoline reforming was studied, using hafnium metal and lanthanated tungsten alloy. The gasoline reforming was performed with a noncatalytic, nonthermal, low-current plasma system in the conditions of partial oxidation in an air and steam mixture. To find the most efficient plasma torch assembly configuration in terms of hydrogen production yield, four types of anode design were tested, i.e., two types of the swirl ring, and two cathode materials while varying the inlet air and fuel flow rates. The experimental results showed that hydrogen was the highest proportion of the produced syngas. The smooth funnel shape anode design in Ring 1 at air/fuel flow rates of 24/4, 27/4.5, and 30/5 g/min, respectively, was more effective than the edged funnel shape. Lanthanated tungsten alloy displayed higher erosion resistance than hafnium metal

Diabetic Retinopathy and Eye Screening: Diabetic Patients Standpoint, Their Practice, and Barriers; A Cross-Sectional Study

Diabetes mellites (DM) is one of the most common systemic disorders in Saudi Arabia and worldwide. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a potentially blinding ophthalmic consequence of uncontrolled DM. The early detection of DR leads to an earlier intervention, which might be sight-saving. Our aim in this cross-sectional study is to assess patients’ knowledge and practices regarding DR, and to detect the barriers for eye screening and receiving a check-up from an ophthalmologist. The study included 386 diabetic patients. One hundred and thirty-one patients (33.9%) had T1DM and 188 (48.7%) had T2DM. Most of the diabetic patients (73.3%) know that they must have an eye check-up regardless of their blood sugar level. DM was agreed to affect the retina in 80.3% of the patients, 56% of patients agree that DM complications are always symptomatic, and 84.5% know that DM could affect their eyes. The fact that blindness is a complication of diabetic retinopathy was known by 65% of the diabetic patients. A better knowledge was detected among patients older than 50 years of age (54.9%) compared to those aged less than 35 years (40.9%), which was statistically significant (p = 0.030). Additionally, 61.2% of diabetic patients who were university graduates had a significantly better knowledge in comparison to 33.3% of illiterate patients (p = 0.006). Considering the barriers to not getting one’s eyes screened earlier, a lack of knowledge was reported by 38.3% of the patients, followed by lack of access to eye care (24.4%). In conclusion, there is a remarkable increase in the awareness of DR among the Saudi population. This awareness might lead to an earlier detection and management of DR

Manufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics and its recovery of carbon fiber: A review

Polymer matrix composites are excellent materials for a variety of industrial applications. They have superior mechanical, thermal and electrical properties, making them preferable to traditional materials such as metal. To make polymer matrix composite materials, thermosetting, elastomers and thermoplastic polymers are mainly the three types of polymers that can be utilized as matrices. In comparison to thermosetting and elastomers polymers, carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP), is the subject of this research, are gaining popularity in many industrial sectors due to its recyclability, simplicity of processing, good characteristics, flexibility, and less production time. This review covers conventional and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques of CFRTP. Moreover, the potential and existing of CFRTP's application as well as the techniques of carbon fiber recovery and recycling methods of such materials were also examined. Overall, this study considers the research and development on manufacturing CFRTP and recycling techniques of polymer composites to recover carbon fiber materials

A Characterization of Tight Sandstone: Effect of Clay Mineralogy on Pore-Framework

Macro-, meso-, micro-pore systems combined with clay content are critical for fluid flow behavior in tight sandstone formations. This study investigates the impact of clay mineralogy on pore systems in tight rocks. Three outcrop samples were selected based on their comparative petrophysical parameters (Bandera, Kentucky, and Scioto). Our experiments carried out to study the impact of clay content on micro-pore systems in tight sandstone reservoirs involve the following techniques: Routine core analysis (RCA), to estimate the main petrophysical parameters such as porosity and permeability, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess mineralogy and elemental composition, Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) to analyze pore size distributions. Clay structure results show the presence of booklets of kaolinite and platelets to filamentous shapes of illite. The Scioto sample exhibits a micro-pore system with an average pore body size of 12.6±0.6 μm and an average pore throat size of 0.25±0.19 μm. In Bandera and Kentucky samples illite shows pore-bridging clay filling with an average mineral size of around 0.25±0.03 μm, which reduces the micro-pore throat system sizes. In addition, pore-filling kaolinite minerals with a diameter of 5.1±0.21 μm, also reduce the micro-pore body sizes. This study qualifies and quantifies the relationship of clay content with primary petrophysical properties of three tight sandstones. The results help to advance procedures for planning oil recovery and CO2 sequestration in tight sandstone reservoirs.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Reservoir EngineeringApplied Geophysics and Petrophysic

Hematological and biochemical parameters among obese students at the PSAU, Alkharj, KSA

Management of obesity represents a global problem that challenges the provision of healthcare services in most countries. Saudi Arabia ranked number 29 on a 2007 list of countries with 6% of its population being overweight (BMI &gt; 25).In a university setting, we studied hematological parameters (including whole blood counts, haemoglobin and platelets), the presence of basophilia, iron levels and lipid profiles in obese students, and also in non-obese student controls. We found a significant increase in whole blood count in obese compared to healthy individuals, and also found a high level of basophilia compared to healthy controls.&nbsp; We also report that the obese student group suffered from low iron levels, and also a reduced total iron binding capacity, as compared to healthy controls. Levels of cholesterol and triglycerides was significantly higher in obese students compared to healthy controls. This study can be interpreted that universities across the Kingdom, and beyond, should consider targeting obesity management in their students to try to reduce the prevalence of obesity and associated disorders, and to support such healthcare programs by offering a variety of environmental, physical exercise and nutritional interventions