Study of High Pressure Heaters and Its Influence on Operation Cost in Power Plants: Case Study Garri -4

Electricity is one of the most important achievements that modern sciences have given to mankind. It became a part of modern life and one cannot think of a world without it. It has many uses in our daily life. Recently, in Sudan, there are some problems related to its continuity and availability of electrical and thermal power generation. This paper presents a part of the solution for the generation of thermal power for Garri-4. The characteristics of electrical energy are sustainability, easy transmission, and easy utilization. All these factors make electrical energy desirable. The main problem of electrical power is the high cost of production due to the high cost of fuel. Through the centuries, there is a lot of work done to reduce the energy cost, by rising up the efficiency and increase the performance of the systems. This paper shows the effect of high-pressure (HP) heaters out of service in the Garri-4 power plant. It aims to investigate the influence of HP heaters on the power plant's overall performance. The mathematical modeling is used through thermodynamic and heat transfer equations to study the efficiency and the operation cost for the power plant. The paper concludes that HP heaters have a clear influence on the power plant performance by increasing the overall power plant efficiency and reduce the operation cost. It also makes it less harmful to the environment through less emission due to less fuel consumption. There is an increase the overall power plant efficiency by 3.78% , 1.03%., and 2.56%, from 27.67%, for different cases studied in this paper

The Value of 18 Fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Imaging in Breast Cancer Staging

BACKGROUND: Accurate staging is important for management decisions in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer. AIM: This study was conducted to evaluate the value of 18 fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging in breast cancer staging.. METHODS: A prospective study of 80 patients (1 male and 79 female) mean age 51.13 years with histologically confirmed breast cancer. The staging procedures included history, physical examination, mammography, and CT of neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis; then, PET/CT was performed in a time interval <30 days. The findings of PET/CT were compared with those of the other conventional methods. RESULTS: The agreement between conventional methods (mammography, breast ultrasound, contrast-enhanced CT of the neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis) and 18F FDG-PET/CT was 0.6 for assessing the T stage, 0.39 for N stage, and 0.75 for M stage. There was moderate agreement between CT and 18F FDG-PET/CT in the detection of nodal lesions (K=0.6) and pulmonary lesions (K=0.51), while a perfect agreement was noted for detecting osseous (K=0.82) and liver lesions (K=0.81). In total, 50 patients (62.5%) were concordantly staged between the conventional imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT, while 30 patients (37.5%) showed a different tumor, node, and metastasis stage. The changes were driven by the detection of additional findings (n=26) or exclusion of findings (n=4), mainly at the lymph nodes (LNs) and/or distant sites. Regarding N status, 18F FDG-PET/CT revealed previously unknown regional lymphatic spread in supraclavicular (n=4; 5%), infraclavicular (n=11; 13.7%), and internal mammary (n=12; 15%) lymph node groups. 18F-FDG PET/CT changed M status in a total of four patients (5%); three of them were upstaged by detecting distant metastases, while osseous deposits were excluded in one patient leading to downstaging. CONCLUSION: 18F-FDG-PET/CT is considered a valuable imaging tool in the initial staging of breast cancer, which significantly impacts the overall American Joint Committee on Cancer staging in 37.5% of our study population

Synthesis of some new of thieno[2,3-b]pyridines, pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine, [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine, pyrazolo[5,1-c]triazine and pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivatives containing pyridine moiety

pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine, [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine and pyrimido[1,2-a] benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized by reaction of sodium salt of 3-hydroxy-(1-pyridin-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one or sodium salt of 3-hydroxy-1-(pyridin-3-yl)prop-2-en-1-one with different heterocyclic amines in piperidenium acetate. Also, 3-amino-6-(2-pyridyl)thieno[2,3-b]pyridine derivatives were synthesized via reaction of pyridine-2-thione with various halogenated compounds. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by elemental analysis, spectral data, X-ray and alternative synthetic routes whenever possible

Retrospective application of SAFEMODE risk models to maritime investigation reports

The presentation elucidates the methodology employed to validate SAFEMODE Risk Models (RMs) using a robust dataset of 80 maritime accident investigation reports. Conducted between June 2021 and March 2022, the study involved 18 internal workshops with seven maritime partners. Initially, the risk models underwent group analysis sessions, which were followed by individual evaluations and cross-validation. Specifically focusing on the Collision in Congested Water Risk Model (CCW-RM), the study found that 80% of the identified 221 Base Events (BEs) were captured as contributing factors in incident reports. This validates the utility of SAFEMODE RMs to a certain extent. The presentation also delves into a detailed analysis of CCW-RM occurrences and other salient findings. Moreover, the risk models prove instrumental in prioritizing safety measures and yield actionable insights into Human Factors (HFs) and system reliability, thereby contributing to a fortified framework for maritime safety management

DWI-MRI: Single, Informative, and Noninvasive Technique for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

Aim. To evaluate diffusion weighted image-MRI (DWI) as a single diagnostic noninvasive MRI technique for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. Material and Methods. A prospective study was conducted between July 2008 and July 2009. Candidates patients were equal or more than 40 years old, with suspicious digital rectal examination (more than clinical T2) or PSA >4 ng/mL. Informed consent was signed. DWI-MRI was performed at 1.5 T with a body coil combined with a spine coil in consecutive 100 cases. The histopathology of biopsies has been used as reference standard. Two examiners were evaluating MRI and TRUS, both of them were blinded regarding pathological findings. Accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity were statistically analyzed. Results. Based on pathological diagnosis: group A (cancerous); 75 cases and group B (non-cancerous); 25 cases. Mean age was 65.3 and 62.8 years in groups A and B, respectively. Mean PSA was 30.7 and 9.2 ng/mL in groups A and B, respectively. Sensitivity of DWI was 58.3% while specificity was 83.8%. Accuracy of lesion detection was 52.4–77.8% (P < 0.05). Moreover, DWI at ADC value 1.2 × 10−3 mL/sec could determine 82.4% of true positive cases (P < 0.05). ADC values were lower with Gleason score ≥7 (P < 0.05). Conclusion. DWI could represent a non invasive single diagnostic tool not only in detection and localization but also in prediction of Gleason score whenever DWI is used prior to invasive TRUS biopsy. Furthermore, targeted single biopsy could be planned after DWI to minimize patient morbidity by invasive techniques

Pulse Pressure Variation-Guided Fluid Therapy during Supratentorial Brain Tumour Excision: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) improved patient outcomes in various surgical procedures; however, its role during mass brain resection was not well investigated. AIM: In this study, we evaluated a simple protocol based on intermittent evaluation of pulse pressure variation for guiding fluid therapy during brain tumour resection. METHODS: Sixty-one adult patients scheduled for supratentorial brain mass excision were randomized into either GDFT group (received intraoperative fluids guided by pulse pressure variation) and control group (received standard care). Both groups were compared according to the following: brain relaxation scale (BRS), mean arterial pressure, heart rate, urine output, intraoperative fluid intake, postoperative serum lactate, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Demographic data, cardiovascular data (mean arterial pressure and heart rate), and BRS were comparable between both groups. GDFT group received more intraoperative fluids {3155 (452) mL vs 2790 (443) mL, P = 0.002}, had higher urine output {2019 (449) mL vs 1410 (382) mL, P &lt; 0.001}, and had lower serum lactate {0.9 (1) mmol versus 2.5 (1.1) mmol, P = 0.03} compared to control group. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, PPV-guided fluid therapy during supratentorial mass excision, increased intraoperative fluids, and improved peripheral perfusion without increasing brain swelling

Evaluations of Paranasal Sinus Disease Using Multidetector Computed Tomography in Taif City, Saudi Arabia

Background: This study aimed to evaluate paranasal sinusitis disease and determine if there is a relationship between the anatomical variation of sinusitis based on the age and gender of the patient and, if so, to identify the most affected demographic group. Methods and Results: This study included 130 patients (76 men and 54 women with ages ranging from 18 years to 75 years) diagnosed with PNS disease and was conducted in the Radiology Department of King Abdelaziz Specialist Hospital and King Faisal Hospital (Taif city, Saudi Arabia) from January 1 2021 to January 31 2022. The evaluation of sinusitis was conducted using multidetector computed tomography. The clinical symptoms included 70% cases of nasal obstruction, 53% cases of headache, 28.5% cases of nasal discharge, 17.7% cases of facial pain, and 3.1% cases of general malaise. The types of sinusitis included maxillary sinusitis (88.5%), sphenoid sinusitis (28.5%), ethmoid sinusitis (43.8%), and frontal sinusitis (23.5%). The study found no significant anatomical variation of sinuses based on age and gender (P>0.05). Conclusion: An evaluation of paranasal sinusitis disease using an MDCT scan shows that there are no gender or age-related differences in the prevalence of the disease. Moreover, the study demonstrates that there is no significant anatomical variation of sinuses based on age and gender

[Corrigendum] Evaluations of Paranasal Sinus Disease Using Multidetector Computed Tomography in Taif City, Saudi Arabia

Corrigendum for 'Evaluations of Paranasal Sinus Disease Using Multidetector Computed Tomography in Taif City, Saudi Arabia' by: Alotaibi O, Osman H, Hadi Y, Alzamil Y, Alyahyawi A, Al-Enezi MS, Alafer F, Abanomy A, Khandaker MU, Almeshari M. International Journal of Biomedicine 12(4): 575-579. DOI: 10.21103/Article12(4)_OA9 Following the publication of this article, the authors have realized that errors were made with the description of the listed affiliation addresses. Therefore, the author affiliations and addresses, in this paper should have appeared as follows: Osama Alotaibi1,2, Hamid Osman3, Yasser Hadi 4, Yasser Alzamil5, Amjad Alyahyawi5,6, Mamdouh S. Al-Enezi5, Feras Alafer7, Ahmad Abanomy8, Mayeen Uddin Khandaker9,10, and Meshari Almeshari5; 1Department of Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia 2Department of Radiology, King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital-Taif, Taif, Saudi Arabia 3Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 2425, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia 4Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Makkah, Saudi Arabia 5Department of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia. 6Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK 7Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia 8Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P. O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia 9Centre for Applied Physics and Radiation Technologies, School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia 10Department of General Educational Development, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, Daffodil, International University, DIU Rd, Dhaka 1341, Bangladesh The authors apologize for any inconvenience caused

Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus in Patients with Altered Mental Status Admitted to Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar

This is a prospective, hospital-based study reporting an update and the prevalence of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) in patients with altered mental status (AMS) in Qatar. Patients presenting with NCSE are compared to controls. Two-hundred and fifty patients with AMS are involved. Patients with NCSE are: 65 (12–79 years, m, 37, f, 28); controls: 185 (12–80 years, m, 101, f, 84). Occurrence of NCSE in patients with AMS was 26%. NCSE patients were younger than controls (p < 0.001). Deaths in the NCSE group occurred in 31% and 19% in controls (p < 0.0007). Hospitalization length was longer in NCSE proper and in comatose NCSE compared to controls (p < 0.02, p < 0.03). Recovery occurred in 40% of NCSE patients and 53% of controls (p < 0.08). About 31% of patients (n = 21) had refractory NCSE and 9 died. This is the first study reporting the prevalence of NCSE in Qatar. This prevalence (26%) is in the middle range. NCSE did not do better than the controls, result being disappointing regarding comatose NCSE. NCSE is an emerging condition requiring rapid diagnosis and rapid treatment. Regarding the optimal duration of continuous EGG (cEEG) monitoring to diagnose the majority of NCSE cases, 3 days of cEEG monitoring could accomplish this task

Preparation and in vivo evaluation of insulin-loaded biodegradable nanoparticles prepared from diblock copolymers of PLGA and PEG

The aim of this study was to design a controlled release vehicle for insulin to preserve its stability and biological activity during fabrication and release. A modified, double emulsion, solvent evaporation, technique using homogenisation force optimised entrapment efficiency of insulin into biodegradable nanoparticles (NP) prepared from poly (dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and its PEGylated diblock copolymers. Formulation parameters (type of polymer and its concentration, stabiliser concentration and volume of internal aqueous phase) and physicochemical characteristics (size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release profiles and in vitro stability) were investigated. In vivo insulin sensitivity was tested by dietinduced type II diabetic mice. Bioactivity of insulin was studied using Swiss TO mice with streptozotocin-induced type I diabetic profile. Insulin-loaded NP were spherical and negatively charged with an average diameter of 200–400 nm. Insulin encapsulation efficiency increased significantly with increasing ratio of co-polymeric PEG. The internal aqueous phase volume had a significant impact on encapsulation efficiency, initial burst release and NP size. Optimised insulin NP formulated from 10% PEG-PLGA retained insulin integrity in vitro, insulin sensitivity in vivo and induced a sustained hypoglycaemic effect from 3 hours to 6 days in type I diabetic mice