Safety evaluation on LNG bunkering : to enhance practical establishment of safety zone

This paper is to evaluate the LNG bunkering safety for a 50,000 dead weight tonnage bulk carrier renowned as the world first LNG fuelled bulk carrier. To establish a proper level of the safety zone against the potential risk of gas release from the LNG bunkering systems encompassing from truck to ship, it introduces an enhanced quantitative risk assessment process with two key ideas: firstly, the integration of the population-independent analysis with the population-dependent analysis, and secondly, the combination between the probabilistic analysis and CFD simulation for gas dispersion. Research results reveal that the appropriate levels of the safe zone can be set at 28.8 m in 1E-4 /year criterion that concerns the individual risk of a fatality at the given distance to the risk source of 1 in 10,000 years, whereas at 46.6 m (in 1E-5 /year criterion) and at 213.3 m (in 1E-6 / year criterion) when the area within 5 % and higher gas concentration in air is regarded the critical zone. On the other hand, in case of the critical area considered to be within 2.5 % and higher gas concentration in air, the safety zone will much expand to 34.9 m (in 1E-4 /year criterion), 80.4 m (in 1E-5 /year criterion) and 541.8 m (in 1E-6 /year criterion). These dissimilarities suggest that LNG bunkering ports pay attention to selecting appropriate safety criteria which would considerably change the range of safety zones. The case study also demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach that can remedy the shortcomings/shortfalls of existing technical and regulatory guidance on establishing the zones. It is, therefore, believed that the risk assessment approach proposed in this paper can contribute to determining the appropriate level of safety zones whereas providing practical insight into port authorities and flag states

Life cycle assessment for enhanced re-liquefaction systems applied to LNG carriers; effectiveness of partial re-liquefaction system

The marine industry has been striving to seek for proper strategies to curb air emissions from global shipping activities. To support the transition to sustainable shipping, this paper was proposed to evaluate the holistic environmental benefits of the LNG partial re-liquefaction system applied to LNG carriers by comparing among five different combination/configuration of LNG re-liquefaction systems. The theory of life cycle assessment was employed with the help of a commercial software, Sphera GaBi version 2019 to quantify the magnitude of various emissions under different life stages of the proposed systems: manufacturing, installation, use and recycling. A case study was implemented with a 174,200 m3 LNG carrier and the input data for the analysis was collected from true-to-life sources provided by manufacturers and ship operators. The electric consumption of the five systems were calculated by means of Aspen HYSYS software. A range from 1.23 to 1.64 kWh/kg was estimated and was used as key parameters to confirm the onboard electricity demands at the use phase of the five systems. The results revealed that the partial re-liquefaction system had considerable effects on the reduction in emission levels across the following five impact categories: Global Warming Potential, Particulate Matter, Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential, Eutrophication Potential and Acidification Potential. An optimal option which adopted the partial re-liquefaction system was found to release 4.49 × 108 kg CO2 eq. 1.25 × 106 kg PM2.5 eq. 7.16 × 106 kg NMVOC eq. 2.46 × 106 kg N eq. and 1.13 × 107 kg SO2 eq. in its lifetime, which were roughly equivalent to 25% emission reductions compared to the rest of the candidates to which the partial re-liquefaction principle was not applied. Lastly, it clearly presents the effectiveness of life cycle assessment. This research, particularly, suggests that this holistic approach should not be underused for resolving innumerable maritime environmental issues that appear unsolvable with the current practices in the maritime industry

Collagen Immobilization on Ultra-thin Nanofiber Membrane to Promote In Vitro Endothelial Monolayer Formation

The endothelialization on the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber has been limited due to its low hydrophilicity. The aim of this study was to immobilize collagen on an ultra-thin poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane without altering the nanofiber structure and maintaining the endothelial cell homeostasis on it. We immobilized collagen on the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber using hydrolysis by NaOH treatment and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/sulfo-N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide reaction as a cost-effective and stable approach. NaOH was first applied to render the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber hydrophilic. Subsequently, collagen was immobilized on the surface of the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibers using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/sulfo-N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy were used to verify stable collagen immobilization on the surface of the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibers and the maintenance of the original structure of poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibers. Furthermore, human endothelial cells were cultured on the collagen-immobilized poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane and expressed tight junction proteins with the increase in transendothelial electrical resistance, which demonstrated the maintenance of the endothelial cell homeostasis on the collagen-immobilized-poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane. Thus, we expected that this process would be promising for maintaining cell homeostasis on the ultra-thin poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber scaffolds.11Ysciescopu

The genome sequence of Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae KACC10331, the bacterial blight pathogen of rice

The nucleotide sequence was determined for the genome of Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae (Xoo) KACC10331, a bacterium that causes bacterial blight in rice (Oryza sativa L.). The genome is comprised of a single, 4 941 439 bp, circular chromosome that is G + C rich (63.7%). The genome includes 4637 open reading frames (ORFs) of which 3340 (72.0%) could be assigned putative function. Orthologs for 80% of the predicted Xoo genes were found in the previously reported X.axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) and X.campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) genomes, but 245 genes apparently specific to Xoo were identified. Xoo genes likely to be associated with pathogenesis include eight with similarity to Xanthomonas avirulence (avr) genes, a set of hypersensitive reaction and pathogenicity (hrp) genes, genes for exopolysaccharide production, and genes encoding extracellular plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. The presence of these genes provides insights into the interactions of this pathogen with its gramineous host

Recurrent Infective Endocarditis Associated With Pyogenic Spondylodiskitis

Infective endocarditis is a life-threatening condition caused by microbial infection of the heart's endocardial surface. This condition can also be associated with bacterial infections of other organs. We experienced an unusual case of recurrent infective endocarditis associated with pyogenic spondylodiskitis. A 70-year-old man presented with persistent fever and lower back pain visited our hospital. The patient had a past history of recurrent infective endocarditis. He was diagnosed with infective endocarditis again based on clinical symptoms and echocardiographic findings. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to evaluate lower back pain, which showed acute spondylodiskitis on L3 and L4 vertebrae. The patient completely recovered following four weeks of antibiotic therapy

Unilateral Pulmonary Edema: A Rare Initial Presentation of Cardiogenic Shock due to Acute Myocardial Infarction

Cardiogenic unilateral pulmonary edema (UPE) is a rare clinical entity that is often misdiagnosed at first. Most cases of cardiogenic UPE occur in the right upper lobe and are caused by severe mitral regurgitation (MR). We present an unusual case of right-sided UPE in a patient with cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) without severe MR. The patient was successfully treated by percutaneous coronary intervention and medical therapy for heart failure. Follow-up chest Radiography showed complete resolution of the UPE. This case reminds us that AMI can present as UPE even in patients without severe MR or any preexisting pulmonary disease affecting the vasculature or parenchyma of the lung

Effect of delayed hospitalization on 3-year clinical outcomes according to renal function in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Background: We evaluated the effect of delayed hospitalization (symptom-to-door time [STD] ≥ 24 h) on 3-year clinical outcomes according to renal function in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) undergoing new-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Methods: A total of 4513 patients with NSTEMI were classified into chronic kidney disease (CKD) (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, n = 1118) and non-CKD (eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, n = 3395) groups. They were further sub-classified into groups with (STD ≥ 24 h) and without (STD < 24 h) delayed hospitalization. The primary outcome was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), defined as all-cause death, recurrent myocardial infarction, any repeat coronary revascularization, and stroke. The secondary outcome was stent thrombosis (ST). Results: After multivariable-adjusted and propensity score analyses, the primary and secondary clinical outcomes were similar in patients with or without delayed hospitalization in both CKD and non-CKD groups. However, in both the STD < 24 h and STD ≥ 24 h groups, MACCE (p < 0.001 and p < 0.006, respectively) and mortality rates were significantly higher in the CKD group than in the non-CKD group. However, ST rates were similar between the CKD and non-CKD groups and between the STD < 24 h and STD ≥ 24 h groups. Conclusions: Chronic kidney disease appears to be a much more important determinant of MACCE and mortality rates than STD in patients with NSTEMI

Type 2 Myocardial Infarction Following Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizure

Myocardial infarction is diagnosed when blood levels of biomarkers are increased in the clinical setting of acute myocardial ischemia. Among the biomarkers, troponin I is the preferred biomarker indicative of myocardial necrosis. It is tissue specific for the heart. Myocardial infarction is rarely reported following seizure. We report a case of elevated troponin I in a patient after an episode of generalized tonic-clonic seizure. The diagnosis was type 2 myocardial infarction