Vitreous Noise on Optical Coherence Tomography as an Early Finding of Brolucizumab-Related Intraocular Inflammation

We describe a case of brolucizumab-related intraocular inflammation (IOI) detected using vitreous haze on optical coherence tomography (OCT) at an early stage before the patient was aware of any symptom. A 69-year-old female presented with decreased right vision. The patient was diagnosed with pachychoroidal neovasculopathy and started intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) with a 3+ treat-and-extend strategy (TAE). Although the serous retinal detachment (SRD) disappeared after IVA treatment, the patient was managed with treatment every 4 weeks without extending the treatment interval To shorten the treatment interval, intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) was started 44 weeks after starting IVA treatment. After initiating IVBr treatment, the SRD completely disappeared. However, 16 weeks after starting IVBr, OCT showed noise in the vitreous cavity, which had not been seen before, and infrared images showed a black smoke-like shadow over the macula. Despite these findings, the patient had no subjective symptoms, and so IVBr was re-administered with an 8-week TAE interval. Five days after IVBr treatment, vitreous inflammatory cells were observed, and the noise in the vitreous cavity and the smoke-like shadow in the infrared image were further enhanced. We diagnosed the patient with brolucizumab-related IOI, and anti-inflammatory treatment was initiated. After extensive treatment, the vitreous opacity gradually disappeared, and the vitreous noise on OCT and the black smoke-like shadow on infrared images disappeared. IOI may have already been present 16 weeks after starting IVBr treatment, when we judged that there was no inflammation and IVBr was re-administered. When following patients receiving IVBr, IOI may be detected by OCT at an earlier stage by evaluating vitreous haze.

USE OF DIESEL MIXED WITH ETHANOL AND ETHYL ACETATE FOR ALTERNATIVE FUEL IN A HIGH-SPEED DIESEL ENGINE

Particulate matters especially particles with less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) are the main cause of severe air pollution problem in Thailand that lead to the mortality risk in cardiovascular disease. Exhaust gas emissions specifically carbon monoxide and black smoke from diesel engines are the essential sources in generating significant amounts of PM2.5. Improving diesel properties by mixing oxygenated additives is one of the alternatives in reducing this pollutant. The main objective of this research is to investigate the performance and emission of a high-speed diesel engine at 3,000 rpm and different loads operated with diesel mixed with 5 to 20% ethanol and 5% ethyl acetate. The results of engine test at 80% load using diesel mixed with 5% of ethanol and ethyl acetate showed a few decreases in fuel properties and engine performance compared with diesel. The release of black smoke was also decreased to 14%. Increasing the mixture of ethanol to more than 5% has led to the decrease in engine performance continuously. The diesel mixed with ethanol at 20% and ethyl acetate at 5% has reduced the carbon monoxide and black smoke to 0.012%vol and 31.53% respectively and accrued the carbon dioxide at 1.25%vol. This is because the diesel mixed with ethanol and ethyl acetate increased the oxygen level to perform complete combustion as compared with diesel. However, the temperature of these exhaust gases was raised to 55oC

Fire Detection Factor of Polyurethane Foam Fire Experiment in UL 268

This study focused on fire detection factors by confirming the adaptation level of fire detection due to black smoke generated in the case of polyurethane foam fire, and it compared and analyzed the change in combustion products. An experiment was conducted to derive fire detection factors using the UL 268 polyurethane foam real fire test standard. Combustion products were measured using a particulate matter sensor (PMS), combustion gas analyzer (CGA), and gas analyzer (GA). As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that the adaptability of the existing fire detector deteriorated when black smoke was generated. The fire detection factor was derived using the measured values of combustion products. In particular, among the measured factors, the most adaptable combustion products were found to be PM 2.5, PM 10, NO, and CO. They were considered to improve reliability when used as fire detection factors, as compared to existing fire detectors.

Effect of injection timing on particle size distribution of a diesel engine fueled with biodiesel-diesel blends

The purpose of this study is to investigate injection timing affected particle size distribution of a diesel engine fueled with biodiesel/diesel blends. The biodiesel blending ratios include 7, 10 and 20%vol. The experiments were operated at engine speed 1,500 rpm under 25, 50 and 75% engine loads and two different injection timing (25.5 CAD BTDC and 27.5 CAD BTDC). The effects of biodiesel addition and injection timing on the changes in black smoke and particle size distribution were discussed. Results showed that the standard injection timing for the addition of biodiesel, especially for 20% biodiesel blended with diesel fuel (B20) had a significant effect of increasing particle concentration and thus black smoke emission. The advanced injection timing for B20 could improve combustion efficiency and reduce small particles emission in nucleation-mode (Dp 5 – 50 nm) and particles in accumulation-mode (Dp 50 – 1,000 nm) became the smaller particle size, compared to standard and retarded injection timing. Moreover, the oxygen content in biodiesel could improve combustion efficiency and reduce the emission but it is necessary to modify the engine especially fuel injection timing.

Design and CFD Simulation of Knockout Drum

Recently, the emission of black smoke over local area of Basra Oil Company from flare system represents a big problem facing the company and causing huge pollution in the surrounding environment. The main reason of emission black smoke is carryover of droplets of the rest hydrocarbons such as condensate and droplets of crude oil by gases which are came from degassing stations facility in the north Rumelia field, southern Iraq. In this study, a design methodology was developed for designing the knockout drum, and different design criteria were used in sizing and selecting the drum based on the specification of the inlet fluid mixture. Three designs of knockout drums with respect to the gas conditions were performed. The horizontal knockout drum with a diameter of 2.5 m and length of 5.5 m was simulated using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model (ANSYS FLUENT 15.0). The CFD model predicted very well the two-phase flow behavior and proved the need for a vortex breaker at the liquid outlet. The CFD simulation revealed quantitatively that the design configuration of the knockout drum performed the separation of condensate droplets from natural gas with excellent efficiency.

Airborne particulate matter

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a pollutant of concern not only because of its adverse effects on human health but because of its ability to reduce visibility and soil buildings and materials. It can be regarded as a suite of pollutants since PM covers a very wide range of particle sizes and also has a diverse chemical composition. Historically, much of the PM arose from coal burning and was measured as black smoke. However, in the second half of the twentieth century in developed countries, there was a reduction in black smoke emissions from coal burning and PM steadily became dominated by carbonaceous particles from road traffic exhaust and the secondary pollutants, ammonium salts and secondary organic carbon. This is exemplified by the composition of fine particles (referred to as PM 2.5 ) as measured in London, Delhi and Beijing. Steadily, as control strategies have addressed the more tractable sources of emissions, so sources previously regarded as unconventional have emerged and have been seen to make a significant contribution to airborne PM concentrations. Among these are non-exhaust particles from road traffic, cooking aerosol and wood smoke. The particle size distribution of airborne PM is hugely diverse, ranging from newly formed particles of a few nanometres in diameter through to particles of tens of micrometres in diameter. There has been a great deal of interest in ultrafine (nano) particles because of suspicions of enhanced toxicity, and as traffic emissions decrease as a source, so regional nucleation processes have become much bigger relative contributors to particle number, but not mass. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.