Large-Scale Earthwork Progress Digitalization Practices Using Series of 3D Models Generated from UAS Images

Since the Fourth Industrial Revolution, existing manpower-centric manufacture has been shifting towards technology and data-centric production in all areas of society. The construction sector is also facing a new paradigm called smart construction with a clear purpose of improving productivity and securing safety by applying site management using information and communications technology (ICT). This study aims to develop a framework for earthwork process digitalization based on images acquired by using the unmanned aerial system (UAS). The entire framework includes precise UAS data acquisition, cut-and-fill volume estimation, cross-section drawing, and geo-fencing generation. To this end, homogeneous time-series drone image data were obtained from active road construction sites under earthwork. The developed system was able to generate precise 3D topographical models and estimate cut-and-fill volume changes. In addition, the proposed framework generated cross-sectional views of each area of interest throughout the construction stages and finally created geo-fencing to assist the safe operation of heavy equipment. We expect that the proposed framework can contribute to smart construction areas by automating the process of digitizing earthwork progress.

Biodegradation of acid red 3BN dye in sequential batch reactor: parameters and kinetics studies

Textile and dye industries generate wastewater which is considered as highly polluted and carcinogenic. Due to this, treatment of wastewater is required earlier to discharge or recycle. In the present studies, treatment of dye bearing water (DBW) has been explored. The treatment was performed using activated sludge (mixed culture) for aerobic process in sequential batch reactor (SBR). The fill volume (V F) and fill time (t F) variation in the treatment of DBW was taken place. The initial value of dye concentration, chemical oxygen demand (COD), sludge, and hydraulic retention time (HRT) were found to play important role in the treatment. At optimum condition (HRT = 2.5 d), the 86.84% COD reduction of 190 mg/L COD, and 92.33% dye reduction of 339 mg/L dye were achieved. These values are equal to overall 94.85% dye reduction of 500 mg/L, and 93.15% COD reduction of 380 mg/L. As a result, 500 mg/L dye was reduced to 26 mg/L, and 380 mg/L COD was reduced to 25 mg/L. The biodegradation fitted to Monod kinetics, for which kinetics parameter values of specific growth rate constant of biomass µ = 0.0047 h−1, yield coefficient (Y) = 1.059, and substrate utilization rate (q) = 0.0044 h−1 were evaluated at HRT = 2.5 d. The results show, this process can be applied to treat Acid Red 3BN Dye Water (AR3BNDW).

Solidification characteristics in a spherical capsule integrated with pin fins and rectangular fins - a comparative study

This study aims at investigating the solidification characteristics in a spherical capsule with pin fins and rectangular fins of same length and volume immersed in a constant temperature bath (-6°C, -9°C, -12°C). The fins are made of copper and are attached to the inner surface of the spherical capsule. The fin lengths correspond to the annulus fill volume margin of 75% taken on the inside wall of the spherical container. The findings showed that the overall solidification period of the capsules with rectangular fins was reduced. Also, the subcooling phenomena is completely eliminated at bath temperature of -6°C. Results also indicated that 50% PCM mass is reduced effectively with the provision of fins. Thus, with the employment of rectangular fins better potential energy savings can be attained when operated at partial charging mode at higher bath temperature.

Tissue Expansion after Non-Skin-Sparing Mastectomy: A Comparative Study of Expansion Courses of Prepectoral and Subpectoral Tissue Expander Placement with Acellular Dermal Matrix

Although skin- or nipple-sparing mastectomy has been popular in the treatment of breast cancer, the radical excision of breast tissue is unavoidable in certain circumstances. However, the ability of an acellular dermal matrix (ADM) to expand remains questionable, and this situation may further hinder tissue expansion. From October 2017 to January 2020, patients who underwent immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expander placement using ADM whose initial fill volume was less than 50 mL were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcomes were the number of visits and number of days required to complete the expansion, and the secondary outcomes were the amount of postoperative expansions, expander fill ratio and expander volume. Between the prepectoral group (n = 26) and subpectoral group (n = 39), the mean number of days (81.46 days versus 88.64 days, p = 0.365) and mean number of visits (5.08 versus 5.69, p = 0.91) required to complete expansion exhibited no significant differences. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the mean amount of postoperative expansion (314.23 mL versus 315.38 mL, p = 0.950), the mean final volume (353.08 mL versus 339.62 mL, p = 0.481) or the mean final volume ratio (0.89 versus 0.86, p = 0.35) between the two groups. Therefore, we suggest that prepectoral tissue expander placement after conventional mastectomy can be a valid option.

Ultrafiltration in Patients on Automated Peritoneal Dialysis with Homechoice Claria connected to Sharesource: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Fluid overload is an unavoidable problem in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and is associated with poor outcomes. The aim of our study was to estimate ultrafiltration (UF) under different dextrose concentrations and clarify possible predictors of UF.Materials and methods: Seventy patients, with 1848 daily treatment records and 8266 single dwells on automated PD through Homechoice Claria with Sharesource were followed in October 2020 and categorized into 2 groups according to the dextrose concentration (group D1.5% and D2.5%). Baseline characteristics, peritoneal membrane characteristics, and daily PD treatment records from Sharesource were obtained. We compared UF under the different conditions.Results: Multivariate linear regression revealed that the mean fill volume (FV) per cycle (p=0.006) and dextrose concentration (p=0.000) were independent predictors of UF. The mean night UF per cycle, the mean night UF corrected by FV per cycle, and the mean night UF corrected by FV and dwelling time (DT) per cycle were 95.8 ml, 5.5%, and 5.0 ‱/minutes in group D1.5% and 220.3 ml, 12.0%, and 11.6 ‱/minutes in group D2.5%, respectively. After an approximately 120-minute DT, there was a trend toward higher UF in the low peritoneal permeability group and lower UF in the high peritoneal permeability group.Conclusion: This retrospective study presents precise UF measurements with two solutions at different dextrose concentrations and four peritoneal transport levels. UF is positively correlated with DT and FV of the dialysate within a reasonable range. High peritoneal permeability is associated with decreased UF, and low peritoneal permeability requires a longer DT to reach the maximal UF.

Recommended Best Practices for Lyophilization Validation—2021 Part I: Process Design and Modeling

This work describes lyophilization process validation and consists of two parts. Part I focuses on the process design and is described in the current paper, while part II is devoted to process qualification and continued process verification. The intent of these articles is to provide readers with recent updates on lyophilization validation in the light of community-based combined opinion on the process and reflect the industrial prospective. In this paper, the design space approach for process design is described in details, and examples from practice are provided. The approach shows the relationship between the process inputs; it is based on first principles and gives a thorough scientific understanding of process and product. The lyophilization process modeling and scale-up are also presented showing the impact of facility, equipment, and vial heat transfer coefficient. The case studies demonstrating the effect of batch sizes, fill volume, and dose strength to show the importance of modeling as well as the effect of controlled nucleation on product resistance are discussed.

SGLT2 inhibition does not reduce glucose absorption during experimental peritoneal dialysis

Introduction: Unwanted glucose absorption during peritoneal dialysis (PD) remains a clinical challenge, especially in diabetic patients. Recent experimental data indicated that inhibitors of the sodium and glucose co-transporter (SGLT)-2 could act to reduce glucose uptake during PD, which raises the question of whether glucose absorption may also occur via intracellular or trans-cellular pathways. Methods: We performed PD in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats using a fill volume of 20 mL with either 1.5% glucose fluid or 4.25% glucose fluid for 120 min dwell time to evaluate the effects of SGLT2 inhibition by empagliflozin on peritoneal water and solute transport. To assess the diffusion capacity of glucose, we developed a modified equation to measure small solute diffusion capacity, taking convective- and free water transport into account. Results: SGLT2 inhibition markedly increased the urinary excretion of glucose and lowered plasma glucose after PD compared to sham groups. Glucose absorption for 1.5% glucose was 165 mg 95% CI (145–178) in sham animals and 157 mg 95% CI (137–172) for empagliflozin-treated animals. For 4.25% glucose, absorption of glucose was 474 mg 95% CI (425–494) and 472 mg 95% CI (420–506) for sham and empagliflozin groups, respectively. No significant changes in the transport of sodium or water across the peritoneal barrier could be detected. Conclusion: We could not confirm recent findings that SGLT2 inhibition reduced glucose absorption and increased osmotic water transport during experimental PD.

Container Closure and Delivery Considerations for Intravitreal Drug Administration

Intravitreal (IVT) administration of therapeutics is the standard of care for treatment of back-of-eye disorders. Although a common procedure performed by retinal specialists, IVT administration is associated with unique challenges related to drug product, device and the procedure, which may result in adverse events. Container closure configuration plays a crucial role in maintaining product stability, safety, and efficacy for the intended shelf-life. Careful design of primary container configuration is also important to accurately deliver small volumes (10-100 μL). Over- or under-dosing may lead to undesired adverse events or lack of efficacy resulting in unpredictable and variable clinical responses. IVT drug products have been traditionally presented in glass vials. However, pre-filled syringes offer a more convenient administration option by reducing the number of steps required for dose preparation there by potentially reducing the time demand on the healthcare providers. In addition to primary container selection, product development studies should focus on, among other things, primary container component characterization, material compatibility with the formulation, formulation stability, fill volume determination, extractables/leachables, and terminal sterilization. Ancillary components such as disposable syringes and needles must be carefully selected, and a detailed administration procedure that includes dosing instructions is required to ensure successful administration of the product. Despite significant efforts in improving the drug product and administration procedures, ocular safety concerns such as endophthalmitis, increased intraocular pressure, and presence of silicone floaters have been reported. A systematic review of available literature on container closure and devices for IVT administration can help guide successful product development.

Detailed Characterization and Monitoring of a Retrogressive Thaw Slump from Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems and Identifying Associated Influence on Carbon and Nitrogen Export

Ice-rich permafrost landscapes are sensitive to ongoing changes in climate. Permafrost retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) represent one of the more abrupt and prolonged disturbances, which occur along Arctic river and lake shorelines. These features impact local travel and infrastructure, and there are many questions regarding associated impacts on biogeochemical cycling. Predicting the duration and magnitude of impacts requires that we enhance our knowledge of RTS geomorphological drivers and rates of change. Here we demonstrate the utility of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) for documenting the volumetric change, associated drivers and potential impacts of the largest active RTS along the Old Crow River in Old Crow Flats, Yukon, Canada. RPAS surveys revealed that 29,174 m3 of sediment was exported during the initial evacuation in June 2016 and an additional 18,845 m3 continued to be exported until June 2019. More sediment export occurred during the warmer 2017 summer that experienced less cumulative rainfall than summer 2018. However, several rain events during 2017 were of higher intensity than during 2018. Overall mean soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) within sampled thaw slump sediment was 1.36% and 0.11%, respectively. A combination of multispectral, thermal and irradiance (derived from the RPAS digital surface model) data provided detailed classification of thaw slump floor terrain types including raised dry clay lobes, shaded and relatively stable, and low-lying evacuation-prone sediments. Notably, the path of evacuation-prone sediments extended to a series of ice wedges in the northern headwall, where total irradiance was highest. Using thaw slump floor mean SOC and TN values in conjunction with sediment bulk density and thaw slump fill volume, we estimated that 713 t SOC and 58 t TN were exported to the Old Crow River during the three-year study. Findings showcase the utility of high-resolution RPAS datasets for refining our knowledge of thaw slump geomorphology and associated impacts.

The Application of Building Information Modelling in Landscape Design for Ecological Protection

Over the last decade, the widely use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has significantly improved the efficiency of architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry in China. Many studies have been dedicated to how BIM could help in construction works. However, due to lack of BIM application in landscape filed, limited researches could be found on how many excessive works could be prevented by BIM and its ecological value in protecting local environment, especially for those hillside areas with relatively vulnerable ecosystem, which covers over two thirds of the land in China. This paper aims to set up a BIM-based landscape design workflow and examine its effectiveness in reducing construction waste produced in design process. One project case of hillside residential district planning design was carried out by applying the established BIM workflow, showing that earthworks were reduced significantly, and the final net cut/fill volume was controlled at 32.45m3 after project completion. Minimizing earthworks prevents the local topsoil and vegetation from been destroyed by unnecessary constructions. Utilizing BIM in landscape design enables the architects to pursue a more ecological and integrated design solution, paying more attention to the relationship between human beings and nature.