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The replacement of natural gas with plastic-derived pyrolysis gas can defossilize H2 production, while subsequent capture, utilization and storage of carbon in a solid form can decarbonize the process. The objective of this study was to investigate H2 production from three types of plastics using a process comprising pyrolysis (600 °C) and thermolysis stages (1200-1500 °C). Depending on the plastic feedstock and thermolysis temperature, the laboratory-scale setup generated 1000-1350 mL/min product gas with H2 purity of 74.3-94.2 vol%. The recovery of 5-9 wt% molecular H2 per mass of plastics was achieved. Other products included solid residue (0.1-12 wt%) and oil (8-52 wt%) from the pyrolysis reactor, solid carbon (36-53 wt%) and gas impurities (2-16 wt%) from the thermolysis reactor. The purity of H2 gas was detrimentally influenced by polyethylene terephthalate in the feedstock due to the dilution of gas by CO. The decomposition of methane containing in the pyrolysis gas was the limiting reaction step during H2 production and improved at higher thermolysis temperature. Three solid carbon structures were formed during the thermolysis stage regardless of the plastic type: carbon black aggregates, carbon black aggregates coated with a layer of pyrolytic carbon and a carbon film on the inner reactor wall. Among the three types of carbon, the highest valorization potential was identified for carbon black aggregates. Plastic feedstock composition had little if any effect on carbon black properties, while high thermolysis temperature (1500 °C) reduced the particle sizes and increased the surface area of aggregates. National Research Foundation (NRF) Public Utilities Board (PUB) Submitted/Accepted version The researchers would like to thank Singapore Energy Center (SgEC) and DII Collaborative Graduate Program for financial support. This research/project is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency under its RIE2025 Urban Solutions and Sustainability (USS) (Water) Center of Excellence (CoE) Program, awarded to Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU).

Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) provides molecular information on tumor heterogeneity. Data regarding the predictive significance of ctDNA after first-line epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are limited. Thus, this study analyzed ctDNA during osimertinib administration as a second-line or greater setting to examine the association between EGFR mutation levels and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods: Forty patients with EGFR T790M-positive NSCLC receiving osimertinib after prior EGFR-TKI treatment were enrolled. Plasma samples were obtained at osimertinib pretreatment, after 1 month of treatment, and at the time of progressive disease (PD). ctDNA analysis was performed using digital polymerase chain reaction.Results: The detection rate of copy numbers of exon 19 deletion, L858R, and T790M in plasma samples was significantly lower 1 month after osimertinib treatment than at pretreatment and significantly higher at PD than at 1 month, whereas that of C797S was significantly higher at PD than at 1 month. There was no statistically significant difference in the copy numbers of exon 19 deletion, L858R, T790M, and C797S between complete response or partial response and stable disease or PD.T790M detection at PD after osimertinib initiation was a significant independent prognostic factor for predicting worse prognosis, and the presence of major EGFR mutations at pretreatment and PD was closely associated with shorter survival after osimertinib initiation.Conclusion: Molecular testing based on ctDNA is useful for predicting outcomes of osimertinib treatment in T790M-positive NSCLC after previous EGFR-TKI treatment.

Background S‐1 monotherapy is effective and feasible for previously treated patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it is not clear whether its effectiveness and tolerability in elderly patients are equivalent to those in younger patients. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of S‐1 monotherapy in elderly patients with NSCLC who had previously received other treatments. Methods We included 96 elderly patients (aged ≥75 years) with advanced NSCLC treated with S‐1 alone as a subsequent‐line treatment at 12 medical facilities between January 2005 and March 2018 in this study. The baseline characteristics of the patients, response to S‐1 monotherapy, and adverse events (AEs) were investigated, retrospectively. Results A total of 68 male and 28 female patients (median age, 78 [range: 75–86] years) were analyzed. In elderly patients who were treated with S‐1 monotherapy as a subsequent‐line treatment, the objective response rate, disease control rate, median progression‐free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were 8.3%, 43.8%, 3.4 months, and 9.6 months, respectively. Observed AEs included anorexia, anemia, nausea, fatigue, reduced platelet count, and skin hyperpigmentation. Treatment‐related death was observed in one patient because of pneumonitis. In patients who experienced no progressive disease, subsequent‐line S‐1 alone was associated with longer PFS and OS. Conclusions S‐1 monotherapy is effective and feasible as a subsequent‐line treatment in elderly patients who were previously treated for NSCLC, and it produces results. S‐1 monotherapy could be one of the treatment choices for elderly patients with previously treated NSCLC., Kaplan–Meier analysis of (a) progression‐free survival (PFS) and (b) overall survival for the 96 patients in the study.

Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Although epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are effective for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations, some patients experience little or no response. The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is an inflammation-related score based on C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin concentrations, and has prognostic value in various cancer settings. This study aimed to evaluate whether GPS could predict response of NSCLC to EGFR-TKIs. Methods This retrospective multicenter study evaluated patients with NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations who received EGFR-TKI monotherapy from October 2006 to December 2016. GPS values were determined using CRP and albumin concentrations from before initiation of EGFR-TKIs. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results In 214 patients, 141, 43, and two patients had GPS values of 0, 1, and 2, respectively. The GPS independently predicted the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs; good GPS (0-1) conferred significantly better PFS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38-0.96, P = 0.03) and OS (HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.33-0.96, P = 0.03). Multivariate analysis confirmed that a good GPS (0-1) independently predicted good PFS and OS among patients who had PS of 0-1. Good GPS (0-1) independently predicted good OS among patients receiving treatment in first-line settings. Conclusions The GPS independently predicted the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs for EGFR-mutated NSCLC; however, further studies are needed to validate our findings. Key points SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS OF THE STUDY: Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) independently predicted the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) treatment for EGFR-mutated NSCLC. What this study adds The findings presented in this paper will help to identify patients who will be expected to experience limited or no response to EGFR-TKI treatment by using GPS.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are an effective subsequent-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it remains unclear whether the efficacy and safety of subsequent-line ICI monotherapy in elderly patients (aged ≥ 75 years) are similar to that in non-elderly patients. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of ICI monotherapy in pretreated elderly patients with NSCLC. Between January 2016 and February 2018, 131 elderly patients with advanced NSCLC who received subsequent-line ICI monotherapy at 13 Japanese institutions were enrolled in this study. Baseline characteristics, the efficacy of ICI treatment, and adverse events were evaluated. Ninety-eight men and 33 women (median age 77 [range 75–87] years) were enrolled. Among those who received subsequent-line ICI monotherapy, the overall response, disease control rates, median progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were 27.4%, 61.8%, 4.5 months, and 16.0 months, respectively. Adverse events such as anorexia, fatigue, pneumonitis, and hypothyroidism were observed. There were two treatment-related deaths due to pneumonitis and thrombocytopenia. Subsequent-line ICI monotherapy in patients with good performance status (PS), receiving steroids for immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and exhibiting partial response (PR) was associated with improved PFS, as well as OS in patients with good PS and PR. Subsequent-line ICI monotherapy in elderly patients, with previously treated NSCLC, was effective, safe and showed outcomes equivalent to those in non-elderly patients. Immunotherapy provides a survival benefit for elderly patients, who exhibit its efficacy and a favorable general condition.

Background/aim The efficacy of the combination of amrubicin and bevacizumab against advanced non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as a second or third-line treatment, was evaluated. Patients and methods Amrubicin was administered for 3 days to patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC, whereas bevacizumab was administered on day 1 of each cycle; this regimen was repeated every 3 weeks. Results Among the 16 patients, an overall response rate of 12.5% (for two patients) was achieved, and the overall disease control rate was 93.7%. Progression free survival and overall survival were 8.5 and 16.6 months, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 haematological toxicities were leukopenia, neutropenia, and febrile neutropenia. Grade 3 proteinuria and infection were the non haematological adverse events. Conclusion The combination of amrubicin and bevacizumab is a promising regimen in the second or third-line treatment for advanced non-squamous NSCLC; however, physicians must recognise the risk of proteinuria related with this regimen.

Tar catalytic removal by char is a promising technology for gasification process because of its porous structure, good catalytic activity, low cost, and easy to treatment after deactivation. To provide comprehensive information on the tar catalytic removal by char, this study focuses on the ongoing efforts and advances from fundamental researches to the industrial applications. The tar removal efficiency by char much depends on reaction conditions and char property, such as char origin, porous structure, the functional group on char surface, carbon structure, and AAEM components. The typical reaction kinetics, reaction mechanism, and the deactivation, will be introduced. Then, for the different gasification processes, the potential or typical applications of tar removal by char are discussed and compared. Finally, a comprehensive analysis and improvement in scaling up, commercializing tar removal technologies and integrating the gasification process, are also evaluated and analyzed in this review.

The ionization source based on glow discharge plasma using ambient air is driven by a pulsed direct-current voltage for soft plasma ionization (SPI). The novelty of this work is that molecular ions [M+13]+ related to the analyte species (M), which may be formed by numerous oxidation, can be dominantly detected as a base peak with little or no fragmentation of them in an air plasma at a pressure of several kPa. The unique ion [M+13]+ was assigned to the oxidation product, [M+O-3H]+, which was confirmed as a deuterated ion [M+O-3D]+ ([M+10]+) by using a deuterated solvent. The ionization reactions were suggested that the product ion [M+O-3H]+ may arise from hydride abstraction reaction of M with O2+•, dehydrogenation reaction of [M-H]+• and subsequently oxidation reaction of [M-3H]+ with O3. n-Alkane mixtures was also measured to evaluate the intermolecular interaction in this system. The limits of detection (LOD) were in the range of 0.126-1.68 ppmv and the relative standard deviation (RSD) for repeatability was approximately 10.0% at the lowest concentration. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating that the spectrum pattern of saturated hydrocarbons could be directly determined without any complicated fragmentation.

Background Limited information is available on the occurrence of synchronous malignancy in patients with advanced thymic cancer (TC) who have achieved long-term survival due to sequential chemotherapy. Here, we present two cases of hematological malignancies in long-term survivors with advanced TC. Case reports A 56-year-old man underwent surgical resection following the diagnosis of TC with a histological indication of squamous cell carcinoma. He received sequential chemotherapy, including carboplatin plus paclitaxel, amrubicin, and S-1, due to multiple pulmonary metastases. After >4 years of first-line chemotherapy, he developed consistent myelosuppression and a definite diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia was made following bone marrow analysis. A 49-year-old man with advanced TC received carboplatin plus paclitaxel with amrubicin as second-line therapy due to recurrence. Amrubicin was administered for 54 cycles but T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma without recurrence of TC was confirmed following transbronchial nodal biopsy due to marked lymphadenopathy. Conclusion Physicians should be alert to the occurrence of hematological malignancy in patients with thymic cancer.

This work examined the reaction behavior and kinetics of in situ char gasification and the corresponding biomass devolatilization by TGA based on the non-isothermal method. Four kinds of devolatili...

Hydrogen chloride (HCl) non-thermal plasma was applied to introduce Cl active sites on biochar prepared from sorghum straw in this study. Surface modified biochar was then placed in flue gas with typical components to investigate its elemental mercury (Hg0) capture ability. To elucidate the adsorption mechanism & binding properties, samples were characterized by N2 adsorption, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis of Hg LIII-edge, Cl K-edge and S K-edge. Experimental results showed that HCl plasma modification successfully increased Cl active sites on biochar and greatly increased its mercury removal efficiency. Both HCl treatments (w/without plasma involvement) altered biochar's surface structure and layered structure generated. XANES spectra revealed that adsorbed-Hg on HCl-treated biochars mainly in the form of Hg+. Gaseous Hg0 was believed to heterogeneously react with chlorinated sites through electron-transfer and formed Hg2Cl2 compounds. With the presence of NO or SO2 in the system, adsorbed mercury existed on biochar mainly as Hg+. SO2 competed and inhibited the adsorption of Hg0; while NO promoted Hg0 removal capacity by increasing the active sites and enhancing the adsorption kinetics of adjacent Cl-containing sites.

Background/aim It remains unclear which chemotherapeutic regimens are better for the addition of bevacizumab. We conducted an exploratory randomized phase II trial comparing first-line S-1 plus cisplatin with bevacizumab and pemetrexed plus cisplatin with bevacizumab in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and methods Chemotherapy-naive patients received S-1 (80 mg/m2) from day 1 to day 14 plus cisplatin (80 mg/m2) on day 1 with bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) on day 1, followed by maintenance with bevacizumab plus S-1 (SCB) on day 1 every 3 weeks and pemetrexed (500 mg/m2) on day 1 plus cisplatin (75 mg/m2) on day 1 with bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) on day 1 followed by maintenance bevacizumab plus pemetrexed (PCB) on day 1 every 3 weeks. The expression of thymidylate synthase (TS) was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. Results Forty-eight patients were enrolled in this study, and eligible patients were randomly assigned at 1:1 ratio to receive SCB (n=24) or PCB (n=24). The median number of chemotherapy and maintenance therapy for SCB and PCB was 4 (range, 1-6 cycles) and 4 (range, 2-6 cycles), and 5 (range, 0-39 cycles) and 5 (range, 0-28 cycles), respectively. The overall response rate (ORR) for PCB and SCB were 54.2% and 83.3%, respectively (p=0.06). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for PCB and SCB were 406 and 351 days, (p=0.96), and 678 and 1190 days, respectively (p=0.23). The mild adverse events were observed in both regimens. TS expression was more predictive of the chemotherapeutic response in SCB compared to PCB, but not for PFS. Conclusion The combination regimen of SCB was identified as having a similar activity and tolerability to that of PCB in patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC.

Integrated coal gasification combined cycle systems are expected to raise the power generation efficiency of coal-fired power plants. In Japan, coal gasifiers are required to treat various kinds of coal imported from many countries because almost all of the coal is imported from abroad. In an entrained-bed coal gasifier, the slag-tapping hole must be heated adequately to discharge the molten slag. Thus, a heating technique has been developed to heat the hole from below, without using any auxiliary fuels. The technique is to burn the syngas, which descends through the hole at high temperature, by supplying oxygen from a pair of nozzles facing each other installed just below the hole. In this study, a design procedure to heat the hole by those nozzles was developed through thermal and flow simulations and actual gasification tests in a 150 t/d entrained-bed coal gasifier of pilot scale.

The release of arsenic vapors (As3+) during high-arsenic coal combustion not only raises serious environmental concerns, but also causes catalyst deactivation in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. To illuminate the mechanisms involved in the transformation of arsenic vapors towards less troublesome arsenates (As5+) during coal combustion, the accessory minerals in the high-arsenic coal were identified and the association relationship of these compounds with arsenic in fly ash was estimated. The results showed that Si/Al were the main inorganic elements in high-arsenic coal while the content of Ca was quite low. Ca was mostly transformed into sulfates during coal combustion and the effect of Ca on the arsenic transformation was limited. Al/Fe played a more significant role in arsenic speciation transformation and arsenic in the fly ash was predominantly bound with Al/Fe-oxides as arsenates. It was further confirmed that Al in kaolin/metakaolin showed good capacity on arsenic capture. In addition, few arsenic vapors were captured through the physical adsorption mechanism and the large fraction of As3+ in some fine particles was mostly attributed to the chemical reactions between arsenic vapors and Al-compounds. Meanwhile, a certain amount of arsenic vapors were converted into As2O5(s) under the influence of SCR catalyst and then carried by flue gas to participate in fly ash. Besides, part of arsenic distributed in the fly ash was through the stabilization of ash matrix in high temperature conditions. The transformation of arsenic from vapors towards particulate arsenic favored arsenic emission control by particulate matter control devices.

In this study, the effects of mechanical stresses on the shedding of ash deposits in a coal-fired boiler were evaluated. We have confirmed that the shedding occurred because of the fracture within the initial deposit layer, which was formed by powdered ash residues. Therefore, assuming that the mechanical stress acting on the initial layer influenced the shedding, the distribution of the tensile stress and shear stresses acting on the initial deposit was calculated on the basis of elastic mechanism. Because the ash deposits were brittle in nature, it was assumed that the initial deposit failed on the basis of the maximum principal stress theory (MPST). The stress values were calculated based on the data for deposit shapes, which were obtained through previous ash deposition experiments on two bituminous coals, one subbituminous coal, and two lignite coals. The fracture strength of the deposit increased with a decrease in the ash fusion temperature. This result indicated that the strength of the deposit increased because of ash coalescence. Moreover, as the MPST, the starting point of fracture was estimated from the position where the principal stress became the largest, and the stress value was used to presume whether the fracture depended on tensile stress or shear stress. The deposit with a narrow adherence region failed because of tensile stress, and the signature of peeling due to tensile stress was observed in the cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of the deposit after ash shedding. In contrast, the deposit with a wide adherence region failed because of shear stress. Therefore, peeling was not observed in the cross-sectional SEM image of the deposit after ash shedding. The results obtained from the analysis on the basis of the MPST well with the actual behavior of ash shedding.

Molten salt gasification is a promising way for collaborative use of solar energy and Zhundong coal, with in situ capture of Cl/S-pollutants as well as alkali metals. The present study provides a deep insight into carbon conversion during molten salt gasification of a typical Zhundong coal in ternary carbonate eutectics (Li2CO3-Na2CO3-K2CO3). The results demonstrated that the molten salt gasification of Zhundong coal underwent a rapid devolatilization of raw coal and then the gasification of char. The interactions between CO2 and volatiles promoted the cracking of macromolecular compounds, increasing the carbon conversion efficiency during the devolatilization process. The gasification of char was mainly determined by the direct reaction with molten salt, which was slightly affected by the CO2 concentration in the carrier gas. The results of char characterization evidenced that the condensation/graphitization of char was stimulated in the molten eutectics. Meanwhile, a large amount of O-containing groups, especially carbonyl groups, were formed in the molten salt treated char with carbonates as oxygen supplier. Under the influence of molten salts, some carbonyl groups would be formed inside the char. However, the decomposition of those carbonyl groups was suppressed by the mass transfer resistance of the released CO and/or CO2. Applying proper feeding mode, such as feeding coal in pulverized form, could enhance the contact of coal, molten salt and CO2, which remarkably promoted the interactions between molten salts and char containing functional groups.

This study describes an ionization source for mass analysis, consisting of glow discharge plasma driven by a pulsed direct-current voltage for soft plasma ionization, to detect toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) rapidly and easily. The novelty of this work is that a molecular adduct ion, in which the parent molecule attaches with an NO + radical, [M + NO] + , can be dominantly detected as a base peak with little or no fragmentation of them in an ambient air plasma at a pressure of several kPa. Use of ambient air as the discharge plasma gas is suitable for practical applications. The higher pressure in an ambient air discharge provided a stable glow discharge plasma, contributing to the soft ionization of organic molecules. Typical mass spectra of VOCs toluene, benzene, o -xylene, chlorobenzene and n -hexane were observed as [M + NO] + adduct ion whose peaks were detected at m / z 122, 108, 136, 142 and 116, respectively. The NO generation was also confirmed by emission bands of NO γ-system. The ionization reactions were suggested, such that NO + radical formed in an ambient air discharge could attach with the analyte molecule.

Zhundong coalfield in China is the largest intact coalfield in the world. However, serious fouling and slagging issues occurred when the Zhundong coal combustion, because of its high Na and Ca contents. In this study, a novel CO 2 -water leaching method was proposed to remove Na and Ca in Zhundong coal. The removal efficiencies of Na and Ca and the ash characteristics of the leached coal were investigated in detail. The results show that the CO 2 -water leaching can be easily achieved at room temperature under atmospheric pressure. The removal efficiencies of Na and Ca by the CO 2 -water leaching were significantly higher than those of water leaching. It is attributed to the effective removal of the organic Na and Ca in the coal. In addition, the CaCO 3 in the coal was also effectively removed by CO 2 -water leaching. The volatility of Na from CO 2 -water leached coal is only 25% of that of raw coal during the combustion at 900 °C. The alkali-acid ratio (B/A) of the CO 2 -water leached coal ash was significantly lower than those of the raw coal and the water leached coal ashes. The fusion temperature of the CO 2 -water leached coal ash significantly increased, compared with those of the raw coal and the water leached coal ashes. The deformation temperature of the CO 2 -water leached coal ash was as high as 1202 °C, much higher than those of the raw coal and water leached coal ashes, which were 1098 °C and 1142 °C, respectively. Besides, the agglomeration and sintering phenomena of coal ash was also inhibited significantly by the CO 2 -water leaching. Therefore, the CO 2 -water leaching method was found to be an effective and promising method for AAEM removal from Zhundong coal, and can markedly mitigate the fouling and slagging during Zhundong coal combustion.

Molten salt gasification provides a promising way for the combined usage of solar energy and coal, during which molten salts act as a heat storage and transfer medium. However, the interactions between coal ash components and molten salts might have undesired effects on the molten salt gasification. The present study investigated the distribution of mineral matters in typical Zhundong coals and the fate of coal ashes in the high-temperature Li 2 CO 3 -Na 2 CO 3 -K 2 CO 3 eutectic system. The results showed that alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) were widely distributed in Zhundong coals in the forms of NaCl, CaCO 3 , CaSO 4 and organic matter, which were predominantly dissolved in the molten salts. After the dissolution of these AAEMs, the melting temperature and enthalpy of the molten salts were changed, while the viscosity of the mixtures was hardly affected in melting phase. On the other hand, Si/Al-compounds were also of high content in some Zhundong coals, existing as quartz, kaolin and amorphous species. Some of these compounds tended to react with molten salts, by forming Li-silicate or Li/K-aluminosilicates, which were precipitated out of the system. Meanwhile, the suspension of the unreacted Si/Al-compounds increased the viscosity of molten salts. Additionally, interactions between coal ashes and molten salts brought about the decrease in thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the eutectic system as well as the increase in specific heat capacity.

Nivolumab, an anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) antibody, is administered in patients with previously treated non-small cell lung cancer. However, little is known about the established biomarker predicting the efficacy of nivolumab. Here, we conducted a preliminary study to investigate whether 18F–FDG-PET/CT could predict the therapeutic response of nivolumab at the early phase. Twenty-four patients were enrolled in this study. 18F–FDG-PET/CT was carried out before and 1 month after nivolumab therapy. SUVmax, metabolic tumour volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were calculated. Immunohistochemical analysis of PD-L1 expression and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes was conducted. Among all patients, a partial metabolic response to nivolumab was observed in 29% on SUVmax, 25% on MTV, and 33% on TLG, whereas seven (29%) patients achieved a partial response (PR) based on RECIST v1.1. The predictive probability of PR (100% vs. 29%, p = 0.021) and progressive disease (100% vs. 22.2%, p = 0.002) at 1 month after nivolumab initiation was significantly higher in 18F–FDG on PET/CT than in CT scans. Multivariate analysis confirmed that 18F–FDG uptake after administration of nivolumab was an independent prognostic factor. PD-L1 expression and nivolumab plasma concentration could not precisely predict the early therapeutic efficacy of nivolumab. Metabolic response by 18F–FDG was effective in predicting efficacy and survival at 1 month after nivolumab treatment.

In order to predict ash deposition in a pulverized coal combustion process, the fragmentation, detachment, and coalescence behavior of ash particles in coal were quantitatively evaluated to distinguish between excluded and included minerals. The experiments for simulated EM heating and simulated coal combustion were carried out in a drop tube furnace. Change in the numbers of EM and IM particles were measured at different residence times by scanning a sampling probe along the flow direction in the reactor tube. The rate constants of EM fragmentation were estimated from the simulated EM heating experiment. The solution to a system of differential equations that includes the effects of fragmentation, detachment, and coalescence as functions for the numbers of EM and IM was obtained as a kinetic model. These functions were fitted to the experimental results for simulated coal combustion experiment to obtain the rate constants for detachment and coalescence. This method was also applied to previous experimental results using three actual coal samples. The rate constants of detachment and coalescence were mainly affected by char structure during coal combustion.

A promising approach to decrease CO 2 emissions from blast furnaces during ironmaking is to blow a reducing gas containing hydrogen into blast furnaces from their tuyeres. However, the combustion behavior of pulverized coal in the presence of a hydrogen-containing gas has not been elucidated. In this work, the combustion experiments of pulverized coal using a drop tube furnace were carried out to investigate the effect of H 2 gas addition on the combustibility of pulverized coal. The combustion ratio of char particles in the presence of H 2 gas (when introduced at a flow rate of 0.10 L/min) was larger than that in the absence of H 2 gas. This is because of the enhanced release of volatile matter from coal and the combustion of char due to an increase in the temperature of the coal particles, which was caused by the drastic combustion of H 2 gas. The combustion ratio of char particles when H 2 gas was added at flow rates higher than 0.21 L/min was considerably smaller than that obtained when H 2 gas was not added. It was found that the combustibility of coal was enhanced when an optimum H 2 gas flow rate was used.

For thermal recycle by wasted plastics coated around electric cables, ignition and combustion experiments of the pulverized samples were carried out, using two types of electrically heated drop tube furnace, in which the particles are pulsatively fed and continuously fed, respectively. The ignition phenomenon was defined as occurrence of luminous emission from a cloud of the particles fed in the former furnace. The wasted plastics coated around the electric cables mainly make of polyethylene with a little amount of carbon particles. The ignition characteristics of the pulverized plastic samples as well as graphite particles as a reference sample were studied, changing the particle diameters and the furnace wall temperatures. In the electrically heated drop tube furnace with the continuous feeding system, the wall temperature and stoichiometric combustion air ratio were varied to elucidate the fundamental combustion characteristics. As a result, the ignition temperature depended on the particle diameter. The plastics with the particle diameter ranged from 150 to 300 µm could ignite at the lowest furnace temperature. From the continuous combustion tests, CO and lower molecule hydrocarbons like CH4, C2H2 and C2H4 were produced in the upper region of furnace. Finally, all of them gradually burned out.

In this study we performed a non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis on three thermoplastics—ABS, PC and PE. The Coats and Redfern method (Nature 201:68–69, 1964) was then used to approximate the kinetic parameters of each material. In addition, we performed a series of pyrolysis experiments in a batch reactor, for each plastic. The experiments were performed over the temperature range of 600–1000 °C at a constant residence time. The liquid and solid products of the pyrolysis, were collected, separated and weighted. Those products were categorized as soot, tar and char (PC only), and their relative weight to initial sample weight (DAF) was plotted against the temperature. The tar measured was exclusively medium to high molecular weight (>80 g/mol). Results revealed that relative tar and soot production, for all three materials, first increases and then decreases with temperature increase. The maximum achieved tar yields for ABS, PC and PE were at 700, 650 and 800 °C, respectively; and the maximum soot yields were at 1000, 1000, 950 °C, respectively.

The treatment for patients with lung cancer undergoing hemodialysis, who are frequently elderly and have poor performance status, becomes a more important subject. However, the feasibility of afatinib in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis has not, so far, been reported. Here, afatinib was administered to three patients with NSCLC harboring EGFR mutation and chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. Pharmacokinetic (PK) data of afatinib supported the safety of afatinib treatment. After receiving their written informed consent from all patients, they were administered 30 mg afatinib daily with HD three times a week. We performed PK analyses of afatinib on days 1, 2, 10, and 11 after initial administration of afatinib. All three patients exhibited a partial response without any serious adverse events during the administration of afatinib. These PK data were similar to those of patients with normal organ function, which were previously reported. Our findings may be particularly useful given the current opportunity to use afatinib as a first-line treatment for EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients, providing an additional option for patients with impaired renal function.

Although docetaxel plus ramucirumab has shown superior treatment efficacy over docetaxel monotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the high rate of febrile neutropenia (FN) presents a clinical problem. This study aimed to validate the primary prophylactic use of pegfilgrastim with docetaxel and ramucirumab treatment in Japanese patients with NSCLC. Patients with NSCLC with progression after at least one round of chemotherapy were enrolled and administered docetaxel (60 mg/m2) plus ramucirumab (10 mg/kg) intravenously on day 1, followed by pegylated-granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (3.6 mg) on day 2 of a 21-day treatment cycle. The primary study endpoint was the percentage of patients who developed FN. Secondary endpoints included overall survival, progression-free survival, overall response rate, and safety. Overall, 20 patients (15 men and 5 women) were enrolled, of whom one developed FN, resulting in an overall FN rate of 5%. The response and disease control rates were 40% and 85%, respectively. The median progression-free survival was 6.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-NR) months. The median overall survival was 18.4 (95% CI, 2.2–11.0) months. Six patients aged over 75 years were included in this study, and although most adverse events were durable, ramucirumab-associated adverse events occurred more frequently in these patients. We observed a 5% FN rate using primary prophylactic pegylated-granulocyte colony-stimulating factor with docetaxel plus ramucirumab in Japanese patients with NSCLC. While most adverse events were durable, elderly patients should be closely monitored.