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The critical bed-shear stress (cbs) for erosion of mud–sand bed mixtures was studied in laboratory and field conditions with currents, waves, and combined currents and waves. Three types of erosion were distinguished: particle/floc erosion, surface erosion, and mass erosion. Important influencing parameters were found to be sediment composition (percentage clay, silt, and sand), presence of organic and carbonate materials, type of bed (homogeneous, remolded, layered by depositional processes), and the dry bulk density (consolidation stage). The laboratory and field results reveal that the critical bed-shear stress is not much influenced by cohesive effects if the percentage of fines (<63 μm) is smaller than approximately 15%. For pfines>15% up to approximately 50%, the critical bed-shear stress increases for increasing values of pfines but decreases again for pfines>50%. The fine fraction includes the clay fraction (pclay≅0.2 to 0.4 pfines), which contributes primarily to the cohesive effects. In addition, the bulk density depending on the soil composition (clay, silt, sand content, and consolidation stage) has a strong effect on the cbs for surface erosion. Small bed irregularities (local disturbances) also play an important role by creating local accelerations and decelerations with enhanced turbulence and initiating particle movements. A new empirical relation is suggested to predict the critical bed-shear stress for erosion based on the dry bulk density of the sediment samples. This relation is successfully applied in a morphodynamic model of a schematized tidal basin to represent spatial variations in the erodibility of fines between sandy channels and (relatively) muddy shoals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventionally, the study of convection heat transfer merely focuses on the behavior of air flow without considering the conductive effect of the horizontal flat plate. However, it is expected that the conductive effect of the horizontal plate somewhat affects the air flow temperature across the flat plate. Therefore, it is motivated to study the variation of air flow temperature across different materials of flat plate in various time frame. The materials used in this study are aluminium, stainless steel and cast iron. Infrared camera and FloEFD simulation software are used to measure the upper surface temperature of the flat plate. For forced convection, the study is carried out within the range of 103 £ Re £ 104 and within the range of 1 × 107 £ Ra < 2.2 × 107 for natural convection. Flow velocity of 2.3 m/s, 4.1 m/s and 5.2 m/s are used for the forced convection. The results showed that aluminium plate cools down faster than the other two metal plates used in all scenarios. Stainless steel’s temperature goes down faster compared to cast iron. These results were supported by the fact that aluminium has higher heat transfer rate of other metals. For forced convection, the discrepancies of temperatures between experimental and simulation studies are below 10%, which demonstrates that the results are reasonably acceptable. For natural convection, even though the discrepancies between simulation and experimental results on temperature variations are relatively large, the temperatures varied in similar pattern. This indicates that the results are reliable.

Spreader beams used in lifting operations undergo a purely compressive load to spread apart the ends of a sling which enables large payloads to be lifted from a single point, such as a crane hook, without damage. A modular spreader beam can be made using subcomponents of different standard sizes to create a spreader beam of any length, making them more versatile and cost-effective than non-modular spreader beams. However, while the manual calculation and selection of an optimum number of subsections for a single beam is straightforward, the process for the multiple range of spreader beam is very challenging and is labour-intensive in a lifting company. The main aim of this study was to develop an automated system for determining the optimal configuration of the modular spreader beam which leads to increasing the efficiency of the lifting company through saving the associated labour and time costs. The automated system is underpinned by designing an algorithm based on a dynamic programming optimisation search to test every possible configuration and return the optimal configuration. Hence, the main novelty in this study is the development of a computer-based system to automate the selection process of the modular beam’s subsections, which generates an optimal package immediately to create different lengths with the fewest sections needed for a lifting operation. Eventually, the process of generating quotation for clients can be significantly accelerated while the risk of human errors can be also eliminated.

Background and study aims Tissue acquisition is required for diagnosis of subepithelial lesions (SELs). However, obtaining adequate tissue remains challenging. This study investigated an EUS-guided technique using a forceps to create a channel and take multiple biopsies from the center of the lesion, therefore called endoscopic ultrasound-guided keyhole biopsy (EUS-KB). Patients and methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 56 patients with SELs in the upper gastrointestinal tract who were scheduled to undergo EUS-KB. The primary aim was to assess diagnostic yield, defined as the percentage of procedures where EUS-KB resulted in a definitive histopathological diagnosis. Furthermore, factors influencing diagnostic yield were investigated. Additional outcomes included technical success and adverse events. Results Technical success was achieved in 55 of 60 biopsies (91.7%). EUS-KB provided a diagnosis in 44 of 55 biopsies (80.0%), histology mostly showing gastrointestinal stromal tumor or leiomyoma. The diagnostic yield was not significantly influenced by the size or location of the SEL. Adverse events occurred in one patient (1.7%). Conclusions EUS-KB is a feasible and safe technique for obtaining a classifying diagnosis for SELs in the upper gastrointestinal tract. It could offer an alternative diagnostic modality, especially in lesions smaller than 20 mm., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest M. J. Bruno has received research grants from Boston Scientific, Cook Medical, Pentax Medical, Interscope, Mylan, and 3M and acted as a consultant for Boston Scientific and Cook Medical. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Background: The Editorial Board of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry releases a biannual highlight commentary to update the readership on trends in the field of radiopharmaceutical development., Main Body: This selection of highlights provides commentary on 21 different topics selected by each coauthoring Editorial Board member addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first-in-human application of novel radiopharmaceuticals., Conclusion: Trends in radiochemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted. Hot topics cover the entire scope of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry, demonstrating the progress in the research field, and include new PET-labelling methods for 11 C and 18 F, the importance of choosing the proper chelator for a given radioactive metal ion, implications of total body PET on use of radiopharmaceuticals, legislation issues and radionuclide therapy including the emerging role of 161 Tb., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The Editorial Board of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry releases a biyearly highlight commentary to update the readership on trends in the field of radiopharmaceutical development., Results: This commentary of highlights has resulted in 23 different topics selected by each member of the Editorial Board addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first in man application of novel radiopharmaceuticals and also a contribution in relation to MRI-agents is included., Conclusion: Trends in (radio)chemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted demonstrating the progress in the research field being the scope of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) allows for accurate diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer (PCa). Compared to other PSMA PET tracers available, [18F]PSMA-1007 is predominantly excreted via the hepatobiliary tract resulting in low renal excretion which improves evaluation of the pelvic area. However, some patients do show high urinary uptake of [18F]PSMA-1007. The present study aimed to investigate this sudden high urinary uptake of [18F]PSMA-1007 by evaluating [18F]PSMA-1007 PET scans from PCa patients. In this single-center retrospective study, patients that underwent [18F]PSMA-1007 PET imaging between July 2018 and January 2021 were included. Data regarding the individual patient characteristics, scan acquisition and batch production were analyzed. To determine the urinary excretion of [18F]PSMA-1007, a region of interest was drawn in the bladder, and standardized uptake values (SUVs) were calculated and compared to SUVs in the prostate. An SUVmax of >10 was considered high urinary excretion, an SUVmax 7.5−10 intermediate and an SUVmax < 7.5 low urinary excretion. A total of 344 patients underwent [18F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT imaging, with 37 patients receiving three or more [18F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT scans. The mean SUVmean and SUVmax of the bladder were 3.9 (SD 2.9) and 5.9 (SD 4.2), respectively. Fourteen percent of patients showed high urinary uptake of [18F]PSMA-1007. Twelve of the thirty-seven patients (32.4%) that had multiple scans showed a varying urinary uptake of [18F]PSMA-1007 per PSMA PET/CT scan. In terms of patient characteristics, risk factors, medication and blood laboratory results, no significant influencing variables were found. Nor was there a difference observed in the batch size and the mean radiochemical purity of PSMA-1007 for high- and low-excreting patients. However, the bladder volume affected the mean SUVmax in the bladder significantly, with higher SUVs in lower bladder volumes. In this study, we observed that a higher SUV in the urinary tract seemed to occur in patients with low bladder volume. A prospective study is needed to corroborate this hypothesis.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG expansion mutation in the huntingtin gene. As a result, intranuclear inclusions of mutant huntingtin protein are formed, which damage striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs). A review of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies relating to HD was performed, including clinical and preclinical data. PET is a powerful tool for visualisation of the HD pathology by non-invasive imaging of specific radiopharmaceuticals, which provide a detailed molecular snapshot of complex mechanistic pathways within the brain. Nowadays, radiochemists are equipped with an impressive arsenal of radioligands to accurately recognise particular receptors of interest. These include key biomarkers of HD: adenosine, cannabinoid, dopaminergic and glutamateric receptors, microglial activation, phosphodiesterase 10 A and synaptic vesicle proteins. This review aims to provide a radiochemical picture of the recent developments in the field of HD PET, with significant attention devoted to radiosynthetic routes towards the tracers relevant to this disease.

Antibody based positron emission tomography (immuno-PET) imaging is of increasing importance to visualize and characterize tumor lesions. Additionally, it can be used to identify patients who may benefit from a particular therapy and monitor the therapy outcome. In recent years the field is focused on (89)Zr, a radiometal with near ideal physical and chemical properties for immuno-PET. In this review we will discuss the production of  (89)Zr, the bioconjugation strategies, and applications in (pre-)clinical studies of  (89)Zr-based immuno-PET in oncology. To date, (89)Zr-based PET imaging has been investigated in a wide variety of cancer-related targets. Moreover, clinical studies have shown the feasibility for (89)Zr-based immuno-PET to predict and monitor treatment, which could be used to tailor treatment for the individual patient. Further research should be directed towards the development of standardized and robust conjugation methods and improved chelators to minimize the amount of released Zr(4+) from the antibodies. Additionally, further validation of the imaging method is required. The ongoing development of new (89)Zr-labeled antibodies directed against novel tumor targets is expected to expand applications of  (89)Zr-labeled immuno-PET to a valuable method in the medical imaging.

Unlabelled: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in a significant number of human malignancies, and its expression is associated with tumor aggressiveness and overall treatment resistance. The monoclonal antibody cetuximab is increasingly used in clinical settings as a treatment modality in combination with more conventional therapies, such as radio- and chemotherapy. Currently, little is known about tumor-specific uptake and overall pharmacokinetics. Noninvasive quantification of cetuximab uptake could provide important diagnostic information for patient selection and therapy evaluation. To this end, we have developed and validated a novel probe using cetuximab labeled with the long-lived positron emitter 89Zr for PET imaging., Methods: Tumor cell lines with varying EGFR expression levels were used for in vivo tumor imaging experiments. PET with 89Zr-labeled cetuximab (3.75+/-0.14 MBq) was performed on tumor-bearing NMRI-nu mice at multiple time points after injection (ranging from 1 to 120 h) and quantified by drawing regions of interest on selected tissues. Uptake was compared by biodistribution gamma-counting, and ex vivo EGFR expression levels were quantified using Western blot analysis., Results: Uptake of 89Zr-labeled cetuximab was demonstrated in the EGFR-positive tumors. However, the EGFR levels measured in vivo did not correlate with the relative signal obtained by PET. Tumor-to-blood ratios were significantly higher in the cell lines with intermediate (compared with the high) EGFR expression starting from 24 h after injection. Normal tissue uptake was unaffected by the different tumor types. Ex vivo gamma-counting experiments confirmed the observed in vivo PET results. A similar disparity was found between 89Zr-labeled cetuximab tumor uptake and in vivo EGFR expression levels as demonstrated by Western blotting., Conclusion: The 89Zr-labeled cetuximab imaging probe is a promising tool for noninvasive evaluation of cetuximab uptake. Our results demonstrate a disparity between in vivo EGFR expression levels and cetuximab uptake. In a general sense, the results indicate a disparity between antibody uptake and expression levels of a biologic target in a tumor, suggesting that additional pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic mechanisms influence tumor delivery of this therapy. These additional mechanisms may explain why receptor expression levels alone are not sufficient to predict patient response.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is notorious for its many manifestations, which can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. In particular, abdominal tuberculosis is easily overlooked because the incidence is low and because it can mimic common noninfectious abdominal syndromes. We describe here a 37-year-old Moroccan man presenting with obstructive jaundice and a 42-year-old man originating from the Philippines who presented with recurrent hematemesis due to portal hypertension. In both patients, a retroperitoneal mass was found and tuberculosis was first diagnosed after a diagnostic laparotomy. Tuberculosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of intra-abdominal mass lesions, especially in persons originating from regions where tuberculosis is endemic. Invasive procedures are often required to obtain adequate diagnostic samples.