Abdominoplasty, Liposuction and Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. My Experience in This Aesthetic Plastic Surgery with Black African Women in a Low-Income Country

Background: In low-income African countries, the demand and use of plastic surgery operations including abdominoplasty, liposuction and Brazilian butt lift (BBL) are increasing. The goal of this work is to present my experience and the challenges of this aesthetic plastic surgery among black African women. Material and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted about the abdominoplasties, liposuctions and Brazilian butt lift (BBL) which I operated in public and private hospitals at Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) in black African women. It covers a period of 13 years, going from December 1, 2010 to December 1, 2023. For this study, I had at least 6 months period (to Juin 1, 2024) to assess the occurrence of early and late postoperative complications. Results: I performed 84 abdominoplasties, 144 liposuctions and 23 Brazilian butt lifts (BBL). The average age at the time of abdominoplasty was 44 years with extremes ranging from 26 to 55 years and a concentration of cases (60.7%) in the age group of 40 to 49 years. The age group of 20 to 29 years old represented the lowest rate of requests for abdominoplasty (4.7%). Patients with a BMI of 30 to 2 were the majority (61.9%), followed by those between 25 to 2 (29.7%). 67.8% of patients were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). The average age at the time of liposuction was 41 years with extremes ranging from 21 years to 69 years;and more than half of cases (68%) in the age group between 30 and 49 years. As for Brazilian butt lift (BBL), the average age was 33 years with extremes ranging from 24 to 42 years and a concentration of patients (91.3%) between 20 and 39 years. The immediate postoperative complications of abdominoplasties observed were: seroma in 7% of cases, hematoma and partial infection of the surgical site in 5% of cases. Pathological scars (hypertrophic, keloid) after abdominoplasties were observed in 9% of cases. The most common complication of liposuction was contour deformity. I observed 16 patients (11.1%) with soft-tissue depressions or elevations, skin panniculus or folds. For Brazalian Butt Lift (BBL), complications like asymmetry for 2 patients (8.9%), contour irregularities for 2 patients (8.9%), and excessive fat removal for 6 patients (26%), had observed. I have not recorded any cases of death or pulmonary embolism. Conclusion: I perform aesthetic plastic surgery procedures in black African women with a high socioeconomic standard of living compared to the average of the general population. The renunciation of planned surgery is motivated by the impossibility of paying the cost of the operation as well as by popular and religious perceptions regarding cosmetic surgery. The results of these aesthetic plastic surgery procedures carried out are very satisfactory for them. The challenges to overcome are mainly threefold: the unforeseeable complications of these cosmetic plastic surgery procedures, popular and religious perceptions of cosmetic surgery as well as the poverty of the population.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar pure copper/1350 aluminum alloy butt joints by friction stir welding

The dissimilar friction stir welding of pure copper/1350 aluminum alloy sheet with a thickness of 3 mm was investigated. Most of the rotating pin was inserted into the aluminum alloy side through a pin-off technique, and sound welds were obtained at a rotation speed of 1000 r/min and a welding speed of 80 mm/min. Complicated microstructure was formed in the nugget, in which vortex-like pattern and lamella structure could be found. No intermetallic compounds were found in the nugget. The hardness distribution indicates that the hardness at the copper side of the nugget is higher than that at the aluminum alloy side, and the hardness at the bottom of the nugget is generally higher than that in other regions. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the dissimilar welds are 152 MPa and 6.3%, respectively. The fracture surface observation shows that the dissimilar joints fail with a ductile-brittle mixed fracture mode durin~ tensile test.

二维Log Butterworth滤波器全方向边缘检测的频域实现方法

由于人类识别图像特征涉及非线性的识别机制,提出基于改进二维Log Butterworth滤波器的全方向边缘检测方法。该方法从频域角度出发,利用正反快速傅里叶变换来实现边缘检测工作。首先,将非线性Log函数引入Butterworth滤波器,获得二维Log Butterworth滤波器,当图像行列数不一致时,中心频率分布于椭圆之上,椭圆的长短轴之比与图像长宽比相等,进而给出以角度为变量滤波器表达式。其次,为方便滤波器参数的选取,对二维Log Butterworth滤波器参数进行归一化等处理。再次,利用F-measure和PSNR(峰值信噪比)来衡量不同参数的边缘检测结果,确定最优的二维Log Butterworth滤波器参数范围。然后,乘法次数和加法次数被用来分析本文方法的理论效率,同时以不同大小的图像作为试验数据来比较两种方法的检测耗时。最后,以伯克利图像分割数据库(BSDS)图像和高空间分辨率遥感图像为试验数据,对本文方法的边缘检测结果进行评价分析。结果表明:本文方法可以有效地应用于图像边缘检测。

黑莓品种‘Black Butte’的组织培养

以黑莓品种‘Black Butte’的带芽茎段为外植体进行组织培养研究。结果表明,基本培养基的成分、激素种类和浓度对‘Black Butte’不定芽增殖和生长均有显著影响。综合分析认为,较适基本培养基是添加0.05mmol/L铁盐的MS培养基,较适增殖培养基为MS+0.05 mmol/L铁盐+0.5 mg/L 6-BA+0.3 mg/L IBA,较适生根培养基为1/2 MS+0.05 mmol/L铁盐+0.01 mg/L NAA。

Wettability, microstructure and properties of 6061 aluminum alloy/304 stainless steel butt joint achieved by laser-metal inert-gas hybrid welding-brazing

Laser-metal inert-gas(MIG)hybrid welding-brazing was applied to the butt joint of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy and 304 stainless steel.The microstructure and mechanical properties of the joint were studied.An excellent joint-section shape was achieved from good wettability on both sides of the stainless steel.Scanning electron microscopy,energy-dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry indicated an intermetallic compound(IMC)layer at the 6061-T6/304 interface.The IMC thickness was controlled to be^2μm,which was attributed to the advantage of the laser-MIG hybrid method.Fe3Al dominated in the IMC layer at the interface between the stainless steel and the back reinforcement.The IMC layer in the remaining regions consisted mainly of Fe4Al13.A thinner IMC layer and better wettability on both sides of the stainless steel were obtained,because of the optimized energy distribution from a combination of a laser beam with a MIG arc.The average tensile strength of the joint with reinforcement using laser-MIG hybrid process was improved to be 174 MPa(60%of the 6061-T6 tensile strength),which was significantly higher than that of the joint by traditional MIG process.

Fatigue life analysis of SMA490BW steel welded butt joint for train bogie based on ABAQUS/FE-SAFE

Stress concentration has a significant effect on fatigue properties of welded butt joint of bogie.The influences of joint geometric parameters {weld edge transition arc radius r,weld toe inclination angle θ） on stress concentration coefficient Kt at weld toe and fatigue life N were studied based on the finite element software ABAQUS/FE-SAFE,and the parametric equations were founded based on regression analysis of Origin software.The results show that weld edge transition arc radius r plays the most important role in stress concentration coefficient Kt as well as weld toe inclination angle 0.For the same inclination angle θ,stress concentration coefficient Kt decreases gradually with transition arc radius r increasing.With inclination angle θ increases,the effect of transition arc radius r on stress concentration factor Kt is increasing continuously,also the effect of change in stress concentration coefficient Kt caused by r on fatigue life N is increasing continuously.While in the case of same weld edge transition arc radius r,stress concentration coefficient Kt increases with inclination angle θincreasing.With transition arc radius r increases,the effect of inclination angle θ on stress concentration factor Kt is decreasing constantly,the effect of change in stress concentration coefficient Kt caused by θ on fatigue life N is decreasing constantly.The associated parametric equations have important instructive significance for the improvement of stress concentration degree and fatigue life of welded butt joint for train bogie.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TEMPERATURE FIELD ON FLASH BUTT WELDING FOR HIGH MANGANESE STEELS

An axial symmetry finite element model coupled with electricity-thermal effect was developed to study the temperature field distribution in process of the flash butt welding （FBW） of frog highmanganese steel. The influence of temperature dependent material properties and the contact resistance were taken into account in FEM ＇simulation. Meanwhile, the lost materials due to .splutter was resolved by using birth and death element. The result of analyzing data shows that the moddel in the FBW flashing is reasonable and feasible, and can exactly simulate the temperature field distribution. The modeling provides reference for analysis of welding technologies on the temperature field of high-manganese steel in FBW.

Study on microstructures and properties of preheated flash butt welded SW400 steel joints

Under the spirit of sustainable development, ‘lightweight’ has been gradually included into the vehicle design criterion by many manufacturers and used in automobile production. Following this trend, domestic wheel suppliers also begin to study the technology of lightweight wheel. One way to achieve this goal is improving strength grade of the steel and optimizing the structure design in the field of steel wheels. But there are a few problems in flash butt welding process in the application of high strength steel, leading to high rejection rates. SW400 steel is a special high strength wheel steel developed by Benxi Steel. Taking SW400 steel as the research material, this article studys the feasibility of improving the properties of rim flash butt welded joints by adding preheating process.

Fatigue life evaluation of girth butt weld within welded cast steel joints based on the extrapolation notch stress method

The fatigue life evaluation of the girth butt weld within the welded cast steel joint was studied based on the extrapolation notch stress method.Firstly,the mesh sensitivity of the finite element model of the welded cast steel joint was analyzed to determine the optimal mesh size.Based on the stress field analysis of the finite element model of the welded cast steel joint at the weld toe and weld root,the sharp model of the extrapolation notch stress method was applied to derive the effective notch stress of the rounded model belonging to the effective notch stress method,in which the key problem is to calculate the extrapolation point C,and the extrapolation point C has an exponential function relationship with the geometric parameters of the welded cast steel joint.By setting different values of geometric parameters,the corresponding value of parameter C is calculated,and then the functional relationship between the extrapolation point C and the geometric parameters can be obtained by the multiple linear regression analysis.Meanwhile,the fatigue life evaluation of the girth butt weld within welded cast steel joints based on the effective notch stress was performed according to the guideline recommended by the IIW(International Institute of Welding).The results indicate that the extrapolation notch stress method can effectively simplify the process of calculating the effective notch stress and accurately evaluate the fatigue life of the girth butt weld within welded cast steel joints.

Experimental investigation on tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures

In order to investigate the laws of variation on tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures, the wide plate tension tests for butt welded joint were conducted after cooling down from different high temperatures. The tests indicate that specimens appear ductile fracture at the steel plate during the tension tests after cooling down. The maximum temperatures undergone and the cooling pattern are major factors influencing tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures. The tensile strength mostly reduces by 8% within 900℃. Based on the experimental results, the paper proposes the calculation formulas of tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures. The conclusions of the paper supply references for evaluation damage and reinforcement of steel structure post fire.

Fatigue properties of friction stir welded butt joint and base metal of MB8 magnesium alloy

The fatigue properties of friction stir welded （FSW） butt joint and base metal of MB8 magnesium alloy were investigated. The comparative fatigue tests were carried out using EHF-EM2OOK2-070-IA fatigue testing machine for both FSW butt joint and base metal specimens. The fatigue fractures were observed and analyzed using a scanning electron microscope of JSM-6063LA type. The experimental results show that the fatigue performance of the FSW butt joint of MB8 magnesium alloy is sharply decreased. The conditional fatigue limit （2 x 106） of base metal and welded butt joint is about 77.44 MPa and 49. 91 MPa, respectively. The conditional fatigue limit （2 x 106 ） of the welded butt joint is 64.45% of that of base metal. The main reasons are that the welding can lead to stress concentration in the flash area, tensile welding residual stress in the welded joint（ The residual stress value was 30. 5 MPa）, as well as the grain size is not uniform in the heat-affected zone. The cleavage steps or quasi-cleavage patterns present on the fatigue fracture surface, the fracture type of the FSW butt joint belongs to a brittle fracture.

Influence of geometric parameters on stress concentration factors of undermatched butt joint with single V-groove under three-point bending load

In order to improve the bending load-carrying capacity （BLCC） of undermatched butt joint under three-point bending load, the influence of joint geometric parameters on stress concentration factors （SCF） at the weld bottom center and the weld toe of uudermatched butt joint with single V-groove are studied respectively based on the finite element method in this paper. Results show that the reinforcement height and the cover pass width play decisive role in the BLCC for undermatched butt joint. BLCC of undermatched butt joint can be improved by choosing the appropriate joint geometric parameters.

Experimental Study on the Bending Properties of Grouting Butt Joints Reinforced by Steel Plate Embedded in Bamboo Tube

The construction of grouting butt joints of bamboo tubes is simple and efficient.However,when the joint is bent,the low tensile strength of the mortar easily leads to cracking of the mortar prior to the failure of the bamboo tube.In this paper,a comparative test of the bending capacity was performed on grouting butt joints reinforced by nonperforated,fully perforated,and semiperforated steel plates embedded in bamboo tubes to obtain the loaddisplacement curves and ultimate bearing capacity of various specimens.The strengthening effect of CFRP pasted on bamboo tubes was also studied.The results show that the opening at the end of the steel plate is beneficial to resist the slip between the mortar and steel plate,while the complete section in the middle of the steel plate is conducive to making full use of the tensile strength of the steel plate.Therefore,it is best to insert the semiperforated steel plate with openings in the end and without openings in the middle into the mortar to enhance the bending properties of the grouting butt joint,which can make the failure mode of the joint change from brittle failure of mortar to ductile compression failure of bamboo tube.In addition,pasting CFRP sheets on the external wall of the bamboo tube helps to reduce the tensile stress of the mortar,while increasing the width of the steel plate can increase the bending moment of inertia of the mixture of the steel plate and mortar.These two complementary measures are very effective in delaying the cracking of the bamboo tube and improving the bending capacity of the joint.

Experimental Study on Determining the Optimum Cigarette Butt Content of Modified Bituminous Mixture of Cigarette Butts

China ranks first in the world as the number of smokers. The environmental pollution and recycling problems of waste cigarette butts are becoming more and more serious. How to make better reuse of waste cigarette butts has been taken action by some countries and regions in the world. In order to study the utilization value of the cigarette butt in road performance, this test takes No. 70 matrix bitumen and waste tobacco as raw material. The optimum amount of the content of the cigarette butt in the experiment is further determined based on the test performance of the modified asphalt mixture and the modified bitumen mixture is prepared by the addition method. The performance indexes of modified bituminous mixture with different dosages were tested and studied. Combined with production and economic realities, the optimum cigarette butt content of modified asphalt mixture is determined to make the road performance optimal. This paper focuses on the determination of the best bituminous content of the bituminous mixture. Through the toxicity test of the leachate published abroad to reflect the pollution of the cigarette butt to the environment and analyze the harm to the environment, combined with the development of global reusing technology and the economic benefits brought by cigarette butts, the prospect of the utilization of waste cigarette butts is forecasted.

Development of Full Automatic Flash Butt Welding with Digital Control

The hardware and software design of two digital control systems based on 80C196KB MCU for flash butt welder is introduced in this paper.The welding power supply is made of six-phase half-wave rectifier.The welding outer characteristic of welding machine is realized by digital PI algorithm with the voltage close-loop feedback.The flashing curve is finished by elec- tric-hydraulic servo valve.The process control system transfers datum with power supply system by a serial communication inter- face.The parameters of the control systems are collected by photoelectrical seclusion to avoid the disturbing of the electromagnetism in welding process.

Influence of arc pressure on the forming of molten pool in tungsten inert gas arc butt welding with micro gap for tantalum sheet

Arc pressure is the key influencing factor to forming of molten pool. Countering the characteristic of tungsten inert gas arc welding with micro gap for tantalum sheet, according to the fundament of arc physics, a distribution model of arc pressure and forming mechanism of molten pool with micro butt gap are proposed, and the influences of arc pressure on forming of molten pool are discussed. Experimental researches for the dynamic formation process of weld molten pool by using high-speed vidicon camera show that when butt gap is appropriate, that is from 0. 1 to 0. 15 mm, molten metals formed on two workpiece uplift and grow up first, then are fused and form uniform molten pool finally.

The process of electroslag pressure butt welding

Many processes are used to join reinforcing bar (steel bar), but only a few of them, e.g. overlapping welding, gas pressure welding, thread joining, cold pressure sleeve joining, are able to be used on building sites because the conditions of building sites are very particular. First, the work of joining reinforcing bar is mobile, that is to say, it must be moved from one place to another after having accomplished one joint. So it demands that the welding equipment (especially the welding head) must be convenient for moving. So it must be small and light. Second, the electricity capacity of the welding equipment can not be too large because the whole electricity capacity of a building site is limited. Third, the welding process ought to be simple because the situation og building sites is very poor and is on the open air. The more complex the process is, the more difficult the work will be. Fourth, the quality of the joint should be reliable and stable because it is impossible to check the quality of every joint, and there is no suitable way to do it even by now. For those reasons, the electroslag pressure butt welding has got great development recent years and is just suitable to be used on building sites to join vertical reinforcing bars. The article introduces its basic principle, processing, chief properties, and some test results.

The influence of joint geometric parameters on shape factor of butt joint with center through crack

In this research, the influence of such joint geometric parameters as weld width and reinforcement on shape ~actor of butt joint with center crack subjected to static loading was investigated by finite element analyses method. According to the analytical resuhs, a well fracture resistant joint shape of butt joint with center crack has been approved.

Applied computer aided system for hotplate butt welding of plastics

This paper illustrates the construction and application of the applied computeraided .system for hotplate butt welding of plastics with regard to inquiry, imitation and Optimization.

High Effective FE Simulation Methods for Deformation and Residual Stress by Butt Welding of Thin Steel Plates

In order to propose high effective simulation using finite element method (FEM) for predicting deformation and residual stress generated by one pass butt welding, a series of numerical analyses were carried out. By idealizing the movement of heat source (the instantaneous heat input method), the tendency of welding out-of-plane deformation and the residual stress distribution could be predicted. The computing time was around 9% of that by the precise model with considering the movement of heat source. On the other hand, applicability of two dimensional shell elements instead of generally used three dimensional solid elements was examined. The heat input model with considering the temperature distribution in the thickness direction was proposed for the simulation by using the shell elements. It was confirmed that the welding out-of-plane deformation and residual stress could be predicted with high accuracy by the model with shell elements and the distributed heat input methods. The computing time was around 8% of that by the precise model with solid elements.