Bending analysis and control of rolled plate during snake hot rolling

In order to study the bending behavior of aluminum alloy 7050 thick plate during snake hot rolling, several coupled thermo-mechanical finite element(FE) models were established. Effects of different initial thicknesses, pass reductions, speed ratios and offset distances on the bending value of the plate were analyzed. ‘Quasi smooth plate' and optimum offset distance were defined and quasi smooth plate could be acquired by adjusting offset distance, and then bending control equation was fitted. The results show that bending value of the plate as well as the extent of the increase grows with the increase of pass reduction and decrease of initial thickness; the bending value firstly increases and then keeps steady with the ascending speed ratio; the bending value can be reduced by enlarging the offset distance. The optimum offset distance varies for different rolling parameters and it is augmented with the increase of pass reduction and speed ratio and the decrease of initial thickness. A proper offset distance for different rolling parameters can be calculated by the bending control equation and this equation can be a guidance to acquire a quasi smooth plate. The FEM results agree well with experimental results.

Spatial Analysis of Traffic Accidents in the City of Medina Using GIS

The general objective of this research is to determine how to use the spatial analysis of traffic accidents in Medina Menorah City through geographic information systems. This research aimed to identify, locate and define the sites where traffic accidents are concentrated and determine the need to apply specific safety standards to reduce accidents and identify their causes thereof. This current research applied the analytical descriptive approach for its relevance with this specific research. This research collected traffic accidents data from the Ministry of the Interior, Department of General Traffic. That data captured the hotspots accidents in Medina Menorah City. Some of the most important results of the study are as follows: many roads were selected as High Accident Location HAL, such as Central Ring Roads, King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Road, Prince Abdul Majid bin Abdul-Aziz Road, and King Abdulla bin Abdel-Aziz Road. The high-speed roads are heavily linked to the massive increase of traffic accident rates, and the increase in the street section length led to the soaring number of total accidents. The study recommended performing more studies and different highway safety studies to identify and locate accident patterns on road networks. Due to the fact that the accidents concentration is intensely focused on Medina City center and Prophet’s Mosque, it is a must to increase the number of public transportations to and from Prophet’s Mosque, particularly during the Hajj period, because of the fact that the visitors of Prophet’s Mosque is on the increase during the said period. This study can be applied in other cities because knowing the locations of traffic crash hotspots can provide us with valuable insights into the causes of accidents and this knowledge helps decision-makers to better assess the risk associated with accidents.

Establishment of trauma registry at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital(QECH), Blantyre, Malawi and mapping of high risk geographic areas for trauma

BACKGROUND: Less attention is directed toward gaining a better understanding of the burden and prevention of injuries, in low and middle income countries(LMICs). We report the establishment of a trauma registry at the Adult Emergency and Trauma Centre(AETC) at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital(QECH) in Blantyre, Malawi and identify high risk geographic areas. METHODS: We devised a paper based two-page trauma registry form. Ten data clerks and all AETC clinicians were trained to complete demographic and clinical details respectively. Descriptive data, regression and hotspot analyses were done using STATA 15 statistical package and ArcGIS(16) software respectively.RESULTS: There were 3,747 patients from May 2013 to May 2015. The most common mechanisms of injury were assault(38.2%), and road traffi c injuries(31.6%). The majority had soft tissue injury(53.1%), while 23.8% had no diagnosis indicated. Fractures(OR 19.94 [15.34–25.93]), head injury and internal organ injury(OR 29.5 [16.29–53.4]), and use of ambulance(OR 1.57 [1.06–2.33]) were found to be predictive of increased odds of being admitted to hospital while assault(OR 0.69 [0.52–0.91]) was found to be associated with less odds of being admitted to hospital. Hot spot analysis showed that at 99% confidence interval, Ndirande, Mbayani and Limbe were the top hot spots for injury occurrence. CONCLUSION: We have described the process of establishing an integrated and potentially sustainable trauma registry. Signifi cant data were captured to provide details on the epidemiology of trauma and insight on how care could be improved at AETC and surrounding health facilities. This approach may be relevant in similar poor resource settings.

Influence of process parameters on deep drawing of AA6111 aluminum alloy at elevated temperatures

To gain a deep insight into the hot drawing process of aluminum alloy sheet, simulations of cylindrical cup drawing at elevated temperatures were carried out with experimental validation. The influence of four important process parameters, namely,punch velocity, blank holder force(BHF), friction coefficient and initial forming temperature of blank on drawing characteristics(i.e.minimum thickness and thickness deviation) was investigated with the help of design of experiments(DOE), analysis of variance(ANOVA) and analysis of mean(ANOM). Based on the results of ANOVA, it is shown that the blank holder force has the greatest influence on minimum thickness. The importance of punch velocity for thickness deviation is 44.35% followed by BHF of 24.88%,friction coefficient of 15.77% and initial forming temperature of blank of 14.995%. After determining the significance of each factor on forming characteristics, how the individual parameter affects characteristics was further analyzed by ANOM.

Geospatial characteristics of fire occurrences in southern hemispheric Africa and Madagascar during 2001-2020

For this study of long-term spatial patterns and trends of active fires in southern hemispheric Africa and on Madagascar from 2001 to 2020,active fire data from the MODIS FIRMS global fire data products were analyzed.The annual center of fire concentration tended to migrate toward the preserved rainforests and nature conservation areas in the Congo Basin and the mountain forests on the northeastern coast of Madagascar.Fire frequency varied seasonally at both study areas.We used geo statistical analysis techniques,such as measures of dispersion and emerging hot spot analysis,to reveal long-term trends in spatial patterns of fire events.In southern hemispheric Africa,the observed active fires tended to drift northward toward the Zambia-DRC border in the Congo basin.This northward migration progressed toward humid rainforests,which were better suited to sustaining repeated fire events.On Madagascar,the observed active fires tended to migrate toward the east coast in protected mountain forests.The spatial patterns of long-term trends showed a concentration of fires in the tropical regions of southern hemispheric Africa.Moreover,smaller clusters of new hot spots were located over eastern South Africa,overlapping with undifferentiated woodlands.On Madagascar,both hot and cold spots were identified and were separated by the highland region in the center of the island.Most of the eastern island was characterized by cold spots that received less precipitation than did the rest of the island.The presence of increasing hots spots in the densely vegetated areas highlights the urgent need for fire prevention and management in this region.

Water resource utilization characteristics and driving factors in the Hainan Island

The scarcity of water resources caused by the unique topography and uneven rainfall distribution in Hainan Island has become a major factor restricting local development. In order to provide effective and scientific reference basis for the overall water resource utilization status and solving this problem, this study calculated the water resource utilization situation of Hainan Island from 2017 to 2021 in detail using methods including water resource ecological footprint analysis. Furthermore, a spatial correlation analysis was conducted to examine the island's water resource utilization characteristics, and the driving factors behind the changes in water resource utilization over the past five years were analyzed using the LMDI model. The results show that:(1) During the study period, the water resource ecological footprint in Hainan Island exhibited a slow growth trend, while the ecological carrying capacity showed a downward tendency.The per capita ecological deficit of water resources remains relatively high, and the water consumption per 10 000 yuan GDP in the whole land continues to decrease, indicating that the overall pressure on water resource demand remains high with significant regional differences accompanied by the efficiency of water resource utilization steadily improving at the same time;(2) Agricultural water use accounts for the highest proportion in the entire water use structure, while ecological water use represents the smallest share, with a year-on-year increase, indicating that Hainan Island highlights the agricultural development and is increasingly conscious of the ecological environment;(3) Significant spatial differentiation in water resource utilization characteristics exists in Hainan Island, with the western region being a hot spot aggregation area for per capita water resource ecological footprint, per capita ecological carrying capacity of water resources, water consumption per 10 000 yuan GDP, while it is a cold spot cluster area for per capita ecological deficit of water resources. The opposite holds true for the eastern region of Hainan Island;(4) Economic and technological factors have a major impact on the changes in water resource ecological footprint within the designated area. Among them, economic factors drive the growth of the water resource ecological footprint in Hainan Island, and exacerbate local water resource consumption, while technological factors negatively contribute to the amount of water resource utilization in Hainan Island, indicating that advanced technology has improved water resource utilization efficiency and significantly reduced water resource consumption.

Thermal and chemical analysis of massive use of hot briquetted iron inside basic oxygen furnace

The integrated steelmaking cycle based on the blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace（BOF）route plays an important role in the production of plain and ultra-low carbon steel,especially for deep drawing operations.BOF steelmaking is based on the conversion of cast iron in steel by impinging oxygen on the metal bath at supersonic speed.In order to avoid the addition of detrimental chemical elements owing to the introduction of uncontrolled scrap and in order to decrease environmental impact caused by the intensive use of coke for the production of cast iron,HBI（hot briquetted iron）can be used as a source of metal and a fraction of cast iron.Forty industrial experimental tests were performed to evaluate the viability of the use of HBI in BOF.The experimental campaign was supported by a thermal prediction model and realized through the estimation of the oxidation enthalpy.Furthermore,the process was thermodynamically analyzed based on oxygen potentials using the off-gas composition and the bath temperature evolution during the conversion as reference data.

Extraction and Dynamic Spatial-Temporal Changes of Grassland Deterioration Research Hot Regions in China

The authors use a web crawler to retrieve all periodical articles from CNKI between the 1950 s and 2016 and then parse the abstracts of 293368 articles about grassland deterioration by word segmentation, location matching and other methods. The authors also construct a research hot regions extraction model of grassland deterioration in China based on a comprehensive research hot regions index of toponyms and then analyze the spatial pattern and dynamic change in research hot regions of grassland deterioration in China. The research shows the following：（1） The spatial heterogeneity of grassland deterioration in China can be effectively described by a model of grassland deterioration based on the comprehensive research hot regions index.（2） The research hot regions of grassland deterioration are mainly distributed in most regions of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet, Gansu and other provinces. The northeastern region of Inner Mongolia（such as Hulunbeier） and the eastern region of Inner Mongolia（such as Xilin Gol, Chifeng and Wulanchabu） are significant hot regions in the study of grassland deterioration.（3） The number of high research hot regions increases from 81 in the 1950 s to 99 in the 2000s; the area increases from 1.038 million km2 to 1.146 million km2. The degree of hot for grassland deterioration research in 197 counties showed an upward trend. This paper also discusses the relationship between the region of research hot regions and the region of grassland deterioration and then indicates the differences between them in time matching, space matching and concept matching.

The Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Resident Population Growth Rate in Henan Province, China

Population is an important strategic resource for national development, a fundamental element of socio-economic development. The coordinated development of population and economy is an effective way to achieve rapid economic growth. Based on the population statistics data of counties (districts) in Henan Province, China, from 2006 to 2021. The paper firstly uses the logistic population growth mathematical model to calculate the resident population growth rate of counties (districts), then utilizes the hotspot analysis and spatial semi-variogram analysis, to research the spatial distribution characteristics of the resident population growth rate in Henan Province. The research results show that the evolution of the regional resident population in the province basically conforms to the logistic natural growth model. The resident population growth rate shows the characteristics of high in the north and low in the south, high in the center and low in the surrounding regions. The resident population growth rate is positively correlated with the level of economic development;the urban built-up areas, especially the new regions in urban planning, have a fast growth rate of resident population, which has a significant siphon effect on the population of surrounding regions. The hotspots of resident population growth rate in the province are mainly distributed in the urban built-up areas and surrounding regions of Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and Xinxiang, accounting for about 3.51% of the total area of the province. The cold spots are mainly distributed in the eastern part of the province, forming zonal distribution, which spans across Shangqiu City, Zhoukou City, and Zhumadian City, accounting for about 8.61% of the total area of the province. The area with negative growth of resident population accounts for approximately 53.47% of the total province. The spatial distribution of the growth rate of the resident population in the whole province basically conforms to the spherical model, with a small dispersion degree and a short range. In the range, there is a high degree of variability in resident population growth rate.

Assessing the impact of booster vaccination on diphtheria transmission:Mathematical modeling and risk zone mapping

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in the healthcare system,affecting vaccinations and the management of diphtheria cases.As a consequence of these disruptions,numerous countries have experienced a resurgence or an increase in diphtheria cases.West Java province in Indonesia is identified as one of the high-risk areas for diphtheria,experiencing an upward trend in cases from 2021 to 2023.To analyze the situation,we developed an SIR model,which integrated DPT and booster vaccinations to determine the basic reproduction number,an essential parameter for infectious diseases.Through spatial analysis of geo-referenced data,we identified hotspots and explained diffusion in diphtheria case clusters.The calculation of R0 resulted in an R0=1.17,indicating the potential for a diphtheria outbreak in West Java.To control the increasing cases,one possible approach is to raise the booster vaccination coverage from the current 64.84%to 75.15%,as suggested by simulation results.Furthermore,the spatial analysis revealed that hot spot clusters were present in the western,central,and southern regions,posing a high risk not only in densely populated areas but also in rural regions.The diffusion pattern of diphtheria clusters displayed an expansion-contagious pattern.Understanding the rising trend of diphtheria cases and their geographic distribution can offer crucial insights for government and health authorities to manage the number of diphtheria cases and make informed decisions regarding the best prevention and intervention strategies.

The Spatio-temporal Pattern of Regional Land Use Change and Eco-environmental Responses in Jiangsu, China

Land use change and its eco-environmental responses are foci in geographical research. As a region with uneven economic development, land use change and eco-environmental responses across Jiangsu Province are relevant to China＇s overall development pattern. The external function of regional land use changes during different stages of economic development. In this study, we proposed a novel classification system based on the dominant function of land use according to ＂production-ecology-life＂, and then analyzed land use change and regional eco-environmental responses from a functional perspective of regional development. The results showed that from 1985 to 2008, land use change features in Jiangsu were that productive land area decreased and eco- logical and living land areas increased. Land use changes in southern Jiangsu were the most dramatic. In southern and central parts of Jiangsu the agricultural production function weakened and urban life service function strengthened; in northern Jiangsu, the mining production function＇s comparative advantage highlighted that the rural life service function was weakening. Ecological environmental quality decreased slightly in Jiangsu and its three regions. The maximum contribution rate to ecological environmental change occurred in southern Jiangsu and the minimum rate was located in the north. Eco-environmental quality deteriorated in southern and central Jiangsu, related to expanding construction land in urban and rural areas. Ecological environmental quality deterioration in northern Jiangsu is probably due to land development and consolidation. The main reason for improvements in regional ecological environments is that agricultural production land was converted to water ecological land across Jiangsu.