Research status and prospects of the fractal analysis of metal material surfaces and interfaces

As a mathematical analysis method,fractal analysis can be used to quantitatively describe irregular shapes with self-similar or self-affine properties.Fractal analysis has been used to characterize the shapes of metal materials at various scales and dimensions.Conventional methods make it difficult to quantitatively describe the relationship between the regular characteristics and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces.However,fractal analysis can be used to quantitatively describe the shape characteristics of metal materials and to establish the quantitative relationships between the shape characteristics and various properties of metal materials.From the perspective of two-dimensional planes and three-dimensional curved surfaces,this paper reviews the current research status of the fractal analysis of metal precipitate interfaces,metal grain boundary interfaces,metal-deposited film surfaces,metal fracture surfaces,metal machined surfaces,and metal wear surfaces.The relationship between the fractal dimensions and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces is summarized.Starting from three perspectives of fractal analysis,namely,research scope,image acquisition methods,and calculation methods,this paper identifies the direction of research on fractal analysis of metal material surfaces and interfaces that need to be developed.It is believed that revealing the deep influence mechanism between the fractal dimensions and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces will be the key research direction of the fractal analysis of metal materials in the future.

The value of toxicological analysis in acute poisoning patients with uncertain exposure histories:a retrospective and descriptive study from an institute of poisoning

BACKGROUND:In clinical practice,some patients might not be able or unwilling to provide a thorough history of medication and poison exposure.The aim of this study was to use toxicological analysis to examine the clinical characteristics of patients with acute poisoning whose exposure history was uncertain from a toxicological analysis perspective.METHODS:This was a retrospective and descriptive study from an institute of poisoning.Patient registration information and test reports spanning the period from April 1,2020 to March 31,2022,were obtained.Patients with uncertain exposure histories and who underwent toxicological analysis were included.Clinical manifestations and categories of toxics were analyzed.RESULTS:Among the 195 patients with positive toxicological analysis results,the main causes of uncertain exposure history was disturbance of consciousness(62.6%),unawareness(23.6%)and unwillingness or lack of cooperation(13.8%).The predominant clinical manifestations were disturbed consciousness(62.6%),followed by vomiting and nausea(14.4%)and liver function abnormalities(8.7%).A comparison of clinical manifestations between patients with positive and negative(n=99)toxicological analyses results revealed significantly different proportions of disturbances in consciousness(63%vs.21%),dizziness(1.5%vs.5.1%),multi-organ failure(1.5%vs.7.1%),and local pain(0 vs 4%).The main categories of substances involved were psychiatric medications(23.1%),sedatives(20.5%),insecticides(13.8%),and herbicides(12.8%).CONCLUSION:The clinical manifestations of acute poisoning in patients with an uncertain exposure history are diverse and nonspecific,and toxicological analysis plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of such patients.

Multilevel analysis of the central-peripheral-target organ pathway:contributing to recovery after peripheral nerve injury

Peripheral nerve injury is a common neurological condition that often leads to severe functional limitations and disabilities.Research on the pathogenesis of peripheral nerve injury has focused on pathological changes at individual injury sites,neglecting multilevel pathological analysis of the overall nervous system and target organs.This has led to restrictions on current therapeutic approaches.In this paper,we first summarize the potential mechanisms of peripheral nerve injury from a holistic perspective,covering the central nervous system,peripheral nervous system,and target organs.After peripheral nerve injury,the cortical plasticity of the brain is altered due to damage to and regeneration of peripheral nerves;changes such as neuronal apoptosis and axonal demyelination occur in the spinal cord.The nerve will undergo axonal regeneration,activation of Schwann cells,inflammatory response,and vascular system regeneration at the injury site.Corresponding damage to target organs can occur,including skeletal muscle atrophy and sensory receptor disruption.We then provide a brief review of the research advances in therapeutic approaches to peripheral nerve injury.The main current treatments are conducted passively and include physical factor rehabilitation,pharmacological treatments,cell-based therapies,and physical exercise.However,most treatments only partially address the problem and cannot complete the systematic recovery of the entire central nervous system-peripheral nervous system-target organ pathway.Therefore,we should further explore multilevel treatment options that produce effective,long-lasting results,perhaps requiring a combination of passive(traditional)and active(novel)treatment methods to stimulate rehabilitation at the central-peripheral-target organ levels to achieve better functional recovery.

Analysis of cancer-specific survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: A evidence-based medicine study

BACKGROUND Metastatic colorectal cancer(mCRC)is a common malignancy whose treatment has been a clinical challenge.Cancer-specific survival(CSS)plays a crucial role in assessing patient prognosis and treatment outcomes.However,there is still li-mited research on the factors affecting CSS in mCRC patients and their corre-lation.AIM To predict CSS,we developed a new nomogram model and risk grading system to classify risk levels in patients with mCRC.METHODS Data were extracted from the United States Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results database from 2018 to 2023.All eligible patients were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort.The Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the independent risk factors for CSS.A new nomogram model was developed to predict CSS and was evaluated through internal and external validation.RESULTS A multivariate Cox proportional risk model was used to identify independent risk factors for CSS.Then,new CSS columns were developed based on these factors.The consistency index(C-index)of the histogram was 0.718(95%CI:0.712-0.725),and that of the validation cohort was 0.722(95%CI:0.711-0.732),indicating good discrimination ability and better performance than tumor-node-metastasis staging(C-index:0.712-0.732).For the training set,0.533,95%CI:0.525-0.540;for the verification set,0.524,95%CI:0.513-0.535.The calibration map and clinical decision curve showed good agreement and good potential clinical validity.The risk grading system divided all patients into three groups,and the Kaplan-Meier curve showed good stratification and differentiation of CSS between different groups.The median CSS times in the low-risk,medium-risk,and high-risk groups were 36 months(95%CI:34.987-37.013),18 months(95%CI:17.273-18.727),and 5 months(95%CI:4.503-5.497),respectively.CONCLUSION Our study developed a new nomogram model to predict CSS in patients with synchronous mCRC.In addition,the risk-grading system helps to accurately assess patient prognosis and guide treatment.

Ecological Discourse Analysis Based on the Corpus-A Case Study on the Environmental Discourse of 21st Century

Language learning materials not only provide language input for learners but also subtly disseminate ideology and influence readers’behavior.This study,based on the framework of ecological discourse analysis,quantitatively analyzes and qualitatively describes the ecological significance of environmental texts in the 21st Century.The aim is to provide references for the compilation of environmental discourse in language learning materials,promote the construction of more ecologically beneficial discourse,and facilitate the widespread dissemination of the ecological philosophy of“Diversity and Harmony,Interaction and Co-existence”among young readers.The initial findings of this study are as follows:In the environmental texts of the publication,a large number of relational processes and action processes are used to objectively represent the natural environment;the discourse tends to be ambiguous and beneficial,generally aligning with the ecological philosophy of“Diversity and Harmony,Interaction and Co-existence.”This can guide readers to correctly understand and face environmental issues,which is conducive to the healthy development of natural ecosystems.

Pretreatment and analysis techniques development of TKIs in biological samples for pharmacokinetic studies and therapeutic drug monitoring

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs)have emerged as the first-line small molecule drugs in many cancer therapies,exerting their effects by impeding aberrant cell growth and proliferation through the modulation of tyrosine kinase-mediated signaling pathways.However,there exists a substantial inter-individual variability in the concentrations of certain TKIs and their metabolites,which may render patients with compromised immune function susceptible to diverse infections despite receiving theoretically efficacious anticancer treatments,alongside other potential side effects or adverse reactions.Therefore,an urgent need exists for an up-to-date review concerning the biological matrices relevant to bioanalysis and the sampling methods,clinical pharmacokinetics,and therapeutic drug monitoring of different TKIs.This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the advancements in pretreatment methods,such as protein precipitation(PPT),liquid-liquid extraction(LLE),solid-phase extraction(SPE),micro-SPE(μ-SPE),magnetic SPE(MSPE),and vortex-assisted dispersive SPE(VA-DSPE)achieved since 2017.It also highlights the latest analysis techniques such as newly developed high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and high-resolution mass spectrometry(HRMS)methods,capillary electrophoresis(CE),gas chromatography(GC),supercritical fluid chromatography(SFC)procedures,surface plasmon resonance(SPR)assays as well as novel nanoprobes-based biosensing techniques.In addition,a comparison is made between the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches while presenting critical challenges and prospects in pharmacokinetic studies and therapeutic drug monitoring.

Modeling Analysis of Factors Influencing Wind-Borne Seed Dispersal: A Case Study on Dandelion

A weed is a plant that thrives in areas of human disturbance, such as gardens, fields, pastures, waysides, and waste places where it is not intentionally cultivated. Dispersal affects community dynamics and vegetation response to global change. The process of seed disposal is influenced by wind, which plays a crucial role in determining the distance and probability of seed dispersal. Existing models of seed dispersal consider wind direction but fail to incorporate wind intensity. In this paper, a novel seed disposal model was proposed in this paper, incorporating wind intensity based on relevant references. According to various climatic conditions, including temperate, arid, and tropical regions, three specific regions were selected to establish a wind dispersal model that accurately reflects the density function distribution of dispersal distance. Additionally, dandelions growth is influenced by a multitude of factors, encompassing temperature, humidity, climate, and various environmental variables that necessitate meticulous consideration. Based on Factor Analysis model, which completely considers temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, wind, and land carrying capacity, a conclusion is presented, indicating that the growth of seeds is primarily influenced by plant attributes and climate conditions, with the former exerting a relatively stronger impact. Subsequently, the remaining two plants were chosen based on seed weight, yielding consistent conclusion.

Analysis of vascular thrombus and clinicopathological factors in prognosis of gastric cancer:A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world,and its prognosis is closely related to many factors.In recent years,the incidence of vascular thrombosis in patients with GC has gradually attracted increasing attention,and studies have shown that it may have a significant impact on the survival rate and prognosis of patients.However,the specific mechanism underlying the association between vascular thrombosis and the prognosis of patients with GC remains unclear.AIM To analyze the relationships between vascular cancer support and other clinicopathological factors and their influence on the prognosis of patients with GC.METHODS This study retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data of 621 patients with GC and divided them into a positive group and a negative group according to the presence or absence of a vascular thrombus.The difference in the 5-year cumulative survival rate between the two groups was compared,and the relationships between vascular cancer thrombus and other clinicopathological factors and their influence on the prognosis of patients with GC were analyzed.RESULTS Among 621 patients with GC,the incidence of vascular thrombi was 31.7%(197 patients).Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the degree of tumor differentiation,depth of invasion,and extent of lymph node metastasis were independent influencing factors for the occurrence of vascular thrombi in GC patients(P<0.01).The trend of the χ^(2) test showed that the degree of differentiation,depth of invasion,and extent of lymph node metastasis were linearly correlated with the percentage of vascular thrombi in GC patients(P<0.01),and the correlation between lymph node metastasis and vascular thrombi was more significant(r=0.387).Univariate analysis revealed that the 5-year cumulative survival rate of the positive group was significantly lower than that of the negative group(46.7%vs 73.3%,P<0.01).Multivariate analysis revealed that age,tumor diameter,TNM stage,and vascular thrombus were independent risk factors for the prognosis of GC patients(all P<0.05).Further stratified analysis revealed that the 5-year cumulative survival rate of stage Ⅲ GC patients in the thrombolase-positive group was significantly lower than that in the thrombolase-negative group(36.1%vs 51.4%;P<0.05).CONCLUSION Vascular cancer status is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of patients with GC.The combination of vascular cancer suppositories and TNM staging can better judge the prognosis of patients with GC and guide more reasonable treatment.

Bifurcation analysis and control study of improved full-speed differential model in connected vehicle environment

In recent years, the traffic congestion problem has become more and more serious, and the research on traffic system control has become a new hot spot. Studying the bifurcation characteristics of traffic flow systems and designing control schemes for unstable pivots can alleviate the traffic congestion problem from a new perspective. In this work, the full-speed differential model considering the vehicle network environment is improved in order to adjust the traffic flow from the perspective of bifurcation control, the existence conditions of Hopf bifurcation and saddle-node bifurcation in the model are proved theoretically, and the stability mutation point for the stability of the transportation system is found. For the unstable bifurcation point, a nonlinear system feedback controller is designed by using Chebyshev polynomial approximation and stochastic feedback control method. The advancement, postponement, and elimination of Hopf bifurcation are achieved without changing the system equilibrium point, and the mutation behavior of the transportation system is controlled so as to alleviate the traffic congestion. The changes in the stability of complex traffic systems are explained through the bifurcation analysis, which can better capture the characteristics of the traffic flow. By adjusting the control parameters in the feedback controllers, the influence of the boundary conditions on the stability of the traffic system is adequately described, and the effects of the unstable focuses and saddle points on the system are suppressed to slow down the traffic flow. In addition, the unstable bifurcation points can be eliminated and the Hopf bifurcation can be controlled to advance, delay, and disappear,so as to realize the control of the stability behavior of the traffic system, which can help to alleviate the traffic congestion and describe the actual traffic phenomena as well.

Seismic-induced surficial failure of cohesive slopes using three-dimensional limit analysis:A case study of the Wangjiayan landslide in Beichuan, China

A seismic-induced landslide is a common geological catastrophe that occurs in nature.The Wangjiayan landslide,which was triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake,is a typical case in point.The Wanjiayan landslide caused many casualties and resulted in enormous property loss.This study constructs a simple surficial failure model based on the upper bound approach of three-dimensional(3D)limit analysis to evaluate the slope stability of the Wangjiayan case,while a traditional two-dimensional(2D)analysis is also conducted as a reference for comparison with the results of the 3D analysis.A quasi-static calculation is used to study the effect of the earthquake in terms of horizontal ground acceleration,while a parametric study is conducted to evaluate the critical cohesion of slopes.Rather than employing a 3D analysis,using the 2D analysis yields an underestimation regarding the safety factor.In the Wangjiayan landslide,the difference in the factors of safety between the 3D and 2D analyses can reach 20%.The sliding surface morphology as determined by the 3D method is similar to actual morphology,and the parameters of both are also compared to analyze the reliability of the proposed 3D method.

An Analysis of Specific Categories of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities for Children of Participants of the Air Force Health Study

Background: The Air Force Health Study collected reproductive outcomes for live-born children of male Air Force veterans of the Vietnam War. Methods: Dioxin values for participants were obtained from blood samples. Analyses were conducted of occurrence of 16 specific categories of birth defects and developmental disabilities. Children were categorized as conceived before and after the start of participants’ Vietnam War service. Children conceived before the start of Vietnam War service were treated as being conceived when their fathers had unquantifiable dioxin values. Children conceived after the start of Vietnam War service for participants with missing dioxin values were excluded from primary analyses, but were used to assess the impact of their exclusion on conclusions. Correlation between values for specific categories for multiple children fathered by the same participant was accounted for. The dose-response relationship was treated as a step function increasing for dioxin values larger than adaptively identified individual thresholds changing with the specific category. Results: For 15 of 16 specific categories, the probability of occurrence increased substantially for a sufficiently high dioxin level above identified thresholds. Exclusion of children due to missing dioxin likely did not affect these results. Conclusions: Results supported the conclusion of substantial adverse effects on a wide variety of specific categories of birth defects and developmental disabilities due to sufficiently high exposures to dioxin, a toxic contaminant of Agent Orange used for herbicide spraying in the Vietnam War. Results may hold more generally, but might also have been affected by a variety of limitations.

Analysis of lymph node metastasis and survival prognosis in early gastric cancer patients: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Early gastric cancer(EGC)is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system,and its lymph node metastasis and survival prognosis have been concerning.By retrospectively analyzing the clinical data of EGC patients,we can better under-stand the status of lymph node metastasis and its impact on survival and prog-nosis.AIM To evaluate the prognosis of EGC patients and the factors that affect lymph node METHODS The clinicopathological data of 1011 patients with EGC admitted to our hospital between January 2015 and December 2023 were collected in a retrospective cohort study.There were 561 males and 450 females.The mean age was 58±11 years.The patient underwent radical gastrectomy.The status of lymph node metastasis in each group was determined according to the pathological examination results of surgical specimens.The outcomes were as follows:(1)Lymph node metastasis in EGC patients;(2)Analysis of influencing factors of lymph node metastasis in EGC;and(3)Analysis of prognostic factors in patients with EGC.Normally distributed measurement data are expressed as mean±SD,and a t test was used for comparisons between groups.The data are expressed as absolute numbers or percentages,and the chi-square test was used for comparisons between groups.Rank data were compared using a nonparametric rank sum test.A log-rank test and a logistic regression model were used for univariate analysis.A logistic stepwise regression model and a Cox stepwise regression model were used for multivariate analysis.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate and construct survival curves.A log-rank test was used for survival analysis.RESULTS Analysis of influencing factors of lymph node metastasis in EGC.The results of the multifactor analysis showed that tumor length and diameter,tumor site,tumor invasion depth,vascular thrombus,and tumor differentiation degree were independent influencing factors for lymph node metastasis in patients with EGC(odds ratios=1.80,1.49,2.65,5.76,and 0.60;95%CI:1.29–2.50,1.11–2.00,1.81–3.88,3.87-8.59,and 0.48-0.76,respectively;P<0.05).Analysis of prognostic factors in patients with EGC.All 1011 patients with EGC were followed up for 43(0–13)months.The 3-year overall survival rate was 97.32%.Multivariate analysis revealed that age>60 years and lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors for prognosis in patients with EGC(hazard ratio=9.50,2.20;95%CI:3.31-27.29,1.00-4.87;P<0.05).Further analysis revealed that the 3-year overall survival rates of gastric cancer patients aged>60 years and≤60 years were 99.37%and 94.66%,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The 3-year overall survival rates of patients with and without lymph node metastasis were 95.42%and 97.92%,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The lymph node metastasis rate of EGC patients was 23.64%.Tumor length,tumor site,tumor infiltration depth,vascular cancer thrombin,and tumor differentiation degree were found to be independent factors affecting lymph node metastasis in EGC patients.Age>60 years and lymph node metastasis are independent risk factors for EGC prognosis.

Study Progress Analysis of Effluent Quality Prediction in Activated Sludge Process Based on CiteSpace

In this paper, CiteSpace, a bibliometrics software, was adopted to collect research papers published on the Web of Science, which are relevant to biological model and effluent quality prediction in activated sludge process in the wastewater treatment. By the way of trend map, keyword knowledge map, and co-cited knowledge map, specific visualization analysis and identification of the authors, institutions and regions were concluded. Furthermore, the topics and hotspots of water quality prediction in activated sludge process through the literature-co-citation-based cluster analysis and literature citation burst analysis were also determined, which not only reflected the historical evolution progress to a certain extent, but also provided the direction and insight of the knowledge structure of water quality prediction and activated sludge process for future research.

Traditional Chinese Medicine in colorectal cancer treatment:a bibliometrics study and visualization analysis via CiteSpace

Objective:To evaluate the current state of research and areas of interest for traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in the field of colorectal cancer treatment.Methods:Related papers published between January 1,2012,and November 27,2021,were found using the Web of Science Core Collection Science Citation Index Expanded.Using CiteSpace's network map generation capability,we then determined the top writers,organizations,countries,keywords,co-cited writers,journals,references,and research trends.Results:This investigation yielded a total of 336 relevant papers.China is the most productive country.Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the leading institution.The journal with the most popularity and publishing volume is Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.The author with the most citations and centrality is Lin JM.The terms"epithelial-mesenchymal transition,""cell cycle arrest,""apoptosis,"and"autophagy"are highly frequent and have a high betweenness centrality.Conclusion:According to the results,research on natural products,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)extracts,and the molecular mechanisms of TCM chemical constituents constitutes the primary focus within TCM cancer treatment investigations.In recent years,there has been a surge of interest in exploring the role of gut microbiota in TCM chemical constituents research,particularly in its ability to induce apoptosis and autophagy in tumor cells,thereby suppressing tumor cell proliferation,metastasis,and invasion.However,due to the intricate composition of TCM and existing technical limitations,the underlying principles guiding TCM's efficacy in treating colorectal cancer remain unclear and warrant further investigation.

Analysis of alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyltransferase after radiofrequency ablation of primary liver cancer: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Changes in alkaline phosphatase(ALP)andγ-glutamyltransferase(GGT)levels in patients with primary liver cancer(PLC)after radiofrequency ablation(RFA).Hepatocellular carcinoma is a malignant tumor with high incidence worldwide.As a common local treatment,RFA has attracted much attention for its efficacy and influence on liver function.AIM To investigate the effect of serum ALP and GGT levels on the prognosis of patients with PLC treated by RFA.METHODS The preoperative clinical data of 165 patients who were pathologically or clinically diagnosed with PLC and who received RFA in our hospital between October 2018 and June 2023 were collected.The chi-square test was used to compare the data between groups.The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used to analyze the associ-ations between serum ALP and GGT levels and overall survival,progression-free survival(PFS)and clinical characteristics of patients before treatment.RESULTS The 1-year survival rates of patients with normal(≤135 U/L)and abnormal(>135 U/L)serum ALP before treatment were 91%and 79%,respectively;the 2-year survival rates were 90%and 68%,respectively;and the 5-year survival rates were 35%and 18%,respectively.The difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P=0.01).Before treatment,the 1-year survival rates of patients with normal serum GGT levels(≤45 U/L)and abnormal serum GGT levels(>45 U/L)were 95%and 87%,the 2-year survival rates were 85%and 71%,and the 5-year survival rates were 37%and 21%,respectively.The difference between the two groups was statist-ically significant(P<0.001).Serum ALP[hazard ratio(HR)=1.766,95%confidence interval(95%CI):1.068-2.921,P=0.027]and GGT(HR=2.312,95%CI:1.367-3.912,P=0.002)is closely related to the overall survival of PLC patients after RF ablation and is an independent prognostic factor.The 1-year PFS rates were 72%and 50%,the 2-year PFS rates were 52%and 21%,and the 5-year PFS rates were 14%and 3%,respectively.The difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P<0001).The 1-year PFS rates were 81%and 56%in patients with normal and abnormal serum GGT levels before treatment,respectively;the 2-year PFS rates were 62%and 35%,respectively;and the 5-year PFS rates were 18%and 7%,respectively,with statistical significance between the two groups(P<0.001).The serum ALP concentration(HR=1.653,95%CI:1.001-2.729,P=0.049)and GGT(HR=1.949,95%CI:1.296-2.930,P=0.001)was closely associated with PFS after RFA in patients with PLC.The proportion of male patients with abnormal ALP levels is high,the Child-Pugh grade of liver function is poor,and the incidence of ascites is high.Among GGT-abnormal patients,the Child-Pugh grade of liver function was poor,the tumor stage was late,the proportion of patients with tumors≥5 cm was high,and the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy was high.CONCLUSION Serum ALP and GGT levels before treatment can be used to predict the prognosis of patients with PLC after RFA,and they have certain guiding significance for the long-term survival of patients with PLC after radiofrequency therapy.

A Study of the English Translation of Characteristic Cuisines of the Hexi Corridor from the Perspective of Multimodal Discourse Analysis

Given the diversity of geographical and cultural backgrounds,it is difficult to find precise counterparts of many food-related vocabularies in the unique dietary culture of the Hexi Corridor in the target language,making it challenging to fully convey the essence of its local dietary culture in translation.To achieve the purpose of translation,the theory of multimodal discourse analysis provides an ideal translation approach through the language mode,image mode,sound mode,and the synergistic effect of multimodalities,which can accurately address the deficiencies in the translation of dietary culture.Through this research,it is not only possible to highlight the unique charm of the dietary culture of the Hexi Corridor but also to build a bridge for its international dissemination,promoting cross-border cultural exchanges and mutual understanding.

A Content Analysis Study Describing Information Regarding Female Genital Mutilation Present in US Medical Textbooks

This study examines the depth of information regarding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)/Female Cutting (FC) present in US medical textbooks. According to Klein et al. (2018) [1], despite substantial attention regarding the effects of FGM, this practice is still ongoing all over the world. Healthcare providers are very important actors who need to understand FGM in order to provide care to girls and women subjected to it, but the small amount of existing work in this area shows a low level of knowledge and training about FGM/FC among U.S. physicians. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first published the estimated number of girls at risk of FGM/FC in the U.S. to be about 168,000 in 1997;that number had increased to 513,000 girls in the US by 2012 (according to Goldberg et al.) In this study, a small sample of medical textbooks were analyzed for the degree to which the textbooks include information regarding FGM/FC. The results of this study show that US medical textbooks do not include information regarding FGM/FC, suggesting that most medical providers don’t have knowledge and training about FGM/FC. The inadequate information on FGM/FC in medical textbooks reflects a culturally biased lack of recognition of the number of girls and women affected in the US. This maintains an ongoing pattern of silence that reinforces gender inequality. Considering the inadequate information covered in US medical textbooks on FGM/FC, and the concordant lack of provider training to provide advice and care to affected girls and women, incorrect and missed diagnoses may lead to harm to victims of FGM/FC. Providers would be better equipped to care for women and girls if their medical training included information regarding FGM/FC.

Operation optimization of prefabricated light modular radiant heating system:Thermal resistance analysis and numerical study

The utilization of prefabricated light modular radiant heating system has demonstrated significant increases in heat transfer efficiency and energy conservation capabilities.Within prefabricated building construction,this new heating method presents an opportunity for the development of comprehensive facilities.The parameters for evaluating the effectiveness of such a system are the upper surface layer’s heat flux and temperature.In this paper,thermal resistance analysis calculation based on a simplified model for this unique radiant heating system analysis is presented with the heat transfer mechanism’s evaluation.The results obtained from thermal resistance analysis calculation and numerical simulation indicate that the thermal resistance analysis method is highly accurate with temperature discrepancies ranging from 0.44℃ to−0.44℃ and a heat flux discrepancy of less than 7.54%,which can meet the requirements of practical engineering applications,suggesting a foundation for the prefabricated radiant heating system.

Study of inter-well interference in shale gas reservoirs by a robust production data analysis method based on deconvolution

In order to overcome the defects that the analysis of multi-well typical curves of shale gas reservoirs is rarely applied to engineering,this study proposes a robust production data analysis method based on deconvolution,which is used for multi-well inter-well interference research.In this study,a multi-well conceptual trilinear seepage model for multi-stage fractured horizontal wells was established,and its Laplace solutions under two different outer boundary conditions were obtained.Then,an improved pressure deconvolution algorithm was used to normalize the scattered production data.Furthermore,the typical curve fitting was carried out using the production data and the seepage model solution.Finally,some reservoir parameters and fracturing parameters were interpreted,and the intensity of inter-well interference was compared.The effectiveness of the method was verified by analyzing the production dynamic data of six shale gas wells in Duvernay area.The results showed that the fitting effect of typical curves was greatly improved due to the mutual restriction between deconvolution calculation parameter debugging and seepage model parameter debugging.Besides,by using the morphological characteristics of the log-log typical curves and the time corresponding to the intersection point of the log-log typical curves of two models under different outer boundary conditions,the strength of the interference between wells on the same well platform was well judged.This work can provide a reference for the optimization of well spacing and hydraulic fracturing measures for shale gas wells.

Stability analysis of loose accumulation slopes under rainfall:case study of a high‑speed railway in Southwest China

The high and steep slopes along a high-speed railway in the mountainous area of Southwest China are mostly composed of loose accumulations of debris with large internal pores and poor stability,which can easily induce adverse geological disasters under rainfall conditions.To ensure the smooth construction of the high-speed railway and the subsequent safe operation,it is necessary to master the stability evolution process of the loose accumulation slope under rainfall.This article simulates rainfall using the finite element analysis software’s hydromechanical coupling module.The slope stability under various rainfall situations is calculated and analysed based on the strength reduction method.To validate the simulation results,a field monitoring system is established to study the deformation characteristics of the slope under rainfall.The results show that rainfall duration is the key factor affecting slope stability.Given a constant amount of rainfall,the stability of the slope decreases with increasing duration of rainfall.Moreover,when the amount and duration of rainfall are constant,continuous rainfall has a greater impact on slope stability than intermittent rainfall.The setting of the field retaining structures has a significant role in improving slope stability.The field monitoring data show that the slope is in the initial deformation stage and has good stability,which verifies the rationality of the numerical simulation method.The research results can provide some references for understanding the influence of rainfall on the stability of loose accumulation slopes along high-speed railways and establishing a monitoring system.