Factors Associated with Closely Spaced Pregnancies at the Departmental Hospital Centre of Zou-Collines (Benin) in 2022

Introduction: Birth spacing to prevent closely-spaced pregnancies, which are a source of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, is not always respected by our women, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The objective was to study the factors associated with closely-spaced pregnancies among women followed at the Departmental Hospital Center du Zou et du Colline (DHC/Z-C) in 2022. Study Method: This was a descriptive, analytical cross-sectional study with prospective data collection from 20 May to 30 June 2022. Results: At the end of the study, 83 of the 117 women surveyed had close pregnancies, a frequency of 70.94%. They had an average age of 27.0 ± 6.3 years and were of Fon ethnicity and related in 91.57% of cases. The majority were married (96.60%). The factors significantly associated with these closely spaced pregnancies were age between 25 and 30 years, household occupation, age at first birth, age at marriage, women’s perception of contraceptive method (CM), women’s knowledge of the existence of a center providing family planning services and non-use of MC. Conclusion: Close pregnancies are still very common in the commune of Abomey. It is therefore important to increase the use of contraceptive methods in this part of the country.

Is the Cape Stone Forest in Shantou City formed by wave erosion? A comparison of the pedestal rocks on the coasts and the mountains of Queshi in eastern Guangdong, China

Cape Stone Forest is a group of granite rock pillars(pedestal rocks) towering over Shilin Lake, on the southern shore of Shantou Bay in eastern Guangdong, China. The rock pillars were previously identified as sea stacks because they have marine notch-like concave sidewalls at their base, and more importantly, the lake is immediately adjacent to the bay, which is exposed to the open sea. However, rock pillars similar in shape and size can also be found at the top of Queshi Mountain, which is only about 300 meters northwest of the lake and about 85 meters above sea level. Therefore, the marine origin of Cape Stone Forest is seriously questioned. In this study, 3D imagery and drone technology were used to collect data in the investigations without direct manual measurements in the water or on the mountain. It shows that the concave sidewalls of the rock pillars in the lake and on the mountains occur at different heights and are exposed to different directions, while a natural sea stack on Mayu Island at the mouth of Shantou Bay has a horizontal notch parallel to the sea level, although the granite rock of the sea stack is the same as that of the lake and the mountains. The eastern side of the island, where the sea stack is located, is exposed to the open sea but blocks large waves for the rock pillars in the lake. Therefore, the origin of Cape Stone Forest cannot be explained by wave-based mechanisms. The only satisfactory explanation that takes into account all the field evidence is that the narrow rock pillars of the lake and mountain were formed by chemical weathering that penetrated closely the spaced joints of the granite rock, and the notch-like concave sidewalls were formed by more effective chemical weathering at the base of the pillars.

Free radicals trigger the closure of open pores in lignin-derived hard carbons toward improved sodium-storage capacity

The chemical activation of various precursors is effective for creating additional closed pores in hard carbons for sodium storage.However,the formation mechanism of closed pores under the influence of pore-forming agents is not well understood.Herein,an effective chemical activation followed by a high-temperature self-healing strategy is employed to generate interconnected closed pores in lignin-derived hard carbon(HCs).By systematic experimental design combined with electron paramagnetic res-onance spectroscopy,it can be found that the content of free radicals in the carbon matrix influences the closure of open pores at high temperatures.Excessively high activation temperature(>700 C)leads to a low free radical concentration,making it difficult to achieve self-healing of open pores at high tempera-tures.By activation at 700°C,a balance between pore making and self-healing is achieved in the final hard carbon.A large number of free radicals triggers rapid growth and aggregation of carbon microcrys-tals,blocking pre-formed open micropores and creating additional interconnected closed pores in as-obtained hard carbons.As a result,the optimized carbon anode(LK-700-1300)delivers a high reversible capacity of 330.8 mA h g^(-1) at 0.03 A g^(-1),which is an increase of 86 mA h g^(-1) compared to the pristine lignin-derived carbon anode(L-700-1300),and exhibits a good rate performance(202.1 mA h g^(-1) at 1 A g^(-1)).This work provides a universal and effective guidance for tuning closed pores of hard carbons from otherprecursors.

SOME PROPERTIES OF THE INTEGRATION OPERATORS ON THE SPACES F(p,q,s)

We study the closed range property and the strict singularity of integration operators acting on the spaces F(p,pα-2,s).We completely characterize the closed range property of the Volterra companion operator I_(g)on F(p,pα-2,s),which generalizes the existing results and answers a question raised in[A.Anderson,Integral Equations Operator Theory,69(2011),no.1,87-99].For the Volterra operator J_(g),we show that,for 0<α≤1,J_(g)never has a closed range on F(p,pα-2,s).We then prove that the notions of compactness,weak compactness and strict singularity coincide in the case of J_(g)acting on F(p,p-2,s).

Design and analysis of an advanced thermal management system for the solar close observations and proximity experiments spacecraft

In this paper,the mission and the thermal environment of the Solar Close Observations and Proximity Experiments(SCOPE)spacecraft are analyzed,and an advanced thermal management system(ATMS)is designed for it.The relationship and functions of the integrated database,the intelligent thermal control system and the efficient liquid cooling system in the ATMS are elaborated upon.For the complex thermal field regulation system and extreme space thermal environment,a modular simulation and thermal field planning method are proposed,and the feasibility of the planning algorithm is verified by numerical simulation.A solar array liquid cooling system is developed,and the system simulation results indicate that the temperatures of the solar arrays meet the requirements as the spacecraft flies by perihelion and aphelion.The advanced thermal management study supports the development of the SCOPE program and provides a reference for the thermal management in other deep-space exploration programs.

An Explanation of the Temperature-Dependent Upper Critical Field Data of H3S on the Basis of the Thermodynamics of a Superconductor in a Magnetic Field

Excellent fits to a couple of the data-sets on the temperature (T)-dependent upper critical field (Hc2) of H3S (critical temperature, Tc ≈ 200 K at pressure ≈ 150 GPa) reported by Mozaffari, et al. (2019) were obtained by Talantsev (2019) in an approach based on an ingenious mix of the Ginzberg-Landau (GL), the Werthamer, Helfand and Hohenberg (WHH), and the Gor’kov, etc., theories which have individually been employed for the same purpose for a long time. Up to the lowest temperature (TL) in each of these data-sets, similarly accurate fits have also been obtained by Malik and Varma (2023) in a radically different approach based on the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) supplemented by the Matsubara and the Landau quantization prescriptions. For T TL, however, while the (GL, WHH, etc.)-based approach leads to Hc2(0) ≈ 100 T, the BSE-based approach leads to about twice this value even at 1 K. In this paper, a fit to one of the said data-sets is obtained for the first time via a thermodynamic approach which, up to TL, is as good as those obtained via the earlier approaches. While this is interesting per se, another significant result of this paper is that for T TL it corroborates the result of the BSE-based approach.

Study on the Effect of Behavioral Interventions Based on the Theory of“Knowledge,Attitude,Practice”on Tuberculosis Cognitive Level of Close Contacts

Objective:Based on the theory of“Knowledge,Attitude,Practice,”health education was carried out for close contact with tuberculosis(TB)at a university in Beijing,and its impact on the students’awareness of TB was studied.This study could provide a reference for effective health education interventions among close contacts of TB in undergraduates.Methods:102 undergraduates who had close contact with one confirmed case of pulmonary TB in April 2021 at a university were randomly divided into a control group and an intervention group.The intervention group was given the“Knowledge,Attitude,Practice”health education intervention by professionally trained doctors,and were asked to complete a self-designed TB-related questionnaire before and after the intervention.Both groups performed the Tuberculin Skin Test(TST)and chest X-ray(CR)examination.Results:The rate of the TST test was 18.6%,and CR examination showed 0 cases of pulmonary TB.The survey results showed that the TB awareness rate(96.1%,49/51)in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group(51.0%,26/51),and the differences in awareness rate between the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05).Regarding the attitude/skills toward TB,the prevalence rate of tuberculosis-related attitude/behavior in the intervention group(94.1%,47/51)was significantly higher than that of the control group(60.8%,31/51),and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:Both self-controlled and parallel-controlled studies showed that the health education intervention of“Knowledge,Attitude,Practice”improved the awareness of TB among close contacts of TB in undergraduates.

Closed corner divertor with B×▽B away from the divertor:a promising divertor scenario for tokamak power exhaust

A major challenge facing the steady-state operation of tokamak fusion reactors is to develop a viable divertor solution with order-of-magnitude increase in power handling capability as compared with present experience.A recently developed divertor concept for this end has been tested recently on EAST tokamak through combining the effects of a closed divertor corner and E×B drifts.The E×B drifts in the divertor move particles towards the outer divertor corner area in the scrape-off layer for B×▽B directed away from the divertor,which can significantly enhance the particle concentration there,facilitating divertor detachment.In recent EAST experiments,the effects have been demonstrated where the lowest electron temperature at the divertor plate is obtained with strike point located close to the corner in the horizontal target and with B×▽B away from the divertor.These experimental results are in reasonable agreement with SOLPS-ITER simulations including drift effects,suggesting that the new divertor concept potentially provides a promising divertor solution for long-pulse operations of future tokamak fusion reactors with much higher power fluxes.

Strain concentration caused by the closed end contributes to cartridge case failure at the bottom

Ruptures at the bottom of cartridges are a common cause of failure of ammunitions,which directly threatens the safety of weapons and shooters.Based on plastic tube theory,this study analyses the radial and axial deformation of a cartridge,considering the radial constraint of the closed end at the bottom of the cartridge.Owing to the influence of the closed end,the bottom of a cartridge does not establish complete contact with the chamber.Owing to strain concentration in the non-contact area,this area is more amenable to the occurrence of cartridge rupture.This theory predicts the location of the fracture more accurately than the traditional theory.The maximum axial deformation of a cartridge comprises bending and friction deformation.The maximum strain at the bottom of the cartridge increased by 135%owing to the introduction of bending strain caused by the closed end.The strain distribution of a cartridge was measured using digital image correlation technology,and the measured result was consistent with the predicted results of the bending deformation theory and rupture case.The effects of wall thickness,radial clearance,friction coefficient,and axial clearance on the axial deformation of the cylinder were studied.Increasing the wall thickness and reducing radial clearance were found to reduce bending deformation;furthermore,lubrication and reduction in axial clearance reduce frictional deformation,which in turn reduce cartridge rupture.

Long non-coding RNA H19 regulates neurogenesis of induced neural stem cells in a mouse model of closed head injury

Stem cell-based therapies have been proposed as a potential treatment for neural regeneration following closed head injury.We previously reported that induced neural stem cells exert beneficial effects on neural regeneration via cell replacement.However,the neural regeneration efficiency of induced neural stem cells remains limited.In this study,we explored differentially expressed genes and long non-coding RNAs to clarify the mechanism underlying the neurogenesis of induced neural stem cells.We found that H19 was the most downregulated neurogenesis-associated lnc RNA in induced neural stem cells compared with induced pluripotent stem cells.Additionally,we demonstrated that H19 levels in induced neural stem cells were markedly lower than those in induced pluripotent stem cells and were substantially higher than those in induced neural stem cell-derived neurons.We predicted the target genes of H19 and discovered that H19 directly interacts with mi R-325-3p,which directly interacts with Ctbp2 in induced pluripotent stem cells and induced neural stem cells.Silencing H19 or Ctbp2 impaired induced neural stem cell proliferation,and mi R-325-3p suppression restored the effect of H19 inhibition but not the effect of Ctbp2 inhibition.Furthermore,H19 silencing substantially promoted the neural differentiation of induced neural stem cells and did not induce apoptosis of induced neural stem cells.Notably,silencing H19 in induced neural stem cell grafts markedly accelerated the neurological recovery of closed head injury mice.Our results reveal that H19 regulates the neurogenesis of induced neural stem cells.H19 inhibition may promote the neural differentiation of induced neural stem cells,which is closely associated with neurological recovery following closed head injury.

Intracellular interferon signalling pathways as potential regulators of covalently closed circular DNA in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B

250 million people worldwide continue to be chronically infected with the virus.While patients may be treated with nucleoside/nucleotide analogues,this only suppresses HBV titre to sub-detection levels without eliminating the persistent HBV covalently closed circular DNA(cccDNA)genome.As a result,HBV infection cannot be cured,and the virus reactivates when conditions are favorable.Interferons(IFNs)are cytokines known to induce powerful antiviral mechanisms that clear viruses from infected cells.They have been shown to induce cccDNA clearance,but their use in the treatment of HBV infection is limited as HBVtargeting immune cells are exhausted and HBV has evolved multiple mechanisms to evade and suppress IFN signalling.Thus,to fully utilize IFN-mediated intracellular mechanisms to effectively eliminate HBV,instead of direct IFN administration,novel strategies to sustain IFN-mediated anti-cccDNA and antiviral mechanisms need to be developed.This review will consolidate what is known about how IFNs act to achieve its intracellular antiviral effects and highlight the critical interferon-stimulated gene targets and effector mechanisms with potent anti-cccDNA functions.These include cccDNA degradation by APOBECs and cccDNA silencing and transcription repression by epigenetic modifications.In addition,the mechanisms that HBV employs to disrupt IFN signalling will be discussed.Drugs that have been developed or are in the pipeline for components of the IFN signalling pathway and HBV targets that detract IFN signalling mechanisms will also be identified and discussed for utility in the treatment of HBV infections.Together,these will provide useful insights into design strategies that specifically target cccDNA for the eradication of HBV.

Performance analyses of two-phase closed thermosyphons for road embankments in the high-latitude permafrost regions

Two-phase closed thermosyphons(TPCTs)are widely used in infrastructure constructions in permafrost regions.Due to different climatic conditions,the effectiveness of TPCT will also be different,especially in the extremely cold region of the Da Xing'anling Mountains.In this study,a series of three-dimensional finite element TPCT embankment models were established based on the ZhanglingMohe highway TPCT test section in Da Xing'anling Mountains,and the thermal characteristics and the cooling effect of the TPCTs were analyzed.The results indicated that the TPCTs installed in the northeastern high-latitude regions is effective in cooling and stabilizing the embankment.The working cycle of the TPCTs is nearly 7 months,and the cooling range of the TPCTs can reach 3 m in this region.However,due to the extremely low temperature,the TPCT generates a large radial gradient in the permafrost layer.Meanwhile,by changing the climate conditions,the same type of TPCT embankment located in the Da Xing'anling Mountains,the Xiao Xing'anling Mountains,and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau permafrost regions were simulated.Based on the comparison of the climate differences between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Northeast China,the differences in the effectiveness of TPCTs were studied.Finally,the limitations of using existing TPCTs in high-latitude permafrost regions of China were discussed and the potential improvements of the TPCT in cold regions were presented.

Multiple flexor tendon ruptures due to osteochondroma of the hamate:A case report

BACKGROUND Closed rupture of the little and ring finger flexor tendons caused by the hamate is mostly associated with a fracture or nonunion of the hamate hook.Only one case of a closed rupture of the finger flexor tendon caused by osteochondroma in the hamate has been reported.Here,we present a case study to highlight the possibility of hamate osteochondroma as a rare cause of finger closed flexor tendon rupture based on our clinical experience and literature review.CASE SUMMARY A 48-year-old man who had been a rice-field farmer for 7–8 h a day for the past 30 years visited our clinic due to the loss of right little finger and ring finger flexion involving both the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints.The patient was diagnosed with a complete rupture of the ring and little finger flexors because of the hamate and was pathologically diagnosed with an osteochondroma.Exploratory surgery was performed,and a complete rupture of the ring and little finger flexors due to an osteophyte-like lesion of the hamate was observed,which was pathologically diagnosed as an osteochondroma.CONCLUSION One should consider that osteochondroma in the hamate may be the cause of closed tendon ruptures.

The remote sensing composite information of Nansha reef's closed atoll and the model of its spatial structure evolution——Ⅰ

Based on the feature of the growth and the local limitation of the Nansha reef's closed atoll, also the related remote sensing information of it, the composite analysis is made. The closed atoll conception remote sensing system is constructed through the formation mechanism, development law and the space-time distribution of the closed atoll. Solution of the equation consisting of information function value and isostatic value of closed atoll and half-closed atoll using this system, and topologic analysis on the two kinds of atoll's morphologic growth are the basic foundation for the research of their evolutionary comparative model.

The Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae with Asymptotic Giant Branch Donors

TypeⅠa supernovae(SNe Ia)are among the most energetic events in the universe.They are excellent cosmological distance indicators due to the remarkable homogeneity of their light curves.However,the nature of the progenitors of SNeⅠa is still not well understood.In the single-degenerate model,a carbon-oxygen white dwarf(CO WD)could grow its mass by accreting material from an asymptotic giant branch(AGB)star,leading to the formation of SNe Ia when the mass of the WD approaches to the Chandrasekhar-mass limit,known as the AGB donor channel.In this channel,previous studies mainly concentrate on the wind-accretion pathway for the mass-increase of the WDs.In the present work,we employed an integrated mass-transfer prescription for the semidetached WD+AGB systems,and evolved a number of WD+AGB systems for the formation of SNe Ia through the Roche-lobe overflow process or the wind-accretion process.We provided the initial and final parameter spaces of WD+AGB systems for producing SNe Ia.We also obtained the density distribution of circumstellar matter at the moment when the WD mass reaches the Chandrasekhar-mass limit.Moreover,we found that the massive WD+AGB sample AT 2019qyl can be covered by the final parameter space for producing SNe Ia,indicating that AT 2019qyl is a strong progenitor candidate of SNe Ia with AGB donors.

A GENERAL VERSION OF KALTON'S CLOSED GRAPH THEOREM

By investigating the properties of Hellinger-Toeplitz topologies, we establish a general version of Kalton's cioed graph theorem. From this general version, we deduce a number of new closed graph theorems, which are convenient for application. Particularly we improve some results of Kalton.

Meta-analysis of the efficacy of volar plate internal fixation versus closed reduction and external fixation in the treatment of adult distal radius fractures

Objective:To compare the efficacy of open reduction and volar locking plate internal fixation with closed reduction and external fixation in the treatment of distal radius fractures by using meta analysis.Methods:The databases of CNKI,Wanfang,Weipu,Chinese biomedical literature,Pubmed,Embase,and Cochrane Library were retrieved,and the randomized controlled studies that directly compared the efficacy of plate internal fixation and closed reduction external fixation in the treatment of distal radius fractures published publicly from the establishment of the database to April 2023 were collected.The two researchers independently screened the retrieved literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,extracted data,used Cochrane risk bias assessment tool for quality assessment,and used RevMan 5.4 software for meta analysis.Results:A total of 10 randomized controlled trials were included,all of which were in English.There were 1042 patients in total,and 9 of them were rated as low risk.Meta analysis results showed that one year after the treatment of distal radius fracture with volar locking plate internal fixation,DASH score[MD=-5.64,95%CI(-7.21,-4.06),P<0.00001];One year later,PRWE score[MD=-5.90,95%CI(-8.88,-2.92),P=0.001];Palm flexion[MD=5.92,95%CI(1.29,10.55),P=0.01];Pronation[MD=2.48,95%CI(0.59,4.36),P=0.01];Postrotation[MD=4.73,95%CI(2.15,7.31),P=0.0003];Grip strength[MD=0.61,95%CI(0.12,1.10),P=0.02];palmar tilt angle[MD=9.84,95%CI(5.66,14.02),P<0.00001];Radial inclination[MD=4.33,95%CI(2.97,5.69),P<0.00001]was superior to closed reduction plaster or splint external fixation.One year later,the European Five dimensional Health Scale(EQ-5D-5L)score[MD=0.02,95%CI(-0.01,0.05),P=0.27];Back extension[MD=2.22,95%CI(-4.15,8.59),P=0.49];Ulnar deviation[MD=3.49,95%CI(-0.80,7.78),P=0.11];Radial deviation[MD=2.05,95%CI(-2.39,6.50),P=0.37];Ulnar variance[MD=-1.14,95%CI(-3.16,0.88),P=0.27];There was no significant difference in complications[MD=0.77,95%CI(0.54,1.10),P=0.16](P>0.05).Conclusion:Based on the current clinical data,internal fixation with volar locking plate is more conducive to mid-term DASH score and grip strength recovery than closed reduction plaster or splint external fixation,but there is no significant difference in the quality of life and complications of patients.For adult distal radius fractures,surgical indications should be carefully grasped,and non operative treatment should be given priority.

The closed finite-to-one mappings and their applications

In this paper,we discuss the closed finite-to-one mapping theorems on generalized metric spaces and their applications.It is proved that point-G_δ properties,■-snf-countability and csf-countability are invariants and inverse invariants under closed finite-to-one mappings.By the relationships between the weak first-countabilities,we obtain the closed finite-to-one mapping theorems of weak quasi-first-countability,quasi-first-countability,snf-countability,gfcountability and sof-countability.Furthermore,these results are applied to the study of symmetric products of topological spaces.

The closed-orbit and the photoabsorption spectra of the Rydberg hydrogen atom between two parallel metallic surfaces

Using the closed orbit theory, we study the classical motion and calculatethe photoabsorption spectra of Rydberg hydrogen atom between two parallel metallic surfaces. The results show that the metallic surfaces have a significant effect on the photoabsorption process. When the distances between the hydrogen atom and the two metallic surfaces are close to a critical value dc, the number of the closed orbits is the greatest. When the distance larger or smaller than dc, the number of the closed orbits decreases and the absorption spectra are shown to exhibit a damping oscillation. This work is an interesting new application of closed-orbit theory and is of potential experimental interest.

Experimental study and numerical simulation of isothermal closed die forging for aluminium alloy rotor

The closed die forging(or fully-enclosed die forging) method was employed to form a rotor instead of the conventional machining method. A combined female die was designed so that the rotor could be released easily from the female die after forging. In order to improve the metal flow ability, the isothermal forming technique was introduced to the closed die forging process. On the basis of the rigid-viscoplastic FEM principle, the DEFORM 3D software package was employed to simulate the forming process. The simulation results illustrate that the deformation of different part of the billet is not the same. The material near the entrance of the die cavity is deformed greatly whose strain rate and strain are both large, while the deformation of the material at the billet center is much smaller.