Performance in the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery: Does it reflect global rating scales in the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills in porcine laparoscopic surgery?

Objective:To correlate the utility of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery(FLS)manual skills program with the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills(OSATS)global rating scale in evaluating operative performance.Methods:The Asian Urological Surgery Training and Educational Group(AUSTEG)Laparoscopic Upper Tract Surgery Course implemented and validated the FLS program for its usage in laparoscopic surgical training.Delegates’basic laparoscopic skills were assessed using three different training models(peg transfer,precision cutting,and intra-corporeal suturing).They also performed live porcine laparoscopic surgery at the same workshop.Live surgery skills were assessed by blinded faculty using the OSATS rating scale.Results:From March 2016 to March 2019,a total of 81 certified urologists participated in the course,with a median of 5 years of post-residency experience.Although differences in task time did not reach statistical significance,those with more surgical experience were visibly faster at completing the peg transfer and intra-corporeal suturing FLS tasks.However,they took longer to complete the precision cutting task than participants with less experience.Overall OSATS scores correlated weakly with all three FLS tasks(peg transfer time:r=0.331,r^(2)=0.110;precision cutting time:r=0.240,r^(2)=0.058;suturing with intracorporeal knot time:r=0.451,r^(2)=0.203).Conclusion:FLS task parameters did not correlate strongly with OSATS globing rating scale performance.Although FLS task models demonstrated strong validity,it is important to assimilate the inconsistencies when benchmarking technical proficiency against real-life operative competence,as evaluated by FLS and OSATS,respectively.

Effect of simulating training of the fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery on the attitude of operating room nurses students:an intervention study

Objective:Clinical education plays a key role in preparing students for patient care.Laparoscopy is one of the most important minimally invasive surgeries(MISs)wherein surgical technologists are responsible for camera navigation and assistant surgeons are responsible for peg transfer.Therefore,it is necessary to improve the attitude of the operating room students toward these skills during their study period.The present study was conducted to determine the effect of simulating training in the fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery(FLS)on the attitude of the operating room students.Methods:This interventional study was conducted on 28 operating room students of Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2019.The census sampling method was used.The data-collection tool included the“Intrinsic motivation inventory(IMI)questionnaire.”The educational intervention was carried out in theoretical(booklet design)and practical(simulation)sections.Data analysis was carried out using descriptive and inferential analyses including the paired t-test,Mann–Whitney U test,and independent t-test.The collected data were analyzed using R and SPSS software.P-value<0.05 was considered as the significant level.Results:The mean±SD of the participants'age was 22.93±2.14 years,and the majority of them were women(67.9%).There was a significant difference in the mean scores of students'attitudes toward the FLS before and after the educational intervention(P<0.001)in all dimensions(interest,perceived competence,perceived choice,and tension).There was also a significant correlation between gender and interest dimension(P=0.005).Conclusions:The results of the present study showed that simulating the training FLS curriculum positively affects students'attitudes.Therefore,the researchers suggest that for creating a positive attitude,increasing students'interest in laparoscopic surgery,and ensuring a more effective presence in the operating room,this training should be considered in the operating room curriculum.

Economics,fundamentals,technology,finance,speculation and geopolitics of crude oil prices:an econometric analysis and forecast based on data from 1990 to 2017

It is of real and direct significance for China to cope with oil price fluctuations and ensure oil security. This paper aims to quantitatively analyze the specific contribution ratios of the complex factors influencing international crude oil prices and to establish crude oil price models to forecast long-term international crude oil prices. Six explanatory influential variables, namely Dow Jones Indexes, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development oil stocks, US rotary rig count, US dollar index, total open interest, which is the total number of outstanding contracts that are held by market participants at the end of each day, and geopolitical instability are specified, and the samples, from January 1990 to August 2017, are divided into six sub-periods. Moreover, the co-integration relationship among variables shows that the contribution ratios of all the variables influencing Brent crude oil prices are in accordance with the corresponding qualitative analysis. Furthermore, from September 2017 to December 2022 outside of the sample, the Vector Autoregressive forecasts show that annually averaged Brent crude oil prices for 2017-2022 would be $53.0, $61.3, $74.4, $90.0, $105.5, and $120.7 per barrel, respectively. The Vector Error Correction forecasts show that annual average Brent crude oil prices for 2017-2022 would be $53.0, $56.5, $58.5, $60.7, $63.0 and $65.4 per barrel, respectively.

Reform of Programming Fundamentals under the New Engineering Disciplines’ Background for Ethnic University

According to the requirement of New Engineering Disciplines initiated by the Ministry of Education of China,the course of Programming Fundamentals has been reformed in ethnic university to satisfy the standard of New Engineering Certification.The reform is implemented in teaching content,implementation in both theoretical and experimental classes,teaching assessment and teacher training.

Three Decades of External Imbalances and Macroeconomic Fundamentals： The Case of Turkey

The paper aims to investigate the current account imbalances in the context of an overview of macroeconomic fundamentals after the liberalization process in Turkey. Two main questions discussed here are： （1） What is the link between liberalization and current account imbalances; （2） What kind of mechanisms ensured this link to become a vicious circle. The period after 1989, Turkey was characterized by significant fluctuations in macroeconomic activity by the implementation of liberalization policies. Once financial liberalization is adopted, Turkey faced with a new challenge： large current account deficits. On the other hand, foreign capital inflows aggravated a lending boom. Because of excessive risk taken by banks, interest rates began to rise. As mentioned above, the paper studies Turkey＇s liberalization process with a number of indicators that point to a fragility of the external balance： unhealthy structure of financial sector, particularly banking sector, large fiscal imbalances, low savings and investment rates, unstable GDP growth. Domestic structural features combining with macroeconomic policy stance and political factors are examined as well

Teaching Reform of Fundamentals of Combustion for Energy and Power Engineering Majors in Agricultural Colleges and Universities in the Context of New Engineering Course

The Fundamentals of Combustion course is an important compulsory course for Energy and Power Engineering Majors under the background of carbon peaking.According to the characteristics of teaching and scientific research at present,combined with the characteristics of complexity,interdisciplinary and rapid technology update of this course,this paper discusses the teaching content and teaching design of this course to meet the needs of talents of production,teaching and research under the background of new engineering course.It proposes more applicable teaching methods and practical means to broaden students horizons,stimulate students autonomous learning momentum,master the professional knowledge application ability,and cultivate innovative and competitive engineering professionals to adapt to the new energy strategy.

Fundamentals of National Standardization Work in 2007

The overall requirements for standardization work in 2007 are to continuouslypush forward the implementation of the national standardization strategy, to comprehensivelyimprove the effectiveness of standardization in upgrading product quality, to promote industrialdevelopment, to save resources and build a harmonious society, and to further enhance the strategicposition of China in international trade.The latter is guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory and theimportant concept of 'Three Represents,' as well as having, 'Technological Innovation' as thedriving force, and the intensification of China's national competitive power as the core intent. Tothis end, the following tasks must be undertaken as top priorities.

Confirmation of a Sub-Saturn-size Transiting Exoplanet Orbiting a G Dwarf:TOI-1194 b and a Very Low Mass Companion Star: TOI-1251 B from TESS

We report the confirmation of a sub-Saturn-size exoplanet,TOI-1194 b,with a mass of about 0.456+0.055-0.051M_(J),and a very low mass companion star with a mass of about 96.5±1.5 MJ,TOI-1251 B.Exoplanet candidates provided by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite(TESS)are suitable for further follow-up observations by ground-based telescopes with small and medium apertures.The analysis is performed based on data from several telescopes worldwide,including telescopes in the Sino-German multiband photometric campaign,which aimed at confirming TESS Objects of Interest(TOIs)using ground-based small-aperture and medium-aperture telescopes,especially for long-period targets.TOI-1194 b is confirmed based on the consistent periodic transit depths from the multiband photometric data.We measure an orbital period of 2.310644±0.000001 days,the radius is 0.767+0.045-0.041RJ and the amplitude of the RV curve is 69.4_(-7.3)^(+7.9)m s^(-1).TOI-1251 B is confirmed based on the multiband photometric and high-resolution spectroscopic data,whose orbital period is 5.963054+0.000002-0.000001days,radius is 0.947+0.035-0.033 R_(J) and amplitude of the RV curve is 9849_(-40)^(+42)ms^(-1).

Perception of fundamental science to boost lithium metal anodes toward practical application

As a key material for lithium metal batteries(LMBs),lithium metal is one of the most promising anode materials to break the bottleneck of battery energy density and a commonly used active material for reference electrodes.Although lithium anodes are regarded as the holy grail of lithium batteries,decades of exploration have not led to the successful commercialization of LMBs,due mainly to the challenges related to the inherent properties of lithium metal.To pave the way for further investigation,herein,a comprehensive review focusing on the fundamental science of lithium are provided.Firstly,the natures of lithium atoms and their isotopes,lithium clusters and lithium crystals are revisited,especially their structural and energetic properties.Subsequently,the electrochemical properties of lithium metal are reviewed.Numerous important concepts and scientific questions,including the electronic structure of lithium,influence of high pressure and low temperature on the properties of lithium,factors influencing lithium deposition,generation of lithium dendrites,and electrode potential of lithium in different electrolytes,are explained and analyzed in detail.Approaches to improve the performance of lithium anodes and thoughtfulness about the electrode potential in lithium battery research are proposed.

Comparing the Structural Parameters of the Milky Way to Other Spiral Galaxies

The structural parameters of a galaxy can be used to gain insight into its formation and evolution history.In this paper,we strive to compare the Milky Way’s structural parameters to other,primarily edge-on,spiral galaxies in order to determine how our Galaxy measures up to the Local Universe.For our comparison,we use the galaxy structural parameters gathered from a variety of literature sources in the optical and near-infrared wave bands.We compare the scale length,scale height,and disk flatness for both the thin and thick disks,the thick-to-thin disk mass ratio,the bulge-to-total luminosity ratio,and the mean pitch angle of the Milky Way’s spiral arms to those in other galaxies.We conclude that many of the Milky Way’s structural parameters are largely ordinary and typical of spiral galaxies in the Local Universe,though the Galaxy’s thick disk appears to be appreciably thinner and less extended than expected from zoom-in cosmological simulations of Milky Way-mass galaxies with a significant contribution of galaxy mergers involving satellite galaxies.

Cross-method Analysis of Corotation Radii Data Set for Spiral Galaxies

A corotation radius is a key characteristic of disk galaxies that is essential to determine the angular speed of the spiral structureΩ_p,and therefore understand its nature.In the literature,there are plenty of methods to estimate this value,but do these measurements have any consistency?In this work,we collected a data set of corotation radius measurements for 547 galaxies,300 of which had at least two values.An initial analysis reveals that most objects have rather inconsistent corotation radius positions.Moreover,a significant fraction of galactic disks is distinguished by a large error coverage and almost uniform distribution of measurements.These findings do not have any relation to spiral type,Hubble classification,or presence of a bar.Among other reasons,obtained results could be explained by the transient nature of spirals in a considerable part of galaxies.We have made our collected data sample publicly available,and have demonstrated on one example how it could be useful for future research by investigating a winding time value for a sample of galaxies with possible multiple spiral arm patterns.

Hybrid data-driven and physics-based modeling for viscosity prediction of ionic liquids

Viscosity is one of the most important fundamental properties of fluids.However,accurate acquisition of viscosity for ionic liquids(ILs)remains a critical challenge.In this study,an approach integrating prior physical knowledge into the machine learning(ML)model was proposed to predict the viscosity reliably.The method was based on 16 quantum chemical descriptors determined from the first principles calculations and used as the input of the ML models to represent the size,structure,and interactions of the ILs.Three strategies based on the residuals of the COSMO-RS model were created as the output of ML,where the strategy directly using experimental data was also studied for comparison.The performance of six ML algorithms was compared in all strategies,and the CatBoost model was identified as the optimal one.The strategies employing the relative deviations were superior to that using the absolute deviation,and the relative ratio revealed the systematic prediction error of the COSMO-RS model.The CatBoost model based on the relative ratio achieved the highest prediction accuracy on the test set(R^(2)=0.9999,MAE=0.0325),reducing the average absolute relative deviation(AARD)in modeling from 52.45% to 1.54%.Features importance analysis indicated the average energy correction,solvation-free energy,and polarity moment were the key influencing the systematic deviation.

Modeling of ion cyclotron resonance frequency heating of proton-boron plasmas in EHL-2 spherical tokamak

Ion cyclotron resonance heating(ICRH)stands out as a widely utilized and cost-effective auxiliary method for plasma heating,bearing significant importance in achieving high-performance discharges in p-^(11)B plasmas.In light of the specific context of p-^(11)B plasma in the EHL-2 device,we conducted a comprehensive scan of the fundamental physical parameters of the antenna using the full-wave simulation program TORIC.Our preliminary result indicated that for p-^(11)B plasma,optimal ion heating parameters include a frequency of 40 MHz,with a high toroidal mode number like N_(?)=28 to heat the majority H ions.In addition,we discussed the impact of concentration of minority ion species on ion cyclotron resonance heating when^(11)B serves as the heavy minority species.The significant difference in charge-to-mass ratio between boron and hydrogen ions results in a considerable distance between the hybrid resonance layer and the tow inverted cyclotron resonance layer,necessitating a quite low boron ion concentration to achieve effective minority heating.We also considered another method of direct heating of hydrogen ions in the presence of boron ion minority.It is found that at appropriate boron ion concentrations(X(^(11)B)~17%),the position of the hybrid resonance layer approaches that of the hydrogen ion cyclotron resonance layer,thereby altering the polarization at this position and significantly enhancing hydrogen ion fundamental absorption.

The Course Reform of Mechanical Design Fundamentals to Cultivate Engineering Literacy and Innovation Ability

In view of the shortcomings of traditional teaching in the Mechanical Design Fundamentals course,the teaching resources are integrated,the teaching content,teaching methods,and assessment methods are reformed,scientific research results are introduced into course teaching,and the task-driven teaching practice is applied.These measures have improved classroom activity,stimulated independent learning,and laid the foundation for the cultivation of students’engineering literacy and innovative ability.

Key aspects of underground hydrogen storage in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and saline aquifers:A review and understanding

Underground hydrogen storage is critical for renewable energy integration and sustainability.Saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs represent viable large-scale hydrogen storage solutions due to their capacity and availability.This paper provides a comparative analysis of the current status of hydrogen storage in various environments.Additionally,it assesses the geological compatibility,capacity,and security of these storage environments with minimal leakage and degradation.An in-depth analysis was also conducted on the economic and environmental issues that impact the hydrogen storage.In addition,the capacity of these structures was also clarified,and it is similar to storing carbon dioxide,except for the cushion gas that is injected with hydrogen to provide pressure when withdrawing from the store to increase demand.This research also discusses the pros and cons of hydrogen storage in saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs.Advantages include numerous storage sites,compatibility with existing infrastructure,and the possibility to repurpose declining oil and gas assets.Specifically,it was identified that depleted gas reservoirs are better for hydrogen gas storage than depleted oil reservoirs because hydrogen gas may interact with the oil.The saline aquifers rank third because of uncertainty,limited capacity,construction and injection costs.The properties that affect the hydrogen injection process were also discussed in terms of solid,fluid,and solid-fluid properties.In all structures,successful implementation requires characterizing sites,monitoring and managing risks,and designing efficient storage methods.The findings expand hydrogen storage technology and enable a renewable energy-based energy system.

Long-term Speckle Interferometric Monitoring of Binary Systems:2007–2023Positional Measurements and Orbits of Seven Objects

The results of seventeen years of speckle interferometric monitoring of seven objects(Chara 122Aa,GJ 3010,HIP1987,GJ 3076,HIP 11253,HIP 11352,and HIP 14929)are presented.Observational data were obtained at the 6 m Big Telescope Alt-azimuthal Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Science(BTA SAO RAS)from 2007 to the present.Analysis of previously published and new measurements made it possible to construct completely new orbits for Chara 122Aa,HIP 11253,and HIP 14929.The orbit of GJ 3076 cannot be constructed accurately due to the large influence of the weights assigned to the measurements.The resulting orbital solutions are classified based on a grading scheme suggested by W.I.Hartkopf,B.D.Mason and C.E.Worley;most orbits are“definitive”(Grade 1).The mass sums and masses of components calculated by two independent methods using Hipparcos and Gaia DR2 and DR3 parallaxes were compared for the objects under study.

Study of 26 Galactic Open Clusters with Extended Main-sequence Turnoffs

Recent studies indicate that some Galactic open clusters(OCs)exhibit extended main-sequence turnoff(eMSTO)in their color–magnitude diagrams(CMDs).However,the number of Galactic OCs with eMSTO structures detected so far is limited,and the reasons for their formation are still unclear.This work identifies 26 Galactic OCs with undiscovered eMSTOs and investigates the causes of these features.Stellar population types and fundamental parameters of cluster samples are acquired using CMD fitting methods.Among them,the results of 11 OCs are reliable as the observed CMDs are well-reproduced.We propose the crucial role of stellar binarity and confirm the importance of stellar rotation in reproducing eMSTO morphologies.The results also show that the impact of age spread is important,as it can adequately explain the structure of young OCs and fit the observed CMDs of intermediate-age OCs better.

The Intervention Path of Fundamental Rights under the Scope of International Private Law

In recent years, international private law scholars have argued for the radiating effect of fundamental rights on international private law by introducing constitutional theory. However,there remains a lack of systematic research on how fundamental rights should be integrated into judicial practices concerning foreign-related civil and commercial cases. Throughout the development of international private law, public policy has served as a historical carrier of substantive values for judicial entities and has consistently played a crucial role in value review. In cases of international private law where conflicts arise with the values of fundamental rights, public policy indirectly excludes the legal choice outcomes to safeguard the human rights values inherent in fundamental rights from infringement.However, due to limitations imposed by the degree of connection and relative conditions, traditional paths of public policy have certain constraints and cannot provide comprehensive protection for fundamental rights. Therefore, there is a need for judges to shift their logical paradigms, transcend bilateral choice-of-law models, and introduce a direct intervention path for fundamental rights. This direct intervention path utilizes the logical analysis framework of the protection scope,intervention, and justification of fundamental rights. It can effectively balance conflicting legal interests and maximize the protection of the fundamental rights of the parties involved.

Hypothetical Dark Matter Explains the Origin of Subatomic Universe: FEP-Theory

Although the standard model provides a suitable pattern based on observable experimental data, it cannot explain dark matter, gravitation, the structural nature of the fundamental particles, and charges. In this paper, a new theory about the nature of charges, particles and proposed structures for atoms were presented. This theory explains how an ideal quantum fluid (IQF) including hypothetical dark matter or fundamental elementary particles (FEPs) can produce the building blocks of matter. This theory describes quadruple blocks with two types of independent charges that can create different characteristics for these building blocks. Quadruple blocks have similarities and differences with the fundamental particles in standard model. This theory also explains the possible mechanism of creation the next generation of particles such as protons and neutrons.