Spatial Protection and Development of Traditional Mountain Settlements from the Perspective of Self-organization : A Case Study of Anju Ancient Town in Tongliang District, Chongqing

Through literature research, field research and urban design analysis methods, based on the self-organization theory, the evolution characteristics of the settlement space of Anju Ancient Town with significant characteristics of traditional mountain settlements were analyzed, and then its internal and external influencing factors were summarized. Finally, appropriate protection and development strategies were proposed, such as reasonably planning functional zones, breaking through the single structure, and creating a good living cultural environment. The innovation of this study is that it integrates the self-organization theory into the cognition of traditional mountain settlement space, and discusses the connection between the mountain settlement space and the traditional regional context under the modern development concept, so as to seek the benign protection and reasonable development of traditional mountain settlement space.

Fracture propagation law of temporary plugging and diversion fracturing in shale reservoirs under completion experiments of horizontal well with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation

This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation.The effects of temporary plugging agent(TPA)particle size,TPA concentration,single-cluster perforation number and cluster number on plugging pressure,multi-fracture diversion pattern and distribution of TPAs were investigated.A combination of TPAs with small particle sizes within the fracture and large particle sizes within the segment is conducive to increasing the plugging pressure and promoting the diversion of multi-fractures.The addition of fibers can quickly achieve ultra-high pressure,but it may lead to longitudinal fractures extending along the wellbore.The temporary plugging peak pressure increases with an increase in the concentration of the TPA,reaching a peak at a certain concentration,and further increases do not significantly improve the temporary plugging peak pressure.The breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure show a decreasing trend with an increase in single-cluster perforation number.A lower number of single-cluster perforations is beneficial for increasing the breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure,and it has a more significant control on the propagation of multi-cluster fractures.A lower number of clusters is not conducive to increasing the total number and complexity of artificial fractures,while a higher number of clusters makes it difficult to achieve effective plugging.The TPAs within the fracture is mainly concentrated in the complex fracture areas,especially at the intersections of fractures.Meanwhile,the TPAs within the segment are primarily distributed near the perforation cluster apertures which initiated complex fractures.

Dissolvable temporary barrier:a novel paradigm for flexible hydrogel patterning in organ-on-a-chip models

A combination of hydrogels and microfluidics allows the construction of biomimetic three-dimensional(3D)tissue models in vitro,which are also known as organ-on-a-chipmodels.The hydrogel patterningwith awell-controlled spatial distribution is typically achieved by embedding sophisticated microstructures to act as a boundary.However,these physical barriers inevitably expose cells/tissues to a less physiologically relevant microenvironment than in vivo conditions.Herein,we present a novel dissolvable temporary barrier(DTB)strategy that allows robust and flexible hydrogel patterning with great freedom of design and desirable flow stimuli for cellular hydrogels.The key aspect of this approach is the patterning of a water-soluble rigid barrier as a guiding path for the hydrogel using stencil printing technology,followed by a barrier-free medium perfusion after the dissolution of the DTB.Single and multiple tissue compartments with different geometries can be established using either straight or curved DTB structures.The effectiveness of this strategy is further validated by generating a 3D vascular network through vasculogenesis and angiogenesis using a vascularized microtumor model.As a new proof-of-concept in vasculature-on-a-chip,DTB enables seamless contact between the hydrogel and the culture medium in closed microdevices,which is an improved protocol for the fabrication ofmultiorgan chips.Therefore,we expect it to serve as a promising paradigm for organ-on-a-chip devices for the development of tumor vascularization and drug evaluation in the future preclinical studies.

HVOF-sprayed HAp/S53P4 BG composite coatings on an AZ31 alloy for potential applications in temporary implants

Bioactive thermal spray coatings produced via high-velocity oxygen fuel spray(HVOF)from hydroxyapatite(HAp)and bioactive glasses(BG)have the potential to be employed on temporary implants due to the ability of both HAp and BG to dissolve and promote osseointegration,considering that both phases have different reaction and dissolution rates under in-vitro conditions.In the present work,75%wt.HAp-25%wt.S53P4 bioactive glass powders were HVOF-sprayed to obtain HAp/S53P4 BG composite coatings on a bioresorbable AZ31 alloy.The study is focused on exploring the effect of the stand-off distance and fuel/oxygen ratio variation as HVOF parameters to obtain stable structural coatings and to establish their effect on the phases and microstructure produced in those coatings.Different characterization techniques,such as scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,were employed to characterize relevant structural and microstructural properties of the composite coatings.The results showed that thermal gradients during coating deposition must be managed to avoid delamination due to the high temperature achieved(max 550℃)and the differences in coefficients of thermal expansion.It was also found that both spraying distance and oxygen/fuel ratio allowed to keep the hydroxyapatite as the main phase in the coatings.In addition,in-vitro electrochemical studies were performed on the obtained HAp/S53P4 BG composite coatings and compared against the uncoated AZ31 alloy.The results showed a significant decrease in hydrogen evolution(at least 98%)when the bioactive coating was applied on the Mg alloy during evaluation in simulated body fluid(SBF).

Qualitative exploration of home life experiences and care needs among elderly patients with temporary intestinal stomas

BACKGROUND This study employed a phenomenological research approach within qualitative research to explore the challenges encountered by elderly individuals with temporary colostomies in managing their daily lives and care needs.Protecting the anus surgery combined with temporary colostomy has emerged as a prevalent treatment modality for low rectal cancer.However,the ileostomy is susceptible to peri-stoma skin complications,as well as fluid,electrolyte,and nutritional imbalances,posing challenges to effective management.The successful selfmanagement of patients is intricately linked to their adjustment to temporary colostomy;nonetheless,there remains a dearth of research examining the factors influencing self-care among temporary colostomy patients and the obstacles they confront.AIM To investigate the lived experiences,perceptions,and care requirements of temporary colostomy patients within their home environment,with the ultimate goal of formulating a standardized management protocol.METHODS Over the period of June to August 2023,a purposive sampling technique was utilized to select 12 patients with temporary intestinal stomas from a tertiary hospital in Shanghai,China.Employing a phenomenological research approach,a semi-structured interview guide was developed,and qualitative interviews were conducted using in-depth interview techniques.The acquired data underwent coding,analysis,organization,and summarization following Colaizzi’s seven-step method.RESULTS The findings of this study revealed that the experiences and needs of patients with temporary intestinal stomas can be delineated into four principal themes:Firstly,Temporary colostomy patients bear various burdens and concerns about the uncertainty of disease progression;secondly,patients exhibit limited self-care capabilities and face information deficits,resulting in heightened reliance on healthcare professionals;thirdly,patients demonstrate the potential for internal motivation through proactive self-adjustment;and finally,patients express a significant need for emotional and social support.CONCLUSION Home-living patients with temporary intestinal stomas confront multifaceted challenges encompassing burdens,inadequate self-care abilities,informational deficits,and emotional needs.Identifying factors influencing patients’self-care at home and proposing strategies to mitigate barriers can serve as a foundational framework for developing and implementing nursing interventions tailored to the needs of patients with temporary intestinal stomas.

Laser speckle contrast imaging to predict the effect of temporary spinal cord stimulation in postherpetic neuralgia patients: A prospective observational study

Temporary spinal cord stimulation(tSCS)can effectively reduce the pain and severity of postherpetic neuralgia(PHN).However,there are no effective and objective methods for predicting the effects of tSCS on PHN.Laser speckle contrast imaging(LSCI)is frequently used in neurology to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.To assess the accuracy of LSCI in predicting the impact of tSCS on PHN,14 adult patients receiving tSCS treatments for spinal nerve-innervated(C6-T2)PHN participated in this observational study.Visual analog scale(VAS)assessments and LSCI bloodflow images of the-ngers were recorded after the tSCS procedure.The results showed that the VAS scores of all patients decreased signi-cantly.Moreover,the bloodflow index(BFI)values were signi-cantly higher than they were before the procedure.Increased bloodflow and pain alleviation were positively correlated.The-ndings indicated that spinal nerve PHN(C6-T2)was signi-cantly reduced by tSCS.Pain alleviation by tSCS was positively correlated with increased bloodflow in the hand.The effect of tSCS on PHN may thus be predicted using an independent and consistent indicator such as LSCI.

Multi-UAV Collaborative Mission Planning Method for Self-Organized Sensor Data Acquisition

In recent years,sensor technology has been widely used in the defense and control of sensitive areas in cities,or in various scenarios such as early warning of forest fires,monitoring of forest pests and diseases,and protection of endangered animals.Deploying sensors to collect data and then utilizing unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)to collect the data stored in the sensors has replaced traditional manual data collection as the dominant method.The current strategies for efficient data collection in above scenarios are still imperfect,and the low quality of the collected data and the excessive energy consumed by UAV flights are still the main problems faced in data collection.With regards this,this paper proposes a multi-UAV mission planning method for self-organized sensor data acquisition by comprehensively utilizing the techniques of self-organized sensor clustering,multi-UAV mission area allocation,and sub-area data acquisition scheme optimization.The improvedα-hop clustering method utilizes the average transmission distance to reduce the size of the collection sensors,and the K-Dimensional method is used to form a multi-UAV cooperative workspace,and then,the genetic algorithm is used to trade-off the speed with the age of information(AoI)of the collected information and the energy consumption to form the multi-UAV data collection operation scheme.The combined optimization scheme in paper improves the performance by 95.56%and 58.21%,respectively,compared to the traditional baseline model.In order to verify the excellent generalization and applicability of the proposed method in real scenarios,the simulation test is conducted by introducing the digital elevation model data of the real terrain,and the results show that the relative error values of the proposed method and the performance test of the actual flight of the UAV are within the error interval of±10%.Then,the advantages and disadvantages of the present method with the existing mainstream schemes are tested,and the results show that the present method has a huge advantage in terms of space and time complexity,and at the same time,the accuracy for data extraction is relatively improved by 10.46%and 12.71%.Finally,by eliminating the clustering process and the subtask assignment process,the AoI performance decreases by 3.46×and 4.45×,and the energy performance decreases by 3.52×and 4.47×.This paper presents a comprehensive and detailed proactive optimization of the existing challenges faced in the field of data acquisition by means of a series of combinatorial optimizations.

Clinical Efficacy of GBR Technique Combined with Temporary Bridgework-Guided Gingival Contouring in Treating Upper Anterior Tooth Loss with Labial Bone Defects

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of the guided bone regeneration(GBR)technique combined with temporary bridgework-guided gingival contouring in treating upper anterior tooth loss with labial bone defects.Methods:From July 2023 to April 2024,80 patients with upper anterior tooth loss and labial bone defects were admitted to the hospital and selected as evaluation samples.They were divided into an observation group(n=40)and a control group(n=40)using a numerical table lottery scheme.The control group received treatment with the GBR technique,while the observation group received treatment with the GBR technique combined with temporary bridges to guide gingival contouring.The two groups were compared in terms of clinical red aesthetic scores(PES),labial alveolar bone density,labial bone wall thickness,gingival papillae,gingival margin levels,and patient satisfaction.Results:The PES scores of patients in the observation group were higher than those in the control group after surgery(P<0.05).The bone density of the labial alveolar bone and the thickness of the labial bone wall in the observation group were higher than those in the control group.The levels of gingival papillae and gingival margins were lower in the observation group after surgery(P<0.05).Additionally,patient satisfaction in the observation group was higher than in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The GBR technique combined with temporary bridge-guided gingival contouring for treating upper anterior tooth loss with labial bone defects can improve the aesthetic effect of gingival soft tissue,increase alveolar bone density and the thickness of the labial bone wall,and enhance patient satisfaction.This approach is suitable for widespread application in healthcare institutions.

Hierarchical Self-organization of Complex Systems

Researches on organization and structure in complex systems are academic and industrial fronts in modern sciences. Though many theories are tentatively proposed to analyze complex systems, we still lack a rigorous theory on them. Complex systems possess various degrees of freedom, which means that they should exhibit all kinds of structures. However, complex systems often show similar patterns and structures. Then the question arises why such similar structures appear in all kinds of complex systems. The paper outlines a theory on freedom degree compression and the existence of hierarchical self-organization for all complex systems is found. It is freedom degree compression and hierarchical self-organization that are responsible for the existence of these similar patterns or structures observed in the complex systems.

Evolution of technology management system based on self-organization theory

Industrial and academic interest in how to effectively manage technology resources is increasing as it becomes more and more important.Effective managing of technology resources depends on technology management system,and thus understanding how such system evolves becomes an ongoing research topic.Based on the self-organization theory,this paper constructs an evolution model of technology management system.The simulation results show that the evolution of each of the technology management subsystem is affected by the knowledge growth rate of its own,and it is also affected by the coupling and synergy relationship with other subsystems.Moreover,the coupling and synergy relationship can make the speed of evolution higher than the knowledge growth rate of the subsystem itself.

Self-Organization Approaches for Optimization in Cognitive Radio Networks

Cognitive radio(CR) is regarded as a promising technology for providing a high spectral efficiency to mobile users by using heterogeneous wireless network architectures and dynamic spectrum access techniques.However,cognitive radio networks(CRNs)may also impose some challenges due to the ever increasing complexity of network architecture,the increasing complexity with configuration and management of large-scale networks,fluctuating nature of the available spectrum,diverse Quality-of-Service(QoS)requirements of various applications,and the intensifying difficulties of centralized control,etc.Spectrum management functions with self-organization features can be used to address these challenges and realize this new network paradigm.In this paper,fundamentals of CR,including spectrum sensing,spectrum management,spectrum mobility and spectrum sharing,have been surveyed,with their paradigms of self-organization being emphasized.Variant aspects of selforganization paradigms in CRNs,including critical functionalities of Media Access Control(MAC)- and network-layer operations,are surveyed and compared.Furthermore,new directions and open problems in CRNs are also identified in this survey.

Self-organization of Reconfigurable Protocol Stack for Networked Control Systems

In networked control systems （NCS）,the control performance depends on not only the control algorithm but also the communication protocol stack.The performance degradation introduced by the heterogeneous and dynamic communication environment has intensified the need for the reconfigurable protocol stack.In this paper,a novel architecture for the reconfigurable protocol stack is proposed,which is a unified specification of the protocol components and service interfaces supporting both static and dynamic reconfiguration for existing industrial communication standards.Within the architecture,a triple-level self-organization structure is designed to manage the dynamic reconfiguration procedure based on information exchanges inside and outside the protocol stack.Especially,the protocol stack can be self-adaptive to various environment and system requirements through the reconfiguration of working mode,routing and scheduling table.Finally,the study on the protocol of dynamic address management is conducted for the system of controller area network （CAN）.The results show the efficiency of our self-organizing architecture for the implementation of a reconfigurable protocol stack.

Improve Fractal Compression Encoding Speed Using Feature Extraction and Self-organization Network

Image compression consists of two main parts: encoding and decoding. One of the important problems of the fractal theory is the long encoding implementation time, which hindered the acceptance of fractal image compression as a practical method. The long encoding time results from the need to perform a large number of domain-range matches, the total encoding time is the product of the number of matches and the time to perform each match. In order to improve encoding speed, a hybrid method combining features extraction and self-organization network has been provided, which is based on the feature extraction approach the comparison pixels by pixels between the feature of range blocks and domains blocks. The efficiency of the new method was been proved by examples.

Self-Organization of Charged Particulates in the Presence of External Force

Evolution of spatial distribution of charged particulates under the action of an external force is investigated. It is found that starting from a homogeneous Maxwellian distribution of particulates, clusters can form and aggregate. The evolution process, as well as the asymptotic number and configuration of the clusters formed, depends strongly on the strength of the external force. The particulates in most of the final clusters are in the crystal state, as can also be deduced from the corresponding velocity and auto-correlation functions.

On the Mechanism of Evolution for Enterprise＇s Sustainable Growth Based on the Theory of Self-organization

The capabilities of industry, technology, institution and market power form the model of four-capability structure for enterprise＇s sustainable growth. The firm＇s system has the characteristics of dissipative structure. The process of the formation for the sustainable growth capability is one of self-organization operations. The evolution and development of sustainable growth capability is the result of inter-functions and inter-operations among all the sub-systems. On the whole, the current level of sustainable growth capability, the four-capability structure and the random rise-and-fall elements of the external environment determine the direction, speed and level of transition of sustainable growth capability. The self-organization mechanism of the enterprise＇s sustainable growth can be illustrated by the instability of system evolution, the sequence parameter, the potential function and the nonequilibrium phase transition. Chinese firms must pay attention to industry selecting and positioning, technology innovation, institution reform and cultivation of market power, and accelerate the formation of self-organization and effective operation through the dynamic integration and inter-operation of industry, technology, institution and market power. Only in this way can firms cultivate and develop their sustainable growth capability and realize enterprises＇ sustainable growth finally.

Plugging behaviors of temporary plugging particles in hydraulic fractures

Using the visualized experimental device of temporary plugging in hydraulic fractures, the plugging behaviors of temporary plugging particles with different sizes and concentrations in hydraulic fractures were experimentally analyzed under the conditions of different carrier fluid displacements and viscosities. The results show that the greater the carrier fluid viscosity and displacement, the more difficult it is to form a plugging layer, and that the larger the size and concentration of the temporary plugging particle, the less difficult it is to form a plugging layer. When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.45, the formation of the plugging layer is mainly controlled by the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle and the viscosity of the carrier fluid, and a stable plugging layer cannot form if the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle is less than 20 kg/m^(3)or the viscosity of the carrier fluid is greater than 3 mPa·s. When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.60, the formation of the plugging layer is mainly controlled by the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle, and a stable plugging layer cannot form if the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle is less than 10 kg/m^(3). When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.75, the formation of the plugging layer is basically not affected by other parameters, and a stable plugging layer can form within the experimental conditions. The formation process of plugging layer includes two stages and four modes. The main controlling factors affecting the formation mode are the ratio of particle size to fracture width, carrier fluid displacement and carrier fluid viscosity.

A realistic model for complex networks with local interaction, self-organization and order

In this paper, a new mechanism for the emergence of scale-free distribution is proposed. It is more realistic than the existing mechanism. Based on our mechanism, a model responsible for the scale-free distribution with an exponent in a range of 3-to-5 is given. Moreover, this model could also reproduce the exponential distribution that is discovered in some real networks. Finally, the analytical result of the model is given and the simulation shows the validity of our result,

Analysis of morphological characteristics of gravels based on digital image processing technology and self-organizing map

A comprehensive understanding of spatial distribution and clustering patterns of gravels is of great significance for ecological restoration and monitoring.However,traditional methods for studying gravels are low-efficiency and have many errors.This study researched the spatial distribution and cluster characteristics of gravels based on digital image processing technology combined with a self-organizing map(SOM)and multivariate statistical methods in the grassland of northern Tibetan Plateau.Moreover,the correlation of morphological parameters of gravels between different cluster groups and the environmental factors affecting gravel distribution were analyzed.The results showed that the morphological characteristics of gravels in northern region(cluster C)and southern region(cluster B)of the Tibetan Plateau were similar,with a low gravel coverage,small gravel diameter,and elongated shape.These regions were mainly distributed in high mountainous areas with large topographic relief.The central region(cluster A)has high coverage of gravels with a larger diameter,mainly distributed in high-altitude plains with smaller undulation.Principal component analysis(PCA)results showed that the gravel distribution of cluster A may be mainly affected by vegetation,while those in clusters B and C could be mainly affected by topography,climate,and soil.The study confirmed that the combination of digital image processing technology and SOM could effectively analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of gravels,providing a new mode for gravel research.

Self-Organization of PbS into Quantum Dots Superlattices

Self-organization of PbS into quantum dots superlattices is demonstrated for the first lime, and hexaplanar colloidal crystals 1-10 mu m in size made from PbS quantum dots 4nm in diameter are shown in Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) micrograph, and the inner structures of the superlattices can be seen from the High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM).

Self-organization: the governance of CAO fisheries from perspective of the global commons

The Central Arctic Ocean （CAO） is a global commons, and fishes in the CAO are common property resources. If humanity does not manage this region well, then this will lead to a ＂Tragedy of the Commons,＂ an old problem in human society. However, the two existing means of commons governance, privatization and government control, are not appropriate for the CAO. This study＇s findings indicate that CAO fisheries management will most likely result from a process of self-organization. The openness of the CAO and the imbalance of powers, interests and responsibilities among the states that are involved will lead to a process of self-organized governance of CAO fisheries. There are four stages in this process： competition, synergy, establishment of governing principles and mechanisms, and expansion and evolution of influence. The outcome of CAO fisheries governance will be the result of compromise among the parties as no one actor is in a dominant position.