Determination of the Optimal Waist Circumference Cut-Off Points in Benin Adults

Obesity is an independent risk factor for chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. Early detection of abdominal obesity followed by appropriate interventions will prevent associated diseases. The objective was to determine optimal waist circumference (WC) cut-off points predictive of at least one other component of metabolic syndrome in Benin adults. This longitudinal and observational study included at the baseline 541 apparently healthy subjects aged 25 - 60 years randomly selected in the largest city of Cotonou (n = 200), the smaller-size city of Ouidah (n = 171) and rural surroundings of Ouidah (n = 170) in Benin. Components of the metabolic syndrome considered along with abdominal obesity were high blood pressure, high fasting glycaemia, low HDL-cholesterol and high triglycerides as defined by the Joint Interim Statement. After the baseline survey, the subjects were followed-up for four years. Complete data at baseline and four years later were available in 416 subjects. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for waist circumference to predict at least one other component of the metabolic syndrome was plotted and the Youden index was used to define the optimal cut-offs of WC. At the baseline of the study, the optimal WC cut-off point to predict the presence of at least one other component of the metabolic syndrome was 80 cm for men (sensitivity = 0.62, specificity = 0.65);the area under the ROC curve was 0.67 (IC 95%: 0.61-0.74). In women, the optimal WC cut-off point was 90 cm (sensitivity = 0.54, specificity = 0.80), and the area under the ROC curve was 0.68 (IC 95%: 0.62-0.75). These optimal cut-offs were similar four years later. Optimum WC cut-off points for both men and women in Benin differ from those currently recommended for sub-Saharan Africans. Therefore, waist circumference cut-off points for abdominal obesity need to be reconsidered for these populations.

Coexistence of Dirac and Weyl points in non-centrosymmetric semimetal NbIrTe_(4)

Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations methods,we investigate the electronic structures and topological properties of ternary tellurides NbIrTe_(4),a candidate for type-II Weyl semimetal.We demonstrate the presence of several Fermi arcs connecting their corresponding Weyl points on both termination surfaces of the topological material.Our analysis reveals the existence of Dirac points,in addition to Weyl points,giving both theoretical and experimental evidences of the coexistence of Dirac and Weyl points in a single material.These findings not only confirm NbIrTe_(4) as a unique topological semimetal but also open avenues for exploring novel electronic devices based on its coexisting Dirac and Weyl fermions.

Exceptional points and quantum dynamics in a non-Hermitian two-qubit system

We study the exceptional-point(EP) structure and the associated quantum dynamics in a system consisting of a non-Hermitian qubit and a Hermitian qubit. We find that the system possesses two sets of EPs, which divide the systemparameter space into PT-symmetry unbroken, partially broken and fully broken regimes, each with distinct quantumdynamics characteristics. Particularly, in the partially broken regime, while the PT-symmetry is generally broken in the whole four-dimensional Hilbert space, it is preserved in a two-dimensional subspace such that the quantum dynamics in the subspace are similar to those in the PT-symmetry unbroken regime. In addition, we reveal that the competition between the inter-qubit coupling and the intra-qubit driving gives rise to a complex pattern in the EP variation with system parameters.

Prediction of collapse process and tipping points for mutualistic and competitive networks with k-core method

Ecosystems generally have the self-adapting ability to resist various external pressures or disturbances,which is always called resilience.However,once the external disturbances exceed the tipping points of the system resilience,the consequences would be catastrophic,and eventually lead the ecosystem to complete collapse.We capture the collapse process of ecosystems represented by plant-pollinator networks with the k-core nested structural method,and find that a sufficiently weak interaction strength or a sufficiently large competition weight can cause the structure of the ecosystem to collapse from its smallest k-core towards its largest k-core.Then we give the tipping points of structure and dynamic collapse of the entire system from the one-dimensional dynamic function of the ecosystem.Our work provides an intuitive and precise description of the dynamic process of ecosystem collapse under multiple interactions,and provides theoretical insights into further avoiding the occurrence of ecosystem collapse.

Triple points and phase transitions of D-dimensional dyonic Ad S black holes with quasitopological electromagnetism in Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity

By considering the negative cosmological constant Λ as a thermodynamic pressure, we study the thermodynamics and phase transitions of the D-dimensional dyonic Ad S black holes(BHs) with quasitopological electromagnetism in Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet(EGB) gravity. The results indicate that the small/large BH phase transition that is similar to the van der Waals(vdW) liquid/gas phase transition always exists for any spacetime dimensions. Interestingly, we then find that this BH system exhibits a more complex phase structure in 6-dimensional case that is missed in other dimensions.Specifically, it shows for D = 6 that we observed the small/intermediate/large BH phase transitions in a specific parameter region with the triple point naturally appeared. Moreover, when the magnetic charge turned off, we still observed the small/intermediate/large BH phase transitions and triple point only in 6-dimensional spacetime, which is consistent with the previous results. However, for the dyonic Ad S BHs with quasitopological electromagnetism in Einstein–Born–Infeld(EBI) gravity, the novel phase structure composed of two separate coexistence curves observed by Li et al. [Phys. Rev. D105 104048(2022)] disappeared in EGB gravity. This implies that this novel phase structure is closely related to gravity theories, and seems to have nothing to do with the effect of quasitopological electromagnetism. In addition, it is also true that the critical exponents calculated near the critical points possess identical values as mean field theory. Finally, we conclude that these findings shall provide some deep insights into the intriguing thermodynamic properties of the dyonic Ad S BHs with quasitopological electromagnetism in EGB gravity.

Petrophysical Evaluation of Cape Three Points Reservoirs

The findings of a study to ascertain and assess the petrophysical characteristics of Cape Three Points reservoirs in the Western basin with a view to describe the reservoir quantitatively using Well Logs, Petrel and Techlog. The investigated characteristics, which were all deduced from geophysical wire-line logs, include lithology, porosity, permeability, fluid saturation, and net to gross thickness. To characterise the reservoir on the field, a suite of wire-line logs including gamma ray, resistivity, spontaneous potential, and density logs for three wells (WELL_1X, WELL_2X, and WELL_3X) from the Tano Cape Three Point basin were studied. The analyses that were done included lithology delineation, reservoir identification, and petrophysical parameter determination for the identified reservoirs. The tops and bases of the three wells analysed were marked at a depth of 1203.06 - 2015.64 m, 3863.03 - 4253.85 m and 2497.38 - 2560.32 m respectively. There were no hydrocarbons in the reservoirs from the studies. The petrophysical parameters computed for each reservoir provided porosities of 13%, 3% and 11% respectively. The water saturation also determined for these three wells (WELL_1X, WELL_2X and WELL_3X) were 94%, 95% and 89% respectively. These results together with the behaviour of the density and neutron logs suggested that these wells are wildcat wells.

Quantitative determination of the critical points of Mott metal–insulator transition in strongly correlated systems

Mottness is at the heart of the essential physics in a strongly correlated system as many novel quantum phenomena occur in the metallic phase near the Mott metal–insulator transition. We investigate the Mott transition in a Hubbard model by using the dynamical mean-field theory and introduce the local quantum state fidelity to depict the Mott metal–insulator transition. The local quantum state fidelity provides a convenient approach to determining the critical point of the Mott transition. Additionally, it presents a consistent description of the two distinct forms of the Mott transition points.

Analysis of the inflection points of height-diameter models

The inflection point is an important feature of sigmoidal height-diameter(H-D)models.It is often cited as one of the properties favoring sigmoidal model forms.However,there are very few studies analyzing the inflection points of H-D models.The goals of this study were to theoretically and empirically examine the behaviors of inflection points of six common H-D models with a regional dataset.The six models were the Wykoff(WYK),Schumacher(SCH),Curtis(CUR),HossfeldⅣ(HOS),von Bertalanffy-Richards(VBR),and Gompertz(GPZ)models.The models were first fitted in their base forms with tree species as random effects and were then expanded to include functional traits and spatial distribution.The distributions of the estimated inflection points were similar between the two-parameter models WYK,SCH,and CUR,but were different between the threeparameter models HOS,VBR,and GPZ.GPZ produced some of the largest inflection points.HOS and VBR produced concave H-D curves without inflection points for 12.7%and 39.7%of the tree species.Evergreen species or decreasing shade tolerance resulted in larger inflection points.The trends in the estimated inflection points of HOS and VBR were entirely opposite across the landscape.Furthermore,HOS could produce concave H-D curves for portions of the landscape.Based on the studied behaviors,the choice between two-parameter models may not matter.We recommend comparing seve ral three-parameter model forms for consistency in estimated inflection points before deciding on one.Believing sigmoidal models to have inflection points does not necessarily mean that they will produce fitted curves with one.Our study highlights the need to integrate analysis of inflection points into modeling H-D relationships.

Analysis of the Significance of Key Points of Patient Interventional Psychological Care and Pain Care

Interventional therapy has become increasingly popular in clinical practice due to advancements in medical technology.However,patients often experience psychological and physiological pressure due to its invasive nature.The management of patient discomfort and tension is crucial to ensure effective treatment.Psychological and pain management are essential components of interventional therapy,as they significantly impact patient recovery and prognosis.This article discussed the importance of interventional psychological and pain care for patients,starting with the development and spread of interventional therapy.The significance of providing high-quality nursing services to patients and improving their quality of life was also discussed.

CLINICAL STUDY ON THE TREATMENT OF POST-STROKE DEPRESSION WITH ELECTROACUPUNCTURE OF “NIWAN BAZHEN” POINTS

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture （EA） of ＂Niwan Bazhen＂ points in the treatment of post-stroke depression. Methods A total of 66 post-stroke depression patients were randomized into treatment group （EA＋oral administration of Prozac-20, n =31 ） and control group （o- ral administration of Prozac-20, 20 mg/d, 28 days altogether, n =30）. For patients of treatment group, EA （2/100 Hz, a tolerable stimulation strength） was applied to ＂Niwan Bazhen＂ points [Baihui （百会 GV20）, etc. ] for 30 min, once daily, （except weekends） continuously for one month. Halmiton Rating Scale （HAMD） for Depression and Chinese Scale for Stroke （CSS） were used to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Results After the treatment, of the 30 and 31 cases in control and treatment groups, 4 and 6 were cured, 10 and 14 experienced marked improvement.in their symptoms, 6 and 7 had an improvement, 6 and 4 failed, with the cure＋ markedly effective rates being 46.7% and 64.5% respectively. The therapeutic effect of treatment group was significantly superior to that of control group （ P〈0.05）. The decreased values of both HAMD and C,,SS of treatment group were remarkably lower than those of control group （P〈0.01,0.05） . Conclusion EA of ＂Niwan Bazhen＂ points is an effective remedy for post-stroke depression.

Spatial variation law of vertical derivative zero points for potential field data

In this paper we deduce the analytic solutions of the first- and second-order vertical derivative zero points for gravity anomalies in simple regular models with single, double, and multiple edges and analyze their spatial variation. For another simple regular models where it is difficult to obtain the analytic expression of the zero point, we try to use the profile zero points to analyze the spatial variation. The test results show that the spatial variation laws of both first- and second-order vertical derivative zero points are almost the same but the second-order derivative zero point position is closer to the top surface edge of the geological bodies than the first-order vertical derivative and has a relatively high resolution. Moreover, with an increase in buried depth, for a single boundary model, the vertical derivative zero point location tends to move from the top surface edge to the outside of the buried body but finally converges to a fixed value. For a double boundary model, the vertical derivative zero point location tends to migrate from the top surface edge to the outside of the buried body. For multiple boundary models, the vertical derivative zero point location converges from the top surface edge to the outside of the buried body where some zero points coincide and finally vanish. Finally, the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method is verified using real field data.

Singular Points, Closed Orbits, Stable Manifolds and Unstable Manifolds of Second Order Autonomous Birkhoff Systems

Aim To study singular points, closed orbits, stable manifolds and unstable manifolds of a second order autonomous Birkhoff system. Methods Qualitative methods of ordinary differential equation were used. Results and Conclusion The criteria for singular points, closed orbits and hyperbolic equilibrium points of a second order autonomous Birkhoff system are given. Moreover the stability of equilibria, stable manifolds and unstable manifolds are obtained.

The Order of Approximation by Complex Rational Type Interpolating Operators at Fejer's Points

In this paper, supose Γ be a boundary of a Jordan domain D and Γ satisfied Альпер condition, the order that rational type interpolating operators at Fejer's points of f(z)∈C(Γ) converge to f(z) in the sense of uniformly convergence is obtained.

The Order of Approximation by(0,1,…,q) Hermite-Fejer Interpolation Polynomials at Nearly Fejer's Points

Suppose that the outer mapping function of domain D has its second continuous derivatives. In this paper, the order proximation by (0,1,…,q) Hermite-Fejer interpolating polynomials at nearly Fejer's points of function of class A(D) are presented. Moreover in general the order of approximation is sharp.

用Stigmatic Points法设计高性能80通道阵列波导光栅器件

采用StigmaticPoints方法改进传统的罗兰圆结构设计方法 ,给出一个实用化、高性能 80通道阵列波导光栅器件设计方案 .对采用这两种设计方法得到的器件性能结果进行了比较分析 ,指出了传统设计方法在设计大通道数阵列波导光栅器件中存在的问题以及StigmaticPoints方法对器件性能的改进 .

Fixed points on complete metric spaces

Two new fixed point theorems on two complete metric spaces are proved by using the concept of w -distance. One of the results is: let (X,d) and (Y,ρ) be two complete metric spaces,let p 1 be a w -distance on X and p 2 be a w -distance on Y . If T is a continuous mapping of X into Y and S is a mapping of Y into X ,satisfying the inequalities: p 1(STx,STx′)≤c max ｛p 1(x,x′),p 1(x,STx),p 1(x′,STx′),p 1(x,STx′)/2,p 2(Tx,Tx′)｝ and p 2(TSy,TSy′)≤c max ｛p 2(y,y′),p 2(y,TSy),p 2(y′,TSy′),p 2(y,TSy′)/2,p 1(Sy,Sy′)｝ for all x,x′ in X and y,y′ in Y ,where 0≤ c<1. We have proved that ST has a unique fixed point z in X and TS has a unique fixed point w in Y . The two theorems have improved the fixed point theorems of Fisher and Namdeo,et al.

An Interpretation of Points of View in A Thousand Splendid Suns

As the second bestseller of Khaled Hosseini' s novels that spread all over the world,A Thousand Splendid Suns embodies the quite impressive and infective writing techniques and narrative power of its writer and it also shows the unique language style of Hosseini.This paper gives an explanation of the narrative point of view and analyses the specific examples in the text.Through deepening the transition of third-person point of view between the two characters,the paper demonstrates its stylistic effects in arranging the textual structure as well as building the characters,thus deepen the theme of the whole story.

Molecular Dynamic Simulation of Melting Points of Trans-1,4,5,8- tetranitro-1,4,5,8-tetraazadacalin （TNAD） with Some Propellants

Molecular dynamic simulation was employed to predict the melting points Tm of TNAD/HMX, TNAD/RDX, TNAD/DINA, and TNAD/DNP systems （tans-1,4,5,8- tetranitro-1,4,5,8-tetraazadacalin （TNAD）, dinitropiperazine （DNP）, cyclotetramethylenetetranitroamine （HMX）, cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine （RDX）, and N-nitrodihydroxyethylaminedinitrate （DINA））. Tm was determined from the inflexion point on the curve of mean specific volume vs. temperature. The result shows that the Tm values of TNAD/HMX, TNAD/RDX, and TNAD/DINA systems are 500, 536, and 488 K, respectively. The TNAD/DNP system has no obvious Tm value, which shows the system is insoluble. Using Tm, the solubility of the four systems was analyzed. The radial distribution functions of the four systems were analyzed and the main intermolecular forces between TNAD and other energetic components are short-range interactions. The better the solubility is, the stronger the intermoleenlar interaction is. In addition, the force field energy at different temperature was also analyzed to predict Tm of the four systems.

基于knee points的改进多目标人工蜂群算法

传统的人工蜂群算法(Artificial Bee Colony algorithm,ABC)及其在多目标上的扩展(Multi Objective Artificial Bee Colony algorithm,MOABC)存在着在高维、多峰函数情况下收敛速度变慢、后期容易陷入局部最优以及寻优精度丢失等问题。基于knee points提高收敛性和分布性的特点,设计了一种快速识别knee point的算法并将其应用到多目标人工蜂群算法中,提出了一种基于knee points的改进多目标人工蜂群算法(Kn MOABC)。算法在迭代过程中考虑pareto支配关系的同时,优先选择knee point作为下一代个体,极大地增强了算法的收敛速度,同时,在knee point识别算法中加入自适应的策略以保持良好的分布性。实验结果表明,Kn MOABC的性能优于三个最新的多目标人工蜂群对比算法。

基于轻量化PointNet网络的林果园喷雾作业靶标实时识别方法

为了进一步提高喷雾机器人靶标检测的精准性、实时性和应用部署的实用性,该研究提出一种基于轻量化PointNet网络的林果园喷雾作业靶标实时识别方法。首先通过区域提取降采样、地面分割和改进DBSCAN聚类等点云预处理方法提取原始点云中的靶标;然后通过移动最小二乘上采样将靶标点云转化为满足点云识别网络输入要求的点云数据;最终通过在PointNet网络中引入残差模块和改进循环剪枝算法轻量化PointNet网络,完成林果树靶标的实时识别。试验结果表明,在ModelNet40数据集上,轻量化PointNet网络可达89.7%的准确率;在实际苗圃环境的试验中,该研究方法对靶标的识别准确率可达92.49%,同时误识率与拒识率分别为13.4%和6.47%,相较PointNet网络识别准确率提升了4.38个百分点,误识率和拒识率分别降低了7.2和4.07个百分点;轻量化PointNet网络识别准确率仅比PointNet++网络低1.14个百分点,误识率和拒识率分别高了0.9和1.12个百分点。但是轻量化PointNet网络的模型参数量较PointNet网络和PointNet++网络的模型参数量显著减少,仅为PointNet网络的11.5%,PointNet++网络的27.02%;运算量相较PointNet网络、PointNet++网络分别减少13.3和76.79个百分点。该研究提出的轻量化PointNet网络具有较高的实时性、精确性和鲁棒性,能够满足林果园喷雾作业的靶标识别需求,可为林果园喷雾作业靶标实时识别提供参考。