Multi-Model Approach for Assessing the Influence of Calibration Criteria on the Water Balance in Ouémé Basin

Hydrological models are very useful tools for evaluating water resources, and the hydroclimatic hazards associated with the water cycle. However, their calibration and validation require the use of performance criteria which choice is not straightforward. This paper aims to evaluate the influence of the performance criteria on water balance components and water extremes using two global rainfall-runoff models (HBV and GR4J) over the Ouémé watershed at the Bonou and Savè outlets. Three (3) Efficacy criteria (Nash, coefficient of determination, and KGE) were considered for calibration and validation. The results show that the Nash criterion provides a good assessment of the simulation of the different parts of the hydrograph. KGE is better for simulating peak flows and water balance elements than other efficiency criteria. This study could serve as a basis for the choice of performance criteria in hydrological modelling.

Unequal Distribution of Innovation Efforts for Neglected Tropical Diseases: The Role of Funding Evaluation Criteria

Background: International research and innovation efforts for neglected tropical diseases have increased in recent decades due to disparities in overall health research funding in relation to global burden of disease. However, within the field of neglected tropical diseases some seem far more neglected than others. In this research the aim is to investigate the distribution of resources and efforts, as well as the mechanisms that underpin funding allocation for neglected tropical diseases. Methodology: A systematic literature review was conducted to establish a comprehensive overview of known indicators for innovation efforts related to a wide range of neglected tropical diseases. Articles were selected based on a subjective evaluation of their relevance, the presence of original data, and the breadth of their scope. This was followed by thirteen in-depth open-ended interviews with representatives of private, public and philanthropic funding organizations, concerning evaluation criteria for funding research proposals. Results: The findings reveal a large difference in the extent to which the individual diseases are neglected with notable differences between absolute and relative efforts. Criteria used in the evaluation of research proposals relate to potential impact, the probability of success and strategic fit. Private organizations prioritize strategic fit and economic impact;philanthropic organizations prioritize short-term societal impact;and public generally prioritize the probability of success by accounting for follow-up funding and involvement of industry. Funding decisions of different types of organizations are highly interrelated. Conclusions: This study shows that the evaluation of funding proposals introduces and retains unequal funding distribution, reinforcing the relative neglect of diseases. Societal impact is the primary rationale for funding but application of it as a funding criterion is associated with significant challenges. Furthermore, current application of evaluation criteria leads to a primary focus on short-term impact. Through current practice, the relatively most neglected diseases will remain so, and a long-term strategy is needed to resolve this.

Local Criteria Used by Farmers to Evaluate the Agronomic Performance and the Fertilizing Capacity of Cowpea Varieties: Diversity, Variability and Proximal Relation with Agronomic Measurements in Contrasted Sahelian Locations

When contributing to participatory research, farmers usually appreciate the performance of cowpea varieties using qualitative scores. The score they attribute to each variety are based on local knowledge. The specific criteria they individually use to attribute a score are not well described. The objectives of this work were to: 1) identify and describe exhaustively the local criteria used by farmers to measure the agronomic performance of cowpea;2) assess the variability and statistical structure of these farmer criteria across local contexts;3) and analyze the association between these farmer criteria and the classical agronomic measurement. To achieve these objectives, an augmented block design was implemented across fifteen locations in the regions of Maradi, Dosso and Tillabéri, representing a diversity of local contexts. From a set of 36 cowpea varieties, fifteen varieties were sown per location, including five varieties (controls) common to all locations. In each location, two replicates were sown in randomized Fisher’s blocks. After agronomic measurement and participatory evaluation (scoring of varieties by farmers), a group survey (focus group) was conducted in each location to identify the criteria considered by farmers to found their discretional scoring of varieties during the participatory evaluation. The analysis of the data identified, across locations, thirteen criteria defined by farmers to characterize the agronomic performance of cowpea. Some of these criteria were different according to location. Farmers ranked the three varieties with the best performance for each agronomical trait (Top 3 varieties). A comparison of the farmer ranking with the ranking based on agronomic measurements revealed similarity and complementary between both methods. This study highlighted the importance of considering both local and scientific knowledge in local varietal evaluations.

Coal-rock gas:Concept,connotation and classification criteria

In recent years,great breakthroughs have been made in the exploration and development of natural gas in deep coal-rock reservoirs in Junggar,Ordos and other basins in China.In view of the inconsistency between the industrial and academic circles on this new type of unconventional natural gas,this paper defines the concept of"coal-rock gas"on the basis of previous studies,and systematically analyzes its characteristics of occurrence state,transport and storage form,differential accumulation,and development law.Coal-rock gas,geologically unlike coalbed methane in the traditional sense,occurs in both free and adsorbed states,with free state in abundance.It is generated and stored in the same set of rocks through short distance migration,occasionally with the accumulation from other sources.Moreover,coal rock develops cleat fractures,and the free gas accumulates differentially.The coal-rock gas reservoirs deeper than 2000 m are high in pressure,temperature,gas content,gas saturation,and free-gas content.In terms of development,similar to shale gas and tight gas,coal-rock gas can be exploited by natural formation energy after the reservoirs connectivity is improved artificially,that is,the adsorbed gas is desorbed due to pressure drop after the high-potential free gas is recovered,so that the free gas and adsorbed gas are produced in succession for a long term without water drainage for pressure drop.According to buried depth,coal rank,pressure coefficient,reserves scale,reserves abundance and gas well production,the classification criteria and reserves/resources estimation method of coal-rock gas are presented.It is preliminarily estimated that the coal-rock gas in place deeper than 2000 m in China exceeds 30×10^(12)m^(3),indicating an important strategic resource for the country.The Ordos,Sichuan,Junggar and Bohai Bay basins are favorable areas for large-scale enrichment of coal-rock gas.The paper summarizes the technical and management challenges and points out the research directions,laying a foundation for the management,exploration,and development of coal-rock gas in China.

Evaluation of AVNRT & AVRT by Different Criteria: Old & New

The two most frequent causes of paroxysmal SVT are atrioventricular tachycardia (AVRT) and atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT). The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic efficacy of traditional and newly proposed ECG criteria in the identification of Avnrt and Avrt. Aim of the Study: The aim of this study was to evaluate Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia (AVNRT) and Atrioventricular Re-entrant Tachycardia (AVRT) using both traditional and novel criteria. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at the Electrophysiology Unit, Department of Cardiology, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Dhaka, from February 2019 to January 2020. A total of 62 patients with Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) undergoing electrophysiology study (EPS) were included. Standard ECG criteria were applied for the differential diagnosis, and electrophysiological diagnoses were made using established criteria. Statistical analysis, including descriptive statistics and appropriate tests, was performed using SPSS 23.0. Result: In our study of 62 patients with Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT), we found that 66.1% had AVNRT and 33.9% had AVRT. The mean age in AVNRT was higher than AVRT (41.3 ± 9.7 vs. 38.5 ± 14.3, p = 0.36) with statistically no significant difference, with similar gender distribution between AVNRT and AVRT groups. Classical AVNRT criteria were present in 30.6% of patients, and 45.2% showed a Pseudo R' wave in aVR. Additionally, 30.6% had an RP interval ≥100ms, more prevalent in AVRT patients (66.7%). Conclusion: Integrating traditional and novel criteria, including lead aVR analysis, enhances the electrocardiographic diagnosis of AVNRT and AVRT, offering a pathway to refined patient care.

基于Beers Criteria 2023 评估我院门诊老年患者潜在不适当用药现状

目的评估我院门诊老年患者潜在不适当用药(PIM)的发生情况,分析影响因素,探讨如何促进老年合理用药。方法收集常州市第一人民医院2023年5月~2023年7月,年龄65~99岁门诊患者处方,按照Beers Criteria 2023对患者的用药进行分析,采用二元logistic回归模型分析发生PIM的影响因素。结果最终筛选出24217例患者,男11823例,占比48.8%,女12394例,占比51.2%。疾病数量、用药种类、年龄为PIM发生的危险因素,就诊科室数为保护因素(P<0.05)。结论Beers Criteria 2023检出PIM率为20.37%,临床药师应结合临床,减少用药种类以减少老年患者PIM的发生率,对必需使用导致PIM药物治疗的老年患者应加强监测并个体化用药,保证老年患者用药安全。

GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Techniques to Derive Flood Risks Management on Rice Productivity in Gishari Marshland

Floods are phenomenon with significant socio-economic implications mainly for human loss, agriculture, livestock, soil loss and land degradation, for which many researchers try to identify the most appropriate methodologies by analyzing their temporal and spatial development. This study therefore attempts to employ the GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis and analytical hierarchy process techniques to derive the flood risks management on rice productivity in the Gishari Agricultural Marshland in Rwamagana district, Rwanda. Here, six influencing potential factors to flooding, including river slope, soil texture, Land Use Land Cover through Land Sat 8, rainfall, river distance and Digital Elevation Model are considered for the delineation of flood risk zones. Data acquisition like Landsat 8 images, DEM, land use land cover, slope, and soil class in the study area were considered. Results showed that if the DEM is outdated or inaccurate due to changes in the terrain, such as construction, excavation, or erosion, the predicted flood patterns might not reflect the actual water flow. This could result unexpected flood extents and depths, potentially inundating rice fields that were not previously at risk and this, expectedly explained that the increase 1 m in elevation would reduce the rice productivity by 0.17% due to unplanned flood risks in marshland. It was found that the change in rainfall distribution in Gishari agricultural marshland would also decrease the rice productivity by 0.0018%, which is a sign that rainfall is a major factor of flooding in rice scheme. Rainfall distribution plays a crucial role in flooding analysis and can directly impact rice productivity. Oppositely, another causal factor was Land Use Land Cover (LULC), where the Multivariate Logistic Regression Model Analysis findings showed that the increase of one unit in Land Use Land Cover would increase rice productivity by 0.17% of the total rice productivity from the Gishari Agricultural Marshland. Based on findings from these techniques, the Gishari Agricultural Marshlands having steeped land with grassland is classified into five classes of flooding namely very low, low, moderate, high, and very high which include 430%, 361%, 292%, 223%, and 154%. Government of Rwanda and other implementing agencies and major key actors have to contribute on soil and water conservation strategies to reduce the runoff and soil erosion as major contributors of flooding.

Evaluating the Association between Human Papillomavirus and Vulvar Cancer:A Comprehensive Analysis Using Bradford Hill Criteria

Background:The role of human papillomavirus(HPV)in the development of vulvar cancer(VC)has been widely studied,but findings have been inconsistent.Despite numerous meta-analyses exploring the potential link between HPV and VC,the association remains controversial due to inherent limitations in meta-analytic methods.Objectives:To address this controversy,the study aims to investigate the potential link between HPV and VC using the Bradford Hill criteria,which offer a more comprehensive framework for establishing causation.Methodology:The study began by extracting all relevant studies on the association between HPV and VC from the PubMed database.The potential links were then assessed by examining the data using the major postulates of the Bradford Hill criteria.To ensure the reliability of the findings,the methodologies of the identified studies were critically evaluated to account for possible false-negative and false-positive results.Results:The assessment of previous studies against the Bradford Hill criteria revealed that the major postulates were not fulfilled.Conclusion:Based on the findings,it can concluded that there is no causal association between HPV and VC.

Contribution of GIS to Soil Landscape Mapping by Multi-Criteria Analysis Using Weighting: The Case of the Square Degrees of M’Bahiakro (Centre) and Daloa (Centre-West) in Ivory Coast

As part of the drive to improve coffee and cocoa production in Ivory Coast, studies are carried out to identify soils that are favourable for these crops. It is therefore necessary to orientate soil investigations based on reliable criteria that best discriminate soil cover. With this in mind, this study is being carried out to help improve survey methods by mapping soil landscapes. It uses GIS and weighted multicriteria analysis. To do this, satellite images were processed and the geological map of the square degrees of M’Bahiakro and Daloa was reclassified. The results show that relief is the main factor in soil landscape differentiation, with respective weights of 0.58 and 0.67 for the forest and pre-forest zones. In contrast, the weight of geological formation in soil landscape differentiation remains low (0.05 for the forest zone and 0.07 for the pre-forest zone). The criteria used on the base of aggregation sum methods have made it possible to formulate soil landscape mapping prediction functions according to agro-ecological environments in the humid intertropical zone. This is essential for the orientation of soil survey work. Nevertheless, other comparative methods, such as the coding mapping method, could provide elements for discussion to validate the models.

Multi-Criteria Wildfire Risk Hazard Assessment in GIS Environment: Projection for the Future and Impact on RES Projects Installation Planning

It is alarming for the fact that Wildfires number, severity and consequently impact have significantly increased during the last years, an aftermath of the Climate Change. One of the most affected areas worldwide is Mediterranean, due to the unique combination of its type of vegetation and demanding climatic conditions. This research is focused on the Region of Epirus in Greece, an area with significant natural vegetation and a range of geomorphological aspects. In order to estimate the Wildfire Risk Hazard, several factors have been used: geomorphological (slope, aspect, elevation, TWI, Hydrographic network), social (Settlements and landfils, roads, overhead lines and substations), environmental (land cover) and climatic (Fire Weather Index). Through a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in a GIS environment, the Wildfire Risk Hazard has been estimated not only for current conditions but also for future projections for the near future (2031-2060) and the far future (2071-2100). The selected case study includes the potential impact of the Wildfires to the installed (or targeted to be installed) RES projects in the studied region.

Experiment Study on the Ending Criteria of Charge and Discharge of Nickel-Hydride Battery

Charge and discharge characteristics of Ni/MH batteries are investigated with experiments. During battery’s working, the voltage, capacity, temperature and internal resistance were recorded, corresponding curves were depicted. Variations of the aforementioned four parameters are differently obvious. Ending criteria of charge and discharge of Ni/MH batteries are discussed on the basis of the curves. Voltage, capacity and temperature of a battery can be used as ending criteria during charge. When discharge takes place, voltage, capacity and internal resistance can be chosen as ending criteria. As a whole, capacity is more suitable for being used as ending criteria of charge and discharge than the other three parameters. At last, the capacity of a battery is recommended to be ending criteria of charge and discharge. The conclusions will provide references to different capacity Ni/MH batteries for electric vehicles.

Criteria Condition for Generalized Diagonally Dominant Matrices

In this paper, we provide some new necessary and sufficient conditions for generalized diagonally dominant matrices and also obtain some criteria for nongeneralized dominant matrices.

Study on the Design Criteria for Prestressed Concrete Pavements

With a concrete pavement slab prestressed, its load carrying capacity can be significantly increased; thus a thinner slab may be used for the same loading. Prestressing modify the structural behavior of the pavement slab and there is a greater resistance to impact, vibration and overloading. This paper discusses the major design considerations necessary in the successful construction of prestressed concrete pavements and presents a design procedure developed to predict the compressive stress due to prestressing in the pavements at early stage, during service and after cracking. Variation in the approach for repetitive and nonrepetitive loads is clearly distinguished. Check on the recovery after cracking for overloading in prestressed pavements is also needed. Finally, a design example is illustrated the application of the approach developed.

Coverage criteria and test requirement reduction for component-based web application

In order to analyze and test the component-based web application and decide when to stop the testing process, the concept of coverage criteria and test requirement reduction approach are proposed. First, four adequacy criteria are defined and subsumption relationships among them are proved. Then, a translation algorithm is presented to transfer the test model into a web application decision-to-decision graph（WADDGraph）which is used to reduce testing requirements. Finally, different sets of test requirements can be generated from WADDGraph by analyzing subsumption and equivalence relationships among edges based on different coverage criteria, and testers can select different test requirements according to different testing environments. The case study indicates that coverage criteria follow linear subsumption relationships in real web applications. Test requirements can be reduced more than 55% on average based on different coverage criteria and the size of test requirements increases with the increase in the complexity of the coverage criteria.

Primary biliary cirrhosis: Clinical and laboratory criteria for its diagnosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis(PBC) is a chronic progressive cholestatic granulomatous, and destructive inflammatory lesion of small intralobular and septal bile ducts, which is likely to be caused by an autoimmune mechanism with a the presence of serum antimitochondrial antibodies and a potential tendency to progress to cirrhosis. Despite the fact that the etiology of this disease has beenunknown so far, there has been a considerable body of scientific evidence that can reveal the clinical and laboratory signs of PBC and the individual components of its pathogenesis and elaborate diagnostic criteria for the disease and its symptomatic therapy. Deficiencies in autoimmune tolerance are critical factors for the initiation and perpetuation of the disease. The purpose of this review is to summarize the data available in the literature and the author's findings on clinical and laboratory criteria for the diagnosis of PBC. This review describes the major clinical manifestations of the disease and the mechanisms of its development. It presents the immunological, biochemical, and morphological signs of PBC and their significance for its diagnosis. A great deal of novel scientific evidence for the problem of PBC has been accumulated. However, the inadequate efficiency of therapy for the disease lends impetus to the quest for its etiological factors and to further investigations of its pathogenetic mechanisms and, on this basis, to searches for new methods for its early diagnosis.

Expansion of the hepatocellular carcinoma Milan criteria in liver transplantation: Future directions

Milan criteria are currently the benchmark related to liver transplantation(LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma. However, several groups have proposed different expanded criteria with acceptable results. In this article, we review the current status of LT beyond the Milan criteria in three different scenarios-expanded criteria with cadaveric LT, downstaging to Milan criteria before LT, and expansion in the context of adult living donor LT. The review focuses on three main questions: what would the impact of the expansion beyond Milan criteria be on the patients on the waiting list; whether the dichotomous criteria(yes/no) currently used are appropriate for LT or continuous survival estimations, such as the one of "Metroticket" and whether it should enter into the clinical practice; and, whether the use of living donor LT in the context of expansion beyond Milan criteria is justified.

Gestational diabetes mellitus: An update on the current international diagnostic criteria

The approach to screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM) around the world is disorderly. The protocols for diagnosis vary not only in-between countries, but also within countries. Furthermore, in any country, this disparity occurs in-between its hospitals and often exists within a single hospital. There are many reasons for these differences. There is the lack of an international consensus among preeminent health organizations(e.g., American College of Gynecologists and World Health Organization). Often there is a disagreement between the country's national diabetes organization, its local health society and its regional obstetric organization with each one recommending a different option for approaching GDM. Sometimes the causes for following an alternate approach are very obvious, e.g., a resource strapped hospital is unable to follow the ivory-tower demanding recommendation of its obstetric organization. But more often than not, the rationale for following or not following a guideline, or following different guideline within the same geographic area is without any perceivable explanation. This review is an attempt to understand the problems afflicting the screening and diagnosis of GDM globally. It traces the major temporal changes in the diagnostic criteria of(1) some respected health organizations; and(2) a few selected countries. With an understanding of the reasons for this disparity, a way forward can be found to reach the ultimate goal: a single global guideline for GDM followed worldwide.

Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma beyond the Milan criteria: A review

Liver transplantation(LT) has been accepted as an effective therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). The Milan criteria(MC) are widely used across the world to select LT candidates in HCC patients. However, the MC may be too strict because a substantial subset of patients who have HCC exceed the MC and who would benefit from LT may be unnecessarily excluded from the waiting list. In recent years, many extended criteria beyond the MC were raised, which were proved to be able to yield similar outcomes compared with those patients meeting the MC. Because the simple use of tumor size and number was insufficient to indicate HCC biological features and to predict the risk of tumor recurrence, some biological markers such as Alphafetoprotein, Des-Gamma-carboxy prothrombin and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were useful in selecting LT candidates in HCC patients beyond the MC. For patients with advanced HCC, downstaging therapy is an effective way to reduce the tumor stage to fulfill the MC by using liver-directed therapy such as transarterial chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation and percutaneous ethanol injection. This article reviews the recent advances in LT for HCC beyond the MC.

The revised Atlanta criteria 2012 altered the classification,severity assessment and management of acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND： The Atlanta criteria for acute pancreatitis （AP） has been revised recently. This study was to evaluate its practical value in classification of AP, the severity assessment and management. METHODS： The clinical features, severity classification, out- come and risk factors for mortality of 3212 AP patients who had been admitted in Ruijin Hospital from 2004 to 2011 were analyzed based on the revised Atlanta criteria （RAC） and the original Atlanta criteria （OAC）.

Healthy river and its indication,criteria and standards

Based on the author＇s practice in river harnessing, this paper defines that a healthy river is a river whose social and natural functions can be balanced or compromised in terms of the socio-economic, ecological and environmental values associated with the river. The environmental values of river systems should be judged according to the following criteria： the signal of a healthy river should be associated with favorable riverbed, acceptable water quality, sustainable river ecosystem and compatible runoff. The river health criterion should reflect the river＇s natural function status which includes the riverbed, water quality, river ecosystem and runoff. But, the variety and quantity would be different for different rivers depending on different natural features and social background. The standards to be adopted for a healthy river should be determined according to the requirements for maintaining river＇s normal natural functions and the extent whether the social and natural functions could perform in a balanced way, and also the standards adopted should be adjusted according to the change of the given conditions. The key factor of river health is the enough and clean flow. The authors stressed that human activities would hurt the river health which include excessive water di- version and excessive power generation from the river, improper regulation of flood and sediment, and over discharge of sewage into the river and over change in fish habitat. Taking the Yellow River as a case, this paper also discussed the method to identify what are the standards of a healthy river as well as environmental flows.