Average Loss Research Articles

Performance of Iron Ore Tailings/Cement Composite at High Temperatures: Inconbustibility

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the performance of an iron ore tailings/cement composite at high temperatures, used in brick manufacturing. Specifically, it investigates the non-combustibility of the material and its structural integrity after exposure to intense heat, with an emphasis on compressive strength and the economic and sustainable viability of this composite. Theoretical Framework: The research is based on concepts of sustainability in civil construction and the reuse of industrial waste. The literature highlights the synergy between iron ore tailings and Portland cement, resulting in materials with good durability and non-combustibility. Previous studies indicate a reduction in environmental impact and the economic feasibility of using these composites as substitutes for traditional materials, in addition to the importance of maintaining structural strength under extreme conditions. Method: The adopted methodology involves the manufacture of test specimens using CP V-ARI cement and iron ore tailings, molded and cured according to Brazilian standards. Non-combustibility tests are conducted in a muffle furnace at 750°C, measuring temperature variation, smoke emission, and mass loss. Additionally, compressive strength tests are conducted before and after heat exposure to assess material degradation. Results and Discussion: The results indicate that the composite exhibits satisfactory non-combustibility properties, with an average mass loss of 3.1%, well below the permissible limit of 50%. However, a significant loss of 67.5% in compressive strength was observed after exposure to high temperatures. The discussion contextualizes these results, highlighting the need to optimize the composition to minimize strength loss, although non-combustibility remains a positive aspect. Research Implications: Practical implications include the potential use of the composite in environments subject to high temperatures, as a passive fire protection measure. Theoretically, the research contributes to the understanding of the behavior of cementitious composites with industrial waste under extreme conditions, suggesting directions for future studies and applications in civil engineering and sustainable construction. Originality/Value: This study makes an original contribution by exploring the specific combination of iron ore tailings with cement at high temperatures, providing new insights into its applicability and limitations. The relevance of the research lies in the potential reduction of environmental impact and the promotion of sustainable practices in civil construction, as well as enhancing fire safety in buildings.

Soil carbon maintained by perennial grasslands over 30 years but lost in field crop systems in a temperate Mollisol

To mitigate climate change, some seek to store carbon from the atmosphere in agricultural soils. However, our understanding about how agriculture affects soil organic carbon is muddied by studies (1) lacking longitudinal data, (2) ignoring bulk density changes, or (3) sampling only surface soils. To better understand soil organic carbon trends, here we measured changes over 30 years in density-corrected, full-soil-depth (90 cm) soil organic carbon stocks under 6 cropping systems and a restored prairie in a Mollisol of southern Wisconsin, USA. Cash-grain systems and alfalfa-based systems lost soil organic carbon. Prairie and rotationally-grazed pasture maintained soil organic carbon. Average soil organic carbon losses for cash-grain and alfalfa-based systems were −0.80 (±0.12) and −0.54 (±0.13) Mg C ha−1 yr−1, respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that incomplete methodologies overestimated soil organic carbon improvements. Our findings using more comprehensive methods demonstrate the inadequacy of row-crop systems and the need for well-managed grasslands to protect soil organic carbon in productive agricultural soils of the Upper Midwest USA.

Charting Wellness in India: Piloting the iTHRIVE's Functional Nutrition Approach to Improve Glycaemic and Inflammatory Parameters in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Introduction Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by elevation of blood glucose levels due to underlying insulin resistance and inflammation. Multiple modifiable risk factors such as unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, obesity, smoking and psychological stress contribute toT2DM. Weinvestigated the efficacy of a comprehensive functional nutrition approach aimed at mitigating T2DMusing the iTHRIVE approach which encompassed anti-inflammatory and elimination diets, micronutrient supplements, physical activity, stress managementand environmental modifications through a pre-post study design. The research assessed changes in blood glucose and inflammatory markers following the implementation of thefunctional nutrition program. Methods A prospective pre-post intervention pilot study was conducted at ThriveTribe Wellness Solutions Pvt Ltd. (iTHRIVE), where 50 study participants from urban areas of Pune city, India(n=25 each group) were recruited voluntarily in the age group of 20-60 years. The participants were subjected to 90 days of the iTHRIVE functional nutrition approach which consisted of eliminating certain inflammatory foods and adding a combination of nutritious organic foods, adding dietary supplements like magnesium, vitamin D, alpha lipoic acid, chromium picolinate, berberine and biogymnema, physical activities like resistance training, stress reduction techniques like meditation and deep breathing exercises along with environmental changes. The blood parameters like fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C), fasting serum insulin, post-prandial serum insulin, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), vitamin D, body weight and waist circumference were measured before and after the intervention. The changes were statistically analyzed using a paired t-test. Results The mean age of the participants was found to be 43.76±10.58 years. Around 68%of the participants were prediabetic (HbA1c: 5.7-6.4%) and 32% had T2DM (HbA1c ≥6.5%). A significant reduction was observed in the average HbA1c (13.75% reduction, p<0.0001), average post-prandial blood glucose levels (14.51% reduction, p<0.048), average post-prandial serum insulin (34.31% reduction, p<0.017) and average ESR levels (34.51% reduction, p<0.006). The hs-CRP levels were reduced by 6.6%, but not statistically significant. The average body weight of the participants dropped from 78.59±15.18 kg to 75.20±14.20 kg with a mean loss of 2.91 kg (p<0.05) whereas the waist circumference decreased from 37.54±5.09 to 35.97±4.74 inches with an average loss of 1.19 inches (p<0.0004). Conclusions Following the intervention, several health indicators indicated significant improvements. Particularly, there was a significant drop in HbA1c levels, suggesting better long-term blood glucose control. Blood glucose and serum insulin levels after a meal dropped significantly, indicating enhanced insulin sensitivity. There was a decrease in systemic inflammation as evidenced by the decreasein ESR levels. These results imply that the iTHRIVE functional nutrition approach used in this investigation might be beneficial for enhancing glycemic controland insulin sensitivity, along with reducing inflammatory markers in people with prediabetes and T2DM. Larger sample sizes and longer periods of monitoring would be useful in subsequent research to validate and build on these encouraging findings.

Low-frequency noise attenuation through hybrid perforated hemispherical shells and membrane-type acoustic metamaterial

We propose a novel hybrid acoustic metamaterial that can achieve broadband sound insulation below 452 Hz and almost perfect sound absorption at 864 Hz. The metastructure was fabricated using additive manufacturing. Finite element method simulations were used to study the acoustic properties of the fabricated metamaterials. An equivalent electrical circuit was built using an electro-acoustic analogy to evaluate the sound absorption coefficient. The unique design of this meta-structure possesses two resonant frequencies. Low-frequency sound insulation is found due to the effective negative density at frequencies lower than the cutoff frequency of the elastic membrane. In contrast, a negative effective bulk modulus is the reason behind the broadband sound absorption. The theoretical and simulation results were validated through experiments. Experiments carried out showed an overall average sound transmission loss of 26.31 dB between 50 and 1600 Hz and 24.72 dB in the low-frequency zone (&amp;lt;400 Hz). Furthermore, over 69% of the sound intensity is absorbed in the 500–1000 Hz frequency range. The designed meta-structure exhibits broadband effective negative density below 452 Hz and effective negative bulk modulus from 864 to 1220 Hz. The design specifies a sample thickness of 3.8 cm, corresponding to a subwavelength thickness of approximately λ/10. As a result, the developed meta-structure can potentially be employed for sound insulation and absorption at low frequencies in the aerospace and automotive industries and in-room acoustic applications.

Broadband ridge waveguide to rectangular waveguide transition design in D‐band

AbstractThis article presents a D‐band (110–170 GHz) double ridge waveguide (WG) to standard rectangular WG transition with an E‐bend near the WG end. The transition incorporates metal ridge steps as impedance transformers, resulting in a compact total size of 3.53 mm × 1.95 mm × 1 mm. Fabricated using micro metal additive manufacturing with copper in a monolithic back‐to‐back configuration, the transition demonstrates a bandwidth of 50% (105–175 GHz) with an average insertion loss of 0.72 dB and return loss better than 15 dB, respectively. Measurement results align closely with simulation expectations, with deviations attributed to fabrication and assembly errors.

A lightweight AuxHex zero Poisson's ratio pressure-resistant sandwich cylindrical shell and its load-bearing and sound insulation behaviors: Design, simulation and experiment

Pressure-resistant hulls are critical components in underwater vehicles and submersible systems. Exploring novel materials and structures has been a growing trend to overcome conventional structural limitations and achieve multifunctionality. Mechanical metamaterials with tunable physical properties can offer promise. Therefore, this study focuses on designing and fabricating a pressure-resistant sandwich cylindrical shell using AuxHex zero Poisson's ratio (ZPR) mechanical metamaterials. Structural optimization is employed to develop a lightweight AuxHex ZPR unit cell to withstand deep-sea pressure. Mechanical and acoustic experiments were then conducted on a 3D-printed Titanium alloy specimen, and the rationality of numerical modeling was validated by the experimental results. Load bearing and sound insulation properties of the designed ZPR sandwich cylindrical shell have been numerically analyzed and compared with its geometrically similar positive Poisson's ratio (PPR) and negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) shells. The designed ZPR structure that yields a mass density ratio of 0.569 g/cm³ can withstand hydrostatic pressure at 1000 m depths without strength or buckling damage, while adequate reserve buoyancy can be maintained. The submerged ZPR shell structure can provide superior protection for inner spaces and its average sound transmission loss (STL) is more than 5 dB higher than the PPR and NPR shells.

A new method of pancreaticojejunostomy in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy: A retrospective analysis of 93 cases.

Pancreaticojejunostomy have been studied and modified for more than a hundred years. We investigated a new method of pancreaticojejunostomy to explore its value in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 93 patients who underwent laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy with 'Shunt-block combined' pancreaticojejunostomy at Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital from April 2017 to February 2023. All patients successfully completed the surgery, with two cases requiring conversion to open surgery. The average operation time was 328.5 (180-532) min, the average intraoperative blood loss was 182.9 (50-1000) mL and the average laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy time was 29.6 (20-39) min. There were no cases of grade C pancreatic fistula postoperatively, 10 cases of grade B pancreatic fistula, 43 cases of biochemical fistula and 40 cases without detected pancreatic fistula. 'Shunt-block combined' pancreaticojejunostomy was a safe and effective method for pancreaticojejunostomy in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Analysis of Thermal and Dielectric Loss Features of Lunar Regolith Considering Real‐Time Effect Solar Irradiance

AbstractSolar irradiance received at the lunar surface is crucial for interpreting brightness temperatures detected by orbiters and for understanding the thermal, physical, and dielectric properties of the lunar regolith. We developed a real‐time effect solar irradiance (ESI) model that accounts for the influence of surface relief and terrain shading. This model was integrated with a standard thermal model to examine ESI fluctuations and their impacts on the diurnal physical temperature variations. To assess the effects of spatial resolution, we selected four locations with significant ESI disparities for simulation, then compared lunar surface temperatures at various spatial scales, ranging from 20 m to 25 km. Utilizing brightness temperature data obtained from the Chang'E‐2 (CE‐2) microwave radiometer (MRM), we integrated the shallow physical temperature profiles with the radiative transfer equation to simulate brightness temperatures and determine dielectric loss at different frequencies. In the Von Kármán crater, the received ESI exhibits a cyclical pattern of approximately 18 years and areas with rugged topography may exhibit larger ESI variations (∼7%). We found that the spatial resolution of ESI has a minimal effect on the physical and brightness temperatures at resolutions of 10 km or coarser. At the shallow layer, the average dielectric loss values are 0.0128–0.0170, 0.0083–0.0110, 0.0055–0.0073, and 0.0061–0.0081 for the CE‐2 frequencies of 3, 7.8, 19.35, and 37 GHz, respectively. The integration of real‐time ESI modeling, thermal dynamics, radiative transfer equations, and observational data enhances our comprehension of the physical temperature profile and thermal characteristics of shallow regolith.

Robotic nipple sparing mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction: significant attempts with the latissimus dorsi muscle without island flap.

This study presents preliminary results of robot-assisted nipple-sparing immediate breast reconstruction (R-NSMIBR) with gel implant combined with latissimus dorsi muscle flap without island flap and validation of the safety and utility of this novel surgical modality. Records pertinent to R-NSMIBR with gel implants combined with latissimus dorsi muscle flap surgery for breast reconstruction between September 2022 and May 2023 were examined. A total of 13 patients who underwent R-NSMIBR were analyzed, nine of which were performed without skin island. We divided the patients with and without skin islands into two groups and recorded the operation time and bleeding respectively. The mean total operative time for R-NSMIBR was 436.5±56.88 minutes and 355.75±69.68 minutes. As experience in learning increased, time required to create the operating space and position the robotic arm decreased significantly. Not creating an island of skin also saves a great deal of surgical time. Average total blood loss was 37.5±6.45 mL and 26.25±7.5 mL. No cases of nipple-areolar complex necrosis or perioperative complications or no local recurrences were reported. There were no local recurrences or deaths that occurred during a mean follow-up period of 3±1 months. All the patients expressed satisfaction with the aesthetic outcome following surgery. There were no significant differences between two groups. This surgical method shows promise for future promotion in the field.

Green-prepared high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption Ni6W6C/Co2O3@C composites and related broadband absorption device

In recent years, the synthesis of absorbing materials using green and environmentally friendly natural raw materials have become a research topic, but green and environmentally friendly materials with both high performance and simple synthesis steps still need to be developed. In this work, glucose and metal organic framework (MOF) were used to prepare composite materials with strong absorbing ability and low cost. We chose glucose, which is convenient to purchase on the market, as the raw material and constructed MOF derivatives with carbon shell skeleton nanostructures through a simple method of hydrothermal and annealing. Compared to the raw materials of traditional absorbing materials, glucose has environmentally friendly, low-cost and green characteristics. We characterized the microstructure and morphology of the material. In addition, we also analyzed the material composition and absorption mechanism of Ni6W6C/Co2O3@C. We have found from the theoretical analysis and simulation results of transmission lines that the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value of Ni6W6C/Co2O3@C material at 5.43 GHz and 4.76 mm is −56.68 dB. And the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) at 2.04 mm can reach 7.12 GHz. We load the best sample to the honeycomb structure, a broadband microwave absorber was designed for simulation. The results show that the broadband microwave absorber can achieve an average electromagnetic wave (EMW) loss of more than 99 % in the 0.3–16.04 GHz frequency band (RL value is less than −20 dB), and an average EMW loss of more than 90 % in the 16.04–18 GHz frequency band (RL value less than −10 dB). The composite structure of glucose and MOF derivatives enhances the dielectric loss of the material and enriches various EMW loss mechanisms. Finally, a green, environmental-friendly, high-performance absorbing material with a simple synthesis method is prepared. These results provide insights into the research on EMW absorption of composite materials and new methods for referring.

POST-HARVEST LOSSES OF MAIZE SUPPLY CHAIN IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Maize holds significant importance in Pakistan&amp;#39;s agricultural sector, as it is among the primary cereal crops grown extensively throughout the country. The growing food demand due to the increasing population is a significant issue. Post-harvest losses (PHL) of maize relate to losses that happen laterally in the whole grain logistics network, after harvest to final consumption. The study was conducted in the district Vehari to assess the different types of post-harvest losses and identify the underlying factors responsible for such losses in the maize supply chain. For this purpose, data were collected from 210 respondents by using purposive samplingtechnique. The sample size includes 120 growers, 30 village traders, 30 commission agents cum wholesaler and 30 retailers. Structured questionnaires were used to gather data from major supply chain actors. The study findings revealed that the average losses at the grower’s level, village traders, commission agent cum wholesaler and retailer were 12.21, 2.36, 3.21 and 1.01 percent of the total production respectively. It is recommended that the implementation of modern storage facilities, drying using advanced technologies, training programs for the supply chain actors, financial innovations, and efficient transportation systems will result in significant reduction of post-harvest losses (PHL) in maize production and thus contribute to food security.

Feasibility of laparoscopic adrenalectomy in adrenal masses greater than 5 centimeters: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) has emerged as the primary treatment for adrenal masses. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed LA's feasibility, safety, effectiveness, and complications for adrenal masses exceeding 5 cm. The study was conducted using PRISMA guidelines with PROSPERO registration No. CRD42023462901. Adults with unilateral adrenal masses >5 cm who underwent unilateral LA were included. Intraoperative and postoperative measurements and complications were assessed. A systematic literature review employed a comprehensive search strategy which was last searched on September 8, 2023, through PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and ProQuest databases. Meta-analysis was utilized to analyze the outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. This systematic review encompassed 25 studies involving 963 patients who underwent LA. Tumor size varied 7.05 cm [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.24-7.70], with 50% on the right and 45% on the left. The subgroup meta-analysis comparing the transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches revealed the transperitoneal approach h was utilized for the largest tumor size with a mean of 12.10 cm (95% CI: 11.30-12.96), compared to the retroperitoneal approach 5.83 cm (95% CI: 5.52-6.14). Notably, the mean operative time across studies was 137.4 minutes (95% CI: 113.36-150.94), bleeding prevalence was 0.02% (95% CI: 0.01-0.03%), and average blood loss was 110.6 mL (95% CI: 78.2-156.3). Postoperative complications such as pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism, gastric dysfunction, and wound infection were very low, ranging from 0.03% to 0.4%. Out of 963 patients, only 49 were converted to open surgery. Patient hospital stay averaged 3.72 days (95% CI: 2.97-4.66); blood transfusion was required in 1.3% (95% CI: 0.30-8.88%). The feasibility and safety of LA for tumors exceeding 5 cm in size have notable implications for intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Underreporting in the included studies may impact the generalizability of findings.

Pathloss Assessment of a Terrestrial Digital UHF Channel over Kano City, Nigeria

Path loss assessment is an important factor in wireless communications to ensure quality of service. This study involves the measurement of Received Signal Strength (RSS) of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV) Star Times Station in Kano at 1 km intervals along three routes. Data were gathered during dry and wet season months in the year 2022. The path loss along the routes were computed based on the Okumura-Hata model. It was observed that path losses were higher during wet than dry season months. The result also indicates a higher negative correlation coefficient (R) of -0.745 between Line of Sight (LOS) and RSS for wet and -0.690 for dry season months respectively for route, A. Similarly, R, of -0.739 between LOS and RSS was also observed during wet and -0.589 for dry season months for route, B. In addition, R, of -0.420 was observed between LOS and RSS during wet and -0.328 for dry season months along route C. The average path loss for wet season is 133.90 dB and for dry season is 127.90 dB. Furthermore, this study introduced a Modified Hata Path Loss Model (MHPL) that takes into account the impact of specific tropospheric parameters such as LOS and elevation. Findings further indicated that the path loss predicted by the conventional Hata model exhibited a steady exponential increase with LOS. Similarly, MHPL followed a comparable trajectory, with some exceptions manifesting as peaks and valleys. The overall findings will be useful for power budgeting that will enhance quality of service of DTTV signal over Kano city.

Pathloss Assessment of a Terrestrial Digital UHF Channel over Kano City, Nigeria

Path loss assessment is an important factor in wireless communications to ensure quality of service. This study involves the measurement of Received Signal Strength (RSS) of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV) Star Times Station in Kano at 1 km intervals along three routes. Data were gathered during dry and wet season months in the year 2022. The path loss along the routes were computed based on the Okumura-Hata model. It was observed that path losses were higher during wet than dry season months. The result also indicates a higher negative correlation coefficient (R) of -0.745 between Line of Sight (LOS) and RSS for wet and -0.690 for dry season months respectively for route, A. Similarly, R, of -0.739 between LOS and RSS was also observed during wet and -0.589 for dry season months for route, B. In addition, R, of -0.420 was observed between LOS and RSS during wet and -0.328 for dry season months along route C. The average path loss for wet season is 133.90 dB and for dry season is 127.90 dB. Furthermore, this study introduced a Modified Hata Path Loss Model (MHPL) that takes into account the impact of specific tropospheric parameters such as LOS and elevation. Findings further indicated that the path loss predicted by the conventional Hata model exhibited a steady exponential increase with LOS. Similarly, MHPL followed a comparable trajectory, with some exceptions manifesting as peaks and valleys. The overall findings will be useful for power budgeting that will enhance quality of service of DTTV signal over Kano city.

Deforestation Trends and Drivers in Central Halmahera Regency

Land use patterns are strongly influenced by human requirements; among the most important problems is deforestation. Particularly with deforestation, central Halmahera Regency has seen significant changes in land usage. We use Qgis software and remote sensing data, to seeks and identify the rate of deforestation in Central Halmahera Regency. from Global Forest Change, that satellite pictures data. According to this studies, Weda and Maba were the most impacted areas in Central Halmahera experiencing the worst deforestation between 2014 and 2017. The conversion of forest land into nickel mining sites caused notable destruction in several places. With an average annual loss of 1,435.43 hectares between 2001 and 2013, data showing varying rates of deforestation between 2001 and 2022 shows Rising during 2014 and 2015, the pace of deforestation peaked at 8,852.506 hectares but started to fall in 2016 and 2017.

Ghrelin and Leptin Changes Post-Sleeve Gastrectomy

Background: Ghrelin and leptin may regulate metabolism and appetite. Ghrelin, a newly discovered orexigenic gastric hormone, is produced when the stomach is empty. This may explain why morbidly obese people fail to diet, hence the recommendation for bariatric surgery. Leptin, a well-known adipokine, inhibits food intake and circulates at fat-mass-related levels. Aim of the study: To evaluate changes in the ghrelin and leptin level post-laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. And their relation to changes in appetite and weight loss. Methods: This prospective study examines adult patients' clinical and lab data for pre- and post-sleeve gastrectomy at Al-Hussain Medical City and Al-Kafeel Hospital in Karbala. The study included 48 obese individuals (36 females and 12 males) with a mean age of 35.5 ± 8.9 years and a BMI of 42.4 ± 5.6 kg/m2. Clinical data comprised pre-surgery body weight, height, hunger, and ghrelin and leptin levels. Patients were seen 2–5 months following surgery for follow-up. Results: Significant decreases in plasma ghrelin (p&lt;0.0001) and leptin (p&lt;0.0001) were detected. Patients reported a considerable appetite reduction post-surgery (p &lt;0.0001). Serum ghrelin (p = 0.0004) and leptin (p = 0.003) decreased significantly compared to hunger fluctuations following surgery. The average patient weight loss was 20.2 kg, and excess weight loss was 36.4 ± 10.8%. All patients achieved an 8 kg/m2 weight loss and a 46 ±16.6% excess weight loss while controlling comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea. Conclusion: Significant reduction in ghrelin and leptin levels post-surgery. Significant correlation between decrease in ghrelin and leptin concentrations and decrease in appetite post sleeve gastrectomy.

Predicting the Impacts of Land Use/Cover and Climate Changes on Water and Sediment Flows in the Megech Watershed, Upper Blue Nile Basin

This study assessed the impacts of the land use/cover (LULC) and climate changes on the runoff and sediment flows in the Megech watershed. The Geospatial Water Erosion Prediction Project (GeoWEPP) was used to assess LULC and climate changes’ impact on runoff, soil loss, and sediment yield. The QGIS 2.16.3 plugin module for land use change evaluation (MOLUSCE) tool with the cellular automata artificial neural network (CA-ANN) was used for LULC prediction based on historical data and exploratory maps. Two commonly used representative concentration pathways (RCPs)—4.5 and 8.5—were used for climate projection in the 2030s, 2050s, and 2070s. The LULC prediction analysis showed an expansion of cropland and settlement areas, with the reduction in the forest and rangelands. The climate projections indicated an increase in maximum temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, particularly with increased wet months and reduced dry periods. The average annual soil loss and sediment yield rates were estimated to increase under both the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios, with a more noticeable increase under RCP8.5. By integrating DEM, soil, land use, and climate data, we evaluated runoff, soil loss, and sediment yield changes on only land use/cover, only climate, and the combined impacts in the watershed. The results revealed that, under all combined scenarios, the sediment yield in the Megech Reservoir was projected to substantially increase by 23.28–41.01%, showing a potential loss of reservoir capacity. This study recommends strong climate adaptation and mitigation measures to alleviate the impact on land and water resources. It is possible to lessen the combined impacts of climate and LULC change through implementing best-management practices and adaptation strategies for the identified scenarios.

LungVision: X-ray Imagery Classification for On-Edge Diagnosis Applications

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of utilizing TensorFlow Lite on mobile phones for the on-edge medical diagnosis of lung diseases. This paper focuses on the technical deployment of various deep learning architectures to classify nine respiratory system diseases using X-ray imagery. We propose a simple deep learning architecture that experiments with six different convolutional neural networks. Various quantization techniques are employed to convert the classification models into TensorFlow Lite, including post-classification quantization with floating point 16 bit representation, integer quantization with representative data, and quantization-aware training. This results in a total of 18 models suitable for on-edge deployment for the classification of lung diseases. We then examine the generated models in terms of model size reduction, accuracy, and inference time. Our findings indicate that the quantization-aware training approach demonstrates superior optimization results, achieving an average model size reduction of 75.59%. Among many CNNs, MobileNetV2 exhibited the highest performance-to-size ratio, with an average accuracy loss of 4.1% across all models using the quantization-aware training approach. In terms of inference time, TensorFlow Lite with integer quantization emerged as the most efficient technique, with an average improvement of 1.4 s over other conversion approaches. Our best model, which used EfficientNetB2, achieved an F1-Score of approximately 98.58%, surpassing state-of-the-art performance on the X-ray lung diseases dataset in terms of accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity. The model experienced an F1 loss of around 1% using quantization-aware optimization. The study culminated in the development of a consumer-ready app, with TensorFlow Lite models tailored to mobile devices.

Aggregate Loss Models to Calculate Risk Measures

The concept of aggregate loss models pertains to a stochastic variable representing the total sum of all losses encountered within a set of insurance policies. In the non-life insurance sector, it is employed to assess the potential losses that an insurance company may face when claims made by policyholders exceed the allocated claim reserves. The purpose of studying aggregate loss models is to ascertain risk measures such as standard deviation of premium principles, value at risk (VaR), and conditional tail expectation (CTE). These steps aid insurance companies in the management and quantification of risks associated with aggregate losses. The standard deviation of premium principles is calculated analytically by substituting expected values and variances, while VaR is estimated using the Monte Carlo method to determine quantile values and confidence intervals. CTE is evaluated by computing the average losses that surpass the VaR threshold. These distributions and parameters require the Pareto distribution, which characterizes claim sizes, and the Poisson or Negative Binomial distribution, which factors in the number of claims. It is crucial to carefully consider the selection of the appropriate distribution, as it plays a significant role in determining the accuracy and reliability of the model. Furthermore, other influencing factors, such as loading factors and confidence intervals, should also be taken into account. These factors have the potential to significantly impact the quantification of risk arising from the model.

Effectiveness and safety of once-weekly semaglutide: findings from the SEMACOL-REAL retrospective multicentric observational study in Colombia.

Diabetes stands as one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists rank among the most effective medications for lowering blood glucose and body weight, as well as reducing cardiovascular risk in individuals with diabetes. Observational studies complement experimental evidence in new settings, different populations, and real-world healthcare practices. A multicentric observational study of adults with type 2 diabetes treated with once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide in four health centers in Colombia was conducted. The protocol for the present study was not pre-registered. Data from 186 patients were included. Most patients were women (57%) with a mean age of 62.8 ± 12.1 years. One year of once-weekly semaglutide usage was associated with a mean reduction in HbA1C of -1.47% (95% CI -1.76, -1.17), weight loss of -4.23 kg (95% CI -5.34, -3.12), and albumin/creatinine ratio of -18.6 mg/g (95% CI -60.2, -5.9). Approximately half the treated patients achieved a level of HbA1c ≤7% by the end of follow-up. Adverse events were rare and consistent with clinical trial safety profiles. In Colombia, administering semaglutide subcutaneously once a week over a 1-year period led to an average weight loss of 4.2kg and a decrease of 1.4% in HbA1c.