Average Number Research Articles

THE EFFECT OF ORALLY ADMINISTERED COENZYME Q10 ON THE VIABILITY OF RANDOM SKIN FLAP IN NICOTINE EXPOSED WISTAR RATS

Introduction : Nicotine was assumed to be the cause of compromised flap. The administration of antioxidants can eliminate such effect, and one of the most promising antioxidants is Coenzyme Q10. The research aims to find the effect of orally administered Coenzyme Q10 on the viability of random skin flaps in nicotine-exposed wistar rats. Method : Twenty-seven white rats (Rattus norvegicus) were assigned in three groups. The first group received no nicotine, while the other two groups were nebulized with nicotine for 4 consecutive weeks, and treated as random skin flaps. In third group, Coenzyme Q10 was administered for 7 days. Then, a standard histopathological staining and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) measurement were performed on flap sample to examine the extent of neovascularization and VEGF cell expression. Result : The average number of capillaries in group I was 5.33 ± 1.323, in group II was 5.89 ± 0.782, and in group III was 7.78 ± 2.587. There was no significant difference (p = 0.317, 95% CI) in groups I and II of VEGF expression. However, significant differences were found in the intensity of VEGF (p = 0.009, 95% CI) in groups I and group III, and in groups II and group III (p = 0.011, 95% CI). Thus, the intensity was stronger on the subject with coenzyme Q10 compared with the other two groups. Conclusion: Coenzyme Q10 increases the viability of random flaps by increasing the number of capillaries and VEGF expression.

Epidemiology and Characteristics of Plastic Surgery Cases in Simpang Lima Gumul General Hospital, Kediri Regency During Covid-19 Pandemic

Backgrounds: Chinese Government found the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The pandemic impacts the number of visits to plastic surgery clinics in many countries such as Italy and the United States following surgical limitations. This study was aimed to determine the impact of the pandemic on the field of Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Indonesia, particularly in Kediri Regency, East Java.Methods: The study design was an analytical cross-sectional study, using data obtained from the medical records of plastic surgery patients at SLG General Hospital in Kediri Regency. The data analysis included descriptive analysis and dummy regression analysis.Results: This study included a total of 29 observations, 14 before the pandemic era and 15 during the pandemic, with a total of 460 individuals from various diagnostic categories. Based on the findings, the number of patients diagnosed with Congenital Disorders, Skin, and Soft Tissue, and Aesthetic Surgery dropped by 7%, 2%, and 6%, respectively. Meanwhile, there was an increased number of patients with Maxillofacial, Burn and Wound Care, and Hand and Microsurgery by 5%, 4%, and 1%, respectively. Conclusions: The average number of patient visits for the Skin and Soft Tissue, Burn and Wound Care, and Hand and Microsurgery categories did not vary much during this pandemic.

Mapping the Landscape of Obesity Effects on Male Reproductive Function: A Bibliometric Study.

Due to changes in lifestyle and dietary habits, the global population with obesity is increasing gradually, resulting in a significant rise in the number of individuals having obesity. Obesity is caused by an imbalance between energy intake and consumption, leading to excessive fat accumulation, which interferes with normal human metabolism. It is also associated with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, male reproductive endocrine regulation disorders, systemic and local inflammatory reactions, excessive oxidative stress, and apoptosis. All these factors can damage the internal environment for sperm generation and maturation, resulting in male sexual dysfunction, a decline in sperm quality, and lower fertility. This study analyzes the trends and priorities of the effects of obesity on male reproductive disorders from a bibliometric perspective. This study uses the Web of Science as the statistical source, covering all time spans. Tools like Web of Science, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace are used to analyze countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords in the field. Total publications, total citations, and average number of citations are selected for statistics. The results show that the research on the impact of obesity on male reproductive function can be roughly divided into three stages: the initial stage, the slow development stage, and the rapid development stage. Our statistical scope includes 463 highly relevant articles that we have screened. We found that the journal with the most publications in this field is Andrologia, and the institution with the highest total citations is the University of Utah. The most influential countries, institutions, and authors in this field are the United States, the University of Utah, and Carrell, Douglas. Currently, research related to the impact of obesity on male reproduction focuses mainly on three aspects: biochemistry, molecular biology, and reproductive biology. The keyword explosion results indicate that sperm, obesity, and male reproduction are at the forefront and trends of future research in this field. There has been a shift from basic biochemical and molecular research to research on molecular mechanisms relying on omics technologies. However, we have observed that the number of papers published in 2022 is lower than in 2021, indicating a growth interruption during this period. Considering that this deviation may be due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may hinder the progress of certain experiments in 2022. In recent years, China has rapidly developed research in this field. However, the average citation rate is relatively low, indicating the need for Chinese scholars to improve the quality of their articles further. Based on our research and in the context of global obesity, men are at risk of increased infertility. Addressing this issue relies on our continued research into the mechanisms of obesity-related male reproductive disorders. Over the past forty-three years, with the contributions of scientists worldwide, research in this field has flourished. The impact of obesity on male reproductive disorders has been extensively studied. Currently, research in this field primarily focuses on male sperm function, sperm quality, and the effects or mechanisms of cells on male reproduction. Future trends in this field should concentrate on the relationship between male fertility and energy metabolism, as well as the endocrine function of adipose tissue. This study comprehensively analyzes the current research status and global trends in obesity and male reproductive disorders. We also discuss the future developments in this field, making it easier for researchers to understand its developmental history, current status, and trends, providing valuable reference for effective exploration in this area.

Intraoperative monitoring of visual evoked potentials: experience of 240 operations

Background. Intraoperative monitoring (IOM) of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) is used to inform surgeons about impacts on the visual system in order to prevent iatrogenic visual impairment. The VEP monitoring use become widespread only in the last decade; nowadays, there is no generally accepted methodology for its implementation, and the effectiveness of VEP monitoring and the factors determining it have not been sufficiently studied.Aim. The aim of the study was to investigate the factors influencing the VEP monitoring feasibility and effectiveness.Materials and methods. Data from 240 consecutive neurosurgical operations performed using VEP monitoring were retrospectively reviewed. IOM data (registration parameters, presence and type of VEP changes), patient characteristics (gender and age, tumor type and location, presence of preoperative visual dysfunctions), anesthesia parameters and postoperative changes in vision were studied. Statistical analysis was performed using χ2 and Mann–Whitney tests.Results. VEPs were obtained in 91.3 % of eyes with completely or partially preserved vision. The main factors reducing the chances to record VEPs successfully are preoperative visual disorders and the use of inhalation anesthesia. A personalized approach to the selection of reference electrodes and frequency filtering parameters makes it possible to reduce the number of averagings required for VEP recording and accelerate informing surgeons. With successful monitoring 59.1 % of eyes had no noticeable VEP changes; 5.8 % of eyes had signs of intraoperative improvement; 35.1 % had signs of deterioration. Among the last category, 60.7 % of eyes had full VEPs recovery afterwards. After surgery, new visual disorders were detected in 2.6 % of eyes without signs of intraoperative deterioration, in 6.7 % – with temporary deterioration, and in 19.3 % – with signs of deterioration persisted until IOM is finished. Assessing the sensitivity and specificity of VEP monitoring is hampered by the possibility of complications in the early postoperative period and IOM influence on the course and results of the operation. The proportion of total resections was maximal when VEP monitoring was successful. In the subgroup without preoperative visual impairments, the alarms during monitoring were associated with decrease in proportion of total resections proportion due to increase in proportion of subtotal resections.Conclusion. VEP monitoring with a personalized approach allows effective monitoring of visual functions preservation during neurosurgical operations.

Preresidency research output among US neurological surgery residents.

Research productivity is often used to evaluate candidates for neurosurgery residency. Official annual reports describe the mean total number of research products of successful applicants for each match cycle; however, the average number of indexed publications, the highest-valued research product, is not reported separately from other research products. The primary objectives of this study were to describe the distribution of preresidency indexed publication quantity among successful neurosurgery applicants from 2017 to 2021 and determine whether any change in publication quantity across application cycles existed. Secondary objectives included determining the rate at which the average publication quantity is increasing across application cycles, whether this increase is driven by high-output applicants alone, and if a performance ceiling has been reached. US doctor of medicine seniors applying to the senior author's institution between 2017 and 2021 and who successfully matched into any US neurosurgery program were included. Publication quantities were extracted using Scopus. Additional variables were extracted from residency applications. Mean (SD) and median (IQR) publication quantities were used to describe the distribution and compare across years. Applicants were ranked by descending publication count and divided into quartiles. Averages within each quartile were compared with respective quartiles across years. Averages of the top 10% most productive applicants were compared across years to determine if a performance ceiling existed. Overall, 93.2% of matched applicants were captured. The mean and median total numbers of publications for applicants who matched from 2017 to 2021 were 5.6 ± 8.3 and 3.0 (1.0, 7.0), respectively. The mean and median numbers of publications increased from 3.7 ± 5.3 and 2.0 (0.0, 5.0) in 2016-2017 to 8.1 ± 10.0 and 5.0 (2.0, 11.0) in 2020-2021 (p < 0.001). The distribution of publication quantity was right-skewed. Multivariable analysis determined the application year to be independently and positively correlated with publication quantity (β 1.07 [95% CI 0.71-1.42], p < 0.001). All quartiles observed an increased average number of publications across years (p < 0.001). The mean and median numbers for the top 10% increased from 15.8 ± 8.7 and 13.0 (10.8, 15.5) in 2016-2017, respectively, to 31.3 ± 16.0 and 25.0 (21.0, 35.5) in 2020-2021 (p < 0.001). Indexed publications account for a small portion of the total research products that successful neurosurgery candidates list on applications. A high number of publications is not necessary for candidates to match, with approximately 50% of all applicants who successfully matched having ≤ 5 publications and 25% having ≤ 2 publications. The average preresidency publication quantity has been increasing yearly among neurosurgery applicants. This increase was present across the applicant pool. Additionally, no performance ceiling was observed.

Morbidity and Mortality Conferences in Internal Medicine Specialty Training in Japan: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study.

Objective This study evaluated the implementation status of morbidity and mortality conferences in internal medicine specialty training programs in Japan. Methods This cross-sectional study surveyed hospitals in Japan with certified internal medicine specialty training programs. Program directors or equivalently responsible physicians managing certified internal medicine training programs were invited to participate in this study (n=619). Materials Data were collected using an online questionnaire that included questions about the number of morbidity and mortality conferences, types of cases covered, collaboration of the patient safety section and other health professions, and whether or not the conferences were conducted by a subspecialty department-led or program-based. Results Responses were received from 123 hospitals (19.8% response rate), of which 59 (48%) had some form of internal medicine morbidity and mortality conference in place. The average number per year was 9.63 (standard deviation: 18.12). Hospitals with morbidity and mortality conferences in subspecialty departments held significantly more conferences than X (please define X). Furthermore, the involvement of the patient safety department tended to be associated with holding more conferences. Autopsy rates were significantly higher in hospitals with program-based internal medicine morbidity and mortality conferences than subspecialty-led. Conclusion Internal medicine specialty training hospitals had more morbidity and mortality conferences than previously reported. Program-based morbidity and mortality conferences in internal medicine are associated with higher autopsy rates and may lead to an organizational reporting culture and lifelong learning attitudes that support patient safety. Collaboration with organizational management sections, such as patient safety, would be effective in implementing these conferences in internal medicine training programs.

A New Sampling Scheme for an Improved Monitoring of the Process Mean

ABSTRACT This article introduces an innovative sampling scheme, the median sampling (MS), utilizing individual observations over time to efficiently estimate the mean of a process characterized by a symmetric (non-uniform) probability distribution. The mean estimator based on MS is not only unbiased but also boasts enhanced precision compared to its simple random sampling-based counterpart. Moreover, a new EWMA chart based on the mean estimator within the MS scheme is proposed. The performance of the EWMA charts, derived from both simple random sampling (SRS) and MS schemes, is evaluated using the metrics of steady-state average run-length and average number of items-to-signal. The findings underscore the superiority of the EWMA-MS chart over the EWMA-SRS chart. Additionally, as the magnitude of ranking errors escalates, the behavior of the EWMA-MS chart converges toward that of the EWMA-SRS chart. The practical implementation of the newly introduced EWMA chart is demonstrated through an illustrative example.

Publication patterns of posters and oral presentations at the Annual Meeting of the Joint AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Joint Cerebrovascular (CV) Section serves as a centralized entity for the dissemination of information related to CV neurosurgery. The quality of scientific conferences, such as the CV Section's Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery Annual Meeting, can be gauged by the number of poster and oral presentations that are published in peer-reviewed journals. However, publication rates from the CV Section's meetings are unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the rate at which abstracts presented at the AANS/CNS CV Section Annual Meeting from 2014 to 2018 were subsequently published in peer-reviewed journals. The abstract titles for all accepted poster and oral podium presentation abstracts from the 2014-2018 Annual Joint AANS/CNS CV Section Meetings were searched using PubMed. A match was defined as sufficient similarity between the abstract and its corresponding journal publication with regard to title, authors, methods, and results. Five-year impact factors (IFs) from Journal Citation Reports (JCR), the country of the corresponding author, and the number of citations in the Scopus database were obtained using the articles' digital object identifier when available, or the exact article title, journal, and year of publication. Of the 607 total poster and oral presentations from the 2014-2018 Annual Meetings of the AANS/CNS Joint CV Section, 46.29% (n = 281) have been published. Published articles received 3233 total citations for an average number of citations per article (± SD) of 10.89 ± 16.37. The average 5-year JCR IF of published studies was 4.64 ± 3.13. Additionally, 98.22% of published abstracts were in publication within 4 years from the time the abstract was presented. The most common peer-reviewed neurosurgical journals featuring these publications were the Journal of Neurosurgery, World Neurosurgery, the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, Neurosurgery, and the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. Nearly half of all poster and oral presentations at the annual meetings of the AANS/CNS Joint CV Section from 2014 to 2018 have been published in PubMed-indexed, peer-reviewed journals. The average number of citations per publication (10.89 ± 16.37) reflects the high quality of abstracts accepted for presentation. It is important to continuously assess the quality of research presented at national conferences to ensure that standards are being maintained for the advancement of clinical practice in a given area of medicine. Conference abstract publication rates in peer-reviewed journals represent a way in which research quality can be gauged, and the authors encourage others to conduct similar investigations in their subspecialty area of interest and/or practice.

Understanding lexico-semantic opposition empty/full in official business texts: Quantitative and qualitative research

This paper discusses the lexical-semantic opposition EMPTY/FULL in the corpus of legal, military and medical texts. The study analyzes 130 official business texts, in which we examined the problem of defining and constructing the lexical-semantic opposition EMPTY/FULL. The analysis promoted the construction of quantitative sampling, which demonstrates the weight of the lexemes in the corpus of official business texts. The purpose of the proposed analysis was to determine the distribution of the lexical-semantic opposition EMPTY/FULL, especially to find out the total number of occurrences, the average number of occurrences and the edge limits of the lexeme EMPTY and the lexeme FULL in the corpus of texts. The main results of the study outline the diversity of the lexical-semantic opposition EMPTY/FULL in different contexts, that underlines the functional diversification of the lexeme EMPTY and lexeme FULL. The results showed that in legal texts lexemes EMPTY/FULL nominate a legal concept; in medical texts they perform the function of medical conditions assessment; within the limits of military texts, they establish an associative connection between the nomination and semantic components (military actions, targets and objects of military use, consequences of war). Another important finding was the determination of the dominant lexeme in the corpus of legal texts and the dominant lexeme in the corpus of military texts. The similarities between EMPTY and FULL are primarily due to their antonymy. However, their differences are fixed in their distinct core meanings, contextual usage, pragmatic significance and connotations. These differences make them adaptable in various contexts of military, legal and medical texts to convey precise and often contrasting information about the state of objects and concepts.

Surface engineering by rogue wave induced by energetic carbon clusters

Swift heavy ions are effective in nanostructuring material surfaces. The irradiation of lanthanum fluoride with 30 MeV C60 leads to the creation of surface nanohillocks of size larger than the ones produced by monoatomic heavy ions. The generation of the observed nano-sized hillocks is described here by a new approach that is based on ion-induced intensive electronic excitations that create localized rogue waves. Consequently, the induced nonlinear ion-acoustic rogue waves are considered a hallmark of nanohillock formation. Plasma hydrodynamic equations produce a relationship between normalised electron number density and crystal lattice spacing. Similarities to the hillock profile suggest the crucial primary role of electron density in the fabrication of surface nanostructures.

Principal Support and Teacher Self-Efficacy as Predictors of Collective Teacher Efficacy

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This study investigated the extent to which demographic variables, principal support and teacher self-efficacy contribute to the collective teacher efficacy. In the study, a non-probability purposive sample was used, which included 761 teachers working in compulsory primary schools in all parts of the Republic of Croatia. The first part of the administered online questionnaire provided data on sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents, while in the second part, the following scales were used: The Principal Support Scale, The Teacher Sense of Teacher Efficacy Scale and The Collective Teacher Efficacy Scale. The results of the performed regression analyses show that: 1) the demographic variables - workplace, promotion to a higher rank and principal support have a predictive value in explaining teachers’ self-efficacy; 2) an average number of students per class, promotion to a higher rank, principal support, teacher engagement and teaching strategies have a predictive value in explaining collective teacher efficacy. The findings of this study will be discussed in terms of their potential impact and future research.&lt;/p&gt;

Characterizing the Impact of Facial Rehabilitation on Acute Facial Paralysis.

Evidence on facial rehabilitation therapy (FRT) for acute facial paralysis (FP) remains limited. We present a retrospective review of patients with acute FP who have received FRT with physical therapists within 1 year of FP onset as determined by Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale (SFGS) composite scores. A total of 702 patients with a clinical diagnosis of FP were referred to a university rehabilitation program between January 1, 2015 and January 1, 2022. Seventy-six patients met the criteria, defined as FP diagnosis <12 months before FRT initiation, ≥3 therapy sessions, and sufficient follow-up data. Average number of treatment sessions between SFGS scores was 7.7. History of cancer, sex, number of treatment sessions, and initial SFGS score were correlated with change in SFGS. Time to treatment was not correlated with change in SFGS score. SFGS improved with each additional treatment session (p < 0.01). Each additional point in the initial SFGS was correlated with less change in the final SFGS score (p < 0.01). FRT can provide meaningful improvement in functionality for patients with acute FP, regardless of time to treatment. Furthermore, patients who present with poorer functionality at baseline and those who undergo more treatment are most likely to see SFGS improvement. Research comparing the effect of facial rehabilitation with other treatment modalities and to a control cohort is warranted.

Reproductive features of Rumina decollata (Pulmonata: Achatinidae) from Adana, Turkey

ABSTRACT This study provides data on Rumina decollata (Linnaeus, 1758), focusing on reproductive parameters, and developmental features of eggs and offspring. Following collection from citrus orchards in Adana, Turkey, the snails were reared in the laboratory and observations were made on the reproductive features. Two distinct, transparent, and breathable containers were employed to house the snails. Each container was filled with approximately 15 cm of soil originating from the snails’ natural habitats. The egg-laying periods occurred from late April to early May, with an average number of 14 ± 6 eggs produced per egg-laying event. The eggs had an incubation period of 44 ± 5 days and young snails hatched with a rapid growth rate. Adult size was achieved within nine to ten weeks, followed by an estivation period for six to seven weeks. This study provides insights into the morphology, reproduction, and development of R. decollata, enhancing our understanding of the species’ life cycle and reproductive conditions.

Safety of Home Discharge With a Chest Tube After Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction Complicated by Persistent Airleak.

The incidence of pneumothorax after bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) using Zephyr (Pulmonx Corporation) endobronchial valves is ~26%. Many patients who develop a postprocedural pneumothorax require chest tube placement. If a persistent airleak is present, patients tolerating waterseal can be discharged home with a mini-atrium with a low risk of empyema. Data were collected on patients from the Epic (Epic System Corporation) electronic medical record between July 2019 and November 2022. Our retrospective study reviewed a total of 102 BLVR procedures. Twenty-six of these procedures were complicated by a pneumothorax post-BLVR (25%). After 24 procedures, patients were discharged home with a chest tube after a persistent airleak. The primary endpoint of the study was the incidence of intrapleural infection in this population. The secondary endpoint was the average length of time the chest tube was in place until outpatient removal. Out of the 24 discharge events, 2 events (8.3%) were complicated by an intrapleural infection before chest tube removal. The average number of days requiring a chest tube until outpatient removal was 16.9 days, which is similar to the duration observed in patients discharged home with a chest tube after lung volume reduction surgery. Discharging patients home with a chest tube after BLVR therapy is safe and may reduce hospital length of stay. Our study shows the incidence of intrapleural infection after home discharge with a chest tube after BLVR is low.

1085 Adjunctive Use of Bone Growth Stimulation in Cervical Spine Fusion in Patients at Risk for Nonunion

INTRODUCTION: Prior failed fusion, multi-level disease, diabetes, nicotine usage, and osteoporosis are factors associated with nonunion, leading to prolonged pain, reduced function, and overall decreased quality of life. Previous studies have shown that pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation can improve fusion rates, particularly in subjects at risk for nonunion. METHODS: Data from a multi-center prospective study of subjects that underwent cervical spine fusion and were treated with PEMF was compared to a “matched” retrospective cohort that had fusion but were not treated with PEMF. The prospective cohort was enrolled based on having 1 or more of the following risk factors for nonunion: prior failed cervical spine fusion, multilevel fusion, diabetes, osteoporosis, or nicotine use. Fusion was assessed at 12 months postop using x-rays and/or CT. A cohort of cervical spine fusion patients that were prescribed PEMF, but did not receive PEMF treatment (e.g., insurance denial) were compared to PEMF treated subjects. RESULTS: At baseline, subjects in the PEMF treated group had a significantly higher average number of risk factors for nonunion (1.8 for treated group vs. 1.1 for control, p &lt; 0.001), and significantly higher average number of surgical levels (2.8 for treated group vs. 2.0 for control, p &lt; 0.005). At 12 months post-op, subjects in the PEMF group (n = 161) had a 90.1% fusion rate, compared to a 65.4% for the control group (n = 26) (p &lt; 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PEMF stimulation provides significant improvements in cervical spine fusion rates in subjects having risk factors for nonunion. Compared to control subjects, PEMF treated subjects had improved fusion outcomes despite being older, having more risk factors for pseudarthrosis, and undergoing more complex surgeries.

Regional Health Resort Area: Risk Assessment of Functioning and Development

Introduction. The sphere of resort recreation in some regions of the Russian Federation in recent years is characterized by unfavorable trends, manifested in a reduction in the number of health resorts, the number of places in them, as well as the number of accommodated persons. In this regard, it is very relevant to study the risks affecting the further functioning of the industry, as well as the development of a list of measures to reduce them. The purpose of the study was to verify the risks of functioning and development of the regional health resort industry and to develop directions for their reduction. Materials and Methods. The object of the study is the health resort sector of the Irkutsk Region. The characteristics of the industry are demonstrated using the methods of retrospective and comparative analysis, comparison of the dynamics of a number of indicators: the number of health resort organizations, the average number of beds in them, the number of people accommodated in health resort organizations, the load factor. The assessment of risks of functioning and development of health resort sphere of the region was carried out using the method of expert assessments in the context of six groups of risks: political, economic, social, infrastructural, environmental, legal, according to four criteria ‒ probability, impact, manageability and significance. Results. Based on the analysis, it was shown that, having a significant potential, the health resort industry of the region as a whole is characterized by satisfactory results of functioning. The analysis of the significance and manageability of risks allowed the author to define strategies for their management, to formulate the main measures for the development of the regional health resort complex of the Irkutsk Region, aimed at reducing infrastructural, economic and environmental risks. Discussion and Conclusion. The results obtained can be useful for employees of public institutions, whose competence includes the development of management decisions aimed at the development of health resort sphere of the Irkutsk Region. The methodological tools used in the article may be of interest to scientists, researchers conducting scientific research on the problem of reducing the risks of functioning and development of health resort sphere of territories (regions, tourist destinations).

Torsion and clinical features in patients with acquired fourth cranial nerve palsy

This retrospective study aimed to compare objective/subjective torsion and other clinical characteristics of patients with acquired trochlear nerve palsy. This study included 82 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with acquired fourth cranial nerve palsy between 2014 and 2021 and who were followed up for ≥ 6 months. The etiologies, ocular deviation, objective and subjective torsions were reviewed. The etiologies were classified as ischemic, traumatic, brain lesion, idiopathic, or other. The patients were classified into two groups according to the recovery state: full recovery and partial/no-recovery. We compared the torsion and clinical features based on the etiology and recovery state. The average age was 59.1 ± 11.1 years, and 58 (71.0%) of the patients were male. The most common cause was ischemic (n = 49, 59.7%) and other common causes included traumatic (n = 16, 19.5%), brain lesion (n = 8, 9.8%), idiopathic (n = 5, 6.1%) and others (n = 4, 4.9%). Of the 82 patients, 56 (68.3%) were assigned to the full recovery group, and 26 (31.7%) were assigned to the partial/no-recovery group. The average age and number of patients with ischemic causes of palsy were greater in the full recovery group (p = 0.026 and p < 0.000, respectively). The vertical deviation angle, tilted angle on the Lancaster red-green test (LRGT), proportion of patients who experienced subjective torsion on the LRGT, and head tilt were smaller in the full recovery group (p = 0.037, 0.042, 0.045, and 0.006, respectively). Ischemic trochlear nerve palsy, advanced age, a small deviation angle at the primary position, and few cases of excyclotorsion on LRGT were characteristic of the full recovery group of acquired unilateral trochlear nerve palsy patients.

A comprehensive parametric study and multi-objective optimization of turbulent jet array impingement for uniform cooling of gas turbine blades with minimized compression power

In the present paper, a comprehensive parametric study and multi-objective optimizations on jet array impingement cooling are conducted for mid-chord sections of gas turbine blades to maximize the heat transfer uniformity on the target plate and minimize the air compression power consumption at different desired Nusselt numbers. The validated numerical method based on RANS equations is utilized to determine the effects of Reynolds number (2500≤Re≤35000), jet spacings (3≤Px,Py≤8), and the jet-to-target distance (0.75≤Pz≤3) on air compression power (Wc), average Nusselt number (Nu‾), and heat transfer uniformity index (UI). According to the parametric study, the increase of Re improves Nu‾ and UI, while intensively increasing Wc. The effect of jet-to-target distance is a function of jet spacings; with the increase of Pz at low jet spacings, Wc,Nu‾, and UI are reduced. Although, at large spacings, Nu‾ and UI increase with Pz, and Wc is independent of Pz. Additionally, the increase of Px decreases Wc, Nu‾, and UI. Increasing Py reduces Nu‾ and Wc. But at small Px and Pz, the UI is descending; while at large Px and Pz, the UI tends to ascend. Three high-accuracy surrogate models are developed using backpropagation artificial neural networks (ANN) for estimating Wc, Nu‾, and UI for input design variables. Sobol global sensitivity analysis is also performed based on the developed models for quantifying the influence of design variables and their interactions on objective functions. As expected, the results indicate that Wc and Nu‾ are the most sensitive to Re, and UI is mainly affected by Px, whereas Py is more affecting the uniformity index rather than compression power. Finally, to find out the best design and flow conditions, optimizations are conducted by the NSGA-II algorithm. The optimal Pareto frontier and final decided solutions by TOPSIS and LINMAP methods are then demonstrated for the desired Nusselt number (NuD) of 70. The TOPSIS method indicates Px=4.70, Py=3.25, Pz=1.40, and Re = 13800 as the best compromise for optimization. The analysis of Pareto solutions in the range of NuD from 35 to 130 suggests a variety of optimal flow and geometrical arrangements for a trade-off between objective functions; therefore, at most, 50% less compression power or 5% more uniformity is approachable corresponding to the design requirements.

Study on convective melting heat transfer of a solid-liquid phase change slurry in U-shaped curved tubes

As a phase change material, ice slurry has been successfully applied in HVAC&R systems due to its high energy storage density. The heat exchangers are the key equipment realizing energy conversion of ice slurry. In HVAC&R systems, U-tubes are frequently used in shell and tube heat exchanger. However, there are few studies on thermo-fluidic characteristics of ice slurry in U-tubes. Therefore, the thermo-fluidic characteristics of ice slurry in U-tubes are numerically studied in this paper using Euler-Euler approach. The results indicated that as enlarging the inlet ice content and velocity, the ice concentration distribution becomes more uniform along in vertical profile. Due to the secondary flow in bend section, the ice concentration decreases in the inner wall and increases in the outer wall as the inlet velocity increases; At the high Reynolds number, the inlet ice content and ice particle diameter have a more significant fluence on pressure drop (Δp). The local heat transfer coefficient (hlo) in bend section exhibits a tendency of first increasing and then decreasing, with the maximum value of hlo occurs at θ = 90° of the bend section. Finally, a correlation is suggested between the average resistance coefficient (fave) and local Nusselt number (Nulo).

Local Heat Transfer Distribution On Thin Metal Foil Impinged by Array of Free Surface Jets

Abstract The present study focuses on the measurement of the local heat transfer distribution of a smooth flat plate impinged by an array of free surface jets on a thin metal foil. Local Nusselt number distributions are measured for a fixed jet diameter (d = 3 mm). The jet arrays consist of perfectly round apertures arranged in a square pattern, with a uniform spacing of 4d between adjacent jets in both the streamwise and spanwise direction. A wide range of Reynolds numbers varying from 1000 to 12500 are covered in this study. The nozzle to plate spacing (z/d) is varied between 1 to 10. The effect of the Reynolds number and nozzle to plate spacing on the local and spanwise average Nusselt number distributions are studied. The local Nusselt number exhibits an increase with nozzle-to-plate spacing within the low Reynolds number range (Re = 1000 to 2500). However, for Reynolds numbers exceeding 2500, the influence of nozzle-to-plate spacing on Nusselt number distributions remains negligible up to a nozzle-to-plate distance (z/d) of 5. Beyond this point, there is a gradual decrease in the Nusselt number value. The Nusselt number value gradually decreases beyond z/d of 5. At a Reynolds number of 1500, the Nusselt number increases by 71% for z/d = 10 in comparison to z/d = 1. Empirical correlations for local and spanwise average Nusselt number are proposed which satisfactory predict the local as well as spanwise average Nusselt number distributions.