Effect Of Different Depths Research Articles

Effects of different anesthetic depths monitored by processed EEG analysis on glandular secretion in patients undergoing laparoscopic total hysterectomy

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to find ways to reduce intraoperative glandular secretion in patients by observing the effects of different depths of anesthesia on glandular secretion under Narcotrend monitoring (NT), to reduce the use of unnecessary anticholinergic drugs, and to improve the quality of anesthesia and patient comfort.MethodsNinety patients who underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy were randomly divided into three groups. Group L: intraoperative maintenance of anesthesia depth D0–D2, group M: intraoperative maintenance of anesthesia depth E0–E1, group H: long tocopherol 0.01 mg/kg was administered intravenously 10 min before surgery without monitoring the depth of anesthesia, and the mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and adverse effects were compared in each group at six time points. The salivary secretion and respiratory gland secretion were compared among the groups.ResultsSalivary secretion under general anesthesia decreased in all three groups compared with the basal value (P < 0.05), with the smallest decrease in group L (P < 0.05) and the largest decrease in group H (P < 0.001). The amount of respiratory gland secretion during the whole operation was from more to less in the order of group L, group M and group H. The dry mouth visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were lower in groups L and M than in group H (P < 0.05).ConclusionGeneral anesthesia suppresses the patient's glandular secretion, and the suppression becomes more pronounced as the anesthesia deepens. Maintaining the depth of anesthesia E0–E1 can effectively reduce the patient's glandular secretion, more stable intraoperative vital signs, and more comfortable patient awakening period without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions.Chinese Clinical Trial Registryhttp://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=147905, identifier ChiCTR2200055422.

The effect of battery charging method on reducing battery capacity in off-grid solar home systems

Due to the widespread use of lithium batteries in the off-grid solar home systems (SHS), to reduce system costs, it is necessary to accurately determine the required battery capacity instead of choosing a larger battery capacity, as well as ways to increase battery life. For the first time in this paper, instead of a fixed depth of discharge battery, the effect of different depths of discharges battery, that occurs during the day and night, as well as the possible and optimal battery charging method to reduce the required battery capacity in a real off-grid SHS have been investigated. It has been shown that with this method, it is possible to use a battery with a lower capacity than the usual selection method. Moreover, the comparison of both battery charging methods shows that the pulse charging method has a significant performance in increasing the battery life and thus reducing the required battery capacity.

Mechanical Characteristics and Permeability Characteristics of Dry-Hot Rock Mass.

As a rock mass with shallow burial, high temperature, and large-scale development, the study of its mechanical and seepage characteristics plays an important role in the efficient development of geothermal energy. With the development of geothermal energy in China, a breakthrough has been made in the exploration of dry-hot rocks, and the realization of efficient development of dry-hot rocks has become the focus of attention. Systematic research on rock mechanics and seepage characteristics of dry-hot rocks has become a key research topic. Granite is the most typical dry-hot rock. In this paper, granite in the Qinghai area is selected as the research object, and experiments on physical characteristics, mechanical parameters, and seepage characteristics of granite are carried out to study the effects of different depths and temperatures on mechanical parameters and seepage characteristics of granite. The results show that the physical parameters of granite in Qinghai do not change obviously with the increase of depth, and granite has the characteristics of low water absorption and low porosity. At the same time, the parameters of water absorption and porosity at different depths are close, and the dispersion is small, so the rocks are very dense. The rocks have relatively high P-wave velocity and low S-wave velocity, and the elastic wave velocity changes little at different depths. With the increase of confining pressure, the strength of granite rock increases. Under different confining pressures, the rock shows brittle failure characteristics after the peak stress. According to Hoek-Brown and Mohr-Coulomb strength curves, the strength value is 173.52 MPa. After high temperature treatment, a complex fracture network is formed in the granite. With the increase of temperature, the permeability and porosity of the granite increase continuously, and 500°C is the temperature threshold. When the temperature is lower than 300°C and the stress is less than 30 MPa, the granite has negative Poisson's ratio, and the permeability and effective stress of dry-hot rocks are piecewise linear functions. The research results provide theoretical guidance for fracturing of dry-hot rocks and exploitation of geothermal energy.

Analysis of Different Depth and Types of Feed on the Growth of Spiny Lobster (Panulirus homarus) Using the Vietnamese Cage Method in Pantai Timur, Kabupaten Pangandaran

The purpose of this research is to find out the effect of different depths and types of feed on the growth of spiny lobsters (Panulirus homarus) Vietnamese cage system on the Pantai Timur Pangandaran. It is expected to provide information to spiny lobster cultivators about the effect of different depths and types of feed on the growth of spiny lobsters (Panulirus homarus) Vietnamese cage method on the Pantai Timur Pangandaran. Maintenance of test animals was carried out for 40 days using cages with a diameter of 80 cm and a height of 90 cm. Each container contains 15 lobster seeds. The frequency of feeding is 2 times a day in the morning at 7.00 and afternoon at 16.00. The amount of test feed given is 20% of the lobster weight for one day. In addition, the mortality rate of lobsters was also observed by looking at the number of lobsters that died each day. Then sampling activities are carried out every 10 days to measure the growth of lobsters so that their growth rate can be observed. Measurement of water quality as supporting data to determine the effect of the feed on water quality and determine the feasibility of water quality is carried out once every 10 days together with the sampling time. Some of the parameters observed were temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and degree of acidity (pH). Lobster growth performance from sampling every ten days showed that treatment C (placement of cages at a depth of 5 meters) was the best, with a daily growth rate (DGR) of 1.97%, and Feed efficiency of 15.01%. This shows that good water quality will affect the survival of fish and their growth. Suggestions that can be put forward so that research will be even better in the future is the addition of a shelter or hiding place for lobsters that are in the process of molting.

Chemical properties of Oxisol cultivated with corn in management systems of soil irrigated with swine production wastewater.

Waste generated from agribusiness, such as swine production, can be used in agricultural soil; however, certain technical criteria should be followed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different depths of irrigation with swine wastewater (SW), associated with the soil management system, on soil chemical attributes after two corn crop cycles. The experiments were conducted in the field, in an arrangement with two soil management systems (conventional tillage system - CTS and no-tillage system - NTS) and five depths of irrigation with SW (50%, 75%, 100%, 125% and 150% of evapotranspiration from the crop - ETc). Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-0.1 and 0.1-0.2 m to determine the pH, Ca, Mg, K, Na, Al, P, Fe, Cu and Zn at the end of each crop cycle. Soil nutrient contents increased with the application of SW irrigation in the two crop cycles and in the depths of 0-0.1 and 0.1-0.2 m, mainly with an increase of irrigation depths. No effect of the management systems was observed for the majority of the nutrients evaluated. The content of the heavy metals Cu and Zn remained below the critical limits established by the Brazilian Regulations.

The soil microbiome unveils strong imprints of artificial erosion after 27 years

Soil erosion is a severe and widespread form of land degradation worldwide, and is being exacerbated by effects of climate change, such as increased storm frequency and intensity. It is important to study the impact of soil erosion on the soil microbiome because soil microbes are crucial drivers of many important soil biological processes in agriculture. In 2016 and 2017, we sampled a simulated soil erosion field trial established in 1990 to investigate the effects of different depths of topsoil removal and restorative soil amendments on soil pH, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and the activities of enzymes that mediate C, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) cycling, plus the diversity and composition of soil prokaryotic (bacteria and archaea) and fungal communities. The one-time (1990) treatments consisted of a split-plot combination of three depths of topsoil removal (0, 10, and 20 cm) as main plots, and three restorative soil amendments (check, topsoil, and cattle manure) as subplots. Soil pH was higher in the eroded treatments than the noneroded treatment, but the opposite was observed for MBC and the activities of β-glucosidase (C cycling) and N-acetyl-β-glucosinidase (C and N cycling). The restorative amendments did not affect soil pH, MBC, or enzyme activities. The relative abundances of the archaea Thaumarchaeota was higher in noneroded treatments than in eroded treatments, but the reverse was observed for the bacteria Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia. For fungi, the relative abundance of Basidiomycota was lower in eroded treatments than in the noneroded treatment, but the opposite was true for Mortierellomycota. The β-diversity analyses also showed different prokaryotic and fungal community structures between eroded and noneroded treatments, but the restorative amendment effects were less distinct. Therefore, soil erosion and excavation can have lasting imprints on the soil microbiome, particularly negative imprints on total microbial biomass and its C and N cycling potential, while imprints of restorative measures such as manure or topsoil amendment were not as strong. A single desurfacing event has effects that last for decades, and our efforts to reverse them are largely ineffective when applied only once.

Effects of different depth of anesthesia on perioperative inflammatory reaction and hospital outcomes in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy

BackgroundTo investigate the effect of different depth of anesthesia on inflammatory factors and hospital outcomes in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer, in order to select an appropriate depth of anesthesia to improve the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery and improve the quality of life of patients.MethodsA total of 80 elderly patients aged 65 and above who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy in our hospital were by convenience sampling and randomly divided into two groups : 55 groups ( group H ) and 45 groups ( group L ), 40 cases in each group. The depth of anesthesia was maintained using a closed-loop target-controlled infusion system: the EEG bispectral index was set to 55 in the H group and 45 in the L group. Venous blood samples were collected 2 h (T2), 24 h (T3) and 72 h (T4) after the start of surgery. The intraoperative dosage of propofol and remifentanil, operation duration, postoperative PACU stay time, intraoperative consciousness occurrence, postoperative hospital stay and postoperative pulmonary inflammatory events were recorded.ResultsThe patient characteristic of the two groups had no statistical difference and were comparable (P > 0.05). The intraoperative dosage of propofol in group H was lower than that in group L (P < 0.05). Compared with the L group, the plasma IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations in the H group were significantly increased at T2 (P < 0.05), and the plasma IL-10 concentration was significantly increased at T4 (P < 0.05). The plasma concentrations of IL-6 and IL-10 were higher in both groups at T2, T3 and T4 than at T1, while at T4, the concentration of TNF-α in group H was higher than at T1 (P < 0.05).ConclusionWhen the BIS value of the depth of anesthesia is 45, the perioperative release of inflammatory factors in elderly patients with laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer is less than BIS 55, and does not affect the prognosis.

Effects of different anesthetic depth during propofol anesthesia on postoperative recovery 24h after arthroscopic day surgery: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: This study aimed to compare the effects of different depths of sedation during propofol anesthesia on postoperative recovery 24 h after knee arthroscopy day surgery in adult patients. Methods: This prospective randomized controlled trial involved 126 patients (ASA physical status 1–2) who were scheduled to undergo arthroscopic day surgery. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the light-sedation (L-Group) or deep-sedation (D-Group). In the L-group, the bispectral index values were kept in the range of 50–59; in the D-group, the bispectral index values were maintained in the range of 40–49. The Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) score assessed 24 h postoperatively using a 15-item questionnaire was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included Athens Insomnia Scale scores, postoperative pain scores, nausea or vomiting. Results: The total QoR-15 score 24 h postoperatively was similar in the two groups (L-group median:130, IQR [127–132] vs. D-group median:131, IQR [126–135], p = 0.089). But among the five dimensions of the QoR-15, physiological comfort was significantly better in the D-group than L-group (p < 0.001). The time to open eyes (p < 0.001), follow the command (p < 0.001) and to extubation (p < 0.001) after surgery in the L-group were shorter than the D-group. The Athens Insomnia Scale scores (p < 0.001) and incidence of dreaming (p = 0.041) at the first postoperative night in the L-group was significantly higher than those in the D-group. Propofol consumption in the L-group was less than D-group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: For patients undergoing arthroscopic day surgery, general anesthesia with high-bispectral-index (50–59) cannot improve the total QoR-15 score 24 h postoperatively after surgery, but can lessen propofol consumption, reduce the time of extubation and anesthesia recovery period, compared with low-bispectral-index (40–49). Patients exposed to general anesthesia with low-bispectral-index values (40–49) may have better quality sleep and physical comfort than those with high-bispectral-index values (50–59). Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=126526, identifier ChiCTR2100046340

Effect of different depths and soaking periods on crab catch in folding dome-shaped traps, in Rembang Sea, Indonesia

The objective of this study was to compare the catches of crabs caught in folding dome-shaped trap from two different depths (17 and 40 m) and threesoaking periods (12, 15 and 18 h). The fishing operation for the traps followed the standard method of fishers except for the different soaking periods. Data were analysed using paired sample t-test The analysis showed that there were significant (p&lt;0.001) differences in the total catch of crabs between depths and soaking periods. The total catch of crabs from 40 m depth was higher than that from 17 m. Keywords: Crab, Depth, Folding dome-shaped trap, Soaking period

Meta-Analysis of the Prognostic Value of Narcotrend Monitoring of Different Depths of Anesthesia and Different Bispectral Index (BIS) Values for Cognitive Dysfunction after Tumor Surgery in Elderly Patients.

To study the effect of Narcotrend monitoring on the incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) under different bispectral index (BIS) conditions and the effect of different depths of anesthesia on the incidence of POCD. We performed a literature search of PubMed, Embase, OVID (database system made by Ovid Technologies, USA), CBM (Chinese Biomedical Literature database), CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), Wanfang, and VIP databases (full-text database of Chinese sci-tech journals), etc., from the date of the establishment of the database until December 31, 2020. Our meta-analysis was focused on the collection and study of Narcotrend monitoring of different depths of anesthesia. We carefully read the abstracts and full texts of randomized controlled trials on the incidence of POCD in the early postoperative period, and their references were tracked. Data extraction and quality evaluation of the included literature were also performed, and RevMan 5.3 software was used for analysis. In the end, eight articles were included, with a total of 714 patients. The meta-analysis results showed that four articles (255 patients) compared the state of deep anesthesia (BIS 30-40) with conventional anesthesia (BIS 40-60 earlier) after POCD. Also, the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia (Narcotrend stage (NTS): negative correlation is currently the most appropriate EEG description; Nd can subdivide the original EEG into six stages and 15 levels (Nd Sg, NTS), namely, A (state of wakefulness) state, B0 B2 (sedated state), C0 C2 (light anesthetic state), D0 D2 (general anesthesia), and E0-E1) was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (NTS DO-D1) (odds ratio (OR) = 0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.13-0.35, P < 0.00001). Moreover, the incidence of POCD in deep anesthesia (NTS E1) at 7 days after surgery was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (NTS D0) (OR (odds ratio) = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.23-0.91, P=0.03), while the incidence of POCD 7 days after NTS D2 in conventional anesthesia was significantly lower than that of NTS D0 (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.24-0.71, P=0.001). Discussion. Deep anesthesia can reduce the incidence of POCD (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22-0.73, P=0.002). This meta-analysis included three studies (216 patients) that compared the early postoperative POCD incidence of BIS 40-50 under conventional anesthesia and BIS 50-60; the BIS 40-50 did not significantly reduce the incidence of POCD (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.24-5.24, P=0.9). The incidence of POCD under deep anesthesia with Narcotrend monitoring was lower than that under conventional anesthesia.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prognostic value of Narcotrend monitoring of different depths of anesthesia and different Bispectral Index (BIS) values for cognitive dysfunction after tumor surgery in elderly patients.

BackgroundTo study the effect of Narcotrend monitoring on the incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) under different Bispectral Index (BIS) conditions and the effect of different depths of anesthesia on the incidence of POCD.MethodsWe performed a literature search of the PubMed, Embase, OVID (database system made by Ovid Technologies, USA), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Chinese Sci-tech Journals Database, Wanfang Data, etc. from the date of establishment of the database until December 31, 2020.ResultsIn the end, eighty articles were included, with a total of 714 patients. The meta-analysis results showed that four articles (255 patients) compared the state of deep anesthesia (BIS 30–40) with conventional anesthesia (BIS 40–60 earlier) after POCD. Also, the incidence of POCD on the first day after deep anesthesia [Narcotrend stage (NTS): negative correlation is currently the most appropriate egg description; Nd can subdivide the original electroencephalogram (EEG) into six stages 15 levels (Nd Sg, NTS), or A (state of wakefulness), state B0–B2 (sedated state), state C0–C2 (light anesthetic state), state D0–D2 (general anesthesia), state E0–E2 (deep anesthesia state), and state F0–F2 (burst suppression state)] was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (NTS D0–D1) [odds ratio (OR) =0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.13–0.35, P<0.00001]. Moreover, the incidence of POCD in deep anesthesia (NTS E1) at 7 days after surgery was significantly lower than that of conventional anesthesia (NTS D0) (OR =0.45, 95% CI: 0.23–0.91, P=0.03), while the incidence of POCD 7 days after NTS D2 in conventional anesthesia was significantly lower than that of NTS D0 (OR =0.42, 95% CI: 0.24–0.71, P=0.001).DiscussionsPOCDs are thought to be the result of a combination of physical defects and precipitating factors in patients with their own physical impairments, and despite potential adverse effects, there is currently no consensus on the incidence of POCDs in patients with tumor, current risk factors, causes, and prevention strategies. Moreover, the level of evidence is low, and the deviation between different studies cannot be ruled out.

Depth of tillage and its effect on field watershed size in Ejigbo zone, Osun State, Nigeria

The study investigated effects of different depths of tillage on flow of runoff in watersheds on fields tilled and planted with maize (Zea mays) hybrids and open pollinated variety (OPV) of maize. Twelve 1 m × 1 m × 2 m pits were dug and overlaid at all sides and at its bottom with impermeable membrane to accumulate watershed’s runoff from the fields. Twelve compartmental plots of 400 m2 each comprising 2 depths of tillage (0-15 cm and 0-30 cm) and 2 varieties of maize (hybrids and open pollinated) were used. Each of the treatments was replicated thrice to make 2 × 2 × 3 factorial design. Each plot measured 4 m × 10 m at 2 m apart. Among the data collected were the volume of water accumulated in the small earthen pits dug, flow velocity (v m/s) of water in runoff channels/collectors that fed earthen pits, slopes of the collectors, cross-sectional area of collectors and wetted perimeter. Results revealed that average infiltrometer values of 15.00±0.24 mm/h and 16.50±0.40 mm/h respectively in the upper part and the lower part were recorded. The 0-15 cm depth of tillage accumulated more volume of runoff water than the 0-30 cm depth of tillage in the pits and it was 23.33% higher in the lower depth of tillage used on the field than the 0-30 cm depth of tillage. Implying that 0-30 cm tillage depth retained more water from the rainfall compare to the water retained by the 0-15 cm depth. Even though, volume of runoff water of 0-15 cm depth of tillage was higher than that of the 0-30 cm depth of tillage, 0-15 cm depth of tillage had the highest yield of maize (9.30±4.26 t ha-1).

Effect of different depth on fish catches in Hajoran Coast of Central Tapanuli District: Case on bamboo platform lift net

Central Tapanuli Regency is one of the regions in North Sumatra that has fishery potential. In Hajoran, the livelihoods of most people as fishermen are on bamboo platform lift net fishing gear. Bamboo platform lift net is a fishing gear that catches small pelagic fish and is installed permanently. The factor of the installation of a bamboo platform lift net at a different depth will affect the income earned by each fisherman. The purpose of this study was to compare the catches of fish that were predominantly caught on a bamboo platform lift net based on different depths. This research was conducted in February 2020 at Hajoran Village, Central Tapanuli regency in Sibolga City, by using a survey method. Data collection was carried out by directly recording the catches 3 units of bamboo platform lift net and then comparing the three results by using One Way ANOVA analysis. The results showed that the amount of catch per lift net varies, depending on the type of fish and its depth. For pony fishes, species were more commonly found at a depth of 30 M with a total of 5.5 kg, while fringescale sardine and anchovies were found at a depth of 36 M with a total of 10.6 kg and 64.4 kg, respectively. One Way ANOVA revealed that there was a significant difference found on fringescale sardine and ponyfish in term of water depth (p < 0.05), while there was no any significant different on anchovy fish (p < 0.05).

Numerical Evaluation of Early-Age Crack Induction in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement with Different Saw-Cut Dimensions Subjected to External Varying Temperature Field

Since 1970, continuously reinforced concrete pavements have been used in Belgium. The standard design concept for CRCP has been modified through several changes made in the design parameters to eliminate the cluster of closely spaced crack patterns, since these crack patterns lead to the development of spalling and punch-out distresses in CRCPs. Despite adjusting the longitudinal reinforcement ratio, slab thickness, and addition of asphalt interlayer, the narrowly spaced cracks could not be effectively removed. The application of transverse partial surface saw-cuts significantly reduced the probability of randomly occurring cracks in the reconstruction project of the Motorway E313 in Herentals, Belgium. The field investigation has also indicated that the early-age crack induction in CRCP is quite susceptible to the saw-cut depth. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the effect of different depths and lengths of the partial surface saw-cut on the effectiveness of crack induction in CRCP under external varying temperature field. For this purpose, the FE software program DIANA 10.3 is used to develop the three dimensional finite element model of the active crack control CRCP segment. The characteristics of early-age crack induction in terms of crack initiation and crack propagation obtained from the FE model are compared and discussed concerning the field observations of the crack development on the active crack control E313 test sections. Findings indicate that the deeper saw-cut with longer cut-lengths could be a more effective attempt to induce the cracks in CRCP in desirable distributions to decrease the risk of spalling and punch-out distresses in the long-term performance of CRCP. These findings could be used as guidance to select the appropriate depth and length of saw-cut for active crack control sections of CRCP in Belgium.

Characteristics of transmission light in tetracycline hydrochloride polluted wastewater and the response of g-C3N4 under different transmission spectral range during the photodegradation process

The purification efficiency of the contaminants in the process of photocatalysis is influenced by the co-function of catalytic activity of materials, aquatic environment conditions and characteristics of transmission light. Here, tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) was introduced as the target pollutant, and the effects of different depths and TC-HCl concentrations on the transmission light intensity and spectral distribution were explored. The results show that incident light decreases with the increase of depth and pollutant concentration. The increase of depth influences the irradiance greatly, however, increase of concentration mainly lead to the narrow of transmission spectral range in the underwater field. The coupling relationship among pollutants, transmission spectral characteristics and photocatalytic reaction efficiency was discussed. Results show that the reduction of the underwater spectral range will reduce the effective response area of the material significantly, which directly leads to the reduction of pollutant removal efficiency in the degradation process. Aiming at different aquatic environment, photocatalytic materials with appropriate response spectral range should be selected to improve the light absorption ability, so that the removal efficiency can be improved significantly.

Finite Element Analysis of the Effect of Talar Osteochondral Defects of Different Depths on Ankle Joint Stability.

BackgroundTalus cartilage injury leads to changes in biomechanics of the ankle joint and ultimately affects ankle joint function, but which talus cartilage defects require surgery is still uncertain. This research used a finite element method to simulate the effect of different depth of talus cartilage defects on the stress and stability of the ankle joint in a certain area.Material/MethodsA three-dimensional finite element model with different depths of osteochondral defects was created to simulate and calculate joint stress and displacement of the articular surface of the distal tibia and the proximal talus while the ankle joint was in the push-off, midstance, and heel-strike phases.ResultsThe equivalent stress of the proximal talus did not change significantly at a defect depth of 1 mm, whereas the equivalent stress of the upper talus increased significantly at a defect depth of ≥3 mm or more, reaching a maximum value at a defect depth of 10 mm. The equivalent stress of the tibial cartilage and the equivalent stress and displacement in the corresponding forces in the midstance phase and heel-strike phase were significantly different from those in the normal group, but the difference in stress in each defect group was not obvious.ConclusionsThe effect of cartilage defects of the talus on biomechanics of the ankle is clear, especially in the midstance and push-off phases. When the defect reaches the subchondral bone (at a depth of 3 mm), the most obvious change in ankle joint stability occurs, and it does not increase linearly with the increase in depth of the defect.

Transfer Learning-Based DCE-MRI Method for Identifying Differentiation Between Benign and Malignant Breast Tumors

In this paper, we propose a transfer learning-based dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) method for classifying fibroadenoma and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in breast tumors. A total of 207 breast tumors from patients were collected and identified by pathologic diagnosis within 15 days after enhanced DCE-MRI examination; 119 patients (average age 50.52±10.33 years) had fibroadenomas, and 88 patients (average age 42.20±10.10 years) had IDCs. Two lesion-level models were built based on the InceptionV3 and VGG19 models, which were pretrained with the ImageNet dataset. The effects of different depths of transfer learning were examined. The network's performance was evaluated through five-fold cross validation. In the lesion-level models, the model based on Inception V3 obtained better results (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.89) when the weights were frozen before layer-276. The other model based on VGG19 obtained better results (AUC = 0.87) when the weights were frozen before layer-13. Compared with the image-level models, both lesion-level models displayed better discrimination (accuracy increased by 13% and 14%) based on the VGG19 and Inception V3 models, respectively. Our research confirms that transfer learning can be utilized to classify fibroadenomas and IDCs in DCE-MRI images. Different depths of transfer learning result in different performances, and our proposed lesion-level model notably improves the classification accuracy.

Using a nutrient profile index to assess reclamation strategies in the Athabasca oil sands region of northern Alberta

Land reclamation in the Athabasca oil sands region requires construction of entire soil profiles from materials salvaged during mining. Although much attention has been paid to the limited supply of suitable topsoil materials and their impact on ecosystem recovery, suitable clean subsoil materials are also in limited supply, and their efficient and effective use is an important consideration for land managers in the region. Using data from an oil sands reclamation site in northern Alberta, Canada, we compared soil and foliar nutrients to a wildfire-impacted reference ecosystem with a similarity index. Specifically, we evaluated the similarity of forest floor-mineral mix (FFM) and peat-mineral mix (PM) as topsoil, as well as the effect of different depths of salvaged B and C horizon subsoil with PM on top. All reclamation treatments were planted with jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), which were used to examine foliar nutrient concentrations. Individual macronutrient concentrations were different among treatments in total soil nutrients, but differences decreased in soil bioavailable nutrients and disappeared altogether in foliar nutrients. The similarity index revealed that distinct differences existed between treatments, with FFM being the most similar to the wildfire site. It also revealed a potential deficiency in foliar and soil bioavailable Mn on PM, and that increased water content of deeper subsoils had little to no effect. With use of this nutrient profile similarity index, reclamation practitioners may be able to determine if different soil prescriptions lead to higher levels of similarity to natural ecosystems more quickly.

Effect of grinding on surface characteristics of HVOF-sprayed WC–10Co–4Cr coatings

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of the grinding depth of cut on surface quality and corrosion behaviour of WC–10Co–4Cr cermet coatings. Accordingly, a WC–10Co–4Cr coating with 400 μm thickness was deposited on the carbon steel substrate using a High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) process. Consequently, the effect of different depths of cut on the coating properties was evaluated. Porosity, surface roughness and microhardness of as-sprayed and ground coatings were measured in order to investigate the effect of grinding on the coating characteristics. The corrosion behaviour of the coatings was evaluated using open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and potentiodynamic polarisation tests. The results indicated that after grinding, the porosity and microhardness of the coatings were increased and the surface roughness was decreased. Furthermore, the increase in the depth of cut increased the coating porosity and microcracks. Therefore, the corrosion resistance of the coating was decreased.

Enhancement of Heat Exchanger Performance by Using Dimpled Tube

The enhancement of heat exchanger performance was investigated using dimpled tubes tested at different Reynolds numbers, in the present work four types of dimpled tubes with a specified configuration manufactured, tested and then compared performance with the smooth tube and other passive techniques performance. Two dimpled arrangements along the tube were investigated, these are inline and staggered at constant pitch ratio X/d=4, the test results showed that Nusselts number (heat transfer) of the staggered array is higher than the inline array by 13%. The effect of different depths of the dimple (14.5 mm and 18.5 mm) has been also investigated; a tube with large dimple diameter enhanced the Nusselts number by about 25% for the range of Reynolds number between 4000- 20000. The overall enhancement ratio was used to differentiate the passive technique and comparison of different configurations for the technique itself, the result depicted that the 10 mm dimple diameter with a pitch ratio of X/d= 4 gives better performance than the static mixer and twisted tape techniques. The overall enhancement ratio of the 10 mm dimple diameter is varied from (1.21 to 1.65) that means good performance for a range of Reynolds numbers (4000-20000). This indicates that 21- 65 % of heat transfer area can be saved at the same pumping power compared with the smooth tube heat exchanger.