Increase In Rate Research Articles

THE IMPACT OF DEMOGRAPHIC RESILIENCE ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTRIES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE VISEGRAD GROUP COUNTRIES)

The population, its physical well-being and development is a defining feature of society, the basis of the state's strength. Taking into account demographic trends is important in shaping strategies for economic development. Understanding the impact of population changes on the labour market, consumer demand, investment climate, and population expenditures is crucial for creating a sustainable and competitive economy.The demographic resilience of a country is determined by its ability to ensure quantitative and qualitative reproduction of demographic structures at various stages of historical development. Demographic resilience is a dynamic category that changes over time, and the level of a country's demographic resilience is defined by the parameters of its functioning.The level of demographic resilience depends on trends in population reproduction and mortality, demographic dependency, migration processes, gender equality, and the development of the healthcare system. Under these conditions, the assessment of the demographic resilience of the Visegrad Group countries was carried out in the context of these specified directions, allowing for the calculation of an indicator of the level of demographic resilience for Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.The analysis of the level of demographic resilience in the Visegrad Group countries indicates an average value. However, the analysis of reproduction and mortality indicators suggests the presence of demographic crises in these countries. Population decline, falling birth rates, and an increase in mortality rates are key characteristics of the demographic crisis. Therefore, the Visegrad Group countries need to implement effective policy measures to ensure the development and efficient use of human capital, as well as social protection for migrants, refugees, and citizens, at a sufficient level through a politically and financially stable system.

Effects of the morphed trailing-edge flap parameters on the aerodynamic performance of NREL Phase II wind turbine

This study assesses the impact of three morphed trailing-edge flap (MTEF) parameters (flap deflection angle β, flap length b, and flap span length l) on increasing power and axial thrust coefficients and their comprehensive effect on wind turbines using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The detailed analysis is performed on seven morphed blades at eight different wind velocities. The obtained results show that β results in the largest unit power coefficient increase rate and unit axial thrust coefficient increase rate, while l results in the smallest ones. In addition, b results in the largest power-thrust ratio increase rate. The optimum blade is achieved for β = 3°, b/ c = 0.3, and l/ R = 0.3, which results in additional power increase of 15.24% and axial thrust increase of 9.53% at a tip speed ratio of 5.949, compared with the original wind turbine.

The Deflationary Bias of the ZLB and the FED's Strategic Response

AbstractThe paper shows, in a simple analytical framework, the existence of a deflationary bias in an economy with a low natural rate of interest, a zero lower bound (ZLB) constraint on nominal interest rates and a discretionary Central Bank (CB) with an inflation mandate. The presence of the ZLB prevents the CB from offsetting negative shocks to inflation whereas it can offset positive shocks. This asymmetry pushes average inflation below the target which in turn drags down inflation expectations and reinforces the likelihood of hitting the ZLB. We show that this deflationary bias is particularly relevant for a CB with a symmetric dual mandate (i.e., minimizing deviations from inflation and employment), especially when facing demand shocks. But a strict inflation targeter cannot escape the suboptimal deflationary equilibrium either. The deflationary bias can be mitigated by targeting “shortfalls” instead of “deviations” from maximum employment and/or using flexible average inflation targeting. However, changing monetary policy strategy risks inflation expectations becoming entrenched above the target if the natural interest rate increases.

Dynamic uniaxial compression mechanical properties of self-compacting rubber concrete subjected to different strain rates

Rubber concrete is a kind of light green building material, which is prepared by mixing rubber powder or rubber crumb into ordinary concrete in a certain proportion and then introducing rubber concrete through vibration-free technology to prepare self-compacting rubber concrete. Uniaxial compression tests were carried out on self-compacting rubber concrete with two particle sizes at different strain rates, and the effects of strain rate and rubber content on the dynamic mechanical properties of self-compacting rubber concrete were studied. The microstructure of self-compacting rubber concrete before and after damage was analyzed. Compared with ordinary concrete, the self-compacting rubber concrete is capable of maintaining good integrity during damage, when the rubber powder content exceeds 10% and the rubber crumb content exceeds 15%. The results indicate that as the strain rate increases, both the peak stress and the elastic modulus increase, indicating the strain rate enhancement effect, while the strain rate effect of the peak strain is not evident. Moreover, the model equations of peak stress and elastic modulus strain rate effect were established, the dynamic damage constitutive model was proposed, the damage evolution was analyzed, and the stress intervals were assigned to the various stages of damage evolution.

Physical functional recovery in the early period after hospitalization for COVID-19: impact of hypertension and outcome prediction model

The aim – to study the influence of hypertension (HT) on the dynamics of natural recovery of physical functional status in the early period after hospitalization for COVID-19 and to develop a model for predicting recovery results at 1 month after discharge.Materials and methods. 221 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (age 53.4±13.6 years, 53 % women) were included in the study, 176 of whom underwent the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) using an extended protocol within 1-2 days before discharge. A repeat visit to assess the dynamics of natural recovery was performed at 1 month after discharge.Results and discussion. Pre-discharge 6-minute walk distance was 378±57 m in patients with HT and 418±75 m without it, p=0.001, during the second visit – 440±52 versus 478±68, p=0.002; the achieved percentage of the individually predicted distance was 67.4±10.5 vs. 69.5±13.6 % and 81.6±9.9 vs. 81.9±15.7 %, respectively, p>0.05 for both visits. The increase in heart rate during the test at visit 1 was 18.5±8.3 versus 30.1±19.3 bpm, p<0.001, the percentage of chronotropic reserve utilizatoin was 21.3±9.6 % versus 29.2±11.4 %, p<0.001. During the second visit, residual manifestations of this trend were observed, with an increase in HR by 24.0±9.5 vs. 30.8±12.1, p=0.003 and the use of chronotropic reserve of 28.1±10.1 % vs. 33.4±12.4 %, respectively, p=0.029. The developed multivariate linear regression model explained 59 % of the variability in the achieved percentage of the individually predicted 6-minute walk distance at 1 month after discharge. The use of machine learning allowed to create an artificial neural network based regression model that used age, height, use of remdesivir in treatment, and SBP and DBP values at the time of discharge as predictors, and explained 90 % of observed variability.Conclusions. Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were characterized by a decrease in the general physical functional status as assessed by 6MWT at the time of discharge and incomplete recovery after 1 month. Presence of hypertension was associated with more pronounced disturbances of the autonomic regulation of heart rate, but did not affect the reached percentage of the distance walked. The proposed artificial neural network based regression model allows for a high accuracy prediction of the 6MWT results at 1 month after discharge, which can be used in the selection of candidates for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programs.

Experimental Study on Preparation and Characteristics of Concrete Modified by Construction Waste

With the advancement of urbanization construction, the proportion of construction waste to the total urban waste continues to increase, especially waste concrete. The treatment and reuse of waste concrete is a major trend that poses enormous pressure on environmental protection. This article focuses on the problems in the preparation of recycled aggregates from waste concrete, which has important practical value. This article presents a new type of recycled concrete prepared through surface modification of recycled coarse aggregate and design experiments to change the replacement rate of coarse aggregate. The physical properties of recycled coarse aggregate, workability of fresh concrete, and mechanical properties of recycled concrete are analyzed. The research results indicate the following: (1) Through surface modification, recycled concrete can improve the workability of fresh concrete at a fixed water cement ratio, which can meet the requirements of mixing, transportation, and pouring of fresh concrete. (2) By modifying the surface of recycled aggregates, the strong water absorption performance of recycled aggregates caused by old mortar and surface defects has been reduced. And the modification effect of recycled aggregate improves the hydration process of recycled concrete, making the surface structure dense and further enhancing the strength of recycled concrete. (3) The compressive strength of recycled concrete specifications from construction waste shows a decreasing trend with the increase in coat aggregate replacement rate. The final ratio is as follows: modular dose of 12%, modification time of 90 min, and 20% recycled aggregate content.

Diagnostic value of clinical-instrumental and hematological indicators in predicting complications of the hospital period of STEMI in conditions of chronic stress caused by wartime

The aim – to develop a diagnostic system that takes into account the peculiarities of clinical, instrumental and laboratory indicators in patients with STEMI against the background of wartime and will allow to objectify a tendency to a more difficult hospital course of ACS.Materials and methods. We studied a cohort of patients (n=133 individuals, 77.4 % men, average age 61.8±0.9 years) with STEMI, part of which (group 1) was hospitalized from February to May 2019 (n=87), while another part of which (group 2) was hospitalized in the period from February 24, 2022 to March 2023 (n=46) within the first 24 hours from the development of symptoms of the disease (average time of admission 5.2±0.4 hours). The groups were compared according to the clinical and anamnestic and laboratory parameters of the first day.Results and discussion. It was found that in the Ukrainian population during wartime, patients with STEMI are admitted to the hospital later, have a more burdensome history of cerebrovascular diseases, a greater number of significant coronary stenoses, a higher percentage of smokers, and also have higher heart rate levels upon admission, ESR, triglycerides, leukocytes (at the expense of lymphocytes and monocytes), as well as platelets (with lower indicators of their size inhomogeneity). Also, invasive treatment of these lesions leads to slightly worse results on the TIMI and MBG scales. Informativeness of hematology analysis indicators and other markers of inflammation/stress on the first day of STEMI in wartime was evaluated for predicting the risk of an complicated course of the hospital period (development of cardiac death, signs of LVEF, ventricular tachyarrhythmias, stent thrombosis, acute renal dysfunction, recurrence of ACS/angina). It was found that predictors of the undesirable course of STEMI during wartime are: heart rate > 70/min, ESR > 10 mm/h, glucose level > 8.5 mmol/l, leukocytes > 13 · 109/l, lymphocytes > 2 · 109/l, platelets > 270 · 109/l, large (>12 fl) platelets < 27 %, triglycerides > 1.3 mmol/l, as well as combined criteria made up of these indicators. Thus, the 6-component score (heart rate, ESR, glucose, levels of leukocytes, lymphocytes, and platelets) had an area under the ROC curve of 0.87 (for values ​​> 30 units – BP 6.39 (2.16–18.9), p<0.0001) when determining the risk of an undesirable course of ACS in patients during wartime. These predictors are specific to the stress-induced effects of war and are not informative in peacetime STEMI patients.Conclusions. The coexistence of acute stress caused by STEMI with chronic exposure to stress-associated wartime factors can worsen the course of the hospital period of STEMI, which is associated with an increase in heart rate, ESR, glucose level, leukocytes, lymphocytes, triglycerides, platelets with a decrease in their inhomogeneity in size. Taking into account these features allows predicting the risk of a complicated course of the hospital period of the STEMI in wartime.

The Disproportionate Rise in Pancreatic Cancer in Younger Women Is Due to a Rise in Adenocarcinoma and Not Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Nationwide Time-Trend Analysis Using 2001-2018 United States Cancer Statistics Databases.

In previous studies, a significant increase in the incidence of pancreatic cancer among younger women compared to men in the United States was noted. However, the specific histopathologic characteristics were not delineated. This population-based study aimed to assess whether this disproportionate rise in pancreatic cancer in younger women was contributed by pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET). The United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) database was used to identify patients with pancreatic cancer between 2001 and 2018. The results showed that, in younger adults, the incidence of PDAC has increased in women [average annual percentage change (AAPC) = 0.62%], while it has remained stable in men (AAPC = -0.09%). The PDAC incidence rate among women increased at a greater rate compared to men with a statistically significant difference in AAPC (p < 0.001), with neither identical nor parallel trends. In contrast, cases of PanNET did not demonstrate a statistically significant sex-specific AAPC difference. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the dramatic increase in the incidence rate of PDAC explains the disproportionate rise in pancreatic cancer incidence in younger women. This prompts further prospective studies to investigate the underlying reasons for these sex-specific disparities in PDAC.

Drought induces moderate, diverse changes in the odour of grassland species

Plants react to drought stress with numerous changes including altered emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from leaves, which provide protection against oxidative tissue damage and mediate numerous biotic interactions. Despite the share of grasslands in the terrestrial biosphere, their importance as carbon sinks and their contribution to global biodiversity, little is known about the influence of drought on VOC profiles of grassland species. Using coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we analysed the odorants emitted by 22 European grassland species exposed to an eight-week-lasting drought treatment (DT; 30% water holding capacity, WHC). We focused on the odorants emitted during the light phase from whole plant shoots in their vegetative stage. Emission rates were standardised to the dry weight of each shoot. Well-watered (WW) plants (70% WHC) served as control. Drought-induced significant changes included an increase in total emission rates of plant VOC in six and a decrease in three species. Diverging effects on the number of emitted VOC (chemical richness) or on the Shannon diversity of the VOC profiles were detected in 13 species. Biosynthetic pathways-targeted analyses revealed 13 species showing drought-induced higher emission rates of VOC from one, two, three, or four major biosynthetic pathways (lipoxygenase, shikimate, mevalonate and methylerythritol phosphate pathway), while six species exhibited reduced emission rates from one or two of these pathways. Similarity trees of odorant profiles and their drought-induced changes based on a biosynthetically informed distance metric did not match species phylogeny. However, a phylogenetic signal was detected for the amount of terpenoids released by the studied species under WW and DT conditions. A comparative analysis of emission rates of single compounds released by WW and DT plants revealed significant VOC profile dissimilarities in four species only. The moderate drought-induced changes in the odorant emissions of grassland species are discussed with respect to their impact on trophic interactions across the food web. (294 words)

Isothermal low-temperature oxidation behavior and kinetics of heavy oil

In this study, the isothermal low-temperature oxidation (LTO) behavior of heavy oil was investigated by thermogravimetry combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, the kinetics analysis was conducted using general reaction rate models. The findings revealed that the LTO process of heavy oil could be divided into three distinct phases. The first phase, occurring between 50 and 100 °C, exhibited minimal mass loss and low absorbance of gas-phase products. In the second phase (100–250 °C) the produced gas predominantly consisted of saturated hydrocarbons and substances containing C=O groups. Lastly, in the third phase (250–300 °C), the signals of CO2 and CO in the produced gas were significantly higher compared to the 50–250 °C range, indicating a shift in the oxidation mode of heavy oil from oxygenation to bond cleavage for temperatures higher than 250 °C. Kinetics analysis demonstrated an initial increase in reaction order and reaction rate from 50 to 100 °C, followed by a decrease from 100 to 250 °C, and a final increase from 250 to 300 °C. The negative activation energy observed in the second temperature interval was attributed to the negative temperature coefficient effect. This study provided valuable insights into the isothermal LTO reactions of heavy oil.

Enhancing the Gelation Behavior of Transglutaminase-Induced Soy Protein Isolate(SPI) through Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction.

Gelation, as an important functional property of soy protein isolate (SPI), can be improved by some green technologies in food manufacturing, including ultrasound, ultrahigh pressure and microwave treatments. This work investigated the effect of an alkaline solubilisation step in SPI extraction combined with sonication on protein properties. The TGase-induced gel of the modified SPI was prepared to explore the effect of ultrasound on gel properties, including structures, strength, water-holding capacity and rheological properties. Additionally, the differences between traditional ultrasound modification of SPI and current modification methods were analyzed. The results showed that the ultrasonication-assisted extraction method could result in a significant increase in extraction rate from 24.68% to 42.25%. Moreover, ultrasound-assisted modification of SPI gels induced with transglutaminase (TGase) exhibited significant improvement in mechanical properties, such as texture, water-holding capacity and rheological properties, In particular, SPI extracted at 400 W ultrasound intensity for 180 s showed the best overall performance in terms of gel properties. Our method efficiently uniformizes gel structure, enhancing mechanical properties compared to conventional ultrasound methods, which reduced energy consumption and costs. These findings provide insights into the production of high-gelation SPI in food manufacturing.

인구소멸 위기에 대응하기 위한 헌법적 소고가족공동체의 다양성과 아동의 기본권을 중심으로

In the face of an unprecedented total fertility rate of 0.78, numerous policies have been proposed. While short-term economic support policies may contribute to an increase in birth rates, their effectiveness is constrained by economic factors such as recession, leading to uncertainty about when increased costs might halt the rising birth rate. Population shocks can result in economic and security crises, prompting individuals to avoid childbirth or seek opportunities abroad. Consequently, adopting a distinct long-term plan and constitutional efforts to establish and stabilize a minimum total fertility rate unaffected by external factors is imperative. Approaching the population issue from a constitutional values perspective, the solution begins with understanding the future parent generation's views on marriage and childbirth. To address the national challenge of population decline, the focus is on diversifying the family community, the fundamental unit of the country, ensuring the basic rights of children as family members, and particularly, providing national protection for children born outside of marriage.&#x0D; To achieve this, the paper first emphasizes the need to redefine the concept of family for diversified family structures, utilizing a structural analysis of Article 36 of the Constitution. It then presents the current situation in countries that have implemented non-marriage registration systems. Second, the paper introduces the importance of ensuring the basic rights of children as family members. To lay the foundation for a happy childhood and adolescence, it aims to establish basic rights for children and eliminate prejudices and discrimination against non-marital births through new constitutional protection provisions. Finally, the paper suggests a direction for the structure of constitutional amendments if undertaken.

Examining cancer screening disparities by race/ethnicity and insurance groups: A comparison of 2008 and 2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data in the United States.

Pervasive differences in cancer screening among race/ethnicity and insurance groups presents a challenge to achieving equitable healthcare access and health outcomes. However, the change in the magnitude of cancer screening disparities over time has not been thoroughly examined using recent public health survey data. A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the 2008 and 2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) database focused on breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates among race/ethnicity and insurance groups. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between cancer screening rates, race/ethnicity, and insurance coverage, and to quantify the changes in disparities in 2008 and 2018, adjusting for potential confounders. Colorectal cancer screening rates increased for all groups, but cervical and mammogram rates remained stagnant for specific groups. Non-Hispanic Asians continued to report consistently lower odds of receiving cervical tests (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.32-0.55, p<0.001) and colorectal cancer screening (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.42-0.72, p<0.001) compared to non-Hispanic Whites in 2018, despite significant improvements since 2008. Non-Hispanic Blacks continued to report higher odds of recent cervical cancer screening (OR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.47-2.68, p<0.001) and mammograms (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02-1.71, p<0.05) than non-Hispanic Whites in 2018, consistent with higher odds observed in 2008. Hispanic individuals reported improved colorectal cancer screening over time, with no significant difference compared to non-Hispanics Whites in 2018, despite reporting lower odds in 2008. The uninsured status was associated with significantly lower odds of cancer screening than private insurance for all three cancers in 2008 and 2018. Despite an overall increase in breast and colorectal cancer screening rates between 2008 and 2018, persistent racial/ethnic and insurance disparities exist among race/ethnicity and insurance groups. These findings highlight the importance of addressing underlying factors contributing to disparities among underserved populations and developing corresponding interventions.

In situ monitor l-Dopa permeability by integrating electrochemical sensor on the Blood-Brain Barrier chip

Real-time monitoring the drugs penetration into brain is crucial for clinical therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, a Blood-Brain Barrier-electrochemical sensing (BBB-ES) platform combining BBB on chip model and electrochemical sensing system was proposed, which facilitated stable BBB growth under fluidic conditions and realized real-time detection of L-Dopa across the BBB. Based on this system, the effects of fluid force on the cell morphology, skeleton arrangement and tight junction protein ZO-1 of BBB growth were evaluated, it was verified that the fluid force promote cell rearrangement. Additionally, L-Dopa detecting performance was optimized by modifying SWNTs-AuNPs-PPy/Tyr(Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes-Au Nanoparticles-Polypyrrole/Tyrosinase) on electrochemical electrode, which showed a wide linear response range of 10–500 μM and excellent selectivity toward L-Dopa. The integrated BBB-ES system was finally applied to real-time monitor the penetration process of L-Dopa through the BBB, it was proved that the penetration of L-Dopa increased with the increase of flow rate and time, and finding that L-Dopa was delivered by passive diffusion without disrupting the integrity of BBB. Based on these findings, the system can be used to monitor the real-time process of different drugs penetrating BBB and even different organ barriers, which also provide the possibility to solve the clinical demand for drugs screen.

Multi-physics field modeling and electrochemical performance analysis of medium-temperature methanol-fueled proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cell

ABSTRACT A two-dimensional axisymmetric multi-physics field simulation for a methanol-fueled proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cell (CH3OH-SOFC-H) was created in this work. The influence of structural and operating parameters on the performance of the cell was analyzed. Moreover, the cell performance was compared with that of a methanol-oxygen ion-conducting SOFC (CH3OH-SOFC-O) under the same operating conditions. It was found that the anode support enables CH3OH-SOFC-H to exhibit higher performance, with the highest power density being 1493.3 W‧m−2 at 973 K. As the anode flow rate rises, the current density rises and subsequently falls, with a peak of 7623.6 A‧m−2. Meanwhile, as the methanol content in the gas composition and the cathode flow rate increase, so does the current density. CH3OH-SOFC-H has better electrochemical performance at low and medium temperatures, reaching 562.64 W‧m−2 at 773K (66% higher than that of CH3OH-SOFC-O at the same operating conditions). Meanwhile, CH3OH-SOFC-O has better performance at high temperatures. This study provides a theoretical reference for the subsequent application and promotion of CH3OH-SOFC-H.

Effect of heat treatments on mechanical properties and wear resistance of laser-powder bed-fused Ti6Al4V alloy

The effects of heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties and wear resistance of Selective Laser Melting Ti6Al4V alloy were systematically studied. The results show that the as-built part has an acicular [Formula: see text] martensite structure. The increase in heat treatment temperature causes the decomposition of acicular [Formula: see text] martensite, which leads to the decrease of the hardness of Ti6Al4V alloy. When the heat treatment temperature is 800∘C, the alloy forms an [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] structure, which increases the tensile strength and elongation of the alloy by 12% and 23%, respectively. When the heat treatment reaches above 900∘C, the mechanical properties of the alloy decrease sharply due to the disappearance of the [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] structure, the coarse grains of the [Formula: see text] phase, and the increase of the content of the [Formula: see text] phase. The tensile strength decreased from 935[Formula: see text]MPa to 815[Formula: see text]MPa, and the elongation decreased from 8.7% to 3.1%. With the increase of heat treatment temperature, the friction coefficient and wear rate increase linearly, which is opposite to the changing trend of hardness, and the wear mechanism is changed from single abrasive wear to abrasive wear and oxidative wear. This is attributed to the increase in the grain size of the alloy and the increase in the content of the [Formula: see text] phase, resulting in a decrease in the overall hardness of the alloy.

Do shipping alliances affect freight rates? Evidence from global satellite ship data

Shipping alliances (SAs) can facilitate their members’ coordination on price and capacity decisions. Although this helps reduce the oversupply of capacity and cutthroat competition during market downturns, the possible freight rate increase due to potential collusion among member shipping lines is another concern. This study aims to empirically investigate the impacts of SAs on container freight rates on nine major shipping corridors for the period from 2015 to 2020. To measure market concentration, data from a satellite-based Automatic Information System (AIS) is used to identify liner shipping companies' services in each market. We propose to use the alliance-level Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) and Concentration Ratio Index (CR) to measure market concentration. Then we used the simulated market concentration measures as the instrumental variable to address the endogeneity issue between freight rates and alliances’ market share. The main finding is that both alliance-level HHI and CR are negatively associated with freight rates, implying that SAs may help reduce prices. This finding provides new insights for antitrust authorities when investigating alliance applications in the liner shipping sector.

Data Imputation of Soil Pressure on Shield Tunnel Lining Based on Random Forest Model.

With the advancement of engineering techniques, underground shield tunneling projects have also started incorporating emerging technologies to monitor the forces and displacements during the construction and operation phases of shield tunnels. Monitoring devices installed on the tunnel segment components generate a large amount of data. However, due to various factors, data may be missing. Hence, the completion of the incomplete data is imperative to ensure the utmost safety of the engineering project. In this research, a missing data imputation technique utilizing Random Forest (RF) is introduced. The optimal combination of the number of decision trees, maximum depth, and number of features in the RF is determined by minimizing the Mean Squared Error (MSE). Subsequently, complete soil pressure data are artificially manipulated to create incomplete datasets with missing rates of 20%, 40%, and 60%. A comparative analysis of the imputation results using three methods-median, mean, and RF-reveals that this proposed method has the smallest imputation error. As the missing rate increases, the mean squared error of the Random Forest method and the other two methods also increases, with a maximum difference of about 70%. This indicates that the random forest method is suitable for imputing monitoring data.

Sex Differences in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Survival Trends.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates have improved over time. This study established whether improvements were similar for women and men, and to what extent resuscitation characteristics or in-hospital procedures contributed to sex differences in temporal trends. This retrospective cohort study included 3386 women and 8564 men from North Holland, the Netherlands, who experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from a cardiac cause in 2005 to 2017. Yearly rates of 30-day survival and secondary outcomes were calculated. Sex differences in temporal trends were evaluated with age-adjusted Poisson regression analysis, including interaction for sex and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest year. Resuscitation characteristics and in-hospital procedures were added to the model, and a spline at 2013 was considered. During the study period, the average 30-day survival was 24.9% in men and 15.7% in women. The 30-day survival rate increased in men (20% to 27.2%; P<0.001) but not in women (15.0% to 11.6%; P=0.40). The increase in the 30-day survival rate was 3% higher per year in men than in women (rate ratio, 1.03 [95% CI, 1.00-1.05]), with a stronger difference after 2013. Men had a larger increase in survival rate to the hospital arrival than women in 2005 to 2013, and, after 2013, an advantage over women in survival rate after hospital arrival. The sex differences were partly explained by differing trends in shockable initial rhythm (eg, adjusted rate ratio, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.99-1.03] for 30-day survival) and provision of in-hospital procedures. Changes in rates of 30-day survival, survival to hospital arrival, and, after 2013, survival from hospital arrival to 30 days were more beneficial in men than women. The differences in trends were partly explained by shockable initial rhythm and in-hospital procedures.

Heat transfer characteristics of the air-oil heat exchanger with spiral tube

The cooling problem of hot-end components has become an important factor restricting the aero-engine performance, life and reliability. In order to improve the cooling quality of the cooling air, the supercritical aviation kerosene was used as a heat sink to cool the cooling air in a spiral heat exchanger. The flow and heat transfer process of the air-oil heat exchanger with spiral tube were numerically simulated using Fluent software. The flow and heat transfer situation of air and aviation kerosene were analyzed in detail. The optimized spiral heat exchanger with the diaphragm was presented to enhance the heat transfer capacity of the air side. It is found that the heat transfer performance of the air-oil heat exchanger is greatly enhanced by the spiral tube due to the secondary flow effect. With the increase in the turning angle of the spiral tube, the effect of the secondary flow for the heat transfer enhancement is strengthened. The PEC index of the spiral heat exchanger increases with the increase in the air flow rate. The spiral heat exchanger with the diaphragm can effectively improve the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger, and increase the PEC index of the air side by more than 20%.