Critical Point Research Articles

Assessment of Lifetime Risk for Cardiovascular Disease: Time to Move Forward.

Over the past decades, there has been a notable increase in the risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), even among younger individuals. Policymakers and the health community have revised CVD prevention programs to include younger people in order to take these new circumstances into account. A variety of CVD risk assessment tools have been developed in the past years with the aim of identifying potential CVD candidates at the population level; however, they can hardly discriminate against younger individuals at high risk of CVD.Therefore, in addition to the traditional 10-year CVD risk assessment, lifetime CVD risk assessment has recently been recommended by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology prevention guidelines, particularly for young individuals. Methodologically, the benefits of these lifetime prediction models are the incorporation of left truncation observed in survival curves and the risk of competing events which are not considered equivalent in the common survival analysis. Thus, lifetime risk data are easily understandable and can be utilized as a risk communication tool for Public Health surveillance. However, given the peculiarities behind these estimates, structural harmonization should be conducted in order to create a sex-, race-specific tool that is sensitive to accurately identifying individuals who are at high risk of CVD. In this review manuscript, we present the most commonly used lifetime CVD risk tools, elucidate several methodological and critical points, their limitations, and the rationale behind their integration into everyday clinical practice.

Thermal chaos of quantum-corrected-AdS black hole in the extended phase space

We briefly analyzed the equation of state and critical points of the quantum-corrected-AdS black hole and used the Melnikov method to study its thermal chaotic behavior in the extended phase space of flat, closed, and open universes. The results show that the black hole’s thermodynamic behavior is similar to that of the Van der Waals system. Although the critical ratios at the critical points in the three types of universes differ, they are all independent of the quantum correction parameter. Only an open universe can attain the critical ratio of 38\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\frac{3}{8}$$\\end{document} corresponding to the Van der Waals system, while in the other two universes, the critical ratio is always greater than this value. For chaos, time perturbations will lead to chaotic behavior when their amplitude exceeds a critical value that depends on the quantum correction parameter and the radius of the dust sphere in the FRW model. Based on this, we found that the chaotic behavior of the black hole varies across different universes depending on the quantum correction parameter, but this parameter always makes chaos more likely. Using the value of the quantum correction parameter determined by Meissner, chaos is always more difficult to occur in an open universe compared to the other two types of universes. Which universe is most prone to chaos depends on the radius of the dust sphere. Finally, chaotic behavior is always present under spatial perturbations.

Condensate Banking Analysis Optimizes Reservoir Development in Permian Basin

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper URTeC 4044947, “Numerical Analysis of Condensate Banking and Development Optimization in the Deep Formation of the Permian Basin,” by Jichao Han, SPE, Sunil Lakshminarayanan, and Jiasen Tan, SPE, Oxy, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ In the context of unconventional reservoir development, the issue of condensate banking—a factor contributing to reduced productivity in gas condensate reservoirs when the reservoir pressure falls below the dewpoint pressure—poses a constant concern. Before implementation of any mitigation strategies, it is prudent to assess the potential of condensate banking in the future, based on the limited early production data. A specialized workflow was devised for a deep formation in the Permian Basin. This workflow aims to quantify the severity of condensate banking and subsequently optimize reservoir development strategies. Introduction Well A represents a single appraisal well situated within deep formations of the Permian Basin. With only 5 months of production data available, pressure/volume/temperature analysis and modeling identified it as a gas condensate reservoir, with the dewpoint very close to the critical point. This prompts two critical business inquiries: Are there any concerns regarding condensate banking for this well? And what are the optimal drawdown strategies tailored to this specific format surrounding the appraisal well? Model Setup and Calibration Modeling Workflow. This study uses the comprehensive simulation workflow derived from Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site 2, which can effectively handle integrated models to provide valuable insight for condensate banking analysis and reservoir development optimization (Fig. 1). Hydraulic fracture and reservoir simulations were conducted using GOHFER 3D and Navigator software, respectively. The integration of fracture and reservoir models poses a significant challenge in accurately transferring fracture geometry and conductivity information from fracture simulators to reservoir simulators. To address this challenge, an in‑house preprocessor was developed, designed to project results from the fracture simulator into the reservoir simulator seamlessly, ensuring the fidelity of complex fracture geometries. This preprocessor enables the extension or contraction of fracture geometries in proportion to reduce uncertainties imposed by production data. Additionally, fracture conductivity is determined through regional correlations among proppant concentration, net closure stress, and fracture conductivity. Model Introduction. The geological model has been simplified to enhance modeling efficiency while still meeting the project requirements. The 3D geological model adopts a layer-cake structure with a flat geostructure. To ensure accuracy, the well trajectory is adjusted to align with the desired formation. The reservoir model measures 4,000×10,000×330 ft, with a grid resolution of 200×25×10 ft. Fracture geometry is imported from the fracture simulator, while fracture conductivity is primarily determined based on proppant concentration data exported from the fracture simulator. Fracture height remains unaltered in the reservoir simulator, reflecting available geochemical measurements. A compositional simulation approach is adopted instead of a black-oil model. To improve the accuracy of pressure drop and condensate dropout predictions, the local grid refinement (LGR) approach is selected, resulting in denser grids. This approach proves superior to the dual-porosity, dual-permeability (DPDP) method.

Stabilizing Pipe Flow by Flattening the Velocity Profile

It is important to control turbulence in industrial processes. Past experimental and numerical researches have shown that a turbulent puff in pipe flow can be removed or delayed by flattening the profile of the upstream velocity because a flattened velocity profile causes the point of inflection on it to collapse. The energy gradient theory has been developed to study turbulent transition, and the relevant studies have shown that turbulence arises due to the generation of singularities in the flow field. In pressure-driven flows like the pipe flow, the point of inflection on the velocity profile leads to the appearance of a singular point in the unsteady Navier–Stokes equation. In this study, the energy gradient theory is used to demonstrate why the point of inflection on the profile of velocity of pipe flow is the critical point for generating turbulence. Then, it is shown how flattening the velocity profile leads to the elimination of the point of inflection on the velocity profile of pipe flows to delay turbulent transition. It is also clarified why this technique is not effective at higher Reynolds number because the flattened velocity profile violates the criterion for flow stability relating to transition to turbulence.

Characteristics and Source Regions of Slow Alfvénic Solar Wind Observed by Parker Solar Probe

Using a classification scheme for solar-wind type based on the heliocentric distance of the observation, we look at near-perihelion observations from Parker Solar Probe Encounters 4 to 14 to study the sources of the slow Alfvénic solar wind (SASW). Through Potential Field Source Surface (PFSS) modeling and ballistic mapping, we connect streams to their solar source and find that a primary population of SASW comes from low magnetic field strength regions (low-B 0), likely small coronal holes (CHs) and their overexpanded boundaries, while a second population of high field strength (high-B 0) seems to emerge from non-CH structures potentially through interchange reconnection with nearby open field lines. This low-B 0 SASW shows larger expansion than the fast solar wind (FSW) but similar mass flux, potentially indicating additional heating below the critical point, and emergence from a cooler structure, which could lead to slower wind emerging from CH-like structures. We show that this low-B 0 SASW shows stronger preferential acceleration of alpha particles (similar to the FSW) than the high-B 0 SASW, and that this is a velocity-dependent phenomenon as found in previous studies. To have additional confidence in our mapping results, we quantify the error on both the PFSS model and ballistic mapping and discuss how additional multipoint observations of plasma parameters and composition would allow us to better constrain our models and connect the solar wind to its source.

PEDIATRIC HODGKIN LYMPHOMA IN LOW- and MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES (LMICs). A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a curable disease for more than 90% of children and adolescents in high income countries. However, similar results cannot be achieved, particularly for advanced disease, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where challenging socioeconomic realities and the consequent scarcity of local resources heavily impact on the treatment and patients’ outcome. Information regarding the management and outcome of pediatric HL in LMICs is still limited. In this narrative review, we summarize the results reported in the literature so far and discuss the critical key points that have emerged from this overview.

Images as data – modelling data interactions in social science and humanities research

PurposeThe expanded reuse of images as research data in the social sciences and humanities necessitates the understanding of scholars’ real-life interactions with the type of data. The aim of this study is to analyse activities constituting image data interactions in social science and humanities research and to provide a model describing the data interaction process.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on interviews with 21 scholars from various academic backgrounds utilising digital and print images collected from external sources as empirical research data. Qualitative content analyses were executed to analyse image data interactions throughout the research process in three task types: contemporary, historical and computational research.FindingsThe findings further develop the task-based information interaction model (Järvelin et al., 2015) originally created to explain the information interaction process. The enhanced model presents five main image data interaction activities: Data gathering, Forming dataset, Working with data, Synthesizing and reporting and Concluding, with various sub-activities. The findings show the variety of image data interactions in different task types.Originality/valueThe developed model contributes to understanding critical points in image data interactions and provides a model for future research analysing research data interactions. The model may also be used, for example, in designing better research services and infrastructures by identifying support needs throughout the research process.

Fat embolism: a systematic review to facilitate the development of standardised procedures in pathology.

Fat embolism (FE) is a historically recognised but still actively researched topic in forensic pathology. Several aspects remain not fully elucidated, such as its aetiopathogenesis, its causal role in death determination, the impact of interfering factors (e.g. cardiopulmonary resuscitation or other medical procedures) and both qualitative and quantitative diagnostic methodologies in clinical and forensic contexts. These issues are further underscored by the potential involvement of FE in the causal determination of non-traumatic deaths, which often raises questions of professional liability. The present study aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the most recent scientific evidence relevant to forensic pathology. Our systematic research has included 58 articles from 1990 to the present on the topic of FE and fat embolism syndrome (FES). From these articles, we identified 45 case reports, from which the authors' descriptions were extracted to provide information on individual cases and the operational methods of forensic pathologists. Additionally, 21 experimental studies were identified, and their key findings have been summarised narratively. It has emerged that both traumatic and non-traumatic cases are frequently reported in the forensic context, with orthopaedic and cosmetic surgery being among the highest-risk specialities. Experimental studies have re-evaluated the role of a patent foramen ovale in the pathogenesis of FE, as well as the impact of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in causing FE severe enough to result in death. Additionally, there are new findings regarding diagnostic techniques, including radiological and immunohistological methods; however, they have not yet fully bridged the reliability gap compared to an accurate autopsy-histological evaluation. The major critical points that emerged include the lack of complete and detailed information on premortem clinical conditions, the underutilisation of grading systems and the methodological heterogeneity applied, resulting in considerable variability regarding the organs studied histologically and the diagnostic techniques used. Despite the limitations associated with the analysis of case reports and the heterogeneity of included experimental studies, we believe that this study can provide a comprehensive overview of the FE topic. It furnishes pathologists with an updated overview useful for clinical practice and guiding future research trends, as well as facilitating the development of standardised procedures.

Spherical accretion onto higher-dimensional Reissner–Nordström black hole

Abstract We obtain relativistic solutions of spherically symmetric accretion by a dynamical analysis of a generalised Hamiltonian for higher-dimensional Reissner–Nordström (RN) Black Hole (BH). We consider two different fluids namely, an isotropic fluid and a non-linear polytropic fluid to analyse the critical points in a higher-dimensional RN BH. The flow dynamics of the fluids are studied in different spacetime dimensions in the framework of Hamiltonian formalism. The isotropic fluid is found to have both transonic and non-transonic flow behaviour, but in the case of polytropic fluid, the flow behaviour is found to exhibit only non-transonic flow, determined by a critical point that is related to the local sound speed. The critical radius is found to change with the spacetime dimensions. Starting from the usual four dimensions it is noted that as the dimension increases the critical radius decreases, attains a minimum at a specific dimension (D > 4) and thereafter increases again. The mass accretion rate for isotropic fluid is determined using Hamiltonian formalism. The maximum mass accretion rate for RN BH with different equations of state parameters is studied in addition to spacetime dimensions. The flow behaviour and mass accretion rate for a change in BH charge is also studied analytically. It is noted that the maximum mass accretion rate in a higher-dimensional Schwarzschild BH is the lowest, which however, increases with the increase in charge parameter in a higher-dimensional RN BH.

Mechanical behavior analysis of sandwich composite structures with different core geometries under three-point bending

This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the mechanical behavior of sandwich composite structures featuring six distinct core geometries under three-point bending conditions. Through detailed finite element analysis (FEA), the research examines the performance characteristics of I-shaped, traditional honeycomb (NIDA), O-shaped, X-shaped, semi-circular, and modified core geometries. The analysis focused on stress distribution patterns, displacement responses, and overall structural integrity. Results demonstrate that the semi-circular core geometry exhibits superior mechanical properties, achieving an 84.66% improvement in positive stress resistance and 74.79% enhancement in negative stress resistance compared to the traditional honeycomb reference model. The study revealed consistent linear elastic behavior across all models within the tested displacement range, with the semi-circular configuration showing optimal stress distribution and minimal core deformation. Using aluminum for facings and core materials, the research evaluated mechanical responses through displacement-controlled loading conditions, measuring stress concentrations at critical points and analyzing deformation patterns. This research provides valuable insights into the relationship between core geometry and mechanical performance, offering practical implications for engineering applications requiring high strength-to-weight ratios and enhanced flexural resistance in modern structural design.

The Image of the General Elections Commission (KPU) in the 2024 Presidential Election

Throughout the organization of presidential elections in Indonesia, the General Elections Commission (KPU) has often been in the public spotlight. In this context, the image of the KPU, which consists of trust, reality, cooperation, and awareness, serves as the indicators used by the public to evaluate the institution. This research employs a qualitative methodology and is based on a literature review of previous studies and surveys conducted by several independent organizations. Surveys by Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) and Databoks support this assessment. The results show that public trust in the KPU has declined due to political dispute issues, with a score of 277. However, according to the Litbang Kompas survey on the reality indicator, the public perceives the KPU's image positively, with a score of 62%. On the cooperation indicator, public political participation in the presidential election continues to increase. Regarding the awareness aspect, the lack of public political knowledge is a critical point in Indonesian politics. Therefore, as the institution responsible for organizing elections, the KPU needs to continuously improve its performance and image.

Legacy and Novel Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Surface Soils across China: Source Tracking and Main Drivers for the Spatial Variation.

China aims to actively control the contamination of globally concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Evaluation of the current situation can provide a critical reference point for tracking the effectiveness of ongoing progress. Herein, we present the first comprehensive assessment of the spatial variations of 20 legacy and 54 novel PFASs in Chinese background soils in 2021. Novel PFASs were extensively detected in 98.4% of the samples, with 21 species being first reported, which greatly facilitated the appointment of diverse emission sources that aligned with local industrial structures. However, legacy PFASs still dominated the ∑74PFAS profile (median 0.51 ng/g, 0.050-8.33 ng/g). The spatial heterogeneity of soil PFASs was positively driven by economic development and atmospheric deposition, enabling the establishment of predictive models to project the national distribution and temporal trends. Elevated PFAS levels were predominantly distributed in the more industrialized eastern and southern regions, as well as other coastal areas with greater precipitation. ∑74PFAS in surface soils was estimated to increase by 12.9 pg/(g year) over 2002-2021, which would continue alongside economic growth, albeit with greater contributions from novel alternatives. Our work provides comprehensive baseline and predictive data to inform policies toward PFAS control in China.

The Bałaban variational problem in the non-linear sigma model

The minimization of the action of a QFT with a constraint dictated by the block averaging procedure is an important part of Bałaban’s approach to renormalization. It is particularly interesting for QFTs with non-trivial target spaces, such as gauge theories or non-linear sigma models on a lattice. We analyze this step for the [Formula: see text] non-linear sigma model in two dimensions and demonstrate, in this case, how various ingredients of Bałaban’s approach play together. First, using variational calculus on Lie groups, the equation for the critical point is derived. Then, this non-linear equation is solved by the Banach contraction mapping theorem. This step requires detailed control of lattice Green functions and their integral kernels via random walk expansions.

Analytic mappings of the unit disk which almost preserve hyperbolic area

AbstractIn this paper, we study analytic self‐maps of the unit disk which distort hyperbolic areas of large hyperbolic disks by a bounded amount. We give a number of characterizations involving angular derivatives, Lipschitz extensions, Möbius distortion, the distribution of critical points and Aleksandrov–Clark measures. We also examine the Lyapunov exponents of their Aleksandrov–Clark measures.

Achieving an equitable circular food economy in Vancouver

ABSTRACT Food loss and waste occur at an alarming rate while many households in the City of Vancouver are food insecure. Set within the context of City of Vancouver’s Zero Waste 2040 long-term strategic plan, the City seeks to promote a circular economy, including through food waste reduction and prevention, better food redistribution, and partaking in awareness campaigns. Food rescue and redistribution is often framed as a win–win solution to avoid throwing unwanted, unmarketable, or surplus foods from the landfill and instead redistributing the food to those who are food insecure. This solution has been framed as a useful tool to promote a circular economy. However, both food waste and food studies scholars have rightly noted that connecting unwanted foods with those who are food insecure to address systemic hunger is not a panacea, nor is it a systemic solution to prevent food waste. Drawing on key informant interviews with agri-food experts across the system (n = 20), this study identified the challenges, opportunities, and the overall vision of the circular food economy and how it is mobilised in the City of Vancouver. It seeks to understand how equity factors into the vision of a circular food economy and its implementation by agri-food and relevant actors. The findings in this study highlight the importance of dynamic governance systems that targets critical points for change including regulation, funding, and capacity building to ensure a circular food economy that considers equity and justice.

Dynamical transition in controllable quantum neural networks with large depth

Understanding the training dynamics of quantum neural networks is a fundamental task in quantum information science with wide impact in physics, chemistry and machine learning. In this work, we show that the late-time training dynamics of quantum neural networks with a quadratic loss function can be described by the generalized Lotka-Volterra equations, leading to a transcritical bifurcation transition in the dynamics. When the targeted value of loss function crosses the minimum achievable value from above to below, the dynamics evolve from a frozen-kernel dynamics to a frozen-error dynamics, showing a duality between the quantum neural tangent kernel and the total error. In both regions, the convergence towards the fixed point is exponential, while at the critical point becomes polynomial. We provide a non-perturbative analytical theory to explain the transition via a restricted Haar ensemble at late time, when the output state approaches the steady state. Via mapping the Hessian to an effective Hamiltonian, we also identify a linearly vanishing gap at the transition point. Compared with the linear loss function, we show that a quadratic loss function within the frozen-error dynamics enables a speedup in the training convergence. The theory findings are verified experimentally on IBM quantum devices.

Experimental study on seismic performance of glulam structural columns with anchored connections

In current timber structures, the low initial stiffness, and weak bending resistance of the connections result in significant structural deformation and failures. To improve the mechanical capabilities of timber structural joints, a novel timber-component anchorage system with robust bending resistance was introduced. Thirteen scaled-down specimens of glulam columns with anchored connections were meticulously fabricated for testing, scaled at a ratio of 1/2. Cyclic loading tests were conducted, considering three types of the volume compression percentage of confined wood perpendicular to the grain; and five axial-load levels. Subsequently, various seismic performance aspects of glulam columns with anchored connections were examined, including the failure mode, hysteresis behavior, envelope curve, strength degradation, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation capacity, and critical points. During the analysis, the influence of the P–Δ effect on the results was discussed and a damage-based hysteretic model was presented. Finally, a comparison of the mechanical performance for various types of timber structural joints was conducted. The findings revealed that the failure mode of the anchored glulam columns occurred as cracking perpendicular to the grain, and the anchored columns exhibited superior bending resistance and overall seismic performance.

Evaluation of the Validation Process of Prospective Recipients of Educational Scholarships on the Siaplah Platform: A Case Study at The West Kalimantan Provincial Education and Culture Office

This study aims to evaluate the validation process of prospective recipients of educational scholarships through the Siaplah platform implemented by the West Kalimantan Education and Culture Office. The research methods used in this study are Business Process Improvement (BPI) and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Because BPI can evaluate in aligning processes with organizational goals and strategies. In the context of this research, BPI can assist the West Kalimantan Education and Culture Office to ensure that the scholarship validation process supports the achievement of organizational goals related to education. Meanwhile, FMEA is used to identify potential risks, failures, and weaknesses in the validation process. Through this analysis, research can identify critical points in the process that could lead to failures or problems. So the FMEA can be improved by giving a score on each risk and impact. Research results: Business process recommendations for prospective PBP recipients are made based on the design of business process improvement that has been carried out using the Business Process Improvement (BPI) method. Some activities have changed, activities that have been added to activities that have been removed. From the results of simulations carried out on the current business process (as it is) and business process recommendations (to be), it was found that the increase in time analysis reached 02.8% in the business process of prospective PBP recipients, 1.44% in the implementation of the business of prospective PBP recipients, and 1.55% in the business evaluation of prospective PBP recipients.

Spatiotemporal variability of flash floods and their human impacts in the Czech Republic during the 2001–2023 period

Abstract. Flash floods, characterized by their sudden onset, extreme discharge, short duration, material damage, and human loss, represent a significant natural hazard. Not well covered by standard hydrological observations, flash flood data can primarily be derived from various types of documentary evidence. This evidence served as the main data source for creating a flash flood database for the Czech Republic from 2001 to 2023. This database enabled detailed analysis of different aspects of flash floods. The annual series of 233 flash flood events, 160 flash flood days, and 424 affected municipalities showed significant inter-annual variability but no linear trends. The triggering rainfall that generates flash floods was analyzed with respect to 1–3-hourly and daily precipitation totals and circulation types from the objective classification. While flash floods can occur anywhere, they were more frequently recorded at the foots of mountain slopes, often coinciding with “critical points” where built-up areas meet concentrated surface runoff pathways. The division of material damage caused by flash floods into eight categories indicated that the highest proportion of damage was to streets and communications (24.3 %), to houses (21.7 %), and to their cellars and basements (18.3 %). There were also 36 recorded fatalities. The understanding of flash floods in the Czech Republic aligns generally well with studies of flash floods in other European regions.

Development of rapid methods to monitor nutritional standards in sustainable healthy public catering

Abstract Background The WHO and FAO in the Second International Conference on Nutrition stress the role of nutrition standards for public facilities catering services (CS) and in the Sustainable Healthy Diet guiding principles (SHD) underline synergies among foods, nutrients present in dietary patterns and their bioavailability, degree of food processing, and subsequent health impact. In Italy almost one in 10 people eat a meal in CS every day. In accordance with SHD, the Italian Ministry of Health (MH) in the national guidelines for CS indicate activating procedures for the conservation of nutritional qualities (NQ) of micronutrients and bioactive substances. The central purchasing body of the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia have applied these criteria, introducing the process of critical control points of nutrient analysis (NACCP) in the Public Procurement for the school catering of 69 municipalities and for all 18 regional hospital with more than 3 million meals per year served. The aim of the project was to develop rapid and cheap methods for monitoring the NQ of meals by applying the NACCP process. Methods 150 samples of pasta, milk and also vegetables, meat, fish with different degrees of processing, were taken from the CS and analysed both with chemical techniques and with optical rapid techniques (1300 analyses). Results The samples were subjected to conventional analyses to determine the oxidation state and the content of characterizing molecules such as polyphenols, histamine, and total compounds of Maillard. The same samples were then analyzed by color measurements. The results showed a good correlation between the two analytical systems, in particular the color measurements and the Maillard compounds and the color measurements and the oxidation state. Conclusions Project findings can be applied in the NACCP process to rapidly cost-effectively monitor the nutritional quality of CS meals, and adhere to WHO and FAO the SHD guiding principles and MH guidelines for CS. Key messages • The development of rapid methods of monitoring the nutritional standards of public catering can implement sustainable food systems thereby promoting the healthy diets recommended by the FAO and WHO. • Rapid methods of monitoring nutritional standards represent an innovative component in improving the culture of food and nutritional security in public catering.