Reconstruction Mode Research Articles

Reconstructive Options for Basal Cell Carcinoma Defects in the Head and Neck Region: An Institutional Experience.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer with more than 80% occurring on the face occurring mainly due to exposure to ultraviolet rays in the elderly due to cumulative exposure of the UV rays during their lifetime. Though various treatment modalities are available for the treatment of basal cell carcinomas, wide local excision is the standard line of management. However, reconstruction of facial BCC poses a challenge to the reconstructive surgeon. Over a 4-year-old period from 2017 to 2021, a total of 30 patients of head and neck basal cell carcinoma were surgically excised in our institution. We have explored all modes of reconstruction from small to large BCC defects in terms of cosmesis, form and function. Four patients underwent primary closure, 8 patients underwent skin grafting, 13 patients underwent closure by local and advancement flaps and 5 patients with large defects underwent free flap reconstruction. No flap loss was reported. None reported any functional deficit. To achieve adequate aesthetic surgical outcomes after reconstruction, knowledge of facial aesthetic regions is of utmost importance. The size and location of the defect and the presence of vital structures adjacent to the defect should be assessed to determine the kind of reconstruction that should be carried out without adversely affecting adjacent structures. For greater patient satisfaction, the method of reconstruction should be tailor made, where donor tissue resembles native tissue with good contour and texture match, suture line scars are camouflaged, and complications are nil.

A Volume Fracturing Percolation Model for Tight Reservoir Vertical Wells

Based on the non-linear seepage characteristics of tight reservoirs and the reconstruction mode of vertical wells with actual volume fracturing, a seven-area percolation model for volume fracturing vertical wells in tight reservoirs is established. Laplace transform and Pedrosa transform are applied to obtain analytical solutions of bottom hole pressure and vertical well production under a constant production regime. After verifying the correctness of the model, the influence of the fracture network parameters on the pressure and production is studied. The research results indicate that as the permeability modulus increases, the production of volume fracturing vertical wells decreases. The penetration ratio of the main crack and the half-length of the main crack have a small impact on production, while the diversion capacity of the main crack has a significant impact on the initial production, but it is ultimately limited by the effective volume of the transformation. Under constant pressure conditions, the greater the width and permeability of the ESRV region, the higher the vertical well production rate is. The smaller the aspect ratio of the ESRV region, the higher the mid-term yield and the faster the yield decrease. The research results show guiding significance for the design of vertical well volume fracturing in tight reservoirs.

Research on Spatial Restructuring of Farmers’ Homestead Based on the “Point-Line-Surface” Characteristics of Mountain Villages

The spatial restructuring of rural settlements is conducive to the realization of rural transition and development. This study constructed a “point-line-surface” framework for the spatial reconstruction of the homestead in a typical mountain village and used the weighted Voronoi diagram and buffer analysis method to analyze. The results are as follows. (1) The development capacity of rural homesteads in Longfeng Village was divided into three levels: high, medium, and low. Among them, the high-level homesteads clustered in the north and south of the village in the form of a “T” and a long strip, respectively; the medium-level homesteads are mostly aggregated in the middle of the village; the low-level homesteads are mainly distributed along the Fenghuang Mountain. (2) The layout of homesteads in Longfeng Village was axis-oriented, which is manifested by the number and scale being in a gradient-decreasing pattern with the main road axis as the centerline. (3) According to the principle of “maximum” development capacity of the homestead, nine reconstruction units are divided. By calculating the location entropy, it is found that the dominant functions of each reconstruction unit mainly include supporting life services, operational production, ecological agricultural production, and traditional agricultural production, and there are obvious differences in the development patterns of homesteads in different functional units. (4) Based on the “point-line-surface” characteristics of the homestead, four reconstruction modes, namely, modern community type, field and garden integration type, road-pointing type, and traditional residential type, are summarized, and the reconstruction strategies are proposed accordingly. The “point-line-surface” framework of rural settlements is of practical significance and theoretical value, which can provide a decision-making reference for the optimization and reorganization of residential land space in villages of the same type in mountain areas. Moreover, the integrated and innovative framework proposed in the paper has also international significance, thanks to the possibility of replicating the research strategy and methodological approach in other contexts.

Principal force pattern and impulse response mode for structural equivalent force estimation and full-field response reconstruction

An impulse response mode-based approach is proposed in this study to estimate the equivalent force and achieve full-field monitoring under complex loading conditions. The structural impulse responses to quasi-static and dynamic forces are decomposed as the superposition of a set of predefined representative basis to provide the low-rank property of responses. The principal impulse response modes are calculated from the correlation matrix of the impulse responses in a time step using the principal component analysis. The principal relative force pattern is the eigenvector of the correlation matrix, and the truncation number is determined by the distribution of the eigenvalues. The equivalent force is subsequently defined and solved by the dynamic stiffness method. The full-field responses are then reconstructed by calculating the model responses to the estimated equivalent force. The systematic uncertainty is also quantified by an error propagation method for sensor placement optimization. Numerical examples and experimental tests demonstrate that the proposed methodology can estimate the equivalent force and reconstruct the structural responses accurately under various load scenarios.

Timing of the narrowest neoLVOT with trans-catheter mitral valve implantation, a cardiac computed tomography study

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Trans-catheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) procedures had emerged as an alternative solution for patients who have surgical high risk for mitral valve surgery. One of the main challenges faced during the percutaneous approach is the degree of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) narrowing after implanting the new percutaneous mitral prosthesis. The remaining LVOT area (NeoLVOT) can be estimated by a commercially available CT analysis software that allows the insertion of a virtual valve within the CT dataset in the native annulus and/or the degenerated bioproshesis and hence allows measurement of the NeoLVOT using the multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) mode. The systolic phase that shows the narrowest NeoLVOT is not fully understood, and hence there is a considerable variability between operators in choosing the best phase in systole at which they should insert the virtual valve within the mitral annulus in the CT dataset to measure the narrowest NeoLVOT. Purpose To detect the systolic phase that shows the narrowest NeoLVOT and hence standardize the way to use the software to decrease variability among operators. Methods A retrospective observational single center study, including 20 patients (age 62± 4 years, 70% men), who had undergone a clinically indicated cardiac computed tomography (CT). All these patients were in sinus rhythm, had no significant coronary artery disease bases on CT report, and had normal left ventricular systolic function with no regional wall motion abnormalities, we excluded patients who had previous cardiac surgeries, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, significant pulmonary hypertension or congenital heart disease that may affect septal motion. CTs were performed using a 128 slice dual-source (Somatom Definition Flash, Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany) with a retrospective ECG-gated acquisition CT analysis was done by a single operator using the commercially available software (3mensio Structural Heart 10.3, Pie Medical Imaging, The Netherlands). Multiphase scans were used and mid-diastole (80%), early-systole (10%), mid-systole (20%), late-systole (30–40%) were identified and analysed. Measurements done were; mitral annulus (MA) antero-posterior (AP) diameter, inter-commissural (IC) diameter, annulus area (Area), annulus perimeter (Peri), aorto-mitral angel, and the NeoLVOT area. (Figure 1). Results All measurements were feasible in all phases for all patients. The neoLVOT area was significantly narrower at end-systole (224 ± 62mm²), compared to early-systole (299 ± 70mm²) & mid-systole (261 ± 75 mm²), (p = 0.005). All other measurement did not show statistically significant changes despite taking certain trends. (Figure 2). Conclusions End-systole is the cardiac phase that shows the narrowest predicted Neo-LVOT area and hence it should be the standard phase to be used during CT analysis before TMVR to predict the narrowest NeoLVOT.

Validation of a three-dimensional trans-esophageal echocardiography analysis software to assess mitral valve annulus and predicted Neo-LVOT before trans-catheter mitral valve replacement

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Trans-catheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) procedures had emerged as an alternative solution for patients who have surgical high risk for mitral valve surgery. One of the main challenges faced during the percutaneous approach is the degree of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) narrowing after implanting the new percutaneous mitral prosthesis. The remaining LVOT area (NeoLVOT) can be estimated by a commercially available CT analysis software that allows the insertion of a virtual valve within the CT dataset in the native annulus and/or the degenerated bioproshesis and hence allows measurement of the NeoLVOT using the multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) mode. Due to the radiation as well as intravenous contrast risk of the CT scans, a new 3DTEE based software was developed, using the same concept of the virtual valve implantation within the 3DTEE dataset to measure the NeoLVOT using the MPR mode. Using this 3DTEE based software avoids the risks associated with CT (radiation & contrast) and can be a reasonable alternative for patients with impaired renal function or a screening test and/or filter for all patients before proceeding to a detailed CT scan if found suitable based on the 3DTEE analysis. Purpose To validate the 3DTEE based software in mitral valve annulus (MA) and NeoLVOT assessment using the CT based software as a gold standard. Methods A retrospective observational single center study, including 49 patients (age 57± 6 years, 60% men), who had undergone Cardiac computed tomography (CT) and three-dimensional trans-esophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) within one month from each other for any clinical indication. We excluded patients who had previous mitral or aortic valve surgeries. CT analysis was done using the commercially available software, (3mensio Structural Heart, Pie Medical Imaging, The Netherlands). 3DTEE analysis was done using the newly available software (3mensio Structural Heart 10.1–3mSH, Pie Medical Imaging, Bilthoven, Netherlands) Figure 1 Measurements done on both software were; mitral annulus (MA) antero-posterior (AP) diameter, inter-commissural (IC) diameter, annulus area (Area), annulus perimeter (Peri) and the NeoLVOT. Excellent correlation was found between 3D-TEE and CT measurements for MA AP diameter (r= 0.96), IC diameter (r=0.92), MA area (r =0.96), MA perimeter (r= 0.94) and NeoLVOT area (r= 0.96), (all P-values <0.0001). Virtual valve sizing was based on annulus measurement and was identical between CT and 3DTEE. Interobserver and intraobserver agreements were excellent for all the measurements with ICCs >0.80. Figure2 Conclusions Mitral annulus dimensions and Neo-LVOT assessment using this 3DTEE based analysis software is feasible and reliable compared to CT analysis. This can offer a good screening test or a filter for TMVR candidates and can also be a good alternative for patients who have a contraindication for CT.

A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR MANAGEMENT OF A CRITICALLY-SIZED BONE DEFECT IN THE OPEN PROXIMAL TIBIAL FRACTURE: EMPLOYING THE CAPANNA TECHNIQUE IN TRAUMA

A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR MANAGEMENT OF A CRITICALLY-SIZED BONE DEFECT IN THE OPEN PROXIMAL TIBIAL FRACTURE: EMPLOYING THE CAPANNA TECHNIQUE IN TRAUMA

Usage of Object Matching Algorithms Combined with Mixed Reality for Enhanced Decision Making in Orbital Reconstruction-A Technical Note.

This technical note describes the usage of object matching to virtually compare different modes of reconstruction in orbital trauma and display the results to the surgeon and the patient pre-operatively via mixed reality devices for enhanced surgical decision making and immersive patient education. A case of an orbital floor fracture is presented for which surface and volume matching were implemented to compare orbital reconstruction utilizing pre-fabricated titanium meshes versus patient-specific implants. The results could be visualized by mixed reality devices to further enhance surgical decision-making. The data sets were demonstrated to the patient in mixed reality for immersive patient education and enhanced shared decision making. The advantages of the new technologies are discussed in view of the new possibilities of improved patient education and informed consent processes, as well as new ways of teaching medical trainees.

The age-related dynamics of brain stem volume in women

Aim to study the dynamics of brain stem volumetric parameters in women from the early adulthood period to the middle old age according to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.
 Material and methods.The material for the study was the MRI data of 94 female patients. The MRI was prescribed to exclude a probable pathology of the central nervous system in these patients. All the subjects gave their consent to participate in the study. The study sample included individuals without pathology of central and peripheral nervous system, with absence of alcohol or drug addiction, with skulls of average shape mesocranes. The cranial index was calculated according to the protruding extreme points on the axial section in 3D reconstruction mode. The subjects were divided into four groups according to selected age periods. The first group consisted of 25 women of the early adulthood (21-35 years); the second group included 25 women of the middle and late adulthood (36-55 years); the third group included 23 early old age women (56-74 years); the fourth group consisted of 21 middle old age women (75-88 years).
 Results. The brain stem volume in women decreased by 1.21% (t=3.84; p0.01) during the whole period of adulthood and by 0.82% (t=2.32; p0.01) from the late adulthood to early old age. From early old age to middle old age, there was only a tendency for volume to decrease by 0.83% (t=1.75; p0.05). In early adulthood period women, the brain stem volume was 2.8% higher than in middle old age women (t=6.47; p0.01).
 Conclusion.The results of intravital comparative analysis of the brain stem volume in women of the adulthood period, early and middle old age contribute to the knowledge about its relation to age and sex parameters and can be used in further morphofunctional studies and in clinical practice in gerontology, neurology and rehabilitation.

Surface Reconstruction of Covellite CuS Nanocrystals for Enhanced OER Catalytic Performance in Alkaline Solution.

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is one of the important half-reactions in energy conversion equipment such as water-spitting devices, rechargeable metal-air batteries, and so on. It is beneficial to develop efficient and low-cost catalysts that understand the reaction mechanism of OER and analyze the reconstruction phenomenon of transition metal sulfide. Interestingly, copper sulfide and cuprous sulfide with the same components possess different reconstruction behaviors due to their different metal ion valence states and different atomic arrangement modes. Because of a unique atomic arrangement sequence and certain cationic defects, the reconstruction phenomenon of CuS nanomaterials are that S2- is firstly oxidized to SO4 2- and then Cux + is converted into CuO via Cu(OH)2 . In addition, the specific "modified hourglass structure" of CuS with excellent conductivity is easier to produce intermediates. Compared with Cu2 S, CuS exhibits excellent OER activity with a lower overpotential of 192mV at 10mA cm-2 and remarkable electrochemical stability in 1.0m KOH for 120h. Herein, this study elucidates the reconstruction modes of CuS and Cu2 S in the OER process and reveals that CuS has a stronger CuS bond and a faster electronic transmission efficiency due to "modified hourglass structure," resulting in faster reconstruction of CuS than Cu2 S.

A novel laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy esophagogastric anastomosis procedure with left placket muscle flap plasty (modified Kamikawa anastomosis): Two cases report and brief literature review

Background: The use of left placket single muscle flap covered anastomosis in proximal gastrectomy has not been reported in the literature. The occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux after proximal gastrectomy is closely related to the mode of digestive tract reconstruction. The currently available digestive tract reconstruction approach affects patient’s postoperative quality of life due to the disadvantages of gastroesophageal reflux and anastomotic stenosis. Therefore, the use of left open flap single muscle flap covered anastomosis in proximal gastrectomy may improve the postoperative quality of life of patients. We present a case report and literature review to illustrate the therapeutic results of left-opening single muscle flap covered anastomosis in proximal gastrectomy. Case presentation: Two male patients with average age of 70.5 years and average BMI of 20.5 underwent laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy with an intraoperative left open flap single muscle flap covered overlap anastomosis. The average duration of surgery was 277.5 min, with average intraoperative bleeding of 100 ml, and no anastomotic stenosis was detected by contrast examination on the sixth postoperative day. The postoperative exhaust time was 3 days in both cases, liquid diet was given for 7 days and discharged from the hospital on the 8th day after operation. On an average 19 lymph nodes were dissected. The postoperative pathological stages were T3N2M0 and T1bN0M0. No gastroesophageal reflux or anastomotic fistula was detected in the recent follow-up. Conclusion: The application of the left flap covering the overlap anastomosis in laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy has achieved good results. Multi center large sample clinical studies are needed to further determine its role in gastroesophageal reflux.

Application of cholecystic duct plasty in the prevention of biliary complications following orthotopic liver transplantation.

The purpose was aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of cholecystic duct plasty (CDP) and biliary reconstruction techniques preventing biliary complications following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) first proposed by our center. 127 enrolled patients who underwent LT in our center from January 2015 to December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the mode of biliary tract reconstruction, patients were divided into CDP group (Group 1, n = 53) and control group (Group 2, n = 74). The differences of perioperative general data, biliary complications and long-term prognosis between two groups were compared and analyzed. All patients completed the operation successfully, the incidence of perioperative complications was 22.8%. There was no significant difference in perioperative general data and complications between the two groups. Follow-up ended in June 2020, with a median follow-up period of 31 months. During the follow-up period, biliary complications occurred in 26 patients, with an overall incidence of 20.5%. The overall incidence of biliary complications and anastomotic stenosis in Group 1 was lower than that in Group 2 (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in overall prognosis between the two groups (P = 0.274), however, the cumulative incidence of biliary complications in Group 1 was lower than that in Group 2 (P = 0.035). Reconstruction of common bile duct by CDP represents considerable safety and practicability, particularly for patients with small diameter of common bile duct or wide discrepancy of bile duct size between donor and recipient.

Improving image quality and resolution of coronary arteries in coronary computed tomography angiography by using high-definition scans and deep learning image reconstruction.

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) has been increasingly used to identify the degree of coronary artery stenosis and plaque lesions in vessels. This study evaluated the feasibility of using high-definition (HD) scanning with high-level deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR-H) to improve the image quality and spatial resolution when imaging calcified plaques and stents in coronary CTA as compared to the standard definition (SD) reconstruction mode with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V (ASIR-V). A total of 34 patients (age 63.3±10.9 years; 55.88% female) with calcified plaques and/or stents who underwent coronary CTA in HD-mode were included in this study. Images were reconstructed with SD-ASIR-V, HD-ASIR-V, and HD-DLIR-H. Subjective image quality with image noise and clarity of vessels, calcifications, and stented lumens was evaluated by 2 radiologists using a 5-point scale. The kappa (κ) test was used to analyze the interobserver agreement. Objective image quality with image noise, signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) was measured and compared. Image spatial resolution and beam-hardening artifacts (BHAs) were also evaluated using the calcification diameter and CT numbers in 3 points along the stented lumen (inside, at the proximal and distal ends just outside stent). There were 45 calcified plaques and 4 coronary stents. HD-DLIR-H images had the highest overall image quality score (4.50±0.63) with the lowest image noise (22.59±3.59 HU) and the highest SNR (18.30±4.88) and CNR (26.56±6.33), followed by SD-ASIR-V50% image quality score (4.06±2.49), image noise (35.02±8.09 HU), SNR (12.77±1.59), CNR(15.67±1.92) and HD-ASIR-V50% image quality score (3.90±0.64), image noise (57.7±12.03 HU), SNR (8.16±1.86), CNR (10.01±2.39). HD-DLIR-H images also had the smallest calcification diameter measurement (2.36±1.58 mm), followed by HD-ASIR-V50% (3.46±2.07 mm) and SD-ASIR-V50% (4.06±2.49 mm). HD-DLIR-H images had the closest CT value measurements for the 3 points along the stented lumen, indicating much less BHA. Interobserver agreement on the image quality assessment was good to excellent (HD-DLIR-H: κ value =0.783; HD-ASIR-V50%: κ value =0.789; SD-ASIR-V50%: κ value =0.671). Coronary CTA with HD scan mode and DLIR-H significantly improves the spatial resolution for displaying calcifications and in-stent lumens while simultaneously reducing image noise.

Effects of coal gangue on soil property and plant growth in mining area.

With indoor and outdoor treatments, coal gangue with different ratios (10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%) and different particle sizes (0-2, 2-5, 5-8 and 8-10 mm) were mixed into soil, and formed reconstructed soil with different soil bulk densities (1.3, 1.35, 1.4, 1.45 and 1.5 g·cm-3). The effects of soil reconstruction modes on soil water condition, structure stability of aggregate and the growth of Lolium perenne, Medicago sativa, and Trifolium repens were investigated. Soil saturated water (SW), capillary water (CW), and field water capacity (FC) were decreased with increasing coal gangue ratio, particle size, and bulk density of reconstructed soil. >0.25 mm particle size aggregate (R0.25), mean weight diameter (MWD), and geometric mean diameter (GMD) increased first and then decreased with the increases of coal gangue particle size, reaching the peak at 2-5 mm coal gangue particle size. R0.25, MWD and GMD were significantly and negatively correlated with coal gangue ratio. Based on boosted regression tree (BRT) model, the coal gangue ratio contributed 59.3%, 67.0% and 40.3% to the variation of SW, CW and FC, respectively, which was a main influencing factor of soil water content. The coal gangue particle size contributed 44.7%, 32.3% and 62.1% to the variation of R0.25, MWD, and GMD, respecti-vely, which was the greatest influencing factor. Coal gangue ratio had a great effect on the growth of L. perenne, M. sativa, and T. repens, which contributed to 49.9%, 17.4% and 10.3% of their variations, respectively. Soil reconstruction mode of 30% coal gangue ratio and 5-8 mm coal gangue particle size was the best condition for plant growth, indicating that coal gangue could change soil water content and structure stability of aggregate. The soil reconstruction mode of 30% coal gangue ratio and 5-8 mm coal gangue particle size was recommended.

Carbon footprint analysis and comprehensive evaluation of municipal wastewater treatment plants under different typical upgrading and reconstruction modes

The issue of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from the upgrading and reconstruction of municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs) along with improved water quality is receiving attention and research. There is an urgent need to explore the impact of upgrading and reconstruction on carbon footprint (CF) in order to address concerns that the upgrading and reconstruction will increase GHG emissions while improving water quality. Here we accounted for the CF of five MWWTPs in Zhejiang Province, China, before and after three different upgrading and reconstruction models - “Improving quality and efficiency” (“Mode I”), “Upgrading and renovation” (“Mode U”) and “Improving quality and efficiency plus Upgrading and renovation” (“Mode I plus U”). The upgrading and reconstruction was found to not necessarily result in more GHG emissions. In contrast, the “Mode I” had a more significant advantage in terms of CF reduction (1.82–12.6 % reduction in CF). Overall, the ratio of indirect emissions to direct emissions (indirect emissions/direct emissions) and the amount of GHG emitted per unit of pollutant removed (CFCOD、CFTN、CFTP) decreased, while both the carbon and energy neutral rates increased significantly (up to 33.29 % and 79.36 % respectively) after all three upgrading and reconstruction modes. In addition, the wastewater treatment efficiency and capacity are the main factors that affect the level of carbon emission. The results of this study can provide a calculation model that can be used for other similar MWWTPs during the upgrading and reconstruction processes. More importantly, it can provide a new research perspective as well as valuable information to revisit the impact of upgrading and reconstruction in MWWTPs on GHG emissions.

ВОЗРАСТНЫЕ ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ ОБЪЕМА СТВОЛА МОЗГА В ПОЖИЛОМ И СТАРЧЕСКОМ ВОЗРАСТЕ

One of the tasks of a developed society with a high standard of living is to increase life expectancy. It is worth understanding that the increasing number of young-old and old-old population causes the importance of developing gerontology and geriatrics. Causes and consequences of aging of the central nervous system departments have been studied sufficiently; nevertheless, anatomical data on the brain structures in the age aspect, namely on changes in the brain stem volume, are poorly presented. The aim of the investigation was to carry out a comparative analysis of brain stem volume parameters in young-old and old-old men and women according to magnetic resonance imaging data. The data of magnetic resonance imaging were analyzed in 94 patients examined in the Department of Radiation Diagnostics of State Autonomous Healthcare Institution of Perm Krai «City Clinical Hospital №» in the period of 2020-2022. The patients were divided into two groups according to age periodization. The first group consists of young-old people: 27 men aged 61-74 years and 23 women aged 56-73 years. The second group was represented by old-old individuals: 23 men aged 75-88 and 21 women aged 75-88. The study sample included persons without pathologies of central and peripheral nervous system, with absence of alcohol or drug addiction, with skulls of medium shape – mesocranes. The volume of the brain stem was determined in the 3D reconstruction mode. A tendency to the prevalence of parameters of the trunk volume in the young-old men and women in comparison with representatives of the old-old age (p&gt;0.05) was established. In each age group studied, there was a tendency for prevalence of brain stem volume parameters in men compared to women (p&gt;0.05). Thus, the obtained data add to the scientific knowledge about age-related anatomical features of the brain stem, which, in turn, will allow their use in assessing its volume in elderly and senile patients.

Study on the Evaluation Model of the Overall Post-Disaster Protection of the Linpan Settlement Landscape

Linpan is a typical rural settlement and cultural landscape in the western Sichuan Plain. The protection of Linpan has positive and significant impacts on the people, who live in the Linpan that is in the process of post-disaster reconstruction, to re-establish their sense of belonging. By studying the core elements and pattern characteristics of traditional Lipan, we established an evaluation model for Linpan landscape overall protection. The post-disaster reconstruction is disaster has already occurred, and the government has been involved in reuse activities. Reconstruction and sustainable recovery refer to measures that help restore the livelihoods, assets, and production levels of emergency-affected communities. The model was used to assess 12 post-disaster reconstructions of Linpan settlements with an aim to obtain an effective model of holistic protection. The AHP method understands the structure of the problem and real hindrances that managers the while solving it. Holistic protection is an approach that seeks to incorporate all the components designed to be precautionary in an organization. the aim of the article is the post-disaster reconstruction mode that fully retains the traditional Linpan pattern and elements that are more beneficial to the continuation of regional culture.

Re-Evaluating Botryosphaeriales: Ancestral State Reconstructions of Selected Characters and Evolution of Nutritional Modes.

Botryosphaeriales (Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota) occur in a wide range of habitats as endophytes, saprobes, and pathogens. The order Botryosphaeriales has not been subjected to evaluation since 2019 by Phillips and co-authors using phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses. Subsequently, many studies introduced novel taxa into the order and revised several families separately. In addition, no ancestral character studies have been conducted for this order. Therefore, in this study, we re-evaluated the character evolution and taxonomic placements of Botryosphaeriales species based on ancestral character evolution, divergence time estimation, and phylogenetic relationships, including all the novel taxa that have been introduced so far. Maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference analyses were conducted on a combined LSU and ITS sequence alignment. Ancestral state reconstruction was carried out for conidial colour, septation, and nutritional mode. Divergence times estimates revealed that Botryosphaeriales originated around 109 Mya in the early epoch of the Cretaceous period. All six families in Botryosphaeriales evolved in the late epoch of the Cretaceous period (66-100 Mya), during which Angiosperms also appeared, rapidly diversified and became dominant on land. Families of Botryosphaeriales diversified during the Paleogene and Neogene periods in the Cenozoic era. The order comprises the families Aplosporellaceae, Botryosphaeriaceae, Melanopsaceae, Phyllostictaceae, Planistromellaceae and Saccharataceae. Furthermore, current study assessed two hypotheses; the first one being "All Botryosphaeriales species originated as endophytes and then switched into saprobes when their hosts died or into pathogens when their hosts were under stress"; the second hypothesis states that "There is a link between the conidial colour and nutritional mode in botryosphaerialean taxa". Ancestral state reconstruction and nutritional mode analyses revealed a pathogenic/saprobic nutritional mode as the ancestral character. However, we could not provide strong evidence for the first hypothesis mainly due to the significantly low number of studies reporting the endophytic botryosphaerialean taxa. Results also showed that hyaline and aseptate conidia were ancestral characters in Botryosphaeriales and supported the relationship between conidial pigmentation and the pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriales species.

How Real Are Computed Tomography Low Dose Simulations? An Investigational In-Vivo Large Animal Study

CT low-dose simulation methods have gained significant traction in protocol development, as they lack the risk of increased patient exposure. However, in-vivo validations of low-dose simulations are as uncommon as prospective low-dose image acquisition itself. Therefore, we investigated the extent to which simulated low-dose CT datasets resemble their real-dose counterparts. Fourteen veterinarian-sedated alive pigs underwent three CT scans on the same third generation dual-source scanner with 2 months between each scan. At each time, three additional scans ensued, with mAs reduced to 50%, 25%, and 10%. All scans were reconstructed using wFBP and ADMIRE levels 1-5. Matching low-dose datasets were generated from the 100% scans using reconstruction-based and DICOM-based simulations. Objective image quality (CT numbers stability, noise, and signal-to-noise ratio) was measured via consistent regions of interest. Three radiologists independently rated all possible dataset combinations per time point for subjective image quality (-1=inferior, 0=equal, 1=superior). The points were averaged for a semiquantitative score, and inter-rater-agreement was measured using Spearman's correlation coefficient. A structural similarity index (SSIM) analyzed the voxel-wise similarity of the volumes. Adequately corrected mixed-effects analysis compared objective and subjective image quality. Multiple linear regression with three-way interactions measured the contribution of dose, reconstruction mode, simulation method, and rater to subjective image quality. There were no significant differences between objective and subjective image quality of reconstruction-based and DICOM-based simulation on all dose levels (p≥0.137). However, both simulation methods produced significantly lower objective image quality than real-dose images below 25% mAs due to noise overestimation (p<0.001; SSIM≤89±3). Overall, inter-rater-agreement was strong (r≥0.68, mean 0.93±0.05, 95% CI 0.92-0.94; each p<0.001). In regression analysis, significant decreases in subjective image quality were observed for lower radiation doses (b ≤ -0.387, 95%CI -0.399 to -0.358; p<0.001) but not for reconstruction modes, simulation methods, raters, or three-way interactions (p≥0.103). Simulated low-dose CT datasets are subjectively and objectively indistinguishable from their real-dose counterparts down to 25% mAs, making them an invaluable tool for efficient low-dose protocol development.

A Hybrid Oil Production Prediction Model Based on Artificial Intelligence Technology

Oil production prediction plays a significant role in designing programs for hydrocarbon reservoir development, adjusting production operations and making decisions. The prediction accuracy of oil production based on single methods is limited since more and more unconventional reservoirs are being exploited. Artificial intelligence technology and data decomposition are widely implemented in multi-step forecasting strategies. In this study, a hybrid prediction model was proposed based on two-stage decomposition, sample entropy reconstruction and long short-term memory neural network (LSTM) forecasts. The original oil production data were decomposed into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) by complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN); then these IMFs with different sample entropy (SE) values were reconstructed based on subsequence reconstruction rules that determine the appropriate reconstruction numbers and modes. Following that, the highest-frequency reconstructed IMF was preferred to be decomposed again by variational mode decomposition (VMD), and subsequences of the secondary decomposition and the remaining reconstructed IMFs were fed into the corresponding LSTM predictors based on a hybrid architecture for forecasting. Finally, the prediction values of each subseries were integrated to achieve the result. The proposed model makes predictions for the well production rate of the JinLong volcanic reservoir, and comparative experiments show that it has higher forecasting accuracy than other methods, making it recognized as a potential approach for evaluating reservoirs and guiding oilfield management.