Physical and numerical modelling of bottom ash columns installed in soft soil

Stone column technique is one of the most widely used ground improvement techniques over the past 50 years. The technique includes the replacement of the soft soil with granular materials in order to increase the bearing capacity and reduce the settlement. This research investigated the role of a group of bottom ash columns in improving the bearing capacity of soft reconstituted kaolin clay. A series of physical modelling test was conducted to study the behaviour of clay reinforced with bottom ash columns under a rigid footing. The influence of important parameters, including area replacement ratio, length of the columns and the geotextile encasement on the performance of reinforced ground was investigated through a total of 13 model tests. Three (3) different area replacement ratios of 13%, 20 % and 26% and two (2) different lengths of 100 mm (floating) and 200 mm (end bearing) of the columns were investigated in this study. In addition, bottom ash columns were installed in two different methods, which was with geotextile encasement and without encasement. In parallel with physical modelling, finite element analyses were performed using Plaxis 3D Foundation software. The results clearly show that the ultimate bearing capacity of kaolin clay was significantly enhanced by the installation of bottom ash columns. This bottom ash has a great potential to be used as a replacement material for stone column in soft soil improvement work. The area replacement ratio was found to be an extremely important parameter controlling the overall performance of the reinforced foundation in the way that increasing the area replacement ratio resulted with up to 30% increase in the ultimate bearing capacity of composite ground. Increasing the length of the column also enhanced the bearing capacity of the reinforced ground of more than 15%. Floating columns were punched into the clay below the column base, but punching behaviour was eliminated by increasing the length of the column to become end bearing which resulted in the improvement of bearing capacity. Encasing the bottom ash columns with geotextile also resulted in an increase of the ultimate bearing capacity significantly from 25% for end bearing and up to 45% for floating columns. Finally, a design chart was established on the parameters affecting the ultimate bearing capacity of soft clay improved with bottom ash columns

Exploring the relationship between the social support and attachment styles for predict psychological well-being of pregnant women in Borujen county

زمینه و هدف: بارداری یک دوره حاد در زندگی زنان است که در طی آن تغییرات هیجانی، جسمانی و اجتماعی زیادی رخ می دهد. این پژوهش به منظور بررسی ارتباط متغیرهای حمایت اجتماعی و سبک های دلبستگی بر بهزیستی روانشناختی زنان باردار شهرستان بروجن انجام شده است. روش بررسی: این مطالعه توصیفی- تحلیلی بر روی 300 نفر از زنان باردار شهرستان بروجن انجام گردید. ابزار جمع آوری داده متشکل از 3 پرسشنامه حمایت اجتماعی کنتی میچل (Canty-Mitchell)، سبک های دلبستگی مقیاس تجارب در روابط نزدیک (ECR-R) و بهزیستی روانشناختی فرم کوتاه کیشیدا (Kishida) بود. یافته ها: یافته ها نشان داد که حمایت اجتماعی به طور معناداری بر بهزیستی روانشناختی زنان باردار تاثیر می گذارد (0/001>P) و افزودن متغیر سبک های دلبستگی به متغیر حمایت اجتماعی، قدرت بهزیستی روانشناختی زنان باردار را افزایش می دهد (0/001>P). نتیجه گیری: با توجه به نیازی که زنان باردار به حمایت اطرافیان دارند، حمایت اجتماعی و سبک های دلبستگی می تواند بر سلامت جسمی و روانی این افراد برای پشت سر گذاشتن این دوران نقش به سزایی داشته باشد

The Role of Emojis in Crime and Interpretive Challenges

In online communication, emojis are widely used and are often considered as beautiful and exciting additions to the original text. Emojis are now referred to as the "language of the online age" and "the fastest growing language in the world." In digital text messaging, it is possible to convey humor, emotion and sociality through emojis. However, the question is that in addition to the role of text beautification and transmission of emotions, is it possible to commit a crime by sending emojis? What are the challenges faced by jurisprudence in dealing with emojis as evidence? Therefore, the present article first examines the role of emojis in crimes such as intimidation and insults by recognizing different judicial examples of criminal cases and emoji-related proceedings, and then the challenges facing acceptance. Emoji evidence is evaluated in criminal proceedings.Findings show that criminal activities can be committed under the guise of emotional emoji function and their role in facilitating trust for a criminal purpose, and in particular crimes such as threatening, insulting or sexually abusing children, can be sent through Emojis occur. However, Criminal Courts In interpreting emojis and evaluating them as evidence,They face challenges such as poor expression and implication of emojis in criminal proceedings, change of platform, cultural differences in the interpretation of emojis, and instability of the psychological element in emoji-based crimes After getting acquainted with the challenges in emoji-based criminal proceedings, it has been tried to introduce solutions to these challenges in order to resolve the problems and create a unified judicial procedure

Comparison of Two Statistical Methods to Determine Normal Range of Androgen Hormones: K-Means Cluster Analysis and Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve

Objective: To assess and compare the normal ranges of androgen hormones level, total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), dehydrotestosterone (DHT), androstenedione (A4), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), in Iranian women based on different statistical methods. Materials and methods: This study was conducted on previous data collected in Iranian PCOS Prevalence Study, which details have been published before. A total of 1772 women of 18-45 years were recruited from urban areas of five randomly selected provinces in different geographic regions of Iran. The natural range of androgen hormones was determined and compared by two statistical methods including k-means cluster analysis, and receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: In women younger than 35 years old with any BMI, cut-off points obtained for FAI hormone were in lower percentiles; however, in older women, the results of the two methods were almost the same. Cut-off points of DHEAS in under 35 years old women of normal and obese weight and women older than 35 years old with normal weight calculated by ROC curve method was in higher percentiles than that in the cluster analysis method. In >35 years obese women, obtained cut-off points for DHEAS ROC curve was in lower percentiles in comparison to cluster analysis Conclusion: Although our study depicts the differences among the cutoff values among two statistical methods; however, lacking a gold standard test to define hyperandrogenism, we need further studies to obtain more comprehensive results

High variations of the thebaine concentrations in Iranian poppy (Papaver bracteatum Lindl.) from various regions in Iran

This paper aims to contribute reliable information to promote the pharmacological utilization of Papaver bracteatum by analyzing itswild population in Iran. For this purpose, 27 Iranian poppy specimens from 7 provinces of Iran were analyzed. The highest thebaine concentrations were detected in the capsules, whereas they were relatively lower in the flowering stems. Maximal concentration (more than 53 mg/g d.w.) was present in the P. bracteatum plant capsules growing in the Zanus region of Mazandaran province. Surprisingly, the thebaine concentration varies drastically excessively among the tested specimens, ranging from 5 to more than 53 mg/g d.w. Up to now, it is not known whether these drastic differences are due to clonal variations or the differences in the growth conditions, e.g., due to different stress levels of the plants. There is no doubt that the Iranian poppy represents an important alternative source for thebaine, yet, further studies and research are required to promote the farming of this auspicious pharmaceutical plant. In this context, it is of special interest to elucidate the effects of potential genotypes, the impact of the growing conditions as well as seasonal effects

The unfinished agenda of communicable diseases among children and adolescents before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Communicable disease control has long been a focus of global health policy. There have been substantial reductions in the burden and mortality of communicable diseases among children younger than 5 years, but we know less about this burden in older children and adolescents, and it is unclear whether current programmes and policies remain aligned with targets for intervention. This knowledge is especially important for policy and programmes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to use the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 to systematically characterise the burden of communicable diseases across childhood and adolescence. METHODS: In this systematic analysis of the GBD study from 1990 to 2019, all communicable diseases and their manifestations as modelled within GBD 2019 were included, categorised as 16 subgroups of common diseases or presentations. Data were reported for absolute count, prevalence, and incidence across measures of cause-specific mortality (deaths and years of life lost), disability (years lived with disability [YLDs]), and disease burden (disability-adjusted life-years [DALYs]) for children and adolescents aged 0-24 years. Data were reported across the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and across time (1990-2019), and for 204 countries and territories. For HIV, we reported the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) as a measure of health system performance. FINDINGS: In 2019, there were 3·0 million deaths and 30·0 million years of healthy life lost to disability (as measured by YLDs), corresponding to 288·4 million DALYs from communicable diseases among children and adolescents globally (57·3% of total communicable disease burden across all ages). Over time, there has been a shift in communicable disease burden from young children to older children and adolescents (largely driven by the considerable reductions in children younger than 5 years and slower progress elsewhere), although children younger than 5 years still accounted for most of the communicable disease burden in 2019. Disease burden and mortality were predominantly in low-SDI settings, with high and high-middle SDI settings also having an appreciable burden of communicable disease morbidity (4·0 million YLDs in 2019 alone). Three cause groups (enteric infections, lower-respiratory-tract infections, and malaria) accounted for 59·8% of the global communicable disease burden in children and adolescents, with tuberculosis and HIV both emerging as important causes during adolescence. HIV was the only cause for which disease burden increased over time, particularly in children and adolescents older than 5 years, and especially in females. Excess MIRs for HIV were observed for males aged 15-19 years in low-SDI settings. INTERPRETATION: Our analysis supports continued policy focus on enteric infections and lower-respiratory-tract infections, with orientation to children younger than 5 years in settings of low socioeconomic development. However, efforts should also be targeted to other conditions, particularly HIV, given its increased burden in older children and adolescents. Older children and adolescents also experience a large burden of communicable disease, further highlighting the need for efforts to extend beyond the first 5 years of life. Our analysis also identified substantial morbidity caused by communicable diseases affecting child and adolescent health across the world. FUNDING: The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence for Driving Investment in Global Adolescent Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 371 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Detailed, comprehensive, and timely reporting on population health by underlying causes of disability and premature death is crucial to understanding and responding to complex patterns of disease and injury burden over time and across age groups, sexes, and locations. The availability of disease burden estimates can promote evidence-based interventions that enable public health researchers, policy makers, and other professionals to implement strategies that can mitigate diseases. It can also facilitate more rigorous monitoring of progress towards national and international health targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. For three decades, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) has filled that need. A global network of collaborators contributed to the production of GBD 2021 by providing, reviewing, and analysing all available data. GBD estimates are updated routinely with additional data and refined analytical methods. GBD 2021 presents, for the first time, estimates of health loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The GBD 2021 disease and injury burden analysis estimated years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 371 diseases and injuries using 100 983 data sources. Data were extracted from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, censuses, household surveys, disease-specific registries, health service contact data, and other sources. YLDs were calculated by multiplying cause-age-sex-location-year-specific prevalence of sequelae by their respective disability weights, for each disease and injury. YLLs were calculated by multiplying cause-age-sex-location-year-specific deaths by the standard life expectancy at the age that death occurred. DALYs were calculated by summing YLDs and YLLs. HALE estimates were produced using YLDs per capita and age-specific mortality rates by location, age, sex, year, and cause. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for all final estimates as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles values of 500 draws. Uncertainty was propagated at each step of the estimation process. Counts and age-standardised rates were calculated globally, for seven super-regions, 21 regions, 204 countries and territories (including 21 countries with subnational locations), and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Here we report data for 2010 to 2021 to highlight trends in disease burden over the past decade and through the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Global DALYs increased from 2·63 billion (95% UI 2·44–2·85) in 2010 to 2·88 billion (2·64–3·15) in 2021 for all causes combined. Much of this increase in the number of DALYs was due to population growth and ageing, as indicated by a decrease in global age-standardised all-cause DALY rates of 14·2% (95% UI 10·7–17·3) between 2010 and 2019. Notably, however, this decrease in rates reversed during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, with increases in global age-standardised all-cause DALY rates since 2019 of 4·1% (1·8–6·3) in 2020 and 7·2% (4·7–10·0) in 2021. In 2021, COVID-19 was the leading cause of DALYs globally (212·0 million [198·0–234·5] DALYs), followed by ischaemic heart disease (188·3 million [176·7–198·3]), neonatal disorders (186·3 million [162·3–214·9]), and stroke (160·4 million [148·0–171·7]). However, notable health gains were seen among other leading communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) diseases. Globally between 2010 and 2021, the age-standardised DALY rates for HIV/AIDS decreased by 47·8% (43·3–51·7) and for diarrhoeal diseases decreased by 47·0% (39·9–52·9). Non-communicable diseases contributed 1·73 billion (95% UI 1·54–1·94) DALYs in 2021, with a decrease in age-standardised DALY rates since 2010 of 6·4% (95% UI 3·5–9·5). Between 2010 and 2021, among the 25 leading Level 3 causes, age-standardised DALY rates increased most substantially for anxiety disorders (16·7% [14·0–19·8]), depressive disorders (16·4% [11·9–21·3]), and diabetes (14·0% [10·0–17·4]). Age-standardised DALY rates due to injuries decreased globally by 24·0% (20·7–27·2) between 2010 and 2021, although improvements were not uniform across locations, ages, and sexes. Globally, HALE at birth improved slightly, from 61·3 years (58·6–63·6) in 2010 to 62·2 years (59·4–64·7) in 2021. However, despite this overall increase, HALE decreased by 2·2% (1·6–2·9) between 2019 and 2021. Interpretation: Putting the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of causes of health loss is crucial to understanding its impact and ensuring that health funding and policy address needs at both local and global levels through cost-effective and evidence-based interventions. A global epidemiological transition remains underway. Our findings suggest that prioritising non-communicable disease prevention and treatment policies, as well as strengthening health systems, continues to be crucially important. The progress on reducing the burden of CMNN diseases must not stall; although global trends are improving, the burden of CMNN diseases remains unacceptably high. Evidence-based interventions will help save the lives of young children and mothers and improve the overall health and economic conditions of societies across the world. Governments and multilateral organisations should prioritise pandemic preparedness planning alongside efforts to reduce the burden of diseases and injuries that will strain resources in the coming decades. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: 22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution. Findings: Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations. Interpretation: Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic