Investigating the effect of porosity on the soil water retention curve using the multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Method

The soil water retention curve (SWRC) is the most commonly used relationship in the study of unsaturated soil. In this paper, the effect of porosity on the SWRC is investigated by numerically modeling unsaturated soil using the Shan-Chen multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Method. The shape of simulated SWRCs are compared against that predicted by the van Genuchten model, demonstrating a good fit except at low degrees of saturation. The simulated SWRCs show an increase in the air-entry value as porosity decreases.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Powder & Grains 2021, references adde

Multiphase lattice Boltzmann modeling of cyclic water retention behavior in unsaturated sand based on X-ray Computed Tomography

The water retention curve (WRC) defines the relationship between matric suction and saturation and is a key function for determining the hydro-mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils. We investigate possible microscopic origins of the water retention behavior of granular soils using both Computed Tomography (CT) experiment and multiphase lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). We conduct a CT experiment on Hamburg sand to obtain its WRC and then run LBM simulations based on the CT grain skeleton. The multiphase LBM simulations capture the hysteresis and pore-scale behaviors of WRC observed in the CT experiment. Using LBM, we observe that the spatial distribution and morphology of gas clusters varies between drainage and imbibition paths and is the underlying source of the hysteresis. During drainage, gas clusters congregate at the grain surface; the local suction increases when gas clusters enter through small pore openings and decreases when gas clusters enter through large pore openings. Whereas, during imbibition, gas clusters disperse in the liquid; the local suction decreases uniformly. Large pores empty first during drainage and small pores fill first during imbibition. The pore-based WRC shows that an increase in pore size causes a decrease in suction during drainage and imbibition, and an increase in hysteresis

A cluster based object oriented service discovery and advertisement proposed for MANETs

A Resource management is one of the important services that are offered in any network. Mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a gathering of mobile wireless nodes that are located in dynamic network with unnecessary using pre-existing infrastructure all mobile nodes which are free for any movement to any side and they are less network. This network is going ahead to zero configurations that would create some problems in mobile computing. There are variety limitations in Ad hoc network that need to be considered among design and implementation for it. This paper is concerned with the hybridization of object oriented method and agent to manage computing in mobile Ad hoc networks. The proposed approach causes the network load and latency to be decreased. Since the amount of communication messages is a vital issue in MANETs, also a strategy is introduced based on moving service advertisement from application layer to routing layer to reduction of network traffic. It's expected that the proposed resource management method reduces the latency, overhead and energy consumption in MANET

Fertility outcomes subsequent to medical and surgical treatment for ectopic pregnancy: A retrospective cohort study in Iran

Background: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) and its treatment methods may affect subsequent fertility outcomes. Objective: To compare methotrexate (MTX), laparoscopic salpingostomy, and salpingectomy methods of EP treatment and their effects on fertility outcomes. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was performed on women receiving a definitive diagnosis of tubular EP from 2014 to 2017 at Arash Medical Center, Tehran, Iran. In total, 194 women were studied, of which 64 were treated with MTX, 52 underwent salpingostomy, and 78 underwent salpingectomy, depending on their clinical status. Basic information, obstetrics history, and major outcomes of the treatment after an 18-month follow-up, including recurrence of EP, miscarriage, and successful intrauterine pregnancy (IUP), were recorded and variables were compared among the three groups. Results: There was no significant difference in fertility outcomes among the three groups. Among the studied variables, predictors of successful IUP after EP treatment were multiparity (Hazard Ratio (HR): 1.37; 95%CI: 1.06-1.77), no history of miscarriage (HR: 2.37; 95%CI: 1.01-5.56), and a higher number of live births (HR: 1.54; 95%CI: 1.01- 2.37). On the other hand, predictors of EP recurrence included nulliparity (HR: 1.61; 95%CI: 1.02-2.53) and a lower number of live births (HR: 3.84; 95%CI: 1.43-10.98). The effect of other factors, including the utilized therapeutic modalities, was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The current study results demonstrated that after an 18-month follow-up, fertility outcomes, including recurrence of EP and successful IUP, were not significantly different among the subjects with EP treated with MTX, salpingostomy, or salpingectomy. Further studies with long-term follow-ups are recommended. Key words: Ectopic pregnancy, Fertility, Methotrexate, Salpingostomy, Salpingectomy

Breast density in polycystic ovarian syndrome patients: A case-control study

Background: Epidemiological studies suggested a positive relationship between breast density and risk of breast cancer. One of the common hormonal disorders in women’s reproductive age is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and the results from the studies about the risk of breast cancer among PCOS patients are equivocal. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the breast density in PCOS patients compared with the control group. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, the PCOS patients who were older than 40 years and were referred to infertility or gynecology outpatient clinic of Arash women’s hospital between 2015 and 2017 were selected as the case group. Control group was selected from healthy women who attended the same hospital and were older than 40 years. By digital mammography, breast density was classified according to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS) of the American College of Radiology and it was graded by one expert radiologist. Results: Final analysis in 68 cases and controls showed statistically significant differences between breast densities in PCOS patients compared to the control (p = 0.03), and when the analysis was conducted by considering the category of age, the control group who were younger than 45 years had higher breast density compared with PCOS patient. Multivariate logistic regression analyses manifested a statistically significant adverse association between body mass index (OR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.79–0.95), vitamin D intake (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.16–0.81), and breast density. Conclusion: Our data suggested that the PCOS patients had lower breast density compared with normal population. However, in multivariate analysis, considering other confounders, this association was not confirmed

Does Early Initiation of Labor Epidural Analgesia Affect Labor Outcomes? A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Although epidural analgesia (EA) is a popular and effective method for pain relief during labor, significant controversy exists in terms of the impact of EA on labor outcomes and the best time for initiation of EA. Here, we aim to explore the effects of early initiation EA on the labor process in nulliparous at-term pregnant women. Methods: A total of 240 nulliparous women enrolled in this study. The early epidural (EE) group (n=120) consisted of women in the latent phase of labor and the late epidural (LE) group (n=120) were in the active phase of labor. Each group received 16 ml of 0.125% preservative-free isobaric bupivacaine with 50 µg fentanyl (total: 17 ml) as a primary bolus dose in the epidural space for labor analgesia and an intermittent bolus of 5-10 ml of the primary solution was administered via a catheter. The length of labor, rate of cesarean section (CS), neonatal well-being, and infant Apgar scores were recorded. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the duration of the first (p=.43) and second (p=.54) phases of labor. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of the rate of CS (p=.21), causes for CS (p=.24), and neonatal Apgar scores (p=0.84). Conclusion: Initiation of EA during early labor did not result in increased CS or instrumental vaginal deliveries, and did not prolong labor duration

Impact of Wikipedia on citation trends

It has been suggested that the "visibility" of an article influences its citation count. More specifically, it is believed that the social media can influence article citations.Here we tested the hypothesis that inclusion of scholarly references in Wikipedia affects the citation trends. To perform this analysis, we introduced a citation “propensity” measure, which is inspired by the concept of amino acid propensity for protein secondary structures. We show that although citation counts generally increase during time, the citation "propensity" does not increase after inclusion of a reference in Wikipedia

Obstetric and perinatal outcomes of singleton pregnancies conceived via assisted reproductive technology complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus : a prospective cohort study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Assisted conception as a potential prognostic factor predicting insulin therapy in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Royan institute and hospitals related to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, as well as patients for their invaluable contributions to the performance of the current research. Funding No financial support.Peer reviewedPublisher PD