Polydocanol percutaneous sclerotherapy for the treatment of giant venular malformation of the lips and cheeks in adults

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of polidocanol sclerotherapy in the treatment of giant venular malformations of the lips and cheeks in adults. Methods From September 2019 to September 2020, 5 patients with huge venular malformations of the lips and cheeks (4 males, 1 female) admitted to Xuzhou Central Hospital were included in the study. All the patients were treated with local injection of polidocanol foam scleroagent, and all patients were followed up with a 3-week treatment course. If the clinical symptoms were not alleviated and the MRI examination showed that > 25% of the lesion remained, or it relapsed again after symptoms are stable, the patient needed to be treated again. The endpoints of treatment were: ①subsidence of clinical symptoms and MRI showing residual lesions < 25% in size; ②continuous treatment for 4 times without relief or aggravation of symptoms; ③a discontinuation of treatment. Results All 5 patients successfully completed the treatment and were injected 2 to 4 times during treatment. The curative effect was evaluated according to the Achauer standard, including grade Ⅰcurative effects in 1 patient, grade Ⅱ in 2 patients, grade Ⅲ in 2 patients. Among them, one patient suffered from erosion and bleeding in the lesion before the operation, and the symptoms were significantly improved postoperatively. No serious side effects were found except skin pigmentation in 1 case. Conclusion Local injection of polidocanol foam scleroagent is a safe and effective treatment method for adult giant venular malformations of the lips and cheeks, and it has a hemostatic effect on spontaneous bleeding invenular malformations

A Management and Environmental Performance Evaluation of China’s Family Farms Using an Ultimate Comprehensive Cross-Efficiency Model (UCCE)

Family farm emerged as a new form of agricultural production organization in China in recent years. For the purpose of sustainable development, decision-makers, such as farm owners and policy makers, require the precise information of a family farm&rsquo;s state of operation to adopt measures for management improvement and agricultural contamination reduction. Considering this, we established two evaluation systems for the measurement of family farms&rsquo; management and environmental performance. As demonstrated in several recent studies, data envelopment analysis (DEA) cross efficiency is a useful approach for evaluating and comparing the performance of decision-making units (DMUs). Regarding family farms&rsquo; performance evaluation issues, we modified the traditional average cross-efficiency method to be the ultimate comprehensive cross-efficiency approach with the integration of two statistical quantities based on the full consideration of family farms&rsquo; unique features, such as vulnerability and seasonality, resulting from the influence of natural and social factors. Our proposed approach presents more excellent characteristics compared with CCR efficiency and average cross efficiency. Several conclusions regarding the operation of China&rsquo;s family farms are drawn: (i) there is weak positive correlation between family farms&rsquo; management and environmental performance; (ii) there is an increasing trend for both management and environmental efficiency, along with the augmentation of the utilized agricultural area of family farms, and management performance is therefore more significant; (iii) demand for timely technological instruction to improve family farms&rsquo; management efficiency is expressed by farm owners who are willing to expand; (iv) to improve family farms&rsquo; environmental performance, several measures&mdash;such as introducing biotechnology, providing subsidies, and environmental education for farmers&mdash;should be adopted

Key Technology for Mechanical and Structural Design of Rectangular Curve Bottom Curtain Method for Salvage of “Yangtze River Estuary II”

The salvage of “Yangtze River Estuary II” ancient wreck adopted the world’s first curved pipe basing method. There existed various challenges in the mechanical and structural design. To satisfy the demands of non-contacting and subtle disturbance, this paper elucidates the configuration of the outer frame, the mechanical design of the pipe-jacking machine with a cutterhead of tribble planetary-gear cutters, and the structure design of the closely-assembled curved beam with high water-tightness. The practical application demonstrates that the developed pipe-jacking machine has subtle disturbance to the ancient wreck, and the water-tightness between the closely-assembled planetary-gear cutters is good, both of which effectively guarantee the originality and integrity of “Yangtze River Estuary II” ancient wreck and the cultural relics it carried on

Assessing cutter-rock interaction during TBM tunnelling in granite : Large-scale standing rotary cutting tests and 3D DEM simulations

The widespread utilisation of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in underground construction engineering requires a detailed investigation of the cutter-rock interaction. In this paper, we conduct a series of large-scale standing rotary cutting tests on granite in conjunction with high-fidelity numerical simulations based on a particle-type discrete element method (DEM) to explore the effects of key cutting parameters on the TBM cutter performance and the distribution of cutter-rock contact stresses. The assessment results of cutter performance obtained from the cutting tests and numerical simulations reveal similar dependencies on the key cutting parameters. More specifically, the normal and rolling forces exhibit a positive correlation with penetration but are slightly influenced by the cutting radius. In contrast, the side force decreases as the cutting radius increases. Additionally, the side force shows a positive relationship with the penetration for smaller cutting radii but tends to become negative as the cutting radius increases. The cutter's relative effectiveness in rock breaking is significantly impacted by the penetration but shows little dependency on the cutting radius. Consequently, an optimal penetration is identified, leading to a low boreability index and specific energy. A combined Hertz-Weibull function is developed to fit the cutter-rock contact stress distribution obtained in DEM simulations, whereby an improved CSM (Colorado School of Mines) model is proposed by replacing the original monotonic cutting force distribution with this combined Hertz-Weibull model. The proposed model outperforms the original CSM model as demonstrated by a comparison of the estimated cutting forces with those from the tests/simulations. The findings from this work that advance our understanding of TBM cutter performance have important implications for improving the efficiency and reliability of TBM tunnelling in granite

Pipe-Ground Interaction During Curved Pipe Jacking Process with a Small Radius of Vertical Curvature

The salvage of “Yangtze River Estuary II” ancient wreck adopted the world’s first curved pipe based method. The mechanical design of the pipe jacking machine and the structure design of curved pipe relied on the understanding of the pipe-ground interaction mechanism and establishment of a reasonable model for calculating the driving force. Based on the understanding of the major factors contributing to the pipe-ground interaction, a theoretical model for calculating the driving force of curved pipe jacking machine with a small radius of vertical curvature was derived through equilibrium analysis. The dynamic jacking process of a single pipe was simulated using the coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL) method, from which the evolution processes of ground stress and ground surface settlement during the curved pipe jacking process with a small radius of vertical curvature were obtained. The simulation results were compared with model test data, on-site monitoring data, and theoretical calculation results, whereby the characteristics of driven force evolution and its controlling factors were obtained. The research outcome can provide theoretical basis and technical support for future wreck salvage project similar to “Yangtze River Estuary II”

Low-Carbon Energy Planning: A Hybrid MCDM Method Combining DANP and VIKOR Approach

With the development of urbanization, people&#8217;s living standards have improved. Simultaneously, the growing aggravation of resource shortages and environmental pollution have also gradually attracted widespread attention. Low-carbon energy planning can effectively reduce dependence on fossil resources and carbon emissions to the atmosphere, as well as improve the utilization of resources. Therefore, the formulation and evaluation of low-carbon energy planning have become the focus of attention for related colleges and institutions. This paper puts forward a hybrid multi-criteria decision making(MCDM) method combining decision making trial and evaluation laboratory(DEMATEL), analytical network process(ANP), and VIKOR to obtain the weight of each criterion and evaluate each alternative about low-carbon energy planning for building. A hierarchy structure of criteria involving cost, safety, reliability, and environment protection is built. Afterwards, a case of four alternatives is applied for testifying this methodology. Lastly, a comparison with prior methodologies serves as proof of the raised ranking. The presentation has proved that this methodology offers a more precise and effective foundation for decisions about low-carbon energy planning evaluation

Deformation of Longitudinal Beam of End Plate for Integral Salvage of Ancient Ships

For the integral salvage project of ancient sunken ships, the distributed optical fiber sensing technology is used instead of conventional deformation monitoring methods to monitor the deformation of the longitudinal beam and end plate during the overall lowering process of the “end plate longitudinal beam” frame. The monitoring results show that during the entire process of lowering the “end plate longitudinal beam”, the deformation of the end plate is controlled within 1.5 mm, and the deformation amount can be ignored. Due to the friction between the positioning pile and the “end plate longitudinal beam”, the maximum deformation of the longitudinal beam is 50 mm. Grinding and cutting the positioning pile can effectively reduce the deformation of the longitudinal beam, and the final deformation of the longitudinal beam is about 35 mm

CEL Numerical Analysis of Disturbance of Constructing Curved Beam Based on “Yangtze River Estuary II” Ancient Wreck

Based on the salvage project of “Yangtze River Estuary II” ancient wreck, a coupled Eluer-Lagrangian (CEL) numerical analysis was conducted for the wreck salvage project adopting the curved beam based method using rectangular curved pipe jacking with an extremely small radius of vertical curvature. The dynamic evolutions of the driving force and the vertical displacement of the wreck were obtained and compared with the results of model test. The results show that the simulation results of the established numerical model agree well with the experimental data, which could predict the variation laws of movement and the driving force of the wreck. Pipe jacking of the last beam is the most dangerous, which requires a strengthened construction control. In comparison with sequential jacking from one side to the other, the left-to-right symmetric jacking can effectively reduce the disturbance to the wreck and its surrounding ground

A multicenter randomized phase II trial of hyperthermia combined with TPF induction chemotherapy compared with TPF induction chemotherapy in locally advanced resectable oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background Hyperthermia has been reported to cause cancer stage regression, thus providing surgical opportunities in patients with unresectable tumors and improving the quality of life of patients by preserving certain organs. Methods A prospective open-label phase II trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of hyperthermia combined with induction chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced resectable oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Patients received hyperthermia combined with two cycles of 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, and docetaxel (TPF) induction chemotherapy regimens or TPF induction chemotherapy alone, followed by radical surgery with postoperative radiotherapy. The primary endpoint was the clinical response rate of the induction chemotherapy. The secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and toxicity. Results A total of 120 patients were enrolled, and 115 patients were included in the clinical response analysis. The clinical response rate was significantly higher in the experimental arm than in the control arm (65.45% vs. 40.00%, p = 0.0088). There were no unexpected toxicities, and hyperthermia and induction chemotherapy did not increase the perioperative morbidity rate. Moreover, there was a significant improvement in DFS, but no significant difference in OS between the two arms. In the subgroup analysis, increased OS and DFS rates were associated with patients with favorable clinical response after induction chemotherapy in the total population, experimental arm, and control arm. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that hyperthermia combined with induction chemotherapy is associated with a high response rate and provides a new treatment option for patients with resectable stage III or IVA OSCC