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Background Single incision laparoscopic colectomy (SILC) and single incision robotic colectomy (SIRC) are both advanced minimally invasive operative techniques. However, studies comparing these two surgical methods have not been published. The purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate the short-term outcomes of SIRC with those of SILC. Methods A total of 21 consecutive patients underwent SIRC and 136 consecutive patients underwent SILC in separate institutes between January 2013 and December 2019. We used retrospective cohort matching to analyze these patients. Results Prior to matching, patients who underwent SIRC had a lower percentage of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grades III–IV (5% vs. 19%, P = 0.11) compared with patients who underwent SILC. The SIRC group revealed a higher proportion of sigmoid colon lesions and anterior resections than the SILC group (61% vs. 45%, P = 0.16). After 1:4 cohort matching, 21 patients were enrolled in the SIRC group and 84 patients were enrolled in the SILC group. No statistically significant difference in terms of operative time (SIRC: 185 ± 46 min, SILC: 208 ± 53 min; P = 0.51), estimated blood loss (SIRC: 12 ± 22 ml, SILC: 85 ± 234 ml; P = 0.12), and complications (SIRC: 4.7%, SIRC: 7.1%; P = 0.31) was observed between these groups. Length of postoperative hospital stay (SIRC: 8.3 ± 1.7 days, SILC: 9.3 ± 6.5; P = 0.10) and number of harvested lymph nodes (SIRC: 21.3 ± 10.3, SILC: 21.3 ± 9.5; P = 0.77) were also similar between the two groups. In subgroup analysis, numbers of harvested lymph node is less in SIRC than SILC (SIRC: 18.1 ± 4.7 vs. SILC: 18.9 ± 8.1, P = 0.04) in anterior resection. Conclusion SIRC and SILC are safe and feasible procedures with similar surgical and pathological outcomes for right- and left-side colectomy.

Purpose To use pathologic indicators to determine which patients benefit from postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) for breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and total mastectomy (TM). Patients and methods We enrolled 4236 patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma who received NACT followed by TM. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals; independent predictors were controlled for or stratified in the analysis. Results After multivariate Cox regression analyses, the adjusted HRs derived for PMRT for all-cause mortality were 0.65 (0.52–0.81, P, Highlights • No large-scale study has estimated detailed outcome patterns of postmastectomy radiation therapy stratified based on postchemotherapy pathologic stages in breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy and total mastectomy. • We used pathologic indicators to determine which patients benefit from PMRT for breast cancer after NACT and TM. • For patients with breast cancer ypT3–4, ypN2–3, or pathologic stages IIIA–IIIC receiving NACT and TM, PMRT should be performed if it is associated with survival benefits, regardless of their clinical stages.

Landslides have caused extensive infrastructure damage and caused human fatalities for centuries. Intense precipitation and large earthquakes are considered to be two major landslide triggers, particularly in the case of catastrophic landslides. The most widely accepted mechanistic explanation for landslides is the effective-stress dependent shear strength reduction due to increases in pore water pressure. The Chashan landslide site, selected for the present study, has been intensively studied from geological, geophysical, geodetic, geotechnical, hydrological, and seismological perspectives. Our seismic monitoring of daily relative velocity changes (dv/v) indicated that landslide material decreases coincided with the first half of the rainy period and increased during the latter half of the rainy period. The geodetic surveys before and after the rainy period identified vertical subsidence without horizontal movement. The results from the multidisciplinary investigation enabled us to draw a conceptual model of the landslide recovery process induced by water loading. Where all sliding materials were stable (safety factor > 1.0), unconsolidated landslide colluvium and impermeable sliding surfaces trapped the seepage water to form a water tank, provided that compact forces were acting on the materials below the sliding boundary. The vertical force of compaction facilitates an increase in the cohesion and strength of landslide materials, thereby increasing the landslide materials’ stability. We demonstrated that the recovery process periodically occurs only under the combined conditions of prolonged and intense precipitation and the related stability conditions.

Purpose To assess the feasibility and short-term outcomes of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) followed by transanal total mesorectal excision assisted by single-port laparoscopic surgery (TaTME-SPLS) for low-lying rectal adenocarcinoma. Methods and materials A total of 23 patients with clinical stage II-III low-lying (from anal verge 0-8 cm) rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant CCRT followed by TaTME-SPLS consecutively from December 2015 to December 2018, were enrolled into our study. Chi-squared testing and Student’s t testing were used to make parametric comparisons, and Fisher’s exact test or the Mann–Whitney U test were used to make nonparametric comparisons. Results Conversion rate in patients who underwent neoadjuvant CCRT followed by TaTME-SPLS was only 4%. The mean operation time was 366 min and the inter-sphincter resection (ISR) was done for 14 patients (60%). The mean number of lymph nodes harvested was 15. There was no surgical mortality, but the 30-day morbidity rate was 21% (5 patients were Clavien-Dindo I-II). Pathological complete response was 21.74% with 100% organ preservation and 100% clear distal margin after neoadjuvant CCRT followed by TaTME-SPLS. Conclusion TaTME-SPLS would be highly successful in lymph node negative and low T stage of low-lying rectal cancer patients who had pathological complete remission or high percentage of partial remission after neoadjuvant CCRT.

Background and Objectives: To evaluate the predictive factor for and patterns of distant metastasis in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma receiving total mesorectal excision (TME). Methods: We enrolled 217 consecutive patients who had histologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma and underwent surgery at Taipei Medical University- Wanfang Hospital between January 2000 and December 2014. TME was performed in all patients undergoing a sphincter-sparing procedure or abdominal perineal resection of rectal cancer. We performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses of the distant metastasis rate in all patients to evaluate predictive factors. Overall survival (OS) rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Results: A multivariate Cox regression analysis of the distant metastasis rate in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma identified tumor locations and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages as prognostic risk factors. The adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of distant metastasis for the upper-third, middle-third, and AJCC stage I-II cancers were 0.08 (95% CI, 0.01-0.69; p = 0.021), 0.41 (95% CI, 0.15-0.99; p = 0.047), and 0.20 (95% CI, 0.10-0.66; p = 0.008), respectively. The 5-year lung metastasis rates among patients with upper-, middle-, and lower-third rectal cancers were 0%, 3.37%, and 13.33%, respectively (log-rank, p = 0.001), and the 5-year liver metastasis rates among patients with upper-, middle-, and lower-third rectal cancers were 2.12%, 9.10%, and 11.76%, respectively (log-rank, p = 0.096). The 5-year OS rates also differed with different rectal adenocarcinoma locations. The 5-year OS rates for upper, middle, and lower rectal cancers were 96%, 86%, and 64%, respectively (log-rank, p < 0.001). Conclusion: A poor OS rate and high lung or liver metastasis rate were observed in distal rectal adenocarcinoma. Longer intensive surveillance of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis after TME in distal rectal adenocarcinoma could be necessary.

Background and Objectives: To investigate critical prognostic factors for local recurrence in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma. Methods: We enrolled 221 consecutive patients who had histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the rectum and underwent surgery in our hospital between January 2000 and December 2014. Total mesorectal excision was performed in all patients undergoing a sphincter-sparing procedure or abdominal perineal resection of rectal cancer. To evaluate prognostic factors for local recurrence, we performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses of the local recurrence rate in all patients. Overall survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Results: After the inclusion of only model variables of local recurrence with the highest or lowest univariate risk, a tumor size of

This research introduced meta-models based Design For Six Sigma (DFSS) and robust design optimization (RDO) for dynamic performance optimization problems, which could eliminate the design sensitivity analysis (DSA) and deal with numerical noises. The optimization methodologies could be executed effortlessly based on the gradient information of meta-models, robust/DFSS optimization combined with meta-models was therefore proposed to optimize shape of mechanical structures and gain coefficients of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for multi-body systems (MBS). Meta-model based on simultaneous Kriging method was first presented to construct approximate models for optimization design objectives. Then, robust/DFSS design optimization formulation was also described in this paper. Two numerical examples on shape optimization with a flexible cantilever beam model and the gain value optimization of PID control algorithm with an inverted-pendulum model were performed to demonstrate the proposed optimization method. The former example described structural optimization of a flexible body under dynamic loading conditions within an MBS approach. In the latter example, the optimal values of P, I, D gains were obtained by using co-simulation between multibody dynamic (MBD) analysis and control environment. Therefore, this study achieved structural and control design improvement in different systems with the optimization theories.

This paper presents a case study of the Taipingshan landslide, which was triggered by Typhoon Saola in 2012. Taipingshan villa is one of the most famous scenic locations within the Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area in northern Taiwan. Since the early 1990s, evidence of recent landslide activity appeared throughout the Taipingshan villa and included features such as tension cracks, ground settlement, and cracking in manmade structures. In response, a series of geological investigations and in-site/laboratory tests were conducted in 2010 to estimate slope stability and predict critical rainfall thresholds (event accumulated rainfall) for landslide activity. Results revealed that the critical rainfall threshold for the Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area is 1765 mm. In 2012, that threshold was tested when Typhoon Saola brought tremendous rainfall to northern and eastern Taiwan and triggered activity along the main scarp of sliding mass B located near the History Exhibition Hall. According to in situ extensometer readings and on-site precipitation data, the extensometer was severed at an accumulated rainfall 1694 mm. Field monitoring data during the typhoon event are in good agreement with the rainfall threshold. These preliminary results suggest that the threshold may be useful for assessing the rainfall threshold of other landslides and a good reference for establishing early warning systems for landslides.

Background and Objectives: To investigate whether multidisciplinary team (MDT) intervention is associated with improved survival for patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma with liver or lung metastasis (CRA-LLM). Methods: We enrolled 161 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed CRA-LLM at Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Hospital between January 2007 and December 2017. In total, 75 patients with CRA-LLM received MDT intervention, and 86 patients did not receive MDT intervention. To evaluate prognostic factors for overall death, we performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses of the overall death rate in all patients. Overall survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test (P < .001). Results: A multivariate Cox regression analysis of the overall death rate in patients with CRA-LLM showed that age ≤ 65 years, systemic chemotherapy, curative-intent treatments, and MDT intervention are strong prognostic factors. The adjusted hazard ratio of death risk for age ≤ 65 years, systemic chemotherapy, curative-intent treatments, and MDT intervention were 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.92; P = .019), 0.19 (95% CI, 0.12-0.32; P = .001), 0.25 (95% CI, 0.13-0.50; P = .001), and 0.40 (95% CI, 0.25-0.65; P = .001), respectively. The 3-year overall survival rates in patients with CRA-LLM receiving MDT intervention and not receiving MDT intervention were 48.75% and 24.21%, respectively. Conclusion: MDT intervention is associated with improved survival for patients with CRA-LLM.

In this study, poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) non-woven mats were prepared by electrospinning technique, followed by treating with oxygen plasma and grafting with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES), then immersed in poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) solution to form a layer of γ-PGA on the surface. In so doing, hydrophobic PLLA would become highly hydrophilic. Through characterization of hydrophilicity and biocompatibility, the feasibility of these modified mats for wound dressing was evaluated. The results show that after the grafting of γ-PGA, the swelling ratio increased greatly from 7% for pristine PLLA mat to 321% for γ-PGA-grafted PLLA mat, and the contact angle decreased from 112° to 25°. In vitro cytocompatibility tests against L929 fibroblast show that γ-PGA-grafted PLLA was non-cytotoxic. In addition, the proliferation of fibroblasts was higher on γ-PGA-grafted PLLA than on pristine PLLA.

To the EditorWe read with great interest the article by Sylthe Pedersen et al. [1]. In their retrospective study over a five year period, they found that there may be an increased risk of colorecta...

Open image in new window A Central Geologic Survey investigation of large-scale landslides in the southern part of Taiwan identified a new, large-scale landslide in the Xinzhuang Village of Shanlin District, Kaohsiung City (ID: Kaohsiung-Shanlin-D021) which has the potential to influence the safety of residents. In order to reduce landslide hazard, this study assesses the potential for the landslide to fail. Field data, including the results of borehole sampling and laboratory experiments, is collected and analyzed and used to estimate the extent of the failure zone. We consider the effect of hydrogeological conditions, construct a conceptual model of subsurface conditions and analyze the stability of the landslide. After completing a comprehensive analysis of the Xinzhuang landslide, the landslide was divided into three potential failure masses (Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3). Results of the analysis demonstrate that the safety factor of the Zone 3 is the lowest. Analysis results show that once precipitation causes the water table to near the bottom of the colluvium, the potential failure block may become unstable. Additionally, the impact of failure on the Xinzhuang Village is evaluated. If the Zone 3 potential sliding mass does mobilize, the main area affected by the deposit is the area southeast of Highway 29 (Sima road), Alley 106 and Alley 58. People living in this area are at risk of being buried by 1–20 m of landslide debris. The methods applied in this study can be applied to other villages and used as a reference for the development of disaster prevention and evacuation planning.

The Internet has evolved greatly in this decade. For economic benefits, the management of Internet networks needs to adapt to mass changes without huge modifications in hardware and software. Especially in campus networks, there are a variety of users and devices with different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and management policies. Software-defined networking (SDN) decouples the data and control planes. The separated control plan resides on a centralized controller to make networks easier to manage. In this paper, a role-based SDN campus network slicing is proposed by utilizing an authentication controller and the virtualization technology of FlowVisor to divide the campus network into several virtual networks according to the types of users. However, the mapping between the devices' MAC addresses and the users' roles results in a heavy loading problem on FlowVisor. Therefore, a VLAN-based slicing is introduced in this framework to offload the workload of FlowVisor for classifying packets into corresponding slices. Packets are appended with VLAN tags for recognizing types of users to lower the overhead of FlowVisor. Analyses of experimental results show that compared with MAC-based slicing, VLAN-based slicing can reduce the flow setup latency by 14% to 60% depending on the number of devices.

// Shih-Chiung Lai 1, * ,Wei-Chun Lin 2, * , Chien-Hsin Chen 3 , Szu-Yuan Wu 4, 5, 6, 7 1 Department of Exercise and Health Science, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan 2 Department of Cancer Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan 3 Department of Colorectal Surgery, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan 4 Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 5 Department of Radiation Oncology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan 6 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan 7 Department of Biotechnology, Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan * These authors contributed equally to this work and are joint first authors Correspondence to: Szu-Yuan Wu, email: szuyuanwu5399@gmail.com Keywords: cancer-related fatigue questionnaire, reliability, validity Received: October 17, 2016 Accepted: February 06, 2017 Published: March 16, 2017 ABSTRACT Purpose: We prospectively designed a Taiwan cancer-related fatigue cognition questionnaire, version 1.0 (TCRFCQ-V1.0), for Taiwanese patients with cancer and investigated the reliability and validity of this questionnaire. Results: The completion rate of the TCRFCQ-V1.0 was high (97% of the patients completed all items), and the rate of missing data was low (0.2%–1.1% for each item). Moreover, the Cronbach alpha value was 0.889. We eliminated 5 items because their respective Cronbach alpha values were higher than the total mean value of Cronbach’s alpha. Overall, the TCRFCQ-V1.0 had adequate Cronbach alpha coefficients (range, from 0.882 to 0.889). In addition, the results of Bartlett’s test were significant (chi-squared, 2390.11; p 1, and the scree plot indicated no flattening factors. Overall, 28 items achieved a factor loading of ≥ 0.55. Materials and Methods: We enrolled patients with cancer who were aged > 18 years, had received a pathological diagnosis of cancer, and had undergone cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or concurrent chemoradiotherapy at a single institute in Taiwan. Of the identified 167 eligible patients, 161 (96.4%) were approached. Of these patients, 6 (7.2%) declined to participate and 155 (92.8%) were interviewed. The initial 43 items in the TCRFCQ-V1.0 were assessed for ceiling and floor effects. Conclusions: The TCRFCQ-V1.0 is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring CRF cognition in Taiwanese patients with cancer.

The main objective of this paper is to simulate the mobility of humanoid robot. Simulation method implemented by using RecurDyn, one can analyze the kinematics and dynamics of BIOLOID humanoid robot. Moreover, the analysis of mobility will be discussed. In this paper, the Zero-Moment Point and Forward Dynamics methods are also introduced to the dynamic analysis of humanoid robot. Finally, the simulation results show that the algorithms developed in this paper can efficiently enhance the stability of the humanoid robot.

In this paper, an analysis has been conducted to explore the momentun and thermal transport characterastics of electroosmotic liquid flow in a microchannel under imposed constant wall heat flux boundary condition. The present formulation shows that the problem is governed by three parameters, namely, the length scale ratio (ratio of Debye length to half channel height), the Joule heating parameter (ratio of Joule heating to surface heat flux), and the Brinkman number. A closed form solution of the problem was obtained and the impact of viscous dissipation on the heat transfer behavior was investigated. Analytical exact solutions of dimensionless velocity and temperature profiles, normalized local velocity, volume flow rate, friction coefficient, mean fluid temperature, and the fully-developed Nusselt number were obtained as functions of the governing parameters. Especially, the effects of length scale ratio on major flow parameters (including the normalized local velocity, friction coefficient, and volumetric flow rate) were examined. Also, the viscous dissipation effect on thermal transport characteristics was discussed in depth.

The scroll compressor has the conjugate motion of meshing by the fixed scroll and the planet scroll. Several kinds of geometrical curves can be adopted to form the scroll compressor profile such as involute of circle with variable and constant radius, algebraic spiral, and so on, to improve the performance of scroll compressor. This study proposes a new scroll profile design using elliptic involute and two-envelope method to create a new conjugate meshing scroll of variable cross section. The curve of the scroll section on both sides can be specified as an arbitrary mathematical function. First, the base scroll swept out by the central base circle. Next, the base circle translation path envelope of the planet scroll is moved by the basic involute curve. The base circle translation path envelope is the first envelope. The second envelope generated by the planet scroll conjugate profile is the fixed scroll. By using two-envelope method, the variety of conjugate scroll can be produce with the cross section and symmetrical variables for parametric design.

In this work, convection heat transfer for combined electro-osmotic and pressure driven flow of power-law fluid through a microtube has been analyzed. Typical results for velocity and temperature distributions, friction coefficient, and Nusselt number are illustrated for various values of key parameters such as flow behavior index, length scale ratio (ratio of Debye length to tube radius), dimensionless pressure gradient, and dimensionless Joule heating parameter. The results reveal that friction coefficient decreases with increasing dimensionless pressure gradient, and classical Poiseuille solutions can be retrieved as the dimensionless pressure gradient approaches to infinite. To increase the length scale ratio has the effect to reduce Nusselt number, while the influence of this ratio on Nusselt number diminishes as the pressure gradient increases. With the same magnitude of dimensionless Joule heating parameter, Nusselt number can be increased by increasing both the flow behavior index and dimensionless pressure gradient for surface cooling, while the opposite behavior is observed for surface heating. Also, singularities occurs in the Nusselt number variations for surface cooling as the ratio of Joule heating to wall heat flux is sufficiently large with negative sign.

Thermally fully-developed heat transfer has been analyzed for combined electroosmotic and pressure driven flow of power-law fluid in a microchannel. Analytical expressions for transport parameters are presented in terms of the flow behavior index, the length scale ratio (ratio of Debye length to half channel height), dimensionless pressure gradient, and Joule heating parameter (ratio of Joule heating to surface heat flux). Closed form solutions are obtained for some specific values of the flow behavior index, while numerical solutions are presented for general cases. The results show that the temperature variation across the channel increases with increasing the pressure gradient. To reduce the length scale ratio is found to decrease the temperature variation, particularly for shear-thinning fluids. To increase the Joule heating parameter is to enlarge the temperature variation in the channel, especially for shear-thickening fluids. The Nusselt number can be increased by decreasing the length scale ratio due to the electroosmotic effect. Also, the Nusselt number increases with decreasing the values of flow behavior index and dimensionless pressure gradient.

Generally speaking, the human biomechanical systems can be classified into two main groups: open-loop and closed-loop systems. In this investigation, the nonlinear recursive formulation is developed for the kinematic analysis of human biomechanical systems. The nonlinear generalized Newton-Euler equations are developed for flexible bodies that undergo large translational and rotational displacements. These equations are formulated in terms of a set of time invariant scalars, vectors and matrices that depend on the spatial coordinates as well as the assumed displacement fields, and these time invariant quantities represent the dynamic coupling between the rigid body motion and elastic deformation. The formulation to solve equations of motion for human biomechanical systems consisting of interconnected rigid and flexible bodies is presented in this paper.

This paper presents an analysis of the heat transfer characteristics and cooling performance of a microchannel heat sink with water–γAl2O3 nanofluids having different nanoparticle volume fraction. In view of the small dimensions of the microstructures, the microchannel heat sink is modeled as a fluid-saturated porous medium for problem solving. The Forchheimer–Brinkman–extended Darcy equation is used to describe the fluid flow and the two-equation model with thermal dispersion is utilized for heat transfer. Typical results for the temperature distributions of the fluid phase and the channel wall are presented for various values of nanoparticle volume fraction and the inertial force parameter. It is found that the temperature distribution of the channel wall is practically not sensitive to the inertial effect, while the fluid temperature distribution and the total thermal resistance change significantly due to the inertial force effect. In general, the effect of fluid inertia is to reduce the total thermal resistance and the temperature difference between the channel wall and the fluid phase. The total thermal resistances obtained from the present model with inertial effect match well with the existing experimental results, whereas the thermal resistance is overestimated as the inertial effect is neglected.

The properties of the final product greatly depend on the cooling rate from the material surface in many manufacturing processes, such as stretching sheets or filaments that are extruded continuously from a die. Therefore, the thermal transport behavior may play an important role in such manufacturing processes. In this paper we present an analysis of momentum and thermal transport for the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of an electrically conducting fluid over a stretching sheet with prescribed surface temperature. The effects of free convection, Joule heating and viscous dissipation are taken into consideration. The transformed governing equations are solved numerically for this non-similar coupled flow problem. To reveal the tendency of the solutions, typical results for velocity profiles, temperature distributions and the local Nusselt number are presented for different values of governing parameters.

In this paper we study the magneto-hydrodynamic flow and heat transfer of an electrically conducting, viscoelastic fluid past a stretching surface, taking into account the effects of Joule and viscous dissipation, internal heat generation/absorption, work done due to deformation and thermal radiation. Closed-form solutions for the boundary layer equations of the flow are presented for two classes of viscoelastic fluid, namely, the second-grade and Walters’ liquid B fluids. Thermal transport is analyzed for two types of non-isothermal boundary conditions, i.e. prescribed surface temperature (PST) and prescribed surface heat flux (PHF) varying as a power of the distance from the origin. Results for some special cases of the present analysis are in excellent agreement with the existing literature. The effects of various physical parameters, such as viscoelasticity, magnetic parameter, thermal radiation parameter, heat source/sink parameter, Prandtl number, Eckert number and suction/injection parameter on the velocity and temperature profiles, skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number are examined and discussed in detail.

In 2009, Typhoon Morakot caused over 680 deaths and more than 20,000 landslides in Taiwan. From 2010 to 2015, the Central Geological Survey of the Ministry of Economic Affairs identified 1047 potential large-scale landslides in Taiwan, of which 103 may have affected human settlements. This paper presents an analytical procedure that can be applied to assess the possible impact of a landslide collapse on nearby settlements. In this paper, existing technologies, including interpretation of remote sensing images, hydrogeological investigation, and numerical analysis, are integrated to evaluate potential failure scenarios and the landslide scale of a specific case: the Xinzhuang landslide. GeoStudio and RAMMS analysis modes and hazard classification produced the following results: (1) evaluation of the failure mechanisms and the influence zones of large-scale landslides; (2) assessment of the migration and accumulation of the landslide mass after failure; and (3) a landslide hazard and evacuation map. The results of the case study show that this analytical procedure can quantitatively estimate potential threats to human settlements. Furthermore, it can be applied to other villages and used as a reference in disaster prevention and evacuation planning.

The problem of magneto-hydrodynamic mixed convective flow and heat transfer of an electrically conducting, power-law fluid past a stretching surface in the presence of heat generation/absorption and thermal radiation has been analyzed. After transforming the governing equations with suitable dimensionless variables, numerical solutions are generated by an implicit finite-difference technique for the non-similar, coupled flow. The solution is found to be dependent on the governing parameters including the power-law fluid index, the magnetic field parameter, the modified Richardson number, the radiation parameter, the heat generation parameter, and the generalized Prandtl number. To reveal the tendency of the solutions, typical results for the velocity and temperature profiles, the skin-friction coefficient, and the local Nusselt number are presented for different values of these controlling parameters.

The problem of magneto-hydrodynamic flow and heat transfer of an electrically conducting, non-Newtonian power-law fluid past a stretching sheet in the presence of a transverse magnetic field is analyzed. The surface of the stretching sheet is assumed to move with a power-law velocity and subject to uniform surface heat flux. The effects of suction or injection at the surface are considered. The resulting governing equations are transformed into nonlinear ordinary differential equations using appropriate transformations and then solved numerically based on central-difference approximations. The solution is found to be dependent on five governing parameters including the magnetic field parameter, the power-law fluid index, the sheet velocity exponent, the suction/blowing parameter, and the generalized Prandtl number. A systematical study is carried out to illustrate the effects of these major parameters on the sheet surface temperature, fluid temperature distributions in the boundary layer, the skin-friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number.

The effect of Marangoni convection on the flow and heat transfer within a power-law liquid film on an unsteady stretching sheet is examined. The governing equations are non-dimensionalized using suitable transformation variables and the resulting transformed PDEs are then solved numerically by an implicit finite-difference scheme. Results for the velocity and temperature distributions, the free-surface temperature, and the wall temperature gradient are presented for various values of the unsteadiness parameter S , the power-law index n , the thermo-capillarity number M , and the modified Prandtl number Pr . The velocity and temperature distributions in the film are affected significantly by the thermally-induced Marangoni convection adjacent to the free surface. A fluid with a smaller Pr is more sensitive to the Marangoni effect. For Pr less than a moderate value (e.g., at selected values of n and ξ , Pr ⩽ 1 for S = 0.8 and Pr ⩽ 10 for S = 1.2 ), the Marangoni effect tends to increase the heat transfer rate; whereas this impact diminishes in the high Pr regime.

This paper presents an analysis of forced convection heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks for electronic system cooling. In view of the small dimensions of the microstructures, the microchannel is modeled as a fluid-saturated porous medium. Numerical solutions are obtained based on the Forchheimer–Brinkman-extended Darcy equation for the fluid flow and the two-equation model for heat transfer between the solid and fluid phases. The velocity field in the microchannel is first solved by a finite-difference scheme, and then the energy equations governing the solid and fluid phases are solved simultaneously for the temperature distributions. Also, analytical expressions for the velocity and temperature profiles are presented for a simpler flow model, i.e., the Brinkman-extended Darcy model. This work attempts to perform a systematic study on the effects of major parameters on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of forced convection in the microchannel heat sink. The governing parameters of engineering importance include the channel aspect ratio (αs), inertial force parameter (Γ), porosity (e), and the effective thermal conductivity ratio (kr). The velocity profiles of the fluid in the microchannel, the temperature distributions of the solid and fluid phases, and the overall Nusselt number are illustrated for various values of the problem parameters. It is found that the fluid inertia force alters noticeably the dimensionless velocity distribution and the fluid temperature distribution, while the solid temperature distribution is almost insensitive to the fluid inertia. Moreover, the overall Nusselt number increases with increasing the values of αs and e, while it decreases with increasing kr.

Generating nonlinear trajectories of walking patterns is one of the most important problems in stability a humanoid robot when it walks on different ground conditions. In order to solve this problem, a desired Zero Moment Point (ZMP) trajectory is firstly designed and then a Center of Mass (CoM) trajectory will be created based on this ZMP. Hence, the preview control formulation which follows the planned ZMP patterns while reducing the jerk (acceleration derivation) is considered to implement this trajectory. In this study, the walking pattern for bipedal robot is generated by using a cart-table model. The procedure of apply a preview controller to the cart-table model will be presented in this investigation. After that, the position of each leg joint of bipedal robot is also calculated by using the proposed CoM Jacobian. Finally, computer simulations are performed by utilizing RecurDyn and MATLAB softwares to validate the proposed preview control formulation for the nonlinear walking patterns generation of a Bioloid humanoid robot.

Convective heat transfer of non-Newtonian fluids within a thin liquid film on an unsteady stretching sheet is investigated, taking into consideration the viscous dissipation effect. Results for the temperature distribution, the free-surface temperature, and the wall temperature gradient are illustrated at selected values of the unsteadiness parameter, the power-law index, and Eckert number for a wide range of the generalized Prandtl number, ranging from 0.001 to 1000. Also, new results for the velocity profiles, the free-surface velocity, and the wall shear stress are presented. The deviation from Newtonian behavior on the variation of the horizontal velocity component across the liquid film is observed more significant than that reported in the previous investigation. As compared to the case where viscous dissipation is neglected, the dimensionless fluid temperature is found to increase when the fluid is being heated but to decrease when the fluid is being cooled. For the fluid heating case, the dimensionless fluid temperature decreases monotonically in the vertical direction; while for the fluid cooling case it decreases rapidly at first, reaches a minimum value, and then increases more gradually to its free-surface value. The wall temperature gradient takes a higher value for a negative Eckert number but a lower value for a positive Eckert number, as compared to the case without viscous dissipation. The effects of positive or negative Eckert numbers on heat transfer are found to be more pronounced for higher generalized Prandtl numbers.

Forced convection flow in a microchannel with constant wall temperature is studied, including viscous dissipation effect. The slip-flow regime is considered by incorporating both the velocity-slip and the temperature-jump conditions at the surface. The energy equation is solved for the developing temperature field using finite integral transform. To increase βvKn is to increase the slip velocity at the wall surface, and hence to decrease the friction factor. Effects of the parameters βvKn, β, and Br on the heat transfer results are illustrated and discussed in detail. For a fixed Br, the Nusselt number may be either higher or lower than those of the continuum regime, depending on the competition between the effects of βvKn and β. At a given βvKn the variation of local Nusselt number becomes more even when β becomes larger, accompanied by a shorter thermal entrance length. The fully developed Nusselt number decreases with increasing β irrelevant to βvKn. The increase in Nusselt number due to viscous heating is found to be more pronounced at small βvKn.

The problem of combined heat and mass transfer of an electrically conducting fluid in MHD natural convection adjacent to a vertical surface is analyzed, taking into account the effects of Ohmic heating and viscous dissipation. The resulting governing equations are transformed using suitable transformations and then solved numerically by an implicit finite-difference technique. The solution is found to be dependent on the governing parameters including the magnetic field parameter, the buoyancy ratio between species and thermal diffusion, the Eckert number, the Prandtl number, and the Schmidt number. Effects of these major parameters on the transport behaviors are investigated methodically and typical results are illustrated to reveal the tendency of the solutions. Representative results are presented for the velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions, as well as the local skin-friction coefficient, local Nusselt number, and the local Sherwood number.

Objective: To evaluate the change of endometrial histology and the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) in the endometrium after continuous combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Methods: Forty-five postmenopausal women were recruited. All participants received 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone (MPA) daily for 2 years. Endometrial biopsy was performed twice, before medication (baseline) and after 2 years of HRT, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the presence of Cox-2 expression. Results: More atrophic and weak secretory features of endometrium were noted after the 2-year HRT. Endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma were not found and immunohistochemistry results revealed that Cox-2 was not expressed in the endometrium. Conclusion: Cox-2, known to play an important role in the tumorigenesis of cancer, was not stained in endometrium tissue after hormonal induction and more endometrium atrophy was noted after the 2-year HRT. From the results, it is noted that continuous combined HRT may be a relatively safe and appropriate regimen for long-term use in postmenopausal women.

An analysis of flow and heat transfer from a heated flat surface continuously moving in a parallel free stream of non-Newtonian fluid has been performed. This kind of problem is of practical interest in materials processing. The surface temperature is assumed to have a power-law variation. Three surface heating conditions of uniform wall temperature (UWT), variable wall temperature (VWT), and uniform surface heat flux (UHF) are considered in this study. Numerical solutions for the momentum and thermal transport between the continuous surface and the flowing non-Newtonian fluid are generated by using a finite-difference method. Velocity and temperature profiles are presented at selected values of free stream velocity using the power-law viscosity index. The friction factor and Nusselt number are illustrated for a wide range of governing parameters. For the same normalized velocity difference, the Nusselt number is increased for a shear thinning fluid but decreased for a shear thickening fluid, as compared to the Newtonian fluid. An increase in the ratio of the free stream velocity U∞ to the wall velocity Uw results in an increase in the heat transfer rate, but a decrease in the friction factor. For the same values of power-law viscosity index and the normalized velocity difference, higher values of friction factor and Nusselt number are obtained from Uw>U∞ than from Uw