Discontinuity development patterns and the challenges for 3D discrete fracture network modeling on complicated exposed rock surfaces

Natural slopes usually display complicated exposed rock surfaces that are characterized by complex and substantial terrain undulation and ubiquitous undesirable phenomena such as vegetation cover and rockfalls.This study presents a systematic outcrop research of fracture pattern variations in a complicated rock slope,and the qualitative and quantitative study of the complex phenomena impact on threedimensional(3D)discrete fracture network(DFN)modeling.As the studies of the outcrop fracture pattern have been so far focused on local variations,thus,we put forward a statistical analysis of global variations.The entire outcrop is partitioned into several subzones,and the subzone-scale variability of fracture geometric properties is analyzed(including the orientation,the density,and the trace length).The results reveal significant variations in fracture characteristics(such as the concentrative degree,the average orientation,the density,and the trace length)among different subzones.Moreover,the density of fracture sets,which is approximately parallel to the slope surface,exhibits a notably higher value compared to other fracture sets across all subzones.To improve the accuracy of the DFN modeling,the effects of three common phenomena resulting from vegetation and rockfalls are qualitatively analyzed and the corresponding quantitative data processing solutions are proposed.Subsequently,the 3D fracture geometric parameters are determined for different areas of the high-steep rock slope in terms of the subzone dimensions.The results show significant variations in the same set of 3D fracture parameters across different regions with density differing by up to tenfold and mean trace length exhibiting differences of 3e4 times.The study results present precise geological structural information,improve modeling accuracy,and provide practical solutions for addressing complex outcrop issues.

Geophysical Significance of the Senegalo-Mali Discontinuity: Evidence from Secondary Structures, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, Western Mali

The present study focuses on the analysis and description of lineaments interpreted as secondary structures to describe the nature of Senegalo Malian Discontinuity. These lineaments cross-cut the large north-south oriented transcurrent lithospheric structure known as the Senegalo Malian Discontinuity (SMD). Two lineaments were selected oriented NNE (N15˚ to N25˚), one at Dialafara and one at Sadiola. Four profiles on each lineament of these 2 zones, so that there were 2 on each side of the SMD. The ground data collected were processed using proper parameter and software. Some filters were applied to enhance the signal level. These ground data were later compared to the existing airborne magnetic data for consistency and accuracy using the upward continuation filter. The results show that the quality of ground data is good. In addition, the ground magnetic data show the presence of certain local anomalies that are not visible in the regional data. The analytical signal was also used to determine domain boundaries or possible contact zones. The contact zone can be highlighted on certain profiles such as L300 and L600. The study showed that the west and east sides of the SMD are not the same. Secondary structures become wide when approaching the SMD on both sides. They are also duplicated to the east of the SMD when we move progressively away. In the Dialafara area, the ground magnetic data intersect an interpreted fold. The results of this work confirm the presence of the secondary structures and their evolution in relation to the SMD. The relationships between the secondary structures in the Dailafara and Sadiola zones and their relations with the SMD are highlighted. The technique used in this study, is an important approach to better description and interpreting of regional structures using the secondary structures and proposing a structural model.

The Effect of Blood Lipid Profiles on Chronic Kidney Disease in a Prospective Cohort:Based on a Regression Discontinuity Design

Objective Previous studies on the association between lipid profiles and chronic kidney disease(CKD)have yielded inconsistent results and no defined thresholds for blood lipids.Methods A prospective cohort study including 32,351 subjects who completed baseline and follow-up surveys over 5 years was conducted.Restricted cubic splines and Cox models were used to examine the association between the lipid profiles and CKD.A regression discontinuity design was used to determine the cutoff value of lipid profiles that was significantly associated with increased the risk of CKD.Results Over a median follow-up time of 2.2(0.5,4.2)years,648(2.00%)subjects developed CKD.The lipid profiles that were significantly and linearly related to CKD included total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C,whereas lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and LDL-C/HDL-C were nonlinearly correlated with CKD.TC,TG,TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C showed an upward jump at the cutoff value,increasing the risk of CKD by 0.90%,1.50%,2.30%,and 1.60%,respectively,whereas HDL-C showed a downward jump at the cutoff value,reducing this risk by 1.0%.Female and participants with dyslipidemia had a higher risk of CKD,while the cutoff values for the different characteristics of the population were different.Conclusion There was a significant association between lipid profiles and CKD in a prospective cohort from Northwest China,while TG,TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C showed a stronger risk association.The specific cutoff values of lipid profiles may provide a clinical reference for screening or diagnosing CKD risk.

No basalt accumulation and segregation atop the 660-km discontinuity beneath the Sea of Okhotsk

Recent seismic evidence shows that basalt accumulation is widespread in the mantle transition zone(MTZ),yet its ubiquity or sporadic nature remains uncertain.To investigate this phenomenon further,we characterized the velocity structure across the 660-km discontinuity that separates the upper mantle from the lower mantle beneath the Sea of Okhotsk by modeling the waveform of the S660P phase,a downgoing S wave converting into a P wave at the 660-km interface.These waves were excited by two regional>410-km-deep events and were recorded by stations in central Asia.Our findings showed no need to introduce velocity anomalies at the base of the MTZ to explain the S660P waveforms because the IASP91 model adequately reproduced the waveforms.This finding indicates that the basalt accumulation has not affected the bottom of the MTZ in the study area.Instead,this discontinuity is primarily controlled by temperature or water content variations,or both.Thus,we argue that the basalt accumulation at the base of the MTZ is sporadic,not ubiquitous,reflecting its heterogeneous distribution.

Automatic identification of rock discontinuity and stability analysis of tunnel rock blocks using terrestrial laser scanning

Local geometric information and discontinuity features are key aspects of the analysis of the evolution and failure mechanisms of unstable rock blocks in rock tunnels.This study demonstrates the integration of terrestrial laser scanning(TLS)with distinct element method for rock mass characterization and stability analysis in tunnels.TLS records detailed geometric information of the surrounding rock mass by scanning and collecting the positions of millions of rock surface points without contact.By conducting a fuzzy K-means method,a discontinuity automatic identification algorithm was developed,and a method for obtaining the geometric parameters of discontinuities was proposed.This method permits the user to visually identify each discontinuity and acquire its spatial distribution features(e.g.occurrences,spac-ings,trace lengths)in great detail.Compared with hand mapping in conventional geotechnical surveys,the geometric information of discontinuities obtained by this approach is more accurate and the iden-tification is more efficient.Then,a discrete fracture network with the same statistical characteristics as the actual discontinuities was generated with the distinct element method,and a representative nu-merical model of the jointed surrounding rock mass was established.By means of numerical simulation,potential unstable rock blocks were assessed,and failure mechanisms were analyzed.This method was applied to detection and assessment of unstable rock blocks in the spillway and sand flushing tunnel of the Hongshiyan hydropower project after a collapse.The results show that the noncontact detection of blocks was more labor-saving with lower safety risks compared with manual surveys,and the stability assessment was more reliable since the numerical model built by this method was more consistent with the distribution characteristics of actual joints.This study can provide a reference for geological survey and unstable rock block hazard mitigation in tunnels subjected to complex geology and active rockfalls.

Topography of the 660-km discontinuity within the Izu-Bonin subduction zone and evidence of slab penetration near the Bonin Super Deep Earthquake(~680 km)

The Izu-Bonin subduction zone in the Northwest Pacific is an ideal location for understanding mantle dynamics such as cold lithosphere subduction. The slab produces a lateral thermal anomaly, inducing local topographic changes at the boundary of a post-spinel phase transformation, considered to be the origin of the ‘660-km discontinuity.’ In this study, the short-period(1–2 Hz) S-to-P conversion phase S660P was used to obtain the fine-scale structure of the discontinuity. More than 100 earthquakes that occurred from the 1980s to the 2020s and were recorded by high-quality seismic arrays in the United States and Europe were analyzed. A discontinuity in the ambient mantle with an average depth of ~670 km was found beneath the 300–400-km event zone in the northern Bonin region near 33°N. Meanwhile, the ‘660-km discontinuity’ has been pushed upward, away from the slab, possibly because of a hot upwelling mantle plume. In the central part of the subduction zone, the 660-km discontinuity is depressed to an average depth of(690 ± 5) km within the slab at approximately 150 km below the coldest slab core, indicating a(300 ± 100) ℃ cold anomaly estimated using a post-spinel transformation Clapeyron slope of(-2.0 ± 1.0) MPa/K. In southern Bonin near 28°N, the discontinuity was found to be further depressed at an average depth of(695 ± 5) km below the deepest event and with a focal depth of ~550 km. The discontinuity is located where the slab bends abruptly to become sub-horizontal toward the west-southwest. Near the zone of the isolated Bonin Super Deep Earthquake, which occurred at ~680 km on May 30,2015, the discontinuity is depressed to ~700 km, suggesting a near-vertical penetrating slab and an S-to-P conversion in the coldest slab core, where a large low-temperature anomaly should exist.

A non-contact measurement method for rock mass discontinuity orientations by smartphone

Smartphones are usually packed with a large number of features.An increasing number of researchers are paying attention to the technological capabilities of smartphones,which is a new topic and research interest.This paper proposes a method using smartphones and digital photogrammetry to measure the discontinuity orientation of a rock mass.Smartphone photos satisfying a certain overlap rate provide an efficient method for generating point cloud models of rock outcrops based on image matching.Using the target and the generated point cloud model allows for determining actual geographic coordinates and the measurement of discontinuity orientations.The method proposed has been applied to two different study areas.The discontinuity orientations measured by the proposed method are compared with those measured by the manual method in two cases.The results show a good agreement,verifying the reliability and accuracy of the proposed method.The main contribution of this paper is to use knowledge of coordinate rotation to determine the actual geographic location of the model through a square target.The equipment used in this study is simple,and photogrammetric field surveys are easy to carry out.

Regression discontinuity design and its applications to Science of Science:A survey

Purpose:With the availability of large-scale scholarly datasets,scientists from various domains hope to understand the underlying mechanisms behind science,forming a vibrant area of inquiry in the emerging“science of science”field.As the results from the science of science often has strong policy implications,understanding the causal relationships between variables becomes prominent.However,the most credible quasi-experimental method among all causal inference methods,and a highly valuable tool in the empirical toolkit,Regression Discontinuity Design(RDD)has not been fully exploited in the field of science of science.In this paper,we provide a systematic survey of the RDD method,and its practical applications in the science of science.Design/methodology/approach:First,we introduce the basic assumptions,mathematical notations,and two types of RDD,i.e.,sharp and fuzzy RDD.Second,we use the Web of Science and the Microsoft Academic Graph datasets to study the evolution and citation patterns of RDD papers.Moreover,we provide a systematic survey of the applications of RDD methodologies in various scientific domains,as well as in the science of science.Finally,we demonstrate a case study to estimate the effect of Head Start Funding Proposals on child mortality.Findings:RDD was almost neglected for 30 years after it was first introduced in 1960.Afterward,scientists used mathematical and economic tools to develop the RDD methodology.After 2010,RDD methods showed strong applications in various domains,including medicine,psychology,political science and environmental science.However,we also notice that the RDD method has not been well developed in science of science research.Research Limitations:This work uses a keyword search to obtain RDD papers,which may neglect some related work.Additionally,our work does not aim to develop rigorous mathematical and technical details of RDD but rather focuses on its intuitions and applications.Practical implications:This work proposes how to use the RDD method in science of science research.Originality/value:This work systematically introduces the RDD,and calls for the awareness of using such a method in the field of science of science.

ELLIPTIC EQUATIONS IN DIVERGENCE FORM WITH DISCONTINUOUS COEFFICIENTS IN DOMAINS WITH CORNERS

We study equations in divergence form with piecewise Cαcoefficients.The domains contain corners and the discontinuity surfaces are attached to the edges of the corners.We obtain piecewise C^(1,α) estimates across the discontinuity surfaces and provide an example to illustrate the issue regarding the regularity at the corners.

Scale-space effect and scale hybridization in image intelligent recognition of geological discontinuities on rock slopes

Geological discontinuity(GD)plays a pivotal role in determining the catastrophic mechanical failure of jointed rock masses.Accurate and efficient acquisition of GD networks is essential for characterizing and understanding the progressive damage mechanisms of slopes based on monitoring image data.Inspired by recent advances in computer vision,deep learning(DL)models have been widely utilized for image-based fracture identification.The multi-scale characteristics,image resolution and annotation quality of images will cause a scale-space effect(SSE)that makes features indistinguishable from noise,directly affecting the accuracy.However,this effect has not received adequate attention.Herein,we try to address this gap by collecting slope images at various proportional scales and constructing multi-scale datasets using image processing techniques.Next,we quantify the intensity of feature signals using metrics such as peak signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR)and structural similarity(SSIM).Combining these metrics with the scale-space theory,we investigate the influence of the SSE on the differentiation of multi-scale features and the accuracy of recognition.It is found that augmenting the image's detail capacity does not always yield benefits for vision-based recognition models.In light of these observations,we propose a scale hybridization approach based on the diffusion mechanism of scale-space representation.The results show that scale hybridization strengthens the tolerance of multi-scale feature recognition under complex environmental noise interference and significantly enhances the recognition accuracy of GD.It also facilitates the objective understanding,description and analysis of the rock behavior and stability of slopes from the perspective of image data.

Particle Discontinuous Deformation Analysis of Static and Dynamic Crack Propagation in Brittle Material

Crack propagation in brittle material is not only crucial for structural safety evaluation,but also has a wideranging impact on material design,damage assessment,resource extraction,and scientific research.A thorough investigation into the behavior of crack propagation contributes to a better understanding and control of the properties of brittle materials,thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of both materials and structures.As an implicit discrete elementmethod,the Discontinuous Deformation Analysis(DDA)has gained significant attention for its developments and applications in recent years.Among these developments,the particle DDA equipped with the bonded particle model is a powerful tool for predicting the whole process of material from continuity to failure.The primary objective of this research is to develop and utilize the particle DDAtomodel and understand the complex behavior of cracks in brittle materials under both static and dynamic loadings.The particle DDA is applied to several classical crack propagation problems,including the crack branching,compact tensile test,Kalthoff impact experiment,and tensile test of a rectangular plate with a hole.The evolutions of cracks under various stress or geometrical conditions are carefully investigated.The simulated results are compared with the experiments and other numerical results.It is found that the crack propagation patterns,including crack branching and the formation of secondary cracks,can be well reproduced.The results show that the particle DDA is a qualified method for crack propagation problems,providing valuable insights into the fracture mechanism of brittle materials.

THE RIEMANN PROBLEM FOR ISENTROPIC COMPRESSIBLE EULER EQUATIONS WITH DISCONTINUOUS FLUX

We consider the singular Riemann problem for the rectilinear isentropic compressible Euler equations with discontinuous flux,more specifically,for pressureless flow on the left and polytropic flow on the right separated by a discontinuity x=x(t).We prove that this problem admits global Radon measure solutions for all kinds of initial data.The over-compressing condition on the discontinuity x=x(t)is not enough to ensure the uniqueness of the solution.However,there is a unique piecewise smooth solution if one proposes a slip condition on the right-side of the curve x=x(t)+0,in addition to the full adhesion condition on its left-side.As an application,we study a free piston problem with the piston in a tube surrounded initially by uniform pressureless flow and a polytropic gas.In particular,we obtain the existence of a piecewise smooth solution for the motion of the piston between a vacuum and a polytropic gas.This indicates that the singular Riemann problem looks like a control problem in the sense that one could adjust the condition on the discontinuity of the flux to obtain the desired flow field.

Application of modified discontinuous deformation analysis to dynamic modelling of the Baige landslide in the Jinsha River

Accurate dynamic modeling of landslides could help understand the movement mechanisms and guide disaster mitigation and prevention.Discontinuous deformation analysis(DDA)is an effective approach for investigating landslides.However,DDA fails to accurately capture the degradation in shear strength of rock joints commonly observed in high-speed landslides.In this study,DDA is modified by incorporating simplified joint shear strength degradation.Based on the modified DDA,the kinematics of the Baige landslide that occurred along the Jinsha River in China on 10 October 2018 are reproduced.The violent starting velocity of the landslide is considered explicitly.Three cases with different violent starting velocities are investigated to show their effect on the landslide movement process.Subsequently,the landslide movement process and the final accumulation characteristics are analyzed from multiple perspectives.The results show that the violent starting velocity affects the landslide motion characteristics,which is found to be about 4 m/s in the Baige landslide.The movement process of the Baige landslide involves four stages:initiation,high-speed sliding,impact-climbing,low-speed motion and accumulation.The accumulation states of sliding masses in different zones are different,which essentially corresponds to reality.The research results suggest that the modified DDA is applicable to similar high-level rock landslides.

Adaptive Sparse Grid Discontinuous Galerkin Method:Review and Software Implementation

This paper reviews the adaptive sparse grid discontinuous Galerkin(aSG-DG)method for computing high dimensional partial differential equations(PDEs)and its software implementation.The C++software package called AdaM-DG,implementing the aSG-DG method,is available on GitHub at https://github.com/JuntaoHuang/adaptive-multiresolution-DG.The package is capable of treating a large class of high dimensional linear and nonlinear PDEs.We review the essential components of the algorithm and the functionality of the software,including the multiwavelets used,assembling of bilinear operators,fast matrix-vector product for data with hierarchical structures.We further demonstrate the performance of the package by reporting the numerical error and the CPU cost for several benchmark tests,including linear transport equations,wave equations,and Hamilton-Jacobi(HJ)equations.

Discontinuation of therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: Current views

The timely introduction and adjustment of the appropriate drug in accordance with previously well-defined treatment goals is the foundation of the approach in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).The therapeutic approach is still evolving in terms of the mechanism of action but also in terms of the possibility of maintaining remission.In patients with achieved long-term remission,the question of de-escalation or discontinuation of therapy arises,considering the possible side effects and economic burden of long-term therapy.For each of the drugs used in IBD(5-aminosalycaltes,immunomodulators,biological drugs,small molecules)there is a risk of relapse.Furthermore,studies show that more than 50%of patients who discontinue therapy will relapse.Based on the findings of large studies and meta-analysis,relapse of disease can be expected in about half of the patients after therapy withdrawal,in case of monotherapy with aminosalicylates,immunomodulators or biological therapy.However,longer relapse-free periods are recorded with withdrawal of medication in patients who had previously been on combination therapies immunomodulators and anti-tumor necrosis factor.It needs to be stressed that randomised clinical trials regarding withdrawal from medications are still lacking.Before making a decision on discontinuation of therapy,it is important to distinguish potential candidates and predictive factors for the possibility of disease relapse.Fecal calprotectin level has currently been identified as the strongest predictive factor for relapse.Several other predictive factors have also been identified,such as:High Crohn's disease activity index or Harvey Bradshaw index,younger age(<40 years),longer disease duration(>40 years),smoking,young age of disease onset,steroid use 6-12 months before cessation.An important factor in the decision to withdraw medication is the success of re-treatment with the same or other drugs.The decision to discontinue therapy must be based on individual approach,taking into account the severity,extension,and duration of the disease,the possibility of side adverse effects,the risk of relapse,and patient’s preferences.

Rifaximin discontinuation during broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment in critically ill patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy(HE)is one of the main complications of cirrhosis,characterized by a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric alterations that lead to an increase in mortality,morbidity and recurrent hospitalizations.Due to the central role in HE pathogenesis of ammonia and other neurotoxins primarily produced by the gut microbiota,the main therapeutic approaches for the treatment of HE are based on the modulation of the gut microbiota.Rifaximin is a non-absorbable broad-spectrum antibiotic,that is effective against ammonia-producing grampositive,gram-negative,and anaerobic species,approved for the treatment of HE in secondary prophylaxis.The chronic administration of rifaximin in this setting is associated with a lower risk of HE recurrence and mortality,while the role of rifaximin for the treatment of an overt-HE episode in inpatients is still unclear.Limited data exist about the coadministration of rifaximin and broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat concomitant infections,as patients receiving or recently treated with antibiotics were frequently excluded from clinical trials.In this editorial we comment on the article by Ward et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Hepatology.It is a single center,retrospective,quasiexperimental,pharmacist-driven protocol,with the aim to evaluate the feasibility and safety of rifaximin discontinuation in critically ill patients with HE and chronic liver disease receiving broad-spectrum antibiotic therapies in intensive care units.The study revealed no differences between the protocol and control group in terms of primary outcome(days alive and free of delirium and coma to day 14)and secondary outcomes which include:Intensive care mortality,intensive care length of stay,intravenous vasopressor requirement changes and adverse effects rate.Therefore,rifaximin discontinuation during broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy does not appear to negatively impact the clinical status of critically ill liver patients,with a similar safety profile and significant cost savings,as compared to the coadministration of rifaximin and broad-spectrum antibiotics.In agreement with Ward et al,a recently published double-blind,randomized controlled trial provided additional evidence to support the feasibility of withholding rifaximin during broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy in critically ill cirrhotic patients.However,given the limitations of these studies,further multicentric and prospective clinical trials,enrolling a larger sample of non-critically ill patients,are needed to better establish the role of rifaximin in this setting.

A Provable Positivity-Preserving Local Discontinuous Galerkin Method for the Viscous and Resistive MHD Equations

In this paper,we construct a high-order discontinuous Galerkin(DG)method which can preserve the positivity of the density and the pressure for the viscous and resistive magnetohydrodynamics(VRMHD).To control the divergence error in the magnetic field,both the local divergence-free basis and the Godunov source term would be employed for the multi-dimensional VRMHD.Rigorous theoretical analyses are presented for one-dimensional and multi-dimensional DG schemes,respectively,showing that the scheme can maintain the positivity-preserving(PP)property under some CFL conditions when combined with the strong-stability-preserving time discretization.Then,general frameworks are established to construct the PP limiter for arbitrary order of accuracy DG schemes.Numerical tests demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.

A Local Macroscopic Conservative(LoMaC)Low Rank Tensor Method with the Discontinuous Galerkin Method for the Vlasov Dynamics

In this paper,we propose a novel Local Macroscopic Conservative(LoMaC)low rank tensor method with discontinuous Galerkin(DG)discretization for the physical and phase spaces for simulating the Vlasov-Poisson(VP)system.The LoMaC property refers to the exact local conservation of macroscopic mass,momentum,and energy at the discrete level.The recently developed LoMaC low rank tensor algorithm(arXiv:2207.00518)simultaneously evolves the macroscopic conservation laws of mass,momentum,and energy using the kinetic flux vector splitting;then the LoMaC property is realized by projecting the low rank kinetic solution onto a subspace that shares the same macroscopic observables.This paper is a generalization of our previous work,but with DG discretization to take advantage of its compactness and flexibility in handling boundary conditions and its superior accuracy in the long term.The algorithm is developed in a similar fashion as that for a finite difference scheme,by observing that the DG method can be viewed equivalently in a nodal fashion.With the nodal DG method,assuming a tensorized computational grid,one will be able to(i)derive differentiation matrices for different nodal points based on a DG upwind discretization of transport terms,and(ii)define a weighted inner product space based on the nodal DG grid points.The algorithm can be extended to the high dimensional problems by hierarchical Tucker(HT)decomposition of solution tensors and a corresponding conservative projection algorithm.In a similar spirit,the algorithm can be extended to DG methods on nodal points of an unstructured mesh,or to other types of discretization,e.g.,the spectral method in velocity direction.Extensive numerical results are performed to showcase the efficacy of the method.

Can rifaximin for hepatic encephalopathy be discontinued during broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment?

Hepatic encephalopathy(HE)is a formidable complication in patients with decompensated cirrhosis,often necessitating the administration of rifaximin(RFX)for effective management.RFX,is a gut-restricted,poorly-absorbable oral rifamycin derived antibiotic that can be used in addition to lactulose for the secondary prophylaxis of HE.It has shown notable reductions in infection,hospital readmission,duration of hospital stay,and mortality.However,limited data exist about the concurrent use of RFX with broad-spectrum antibiotics,because the patients are typically excluded from studies assessing RFX efficacy in HE.A pharmacist-driven quasi-experimental pilot study was done to address this gap.They argue against the necessity of RFX in HE during broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment,particularly in critically ill patients in intensive care unit(ICU).The potential for safe RFX discontinuation without adverse effects is clearly illuminated and valuable insight into the optimization of therapeutic strategies is offered.The findings also indicate that RFX discontinuation during broadspectrum antibiotic therapy was not associated with higher rates of delirium or coma,and this result remained robust after adjustment in multivariate analysis.Furthermore,rates of other secondary clinical and safety outcomes,including ICU mortality and 48-hour changes in vasopressor requirements,were comparable.However,since the activity of RFX is mainly confined to the modulation of gut microbiota,its potential utility in patients undergoing extensive systemic antibiotic therapy is debatable,given the overlapping antibiotic activity.Further,this suggests that the action of RFX on HE is class-specific(related to its activity on gut microbiota),rather than drug-specific.A recent double-blind randomized controlled(ARiE)trial provided further evidence-based support for RFX withdrawal in critically ill cirrhotic ICU patients receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics.Both studies prompt further discussion about optimal therapeutic strategy for patients facing the dual challenge of HE and systemic infections.Despite these compelling results,both studies have limitations.A prospective,multi-center evaluation of a larger sample,with placebo control,and comprehensive neurologic evaluation of HE is warranted.It should include an exploration of longer-term outcome and the impact of this protocol in non-critically ill liver disease patients.

Numerical Investigations on the Resonance Errors of Multiscale Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for One-Dimensional Stationary Schrödinger Equation

In this paper,numerical experiments are carried out to investigate the impact of penalty parameters in the numerical traces on the resonance errors of high-order multiscale discontinuous Galerkin(DG)methods(Dong et al.in J Sci Comput 66:321–345,2016;Dong and Wang in J Comput Appl Math 380:1–11,2020)for a one-dimensional stationary Schrödinger equation.Previous work showed that penalty parameters were required to be positive in error analysis,but the methods with zero penalty parameters worked fine in numerical simulations on coarse meshes.In this work,by performing extensive numerical experiments,we discover that zero penalty parameters lead to resonance errors in the multiscale DG methods,and taking positive penalty parameters can effectively reduce resonance errors and make the matrix in the global linear system have better condition numbers.