Does the ratio of the carpal tunnel inlet and outlet cross-sectional areas in the median nerve reflect carpal tunnel syndrome severity?

Although ultrasound measurements have been used in previous studies on carpal tunnel syndrome to visualize injury to the median nerve, whether such ultrasound data can indicate the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome remains controversial. The cross-sectional areas of the median nerve at the tunnel inlet and outlet can show swelling and compression of the nerve at the carpal. We hypothesized that the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel inlet to outlet accurately reflects the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome. To test this, high-resolution ultrasound with a linear array transducer at 5–17 MHz was used to assess 77 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. The results showed that the cut-off point for the inlet-to-outlet ratio was 1.14. Significant differences in the inlet-to-outlet ratio were found among patients with mild, moderate, and severe carpal tunnel syndrome. The cut-off point in the ratio of cross-sectional areas of the median nerve was 1.29 between mild and more severe（moderate and severe） carpal tunnel syndrome patients with 64.7% sensitivity and 72.7% specificity. The cut-off point in the ratio of cross-sectional areas of the median nerve was 1.52 between the moderate and severe carpal tunnel syndrome patients with 80.0% sensitivity and 64.7% specificity. These results suggest that the inlet-to-outlet ratio reflected the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Relationship between sonographically measured median nerve cross-sectional area and presence of peripheral neuropathy in diabetic subjects

BACKGROUND Neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus resulting from direct damage by hyperglycemia to the nerves and/or ischemia by microvascular injury to the endoneurial vessels which supply the nerves. Median nerve is one of the peripheral nerves commonly affected in diabetic neuropathy. The median nerve size has been studied in non-Nigerian diabetic populations. In attempt to contribute to existing literature, a study in a Nigerian population is needed.AIM To evaluate the cross-sectional area(CSA) of the median nerve using B-mode ultrasonography(USS) and the presence of peripheral neuropathy(PN) in a cohort of adult diabetic Nigerians.METHODS Demographic and anthropometric data of 85 adult diabetes mellitus(DM) and 85 age-and sex-matched apparently healthy control(HC) subjects were taken. A complete physical examination was performed on all study subjects to determine the presence of PN and modified Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument(MNSI) was used to grade its severity. Venous blood was taken from the study subjects for fasting lipid profile(FLP), fasting blood glucose(FBG) and glycated haemoglobin(HbA1 c) while their MN CSA was evaluated at a point 5 cm proximal to(5 cmCATL) and at the carpal tunnel(CATL) by high-resolution Bmode USS. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22.RESULTS The mean MN CSA was significantly thicker in DM subjects compared to the HC at 5 cmCATL(P < 0.01) and at the CATL(P < 0.01) on both sides. The presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN) further increased the MN CSA at the CATL(P < 0.05) but not at 5 cmCATL(P > 0.05). However, the severity of DPN had no additional effect on MN CSA 5 cm proximal to and at the CATL. There was no significant association between MN CSA and duration of DM and glycemic control.CONCLUSION Thickening of the MN CSA at 5 cmCATL and CATL is seen in DM. Presence of DPN is associated with worse thickening of the MN CSA at the CATL but not at5 cmCATL. Severity of DPN, duration of DM, and glycemic control had no additional effect on the MN CSA.

Ultrasonographic measurement of median nerve cross-sectional area reference values in a healthy Han population from Guiyang,China

High-resolution ultrasonography was used to analyze the nerve cross-sectional area （CSA） of the median nerve at 7 sites： the wrist crease, pisiform bone, hamate bone, 6 cm proximal to the tip of the wrist crease, proximal forearm （where the nerve enters the pronator teres muscle）, 4 cm proximal to the tip of the medial epicondyle, and mid-humerus （mid-point between elbow crease and axilla） in 200 healthy volunteers from Guiyang, China. Results showed similar CSA values between the left and right sides, but the CSA 6 cm proximal to the tip of the wrist crease, proximal forearm, 4 cm proximal to tip of the medial epicondyle, and mid-humerus in males was greater than that of females. Moreover, CSA values at the wrist crease, pisiform bone, and hamate bone were greater in the middle-aged and old groups when compared to the young group, and correlated with body mass and height. Thus, reference values of median nerve CSA of the upper limbs can facilitate the analysis of abnormal nerve conditions.

A Stroke-Limitation AMD Control System with Variable Gain and Limited Area for High-Rise Buildings

Collisions between a moving mass and an anti-collision device increase structural responses and threaten structural safety.An active mass damper(AMD)with stroke limitations is often used to avoid collisions.However,a strokelimited AMD control system with a fixed limited area shortens the available AMD stroke and leads to significant control power.To solve this problem,the design approach with variable gain and limited area(VGLA)is proposed in this study.First,the boundary of variable-limited areas is calculated based on the real-time status of the moving mass.The variable gain(VG)expression at the variable limited area is deduced by considering the saturation of AMD stroke.Then,numerical simulations of a stroke-limited AMD control system with VGLA are conducted on a high-rise building structure.These numerical simulations show that the proposed approach has superior strokelimitation performance compared with a stroke-limited AMD control system with a fixed limited area.Finally,the proposed approach is validated through experiments on a four-story steel frame.

Application of Variable Strategies in the Low-cost and Energy-saving Rural Residences in Transitional Areas

Changeful and complex rural family structure and climatic features of transitional areas in China make the application of variable strategy in energy-saving rural residence designs possible.Aiming at the low cost,several effective and reasonable variable strategies were proposed for the design of interior spaces,main bedroom,sunshine room,staircase,west wall,door and window design to satisfy changing structure of a family during different periods and their different thermo-technical requirements in winter and summer.In this way,thermal comfort of rural indoor spaces will be improved,more energy saved,useful experience and thoughts provided for the energy-saving residence design in cold regions and regions hot in summer and cold in winter.

Usefulness of the acromioclavicular joint cross-sectional area as a diagnostic image parameter of acromioclavicular osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND Acromioclavicular joint(ACJ)space narrowing has been considered to be an important diagnostic image parameter of ACJ osteoarthritis(ACJO).However,the morphology of the ACJ space is irregular because of osteophyte formation,subchondral irregularity,capsular distention,sclerosis,and erosion.Therefore,we created the ACJ cross-sectional area(ACJCSA)as a new diagnostic image parameter to assess the irregular morphologic changes of the ACJ.AIM To hypothesize that the ACJCSA is a new diagnostic image parameter for ACJO.METHODS ACJ samples were obtained from 35 patients with ACJO and 30 healthy individuals who underwent shoulder magnetic resonance(S-MR)imaging that revealed no evidence of ACJO.Oblique coronal,T2-weighted,fat-suppressed SMR images were acquired at the ACJ level from the two groups.We measured the ACJCSA and the ACJ space width(ACJSW)at the ACJ on the S-MR images using our imaging analysis program.The ACJCSA was measured as the cross-sectional area of the ACJ.The ACJSW was measured as the narrowest point between the acromion and the clavicle.RESULTS The average ACJCSA was 39.88±10.60 mm;in the normal group and 18.80±5.13 mm;in the ACJO group.The mean ACJSW was 3.51±0.58 mm in the normal group and 2.02±0.48 mm in the ACJO group.ACJO individuals had significantly lower ACJCSA and ACJSW than the healthy individuals.Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses demonstrated that the most suitable ACJCSA cutoff score was 26.14 mm^(2),with 91.4%sensitivity and 90.0%specificity.CONCLUSION The optimal ACJSW cutoff score was 2.37 mm,with 88.6%sensitivity and 96.7%specificity.Even though both the ACJCSA and ACJSW were significantly associated with ACJO,the ACJCSA was a more sensitive diagnostic image parameter.

Correlation between current and cross-sectional area of parallel fixed-movable dual electrodes in ESC

Electroslag casting with parallel fixed-movable dual electrodes is a new method for achieving better quality of castings in complex mold cavities.In this work,a mathematical model,y=kx^2+(k+1)x,was established to describe the ideal correlation between the current ratio(y)and the cross-sectional area ratio(x)of the dual electrodes,where k is the filling ratio.Investigation was conducted on the electroslag casting process with dual electrodes of various cross-sectional areas,but at a constant k value.The experimental results indicated that the ideal correlation was obtained at the stable casting stage,and the fitting results were consistent with the experimental results at certain k values.The experimental findings show that better castings can be obtained when the current ratio is greater than 1.536 and the cross-sectional area ratio is greater than 0.5.

Analysis of the mass of behind-armor debris generated by RHA subjected to normal penetration of variable cross-section EFP

Analyzing the mass of behind-armor debris (BAD) generated by Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA) subjected to normal penetration of variable cross-section Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP) is the purpose of this paper. So theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and experimental data are combined to analyze the influence of variable cross-section characteristic on the time history of crater radius. Moreover the relationships between time history of crater radius (as well as mass of BAD) and the thickness of RHA (from 30mm to 70 mm) and the impact velocity of EFP (1650 m/s to 1860 m/s) are also investigated. The results indicate that: 1) being compared to the variable cross-section characteristic is ignored, the theoretical time history of crater radius is in better agreement with the simulation results when the variable cross-section characteristic is considered;2) being compared to the other three conditions of plug, the theoretical mass of BAD is in the best agreement with the simulation results when the shape of plug is frustum of a cone and the angle between generatrix and bottom is 45- and the axial length of mushroom is considered.

Equivalent bending stiffness of simply supported preflex beam bridge with variable cross-section

In order to understand mechanical characters and find out a calculating method for preflex beams used in particular bridge engineering projects, two types of simply supported preflex beams with variable crosssection, preflex beam with alterative web depth and preflex beam with aherative steel flange thickness, are dis- cussed on how to achieve the equivalent moment of inertia and Young＇ s modulus. Additionally, methods of cal- culating the equivalent bending stiffness and post-cracking deflection are proposed. Results of the experiments on 6 beams agree well with the theoretical analysis, which proves the correctness of the proposed formulas.

Modeling and analysis of piezoelectric beam with periodically variable cross-sections for vibration energy harvesting

A bimorph piezoelectric beam with periodically variable cross-sections is used for the vibration energy harvesting. The effects of two geometrical parameters on the first band gap of this periodic beam are investigated by the generalized differential quadrature rule （GDQR） method. The GDQR method is also used to calculate the forced vibration response of the beam and voltage of each piezoelectric layer when the beam is subject to a sinusoidal base excitation. Results obtained from the analytical method are compared with those obtained from the finite element simulation with ANSYS, and good agreement is found. The voltage output of this periodic beam over its first band gap is calculated and compared with the voltage output of the uniform piezoelectric beam. It is concluded that this periodic beam has three advantages over the uniform piezoelectric beam, i.e., generating more voltage outputs over a wide frequency range, absorbing vibration, and being less weight.

Spatiotemporal changes in forest loss and its linkage to burned areas in China

Fire-induced forest loss has substantially increased worldwide over the last decade.In China,the connection between forest loss and frequent fi res on a national scale remains largely unexplored.In this study,we used a data set for a time-series of forest loss from the Global Forest Watch and for a MODIS-derived burned area for 2003–2015 to ascertain variations in forest loss and to explore its relationship with forest fi res(represented by burned areas)at the country-and forest-zone levels.We quantifi ed trends in forest loss during 2003–2015 using linear regression analysis and assessed the relation between forest loss and burned areas using Spearman’s correlation.Forest loss increased signifi cantly(264.8 km 2 a−1;R 2=0.54,p<0.01)throughout China,with an average annual increase of 11.4%during 2003–2015.However,the forest loss trend had extensive spatial heterogeneity.Forest loss increased mainly in the subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest zone(315.0 km 2 a−1;R 2=0.69,p<0.01)and tropical rainforest zone(38.8 km 2 a−1;R 2=0.66,p<0.01),but the loss of forest decreased in the cold temperate deciduous coniferous forest zone(−70.8 km 2 year−1;R 2=0.75,p<0.01)and the temperate deciduous mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest zone(−14.4 km 2 a−1;R 2=0.45,p<0.05).We found that 1.0%of China’s area had a signifi cant positive correlation(r≥0.55,p<0.05)with burned areas and 0.3%had a signifi cant negative correlation(r≤−0.55,p<0.05).In particular,forest loss had a signifi cant positive relationship with the burned area in the cold temperate deciduous coniferous forest zone(16.9% of the lands)and the subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest zone(7.8%).These results provide a basis for future predictions of fi re-induced forest loss in China.

Study of the Bearing Capacity at the Variable Cross-Section of A Riser- Surface Casing Composite Pile

Reducing the cost of offshore platform construction is an urgent issue for marginal oilfield development.The offshore oil well structure includes a riser and a surface casing.The riser,surface casing and oil well cement can be considered special variable cross-section piles.Replacing or partially replacing the steel pipe pile foundation with a variable cross-section pile to provide the required bearing capacity for an offshore oil platform can reduce the cost of foundation construction and improve the economic efficiency of production.In this paper,the finite element analysis method is used to investigate the variable cross-section bearing mode of composite piles composed of a riser and a surface casing in saturated clay under a vertical load.The calculation formula of the bearing capacity at the variable section is derived based on the theory of spherical cavity expansion,the influencing factors of the bearing capacity coefficient N_(c) are revealed,and the calculation method of N_(c) is proposed.By comparing the calculation results with the results of the centrifuge test,the accuracy and applicability of the calculation method are verified.The results show that the riser composite pile has a rigid core in the soil under the variable cross-section,which increases the bearing capacity at the variable cross-section.

The development of real time data driving multi-axis linkage and synergic movement control system of 3D variable cross-section roll forming machine

The three dimensional variable cross-section roll forming is a kind of new metal forming technol- ogy which combines large forming force, multi-axis linkage movement and space synergic movement, and the sequential synergic movement of the ganged roller group is used to complete the metal sheet forming according to the shape of the complicated and variable forming part data. The control system should meet the demands of quick response to the test requirements of the product part. A new kind of real time data driving multi-axis linkage and synergic movement control strategy of 3D roll forming is put forward in the paper. In the new control strategy, the forming data are automatically generated according to the shape of the parts, and the multi-axis linkage movement together with cooperative motion among the six stands of the 3D roll forming machine is driven by the real-time information, and the control nodes are also driven by the forming data. The new control strategy is applied to a 48 axis 3D roll forming machine developed by our research center, and the control servo period is less than 10ms. A forming experiment of variable cross section part is carried out, and the forming preci- sion is better than ＋ 0.5mm by the control strategy. The result of the experiment proves that the control strategy has significant potentiality for the development of 3D roll forming production line with large scale, multi-axis ganged and svner^ic movement

CFD-Based Numerical Analysis of a Variable Cross-Section Cylinder

Using ANSYS-CFX, a general purpose fluid dynamics program, the vortex-induced vibration(VIV) of a variable cross-section cylinder is simulated under uniform current with high Reynolds numbers. Large eddy simulation(LES) is conducted for studying the fluid-structure interaction. The vortex shedding in the wake, the motion trajectories of a cylinder, the variation of drag and lift forces on the cylinder are analyzed. The results show that the vortices of variable cross-section cylinder are chaotic and are varying along the cylinder. In places where cross-sections are changing significantly, the vortices are more irregular. The motion trail of the cylinder is almost the same but irregular. The drag and lift coefficients of the cylinder are varying with the changes of diameters.

In-Plane Impact Dynamics Analysis of Re-Entrant Honeycomb with Variable Cross-Section

Due to the unique deformation characteristics of auxetic materials(Poisson’s ratioμ<0),they have better shock resistance and energy absorption properties than traditional materials.Inspired by the concept of variable crosssection design,a new auxetic re-entrant honeycomb structure is designed in this study.The detailed design method of re-entrant honeycomb with variable cross-section(VCRH)is provided,and five VCRH structures with the same relative density and different cross-section change rates are proposed.The in-plane impact resistance and energy absorption abilities of VCRH under constant velocity are investigated by ABAQUS/EXPLICIT.The results show that the introduction of variable cross-section design can effectively improve the impact resistance and energy absorption abilities of auxetic re-entrant honeycombs.The VCRH structure has better Young’s modulus,plateau stress,and specific energy absorption(SEA)than traditional re-entrant honeycomb(RH).The influence of microstructure parameters(such as cross-section change rateα)on the dynamic impact performance of VCRH is also studied.Results show that,with the increase in impact velocity andα,the plateau stress and SEA of VCRH increase.A positive correlation is also found between the energy absorption efficiency,impact load uniformity andαunder both medium and high impact speeds.These results can provide a reference for designing improved auxetic re-entrant honeycomb structures.

Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of Runoff Generation Areas in a Small Agricultural Watershed in Southern Ontario

The identification of runoff generating areas (RGAs) within a watershed is a difficult task because of their temporal and spatial behavior. A watershed was selected to investigate the RGAs to determine the factors affecting spatio-temporally in southern Ontario. The watershed was divided into 8 fields having a Wireless System Network (WSN) and a V-notch weir for flow and soil moisture measurements. The results show that surface runoff is generated by the infiltration excess mechanism in summer and fall, and the saturation excess mechanism in spring. The statistical analysis suggested that the amount of rainfall and rainfall intensity for summer (R2 = 0.63, 0.82) and fall (R2 = 0.74, 0.80), respectively, affected the RGAs. The analysis showed that 15% area generated 85% of surface runoff in summer, 100% of runoff in fall, and 40% of runoff in spring. The methodology developed has potential for identifying RGAs for protecting Ontario’s water resources.

Dynamic symmetry breaking and structure-preserving analysis on thelongitudinal wave in an elastic rod with a variable cross-section

The longitudinal wave propagating in an elastic rod with a variable cross-section owns wide engineering background,in which the longitudinal wave dissipation determines some important performances of the slender structure.To reproduce the longitudinal wave dissipation effects on an elastic rod with a variable cross-section,a structure-preserving approach is developed based on the dynamic symmetry breaking theory.For the dynamic model controlling the longitudinal wave propagating in the elastic rod with the variable cross-section,the approximate multi-symplectic form is deduced based on the multi-symplectic method,and the expression of the local energy dissipation for the longitudinal wave propagating in the rod is presented,referring to the dynamic symmetry breaking theory.A structure-preserving method focusing on the residual of the multi-symplectic structure and the local energy dissipation of the dynamic model is constructed by using the midpoint difference discrete method.The longitudinal wave propagating in an elastic rod fixed at one end is simulated,and the local/total energy dissipations of the longitudinal wave are investigated by the constructed structure-preserving scheme in two typical cases in detail.

Numerical Analysis of Flow-Induced Vibration and Noise Generation in a Variable Cross-Section Channel

Flow channels with a variable cross-section are important components of piping system and are widely used in variousfields of engineering.Using afinite element method and modal analysis theory,flow-induced noise,mode shapes,and structure-borne noise in such systems are investigated in this study.The results demonstrate that the maximum displacement and equivalent stress are located in the part with variable cross-sectional area.The aver-age excitation force on theflow channel wall increases with theflow velocity.The maximum excitation force occurs in the range of 0–20 Hz,and then it decreases gradually in the range of 20–1000 Hz.Additionally,as theflow velocity rises from 1 to 3 m/s,the overall sound pressure level associated with theflow-induced noise grows from 49.37 to 66.37 dB.Similarly,the overall sound pressure level associated with the structure-borne noise rises from 40.27 to 72.20 dB.When theflow velocity is increased,the increment of the structure-borne noise is higher than that of theflow-induced noise.

Optimal Minimum Number of CT Slices Required to Measure Cross Sectional Areas of Small Pulmonary Vessels

The cross-sectional area (CSA) of small pulmonary vessels can be quantified by CT, which is a reliable method of evaluating vascular alterations in such vessels. However, the optimal number of slices required for accurate quantitation remains unknown. We evaluated relationships among all slices at 10-mm interval and all slices at 3-cm interval, 6-cm interval, and 3-slices and found the closest correlation (0.939) between all slices at 10-mm intervals and 3-cm intervals. Thus, all slices at 3-cm intervals are suitable for accurately measuring CSA.

Analysis of Climate Variability and Its Influence on the Hydrological Response of the Catchment Area of Kadey (East Cameroon)

Register in the framework of the International Program of Research on Water Resources Management and Protection of Ecosystems, the Congo basin in which lies the catchment area of the Kadey (2647 km2) was selected to better assess the impact climate variability on the water surface in the perspective of supply drinking water both in the rainy season and in periods of low water. Based on new data from rainfall and flow rates obtained in the last fifteen years (1998-2013), the major trends in time series and the scope of the “drought” were identified. The historical rainfall in the basin is characterized by two major ruptures rainfall in 1969 and 1999. These have generated an order deficit of 14% respectively and an excess of nearly 19%. These phenomena also affected the recurrence of cumulative rainfall throughout the Kadey basin. Here, the hydrological response to excess rainfall is over 100%. However, it appears that over the period 1970-2012, the number of years that has undergone a “severe drought” is to play down.