Transient elastography with controlled attenuation parameter for the diagnosis of colorectal polyps in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND The severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and lipid metabolism are related to the occurrence of colorectal polyps.Liver-controlled attenuation parameters(liver-CAPs)have been established to predict the prognosis of hepatic steatosis patients.AIM To explore the risk factors associated with colorectal polyps in patients with NAFLD by analyzing liver-CAPs and establishing a diagnostic model.METHODS Patients who were diagnosed with colorectal polyps in the Department of Gastroenterology of our hospital between June 2021 and April 2022 composed the case group,and those with no important abnormalities composed the control group.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to predict the diagnostic efficiency.Differences were considered statistically significant when P<0.05.RESULTS The median triglyceride(TG)and liver-CAP in the case group were significantly greater than those in the control group(mmol/L,1.74 vs 1.05;dB/m,282 vs 254,P<0.05).TG and liver-CAP were found to be independent risk factors for colorectal polyps,with ORs of 2.338(95%CI:1.154–4.733)and 1.019(95%CI:1.006–1.033),respectively(P<0.05).And there was no difference in the diagnostic efficacy between liver-CAP and TG combined with liver-CAP(TG+CAP)(P>0.05).When the liver-CAP was greater than 291 dB/m,colorectal polyps were more likely to occur.CONCLUSION The levels of TG and liver-CAP in patients with colorectal polyps are significantly greater than those patients without polyps.Liver-CAP alone can be used to diagnose NAFLD with colorectal polyps.

Novelty of Different Distance Approach for Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Challenges Using q-Rung Vague Sets

In this article,multiple attribute decision-making problems are solved using the vague normal set(VNS).It is possible to generalize the vague set(VS)and q-rung fuzzy set(FS)into the q-rung vague set(VS).A log q-rung normal vague weighted averaging(log q-rung NVWA),a log q-rung normal vague weighted geometric(log q-rung NVWG),a log generalized q-rung normal vague weighted averaging(log Gq-rung NVWA),and a log generalized q-rungnormal vagueweightedgeometric(logGq-rungNVWG)operator are discussed in this article.Adescription is provided of the scoring function,accuracy function and operational laws of the log q-rung VS.The algorithms underlying these functions are also described.A numerical example is provided to extend the Euclidean distance and the Humming distance.Additionally,idempotency,boundedness,commutativity,and monotonicity of the log q-rung VS are examined as they facilitate recognizing the optimal alternative more quickly and help clarify conceptualization.We chose five anemia patients with four types of symptoms including seizures,emotional shock or hysteria,brain cause,and high fever,who had either retrograde amnesia,anterograde amnesia,transient global amnesia,post-traumatic amnesia,or infantile amnesia.Natural numbers q are used to express the results of the models.To demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the models we are investigating,we compare several existing models with those that have been developed.

Intrinsic and scattering attenuations of the Sichuan-Yunnan region in China from S coda waves

Seismic attenuation is a fundamental property of the Earth's media.Attenuation structure for the complicated geological structures with strong seismicity in the Sichuan-Yunnan region is poorly studied.In this study,we collected 108,399 waveforms of 11,517 local small earthquakes with magnitudes between 1.5 and 3.5 from January 2014 to September 2021 in the Sichuan-Yunnan region and its adjacent areas.We employed an envelope inversion technique for separating the intrinsic and scattering attenuations of the S coda wave,and obtained the intrinsic and scattering attenuation structures for frequencies between 0.25 and 8.00 Hz.The attenuation structures correlate well with the geological units,and some major faults mark the attenuation variations where historic large earthquakes have occurred.The regional average attenuation shows a negative frequency dependence.The average scattering attenuation has a faster descending rate than the average intrinsic attenuation,and is dominant at low frequencies,while at high frequencies the average intrinsic attenuation is stronger.The lateral variation in the intrinsic attenuation is consistent with the variation in heat flow,the scattering attenuation may be related to the scatter distribution and size.The total attenuation is consistent with the previous studies in this region,and the separate intrinsic and scattering attenuation may be useful in understanding regional tectonics and important in earthquake prevention and disaster reduction.

A seismic elastic moduli module for the measurements of low-frequency wave dispersion and attenuation of fluid-saturated rocks under different pressures

Knowledge about the seismic elastic modulus dispersion,and associated attenuation,in fluid-saturated rocks is essential for better interpretation of seismic observations taken as part of hydrocarbon identification and time-lapse seismic surveillance of both conventional and unconventional reservoir and overburden performances.A Seismic Elastic Moduli Module has been developed,based on the forced-oscillations method,to experimentally investigate the frequency dependence of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio,as well as the inferred attenuation,of cylindrical samples under different confining pressure conditions.Calibration with three standard samples showed that the measured elastic moduli were consistent with the published data,indicating that the new apparatus can operate reliably over a wide frequency range of f∈[1-2000,10^(6)]Hz.The Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of the shale and the tight sandstone samples were measured under axial stress oscillations to assess the frequency-and pressure-dependent effects.Under dry condition,both samples appear to be nearly frequency independent,with weak pressure dependence for the shale and significant pressure dependence for the sandstone.In particular,it was found that the tight sandstone with complex pore microstructure exhibited apparent dispersion and attenuation under brine or glycerin saturation conditions,the levels of which were strongly influenced by the increased effective pressure.In addition,the measured Young's moduli results were compared with the theoretical predictions from a scaled poroelastic model with a reasonably good agreement,revealing that the combined fluid flow mechanisms at both mesoscopic and microscopic scales possibly responsible for the measured dispersion.

Legendre-Jacobi’s Elliptic Integrals Shed Light on the Luminosity Distance in Cosmology

This article concerns the integral related to the transverse comoving distance and, in turn, to the luminosity distance both in the standard non-flat and flat cosmology. The purpose is to determine a straightforward mathematical formulation for the luminosity distance as function of the transverse comoving distance for all cosmology cases with a non-zero cosmological constant by adopting a different mindset. The applied method deals with incomplete elliptical integrals of the first kind associated with the polynomial roots admitted in the comoving distance integral according to the scientific literature. The outcome shows that the luminosity distance can be obtained by the combination of an analytical solution followed by a numerical integration in order to account for the redshift. This solution is solely compared to the current Gaussian quadrature method used as basic recognized algorithm in standard cosmology.

Layered metastructure containing freely-designed local resonators for wave attenuation

Combining periodic layered structure with three-dimensional cylindrical local resonators,a hybrid metastructure with improved wave isolation ability was designed and investigated through theoretical and numerical approaches.The metastructure is composed of periodic rubber layers and concrete layers embedded with three-dimensional resonators,which can be freely designed with multi local resonant frequencies to attenuate vibrations at required frequencies and widen the attenuation bandgap.The metastructure can also effectively attenuate seismic responses.Compared with layered rubber-based structures,the metastructure has more excellent wave attenuation effects with greater attenuation and wider bandgap.

Robust free-space optical frequency transfer in time-varying link distances conditions

Future inter-satellite clock comparison on high orbit will require optical time and frequency transmission technology between moving objects.Here,we demonstrate robust optical frequency transmission under the condition of variable link distance.This variable link is accomplished by the relative motion of a single telescope fixed on the experimental platform to a corner-cube reflector(CCR)installed on a sliding guide.Two acousto–optic modulators with different frequencies are used to separate forward signal from backward signal.With active phase noise suppression,when the CCR moves back and forth at a constant velocity of 20 cm/s and an acceleration of 20 cm/s^(2),we achieve the best frequency stability of 1.9×10^(-16) at 1 s and 7.9×10^(-19) at 1000 s indoors.This work paves the way for future studying optical frequency transfer between ultra-high-orbit satellites.

Extended Lorenz majorization and frequencies of distances in an undirected network

Purpose:To contribute to the study of networks and graphs.Design/methodology/approach:We apply standard mathematical thinking.Findings:We show that the distance distribution in an undirected network Lorenz majorizes the one of a chain.As a consequence,the average and median distances in any such network are smaller than or equal to those of a chain.Research limitations:We restricted our investigations to undirected,unweighted networks.Practical implications:We are convinced that these results are useful in the study of small worlds and the so-called six degrees of separation property.Originality/value:To the best of our knowledge our research contains new network results,especially those related to frequencies of distances.

Source localization in signed networks with effective distance

While progress has been made in information source localization,it has overlooked the prevalent friend and adversarial relationships in social networks.This paper addresses this gap by focusing on source localization in signed network models.Leveraging the topological characteristics of signed networks and transforming the propagation probability into effective distance,we propose an optimization method for observer selection.Additionally,by using the reverse propagation algorithm we present a method for information source localization in signed networks.Extensive experimental results demonstrate that a higher proportion of positive edges within signed networks contributes to more favorable source localization,and the higher the ratio of propagation rates between positive and negative edges,the more accurate the source localization becomes.Interestingly,this aligns with our observation that,in reality,the number of friends tends to be greater than the number of adversaries,and the likelihood of information propagation among friends is often higher than among adversaries.In addition,the source located at the periphery of the network is not easy to identify.Furthermore,our proposed observer selection method based on effective distance achieves higher operational efficiency and exhibits higher accuracy in information source localization,compared with three strategies for observer selection based on the classical full-order neighbor coverage.

CT Thresholds for Spinal Bone Mineral Attenuation to Prioritize Eligible Older Women for Osteoporosis Screening

Introduction: Computed tomography (CT) measurements of bone mineral attenuation may be a useful means to identify older women who should be prioritized for bone mineral density screening. Methods: We compared bone mineral attenuation as measured in the L1 vertebra of CT studies to the results of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) studies to determine what CT attenuation thresholds might yield a reasonable combination of sensitivity and specificity for the detection of osteoporosis. The study was limited to women between the ages of 65 and 75 years who had a DEXA study and a CT that included the L1 or adjacent vertebra performed within 3 years of the DEXA study. Results: There were 1226 women in this study, of whom 452 (38%) had osteoporosis based on a T-score ≤ −2.5 by DEXA. There were 830 CT studies performed with contrast and 396 studies which were performed without contrast. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean HU of those studies performed without contrast compared to those with contrast (unenhanced mean 103 HU versus 125 HU, p < 0.001). Different CT attenuation thresholds provided the most appropriate combination of sensitivity and specificity for the detection of osteoporosis when comparing CT studies performed without or with IV contrast and when all the CT data were used in aggregate. Conclusion: Different thresholds appear necessary when using the mean CT vertebral attenuation to identify older women for preferential referral for DEXA studies.

P-and SV-wave dispersion and attenuation in saturated microcracked porous rock with aligned penny-shaped fractures

P-and SV-wave dispersion and attenuation have been extensively investigated in saturated poroelastic media with aligned fractures.However,there are few existing models that incorporate the multiple wave attenuation mechanisms from the microscopic scale to the macroscopic scale.Hence,in this work,we developed a unified model to incorporate the wave attenuation mechanisms at different scales,which includes the microscopic squirt flow between the microcracks and pores,the mesoscopic wave-induced fluid flow between fractures and background(FB-WIFF),and the macroscopic Biot's global flow and elastic scattering(ES)from the fractures.Using Tang's modified Biot's theory and the mixed-boundary conditions,we derived the exact frequency-dependent solutions of the scattering problem for a single penny-shaped fracture with oblique incident P-and SV-waves.We then developed theoretical models for a set of aligned fractures and randomly oriented fractures using the Foldy approximation.The results indicated that microcrack squirt flow considerably influences the dispersion and attenuation of P-and SV-wave velocities.The coupling effects of microcrack squirt flow with the FB-WIFF and ES of fractures cause much higher velocity dispersion and attenuation for P waves than for SV waves.Randomly oriented fractures substantially reduce the attenuation caused by the FB-WIFF and ES,particularly for the ES attenuation of SV waves.Through a comparison with existing models in the limiting cases and previous experimental measurements,we validated our model.

Numerical Analysis of the Influence of the Impinging Distance on the Scouring Efficiency of Submerged Jets

Water jet technology is widely used in submerged buried pipes as a non-traditional trenching process,often invol-ving a complex sediment response.An important adjustable and influential engineering variable in this technol-ogy is represented by the impinging distance.In this study,the FLOW-3D software was used to simulate the jet scouring of sand beds in a submerged environment.In particular,four sets of experimental conditions were con-sidered to discern the relationship between the maximum scour depth and mass and the impinging distance.As shown by the results,a critical impinging distance h0 exists by which the static scour depth can be maximized;the scour mass ratio between dynamic and static conditions decreases as the impinging distance increases.Moreover,the profile contours are similar when the erosion parameter Ec is in the range 0.35<Ec<2.Empirical equations applicable for predicting the jet trenching contour under both dynamic and static scour modes are also provided in this study.

Relationship between Inter Canine Width and Inter Alar Width, Inter Commissural Width, and Inter Canthal Distance: A Pilot Study

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between inter canine width (ICW) and inter alar width (IAW), inter commissural width (ICoW), and inter canthal distance (ICaD) in Bantu population. Materials and Methods: It was a pilot study included all participants who were aged at least 18 years, without a history of orthodontics treatment from Prosthodontics Department, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Kinshasa. The Ethics committee of the National Center of Research for Dental Sciences in DR Congo approved the study protocol (CNRSB 1504.218). The participants medical records were obtained from the interview and dental examination. Nature of the study was explained with participant information sheet, and an informed consent of all participants was obtained. The inclusion criteria were no missing maxillary and mandibular teeth, no diastema, and no anterior restorations, 18 years old before enrollment in the study. The exclusion criteria were inability to meet the above requirements, pregnancy, and refusal to participate in the study. The inter-canine width (ICW), inter alar width (IAW), inter canthal distance (ICaD) and inter-commissural width (ICoW) of each participant were measured with a digital Vernier caliper (Mitutoyo, UK Ltd.,) (0.01 mm) three times and the average value was recorded. The inter canthal distance (ICaD) was measured without applying pressure by bringing the recording parts of the caliper just in contact with the medial angle. The inter alar width (IAW) was marked with a fine marked pencil on the widest outer surface of the alae of the nose on either side or width. Those two points were measured without applying pressure by bringing the recording parts of the caliper just in contact with the outer surface. The participant was told to stop breathing shortly to avoid any change in shape of the nose. The inter-commissural width (ICoW) was determined by measuring the maxillary lip vermilion from commissure to commissure without the application of pressure on the tissue in the relaxed state. The inter-canine width (ICW) was measured indirectly using a dental floss. A dental floss was marked on one end prior to placement in the mouth. Using that point as reference, the dental floss was circumference along the curvature of the anterior dentition such that it passed along the contact point of all the teeth. The distal end of the canine teeth on both sides was then marked on the floss while it was stretched in the patients mouth. Floss was marked on both sides with the marker pencil. The distance between the two proximal contact points was measured and recorded. Data, analysis and validation were performed by the SPSS software (version 22.0, IBM SPSS Statistics, Chicago, IL, USA). Unpaired t-test was used, of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to test for comparability between socio-demographic characteristics dental measurements. Pearsons correlation coefficients test was calculated to determine the relationship between facial and dental parameters. Significance was set at P 0.01. Results: Of 314 participants enrolled, 202 were included. The age ranged from 18 to 68 years, with a mean age of 40.62 12.99 years. Although the Pearsons correlation coefficients were negative. Ninety-three participants (46%) were men and one hundred and nine (54%) were women. The overall mean age was 40.62 12.99 years. Facial and dental measurements were greater in women than men with significant differences for ICW (p = 0.04). However, no significant difference was seen between men and women for IAW, ICaD and ICoW (p = 0.44, p = 0.23, p = 0.31 respectively). The correlation including Pearsons correlation coefficient and P-values for all participants is not demonstrated. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, the results suggest that IAW, ICaD and ICoW cannot be used as a preliminary method for determining the width of the maxillary for anterior teeth for edentulous patients.

Interrelationships between Length of the Day, Moon Distance, Phanerozoic Geodynamic Cycles, Tidal Dissipation and Earth’s Core: Review and Analysis

The rotation of the Earth and the related length of the day (LOD) are predominantly affected by tidal dissipation through the Moon and the growth of the Earth’s core. Due to the increased concentration of mass around the rotation axis of the spinning Earth during the growth of the core the rotation should have been accelerated. Controversially the tidal dissipation by the Moon, which is mainly dependent on the availability of open shallow seas and the kind of Moon escape from a nearby position, acts towards a deceleration of the rotating Earth. Measurements of LOD for Phanerozoic and Precambrian times open ways to solve questions concerning the geodynamical history of the Earth. These measurements encompass investigations of growth patterns in fossils and depositional patterns in sediments (Cyclostratigraphy, Tidalites, Stromatolites, Rhythmites). These patterns contain information on the LOD and on the changing distance between Earth and Moon and can be used as well for a discussion about the growth of the Earth’s core. By updating an older paper with its simple approach as well as incorporating newly published results provided by the geoscientific community, a moderate to fast growth of the core in a hot early Earth will be favored controversially to the assumption of a delayed development of the core in an originally cold Earth. Core development with acceleration of Earth’s rotation and the contemporaneous slowing down due to tidal dissipation during the filling of the ocean may significantly interrelate.

The Effect of Lateral Offset Distance on the Aerodynamics and Fuel Economy of Vehicle Queues

The vehicle industry is always in search of breakthrough energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies.In recent years,vehicle intelligence has progressed considerably,and researchers are currently trying to take advantage of these developments.Here we consider the case of many vehicles forming a queue,i.e.,vehicles traveling at a predetermined speed and distance apart.While the majority of existing studies on this subject have focused on the influence of the longitudinal vehicle spacing,vehicle speed,and the number of vehicles on aerodynamic drag and fuel economy,this study considers the lateral offset distance of the vehicle queue.The group fuel consumption savings rate is calculated and analyzed.As also demonstrated by experimental results,some aerodynamic benefits exist.Moreover,the fuel consumption saving rate of the vehicle queue decreases as the lateral offset distance increases.

Essential proteins identification method based on four-order distances and subcellular localization information

Essential proteins are inseparable in cell growth and survival. The study of essential proteins is important for understanding cellular functions and biological mechanisms. Therefore, various computable methods have been proposed to identify essential proteins. Unfortunately, most methods based on network topology only consider the interactions between a protein and its neighboring proteins, and not the interactions with its higher-order distance proteins. In this paper, we propose the DSEP algorithm in which we integrated network topology properties and subcellular localization information in protein–protein interaction(PPI) networks based on four-order distances, and then used random walks to identify the essential proteins. We also propose a method to calculate the finite-order distance of the network, which can greatly reduce the time complexity of our algorithm. We conducted a comprehensive comparison of the DSEP algorithm with 11 existing classical algorithms to identify essential proteins with multiple evaluation methods. The results show that DSEP is superior to these 11 methods.

Efficient ECG classification based on Chi-square distance for arrhythmia detection

This study introduces a new classifier tailored to address the limitations inherent in conventional classifiers such as K-nearest neighbor(KNN),random forest(RF),decision tree(DT),and support vector machine(SVM)for arrhythmia detection.The proposed classifier leverages the Chi-square distance as a primary metric,providing a specialized and original approach for precise arrhythmia detection.To optimize feature selection and refine the classifier’s performance,particle swarm optimization(PSO)is integrated with the Chi-square distance as a fitness function.This synergistic integration enhances the classifier’s capabilities,resulting in a substantial improvement in accuracy for arrhythmia detection.Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method,achieving a noteworthy accuracy rate of 98% with PSO,higher than 89% achieved without any previous optimization.The classifier outperforms machine learning(ML)and deep learning(DL)techniques,underscoring its reliability and superiority in the realm of arrhythmia classification.The promising results render it an effective method to support both academic and medical communities,offering an advanced and precise solution for arrhythmia detection in electrocardiogram(ECG)data.

Analysis for Effects of Temperature Rise of PV Modules upon Driving Distance of Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaic Electric Vehicles

The development of vehicle integrated photovoltaics-powered electric vehicles (VIPV-EV) significantly reduces CO2 emissions from the transport sector to realize a decarbonized society. Although long-distance driving of VIPV-EV without electricity charging is expected in sunny regions, driving distance of VIPV-EV is affected by climate conditions such as solar irradiation and temperature rise of PV modules. In this paper, detailed analytical results for effects of climate conditions such as solar irradiation and temperature rise of PV modules upon driving distance of the VIPV-EV were presented by using test data for Toyota Prius and Nissan Van demonstration cars installed with high-efficiency InGaP/GaAs/InGaAs 3-junction solar cell modules with a module efficiency of more than 30%. The temperature rise of some PV modules studied in this study was shown to be expressed by some coefficients related to solar irradiation, wind speed and radiative cooling. The potential of VIPV-EV to be deployed in 10 major cities was also analyzed. Although sunshine cities such as Phoenix show the high reduction ratio of driving range with 17% due to temperature rise of VIPV modules, populous cities such as Tokyo show low reduction ratio of 9%. It was also shown in this paper that the difference between the driving distance of VIPV-EV driving in the morning and the afternoon is due to PV modules’ radiative cooling. In addition, the importance of heat dissipation of PV modules and the development of high-efficiency PV modules with better temperature coefficients was suggested in order to expand driving range of VIPV-EV. The effects of air-conditioner usage and partial shading in addition to the effects of temperature rise of VIPV modules were suggested as the other power losses of VIPV-EV.

Study on Fatigue Life Prediction of TC4-DT Structural Simulants by Using Critical Distance Theory

In the actual engineering of the structure, mechanical notch is inevitable, which will significantly reduce the fatigue life of the structure. In order to ensure the application of notch structures in engineering, the accurate evaluation of the impact of notch on fatigue life has become the basis of fatigue reliability design of structures. To investigate the influence of the concave structure on the overall fatigue life in practical engineering, three different sizes of V-notch parts and concave structure simulation parts were designed, and the life prediction was carried out by using the critical distance method. The results show that the stress gradient of the concave structure with the same stress concentration coefficient is much greater than that of the V-notch structure. Considering the notch effect, the S-T model in the critical distance method is modified by the stress concentration coefficient and stress gradient, and it is found that the life prediction accuracy reaches the ideal.

Seismic attenuation in the lower mantle beneath Northeast China constrained from short-period reflected core phases at short epicentral distances

The thermal structure of the lower mantle plays a key role in understanding the dynamic processes of the Earth's evolution and mantle convection.Because intrinsic attenuation in the lower mantle is highly sensitive to temperature,determining of the attenuation of the lower mantle could help us determine its thermal state.We attempted to constrain the attenuation of the lower mantle by measuring the amplitude ratios of p to ScP on the vertical component and s to ScS on the tangential component at short epicentral distances for seismic wave data from deep earthquakes in Northeast China.We calculated the theoretical amplitude ratios of p to ScP and s to ScS by using ray theory and the axial-symmetric spectral element method AxiSEM,as well as by considering the effects of radiation patterns,geometrical spreading,and ScP reflection coefficients.By comparing the observed amplitude ratios with the synthetic results,we constrained the quality factors as Qα≈3,000 and Qβ≈1,300 in the lower mantle beneath Northeast China,which are much larger than those in the preliminary reference Earth model(PREM)model of Qα~800 and Qβ~312.We propose that the lower mantle beneath Northeast China is relatively colder than the average mantle,resulting in weaker intrinsic attenuation and higher velocity.We estimated the temperature of the lower mantle beneath Northeast China as approximately 300–700 K colder than the global average value.