Selection of dialysis methods for end-stage kidney disease patients with diabetes

The increasing prevalence of diabetes has led to a growing population of endstage kidney disease(ESKD)patients with diabetes.Currently,kidney transplantation is the best treatment option for ESKD patients;however,it is limited by the lack of donors.Therefore,dialysis has become the standard treatment for ESKD patients.However,the optimal dialysis method for diabetic ESKD patients remains controversial.ESKD patients with diabetes often present with complex conditions and numerous complications.Furthermore,these patients face a high risk of infection and technical failure,are more susceptible to malnutrition,have difficulty establishing vascular access,and experience more frequent blood sugar fluctuations than the general population.Therefore,this article reviews nine critical aspects:Survival rate,glucose metabolism disorder,infectious complications,cardiovascular events,residual renal function,quality of life,economic benefits,malnutrition,and volume load.This study aims to assist clinicians in selecting individualized treatment methods by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis,thereby improving patients’quality of life and survival rates.

Material point method simulation of hydro-mechanical behaviour in twophase porous geomaterials: A state-of-the-art review

The material point method(MPM)has been gaining increasing popularity as an appropriate approach to the solution of coupled hydro-mechanical problems involving large deformation.In this paper,we survey the current state-of-the-art in the MPM simulation of hydro-mechanical behaviour in two-phase porous geomaterials.The review covers the recent advances and developments in the MPM and their extensions to capture the coupled hydro-mechanical problems involving large deformations.The focus of this review is aiming at providing a clear picture of what has or has not been developed or implemented for simulating two-phase coupled large deformation problems,which will provide some direct reference for both practitioners and researchers.

Physical and numerical investigations of target stratum selection for ground hydraulic fracturing of multiple hard roofs

Ground hydraulic fracturing plays a crucial role in controlling the far-field hard roof,making it imperative to identify the most suitable target stratum for effective control.Physical experiments are conducted based on engineering properties to simulate the gradual collapse of the roof during longwall top coal caving(LTCC).A numerical model is established using the material point method(MPM)and the strain-softening damage constitutive model according to the structure of the physical model.Numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the LTCC process under different hard roofs for ground hydraulic fracturing.The results show that ground hydraulic fracturing releases the energy and stress of the target stratum,resulting in a substantial lag in the fracturing of the overburden before collapse occurs in the hydraulic fracturing stratum.Ground hydraulic fracturing of a low hard roof reduces the lag effect of hydraulic fractures,dissipates the energy consumed by the fracture of the hard roof,and reduces the abutment stress.Therefore,it is advisable to prioritize the selection of the lower hard roof as the target stratum.

Analysis of environmental selection pressure of superoxide dismutase in deep-sea sea cucumber

Manganese superoxide dismutase(MnSOD)is an antioxidant that exists in mitochondria and can effectively remove superoxide anions in mitochondria.In a dark,high-pressure,and low-temperature deep-sea environment,MnSOD is essential for the survival of sea cucumbers.Six MnSODs were identified from the transcriptomes of deep and shallow-sea sea cucumbers.To explore their environmental adaptation mechanism,we conducted environmental selection pressure analysis through the branching site model of PAML software.We obtained night positive selection sites,and two of them were significant(97F→H,134K→V):97F→H located in a highly conservative characteristic sequence,and its polarity c hange might have a great impact on the function of MnSOD;134K→V had a change in piezophilic a bility,which might help MnSOD adapt to the environment of high hydrostatic pressure in the deepsea.To further study the effect of these two positive selection sites on MnSOD,we predicted the point mutations of F97H and K134V on shallow-sea sea cucumber by using MAESTROweb and PyMOL.Results show that 97F→H,134K→V might improve MnSOD’s efficiency of scavenging superoxide a nion and its ability to resist high hydrostatic pressure by moderately reducing its stability.The above results indicated that MnSODs of deep-sea sea cucumber adapted to deep-sea environments through their amino acid changes in polarity,piezophilic behavior,and local stability.This study revealed the correlation between MnSOD and extreme environment,and will help improve our understanding of the organism’s adaptation mechanisms in deep sea.

A hybrid contact approach for modeling soil-structure interaction using the material point method

The grid-based multi-velocity field technique has become increasingly popular for simulating the Material Point Method(MPM)in contact problems.However,this traditional technique has some shortcomings,such as(1)early contact and contact penetration can occur when the contact conditions are unsuitable,and(2)the method is not available for contact problems involving rigid-nonrigid materials,which can cause numerical instability.This study presents a new hybrid contact approach for the MPM to address these limitations to simulate the soil and structure interactions.The approach combines the advantages of point-point and point-segment contacts to implement contact detection,satisfying the impenetrability condition and smoothing the corner contact problem.The proposed approach is first validated through a disk test on an inclined slope.Then,several typical cases,such as granular collapse,bearing capacity,and deformation of a flexible retaining wall,are simulated to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed approach compared with FEM or analytical solutions.Finally,the proposed method is used to simulate the impact of sand flow on a deformable structure.The results show that the proposed contact approach can well describe the phenomenon of soil-structure interaction problems.

Mobility and dynamic erosion process of granular flow:insights from numerical investigation using material point method

In order to understand the dynamics of granular flow on an erodible base soil,in this paper,a series of material point method-based granular column collapse tests were conducted to investigate numerically the mobility and dynamic erosion process of granular flow subjected to the complex settings,i.e.,the aspect ratio,granular mass,friction and dilatancy resistance,gravity and presence of water.A set of power scaling laws were proposed to describe the final deposit characteristics of granular flow by the relations of the normalized run-out distance and the normalized final height of granular flow against the aspect ratio,being greatly affected by the complex geological settings,e.g.,granular mass,the friction and dilatancy resistance of granular soil,and presence of water in granular flow.An index of the coefficient of friction of granular soil was defined as a ratio of the target coefficient of friction over the initial coefficient of friction to quantify the scaling extent of friction change(i.e.,friction strengthening or weakening).There is a characteristic aspect ratio of granular column corresponding to the maximum mobility of granular flow with the minimum index of the apparent coefficient of friction.The index of the repose coefficient of friction of granular flow decreased gradually with the increase in aspect ratio because higher potential energy of granular column at a larger aspect ratio causes a larger kinetic energy of granular soil to weaken the friction of granular soil as a kind of velocity-related friction weakening.An increase in granular mass reduces gradually the indexes of the apparent and repose coefficients of friction of granular soil to enhance the mobility of granular flow.The mobility of granular flow increases gradually with the decrease in friction angle or increase in dilatancy angle of granular soil.However,the increase of gravity accelerates granular flow but showing the same final deposit profile without any dependence on gravity.The mobility of granular flow increases gradually by lowering the indexes of the apparent and repose coefficients of friction of granular flow while changing the surroundings,in turn,the dry soil,submerged soil and saturated soil,implying a gradually increased excessive mobility of granular flow with the friction weakening of granular soil.Presence of water in granular flow may be a potential catalyzer to yield a long run-out granular flow,as revealed in comparison of water-absent and water-present granular flows.In addition,the dynamic erosion and entrainment of based soil induced by granular flow subjected to the complex geological settings,i.e.,the aspect ratio,granular mass,gravity,friction and dilatancy resistance,and presence of water,were comprehensively investigated as well.

An Efficient Reliability-Based Optimization Method Utilizing High-Dimensional Model Representation and Weight-Point Estimation Method

The objective of reliability-based design optimization(RBDO)is to minimize the optimization objective while satisfying the corresponding reliability requirements.However,the nested loop characteristic reduces the efficiency of RBDO algorithm,which hinders their application to high-dimensional engineering problems.To address these issues,this paper proposes an efficient decoupled RBDO method combining high dimensional model representation(HDMR)and the weight-point estimation method(WPEM).First,we decouple the RBDO model using HDMR and WPEM.Second,Lagrange interpolation is used to approximate a univariate function.Finally,based on the results of the first two steps,the original nested loop reliability optimization model is completely transformed into a deterministic design optimization model that can be solved by a series of mature constrained optimization methods without any additional calculations.Two numerical examples of a planar 10-bar structure and an aviation hydraulic piping system with 28 design variables are analyzed to illustrate the performance and practicability of the proposed method.

Comparison of Block Design Nonparametric Subset Selection Rules Based on Alternative Scoring Rules

This article compares the size of selected subsets using nonparametric subset selection rules with two different scoring rules for the observations. The scoring rules are based on the expected values of order statistics of the uniform distribution (yielding rank values) and of the normal distribution (yielding normal score values). The comparison is made using state motor vehicle traffic fatality rates, published in a 2016 article, with fifty-one states (including DC as a state) and over a nineteen-year period (1994 through 2012). The earlier study considered four block design selection rules—two for choosing a subset to contain the “best” population (i.e., state with lowest mean fatality rate) and two for the “worst” population (i.e., highest mean rate) with a probability of correct selection chosen to be 0.90. Two selection rules based on normal scores resulted in selected subset sizes substantially smaller than corresponding rules based on ranks (7 vs. 16 and 3 vs. 12). For two other selection rules, the subsets chosen were very close in size (within one). A comparison is also made using state homicide rates, published in a 2022 article, with fifty states and covering eight years. The results are qualitatively the same as those obtained with the motor vehicle traffic fatality rates.

A novel adaptive harmonic balance method with an asymptotic harmonic selection

The harmonic balance method(HBM)is one of the most widely used methods in solving nonlinear vibration problems,and its accuracy and computational efficiency largely depend on the number of the harmonics selected.The adaptive harmonic balance(AHB)method is an improved HBM method.This paper presents a modified AHB method with the asymptotic harmonic selection(AHS)procedure.This new harmonic selection procedure selects harmonics from the frequency spectra of nonlinear terms instead of estimating the contribution of each harmonic to the whole nonlinear response,by which the additional calculation is avoided.A modified continuation method is proposed to deal with the variable size of nonlinear algebraic equations at different values of path parameters,and then all solution branches of the amplitude-frequency response are obtained.Numerical experiments are carried out to verify the performance of the AHB-AHS method.Five typical nonlinear dynamic equations with different types of nonlinearities and excitations are chosen as the illustrative examples.Compared with the classical HBM and Runge-Kutta methods,the proposed AHB-AHS method is of higher accuracy and better convergence.The AHB-AHS method proposed in this paper has the potential to investigate the nonlinear vibrations of complex high-dimensional nonlinear systems.

An Adaptive Sequential Replacement Method for Variable Selection in Linear Regression Analysis

With the rapid development of DNA technologies, high throughput genomic data have become a powerful leverage to locate desirable genetic loci associated with traits of importance in various crop species. However, current genetic association mapping analyses are focused on identifying individual QTLs. This study aimed to identify a set of QTLs or genetic markers, which can capture genetic variability for marker-assisted selection. Selecting a set with k loci that can maximize genetic variation out of high throughput genomic data is a challenging issue. In this study, we proposed an adaptive sequential replacement (ASR) method, which is considered a variant of the sequential replacement (SR) method. Through Monte Carlo simulation and comparing with four other selection methods: exhaustive, SR method, forward, and backward methods we found that the ASR method sustains consistent and repeatable results comparable to the exhaustive method with much reduced computational intensity.

Enhancing Parkinson’s Disease Prediction Using Machine Learning and Feature Selection Methods

Several millions of people suffer from Parkinson’s disease globally.Parkinson’s affects about 1%of people over 60 and its symptoms increase with age.The voice may be affected and patients experience abnormalities in speech that might not be noticed by listeners,but which could be analyzed using recorded speech signals.With the huge advancements of technology,the medical data has increased dramatically,and therefore,there is a need to apply data mining and machine learning methods to extract new knowledge from this data.Several classification methods were used to analyze medical data sets and diagnostic problems,such as Parkinson’s Disease(PD).In addition,to improve the performance of classification,feature selection methods have been extensively used in many fields.This paper aims to propose a comprehensive approach to enhance the prediction of PD using several machine learning methods with different feature selection methods such as filter-based and wrapper-based.The dataset includes 240 recodes with 46 acoustic features extracted from3 voice recording replications for 80 patients.The experimental results showed improvements when wrapper-based features selection method was used with K-NN classifier with accuracy of 88.33%.The best obtained results were compared with other studies and it was found that this study provides comparable and superior results.

Performance Comparison of Two Efficient Genomic Selection Methods(gsbay & MixP ) Applied in Aquacultural Organisms

Genomic selection is more and more popular in animal and plant breeding industries all around the world, as it can be applied early in life without impacting selection candidates. The objective of this study was to bring the advantages of genomic selection to scallop breeding. Two different genomic selection tools Mix P and gsbay were applied on genomic evaluation of simulated data and Zhikong scallop(Chlamys farreri) field data. The data were compared with genomic best linear unbiased prediction(GBLUP) method which has been applied widely. Our results showed that both Mix P and gsbay could accurately estimate single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) marker effects, and thereby could be applied for the analysis of genomic estimated breeding values(GEBV). In simulated data from different scenarios, the accuracy of GEBV acquired was ranged from 0.20 to 0.78 by Mix P; it was ranged from 0.21 to 0.67 by gsbay; and it was ranged from 0.21 to 0.61 by GBLUP. Estimations made by Mix P and gsbay were expected to be more reliable than those estimated by GBLUP. Predictions made by gsbay were more robust, while with Mix P the computation is much faster, especially in dealing with large-scale data. These results suggested that both algorithms implemented by Mix P and gsbay are feasible to carry out genomic selection in scallop breeding, and more genotype data will be necessary to produce genomic estimated breeding values with a higher accuracy for the industry.

Improved response surface method based on sample point selection strategies

In the reliability analysis of complex structures,response surface method(RSM)has been suggested as an efficient technique to estimate the actual but implicit limit state function.A set of sample points are needed to fit to the implicit function.It has been noted that the accuracy of RSM depends highly on the so-called sample points.However,the technique for point selection has had little attention.In the present study,an improved response surface method(IRSM)based on two sample point selection techniques,named the direction cosines projected strategy(DCS)and the limit step length iteration strategy(LSS),is investigated.Since it uses the sampling points selected to be located in the region close to the original failure surface,and since it needs only one response surface,the IRSM should be accurate and simple in practical structural problems.Applications to several typical examples have helped to elucidate the successful working of the IRSM.

Selection of surgical methods for thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum combined with cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Objective To investigate the difference between different surgical methods for thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum(OLF) combined with cervical spondylotic myelopathy(CSM) . Methods From January 1991 to January 2003,56 cases

Comparative Analysis of Improving Effects of 12 Maize Populations with Improved S_1 Selection Method

ln this study, 12 maize populations were improved with the improved S1 selection method, aiming to increase the improvement efficiency of maize popula-tions. The results showed that number of rows per spike, number of grains per row and 100-grain weight were the three important component traits of maize yield. The highest genetic increment was found in Mengqun 2, fol owed by Mengqun 4, Mengqun 1 and other 7 maize populations. Negative genetic increment was shown in Mengqun 3 and 3 introduced foreign maize populations. Some changes were shown in spikes, plant traits and genetic diversity of maize populations. Based on our results, we concluded that Mengqun 2, Mengqun 4, Zhongzong 7, Mengqun C and Mengqun A could be directly used for the line breeding by selfing for their higher genetic increment of yield and better improvement effects of other agricultural traits. Compared with these 5 populations, the improvement potential of other maize populations was limited for their lower genetic increment.

A personalized trustworthy service selection method

A personalized trustworthy service selection method is proposed to fully express the features of trust, emphasize the importance of user preference and improve the trustworthiness of service selection. The trustworthiness of web service is defined as customized multi-dimensional trust metrics and the user preference is embodied in the weight of each trust metric. A service selection method combining AHP （analytic hierarchy process） and PROMETHEE （preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations） is proposed. AHP is used to determine the weights of trust metrics according to users＇ preferences. Hierarchy and pairwise comparison matrices are constructed. The weights of trust metrics are derived from the highest eigenvalue and eigenvector of the matrix. to obtain the final rank of candidate services. The preference functions are defined according to the inherent characteristics of the trust metrics and net outranking flows are calculated. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively express users＇ personalized preferences for trust metrics, and the trustworthiness of service ranking and selection is efficiently improved.

Modeling footing resting on anisotropic sand using material point method

Sand typically exhibits anisotropic internal structure which may significantly influence its mechanical behavior. The material point method (MPM) can eliminate mesh distortion and thus is suitable for investigating geotechnical problems with large deformation. In this study, an advanced anisotropic critical state theory (ACST)-based soil model is implemented in MPM to study the response of strip footing resting on anisotropic sand. The capability of the model is verified by simulating several element tests and strip footing tests with different soil densities and fabric bedding plane orientations. For the footing problem with a vertical load, as the fabric bedding plane orientation increases, the bearing capacity decreases and its corresponding settlement increases. The failure pattern becomes asymmetrical when the bedding plane orientation or the loading direction is inclined. A comparison between the simulation results predicted by the anisotropic and isotropic models is made, which demonstrates that neglecting the fabric anisotropy may lead to the overestimation of the bearing capacity.

Modeling pipe-soil interaction under vertical downward relative offset using B-spline material point method

To analyze the pipeline response under permanent ground deformation,the evolution of resistance acting on the pipe during the vertical downward offset is an essential ingredient.However,the efficient simulation of pipe penetration into soil is challenging for the conventional finite element(FE)method due to the large deformation of the surrounding soils.In this study,the B-spline material point method(MPM)is employed to investigate the pipe-soil interaction during the downward movement of rigid pipes buried in medium and dense sand.To describe the density-and stress-dependent behaviors of sand,the J2-deformation type model with state-dependent dilatancy is adopted.The effectiveness of the model is demonstrated by element tests and biaxial compression tests.Afterwards,the pipe penetration process is simulated,and the numerical outcomes are compared with the physical model tests.The effects of pipe size and burial depth are investigated with an emphasis on the mobilization of the soil resistance and the failure mechanisms.The simulation results indicate that the bearing capacity formulas given in the guidelines can provide essentially reasonable estimates for the ultimate force acting on buried pipes,and the recommended value of yield displacement may be underestimated to a certain extent.

A reasoning diagram based method for fault diagnosis of railway point system

Railway Point System(RPS)is an important infrastructure in railway industry and its faults may have significant impacts on the safety and efficiency of train operations.For the fault diagnosis of RPS,most existing methods assume that sufficient samples of each failure mode are available,which may be unrealistic,especially for those modes of low occurrence frequency but with high risk.To address this issue,this work proposes a novel fault diagnosis method that only requires the power signals generated under normal RPS operations in the training stage.Specifically,the failure modes of RPS are distinguished through constructing a reasoning diagram,whose nodes are either binary logic problems or those that can be decomposed into the problems of the binary logic.Then,an unsupervised method for the signal segmentation and a fault detection method are combined to make decisions for each binary logic problem.Based on the results of decisions,the diagnostic rules are established to identify the failure modes.Finally,the data collected from multiple real-world RPSs are used for validation and the results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the benchmark in identifying the faults of RPSs.