Functional evaluation for effective compositions in seed oil of Korean pine

The effect of seed oil of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) on the rats' blood-fat and its anti-ageing function was stud-ied for appraising the efficacy of the seed oil of Korean pine. Sixty experimental rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (half males and half females in each group) as normal control group, high fat diet control group, and three groups (Group 1 Group 2, Group 3) that were fed with feedstuff with the contents of the seed oil of 2.0g/(kgd-1), 4.0g/(kgd-1) and 8.0g/(kgd-1), respec-tively. The indexes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and anti-oxidation capacity (AOC) were measured by Reagent Kit method. It was found that the seed oil of the Korean pine could reduce the content of triglyc-eride and improve SOD as well as GSH-PX activity in serum. These indexes of the rats in Group 2 fed with Korean pine seed oil of 4.0 g/(kgd-1) reached the significant level and those of rats in Group 3 fed with the seed oil of 8.0 g/(kgd-1) reached the extremely significant level. The results indicated the seed oil of Korean pine had function of regulating the level of blood-fat and anti-ageing.

Postoperative functional evaluation of gastrectomy for gastric cancer

To improve the quality of surgical procedures for gastric cancer,it is essential to consider many components comprehensively,including gastric motility,small intestinal absorption,hormones that affect gastric motility and appetite,presence or absence of vagus nerve preservation,esophageal regurgitation on endoscopic findings,in addition to whether or not there is a physiological route for food passage through the duodenum.Furthermore,proper functional evaluation cannot be performed without considering the form and amount of energy in the nutritional supplement to be loaded,and the posture at the time of investigation.The results of functional evaluation vary according to the method selected from many available options,but we believe that use of the most physiologically accurate,appropriate and selectable option will enable us to arrive at the best resection/reconstruction technique.We have reported that it is important to consider the preservation of three elements when performing gastrectomy:1)reduction of the extent of gastrectomy,2)preservation of the pylorus,and 3)preservation of the vagus nerve;among which preservation of the remnant stomach is the most important.Furthermore,the selection of a reconstruction method that maintains secretion of hormones beneficial to gastric motility preserves the energy balance inherent in the human body,and also provides better quality of life.

Functional evaluation using several evoked spinal cord potentials in elderly patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy

BACKGROUND ： The recordings of evoked spinal cord potentials following epidural spinal cord stimulation are thought to be generated by volleys traversing the dorsal column pathway, and it may not directly reflect conduction defects in corticospinat tracts of cervical spinal cord. To our knowledge there has been few report using several evoked spinal cord potentials in function evaluation of the cervical spinal cord in eldedy patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy （CSM）. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the function states of the cervical spinal cord in elderly patients with CSM and explore its pathophysictogic mechanism. DESIGN： Case observation SETTING ： Department of Orthopedics for the aged, Shenzhen Pingle Hospital of Orthopedics. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine. PARTICIPANTS ： A total of 23 eldedy patients with CSM who received treatment in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine of Japan from January 2003 to February 2004 were enrolled in this study. Inclusive criteria： ① Multiple intervertebral levels of cervical spinal cord compression confirmed by MRI, e.g. 3 or more than 3 levels of compressin. ② Age ≥ 70 years old. ③ Numbness and sensory disturbance in the upper limbs and showed hyperreflexia in the lower limbs. Exclusive criteria： Patients with abnormal motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities in both upper and lower limbs were excluded. METHODS： Evoked spinal cord potentials （ESCPs） following transcranial electric stimulation （TCE-ESCPs）, epidural spinal cord stimulation （SpinaI-ESCPs） and median nerve stimulation （MN-ESCPs） were recorded in 23 patients from posterior epidural space intreoperatively. The abnormalities of TCE-ESCPs were defined as attenuation of amplitude of the D wave. The most cranial intervertebral level showing abnormal TCE-ESCPs with a marked reduction in size of the negative peak （reduction of over 50%） was considered as the upper level of the spinal cord lesion with respect to the corticospinal tract in white matter. The abnormalities of SpinaI-ESCPs were defined as marked reduction in the size of negative peak （reduction of over 50%）. The most caudal intervertebral level showing abnormal SpinaI-ESCPs was considered as the lower level of the spinal cord lesion with respect to the dorsal column pathway in white matter. The abnormalities of MN-ESCPs were defined as attenuation of the N13 amplitude,which was considered as the lesion level of the spinal cord with respect to the dorsal horn in gray matter. Radiological investigation： Lateral view of plain X-ray films was obtained in flexion and extension of the cervical spine. Instability of the cervical intervertebral level was determined as horizontal displacement of the vertebral body of over 3 mm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES ： The results of examination of TCE-ESCPs, SpinaI-ESCPs and MN-ESCPs in el- dedy patients with CSM. RESULTS： The 23 eldedy patients with CSM were participated in the result analysis. ①TCE-ESCPs： The impairment of the corticospinal tract in white matter at single intervertebral level was revealed in 18 of 23 patients by recordings of TCE-ESCPs （sensitivity 78%）. In the 18 patients, the lesion level was shown at the up- per cervical segment in 14 patients （C3-4n=10 and C4-5n=4）, and at the lower cervical segment in 4 patients （C5-6n=4）. ②Spinal-ESCPs： The impairment of the dorsal column pathway of white matter at single intervertebral level was revealed in 17 of 23 patients, by recordings of Spinal-ESCPs （sensitivity 74%）. In the 17 patients, the lesion level was presented at the upper cervical segment in 14 patients （C3-4n=10 and C4-5n=4）, and at the lower cervical segment in 3 patients （C5-6 n=3）. ③MN-ESCPs： All patients revealed abnormal MN-ESCPs at one or more intervertebral levels （sensitivity 100%）. The impairment at single intervertebral level was demonstrated in 17 patients, and the impairment at multiple intervertebral levels was shown in 4 patients （3 patients at the C3-4, C4-4, and C5-4~6, and one patient at the C4-5, C5-6, and C6-7）. ④Radiological findings： The Instability of the intervertebral level at the C3-4 or C4-5 motion segment was seen in 15 patients, with a total of 20 levels, and where 10 were at the C3-4 intervertebral level and 5 were at the C3-4, C4-5 intervertebral level. CONCLUSION ： The results suggest that in most elderly patients with CSM who have multiple intervertebral level compressions of the cervical spinal cord on MRI, white matter is impaired at the single cervical intervertebral level, and not only the dorsal column pathway, but also the corticospinal tract can be affected. Combined the findings of radiography, the excessive motion and instability of the C3-4 or C4-5 intervertebral level plays an important role in inducing the long tract lesion in elderly patients with CSM.

Functionality evaluation of system of systems architecture based on extended influence diagrams

System of systems architecture（SoSA） has received increasing emphasis by scholars since Zachman ignited its flame in 1987. Given its complexity and abstractness, it is critical to validate and evaluate SoSA to ensure requirements have been met.Multiple qualities are discussed in the literature of SoSA evaluation, while research on functionality is scarce. In order to assess SoSA functionality, an extended influence diagram（EID） is developed in this paper. Meanwhile, a simulation method is proposed to elicit the conditional probabilities in EID through designing and executing SoSA. An illustrative anti-missile architecture case is introduced for EID development, architecture design, and simulation.

Data processing method for aerial testing of rotating accelerometer gravity gradiometer

A novel method for noise removal from the rotating accelerometer gravity gradiometer(MAGG)is presented.It introduces a head-to-tail data expansion technique based on the zero-phase filtering principle.A scheme for determining band-pass filter parameters based on signal-to-noise ratio gain,smoothness index,and cross-correlation coefficient is designed using the Chebyshev optimal consistent approximation theory.Additionally,a wavelet denoising evaluation function is constructed,with the dmey wavelet basis function identified as most effective for processing gravity gradient data.The results of hard-in-the-loop simulation and prototype experiments show that the proposed processing method has shown a 14%improvement in the measurement variance of gravity gradient signals,and the measurement accuracy has reached within 4E,compared to other commonly used methods,which verifies that the proposed method effectively removes noise from the gradient signals,improved gravity gradiometry accuracy,and has certain technical insights for high-precision airborne gravity gradiometry.

Research on the Coupled and Coordinated Development of Tourism and Transport in Chongqing Municipality

By examining the current status of tourism and transport research both domestically and internationally,and analyzing the development trends of Chongqing’s tourism and transport industry,this study evaluates the weight indices and performs a coupling and coordination analysis of various indicators of Chongqing’s tourism and transport industry from 2011 to 2019.The following conclusions are drawn:(1)The value of the comprehensive evaluation function for tourism is higher than that of the transport industry,indicating that Chongqing’s tourism industry is in a period of vigorous development;(2)The degree of coupling coordination development between Chongqing’s tourism and transportation industries from 2011 to 2019 is rising.As the coupling coordination stage continues to improve,the level of coupling coordination also improves,with the overall trend showing a progression from mild dysfunction to primary coordination.Based on these conclusions,corresponding countermeasures are proposed to promote the coupling coordination between tourism and transport in Chongqing,and suggestions are made for the overall improvement of the transport industry and the sustainable development of the tourism industry.

Synthetically quantitative evaluation function of characteristic parameters on CO_2 arc welding process

The statistical probability and their variation regularity of the measurable characteristic parameters in the CO 2 arc welding droplet short circuiting transfer process have been studied. The statistical analysis shows that the sensitivity of each characteristic parameter with regard to the variation of the short circuiting transfer process is different. The sensitivity of 4 kinds among these characteristic parameters is more intense than that of the short circuiting transfer frequency. In order to take account of the synthetic influence of these characteristic parameters, by means of the characteristic parameters synthetic value, a quantitative evaluation function is built up to describe and evaluate the short circuiting transfer process of CO 2 arc welding in real time. The testing shows that the evaluation function can give a suitable synthetic valuation for the short circuiting transfer process with a variety of welding variables.

Evaluating rehabilitation interventionsin Parkinson's disease with functional MRI:a promising neuroprotective strategy

Parkinson＇s disease （PD） is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting approximately 10 million people world- wide （Planetta et al., 2014; Zigmond and Smeyne, 2014）. The principal clinical features of PD are bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor at rest and postural instability （Planetta et al., 2014）. It is known that both PD itself and the use of anti-parkinson drugs are associated with several non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric disturbances and sleep, autonomic, and sensory disorders （Park and Stacy, 2009; Foster et al., 2014）. The histopathological hallmark of PD is the reduction of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta, causing dopamine deficiency in spe- cific nuclei of the basal ganglia such as the dorsal striatum （Fearnley and Lees, 1991; Planetta et al., 2014）. The disrup- tion of the dopaminergic system has long been regarded as the major cause of PD; however, it has been shown that a widespread involvement of several non-dopaminergic path- ways also contribute to the clinical manifestations of PD （Park et al., 2014）.

Referral for anorectal function evaluation is indicated in 65% and beneficial in 92% of patients

AIM: To determine the indicated referrals to a tertiary centre for patients with anorectal symptoms, the effect of the advised treatment and the discomfort of the tests.METHODS: In a retrospective study, patients referred for anorectal function evaluation (AFE) between May 2004 and October 2006 were sent a questionnaire, as were the doctors who referred them. AFE consisted of anal manometry, rectal compliance measurement and anal endosonography. An indicated referral was defined as needing AFE to establish a diagnosis with clinical consequence (fecal incontinence without diarrhea, 3rd degree anal sphincter rupture, congenital anorectal disorder, inflammatory bowel disease with anorectal complaints and preoperative in patients for re-anastomosis or enterostoma, anal fissure, fistula or constipation). Anal ultrasound is always indicated in patients with fistula, anal manometry and rectal compliance when impaired continence reserve is suspected. The therapeutic effect was noted as improvement, no improvement but reassurance, and deterioration.RESULTS: From the 216 patients referred, 167 (78%) returned the questionnaire. The referrals were indicated in 65%. Of these, 80% followed the proposed advice. Improvement was achieved in 35% and a reassurance in 57% of the patients, no difference existed between patient groups. On a VAS scale (1 to 10) symptoms improved from 4.0 to 7.2. Most patients reported no or little discomfort with AFE. CONCLUSION: Referral for AFE was indicated in 65%. Beneficial effect was seen in 92%: 35% improved and 57% was reassured. Advice was followed in 80%. Better instruction about indication for AFE referral is warranted.

Evaluation of the Effects of Cypermethrin on Female Reproductive Function by Using Rabbit Model and of the Protective Role of Chinese Propolis

The prophylactic effects of Chinese propolis against cypermethrin toxicity were evaluated by performing ovary and uterus histopathology, as well as by characterizing ovarian function, embryos, and litters. Cypermethrin induced atypia in the ovary and uterus, and decreased the ovulation sites and the number of embryos. Cypermethrin-induced oxidative stress during pregnancy, decreased the parturition rate as well as the number and weight of offspring and increased the incidence of morphological malformations in the offspring. Administration of propolis to cypermethrin-treated animals mitigated cypermethrin-induced reproductive toxicity.

SOME EXISTENCE THEOREMS OF COMMON AND COINCIDENCE SOLUTIONS FOR A CLASS OF SYSTEMS OF FUNCTIONAL EQUATIONS ARISING IN DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING

Some existence theorems of common and coincidence solutions for a class of more general systems of functional equations arising in dynamic programming are shown. The results presented in this paper not only contain the corresponding results of previous studies as special cases, but also give an existence theorem of solutions for a class of functional equations suggested by Wang recently.

MAIN FUNCTIONS AND EVALUATION OF CUTI'S COMPLEX——Simulated Saturation Diving Chamber

The 300 msw Simulated Saturation Diving Chamber Complex was designed and built by ourselves. It was completed at the end of 1985. A 300 msw trimixed saturation diving experiment was successfully conducted in the complex by Chinese Underwater Technology Institute(CUTI) from May 22 to June 12 of 1987. During the experiment, 4 divers habitated in the complex for 20 days, and they performed 16 person-time excursion dives and 8 other tests. The result of the experiment indicates that the complex is well designed, suitably configurated, wholly integrated and steadily run, as well as of low leakage. The main functions of the complex have approached to those of the same kind in the world. The complex can be used as a basic facility for serving the nation's saturation diving technology, underwater operation, personnel training, etc.

Evaluation of embedded modular branched stent graft in treating aortic arch aneurysm using imaging-based computational flow analysis

Embedded modular branched stent graft(EMBSG)was a new option for aortic arch aneurysm.However,the therapeutic effect of this innovative stenting technique has not been fully assessed.Computational fluid dynamics and three-dimensional structural analyses were performed on three patients(Patient Ⅰ,Patient Ⅱ and Patient Ⅲ)with aortic arch aneurysm,both before and after EMBSG implantation.Patient-specific alterations from preoperative to postoperative were analyzed via morphological and functional metrics.Patient Ⅰ and Patient Ⅱ showed notable curvature changes and area reduction after intervention procedure.Three patients showed an increase in flow velocity after EMBSG implantation,while the pressure drop from ascending aorta to the aortic arch was remarkable in Patient I and Patient Ⅱ with the value of 7.09mmHg,and 10.95mmHg,respectively.Patient I and Patient Ⅱ also showed elevated time-averaged wall shear stress(TAWSS)in the stenting region,while Patient Ⅲ showed a trivial change in TAWSS after intervention procedure.Three patients showed low relative residence time after EMBSG insertion.The short-term results of EMBSG in treating aortic arch aneurysm were promising.Hemodynamic parameters have the potential to assist in the outcome evaluation and might be used to guide the stent graft design and wise selection,thereby improving the long-term therapeutic effect in managing complex vascular disease.

Appropriate stimulation in visual evoked potential to evaluate visual perception state of athletes

BACKGROUND： Several studies have demonstrated that visual evoked potentials can be influenced by sport events. To the best of our knowledge, there are no specific parameters for the most appropriate stimulation for evaluating the functional state of athletes. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the best stimulation in visual evoked potential to apply to functional evaluation of athletes. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Ninety-five, healthy students from the Shandong Normal University took part in an observational, contrast study. PARTICIPANTS： All active participants were male. Sixty-five students majored in physical education, and had participated in exercise for the duration of （4.26 ± 3.08） years. An additional 30 students majored in other subjects. METHODS： The neural electricity tester, NDI-200, was adapted to examine and record visual evoked potential with varying probes using bipolar electrodes attached to the head of all the participants in a dark room. The visual evoked potential values were analyzed transversally. A chessboard pattern reversal method was applied with the following parameters： 2 Hz stimulation frequency, brightness of 90 cdp, 80% contrast, 1-100 Hz bandpass filters, and 10 μV sensitivity; 100 responses were averaged. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： latency, peak latencies, and inter-peak latencies were measured in N75, P100, N145 with varying probe stimulations. RESULTS： （1） Comparisons between the little check, middle check, and big check stimulation, demonstrated that the common tendencies in visual evoked potential indexes of the two groups of N75 latency were successively shorter and N145 were longer. P100-N145 peak latency was decreased and each inter-peak latency was longer. （2） Changes of N75, P100, and N145 with different check stimulations in the physical education student group： after compared with the middle check stimulation, N75 latency was significantly longer （P 〈 0.01）, and N75-P100 inter-peak latency （P 〈 0.05） and N75-N145 inter-peak latency were both shorter （P 〈 0.05）. N75-P100 inter-peak latency was shorter （P 〈 0.01） in the little check stimulation. When compared with the big check stimulation, N75 latency was significantly longer （P 〈 0.01） and N145 was shorter （P 〈 0.01）. Compared with the big check stimulation, N145 latency was significantly shorter （P 〈 0.05） （3） Changes of N75, P100, and N145 with different check stimulations in the normal students： when compared with the big check stimulation, N75 latency was significantly longer （P 〈 0.05） and N145 latency was shorter （P 〈 0.05）. Each inter-peak latency was shorter （P 〈 0.05） in the little check stimulation. When comparing the middle check stimulation, N75-N145 inter-peak latency was shorter （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Large visual evoked potential differences were observed between students majoring in physical education and other subjects when medium probe stimulation was applied. These results suggest that the use of medium probe stimulation （25 mm×25 mm） should be adopted when evaluating the functional state of athletes.

Influence of olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation on body temperature of patients with old spinal cord injury

BACKGROUND： Olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation may transiently raise body temperature in some patients with old spinal cord injury. OBJECTIVE： To analyze the influence of olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation on body temperature changes and neurological functional recovery in patients with old spinal cord injury. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A non-randomized self-controlled study, which was performed in the wards of the Department of Surgery, Taian Disabled Soldier＇s Hospital of Shandong Province, between June 2004 and July 2007. PARTICIPANTS： 119 inpatients with old spinal cord injury were selected for this study, including 110 males and 9 females, aged 5-58 years. METHODS： The olfactory bulb of an aborted fetus was digested into a single-cell suspension of olfactory ensheathing cells, which were then cultured and purified for 7-10 days, and once again made into a single-cell suspension. The olfactory ensheathing cell suspension was then transplanted in the juncture of the normal spinal cord and the abnormal spinal cord under surgical microscopy, with 1 × 10^6 cells per target point, with 2-5 target points in total. According to changes in postoperative temperature, 119 patients were divided into three groups： body temperature （T） ≤ 38.0 ℃ （n = 40）, 38.0 ℃ 〈 T ≤ 39.0 ℃ （n = 67）, T 〉 39.0℃ （n = 12）. In particular, T 〉 38℃ （n = 79） patients were divided into two subgroups according to duration of fever： ≤3 days （n = 61） and ≥ 4 days （n = 18）. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Neurological function was evaluated by the American Spinal Cord Injury （ASIA） scale set by American Spinal Cord Injury Academy in 2000 one day prior to transplantation and one or two months after transplantation. RESULTS： 119 patients were included in the final analysis, without any loss. Following olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation, body temperatures changed as follows： T ≤ 38.0 ℃ （n = 40, 33.6%）, 38.0 ℃ 〈 T ≤ 39.0 ℃ （n = 67, 56.3%）, 〉 39.0 ℃ （n = 12, 10.1%）. Moreover, among 79 patients （T 〉 38 ℃）, the febrile time of 61 cases （77%） was ≤ 3 days, and that of 18 cases （23%） ≥ 4 days. ASIA scores increased after olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation （P 〈 0.05-0.01）. CONCLUSION： Moderate febricity frequently occurred in patients that received olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation, and febrile time lasted for more than 3 days. Additionally, olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation can remarkably improve neurological functional recovery.

Antiplane response of isosceles triangular hill to incident SH waves

In this paper, antiplane response of an isosceles triangular hill to incident SH waves is studied based on the method of complex function and by using moving coordinate system. The standing wave function, which can satisfy the governing equation and boundary condition, is provided. Furthermore, numerical examples are presented; the influences of wave number and angle of the incident waves and the angle of the hill’s peak on ground motion are discussed.

Image Distortion Metric Based on Total Bounded Variation

Image definition measurement plays an important role in various image processing applications.And a reliable objective image definition metrics is critical for evaluating the definition of the restored image.In this paper,a novel image distortion metric based on minimal Total Bounded Variation(TBV) is presented.It is clarified that when the restored image approximates to the original clear image,the smaller the TBV is,the better the definition of the restored image is.Furthermore,the difference between the restored image and the original clear image is the smallest when the TBV is minimum.In numerical results,the TBV of the original clear image,blur image and restored image are presented and compared,and the results demonstrate the validity of the distortion metric proposed.

A fast auto-focusing method of microscopic imaging based on an improved MCS algorithm

An improved"three steps"mountain-climb searching(MCS)algorithm is proposed which is applied to auto-focusing for microscopic imaging accurately and efficiently.By analyzing the performance of several evaluation functions,the variance function and the Brenner function are synthesized as a new evaluation function.In the first step,a self-adaptive step length which is much dependent on the reciprocal of the evaluation function value at the beginning position of climbing is used for approaching the halfway up the mountain roughly.Secondly,a fixed moderate step length is applied for approaching the mountaintop of the variance function as closer as possible.Finally,afine step is employed for reaching the exact mountaintop of the Brenner function.The microscope auto-focusing experiments based on the proposed algorithm for blood smear detection have been carried out comprehensively.The results show that the improved algorithm can not only guarantee the precision to get clear focal images,but also improve the auto-focusing e±ciency.