Sensitivity of diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is higher with the automated cell count method

BACKGROUND Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis(SBP)is one of the most important complications of patients with liver cirrhosis entailing high morbidity and mortality.Making an accurate early diagnosis of this infection is key in the outcome of these patients.The current definition of SBP is based on studies performed more than 40 years ago using a manual technique to count the number of polymorphs in ascitic fluid(AF).There is a lack of data comparing the traditional cell count method with a current automated cell counter.Moreover,current international guidelines do not mention the type of cell count method to be employed and around half of the centers still rely on the traditional manual method.AIM To compare the accuracy of polymorph count on AF to diagnose SBP between the traditional manual cell count method and a modern automated cell counter against SBP cases fulfilling gold standard criteria:Positive AF culture and signs/symptoms of peritonitis.METHODS Retrospective analysis including two cohorts:Cross-sectional(cohort 1)and case-control(cohort 2),of patients with decompensated cirrhosis and ascites.Both cell count methods were conducted simultaneously.Positive SBP cases had a pathogenic bacteria isolated on AF and signs/symptoms of peritonitis.RESULTS A total of 137 cases with 5 positive-SBP,and 85 cases with 33 positive-SBP were included in cohort 1 and 2,respectively.Positive-SBP cases had worse liver function in both cohorts.The automated method showed higher sensitivity than the manual cell count:80%vs 52%,P=0.02,in cohort 2.Both methods showed very good specificity(>95%).The best cutoff using the automated cell counter was polymorph≥0.2 cells×10^(9)/L(equivalent to 200 cells/mm^(3))in AF as it has the higher sensitivity keeping a good specificity.CONCLUSION The automated cell count method should be preferred over the manual method to diagnose SBP because of its higher sensitivity.SBP definition,using the automated method,as polymorph cell count≥0.2 cells×10^(9)/L in AF would need to be considered in patients admitted with decompensated cirrhosis.

A numerical study of two-and three-dimensional detonation dynamics of pulse detonation engine by the CE/SE method

In this paper, the CE/SE method is developed to simulate the two- and three-dimensional flow-field of Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE). The conservation equations with stiff source terms for chemical reaction are solved in two steps. The detailed analysis of computational results of a PDE with a single detonation tube and a PDE with five detonation tubes are given in this paper. Complex wave systems are observed inside and outside a PDE. For a PDE with 5 detonation tubes, there is a big bow shock produced from a number of little shocks near the open ends of tubes. A lot of vortexes interact with shocks and a large expansion wave propagates forward and backward with respect to the PDE in a semi-oval shape.

Size transition of spiral waves using the pulse array method

The domain size of spiral waves is an important issue in studies of two-dimensional （2D） spatiotemporal patterns. In this work, we use the 2D complex Ginzburg-Landau equation （CGLE） as our model and find that an initially big spiral can successfully transfer to several small spirals by applying a pulse array method. The impacts of several important factors, such as array density, controlling intensity and pulsing time, are investigated. This control approach may be useful for the control of 2D spatiotemporal patterns and has potential applications in the control of some realistic systems, such as meteorological and cardiac systems.

The Study on Taxonomic Status of Trimeresurus stejnegeri chenbihuii Based on Scale Counting Method

[Objectives] This study was conducted to further investigate the taxonomic status of Hainan population of Trimeresurus stejnegeri from the morphological point of view.[Methods]The difference coefficients between different populations were compared using the 75% law,and the relationship between scales and latitudes was analyzed.[Results] The scales(abdominal and subcaudal) of 325 Trimeresurus individuals were counted according to China Animal Fauna,including156 T.stejnegeri individuals.Some difference coefficients between the Hainan population and others were greater than 1.28,and there was no correlation between the number of scales and latitude.It conforms to subclassification criteria.[Conclusions]The view about the subspecies status of T.stejnegeri chenbihuii should be supported.

Effects of synthetic conditions of pulse galvanostatic method on electroactivity of polyaniline

Nano-fibrous polyaniline was synthesized on stainless steel electrode in 0.5mol·L-1 H2SO4 solution by pulse galvanostatic method. The effects of synthetic conditions of pulse galvanostatic method on the electroactivity of polyaniline were investigated. The results show that the electroactivity of polyaniline film strongly depends on the synthetic conditions, such as the ratio of “on time” to “off time”(ton/toff), frequency, monomer concentration, temperature and mean current density. Different electroactivities of polyaniline are caused by different morphologies of polyaniline. The nano-fibrous polyaniline has higher electroactivity than polyaniline with other morphologies. Under the following conditions: mean current density of pulse galvanostatic method 13mA·cm-2, ton/toff 1, frequency 200Hz, monomer concentration 0.3mol·L-1 and temperature 20℃, nano-fibrous polyaniline film with the highest electroactivity can be obtained.

Preparation of Highly Textured Bi and MnBi Films by the Pulsed Laser Deposition Method

Textured Bi and MnBi/Bi thin films are prepared by the pulsed laser deposition method. The highly c-axis textured MnBi films are obtained by annealing the bilayer consisting of textured Bi and Mn films. The eoercivities of the MnBi/Bi film are 1.5 T and 2.35 T at room temperature and at 373K, respectively, showing a positive temperature coefficient. Microstructural investigations show that the textured MnBi film results from the orientated growth induced by the textured Bi under-layer.

Highly Defective Dark TiO_(2) Modified with Pt: Effects of Precursor Nature and Preparation Method on Photocatalytic Properties

The study focused on the modification with platinum of dark defective titania obtained via pulsed laser ablation. Both the method of Pt introduction and the nature of the Pt precursor were varied. All samples exhibited similar phase compositions, specific surface areas, and Pt contents. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy coupled with pulsed CO adsorption revealed increased dispersity when photoreduction and the hydroxonitrate complex (Me _(4) N) _(2) [Pt _(2) (OH) _(2) (NO _(3) ) _(8) ] were used. The sample featured a high content of single-atom species and subnano-sized Pt clusters. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that the photoreduction method facilitated the appearance of a larger number of Pt ^(2+) states, which appeared owing to the strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) eff ect of the transfer of electron density from the electron-saturated defects on the TiO _(2) surface to Pt ^(4+) . In the hydrogen evolution reaction, samples with a significant fraction of the Pt ^(2+) ionic component, capable of generating short-lived Pt^(0) single-atom sites under irradiation due to the SMSI eff ect, exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. The 0.5Pt(C)/TiO_(2) -Ph sample exhibited the highest hydrogen yield with a quantum efficiency of 0.53, retaining its activity even after 8 h of operation.

Measurement and simulation of the leakage neutron spectra from Fe spheres bombarded with 14 MeV neutrons

Iron is commonly used as a structural and shielding material in nuclear devices. The accuracy of its nuclear data is critical for the design of nuclear devices. The evaluation data of ^(56)Fe isotopes in the latest version of the CENDL-3.2 library from China was significantly updated. This new data must be tested before it can be used. To test the reliability of this data and assess the shielding effect, a shielding benchmark experiment was conducted with natural Fe spherical samples using a pulsed deuterium–tritium neutron source at the China Institute of Atomic Energy(CIAE). The leakage neutron spectra from the natural spherical iron samples with different thicknesses(4.5, 7.5, and 12 cm) were measured between 0.8 and 16 MeV after interacting with 14 MeV neutrons using the time-of-flight method. The simulation results were obtained by Monte Carlo simulations by employing the Fe data from the CENDL-3.2, ENDF/B-VIII.0, and JEDNL-5.0 libraries. The measured and simulated leakage neutron spectra and penetration rates were compared, demonstrating that the CENDL-3.2 library performs sufficiently overall. The simulation results of the other two libraries were underestimated for scattering at the continuum energy level.

Design and Analysis of Terminal Guidance Law for Kinetic Interceptors based on Pulse Engine

A new terminal guidance law is proposed based on a solid propellant pulse engine and an improved proportional navigation method to address the terminal guidance issue for kinetic interceptors.On this basis,the start-stop curve of the pulse motor during the terminal guidance process is designed,along with its start-up logic.The effectiveness of the proposed guidance strategy is verified through simulation.

Fatigue Safety Assessment of Concrete Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge Based on Rain Flow Counting Method and Health Monitoring Data

The fatigue of concrete structures will gradually appear after being subjected to alternating loads for a long time,and the accidents caused by fatigue failure of bridge structures also appear from time to time.Aiming at the problem of degradation of long-span continuous rigid frame bridges due to fatigue and environmental effects,this paper suggests a method to analyze the fatigue degradation mechanism of this type of bridge,which combines long-term in-site monitoring data collected by the health monitoring system(HMS)and fatigue theory.In the paper,the authors mainly carry out the research work in the following aspects:First of all,a long-span continuous rigid frame bridge installed with HMS is used as an example,and a large amount of health monitoring data have been acquired,which can provide efficient information for fatigue in terms of equivalent stress range and cumulative number of stress cycles;next,for calculating the cumulative fatigue damage of the bridge structure,fatigue stress spectrum got by rain flow counting method,S-N curves and damage criteria are used for fatigue damage analysis.Moreover,it was considered a linear accumulation damage through the Palmgren-Miner rule for the counting of stress cycles.The health monitoring data are adopted to obtain fatigue stress data and the rain flow counting method is used to count the amplitude varying fatigue stress.The proposed fatigue reliability approach in the paper can estimate the fatigue damage degree and its evolution law of bridge structures well,and also can help bridge engineers do the assessment of future service duration.

Process Parameter Optimization of the Pulsed Current Argon Tungsten Arc Welding of Titanium Alloy

The selection of process parameters for obtaining optimal tensile properties in the pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding is presented. The tensile properties include ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and notch tensile strength. All these characteristics are considered together in the selection of process parameters by modified taguchi method to analyse the effect of each welding process parameter on tensile properties. Experimental results are furnished to illustrate the approach.

Calibration and Unfolding of the Pulse Height Spectra of Liquid Scintillator-Based Neutron Detectors Using Photon Sources

An accurate energy calibration of a 5＂× 2＂ BC501A liquid scintillator-based neutron detector by means of photon sources and the unfolding of pulse height spectra are described. The photon responses were measured with 22Na, 137Cs and 54Mn photon sources and simulated using the GRESP code, which was developed at the Physiknlisch Technische Bundesanstalt in Germany. Pulse height spectra produced by three different photon sources were employed to investigate the effects of the unfolding techniques. It was found that the four unfolding codes of the HEPRO and UMG3.3 packages, including GRAVEL, UNFANA, MIEKE and MAXED, performed well with the test spectra and produced generally consistent results. They could therefore be used to obtain neutron energy spectra in toknmak experiments.

Numerical study on the thermo-stress of ZrO_2 thermal barrier coatings by high-intensity pulsed ion beam irradiation

This paper studies numerically the thermo-mechanical effects of ZrO2 thermal barrier coatings （TBCs） irradiated by a high-intensity pulsed ion beam in consideration of the surface structure. Taking the deposited energy of ion beams in TBCs as the source term in the thermal conduction equation, the distribution of temperature in TBCs was simulated. Then, based on the distribution, the evolution of thermal stress was calculated by the finite element method. The results show that tensile radial stress formed at the valley of TBC surfaces after irradiation by HIPIB. Therefore, if cracks happen, they must be at valleys instead of peaks. As for the stress waves, no matter whether through peak or valley position, tensile and compressive stresses are present alternately inside TBCs along the depth direction, and the strength of stress decreases with time.

Optimization of back bead geometry in the PMAG-TIG twin arc hybrid root welding process using grey based Taguchi method

This study investigated multi-response optimization of the pulse metal active gas-tungsten inert gas( PMAG-TIG) twin arc hybrid root welding process for an optimal parametric combination to yield favorable back bead geometry of welded joints using grey relational analysis and Taguchi method.Eighteen experimental runs based on an orthogonal array following the Taguchi method were performed to derive objective functions to be optimized within the experimental domain.The objective functions were selected in relation to parameters of PMAG-TIG twin arc root welding back bead geometry: back bead width to root reinforcement ratio and deposited metal height.The Taguchi approach was followed by grey relational analysis to solve the multi-response optimization problem.The significance of factors on overall quality characteristics of the weld joint was also evaluated quantitatively using analysis of variance.Optimal results were verified through additional experiments,and showed to feasibility of applying grey relation analysis in combination with Taguchi technique for continuous improvement of product quality in the manufacturing industry.

Predictive Values of Platelets Count and Spleen Diameter in the Diagnosis of Esophageal Varices in Black African Cirrhotic Patients

Background: Gastrointestinal hemorrhage from ruptured esophageal varices is of concern in Africa where gastrointestinal fibroscopy for diagnosis is lacking. Purpose: To determine the performance of the length of the spleen, of the platelet count in the diagnosis of esophageal varices (OVs) by specifying the diagnostic thresholds in order to facilitate the prophylaxis of varicose hemorrhages in black African cirrhotic patients. Material and Method: This was a prospective study with a descriptive and analytical aim on cirrhotic patients hospitalized at the university hospital of Bouake (Ivory Coast) from 2017 to 2019. The patients included in the study were the cirrhotic of black race hospitalized having carried out an abdominal ultrasound with measurement of the spleen diameter (SD), an eso-gastro-duodenal endoscopy, and a blood count with platelet count (PC). The first primary endpoint was the diagnosis of esophageal varices in cirrhosis. Cirrhosis was retained by the combination of clinical, biological, ultrasound and endoscopic arguments. The OVs were distributed according to size and the presence of red signs. The platelet count, and the measurement of the spleen to calculate the PC/SD ratio were the second endpoint. The secondary endpoints studied were, the viral and ethyl etiologies of the cirrhosis, the Chlid-Pugh prognostic score. Performance was assessed using the ROC curve. The difference was significant for p less than 0.05. Results: The study included 101 patients;they were 79 men (78.2%) and 22 women (21.8%). The mean age of the cirrhotic patients was 48 ± 14. Esophageal varices were present in (n = 93;92%) of cases. The different etiologies were hepatitis B virus (HBV) (n = 65;78.3%), hepatitis C virus (HCV) (n = 21;25, 3%), and alcohol (n = 6;7.2%). Platelet count (PC) < 100,000/mm3 was statistically related to the presence of OV with red signs. Splenomegaly (SD > 130 mm) and PC/SD ratio < 1000 were significantly related to the presence of OVs and large OVs. SD with a cutoff of > 102 mm predicted 75% of OVs (AUROC = 0.797). CP with a cutoff < 131,000/mm3, predicted 100% of OVs (AUROC = 0.756). The PC/SD ratio < 1205 diagnosed 100% of OV (AUROC = 0.801). The PC/SD ratio < 818 and SD > 129 mm predicted large OVs. Conclusion: Platelet count, spleen diamater, and PC/SD ratio were all performant for the diagnosis of OVs in our setting with better diagnostic performance for PC/SD. This report could help initiate prophylactic treatment for OVs rupture in cirrhotic patients in health centers where gastrointestinal endoscopy is lacking.

Numerical Study on the Two-Dimensional Temperature Fields of Titanium/Aluminum Double-Layer Target Irradiated by High-Intensity Pulsed Ion Beam

Interaction between high-intensity pulsed ion beam （HIPIB） and a double-layer target with titanium film on top of aluminum substrate was simulated. The two-dimensional nonlinear thermal conduction equations, with the deposited energy in the target taken as source term, were derived and solved by finite differential method. As a result, the two-dimensional spatial and temporal evolution profiles of temperature were obtained for a titanium/aluminum double-layer target irradiated by a pulse of HIPIB. The effects of ion beam current density on the phase state of the target materials near the film and substrate interface were analyzed. Both titanium and aluminum were melted near the interface after a shot when the ion beam current density fell in the range of 100 A/cm2 to 200 A/cm2.

Quantum path control and isolated attosecond pulse generation in the combination of near-infrared and terahertz pulses

We present an efficient and realizable scheme for the generation of an ultrashort single attosecond（as） pulse from H atom with a 800-nm fundamental laser field combined with a terahertz（THz） field. The high-order harmonic generation（HHG） can be obtained by solving the time-dependent Schr dinger equation accurately and efficiently with time-dependent generalized pseudo-spectral（TDGPS） method. The result shows that the plateau of high-order harmonics is extended and the broadband spectra can be produced by the combined laser pulse, which can be explained by the corresponding ionization probability. The time–frequency analysis and semi-classical three-step model are also presented to further investigate this mechanism. Besides, by the superposition of the harmonics near the cutoff region, an isolated 133-as pulse can be obtained.

ON THE LATTICE PATH METHOD IN CONVOLUTION-TYPE COMBINATORIAL IDENTITIES(Ⅱ)—THE WEIGHTED COUNTING FUNCTION METHOD ON LATTICE PATHS

An independent method for paper [10] is presented. Weighted lattice paths are enumerated by counting function which is a natural extension of Gaussian multinomial coefficient in the case of unrestricted paths. Convolutions for path counts are investigated, which yields some Vandcrmondc-type identities for multinomial and q-multinomial coefficients.

Application of the Combined Method for Evaluating the Compressive Strength of Concrete on Site

Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and rebound hammer (RH) tests are often used for assessing the quality of concrete and estimation of its compressive strength. Several parameters influence this property of concrete as the type and size of aggregates, cement content, the implementation of concrete, etc. To account for these factors, both of the two tests are combined and their measurements are calibrated with the results of mechanical tests on cylindrical specimens cast on site and on cores taken from the existing structure in work progress at the new-city Massinissa El-Khroub Constantine in Algeria. In this study;the two tests cited above have been used to determine the concrete quality by applying regression analysis models between compressive strength of in situ concrete on existing structure and the nondestructive tests values, the combined method is used, equations are derived using statistical analysis (simple and multiple regression) to estimate compressive strength of concrete on site and the reliability of the technique for prediction of the strength is discussed for this case study.

Unfolding the measured neutron spectra in the irradiation chamber of the UZrH reactor using iterative method

In the procedure of neutron fluence measurement in the whole energy range (10-4 eV^18 MeV), in the irra- diation chamber of a UZrH reactor, the neutron energy spectra are unfolded using the method of minimizing directed divergence and SAND-II, which are used broadly at home and abroad. These methods belong to the iterative methods. In this article, the procedure of the spectra unfolding using the two methods is described in detail. The neutron spec- trum distribution unfolded by the two methods agree well with each other. In the end, the major differences of the two iterative methods are compared with each other, and the main factors affecting the accuracy of the spectra unfolding with the iterative method are discussed.