Evaluation of retinal and choroidal changes in patients with Alzheimer’s type dementia using optical coherence tomography angiography

AIM:To evaluate the changes in fundus parameters in patients with Alzheimer’s type dementia(ATD)using optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA),to record flash electroretinograms(ERG)using the RETeval system and to explore changes in retinal function.METHODS:Twenty-nine patients with ATD and 26 age-matched normal subjects were enrolled.All subjects underwent OCTA scans to analyse the superficial retinal vessel parameters in the macular area,including the vessel length density,the vessel perfusion density and the area of foveal avascular zone(FAZ),as well as the choroidal thickness.The differences between the patients with ATD and the normal control group were compared and explored the relevant factors affecting vessel parameters.We also recorded the flash ERGs using the RETeval system and intended to explore changes in retinal function by analysing the ERG image amplitude in patients with ATD.RESULTS:The vessel parameters[Pvessel length density=0.005 and Pvessel perfusion density=0.006]and average choroid thickness(P<0.001)in the macular area of the ATD group was less than the control group.The FAZ area was statistically significantly enlarged in the ATD group(P<0.001).These parameters were correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE)score and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA).CONCLUSION:Patients with ATD exhibit decreases in the parameters associated with fundus.In addition,these indicators significantly correlate with the MMSE score and the MoCA score.OCTA may be an adjunct tool with strong potential to track changes in the diagnosis and monitoring the progression of the disease.

A novel type curve for estimating oil recovery factor of gas flooding

A novel type curve is presented for oil recovery factor prediction suitable for gas flooding by innovatively introducing the equivalent water-gas cut to replace the water cut,comprehensively considering the impact of three-phase flow(oil,gas,water),and deriving the theoretical equations of gas flooding type curve based on Tong’s type curve.The equivalent water-gas cut is the ratio of the cumulative underground volume of gas and water production to the total underground volume of produced fluids.Field production data and the numerical simulation results are used to demonstrate the feasibility of the new type curve and verify the accuracy of the prediction results with field cases.The new type curve is suitable for oil recovery factor prediction of both water flooding and gas flooding.When a reservoir has no gas injected or produced,the gas phase can be ignored and only the oil and water phases need to be considered,in this case,this gas flooding type curve returns to the Tong’s type curve,which can evaluate the oil recovery factor of water flooding.For reservoirs with equivalent water-gas cuts of 60%-80%,the regression method of the new type curve works well in predicting the oil recovery factor.For reservoirs with equivalent water-gas cuts higher than 80%,both the regression and assignment methods of the new type curve can accurately predict the oil recovery factor of gas flooding.

THEOREMS OF PEANO'S TYPE FOR BIVARIATE FUNCTIONS AND OPTIMAL RECOVERY OF LINEAR FUNCTIONALS

The best recovery of a linear functional Lf, f=f(x,y), on the basis of given linear functionals L jf,j=1,2,...,N in a sense of Sard has been investigated, using analogy of Peano's theorem. The best recovery of a bivariate function by given scattered data has been obtained in a simple analytical form as a special case.

Hearing Impairment in Senile Dementia of Alzhaimer's Type

Objectives To evaluate peripheral auditory dysfunction in senile dementia of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its relationship with cognitive dysfunction. Methods Pure tone thresholds,word recognition scores (WRS), acoustic immittance and auditory brain-stem responses (ABR) were tested to evaluate the auditory function in 43 AD patients and 50 normal subjects. The test reliability in these subjects was examined before the test results were evaluated for their correlation with the Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE) score. Results There were no statistically significant differences in peripheral auditory functions between the two ears in the tested subjects or between the two groups when the auditometric results of the right ear were compared(P > 0.05). Also, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups when audiometric test reliability, acoustic impedance and ABR results were compared(P > 0.05). Conclutions The pure tone audiometric threshold and WRS in AD patients are similar to those in comparable non-AD senile subjects. Peripheral auditory dysfunction is not related to cognitive dysfunction.

Water quality and growth of phytoplankton for the Yellow River estuary reservoirs—current status of water environment

In this paper,the characteristics of the water quality in Yellow River estuary reservoirs were surveyed and the progress of the eutrophication was investigated by observing the behavior of nitrogen and phosphorus.The results showed that the concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and total nitrogen was very high in all the reservoirs,and the level of nitrogen was eutrophic state.According to Vollenweider's type model for phosphorus load,the total phosphorus was close to permissible load in Guangnan and Xinan reservoirs.But sometimes,the total phosphorus exceeded an excessive load in Gengjing reservoir.In Yellow River estuary reservoirs,Cyanobacteria,and Diatom phytoplankton were observed mainly,and the cyanobacteria was a the dominant species in summer.

Nonlinear Discrete Inequalities of Bihari-type and Applications

Discrete Bihari-type inequalities with n nonlinear terms are discussed, which generalize some known results and may be used in the analysis of certain problems in the theory of difference equations. Examples to illustrate the boundedness of solutions of a difference equation are also given.

The 2D Euler–Boussinesq Equations in Planar Polygonal Domains with Yudovich’s Type Data

We address the well-posedness of the 2D(Euler)–Boussinesq equations with zero viscosity and positive diffusivity in the polygonal-like domains with Yudovich’s type data,which gives a positive answer to part of the questions raised in Lai(Arch Ration Mech Anal 199(3):739–760,2011).Our analysis on the the polygonallike domains essentially relies on the recent elliptic regularity results for such domains proved in Bardos et al.(J Math Anal Appl 407(1):69–89,2013)and Di Plinio(SIAM J Math Anal 47(1):159–178,2015).

STUDY OF THE EXTERNAL COUNTERPULSATION (ECP) THERAPY FOR SENILE DEMENTIA OF THE ALZHEIMER'S TYPE (SDAT)

Ten patients with SDAT received the ECP therapy.The examination of Hasegawa’s Dementia Scale(HDS),single photor emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain imaging,and some biochemical parameters in blood and CSF were selected to evaluate the effect of ECP for SDAT.

A Reverse Hilbert’s Type Inequality with Multi-Parameters

By introducing some parameters and estimating the weight function, we obtain a reverse Hilbert’s type inequality with the best constant factor. As its applications, we build its equivalent form and some particular results.

Ethnic Maonan People’s EIGHT TYPES OF CHESS GAMES

China’s ethnic minorities have invented a variety of different chess games.For example, the Maonan ethnic group,living in Huanjiang county,Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has invented eight ways of playing chess,despite a small population of about 100,000 people.

On the fundamental equation of nonequilibrium statistical physics—Nonequilibrium entropy evolution equation and the formula for entropy production rate

In this paper the author presents an overview on his own research works. More than ten years ago, we proposed a new fundamental equation of nonequilibrium statistical physics in place of the present Liouville equation. That is the stochastic velocity type’s Langevin equation in 6N dimensional phase space or its equivalent Liouville diffusion equation. This equation is time-reversed asymmetrical. It shows that the form of motion of particles in statistical thermodynamic systems has the drift-diffusion duality, and the law of motion of statistical thermodynamics is expressed by a superposition of both the law of dynamics and the stochastic velocity and possesses both determinism and probability. Hence it is different from the law of motion of particles in dynamical systems. The stochastic diffusion motion of the particles is the microscopic origin of macroscopic irreversibility. Starting from this fundamental equation the BBGKY diffusion equation hierarchy, the Boltzmann collision diffusion equation, the hydrodynamic equations such as the mass drift-diffusion equation, the Navier-Stokes equation and the thermal conductivity equation have been derived and presented here. What is more important, we first constructed a nonlinear evolution equation of nonequilibrium entropy density in 6N, 6 and 3 dimensional phase space, predicted the existence of entropy diffusion. This entropy evolution equation plays a leading role in nonequilibrium entropy theory, it reveals that the time rate of change of nonequilibrium entropy density originates together from its drift, diffusion and production in space. From this evolution equation, we presented a formula for entropy production rate (i.e. the law of entropy increase) in 6N and 6 dimensional phase space, proved that internal attractive force in nonequilibrium system can result in entropy decrease while internal repulsive force leads to another entropy increase, and derived a common expression for this entropy decrease rate or another entropy increase rate, obtained a theoretical expression for unifying thermodynamic degradation and self-organizing evolution, and revealed that the entropy diffusion mechanism caused the system to approach to equilibrium. As application, we used these entropy formulas in calculating and discussing some actual physical topics in the nonequilibrium and stationary states. All these derivations and results are unified and rigorous from the new fundamental equation without adding any extra new assumption.