Gain Distribution Research Articles

The 24-Hour Urinary Cortisol/Urinary Creatinine Ratio Helps Differentiate Cushing's Syndrome from Simple Obesity

BackgroundCushing's syndrome (CS) is a condition caused by an increase in blood cortisol levels, leading to elevated blood sugar, osteoporosis, neuropsychiatric disorders, and weight gain and abnormal fat distribution. Its diagnostic process is cumbersome, and the process of clinical confirmation is influenced by many factors. ObjectivesIn this study, we investigated the relationship between the 24-hour urinary cortisol/urinary creatinine ratio (24hUCor/Cr) and other relevant biological markers associated with CS in an attempt to find novel ways to diagnose the disease. MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 395 hospitalized patients. Urinary cortisol and creatinine were measured by retaining a 24-hour urine sample. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to test the correlation between the 24hUCor/Cr and CS. All patients diagnosed with CS underwent a standardized diagnostic process. ResultsOf the 395 subjects, 94 (23.8%) were diagnosed with CS. In the unadjusted model, the likelihood of subjects having CS increased with increasing 24hUCor/Cr (odds ratio: 2.05, 95% confidence interval: 1.56–2.71; P<0.001). In the fully adjusted model, the risk of patients developing CS increased by 74% for each standard deviation increase in the 24hUCor/Cr (95% confidence interval: 1.02–2.97; P<0.05). Based on the subject working characteristic curve analysis and Youden’s index, the sensitivity and specificity of the 24hUCor/Cr for predicting CS were 88.3% and 91.7%, respectively, in all subjects (cutoff value: 52.3554, AUC: 0.942; P<0.001) ConclusionA higher 24hUCor/Cr helped to identify CS with an optimal cutoff value of 52.3554.

Forecasting of oil and gas stock market in major US

Abstract. Oil and gas are two crucial resources in modern life and the development of technology. Investors are not only concerned about their own price, but their stock price is also an important part of formulating investment plans. This article will focus on the adjusted closing price since it consists of adjustments for splits, dividends, and capital gain distributions, which can demonstrate the situation of oil and gas in the stock market better. After the occurrence of COVID-19, the economic market of the whole world including the US. encountered great changes in many aspects. Thus, this article considered applying the model with the best performance from ARIMA, exponential smoothing, and Holt-Winters method to forecast the future adjusted closing prices of two large and representative companies in oil and gas from the US. According to the predicted results, the US oil and gas market is likely to experience a small but steady increase.

The impact of cohort inclusion/exclusion criteria on pregnancy weight gain chart percentiles.

Pregnancy weight gain standards are charts describing percentiles of weight gain among participants with no risk factors that could adversely affect weight gain. This detailed information is burdensome to collect. We investigated the extent to which exclusion of various pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and postpartum factors impacted the values of pregnancy weight gain percentiles. We examined pregnancy weight gain (kg) among 3178 participants of the US nuMoM2b-Heart Health Study (HHS). We identified five groups of potential exclusion criteria for pregnancy weight gain standards: socio-economic characteristics (group 1), maternal morbidities (group 2), lifestyle/behaviour factors (group 3), adverse neonatal outcomes (group 4) and longer-term adverse outcomes (group 5). We established the impact of different exclusion criteria by comparing the median, 25th and 75th percentiles of weight gain in the full cohort with the values after applying each of the five exclusion criteria groups. Differences > 0·75 kg were considered meaningful. Excluding participants with group 1, 2, 3 or 4 exclusion criteria had no impact on the 25th, median or 75th percentiles of pregnancy weight gain. Percentiles were only meaningfully different after excluding participants in group 5 (longer-term adverse outcomes), which shifted the upper end of the weight gain distribution to lower values (e.g. 75th percentile decreased from 19·6 kg to 17·8 kg). This shift was due to exclusion of participants with excess postpartum weight retention > 5 kg or > 10 kg. Except for excess postpartum weight retention, most potential exclusion criteria for pregnancy weight gain standards did not meaningfully impact chart percentiles.

Hybrid offshore wind projects. Social desirability vs. incentives to invest

To unlock the full potential of offshore wind requires investment in a more integrated offshore grid infrastructure combining generation and interconnection between countries in so-called hybrid projects. Taking the perspective of a social planner, these projects may result in more efficient allocation of scarce resources. Alas, the distribution of this welfare gain may result in disagreement on what grid design is the most attractive, what markets should be connected and whether and when to invest. To examine these dilemmas, we apply real options theory to investments projects with different grid design and market characteristics. We compare the incentives to invest in a) only the wind farm and b) both the wind farm and the grid infrastructure, assuming the project value of the last alternative can serve as a proxy for social welfare. Solutions are derived using a simulation approach called least squares Monte Carlo method. We find: 1) Non-stationary stochastic prices and/or decreasing costs may make it socially optimal as well as commercially beneficial to postpone even profitable investments. 2) Connecting markets is socially desirable but may reduce the offshore wind investor's project value. 3) Connecting markets with different characteristics is socially desirable but reduce the offshore wind investors' project value.

Propagation of M-shaped and W-shaped similaritons in birefringent tapered graded-index nonlinear fiber amplifiers

We study the self-similar transmission of optical beams inside an inhomogeneous birefringent tapered graded-index nonlinear fiber amplifier within the framework of generalized coupled Schrödinger equations with spatially inhomogeneous nonlinearity, group velocity dispersion, tapering and gain or loss. New kinds of similariton solutions for the governing model are constructed by means of the similarity transformation method. Especially, the M-shaped and W-shaped similariton pulses are found successfully for the first time, which do not exist in single-mode waveguide amplifier. In addition, bright–dark similaritons are found in the presence of tapering effect. It is shown that these waveforms exhibit a quadratic phase structure, which leads to chirped self-similar pulses. In addition, we determine the relationships among the tapering profile, gain or loss distribution, nonlinearity, and similariton width, which provide the required conditions for controlling the self-similar wave dynamics. Moreover, we discuss the dynamical evolution of the similariton pulses under the influence of special tapering profiles, which are of physical importance in practical applications. The results show that through selecting the appropriate tapering, dispersion and nonlinearity profiles, we can control the dynamics of similaritons effectively.

Variance and skewness of the multiplication gain distribution in uniform avalanche diodes

Variance and skewness of the multiplication gain distribution in uniform avalanche diodes

Sleep Duration Alters Overfeeding-mediated Reduction in Insulin Sensitivity.

Weight gain and sleep restriction both reduce insulin sensitivity. However, it is not known if sleep duration alters glucose metabolism in response to overfeeding. To examine the effect of sleep duration on overfeeding-mediated alterations in carbohydrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Retrospective exploratory analysis of a longitudinal overfeeding study in healthy participants (n = 28, age: 26.9 ± 5.5 years, body mass index: 25.74 ± 2.45 kg/m2). After providing baseline study measures, participants were overfed 40% above weight maintenance calorie requirements for 8 weeks. Insulin sensitivity was determined by a 2-step hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Baseline habitual sleep duration was estimated by accelerometry, and sleep groups were created based on median sleep duration (5.2 hours/night). Overfeeding led to an average body weight gain of 7.3 ± .4 kg. Habitual sleep duration did not alter overfeeding-mediated body weight gain, fat gain, and fat distribution (all P > .15). Compared to participants with more sleep, fasting insulin (P = .01) and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (P = .02) increased while fasting glucose remained unchanged (P = .68) with overfeeding in participants with shorter sleep duration. Glucose infusion rate during high insulin dose was reduced with overfeeding in participants with short sleep duration but not in participants with more sleep (P < .01). Overfeeding mediated weight gain reduced liver, adipose, and whole-body insulin sensitivity prominently in individuals with short sleep duration but not in individuals with longer sleep duration. This suggests that promoting adequate sleep during short periods of overeating may prevent detrimental effects on glucose metabolism.

A wideband polarization diversified MIMO antenna with improved isolation using machine learning optimized metasurface absorber

This communication presents a model and optimization of a dual-sense circularly polarized (RHCP/LHCP) 2-port MIMO antenna with increased isolation. The antenna operates in a broad frequency range of 1.76–4.0 GHz and is loaded with a metasurface. It has dimensions of 98.5 × 39 mm2 and an edge-to-edge distance of 55.5 mm. The MIMO antenna is created by replicating a single unit and placing it in a mirrored configuration around the y-axis. The dimensions of the unit antenna are 40 × 39 × 0.8 mm3 and it is printed on a substrate made of FR4 with a thickness of 0.8 mm. The substrate has a relative permittivity (ε r) of 4.4 and a loss tangent (tanδ) of 0.02. The isolation between the ports may be enhanced by including a metasurface absorber, increasing from 12 dB to 23 dB. To verify the wideband and CP properties, we examine the MIMO antenna unit element for its reflection coefficient, peak gain (4.2 dB), radiation efficiency (about 90%), axial ratio, and surface current distribution. Machine learning is used to improve the design of metasurface unit cells to achieve optimum absorption. The Envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), Diversity gain (DG), and Channel capacity loss (CCL) of the proposed metasurface absorber-enabled antenna are simulated and calculated to prove its MIMO identity. The HFSS simulations are consistent with the experimental results obtained from the developed model.

Quantiles of the gain distribution of an early childhood intervention

Quantiles of the gain distribution of an early childhood intervention

A novel dual condensers heat pipe photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system: Numerical dynamic modelling and effect factors analysis in dual-function operation mode

This paper presents a dual condensers heat pipe PV/T system with multiple operating modes, including hot water, space heating, and dual-function. To exploiting the system's potential of energy supply, this paper proposes a dynamic model of the system in dual-function mode on the basis of the verified dynamic heat transfer model and condenser distributed parameter model. Several effect factors on the system performance have been analyzed, including water tank capacity, air-cooled condenser area and the dual condensers installation height difference. The simulated results show that the above parameters have little effect on the system's total thermal efficiency but a significant effect on single condenser heat gain distribution. When the water tank capacity increases from 100 L to 200 L, the thermal efficiency of the water-cooled condenser increases from 10.68 % to 17.82 %, while the air-cooled condenser's decreases from 48.12 % to 40.72 %. As the air-cooled condenser area is changed from model 1 to 4, the total efficiency increase from 58.13 % to 71.41 %. The system's thermal efficiency falls from 58.66 % to 47.50 % and its overall efficiency falls from 71.41 % to 60.40 % when the height difference rises from 0 m to 0.7 m.

Enhanced Circularly Polarized Antenna for Body Centric Communication

Abstract: This study introduces a miniaturized circularly polarized ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna designed specifically for body-centric communication applications, with a focus on its performance across different frequencies. Fabricated on jean fabric, the antenna offers exceptional flexibility and seamless integration into clothing, making it ideal for wearable devices. The design achieves circular polarization through the utilization of an asymmetric stepped L-shaped ground plane and a crossshaped stub integrated into the radiator structure.Operating across the UWB frequency spectrum ranging from 3 GHz to 9.5 GHz, the antenna exhibits consistent and reliable performance in terms of gain, radiation pattern, and current distribution. ensuring effective signal transmission and reception. Importantly, the antenna complies with FCC specific absorption rate (SAR) limits, ensuring safety in wearable applications.Throughout the frequency range, the antenna maintains an omnidirectional radiation pattern, facilitating reliable on-body communication regardless of orientation. This characteristic is crucial for maintaining connectivity and signal quality in body-centric communication systems.Analysis of the current distribution confirms the antenna's effectiveness across different frequency bands, further validating its performance and suitability for body-centric communication applications.

Should gestational weight gain charts exclude individuals with excess postpartum weight retention?

High gestational weight gain is associated with excess postpartum weight retention, yet excess postpartum weight retention is not an exclusion criterion for current gestational weight gain charts. We aimed to assess the impact of excluding individuals with high interpregnancy weight change (a proxy for excess postpartum weight retention) on gestational weight gain distributions. We included individuals with an index birth from 2008 to 2014 and a subsequent birth before 2019, in the population-based Stockholm-Gotland Perinatal Cohort. We estimated gestational weight gain (kg) at 25 and 37 weeks, using weight at first prenatal visit (<14 weeks) as the reference. We calculated high interpregnancy weight change (≥10 kg and ≥5 kg) using the difference between weight at the start of an index and subsequent pregnancy. We compared gestational weight gain distributions and percentiles (stratified by early-pregnancy body mass index) before and after excluding participants with high interpregnancy weight change. Among 55,723 participants, 17% had ≥10 kg and 34% had ≥5 kg interpregnancy weight change. The third, tenth, 50th, 90th and 97th percentiles of gestational weight gain were similar (largely within 1 kg) before versus after excluding participants with high interpregnancy weight change, at both 25 and 37 weeks. For example, among normal weight participants at 37 weeks, the 50th and 97th percentiles were 14 kg and 23 kg including versus 13 kg and 23 kg excluding participants with ≥5 kg interpregnancy weight change. Excluding individuals with excess postpartum weight retention from normative gestational weight gain charts may not meaningfully impact the charts' percentiles.

Coalitional game-based gain generation and distribution for collective self-consumption in an energy community

Climate change is requiring changes in energy use. The integration of renewable energy sources into the energy mix is a viable solution for electricity generation, but their intermittence forces us to imagine new ways to consume and distribute electricity. Thus, new economic models and new organizations have to be established. Energy communities are a recent legal solution to share renewable energy among local actors. These structures facilitate the set-up of collective self-consumption operations. Collective self-consumption is an interesting tool to increase local renewable energy consumption and limit energy losses on the distribution grid. Consequently, energy communities are pursuing a dual objective: reducing energy bills and the environmental footprint of the participants. However, the distribution of gains generated through collective self-consumption is one of the main obstacles to the implementation of energy communities. An interesting possibility comes from game theory, especially from cooperative games, as solutions concepts already exist to solve this kind of problem.In this paper, a payoff distribution is proposed through a collaborative game. The aim of the study is to explore ways to distribute gains generated by collective self consumptions on individual self consumptions. These gains are 8% on the total energy bill and 25% on the self-consumption rate, assuming a collective objective based on the self-consumption rate and individual objectives based on the price of energy. In order to distribute the financial gains, two major concepts in cooperative game theory are studied in this paper: the Shapley Value and the Nucleolus. The advantages and drawbacks of these concepts in an energy community context are identified, as these concepts are based on two different philosophies: The properties of individual fairness of the Shapley Value and collective fairness of the Nucleolus for energy management are therefore discussed. Furthermore, a methodology is proposed to enable a fairer distribution of payoffs according to specific energy management parameters, such as efficiency and flexibility.

Hosting exceptional point in all-lossy dual-core optical fiber and its exotic chiral light dynamics

Exploration of exceptional points (EPs) and associated unique features in gain-loss assisted optical systems to develop future all optical devices have been a great interest in recent years. However, incorporation and adjustment of gain distribution in a system is quite challenging. Here, we design a fabrication feasible dual-core optical fiber where only the customized transverse loss profile controls the interaction between two coupled modes and results in hosting an EP. Parametric encirclement of the identified EP and corresponding chirality-driven asymmetric mode conversion phenomenon between the supported modes have been reported. The proposed structure features ease of fabrication using state-of-the-art techniques with possible applications in all-optical components for communication and all fiber photonic devices.

Nacc1 Mutation in Mice Models Rare Neurodevelopmental Disorder with Underlying Synaptic Dysfunction.

A missense mutation in the transcription repressor Nucleus accumbens-associated 1 (NACC1) gene at c.892C>T (p.Arg298Trp) on chromosome 19 causes severe neurodevelopmental delay ( Schoch et al., 2017). To model this disorder, we engineered the first mouse model with the homologous mutation (Nacc1+/R284W ) and examined mice from E17.5 to 8 months. Both genders had delayed weight gain, epileptiform discharges and altered power spectral distribution in cortical electroencephalogram, behavioral seizures, and marked hindlimb clasping; females displayed thigmotaxis in an open field. In the cortex, NACC1 long isoform, which harbors the mutation, increased from 3 to 6 months, whereas the short isoform, which is not present in humans and lacks aaR284 in mice, rose steadily from postnatal day (P) 7. Nuclear NACC1 immunoreactivity increased in cortical pyramidal neurons and parvalbumin containing interneurons but not in nuclei of astrocytes or oligodendroglia. Glial fibrillary acidic protein staining in astrocytic processes was diminished. RNA-seq of P14 mutant mice cortex revealed over 1,000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Glial transcripts were downregulated and synaptic genes upregulated. Top gene ontology terms from upregulated DEGs relate to postsynapse and ion channel function, while downregulated DEGs enriched for terms relating to metabolic function, mitochondria, and ribosomes. Levels of synaptic proteins were changed, but number and length of synaptic contacts were unaltered at 3 months. Homozygosity worsened some phenotypes including postnatal survival, weight gain delay, and increase in nuclear NACC1. This mouse model simulates a rare form of autism and will be indispensable for assessing pathophysiology and targets for therapeutic intervention.

Topology and Control Optimization of Bidirectional DC/DC Converter for Electric Vehicles

With the rapid development of intelligent electric vehicles, the number of electrical equipment increases, and the interconnection and energy transmission between on-board DC buses has become urgent. This paper proposes a partial isolated bidirectional converter based on dual active bridge converter. By partial switch sharing, the converter has a simplified structure and can supply energy to DC loads of different voltage levels. The system adopts a hybrid control strategy of pulse width modulation and triple phase shift modulation, and introduces a fundamental phase shift to reduce coupling between variables. The operation process is analyzed, and the models of transmitted power, current stress and soft-switching range under two typical operation modes, corresponding to the full load and light load, are established respectively. Under wide gain and different power distribution conditions, the multi-objective optimization is realized. Finally, the correctness of theoretical analysis is verified by experiments.

Exploring the use of incentive mechanisms in designer contracts within the construction industry

Complex infrastructure projects need sustainable contract models where all in the chain are paid for the value they deliver.The Norwegian construction industry faces challenges since the most common contracts used provide unfavorable incentives.The purpose of this study is to examine which contracts are used in the industry today, what mechanisms can be implemented to better facilitate the distribution of financial gain and at the same time encourage all stakeholders to work for the greater good of the project. Literature and document studies were performed, and seven interviews were conducted. Findings show that current standard contracts for designers are outdated and not well-suited for modern design practices. The findings show also that incentives related to target price with collaboration elements /partnering, performance, progress, and energy consumption, are most effective in promoting fair financial distribution and encouraging actors to work for the project‘s benefit.

Effect of gain distribution on mode distribution and luminescence power of GaN-based blue microdisk lasers

Effect of gain distribution on mode distribution and luminescence power of GaN-based blue microdisk lasers

On the optimum multicarrier performance with memoryless nonlinearities

One of the major problems associated with multicarrier signals is their high envelope fluctuations that lead to implementation difficulties. Therefore, multicarrier signals are usually submitted to nonlinear operations such as clipping to simplify the power amplification, DAC (Digital-to-Analog Conversion) and other digital signal processing operations. However, these nonlinear operations lead to nonlinear noise that usually is associated with performance degradation. Recently, it was shown that the nonlinear distortion associated to bandpass memoryless nonlinear devices not only does not necessarily means performance degradation, but can even lead to performance gains. In this paper we study the impact of non-bandpass memoryless nonlinearities on the performance of multicarrier signals. We consider both nonlinear devices operating on the real-valued multicarrier signals as well as Cartesian nonlinear devices (also denoted as I-Q nonlinearities) operating separately on the real and imaginary parts of the complex envelope of multicarrier signals. We present a theoretical analysis of the potential performance improvements associated with the optimum detection of multicarrier signals, by deriving accurate theoretical expressions for both the average asymptotic gains in ideal AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise) channels and the asymptotic gain distribution for frequency-selective channels with multipath Rayleigh fading.

Suppression effect of auxiliary laser on stimulated Raman scattering effect of high-power Yb-doped fiber laser amplifier

&lt;sec&gt;A novel technique to suppress the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) effect in high-power ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier is proposed and theoretically investigated by introducing an auxiliary laser to manipulate the gain distribution in the amplifier.&lt;/sec&gt;&lt;sec&gt;By injecting an auxiliary laser with shorter wavelength than the signal into the amplifier, the auxiliary laser, owing to its larger stimulated emission cross-section, initially extracts a significant portion of the laser gain. At this point, the gain of the longer-wavelength signal laser is suppressed to a certain extent. As the pump power is depleted in the rear segment of the gain fiber, the amplified auxiliary laser, which has larger absorption cross-section than the signal, is gradually absorbed by the active fiber and transfers its power to the signal laser. This process enhances the gain of the long-wavelength signal laser, enabling it to be rapidly amplified at the end of the amplifier. Compared with the amplification of the singular signal laser, the introduction of an extra auxiliary laser shifts the high-gain region of the signal laser to the rear portion of the amplifier, thereby reducing the effective length and alleviating the interaction strength between the signal laser and Stokes wave, in order to obtain a higher SRS threshold.&lt;/sec&gt;&lt;sec&gt;The SRS threshold of a 20 μm/400 μm fiber amplifier is investigated by using numerical simulation under different wavelengths of the auxiliary laser and different power ratios of the signal laser to auxiliary laser. The results indicate that incorporating an auxiliary laser with an appropriate wavelength and power level can significantly reduce the interaction strength between the signal and Stokes wave, thereby enhancing the SRS threshold of the amplifier efficiently. Specifically, in a 1080 nm fiber amplifier utilizing a 20 μm/400 μm ytterbium-doped large mode area fiber, if the total power of the 1080 nm signal and 1040 nm auxiliary laser is set to 200 W, while with a power ratio of 1:25, the SRS threshold increasing from 3.14 kW (singular signal laser) to 8.42 kW can be anticipated. Moreover, based on the auxiliary laser amplification technique that suppresses the SRS effect, the output power enhancement of fiber lasers with the structure of master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) is also analyzed. This technical solution is relatively straightforward to implement and can be seamlessly integrated with other techniques aimed at reducing the SRS effect, which is promising to promote further power scaling of all-fiber amplifier.&lt;/sec&gt;