Multiple Usages Research Articles

Cardiac risk stratification in cancer patients: A longitudinal patient-patient network analysis.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in general population and the second leading cause of mortality and morbidity in cancer survivors after recurrent malignancy in the United States. The growing awareness of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) has led to an emerging field of cardio-oncology; yet, there is limited knowledge on how to predict which patients will experience adverse cardiac outcomes. We aimed to perform unbiased cardiac risk stratification for cancer patients using our large-scale, institutional electronic medical records. We built a large longitudinal (up to 22 years' follow-up from March 1997 to January 2019) cardio-oncology cohort having 4,632 cancer patients in Cleveland Clinic with 5 diagnosed cardiac outcomes: atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The entire population includes 84% white Americans and 11% black Americans, and 59% females versus 41% males, with median age of 63 (interquartile range [IQR]: 54 to 71) years old. We utilized a topology-based K-means clustering approach for unbiased patient-patient network analyses of data from general demographics, echocardiogram (over 25,000), lab testing, and cardiac factors (cardiac). We performed hazard ratio (HR) and Kaplan-Meier analyses to identify clinically actionable variables. All confounding factors were adjusted by Cox regression models. We performed random-split and time-split training-test validation for our model. We identified 4 clinically relevant subgroups that are significantly correlated with incidence of cardiac outcomes and mortality. Among the 4 subgroups, subgroup I (n = 625) has the highest risk of de novo CTRCD (28%) with an HR of 3.05 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.51 to 3.72). Patients in subgroup IV (n = 1,250) had the worst survival probability (HR 4.32, 95% CI 3.82 to 4.88). From longitudinal patient-patient network analyses, the patients in subgroup I had a higher percentage of de novo CTRCD and a worse mortality within 5 years after the initiation of cancer therapies compared to long-time exposure (6 to 20 years). Using clinical variable network analyses, we identified that serum levels of NT-proB-type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) and Troponin T are significantly correlated with patient's mortality (NT-proBNP > 900 pg/mL versus NT-proBNP = 0 to 125 pg/mL, HR = 2.95, 95% CI 2.28 to 3.82, p < 0.001; Troponin T > 0.05 μg/L versus Troponin T ≤ 0.01 μg/L, HR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.83 to 2.34, p < 0.001). Study limitations include lack of independent cardio-oncology cohorts from different healthcare systems to evaluate the generalizability of the models. Meanwhile, the confounding factors, such as multiple medication usages, may influence the findings. In this study, we demonstrated that the patient-patient network clustering methodology is clinically intuitive, and it allows more rapid identification of cancer survivors that are at greater risk of cardiac dysfunction. We believed that this study holds great promise for identifying novel cardiac risk subgroups and clinically actionable variables for the development of precision cardio-oncology.

‘Proxy War’ - A Reconceptualisation

ABSTRACT This article presents a definitional structure for the notion of ‘proxy war’ organised around three components: (1) a material-constitutive feature, (2) a processual feature and (3) a relational feature. First, the article evaluates the multiple usages of the term of ‘proxy war’ in light of its contested character. Second, it proposes a way of making sense of the literature’s conceptual turmoil by analysing the different attempts at defining the notion. To this end, it adds an important link to the methodology of concept analysis, namely the ‘semantic field’, which it re-introduces as a heuristic to identify ‘military intervention’ as a root concept for defining proxy wars. The article does so by identifying a type of semantic relationship between ‘proxy war’ and ‘military intervention’, namely sub-type inclusion.

Economic significance, nutritional value and application of triticale

Triticale is a new type of real grain, which was created by the breeding and selection of a man. This species deserves more and more attention from both domestic producers and producers on a global scale because it encompassed all the positive properties of wheat and rye. The paper clearly presents the knowledge about the importance, nutritional value and application of triticale and the effect of its usage in a diet of monogastric animals. The variety of uses, appropriate chemical composition, acceptable and studied breeding technology, classifies triticale as an irreplaceable source of energy and protein needs of animals. Due to its multiple usages: for grain, fodder and as a raw material for biofuel, contributes to the economic sustainability of crop production. The needs of this plant at the level of agrotechnical investments are less than in other cereals, so triticale is increasingly presented in organic and sustainable agricultural production.

An adaptive ensemble predictive strategy for multiple scale electrical energy usages forecasting

Electrical energy prediction plays an important role in energy management, power plant scheduling, peak demand and grid security conflict. To deal with prediction scenarios at multiple energy and time scales, an adaptive ensemble model strategy with wider applicability is proposed. The strategy consists of three parts. Firstly, the data preprocessing part is composed of expert knowledge, recursive feature elimination (RFE) and fuzzy c-means clustering (FCM). RFE and FCM methods are used for feature identification and data clustering for different energy usage patterns. Secondly, the primary prediction part consists of a model library containing five commonly used data-driven models. To improve their prediction accuracies, key model parameters are optimized by swarm evolution algorithms (EAs). An algorithm package containing three EAs is combined with the model library. The choice of algorithm for each model depends on the comparison of accuracy in specific prediction scenarios. In the third part, a linear regression model provides the final result based on primary predictors’ outputs. Its weights are also optimized by EAs from the algorithm package.To verify the performance of this strategy, four case studies are carried out representing different energy and time scales’ prediction scenarios. Case A is a benchmark case from the first energy prediction competition organized by American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineer (ASHRAE). Case B perform hourly electrical load prediction of a whole building from University of Wyoming, USA. Case C is a city-scale daily electrical load forecasting (Yizheng City, Jiangsu Province, China), and in Case D, national wide monthly electrical load prediction of the United States is carried out. Results of the four cases indicate that: (1) The proposed ensemble strategy performs best in all four case studies compared with five primary predictors. Compared to the best primary predictors in four case studies, the accuracies of the proposed model increase by 3% to 17% (MAPE); (2) Compared with previous reported ensemble models, the accuracy of the proposed model also increase by 11% (MAPE). The adaptive prediction framework is applicable and has the potential to become a general predictive strategy for energy predictions.

شَتَّـانَ: أحکامُهـا وأنماطُها الترکیبیة دراسة نحویة تحلیلیة

شتان من فرائد العربية التي تعددت استعمالاتها اللغوية، وتنوعت أنماطها الترکيبية، وهدف هذا البحث إلى جمع ما يخص هذه الفريدة من أحکام لغوية ونحوية متناثرة في کتب اللغة والنحو وغيرها، وعني باستقصاء شواهدها الشعرية الفصيحة، المحتج بها، ثم دراسة هذه الأحکام، وتحليل أنماط هذه الشواهد الترکيبية المتنوعة، متبعا المنهج الوصفي التحليلي. وجاءت هذه الدراسة في مقدمة، وتمهيد، ومبحثين، وخاتمة اشتملت على أهم ما خلصت إليه هذه الدراسة من نتائج وتوصيات. “Rules and Structural Patterns of “shattana” An Analytical Grammatical Study Abdoul Hai Muhammed Abdoul Hai Mahmoud Assistant Professor of Linguistic , Faculty of Arabic Language, Zagazig, Al-Azhar University Email: a.mahmod@psau.edu.sa Abstract: “Shattana” (asunder or what a difference!) is a unique polysemic Arabic lexeme of multiple linguistic usages and structures. The present study aims to cull grammatical and linguistic rules sporadically scattered in linguistics and syntax books handling this unique term. Standard poetic citations; used as authority, are tracked. Rulings are investigated and citation patterns of such variable structures are analyzed, following the descriptive analytical approach. The study is divided into an introduction, apreface, two subjects, and a conclusion containing the most important findings and recommendations.

Operando Observation of Structural Evolution and Kinetics of Li[Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2]O2 at Elevated Temperature

Li[Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2]O2(NCM622) is one of the best commercialized cathodes in the battery field. However, poor cyclability at relatively high temperature hinders its multiple usages. Here, operando tests were performed to investigate the phase transitions and electron/ion transfer process of layered NCM622 at 25 and 55 °C. The identified spinel structure resulting in the poor cyclability at 55 °C guides the commercialization of batteries at high temperature.

The project as a system. Inducing emergence of a system rather than designing a system

In this article we consider how the activity of design and manage a system withinthe conceptual framework of the classical systemics assumes validity of concepts and approaches based, for instance, on explicit and symbolic representations; completeness; explicit decisions; adoption of control, degrees of freedom, optimisation, regulation and planning. Complex systems instead require different approaches since they are combinations of functioning and emergence. The systemics of complexity is rather based onconcepts like coherence; incompleteness; induction; multiplicity of representations, levels of descriptions, and models; multiple systems; non-explicitness; non-invasiveness; non-prescribability; structural dynamics; and usage of degrees of freedom. This requires new competences and approach for the managerial activity in any field by using new appropriated knowledge and approaches in order to combine, i.e., allow multiple usages of design and emergence, to induce, keep and act on complex systems.

Potential and Feasibility of Mytilus spp. Farming Along a Salinity Gradient

Mussel farming, compared to marine finfish aquaculture, represents an environmentally friendly alternative for a high quality protein source and can at the same time be a measure to remove excess nutrients in eutrophic areas. As such, it is considered as a promising ‘blue growth’ potential and promoted within the European Union. To expand mussel aquaculture, new regions have to be considered because there are multiple marine usages, and spatial limitations occur in coastal areas. The brackish Baltic Sea might be considered for expansion of mussel aquaculture. This study focusses on estimated production potential, economic profitability and nutrient remediation potential of mussel farming at different salinities. Four experimental mussel farms were set up along the German Baltic coast at salinities ranging from 7 to 17 psu. Collected growth data was used to calibrate and validate a Dynamic Energy Budget model and to predict the potential mussel production at twelve sites along the German coast. The estimated production and nutrient removal was used to assess economic profitability, assuming two usages of the harvest: human consumption and mussel meal production. Measured mussel specific growth rates increased with salinity from 0.05 mm d-1 in Greifswald Bay to 0.11 mm d-1 in Kiel Fjord. Within 6 months, a one-hectare farm could produce from 1 t (Darss-Zingst-Bodden-Chain) to 51 t (Flensburg) fresh mussels and remove 1.1 to 27.7 kg P and 24.7 to 612.7 kg N, respectively. Mussel farms at sites west of Rostock at salinities >10 psu could produce 5 cm mussels within 18 months, but only farms at Flensburg, Eckernförde and Kiel Fjord became profitable at a farm size of 4 ha (160,000 m³) at current market prices of 2.2 € kg-1. Regardless of the farm size, none of the farm sites could operate profitable if fresh mussels were sold for animal feeding at sales price of 0.06 € kg-1. Yearly nutrient removal costs at a small-scale farm (1 ha) ranged between 162 € (Flensburg) and 4,018 € (Darss-Zingst-Bodden-Chain) per kg nitrogen, and 3,580 € and 88,750 € per kg phosphorus, respectively.

Application of Binding-Bonding technique for Plastic Solid Waste

Plastic solid waste management is amongst the most menacing issue covered across the globe. Plastic is the material with multiple usages, replacement of plastic is a solution to reduce plastic based pollution but this is not possible in order to gather the needs of humans. Natural resources are depleting worldwide at the same time the generated wastes are expanding substantially. The usage of plastic when looking to its degradation rate has calamitous difference, at present the conversion of plastic into cement can provide an upgrade to environment as well as economic benefits. In this present study the Plastic waste management was done at educational institution in order to manage the huge amount of plastic waste generated everyday by the affiliates.Utilization of plastic waste in preparation of paved blocks originated from the known mechanisms for production of bricks and fly ash blocks. Plastic serves as a bonding agent when heated. Soil serves as binding agent when mixed with melted plastic. Properties of sandy soil shows that after heating it changes the colour, becomes non-sticky, has no effect of weather, compressive strength increases and surface becomes hard. The method used in this study for preparation of blocks from plastic was hypothesized form the technique of production of bricks in which soil is mixed with bonding clay. Sandy soil and clay mixture serves good quality by providing less shrinkage. The aim of this study is to manage plastic waste from depleting the environment.

The impact of global budget on expenditure, service volume, and quality of care among patients with pneumonia in a secondary hospital in China: a retrospective study

BackgroundThe Chinese government has begun to dampen the growth of health expenditure by implementing Global Budgets (GB). Concerns were raised about whether reductions in expenditure would lead to a deterioration of quality of care. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of GB on health expenditure, service volume and quality of care among Chinese pneumonia patients.MethodsA secondary hospital that replaced Fee-For-Service (FFS) with GB in China in 2016 was sampled. We used daily expenditure to assess health expenditure; monthly admission, length of stay (LOS), number of drugs per record and record containing antibiotics to evaluate service volume; record with multiple antibiotics and readmission to assess quality of care. Descriptive analyses were adopted to evaluate changes after the reform, logistic regression and multivariable linear regressions were used to analyze changes associated with the reform.ResultsIn 2015 and 2016, 3400 admissions from 3173 inpatients and 2342 admissions from 2246 inpatients were admitted, respectively. According to regression analyses, daily expenditure, LOS, readmission, and records with multiple antibiotic usages significantly declined after the reform. However, no significant relation was observed between GB and the number of drugs per record or record containing antibiotics.ConclusionsWhen compared with FFS, GB can curtail health expenditure and improve quality of care. As far as service volume was concerned, LOS and monthly admission declined, while number of drugs per record and record containing antibiotics were not affected.

Chemical reactivity and uses of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP), also known as edaravone

1-Phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone is a reagent, known as PMP, used to derivatize monosaccharides for the study of polysaccharides composition and structure, and for the dosage of carbohydrates in complex media. The same molecule is also known as edaravone, a drug approved for the treatment of stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is also a reactive molecule susceptible to form stable adducts with aromatic aldehydes, such as formylpterin and vanillin. In addition, the molecule serves as a scaffold to design of edaravone analogs and drug conjugates, with various pharmacological properties (antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral). We have analyzed the multiple usages of PMP/edaravone to highlight the reactivity of the molecule and its wide range of applications. This phenyl-pyrazolone compound, considered by many as a biochemical reagent and by other as a clinically useful drug, has not yet revealed the full extent of its capacities and benefits.

A Low-Cost Biomimetic Heterostructured Multilayer Membrane with Geopolymer Microparticles for Broad-Spectrum Water Purification.

Membranes have received wide interest in water purification. However, the development of a low-cost and eco-friendly membrane with the desired structure for broad-spectrum water purification still remains a great challenge. Inspired by the hierarchical structure and functions of wood, a heterostructured multilayer membrane fabricated through a facile and "green" layer-by-layer self-assembly method was reported in this study. Specifically, the hydrophilic geopolymer microparticles were doped into sodium alginate matrix to construct "xylem" layers with numerous microchannels, and chitosan was used to build "phloem" layers with dense structures. The resultant biomimetic multilayer membrane displayed a distinct heterostructure and provided the desired rejection to different kinds of pollutants including nanoparticles, soluble dyes, and heavy metal ions, as well as emulsified oil droplets. Furthermore, the biomimetic membrane exhibited a superior stability in a long-term operation and an excellent recyclability for multiple usages for oil droplets removal. The proposed biomimetic membrane prepared in a completely "green" way possesses great potential in practical application for water purification and separation.

THE ERROR ANALYSIS OF CHINESE AUXILIARIES ACQUISITION BY UZBEK SPEAKERS

At present, there is no analysis of the errors in the acquisition of Chinese auxiliaries by Uzbek native speakers in Chinese academic circles. The research in this paper is still the first exploration. This paper firstly gives an overview of the general comparison between Chinese auxiliaries and Uzbek auxiliaries. There are auxiliary words in both Chinese and Uzbek, but their grammatical structures are quite different.Chinese auxiliaries are rich and diverse, and their usages are changeable. The same auxiliary word may have multiple usages

The impact of anthropogenic litter on Colombia's central Caribbean beaches

A total of 7563 anthropogenic litter (AL) items, grouped into twelve different typologies, were collected along 25 beaches located on the central Caribbean coast of Colombia. The average AL abundance was 6.05 items/m2, plastic items being the most common reaching a total percentage of 88.9% with an average density of 5.38 items/m2. Application of 3 evaluation indices, based on the AL data, placed most of the beaches into the status of unacceptable conditions of cleanness (Dirty to Extremely Dirty), and into mediocre to unsatisfactory environmental status. Hazardous anthropogenic litter (HAL), occurred in considerable amounts with hazardous items reaching a high of 7% (502 items of 7563 total items collected), and an average of 0.40 items/m2. Beaches were statistically grouped into four specific types that ranged from beaches in good environmental conditions (Group A) to beaches in extremely adverse environmental conditions (Group D). The typology and magnitudes of AL found along the study area suggest a combination of sources that are associated with the multiple usages developed along this region's coast. Anthropogenic litter is mainly related to land-based sources, and these generating source activities can be found in nearby basins and/or on the same beaches where the litter remains. This paper proposes four key actions to specifically reduce AL, as well as an 8-step agenda to address solutions to the broader management of litter problems.

An Inquiry into the Debates Around Kashmiriyat

Jammu and Kashmir was once known as a place of communal harmony and peaceful coexistence. The notion of religious harmony and peace, which emerged mainly due to the strong socioreligious ties among various communities, is often referred to as Kashmiriyat. Although it started off as a sociocultural phenomenon with more emphasis on tolerance among different communities, the idea of Kashmiriyat was exploited by successive political regimes to strengthen their political positioning. After the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, and the rise of militancy in 1989, the concept of Kashmiriyat changed form. As a system of cohabitation and shared values, Kashmiriyat has been present in Kashmiri society since the inception of different religious traditions in Jammu and Kashmir, however, the term itself evolved in the latter part of the twentieth century. This article analyzes the events and issues that have given Kashmiriyat different meanings. We make use of the existing literature and interactions with current scholars to present our findings. By reexamining the historical context of the term, the article provides a better understanding of its multiple usages. The article then concludes with the note that Kashmiriyat should be maintained as it was once understood—synonymous with peaceful coexistence.

Thinking about Systems and Institutions – Engaging with János Kornai’s Scholarship

In this paper I would like to provide an insight into the multiple usages of institutional economic theories for assessing economic phenomena and economic processes such as the functioning of different subsystems of the economy and economic structures. I will base my argumentation on János Kornai’s lifework trying to emphasize the broad vision of systemic approach, the wide range of analysing tools provided by his theoretical thinking, and the high explanatory power of his theories. This paper is influenced and motivated by the launch of the book: Systems, institutions and Values in East and West, which is a rather thought-provoking and influential book, based on the application and reconsideration of Kornai’s theories with regard to the actual economic processes.

Heat Shock Proteins: Agents of Cancer Development and Therapeutic Targets in Anti-Cancer Therapy.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) constitute a large family of molecular chaperones classified by their molecular weights, and they include HSP27, HSP40, HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90. HSPs function in diverse physiological and protective processes to assist in maintaining cellular homeostasis. In particular, HSPs participate in protein folding and maturation processes under diverse stressors such as heat shock, hypoxia, and degradation. Notably, HSPs also play essential roles across cancers as they are implicated in a variety of cancer-related activities such as cell proliferation, metastasis, and anti-cancer drug resistance. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the functions of HSPs in association with cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis and anti-cancer therapy resistance. Moreover, the potential utilization of HSPs to enhance the effects of chemo-, radio-, and immunotherapy is explored. Taken together, HSPs have multiple clinical usages as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis as well as the potential therapeutic targets for anti-cancer treatment.

Artificial intelligence applications for thoracic imaging

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic in medical imaging. The development of deep learning methods and in particular the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have led to substantial performance gain over the classic machine learning techniques. Multiple usages are currently being evaluated, especially for thoracic imaging, such as such as lung nodule evaluation, tuberculosis or pneumonia detection or quantification of diffuse lung diseases. Chest radiography is a near perfect domain for the development of deep learning algorithms for automatic interpretation, requiring large annotated datasets, in view of the high number of procedures and increasing data availability. Current algorithms are able to detect up to 14 common anomalies, when present as isolated findings. Chest computed tomography is another major field of application for artificial intelligence, especially in the perspective of large scale lung cancer screening. It is important for radiologists to apprehend, contribute actively and lead this new era of radiology powered by artificial intelligence. Such a perspective requires understanding new terms and concepts associated with machine learning. The objective of this paper is to provide useful definitions for understanding the methods used and their possibilities, and report current and future developments for thoracic imaging. Prospective validation of AI tools will be required before reaching routine clinical implementation.

SECURE AND SUSTAINABLE SMART GRID FRAMEWORK USING THE CLOUD COMPUTING

The smart grid developments turning out to a promising technology for the two way communication of the electricity and the information are becoming more prominent in the present scenario due to the increasing demands in the power requirements. The smart grid utilizing the modern communication and the computing infrastructure makes this possible. This utilization of the modern communication and the computing systems make them even prone to the vulnerabilities, mishandlings and the miscommunications and necessary for a complex frame work for managing of the power distribution and generation to make them sustainable. So the paper proposes the cloud computing for the proper management and the protection of the smart grids to make them more secure against threats and sustainable by reducing the Co2 emission by the perfect management. The validation of the smart grid frame work using cloud computing by monitoring the power distribution, management and the security achieved over multiple usages show the enhanced power management and the security services provided by the cloud for the smart grid.

Microfluidics for Production of Particles: Mechanism, Methodology, and Applications.

In the past two decades, microfluidics-based particle production is widely applied for multiple biological usages. Compared to conventional bulk methods, microfluidic-assisted particle production shows significant advantages, such as narrower particle size distribution, higher reproducibility, improved encapsulation efficiency, and enhanced scaling-up potency. Herein, an overview of the recent progress of the microfluidics technology for nano-, microparticles or droplet fabrication, and their biological applications is provided. For both nano-, microparticles/droplets, the previously established mechanisms behind particle production via microfluidics and some typical examples during the past five years are discussed. The emerging interdisciplinary technologies based on microfluidics that have produced microparticles or droplets for cellular analysis and artificial cells fabrication are summarized. The potential drawbacks and future perspectives are also briefly discussed.