Reference Index Research Articles

Approach to Evaluating Seismic Intensity by Integrating InSAR Co-seismic Deformation and Far Field Observation Data

Seismic intensity (SI) is an important reference index for understanding disaster situations, establishing emergency rescue plans and performing loss assessments after an earthquake. In this paper, we investigated the feasibility of assessing SI through interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data after the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, in China. The proposed approach relies on pre-existing residential data to obtain the regional seismic deformation corresponding to blocks. Theoretical maximum and minimum values analysis was carried out according to seismic attenuation relationships, and the deformation points were classified using Jenks natural breakpoints. The deformation field data were used to evaluate the epicenter and periphery areas. Instrument-based intensity values of stations were included in our analysis and used to investigate the periphery of the study area. Classification results of deformation field and instrument-based intensity values were combined to form a complete deformation field. The effectiveness of the method was verified based on a case study of the Yushu earthquake, another severe earthquake in China.The work represents one of the first attempts to establish the potential relationship between the seismic deformation field and intensity in China, validated against ground survey data. This study addresses methodological aspects, highlighting the potential of the co-seismic deformation field for intensity assessment, and discusses the limitations of terrain and data in this approach compared to ground surveys.

Gestalt Review: 25 Years

<i>Gestalt Review</i>: 25 Years

Retrieval and Spatio-Temporal Variations Analysis of Yangtze River Water Clarity from 2017 to 2020 Based on Sentinel-2 Images

The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world. Monitoring and protecting its water quality are important for economic and social development. Water clarity (Secchi disk depth, SDD) is an important reference index for evaluating water quality. In this study, Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument (MSI) remote sensing images were utilized together with the Forel-Ule index (FUI) and hue angle α to construct an SDD retrieval model, which was applied to the Yangtze River from 2017 to 2020, which was used to describe color in the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) color space to construct an SDD retrieval model that was applied to the Yangtze River for the period 2017–2020. Further, the spatial distribution, seasonal variation, inter-annual variation, and driving factors of the observed SDD variations were analyzed. The spatial distribution pattern of the Yangtze River was high in the west and low in the east. The main driving factors affecting the Yangtze River SDD was sediment runoff, water level, and precipitation. The upstream and downstream Yangtze River SDD were negatively correlated with the change in water level and sediment runoff, whereas the midstream Yangtze River SDD was positively correlated with the change in water level and sediment runoff. The upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and overall SDD showed a weak downward trend, and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River remained almost unchanged.

Editor's Column

Editor's Column

کورونا والتداوی مع الأخذ بالتدابیر الوقائیة ( دراسـة مقارنـة فی الفقه الإسلامی )

کورونا والتداوي مع الأخذ بالتدابير الوقائية ( دراسـة مقارنـة في الفقه الإسلامي ) *محمد عبد الفتاح محمد الفقي1 ، عبد الرحمن بن صالح الغفيلي 2 . 1- قسم الدراسات الإسلامية، کلية العلوم والآداب بالرس، جامعة القصيم ، المملکة العربية السعودية . قسم الفقه المقارن ، کلية الدراسات الإسلامية والعربية للبنين بدسوق ، جامعة الأزهر، مصر . 2- قسم الدراسات الإسلامية، کلية العلوم والآداب بالرس، جامعة القصيم ، المملکة العربية السعودية . *البريد الالکتروني للباحث الرئيسي: ma.elfeky@qu.edu.sa ملخص : هذا البحث يدور حول التعريف بفيروس کورونا المسبب لمرض کوفيد 19 ، والعلاقة بين کورونا والوباء ، وشبه کورونا بالطاعون ، والتداوي بعد نزول الداء ، والأخذ بالتدابير الوقائية ببيان الحکم في الدخول إلى البلد الذي وقع فيه الوباء والخروج منها ، والحکم في إلزام الحاکم الناس بعدم ترک منازلهم في الوباء ، وفي إلزامهم بالتدابير الوقائية من تباعد ولبس کمامة وغيرهما ، وحکم غسل الموتى في الوباء ، وحکم التداوي قبل نزول الداء . وسوف يتبع الباحثان المنهج الاستقرائي حيث يستقرئان المسائل المتعلقة بالموضوع من کتب الفقه ، وما کتبه العلماء المعاصرون في مواقع الإنترنت ، ويقومان بجمعها وتصنيفها ، ثم يتبعان المنهج الاستدلالي في بيان أقوال الفقهاء في حکم تلک المسائل وأدلتها ، ويذکران الراجح من أقوال الفقهاء وسبب ترجيحه ، ويبرزان في الخاتمة نتائج البحث ، ويذيلانه بفهرس للمصادر والمراجع ، وبالله التوفيق . الکلمات المفتاحية : کورونا ، الوباء ، التداوي ، التدابير، الوقائية . Corona and treatment while adopting preventive measures (A comparative study in Islamic jurisprudence) Mohammed Abdel Fattah Muhammad Al-Feki 1 , Abdul Rahman Bin Saleh Ghufeili 2 . 1- Department of Islamic Studies, College of Science and Arts, Al-Rass, Qassim University, and Department of Comparative. Jurisprudence, College of Islamic and Arab Studies for Boys, at Al-Azhar University. 2- Department of Islamic Studies, College of Science and Arts, Al-Rass, Qassim University *Corresponding aouther Email :ma.elfeky@qu.edu.sa Abstract : This research revolves around the definition of the Corona virus that causes Covid 19 disease, the relationship between Corona and the epidemic, likening Corona to the plague, treatment after the outbreak of the disease, and taking preventive measures by stating the ruling on entry into the country that The epidemic fell into and out of it and the ruling on obliging the ruler to not leave their homes in the epidemic, and in obliging them to take preventive measures such as spacing and wearing a mask and others, and the ruling on washing the dead in the epidemic, and the ruling on treatment before the disease descended. The two researchers will follow the inductive approach whereby they extrapolate issues related to the topic from the books of jurisprudence, and what contemporary scholars have written on internet sites, and collect and classify them, then follow the inductive approach in explaining the sayings of the jurists in the ruling of these issues and their evidence, and mention the most correct of the sayings of the jurists and the reason for its weighting, and they emerge in Conclusion: The results of the research, and they attach to it an index of sources and references, and God is the Grantor of success. Key words:Corona , Epidemic , Medication , Preventive , Measures .

کتاب الإِلْمَا والإنْمَا فیما یتعَّلقُ ببحثِ (أمَّا) للعلَّامة مُحْیِی الدِّین أبی عبدِ اللّه مُحَمَّد بن المرحُوم علمِ الدّین سُلیْمان الکافیَجی (ت879هـ) ـ تحقیق ودراسة

الملخص : تعد رسالة الکافيجي في (أما بعد) أقدم ما وصلنا من مصنفات في بابها، وهي تخرج إلى النور للمرة الأولى، ولم يشر إليها أحد ممن ترجموا له، حتى من تلاميذه. وقد قسمت البحث قسمين: - القسم الأول: الدراسة، ويشمل مبحثين: الأول: التعريف بالمؤلف، اسمه ونسبه، حياته، مکانته وثناء العلماء عليه، شيوخه، تلاميذه، مؤلفاته، وفاته. والثاني: التعريف بالرسالة، ويشمل: مصنفات (أما بعد)، مصادرها، أثرها في الخالفين، منهجها، الشخصية النحوية للمؤلف. القسم الثاني: التحقيق، ويشمل: توثيق نسبة المخطوط، عنوانه، وصف النسخ، نماذج من المخطوط، عملي في التحقيق، النص المحقق. ومن تمام الفائدة ذيلت التحقيق بفهارس للقرآن، والشعر، والأعلام، والکتب التي وردت في الرسالة، وهي وإن کانت قليلة، لکن حتى تکتمل الفائدة، ثم فهرس المصادر والمراجع، ثم الفهرس التفصيلي للبحث. Abstract Al-Kafiji's letter (AMMA BAAD) is the oldest of the works we have come to light for the first time, and no one has referred to it, even from his disciples. The research was divided into two sections: - Section: Study, including two researches: First: introducing the author, his name and lineage, his life, his status and the praise of scholars for him, his elders, his disciples, his writings, his death. The second is the introduction of the letter, which includes: works (AMMA BAAD), their sources, their impact on the violators, their approach, the grammatical personality of the author. Section: Investigation, including: Documenting the ratio of the manuscript, its title, the description of copies, examples of the manuscript, my work in the investigation, the investigated text. It is of the full benefit that the investigation has been followed by indexes of the Qur'an, poetry, flags, and books in the letter, although few, but until the benefit is complete, then the index of sources and references, and then the detailed index of the research.

المسائل الأصولیة التی توقف فیها الإمام الآمدی دراسة أصولیة

يهدف هذا البحث إلي حصر المسائل الأصولية التي توقف فيها الإمام الآمدي رحمه الله، ولم ينص فيها على اختيار مذهب له. ويعتبر التوقف عند الإمام سيف الدين الآمدي(رحمه الله) علامة بارزة, وسمة واضحة في شخصيته الأصولية، وفي منهجه الذي سلکه في کتبه التي ألفها في أصول الفقه. هذا ويشتمل هذا البحث على تمهيد وعدة مباحث وخاتمة، التمهيد: في تعريف التوقف لغة واصطلاحا المبحث الأول: وقوع الأسماء الشرعية، الثاني: افتقار اللفظ المجازي إلي النقل في استعماله في صور التجوز، الثالث: أقل الجمع، الرابع: الاستثناء من غير الجنس، الخامس: استثناء النصف والأکثر، السادس: تصور وقوع إجماع الأمة من غير مستند، السابع: هل العلم الحاصل عن خبر التواتر ضروري أو نظري، الثامن: صيغة: (افعل) ظاهرة في الطلب، التاسع: الغاية التي يقع انتهاء التخصيص إليها. وتناولت في الخاتمة أهم نتائج البحث، ثم قمت بعمل فهرس المراجع والمصادر والموضوعات. This research aims to limit the fundamentalist issues in which the Imam al-Amidi, may God have mercy on him, ceased and he did not stipulate the choice of a doctrine for him. The ceasement with Imam Saif al-Din al-Amadi (may God have mercy on him) is considered a prominent sign and a clear feature of his fundamental character and in his approach that he followed in his books on Usul al-Fiq (the fundamentals of juriceprudence). This research includes a preamble, several topics and a conclusion. The preamble is in defining the ceasement in language and idiom. As for the first topic: the occurrence of legal names. As for the second topic: the lack of the metaphorical word for traditions in its use in the forms of figuratively. The third: the least plural, the fourth: the non-category exception, the fifth: the exclusion of the half and the more, the sixth: the perception of the occurrence of the nation’s consensus without a lawful document, the seventh if the knowledge resulted from the tradition of the frequency is incessant or theoretical, the eighth: the formula: (do) is apparent in the request, the ninth: the goal to which the assignment is terminated. As for the conclusion, I dealt with the most important results of the research then I made an index of references, sources and topics.

Relationship between a Tracheal and Left Pulmonary Artery Stenosis Index and the Prognosis of Pulmonary Artery Sling with Tracheal Stenosis.

Pulmonary artery sling is a rare congenital pulmonary vascular malformation, often associated with tracheal or bronchial stenosis. Surgical treatment of pulmonary artery sling with tracheal stenosis (T) has a high risk of death and a relatively poor prognosis. This study explored the relationship between the T and left pulmonary artery stenosis (P) ratio and the effects of surgery for pulmonary artery sling with tracheal stenosis. Patients undergoing surgery for pulmonary artery sling in our center from January 2010 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Routine cardiac-enhanced computed tomography (CT) was performed preoperatively, and the P and T diameters were measured on the CT image. The T/P ratio was then calculated and analyzed. Thirty cases of pulmonary artery sling combined with tracheal stenosis were operated under cardiopulmonary bypass. The mean age at operation was 13.8 ± 13.6months (1.2-57.1months, Q1-Q3: 5-17months), and the mean body weight was 8.8 ± 3.5kg (3.8-17.3kg, Q1-Q3: 5.8-11.5kg). Twenty-three patients survived, and seven died, with an overall survival rate of 76.7%. Twenty-four patients underwent left pulmonary artery re-implantation, six patients underwent simultaneous left pulmonary artery re-implantation and slide tracheoplasty, and patients with intracardiac malformations (ventricular septal defect (n = 6) and atrial septal defect (n = 4)) underwent concurrent repair of the intracardiac defect. All cases had different degrees of tracheal stenosis, and the most narrowed trachea occurred with compression by the left pulmonary artery sling. The T/P ratio in the tracheoplasty group was significantly higher than that in the non-tracheoplasty group. The mortality rate in the T/P ≤ 1.15 group was significantly lower than that in the T/P > 1.15 group. Pulmonary artery sling treatment has a high risk of death. Left pulmonary artery re-implantation is an effective and safe surgical method for treating pulmonary artery sling, and slide tracheoplasty is an effective surgical method to correct tracheal stenosis. Children with T > 78.4% should receive active intervention for the tracheal stenosis, and these children have a considerable postoperative survival rate. The T/P ratio can be used to compare the relative superiority of the two compressions. A T/P ratio > 1.15 can be used as a reference index for intervention in tracheal stenosis and is a risk factor for postoperative death.

The Reform of Money Market Benchmarks Worldwide: Construction of a Forward Rate Model for the Moroccan Interbank Market

The purpose of this research is to determine the practicality of a prospective reform of the Moroccan money market's interbank rate within the context of the worldwide shift of reference indices. By analyzing 351 days of quotations, we were able to acquire an optimistic result using the chosen approach, which includes regulated variations that keep the compound rate relatively stable in comparison to other rates. The findings can be used as a benchmark for future maturities. It is worth noting, however, that the compounding strategy does have certain drawbacks. This is the most often used strategy among market participants due to its simplicity in terms of theoretical foundations and openness. The primary shortcoming of the suggested model is its lack of predicting. The methodology is based on previous day's data, with an eye toward the past, which complicates the changeover given IBOR rates' future-oriented methodology. This research project is designed to act as a starting point for future revisions to the ideas made in the body of this research.

Women's Cognition and Attitude with Eco-Friendly Menstrual Products by Consumer Lifestyle.

With rapid technology developments and the convenient and fast pace of life in recent years, many people are using disposable products, which cause environmental and ecological damages. A variety of eco-friendly menstrual products have been launched on the market, and “menstrual pads” now have a large market share in Taiwan’s menstrual product industry. This study interviewed experts and collected questionnaires for qualitative and quantitative investigation and analysis. The results show that women have positive and open concepts regarding sustainability, as well as a good understanding of their body and are very interested in the performance and usage efficiency of products. The results also indicate that consumers purchase based on their lifestyles; most women collected enough product information before purchasing while overcoming the difficulties in dealing with the environment and learning to adapt them, and the majority of consumers attach importance to comfort, volume, and duration of blood absorption. The results suggest that the government and private enterprises should increase and improve sanitation education and sanitary facilities and guide the approach and serve as an important reference index for the promotion of eco-friendly menstrual products for environmental benefits.

Significance of molecular detection in diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules in China.

e15028 Background: Ultrasound and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (US-FNA) are a preferred method for judging benign and malignant thyroid nodules. For thyroid nodules that can’t be determined by FNA, molecular markers of thyroid cancer can be detected as assistant method. This study aim to verify the significance of molecular detection in diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules in China. Methods: We carried out a prospective study of 383 FNA samples of thyroid nodules, and performed targeted multi-gene NGS on most samples with FSZ-Thyroid NGS Panel V1, the result of which would be incorporated into the reference index for clinicians to decide whether a patient should undergo surgery. And postoperative pathology were followed up. The NGS targets were divided into three categories: high risk (BRAF V600E, TP53, PIK3CA, AKT1, CTNNB1, RET, KRAS with VAF≥30%, HRAS with VAF≥30%, NRAS with VAF≥30%, RET fusion, NTRK1 fusion, NTRK3 fusion, ALK fusion, BRAF fusion), low risk (BRAF non-V600E, EIF1AX, GNAS, TSHR, TERT, KRAS with VAF &lt; 30%, HRAS with VAF &lt; 30%, HRAS with VAF &lt; 30%, PPARG fusion, THADA fusion), benign like (EZH1, SPOP, ZNF148 or no mutations). Results: Among the 383 FNA samples, 333 of them were sequenced with FSZ-Thyroid NGS Panel V1, and 211 thyroid nodules were resected. Finally, postoperative pathology showed that 180 nodules was malignant and 31 was benign. Among the 180 malignant tumors, BRAF V600E (71.1%), RET fusion (7.8%), and TERT mutation (2.8%) were the top three most mutated genes; and there were also significant differences in frequency of some mutations between malignant tumors in different BSRTC class, including more BRAF V600E (83.6%) in class VI malignant tumors, more gene fusions (26.1%) in class V malignant tumors which was significantly higher than that in class VI (7%). And, the frequency of RAS mutations (8.3%) in class III and IV malignant tumors was higher than that of class V and VI. Here a test was considered as positive if a genetic alteration was annotated with High-Risk, and negative if Low-Risk or Benign-Like, the sensitivity and specificity for detecting malignant tumors in BSRTC class III-IV were 66.7% and 100%, respectively, and the total sensitivity and specificity for BSRTC class I-VI malignant tumors were 85.6% and 100%. In addition, 21 of 383 patients underwent Re-FNA. Among these 21 patients, 11 patients detected high risk mutations and 90.9% (10/11) underwent upgrade of BSRTC class on Re-FNA. As a comparation, among the remaining 10 patients who detected low risk or benign like sites, only 30% (3/10) underwent upgrade of BSRTC class on Re-FNA which suggested that the detection of high risk sites might predict the upgrade of BSRTC class on Re-FNA. Conclusions: Molecular testing can distinguish between benign and malignant thyroid nodules and predict the upgrade of BSRTC class on Re-FNA which could provide the reference for treatment decision-making of thyroid nodules in China.

Differences in D-dimer blood concentration in atrial fibrillation patients with left atrial thrombus or severe left atrial spontaneous echo contrast

Severe left atrial spontaneous echo contrast (SLASEC) is considered the prior stage to thrombosis and a high-risk factor for thrombotic events. Studies have suggested an effect of D-dimer blood concentration on exclusion of left atrial thrombus (LAT), but it remains unclear whether D-dimer concentrations differ between atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with SLASEC or LAT. Nonvalvular AF patients scheduled to undergo catheter ablation or cardioversion in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital between January 2017 and July 2020 were screened for this prospective study. All patients underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to detect SLASEC or LAT. D-dimer concentrations were measured at the time of TEE. Clinical data including CHA2DS2-VASc score were evaluated. Major complications with thromboembolism in the SLASEC group were followed up at least 6 months after therapy. Among 920 consecutively enrolled nonvalvular AF patients, 30 patients with SEC grade 0, 35 patients with SLASEC, and 22 patients with LAT were included. D-dimer concentration and CHA2DS2-VASc score were significantly lower in the SLASEC group compared with the LAT group (D-dimer, 0.26±0.13 vs. 0.86±0.9 mg/L, P<0.05; CHA2DS2-VASc score, 2.3±0.9 vs. 3.1±1.5, P=0.02). The cut-off value for D-dimer concentration (0.285 mg/L) had sensitivity of 77.3% and specificity of 80.0% for prediction of LAT. D-dimer concentration showed a decreasing trend with a significant difference (0.42±0.22 vs. 0.33±0.18 mg/L, P=0.03) for 9 patients in the LAT group after complete thrombus resolution by anticoagulation treatment. No major or fatal bleeding, ischemic stroke, or systemic thromboembolism events occurred in the SLASEC group during the 6-month follow-up. This study demonstrated a significantly lower D-dimer concentration and CHA2DS2-VASc score in AF patients with SLASEC than in those with LAT. The D-dimer cut-off value (0.285 mg/L) can be used as an effective reference index to distinguish the pre-thrombotic state of LAT from LAT. D-dimer blood concentration may be a predictor of LAT thrombolysis.

شهداء الصحابة فی طاعون عمواس

تناول البحث دراسة عن طاعون عمواس الذي ظهر في مدينة عمواس بفلسطين سنة 17 ه، أو 18هـ في عهد الخليفة عمر بن الخطاب ثم انتشر منها إلى بقية بلاد الشام، وبدأ البحث بتعريف الطاعون ثم ذکر الأحاديث الواردة في الطاعون ثم تناول البحث بالتفصيل، طاعون عمواس، وما نتج عنه من قتل الکثير من الصحابة والتابعين، ثم تطبيق عمر للحجر الصحي والتباعد الاجتماعي أثناء وقوعه، ثم تناول البحث الآثار المترتبة على هذا الطاعون سواء کانت سياسية، أو اقتصادية، أو اجتماعية، أو شرعية. ثم بعد ذلک تناول البحث ترجمة للصحابة الذين استشهدوا في هذا الطاعون، ووقف الباحث على (25) صحابيا منهم أمراء الشام أبو عبيدة، ومعاذ بن جبل وشرحبيل بن حسنة ويهدف البحث إلى التعريف بطاعون عمواس والوقوف على عدد الصحابة الذين استشهدوا فيه، ويتفرع عن ذلک عدد من الأسئلة ومنها: ما هي الإجراءات التي قام بها الخليفة عمر بن الخطاب t من أجل احتواء الطاعون؟ وما هي الآثار التي ترتبت على الطاعون ؟ ومن أبرز النتائج والاستنتاجات أن الإسلام قد سبق الأمم الأخرى في تطبيق الحجر الصحي والتباعد الاجتماعي أثناء وقوع الأوبئة . ولم يغفل البحث استخدام عدد من المصادر والمراجع ذات الصلة بالموضوع، وذلک باتباع المنهج الاستقرائي والتحليلي ثم أبرز النتائج ثم الخاتمة ثم فهرس المصادر والمراجع، وبالله التوفيق. The Companions’ Martyrs in the Plague of Emmaus Hussein bin Hadi Al-Awaji History Department , Islamic University of Madinah , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail : 900115@iu.edu.sa Abstract: The research dealt with a study on the plague of Emmaus, which appeared in the city of Emmaus in Palestine in the year 17 AH or 18 AH during the reign of Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab and then spread from it to the rest of the Levant. The research began with the definition of the plague and then mentioned the hadiths mentioned in the plague, then the research covered in detail, the Emmaus plague And what resulted from the killing of many companions and followers, then Umar's application of quarantine and social distancing during its occurrence, and then the research dealt with the implications of this plague, whether political, economic, social, or legal. Then, the research dealt with a translation of the Companions who were martyred in this plague, and the researcher examined 25 companions, including the princes of the Levant Abu Ubaidah, and Muadh bin Jabal and Sharbeel bin Hasna. The research aims to introduce the Emmaus plague and to find out the number of the Companions who were martyred in it. Of the questions, including: What are the measures taken by Caliph Umar ibn Al-Khattab to contain the plague? What are the effects of the plague? Among the most prominent results and conclusions are that Islam has preceded other nations in applying quarantine and social distancing during epidemics. The research did not neglect the use of a number of sources and references related to the topic, by following the inductive and analytical approach, then highlighted the results, then the conclusion, and then the index of sources and references, and God is success.

Clinical significance of apelin in the treatment of type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Background:Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes. As apelin is an adipocytokine closely associated with diabetes, this study explored the clinical significance of serum apelin levels in patients with type 2 DPN before and after treatment.Methods:In total, 44 patients with T2DM without DPN (non-DPN group), 41 patients with DPN who received antihyperglycemic treatment (DPN-A group), 44 patients with DPN who received antihyperglycemic treatment combined with nutritional neurotherapy (DPN-B group), and 40 healthy control individuals (NC group) were selected continuously enrolled in the present study. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were performed to determine serum levels of apelin and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Related apelin, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, TNF-α, body mass index, fasting C peptide, and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) were recorded in each group before and after treatment.Results:Serum levels of apelin and TNF-α were higher in patients with diabetes than those in the NC group, as well as in the DPN group as compared to the non-DPN group; furthermore, some NCV values were significantly reduced in the DPN group. After treatment, the serum levels of apelin, TNF-α, and FBG reduced in patients with diabetes; moreover, apelin levels were found significantly lower in the DPN-B group as compared to the DPN-A group, while some NCV values significantly increased in the DPN-B group. Apelin was negatively correlated with part of NCV values and positively correlated with TNF-α and FBG (P < .01).Conclusion:Our results show that the increase in serum apelin levels is an important clinical reference index for DPN, while a decrease indicates that the DPN treatment is effective.

Normative Nasalance Values in Vietnamese With Southern Dialect: Vowel and Tone Effects.

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to examine normative nasalance values in Vietnamese adult speakers with Southern dialect and to investigate the effects of vowels and tones on nasalance. Previous studies examining nasalance have been mainly conducted with Indo-European languages. Limited information on nasalance is available in tone languages other than Chinese. Furthermore, tone and vowel effects on nasalance scores in tone languages have not been fully examined. Method Nasalance scores of various speech stimuli including passages, syllables, and prolonged vowels were obtained from Vietnamese-speaking adults with Southern dialect (M age = 23 years) using a nasometer (KayPENTAX 6450). Results The average nasalance scores of Southern Vietnamese adult speakers were 24.16%, 38.17%, and 70.03% for the oral, oral-nasal, and nasal passages, respectively. Southern Vietnamese speakers produced the highest nasalance scores on the vowel /a/, followed by /i/ and /u/. Nasalance scores of stimuli produced with the falling and restricted tone were significantly lower than those produced with the other tones. Conclusions The normative nasalance values of the current study will contribute as a reference index for the Vietnamese language. The effects of vowels and tones can also provide insight into the development of nasalance testing stimuli and for characterizing nasalance values across languages.

A novel hybrid dragonfly optimization algorithm for agricultural drought prediction

Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) is known as a robust agricultural drought index since it considers the water balance conditions in the soil. It has been widely used as a reference index for monitoring agricultural drought. In this study, the PDSI time series were calculated for nine synoptic stations to monitor agricultural drought in semi-arid region located at Zagros mountains of Iran. Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) was used as the stochastic model while Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) were applied as Machine Learning (ML)-based techniques. According to the time series analysis of PDSI, for the driest months the most PDSI drought events are normal drought and mild drought conditions. As an innovation, Dragonfly Algorithm (DA) was used in this study to optimize the SVM’s parameters, called as the hybrid SVM-DA model. It is worthy to mention that the hybrid SVM-DA is developed as a meta-innovative model for the first time in hydrological studies. The novel hybrid SVM-DA paradigm could improve the SVM’s accuracy up to 29% in predicting PDSI and therefore was found as the superior model. The best statistics for this model were obtained as Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) = 0.817, Normalized RMSE (NRMSE) = 0.097, Wilmott Index (WI) = 0.940, and R = 0.889. The Mean Absolute Error values of the PDSI predictions via the novel SVM-DA model were under 0.6 for incipient drought, under 0.7 for mild and moderate droughts. In general, the error values in severe and extreme droughts were more than the other classes; however, the hybrid SVM-DA was the best-performing model in most of the cases.

Complete fully automatic segmentation and 3-dimensional measurement of mediastinal lymph nodes for a new response evaluation criteria for solid tumors

We aimed to automatically detect and segment mediastinal lymph nodes, and to establish an objective method and reliable new response evaluation criteria to monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatment. The image processing techniques were applied and developed 3D measurement of the mediastinal lymph nodes based on automatic settings when segmenting the lymph node image. A repeatable and consistent lymph node evaluation system was created based on such features as the position of occurrence, grayness, and number of serial sections of lymph nodes. A total of 200 lymph node samples from Tri-Service General Hospital, Taiwan, were examined for statistical analysis. The proposed approach used weighted k-nearest neighbors for classification, achieving superior results with an accuracy and specificity of 97.5% and 99.4%, respectively. The volume of the lymph nodes was used as the reference index for tumor invasiveness evaluation. The error in the lymph node volume was 1.71% according to the verification results. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for each analysis were constructed and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated with histopathology diagnosis as outcome for determining the optimal volume threshold of benign and malignant lymph nodes. It was observed that the lymph node volume was highly correlated with tumor invasion (p-value was less than 0.05). The experiment showed that the volume for the area under the ROC curve was 0.90 of tumor invasion evaluation. The lymph node volume was most effective in predicting tumor invasiveness, with the value 798.53 mm3 used as the standard for judging benignity and malignancy.

Changes of neuron specific enolase in serum of patients with silicosis

Objective: To explore the changes of neuron specific enolase (NSE) concentration in serum samples of patients with silicosis. Methods: In January 2020, 455 cases of silicosis diagnosed in Yantaishan Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were collected, and 60 healthy cases and 120 cases of lung cancer were selected as the healthy group and the lung cancer group. The serum levels of NSE were detected by chemical immunofluorescence assay and compared. Results: The serum NSE level of silicosis patients was [(22.88±7.86) ng/ml], higher than that of healthy group [(17.96±4.42) ng/ml] (P<0.05) . Serum NSE levels in the first, second and third stage silicosis groups were higher than those in the healthy group (P<0.05) , but there was no statistically significant difference between the silicosis groups at different periods (P>0.05) . The serum NSE level of silicosis patients was lower than that of the small cell lung cancer group (P<0.05) , but there was no statistically significant difference between silicosis group and non-small cell lung cancer group (P>0.05) . The area under curve of silicosis NSE was 0.718 (P<0.01) when the cut-off was 17.49 ng/ml, the sensitivity and specificity of NSE was 78% and 57% respectively. Conclusion: The serum NSE level of patients with silicosis is significantly increased, which can be used as an important reference index for the diagnosis and the differential diagnosis of silicosis.

Long-term outcomes of percutaneous closure of patent ductus arteriosus associated with unilateral absence of a pulmonary artery.

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) associated with unilateral absence of a pulmonary artery (UAPA). Patients diagnosed with PDA associated with UAPA between January 2005 and June 2019 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Demographic and clinical characteristics, treatments, and follow-up information were evaluated. A total of 11 patients were diagnosed with PDA associated with UAPA. Percutaneous closure was successfully conducted in nine patients. The mean diameters of the PDA measured by aortogram and occluders were 5.3 ± 1.8 mm and 11.5 ± 3.9 mm, respectively. The median pulmonary systemic flow ratio (Qp:Qs) in five patients was 1.41, and the median total lung resistance was 12 Wood Units. The mean systolic pulmonary artery (PA) pressure was 68.3 ± 19.1 mmHg. In five patients with pre- and postprocedure catheter data, the systolic pulmonary arterial pressure decreased significantly after closure (from 77.0 ± 20.2 to 58.8 ± 17.5 mmHg; p = .024), as did the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (from 58.2 ± 14.6 to 39.0 ± 14.1 mmHg; p = .18). The PA pressure and heart size gradually decreased to normal levels in eight patients, and their quality of life was significantly improved. The ratio of lung to systemic circulation pressure was less than 0.75. In appropriate patients with PDA associated with UAPA, transcatheter closure of PDA has the potential to improve PA hypertension. A ratio of lung to systemic circulation pressure less than 0.75 may be an important reference index for predicting whether PA pressure can be reduced to a normal level after occlusion.

Lymphocyte may be a reference index of the outcome of cancer patients with COVID-19.

Background: The novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) is an international concern as it spreads through human populations and across national and international borders.Methods: In this retrospective study, we consecutively included all cancer patients who had been identified as having a nucleic acid-confirmed COVID-19 from two designated hospitals in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 patients without cancer were also enrolled for comparison. The clinical data were gathered from the medical records from Jan 14 to March 12, 2020.Results: Among the 117 cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19, the median age was 63 years and 48.7% were male. Male sex, hematologic cancer, dyspnea on admission, and anti-cancer therapies were associated with an increased risk of mortality in cancer patients with COVID-19. We found that elevated levels of TNF-α, IL-2R, IL-6, and IL-8 were associated with a poorer prognosis in cancer patients with COVID-19, but no statistically significant association was found in patients without cancer. In addition, IL-2R and IL-6 markedly decreased in cancer patients who recovered from COVID-19. However, lymphocyte subsets were diminished in cancer patients who died from COVID-19, including total T cells, total B cells, helper T (Th) cells and suppressor T (Ts) cells.Conclusions: Cancer patients with COVID-19 were associated with high mortality (23.9%). A decrease in lymphocyte subsets and higher levels of cytokines were associated with a higher risk of severe outcome and could be utilized as the reference index to predict the survival outcome of cancer patients with COVID-19.