Shrinkage Factor Research Articles

A dynamic fracture model combining with Laplace transform and synchronous iteration method for transient behavior analysis of a four-zone system

A robust and generic semi-analytical model with the capture of dynamic fracture behaviors under long-term pumping rate condition is developed for transient flow analysis in this four-zone system. To characterize the variations of fracture length, the improved pressure-dependent dynamic fracture factor is introduced and incorporated into this model. The Laplace domain with predetermined time discretization and synchronous iteration technique are deployed to obtain the solutions of pressure and pumping rate with the least computational burden. Meanwhile, the stability and convergence of this semi-analytical model can be met within the discrete time. Furthermore, the pressure and pumping rate solutions of this model under the static fracture condition are in good agreement with those of the constant length fracture, which verifies the reliability of this model.The dynamic fracture model with the four -zone system develops five flow stages on the dimensionless pressure and its derivative curves: fracture bilinear flow, dynamic fracture flow, inner area linear flow, transitional flow and boundary-dominated flow. The dynamic fracture behavior is mainly reflected in the obviously positive upwards and pressure derivative curve presents a higher than unit slope. Moreover, the significant decrease of flow rate indicates that fracture closure could result in a rapid decline in pumping rate, which might be the reason why the pumping rate decrease quickly during the long-term pumping period. As the shrinkage coefficient increases, fractures are closed from abruptly to gradually, and typical signatures of fracture closure may be hidden if the shrinkage factor is too small, which may be caused by the instantaneous pressure depletion in the fractures. With the decrease of retained fracture coefficient, there is greater in the positive upward of transient pressure behavior and a lower in pumping rate. As a result, the flow rate will be seriously overestimated if the fracture closure is not considered especially for the tight formation.

Impact of long-term indwelling JJ stent on renal volume and renal function.

Data is lacking about long-term impact of JJ stents (JJst) on renal parenchyma. The aim of the study was to assess the evolution of renal parenchyma in patients with JJst indwelling for more than two years, and to find predictive factors for the development of renal atrophy. Consecutive patients with JJst indwelled for more than 24 months, with a history of cancer, were retrospectively included. Replacements of JJst were scheduled every six months, or earlier in case of premature obstruction. Patient characteristics at the time of insertion of JJst, history of indwelling JJst and most recent data (serum creatinine, cancer status, definite JJst removal, renal volume (RV) with3D software) were recorded. With a median follow-up of 4 years, 73 patients were included. The indication of JJst insertion was mostly external compression (65.8%). CT scans were available to assess RV evolution in 66 patients (90.4%). Median shrinkage of RV was higher when JJ stenting was unilateral versus bilateral: -40% (-63; -15) versus -16% (-36; -3), P<0.001. The duration of indwelling JJst was the only statistically significative predictive factor of renal shrinkage in multivariate analysis (OR [CI 95%]: 1.35 [1.10-1.66] P=0.004). Median relative change from baseline in eGFR was -22% (-45%; -5%.). No statistically significant predictive factors of eGFR evolution were found in univariate and multivariate analysis. Unilateral JJst for more than 2 years was associated with a significant shrinkage of renal parenchyma, especially since the duration of the indwelling stent was long.

Function and Hierarchy of Settlement in Regional Development Corridor Malaysia: A Case Study of South-East Pahang Development Authority (DARA)

Frontier area development through rural development is one of strategy in the regional development corridors (RDC) that was formulated by the government. In line with the New Economic Policy (NEP) strategy, the development of RDC such as South-East Pahang Development Authority (DARA) in 1971 was focused on improving the living standards and productivity of the rural population through the process of modernizing rural and remote areas. The existence of DARA indirectly catalysed the development of new townships which drove the urbanization process in the South-East Pahang region. However, the dissolution of DARA in 2000 was occurred due to the successful in the development of DARA in South-East Pahang region. Nonetheless, a question emerges whether these new townships are fulfilling to the settlement’s function and hierarchy performances today that was planned in early setup of DARA. Hence, this paper aims to evaluate the settlement’s function of the township development in the DARA in Malaysia as a case study of RDC based on the level of readiness public and basic facilities in a settlement area with using 4 settlement services indicator such as function, economy, public / social facilities and convenience infrastructure and utility. The methodology used is a qualitative method using a case study method on the 11-existing settlement centers located in the DARA area. The findings highlighted that the settlement’s function of these settlement centers have undergone significant changes from the main goal of its establishment with today’s functions and performances due to the factor of population decline and shrinkage of economic opportunity. Therefore, immediate measures are required by the relevance government agencies to ensure the existence of these settlement centers in the future as well as to ensure that the settlement area meets the needs of the population equipped with adequate facilities for socio-economic activities.

A prediction model for aberrant cardiac remodelling in women after preeclampsia; Queen of Hearts study

Abstract Background Preeclampsia, a hypertensive pregnancy disorder, is strongly associated with aberrant left ventricular remodelling up to ten years after delivery and heart failure later in life. To detect occult cardiac abnormalities, echocardiography is necessary but not feasible for all these women. A prediction model for aberrant cardiac remodelling to be used in primary care may guide towards intensified follow-up for those at risk or tempered follow-up for low-risk individuals. Purpose To develop a prediction model for aberrant left ventricular remodelling in former pregnant women weighing their complicated pregnancy. Methods In this large cohort study, we included women (aged ≥18 years) with a history of preeclampsia or normotensive pregnancy at a postpartum interval of 6 months until 30 years. Comprehensive cardiovascular assessment was performed, including echocardiography, 30-minutes blood pressure measurements and circulating biomarkers. The procedures were in accordance with institutional guidelines and adhered to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Aberrant cardiac remodelling based on echocardiography was defined as either left ventricular concentric remodelling or left ventricular hypertrophy. A prediction model based on clinical and circulating markers was developed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination. Internal validation was performed using Heuristic shrinkage factor. Performance of the final model was evaluated in terms of discrimination by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) curve. Results We included 1466 women, of which 93 (6.3%) with left ventricular concentric remodelling and/or left ventricular hypertrophy (mean ± SD age, 43±10 years) and 1373 (93.7%) without left ventricular concentric remodelling and/or left ventricular hypertrophy (40±8 years). The final prediction model was based on the predictors age, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMAIR), and preeclampsia (y/n) (Table 1). After internal validation, this prediction model showed a good discriminative ability of AUC-ROC-curve 0.71 (95% CI 0.661–0.758) (Figure 1). Conclusion We developed a good-performing prediction model for aberrant cardiac remodelling in former pregnant women based on five conventional variables that could contribute to risk-guided follow-up after preeclampsia aiming at intensifying follow-up for those at risk and tempered follow-up for low-risk women. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

An Efficient and Universal Static and Dynamic Convex Optimization for Array Synthesis

In this letter, a novel static-dynamic convex optimization algorithm is proposed for array synthesis, which can be divided into static and dynamic successive optimization stages. At the first stage, the synthetic direction graph is constructed as a second-order cone programming problem so that an initial excitation is quickly obtained. Next, by serving the results obtained previously as the initial excitation, an iterative operation is implemented to obtain a high-precise solution. Moreover, in order to effectively ensure the continuity of the solution process and approach the feasible solution, shrinkage factor and crossover operator are introduced. Four tough examples of synthesizing different kinds of patterns are conducted to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. Results show that compared with the existing representative methods, the proposed algorithm is of high computational efficiency and universality.

High-performance zirconia ceramic additively manufactured via NanoParticle Jetting

Additive manufacturing has received tremendous attention in the manufacturing and materials industry in the past three decades. Zirconia-based advanced ceramics have been the subject of substantial interest related to structural and functional ceramics. NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ), a novel material jetting process for selectively depositing nanoparticles, is capable of fabricating dense zirconia components with a highlydetailed surface, precisely controllable shrinkage, and remarkable mechanical properties. The use of NPJ greatly improves the 3D printing process and increases the printing accuracy. An investigation into the performance of NPJ-printed ceramic components evaluated the physical and mechanical properties and microstructure. The experimental results suggested that the NPJ-fabricated ZrO2 cuboids exhibited a high relative density of 99.5%, a glossy surface with minimum roughness of 0.33 μm, a general linear shrinkage factor of 17.47%, acceptable hardness of 12.43 ± 0.09 GPa, outstanding fracture toughness of 7.52 ± 0.34 MPa m1/2, comparable flexural strength of 699 ± 104 MPa, dense grain distribution of the microstructure, and representative features of the fracture. Subsequently, the exclusive printing scheme that achieved these favorable properties was analyzed. The innovative NanoParticle Jetting™ system was shown to have significant potential for additive manufacturing.

On homogeneous James–Stein type estimators

The shrinkage factor of the James–Stein estimators of a multivariate normal involves the power of the squared norm of X. We show powers of the norm greater than 2 also give improvement, while lesser powers do not.

Types, Modes and Influencing Factors of Urban Shrinkage: Evidence from the Yellow River Basin, China

Following the appearance of urban shrinkage in Western countries, scholars have taken note of increasing amounts of urban shrinkage with significant regional characteristics in China in recent years. Focusing on the Yellow River Basin, this study comprehensively measured prefecture-level and county-level city shrinkage based on China’s fifth, sixth and seventh national census data. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal patterns, types and modes of urban shrinkage were analyzed, and the factors influencing urban shrinkage were explored using a multiple linear regression model and a sorting model. The study results show that the number of shrinking cities and the shrinking degree significantly increased at the prefecture and county levels in the last 20 years. The identified shrinking cities are concentrated in the upper and middle reaches of the river basin, spatially configured around major cities and along the high-speed railway line. The regional pattern shows a typical “core–periphery” characteristic. Peripheral shrinkage is the main mode in which cities shrink. The strength and speed of economic development and industrial transformation positively affect urban shrinkage; the ageing degree, high-speed railway opening and other factors negatively affect urban shrinkage.

Factors Contributing to Tumor Shrinkage after Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy in Patients with Unresectable Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Simple SummaryNeuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare disorders of neuroendocrine cells with an increasing incidence. Surgical resection is the only cure; however, they are often found at an advanced stage, and many cases are unresectable because of being locally advanced or presenting as metastatic disease. Peptide receptor activation therapy (PRRT) has been found to be effective for metastatic NETs. Prediction of tumor shrinkage after PRRT for metastatic NETs is challenging and remains unclear. This study aimed to identify predictive factors associated with the rate of PRRT tumor shrinkage. This study performed both patient-based and lesion-based shrinkage analysis for metastatic NETs. We analyzed the relationship between pretreatment clinicopathological factors and the shrinkage rate per lesion (L-SR) in 20 patients. Previous treatment with cytotoxic agents and primary tumor of the pancreas were found to be significantly favorable factors; however, a primary tumor of the rectum was significantly more resistant to shrinkage.Peptide receptor activation therapy (PRRT) is a promising treatment option for metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). However, predicting tumor shrinkage before treatment is challenging. We analyzed the shrinkage rate of each metastatic tumor lesion to identify predictive factors related to shrinkage. Patients with metastatic NET who underwent PRRT were included in this retrospective study. For each patient, between one to five metastatic lesions were selected in descending order of size, and the change in the maximum tumor diameter after treatment was defined as the shrinkage rate per lesion (L-SR). We analyzed the relationship between pretreatment clinicopathological factors and L-SR. The median L-SR of all 75 lesions in 20 patients was 20% (95% CI: 4.8–26.1%). While previous treatment with cytotoxic agents (34.4%, p < 0.05) and primary tumor of the pancreas (27.8%, p < 0.05) were significantly favorable factors, a primary tumor of the rectum was significantly more resistant to shrinkage (−20.5%, p < 0.001). Therefore, lesion-based analysis of PRRT for NETs showed that pancreatic NET and previous treatment with cytotoxic agents were favorable factors for tumor shrinkage; however, rectal NET was a factor associated with resistance to shrinkage.

SHRINKAGE OF ALKALI-ACTIVATED BLENDED BINDER MIXTURES

Alkali-activated cement (AAC) has excellent mechanical and durability properties. Most of all, AAC is environmentally friendly and utilizes less raw material than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). It has been 60 years since the initial appearance of AAC in the research world. Since then, the knowledge has matured from the various research conducted in the area. Studies have shown that the shrinkage of AAC is relatively large compared to OPC, making it susceptible to cracking. For AAC to be an ideal replacement for OPC, its shrinkage behavior and factors affecting it need to be investigated in detail. This paper studies the effect of alkaline solid to binder ratio (AS/B), sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide solids ratio (SS/SH), and total water to total solid binder ratio (TW/TS) on the shrinkage. The results showed that TW/TS is the main factor affecting the shrinkage of AAC. An increase in TW/TS reduced the shrinkage significantly. AS/B also reduced the shrinkage but at a lower significance. SS/SH ratio showed no significant effect. Such understandings of the different factors affecting the shrinkage of AAC can help design a mixture with a better shrinkage behavior.

An Effective Edge-Intelligent Service Placement Technology for 5G-and-Beyond Industrial IoT

With the rapid development of wireless communication, traditional cloud computing cannot fully support low-latency services, especially in sensor networks. Mobile edge computing (MEC) can improve the quality of experience of end users and save the energy consumption of mobile end devices by providing computing resources and storage space. However, it may cause discontinuity of services if these mobile end devices roam around different MEC servers’ areas. To solve the aforementioned problem, in this article, we propose an effective edge-intelligent service placement algorithm (EISPA), which transforms the service placement problem into finding a globally optimal solution via nature-inspired particle swarm optimization (PSO). Moreover, we use a shrinkage factor and combine it with the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm to adjust the position of particles in our algorithm, which aims to avoid falling into an optimal local solution to a certain extent. Performance analysis results show that the EISPA is approaching the optimal enumeration collaborative computation offloading algorithm, and system cost under energy constraints is 83.6%, 20.4%, and 20.3% lower than that in Only Local, Finding the Nearest Edge, and the genetic SA-based PSO algorithms, respectively, which proves that the EISPA has better performance.

Baseline and longitudinal ctDNA biomarkers in GEICAM/2013-02 (PEARL) trial cohort 2 comparing palbociclib and fulvestrant (PAL + FUL) versus capecitabine (CAPE).

1019 Background: The randomized PEARL trial found no superiority of PAL plus endocrine therapy over CAPE in patients (pts) with metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer resistant to aromatase inhibitors (Martin M, Ann Oncol 2020). We investigated associations between baseline genomic landscape and on-treatment plasma ctDNA dynamics with progression free survival, in pts from cohort 2 of the trial. Methods: Plasma was collected for ctDNA analysis from -7 days to cycle 1-day 1 (C1D1) for baseline prognostic analysis and cycle 1-day 15 (C1D15) when available, and sequenced with an in-house error-corrected targeted capture panel encompassing 21 genes commonly altered in breast cancer. For predictive ctDNA dynamics analysis, a pre-specified criteria of 14 minimum days of treatment in first cycle was required and variants with VAF &lt;0.5% in C1D1, set as limit of detection, were excluded. The circulating DNA ratio (CDR) was calculated as a weighted mean for potentially clonal mutations at C1D1. The optimal cut-off for predicting PFS was assessed by fitting a range of cut-offs, identifying the one with lower p-value on the log-rank test. Adjusted p-values, potential overestimation corrected by a shrinkage factor and bootstrapping techniques to calculate the CI95% were used in the cutpoint Cox regression model. Results: A total of 201 pts had a C1D1 sample sequenced for baseline prognostic analysis, 146 (73%) had baseline mutations identified and 55 (27%) had no mutations. 187 (93%) pts had a paired C1D15 sample for CDR calculations. Of these, 134 (72%) had baseline mutations detected, 120 of them (90%) above 0.5%, 14 (10%) had no calls, 1 pair failed sequencing. Both baseline and CDR subsets were representative of the overall study population. Pts with TP53 mutations had worse PFS in the overall population (4.4 vs 9.3 months, logrank p= 0.04), with no differences between treatments. For on-treatment ctDNA dynamic analysis, median CDR (suppression) was lower in the CAPE arm (0.07 vs 0.21, p&lt;0.01). There was an association between optimal cut-offs predicting PFS both in CAPE (suppressed 16.6 months vs high ctDNA 4.2 months, HR 2.37, CI95% 0.96-5.83, p=0.05) and PAL + FUL arms (suppressed 15.7 months vs high ctDNA 5.5 months, HR 2.14, CI95% 0.92-5, p=0.06). More ctDNA suppression associated with likelihood of objective responses (median CDR 0.1 in objective responders vs median CDR 0.2 in progressive disease p=0.03), with no statistical significance when stratified per treatment. Conclusions: In PEARL cohort 2, TP53 mutations associated with poor outcome regardless of treatment allocation, suggesting aggressive behaviour not specifically linked to endocrine resistance. Lack of ctDNA suppression associated with worse outcome in both patient groups. Capecitabine resulted in greater ctDNA suppression at C1D15, likely reflecting faster ctDNA suppression.

SHRINKAGE OF ALKALI-ACTIVATED BLENDED BINDER MIXTURES

Alkali-activated cement (AAC) has excellent mechanical and durability properties. Most of all, AAC is environmentally friendly and utilizes less raw material than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). It has been 60 years since the initial appearance of AAC in the research world. Since then, the knowledge has matured from the various research conducted in the area. Studies have shown that the shrinkage of AAC is relatively large compared to OPC, making it susceptible to cracking. For AAC to be an ideal replacement for OPC, its shrinkage behavior and factors affecting it need to be investigated in detail. This paper studies the effect of alkaline solid to binder ratio (AS/B), sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide solids ratio (SS/SH), and total water to total solid binder ratio (TW/TS) on the shrinkage. The results showed that TW/TS is the main factor affecting the shrinkage of AAC. An increase in TW/TS reduced the shrinkage significantly. AS/B also reduced the shrinkage but at a lower significance. SS/SH ratio showed no significant effect. Such understandings of the different factors affecting the shrinkage of AAC can help design a mixture with a better shrinkage behavior.

Patient-reported preconceptional characteristics in the prediction of recurrent preeclampsia.

To develop a prediction model for recurrent preeclampsia using patient-reported preconceptional characteristics, which can be used for risk stratification of subsequent pregnancies. Retrospective cohort study using data from The Preeclampsia Registry™ of 1028 women with a history of preeclampsia and at least one subsequent pregnancy. Candidate predictors were included in a multivariable logistic regression analysis and a backward selection procedure was used to select the final predictors. Internal validation took place by internally validating the model in 500 simulated samples (bootstrapping), which provided a shrinkage factor to create the final model. This final model was evaluated for performance by a calibration plot and the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC). Missing data was handled by multiple imputation. Recurrent preeclampsia occurred in 467 (45.4%) women. Predictors in the final model were: a history of migraine, first degree relative with cardiovascular disease, first degree relative with placenta-related pregnancy complication, gestational age at delivery of index pregnancy, birthweight of the previous child, history of placental abruption, multiparity, chronic hypertension, interval between index and subsequent pregnancy, paternal non-white ethnicity and maternal age. AUC of the model was 0.63 (95% CI 0.59-0.66). In a subset of women who used aspirin prior or during their subsequent pregnancy, performance of the model was similar (AUC 0.60; 95% CI 0.50-0.71). In this study we developed a prediction model for recurrent preeclampsia with moderate performance after internal validation. Early risk stratification of subsequent pregnancies that allows for customization of antenatal care and personalized prevention strategies, is not yet possible.

A Review Study on Theoretical Comparison Between Time-Dependent Analysis Models for Prestressed Concrete Bridges

Particularly, concrete material involvements creep under a continuous load and practices shrinkage due to variations in humidity proportion. These physical properties variations growth over time. Prestressed losses according to concrete creep and shrinkage will lead to loss of compression strength for concrete. Time-dependent analysis is important and essential for two types of prestressed concrete which are pretensioned and posttensioned with the effect of time, variations in the structural pattern, and high erection loads influence the structural performance and protection of structure for the duration of erection and when complete. Creep and shrinkage are the main time-dependent parameters of concrete. They are important parameters in the design of prestressed concrete structures such as bridges. The objective of this study is to review the analysis models of time-dependent parameters for prestressed concrete bridges by using shrinkage and creep factors equations to determine the strain of time-dependent parameters. Creep and shrinkage parameters were selected to review the effect of these parameters on the properties of prestressed concrete. Nine analysis methods for creep and shrinkage of concrete were reviewed in this study. These models include ACI-209 model, PCI-BDM model, CEB-FIP-90 model, AASHTO-LRDF model, Shams and Kahan model, NCHRP-496 model, B3 model, GL2000 model, and AFREM model. It was recommended that using this methodology to determine shrinkage and creep factors for prestresssed concrete bridge and comparing between the results of analysis models.

Bias correction for multiple covariate analysis using empirical bayesian estimation in mixed-effects models for longitudinal data

The naïve empirical Bayes method has been widely used as an ad hoc tool in fitting linear mixed-effect models, which is much computationally efficient than the maximum likelihood estimation method. However, the shrinkage effect of the empirical Bayes method causes bias in the estimates of the fixed effects. Bias-correction has been proposed for the mixed-effects model when only one covariate is present. In this paper, we derive the shrinkage factor of the empirical Bayes predictors of the random effects and the variance-covariance matrix of the corrected estimates when the model has more than one covariate. The empirical Bayes estimates and test statistics are then corrected using the derived factor. Theoretical derivations, simulation studies and a real data application demonstrate the validity of the proposed method in that the corrected estimates are unbiased and the corrected tests have correct p-values.

Comparative analysis of the mechanical, thermal and barrier properties of polypropylene incorporated with CaCO3 and nano CaCO3

The primary advantages of polyolefins are that their properties can be improved through the use of additives. Polypropylene (PP) is a semi-crystalline polyolefin that has several advantages such as high strength, and low cost. However, it exerts some disadvantages, including a high molding shrinkage factor, poor mechanical properties, and low fracture toughness, which limit the widening of PP applications. This study investigates the influence of two types of fillers micro CaCO3 and nano-CaCO3 on PP composite mechanical, thermal, morphological and barrier properties and applications. The selected fillers were mixed at a different wt% with PP and compounded in a twin-screw extruder under 150 RPM and 180–200°C, and all specimens were rested for 24 h to dry before cutting and testing. All experimental results were analyzed by statistical arithmetic mean, the specimen micrographs revealed a good distribution of both fillers with a more visual pore throat shape in the PP/CaCO3 composite structure. Where DMA test demonstrated that PP with CaCO3 had reached the full rubbery zone earlier than PP with nano-CaCO3 by 30ºC, reflecting that the incorporation of the nanofiller has revealed better thermomechanical property. Moreover, the nanofiller has increased the crystallization temperature for the composite by 14%, and the calculated permeability for all PP mixed with nano-CaCO3 was reduced and averaged just above 7.0 g/m2x 24 h. Overall, the selected PP grade with low nanofiller content has demonstrated better enhancement to the PP nanocomposite general properties.

Risk factors for major gastrointestinal bleeding in the general population in Finland.

BACKGROUNDData on non-drug related risk-factors for gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in the general population are limited, especially for life-style factors, clinical measurements and laboratory parameters. AIMTo identify and investigate non-drug risk factors for major GIB in the general population of Finland.METHODSWe performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the FINRISK health examination surveys, which have been conducted every 5 years across Finland from 1987 to 2007. Participants were adults aged 25 years to 74 years, excluding those with a previous hospitalization for GIB. Follow-up from enrollment was performed through linkage to national electronic health registers and ended at an event of GIB that led to hospitalization/death, death due to any other cause, or after 10 years. Covariates included demographics, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, clinical measurements, laboratory parameters and comorbidities. Variable selection was undertaken using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and factors associated with GIB were identified using Cox regression.RESULTSAmong 33,508 participants, 403 (1.2%) experienced GIB [256 men (63.5%); mean age, 56.0 years (standard deviation (SD) ± 12.1)] and 33105 who did not experience GIB [15768 men (47.6%); mean age, 46.8 (SD ± 13) years], within 10 years of follow-up. Factors associated with a significantly increased risk of GIB were baseline age [per 10-year increase; hazard ratio (HR) 1.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.42-1.86], unemployment (HR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.11-2.59), body mass index (BMI) (HR: 1.15, 95%CI: 1.01-1.32), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (HR: 1.05, 95%CI: 1.02-1.09), precursors of GIB (HR: 1.90, 95%CI: 1.37-2.63), cancer (HR: 1.47, 95%CI: 1.10-1.97), psychiatric disorders (HR: 1.32, 95%CI: 1.01-1.71), heart failure (HR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.04-2.05), and liver disorders (HR: 3.20, 95%CI: 2.06-4.97). Factors associated with a significantly decreased risk of GIB were systolic blood pressure (SBP) (HR: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.64-0.96), 6-10 cups of coffee a day (HR: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.46-0.99), or > 10 cups (HR: 0.43, 95%CI: 0.23-0.81). CONCLUSIONOur study confirms established risk-factors for GIB and identifies potential risk-factors not previously reported such as unemployment, BMI, GGT, SBP and coffee consumption.

New binary paper/wood industry waste blend for solidification/stabilisation of problematic soil subgrade: macro-micro study

This article presents the potential application of paper/wood industry waste by-products, i.e. lignosulphonate (LS) in conjunction with lime (LM) [i.e. LS-based cementing admixture (LSCA)] to mitigate desiccation induced cracking and mechanical vulnerabilities of expansive soil subgrade. The results showed that the LSCA and lime (LM) significantly ameliorated the soil consistency, subgrade strength characteristics (i.e. California bearing ratio and resilient modulus), and completely mitigated the swelling potential with enhanced resistance against Sr . Moreover, the LSCA and LM notably reduced the 3D-volumetric shrinkage and crack intensity factor (CIF) by 90.1 and 87.4%, respectively. The mineralogical and microstructural analyses manifested that the LSCA induced new cementitious compounds (i.e. hydrates of calcium silicate and calcium aluminate), and substantially enhanced the interlocking among the soil particles compared to the untreated and LS-treated soils. Besides, pavement thickness analyses showed that the LSCA treated subgrade, omits the provision of sand cushion and sub-base course promoting road material conservation.

Asymptomatic COVID-19 CT image denoising method based on wavelet transform combined with improved PSO

The quality of asymptomatic corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) computed tomography (CT) image is reduced due to interference from Gaussian noise, which affects the subsequent image processing. Aiming at the problem that asymptomatic COVID-19 CT image often have small flake ground-glass shadow in the early lesions, and the density is low, which is easily confused with noise. A denoising method of wavelet transform with shrinkage factor is proposed. The threshold decreases with the increase of decomposition scale, and it reduces the misjudgment of signal points. In the advanced stage, the range of lesions increases, with consolidation and fibrosis in different sizes, which have similar gray value to the CT images of suspected cases. Aiming at the problems of low contrast and fuzzy boundary in the traditional wavelet transform, the threshold function based on the optimization of parameters combined with the improved particle swam optimization (PSO) is proposed, so that the parameters of wavelet threshold function can change adaptively according to the lung lobe and ground-glass lesions with fewer iterations. The simulation results show that the paper method is significantly better than other algorithms in peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and mean absolute error (MSE). For example, aiming at the early asymptomatic COVID-19, compared with the comparison methods, the PSNR under the proposed method has increased by about 5 dB, the MSE has been greatly reduced, and the SNR has increased by about 6.1 dB. It can be seen that the denoising effect under the proposed method is the best.