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Many online retailers have adopted drop-shipping as their main order fulfillment strategy. Against this backdrop, this paper studies the service time and pricing decisions in an online retailing system in which the single retailer is served by either monopolistic or duopolistic suppliers. The suppliers are dominant in the Stackelberg game. We employ the guaranteed service framework to model the intricate relationship between service time and inventory. The model stipulates that the delivery of online orders must be completed within guaranteed service time. The equilibrium service times and prices are derived for both cases of monopolistic and duopolistic suppliers. In addition, we systematically analyze the impact of operational and market factors on service time, respectively, and rich insights have been obtained. Interestingly, we find that the presence of competition does not necessarily lead to more rapid delivery service. Suppliers in the duopoly market tend to adopt a price-based competitive strategy, i.e., they are better off by lowering price at the expense of longer service time, especially for the new entrant. However, as competition intensifies to some extent, suppliers are recommended to leverage on more responsive service to maintain or expand the customer base.

Previous observational studies revealed a potential but partially controversial relation between lipid metabolism and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), potentially prone to bias. Therefore, we aimed to study whether lipid metabolism involves genetically determined risk factors for ALS through Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.Using genome-wide association study summary-level data for total cholesterol (TC) (n = 188,578), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (n = 403,943), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (n = 440,546), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) (n = 391,193), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) (n = 439,214), and ALS (12,577 cases and 23,475 controls), we implemented a bidirectional MR study to evaluate a genetic relation between lipids and ALS risk. We performed a mediation analysis to assess whether LDL-C is a potential mediator on the pathway from traits of LDL-C-related polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to ALS risk.We identified genetically predicted increased lipid levels to be associated with the risk of ALS, whereby elevated LDL-C had the most potent effect (OR 1.028, 95% CI 1.008-1.049, p = 0.006). The effect of increased levels of apolipoproteins on ALS was similar to their corresponding lipoproteins. ALS did not cause any changes in lipid levels. We found no relation between LDL-C-modifying lifestyles and ALS. The mediation analysis revealed that LDL-C could act as an active mediator for linoleic acid, with the mediation effect estimated to be 0.009.We provided high-level genetic evidence verifying the positive link between preclinically elevated lipid and ALS risk that had been described in previous genetic and observational studies. We also demonstrated the mediating role of LDL-C in the pathway from PUFAs to ALS.

To investigate the causal role of lipid or apolipoprotein traits in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and determine the effect of lipid-lowering interventions on the disease.Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), apolipoprotein (Apo)B and ApoA1 levels with risks for ICH, and those of LDL-C- (HMGCR, PCSK9, and NPC1L1) and TG-lowering targets (LPL and APOC3) with ICH.Increased levels of ApoB was associated with a decreased risk of overall ICH (OR 0.623, 95% CI 0.413-0.940; p = 0.024) and lobar ICH (OR 0.579, 95% CI 0.342-0.979; p = 0.042). The inverse relationship remained stable in multivariable MR. In addition, elevated TGs showed a causal effect on lobar ICH in multivariable MR (OR 1.600, 95% CI 1.009-2.537; p = 0.046). The LDL-C-reducing genetic variation alleles at or near the HMGCR gene (mimicking the effect of statins) were predicted to increase the overall and deep ICH risk. Additionally, genetic variation at or near the APOC3 gene suggested that genetically reducing the activity of APOC3 (mimicking antisense anti-apoC3 agents) was predicted to decrease lobar ICH.Genetically predicted elevated ApoB may have a protective effect on overall ICH and lobar ICH, whereas elevated TG was associated with a higher risk of lobar ICH conditional on LDL-C and ApoB. MR analysis supports the conclusion that statins may increase the risk of overall and deep ICH independent of their lipid-lowering effect. More specific lipid-lowering targets may end up being the future. ANN NEUROL 2022;92:390-399.

Few-layer WS2 or WSe2 nanosheets were grown on W substrates by CVD, and feather-like WSe2 delivered excellent performances as HER electrocatalyst in acid including low overpotential of 141 mV to yield 10 mA cm−2, outperforming other TMDs thin films.

A reliable yellow phosphor converter that can be efficiently excited by a 405 nm bluish violet laser is in high demand for laser illumination applications. A NaAlSiO4:Eu2+ phosphor with a quantum efficiency reaching 92% was obtained using LTA zeolite as the raw material. NaAlSiO4:Eu2+ ceramics with suitable porosities for laser illumination were prepared from the phosphor powders via spark plasma sintering. The ceramics lost only 2% of the quantum efficiency compared to the powders, maintained good thermal quenching properties (30% drop at 150 °C), and showed good thermal conductivity (2.02 W‧m−1‧K−1). The NaAlSiO4:Eu2+ ceramic with 405 nm bluish violet lasers, with the increase in laser power density to 9.15 W/mm2, exhibited an increasing luminous flux (23.83–70.26 lm) and maintained a stable luminous efficacy (47.7–46.8 lm/W), and the temperature distribution of the ceramic remained uniform and stable under long-time laser irradiation. This indicates that the nepheline-phase NaAlSiO4:Eu2+ ceramic is a promising material for laser illumination.

BackgroundTo estimate the causal associations of modifiable risk factors with lacunar stroke (LS) and repurposing of common antihypertensive, lipid-lowering and antidiabetic drugs to prevent LS.MethodsThe effects of common antihypertensive, lipid-lowering and antidiabetic drugs on LS were estimated using a drug-target Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. LS data for the transethnic analysis were derived from meta-analyses comprising 7,338 cases and 254,798 controls.FindingsGenetically predicted hypertension and type 2 diabetes significantly increased LS risk. Elevated triglyceride and apolipoprotein B levels caused a 14% increased LS risk, while elevated apolipoprotein A-I and high-density lipoprotein levels caused a 12% decreased risk. Elevated triglyceride levels remained significantly associated with a higher LS risk in multivariable MR analysis (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.06-1.40, P =0.005). Drug-target MR demonstrated that genetic variants mimicking calcium channel blockers most stably prevented LS (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.61-0.92, P =0.006). The genetic variants at or nearHMGCR(i.e., mimicking the effect of statins), NPC1L1 (mimicking the effects of ezetimibe) and APOC3 (mimicking antisense anti-apoC3 agents) were predicted to decrease LS incidence.Genetically proxied GLP1R agonism showed a marginal effect on LS, while a genetically proxied improvement in overall glycemic control was associated with a reduced LS risk (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92–0.96;P=4.58×10−7).InterpretationRepurposing several drugs with well-established safety and low costs for LS prevention in clinical practice may contribute to healthier brain aging.FundingThis study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 8210051863).

Background Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has a known risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We aimed to identify the predictive value of coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) on post-thrombolytic ICH risk in AIS patients. Methods The study cohort included 69 diagnosed AIS patients undergoing IVT treatment within 24 hours of symptom onset. Blood samples taken on admission were analyzed for FXIII antigen levels with an automated latex enhanced immunoassay. Conventional coagulation parameters including prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), and D-dimer (DD) were also tested. Results Of the 69 AIS patients, 23 (33.3%) developed post-thrombolytic ICH. Plasma FXIII levels showed a significant decrease, accompanied with elevated FIB and DD levels in AIS patients with post-thrombolytic ICH. Multivariable logistic regression (LR) revealed that FXIII and FIB were independently associated with post-thrombolytic ICH progression. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve of FXIII selected by the further forward logistic regression was 0.823 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.712-0.904], and the cutoff value of 76.6% yielded good sensitivity at 91.3% and good negative predictive value (NPV) at 93.9%. Conclusions Our findings indicated that plasma FXIII level may be an independent determinant for predicting post-thrombolytic bleeding risk in AIS patients.

Observational studies have indicated that there is a high prevalence of habitual sleep disturbances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the actual relationship between these symptoms and ALS remains unclear. We used 2-sample Mendelian randomization to determine whether the sleep disturbances associated with ALS are also related to the risk of ALS. The summary statistics we used were from recent, large genome-wide association studies on daytime sleepiness and other night sleep traits (n = 85,670–452,071) and ALS (n = 20,806 cases, n = 59,804 controls). The inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method was used as the main method for assessing causality. Daytime sleepiness might increase the risk of ALS (IVW odds ratio = 2.45, 95% confidence interval: 1.15—5.21; P = 0.020). ALS was not associated with sleep efficiency, number of sleep episodes or sleep duration. Our results provide novel evidence that daytime sleepiness increases the risk of ALS and points out the importance of daytime sleepiness that often goes unnoticed in ALS.

With the development of extreme fast charging technology, charging stations need to use energy storage stations to reduce the rising peak to average power ratio (PAPR). Lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) is a chemical power source that uses both Faraday process and non-Faraday process to store energy. Because of its attractive performance in terms of rate characteristics and chemical stability, it is suitable for some energy storage stations that consider both power density and energy density. It is important to describe the current-voltage characteristics of LIC to predict the charge and discharge efficiency in the early design of energy storage power stations. During the test, however, a full discharge or charge results in a high temperature rise, and the electrical model parameters near a specific temperature point cannot be accurately obtained. The short current pulses cannot stabilize the polarization. In this paper, a high-accuracy parameters identification method based on an improved Butler-Volmer-Equation-Based electrical model is used to summarize the phenomena caused by the rate of change of high-energy LIC. The accuracy of the method is tested under the dynamic stress condition test. The maximum voltage error is less than 2%. Energy efficiency calculation based on the used model is simulated by the design condition from the energy storage station of the Haizhu line in Guangzhou. The maximum error is less than 0.2%.

Hyperspectral images with very high resolution (VHR-HSI) have become considerably valuable due to their abundant spectral and spatial details. Classification of hyperspectral images (HSIs) is a basic and important procedure for diverse applications. However, low interclass spectral variability and high intraclass spectral variability in VHR-HSI, shadows, pedestrians, and low signal-to-noise ratio increase the fuzziness of different categories. To address the known challenges of VHR-HSI classification, an effective classification method based on encoder–decoder architecture is proposed. The proposed algorithm is an object-level contextual convolution neural network based on an improved residual network backbone with 3-D convolution, which fully considers the spatial–spectral and contextual features of HSIs. Two different spatial resolution aerial HSIs are used as experimental data. The results show that the overall accuracy of the proposed method is improved by 7.42% and 18.82%, respectively, compared to the pixelwise convolution neural network and DeepLabv3 algorithm, which is extraordinarily suitable for HSI classification with very high spatial resolution.

Radioactive iodine (Fecal samples of 60 PTC patients pre- and post-Microbial richness, diversity, and composition were tremendously altered byFor the first time, the present study demonstrates the gut microbial dysbiosis caused byChiCTR2100048000. Registered 28 June 2021.

CH4 (methane) is an important greenhouse gas that has a significant impact on the formation of, and change in, the global climate. Through the development of remote sensing technology, a series of ...

Objective To systematically investigate causal relationships between educational attainment, cognitive‐related phenotypes, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods Summary statistics from genome‐wide association studies for educational attainment, math ability, highest math class taken, cognitive performance, intelligence, and ALS were used. A two‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) design was applied to explore the potential causal associations between them. Results Genetically predisposition to longer educational attainment and harder math class taken were associated with significantly lower statistical odds ratio of ALS. For per year increase in education completed there was a 21% lower (95% confidence interval [CI] = 27–14%) in risk for ALS. For per 1‐SD increase in the highest math class taken obtained there was a 19% lower (95% CI = 9–28%) in risk for ALS. Genetically predisposition to math ability, cognitive performance, and intelligence did not decrease the risk of ALS. Interpretation This study provides genetic support for a causal association between higher educational attainment and a lower risk of ALS. The genes related to these phenotypes are involved in almost all aspects of neuron‐to‐neuron communication. ALS patients are occasionally accompanied by varying degrees of cognitive impairment. People with greater cognitive reserve may be better able to offset damages of degenerative brain changes associated with dementia or other brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or ALS.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), characterized by insulin resistance and unclear pathogenesis, is a serious menace to human health. Bile acids are the end products of cholesterol catabolism and play an important role in maintaining cholesterol homeostasis. Furthermore, increasing studies suggest that bile acids may regulate glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and energy metabolism, suggesting that bile acids may represent a potential therapeutic target for T2DM. This study summarizes the metabolism of bile acids and, more importantly, changes in their concentrations, constitution, and receptors in diabetes. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the mechanisms underlying the role of bile acids in glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as the occurrence and development of T2DM. Bile acid-targeted therapy may represent a valid approach for T2DM treatment.

The perspective distortion of oblique images has a substantial impact on dense matching, i.e., it reduces the matching precision. In this article, a strategy of dense matching in which the object plane direction is considered is proposed. According to many regular planes in urban areas, epipolar rectification with minimum distortions relative to the selected reference planes can be generated. The matching results of epipolar images relative to various reference planes are weighted and fused into a single depth map, which is a better matching result. The experimental results demonstrate that the perspective distortion has a substantial influence on the dense matching performance. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the flatness for horizontal objects is increased by approximately 30%, and the RMSE of the flatness for facades is increased by approximately 40%. Hence, the proposed matching strategy, in which the object plane is considered, can effectively improve the matching results.

A retrospective study on complete blood count (CBC) with differential results of patients who presented to the fever clinic of Tongji Hospital with symptoms of COVID-19-like illness between February 1, 2020 and February 20, 2020 was performed through case reviewing Inclusion criteria were fever with a body temperature above 37 3 degreesC, accompanied or not accompanied by cough, chest tightness, muscle ache, shortness of breath and diarrhea Patients with hematopathy, cancer and sepsis were excluded The SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing of throat swab was performed in the laboratory of Tongji Hospital These patients with COVID-19-like symptoms were divided into two groups Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 according to the WHO interim guidance and confirmed by RT-PCR testing were included in the SARS-CoV-2-positive patient group (SPPG) Patients with two or more consecutive negative RT-PCR test results were included in the SARS-CoV-2-negative patient group (SNPG) Patients with co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses including influenza A/B, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus were also excluded in SPPG Sysmex XN-9000 hematology analyzer was used to obtain the CBC with differential results for patients in each group CBC with differential results at the request of clinicians at the initial evaluations was recorded along with age and gender for each patient Decreased WBC*LYM was observed in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients compared with SARS-CoV-2-negative patients with suspected symptoms in this study WBC*LYM can be used as a supplementary parameter to help clinicians in their first contact with suspected patients awaiting SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results

Common depth image fusion methods use each original image as a reference plane and fuse the depth images using mutual projection. These methods can eliminate inconsistency between the depth images, but they cannot alleviate the point cloud redundancy and computational complexity. This article proposes a virtual view method for depth image fusion, defines a limited number of virtual views by means of view clustering, reduces the redundant calculations, and covers all scenes as much as possible. The depth image is merged ray by ray, and a reliable depth value is obtained via the F-test. Compared with the modified semiglobal matching (TSGM) stereo dense matching algorithm, the accuracy is improved by approximately 50% and the roughness is improved by approximately 50%. Compared with the classic surface reconstruction (SURE) fusion algorithm, there is more fusion depth value in each ray, and the accuracy and roughness are slightly improved. In addition, the algorithm of this article greatly reduces the number of reference planes.

Background and ObjectiveIn amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive weakness significantly limits the ability to exercise. However, measurements of the impaired exercise function and their practical value to assess disease progression in ALS are scarce. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a non-invasive accurate method used to comprehensively quantify exercise physiology in a variety of diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of CPET and to explore its association with disease severity and prognosis prediction in ALS.MethodsA total of 319 participants were enrolled in this 3-year prospective study. After strict quality control, 109 patients with ALS and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included with comprehensive clinical assessment and follow-ups. The incremental ramp protocol for symptom-limited CPET was applied in both groups. The exercise physiology during peak effort exercise was systematically measured, including the overall aerobic capacity of exercise (VO2 peak) and the respective capacity of the exercise-involved organs [cardiac response (heart rate peak—HR peak), ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2 slope), breathing economy (VE/VO2 peak), and other relevant parameters]. Disease severity and progression were evaluated using recognized scales. Survival was monitored with regular follow-ups every 6 months.ResultsDecreased exercise capacity (VO2 peak < 16 ml/kg/min) occurred more frequently in patients with ALS than in controls (44.95% vs. 9.33%, p < 0.01). In patients with ALS, the average VO2 peak (16.16 ± 5.43 ml/kg/min) and HR peak [135 (112–153) bpm] were significantly lower (p < 0.01) than in controls [22.26 ± 7.09 ml/kg/min; 148 (135–164) bpm], but the VE/VCO2 slope was significantly higher [28.05 (25.03–32.16) vs. 26.72 (24.37–29.58); p = 0.03]. In patients with ALS, the VO2 peak and HR peak were significantly correlated with disease severity and progression scores (p < 0.05). Survival analyses revealed the VO2 peak and HR peak as protective indicators while the VE/VO2 peak as a detrimental indicator for the prognostic prediction in ALS (HR = 0.839, p = 0.001; HR = 0.967, p < 0.001; HR = 1.137, p = 0.028, respectively).ConclusionOur prospective study quantified the significantly decreased exercise capacity in ALS through non-invasive CPET. The impaired VO2 peak and HR peak closely correlated with disease severity and independently predicted a worse prognosis. Our findings identified the clinical value of CPET as an objective indicator of disease progression in ALS.

Background Observational studies have suggested a close but controversial relationship between blood pressure (BP) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It remains unclear whether this association is causal. The authors employed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to evaluate the causal relationship between BP and ALS. Genetic proxies for systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), antihypertensive drugs (AHDs), ALS, and their corresponding genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary datasets were obtained from the most recent studies with the largest sample sizes. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was adopted as the main approach to examine the effect of BP on ALS and four other MR methods were used for sensitivity analyses. To exclude the interference between SBP and DBP, a multivariable MR approach was used. Results We found that genetically determined increased DBP was a protective factor for ALS (OR = 0.978, 95% CI 0.960–0.996, P = 0.017) and that increased SBP was an independent risk factor for ALS (OR = 1.014, 95% CI 1.003–1.025, P = 0.015), which is supported by sensitivity analyses. The use of calcium channel blocker (CCB) showed a causal relationship with ALS (OR = 0.985, 95% CI 0.971–1.000, P = 0.049). No evidence was revealed that ALS caused changes in BP. Conclusions This study provides genetic support for a causal effect of BP and ALS that increased DBP has a protective effect on ALS, and increased SBP is a risk factor for ALS, which may be related to sympathetic excitability. Blood pressure management is essential in ALS, and CCB may be a promising candidate.

Previous studies have suggested a close but inconsistent relationship between essential nutrients and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and whether this association is causal remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the potential causal relation between essential nutrients (essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, essential minerals, and essential vitamins) and the risk of ALS using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Large-scale European-based genome-wide association studies’ (GWASs) summary data related to ALS (assembling 27,205 ALS patients and 110,881 controls) and essential nutrient concentrations were separately obtained. MR analysis was performed using the inverse variance–weighted (IVW) method, and sensitivity analysis was conducted by the weighted median method, simple median method, MR–Egger method and MR–PRESSO method. We found a causal association between genetically predicted linoleic acid (LA) and the risk of ALS (OR: 1.066; 95% CI: 1.011–1.125; p = 0.019). An inverse association with ALS risk was noted for vitamin D (OR: 0.899; 95% CI: 0.819–0.987; p = 0.025) and for vitamin E (OR: 0.461; 95% CI: 0.340–0.626; p = 6.25 × 10−7). The sensitivity analyses illustrated similar trends. No causal effect was observed between essential amino acids and minerals on ALS. Our study profiled the effects of diet-derived circulating nutrients on the risk of ALS and demonstrated that vitamin D and vitamin E are protective against the risk of ALS, and LA is a suggested risk factor for ALS.

Background Growing evidence suggests a mutual interaction between gut microbiome alterations and ALS pathogenesis. However, previous studies were susceptible to potential confounding factors and reverse causation bias, likely leading to inconsistent and biased results. Objectives To decipher the potentially mutual relationship between gut microbiota and ALS, we used a bidirectional two-sample MR approach to examine the associations between the gut microbiome and ALS. Results Using the inverse variance-weighted method, OTU10032 unclassified Enterobacteriaceae species-level OTU and unclassified Acidaminococcaceae were associated with a higher risk of ALS (per relative abundance: OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01–1.07; P = 0.011 and OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01–1.04; P = 0.009, respectively). Importantly, Gamma-Glu-Phe was showed potential deleterious effects on the risk of ALS (genetically predicted per a 1-standard deviation increase in the level of Gamma-Glu-Phe: OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.50–2.55; P = 0.012). Sensitivity analysis of the two candidate genera and metabolites using the MR-Egger and weighted-median methods produced similar estimates, and no horizontal pleiotropy or outliers were observed. Intriguingly, genetically predicted ALS was associated with an increase in the relative abundance of OTU4607_Sutterella (per 1-unit higher log odds: β, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.27–3.18; P = 0.020) and Lactobacillales_ORDER (per 1-unit higher log odds: β, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.09–0.94; P = 0.019). Conclusions Our findings provide novel evidence supporting the bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiota and ALS. These results may contribute to designing microbiome- and microbiome-dependent metabolite interventions in future ALS clinical trials.

Two new cytisine-like alkaloids, hositisines C (

Objectives The aims of this study were to investigate whether serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels were correlated with the severity of the axonal degeneration of lower motor neurons (LMNs) in the early symptomatic phase of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods In this prospective study, the serum samples used for NfL measurement were obtained from 103 sporadic ALS outpatients within 2 years of disease duration. The severity of axonal degeneration was assessed by assessing the decrease in the compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) within a 1-month interval from serum sampling. Results The NfL levels showed a significant positive correlation with the relative score as a proxy for the axonal damage of LMNs in patients with ALS (coefficient: 0.264, p = 0.009). Furthermore, this correlation became stronger (coefficient: 0.582, p = 0.037) when estimated only among patients with disease subtypes that involve only LMNs, that is, patients with flail arm or leg syndrome (FAS or FLS). The levels of NfL increased with the severity of axonal damage of LMNs (F = 6.694, P = 0.0001). Conclusions Serum NfL levels mirrored the severity of the axonal degeneration of LMNs, particularly in patients with signs of predominant LMN involvement. These results may have a profound effect on the selection of patients and the monitoring of treatment efficacy in future disease-modifying clinical trials.

A study on the intensification of ozone mass transfer in rotational flow field and UC-RF coupled-field was conducted. Two important operational parameters namely liquid flow rate and ultrasonic power, were optimized with regard to the ozone mass transfer efficiency. Results showed that the mass transfer coefficient (K

Modern information technology-assisted teaching is an important teaching means. In mathematics teaching activities, graphical changes can be vividly displayed through dynamic geometry software (DGS). Function is the basic knowledge in mathematics, and the functionality is the basic component of DGS. NetPad, one of the DGS, has more performance and simpler operation compared with other DGS. In this paper, we introduce the functionality of NetPad. It includes user-defined coordinate system, prompt function, expression input, implicit function, polar equation, parameter equation, function surface etc.. And its operation procedure is simpler to drawing curves dynamic trajectory and exploring function curves intersection. Through a teaching case, the superiority of NetPad in functionality is verified.

The three-dimensional dynamic geometry system (3D DGS) can intuitively present three-dimensional spatial and is widely used in solid geometry teaching. The design and implementation of the coordinate system in three-dimensional space is its essential foundation. The coordinate system of the existing 3D DGS can’t be moved, rotated, zoomed, which make the DGS not meet teaching needs. In this paper, we analyze the transformation requirements and the design goal of the coordinate system. And we propose a method of the coordinate transformation of DGS and introduce the transformation process among the pixel coordinate system, the image coordinate system, the camera coordinate system and the world coordinate system. Based on the above coordinate transformation method, the movement, rotation, and zoom of the coordinate system are implemented in NetPad 3D. Finally, the comparison of a teaching case demonstrates that users develop resources conveniently with NetPad 3D.

We aimed to investigate the causality between potentially modifiable risk factors and the risk of intracranial aneurysm. Genetic instruments for 51 modifiable factors and intracranial aneurysm data were obtained from recently published genome-wide association studies. We applied two-sample Mendelian randomization methods to investigate their causal relationships. Genetically predicted cigarettes per day, smoking initiation, systolic blood pressure, hypertension and body fat percentage were significantly associated with an increased risk of intracranial aneurysm [odds ratios (OR) 2.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.75–4.07, p = 5.36 × 10–6, OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.32–1.77, p = 9.58 × 10–9, OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02–1.08, p = 1.18 × 10–3, OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.19–2.28, p = 2.56 × 10–3 and OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.11–1.52, p = 1.33 × 10–3, respectively]. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was significantly associated with a decreased risk of intracranial aneurysm (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.83–0.95, p = 8.54 × 10–4). Body fat percentage was significantly associated with subarachnoid haemorrhage (p = 5.70 × 10–5). This study provided genetic evidence of causal effects of smoking, blood pressure, type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity on the risk of intracranial aneurysm.

Objective: To assess the role of premorbid type 2 diabetes in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in China.Methods: We compared data from ALS patients with premorbid type 2 diabetes (...

The existence of the consistency degradation of the battery pack hinders the accurate estimation of pack capacity and cell capacity in the battery pack. The paper focuses on the capacity estimation of cells in the serial battery pack. The shape invariance of the charging voltage curve is discussed and used as the theoretical foundation of cell capacity difference identification. The matching relationship between two voltage curves is obtained based on the dynamic time warping algorithm. Then the capacity difference identification algorithm to calculate the capacity difference between the two cells is proposed. Based on the algorithm, a three-step capacity estimation method is established. The proposed method can only use the previous charging curve of one cell in the pack and the current charging data of the battery pack to rapidly estimate the capacity of each cell in the battery pack. A 16 serial LiFePO4 battery pack is employed to verify the method. The result shows the estimation error of cell capacities is less than 3% rated capacity. With this method, the cell capacities in the pack can be rapidly and accurately estimated, providing a foundation for the consistency analysis and equalization of the battery pack.

Objective: Attachment and rumination was examined as intermediary variable on post-traumatic stress disorder and medication compliance in stroke or TIA patients.Methods: 300 participants with stroke or TIA form The Second Hospital of Hebei Province were selected. Patients accomplished NIHSS, ABCD2, ECR, RSQ and RRS on admission. After 3 months the PCL-C and MMAS were collected.Results: In this stroke or TIA patients, the incident of PTSD was 7.7%; PTSD scores were significantly associated with attachment anxiety (r= 0.225，pConclusions: The relationship between attachment anxiety and PTSD was positively predicted by rumination and obsessive thinking. Adult attachment style, rumination and PTSD scores may not predict medication compliance.

Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) is correlated with a high risk of stroke and cognitive impairment. Previous studies between heart rate variability (HRV) and cSVD revealed paradoxical results. The authors aimed to investigate the relationship between HRV and cSVD using Mendelian randomization analysis. Genetic instruments for HRV were obtained from previous genome‐wide association studies. They applied inverse variance‐weighted analysis, weighted median analysis, simple median analysis, and Mendelian randomization–Egger regression to evaluate the associations of HRV with white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and small vessel stroke (SVS) in the UK Biobank neuroimaging dataset and the MEGASTROKE genome‐wide association study dataset. Two genetically predicted traits of HRV (the root mean square of the successive differences of inter beat intervals [RMSSD] and the peak‐valley respiratory sinus arrhythmia or high frequency power [pvRSA/HF]) were suggestively associated with WMH (β 0.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04–0.49, p = .02; β 0.14, 95% CI 0.02–0.27, p = .03, respectively). Genetically predicted traits of HRV were not significantly associated with SVS. This study provides genetic support for a suggestive causal effect of HRV (RMSSD, pvRSA/HF) on WMH but not SVS.

Background: Cardioembolic stroke accounts for a large proportion of ischemic stroke. Observational studies have shown that several risk factors are associated with cardioembolic stroke. However, whether such associations reflect causality remains unknown. Objectives: We aimed to determine whether established and provisional cardioembolic risk factors are causally associated cardioembolic stroke, and whether they have pathways of causal influence on other ischemic stroke subtypes. Methods: Genetic instruments for atrial fibrillation (AF), myocardial infarction (MI), some electrocardiogram (ECG) indices and NT-pro BNP were obtained from large genetic consortiums. Summarized data of ischemic stroke and its subtypes were extracted from the MEGASTROKE consortium. Causal estimates were calculated by applying inverse variance-weighted analysis and other methods. Results: Genetically predicted AF was significantly associated with higher odds of ischemic stroke (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.16-1.24, P=6.53х10 -30 ) and cardioembolic stroke (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.85-2.06, P=8.81х10 -125 ). Genetically predicted MI was significantly associated with higher odds of large artery stroke (OR 1.487, 95% CI 1.25-1.77, P=9.53х10 -6 ). Suggestive associations were found between genetically determined resting heart rate and higher odds of ischemic stroke (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02, P=0.005), large artery stroke (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.04, P=0.026) and cardioembolic stroke (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.04, P=0.028). There was no causal association of P-wave terminal force in the precordial lead V1 (PTFVI), P-wave duration (PWD), N-terminal-pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-pro BNP) or PR interval with ischemic stroke or any subtypes. Conclusion: Genetic predisposition to AF and heart rate are associated with cardioembolic stroke. No evidence of causality relationship of MI, PTFVI, PWD, NT-pro BNP and PR interval on cardioembolic stroke is found.

Objective: This research was designed to probe into the correlation between MTHFR gene polymorphisms and homocysteine levels in regard to the prognosis of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Methods: A total of 180 patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension who were admitted in the gynecology and obstetrics department of our hospital were collected as the observation group, and 180 normal pregnant women were selected as the control group. The homocysteine (Hcy) level, polymorphism expression of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T locus and A1298C locus and the correlation between the different gene loci, Hcy level and pregnancy outcome were observed. Results: The Hcy level in the observation group was 18.1±6.2 (100 mmol/L) which was higher than that in the control group (8.6±3.9 mmol/L) (P

Objective: We investigated the causality between modifiable risk factors and the risk of two cerebral small vessel disease phenotypes: small vessel stroke (SVS) and white matter hyperintensity (WMH). Methods: Genetic instruments for multiple risk factors were obtained from previous genome-wide association studies. We applied two-sample Mendelian randomization methods to investigate their causal relationship with SVS and WMH from the MEGASTROKE genome-wide association study and the UK Biobank neuroimaging dataset. Results: Genetic analysis predicted that smoking initiation (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.22-1.57, p=2.31×10-7), systolic blood pressure (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.07, p=1.82×10-7), pulse pressure (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.10, p=2.14×10-4), type 2 diabetes mellitus (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.13-1.27, p=1.08×10-9), and hemoglobin A1c (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.20-1.62, p=1.28×10-5) were associated with an increased risk of SVS; infant head circumference (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.46-0.75, p=1.56×10-5), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.77-0.93, p=3.75×10-4) and folate level (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35-0.71, p=1.36×10-4) were associated with a decreased risk of SVS; and smoking initiation (β 0.13, 95% CI 0.06-0.19, p=7.01×10-5) was associated with a decreased risk of WMH. Suggestive associations were found between glycemic traits, dietary carbohydrates and SVS and between infant head circumference, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), trimethylamine-n-oxide (TMAO) and WMH. Interpretations: Compared with previous MR analyses, our study additionally revealed that infant head circumference is causally associated with SVS and that smoking is causally associated with WMH. Several risk factors are suggestively associated with cerebral small vessel disease. Funding Information: This study was supported by Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (grant numbers D141100000114005). Declaration of Interests: None.