The urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio is a reliable indicator for evaluating complications of chronic kidney disease and progression in IgA nephropathy in China

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the correlation between the albumin-to-creatinine ratio in the urine and 24-hour urine proteinuria and whether the ratio can predict chronic kidney disease progression even more reliably than 24-hour proteinuria can, particularly in primary IgA nephropathy. METHODS: A total of 182 patients with primary IgA nephropathy were evaluated. Their mean urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio and 24-hour proteinuria were determined during hospitalization. Blood samples were also analyzed. Follow-up data were recorded for 44 patients. A cross-sectional study was then conducted to test the correlation between these parameters and their associations with chronic kidney disease complications. Subsequently, a canonical correlation analysis was employed to assess the correlation between baseline proteinuria and parameters of the Oxford classification. Finally, a prospective observational study was performed to evaluate the association between proteinuria and clinical outcomes. Our study is registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, and the registration number is ChiCTR-OCH-14005137. RESULTS: A strong correlation (r=0.81,

STUDY ON VIBRATION RESPONSE OF A NON-UNIFORM BEAM WITH NONLINEAR BOUNDARY CONDITION

Forced vibration of non-uniform beam with nonlinear boundary condition is studied in this paper by proposing an iterative model combining Adomian Decomposition Method and modal analysis. An exponentially tapered beam with a hardening nonlinearity spring boundary is simulated as a case study. The model accuracy is proved by comparing iteration results and analysis solutions with linear and weakly nonlinear boundary conditions. Sin-weep nonlinear frequency spectrum is then obtained by the proposed model. The influence of boundary nonlinearity on the vibration response of non-uniform beam is analyzed. And the effect of different excitation amplitudes on nonlinearity in the vibration response is studied. The mathematical model and numerical solutions proposed in this paper can be used to solve and analysis broad vibration problems on general non-uniform beams with different nonlinear boundary conditionsunder various excitations

mmeta: An R Package for Multivariate Meta-Analysis

This paper describes the core features of the R package mmeta, which implements the exact posterior inference of odds ratio, relative risk, and risk difference given either a single 2 x 2 table or multiple 2 x 2 tables when the risks within the same study are independent or correlated

An mechatronics coupling design approach for aerostatic bearing spindles

In this paper, a new design approach for aerostatic bearing spindles (ABS) is firstly proposed which takes into account of the interactions between the mechanical and the servo subsystems, including the integration of electromagnetic effects, static pressure characteristics, servo control and mechanical characteristics. According to the air bearing design principle, the geometry of the spindle rotor is designed. The fluid software is used to analyze the influence of the bearing capacity and stiffness on the stability of the spindle. The simulation shows when the air film thickness is 12 μm, the bearing has good load carrying capacity and rigidity. In addition, the influence of motor harmonics on the spindle shaft modes is considered to avoid the resonance of ABS, and to ensure ABS anti-interference capability, proper inertia of ABS is calculated and analyzed. Finally, ABS has a good follow-up effect on the servo control and machining performance through the experimental prototype. The electromechanical coupling design approach for ABS proposed in this paper, can achieve a peak value better than 0.8 μm (surface size: 9 mm × 9 mm) and a surface roughness better than 8 nm in end face turning experiments