Sensitivity analysis on generalized fuzzy relation equations

[[abstract]]Concerns a fuzzy relation equation xoA=b where x and b are input and output vectors and A is a state matrix with max-min operator `o'. The authors extend their previous work by relaxing the condition that the elements in vector b are strictly distinct and allowing the same values of membership to exist in b. They propose a solution procedure from the defined quasi-characteristic matrix that not only determines the solution set but also defines the types of solution set before the solution set is determined. Therefore, it provides an insight into the structure of fuzzy relation equations. Also by means of the quasi-characteristic matrix, the authors perform a sensitivity analysis on A to determine the set of state-matrices which has the same solution set with respect to the given output-vector[[fileno]]2020402030003[[department]]工工

Sustainabilitas Arsitektur Masjid: Evaluasi Konsep “Simple Architecture” sebagai Implementasi Desain Arsitektur Berkelanjutan suatu Kawasan

Makalah ini membahas aspek-aspek “kesederhanaan” (simplicity) sebagai konsep desain bangunan masjid secara berkelanjutan (sustainable) sesuai konteks dengan mengambil studi kasus masjid kawasan Al-Irsyad Satya Kota Baru Parahyangan, Bandung. Masjid sebagai subyek arsitektur dan pusat ibadah menjadi ruang publik yang didesain dari elemen-elemen yang secara ideal mengandung nilai-nilai Islam dan bertujuan mendukung fungsinya. Desain masjid berkonsep simple atau “sederhana” digunakan sebagai alternatif kontemporer untuk mengoptimalisasi fungsi tersebut, meliputi struktur bangunan hingga biaya pemeliharaan (maintenance) sesuai prinsip keberlanjutan. Keterkaitan erat bangunan masjid dengan aktivitas masyarakat berpotensi melibatkan partisipasi masyarakat dan pengelola dalam menerapkan program sustainabilitas sesuai konteks lingkungannya. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini berbasis pendekatan Grounded Theory secara kualitatif melalui pengumpulan data dari kegiatan observasi, interview dan analisis program keberlanjutan kawasan. Penelitian menemukan keterkaitan konsep “sederhana” yang mendukung sustainabilitas desain sekaligus menggarisbawahi evaluasi konsep desain “sederhana” yang hadir serta faktor pemeliharaan/pengembangan masjid dan kawasan

Comparison of single-incision mini-slings (Ajust) and standard transobturator midurethral slings (Align) in the management of female stress urinary incontinence: A 1-year follow-up

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness and safety of a new single-incision mini-sling (SIMS)—Ajust—compared with the standard transobturator midurethral sling (SMUS)—Align—for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).Materials and MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 1, 2010 and August 31, 2012. Women with SUI who underwent either SMUS-Align or SIMS-Ajust were recruited. The primary outcomes included operation time, estimated operative blood loss, postoperative pain, and complications. The secondary outcomes included subjective and objective success, defined as an International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ) score of 0 or improvement as felt by the patient and a long-term complication, such as dyspareunia and mesh erosion after 6 months and 12 months of follow-up.ResultsA total of 136 patients were enrolled, including 76 receiving SMUS-Align and 60 receiving SIMS-Ajust. Baseline characteristics of the patients in both groups were similar, without a statistically significant difference. Primary outcomes between both groups were similar, except that women treated with SIMS-Ajust had statistically significantly shorter operation time (p = 0.003), less intent to treat (p < 0.05), and earlier postoperative discharge (p = 0.001) than women treated with SMUS-Align. Secondary outcomes were similar without a significant difference between the two groups (93% vs. 88% success rate in each group).ConclusionOur results showed that SIMS-Ajust was not inferior to SMUS-Align with respect to success rate, and might have a slight advantage in early discharge. A long-term follow-up or prospective study is needed to confirm the above findings

Beneficial Effect of Consecutive Screening Mammography Examinations on Mortality from Breast Cancer: A Prospective Study

BackgroundPreviously, the risk of death from breast cancer was analyzed for women participating versus those not participating in the last screening examination before breast cancer diagnosis. Consecutive attendance patterns may further refine estimates.PurposeTo estimate the effect of participation in successive mammographic screening examinations on breast cancer mortality.Materials and MethodsParticipation data for Swedish women eligible for screening mammography in nine counties from 1992 to 2016 were linked with data from registries and regional cancer centers for breast cancer diagnosis, cause, and date of death (Uppsala University ethics committee registration number: 2017/147). Incidence-based breast cancer mortality was calculated by whether the women had participated in the most recent screening examination prior to diagnosis only (intermittent participants), the penultimate screening examination only (lapsed participants), both examinations (serial participants), or neither examination (serial nonparticipants). Rates were analyzed with Poisson regression. We also analyzed incidence of breast cancers proving fatal within 10 years.ResultsData were available for a total average population of 549 091 women (average age, 58.9 years ± 6.7 [standard deviation]). The numbers of participants in the four groups were as follows: serial participants, 392 135; intermittent participants, 41 746; lapsed participants, 30 945; and serial nonparticipants, 84 265. Serial participants had a 49% lower risk of breast cancer mortality (relative risk [RR], 0.51; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.55; P P ConclusionWomen participating in the last two breast cancer screening examinations prior to breast cancer diagnosis had the largest reduction in breast cancer death. Missing either one of the last two examinations conferred a significantly higher risk.Published under a CC BY 4.0 license.</p

Women with endometriosis have higher comorbidities: Analysis of domestic data in Taiwan

AbstractEndometriosis, defined by the presence of viable extrauterine endometrial glands and stroma, can grow or bleed cyclically, and possesses characteristics including a destructive, invasive, and metastatic nature. Since endometriosis may result in pelvic inflammation, adhesion, chronic pain, and infertility, and can progress to biologically malignant tumors, it is a long-term major health issue in women of reproductive age. In this review, we analyze the Taiwan domestic research addressing associations between endometriosis and other diseases. Concerning malignant tumors, we identified four studies on the links between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, one on breast cancer, two on endometrial cancer, one on colorectal cancer, and one on other malignancies, as well as one on associations between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, one on links with migraine headache, three on links with pelvic inflammatory diseases, four on links with infertility, four on links with obesity, four on links with chronic liver disease, four on links with rheumatoid arthritis, four on links with chronic renal disease, five on links with diabetes mellitus, and five on links with cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.). The data available to date support that women with endometriosis might be at risk of some chronic illnesses and certain malignancies, although we consider the evidence for some comorbidities to be of low quality, for example, the association between colon cancer and adenomyosis/endometriosis. We still believe that the risk of comorbidity might be higher in women with endometriosis than that we supposed before. More research is needed to determine whether women with endometriosis are really at risk of these comorbidities

實徵研究／虛擬參考服務評鑑指標的三個面向／吳美美、魏曉婷、許鴻晢

The purpose of reference service evaluation is to understand whether the reference service, including reference processes and reference results, have met the need of patron's reference need to improve and to enhance the quality of reference services. In the virtual reference service environment, service quality relies not only on the resources, and the online interactive interviews, but also the system and technology needed for virtual reference environment. The purpose of this study is to identify the proper reference evaluation indicators for virtual reference service. This study first constructs a virtual reference service environment. A virtual reference room includes features of voice chat, text communication, and co-browsing web pages. Nine volunteer librarians and thirty patrons with genuine reference questions are recruited for the study to simulate the real online reference situation. By analyzing the different features of traditional and virtual reference services, three dimensions of evaluation indicators are proposed, including: (a) traditional resource-oriented, for example, the accuracy and immediacy of answers; (b) need-oriented, that is, through the interview process, the librarians are aware of the problems of the patrons, and the patrons understand the instructions of the librarians, and whether the interaction process satisfied, and (c) the online virtual reference service system per se, particularly, the ease of use of the system interface. Pre- and postquestionnaires for the patron are designed. The volunteer librarians are requested to take journals for each reference interview. This paper analyzes the patrons' pre- and post- questionnaires as well as librarians’ journals. The evaluation results are reported. The framework of three dimensions of virtual reference evaluation indicators are discussed accordingly. 參考服務評鑑的目的，在於了解參考服務過程和服務結果，是否達到讀者的期望，進一步了解參考服務的狀況，以提升參考服務的品質。在虛擬參考服務的環境中，參考服務的品質除了受到參考資源、館員和讀者晤談互動的影響之外，資訊傳播科技和系統設備的選擇和應用，也是影響虛擬參考服務品質的重要因素。本研究的主要目的在於了解虛擬參考服務應有哪些合適的評鑑指標。本研究從文獻探討中，分析傳統和虛擬參考服務的特質，提出三個評鑑面向，包括：（1）傳統資源導向，例如回答是否正確、即時；（2）資訊需求的問題導向，例如晤談過程中，館員是否了解讀者的問題，讀者是否了解館員的說明，對晤談過程的滿意度等，以及（3）同步線上參考服務的系統因素，包括系統介面是否好用等。由於國內同步線上參考服務的系統尚未普遍，本研究首先參酌國外虛擬參考服務系統需求，建構一個虛擬參考服務的環境，虛擬參考室的功能包括語音交談、文字溝通、以及共同瀏覽網頁等。本研究設計線上線上讀者前問卷、線上線上讀者後問卷、志願館員日誌，並招募9 位志願館員和30 位志願讀者，進行虛擬參考晤談，並於參考晤談後，實施虛擬參考服務評鑑，收集讀者前、後問卷和志願館員日誌，並加以分析，以期了解研究工具是否能夠反映虛擬參考服務評鑑的三個評鑑面向，同時，虛擬參考服務評鑑的實施方法是否可行。本文描述線上讀者前、後問卷和志願館員日誌的設計，以及評鑑資料收集和分析的結果，並討論此項評鑑工具之特色，作為未來虛擬參考服務評鑑實施之參考。 頁次：71-9

Different Involvement of Band 3 in Red Cell Deformability and Osmotic Fragility&mdash;A Comparative GP.Mur Erythrocyte Study

GP.Mur is a clinically important red blood cell (RBC) phenotype in Southeast Asia. The molecular entity of GP.Mur is glycophorin B-A-B hybrid protein that promotes band 3 expression and band 3&ndash;AQP1 interaction, and alters the organization of band 3 complexes with Rh/RhAG complexes. GP.Mur+ RBCs are more resistant to osmotic stress. To explore whether GP.Mur+ RBCs could be structurally more resilient, we compared deformability and osmotic fragility of fresh RBCs from 145 adults without major illness (47% GP.Mur). We also evaluated potential impacts of cellular and lipid factors on RBC deformability and osmotic resistivity. Contrary to our anticipation, these two physical properties were independent from each other based on multivariate regression analyses. GP.Mur+ RBCs were less deformable than non-GP.Mur RBCs. We also unexpectedly found 25% microcytosis in GP.Mur+ female subjects (10/40). Both microcytosis and membrane cholesterol reduced deformability, but the latter was only observed in non-GP.Mur and not GP.Mur+ normocytes. The osmotic fragility of erythrocytes was not affected by microcytosis; instead, larger mean corpuscular volume (MCV) increased the chances of hypotonic burst. From comparison with GP.Mur+ RBCs, higher band 3 expression strengthened the structure of RBC membrane and submembranous cytoskeletal networks and thereby reduced cell deformability; stronger band 3&ndash;AQP1 interaction additionally supported osmotic resistance. Thus, red cell deformability and osmotic resistivity involve distinct structural&ndash;functional roles of band 3

Cultivation and Biorefinery of Microalgae (<i>Chlorella</i> sp.) for Producing Biofuels and Other Byproducts: A Review

Microalgae-based carbon dioxide (CO2) biofixation and biorefinery are the most efficient methods of biological CO2 reduction and reutilization. The diversification and high-value byproducts of microalgal biomass, known as microalgae-based biorefinery, are considered the most promising platforms for the sustainable development of energy and the environment, in addition to the improvement and integration of microalgal cultivation, scale-up, harvest, and extraction technologies. In this review, the factors influencing CO2 biofixation by microalgae, including microalgal strains, flue gas, wastewater, light, pH, temperature, and microalgae cultivation systems are summarized. Moreover, the biorefinery of Chlorella biomass for producing biofuels and its byproducts, such as fine chemicals, feed additives, and high-value products, are also discussed. The technical and economic assessments (TEAs) and life cycle assessments (LCAs) are introduced to evaluate the sustainability of microalgae CO2 fixation technology. This review provides detailed insights on the adjusted factors of microalgal cultivation to establish sustainable biological CO2 fixation technology, and the diversified applications of microalgal biomass in biorefinery. The economic and environmental sustainability, and the limitations and needs of microalgal CO2 fixation, are discussed. Finally, future research directions are provided for CO2 reduction by microalgae

Chronic Kidney Disease: Interaction of Adiponectin Gene Polymorphisms and Diabetes

Adiponectin is an adipokine multipeptide hormone with insulin-sensitizing; anti-atherosclerotic; and anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be associated with low adiponectin. The adiponectin gene ADIPOQ is thought to be the only major gene responsible for plasma adiponectin levels; which are associated with diabetes and diabetic nephropathy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between ADIPOQ polymorphism and CKD. In addition; the combined effects of ADIPOQ polymorphism and diabetes and levels of total urinary arsenic and blood cadmium on CKD were also explored. This study included 215 CKD patients and 423 age–sex matched controls. The ADIPOQ polymorphisms were determined using the Agena Bioscience Mass ARRAY System. The levels of blood cadmium and urinary arsenic species were measured. The ADIPOQ rs182052 GA/AA genotype had a marginally lower odds ratio (OR) for CKD than the GG genotype. The OR (95% confidence interval; CI) was 16.33 (5.72–46.66) of CKD in subjects carrying the ADIPOQ rs182052 GG genotype and diabetes compared to non-diabetes subjects carrying the ADIPOQ rs182052 GA/AA genotype; the interaction term had p = 0.015; and the synergy index was 6.64 (1.81–24.36) after multivariate adjustment. A significant interaction of diabetes and ADIPOQ rs1501299 risk genotype increased the OR of CKD after multivariate adjustment with a synergy index of 0.31 (0.11–0.86) and a multiplicative interaction with p = 0.001. These results suggest that ADIPOQ rs182052 and rs1501299 risk genotypes may significantly modify the association between diabetes and CKD but not the association between total urinary arsenic and blood cadmium and CKD