Penalized Maximum Likelihood Method to a Class of Skewness Data Analysis

An extension of some standard likelihood and variable selection criteria based on procedures of linear regression models under the skew-normal distribution or the skew-t distribution is developed. This novel class of models provides a useful generalization of symmetrical linear regression models, since the random term distributions cover both symmetric as well as asymmetric and heavy-tailed distributions. A generalized expectation-maximization algorithm is developed for computing the l1 penalized estimator. Efficacy of the proposed methodology and algorithm is demonstrated by simulated data

Is hepatic resection always a better choice than radiofrequency ablation for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma regardless of age and tumor size?

In this study, we aimed to compare survival outcomes after receiving radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and hepatic resection (HR) for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with stratification by tumor size and age. A retrospective cohort was obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2004 to 2015. Patients were grouped by tumor size (0-2, 2-5, and > 5 cm) and age (>65 and ≤65). Overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were assessed. For patients >65 with tumors measuring 0-2 and 2-5 cm, the HR group had better OS and DSS compared with the RFA group. For patients >65 with tumors > 5 cm, OS and DSS did not differ significantly between the RFA and HR groups (p = 0.262 and p = 0.129, respectively). For patients ≤65, the HR group had better OS and DSS compared with the RFA group regardless of tumor size. For patients with resectable solitary HCC, regardless of age, HR is the better choice not only for tumors ≤ 2 cm, but also for tumors 2-5 cm. For resectable solitary HCC with tumors ＞5 cm, HR is the better choice for patients ≤65 but for patients >65, the issue of treatment choice needs to be further studied

Real‐Time Monitoring of Wound States via Rationally Engineered Biosensors

Abstract Current strategies for real‐time wound monitoring have limited applicability and therapeutic efficiency due to the reliance on clinician experience and time‐consuming laboratory analysis requirements. In this article, an educational review is provided on the accumulated knowledge of wound healing, such as the characterization of acute and chronic wounds, the four main stages of wound healing, and the factors that influence wound healing. The current state‐of‐the‐art wound state sensing methods are presented and reviewed, with particular attention paid to the real‐time monitoring of pH, biofilms, electrophysiological signals, temperature, and reactive oxygen species. It is expected that the presentation of this evolving field will contribute to deepen the existing understanding of wounds and steer wound treatment toward real‐time precision to drive further and faster development of clinically valuable technologies

Likelihood Inference of Nonlinear Models Based on a Class of Flexible Skewed Distributions

This paper deals with the issue of the likelihood inference for nonlinear models with a flexible skew-t-normal (FSTN) distribution, which is proposed within a general framework of flexible skew-symmetric (FSS) distributions by combining with skew-t-normal (STN) distribution. In comparison with the common skewed distributions such as skew normal (SN), and skew-t (ST) as well as scale mixtures of skew normal (SMSN), the FSTN distribution can accommodate more flexibility and robustness in the presence of skewed, heavy-tailed, especially multimodal outcomes. However, for this distribution, a usual approach of maximum likelihood estimates based on EM algorithm becomes unavailable and an alternative way is to return to the original Newton-Raphson type method. In order to improve the estimation as well as the way for confidence estimation and hypothesis test for the parameters of interest, a modified Newton-Raphson iterative algorithm is presented in this paper, based on profile likelihood for nonlinear regression models with FSTN distribution, and, then, the confidence interval and hypothesis test are also developed. Furthermore, a real example and simulation are conducted to demonstrate the usefulness and the superiority of our approach

Visual experimental study on development of mud film in slurry shield excavation face based on transparent soil technology

In order to solve the problems of grouting diffusion and invisible formation process in shield slurry film forming test, transparent soil and transparent slurry were introduced to carry out shield mud film test based on shield grouting model. Using laser imaging combined with CCD camera (high-speed industrial camera) rapid capture photography technology, through a series of visible physical model tests of slurry diffusion and mud film development under different working conditions, the temporal and spatial conditions of slurry diffusion were observed and recorded in real time to explore the slurry diffusion law and the formation mechanism of mud film in slurry shield excavation face.The phenomenon shows that the smaller the grouting pressure is, the more favorable the formation of mud film is.The mud penetration distance is generally proportional to the grouting pressure.The infiltration distance of the grout increases with time, and the infiltration distance of the grout is similar at each moment under the same grouting pressure. The leachate volume and time show a quadratic function roughly under the same density and mud pressure, and the increase rate of the leachate volume begins to slow down with time

Prospect of naturally derived polysaccharides in intervention in neurodevelopmental disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are chronic developmental brain disorders that can affect cognition, motor, social adaptation, behavior and so on due to multiple genetic or acquired causes. Natural polysaccharides are synthesized by living organisms, located in the cell wall, inside and between cells, and outside the cells, and are essential components of life activities. Previous studies have found that natural polysaccharides play an important role in neurological diseases, which mainly ameliorate the behavioral abnormalities and clinical symptoms caused by anti-oxidative stress, anti-neuronal apoptosis, anti-neuroinflammation, anti-excitatory amino acid toxicity, and regulation of the brain-gut axis. This review summarizes the intervention role of 17 bioactive polysaccharides from plants and fungi in neurological diseases, aiming to provide new ideas for the research and treatment of NDDs

Development of a sandwich ELISA and immunochromatographic strip for the detection of shrimp tropomyosin

Shrimp tropomyosin is one of the most important causes of shellfish allergy. The objective of this study was to develop a highly sensitive and specific immunoassay for the detection of shrimp tropomyosin in food. Ten monoclonal antibodies against shrimp tropomyosin were obtained by fusion and cell screening. We found two optimum monoclonal antibodies (mAbs); mAb 2 was used as the capture antibody, and HRP-labelled mAb 3 was used as the detection antibody. Using this pair of mAbs, a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.45 ng/mL. Cross-reactivity with other food allergens using this method was found to be negligible. An immunochromatographic assay strip was also developed for the rapid detection of shrimp tropomyosin with the LOD of 0.5 ng/mL. The results demonstrated that our developmental methods represent a useful tool for the detection of shrimp tropomyosin in food

Optimization Drift Support Design Based on Engineering Geological and Geotechnical Analysis in Deep Hard-Rock Mine: A Case Study

Geotechnical issues due to inappropriate support designs of underground drift will affect mining developments and production. The aim of this study was to provide a systematic support design method for deep hard-rock drifts in China. Field investigations and laboratory studies were carried out on the engineering geological properties of the rock masses along drifts in the Sanshandao Gold Mine. Potential wedge analysis and safety factors were determined using Unwedge software. The rock mass properties and support requirements were analyzed accordingly using different rock mass classification systems; then, an updated combined support system including rock bolts, wire mesh, and shotcrete was proposed. Numerical methods were used to quantify the plastic zone and principal stress of the drift, the plastic zone was reduced, and the rock stress state was improved after installing the support systems. Field monitoring data also confirmed that the updated support system prevented excessive rock mass deformation in drift. This study provides a reliable method for deep hard-rock drift support at Sanshandao Gold Mine and will also be helpful for the optimization of subsequent support

Transcriptome profiling of Bergenia purpurascens under cold stress

Abstract Bergenia purpurascens is an important medicinal, edible and ornamental plant. It generally grows in high-altitude areas with complex climates. There have been no reports about how B. purpurascens survives under cold stress. Here, the B. purpurascens under low temperature were subjected to transcriptomics analysis to explore the candidate genes and pathways that involved in the cold tolerance of B. purpurascens. Compared with the control treatment, we found 9,600 up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 7,055 down-regulated DEGs. A significant number of DEGs were involved in the Ca2+ signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, plant hormone signaling pathway, and lipid metabolism. A total of 400 transcription factors were found to respond to cold stress, most of which belonged to the MYB and AP2/ERF families. Five novel genes were found to be potential candidate genes involved in the cold tolerance of B. purpurascens. The study provide insights into further investigation of the molecular mechanism of how B. purpurascens survives under cold stress