Outlier identification and group satisfaction of rating experts: density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise based on multi-objective large-scale group decision-making evaluation

Group satisfaction is a trending issue in large-scale group decision- making (LSGDM) but most existing studies maximize the group satisfaction of LSGDM from the perspective of consensus. However, the clustering algorithm in LSGDM also has an impact on group satisfaction. Hence, this paper proposes a density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN)-based LSGDM approach in an intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) environment. The DBSCAN algorithm is used to identify experts with outlier ratings that can reduce the time consumption and iterations of the LSGDM process and maximize the satisfaction of the group decision. An easy-to-use function is then provided to estimate group satisfaction. Finally, a numerical example of data centre supplier evaluation and comparative analysis is constructed to validate the rationality and feasibility of the proposed DBSCAN-based LSGDM approach in an IFS environment. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively identify outliers in expert ratings and improve group satisfaction in the LSGDM process

The utilization of paper-level classification system on the evaluation of journal impact

CAS Journal Ranking, a ranking system of journals based on the bibliometric indicator of citation impact, has been widely used in meso and macro-scale research evaluation in China since its first release in 2004. The ranking's coverage is journals which contained in the Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports (JCR). This paper will mainly introduce the upgraded version of the 2019 CAS journal ranking. Aiming at limitations around the indicator and classification system utilized in earlier editions, also the problem of journals' interdisciplinarity or multidisciplinarity, we will discuss the improvements in the 2019 upgraded version of CAS journal ranking (1) the CWTS paper-level classification system, a more fine-grained system, has been utilized, (2) a new indicator, Field Normalized Citation Success Index (FNCSI), which ia robust against not only extremely highly cited publications, but also the wrongly assigned document type, has been used, and (3) the calculation of the indicator is from a paper-level. In addition, this paper will present a small part of ranking results and an interpretation of the robustness of the new FNCSI indicator. By exploring more sophisticated methods and indicators, like the CWTS paper-level classification system and the new FNCSI indicator, CAS Journal Ranking will continue its original purpose for responsible research evaluation

Ratcheting of 316L stainless steel thin wire under tension-torsion loading

A series of cyclic tension-torsion tests under symmetric shear strain and asymmetric axial stress control in various loading paths are conducted on 100 ?m-diameter 316L steel wires applying a micro tensiontorsion fatigue testing apparatus. The ratcheting strain of the thin wire increases with increasing axial mean stress and decreases in a sequence of linear, rhombic and circular paths. The macro-scale based cyclic plastic constitutive models with kinematic hardening rules of the Ohno-Wang (OW) and the Chen-Jiao-Kim (C-J-K) are evaluated for the thin wire. Comparing with the O-W, the C-J-K predicts more accurately under high axial stress. While the loading path effects on ratcheting for wire specimens are basically simulated, the macro-based models tend to under-estimate the effect of phase difference between axial and torsional loadings and the ratcheting evolution in the initial 50 cycles.&nbsp

Influence of NH 4

The influence of NH4Cl on hydrothermal formation of CaSO4·0.5H2O whiskers from CaSO4·2H2O precursor at 135°C was investigated in this paper. Compared with the blank experiment, the presence of 3 × 10−2 mol·L−1 NH4Cl led to the increase of the lengths of the whiskers from 50 to 160 μm to 150 to 300 μm and the decrease of the diameters from 1.0 to 1.5 μm to 0.2 to 0.5 μm. The dissolution of CaSO4·2H2O was accelerated by the complex interactions with NH4Cl and the soluble cations, which led to the decrease of the induction time for the occurrence of α-CaSO4·0.5H2O from 46 minutes to 34 minutes and the formation of CaSO4·0.5H2O whiskers with high aspect ratios. Furthermore the critical supersaturation for the formation of α-CaSO4·0.5H2O was investigated

Research advances and trends in the surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome from 2003 to 2022: A CiteSpace-based bibliometric analysis

BackgroundCarpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common peripheral neuropathies. The typical symptoms are tingling and numbness in the median nerve distribution of the hand. Current treatment for CTS includes general conservative treatment and surgical treatment. Surgical treatment plays a crucial role in the management of CTS, but little bibliometric analysis has been conducted on it. Therefore, this study aimed to map the literature co-citation network using CiteSpace (6.1 R4) software. Research frontiers and trends were identified by retrieving subject headings with significant changing word frequency trends, which can be used to predict future research advances in the surgical treatment of CTS.MethodsPublications on the surgical treatment of CTS in the Web of Science database were collected between 2003 and 2022. CiteSpace software was applied to visualize and analyze publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords.ResultsA total of 336 articles were collected, with the USA being the major publishing power in all countries/regions. JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY AMERICAN VOLUME was the journal with the most published and co-cited articles. Based on keyword and reference co-citation analysis, keywords such as CTS, surgery, release, median nerve, and diagnosis were the focus of the study.ConclusionThe results of this bibliometric study provide clinical research advances and trends in the surgical treatment of patients with CTS over the past 20 years, which may help researchers to identify hot topics and explore new directions for future research in the field

Factors associated with distant metastasis in pediatric thyroid cancer: evaluation of the SEER database

Objectives: Controversies regarding factors associated with distant metastasis in pediatric thyroid cancer remain among the scientific community. The aim of this study was to investigate factors influencing distant metastasis in pediatric thyroid cancer. Methods: We reviewed 1376 patients (aged 2 to 18 years) with thyroid cancer treated between 2003 and 2014. Data collected and analyzed included sex, race, age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis, pathological type, number of tumor foci, tumor extension, T-stage, N-stage, surgical procedure and radiation. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate factors influencing distant metastasis of pediatric thyroid cancer. Results: In the univariate analysis, factors influencing distant metastasis of thyroid cancer were age at diagnosis (P 0.05). Furthermore, according to chi-squared test, younger pediatric thyroid cancer patients with higher T- and N-stages are more likely to have distant metastasis. Conclusion: Age at diagnosis, T-stage and N-stage influence distant metastasis of thyroid cancer patients aged 2 to 18 years; accordingly, more radical treatments may need to be used for patients with those risk elements

Analysis of cognitive function and its related factors after treatment in Meniere’s disease

A growing body of research recently suggested the association between vestibular dysfunction and cognitive impairment. Meniere’s disease (MD), a common clinical vestibular disorder, is usually accompanied by hearing loss and emotional stress, both of which may mediate the relationship between vestibule dysfunction and cognition. It is currently unknown whether the cognitive decline in MD patients could improve through treatment and how it relates to multiple clinical characteristics, particularly the severity of vertigo. Therefore, in the present study, the MD patients were followed up for 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment, and the cognitive functions, vertigo symptoms, and related physical, functional, and emotional effects of the patients were assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), aiming to explore the change in cognition before and after therapy and the correlation with various clinical features. It was found that cognitive decline in MD patients compared to healthy controls before therapy. Importantly, this cognitive impairment could improve after effective therapy, which was related to the severity of vertigo, especially in functional and physical impacts. Our results support the view that vestibular dysfunction is a potentially modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline

Evaluation of Surgical Effect of Atrial Septal Defect with Tricuspid Regurgitation by Transesophageal 3D Echocardiography Based on MC Image Reconstruction Algorithm

This study was to explore the application and effect of three-dimensional (3D) images of the esophagus in the treatment of atrial septal defect (ASD) combined with tricuspid regurgitation (TR) surgery under the processing of marching cubes (MC) image reconstruction algorithm. The MC image reconstruction algorithm was improved as the optimized MC image reconstruction algorithm. 100 patients who had successfully undergone the ASD combined with TR surgery in the hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 were selected as the research objects and grouped based on size of the defect. The preoperative and postoperative conditions of the patients were analyzed with the MC image reconstruction algorithm. Compared with the traditional MC image algorithm, the optimized MC was advanced with less running time and fewer fixed points (P<0.05). There were significant differences in TR of all ASD patients after the surgery (P<0.05), and the TR of all patients showed obvious declines from the 1st day to 30th day after surgery and gradually stabilized from the 3rd month to the 6th month after surgery. Compared with patients with normal pulmonary artery pressure, the amount of TR in patients with elevated pulmonary artery pressure increased significantly, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). In addition, the improvement of TR after occlusion was correlated with the preoperative ASD of the patient. The optimized MC algorithm had been improved greatly in the number of fixed points and running time. The analysis using the optimized MC algorithm showed that ASD patients generally suffered different degrees of TR, TR increased with the increase of the defect, and good effect could be achieved in surgery of all kinds of ASD patients

Influence of Alkyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromides on Hydrothermal Formation of α-CaSO4·0.5H2O Whiskers with High Aspect Ratios

In this paper, the influence of alkyl trimethyl ammonium bromides (CnH2n+1(CH3)3NBr, n = 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, abbreviated as ATAB) on the formation of alpha calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-CaSO4·0.5H2O) whiskers under a hydrothermal condition (135 °C, 3.0 h) was analyzed. Specifically, it focuses on cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (C16H33(CH3)3NBr, abbreviated as CTAB). The rising CTAB concentration from 0 to 9.2 × 10−4 mol·L−1 led to the increase of the average aspect ratio of α-CaSO4·0.5H2O whiskers from 80 to 430, since the selective adsorption of CTAB on the negatively-charged side facets of the whiskers inhibited the growth of the whiskers along the direction normal to the lateral facets. The further increase of CTAB concentration above the critical micelle concentration (abbreviated as CMC) showed little effect on the morphology of α-CaSO4·0.5H2O whiskers, considering that CTAB tended to form micelles instead of being adsorbed on the whisker surfaces. Similar phenomena were observed in other ATABs (n = 10, 12, 14, 18)