A Multi-Attribute Group Decision Approach Based on Rough Set Theory and Application in Supply Chain Partner Selection

In multi-attribute group decision, decision makers (DMs) are willing or able to provide only incomplete information because of time pressure, lack of knowledge or data, and their limited expertise related with problem domain, so the alternative sets judged by different decision makers are inconsistent in allusion to a certain decision problem, how to form consistent alternative sets becomes a very important problem. There have been a few studies considering incomplete information in group settings, but few papers consider the adjustment of inconsistent alternative sets. We suggest a method, utilizing individual decision results to form consistent alternative sets based on Rough Set theory. The method can be depicted as follows: (1) decision matrix of every decision maker is transformed to decision table through an new discretization algorithm of condition attributes ; (2) we analyze the harmony of decision table of every DM in order to filter some extra alternatives with the result that new alternative sets are formed; (3) if the new alternative sets of different DMs are inconsistent all the same, learning quality of DMs for any inconsistent alternative is a standard of accepting the alternative

Tree seedling growth allocation of Castanopsis kawakamii is determined by seed-relative positions

Plants allocate growth to different organs as a strategy to obtain limiting resources in different environments. Tree seeds that fall from a mother tree settle on, within, or below the forest floor and litter layer, and their relative positions can determine seedling biomass and nutrient allocation and ultimately affect survival to the sapling stage. However, how emerged seedling biomass and nutrients of each organ are affected by seeds in different positions is not yet completely understood in subtropical forests. Therefore, an experiment was conducted with seeds positioned above the litter layers of different thicknesses, on the forest floor, and beneath the litter layer, and the influences of seed position on biomass allocation and nutrient use efficiency of emerged seedlings of Castanopsis kawakamii was examined. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal seed position to promote regeneration. Allocation strategies were well coordinated in the emerged seedlings from different seed positions. Seedlings from seeds positioned above litter layers of different thicknesses (~40 and 80 g of litter) allocated growth to leaf tissue at the expense of root tissue (lower root mass fraction) and increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) accumulation and nutrient use efficiency. Seedlings from seeds positioned beneath a deep litter layer allocated most growth to roots (high root: shoot ratio, root mass fraction) to capture available resources at the expense of leaf growth. Seedlings from seeds positioned on the forest floor allocated most growth to roots to obtain limiting resources. Further, we also found that these traits were clustered into three groups based on trait similarity, and the cumulative interpretation rate was 74.2%. Thus, seed relative positions significantly affected seedling growth by altering the allocation of resources to different organs. The different strategies indicated that root N:P ratios (entropy weight vector was 0.078) and P nutrient use efficiency were essential factors affecting seedling growth in the subtropical forest. Of the seed positions analyzed, beneath a moderate litter layer (~40 g of litter) was the most suitable position for the growth and survival of Castanopsis seedlings. In future studies, field and lab experiments will be combined to reveal the mechanisms underlying forest regeneration

Improving the Efficacy of Conventional Therapy by Adding Andrographolide Sulfonate in the Treatment of Severe Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background. Herb-derived compound andrographolide sulfonate (called Xiyanping injection) recommended control measure for severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) by the Ministry of Health (China) during the 2010 epidemic. However, there is a lack of good quality evidence directly comparing the efficacy of Andrographolide Sulfonate combination therapy with conventional therapy. Methods. 230 patients were randomly assigned to 7–10 days of Andrographolide Sulfonate 5–10 mg/Kg/day and conventional therapy, or conventional therapy alone. Results. The major complications occurred less often after Andrographolide Sulfonate (2.6% versus 12.1%; risk difference [RD], 0.94; 95% CI, 0.28–1.61; P=0.006). Median fever clearance times were 96 hours (CI, 80 to 126) for conventional therapy recipients and 48 hours (CI, 36 to 54) for Andrographolide Sulfonate combination-treated patients (χ2=16.57, P<0.001). The two groups did not differ in terms of HFMD-cause mortality (P=1.00) and duration of hospitalization (P=0.70). There was one death in conventional therapy group. No important adverse event was found in Andrographolide Sulfonate combination therapy group. Conclusions. The addition of Andrographolide Sulfonate to conventional therapy reduced the occurrence of major complications, fever clearance time, and the healing time of typical skin or oral mucosa lesions in children with severe HFMD

Massive nutrients offshore transport off the Changjiang Estuary in flooding summer of 2020

Flood events significantly increase water discharges and terrigenous material inputs to coastal waters. Riverine nutrients in the Changjiang Estuary are transported by the dispersion of Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) plumes and detached low-salinity water patches. However, the effects of flooding on nutrient offshore transports have not been well explored. Here, we present the nutrient conditions in the Changjiang Estuary and adjacent East China Sea in the historical flooding year 2020. Comparisons of nutrient distributions between flooding years, drought year and non-flooding years were also made. Our results showed that nitrate flux from the Changjiang River in August 2020 was 1.5 times that of the multi-year averaged flux in non-flooding years. Enormous riverine nutrient input resulted in much higher nutrient concentrations in the outer estuary than those in non-flooding years. In addition, a detached low-salinity water patch was observed, which made the salinity of the northern estuary even lower than that in the historical flooding year 1998. Surface dissolved inorganic nitrate (DIN) level in the low-salinity water patch was even ~16 times of that at nearby station in the drought year 2006. While phosphate (PO43−) concentrations were less than 0.1 μmol L−1 east of 123°E, which was probably caused by intensive biological uptake, as indicated by a high Chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration (29.08 μg L−1). The depleted PO43− and high N/P of the low-salinity water patch suggested PO43− limitation even under flood conditions. A three end-member mixing model was adopted to identify the contributions of the CDW end-member (CDWend-member) and biological process to nutrient distributions. Our model results showed that the nutrient contribution of the CDWend-member to the estuary (122–124°E, 31–32.5°N) in flooding year 2020 was over double that in drought year 2006. Model-derived biological DIN uptake was as high as 24.65 μmol L−1 at the low-salinity water patch. Accordingly, the estimated net community production was 566–1131 mg C m−2 d−1 within the euphotic zone. The offshore transport of a low-salinity, high-DIN water patch during flooding could probably have a significant influence on biogeochemical cycles in the broad shelf, and even the adjacent Japan Sea

Observational studies of the effects of wind mixing and biological process on the vertical distribution of dissolved oxygen off the Changjiang Estuary

Wind mixing is important in regulating dissolved oxygen (DO) variability; however, the transect response of DO dynamics to wind disturbance has seldom been documented with field data. In the summer of 2017, repeat transect observations off the Changjiang Estuary were conducted throughout a fresh wind (the maximum wind speed was 9.8 m s–1) event to reveal the role of physical mixing and biological activity in DO variations. After the wind event, hypoxia was alleviated presenting as the hypoxia thickness decreased from 30 m to 20 m. However, poorly ventilated near-bottom hypoxia was aggravated with a further decrease in DO. Generally, the saturation of dissolved oxygen (DOs) in depth-integrated water column increased by 9%–49% through physical diffusion with a weakened stratification and enhanced phytoplankton bloom. However, in this case, the wind-induced physical water mass mixing by transporting DO downward had a limited contribution to the water-column DO budget, while upwards nutrients induced by mixing fueled the larger vertical area of algae bloom and subsequent substantial oxygen consumption. As the wind speed increased, the air-sea exchange would be important in supplying DO, especially in nearshore areas, which could effectively offset the DO deficiency. In summary, frequently occurring fresh wind-mixing events off the Changjiang Estuary would alleviate hypoxia in the water column but probably exacerbate hypoxia at the bottom, as determined by competing ventilation and respiration roles. Such complex interactions likely occur and perform differently as wind stress varies. Thus, high-spatial and long-term process observations are required to better understand the net effects of bottom hypoxia evolution

DCs Pulsed with Novel HLA-A2-Restricted CTL Epitopes against Hepatitis C Virus Induced a Broadly Reactive Anti-HCV-Specific T Lymphocyte Response

OBJECTIVE: To determine the capacity of dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with single or multiple-peptide mixtures of novel hepatitis C virus (HCV) epitopes to stimulate HCV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) effector functions. METHODS: A bioinformatics approach was used to predict HLA-A2-restricted HCV-specific CTL epitopes, and the predicted peptides identified from this screen were synthesized. Subsequent IFN-γ ELISPOT analysis detected the stimulating function of these peptides in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from both chronic and self-limited HCV infected subjects (subjects exhibiting spontaneous HCV clearance). Mature DCs, derived in vitro from CD14(+) monocytes harvested from the study subjects by incubation with appropriate cytokine cocktails, were loaded with novel peptide or epitope peptide mixtures and co-cultured with autologous T lymphocytes. Granzyme B (GrB) and IFN-γ ELISPOT analysis was used to test for epitope-specific CTL responses. T-cell-derived cytokines contained in the co-cultured supernatant were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: We identified 7 novel HLA-A2-restricted HCV-specific CTL epitopes that increased the frequency of IFN-γ-producing T cells compared to other epitopes, as assayed by measuring spot forming cells (SFCs). Two epitopes had the strongest stimulating capability in the self-limited subjects, one found in the E2 and one in the NS2 region of HCV; five epitopes had a strong stimulating capacity in both chronic and self-limited HCV infection, but were stronger in the self-limited subjects. They were distributed in E2, NS2, NS3, NS4, and NS5 regions of HCV, respectively. We also found that mDCs loaded with novel peptide mixtures could significantly increase GrB and IFN-γ SFCs as compared to single peptides, especially in chronic HCV infection subjects. Additionally, we found that DCs pulsed with multiple epitope peptide mixtures induced a Th1-biased immune response. CONCLUSIONS: Seven novel and strongly stimulating HLA-A2-restricted HCV-specific CTL epitopes were identified. Furthermore, DCs loaded with multiple-epitope peptide mixtures induced epitope-specific CTLs responses