A Fuzzy Bayesian Network Model for Quality Control in O2O e-Commerce

With the popularization of the online to offline (O2O) e-commerce on fresh food products, how to control the quality is becoming increasingly important. To adequately address this problem, this paper presents a fuzzy Bayesian network model for effectively controlling the quality in O2O ecommerce. Reasoning about uncertain events and incomplete data through an intelligent simulation with Bayesian networks provides a convenient and fast method of evaluation and analysis for e-commerce platforms to quickly select fresh food suppliers. Such a model is capable of appropriately modelling the uncertainty inherent in the fresh food product distribution process. It focuses on the identification of the critical factors that affect the food product quality along the supply chain. This leads to the development of a complete selection and evaluation system for the quality in O2O e-commerce. A simulation study is conducted that shows the proposed model is applicable for effectively controlling the quality in O2O e-commerce. Ultimately, the unloading level, warehouse inspection and warehouse monitoring are determined as the entry points for quality control, with corresponding degrees of influence of 44%, 37%, and 34%. The main points to protect the quality of food are introduced, which provides a theoretical basis for solving fresh food safety problems for business platforms

Numerical simulation of hydrodynamics and reaeration over a stepped spillway by the SPH method

Aerated flows are characterized by complex hydrodynamics and mass-transfer processes. As a Lagrangian method, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) has a significant advantage in tracking the air-water interface in turbulent flows. This paper presents the application of an SPH method to investigate hydrodynamics and reaeration over stepped spillways. In the SPH method, the entrainment of dissolved oxygen (DO) is studied using a multiphase mass transfer SPH method for reaeration. The numerical results are compared with the hydrodynamics data from Chanson and DO data from Cheng. The simulation results show that velocity distribution and the location of free-surface aeration inception agree with the experimental results. Compared with the experimental results, the distribution of DO concentration over the stepped spillway is consistent with the measurement results. The study shows that the two-phase DO mass transfer SPH model is reliable and reasonable for simulating the hydrodynamics characteristics and reaeration process

Actuarial Model Assumptions for Australian Inflation, Equity Returns, and Interest Rates

Though actuaries have developed several types of stochastic investment models for inflation, stock market returns, and interest rates, there are two commonly used in practice: autoregressive time series models with normally distributed errors, and autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (ARCH) models. ARCH models are particularly suited when there is heteroscedasticity in inflation and interest rate series. In such cases nonnormal residuals are found in the empirical data. This paper examines whether Australian univariate inflation and interest rate data are consistent with autoregressive time series and ARCH model assumptions

Effect of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with 2-methoxyestradiol on the cell-cycle progression and apoptosis of myelodysplastic syndrome cells

This study aims to evaluate the potential benefit of combination therapy of 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME) and magnetic nanoparticles of Fe3O4 (MNPs-Fe3O4) on myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) SKM-1 cells and its underlying mechanisms. The effect of the unique properties of tetraheptylammonium-capped MNPs-Fe3O4 with 2ME on cytotoxicity was tested by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Cell-cycle distribution and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry. The expression of cell-cycle marker protein was measured by Western blotting. Growth inhibition rate of SKM-1 cells treated with the 2ME-loaded MNPs-Fe3O4 was enhanced when compared with 2ME alone. 2ME led to an increase of caspase-3 expression, followed by apoptosis, which was significantly increased when combined with an MNPs-Fe3O4 carrier. Moreover, the copolymer of 2ME with MNPs- Fe3O4 blocked a nearly two-fold increase in SKM-1 cells located in G2/M phase than in 2ME alone, which may be associated with an accompanying increase of p21 as well as a decrease in cyclin B1 and cdc2 expression, but there was no obvious difference between the MNPs-Fe3O4 and control group. These findings suggest that the unique properties of MNPs-Fe3O4 as a carrier for 2ME, a new anticancer agent currently in clinical trials, may be a logical strategy to enhance the therapeutic activity of MDS

Lithosphere thinning beneath west North China Craton: Evidence from geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions of Jining basalts

This study shows lithosphere evolution history in the west North China Craton (NCC) from the early Cretaceous to Quaternary by studying the major element, trace element and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions in Jining basalts of 119.6-108.6. Ma, 23.5-21.9. Ma and 1.3-0.11. Ma.The early Cretaceous basalts (119.6-108.6Ma) display enriched characteristics with high contents of incompatible elements, high 87Sr/86Sri, low εNd(t) and low εHf(t). These basalts resulted from partial melting of ancient metasomatized lithospheric mantle, and we consider the 119.6-108.6Ma magmatism as indicating lithosphere thinning in the west NCC. Although the Pacific slab seen seismically in the mantle transition zone beneath eastern China is no older than 60Ma, there exists convincing evidence for the presence of the Paleo-Pacific slab in the transition-zone in the Mesozoic. Thus we propose that the water released from the transition-zone slab hydrated the overlying lithosphere and further converted the base of the lithosphere into asthenosphere. This is the most likely mechanism responsible for the lithosphere thinning in the west NCC and the petrogenesis of the Jining 119.6-108.6Ma basalts.The Jining 23.5-21.9Ma basalts also have high contents of incompatible elements, but they display high εNd(t), high εHf(t) and variably low 87Sr/86Sri. We propose that these Miocene basalts were derived from the asthenosphere with contributions from ancient metasomatized lithospheric mantle during melt ascent. The Jining Quaternary basalts (1.3-0.11Ma) represent the melt of upwelling asthenosphere with low 87Sr/86Sri, high εNd(t) and high εHf(t). Upwelling and decompression melting of the eastward flowing asthenosphere from beneath western plateaus to beneath eastern hilly plains in the Cenozoic is the most plausible mechanism for the petrogenesis of Jining Cenozoic basalts (both of 23.5-21.9Ma and 1.3-0.11Ma), but the Jining 1.3-0.11Ma basalts must have been produced beneath even thinner lithosphere.Taken together geophysical studies and our petrological and geochemical studies of all these three episodes of the Jining basalts, we propose that the lithosphere in the west NCC has been thinning since the early Cretaceous and the thinning continues to the present

The Perturbation of Infant Gut Microbiota Caused by Cesarean Delivery Is Partially Restored by Exclusive Breastfeeding

Early establishment of the infant gut microbiome has been attributed to various environmental factors that may influence long-term health. The aim of this study was to determine the single and combined impacts of the delivery mode, feeding pattern and postnatal antibiotic exposure on the initial establishment of infant gut microbiome at 6 weeks postpartum. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a single center in China. Fecal samples were collected from 120 infants at 6 weeks postpartum. The V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene were analyzed by Illumina sequencing, and clinical information was obtained from medical records and questionnaire survey. Compared with vaginally delivered infants, the gut microbial community structure of cesarean delivered infants were significantly different (P = 0.044), in parallel with the decreased relative abundance of Bifidobacterium (P = 0.028), which contrasts with the normal gut microbial establishment. Using the vaginally delivered and exclusively breastfed (VB) infants as a reference, the comparative analysis of cesarean delivered and exclusively breastfed (CB) infants with cesarean delivered and mixed-fed (CM) infants showed that both within- and between-group UniFrac distance were significantly smaller in CB infants (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). LEfSe analysis showed that the relative abundances of Enterococcus, Veillonella, and Faecalibacterium were significantly different between CB and CM infants, whereas the relative abundances of those genera in VB infants were close to those of CB infants, and distinct from those of CM infants. Additionally, no significant difference of microbial composition, alpha diversity, or community structure was observed between postnatal antibiotics exposed infants and unexposed infants. In summary, delivery mode had a significant impact on the infant gut microbial community structure and composition, and the gut microbiota was disturbed in infants delivered by cesarean section. However, our study showed that this disturbance of gut microbiota in cesarean delivered infants was partially restored by exclusive breastfeeding in comparison with mixed feeding. No distinct impact of postnatal antibiotic exposure on infant gut microbiome was found at 6 weeks of age

Comparison of pneumonitis risk between immunotherapy alone and in combination with chemotherapy: an observational, retrospective pharmacovigilance study

Importance: Checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) is a rare but serious adverse event that may impact treatment decisions. However, there is limited information comparing CIP risks between immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy and combination with chemotherapy due to a lack of direct cross-comparison in clinical trials.Objective: To determine whether ICI combination with chemotherapy is superior to ICI in other drug regimens (including monotherapy) in terms of CIP risk.Study Design and Methods: This observational, cross-sectional and worldwide pharmacovigilance cohort study included patients who developed CIP from the World Health Organization database (WHO) VigiBase and the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. Individual case safety reports (ICSR) were extracted from 2015 to 2020 in FAERS and from 1967 to 2020 in VigiBase. Timing and reporting odds ratio (ROR) of CIP in different treatment strategies were used to detect time-to-onset and the risk of pneumonitis after different immunotherapy regimens.Results: A total of 93,623 and 114,704 ICI-associated ICSRs were included in this study from VigiBase and FAERS databases respectively. 3450 (3.69%) and 3278 (2.86%) CIPs occurred after therapy initiation with a median of 62 days (VigiBase) and 40 days (FAERS). Among all the CIPs, 274 (7.9%) and 537 (16.4%) CIPs were associated with combination therapies. ICIs plus chemotherapy combination was associated with pneumonitis in both VigiBase [ROR 1.35, 95% CI 1.18-1.52] and FAERS [ROR 1.39, 95% CI 1.27–1.53]. The combination of anti-PD-1 antibodies and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies with chemotherapy demonstrated an association with pneumonitis in both VigiBase [PD-1+chemotherapy: 1.76, 95% CI 1.52-2.05; CTLA-4+chemotherapy: 2.36, 95% CI 1.67-3.35] and FAERS [PD-1+chemotherapy: 1.70, 95% CI 1.52-1.91; CTLA-4+chemotherapy: 1.70, 95% CI 1.31-2.20]. Anti-PD-L1 antibodies plus chemotherapy combinations did not show the association.Conclusion: Compared to ICI in other drug regimens (including monotherapy), the combination of ICI plus chemotherapy is significantly associated with higher pneumonitis toxicity. Anti-PD-1/CTLA4 medications in combination with chemotherapy should be obviated in patients with potential risk factors for CIP.Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, ChiCTR220005906

Factors affecting HPV infection in U.S. and Beijing females: A modeling study

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an important carcinogenic infection highly prevalent among many populations. However, independent influencing factors and predictive models for HPV infection in both U.S. and Beijing females are rarely confirmed. In this study, our first objective was to explore the overlapping HPV infection-related factors in U.S. and Beijing females. Secondly, we aimed to develop an R package for identifying the top-performing prediction models and build the predictive models for HPV infection using this R package.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used data from the 2009–2016 NHANES (a national population-based study) and the 2019 data on Beijing female union workers from various industries. Prevalence, potential influencing factors, and predictive models for HPV infection in both cohorts were explored.ResultsThere were 2,259 (NHANES cohort, age: 20–59 years) and 1,593 (Beijing female cohort, age: 20–70 years) participants included in analyses. The HPV infection rate of U.S. NHANES and Beijing females were, respectively 45.73 and 8.22%. The number of male sex partners, marital status, and history of HPV infection were the predominant factors that influenced HPV infection in both NHANES and Beijing female cohorts. However, condom application was not an independent influencing factor for HPV infection in both cohorts. R package Modelbest was established. The nomogram developed based on Modelbest package showed better performance than the nomogram which only included significant factors in multivariate regression analysis.ConclusionCollectively, despite the widespread availability of HPV vaccines, HPV infection is still prevalent. Compared with condom promotion, avoidance of multiple sexual partners seems to be more effective for preventing HPV infection. Nomograms developed based on Modelbest can provide improved personalized risk assessment for HPV infection. Our R package Modelbest has potential to be a powerful tool for future predictive model studies

COVID-19 vaccination willingness among people living with HIV in Shijiazhuang, China: a cross-sectional survey

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic imposed an enormous disease and economic burden worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is essential to containing the pandemic. People living with HIV (PLWH) may be more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 outcomes; thus, understanding their vaccination willingness and influencing factors is helpful in developing targeted vaccination strategies.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted between 15 June and 30 August 2022 in Shijiazhuang, China. Variables included socio-demographic characteristics, health status characteristics, HIV-related characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 vaccination status. Multivariable logistic regression was used to confirm factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination willingness among PLWH.ResultsA total of 1,428 PLWH were included, with a 90.48% willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. PLWH were more unwilling to receive COVID-19 vaccination for those who were female or had a fair/poor health status, had an allergic history and comorbidities, were unconvinced and unsure about the effectiveness of vaccines, were unconvinced and unsure about the safety of vaccines, were convinced and unsure about whether COVID-19 vaccination would affect ART efficacy, or did not know at least a type of domestic COVID-19 vaccine. Approximately 93.00% of PLWH have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine among PLWH, and 213 PLWH (14.92%) reported at least one adverse reaction within 7 days.ConclusionIn conclusion, our study reported a relatively high willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccination among PLWH in Shijiazhuang. However, a small number of PLWH still held hesitancy; thus, more tailored policies or guidelines from the government should be performed to enhance the COVID-19 vaccination rate among PLWH

HRS1 Acts as a Negative Regulator of Abscisic Acid Signaling to Promote Timely Germination of Arabidopsis Seeds

In this work, we conducted functional analysis of Arabidopsis HRS1 gene in order to provide new insights into the mechanisms governing seed germination. Compared with wild type (WT) control, HRS1 knockout mutant (hrs1-1) exhibited significant germination delays on either normal medium or those supplemented with abscisic acid (ABA) or sodium chloride (NaCl), with the magnitude of the delay being substantially larger on the latter media. The hypersensitivity of hrs1-1 germination to ABA and NaCl required ABI3, ABI4 and ABI5, and was aggravated in the double mutant hrs1-1abi1-2 and triple mutant hrs1-1hab1-1abi1-2, indicating that HRS1 acts as a negative regulator of ABA signaling during seed germination. Consistent with this notion, HRS1 expression was found in the embryo axis, and was regulated both temporally and spatially, during seed germination. Further analysis showed that the delay of hrs1-1 germination under normal conditions was associated with reduction in the elongation of the cells located in the lower hypocotyl (LH) and transition zone (TZ) of embryo axis. Interestingly, the germination rate of hrs1-1 was more severely reduced by the inhibitor of cell elongation, and more significantly decreased by the suppressors of plasmalemma H+-ATPase activity, than that of WT control. The plasmalemma H+-ATPase activity in the germinating seeds of hrs1-1 was substantially lower than that exhibited by WT control, and fusicoccin, an activator of this pump, corrected the transient germination delay of hrs1-1. Together, our data suggest that HRS1 may be needed for suppressing ABA signaling in germinating embryo axis, which promotes the timely germination of Arabidopsis seeds probably by facilitating the proper function of plasmalemma H+-ATPase and the efficient elongation of LH and TZ cells