A Deficiency Problem of the Least Squares Finite Element Method for Solving Radiative Transfer in Strongly Inhomogeneous Media

The accuracy and stability of the least squares finite element method (LSFEM) and the Galerkin finite element method (GFEM) for solving radiative transfer in homogeneous and inhomogeneous media are studied theoretically via a frequency domain technique. The theoretical result confirms the traditional understanding of the superior stability of the LSFEM as compared to the GFEM. However, it is demonstrated numerically and proved theoretically that the LSFEM will suffer a deficiency problem for solving radiative transfer in media with strong inhomogeneity. This deficiency problem of the LSFEM will cause a severe accuracy degradation, which compromises too much of the performance of the LSFEM and makes it not a good choice to solve radiative transfer in strongly inhomogeneous media. It is also theoretically proved that the LSFEM is equivalent to a second order form of radiative transfer equation discretized by the central difference scheme

Effect of dietary organic zinc sources on growth performance, incidence of diarrhoea, serum and tissue zinc concentrations, and intestinal morphology in growing rabbits

[EN] This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary organic zinc (Zn) sources on growth performance, the incidence of diarrhoea, serum and tissue Zn concentration, and intestinal morphology in growing rabbits. A total of 120 New Zealand White rabbits aged 35 d and with an initial body weight of 755±15 g, were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups for a 49 d feeding trial. Dietary treatments were designed with different Zn supplements as follows: (1) Control group: 80 mg/kg Zn as ZnSO4; (2) ZnLA group: 80 mg/kg Zn as Zn lactate; (3) ZnMet group: 80 mg/kg Zn as Zn methionine; (4) ZnGly group: 80 mg/kg Zn as Zn glycine. The results showed that, when compared with rabbits fed ZnSO4, supplementation with ZnLA improved (P4. Supplementing with ZnLA increased duodenum villi height (681.63 vs. 587.14 μm, P4, except that feeding ZnMet led to higher (P4. The results indicated that supplementation with 80 mg/kg Zn as ZnLA could improve growth performance, increase liver Zn concentration and enhance duodenum morphology, while reducing the incidence of diarrhoea in growing rabbits.Yan, J.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, C.; Tang, L.; Kuang, S. (2017). Effect of dietary organic zinc sources on growth performance, incidence of diarrhoea, serum and tissue zinc concentrations, and intestinal morphology in growing rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 25(1):43-49. doi:10.4995/wrs.2017.5770.SWORD434925

Analysis of Minor Component Segregation in Ternary Powder Mixtures

In many powder handling operations, inhomogeneity in powder mixtures caused by segregation could have significant adverse impact on the quality as well as economics of the production. Segregation of a minor component of a highly active substance could have serious deleterious effects, an example is the segregation of enzyme granules in detergent powders. In this study, the effects of particle properties and bulk cohesion on the segregation tendency of minor component are analysed. The minor component is made sticky while not adversely affecting the flowability of samples. The segregation extent is evaluated using image processing of the photographic records taken from the front face of the heap after the pouring process. The optimum average sieve cut size of components for which segregation could be reduced is reported. It is also shown that the extent of segregation is significantly reduced by applying a thin layer of liquid to the surfaces of minor component, promoting an ordered mixture

Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors and risk of inflammatory bowel disease among patients with type 2 diabetes: A metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials

A recent retrospective cohort study found that new use of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i) of 1.6 years was associated with an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) compared with other antidiabetes medications (hazard ratio 1.75 (95% CI 1.22, 2.49). We previously demonstrated a weak association in an analysis of 86 prevalent and incident cases of IBD among DPP4i users using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Adverse Event Reporting System. In contrast, a cohort study suggested DPP4i initiation reduces risk of autoimmune diseases including IBD. Because the link between DPP4i and IBD remains uncertain, we performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate this potential association among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D)

Use of capsule endoscopy in the emergency department as a triage of patients with GI bleeding

Background and Aims: Upper GI bleeding (UGIB) still constitutes one of the major hospital admissions through emergency departments (EDs). This feasibility study aims to test whether capsule endoscopy (CE) can reduce unnecessary hospital admissions in patients with suspected UGIB. Methods: This was a prospective randomized controlled trial in which patients who presented with symptoms or signs suggestive of UGIB were randomized to receive either the standard treatment (ST) of hospital management or receive CE, after which hospital admission was determined by the findings of CE. Patients were also graded by Glasgow Blatchford score (GBS) at the ED for assessment of need of hospital admission. Results: Seventy-one patients fulfilled the recruitment criteria, with 37 subjects enrolled into the CE group and 34 subjects into the ST group. Seven CE patients with active bleeding or significant endoscopic findings were admitted to the hospital compared with the ST group in which all 34 patients were admitted. There was no difference in the clinical outcome in terms of recurrent bleeding and 30-day mortality. Hospital admission was also greatly reduced if CE instead of GBS was used to triage patients in the ED. Conclusions: This feasibility study shows that CE offers a safe and effective method in triaging patients presenting with symptoms of UGIB that do not require hospital admission. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02446678.

Assessing the association between dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor use and inflammatory bowel disease through drug adverse event reporting

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is an autoimmune digestive system disease. A recent cohort study using the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) involving 7,231 dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor (DPP4i) users with 49 IBD cases indicated that new use of DPP4is over a median duration of 1.6 years was associated with IBD risk in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with other noninsulin antihyperglycemic drugs (hazard ratio 1.75, 95% CI 1.22, 2.49). Current evidence regarding the effect of DPP4is on IBD risk is very limited. We thus performed a disproportionality analysis using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database, which contains all adverse events spontaneously reported to the Food and Drug Administration since 2004