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Background: This study evaluated the feasibility, complications, graft survival rate, and clinical outcomes of joint-preserving resection using a custom-made endoprosthesis and liquid nitrogen-inactivated autologous bone graft reconstruction in patients with malignant bone tumors around the knee joint. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 23 consecutive patients who underwent joint preservation surgery between 2008 and 2018 at our center. The study cohort included 13 patients who underwent custom-made endoprosthesis reconstruction and 10 who underwent liquid nitrogen-inactivated autologous bone graft reconstruction. The resected bone length, distance between the resection line and the joint, intraoperative blood loss, operation time, complications, and MSTS were compared between the two groups. Results: The median follow-up time was 68.5 months in the endoprosthesis group and 65.3 months in the inactivated autograft group. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics, resected bone length, distance between the resection line and the joint, or intraoperative blood loss between the two groups. The operative time was longer in the inactivated bone graft group than in the endoprosthesis group (p < 0.001). The endoprosthesis group had more complications (six patients) and reoperations due to complications (five) than the inactivated autograft group (one), but there was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups (p = 0.158). The inactivated autograft group had one patient with type 1b complications, while the endoprosthesis group had one with type 1b complications, one with type 2b complications, and one with type 4a complications. One patient in the endoprosthesis group with type 5a complications experienced two soft tissue recurrences. The overall 5-year survival rate was 86.5% and the graft survival and final limb salvage rates were 100% in both groups. After the follow-up period, the mean MSTS scores were 91% ± 7% in the endoprosthesis group and 94% ± 6% in the inactivated autograft group, with no significant difference (p = 0.280). Conclusion: Joint-preserving resection is a reliable and effective tumor resection method that can achieve good postoperative function. There were no significant differences in the incidence of complications, overall survival rate, or graft survival rate between the two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intuitionistic fuzzy Best Worst method (IFBWM) is an effective method to deal with multi-criteria decision making problems via intuitionistic fuzzy reference comparisons of experts, which has attracted increasing attention from different decision fields. However, there are drawbacks in the existing IFBWMs, which can result in unreasoning and incorrect ranking order of criteria or alternatives. To overcome the existing drawbacks of the IFBWMs, we propose a new IFBWM considering the multiplicative consistency of intuitionistic fuzzy reference comparisons. First, combining the multiplicative consistent intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation with the fully multiplicative consistency of the intuitionistic fuzzy reference comparisons, we build the mathematical programming model for obtaining the normalized intuitionistic fuzzy weight vector. Then, we define the concept of the consistency ratio for evaluating the multiplicative consistency of intuitionistic fuzzy reference comparisons. Afterwards, an algorithm for repairing the inconsistency of intuitionistic fuzzy reference comparisons is developed, which only adjust the preference degree of the best criterion over the worst criterion. Subsequently we propose a new IFBWM with the multiplicative consistency. Furthermore, we apply the proposed method to Advanced Mathematics textbooks selection. The computational results show that the consistency ratio is 0.0091, implying the intuitionistic fuzzy reference comparisons are acceptable, and the ranking order of the alternatives C 1 ≻ C 2 ≻ C 4 ≻ C 3 is consistent with the initial judgment of experts and the actual usage of Advanced Mathematics textbooks in universities of China. The computational results of the practical example through the other methods reveal that there are some troubles in the consistency ratio, the weights of alternatives or the ranking order of the alternative. Therefore, the results suggest that the proposed method may have significant effects on the theoretical development and practical application of IFBWM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Giant cell tumor of the bone (GCTB) is associated with considerable morbidity. As GCTB epidemiological data for China are limited, this study is aimed at describing the disease characteristics of GCTB in China and establishing the historical context for its treatment before recent advances in treatment options. Methods. The disease characteristics, treatment patterns, and local GCTB recurrence rate after primary surgery for GCTB were evaluated in this single-center, retrospective, noninterventional, observational study of patients treated for GCTB at Ji Shui Tan Hospital, Beijing, from 2009 to 2016 based on medical chart review. Patients with unmet need were defined as those whose surgical treatment was difficult or who had to undergo high-morbidity surgery. Results. Among the 668 patients with a primary GCTB diagnosis, 578 (86.5%) of target lesions were in the extremities, and 89 (13.3%) were in the pelvic or axial bone. Of these, 173 (25.9%) were characterized as having an unmet need. Almost all GCTB patients received surgical treatment at both primary diagnosis (666/668 (99.7%)) and last disease recurrence (196/200 (98.0%)). Additionally, about one-third of patients received nonsurgical treatment at primary diagnosis (205/668 (30.7%)) and disease recurrence (67/200 (33.5%)), with neoadjuvant therapy being the most common treatment. The rate of high-morbidity surgery increased for recurrent disease (65/200 (32.5%)) compared with primary diagnosis (111/668 (16.6%)). The 2-year cumulative incidence of postoperative disease recurrence was 29.2%, in line with rates observed in prior studies. Conclusion. As many patients with primary and recurrent disease received high-morbidity surgery, more effective treatments are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the real-time flood control operation of multi-reservoir systems, it is of great significance to establish a dynamic operating system with high efficiency based on the spatiotemporal variation of flood control situations. This paper proposes a self-adaptive modeling framework for real-time flood control operation of multi-reservoirs based on the cyber–physical system (CPS) theory. Firstly, the random flood samples considering the randomness of both space and magnitude are generated, and then the multi-reservoir real-time flood control hybrid operation (MRFCHO) model is established based on the dynamic identification of effective reservoirs. Then, the CPS theory is introduced to put forward the multi-reservoir real-time flood control hybrid operation cyber–physical system (MRFCHOCPS), which integrates real-time monitoring, control center, database, computation module, and communication network. Finally, the proposed framework is demonstrated in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability in real-time flood control operations. A case study of the multi-reservoir system upstream of the Lutaizi point in the Huaihe River basin in China reveals that (1) the equivalent qualified rate of the MRFCHO model is 84.9% for random flood samples; (2) the efficiency of solving the MRFCHO model is much higher than the efficiency of solving the MRFCJO model under the premise of ensuring the flood control effect, so it provides a reliable method for the real-time operation of basin-wide floods; (3) the MRFCHOCPS has good adaptability in real-time dynamic modeling and operation of large-scale multi-reservoir systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Adenoid hypertrophy (AH) is common among young children. Adenoid-based surgery and drug therapy could be applied for symptomatic AH patients, yet the treatment decision is difficult to make due to the diverse cost and efficacy between these two treatments.Methods: A Markov simulation model was designed to estimate the cost-effectiveness (CE) of the adenoid-based surgery and the drug therapy for symptomatic AH patients. Transition probabilities, costs and utilities were extracted from early researches and expert opinions. Simulations using two set of parameter inputs for China and the USA were performed. Primary outcome was cost per QALY gained over a 6-year period. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were also conducted.Results: The utility for the surgery group and the drug group were 4.10 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and 3.58 QALYs, respectively. The cost of the surgery group was more than that of the drug group using model parameters specific to China ($1069.0 vs. $753.7) but was less for the USA ($1994.4 vs. $3977.7). Surgery was dominant over drug therapy when US specific parameters were used. Surgery group had an ICER of $604.0 per QALY when parameters specific to China was used.Conclusion: Surgery is cost-effective in the simulations for both China and the USA at WTP thresholds of $9633.1 and $62,517.5, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate and efficient identification of effective reservoirs plays an important role in the real-time flood control operation of multireservoir systems. The redundancy of the initial criteria system affects the efficiency of identifying effective reservoirs. In this paper, a criteria reduction model based on the equivalence relation of rough set theory is proposed to solve this problem. Correspondingly, the decision rules are derived for identifying effective reservoirs. In addition, the reduction result of rough set theory is compared with the results of correlation analysis-principal component analysis (CA-PCA), vague set theory and back-propagation (BP) neural network methods. The proposed methodology is applied to the flood control system in the upper and middle reaches of the Huaihe River basin in China. The results show that the dimensionality of the initial criteria system is reduced and that the reduction result is reasonable. The proposed reduction model is an effective tool to reduce the initial criteria system for effective reservoir identification in real-time flood control operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the impact of social resources within the workplace on individuals' income level among Chinese urban residents, using data provided by JSNET2009. To adequately address the endogeneity problem, we use the first-order difference method to help identify analysis models. The results indicate that: (1) both internal and outward interactions have positive effects on income level; (2) the effect of outward interactions is stronger than that of internal interactions; (3) the effect of outward interactions is stronger in the state-owned sector in comparison with the private sector. Our findingscontribute to the understandings of the causal effect of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A model for describing the forecast uncertainty of renewable energy is proposed. • A stochastic scheduling model for wind–photovoltaic–hydropower systems is established. • Uncertainty evolution from single power output to multiple power outputs to power shortage. This paper examines and quantifies the evolution of the uncertainty in forecasting solar- and wind-based electricity generation compensated with hydroelectric power, based on the forecast uncertainties of the three constituents. We used the generalized martingale model of forecast evolution to separately describe the uncertainties of power outputs of wind and photovoltaic systems in the same region. We then superimposed the separate power outputs to obtain the combined power output from these variable renewable energies (VRE). Furthermore, we developed a stochastic recourse model for optimally scheduling hydropower dispatch to compensate VRE and meet scheduled power demands. We applied the new model to hourly performance data obtained from photovoltaic, wind, and hydropower plants with power outputs of 3.1 GW, 2.7 GW, and 3.3 GW, respectively, in the Yalong River Basin in China. Based on the variance of hourly power outputs during spring days with different weather patterns, we found that the uncertainty of the forecasted combined power output of wind and photovoltaic systems is 46% less than that of the forecasted wind power output, and approximately 2% greater than that of the forecasted photovoltaic power output. After hydropower compensated for the power shortage in the combined VRE power output, the uncertainty of meeting prescheduled hourly demand during each of the considered days was reduced by 90%, compared with that without hydropower compensation. When the forecasts were updated dynamically, the uncertainties of the forecasts of the separate power outputs, of the combined power output, and of the power shortage decreased substantially. Thus, the approach proposed in this study offers a scheduling plan for hydropower compensation of VRE on a daily time scale and can also be used to evaluate the risk of power shortage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper anode slime is an important source for extracting tellurium. In this study, a novel process for extracting tellurium from the calcine of copper anode slime via continuous enrichment is proposed. First, tellurium in the calcine of copper anode slime is enriched in the replacement residue by oxidative leaching and replacement with copper powder by controlling potential. Second, tellurium in the replacement residue gets further enriched in tellurium concentrate by sulfation roasting and sulfuric acid leaching. Finally, tellurium ingot is prepared from the tellurium concentrate by alkaline leaching and electrowinning. The results indicate that increasing the concentration of hydrochloric acid is beneficial to the leaching of tellurium and copper during the oxidative leaching process, and the leaching rates of tellurium and copper are 72.86% and 99.25%, respectively. In the replacement process, 99.5% of tellurium is replaced when the solution potential is controlled at 279 mV, and tellurium in the replacement residue exists as cuprous telluride. When the calcine of replacement residue is leached by sulfuric acid, the leaching rate of copper is 98.25%, while that of tellurium is only 3.0%. The tellurium content of the tellurium concentrate is 35.58%. In the alkaline leaching of tellurium concentrate, the leaching rate of tellurium is 97.5%. Tellurium ingot, with a purity of 99.99%, is produced from leaching solution by purification and electrowinning. The purity reaches the No.1 standard in YS/T222-1996 of China. The process achieves efficient extraction of tellurium from copper anode slime by continuous enrichment. • Tellurium in the calcine of copper anode slime is extracted by continuous enrichment. • During the oxidative leaching by controlling potential, the leaching rates of tellurium and copper are 72.86% and 99.25%, respectively. • During the replacement with copper powder by controlling potential, 99.5% of tellurium is replacefd when the solution potential is controlled at 279 mV. • During the extraction of tellurium from replacement residue, the recovery rate of tellurium is 97.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban water resources are the basis for the formation and development of cities and the source of urban water supply. However, with the acceleration of urbanization and the explosion of urban populations, the contradiction between water supply and demand in some areas, especially in big cities, has become increasingly prominent. It is simply not sufficient to rely on local conventional water resources to meet urban water demand, and a single source water supply mode has a higher vulnerability, resulting in greater safety risks in urban or regional water supply systems. Therefore, giving full play to the water supply capacity and carrying out multi-source water supplies are necessary and urgent. This paper gives an overview of the optimal allocation of multi-source for urban water supply concerning variation tendency, modeling methods and facing challenges. Based on the variation tendency of water consumption and water supply pattern in China, Tianjin is taken as a typical city for systematically outlining water supply changes and cause analysis. Subsequently, the modeling methods for proposing the optimal allocation scheme are summarized, which are composed of defining the topological relation, constructing the mathematical model and seeking the optimal solution. Ultimately, the current and emerging challenges are discussed including emergency operation of multi-source water supply and joint operation of water quality and quantity. These summaries and prospects provide a valuable reference for giving full play to the multi-source water supply capacity and carrying out relevant research so as to propose the optimal allocation scheme in urban multi-source water supply systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study presents a statistical analysis of GPS L-band scintillation with data observed from July 2008 to March 2012 at the northern crest of equatorial anomaly stations in Guangzhou and Shenzhen of South China. The variations of the scintillation with local time, season, solar activity and duration of scintillation patches were investigated. The relationship between the scintillation and TEC depletion was also reported. Our results revealed that GPS scintillation occurred from 19:30 LT (pre-midnight) to 03:00 LT (post-midnight). During quiet solar activity years, the scintillation was only observed in pre-midnight hours of equinox months and patches durations were mostly less than 60min. During high solar activity years, more scintillation occurred in the pre-midnight hours of equinox and winter months; and GPS scintillation started to occur in the post-midnight hours of summer and winter. The duration of scintillation patches extended to 180min in high solar activity years. Solar activity had a larger effect to strong scintillations (S4 >0.6) than to weak scintillations (0.6⩾S4 >0.2). Strong scintillations were accompanied by TEC depletion especially in equinox months. We also discussed the relationship between TEC depletion and plasma bubble. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Proposes a multiobjective risk management model that minimizes the overall risk. • Imbeds a probabilistic risk assessment model in an optimization model. • Uses NSGA-III to generate Pareto fronts and the corresponding non-inferior solutions. • Applies the methodology to a parallel-reservoir flood control system in China. Many uncertainties are associated with real-time reservoir flood control operation and introduce risks for decision making. A multi-objective risk management model is proposed to optimize the real-time flood control operation of a parallel reservoir system during flood season. The model considers the combined impact of reservoir inflow and lateral inflow uncertainties and flood control operation risks. It consists of three key components: a risk optimal operation submodel, a risk assessment submodel, and an optimization submodel. The risk optimal operation submodel takes into account the uncertainties and establishes an operation model that considers two competing objectives of minimizing the risk of upstream flooding and minimizing the risk of downstream flooding. The risk assessment submodel calculates the risks based on a stochastic differential equation (SDE). The final optimization submodel embeds the risk assessment model in the risk optimal operation model and is solved by the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-III (NSGA-III). The proposed methodology is applied to a real flood control system in the middle reaches of the Huaihe River basin in China. The results show that the developed multi-objective risk management model can provide operation schedules that satisfy flood control objectives and simultaneously minimize the overall risks. The Pareto front of the proposed objectives demonstrates the tradeoff among the competing objectives. The model can be used as a decision-making tool for conducting risk management for real-time reservoir flood control operation during flood season. The decision makers can choose the operation schedule according to their risk preference and updated hydrological information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed a robust multiobjective control operation and risk decision-making model. • Introduced Conditional Value-at-Risk to approximate extreme flood damage. • Revealed mechanism of robust flood control operation in different flood events. • Reduced maximum reservoir release by 7.33% in adverse scenarios. Forecast uncertainty in real-time flood forecasting is the primary source of risk regarding reservoir flood control operation, affecting both reliability and safety of the entire system. Informing reservoir operation for real-time flood control coping with forecast uncertainty encourages overall robust control of risk probability, vulnerability, and resilience of upstream and downstream protection areas. Current stochastic programming models or chance constrained programming models (CCP) focuses on reducing either risk loss or vulnerability, thereby failing to ensure systematic control. This study established a robust multiobjective operation and risk decision-making model to inform reservoir operations. The proposed model includes three modules. First, a copula function was applied to capture multidimensional temporal dependences of forecast uncertainties, following which stochastic inflow scenarios were generated. Second, a robust multiobjective optimization (RMOO) model was established with the objectives of minimizing the probability of risk events, Conditional Value-at-Risk of risk loss (vulnerability) and the maximum sequential duration for both upstream and downstream areas. Then, an adaptive reference multiobjective evolutionary algorithm was used to solve the model and obtain noninferior solutions. Finally, the TOPSIS multicriteria decision-making method was introduced to select the compromise solution. Methodologies were verified by application to Xianghongdian reservoir, China. The main findings were as follows. (1) The copula function effectively captured the multidimensional positive temporal dependences of forecast uncertainties. (2) RMOO provided more widely distributed noninferior solutions than CCP, and performed better in lowering vulnerability of the system. (3) RMOO reduced the maximum release by 135.6 m3/s (7.33%) by increasing prerelease before the occurrence of flood peak. The proposed methodologies provide insights for supporting robust control of real-time operations of a reservoir system through simultaneous control of flood risk probability, vulnerability, and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Refined the joint PDF of forecast errors by Copula function in a multisite system. • Addressed the forecast errors evolution under spatial–temporal dependent correction. • Proposed an MMFE-based streamflow forecast for reducing overall uncertainties. Long-term streamflow forecasting for a multisite river basin system can experience oscillation of spatio-temporal dependent forecast errors. Characterizing the dependent information and conducting spatio-temporal dependent forecast error correction can reduce the total uncertainty in real-time forecasting. On the basis of a single-site martingale model of forecast evolution (MMFE), which can simulate forecast uncertainty evolution over the temporal scale, this study developed a dynamic long-term streamflow probabilistic forecasting model that addresses spatio-temporal dependent error correction for a multisite system. Error characteristics and hybrid spatio-temporal forecast improvements with complex dependencies are captured by Copula function, which describes the systemwide evolution of forecast uncertainty. The proposed model was verified by forecasting the streamflow of the Hongze Lake–Luoma Lake system in China. The results revealed the following. 1) The spatio-temporal dependent error correction based on MMFE can refine the spatio-temporal dimension hybrid error information, which is helpful in improving forecast accuracy. 2) As the spatio-temporal dependence of forecast uncertainty is described using a Copula function, selection of the marginal distribution and connection function is flexible through combining statistical and informational characteristics of the errors, which is helpful in improving the fittedness of complex system error simulation. 3) Compared with the benchmark forecast model without correction, the proposed model greatly decreased forecast uncertainty by reducing the standard deviation of the errors, continuous ranked probability score (CRPS), and Brier score (BS) by nearly 40%, 11.4%, and 34.6%, respectively, and further reduce the CRPS by 2.1% on average (highest value: 3.7%) and reduce the BS by 1.2% on average (highest value: 2.0%) in comparison with only temporal correction. The results demonstrate that the proposed model improves the accuracy and reliability of probabilistic streamflow forecasting for complex water resource systems by reducing uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Establishes the random forest classification model for identifying effective reservoirs. • Different floods are employed as training samples to explore the model stability. • The expected total cost with cross-validation is adopted to evaluate the classification accuracy. • The average increase of expected total cost with cross-validation is proposed to assess criteria importance. In the real-time operation of a flood control system, identifying effective reservoirs accurately and adaptively is the premise of establishing a multi-reservoir real-time flood control hybrid operation (MRFCHO) model. The existing effective reservoir intelligent reasoning (ERIR) method is based on the inference rules, which causes the identification results to be greatly influenced by the training samples. This paper establishes a random forest classification (RFC) model for identifying effective reservoirs to solve this problem. The performance of the RFC model is evaluated in terms of model stability and model accuracy, and compared with the ERIR model and other machine learning (ML) models. First, different flood samples are used to establish the models to verify the model stability. Then, the expected total cost under cross-validation is taken as the index to evaluate the classification accuracy. Finally, the average increase of expected total cost with cross-validation is proposed to evaluate the criteria importance and analyze the sensitive factors that affect the classification accuracy of the RFC model. The proposed method is applied to a multi-reservoir system in the Huaihe River basin in China. The results indicate that the RFC model has the characteristic of high classification accuracy, low sensitivity to flood samples and high stability. It displays more dominance in the dynamic identification of effective reservoirs compared to other models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposes a stochastic optimization model for a hydro-wind-photovoltaic system. • Simulates multiple uncertainties of renewable energy production and load demand. • Develops a parallel PSO algorithm to enhance the computational efficiency. • Peak shaving capacity is enhanced at the cost of 0.11% loss of power generation. • Reservoir inflows have significant impacts on the peak shaving performance. With the increasing emphasis on environmental problems and climate change, renewable energy sources have been developed globally to push modern power systems towards sustainability. However, the weather-dependent and non-dispatchable features of renewable energy sources often hinder their integration into power grids and also pose a challenge for peak load regulation. Recently, the complementary operation of multi-energy hybrid systems has been attracting increasing attention as a promising way to overcome the mismatch between renewable energy supply and varying load demand. Multi-energy systems should be operated considering multiple uncertainties since a deterministic method only captures a fixed snapshot of a constantly changing system. In this study, the obtained short-term peak shaving operation of a hydro-wind-photovoltaic hybrid system is developed as a stochastic programming model. The uncertainties of renewable energy production and load demand are thoroughly simulated in the form of synthetic ensemble forecasts and scenario trees. To enhance the computational efficiency, a parallel particle swarm optimization algorithm is developed to solve the stochastic peak shaving model, in which a novel encoding scheme and parallel computing strategy are used. The proposed framework is applied to a hydro-wind-photovoltaic hybrid system of the East China Power Grid. The results of three numerical experiments indicate that the framework can achieve satisfactory peak shaving performance of the power system and enable decision makers to examine the robustness of operational decisions. In addition, it is acceptable for decision makers that joint complementary operation of the hybrid system greatly enhances the peak shaving capacity (with the performance metrics being improved by 95.7%, 96.4% and 30.5%) at the cost of 0.11% loss of total power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A martingale model for capturing the evolution of forecasting uncertainty of wind energy. • Stochastic programming models for determining operation strategies of hydro-wind hybrid system. • Tradeoff effects and influencing mechanism between hydropower and wind energy identified. • Case study that optimizes the integrated operation policies of hydro-wind hybrid system. Integrated operation of hydropower and wind power, which exploites the former's regulation flexibility to complement the uncertainty of the latter, enhances the utilization efficiency of wind power at the expense of deteriorating long-term hydropower energy production. This study identified the tradeoff effects of hydro–wind integrated operation by establishing a framework of coupling models. A martingale model that captures the evolution of forecasting uncertainty was used to generate synthetic scenarios of uncertain load demand. A stochastic programming model for integrated operation was established by tracking the influence of wind power uncertainty. A deterministic simulation model for independent operation was developed to derive independent operation strategies. By comparing the differences in operation strategies systematically, we analyzed the optimization and influencing mechanisms through groups of numerical experiments. A hypothetical case study based on the operation of the electrical system of the Three Gorges Dam project in China during the drawdown season revealed the following. (1) The positive effect of reducing wind energy shortfall and curtailment is determined by the ability of regulated hydropower to track the uncertainty of wind power output. (2) The negative effect primarily reduces the end storage and the stored energy of hydropower, thereby increasing the risk of future water/energy shortages and reducing reliability. (3) The positive effect on wind power presents a varied regime, whereas the negative effect on hydropower increases (decreases) with uncertainty level and inflow level (as the initial reservoir storage increases). The proposed methodology provides new insights into quantifying the effects of hybrid hydro–wind operation to inform decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over-track buildings in metro depots become more and more prevalent in metropolis with the increase in population and the decrease of construction land. However, the train-induced vibration greatly reduces the comfort of occupants living in the over-track buildings. Owing to complex vibration sources and numerous transfer paths, it is a challenging task to analyze and predict the vibration characteristics accurately in the building. In this paper, a field measurement campaign of vibration was conducted in the Guanhu metro depot in Guangzhou, China. A novel formulation based on the operational transfer path analysis (OTPA) and singular value decomposition (SVD) is proposed to analyze the measured data and predict the train-induced vibration in the building. In this study, the vibration contributions from each transfer path to the target points in the building were obtained and the predominant transfer paths were identified further. Besides, the vibration at target points in the building was predicted using the vibration at path points and transmissibility functions from transfer paths. This study provides insights into the prediction and evaluation of vibration transmissions from vibration source to upper floors of over-track building., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Quantitative computed tomography (CT) measures of emphysema have been shown to be associated with increased mortality in humans, but genetic variants affecting the quantitative parameters of chest CT that measure degree of emphysema have not yet been examined. In this study, using available chest CT data from a total of 344 emphysema patients, we assessed the correlations between five chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) susceptibility variants in the cholinergic receptor nicotinic ( CHRN ) genes and the degree of emphysema and chest CT manifestations. We verified that most of the parameters were significantly correlated with the degree of emphysema. Compared to rs76071148AA and TT genotype carriers, the rs76071148AT genotype carriers exhibited a decreased probability of having severe emphysema (odds ratio [OR] =0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] =0.40-0.99), whereas the variant rs8040868C allele was negatively correlated with the emphysema index ( P =0.002). Interestingly, further stratification analysis grouped by spirometry-diagnosed COPD status revealed that the variant rs8040868C (CT + CC) genotypes exerted a protective effect against severe emphysema with borderline significance (OR =0.41, 95% CI =0.16-1.05) and affected the mean lung density, emphysema index, ratio of airway wall thickness to airway dimensions (AWT/AD), and AWT grade in spirometry-diagnosed non-COPD subjects. The rs76071148 variant was also significantly associated with AWT/AD and AWT grade in those individuals. In summary, we determined that rs8040868 and rs76071148 are promising indicators of the degree of emphysema and chest CT manifestations, especially in spirometry-diagnosed non-COPD subjects., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Background/aims: To investigate the clinical effects of the maximum conservative treatment algorithm with percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) as the first choice for necrotizing pancreatitis (NP)., Methodology: Retrospectively analyzed NP patients who had fine needle aspiration (FNA) for proven infection of necrosis which was considered an indication for surgery (n=22, group 1) compared to patients subjected to maximum conservative treatment with PCD in NP patients (n=30, group 2)., Results: On admission, most baseline data did not show any statistical difference between the two groups, In group 2, all patients were implemented maximum conservative treatment, 25 of 30 patients were cured by PCD (83.3%), open necrosectomy were needed for 3 patients (10.0%) and 2 dead during hospitalization (6.7%). Whereas, in group 1, surgical operation rate was 45.6% and hospital mortality 31.8%, both of the ratios differed significantly compared with group 2 (45.6% vs. 10%, P=0.004; 31.8% vs. 6.7%, P=0.046 respectively). Furthemore, Hospital stay were significantly higher in group 1 compared with group 2 (90±18.5 vs. 39±13.4; P=0.033)., Conclusions: A conservative approach with PCD as the first choice to treatment NP might decrease the rate of surgical operation and mortality, and improve the outcome of NP.

Background: There are no recent reports of giant cell tumors of bone in a large series of Chinese people. The present study was designed to review the epidemiological characteristics and outcomes of surgical management in a large series of Chinese patients with giant cell tumor of an extremity, treated at a single institution., Methods: The records and images of 621 patients in whom a benign giant cell tumor in an extremity was treated between 1989 and 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. There were 359 male and 262 female patients. The mean age at diagnosis was 31.4 years (range, eleven to seventy-one years). Sixty-six percent of the giant cell tumors were localized around the knee. Surgical treatments primarily included curettage, extensive curettage, and resection. The median duration of follow-up was forty-nine months (range, eighteen to 256 months)., Results: Giant cell tumor accounted for 13.7% of all primary bone tumors treated at our institution. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the only variable that contributed to recurrence-free survival was the type of surgical treatment. The local recurrence rate after extensive curettage was 8.6%, which was significantly lower than the 56.1% recurrence rate after curettage alone. Bone-grafting did not affect local tumor control after extensive curettage; the local recurrence rate was 11.1% if bone graft was used. Recurrent giant cell tumor can be treated by further curettage or resection, with acceptable re-recurrence rates of 6.7% and 9.3% respectively. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Score for patients treated with extensive curettage was 92.6%, which was significantly higher than that for patients treated with resection. Twenty-one (3.4%) of the 621 patients developed benign pulmonary metastasis, with a favorable outcome, and three patients presented with multifocal giant cell tumors., Conclusions: The incidence of giant cell tumor in the Chinese population may be higher than that in Western countries, and it has a male predilection. The results of the present study suggest that extensive curettage provides favorable local control and satisfactory functional outcomes.