Search

Aims/Introduction Materials and Methods Results Conclusions Coefficient of variation (CV) is an indicator for glucose variability in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and the target threshold of %CV in type 1 diabetes is proposed to be ≤36%. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of CV in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.Participants included 66 children with type 1 diabetes. A total of 48 participants were treated with multiple daily injections of insulin, and 18 with continues subcutaneous insulin infusion, using intermittently scanned CGM. The frequencies of the CGM metrics and glycosylated hemoglobin values were examined, and the significance of a threshold %CV of 36% was evaluated.The mean frequencies in time in range (TIR), time below range, %CV and the mean glycosylated hemoglobin value were 59.3 ± 16.1, 4.0 ± 3.5, 39.3 ± 6.2 and 7.3 ± 0.8%, respectively. The frequencies of participants who achieved a TIR >70% and a %CV of ≤36% were 24.1 and 27.3%, respectively. A total of 18 participants with a %CV of ≤36% had significantly higher TIR, lower time below range and lower glycosylated hemoglobin than the 48 with a %CV of >36% (72.6 ± 12.6 vs 52.4 ± 13.6, 2.4 ± 1.9 vs 4.6 ± 3.6, 6.9 ± 0.8 vs 7.4 ± 0.7%, respectively).Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes using intermittently scanned CGM had difficulties in achieving the recommended targets of TIR and CV. However, the target %CV of ≤36% seems to be an appropriate indicator for assessing glycemic control and risk of hypoglycemia in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes with any treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In multiple myeloma (MM) bone marrow infiltration by monoclonal plasma cells can occur in both focal and diffuse manner, making staging and prognosis rather difficult. The aim of our study was to test whether texture analysis of 18 F-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) images can predict survival in MM patients. Forty-six patients underwent 18 F-FDG-PET/CT before treatment. We used an automated contouring program for segmenting the hottest focal lesion (FL) and a lumbar vertebra for assessing diffuse bone marrow involvement (DI). Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) and texture features such as Coefficient of variation (CoV), were obtained from 46 FL and 46 DI. After a mean follow-up of 51 months, 24 patients died of myeloma and were compared to the 22 survivors. At univariate analysis, FL SUVmax (p = 0.0453), FL SUVmean (p = 0.0463), FL CoV (p = 0.0211) and DI SUVmax (p = 0.0538) predicted overall survival (OS). At multivariate analysis only FL CoV and DI SUVmax were retained in the model (p = 0.0154). By Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank testing, patients with FL CoV below the cut-off had significantly better OS than those with FL CoV above the cut-off (p = 0.0003), as well as patients with DI SUVmax below the threshold versus those with DI SUVmax above the threshold (p = 0.0006). Combining FL CoV and DI SUVmax by using their respective cut-off values, a statistically significant difference was found between the resulting four survival curves (p = 0.0001). Indeed, patients with both FL CoV and DI SUVmax below their respective cut-off values showed the best prognosis. Conventional and texture parameters derived from 18F-FDG PET/CT analysis can predict survival in MM patients by assessing the heterogeneity and aggressiveness of both focal and diffuse infiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work was to evaluate the influence of changes of technical working parameters of a field sprayer on changes of the coefficient of variation for double stream atomisers. The technical parameters were the height and the inclination angle of the sprayer boom and spraying pressure. In the studies, a Drift Guard TwinJet Flat Spray nozzle (DGTJ60 11003 VS) was used. It generated two flat fans of liquid at the spray angle of 110°, directed forward and backward in relation to the direction of sprayer movement. It has a 60° angle between its two fans. The measurement of the coefficient of variation of transverse liquid distribution was done using the Hardi Spray Scanner patternator. The obtained results indicate that the height of field boom setup, the angle of inclination, and their interaction had the strongest influence on the value of the coefficient of variation of transverse liquid distribution for the field boom equipped with the DGTJ60 11003VS nozzle. Field boom setup during the spraying at the height of 0.5–0.6 m, keeping field boom inclination from 0° to 2°, and using the liquid pressure of 0.4 MPa allowed for gaining the lowest values of the coefficient from 5.03% to 6.53%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of ammonia hydrogen fuel cells (AHFCs) with the same activated area but different aspect ratio is quite different. In this paper, based on the diffusion characteristics of hydrogen nitrogen mixture, five different aspect ratios of AHFCs were designed, and the influence of aspect ratio on the performance of AHFCs was studied by combining experiment and simulation analysis. The results reveal that the power of AHFCs reaches the maximum when the aspect ratio is 1, that is, the shortest hypotenuse of the plate. With the extension of the hypotenuse, the output power decreases, and the output power decreases by 19.3% when the aspect ratio is 4. Due to the strong ability of hydrogen diffusion, when the aspect ratio of AHFCs is 4, the proportion of hydrogen and oxygen starvation area at the interface reaches the maximum and minimum, which are 11.8% and 0.3% respectively, which is contrary to the aspect ratio of 0.25. A larger aspect ratio is conducive to the uniform distribution of gas-water-heat. Although the AHFCs with aspect ratio of 0.64 has advantages in power generation efficiency and fuel utilization, the pressure drop loss increases by 43.7%, and the pressure drop loss with aspect ratio of 0.25 increases by 141.2%. • Experimental data of AHFCs with different aspect ratios are obtained. • Power generation efficiency of AHFCs with different aspect ratios is compared. • AHFC with the shortest hypotenuse has the largest output power. • CV is used to characterize the uniformity of gas-heat-water distribution in AHFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new analytical solution is developed to calculate the hydraulic emission uniformity (EUh) of horizontal tapered drip laterals. Our methodology builds upon normalizing the pressure head profiles along each segment of the lateral. Results indicated that the EUh remains fairly consistent regardless of the total lateral length if a fixed pressure head tolerance (δ) is assigned in the design process. Instead, the EUh is primarily influenced by the number of emitters on each segment, their diameter ratio, and the emitter exponent x. Employing tapered laterals for any given values of δ and x enhances energy conservation compared to using single diameter laterals. However, it may lead to a reduction in the EUh , particularly when the number of emitters in the smaller diameter segment is low relative to the total number of outlets. It was concluded that the coefficient of variation in emitter pressure heads CV and EUh exhibit a nonlinear behavior in the case of tapered laterals, whereas it has been previously established as linear for single diameter laterals. Interestingly, when applying the newly formulated relationships for EUh and CV while keeping the same diameter for both segments, the results align with those previously obtained for single diameter laterals. Validation of the proposed EUh model against the precise stepwise solution revealed a maximum absolute relative error of ≈1%. When excluding the fully laminar flow condition (x=1), relative errors typically remained below 0.5%. The proposed model could serve as a foundational framework for designing tapered laterals to achieve a targeted uniformity level in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a higher risk of mortality in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study aimed to explore the relationship between serum magnesium levels and the risk of AKI in patients with TBI. Methods: Patients with TBI were identified from the Medical Information Mart Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) 2008–2019. The relationship between serum magnesium levels at admission and magnesium coefficient of variation (CV) during hospitalization and the risk of AKI was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis and expressed as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Subgroup analyses were performed according to Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (<14, ≥14), sepsis (no, yes), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; <60, ≥60). Results: Of the 991 patients included, 140 (14.13%) developed AKI during hospitalization. Patients with magnesium levels ≤1.7 mg/dL (tertile 1) (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.01–2.81) were associated with a higher risk of AKI compared to those with magnesium levels of 1.7–2.0 mg/dL (tertile 2), but no association was found in those with magnesium levels >2.0 mg/dL (tertile 3) (p = 0.479). For magnesium CV, patients with magnesium CV >10% (tertile 3) (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.16–4.41) were linked to an increased risk of AKI compared to those with magnesium CV ≤4% (tertile 1), but there may be a slight association between magnesium CV of 4%–10% (tertile 2) and AKI risk (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 0.99–3.48; p = 0.053). Subgroup analyses showed that lower magnesium levels (≤1.7 mg/dL) or greater magnesium CV (>10%) were associated with a higher risk of AKI only in patients with a GCS score ≥14, non-sepsis, or eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Lower serum magnesium levels at admission or greater magnesium CV during hospitalization were associated with a higher risk of AKI in patients with TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new coefficient of variation (CV) functionally adaptive exponentially weighted moving average control chart is presented by considering the influence of the measurement error (ME) and named the "FAEWMA-ME-CV" control chart. The linear covariate model and the multiple measurements method are used to present the control chart. The designed function is efficient to detect the infrequent process changes in the form of parametric shifts in the process CV. The proficiency of the design is evaluated by analyzing the run-length values which are determined by the Monte Carlo simulation runs shown for the various parametric settings in extensive tables. The analysis depicts that the presence of the ME plays a significant role in the performance of a control chart. Moreover, a real-life dataset explained the application of the proposed FAEWMA-ME-CV chart to support the argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raw water must be purified before being distributed to any village, town, or city. To purify raw water, various significant processes must be performed in a water treatment plant, with sedimentation being one of the most important. Solid particles in the form of dirt and other contaminants can be found in raw water, especially during the rainy season, which can be removed through sedimentation. Plate settlers or tube settlers are commonly utilized in sedimentation units to treat water quickly, reducing the detention time to 15-20 minutes. This study modified conventional tubes in terms of manufacturing and repositioning to increase turbidity removal in raw water. The experimental work was carried out for one year to calculate the balanced turbidity of the raw water using conventional and modified square-shaped tube settlers. Mathematical analysis was deployed to compare the output from one year's data from both experimental studies. Regression, R², relative standard deviation, and ANOVA were employed to analyze the experimental models, and the observed and calculated findings were compared. The results show that the modified tube settlers removed more turbidity from the raw water than the conventional ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary contribution of this paper is to identify the optimal cross-section size and span diameter for large-grained hydraulic asphalt concrete materials in trabecular bending tests. First, three-point bending tests were conducted on asphalt concrete with maximum aggregate sizes of 19 mm (Dmax = 19 mm), 26.5 mm, and 31.5 mm, using six distinct cross-section sizes and span diameters. These experiments served to analyze the influence of varying cross-section sizes and span diameters on the mechanical properties of the materials. Secondly, the Image-Pro Plus (IPP) software was utilized to analyze and confirm the cross-sectional areas of the chosen samples. Then, by considering the optimal cross-section size and span diameter, the impact of temperature on the flexural characteristics of asphalt concrete with a maximum aggregate size of 31.5 mm was explored. This investigation enabled the proposal of a temperature cut-off interval governing the transformation of large-grained asphalt concrete from brittle to plastic damage. The validity of the experimental data was substantiated through image analysis, providing a benchmark for the testing methodology of the flexural performance of large-grained hydraulic asphalt concrete aggregate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision 3D point cloud data have various analyses and application use cases. This study aimed to achieve a more precise noise reduction of the raw 3D point cloud data of asphalt pavements obtained using 3D laser scanning. Hence, a noise-reduction algorithm integrating improved Gaussian filtering and coefficient of variation was developed. A portable laser scanner was used to collect raw, high-precision 3D point cloud data of surface textures from pavement slab samples prepared with three different types of asphalt mixtures: AC-13, SMA-13, and OGFC-13, as well as asphalt from the test sections of the Yakang Expressway. An improved Gaussian filtering and Gaussian filtering that extracts noise using the coefficient of variation were used to filter out the obvious outlier noise and small-scale burr noise, respectively. Finally, the filtering effect of the proposed algorithm, Gaussian filtering, median filtering, and mean filtering on raw 3D point cloud data of pavement textures was evaluated through subjective visual quality and objective index evaluations. The results showed that the proposed algorithm filters out noise while preserving the micro-texture structure information, outperforming Gaussian filtering, median filtering, and mean filtering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare short-term changes in corneal endothelial cells after gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy(GATT). Methods: This retrospective comparative study included 138 patients(138 eyes), and 98 of these patients underwent GATT procedure and 40 underwent SLT procedure as a control group. Changes in the corneal endothelium in patients who underwent GATT and SLT were analyzed retrospectively. Endothelial changes in the central cornea were examined using specular microscopy before and 6 months after the GATT and SLT procedure. Intraocular pressure(IOP), number of glaucoma medications, and side effects were evaluated at visits before and after two methods. Results: One hundred and thirty-eight eyes of 138 patients with a mean age of 62.9±12.7 years in the SLT group and 62.5±11.8 years in the GATT group were included in this study. Pre-procedure mean ± SD IOP was 27.7±3.6 mmHg and 27.4±5.3 mmHg (p=0.173) 2.8±0.5 and 2.9±0.8 (p=0.204) glaucoma drugs are in the SLT and GATT group, respectively. The mean corneal endothelial cell density (CECD) in the SLT group was 2433.1±581.4 cells/mm2 before the procedure and 2435.1±585 cells/mm2 6 months after the procedure, a change of 0.1±0.6% which was not statistically significant (p>0.967).The mean CECD at baseline in the GATT group was 2443.4±508.2 cells/mm2 and decreased to 2290.2±527.7 cells/mm2 6 months after this procedure, representing a cell loss of 6,2±9,1% (p<0.001). Conclusion: GATT caused more CECD damage than SLT at the sixth month after the procedure. Considering the loss of CECD in candidates for GATT, sufficient number of endothelial cells in the central cornea is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity causes acute variations in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). These systems are challenged during high intensity interval exercise (HIIE). However, BP variability (BPV) and HR variability (HRV) response to HIIE is unknown. We characterized BPV and HRV during an acute HIIE bout using spectral low frequency [LF] and high frequency [HF] domains. We hypothesized that BPV would increase and HRV would decrease during high‐intensity and active‐recovery of HIIE compared to baseline [BL] and BPV would reduce and HRV would increase during cool down, post‐HIIE, and 30 min post‐HIIE compared to BL. HIIE involved 10 min of alternating high‐intensity and active‐recovery (approximately 70% and 10% of Wattmax) on a recumbent stepper. We did a secondary analysis on 23 datasets. The participants were 25 ± 1.5 years, 48% females. Our results showed high‐intensity BPV LF was not significantly different from BL while HF increased. HRV LF and HF decreased compared to BL. During active‐recovery, LF and HF for BPV and HRV increased greater than high‐intensity. HRV LF and HF returned to BL after 30 min of recovery, whereas BPV HF was higher compared to BL. The rapid switching during HIIE uniquely modulates cardiovascular and ANS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry has become one of the industries that accounts for a relatively large share of China's total carbon emissions. Aiming at the problems of monitoring difficulties, diversity of segmentation types, and uncertainty of carbon emission factors, this study calculates the carbon emissions and intensity of the construction industry in each province of China from 2010 to 2019, analyzes its spatial and temporal variability using the Moran index and the slope index, analyzes the driving factors by combining the Kaya equation and the LMDI method, and verifies the zero-error characteristics by using the IPAT model. The results show that from 2010 to 2019, carbon emissions from the construction industry in China's provincial areas increased in general, with a distribution of "high in the east and low in the west", and the carbon emission intensity declined in general, but some provinces in the north and the center are still higher. Economic development and the increase in housing construction area are the main reasons for the growth of carbon emissions, while the optimization of energy structure and the adjustment of population density reduce carbon emissions. Moreover, the IPAT model verifies the credibility of the results of the LMDI model. This study provides a reference for monitoring and assessing carbon emissions in China's construction industry from the perspective of spatio-temporal characterization, helps regional energy conservation and emission reduction and dual-carbon strategy, and it analyzes the provincial carbon emission intensity to reveal the low-carbon development issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total leaf area per plant is an important measure of the photosynthetic capacity of an individual plant that together with plant density drives the canopy leaf area index, that is, the total leaf area per unit ground area. Because the total number of leaves per plant (or per shoot) varies among conspecifics and among mixed species communities, this variation can affect the total leaf area per plant and per canopy but has been little studied. Previous studies have shown a strong linear relationship between the total leaf area per plant (or per shoot) (AT) and the total number of leaves per plant (or per shoot) (NT) on a log–log scale for several growth forms. However, little is known whether such a scaling relationship also holds true for bamboos, which are a group of Poaceae plants with great ecological and economic importance in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions. To test whether the scaling relationship holds true in bamboos, two dwarf bamboo species (Shibataea chinensis Nakai and Sasaella kongosanensis 'Aureostriatus') with a limited but large number of leaves per culm were examined. For the two species, the leaves from 480 and 500 culms, respectively, were sampled and AT was calculated by summing the areas of individual leaves per culm. Linear regression and correlation analyses reconfirmed that there was a significant log–log linear relationship between AT and NT for each species. For S. chinensis, the exponent of the AT versus NT scaling relationship was greater than unity, whereas that of S. kongosanensis 'Aureostriatus' was smaller than unity. The coefficient of variation in individual leaf area increased with increasing NT for each species. The data reconfirm that there is a strong positive power‐law relationship between AT and NT for each of the two species, which may reflect adaptations of plants in response to intra‐ and inter‐specific competition for light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven groups of uniaxial tensile experiments on wood plastic composites with a High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) matrix at different temperatures were completed in this paper. The test temperatures ranged from -60 °C to 60 °C, with a temperature difference of 20 °C for each group. All samples exhibited tensile brittle fracture. The test results showed that the tensile strength of the specimens decreased continuously with increasing temperature. Taking 0 °C as the reference temperature, the ultimate strength of the sample at -60 °C was 1.63 times that at 0 °C. When the temperature was 60 °C, this value was 0.41. Then, it can be calculated that the ratio of the strength of the sample at -60 °C to that at 60 °C was approximately 3.93, and the corresponding ratio of the elastic modulus was approximately 4.52. This shows that the mechanical properties of WPC are sensitive to changes in temperature. The variation coefficient of the average strength and elastic modulus of WPC for different specimens at different temperatures was less than 0.17, showing good stability due to the small dispersion of mechanical properties among different samples at any specific temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus (TAC) show high intra-patient variability (IPV), which is associated with poor long-term outcomes following adult liver transplantation (LT). However, this relationship remains to be confirmed in pediatric liver transplant (PLT) recipients. The present study aimed to investigate the association between TAC IPV and grafts or patient outcomes after pediatric liver transplantion. Methods: This retrospective study included 848 PLT recipients (including infants) between January, 2016, and June, 2021. The IPV of TAC concentrations was estimated by calculating the coefficient of variation (CV) of trough concentrations in whole blood within 1 month after transplantation. Patients were categorized into two groups, low IPV (CV < 45%) and high IPV (CV ≥ 45%), based on the third quartile of the CV distribution. Results: A total of 848 patients were included in our study. The low CV group included 614 patients, with a mean TAC trough concentration of 8.59 ± 1.65 ng/ml and a median CV of 32.37%. In contrast, the high CV group included 214 patients, the mean TAC trough concentration and median CV were 8.81 ± 2.00 ng/ml and 54.88%, respectively. The median hospital duration was significantly higher in the high CV group (22 days vs. 20 days, P = 0.01). Univariate analysis was performed to evaluate the significant differences in 1-year recipient survival (P = 0.041) and 1-year graft survival (P = 0.005) between the high- and low-CV groups. Moreover, high CV (HR 2.316, 95%CI 1.026–5.231, P = 0.043) and persistent EBV viremia (HR 13.165, 95%CI 3.090–56.081, P < 0.001) were identified as independent risk factors for 1- year mortality after PLT. Conclusions: PLT recipients with high TAC trough concentration of CV in the first month were associated with poor 1-year outcomes. This CV calculation provides a valuable strategy to monitor TAC exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliable prediction of streamflow is crucial for various water resources, environmental, and ecosystem applications. The current study employs a complex networks-based approach for the prediction of streamflow. The approach consists of three major steps: (1) the formation of a network using streamflow time series; (2) the calculation of the clustering coefficient (CC) as a network measure; and (3) the use of a clustering coefficient-based nearest neighbor search procedure for streamflow prediction. For network construction, each timestep is considered as a node and the existence of link between any node pair is identified based on the difference (distance) between the streamflow values of the nodes. Different distance threshold values are used to identify the critical distance threshold to form the network. The complex networks-based approach is implemented for the prediction of daily streamflow at 142 stations in the contiguous United States. The prediction accuracy is quantified using three statistical measures: correlation coefficient (R), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE). The influence of the number of neighbors on the prediction accuracy is also investigated. The results, obtained with the critical distance threshold, reveal that the clustering coefficients for the 142 stations range from 0.799 to 0.999. Overall, the prediction approach yields reasonably good results for all 142 stations, with R values ranging from 0.05 to 0.99, NRMSE values ranging from 0.1 to 12.3, and the NSE values ranging from −0.89 to 0.99. An attempt is also made to examine the relationship between prediction accuracy and the catchment characteristics/streamflow statistical properties (drainage area, mean flow, coefficient of variation of flow). The results suggest that the prediction accuracy does not have much of a relationship with the drainage area and the mean streamflow values, but with the coefficient of variation of flow. The outcomes from this study are certainly promising regarding the application of complex networks-based concepts for the prediction of streamflow (and other hydrologic) time series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a measure of relative variability, the coefficient of variation (CV) is a valuable charting statistic in statistical process control. Great efforts have been devoted to monitoring CV efficiently. To further improve the performance of CV charts, this paper proposes three Double Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (DEWMA) charts by incorporating Variable Sampling Interval (VSI) strategies to monitor the CV squared. The run length properties of the proposed charts are evaluated via Monte Carlo simulations. Comparative studies show that the proposed VSI DEWMA CV charts detect the process shifts faster than the existing CV charts. A real data example is presented to illustrate the VSI DEWMA CV charts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of open pit slopes is a decision-making process which aims to maximize ore recovery while minimizing the stripping ratio. Slope design will typically meet a Design Acceptance Criteria (DAC), and the current practice of designing open pit slopes adopts the industry-wide accepted Guidelines of Open Pit Slope Design published in 2009. However, designing open pit slopes is a complex process that involves inherent risks and geotechnical uncertainties. Consequently, reliability analyses have become a valuable tool in managing uncertainties. This paper presents a parametric study that considers uncertainties related to the rock mass strength properties and the slope geometric configurations, evaluated at three different design reliability levels. This parametric study adopts a reliability-based DAC (RBDAC) approach presented in 2020. The reliability assessment is carried out using probabilistic analyses adopting the 2D limit equilibrium method along with Monte Carlo simulations. The input variables for the rock mass strength are defined through Probability Density Functions (PDFs) that capture the natural variability while the input variables of geological structures are defined through kinematic assessments. The PDFs of the rock mass strength properties were modelled based on the generalized Hoek-Brown criterion using the mean, coefficient of variation (COV), and correlation coefficient. Probabilistic analysis results show that most of the resultant pairs of Factor of Safety (FoS) and Probability of Failure, and associated COV of the resulting FoS (COVFoS) are consistent with the RBDAC approach. This approach has significant implications for slope optimization for planned pit pushbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of spatial variability in the ground through field experiments has many constraints due to non-homogenous ground conditions and lack of site investigations. For this reason, spatial variability has not been considered in typical analyses. Also, few studies have been conducted on ground spatial variability using models in the laboratory. However, it is necessary to evaluate spatial variability in the ground for more precise analysis and design of construction projects. In this study, in order to evaluate spatial variability in the ground, we performed a number of Mini-Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs) in ground models with one layer of silica sand soil and two layers of silica and weathered soils. Through the Mini-CPTs, cone penetration resistances with depth were measured at many points. Based on the data, the coefficient of variation (CV) and the correlation length (CL) were calculated to quantitatively analyze the vertical and horizontal variability in the ground models. The results showed how the spatial variability in the two ground models varied. This implies that considering spatial variability in the ground can significantly enhance the accuracy of the analysis and design of construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: It was aimed to compare corneal endothelial changes during the initial 12-month period in which patients started using atorvastatin after a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: Forty-six participants (group 1) who underwent cardiac angioplasty and stenting for ACS and started using 80 mg atorvastatin in the early period were included in the study. In the study, a control group comprising 71 healthy adults (group 2) was included. These individuals did not use medication for any known systemic disease, had never taken statins, had no history of ocular surgery, and did not have any cornea-related eye diseases. Baseline and 12th month endothelial evaluations of group 1 and 2 participants were compared using specular microscopy. Results: There were 28 female and 18 male participants in group 1 and 48 female and 23 male participants in group 2 (P = 0.455). The mean baseline corneal endothelial cell density (CECD) was not significantly higher in group 1 compared to group 2 (2471.4 ± 200 cells/mm2 vs 2428.2 ± 539.8 cells/mm2, P = 0.230). When the change between baseline and 12th month CECD was examined, the decrease in group 2 was significantly different from that in group 1 (-15,2 ± 31,9 and -44,8 ± 49,6, P = 0,002). Although the percentage of hexagonal cells decreased significantly in group 2 participants, no significant change was observed in group 1 (respectively; P < 0.001, P = 0.073). The endothelial cell coefficient of variation did not differ significantly in group 1 participants over a 1-year period (P = 0.192), and a significant increase was observed in group 2 (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study revealed that atorvastatin may have a positive effect on corneal endothelium cell density and morphology.

Abstract High-precision 3D point cloud data have various analyses and application use cases. This study aimed to achieve a more precise noise reduction of the raw 3D point cloud data of asphalt pavements obtained using 3D laser scanning. Hence, a noise-reduction algorithm integrating improved Gaussian filtering and coefficient of variation was developed. A portable laser scanner was used to collect raw, high-precision 3D point cloud data of surface textures from pavement slab samples prepared with three different types of asphalt mixtures: AC-13, SMA-13, and OGFC-13, as well as asphalt from the test sections of the Yakang Expressway. An improved Gaussian filtering and Gaussian filtering that extracts noise using the coefficient of variation were used to filter out the obvious outlier noise and small-scale burr noise, respectively. Finally, the filtering effect of the proposed algorithm, Gaussian filtering, median filtering, and mean filtering on raw 3D point cloud data of pavement textures was evaluated through subjective visual quality and objective index evaluations. The results showed that the proposed algorithm filters out noise while preserving the micro-texture structure information, outperforming Gaussian filtering, median filtering, and mean filtering.

AbstractIn this article, we propose confidence intervals for the population coefficient of variation based on some robust estimators such as trimmed mean, winsorized mean, Hodges-Lehmann estimator and trimean. The proposed confidence intervals and their bootstrap versions were compared with the existing confidence intervals for the population coefficient of variation. The performances of the proposed confidence intervals were evaluated via a Monte-Carlo simulation study by considering the coverage probability, average width, standard deviation of widths, and coefficient of variation of widths as comparison criteria. The proposed confidence intervals performed well in terms of coverage probability on symmetrical distributions. In the case of skewed distributions, they were closer to the nominal confidence level and had narrower widths than the others. As a result, we proposed to use confidence intervals based on the Hodges-Lehmann estimator and winsorized mean for small sample sizes ([Formula: see text]) and larger sample sizes for skewed distributions, respectively. The real-life datasets were analyzed to support the simulation results and confirm the practical applications of the proposed confidence intervals.

Despite frequent claims regarding radical extensions of human lifespan in the near future, many pragmatic scientists caution against excessive and baseless optimism on this front. In this study, we examine the compensation effect of mortality (CEM) as a potential challenge to substantial lifespan extension. The CEM is an empirical mortality regularity, often depicted as relative mortality convergence at advanced ages. Analysis of mortality data from 44 human populations, available in the Human Mortality Database, demonstrated that CEM can be represented as a continuous decline in relative mortality variation (assessed through the coefficient of variation and the standard deviation of the logarithm of mortality) with age, reaching a minimum corresponding to the species-specific lifespan. Through this method, the species-specific lifespan is determined to be 96–97 years, closely aligning with estimates derived from correlations between Gompertz parameters (95–98 years). Importantly, this representation of CEM can be achieved non-parametrically, eliminating the need for estimating Gompertz parameters. CEM is a challenge to lifespan extension, because it suggests that the true aging rate in humans (based on loss of vital elements, e.g., functional cells) remains stable at approximately 1% per year in the majority of human populations and is not affected by environmental or familial longevity factors. Given this rate of functional cell loss, one might anticipate that the total pool of functional cells could be entirely depleted by the age of 115–120 years creating physiological limit to human lifespan. Mortality pattern of supercentenarians (110 + years) aligns with this prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To address the measurement accuracy challenges posed by the internal flow complexity in atypical circular bend pipes with short turning sections and without extended straight pipe segments, this study designed an experimental circular “S”-shaped bent pipe with a diameter of 0.4 m and a bending angle of 135°. Numerical analysis was used to determine the stable region for velocity distribution within the experimental segment. Furthermore, a novel evaluation method based on the coefficient of variation was proposed to accurately locate the optimal position for installing thermal mass flow meters on the test cross section. Additionally, a formula for calculating the pipeline flow rate based on velocity differences was derived. This formula considers pipeline flow as the dependent variable and uses the velocity at two points in the test cross section as the independent variable. Experimental validation on a primary standard test bench demonstrated that the flow rate calculated by this method had an error controlled within 0.625% compared to the standard flow rate, thus effectively verifying the method’s high accuracy and engineering applicability. This research provides a new testing methodology and practical basis for flow measurement in complex pipeline systems, offering significant guidance for research and applications in related fields.

Abstract This research presents a new adaptive exponentially weighted moving average control chart, known as the coefficient of variation (CV) EWMA statistic to study the relative process variability. The production process CV monitoring is a long-term process observation with an unstable mean. Therefore, a new modified adaptive exponentially weighted moving average (AAEWMA) CV monitoring chart using a novel function hereafter referred to as the "AAEWMA CV" monitoring control chart. the novelty of the suggested AAEWMA CV chart statistic is to identify the infrequent process CV changes. A continuous function is suggested to be used to adapt the plotting statistic smoothing constant value as per the process estimated shift size that arises in the CV parametric values. The Monte Carlo simulation method is used to compute the run-length values, which are used to analyze efficiency. The existing AEWMA CV chart is less effective than the proposed AAEWMA CV chart. An industrial data example is used to examine the strength of the proposed AAEWMA CV chart and to clarify the implementation specifics which is provided in the example section. The results strongly recommend the implementation of the proposed AAEWMA CV control chart.

【Objective】The study aims to comprehensively evaluate the ecological adaptability of different cigar varieties and screen cigar varieties suitable for planting in Zhanjiang tobacco areas of Guangdong Province.【Method】Field experiments were carried out on 8 newly introduced cigar varieties to analyze and compare their differences in field growth periods, agronomic traits, natural disease rates, conventional chemical components and sensory quality evaluation. Finally, comprehensive index method was used to evaluate their comprehensive traits.【Result】All the eight cigar varieties had a long field growth period, with an average of 141.36 days. The field growth periods of different cigar varieties varied greatly, with a maximum difference of 22 days (133 days for 'Haiyan 108' and 'Haiyan 201', 155 days for 'Yunxue 8'). 'Yunxue 8' and 'Haiyan 200' performed best at agronomic traits, their plant height, maximum leaf width, internodal length and effective leaf number were better than the average of the tested varieties, indicating that these two varieties had strong field growth potential. The incidence of tobacco mosaic virus of 'Haiyan 200', 'Haiyan 101' and 'Yunxue 2' was low, ranging from 5.09% to 6.85%, and no weather fleck occurred, indicating that the disease resistance of the three varieties was strong. 'Haiyan 200' and 'Haiyan 101' had better coordination of conventional chemical components, and their comprehensive scores were higher than the average level, however, the potassium chloride ratio of the two varieties was lower than the suitable range of high-quality tobacco leaves (4-10). In sensory quality evaluation, 'Haiyan 101' scored the highest (46.07), which was characterized by slightly sufficient aroma, clean aftertaste, strong sweetness and good burning ability. The results of comprehensive index calculation showed that the scores of eight cigar varieties ranked as follows: 'Haiyan 200' > 'Haiyan 101' > 'Yunxue 8' > 'Yunxue 2' > 'Haiyan 108' > 'Haiyan 201' > 'Yunxue 3' > 'Havana'.【Conclusion】'Haiyan 200' and 'Haiyan 101' have good comprehensive properties and were suitable for planting in Zhanjiang tobacco areas. It is suggested to further improve the quality of tobacco leaves by optimizing the fertilization scheme as well as drying and fermentation technology.

The multivariate coefficient of variation (MCV) is an attractive and easy‐to‐interpret effect size for the dispersion in multivariate data. Recently, the first inference methods for the MCV were proposed for general factorial designs. However, the inference methods are primarily derived for one special MCV variant while there are several reasonable proposals. Moreover, when rejecting a global null hypothesis, a more in‐depth analysis is of interest to find the significant contrasts of MCV. This paper concerns extending the nonparametric permutation procedure to the other MCV variants and a max‐type test for post hoc analysis. To improve the small sample performance of the latter, we suggest a novel bootstrap strategy and prove its asymptotic validity. The actual performance of all proposed tests is compared in an extensive simulation study and illustrated by real data analysis. All methods are implemented in the R package GFDmcv, available on CRAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the measurement accuracy challenges posed by the internal flow complexity in atypical circular bend pipes with short turning sections and without extended straight pipe segments, this study designed an experimental circular "S"-shaped bent pipe with a diameter of 0.4 m and a bending angle of 135°. Numerical analysis was used to determine the stable region for velocity distribution within the experimental segment. Furthermore, a novel evaluation method based on the coefficient of variation was proposed to accurately locate the optimal position for installing thermal mass flow meters on the test cross section. Additionally, a formula for calculating the pipeline flow rate based on velocity differences was derived. This formula considers pipeline flow as the dependent variable and uses the velocity at two points in the test cross section as the independent variable. Experimental validation on a primary standard test bench demonstrated that the flow rate calculated by this method had an error controlled within 0.625% compared to the standard flow rate, thus effectively verifying the method's high accuracy and engineering applicability. This research provides a new testing methodology and practical basis for flow measurement in complex pipeline systems, offering significant guidance for research and applications in related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Atezolizumab/bevacizumab (AB) therapy is currently one of the first-line drugs for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC). Predicting early progressive disease before AB therapy may be beneficial for selecting alternative treatments for patients with u-HCC. Coefficient of variation (CV), as one of the quantitative indicators of signal heterogeneity, in the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-MRI was an independent predictive factor for tumor progression (p = 0.043). Patients with a high CV tended to have shorter PFS than those with a low CV (3.5 vs. 6.7 months, p = 0.071). Quantitative analysis using CV may be useful for predicting tumor progression for AB therapy, contributing to the individualization of therapeutic strategies for patients with u-HCC. Background: This study aimed to examine whether the coefficient of variation (CV) in the hepatobiliary-phase (HBP) of Gd-EOB-DTPA-MRI could be an independent predictive factor for tumor progression. Methods: Patients who underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-MRI before Atezolizumab/bevacizumab therapy at six affiliated institutions between 2018 and 2022 were included. CV for each patient was calculated as the mean value for up to five tumors larger than 10 mm, and CV of the whole tumor was calculated using LIFEx software. The tumor response was evaluated within 6–10 weeks. The primary endpoint was to investigate the predictive factors, including CV, related to tumor progression using logistic regression analysis. The secondary endpoints were tumor response rate and progression-free survival (PFS) based on CV. Results: Of the 46 enrolled patients, 13 (28.3%) underwent early progressive disease. Multivariate analysis revealed that a high CV (≥0.22) was an independent predictive factor for tumor progression (p = 0.043). Patients with a high CV had significantly frequent PD than those with a low CV (43.5 vs. 13.0%, p = 0.047). Patients with a high CV tended to have shorter PFS than those with a low CV (3.5 vs. 6.7 months, p = 0.071). Conclusion: Quantitative analysis using CV in the HBP of Gd-EOB-DTPA-MRI may be useful for predicting tumor progression for atezolizumab/bevacizumab therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the capacity flexibility models of transit networks to describe the ability of urban transit networks to accommodate the changes in passenger demands. In order to keep the variations of the average passenger travel time in a reasonable way, the concept of coefficient of variation (CoV) is introduced to measure and limit the deviation from a baseline time of the average passenger travel time. The CoV could transform the capacity flexibility values to non-dimensional form in order to compare the capacity flexibility characteristics of different scale transit networks on an equal basis. The genetic algorithm with deep search (GA-DS) for this problem is proposed to find the approximating optimal solution of the capacity flexibility models more effectively. The algorithm has been tested with benchmark problems reported in the existing literature. The optimal solution of the flexibility models shows that the flexibility values are further improved by reducing the number of stops for transit routes under different transit operation conditions. At last, the influence factors of the capacity flexibility of transit systems are discussed to address reliable transit services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vegetation is the main factor of ecological stability, but the construction of largescale corridor projects will bring some damage to vegetation. Methods: Based on the NDVI, temperature and precipitation data of the growing season from 1990–2021 (June to September), this paper uses the maximum synthesis method, trend analysis method, correlation analysis method and coefficient of variation method to study the spatial-temporal changes and driving factors of NDVI in the past 32 years, taking the 30 km belt buffer zone along the Lan-Xin Railway as the research area. The influence range of railway construction on NDVI in different climatic conditions is analyzed. Results: The results showed that: (1) From 1990–2021, the average annual temperature of the growing season in the study area showed an increasing trend, the average annual precipitation showed a decreasing trend, and the average annual NDVI showed an increasing trend; NDVI was positively correlated with temperature in 54.04%, and positively correlated with precipitation in 62.88%. Precipitation had a greater effect on NDVI than temperature. (2) Under the same climatic conditions, the NDVI variability coefficient in the study area fluctuates significantly within 3,000–21,000m along the railway line, stabilizing beyond 21,000 m; the impact range of railway construction on NDVI gradually increases with increasing precipitation within the same temperature range, and increases gradually with rising temperatures within the same precipitation range. (3) During the growing season (June to September) in the study area, when the temperature is below 25°C, NDVI increases initially with increasing precipitation before decreasing, showing an overall upward trend; when the temperature is above 25°C, NDVI initially increases with increasing precipitation before decreasing. High temperature and high precipitation will inhibit vegetation growth and reduce NDVI. The NDVI of the core area before the railway construction is larger than that of the background area, while the NDVI of the core area after the railway construction is smaller than that of the background area. Discussion: In short, the construction of Lan-Xin Railway has a certain influence on NDVI along the line. When studying the impact of large-scale engineering projects on vegetation in the future, higher resolution imagery can be used along with the incorporation of human activities’ influence. These factors will enable more accurate and comprehensive research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effects of practice schedule on the processing of new second language (L2) vocabulary and resulting knowledge. Participants were 107 low‐achieving adolescents attending a vocational high school in Korea. They were randomly assigned to one of three practice groups and completed a L2 English–L1 Korean paired‐associates learning task. The blocking group practiced one word at a time before switching to different words (e.g., A/A/A/B/B/B/C/C/C); the interleaving group practiced multiple words in sequence (e.g., A/B/C/A/B/C/A/B/C); and the hybrid group had both blocked and interleaved practice. Results revealed that (a) interleaved practice alone posed undesirable difficulty for low achievers, (b) blocked practice in the early learning phase facilitated the development of new declarative knowledge, and (c) hybrid practice produced more robust long‐term retention than blocking and interleaving. The findings are discussed in relation to real‐time processing accuracy, reaction time, coefficient of variation, and meaning recognition test outcomes. Additionally, I explore possible applications of these findings in developing optimal algorithm‐based software for vocabulary learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrode is a key component in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) that needs significant improvement for practical implementation. Accurate and reproducible analytical methods are substantial for the effective development of electrode technology. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) is an essential analytical method for evaluating electrode performance. In this study, inoculated carbon brush (IB), abiotic brush (AB), Pt wire (PtW), stainless steel wire (SSW), and mesh (SSM) were tested to find the most suitable counter electrode under different medium conditions. The coefficient of variation (Cv) of maximum current (Imax) was the most decisive indicator of the reproducibility test. This study shows that (i) the electrode used in operation is an appropriate counter electrode in an acetate-added condition, (ii) the anode LSV test should avoid the use of Pt wire as counter electrodes, and (iii) PtW is an appropriate counter electrode in cathode LSV in all conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a statistical approach to identify the underlying roughness characteristics in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) intensity data. The physical modeling of this kind of data allows the use of the Gamma distribution in the presence of fully developed speckle, i.e., when there are infinitely many independent backscatterers per resolution cell, and none dominates the return. Such areas are often called "homogeneous" or "textureless" regions. The G I 0 distribution is also a widely accepted law for heterogeneous and extremely heterogeneous regions, i.e., areas where the fully developed speckle hypotheses do not hold. We propose three test statistics to distinguish between homogeneous and inhomogeneous regions, i.e., between gamma and G I 0 distributed data, both with a known number of looks. The first test statistic uses a bootstrapped non-parametric estimator of Shannon entropy, providing a robust assessment in uncertain distributional assumptions. The second test uses the classical coefficient of variation (CV). The third test uses an alternative form of estimating the CV based on the ratio of the mean absolute deviation from the median to the median. We apply our test statistic to create maps of p-values for the homogeneity hypothesis. Finally, we show that our proposal, the entropy-based test, outperforms existing methods, such as the classical CV and its alternative variant, in identifying heterogeneity when applied to both simulated and actual data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major challenge for control charts monitoring the coefficient of variation is to quickly detect shifts in this parameter, so that assignable cause(s) can be quickly removed and the process can operate in an in-control state with a stable coefficient of variation. This is especially so when there are constraints in the sample size. One proposed strategy is to vary the sample size according to the most recent information. However, a side-sensitive synthetic chart monitoring the coefficient of variation with variable sample size is not available. This paper contributes to the literature by developing a variable sample size side-sensitive synthetic chart for the coefficient of variation. The main contributions are in terms of illustrating the operations of the chart, deriving the formulae to evaluate its performance and developing the algorithms to optimize its performance. Comparisons with current charts show that the proposed chart outperforms all existing synthetic-type charts monitoring the coefficient of variation. The proposed chart also outperforms the variable sample size coefficient of variation chart for all shift sizes. In addition, it outperforms the variable sample size run sum and variable sample size Exponentially Weighted Moving Average charts monitoring the coefficient of variation for moderate and large shift sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sample size determination is an active area of research in statistics. Generally, Bayesian methods provide relatively smaller sample sizes than the classical techniques, particularly average length criterion is more conventional and gives relatively small sample sizes under the given constraints. The objective of this study is to utilize major Bayesian sample size determination techniques for the coefficient of variation of normal distribution and assess their performance by comparing the results with the freqentist approach. To this end, we noticed that the average coverage criterion is the one that provides relatively smaller sample sizes than the worst outcome criterion. By comparing with the existing frequentist studies, we show that a smaller sample size is required in Bayesian methods to achieve the same efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbiological quality of municipal water is of prime importance for public health and represents a prominent concern for authorities to maintain and control the bioburden level within safe limits. An appropriately functioning network must ensure the biological stability of the water distribution system throughout the way of water from the processing and purification station until reaching the ultimate consumers. The study examines methodologies used to evaluate different segments from a local distribution system of city water by examining short-term results of the total microbial count obtained from several available points of use through a one-year period. Microbial variations observed in city's water system. Autumn has the highest bioburden. Locations exceeding 10,000 CFU/100 mL threshold warrant investigation. Non-uniform distribution across the system suggests potential influence of distance, pipe type, and biofilms. Early warning system established to monitor bioburden surges. Descriptive analysis showed that six lines from 19 examined sections from the distribution system had lower dispersion in the microbiological data between minimum and maximum results than the remaining parts of the distribution pipes. Moreover, multiple comparison test outputs returned significant differences in microbiological density datasets between high-count and low-count use points. Thus, surveying the layout design of the municipal water distribution infrastructure would be crucial to restate its impact on the sanitary distribution of water. In conclusion, this refined study provides a nuanced examination of microbiological stability in municipal water distribution, offering targeted insights for effective public health management. By implementing the present assessment, public health authorities can spot and identify defective areas in the distribution system and take necessary actions to prevent or mitigate potential risks of waterborne diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: The anatomical structures of Carex moorcroftii roots showing stronger plasticity during drought had a lower coefficient of variation in cell size in the same habitats, while those showing weaker plasticity had a higher coefficient of variation. The complementary relationship between these factors comprises the adaptation mechanism of the C. moorcroftii root to drought. To explore the effects of habitat drought on root anatomy of hygrophytic plants, this study focused on roots of C. moorcroftii. Five sample plots were set up along a soil moisture gradient in the Western Sichuan Plateau to collect experimental materials. Paraffin sectioning was used to obtain root anatomy, and one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, linear regression analysis, and RDA ranking were applied to analyze the relationship between root anatomy and soil water content. The results showed that the root transverse section area, thickness of epidermal cells, exodermis and Casparian strips, and area of aerenchyma were significantly and positively correlated with soil moisture content (P < 0.01). The diameter of the vascular cylinder and the number and total area of vessels were significantly and negatively correlated with the soil moisture content (P < 0.01). The plasticity of the anatomical structures was strong for the diameter and area of the vascular cylinder and thickness of the Casparian strip and epidermis, while it was weak for vessel diameter and area. In addition, there was an asymmetrical relationship between the functional adaptation of root anatomical structure in different soil moisture and the variation degree of root anatomical structure in the same soil moisture. Therefore, the roots of C. moorcroftii can shorten the water transport distance from the epidermis to the vascular cylinder, increase the area of the vascular cylinder and the number of vessels, and establish a complementary relationship between the functional adaptation of root anatomical structure in different habitats and the variation degree of root anatomical structure in the same habitat to adapt to habitat drought. This study provides a scientific basis for understanding the response of plateau wetland plants to habitat changes and their ecological adaptation strategies. More scientific experimental methods should be adopted to further study the mutual coordination mechanisms of different anatomical structures during root adaptation to habitat drought for hygrophytic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research presents a new adaptive exponentially weighted moving average control chart, known as the coefficient of variation (CV) EWMA statistic to study the relative process variability. The production process CV monitoring is a long-term process observation with an unstable mean. Therefore, a new modified adaptive exponentially weighted moving average (AAEWMA) CV monitoring chart using a novel function hereafter referred to as the "AAEWMA CV" monitoring control chart. the novelty of the suggested AAEWMA CV chart statistic is to identify the infrequent process CV changes. A continuous function is suggested to be used to adapt the plotting statistic smoothing constant value as per the process estimated shift size that arises in the CV parametric values. The Monte Carlo simulation method is used to compute the run-length values, which are used to analyze efficiency. The existing AEWMA CV chart is less effective than the proposed AAEWMA CV chart. An industrial data example is used to examine the strength of the proposed AAEWMA CV chart and to clarify the implementation specifics which is provided in the example section. The results strongly recommend the implementation of the proposed AAEWMA CV control chart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data variability complicates reproducibility and the interpretation of experimental results. Different animal models have been employed to decrease variability to enhance experimental power. However, variation frequently persists among and within strains/lines. In zebrafish (Danio rerio), inbred lines (e.g., NHGRI-1) derived from wild-type lines have been produced to greatly decrease genetic variation, with the goal of providing better understanding of genetic backgrounds that may influence the experimental outcome of studies employing such lines. We hypothesized that variations in morphological phenotypes shaped by environmental stressors early in development are correlated with the intrinsic degree of genetic variability of zebrafish lines. We compared morphological variability (yolk–chorion ratio, body mass, embryo mass, total length, condition factor, and specific growth rate) in wild-type AB and NHGRI-1 zebrafish lines as a function of their responses to altered temperature and oxygen availability during the first 7 days post-fertilization. Overall, both lines showed similar developmental trajectories for yolk–chorion ratio, embryo mass, and total length. Additionally, condition factor and specific growth rate showed similar responses within each line, regardless of temperature and hypoxia. Importantly, the coefficient of variation for each variable was significantly lower in NHGRI-1 than AB larvae for 151 of 187 assessed morphological endpoints. Thus, the low-heterozygosity NHGRI-1 zebrafish line can be useful for decreasing inter-individual variation in morphological responses to environmental stressors, thereby aiding in the interpretation of results and enhancing experimental reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problems such as high water content, low bearing capacity and reutilization of fly ash in soft soil, the combination of fly ash and cement in solidifying soft soil was carried out by in-situ solidification and strong mixing processes. The light dynamic penetration tests on solidified soil under different binder amounts, treatment depths and curing ages were carried out to analyze the in-situ data systematically. The results show that adding 1% fly ash can effectively reduce the water content of cement-solidified soft soil, and the reduction rate rises with increasing cement content. The in-situ solidification of fly ash combined with cement has little effect on density of soft soil, but it will limit the development of bearing capacity. The bearing capacity fluctuates greatly with depth, and increasing the treatment depth helps to reduce the fluctuation range. The use of fly ash combined with cement will further enhance the stabilization of heavy metals and pollutants. Based on the bilinear interpolation algorithm, the quantitative evaluation method of curing ratio is proposed, and the coefficient of variation is introduced to establish the evaluation index of in-situ solidification, which can provide a reference basis for similar soft soil in-situ solidification construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Calculation of the uncertainty of the individual time-integrated activity coefficient (TIACs) is desirable in molecular radiotherapy. However, the calculation of TIAC's uncertainty in single-time-point (STP) method has never been reported in the literature. This study presents a method based on the Bayesian fitting (BF) to calculate the standard deviation (SD) of individual TIACs in the STP dosimetry. Methods: Biokinetic data of 177Lu-DOTATATE in kidneys were obtained from PMID33443063. BF methods with extended objective function, which optimize the fitting using prior knowledge of the function's parameters, were used. Reference TIACs (rTIACs) were calculated by fitting a mono-exponential function to the all-time-point data. The goodness of fit was checked based on the visual inspection and the coefficient of variations (CV) of the fitted parameters < 0.5. BF with relative (BFr) and absolute-based (BFa) variance methods were used to obtain the calculated TIACs (cTIACs) from the STP dosimetry. Performance of the STP method was obtained by calculating the relative deviation (RD) between cTIACs and rTIACs. Results: Visual inspection showed a good fit for all patients with CV of fitted parameters less than 50%. The mean ± SD of cTIAC's %RD were 7.0 ± 25.2 for BFr and 2.6 ± 8.9 for BFa. The range of %CV of the individual cTIAC's SD for BFr and BFa methods was 36–78% and 22–33%, respectively, while the %CV of the rTIAC SD was 0.8–49%. Conclusion: We introduce the BF method to calculate the SD of individual TIACs in STP dosimetry. The presented method might be used as an alternative method for uncertainty analysis in STP dosimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the reliability and accuracy of the FY-3 and MODIS NDVI data in Xinjiang from 2014 to 2020 was analyzed by using numerical comparison, correlation analysis and trend consistency analysis, and the reliability and accuracy of FY-3 and MODIS were studied. Based on FY-3 NDVI data, the vegetation change in Xinjiang from 2014 to 2020 was studied by using coefficient of variation analysis method. The results show that the MODIS NDVI monthly mean from 2014 to 2020 were generally lower than those of FY-3, however, the change rules of the two sets of data were consistent, but there were certain differences in NDVI between the two data in sandland, grassland, woodland, cultivated land, spring 2017, summer 2016 and 2018, autumn 2015 and 2019, and winter 2019, the difference areas were mainly located in Altai mountain district, Ili river valley and the eastern section of Tianshan mountains; in 2020, the average NDVI data for each land use type and season in FY-3 was greater than the average MODIS NDVI data, and the FY-3 NDVI data were closer to the true value. At the same time, the NDVI data R2, RMSE, MAD, RE, θ for each land use type and season in FY-3 were lower than the MODIS NDVI data, indicating that the FY-3 data tends to be concentrated, with higher stability than the MODIS data, the NDVI data of FY-3 superior to MODIS NDVI. In Xinjiang, the internal stability of vegetation varies greatly seasonally and spatially, with small fluctuations in summer and large fluctuations in spring and autumn on a seasonal scale. Spatially, regions with better vegetation coverage, such as grasslands, forests, and oasis farming areas, have stronger internal stability of vegetation, and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated whether non-enhancement MRI features, including measurement of the heterogeneity of the tumor with MR T2 imaging by calculating coefficient of variation (CV) values, were associated with the prognosis of non-metastatic malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST). Methods: This retrospective study included 42 patients with MPNST who had undergone surgical resection (mean age, 50 years ± 21; 20 male participants). Non-enhancement MR images were evaluated for signal intensity heterogeneity on T1- and T2-weighted imaging, tumor margin definition on T1- and T2-weighted imaging, peritumoral edema on T2-weight imaging, and CV. We measured the signal intensities of MR T2-weighted images and calculated the corresponding CV values. CV is defined as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean. The associations between factors and overall survival (OS) were investigated via the Kaplan–Meier method with log-rank tests and the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The mean CV value of MR T2 images was 0.2299 ± 0.1339 (standard deviation) (range, 0.0381–0.8053). Applying receiver operating characteristics analysis, the optimal cut-off level for CV value was 0.137. This cut-off CV value was used for its stratification into high and low CV values. At multivariate survival analysis, a high CV value (hazard ratio = 3.63; 95% confidence interval = 1.16–16.0; p = 0.047) was identified as an independent predictor of OS. Conclusion: The CV value of the signal intensity of heterogenous MPNSTs MR T2-weighted images is an independent predictor of patients' OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]