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  • MDPI AG  (38)
  • 1
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Spatiotemporal Evolution of Urban Agglomeration and Its Impact on Landscape Patterns in the Pearl River Delta, China
    MDPI AG ; 2023
    In:  Remote Sensing Vol. 15, No. 10 ( 2023-05-11), p. 2520-
    Details
    In: Remote Sensing, MDPI AG, Vol. 15, No. 10 ( 2023-05-11), p. 2520-
    Abstract: An urban agglomeration is the engine of regional and national economic growth, but also causes many ecological and environmental issues that emerge from massive land changes. In this study, the spatiotemporal evolution of an urban agglomeration was quantified and its impacts on the urban and regional landscape patterns were evaluated. It showed that the urbanized land area of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration (PRDUA) in China nearly quadrupled, having linearly increased from 1819.8 km2 to 7092.2 km2 between 1985 and 2015. The average annual growth rate presented a bimodal wave-like pattern through time, indicating that the PRDUA has witnessed two rounds of the urbanization process. The growth modes (e.g., leapfrog, edge-expansion, infilling) were detected and they exhibited co-existing but alternating dominating patterns during urbanization, demonstrating that the spatiotemporal evolution of the urban development of the PRDUA follows the “spiral diffusion-coalescence” hypothesis. The morphology of the PRDUA presented an alternating dispersal-compact pattern over time. The city-level and regional-level landscape patterns changed synchronously with the spatiotemporal evolution of the PRDUA over time. The urbanization of the PRDUA increased both the complexity and aggregation of the landscape, but also resulted in an increasing fragmentation and decreasing connectivity of the natural landscape in the Pearl River Delta region. These findings are helpful for better understanding how urban agglomerations evolve and in providing insights for regional urban planning and sustainable land management.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2072-4292
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/rs15102520
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2513863-7
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  • 2
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    C-Reactive Protein Is an Independent Predictor of 30-Day Bacterial Infection Post-Liver Transplantation
    MDPI AG ; 2021
    In:  Biomolecules Vol. 11, No. 8 ( 2021-08-12), p. 1195-
    Details
    In: Biomolecules, MDPI AG, Vol. 11, No. 8 ( 2021-08-12), p. 1195-
    Abstract: The relationship between aseptic systemic inflammation and postoperative bacterial infection is unclear. We investigated the correlation of systemic inflammation biomarkers with 30-day clinically significant bacterial infections (CSI) after liver transplantation (LT). This retrospective study enrolled 940 patients who received LT and were followed for 30 days. The primary end point was 30-day CSI events. The cohort was divided into exploratory (n = 508) and validation (n = 432) sets according to different centers. Area under the receiver operated characteristic (AUROC) and Cox regression models were fitted to study the association between baseline systemic inflammation levels and CSI after LT. A total of 255 bacterial infectious events in 209 recipients occurred. Among systemic inflammation parameters, baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) was independently associated with 30-day CSI in the exploratory group. The combination of CRP and organ failure number showed a good discrimination for 30-day CSI (AUROC = 0.80, 95% CI, 0.76–0.84) and the results were confirmed in an external verification group. Additionally, CRP levels were correlated with bacterial product lipopolysaccharide. In conclusion, our study suggests that pre-transplantation CRP is independent of other prognostic factors for 30-day CSI post-LT, and can be integrated into tools for assessing the risk of bacterial infection post-LT or as a component of prognostic models.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2218-273X
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/biom11081195
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2021
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2701262-1
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  • 3
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    Fatigue Crack Growth and Fracture of Internal Fixation Materials in In Vivo Environments—A Review
    MDPI AG ; 2021
    In:  Materials Vol. 14, No. 1 ( 2021-01-01), p. 176-
    Details
    In: Materials, MDPI AG, Vol. 14, No. 1 ( 2021-01-01), p. 176-
    Abstract: The development of crack patterns is a serious problem affecting the durability of orthopedic implants and the prognosis of patients. This issue has gained considerable attention in the medical community in recent years. This literature focuses on the five primary aspects relevant to the evaluation of the surface cracking patterns, i.e., inappropriate use, design flaws, inconsistent elastic modulus, allergic reaction, poor compatibility, and anti-corrosiveness. The hope is that increased understanding will open doors to optimize fabrication for biomedical applications. The latest technological issues and potential capabilities of implants that combine absorbable materials and shape memory alloys are also discussed. This article will act as a roadmap to be employed in the realm of orthopedic. Fatigue crack growth and the challenges associated with materials must be recognized to help make new implant technologies viable for wider clinical adoption. This review presents a summary of recent findings on the fatigue mechanisms and fracture of implant in the initial period after surgery. We propose solutions to common problems. The recognition of essential complications and technical problems related to various approaches and material choices while satisfying clinical requirements is crucial. Additional investigation will be needed to surmount these challenges and reduce the likelihood of fatigue crack growth after implantation.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 1996-1944
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/ma14010176
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2021
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2487261-1
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  • 4
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    Nonlinear Modeling and Inferential Multi-Model Predictive Control of a Pulverizing System in a Coal-Fired Power Plant Based on Moving Horizon Estimation
    MDPI AG ; 2018
    In:  Energies Vol. 11, No. 3 ( 2018-03-08), p. 589-
    Details
    In: Energies, MDPI AG, Vol. 11, No. 3 ( 2018-03-08), p. 589-
    Abstract: Fuel preparation is the control bottleneck in coal-fired power plants due to the unmeasurable nature or inaccurate measurement of key controlled variables. This paper proposes an inferential multi-model predictive control scheme based on moving horizon estimation for the fuel preparation system in coal-fired power plants, i.e., the pulverizing system, aimed at improving control precision of key operating variables that are unmeasurable or inaccurately measured, and improving system tracking performance across a wide operating range. We develop a first principle model of the pulverizing system considering the nonlinear dynamics of primary air, and then employ the genetic algorithm to identify the unknown model parameters. The outputs of the identified first principle model agree well with measured data from a real pulverizing system. Thereafter we derive a moving horizon estimation approach to estimate the desired, but unmeasurable or inaccurately measured, controlled variables. Estimation constraints are explicitly considered to reduce the influence of measurement uncertainty. Finally, nonlinearity of the pulverizing system is analyzed and a multi-model inferential predictive controller is developed using the extended input-output state space model to achieve offset-free performance. Simulation results show that the proposed soft sensor can provide improved estimates than conventional extended Kalman filter, and the proposed inferential control scheme can significantly improve performance of the pulverizing system.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 1996-1073
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/en11030589
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2018
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2437446-5
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  • 5
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    Identification of Crucial Residues in α-Conotoxin EI Inhibiting Muscle Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
    MDPI AG ; 2019
    In:  Toxins Vol. 11, No. 10 ( 2019-10-16), p. 603-
    Details
    In: Toxins, MDPI AG, Vol. 11, No. 10 ( 2019-10-16), p. 603-
    Abstract: α-Conotoxins (α-CTxs) are small disulfide-rich peptides from venom of Conus species that target nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The muscle-type nAChRs have been recognized as a potential target for several diseases, such as myogenic disorders, muscle dystrophies, and myasthenia gravis. EI, an α4/7-CTx, mainly blocks α1β1δε nAChRs and has an extra N-terminal extension of three amino acids. In this study, the alanine scanning (Ala-scan) mutagenesis was applied in order to identify key residues of EI for binding with mouse α1β1δε nAChR. The Ala-substituted analogues were tested for their abilities of modulating muscle and neuronal nAChRs in Xenopus laevis oocytes using two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) recordings. Electrophysiological results indicated that the vital residues for functional activity of EI were His-7, Pro-8, Met-12, and Pro-15. These changes exhibited a significant decrease in potency of EI against mouse α1β1δε nAChR. Interestingly, replacing the critical serine (Ser) at position 13 with an alanine (Ala) residue resulted in a 2-fold increase in potency at the α1β1δε nAChR, and showed loss of activity on α3β2 and α3β4 nAChRs. Selectivity and potency of [S13A] EI was improved compared with wild-type EI (WT EI). In addition, the structure–activity relationship (SAR) of EI revealed that the “Arg1–Asn2–Hyp3” residues at the N-terminus conferred potency at the muscle-type nAChRs, and the deletion analogue △1–3 EI caused a total loss of activity at the α1β1δε nAChR. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy studies demonstrated that activity loss of truncated analogue △1–3 EI for α1β1δε nAChR is attributed to disturbance of the secondary structure. In this report, an Ala-scan mutagenesis strategy is presented to identify crucial residues that are significantly affecting potency of E1 for mouse α1β1δε nAChR. It may also be important in remodeling of some novel ligands for inhibiting muscle-type nAChRs.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2072-6651
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/toxins11100603
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2019
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2518395-3
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  • 6
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    Application of Tea-Specific Fertilizer Combined with Organic Fertilizer Improves Aroma of Green Tea
    MDPI AG ; 2022
    In:  Horticulturae Vol. 8, No. 10 ( 2022-10-14), p. 950-
    Details
    In: Horticulturae, MDPI AG, Vol. 8, No. 10 ( 2022-10-14), p. 950-
    Abstract: The application of organic fertilizer has been one of the most important agricultural practices to increase tea plant productivity. However, a single organic fertilizer alone could not match the nutrient requirements of tea plant. According to the nutrient demand of tea plant, tea-specific fertilizer with an appropriate nutrient ratio in combination with organic fertilizer would be an appropriate way. A four-year field experiment was conducted to characterize the sensory quality of green tea subjected to four different fertilization treatments, i.e., tea-specific fertilizer (N-P2O5-K2O: 18-8-12) + urea + colza cake, tea-specific fertilizer + urea + livestock waste compost, and tea-specific fertilizer + urea, combined tea-specific fertilizer (referred to as M1, M2, and M3, respectively); nonfertilizing (CK) served as control. The fertilizer formulated specifically for tea could enhance the taste qualities of green tea, such as water extract, caffeine, tea polyphenol, EGCG, and ECG. However, the effect of this fertilizer on enhancing the aroma level of green tea was weaker than that of the application of tea-specific fertilizer combined with organic fertilizer, whereby this combined fertilization significantly improved the concentration of green tea aroma compounds, such as D-limonene, cis-jasmone, nonanal, linalool, cis-3-hexenyl hexanoate, and cis-3-hexenyl benzoate. This study provides a theoretical basis for judicious fertilization by combining tea-specific fertilizer and organic fertilizer in tea orchards.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2311-7524
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae8100950
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2022
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2813983-5
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  • 7
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    Continuous Tracking of Targets for Stereoscopic HFSWR Based on IMM Filtering Combined with ELM
    MDPI AG ; 2020
    In:  Remote Sensing Vol. 12, No. 2 ( 2020-01-14), p. 272-
    Details
    In: Remote Sensing, MDPI AG, Vol. 12, No. 2 ( 2020-01-14), p. 272-
    Abstract: High frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) plays an important role in marine surveillance on account of its ability to provide wide-range early warning detection. However, vessel target track breakages are common in large-scale marine monitoring, which limits the continuous tracking ability of HFSWR. The following are the possible reasons for track fracture: highly maneuverable vessels, dense channels, target occlusion, strong clutter/interference, long sampling intervals, and low detection probabilities. To solve this problem, we propose a long-term continuous tracking method for multiple targets with stereoscopic HFSWR based on an interacting multiple model extended Kalman filter (IMMEKF) combined with an extreme learning machine (ELM). When the trajectory obtained by IMMEKF breaks, a new section of the track will start on the basis of the observation data. For multiple-target tracking, a number of broken tracks can be obtained by IMMEKF tracking. Then the ELM classifies the segments from the same vessel by extracting different features including average velocity, average curvature, ratio of the arc length to the chord length, and wavelet coefficient. Both the simulation and the field experiment results validate the method presented here, showing that this method can achieve long-term continuous tracking for multiple vessels, with an average correct track segment association rate of over 91.2%, which is better than the tracking performance of conventional algorithms, especially when the vessels are in dense channels and strong clutter/interference area.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2072-4292
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/rs12020272
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2020
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2513863-7
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  • 8
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    Interest-Aware Message-Passing Layer-Refined Graph Convolutional Network for Recommendation
    MDPI AG ; 2023
    In:  Symmetry Vol. 15, No. 5 ( 2023-05-01), p. 1013-
    Details
    In: Symmetry, MDPI AG, Vol. 15, No. 5 ( 2023-05-01), p. 1013-
    Abstract: Graph convolutional networks (GCNs) show great potential in recommendation applications, as they have excellent performance in propagation node information propagation and capturing high-order connectivity in user-item interaction graphs. However, in the current recommendation model based on GCN, incoming information from neighbors is aggregated during information propagation, and some of this information may be noisy due to negative information. Additionally, the over-smoothing problem occurs when the model layers are stacked too high. During the embedding learning of users in the graph convolution operation, an important factor is that high-order neighbor users with no interest are involved, leading to similar embedding for users with no interest. These issues can degrade the recommendation performance. To address these problems, this paper proposes a method called IMPLayerGCN. In this method, high-order graph convolution is performed within subgraphs, which are composed of users with similar interests and their interaction items. The higher-order graph convolution is carried out in the subgraph and the layer representation in the process of GCN re-information propagation and node update is refined. The convolution process uses a symmetrical matrix. This approach avoids the spread of negative information from higher-order neighbors to embedded learning.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2073-8994
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/sym15051013
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2518382-5
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  • 9
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    Nomogram Based on Monocyte-to-Lymphocyte Ratio to Predict Survival of Unresectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Who Receive First-Line PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors Combined with Chemotherapy
    MDPI AG ; 2022
    In:  Current Oncology Vol. 29, No. 11 ( 2022-11-18), p. 8937-8954
    Details
    In: Current Oncology, MDPI AG, Vol. 29, No. 11 ( 2022-11-18), p. 8937-8954
    Abstract: Background. Chemoimmunotherapy has become the first-line treatment for unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Still, reliable biomarkers to identify patients who could benefit from this combined therapy remain uncertain. This study focused on elucidating the predictive significance of the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and establishing the prognostic nomogram for unresectable ESCC treated with chemoimmunotherapy. Methods. Data of clinical features, peripheral blood parameters, and treatment records were collected in unresectable ESCC patients who received PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy as the first-line treatment from September 2017 to August 2021. The nomogram based on MLR and clinical parameters for predicting the overall survival (OS) was developed and validated. Results. Out of 81 patients enrolled, patients with a lower MLR had significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) and OS than patients with a higher pretreatment MLR (p = 0.0067; p = 0.00069). The OS nomogram integrating MLR, performance status (PS) score, and body mass index (BMI) achieved a C-index of 0.770 (95%CI 0.645–0.896). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of the nomogram predicting 12-, 18-, and 24-month OS rates were 0.855, 0.792, and 0.744, respectively, which were higher than the clinical TNM staging system or the MLR. Stratified by the nomogram-generated scores, three risk groups (low, moderate, and high) in survival curves manifested a distinct difference (p 〈 0.0001). Conclusion. MLR emerged as an independent predictive factor for PFS and OS in treatment-naive unresectable ESCC patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy. The constructed nomogram of MLR and clinical parameters was a reliable model for prognostic estimation.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 1718-7729
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/curroncol29110702
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2022
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2270777-3
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  • 10
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    A Modified JFNK for Solving the HTR Steady State Secondary Circuit Problem
    MDPI AG ; 2023
    In:  Energies Vol. 16, No. 5 ( 2023-02-26), p. 2252-
    Details
    In: Energies, MDPI AG, Vol. 16, No. 5 ( 2023-02-26), p. 2252-
    Abstract: A nuclear power plant is a complex coupling system, which features multi-physics coupling between reactor physics and thermal-hydraulics in the reactor core, as well as the multi-circuit coupling between the primary circuit and the secondary circuit by the shared steam generator (SG). Especially in the pebble-bed modular HTR nuclear power plant, different nuclear steam supply modules are further coupled together through the shared main steam pipes and the related equipment in the secondary circuit, since the special configuration of multiple reactor modules connects to a steam turbine. The JFNK (Jacobian-Free Newton–Krylov) method provides a promising coupling framework to solve the whole HTR nuclear power plant problem, due to its excellent convergence rate and strong robustness. In this work, the JFNK method was modified and applied to the steady-state calculation of the HTR secondary circuit, which plays an important role in simultaneous solutions for the whole HTR nuclear power plant. The main components in the secondary circuit included SG, steam turbine, condenser, feed pump, high/low-pressure heat exchanger, deaerator, as well as the extraction steam from the steam turbine. The results showed that the JFNK method can effectively solve the steady state issue of the HTR secondary circuit. Moreover, the JFNK method could converge well within a wide range of initial values, indicating its strong robustness.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 1996-1073
    URL: Article
    DOI: 10.3390/en16052252
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2437446-5
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