A screening method based on analytic hierarchy process for closed-loop DBS strategies of Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Closed-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a research hotspot in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, a variety of stimulation strategies will increase the selection time and cost in animal experiments and clinical studies. Moreover, the stimulation effect is little difference between similar strategies, so the selection process will be redundant. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to propose a comprehensive evaluation model based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to select the best one among similar strategies. METHODS: Two similar strategies, namely, threshold stimulation (CDBS) and threshold stimulus after EMD feature extraction (EDBS), were used for analysis and screening. The values of Similar to Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale estimates (SUE), ß power and energy consumption were calculated and analysed. The stimulation threshold with the best improvement effect was selected. The weights of the indices were allocated by AHP. Finally, the weights and index values were combined, and the comprehensive scores of the two strategies were calculated using the evaluation model. RESULTS: The optimal stimulation threshold for CDBS was 52% and for EDBS was 62%. The weights of the indices were 0.45, 0.45 and 0.1, respectively. According to comprehensive scores, different from the situation where either EDBS or CDBS can be called optimal stimulation strategies. But under the same threshold stimulation, the EDBS was better than the CDBS under the optimal level. CONCLUSION: The evaluation model based on AHP under the optimal stimulation conditions satisfied the screening conditions between the two strategies.

An optimal dietary sodium chloride supplemental level of broiler chicks fed a corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age.

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is usually added to diets to meet the Na and Cl requirements of broilers in the Chinese poultry industry, but the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level was not well-established. The present study was conducted to estimate the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level of broilers fed a corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age. A total of 490, 1-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were fed a NaCl-unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet (control) and the basal diet supplemented with 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50 or 0.60% NaCl for 21 days. Regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the optimal dietary NaCl level using the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models. As dietary supplemental NaCl levels increased, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), blood partial pressure of CO2, total CO2, base excess and anion gap, blood concentrations of HCO3, Na and Cl, serum Na concentration, jejunal villus height (VH) and tibia ash content increased linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05), while feed/gain ratio, relative weights of heart, liver and kidney, blood K concentration, serum concentrations of K, uric acid and glucose, and osmotic pressure decreased linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05). The estimates of optimal dietary NaCl levels were 0.20-0.22% based on the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models (P < 0.0001) of ADG, ADFI and feed/gain ratio, and 0.08-0.24% based on the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models (P < 0.0001) of blood gas indices, serum parameters, jejunal VH, tibia ash content and organ indices. These results suggested that the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level would be 0.24% for broilers fed the corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age, which is lower than the current dietary NaCl supplemental level (0.30%) in the Chinese broiler production.

Are you a spontaneous traveler? Effect of sensation seeking on tourist planfulness in the mobile era.

Drawn upon optimum stimulation level theory, and in view of the impact of mobile terminal usage on tourist decision-making, the present study aims to investigate how personality (i.e., sensation seeking) influences tourist trip planning behavior (i.e., tourist planfulness) in the mobile era. A sample of 344 respondents in China completed measures of sensation seeking, travel risk perception, smartphone usage, as well as tourist planfulness. Results indicated that sensation seeking was negatively associated with tourist planfulness and travel risk perception partially mediated this association. Besides, both the direct effect of sensation seeking on tourist planfulness and the indirect effect of travel risk perception were moderated by smartphone usage, in that these effects were stronger for tourists with a high-level of smartphone usage than those with low-level smartphone usage. This study can significantly advance existing research on tourist behavior from the perspective of personality and reconfiguring our traditional understanding on tourist decision-making in the mobile era. Our study may also provide indicative support for theoretical perspective that information technology is changing customer behavior.

Cost-optimal nZEB reform strategies and the influence of building orientation for Mediterranean university buildings: case study of the University of Málaga.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) requires the transformation of European buildings into nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs) before 2050 as a mitigation strategy against the imminent climate emergency. This paper aims to determine the cost-optimal nZEB reform strategy for Spanish university buildings located in the Mediterranean climate, evaluating the influence of the building's orientation on nZEB cost optimality. The present work carries out a case study on three similar buildings at the University of Málaga. The optimal cost-efficiency nZEB reform strategy is determined, rigorously maintaining the formal design of the building through energy simulations with Sefaira Systems software under the EPBD framework. Six reform options were proposed to determine the cost-optimal strategy meeting nZEB requirements for each building. The results show that the most profitable strategy is to improve the efficiency of the thermal envelope and the HVAC system, reducing the energy consumption of the studied buildings by 85-93%. Although a general strategy for nZEB renovations was identified, building orientation proved to be a governing factor in energy performance. As such, the cost-optimal reform strategy was found to be specific to each particular building.

Visual exploration in adults: Habituation, mere exposure, or optimal level of arousal?

Exploration is one of the most powerful behaviours that drive learning from infancy to adulthood. The aim of the current study was to examine the role of novelty and subjective preference in visual exploration. To do this, we combined a visual exploration task with a subjective evaluation task, presenting novel and familiar pictures. The first goal was to ascertain whether, as demonstrated in babies, short habituation favors visual exploration of familiarity, whereas longer habituation leads to an exploration of novelty. The second goal was to evaluate the influence of familiarization on participants' subjective evaluation of the stimuli. When presented with novel and very familiar stimuli, participants explored the novel stimuli more. In line with the optimal-level of arousal model, participants showed more positive evaluations of the semi-familiar stimuli compared with very familiar or very novel ones.

Too much is too little: Estimating the optimal physical activity level for a healthy mental state.

Introduction: Although physical activity and exercise are generally thought to have favorable effects on mental health, excessive physical activity may have unfavorable effects. In this study, the associations between physical activity and the states of mental health with U-shaped dose-response curves were hypothesized, and the ranges of physical activity resulting in optimal effects on mental health were investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1,237 adult volunteers in 2017 and 2018. Of these volunteers, 526 participants validly answered the self-administered questionnaires asking about physical activity, depression, anxiety, resilience, insomnia vulnerability, and life events. A comparison of mental health measures by physical activity levels and quadratic equation model regressions were performed. Results: No significant linear associations between physical activity levels and mental health measurements were observed; however, the U-shaped, quadratic equation models indicated a significance. The following levels of physical activity per week optimized the mental health measurements values of the participants: 6,953 MET-minutes and 25.70 h for depression, 5,277 MET-minutes and 21.60 h for state anxiety, 5,678 MET-minutes and 22.58 h for trait anxiety, 25.41 h for resilience, and 9,152 MET-minutes and 31.17 h for insomnia vulnerability. Conclusion: Physical activities in the optimal range were associated with more favorable mental health measurements. Physical activities that were too much or too long and outside of the optimal range were associated with less favorable mental health measurements.

Corrigendum: Are you a spontaneous traveler? Effect of sensation seeking on tourist planfulness in the mobile era.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.968548.].

How to use analysis of variance correctly——an analysis of variance for the univariate quantitative data collected from the factorial design / 四川精神卫生

The purpose of this paper was to introduce the factorial design and its quantitative data analysis of variance and the SAS implementation. Factorial design could not only present the main effect magnitude of all experimental factors， but also comprehensively reflected the size of each-order interaction effect among multiple factors. However， this design required a large sample size. This paper introduced the calculation formulas of the analysis of variance for quantitative data with two-factor factorial design， and realized the analysis of variance for quantitative data with two-factor and three-factor factorial design through two examples with the help of SAS software， and multiple comparisons of interaction effects were also performed.

How to use analysis of variance correctly——an analysis of variance for the univariate quantitative data collected from the orthogonal design / 四川精神卫生

The purpose of this paper was to introduce the orthogonal design and its quantitative data analysis of variance and the SAS implementation. From the perspective of degrees of freedom， the orthogonal design could be divided into the saturated orthogonal design and the unsaturated orthogonal design. From the perspective of the number of factor levels， the orthogonal design could be divided into the same level orthogonal design and the mixed level orthogonal design. From the perspective of normalization， the orthogonal design could also be divided into the standard orthogonal design and the non-standard orthogonal design. Quantitative data from the standard orthogonal designs could be analyzed by the conventional methods， while quantitative data from the non-standard orthogonal designs needed to be improved. Based on three examples， this paper realized the quantitative data analysis of variance with the standard orthogonal design without repeated experiments and with repeated experiments by means of the SAS software.

Influence of preoperative optimization of Hb level on perioperative blood transfusion and postoperative outcome in patients with preoperative anemia / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To investigate the effect of optimized preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) level on clinical outcome in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). 【Methods】 Retrospective analysis was performed on patients who were selected to receive CABG from April 2020 to August 2021 in our hospital. Preoperative basic data, perioperative blood transfusion volume, blood transfusion rate, acute liver function impairment, renal function impairment (AKI), ICU stay, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality of patients, meeting the inclusion criteria, were collected. According to the perioperative red blood cell transfusion, the optimal preoperative Hb threshold was calculated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). According to the threshold, all patients were divided into two groups, and the blood transfusion volume and clinical outcomes of the two groups were compared to evaluate the predictive value of the optimal threshold of Hb. 【Results】 A total of 915 patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. The optimal threshold for predicting red blood cell transfusion rate by calculating preoperative Hb value by ROC curve was 118 g/L for males and 116g/L for females. Group A: Hb≤ threshold (n=293) was divided into the red blood cell transfusion group A1 and the red blood cell non-transfusion group A2. Group B: Hb>threshold (n=622) was divided into the red blood cell non-transfusion group B1 and no red blood cell non-transfusion group B2. The risk factors for perioperative red blood cell transfusion were age (OR=1.033 874, 95%CI 1.000 4-1.068 3, P<0.01), gender (female) (OR=3.268 5, 95%CI 2.353 1-4.540 0, P<0.01), BMI (OR=0.927 8, 95%CI 0.883 3-0.974 4, P<0.01), chronic renal insufficiency (CKD) (OR=2.041 1, 95%CI 1.347 8-3.091 0, P<0.01). Preoperative Hb≤ threshold (OR=3.517 4, 95%CI 2.502 1-4.944 7, P<0.01) was an independent risk factor for perioperative red blood cell transfusion. Perioperative red blood cell transfusion in patients with preoperative anemia further increases the incidence of postoperative complications (acute liver injury, AKI) and length of ICU stay. 【Conclusion】 Preoperative Hb≤ threshold can effectively predict perioperative red blood cell transfusion in patients with CABG, and increase the risk of postoperative acute liver injury, AKI, prolonged ICU stay and hospital stay. Optimizing the preoperative Hb level in CABG patients, increasing the Hb level to 118 g/L in males and 116 g/L in females can reduce the incidence of perioperative red blood cell transfusion and postoperative complications.

Optimal potassium levels in patients with heart failure.

Heart failure therapy involves the use of a number drugs that significantly affect potassium levels. While diuretics decrease potassium levels, others (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, AT2 receptor blockers, sacubitril/valsartan, spironolactone) increase. Patients also have several comorbidities that can significantly reduce renal function and thus affect the resulting potassium level. Decreased or elevated potassium levels can be very dangerous for the patient and therefore need to be monitored. In recent years, the results of several studies have been published that have focused on potassium levels and mortality and have shown that the optimal potassium levels in patients with heart failure should be between 4-5 mmol/L.

Vitamin D cutoff point in relation to parathyroid hormone: a population based study in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia.

The current recommended cutoff value for low vitamin D may result in overestimation of hypovitaminosis D. Vitamin D levels at 30.0 nmol/L can diagnose the hyperparathyroid cases leading to bone loss, with moderate accuracy, in the Saudi population. The new cutoff may help in identifying true cases that need clinical treatment and can reduce the burden on healthcare system. PURPOSE: Different regions of the world have reported varying cutoff points as optimal values for vitamin D status to maintain bone health. METHODS: A cross-sectional study comprising of interviews, anthropometrics, and blood samples was conducted in primary healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Standardized serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. Independent sample and paired sample t test were conducted to compare the true means. Pearson correlation co-efficient was calculated to measure the association between original and standardized 25(OH)D. Software program, MedCalc, was utilized to measure the receiver operating curve (ROC) for determining the optimal threshold value for vitamin D. RESULTS: The mean standardized 25(OH)D levels for 846 males and 1285 females were (32.0 ± 14.4 nmol/L vs 31.6 ± 16.7 nmol/L) respectively. Using the gold standard PTH cutoff > 6.9 pmol/L, the ROC had an optimal criterion value for males and females at 30.0 and 24.0 nmol/L, respectively. In the males, the sensitivity and specificity were 72% and 51%, whereas in females, it was 58.2% and 66.7%, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) was at 0.62 and 0.65 (p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: The recommended cutoff value for 25(OH)D for determining bone health in the Saudi population is at 30.0 nmol/L. The comparatively low cutoff point can significantly decrease the number of people diagnosed and treated with low vitamin D, which can also reduce the burden on the health care system.

An optimal dietary non-phytate phosphorus level of broilers fed a conventional corn-soybean meal diet from 4 to 6 weeks of age.

It is imperative to evaluate precise nutrient requirements of animals in order to optimize productivity and minimize feed cost and nutrient excretions. The current non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) recommendation for broilers is based on the papers published 30 years ago. However, today's commercial birds are quite different from those before 30 years. Therefore, the present experiment was conducted with growing male broiler chickens to evaluate an optimal dietary NPP level of broiler chickens fed a conventional corn-soybean meal diet from 4 to 6 weeks of age. The 1-day-old chicks were fed corn-soybean meal diet containing 0.39% NPP from 1 to 3 weeks of age. At 22 days of age, 360 birds were selected and randomly allotted by BW to one of 10 dietary treatments with six replicate cages of six birds per cage for each treatment. Birds were fed the P-unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet and the basal diet supplemented with inorganic P as CaHPO4·H2O ranging from 0.00% to 0.45% with 0.05% increment from 4 to 6 weeks of age. The dietary NPP levels were 0.09%, 0.14%, 0.20%, 0.24%, 0.30%, 0.34%, 0.38%, 0.45%, 0.49% and 0.54%, respectively, and the dietary Ca level was fixed at 0.90% for all treatments. The results showed that average daily gain, serum inorganic P concentration, tibia bone strength, tibia ash percentage and P percentage, tibia bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD), middle toe ash percentage and P percentage, middle toe BMC, total body BMC and BMD were affected (P<0.0001) by dietary NPP level, and increased linearly (P<0.0001) and quadratically (P<0.003) as dietary NPP levels increased. Optimal dietary NPP levels estimated based on fitted broken-line models (P<0.0001) of the above indices are 0.21%, 0.29%, 0.29%, 0.29%, 0.29%, 0.31%, 0.29%, 0.30%, 0.27%, 0.29% and 0.28%, respectively. It is suggested that the total body BMC and BMD, and middle toe ash P and BMC might be new, sensitive and non-invasive criteria to evaluate the dietary NPP requirements of broilers. The optimal dietary NPP level would be 0.31% for broiler chickens fed a conventional corn-soybean meal diet from 4 to 6 weeks of age.

Optimización de un proceso de obtención de extracto acuoso de Calendula officinalis Lin. / Optimization of a process of obtention of aqueous extract from Calendula officinalis Lin

El propósito de la presente investigación fue estudiar el efecto de 3 variables en el proceso de obtención del extracto acuoso de flores de Calendula officinalis Lin., así como su optimización a partir de la maximización de los sólidos totales en el extracto y los valores de recobrado, obtenidos en un reactor cilíndrico de laboratorio con geometría desescalada de un reactor industrial. El estudio de superficie de respuesta realizado, utilizó un diseño híbrido, el cual, con 11 experimentos, logra analizar 3 factores en 5 niveles y da una respuesta adecuada a la necesidad de determinar la influencia de las variables de proceso y los valores óptimos para la extracción. La relación droga disolvente resultó ser la variable analizada que influyó con mayor significación en la extracción aunque todas fueron significativas y 100 ºC de temperatura, (1/10) como relación droga/disolvente y 2,5 h de agitación, resultaron ser los parámetros óptimos de operación, para el procedimiento propuesto.

The aim of the present research was to study the effect of three variables in the process of obtention of aqueous extract from flowers of Calendula officinalis Lin., as well their optimization, starting from the maximization of total solids present in the extract, and the recovery values obtained in a lab cylindrical reactor with a non-scale geometry of an industrial reactor. The surface study of the response used a hybrid design, which with 11 experiments attained to analyze three factors at 5 levels, and to give an appropriate response to the need of determining the influence of the process variables and the optimal values for extraction. The drug/diluent ratio proved to be the analyzed variable that influenced the most on the extraction, although all the variables were significant. The optimal parameters for the operation were: a temperature of 100 ºC, a drug/diluent ratio of 1/10, and 2.4 hours of shaking..