•There does not exist any least distance p-norm DEA measure satisfying strong monotonicity.•We introduce least distance p-norm DEA measures satisfying strong monotonicity.•We introduce a tradeoff set ...that represents substitutable inputs and outputs.
In DEA, there are two frameworks for efficiency assessment and targeting: the greatest and the least distance framework. The greatest distance framework provides us with the efficient targets that are determined by the farthest projections to the assessed decision making unit via maximization of the p-norm relative to either the strongly efficient frontier or the weakly efficient frontier. Non-radial measures belonging to the class of greatest distance measures are the slacks-based measure (SBM) and the range-adjusted measure (RAM). Whereas these greatest distance measures have traditionally been utilized because of their computational ease, least distance projections are quite often more appropriate than greatest distance projections from the perspective of managers of decision-making units because closer efficient targets may be attained with less effort. In spite of this desirable feature of the least distance framework, the least distance (in) efficiency versions of the additive measure, SBM and RAM do not even satisfy weak monotonicity. In this study, therefore, we introduce and investigate least distance p-norm inefficiency measures that satisfy strong monotonicity over the strongly efficient frontier. In order to develop these measures, we extend a free disposable set and introduce a tradeoff set that implements input–output substitutability.
Harmonic detection and control for power grids have always been major concerns for researchers. With the application of diverse semiconductor materials in power systems, numerous asymmetrical loads ...arise, resulting in increasingly poor performance of traditional harmonic detection methods. Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) provides a new approach for harmonic detection in power systems. Because the harmonic waves in power systems are indeterminate, optimal decomposition results cannot be achieved by means of artificially configured parameters. For such cases, the development of deep neural networks has provided a new solution for harmonic detection. In this study, particle swarm optimization is combined with a deep neural network to establish an adaptive harmonic separation algorithm. By training an adaptive model in this manner, adaptive EEMD can be realized. Moreover, decomposition parameters can be established based on the harmonic content of signals to effectively separate harmonic waves of diverse orders.
•We study the minimum distance measure for Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA).•This measure does not satisfy monotonicity in general.•An existing approach expands the production possibility sets to make ...it monotonic.•We show there exist classes of a DEA model for which the measure is monotonic.•The empirical studies show the existing approach often overestimates inefficiency.
This research explores the minimum distance inefficiency measure for the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. A critical issue is that this measure does not satisfy monotonicity, i.e., the measure may provide a better evaluation score to an inferior decision making unit (DMU) than to a superior one. To overcome this, a variant called the extended facet approach has been introduced. This approach, however, requires a certain regularity condition to be met. We discuss several special classes of the DEA model, and show that for these models, the minimum distance inefficiency measure satisfies the monotonicity property without the regularity condition. Moreover, we conducted computational experiments using real-world data sets from these special classes, and demonstrated that the extended facet approach may overestimate the performance of a DMU.
The intestine is a highly radiosensitive tissue that is susceptible to structural and functional damage due to systemic as well as localized radiation exposure. Unfortunately, no effective ...prophylactic or therapeutic agents are available at present to manage radiation-induced intestinal injuries. We observed that the vanillin derivative VND3207 improved the survival of lethally irradiated mice by promoting intestinal regeneration and increasing the number of surviving crypts. Pre-treatment with VND3207 significantly increased the number of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and their daughter cells, the transient Ki67+ proliferating cells. Mechanistically, VND3207 decreased oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation and maintained endogenous antioxidant status by increasing the level of superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity. In addition, VND3207 maintained appropriate levels of activated p53 that triggered cell cycle arrest but were not sufficient to induce NOXA-mediated apoptosis, thus ensuring DNA damage repair in the irradiated small intestinal crypt cells. Furthermore, VND3207 treatment restores the intestinal bacterial flora structures altered by TBI exposure. In conclusion, VND3207 promoted intestinal repair following radiation injury by reducing reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage and modulating appropriate levels of activated p53 in intestinal epithelial cells.
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•VND3207 improves survival and mitigates intestinal injury in lethally irradiated mice.•VND3207 augments proliferation and survival of intestinal stem cells in irradiated mice.•VND3207 downregulates IR-induced activation of p53/Noxa signaling in intestinal crypts.•VND3207 treatment restores the intestinal bacterial flora structures altered by TBI exposure.
Genetic sequencing has revolutionized immunotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC). Recent clinical trials have revealed a positive response to immunotherapy-based systemic therapies in CRC patient ...subgroups with microsatellite instability (MSI)-High or DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) mutation. However, the unsatisfactory response rates was the major limitation in real-world practice of the precision immunotherapy in CRC. Adding photodynamic therapy (PDT) to systemic immunotherapy has showed synergetic anti-tumor effect by modulating tumor microenvironment, while the eligible patient’s subgroups which would benefit from this combination remained equivocal. Here we reported a synchronous colorectal cancer patient with MSI-High and POLE mutation who had accelerated response in less than 2 cycles (42 days) of immunotherapy-based systemic therapies after tumor-directed PDT and has remained progression-free by far. This case enlightened the synergetic effect of PDT in immunotherapy-treated CRC patients, with the MSI and POLE-mutation status as predictors of survival benefits.
Prognostics, in other words, remaining useful life (RUL) estimation is a core task of prognostics and health management (PHM). Reliable RUL predictions can reduce maintenance costs, improve ...production efficiency, and avoid unexpected downtime. Lots of models for RUL predictions have been proposed; however, noise and the nonlinear nature of degradation phenomena often leads to poor prognostics results, and the acquired engineered system data are usually subject to a high level of uncertainty. This makes the RUL estimation models less than satisfactory. Accurate RUL estimation and prediction not only rely on an accurate model but also depend on the adjustments of model parameters to track the variation. In this paper, an ensemble model combining the health index synthesis (HIS) approach and improved particle filtering (PF) is introduced. HIS approach was used to obtain the synthesized health index (SHI) for an engineered system with multiple sensors, which indicated the system's degradation model, while the improved PF approach was used to adjust the parameters of the degradation model obtained from the HIS approach and optimized the RUL estimation results. The performance of the prognostics approach introduced in this paper was demonstrated by using turbofan engine degradation data sets, which was supplied by NASA Ames, and results were compared with several usually used methods.
This paper concerns an optimization problem over the efficient set of a multiobjective linear programming problem. We propose and solve an equivalent mixed integer programming (MIP) problem to ...compute an optimal solution to the original problem. Compared with the previous MIP approach by Sun, the proposed approach relaxes a strong assumption and reduces the numbers of constraints and binary variables of the MIP problem. By conducting numerical experiments, we find that the proposed approach is more accurate and faster than the previous MIP approach. The proposed MIP problem can be efficiently solved with current state-of-the-art MIP solvers when the objective function is convex or linear.
Central venous catheter (CVC) insertion is difficult to perform and is a high-risk operation; ultrasound (US)-guided cannulation helps increase the odds of success while reducing the associated ...complications. The internal jugular vein (IJV) and subclavian vein (SCV) are the most commonly sites in US-guided CVC insertion. In the present study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of US-guided supraclavicular right brachiocephalic vein (BCV) cannulations in adult patients.Between January 2016 and December 2017, 428 adult patients requiring 536 CVC insertions underwent ultrasound-guided right BCV cannulation. The success rate and complications related to indwelling catheters were analyzed.The technical success rate was 98.32% (527/536). The procedure was successful at the first try in 511 cases (95.34%). The mean operation time was 13.26 ± 3.34 minutes. The mean length of catheter introduction was 13.57 ± 3.53 cm. Incidence of intraoperative complications was 2.61%. For 3 patients, the procedure was terminated due to pneumothorax (PNX), and in 11 arterial punctures there were self-limiting hematomas. The incidence of postprocedure complications was 5.97% (32/536). These complications included catheter-related infections (n = 18) and thromboses (n = 14). Insertion lasted an average of 10.68 ± 8.77 days.Supraclavicular, in-plane, US-guided cannulation of the right BCV is an effective and safe method for inserting central venous catheters in adult patients. It provides another option for catheter access to boost clinical performance in central venous catheterization.
Vanillin is a natural compound endowed with antioxidant and anti-mutagenic properties. We previously identified the vanillin derivative VND3207 with strong radio-protective and antioxidant effects ...and found that VND3207 confers survival benefit and protection against radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) in mice. We also observed that VND3207 treatment enhanced the expression level of the catalytic subunit of the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) in human lymphoblastoid cells with or without γ-irradiation. DNA-PKcs is a critical component of DNA double strand break repair pathway and also regulates mitotic progression by stabilizing spindle formation and preventing mitotic catastrophe in response to DNA damage. In the present study, we found that VND3207 protected intestinal epithelial cells in vitro against ionizing radiation by promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis. In addition, VND3207 promoted DNA-PKcs activity by increasing autophosphorylation at S2056 site. Consistent with this, VND3207 significantly decreased the number of γH2AX foci and mitotic catastrophe after radiation. DNA-PKcs deficiency abolished these VND3207 radio-protective effects, indicating that DNA-PKcs activation is essential for VND3207 activity. In conclusion, VND3207 promoted intestinal repair following radiation injury by regulating the DNA-PKcs pathway.
•VND3207 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in HIEC cells post IR.•VND3207 promotes DNA-PKcs activity increasing autophosphorylation at S2056 site.•VND3207 reduces DNA DSBs and mitotic catastrophe after IR by activating DNA-PKcs.•The activation of DNA-PKcs is essential for the protective effect of VND3207 on RIII.
The standard data envelopment analysis measures of the Charnes—Cooper—Rhodes (CCR) and slacksbased measure (SBM) are ratio-form efficiency measures, which do not yield the closest projections. ...However, because of difficulties implementing projections based on standard measures, the closest projections identified by means of least-distance measures may be preferable. Taking into account the practical significance of closest projection points, Aparicio et al. (J Prod Anal 28:209-218, 2007) proposed a least-distance approach based not only on the 1-norm (Manhattan), 2-norm (Euclidean), and ∞-norm (Chebyshev), but also on the procedure presented by Cherchye and Van Puyenbroeck (Eur J Oper Res 132(2):287-295, 2001). Recently, Tone (Eur J Oper Res 200(2):901-907, 2010) presented a least-distance version of SBM (or equivalently, the enhanced Russell graph measure). However, these authors examined neither the occurrence of multiple optimal projections nor the strong/weak monotonicity of the ratioform least-distance efficiency measures over the efficient frontier of the production technology. Furthermore, it is not well known that the standard measures of CCR and SBM suffer from the occurrence of multiple optimal solutions or efficient targets. Therefore, the present paper also investigates the possibility of multiple optimal targets and axiomatic properties of ratio-form efficiency measures within a unified p-norm efficiency measurement framework.
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