The University of Nottingham Ningbo China

About: The University of Nottingham Ningbo China is a education organization based out in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & China. The organization has 7491 authors who have published 7153 publications receiving 83555 citations.

Association between thyroid function and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in euthyroid elderly Chinese.

Abstract: Summary Objective Thyroid dysfunction commonly occurs in the elderly population and overt thyroid dysfunction is associated with some liver abnormalities. This study aimed to investigate the association of thyroid function with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in euthyroid elderly Chinese. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed among 878 euthyroid elderly Chinese who took their annual healthy examination at Zhenhai Lianhua Hospital, Ningbo, China. Results A total of 227 (25·85%) subjects fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of NAFLD. Patients with NAFLD had significantly lower levels of serum-free thyroxine (FT4) than controls (11·12 ± 1·43 vs 11·58 ± 1·47 pmol/l; P < 0·001). The prevalence rate of NAFLD decreased along with progressively higher serum FT4 levels (P for trend < 0·001). Age, gender and smoking status–adjusted correlation analysis showed that serum FT4 level was negatively correlated with body mass index, waist circumference, triglyceride and serum uric acid levels (All with P < 0·05). Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that serum FT4 level was significantly associated with the risk for NAFLD [odds ratio (OR): 0·847, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0·743 – 0·966; P = 0·013]. Conclusion Our findings suggest that thyroid function, even within the reference range, is associated with NAFLD in elderly Chinese.

A Common Ground Switched-Quasi-$Z$ -Source Bidirectional DC–DC Converter With Wide-Voltage-Gain Range for EVs With Hybrid Energy Sources

Abstract: A common ground switched-quasi- Z -source bidirectional dc–dc converter is proposed for electric vehicles with hybrid energy sources. The proposed converter is based on the traditional two-level quasi- Z -source bidirectional dc–dc converter, changing the position of the main power switch. It has the advantages of a wide-voltage-gain range, a lower voltage stress across the power switches, and an absolute common ground. The operating principle, the voltage and current stresses on the power switches, the comparisons with the other converters, the small signal analysis, and the controller design are presented in this paper. Finally, a 300 W prototype with $U_{{\rm{high}}}= {240 \ \rm{V}}$ and $U_{{\rm{low}}}= {40\sim 120\ \rm{V}}$ is developed, and the experimental results validate the performance and the feasibility of the proposed converter.

Population Diversity Maintenance In Brain Storm Optimization Algorithm

Abstract: The convergence and divergence are two common phenomena in swarm intelligence. To obtain good search results, the algorithm should have a balance on convergence and divergence. The premature convergence happens partially due to the solutions getting clustered together, and not diverging again. The brain storm optimization (BSO), which is a young and promising algorithm in swarm intelligence, is based on the collective behavior of human being, that is, the brainstorming process. The convergence strategy is utilized in BSO algorithm to exploit search areas may contain good solutions. The new solutions are generated by divergence strategy to explore new search areas. Premature convergence also happens in the BSO algorithm. The solutions get clustered after a few iterations, which indicate that the population diversity decreases quickly during the search. A definition of population diversity in BSO algorithm is introduced in this paper to measure the change of solutions’ distribution. The algorithm’s exploration and exploitation ability can be measured based on the change of population diversity. Different kinds of partial reinitialization strategies are utilized to improve the population diversity in BSO algorithm. The experimental results show that the performance of the BSO is improved by part of solutions re-initialization strategies.