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Abstract The current clinical application of glaucoma drainage devices is made of non-degradable materials. These non-degradable drainage devices often trigger inflammatory responses and scar proliferation, possibly leading to surgical failure. We developed a biodegradable material hydroxyapatite-coated magnesium (HA-Mg) as a glaucoma drainage device. Twelve New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to three groups: HA-Mg drainage plate group (6 right eyes), trabeculectomy group (6 right eyes), and control group (12 left eyes). Results showed that all HA-Mg drainage plates were completely degraded ~4 months postoperatively. At the 5th month postoperatively, there was no statistical difference in the corneal endothelium density between the HA-Mg drainage plate group and the control group (p = 0.857). The intraocular pressure (IOP) level in the HA-Mg drainage plate implantation group was lower than in the other two groups. The trypan blue dye still drained from the anterior chamber to the subconjunctiva 5 months after HA-Mg drainage plate implantation. HE staining revealed the scleral linear aqueous humor drainage channel and anterior synechia were observed after drainage plate completely degraded, with no obvious infiltration with the inflammatory cells. This study showed the safety and efficacy of HA-Mg glaucoma drainage plate in controlling IOP after implantation into the anterior chamber of rabbit eyes. Graphical abstract We developed a biodegradable material hydroxyapatite-coated magnesium (HA-Mg) as a glaucoma drainage device. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of HA-Mg glaucoma drainage plate in controlling intraocular pressure after implantation into the anterior chamber of rabbit eyes.

Abstract Evolutionary algorithms, such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), are widely applied to UAV path planning problems. However, the fixed particle length of PSO, which may not be suitable for the scenario, will compromise the search efficiency. This paper proposes the RGG-PSO+ method, which adapts to scenarios by dynamically adjusting the number of waypoints. Random geometric graphs (RGG) and the divide-and-conquer paradigm are involved in improving the proposed method. Comparative analyses with established heuristic methods demonstrate RGG-PSO+’s superior performance in complex environments, particularly in terms of convergence speed and path length. The implementation of RGG significantly improves the F-Measure, indicating a shift from exploration to exploitation of PSO’s iterations, and the implementation of the divide-and-conquer paradigm is evident in the improved mean and variance of normalized path lengths.

This study proposes a method for uniformly revolving swarm robots to entrap multiple targets, which is based on a gene regulatory network, an adaptive decision mechanism, and an improved Vicsek-model. Using the gene regulatory network method, the robots can generate entrapping patterns according to the environmental input, including the positions of the targets and obstacles. Next, an adaptive decision mechanism is proposed, allowing each robot to choose the most well-adapted capture point on the pattern, based on its environment. The robots employ an improved Vicsek-model to maneuver to the planned capture point smoothly, without colliding with other robots or obstacles. The proposed decision mechanism, combined with the improved Vicsek-model, can form a uniform entrapment shape and create a revolving effect around targets while entrapping them. This study also enables swarm robots, with an adaptive pattern formation, to entrap multiple targets in complex environments. Swarm robots can be deployed in the military field of unmanned aerial vehicles’ (UAVs) entrapping multiple targets. Simulation experiments demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed gene regulatory network method.

Objective Tectonic transfer zones (or named as relay ramps) can have a profound impact on the drainages catchment, sediment dispersal and reservoirs distribution patterns; they are also important for hydrocarbon transport and accumulation processes. It is a hot object of current research interest to sedimentary geologists as well as petroleum geologists. A few different types of tectonic transfer zones are observed in the Eocene Huizhou Sag, the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea. The HZ25 area linking the Huizhou 26 and Xijiang 30 Sags is a typical overlapping transfer zone that controls the development of a large set of braided-deltaic system. Methods Based on newly acquired and processed high-quality 3D seismic data, three drilling logs, cores, and thin slices are utilized to discuss the characteristics of the relay ramp-controlled braided deltaic deposits and reservoirs in this paper. Results The results show that the Late Eocene climate was relatively hot and humid, and thus, abundant terrestrial clastic are collected and transported from the Dongsha Uplift source area via the HZ25 relay ramp routing system. Subsequently, a set of thick-bedded braided-delta deposits was deposited in the HZ26 Sag. The braided deltaic sandstones are generally coarse-grained with relatively poor sorting and roundness. It is dominated by mainly lithic sandstone. The particle size probability curve and C-M diagram display typical multiple traction flow characteristics. Large-scale cross bedding, high-angle inclined bedding and extensive scour surfaces in multistory fining-upwards cycles are common in core observations. It is implied that rich and hydrodynamic traction flow regimes are developed. The drainage dispersal pathways are redirected by the internal tectonic belts within the relay ramp, which are characterized by a large-scale but low-gradient (less than 3 degrees) physiographic slope. Strong hydrodynamic forces associated with facilitated deltaic drainage resulted in a high sand ratio of approximately 52% on average. The maximum advancement of the braided deltaic system is approximately 8 km, and its lobe-like geometry is strictly reorganized by the special tectonic-geomorphic pattern of the relay ramp zone. Conclusion The frontal deposits of the braided deltaic system have relatively good sandstone sorting, and thus, the relevant deposits are characterized by a higher porosity than those observed in the braided-delta plain. The good stratigraphic-lithological traps controlled by the relay ramp coupled with the multiple stages of thick-bedded braided-deltaic deposits are most important in this study area, which could be selected as an exploration potential area in the future. Additionally, the braided deltaic deposits in the study area are mainly dominated by low-porosity and low-permeability reservoirs. The reservoir in the frontal area of the braided deltaic deposits could be a priority exploration and evaluation target for petroleum resources due to its low mud content and miscellaneous bases, moderate sorting and good pore connectivity.

For swarm robots moving in a harsh or uncharted outdoor environment without GPS guidance and global communication, algorithms that rely on global-based information are infeasible. Typically, traditional gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that achieve superior performance in forming trapping pattern towards targets require accurate global positional information to guide swarm robots. This article presents a gene regulatory network with Self-organized grouping and entrapping method for swarms (SUNDER-GRN) to achieve adequate trapping performance with a large-scale swarm in a confined multitarget environment with access to only local information. A hierarchical self-organized grouping method (HSG) is proposed to structure subswarms in a distributed way. In addition, a modified distributed controller, with a relative coordinate system that is established to relieve the need for global information, is leveraged to facilitate subswarms entrapment toward different targets, thus improving the global multi-target entrapping performance. The results demonstrate the superiority of SUNDER-GRN in the performance of structuring subswarms and entrapping 10 targets with 200 robots in an environment confined by obstacles and with only local information accessible.

This research involved studying the characteristics of composite electromagnetic scattering from a rocket moving above actual terrain using the finite-difference time-domain method. The angular distribution curve of the composite scattering coefficient was obtained, and the influences of factors such as the angle of incidence, the frequency of the incident electromagnetic wave, the content of moisture in soil, the dielectric constant of the rocket-shell material, the height of the rocket, and the undulation of the terrain on the composite scattering coefficient were investigated. Results show that the composite scattering coefficient oscillates with the scattering angle and increases in the direction of mirror reflection. It also decreases with increasing angle of incidence, frequency of the incident wave, and altitude of the rocket, while it increases with increasing soil moisture and dielectric constant of the rocket-shell materials. Although the influence of different terrain undulations on the composite scattering coefficient is noticeable, it follows no fixed pattern.

Background Visual attention plays a crucial role in daily living and in sports, affecting an athlete’s performance and thus, potentially, the outcome of a match. However, studies assessing the association between the level of sports expertise and visual attention have yielded mixed results. This study was conducted to examine whether visual attention could be developed with increased sports expertise, and whether visual attention differed between male athletes and female athletes. Methods A total of 128 participants were included in this study: 64 first-level national soccer athletes recruited from college soccer teams (considered elite athletes; 32 men and 32 women with similar soccer performance requirements and training experience), and 64 physical education college students with limited soccer experience (considered novice athletes; 32 men and 32 women with matched soccer experience). To assess visual attention, we used a multiple object tracking (MOT) task with four targets among a total of 10 objects moving at a fixed speed of 10°/s in random directions across a computer monitor screen. Tracking accuracy on the MOT task was calculated for each participant as the proportion of correctly selected targets. A univariate analysis of variance was performed, with group (expert, novice) and sex (male, female) as independent variables, and tracking accuracy on the MOT task as the dependent variable to assess whether sports expertise or sex influenced visual attention. Simple effects tests followed by comparisons with Bonferroni corrections were used, and effect size calculations were performed using Cohen’s f statistic. Results Tracking accuracy on the MOT task was significantly affected by sports expertise (F(1,124) = 91.732, p < 0.001, ηP2 = 0.425), with accuracy among expert soccer athletes superior to that among novice soccer athletes. Moreover, a statistically significant interaction between sports expertise and sex was detected (F(1,124) = 7.046, p = 0.009, η P2= 0.054). Better tracking performance was observed for male soccer players (mean [SD], 0.39 [0.12]) than for female soccer players (mean [SD], 0.27 [0.08]); p

In order to be able to make a good decision, we need to evaluate the uncertainty information of multiple attributes of different alternatives that obey the normal distribution, and the interrelationship among multiple attributes should be considered in the process of evaluating. This paper aims to propose a new multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) method, which uses a new aggregation operator to evaluate the uncertainty information that obey normal distribution comprehensively. We firstly extended Schweizer-Sklar (SS) t-norm (TN) and t-conorm (TCN) to q-rung orthopair normal fuzzy number (q-RONFN) and defined the Schweizer-Skla operational laws of q-rung orthopair normal fuzzy set (q-RONFs). Secondly, we developed q-rung orthopair normal fuzzy Maclaurin symmetric mean aggregation operators based on SS operations considering that the Maclaurin symmetric mean operator can reflect the interrelationship among multiple input variables. Furthermore, we discussed some desirable properties of the above operators, such as monotonicity, commutativity, and idempotency. Lastly, we proposed a novel MADM method based on developed aggregation operators. A numerical example on enterprise partner selection is given to testify the effectiveness of the developed method. The results of analysis indicated that our proposed aggregation operators have stronger information aggregation ability and are more general and flexible for MADM problems.

Abstract Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common microvascular complications of diabetes and causes of blindness in developed countries. Our study was designed to identify immune-related genes involved in the progression of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Methods The “GSE102485” dataset of neovascular membrane samples (NVMs) from type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus patients was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Functional enrichment analyses, protein–protein interaction network (PPI) construction, and module analysis of immune pathways in NVMs and controls were conducted via Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and Metascape. Results The significantly upregulated hallmark gene sets in DR2 and DR1 groups were involved in five immune pathways. Only CCR4, CXCR6, C3AR1, LPAR1, C5AR1, and P2RY14 were not previously reported in the context of PDR molecular pathophysiology. Except for P2RY14, all of the above were upregulated in retinal samples from experimental diabetes mouse models and human retina microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) treated with high glucose (HG) by quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Conclusion The genes identified herein provide insight into immune-related differential gene expression during DR progression.

In the era of the Internet of Everything, the burst of traffic will bring many problems. Traffic shaping, as a common means to limit burst traffic rate, achieves “peak and valley reduction” to smooth the output rate, avoid network congestion, guarantee the quality of service (QoS) and improve the overall network transmission efficiency. This paper first explains the basic concept of traffic shaping, the related algorithms in traffic shaping, and compares the differences between traffic shaping and traffic policing. It then describes the research on traffic shaping in software-defined networks and the results from the combination of the two. This is followed by an introduction to relatively new technology for industry, time-sensitive networks, and an exploration of the functions of various types of traffic shapers in time-sensitive networks. This is followed by a description of case studies of traffic shaping in IoT scenarios and an overview of these traffic shaping schemes, summarizing the usefulness of the shaping schemes. Finally, the future of traffic shaping is explored.

Abstract In the vanilla federated learning (FL) framework, the central server distributes a globally unified model to each client and uses labeled samples for training. However, in most cases, clients are equipped with different devices and are exposed to a variety of situations. There are great differences between clients in storage, computing, communication, and other resources, which makes unified deep models used in traditional FL cannot fit clients’ personalized resource conditions. Furthermore, a great deal of labeled data is needed in traditional FL, whereas data labeling requires a great investment of time and resources, which is hard to do for individual clients. As a result, clients only have a vast amount of unlabeled data, which goes against the federated learning needs. To address the aforementioned two issues, we propose Semi-HFL, a semi-supervised federated learning approach for heterogeneous devices, which divides a deep model into a series of small submodels by inserting early exit branches to meet the resource requirements of different devices. Furthermore, considering the availability of labeled data, Semi-HFL introduces semi-supervised techniques for training in the above heterogeneous learning process. Specifically, two training phases are included in the semi-supervised learning process, unsupervised learning on clients and supervised learning on the server, which makes full use of clients’ unlabeled data. Through image classification, text classification, next-word prediction, and multi-task FL experiments based on five kinds of datasets, it is verified that compared with the traditional homogeneous learning method, Semi-HFL not only achieves higher accuracies but also significantly reduces the global resource overhead.

Click fraud is one of the most common methods of cybercrime in recent years, and the Internet advertising industry suffers huge losses every year because of click fraud.In order to effectively detect fraudulent clicks within massive clicks, a variety of features that fully combine the relationship between advertising clicks and time attributes were constructed.Besides, an ensemble learning framework for click fraud detection was proposed, namely CAT-RFE ensemble learning framework.The CAT-RFE ensemble learning framework consisted of three parts: base classifier, recursive feature elimination (RFE) and voting ensemble learning.Among them, the gradient boosting model suitable for category features-CatBoost was used as the base classifier.RFE was a feature selection method based on greedy strategy, which can select a better feature combination from multiple sets of features.Voting ensemble learning was a learning method that combined the results of multiple base classifiers by voting.The framework obtained multiple sets of optimal feature combinations in the feature space through CatBoost and RFE, and then integrated the training results under these feature combinations through voting to obtain integrated click fraud detection results.The framework adopted the same base classifier and ensemble learning method, which not only overcame the problem of unsatisfactory integrated results due to the mutual constraints of different classifiers, but also overcame the tendency of RFE to fall into a local optimal solution when selecting features, so that it had better detection ability.The performance evaluation and comparative experimental results on the actual Internet click fraud dataset show that the click fraud detection ability of the CAT-RFE ensemble learning framework exceeds that of the CatBoost method, the combined method of CatBoost and RFE, and other machine learning methods, proving that the framework has good competitiveness.The proposed framework provides a feasible solution for Internet advertising click fraud detection.

ObjectiveTriglyceride glucose (TyG) index has been suggested as an alternative indicator of insulin resistance (IR); however, the association between TyG index and suicide attempts (SA) in major depressive disorder (MDD) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between TyG index and SA in Chinese patients with first-episode drug-naïve (FEDN) MDD.MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled 1,718 patients with FEDN MDD aged 34.9 ± 12.4 years from the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University (Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China) from September 2016 to December 2018. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between TyG index and the risk of SA. A two-piecewise linear regression model was used to investigate the threshold effects if non-linearity associations existed. Interaction and stratified analyses were performed based on sex, education, marital status, comorbid anxiety, and psychotic symptoms.ResultsMultivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that TyG index was positively associated with the risk of SA after adjusting for confounders (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.04–1.75, p = 0.03). Smoothing plots also showed a nonlinear relationship between TyG index and SA, with the inflection point of TyG index being 9.29. On the right of the inflection point, a positive association between TyG index and SA was detected (OR = 3.47, 95% CI: 1.81 to 6.66, p

Abstract Background and purpose The heterogeneous, complex condition known as ischemic stroke (IS) is brought on by the interaction of a number of risk factors and genetic variables. The association between C‐reactive protein (CRP) gene polymorphisms and IS has, however, been the subject of inconsistent findings. Therefore, we conducted a meta‐analysis to comprehensively address possible associations of CRP genes with the risk of IS. Methods A comprehensive literature search for all the published articles was performed in electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar from January 1, 1950 to June 30, 2022. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% Confidence interval (CIs) along with fixed/random effect models were used to calculate summary estimates. Results Twelve case‐control studies totalling 3880 IS cases and 5233 controls were included for the association of CRP gene polymorphisms (rs1800947, rs1130864, rs3093059, rs2794521, and rs1205). Across all genotyping models, we discovered that rs1130864, rs3093059, rs2794521, and rs1205SNPs were not substantially related to IS risk. A trend for significant association for rs1800947 under dominant (OR = 1.19; 95% CI = 0.97 to 1.48), recessive (OR = 1.49; 95% CI = 0.71 to 3.14) and allelic model (OR = 1.21; 95% CI = 0.99 to 1.48) was observed. However, protective association for rs1130864 under dominant (OR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.91) and rs3093059 under allelic model (OR = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.14 to 0.22) was found. Conclusion Our thorough study revealed that the CRP gene variants rs1800947, rs1130864, rs3093059, rs2794521, and rs1205 could not be related to the risk of ischemic stroke. However, additional research must focus on the rs1800947 polymorphisms in a particular group.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought great challenges to the global public health system and huge economic burdens to society, the causal effect of COVID-19 and intraocular pressure was blank.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the causal association between coronavirus disease (COVID-19) susceptibility, severity and criticality and intraocular pressure (IOP) by bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.Materials and methodsGenetic associations with COVID-19 susceptibility, severity and criticality were obtained from the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative. Genetic associations with IOP were obtained from GWAS summary data. The standard inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used in the primary assessment of this causality. Other methods were also implemented in supplementary analyses. Finally, sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the reliability and stability of the results.ResultsThe results showed that COVID-19 susceptibility had null effect on IOP (β = 0.131; Se = 0.211; P = 0.533) as assessed by the IVW method. Moreover, the results revealed that COVID-19 severity, specifically, hospitalization due to COVID-19, had a positive effect on IOP with nominal significance (β = 0.228; Se = 0.116; P = 0.049). However, there were null effect of COVID-19 criticality on IOP (β = 0.078; Se = 0.065; P = 0.227). Sensitivity analysis showed that all the results were reliable and stable. The reverse MR analysis revealed that there was null effect of IOP on COVID-19.ConclusionsWe demonstrated that hospitalization due to COVID-19 might increase IOP; therefore, greater attention should be given to monitoring IOP in inpatients with COVID-19.

The causal effects of plasma lipid levels and the risk of retinal vascular occlusion (RVO) have not been clearly identified, especially for high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C). Here, we try to identify these causal risk factors using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were chosen as instrumental variables (IVs). We obtained genetic variants associated with lipid exposure at the genome-wide significance (P

Low temperatures restrict the growth of the grapevine industry. The DREB transcription factors are involved in the abiotic stress response. Here, we isolated the VvDREB2A gene from Vitis vinifera cultivar ‘Zuoyouhong’ tissue culture seedlings. The full-length VvDREB2A cDNA was 1068 bp, encoding 355 amino acids, which contained an AP2 conserved domain belonging to the AP2 family. Using transient expression in leaves of tobacco, VvDREB2A was localized to the nucleus, and it potentiated transcriptional activity in yeasts. Expression analysis revealed that VvDREB2A was expressed in various grapevine tissues, with the highest expression in leaves. VvDREB2A was induced by cold and the stress-signaling molecules H2S, nitric oxide, and abscisic acid. Furthermore, VvDREB2A-overexpressing Arabidopsis was generated to analyze its function. Under cold stress, the Arabidopsis overexpressing lines exhibited better growth and higher survival rates than the wild type. The content of oxygen free radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde decreased, and antioxidant enzyme activities were enhanced. The content of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) also increased in the VvDREB2A-overexpressing lines. Moreover, the expression of cold stress-related genes (COR15A, COR27, COR6.6, and RD29A) was also enhanced. Taken together, as a transcription factor, VvDREB2A improves plants resistance to cold stress by scavenging reactive oxygen species, increasing the RFO amount, and inducing cold stress-related gene expression levels.

Filtration surgery still plays a mainstream role of treatment for glaucoma. Postoperative scarring is the main cause of surgical failure. This study evaluated the biocompatibility and anti-proliferative properties of pure magnesium with three different coatings, which are hydroxyapatite (HA), dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) and DCPD + stearic acid (SA), in a primary culture of human tenon's capsule fibroblasts (HTCFs) and in rabbit Glaucoma Filtration Surgery. Titanium and glass were used as controls in vitro, and trabeculectomy was used as control in vivo.The results show the number and shape of HTCFs seeded on different coatings showed less quantity and poor cell morphology. Each type of coated magnesium demonstrated significantly decreased metabolic activity of HTCFs. DCPD + SA showed higher cytotoxicity than the other coatings. Significant inhibition of proliferation was observed with the DCPD + SA coating. The expression of α-SMA was decreased in the cells when seeded on all of the coated magnesium disks. In vivo, no obvious adverse effects were observed after operation. No significant difference existed for any of the different samples regarding different ion concentrations in the aqueous humor. The inflammatory response in the titanium, DCPD and DCPD + SA treated eyes was more intense than in the trabeculectomy alone and HA groups. Western Blot analysis showed that collagen-1 and α-SMA expression was significantly lower in the titanium, HA, DCPD and DCPD+SA groups compared with the control.Different coatings on magnesium were able to affect the corrosive properties, which in turn, influenced the morphology and function of HTCFs. HA coated magnesium may be considered a very promising biodegradable material for the next generation of glaucoma drainage devices.

Introduction Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a major subtype of glaucoma that accounts for most bilateral glaucoma-related blindness globally. Filtering surgery is a conventional strategy for PACG, yet it has a long learning curve and undesirable disastrous complications. Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) plays an increasing role in the management of glaucoma due to its safer and faster recovery profile; cataract surgery-based MIGS is the most commonly performed such procedure in PACG. However, for patients with a transparent lens or no indications for cataract extraction, incorporation of MIGS into PACG treatment has not yet been reported. Therefore, this multicentre, non-inferiority, randomised controlled clinical trial aims to compare the efficacy and safety of trabeculectomy versus peripheral iridectomy plus an ab interno goniotomy in advanced PACG with no or mild cataracts.Methods and analysis This non-inferiority, multicentre, randomised controlled trial will be conducted at seven ophthalmic departments and institutes across China. Eighty-eight patients with no or mild cataracts and advanced PACG will be enrolled and randomised to undergo trabeculectomy or peripheral iridectomy plus ab interno goniotomy. Enrolled patients will undergo comprehensive ophthalmic examinations before and after surgery. The primary outcome is intraocular pressure (IOP) at 12 months postoperatively. The secondary outcomes are cumulative success rate of surgery, surgery-related complications and number of IOP-lowering medications. Participants will be followed up for 36 months postoperatively.Ethics and dissemination The study protocol was approved by the ethical committees of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, China (ID: 2021KYPJ191) and of all subcentres. All participants will be required to provide written informed consent. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated in international academic meetings.Trial registration number NCT05163951.

Abstract Although it is well-documented that invasion of invasive plants is promoted with allelopathic effects by inhibiting the growth and phenotypic performance of native plants, little is known conversely. In this study, the allelopathy effects of a native plant, Humulus scandens (Lour.) Merr., on a typical invasive species Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb., was investigated by exposing A. philoxeroides seedlings to three chemical solvent extracts (i.e., petroleum ether extract (PE), ethyl acetate extract (EE), and n-butanol extract (NE) of H. scandens root (HR). The three chemical extracts inhibited the growth, stem length, node number, leaf number, leaf area, and root number, and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content of A. philoxeroides seedlings, which indicated that the extracts inhibited the plant growth by damaging the membrane system of leaves. And the synthetical effect of allelopathy (SE) index indicated that EE had the greatest inhibition on the growth of A. philoxeroides. Fifty compounds were identified from the three extracts of HR using GC–MS analysis, among which 5 compounds (dibutyl phthalate, stigmasta-3,5-diene, 2,6-Di-tert-butylphenol campesterol, and neophytadiene) were identified from H. scandens root extracts for the first time. And n-hexadecanoic acid exists in all three extracts. The findings of the present study provide a novel method to potentially control the invasion of A. philoxeroides. However, field monitoring under natural conditions would be necessary to confirm in practice the results obtained with the bioassays.

It is challenging to deal with the Internet congestion problem because of several factors such as ever-growing traffic and distributed network architecture. The congestion problem can be solved or alleviated by various methods, including rate control, bandwidth-guarantee routing and bandwidth reservation. We use the term broad-sensed Internet congestion control and avoidance (BICC&A) to generally denote all of the above methods. Most BICC&A solutions depend on or benefit from the knowledge of network conditions, including traffic status (type and volume), available bandwidth and topology. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey of the applications of machine learning to network condition acquirement methods for BICC&A and specific BICC&A methods. First, we provide an overview of the background knowledge of BICC&A and machine learning. Then, we provide detailed reviews on the applications of machine learning techniques to network condition acquirement methods for BICC&A and to specific BICC&A methods. Finally, we outline important research opportunities.

The correlation between obesity and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) has not yet been fully established. The aim of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between obesity and POAG by a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. In this study, body mass index (BMI), an index to evaluate general obesity, and waist and hip circumference, indices to evaluate abdominal obesity, were selected as exposures in MR analysis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were chosen as instrumental variables (IVs). Summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) based on a European ancestry by Locke et al., with regard to BMI, and Shungin et al., with regard to waist and hip circumference, were used. Genetic predictors of POAG were obtained from public GWAS summary data. To assess the causal effect of obesity on POAG, the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary method, and other methods, such as MR–Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode, were also used as complementary analyses. Finally, we performed Cochran’s Q statistic to assess heterogeneity, and sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the reliability and stability of the MR results. MR analysis showed that BMI has a positive effect on the risk of POAG, with 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in BMI; the risk of POAG increases by approximately 90.9% [OR = 1.909; 95% CI= (1.225, 2.975); p = 0.0042)] (analyzed by IVW); there were no heterogeneity and pleiotropy in the result; and waist circumference also had a positive effect on the risk of POAG [OR = 2.319; 95% CI= (1.071, 5.018); p = 0.033)] analyzed by weighted median. As hip circumference increases, with 1 SD increase in hip circumference, the risk of POAG increases by approximately 119% [OR = 2.199; 95% CI= (1.306, 3.703); p = 0.00305)] estimated by IVW, there were not heterogeneity and pleiotropy as for the result. Our study for the first time confirms that obesity might increase the risk of POAG using two-sample MR analysis. These results might provide guidance on the prevention and treatment of POAG.

Objective: The early use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to prevent intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) in critical patients is still a controversial topic. We conducted a systematic review to clarify the effectiveness of NMES in preventing ICU-AW. Methods: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Ovid, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc) and other databases were searched for randomized controlled trials on the influence of NMES on ICU-AW. The studies were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After data and quality were evaluated, a meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3 software. Results: A total of 11 randomized controlled trials with 576 patients were included. The meta-analysis results showed that NMES can improve muscle strength [MD = 1.78, 95% CI (0.44, 3.12, P = 0.009); shorten the mechanical ventilation (MV) time [SMD = −0.65, 95% CI (−1.03, −0.27, P = 0.001], ICU length of stay [MD = −3.41, 95% CI (−4.58, −4.24), P 0.05). Conclusion: Early implementation of the NMES intervention in ICU patients can prevent ICU-AW and improve their quality of life by enhancing their muscle strength and shortening the MV duration, length of stay in the ICU and total length of stay in the hospital.

Speed profile design and tracking control are two important issues to ensure the performance of the automatic train operation system. Aiming to realize the maximum optimization probability of train running, this paper constructs an integrated optimal method through speed profile design and fuzzy PID controller design. In the recommended speed profile design, three typical running strategies are included in the proposed comprehensive scheme to extend solution space, and the constructed train performance simulation is combined with NSGA-II algorithm to solve such multiobjective problem. As for recommended speed profile tracking, in order to improve the tracking performance of the train, which is a nonlinear system, a fuzzy PID controller is designed to adaptively adjust PID gains. Note that multiple indicators of punctually, energy consumption, stopping accuracy and comfort are all considered in the integrated design. Taking Beijing Subway Line 8 as the numerical example, the results show that the design of speed profile and fuzzy PID controller are both effective, and energy consumption saves about 10.40% with other better indicators compared with the original data.

Women in prison are vulnerable to post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD). However, little is known about the presence of PTSD in imprisoned women or of the natural course of that disorder. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk factors for PTSD in incarcerated women and document correlations of remission. We conducted a retrospective case-control study in the Female Prison of Hunan Province, China. Participants were screened for PTSD and depression using the Chinese version of the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 5.0. Of the 2,322 women screened, 220 met the criterion for PTSD on admission. Remission (N = 142) and non-remission PTSD (N = 78) were then separated depending on current PTSD status. History of drug use (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.28–0.66, p < 0.001) and violent offense (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.17–2.09, p < 0.001) were associated with the presence of PTSD. Positive associations with remission were found for longer length of sentence (61–120 vs. 13–60 months) (OR = 4.20, 95% CI: 1.50–11.75, p = 0.006), violent offense (OR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.12–5.60, p = 0.03), and comorbid depression (OR = 29.69, 95% CI: 3.50–251.78, p = 0.002); while a negative correlate was identified for past depression (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.11–0.53, p < 0.001). Although some incarcerated women with PTSD can spontaneously remit, this study suggested certain criminological and clinical risk factors are associated with the presence of PTSD and others with remission over time. Timely screening and effective intervention should be tailored for individuals with PTSD in prisons.

Research on microscopic pore and fracture system of shale is a hot spot in the field of unconventional petroleum geology. Micro- and nano-scale organic matter pores in shale play a vital role in the accumulation of hydrocarbons. Research on the types, evolution rules and controlling factors of organic matter pore-fracture system in shale reservoirs can provide scientific guidance for the prediction of shale “sweet spots”. In this paper, taking the shales from the Napo Formation, Oriente Basin, the Shahejie Formation, Zhanhua Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, and the Longmaxi and Wufeng Formations, Sichuan Basin as an example, the developmental characteristics of organic matter pore-fracture system were systematically studied using thin section, argon ion profiling scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption and desorption, geochemistry experiments, and image processing technology. The types of shale organic matter pores were divided into kerogen-hosted pores, organic matter microfractures (intra-organic matter and organic matter edge microfractures), and asphalt pores (or intra-asphalt pores). The circumferences of organic pore were generally within 100 nm, and the areas of most pores were smaller than 1,000 nm2. Face rates of the organic pores were generally less than 1.5%, and the proportion of shale samples with a shape factor of 1 reached more than 50%. In addition, the deviation angles of organic matter pores at (0°, 45°) reached 90%, which showed that most of the organic matter pores tended to be oriented pores. The increase in the degree of thermal evolution provided driving force for the formation of circular pores in the organic matter. Internal factors (abundance of organic matter, kerogen types, and maturity) and external factors (diagenesis and mineral composition) controled the development of shale organic matter pores. Maturity, TOC content and inorganic minerals such as clay and pyrite content were positively correlated with the development of organic matter pores. However, brittle minerals caused a decrease in the face ratio of organic matter pores. Diagenetic compaction caused the organic matter pores being deformed or eventually disappeared. This research can provide scientific guidance for the high-efficiency exploration of hydrocarbons in shale.

The multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) system is highly sought after in the fields of emergency rescue and intelligent transportation because of its strong perception and extensive coverage. Formulating a reasonable task scheduling scheme is essential to raising the task execution efficiency of the system. However, the dynamics of task arrival and the heterogeneity of UAV performance make it more difficult for multiple UAVs to complete the tasks. To address these issues, this paper focuses on the multi-UAV scheduling problem and proposes a method of rolling-inspired scheduling for emergency tasks by heterogeneous UAVs (RISE). In order to ensure that emergency tasks can be allocated to UAVs in a real-time manner, a task grouping strategy based on a density peaks (DP) clustering algorithm is designed, which can quickly select UAVs with matching performance for the tasks arriving at the system. Furthermore, an optimization model with multiple constraints is constructed, which takes the task profit and UAV flight cost as the objective function. Next, we devise a rolling-based optimization mechanism to ensure that the tasks with shorter deadlines are executed first while maximizing the objective function, so as to obtain the optimal task execution order for each UAV. We conduct several groups of simulation experiments, and extensive experimental results illustrate that the number of tasks successfully scheduled and the utilization rate of UAVs by RISE are superior to other comparison methods, and it also has the fastest running time. It further proves that RISE has the capability to improve the completion rate of emergency tasks and reduce the flight cost of multiple UAVs.

The geological estimated hydrocarbon reserves of the Mesozoic granite buried-hill reservoir in the PL oilfield exceed 200 million tons. During the exploration stage, it was commonly considered that the PL buried-hill reservoir should demonstrate a “layered” edge water reservoir mode, because of weathering and tectonics. However, during a later stage, the formation of water was found at structurally high locations, which does not fit the intuition. Therefore, a suitable model is still lacking. Based on the comprehensive information of thin-section, core plug, well logging, and seismic data, etc., the buried-hill of the PL oilfield was re-divided into three northeast–southwest-trending zones. In this model, the reservoir is layered, with each layer having the characteristics of bottom water and two kinds of horizontal and vertical seepage. This new model fits the field-drilling test very well. These insights can effectively guide the exploration and development practice for this kind of buried-hill.

Fuzzy Petri nets (FPNs) are an important tool for knowledge representation and reasoning in the rule-based expert system. Recently, various fuzzy sets and linguistic models have been introduced into FPNs to improve its ability in handling imprecise, fuzzy, and linguistic information. However, the existing FPN models still have the following two deficiencies: The first one is the incompatibility of the knowledge representation parameters in modeling the membership degrees of linguistic variables and hesitancy of experts when experts provide linguistic evaluations. Another one is that the reasoning operators in existing reasoning algorithm considering the local weights and ordered weights of propositions fail to guarantee the reasoning result satisfies the monotonicity, boundary, and idempotency. In this paper, we propose the q-rung orthopair fuzzy linguistic reasoning Petri nets (q-ROFLRPNs) by using the q-rung orthopair fuzzy linguistic sets (q-ROFLSs) to enhance the capability of conventional FPNs in dealing with fuzzy and linguistic knowledge. We define new closed operational laws of q-ROFLSs by linguistic scale functions (LSFs), which not only guarantee the validity and reliability of reasoning results but also handle different semantic situations of the linguistic term set. In addition, an enhanced reasoning algorithm based on weighted ordered weighted averaging (WOWA) operator is proposed by considering the weights of propositions themselves and their ordered weights, and the monotonicity, boundary, and idempotency of the results are satisfied. At last, a case study on fault diagnosis for metro door system is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed model.

Inspired by the behaviour of animal populations in nature, we propose a novel exploration algorithm based on Lévy flight (LF) and artificial potential field (APF). The agent is extended to the swarm level using the APF method through the LF search environment. Virtual leaders generate moving steps to explore the environment through the LF mechanism. To achieve collision-free movement in an unknown constrained environment, a swarm-following mechanism is established, which requires the agents to follow the virtual leader to carry out the LF. The proposed method, combining the advantages of LF and APF which achieve the effect of flocking in an exploration environment, does not rely on complex sensors for environment labelling, memorising, or huge computing power. Agents simply perform elegant and efficient search behaviours as natural creatures adapt to the environment and change formations. The method is especially suitable for the camouflaged flocking exploration environment of bionic robots such as flapping drones. Simulation experiments and real-world experiments on E-puck2 robots were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed LF-APF algorithm.

Objective Patients with schizophrenia are at increased risk of osteoporosis. This study first determined the osteoporosis rate in patients with schizophrenia and then then explored the association between serum gonadal hormone levels and osteoporosis among these patients. Methods A total of 250 patients with schizophrenia and 288 healthy controls were recruited. Osteoporosis was defined by decreased bone mineral density (BMD) of the calcaneus. Serum fasting levels of gonadal hormones (prolactin, estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone) were determined. The relationship between osteoporosis and hormone levels was statistically analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis. Results Our results showed that patients with schizophrenia had a markedly higher rate of osteoporosis (24.4% vs. 10.1%) than healthy controls (P

Purpose: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography using the contrast agent SonoVue to differentiate benign from malignant breast lesions. Method: A comprehensive search of the literature was performed using the Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases to retrieve studies published before February 2020. Data were extracted, and pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratios were calculated with meta-analysis software. Heterogeneity was evaluated via the Q test and I 2 statistic. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were applied to evaluate potential sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed using the Deeks’ funnel plot asymmetry test. A summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) was constructed. Results: A total of 27 studies including 5378 breast lesions subjected to CEUS examination with SonoVue were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity values were 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88–0.91; inconsistency index [ I 2 ] = 75.7%) and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.82–0.85; I 2 = 91.0%), respectively. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 48.35% (95% CI, 31.22–74.89; I 2 = 77.6%). The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.9354. Meta-regression analysis revealed the region of patient residence and dose of contrast agent as potential sources of heterogeneity (P < .01). Subgroup analysis showed a higher area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve for European and higher contrast agent dose subgroups (P < .05). Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography with SonoVue displays high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy when differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions. Despite its current limitations, this technique presents a promising tool for diagnosing breast lesions in clinical practice.

The online monitoring of water environments is urgently needed. A feasible and effective approach is the use of agents. Water environments, similar to other real-world environments, present many changing and unpredictable situations. To ensure flexibility in such an environment, agents should be prepared to deal with various situations. In this study, we focused on an adaptive agent tracking approach for oil contamination. An integrated tracking framework, which is used to track the moving contour of oil pollution via a system comprising multiple unmanned surface vehicles, is proposed. The zigzag, unmanned underwater vehicle-gas, cloverleaf trajectory and curvature-weighted deployment algorithm methods are employed with consideration of their suitability to our approach. A cyclic particle swarm optimisation–Kalman method is also proposed. The possible position of moving vertices is predicted by the Kalman filter, and an objective search region is generated around the centre position. Moreover, particle swarm optimisation is performed to search for the best target position in this region. This particle swarm optimisation–Kalman method is circle operated to compensate for the deficiency of a few agents. To evaluate the approach, we conduct usability and performance simulations.

BackgroundHigh prevalence of mental disorders has been found among female prisoners in Western countries, however, little is known about the epidemiology of mental disorders in such populations in China. This study aims to investigate psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity among sentenced prisoners in a female prison in China.MethodsA cluster sample of 2,703 female adult prisoners from Hunan Provincial Female Prison were interviewed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, a semi-structured Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) mental disorder diagnostic tool. The rates of psychotic disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders were reported.ResultsNearly 2/3 (66.2%, N=1,790) of the sample fulfilled the criteria for at least one lifetime DSM-IV disorder 36.5% had major depression, 22.2% had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 16.5% had drug use disorder. Drug use disorders were the major comorbid disorders. 60.8% of people with alcohol use disorder and 37.0% of those with psychotic disorders also had a drug use disorder. More than one-quarter (26.1%) of the population met criteria for a current diagnosis of any mental disorder, of which major depression was the most common (14.7%), followed by PTSD (6.4%) and psychotic disorder (1.8%).ConclusionThe high levels of psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in a representative sample of female prisoners in China indicate unmet needs that require identification and therapeutic intervention in prisons.

The advancement of UAV technology makes the use of UAVs more and more widespread, and the swarm is the main mode of UAV applications owing to its robustness and adaptability. Meanwhile, task allocation plays an essential role in a swarm to obtain overall high performance and unleash the potential of each UAVs owing to the complexity of the large-scale swarm. In this paper, we pay attention to the real-time allocation problem of dynamic tasks. We design models for the task assigning problem to construct the constraints model and assigning objectives. In addition, we introduce a novel agent-based allocating mechanism based on the auction process, including the design for three kinds of agents and the cooperation mechanism among different agents. Moreover, we proposed a new algorithm to calculate the bidding values of UAVs, by which the messages passed between UAVs can be reduced. On the basis of the assigning mechanism, we put up with a novel agent-based real-time task allocation algorithm named NECTAR for dynamic tasks in the UAV swarm. Furthermore, we conduct extensive experiments to evaluate the performance of our NECTAR, and the results indicate that NECTAR is able to solve the real-time task allocation for dynamic tasks and achieve high performance of the UAV swarm.

(1) Background: As people pay more attention to health, mobile health applications (mHealth apps) are becoming popular. These apps offer health services that run on mobile devices to help improve users’ health behaviors. However, few studies explore what motivates users to continue to use these apps. This study proposes antecedents influencing users’ electronic satisfaction (e-satisfaction) and their continued behaviors of using mHealth apps. Based on the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), this study constructs a research model including perceived reliability and online review to predict the continued usage behavior on mHealth apps in China; (2) Methods: We conduct an online survey to collect data from participants who have used mHealth apps. This study receives 327 valid responses and tests the research model using the partial least squares structural equation model approach; (3) Results: Our results find that antecedents positively affect continued usage intention through the mediation role of e-satisfaction with mHealth apps. Interestingly, this study reveals that habit positively affects the continued usage behavior and moderates the effect of e-satisfaction and continued intention of using mHealth apps; (4) Conclusions: This study presents theoretical implications on the extended UTAUT2 and provides practical implications understanding of managing mHealth apps in China.

Biochar induces various priming effects on native soil organic carbon (nSOC), whereas the underlying mechanisms linking these to soil microbial community structure and functions remain unclear. To investigate soil microbial community structure and functions associated with priming effects, rice straw (RS) and the derived biochar samples (RS400 and RS700, pyrolyzed at 400 °C and 700 °C, respectively) were applied to a sandy loam soil for a 33- and 200-day incubation. Using stable C isotopic ratios, CO2-C emissions from biochar/feedstock and nSOC were quantitatively identified and indicated an enhanced C stability of RS700 over that of RS and RS400. A decreased soil pH and increased dissolved organic carbon and NH4+-N concentrations with the RS amendment are driving forces that lead to an enhanced soil microbial activity and a higher abundance of heterotrophic microbes, especially Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria, which contribute to high CO2 emissions. The enhanced C stability of biochar and nSOC over that of pristine feedstock was primarily attributable to a stable and high soil pH, which minimized the disturbance of soil heterotrophic microbial community structure and functions, favoring the growth of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Ascomycota. The biochar amendment in soil enriched the metabolic pathways of biosynthesis and the decomposition of secondary metabolites, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degradation, and electron transfer carriers. Keywords: Biochar stability, Priming effect, Microbial community structure, Metabolic function, Stable C isotope

Double emulsions show significant advantages for microencapsulation but are thermodynamically unstable. Here the authors show, that silica nanocapsules with nanorattles or Janus-like nanomushroom structures can be prepared by stabilizing double emulsions with a silica precursor polymer and subsequent polymerization of the oil phase.

Clouds are becoming a very important platform for hybrid real-time tasks. To enhance the reliability of cloud, fault tolerance of cloud becomes a critical issue. However, the complexities and specialties of traditional fault-tolerant mechanisms cannot meet the fault-tolerant requirements of clouds. To address this issue, we propose a novel fault-tolerant scheduling algorithm named ARCHER for hybrid tasks in cloud. ARCHER has three significant characteristics: 1) it integrates the traditional primary/backup model and checkpoint technology which can flexibly determine the execution time of the backup copies of tasks, so it greatly enhances the resource utilization and produces more time slots to execute tasks as many as possible; 2) it employs task classification mechanism to realize precise scheduling for different types of tasks and virtual machines, which reduces the response time of clouds; and 3) it uses time slot exploiting mechanism, task forward mechanism, and task transform mechanism to achieve high-resource utilization. We conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the performance of ARCHER by comparing it with four baseline algorithms. The experimental results show that ARCHER can effectively improve the resource utilization of cloud while guaranteeing fault tolerance.

Server consolidation is a useful solution aiming at cost-efficiency and high resource utilization of data centers and clusters. Nowadays, as the data-intensive and I/O intensive applications are widely used, more attention is paid to the local storage-based clouds which can offer much better I/O performance at relatively low price compared with the shared storage. However, it will obviously increase the migration cost (e.g., energy and time). Meanwhile, there is few suitable resource demand estimation method for local storage-based clouds at present, which plays an important role in system's migration efficiency. And we find out that in this specific storage architecture, almost all the existing server consolidation algorithms do not have a suitable resource demand estimation method and a live migration scheme. To solve this problems, this paper designs and implements Combining Three (C3), a cloud architecture for local storage, C3 significant modules: prediction, consolidation, and migration. It was proved in statistical analysis that ARIMA may be the most suitable prediction model for the server workload, which motivates us to propose the resource estimation predictor. Also, we improve the existing consolidation method by adjusting the sorting index and fit degree during migration. Then, we propose a live migration scheme for local storage environment as the third module of C3. We conduct extensive experiments using real-world traces from Google to validate the effectiveness and superiority of our proposed algorithm.

In this paper, by using the degree sequences of graphs, we present sufficient conditions for a graph to be Hamiltonian, traceable, Hamilton-connected or $k$-connected in light of numerous topological indices such as the eccentric connectivity index, the eccentric distance sum, the connective eccentricity index.

We report on formation of a bicontinuous double gyroid phase by a wedge-shaped amphiphilic mesogen, pyridinium 4′-[3″,4″,5″-tris-(octyloxy)benzoyloxy]azobenzene-4-sulfonate. It is found that this compound can self-organize in zeolite-like structures adaptive to environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, solvent vapors). Depending on the type of the phase, the structure contains 1D, 2D, or 3D networks of nanometer-sized ion channels. Of particular interest are bicontinuous phases, such as the double gyroid phase, as they hold promise for applications in separation and energy. Specially designed environmental cells compatible with grazing-incidence X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy enable simultaneous measurements of structural parameters/morphology during vapor-annealing treatment at different temperatures. Such in-situ approach allows finding the environmental conditions at which the double gyroid phase can be formed and provide insights on the supramolecular structure of thin films at different spatial levels.

Cloud-integrated cyber-physical system (CCPS) is playing an increasingly important role in our daily life. Unfortunately, how to dynamically make the reserved bandwidth allocation for CCPS is still a great challenge. To address this issue, we propose a novel strategy that systematically and dynamically allocates reserved bandwidth for multiple CPS services in CCPS with a nearly optimal method. By making a balance between the three key factors of crash cost, QoS loss and operating cost, the proposed strategy is able to minimize the operating cost, the influence of the discrepancy between the service-level agreement and the bandwidth actually delivered, while preserving essential QoS level. Then we develop an online algorithm based on the proposed strategy using the Lyapunov optimization theory. The online algorithm can approximate the optimal solution within provable bounds and is capable of processing the tasks within a preset delay. Theoretical analysis of performance proves advantages and shows that the algorithm has the ability to solve the complicated dynamic bandwidth allocation problems for multiple CPS services in practical CCPS. Extensive experiments validate its effectiveness as well as its superiority to five existing strategies (FM, MS + LB, MS + EF, DS + LB, DS + EF) in overall cost, crash cost, QoS loss, and operating cost.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that pterygium has a close relationship with dry eye disease. This study is to determine abnormalities in meibomian gland and tear function in patients with pterygium and to assess the relationship between the variables. Materials and Methods: Forty eyes from forty patients with primary nasal pterygium and forty eyes from forty volunteers without ocular pathologies were enrolled in this study. Ocular surface disease index scores, meibomian gland expression scores, lid margin abnormality scores, meiboscore, tear film breakup time (BUT), Schirmer test (SIT) value, and the lower tear meniscus height (TMH), tear meniscus depth (TMD), and tear meniscus area (TMA) using Fourier domain optical coherence were performed. Analysis of variance was applied for intergroup comparisons. A statistical significance level of P < 0.05 was considered. Results: Ocular symptom scores, BUT scores, lid margin abnormality, meibomian gland expression, and meiboscore were significantly higher in pterygium patients than in controls (P < 0.01 for all scores). However, the SIT scores, the lower TMH, TMD, and TMA values did not revealed a significant difference between two groups (all P > 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that meiboscore significantly correlated with ocular symptom scores, BUT, lid margin abnormality scores, and meibomian gland expression scores. Conclusions: Meibomian gland function may be altered in pterygium patients, which is associated with uncomfortable ocular symptoms. Being aware of meibomian gland changes seems essential to understand the complex relationship among pterygium, tear film functions, and ocular surface changes.

Background: In western countries, imprisoned females are at high risk for suicide, but the risk in Chinese imprisoned females has not been well established. The aim of this study was to clarify the suicide risk and its correlates among imprisoned females in China.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, subjects were recruited from the Female Prison of Hunan province, China. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and criminological data. The Suicidality module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 5.0 and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were used to assess suicide risk and mental health problems, respectively. Ordinal logistic regressions were used to identify independent factors associated with increased suicide risk.Results: A total of 2,709 imprisoned females completed the survey questionnaire. Twenty percent were rated as presenting suicide risk. Mental health problems [odds ratio (OR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.00–1.47], self-reported help-seeking for mental health problems (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.11–2.56), violent offending (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.37–2.09), history of drug use (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.15–1.84), family history of mental disorders (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.10–2.23), marital status (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.05–1.58), and low educational level (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.11–1.67) were independently associated with increased suicide risk.Conclusion: One fifth of the imprisoned females are at risk for suicide. This study highlights the importance of assessing mental health status for suicide prevention among female prisoners.

This paper gives a contrastive analysis of the main progress made in petroliferous basins sedimentary geology domestically and internationally, and discusses the main problems and their solutions in the development of petroliferous basins sedimentology in China, New developments include coarse-grained depositional sysytem, shallow-water deltic depositional system, beach bar depositional system, deep-water gravity flows, fine-grained depositional system, carbonate reefs, mixosedimentite, microbialite, seismic sedimentology and sedimentary physical simulation. It also reveals the developing gap of Chinese sedimentology in the areas of microbialite and sedimentary simulation, etc. and analyzes the sedimentary features and paleogeography pattern of prototype basins, multi-scale paleogeographic recovery during major tectonic movements, the different explanation of new sedimentology theories in the deep-buried sandbodies development. The paper details the difficulties when it comes to the typical depositional systems combination and the setup of sedimentary models in China. Therefore, the developing tendency is described of sedimentology theories like source to sink, sedimentary dynamics as well as regional sedimentology in China, seismic sedimentology, and studying methods and technologies in sedimentary simulation. Key words: development, shallow-water delta, gravity flow, beach-bar, mixosedimentite, microbialite, seismic sedimentology, sedimentology, China

Online monitoring and water quality analysis of lakes are urgently needed. A feasible and effective approach is to use a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Lake water environments, like other real world environments, present many changing and unpredictable situations. To ensure flexibility in such an environment, the WSN node has to be prepared to deal with varying situations. This paper presents a WSN self-configuration approach for lake water quality monitoring. The approach is based on the integration of a semantic framework, where a reasoner can make decisions on the configuration of WSN services. We present a WSN ontology and the relevant water quality monitoring context information, which considers its suitability in a pervasive computing environment. We also propose a rule-based reasoning engine that is used to conduct decision support through reasoning techniques and context-awareness. To evaluate the approach, we conduct usability experiments and performance benchmarks.

When the power source of a voltage source converter (VSC) station at the sending end solely depends on wind power generation, the station is operating in an islanding mode. In this case, the power fluctuation of the wind power will be entirely transmitted to the receiving-end grid. A self-regulation scheme of power fluctuation is proposed in this paper to solve this problem. Firstly, we investigated the short-time variability characteristic of the wind power in a multi-terminal direct-current (MTDC) project in China. Then we designed a virtual frequency (VF) control strategy at the VSC station based on the common constant voltage constant frequency (CVCF) control of VSC station. By cooperating with the primary frequency regulation (PFR) control at the wind farms, the self-regulation of active power pooling at the VSC station was realized. The control parameters of VF and PFR control were carefully settled through the steady-state analysis of the MTDC grid. The self-regulation effect had been demonstrated by a twenty-four-hour simulation. The results showed that the proposed scheme could effectively smoothen the power fluctuation.

Intussusception is common in children. Double simultaneous intussusception is a peculiar variety of intussusception with only 14 previously reported cases. We report a unique case of a child who suffered from double simultaneous intussusception with two lead points (Meckel’s diverticulum and intestinal duplication). The patient was successfully treated with manual reduction along with resection of Meckel’s diverticulum and intestinal duplication. The child recovered well.