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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher education to enter into a phase of blended learning that combines in-person and mandatory online learning. This new combination has presented great challenges in promoting academic wellbeing. Anchored by the conservation of resources theory, this study undertakes to explore the contributions of personal resources to academic wellbeing. A total of 1934 undergraduates at a public university in China voluntarily participated in a survey during the 2022 spring semester. They were asked to rate their psychological capital (PsyCap) in general. They were also asked to rate their learning burnout, learning engagement, and academic buoyancy on the course level (namely through a course with English as a foreign language). Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used for the data analysis. The results confirm a direct positive association between PsyCap and students' learning engagement. In particular, the contribution of PsyCap to learning engagement is partially mediated by learning burnout. The moderation estimation reports that the positive effect of PsyCap on learning engagement is stronger for Chinese undergraduates with a higher academic buoyancy and that the negative link of learning burnout with either PsyCap or learning engagement is stronger for Chinese undergraduates with a lower academic buoyancy. This research is the first one to explore the beneficial joint roles of PsyCap and academic buoyancy in promoting academic wellbeing. The findings of this research offer novel and subtle insights into why and how PsyCap and academic buoyancy has contributed to easing learning burnout and boosting learning engagement in blended learning environments during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The term “health poverty trap” describes a vicious cycle in which developing countries or regions become trapped in low levels of health and poverty during the process of modernization. Although significant progress has been made in alleviating poverty in China, there is still a need to further enhance the living conditions of its impoverished population. Methods: This research utilizes the data of the three national representative panel surveys from 2014 to 2020. The primary objective is to gain a better understanding of the intricate relationship between health and poverty. To examine the self-reinforcing effects of the cumulative cycle between health and poverty, we employ unconditional quantile regression analysis. Result: The low-income group exhibits lower overall health status compared to the average level. Economic constraints partially hinder the ability of low-income individuals to access healthcare resources, thereby reinforcing the cyclical relationship between health and poverty. Additionally, the unique psychological and behavioral preferences of individuals in health poverty act as indirect factors that further strengthen this cycle. Health poverty individuals can generate endogenous force to escape the “health poverty trap” by enhancing their confidence levels and digital literacy. Conclusions: The research examines the coexistence of health gradients and economic inequality among Chinese residents. Additionally, the study explores the endogenous force mechanism of escaping the health poverty trap from psychological and behavioral perspectives. This research also offers insights into optimizing government poverty alleviation programs to effectively address this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthcare utilization inequality among middle-aged and older adults has been a serious concern shared in the aging process. Successful policy implementation regarding the supply of medical resources and the targeted welfare is an important means to alleviate the healthcare utilization inequalities. However, the effectiveness of the current efforts remains unclear. This study employed self-organizing map and concentration index to explore inequalities in healthcare utilization between age subgroups in similar healthcare settings. The results suggest that utilization inequalities in rich-medical resource regions are not necessarily smaller than those in poor-medical resource regions, which the inpatient and preventive care utilization support the idea. And inequalities of healthcare utilization in rich-medical resource regions show age-lag compared with that in poor-medical resource regions, which indicates a higher level of accessibility to rich medical resources. But rich medical resources still fail to better protect the adults aged 70 and above. The economy, education, and health status, as key contributing factors to the unequal utilization of healthcare, may exacerbate their contribution to inequality in rich-medical resource regions. So a rich supply of healthcare does not necessarily have a one-way positive impact on alleviating inequality in the healthcare utilization. It needs to be combined with other factors to better alleviate inequality. Welfare policy with targeted groups needs to be wary of whether it will lead to greater inequalities. It also called for popularizing free seminar, comprehensive outpatient health management, and serious illness insurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, information technology has penetrated into various fields of universities, and the development of information technology in teaching, scientific research, management, and services has become a catalyst for promoting changes in universities. In terms of teaching informatization, the Internet provides a powerful tool for knowledge dissemination and a huge platform for learning and communication between university teachers and students. Knowledge sharing has become easier, and the era of mutual interaction between teachers and students has arrived. University teachers need to quickly face this challenge, adapt to the new teaching and learning environment, improve their own literacy, enhance their information-based teaching ability, change their teaching behavior, and thereby improve the quality of university education and meet the needs of society for talent cultivation. The informationization teaching ability evaluation of university teachers is a classical MAGDM problems. Recently, the Exponential TODIM(ExpTODIM) and (grey relational analysis) GRA method has been used to cope with MAGDM issues. The interval neutrosophic sets (INSs) are used as a tool for characterizing uncertain information during the informationization teaching ability evaluation of university teachers. In this manuscript, the interval neutrosophic number Exponential TODIM-GRA (INN-ExpTODIM-GRA) method is built to solve the MAGDM under INSs. In the end, a numerical case study for informationization teaching ability evaluation of university teachers is given to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, recombinant Escherichia coli that secretes the multifunctional ɑ-amylase Amy19 was constructed and the induction conditions were optimized. The optimal induction condition obtained by orthogonal experiment was addition of 1.5% glycine for 24 h at 10 ℃. The extracellular secreted multifunctional Amy19 showed the ability to degrade seaweed (Gracilaria verrucosa) waste directly. The reducing sugar concentration increased gradually with degradation time, reaching a maximum (1.047 ± 0.0058 mg mL−1) at 60 h. HPLC showed that the higher degree of polymerization of oligosaccharides decreased gradually, while the content of galactose and 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose gradually increased with time. In the cucumber seed germination experiments, root lengths and seed germination percentages after treatment with enzymatic hydrolysates of seaweed at 5% and 10% concentrations were much greater than after treatment with water or water extracts of seaweed. This may be due to the presence of polysaccharides and oligosaccharide in EHS. In addition, seeds treated with enzymatic hydrolysates of seaweed at lower concentrations showed higher germination indexes and germination energy levels, which were associated with lower mean germination times. Thus, the use of the lower concentrations of enzymatic hydrolysates of seaweed may result in more rapid germination of seeds. This study provides important information for the efficient preparation of recombinant enzyme extracellular secretion and the agricultural applications of seaweed waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The OI135.6 nm radiation intensity and the associated change with solar activity are very complex, and this is particularly the case during November 2020. In this paper, we investigated the OI135.6 nm radiation intensity in the low-latitude ionosphere during a quiet geomagnetic period. The Ionospheric Photometer (IPM) instrument onboard the FY-3(D) meteorological satellite was employed to measure the OI135.6 nm night airglow at 02:00 LT (local time) and its response to the solar activity. The results showed there is a statistically significant correlation between the intensity of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly (EIA) and solar activity after midnight. The EIA at 02:00 LT and before midnight shared the same climatological characteristics—strong in equinoxes and weak in solstices. In November 2020, when the F10.7 flux significantly increased, the OI135.6 nm radiation intensity in the EIA region recorded a 100–200% increase compared to the previous month, which was much higher than in the same period in the preceding two years. A similar phenomenon was observed at the same time by the Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk (GOLD), which makes continuous observations of ionospheric structure variation in global patterns. Data analysis suggests that the EIA at 02:00 LT was due to the attenuation of the EIA before midnight after the disappearance of the eastward electric field. The magnetic latitude of the EIA crest (hereafter denoted by θ m l F 2 ) indicates a range-and-seasonal rule of hemispherical asymmetry: closer to the geomagnetic equator in equinoxes and farther away from the geomagnetic equator in solstices. Further studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of setting up variable guidance lanes is to ease the traffic pressure on lanes with more traffic under the condition of ensuring the traffic capacity of the intersection. This study proposes a bi-level model-interactive relationship between variable guidance lane design and signal control and carry out a case study for a road in Wuhan, China. The design plan for the goal, combined with the design plan of the variable guidance lane, optimizes the signal timing plan of the intersection. A real case is modeled in VISSIM to simulate the design scheme of variable guidance lanes to verify the reliability and effectiveness of the bi-level model. The results showed that the average vehicle delay at the intersection was reduced by 20.65% after the bi-level model was optimized. The average error between model calculation results and simulation results is 9.88%. Moreover, the influencing factors of the proposed model are also carried out. The results show that when the traffic flow is greater than 1,000 pcu/h, the optimization effect of the model is more significant. When the traffic capacity gradually increases, the average vehicle delay calculated by the model is smaller. The design scheme and signal timing scheme proposed by the bi-level model can ensure the overall traffic efficiency of the intersection, improve the traffic efficiency of the traffic-stressed lanes, and further promote the space-time resource utilization of the intersection, optimize the space-time resources of the road network, and provide a scientific basis and new ideas and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with limited therapeutic options. Eupalinolide O (EO) was reported to inhibit tumor growth. This study is aimed at exploring the role of EO on TNBC both in vivo and in vitro. Methods. In in vitro experiments, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and clonogenic assay were conducted to measure the impact of EO on TNBC cell growth at different concentrations and time points. Flow cytometry was conducted to evaluate cell apoptosis. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) loss, caspase-3 activity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were assessed. The expressions of apoptosis-related mRNAs and Akt/p38 MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins were measured. In in vivo experiments, by injecting TNBC cells into the nude mice to induce xenograft tumor, mice were treated with EO for 20 days. Then, in vivo bioluminescence imaging system was utilized to monitor the growth and distribution of TNBC cells. Tumor volume and weight were also recorded. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and ELISA assay were applied to observe tumor tissue morphology and ROS levels. Furthermore, western blotting was conducted to observe the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and Akt/p38 MAPK signaling pathway-associated proteins. Results. EO inhibited the cell viability and proliferation of TNBC cells but not normal epithelial cells. Furthermore, EO induced apoptosis, decreased MMP, and elevated caspase-3 activity and ROS content in TNBC cells. Meanwhile, the expression of apoptosis-related mRNAs and Akt/p38 MAPK pathway-related proteins was regulated by EO treatment. Besides, in vivo experiments demonstrated EO not only suppressed tumor growth, Ki67 expression, ROS generation, and Akt phosphorylation but also upregulated caspase-3 expression and p-38 phosphorylation. Conclusion. EO may induce cell apoptosis in TNBC via regulating ROS generation and Akt/p38 MAPK pathway, indicating EO may be a candidate drug for TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited field investigations have evaluated the impact of traffic on the snow melting capacity of salts. This paper will describe an extensive field study that includes 1,200 tests that are conducted during 100 snow events over three winter seasons (2012, 2013, and 2014) to quantify the traffic impact on snow melting capacity. The tests will be conducted in an active parking lot, and on parking stalls and driveways, which could increase the applicability of the results to real-world scenarios. The deicing performance of salt will be compared between both areas with different traffic patterns for bare pavement regain time (BPRT). The developed model quantified the reduction in BPRT from 21% for a low traffic volume of 5 vehicles/h to an 86% reduction for a high traffic volume of 50 vehicles/h. The deicing performance models that were calibrated for parking stalls and driveways could be directly used to determine the most cost-effective application rates to treat parking lots and sidewalks based on specific weather, facilities, and traffic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cold and high altitude Tibetan area (hereinafter referred to as Tibetan area) is a special geographical area in western China. Whether the local economic development and EE (ecological environment) are coordinated or not directly affects the sustained and healthy economic and social development of the whole Tibetan area. Firstly, this paper discusses the relationship between economic growth and EE on the basis of existing related theoretical research. Then, 15 indicators of economic system and environmental system were selected, and the coupling degree model and coupling coordination degree model were constructed to quantitatively analyze the dynamic model of regional economic and EE coupling and coordinated development in Tibetan areas from 2010 to 2020. The research found that in the past 11 years, the comprehensive index of EE of four regions in Tibetan areas has changed from 0.5 to 0.6, and the comprehensive index of the economy of four regions in Tibetan areas has changed from 0.51 to 0.74. On the whole, the coordination degree and coordinated development degree of green development in Tibetan areas have changed at the same time compared with the years, and since 2016, both of them have had the same trend and both of them are beginning to develop in a good direction. Since 2017, the economic development has been relatively advanced, while the EE has lagged behind, showing a fluctuating state, while the level of coordinated development has been continuously improved. This study has certain reference value for promoting ecological protection and green development in Tibetan areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ionospheric Photometer (IPM) is carried on the Feng Yun 3-D (FY3D) meteorological satellite, which allows for the measurement of far-ultraviolet (FUV) airglow radiation in the thermosphere. IPM is a compact and high-sensitivity nadir-viewing FUV remote sensing instrument. It monitors 135.6 nm emission in the nightside thermosphere and 135.6 nm and N 2 Lyman–Birge–Hopfield (LBH) emissions in the dayside thermosphere that can be used to invert the peak electron density of the F 2 layer (NmF 2) at night and the O/N 2 ratio in the daytime, respectively. Preliminary observations show that the IPM could monitor the global structure of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) structure around 02:00 LT using atomic oxygen (OI) 135.6 nm nightglow. It could also identify the reduction of O/N 2 in the high-latitude region during the geomagnetic storm of 26 August 2018. The IPM-derived NmF 2 agrees well with that observed by four ionosonde stations along 120 ∘ E with a standard deviation of 26.67 %. Initial results demonstrate that the performance of IPM meets the design requirements and therefore can be used to study the thermosphere and ionosphere in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient synthesis of indolizines with a thioether group is developed through employing [4+2]-annulation of N-substituted pyrrole-2-carboxaldehydes and prop-2-ynylsulfonium salts, forming a wide variety of target compounds with various substituents and functionalities in moderate to good yields. The success of this transformation makes it an alternative approach to previous protocols, and pharmaceutical and biomedical applications of the investigated compounds are expected with further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncultured microbes are an important resource for the discovery of novel enzymes. In this study, an amylase gene (amy2587) that codes a protein with 587 amino acids (Amy2587) was obtained from the metagenomic library of macroalgae-associated bacteria. Recombinant Amy2587 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and was found to simultaneously possess α-amylase, agarase, carrageenase, cellulase, and alginate lyase activities. Moreover, recombinant Amy2587 showed high thermostability and alkali resistance which are important characteristics for industrial application. To investigate the multifunctional mechanism of Amy2587, three motifs (functional domains) in the Amy2587 sequence were deleted to generate three truncated Amy2587 variants. The results showed that, even though these functional domains affected the multiple substrates degrading activity of Amy2587, they did not wholly explain its multifunctional characteristics. To apply the multifunctional activity of Amy2587, three seaweed substrates (Grateloupia filicina, Chondrus ocellatus, and Scagassum) were digested using Amy2587. After 2 h, 6 h, and 24 h of digestion, 121.2 ± 4 µg/ml, 134.8 ± 6 µg/ml, and 70.3 ± 3.5 µg/ml of reducing sugars were released, respectively. These results show that Amy2587 directly and effectively degraded three kinds of raw seaweeds. This finding provides a theoretical basis for one-step enzymatic digestion of raw seaweeds to obtain seaweed oligosaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new approach to address the problem of allocating federal resources and identifying upgrading projects for improving the safety of at-grade crossings in Canada. The proposed approach is unique in two key aspects. First, a risk-based network screening process is adopted to identify the priority sites for providing a justifiable basis for distributing the total budget at a regional level as well as narrowing the search space in the subject optimization step. Secondly, a mathematical programming approach is applied to formalize the resource allocation process with explicit consideration of the expected benefits – risk reduction and the costs of implementing the projects. This approach is expected to improve the process of identifying the optimal set of upgrading projects within each region, thus maximizing the return on investment. A full-scale case study from the Canadian crossing network is conducted to demonstrate the application of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium oxide has been considered a promising candidate for Schottky-type diode application. In this paper, an alternative approach for improving electrical properties of TiO x -based Schottky-type diode has been demonstrated. Compared with the Ag/TiO x /Ti structure Schottky-type diode, by embedding an extra ZrO2 insulating layer between the Ag/TiO x interface, an extremely high rectifying ratio of 109 can be obtained in the Ag/ZrO2/TiO x /Ti structure device. The improvement of the electrical properties in the Ag/ZrO2/TiO x /Ti structure device can be attributed to the localized formation of Ag metal conductive filaments in ZrO2 layer after switching on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a study focusing on performance evaluation of road weather information system (RWIS) surface temperature forecasts. To identify the factors influencing the accuracy of forecasts, five research hypotheses regarding climate patterns, geographical attributes, seasonal variations, time of day, and forecast horizon are proposed. Observation and forecast data were provided by four North American provinces, and were processed and stratified by station, hour, and month to quantify their effects. The findings based on two statistical measures; namely, mean absolute error and percent of acceptable forecasts suggested that the maritime climate group had the highest correspondence while the mixed climate group had the lowest. The geographical attributes showed that the forecasting performance of coastal maritime regions was found to have a negative correlation to the distance from nearby large bodies of water. Forecasts for the daytime were found to be less accurate than for the nighttime and deteriorate quickly as the forecasting horizon increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent progressive disorder. Moxibustion has found widespread use in clinical practice for OA, while its underlying mechanism remains elusive. To investigate whether moxibustion can ameliorate OA by influencing the metabolic processes in OA and to elucidate the specific metabolic mechanisms involved. C57BL/6J WT mice were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the SHAM group, the ACLT group, and the ACLT+M group. In the ACLT+M group, mice underwent moxibustion treatment at acupoints Shenshu (BL23) and Zusanli (ST36) for a continuous period of 28 days, with each session lasting 20 min. We conducted a comprehensive analysis to assess the impact of moxibustion on OA, focusing on pathological changes, intestinal flora composition, and serum metabolites. Moxibustion treatment effectively mitigated OA-related pathological changes. Specifically, moxibustion treatment resulted in the amelioration of articular cartilage damage, synovial inflammation, subchondral bone sclerosis when compared to the ACLT group. Moreover, 16S rDNA sequencing analysis revealed that moxibustion treatment positively influenced the composition of the flora, making it more similar to that of the SHAM group. Notably, moxibustion treatment led to a reduction in the abundance of Ruminococcus and Proteobacteria in the intestine. In addition, non-targeted metabolomics analysis identified 254 significantly different metabolites between the groups. Based on KEGG pathway analysis and the observed impact of moxibustion on OA-related inflammation, moxibustion therapy is closely associated with the cAMP-related signaling pathway. Moxibustion can relieve OA by regulating intestinal flora and via impacting cAMP-related signaling pathway. [Display omitted] • Moxibustion mitigates cartilage destruction, synovial inflammation, and subchondral bone sclerosis. • Metabolomics analysis were used to investigate the effective mechanisms of Moxibustion in treating OA. • Moxibustion promote cartilage protection via impacting cAMP-related signaling pathway. • Our results provide a theoretical basis for OA treatment through the application of Moxibustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sneak current issue of RRAM-based crossbar array is one of the biggest hindrances for high-density memory application. The integration of an addition selector to each cell is one of the most familiar solutions to avoid this undesired cross-talk issue, and resistive switching parameters would affect on the storage density. This paper investigates the potential impact of different resistive switching parameters on crossbar arrays with one-diode one-resistor (1D1R) and one-selector one-resistor (1S1R) architectures. Results indicate that 1S1R architecture is a more scalable technology for high-density crossbar array than 1D1R, and the storage density of 1D1R- and 1S1R-based crossbar array shows little dependence on resistance values of high-resistance state and low-resistance state, which gives a guideline for choosing appropriate selectors for RRAM crossbar array with specific parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an improved impedance function for roads with mixed traffic. It is known that only limited studies consider the impact of nonmotorized traffic on travel impedance of a road segment, and a comparison of the impedance considering nonmotorized traffic with the classic BPR function, which does not consider the former, is scarce. Most of the previous studies targeted road conditions in developed countries, where the presence of nonmotorized traffic is negligible, and therefore limited efforts have been invested to develop improved impedance function considering mixed traffic. To overcome this limitation, this paper develops an improved impedance function and carries out a case study for a road in the city of Wuhan, China. The improved impedance function explicitly considers the interaction between motorized and nonmotorized traffic. Taxi GPS data from the case study road is used to extract and analyze the travel time of the "probe vehicles" running through the sampled segment at any time during a sampling day. The capacity of the road segment is measured, and the traffic flow of motorized vehicles and nonmotorized vehicles on the segment is counted. Based on the above data, the classic BPR function and the improved one proposed in this paper are calibrated. After comparing and analyzing the observed road impedance based on both analytical and simulation results, the classic BPR function and the proposed impedance function, the proposed impedance function is found to be more accurate to simulate the observed road impedance, with the error reducing from 14.83 s with the classic BPR impedance function to 6.50 s with the improved function. The proposed impedance function possesses a simple structure and high flexibility, and the parameters calibrated in this paper can be applied to similar roads to provide more realistic impedance than the previous ones based on the classic BPR function. The calibrated improved impedance function's transferability to other similar roads is validated by applying it to another road and the results show that the percentage error between the predicted travel times and the observed ones is only 3.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The VST Optical Imaging of the CDFS and ES1 Fields (VOICE) Survey is a Guaranteed Time programme carried out with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) VLT Survey Telescope (VST) telescope to provide deep optical imaging over two 4 deg2 patches of the sky centred on the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) and ES1 as part of the ESO-Spitzer Imaging Extragalactic Survey. We present the cosmic shear measurement over the 4 deg2 covering the CDFS region in the r band using LensFit. Each of the four tiles of 1 deg2 has more than 100 exposures, of which more than 50 exposures passed a series of image quality selection criteria for weak-lensing study. The 5σ limiting magnitude in r band is 26.1 for point sources, which is ≳1 mag deeper than other weak-lensing survey in the literature [e.g. the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) at VST]. The photometric redshifts are estimated using the VOICE u, g, r, i together with near-infrared VIDEO data Y, J, H, Ks. The mean redshift of the shear catalogue is 0.87, considering the shear weight. The effective galaxy number density is 16.35 gal arcmin−2, which is nearly twice the one of KiDS. The performance of LensFit on such a deep data set was calibrated using VOICE-like mock image simulations. Furthermore, we have analysed the reliability of the shear catalogue by calculating the star–galaxy cross-correlations, the tomographic shear correlations of two redshift bins and the contaminations of the blended galaxies. As a further sanity check, we have constrained cosmological parameters by exploring the parameter space with Population Monte Carlo sampling. For a flat Λ cold dark matter model, we have obtained $$\Sigma_8=\sigma_8(\Omega_{\rm m}/0.3)^{0.5}=0.68^{+0.11}_{-0.15}$$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study aiming at understanding the relationship between the spatiotemporal characteristics of road weather conditions and a number of road weather information systems (RWIS) stations using real-world case studies. Semivariogram models are constructed to determine the spatial variability of road weather conditions, especially, autocorrelation range which describes a separation distance at which the measurements are no longer correlated to each other. An optimal RWIS density is then determined through an optimization process that minimizes the total inference errors across the underlying road network. The findings suggest that the regions with less varied topography tend to have a longer spatial correlation range than the regions with more varied topography. The study further reveals that the range of spatial autocorrelation is related to the optimal density of RWIS network - the region with a longer range requires fewer RWIS stations, than the region having a shorter range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass-based energy systems are gaining popularity as a clean and renewable source of energy, and have the potential to be a major contributor to the transition towards a sustainable energy future. In this regard, a novel multi-generation energy system is developed based on the biomass combustion. Wood chip and rice straw biomass is combusted with air agent and triggers an integrated system comprises a gas turbine cycle, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle, and a humidification-dehumidification desalination system. The performances of wood chip and rice straw in triggering the system are compared from environmental and energy indicators viewpoints. The system fueled by wood chip emits lower carbon dioxide emission compared to the system fueled by rice straw (8.294 g/kWh compared to 10.41 g/kWh). However, the rice straw-fueled system results in higher efficiency than the wood chip-fueled system (69.9% compared to 69.1%). The system fueled by wood chip produces 2.68 kg/h of hydrogen while this value if 1.96 kg/h for the system fueled by rice straw. The research validated the possibility of utilizing energy systems that incorporate wood chip and rice straw biomass across various generations and showed the superiority of the wood chip in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stabilization of the resistive switching characteristics at both room temperature (RT) and 85 °C of the ZrO 2 -based resistive random access memory were investigated for nonvolatile memory applications. In both conditions, the sandwiched aluminum top electrode/ZrO 2 thin films with embedded copper layer/aluminum bottom electrode structure devices exhibited reproducible bipolar resistive switching behavior and reliable data retention (little degradation over 10 5 and 10 4 s at RT and 85 °C, respectively). For the fabricated device, both the bottom electrode and top electrode materials are fabricated from Al with reduced material cost. Furthermore, the ZrO 2 and embedded Cu materials also show good compatibility with the current CMOS technology to further reduce cost. The conduction mechanism of the low resistance state (LRS) is dominated by ohmic conduction, whereas the high resistance state (HRS) conduction is dominated by space charge limited conduction (SCLC). Our study shows that the memory device with high uniformity and good stabilization at both RT and 85 °C is a promising candidate for low-cost nonvolatile memory device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a risk-based approach for classifying the road surface conditions of a highway network under winter weather events. A relative risk index (RRI) is developed to capture the effect of adverse weather conditions on the collision risk of a highway in reference to the normal driving conditions. Based on this index, multiple risk factors related to adverse winter weather conditions can be considered either jointly or separately. The index can also be used to aggregate different types of road conditions observed on any given route into a single class for risk-consistent condition classification and reporting. Two example applications are shown to illustrate the advantages of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an innovative approach to the planning of a critical highway sensor infrastructure - road weather information system (RWIS). The problem is formulated to minimize the spatially averaged kriging variance of hazardous road surface conditions while maximizing the coverage of accident-prone areas. This optimization framework takes explicit account of the value of information from an RWIS network, providing the potential to enhance the overall efficacy of winter maintenance operations and the safety of the travelers. Spatial simulated annealing is used to solve the resulting optimization problem and its performance is demonstrated using a real-world case study from Minnesota, United States. The case study illustrates the distinct features of the proposed model, assesses the effectiveness of the current location setting, and recommends additional stations locations. The findings of our study suggest that the proposed model could become a valuable decision-support tool for planning a new RWIS network and evaluating the performance of alternative RWIS expansion plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter road maintenance (WRM) has been shown to have significant benefits of improving road safety and reducing traffic delay caused by adverse weather conditions. It has also been suggested that WRM is also beneficial in terms of reducing vehicular air emissions and fuel consumptions because snow and ice on road surface often cause the drivers to reduce their vehicle speeds or to switch to high gears, thus decreasing fuel combustion efficiency. However, there has been very limited information about the underlying relationship, which is important for quantifying this particular benefit of a winter road maintenance program. This research is focused on establishing a quantitative relationship between winter road surface conditions and vehicular air emissions. Speed distribution models are developed for the selected Ontario highways using data from 22 road sites across the province of Ontario, Canada. The vehicular air emissions under different road surface conditions are calculated by coupling the speed models with the engine emission models integrated in the emission estimation model - MOVES. It was found that, on the average, a 10% improvement in road surface conditions could result in approximately 0.6–2% reduction in air emissions. Application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through a case study to analyse the air emission and energy consumption effects under specific weather events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an extensive field study of the comparative performance of road salt on different pavement types for snow and ice control in transportation facilities. Approximately 400 tests were conducted in a real-world environment, covering three different pavement types and 27 snow events. The performance is compared on asphalt concrete (AC), portland cement concrete (PCC), and interlocked concrete (IC) pavements in terms of pavement clearing speed. The study suggests that on average, salt performs better on AC than PCC or ICC pavement, with the latter two having similar performance. The results were confirmed with a paired t-test analysis and then used to develop a performance model, the results of which were used to develop an adjustment factor for each of the different pavement types. The results from this research can be applied by pavement maintenance personnel to optimize salt usage and improve safety in transportation facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a case study comparing a multi-class transit assignment model with its single class counterpart for estimating the passenger flows of the Beijing subway network-one of the largest railway transit networks in the world. Multi-class traffic assignment has been widely considered as a theoretically sound approach to capture the inherent variation in users' route choice behavior. However, few empirical studies have been devoted to showing the effectiveness of this approach in improving the accuracy of the underlying passenger flow estimation process. In this research, a passenger classification scheme is proposed on the basis of a dataset from a large stated preference survey conducted in the City of Beijing, China. Separate generalized cost functions are calibrated for different classes of subway users in Beijing and applied in a multi-class transit assignment model for estimating passenger flows over a subway network. The case study has shown that the proposed multi-class approach resulted in significantly improved estimation results with an average estimation error of less than 15% on the transfer flows as compared with 30% for the single class model. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) is an established technique for measuring brain atrophy, and dynamic positron emission tomography with 11 C-Pittsburgh compound B ( 11 C-PIB PET) has the potential to provide both perfusion and amyloid deposition information. It remains unclear, however, how to better combine perfusion, amyloid deposition and morphological information extracted from dynamic 11 C-PIB PET and sMRI with the goal of improving the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We adopted a linear sparse support vector machine to build classifiers for distinguishing AD and MCI subjects from cognitively normal (CN) subjects based on different combinations of regional measures extracted from imaging data, including perfusion and amyloid deposition information extracted from early and late frames of 11 C-PIB separately, and gray matter volumetric information extracted from sMRI data. The experimental results demonstrated that the classifier built upon the combination of imaging measures extracted from early and late frames of 11 C-PIB as well as sMRI achieved the highest classification accuracy in both classification studies of AD (100%) and MCI (85%), indicating that multimodality information could aid in the diagnosis of AD and MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep reinforcement learning has found great successes in addressing many challenging control problems; however, real-world implementations are still scarce if not non-existent. This is primarily due to three main challenges pertaining to the implementation, the stability, the optimal settings, and a lack of knowledge on methods that can be applied to field settings. This research attempts to address these issues with an adaptive simulation-based control framework proposed specifically for the training and evaluation. The control framework has implemented simulation models to conduct an extensive sensitivity analysis on the effects of key design variables, including rewarding schemes, state spaces, and model training parameters. The feasibility of transfer learning as a training strategy is also studied on scenarios with different layouts and different driver behavior models. Complex scenarios are also evaluated and used as test cases, including multiphase ring-and-barrier control and multi-intersection control. The research has contributed a significant amount of evidence on several critical design and implementation-related questions such as input representation, data (technology) requirements, training methods, and model transferability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an extensive field study on the comparative performance of alternative materials for snow and ice control of transportation facilities. Approximately 300 tests were conducted in a real-world environment, covering four alternative materials, and 21 snow events. Each of the alternatives tested were compared to regular rock salt in terms of snow melting performance - bare-pavement regain time. The study confirmed the relative advantage of these alternatives over the regular salt, but also showed that their performance varied largely depending on some external conditions. Performance models were calibrated and then used for developing application rate adjustment factors that can be applied by maintenance operations for determining the optimal application rates for specific weather events and pavement conditions. The applicability of the results is limited to parking lots and sidewalks without the traffic effects, and as such cannot be easily applied to winter roadways maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a cost-benefit based approach to the problem of finding the optimal location and density of road weather information system (RWIS) stations over a regional road network. The novelty of the proposed method lies in the models that can be used to estimate the benefits of RWIS information, including reduced maintenance costs and collisions, thus determining the optimal number and location of a RWIS network. A case study based on the existing RWIS network in Northern Minnesota in the US is used to show the application of the proposed approach. Linear regression models are developed for the annual maintenance costs and the expected number of collisions that could occur on two types of highways delineated by the existence of a RWIS station nearby. The calibrated models are then applied to individual highway segments defined on the basis of a uniform grid system to determine the expected benefit of having a RWIS station installed. These benefits along with RWIS installation and maintenance costs are converted into net benefits and then the net present value, which are then used in determining the optimal number of RWIS stations and prioritizing the candidate locations. It was found from the case study that a total of 45 stations would provide the best return of investment with a 25 year net benefit of approximately $6.5 million and a life-cycle benefit-to-cost ratio of 3.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Far Ultraviolet Nighttime Ionopsheric Photometer (FNIP) is a newly-designed instrument for low earth orbit missions, observing the earth night airglow nadir at OI 135.6 nm emission produced by ionospheric O+e recombination and receiving the horizontal information on nighttime ionosphere with a spatial resolution of about 1.6×3.8. This simple, highly robust instrument excludes OI 130.4 nm emission and Herzberg oxygen bands with lower power and approximately achieves a sensitivity of about 400 counts/s/Rayleigh at 135.6 nm with stray light less than 2 %. Some tests of the instrument have been conducted and the results will be discussed in the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify the optimal time window for capturing perfusion information from early C-PIB imaging frames (perfusion PIB, C-pPIB) and to compare the performance of F-FDG PET and "dual biomarker" C-PIB PET [C-pPIB and amyloid PIB (C-aPIB)] for classification of AD, MCI and CN subjects. Methods: Forty subjects (14 CN, 12 MCI and 14 AD patients) underwent F-FDG and C-PIB PET studies. Pearson correlation between the F-FDG image and sum of early C-PIB frames was maximised to identify the optimal time window for C-pPIB. The classification power of imaging parameters was evaluated with a leave-one-out validation. Results: A 7-min time window yielded the highest correlation between F-FDG and C-pPIB. C-pPIB and F-FDG images shared a similar radioactive distribution pattern. F-FDG performed better than C-pPIB for the classification of both AD vs. CN and MCI vs. CN. C-pPIB + C-aPIB and F-FDG + C-aPIB yielded the highest classification accuracy for the classification of AD vs. CN, and F-FDG + C-aPIB had the best classification performance for the classification of MCI vs. CN. Conclusion: C-pPIB could serve as a useful biomarker of rCBF for measuring neural activity and improve the diagnostic power of PET for AD in conjunction with C-aPIB. F-FDG and C-PIB dual-tracer PET examination could better detect MCI. Key Points: • Dual-tracer PET examination provides neurofunctional and neuropathological information for AD diagnosis. • The identified optimal 11C-pPIB time frames had highest correlation with 18F-FDG. • 11C-pPIB images shared a similar radioactive distribution pattern with 18F-FDG images. • 11C-pPIB can provide neurofunctional information. • Dual-tracer PET examination could better detect MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of sensor technologies, such as loop detectors, traffic cameras, and radar have been developed for real-time traffic monitoring at intersections most of which are limited to providing link traffic information with few being capable of detecting turning movements. Accurate real-time information on turning movement counts at signalized intersections is a critical requirement for applications such as adaptive traffic signal control. Several attempts have been made in the past to develop algorithms for inferring turning movements at intersections from entry and exit counts; however, the estimation quality of these algorithms varies considerably. This paper introduces a method to improve accuracy and robustness of turning movement estimation at signalized intersections. The new algorithm makes use of signal phase status to minimize the underlying estimation ambiguity. A case study was conducted based on turning movement data obtained from a four-leg signalized intersection to evaluate the performance of the proposed method and compare it with two other existing well-known estimation methods. The results show that the algorithm is accurate, robust and fairly straightforward for real world implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher order, non-Gaussian aspects of the large-scale structure carry valuable information on structure formation and cosmology, which is complementary to second-order statistics. In this work, we measure second- and third-order weak-lensing aperture-mass moments from the Canada–France–Hawaii Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS) and combine those with cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy probes. The third moment is measured with a significance of 2σ. The combined constraint on Σ8 = σ8(Ωm/0.27)α is improved by 10 per cent, in comparison to the second-order only, and the allowed ranges for Ωm and σ8 are substantially reduced. Including general triangles of the lensing bispectrum yields tighter constraints compared to probing mainly equilateral triangles. Second- and third-order CFHTLenS lensing measurements improve Planck CMB constraints on Ωm and σ8 by 26 per cent for flat Λ cold dark matter. For a model with free curvature, the joint CFHTLenS–Planck result is Ωm = 0.28 ± 0.02 (68 per cent confidence), which is an improvement of 43 per cent compared to Planck alone. We test how our results are potentially subject to three astrophysical sources of contamination: source-lens clustering, the intrinsic alignment of galaxy shapes, and baryonic effects. We explore future limitations of the cosmological use of third-order weak lensing, such as the non-linear model and the Gaussianity of the likelihood function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an empirical study aimed at investigating the performance of the anti-icing strategy for snow and ice control of parking lots and sidewalks. The research is motivated by the need to address several key questions concerning various operational decisions related to the anti-icing strategy, including its relative effectiveness under different weather and site conditions, treatment options, and optimal application rates. Extensive field tests were conducted under traffic controlled environment and variety of weather events using regular solid road salt, brine, and two other liquid alternatives. Data collected from these tests was used to analyze the performance of anti-icing operations such as friction level, bare pavement regain time, and the effects of various external factors such as pavement temperature and application rate. The research has concluded with findings that are directly applicable in real world winter maintenance practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We compared PET/MRI with PET/CT in terms of lesion detection and quantitative measurement to verify the feasibility of the novel integrated imaging modality for oncological applications. Methodology/Principal Findings: In total, 285 patients referred to our PET/CT center for oncological indications voluntarily participated in this same-day PET/CT and PET/MRI comparative study. PET/CT images were acquired and reconstructed following routine protocols, and then PET/MRI was performed at a mean time interval of 28±11 min (range 15–45 min). PET/MRI covered the body trunk with a sequence combination of transverse T1WI 3D-volumetric interpolated breath-hold, T2WI turbo spin echo with fat saturation, diffusion-weighted imaging with double b values (50 and 800 s/mm2), and simultaneous PET acquisition over 45 min/5 bed positions. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was assessed by manually drawn regions of interest over fluorodeoxyglucose-positive lesions. Among 285 cases, 57 showed no abnormalities, and 368 lesions (278 malignant, 68 benign and 22 undetermined) were detected in 228 patients. When stand-alone modalities were evaluated, PET revealed 31 and 12 lesions missed by CT and MRI, respectively, and CT and MRI revealed 38 and 61 more lesions, respectively, than PET. Compared to CT, MRI detected 40 more lesions and missed 8. In the integrated mode, PET/CT correctly detected 6 lesions misdiagnosed by PET/MRI, but was false-negative in 30 cases that were detected by PET/MRI. The overall diagnosis did not differ between integrated PET/MRI and PET/CT. SUVmax for lesions were slightly higher from PET/MRI than PET/CT but correlated well (ρ = 0.85–0.91). Conclusions/Significance: The novel integrated PET/MRI performed comparatively to PET/CT in lesion detection and quantitative measurements. PET from either scanner modality offered almost the same information despite differences in hardware. Further study is needed to explore features of integrated PET/MRI not addressed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-bar arrays are usually used for the high density application of resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices. However, cross-talk interference limits an increase in the integration density. In this paper, the Zener diode is proposed as a selection device to suppress the sneak current in bipolar RRAM arrays. Measurement results show that the Zener diode can act as a good selection device, and the sneak current can be effectively suppressed. The readout margin is sufficiently improved compared to that obtained without the selection device. Due to the improvement for the reading disturbance, the size of the cross-bar array can be enhanced to more than 103 × 103. Furthermore, the possibility of using a write-once-read-many-times (WORM) cross-bar array is also demonstrated by connecting the Zener diode and the bipolar RRAM in series. These results strongly suggest that using a Zener diode as a selection device opens up great opportunities to realize high density bipolar RRAM arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present cosmological constraints from 2D weak gravitational lensing by the large-scale structure in the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey (CFHTLenS) which spans 154 deg2 in five optical bands. Using accurate photometric redshifts and measured shapes for 4.2 million galaxies between redshifts of 0.2 and 1.3, we compute the 2D cosmic shear correlation function over angular scales ranging between 0.8 and 350 arcmin. Using non-linear models of the dark-matter power spectrum, we constrain cosmological parameters by exploring the parameter space with Population Monte Carlo sampling. The best constraints from lensing alone are obtained for the small-scale density-fluctuations amplitude σ8 scaled with the total matter density Ωm. For a flat Λcold dark matter (ΛCDM) model we obtain σ8(Ωm/0.27)0.6 = 0.79 ± 0.03.We combine the CFHTLenS data with 7-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP7), baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO): SDSS-III (BOSS) and a Hubble Space Telescopedistance-ladder prior on the Hubble constant to get joint constraints. For a flat ΛCDM model, we find Ωm = 0.283 ± 0.010 and σ8 = 0.813 ± 0.014. In the case of a curved wCDM universe, we obtain Ωm = 0.27 ± 0.03, σ8 = 0.83 ± 0.04, w0 = −1.10 ± 0.15 and ΩK = 0.006+ 0.006− 0.004.We calculate the Bayesian evidence to compare flat and curved ΛCDM and dark-energy CDM models. From the combination of all four probes, we find models with curvature to be at moderately disfavoured with respect to the flat case. A simple dark-energy model is indistinguishable from ΛCDM. Our results therefore do not necessitate any deviations from the standard cosmological model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This research presents a disaggregated modeling approach for investigating the link between winter road collision occurrence, weather, road surface conditions, traffic exposure, temporal trends and site-specific effects. This approach is unique as it allows for quantification of the safety effects of different winter road maintenance activities at an operational level. Different collision frequency models are calibrated using hourly data collected from 31 different highway routes across Ontario, Canada. It is found that factors such as visibility, precipitation intensity, air temperature, wind speed, exposure, month of the winter season, and storm hour have statistically significant effects on winter road safety. Most importantly, road surface conditions are identified as one of the major contributing factors, representing the first contribution showing the empirical relationship between safety and road surface conditions at such a disaggregate level. The applicability of the modeling framework is demonstrated using several examples, such as quantification of the benefits of alternative maintenance operations and evaluation of the effects of different service standards using safety as a performance measure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent decades, road weather information systems (RWISs) have gained in popularity with road maintenance authorities. However, RWIS stations only provide point measurements that are often unrepresentative of distant surrounding areas. To address such limitations, this study employs a hybrid geostatistical interpolation method, regression kriging (RK), to fill in the large spatial gaps at unmonitored locations. Road surface temperature (RST) data collected by an automated vehicle system along selected interstate highways were used to model the RST spatial variation patterns via semivariograms, which were then used to interpolate the conditions in between RWIS stations. Cross-validation results indicated that RK successfully captured the spatial variation of RST along the highway segment. The nugget-to-sill ratio obtained from semivariograms was further utilized to characterize the weather events, and the results implied that stronger winds and heavier rainfalls were likely to form a stronger spatial dependence within RST. The findings of this research contribute to better understanding of the influences of meteorological factors in RST as well as improved models for inferring the road surface conditions between RWIS stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This research presents a modeling approach to investigate the association of the accident frequency during a snow storm event with road surface conditions, visibility and other influencing factors controlling for traffic exposure. The results have the premise to be applied for evaluating different maintenance strategies using safety as a performance measure. As part of this approach, this research introduces a road surface condition index as a surrogate measure of the commonly used friction measure to capture different road surface conditions. Data from various data sources, such as weather, road condition observations, traffic counts and accidents, are integrated and used to test three event-based models including the Negative Binomial model, the generalized NB model and the zero inflated NB model. These models are compared for their capability to explain differences in accident frequencies between individual snow storms. It was found that the generalized NB model best fits the data, and is most capable of capturing heterogeneity other than excess zeros. Among the main results, it was found that the road surface condition index was statistically significant influencing the accident occurrence. This research is the first showing the empirical relationship between safety and road surface conditions at a disaggregate level (event-based), making it feasible to quantify the safety benefits of alternative maintenance goals and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A nonautonomous competitive Lotka–Volterra system is considered in this work. Sufficient conditions on the coefficients are given to guarantee that all but one of the species are driven to extinction. It is shown that these conditions are weaker than those of Montes de Oca and Zeeman [F. Montes de Oca, M.L. Zeeman, Extinction in nonautonomous competitive Lotka–Volterra systems, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 124 (1996) 3677–3687]. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The use of probe vehicles to provide estimates of link travel times has been suggested as a means of obtaining travel times within signalized networks for use in advanced traveler information systems. Previous research has shown that bias in arrival time distributions of probe vehicles will lead to a systematic bias in the sample estimate of the mean. This paper proposes a methodology for reducing the effect of this bias. The method, based on stratified sampling techniques, requires that vehicle count data be obtained from an in-road loop detector or other traffic surveillance method. The effectiveness of the methodology is illustrated using simulation results for a single intersection approach and for an arterial corridor. The results for the single intersection approach indicate a correlation (R2) between the biased estimate and the population mean of 0.61, and an improved correlation between the proposed estimation method and the population mean of 0.81. Application of the proposed method to the arterial corridor resulted in a reduction in the mean travel time error of approximately 50%, further indicating that the proposed estimation method provides improved accuracy over the typical method of computing the arithmetic mean of the probe reports. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper discusses a study on the dial-a-ride paratransit scheduling problems arising in paratransit service systems that are subject to tight service time constraints and time-varying, stochastic traffic congestion. Different from existing methodologies, we explicitly incorporate a time-dependent, stochastic travel time model in the problem formulation. A set of recursive relations is first identified to approximate the distribution parameters of arrival times at individual stops of a given route which, coupled with a first-in-first-out (FIFO) assumption, allows us to extend the conventional heuristic algorithms for solving the proposed problem with only marginal increase in computational complexity. Results from a series of numerical experiments on a set of hypothetical problems are described, aiming to illustrate the computational efficiency of the proposed algorithm and the sensitivity of solutions to various model parameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Accurate photometric redshift (photo- z) estimation requires support from multiband observational data. However, in the actual process of astronomical observations and data processing, some sources may have missing observational data in certain bands for various reasons. This could greatly affect the accuracy and reliability of photo- z estimation for these sources, and even render some estimation methods unusable. The same situation may exist for the upcoming Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST). In this study, we employ a deep learning method called generative adversarial imputation networks (GAIN) to impute the missing photometric data in CSST , aiming to reduce the impact of data missing on photo- z estimation and improve estimation accuracy. Our results demonstrate that using the GAIN technique can effectively fill in the missing photometric data in CSST. Particularly, when the data missing rate is below 30 per cent, the imputation of photometric data exhibits high accuracy, with higher accuracy in the g, r, i, z , and y bands compared to the NUV and u bands. After filling in the missing values, the quality of photo- z estimation obtained by the widely used easy and accurate Zphot from Yale (eazy) software is notably enhanced. Evaluation metrics for assessing the quality of photo- z estimation, including the catastrophic outlier fraction (f out), the normalized median absolute deviation (⁠|$\rm {\sigma _{NMAD}}$|⁠), and the bias of photometric redshift (bias), all show some degree of improvement. Our research will help maximize the utilization of observational data and provide a new method for handling sample missing values for applications that require complete photometry data to produce results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Failure of surgery and chemo/radiotherapy in GC treatment, leads to tumor relapse and non-effective outcome. • Immunosurveillance and Immunoescape are important keys for cancer immunotherapy. • Efficient activation of cytotoxic T cells is a vital step in cancer immunotherapy. • Immune check point inhibitors are considered as a therapeutic approach in the treatment of both solid organs and hematologic malignancies. • Despite few controversial and sometimes confusing results received from trials, we are moving forward in solving the puzzle of gastric cancer immunotherapy. Gastric cancer is considered as the third leading cause of deaths and the fifth most common cancers worldwide. Common treatment approaches include chemotherapy, radiation, gastric resection and targeted therapies. The emergence of gastric cancer immunotherapy has already shown some promising results and have altered the therapeutic procedures. Now, different combination therapies as well as novel immunotherapies targeting new molecules have been proposed. Despite ongoing investigations on the therapeutic options and significant advancements in this regard, the disease is poorly prognosed. In fact, limited therapeutic options and delayed diagnosis lead to the progression, dissemination and metastasis of the disease. Current immunotherapies are mostly based on cytotoxic immunocytes, monoclonal antibodies and gene transferred vaccines. The use of Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have grown rapidly. In this review, we aimed to explore perspective and progression of different approaches of immunotherapy in the treatment of GC and the clinical outcomes reported so far. We also summarized the tumor immunosurveillance and tumor immunoescape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the general concepts, models, and computational techniques applied in a new dial-a-ride vehicle routing and scheduling system. The objective of this system is to improve the responsiveness, reliability, and productivity of dial-a-ride paratransit services. The developed software integrates dial-a-ride routing and scheduling principles and practical experience and explicitly considers travel time variability in urban roadway networks. Such extensive and complex integration has been made possible by improved data acquisition and processing capabilities of computer, telecommunications, and vehicle location technologies. Advanced computational methods applied in the system, such as the artificial neural network technique, which allows heuristic estimation of origin-destination travel times in a dynamic and stochastic fashion, contribute to the processing speed required to respond expeditiously and efficiently to paratransit user requests. A real scheduling problem from the city of Edmonton, Alberta, where the system was tested, is used to illustrate the positive computational experience and the capability of the developed software to handle both off-line and on-line operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]