Radio Link Parameters Based QoE Measurement of Voice Service in GSM Network

Recently, Quality of Experience (QoE) of voice service has been paid more attentions because it represents the performance of voice service subjectively perceived by the end users. And speech quality is commonly used to measure the QoE value. In this paper, a speech quality assessment algorithm is proposed for GSM network, aiming to predict and monitor QoE of voice service based on radio link parameters with low complexity for operators. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are combined and used to establish the mapping model from radio link parameters to speech quality. Data set for model training and testing is obtained from real commercial network of China Mobile. The experimental results show that with sufficient training data, this algorithm can predict radio speech quality with high accuracy and could be used to monitor speech quality of mobile network in real time.

Unique ZnS nanobuns decorated with reduced graphene oxide as an efficient and low-cost counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Unique ZnS nanobuns decorated with reduced graphene oxide （ROO） was synthesized and found to exhibit a synergetic effect as a highly efficient and low-cost counter electrode （CE） in dye-sensitized solar cells （DSCs）. Using this ZnS-ROO CE, a power conversion efficiency （PCE） of 7.03% was achieved. This value was 53% and 41 % higher than those of pure ZnS and ROO CEs, respectively. The ZnS-ROO nanocomposite is indeed an efficient and cost-effective Pt-like alternative for iodine reduction reaction.

Synergistic effects of compound physical factor treatment on neurological outcome after peripheral nerve entrapment surgery A randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND： Iatrophysics can improve the velocity of local microcirculation at peripheral nerve injured sites and promote the recovery from injury. Research has shown that simultaneous application of two physical factors has synergistic effects on the recovery of peripheral nerve function. OBJECTIVE： To treat patients that received peripheral nerve entrapment surgery with comprehensive rehabilitation by decimeter wave therapy and electrical stimulation, and to observe the clinical effects of promoting nerve function recovery. DESIGN： Randomized controlled study. SETTINGS： Department of Orthopaedics, the Third Hospital of Baoding; Department of Hand Surgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University; Woman-Children Healthcare Center, Southern District, Baoding. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 124 patients, who received peripheral nerve entrapment surgery, were selected from the Department of Orthopaedics, the Third Hospital of Baoding between July 2001 and May 2007. All patients met the diagnostic standard of peripheral nerve entrapment syndrome defined by Doctor Chen in 1995. All subjects gave informed consent for treatments and conditions involved. The experiment was approved by a local ethics committee. All patients were randomly divided into four groups： electrical stimulation group, decimeter wave group, compound physical factor group, and control group, with 31 subjects in each group. METHODS： Patients received neurolysis at an appropriate interval after hospitalization. （1） Multi-form wave therapeutic equipment made in China was used to treat patients in the electrical stimulation group after neurolysis. Wave form, stimulus width, interval time, and stimulus intensity were regulated based on the grade of nerve injury. The details were as follows： mild nerve injury： 50-100-ms stimulus width and 1 500-2 000-ms intervals; moderate nerve injury： 100-200-ms stimulus width and 3 000-4 000-ms intervals; severe nerve injury： 200-300-ms stimulus width and 3 000--6 000-ms intervals. Current dosage was 20- 40 mA. The electrical stimulation was given 6 minutes/session, once a day, and 20 days were regarded as one treatment cycle. （2） A TMA-A double-frequent mild-hot therapeutic instrument was used on patients in the decimeter wave group after neurolysis. The therapeutic program was adapted to the early and middle-late phase. In the early phase, the decimeter wave was 10-15 W, 10 minutes/session, once a day; in the middle-late phase, the decimeter wave was 10-30 W, 20 minutes/session, once a day. Twenty days were regarded as one treatment cycle. （3） Patients in the compound physical factor group following neurolysis were treated the same as the decimeter wave group and electrical stimulation group, respectively. The treatment was performed once a day, and 20 days were regarded as one course. （4） Patients in the control group were not administered any physical treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Therapeutic efficacy was comprehensively evaluated based on motor and sensory evaluation criteria （set by Subassociation of Hand Surgery, Chinese Medical Association） at 1, 2, and 3 months after surgery, as well as changes in the electromyogram before and after operation. RESULTS： All 124 patients with peripheral nerve entrapment syndrome were included in the final analysis. One month after surgery, fineness rates in the electrical stimulation group, decimeter wave group, and compound physical factor group were not significantly different from those in the control group （P 〉 0.05）. There was also no significant difference between the electrical stimulation group, decimeter wave group, and compound physical factor group （P 〉 0.05）. Two months after surgery, fineness rates in the electrical stimulation group and decimeter wave group were not significantly different from the control group （P 〉 0.05）. However, fineness rates were higher in the compound physical factor group compared to the other three groups （P 〈 0.05）. There was no significant difference between the electrical stimulation group and the decimeter wave group （P 〉 0.05）. Three months after operation, fineness rates in the electrical stimulation group, decimeter wave group, and compound physical factor group were higher than the control group （P 〈 0.05）. However, there was no significant difference between the electrical stimulation group, decimeter wave group, and compound physical factor group （P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The combination of decimeter wave therapy and electrical stimulation can remarkably shorten the recovery time of peripheral nerve function. The synergistic effect is superior to that of electrical stimulation and decimeter wave alone. This suggests that those two physical factors have synergistic effects on the treatment of peripheral nerve entrapment syndrome.

Aligned carbon nanotubes for lithium-ion batteries:A review

Nanoscale materials are gaining massive attention in recent years due to their potential to alleviate the present electrochemical electrode constraints.Possessing high conductivity(both thermally and electrically),high chemical and electrochemical stability,exceptional mechanical strength and flexibility,high specific surface area,large charge storage capacity,and excellent ionadsorption,carbon nanotubes(CNTs)remain one of the most researched of other nanoscale materials for electrochemical energy storage.Rather than having them packed at random,CNTs perform better when packed/grown to order,vertically or horizontally aligned to a substrate.This study presents an overview of the impact of CNT alignment on the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).The unique properties of vertically aligned CNTs(VACNTs)for LIB application were discussed.Furthermore,the mechanisms of charge storage and electrochemical performances in VACNT-based(pristine and composites)anodes and cathodes of LIBs were succinctly reviewed.In the end,the existing challenges and future directions in the field were also briefly discussed.

Recent advances in catalytic production of sugar alcohols and their applications

Conversion of non-edible biomass into fuels and value-added chemicals has achieved great attention to cope the world's energy requirements. Lignocellulose based sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and erythritol can be potentially used as emerging fuels and chemicals. These sugar alcohols can be converted into widely used products(e.g. polymer synthesis, food and pharmaceuticals industry). The heterogeneous catalytic production of sugar alcohols from renewable biomass provides a safe and sustainable approach. Hydrolysis, coupled with hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis has been proved to be more effective strategy for sugar alcohols production from biomass. This review summarizes the recent advances in biomass upgrading reactions for the production of sugar alcohols and their comprehensive applications.

Production of jet fuel intermediates from biomass platform compounds via aldol condensation reaction over iron-modified MCM-41 lewis acid zeolite

Liquid fuel intermediates could be produced via aldol condensation reaction between furfural or 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF)and acetone.It was found that iron-modified MCM-41 zeolite can be an effective Lewis acid catalyst for C-C bond formation via aldol condensation of furfural or HMF with acetone.The 4-(2-furyl)-3-buten-2-one and 1,5-di-2-furanyl-1,4-pentadien-3-one(FAc and F_(2)Ac),or 1,5-di-2-furanyl-1,4-pentadien-3-one and 1,5-bis[(5-hydroxlmethyl)-2-furanyl]-1,4-pentadien-3-one(HAc and H_(2)Ac),as two main condensation products of furfural with acetone or HMF with acetone,were observed.After 24 h at 160℃,86.9%conversion of furfural with 60.0%yield of the FAc as well as 7.5%yield of the F_(2)Ac and 88.9%conversion of the HMF with 41.1%yield of the HAc as well as 3.5%yield of the H_(2)Ac were achieved.Although furfural or HMF conversion was almost same after 24 h at 160℃,iron-modified MCM-41 zeolite catalyst displayed an enhanced selectivity to condensation products of furfural with acetone.In addition,catalysts showed an improved selectivity to the F_(2)Ac and H_(2)Ac at higher reaction temperature.The reusability and regeneration studies showed that iron-modified MCM-41 zeolite catalyst could not be reused directly,but could be regenerated by calcination in air,and the catalytic perfor-mance of regenerated catalyst was acceptable.

Oxygen vacancies and N-doping in organic–inorganic pre-intercalated vanadium oxide for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Pre-intercalation of metal ions into vanadium oxide is an effective strategy for optimizing the performance of rechargeable zinc-ion battery(ZIB)cathodes.However,the battery long-lifespan achievement and high-capacity retention remain a challenge.Increasing the electronic conductivity while simultaneously prompting the cathode diffusion kinetics can improve ZIB electrochemical performance.Herein,N-doped vanadium oxide(N-(Zn,en)VO)via defect engineering is reported as cathode for aqueous ZIBs.Positron annihilation and electron paramagnetic resonance clearly indicate oxygen vacancies in the material.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations show that N-doping and oxygen vacancies concurrently increase the electronic conductivity and accelerate the diffusion kinetics of zinc ions.Moreover,the presence of oxygen vacancies substantially increases the storage sites of zinc ions.Therefore,N-(Zn,en)VO exhibits excellent electrochemical performance,including a peak capacity of 420.5 mA h g^(-1)at 0.05 A g^(-1),a high power density of more than 10000 W kg^(-1)at 65.3 Wh kg^(-1),and a long cycle life at 5 A g^(-1)(4500 cycles without capacity decay).The methodology adopted in our study can be applied to other cathodic materials to improve their performance and extend their practical applications.

Effect of Ni content on high power laser ablation behavior of coatings sprayed by Ni covering graphite/SiO2 powders

Faced with the challenge of high energy ablation problems, especially for laser ablation, effective energy dissipation protective materials fabricate by efficient preparation method is a feasible solution. The Ni-graphite/Si O2 coatings with different Ni content were prepared by plasma spraying method with optimized plasma spraying parameters. All coatings are pure without oxidation and dense. Their ablation behaviors were investigated by high power continuous wave laser. The results indicate that the Ni-graphite/Si O2 coating with appropriate Ni content could realize the purpose of energy consumption by endothermal reaction of graphite/Si O2 and reflection improvement. High Ni content will block the occurrence of endothermal reaction of graphite/Si O2 and increase the heat diffusion to interior part of coating, which can make the ablation situation of coating more serious.

Differential regulation of H3S10 phosphorylation, mitosis progression and cell fate by Aurora Kinase B and C in mouse preimplantation embryos

Coordination of cell division and cell fate is crucial for the successful development of mammalian early embryos. Aurora kinases are evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinases and key regulators of mitosis. Aurora kinase B （AurkB） is ubiquitously expressed while Aurora kinase C （AurkC） is specifically expressed in gametes and preimplantation embryos. We found that increasing AurkC level in one blastomere of the 2-cell embryo accelerated cell division and decreasing AurkC level slowed down mitosis. Changing AurkB level had the opposite effect. The kinase domains of AurkB and AurkC were responsible for their different ability to phosphorylate Histone H3 Serine 10 （H3S10P） and regulate metaphase timing. Using an Oct4-photoactivat- able GFP fusion protein （Oct4-paGFP） and fluorescence decay after photoactivation assay, we found that AurkB overexpression reduced Oct4 retention in the nucleus. Finally, we show that blastomeres with higher AurkC level elevated pluripotency gene expression, which were inclined to enter the inner cell mass lineage and subsequently contributed to the embryo proper. Collectively, our results are the first demonstration that the activity of mitotic kinases can influence cell fate decisions in mammalian preimplantation embryos and have important implications to assisted reproduction.