Quantitatively characterizing sandy soil structure altered by MICP using multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm

The influences of biological,chemical,and flow processes on soil structure through microbially induced carbonate precipitation(MICP)are not yet fully understood.In this study,we use a multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm,genetic algorithm(GA)enhanced Kapur entropy(KE)(GAE-KE),to accomplish quantitative characterization of sandy soil structure altered by MICP cementation.A sandy soil sample was treated using MICP method and scanned by the synchrotron radiation(SR)micro-CT with a resolution of 6.5 mm.After validation,tri-level thresholding segmentation using GAE-KE successfully separated the precipitated calcium carbonate crystals from sand particles and pores.The spatial distributions of porosity,pore structure parameters,and flow characteristics were calculated for quantitative characterization.The results offer pore-scale insights into the MICP treatment effect,and the quantitative understanding confirms the feasibility of the GAE-KE multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm.

Scheme Based on Multi-Level Patch Attention and Lesion Localization for Diabetic Retinopathy Grading

Early screening of diabetes retinopathy(DR)plays an important role in preventing irreversible blindness.Existing research has failed to fully explore effective DR lesion information in fundus maps.Besides,traditional attention schemes have not considered the impact of lesion type differences on grading,resulting in unreasonable extraction of important lesion features.Therefore,this paper proposes a DR diagnosis scheme that integrates a multi-level patch attention generator(MPAG)and a lesion localization module(LLM).Firstly,MPAGis used to predict patches of different sizes and generate a weighted attention map based on the prediction score and the types of lesions contained in the patches,fully considering the impact of lesion type differences on grading,solving the problem that the attention maps of lesions cannot be further refined and then adapted to the final DR diagnosis task.Secondly,the LLM generates a global attention map based on localization.Finally,the weighted attention map and global attention map are weighted with the fundus map to fully explore effective DR lesion information and increase the attention of the classification network to lesion details.This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method through extensive experiments on the public DDR dataset,obtaining an accuracy of 0.8064.

Deep neural network based on multi-level wavelet and attention for structured illumination microscopy

Structured illumination microscopy(SIM)is a popular and powerful super-resolution(SR)technique in biomedical research.However,the conventional reconstruction algorithm for SIM heavily relies on the accurate prior knowledge of illumination patterns and signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)of raw images.To obtain high-quality SR images,several raw images need to be captured under high fluorescence level,which further restricts SIM’s temporal resolution and its applications.Deep learning(DL)is a data-driven technology that has been used to expand the limits of optical microscopy.In this study,we propose a deep neural network based on multi-level wavelet and attention mechanism(MWAM)for SIM.Our results show that the MWAM network can extract high-frequency information contained in SIM raw images and accurately integrate it into the output image,resulting in superior SR images compared to those generated using wide-field images as input data.We also demonstrate that the number of SIM raw images can be reduced to three,with one image in each illumination orientation,to achieve the optimal tradeoff between temporal and spatial resolution.Furthermore,our MWAM network exhibits superior reconstruction ability on low-SNR images compared to conventional SIM algorithms.We have also analyzed the adaptability of this network on other biological samples and successfully applied the pretrained model to other SIM systems.

An Expert System to Detect Political Arabic Articles Orientation Using CatBoost Classifier Boosted by Multi-Level Features

The number of blogs and other forms of opinionated online content has increased dramatically in recent years.Many fields,including academia and national security,place an emphasis on automated political article orientation detection.Political articles(especially in the Arab world)are different from other articles due to their subjectivity,in which the author’s beliefs and political affiliation might have a significant influence on a political article.With categories representing the main political ideologies,this problem may be thought of as a subset of the text categorization(classification).In general,the performance of machine learning models for text classification is sensitive to hyperparameter settings.Furthermore,the feature vector used to represent a document must capture,to some extent,the complex semantics of natural language.To this end,this paper presents an intelligent system to detect political Arabic article orientation that adapts the categorical boosting(CatBoost)method combined with a multi-level feature concept.Extracting features at multiple levels can enhance the model’s ability to discriminate between different classes or patterns.Each level may capture different aspects of the input data,contributing to a more comprehensive representation.CatBoost,a robust and efficient gradient-boosting algorithm,is utilized to effectively learn and predict the complex relationships between these features and the political orientation labels associated with the articles.A dataset of political Arabic texts collected from diverse sources,including postings and articles,is used to assess the suggested technique.Conservative,reform,and revolutionary are the three subcategories of these opinions.The results of this study demonstrate that compared to other frequently used machine learning models for text classification,the CatBoost method using multi-level features performs better with an accuracy of 98.14%.

Construction of a Multi-Level Strategic System for Cultivating Cultural Industry Management Talents in Colleges and Universities

Through SWOT(strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,and threats)and PEST(political,economic,social,and technological)analysis,this study discusses the construction of a multi-level strategic system for the cultivation of cultural industry management talents in colleges and universities.First of all,based on SWOT analysis,it is found that colleges and universities have rich educational resources and policy support,but they face challenges such as insufficient practical teaching and intensified international competition.External opportunities come from the rapid development of the cultivation of cultural industry management talents and policy promotion,while threats come from global market competition and talent flow.Secondly,PEST analysis reveals the key factors in the macro-environment:at the political level,the state vigorously supports the cultivation of cultural industry management talents;at the economic level,the market demand for cultural industries is strong;at the social level,the public cultural consumption is upgraded;at the technological level,digital transformation promotes industry innovation.On this basis,this paper puts forward a multi-level strategic system covering theoretical education,practical skill improvement,interdisciplinary integration,and international vision training.The system aims to solve the problems existing in talent training in colleges and universities and cultivate high-quality cultural industry management talents with theoretical knowledge,practical skills,and global vision,so as to adapt to the increasingly complex and diversified cultural industry management talents market demand and promote the long-term development of the industry.

Deep reinforcement learning based multi-level dynamic reconfiguration for urban distribution network:a cloud-edge collaboration architecture

With the construction of the power Internet of Things(IoT),communication between smart devices in urban distribution networks has been gradually moving towards high speed,high compatibility,and low latency,which provides reliable support for reconfiguration optimization in urban distribution networks.Thus,this study proposed a deep reinforcement learning based multi-level dynamic reconfiguration method for urban distribution networks in a cloud-edge collaboration architecture to obtain a real-time optimal multi-level dynamic reconfiguration solution.First,the multi-level dynamic reconfiguration method was discussed,which included feeder-,transformer-,and substation-levels.Subsequently,the multi-agent system was combined with the cloud-edge collaboration architecture to build a deep reinforcement learning model for multi-level dynamic reconfiguration in an urban distribution network.The cloud-edge collaboration architecture can effectively support the multi-agent system to conduct“centralized training and decentralized execution”operation modes and improve the learning efficiency of the model.Thereafter,for a multi-agent system,this study adopted a combination of offline and online learning to endow the model with the ability to realize automatic optimization and updation of the strategy.In the offline learning phase,a Q-learning-based multi-agent conservative Q-learning(MACQL)algorithm was proposed to stabilize the learning results and reduce the risk of the next online learning phase.In the online learning phase,a multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient(MADDPG)algorithm based on policy gradients was proposed to explore the action space and update the experience pool.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed method was verified through a simulation analysis of a real-world 445-node system.

FPGA based hardware platform for trapped-ion-based multi-level quantum systems

We report a design and implementation of a field-programmable-gate-arrays(FPGA)based hardware platform,which is used to realize control and signal readout of trapped-ion-based multi-level quantum systems.This platform integrates a four-channel 2.8 Gsps@14 bits arbitrary waveform generator,a 16-channel 1 Gsps@14 bits direct-digital-synthesisbased radio-frequency generator,a 16-channel 8 ns resolution pulse generator,a 10-channel 16 bits digital-to-analogconverter module,and a 2-channel proportion integration differentiation controller.The hardware platform can be applied in the trapped-ion-based multi-level quantum systems,enabling quantum control of multi-level quantum system and highdimensional quantum simulation.The platform is scalable and more channels for control and signal readout can be implemented by utilizing more parallel duplications of the hardware.The hardware platform also has a bright future to be applied in scaled trapped-ion-based quantum systems.

Neighborhood Effects and Political Trust: A Multi-level Analysis of Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrants’ Trust in County Government

Massive rural-to-urban migration in China is consequential for political trust: rural-to-urban migrants have been found to hold lower levels of trust in local government than their rural peers who choose to stay in the countryside (mean 4.92 and 6.34 out of 10, respectively, p < 0.001). This article explores why migrants have a certain level of political trust in their county-level government. Using data of rural-to-urban migrants from the China Family Panel Survey, this study performs a hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to unpack the multi-level explanatory factors of rural-to-urban migrants’ political trust. Findings show that the individual-level socio-economic characteristics and perceptions of government performance (Level-1), the neighborhood-level characteristics-the physical and social status and environment of neighborhoods (Level-2), and the objective macroeconomic performance of county-level government (Level-3), work together to explain migrants’ trust levels. These results suggest that considering the effects of neighborhood-level factors on rural-to-urban migrants’ political trust merits policy and public management attention in rapidly urbanizing countries.

Pixelated non-volatile programmable photonic integrated circuits with 20-level intermediate states

Multi-level programmable photonic integrated circuits(PICs)and optical metasurfaces have gained widespread attention in many fields,such as neuromorphic photonics,opticalcommunications,and quantum information.In this paper,we propose pixelated programmable Si_(3)N_(4)PICs with record-high 20-level intermediate states at 785 nm wavelength.Such flexibility in phase or amplitude modulation is achieved by a programmable Sb_(2)S_(3)matrix,the footprint of whose elements can be as small as 1.2μm,limited only by the optical diffraction limit of anin-house developed pulsed laser writing system.We believe our work lays the foundation for laser-writing ultra-high-level(20 levels and even more)programmable photonic systems and metasurfaces based on phase change materials,which could catalyze diverse applications such as programmable neuromorphic photonics,biosensing,optical computing,photonic quantum computing,and reconfigurable metasurfaces.

Multi-level access control model for tree-like hierarchical organizations

An access control model is proposed based on the famous Bell-LaPadula （BLP） model.In the proposed model,hierarchical relationships among departments are built,a new concept named post is proposed,and assigning security tags to subjects and objects is greatly simplified.The interoperation among different departments is implemented through assigning multiple security tags to one post, and the more departments are closed on the organization tree,the more secret objects can be exchanged by the staff of the departments.The access control matrices of the department,post and staff are defined.By using the three access control matrices,a multi granularity and flexible discretionary access control policy is implemented.The outstanding merit of the BLP model is inherited,and the new model can guarantee that all the information flow is under control.Finally,our study shows that compared to the BLP model,the proposed model is more flexible.

Parameter-driven Level of Detail Derivation Method for Semantic Building Facade Model

The relentless progress in the research of geographic spatial data models and their application scenarios is propelling an unprecedented rich Level of Detail(LoD)in realistic 3D representation and smart cities.This pursuit of rich details not only adds complexity to entity models but also poses significant computational challenges for model visualization and 3D GIS.This paper introduces a novel method for deriving multi-LOD models,which can enhance the efficiency of spatial computing in complex 3D building models.Firstly,we extract multiple facades from a 3D building model(LoD3)and convert them into individual semantic facade models.Through the utilization of the developed facade layout graph,each semantic facade model is then transformed into a parametric model.Furthermore,we explore the specification of geometric and semantic details in building facades and define three different LODs for facades,offering a unique expression.Finally,an innovative heuristic method is introduced to simplify the parameterized facade.Through rigorous experimentation and evaluation,the effectiveness of the proposed parameterization methodology in capturing complex geometric details,semantic richness,and topological relationships of 3D building models is demonstrated.

Shape retrieval using multi-level included angle functions-based Fourier descriptor

An effective shape signature namely multi-level included angle functions MIAFs is proposed to describe the hierarchy information ranging from global information to local variations of shape.Invariance to rotation translation and scaling are the intrinsic properties of the MIAFs.For each contour point the multi-level included angles are obtained based on the paired line segments derived from unequal-arc-length partitions of contour.And a Fourier descriptor derived from multi-level included angle functions MIAFD is presented for efficient shape retrieval.The proposed descriptor is evaluated with the standard performance evaluation method on three shape image databases the MPEG-7 database the Kimia-99 database and the Swedish leaf database. The experimental results of shape retrieval indicate that the MIAFD outperforms the existing Fourier descriptors and has low computational complexity.And the comparison of the MIAFD with other shape description methods also shows that the proposed descriptor has the highest precision at the same recall value which verifies its effectiveness.

Seasonal Dynamics of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Water and Sediment of A Multi-level Ditch System in Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

The multi-level ditch system developed in the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China has sped up water drainage process hence transferred more pollutants from farmlands into the rivers of this region.Understanding the seasonal dynamics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) transportation in the ditch system and the role of different ditch size is thus crucial for water pollution control of the rivers in the Sanjiang Plain.In this study,an investigation was conducted in the Nongjiang watershed of the Sanjiang Plain to study the nutrient variation and the correlation between water and sediments in the ditch system in terms of ditch level.Water and sediments samples were collected in each ditch level in growing season at regular intervals (once per month),and TN,NO 3--N,NH 4+-N,TP,and PO 4 3--P were analyzed.The results show that nutrient contents in water were higher in June and July,especially in July,the contents of TN and TP were 3.21mg/L and 0.84mg/L in field ditch,4.04mg/L and 1.06mg/L in lateral ditch,2.46mg/L and 0.70mg/L in branch ditch,1.92mg/L and 0.63mg/L in main ditch,respectively.In August and September,the nutrient contents in the water were relatively lower.The peak value of nutrient in ditch water had been moving from the field ditch to the main ditch over time,showing a remarkable impact of ditch system on river water environment.The nutrient transfer in ditch sediments could only be found in rainfall season.Nutrient contents in ditch sediment had effect on that in ditch water,but nutrients in ditch water and sediments had different origination.Ditch management in terms of the key fac-tors is hence very important for protecting river water environment.

A Mandatory Access Control Framework in Virtual Machine System with Respect to Multi-level Security Ⅱ:Implementation

This paper is a continuation of our last paper [1] which describes the theory of Virt-BLP model. Based on Virt-BLP model,this paper implements a mandatory access control(MAC) framework applicable to multi-level security(MLS) in Xen. The Virt-BLP model is the theoretical basis of this MAC framework,and this MAC framework is the implementation of Virt-BLP model. Our last paper focuses on Virt-BLP model,while this paper concentrates on the design and implementation of MAC framework. For there is no MAC framework applicable to MLS in virtual machine system at present,our MAC framework fills the blank by applying Virt-BLP model to Xen,which is better than current researches to guarantee the security of communication between virtual machines(VMs) . The experimental results show that our MAC framework is effective to manage the communication between VMs.

A Multi-level Approach for Complex Fault Isolation Based on Structured Residuals

In industrial processes,there exist faults that have complex effect on process variables.Complex and simple faults are defined according to their effect dimensions.The conventional approaches based on structured residuals cannot isolate complex faults.This paper presents a multi-level strategy for complex fault isolation.An extraction procedure is employed to reduce the complex faults to simple ones and assign them to several levels.On each level,faults are isolated by their different responses in the structured residuals.Each residual is obtained insensitive to one fault but more sensitive to others.The faults on different levels are verified to have different residual responses and will not be confused.An entire incidence matrix containing residual response characteristics of all faults is obtained,based on which faults can be isolated.The proposed method is applied in the Tennessee Eastman process example,and the effectiveness and advantage are demonstrated.

A New Rational-based Optimal Design Strategy of Ship Structure Based on Multi-level Analysis and Super-element Modeling Method

A new multi-level analysis method of introducing the super-element modeling method, derived from the multi-level analysis method first proposed by O. F. Hughes, has been proposed in this paper to solve the problem of high time cost in adopting a rational-based optimal design method for ship structural design. Furthermore,the method was verified by its effective application in optimization of the mid-ship section of a container ship. A full 3-D FEM model of a ship,suffering static and quasi-static loads, was used as the analyzing object for evaluating the structural performance of the mid-ship module, including static strength and buckling performance. Research results reveal that this new method could substantially reduce the computational cost of the rational-based optimization problem without decreasing its accuracy, which increases the feasibility and economic efficiency of using a rational-based optimal design method in ship structural design.

BC-BLPM:A Multi-Level Security Access Control Model Based on Blockchain Technology

Traditional multi-level security(MLS)systems have the defect of centralizing authorized facilities,which is difficult to meet the security requirements of modern distributed peer-to-peer network architecture.Blockchain is widely used in the field of access control with its decentralization,traceability and non-defective modification.Combining the blockchain technology and the Bell-LaPadula model,we propose a new access control model,named BCBLPM,for MLS environment.The“multi-chain”blockchain architecture is used for dividing resources into isolated access domains,providing a fine-grained data protection mechanism.The access control policies are implemented by smart contracts deployed in each access domain,so that the side chains of different access domains storage access records from outside and maintain the integrity of the records.Finally,we implement the BC-BLPM prototype system using the Hyperledger Fabric.The experimental and analytical results show that the model can adapt well to the needs of multi-level security environment,and it has the feasibility of application in actual scenarios.

An effective multi-level algorithm based on ant colony optimization for graph bipartitioning

Partitioning is a fundamental problem with applications to many areas including data mining, parellel processing and Very-large-scale integration （VLSI） design. An effective multi-level algorithm for bisecting graph is proposed. During its coarsening phase, an improved matching approach based on the global information of the graph core is developed with its guidance function. During the refinement phase, the vertex gain is exploited as ant＇s heuristic information and a positive feedback method based on pheromone trails is used to find the global approximate bipartitioning. It is implemented with American National Standards Institute （ANSI） C and compared to MeTiS. The experimental evaluation shows that it performs well and produces encouraging solutions on 18 different graphs benchmarks.

Fatigue Properties of RPC under Cyclic Loads of Single-stage and Multi-level Amplitude

Fatigue properties of Reactive Powder Concrete （RPC） under axial compression of single-stage and multi-level amplitude in cycles were studied. The tests reveal the fatigue life, the strain and residual life of the RPC samples. Through the analysis of the test results under cyclic loads of single amplitude, the S-N curve of RPC and the evolution rule of macro-damage of RPC were presented, which can be divided into latency stage, stable development stage and instability development stage according to the evolution pattern of the fatigue crack. Accordingly, the development of longitudinal deformation presents the similar three-stage-model, and the proportion of each stage is 15%, 75%, and 10%. According to test results, the fatigue strength reduction factor is 0.564. We brought forward an empirical formula to predict the life of RPC via total longitudinal strain and got the evolving rule for the residual strength of the RPC. The analysis of the test results under cyclic loads of multi-level amplitude shows that the strain under this loading pattern experiences three stages. The characteristic value for the residual strain was obtained. The irreversible damage and non-linear evolution of RPC was described by the development of the residual plastic strain.

Competitive location problem of multi-level pickup point considering cooperative coverage

To occupy a greater market share in terminal distribution, companies are urged to make full use of cooperative coverage formed with brand effect and information sharing in the layout of pickup points. Based on the diversity of pickup points, the piecewise function, signal intensity function and probability function are introduced. Meanwhile, considering the effect of distance satisfaction and cooperation coverage on customer behavior, the location model of the pickup point under competitive environments is established. The genetic algorithm is used to solve the problem, and the effectiveness of the model and algorithm is verified by a case. The results show that the sensitivity of weighted demand coverages to budget decreases gradually. The maximum weighted demand coverage increases at first and then decreases with the increase of the signal threshold, and there is a positive correlation with the change of the actual demand coverage to the senior customers, but it is negatively related to the intermediate and primary customers. When the number of high-level pickup points in a competitive enterprise is small, the advantage of the target enterprise is more significant. Through comparison, the cooperative coverage model is better than the non-cooperative coverage model, in terms of the weighted demand coverage, the construction cost and the attention paid to the important customers.