Insights from an academic endeavor into central nervous system drug discovery

Historically,"big pharma"did most central nervous system drug discovery R&D in-house.Yet,in modern times their"management reductionism"resulted in disappointing pipelines and pharma resided to(late)development,regulatory approval,and marketing(Thong,2015).This had significant consequences for financing and executing research,resulting in a larger role for funding by governments and patient-organizations and a shift of research to academia(Mazzucato,2013).

Sustainable Growth in China’s Communications Field: Trend Analysis of Impact of China’s Academic Publications

China＇s cormaaunications industry is an important part of the electronic information industry, and plays a significant role in the national informatization process. In 2006, China issued its National Plans for Medium and Long-term Development of Science and Technology （2006-2020） （NPMLDST）. Since 2006, there has been a rapid increase in the number of citations of China＇s interna- tional papers in the field of communications. In accordance with the goals listed in the NPMLDST, China needs to over- take several competitors by 2020 to be among the top five countries in the field of natural science field. By comparing two Essential Science Indicators （ESI） （i.e., the total number of citations and the number of citations per paper） for China and other countries, China＇s annual growth rate is found to exceed that of other influential countries in the field of sci- ence and technology, and exhibits evident growth-type characteristics. Besides, our study also shows that the short- age of high-quality academic papers in China is the main obstacle to improving the impact of China＇s academic publications.

Distributed Nash Equilibrium Seeking Strategies Under Quantized Communication

This paper is concerned with distributed Nash equi librium seeking strategies under quantized communication. In the proposed seeking strategy, a projection operator is synthesized with a gradient search method to achieve the optimization o players' objective functions while restricting their actions within required non-empty, convex and compact domains. In addition, a leader-following consensus protocol, in which quantized informa tion flows are utilized, is employed for information sharing among players. More specifically, logarithmic quantizers and uniform quantizers are investigated under both undirected and connected communication graphs and strongly connected digraphs, respec tively. Through Lyapunov stability analysis, it is shown that play ers' actions can be steered to a neighborhood of the Nash equilib rium with logarithmic and uniform quantizers, and the quanti fied convergence error depends on the parameter of the quan tizer for both undirected and directed cases. A numerical exam ple is given to verify the theoretical results.

Communication Resource-Efficient Vehicle Platooning Control With Various Spacing Policies

Platooning represents one of the key features that connected automated vehicles may possess as it allows multiple automated vehicles to be maneuvered cooperatively with small headways on roads. However, a critical challenge in accomplishing automated vehicle platoons is to deal with the effects of intermittent and sporadic vehicle-to-vehicle data transmissions caused by limited wireless communication resources. This paper addresses the co-design problem of dynamic event-triggered communication scheduling and cooperative adaptive cruise control for a convoy of automated vehicles with diverse spacing policies. The central aim is to achieve automated vehicle platooning under various gap references with desired platoon stability and spacing performance requirements, while simultaneously improving communication efficiency. Toward this aim, a dynamic event-triggered scheduling mechanism is developed such that the intervehicle data transmissions are scheduled dynamically and efficiently over time. Then, a tractable co-design criterion on the existence of both the admissible event-driven cooperative adaptive cruise control law and the desired scheduling mechanism is derived. Finally, comparative simulation results are presented to substantiate the effectiveness and merits of the obtained results.

Falcon Optimization Algorithm-Based Energy Efficient Communication Protocol for Cluster-Based Vehicular Networks

Rapid development in Information Technology(IT)has allowed several novel application regions like large outdoor vehicular networks for Vehicle-to-Vehicle(V2V)transmission.Vehicular networks give a safe and more effective driving experience by presenting time-sensitive and location-aware data.The communication occurs directly between V2V and Base Station(BS)units such as the Road Side Unit(RSU),named as a Vehicle to Infrastructure(V2I).However,the frequent topology alterations in VANETs generate several problems with data transmission as the vehicle velocity differs with time.Therefore,the scheme of an effectual routing protocol for reliable and stable communications is significant.Current research demonstrates that clustering is an intelligent method for effectual routing in a mobile environment.Therefore,this article presents a Falcon Optimization Algorithm-based Energy Efficient Communication Protocol for Cluster-based Routing(FOA-EECPCR)technique in VANETS.The FOA-EECPCR technique intends to group the vehicles and determine the shortest route in the VANET.To accomplish this,the FOA-EECPCR technique initially clusters the vehicles using FOA with fitness functions comprising energy,distance,and trust level.For the routing process,the Sparrow Search Algorithm(SSA)is derived with a fitness function that encompasses two variables,namely,energy and distance.A series of experiments have been conducted to exhibit the enhanced performance of the FOA-EECPCR method.The experimental outcomes demonstrate the enhanced performance of the FOA-EECPCR approach over other current methods.

Cooperative User-Scheduling and Resource Allocation Optimization for Intelligent Reflecting Surface Enhanced LEO Satellite Communication

Lower Earth Orbit(LEO) satellite becomes an important part of complementing terrestrial communication due to its lower orbital altitude and smaller propagation delay than Geostationary satellite. However, the LEO satellite communication system cannot meet the requirements of users when the satellite-terrestrial link is blocked by obstacles. To solve this problem, we introduce Intelligent reflect surface(IRS) for improving the achievable rate of terrestrial users in LEO satellite communication. We investigated joint IRS scheduling, user scheduling, power and bandwidth allocation(JIRPB) optimization algorithm for improving LEO satellite system throughput.The optimization problem of joint user scheduling and resource allocation is formulated as a non-convex optimization problem. To cope with this problem, the nonconvex optimization problem is divided into resource allocation optimization sub-problem and scheduling optimization sub-problem firstly. Second, we optimize the resource allocation sub-problem via alternating direction multiplier method(ADMM) and scheduling sub-problem via Lagrangian dual method repeatedly.Third, we prove that the proposed resource allocation algorithm based ADMM approaches sublinear convergence theoretically. Finally, we demonstrate that the proposed JIRPB optimization algorithm improves the LEO satellite communication system throughput.

Parental Educational Expectations,Academic Pressure,and Adolescent Mental Health:An Empirical Study Based on CEPS Survey Data

Background:This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parental educational expectations and adolescent mental health problems,with academic pressure as a moderating variable.Methods:This study was based on the baseline data of the China Education Panel Survey,which was collected within one school year during 2013–2014.It included 19,958 samples from seventh and ninth graders,who ranged from 11 to 18 years old.After removing missing values and conducting relevant data processing,the effective sample size for analysis was 16344.The OLS(Ordinary Least Squares)multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between parental educational expectations,academic pressure,and adolescents’mental health problems.In addition,we established an interaction term between parents’educational expectations and academic pressure to investigate the moderating effect of academic stress.Results:The study found that adolescents whose parents had high educational expectations reported less mental health problems.(β=−0.195;p<0.001).Additionally,adolescents who had high academic pressure reported more mental health problems.(β=0.649;p<0.001).Furthermore,the study found that academic pressure had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between parental educational expectations and adolescents’mental health problems(β=0.082;p<0.001).Conclusion:Parental educational expectations had a close relationship with adolescents’mental health problems,and academic pressure moderated this relationship.For those adolescents with high levels of academic pressure,the association between high parental educational expectations and mental health problems became stronger.On the contrary,for those adolescents with low levels of academic pressure,the association between high parental educational expectations and mental health problems became weaker.These findings shed new light on how parental educational expectations affected adolescent mental health problems and had significant implications for their healthy development.

Cooperative UAV search strategy based on DMPC-AACO algorithm in restricted communication scenarios

Improvement of integrated battlefield situational awareness in complex environments involving dynamic factors such as restricted communications and electromagnetic interference(EMI)has become a contentious research problem.In certain mission environments,due to the impact of many interference sources on real-time communication or mission requirements such as the need to implement communication regulations,the mission stages are represented as a dynamic combination of several communication-available and communication-unavailable stages.Furthermore,the data interaction between unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)can only be performed in specific communication-available stages.Traditional cooperative search algorithms cannot handle such situations well.To solve this problem,this study constructed a distributed model predictive control(DMPC)architecture for a collaborative control of UAVs and used the Voronoi diagram generation method to re-plan the search areas of all UAVs in real time to avoid repetition of search areas and UAV collisions while improving the search efficiency and safety factor.An attention mechanism ant-colony optimization(AACO)algorithm is proposed for UAV search-control decision planning.The search strategy is adaptively updated by introducing an attention mechanism for regular instruction information,a priori information,and emergent information of the mission to satisfy different search expectations to the maximum extent.Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves better search performance than traditional algorithms in restricted communication constraint scenarios.

Effect of sequential nursing care combined with communication intervention on visual recovery and pain after cataract ultrasound emulsification

BACKGROUND Cataracts are a common ophthalmic disease and postoperative vision recovery is crucial to patient quality of life.Rational and efficient care models play an impor-tant role in promoting vision recovery.AIM To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of procedural nursing care combined with communication intervention in vision recovery after cataract ultrasound emulsi-fication.METHODS A randomized controlled study was conducted on 100 patients with cataracts who underwent ultrasound emulsification surgery.They were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group.The experimental group received procedural nursing combined with Connect,Introduce,Communicate,Ask,Respond,Exit(CICARE)communication intervention,whereas the control group received conventional nursing.The effectiveness of the nursing model was assessed by comparing differences in vision recovery,pain scores,and mental health status between the two groups.RESULTS It was found that over time the visual acuity of patients in both groups gradually recovered and patients in the experimental group had lower pain scores and superior mental health status than the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Procedural nursing combined with CICARE communication intervention has positive effects on vision recovery in patients after cataract ultrasound emulsification.

A survey on semantic communications:Technologies,solutions,applications and challenges

Semantic Communication(SC)has emerged as a novel communication paradigm that provides a receiver with meaningful information extracted from the source to maximize information transmission throughput in wireless networks,beyond the theoretical capacity limit.Despite the extensive research on SC,there is a lack of comprehensive survey on technologies,solutions,applications,and challenges for SC.In this article,the development of SC is first reviewed and its characteristics,architecture,and advantages are summarized.Next,key technologies such as semantic extraction,semantic encoding,and semantic segmentation are discussed and their corresponding solutions in terms of efficiency,robustness,adaptability,and reliability are summarized.Applications of SC to UAV communication,remote image sensing and fusion,intelligent transportation,and healthcare are also presented and their strategies are summarized.Finally,some challenges and future research directions are presented to provide guidance for further research of SC.

Thanks to our academic editors and peer reviewers

The Editorial Office of Water Science and Engineering would like to express their sincere appreciation to the academic editors including Prof.Carlo Gualtieri from University of Napoli Federico II,Italy,Prof.Guo-qing Wang and Prof.Zhong-zhi Fu from Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute,China,and Prof.Yan-hui Ao,Prof.Ching-sheng Huang,Prof.Guang-qiu Jin,Prof.Bin Xu,Prof.Sai-yu Yuan,Prof.Zeng Zhou,Prof.Bo Chen,and Prof Da-wei Guan from Hohai Uiversity,China,for their great effort and contribution to WSE in the year 2023.

Building Semantic Communication System via Molecules:An End-to-End Training Approach

The concept of semantic communication provides a novel approach for applications in scenarios with limited communication resources.In this paper,we propose an end-to-end(E2E)semantic molecular communication system,aiming to enhance the efficiency of molecular communication systems by reducing the transmitted information.Specifically,following the joint source channel coding paradigm,the network is designed to encode the task-relevant information into the concentration of the information molecules,which is robust to the degradation of the molecular communication channel.Furthermore,we propose a channel network to enable the E2E learning over the non-differentiable molecular channel.Experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the semantic molecular communication system over the conventional methods in classification tasks.

Transcultural Validation and Adaptation of the Academic Stress Questionnaire (CEA) in Students of Puerto Rico

Background: There are multiple questionnaires to measure academic stress in university students, which have been used in nursing students. In Puerto Rico, a questionnaire valid in content and reliability was required to measure the variable of academic stress in nursing students. Purpose: The aim of this study was to adapt transculturally and validate the Academic Stress Questionnaire (CEA) for its use in Puerto Rico. Materials and Methods: Used for the first phase of this study consisted in the evaluation of the validity of content and appearance, whereas the second phase was the actual administering of the questionnaire to 20 (twenty) nursing students, to pilot test its internal consistency using the Cronbach’s α test. Results: Validity of content and appearance allowed for the modification of the questionnaire into one, consisting of 42 items, thus eliminating 34 premises from the original 76 items the questionnaire was composed of. Furthermore, the appearance of the questionnaire was modified by placing the measuring scales in columns, adapting social, demographic, and academic data to the required Puerto Rican reality. The sections meant to measure the academic stress variables were left intact, except for the linguistics adaptation, which was accomplished by a team of experts in the Spanish language. With an α global of 0.80 and coefficients larger than 0.7 in the multi-item sub scales, which oscillated between 0.750 and 0.860, the questionnaire provides a high reliability. Conclusion: Although the values reported in this study are somewhat lower than previous research, they were comparable the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients reported by Cabanach, in which the numbers reported are considered high (α > 0.70) which show acceptable confiability of the subscales included in the study and a high degree of consistency and thus can be relied upon in future research. In synthesis, the Academic Stress Questionnaire (CEA) modified and adapted, thoroughly fulfills the established criteria of confiability and validity to evaluate academic stress of Puertorrican nursing students.

Effects of a school-based karate intervention on academic achievement,psychosocial functioning,and physical fitness:A multi-country cluster randomized controlled trial

Purpose:To examine the effects of a school-based karate intervention on academic achievement,psychosocial functioning,and physical fitness in children aged 7-8 years.Methods:Twenty schools in 5 different European countries(2 second-grade classrooms per school)participated in a cluster randomized controlled trial(Sport at School trial).Participants were assigned to either a control group,which continued with their habitual physical education lessons,or to an intervention group,which replaced these lessons with a 1-year karate intervention(Karate Mind and Movement program).A total of 721 children(344 girls and 377 boys,7.4±0.5 years old,mean±SD)completed the study,of which 333 and 388 were assigned to the control group and intervention group,respectively.Outcomes included academic performance(average grade),psychosocial functioning(Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for parents),and different markers of physical fitness(cardiorespiratory fitness,balance,and flexibility).Results:The intervention provided small but significant benefits compared to the control group for academic achievement(d=0.16;p=0.003),conduct problems(d=-0.28;p=0.003),cardiorespiratory fitness(d=0.36;p<0.001),and balance(d=0.24;p=0.015).There was a trend towards significant benefits for flexibility(d=0.24;p=0.056).No significant benefits were observed for other variables,including psychosocial difficulties,emotional symptoms,hyperactivity/inattention,peer problems,or prosocial behaviour(all p>0.05).Conclusion:A 1-year school-based karate intervention was effective in improving academic achievement,conduct problems,and physical fitness in primary school children.The results support the inclusion of karate during physical education lessons.

Recent Developments in Authentication Schemes Used in Machine-Type Communication Devices in Machine-to-Machine Communication: Issues and Challenges

Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication plays a fundamental role in autonomous IoT (Internet of Things)-based infrastructure, a vital part of the fourth industrial revolution. Machine-type communication devices(MTCDs) regularly share extensive data without human intervention while making all types of decisions. Thesedecisions may involve controlling sensitive ventilation systems maintaining uniform temperature, live heartbeatmonitoring, and several different alert systems. Many of these devices simultaneously share data to form anautomated system. The data shared between machine-type communication devices (MTCDs) is prone to risk dueto limited computational power, internal memory, and energy capacity. Therefore, securing the data and devicesbecomes challenging due to factors such as dynamic operational environments, remoteness, harsh conditions,and areas where human physical access is difficult. One of the crucial parts of securing MTCDs and data isauthentication, where each devicemust be verified before data transmission. SeveralM2Mauthentication schemeshave been proposed in the literature, however, the literature lacks a comprehensive overview of current M2Mauthentication techniques and the challenges associated with them. To utilize a suitable authentication schemefor specific scenarios, it is important to understand the challenges associated with it. Therefore, this article fillsthis gap by reviewing the state-of-the-art research on authentication schemes in MTCDs specifically concerningapplication categories, security provisions, and performance efficiency.

Satellite Communications with 5G, B5G, and 6G: Challenges and Prospects

Satellite communications, pivotal for global connectivity, are increasingly converging with cutting-edge mobile networks, notably 5G, B5G, and 6G. This amalgamation heralds the promise of universal, high-velocity communication, yet it is not without its challenges. Paramount concerns encompass spectrum allocation, the harmonization of network architectures, and inherent latency issues in satellite transmissions. Potential mitigations, such as dynamic spectrum sharing and the deployment of edge computing, are explored as viable solutions. Looking ahead, the advent of quantum communications within satellite frameworks and the integration of AI spotlight promising research trajectories. These advancements aim to foster a seamless and synergistic coexistence between satellite communications and next-gen mobile networks.

Single Photon Detection Technology in Underwater Wireless Optical Communication:Modulation Modes and Error Correction Coding Analysis

This study explores the application of single photon detection(SPD)technology in underwater wireless optical communication(UWOC)and analyzes the influence of different modulation modes and error correction coding types on communication performance.The study investigates the impact of on-off keying(OOK)and 2-pulse-position modulation(2-PPM)on the bit error rate(BER)in single-channel intensity and polarization multiplexing.Furthermore,it compares the error correction performance of low-density parity check(LDPC)and Reed-Solomon(RS)codes across different error correction coding types.The effects of unscattered photon ratio and depolarization ratio on BER are also verified.Finally,a UWOC system based on SPD is constructed,achieving 14.58 Mbps with polarization OOK multiplexing modulation and 4.37 Mbps with polarization 2-PPM multiplexing modulation using LDPC code error correction.

Call for Papers--Feature Topic Vol. 22, No. 3, 2025 Special Issue of China Communications: Convergence of 6G empowered Edge Intelligence and Generative AI: Theories, Algorithms, and Applications

Generative artificial intelligence(AI), as an emerging paradigm in content generation, has demonstrated its great potentials in creating high-fidelity data including images, texts, and videos. Nowadays wireless networks and applications have been rapidly evolving from achieving “connected things” to embracing “connected intelligence”.

INTELLIGENT COVERT COMMUNICATION

As increasing amounts of private and confidential information are transmitted over wireless networks,their openness and broadcast pose significant security risks.In high-security scenarios like healthcare and financial activities,initial exposure of transmitted information can lead to serious threats.Covert communication,or low probability of detection(LPD)communication,has gained attention for its ability to hide transmission behaviors.

Multi-wavelength nanowire micro-LEDs for future high speed optical communication

The future of optoelectronics is directed towards small-area light sources,foremost being microLEDs.However,their use has been inhibited so far primarily due to fabrication and integration challenges,which impair efficiency and yield.Recently,bottom-up nanostructures grown using selective area epitaxy have garnered attention as a solution to the aforementioned issues.Prof.Lan Fu et.al.have used this technique to demonstrate uniform p-i-n core-shell InGaAs/InP nanowire array light emitting diodes.The devices are capable of voltage and geometry-controlled multi-wavelength and high-speed operations.Their publication accentuates the wide capabilities of bottom-up nanostructures to resolve the difficulties of nanoscale optoelectronics.