An improved algorithm based on equivalent sound velocity profile method at large incident angle

With the development of ultra-wide coverage technology,multibeam echo-sounder(MBES)system has put forward higher requirements for localization accuracy and computational efficiency of ray tracing method.The classical equivalent sound speed profile(ESSP)method replaces the measured sound velocity profile(SVP)with a simple constant gradient SVP,reducing the computational workload of beam positioning.However,in deep-sea environment,the depth measurement error of this method rapidly increases from the central beam to the edge beam.By analyzing the positioning error of the ESSP method at edge beam,it is discovered that the positioning error increases monotonically with the incident angle,and the relationship between them could be expressed by polynomial function.Therefore,an error correction algorithm based on polynomial fitting is obtained.The simulation experiment conducted on an inclined seafloor shows that the proposed algorithm exhibits comparable efficiency to the original ESSP method,while significantly improving bathymetry accuracy by nearly eight times in the edge beam.

Study on the optimal incident proton energy of ^(7)Li(p,n)^(7)Be neutron source for boron neutron capture therapy

Boron neutron capture therapy(BNCT)is recognized as a precise binary targeted radiotherapy technique that effectively eliminates tumors through the^(10)B(n,α)^(7)Li nuclear reaction.Among various neutron sources,accelerator-based sources have emerged as particularly promising for BNCT applications.The^(7)Li(p,n)^(7)Be reaction is highly regarded as a potential neutron source for BNCT,owing to its low threshold energy for the reaction,significant neutron yield,appropriate average neutron energy,and additional benefits.This study utilized Monte Carlo simulations to model the physical interactions within a lithium target subjected to proton bombardment,including neutron moderation by an MgF_(2)moderator and subsequent BNCT dose analysis using a Snyder head phantom.The study focused on calculating the yields of epithermal neutrons for various incident proton energies,finding an optimal energy at 2.7 MeV.Furthermore,the Snyder head phantom was employed in dose simulations to validate the effectiveness of this specific incident energy when utilizing a^(7)Li(p,n)^(7)Be neutron source for BNCT purposes.

Focal incidental colorectal fluorodeoxyglucose uptake:Should it be spotlighted?

Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose(F-18 FDG)positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT)has emerged as a cornerstone in cancer evaluation imaging,with a well-established history spanning several years.This imaging modality,encompassing the examination of the body from the base of the skull to the upper thighs,comprehensively covers the chest and abdominopelvic regions in a singular scan,allowing for a holistic assessment of nearly the entire body,including areas of marginal interest.The inherent advantage of this expansive scan range lies in its potential to unveil unexpected incidental abnormal hypermetabolic areas.The identification of incidental focal FDG uptake within colorectal regions during PET/CT scans is not an uncommon occurrence,albeit fraught with challenges associated with non-specific FDG uptake.The presence of benign colorectal lesions or physiological uptake poses a particular obstacle,as these may manifest with FDG uptake levels that mimic malignancy.Consequently,physicians are confronted with a diagnostic dilemma when encountering abnormal FDG uptake in unexpected colorectal areas.Existing studies have presented divergent results concerning these uptakes.Standardized uptake value and its derivatives have served as pivotal metrics in quantifying FDG uptake in PET images.In this article,we aim to succinctly explore the distinctive characteristics of FDG,delve into imaging findings,and elucidate the clinical significance of incidental focal colorectal uptake.This discussion aims to contribute valuable insights into the nuanced interpretation of such findings,fostering a comprehensive understanding.

GNSS array receiver faced with overloaded interferences:anti-jamming performance and the incident directions of interferences

Anti-jamming solutions based on antenna arrays enhance the anti-jamming ability and the robustness of global navigation satellite system(GNSS)receiver remarkably.However,the performance of the receiver will deteriorate significantly in the overloaded interferences scenario.We define the overloaded interferences scenario as where the number of interferences is more than or equal to the number of antenna arrays elements.In this paper,the effect mechanism of interferences with different incident directions is found by studying the anti-jamming performance of the adaptive space filter.The theoretical analysis and conclusions,which are first validated through numerical examples,reveal the relationships between the optimal weight vector and the eigenvectors of the input signal autocorrelation matrix,the relationships between the interference cancellation ratio(ICR),the signal to interference and noise power ratio(SINR)of the adaptive space filter output and the number of interferences,the eigenvalues of the input signal autocorrelation matrix.In addition,two simulation experiments are utilized to further corroborate the theoretical findings through soft anti-jamming receiver.The simulation results match well with the theoretical analysis results,thus validating the effect mechanism of overloaded interferences.The simulation results show that,for a four elements circular array,the performance difference is up to 19 dB with different incident directions of interferences.Anti-jamming performance evaluation and jamming deployment optimization can obtain more accurate and efficient results by using the conclusions.

Unmanned aerial vehicle based intelligent triage system in mass-casualty incidents using 5G and artificial intelligence

BACKGROUND:Rapid on-site triage is critical after mass-casualty incidents(MCIs)and other mass injury events.Unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)have been used in MCIs to search and rescue wounded individuals,but they mainly depend on the UAV operator’s experience.We used UAVs and artificial intelligence(AI)to provide a new technique for the triage of MCIs and more efficient solutions for emergency rescue.METHODS:This was a preliminary experimental study.We developed an intelligent triage system based on two AI algorithms,namely OpenPose and YOLO.Volunteers were recruited to simulate the MCI scene and triage,combined with UAV and Fifth Generation(5G)Mobile Communication Technology real-time transmission technique,to achieve triage in the simulated MCI scene.RESULTS:Seven postures were designed and recognized to achieve brief but meaningful triage in MCIs.Eight volunteers participated in the MCI simulation scenario.The results of simulation scenarios showed that the proposed method was feasible in tasks of triage for MCIs.CONCLUSION:The proposed technique may provide an alternative technique for the triage of MCIs and is an innovative method in emergency rescue.

A Quasi-Experimental Study of English Vocabulary Teaching Based on Incidental Acquisition

Recent years have witnessed a phenomenon that major English teachers in China have adopted the traditional teaching pattern, mechanically linking English pronunciations directly with the meaning of Chinese, which gradually dampens learners’ enthusiasm. The chief purpose of this paper was to design one English vocabulary teaching lesson based on incidental acquisition. More specifically, the questions raised are, on the one hand, whether incidental vocabulary teaching imprints differences on the learning outcomes for middle school students, and, on the other hand, whether incidental acquisition results in positive feedback between teachers and students. The technique we applied was referred to as questionnaires and interviews addressed to a sample of 68 students. Focusing on the effect of incidental vocabulary acquisition, the analysis demonstrated that it could enhance students’ vocabulary capacity. In addition, it was interesting to note that excellent students and average students tended to embrace the new teaching style while underachievers were on the opposite side. On this basis, it is recommended for English teachers to design English vocabulary lessons, adopting visual, auditory, oral, reading or writing training. More precisely, they should use phonics rules and patterns, holistic learning, classified vocabulary teaching, visual illustration or multimedia teaching to give lessons effectively and expand learners’ vocabulary.

Methodology for Automatically Setting Camera View to Mile Marker for Traffic Incident Management

Traffic incident management (TIM) is a FHWA Every Day Counts initiative with the objective of reducing secondary crashes, improving travel reliability, and ensuring safety of responders. Agency roadside cameras play a critical role in TIM by helping dispatchers quickly identify the precise location of incidents when receiving reports from motorists with varying levels of spatial accuracy. Reconciling position reports that are often mile marker based, with cameras that operate in a Pan-Tilt-Zoom coordinate system relies on dispatchers having detailed knowledge for hundreds of cameras and perhaps some presets. During real-time incident dispatching, reducing the time it takes to identify the most relevant cameras and setting their view on the incident is an important opportunity to improve incident management dispatch times. This research develops a camera-to-mile marker mapping technique that automatically sets the camera view to a specified mile marker within the field-of-view of the camera. Over 350 traffic cameras along Indiana’s 2250 directional miles of interstate were mapped to approximately 5000 discrete locations that correspond to approximately 780 directional miles (~35% of interstate) of camera coverage. This newly developed technique will allow operators to quickly identify the nearest camera and set them to the reported location. This research also identifies segments on the interstate system with limited or no camera coverage for decision makers to prioritize future capital investments. This paper concludes with brief discussion on future research to automate the mapping using LiDAR data and to set the cameras after automatically detecting the events using connected vehicle trajectory data.

Traffic Incident Management Performance Measures: Ranking Agencies on Roadway Clearance Time

This study develops a procedure to rank agencies based on their incident responses using roadway clearance times for crashes. This analysis is not intended to grade agencies but to assist in identifying agencies requiring more training or resources for incident management. Previous NCHRP reports discussed usage of different factors including incident severity, roadway characteristics, number of lanes involved and time of incident separately for estimating the performance. However, it does not tell us how to incorporate all the factors at the same time. Thus, this study aims to account for multiple factors to ensure fair comparisons. This study used 149,174 crashes from Iowa that occurred from 2018 to 2021. A Tobit regression model was used to find the effect of different variables on roadway clearance time. Variables that cannot be controlled directly by agencies such as crash severity, roadway type, weather conditions, lighting conditions, etc., were included in the analysis as it helps to reduce bias in the ranking procedure. Then clearance time of each crash is normalized into a base condition using the regression coefficients. The normalization makes the process more efficient as the effect of uncontrollable factors has already been mitigated. Finally, the agencies were ranked by their average normalized roadway clearance time. This ranking process allows agencies to track their performance of previous crashes, can be used in identifying low performing agencies that could use additional resources and training, and can be used to identify high performing agencies to recognize for their efforts and performance.

Teaching Intercultural Competence Using Critical Incident and Cultural Story Telling

Intercultural literacy is attached increasingly great importance in this interconnected world.People from diversified cultural backgrounds need to interact with each other for various purposes.Schools and organizations offer courses to improve people’s intercultural competence.This paper examines two effective techniques to teach intercultural competence in the classroom setting:critical incident activity and cultural story telling.These two strategies can help achieve the desired objectives of Michael Byram’s intercultural communication model.

A Comparative Study of YīJiàn Xiǎo Shìand A Small Incident Rendered by the Yangs

Lu Xun’s short stories play a prominent role in the history of modern Chinese literature,and a number of Sinologists have studied them and published their English translations.This paper selects“YīJiàn Xiǎo Shì”in Lu Xun’s collection“Call to Arms”as the object of study,taking hypotaxis and parataxis as the starting point,and compares the translation of Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang with the original version,studying the differences between the them in the process of C-E translation.It is hoped that some flexible conversion strategies in English-Chinese translation can be learned from the translation research.

Supervision of Public Opinion under the Background of Social Co-governance-Take the Changsheng Vaccine Incident as an Example

Objective To provide reference for the news media to give play to the role of public opinion supervision in time based on the background of drug safety and social co-governance.Methods The method of case analysis was used to make a retrospective study on the Changsheng vaccine incident in 2018.Then the role of mainstream media,pharmaceutical media,and self-media in the supervision of public opinion was investigated.Results and Conclusion Both mainstream and pharmaceutical media played an excellent role in supervising the Changchun Changsheng vaccine incident.However,the content published by some pharmaceutical media was hard to understand by ordinary people.Besides,the role of self-media in public opinion supervision was polarized.Some self-media closely kept pace with mainstream media in public opinion supervision.Other self-media unilaterally pursued the click rate,publishing false information to guide wrong public opinion.The news media should optimize the supervision efficiency of drug safety.On the one hand,pharmaceutical media should pay attention to the fact that readers may not understand the difficult terms because they are not professional.On the other hand,self-media practitioners should improve their professional quality so that they will not publish some fake news to mislead public opinion.

Incidental gallbladder cancer diagnosis confers survival advantage irrespective of tumour stage and characteristics

BACKGROUND Incidental gallbladder cancer(IGBC)represents 50%-60%of gallbladder cancer cases.Data are conflicting on the role of IGBC diagnosis in oncological outcomes.Some studies suggest that IGBC diagnosis does not affect outcomes,while others that overall survival(OS)is longer in these cases compared to non-incidental diagnosis(NIGBC).Furthermore,some studies reported early tumour stages and histopathologic characteristics as possible confounders,while others not.AIM To investigate the role of IGBC diagnosis on patients’overall survival,especially after surgical treatment with curative intent.METHODS Retrospective analysis of all patient referrals with gallbladder cancer between 2008 and 2020 in a tertiary hepatobiliary centre.Statistical comparison of patient and tumour characteristics between IGBC and NIGBC subgroups was performed.Survival analysis for the whole cohort,surgical and non-surgical subgroups was done with the Kaplan-Meier method and the use of log rank test.Risk analysis was performed with univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis.RESULTS The cohort included 261 patients with gallbladder cancer.65%of cases had NIGBC and 35%had IGBC.A total of 90 patients received surgical treatment(66%of IGBC cases and 19%of NIGBC cases).NIGBC patients had more advanced T stage and required more extensive resections than IGBC ones.OS was longer in patients with IGBC in the whole cohort(29 vs 4 mo,P<0.001),as well as in the non-surgical(14 vs 2 mo,P<0.001)and surgical subgroups(29 vs 16.5 mo,P=0.001).Disease free survival(DFS)after surgery was longer in patients with IGBC(21.5 mo vs 8.5 mo,P=0.007).N stage and resection margin status were identified as independent predictors of OS and DFS.NIGBC diagnosis was identified as an independent predictor of OS.CONCLUSION IGBC diagnosis may confer a survival advantage independently of the pathological stage and tumour characteristics.Prospective studies are required to further investigate this,including detailed pathological analysis and molecular gene expression.

A Literature Review on Freeway Traffic Incidents and Their Impact on Traffic Operations

Congestion on the freeway is more frequent due to several traffic incidents, namely traffic accidents, debris on the road, vehicle breakdown, and collision with guardrails than any other incidents. These, in turn, affect the operational performance of the freeway by increasing queue length, volume, and density. Consequently, effective freeway management strategies can help to minimize these impacts. The study investigates and summarizes existing studies to identify the reasons for and effects of the traffic incidents. Attention is given to the available solutions of the freeway traffic incidents management. The ultimate goal of this study is to identify the gaps which are not yet addressed to improve the operational effectiveness of the freeway. This study was conducted through a comprehensive literature review of existing refereed publications, established standards, and formal guidelines. Literature was sought through the Transport Research International Documentation (TRID) database, IEEE Transactions database, and google scholar search engine. Research focusing on freeway traffic incidents is a growing concern in transportation operations, as transportation network performance depends on it. Due to the advancement of technology, emerging vehicle technologies like connected vehicles have the potential to address these problems affecting the US transportation system and revolutionize mobility in the future. The study can serve as a reference for the researchers that are involved in freeway traffic operations.

Prevalence of incidental prostate cancer in patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy： data from China and other Asian countries

The purpose of this study is to investigate the frequency of prostate cancer （Pca） discovered incidentally in radical cystoprostatectomy specimens in Asia and to determine the feasibility of prostate-sparing cystectomy （PSC） for Asian patients. Ninety-two male bladder cancer patients who underwent radical cystoprostatectomy at our center between January 2003 and January 2008 were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 67.1 years （range： 32-75 years）. Prostate-specific antigen （PSA） levels and digital rectal examination （DRE） results before surgery were obtained retrospectively. Prostates of all patients were embedded and sectioned at 5-mm intervals. The same pathologist examined the prostatic tissues from radical cystoprostatectomy specimens. Finally, a structured literature review was performed using MEDLINE and PUBMED to estimate the occurrence of incidental Pca in Asia. Of the 92 patients, 3 （3.3%） were found to have Pca; in one out of three （33.3%） patients the disease was clinically significant due to a Gleason grade 4 carcinoma. Eight articles were included in our review. The overall incidence of Pca discovered incidentally in radical cystoprostatectomy specimens in Asia was 9.9% （64/642）. When age was restricted to 〈 60 years, only 7 out of 222 （3.2%） patients were found to have synchronous Pca, and none of the cases was clinically significant. The occurrence of Pca in radical cystoprostatectorny specimens in Asia is much lower than that in Western countries. PSC might be feasible for Asian patients under a strict preoperative selection.

Reflection of Oblique Incident Waves by Breakwaters with Partially-Perforated Wall

The reflection of oblique incident waves from breakwaters with a partially-perforated front wall is investigated. The fluid domain is divided into two sub-domains and the eigenfunction expansion method is applied to expand velocity potentials in each domain. In the eigen-expansion of the velocity potential, evanescent waves are included. Numerical results of the present model are compared with experimental data. The effect of porosity, the relative chamber width, the relative water depth in the wave absorbing chamber and the water depth in front of the structure are discussed.

Incidental gall bladder cancers:Are they truly incidental?

AIM: To seek and analyze features suggestive of gallbladder cancer(GBC) on preoperative imaging and intraoperative findings in patients diagnosed as having incidental GBC(IGBC). METHODS: The study was conducted on 79 patients of IGBC managed in our department over a 10-year period(2003-2012). Review of preoperative imaging and operative notes was done to ascertain any suspicion of malignancy-in-retrospect.RESULTS: Of the 79 patients, Ultrasound abdomen showed diffuse thickening, not suspicious of malignancy in 5 patients, and diffuse suspicious thickening was seen in 4 patients. Focal thickening suspicious of malignancy was present in 24 patients. Preoperative computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging was done in 9 patients for suspicion of malignancy. In 5 patients, dif-ficult Cholecystectomy was encountered due to dense/inflammatory adhesions. Intraoperative findings showed focal thickening of the gallbladder and a gallbladder mass in 9 and 17 patients respectively. On overall analysis, 37 patients had preoperative imaging or intraoperative findings suggestive of malignancy, which was either a missed GBC or an unsuspected/unexpected GBC. In 42(53.2%) patients, there was no evidence suggestive of malignancy and was an unanticipated diagnosis.CONCLUSION: Our study highlights a potential and not-so-rare pitfall of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. A greater awareness of this clinical entity along with a high index of suspicion and a low threshold for conversion to open procedure, especially in endemic areas may avert avoidable patient morbidity and mortality.

The force of oblique incident wave on the breakwater with a partially perforated wall

Wave forces induced by the interaction between the oblique incident wave and the breakwater with a partially perforated front wall is investigated. The fluid domain is divided into two sub-domains and the eigen-function expansion method is applied to expanding velocity potentials in each domain. In the eigen-expansion of the velocity potential, evanescent waves are included. Numerical results of the present model are compared with other theories and a good agreement can be found between them. Experimental data have been compared with the present theoretical results. The effect of the traverse wall on wave forces has been discussed in detail. On the basis of the linear wave theory, it is shown that in the range Of engineering practice, the incident angle of wave has small influence on wave forces on the unit length of perforated caisson.

Experimental analysis of sand particles' lift-off and incident velocities in wind-blown sand flux

The probability distributions of sand particles＇ lift-off and incident velocities in a wind-blown sand flux play very important roles in the simulation of the wind-blown sand movement. In this paper, the vertical and the horizontal speeds of sand particles located at 1.0 mm above a sand-bed in a wind-blown sand flux are observed with the aid of Phase Doppler Anemometry （PDA） in a wind tunnel. Based on the experimental data, the probability distributions of not only the vertical lift-off speed but also the lift-off velocity as well as its horizontal component and the incident velocity as well as its vertical and horizontal components can be obtained by the equal distance histogram method. It is found, according to the results of the X^2-test for these probability distributions, that the probability density functions （pdf＇s） of the sand particles＇ lift-off and incident velocities as well as their vertical com- ponents are described by the Gamma density function with different peak values and shapes and the downwind incident and lift-off horizontal speeds, respectively, can be described by the lognormal and the Gamma density functions, These pdf＇s depend on not only the sand particle diameter but also the wind speed.

The association between the baseline bone resorption marker CTX and incident dysglycemia after 4 years

Bone is an endocrine organ involved in modulating glucose homeostasis. The role of the bone formation marker osteocalcin （OCN） in predicting diabetes was reported, but with conflicting results. No study has explored the association between baseline bone resorption activity and incident diabetes or prediabetes during follow-up. Our objective was to examine the relationship between the baseline bone resorption marker crosslinked C-telopeptide of type I collagen （CTX） and glycemic dysregulation after 4 years. This longitudinal study was conducted in a university teaching hospital. A total of 195 normal glucose tolerant （NGT） women at baseline were invited for follow-up. The incidence of diabetes and prediabetes （collectively defined as dysglycemia） was recorded. A total of 128 individuals completed the 4-year study. The overall conversion rate from NGT to dysglycemia was 31.3%. The incidence of dysglycemia was lowest in the middle tertile [16.3% （95% confidence interval （CI）, 6.8%-30.70/0）] compared with the lower [31.0% （95% CI, 17.2%-46.1%）] and upper [46.5% （95% CI, 31.2%-62.6%）] tertiles of CTX, with a significant difference seen between the middle and upper tertiles （P = 0.002 5）. After adjusting for multiple confounding variables, the upper tertile of baseline CTX was associated with an increased risk of incident dysglycemia, with an odds ratio of 7.09 （95% CI, 1.73-28.99） when the middle tertile was the reference. Osteoclasts actively regulate glucose homeostasis in a biphasic model that moderately enhanced bone resorption marker CTX at baseline provides protective effects against the deterioration of glucose metabolism, whereas an overactive osteoclastic function contributes to an increased risk of subsequent dysglycemia.

Incident prevention tools-incident investigations and pre-job safety analyses

Careful and thorough incident investigations and pre-job safety analyses completed by knowledgeable and competent individuals can significantly reduce workplace incidents. Working parties must act together to make these safety tools effective. To get the staff units to work together in a co-ordinated manner, they must be shown the value of their work in preventing accidents. Examples of actual accidents investigated during the author's 18 years as a mine inspector in Saskatchewan are discussed within the context of pre-job safety analyses. The causes of the accidents are explored with close reference to how pre-job safety analyses could have prevented their occurrence.