Closed-loop control of epileptiform activities in a neural population model using a proportional-derivative controller

Epilepsy is believed to be caused by a lack of balance between excitation and inhibitation in the brain. A promising strategy for the control of the disease is closed-loop brain stimulation. How to determine the stimulation control parameters for effective and safe treatment protocols remains, however, an unsolved question. To constrain the complex dynamics of the biological brain, we use a neural population model（NPM）. We propose that a proportional-derivative（PD） type closed-loop control can successfully suppress epileptiform activities. First, we determine the stability of root loci, which reveals that the dynamical mechanism underlying epilepsy in the NPM is the loss of homeostatic control caused by the lack of balance between excitation and inhibition. Then, we design a PD type closed-loop controller to stabilize the unstable NPM such that the homeostatic equilibriums are maintained; we show that epileptiform activities are successfully suppressed. A graphical approach is employed to determine the stabilizing region of the PD controller in the parameter space, providing a theoretical guideline for the selection of the PD control parameters. Furthermore, we establish the relationship between the control parameters and the model parameters in the form of stabilizing regions to help understand the mechanism of suppressing epileptiform activities in the NPM. Simulations show that the PD-type closed-loop control strategy can effectively suppress epileptiform activities in the NPM.

Dynamic response of mountain tunnel,bridge,and embankment along the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor to active fault based on model tests

The Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor is prone to numerous active faults and frequent strong earthquakes.While extensive studies have individually explored the effect of active faults and strong earthquakes on different engineering structures,their combined effect remains unclear.This research employed multiple physical model tests to investigate the dynamic response of various engineering structures,including tunnels,bridges,and embankments,under the simultaneous influence of cumulative earthquakes and stick-slip misalignment of an active fault.The prototype selected for this study was the Kanding No.2 tunnel,which crosses the Yunongxi fault zone within the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor.The results demonstrated that the tunnel,bridge,and embankment exhibited amplification in response to the input seismic wave,with the amplification effect gradually decreasing as the input peak ground acceleration(PGA)increased.The PGAs of different engineering structures were weakened by the fault rupture zone.Nevertheless,the misalignment of the active fault may decrease the overall stiffness of the engineering structure,leading to more severe damage,with a small contribution from seismic vibration.Additionally,the seismic vibration effect might be enlarged with the height of the engineering structure,and the tunnel is supposed to have a smaller PGA and lower dynamic earth pressure compared to bridges and embankments in strong earthquake zones crossing active faults.The findings contribute valuable insights for evaluating the dynamic response of various engineering structures crossing an active fault and provide an experimental reference for secure engineering design in the challenging conditions of the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor.

Evaluation of Component Activities in C-Mn-Fe-Si with Model Self-SReM4

A sub-regular solution model SELFSReM4 used to evaluate activities of the components in a homogeneous region of a quaternary system has been developed in Shanghai Enhanced Lab of Ferrometallurgy. This paper introduces the application of SELFSReM4 in evaluating activities of the components in C-Mn-Fe-Si system without SiC precipitation.

Changes of coastline and tidal flat and its implication for ecological protection under human activities: Take China’s Bohai Bay as an example

The change processes and trends of shoreline and tidal flat forced by human activities are essential issues for the sustainability of coastal area,which is also of great significance for understanding coastal ecological environment changes and even global changes.Based on field measurements,combined with Linear Regression(LR)model and Inverse Distance Weighing(IDW)method,this paper presents detailed analysis on the change history and trend of the shoreline and tidal flat in Bohai Bay.The shoreline faces a high erosion chance under the action of natural factors,while the tidal flat faces a different erosion and deposition patterns in Bohai Bay due to the impact of human activities.The implication of change rule for ecological protection and recovery is also discussed.Measures should be taken to protect the coastal ecological environment.The models used in this paper show a high correlation coefficient between observed and modeling data,which means that this method can be used to predict the changing trend of shoreline and tidal flat.The research results of present study can provide scientific supports for future coastal protection and management.

Proposal and evaluation of a new norm index-based QSAR model to predict pEC50 and pCC50 activities of HEPT derivatives

The search and development of anti-HIV drugs is currently one of the most urgent tasks of pharmacological studies. In this work, a quantitative structure-activity relationship （QSAR） model based on some new norm indexes, was obtained to a series of more than 150 HEPT derivatives （1-[（2-hydroxyethoxy）methyl]-6-（phenylthio）thymine） to find their pEC50 （the required effective concentration to achieve 50% protection of MT-4 cells against the cytopathic effect of virus） and pCC50 （the required cytotoxic concentration to reduce visibility of 50% mock infected cell） activities. The model efficiencies were then validated using the leave-one-out cross validation （LOO-CV） and y- randomization test. Results indicated that this new model was efficient and could provide satisfactory results for prediction of pECso and pCC50 with the higher R2 train and the higher Rt2est. By using the leverage approach, the applicability domain of this model was further investigated and no response outlier was detected for HEFT derivatives involved in this work. Comparison results with reference methods demonstrated that this new method could result in significant improvements for predicting pEC50 and pCC50 of anti-HIV HEPT derivatives. Moreover, results shown in this present study suggested that these two absolutely different activities pECso and pCC50 of anti-HIV HEPT derivatives could be predicted well with a totally similar QSAR model, which indicated that this model mizht have the potential to be further utilized for other biological activities of HEFT derivatives.

Impact of anthropogenic activities on vegetation dynamics in a reservoir area: model establishment and a case study of Longkaikou Reservoir in China

Vegetation in hot and arid valleys is a crucial indicator of ecosystem health,but is vulnerable to human activities and environmental change.Using the Longkaikou Reservoir in the Jinsha River in southwestern China as a case study,we developed a spatially explicit model that combined the plant growth,fruiting,seed dispersal,and seed germination stages to reveal the potential impact of multiple human activities(reservoir construction,logging,grazing,and aerial seeding) on the vegetation dynamics of Dodonaea viscosa and Pinus yunnanensis.After reservoir construction,the grassland area of 68 km^(2) in 2003 decreased to 24 km^(2) in 2018,replaced by forest,shrubland,and bodies of water,and the precipitation increased during the dry season,which indicated the improvement of the local plant and soil environment.Our model predicted that when soil moisture decreased by more than 20% compared to current levels,the area of D.viscosa increased greatly at low elevations;however,when at higher soil moisture,P.yunnanensis would occupy more of the study area.Logging and grazing would slightly change the spatial pattern of vegetation and delay P.yunnanensis communities from achieving stability by directly reducing plant biomass.Countermeasures such as aerial seeding would increase the total area by 13.13 km^(2) and 8.09 km^(2) of two plants,respectively,and accelerate the stabilization of plant communities.The effects of multiple human activities on vegetation may counteract each other;for example,logging decreased the P.yunnanensis area whereas aerial seeding increased it,and plant biomass changed in response to this pressure.Given the complex relationships between vegetation and human impacts,our study provides a scientific basis for vegetation restoration and ecological security in this hot and arid valley.

Atlantic blocking events in a simplified nonlinear baroclinic model for local finite-amplitude wave activity

为研究北大西洋阻高的形成机制,本文在局部有限振幅波活动(LWA)框架下进行了一系列数值实验.采用的数值模型能显式地描绘出两种重要的大气内部动力过程,即非线性纬向位涡通量和Rossby波包传播.模拟结果显示,这两种动力学过程均是形成大西洋阻高的重要机理.具体地,非线性纬向位涡通量和Rossby波包传播,分别是大西洋阻高南部和北部LWA形成的主导因子.因此,本研究综合了前人关于大西洋阻高的研究成果,为其形成机理提供了新的认识.

Exploration of the Role-Playing Model in Primary School Class Activities Under the Background of“Class Activity Month”

Education in the new era advocates taking students as the main body and improving students’core literacy on this basis.Subjectivity has also become one of the keys to quality education.Primary school is not only the initial stage of life,but also the key period to develop students’subjectivity.At present,there are many problems in class activities,such as the weak concept of taking students as the main body,the lack of subject consciousness among students,the flawed construction system of class activities,the unreasonable evaluation system of class activities,and so on.By establishing the role-playing model under the background of“class activity month,”students can play different roles in class activities and participate in various links,such as theme selection,scheme design,organization,implementation,summary,and evaluation of class activities.Through this process,it does not only improve the quality of class activities,but also cultivate students’subject consciousness and ability in a certain subject,thus highlighting their subject status in class activities.

A Survey Research on Agricultural College Undergraduates' Attitudes towards In-class and Out-of-class Activities Based on the Mixed Teaching Model

In order to study the effects of in-class and out-of-class activities of college English based on the mixed teaching model on the fostering of students' English learning and application ability,the attitudes of 215 freshmen of Agricultural College,Yanbian University towards inclass and out-of-class activities and their participation and completion of tasks were investigated by a questionnaire. The results show that a series of in-class and out-of-class activities could help improve the students' language competence as well as non-language competence such as learning strategies,emotional attitudes,and cultural awareness. The implementation and effect of school online courses were inferior to classroom teaching,but they provide reference and experience for future mixed teaching.

LOCALIZATION OF OBJECT (SPINE) IN MEDICAL IMAGE USING ACTIVE SHAPE MODELS

Active shape models (ASM), consisting of a shape model and a local gray-level appearance model, can be used to locate the objects in images. In original ASM scheme, the model of object′s gray-level variations is based on the assumption of one-dimensional sampling and searching method. In this work a new way to model the gray-level appearance of the objects is explored, using a two-dimensional sampling and searching technique in a rectangular area around each landmark of object shape. The ASM based on this improvement is compared with the original ASM on an identical medical image set for task of spine localization. Experiments demonstrate that the method produces significantly fast, effective, accurate results for spine localization in medical images.

Optimal shape space and searching in the active shape model

A novel idea,called the optimal shape subspace （OSS） is first proposed for optimizing active shape model （ASM） search.It is constructed from the principal shape subspace and the principal shape variance subspace.It allows the reconstructed shape to vary more than that reconstructed in the standard ASM shape space,hence it is more expressive in representing shapes in real life.Then a cost function is developed,based on a study on the search process.An optimal searching method using the feedback information provided by the evaluation cost is proposed to improve the performance of ASM alignment.Experimental results show that the proposed OSS can offer the maximum shape variation with reserving the principal information and a unique local optimal shape is acquired after optimal searching.The combination of OSS and optimal searching can improve the ASM performance greatly.

Research on workflow meta model supporting activity based costing

Activity based costing (ABC) is a method which can solve many limitations of the traditional cost systems in manufacturing management. In this paper, we investigate how to integrate ABC with workflow technology, and build a workflow meta model supporting ABC. Firstly, the concept and concept model of activity based costing (ABC) are introduced. Next, the meta model of P -PROCE (Process, Product, Resource, Organization, and Cost & Evaluation) is presented. Then the cost meta model is defined by adding ABC to P -PROCE model. Object constraint language (OCL) is used to express meta model and constraints. Finally, we show an enterprise modeling and simulation tool based on the workflow meta model. We can systematically construct an enterprise model and easily and efficiently conduct simulation. Moreover it enables us to analyze and evaluate business processes and its costs.

Thermodynamic model of lead oxide activity in PbO-CaO-SiO_2-FeO-Fe_2O_3 slag system

According to the ion and molecule coexistence theory, a thermodynamic model of lead oxide activity in PbO-CaO-SiO2-FeO-Fe2O3 slag system was established at the temperature of 1273-1733 K. The activities of Pb O in slag were calculated, and their equal activity curves were plotted. The influences of slag basicity Q, iron oxide rate R and temperature T on activity NPb O and activity coefficient γPbO were also investigated. Results show that the calculated values of γPb O are in good agreement with the reported experimental data, showing that the model can wholly embody the slag structural characteristics. NPbO departures positively from Raoult values, and increases with increasing Pb O content in slag but changes little with T. γPbO increases with increasing Q, and goes through the maximum with increasing R for basic slag（Q0.3）. Results can be applied to the thermodynamic research and operational optimization of modern lead smelting technologies.

Activity model and its application in CaO-FeO-SiO_2-MoO_3 quarternary system

The activity model of CaO-FeO-SiO_2-MoO_3 quarternary system was establishedaccording to the coexistence theory of slag structure and the reduction thermodynamics of molybdenumoxide was discussed by applying this model. The activities of SiO_2 and MoO_3 decrease, while thatof CaO increases with increasing the basicity of slag. Among SiC, [C] and [Si] reactants, thereducing capability of SiC is the strongest, while that of [C] is the poorest at a high temperature(about 1873 K). It is advantageous to increase the yield of molybdenum by increasing the content of[Si] or [C]. Controlling of basicity of slag can prevent the oxidation loss of molybdenum.

Modelling seedling development using thermal effectiveness and photosynthetically active radiation

Seedling quality is a prerequisite for successful field performance and therefore influences crop yields. Temperature and illumination are two major factors affecting seedling quality during nursery propagation. Suboptimal temperature or light of nurseries generally result in leggy or weak seedlings and great economic loss. However, production of healthy seedlings is challenging due to the lack of knowledge in systemic management of nursery environments. In this study, we have established simulation models to predict how temperature and illumination coordinately influence the growth of tomato and cabbage seedlings. Specifically, correlation between seedling quality characteristics(root-shoot ratio, G value(growth function: defined as ratio of whole plant dry weight to days of seedling), healthy indexes) and TEP(thermal effectiveness and photosynthetically active radiation) were explored to establish the models, which were validated with independent test data. Our results suggested that the curve of healthy index 1(HI1) and TEP fitted well with high coefficient of determination(R2) in both species, indicating that the model is highly reliable. The HI1 simulation models for tomato and cabbage are HI1=0.0009e0.0308TEP-0.0015 and HI1= 0.0003e0.0671TEP-0.0003, respectively, which can be used for predicting vigors of tomato and cabbage seedlings grown under different temperature and light conditions.

Modification of constitutive model and evolution of activation energy on 2219 aluminum alloy during warm deformation process

To investigate the flow behavior of 2219 Al alloy during warm deformation, the thermal compression test was conducted in the temperature range of 483-573 K and the strain rate range of 0.001-5 s^-1 on a Gleeble-3500 thermomechanical simulation unit. The true stress-true strain curves obtained showed that the flow stress increased with the decrease in temperature and/or the increase in strain rate and the softening mechanism primarily proceeded via dynamic recovery. The modification on the conventional Arrhenius-type constitutive model approach was made, the material variables and activation energy were determined to be dependent on the deformation parameters. The modified flow stresses were found to be in close agreement with the experimental values. Furthermore, the activation energy obtained under different deformation conditions showed that it decreased with the rise in temperature and/or strain rate, and was also affected by the coupled effect of strain and strain rate.

Vehicle Active Steering Control Research Based on Two-DOF Robust Internal Model Control

Because of vehicle＇s external disturbances and model uncertainties,robust control algorithms have obtained popularity in vehicle stability control.The robust control usually gives up performance in order to guarantee the robustness of the control algorithm,therefore an improved robust internal model control（IMC） algorithm blending model tracking and internal model control is put forward for active steering system in order to reach high performance of yaw rate tracking with certain robustness.The proposed algorithm inherits the good model tracking ability of the IMC control and guarantees robustness to model uncertainties.In order to separate the design process of model tracking from the robustness design process,the improved 2 degree of freedom（DOF） robust internal model controller structure is given from the standard Youla parameterization.Simulations of double lane change maneuver and those of crosswind disturbances are conducted for evaluating the robust control algorithm,on the basis of a nonlinear vehicle simulation model with a magic tyre model.Results show that the established 2-DOF robust IMC method has better model tracking ability and a guaranteed level of robustness and robust performance,which can enhance the vehicle stability and handling,regardless of variations of the vehicle model parameters and the external crosswind interferences.Contradiction between performance and robustness of active steering control algorithm is solved and higher control performance with certain robustness to model uncertainties is obtained.

Design of active disturbance rejection internal model control strategy for SISO system with time delay process

A novel control scheme of active disturbance rejection internal model control(ADRIMC) is proposed to improve the anti-interference ability and robustness for the dead-time process. The active anti-interference concept is introduced into the internal model control(IMC) by analyzing the relationship between IMC and disturbance observer control(DOB). Further, a design process of disturbance filter is presented to realize the active anti-interference ability for ADRIMC scheme. The disturbance filter is used to estimate an equivalent disturbance consisting of both external disturbances and internal disturbances caused by model mismatches.Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method possesses a good disturbance rejection performance, though losing some partial dynamic performance. In other words, the proposed method shows a tradeoff between the dynamic performance and the system robust.

Calculation of Activity Coefficient from Immiscible Binary Alloy Phase Diagram by Means of Modified Sub-regular Solution Model

The modified sub regular solution model was used for a calculation of the activity coefficient of immiscible binary alloy systems. The parameters needed for the calculation are the interaction parameters, λ 1 and λ 2, which are represented as a linear function of temperature, T . The molar excess Gibbs free energy, G m E, can be written in the form G m E= x A x B[( λ 11 + λ 12 T )+( λ 21 + λ 22 T ) x B ] The calculation is carried out numerically for three immiscible binary alloy systems, Al Pb, Cu Tl and In V. The agreement between the calculated and experimentally determined values of activity coefficient is excellent.

Spatio-temporal Pattern of Net Primary Productivity in Hengduan Mountains area, China： Impacts of Climate Change and Human Activities

Net primary productivity(NPP), a metric used to define and identify changes in plant communities, is greatly affected by climate change, human activities and other factors. Here, we used the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach(CASA) model to estimate the NPP of plant communities in Hengduan Mountains area of China, and to explore the relationship between NPP and altitude in this region. We examined the mechanisms underlying vegetation growth responses to climate change and quantitatively assessed the effects of ecological protection measures by partitioning the contributions of climate change and human activities to NPP changes. The results demonstrated that: 1) the average total and annual NPP values over the years were 209.15 Tg C and 468.06 g C/(m2·yr), respectively. Their trend increasingly fluctuated, with spatial distribution strongly linked to altitude(i.e., lower and higher NPP in high altitude and low altitude areas, respectively) and 2400 m represented the marginal altitude for vegetation differentiation; 2) areas where climate was the main factor affecting NPP accounted for 18.2% of the total research area, whereas human activities were the primary factor influencing NPP in 81.8% of the total research area, which indicated that human activity was the main force driving changes in NPP. Areas where climatic factors(i.e., temperature and precipitation) were the main driving factors occupied 13.6%(temperature) and 6.0%(precipitation) of the total research area, respectively. Therefore, the effect of temperature on NPP changes was stronger than that of precipitation; and 3) the majority of NPP residuals from 2001 to 2014 were positive, with human activities playing an active role in determining regional vegetation growth, possibly due to the return of farmland back to forest and natural forest protection. However, this positive trend is decreasing. This clearly shows the periodical nature of ecological projects and a lack of long-term effectiveness.