Watch Soccer matches in Shenyang

Shenyang lies on the north bank of Hun River (called as shenshui in ancient times) and so it gets its name. Shenyang is not only the capital city of Liaoning Province,but the largest city of Northeast China with the largest railroad hub and airport across the region. Shenyang will hold the football matches for the Games of

From Matches to Matchless

After numerous exhilarating performances on the field,the Chinese women's national volleyball team has hit the silver screen.Director Peter Ho-sun Chan's film Leap,chronicling the team's growth over 40 years,is expected to be released this year.The team members fight to the finish,no matter whether they are winning or losing.

Interface Engineering of Titanium Nitride Nanotube Composites for Excellent Microwave Absorption at Elevated Temperature

Currently,the microwave absorbers usually suffer dreadful electromagnetic wave absorption(EMWA)performance damping at elevated temperature due to impedance mismatching induced by increased conduction loss.Consequently,the development of high-performance EMWA materials with good impedance matching and strong loss ability in wide temperature spectrum has emerged as a top priority.Herein,due to the high melting point,good electrical conductivity,excellent environmental stability,EM coupling effect,and abundant interfaces of titanium nitride(TiN)nanotubes,they were designed based on the controlling kinetic diffusion procedure and Ostwald ripening process.Benefiting from boosted heterogeneous interfaces between TiN nanotubes and polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS),enhanced polarization loss relaxations were created,which could not only improve the depletion efficiency of EMWA,but also contribute to the optimized impedance matching at elevated temperature.Therefore,the TiN nanotubes/PDMS composite showed excellent EMWA performances at varied temperature(298-573 K),while achieved an effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)value of 3.23 GHz and a minimum reflection loss(RLmin)value of−44.15 dB at 423 K.This study not only clarifies the relationship between dielectric loss capacity(conduction loss and polarization loss)and temperature,but also breaks new ground for EM absorbers in wide temperature spectrum based on interface engineering.

An improved particle filter indoor fusion positioning approach based on Wi-Fi/PDR/geomagnetic field

The existing indoor fusion positioning methods based on Pedestrian Dead Reckoning(PDR)and geomagnetic technology have the problems of large initial position error,low sensor accuracy,and geomagnetic mismatch.In this study,a novel indoor fusion positioning approach based on the improved particle filter algorithm by geomagnetic iterative matching is proposed,where Wi-Fi,PDR,and geomagnetic signals are integrated to improve indoor positioning performances.One important contribution is that geomagnetic iterative matching is firstly proposed based on the particle filter algorithm.During the positioning process,an iterative window and a constraint window are introduced to limit the particle generation range and the geomagnetic matching range respectively.The position is corrected several times based on geomagnetic iterative matching in the location correction stage when the pedestrian movement is detected,which made up for the shortage of only one time of geomagnetic correction in the existing particle filter algorithm.In addition,this study also proposes a real-time step detection algorithm based on multi-threshold constraints to judge whether pedestrians are moving,which satisfies the real-time requirement of our fusion positioning approach.Through experimental verification,the average positioning accuracy of the proposed approach reaches 1.59 m,which improves 33.2%compared with the existing particle filter fusion positioning algorithms.

Understanding the Relationship Between Shrinking Cities and Land Prices:Spatial Pattern,Effectiveness,and Policy Implications

Urban shrinkage has emerged as a widespread phenomenon globally and has a significant impact on land,particularly in terms of land use and price.This study focuses on 2851 county-level cities in China in 2005–2018(excluding Hong Kong,Macao,Taiwan,and‘no data’areas in Qinhai-Tibet Plateau)as the fundamental units of analysis.By employing nighttime light(NTL)data to identify shrinking cities,the propensity score matching(PSM)model was used to quantitatively examine the impact of shrinking cities on land prices,and evaluate the magnitude of this influence.The findings demonstrate the following:1)there were 613 shrinking cities in China,with moderate shrinkage being the most prevalent and severe shrinkage being the least.2)Regional disparities are evident in the spatial distribution of shrinking cities,especially in areas with diverse terrain.3)The spatial pattern of land price exhibits a significant correlated to the economic and administrative levels.4)Shrinking cities significantly negatively impact on the overall land price(ATT=–0.1241,P<0.05).However,the extent of the effect varies significantly among different spatial regions.This study contributes novel insights into the investigation of land prices and shrinking cities,ultimately serving as a foundation for government efforts to promote the sustainable development of urban areas.

Preparation of CIP@TiO_(2) composite with broadband electromagnetic wave absorption properties

Scholars aim for the improved impedance matching (Z) of materials while maintaining their excellent wave absorption properties. Based on the hydrolysis characteristics of isopropyl titanate, a simple preparation process for the coating of carbonyl iron powder(CIP) with TiO_(2) was designed. Given the TiO2coating, the Z of the CIP@TiO_(2) composite was adjusted well by decreasing the dielectric constant. Moreover, the interfacial polarization of CIP@TiO_(2) was enhanced. Ultimately, the electromagnetic-wave (EMW) absorption property of the CIP@TiO_(2)composite was improved substantially, the minimum reflection loss reached-46.07 dB, and the effective absorption bandwidth can reach 8 GHz at the composite thickness of 1.5 mm. Moreover, compared with CIP, the oxidation resistance of CIP@TiO_(2)showed remarkable improvement. The results revealed that the oxidation starting temperature of CIP@TiO_(2) as about 400℃,whereas the uncoated CIP had an oxidation starting temperature of approximately 250℃. Moreover, the largest oxidation rate temperature of CIP@TiO_(2) increased to around 550℃. This work opens up a novel strategy for the production of high-performance EMW absorbers via structural design.

From VIB‑to VB‑Group Transition Metal Disulfides:Structure Engineering Modulation for Superior Electromagnetic Wave Absorption

The laminated transition metal disulfides(TMDs),which are well known as typical two-dimensional(2D)semiconductive materials,possess a unique layered structure,leading to their wide-spread applications in various fields,such as catalysis,energy storage,sensing,etc.In recent years,a lot of research work on TMDs based functional materials in the fields of electromagnetic wave absorption(EMA)has been carried out.Therefore,it is of great significance to elaborate the influence of TMDs on EMA in time to speed up the application.In this review,recent advances in the development of electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorbers based on TMDs,ranging from the VIB group to the VB group are summarized.Their compositions,microstructures,electronic properties,and synthesis methods are presented in detail.Particularly,the modulation of structure engineering from the aspects of heterostructures,defects,morphologies and phases are systematically summarized,focusing on optimizing impedance matching and increasing dielectric and magnetic losses in the EMA materials with tunable EMW absorption performance.Milestones as well as the challenges are also identified to guide the design of new TMDs based dielectric EMA materials with high performance.

Shared genetic architecture highlights the bidirectional association between major depressive disorder and fracture risk

Background There is limited evidence suggesting that osteoporosis might exacerbate depressive symptoms,while more studies demonstrate that depression negatively affects bone density and increases fracture risk.Aims To explore the relationship between major depressive disorder(MDD)and fracture risk.Methods We conducted a nested case-control analysis(32670 patients with fracture and 397017 individuals without fracture)and a matched cohort analysis(16496 patients with MDD and 435492 individuals without MDD)in the same prospective UK Biobank data set.Further,we investigated the shared genetic architecture between MDD and fracture with linkage disequilibrium score regression and the MiXeR statistical tools.We used the conditional/conjunctional false discovery rate approach to identify the specific shared loci.We calculated the weighted genetic risk score for individuals in the UK Biobank and logistic regression was used to confirm the association observed in the prospective study.Results We found that MDD was associated with a 14%increase in fracture risk(hazard ratio(HR)1.14,95%CI 1.14 to 1.15,p<0.001)in the nested case-control analysis,while fracture was associated with a 72%increase in MDD risk(HR 1.72,95%CI 1.64 to 1.79,p<0.001)in the matched cohort analysis,suggesting a longitudinal and bidirectional relationship.Further,genetic summary data suggested a genetic overlap between MDD and fracture.Specifically,we identified four shared genomic loci,with the top signal(rs7554101)near SGIP1.The protein encoded by SGIP1 is involved in cannabinoid receptor type 1 signalling.We found that genetically predicted MDD was associated with a higher risk of fracture and vice versa.In addition,we found that the higher expression level of SGIP1 in the spinal cord and muscle was associated with an increased risk of fracture and MDD.Conclusions The genetic pleiotropy between MDD and fracture highlights the bidirectional association observed in the epidemiological analysis.The shared genetic components(such as SGIP1)between the diseases suggest that modulating the endocannabinoid system could be a potential therapeutic strategy for both MDD and bone loss.

Road Traffic Monitoring from Aerial Images Using Template Matching and Invariant Features

Road traffic monitoring is an imperative topic widely discussed among researchers.Systems used to monitor traffic frequently rely on cameras mounted on bridges or roadsides.However,aerial images provide the flexibility to use mobile platforms to detect the location and motion of the vehicle over a larger area.To this end,different models have shown the ability to recognize and track vehicles.However,these methods are not mature enough to produce accurate results in complex road scenes.Therefore,this paper presents an algorithm that combines state-of-the-art techniques for identifying and tracking vehicles in conjunction with image bursts.The extracted frames were converted to grayscale,followed by the application of a georeferencing algorithm to embed coordinate information into the images.The masking technique eliminated irrelevant data and reduced the computational cost of the overall monitoring system.Next,Sobel edge detection combined with Canny edge detection and Hough line transform has been applied for noise reduction.After preprocessing,the blob detection algorithm helped detect the vehicles.Vehicles of varying sizes have been detected by implementing a dynamic thresholding scheme.Detection was done on the first image of every burst.Then,to track vehicles,the model of each vehicle was made to find its matches in the succeeding images using the template matching algorithm.To further improve the tracking accuracy by incorporating motion information,Scale Invariant Feature Transform(SIFT)features have been used to find the best possible match among multiple matches.An accuracy rate of 87%for detection and 80%accuracy for tracking in the A1 Motorway Netherland dataset has been achieved.For the Vehicle Aerial Imaging from Drone(VAID)dataset,an accuracy rate of 86%for detection and 78%accuracy for tracking has been achieved.

A stereo matching algorithm using multi-peak candidate matches and geometric constraints

Gray cross correlation matching technique is adopted to extract candidate matches with gray cross correlation coefficients less than some certain range of maximal correlation coefficient called multi-peak candidate matches. Multi-peak candidates are extracted corresponding to three closest feature points at first. The corresponding multi-peak candidate matches are used to construct the model polygon. Correspondence is determined based on the local geometric relations between the three feature points and the multi-peak candidates. The disparity test and the global consistency checkout are applied to eliminate the remaining ambiguous matches that are not removed by the local geometric relational test. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is feasible and accurate.

A photogrammetric approach for quantifying the evolution of rock joint void geometry under varying contact states

Accurate measurement of the evolution of rock joint void geometry is essential for comprehending the distribution characteristics of asperities responsible for shear and seepage behaviors.However,existing techniques often require specialized equipment and skilled operators,posing practical challenges.In this study,a cost-effective photogrammetric approach is proposed.Particularly,local coordinate systems are established to facilitate the alignment and precise quantification of the relative position between two halves of a rock joint.Push/pull tests are conducted on rock joints with varying roughness levels to induce different contact states.A high-precision laser scanner serves as a benchmark for evaluating the photogrammetry method.Despite certain deviations exist,the measured evolution of void geometry is generally consistent with the qualitative findings of previous studies.The photogrammetric measurements yield comparable accuracy to laser scanning,with maximum errors of 13.2%for aperture and 14.4%for void volume.Most joint matching coefficient(JMC)measurement errors are below 20%.Larger measurement errors occur primarily in highly mismatched rock joints with JMC values below 0.2,but even in cases where measurement errors exceed 80%,the maximum JMC error is only 0.0434.Thus,the proposed photogrammetric approach holds promise for widespread application in void geometry measurements in rock joints.

TiN/Fe_(2)N/C composite with stable and broadband high-temperature microwave absorption

Facing the complex variable high-temperature environment,electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorbing materials maintaining high stability and satisfying absorbing properties is essential.This study focused on the synthesis and EMW absorbing performance evaluation of TiN/Fe_(2)N/C composite materials,which were prepared using electrostatic spinning followed by a high-temperature nitridation process.The TiN/Fe_(2)N/C fibers constructed a well-developed conductive network that generates considerable conduction loss.The heterogeneous interfaces between different components generated a significant level of interfacial polarization.Thanks to the synergistic effect of stable dielectric loss and optimized impedance matching,the TiN/Fe_(2)N/C composite materials demonstrated excellent and stable absorption performance across a wide temperature range(293-453 K).Moreover,TiN/Fe_(2)N/C-15 achieved a minimum reflection loss(RL)of−48.01 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)of 3.64 GHz at 2.1 mm and 373 K.This work provides new insights into the development of high-efficiency and stabile EMW absorbing materials under complex variable high-temperature conditions.

Flexible ultrasound arrays with embossed polymer structures for medical imaging

In recent years,the application of flexible electronic technology[1−3]combined with ultrasonic imaging[4]has blossomed,resulting in a shift in the application place of ultrasonic imaging technology from medical institutions to households.The utilization of this application has expanded from the physician’s positioning and guidance to real-time patient monitoring[5],while the range of application scenarios continues to widen.The transformative changes have made possible through the development of flexible transducer arrays[6,7].Prof.Sheng Xu's team at the University of California San Diego has pioneered the development of various flexible transducer arrays based on island-bridge structures[8]and serpentine electrodes[9].These transducer arrays incorporate rigid 1−3 composite piezoelectric transducers on an island,featuring thin electrodes between the islands to provide mechanical flexibility,metallic electrodes of serpentine structure to provide stretchability of the device,and elastomer materials are used to encapsulate the overall structure,ensuring structural stability and impedance matching to the skin tissue[10].These flexible transducer arrays have found extensive applications in human blood pressure detection[11],cardiac imaging[12],blood flow doppler imaging[13],tissue modulus detection[14],and tissue deep hemoglobin detection[15].

Distributed Matching Theory-Based Task Re-Allocating for Heterogeneous Multi-UAV Edge Computing

Many efforts have been devoted to efficient task scheduling in Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)edge computing.However,the heterogeneity of UAV computation resource,and the task re-allocating between UAVs have not been fully considered yet.Moreover,most existing works neglect the fact that a task can only be executed on the UAV equipped with its desired service function(SF).In this backdrop,this paper formulates the task scheduling problem as a multi-objective task scheduling problem,which aims at maximizing the task execution success ratio while minimizing the average weighted sum of all tasks’completion time and energy consumption.Optimizing three coupled goals in a realtime manner with the dynamic arrival of tasks hinders us from adopting existing methods,like machine learning-based solutions that require a long training time and tremendous pre-knowledge about the task arrival process,or heuristic-based ones that usually incur a long decision-making time.To tackle this problem in a distributed manner,we establish a matching theory framework,in which three conflicting goals are treated as the preferences of tasks,SFs and UAVs.Then,a Distributed Matching Theory-based Re-allocating(DiMaToRe)algorithm is put forward.We formally proved that a stable matching can be achieved by our proposal.Extensive simulation results show that Di Ma To Re algorithm outperforms benchmark algorithms under diverse parameter settings and has good robustness.

Minimalistic approach to left atrial appendage occlusion guided by cardiac computed tomography angiography

OBJECTIVE To assess the feasibility and safety of the minimalistic approach to left atrial appendage occlusion(LAAO) guided by cardiac computed tomography angiography(CCTA).METHODS Ninety consecutive patients who underwent LAAO, with or without CCTA-guided, were matched(1:2). Each step of the LAAO procedure in the computed tomography(CT) guidance group(CT group) was directed by preprocedural CT planning. In the control group, LAAO was performed using the standard method. All patients were followed up for 12 months, and device surveillance was conducted using CCTA.RESULTS A total of 90 patients were included in the analysis, with 30 patients in the CT group and 60 matched patients in the control group. All patients were successfully implanted with Watchman devices. The mean ages for the CT group and the control group were 70.0 ± 9.4 years and 68.4 ± 11.9 years(P = 0.52), respectively. The procedure duration(45.6 ± 10.7 min vs. 58.8 ± 13.0 min,P < 0.001) and hospital stay(7.5 ± 2.4 day vs. 9.6 ± 2.8 day, P = 0.001) in the CT group was significantly shorter compared to the control group. However, the total radiation dose was higher in the CT group compared to the control group(904.9 ± 348.0 m Gy vs.711.9 ± 211.2 m Gy, P = 0.002). There were no significant differences in periprocedural pericardial effusion(3.3% vs. 6.3%, P = 0.8) between the two groups. The rate of postprocedural adverse events(13.3% vs. 18.3%, P = 0.55) were comparable between both groups at 12 months follow-up.CONCLUSIONS CCTA is capable of detailed LAAO procedure planning. Minimalistic LAAO with preprocedural CCTA planning was feasible and safe, with shortened procedure time and acceptable increased radiation and contras consumption. For patients with contraindications to general anesthesia and/or transesophageal echocardiography, this promising method may be an alternative to conventional LAAO.

Feature Matching via Topology-Aware Graph Interaction Model

Feature matching plays a key role in computer vision. However, due to the limitations of the descriptors, the putative matches are inevitably contaminated by massive outliers.This paper attempts to tackle the outlier filtering problem from two aspects. First, a robust and efficient graph interaction model,is proposed, with the assumption that matches are correlated with each other rather than independently distributed. To this end, we construct a graph based on the local relationships of matches and formulate the outlier filtering task as a binary labeling energy minimization problem, where the pairwise term encodes the interaction between matches. We further show that this formulation can be solved globally by graph cut algorithm. Our new formulation always improves the performance of previous localitybased method without noticeable deterioration in processing time,adding a few milliseconds. Second, to construct a better graph structure, a robust and geometrically meaningful topology-aware relationship is developed to capture the topology relationship between matches. The two components in sum lead to topology interaction matching(TIM), an effective and efficient method for outlier filtering. Extensive experiments on several large and diverse datasets for multiple vision tasks including general feature matching, as well as relative pose estimation, homography and fundamental matrix estimation, loop-closure detection, and multi-modal image matching, demonstrate that our TIM is more competitive than current state-of-the-art methods, in terms of generality, efficiency, and effectiveness. The source code is publicly available at http://github.com/YifanLu2000/TIM.

The W transform and its improved methods for time-frequency analysis of seismic data

The conventional linear time-frequency analysis method cannot achieve high resolution and energy focusing in the time and frequency dimensions at the same time,especially in the low frequency region.In order to improve the resolution of the linear time-frequency analysis method in the low-frequency region,we have proposed a W transform method,in which the instantaneous frequency is introduced as a parameter into the linear transformation,and the analysis time window is constructed which matches the instantaneous frequency of the seismic data.In this paper,the W transform method is compared with the Wigner-Ville distribution(WVD),a typical nonlinear time-frequency analysis method.The WVD method that shows the energy distribution in the time-frequency domain clearly indicates the gravitational center of time and the gravitational center of frequency of a wavelet,while the time-frequency spectrum of the W transform also has a clear gravitational center of energy focusing,because the instantaneous frequency corresponding to any time position is introduced as the transformation parameter.Therefore,the W transform can be benchmarked directly by the WVD method.We summarize the development of the W transform and three improved methods in recent years,and elaborate on the evolution of the standard W transform,the chirp-modulated W transform,the fractional-order W transform,and the linear canonical W transform.Through three application examples of W transform in fluvial sand body identification and reservoir prediction,it is verified that W transform can improve the resolution and energy focusing of time-frequency spectra.

A semantic vector map-based approach for aircraft positioning in GNSS/GPS denied large-scale environment

Accurate positioning is one of the essential requirements for numerous applications of remote sensing data,especially in the event of a noisy or unreliable satellite signal.Toward this end,we present a novel framework for aircraft geo-localization in a large range that only requires a downward-facing monocular camera,an altimeter,a compass,and an open-source Vector Map(VMAP).The algorithm combines the matching and particle filter methods.Shape vector and correlation between two building contour vectors are defined,and a coarse-to-fine building vector matching(CFBVM)method is proposed in the matching stage,for which the original matching results are described by the Gaussian mixture model(GMM).Subsequently,an improved resampling strategy is designed to reduce computing expenses with a huge number of initial particles,and a credibility indicator is designed to avoid location mistakes in the particle filter stage.An experimental evaluation of the approach based on flight data is provided.On a flight at a height of 0.2 km over a flight distance of 2 km,the aircraft is geo-localized in a reference map of 11,025 km~2using 0.09 km~2aerial images without any prior information.The absolute localization error is less than 10 m.

A Non-Parametric Scheme for Identifying Data Characteristic Based on Curve Similarity Matching

For accurately identifying the distribution charac-teristic of Gaussian-like noises in unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)state estimation,this paper proposes a non-parametric scheme based on curve similarity matching.In the framework of the pro-posed scheme,a Parzen window(kernel density estimation,KDE)method on sliding window technology is applied for roughly esti-mating the sample probability density,a precise data probability density function(PDF)model is constructed with the least square method on K-fold cross validation,and the testing result based on evaluation method is obtained based on some data characteristic analyses of curve shape,abruptness and symmetry.Some com-parison simulations with classical methods and UAV flight exper-iment shows that the proposed scheme has higher recognition accuracy than classical methods for some kinds of Gaussian-like data,which provides better reference for the design of Kalman filter(KF)in complex water environment.

Heparin-binding protein as a predictor of mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus and community-acquired pneumonia in intensive care unit:a propensity score matched study

BACKGROUND:Patients with diabetes mellitus(DM)are vulnerable to community-acquired pneumonia(CAP),which have a high mortality rate.We aimed to investigate the value of heparin-binding protein(HBP)as a prognostic marker of mortality in patients with DM and CAP.METHODS:This retrospective study included CAP patients who were tested for HBP at intensive care unit(ICU)admission from January 2019 to April 2020.Patients were allocated to the DM or non-DM group and paired with propensity score matching.Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes up to 90 days were evaluated.The primary outcome was the 10-day mortality.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,Kaplan-Meier analysis,and Cox regression were used for statistical analysis.RESULTS:Among 152 enrolled patients,60 pairs were successfully matched.There was no significant difference in 10-day mortality,while more patients in the DM group died within 28 d(P=0.024)and 90 d(P=0.008).In the DM group,HBP levels at ICU admission were higher in 10-day non-survivors than in 10-day survivors(median 182.21[IQR:55.43-300]ng/ml vs.median 66.40[IQR:34.13-107.85]ng/mL,P=0.019),and HBP levels could predict the 10-day mortality with an area under the ROC curve of 0.747.The cut-off value,sensitivity,and specificity were 160.6 ng/mL,66.7%,and 90.2%,respectively.Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that HBP was an independent prognostic factor for 10-day(HR 7.196,95%CI:1.596-32.455,P=0.01),28-day(HR 4.381,95%CI:1.449-13.245,P=0.009),and 90-day mortality(HR 4.581,95%CI:1.637-12.819,P=0.004)in patients with DM.CONCLUSION:Plasma HBP at ICU admission was associated with the 10-day,28-day,and 90-day mortality,and might be a prognostic factor in patients with DM and CAP.