Decoding the inconsistency of six cropland maps in China

Accurate cropland information is critical for agricultural planning and production,especially in foodstressed countries like China.Although widely used medium-to-high-resolution satellite-based cropland maps have been developed from various remotely sensed data sources over the past few decades,considerable discrepancies exist among these products both in total area and in spatial distribution of croplands,impeding further applications of these datasets.The factors influencing their inconsistency are also unknown.In this study,we evaluated the consistency and accuracy of six cropland maps widely used in China in circa 2020,including three state-of-the-art 10-m products(i.e.,Google Dynamic World,ESRI Land Cover,and ESA WorldCover)and three 30-m ones(i.e.,GLC_FCS30,GlobeLand 30,and CLCD).We also investigated the effects of landscape fragmentation,climate,and agricultural management.Validation using a ground-truth sample revealed that the 10-m-resolution WorldCover provided the highest accuracy(92.3%).These maps collectively overestimated Chinese cropland area by up to 56%.Up to 37%of the land showed spatial inconsistency among the maps,concentrated mainly in mountainous regions and attributed to the varying accuracy of cropland maps,cropland fragmentation and management practices such as irrigation.Our work shed light on the promotion of future cropland mapping efforts,especially in highly inconsistent regions.

Asymptotic Consistency of the James-Stein Shrinkage Estimator

The study explores the asymptotic consistency of the James-Stein shrinkage estimator obtained by shrinking a maximum likelihood estimator. We use Hansen’s approach to show that the James-Stein shrinkage estimator converges asymptotically to some multivariate normal distribution with shrinkage effect values. We establish that the rate of convergence is of order and rate , hence the James-Stein shrinkage estimator is -consistent. Then visualise its consistency by studying the asymptotic behaviour using simulating plots in R for the mean squared error of the maximum likelihood estimator and the shrinkage estimator. The latter graphically shows lower mean squared error as compared to that of the maximum likelihood estimator.

Locally and globally uniform approximations for ruin probabilities of a nonstandard bidimensional risk model with subexponential claims

Consider a nonstandard continuous-time bidimensional risk model with constant force of interest,in which the two classes of claims with subexponential distributions satisfy a general dependence structure and each pair of the claim-inter-arrival times is arbitrarily dependent.Under some mild conditions,we achieve a locally uniform approximation of the finite-time ruin probability for all time horizon within a finite interval.If we further assume that each pair of the claim-inter-arrival times is negative quadrant dependent and the two classes of claims are consistently-varying-tailed,it shows that the above obtained approximation is also globally uniform for all time horizon within an infinite interval.

Identifying Brand Consistency by Product Differentiation Using CNN

This paper presents a new method of using a convolutional neural network(CNN)in machine learning to identify brand consistency by product appearance variation.In Experiment 1,we collected fifty mouse devices from the past thirty-five years from a renowned company to build a dataset consisting of product pictures with pre-defined design features of their appearance and functions.Results show that it is a challenge to distinguish periods for the subtle evolution of themouse devices with such traditionalmethods as time series analysis and principal component analysis(PCA).In Experiment 2,we applied deep learning to predict the extent to which the product appearance variation ofmouse devices of various brands.The investigation collected 6,042 images ofmouse devices and divided theminto the Early Stage and the Late Stage.Results show the highest accuracy of 81.4%with the CNNmodel,and the evaluation score of brand style consistency is 0.36,implying that the brand consistency score converted by the CNN accuracy rate is not always perfect in the real world.The relationship between product appearance variation,brand style consistency,and evaluation score is beneficial for predicting new product styles and future product style roadmaps.In addition,the CNN heat maps highlight the critical areas of design features of different styles,providing alternative clues related to the blurred boundary.The study provides insights into practical problems for designers,manufacturers,and marketers in product design.It not only contributes to the scientific understanding of design development,but also provides industry professionals with practical tools and methods to improve the design process and maintain brand consistency.Designers can use these techniques to find features that influence brand style.Then,capture these features as innovative design elements and maintain core brand values.

On the Principle of Consistency of Rights and Obligations in the Constitution of PRC

“The Fundamental Rights and obligations of Citizens”, the title of Chapter II of the current Constitution of PRC, and the stipulation that citizens must fulfill certain obligations while enjoying rights have triggered many debates. Considering the historical origin, constitutional philosophy, and the text and structure of the Constitution, the special provisions of the current Constitution are influenced by the principle of consistency of rights and obligations. The principle of consistency of rights and obligations in the Constitution is of complex connotation. Therefore, although the principle of consistency of rights and obligations effectively connects the public and private spheres, it ignores the diversity and differences of the interests and elements contained in the Constitution, the asymmetry of the normative status of fundamental rights and fundamental obligations,and the right of citizens to self-determination of personal interests.The principle of consistency of rights and obligations should be purposefully narrowed and concretized: In the context of public-private integration and risk society prevention, the principle of consistency of rights and obligations can be used as a supplement to the functional system of the Constitution;in the field of fundamental political obligations, the principle of consistency of rights and obligations should be in line with the requirements of the state to respect and protect human rights;in the field of fundamental social obligations, the exercise of fundamental rights by individuals is protected by the Constitution as long as they comply with the law and do not infringe upon the interests of the social community. The principle of the consistency of rights and obligations is only used as the negative constituents of the determination of rights and the basis for the effect against a third party of fundamental rights.

Efficacy and tolerability of chitin-glucan combined with simethicone(GASTRAP^(■)DIRECT)in irritable bowel syndrome:A prospective,open-label,multicenter study

BACKGROUNDIrritable bowel syndrome(IBS),defined according to the Rome IV diagnostic criteria,is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain related to altered bowel habits.First-line recommended treatments are limited to combining drugs targeting predominant symptoms,particularly pain(antispasmodics),constipation(laxatives),and diarrhea(loperamide),yielding only a limited therapeutic gain.GASTRAP^(■)DIRECT is a class IIa medical formulation composed of a combination of chitin-glucan and simethicone indicated for the symptomatic treatment of gas-related gastrointestinal disorders by combining different mechanisms of action.AIM To evaluate the efficacy,tolerability,and safety of 4-week GASTRAP^(■)DIRECT treatment in patients with IBS.METHODS In this prospective,multicenter,open-label trial,120 patients with IBS received three sticks of GASTRAP^(■)DIRECT(1.5 g/d of chitin-glucan and 0.75 mg/d of simethicone)per day for 4 weeks.The primary endpoint was the responder rate,defined as the number of patients whose abdominal pain score decreased by≥30%from baseline to week(W)4.The analysis was performed using the per-protocol set.Cardinal symptoms,impact of global symptoms on daily life,change in stool consistency,and improvement in defecatory disorders were evaluated.RESULTS Overall,100 patients were evaluated.At W4,67%(95%CI:57-75)showed improvement in abdominal pain(score:5.8±2.4 vs 2.9±2.0,P<0.0001).Similar improvements were observed for bloating[8.0±1.7 vs 4.7±2.9,P<0.0001;60%(95%CI:50-70)responders],abdominal distension[7.2±2.1 vs 4.4±3.1,P<0.0001;53%(95%CI:43-63)responders],and impact of global symptoms on daily life[7.1±2.0 vs 4.6±2.9,P<0.0001;54%(95%CI:44-64)responders].Stool consistency improved in most patients(90%and 57%for patients with liquid and hard stools,respectively).Overall,42%of patients with defecatory disorders reported very much/considerable improvements by W2.No severe adverse event occurred,and tolerability was rated“good”or“very good”by 93%of patients.CONCLUSION GASTRAP^(■)DIRECT is safe and well tolerated,alleviating IBS symptoms rapidly in 2 weeks.This open-label study suggests that the combination of chitin-glucan and simethicone could be beneficial in patients with IBS.

CONSISTENCY OF MLE OF THE PARAMETER OF EXPONENTIAL LIFETIME DISTRIBUTION FOR RANDOM CENSORING MODEL WITH INCOMPLETE INFORMATION

In this paper, we have discussed a random censoring test with incomplete information, and proved that the maximum likelihood estimator(MLE) of the parameter based on the randomly censored data with incomplete information in the case of the exponential distribution has the strong consistency.

CONSISTENCY OF LS ESTIMATOR IN SIMPLE LINEAR EV REGRESSION MODELS

Consistency of LS estimate of simple linear EV model is studied. It is shown that under some common assumptions of the model, both weak and strong consistency of the estimate are equivalent but it is not so for quadratic-mean consistency.

On consistency of the weighted arithmetical mean complex judgement matrix

The weighted arithmetical mean complex judgement matrix （WAMCJM） is the most common method for aggregating group opinions, but it has a shortcoming, namely the WAMCJM of the perfectly consistent judgement matrices given by experts canot guarantee its perfect consistency. An upper bound of the WAMCJM＇s consistency is presented. Simultaneously, a compatibility index of judging the aggregating extent of group opinions is also introduced. The WAMCJM is of acceptable consistency and is proved provided the compatibilities of all judgement matrices given by experts are smaller than the threshold value of acceptable consistency. These conclusions are important to group decision making.

THE CONSISTENCY AND ASYMPTOTIC NORMALITY OF NEAREST NEIGHBOR DENSITY ESTIMATOR UNDER α-MIXING CONDITION

We investigate the consistency and asymptotic normality of nearest-neighbor density estimator of a sample data process based on α-mixing assumption. We extend the correspondent result under independent identical cases.

Consistency check of degradation mechanism between natural storage and enhancement test for missile servo system

Reliability enhancement testing(RET) is an accelerated testing which hastens the performance degradation process to surface its inherent defects of design and manufacture. It is an important hypothesis that the degradation mechanism of the RET is the same as the one of the normal stress condition. In order to check the consistency of two mechanisms, we conduct two enhancement tests with a missile servo system as an object of the study, and preprocess two sets of test data to establish the accelerated degradation models regarding the temperature change rate that is assumed to be the main applied stress of the servo system during the natural storage. Based on the accelerated degradation models and natural storage profile of the servo system, we provide and demonstrate a procedure to check the consistency of two mechanisms by checking the correlation and difference of two sets of degradation data. The results indicate that the two degradation mechanisms are significantly consistent with each other.

HPLC Fingerprint with Multi-components Analysis for Quality Consistency Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Si-Mo-Tang Oral Liquid Preparation

Si-Mo-Tang（SMT） oral liquid preparation, a traditional Chinese medicine, was prepared from four crude herbal drugs, Fructus Aurantii Submaturus, Radix Aucklandiae, Semen Arecae and Radix Linderae Aggregatae. A combinative method using HPLC fingerprint and quantitative analysis was developed and validated for quality consistency evaluation of SMT. Individual HPLC chromatograms were evaluated against the mean chromatogram generated via a similarity evaluation computer program. Data from chromatographic fingerprints were also processed with principal component analysis（PCA） and hierarchical cluster analysis（HCA）. Additionally, six components （naringin, isonaringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, norisoboldine and potassium sorbate） in SMT were simultaneously determined to interpret the quality consistency. For fingerprint analysis, 20 peaks were selected as the characteristic peaks to evaluate the similarities of 26 SMT collected from different manufacturers. Among the 20 characteristic peaks, 10 peaks were assigned to be naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, isonaringin, neoeriocitrin, tangeretin, nobiletin, norisoboldine, 5-（ethoxymethyl）furan-2-carbaldehyde and potassium sorbate, respectively. The results of similarity analysis, PCA and HCA, indicate that the samples from different manufacturers were consistent with each other in composition. The results from the quantitative data show that the contents of six compounds were significantly different in SMT oral liquid preparations from different manufacturers. The combinative method of chromatographic fingerprint with quantitative analysis developed here offered an efficient way for the quality consistency evaluation of the traditional Chinese medicine SMT.

Research on Key Issues of Consistency Analysis of Vehicle Steering Characteristics

Given the global lack of effective analysis methods for the impact of design parameter tolerance on performance deviation in the vehicle proof-of-concept stage,it is difficult to decompose performance tolerance to design parameter tolerance.This study proposes a set of consistency analysis methods for vehicle steering performance.The process of consistency analysis and control of automotive performance in the conceptual design phase is proposed for the first time.A vehicle dynamics model is constructed,and the multi-objective optimization software Isight is used to optimize the steering performance of the car.Sensitivity analysis is used to optimize the design performance value.The tolerance interval of the performance is obtained by comparing the original car performance value with the optimized value.With the help of layer-by-layer decomposition theory and interval mathematics,automotive performance tolerance has been decomposed into design parameter tolerance.Through simulation and real vehicle experiments,the validity of the consistency analysis and control method presented in this paper are verified.The decomposition from parameter tolerance to performance tolerance can be achieved at the conceptual design stage.

Consistency and Asymptotic Normality of MLE of Parameter Vector in a Randomly Censored GLM with Incomplete Information

The generalized linear model（GLM） based on the observed data with incomplete information in the case of random censorship is defined. Under the given conditions, the existence and uniqueness of the solution on the likelihood equations with respect to the parameter vector β of the model are discussed, and the consistency and asymptotic normality of the maximum likelihood estimator（MLE） βn^-, are proved.

Direct simulation of MHD flows in dual-coolant liquid metal fusion blanket using a consistent and conservative scheme

Direct simulation of 3-D MHD(magnetohydrodynamics) flows in liquid metal fusion blanket with flow channel insert(FCI) has been conducted.Two kinds of pressure equilibrium slot (PES) in FCI,which are used to balance the pressure difference between the inside and outside of FCI,are considered with a slot in Hartmann wall or a slot in side wall,respectively.The velocity and pressure distribution of FCI made of SiC/SiC_f are numerically studied to illustrate the 3-D MHD flow effects,which clearly show that the flows in fusion blanket with FCI are typical three-dimensional issues and the assumption of 2-D fully developed flows is not the real physical problem of the MHD flows in dual-coolant liquid metal fusion blanket.The optimum opening location of PES has been analyzed based on the 3-D pressure and velocity distributions.

Video Inter-Frame Forgery Identification Based on Consistency of Correlation Coefficients of Gray Values

Identifying inter-frame forgery is a hot topic in video forensics. In this paper, we propose a method based on the assumption that the correlation coefficients of gray values is consistent in an original video, while in forgeries the consistency will be destroyed. We first extract the consistency of correlation coefficients of gray values (CCCoGV for short) after normalization and quantization as distinguishing feature to identify interframe forgeries. Then we test the CCCoGV in a large database with the help of SVM (Support Vector Machine). Experimental results show that the proposed method is efficient in classifying original videos and forgeries. Furthermore, the proposed method performs also pretty well in classifying frame insertion and frame deletion forgeries.

Rate of strong consistency of the maximum quasi-likelihood estimator in quasi-likelihood nonlinear models

Quasi-likelihood nonlinear models （QLNM） include generalized linear models as a special case. Under some regularity conditions, the rate of the strong consistency of the maximum quasi-likelihood estimation （MQLE） is obtained in QLNM. In an important case, this rate is O（n-^1/2（loglogn）^1/2）, which is just the rate of LIL of partial sums for i.i.d variables, and thus cannot be improved anymore.

On consistency and ranking of alternatives in uncertain AHP

This paper introduces uncertainty theory to deal with non-deterministic factors in ranking alternatives. The uncertain variable method (UVM) and the definition of consistency for uncertainty comparison matrices are proposed. A simple yet pragmatic approach for testing whether or not an uncertainty comparison matrix is consistent is put forward. In cases where an uncertainty comparison matrix is inconsistent, an algorithm is used to generate consistent matrix. And then the consistent uncertainty comparison matrix can derive the uncertainty weights. The final ranking is given by uncertainty weighs if they are acceptable;otherwise we rely on the ranks of expected values of uncertainty weights instead. Three numerical examples including a hierarchical (AHP) decision problem are examined to illustrate the validity and practicality of the proposed methods.

TWO APPROACHES TO IMPROVING THE CONSISTENCY OF COMPLEMENTARY JUDGEMENT MATRIX

By the transformation relations between complementary judgement matrix and recip- rocal judgement matrix,this paper proposes two methods for improving the consistency of com- plementary judgement matrix and gives two simple practical iterative algorithms.These two al- gorithms are easy to implementon computer,and the modified complementary judgementmatri- ces remain most information that original matrix contains.Thus the methods supplement and develop the theory and methodology for improving consistency of complementary judgement matrix

Dispersion sensitivity analysis&consistency im provement of APFSDS

The purpose of this study is to investigate and quantify some possible sources of dispersion of 120 mm APFSDS tank ammunition both experimentally and numerically.This paper aims to point out the most influential source during In-Bore Balloting Motion phase as well as in External Ballistics phase of the ammunition and quantifies its effect on dispersion.Data obtained from flight trials is critically analysed and parameters affecting dispersion such as initial yaw/pitch rates,yaw/pitch dampening,plane start angle,launch spin,clearance,centre of gravity shift,dynamic imbalance angle,cross wind,etc.are observed and,later on,studied in detail by extensive External Ballistics Monte Carlo(EBMC)simulation and Six Degree of Freedom(6-DOF)trajectory analysis.In Bore Balloting Motion simulation shows that reduction in residual spin by about 5%results in drastic56%reduction in first maximum yaw.A correlation between first maximum yaw and residual spin is observed.Results of data analysis are used in design modification for existing ammunition.Number of designs are evaluated numerically before freezing five designs for further soundings.These designs are critically assessed in terms of their comparative performance during In-bore travel&external ballistics phase.Results are validated by free flight trials for the finalised design.