Intrahepatic portal venous systems in adult patients with cavernous transformation of portal vein: Imaging features and a new classification

Background: Cavernous transformation of the portal vein(CTPV) due to portal vein obstruction is a rare vascular anomaly defined as the formation of multiple collateral vessels in the hepatic hilum. This study aimed to investigate the imaging features of intrahepatic portal vein in adult patients with CTPV and establish the relationship between the manifestations of intrahepatic portal vein and the progression of CTPV. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 14 CTPV patients in Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital. All patients underwent both direct portal venography(DPV) and computed tomography angiography(CTA) to reveal the manifestations of the portal venous system. The vessels measured included the left portal vein(LPV), right portal vein(RPV), main portal vein(MPV) and the portal vein bifurcation(PVB). Results: Nine males and 5 females, with a median age of 40.5 years, were included in the study. No significant difference was found in the diameters of the LPV or RPV measured by DPV and CTA. The visualization in terms of LPV, RPV and PVB measured by DPV was higher than that by CTA. There was a significant association between LPV/RPV and PVB/MPV in term of visibility revealed with DPV( P = 0.01), while this association was not observed with CTA. According to the imaging features of the portal vein measured by DPV, CTPV was classified into three categories to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment. Conclusions: DPV was more accurate than CTA for revealing the course of the intrahepatic portal vein in patients with CTPV. The classification of CTPV, that originated from the imaging features of the portal vein revealed by DPV, may provide a new perspective for the diagnosis and treatment of CTPV.

Estimation of the anisotropy of hydraulic conductivity through 3D fracture networks using the directional geological entropy

With an extension of the geological entropy concept in porous media,the approach called directional entrogram is applied to link hydraulic behavior to the anisotropy of the 3D fracture networks.A metric called directional entropic scale is used to measure the anisotropy of spatial order in different directions.Compared with the traditional connectivity indexes based on the statistics of fracture geometry,the directional entropic scale is capable to quantify the anisotropy of connectivity and hydraulic conductivity in heterogeneous 3D fracture networks.According to the numerical analysis of directional entrogram and fluid flow in a number of the 3D fracture networks,the hydraulic conductivities and entropic scales in different directions both increase with spatial order(i.e.,trace length decreasing and spacing increasing)and are independent of the dip angle.As a result,the nonlinear correlation between the hydraulic conductivities and entropic scales from different directions can be unified as quadratic polynomial function,which can shed light on the anisotropic effect of spatial order and global entropy on the heterogeneous hydraulic behaviors.

Effects of cooling rate on microstructure and microhardness of directionally solidified Galvalume alloy

The influences of cooling rate on the phase constitution,microstructural length scale,and microhardness of directionally solidified Galvalume(Zn-55Al-1.6Si)alloy were investigated by directional solidification experiments at different withdrawal speeds(5,10,20,50,100,200,and 400μm·s^(-1)).The results show that the microstructure of directionally solidified Galvalume alloys is composed of primary Al dendrites,Si-rich phase and(Zn-Al-Si)ternary eutectics at the withdrawal speed ranging from 5 to 400μm·s^(-1).As the withdrawal speed increases,the segregation of Si element intensifies,resulting in an increase in the area fraction of the Si-rich phase.In addition,the primary Al dendrites show significant refinement with an increase in the withdrawal speed.The relationship between the primary dendrite arm spacing(λ_(1))and the thermal parameters of solidification is obtained:λ_(1)=127.3V^(-0.31).Moreover,as the withdrawal speed increases from 5 to 400μm·s^(-1),the microhardness of the alloy increases from 90 HV to 151 HV.This is a combined effect of grain refinement and second-phase strengthening.

Security-Enhanced Directional Modulation Based on Two-Dimensional M-WFRFT

Directional modulation(DM)is one of the most promising secure communication techniques.However,when the eavesdropper is co-located with the legitimate receiver,the conventional DM has the disadvantages of weak anti-scanning capability,anti-deciphering capability,and low secrecy rate.In response to these problems,we propose a twodimensional multi-term weighted fractional Fourier transform aided DM scheme,in which the legitimate receiver and the transmitter use different transform terms and transform orders to encrypt and decrypt the confidential information.In order to further lower the probability of being deciphered by an eavesdropper,we use the subblock partition method to convert the one-dimensional modulated signal vector into a twodimensional signal matrix,increasing the confusion of the useful information.Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed DM scheme not only provides stronger anti-deciphering and anti-scanning capabilities but also improves the secrecy rate performance of the system.

MSD-Net: Pneumonia Classification Model Based on Multi-Scale Directional Feature Enhancement

Computer-aided diagnosis of pneumonia based on deep learning is a research hotspot.However,there are some problems that the features of different sizes and different directions are not sufficient when extracting the features in lung X-ray images.A pneumonia classification model based on multi-scale directional feature enhancement MSD-Net is proposed in this paper.The main innovations are as follows:Firstly,the Multi-scale Residual Feature Extraction Module(MRFEM)is designed to effectively extract multi-scale features.The MRFEM uses dilated convolutions with different expansion rates to increase the receptive field and extract multi-scale features effectively.Secondly,the Multi-scale Directional Feature Perception Module(MDFPM)is designed,which uses a three-branch structure of different sizes convolution to transmit direction feature layer by layer,and focuses on the target region to enhance the feature information.Thirdly,the Axial Compression Former Module(ACFM)is designed to perform global calculations to enhance the perception ability of global features in different directions.To verify the effectiveness of the MSD-Net,comparative experiments and ablation experiments are carried out.In the COVID-19 RADIOGRAPHY DATABASE,the Accuracy,Recall,Precision,F1 Score,and Specificity of MSD-Net are 97.76%,95.57%,95.52%,95.52%,and 98.51%,respectively.In the chest X-ray dataset,the Accuracy,Recall,Precision,F1 Score and Specificity of MSD-Net are 97.78%,95.22%,96.49%,95.58%,and 98.11%,respectively.This model improves the accuracy of lung image recognition effectively and provides an important clinical reference to pneumonia Computer-Aided Diagnosis.

Dynamic Event-Triggered Consensus Control for Input Constrained Multi-Agent Systems With a Designable Minimum Inter-Event Time

This paper investigates the consensus control of multi-agent systems(MASs) with constrained input using the dynamic event-triggered mechanism(ETM).Consider the MASs with small-scale networks where a centralized dynamic ETM with global information of the MASs is first designed.Then,a distributed dynamic ETM which only uses local information is developed for the MASs with large-scale networks.It is shown that the semi-global consensus of the MASs can be achieved by the designed bounded control protocol where the Zeno phenomenon is eliminated by a designable minimum inter-event time.In addition,it is easier to find a trade-off between the convergence rate and the minimum inter-event time by an adjustable parameter.Furthermore,the results are extended to regional consensus of the MASs with the bounded control protocol.Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Research on the longitudinal protection of a through-type cophase traction direct power supply system based on the empirical wavelet transform

This paper proposes a longitudinal protection scheme utilizing empirical wavelet transform(EWT)for a through-type cophase traction direct power supply system,where both sides of a traction network line exhibit a distinctive boundary structure.This approach capitalizes on the boundary’s capacity to attenuate the high-frequency component of fault signals,resulting in a variation in the high-frequency transient energy ratio when faults occur inside or outside the line.During internal line faults,the high-frequency transient energy at the checkpoints located at both ends surpasses that of its neighboring lines.Conversely,for faults external to the line,the energy is lower compared to adjacent lines.EWT is employed to decompose the collected fault current signals,allowing access to the high-frequency transient energy.The longitudinal protection for the traction network line is established based on disparities between both ends of the traction network line and the high-frequency transient energy on either side of the boundary.Moreover,simulation verification through experimental results demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed protection scheme across various initial fault angles,distances to faults,and fault transition resistances.

Radial solution of the Logarithmic Laplacian system

The paper generalizes the direct method of moving planes to the Logarithmic Laplacian system.Firstly,some key ingredients of the method are discussed,for example,Narrow region principle and Decay at infinity.Then,the radial symmetry of the solution of the Logarithmic Laplacian system is obtained.

Research and exploration of direct current power supply and distribution systems for Antarctic research stations

The power supply and distribution systems for Antarctic research stations have special characteristics.In light of a worldwide trend toward a gradual increase in the application of renewable energy,an analysis was performed to assess the feasibility of achieving a direct current power supply and distribution at Antarctic research stations by comparing the characteristics of direct current and alternating current electricity.Research was also performed on the status quo and future trends in direct current power supply and distribution systems in Antarctica research stations in combination with case studies.

Community Perception of Riparian Corridors Ecosystem Services and Implications for Environmental Education in Upper Oueme Catchment in Benin, West Africa

The assessment of the local community perception of the value of riparian corridors is relevant to understand their attitude towards the conservation of such ecosystem. We conducted a semi-structured survey on the perception and importance attributed to the ecosystem services (ESs) provided by riparian corridors in 368 households across 70 villages located in a buffer zone of 5 km of servitude around the permanent rivers of the Upper Oueme watershed in Benin. We found that local communities easily reported provisioning and cultural ESs than regulating and supporting ones, indicating their misunderstanding of the main role of riparian corridor. Moreover, the supply of cropping areas was perceived as the most important ES. Educated respondents and high-income households had more knowledge of regulating ESs and supporting ESs, respectively. Overall, the highly perceived importance of the provision of cropping areas indicates a potential risk of agricultural encroachment of riparian corridors. We suggest the consideration of the current local perception of riparian corridor’s role in designing a sound environmental education aiming at the change of local population’s perception. This perception shift will promote a sustainable management of the riparian corridors.

Unleashing the Potential of Unidirectional Mechanical Materials: Breakthroughs and Promising Applications

The emergence of mechanically one-way materials presents an exciting opportunity for materials science and engineering. These substances exhibit unique nonreciprocal mechanical responses, enabling them to selectively channel mechanical energy and facilitate directed sound propagation, controlled mass transport, and concentration of mechanical energy amidst random motion. This article explores the fundamentals of mechanically one-way materials, their potential applications across various industries, and the economic and environmental considerations related to their production and use.

Bioinspired All‑Fibrous Directional Moisture‑Wicking Electronic Skins for Biomechanical Energy Harvesting and All‑Range Health Sensing

Electronic skins can monitor minute physiological signal variations in the human skins and represent the body’s state,showing an emerging trend for alternative medical diagnostics and human-machine interfaces.In this study,we designed a bioinspired directional moisture-wicking electronic skin(DMWES)based on the construction of heterogeneous fibrous membranes and the conductive MXene/CNTs electrospraying layer.Unidirectional moisture transfer was successfully realized by surface energy gradient and push-pull effect via the design of distinct hydrophobic-hydrophilic difference,which can spontaneously absorb sweat from the skin.The DMWES membrane showed excellent comprehensive pressure sensing performance,high sensitivity(maximum sensitivity of 548.09 kPa^(−1)),wide linear range,rapid response and recovery time.In addition,the single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator based on the DMWES can deliver a high areal power density of 21.6μW m^(−2) and good cycling stability in high pressure energy harvesting.Moreover,the superior pressure sensing and triboelectric performance enabled the DMWES for all-range healthcare sensing,including accurate pulse monitoring,voice recognition,and gait recognition.This work will help to boost the development of the next-generation breathable electronic skins in the applications of AI,human-machine interaction,and soft robots.

Robust Consensus Tracking Control of Uncertain Multi-Agent Systems With Local Disturbance Rejection

In this paper,a new distributed consensus tracking protocol incorporating local disturbance rejection is devised for a multi-agent system with heterogeneous dynamic uncertainties and disturbances over a directed graph.It is of two-degree-of-freedom nature.Specifically,a robust distributed controller is designed for consensus tracking,while a local disturbance estimator is designed for each agent without requiring the input channel information of disturbances.The condition for asymptotic disturbance rejection is derived.Moreover,even when the disturbance model is not exactly known,the developed method also provides good disturbance-rejection performance.Then,a robust stabilization condition with less conservativeness is derived for the whole multi-agent system.Further,a design algorithm is given.Finally,comparisons with the conventional one-degree-of-freedombased distributed disturbance-rejection method for mismatched disturbances and the distributed extended-state observer for matched disturbances validate the developed method.

How Generative Adversarial Networks Promote the Development of Intelligent Transportation Systems:A Survey

In current years,the improvement of deep learning has brought about tremendous changes:As a type of unsupervised deep learning algorithm,generative adversarial networks(GANs)have been widely employed in various fields including transportation.This paper reviews the development of GANs and their applications in the transportation domain.Specifically,many adopted GAN variants for autonomous driving are classified and demonstrated according to data generation,video trajectory prediction,and security of detection.To introduce GANs to traffic research,this review summarizes the related techniques for spatio-temporal,sparse data completion,and time-series data evaluation.GAN-based traffic anomaly inspections such as infrastructure detection and status monitoring are also assessed.Moreover,to promote further development of GANs in intelligent transportation systems(ITSs),challenges and noteworthy research directions on this topic are provided.In general,this survey summarizes 130 GAN-related references and provides comprehensive knowledge for scholars who desire to adopt GANs in their scientific works,especially transportation-related tasks.

In Situ Directional Polymerization of Poly(1,3-dioxolane)Solid Electrolyte Induced by Cellulose Paper-Based Composite Separator for Lithium Metal Batteries

In traditional in situ polymerization preparation for solid-state electrolytes,initiators are directly added to the liquid precursor.In this article,a novel cellulose paper-based composite separator is fabricated,which employs alumina as the inorganic reinforcing material and is loaded with polymerization initiator aluminum trifluoromethanesulfonate.Based upon this,a separator-induced in situ directional polymerization technique is demonstrated,and the extra addition of initiators into liquid precursors is no longer required.The polymerization starts from the surface and interior of the separator and extends outward with the gradually dissolving of initiators into the precursor.Compared with its traditional counterpart,the separator-induced poly(1,3-dioxolane)electrolyte shows improved interfacial contact as well as appropriately mitigated polymerization rate,which are conducive to practical applications.Electrochemical measurement results show that the prepared poly(1,3-dioxolane)solid electrolyte possesses an oxidation potential up to 4.4 V and a high Li+transference number of 0.72.After 1000 cycles at 2 C rate(340 mA g^(−1)),the assembled Li||LiFePO_(4)solid battery possesses a 106.8 mAh g^(−1)discharge capacity retention and 83.5%capacity retention ratio,with high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.5%achieved.Our work may provide new ideas for the design and application of in situ polymerization technique for solid electrolytes and solid batteries.

The corrosion characteristics and mechanism of directionally solidified Mg-3Zn-xCa alloys

An investigation into the corrosion characteristics and mechanism of directionally solidified(DSed) Mg-3Zn-xCa(x = 0, 0.2, 0.5,0.8 wt.%) alloys in 0.9 wt.% Na Cl solution is presented. The DSed microstructure consists of columnar dendrites and eutectics distributed in the interdendritic region. The primary dendritic arm spacing(PDAS) and the volume fraction(fv) of the secondary phases are under the significant impact of the content of Ca. The corrosion rates evaluated using electrochemical measurements and immersion tests are accelerated monotonously with the increase of Ca content in DSed alloys. The corrosion resistance of the DSed alloys is significantly affected by the corrosion products film(CPF) and the secondary phases. The corrosion products of DSed Mg-3Zn alloy contain Mg(OH)_(2) and ZnO. The existence of ZnO greatly enhances the corrosion resistance of DSed Mg-3Zn alloy. As for the DSed alloys containing Ca content, a relatively protective CPF without deep pits can form on the surface of DSed Mg-3Zn-0.2Ca specimen during the corrosion. The f_(v)of the secondary phases dominates the corrosion rate of the DSed Mg-Zn-Ca alloys. The corrosion of DSed Mg-3Zn-xCa alloys initiates as a result of microgalvanic coupling between the cathodes of secondary phases and α-Mg matrix anode. Then, the corrosion gradually extends longitudinally with the breakdown of CPF.

Investigation on the multi-hole directional coupler for power measurement of the J-TEXT ECRH system

Power measurement is necessary for an electron cyclotron resonance heating(ECRH)system.The directional coupler method has been put forward to monitor high-power microwave from gyrotrons in real time.A multi-hole directional coupler has been designed and manufactured for the 105 GHz/500 kW ECRH system on the J-TEXT tokamak.During the design process,we established the relationships between hole parameters and coupling characteristics based on the multi-hole coupling method and small-hole coupling theory.High-power tests have been carried out.The results indicated the reasonability of the theoretical design and practicality of the fabricated directional coupler.Sources of test errors have been discussed in detail,and the influences of spurious modes on the directional couplers have been emphatically analyzed.

RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT OF STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS BASED ON DIRECTIONAL VECTOR SIMULATION TECHNIQUE

The new improved directional vector simulation method foranalyzing the reliability of struc- tural systems failure probabilityis researched. This paper also points out the defects of generaldirectional vector simulation, and gives rise to a new higheraccuracy approximate integral formula of structural systems failureprobability. A new geometric meaning of characteristic function isobtained. A new simple method of generating uniformly distributedrandom vector sample sin n-dimensional unit hyper-spherical surfaceis put forward and strictly proved. This method is easy to put intopractice. Numerical examples are given to show the applicability andeffectiveness of the suggested approach to structural systemsreliability problems.

Practical prescribed-time tracking control for uncertain strict-feedback systems with guaranteed performance under unknown control directions

In this paper,we consider the practical prescribed-time performance guaranteed tracking control problem for a class of uncertain strict-feedback systems subject to unknown control direction.Due to the existence of unknown nonlinearities and uncertainties,it is challenging to design a controller that can ensure the stability of closed-loop system within a predetermined finite time while maintaining the specified transient performance.The underlying problem becomes further complex as the control directions are unknown.To deal with the above problems,a special translation function as well as Nussbaum type function are introduced in the prescribed performance control(PPC)framework.Finally,a PPC as well as preset finite time tracking control scheme is designed,and its effectiveness is confirmed by both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation.

On establishment of novel constitutive model for directionally solidified nickel-based superalloys utilizing machine learning methods

To enhance the accuracy of mechanical simulation in the directional solidification process of turbine blades for heavy-duty gas turbines,a new constitutive model that employs machine learning methods was developed.This model incorporates incremental learning and transfer learning,thus improves the predictive accuracy and generalization performance.To account for the anisotropy of the directionally solidified alloy,a deformation direction parameter is added to the model,enabling prediction of the stress-strain relationship of the alloy under different deformation directions.The predictive capabilities of both models are evaluated using correlation coefficient(R),average relative error(δ),and value of relative error(RE).Compared to the traditional model,the machine learning constitutive model achieves higher prediction accuracy and better generalization performance.This offers a new approach for the establishment of flow constitutive models for other directionally solidified and single-crystal superalloys.