The Launching Ceremony of the Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity Donation Activity"Care for the Future"Held in Yangon

The launching ceremony of the Silk Road Peopleto-People"Connectivity donation activity"Care for the Future was jointly held by China Foundation for Peace and Development and the Myanmar-Chinese Cooperation&Communication Centre in Yangon on January 16.The Yangjin Middle School in Yangon Province of Myanmar received football,volleyball,badminton,notebooks,LED lights and other school utensils and sporting goods.

"Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity"China-Myanmar Friendly Cultural and Educational Exchanges Held inYangon

On January 1Oth,at the invitation of the Yangon University of Foreign Languages for its Cultural Exchanges Week,the China Foundation for Peace and Development and the Myanmar Chinese Cooperation&Communication Centre,jointly organised the"Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity"China-Myanmar Friendly Cultural and Educational Exchange activity.U Soe Thein,Chief Minister of Yangon Province,Zaw Myint,Deputy Minister of Education of Myanmar,and Kyi Shwin,President of Yangon University of Foreign Languages,attended the activity and delivered speeches.

Ensuring Secure Platooning of Constrained Intelligent and Connected Vehicles Against Byzantine Attacks:A Distributed MPC Framework

This study investigates resilient platoon control for constrained intelligent and connected vehicles(ICVs)against F-local Byzantine attacks.We introduce a resilient distributed model-predictive platooning control framework for such ICVs.This framework seamlessly integrates the predesigned optimal control with distributed model predictive control(DMPC)optimization and introduces a unique distributed attack detector to ensure the reliability of the transmitted information among vehicles.Notably,our strategy uses previously broadcasted information and a specialized convex set,termed the“resilience set”,to identify unreliable data.This approach significantly eases graph robustness prerequisites,requiring only an(F+1)-robust graph,in contrast to the established mean sequence reduced algorithms,which require a minimum(2F+1)-robust graph.Additionally,we introduce a verification algorithm to restore trust in vehicles under minor attacks,further reducing communication network robustness.Our analysis demonstrates the recursive feasibility of the DMPC optimization.Furthermore,the proposed method achieves exceptional control performance by minimizing the discrepancies between the DMPC control inputs and predesigned platoon control inputs,while ensuring constraint compliance and cybersecurity.Simulation results verify the effectiveness of our theoretical findings.

Call for Papers——Feature Topic Vol.22,No.3,2025 Special Issue of China Communications:Convergence of 6G empowered Edge Intelligence and Generative AI:Theories,Algorithms,and Applications

Generative artificial intelligence(AI),as an emerging paradigm in content generation,has demonstrated its great potentials in creating high-fidelity data including images,texts,and videos.Nowadays wireless networks and applications have been rapidly evolving from achieving“connected things”to embracing“connected intelligence”.Generative AI has been recognized as a fundamentally innovative technology to drive the advancement of intelligent wireless communications and networks.

Single crystal growth and transport properties of narrow-bandgap semiconductor RhP_(2)

We report the growth of high-quality single crystals of RhP_(2),and systematically study its structure and physical properties by transport,magnetism,and heat capacity measurements.Single-crystal x-ray diffraction reveals that RhP_(2) adopts a monoclinic structure with the cell parameters a=5.7347(10)A,b=5.7804(11)A,and c=5.8222(11)A,space group P2_(1)/c(No.14).The electrical resistivityρ(T)measurements indicate that RhP_(2) exhibits narrow-bandgap behavior with the activation energies of 223.1 meV and 27.4 meV for two distinct regions,respectively.The temperaturedependent Hall effect measurements show electron domain transport behavior with a low charge carrier concentration.We find that RhP_(2) has a high mobilityμ_(e)~210 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1)with carrier concentrations n_(e)~3.3×10^(18)cm^(3) at 300 K with a narrow-bandgap feature.The high mobilityμ_(e) reaches the maximum of approximately 340 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1)with carrier concentrations n_^(e)~2×10^(18)cm^(-3)at 100 K.No magnetic phase transitions are observed from the susceptibilityχ(T)and specific heat C_(p)(T)measurements of RhP_(2).Our results not only provide effective potential as a material platform for studying exotic physical properties and electron band structures but also motivate further exploration of their potential photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications.

Structural and functional connectivity of the whole brain and subnetworks in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury:predictors of patient prognosis

Patients with mild traumatic brain injury have a diverse clinical presentation,and the underlying pathophysiology remains poorly understood.Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive technique that has been widely utilized to investigate neuro biological markers after mild traumatic brain injury.This approach has emerged as a promising tool for investigating the pathogenesis of mild traumatic brain injury.G raph theory is a quantitative method of analyzing complex networks that has been widely used to study changes in brain structure and function.However,most previous mild traumatic brain injury studies using graph theory have focused on specific populations,with limited exploration of simultaneous abnormalities in structural and functional connectivity.Given that mild traumatic brain injury is the most common type of traumatic brain injury encounte red in clinical practice,further investigation of the patient characteristics and evolution of structural and functional connectivity is critical.In the present study,we explored whether abnormal structural and functional connectivity in the acute phase could serve as indicators of longitudinal changes in imaging data and cognitive function in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.In this longitudinal study,we enrolled 46 patients with mild traumatic brain injury who were assessed within 2 wee ks of injury,as well as 36 healthy controls.Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging data were acquired for graph theoretical network analysis.In the acute phase,patients with mild traumatic brain injury demonstrated reduced structural connectivity in the dorsal attention network.More than 3 months of followup data revealed signs of recovery in structural and functional connectivity,as well as cognitive function,in 22 out of the 46 patients.Furthermore,better cognitive function was associated with more efficient networks.Finally,our data indicated that small-worldness in the acute stage could serve as a predictor of longitudinal changes in connectivity in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.These findings highlight the importance of integrating structural and functional connectivity in unde rstanding the occurrence and evolution of mild traumatic brain injury.Additionally,exploratory analysis based on subnetworks could serve a predictive function in the prognosis of patients with mild traumatic brain injury.

Insights into the dwarfing mechanism of pear(Pyrus betulaefolia) based on anatomical and structural analysis using X-ray scanning

The lack of a suitable rootstock to control scion growth has limited the development of high-density plantations in pear production, which is partly attributed to poor understanding of the dwarfing mechanism. In the present study, the rootstock of the dwarf-type pear (Pyrus betulaefolia)PY-9’ was identified and used as the material for anatomical analysis.PY-9’ grew to half the tree height of the normal cultivar Zhengdu’, along with fewer internodes and shorter length. Significant differences in growth rate betweenPY-9’ andZhengdu’ were detected at approximately 30 days after full bloom, which corresponded with the time of the greatest difference in water potential between the dwarf and normal cultivar.PY-9’ showed a higher photosynthetic rate thanZhengdu’. Anatomical analysis showed thatPY-9’ had higher area ratios of both phloem and xylem and more developed vascular tissues thanZhengdu’. The three-dimensional reconstructed skeleton of the xylem from X-ray computed tomography scanning revealed greater intervessel connectivity inZhengdu’ than inPY-9’, which could contribute to the more vigorous growth ofZhengdu’. This study thus provides the first comparison of the microstructural properties of xylem elements between a dwarfing-type and vigorous-type pear rootstock, providing new insights into the dwarfing mechanism in pear and facilitating breeding of dwarf pear rootstocks to increase crop productivity.

Exploring the impact of high density planting system and deficit irrigation in cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.):a comprehensive review

Lessons learned from past experiences push for an alternate way of crop production.In India,adopting high density planting system(HDPS)to boost cotton yield is becoming a growing trend.HDPS has recently been considered a replacement for the current Indian production system.It is also suitable for mechanical harvesting,which reducing labour costs,increasing input use efficiency,timely harvesting timely,maintaining cotton quality,and offering the potential to increase productivity and profitability.This technology has become widespread in globally cotton growing regions.Water management is critical for the success of high density cotton planting.Due to the problem of freshwater availability,more crops should be produced per drop of water.In the high-density planting system,optimum water application is essential to control excessive vegetative growth and improve the translocation of photoassimilates to reproductive organs.Deficit irrigation is a tool to save water without compromising yield.At the same time,it consumes less water than the normal evapotranspiration of crops.This review comprehensively documents the importance of growing cotton under a high-density planting system with deficit irrigation.Based on the current research and combined with cotton production reality,this review discusses the application and future development of deficit irrigation,which may provide theoretical guidance for the sustainable advancement of cotton planting systems.

Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with different connection configurations

Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with three different structural systems,including rigid system(RS),floating system(FS),and passive energy dissipation system(PEDS),is conducted to study the effects of connection configurations on seismic responses and fragilities.Finite element models of bridges are established using OpenSees.A new ground motion screening method based on the statistical characteristic of the predominant period is proposed to avoid irregular behavior in the selection process of ground motions,and incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)is performed to develop components and systems fragility curves.The effects of damper failure on calculated results for PEDS are examined in terms of seismic response and fragility analysis.The results show that the bridge tower is the most affected component by different structural systems.For RS,the fragility of the middle tower is significantly higher than other components,and the bridge failure starts from the middle tower,exhibiting a characteristic of local failure.For FS and PEDS,the fragility of the edge tower is higher than the middle tower.The system fragility of RS is higher than FS and PEDS.Taking the failure of dampers into account is necessary to obtain reliable seismic capacity of cable-stayed bridges.

MSADCN:Multi-Scale Attentional Densely Connected Network for Automated Bone Age Assessment

Bone age assessment(BAA)helps doctors determine how a child’s bones grow and develop in clinical medicine.Traditional BAA methods rely on clinician expertise,leading to time-consuming predictions and inaccurate results.Most deep learning-based BAA methods feed the extracted critical points of images into the network by providing additional annotations.This operation is costly and subjective.To address these problems,we propose a multi-scale attentional densely connected network(MSADCN)in this paper.MSADCN constructs a multi-scale dense connectivity mechanism,which can avoid overfitting,obtain the local features effectively and prevent gradient vanishing even in limited training data.First,MSADCN designs multi-scale structures in the densely connected network to extract fine-grained features at different scales.Then,coordinate attention is embedded to focus on critical features and automatically locate the regions of interest(ROI)without additional annotation.In addition,to improve the model’s generalization,transfer learning is applied to train the proposed MSADCN on the public dataset IMDB-WIKI,and the obtained pre-trained weights are loaded onto the Radiological Society of North America(RSNA)dataset.Finally,label distribution learning(LDL)and expectation regression techniques are introduced into our model to exploit the correlation between hand bone images of different ages,which can obtain stable age estimates.Extensive experiments confirm that our model can converge more efficiently and obtain a mean absolute error(MAE)of 4.64 months,outperforming some state-of-the-art BAA methods.

"Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity"Care for the Future Donation Ceremony Held in Nay Pyi Taw,Myanmar

On April 1Oth,“Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity”Care for the Future Activity and a donation ceremony of school sports goods were held at China-Myanmar Friendship School,Basic Education High School(BEHS)No.14,in Nay Pyi Taw,Myanmar.

The First Overseas Cooperation Station of Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity Unveiled in Budapest,Hungary

On May 2nd,the Thematic Forum on China-Hungary Belt and Road Pragmatic Cooperation was held in Budapest,the capital of Hungary,during which,the China-Hungary Cooperation Station of Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity was officially launched.This is the first overseas station under the Action on Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity.It will surely provide important support to the achievement of more fruitful results in people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Profile of Autoantibodies and Clinical Symptoms in Guinean Patients with Connective Tissue Diseases

Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) are Autoimmune diseases (AIDs) characterized by the appearance of autoantibodies, which are diagnostic markers. Investigations of these autoantibodies play a major role in the management of several autoimmune diseases. The objective of this study was to describe the profile of anti-ENA antibodies according to the clinical symptoms of mixed CTDs in Conakry teaching Hospital. We performed a cross-sectional study during six months. A total of 20 patients was recruited and we measured antibodies using the ELISA technique. The mean age of our patients was 36.5 years, with a predominance of females. Cutaneous and rheumatological signs were the main clinical manifestations. SLP was the most frequent CTDs;the threshold of ENA antibodies positivity was higher in scleroderma with and SLP. Anti-ENA identification reveals the frequency of anti-SSA (83.33%), anti-U1RNP (66.66%) and anti-histone (50%) antibodies. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) react with various components of the cell nucleus. Their detection is of major interest in the diagnosis of CTDs. Our results highlight the importance of determining the specificity of these antibodies to guide differential diagnosis.

"Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity"China-Cambodia Donation Activity Held in Phnom Penh

On March 26th,the"Silk Road People-to-People Connectivity"China-Cambodia Donation Activity was held at Indradevi High School in Phnom Penh,Cambodia.Lv Xuejun,President and Chief Editor of the Contemporary World,Pay Sambo,Secretary General of Cambodia Civil Society Association Forum,Wu Chuanbing,Councilor of Chinese Embassy in Cambodia,Hu Jianguang,Deputy Director of the Education Committee of Haidian District of Beijing,Liu Zhanguo,Director of China Foundation for Peace and Development(CFPD)Cambodia Office,Soung Houth,President of National Union Alliance Chamber of Cambodia(NACC),Neak Sothea,President of Indradevi High School and other participants attended the event.

Application of Connected Truck Data to Evaluate Spatiotemporal Impact of Rest Area Closures on Ramp Parking

Ensuring adequate access to truck parking is critical to the safe and efficient movement of freight traffic. There are strict federal guidelines for commercial truck driver rest periods. Rest areas and private truck stops are the only places for the trucks to stop legally and safely. In locations without sufficient parking areas, trucks often park on interstate ramps, which create safety risks for other interstate motorists. Historically, agencies have employed costly and time intensive manual counting methods, camera surveillance, and driver surveys to assess truck parking. Connected truck data, available in near real-time, offers an efficient alternative to practitioners to assess truck parking patterns and identify areas where there may be insufficient safe parking spaces. This paper presents a case study of interstate I-70 in east central Indiana and documents the observed spatiotemporal impacts of a rest area closure on truck parking on nearby interstate ramps. Results showed that there was a 28% increase in parking on ramps during the rest area closure. Analysis also found that ramps closest to the rest area were most impacted by the closure, seeing a rise in truck parking sessions as high as 2.7 times. Parking duration on the ramps during rest area closure also increased drastically. Although it was expected that this would result in increased parking by trucks on adjacent ramps, this before, during, after scenario provided an ideal scenario to evaluate the robustness of these techniques to assess changing parking characteristics of long-haul commercial trucks. The data analytics and visualization tools presented in this study are scalable nationwide and will aid stakeholders in informed data-driven decision making when allocating resources towards improving the nations commercial vehicle parking infrastructure.

Brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia: a resting functional magnetic resonance imaging study based on voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity

AIM:To explore the brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia using the voxelmirror homotopic connectivity(VMHC)analysis method of resting functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)technology based on clinical effectiveness.METHODS:Eighty children with anisometropic monocular amblyopia were randomly divided into two groups:control(40 cases,1 case of shedding)and acupuncture(40 cases,1 case of shedding)groups.The control group was treated with glasses,red flash,grating,and visual stimulations,with each procedure conducted for 5min per time.Based on routine treatment,the acupuncture group underwent acupuncture of“regulating qi and unblocking meridians to bright eyes”,Jingming(BL1),Cuanzhu(BL2),Guangming(GB37),Fengchi(GB20)acupoints were taken on both sides,with the needle kept for 30min each time.Both groups were treated once every other day,three times per week,for a total of 4wk.After the treatment,the overall curative effect of the two groups and the latency and amplitude changes of P100 wave of pattern visual-evoked potential were counted.At the same time,nine children with left eye amblyopia were randomly selected from the two groups and were scanned with rsfMRI before and after treatment.The differences in the brain regions between the two groups were compared and analyzed with VMHC.RESULTS:Chi-square test showed a notable difference in the total efficiency rate between the acupuncture(94.87%)and control groups(79.49%).Regarding the P100 wave latency and amplitude,the acupuncture group had significantly shorter latency and higher amplitude of P100 wave than the control group.Moreover,the VMHC values of the bilateral temporal lobe,superior temporal gyrus,and middle temporal gyrus were notably increased in the acupuncture group after treatment.CONCLUSION:Acupuncture combined with conventional treatment can significantly improve the corrected visual acuity and optic nerve conduction in children with anisometropic amblyopia.Compared with the conventional treatment,the regulation of acupuncture on the functional activities of the relevant brain areas in the anterior cerebellum may be an effective acupuncture mechanism for anisometropic amblyopia.

Vascular endothelial growth factor/connective tissue growth factor and proteomic analysis of aqueous humor after intravitreal conbercept for proliferative diabetes retinopathy

AIM:To investigate the role of connective tissue growth factor(CTGF)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in the protein profile of the aqueous humor in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)following intravitreal injection of conbercept.METHODS:This study included 72 PDR patients and 8 cataract patients as controls.PDR patients were divided into 3 groups according to the intervals of 3,5,and 7d between intravitreal conbercept(IVC,0.5 mg/0.05 mL)injection and pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)performed.Aqueous humor samples were collected before and after IVC and PPV for VEGF and CTGF levels detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The differential proteomics of 10 patients who underwent PPV surgery 5d after IVC and 8 normal controls was studied,Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)analysis were performed on the data,and the protein interaction network of 23 differential proteins was studied.RESULTS:Post-IVC,VEGF levels decreased and CTGF levels increased significantly in aqueous humor,with the CTGF/VEGF ratio rising significantly at all intervals.Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)identified differentially expressed proteins between preand post-IVC samples.GO and KEGG analyses revealed involvement in immune response,stress response,complement and coagulation cascades,ferroptosis,and PPAR signaling pathways.PPI analysis highlighted key proteins like APOA1,C3,and transferrin(TF).ELISA assay confirmed the differential expression of proteins such as HBA1,SERPINA1,COL1A1,and ACTB,with significant changes in the IVC groups.CONCLUSION:The study demonstrates that IVC effectively reduces VEGF levels while increasing CTGF levels,thereby modifying the CTGF/VEGF ratio,and IVC significantly alters the protein profile in the aqueous humor of patients with PDR.Proteomic analysis reveals that these changes are associated with critical biological pathways and protein interactions involved in immune response,stress response,and cellular metabolism.

China's GCI to Shape Harmonious World by Connecting Cultures,Says Former Pakistani Minister

The China-proposed Global Civilisation Initiative(GCl)holds immense potential to shape a harmonious world through cultural connectivity,greater cooperation and mutual respect among nations,a former Pakistani Minister said.Cultural connectivity encourages inclusive coexistence and deters aggression by promoting mutual respect and understanding.By advocating these values,the GCl has inspired a new era of unity,understanding and peaceful coexistence on a global scale,Syed Jamal Shah,former Pakistan Minister for National Heritage and Culture,told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Multiscale Characteristics and Connection Mechanisms of Attraction Networks:A Trajectory Data Mining Approach Leveraging Geotagged Data

Urban tourism is considered a complex system,and multiscale exploration of the organizational patterns of attraction networks has become a topical issue in urban tourism,so exploring the multiscale characteristics and connection mechanisms of attraction networks is important for understanding the linkages between attractions and even the future destination planning.This paper uses geotagging data to compare the links between attractions in Beijing,China during four different periods:the pre-Olympic period(2004–2007),the Olympic Games and subsequent‘heat period’(2008–2013),the post-Olympic period(2014–2019),and the COVID-19(Corona Virus Disease 2019)pandemic period(2020–2021).The aim is to better understand the evolution and patterns of attraction networks at different scales in Beijing and to provide insights for tourism planning in the destination.The results show that the macro,meso-,and microscales network characteristics of attraction networks have inherent logical relationships that can explain the commonalities and differences in the development process of tourism networks.The macroscale attraction network degree Matthew effect is significant in the four different periods and exhibits a morphological monocentric structure,suggesting that new entrants are more likely to be associated with attractions that already have high value.The mesoscale links attractions according to the common purpose of tourists,and the results of the community segmentation of the attraction networks in the four different periods suggest that the functional polycentric structure describes their clustering effect,and the weak links between clusters result from attractions bound by incomplete information and distance,and the functional polycentric structure with a generally more efficient network of clusters.The pattern structure at the microscale reveals the topological transformation relationship of the regional collaboration pattern,and the attraction network structure in the four different periods has a very similar importance profile structure suggesting that the attraction network has the same construction rules and evolution mechanism,which aids in understanding the attraction network pattern at both macro and micro scales.Important approaches and practical implications for planners and managers are presented.

Cost Optimization of Steel Beam-to-Column Connections using AVOA

The joint-bolt-African Vulture optimization algorithm(AVOA)model is proposed for the design of building connections to improve the stability of steel beam-to-column connections.For this algorithm,the type of steel is first determined,and the number of bolts needed by the corresponding steel type is referenced in Eurocode 3.Then,the bearing capacity of the joint can be calculated.The joint-bolt-AVOA model is established by substituting the bolt number required by the steel into the algorithm to obtain the optimal bolt number required while ensuring joint stability.The results show that the number of bolts required by the joint-bolt-AVOA model based on the stability of steel is lower than that calculated by Eurocode 3.Therefore,AVOA can effectively optimize the number of bolts needed in building connections and save resources.