The application of geostatistics in grain size trend analysis： A case study of eastern Beibu Gulf

There are 71 surface sediment samples collected from the eastern Beibu Gulf. The moment parameters （i.e. mean size, sorting and skewness） were obtained after applying grain size analysis. The geostatistical analysis was then applied to study the spatial autocorrelation for these parameters; while range, a parameter in the semivariogram that meters the scale of spatial autocorrelation, was estimated. The results indicated that the range for sorting coefficient was physically meaningful. The trend vectors calculated from grain size trend analysis model were consistent with the annual ocean circulation patterns and sediment transport rates according to previous studies. Therefore the range derived from the semivariogram of mean size can be used as the characteristic distance in the grain size trend analysis, which may remove the bias caused by the traditional way of basing on experiences or testing methods to get the characteristic distance. Hence the results from geostatistical analysis can also offer useful information for the determination of sediment sampling density in the future field work.

Semen analysis： a new manual and its application to the understanding of semen and its pathology

This article reviews the latest edition of the World Health Organization＇s manual on seme instructional guide. The methodology used in the assessment of the usual variables in semen many of the less common, but very valuable, sperm function tests. Seminal fluid preparatio such as in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination are also outlined in the manual. useful techniques for the assessment of seminal fluid. It will be a very useful manual for an analyses of seminal fluid.

Practical semen analysis： from A to Z

Accurate semen analysis is critical for decisions about patient care, as well as for studies addressing overall changes in semen quality, contraceptive efficacy and effects of toxicant exposure. The standardization of semen analysis is very difficult for many reasons, including the use of subjective techniques with no standards for comparison, poor technician training, problems with proficiency testing and a reluctance to change techniques. The World Health Organization （WHO） Semen handbook （2010） offers a vastly improved set of standardized procedures, all at a level of detail that will preclude most misinterpretations. However, there is a limit to what can be learned from words and pictures alone. A WHO- produced DVD that offers complete demonstrations of each technique along with quality assurance standards for motility, morphology and concentration assessments would enhance the effectiveness of the manual. However, neither the manual nor a DVD will help unless there is general acknowledgement of the critical need to standardize techniques and rigorously pursue quality control to ensure that laboratories actually perform techniques ＇according to WHO＇ instead of merely reporting that they have done so. Unless improvements are made, patient results will continue to be compromised and comparison between studies and laboratories will have limited merit.

Emerging Trends for Microbiome Analysis： From Single-Cell Functional Imaging to Microbiome Big Data

Method development has always been and will continue to be a core driving force of microbiome science, In this perspective, we argue that in the next decade, method development in microbiome analysis will be driven by three key changes in both ways of thinking and technological platforms： ① a shift from dissecting microbiota structure by sequencing to tracking microbiota state, function, and intercellular interaction via imaging; ② a shift from interrogating a consortium or population of cells to probing individual cells; and ③a shift from microbiome data analysis to microbiome data science. Some of the recent methoddevelopment efforts by Chinese microbiome scientists and their international collaborators that underlie these technological trends are highlighted here. It is our belief that the China Microbiome Initiative has the opportunity to deliver outstanding ＂Made-in-China＂ tools to the international research community, by building an ambitious, competitive, and collaborative program at the forefront of method development for microbiome science.

Mathematical Modeling in Social Network Analysis： Using TOPSIS to Find Node Influences in a Social Network

In a social network analysis the output provided includes many measures and metrics. For each of these measures and metric, the output provides the ability to obtain a rank ordering of the nodes in terms of these measures. We might use this information in decision making concerning disrupting or deceiving a given network. All is fine when all the measures indicate the same node as the key or influential node. What happens when the measures indicate different key nodes？ Our goal in this paper is to explore two methodologies to identify the key players or nodes in a given network. We apply TOPSIS to analyze these outputs to find the most influential nodes as a function of the decision makers＇ inputs as a process to consider both subjective and objectives inputs through pairwise comparison matrices. We illustrate our results using two common networks from the literature： the Kite network and the Information flow network from Knoke and Wood. We discuss some basic sensitivity analysis can may be applied to the methods. We find the use of TOPSIS as a flexible method to weight the criterion based upon the decision makers＇ inputs or the topology of the network.

The Arab Spring in Comparative Revolutionary Analysis： Implications of the Arabellion for Security Policy

Causes, paths and interim results of the Arab Spring are discussed from the perspective of comparative revolutionary analysis. One has to distinguish revolutionary situations, with a multitude of conflict forms, from revolutionary outcomes. Also one should consider the options for development granted by different forms of political authority. Sultanist rule here allows for only highly limited perspectives. Such a form of political authority is focused only on the ruler and his entourage. There is no developing of encompassing and persistent institutions that would allow for smooth political change and the provision of public goods characteristic of democratic order. Numerous other theoretical elements are drawn on in assessing the chances of transformation and possible scenarios. Population pressures by an extremely young and mostly unemployed or underemployed population and the lack of a regional power are two of the crucial burdens. Further, one finds persistent cultural-religious cleavages The Arab monarchies from Morocco to Saudi-Arabia have reacted with very limited political concessions and welfare payments to buy off protest sentiments. Thus far they could avoid regime failure as occurred to the more Sultanist regimes in Libya and Syria. In the second portion of this manuscript the security implications of the failed Arab spring are addressed in regional and global terms.

Background modeling methods in video analysis： A review and comparative evaluation

Foreground detection methods can be applied to efficiently distinguish foreground objects including moving or static objects from back- ground which is very important in the application of video analysis, especially video surveillance. An excellent background model can obtain a good foreground detection results. A lot of background modeling methods had been proposed, but few comprehensive evaluations of them are available. These methods suffer from various challenges such as illumination changes and dynamic background. This paper first analyzed advantages and disadvantages of various background modeling methods in video analysis applications and then compared their performance in terms of quality and the computational cost. The Change detection.Net （CDnet2014） dataset and another video dataset with different envi- ronmental conditions （indoor, outdoor, snow） were used to test each method. The experimental results sufficiently demonstrated the strengths and drawbacks of traditional and recently proposed state-of-the-art background modeling methods. This work is helpful for both researchers and engineering practitioners. Codes of background modeling methods evaluated in this paper are available atwww.yongxu.org/lunwen.html.

Social Influence Analysis： Models, Methods, and Evaluation

Social influence analysis （SIA） is a vast research field that has attracted research interest in many areas. In this paper, we present a survey of representative and state-of-the-art work in models, methods, and eval- uation aspects related to SIA. We divide SIA models into two types： microscopic and macroscopic models. Microscopic models consider human interactions and the structure of the influence process, whereas macroscopic models consider the same transmission probability and identical influential power for all users. We analyze social influence methods including influence maximization, influence minimization, flow of influence, and individual influence. In social influence evaluation, influence evaluation metrics are introduced and social influence evaluation models are then analyzed. The objectives of this paper are to provide a comprehensive analysis, aid in understanding social behaviors, provide a theoretical basis for influencing public opinion, and unveil future research directions and potential applications.

Urban Residential Land Value Analysis： Case Danyang, China

The research attempts to find out how the location of the CBD(central business district), the dis- tance to the main roads, the distribution of the public facilities, and the urban land-use pattern influence the urban residential land value variations. The study begins by identifying the influences into two categories: general circumstance and micro/neighboring circumstances. Benchmark price and market land value are tested to be the results influenced by general circumstance and both the influential range and the influential force of individual land-use are investigated and compared. At last explicit case comparisons are also taken for testing the result. The finding of the research is not only useful for understanding the spatial patterns of land values, but also beneficial for the policy-makers concerning land administration and urban planning.

Integration of User-system View for Cyber Crime Analysis： A Semi-automatic Approach

There is a rapid rise in cybercrime cases. There does not exist any effective forensic methods to deal with these eybercrime cases. Investigators are required to study the details of a large amount of tedious source in order to understand the crime model and dig out the evidence. This requires a lot of effort and may result in human errors. In order to overcome these potential errors that may cause by the investigators, we propose a semi-automatic approach that integrates the user view （based on a high level study of the forensic investigator） and the system view （based on the automatic analysis of the source codes） to assist investigators in refining the scope of the investigation. The approach has been verified using a real cybercrime case and the method has been shown to be effective in assisting the investigators in refining the scope of investigation and understanding the crime model. The semi-automatic approach has improved the efficiency and reliability of the digital forensic analysis of cybercrime cases involving large volume of digital evidence from multiple sources.

Expanding Zizek＇s Analysis： Women, Beer, Men, and Frogs

In How to Read Lacan, noted cultural theorist, Slavoj Zizek, addresses a ＂comedic,＂ British, beer commercial to highlight an element of Lacanian psychoanalysis （i.e., obj et petit a）. Although his use of the commercial serves his purpose, Zizek only dedicates one paragraph to it. This work significantly expands Zizek＇s initial interpretation by （1） contextualizing the commercial＇s plotline via comparison to other, similar mythological plots; （2） examining how the visual arrangement and narrative structure work to construct gender; and （3） addressing beauty via the Lacanian ＂demand＂ and ＂desires＂ made manifest within the text.

Risk Analysis： A Methodology Applicable to the Building Inspection

The lack of care related to maintenance management is directly linked to the absence of plans for maintenance of buildings. Because of that, there is a big incidence of building accidents caused by the negligence of managers and the lack of investment. The research has shown that, although building inspection is a consolidated building maintenance tool, managers do not prepare their building maintenance plan, nor use building inspection as a tool, leading the buildings to the premature obsolescence. The research calls attention to the building inspection technique that can be used to evaluate building maintenance and conservation. It is also a tool for analysis and investment planning based on actions to solve failures and anomalies that might come out during the building inspection. Those failures and anomalies are classified according to their degree of risk, determining the technical priorities of the investment adjustment in the maintenance plan. The paper presents a risk analysis methodology which classifies inspect elements in a building, determining the priority order of services to be executed on a scale from minimum risk （1） to imminent risk （5）. The method shows a tool for building inspection, and it serves as a guideline for building maintenance interventions.

ESP Needs Analysis： A Case Study of PEH Students, University of Khartoum

Needs analysis is considered a necessary first step in designing ESP courses. This study, therefore, aims at analysing students at the Faculty of Public and Environmental Health （PEH） at the University of Khartoum （U of K）, Sudan, needs for English language. The study adopted the needs analysis framework suggested by Dudley-Evans and St John （1998） focusing on target needs analysis, present situation analysis, and learning means needs analysis. The study used a questionnaire, a proficiency test, and an interview to collect data. The participants were 490 students at PEH （390 participated in the questionnaire and 100 in the proficiency test） and two professors at the Faculty. The study found that PEH students need English language for academic study. The students rated their proficiency as good, but the test revealed that they were of weak proficiency. All the four skills in addition to vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are regarded as important to the students. Similarly, almost all the sub-skills are found to be important. The students have a variety of leaming needs such as learning in pairs, groups, and through ICT. The study recommends that PEH students＇ proficiency should be raised and a course that meets the students＇ needs is needed.

Discourse analysis： Analysis of cohesive devices in Russell＇s Views on Life

This paper is on the basis of the systemic functional grammar, which is established by British linguist M. A. K. Halliday. It mainly explores its ideas of cohesive devices and gives the analysis of the short essay Russell＇s Views on Life. By doing this, the author hopes her analysis of the cohesive devices can be helpful and meaningful both to a discourse from different perspectives and also to the language learning.

Screening biomarkers for spinal cord injury using weighted gene co-expression network analysis and machine learning

Immune changes and inflammatory responses have been identified as central events in the pathological process of spinal co rd injury.They can greatly affect nerve regeneration and functional recovery.However,there is still limited understanding of the peripheral immune inflammato ry response in spinal cord inju ry.In this study.we obtained microRNA expression profiles from the peripheral blood of patients with spinal co rd injury using high-throughput sequencing.We also obtained the mRNA expression profile of spinal cord injury patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database(GSE151371).We identified 54 differentially expressed microRNAs and 1656 diffe rentially expressed genes using bioinformatics approaches.Functional enrichment analysis revealed that various common immune and inflammation-related signaling pathways,such as neutrophil extracellular trap formation pathway,T cell receptor signaling pathway,and nuclear factor-κB signal pathway,we re abnormally activated or inhibited in spinal cord inju ry patient samples.We applied an integrated strategy that combines weighted gene co-expression network analysis,LASSO logistic regression,and SVM-RFE algorithm and identified three biomarke rs associated with spinal cord injury:ANO10,BST1,and ZFP36L2.We verified the expression levels and diagnostic perfo rmance of these three genes in the original training dataset and clinical samples through the receiver operating characteristic curve.Quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed that ANO20 and BST1 mRNA levels were increased and ZFP36L2 mRNA was decreased in the peripheral blood of spinal cord injury patients.We also constructed a small RNA-mRNA interaction network using Cytoscape.Additionally,we evaluated the proportion of 22 types of immune cells in the peripheral blood of spinal co rd injury patients using the CIBERSORT tool.The proportions of naive B cells,plasma cells,monocytes,and neutrophils were increased while the proportions of memory B cells,CD8^(+)T cells,resting natural killer cells,resting dendritic cells,and eosinophils were markedly decreased in spinal cord injury patients increased compared with healthy subjects,and ANO10,BST1 and ZFP26L2we re closely related to the proportion of certain immune cell types.The findings from this study provide new directions for the development of treatment strategies related to immune inflammation in spinal co rd inju ry and suggest that ANO10,BST2,and ZFP36L2 are potential biomarkers for spinal cord injury.The study was registe red in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration No.ChiCTR2200066985,December 12,2022).

Social-ecological perspective on the suicidal behaviour factors of early adolescents in China:a network analysis

Background In early adolescence,youth are highly prone to suicidal behaviours.Identifying modifiable risk factors during this critical phase is a priority to inform effective suicide prevention strategies.Aims To explore the risk and protective factors of suicidal behaviours(ie,suicidal ideation,plans and attempts)in early adolescence in China using a social-ecological perspective.Methods Using data from the cross-sectional project‘Healthy and Risky Behaviours Among Middle School Students in Anhui Province,China',stratified random cluster sampling was used to select 5724 middle school students who had completed self-report questionnaires in November 2020.Network analysis was employed to examine the correlates of suicidal ideation,plans and attempts at four levels,namely individual(sex,academic performance,serious physical llness/disability,history of self-harm,depression,impulsivity,sleep problems,resilience),family(family economic status,relationship with mother,relationship with father,family violence,childhood abuse,parental mental illness),school(relationship with teachers,relationship with classmates,school-bullying victimisation and perpetration)and social(social support,satisfaction with society).Results In total,37.9%,19.0%and 5.5%of the students reported suicidal ideation,plans and attempts in the past 6 months,respectively.The estimated network revealed that suicidal ideation,plans and attempts were collectively associated with a history of self-harm,sleep problems,childhood abuse,school bullying and victimisation.Centrality analysis indicated that the most influential nodes in the network were history of self-harm and childhood abuse.Notably,the network also showed unique correlates of suicidal ideation(sex,weight=0.60;impulsivity,weight=0.24;family violence,weight=0.17;relationship with teachers,weight=-0.03;school-bullying perpetration,weight=0.22),suicidal plans(social support,weight=-0.15)and suicidal attempts(relationship with mother,weight=-0.10;parental mental llness,weight=0.61).Conclusions This study identified the correlates of suicidal ideation,plans and attempts,and provided practical implications for suicide prevention for young adolescents in China.Firstly,this study highlighted the importance of joint interventions across multiple departments.Secondly,the common risk factors of suicidal ideation,plans and attempts were elucidated.Thirdly,this study proposed target interventions to address the unique influencing factors of suicidal ideation,plans and attempts.

Semi-analytical solution for drained expansion analysis of a hollow cylinder of critical state soils

The expansion of a thick-walled hollow cylinder in soil is of non-self-similar nature that the stress/deformation paths are not the same for different soil material points.As a result,this problem cannot be solved by the common self-similar-based similarity techniques.This paper proposes a novel,exact solution for rigorous drained expansion analysis of a hollow cylinder of critical state soils.Considering stress-dependent elastic moduli of soils,new analytical stress and displacement solutions for the nonself-similar problem are developed taking the small strain assumption in the elastic zone.In the plastic zone,the cavity expansion response is formulated into a set of first-order partial differential equations(PDEs)with the combination use of Eulerian and Lagrangian descriptions,and a novel solution algorithm is developed to efficiently solve this complex boundary value problem.The solution is presented in a general form and thus can be useful for a wide range of soils.With the new solution,the non-self-similar nature induced by the finite outer boundary is clearly demonstrated and highlighted,which is found to be greatly different to the behaviour of cavity expansion in infinite soil mass.The present solution may serve as a benchmark for verifying the performance of advanced numerical techniques with critical state soil models and be used to capture the finite boundary effect for pressuremeter tests in small-sized calibration chambers.

Lagrangian coherent structure analysis on transport of Acetes chinensis along coast of Lianyungang,China

Spatial heterogeneity or“patchiness”of plankton distributions in the ocean has always been an attractive and challenging scientific issue to oceanographers.We focused on the accumulation and dynamic mechanism of the Acetes chinensis in the Lianyungang nearshore licensed fishing area.The Lagrangian frame approaches including the Lagrangian coherent structures theory,Lagrangian residual current,and Lagrangian particle-tracking model were applied to find the transport pathways and aggregation characteristics of Acetes chinensis.There exist some material transport pathways for Acetes chinensis passing through the licensed fishing area,and Acetes chinensis is easy to accumulate in the licensed fishing area.The main mechanism forming this distribution pattern is the local circulation induced by the nonlinear interaction of topography and tidal flow.Both the Lagrangian coherent structure analysis and the particle trajectory tracking indicate that Acetes chinensis in the licensed fishing area come from the nearshore estuary.This work contributed to the adjustment of licensed fishing area and the efficient utilization of fishery resources.

Model reduction of fractional impedance spectra for time–frequency analysis of batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors

Joint time–frequency analysis is an emerging method for interpreting the underlying physics in fuel cells,batteries,and supercapacitors.To increase the reliability of time–frequency analysis,a theoretical correlation between frequency-domain stationary analysis and time-domain transient analysis is urgently required.The present work formularizes a thorough model reduction of fractional impedance spectra for electrochemical energy devices involving not only the model reduction from fractional-order models to integer-order models and from high-to low-order RC circuits but also insight into the evolution of the characteristic time constants during the whole reduction process.The following work has been carried out:(i)the model-reduction theory is addressed for typical Warburg elements and RC circuits based on the continued fraction expansion theory and the response error minimization technique,respectively;(ii)the order effect on the model reduction of typical Warburg elements is quantitatively evaluated by time–frequency analysis;(iii)the results of time–frequency analysis are confirmed to be useful to determine the reduction order in terms of the kinetic information needed to be captured;and(iv)the results of time–frequency analysis are validated for the model reduction of fractional impedance spectra for lithium-ion batteries,supercapacitors,and solid oxide fuel cells.In turn,the numerical validation has demonstrated the powerful function of the joint time–frequency analysis.The thorough model reduction of fractional impedance spectra addressed in the present work not only clarifies the relationship between time-domain transient analysis and frequency-domain stationary analysis but also enhances the reliability of the joint time–frequency analysis for electrochemical energy devices.

Identification of cell surface markers for acute myeloid leukemia prognosis based on multi-model analysis

Given the extremely high inter-patient heterogeneity of acute myeloid leukemia(AML),the identification of biomarkers for prognostic assessment and therapeutic guidance is critical.Cell surface markers(CSMs)have been shown to play an important role in AML leukemogenesis and progression.In the current study,we evaluated the prognostic potential of all human CSMs in 130 AML patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)based on differential gene expression analysis and univariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.By using multi-model analysis,including Adaptive LASSO regression,LASSO regression,and Elastic Net,we constructed a 9-CSMs prognostic model for risk stratification of the AML patients.The predictive value of the 9-CSMs risk score was further validated at the transcriptome and proteome levels.Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that the risk score was an independent prognostic factor for the AML patients.The AML patients with high 9-CSMs risk scores had a shorter overall and event-free survival time than those with low scores.Notably,single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis indicated that patients with high 9-CSMs risk scores exhibited chemotherapy resistance.Furthermore,PI3K inhibitors were identified as potential treatments for these high-risk patients.In conclusion,we constructed a 9-CSMs prognostic model that served as an independent prognostic factor for the survival of AML patients and held the potential for guiding drug therapy.