Binaural masking level difference for pure tone signals

The binaural masking level difference(BMLD)is a psychoacoustic method to determine binaural interaction and central auditory processes.The BMLD is the difference in hearing thresholds in homophasic and antiphasic conditions.The duration,phase and frequency of the stimuli can affect the BMLD.The main aim of the study is to evaluate the BMLD for stimuli of different durations and frequencies which could also be used in future electrophysiological studies.To this end we developed a GUI to present different frequency signals of variable duration and determine the BMLD.Three different durations and five different frequencies are explored.The results of the study confirm that the hearing threshold for the antiphasic condition is lower than the hearing threshold for the homophasic condition and that differences are significant for signals of 18ms and 48ms duration.Future objective binaural processing studies will be based on 18ms and 48ms stimuli with the same frequencies as used in the current study.

Hydrological response under CMIP6 climate projection in Astore River Basin,Pakistan

Climate change strongly influences the available water resources in a watershed due to direct linkage of atmospheric driving forces and changes in watershed hydrological processes.Understanding how these climatic changes affect watershed hydrology is essential for human society and environmental processes.Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6(CMIP6)dataset of three GCM's(BCC-CSM2-MR,INM-CM5-0,and MPIESM1-2-HR)with resolution of 100 km has been analyzed to examine the projected changes in temperature and precipitation over the Astore catchment during 2020-2070.Bias correction method was used to reduce errors.In this study,statistical significance of trends was performed by using the Man-Kendall test.Sen's estimator determined the magnitude of the trend on both seasonal and annual scales at Rama Rattu and Astore stations.MPI-ESM1-2-HR showed better results with coefficient of determination(COD)ranging from 0.70-0.74 for precipitation and 0.90-0.92 for maximum and minimum temperature at Astore,Rama,and Rattu followed by INM-CM5-0 and BCC-CSM2-MR.University of British Columbia Watershed model was used to attain the future hydrological series and to analyze the hydrological response of Astore River Basin to climate change.Results revealed that by the end of the 2070s,average annual precipitation is projected to increase up to 26.55%under the SSP1-2.6,6.91%under SSP2-4.5,and decrease up to 21.62%under the SSP5-8.5.Precipitation also showed considerable variability during summer and winter.The projected temperature showed an increasing trend that may cause melting of glaciers.The projected increase in temperature ranges from-0.66℃ to 0.50℃,0.9℃ to 1.5℃ and 1.18℃ to 2℃ under the scenarios of SSP1-2.6,SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5,respectively.Simulated streamflows presented a slight increase by all scenarios.Maximum streamflow was generated under SSP5-8.5 followed by SSP2-4.5 and SSP1-2.6.The snowmelt and groundwater contributions to streamflow have decreased whereas rainfall and glacier melt components have increased on the other hand.The projected streamflows(2020-2070)compared to the control period(1990-2014)showed a reduction of 3%-11%,2%-9%,and 1%-7%by SSP1-2.6,SSP2-4.5,and SSP5-8.5,respectively.The results revealed detailed insights into the performance of three GCMs,which can serve as a blueprint for regional policymaking and be expanded upon to establish adaption measures.

Smart contract token-based privacy-preserving access control system for industrial Internet of Things

Due to mobile Internet technology's rapid popularization,the Industrial Internet of Things(IIoT)can be seen everywhere in our daily lives.While IIoT brings us much convenience,a series of security and scalability issues related to permission operations rise to the surface during device communications.Hence,at present,a reliable and dynamic access control management system for IIoT is in urgent need.Up till now,numerous access control architectures have been proposed for IIoT.However,owing to centralized models and heterogeneous devices,security and scalability requirements still cannot be met.In this paper,we offer a smart contract token-based solution for decentralized access control in IIoT systems.Specifically,there are three smart contracts in our system,including the Token Issue Contract(TIC),User Register Contract(URC),and Manage Contract(MC).These three contracts collaboratively supervise and manage various events in IIoT environments.We also utilize the lightweight and post-quantum encryption algorithm-Nth-degree Truncated Polynomial Ring Units(NTRU)to preserve user privacy during the registration process.Subsequently,to evaluate our proposed architecture's performance,we build a prototype platform that connects to the local blockchain.Finally,experiment results show that our scheme has achieved secure and dynamic access control for the IIoT system compared with related research.

Early-Stage Cervical Cancerous Cell Detection from Cervix Images Using YOLOv5

Cervical Cancer(CC)is a rapidly growing disease among women throughout the world,especially in developed and developing countries.For this many women have died.Fortunately,it is curable if it can be diagnosed and detected at an early stage and taken proper treatment.But the high cost,awareness,highly equipped diagnosis environment,and availability of screening tests is a major barrier to participating in screening or clinical test diagnoses to detect CC at an early stage.To solve this issue,the study focuses on building a deep learning-based automated system to diagnose CC in the early stage using cervix cell images.The system is designed using the YOLOv5(You Only Look Once Version 5)model,which is a deep learning method.To build the model,cervical cancer pap-smear test image datasets were collected from an open-source repository and these were labeled and preprocessed.Then the YOLOv5 models were applied to the labeled dataset to train the model.Four versions of the YOLOv5 model were applied in this study to find the best fit model for building the automated system to diagnose CC at an early stage.All of the model’s variations performed admirably.The model can effectively detect cervical cancerous cell,according to the findings of the experiments.In the medical field,our study will be quite useful.It can be a good option for radiologists and help them make the best selections possible.

Shortness of breath in clinical practice: A case for left atrial function and exercise stress testing for a comprehensive diastolic heart failure workup

The symptom cluster of shortness of breath(SOB) contributes significantly to the outpatient workload of cardiology services. The workup of these patients includes blood chemistry and biomarkers, imaging and functional testing of the heart and lungs. A diagnosis of diastolic heart failure is inferred through the exclusion of systolic abnormalities, a normal pulmonary function test and normal hemoglobin, coupled with diastolic abnormalities on echocardiography. Differentiating confounders such as obesity or deconditioning in a patient with diastolic abnormalities is difficult. While the most recent guidelines provide more avenues for diagnosis, such as incorporating the left atrial size, little emphasis is given to understanding left atrial function, which contributes to at least 25% of diastolic left ventricular filling; additionally, exercise stress testing to elicit symptoms and test the dynamics of diastolic parameters, especially when access to the "gold standard" invasive tests is lacking, presents clinical translational gaps. It is thus important in diastolic heart failure work up to understand left atrial mechanics and the role of exercise testing to build a comprehensive argument for the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure in a patient presenting with SOB.

重症监护专用压力性损伤风险评估工具(COMHON指数)的汉化

目的将重症监护专用压力性损伤风险评估工具(COMHON Index)翻译为中文。方法COMHON指数的翻译采用了四步法:①由3名独立的中英文双语者进行英语-中文正向翻译;②由另外2名独立中英文双语者进行中文-英语回译;③对比正向翻译和回译,识别不同翻译版本差异,并将所需修改返回至第一步;④初步测试翻译后的量表。COMHON指数的初步测试研究在中国外科重症监护病房进行,共有20名护士参与。采用5级计分法(1=非常难;5=非常容易)评估该工具的易用性和理解难度;当得分中位数≥4时,表明量表的使用和理解均容易或非常容易,采用中文翻译。结果为了在初步测试量表之前确定翻译的一致性,步骤①至③反复进行了5次,并对量表的原始英语版本进行了2处修改。大部分初步测试评估都记录了亚量表评分、总分和风险分类(≥80%),但3个总分计算不正确。整个工具和所有亚量表都易于使用和理解(中位数≥4),大多数护士(16/20)完成测试的时间少于5 min。因此,中文版翻译达成一致,可以采用,但对评分和风险分类的说明进行了细微修改。结论通过跨文化翻译,引入了一种易于使用的中文版重症监护专用压力性损伤风险评估工具。然而,尚需进一步测试评估者间可靠性和一致性。本研究提供了一个严格的量表翻译和报告范例,为今后的工具翻译提供参考。

How can social enterprises contribute to sustainable pro-poor tourism development?

"Tourism-Assisting the Poor" has been an important approach in anti-poverty strategy. Studies suggest that the conventional tourism model fails to generate benefits for the poor and to some extent enlarges the gap between the poor and the rich, which subsequently causes more social problems. Pro-poor tourism(PPT) is regarded as an alternative model. Precisely targeted assistance to the poor is the key to initiating this model, while the institutional change and implementation mechanism are essential to run it successfully and sustainably. Social entrepreneurship focusing on social values while adopting modern business philosophy has been introduced recently as an instrument in helping disadvantage population. This paper takes the Smangus community in Taiwan as an example to explore the role of social entrepreneurship and social enterprises in PPT development. It also discusses their implications for the anti-poverty practice in other regions including ethnic areas in China.

The feasibility of an internet-based intervention for Chinese people with mental illness: A survey of willingness and attitude

Background:The easy accessibility,increasing usage,and low cost of internet make it a desirable way of providing health information and delivering interventions for health consumers.Studies in other countries have verified and confirmed the effectiveness of internet-based interventions among people with mental health problems.Similar programs have yet to commence in China.Purpose:This study investigated the willingness for,and attitude toward internet-based intervention in Chinese mental health service users and explored the feasibility of such an intervention.Methods:A cross-sectional survey utilizing a self-developed questionnaire was administered to 186 mental health service users in Beijing,between April and May 2011.Results:Most participants held a positive attitude toward online information and expressed interest in getting assistance from the internet.Some advice and suggestions were provided such as more ways of getting assistance,setting up more professional websites,increasing interaction,as well as having government funding and guidance.Conclusion:Internet-based programs are feasible and applicable,and worth implementing with Chinese people with mental illness.

Half Rate Quasi Cyclic Low Density Parity Check Codes Based on Combinatorial Designs

This paper presents new half rate Quasi Cyclic Low Density Parity Check (QC- LDPC) codes formed on the basis of combinatorial designs. In these codes, circulant matrices of the parity check matrix are formed on the basis of subsets in which the difference between any two elements of a subset is unique with all differences obtained from the same or different subsets. This structure of circulant matrices guarantees non-existence of cycle-4 in the Tanner graph of QC-LDPC codes. First, an irregular code with girth 6 constituted by two rows of circulant matrices is proposed. Then, more criteria will be considered on the structure of subsets with the mentioned feature aiming to represent a new scheme of regular QC-LPDC codes with girth at least 8. From simulations, it is confirmed that codes have similar to or better performance than other well-known half rate codes, while require lower complexity in their design.

DFT and TD-DFT Calculations of Orbital Energies and Photovoltaic Properties of Small Molecule Donor and Acceptor Materials Used in Organic Solar Cells

DFT and TD-DFT calculations of HOMO and LUMO energies and photovoltaic properties are carried out on four selected pentathiophene donor and one IDIC-4F acceptor molecules using B3LYP and PBE0 functionals for the ground state energy calculations and CAM-B3LYP functional for the excited state calculations.The discrepancy between the calculated and experimental energies is reduced by correlating them with a linear fit.The fitted energies of HOMO and LUMO are used to calculate the Voc of an OSC based on these donors and acceptor blend and compared with experimental values.Using the Scharber model the calculated PCE of the donor-acceptor molecules agree with the experiment.It has been found that fluorine substitution can be used to improve charge transport by reducing the electron and hole reorganization energies of the molecules.It is also found that the introduction of fluorine onto the donor pentathiophene unit of the donor molecule results in a change of polarity of the distributed charges in the molecule due to the high electronegativity of the fluorine atom.The quantum chemical potential(μ),chemical hardness(η)and electronegativity(χ),and electrostatic potential maps(EPMs)are also calculated to identify different charge distribution regions in all five molecules.

Cluster Analysis for IR and NIR Spectroscopy: Current Practices to Future Perspectives

Supervised machine learning techniques have become well established in the study of spectroscopy data.However,the unsupervised learning technique of cluster analysis hasn’t reached the same level maturity in chemometric analysis.This paper surveys recent studies which apply cluster analysis to NIR and IR spectroscopy data.In addition,we summarize the current practices in cluster analysis of spectroscopy and contrast these with cluster analysis literature from the machine learning and pattern recognition domain.This includes practices in data pre-processing,feature extraction,clustering distance metrics,clustering algorithms and validation techniques.Special consideration is given to the specific characteristics of IR and NIR spectroscopy data which typically includes high dimensionality and relatively low sample size.The findings highlighted a lack of quantitative analysis and evaluation in current practices for cluster analysis of IR and NIR spectroscopy data.With this in mind,we propose an analysis model or workflow with techniques specifically suited for cluster analysis of IR and NIR spectroscopy data along with a pragmatic application strategy.

Feature Selection for Cluster Analysis in Spectroscopy

Cluster analysis in spectroscopy presents some unique challenges due to the specific data characteristics in spectroscopy,namely,high dimensionality and small sample size.In order to improve cluster analysis outcomes,feature selection can be used to remove redundant or irrelevant features and reduce the dimensionality.However,for cluster analysis,this must be done in an unsupervised manner without the benefit of data labels.This paper presents a novel feature selection approach for cluster analysis,utilizing clusterability metrics to remove features that least contribute to a dataset’s tendency to cluster.Two versions are presented and evaluated:The Hopkins clusterability filter which utilizes the Hopkins test for spatial randomness and the Dip clusterability filter which utilizes the Dip test for unimodality.These new techniques,along with a range of existing filter and wrapper feature selection techniques were evaluated on eleven real-world spectroscopy datasets using internal and external clustering indices.Our newly proposed Hopkins clusterability filter performed the best of the six filter techniques evaluated.However,it was observed that results varied greatly for different techniques depending on the specifics of the dataset and the number of features selected,with significant instability observed for most techniques at low numbers of features.It was identified that the genetic algorithm wrapper technique avoided this instability,performed consistently across all datasets and resulted in better results on average than utilizing the all the features in the spectra.

What Kind of Development We Want to Afford Sustainable Living?

The historical evidence is used to argue that the application of knowledge and modernization of the current economic and conservation approaches for directly relating to human dependence on nature are critical for advancing human well-being.Over the last^50 years,despite our sound understanding of various ecological impacts at local,regional and global scales,we have largely failed to prevent decline in the health of natural systems worldwide.Our current approaches continue to promote utilitarian economy,focusing on materials.This paper advocates a shift from the current paradigms of economics and resource use,by proposing an ethical approach both to nature and economics,towards holistic development.The approach is based on peoples’well-being.It outlines how by integrating ethics,economy and nature,and finding simple solutions within the reach of public,sustainable development can become achievable much more efficiently and quickly than following our current lengthy and complex processes.

GENERIC WARPED PRODUCT SUBMANIFOLDS OF LOCALLY CONFORMAL KEAHLER MANIFOLDS

Warped product manifolds are known to have applications in physics. For instance, they provide an excellent setting to model space-time near a black hole or a massive star （cf. [9]）. The studies on warped product manifolds with extrinsic geometric point of view were intensified after the B.Y. Chen＇s work on CR-warped product submanifolds of Kaehler manifolds （cf. [6], [7]）. Later on, similar studies were carried out in the setting of 1.c.K. manifolds and nearly Kaehler manifolds （el. [3], [11]）. In the present article, we investigate a larger class of warped product submanifolds of 1.c.K. manifolds, ensure their existence by constructing an example of such manifolds and obtain some important properties of these submanifolds. With regard to the CR-warped product submanifold, a special case of generic warped product submanifolds, we obtain a characterization under which a CR-submanifold is reducesd to a CR-warped product submanifold.

Relativistic Quadrupole Polarizability for the Ground State of Hydrogen-Like Ions

The static quadrupole polarizabilities for hydrogen-like ions from Z =1 to Z =100 in the 1S1/2 ground state are calculated to high precision by solving the Dirac equation using the B-spline Galerkin method.The results are consistent with the expression of Kaneko [J.Phys.B 10 (1977) 3347] at low Z.The quadrupole oscillator strength sum Σn f(2)gn is computed to be zero to a very high degree of precision.

Impacts of Land Cover Change on Conservation, a Linkage of Spatial Analysis and Anthropogenic Activities in Tanzania

We used spatial analysis to assess the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) changes, and studied the impacts of LC changes on conservation of buffer zone of the Selous Game Reserve (SGR) and their implication on community’s livelihood in Vikumbulu Ward of Kisarawe District, Tanzania. Socio-economic data from Kisarawe District and TNBS were linked to spatial data to offer an integrated perspetive of LULC change in the Ward. Three cloud free image dates of 1998, 2011 and 2015 were analysed using System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) GIS for three categories of land cover, i.e. forest, wooded grassland and bare land/settlements/cultivation. Vikumbulu demographic and socio-economic data were linked to spatial data applying distance as a function of LULC change. Spatial analysis has shown a decreasing trend of forest and woodland cover in Vikumbulu Ward between 1998 and 2015. The sharp decline indicates increasing social economic activities such as shifting agriculture and charcoal burning as an outcome of population growth and poverty. Rapid conversion of forest cover to wooded grassland occurred between 1998 and 2015 in Vikumbulu Ward. However, loss of forest cover was associated with a decreasing trend in wooded land in the ward between 2011 and 2015. As there was only 0.15% area under crop cultivation in Vikumbulu until 2015, it is highly likely that LC change is caused by charcoal burning and shifting cultivation. This study suggests developing integrated strategies that target LULC change, conservation and people’s livelihoods to effectively improve the current situation in rural areas of Tanzania.

Classification of River Reaches on the Little Disturbed East Alligator River, Northern Australia

The East Alligator River drains a 7000 km2 catchment in northern Australia comprised largely of Aboriginal land and has a very low average population density of about 0.15 persons per km2. River reaches were classified according to geomorphic features on both the East Alligator River and its major tributary, Magela Creek, next to which is located the Ranger uranium mine. Sixteen reaches were described for the 241.4 km of the East Alligator River and ten reaches were described for the 118.8 km of Magela Creek. The dominant river types on the East Alligator River were various types of anabranching rivers, sandstone gorges and cuspate tidal meanders. On Magela Creek the dominant river types were wetlands and channel billabongs, island anabranching and sandstone gorges. It is unusual for anabranching rivers and gorges to be so dominant. Current river classification schemes could not accommodate all the various river types and need to be modified so that tidal channels are covered in more detail and so that the classification of anabranching rivers recognises that sand-bed varieties occur in partly confined valley settings.

Studies on Tracheary Element of Several Native Cycad Species in Australia and Two American Plants

Cycas angulata, Cycas armstrongii and Cycas conferta that are native species of Australia were collected in Darwin city of tropical region, Zamia erosa and angiosperm Guaiacum officinale of Zygophyllaceae which are introduced collected in the Darwin Botanic Gardens, and were carried out light microscope and electron microscope observed research to tracheary element and parenchyma tissue cells of leaflet, rachis and stem. The results showed that there are more vessel elements in their xylems;the length of vessel element of Cycadaceae with Zamiaceae are not obvious difference, the length of vessel element of angiosperm Guaiacum officinale is shorter, but their diameter is smaller, we thought that the characteristics which the length of vessel element is longer and the diameter is bigger are more evolutionary, because thus vessel, their number which interconnected points of possessed perforations’ end walls of vessel element is fewer, and the passageway space is larger so that the conduction speed and quantity are faster and more in unit length range and unit time. These vessels are annular vessels, spiral vessels, scalariform vessels, reticular vessels, pitted vessels and scalariform-pitted vessels, etc. In the transverse section, the vessel elements of Cycadaceae and Zamiaceae are circular, polygonous, more similar to vessel characteristics of leaf and stem of some angiosperms;however, the number of circular vessel of Guaiacum officinale is more, about occupy 35%, others are polygonous. The diameter of vessel is that annular vessel, spiral vessel is least, scalariform vessel or scalariform-reticular vessel is medium, reticular vessel and pitted vessel are the biggest, the characteristic is same as angiosperm. In Cycas conferta, etc. plants often can see several large perforations in the end walls, some species are several big scalariform or pitted perforations formed multiple perforation plates, in many vessel element lateral walls, there are some perforations formed a horizontal transport avenue of aqueous solution. The scale of diameter of Cycas vessel element is similar to that of Zamia, but the diameter of more vessel elements of Cycas angulata and Cycas conferta is bigger than the latter, and is bigger than that of Guaiacum officinale, although Cycas plants are more primitive than Zamia plants, and Guaiacum officinale is more evolutionary, but the scale of vessel diameter of Cycas plants is similar to Zamia or bigger than the latter, even larger than Guaiacum officinale, these showed that cycads have evolutionary and more developed characteristics in aqueous solution transport system. In Guaiacum officinale, more vessel element has been not seen the ridges in the different directions of side walls which can make vessel has more mechanical supportability, but some possessed the ridges;however, more vessel elements are twist shape and can twist together each other, thus the state can increase their mechanical supportability, and their synergy with fiber elements which is longer with a twist shape, therefore their capability of xylem conduction and the combine mechanical support capability with mechanical tissue are also stronger. In the respect of observed parenchyma tissue, any parenchyma tissue cells are without perforation, all cell walls are smoothed and like a membrane. Aimed at only one or two people pointed the query about Jeffery’s method, some scholars have made comparative researches, their research used as following methods: 1) The fresh materials were cut sections 1 - 2 mm thick by hand (the query person provided and thought right method), were examined with SEM. 2) The materials were treated by Jeffrey’s Fluid and observed with SEM and so on. The results showed that the pit membrane, the remnants in the perforation and the structural characteristics of perforations were not different;and the results of our comparative research in past time and this research all justified that Jeffrey’s method is reliable and reasonable. Meanwhile, our research results showed that only vessel element can form perforation, in other all parenchyma tissue cells cannot form perforation are also proved that the perforations of vessel element are naturally inherited character. Analyzed from the structural characteristics, although they distributed so far apart from each other, they are a well and unified taxonomy system;we thought that Australia’ most species or all species of Cycadaceae came from Asia, and it is impossible from Africa, because the latter only has one more evolutionary species and lack of fossil of Cycadaceae, these species of Cycadaceae are the descendants of ancestor species;America possessed more genera of Zamiaceae, this family is mutual with Africa and Australia, we thought that these genera of Zamiaceae in Australia and America came from Pangea before continental drift in Jurassic Period, this family is also maybe one of the proofs to Australia drifted from Pangea to present position after Jurassic Period. The characteristics of tracheary element of several different genera of cycads and angiosperm further showed that more primary species or taxon, their more tissue characteristics are not also more primary, because of the need to adapt the environment, they are also constantly evolving. The research is important significant and theory reference to understand cycads evolutionary aqueous solution transport system, and understand the ecological adaptation mechanism which why present cycads of 3 families in world major distributed in tropical or subtropical regions, even many drought and barren areas.