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The goal of advertisers in the digital marketing industry is to optimize their advertising budgets. Such a budget allocation problem plays a key role in maximizing advertising performance from different marketing channels under planned advertising investment. This study aimed to design a budget-performance-based nonlinear programming model to find an optimized solution for the advertising budget allocation problem. The empirical analysis results of a leading e-business company's advertising performance data show that the proposed non-LP model generates an optimized solution. The proposed model allows marketers to simulate expected advertising returns, such as conversions or revenues from different channels within their budget constraints. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Inhibition of microRNA-21 (miR-21) has been shown to promote apoptosis of cancer cells and to reduce tumor size in glioblastoma. However, efficient carriers for antisense-oligodeoxynucleotide (antisense-ODN) against miR-21 have not yet been developed. In this study, the R3V6 peptide (R3V6) was evaluated as a carrier of antisense-ODN. In a gel retardation assay, R3V6 formed a complex with an antisense-ODN. The serum stability assay showed that R3V6 protected it from nucleases more efficiently than polyethylenimine (PEI; 25 kDa, PEI25k). A Renilla luciferase gene with a 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) recognizable by miR-21 (psiCHECK2-miR-21-UTR) was constructed for the antisense-ODN assay. psiCHECK2-miR-21-UTR expressed less Renilla luciferase in the cells with a higher level of miR-21 due to the effect of miR-21. In an in vitro transfection assay, the R3V6 peptide delivered anti-miR-21 antisense-ODN into cells more efficiently than PEI (25 kDa, PEI25k) and lipofectamine. As a result, antisense-ODN/R3V6 complex inhibited miR-21 and increased Renilla luciferase expression more efficiently than antisense-ODN/PEI25k or antisense-ODN/Lipofectamine complexes in both C6 and A172 glioblastoma cells. Furthermore, the antisense-ODN/R3V6 complexes reduced the level of miR-21 and induced apoptosis of glioblastoma cells. These results suggest that the R3V6 peptide may be a useful carrier of antisense-ODN for glioblastoma gene therapy.

Inhibition of microRNA-21 (miR-21) has been shown to promote apoptosis of cancer cells and to reduce tumor size in glioblastoma. However, efficient carriers for antisense-oligodeoxynucleotide (antisense-ODN) against miR-21 have not yet been developed. In this study, the R3V6 peptide (R3V6) was evaluated as a carrier of antisense-ODN. In a gel retardation assay, R3V6 formed a complex with an antisense-ODN. The serum stability assay showed that R3V6 protected it from nucleases more efficiently than polyethylenimine (PEI; 25 kDa, PEI25k). A Renilla luciferase gene with a 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) recognizable by miR-21 (psiCHECK2-miR-21-UTR) was constructed for the antisense-ODN assay. psiCHECK2-miR-21-UTR expressed less Renilla luciferase in the cells with a higher level of miR-21 due to the effect of miR-21. In an in vitro transfection assay, the R3V6 peptide delivered anti-miR-21 antisense-ODN into cells more efficiently than PEI (25 kDa, PEI25k) and lipofectamine. As a result, antisense-ODN/R3V6 complex inhibited miR-21 and increased Renilla luciferase expression more efficiently than antisense-ODN/PEI25k or antisense-ODN/Lipofectamine complexes in both C6 and A172 glioblastoma cells. Furthermore, the antisense-ODN/R3V6 complexes reduced the level of miR-21 and induced apoptosis of glioblastoma cells. These results suggest that the R3V6 peptide may be a useful carrier of antisense-ODN for glioblastoma gene therapy.

Gait is the method of human locomotion using limbs. Recently, the analysis of human motion, specifically human gait, has received a large amount of research attention. Human gait can contain a wide variety of information that can be used in biometrics, disease diagnosis, injury rehabilitation, and load determination. In this dissertation, the development of a model-based gait analysis technique to classify external loads is presented. Specifically, the effects of external loads on gait are quantified and these effects are then used to classify whether an individual gait pattern is the result of carrying an external load or not. First of all, the reliability of using continuous relative phase as a metric to determine loading condition is quantified by intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and the number of required trials is computed. The ICC(2, 1) values showed moderate reliability and 3 trials are sufficient to determine lower body kinematics under two external load conditions. Then, the work was conducted to provide the baseline separability of load carriage conditions into loaded and unloaded categories using several lower body kinematic parameters. Satisfactory classification of subjects into the correct loading condition was achieved by resorting to linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The baseline performance from 4 subjects who were not included in training data sets shows that the use of LDA provides an 88.9% correct classification over two loaded and unloaded walking conditions. Extra weights, however, can be in the form of an external load carried by an individual or excessive body weight carried by an overweight individual. The study now attempts to define the differences in lower body gait patterns caused by either external load carriage, excessive body weight, or a combination of both. It was found significant gait differences due to external load carriage and excessive body weight. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was also used to analyze the low

The effectiveness of exercise has been increasingly studied as exercise has been popular for the improvement of physical performance and rehabilitation of lumbar spine. A variety of exercises have been used to reduce back pain or spinal degeneration. However, there are no studies to determine effects of exercise on lumbar spine kinematics, including lumbar-pelvic coordination and instantaneous axis of rotation. The current study aimed to examine these lumbar spine kinematical changes due to exercise and therapy. We hypothesized that exercise and therapy will affect the changes of lumbar spine kinematics. Lumbar-Pelvic motions were recorded from 86 healthy subjects while performing lifting and lowering tasks of 10% and 25% of body weight. The influence of exercise was quantified from coefficients of curve-fitting for pelvic and lumbar angles. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) for the range of lumbar motion (distribution, D) between the control group and the cardiovascular exercise group after 12-week program. However, there was no significance for lumbar-pelvic coordination, C. A second study was performed to investigate the changes of instantaneous axis of rotation (IAR) at which trunk angle reached 25º. Results indicated that a superior-inferior location of IAR was significantly (p<0.05) modified by the cardiovascular exercise after 12 weeks, but there was no significant effectiveness of the physical therapy exercise. Finding of lumbar spine kinematics during lifting and lowering a weight which are the most popular manual handling activities may provide great understanding of the exercise effectiveness. Future studies are recommended to assess whether the changes of lumbar spine kinematics lead to the decrease instances of lumbar spine injuries or low back pain.

The effectiveness of exercise has been increasingly studied as exercise has been popular for the improvement of physical performance and rehabilitation of lumbar spine. A variety of exercises have been used to reduce back pain or spinal degeneration. However, there are no studies to determine effects of exercise on lumbar spine kinematics, including lumbar-pelvic coordination and instantaneous axis of rotation. The current study aimed to examine these lumbar spine kinematical changes due to exercise and therapy. We hypothesized that exercise and therapy will affect the changes of lumbar spine kinematics. Lumbar-Pelvic motions were recorded from 86 healthy subjects while performing lifting and lowering tasks of 10% and 25% of body weight. The influence of exercise was quantified from coefficients of curve-fitting for pelvic and lumbar angles. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) for the range of lumbar motion (distribution, D) between the control group and the cardiovascular exercise group after 12-week program. However, there was no significance for lumbar-pelvic coordination, C. A second study was performed to investigate the changes of instantaneous axis of rotation (IAR) at which trunk angle reached 25º. Results indicated that a superior-inferior location of IAR was significantly (p<0.05) modified by the cardiovascular exercise after 12 weeks, but there was no significant effectiveness of the physical therapy exercise. Finding of lumbar spine kinematics during lifting and lowering a weight which are the most popular manual handling activities may provide great understanding of the exercise effectiveness. Future studies are recommended to assess whether the changes of lumbar spine kinematics lead to the decrease instances of lumbar spine injuries or low back pain.

The objective of this work is to analyze the penetration performance of an anti-armor kinetic energy penetrator with increased RHA penetration during yawed impact. Two penetrators are proposed: a variable diameter penetrator and a variable density penetrator.

The penetration mechanics of a thick walled tubular penetrator is examined as ratio of the outer to inner diameter is increased from values of 0.4 to 0.74. Since the craters are characterized by depth and radius, analytical models for the crater radius due to tubular penetrators are developed. A two stage cavity expansion model is provided, which is based on the observations that in the first stage, the eroded penetration element exerts pressure on the target and opens a cavity. In the second stage, the inertia imparted to the target is responsible for the further expansion of the cavity. The analysis includes the centrifugal force exerted by the penetrator, radial inertia of the target, and the strength of the target. The crater radius is also determined from the energy and momentum principles and the results are compared with other results. The results obtained from the momentum principle provide good agreement with the other models in spite of its simplicity. The penetration velocity for tubes, which is less than that of rods, thus cannot be obtained from the modified hydrodynamic theory, is determined from computer simulations on behalf of the penetration efficiency. Numerical simulations using AUTODYN-2D are conducted for comparison with the analytical predictions and these confirm the phenomenological assumptions in the models.

Two analytical models for the crater size due to long rod penetrations are presented. The energy method is the first which, in a steady state penetration, relates the kinetic energy loss of a penetrator to the total energy deposited in the target. An equation of cavity dynamics is set up by assuming a radial motion in the target. This approach appears to provide an upper bound of the crater size due to the neglect of energy losses in the penetrator. The second method is based on the observations that two mechanisms are involved in cavity growth due to long rod penetrators: flow of penetrator erosion products, which exerts radial stress on the target and opens a cavity, and axial inertia of the target as it flows around the penetrator nose. The analysis includes the centrifugal force exerted by the penetrator, radial inertia of the target, and the strength of the target. Thus, the extent of cavity growth due to penetrator mushrooming, which cannot be predicted by other analyses, can be estimated. The analytical models are compared with existing formulas and empirical equations and found to be more accurate than other analyses in the literature. Numerical calculations using AUTODYN-2D are also conducted and these confirm the phenomenological assumptions in the models.