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The emergence of edge computing brings data processing and storage to the vicinity of terminal equipment, which can quickly respond to user needs and reduce the computational burden of traditional centralized cloud computing model, resulting in a model of edge computing assisted cloud computing. In this architecture, how to prevent other untrusted entities from leaking user privacy has become one of the most critical concerns. To address this concern, many cryptographic schemes supporting the traditional cloud model to protect the data security sharing of IoT devices have been proposed. However, resource-constrained devices are an essential component of the Internet of Things (IoT). Its characteristics are one of the main reasons that affect the efficiency of schemes, and traditional cryptographic schemes are not suitable for edge computing. Therefore, in order to ensure secure data sharing between IoT devices, we come up with an improved certificateless online/offline signcryption (CLOOSC) scheme and achieve lower computational overhead, when offline calculation is not considered, the resource-constrained IoT device under the cloud-edge collaboration architecture requires only two multiplication operations, while only one bilinear pairing is required in the verification phase. In the random oracle model, our scheme is proved to be IND-CCA2 secure. Experiment results show our scheme can be lightweight in terms of time cost.

To enhance efficiency, maintain performance and prolong the lifetime of a PEMFC functioning under diverse operating conditions, development of robust control strategies, which encompasses not only the ohmic loss region but also the activation and concentration loss regions, is indispensable. However, a reliable control strategy can be developed only with the information on the uncertainties in extrinsic and intrinsic input parameters in all the three regions of operation. To achieve this, we perform Monte Carlo simulation to correlate the simultaneous variation of 33 input parameters to the cell performance, water, and thermal management in all three regions of operation. Then, the critical parameters in each region of operation are ranked using sensitivity analysis. The catalyst parameters and operating cell potential have a significant influence in activation loss and ohmic loss regions, while the operating pressure and physical parameters affect the concentration loss region significantly. Subsequently, based on these sensitivities we develop reduced regression models to predict the cell performance, without having to solve the full set of equations, with at least 90% accuracy using machine learning techniques. Finally, we also statistically discuss the distribution of cell performance in all three regions of operation.

Introduction: In this study, the efficacy, advantages, and disadvantages of transurethral cystoscopic silver nitrate renal pelvic instillation and retroperitoneoscopic renal pedicle lymphatic disconnection for chyluria were compared to provide a clinical reference. Methods: Forty patients with chyluria who were admitted to our hospital between June 2007 and June 2017 were selected as the research subjects and divided into two groups. The patients in group A (n=25) were treated with transurethral cystoscopic silver nitrate renal pelvic instillation regimen, while those in group B (n=15) were treated by retroperitoneoscopic renal pedicle lymphatic disconnection. Operative time, intraoperative blood loss volume, length of postoperative hospital stay, cure rate, complication rate and recurrence rate were compared between the two groups. Results: All the 40 patients were successfully treated. Group B had a higher cure rate, lower complication rate and lower recurrence rate than in group A, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). But group A had a shorter length of hospital stay and less surgical trauma, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Retroperitoneoscopic renal pedicle lymphatic disconnection for chyluria can be used as one of the first choices of treatment for chyluria. Although the recurrence rate with transurethral cystoscopic silver nitrate renal pelvic instillation is high, the treatment can be administered again when the disease recurs. At the same time, it is less invasive to the patients and they are more receptive.

Objective: To compare the clinical effects and safety of two methods of laparoscopic total cystectomy for female bladder cancer patients with retention and resection of the urethra. Methods: Female bladder cancer patients with bladder invasive urothelial carcinoma were selected in grade II~III from January 2008 to March 2018. Patients were divided into two groups based on the surgical method: group A laparoscopic radical cystectomy, and group B laparoscopic radical cystectomy + urethrectomy, to observe the clinical efficacy, operation duration, blood loss during surgery, hospitalization time, and complications. Results: The operation times in groups A and B were 262.54 ± 27.95 min and 310.28 ± 32.99 min, respectively. The volumes of intraoperative blood loss in groups A and B were 439.46 ± 44.52 mL and 456.74 ± 47.18 mL, respectively. There were no discernable differences in the probability of postoperative complications in the two groups. In group A, four patients experienced bladder cancer recurrence and metastasis, and 50% of these cases had a urethral recurrence. In group B, one patient experienced bladder cancer recurrence and metastasis; however, there was no urethral recurrence. Conclusion: Although laparoscopic radical cystectomy + urethrectomy extended the operation times; prophylactic urethrectomy can further shorten the bladder cancer recurrence and metastasis and improve patient prognosis without an increase in complications. However, its long-term clinical efficacy needs further study and supplement.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common kidney cancer worldwide. Even though current treatments show promising therapeutic effectiveness, metastatic RCC still has limited therapeutic options so that novel treatments were urgently needed. Here, we identified that MUC12 was overexpressed in RCC patients and served as poor prognostic factor for RCC progression. Overexpression of MUC12 increased RCC cell growth and cell invasion while deficiency of MUC12 exerted opposite effects on RCC cells. Mechanistic dissection demonstrated that MUC12‐mediated RCC cell growth and cell invasion were dependent of TGF‐β1 signalling because they could be blocked in the presence of TGF‐β1 inhibitor. Moreover, the regulation of TGF‐β1 by MUC12 relied on the transactivation of c‐Jun. MUC12 promoted the recruitment of c‐Jun on the promoter of TGF‐β1, leading to its transcription. Importantly, knockdown of c‐Jun also attenuated MUC12‐mediated TGF‐β1 induction and RCC cell invasion. In summary, our study defines the role of MUC12 in RCC progression and provides rational to develop novel targeted therapy to battle against RCC.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the efficacy, and advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic radical cystectomy + extraperitoneal bilateral ureterocutaneostomy versus laparoscopic radical cystectomy + ileal cystoplasty (Bricker procedure) in the treatment of invasive bladder cancer. Method: Forty-five patients (retrospectively registered) with grade II–III bladder invasive urothelial carcinoma were divided into two groups to compare clinical efficacy, operative duration and blood loss, postoperative intestinal function recovery, length of hospitalization, and complications. Those in the ureterocutaneostomy group (n=25) were treated using laparoscopic radical cystectomy + extraperitoneal bilateral ureterocutaneostomy, while those in the ileal cystoplasty group (n=20) were treated using laparoscopic radical cystectomy + ileal cystoplasty. Results: Laparoscopic radical cystectomy + extraperitoneal bilateral ureterocutaneostomy shortened the operation, improved patient tolerance, and decreased postoperative intestinal function recovery time. However, its long-term clinical efficacy needs further study using larger sample sizes to confirm these results. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrated that extraperitoneal bilateral ureterocutaneostomy after cystectomy had advantages of less trauma, a shorter learning curve, less surgical bleeding, and quicker postoperative recovery. Although early and mid-term follow-up revealed a slightly higher incidence of hydronephrosis, the severity of complications was not high in most patients. Nevertheless, the long-term clinical efficacy of this procedure needs further study using larger sample sizes.

Benggang is a typical erosional landform in southern and southeastern China. Since benggang poses significant risks to local ecological environments and economic infrastructure, it is vital to accurately detect benggang-eroded areas. Relying only on remote sensing imagery for benggang detection cannot produce satisfactory results. In this study, we propose integrating high-resolution Digital Orthophoto Map (DOM) and Digital Surface Model (DSM) data for efficient and automatic benggang discovery. The fusion of complementary rich information hidden in both DOM and DSM data is realized by a two-stream convolutional neural network (CNN), which integrates aggregated terrain and activation image features that are both extracted by supervised deep learning. We aggregate local low-level geomorphic features via a supervised diffusion-convolutional embedding branch for expressive representations of benggang terrain variations. Activation image features are obtained from an image-oriented convolutional neural network branch. The two sources of information (DOM and DSM) are fused via a gated neural network, which learns the most discriminative features for the detection of benggang. The evaluation of a challenging benggang dataset demonstrates that our method exceeds several baselines, even with limited training examples. The results show that the fusion of DOM and DSM data is beneficial for benggang detection via supervised convolutional and deep fusion networks.

To share the cases of pelvic fracture urethral distraction defect (PFUDD) in preschool boys and evaluate the transperineal anastomotic urethroplasty strategy for the treatment of these cases.Between January 2010 and May 2021, 8 preschool boys (6 years) with PFUDD underwent the transperineal anastomotic urethroplasty in our center were retrospectively reviewed. Etiology was traumatic pelvic fracture in all boys. The type of trauma included: fall injury in 1 and vehicle crush injury in 7. Urethroplasty was performed at least 3 months after initial trauma or the last failed intervention. One of them suffered from PFUDD associated with urethrorectal fistula received urethroplasty combined with fistula repair. A successful urethroplasty was defined as restoring the patency and continuity of urethra and no further interventions were needed.Follow-up was obtained in all the 8 preschool boys for 3-135 (median: 65) months. The average age was 4.1 years old (range 1-5). After operation, the final success rate was 100%. Neither stenosis recurrence nor urinary fistulas were reported during follow-up. Of the 8 boys, 1 developed urinary incontinence, only occurring after high-intensity exercise such as running. Potency state could not be evaluated for all boys due to the young age. One boy reported having normal morning erection after a follow-up of 135 months.PFUDD in preschool boys is a challenge for both the urologist and parent. Our study preliminarily confirmed that the progressive anastomotic urethroplasty strategy can ensure a high success rate.

Background: Involvement of interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) gene polymorphisms in nonsyndromic cleft palate (NSCP) risk remains controversial. This investigation was performed to evaluate the ...

HP1γ, encoded by CBX3, is associated with cancer progression and patient prognosis. However, the prognostic value and functions of CBX3/HP1γ in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Here, we performed a bioinformatics analysis using the Oncomine, TCGA and Human Protein Atlas databases, the Kaplan-Meier plotter, and the UALCAN web-portal to explore the expression and prognostic significance of CBX3/HP1γ in patients with different cancers, including liver cancer. HCC tissues and microarrays containing 354 samples were examined using immunohistochemical staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. CBX3-overexpression HCC cell lines were tested in proliferation assays to determine the function of CBX3/HP1γ. We found that CBX3/HP1γ was upregulated in many cancers and was associated with poor prognosis. Our results also revealed that CBX3/HP1γ is elevated in HCC tissues and is associated with malignant clinicopathological characteristics. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses verified that high CBX3/HP1γ expression is an independent and significant prognostic factor for reduced overall survival in HCC patients. Moreover, in vitro functional assays showed that CBX3/HP1γ overexpression promotes HCC cell proliferation. These findings suggest that CBX3/HP1γ is an important oncogene in HCC that might act as a useful biomarker for prognosis and targeted therapy.

Background: Once prostate cancer developed bone metastasis, the quality of life and prognosis of patients are seriously affected as no effective treatment is currently available. It is necessary to explore the mechanism of bone metastasis and new therapeutic targets. Purpose: To find out the differentially expressed serum proteins in prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis and analyze the expression of key proteins in prostate cancer tissues, serum and prostate cancer cell lines. So as to provide a basis for revealing the mechanism of bone metastasis and designing new therapeutic targets. Methods: iTRAQ-based proteomics method was used to compare serum differential proteins in prostate cancer patients with and without bone metastasis. Three key proteins (CD59, haptoglobin and tetranectin) which had significant fold changes were selected to validate the results of mass spectrometry. Immunohistochemistry and ELISA were applied to tissues and serum samples from prostate cancer patients, respectively, for validation. Finally, western blot, flow cytometry, and immunocytochemistry were used to analyze the expression of the three differentially expressed proteins in the prostate cancer cell lines PC3, LNCap, and Du145. Results: Thirty-two differentially expressed proteins related to bone metastasis of prostate cancer were identified, of which 11 were up-regulated and 21 were down-regulated. CD59 and haptoglobin were up-regulated in prostate cancer with bone metastasis while tetranectin was down-regulated. Tetranectin showed differential expression in epithelial and stromal cells of prostate cancer and hyperplasia tissues.The expression of CD59 was highest in PC3 and lowest in LNCap, while the expression of haptoglobin and tetranectin was the highest in DU145 and lowest in PC3. Conclusion: Mass spectrometry analysis showed that there were more differentially expressed proteins in the serum of patients with bone metastasis than those without metastasis. It has been verified that CD59, haptoglobin and tetranectin are prostate cancer bone metastasis related proteins.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) could lead to a sharp increase in the levels of inflammatory cytokines. We report the efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange in severe COVID‐19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The results suggested TPE could be used as a strategy to attenuate circulating cytokines and inflammatory mediators.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has the third highest mortality rate among urological tumors, and 20-30% of RCC patients present with metastatic RCC at the time of diagnosis. Although recent studies have indicated that estrogen receptor β (ERβ) could play promoting roles in RCC progression, the detailed mechanisms remain to be clarified. In the present study, we found that expression of ERβ, but not ERα, increases with tumor stage and grade, and also observed that modification of ERβ signals using estrogens/anti-estrogens, shRNA knockdown of ERβ and overexpression of ERβ using ectopic cDNA affects RCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Mechanism analysis revealed that ERβ can promote RCC cell invasion via an increase in transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)/SMAD3 signals, and interrupting TGF-β1/SMAD3 signals with a TGFβR1 inhibitor can reverse/block ERβ-increased RCC cell migration. Importantly, preclinical analyses using in vivo mouse models of RCC revealed that targeting of this newly identified ERβ/TGF-β1/SMAD3 pathway with either the FDA-approved anti-estrogen ICI182,780 (Faslodex) or a selective ERβ antagonist 4-[2-phenyl-5,7 bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-3-yl]phenol can significantly reduce RCC tumor growth and invasion, which may be suitable as the basis for novel therapies to more effectively suppress metastatic RCC.

Bipolar endoscopic enucleation of the prostate (BEEP) was recommended by the 2016 EAU guidelines as the first choice of surgical treatment in men with a substantially enlarged prostate and moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms. The main aim of this study was to compare a modified diode laser enucleation of the prostate (DiLEP) to BEEP. A total of 114 patients with prostate (20–160 mL) were randomized 1:1 into either DiLEP or BEEP in a dual-centre, non-inferiority-design randomized-controlled trial. The primary outcomes included Qmax and IPSS at 12 months. Non-inferiority was evaluated by comparing the two-sided 95% CI for the mean differences of Qmax and IPSS. Secondary endpoints included other perioperative parameters, postoperative micturition variables, and complication rate. A total of 111 patients (97%) had completed the intent-to-treat analysis, The results showed that DiLEP was comparable to BEEP regarding Qmax (28.0 ± 7.0 vs. 28.1 ± 7.2 mL/s) and IPSS (3.0 ± 2.2 vs. 2.9 ± 2.6) at 12 months, the non-inferiority was met for both Qmax and IPSS. There were also no significant difference between two groups regarding tissue removal rate (71.8 vs. 73.8%), hemoglobin decrease (0.33 ± 0.66 vs. 0.36 ± 0.75 g/dL), sodium decrease (1.0 ± 2.7 vs. 0.3 ± 2.9 mmol/L), and Clavien III complications (5.3 vs. 1.8%) at 12 months. This DiLEP is an anatomical endoscopic enucleation technique for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, it is non-inferior to BEEP regarding Qmax and IPSS at 12 months postoperatively.

AIM Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins play a multitude of important functions in liver pathophysiology. Recent studies have indicated associations of rs7574865 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the STAT4 gene with various autoimmune diseases. The association between STAT4 polymorphism and the risk of HCC has been analyzed in several studies, but results remain inconsistent. This study used a meta-analysis approach to comprehensively investigate the correlation between STAT4 polymorphism and HCC risk based on previously published reports. METHODS Studies were searched from the databases of PubMed, EMBase, Web of Science, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure up to 31 December 2015. The meta-analysis was carried out based on the statement of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. RESULTS Eight published studies, consisting of 7503 HCC patients (cases) and 13 831 individuals without HCC (controls), were included in the present study. Meta-analysis of the included studies revealed that STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism contributed to the risk of HCC under all four genetic models, consisting of the allelic model (G vs. T: odds ratio [OR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-1.30), the dominant effect model (GG + GT vs. TT: OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.26-1.84), the recessive effect model (GG vs. GT + TT: OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.21-1.50), and the co-dominant effect model (GG vs.. TT: OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.42-2.10) comparisons. No publication bias was indicated from either visualization of the funnel plot or Egger's test. CONCLUSION A significantly increased risk of HCC associated with the rs7574865 G was found. The rs7574865 polymorphism might be used as one risk factor for HCC.

Background Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is the most common subtype of skin malignancy, with ever-increasing incidence, mortality, and disease burden. Dysregulation of JAK-STATs signaling pathway is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of cancers, thus affecting the prognosis of cancer patients. The function of JAKs in SKCM is still not clarified. Methods A total of five online portal (GEPIA, TIMER, GeneMANIA, LinkedOmics, and GSCALite) is used to mine the expression and gene regulation network JAK2 in SKCM. Results JAK2 expression was downregulated in SKCM and significantly associated with pathological stage and the prognosis of patients. The functions of JAK2 and associated genes were primarily involved in the DNA recombination, cell cycle checkpoint, metabolic process, NOD-like receptor signaling pathways, p53 signaling pathway and apoptosis. JAK2 level was significantly correlated with the abundance of immune cells and the level of immune biomarkers. Low expression of JAK2 were resistant to QL-VIII-58, TL-1-85, Ruxolitinib, TG101348 and Sunitinib. Conclusions Our results reveal the expression and gene regulation network of JAK2 in skin cutaneous melanoma, providing more evidences about the role of JAK2 in carcinogenesis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The early diagnosis of HCC is greatly helpful to achieve long-term disease-free survival. However, HCC is usually difficult to be diagnosed at an early stage. The aim of this study was to create the prediction model to diagnose HCC based on gene expression programming (GEP). GEP is an evolutionary algorithm and a domain-independent problem-solving technique. Clinical data show that six serum biomarkers, including gamma-glutamyl transferase, C-reaction protein, carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-fetoprotein, carbohydrate antigen 153, and carbohydrate antigen 199, are related to HCC characteristics. In this study, the prediction of HCC was made based on these six biomarkers (195 HCC patients and 215 non-HCC controls) by setting up optimal joint models with GEP. The GEP model discriminated 353 out of 410 subjects, representing a determination coefficient of 86.28% (283/328) and 85.37% (70/82) for training and test sets, respectively. Compared to the results from the support vector machine, the artificial neural network, and the multilayer perceptron, GEP showed a better outcome. The results suggested that GEP modeling was a promising and excellent tool in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and it could be widely used in HCC auxiliary diagnosis. Graphical abstract The process to establish an efficient model for auxiliary diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

We examined the effects of the 5-HT2A/2C receptor agonist DOI on micturition in chronic spinal cord injured rats.Female Sprague-Dawley® rats were used. Spinal cord injury was produced by transection at the T10 level. A cystometric study was performed 8 to 12 weeks after transection. Cystometrograms were done using urethane anesthesia in all rats. The selective 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin was administered after each DOI dose-response curve. All drugs were administered intravenously.Compared to controls, spinal cord injured rats had higher bladder capacity and post-void residual urine volume, and lower voiding efficiency. In spinal cord injured rats DOI (0.01 to 0.3 mg/kg) induced significant dose dependent increases in micturition volume and decreases in residual volume, resulting in increased voiding efficiency. Cystometrogram measurements showed a dose dependent increase in high frequency oscillation activity, evident as an increased number of small oscillation per voiding. This correlated with the improved voiding efficiency. Ketanserin (0.1 mg/kg) partially or completely reversed the DOI induced changes.High frequency oscillation seems to reflect external urethral sphincter burst activity during voiding. Bladder voiding efficiency and high frequency oscillation activity were decreased in spinal cord injured rats. High frequency oscillation activity can be enhanced by 5-HT2A receptor agonism, improving voiding efficiency. To our knowledge it remains to be studied whether these results may have implications for the future treatment of voiding dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injury.

A case study is presented analyzing the properties and spatial extent of the exterior cusp region. The dynamic nature of the exterior cusp makes the large scale properties difficult to measure using a single spacecraft. We use simultaneous cusp observations of the four Cluster spacecraft as well as the Polar spacecraft to monitor the region. On 10–11 March 2006 all five spacecraft observed the exterior cusp in the southern hemisphere mapping out an extended region in latitude spanning 4.5 RE (and possibly up to 9 RE) along the magnetopause. The depth, or dimension of the diamagnetic exterior cusp perpendicular to the magnetopause is measured to be 1.3 RE with simultaneous measurements from the Cluster spacecraft. The multipoint observations provide a unique view of the diamagnetic exterior cusp showing a spatially extended region.

Orders of magnitudes increases of MeV ion intensities were measured by the POLAR spacecraft near the dayside magnetopause/magnetosheath boundary layers on May 4, 1998. From 6:00 to 12:30 UT, the Dst index reached negative values of -123 nT to -216 nT, which characterized a major geomagnetic storm period. During this period, the WIND spacecraft was about 213 R E upstream from the Earth, the GEOTAIL was in the post dusk magnetosheath, the INTERBALL-Tail was near the bow shock, and the POLAR traveled in its dayside outbound orbit from the high altitude cusp to the magnetosheath boundary layer. No comparable energetic particle flux was observed by WIND. The energetic ion fluxes measured by POLAR in upstream of the cusp were higher than that measured by both INTERBALL and GEOTAIL. The flux variations at Polar and Interball were similar, indicating a common ion source. Furthermore, INTERBALL responded to the variations later than POLAR, suggesting POLAR was closer to the source. Simultaneous multiple spacecraft observations thus suggest a likely source of substantial particle energization exists in the cusp region.

The survey and evaluation of existing public parking facilities were carried out, which had important practical significance to resolve conflicts over demand and supply of parking facilities. Taking Huizhou downtown as a study area, we surveyed parking facilities mainly by daily observing and recording. Parking facilities supply, characteristics, and demand were analysed by calculating parking utilization and turnover rate. Based on GIS, the distance-based and time-based accessibility of parking facilities were analysed to evaluate spatial distribution. The results indicated that a large spatial difference in supply and characteristics of parking was shown in public parking facilities of Huizhou downtown and that the parking demand was large. Furthermore, there existed imbalance in spatial distribution of parking facilities in Huizhou downtown area. Our study suggested that it was imbalanced and irrational between parking facilities supply and parking demand, that the planning of parking facilities was inadequate and that management system was incomplete.

Directing towards the characteristics and importance of copper strips surface inspection, this paper proposes a copper strips surface inspection system based on artificial intelligence from the standpoint of artificial intelligence. It uses computer vision to capture defects images, uses Hu invariant moments as the eigenvectors and uses BP neural network based on genetic algorithm combined with expert system to train and learn the samples. The trained weights are used to diagnose as the knowledge base and a copper surface defects inspection system based on intelligent fusion is constructed . The experimental results proved that intelligent fusion model can compliment all kinds of intelligent models and has a better performance than single model on copper strips surface inspection.

In this paper, novel video transmission architecture is proposed to meet the error robust requirement of wireless video communications. This architecture uses user-defined protocol to provide efficient bandwidth access from wireless link. By taking the time-varying wireless channel condition and video codec characteristics into account, first, we present an end-to-end transport architecture for video streaming over wireless network. Second, we adopt channel of Bernoulli channel model from application layers of 3G networks. And we propose a dynamically estimate the time-varying wireless network condition through estimate of throughout, RTT and merit of packet delay time. Third, we use H.264 as an experiment platform. A data partition scheme is also used to enhance error resilience performance. This architecture is also suitable for various motion compensation based standards like H.261, H.263 series, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4. The simulation results show our strategies can significantly improve the robustness of wireless video transmission.

Recently, it becomes more important to ensure the quality of the products as copper strip manufacturing has been highly developed. The most difficult problem in process control and automatic inspection is classification of surface defects, so we develop an improved RBF (radial basis function) neural network classifier based on SVM (support vector machine) to automatically learn complicated defect patterns and use pseudo Zernike moment invariant as the defect feature. The optimal initial parameters of RBF network are gained through SVM, which has resolved the problems in traditional methods, e.g. long learning time, and easily getting into local minimum, etc. Furthermore, a BP learning algorithm is presented to adjust these hidden node parameters as well as the weights of the SVM-RBF. The experimental results show that the method is effective.

The white balance tester is an instrument that adjusts the white balance for color TVs, monitors, and PC displays. We have designed a new white balance tester for use directly at the production line. It picks up the R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) signals for the screen using color sensors, compares the signals with the data previously stored in the internal memory, displays their differences with LED bars in the compare mode or displays x y Y, u v Y, JND (just noticeable difference) as well as correlated color temperature in the numerical mode. A built-in TV signal generator sets the luminance of the adjusting screen to the brightness of the reference white screen automatically. A 16-bit single chip microcomputer processes the measured values and controls the output levels of the TV signal generator.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Neutron monitor data recorded at Thule, Greenland, and McMurdo, Antarctica, are used to determine the cosmic-ray north-south anisotropy over the period 1961-1988. This anisotropy shows an 11 yr sunspot cycle variation, but it does not exhibit a dependence upon the direction of the Sun's magnetic dipole. The north-south anisotropy together with the two components of the diurnal anisotropy comprise a three-dimensional anisotropy, from which we extract detailed new information on the radial and latitudinal gradients of cosmic-ray density and the cosmic-ray scattering mean free path near Earth. We find that the bidirectional latitude gradient reverses sign with the solar magnetic polarity reversal, in accord with the predictions of drift theory, and its magnitude is generally larger during negative solar polarity than during positive polarity

Data from five neutron monitor stations and one ionization-chamber station are employed to determine the variation of the cosmic-ray diurnal anisotropy over a time span exceeding 50 years. The amplitude of the diurnal anisotropy varies with a period of one sunspot cycle, while the phase varies with a period of two sunspot cycles. Using minimum-variance analysis, it is shown that the principal axis of variation of the anisotropy is nearly aligned with the mean magnetic field, in agreement with earlier conclusions of Forbush. These results provide new information on the long-term variation of cosmic-ray gradients. Taking nominal values for the parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficients, it is found that the value of the radial gradient during epochs of negative solar magnetic polarity is persistently larger than during positive polarity epochs, while the bidirectional latitude gradient reverses sign with the solar magnetic polarity reversal. The behavior of both gradients favors the drift theory during solar minimum periods. 70 refs.