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Abstract Background Inhibition of 5-HT3 (5-Hydroxyl Tryptamine) receptors is known to enhance morphine analgesia in animal models. We tested the efficacy of azasetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, on postoperative chronic pain after pulmonary surgery in a randomized triple-blind controlled study. Methods A total of 250 patients who were scheduled to receive pulmonary surgery were randomized to patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) using 200 µg sufentanil with normal saline or 200 µg sufentanil with 20 mg azasetron. The numerical rating scale of pain (NRS) was recorded at baseline, postoperative day (POD) 1, 2, 3, 90, and 180. Negative binomial regression was used to identify associated factors for postoperative NRS six months after surgery. Results The results showed that azasetron did not affect the primary outcomes: the incidence of postoperative chronic pain on POD90 and 180. However, azasetron decreased postoperative NRS at rest and activity on POD1, 2, and 3. Furthermore, azasetron decreased postoperative nausea and vomiting on POD1 and 2. Univariate and multivariate negative binomial regression analysis identified preoperative pain, smoking, drinking and open surgery are risk factors of chronic pain six months after surgery. Conclusions Azasetron did not affect the incidence of chronic pain after pulmonary surgery. The presence of preoperative pain, smoking, drinking, and open surgery were found to be associated with chronic pain six months after surgery. Clinical trial registration The trial was registered prior to patient enrollment at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200060139), 20/05/2022; the site url is https://www.chictr.org.cn/ .

Abstract Testicular cancer (TCa) is a rare but impactful malignancy that primarily affects young men. Understanding the mortality rate of TCa is crucial for improving prevention and treatment strategies to reduce the risk of death among patients. We obtained TCa mortality data by place (5 countries), age (20–79 years), and year (1990–2019) from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Age-period-cohort model was used to estimate the net drift, local drift, age effects, period and cohort effects. In 2019, the global mortality of TCa increased to 10842 (95% UI 9961, 11902), with an increase of 50.08% compared to 1990.The all-age mortality rate for TCa in 2019 increased from 0.17/100,000 (95% UI 0.13, 0.20) in China to 0.48/100,000 (95% UI 0.38, 0.59) in Russian Federation, whereas the age-standardized mortality rate in 2019 was highest in the South Africa 0.47/100,000 (95% UI 0.42, 0.53) and lowest in the China 0.16/100,000 (95% UI 0.13, 0.19). China's aging population shifts mortality patterns towards the elderly, while in Russian Federation, young individuals are primarily affected by the distribution of deaths. To address divergent TCa mortality advancements in BRICS countries, we propose a contextually adaptive and resource-conscious approach to prioritize TCa prevention. Tailoring strategies to contextual diversity, including policy frameworks, human resources, and financial capacities, will enhance targeted interventions and effectiveness in reducing TCa mortality.

IntroductionWith the growing interest in the psychological basis of language learning, this study aims to validate the Chinese version of the Language Mindset Inventory (LMI) among Chinese university students.MethodsA sample of 476 students from various universities in mainland China was used. The translation process followed the forward-backward method. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted to evaluate the factor structure. The internal consistency of the LMI was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and convergent validity was examined through correlations with established mindset measures.ResultsCompared with the one-factor model, the two-factor model which distinguishes between fixed and growth mindsets, showed an acceptable and better fit index. The overall Cronbach's alpha for the full scale was 0.954, with 0.929 for the fixed mindset dimension and 0.903 for the growth mindset dimension. AVE values for the fixed and growth dimensions were 0.597 and 0.510, respectively. Correlations showed that the growth mindset dimension was significantly positively associated with the 8-Item Growth Mindset Scale (r = 0.186, p < 0.01) and the Mindset Scale for Learning English (r = 0.149, p < 0.01), while the fixed mindset dimension was negatively associated with both scales (r = −0.228 and r = −0.169, p < 0.01).DiscussionThis study confirms the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the LMI, making it a relevant tool for assessing language learning mindsets among Chinese university students. The findings support the integration of LMI into educational strategies to promote resilience and adaptability, enhancing language education outcomes.

ObjectiveThe study aimed at investigating functional connectivity strength (FCS) changes in children with MRI-negative intractable epilepsy (ITE) and evaluating correlations between aberrant FCS and both disease duration and intelligence quotient (IQ).MethodsFifteen children with ITE, 24 children with non-intractable epilepsy (nITE) and 25 matched healthy controls (HCs) were subjected to rs-fMRI. IQ was evaluated by neuropsychological assessment. Voxelwise analysis of covariance was conducted in the whole brain, and then pairwise comparisons were made across three groups using Bonferroni corrections.ResultsFCS was significantly different among three groups. Relative to HCs, ITE patients exhibited decreased FCS in right temporal pole of the superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, bilateral precuneus, etc and increased FCS values in left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, supplementary motor area, caudate and right calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex and midbrain. The nITE patients presented decreased FCS in right orbital superior frontal gyrus, precuneus etc and increased FCS in bilateral fusiform gyri, parahippocampal gyri, etc. In comparison to nITE patients, the ITE patients presented decreased FCS in right medial superior frontal gyrus and left inferior temporal gyrus and increased FCS in right middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus and calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex. Correlation analysis indicated that FCS in left caudate demonstrated correlation with verbal IQ (VIQ) and disease duration.ConclusionITE patients demonstrated changed FCS values in the temporal and prefrontal cortices relative to nITE patients, which may be related to drug resistance in epilepsy. FCS in the left caudate nucleus associated with VIQ, suggesting the caudate may become a key target for improving cognitive impairment and seizures in children with ITE.

Abstract Background Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung is a rare primary malignancy of the lung, accounting for only 0.9% of primary malignancies of the lung. Those associated with cavities are even rarer, with fewer than five cases reported in the English literature. Concurrently, the imaging findings of tumors are usually non-specific, resulting in insufficient understanding of the disease by clinicians, thus leading to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. Case presentation A 42-year-old female presented with a right lower lung mass with cavities. First identified on chest computed tomography (CT) in 2021, the mass persisted for 1 year and subsequently enlarged on chemotherapy and routine follow-up CT. Right lower lobectomy was then performed. Postoperative pathology confirmed primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma. After 10 months of follow-up, the patient was still alive and no recurrence was observed. Conclusions This article aims to describe a rare case of cavitary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung and review it clinical and imaging characteristics reported in previous cases, which will be helpful for clinicians and imaging physicians in diagnosing this disease.

In the past two decades, regional inequality in China's educational development, especially between urban and rural areas, has continued to narrow. An in-depth discussion of this phenomenon and the mechanisms behind it will not only help China build a high-quality educational system, but also draw lessons from Chinese practices to guide the reduction of global educational inequality. The comprehensive evaluation results show that China's rural EDL surpassed urban EDL in 2013; in 2003–2019, the urban/rural EDL increased from 0.29 to 0.22 to 0.50 and 0.54, respectively, and the urban-rural EII decreased from 1.31 to 0.92. Spatially, urban/rural EDL in the eastern and northeastern regions is higher than that in the central and western regions, the urban-rural EII in the eastern and northeastern regions is lower than that in the central and western regions. The CV and Theil index show that regional disparity in national urban/rural EDL has been narrowing, and regional inequality in urban-rural EII has also been declining; the decomposition of the Theil index indicates that these decreases in inequality are mainly from the reduction of the urban/rural educational development gap within the regions. The large-scale population migration driven by rapid industrialization and urbanization, and the adjustment of urban-rural and regional relationship promoted by the transformation of national policies such as regional coordinated development strategy and hukou system reform, are the main reasons for the evolution of regional inequality in China's urban and rural educational development.

Objective: Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) affects brain network hierarchy and cognitive function; however, it remains unclear how hierarchical change affects cognition in patients with BECTS. A major aim of this study was to examine changes in the macro-network function hierarchy in BECTS and its potential contribution to cognitive function. Methods: Overall, the study included 50 children with BECTS and 69 healthy controls. Connectome gradient analysis was used to determine the brain network hierarchy of each group. By comparing gradient scores at each voxel level and network between groups, we assessed changes in whole-brain voxel-level and network hierarchy. Functional connectivity was used to detect the functional reorganization of epilepsy caused by these abnormal brain regions based on these aberrant gradients. Lastly, we explored the relationships between the change gradient and functional connectivity values and clinical variables and further predicted the cognitive function associated with BECTS gradient changes. Results: In children with BECTS, the gradient was extended at different network and voxel levels. The gradient scores frontoparietal network was increased in the principal gradient of patients with BECTS. The left precentral gyrus (PCG) and right angular gyrus gradient scores were significantly increased in the principal gradient of children with BECTS. Moreover, in regions of the brain with abnormal principal gradients, functional connectivity was disrupted. The left PCG gradient score of children with BECTS was correlated with the verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ), and the disruption of functional connectivity in brain regions with abnormal principal gradients was closely related to cognitive function. VIQ was significantly predicted by the principal gradient map of patients. Significance: The results indicate connectome gradient disruption in children with BECTS and its relationship to cognitive function, thereby increasing our understanding of the functional connectome hierarchy and providing potential biomarkers for cognitive function of children with BECTS.

Yb3+ and Ho3+ co-doped Lu1.5Y1.5Al5O12 (abbr. as Yb/Ho:LuYAG) crystals were grown using Czochralski method, and their spectroscopic properties were systematically studied. The effect of the doping concentration of Yb3+ on the spectroscopic performances were discussed comprehensively, and it was found that the 1 at% Ho3+, 5 at% Yb3+:LuYAG crystal shows better spectral properties. For example, the sensitized ion Yb3+ can transfer 64.9 % of its own energy to Ho3+ to achieve effective pumping of Ho3+ and thus obtain the intense infrared emissions with peak at 2090 nm. Furthermore, under the pumping of 937 nm, the green, red and infrared waveband emissions with peaks at 558, 667 and 756 nm were observed in it, and the red emission is much stronger than the other two emissions. The results show that 1 at% Ho3+, 5 at% Yb3+:LuYAG crystals are excellent gain media for realizing up-converted visible lasers and infrared lasers in the ∼2.09 µm band.

Many concepts for future generations of wireless communication systems use coherent processing of signals from many distributed antennas. The aim is to improve communication reliability, capacity, and energy efficiency and provide possibilities for new applications through integrated communication and sensing. The large bandwidths available in the higher bands have inspired much work regarding sensing in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) and sub-THz bands; however, the sub-6 GHz cellular bands will still be the main provider of wide cellular coverage due to the more favorable propagation conditions. In this paper, we present a measurement system and results of sub-6 GHz distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) measurements performed in an industrial environment. From the measurements, we evaluated the diversity for both large-scale and small-scale fading and characterized the link reliability. We also analyzed the possibility of multistatic sensing and positioning of users in the environment, with the initial results showing a mean-square error below 20 cm on the estimated position. Further, the results clearly showed that new channel models are needed that are spatially consistent and deal with the nonstationary channel properties among the antennas.

In the context of the impact of the post-COVID-19 pandemic on families, this study explores the impact of individual social capital and psychological resilience on the mental health of family caregivers of kindergarten children in mainland China. This study included a sample of 331 family caregivers from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, and the researchers applied the Personal Social Capital Scale (PSCS-16), Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) to assess social capital, psychological resilience, and mental health. Findings indicate a positive relationship between bridging social capital and mental health, while psychological resilience is negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Psychological resilience is identified as a mediator between social capital and mental health outcomes in this study. These insights highlight the importance of enhancing social capital and psychological resilience to improve family caregivers’ mental health and the need for targeted interventions.

Random label noise (or observational noise) widely exists in practical machine learning settings. While previous studies primarily focused on the effects of label noise to the performance of learning, our work intends to investigate the implicit regularization effects of label noise, under mini-batch sampling settings of stochastic gradient descent (SGD), with the assumption that label noise is unbiased. Specifically, we analyze the learning dynamics of SGD over the quadratic loss with unbiased label noise (ULN), where we model the dynamics of SGD as a stochastic differentiable equation with two diffusion terms (namely a doubly stochastic model). While the first diffusion term is caused by mini-batch sampling over the (label-noiseless) loss gradients, as in many other works on SGD (Zhu et al 2019 ICML 7654–63; Wu et al 2020 Int. Conf. on Machine Learning (PMLR) pp 10367–76), our model investigates the second noise term of SGD dynamics, which is caused by mini-batch sampling over the label noise, as an implicit regularizer. Our theoretical analysis finds such an implicit regularizer would favor some convergence points that could stabilize model outputs against perturbations of parameters (namely inference stability ). Though similar phenomenon have been investigated by Blanc et al (2020 Conf. on Learning Theory (PMLR) pp 483–513), our work does not assume SGD as an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck-like process and achieves a more generalizable result with convergence of the approximation proved. To validate our analysis, we design two sets of empirical studies to analyze the implicit regularizer of SGD with unbiased random label noise for deep neural network training and linear regression. Our first experiment studies the noisy self-distillation tricks for deep learning, where student networks are trained using the outputs from well-trained teachers with additive unbiased random label noise. Our experiment shows that the implicit regularizer caused by the label noise tends to select models with improved inference stability. We also carry out experiments on SGD-based linear regression with ULN, where we plot the trajectories of parameters learned in every step and visualize the effects of implicit regularization. The results back up our theoretical findings.

Miniaturized infrared spectrometers are required for imaging and remote sensing applications, but they are usually characterized by a cm-scale footprint. Here, the authors report the realization of near-infrared spectrometers based on Au-atom-intercalated ReS2/WSe2 heterostructures with an active footprint < 10 μm and electrically tunable photoresponse.

Filterless optical networks (FONs) have become a cost-effective solution for optical network deployment due to their low-cost characteristics. However, eliminating active switching elements causes signals to propagate over unintended links, wasting spectral resources. Therefore, semi-filterless optical networks (Semi-FONs) have become a more cost-effective solution. This paper mainly studies the routing, modulation, and spectrum assignment (RMSA) problem in semi-filterless optical networks. It proposes a single–multi-path combination (LR-SMPC) RMSA algorithm with the least resource consumption. The algorithm first obtains the K shortest paths that satisfy the conditions according to the K short path (KSP) algorithm and re-orders the paths according to the resource consumption path re-ordering strategy, selecting the three paths that consume the least resources as the set of candidate paths. Then, based on the single–multi-path combination scheme of the set of candidate paths, the resource consumption of each scheme and the maximum number of available spectrum blocks for each path is calculated, from which the single path or multi-path with the least resource consumption is selected to serve the request. We perform simulation experiments on two network topologies using Poisson traffic models and compare them with existing single-path algorithms (S-P), fixed spectrum assignment granularity algorithms (g = 1), and adaptation spectrum assignment algorithms (g adaptation) to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits better performance in terms of both blocking rate and spectrum utilization.

This paper investigates the routing, modulation, and spectrum assignment (RMSA) problem for advance reservation (AR) requests in semi-filterless optical networks (semi-FONs). A link resource-aware (LRA) algorithm consisting of three parts is proposed. First, in the request scheduling phase, a request sorting strategy based on the flexible window size of the starting time is proposed. This strategy schedules AR requests based on the size of a flexible window with respect to the starting time. Next, in the routing phase, a link resource-aware strategy is proposed. This strategy evenly distributes the requests across the network resources, thereby avoiding request blocking due to excessive resource occupation on a single or few links. In the spectrum assignment phase, a frequency–time block-based metric is employed to measure the availability of each frequency–time block for AR requests. This metric is a sum of two factors: the distance to the block and spectrum boundaries, and the time interval between the request start time and the earliest start time. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed LRA algorithm has a lower blocking probability compared to the benchmark algorithms.

In practical scenarios, there are always array errors, which would increase the sidelobe level (SLL) of the array and distort the performance of the electronic devices consequently. Nevertheless, most of the reported works do not take these unavoidable errors into consideration when implementing array beampattern synthesis. To remedy this problem, a low sidelobe beampattern synthesis approach is proposed in the presence of array errors based on the bat algorithm (BA). In particular, the covariance matrix of the sidelobe region in the presence of array errors is incorporated into the optimization problem. Generally, there are many factors that would contribute to array errors in practical scenarios. Therefore, to reduce the influence of the uncertainty characteristic of the errors on the low-SLL beampattern synthesis, the statistical mean method is utilized to obtain a robust calculation of the covariance matrix in the presence of array errors. Theoretical analysis using signal processing technique and electromagnetic simulation using Ansoft HFSS workbench are combined to testify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Numerical results show that peak SLLs (PSLLs) of around −22dB and −20dB can be respectively achieved in the above two simulation situations with the obtained weight vectors.

Motor control deficits are very common in stroke survivors and often lead to disability. Current clinical measures for profiling motor control impairments are largely subjective and lack precise interpretation in a “control” perspective. This study aims to provide an accurate interpretation and assessment of the underlying “motor control” deficits caused by stroke, using a recently developed novel technique, i.e., the functional brain controllability analysis. The electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) were simultaneously recorded from 16 stroke patients and 11 healthy subjects during a hand-clenching task. A high spatiotemporal resolution fNIRS-informed EEG source imaging approach was then employed to estimate the cortical activity and construct the functional brain network. Subsequently, network control theory was applied to evaluate the modal controllability of some key motor regions, including primary motor cortex (M1), premotor cortex (PMC), and supplementary motor cortex (SMA), and also the executive control network (ECN). Results indicated that the modal controllability of ECN in stroke patients was significantly lower than healthy subjects (p = 0.03). Besides, the modal controllability of SMA in stroke patients was also significant smaller than healthy subjects (p = 0.02). Finally, the baseline modal controllability of M1 was found to be significantly correlated with the baseline FM-UL clinical scores (r = 0.58, p = 0.01). In conclusion, our results provide a new perspective to better understand the motor control deficits caused by stroke. We expect such an analytical methodology can be extended to investigate the other neurological or psychiatric diseases caused by cognitive control or motor control impairment.

BackgroundStudies have demonstrated that adults with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) have functional abnormalities; however, the neuropathological pathogenesis differs between adults and children. This study aimed to explore alterations in the cerebral blood flow (CBF) and functional connectivity (FC) to comprehensively elucidate the neuropathological mechanisms of IGE in children.MethodsWe obtained arterial spin labeling (ASL) and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 28 children with IGE and 35 matched controls. We used ASL to determine differential CBF regions in children with IGE. A seed-based whole-brain FC analysis was performed for regions with significant CBF changes. The mean CBF and FC of brain areas with significant group differences was extracted, then its correlation with clinical variables in IGE group was analyzed by using Pearson correlation analysis.ResultsCompared to controls, children with IGE had CBF abnormalities that were mainly observed in the right middle temporal gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus (MOG), right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and triangular part of the left IFG (IFGtriang). We observed that the FC between the left IFGtriang and calcarine fissure (CAL) and that between the right MOG and bilateral CAL were decreased in children with IGE. The CBF in the right SFG was correlated with the age at IGE onset. FC in the left IFGtriang and left CAL was correlated with the IGE duration.ConclusionThis study found that CBF and FC were altered simultaneously in the left IFGtriang and right MOG of children with IGE. The combination of CBF and FC may provide additional information and insight regarding the pathophysiology of IGE from neuronal and vascular integration perspectives.

Purpose This study was conducted to evaluate the hypothesis that an enlarged prostate in old rats may lead to complications associated with voiding dysfunction involving ionotropic P2X2/3-type purinergic receptors Methods Intact animals were divided into male young (MYR; 8–10 weeks old) and male old (MOR; 20 months old) rats. The animals underwent simultaneous detrusor electromyography (EMG) and suprapubic cystometry (CMG) under urethane anesthesia. Immunofluorescence techniques were used to evaluate prostatic autonomic innervation and P2X3R expression in bladder urothelial cells. The functional role of P2X3R was characterized by intramuscular application of AF-353, a selective P2X2/3R antagonist. Results The prostate index significantly increased in MOR, suggestive of an enlarged prostate affecting micturition patterns. Significant EMG and CMG differences were found between MYR and MOR. Higher immunoreactivity for P2X2/3R in the urothelial layer and for prostatic neurofilaments was seen in MOR. Systemic inhibition of P2X2/3R had minimal effects on MYR responsiveness, but improved voiding function in MOR with a marked decrease of intravesical pressure and bladder contractile responses. Conclusions The data support the hypothesis that an enlarged prostate in MOR may contribute to voiding dysfunction involving activation of P2X2/3R, which enhances a prostate-bladder reflex. This reflex may increase bladder afferent transmission and activation of increased prostate innervation, leading to voiding dysfunction.

With the advancement of an intellectual and numerical society, the coal mining industry has also begun to change to intelligence. As an important aspect of intelligent coal mine construction, coal mine communication has put forward more stringent standards for communication quality. For the complex communication environment in mines, the transmission of communication signals is always damaged by various noises and interferences, resulting in serious distortion of the communication signals received at the receiving end. Therefore, the use of traditional receivers for information recovery has the problem of high bit error rate (BER), which cannot meet the standard of intelligent coal mine construction. Based on this, the aim of this research is to combine convolutional neural networks (CNN) and multi-input multi-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) communication systems to design an intelligent receiver model for complex mine communication systems. At the receiver side, CNNs are used to take the place of all the information processing processes. First, features are extracted from the received IQ signal by the convolutional neural network, and then the original information bit is recovered using a multi-label classifier to finally realize end-to-end information restoration. The experimental results show that the intelligent receiver model designed in this research has more accurate information recovery capability in the complex mine channel environment compared with the traditional receiver. In addition, they also verify that the intelligent receiver can still recover information effectively when the traditional receiver cannot recover information properly in the case of partial loss of received data.

Landing is a crucial factor in gymnastics competitions, but the underlying biomechanical and neuromuscular strategies remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical characteristics and neuromuscular strategies of landing for backward somersault. A 19-segment human model was developed and bilateral lower-limb joint loadings were estimated using computer stimulation. Bilateral lower-limb joint angles, vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), impulse, joint reaction force, joint torque, power, work, stiffness and electromyogram (EMG) of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, and lateral gastrocnemius were presented during initial (touchdown to peak vGRF) and terminal impact-phases of landing (peak vGRF to vGRF equaling to body weight). The hip, knee, and ankle joints were rapidly flexed (8°, 20°, and 18°, respectively) during initial impact-phase and maintained at around 90°, 120°, and 60°, respectively terminal impact-phase. Flexor and extensor torques were demonstrated for lower-limb joints during initial and terminal impact-phases, respectively. The stiffness of lower limb joints and the EMGs amplitude of all examined muscles during terminal impact-phase were several times larger than that during initial impact-phase. The absolute symmetry indexes were less than 10% for lower limb joint angles and larger than 10% for the kinetics and muscle activation. The findings demonstrated symmetrical motion for lower limb joints with flexing rapidly at initial impact-phase and maintaining unchanged at terminal impact-phase and asymmetry in joint loading and muscle activation during landing.

Elastic optical networking is a promising technology for the future optical core networks and advance reservation (AR) applications are rapidly increasing in recent years. Hence, the routing, modulation and spectrum assignment (RMSA) problem for AR requests in elastic optical networks (EONs) has become an important issue. In this paper we will investigate the problem. We introduce a metric to measure the situation of each available frequency-time block for an AR request. The metric is the weighted sum of four factors, namely resources consumed by the block (Re), distance between the block and the frequency boundary (Df), distance between the block and the earliest starting time of AR request (Dr), and resource degraded by the block (Rd). Then we design an RMSA algorithm named Min-RDDR to select spectrum resource for AR requests by minimizing the metric. Simulation results show that the Min-RDDR algorithm has a lower blocking probability, comparing with three well-performed benchmark algorithms.

We demonstrated an effective approach to suppress conductive filament (CF) overgrowth through the introduction of a AgInSbTe (AIST) buffer layer into amorphous carbon-based electrochemical metallization memory devices. The overshoot current (IOS) was monitored in real-time for the devices with and without the AIST layer. Our results indicates that the IOS was eliminated after insertion of the buffer layer. The effect of the AIST layer on CF overgrowth suppression could be attributed to the lower VSET and capacity to hold excess Ag-ions. The optimized Pt/a-C/AIST/Ag devices exhibited highly uniform switching parameters, fast switching speed (6 cycles).

This study aimed to investigate how elite Chinese gymnasts manage the landing impact from a backward somersault. Six international-level male gymnasts performed backward somersault tests with a synchronous collection of kinematics (250 Hz), ground reaction forces (1,000 Hz), and surface electromyography (EMG) (2,000 Hz). A 19-segment human model was developed and lower extremity joints torques were calculated by means of a computer simulation. The angles of the lower extremity joints initially extended and then flexed. These angular velocities of extension continued to decrease and the joint torques changed from extensor to flexor within 100 ms before touchdown. The angles of the hips, knees, and ankles flexed rapidly by 12°, 36°, and 29°, respectively, and the angular velocities of flexion, flexor torque, and EMG peaked sharply during the initial impact phase of the landing. The angles of the hips, knees, and ankles flexed at approximately 90°, 100°, and 80°, respectively. The torques were reversed with the extensor torques, showing a relatively high level of muscle activation during the terminal impact phase of the landing. The results showed that the international-level gymnasts first extended their lower extremity joints, then flexed just before touchdown. They continued flexing actively and rapidly in the initial impact phase and then extended to resist the landing impact and maintain body posture during the terminal impact phase of the landing. The information gained from this study could improve our understanding of the landings of elite gymnasts and assist in injury prevention.

A novel electromyography (EMG) signal decomposition framework is presented for the thorough and precise analysis of intramuscular EMG signals. This framework first detects all of the active motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) and assigns single MUAP segments to their corresponding motor units. MUAP waveforms that are found to be superimposed are then resolved into their constituent single MUAPs using a peel-off approach and similarly assigned. The method is composed of six stages of analytical procedures: preprocessing, segmentation, alignment and feature extraction, clustering and refinement, supervised classification, and superimposed waveform resolution. The performance of the proposed decomposition framework was evaluated using both synthetic EMG signals and real recordings obtained from healthy and stroke participants. The overall detection rate of MUAPs was 100% for both synthetic and real signals. The average accuracy for synthetic EMG signals was 87.23%. Average assignment accuracies of 88.63 and 94.45% were achieved for the real EMG signals obtained from healthy and stroke participants, respectively. Results demonstrated the ability of the developed framework to decompose intramuscular EMG signals with improved accuracy and efficiency, which we believe will greatly benefit the clinical utility of EMG for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of motor impairments in stroke patients.

Effectively controlling the anomalous valley Hall (AVH) effect is vital for the application of valleytronics. Herein, we propose a scheme for achieving reversible nonvolatile electrical control of the AVH effect via ferroelectric (FE) polarization based on two-dimensional multiferroic materials. Monolayer GdGe2, a ferromagnetic (FM) semiconductor with intrinsic valley polarization and monolayer In2Se3 possessing FE polarization were chosen to construct the GdGe2/In2Se3 heterostructure. As expected, the GdGe2/In2Se3 heterostructure integrates the FM semiconducting feature and ferrovalley as well as exhibits the AVH effect. Importantly, a semiconductor-to-metal transition occurs upon reversing the FE polarization of In2Se3, demonstrating the reversible control of the AVH effect via applying an out-of-plane electric field. A bilayer GdGe2 homostructure was also studied. We found two stable polar stacking configurations holding multiferroic integrating ferrovalley and FE. Two polar stacking configurations with opposite FE polarization directions have the opposite AVH effect, and the signs of Hall voltage can be precisely controlled by reversing the direction of FE polarization through an electric field. Our calculations thus provide a promising strategy for achieving reversible nonvolatile control of the AVH effect and help designing novel controllable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]