Domain Of Interest Research Articles

Local domain generalization with low-rank constraint for EEG-based emotion recognition.

As an important branch in the field of affective computing, emotion recognition based on electroencephalography (EEG) faces a long-standing challenge due to individual diversities. To conquer this challenge, domain adaptation (DA) or domain generalization (i.e., DA without target domain in the training stage) techniques have been introduced into EEG-based emotion recognition to eliminate the distribution discrepancy between different subjects. The preceding DA or domain generalization (DG) methods mainly focus on aligning the global distribution shift between source and target domains, yet without considering the correlations between the subdomains within the source domain and the target domain of interest. Since the ignorance of the fine-grained distribution information in the source may still bind the DG expectation on EEG datasets with multimodal structures, multiple patches (or subdomains) should be reconstructed from the source domain, on which multi-classifiers could be learned collaboratively. It is expected that accurately aligning relevant subdomains by excavating multiple distribution patterns within the source domain could further boost the learning performance of DG/DA. Therefore, we propose in this work a novel DG method for EEG-based emotion recognition, i.e., Local Domain Generalization with low-rank constraint (LDG). Specifically, the source domain is firstly partitioned into multiple local domains, each of which contains only one positive sample and its positive neighbors and k2 negative neighbors. Multiple subject-invariant classifiers on different subdomains are then co-learned in a unified framework by minimizing local regression loss with low-rank regularization for considering the shared knowledge among local domains. In the inference stage, the learned local classifiers are discriminatively selected according to their importance of adaptation. Extensive experiments are conducted on two benchmark databases (DEAP and SEED) under two cross-validation evaluation protocols, i.e., cross-subject within-dataset and cross-dataset within-session. The experimental results under the 5-fold cross-validation demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method compared with several state-of-the-art methods.

Effects of Idecabtagene Vicleucel (Ide-Cel) Versus Standard Regimens on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Patients with Triple-Class-Exposed (TCE) Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM) Who Received at Least 3 Lines of Prior Antimyeloma Regimens in the KarMMa-3 Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Patients with TCE RRMM have a high disease burden and often report worsening HRQoL with additional lines of therapy. The single-arm, phase 2 KarMMa study demonstrated that ide-cel, a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, improved HRQoL from baseline in patients with TCE RRMM who had received ≥ 3 prior regimens (Delforge M, et al. Blood Adv 2022;6:1309-1318). Furthermore, in the phase 3 KarMMa-3 clinical trial (NCT03651128), ide-cel significantly improved progression-free survival and response compared with standard regimens in patients with TCE RRMM who had received 2-4 prior regimens (Rodriguez-Otero P, et al. N Engl J Med 2023;388:1002-1014). Here we assessed the comparative effects of ide-cel versus standard regimens on HRQoL in patients with TCE RRMM who had received 3-4 prior regimens including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and daratumumab (an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody) using data from the KarMMa-3 study. Methods: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30), EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Multiple Myeloma Module (QLQ-MY20), and EQ-5D-5L. The pre-specified primary domains of interest included EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status/QoL, physical functioning, cognitive functioning, fatigue, and pain; EORTC QLQ-MY20 disease symptoms and side effects of treatment; and the EQ-5D-5L visual analog scale (EQ-5D VAS). PROs were collected at screening (baseline), the day of ide-cel infusion (ide-cel) or first treatment dose (standard regimens), monthly from 2 to 28 months, and thereafter every 3 months. Comparisons were performed on least squares (LS) mean changes from baseline through 28 months between arms using constrained longitudinal data analysis (cLDA). Effect size was estimated by Hedges' g. The comparative effects of ide-cel versus standard regimens on time to confirmed improvement and time to confirmed deterioration (defined by prespecified change thresholds) were assessed via stratified Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. All P values are nominal and not adjusted for multiple testing. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Baseline characteristics were well balanced among the patients in the ide-cel arm (n = 167) and the standard regimen arm (n = 93), with a median age of 63 years and a median time of 4.7 years from RRMM diagnosis to study screening. Completion rates of HRQoL assessments were high over time for most visits (> 75%). At baseline, mean HRQoL domain scores were similar between arms. Overall LS mean changes from baseline to 28 months showed significant differences in favor of ide-cel versus standard regimens (nominal P < 0.05) for 11 domains (effect sizes of 0.26-0.82), and 7 (4 primary: global health status/QoL, cognitive functioning, pain, EQ-5D VAS; 3 secondary: dyspnea, insomnia, constipation) of them exceeded the prespecified MID thresholds (Table). Time to confirmed improvement was significantly shorter (nominal P < 0.05) in the ide-cel arm than in the standard regimen arm for 10 domains, including all primary domains except pain. Time to confirmed deterioration was longer in the ide-cel arm than the standard regimen arm for most domains, with significant differences in emotional functioning, cognitive functioning, and dyspnea (EORTC QLQ-C30). Finally, side effects of treatment favored the ide-cel versus standard regimen arm (EORTC QLQ-MY20) (Table). Conclusions: These patient-reported findings demonstrate that compared with standard regimens, treatment with ide-cel improved MM-relevant disease symptoms, functioning, and overall health status/HRQoL of patients with TCE RRMM in the KarMMa-3 trial. These data further substantiate the superior treatment outcomes of ide-cel over standard regimens in this patient population. Overall, treatment with ide-cel may help alleviate detriments to HRQoL in these patients with complex disease.

Effects of Idecabtagene Vicleucel (Ide-Cel) Versus Standard Regimens on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM) Who Had Received 2-4 Prior Regimens: Updated Results from the Phase 3 KarMMa-3 Trial

Background: An interim analysis (data cutoff date April 18, 2022) of the international, open-label, phase 3 KarMMa-3 trial (NCT03651128) showed the chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) significantly improved progression-free survival and treatment response rates, as well as HRQoL, as compared with standard regimens, in patients with triple-class exposed (TCE) RRMM who had received 2-4 prior regimens (Rodriguez-Otero P, et al. N Engl J Med 2023;388:1002-1014; Delforge M, et al., HemaSphere, 2023;7(S3):P905). The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of ide-cel versus standard regimens (daratumumab [DARA], pomalidomide, and dexamethasone [DEX]; DARA, bortezomib, and DEX; ixazomib, lenalidomide, and DEX; carfilzomib and DEX; or elotuzumab, pomalidomide, and DEX) on HRQoL in KarMMa-3 trial participants with an extended follow-up of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data collection (data cutoff date April 28, 2023). Methods: In KarMMa-3, HRQoL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30), EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Multiple Myeloma Module (QLQ-MY20), and EQ-5D-5L. HRQoL assessments were completed at screening (baseline); the day of ide-cel infusion or the first dose of standard treatment; and monthly from 2 to 28 months; and every 3 months thereafter. The prespecified primary outcomes of interest were EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status/QoL, physical functioning, cognitive functioning, fatigue, and pain; EORTC QLQ-MY20 disease symptoms and side effects of treatment; and the EQ-5D visual analog scale (EQ-VAS). Least squares (LS) mean changes from baseline through month 25 for ide-cel and standard regimens were compared by constrained longitudinal data analysis (cLDA). Effect sizes were estimated by Hedges' g. The effect of ide-cel versus standard regimens on time to confirmed improvement and deterioration in HRQoL (defined by prespecified change thresholds and sustained duration) were compared by stratified Cox proportional hazards regression. There was no adjustment for multiple testing, and all P values reported are nominal. Results: Overall, 254 patients were randomized to the ide-cel arm and 132 to the standard regimens arm. Baseline characteristics were well balanced across treatment arms; both arms had a median age of 63 years, a median of 3 prior anti-myeloma regimens, and median time from MM diagnosis to screening was 4 years. The baseline HRQoL scores were generally comparable between treatment arms. Overall LS mean changes from baseline to month 25 showed significant differences (nominal P value < 0.05) in favor of ide-cel for 18 out of 21 HRQoL domains, with effect sizes (Hedges' g) of 0.27 to 0.82 (Table). For 13 of these domains (including 6 primary domains of interest), the difference in overall LS mean change from baseline exceeded the prespecified minimum important difference (MID) threshold. Time to confirmed improvement was significantly shorter in the ide-cel arm than the standard regimens arm for 19 domains, including all primary domains of interest (Table). Time to confirmed deterioration showed trends of being longer in the ide-cel arm than the standard regimens arm for most domains and was significantly longer for emotional functioning, cognitive functioning, social functioning, dyspnea, and constipation as measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30. The time to confirmed deterioration in side effects of treatment (based on the EORTC QLQ-MY20) was significantly longer for patients in the ide-cel arm and time to confirmed improvement was significantly faster, as compared with the standard regimens arm (Table). Conclusions: In the KarMMa-3 trial, patients with TCE RRMM who had received 2-4 prior regimens, ide-cel significantly and meaningfully improved MM-relevant symptoms, functioning, and overall health status/HRQoL compared with standard regimens. Confirmed HRQoL improvements in the ide-cel arm occurred sooner than standard regimens. PRO improvements were sustained over more than 2 years, which is notable after a single infusion treatment with ide-cel. These patient-reported findings further support the benefit of ide-cel in this patient population.

Bilateral co-transfer for unsupervised domain adaptation

Labeled data scarcity of an interested domain is often a serious problem in machine learning. Leveraging the labeled data from other semantic-related yet co-variate shifted source domain to facilitate the interested domain is a consensus. In order to solve the domain shift between domains and reduce the learning ambiguity, unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) greatly promotes the transferability of model parameters. However, the dilemma of over-fitting (negative transfer) and under-fitting (under-adaptation) is always an overlooked challenge and potential risk. In this paper, we rethink the shallow learning paradigm and this intractable over/under-fitting problem, and propose a safer UDA model, coined as Bilateral Co-Transfer (BCT), which is essentially beyond previous well-known unilateral transfer. With bilateral co-transfer between domains, the risk of over/under-fitting is therefore largely reduced. Technically, the proposed BCT is a symmetrical structure, with joint distribution discrepancy (JDD) modeled for domain alignment and category discrimination. Specifically, a symmetrical bilateral transfer (SBT) loss between source and target domains is proposed under the philosophy of mutual checks and balances. First, each target sample is represented by source samples with low-rankness constraint in a common subspace, such that the most informative and transferable source data can be used to alleviate negative transfer. Second, each source sample is symmetrically and sparsely represented by target samples, such that the most reliable target samples can be exploited to tackle under-adaptation. Experiments on various benchmarks show that our BCT outperforms many previous outstanding work.

The Influence of Student-Level Factors on Reading Literacy: A Comprehensive Study

The aim of the present study was to examine the factor affecting reading performance of the students in a broad sense. The sample was comprised of a total of 752076 students who participated in PISA studies from OECD member countries during the years of 2000 (n = 159095), 2009 (n = 298454) and 2018 (n = 294527) in which reading literacy was the major domain of interest. The causal relationships were examined by using a series of multiple linear regressions by using IDB Analyzer software which creates syntaxes that replicate the analysis 80 times for each plausible value and calculate the average values by taking into account the student weights as suggested in the PISA manuals. The results revealed that enjoyment of reading (at 91%, 100%, and 56% of countries in 2000, 2009, and 2018, respectively), and index of economic, social, and cultural status (at 81%, 91%, and 91% of countries in 2000, 2009, and 2018, respectively) were ranked among the most significant variables that predict reading literacy in all three PISA cycles. While metacognition was not included in 2000, it was among the most important variables (at 100% of countries) in 2009 and 2018.

An edge-based smoothed finite element method combined with Newmark method for time domain acoustic wave scattering problem

Time domain obstacle scattering widely exists in the scientific fields of geophysics, remote sensing, seismology, and medicine. However, it is difficult to solve the time domain scattering problems with arbitrarily shaped obstacles only within the fixed domain of interest. In this paper, an edge-based smoothed finite element method using linear triangular elements (ES-FEM-T3) combined with the Newmark method is proposed for the two-dimensional time domain acoustic scattering by an arbitrarily shaped obstacle. In the algorithm, a time domain transparent boundary condition (TBC) and the Newmark method are introduced to transform the time domain problem in an unbounded domain into a series of steady-state PDEs on a bounded domain, which is suitable for an arbitrary shaped obstacle scattering problem. In the numerical discretization, ES-FEM-T3 is used to construct a close-to-exact stiffness matrix by the smoothed gradient technique, making it space stable and obtaining more accurate results compared to FEM-T3. Especially, through in advance calculating the function σ(t), the convolution term in the time-domain TBC can be quickly calculated. Finally, through the numerical experiments, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated. Especially, ES-FEM-T3 can better improve the time convergence stability of the Newmark method and have better accuracy at γ = 0.5 compared to FEM-T3.

Multi-scale moving target detection with FDA-MIMO radar

The recently developed frequency diverse array (FDA) radar applies a small frequency increment across the array elements, which provides advantages in clutter suppression, jamming suppression, and target detection for existing radar systems. In this paper, the frequency increment is enlarged to guarantee that the transmit waveforms are orthogonal in frequency domain for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar. A multi-scale moving target detection method of FDA-MIMO radar is proposed. The FDA radar with a large frequency increment suffers from the deteriorated decorrelation of scatterers within the same range bin and causes the inner-bin range dependence (IRD) property in transmit spatial domain. By taking additional space–time snapshots in transmit domain as training samples, the space–time adaptive processing (STAP) is applied in joint receive and Doppler domain for clutter suppression, which alleviates the requirement of insufficient training samples in non-stationary clutter environment. In the sequel, a set of beamformers within the whole angular domain of interest is utilized for target detection, which achieves target detection under the condition of random target locations and sizes. Numerical simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Predicting Properties of Fused Filament Fabrication Parts through Sensors and Machine Learning

Fused filament fabrication (FFF), colloquially known as 3D-printing, has gradually expanded from the laboratory to the industrial and household realms due to its suitability for producing highly customized products with complex geometries. However, it is difficult to evaluate the mechanical performance of samples produced by this method of additive manufacturing (AM) due to the high number of combinations of printing parameters, which have been shown to significantly impact the final structural integrity of the part. This implies that using experimental data attained through destructive testing is not always viable. In this study, predictive models based on the rapid prediction of the required extrusion force and mechanical properties of printed parts are proposed, selecting a subset of the most representative printing parameters during the printing process as the domain of interest. Data obtained from the in-line sensor-equipped 3D printers were used to train several different predictive models. By comparing the coefficient of determination (R2) of the response surface method (RSM) and five different machine learning models, it is found that the support vector regressor (SVR) has the best performance in this data volume case. Ultimately, the ML resources developed in this work can potentially support the application of AM technology in the assessment of part structural integrity through simulation and can also be integrated into a control loop that can pause or even correct a failing print if the expected filament force-speed pairing is trailing outside a tolerance zone stemming from ML predictions.

Exergaming (physically active video gaming) for mental health service users in a community mental health care setting: an ethnographic observational feasibility study

BackgroundPeople with severe and enduring mental illness experience health inequalities with premature mortality; lifestyle behaviours are known to be contributing factors with low levels of physical activity reported. Facilitating physical activity to help maintain or improve health for those who are disadvantaged is essential. Exergaming (gaming involving physical movement) is increasingly used to improve physical activity across the lifespan and for those with a range clinical conditions; this might offer a way to increase physical activity for those with severe mental illness. The aim of this study was to explore engagement of mental health service users with exergaming to increase physical activity in a community mental health care setting.MethodsAn ethnographic observational feasibility study was undertaken through participant observation and semi-structured interviews. A gaming console was made available for 2 days per week for 12 months in a community mental health setting. A reflexive thematic analysis was performed on the data.ResultsTwenty one mental health service users engaged with the intervention, with two thirds exergaming more than once. One participant completed the semi-structured interview. Key themes identified from the observational field notes were: support (peer and staff support); opportunity and accessibility; self-monitoring; and perceived benefits. Related themes that emerged from interview data were: benefits; motivators; barriers; and delivery of the intervention. Integrating these findings, we highlight social support; fun, enjoyment and confidence building; motivation and self-monitoring; and, accessibility and delivery in community mental health care context are key domains of interest for mental health care providers.ConclusionsWe provide evidence that exergaming engages people with SMI with physical activity. The value, acceptability and feasibility of open access exergaming in a community mental health service context is supported. Facilitating exergaming has the potential to increase physical activity for mental health service users leading to possible additional health benefits.

Seeing the Past, Planning the Future: Proudly Celebrating 25 Years of Assisting the Convergence of Process Sciences and Design Science

This Extended Editorial has been compiled by the members of the Editorial Board to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science, which operates as the Transactions of the Society for Process and Design Science. The paper divides in three parts. The first part provides a detailed overview of the preliminaries, the objectives, and the periods of operation. It also includes a summary of the current application-orientated professional fields of interests, which are: (i) convergence mechanisms of creative scientific disciplines, (ii) convergence of artificial intelligence, team and health science, (iii) convergence concerning next-generation cyber-physical systems, and (iv) convergence in design and engineering education. The second part includes invited papers, which exemplify domains within the four fields of interest, and also represent good examples of science communication. Short synopses of the contents of these representative papers are included. The third part takes the major changes in scientific research and the academic publication arena into consideration, circumscribes the mission and vision as formulated by the current Editorial Board, and elaborates on the planned strategic exploration and utilization domains of interest.

Manipulating bipartite and tripartite quantum correlations of mechanical oscillators via optomechanical interaction.

The entanglement of macroscopic mechanical oscillators is always an interesting domain. How to entangle multiple mechanical oscillators is still not well answered. In this paper, we investigate the bipartite and tripartite quantum correlations among three distinct mechanical oscillators interacting with one cavity pumped by a multi-tone driving laser. Floquet cavity modes, resulting from different frequency components of the multi-tone driven cavity, are used to construct channels for quantum correlations between mechanical oscillators. By modulating the effective optomechanical coupling, we can manipulate the mechanical entanglement and EPR steering. The numerical results show that the two-tone driving widely employed is not enough to generate tripartite entanglement, while three- and four-tone driving can be employed to generate and enhance genuine tripartite entanglement. All bipartite entanglement can also be modulated. In addition, we demonstrate the monogamous relation of tripartite EPR steering and manipulate the asymmetry of steering. This work provides a method for manipulating the quantum correlation among multiple macroscopic objects.

Lifted inference for statistical statements in probabilistic answer set programming

In 1990, Halpern proposed the distinction between Type 1 and Type 2 statements: the former express statistical information about a domain of interest while the latter define a degree of belief. An example of Type 1 statement is “30% of the elements of a domain share the same property” while an example of Type 2 statement is “the element x has the property y with probability p”. Recently, Type 1 statements were given an interpretation in terms of probabilistic answer set programs under the credal semantics in the PASTA framework. The algorithm proposed for inference requires the enumeration of all the answer sets of a given program, and so it is impractical for domains of not trivial size. The field of lifted inference aims to identify programs where inference can be computed without grounding the program. In this paper, we identify some classes of PASTA programs for which we apply lifted inference and develop compact formulas to compute the probability bounds of a query without the need to generate all the possible answer sets.

Preface

The 2023 4th International Conference on Electrical, Electronic Information and Communication Engineering (EEICE 2023) took place on April 21st to 23rd, 2023 in Dalian, China (hybrid event), attracting about 150 delegates around the world. The previous three conferences of EEICE series were successfully held via virtual form, enjoying great popularity.EEICE 2023 aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers, and practitioners to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the domain of interest from around the world to exchange, share their experiences and research results on all aspects of electrical, electronic information and communication engineering.EEICE 2023 is the premier interdisciplinary platform for the presentation of new advances and research results in related fields. Prospective authors are kindly encouraged to contribute to and help shape the Conference through submissions of their research abstracts, papers, posters and high-quality research contributions describing original and unpublished results of conceptual, constructive, empirical, experimental, or theoretical work in all areas of electrical, electronic information and communication engineering, and speakers are cordially invited for presentation at the Conference.At this meeting we had a comprehensive overview of this fascinating field and of future scenarios thanks to the participation of leaders of the most important projects. Professor Wei Yue from Dalian Maritime University, China performed a keynote speech on the title Connected and Automated Vehicles Control with Communication Constraints. The efficient and safe operation of connected and automated vehicle systems is highly dependent on the ability of the vehicles to communicate with each other and with the infrastructure. However, in real-world scenarios, communication constraints such as limited bandwidth, latency, and data loss can significantly impact the effectiveness of vehicle control systems. Therefore, the goal of this research is to ensure that connected and automated vehicle systems can operate effectively and safely in the face of communication constraints, enabling the widespread adoption of this technology to enhance the efficiency and safety of transportation systems. Their sharing of knowledge and experience has sparked heated discussion in the Conference.Last but not the least is our gratitude. As editors we would like to express our sincere thanks to all the plenary and invited speakers, the members of the Technical Program Committee and the Organizing Committee for the success of the Conference, which has given rise to this present volume of selected papers. Special thanks to the members of Journal of Physics: Conference Series for making this volume published.The Committee of EEICE 2023List of Conference Committee is available in this pdf.

Reliability Analysis of the Functional Capabilities of an Autonomous Vehicle

The reliability of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is a research domain of high interest, covering a diverse pool of researchers, captains of smart auto industries, government agencies, and technology enthusiasts. The reliability of AVs is not extensively explored in the literature, despite the apprehension due to fatal accidents recorded in the past. Despite being in existence for over a decade, AVs have yet to reach a certified commercial-level deployment. Due to the complexity that comes with the self-operation of an AV, the issue of trustworthiness, which signifies reliability, becomes inevitable. The identification, analysis, and categorization of functional elements using systems engineering conceptual design principles and the linkage of these to the road traffic rules were conducted to address this. Also, the evaluation of the reliability of AVs using various developed vehicles from selected industries was addressed by integrating the traffic rules. The analysis of reliability was carried out using life-to-failure data premised on the probability plotting approach. It was found that there is a 99.94% chance that an autonomous vehicle will fail at least one of the traffic rules within 20 minutes of driving. Furthermore, the hazard rate of AVs was found to be on the rise, meaning a high indication of accidents.

Non-invasive brain stimulation on clinical symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has demonstrated mixed effects on the clinical symptoms of multiple sclerosis. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of NIBS techniques on the most common symptoms of MS. A literature search was performed until October 2022 which included randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies that used sham-controlled NIBS in patients with MS. We calculated the Hedge's effect sizes of each domain of interest and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and performed random effects meta-analyses. A total of 49 studies were included in the systematic review (944 participants). Forty-four eligible studies were included for quantitative analysis, of which 33 applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), 9 transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and 2 transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS). We found a significant decrease in fatigue (ES: -0.86, 95% CI: -1.22 to-0.51, p<0.0001), pain (ES:-1.91, 95% CI,-3.64 to-0.19, p=0.03) and psychiatric symptoms (ES:-1.44, 95% CI-2.56 to-0.32, p=0.01) in favor of tDCS compared with the sham. On the other hand, there was no strong evidence showing tDCS effectiveness on motor performance and cognition (ES:-0.03, 95% CI-0.35 to 0.28, p=0.83 and ES: 0.71, 95% CI,-0.09 to 1.52, p=0.08, respectively). Regarding TMS, we found a significant decrease in fatigue (ES:-0.45, 95% CI:-0.84 to -0.07, p=0.02) and spasticity levels (ES:-1.11, 95% CI:-1.48 to-0.75, p<0.00001) compared to the sham. However, there was no strong evidence of the effectiveness of TMS on motor performance (ES:-0.39, 95% CI-0.95 to 0.16, p=0.16). Finally, there was no significant evidence showing the effectiveness of tRNS on fatigue levels (ES:-0.28, 95% CI:-1.02 to 0.47, p=0.46) and cognitive improvement (ES:-0.04, 95% CI:-0.6, 0.52, p=0.88) compared with the sham. Overall, most studies have investigated the effects of tDCS on MS symptoms, particularly fatigue. The symptom that most benefited from NIBS was fatigue, while the least to benefit was motor performance. In addition, we found that disability score was associated with fatigue improvement. Thus, these findings support the idea that NIBS could have some promising effects on specific MS symptoms. It is also important to underscore that studies are very heterogeneous regarding the parameters of stimulation, and this may also have influenced the effects on some specific behavioral domains.

Toward Best Practices for Training Multilingual Dense Retrieval Models

Dense retrieval models using a transformer-based bi-encoder architecture have emerged as an active area of research. In this article, we focus on the task of monolingual retrieval in a variety of typologically diverse languages using such an architecture. Although recent work with multilingual transformers demonstrates that they exhibit strong cross-lingual generalization capabilities, there remain many open research questions, which we tackle here. Our study is organized as a “best practices” guide for training multilingual dense retrieval models, broken down into three main scenarios: when a multilingual transformer is available, but training data in the form of relevance judgments are not available in the language and domain of interest (“have model, no data”); when both models and training data are available (“have model and data”); and when training data are available but not models (“have data, no model”). In considering these scenarios, we gain a better understanding of the role of multi-stage fine-tuning, the strength of cross-lingual transfer under various conditions, the usefulness of out-of-language data, and the advantages of multilingual vs. monolingual transformers. Our recommendations offer a guide for practitioners building search applications, particularly for low-resource languages, and while our work leaves open a number of research questions, we provide a solid foundation for future work.

Numerical multi‐span segmented trapdoor test with viscoelastic boundary for soil arching within pile‐supported embankment under cyclic loading

AbstractDynamic wave reflections would interfere with the laboratory observation of the soil arching under cyclic loading when a traditional trapdoor model with rigid boundaries was used. This problem would be prominent when investigating the soil arching in pile‐supported embankments where the stationary support (pile) would be small, making the rigid boundary close to the domain of interest affected by dynamic loads. To avoid dynamic wave reflections and narrow the calculation domain, soil arching within a pile‐supported embankment under cyclic loading is numerically investigated in a multi‐span segmented trapdoor model with flexible boundaries by the particle flow code (PFC). In addition, a pavement structure is included and the springs supporting the trapdoor follow a bi‐linear constitutive model. The energy‐absorbing flexible boundary at the bottom weakens the dynamic wave reflections and is in favor of passing vertical dynamic waves to compact the fill and weaken the influence of cyclic loading on the soil arching effect during the loading stage. Lateral flexible boundaries would facilitate realistically reproducing the effect of cyclic loading on the soil arching because they could consider the weakening of the plugging effect that occurs during the lateral expansion. The development of soil arches of mid‐span and side‐span are different when the load applied at the mid‐span is laterally transferred to adjacent spans by the arching effect.

The Bulk Trace FEM for the simultaneous solution of structural membranes on all level sets over a bulk domain

AbstractA finite element method for the simultaneous solution of boundary value problems (BVPs) posed on all level sets over some bulk domain is proposed. A level‐set function is used to define ‐dimensional curved manifolds which are bounded by the d‐dimensional bulk domain. The BVPs considered herein model structural ropes and membranes in a large displacement context, resulting in a geometrically non‐linear mechanical model. For the numerical analysis, the bulk domain is discretized using d‐dimensional finite elements which do not conform to the level sets implying the domains of interest. However, they conform to the boundary of the bulk domain. The proposed variant of the FEM is a hybrid between classical and non‐conforming FEMs and may be labeled Bulk Trace FEM. Numerical studies confirm optimal higher‐order convergence rates for the proposed method when simultaneously approximating BVPs on all level sets.

Thermal performance of radiated annular extended surface using advanced nanomaterials influenced by various physical controlling parameters for nucleate boiling case

ApplicationsThe fins are extended surfaces around different objects to enhance their thermal transmission from the object to the surrounding environment. These are significant for electronics cooling, car radiator, heat exchanging devices, compressors and electric motor etc. Purpose and methodologyThe main concerns of this study are to analyze the heating/cooling performance of annular fin for nucleate boiling case. In Pool boiling, the boiling occurs in the absence of bulk movement of the fluid. In such situation, the fluid remains stationery and the motion occurs under natural convection. For significant outcomes, the effects of magnetic field, thermal radiation, nanomaterials and heating species added during the modeling. Then, the energy model of the second order is obtained and analyzed via numerical scheme. Core findingsThe results over the domain of interest revealed that the heat transmission from the fin to the environment can be enlarged by strengthening the coefficient of thermal conductivity and α2 in the range of 0.1,0.3,0.5,0.7. The concentration φ3 from 2% to 8% dominantly boost the fin performance; however, φ1 has weaker effects. Further, directed radiations (Rd = 0.1,0.3,0.5,0.7) rays control the heat performance and insertion of heating source (Q1 = 0.2,0.4,0.6,0.8) is one of the reliable way to enhance the heat transmission rate in the surrounding environment.

An efficient iterative method for reconstructing the refractive index in complex domains from far field data

We present a computational method for reconstructing the refractive index of an unknown complex-shaped two-dimensional medium with embedded metal inclusions from its transverse magnetic electromagnetic scattering properties. We present a novel hybrid surface-volume integral equation that generalises the Lippmann–Schwinger equation to media containing embedded scatterers. Using this hybrid equation, we show that the Frechet derivative of the forward-mapping satisfies a particular inhomogeneous wave scattering problem. We solve the inhomogeneous wave scattering problem using a novel coupled FEM-BEM formulation. Our numerical scheme is based on a thin plate spline ansatz for the refractive index, which can be constructed using a relatively small number of control points, and can be efficiently constructed and evaluated even for the complex-shaped multiply-connected domains of interest. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by reconstructing several challenging media.