Line Code Research Articles

664ICT use and participation in community support activities among the elderly in Japan

Abstract Background Text: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use has penetrated the daily lives of individuals as well as the activities of public organizations. We examined the cross-sectional association between ICT use and participation in community support activities in the elderly aged 65-74 for building community social capital in the current active aging policy of Japan. Methods Text: The target population was all residents aged 65-74 years without disabilities in a municipality, Japan. The self-administered questionnaires were mailed to 5,163 individuals in 2018. A Total of 2,283 persons responded (response rate, 44.2%). Participants provided information on basic characteristics, ICT use, and intention to participate in community support activities for the elderly. Results Text: A total of 1,089 (47.7%) persons showed positive intention to participate in community support activities for the elderly. Respondents who used a smartphone daily were 768 (33.6%). The proportion of participants with positive intention to participate in community support activities was 55.9% for those who used smartphones daily, whereas 42.8% for those who did not. Respondents who used the website, LINE, or QR codes were more likely to participate in community support activities than those who did not. Conclusions Text: Elderly people who utilize ICT frequently were more likely to participate in community support activities. ICT use among the elderly may be useful for building relationships of mutual assistance in the community. Key messages Text: ICT helps mutual assistance among the elderly in communities.

An efficient 146-line 3D sensitivity analysis code of stress-based topology optimization written in MATLAB

This paper presents an efficient and compact MATLAB code for three-dimensional stress-based sensitivity analysis. The 146 lines code includes the finite element analysis and p-norm stress sensitivity analysis based on the adjoint method. The 3D sensitivity analysis for p-norm global stress measure is derived and explained in detail accompanied by corresponding MATLAB code. The correctness of the analytical sensitivity is verified by comparison with finite difference approximation. The nonlinear optimization solver is chosen as the Method of moving asymptotes (MMA). Three typical volume-constrained stress minimization problems are presented to verify the effectiveness of sensitivity analysis code. The MATLAB code presented in this paper can be extended to resolve different stress related 3D topology optimization problems. The complete program for sensitivity analysis is given in the Appendix and is intended for educational purposes. MATLAB code is additionally provided in electronic supplementary material for a simple cantilever beam optimization.

Recurrent dynamics in the cerebral cortex: Integration of sensory evidence with stored knowledge

Current concepts of sensory processing in the cerebral cortex emphasize serial extraction and recombination of features in hierarchically structured feed-forward networks in order to capture the relations among the components of perceptual objects. These concepts are implemented in convolutional deep learning networks and have been validated by the astounding similarities between the functional properties of artificial systems and their natural counterparts. However, cortical architectures also display an abundance of recurrent coupling within and between the layers of the processing hierarchy. This massive recurrence gives rise to highly complex dynamics whose putative function is poorly understood. Here a concept is proposed that assigns specific functions to the dynamics of cortical networks and combines, in a unifying approach, the respective advantages of recurrent and feed-forward processing. It is proposed that the priors about regularities of the world are stored in the weight distributions of feed-forward and recurrent connections and that the high-dimensional, dynamic space provided by recurrent interactions is exploited for computations. These comprise the ultrafast matching of sensory evidence with the priors covertly represented in the correlation structure of spontaneous activity and the context-dependent grouping of feature constellations characterizing natural objects. The concept posits that information is encoded not only in the discharge frequency of neurons but also in the precise timing relations among the discharges. Results of experiments designed to test the predictions derived from this concept support the hypothesis that cerebral cortex exploits the high-dimensional recurrent dynamics for computations serving predictive coding.

Joint Learning for Biomedical NER and Entity Normalization: Encoding Schemes, Counterfactual Examples, and Zero-Shot Evaluation.

Named entity recognition (NER) and normalization (EN) form an indispensable first step to many biomedical natural language processing applications. In biomedical information science, recognizing entities (e.g., genes, diseases, or drugs) and normalizing them to concepts in standard terminologies or thesauri (e.g., Entrez, ICD-10, or RxNorm) is crucial for identifying more informative relations among them that drive disease etiology, progression, and treatment. In this effort we pursue two high level strategies to improve biomedical ER and EN. The first is to decouple standard entity encoding tags (e.g., "B-Drug" for the beginning of a drug) into type tags (e.g., "Drug") and positional tags (e.g., "B"). A second strategy is to use additional counterfactual training examples to handle the issue of models learning spurious correlations between surrounding context and normalized concepts in training data. We conduct elaborate experiments using the MedMentions dataset, the largest dataset of its kind for ER and EN in biomedicine. We find that our first strategy performs better in entity normalization when compared with the standard coding scheme. The second data augmentation strategy uniformly improves performance in span detection, typing, and normalization. The gains from counterfactual examples are more prominent when evaluating in zero-shot settings, for concepts that have never been encountered during training.

Region Encoding Helps Evolutionary Computation Evolve Faster: A New Solution Encoding Scheme in Particle Swarm for Large-Scale Optimization

In the last decade, many evolutionary computation (EC) algorithms with diversity enhancement have been proposed to solve large-scale optimization problems in big data era. Among them, the social learning particle swarm optimization (SLPSO) has shown good performance. However, as SLPSO uses different guidance information for different particles to maintain the diversity, it often results in slow convergence speed. Therefore, this article proposes a new region encoding scheme (RES) to extend the solution representation from a single point to a region, which can help EC algorithms evolve faster. The RES is generic for EC algorithms and is applied to SLPSO. Based on RES, a novel adaptive region search (ARS) is designed to on the one hand keep the diversity of SLPSO and on the other hand accelerate the convergence speed, forming the SLPSO with ARS (SLPSO-ARS). In SLPSO-ARS, each particle is encoded as a region so that some of the best (e.g., the top P) particles can carry out region search to search for better solutions near their current positions. The ARS strategy offers the particle a greater chance to discover the nearby optimal solutions and helps to accelerate the convergence speed of the whole population. Moreover, the region radius is adaptively controlled based on the search information. Comprehensive experiments on all the problems in both IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation 2010 (CEC 2010) and 2013 (CEC 2013) competitions are conducted to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of SLPSO-ARS and to investigate its important parameters and components. The experimental results show that SLPSO-ARS can achieve generally better performance than the compared algorithms.

Double random phase encoding schemes with perfect forward secrecy for robust image cryptography

Digital cryptosystems can provide perfect forward secrecy (PFS) for key exchange protocols based on the Diffie–Hellman (DH) scheme. However, key exchange algorithms are optimally designed only to encode small datasets, such as text and voice sets, which makes rapidly processing large-scale datasets difficult. In this paper, we propose new schemes that can efficiently and securely provide PFS in double random phase encoding (DRPE) schemes for robust image cryptography. We demonstrate that the proposed complex sinusoidal waveform versions of the DH algorithm with fusion of a random phase mask (RPM) and ephemeral secret exponents can guarantee PFS. Different experimental results reveal that the proposed schemes can enhance the security of DRPE-based image cryptosystems using a one-time RPM and PFS. We also propose a ring-type PFS scheme in which an unlimited number of users can securely share a temporary session key, which is an extension of PFS for only two users. We provide formal proof for the schemes and prove feasibility through numerical simulations.

The experience of families following traumatic brain injury in adult populations: A meta-synthesis of narrative structures

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury has a significant effect on uninjured family members. Typically, this has been examined with a focus on psychopathological outcomes including stress, depression and anxiety. However, in recent years there has been increasing interest in the subjective experiences of families post-injury leading to a plethora of qualitative studies. Therefore, an in-depth examination and synthesis of this literature is now relevant and timely. ObjectiveTo examine the subjective experiences of families following traumatic brain injury in adult populations in the sub/post-acute period through the synthesis of original qualitative research. DesignThis paper presents a meta-synthesis using Thomas and Harden's framework of ‘thematic synthesis’ rooted in a critical realist philosophy. Data sourcesIn July 2019 five electronic databases, were searched for the terms ‘traumatic brain injury’, ‘family’ and ‘qualitative’. Studies were included if the primary research reported qualitative data about the subjective experiences of family members of adults with traumatic brain injury and had been published in a peer reviewed journal. Studies with mixed brain injury samples, child or adolescent traumatic brain injury or disorders of consciousness were excluded. Hand searching and citation searches were also completed. Review methodsTwo reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full text and reached consensus through critical discussion. Thirty papers were finally agreed for inclusion in this review. Each study was then assessed for relevance, resonance and rigour using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool. Line by line coding of the findings in each paper was conducted as the basis for a thematic analysis and synthesis. ResultsDescriptive themes were identified followed later by analytical themes. This final stage was informed by a narrative lens and from these, eight narrative functions belonging to four dimensions were identified from the subjective experiences of families post-traumatic brain injury. Specifically, these were: (1) Displacing and Anchoring; (2) Rupturing and Stabilising; (3) Isolating and Connecting; (4) Harming and Healing. ConclusionsThe interpretation of the narrative functions revealed the substantial existential work involved in negotiating lives, maintaining family system equilibrium and moving forward. As such, family members have their own unique narrative needs. Despite contemporary service models built around the injured person, service providers are well placed to support families in this everyday narrative work through actively attending to narrative structures and understanding the implications of these for family experience.The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (International prospective register of systematic reviews) in July 2018 (Registration number: CRD42018085824).Tweetable abstract: This synthesis showed the immense and invisible work required for family members to maintain family system equilibrium and negotiate their lives post-TBI.

A Novel UC-OFDM Framework Design Based on Polar-Run-Limited Encoding (PRLE) Scheme and FWFT

A Novel UC-OFDM Framework Design Based on Polar-Run-Limited Encoding (PRLE) Scheme and FWFT

Security-enhanced optical nonlinear cryptosystem based on modified Gerchberg–Saxton iterative algorithm

For any optical encryption and decryption systems, security is the major concern. In this paper, security of time varying nonlinear term embedded double random phase encoding (DRPE) scheme is enhanced by using Modified Gerchberg Saxton Iterative Algorithm (MGSIA). The encrypted image of DRPE is given as an amplitude input to MGSIA. This makes the cryptosystem asymmetric and endures the basic attacks such as known-plaintext attack, chosen-plaintext attack, and chosen-cipher text attack. Robustness of this model has been checked with various results.

Differential encoding for unlock heterodyning millimeter-wave RoF link

Millimeter-wave base stations are expected to be deployed within the 5G cellular network to increase data rate and network capacity. The use of unlocked heterodyning of free-running optical carriers with self-homodyning receiver has shown potential due to reduced system complexity contributed by its tolerance to laser phase noise. However, direct signal detection using self-homodyning receiver for phase-modulated signal would affect signal’s phase integrity. In this paper, we propose the use of differential encoding and optical baseband modulation demonstrated through an optical Differential-Phase-Shift-Keying modulated system with a modified self-homodyning receiver to overcome the aforementioned issue while maintaining bandwidth efficiency. The proposed system is evaluated through software simulations. Results reveal that the proposed system achieves BER of 10−9 at -20.5dBm optical received power while remaining phase noise-tolerant, with negligible degradation in system performance up to MHz range laser linewidth.

Position Encoding Schemes for Linear Aggregation of Word Sequences

Deep Averaging Networks (DANs) show strong performance in several key Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. However, their chief drawback is not accounting for the position of tokens when encoding sequences. We study how existing position encodings might be integrated into the DAN architecture. In addition, we propose a novel position encoding built specifically for DANs, which allows greater generalization capabilities to unseen lengths of sequences. This is demonstrated on decision tasks on binary sequences. Further, the resulting architecture is compared against unordered aggregation on sentiment analysis both with word- and character-level tokenization, to mixed results.

Sparse representation based compressive video encryption using hyper-chaos and DNA coding

This work proposes a new and efficient sparse representation-based spatial compression of video signals integrated with a hyper-chaotic DNA coding-based encryption module that provides higher security. The betterment of compression efficiency is achieved by introducing sparse coding on the video frames, and higher security is obtained by applying 5D hyper-chaotic DNA coding on the sparse coded frames. This novel technique is applied to a large set of video signals for testing and compares its performance with some recently proposed video coding and encryption systems. To test and measure the efficiency and reliability of different encoding and encryption schemes, we consider a set of well-defined quality metrics, e.g., compression ratio, bit rate in compression, PSNR, NPCR, UACI, correlation coefficients, and histogram analysis, and measure the values of those metrics for different encoding and encryption modules. In addition, an ablation analysis is done. It shows improved quality matrices when we utilize DNA coding along with the 5D hyper-chaotic system-based encryption mechanism. We also perform the differential attack analysis for testing the security of the encryption modules. The quantitative measurements of these quality metrics for different algorithms demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm to the other algorithms in efficiency, quality, and security.

Performance evaluation of SS-FSO communication system incorporating different line coding

Performance evaluation of SS-FSO communication system incorporating different line coding

Maternity care during COVID-19: a protocol for a qualitative evidence synthesis of women’s and maternity care providers’ views and experiences.

Background: Considerable changes in maternity care provision internationally were implemented in response to COVID-19. Such changes, often occurring suddenly with little advance warning, have had the potential to affect women’s and maternity care providers experience of maternity care, both positively and negatively. For this reason, to gain insight and understanding of personal and professional experiences, we will perform a synthesis of the available qualitative evidence on women and maternity care providers’ views and experiences of maternity care during COVID-19. Methods and analysis: A qualitative evidence synthesis will be conducted. Studies will be eligible if they include pregnant or postpartum women (up to six months) and maternity care providers who received or provided care during COVID-19. To retrieve relevant literature the electronic databases of CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane COVID study register ( https://covid-19.cochrane.org/) will be searched from 01-Jan-2020 to date of search. A combination of search terms based on COVID-19, pregnancy, childbirth and maternity care, and study design, will be used to guide the search. The methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed by at least two reviewers using the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI)-Centre 12-criteria quality assessment tool. The Thomas and Harden approach to thematic synthesis will be used for data synthesis. This will involve line by line coding of extracted data, establishing descriptive themes, and determining analytical themes. Confidence in the findings of the review will be assessed by two reviewers independently using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual). Conclusion: The proposed synthesis of evidence will help identify maternity care needs during a global pandemic from the perspectives of those receiving and providing care. The evidence will inform and help enhance care provision into the future.

Validation of a software‐defined baseband system for satellite telemetry and telecommand

SummaryThis paper presents the validation of a software‐defined baseband (SDB) system for satellite telemetry and telecommand (TM/TC). The baseband system was developed using the open‐source GNU Radio development kit. It runs on a personal computer connected to a commercial‐off‐the‐shelf (CoTS) RF frontend. The validation process was performed by the use of a mission‐qualified satellite emulator, a state‐of‐the‐art baseband unit, and orbiting satellites. The baseband is designed to offer multimission support. Hence, it includes a suite of modulation schemes, line codes, matched filters, and Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) forward error correction codes (convolutional, Reed–Solomon, concatenated, and low‐density parity‐check [LDPC]) typically employed in TM/TC missions. The figures of merit used for the validation of the TM receiver are bit error rate (BER) and frame error rate (FER). For the TC transmitter, the validated features are modulation index, power spectrum, and the physical layer operations procedures (PLOP).Graphical Abstract We present the validation of a software‐defined baseband system for satellite ground operations. Based on low‐cost software‐defined radios, the baseband show minimal performance degradation in a laboratory environement. Infield tests shows that the baseband is capable of supporting ground operations for orbiting satellites.

Free space optics communication channel with amplitude/frequency shift keying modulation technique based raised cosine line coding

Abstract The objective of the study is to simulate frequency shift keying (FSK)/amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation schemes with raised cosine line coding based free space optics channel in clear weather conditions. The max. Q and optical signal/noise ratio (OSNR) with FSO channel length variations are simulated for the previous and proposed models at DRs of 10 Gbps, and also the max. Q factor with data rate (DR) variations is demonstrated for the previous and proposed models at 10 km FSO channel length. Max. Q, min. BER, signal power (SP), noise power, and total optical power (TOP) based FSK and ASK modulation schemes are illustrated through APD receiver with FSO channel length of 10 km.

Child welfare in non‐metro and rural communities: Experiences of child‐serving professionals addressing substance use

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to explore the challenges and strengths that child welfare professionals experience in non‐metro areas, with a secondary focus on how they encounter and respond to substance use in families and communities. We conducted three focus groups in non‐metro counties (n = 35). We used thematic analysis supported by Dedoose, beginning with line by line coding, then thematic identification and mapping. Emergent themes focused on challenges and strengths experienced in non‐metro communities, including (Community context)—unique community attributes; the call for treatment; (Challenges)—uphill battles; reporting; access to appropriate care; funding; interacting with state systems; and (Strength)—finding strengths and creative solutions. Child welfare professionals in non‐metro communities embody and respond to both challenges and strengths. They feel frustrated by standards that do not take available resources into account, yet they effectively leverage social capital to complete their work. Giving voice to child welfare professionals can enhance policy making and create more sustainable systems for child welfare practice in non‐metro settings.

Performance Analysis of Space-Time Line Code in Correlated Fading Channels

Recently, the idea of space-time line code (STLC) was developed in [1] as an efficient way to increase the diversity of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, with a special code structure that exploits the channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter. In this paper, in order to evaluate the performance of STLC in practical transmission environment, we analyse the bit-error rate (BER) performance of STLC in the context of correlated Rayleigh and Rician fading MIMO channels. Finally, simulation results validate the accuracy of the above theoretical analysis.

Different Transfer Functions for Binary Particle Swarm Optimization with a New Encoding Scheme for Discounted {0-1} Knapsack Problem

The discounted {0-1} knapsack problem (DKP01) is a kind of knapsack problem with group structure and discount relationships among items. It is more challenging than the classical 0-1 knapsack problem. In this paper, we study binary particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms with different transfer functions and a new encoding scheme for DKP01. An effective binary vector with shorter length is used to represent a solution for new binary PSO algorithms. Eight transfer functions are used to design binary PSO algorithms for DKP01. A new repair operator is developed to handle isolation solution while improving its quality. Finally, we conducted extensive experiments on four groups of 40 instances using our proposed approaches. The experience results show that the proposed algorithms outperform the previous algorithms named FirEGA and SecEGA . Overall, the proposed algorithms with a new encoding scheme represent a potential approach for solving the DKP01.

Process mapping in healthcare: a systematic review

IntroductionProcess mapping (PM) supports better understanding of complex systems and adaptation of improvement interventions to their local context. However, there is little research on its use in healthcare. This study (i) proposes a conceptual framework outlining quality criteria to guide the effective implementation, evaluation and reporting of PM in healthcare; (ii) reviews published PM cases to identify context and quality of PM application, and the reported benefits of using PM in healthcare.MethodsWe developed the conceptual framework by reviewing methodological guidance on PM and empirical literature on its use in healthcare improvement interventions. We conducted a systematic review of empirical literature using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology. Inclusion criteria were: full text empirical study; describing the process through which PM has been applied in a healthcare setting; published in English. Databases searched are: Medline, Embase, HMIC–Health Management Information Consortium, CINAHL-Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus. Two independent reviewers extracted and analysed data. Each manuscript underwent line by line coding. The conceptual framework was used to evaluate adherence of empirical studies to the identified PM quality criteria. Context in which PM is used and benefits of using PM were coded using an inductive thematic analysis approach.ResultsThe framework outlines quality criteria for each PM phase: (i) preparation, planning and process identification, (ii) data and information gathering, (iii) process map generation, (iv) analysis, (v) taking it forward.PM is used in a variety of settings and approaches to improvement. None of the reviewed studies (N = 105) met all ten quality criteria; 7% were compliant with 8/10 or 9/10 criteria. 45% of studies reported that PM was generated through multi-professional meetings and 15% reported patient involvement. Studies highlighted the value of PM in navigating the complexity characterising healthcare improvement interventions.ConclusionThe full potential of PM is inhibited by variance in reporting and poor adherence to underpinning principles. Greater rigour in the application of the method is required. We encourage the use and further development of the proposed framework to support training, application and reporting of PM.Trial RegistrationProspero ID: CRD42017082140