Simplification Strategy Research Articles

Development of CadR-based cadmium whole cell biosensor for visual detection of environmental Cd2+

BackgroundAs a threat to human health and public health, cadmium (Cd) pollution has received widespread social concern. Our previously constructed CadR-based bacterial whole cell biosensor (WCB) epCadR5 showed high sensitivity and specificity in cadmium detection. However, the application of the sensor is still hindered by the need for laboratory equipment to read the fluorescence signal output. In this study, we aimed to optimizing the sensor to make it available for visual detection of environmental cadmium and simplify the detection process to advance practical application of the sensor. ResultsBy replacing the constitutive promoter with J110, the fluorescence signal output of the sensor was significantly increased and the fluorescence leakage was decreased. In addition, the fluorescence signal output of green fluorescence protein (GFP) was enhanced by the addition of a 5′ untranslated region (5′-UTR) mlcR10. The fluorescence signal output of the WCB is sufficiently robust to be visible and distinguishable to the naked eye, which is of paramount importance for visual detection. The sensor readout can be conveniently recorded by mobile phone camera and quantified. For ease of on-site application, the WCB's visual detection procedures and conditions were further optimized and simplified. The WCB demonstrated good linearity and detection limit (1.81 μg/L) for visual detection of Cd2+ without the assistance of bulky laboratory equipment. For the detection of real environmental samples, the WCB visual detection results were close to those of WCB-flow cytometry (FACS) and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS). SignificanceIn this work, we developed an easy-to-use, on-site and visual detection biosensor for monitoring environmental Cd2+. It will advance the utilization of cadmium WCBs in practical settings. The optimization and simplification strategy in the study also provide new insights into the visualization of other bacterial biosensors, and will advance the practical application of WCBs.

LiDAR point cloud simplification strategy utilizing probabilistic membership

With the continuous progress of information acquisition technology, the volume of LiDAR point cloud data is also expanding rapidly, which greatly hinders the subsequent point cloud processing and engineering applications. In this study, we propose a point cloud simplification strategy utilizing probabilistic membership to address this challenge. The methodology initially develops a feature extraction scheme based on curvature to identify the set of feature points. Subsequently, a combination of k-means clustering and Possibilistic C-Means is employed to partition the point cloud into subsets, and to simultaneously acquire the probabilistic membership information of the point cloud. This information is then utilized to establish a rational and efficient simplification scheme. Finally, the simplification results of the feature point set and the remaining point set are merged to obtain the ultimate simplification outcome. This simplification method not only effectively preserves the features of the point cloud while maintaining uniformity in the simplified results but also offers flexibility in balancing feature retention and the degree of simplification. Through comprehensive comparative analysis across multiple point cloud models and benchmarking against various simplification methods, the proposed approach demonstrates superior performance. Finally, the proposed algorithm was critically discussed in light of the experimental results.

Frequency and Universal Principles in the Acquisition of Word-Initial Consonant Clusters in Palestinian Arabic.

In this article, we present the results of our study on the acquisition of word-initial consonant clusters in Palestinian Arabic. The remarkable property of word-initial clusters in Palestinian Arabic is that they often violate the Sonority Sequencing Principle, a universal constraint that disfavors sonority fall (e.g., lba:n "gum") and, to a lesser degree, sonority plateau (e.g., kta:b "book"). Given the violation of the Sonority Sequencing Principle, the acquisition of word-initial consonant clusters serves as a fruitful ground for studying the interaction of universal principles and language-specific effects. The goal of the study was to shed light on the role of universal principles in language acquisition and how they interact with frequency. We carried out picture naming and sentence completion tasks with 60 monolingual and monodialectal children aged 2;00-5;00 (years;months), equally divided into six age groups. In addition, we built a small corpus of child-directed speech (CDS) to evaluate the distribution of the three sonority profiles of word-initial consonant clusters-rise, plateau, and fall. We found a major language-specific effect in the cluster simplification strategies, with prothesis being the most common strategy (e.g., lbá:n → ilbá:n "gum"). However, this effect was not found in the youngest group (2;00-2;05), where the cross-linguistically favorite strategy of C-deletion was most common (e.g., lbá:n → bá:n "gum"). We also found a major effect of the Sonority Sequencing Principle in the children's productions, contrary to insignificant differences in CDS. Our study supports the claim that language acquisition is affected by both language-specific effects and universal principles. As for the interaction of these factors, we show that the effect of universal principles emerges under two conditions: (a) in early speech (youngest age group), before children accumulate sufficient data that allow language-specific properties to override, and/or (b) when frequency does not play a role.

Finite Element Analysis of the Structure and Working Principle of Solid-State Shear Milling (S3M) Equipment.

Solid-state shear milling (S3M) equipment is an evolution from traditional stone mills, enabling the processing of polymer materials and fillers through crushing, mixing, and mechanochemical reactions at ambient temperature. Due to the complex structure of the mill-pan, empirical data alone are insufficient to give a comprehensive understanding of the physicochemical interactions during the milling process. To provide an in-depth insight of the working effect and mechanism of S3M equipment, finite element method (FEM) analysis is employed to simulate the milling dynamics, which substantiates the correlation between numerical outcomes and experimental observations. A model simplification strategy is proposed to optimize calculation time without compromising accuracy. The findings in this work demonstrate the S-S bond breakage mechanism behind stress-induced devulcanization and suggest the structural optimizations for enhancing the devulcanization and pulverization efficiency of S3M equipment, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for its application in material processing.

Design, Synthesis, and Nematocidal Evaluation of Waltherione A Derivatives: Leveraging a Structural Simplification Strategy.

Southern root-knot nematodes are among the most pernicious phytoparasites; they are responsible for substantial yield losses in agricultural crops worldwide. The limited availability of nematicides for the prevention and control of plant-parasitic nematodes necessitates the urgent development of novel nematicides. Natural products have always been a key source for the discovery of pesticides. Waltherione A, an alkaloid, exhibits potent nematocidal activity. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of quinoline and quinolone derivatives from Waltherione A, leveraging a strategy of structural simplification. Bioassays have revealed that the quinoline derivatives exhibit better activity than quinolone derivatives in terms of both nematocidal and fungicidal activities. Notably, compound D1 demonstrated strong nematocidal activity, with a 72 h LC50 of 23.06 μg/mL, and it effectively controlled the infection of root-knot nematodes on cucumbers. The structure-activity relationship suggests that the quinoline moiety is essential for the nematocidal efficacy of Waltherione A. Additionally, compound D1 exhibited broad-spectrum fungicidal activity, with an EC50 of 2.98 μg/mL against Botrytis cinerea. At a concentration of 200 μg/mL, it significantly inhibited the occurrence of B. cinerea on tomato fruits, with an inhibitory effect of 96.65%, which is slightly better than the positive control (90.30%).

Modification of LiMn2O4 Cathodes to Boost Kinetics Match via rGO for High-Performance Rocking-Chair Lithium-Ion Capacitors.

The rocking-chair lithium-ion capacitors (RLICs), composed of a battery-type cathode and capacitive-type anode, alleviates the issue of increased internal resistance caused by electrolyte consumption during the cycling process of the lithium-ion capacitors (LICs). However, the poor conductivity of cathode materials and the mismatch between the cathode and anode are the key issues that hinder its commercial application. In this work, a modification simplification strategy is proposed to tailor the conductivity of the cathode and matching characteristic with the anode. The in situ grown lithium manganate (LMO) is featured with a three-dimensional conductive network constructed by reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The optimized LMO/rGO composite cathode demonstrates an excellent rate performance, lithium-ion diffusion rate, and cycling performance. After assembling an RLICs with activated carbon (AC), the RLICs exhibits an energy density of as high as 239.11 Wh/kg at a power density of 400 W/kg. Even at a power density of 200 kW/kg, its energy density can maintain at 39.9 Wh/kg. These excellent electrochemical performances are mainly attributed to the compounding of LMO with rGO, which not only improves the conductivity of the cathode but also realizes a better matching with the capacitive-type anode. This modification strategy provides a reference for the further development of energy storage devices suitable for actual production conditions and application scenarios.

Revisiting Mobile Payment Risk-Reduction Strategies: A Cross-Country Analysis

ABSTRACT Mobile payment risk has become a critical cybersecurity factor in the cashless society. The outbreak of COVID-19 helped proliferate mobile payments that also bring significant risks to users. Using AI methods, this study analyzed six dimensions of mobile payment risks (financial, privacy, performance, psychology, time, and security) in a survey of 748 respondents from three countries (UK, Taiwan, and Mozambique). The decision tree method was employed to identify and analyze critical perceived risks. The ANOVA test provided insights on the perceived risks between countries. The ANOVA test showed that UK users were concerned about financial and time risks; those in Mozambique were concerned about performance, psychological, and security risks; and those in Taiwan were concerned about privacy risks. The results revealed that decision trees outperformed other methods (such as neural networks, logistic regression, support vector machine (SVM), random forest, and Naïve Bayes models). Performance risk (Taiwan and Mozambique) and security risk (UK) are the most significant factors. Cultural differences influence mobile payment risk perception in different countries. The risk-reduction strategies were also matched to the critical factors by the decision tree. This showed that simplification and risk-sharing strategies were the major tactics in all three countries. The clarification strategy works for Taiwan and Mozambique, which focuses on the benefits of using mobile payments. The results suggest that enterprises should improve and simplify the mobile payment process and collaborate with the third parties to reduce and share cybersecurity risk.

Quiet quitting: Obedience a minima as a form of nursing resistance.

In this article, we provide a philosophical and ethical reflection about quiet quitting as a tool of political resistance for nurses. Quiet quitting is a trend that gained traction on TikTok in July 2022 and emerged as a method of resistance among employees facing increasing demands from their workplaces at the detriment of their personal lives. It is characterised by employees refraining from exceeding the basic requirements outlined in their job descriptions. To understand why quiet quitting can be a tool of resistance useful for nurses, we first draw on Frédéric Gros' concept of 'surplus obedience' and Michael Lipsky's notion of 'routines and simplification strategies' to highlight the ethical implications associated with nurses engaging in and sustaining harmful systems, such as the neoliberal healthcare system. Leaning again on Gros, we then propose that 'obedience a minima', a concept akin to quiet quitting, can serve as a method of ethical nursing resistance. After describing what the concept entails, we provide a discussion emphasising the potential of obedience a minima as a one method, among many, that can be leveraged by nurses to challenge and resist a system that prioritises financial considerations over patient wellbeing. The article concludes by reflecting on the ethical nature of resistance in the context of nursing, that is the act of obeying oneself and refraining from participating in systems that are detrimental to the lives of Others.

Branch-Price-and-Cut algorithms for the team orienteering problem with interval-varying profits

This paper studies the team orienteering problem (TOP), wherein each vertex requires two visits, and the service profit of each vertex depends on the time interval between these two visits. Motivated by scenarios like perishable product delivery, home health care scheduling, and earth observation satellite scheduling, the paper addresses two variants: the periodic orienteering problem with a focus on the number of days (NoDs) and the team orienteering problem with attention to a combination of time windows (CoTWs). It develops mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) models for both variants and devises exact Branch-Price-and-Cut (BPC) algorithms tailored to their block diagonal structures. Furthermore, this paper proposes two strategies to improve algorithm performance. A simplification strategy streamlines the directed graph network by removing redundant vertices and arcs without compromising optimality, thereby accelerating the solution of pricing problems. Additionally, a matheuristic algorithm is proposed to obtain integer solutions quickly. Computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of these algorithms, showcasing their superiority over CPLEX. The BPC algorithm, coupled with the simplification strategy, exhibits an average computational time reduction of 70 % compared to the basic strategy. The effectiveness of the matheuristic algorithm is also confirmed. Finally, the findings presented herein offer valuable insights for refining and applying BPC algorithms.

LiDAR point cloud simplification algorithm with fuzzy encoding-decoding mechanism

With the explosive growth in the density of acquired point cloud data, point cloud processing tasks will face tremendous challenges. LiDAR point cloud simplification is a key phase in addressing this issue, which effectively promotes the development of LiDAR technology in many engineering fields. In this study, an innovative point cloud simplification algorithm with the fuzzy encoding-decoding mechanism is proposed. In the developed scheme, an approach for curvature estimation is first designed on the basis of the k-neighbor searching and principal component analysis. Then, a collection of feature point sets is set up with the ordered curvatures. Subsequently, a Fuzzy C-Means clustering based encoding mechanism is employed to capture the level point cloud structures in depth and establish a reasonable and streamlined strategy for point clouds. Each feature point set and non-feature point set are encoded into a prototype matrix and a partition (membership) matrix. The membership degree of each feature point to its prototype becomes the basis for the simplification strategy. Finally, the simplification result of the point cloud is formed through merging the simplification results of all subsets. The method proposed in this study effectively preserves the point cloud features and ensures a uniform distribution of the simplified point cloud. A comparative analysis of the point cloud simplification is conducted. The experimental results demonstrate that the developed algorithm outperformed other point cloud simplification algorithms.

Simplification strategies for a patient-specific CFD model of particle transport during liver radioembolization

BackgroundPatient-specific 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been used previously to identify the impact of injection parameters (e.g. injection location, velocity, etc.) on the particle distribution and the tumor dose during transarterial injection of radioactive microspheres for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, these simulations are computationally costly, so we aim to evaluate whether these can be reliably simplified. MethodsWe identified and applied five simplification strategies (i.e. truncation, steady flow modelling, moderate and severe grid coarsening, and reducing the number of cardiac cycles) to a patient-specific CFD setup. Subsequently, we evaluated whether these strategies can be used to (1) accurately predict the CFD output (i.e. particle distribution and tumor dose) and (2) quantify the sensitivity of the model output to a specific injection parameter (injection flow rate). ResultsFor both accuracy and sensitivity purposes, moderate grid coarsening is the most reliable simplification strategy, allowing to predict the tumor dose with only a maximal deviation of 1.4 %, and a similar sensitivity (deviation of 0.7 %). The steady strategy performs the worst, with a maximal deviation in the tumor dose of 20 % and a difference in sensitivity of 10 %. ConclusionThe patient-specific 3D CFD simulations of this study can be reliably simplified by coarsening the grid, decreasing the computational time by roughly 45 %, which works especially well for sensitivity studies.

Mastering the ways of indicating transport when mastering Russian as a native and as a foreign language

The subject of the article's research is the peculiarities of prepositional-case constructions with the meaning of vehicle in children's monolingual speech, in the speech of Chinese students studying Russian as a foreign language and in the speech of heritage Russian speakers with different dominant languages. The study examines case constructions with the meaning of movement. The specificity of mastering grammatical construction in the course of mastering Russian as a native language, as one of the native languages, and as a foreign language is analyzed. The research material was experimental data collected in a children's classroom and in an adult foreign audience, as well as information from the “Russian Academic Corps /RLC” (Corpus of the Linguistic Laboratory for Corpus Technologies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, containing information about the development of Russian as a foreign language and native speakers of Russian with different dominant languages). The research methodology included: longitudinal observation of the speech of monolingual children, psycholinguistic experiment in a foreign audience, corpus research method; comparative research, semantic and functional analysis. The scientific novelty of the proposed work lies in the fact that for the first time a comparative analysis of data is presented that describes the ways of mastering the case construction with the meaning of indicating transport by Russian-speaking children, Chinese students and heritage native speakers of the Russian language. Typical differences and errors in the choice of construction are considered, the strategy of simplification in the speech of foreign students is described, and the ways of grammatical interference are analyzed. Analysis of errors made by Russian-speaking children and adult foreigners allows us to draw conclusions about the specifics of mastering Russian case meanings. Errors in choosing a case ending with a correctly chosen preposition are often observed in the speech of foreign students and heritage speakers, but do not appear in children's speech. Thus, in the Russian language there is a wide variety of ways to indicate a vehicle. Choosing the correct construction when indicating transport represents a specific difficulty in the course of mastering Russian as a foreign language and requires special attention.

GateKeeper: An UltraLite malicious traffic identification method with dual-aspect optimization strategies on IoT gateways

The Internet of Things (IoT) landscape is booming, and a wide range of IoT endpoints has been integrated into various aspects of life, opening opportunities for malicious attacks that compromise IoT security. Consequently, effective malicious traffic identification methods play a crucial role in ensuring IoT security. However, the current lightweight methods face two main challenges. Firstly, they often generate feature sets that are time-consuming to construct and less adaptable to various scenarios. Secondly, classification models built upon inefficient neural networks incur a significant computational overhead. To address these drawbacks, in this work, we propose GateKeeper, which is an UltraLite method for malicious traffic identification on the IoT gateway. We first propose a base model as the cornerstone and target for subsequent optimization. Then we propose dual-aspect optimization strategies for reducing the input dimension and simplifying the model structure, i.e., Key Bytes Selection (KBS) and Attention Module Simplification (AMS) strategy. Finally, we obtain the optimized UltraLite model-GateKeeper, specifically tailored for integration into IoT gateway deployments, where high-speed real-time identification is paramount. Our extensive experiments demonstrate that GateKeeper performs remarkably in identifying malicious IoT traffic, achieving over 97% accuracy in all three IoT malicious traffic classification benchmark tasks, outperforming six state-of-the-art methods. Besides, GateKeeper’s parameters and FLOPs are 65% smaller than those of existing methods. Moreover, in the case of an IoT gateway platform, GateKeeper demonstrates remarkably low time overhead and hardware resource utilization, surpassing state-of-the-art methods.

Conspiring simplification strategies of [Obstruent+Liquid] clusters in a case study of child Greek: emergence of the marked

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the idiosyncratic cluster simplification patterns observed in a child with disordered phonological development, who is acquiring Greek. The child has mastered word-internal and word-final codas and clusters of reversed sonority. However, the child does not realise the target well-formed tautosyllabic [Obstruent+Liquid] clusters with rising sonority. The child’s system requires a single onset with maximum sonority dispersion between the onset and the syllable nucleus. As a result, cluster simplification occurs, via reduction to the less sonorous Obstruent – the most prevalent reduction pattern cross-linguistically. However, at the same time, the grammar requires faithful realisation of the target segment number. This requirement is fulfiled through two distinct conspiring metathesis patterns, distributed complementarily, resulting in the realisation of marked structures. The patterns depend on the position of the cluster within the target word. In word internal position, a compensatory metathesis of the Liquid takes place in the preceding syllable coda. In word initial position, the Manner of Articulation of the metathesised Liquid is delinked, while its Coronal Place of Articulation is faithfully preserved, and is realised by default as a Coronal Sibilant [s]. The latter Sibilant is attached as an appendix to the syllable node at the word left-edge. We argue that, in the grammar of this child, there is a-synchronisation between the development of the prosodic word layer and the development of syllable layer. Specifically, a-synchronisation is evident in the development of the (branching) onset syllabic subconstituent.

Parallel Topology-aware Mesh Simplification on Terrain Trees

We address the problem of performing a topology-aware simplification algorithm on a compact and distributed data structure for triangle meshes, the Terrain trees. Topology-aware operators have been defined to coarsen a Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) without affecting the topology of its underlying terrain, i.e., without modifying critical features of the terrain, such as pits, saddles, peaks, and their connectivity. However, their scalability is limited for large-scale meshes. Our proposed algorithm uses a batched processing strategy to reduce both the memory and time requirements of the simplification process, and thanks to the spatial decomposition on the basis of Terrain trees, it can be easily parallelized. Also, since a Terrain tree after the simplification process becomes less compact and efficient, we propose an efficient post-processing step for updating hierarchical spatial decomposition. Our experiments on real-world TINs, derived from topographic and bathymetric LiDAR data, demonstrate the scalability and efficiency of our approach. Specifically, topology-aware simplification on Terrain trees uses 40% less memory and half the time compared to the most compact and efficient connectivity-based data structure for TINs. Furthermore, the parallel simplification algorithm on the Terrain trees exhibits a 12× speedup with an OpenMP implementation. The quality of the output mesh is not significantly affected by the distributed and parallel simplification strategy of Terrain trees, and we obtain similar quality levels compared to the global baseline method.

Notch strength evaluation for highly ductile Al/Cu bi-metal fabricated by the roll-bonding technique under pure mode I and pure mode II loading conditions

In this work, the aluminum alloy AA1050 and copper sheets are cladded together using the roll-bonding technique to make rectangular bi-metallic joints. To examine the notch strength of this bi-metal under quasi-static loading, central slits with two U-shaped ends are introduced into the bi-metal. The slit orientation angle is adopted such that for horizontal slit, the notched rectangular specimen experiences pure mode I loading. However, when the slit orientation angle changes to about 67 degrees, which is obtained by the finite element (FE) analysis, the U-ends of the slit are subjected to pure mode II loading. Considering three different notch tip radii, two loading conditions, and three replicates for each test configuration, totally 18 U-notched specimens are produced and tested with the goal to measure the notch strength of bi-metal experimentally. According to the experimental observations, the bi-metal joint is perfect such that crack initiates from the notch in the whole thickness, proposing that the whole bi-metal joint can be considered as a single bulk material. Based on these observations and thanks to the virtual isotropic material concept (VIMC), the AA1050/Cu bi-metal is firstly equated with a virtual bulk material having homogeneous and isotropic behavior. Secondly, due to highly ductile behavior of the bi-metal joint proven by the associated tensile stress–strain curve, the fictitious material concept (FMC) is used to equate the virtual isotropic material obtained from the previous step having elastoplastic behavior with a fictitious material having perfectly linear elastic behavior. Finally, the VIMC and FMC are linked to the U-notch maximum tangential stress (UMTS), U-notch mean stress (UMS), and U-notch strain energy density (USED) criteria to predict the notch strengths of the bi-metal joint experimentally measured. With always higher than 92% accuracy for all VIMC-FMC-UMTS, VIMC-FMC-UMS, and VIMC-FMC-USED combined criteria, it is shown that the two-level strategy of material simplification, i.e., VIMC-FMC, is quite successful to be combined with different brittle fracture criteria for predicting the notch strength of AA1050-Cu bimetals under both pure tensile and pure in-plane shear modes of loading.

Simplifying medication regimens for residents of aged care facilities: Pharmacist and physician use of a structured five-step medication simplification tool

BackgroundPharmacist-led medication regimen simplification using a structured approach can reduce unnecessary medication regimen complexity in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), but no studies have investigated simplification by different health professionals, nor the extent to which simplification is recommended during comprehensive medication reviews. ObjectivesTo compare medication regimen simplification opportunities identified by pharmacists, general medical practitioners (GPs), and geriatricians and to determine if pharmacists identified simplification opportunities during routinely conducted comprehensive medication reviews in RACFs for these same residents. MethodsThree pharmacists, three GPs and three geriatricians independently applied the Medication Regimen Simplification Guide for Residential Aged CarE (MRS GRACE) to medication data for 83 residents taking medications at least twice daily. Interrater agreement was calculated using Fleiss's kappa. Pharmacist medication review reports for the same 83 residents were then examined to identify if the pharmacists conducting these reviews had recommended any of the simplification strategies. ResultsOverall, 77 residents (92.8 %) taking medications at least twice daily could have their medication regimen simplified by at least one health professional. Pharmacists independently simplified 53.0–77.1 % of medication regimens (Κ = 0.60, 95%CI 0.46–0.75, indicating substantial agreement), while GPs simplified 74.7–89.2 % (Κ = 0.44, 95%CI 0.24–0.64, moderate agreement) and geriatricians simplified 41.0–66.3 % (Κ = 0.30, 95%CI 0.16–0.44, fair agreement). No simplification recommendations were included in the reports previously prepared by pharmacists as part of the comprehensive medication reviews undertaken for these residents. ConclusionPharmacists, GPs, and geriatricians can all identify medication regimen simplification opportunities, although these opportunities differ within and between professional groups. Although opportunities to simplify medication regimens during comprehensive medication reviews exist, simplification is not currently routinely recommended by pharmacists performing these reviews in Australian RACFs.

A fast approach for predicting stress intensity factors in tortuous cracks under mixed-mode loading

Realistic crack morphologies are generally sinuous rather than straight, which brings a great challenge to capture accurately the stress intensity factors at the crack tip. In this paper, a fast approximation method for predicting stress intensity factors in tortuous cracks under mixed-mode loading is proposed in terms of geometry simplification and semi-theoretical calculation. First, the finite element results show that the main and branch two-segment crack geometry approximation possesses a good capability of predicting the stress intensity factors of tortuous cracks under mixed-mode loading, whereas the simplification strategy of one straight crack cannot characterize the crack tip field of sinuous cracks. Then, an efficient semi-theoretical estimation approach is proposed to obtain the stress intensity factors of the branch crack from those of the main crack, which is validated to further reduce the computational time, resulting in a two-step accelerated operation. Moreover, the effect of main crack offset is also discussed and some recommendations are given to ensure accurate predictions within an acceptable margin of error for microstructural design or other application purposes.

Path planning of unmanned vehicles based on adaptive particle swarm optimization algorithm

Path planning technology is the basis of autonomous driving of unmanned vehicles. However, there are some problems in the traditional path planning technology. For example, high-quality global paths can't be generated quickly; Lacking of security verification ability; The performance of dynamic obstacle avoidance is poor. Therefore, this paper proposes a path planning method of unmanned vehicles based on adaptive particle swarm optimization algorithm (APSO). Firstly, a map simplification strategy (MSS) is proposed. The grid map is preprocessed by map simplification strategy to reduce the search space and time of path planning algorithm; Secondly, an APSO algorithm is proposed. The algorithm coordinates the search of particles through three adaptive factors and Levy flight strategy. Then, a security checking strategy is proposed. Security checking strategy can be used to verify the safety of global path; Finally, a dynamic obstacle avoidance strategy based on behavior is proposed. Vehicles can independently analyze the types of collision and adopt corresponding obstacle avoidance strategies. The simulation results show that MSS-APSO algorithm and APSO algorithm surpass original algorithms and comparison algorithms; MSS-APSO algorithm has strong applicability in real map environment; The obstacle avoidance strategy has great obstacle avoidance ability and real-time performance; The map simplification strategy can improve iterations of the algorithm and quality of the global path.

Micro-sociolinguistic outcomes of language contact in different lects of Indian English

This paper explores language contact phenomena (substrate und superstrate influence, universal learning strategies) in the speech of English-dominant, Hindi-dominant and bilingual speakers of Indian English. In so doing, it describes the nature and extent of linguistic variation that spans a broad sociolinguistic spectrum. The empirical basis of the study targets two domains of language: morpho-syntax (the English present perfect) and discourse pragmatics (quotative marking). The stratification of the informants into English-dominant, Hindi-dominant and bilingual is diagnostic of the sociolinguistic settings in which varieties in contact have been acquired (predominantly English, predominantly Hindi or mixed). The results indicate that superstratal influence is most noticeable in the speech of English-dominant individuals. In contrast, Hindi-dominant and bilingual speakers demonstrate substrate-induced features in their speech. The universal learning strategies of simplification are limited to the linguistic repertoires of the individuals with predominantly Hindi background. Crucially, bilingual speakers appear to engage in the construction of creative coinages and lead an incipient language change in the domain of quotative marking. Against this backdrop, the study shows that bilingualism is a primary sociocognitive condition underpinning speakers’ linguistic creativity and its major prerequisite. The study also pinpoints the importance of sociolinguistic differentiation through meticulous ethnographic fieldwork in the study of linguistic variation.