Supplementary Functions Research Articles

COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Containment Failed or Successful?

This short article examines key governmental measures against the spread of COVID-19 in Japan from a geopolitical perspective. “Geopolitical” in this article means to see the measures as spatial strategies. At the stage of globalized pandemic, state territoriality or border control is no longer able to effectively control the spread of the virus. Instead, this article argues, multi-scalar intergovernmental coordination is inevitable to tackle the virus moving along increasing trans-border/local human flows. Using the case of Japan, this article overviews how effective social distancing as a spatial strategy has been and illustrates how the limits to such a strategy to control human behavior can affect anti-virus measures. In conclusion, this article argues that the effective devolution of state power to local governments and the strengthening of state supplementary function to sustain local healthcare system and economy would be more desirable than the authoritative concentration of state power in the state of emergency.

The 2b protein and C-terminal region of the 2a protein indispensably facilitate systemic movement of cucumber mosaic virus in radish with supplementary function by either the 3a or the coat protein

BackgroundIn Raphanus sativus (Japanese radish), strain D8 of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-D8) establishes a systemic infection and induces mild mosaic on upper, non-inoculated leaves, whereas strain Y of CMV (CMV-Y) causes only a local infection in the inoculated leaves. Here, we further analyzed the specific viral factor(s) of CMV-D8 that is (are) indispensable for systemic infection in Japanese radish.MethodsTo identify which genomic RNA(s) is (are) involved in systemic infection in radish, we carried out a pseudorecombination analysis between CMV-D8 and CMV-Y. With recombination analyses between CMV-D8 and CMV-Y using mutant/recombinant RNA2s, chimeric and point-mutated RNA3s, we identified viral factors that are indispensable for systemic infection.ResultsViral RNA2 and RNA3 of CMV-D8 facilitated efficient virus spread into the upper, non-inoculated plant tissues of radish (cv. Tokinashi), but not those of CMV-Y. Recombinant RNA2s demonstrated that the 2b protein (2b) and the C-terminus of the 2a protein (2a) of CMV-D8 have a crucial role in systemic infection. In addition, we used chimeric and point-mutated RNA3s to that Pro17 and Pro129 in the coat protein (CP) of CMV-D8 are involved in efficient systemic infection and that Ser51 in the 3a protein (3a) of CMV-D8 has positive effects on systemic spread. The results suggested that these viral factors facilitate systemic infection of CMV-D8 in Japanese radish.ConclusionThe C-terminal region of 2a, the entire region of 2b, and supplementary function of either Ser51 in 3a or Pro17/Pro 129 in CP confer systemic infectivity on CMV-D8 in radish. These results further elucidate the complex interaction of viral proteins of CMV to complete systemic infection as a host-specific manner.

GATE MODELING OF LATERAL SCATTERING OF PROTON PENCIL BEAMS.

To validate the GATE Monte Carlo simulation code and to investigate the lateral scattering of proton pencil beams in the major body tissue elements in the therapeutic energy range. In this study, GATE Monte Carlo simulation code was used to compute absorbed dose and fluence of protons in a water cubic phantom for the clinical energy range. To apply the suitable physics model for simulation, different physics lists were investigated. The present research also investigated the optimal value of the water ionization potential as a simulation parameter. Thereafter, the lateral beam profile of proton pencil beams were simulated at different energies and depths in body tissue elements. The range results obtained using the QGSP_BIC_EMY physics showed the best compatibility with the NIST database data. Moreover, it was found that the 76eV is the optimal value for the water ionization potential. In the next step, it was shown that the beam halo can be described by adding a supplementary Gaussian function to the standard single-Gaussian model, which currently is used by treatment planning systems (TPS).

РІЗНОРІВНЕВІ ВЕРБАЛЬНІ МАРКЕРИ СУГЕСТІЇ У ВСТУПНИХ ПРОМОВАХ АДВОКАТІВ ОБВИНУВАЧЕННЯ (НА МАТЕРІАЛІ СУЧАСНИХ АМЕРИКАНСЬКИХ ЮРИДИЧНИХ ТРИЛЕРІВ)

The article sets out to justify the author’s opinion on the fact that the main peculiarity of the prosecution attorneys’ opening statements is their power of suggestion, i.e. exerting emotional and psychological influence on the jury with the purpose of changing their emotions, feelings and train of thoughts in favour of the attorney and their client. A lexical-semantic classification of multi-level verbal markers of suggestion has been worked out in the article under consideration to show which language units prosecution attorneys give preference to in order to exert the influence of suggestion on the jury. The classification in question shows that the notion of suggestion exists on all speech levels: phonetic, morphological, lexical-semantic and syntactic, with lexical-semantic being the most abundant in prosecution attorneys’ opening statements. Verbal markers of suggestion on lexical-semantic level were divided into those of direct and indirect nomination. Verbal markers of suggestion on phonetic, morphological and syntactic levels perform only supplementary function in exerting the influence of suggestion on the jury members. The article concludes that the prosecution attorneys purposely use a great amount of multi-level verbal markers of suggestion at the same time to have the massive impact on the jury’s thoughts, emotions, feelings, attitudes. The classification under consideration has been worked out in the scope of modern American legal thrillers, written by professional attorneys who depict the slightest details of real American legal proceedings.

An efficient control strategy of shunt active power filter for asymmetrical load condition using time domain approach

The article describes the current control scheme for Shunt Active Power Filter (SAPF) meant for setting up on a power system. There is also a supplementary function in the active power filter for eliminating harmonics, correct power factor, and asymmetrical balance load studied in this paper. A brief explanation of the execution of the classical current detection algorithms for active power filters provided. After understanding various severe power excellence problems and a range of commission needs a current control scheme put forth. The system gives shortest time delay when compared with other methodologies. A range of commissioning current references, thus, is precisely and efficiently attained by following the suggested current control approach.The proposed system can assured that to achieve a variety of compensation purposes. The simulation outcomes we arrived with MATLAB / Simulink are proof that our method gives outstanding performance apart from being more effective compared to the existing methods.

Bilayer Electrolyte Thin Films Gadolinia Doped Ceria /Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition for Electrochemichal Devices

In this paper bilayer thin films of 10CGO/8YSZ electrolyte with enhanced O2- conductivity composed of gadolinia doped CeO2 (Ce0,9Gd0,1O2-) and yttria stabilized zirconia 8 mol% Y2O3 doped ZrO2 layers were deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) using various numbers of pulses. This composite has supplementary function in electrochemical devices because 10 CGO can act as interdiffusion barrier with cathode materials. The structure and morphology of these thin films, having thicknesses smaller than 1µm, were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The XRD patterns exhibit cubic fluorite structure with a sharp (111) peak. The grain size was found to depend on the thickness. Optical characterization was carried out by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) using the Tauc-Lorentz model. Keywords: Laser ablation, Electrolytes, Bilayer Thin Films, Tauc - Lorentz Model, Electrochemical Fuel Cells Devices

Land consolidation and rural revitalization in China: Mechanisms and paths

Land consolidation has multi-functionality. Most of the existing researches focus on the supplementary function of cultivated land, but lack of systematic research on its function of promoting the sustainable development and revitalization of rural areas. In the context of the current global rural decline, land consolidation has been endowed with the connotation of promoting rural revitalization and regional sustainable development. This study systematically reviewed the evolution history of land consolidation in China, and then explored the current status, characteristics and potential impact of land consolidation as well as the driving mechanism of land consolidation promoting rural revitalization, and finally explained the feasible way to revitalize countryside by land consolidation in a typical case. Results showed that China's land consolidation has played an irreplaceable role in stabilizing the dynamic balance of arable land and ensuring food security. It has made or is moving towards supporting the development of modern agriculture, poverty alleviation and rural revitalization as well as regional sustainable development. Land consolidation is gradually favored in promoting rural development and revitalization because of its social, economic and ecological benefits, and it can provide a platform and inject new vitality for rural revitalization by solving the difficulties of lack of fund, land, technology, talent and industry. Comprehensive land consolidation helps to promote the overall revitalization of rural industry, ecology, organization, culture and talent. However, it also needs to be alert to the eco-environmental risks and negative effects brought by land consolidation projects. The problem-solving oriented land consolidation is needed in the process of promoting rural revitalization and regional sustainable development. The internal logic of rural decline at different development stages varies across countries, and the strategies to promote rural revitalization through land consolidation also need to be adjusted in time.

A three-dimensional modeling method for the trapezoidal cavity and multi-coupled cavity with various impedance boundary conditions

A three-dimensional modified Fourier series method is applied to study the acoustic characteristics of the trapezoidal cavity and coupled cavity with various impedance boundary conditions. The formulation is constructed to describe the cavity systems based on the energy principle. The admissible sound pressure function is set to a Fourier cosine series and supplementary functions. These supplementary functions can eliminate the discontinuous or jumping phenomenon in the boundaries. The trapezoidal cavity can be transformed into regular rectangular cavity by coordinate transformation. The triangular cavity can be obtained by changing the dimensions of the trapezoidal cavity. The coupled cavity consists of two irregular triangular cavities and the coupling interface is regarded as a non-dissipative surface. The accuracy and convergence of the present results are verified by comparison with the results obtained by finite element calculation and experiment. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of the trapezoidal cavity and coupled cavity are studied. Besides, the sound pressure response under monopole sound source excitation is obtained. What’s more, some results are obtained in the basis of effects of various factors on acoustic characteristics, such as shapes, geometric parameters and impedance values. These results provide a benchmark for the future researches.

Conceptual design of the high resolution neutron spectrometer for ITER

A high resolution neutron spectrometer (HRNS) system has been designed as a neutron diagnostic tool for ITER. The HRNS is dedicated to measurements of time resolved neutron energy spectra for both deuterium and deuterium–tritium (DT) plasmas. The main function of the HRNS is to determine the fuel ion ratio nt/nd in the plasma core with 20% uncertainty and a time resolution of 100 ms for a range of ITER operating scenarios from 0.5 MW to 500 MW in fusion power. Moreover, neutron spectroscopy measurements should also be possible in the initial deuterium phase of ITER experiments. A supplementary function of the HRNS is to provide information on the fuel ion temperature. Furthermore, the HRNS can be used as an additional line-of-sight (LOS) for the radial neutron camera. To meet these requirements, a set of four spectrometers positioned after each other along a single LOS has been designed. The detector techniques employed include a thin foil proton recoil spectrometer (TPR), a neutron diamond detector (NDD), a back-scattering time-of-flight system (bToF) and a forward time-of-flight system (fToF). The TPR system, positioned closest to the plasma, provides data at high fusion powers. For plasma conditions producing intermediate fusion power two neutron spectrometers are installed: NDD and bToF. The NDD is installed as the second instrument along the HRNS LOS after the TPR. The fToF spectrometer is dedicated for low tritium densities and pure deuterium operation.The paper summarizes the current state of the art of neutron spectroscopy useful in plasma diagnostics and the possibility of installing a dedicated HRNS for ITER in the designated diagnostic port. We conclude that the proposed HRNS system can fulfil the ITER measurement requirements over a broad range of plasma operational scenarios, including full power DT, start-up, ramp-down and pure D operations.

Free Vibration of Functionally Graded Sandwich Shallow Shells on Winkler and Pasternak Foundations with General Boundary Restraints

In this investigation, an exact method based on the first-order shear deformation shallow shell theory (FSDSST) is performed for the free vibration of functionally graded sandwich shallow shells (FGSSS) on Winkler and Pasternak foundations with general boundary restraints. Vibration characteristics of the FGSSS have been obtained by the energy function represented in the orthogonal coordinates, in which the displacement and rotation components consisted of standard double Fourier cosine series and several closed-form supplementary functions are introduced to eliminate the potential jumps and boundary discontinuities. Then, the expansion coefficients are determined by using Rayleigh-Ritz method. The proposed method shows good accuracy and reliability by comprehensive investigation concerning free vibration of the FGSSS. Numerous new vibration results for FGSSS on Winkler and Pasternak foundations with various curvature types, geometrical parameters, and boundary restraints are provided, which may serve as benchmark solutions for future research. In addition, the effects of the inertia, shear deformation, and foundation coefficients on free vibration characteristic of FGSSS are illustrated.

Dynamic and Sound Radiation Characteristics of Rectangular Thin Plates with General Boundary Conditions

Abstract Based on the classical Kirchhoff hypothesis, the dynamic response and sound radiation of rectangular thin plates with general boundary conditions are studied. The transverse displacements of plate are represented by a double Fourier cosine series and three supplementary functions. The potential discontinuity associated with the original governing equation can be transferred to auxiliary series functions. All kinds of boundary conditions can be easily achieved by varying stiffness value of springs on each edge. The natural frequencies and vibration response of the plates are obtained by means of the Rayleigh–Ritz method. Sound radiation characteristics of the plate are derived using Rayleigh integral formula. Current method works well when handling dynamic response and sound radiation of plates with general boundary conditions. The accuracy and reliability of current method are confirmed by comparing with related literature and FEM. The non-dimensional frequency parameters of the rectangular plates with different boundary conditions and aspect ratios are presented in the paper, which may be useful for future researchers.Meanwhile, some interesting points are foundwhen analyzing acoustic radiation characteristics of plates.

Ugtm: A Python Package for Data Modeling and Visualization Using Generative Topographic Mapping

ugtm is a Python package that implements generative topographic mapping (GTM), a dimensionality reduction algorithm by Bishop, Svensén and Williams. Because of its probabilistic framework, GTM can also be used to build classification and regression models, and is an attractive alternative to t-distributed neighbour embedding (t-SNE) or other non-linear dimensionality reduction methods. The package is compatible with scikit-learn, and includes a GTM transformer (eGTM), a GTM classifier (eGTC) and a GTM regressor (eGTR). The input and output of these functions are numpy arrays. The package implements supplementary functions for GTM visualization and kernel GTM (kGTM). The code is under MIT license and available on GitHub (<a href="https://github.com/hagax8/ugtm" target="_blank">https://github.com/hagax8/ugtm</a>). For installation instructions and documentation, cf. <a href="https://ugtm.readthedocs.io/" target="_blank">https://ugtm.readthedocs.io</a>. <strong>Funding statement:</strong> HG acknowledges funding from the US National Institute of Mental Health (PGC3: U01 MH109528).

A modified Fourier solution for sound-vibration analysis for composite laminated thin sector plate-cavity coupled system

This paper applied the modified Fourier series method to investigate the sound-vibration characteristics by establishing a composite laminated thin sector plate-cavity coupled model for the first time based on the classical plate theory (CPT) and Rayleigh-Ritz energy technique. The coupled system consists of an annular sector or circular sector plate backed by an acoustic cavity filled with air or water. Ignoring the influence of boundary conditions, displacements admissible functions of laminated sector plate and sound pressure admissible functions of cavity can be set up as a Fourier series superposition, whose composition are the superposition of Fourier cosine series and supplementary functions. The addition of these supplementary polynomials can effectively eliminate the discontinuity or jump phenomenon on the boundary. The correctness of the established analytical model has been validated by being compared with the results achieved by the finite element method (FEM). On this basis, the coupling mechanism of the weakly coupled system and the strongly coupled system are discussed in detail. In addition, some new results and discussions are given, including the cavity depth, plate thickness, anisotropic degree, varying boundary conditions and so on, which could provide reference for future research.

Free vibration of arbitrary-shaped laminated triangular thin plates with elastic boundary conditions

Abstract This paper studies the free vibration of arbitrary shaped laminated triangular thin plates based on a modified Fourier series method. An arbitrary shaped triangular plate is mapped into a right-angled isosceles triangular plate with unit length by the coordinate transformation. By padding another right–angled isosceles triangular plate which is near zero thickness on the plate after transformation. The displacement functions are then generally expressed as the combinations of Fourier cosine series and supplementary functions introduced to eliminate the discontinuous or jumping phenomenon in the boundaries. The classical thin plate elasticity theory is employed to construct the energy expressions of the plate. The Rayleigh-Ritz method is used in the present method to obtain all the unknown series expansion coefficients. A number of results are presented to verify the convergence and accuracy of current solution method to laminated triangular thin plates with arbitrary shapes, different material parameters and different boundary conditions. Additionally, some new results are given as the benchmark for future research, which are based on the various boundary conditions and geometric dimensions.

An interactive assistant for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices: A study protocol of the LUCY trial.

Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and reduced left ventricle ejection fraction benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). However, increasing numbers of patient with CRT and ICD devices produce overload of cardiology centers where patients are admitted to ambulatory visits. This study aims to find multivariate model predicting the requirement for ambulatory follow-up of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs).The LUCY study is an observational, cohort, prospective, 2-stage trial. As equal number of patients (300) will be included in the first and the second part of the study, finally, 600 patients will be included in the study. The inclusion criteria will be: age between 18 and 90 years, CHF (New York Heart Association classes I–III) and implanted ICD or CRT at least 30 days before study inclusion. The exclusion criteria will be dementia and other conditions impeding cooperation during the study. All patients included in the study will undergo standard ambulatory visit. Primary endpoint will be defined as any ambulatory visit qualified as necessary due to patient's condition or device malfunction diagnose by the cardiologist: any change in pharmacotherapy related to patient's clinical status assessed during the visit, any change in tachyarrythmia counter or discriminator status, any change in tachyarrythmia threshold, presence of ventricular undersensing or oversensing, presence of atrial or ventricular ineffective pacing, or device's pocket infection. Secondary endpoint will be defined as any ambulatory visit qualified as necessary due to the alarm identified via Medtronic CareLink Express (MCLE): sustained or treated ventricular tachyarrythmia, any not previously diagnosed supraventricular tachyarrythmia, or elective replacement indicator.Our study is the first attempt of implementation of the machine learning and elements artificial intelligence in health care optimization of patients with CIED. The LUCY will be an open product, available for additional testing and improvement with supplementary functionalities: quality of life assessment, teleconsultation, video-streaming, automated imagine recognizing.

Thermo-Mechanical Vibration Analysis of Size-Dependent Functionally Graded Micro-Beams with General Boundary Conditions

A unified formulation for thermo-mechanical vibration analysis of size-dependent Timoshenko micro-beams comprised of functionally graded materials (FGMs) with general restraints is presented. The size effect is considered by incorporating the modified strain gradient theory into Timoshenko beam theory. The thermal and mechanical properties of FGMs are related to temperature and are assumed as continuous variation along the thickness. The Mori–Tanaka estimate is used for calculation of the material properties of FGM micro-beam. The formulation is deduced on the basis of the variational principle combined with penalty function method. The displacements and rotation of the FGM micro-beam are uniformly expanded by a modified Fourier series composed of traditional cosine series and some appropriate supplementary functions. Several comparisons of the present solutions with those from existing literature confirm the validity of the current formulation. In addition, a parametric study is given to demonstrate the influence of length scale parameters, gradient indices, end restraints and temperature changes on vibration characteristic of functionally graded micro-beam.

Densifying Lilong:

This paper examines theories of urbanisation and redevelopment in contemporary China. Reviewing the historical transformation of urban Shanghai, it argues that routine urban policies are insufficient for redeveloping the colonial urban context of traditional shikumen lilong housing. The paper identifies that a more humanistic, micro-scale design strategy – ‘S.O.F.T.’ guideline – from the perspective of architectural and interior design may help modernise and densify the interior residential efficiency in protected districts without interfering with external urban patterns. It is concerned with aspects of supplementary function, spatial optimisation and structural technique and secures the financing basis from stakeholders by transforming the design activity into cultural products of consumption. In this way, it encourages a grassroots manner of interior redevelopment especially for the districts where preservation ordinances often limit the potential gentrification of external urban fabrics and life patterns.

An acoustic modeling of the three-dimensional annular segment cavity with various impedance boundary conditions

Abstract A three-dimensional Fourier series method (3D-FSM) is applied to study the acoustic characteristics of annular segment acoustic cavity with various impedance boundary conditions. The formulation is constructed to describe the cavity system based on the energy principle. Under the framework of this paper, the admissible sound pressure function is generally set, regardless of boundary conditions, to a 3D Fourier cosine series and six supplementary functions. These supplementary functions can eliminate the discontinuous or jumping phenomenon in the boundaries. All the series expansion coefficients can be obtained through the Rayleigh-Ritz technique. The results obtained by the present method in this paper show good convergence. The accuracy of the present method is verified by being compared with the exact solution and the finite element method (FEM). The natural frequencies and modal shapes of the annular segment cavity are studied. The sound pressure response is investigated under the excitation of a monopole source inside the cavity. In this paper, some results of the acoustic characteristics of the cavity with various geometric parameters and boundary conditions are obtained, such as angle, radius ratio, impedance value and the number of impedance wall. These results provide a benchmark for the future researches.

A series solution for free vibration of moderately thick cylindrical shell with general boundary conditions

In this paper, a modified Fourier cosine series method for beams and plates is proposed for free vibration analysis of moderately thick cylindrical shell with general boundary conditions. Displacement functions are assumed as a superposition of Fourier cosine series and two types of supplementary functions. Traditional method for elastic constraint which has been used in the classical thin shells is extended to treat the moderately thick shell involving first-order shear theory. The advantage of the approach is that the method can conveniently solve general boundary conditions including elastic constraints in practical engineering field by only varying the stiffness coefficients.

Clinical Evaluation of the Effect of Blueberries Consumption on Chronic Diseases, Illness Prevention and Health Promotion

Background: The ever-growing concern about achieving quality of life and longevity leads scientists to the search of natural wellness resources. Also, prevention of diseases through food is considered as the driving force of the organism. The beneficial effects of superfoods, such as blueberries, on human health are expected to be proved, putting these effects under the microscope. Objective: Evaluating the effect of blueberries consumption in humans, in order to draw relevant conclusions for their beneficial effect and thus develop food policies and launch target in future searches. Methods: Comprehensive review of published studies of the last decade, using keyword combinations which are derived from the available database. Results: Based on the cited studies, that blueberries consumption reduces degenerative damage caused by free radicals, increases the natural killer cells and inflammatory cytokines, and provides evidence for cellular antioxidant defense against DNA damage, playing also an important role in the anti-cancer nutritional preventive treatment. Moreover, the blueberries consumption protects the elderly from neurodegenerative diseases, which are associated with oxidative stress and aging, improves gait performance, vascular function and insulin sensitivity. It also benefits school-age children’s cognitive function. The blueberries consumption also positively influences certain bifidobacterial populations, affects the recovery of visual acuity and operates as a complementary therapeutic factor to reduce the severity of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Conclusion: The consumption of blueberries is a supplementary function to prevent and cure chronic inflammatory diseases, providing an admirable medical therapy support in order to reduce degenerative damage. However, further studies conducted on larger populations are strongly recommended. Keywords: Blueberries, chronic diseases, complementary therapeutic factor, degenerative damage, human health, Vaccinium myrtillus.