Modelling the Influence of Awareness Programs by Media on the Drinking Dynamics

We develop a nonlinear mathematical model with the effect of awareness programs on the binge drinking. Due to the fact that awareness programs are capable of inducing behavioral changes in nondrinkers, we introduce a separate class by avoiding contacts with the heavy drinkers. Furthermore we assume that cumulative density of awareness programs increases at a rate proportional to the number of heavy drinkers. We establish some sufficient conditions for the stability of the alcohol free and the alcohol present equilibria and give some numerical simulations to explain our main result. Our results show that awareness programs is an effective measure in reducing alcohol problems

Constructing Reliable Virtual Backbones in Probabilistic Wireless Sensor Networks

Most existing algorithms used for constructing virtual backbones are based on the ideal deterministic network model (DNM) in which any pair of nodes is either fully connected or completely disconnected. Different from DNM, the probabilistic network model (PNM), which presumes that there is a probability to connect and communicate between any pair of nodes, is more suitable to the practice in many real applications. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm to construct reliable virtual backbone in probabilistic wireless sensor networks. In the algorithm, we firstly introduce Effective Degree of Delivery Probability (EDDP) to indicate the reliable degree of nodes to transfer data successfully, and then exclude those nodes with zero EDDP from the candidate dominator set to construct a reliable connected dominating set (CDS). Moreover, each dominatee selects the neighbor dominator with the maximum delivery probability to transfer data. Through simulations, we demonstrate that our proposed algorithm can remarkably prolong the network lifetime compared with existing typical algorithms

Lipid rafts both in cellular membrane and viral envelope are critical for PRRSV efficient infection

AbstractPorcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) represents a significantly economical challenge to the swine industry worldwide. In this study, we investigated the importance of cellular and viral lipid rafts in PRRSV infection. First, we demonstrated that PRRSV glycoproteins, Gp3 and Gp4, were associated with lipid rafts during viral entry, and disruption of cellular lipid rafts inhibited PRRSV entry. We also showed the raft-location of CD163, which might contribute to the glycoproteins–raft association. Subsequently, raft disruption caused a significant reduction of viral RNA production. Moreover, Nsp9 was shown to be distributed in rafts, suggesting that rafts probably serve as a platform for PRRSV replication. Finally, we confirmed that disassembly of rafts on the virus envelope may affect the integrity of PRRSV particles and cause the leakage of viral proteins, which impaired PRRSV infectivity. These findings might provide insights on our understanding of the mechanism of PRRSV infection

Double-edged sword role of reinforcement learning based decision-makings on vaccination behavior

Pre-emptive vaccination has been proven to be the most effective measure to control influenza outbreaks. However, when vaccination behavior is voluntary, individuals may face the vaccination dilemma owing to the two sides of vaccines. In view of this, many researchers began to use evolutionary game theory to model the vaccination decisions of individuals. Many existing models assume that individuals in networks use the Fermi function based strategy to update their vaccination decisions. As we know, human beings have strong learning capability and they may continuously search for the optimal strategy based on the surrounding environments. Hence, it is reasonable to use the reinforcement learning (RL) strategy to reflect the vaccination decisions of individuals. To this end, we here explore a mixed updating strategy for the vaccination decisions, specifically, some individuals called intelligent agents update their vaccination decisions based on the RL strategy, and the other individuals called regular agents update their decisions based on the Fermi function. We then investigate the impact of RL strategy on the vaccination behavior and the epidemic dynamics. Through extensive experiments, we find that the RL strategy plays a double-edged sword role: when the vaccination cost is not so high, more individuals are willing to choose vaccination if more individuals adopt the RL strategy, leading to the significant suppression of epidemics. On the contrary, when the vaccination cost is extremely high, the vaccination coverage is dramatically reduced, inducing the outbreak of the epidemic. We also analyze the underlying reasons for the double-edged sword role of the RL strategy

Two types of generalized integrable decompositions and new solitary-wave solutions for the modified Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with symbolic computation

The modified Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (mKP) equation is shown in this paper to be decomposable into the first two soliton equations of the 2N-coupled Chen-Lee-Liu and Kaup-Newell hierarchies by respectively nonlinearizing two sets of symmetry Lax pairs. In these two cases, the decomposed (1+1)-dimensional nonlinear systems both have a couple of different Lax representations, which means that there are two linear systems associated with the mKP equation under the same constraint between the potential and eigenfunctions. For each Lax representation of the decomposed (1+1)-dimensional nonlinear systems, the corresponding Darboux transformation is further constructed such that a series of explicit solutions of the mKP equation can be recursively generated with the assistance of symbolic computation. In illustration, four new families of solitary-wave solutions are presented and the relevant stability is analyzed.Comment: 23 page

Temperature-dependent structure of an intermetallic ErPd2_2Si2_2 single crystal: A combined synchrotron and in-house X-ray diffraction study

We have grown intermetallic ErPd$_2$Si$_2$ single crystals employing laser-diodes with the floating-zone method. The temperature-dependent crystallography was determined using synchrotron and in-house X-ray powder diffraction measurements from 20 to 500 K. The diffraction patterns fit well with the tetragonal $I$4/$mmm$ space group (No. 139) with two chemical formulas within one unit cell. Our synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction study shows that the refined lattice constants are $a$ = 4.10320(2) {\AA}, $c$ = 9.88393(5) {\AA} at 298 K and $a$ = 4.11737(2) {\AA}, $c$ = 9.88143(5) {\AA} at 500 K, resulting in the unit-cell volume $V$ = 166.408(1) {\AA}$^3$ (298 K) and 167.517(2) {\AA}$^3$ (500 K). In the whole studied temperature range, we did not find any structural phase transition. Upon cooling, the lattice constants a and c are shortened and elongated, respectively.Comment: 5 Figures, 4 Table