Edge-Cloud Polarization and Collaboration: A Comprehensive Survey for AI

Influenced by the great success of deep learning via cloud computing and the rapid development of edge chips, research in artificial intelligence (AI) has shifted to both of the computing paradigms, i.e., cloud computing and edge computing. In recent years, we have witnessed significant progress in developing more advanced AI models on cloud servers that surpass traditional deep learning models owing to model innovations (e.g., Transformers, Pretrained families), explosion of training data and soaring computing capabilities. However, edge computing, especially edge and cloud collaborative computing, are still in its infancy to announce their success due to the resource-constrained IoT scenarios with very limited algorithms deployed. In this survey, we conduct a systematic review for both cloud and edge AI. Specifically, we are the first to set up the collaborative learning mechanism for cloud and edge modeling with a thorough review of the architectures that enable such mechanism. We also discuss potentials and practical experiences of some on-going advanced edge AI topics including pretraining models, graph neural networks and reinforcement learning. Finally, we discuss the promising directions and challenges in this field.Comment: 20 pages, Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineerin

Non-invasive Quantitative Assessment of Muscle Force Based on Ultrasonic Shear Wave Elastography

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using shear wave elastography (SWE) to indirectly measure passive muscle force and to examine the effects of muscle mass and scan angle. We measured the Young's moduli of 24 specimens from six muscles of four swine at different passive muscle loads under different scan angles (0°, 30°, 60° and 90°) using SWE. Highly linear relationships between Young's modulus E and passive muscle force F were found for all 24 muscle specimens at 0o scan angle with coefficients of determination R2 ranging from 0.984 to 0.999. The results indicate that the muscle mass has no significant effect on the muscle E–F relationship, whereas E–F linearity decreases disproportionately with increased scan angle. These findings suggest that SWE, when carefully applied, can provide a highly reliable tool to measure muscle Young's modulus, and could be used to assess the muscle force quantitatively

Uncovering the Carbon Emission Intensity and Reduction Potentials of the Metro Operation Phase: A Case Study in Shenzhen Megacity

The huge energy consumption of metro operations has become a significant challenge faced by the urban public transportation sector to achieve low-carbon development. Using Shenzhen as an example, this study has made efforts to quantify the metro’s energy consumption and carbon emission intensity during the operation phase by using the Life Cycle Assessment approach. Furthermore, this study evaluates the actions that can be taken to reduce energy consumption and emissions. A comparative analysis between metros and other public transportation modes has also been conducted. The results show that the annual carbon emissions from the metro’s operation phase in Shenzhen city increased from 63,000 t CO2e in 2005 to 1.3 Mt CO2e in 2021, and the historically accumulated carbon emissions are 9.5 Mt CO2e. The unit operating mileage, the unit station area, and the per capita carbon emission intensity were 2.1 kg CO2e/km, 132.5 kg CO2e/m2, and 0.6 kg CO2e per capita (13th Five-Year Plan Period), respectively. By continually promoting the low-carbon operation of the subway, the cumulative carbon savings could reach 0.1 Mt CO2e (2022–2035)

Research on "Boundary Thickening" Strategy under the Protection and Renewal of the Old Urban District——Taking Yulin District of Chengdu as an Example

The old urban district is the carrier of urban development, and its protection and renewal is of great significance for urban construction. This study with a view to protecting and renovating the old urban district by the boundary space design, taking Chengdu Yulin district as an example, proposing the "boundary thickening" strategy, and put forward the complete walking system, multiple public space, LID water purification corridor and compound functional wall four specific design measures, in order to enhance the space vitality of the entire district through the transformation design of the boundary space. It will help the protection and renewal of the old urban district, and provide some reference for the design of the same type of block boundary space in the future

The Efficacy and Safety of Bedaquiline in the Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Bedaquiline (BDQ) has been designated as a Group A drug by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the management of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BDQ-containing regimens for the treatment of patients with pulmonary TB. Methods: PubMed (MEDLINE), Elton B. Stephens Company (EBSCO) database, the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database were initially searched on 15 June 2022 and again on 20 March 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies (NRSs) that administered BDQ to TB patients. The outcomes of interest were as follows: (1) efficacy, including the rate of sputum culture conversion at 8 weeks, 24 weeks, and during follow-up, as well as the rates of completion cure, death, treatment failure, and loss at follow-up and at the end of the treatment; and (2) safety, which encompassed the incidences of cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and grade 3–5 adverse events during the treatment period. Results: A total of 29 articles were included in this meta-analysis, representing 23,358 individuals. Patients who were treated with BDQ were compared with patients who were not exposed to BDQ. The use of BDQ-containing regimens demonstrated improved rates of sputum conversion in RCTs at 24 weeks (RR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.46) and during follow-up (RR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.66). Additionally, BDQ-containing regimens showed increased cure rates (RR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.26) and decreased failure rates (RR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.88). In NRSs, BDQ-containing regimens improved the sputum culture conversion rate during follow-up (RR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.20), increased the rate of cure (RR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.23 to 2.83), reduced deaths from all causes (RR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.97), and reduced failure rates (RR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.71). However, the use of BDQ-containing regimens was associated with increased incidences of cardiotoxicity (RR = 4.54, 95% CI: 1.74 to 11.87) and grade 3–5 adverse events (RR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.73) in RCTs. NRSs also showed an association between BDQ-containing regimens and cardiotoxicity (RR = 6.00, 95% CI: 1.32 to 27.19). No significant differences were observed between intervention groups and control groups with respect to other outcomes. Conclusions: Data from both RCTs and NRSs support the efficacy of BDQ for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. However, the use of BDQ is associated with a higher incidence of cardiotoxicity and serious adverse events. Comparative data on efficacy and safety are limited, and further confirmation is required, due to potential bias and discrepancies in the available studies

4D printed thermally tunable metasurface with continuous carbon fibre

Multifunctional metamaterials with unique electromagnetic and mechanical properties are highly desired in many fields, including space exploration and satellite communication, where broad tunability of the working frequency and controllable mechanical deformation properties are usually necessary. In this study, we propose a metasurface exhibiting simultaneous electromagnetic frequency selection capability and isotropic negative/positive/near-zero thermal expansion. The metasurface is designed based on chiral structures and is fabricated via 4D printing of continuous fibre composites. Both the effective thermal expansion coefficient and electromagnetic transmission band were investigated in different structural parameters based on theoretical calculation, finite element analysis simulations and experiments. The measured results were in good agreement with the theoretical data which reveal the influence law of structural parameters on thermal deformation and electromagnetic frequency control. Thus, the electromagnetic functionality of the metasurface can be thermally controlled and is expected to be useful in extreme situations where the coupling of multiphysical fields is required

Bio-Inspired 4D Printing of Dynamic Spider Silks

Spider silks exhibit excellent mechanical properties and have promising application prospects in engineering fields. Because natural spider silk fibers cannot be manufactured on a large scale, researchers have attempted to fabricate bio-inspired spider silks. However, the fabrication of bio-inspired spider silks with dynamically tunable mechanical properties and stimulation–response characteristics remains a challenge. Herein, the 4D printing of shape memory polyurethane is employed to produce dynamic bio-inspired spider silks. The bio-inspired spider silks have two types of energy-absorbing units that can be adjusted, one by means of 4D printing with predefined nodes, and the other through different stimulation methods to make the bio-inspired spider silks contract and undergo spiral deformation. The shape morphing behaviors of bio-inspired spider silks are programmed via pre-stress assemblies enabled by 4D printing. The energy-absorbing units of bio-inspired spider silks can be dynamically adjusted owing to stress release generated with the stimuli of temperature or humidity. Therefore, the mechanical properties of bio-inspired spider silks can be controlled to change dynamically. This can further help in developing applications of bio-inspired spider silks in engineering fields with dynamic changes of environment

Associations of genetic variants within TYK2 with pulmonary tuberculosis among Chinese population

Abstract Background Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a common infectious disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and the present study aims to explore the associations of genetic variants within tyrosine kinases 2 (TYK2) with PTB incidence. Methods A population‐based case control study including 168 smear‐positive PTB cases and 251 controls was conducted. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including rs280520, rs91755, rs2304256, rs12720270, rs280519 located within TYK2 gene were selected and MassARRAY® MALDI‐TOF system was employed for genotyping. SPSS 19.0 was adopted for statistical analysis, non‐conditional logistic regression was conducted. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were computed to estimate their contributions to PTB incidence. Results In the overall study population, rs91755 TT and rs280519 AA genotypes were found to be associated with reduced PTB risk (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.16–0.72; OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18–0.79, respectively). After stratification for sex, we found that among the male population, rs91755TG/TT, rs12720270AG/GG and rs280519AG/AA genotypes were associated with reduced PTB risk (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.21–0.80; OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.21–0.94; OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.21–0.82, respectively). After stratification for age, we found that among those aged <60 years, rs91755TT and rs280519AA genotype were associated with reduced PTB risk (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.09–0.90; OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.11–1.08, respectively); while rs2304256AC/AA genotype was associated with increased PTB risk (OR = 2.68, 95% CI: 1.05–6.85). Haplotype analysis revealed that AGAAG and ATCGA (Combined with rs280520, rs91755, rs2304256, rs12720270 and rs280519) were associated with increased (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.01–2.37) and decreased PTB risk (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.52–0.94), respectively. Conclusions The genetic variants located within TYK2 including rs91755, rs12720270 and rs280519 were found to be associated with modified PTB risk and the SNPs had potential to be the biomarkers to predict PTB incidence risk

Stiffness-tunable and self-sensing integrated soft machines based on 4D printed conductive shape memory composites

Through the synergy of nervous system and the self-regulation of muscle stiffness, living organisms are capable of quickly adjusting movements and actively adapting to dynamic environments. Likewise, the stiffness-changing and self-sensing functionalities are critical to empower soft robots with adjustable load capacity and agile movement. This work presents a paradigm for the design and fabrication of soft actuators with stiffness tunability and intrinsic self-sensing feedback through 4D printing method. The integration of 4D printed conductive composite into soft actuator body allows for stiffness adjustment within three orders of magnitude and ensures real-time stiffness-sensing, bending-sensing and pressure-sensing feedback. By constructing the theoretical deformation models and decoupling the resistance signals by machine learning methods, information on the stiffness, deformation and pressure of the material at different temperatures can be obtained. Cardiac-mimicking actuator and active therapeutic insoles are fabricated as proof-of-concept demonstrations, among which the active therapeutic insoles can perceive plantar pressure changes and conduct pressure-releasing actuation to ease the pain of patient at walk. It demonstrates the potential of this design approach for versatile applications such as medical assistive devices, artificial muscles, soft robotics, etc