RPG-Palm: Realistic Pseudo-data Generation for Palmprint Recognition

Palmprint recently shows great potential in recognition applications as it is a privacy-friendly and stable biometric. However, the lack of large-scale public palmprint datasets limits further research and development of palmprint recognition. In this paper, we propose a novel realistic pseudo-palmprint generation (RPG) model to synthesize palmprints with massive identities. We first introduce a conditional modulation generator to improve the intra-class diversity. Then an identity-aware loss is proposed to ensure identity consistency against unpaired training. We further improve the B\'ezier palm creases generation strategy to guarantee identity independence. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that synthetic pretraining significantly boosts the recognition model performance. For example, our model improves the state-of-the-art B\'ezierPalm by more than $5\%$ and $14\%$ in terms of TAR@FAR=1e-6 under the $1:1$ and $1:3$ Open-set protocol. When accessing only $10\%$ of the real training data, our method still outperforms ArcFace with $100\%$ real training data, indicating that we are closer to real-data-free palmprint recognition.Comment: 12 pages,8 figure

Sweat permeable and ultrahigh strength 3D PVDF piezoelectric nanoyarn fabric strain sensor

Commercial wearable piezoelectric sensors possess excellent anti-interference stability due to their electronic packaging. However, this packaging renders them barely breathable and compromises human comfort. To address this issue, we develop a PVDF piezoelectric nanoyarns with an ultrahigh strength of 313.3 MPa, weaving them with different yarns to form three-dimensional piezoelectric fabric (3DPF) sensor using the advanced 3D textile technology. The tensile strength (46.0 MPa) of 3DPF exhibits the highest among the reported flexible piezoelectric sensors. The 3DPF features anti-gravity unidirectional liquid transport that allows sweat to move from the inner layer near to the skin to the outer layer in 4 s, resulting in a comfortable and dry environment for the user. It should be noted that sweating does not weaken the piezoelectric properties of 3DPF, but rather enhances. Additionally, the durability and comfortability of 3DPF are similar to those of the commercial cotton T-shirts. This work provides a strategy for developing comfortable flexible wearable electronic devices

Acute Response of Peripheral Blood Cell to Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Type 1 Diabetic Patient

Autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHST) was the first therapeutic approach that can improve β cell function in type 1 diabetic (T1D) patients. This study was designed to investigate the potential mechanisms involved.We applied AHST to nine T1D patients diagnosed within six months and analyzed the acute responses in peripheral blood for lymphocyte subpopulation as well as for genomic expression profiling at the six-month follow-up.We found six patients obtained insulin free (IF group) and three remained insulin dependent (ID group); C-peptide production was significantly higher in IF group compared to ID group. The acute responses in lymphocytes at six-month follow-up include declined CD3(+)CD4(+), CD3(+)CD8(+) T cell population and recovered B cell, NK cell population in both groups but with no significant differences between the two groups; most immune-related genes and pathways were up-regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) of both groups while none of transcription factors for immune regulatory component were significantly changed; the IF group demonstrated more AHST-modified genetic events than the ID group and distinct pattern of top pathways, co-expression network as well as 'hub' genes (eg, TCF7 and GZMA) were associated with each group.AHST could improve the islet function in newly diagnosed T1D patients and elimination of the islet specific autoreactive T cells might be one of the mechanisms involved; T1D patients responded differently to AHST possibly due to the distinct transcriptional events occurring in PBMC.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00807651

Research on Carbon Reduction Paths in Recycling Industrial Parks based on System Dynamics

The “double carbon” target is a medium-to-long-term national strategy proposed by China to combat climate change. The industrial sector is one of the key areas for the implementation of the “double carbon” target. Therefore, studying the association between carbon emission factors and carbon emissions is crucial to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial activities. In the present study, the association between factors affecting carbon emissions and carbon emissions in a circular economy were investigated for an industrial park in Northwest China. A carbon emission system dynamics model for this circular economy industrial park was constructed, in reference to the relevant national policies and the current condition of the park. Five different scenarios were utilized to dynamically simulate the impact of rapid economic development, energy restructuring, industrial restructuring, and technological development, and carbon emission reduction paths for industrial parks were explored. The results showed that, the park would peak at 1134.67 thousand tons of CO2 in 2032, according to the baseline scenario, with industrial energy consumption accounting for over 80% of the total emissions. A combined regulation scenario, with increased investment in research and development and environmental management, would achieve a peak in 2030, with a relatively lower peak of 1062.88 thousand tons of CO2. Our findings provides new insights into the paths of carbon emission reduction in recycling industrial parks

Impact of Labor Migration on Chemical Fertilizer Application of Citrus Growers: Empirical Evidence from China

Due to the growing trend of rural labor migration, farmers’ labor allocation under the condition of constant time endowment has gradually become a key factor in the transformation of green agricultural production methods. Using the propensity score matching method, this paper verified the influence of labor migration on citrus growers’ fertilizer application using 814 survey data from Sichuan Province, China. The study found that the boosting effect of capacity accumulation brought on by farmers’ labor migration was greater than the weakening effect of labor constraints and that the average chemical fertilizer application per acre decreased from 6.95 to 6.74 after farmers’ labor migration, a 3.06 percent decrease. Second, labor migration reduces chemical fertilizer application by allowing farmers to acquire knowledge and technology for green agricultural production and to increase off-farm income. Third, the choice of labor migration by farmers with higher agricultural incomes and younger ages promotes a reduction in their chemical fertilizer application. Therefore, this paper makes the following suggestions: the government should appropriately guide farmers in their labor migration decisions, increase public awareness of green agricultural knowledge and technology, and encourage farmers to to invest their off-farm income in green production. Farmers with higher agricultural income and younger ages, in particular, should be encouraged to choose labor migration and train to become new agricultural business entities

A shared decision-making model in pediatric palliative care: a qualitative study of healthcare providers

Abstract Background Pediatric shared decision-making (SDM) is a fundamental part of family-centered care. Pediatric palliative care (PPC) is one of the more difficult fields for healthcare providers when choosing to utilize SDM. However, to our knowledge, there are still few structured approaches of SDM in PPC. We aimed to build a model of SDM in PPC that achieves better care and outcomes for children and their family members. Methods This study is a descriptive phenomenology study. Participants included physicians, nurses, and social workers in the PPC team. Participants were individually interviewed face-to-face or via an online meeting software. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a thematic framework analysis. Results In total, 27 healthcare providers were interviewed. The model of SDM in PPC identified three themes, including the participants, the principle and the process of SDM. Decision participants involved the children, parents, the PPC team and others. The decision principle had three sub-themes including type, standard and precondition. The decision process describes the fundamental process of SDM and provides suggestions for mobilizing patients and parents to engage in decision-making and seeking conflict resolution. Conclusions This is the first study to develop a SDM model in PPC. This model can provide guidance to PPC teams on SDM practices. In addition, the model contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a conceptual model for SDM in the context of PPC

Model Predictive Control with Adaptive Building Model for Heating Using the Hybrid Air-Conditioning System in a Railway Station

A model predictive control (MPC) system with an adaptive building model based on thermal-electrical analogy for the hybrid air conditioning system using the radiant floor and all-air system for heating is proposed in this paper to solve the heating supply control difficulties of the railway station on Tibetan Plateau. The MPC controller applies an off-line method of updating the building model to improve the accuracy of predicting indoor conditions. The control performance of the adaptive MPC is compared with the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control, as well as an MPC without adaptive model through simulation constructed based on a TRNSYS-MATLAB co-simulation testbed. The results show that the implementation of the adaptive MPC can improve indoor thermal comfort and reduce 22.2% energy consumption compared to the PID control. Compared to the MPC without adaptive model, the adaptive MPC achieves fewer violations of constraints and reduces energy consumption by 11.5% through periodic model updating. This study focuses on the design of a control system to maintain indoor thermal comfort and improve system efficiency. The proposed method could also be applied in other public buildings

Research on the influence of uneven solar radiation distribution on the radiant floor heating system in railway stations on Tibetan Plateau

In cold regions, radiant floor heating systems are commonly used in public buildings due to better thermal comfort and lower energy consumption. However, in transportation buildings with many transparent envelopes such as railway stations on Tibetan Plateau, the strong solar radiation entering into the station may cause local overheating, which has a great effect on the radiant floor heating system. In this paper, a railway station on Tibetan Plateau is simulated to investigate the influence of uneven solar radiation distribution on the radiant floor heating system. Results show that due to the strong solar radiation, the floor surface temperature and indoor operative temperature in some parts of the waiting hall can reach up to 30 °C and 26 °C, respectively. The temperature difference of the floor surface can even exceed 5 °C occasionally during the heating period. According to the results, it can be found that the method of reducing the heating in the area with strong solar radiation and making full use of solar radiation for heating is an effective way to improve the indoor thermal comfort and reduce the heating energy consumption of heating system