DISA: A Dual Inexact Splitting Algorithm for Distributed Convex Composite Optimization

In this paper, we propose a novel Dual Inexact Splitting Algorithm (DISA) for distributed convex composite optimization problems, where the local loss function consists of a smooth term and a possibly nonsmooth term composed with a linear mapping. DISA, for the first time, eliminates the dependence of the convergent step-size range on the Euclidean norm of the linear mapping, while inheriting the advantages of the classic Primal-Dual Proximal Splitting Algorithm (PD-PSA): simple structure and easy implementation. This indicates that DISA can be executed without prior knowledge of the norm, and tiny step-sizes can be avoided when the norm is large. Additionally, we prove sublinear and linear convergence rates of DISA under general convexity and metric subregularity, respectively. Moreover, we provide a variant of DISA with approximate proximal mapping and prove its global convergence and sublinear convergence rate. Numerical experiments corroborate our theoretical analyses and demonstrate a significant acceleration of DISA compared to existing PD-PSAs

Pharmacokinetic, acute toxicity, and pharmacodynamic studies of semen strychni total alkaloid microcapsules

Purpose: To investigate the safety and effectiveness of semen strychni total alkaloid microcapsules (SSTAM), compared with semen strychni total alkaloids (SSTA). Methods: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed to assess pharmacokinetics of brucine and strychnine in rats. Acute toxicity was investigated in pre-test and formal experiments in mice. The pharmacodynamics of SSTAM and SSTA were evaluated by their analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Results: With respect to brucine, the half-life of SSTA group (1.6 mg/kg), low-dose SSTAM group (6 mg/kg) and high-dose SSTAM group (10 mg/kg) was 5.723, 9.321 and 9.025 h, respectively. With respect to strychnine, the half-life of SSTA group, low-dose SSTAM group and high-dose SSTAM group was 4.065, 8.819 and 8.654 h, respectively. The LD50 values of SSTAM group and SSTA group were 236.59 and 30.27 mg/kg, respectively. The pain inhibition rates of SSTAM groups (25 and 50 mg/kg) were higher than that of SSTA group (p < 0.05) while the pain threshold values of the SSTAM groups (25 and 50 mg/kg) were higher than that of blank control (p < 0.01) and SSTA groups (p < 0.01) at 60 min and 120 min. The inhibition rates of the SSTAM groups (25 and 50 mg/kg) were higher than that of SSTA group based on ear swelling and cotton ball granulation tests. Compared with blank control and SSTA groups, the absorbance values of SSTAM groups (25 and 50 mg/kg) were lower (p < 0.01). Conclusion: SSTAM increases the dosage of administration but reducea the toxicity of the alkaloids in rats, and is thus a potentially safe and effective drug delivery system

Optimization of Agricultural Machinery Allocation in Heilongjiang Reclamation Area Based on Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

Aiming at the imbalance of seasonal agricultural machinery operations in different regions and the low efficiency of agricultural machinery, an experiment is proposed to use particle swarm algorithm to plan agricultural machinery paths to solve the current problems in agricultural machinery operations. Taking the harvesting of autumn soybeans at Jianshan Farm in Heilongjiang Reclamation Area as the experimental object, this paper constructs the optimization target model of the maximum net income of farm machinery households, and uses particle swarm algorithm to carry out agricultural machinery operation distribution and path planning gradually. In this paper, by introducing 0 - 1 mapping, the improved algorithm adopts continuous decision variables to solve the optimization of discrete variables in agricultural machinery operations. The test results show that the particle swarm algorithm can realize the optimal allocation of agricultural machinery path, and the particle swarm algorithm is scientific and explanatory to solve the agricultural machinery allocation problem. This research can provide a scientific basis for farm agricultural machinery allocation and decision analysis

Influence of Temperature on Characters of Thermoelectric Generators Based on Test Bed

In order to achieve the energy recovery of the coolant heat for internal combustion engine (ICE) using the thermoelectric generation (TEG) technology, one test bed for studying the influence of temperature on the characters of thermoelectric generators was established and the relationship between the temperature and characters of thermoelectric generator was researched based on it. The results showed that the cooling effect improved with the increase of fan speed which the fan was installed in the vertical direction of the radiator, but the cooling effect had a limit speed value. And it also indicated that the forced air cooling was better than the natural convection cooling method which can effectively reduce the temperature of the cold end while it has little effect on the hot end temperature. Moreover, the Seebeck coefficient was reduced with the increase of temperature difference between the two ends of thermoelectric generator and the Seebeck coefficient was also declined with one end temperature rise when the other end temperature was constant

Impact of cropland displacement on the potential crop production in China:a multi-scale analysis

Changes in the amount and location of cropland areas may affect the potential crop production at different spatial scales. However, most studies ignore the impacts of cropland displacement on potential crop production. In many countries, cropland protection policies mainly aim for no loss in cropland area, while there is no restriction on change of cropland location. Taking China as the study area, we analyze the impacts of cropland displacement on potential crop production at four administrative levels during the period 2000 and 2018. At the national level, we find a net decrease in cropland area of 0.81 Mha, while another 19.63 Mha was displaced. The former led to a decrease of 4.20 Mton in potential crop production, while the latter resulted in a decrease of 43.26 Mton as a result of lower quality of the newly cultivated lands. In other words, cropland displacement explains 91% of the total loss in potential crop production at the national scale. However, the contribution of cropland displacement to total change in potential crop production is increasingly smaller at provincial level, municipal level, and county levels. These findings highlight the importance of geographic location on crop production and suggest that cropland policies should consider geographic location in addition to cropland area

Spatio-temporal variations and influencing factors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric bulk deposition along a plain-mountain transect in western China

Ten atmospheric bulk deposition (the sum of wet and dry deposition) samplers for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were deployed at a plain-mountain transect (namely PMT transect, from Daying to Qingping) in Chengdu Plain, West China from June 2007 to June 2008 in four consecutive seasons (about every three months). The bulk deposition fluxes of ∑15-PAHs ranged from 169.19 μg m−2 yr−1 to 978.58 μg m−2 yr−1 with geometric mean of 354.22 μg m−2 yr−1. The most prevalent PAHs were 4-ring (39.65%) and 3-ring (35.56%) PAHs. The flux values were comparable to those in rural areas. Higher fluxes of total PAHs were observed in the middle of PMT transect (SL, YX and JY, which were more urbanized than other sites). The seasonal deposition fluxes in the sampling profile indicated seasonality of the contaminant source was an important factor in controlling deposition fluxes. PAHs bulk deposition was negatively correlated with meteorological parameters (temperature, wind speed, humidity, and precipitation). No significant correlations between soil concentrations and atmospheric deposition were found along this transect. PAHs in soil samples had combined sources of coal, wood and petroleum combustion, while a simple source of coal, wood and grass combustion for bulk deposition. There were significant positive correlation relationship (p < 0.05) between annual atmospheric bulk deposition and local PAHs emission, with biomass burning as the major contribution to the total emission of PAHs. This transect acts as an important PAHs source rather than being a sink according to the ratio of deposition/emission. Mountain cold trap effect existed in this transect where the altitude was higher than 1000 m. Long-range transport had an impact on the bulk deposition in summer. And this transect was a source to Tibetan only in summer. The forward trajectory analysis showed most air masses did not undergo long-range transport due to the blocking effect of surrounding mountains. Only a few air masses (<10%) arrived at the eastern and northern region of China or farther regions via long-range transport

IMP3 expression is associated with poor outcome and epigenetic deregulation in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

IMP3 is a fetal protein not expressed in normal adult tissues. IMP3 is an oncoprotein and a useful biomarker for a variety of malignancies and is associated with reduced overall survival of a number of them. IMP3 expression and its prognostic value for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) have not been well investigated. The molecular mechanism underlying IMP3 expression in human cancer cells remains to be elucidated. Here we investigated IMP3 expression in ICC and adjacent nonneoplastic liver in 72 unifocal primary ICCs from a single institute by immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and real-time polymerase chain reaction. IMP3 was specifically expressed in cancer cells but not in the surrounding normal tissue, and 59 (82%) of 72 ICCs were IMP3 positive by immunohistochemistry. Among 35 cases with lymphovascular invasion, 26 (74%) showed IMP3 positivity in lymph node metastases. IMP3 expression was significantly correlated with tumor size, pathological grade, metastasis, and clinical stage. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated an inverse correlation between IMP3 expression and overall survival rate. Multivariate analysis revealed that IMP3 was the only risk factor associated with survival. To further explore the mechanism of IMP3 expression in cancers, we identified 2 CpG islands at IMP3 proximal promoter. Interestingly, the IMP3 promoter was almost completely demethylated in ICCs in contrast to densely methylated promoter in normal liver tissues. IMP3 expression is a useful biomarker for ICCs and can provide an independent prognostic value for patients with ICC. To our knoweldge, this is the first direct evidence of epigenetic deregulation of IMP3 in human cancer. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved