DOA Estimation of Cylindrical Conformal Array Based on Geometric Algebra

Due to the variable curvature of the conformal carrier, the pattern of each element has a different direction. The traditional method of analyzing the conformal array is to use the Euler rotation angle and its matrix representation. However, it is computationally demanding especially for irregular array structures. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm by combining the geometric algebra with Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC), termed as GA-MUSIC, to solve the direction of arrival (DOA) for cylindrical conformal array. And on this basis, we derive the pattern and array manifold. Compared with the existing algorithms, our proposed one avoids the cumbersome matrix transformations and largely decreases the computational complexity. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method

Discovery of Core-Nodes in Event-Based Social Networks

Most previous actor-node ranking algorithms for event-based social networks only consider how many events an actor participates in. However in event-based social networks, we should also consider the influence of events when we rank actor-nodes. In this paper we formally define event-based social networks and related concepts, then we propose rules to construct an event-based social network. Algorithms are presented to discover the activity and importance of each actor-node. We test the algorithms by analysing the DBLP data set. In the experiment actors in DBLP data set are ranked based on their activity, importance, and combination of activity and importance, respectively

Study on stress simulation of concrete floor on transversely isotropic equivalent pile foundation during construction period

In the concrete pouring process of large pumping stations, the pile foundation plays an important role in supporting the upper structures, and also has a certain constraint on the concrete floor. In the numerical simulation calculation of construction period, to simplify the pre-processing, the volume ratio method is sometimes applied to regard the pile and surrounding soil foundation as the equivalent pile foundation, while the anisotropy of pile foundation is ignored, which will result in large calculation error of the horizontal stress of the concrete floor. Aiming at this problem, the anisotropy theory of materials is adopted in this paper to simulate the temperature field and stress field of the concrete floor both on non-equivalent pile foundation and equivalent pile foundation during construction period after compiling corresponding calculation program. The results show that when the ratio α of the horizontal elastic modulus to the vertical elastic modulus of equivalent pile foundation is about 1/20, the calculation result of the transversely isotropic equivalent pile foundation is approximately equal to the calculation result of the non-equivalent pile foundation (exact solution). It may provide some reference to similar engineering numerical simulation

Functional variant of the carboxypeptidase M (CPM) gene may affect silica-related pneumoconiosis susceptibility by its expression: a multistage case-control study.

ObjectivesIn a genome-wide association study, we discovered chromosome 12q15 (defined as rs73329476) as a silica-related pneumoconiosis susceptibility region. However, the causal variants in this region have not yet been reported.MethodsWe systematically screened eight potentially functional single-neucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in the genes near rs73329476 (carboxypeptidase M (CPM) and cleavage and polyadenylation specific factor 6 (CPSF6)) in a case-control study including 177 cases with silicosis and 204 healthy controls, matched to cases with years of silica dust exposure. We evaluated the associations between these eight SNPs and the development of silicosis. Luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to test the effects of selected SNP on the activity of CPM in the promoter. In addition, a two-stage case-control study was performed to investigate the expression differences of the two genes in peripheral blood leucocytes from a total of 64 cases with silicosis and 64 healthy controls with similar years of silica dust exposure as the cases.ResultsWe found a strong association between the mutant rs12812500 G allele and the susceptibility of silicosis (OR=1.45, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.04, p=0.034), while luciferase reporter gene assays indicated that the mutant G allele of rs12812500 is strongly associated with increased luciferase levels compared with the wild-type C allele (p<0.01). Moreover, the mRNA (peripheral blood leucocytes) expression of the CPM gene was significantly higher in subjects with silicosis compared with healthy controls.ConclusionsThe rs12812500 variant of the CPM gene may increase silicosis susceptibility by affecting the expression of CPM, which may contribute to silicosis susceptibility with biological plausibility

Regresijske jednadžbe za procjenu kvalitete izvedbe maksimalnog osnovnog nogometnog udarca u muškaraca i žena

Biomechanics research of soccer skills has greatly lagged behind the sport’s popularity compared to many other sports. Even for basic skills, such as the maximal instep kick, relatively few quantitative studies exist. Further, most of these fail to provide practical means to judge kick quality. The current study proposes to address this deficiency by establishing user-friendly regression equations that apply to both novice and advanced players. These allow an easy way for coaches/teachers to evaluate kick quality. The method consisted of 3D data collection (VICON system with nine high-speed cameras, 120 Hz), full-body biomechanical modeling and correlation and regression analyses of ball release speed with flexion/extension of shoulder, trunk, hip, knee and rotation of trunk as well as last stride length and body height. Twenty-four male and twenty-six female college students, equally divided into novice and advanced cohorts, participated. Results showed many of the correlations to be reliable predictors of a kick’s effectiveness. However, they are not practical since extensive use of technology and time-consuming data processing is needed. Further analyses showed multi-regressions using last stride length and body height as independent parameters to have equally reliable evaluation potential. The study concludes that, since the last two independent parameters are easy to measure, these regression equations provide an eminently practical means to evaluate the maximal instep soccer kick.U usporedbi s drugim sportovima, biomehanička istraživanja vještina u nogometu uvelike zaostaju za razinom popularnosti toga sporta u svijetu. Čak i za osnovna nogometna znanja, kao što je osnovni nogometni udarac izveden punom snagom, postoji relativno malo kvantitativnih istraživanja. Nadalje, većina tih istraživanja nije ponudila praktična rješenja za ocjenjivanje kvalitete udarca. Ovo istraživanje usmjereno je na rješavanje tih nedostataka postavljanjem praktičnih regresijskih jednadžba koje se mogu primijeniti za procjenu kvalitete izvođenja udarca početnika i naprednih nogometaša. Korištenje regresijskih jednadžba omogućit će nogometnim trenerima i profesorima tjelesne i zdravstvene kulture jednostavnu procjenu kvalitete udarca. Metoda se sastoji od prikupljanja 3D podataka (VICON sustav sa 9 visoko-frekventnih kamera, 120 Hz), biomehaničkog modeliranja cijelog tijela te korelacijskih i regresijskih analiza povezanosti početne brzine lopte nakon udarca s pregibanjem/ opružanjem ramena, trupa, kuka, koljena i s rotacijom trupa te duljinom posljednjega koraka i visinom tijela. U istraživanju su sudjelovala 24 studenta i 26 studentica koji su raspoređeni u jednake početničke i napredne grupe. Rezultati su pokazali da je velik broj korelacija bio pouzdan prediktor učinkovitosti udarca. Ipak, tolike korelacije nisu praktične budući da zahtijevaju uporabu mnogih uređaja i dugotrajnu obradu podataka. Daljnje analize pokazale su da višestruke regresije, koje se temelje na duljini posljednjega koraka i visini tijela kao nezavisnim varijablama, imaju jednak potencijal pouzdanosti za ocjenjivanja kvalitete izvođenja udarca. Budući da je duljinu posljednjega koraka i visinu tijela lako mjeriti, zaključak je ovog istraživanja da su predložene regresijske jednadžbe vrijedno praktično sredstvo za vrednovanje kvalitete maksimalnog osnovnog nogometnog udarca

RpoN (σ54) Is Required for Floc Formation but Not for Extracellular Polysaccharide Biosynthesis in a Floc-Forming Aquincola tertiaricarbonis Strain.

Some bacteria are capable of forming flocs, in which bacterial cells become self-flocculated by secreted extracellular polysaccharides and other biopolymers. The floc-forming bacteria play a central role in activated sludge, which has been widely utilized for the treatment of municipal sewage and industrial wastewater. Here, we use a floc-forming bacterium, Aquincolatertiaricarbonis RN12, as a model to explore the biosynthesis of extracellular polysaccharides and the regulation of floc formation. A large gene cluster for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and a gene encoding the alternative sigma factor RpoN1, one of the four paralogues, have been identified in floc formation-deficient mutants generated by transposon mutagenesis, and the gene functions have been further confirmed by genetic complementation analyses. Interestingly, the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides remained in the rpoN1-disrupted flocculation-defective mutants, but most of the exopolysaccharides were secreted and released rather than bound to the cells. Furthermore, the expression of exopolysaccharide biosynthesis genes seemed not to be regulated by RpoN1. Taken together, our results indicate that RpoN1 may play a role in regulating the expression of a certain gene(s) involved in the self-flocculation of bacterial cells but not in the biosynthesis and secretion of exopolysaccharides required for floc formation.IMPORTANCE Floc formation confers bacterial resistance to predation of protozoa and plays a central role in the widely used activated sludge process. In this study, we not only identified a large gene cluster for biosynthesis of extracellular polysaccharides but also identified four rpoN paralogues, one of which (rpoN1) is required for floc formation in A. tertiaricarbonis RN12. In addition, this RpoN sigma factor regulates the transcription of genes involved in biofilm formation and swarming motility, as previously shown in other bacteria. However, this RpoN paralogue is not required for the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides, which are released and dissolved into culture broth by the rpoN1 mutant rather than remaining tightly bound to cells, as observed during the flocculation of the wild-type strain. These results indicate that floc formation is a regulated complex process, and other yet-to-be identified RpoN1-dependent factors are involved in self-flocculation of bacterial cells via exopolysaccharides and/or other biopolymers

GWAS Identifies Novel Susceptibility Loci on 6p21.32 and 21q21.3 for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Carriers

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have recently identified KIF1B as susceptibility locus for hepatitis B virus (HBV)–related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To further identify novel susceptibility loci associated with HBV–related HCC and replicate the previously reported association, we performed a large three-stage GWAS in the Han Chinese population. 523,663 autosomal SNPs in 1,538 HBV–positive HCC patients and 1,465 chronic HBV carriers were genotyped for the discovery stage. Top candidate SNPs were genotyped in the initial validation samples of 2,112 HBV–positive HCC cases and 2,208 HBV carriers and then in the second validation samples of 1,021 cases and 1,491 HBV carriers. We discovered two novel associations at rs9272105 (HLA-DQA1/DRB1) on 6p21.32 (OR = 1.30, P = 1.13×$10^{−19}$) and rs455804 (GRIK1) on 21q21.3 (OR = 0.84, P = 1.86×$10^{−8}$), which were further replicated in the fourth independent sample of 1,298 cases and 1,026 controls (rs9272105: OR = 1.25, P = 1.71×$10^{−4}$; rs455804: OR = 0.84, P = 6.92×$10^{−3}$). We also revealed the associations of HLA-DRB1*0405 and 0901*0602, which could partially account for the association at rs9272105. The association at rs455804 implicates GRIK1 as a novel susceptibility gene for HBV–related HCC, suggesting the involvement of glutamate signaling in the development of HBV–related HCC