A Guaranteed Global Convergence Social Cognitive Optimizer

From the analysis of the traditional social cognitive optimization (SCO) in theory, we see that traditional SCO is not guaranteed to converge to the global optimization solution with probability one. So an improved social cognitive optimizer is proposed, which is guaranteed to converge to the global optimization solution. The global convergence of the improved SCO algorithm is guaranteed by the strategy of periodic restart in use under the conditions of participating in comparison, which helps to avoid the premature convergence. Then we give the convergence proof for the improved SCO based on Solis and Wets’ research results. Finally, simulation results on a set of benchmark problems show that the proposed algorithm has higher optimization efficiency, better global performance, and better stable optimization outcomes than the traditional SCO for nonlinear programming problems (NLPs)

Rapid and continuous regulating adhesion strength by mechanical micro-vibration

Controlled tuning of interface adhesion is crucial to a broad range of applications, such as space technology, micro-fabrication, flexible electronics, robotics, and bio-integrated devices. Here, we show a robust and predictable method to continuously regulate interface adhesion by exciting the mechanical micro-vibration in the adhesive system perpendicular to the contact plane. An analytic model reveals the underlying mechanism of adhesion hysteresis and dynamic instability. For a typical PDMS-glass adhesion system, the apparent adhesion strength can be enhanced by 77 times or weakened to 0. Notably, the resulting adhesion switching timescale is comparable to that of geckos (15 ms), and such rapid adhesion switching can be repeated for more than 2×10^7 vibration cycles without any noticeable degradation in the adhesion performance. Our method is independent of surface microstructures and does not require a preload, representing a simple and practical way to design and control surface adhesion in relevant applications

A Three-Dimensional Porous Conducting Polymer Composite with Ultralow Density and Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensing Properties

An ultralight conducting polyaniline/SiC/polyacrylonitrile (PANI/SiC/PAN) composite was fabricated by in situ polymerization of aniline monomer on the surface of fibers in SiC/PAN aerogel. The SiC/PAN aerogel was obtained by electrospinning, freeze-drying, and heat treatment. The ingredient, morphology, structure, and electrical properties of the aerogel before and after in situ polymerization were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and voltage-current characteristic measurement. The thermostability of PANI/SiC/PAN composite was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and electrical resistance measured at different temperatures. The density of the PANI/SiC/PAN composite was approximately 0.211 g cm−3, the porosity was 76.44%, and the conductivity was 0.013 S m−1. The pressure sensing properties were evaluated at room temperature. The electrical resistance of as-prepared sample decreased gradually with the increase of pressure. Furthermore, the pressure sensing process was reversible and the response time was short (about 1 s). This composite may have application in pressure sensor field

The First Mitochondrial Genome of the Living-Fossil Sawfly \u3cem\u3eMacroxyela ferruginea\u3c/em\u3e (Hymenoptera: Xyelidae, Macroxyelinae)

The living-fossil sawfly Macroxyela ferruginea (Xyelidae: Macroxyelinae) was one of the oldest species of Hymenoptera. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome, 15,465 bp in size. All 37 typical mitochondrial genes were possessed. There is only one rearrangement of gene order, where trnM and trnQ were shuffled. We also found this order was shared with Xyela sp., which also belongs to family Xyelidae. The 13 protein-coding genes of this sequence and the other 10 species from eight superfamilies in Hymenoptera were all used for phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood (ML) analysis and Bayesian inference (BI), with Ascaloptynx appendiculatus from Neuroptera as an outgroup. The topology demonstrated that M. ferruginea was sister to Xyela sp., supporting that they belong to one family Xyelidae

Blockchain-based multi-authority revocable data sharing scheme in smart grid

In view of the problems of inefficient data encryption, non-support of malicious user revocation and data integrity checking in current smart grid data sharing schemes, this paper proposes a blockchain-based multi-authority revocable data sharing scheme in the smart grid. Using online/offline encryption technology with hybrid encryption technology enhances the encryption performance for the data owner. The use of user binary tree technology enables the traceability and revocability of malicious users. The introduction of multiple attribute authorization authorities eliminates the threat of collusive attacks that exist in traditional data-sharing schemes. In addition, the semi-honest problem of third-party servers is solved by uploading data verification credentials to the blockchain. The security analysis results show that the scheme can resist selective plaintext attacks and collusion attacks. The performance analysis results show that the proposed scheme has lower computational overhead and better functionality than similar schemes, which is suitable for secure data sharing in smart grids

Study of RNA Interference Targeting NET-1 Combination with Sorafenib for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy In Vitro

The aim of this study is to explore the inhibitory effects of RNA interference (RNAi) targeting NET-1 or combined with sorafenib on HCC in vitro and in vivo and the possible underlying mechanisms. The expressions of NET-1 mRNA and protein were detected by RT-QPCR and western blot. The ability of proliferation was determined by CCK-8 assay. Apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry (FCM). Abilities of migration and invasion were measured by scratch-wound assay and transwell assay. MHCC97H cells with stable transfection of NET-1shRNA were injected subcutaneously to prepare nude mice model of HCC and Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 mRNAs of tumor tissues in different groups were examined. NET-1 mRNA and protein were reduced sharply in MHCC97H cells transfected with NET-1shRNA. The abilities of proliferation and migration were inhibited and apoptosis was promoted in either NET-1shRNA or sorafenib as compared with untreated cells in vitro and in vivo (P<0.05). The mRNA levels of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 of tumor tissues were reduced in different treatment groups compared with untreated group, particularly in combination group. (P<0.05). The combination NET-1shRNA with sorafenib dramatically enhanced the effects of sorafenib antitumor ,which may involve in blocking ras signaling pathway and stimulating apoptotic pathways simultaneously

The role of the transcription factor Rbpj in the development of dorsal root ganglia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is composed of well-characterized populations of sensory neurons and glia derived from a common pool of neural crest stem cells (NCCs), and is a good system to study the mechanisms of neurogenesis and gliogenesis. Notch signaling is known to play important roles in DRG development, but the full scope of Notch functions in mammalian DRG development remains poorly understood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study, we used <it>Wnt1-Cre </it>to conditionally inactivate the transcription factor Rbpj, a critical integrator of activation signals from all Notch receptors, in NCCs and their derived cells. Deletion of <it>Rbpj </it>caused the up-regulation of <it>NeuroD1 </it>and precocious neurogenesis in DRG early development but led to an eventual deficit of sensory neurons at later stages, due to reduced cell proliferation and abnormal cell death. In addition, gliogenesis was delayed initially, but a near-complete loss of glia was observed finally in <it>Rbpj</it>-deficient DRG. Furthermore, we found P75 and Sox10, which are normally expressed exclusively in neuronal and glial progenitors of the DRG after the NCCs have completed their migration, were co-expressed in many cells of the DRG of <it>Rbpj </it>conditional knock-out mice.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data indicate that Rbpj-mediated canonical Notch signaling inhibits DRG neuronal differentiation, possibly by regulating <it>NeuroD1 </it>expression, and is required for DRG gliogenesis <it>in vivo</it>.</p

GM-TCNet: Gated Multi-scale Temporal Convolutional Network using Emotion Causality for Speech Emotion Recognition

In human-computer interaction, Speech Emotion Recognition (SER) plays an essential role in understanding the user's intent and improving the interactive experience. While similar sentimental speeches own diverse speaker characteristics but share common antecedents and consequences, an essential challenge for SER is how to produce robust and discriminative representations through causality between speech emotions. In this paper, we propose a Gated Multi-scale Temporal Convolutional Network (GM-TCNet) to construct a novel emotional causality representation learning component with a multi-scale receptive field. GM-TCNet deploys a novel emotional causality representation learning component to capture the dynamics of emotion across the time domain, constructed with dilated causal convolution layer and gating mechanism. Besides, it utilizes skip connection fusing high-level features from different gated convolution blocks to capture abundant and subtle emotion changes in human speech. GM-TCNet first uses a single type of feature, mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, as inputs and then passes them through the gated temporal convolutional module to generate the high-level features. Finally, the features are fed to the emotion classifier to accomplish the SER task. The experimental results show that our model maintains the highest performance in most cases compared to state-of-the-art techniques.Comment: The source code is available at: https://github.com/Jiaxin-Ye/GM-TCNe

Particle size-dependent microstructure, hardness and electrochemical corrosion behavior of atmospheric plasma sprayed nicrbsi coatings

Particle size is a critical consideration for many powder coating-related industries since it significantly influences the properties of the produced materials. However, the effect of particle size on the characteristics of plasma sprayed NiCrBSi coatings is not well understood. This work investigates the microstructures, hardness and electrochemical corrosion behavior of plasma sprayed NiCrBSi coatings synthesized using different-sized powders. All coatings mainly consist of Ni, N3B, CrB, Cr7C3 and Cr3C2 phases. The coatings produced by small particles (50–75 μm) exhibit lower porosity (2.0 ± 0.8%). Such coatings show a higher fraction (15.5 vol.%) of the amorphous phase and lower hardness (700 HV0.5) than the counterparts (8.7 vol.% and 760 HV0.5, respectively) produced by large particles (75–100 μm) with higher porosity (3.0 ± 1.6%). Meanwhile, the coatings produced from smaller particles possess a larger number of non-bonded boundaries, leading to the easier penetration of corrosive medium, as well as a higher corrosion current density (0.254 ± 0.062 μA/cm2) and a lower charge transfer resistance (0.37 ± 0.07 MΩ cm2). These distinctions are attributed to particle size-induced different melting degrees and stackings of in-flight particles during deposition

The neural correlates of value hierarchies: a prospective typology based on personal value profiles of emerging adults

IntroductionValue hierarchies, as motivational goals anchored in the self-schema, may be correlated with spontaneous activity in the resting brain, especially those involving self-relevance. This study aims to investigate the neural correlates of value hierarchies from the perspective of typology.MethodsA total of 610 Chinese college students (30.31% women), aged 18 to 23, completed the personal values questionnaire and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsThe latent profile analysis revealed three personal value profiles: traditional social orientation, modernized orientation, and undifferentiated orientation. Neuroimaging results revealed that individuals with modernized orientation prioritized openness to change value, and this personal-focus is related to the higher low-frequency amplitude of the posterior insula; individuals with traditional social orientation prioritized self-transcendence and conservation values, and this social-focus is related to the stronger functional connectivity of the middle insula with the inferior temporal gyrus, temporal gyrus, posterior occipital cortex, and basal ganglia, as well as weaker functional connections within the right middle insula.DiscussionTaken together, these findings potentially indicate the intra-generational differentiation of contemporary Chinese emerging adults’ value hierarchies. At the neural level, these are correlated with brain activities involved in processing self- and other-relevance