Chinese foreign policy decision-making : a neoclassical realist approach.

Despite its sudden rise, China has not engaged in balancing US power contrary to the prediction of the balance of power theory. The structure of a unipolar world restricts balancing which is effectively a revisionist act and disturbs the prevailing system whereas balancing is a status-quo behavior in a multipolar world because it has the effect of maintaining the current system. Additionally, the security dilemma generated by the challenger's rise also hinders in balancing. The dominant power is not the only one concerned about its position, but the other great powers are also concerned about the impending change in the system. The challenger's foreign policy is also encumbered by domestic factors like consensus among the elites and regime security. China is constrained by all these factors in both levels. Hence, the relative power of China does not explain all of its foreign policy behaviors

Auto-colorization of historical images using deep convolutional neural networks

Funding Information: Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Research Center of College of Computer and Information Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The authors are grateful for this support.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Leveraging metaheuristics with artificial intelligence for customer churn prediction in telecom industries

Customer churn prediction (CCP) is among the greatest challenges faced in the telecommunication sector. With progress in the fields of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), the possibility of CCP has dramatically increased. Therefore, this study presents an artificial intelligence with Jaya optimization algorithm based churn prediction for data exploration (AIJOA-CPDE) technique for human-computer interaction (HCI) application. The major aim of the AIJOA-CPDE technique is the determination of churned and non-churned customers. In the AIJOA-CPDE technique, an initial stage of feature selection using the JOA named the JOA-FS technique is presented to choose feature subsets. For churn prediction, the AIJOA-CPDE technique employs a bidirectional long short-term memory (BDLSTM) model. Lastly, the chicken swarm optimization (CSO) algorithm is enforced as a hyperparameter optimizer of the BDLSTM model. A detailed experimental validation of the AIJOA-CPDE technique ensured its superior performance over other existing approaches

Genomic Selection for Wheat Blast in a Diversity Panel, Breeding Panel and Full-Sibs Panel

Wheat blast is an emerging threat to wheat production, due to its recent migration to South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Because genomic selection (GS) has emerged as a promising breeding strategy, the key objective of this study was to evaluate it for wheat blast phenotyped at precision phenotyping platforms in Quirusillas (Bolivia), Okinawa (Bolivia) and Jashore (Bangladesh) using three panels: (i) a diversity panel comprising 172 diverse spring wheat genotypes, (ii) a breeding panel comprising 248 elite breeding lines, and (iii) a full-sibs panel comprising 298 full-sibs. We evaluated two genomic prediction models (the genomic best linear unbiased prediction or GBLUP model and the Bayes B model) and compared the genomic prediction accuracies with accuracies from a fixed effects model (with selected blast-associated markers as fixed effects), a GBLUP + fixed effects model and a pedigree relationships-based model (ABLUP). On average, across all the panels and environments analyzed, the GBLUP + fixed effects model (0.63 +/- 0.13) and the fixed effects model (0.62 +/- 0.13) gave the highest prediction accuracies, followed by the Bayes B (0.59 +/- 0.11), GBLUP (0.55 +/- 0.1), and ABLUP (0.48 +/- 0.06) models. The high prediction accuracies from the fixed effects model resulted from the markers tagging the 2NS translocation that had a large effect on blast in all the panels. This implies that in environments where the 2NS translocation-based blast resistance is effective, genotyping one to few markers tagging the translocation is sufficient to predict the blast response and genome-wide markers may not be needed. We also observed that marker-assisted selection (MAS) based on a few blast-associated markers outperformed GS as it selected the highest mean percentage (88.5%) of lines also selected by phenotypic selection and discarded the highest mean percentage of lines (91.8%) also discarded by phenotypic selection, across all panels. In conclusion, while this study demonstrates that MAS might be a powerful strategy to select for the 2NS translocation-based blast resistance, we emphasize that further efforts to use genomic tools to identify non-2NS translocation-based blast resistance are critical

Genomic selection for wheat blast in a diversity panel, breeding panel and full-sibs panel

Wheat blast is an emerging threat to wheat production, due to its recent migration to South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Because genomic selection (GS) has emerged as a promising breeding strategy, the key objective of this study was to evaluate it for wheat blast phenotyped at precision phenotyping platforms in Quirusillas (Bolivia), Okinawa (Bolivia) and Jashore (Bangladesh) using three panels: (i) a diversity panel comprising 172 diverse spring wheat genotypes, (ii) a breeding panel comprising 248 elite breeding lines, and (iii) a full-sibs panel comprising 298 full-sibs. We evaluated two genomic prediction models (the genomic best linear unbiased prediction or GBLUP model and the Bayes B model) and compared the genomic prediction accuracies with accuracies from a fixed effects model (with selected blast-associated markers as fixed effects), a GBLUP + fixed effects model and a pedigree relationships-based model (ABLUP). On average, across all the panels and environments analyzed, the GBLUP + fixed effects model (0.63 ± 0.13) and the fixed effects model (0.62 ± 0.13) gave the highest prediction accuracies, followed by the Bayes B (0.59 ± 0.11), GBLUP (0.55 ± 0.1), and ABLUP (0.48 ± 0.06) models. The high prediction accuracies from the fixed effects model resulted from the markers tagging the 2NS translocation that had a large effect on blast in all the panels. This implies that in environments where the 2NS translocation-based blast resistance is effective, genotyping one to few markers tagging the translocation is sufficient to predict the blast response and genome-wide markers may not be needed. We also observed that marker-assisted selection (MAS) based on a few blast-associated markers outperformed GS as it selected the highest mean percentage (88.5%) of lines also selected by phenotypic selection and discarded the highest mean percentage of lines (91.8%) also discarded by phenotypic selection, across all panels. In conclusion, while this study demonstrates that MAS might be a powerful strategy to select for the 2NS translocation-based blast resistance, we emphasize that further efforts to use genomic tools to identify non-2NS translocation-based blast resistance are critical

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Stress Induced Problems in Himalayan Tunnels with Special Reference to Squeezing

There is a huge potential of underground constructions in the Himalayan region for hydropower, transport systems and conservation of environment. However, the tectonic activities have resulted with a fragile regional geology. Moreover, the high mountainous topography causes high overburden pressure in the underground structures causing squeezing and other stability problems. Thus the huge tunnelling potential can only be materialised by applying professional and scientific approaches. This thesis focuses on the stress induced problems with special reference to squeezing. Main objectives of this study were to review and check validity of the available tunnel stability assessment methods, to carry out relevant laboratory tests and interpret the results, and to use a numerical modelling code. In the present study, two projects have been used as case studies, both located in Nepal Himalayan region. These are Khimti1 hydropower project - a completed project; and Melamchi water supply project - yet to be constructed. Both projects include tunnels through series of weak rock mass strata with high overburden stress. One of the factors that may cause stability problems in a tunnel is the stress level acting around the opening. A tunnel fails when the stress exceeds the strength of rock mass. If the stress level does not exceed the rock mass strength, but is sufficient up to a critical level to cause creep, it may lead to rock failure after some time. In a tunnel stability assessment, the determination of the critical stress level is important. Creep tests were carried out on the Melamchi gneiss and the critical stress level has been determined. The resulted creep test curves were calibrated to obtain rheological parameters. Tunnel deformations including time-effect, were calculated for a given stress level. Based on the creep test results at various uniaxial stress levels, an equation is obtained for the relation between the strain rate and stress level. Back analyses have been carried out using the available empirical, semi-analytical and analytical methods and FLAC3D code; the results have been found to be in close agreement with the tunnel convergence measurements in the Khimti tunnel. So these methods were used in the Melamchi tunnel design. In the 66 squeezing tunnel cases from around the world and the Khimti case study, it was observed that the rock mass strength (corresponding to rock type) has a significant influence on squeezing phenomena. Thus the available squeezing prediction criteria based on the rock mass classification alone, need to be updated by including rock mass strength as well. Similarly, ‘valley side effect of topography’ has been found to influence the tunnel deformation in the Khimti project. It has opened an area for a further study to correlate the valley side effect of topography to the stress increase in the tunnel.dr.ing.dr.ing

Stress Induced Problems in Himalayan Tunnels with Special Reference to Squeezing

There is a huge potential of underground constructions in the Himalayan region for hydropower, transport systems and conservation of environment. However, the tectonic activities have resulted with a fragile regional geology. Moreover, the high mountainous topography causes high overburden pressure in the underground structures causing squeezing and other stability problems. Thus the huge tunnelling potential can only be materialised by applying professional and scientific approaches. This thesis focuses on the stress induced problems with special reference to squeezing. Main objectives of this study were to review and check validity of the available tunnel stability assessment methods, to carry out relevant laboratory tests and interpret the results, and to use a numerical modelling code. In the present study, two projects have been used as case studies, both located in Nepal Himalayan region. These are Khimti1 hydropower project - a completed project; and Melamchi water supply project - yet to be constructed. Both projects include tunnels through series of weak rock mass strata with high overburden stress. One of the factors that may cause stability problems in a tunnel is the stress level acting around the opening. A tunnel fails when the stress exceeds the strength of rock mass. If the stress level does not exceed the rock mass strength, but is sufficient up to a critical level to cause creep, it may lead to rock failure after some time. In a tunnel stability assessment, the determination of the critical stress level is important. Creep tests were carried out on the Melamchi gneiss and the critical stress level has been determined. The resulted creep test curves were calibrated to obtain rheological parameters. Tunnel deformations including time-effect, were calculated for a given stress level. Based on the creep test results at various uniaxial stress levels, an equation is obtained for the relation between the strain rate and stress level. Back analyses have been carried out using the available empirical, semi-analytical and analytical methods and FLAC3D code; the results have been found to be in close agreement with the tunnel convergence measurements in the Khimti tunnel. So these methods were used in the Melamchi tunnel design. In the 66 squeezing tunnel cases from around the world and the Khimti case study, it was observed that the rock mass strength (corresponding to rock type) has a significant influence on squeezing phenomena. Thus the available squeezing prediction criteria based on the rock mass classification alone, need to be updated by including rock mass strength as well. Similarly, ‘valley side effect of topography’ has been found to influence the tunnel deformation in the Khimti project. It has opened an area for a further study to correlate the valley side effect of topography to the stress increase in the tunnel

Levy Flight-Based Improved Grey Wolf Optimization: A Solution for Various Engineering Problems

Optimization is a broad field for researchers to develop new algorithms for solving various types of problems. There are various popular techniques being worked on for improvement. Grey wolf optimization (GWO) is one such algorithm because it is efficient, simple to use, and easy to implement. However, GWO has several drawbacks as it is stuck in local optima, has a low convergence rate, and has poor exploration. Several attempts have been made recently to overcome these drawbacks. This paper discusses some strategies that can be applied to GWO to overcome its drawbacks. This article proposes a novel algorithm to enhance the convergence rate, which was poor in GWO, and it is also compared with the other optimization algorithms. GWO also has the limitation of becoming stuck in local optima when used in complex functions or in a large search space, so these issues are further addressed. The most remarkable factor is that GWO purely depends on the initialization constraints such as population size and wolf initial positions. This study demonstrates the improved position of the wolf by applying strategies with the same population size. As a result, this novel algorithm has enhanced its exploration capability compared to other algorithms presented, and statistical results are also presented to demonstrate its superiority