Towards Integrated Traffic Control with Operating Decentralized Autonomous Organization

With a growing complexity of the intelligent traffic system (ITS), an integrated control of ITS that is capable of considering plentiful heterogeneous intelligent agents is desired. However, existing control methods based on the centralized or the decentralized scheme have not presented their competencies in considering the optimality and the scalability simultaneously. To address this issue, we propose an integrated control method based on the framework of Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). The proposed method achieves a global consensus on energy consumption efficiency (ECE), meanwhile to optimize the local objectives of all involved intelligent agents, through a consensus and incentive mechanism. Furthermore, an operation algorithm is proposed regarding the issue of structural rigidity in DAO. Specifically, the proposed operation approach identifies critical agents to execute the smart contract in DAO, which ultimately extends the capability of DAO-based control. In addition, a numerical experiment is designed to examine the performance of the proposed method. The experiment results indicate that the controlled agents can achieve a consensus faster on the global objective with improved local objectives by the proposed method, compare to existing decentralized control methods. In general, the proposed method shows a great potential in developing an integrated control system in the ITSComment: 6 pages, 6 figures. To be published in 2023 IEEE 26th International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC

Evolutionary City: Towards a Flexible, Agile and Symbiotic System

Urban growth sometimes leads to rigid infrastructure that struggles to adapt to changing demand. This paper introduces a novel approach, aiming to enable cities to evolve and respond more effectively to such dynamic demand. It identifies the limitations arising from the complexity and inflexibility of existing urban systems. A framework is presented for enhancing the city's adaptability perception through advanced sensing technologies, conducting parallel simulation via graph-based techniques, and facilitating autonomous decision-making across domains through decentralized and autonomous organization and operation. Notably, a symbiotic mechanism is employed to implement these technologies practically, thereby making urban management more agile and responsive. In the case study, we explore how this approach can optimize traffic flow by adjusting lane allocations. This case not only enhances traffic efficiency but also reduces emissions. The proposed evolutionary city offers a new perspective on sustainable urban development, highliting the importance of integrated intelligence within urban systems.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure

Demand-driven air pollutant emissions for a fast-developing region in China

Guangdong is one of many fast-developing regions in China that are confronting the challenges of air pollution mitigation and sustainable economic development. Previous studies have focused on the characterization of production-based emissions to formulate control strategies, but the drivers of emission growth and pattern changes from the consumption side have rarely been explored. In this study, we used environmentally extended input-output analysis with well-established production-based emission inventories to develop a consumption-based emission inventory for seven pollutants in the years 2007 and 2012. The results showed that the demands of construction, transport and other services dominated the emissions from the consumption perspective, followed by electric power and some machinery and light industries. The varying trends of air pollutants from 2007 to 2012 were associated with production-based control measures and changes in economic structure and trading patterns. From the consumption perspective, due to the stringent control of SO2 in power plants and key industries, the SO2 emissions underwent substantial declines, while the less controlled PM10, PM2.5, VOC and CO emissions continued to grow. The contributions of the cleaner (that is, with lower emission intensity) service sectors (third-sector industries, excluding transport, storage and post) to all seven pollutants increased. This increase could be a consequence of the expansion of the service sector in Guangdong; in this five-year period, the service sector grew by 41% in terms of its contributions to Guangdong's gross domestic product. Meanwhile, exports accounted for more than half of the emissions, but their share had started to decrease for most pollutants except VOC and CO. The results suggest that Guangdong moved towards a cleaner production and consumption pathway. The transformation of the industrial structure and increase in of urban demand should help to further reduce emissions while maintaining economic development

Comparison of power cycling reliability of flexible PCB interconnect smaller/thinner and larger/thicker power devices with topside Sn-3.5Ag solder joints

The power cycling reliability of flexible printed circuit board (PCB) interconnect smaller/thinner (ST) 9.5 mm × 5.5 mm × 0.07 mm and larger/thicker (LT) 13.5 mm × 13.5 mm × 0.5 mm single Si diode samples have been studied. With the assumption of creep strain accumulation-induced fatigue cracking as the failure mechanism of the Sn-3.5Ag solder joints, finite element (FE) simulations predicted a higher power cycling reliability of soldering the flexible PCB on a ST Si diode than on a LT Si diode under similar power cycling conditions. Then the power cycling test results of 10 samples for each type are reported and discussed. The samples were constructed with commercially available ST Si diodes with 3.2/0.5/0.3 μm thick AlSiCu/NiP/Pd topside metallization and LT Si diodes with 5/0.1/1/1 μm thick Al/Ti/Ni/Ag topside metallization. In contradiction with the FE prediction, most ST Si diode samples were less reliable than those LT Si diode samples. This can be attributed to the fact that the failure of the ST diode samples was associated with the weak bonding and hence the shear-induced local delamination of the topside solder joints from the AlSiCu metallization, while the failure of the LT diode samples was mainly caused by the creep strain accumulation-induced fatigue cracking within the solder joints. Such results can be used to not only provide better understanding of the different failure mechanisms, but also demonstrate the importance of employing an appropriate topside metallization on the power devices

The Effect of Chinese Herbal Medicine on Albuminuria Levels in Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

To evaluate the effect of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on albuminuria levels in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN), we performed comprehensive searches on Medline database, Cochrane Library, CNKI database, CBM database, Wanfang database, and VIP database up to December 2012. A total of 29 trials including 2440 participants with DN met the selection criteria. CHM was tested to be more effective in reducing urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) (MD −82.95 μg/min, [−138.64, −27.26]) and proteinuria (MD −565.99 mg/24 h, [−892.41, −239.57]) compared with placebo. CHM had a greater beneficial effect on reduction of UAER (MD −13.41 μg/min, [−20.63, −6.19]) and proteinuria (MD −87.48 mg/24 h, [−142.90, −32.06]) compared with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB). Combination therapy with CHM and ACEI/ARB showed significant improvement in UAER (MD −28.18 μg/min, [−44.4, −11.97]), urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (MD −347.00, [−410.61, −283.39]), protein-creatinine ratio (MD −2.49, [−4.02, −0.96]), and proteinuria (MD −26.60 mg/24 h, [−26.73, −26.47]) compared with ACEI/ARB alone. No serious adverse events were reported. CHM seems to be an effective and safe therapy option to treat proteinuric patients with DN, suggesting that further study of CHM in the treatment of DN is warranted in rigorously designed, multicentre, large-scale trials with higher quality worldwide

Synthesis Report on the Implementation of Building Energy Codes in China

China building energy code and details to help improve building energy efficiency at global, national and local level

Cardiovascular disease and subsequent risk of psychiatric disorders: a nationwide sibling-controlled study

Background: The association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and selected psychiatric disorders has frequently been suggested while the potential role of familial factors and comorbidities in such association has rarely been investigated. Methods: We identified 869 056 patients newly diagnosed with CVD from 1987 to 2016 in Sweden with no history of psychiatric disorders, and 910 178 full siblings of these patients as well as 10 individually age- and sex-matched unrelated population controls (N=8 690 560). Adjusting for multiple comorbid conditions, we used flexible parametric models and Cox models to estimate the association of CVD with risk of all subsequent psychiatric disorders, comparing rates of first incident psychiatric disorder among CVD patients with rates among unaffected full siblings and population controls. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 60 years for patients with CVD and 59.2% were male. During up to thirty years of follow-up, the crude incidence rates of psychiatric disorder were 7.1, 4.6 and 4.0 per 1000 person-years for patients with CVD, their siblings and population controls. In the sibling comparison, we observed an increased risk of psychiatric disorder during the first year after CVD diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR], 2.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.62-2.87) and thereafter (1.45; 95% CI, 1.42-1.48). Increased risks were observed for all types of psychiatric disorders and among all diagnoses of CVD. We observed similar associations in the population comparison. CVD patients who developed a comorbid psychiatric disorder during the first year after diagnosis were at elevated risk of subsequent CVD death compared to patients without such comorbidity (HR 1.55; 95% CI 1.44-1.67). Conclusions: Patients diagnosed with CVD are at an elevated risk for subsequent psychiatric disorders independent of shared familial factors and comorbid conditions. Comorbid psychiatric disorders in patients with CVD are associated with higher risk of cardiovascular mortality suggesting that surveillance and treatment of psychiatric comorbidities should be considered as an integral part of clinical management of newly diagnosed CVD patients. Funding: This work was supported by the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action Grant (CoMorMent, grant no. 847776 to UV, PFS and FF), Grant of Excellence, Icelandic Research Fund (grant no. 163362-051 to UV), ERC Consolidator Grant (StressGene, grant no: 726413 to UV), Swedish Research Council (grant no. D0886501 to PFS) and US NIMH R01 MH123724 (to PFS)

Targeting RNA Polymerase Primary σ70 as a Therapeutic Strategy against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Antisense Peptide Nucleic Acid

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes threatening infection-related mortality worldwide. Currently, spread of multi-drug resistance (MDR) MRSA limits therapeutic options and requires new approaches to "druggable" target discovery, as well as development of novel MRSA-active antibiotics. RNA polymerase primary σ⁷⁰ (encoded by gene rpoD) is a highly conserved prokaryotic factor essential for transcription initiation in exponentially growing cells of diverse S. aureus, implying potential for antisense inhibition. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By synthesizing a serial of cell penetrating peptide conjugated peptide nucleic acids (PPNAs) based on software predicted parameters and further design optimization, we identified a target sequence (234 to 243 nt) within rpoD mRNA conserved region 3.0 being more sensitive to antisense inhibition. A (KFF)₃K peptide conjugated 10-mer complementary PNA (PPNA2332) was developed for potent micromolar-range growth inhibitory effects against four pathogenic S. aureus strains with different resistance phenotypes, including clinical vancomycin-intermediate resistance S. aureus and MDR-MRSA isolates. PPNA2332 showed bacteriocidal antisense effect at 3.2 fold of MIC value against MRSA/VISA Mu50, and its sequence specificity was demonstrated in that PPNA with scrambled PNA sequence (Scr PPNA2332) exhibited no growth inhibitory effect at higher concentrations. Also, PPNA2332 specifically interferes with rpoD mRNA, inhibiting translation of its protein product σ⁷⁰ in a concentration-dependent manner. Full decay of mRNA and suppressed expression of σ⁷⁰ were observed for 40 µM or 12.5 µM PPNA2332 treatment, respectively, but not for 40 µM Scr PPNA2332 treatment in pure culture of MRSA/VISA Mu50 strain. PPNA2332 (≥1 µM) essentially cleared lethal MRSA/VISA Mu50 infection in epithelial cell cultures, and eliminated viable bacterial cells in a time- and concentration- dependent manner, without showing any apparent toxicity at 10 µM. CONCLUSIONS: The present result suggested that RNAP primary σ⁷⁰ is a very promising candidate target for developing novel antisense antibiotic to treat severe MRSA infections

Methodology and applications of city level CO2 emission accounts in China

China is the world's largest energy consumer and CO2 emitter. Cities contribute 85% of the total CO2 emissions in China and thus are considered as the key areas for implementing policies designed for climate change adaption and CO2 emission mitigation. However, the emission inventory construction of Chinese cities has not been well researched, mainly owing to the lack of systematic statistics and poor data quality. Focusing on this research gap, we developed a set of methods for constructing CO2 emissions inventories for Chinese cities based on energy balance table. The newly constructed emission inventory is compiled in terms of the definition provided by the IPCC territorial emission accounting approach and covers 47 socioeconomic sectors, 17 fossil fuels and 9 primary industry products, which is corresponding with the national and provincial inventory. In the study, we applied the methods to compile CO2 emissions inventories for 24 common Chinese cities and examined uncertainties of the inventories. Understanding the emissions sources in Chinese cities is the basis for many climate policy and goal research in the future

Pancreatic cancer risk in relation to lifetime smoking patterns, tobacco type, and dose-response relationships.

BACKGROUND: Despite smoking being a well-established risk factor for pancreatic cancer (PC), there is a need to further characterize PC risk according to lifespan smoking patterns and other smoking features. Our aim was to deeply investigate them within a large European case-control study. METHODS: Tobacco smoking habits and other relevant information was obtained from 2,009 cases and 1,532 controls recruited in the PanGenEU study using standardized tools. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate PC risk by smoking characteristics and interactions with other PC risk factors. Fractional polynomials and restricted cubic splines were used to test for non-linearity of the dose-response relationships and to analyse their shape. RESULTS: Relative to never-smokers, current smokers (OR=1.72, 95%CI: 1.39-2.12), those inhaling into the throat (OR=1.48, 95%CI: 1.11-1.99), chest (OR=1.33, 95%CI: 1.12-1.58), or using non-filtered cigarettes (OR=1.69, 95%CI: 1.10-2.61), were all at an increased PC risk. PC risk was highest in current black tobacco smokers (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.31-3.41), followed by blond tobacco smokers (OR=1.43, 95%CI: 1.01-2.04). Childhood exposure to tobacco smoke relative to parental smoking was also associated with increased PC risk (OR=1.24, 95%CI: 1.03-1.49). Dose-response relationships for smoking duration, intensity, cumulative dose, and smoking cessation were non-linear and showed different shapes by tobacco type. Effect modification by family history of PC and diabetes was likely. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals differences in PC risk by tobacco type and other habit characteristics, as well as non-linear risk associations. IMPACT: This characterization of smoking-related PC risk profiles may help in defining PC high-risk populations