Showing papers by "The University of Nottingham Ningbo China published in 2023"

Natural Language Processing Applications for Computer-Aided Diagnosis in Oncology

Abstract: In the era of big data, text-based medical data, such as electronic health records (EHR) and electronic medical records (EMR), are growing rapidly. EHR and EMR are collected from patients to record their basic information, lab tests, vital signs, clinical notes, and reports. EHR and EMR contain the helpful information to assist oncologists in computer-aided diagnosis and decision making. However, it is time consuming for doctors to extract the valuable information they need and analyze the information from the EHR and EMR data. Recently, more and more research works have applied natural language processing (NLP) techniques, i.e., rule-based, machine learning-based, and deep learning-based techniques, on the EHR and EMR data for computer-aided diagnosis in oncology. The objective of this review is to narratively review the recent progress in the area of NLP applications for computer-aided diagnosis in oncology. Moreover, we intend to reduce the research gap between artificial intelligence (AI) experts and clinical specialists to design better NLP applications. We originally identified 295 articles from the three electronic databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, and ACL Anthology; then, we removed the duplicated papers and manually screened the irrelevant papers based on the content of the abstract; finally, we included a total of 23 articles after the screening process of the literature review. Furthermore, we provided an in-depth analysis and categorized these studies into seven cancer types: breast cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, and brain tumors. Additionally, we identified the current limitations of NLP applications on supporting the clinical practices and we suggest some promising future research directions in this paper.

Stochastic Resonance with Parameter Estimation for Enhancing Unknown Compound Fault Detection of Bearings

Abstract: Although stochastic resonance (SR) has been widely used to enhance weak fault signatures in machinery and has obtained remarkable achievements in engineering application, the parameter optimization of the existing SR-based methods requires the quantification indicators dependent on prior knowledge of the defects to be detected; for example, the widely used signal-to-noise ratio easily results in a false SR and decreases the detection performance of SR further. These indicators dependent on prior knowledge would not be suitable for real-world fault diagnosis of machinery where their structure parameters are unknown or are not able to be obtained. Therefore, it is necessary for us to design a type of SR method with parameter estimation, and such a method can estimate these parameters of SR adaptively by virtue of the signals to be processed or detected in place of the prior knowledge of the machinery. In this method, the triggered SR condition in second-order nonlinear systems and the synergic relationship among weak periodic signals, background noise and nonlinear systems can be considered to decide parameter estimation for enhancing unknown weak fault characteristics of machinery. Bearing fault experiments were performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method is able to enhance weak fault characteristics and diagnose weak compound faults of bearings at an early stage without prior knowledge and any quantification indicators, and it presents the same detection performance as the SR methods based on prior knowledge. Furthermore, the proposed method is more simple and less time-consuming than other SR methods based on prior knowledge where a large number of parameters need to be optimized. Moreover, the proposed method is superior to the fast kurtogram method for early fault detection of bearings.

China’s Regulatory Framework for Transnational Higher Education: Development, Impacts, and Rationales

Abstract: China’s regulatory framework for transnational higher education (TNHE) is important for foreign higher education institutions (HEIs) to access the Chinese education market and for TNHE to operate in China. First, this research synthesizes China’s regulatory framework for TNHE. Second, through documentary analysis, this research examines policy development and its impacts on TNHE. Third, through institutional logics analysis, this research analyzes the rationales for policy development. It finds that the development of TNHE is driven by China’s development demands, the forces of social demands, and the challenges of globalization. China is expanding its openness to education by allowing for-profit, foreign majority-owned, and wholly foreign-owned HEIs and granting them legal status and more autonomy. TNHE is transiting from quantity to quality, China has established a quality assurance system. In the meantime, the development of TNHE is restricted by China’s concerns on national educational sovereignty. China always emphasizes its educational sovereignty and social values. This suggests that China aims to utilize TNHE to serve its development while guaranteeing its educational sovereignty and social values.

Experimental and Numerical Investigations on Curing a Polyester-Based Powder Coating by Catalytic Infrared Radiation

Abstract: Catalytic combustion can effectively and cleanly convert the chemical energy of fossil fuels into infrared radiation energy. However, there is little research on the use of this technology to cure powder coatings. Therefore, catalytic infrared heating equipment based on a Pt/Al2O3 noble metal catalyst was designed, constructed, and tested in this study. The optimal curing parameters for the catalytic infrared curing process for powder coatings were determined via experiments at 220 °C for 3 min and 230 °C for 2 min. As the curing temperature increased and the curing time increased, the mechanical properties of the coating were found to improve. However, the gloss of the coating was reduced and the color darkened. A one-dimensional heat transfer model was developed to investigate the heat transfer process for powder coatings. This study introduced an internal heat source for the first time, and the heat transfer process for polyester-based powder coatings with different substrate thicknesses was numerically simulated. The numerical simulations demonstrated that the efficiency of the heat transfer between the catalytic infrared gas supply and the coating surface was 0.4. When the substrate thickness was 1 mm, the coating was most rapidly cured at 230 °C. When the substrate thickness was ≥2 mm, the most rapid curing occurred at 220 °C.

Dwelling: New Forms of Housing, New Forms of City

Abstract: The chapter initially investigates the emerging typology of the supertall residential skyscraper and then turns an eye to China’s real estate, highlighting the role of overseas firms and some local developers in establishing a new market for middle-class housing in light of the economic reforms. The chapter follows up by extensively mapping housing projects across emerging markets, where international architects have been busy designing signature housing for the better-offs, usually in the form of high-rises and compounds of villas, but also some innovative projects that, from China to Singapore, challenged traditional typologies. At the same time, an essential part of the chapter is spent presenting some significant projects able to materialise new and coherent pieces of cities with high-quality urban and architectural space and a variety of programmes. Finally, the chapter discusses some emblematic projects of new towns from China to Masdar city in the UAE, examining their urban and architectural proposal as well as other issues they address, starting from the projects that had the ambitions to become blueprints for sustainable urban development. Overall, the involvement of overseas firms in emerging markets shows that the interest in housing has undoubtedly not disappeared in the profession. Still, architects appeared in these regions busy on projects targeting the upper decile of local societies.

The Changes of Hailuogou Glacier in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau and the Impacts on Glacier Dynamics from the Mechanical Ablation

Abstract: Glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau are melting at an unprecedented rate in the context of global warming. Hailuogou (HLG) Glacier, a rapidly receding temperate land-terminating glacier in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, has been observed to lose mass partly through ice frontal mechanical ablation (i.e., ice collapse).In this study, we present analysis from Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAV) surveys conducted over nine field campaigns to the HLG Glacier, providing evidence of glacier change and frontal ice collapse between 2017 and 2021. Structure from Motion with Multi-View Stereo was applied to produce multi-temporal Digital Surface Models (DEMs) and orthophoto mosaics, from which geomorphological maps and DEMs of Difference were derived to quantify the changes of the glacier snout and the ice loss from frontal ice collapse. Based on that, a linear correlation of Area-Volume for frontal ice collapse was subsequently built. Planet images were used to identify additional ice collapse events (i.e., 2017 to 2021) and to extract time-sequenced glacier extents. ASTER-derived DEMs generated by NASA Ames Stereo Pipeline (ASP) were then differenced to calculate the ice volume changes in the period. Combined with frontal ice collapse events identified from Planet, the contribution of that to the glacier mass balance can be estimated from the established Area-Volume correlation.These analyses reveal that at the margins of the glacier terminus retreated 132.1 m over the period of analysis, and that in the area specifically affected by collapsing (i.e., the glacier collapsed terminus), it retreated 236.4 m. Overall the volume lost in the terminal area was of the order of 184.61 ± 10.32 x 104 m3, within which the volume change due to observed collapsing events comprises approximately 28%. We show that ice volume changes at the terminus due to a single ice collapse event may exceed the interannual level of volume change, and the daily volume of ice loss due to ice calving exceeds the seasonal and interannual level by a factor of ~ 2.5 and 4. The contribution to the mass balance change of the entire glacier that is attributed to frontal ice collapse is limited (i.e., ranges from 0.48% to 1.12% from 2017 to 2021). However, the mechanical ablation (e.g., frontal ice collapse and subglacial/englacial conduit’s roof collapse) has probably changed the way of losing ice mass to some extent.Our results suggest that the evolution of the HLG Glacier terminus is dominantly controlled by the frontal ice collapse. The projection of the recession rate of the HLG Glacier may well be underestimated if based on surface mass balance alone, as the frontal ice collapsing might be more frequent and larger under the context of warming. If the future evolution of glaciers such as HLG Glacier is to be robustly predicted, the contribution of mechanical ablation should be accounted for by numerical models.

Megaevents: Dubious Legacies and Empty Shells

Abstract: The geography of international megaevents has been rapidly changing in the last two decades, reflecting the rise of the BRICS on the world stage. New countries hosted for the first time such megaevents, whether China with the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Shanghai Expo 2010, South Africa with FIFA World Cup 2010, and Brazil with the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics. In the meantime, also Russia and Qatar hosted the FIFA tournament and Kazakhstan and the UAE an international Expo. This chapter investigates the architecture of these megaevents, whose master plans and main buildings were often designed by overseas architects. Despite a general lack of architectural significance for the buildings erected in their venues, megaevents represented important occasions for some megafirms able to capitalise on their previous experiences. In this context, architects once again came under the spotlight as their work occurred in countries with questionable human and labour rights records, but also because megaevents disproportionately affect more vulnerable communities and leave behind controversial urban legacies.

Highly efficient acetone oxidation over homogeneous Mn-Al oxides with enhanced OMS-2 active phase

Abstract: The homogeneous dispersed material with enhanced active species plays a dominant role in the catalytic activity. The Mn-Al oxides are facilely synthesized by the hydrolysis-driven redox-precipitation method. The OMS-2 active phase and surface properties can be effectively adjusted by Al/Mn molar ratio, which alters the acetone conversion and CO2 selectivity of prepared catalysts. Among them, MnAl0.15 exhibits the best catalytic performance (90% of acetone converted at 168 °C) with CO2 selectivity higher than 95%, mainly owing to its abundant Olatt and Mn3+with weaker Mn-O bond. Although the presence of H2O results in the slow consumption rate of acetic acid that leads to the slightly reduction of acetone conversion and CO2 yield, the MnAl0.15 still exhibits superior catalytic stability. The PTR-MS and in situ DRIFTS demonstrate that the acetone can firstly be oxidized to acetaldehyde and ethanol, and then further decomposed to acetic acid and formic acid before total mineralization.

Investigation of the grain deformation to orthogonal cutting process of the textured Alloy 718 fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Abstract: In the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), the grains grow in preferential directions depending on the scanning strategies, which results in layer-by-layer builds of particular crystallographic textures. The unique microstructure formed by LPBF results in anisotropic properties of the built structure at both macro and micro levels. To understand the grain deformation of the textured alloy fabricated by LPBF in the high-strain-rate shear process, Alloy 718 was used as an example in this work. Bulk samples with different metallurgical textures were deliberately fabricated by LPBF via three laser rotation angles, namely 0°, 67° and 90°, and then four thin slices obtained from bulks were subjected to “quasi-in-situ” grain deformation investigation through orthogonal cutting (a simple shear loading condition). The evolution of crystal orientations and morphologies, including size and shape, were traced before and after shear deformation. A full-field crystal plasticity simulation was used to quantify the stress status for grains obtained from EBSD data. This for the first time reveals the crystallographic level deformation history for hundreds of microns during a high strain rate shear removal deformation. Due to the carefully retained deformation history (i.e., typical bulges and slip bands) on the surface, a repeated deformation pattern was observed, attributing to the non-homogeneous deformation of typical build-directional blocks. The most active slip trace of deformed grain was calculated and verified based on the dominated slip bands within individual grains. The slip trace direction and intensity were quantified for different textured Alloy 718. Since the slipping-based deformation for an orientated grain is represented by its most active slip trace, a deformation tendency map is obtained by combining the shear direction, slip system and grain morphology. It reveals that grains in high texture intensity workpieces generally follow the macro shear-based deformation, while with the decrease in texture intensity, the plastic anisotropy is significant at the grain scale. Grains with similar orientations may also result in localised deformation anisotropy due to the different morphologies.

Measuring evapotranspiration fluxes using a tunable diode laser-based open-path water vapor analyzer

Abstract: Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the essential components of the hydrological cycle of terrestrial ecosystems. Among various techniques for measuring ET, the eddy covariance (EC) is the most direct one for measuring ET fluxes at field to ecosystem scales. It has been used worldwide to monitor the biosphere-atmosphere exchanges of energy, water, and carbon, particularly in some global and regional networks (e.g., FLUXNET) for ecosystem studies.In recent years, laser-based gas spectrometers have shown good reliability and effectiveness in the high-frequency and high-sensitivity measurement of various atmospheric trace gases. We have earlier presented a cost-effective, open-path water vapor analyzer (Model: HT1800, HealthyPhoton Co., Ltd.) suitable for EC measurement of ET based on the tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) technology. The analyzer utilizes a low-power vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and a near-infrared Indium Galinide Arsenide (InGaAs) photodetector in an open-path design, which avoids delay or high-frequency damping due to surface adsorption. The analyzer has a precision (1σ noise level) of 10 μmol mol−1 (ppmv) at a sampling frequency of 10 Hz. The analyzer head has a weight of ~2.8 kg and dimensions of 46 cm (length) and 9.5 cm (diameter). It can be powered by solar cells, with a total power consumption of as low as 10 W under normal operations.Recent studies have emphasized the importance of spectroscopic effect correction for EC measurement using a laser-based open-path gas analyzer. This additional correction arises from the absorption line broadening due to atmospheric water vapor, temperature, and pressure fluctuations. In this study, we prepared two HT1800 water vapor analyzers. One is equipped with an infrared laser operating near 1392 nm and the other near 1877 nm. The water vapor line near 1392 nm is one of the most used for detecting water vapor because laser and photodetector operating near this wavelength are readily available and relatively inexpensive. However, its broadening effect, mainly caused by temperature variation, is expected to be stronger than the 1877 nm line, according to theoretical analysis using the HITRAN database.Using the two HT1800 analyzers, we conducted two EC measurement campaigns at an agricultural site in 2022. Two commercial gas analyzers, EC150 (Campbell Scientific Inc., Logan, UT, USA) and LI-7500RS (LI-COR Biosciences, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA), were also running during the campaigns to compare with HT1800. The first purpose of this study is to test the performance of HT1800 under field conditions and evaluate its applicability for ET flux measurements. The second purpose is to quantify and compare the spectroscopic effect on the ET fluxes using the 1392 nm and 1877 nm water vapor analyzers. Meanwhile, we proposed a hypothesis that the 1392 nm analyzer can provide comparable ET fluxes with LI-7500RS and EC150 after accounting for the spectroscopic effect. If it is the case, this cost-efficient water vapor analyzer will become an effective tool for water and ecological studies in the future.

A Semi-supervised Learning Application for Hand Posture Classification

Abstract: The rapid growth of HCI applications results in increased data size and complexity. For this, advanced machine learning techniques and data analysis solutions are used to prepare and process data patterns. However, the cost of data pre-processing, labelling, and classification can be significantly increased if the dataset is huge, complex, and unlabelled. This paper aims to propose a data pre-processing approach and semi-supervised learning technique to prepare and classify a big Motion Capture Hand Postures dataset. It builds the solutions via Tri-training and Co-forest techniques and compares them to figure out the best-fitted approach for hand posture classification. According to the results, Co-forest outperforms Tri-training in terms of Accuracy, Precision, recall, and F1-score.

Making Sense of Brainstorming in Transnational Education

Abstract: The chapter investigates the role of brainstorming as an educational tool on the basis of the author's experience in transnational education, and a review of the literature. Brainstorming is an ideation technique invented by Alex Osborn in the 40s. Still popular today, it has found numerous applications in education. Despite its diffusion, a large body of literature dismisses brainstorming as less effective in comparison to individuals working alone or other techniques in terms of quantity and quality of idea produced. Advocates of brainstorming claim that when done properly it can be very powerful in generating breakthrough ideas, and studies show that factors such as the presence of a facilitator, training, and the right time and type of problem assigned can greatly change the outcome of a session. After reviewing this contrasting literature, the author concludes that these studies ignore the cultural origin of brainstorming and attention should be paid to the cultural implications of the technique in transnational contexts outside the US.

Introduction

Abstract: This chapter introduces the reader to the two parts of the book and presents some general conclusions on the value that the architecture of globalisation built in the emerging markets had in advancing the discipline and fostering new and old debates, including on themes such as sustainability and the ethics of the profession. Furthermore, it anticipates some key data and problems, from how quantitatively today’s architectural globalisation is different from the past to the question of the dis-connectedness that comes together with an increasingly interconnected world, highlighting the concentration of overseas architectural works in specific regions and locations, and the marginality of others. Ultimately, it stresses the importance of looking at globalisation from a critical but multi-dimensional perspective.

A portable, high-precision optical analyzer based on hybrid laser absorption cell for simultaneous measurements of N2O, CH4, and CO2 fluxes from soils

Abstract: Laser spectrometers have shown good capability in measuring mixing ratios for atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs). Given the fact that spectral bands of CO2, CH4, and N2O covering from near to mid-infrared (NIR to MIR) wavelengths, and the limitations in the wavelength coverage of the laser and photodetector, it is very challenging to analyze CO2, CH4, and N2O simultaneously for most cavity-enhanced analyzers using NIR lasers. Alternative solutions, such as combining multiple quantum cascade laser (QCL) beams and analyzing all GHGs in the MIR wavelengths, would significantly increase the instrumental cost.Here, we present a recently developed analyzer utilizing the advantages of detecting CO2/H2O in the NIR spectral region and N2O/CH4 in the MIR region, respectively. Through a unique optical design, two independent optical paths are formed in a single Herriott gas cell so that low temperature-related drift and mechanical robustness are achieved. The mixing ratios of CO2 and H2O are analyzed by a NIR laser and a photodetector at ~4995cm-1, while CH4 and N2O are analyzed by a QCL and an MCT photodetector at ~1275cm-1. The analyzer facilitates high-sensitivity, field-deployable measurements of CO2, CH4, N2O and H2O altogether in a compact, portable instrumental design. In addition, this analyzer can be completely powered by rechargeable battery, facilitating all-day in situ measurements without grid power supply.In the laboratory, side-to-side comparisons were performed between our newly developed analyzer and another commercial gas analyzer based on cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS). The results showed high consistency in GHG mixing-ratio measurements with the two spectrometers. Attached to soil chambers, we also found comparable performance of two analyzers in determining GHG fluxes. In particular, we found that the presented analyzer could precisely capture transient changes in gas mixing ratios from the soil chamber. Recently, field deployment in different soil conditions, including upland forest soils and riparian soils, was carried out for simultaneous N2O, CH4, CO2 soil flux measurements. The overall results suggest that our analyzer is suitable for continuous GHG flux monitoring under variable field conditions, and shows potentials in simultaneous measurements of multiple GHG fluxes from natural ecosystems.

Art and Culture: Global Icons for the Starchitects

Abstract: With cities competing at the local and global levels to attract tourists and diversify their economies, glossy buildings for art and culture have emerged as the drivers for development or regeneration in the continuous attempt to replicate the so-called “Bilbao effect.” In this light, the present chapter investigates the “museum boom” of China, highlighting how several new museums were built in the country to expand the cultural offer of cities and by real estate developers to increase the value of their products. The chapter follows with a focus on the Middle East, especially on some remarkable works in Abu Dhabi and Doha, to then examine other typologies of cultural buildings like public libraries and opera theatres. By doing so, it stresses the role that renowned architects, in particular Pritzker Prize winners, had in renewing or developing the cultural infrastructure of China and the Persian Gulf countries. In contrast, in other emerging markets, the export of design services for cultural buildings remained more limited. In the end, some of these buildings present significant formal qualities and innovative characters, but with glory came scrutiny and criticism for starchitects due to their agency in countries with poor human and labour rights records.

A Curious Case of Formative Assessment

Abstract: The educational value of formative assessment (FA) has been widely acknowledged within higher education. At the same time, there is little consensus on what FA entails, or how it should be defined and understood when looking at the Western education system; this is even more problematic when adapted by TNE institutions. This chapter looks at the definition issues together with key characteristics of quality formative feedback, including the role of the student in co-creating feedback, something that is particularly challenging within the context of this chapter, TNE in China. It looks at the most apparent challenges that are associated with FA implementation within a Chinese higher education context, such as educational heritage and a deep-rooted collectivist approach to learning. It also ventures to propose an alternative conception, formative routines framework FRF), to emphasise the importance of student and teacher training when engaging in formative tasks and using these to support the ongoing development of curricula.

Bridging Mathematics and Computer Science Through Threshold Concepts

Abstract: Contribution: Using threshold concepts as the framework for curriculum design, a project on neural network methods for solving differential equations is presented, with a rich set of transformative concepts from mathematics and computer science. Projects of this kind complement a typical curriculum with expertise that is crucial for critique and fundamental development of modern machine learning. Background: The curricula of many schools of mathematics and computer science present a relatively shallow introduction to the other subject. Student projects, on the other hand, provide an effective environment for interdisciplinary research between the two disciplines. Intended Outcomes: Providing students from computer science and mathematics the opportunity to obtain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the other subject, beyond the confines of the school curriculum. Application Design: The project contains tasks that require acquisition, not just of knowledge, but also of effective strategies and mental models, relevant to a set of transformative concepts from both disciplines. The tasks require a spectrum of activities, ranging from rigorous theoretical work to coding. Findings: Although the theory of threshold concepts needs further development, the existing paradigms provide a helpful framework for curriculum design. The continuous formative assessment proved effective in monitoring the participants’ journeys through the liminal state.