Railway scene understanding is key to autonomous train operation and important in active train perception. However, most railway scene understanding methods focus on track extraction and ignore other ...components of railway scenes. Although several semantic segmentation algorithms are used to identify railway scenes, they are computationally expensive and slow with limits applications in railways. To solve these problems, we propose efficient dual-stream fusion network (EDFNet), a lightweight semantic segmentation algorithm, for understanding railway scenes. First, a dual-stream backbone network based on mobile inverted residual blocks is proposed to extract and fuse detailed features and semantic features. Next, a bi-directional feature pyramid pooling module is proposed to obtain multi-scale features and deep semantic features. Finally, a multi-task aggregate loss is designed to learn semantic and boundary information, thus improving the accuracy without increasing the computational complexity. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that EDFNet outperforms the lightweight state-of-the-art algorithms with high accuracy and fast speed on two railway datasets.
Hypothyroidism is often associated with cognitive and emotional dysregulation; however, the underlying neuropathological mechanisms remain elusive.
The study aimed to characterize abnormal ...alterations in hippocampal subfield volumes and functional connectivity (FC) in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and overt hypothyroidism (OH).
This cross-sectional observational study comprised 47 and 40 patients with newly diagnosed adult-onset primary SCH and OH, respectively, and 53 well-matched healthy controls (HCs). The demographics, clinical variables, and neuropsychological scale scores were collected. Next, the hippocampal subfield volumes and seed-based FC were compared between the groups. Finally, correlation analyses were performed.
SCH and OH exhibited significant alterations in cognitive and emotional scale scores. Specifically, the volumes of the right granule cell molecular layer of dentate gyrus (GC-ML-DG) head, CA4 and CA3 head were reduced in SCH and OH groups. Moreover, the volumes of the right molecular layer (ML) head, CA1 body, left GC-ML-DG head, and CA4 head were lower in SCH. In addition, the hippocampal subfield volumes decreased more significantly in SCH than OH. The seed-based FC decreased in SCH but increased in OH compared with HCs. Correlation analyses revealed thyroid hormone (TH) was negatively correlated with FC values in hypothyroidism.
Patients with SCH and OH might be at risk of cognitive decline, anxiety, or depression, and exhibited alterations in the volume and FC in specific hippocampal subfields. Furthermore, the reduction in volume was more pronounced in SCH. This study provides novel insights into the neuropathological mechanisms of brain impairment in hypothyroidism.
With the escalating prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, the substantial socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems is intensifying. Accumulating empirical evidence underscores the pivotal role of ...the proteostasis network in regulating cardiac homeostasis and function. Disruptions in proteostasis may contribute to the loss of protein function or the acquisition of toxic functions, which are intricately linked to the development of cardiovascular ailments such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, atherosclerosis, and cardiac aging. It is widely acknowledged that the proteostasis network encompasses molecular chaperones, autophagy, and the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). Consequently, the proteostasis network emerges as an appealing target for therapeutic interventions in cardiovascular diseases. Numerous small molecules, acting as modulators of the proteostasis machinery, have exhibited therapeutic efficacy in managing cardiovascular diseases. This review centers on elucidating the role of the proteostasis network in various cardiovascular diseases and explores the potential of small molecules as therapeutic agents.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The broad-spectrum and durable resistance gene
against
pv.
(
) has been widely exploited in rice production in China. But the cytological features of the
mediated resistance reaction have been rarely ...reported. This study reveals the cytological characteristics of the
-mediated resistance reaction against
to uncover the functions of hypersensitive response programmed cell death (HR-PCD) in rice. Autophagy-like cell death, which was characterized by double-membrane bodies appearance in xylem parenchyma cell and mesophyll cell, was inhibited by autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenin (3-MA). The autophagy-related genes were induced to reach a high level in resistance reaction. The hydrogen peroxide (H
O
) maintained a low concentration on the plasma membrane. The calcium ions localized on the apoplast were transferred into the vacuole. The autophagy inhibitor (3-MA) impaired
mediated resistance by promoting the accumulation of H
O
, and inhibited the transfer of extracellular calcium ions into the vacuole in the xylem parenchyma cells and mesophyll cells. Therefore, the HR-PCD belongs to autophagy-like cell death in the
mediated resistance reaction. These results suggest that the autophagy-like cell death participates in the
-mediated resistance by negatively regulating H
O
accumulation, in order to abolish oxidative stress and possibly activate calcium ion signals in xylem parenchyma cells of the rice leaf.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Railway intrusion seriously threatens railway safety and can cause enormous loss of life and property. Therefore, railway intrusion detection is crucial for the safety of railway operation. Among the ...current methods of intrusion detection, machine vision-based methods have been widely used in railways, and have attracted close attention because of their great benefits. This paper proposes a comprehensive review of railway intrusion detection based on machine vision, covering ground monitoring, on-board inspection, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection. First, this paper systematically reviews most of the studies over the past two decades and presents the survey in three parts. Second, by analyzing these studies and the requirements for railway monitoring, we summarize the major challenges that hinder railway intrusion detection based on machine vision. Finally, we propose several promising perspectives for railway intrusion detection based on machine vision by comprehensively considering the development of machine vision, sensors, and pattern recognition together with the needs of railway scenes.
Benefiting from the developments in micromachining technologies, Joule–Thomson (JT) cryogenic coolers have been miniaturized for cooling cold electronics based either on semiconductor, ...superconductor, or a combination of the two. The performance of these electronics is affected not only by temperature but also by temperature stability; however, many problems related to the temperature stability of JT microcoolers have not been solved. In this study, we investigate experimentally the performance of a JT microcooler operating with pure nitrogen gas, nitrogen/methane mixture, and nitrogen/ethylene mixture. The cool-down curves and the cooling powers of the microcooler operating with the three types of working fluids between 0.1 MPa and 6.0 MPa are presented. Based on the cooling power measurements, the effect of heat load on the temperature stability of the microcooler is discussed. The microcooler operating with nitrogen/ethylene mixture demonstrates the best temperature stability due to its characteristics of vapor–liquid–liquid equilibrium. Besides the properties of the working fluids, the degree of change in mass-flow rate of the microcooler also affects the temperature stability. This study is conducted to promote the widespread use of cryogenic electronics that are sensitive to the temperature fluctuation.
•Temperature stability of a JT cooler supplied with pure and mixed gases was studied.•Flow fluctuation affects the evaporation pressure and thus the temperature stability.•Working fluids’ phase equilibrium characteristics also affect temperature stability.•JT cooler operating with N2/C2H4 mixture demonstrates the best temperature stability.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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Flexible supercapacitor plays a progressively more important part in power source for smart electronic devices and how to enhance its energy density is the urgent issue to be ...addressed. Hence, a hybrid electrode of Polypyrrole@reduced graphene oxide hydrogel (PPy@rGOH) is synthesized via a combine hydrothermal treatment of GO solution to assemble hydrogel and subsequently in-situ electropolymerization preparation of PPy on the surface of graphene. Through controlling the time of electropolymerization, the resultant PPy@rGOH-20 s with high specific surface area exhibits an excellent specific capacitance of 340 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 and superior cycling stability of 87.4% capacitance retention after 10,000 charging/discharging cycles at 3 A g−1 in 1 M KNO3. The assembled flexible asymmetric supercapacitor (FASC) by employing the PPy@rGOH-20s as positive electrode and pure rGOH as negative electrode presents a maximum operational voltage window of 1.6 V and high energy density of 46.9 W h kg−1, which is higher than polymer/carbon-based supercapacitors previously reported.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
PurposeThe optimal payment in the whole operation and maintenance period of water environment treatment PPP projects has become the main approach to realize sustainable development of projects. This ...study is aimed at constructing an effective payment model for the whole life period of projects to achieve win-win among all stakeholders, so as to provide a theoretical reference and managerial implications for the public sector in the whole operation and maintenance period.Design/methodology/approachIn the whole operation and maintenance period of water environment treatment PPP projects, this article investigates how the public sector optimizes the payment in the whole operation and maintenance period of projects. Firstly, the projects' whole operation and maintenance period is divided into several stages according to the performance appraisal period. And then, the multi-stage dynamic programming model is constructed to design the payment construct model for the public sector in each performance appraisal stage. The payment from the public sector is the decision variable, and the deduction from the private sector is a random variable.FindingsThe optimal payment model showed that the relatively less objective weight of public sector leaded to its relatively more total payment and vice versa. Therefore, the sustainable development of the projects can only be ensured when the objective weights both of them should be balanced. Additionally, the deduction from the performance appraisal of private sector plays an important role in the model construction. The larger deduction the private sector undertakes, the smaller profits private sector has. Since the deduction at each stage is a random variable, the deduction varies with the different probability distributions obeyed by the practical deduction in each stage.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings from this study have provided theoretical and application references, and some managerial implications are also given. First, the improvement of the pricing system of public sector should be accelerated. Second, the reasonable profit of the private sector must be guaranteed. While pursuing the maximization of social benefits, the public sector should make full use of the price sharing mechanism in the market and supervise the real income situation of the private sector. Third is increasing the public to participate in pricing. Additionally, it is a limitation that the deduction is assumed to conform to a uniform distribution in this study. Other probability distributions on deduction can be essentially further sought, so as to be more line with the actual situation of the projects.Originality/valueThe optimal payment in whole operation and maintenance period of the projects has become an important issue, which is a key to project success. This study constructs a multi-stage dynamic programming model to optimize payment in the whole period of projects. Additionally, this study adds its value through deeply developing the new theories of optimal payment to more suitable for the practical problems, so that to optimize the design of payment mechanism. Meanwhile, a valuable reference for public and private sectors is provided to ensure the sustainable development of the projects.
To examine the relationship between NICU stress exposure and the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants.
A multicenter, prospective cohort study was conducted between May 2021 and June 2022. ...Preterm infant participants (28–34 weeks gestational age) were recruited at birth from three NICUs of three tertiary hospitals by convenience sampling. The NICU stress includes acute NICU stress and chronic NICU stress which were measured over the total NICU hospitalization for each infant using the Neonatal Infant Stressor Scale (NISS). Neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants were assessed at 3 months corrected age (CA) using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3).
Of one hundred and thirty preterm infant participants, 108 preterm infants were included into analysis. Results showed that acute NICU stress exposure significantly predicted the neurodevelopmental abnormalities in communication function (RR: 1.001, 95%CI: 1.000–1.001, p = .011), while chronic NICU stress exposure was significantly associated with the problem-solving function (RR: 1.003, 95%CI: 1.001–1.005, p = .002) at 3 months CA. No significant associations were found between NICU stress exposure and other dimensions of neurodevelopmental outcomes, including gross motor, fine motor, and personal-social functions.
NICU stress exposure demonstrated a significant predicting relationship with abnormalities in communication and problem-solving functions of preterm infants at 3 months CA.
During the NICU hospitalization, neonatal health caregivers should systematically monitor the NICU stress exposure to prevent neurodevelopmental problems in preterm infants.
•The incidence of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in preterm infants remains high.•NICU stress exposure was associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities in communication and problem-solving functions.•Systematic monitoring of NICU stress exposure is needed for preterm infants to prevent neurodevelopmental problems.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Sevoflurane (SEVO) is a highly fluorinated methyl isopropyl ether used as an inhalational anesthetic for general anesthesia. Previous studies have shown that SEVO may induce impaired memory and ...recognition ability and may be associated with neurodegenerative disease, e.g., Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we used a mouse AD model, APP/PS1, to study the effects of SEVO on neurodegeneration occurring in AD. We found that SEVO exposure significantly impaired the spatial reference memory, sensorimotor, and cognitive function of the mice. Mechanistically, we found that SEVO induced formation of NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and its downstream caspase 1-mediated production of IL-1β and IL-18, which subsequently deactivated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to promote neurodegeneration. Together, these data suggest that NLRP3 inflammasome is essential for SEVO-induced AD.
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