Wearable device based human activity recognition, as an important field of ubiquitous and mobile computing, is drawing more and more attention. Compared with simple human activity (SHA) recognition, ...complex human activity (CHA) recognition faces more challenges, e.g., various modalities of input and long sequential information. In this paper, we propose a deep learning model named DEBONAIR (Deep lEarning Based multimodal cOmplex humaN Activity Recognition) to address these problems, which is an end-to-end model extracting features systematically. We design specific sub-network architectures for different sensor data and merge the outputs of all sub-networks to extract fusion features. Then, a LSTM network is utilized to learn the sequential information of CHAs. We evaluate the model on two multimodal CHA datasets. The experiment results show that DEBONAIR is significantly better than the state-of-the-art CHA recognition models.
Heavy metals are non-biodegradable and carcinogenic pollutants with great bio-accumulation potential. Their ubiquitous occurrence in water and soils has caused serious environmental concerns. ...Effective strategies that can eliminate the heavy metal pollution are urgently needed. Here the adsorption potential of seven heavy metal cations (Cd2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, Mn2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+) with 20 amino acids was systematically investigated with Density Functional Theory method. The binding energies calculated at B3LYP-D3/def2TZVP level showed that the contribution order of amino acid side chains to the binding affinity was carboxyl > benzene ring > hydroxyl > sulfhydryl > amino group. The affinity order was inversely proportional to the radius and charge transfer of heavy metal cations, approximately following the order of: Ni2+ > Fe3+ > Cu2+ > Hg2+ > Zn2+ > Cd2+ > Mn2+. Compared to the gas-phase in other researches, the water environment has a significant influence on structures and binding energies of the heavy metal and amino acid binary complexes. Collectively, the present results will provide a basis for the design of a chelating agent (e.g., adding carboxyl or a benzene ring) to effectively remove heavy metals from the environment.
To compare dry-eye signs and symptoms after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery and conventional phacoemulsification.
Eye Center of the 2nd Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang ...University, Hangzhou, China.
Prospective consecutive nonrandomized comparative cohort study.
Consecutive patients who had femtosecond laser-assisted or phacoemulsification cataract surgery were assessed. Dry-eye markers including the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) and subjective symptom questionnaire, tear-film assessment using Keratograph 4 corneal topography, Schirmer testing I, and fluorescein staining were sequentially evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month.
The study recruited 137 eyes (137 patients) with similar baseline characteristics. Most patients developed dry eye postoperatively. Subjective symptoms and fluorescein staining scores elevated from baseline, tear breakup time and Schirmer testing I values decreased postoperatively, which peaked at 1 week and did not return to baseline within 1 month. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups (all P > .05) except for a higher fluorescein staining score in the femtosecond group at 1 day (P = .001), 1 week (P = .047), and 1 month (P = .025). OSDI score and subjective symptoms were greater in the laser group at 1 week (P = .014 and P = .016, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed obvious worsening by fluorescein staining at 1 day (P = .016) and 1 month (P = .009) in preoperative dry-eye patients.
Both methods worsened dry eye postoperatively. Femtosecond-assisted surgery had a higher risk for staining and dry-eye symptoms. Patients with preexisting dry eye who had femtosecond-assisted surgery had more severe ocular surface staining than those having conventional surgery.
No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
In this paper, we propose a high-altitude platform (HAP) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) collaboration framework in non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) networks ...with the presence of an eavesdropping UAV. For the considered framework, we investigate the uplink secure transmission by optimizing channel allocation from UAVs to HAP, users’ power, and UAVs’ three-dimensional (3D) position. To solve this non-convex problem, we adopt the K-means cluster pair algorithm to divide paired users into different groups and each cluster can be served by a corresponding UAV. Then, the formulated optimization problem is decoupled into three subproblems and tackled iteratively based on the block coordinate descent (BCD) algorithm. Finally, simulation results verify that the proposed network architecture can achieve a higher secure rate, faster convergence evolution, and lower complexity in comparison with the current works.
Composite ceramics of metal oxides and noble metals have received much attention for sensing reducing gases at room temperature. Presently, composite ceramics of SnO2 and noble metals have been ...prepared and investigated for sensing oxidizing NO2 at room temperature. While dramatic increases in resistance were observed for both 1 wt% Pt–SnO2 and 5 wt% Au–SnO2 composite nanoceramics after being exposed to NO2 at room temperature, the largest increase in resistance was observed for 1 wt% Pt–5 wt% –Au–SnO2 composite nanoceramics among the three composites. The response to 0.5 ppm NO2-–20% O2–N2 was as high as 875 at room temperature, with a response time of 2566 s and a recovery time of 450 s in the air of 50% relative humidity (RH). Further investigation revealed that water molecules in the air are essential for recovering the resistance of Pt–Au–SnO2 composite nanoceramics. A room temperature NO2-sensing mechanism has been established, in which NO2 molecules are catalyzed by Pt–Au to be chemisorbed on SnO2 at room temperature, and desorbed from SnO2 by the attraction of water molecules in the air. These results suggest that composite ceramics of metal oxides and noble metals should be promising for room temperature sensing, not only reducing gases, but also oxidizing gases.
To assess the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in gynaecological tumors, with a focus on understanding the potential for enhanced combination ...therapies.
We systematically queried the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases, encompassing reviews, clinical trials, and case studies, to undertake a thorough analysis of the impact of NACT on the TIME of gynaecological tumors.
NACT induces diverse immune microenvironment changes in gynaecological tumors. In cervical cancer, NACT boosts immune-promoting cells, enhancing tumor clearance. Ovarian cancer studies yield variable outcomes, influenced by patient-specific factors and treatment regimens. Limited research exists on NACT's impact on endometrial cancer's immune microenvironment, warranting further exploration. In summary, NACT-induced immune microenvironment changes display variability. Clinical trials highlight personalized immunotherapy's positive impact on gynaecological tumor prognosis, suggesting potential avenues for future cancer treatments. However, rigorous investigation is needed to determine the exact efficacy and safety of combining NACT with immunotherapy.
This review provides a solid foundation for the development of late-stage immunotherapy and highlights the importance of therapeutic strategies targeting immune cells in TIME in anti-tumor therapy.
Generally, the high levels of biodiversity found in natural ecosystems have positive effects on ecosystem functions (EFs), though the intensity and direction of such effects can vary. This is ...associated with the impacts of other EF-driving factors. In this study, the factors that affect biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) are reviewed and summarized, and current gaps in the research on the effects of these factors on BEF are discussed. Moreover, a new conceptual model, the generating-presentation model, accounting for links between effect factors and EFs, is built to provide a systematic means of understanding how different factors affect BEF. The model shows that the correlation between biodiversity and EFs can be described as involving a cascade process, while the separation of biodiversity and EFs from ecosystems without considering integrated features is not appropriate for BEF-related research. The generating-presentation model can comprehensively reflect the effects of different factors on EFs and thus has major theoretical and applied implications.
Quantifying erosion rates over various temporal and spatial scales is the key to understanding the respective roles of tectonic and climatic factors in driving the topographic evolution of an active ...orogenic belt. This work focuses on the spatiotemporal patterns of denudation rate in the Tian Shan and its implication for topographic evolution by utilizing low-temperature thermochronological analyses. Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronological analyses and thermal history modelling were conducted on eight samples taken from a ∼ 0.7-km elevation transect at the glaciated headwaters of the Urumqi River in the northern Chinese Tian Shan. The results reveal dominant Mesozoic thermochronological ages and limited Cenozoic exhumation, although the sampled area was subjected to intensive glaciation at least during the late Quaternary. The restrained late Cenozoic exhumation at the glaciated Urumqi catchment is also revealed in the other parts of Tian Shan. The inversion of ∼1780 published thermochronological ages shows that, although the exhumation in the Tian Shan has been enhanced since the late Oligocene due to tectonic rejuvenation and pulsed uplift of the range, the long-term exhumation rates in most of the Tian Shan are generally < 0.2 km/Myr, obviously lower than that in some other active orogenic belts characterized by a more humid climate. Given the fact that the late Cenozoic climate in the Tian Shan was characterized by stepwise aridification due to uplifting topographic barrier of the range for the Westerlies, we propose that climate aridification beginning since the late Oligocene could have acted as the equalizer of range-scale denudation, thus restraining the late Cenozoic denudation of the Tian Shan, a typical reactivated orogen belt in the arid inland of Asia.
•The Cenozoic exhumation history at the glaciated Urumqi River was reconstructed.•Limited Cenozoic exhumation across the entire Tian Shan was revealed.•Climate aridification restrained the late Cenozoic denudation of the Tian Shan.
Congenital cataract is the most frequent inherited ocular disorder and the most leading cause of lifelong visual loss. The screening of pathogenic mutations can be very challenging in some cases, for ...congenital cataracts are clinically and genetically heterogeneous diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the mutation spectrum and frequency of 54 cartaract-associated genes in 27 Chinese families with congenital cataracts. Variants in 54 cataract-associated genes were screened by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) and then validated by Sanger sequencing. We identified pathogenic variants in 62.96% (17/27) of families, and over 52.94% (9/17) of these variants were novel. Among them, three are splicing site mutations, four are nonsense mutations, seven are missense mutations, two are frame shift mutations and one is intronic mutation. This included identification of: complex ocular phenotypes due to two novel PAX6 mutations; progressive cortical cataract and lamellar cataract with lens subluxation due to two novel CRYGS mutations. Mutations were also found in rarely reported genes including CRYBA4, CRYBA2, BFSP1, VIM, HSF4, and EZR. Our study expands the mutation spectrum and frequency of genes responsible for congenital cataracts. Targeted next-generation sequencing in inherited congenital cataract patients provided significant diagnostic information.
A high long-term stability is crucial for room-temperature gas-sensitive metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) to find practical applications. A series of Pd-SnO2 mixtures with 2, 5, and 10 wt% Pd ...separately were prepared from SnO2 and Pd powders. Through pressing and sintering, Pd-SnO2 composite nanoceramics have been successfully prepared from the mixtures, which show responses of 50, 100, and 60 to 0.04% CO-20% O2-N2 at room temperature for samples of 2, 5, and 10 wt% Pd, respectively. The room-temperature CO-sensing characteristics were degraded obviously after dozens of days’ aging for all samples. For samples of 5 wt% Pd, the response to CO was decreased by a factor of 4 after 20 days of aging. Fortunately, some rather mild heat treatments will quite effectively reactivate those aged samples. Heat treatment at 150 °C for 15 min in air tripled the response to CO for a 20 days-aged sample of 5 wt% Pd. It is proposed that the deposition of impurity gases in air on Pd in Pd-SnO2 composite nanoceramics has resulted in the observed aging, while their desorption from Pd through mild heat treatments leads to the reactivation. More studies on aging and reactivation of room-temperature gas sensitive MOSs should be conducted to achieve high long-term stability for room-temperature MOS gas sensors.
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