Image feature detection serves as the cornerstone for numerous vision applications, and it has found extensive use in agricultural harvesting. Nevertheless, determining the optimal feature extraction ...technique for a specific situation proves challenging, as the Ground Truth correlation between images is exceedingly elusive in harsh agricultural harvesting environments. In this study, we assemble and make publicly available the inaugural agricultural harvesting dataset, encompassing four crops: rice, corn and soybean, wheat, and rape. We develop an innovative Ground Truth-independent feature detector assessment approach that amalgamates efficiency, repeatability, and feature distribution. We examine eight distinct feature detectors and conduct a thorough evaluation using the amassed dataset. The empirical findings indicate that the FAST detector and ASLFeat yield the most exceptional performance in agricultural harvesting contexts. This evaluation establishes a trustworthy bedrock for the astute identification and application of feature extraction techniques in diverse crop reaping situations.
The processes and mechanisms of fluvial landform evolution, especially in the transitional zones between mountains and plains, are of great significance for predicting future regional sustainability ...and ecosystem stability in the basin. As a region of significant cultural and ecological importance, the transitional area between Taihang Mountain and North China Plain still has a limited understanding of the fluvial landform evolution. With detailed field surveys and 39 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of 14 sections, we reconstruct fluvial landform evolution in the southern piedmont of the Taihang Mountain since the late Pleistocene. The results show that two major fluvial processes occurred during 18–10 ka BP and 9–3 ka BP. Meanwhile, the late Pleistocene-Holocene can be divided into 5 intervals in the alluvial fan and floodplain areas, with corresponding ages of 3 ka BP, 9–3 ka BP, 10–9 ka BP, 18–10 ka BP, and before 20 ka BP, respectively. The results also indicate that the regional fluvial processes primarily result from climate change and tectonic activities, and secondarily result from sea level fluctuation. Additionally, the prehistoric settlement pattern was also shaped by the evolution of regional rivers. Our research is significant for understanding the evolution and mechanisms of fluvial landforms in transitional zones.
•Holocene fluvial landscape evolution were reconstructed in southern Taihang.•Mechanism of fluvial landscape evolution in transitional area was revealed firstly.•Fluvial evolution was response to climate and structure activity, less associated with sea level.
The combination of cisplatin and radiotherapy is a standard treatment for patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Cetuximab-radiotherapy is superior to ...radiotherapy alone in this population, validating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as a target. Erlotinib is a small-molecule inhibitor of EGFR. Adding EGFR inhibition to standard cisplatin-radiotherapy may improve efficacy.
Patients with locally advanced SCCHN were randomly assigned to receive cisplatin 100 mg/m(2) on days 1, 22, and 43 combined with 70 Gy of radiotherapy (arm A) or the same chemoradiotherapy with erlotinib 150 mg per day, starting 1 week before radiotherapy and continued to its completion (arm B). The primary end point was complete response rate (CRR), evaluated by central review. The secondary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Available tumors were tested for p16 and EGFR by fluorescent in situ hybridization.
Between December 2006 and October 2011, 204 patients were randomly assigned. Arms were well balanced for all patient characteristics including p16, with the exception of more women on arm A. Patients on arm B had more rash, but treatment arms did not differ regarding rates of other grade 3 or 4 toxicities. Arm A had a CRR of 40% and arm B had a CRR of 52% (P = .08) when evaluated by central review. With a median follow-up time of 26 months and 54 progression events, there was no difference in PFS (hazard ratio, 0.9; P = .71).
Erlotinib did not increase the toxicity of cisplatin and radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced HNSCC but failed to significantly increase CRR or PFS.
In 2005, the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic GVHD proposed a new scoring system for individual organs and an algorithm for ...calculating global severity (mild, moderate, severe). The Chronic GVHD Consortium was established to test these new criteria. This report includes the first 298 adult patients enrolled at 5 centers of the Consortium. Patients were assessed every 3-6 months using standardized forms recommended by the Consensus Conference. At the time of study enrollment, global chronic GVHD severity was mild in 10% (n = 32), moderate in 59% (n = 175), and severe in 31% (n = 91). Skin, lung, or eye scores determined the global severity score in the majority of cases, with the other 5 organs determining 16% of the global severity scores. Conventional risk factors predictive for onset of chronic GVHD and nonrelapse mortality in people with chronic GVHD were not associated with NIH global severity scores. Global severity scores at enrollment were associated with nonrelapse mortality (P < .0001) and survival (P < .0001); 2-year overall survival was 62% (severe), 86% (moderate), and 97% (mild). Patients with mild chronic GVHD have a good prognosis, while patients with severe chronic GVHD have a poor prognosis. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as no. NCT00637689.
During the operation of the longitudinal axis flow threshing device of a combine harvester, the threshed materials form accumulations and blockages on both sides of the screen surface, severely ...affecting the harvesting process. To evenly distribute the materials on the screen and solve the blockage issue, a multi-wing curved combination centrifugal fan is designed to match the mass distribution of the threshed materials. The movement mechanism of rice threshed materials in the cleaning shoe of a longitudinal axis flow combine harvester is investigated using the coupled CFD-DEM simulation method. The cleaning efficiency and performance of the traditional straight-blade fan screen device and the newly designed cleaning device are compared and analyzed, and field tests are conducted. The results show that the trajectory of the threshed materials cleaned by the device equipped with the multi-wing curved combination centrifugal fan is consistent with the mass distribution of the materials separated by the longitudinal axis flow threshing device. The absolute value of the centroid velocity of the material group in the X/Y direction is greater than that of the traditional fan, indicating that the movement speed of the particle group in the optimized fan is greater than that of the traditional fan. Therefore, in the actual cleaning process, the optimized fan’s air flow distribution more effectively accelerates the movement speed of the threshed materials, increasing the amount of materials cleaned per unit time, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency. Field comparative tests show that the designed cleaning device reduced the cleaning loss rate by up to 25.00% and the impurity content rate by 32.20%, achieving efficient and low-damage cleaning of the combine harvester. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method for evenly distributing the materials and provides important reference for the study of other piled particle distribution systems.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) possesses unique advantages in the management of blood glucose and lipids. However, there is still a significant gap in the exploration of its pharmacologically ...active components. Integrated strategies encompassing deep-learning prediction models and active validation based on absorbable ingredients can greatly improve the identification rate and screening efficiency in TCM. In this study, the affinity prediction of 11,549 compounds from the traditional Chinese medicine system’s pharmacology database (TCMSP) with dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) based on a deep-learning model was firstly conducted. With the results, Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (GJE), a food medicine with homologous properties, was selected as a model drug. The absorbed components of GJE were subsequently identified through in vivo intestinal perfusion and oral administration. As a result, a total of 38 prototypical absorbed components of GJE were identified. These components were analyzed to determine their absorption patterns after intestinal, hepatic, and systemic metabolism. Virtual docking and DPP-IV enzyme activity experiments were further conducted to validate the inhibitory effects and potential binding sites of the common constituents of deep learning and sequential metabolism. The results showed a significant DPP-IV inhibitory activity (IC50 53 ± 0.63 μg/mL) of the iridoid glycosides’ potent fractions, which is a novel finding. Genipin 1-gentiobioside was screened as a promising new DPP-IV inhibitor in GJE. These findings highlight the potential of this innovative approach for the rapid screening of active ingredients in TCM and provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-diabetic activity of GJE.
Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. is a kind of food and drug dual-use traditional Chinese medicine possessing multiple pharmacological and biochemical benefits. In our study, a rapid and ...high-throughput method based on Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor technology was developed and verified for screening potential xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitors exemplarily in the Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. Coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS), 14 XOD-binders were identified. In the SPR-based biosensor and molecular docking analysis, most compounds exhibited a strong affinity and binding kinetic property (association rate constant, Kon and dissociation rate constant, Koff) for XOD and could be regarded as potential inhibitors. More importantly, to further accurately assess target occupancy of candidate compounds in vivo, a mathematical model was established and verified involving three crucial intrinsic kinetic processes (Pharmacokinetics, Binding kinetic and Target kinetic). Overall, the proposed screening and assessment strategy could be proved an effective theoretical basis for further pharmacodynamic evaluation.
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Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a pleotropic syndrome that lacks validated methods of measuring response in clinical trials, although several end points have been proposed. To investigate ...the prognostic significance of these proposed end points, such as the 2005 National Institutes of Health (NIH) response measures, 2014 NIH response measures, clinician-reported response, and patient-reported response, we tested their ability to predict subsequent overall survival (OS), nonrelapse mortality (NRM), and failure-free survival (FFS). Patients (n = 575) were enrolled on a prospective chronic GVHD observational trial. At 6 months, clinician-reported response (P = .004) and 2014 NIH-calculated response (P = .001) correlated with subsequent FFS, and clinician-reported response predicted OS (P = .007). Multivariate models were used to identify changes in organ involvement, laboratory values, and patient-reported outcomes that were associated with long-term outcomes. At 6 months, a change in the 2005 NIH 0 to 3 clinician-reported skin score and 0 to 10 patient-reported itching score predicted subsequent FFS. Change in the Lee skin symptom score and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Bone Marrow Transplant score predicted subsequent OS. Change in the Lee skin symptom score predicted subsequent NRM. This study provides evidence that clinician-reported response and patient-reported outcomes are predictive of long-term survival. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00637689.
•Survival of chronic GVHD patients was predicted by clinician-assessed response and changes in patient-reported outcomes.•FFS was predicted by clinician-assessed response, changes in patient-reported outcomes, and the 2014 NIH response criteria.
Cutaneous sclerosis occurs in 20% of patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and can compromise mobility and quality of life.
We conducted a prospective, multicenter, randomized, ...two-arm phase II crossover trial of imatinib (200 mg daily) or rituximab (375 mg/m(2) i.v. weekly × 4 doses, repeatable after 3 months) for treatment of cutaneous sclerosis diagnosed within 18 months (NCT01309997). The primary endpoint was significant clinical response (SCR) at 6 months, defined as quantitative improvement in skin sclerosis or joint range of motion. Treatment success was defined as SCR at 6 months without crossover, recurrent malignancy or death. Secondary endpoints included changes of B-cell profiles in blood (BAFF levels and cellular subsets), patient-reported outcomes, and histopathology between responders and nonresponders with each therapy.
SCR was observed in 9 of 35 26%; 95% confidence interval (CI); 13%-43% participants randomized to imatinib and 10 of 37 (27%; 95% CI, 14%-44%) randomized to rituximab. Six (17%; 95% CI, 7%-34%) patients in the imatinib arm and 5 (14%; 95% CI, 5%-29%) in the rituximab arm had treatment success. Higher percentages of activated B cells (CD27(+)) were seen at enrollment in rituximab-treated patients who had treatment success (P = 0.01), but not in imatinib-treated patients.
These results support the need for more effective therapies for cutaneous sclerosis and suggest that activated B cells define a subgroup of patients with cutaneous sclerosis who are more likely to respond to rituximab.
Body tilt is typically unavoidable for agricultural vehicles or platforms when operated over tough terrain in agricultural production, and, therefore, it is not possible to guarantee the operation ...performance. Current leveling methods mainly focus on wheeled vehicles or adjustment for single working parts rather than the vehicle body, and few of them could be applied to crawler vehicles. The objective of this research was to put forward an adaptive leveling system for combine harvesters based on the development of a new four-point lifting adjustable crawler chassis. The working principle of the proposed adjustable mechanism was studied on the basis of the analysis of adjustment characteristics under multiple posture adjustment conditions in a RecurDyn environment. The design relies on the combination of the attitude detection of the leveling system and adjustment calculation of driving hydraulic cylinders according to the established mathematical models. Within the designed adjustable extent (including adjustment range of vehicle height 0–87.8 mm, lateral inclination ±3.98° and longitudinal inclination −2.9–5.2°), the leveling performance of lateral and longitudinal inclination was then tested separately. The experiment showed that the leveling system could achieve automatic leveling with an accuracy of ±0.4° and could provide technical support for the development of crawler vehicles.
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