This paper proposes a computationally efficient method for traffic sign recognition (TSR). This proposed method consists of two modules: (1) extraction of histogram of oriented gradient variant ...(HOGv) feature and (2) a single classifier trained by extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithm. The presented HOGv feature keeps a good balance between redundancy and local details such that it can represent distinctive shapes better. The classifier is a single-hidden-layer feedforward network. Based on ELM algorithm, the connection between input and hidden layers realizes the random feature mapping while only the weights between hidden and output layers are trained. As a result, layer-by-layer tuning is not required. Meanwhile, the norm of output weights is included in the cost function. Therefore, the ELM-based classifier can achieve an optimal and generalized solution for multiclass TSR. Furthermore, it can balance the recognition accuracy and computational cost. Three datasets, including the German TSR benchmark dataset, the Belgium traffic sign classification dataset and the revised mapping and assessing the state of traffic infrastructure (revised MASTIF) dataset, are used to evaluate this proposed method. Experimental results have shown that this proposed method obtains not only high recognition accuracy but also extremely high computational efficiency in both training and recognition processes in these three datasets.
Concentrations of Hg, Pb, Cd, and Cr in 240 shellfish including oyster, short-necked clam, razor clam, and mud clam collected from six administrative regions in Xiamen of China were measured. The ...daily intakes of heavy metals through the consumption of shellfish were estimated based on both of the metal concentrations in shellfish and the consuming amounts of shellfish. In addition, the target hazard quotients (THQ) were used to evaluate the potential risk of heavy metals in shellfish on human body. Results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals in shellfish ranged at the following sequence: Cr > Cd > Pb > Hg. The concentrations of Hg and Pb in most samples were below the limits (0.3 mg kg
−1
for Hg and 0.5 mg kg
−1
for Pb) of national standard (GB 18406.4-2001) set in China. About 57 % of samples were found to contain more than 0.1 mg kg
−1
of Cd, in which the highest level was found in oyster from Xiangan with a value of 1.21 mg kg
−1
. The average concentrations of Cd in oyster and mud clam samples were 0.338 and 0.369 mg kg
−1
, respectively, which were significantly higher (
p
< 0.05) than those in the samples of short-necked clam and razor clam. The highest concentration of Cr was found to present in short-necked clam from Jimei with a value of 10.4 mg kg
−1
, but a mean value of 1.95 mg kg
−1
in all the shellfish was observed, and no significant difference was found among the different sampling regions. The calculated daily intakes of Hg, Pb, Cd, and Cr through consuming the shellfish were 0.005, 0.122, 0.137, and 1.20 μg kg
−1
day
−1
, respectively, which accounted for 2.19, 3.42, 13.7, and 40.1 % of the corresponding tolerable limits suggested by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. The THQ values of the four metals were far below 1 for most samples, except for those of Cd and Cr in the four shellfish species with the mean values of 0.132 and 0.385, respectively. The highest THQ values of Cd were observed in the species of oyster (0.719) and mud clam (0.568). But the high THQ values of Cr observed in all the four species were derived from the applied reference dose (RfD) data of Cr(VI) due to the unavailable RfD value of total Cr. The results indicate that the intakes of heavy metals by consuming shellfish collected from Xiamen of China do not present an appreciable hazard risk on human health, but attention should be paid to consuming those with relatively high THQ values, such as oyster, mud clam, and short-necked clam.
A high baseline NLR is associated with a poor prognosis of immunotherapy in patients with advanced HCC. As anti-tumour immune activation takes time, early dynamic changes in NLR may serve as a ...biomarker for predicting immunotherapy response. We conducted a retrospective study in which we enrolled 209 patients with aHCC who received ICIs (training cohort: N = 121, validation cohort: N = 88). In the training cohort, we categorized the patients based on the early changes in their NLR. Specifically, we defined patients as NLR Stable-Responder, NLR Responder and NLR Non-Responder. We compared the outcomes of these three patient groups using survival analysis. Additionally, we shortened the observation period to 6 weeks and validated the findings in the validation cohort. In the training cohort, early dynamic changes in NLR (HR 0.14, 95%CI 0.03–0.65, p = 0.012, HR 0.19, 95%CI 0.07–0.54, p = 0.002; HR 0.21, 95%CI 0.10–0.42, p < 0.001, HR 0.40, 95%CI 0.23–0.69, p = 0.001), PD-L1 < 1% (HR 5.36, 95%CI 1.12–25.66, p = 0.036; HR 2.98, 95%CI 1.51–5.91, p = 0.002) and MVI (HR 3.52, 95%CI 1.28–9.69, p = 0.015; HR 1.99, 95%CI 1.14–3.47, p = 0.015) were identified as independent predictors of OS and PFS. In the validation cohort, when the observation period was reduced to 6 weeks, early NLR changes still have predictive value. Early dynamic changes in NLR may be an easily defined, cost-effective, non-invasive biomarker to predict aHCC response to ICIs.
The strong association between self-reported sleep difficulties and depressive symptoms is well documented. However, individuals who suffer from depressive symptoms could potentially interpret the ...values attached to a subjective scale differently from others, making comparisons of sleep difficulties across individuals with different depressive symptoms problematic. The objective of this study is to determine the existence and magnitude of reporting heterogeneity in subjective assessment of sleep difficulties by those who have depressive symptoms. We implement an online survey using Visual Analogue Scales and anchoring vignettes to study the comparability of subjective assessments of sleep difficulties among college students in Switzerland (N = 1, 813). Using multivariate linear regressions and double-index models, our analysis shows that reporting heterogeneity plays only a marginal role in moderating the association between sleep difficulties and depression, irrespective of the severity of the depressive symptoms of the individuals. This suggests that unadjusted comparisons of self-reported sleep difficulties between college students are meaningful, even among individuals with depressive symptoms.
The North China Plain (NCP) has been suffering from groundwater storage (GWS) depletion and land subsidence for a long period. This paper collects data on GWS changes and land subsidence from in situ ...groundwater-level measurements, literature, and satellite observations to provide an overview of the evolution of the aquifer system during 1971–2015 with a focus on the sub-regional variations. It is found that the GWS showed a prolonged declining rate of −17.8 ± 0.1 mm/yr during 1971–2015, with a negative correlation to groundwater abstraction before year ~2000 and a positive correlation after ~2000. Statistical correlations between subsidence rate and the GWS anomaly (GWSA), groundwater abstraction, and annual precipitation show that the land subsidence in three sub-regions (Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei) represents different temporal variations due to varying driver factors. Continuous drought caused intensive GWS depletion (−76.1 ± 6.5 mm/yr) and land subsidence in Beijing during 1999–2012. Negative correlations between total groundwater abstraction and land subsidence exhibited after the 1980s indicate that it may be questionable to infer subsidence from regional abstraction data. Instead, the GWSA generally provides a reliable correlation with subsidence. This study highlights the spatio-temporal variabilities of GWS depletion and land subsidence in the NCP under natural and anthropogenic impacts, and the importance of GWS changes for understanding land subsidence development.
•GWS recovery was observed by 617 monitoring wells in NCP after MRP operation.•GRACE detected similar patterns of GWS depletion and recovery with wells.•Pumping decrease and precipitation increase ...jointly drove GWS recovery.
The South-to-North water diversion Middle Route Project (MRP) is expected to alleviate the long-term groundwater storage (GWS) depletion in North China Plain (NCP) after the beginning of its operation in December 2014. This study aims to investigate the effect of MRP on GWS by comparing GWS changes before (2003–2014) and after (2015–2018) the MRP operation. The analysis was conducted by using groundwater level data from 617 wells in NCP, and then evaluated against satellite-based water storage data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its Follow-On missions. On average in NCP, a decreasing trend of −19.1 ± 5.1 mm/yr was seen in GWS based on well observations during 2003–2014, but a recovery trend of +1.8 ± 0.7 mm/yr was found during 2015–2018. The GWS recovery was most prominent in subregions where groundwater over-utilization had occurred in NCP. GRACE exhibited the capacity to detect the regional GWS depletion during 2003–2014, but difficult to distinguish the sub-regional GWS recovery during 2015–2018. The potential causes for GWS recovery were found to be complicated, not only caused by the reduction of groundwater pumping as accelerated by MRP-diverted water, but also the increasing precipitation recharge of aquifers and the enhanced management of groundwater system. The findings highlight that GWS in NCP has started a gradual transition from unsustainable depletion to sub-regional recovery as benefit from the MRP water diversion.
•Ultrasonic torsional fatigue tester with the capacity to modify the mean stress is developed.•VVery high cycle tensile and torsional fatigue behavior of turbine blade titanium alloy is comparatively ...studied.•The short crack nucleation and propagation character of interior initiated fatal crack induced by tensile and torsional loadings are analyzed using FIB milling method.
Very high cycle tensile and torsional fatigue of TC17 titanium alloy with bimodal microstructure have been firstly and comparatively studied at the stress ratio of 0.1. Like the tensile cracks, torsional cracks were substantiated to nucleate from specimen surface or interior sites and presented in a fatigue life-dependent mode. Internal tensile and torsional fatigue cracks with faceted morphology were analyzed using focus ion beam and unraveled to initiate in modes II + III that driven by maximum shear stress. Particularly, short crack branching and deflection beneath the crack initiation rough area can be observed for torsional loading condition.
In order to improve the prediction accuracy regarding low compaction level of asphalt pavement, this paper carries out indoor tests to detect the voids and dielectric constants of AC-13, AC-16 and ...AC-25 asphalt mixtures, obtaining their relationship equations via linear fitting and determining the dielectric constant judgment threshold of low compaction level segregation risk points ε1. Based on the common mid-point method, three-dimensional ground-penetrating radar is used to obtain the dielectric constant of the physical engineering test section. The researcher can draw the distribution map of the low compaction level segregation risk area according to the judgment threshold ε1 of the rough segregation risk points; divide the connected risk areas; determine the regional convex hull; and calculate the regional indicators such as the regional area, the ratio of the convex risk points and the mean value of the regional dielectric constant. The response surface analysis method is used to acquire the model of risk area index and core void ratio. The model is employed to predict and verify the core void ratio in the risk area of the road section and verify the accuracy of the model. The results show that the error range between the predicted voids and the measured voids is −0.4%~+0.4%, and the mean absolute value of the error is 0.25%. Compared with the mean measured voids of 6.63%, the relative error is 3.77%, indicating that the model can accurately predict the regional low compaction level segregation degree.
The South‐to‐North Water Diversion Middle Route Project (MRP), which started its operation in December 2014, was designed to transfer water from Danjiangkou Reservoir (DR) in Hanjiang River Basin to ...North China Plain (NCP) to alleviate water shortage and long‐term groundwater depletion in the water‐receiving region. This study investigates the effectiveness of actual MRP operation during 2015–2018 using the observed water budget data collected from DR and the groundwater level data from 559 monitoring wells. Assuming that MRP was in operation during 2005–2014, ensemble water diversion simulations were performed to study the sensitivity of MRP effectiveness to two important factors: the downstream water demand of DR (Dwd) and the ratio (Ir) of water diversion volume (Qd) replacing groundwater pumping in NCP. Even though the observed and simulated mean annual Qd during 2015–2018 (i.e., 4.3 and 7.0 km3/year, respectively) failed to meet the original water delivery target of 9.5 km3/year due to its short operation and the coincidence with a dry cycle, MRP is effective in groundwater recovery as an increasing trend (+0.3 km3/year) in groundwater storage (GWS) was observed in NCP during 2015–2018. MRP's effectiveness is sensitive to Dwd and Ir. Dwd should not exceed 23.0 km3/year to guarantee Qd reaching the original target, and Ir should not be less than 33% to guarantee GWS recovery. Those findings suggest that a reasonable decrease of Dwd and an increase of Ir are the recommended pathway to ensure the effectiveness of MRP in meeting both water delivery and groundwater recovery targets.
Key Points
MRP is shown to be effective in meeting water delivery target in North China Plain
MRP contributes to the recovery of groundwater level in North China Plain
Sensitivity of MRP effectiveness in water delivery and groundwater recovery is examined
Targeted and Immunotherapy has emerged as a new first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). To identify the appropriate targeted and immunotherapy, we implemented next ...generation sequencing (NGS) to provide predictive and prognostic values for aHCC patients.
Pretreatment samples from 127 HCC patients were examined for genomic changes using 680-gene NGS, and PD-L1 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. Demographic and treatment data were included for analyses of links among treatment outcomes, drug responses, and genetic profiles. A prognostic index model for predicting benefit from treatment was constructed, taking into account of biomarkers, including
,
, PD-L1, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) as possible independent prognostic factors.
The multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that PD-L1≥1% (HR 25.07, 95%CI 1.56 - 403.29, p=0.023), TMB≥5Mb (HR 86.67, 95% CI 4.00 - 1876.48, p=0.004), TERT MU (HR 84.09, 95% CI 5.23 - 1352.70, p=0.002) and TP53 WT (HR 0.01, 95%CI 0.00 - 0.47, p=0.022) were independent risk factors for overall survival (OS), even after adjusting for various confounders. A prognostic nomogram for OS was developed, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.91, 0.85, and 0.98 at 1-, 2-, and 3- year, respectively, and a prognostic index cutoff of 1.2. According to the cutoff value, the patients were divided into the high-risk group (n=29) and low-risk group (n=98). The benefit of targeted and immunotherapy in the low-risk group was not distinguishable according to types of agents. However, treatment of Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab appeared to provide longer OS in the high-risk group (12 months vs 9.2, 9, or 5 months for other treatments, p<0.001).
The prognostic model constructed by PD-L1, TMB,
, and
can identify aHCC patients who would benefit from targeted and immunotherapy, providing insights for the personalized treatment of HCC.
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