bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
3D convolutional neural network‐based one‐stage model for real‐time action detection in video of construction equipment
Authors: Jung Seunghoon , Jeoung Jaewon , Kang Hyuna , Hong Taehoon 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThis study aims to propose a three‐dimensional convolutional neural network (3D CNN)‐based one‐stage model for real‐time action detection in video of construction equipment (ADVICE). The 3D CNN‐based single‐stream feature extraction network and detection network are designed with the implementation of the 3D attention module and feature pyramid network developed in this study to improve performance. For model evaluation, 130 videos were collected from YouTube including videos of four types of construction equipment at various construction sites. Trained on 520 clips and tested on 260 clips, ADVICE achieved precision and recall of 82.1% and 83.1%, respectively, with an inference speed of 36.6 frames per second. The evaluation results indicate that the proposed method can implement the 3D CNN‐based one‐stage model for real‐time action detection of construction equipment in videos of diverse, variable, and complex construction sites. The proposed method paved the way to improving safety, productivity, and environmental management of construction projects.
Graph neural network and reinforcement learning for multi‐agent cooperative control of connected autonomous vehicles
Authors: Chen Sikai , Dong Jiqian , Ha Paul (Young Joun) , Li Yujie , Labi Samuel 
Published: June 2021

AbstractA connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) network can be defined as a set of connected vehicles including CAVs that operate on a specific spatial scope that may be a road network, corridor, or segment. The spatial scope constitutes an environment where traffic information is shared and instructions are issued for controlling the CAVs movements. Within such a spatial scope, high‐level cooperation among CAVs fostered by joint planning and control of their movements can greatly enhance the safety and mobility performance of their operations. Unfortunately, the highly combinatory and volatile nature of CAV networks due to the dynamic number of agents (vehicles) and the fast‐growing joint action space associated with multi‐agent driving tasks pose difficultly in achieving cooperative control. The problem is NP‐hard and cannot be efficiently resolved using rule‐based control techniques. Also, there is a great deal of information in the literature regarding sensing technologies and control logic in CAV operations but relatively little information on the integration of information from collaborative sensing and connectivity sources. Therefore, we present a novel deep reinforcement learning‐based algorithm that combines graphic convolution neural network with deep Q‐network to form an innovative graphic convolution Q network that serves as the information fusion module and decision processor. In this study, the spatial scope we consider for the CAV network is a multi‐lane road corridor. We demonstrate the proposed control algorithm using the application context of freeway lane‐changing at the approaches to an exit ramp. For purposes of comparison, the proposed model is evaluated vis‐à‐vis traditional rule‐based and long short‐term memory‐based fusion models. The results suggest that the proposed model is capable of aggregating information received from sensing and connectivity sources and prescribing efficient operative lane‐change decisions for multiple CAVs, in a manner that enhances safety and mobility. That way, the operational intentions of individual CAVs can be fulfilled even in partially observed and highly dynamic mixed traffic streams. The paper presents experimental evidence to demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can significantly enhance CAV operations. The proposed algorithm can be deployed at roadside units or cloud platforms or other centralized control facilities.
Whole‐genome resequencing and transcriptome analysis provide insights on aphid‐resistant quantitative trait loci/genes in Sorghum bicolor
Authors: Zhang Jiwei , Li Wanglong , Lv Peng , Yang Xin , Xu Wang , Ni Xianlin , Feng Hui , Zhao Ganlin , Pu Mei , Zhou Shixin , Zhao Zhixue , Li Ling , Huang Yanyan , Fan Jing , Li Yan , Zhu Jianqing , Liu Guoqing , Wang Wenming 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe sorghum aphid (Melanaphis sacchari) has emerged as a serious pest for Sorghum bicolor and a major factor limiting its production worldwide. In this study, whole‐genome resequencing of resistant and susceptible bulks from a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was conducted together with transcriptome analysis of the parent to identify genes underlying aphid resistance. In the NGS‐based bulked segregation analysis (BSA), using a total of 920,389 genome‐wide high‐confidence markers, four QTLs, qtlMs‐6.1, qtlMs‐6.2, qtlMs‐6.3, and qtlMs‐6.4, were identified on chromosome 6. Based on comparative transcriptome analysis, 245 differentially expressed genes (DEGs,190 upregulated and 55 downregulated) and 576 DEGs (336 upregulated and 240 downregulated) were identified at 4 dpi in 407B (resistant) and 7B (susceptible), respectively. The DEGs in 407B were enriched in ‘DNA replication’, ‘flavone and flavonol biosynthesis’ and ‘flavonoid biosynthesis’, which are associated with plant stress resistance. The QTL‐seq study identified a SNP marker (Chr6: 2686447C>G) that was validated on a diverse panel and could be used in molecular marker‐assisted selection to improve aphid resistance in sorghum.
Thoreau and the Confucian Four Books
Authors: Foust Mathew A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractHenry David Thoreau read three English translations of the Confucian Four Books and produced undated translations from a French translation of these texts. This study examines the relationship between Thoreau and Confucian thought via his engagement with this set of translations. Selections from the English translations were reprinted in the “Ethnical Scriptures” columns of the Transcendentalist periodical,The Dial. This study examines this understudied column, considering the possible impact the passages made on Thoreau's thought. Next, Thoreau's translations from the French are addressed, with the question of dating the translations explored, given its necessity for a robust appreciation of their role in the arc of his thought. Then, the connection between Confucian and Thoreauvian thought about civil disobedience is analyzed, with reference to a recent debate in the literature. Recommendations for further scholarship are offered, emphasizing links between Confucianism andWaldenin general, and Mencius and Thoreau in particular.
The role of attention and explicit knowledge in perceiving bistable auditory input
Authors: Brace Kelin M. , Sussman Elyse S. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe auditory system frequently encounters ambiguous sound input that can be perceived in multiple ways. The current study investigated the role of explicit knowledge in modulating how sounds are represented in auditory memory for a bistable sound sequence that could be perceived equally as integrated or segregated. We hypothesized that the dominant percept of the bistable sequence would suppress representation of the alternative perceptual organization as a function of how much top‐down knowledge the listener had about the structure of the sequence. Performance measures and event‐related brain potentials were compared when participants had explicit knowledge about one perceptual organization in the first half of the experiment to when they had explicit knowledge of both in the second half. We hypothesized that knowledge would modify the brain response to the alternative percept of the bistable sequence. However, that did not occur. When participants were performing one task, with no explicit knowledge of the bistable structure of the sequence, both integrated and segregated percepts were represented in auditory working memory. This demonstrates that explicit knowledge about the sounds is not a necessary factor for deriving and maintaining representations of multiple sound organizations within a complex sound environment. Passive attention operates in parallel with active or selective attention to maintain consistent representations of the environment, representations that may or may not be useful for task performance. It suggests a highly adaptive system useful in everyday listening situations where the listener has no prior knowledge about how the sound environment is structured.
Estimating the Effect of Health Service Delivery Interventions on Patient Length of Stay: A Bayesian Survival Analysis Approach
Authors: Watson Samuel I. , Lilford Richard J. , Sun Jianxia , Bion Julian 
Published: June 2021

AbstractHealth service delivery interventions include a range of hospital ‘quality improvement’ initiatives and broader health system policies. These interventions act through multiple causal pathways to affect patient outcomes and they present distinct challenges for evaluation. In this article, we propose an empirical approach to estimating the effect of service delivery interventions on patient length of stay considering three principle issues: (i) informative censoring of discharge times due to mortality; (ii) post-treatment selection bias if the intervention affects patient admission probabilities; and (iii) decomposition into direct and indirect pathways mediated by quality. We propose a Bayesian structural survival model framework in which results from a subsample in which required assumptions hold, including conditional independence of the intervention, can be applied to the whole sample. We evaluate a policy of increasing specialist intensity in hospitals at the weekend in England and Wales to inform a cost-minimisation analysis. Using data on adverse events from a case note review, we compare various specifications of a structural model that allows for observations of hospital quality. We find that the policy was not implemented as intended but would have likely been cost saving, that this conclusion is sensitive to model specification, and that the direct effect accounts for almost all of the total effect rather than any improvement in hospital quality.
Marriage and employment participation with wage bargaining in search equilibrium
Authors: Bonilla Roberto , Trejos Alberto 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWe build an equilibrium search model where married couples make joint decisions on home production and labour market participation and analyse the implications of our results for a frictional marriage market. A worker's bargaining position reflects their productivity, and the productivity and employment status of their spouse. People sometimes accept transitory jobs only to raise the spouse's long‐term wages. Firms sometimes reduce turnover by unilaterally increasing a worker's wage, ensuring that the spouse stays at home.
Role of ABO blood system in COVID‐19: Findings from a southern Italian study
Authors: Negro Pierpaolo , Congedo Maurizio , Zizza Antonella , Guido Marcello , Sacquegna Gianfranco , Pulito Giuseppe , Lobreglio Giambattista 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackgroundCOVID‐19 is a worldwide infection caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 and infects humans by binding to the ACE2 receptor. Blood group ABO glycoproteins can influence the binding of the virus to ACE2. The role of ABO blood system in the susceptibility to infection as well as in the clinical outcome of infected patients is still controversial and needs to be clarified.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of 167 patients positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 who underwent nasopharyngeal swab, and of a control group represented by 891 subjects negative for SARS‐CoV‐2, to assess the association between ABO and Rh blood system and occurrence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, clinical presentation, and outcome of disease.ResultsIn the cohort of patients positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, no statistically significant difference in the distribution of ABO blood types compared with controls was observed. Patients with blood type A had a higher risk of developing symptomatic disease (p = 0.002; odds ratio [OR = 3.592]; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.576–8.187) compared to patients with blood types B, AB, and O. Patients with blood types B (p = 0.021; OR = 0.293; 95%CI = 0.099–0.869) and O (p = 0.018; OR = 0.417; 95%CI = 0.199–0.871) showed a lower risk in comparison to the other groups.The clinical progression to mild/moderate and severe/critical disease and the mortality showed no association. Moreover, no relationship with Rh blood type was found.ConclusionsOur findings support a role of ABO blood type in the development of symptomatic disease with a higher risk in subjects with blood type A and a protective effect of blood types B and O. Blood types do not seem, however, to play a role in susceptibility, progression to severe disease, and death.
Estimation of the latent therapeutic demand for immunoglobulin therapies in autoimmune neuropathies in the United States
Authors: Farrugia Albert , Bansal Megha , Marjanovic Ivan 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesThe use of immunoglobulin (IG) solutions as an immunomodulatory therapy in certain neurological conditions has become an established modality and represents a significant proportion of total IG use. The estimation of the evidence‐based potential demand designated as the latent therapeutic demand (LTD) for IG in these diseases is required for adequate planning of the plasma supply required to manufacture the product.Materials and MethodsThe diseases studied included chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN). The LTD for IG was assessed using a decision analysis model, using Microsoft Excel. The model analysed the epidemiological and clinical factors contributing to IG usage. One‐way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis derived the LTD in grams per 1000 inhabitants. The key variables included the treatment schedule and the prevalence of the disease.ResultsThe model estimates that an average annual IG demand and standard deviation for CIDP, GBS and MMN in the United States is 83.05 ± 24.5, 6.1 ± 3.2 and 36.1 ± 25.5 g/1000 inhabitants, respectively.ConclusionTogether with previous work on the LTD for IG in immunodeficiencies, these results indicate that current IG usage reflects the estimated LTD for the main indications for IG in the United States The wide range of LTD found in all these studies emphasizes the need for more precise assessment of the underlying variables, particularly disease prevalence and dosage. Further studies on other indications such as secondary immunodeficiencies will augment these results and will assist in guiding demand planning for IG use and plasma collection in the United States and inform blood policy in other countries.
An Adaptable Computed Tomography-Derived Three-Dimensional-Printed Alignment Fixture Minimizes Errors in Radius Biomechanical Testing
Authors: Inacio Jordan V. , Cristino Danielle M. , Hast Michael W. , Dailey Hannah L. 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Biomechanical testing of long bones can be susceptible to errors and uncertainty due to malalignment of specimens with respect to the mechanical axis of the test frame. To solve this problem, we designed a novel, customizable alignment and potting fixture for long bone testing. The fixture consists of three-dimensional-printed components modeled from specimen-specific computed tomography (CT) scans to achieve a predetermined specimen alignment. We demonstrated the functionality of this fixture by comparing benchtop torsional test results to specimen-matched finite element models and found a strong correlation (R2 = 0.95, p &lt; 0.001). Additional computational models were used to estimate the impact of malalignment on mechanical behavior in both torsion and axial compression. Results confirmed that torsion testing is relatively robust to alignment artifacts, with absolute percent errors less than 8% in all malalignment scenarios. In contrast, axial testing was highly sensitive to setup errors, experiencing absolute percent errors up to 50% with off-center malalignment and up to 170% with angular malalignment. This suggests that whenever appropriate, torsion tests should be used preferentially as a summary mechanical measure. When more challenging modes of loading are required, pretest clinical-resolution CT scanning can be effectively used to create potting fixtures that allow for precise preplanned specimen alignment. This may be particularly important for more sensitive biomechanical tests (e.g., axial compressive tests) that may be needed for industrial applications, such as orthopedic implant design.
Mechanical Efficiency Investigation of an Ankle-Assisted Robot for Human Walking With a Backpack-Load
Authors: Xie Longhan , Wang Zhihou , Huang Guowei , Liu Biao , Zhou Zikang 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
The purpose of this work is to investigate the efficiency of wearable assistive devices under different load-carriage walking. We designed an experimental platform with a lightweight ankle-assisted robot. Eight subjects were tested in three experimental conditions: free walk with load (FWL), power-off with load (POFL), and power-on with load for different levels of force at a walking speed of 3.6 km/h. We recorded the metabolic expenditure and kinematics of the subjects under three levels of load-carried (10%, 20%, and 30% of body mass). We define the critical force, where at a certain load, the robot inputs a certain force to the human body, and with the assistance of this force, the positive effect of the robot on the human body exactly compensates for the negative effect. The critical forces from the fit of the assistive force and metabolic cost curves were 130 N, 160 N, and 215 N at three different load levels. The intrinsic weight of our device increases mechanical work at the ankle as the load weight rises with 2.08 J, 2.43 J, and 2.73 J for one leg during a gait cycle. With weight bearing increasing, the ratio of the mechanical work input by the robot to the mechanical work output by the weight of the device decreases (from 0.904 to 0.717 and 0.513), verifying that the walking assistance efficiency of such devices decreases as the weight rises.
Producing Hollow Polymer Microneedles Using Laser Ablated Molds in an Injection Molding Process
Authors: Evens Tim , Van Hileghem Lorenz , Dal Dosso Francesco , Lammertyn Jeroen , Malek Olivier , Castagne Sylvie , Seveno David , Van Bael Albert 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Microneedle arrays contain needlelike microscopic structures, which facilitate drug or vaccine delivery in a minimally invasive way. However, producing hollow microneedles is currently limited by expensive, time consuming and complex microfabrication techniques. In this paper, a novel method to produce hollow polymer microneedles is presented. This method utilizes a femtosecond laser to create hollow microneedle cavities in a mold insert. This mold insert is used in an injection molding process to replicate polymethyl methacrylate microneedles. The combined effect of the mold temperature, volumetric injection rate, and melt temperature on the replication fidelity was evaluated. It was found that the combination of high injection molding parameters facilitated the replication. Furthermore, the functionality of the manufactured hollow microneedles was successfully tested by injecting a controlled flow of colored water into an agarose matrix. The developed methodology enables the production of low-cost, high-volume microneedle devices, which could be a key asset for large scale vaccination campaigns.
Thermotectonic events recorded by U-Pb geochronology and Zr-in-rutile thermometry of Ti oxides in basement rocks along the P2 fault, eastern Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada
Authors: Adlakha E. , Hattori K. 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Basement rocks below the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, have been intensely altered through paleoweathering and multiple hydrothermal events, including the formation of world-class unconformity-type uranium deposits. Here, we demonstrate the utility of Ti-oxide thermochronology for identifying thermotectonic events in these altered rocks leading to uranium mineralization along basement structures. Rutile grains along the P2 fault, a major fault in the eastern Athabasca Basin, exhibit 207Pb/206Pb ages of ca. 1850–1700 Ma, with a weighted mean of 1757 ± 6 Ma (mean square of weighted deviation [MSWD] = 1.4, n = 116). The older ages (&gt;1770 Ma) record regional metamorphism reaching a temperature of 875 °C during the Trans-Hudson orogeny. Pb diffusion modeling indicates that metamorphic rutile should exhibit cooling ages of 1760–1750 Ma. Rutile grains showing young ages, &lt;1750 Ma, reflect isotopic resetting during regional asthenospheric upwelling between 1770 and 1730 Ma related to the emplacement of the Kivalliq igneous suite to the north. This thermotectonic event (temperature &gt; 550 °C) promoted hydrothermal activity to produce silicified rocks, i.e., “quartzite,” along the P2 fault, which later focused mineralizing fluids for unconformity-type uranium deposits. The young rutile ages also indicate that the basement rocks remained hot until 1700 Ma, providing the maximum age for the deposition of the Athabasca sediments. Anatase yields a concordia age of 1569 ± 31 Ma (MSWD = 0.30, n = 5), which is within uncertainty of the oldest ages for uraninite of the McArthur River deposit. This age corresponds to the incursion of basinal fluids in the basement along the P2 fault during uranium mineralization.
Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides: III—Effect of Cationic Groups of Lysine, Arginine, and Histidine on Antimicrobial Activity of Peptides with a Linear Type of Amphipathicity
Authors: Amirkhanov N. V. , Bardasheva A. V. , Tikunova N. V. , Pyshnyi D. V. 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
We have studied the antimicrobial and hemolytic activity of synthetic antimicrobial peptides (SAMPs), i.e., Arg9Phe2 (P1-Arg), Lys9Phe2 (P2-Lys), and His9Phe2 (P3-His), which have a “linear” type of amphipathicity and contain the cationic amino acid residues of arginine, lysine, or histidine. In this study, we have used various pathogenic microorganism strains of gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enterica), gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), and the conditionally pathogenic yeast fungus (Candida albicans). It has been shown that the replacement of the arginine residues by lysine or histidine residues in the tested SAMPs significantly degrades their antibacterial properties in the series: P1-Arg > P2-Lys $$ \gg $$P3-His. The cationic analog of SAMP, P1-Arg, has the highest antibacterial activity (MIC50 = 43–76 μM), while peptide P3-His does not exhibit this activity (MIC50 > 100 μM). The P1-Arg and P2-Lys peptides were 6–10 times more active against the opportunistic fungus C. albicans (MIC50 6.7 and 10.9 μM, respectively) and the P3-His peptide has 100-times increased antimycotic activity (MIC50 0.6 μM) compared with their effect on bacterial cells. All of the tested peptides with the linear type of amphipathicity and low hydrophobicity, i.e., P1-Arg, P2-Lys, and P3-His, that contain only two Phe residues regardless of the presence of cationic amino acids (Arg, Lys, or His) exhibit a relatively low hemolytic activity (not more than 4% hemolysis at 1000 μM peptide concentration). Thus, considering the same synthesis efficiency (56–63%) and approximately the same low toxicity of the tested SAMPs with a linear type of amphipathicity, it is recommended to use those that contain the cationic arginine or histidine residues to create antibacterial or antifungal peptide agents, respectively.