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Pedestrian crossing intention prediction based on computer vision plays a pivotal role in enhancing the safety of autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. In this paper, we present a novel multi-modal pedestrian crossing intention prediction framework leveraging the transformer model. By integrating diverse sources of information and leveraging the transformer's sequential modeling and parallelization capabilities, our system accurately predicts pedestrian crossing intentions. We introduce a novel representation of traffic environment data and incorporate lifted 3D human pose and head orientation data to enhance the model's understanding of pedestrian behavior. Experimental results demonstrate the state-of-the-art accuracy of our proposed system on benchmark datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the ideas of coordination and design chemistry, we propose a new strategy to balance the energy and sensitivity conflict by synthesizing dual anion structures in the realm of energetic complex compounds. Therefore, a novel solvent-free complex, [Ni(4-PDCA)2(NO3)2](ClO4)2 (ECCs-1), which has a six-coordinated octahedral structure and contains dual anions, was synthesized. The structure was identified by IR, EA and single-crystal XRD. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first reported dual anion structure that exhibits excellent insensitivity with acceptable thermal stability and detonation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To synthesize lead-free primary explosives with good thermal stability, pyridine-2-carbohydrazide (2-PDCA) was used to prepare a novel energetic copper perchlorate complex (ECCs-1), which was structurally characterized by infrared spectroscopy, NMR, and elemental analysis. Its thermal decomposition properties were investigated by thermogravimetry and a synchrotron thermal analyzer, and the sensitivity was tested by the BAM method. The laser ignition experiment and the lead plate tests show that the ECCs-1 complex has a good detonation performance with a high thermal decomposition temperature (215.6 °C) and moderate sensitivity (impact sensitivity = 3 J and friction sensitivity = 5 N). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analysis investigates the prognostic value of MRI-based radiomics in nasopharyngeal carcinoma treatment outcomes, specifically focusing on overall survival (OS) variability. The study protocol was registered with INPLASY (INPLASY202420101). Initially, a systematic review identified 15 relevant studies involving 6243 patients through a comprehensive search across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. The methodological quality was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool and the Radiomics Quality Score (RQS), highlighting a low risk of bias in most domains. Our analysis revealed a significant average concordance index (c-index) of 72% across studies, indicating the potential of radiomics in clinical prognostication. However, moderate heterogeneity was observed, particularly in OS predictions. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression identified validation methods and radiomics software as significant heterogeneity moderators. Notably, the number of features in the prognosis model correlated positively with its performance. These findings suggest radiomics' promising role in enhancing cancer treatment strategies, though the observed heterogeneity and potential biases call for cautious interpretation and standardization in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a significant health challenge that is particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia and North Africa. MRI is the preferred diagnostic tool for NPC due to its superior soft tissue contrast. The accurate segmentation of NPC in MRI is crucial for effective treatment planning and prognosis. We conducted a search across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from inception up to 20 March 2024, adhering to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Eligibility criteria focused on studies utilizing DL for NPC segmentation in adults via MRI. Data extraction and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the performance of DL models, primarily measured by Dice scores. We assessed methodological quality using the CLAIM and QUADAS-2 tools, and statistical analysis was performed using random effects models. The analysis incorporated 17 studies, demonstrating a pooled Dice score of 78% for DL models (95% confidence interval: 74% to 83%), indicating a moderate to high segmentation accuracy by DL models. Significant heterogeneity and publication bias were observed among the included studies. Our findings reveal that DL models, particularly convolutional neural networks, offer moderately accurate NPC segmentation in MRI. This advancement holds the potential for enhancing NPC management, necessitating further research toward integration into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research utilized a recently developed co-melting crystallization method to synthesize four distinct energetic coordination compounds (ECCs). The method involves the direct heating of organic ligands with inorganic salts, leading to the formation of the desired ECCs upon cooling and subsequent crystallization. This approach effectively bypasses various challenges associated with the conventional solvent-based ECC preparation process. In this study, the organic ligands employed were pyrazole and 4-chloropyrazole, while the inorganic salts included copper nitrate and copper perchlorate. A rigorous pre-experiment was meticulously designed to validate the feasibility of this method, followed by control experiments to underscore its advantages. Subsequently, comprehensive characterizations were conducted on the four ECCs, with a primary emphasis on their crystal structures and energetic properties. Notably, ECCs-3 and ECCs-4, among the synthesized ECCs, exhibit significant potential for applications in pyrotechnic materials and ignition agents. This work extends the practical applicability of the co-melting crystallization method we have developed, providing further substantiation of its advantages and potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors is a promising treatment for lung cancer patients. However, not all patients respond well to immunotherapy, and researchers are seeking new predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy. Radiomics and its derivative, delta radiomics, are potential candidates for use as predictive biomarkers for use in immunotherapy. In this meta-analysis, we performed qualitative and quantitative assessments and confirmed the effectiveness of delta radiomics in predicting the treatment responses and clinical outcomes of immunotherapy. Further studies are warranted to compare the performance of traditional radiomics and deep-learning radiomics. Immunotherapy, particularly with checkpoint inhibitors, has revolutionized non-small cell lung cancer treatment. Enhancing the selection of potential responders is crucial, and researchers are exploring predictive biomarkers. Delta radiomics, a derivative of radiomics, holds promise in this regard. For this study, a meta-analysis was conducted that adhered to PRISMA guidelines, searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for studies on the use of delta radiomics in stratifying lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy. Out of 223 initially collected studies, 10 were included for qualitative synthesis. Stratifying patients using radiomic models, the pooled analysis reveals a predictive power with an area under the curve of 0.81 (95% CI 0.76–0.86, p < 0.001) for 6-month response, a pooled hazard ratio of 4.77 (95% CI 2.70–8.43, p < 0.001) for progression-free survival, and 2.15 (95% CI 1.73–2.66, p < 0.001) for overall survival at 6 months. Radiomics emerges as a potential prognostic predictor for lung cancer, but further research is needed to compare traditional radiomics and deep-learning radiomics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In our research, we analyzed the CT scans of 322 advanced lung cancer patients over time to see how long they might remain disease-free after undergoing a specific treatment called EGFR-TKI. By integrating the patterns from these scans with other medical data, such as gene mutations and treatment strategies, we improved our ability to predict the course of the disease. However, when we included data from multiple centers, the consistency of our findings reduced. Simply put, our technique can offer doctors a glimpse into the future progression of lung cancer, and aid in tailoring treatments. This approach could be groundbreaking in lung adenocarcinoma treatment, but it needs further investigation. Our study aimed to harness the power of CT scans, observed over time, in predicting how lung adenocarcinoma patients might respond to a treatment known as EGFR-TKI. Analyzing scans from 322 advanced stage lung cancer patients, we identified distinct image-based patterns. By integrating these patterns with comprehensive clinical information, such as gene mutations and treatment regimens, our predictive capabilities were significantly enhanced. Interestingly, the precision of these predictions, particularly related to radiomics features, diminished when data from various centers were combined, suggesting that the approach requires standardization across facilities. This novel method offers a potential pathway to anticipate disease progression in lung adenocarcinoma patients treated with EGFR-TKI, laying the groundwork for more personalized treatments. To further validate this approach, extensive studies involving a larger cohort are pivotal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of energetic materials, high sensitivity has always been one of the obstacles restricting the practical application of energetic materials. In order to meet the practical application requirements, there are various methods to lower sensitivity, among which doping multilayer graphene is one of the important methods to reduce the friction sensitivity of energetic compounds in recent years. A multilayer graphene structure has the obvious characteristics of a weak interaction between layers and a strong interaction between atoms in layers. This special structure makes it slip between layers when it encounters friction, thus reducing the heat conduction efficiency and hindering the generation of hot spots, and finally shows the effect of lowering friction sensitivity on a macro level. Inspired by this mechanism, we designed and synthesized a ligand furan-2,5-dicarbohydrazide (FDCA) and its Ag(I)-based metal complex ([Ag(FDCA)ClO4]n, ECP-1) with a graphene-like structure. The structure of the product was confirmed using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. ECP-1 exhibits excellent explosion performance and initiation ability, but also shows a low friction sensitivity (FS = 84 N), which is in sharp contrast with a sensitive impact sensitivity (IS = 4 J). The simple preparation method and unique structure enrich research on lowering the mechanical sensitivity of primary explosives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and results: 2,4,6-triazide-1,3,5-triazine (TAT) has received widespread attention for its great potential to synthesize or convert to nitrogen-rich high energy density materials (HEDMs). The TAT structure alteration in the compression process up to 30 GPa has characteristics as follows: (a) [N3] groups straighten; (b) [N3] groups gather toward the six-membered C-N heterocycles. At about 5 GPa, Raman peak split at 700 cm-1 was observed both in calculation and in-situ Raman experiment, which is caused by pressure-induced intramolecular stress. Besides, the broad band of the amorphous two-dimensional C=N network (centered at 1630 cm-1) occurred at about 12 GPa. Meantime, the study on electronic features suggests the pressure-induced deformation in TAT molecular structure cause the discontinuous change of band gap at about 4.5 GPa and 8.0 GPa, respectively. Computational and theoretical techniques: The static compression process of TAT was explored in the range of 0-30 GPa by using dispersion corrected density functional theory (DFT-D) calculations combined with in-situ Raman experiment. The GGA/PBE+G06 method that has less errors than other calculation methods was used to predict the geometry structure, vibrational properties and electronic structure of TAT under pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and can be difficult to treat. One of the treatment methods uses drugs that target a protein called the epidermal growth factor receptor, but the results vary from patient to patient. In this research, we used a technique called radiomics, which involves analyzing detailed scans of the patients' tumors, to see if we can predict who will respond best to these drugs. We reviewed previous studies and found that this method was promising, with patients showing certain patterns on their scans more likely to have longer periods without disease progression. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings and develop reliable methods of using these scans in clinical practice. In the context of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), this research evaluated the prognostic value of CT-based radiomics. A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of studies up to April 2023, which included 3111 patients, was conducted. We utilized the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool and radiomics quality scoring (RQS) system to assess the quality of the included studies. Our analysis revealed a pooled hazard ratio for progression-free survival of 2.80 (95% confidence interval: 1.87–4.19), suggesting that patients with certain radiomics features had a significantly higher risk of disease progression. Additionally, we calculated the pooled Harrell's concordance index and area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.71 and 0.73, respectively, indicating good predictive performance of radiomics. Despite these promising results, further studies with consistent and robust protocols are needed to confirm the prognostic role of radiomics in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energetic metal organic frameworks (EMOFs) are increasingly developed and have proven to be candidates for novel high energy density materials (HEDM). Here, two energetic metal complexes based on 3,5-diaminopyrazolone-4-oxime (DAPO) ligands were synthesized by simple steps and fully characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy, X-ray single-crystal diffraction, and DSC-TG. The detonation performance was calculated using the Kamlet–Jacobs formula. The crystal densities of these complexes (C6H14N12O10Co (2) and C6H14N12O10Cd (3) are as high as 1.945 g cm−3 at 163 K and 2.072 g cm−3 at 298 K, respectively. Thermal analysis by the DSC-TG test shows that they all have good thermal stability with the highest decomposition temperatures of 287 °C and 344 °C, respectively. These two as-synthesized complexes exhibit excellent detonation performance; 2 (D = 8682 m s−1, P = 34.98 GPa) and 3 (D = 8383 m s−1, P = 33.78 GPa) have good detonation velocity and detonation pressure that are superior to those of TNT, which is widely used today. Thus, they show great promise for potential applications as thermally stable energetic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A solid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has attracted increasing research interest in relation to the development of regeneration energy based on water resources. The output of solid-liquid TENG remains unsolved, however, because of the low voltage output that impedes wide applications. To this end, in this work we developed a miniaturized microfluidic channel-based TENG device for highly efficient conversion of energy from the transport of a water droplet to an electrical output. We investigated an optimized design in a triboelectric material, the droplet transport and the electrostatic induction layer to provide a high voltage output and stable energy harvesting. The optimized device demonstrated maximum voltage amplitude 102 mV with an ultralow liquid consumption, 0.36 $\mu \text{L}$ , resulting in sample-energy conversion 283.33 mV/ $\mu \text{L}$. This novel device is expected potentially to address the limitations imposed by sample consumption in energy harvesting in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by synthetic chemistry, coordination chemistry and crystallization chemistry, a novel synthesis and crystallization strategy for laser complex energetic materials has been established in this study. In this study, a method with milder reaction conditions was adopted to design the steps and successfully synthesize urazine (H2ur). At the same time, using H2ur as the ligand, the "acid-controlled dissolution-crystallization" method was used to successfully prepare the crystalline coordination polymer Ag(H2ur)NO3 (5), and its 1D structure was confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction. The physicochemical property evaluation revealed that 5 has the best performance: insensitive to light, noncorrosive properties to metal shells, excellent tolerance to moisture, good thermal stability, and insensitive to mechanical stimulation. Theoretical calculations show that the compound has acceptable detonation properties (D = 7.6 km s−1, P = 31.83 GPa). In addition, hot-needle experiments show that 5 has a good DDT effect. More importantly, it has great potential for application in laser energetic materials (τ = 300 ms, E = 800 mJ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous blood pressure (BP) measurement is crucial for long-term cardiovascular monitoring, especially for prompt hypertension detection. However, most of the continuous BP measurements rely on the pulse transit time (PTT) from multiple-channel physiological acquisition systems that impede wearable applications. Recently, wearable and smart health electronics have become significant for next-generation personalized healthcare progress. This study proposes an intelligent single-channel bio-impedance system for personalized BP monitoring. Compared to the PTT-based methods, the proposed sensing configuration greatly reduces the hardware complexity, which is beneficial for wearable applications. Most of all, the proposed system can extract the significant BP features hidden from the measured bio-impedance signals by an ultra-lightweight AI algorithm, implemented to further establish a tailored BP model for personalized healthcare. In the human trial, the proposed system demonstrates the BP accuracy in terms of the mean error (ME) and the mean absolute error (MAE) within 1.7 ± 3.4 mmHg and 2.7 ± 2.6 mmHg, respectively, which agrees with the criteria of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). In conclusion, this work presents a proof-of-concept for an AI-based single-channel bio-impedance BP system. The new wearable smart system is expected to accelerate the artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) technology for personalized BP healthcare in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many applications utilize flexible capacitive electrode implementations and analog front-end optimizations for improving noncontact electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements. However, the influence of the negative impedance in the circuit front end on noncontact measurements has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to develop negative impedance capacitive electrodes for improving the degraded noncontact ECG signals induced by the high-impedance interface between the skin and electrode. A capacitive electrode with a negative impedance of $-200\,\,\text{M}\Omega $ was designed to reduce the impedance mismatch between the body and measurement electrode. The proposed electrodes were applied on a subject’s chest to continuously measure the cardiac signals through a fabric layer and further evaluate the signal-to-noise (SNR) performance for noncontact ECG measurements. The negative impedance in the circuit front end reduced the coupling effect between the skin and the measurement electrodes, thus improved the SNR in theory and in practice. Importantly, our system produced a distinguishable heartbeat signal even with a maximum cloth thickness of 1.8 mm and skin–electrode capacitance exceeding 57 pF, which is suitable for wearable applications. This study is a pilot effort toward validating the efficacy of negative impedance capacitive electrodes for noncontact physiological measurements. This novel electrode design is expected to potentially address the limitations imposed by a fabric layer and its thickness in noncontact bioelectric sensing in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rat electrocardiography (ECG) is frequently used in biomedical research as a model for exploring heart function in a wide variety of experimental conditions. Subcutaneous ECG is a common approach to record rat heart rhythm using implanted needle electrodes to sense the rat ECG signals with the animal under deep anesthesia. However, such an invasive measurement could cause inconvenience due to cumbersome animal preparation, and the anesthetics are likely to interfere with the autonomic regulation of cardiac rhythm. Most studies used the galvanic contact between animal limb and electrode sensing surface to record cardiac signals from small animals. However, the non-contact approach of capacitive ECG sensing for small laboratory animals has not been extensively investigated. This study aims to develop a non-contact ECG system to promote the ECG measurement of laboratory animals for biomedical research. The method utilizes the capacitive coupling technique to detect cardiac signals in awake rats (R-wave amplitude of only 0.2 mV) through a non-conductive layer. The proposed system generates non-contact ECG signals with distinguishable R-peaks at a limb-electrode capacitance above 8.5 pF and maximum through-thickness of the non-conductive layer of 0.4 mm for heart rate assessment. In conclusion, this study provides non-contact ECG monitoring based on capacitive electrodes to improve the throughput of ECG measurement procedures for biomedical research and establish a lower bound of coupling capacitance for non-contact application to heart rate. The new method is ideally suited for the rapid evaluation of autonomic regulation of heart rhythm in awake laboratory small animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-contact electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement is an advanced sensing technique that uses capacitive electrodes to detect cardiac signals through non-conductive fabrics. However, the capacitive coupling is a significant factor that affects signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of non-contact ECG, including skin-electrode active area, material, and thickness of the non-conductive fabric. This study aims to develop a high-fidelity non-contact ECG system to evaluate the influence of capacitive coupling on ECG measurement. In this study, a polymer foam with low surface resistance ($0.05\Omega $ /inch2) was designed for improving the capacitive-coupling interface between the curved body and electrode sensing surface. The system recorded excellent non-contact ECG of 29.8dB, and the accuracy of heart rate was 99.5% compared to wet-contact ECG measurement. The SNR exponentially attenuated with decreasing skin-electrode capacitance by the combined evidence of theoretical calculation and experimental results. The proposed system generates distinguishable ECG signals (SNR>0dB) at the skin-electrode capacitance above 85pF and maximum through-thickness of cotton-based cloth of 1.2mm. In conclusion, this study evaluated the influence of capacitive coupling on non-contact ECG measurements and established a lower bound of the coupling capacitance for satisfactory signal quality. Future studies may investigate whether the coupling capacitance can be further reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief presents a high-efficiency battery management unit combining a single-inductor dual-output (SIDO) buck converter with two charge pumps (CPs) to provide three voltage levels (6 V, −6 V, and 2 V) for neuron stimulators in implantable medical devices. The stacked power stage in the buck converter mitigates the voltage stress issue in the power stage to manage 3.2–4.8 V battery voltage. By cascading a buck converter and CPs, the voltage across the CP power stage is reduced to generate 6 V and −6 V high voltage outputs without using high voltage devices. As a result, the proposed battery management could provide 6 V, −6 V, and 2 V output voltages from 3.2 to 4.8 V input voltage using a 180-nm standard CMOS process. The measurement results demonstrate that the proposed battery management achieved a peak efficiency of 82.9% with an available input voltage of 3.2–4.8 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latent heat storage systems can improve the energy use efficiency and conserve limited energy resources. Microcapsules of lauric acid (LA) as the core and melamineformaldehyde (MF) resin as the shell were prepared as phase change material for latent heat thermal storage by in situ polymerization. The obtained microcapsules were characterized in their surface morphology, particle sizes, thermal properties, thermal cycling, and heat insulation test. Scanning electron microscope analysis suggests that the obtained microcapsules have a spherical shape and smooth surface, and the shell material presents a round shell layer associated with an inner porous structure. Differential scanning calorimeter measurement indicates that the fusion enthalpy of encapsulated LA is 84.96 J/g, which corresponds to 46.2% by weight of core content. The accelerated thermal cycling test proves that the melting temperature of encapsulated LA has little change after 70 thermal cycles. The heat insulation test indicates that LA microcapsules mixed with acrylic latex coating as a kind of smart coating can reduce the indoor temperature fluctuations. The preceding results showed that the MF/LA microcapsules possess good potential as a latent heat storage material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous hemodynamic monitoring is important for long-term cardiovascular healthcare, especially in hypertension. The impedance plethysmography (IPG) based carotid pulse sensing is a non-invasive diagnosis technique for measuring pulse signals and further evaluating the arterial conditions of the patient such as continuous blood pressure (BP) monitoring. To reach the high-resolution IPG-based carotid pulse detection for cardiovascular applications, this study provides an optimized measurement parameter in response to obvious pulsation from the carotid artery. The influence of the frequency of excitation current, electrode cross-sectional area, electrode arrangements, and physiological site of carotid arteries on IPG measurement resolution was thoroughly investigated for optimized parameters. In this study, the IPG system was implemented and installed on the subject's neck above the carotid artery to evaluate the measurement parameters. The measurement results within 6 subjects obtained the arterial impedance variation of 2137 mΩ using the optimized measurement conditions, including excitation frequency of 50 kHz, a smaller area of 2 cm2, electrode spacing of 4 cm and 1.7 cm for excitation and sensing functions, and location on the left side of the neck. The significance of this study demonstrates an optimized measurement methodology of IPG-based carotid pulse sensing that greatly improves the measurement quality in cardiovascular monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-invasive continuous blood pressure measurement is an emerging issue that potentially can be applied to cardiovascular disease monitoring and prediction. Recently, many groups have proposed the pulse transition time (PTT) method to estimate blood pressure for long-term monitoring. However, the PTT-based methods for blood pressure estimation are limited by non-specific estimation models and require multiple calibrations. This study aims to develop a low-cost wearable piezoelectric-based system for continuous beat-to-beat blood pressure measurement. The pressure change in the radial artery was extracted by systolic and diastolic feature points in pressure pulse wave (PPW) and the pressure sensitivity of the sensor. The proposed system showed a reliable accuracy of systolic blood pressure (SBP) (mean absolute error (MAE) ± standard deviation (SD) 1.52 ± 0.30 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP, MAE ± SD 1.83 ± 0.50), and its performance agreed with standard criteria of MAE within 5 mmHg and SD within ±8 mmHg. In conclusion, this study successfully developed a low-cost, high-accuracy piezoelectric-based system for continuous beat-to-beat SBP and DBP measurement without multiple calibrations and complex regression analysis. The system is potentially suitable for continuous, long-term blood pressure-monitoring applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]