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Crack identification is essential for the preventive maintenance of asphalt pavement. Through periodic inspection, the characteristics of existing and emerging cracks can be obtained, and the pavement condition index can be calculated to assess pavement health. The most common method to estimate the area of cracks in an image is to count the number of grid cells or boxes that cover the cracks in an image. Accurate and efficient crack identification is the premise of crack assessment. However, the current patch‐based classification method is limited by the receptive field and cannot be used to directly classify cracks. Furthermore, the postprocessing algorithm in anchor‐based detection is not explicitly optimized for crack topology. In this paper, a new model, which is the fusion of grid‐based classification and box‐based detection based on You Only Look Once version 5 (YOLO v5) is developed and described for the first time. The accuracy and efficiency of the model are high partly due to the implementation of a shared backbone network, multi‐task learning, and joint training. The non‐maximum suppression (NMS)–area‐reduction suppression (ARS) algorithm is presented to filter redundant, overlapping prediction boxes in the postprocessing stage for the crack topology, and the mapping and matching algorithm is proposed to combine the advantages of both the grid‐based and box‐based models. A double‐labeled dataset containing tens of thousands of asphalt pavement images is assembled, and the proposed method is verified on the test set. The fusion model has superior performance over the individual classification and detection models, and the proposed NMS‐ARS algorithm further improves the detection accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate that the presented method effectively realizes automatic crack identification for asphalt pavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dorsal stream is an important pathway for visual information transmission. As a part of the dorsal pathway, the middle temporal visual motion areas (V5/MT+) are mainly responsible for visual motion processing and the ability of visual motion processing is closely related to reading. Compared with alphabetic scripts, the visual structure of Chinese characters is more complex and there are no clear grapheme-phoneme correspondence rules. So the ability of visual analysis plays an important role in Chinese character processing. This study first investigated the brain activation of Chinese dyslexic children and children of the same chronological age when they observed coherent motion stimuli. ROI analysis indicated that only the activation of left V5/MT+ was significantly weaker in dyslexics than that in the control group. The activity of the magnocellular-dorsal stream was closely related to orthographic awareness in the combined data (two groups) and the typical children. In dyslexia group, the stronger the activation of V5/MT+ was, the worse the phonological awareness, rapid naming performance and orthographic awareness were. In short, Chinese dyslexic children were deficient in the activation of the left V5/MT+ and the activity of the magnocellular-dorsal pathway was closely related to orthographic awareness in Chinese pupils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high local electron density and efficient charge carrier separation are two important factors to affect photocatalytic activity, especially for the CO2 photoreduction reaction. However, the systematic studies on the structure‐functional relationship regarding the above two factors based on precisely structure model are rarely reported. Herein, as a proof‐of‐concept, we developed a new strategy on the evaluation of local electron density by controlling the relative electron‐deficient (ED) and electron‐rich (ER) intensity of monomer at a molecular level based on three rational‐designed vinylene‐linked sp2 carbon‐covalent organic frameworks (COFs). As expected, the as‐prepared vinylene‐linked sp2 carbon‐conjugated metal‐covalent organic framework (MCOFs) (VL‐MCOF‐1) with molecular junction exhibited excellent activities for CO2‐to‐HCOOH conversion (283.41 μmol g−1 h−1) and high selectivity of 97.1 %, much higher than the VL‐MCOF‐2 and g‐C34N6‐COF, which is due to the synergistic effect of the multi‐electronic metal clusters (Cu3(PyCA)3) (PyCA=pyrazolate‐4‐carboxaldehyde) as strong ER roles and cyanopyridine units as ED roles and active sites, as well as the boosted photo‐induced charge separation efficiency of vinyl connection and increased light utilization ability. These results not only provide a strategy for regulating the electron‐density distribution of photocatalysts at the molecular level but also offers profound insights for metal clusters‐based COFs to effective CO2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Hikikomori is a common phenomenon reported in Japan and many other countries. However, the broad trends of the research publications on hikikomori are unclear. Therefore, this study examined the patterns of research on hikikomori using bibliometric analysis. Methods: Relevant publications were searched in Web of Science. Bibliometric analyses were performed with CiteSpace, R and VOSviewer. Results: In total, 297 publications on hikikomori met the eligibility criteria. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry (IF = 10.461) published the most papers (K = 17, or 5.7%) on hikikomori. Takahiro A. Kato from Kyushu University (41; 13.8%; H‐index = 18) was the most influential author, while Takahiro A. Kato (total link strength [TLS]: 235), Alan R. Teo (TLS: 157), and Masaru Tateno (TLS: 153) separately had the strongest research collaboration with other researchers. Of all countries that published on hikikomori, Japan had the highest number of publications (K = 91). The keywords "United States" and "psychiatric diagnosis" received the most attention between 2013 and 2015, whereas "health" and "autism spectrum disorder" received the most attention in 2021 and 2022. Conclusions: Peer‐reviewed research publications on hikikomori are growing rapidly and the research trends in this field are also changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we innovatively assembled two types of traditional photosensitizers, that is pyridine ruthenium/ferrum (Ru(bpy)32+/Fe(bpy)32+) and porphyrin/metalloporphyrin complex (2HPor/ZnPor) by covalent linkage to get a series of dual photosensitizer‐based three‐dimensional metal‐covalent organic frameworks (3D MCOFs), which behaved strong visible light‐absorbing ability, efficient electron transfer and suitable band gap for highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) evolution. Rubpy‐ZnPor COF achieved the highest H2 yield (30 338 μmol g−1 h−1) with apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 9.68 %@420 nm, which showed one of the best performances among all reported COF based photocatalysts. Furthermore, the in situ produced H2 was successfully tandem used in the alkyne hydrogenation with ≈99.9 % conversion efficiency. Theoretical calculations reveal that both the two photosensitizer units in MCOFs can be photoexcited and thus contribute optimal photocatalytic activity. This work develops a general strategy and shows the great potential of using multiple photosensitive materials in the field of photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recurrent bladder cancer is the most common type of urinary tract malignancy; nevertheless, the mechanistic basis for its recurrence is uncertain. Innovative technologies such as single‐cell transcriptomics and spatial transcriptomics (ST) offer new avenues for studying recurrent tumour progression at the single‐cell level while preserving spatial data. Method: This study integrated single‐cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing and ST profiling to examine the tumour microenvironment (TME) of six bladder cancer tissues (three from primary tumours and three from recurrent tumours). Findings: scRNA data‐based ST deconvolution analysis revealed a much higher tumour heterogeneity along with TME in recurrent tumours than in primary tumours. High‐resolution ST analysis further identified that while the overall natural killer/T cell and malignant cell count or the ratio of total cells was similar or even lower in the recurrent tumours, a higher interaction between epithelial and immune cells was detected. Moreover, the analysis of spatial communication reveals a marked increase in activity between cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and malignant cells, as well as other immune cells in recurrent tumours. Interpretation: We observed an enhanced interplay between CAFs and malignant cells in bladder recurrent tumours. These findings were first observed at the spatial level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In large‐span grid structures with thousands of members involved, bending deformation of members is one of the most commonly observed damages affecting the normal service, even the safety of structures. Traditional testing and monitoring methods show weakness in the accurate judgment of crooked members and precision of deformation measurements. In this paper, a new deformation inspection and monitoring method of grid structures using image‐based 3D reconstruction is proposed, wherein a new method is put forward to automatically recognize and extract the shape deformation of the structural member for the first time. First, the key area with multiple members is modeled as a three‐dimensional mesh model using image‐based 3D reconstruction. Then, a new automated recognition and extraction algorithm of shape deformation (AREAS) is carried out, and crooked members, together with their deformed shapes, are extracted from the mesh model through AREAS. In this study, a load experiment of a quadrangular pyramid grid structure containing artificial crooked members and speckled members is designed to compare the deformation measurements using image‐based 3D reconstruction with those using laser scanning. The comparison of deformation and deformation increment shows an average error within 1 mm for image‐based 3D reconstruction, which validates the proposed method in on‐site inspection and monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the relationship between coal seam buried depth and surface subsidence and select appropriate filling materials, taking Donggou coal mine as the engineering geological prototype, through mechanical test and theoretical analysis, this paper studies the distribution characteristics of in-situ stress and the selection of paste filling materials and their proportion test. The influence of different filling strengths on the overburden movement law and surface settlement law of the working face is analyzed. Based on the experimental research and measured research results, the appropriate filling material is selected. The numerical results show that the material ratio scheme 4 can meet the actual needs of surface subsidence in the process of filling mining. At the same time, the surface subsidence value decreases with the increase of coal seam buried depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A large crack detection dataset of 2446 manually labeled images is established to cover a wide range of noise and to evaluate the performance of end‐to‐end deep convolutional networks in detecting cracking. Five state‐of‐the‐art end‐to‐end deep computer vision architectures for semantic segmentation are trained and evaluated, including Fully Convolutional Network (FCN), Global Convolutional Network (GCN), Pyramid Scene Parsing Network (PSPNet), UPerNet, and DeepLabv3+. For the backbones, the VGG, ResNet, and DenseNet are adopted. Based on the comparison of test set metrics, DeepLabv3+ with the ResNet101 backbone achieved the highest IoU of 0.6298, the highest recall of 0.6834, and the highest F1 score of 0.7732. The influence of database choice and image noise on crack detection performance is reported. Based on the comparison of predicted images, UperNet with ResNet101 backbone shows the highest performance for images with shadings, while DeepLabv3+ with ResNet101 backbone shows the best performance for images with blemishes. The research outcome can provide reference for the application of fast and accurate detection of cracks in civil engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The orthogonality among optical beams with different orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes presents a new perspective as independent data‐carrying channels for multiplexing and demultiplexing. In particular, the theoretically infinite topological charge of OAM beam promises the unbounded capacity in communication systems. As a key part for the advancement of OAM technologies, OAM source has attracted considerable interest and experienced a rapid development. Nevertheless, conventional approaches to create OAM modes mainly rely on the use of bulky optical devices and external laser source, preventing their implementation into a miniaturized system. As a contrast, on‐chip generation of OAM beams with a built‐in source stands out with several advantages, including small footprint, compactness, portability, and high‐power efficiency. In this work, a versatile approach to directly produce OAM modes with on‐demand characteristics on a chip is demonstrated. Featuring the judicious combination of the emerging dielectric metasurface with the standard vertical cavity surface‐emitting laser (VCSEL) platform, the approach represents a feasible solution to the wide implementation of wafer‐level OAM emitters for optoelectronic integrations. Prototype laser chips for the generation of both individual OAM beam and OAM array with novel functionalites, such as controllable directionality and spatially varying topological charge and distribution, are systematically presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Front‐fed parabolic reflectors are among the most commonly used antennas in the industry. While in spaceborne applications, membrane reflectors are very promising due to their lightweight and foldable features. However, considering the large size, small thickness and low stiffness, solar radiation and microwave radiation will have considerable influences on the antennas' shape accuracy as well as the radiation characteristics. In this article, a theoretical approach is presented to solve the multi‐physical effects of the parabolic antenna. The deformation of the reflector is derived by the shallow shell theory, taking into account the solar pressure, the microwave pressure and the thermal effects due to solar and microwave heating. The far‐field electromagnetic radiation pattern is then obtained by considering the deformation of the reflector. On the other hand, a numerical approach combining the finite element method, the multi‐level fast multipole method, and the large element physical optics is also presented. Numerical examples suggest good agreement between the theoretical and numerical results. The methods have been applied into the analysis of design models in the Space Solar Power Station project. Also, these approaches can be directly extended into other space membrane reflector antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crack assessment has remained one of the high‐priority research topics for structural health monitoring. However, the current research mainly focuses on the crack assessment at some point, but pays relatively less attention to the long‐term development of cracks, which is important for structure health monitoring. In this paper, a new method based on dual‐convolutional neural network (CNN) (well over 94% accuracy), digital image processing technology and shape context is proposed, which achieves a fully automated process composed of crack detection, crack measurement, and quantitative crack growth monitoring. In crack growth monitoring, an algorithm to label each crack is put forward for the first time, which is able to reflect the sequential order of the occurrence of cracks. Therefore, each skeleton point of cracks will be assigned an ID which contains information about its identity and width in order to monitor cracks at both a global and local level. Experimental studies of a concrete member with complex cracks are utilized for the illustration and validation of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crack assessment of bridge piers using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) eliminates unsafe factors of manual inspection and provides a potential way for the maintenance of transportation infrastructures. However, the implementation of UAV‐based crack assessment for real bridge piers is hindered by several key issues, including the following: (a) both perspective distortion and the geometry distortion by nonflat structural surfaces usually appear on crack images taken by the UAV system from the pier surface; however, these two kinds of distortions are difficult to correct at the same time; and (b) the crack image taken by a close‐range inspection flight UAV system is partially imaged, containing only a small part of the entire surface of the pier, and thereby hinders crack localization. In this paper, a new image‐based crack assessment methodology for bridge piers using UAV and three‐dimensional (3D) scene reconstruction is proposed. First, the data acquisition of UAV‐based crack assessment is discussed, and the UAV flight path and photography strategy for bridge pier assessment are proposed. Second, image‐based crack detection and 3D reconstruction are conducted to obtain crack width feature pair sequences and 3D surface models, respectively. Third, a new method of projecting cracks onto a meshed 3D surface triangular model is proposed, which can correct both the perspective distortion and geometry distortion by nonflat structural surfaces, and realize the crack localization. Field test investigations of crack assessment of a real bridge pier using a UAV are carried out for illustration, validation, and error analysis of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to find more exon mutation sites and lncRNA candidates associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with obesity (O‐T2DM). We used O‐T2DM patients and healthy individuals to detect mutations in their peripheral blood by whole‐exon sequencing. And changes in lncRNA expression caused by mutation sites were studied at the RNA level. Then, we performed GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis. We found a total of 277 377 mutation sites between O‐T2DM and healthy individuals. Then, we performed a DNA‐RNA joint analysis. Based on the screening of harmful sites, 30 mutant genes shared in O‐T2DM patients were screened. At the RNA level, mutations of 106 differentially expressed genes were displayed. Finally, a consensus mutation site and differential expression consensus gene screening were performed. In the current study, the results revealed significant differences in exon sites in peripheral blood between O‐T2DM and healthy individuals, which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of O‐T2DM by affecting the expression of the corresponding lncRNA. This study provides clues to the molecular mechanisms of metabolic disorders in O‐T2DM patients at the DNA and RNA levels, as well as biomarkers of the risk of these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Although the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is still not completely understood, the deregulated microglia polarization and neuroinflammation have been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of this disease. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether hirsutella sinensis (HS) could reduce neuroinflammatory and pathological changes in the spinal cord of SOD1G93A model mice of ALS and consequently ameliorate disease onset and progression. Methods: SOD1G93A mice were chronically treated with HS by gavage. Their lifespan was recorded, and motor behavior was evaluated by rotarod test. The pathological changes in skeletal muscles and motor neurons in spinal cords were assessed by immunofluorescent staining and hematoxylin‐eosin staining. The microglia activation and neuroinflammation were determined by immunofluorescent staining and RT‐PCR. Results: Our data suggested that repeated HS administration prolonged the lifespan and extended disease duration of ALS mice without significant delay on disease onset. HS ameliorated the pathological changes in the motor neurons and gastrocnemius muscles. Moreover, HS promoted the transition of microglia from pro‐inflammatory M1 to anti‐inflammatory M2 phenotype in the spinal cord of ALS mice. Conclusion: All these findings indicate that HS may serve as a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a carboxy esterification reaction was used to graft the hydrophilic polymers polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) onto the surface of carbon fibers (CFs). The properties of the grafted CFs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and through the measurement of interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). SEM enabled the graft morphology on CF surfaces to be determined. In comparisons of grafted and non‐grafted CFs, AFM indicated that the roughness was significantly improved; XPS showed that the concentration of oxygen‐containing functional groups increased by 186.1%; TG showed that the grafting rate of CF‐grafted PEG (CF‐g‐PEG) was 0.5%, and that of CF‐grafted PVA (CF‐g‐PVA) was 2.0%; and the ILSS of CF‐g‐PEG and CF‐g‐PVA increased by 22.7% and 43.0%, respectively. We conclude that esterification grafting is an effective method for modifying the physicochemical properties of CFs and improving the interfacial adhesion of composites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1043–1050, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate the role of Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in its regulation of TRPM7. Wistar male rats were randomly divided into the normal saline (NS), LPS, knockout (KO) + LPS, low-dose Tan IIA (Tan-L), middle-dose Tan IIA (Tan-M), high-dose Tan IIA (Tan-H) and KO + high-dose Tan IIA (KO + Tan-H) groups. The level of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, TRPM7 protein expression, current density-voltage curve and Ca2+ concentration were detected through ELISA, Western blotting, electrophysiological experiment and a calcium-imaging technique, respectively. The rats in the KO + LPS, Tan-L, Tan-M, Tan-H and KO + Tan-H groups all displayed lower levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 than the LPS group. Rats in the KO + Tan-H group exhibited lower levels of NF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 than rats in the Tan-H group. Elevated levels of TRPM7 protein expression in the LPS and Tan groups were detected in comparison with the NS group. However, TRPM7 protein expression in Tan-M and Tan-H groups was notably lower than in that of the LPS group. In comparison with the NS group, the LPS and Tan groups had a greater PIMs cell density and a higher concentration of Ca2+. Contrary results were observed in the KO + LPS, Tan-H and KO + Tan-H groups. Tan IIA decreases calcium influx in PIMs and inhibits pro-inflammatory factors which provide an alleviatory effect in regards to LPS-induced ALI by suppressing TRPM7 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Although the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is still not completely understood, the deregulated microglia polarization and neuroinflammation have been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of this disease. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether hirsutella sinensis (HS) could reduce neuroinflammatory and pathological changes in the spinal cord of SOD1 G93A model mice of ALS and consequently ameliorate disease onset and progression., Methods: SOD1 G93A mice were chronically treated with HS by gavage. Their lifespan was recorded, and motor behavior was evaluated by rotarod test. The pathological changes in skeletal muscles and motor neurons in spinal cords were assessed by immunofluorescent staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The microglia activation and neuroinflammation were determined by immunofluorescent staining and RT-PCR., Results: Our data suggested that repeated HS administration prolonged the lifespan and extended disease duration of ALS mice without significant delay on disease onset. HS ameliorated the pathological changes in the motor neurons and gastrocnemius muscles. Moreover, HS promoted the transition of microglia from pro-inflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype in the spinal cord of ALS mice., Conclusion: All these findings indicate that HS may serve as a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of ALS., (© 2019 The Authors. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)