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Sulfide solid electrolytes (SSEs) have garnered significant attention for their high ionic conductivity in the development of all‐solid‐state batteries (ASSBs). However, SSEs face challenges due to poor chemical and electrochemical stability, leading to SE decomposition at the anode, which in turn increases internal resistance and reduces cycle performance. Herein, to address this issue, thin polymer layers are applied to prevent direct contact between the SSE and anode using the initiated chemical vapor deposition process. This method facilitates the uniform coating of eight types of polymers with polar functionalities on indium (In) anodes. Half‐cell tests and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveals that poly(acrylic acid) and poly((perfluorohexyl)ethyl acrylate), containing ─COOH and C─F bonds respectively, effectively stabilized the In/SSE interface. In full cells assembled with polymer‐coated In and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811), capacity retention show remarkable improvement, achieving 64.8% for In@pAA and 50.7% for In@pC6FA after 100 cycles, compared to 29.0% for bare In. This study provides insights into the interaction between polar bonds in polymers and SSEs, potentially bridging a significant knowledge gap resulting from the significant lack of research investigating the relationship between polymers, one of the primary materials commonly used in ASSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stable lithium metal anode was fabricated using a functional lithiophilic thin film polymer. The functional film captures HF impurities in the electrolyte and provides a fluorine-rich surface. In addition, the lithiophilic properties and in situ formed stable solid-electrolyte-interphase layer induced uniform lithium electrodeposition and exhibited outstanding cell performance in both liquid and solid electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anode‐free Li metal batteries are one of the finest prospects for increasing energy density beyond that of standard lithium‐ion batteries. Conversely, the absence of Li reservoir generates unwarranted volume expansion, permitting electrolyte depletion and rapid cathode capacity consumption. To address this issue, an anode‐free Li metal battery with an ion‐conductive layer coated Cu current collector Ag/L in typical carbonate‐based electrolytes is presented. The ion‐conducting layer causes stable solid electrolyte interphase development and allows for minimal volume expansion when utilizing stable Li hosts. Via density functional theory calculation and experimental measurements and analysis, the beneficial effect of Li hosting behavior of the ion‐conductive layer is demonstrated. Furthermore, anode‐free electrochemical performance with high discharge capacity retention, which is exceptional in a traditional carbonate electrolyte with LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 based cathode (4.2 mAh cm−2) and high current density (2.1 mA cm−2) is shown. To prove material compatibility, argyrodite sulfide solid electrolytes instead of liquid electrolytes, which show Coulombic efficiency of 97% at 50 cycles in all‐solid‐state Li half‐cells are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an impact-angle guidance law of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with time-varying thrust in a boosting phase. Most current research on impact-angle guidance law assumes that UAV speed is constant in terms of controlled thrust. However, the UAV speed and the acceleration in a boosting phase keep changing because of time-varying thrust. Environmental factors and manufacturing process error may prohibit accurately predicting vehicle-thrust profiles. We propose a nonlinear impact-angle guidance law by analytically solving second-order error dynamics with nonlinear time-varying coefficients. The proposed analytic solution enables one to update guidance gains according to initial and current states so that desired impact angle is met while the miss-distance error is reduced. We prove the finite-time error convergence of the proposed guidance law with the Lyapunov stability theory. Various simulation studies are performed to verify the proposed guidance law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LiDAR-based localization has been widely used for the pose estimation of autonomous vehicles. Since the localization requires a sustainable map reflecting environment changes, a map update framework based on crowd-sourcing measurements has been researched. Unfortunately, a point cloud map occupies too large data size to transmit data in the uploading and downloading of the map update framework. To realize the LiDAR map update framework by reducing the data size, we proposed a novel map update framework using a Geodetic Normal Distribution (GND) map that compresses the point cloud to the normal distributions. The proposed GND map update framework comprises two parts: map change detection based on crowd-sourcing vehicles and map updating based on a map cloud server. GND map changes are detected based on an evidence theory considering geometric relationships between the GND map and crowd-sourcing measurements and uploaded to the map cloud server. Uploaded map changes reproduce representative map changes based on a similarity-based clustering, which are updated into the GND map. The proposed framework was evaluated in simulations and real environments on construction sites. As a result, although partial map changes occurred, the GND map was kept up-to-date through the proposed framework and the localization for autonomous driving was performed successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic light recognition is being intensively researched for the purpose of reducing traffic accidents at intersections and realizing autonomous driving. However, conventional vision-based approaches have several limitations due to full image scanning, always-on operation, various different types of traffic lights, and complex driving environments. In particular, it might be impossible to recognize a relevant traffic light among multiple traffic lights at multiple intersections. To overcome such limitations, we propose an effective architecture that integrates a vision system with an accurate positioning system and an extended digital map. The recognition process is divided into four stages and we suggest an extended methodology for each stage. These stages are: ROI generation, detection, classification, and tracking. The 3D positions of traffic lights and slope information obtained from an extended digital map enable ROIs to be generated accurately, even on slanted roads, while independent design and implementation of individual recognition modules for detection and classification allow for selection according to the type of traffic light face. Such a modular architecture gives the system simplicity, flexibility, and maintainable algorithms. In addition, adaptive tracking that exploits the distance to traffic lights allows for seamless state estimation through smooth data association when measurements change from long to short ranges. Evaluation of the proposed system occurred at six test sites and utilized two different types of traffic lights, seven states, sloped roads, and various environmental complexities. The experimental results show that the proposed system can recognize traffic lights with 98.68% precision, 92.73% recall, and 95.52% accuracy in the 10.02–81.21 m range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In South Korea, there is currently no syndromic surveillance system using internet search data, including Google Flu Trends. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between national influenza surveillance data and Google Trends in South Korea. Methods: Our study was based on a publicly available search engine database, Google Trends, using 12 influenza-related queries, from September 9, 2007 to September 8, 2012. National surveillance data were obtained from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) influenza-like illness (ILI) and virologic surveillance system. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to compare the national surveillance and the Google Trends data for the overall period and for 5 influenza seasons. Results: The correlation coefficient between the KCDC ILI and virologic surveillance data was 0.72 (p<0.05). The highest correlation was between the Google Trends query of H1N1 and the ILI data, with a correlation coefficient of 0.53 (p<0.05), for the overall study period. When compared with the KCDC virologic data, the Google Trends query of bird flu had the highest correlation with a correlation coefficient of 0.93 (p<0.05) in the 2010-11 season. The following queries showed a statistically significant correlation coefficient compared with ILI data for three consecutive seasons: Tamiflu (r = 0.59, 0.86, 0.90, p<0.05), new flu (r = 0.64, 0.43, 0.70, p<0.05) and flu (r = 0.68, 0.43, 0.77, p<0.05). Conclusions: In our study, we found that the Google Trends for certain queries using the survey on influenza correlated with national surveillance data in South Korea. The results of this study showed that Google Trends in the Korean language can be used as complementary data for influenza surveillance but was insufficient for the use of predictive models, such as Google Flu Trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The exclusive distribution of 5-HT6 receptor in the brain regions and high affinity for antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs makes 5-HT6 receptor a promising target in treatment of CNS diseases. Based on a pharmacophore model reported in the literature, we designed and synthesized a novel series of 5-HT6 receptor ligands having indole as a central aromatic core and 1-amino-4-methyl piperazine as positive ionizable group. Out of 32 compounds we have successfully identified 10 new compounds as 5-HT6 receptor antagonists. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies have been carried out by mapping the compounds with the 3D QSAR model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper we discuss the detection, investigation and remediation of a silicon pitting defect in gate oxide patterning processes. The pitting defect is detected by optical inspection after an oxide wet etch operation. The cause of the physical defect is discovered as the result of Non-Visual Defect (NVD) inspection at process steps prior to the wet etch. A particular type of NVD, electric charge on a photoresist film, is detected at a process step immediately prior to the wet etch. A positive charge exceeding a specific level is highly correlated with the pitting defect, which only occurred on silicon that is doped to create an excess of free holes (p-type silicon). The manufacturing process is modified to reduce the level of process-induced charge, which also reduces the occurrence of pitting defects. A similar pitting defect is subsequently detected on a second manufacturing line at a different technology node. In this case, our investigation reveals that high negative charge on photoresist resulted in pitting only on silicon that is doped to create an excess of electrons (n-type silicon). Finite element modeling is used to identify a possible explanation for the charge-induced pitting defect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LiDAR-based Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM), which provides environmental information for autonomous vehicles by map building, is a major challenge for autonomous driving. In addition, the semantic information has been used for the LiDAR-based SLAM with the advent of deep neural network-based semantic segmentation algorithms. The semantic segmented point clouds provide a much greater range of functionality for autonomous vehicles than geometry alone, which can play an important role in the mapping step. However, due to the uncertainty of the semantic segmentation algorithms, the semantic segmented point clouds have limitations in being directly used for SLAM. In order to solve the limitations, this paper proposes a semantic segmentation-based LiDAR SLAM system considering the uncertainty of the semantic segmentation algorithms. The uncertainty is explicitly modeled by proposed probability models which are come from the data-driven approaches. Based on the probability models, this paper proposes semantic registration which calculates the transformation relationship of consecutive point clouds using semantic information with proposed probability models. Furthermore, the proposed probability models are used to determine the semantic class of the points when the multiple scans indicate different classes due to the uncertainty. The proposed framework is verified and evaluated by the KITTI dataset and outdoor environments. The experiment results show that the proposed semantic mapping framework reduces the errors of the mapping poses and eliminates the ambiguity of the semantic information of the generated semantic map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A High-Definition map (HD map) is a precise and detailed map composed of various landmark feature layers. The HD map is a core technology that facilitates the essential functions of intelligent vehicles. Recently, it has come to be required for the HD map to continuously add new feature layers in order to increase the performances of intelligent vehicles in more complicated environments. However, it is difficult to generate a new feature layer for the HD map, because the conventional method of generating the HD map based on several professional mapping cars has high costs in terms of time and money due to the need to re-drive on all of the public roads. In order to reduce these costs, we propose a crowd-sourced mapping process of the new feature layer for the HD map. This process is composed of two steps. First, new features in the environments are acquired from multiple intelligent vehicles. The acquired new features build each new feature layer in each intelligent vehicle using the HD map-based GraphSLAM approach, and these new feature layers are conveyed to a map cloud through a mobile network system. Next, the crowd-sourced new feature layers are integrated into a new feature layer in a map cloud. In the simulation, the performance of the crowd-sourced process is then analyzed and evaluated. Experiments in real driving environments confirm the results of the simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, many intelligent vehicles are equipped with various sensors to recognize their surrounding environment and to measure the motion or position of the vehicle. In addition, the number of intelligent vehicles equipped with a mobile Internet modem is increasing. Based on the sensors and Internet connection, the intelligent vehicles are able to share the sensor information with other vehicles via a cloud service. The sensor information sharing via the cloud service promises to improve the safe and efficient operation of the multiple intelligent vehicles. This paper presents a cloud update framework of occupancy grid maps for multiple intelligent vehicles in a large-scale environment. An evidential theory is applied to create the occupancy grid maps to address sensor disturbance such as measurement noise, occlusion and dynamic objects. Multiple vehicles equipped with LiDARs, motion sensors, and a low-cost GPS receiver create the evidential occupancy grid map (EOGM) for their passing trajectory based on GraphSLAM. A geodetic quad-tree tile system is applied to manage the EOGM, which provides a common tiling format to cover the large-scale environment. The created EOGM tiles are uploaded to EOGM cloud and merged with old EOGM tiles in the cloud using Dempster combination of evidential theory. Experiments were performed to evaluate the multiple EOGM mapping and the cloud update framework for large-scale road environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All‐solid‐state batteries (SSBs) represent one of the most promising avenues for surpassing the energy density limitations of conventional lithium‐ion batteries. However, the unstable interfacial contact between the solid‐state electrolyte and the electrode poses a critical challenge for practical applications. To tackle this issue, a hybrid system incorporating both liquid electrolytes (LEs) and sulfide solid‐state electrolytes may serve as a viable alternative. In this hybrid system, the LE facilitates the in situ formation of a solid electrolyte interphase layer, thereby enhancing the physical interface contact. Consequently, the electrochemical lifetime of the hybrid all‐SSBs is significantly improved, as evidenced by the stable lithium plating behavior observed through analytical techniques such as in situ X‐ray imaging. Nonetheless, the hybrid system exhibits clear limitations, and several issues that need to be addressed for its practical implementation are identified. In conclusion, potential solutions that could be employed to overcome these challenges are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel series of 3-arylsulfonylamino-5,6-dihydro-6-substituted-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridine-7-ones was designed and synthesized as 5-HT6 ligands. Among the derivatives synthesized, the lead compound, 12b, having piperidine functionality at the 6-position and (1-naphthyl)sulfonamino at the 3-position of the core structure showed the most potent 5-HT6 inhibitory activity in vitro, good stability without CYP liability, and good neuropathic pain alleviation activity in a rat animal model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Carbon nanofibers decorated with various metal oxide nanoparticles were fabricated by combining an electrospinning technique of bicomponent polymer mixture and a sol-gel reaction and subsequent carbonization process. Electrospun polymer nanofibers consisting of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) with controllable diameters were fabricated with PAN/PVP core/shell types via phase-separation due to the immiscibility between two polymers. The electrospun nanofibers served as supporting materials with binding sites of PVP to incorporate titanium oxide precursor. Subsequently, the carbonization of the fibers led to the formation of carbon nanofibers@TiO2 for energy application, in which rutile TiO2 nanoparticles were decorated on the surface of carbon nanofiber. Especially, this TiO2 decorated carbon nanofiber electrode exhibited excellent electrochemical property in lithium-ion batteries (≈600 mA h g−1 at C/5 rate for 100 cycles). Furthermore, the carbon nanofibers were also successfully modified with other metal oxides, including NiO, SnO2, and ZrO2 nanoparticles, in a similar manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carpooling for commuting can save cost and helps in reducing pollution. An automatic Web based Global CarPooling Matching Service (GCPMS) for matching commuting trips has been designed. The service supports carpooling candidates by supplying advice during their exploration for potential partners. Such services collect data about the candidates, and base their advice for each pair of trips to be combined, on an estimate of the probability for successful negotiation between the candidates to carpool. The probability values are calculated by a learning mechanism using, on one hand, the registered person and trip characteristics, and on the other hand, the negotiation feedback. The problem of maximizing the expected value of carpooling negotiation success was formulated and was proved to be NP-hard. In addition, the network characteristics for a realistic case have been analyzed. The carpooling network was established using results predicted by the operational FEATHERS activity based model for Flanders (Belgium). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The number of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) and their ligands are highly expressed in malignant tumor cells. The EGF signaling pathway is also activated in up to one-third of patients with breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the novel function of the JAK3 inhibitor, WHI-P131, on EGF-induced MMP-9 expression and the regulatory mechanism of EGF-induced MMP-9 expression in SKBR3 cells. We observed that EGF increased MMP-9 mRNA and protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. EGF also induced the phosphorylation of EGFR, ERK, and STAT-3, and these effects were inhibited by the EGFR inhibitor, AG1478. To investigate the involvement of the STAT-3 pathway on EGF-induced MMP-9 expression, we pretreated SKBR3 cells with JAK1, JAK2, and JAK3 inhibitors prior to EGF treatment. The results showed that the JAK3 inhibitor, WHI-P131, as well as JAK3 siRNA transfection, but not the JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitors, significantly decreased EGF-induced MMP-9 expression. In addition, EGF-induced STAT-3 phosphorylation was only inhibited by WHI-P131. We then transfected cells with adenoviral STAT-3 (Ad-STAT-3), followed by treatment with EGF. Interestingly, EGF-induced MMP-9 expression was decreased by Ad-STAT-3 overexpression in a dose-dependent manner, while it was significantly increased by STAT-3 siRNA transfection. Our results also showed that basal levels of MMP-9 expression were significantly increased by constitutive active-MEK (CA-MEK) overexpression. EGF-induced ERK phosphorylation was prevented by WHI-P131, but not by JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitors. On the other hand, EGF-induced MMP-9 expression was decreased by the MEK1/2 inhibitor, UO126. Therefore, for the first time, we suggest that the JAK3 inhibitor, WHI-P131, inhibits EGF-induced STAT-3 phosphorylation as well as ERK phosphorylation. The JAK3/ERK pathway may play an important role in EGF-induced MMP-9 expression in SKBR3 cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Backgrounds: Acute longitudinal myelitis is a group of disorders characterized by multifocal or long segmental inflammation of the spinal cord, rapidly evolving paraparesis or paraplegia, a sensory level on the trunk, and bilateral Babinski signs. Case: A 30-year-old man presented with progressive paraparesis which began 4 days ago. His neurological deficits occurred abruptly and showed rapid progression to paraplegia (MRC grade 1), neurogenic bladder only within 2 days. The sensory deficit was occurred below T4 level. Labotary data showed a white blood cell count of 8,900/uL, ESR of 3.0 mm/hr (normal < 20). Antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer was negative, and anti-dsDNA antibody, anti-Smith antibody, anti-phospholipid antibody, anti-cardiolipin antibodies (IgG,IgM), anti- RNP antibody, anti-SSA/SSB antibodies were normal. Serum levels of complement(C3 and C4) were normal. And the VDRL test was negative. Aspirated cerebrospinal fluid contained leukocyte of 432 HPF, protein 92.2 mg/dl (15~45), and glucose 69 mg/dl (50~75). Subsequently, the Gram stain and culture of CSF were found to be negative. (IgG index was 0.8) Somatosensory evoked potential findings were suggestive of central conduction defect in the bilateral posterior tibial nerve stimulated SSEP pathway. MRI of the whole spinal cord showed multifocal highsignal intensities involving the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal cord. Brain MRI was non-specific findings. After prompt administration of intravenous methylprednisolone for 5 days, paraparesis and sensory deficits have recovered to almost normal state over 2 weeks. But voiding difficulty has not improved. Follow up MRI performed one month later revealed markedly decreased high signal intensities in the previous lesions. Conclusion: We report an unusual case of acute idiopathic longitudinal myelitis which was not accompanied by other connective tissue diseases such as SLE or Sjogren's syndrome and showed dramatic response to steroid therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]