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Using deep learning technology to control vehicles at intersections is a research hotspot in the field of intelligent transportation.Previous studies suffer from the inability to adapt to dynamic changes in the number of self-driving vehicles,slow convergence of training,and locally optimal training results.This work focuses on how autonomous vehicles can use distributed deep reinforcement methods to improve the efficiency of intersections at unsignalized intersections.First,an efficient reward function is proposed to apply the distributed reinforcement learning algorithm to the unsignalized intersection scenario,which can effectively improve the efficiency of intersection passage by relying on only local information even if the vehicle cannot obtain the whole intersection state information.Then,to address the problem of inefficient training of reinforcement learning methods in open intersection scenarios,a transfer learning approach is used to improve the training efficiency by using the trained strategy in the closed figure-of-eight scenario as a warm start and continuing the training in the unsignalized intersection scenario.Finally,this paper proposes a strategy that can be adapted to all proportions of autonomous vehicles,and this strategy can improve intersection access efficiency in scenarios with any proportion of autonomous vehicles.The algorithm is validated on the simulation platform Flow,and the experimental results show that the proposed smart body model converges quickly in training,can adapt to dynamic changes in the proportion of self-driving vehicles,and can effectively improve the efficiency of intersections.

Background and Purpose: Liver fibrosis is a wound‐healing reaction which is the main cause of chronic liver diseases worldwide. The activated hepatic stellate cell (aHSC) is the main driving factor in the development of liver fibrosis. Inhibiting autophagy of aHSC can prevent the progression of liver fibrosis, but inhibiting autophagy of other liver cells has opposite effects. Hence, targeted inhibition of autophagy in aHSC is quite necessary for the treatment of liver fibrosis, which prompts us to explore the targeted delivery system of small molecule autophagy inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) that can target aHSC and alleviate the liver fibrosis. Methods: The delivery system of HCQ@retinol‐liposome nanoparticles (HCQ@ROL‐LNPs) targeting aHSC was constructed by the film dispersion and pH‐gradient method. TGF‐β‐induced HSC activation and thioacetamide (TAA)‐induced liver fibrosis mice model were established, and the targeting ability and therapeutic effect of HCQ@ROL‐LNPs in liver fibrosis were studied subsequently in vitro and in vivo. Results: HCQ@ROL‐LNPs have good homogeneity and stability. They inhibited the autophagy of aHSC selectively by HCQ and reduced the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and the damage to other liver cells. Compared with the free HCQ and HCQ@LNPs, HCQ@ROL‐LNPs had good targeting ability, showing enhanced therapeutic effect and low toxicity to other organs. Conclusion: Construction of HCQ@ROL‐LNPs delivery system lays a theoretical and experimental foundation for the treatment of liver fibrosis and promotes the development of clinical therapeutic drugs for liver diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature is always one of the most important factors that critically affects the electrical performance of devices. In the present work, the thermochromic function has been realized on oxide neuromorphic transistors gated by a chitosan based electrolyte mixed with temperature-sensitive thermochromic powder. Except for extremely strong proton gating effects, the device exhibits temperature-sensitive thermochromic activities with good electrical performance. It also demonstrates typical synaptic functions at different temperatures, mimicking heat pain sensation activities. Additionally, a high recognition accuracy of ∼93.80% for MNIST handwritten digits is obtained at different temperatures, indicating good stabilities for neuromorphic computing. The present work opens up interesting idea for bionic cognitive electronic skin and bionic thermochromic cognitive platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was to study the effects of dietary isochlorogenic acid (ICGA) on early growth performance, intestinal structure, immune performance, and microbial diversity of broilers. 400 one-day-old Kebao broilers, half in male and half female, were randomly divided into five groups with eight replicates in each group and 10 chickens in each replicate. Each group was fed with basal diet (control group), basal diet + 500 mg/kg ICGA (T1 group), basal diet + 1 000 mg/kg ICGA (T2 group), basal diet + 2 000 mg/kg ICGA (T3 group), and basal diet + 3 000 mg/kg ICGA (T4 group). The trial period was 21 days. The results showed that the average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and feed-to-weight ratio (F/G) were not significantly different among the groups (P>0.05). The apparent metabolic rate of crude protein (CP) in T3 group and T4 group was significantly higher than that in control group and T2 group (P<0.05), and the apparent metabolic rate of calcium (Ca) in all experimental groups was extremely higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). The ileal pH value of T3 group was significantly lower than that of other groups (P<0.05). Serum complement C3 content of broilers in each experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) content of broilers in T3 group were significantly higher than that in other groups (P<0.05). The villus height of T3 group was significantly higher than that of the control group and T1 group (P<0.05), and the villus-saphenous ratio of T3 group was significantly higher than that of the control group, T1 group, and T2 group (P<0.05). Subdoligranulum&lowbar;variabile in T2 group and T3 group was significantly higher than that in control group and T1 group (P<0.05). Subdoligranulum&lowbar;variabile in T2 group was extremely higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). The study indicates that the nutrient apparent metabolic rate, immune performance, intestinal structure, and intestinal flora were improved by adding ICGA in the diet. The appropriate level of ICGA in the diet of broilers is 2 000 mg/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Options for treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria beyond antihistamines are limited. This multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial from 3 teaching hospitals in China compared acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and waitlist control for treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria. Visual Abstract. Efficacy of Acupuncture for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: Options for treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria beyond antihistamines are limited. This multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial from 3 teaching hospitals in China compared acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and waitlist control for treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria. Background: The effectiveness of acupuncture for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), reported in a few small-scale studies, is not convincing. Objective: To investigate whether acupuncture leads to better effects on CSU than sham acupuncture or waitlist control. Design: A multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial. (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1900022994) Setting: Three teaching hospitals in China from 27 May 2019 to 30 July 2022. Participants: 330 participants diagnosed with CSU. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or waitlist control over an 8-week study period (4 weeks for treatment and another 4 weeks for follow-up). Measurements: The primary outcome was the mean change from baseline in the Weekly Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) at week 4. Secondary outcomes included itch severity scores, self-rated improvement, and Dermatology Life Quality Index scores. Results: The mean change in UAS7 (range, 0 to 42) for acupuncture from baseline (mean score, 23.5 [95% CI, 21.8 to 25.2]) to week 4 (mean score, 15.3 [CI, 13.6 to 16.9]) was −8.2 (CI, −9.9 to −6.6). The mean changes in UAS7 for sham acupuncture and waitlist control from baseline (mean scores, 21.9 [CI, 20.2 to 23.6] and 22.1 [CI, 20.4 to 23.8], respectively) to week 4 (mean scores, 17.8 [CI, 16.1 to 19.5] and 20.0 [CI, 18.3 to 21.6], respectively) were −4.1 (CI, −5.8 to −2.4) and −2.2 (CI, −3.8 to −0.5), respectively. The mean differences between acupuncture and sham acupuncture and waitlist control were −4.1 (CI, −6.5 to −1.8) and −6.1 (CI, −8.4 to −3.7), respectively, which did not meet the threshold for minimal clinically important difference. Fifteen participants (13.6%) in the acupuncture group and none in the other groups reported adverse events. Adverse events were mild or transient. Limitation: Lack of complete blinding, self-reported outcomes, limited generalizability because antihistamine use was disallowed, and short follow-up period. Conclusion: Compared with sham acupuncture and waitlist control, acupuncture produced a greater improvement in UAS7, although the difference from control was not clinically significant. Increased adverse events were mild or transient. Primary Funding Source: The National Key R&D Program of China and the Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]