1,110 research outputs found
The highD Dataset: A Drone Dataset of Naturalistic Vehicle Trajectories on German Highways for Validation of Highly Automated Driving Systems
Scenario-based testing for the safety validation of highly automated vehicles
is a promising approach that is being examined in research and industry. This
approach heavily relies on data from real-world scenarios to derive the
necessary scenario information for testing. Measurement data should be
collected at a reasonable effort, contain naturalistic behavior of road users
and include all data relevant for a description of the identified scenarios in
sufficient quality. However, the current measurement methods fail to meet at
least one of the requirements. Thus, we propose a novel method to measure data
from an aerial perspective for scenario-based validation fulfilling the
mentioned requirements. Furthermore, we provide a large-scale naturalistic
vehicle trajectory dataset from German highways called highD. We evaluate the
data in terms of quantity, variety and contained scenarios. Our dataset
consists of 16.5 hours of measurements from six locations with 110 000
vehicles, a total driven distance of 45 000 km and 5600 recorded complete lane
changes. The highD dataset is available online at: http://www.highD-dataset.comComment: IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems
(ITSC) 201
Dopamine-dependent scaling of subthalamic gamma bursts with movement velocity in patients with Parkinsonâs disease
Gamma synchronization increases during movement and scales with kinematic
parameters. Here, disease-specific characteristics of this synchronization and
the dopamine-dependence of its scaling in Parkinsonâs disease are
investigated. In 16 patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery,
movements of different velocities revealed that subthalamic gamma power peaked
in the sensorimotor part of the subthalamic nucleus, correlated positively
with maximal velocity and negatively with symptom severity. These effects
relied on movement-related bursts of transient synchrony in the gamma band.
The gamma burst rate highly correlated with averaged power, increased
gradually with larger movements and correlated with symptom severity. In the
dopamine-depleted state, gamma power and burst rate significantly decreased,
particularly when peak velocity was slower than ON medication. Burst amplitude
and duration were unaffected by the medication state. We propose that
insufficient recruitment of fast gamma bursts during movement may underlie
bradykinesia as one of the cardinal symptoms in Parkinsonâs disease
Triphenylene-Derived Electron Acceptors and Donors on Ag(111):Formation of Intermolecular Charge-Transfer Complexes with Common Unoccupied Molecular States
Over the past years, ultrathin films consisting of electron donating and accepting molecules have attracted increasing attention due to their potential usage in optoelectronic devices. Key parameters for understanding and tuning their performance are intermolecular and moleculeâsubstrate interactions. Here, the formation of a monolayer thick blend of triphenyleneâbased organic donor and acceptor molecules from 2,3,6,7,10,11âhexamethoxytriphenylene (HAT) and 1,4,5,8,9,12âhexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile (HATCN), respectively, on a silver (111) surface is reported. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, valence and core level photoelectron spectroscopy, as well as lowâenergy electron diffraction measurements are used, complemented by density functional theory calculations, to investigate both the electronic and structural properties of the homomolecular as well as the intermixed layers. The donor molecules are weakly interacting with the Ag(111) surface, while the acceptor molecules show a strong interaction with the substrate leading to charge transfer and substantial buckling of the top silver layer and of the adsorbates. Upon mixing acceptor and donor molecules, strong hybridization occurs between the two different molecules leading to the emergence of a common unoccupied molecular orbital located at both the donor and acceptor molecules. The donor acceptor blend studied here is, therefore, a compelling candidate for organic electronics based on selfâassembled chargeâtransfer complexes
Zinc Concentration Dynamics Indicate Neurological Impairment Odds after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (TSCI) is debilitating and often results in a loss of motor and sensory function caused by an interwoven set of pathological processes. Oxidative stress and inflammatory processes are amongst the critical factors in the secondary injury phase after TSCI. The essential trace element Zinc (Zn) plays a crucial role during this phase as part of the antioxidant defense system. The study aims to determine dynamic patterns in serum Zn concentration in patients with TSCI and test for a correlation with neurological impairment. A total of 42 patients with TSCI were enrolled in this clinical observational study. Serum samples were collected at five different points in time after injury (at admission, and after 4 h, 9 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 3 d). The analysis of the serum Zn concentrations was conducted by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). The patients were divided into two groups-a study group S (n = 33) with neurological impairment, including patients with remission (G1, n = 18) and no remission (G0, n = 15) according to a positive AIS (American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale) conversion within 3 months after the trauma; and a control group C (n = 9), consisting of subjects with vertebral fractures without neurological impairment. The patient data and serum concentrations were examined and compared by non-parametric test methods to the neurological outcome. The median Zn concentrations in group S dropped within the first 9 h after injury (964 ”g/L at admission versus 570 ”g/L at 9 h, p < 0.001). This decline was stronger than in control subjects (median of 751 ”g/L versus 729 ”g/L, p = 0.023). A binary logistic regression analysis including the difference in serum Zn concentration from admission to 9 h after injury yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 82.2% (CI: 64.0-100.0%) with respect to persistent neurological impairment. Early Zn concentration dynamics differed in relation to the outcome and may constitute a helpful diagnostic indicator for patients with spinal cord trauma. The fast changes in serum Zn concentrations allow an assessment of neurological impairment risk on the first day after trauma. This finding supports strategies for improving patient care by avoiding strong deficits via adjuvant nutritive measures, e.g., in unresponsive patients after trauma
Detecting volcanic sulfur dioxide plumes in the Northern Hemisphere using the Brewer spectrophotometer, other networks, and satellite observations
This paper demonstrates that SO 2 columnar amounts have significantly increased following the five
largest volcanic eruptions of the past decade in the Northern Hemisphere. A strong positive signal was detected
by all the existing networks either ground based (Brewer, EARLINET, AirBase) or from satellites (OMI,
GOME-2). The study particularly examines the adequacy of the existing Brewer network to detect SO 2 plumes
of volcanic origin in comparison to other networks and satellite platforms. The comparison with OMI and 45
GOME-2 SO 2 space-borne retrievals shows statistically significant agreement between the Brewer network data
and the collocated satellite overpasses. It is shown that the Brewer instrument is capable of detecting significant columnar SO 2 increases following large volcanic eruptions, when SO 2 levels rise well above the instrumental
noise of daily observations, estimated to be of the order of 2 DU. A model exercise from the MACC project
shows that the large increases of SO 2 over Europe following the BĂĄrĂ°arbunga eruption in Iceland were not
caused by local sources or ship emissions but are clearly linked to the eruption. We propose that by combining
Brewer data with that from other networks and satellites, a useful tool aided by trajectory analyses and modeling
could be created which can be used to forecast high SO 2 values both at ground level and in air flight corridors
following future eruptions
Redesigning photosynthesis to sustainably meet global food and bioenergy demand
The world's crop productivity is stagnating whereas population growth, rising affluence, and mandates for biofuels put increasing demands on agriculture. Meanwhile, demand for increasing cropland competes with equally crucial global sustainability and environmental protection needs. Addressing this looming agricultural crisis will be one of our greatest scientific challenges in the coming decades, and success will require substantial improvements at many levels. We assert that increasing the efficiency and productivity of photosynthesis in crop plants will be essential if this grand challenge is to be met. Here, we explore an array of prospective redesigns of plant systems at various scales, all aimed at increasing crop yields through improved photosynthetic efficiency and performance. Prospects range from straightforward alterations, already supported by preliminary evidence of feasibility, to substantial redesigns that are currently only conceptual, but that may be enabled by new developments in synthetic biology. Although some proposed redesigns are certain to face obstacles that will require alternate routes, the efforts should lead to new discoveries and technical advances with important impacts on the global problem of crop productivity and bioenergy production
Physiological modeling of isoprene dynamics in exhaled breath
Human breath contains a myriad of endogenous volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) which are reflective of ongoing metabolic or physiological processes.
While research into the diagnostic potential and general medical relevance of
these trace gases is conducted on a considerable scale, little focus has been
given so far to a sound analysis of the quantitative relationships between
breath levels and the underlying systemic concentrations. This paper is devoted
to a thorough modeling study of the end-tidal breath dynamics associated with
isoprene, which serves as a paradigmatic example for the class of low-soluble,
blood-borne VOCs.
Real-time measurements of exhaled breath under an ergometer challenge reveal
characteristic changes of isoprene output in response to variations in
ventilation and perfusion. Here, a valid compartmental description of these
profiles is developed. By comparison with experimental data it is inferred that
the major part of breath isoprene variability during exercise conditions can be
attributed to an increased fractional perfusion of potential storage and
production sites, leading to higher levels of mixed venous blood concentrations
at the onset of physical activity. In this context, various lines of supportive
evidence for an extrahepatic tissue source of isoprene are presented.
Our model is a first step towards new guidelines for the breath gas analysis
of isoprene and is expected to aid further investigations regarding the
exhalation, storage, transport and biotransformation processes associated with
this important compound.Comment: 14 page
Life-long impairment of glucose homeostasis upon prenatal exposure to psychostimulants
Maternal drug abuse during pregnancy is a rapidly escalating societal problem. Psychostimulants, including amphetamine, cocaine, and methamphetamine, are amongst the illicit drugs most commonly consumed by pregnant women. Neuropharmacology concepts posit that psychostimulants affect monoamine signaling in the nervous system by their affinities to neurotransmitter reuptake and vesicular transporters to heighten neurotransmitter availability extracellularly. Exacerbated dopamine signaling is particularly considered as a key determinant of psychostimulant action. Much less is known about possible adverse effects of these drugs on peripheral organs, and if in utero exposure induces lifelong pathologies. Here, we addressed this question by combining human RNA-seq data with cellular and mouse models of neuroendocrine development. We show that episodic maternal exposure to psychostimulants during pregnancy coincident with the intrauterine specification of pancreatic beta cells permanently impairs their ability of insulin production, leading to glucose intolerance in adult female but not male offspring. We link psychostimulant action specifically to serotonin signaling and implicate the sex-specific epigenetic reprogramming of serotonin-related gene regulatory networks upstream from the transcription factor Pet1/Fev as determinants of reduced insulin production.Peer reviewe
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