Personality Openness Predicts Driver Trust in Automated Driving

Maintaining an appropriate level of trust in automated driving (AD) is critical to safe driving. However, few studies have explored factors affecting trust in AD in general, and no study, as far as is known, has directly investigated whether driver personality influences driver trust in an AD system. The current study investigates the relation between driver personality and driver trust in AD, focusing on Level 2 AD. Participants were required to perform a period of AD in a driving simulator, during which their gaze and driving behavior were recorded, as well as their subjective trust scores after driving. In three distinct measures, a significant correlation between Openness and driver trust in the AD system is found: participants with higher Openness traits tend to have less trust in the AD system. No significant correlations between driver trust in AD and other personality traits are found. The findings suggest that driver personality has an impact on driver trust in AD. Theoretical and practical implications of this finding are discussed

LDC7559 inhibits microglial activation and GSDMD-dependent pyroptosis after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Mounting evidence indicates that inhibition of microglial activation and neuronal pyroptosis plays important roles in brain function recovery after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). LDC7559 is a newly discovered gasdermin D (GSDMD) inhibitor. Previous studies have demonstrated that LDC7559 could inhibit microglial proliferation and pyroptosis. However, the beneficial effects of LDC7559 on SAH remain obscure. Based on this background, we investigated the potential role and the mechanism of LDC7559 on SAH-induced brain damage both in vivo and in vitro. The findings revealed that microglial activation and neuronal pyroptosis were evidently increased after SAH, which could be markedly suppressed by LDC7559 both in vivo and in vitro. Meanwhile, LDC7559 treatment reduced neuronal apoptosis and improved behavior function. Mechanistically, LDC7559 decreased the levels of GSDMD and cleaved GSDMD after SAH. In contrast, nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation by nigericin increased GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis and abated the beneficial effects of LDC7559 on SAH-induced brain damage. However, LDC7559 treatment did not significantly affect the expression of NLRP3 after SAH. Taken together, LDC7559 might suppress neuronal pyroptosis and microglial activation after SAH by inhibiting GSDMD, thereby promoting brain functional recovery

Emergency logistics for wildfire suppression based on forecasted disaster evolution

This paper aims to develop a two-layer emergency logistics system with a single depot and multiple demand sites for wildfire suppression and disaster relief. For the first layer, a fire propagation model is first built using both the flame-igniting attributes of wildfires and the factors affecting wildfire propagation and patterns. Second, based on the forecasted propagation behavior, the emergency levels of fire sites in terms of demand on suppression resources are evaluated and prioritized. For the second layer, considering the prioritized fire sites, the corresponding resource allocation problem and vehicle routing problem (VRP) are investigated and addressed. The former is approached using a model that can minimize the total forest loss (from multiple sites) and suppression costs incurred accordingly. This model is constructed and solved using principles of calculus. To address the latter, a multi-objective VRP model is developed to minimize both the travel time and cost of the resource delivery vehicles. A heuristic algorithm is designed to provide the associated solutions of the VRP model. As a result, this paper provides useful insights into effective wildfire suppression by rationalizing resources regarding different fire propagation rates. The supporting models can also be generalized and tailored to tackle logistics resource optimization issues in dynamic operational environments, particularly those sharing the same feature of single supply and multiple demands in logistics planning and operations (e.g., allocation of ambulances and police forces). © 2017 The Author(s

Simultaneous Preparation of Pu-erh Tea-selenium-doped Carbon Quantum Dots and Elemental Selenium and Its Application in Fe3+ Detection

Object: To prepare Pu-erh tea nano-selenium doped carbon quantum dots (PT-Se-CQDs) for the rapid detection of Fe3+ in the water system and to profile their characteristics. Method: In this study, PT-Se-CQDs and elemental selenium were prepared simultaneously in a water-bath by optimizing the reaction temperature and time. The ultraviolet-visible absorption and fluorescent intensity of PT-Se-CQDs were subsequently analyzed by the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. And their morphology, elemental composition, and structural characteristics were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, respectively. On this basis, a novel fluorescence sensor for the detection of Fe3+ in the aqueous system was constructed using PT-Se-CQDs. Result: PT-Se-CQDs in a spherical shape with a quantum yield of 3.41%, an average particle size of about 3.1 nm as well as elemental selenium were successfully prepared simultaneously via the reaction in a boiling water bath at 100 °C for 10 h. In addition, a strong static fluorescence quenching effect on PT-Se-CQDs was observed in the presence of Fe3+. Accordingly, Fe3+ in the range of 0~300 μmol/L was successfully detected using PT-Se-CQDs as a fluorescence sensor with a good linear relationship between the concentration of Fe3+ and the ratio of fluorescence intensity (F/F0) of PT-Se-CQDs (R2>0.99) and a limit of detection of 0.2621 μmol/L. When this method was applied to detect Fe3+ in real water samples, satisfactory standard recovery rates of Fe3+ in pure water and mineral water of 90.93%~104.56% and 84.53%~113.90% with the RSD less than 8.15% and 4.00% were obtained, respectively. Conclusion: The preparation of PT-Se-CQDs with high selectivity and sensitivity to Fe3+ and their application as a new fluorescence sensor for the detection of Fe3+ in aqueous systems with simple operation and fast response were explored in the present study