Safety Evaluation of Highway Tunnel-Entrance Illuminance Transition Based on Eye-Pupil Changes

Utilizing the EMR-8B eye-tracker system, the pupil changes of eight drivers were monitored when they drove through 26 typical highway tunnels. Based on the test results, the driver’s pupil areas and pupil illuminance were found to be in a power function relationship at tunnel entrances. Furthermore, a quantitative relationship between the pupil area and its critical velocity was established, and the ratio of pupil area’s velocity in relation to its critical velocity was used to evaluate the lighting transitions and to establish the ideal curve of pupil illuminance at tunnel entrances. The results demonstrated that the relationship between the pupil illuminance of the tunnel entrance and the driver’s pupil areas conforms to the Stevens law found in experimental psychology; severe pupil illuminance transition within the range of 10 metres of the existing highway tunnel entrances, which results in great visual load, is in urgent need of improvement.</p

Evaluating the effectiveness of speed reduction markings in highway tunnels

As typical weak visual reference systems, highway tunnels have low illumination, monotonous environment and few references, which may cause severe visual illusion and reduce drivers’ speed perception ability. Thus, drivers tend to underestimate their driving speed, which may induce speeding behaviours that result in rear-end collisions. The cost-effective pavement markings installed on both sides of the lane or shoulder may make drivers overestimate their speed. This perception can help ensure safe driving and regulate driving behaviour effectively. This study analyses the effects of sidewall markings in typical low luminance highway tunnels, specifically observing how their angles and lengths affect the driver’s speed perception. A three-dimensional model of highway tunnels was built in a driving simulator. Psychophysical tests of speed perception were carried out by the method of limits. The simulation tests studied the Stimulus of Subjectively Equal Speed (SSES) and reaction time in relation to sidewall markings with different angles. Furthermore, based on the optimal angle, the effects of sidewall marking with different lengths on speed perception were also analysed. The test results reveal that the angle and length of sidewall markings have a significant impact on the driver’s SSES and reaction time. Moreover, the level of speed overestimation decreases with the increase of angle or length of sidewall marking. As the angle of sidewall marking gradually increases, the maximum reaction time first increases and then decreases. Within the angle of sidewall marking of 15°, the subjects have the highest speed overestimation and an easy speed judgment. This may due to Zöllner illusion, the driver’s perception of lane width shrinks may induce deceleration behaviour

Global exponential periodicity of nonlinear neural networks with multiple time-varying delays

Global exponential periodicity of nonlinear neural networks with multiple time-varying delays is investigated. Such neural networks cannot be written in the vector-matrix form because of the existence of the multiple delays. It is noted that although the neural network with multiple time-varying delays has been investigated by Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method in the literature, the sufficient conditions in the linear matrix inequality form have not been obtained. Two sets of sufficient conditions in the linear matrix inequality form are established by Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and linear matrix inequality to ensure that two arbitrary solutions of the neural network with multiple delays attract each other exponentially. This is a key prerequisite to prove the existence, uniqueness, and global exponential stability of periodic solutions. Some examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the established results. We compare the established theoretical results with the previous results and show that the previous results are not applicable to the systems in these examples

Strong structural and electronic coupling in metavalent PbS moire superlattices

Moire superlattices are twisted bilayer materials, in which the tunable interlayer quantum confinement offers access to new physics and novel device functionalities. Previously, moire superlattices were built exclusively using materials with weak van der Waals interactions and synthesizing moire superlattices with strong interlayer chemical bonding was considered to be impractical. Here using lead sulfide (PbS) as an example, we report a strategy for synthesizing of moire superlattices coupled by strong chemical bonding. We use water-soluble ligands as a removable template to obtain free-standing ultra-thin PbS nanosheets and assemble them into direct-contact bilayers with various twist angles. Atomic-resolution imaging shows the moire periodic structural reconstruction at superlattice interface, due to the strong metavalent coupling. Electron energy loss spectroscopy and theoretical calculations collectively reveal the twist angle26 dependent electronic structure, especially the emergent separation of flat bands at small twist angles. The localized states of flat bands are similar to well-arranged quantum dots, promising an application in devices. This study opens a new door to the exploration of deep energy modulations within moire superlattices alternative to van der Waals twistronics

Optimization of the lightning warning model for distribution network lines based on multiple meteorological factor thresholds

Lightning is one of the frequent natural disasters, which seriously affects the secure and stable operation of the power system, especially the distribution network lines with weak reliability. In order to improve the power supply reliability of the distribution network, higher requirements are put forward for the accuracy of lightning warning. Therefore, this paper establishes a lightning warning model based on comprehensive multi-meteorological factor thresholds and analyzes the meteorological factor data such as atmospheric field strength, echo intensity, echo-top height, and vertical cumulative liquid water content under thunderstorm weather. The threshold value of each factor warning is obtained, and the corresponding threshold weight is calculated by the entropy weight method. According to the weight of each threshold, the comprehensive threshold index of lightning warning is obtained, and the lightning warning is based on this index. A total of 105 lightning data from May to June 2022 in Nanchang city were analyzed as samples. The thresholds of atmospheric field strength, echo intensity, echo-top height, and vertical cumulative liquid water content were 1.2 kV/m, 40 dBZ, 8 km, and 5.2 kg·m−2, respectively. The corresponding weights of each factor were 0.4188, 0.2056, 0.2105, and 0.165, respectively. This model was used to warn a thunderstorm event in July 2022 in Nanchang area. The success rate of the model warning was 0.91, the false alarm rate (FAR) was 0.11, and the critical success index (CSI) was 0.80. Compared with the single-factor threshold lightning warning model, the warning FAR is decreased by 6%, and CSI is increased by 14% while ensuring the high warning success rate

A Role for a Dioxygenase in Auxin Metabolism and Reproductive Development in Rice

SummaryIndole-3-acetic acid (IAA), the natural auxin in plants, regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. Extensive analyses have elucidated the components of auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signaling, but the physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of auxin degradation remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the dioxygenase for auxin oxidation (DAO) gene, encoding a putative 2-oxoglutarate-dependent-Fe (II) dioxygenase, is essential for anther dehiscence, pollen fertility, and seed initiation in rice. Rice mutant lines lacking a functional DAO display increased levels of free IAA in anthers and ovaries. Furthermore, exogenous application of IAA or overexpression of the auxin biosynthesis gene OsYUCCA1 phenocopies the dao mutants. We show that recombinant DAO converts the active IAA into biologically inactive 2-oxoindole-3-acetic acid (OxIAA) in vitro. Collectively, these data support a key role of DAO in auxin catabolism and maintenance of auxin homeostasis central to plant reproductive development

Laser-based defect characterization and removal process for manufacturing fused silica optic with high ultraviolet laser damage threshold

Residual processing defects during the contact processing processes greatly reduce the anti-ultraviolet (UV) laser damage performance of fused silica optics, which significantly limited development of high-energy laser systems. In this study, we demonstrate the manufacturing of fused silica optics with a high damage threshold using a CO2 laser process chain. Based on theoretical and experimental studies, the proposed uniform layer-by-layer laser ablation technique can be used to characterize the subsurface mechanical damage in three-dimensional full aperture. Longitudinal ablation resolutions ranging from nanometers to micrometers can be realized; the minimum longitudinal resolution is < 5 nm. This technique can also be used as a crack-free grinding tool to completely remove subsurface mechanical damage, and as a cleaning tool to effectively clean surface/subsurface contamination. Through effective control of defects in the entire chain, the laser-induced damage thresholds of samples fabricated by the CO2 laser process chain were 41% (0% probability) and 65.7% (100% probability) higher than those of samples fabricated using the conventional process chain. This laser-based defect characterization and removal process provides a new tool to guide optimization of the conventional finishing process and represents a new direction for fabrication of highly damage-resistant fused silica optics for high-energy laser applications

The Tet2–Upf1 complex modulates mRNA stability under stress conditions

Introduction: Environmental stress promotes epigenetic alterations that impact gene expression and subsequently participate in the pathological processes of the disorder. Among epigenetic regulations, ten–eleven Translocation (Tet) enzymes oxidize 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in DNA and RNA and function as critical players in the pathogenesis of diseases. Our previous results showed that chronic stress increases the expression of cytoplasmic Tet2 in the hippocampus of mice exposed to chronic mild stress (CMS). Whether the cytoplasmic Tet2 alters RNA 5hmC modification in chronic stress-related processes remains largely unknown.Methods: To explore the role of cytoplasmic Tet2 under CMS conditions, we established CMS mice model and detected the expression of RNA 5hmC by dot blot. We verified the interaction of Tet2 and its interacting protein by co-immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry and screened downstream target genes by cluster analysis of Tet2 and upstream frameshift 1 (Upf1) interacting RNA. The expression of protein was detected by Western blot and the expression of the screened target genes was detected by qRT-PCR.Results: In this study, we found that increased cytoplasmic Tet2 expression under CMS conditions leads to increase in total RNA 5hmC modification. Tet2 interacted with the key non-sense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) factor Upf1, regulated the stability of stress-related genes such as Unc5b mRNA, and might thereby affect neurodevelopment.Discussion: In summary, this study revealed that Tet2-mediated RNA 5hmC modification is involved in stress-related mRNA stability regulation and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for chronic stress-related diseases such as depression