The Teenager's Problem: Efficient Garment Decluttering With Grasp Optimization

This paper addresses the ''Teenager's Problem'': efficiently removing scattered garments from a planar surface. As grasping and transporting individual garments is highly inefficient, we propose analytical policies to select grasp locations for multiple garments using an overhead camera. Two classes of methods are considered: depth-based, which use overhead depth data to find efficient grasps, and segment-based, which use segmentation on the RGB overhead image (without requiring any depth data); grasp efficiency is measured by Objects per Transport, which denotes the average number of objects removed per trip to the laundry basket. Experiments suggest that both depth- and segment-based methods easily reduce Objects per Transport (OpT) by $20\%$; furthermore, these approaches complement each other, with combined hybrid methods yielding improvements of $34\%$. Finally, a method employing consolidation (with segmentation) is considered, which manipulates the garments on the work surface to increase OpT; this yields an improvement of $67\%$ over the baseline, though at a cost of additional physical actions

Corrigendum: Association between GSDMB gene polymorphism and cervical cancer in the Northeast Chinese Han population

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between GSDMB gene polymorphism and genetic susceptibility to cervical cancer in the Han population in Northeast China. Methods: In this case–control study, the genotypes and alleles of rs8067378 in the GSDMB gene were analyzed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and next-generation sequencing methods in 482 cervical cancer (CC) patients, 775 cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) patients, and 495 healthy women. The potential relationships between the SNP of the GSDMB gene with SIL and CC were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis combined with 10,000 permutation tests. Results: In the comparison between the SIL group and the control group, the genotype and allele distribution frequencies of rs8067378 SNP of the GSDMB gene were statistically significant (p = 0.0493 and p = 0.0202, respectively). The allele distribution frequencies of rs8067378 were also statistically significant in the comparison between high-grade cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and low-grade cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) groups with control group ( p = 0.0483 and p = 0.0330, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, the rs8067378 SNP of the GSDMB gene was significantly associated with the reduced risk of SIL under the dominant model (p = 0.0213, OR = 0.764, CI = 0.607–0.961) and the additive model (p = 0.0199, OR = 0.814, and CI = 0.684–0.968), and its mutant gene G may play a role in the progression of healthy people to LSIL and even HSIL as a protective factor. However, there was no significant association between cervical cancer and its subtypes with the control group (p > 0.05). After 10,000 permutations, there was still no correlation that has provided evidence for the accuracy of our study. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that rs8067378 single nucleotide polymorphism of the GSDMB gene may reduce the risk of SIL and protect the susceptibility to cervical precancerous lesions in the Northeast Chinese Han population, but it has no significant correlation with the progression of cervical cancer

Human Metapneumovirus Glycoprotein G Inhibits Innate Immune Responses

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a leading cause of acute respiratory tract infection in infants, as well as in the elderly and immunocompromised patients. No effective treatment or vaccine for hMPV is currently available. A recombinant hMPV lacking the G protein (rhMPV-ΔG) was recently developed as a potential vaccine candidate and shown to be attenuated in the respiratory tract of a rodent model of infection. The mechanism of its attenuation, as well as the role of G protein in modulation of hMPV-induced cellular responses in vitro, as well as in vivo, is currently unknown. In this study, we found that rhMPV-ΔG-infected airway epithelial cells produced higher levels of chemokines and type I interferon (IFN) compared to cells infected with rhMPV-WT. Infection of airway epithelial cells with rhMPV-ΔG enhanced activation of transcription factors belonging to the nuclear factor (NF)-κB and interferon regulatory factor (IRF) families, as revealed by increased nuclear translocation and/or phosphorylation of these transcription factors. Compared to rhMPV-WT, rhMPV-ΔG also increased IRF- and NF-κB-dependent gene transcription, which was reversely inhibited by G protein expression. Since RNA helicases have been shown to play a fundamental role in initiating viral-induced cellular signaling, we investigated whether retinoic induced gene (RIG)-I was the target of G protein inhibitory activity. We found that indeed G protein associated with RIG-I and inhibited RIG-I-dependent gene transcription, identifying an important mechanism by which hMPV affects innate immune responses. This is the first study investigating the role of hMPV G protein in cellular signaling and identifies G as an important virulence factor, as it inhibits the production of important immune and antiviral mediators by targeting RIG-I, a major intracellular viral RNA sensor

Evaluation of public transportation station area accessibility based on walking perception

Public transportation (PT) often fails to provide door-to-door service. Passengers often have to walk a distance to reach their destination after getting off the public transportation station. Therefore, the walking accessibility of the station area directly affects the attractiveness of the PT. For walking, accurate calculation or prediction of accessibility should consider not only the objective distance, but also the environment and psychological perception factors of pedestrians. This paper aims to map the pedestrian perceived cost to the transportation environment to evaluate the walking accessibility of the public transportation station area accurately. From the perspective of psychological perception of walking environment, four key impedance factors are selected and a pedestrian perceived impedance model is established. Then an evaluation model of station area accessibility is set employing POIs (Point of Interests) based on the accumulative opportunity method. Finally, the case is given to show the application of the model. The results show that the number of crosswalks with signal lights, mixed use of sidewalk and non-motorized lane, the obstacle quantity and the vehicle entrance quantity on sidewalks can increase perceived impedance significantly. For example, pedestrians are willing to spend 4.21 extra minutes to adopt routes with one fewer obstacle per 100 meters. Within 10 minutes of walking time, walking perception has a greater impact on station area accessibility. The perceived walking time thresholds for evaluating bus and rail transit station area accessibility are recommended to be 15 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively. The evaluation results can provide a reliable basis for improving the walking network around public transportation station

Spectrum-efficient user grouping and resource allocation based on deep reinforcement learning for mmWave massive MIMO-NOMA systems

Abstract Millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output non-orthogonal multiple access (MIMO-NOMA) is proven to be a primary technique for sixth-generation (6G) wireless communication networks. However, the great increase in users and antennas brings challenges for interference suppression and resource allocation for mmWave massive MIMO-NOMA systems. This study proposes a spectrum-efficient and fast convergence deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based resource allocation framework to optimize user grouping and allocation of subchannel and power. First, an enhanced K-means grouping algorithm is proposed to reduce the multi-user interference and accelerate the convergence. Then, a dueling deep Q-network (DQN) structure is proposed to perform subchannel allocation, which further improves the convergence speed. Moreover, a deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG)-based power resource allocation algorithm is designed to avoid the performance loss caused by power quantization and improve the system’s achievable sum-rate. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme outperforms other neural network-based algorithms in terms of convergence performance, and can achieve higher system capacity compared with the greedy algorithm, the random algorithm, the RNN algorithm, and the DoubleDQN algorithm

Multicomponent Nanoparticles Decorating a Lignin-Derived Biochar Composite for 2-Nitrophenol Sensing

Lignin, which contains aromatic phenols, is the second most abundant renewable biomass material in the world. It is the main byproduct of the paper industry and is characterized by abundant sources, renewability, and low cost. The present study focused on the extraction of lignin from poplar wood through a straightforward papermaking approach, thereafter utilizing the resultant black liquor containing lignin for synthesizing lignin-based phenolic resins. During the polymerization process, cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni) species were introduced and, subsequently, a CoNi/biochar catalyst was obtained through pyrolysis in a nitrogen atmosphere. The prepared catalyst possessed rough spherical structures. The incorporation of Co and Ni enhanced charge redistribution, thereby imparting the catalyst with strong electron acceptance capabilities. The prepared lignin-based phenolic-resin-derived carbon was used for the electrochemical sensing of 2-nitrophenol. The limit of detection (LOD) for 2-nitrophenol was calculated to be 0.0132 µM, with good repeatability, stability, and selectivity

<i>Humulus lupulus</i> L. Extract Protects against Senior Osteoporosis through Inhibiting Amyloid <i>β</i> Deposition and Oxidative Stress in APP/PS1 Mutated Transgenic Mice and Osteoblasts

As aging progresses, β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and the resulting oxidative damage are key causes of aging diseases such as senior osteoporosis (SOP). Humulus lupulus L. (hops) is an important medicinal plant widely used in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries due to its strong antioxidant ability. In this study, APP/PS1 mutated transgenic mice and Aβ-injured osteoblasts were used to evaluate the protective effects of hops extracts (HLE) on SOP. Mice learning and memory levels were assessed by the Morris water maze. Mice femurs were prepared for bone micro-structures and immunohistochemistry experiments. The deposition of Aβ in the hippocampus, cortex and femurs were determined by Congo red staining. Moreover, protein expressions related to antioxidant pathways were evaluated by Western blotting. It was found that HLE markedly improved learning abilities and ameliorated memory impairment of APP/PS1 mice, as well as regulated antioxidant enzymes and bone metabolism proteins in mice serum. Micro-CT tests indicated that HLE enhanced BMD and improved micro-architectural parameters of mice femur. More importantly, it was discovered that HLE significantly reduced Aβ deposition both in the brain and femur. Further in vitro results showed HLE increased the bone mineralization nodule and reduced the ROS level of Aβ-injured osteoblasts. Additionally, HLE increased the expression of antioxidant related proteins Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, FoxO1 and SOD-2. These results indicated that Humulus lupulus L. extract could protect against senior osteoporosis through inhibiting Aβ deposition and oxidative stress, which provides a reference for the clinical application of hops in the prevention and treatment of SOP