Developing an AI-assisted digital auscultation tool for automatic assessment of the severity of mitral regurgitation: protocol for a cross-sectional, non-interventional study.

Introduction: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common valvular heart disorder, with a morbidity rate of 2.5%. While echocardiography is commonly used in assessing MR, it has many limitations, especially for large-scale MR screening.

Stellate ganglion block alleviates postoperative sleep disturbance in patients undergoing radical surgery for gastrointestinal malignancies.

Study Objectives: We explored the effects of stellate ganglion block on postoperative sleep disturbance in patients scheduled to undergo radical surgery for gastrointestinal malignancies.

Methods: Forty such patients were randomly assigned to the control group (Group C) or the preoperative stellate ganglion block treatment group (Group S). Using actigraphy, sleep quality was evaluated on the first night before the operation and first, second, and third postoperative nights.

Evaluation of tunnel retro-reflective arch in an extra-long tunnel based on the matter-element extension method.

Traffic safety devices are one of the most important tools used to improve safety in tunnels. The tunnel retro-reflective arch (TA) plays a crucial role in stimulating drivers, relieving visual stress, and improving safety. However, determining the TA spacing mostly relies on experience and relevant standards are lacking.

Spatial relationships between alcohol outlet densities and drunk driving crashes: An empirical study of Tianjin in China.

Introduction: Numerous studies have demonstrated the close relationship between alcohol availability and alcohol-related crashes. However, there is still a lack of spatial empirical analysis regarding this relationship, particularly in large cities of developing countries. Differences in alcohol outlets and drinking patterns in these cities may lead to quite different patterns of crash outcomes.

Safety of Raised Pavement Markers in Freeway Tunnels Based on Driving Behavior.

Raised pavement markers (RPMs) are among the common safety features of roads, playing an important role in preventing and reducing traffic crashes. RPMs are regarded as an effective measure for reducing the high crash rate and mortality in freeway tunnels in China. In this study, a driving simulator experiment was conducted to investigate the safety of RPMs in a freeway tunnel.

Dielectric Polarization in Inverse Spinel-Structured Mg TiO Coating to Suppress Oxygen Evolution of Li-Rich Cathode Materials.

High-energy Li-rich layered cathode materials (≈900 Wh kg ) suffer from severe capacity and voltage decay during cycling, which is associated with layered-to-spinel phase transition and oxygen redox reaction. Current efforts mainly focus on surface modification to suppress this unwanted structural transformation. However, the true challenge probably originates from the continuous oxygen release upon charging.

Optimal design alternatives of advance guide signs of closely spaced exit ramps on urban expressways.

Advance guide signs for exit ramps along urban expressways are increasingly critical, enhancing safety and mobility by improving the flow of vehicles exiting urban expressways. However, research has devoted scant attention to advance guide signs for exit ramps. This study aimed to identify and propose optimal design alternatives for exit ramp advance guide signs for different types of exit spacing.

An approach for evaluating the effectiveness of traffic guide signs at intersections.

Traffic guide signs play important roles in people's daily lives. However, the effectiveness and performance of traffic guide signs at intersections are significantly impacted by many factors, such as the types of information on traffic signs, their information volume and comprehensibility, the behavioral attributes of drivers, the geometric features of roadways, and weather and visibility conditions. When deploying traffic guide signs, efforts are needed to clarify whether the installation of a traffic guide sign is warranted.

Effects of connected vehicle-based variable speed limit under different foggy conditions based on simulated driving.

In response to developing and/or diminishing foggy conditions, the variable speed limit application in a connected vehicle environment (CV-VSL) can estimate and deliver recommended travel speeds to individual drivers, which can help to reduce crashes when visibility conditions change. This study aims to quantify the effectiveness of the CV-VSL application by exploring drivers' reactions to warnings (e.g.

Effects of longitudinal speed reduction markings on left-turn direct connectors.

Longitudinal speed reduction markings (LSRMs) are designed to alert drivers to an upcoming change in roadway geometry (e.g. direct connectors with smaller radii).

Evaluation Research of the Effects of Longitudinal Speed Reduction Markings on Driving Behavior: A Driving Simulator Study.

The objective of this paper is to explore the effects of longitudinal speed reduction markings (LSRMs) on vehicle maneuvering and drivers' operation performance on interchange connectors with different radii. Empirical data were collected in a driving simulator. Indicators-relative speed change, standard deviation of acceleration, and gas/brake pedal power-were proposed to characterize driving behavior.

Driver injury severity outcome analysis in rural interstate highway crashes: a two-level Bayesian logistic regression interpretation.

There is a high potential of severe injury outcomes in traffic crashes on rural interstate highways due to the significant amount of high speed traffic on these corridors. Hierarchical Bayesian models are capable of incorporating between-crash variance and within-crash correlations into traffic crash data analysis and are increasingly utilized in traffic crash severity analysis. This paper applies a hierarchical Bayesian logistic model to examine the significant factors at crash and vehicle/driver levels and their heterogeneous impacts on driver injury severity in rural interstate highway crashes.

Evaluation of the effects of school zone signs and markings on speed reduction: a driving simulator study.

Traffic control devices are one of the most significant factors affecting driving behavior. In China, there is a lack of installation guidelines or standards for traffic control devices in school zones. In addition, little research has been done to examine the effects of traffic control devices on driving behavior.

Modeling the influence of Chevron alignment sign on young male driver performance: A driving simulator study.

In China, the Chevron alignment sign on highways is a vertical rectangle with a white arrow and border on a blue background, which differs from its counterpart in other countries. Moreover, little research has been devoted to the effectiveness of China's Chevron signs; there is still no practical method to quantitatively describe the impact of Chevron signs on driver performance in roadway curves. In this paper, a driving simulator experiment collected data on the driving performance of 30 young male drivers as they navigated on 29 different horizontal curves under different conditions (presence of Chevron signs, curve radius and curve direction).

From Cellular Attractor Selection to Adaptive Signal Control for Traffic Networks.

The management of varying traffic flows essentially depends on signal controls at intersections. However, design an optimal control that considers the dynamic nature of a traffic network and coordinates all intersections simultaneously in a centralized manner is computationally challenging. Inspired by the stable gene expressions of Escherichia coli in response to environmental changes, we explore the robustness and adaptability performance of signalized intersections by incorporating a biological mechanism in their control policies, specifically, the evolution of each intersection is induced by the dynamics governing an adaptive attractor selection in cells.

A multinomial logit model-Bayesian network hybrid approach for driver injury severity analyses in rear-end crashes.

Rear-end crash is one of the most common types of traffic crashes in the U.S. A good understanding of its characteristics and contributing factors is of practical importance.

Experimental research on safety impacts of the inside shoulder based on driving simulation.

Statistical data shows that single-vehicle crashes account for half of all traffic crashes on expressways in China, and previous research has indicated that main contributing factors were related to whether and how the inside shoulder was paved. The inside shoulder provides space for drivers to make evasive maneuvers and accommodate driver errors. However, lower-cost construction solutions in China have resulted in the design of numerous urban expressway segments that lack inside shoulders.

Assessment of ozone variations and meteorological influences at a rural site in Northern Xinjiang.

Ozone concentrations and meteorological data were continuously monitored online from June to December 2013 at the Akedala regional atmosphere station in an arid region of Central Asia. We present daily, monthly, and seasonal variations of ozone concentrations in the atmosphere and elucidate possible emission sources. The ozone concentrations of this region varied from 14.

The effect of chevron alignment signs on driver performance on horizontal curves with different roadway geometries.

To develop a practicable and clear guideline for implementing Chevrons on China's highways, it is necessary to understand the effect of Chevrons on driving performance in different roadway geometries. Using a driving simulator, this study tests the effect of China's Chevrons on vehicle speed and lane position on two-lane rural highway horizontal curves with different roadway geometries. The results showed a significant effect of Chevrons on speed reduction, and this function was not significantly affected by curve radius but was statistically affected by curve direction.

Experimental research on the effectiveness and adaptability of speed reduction markings in downhill sections on urban roads: a driving simulation study.

The objective of this paper is to test the effectiveness and adaptability of speed reduction markings (SRMs) in downhill sections on urban roads with distinct roadway grades. Empirical data including vehicle speed and acceleration were collected in a driving simulator. Subjective questionnaires were conducted, and two indexes - the relative speed difference and standard deviation of acceleration - were developed to evaluate the effectiveness and adaptability of SRMs.

Effect of different breath alcohol concentrations on driving performance in horizontal curves.

Driving under the influence of alcohol on curved roadway segments has a higher risk than driving on straight segments. To explore the effect of different breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) levels on driving performance in roadway curves, a driving simulation experiment was designed to collect 25 participants' driving performance parameters (i.e.

Experimental research on the effectiveness of speed reduction markings based on driving simulation: a case study.

The objective of this paper is to test the effectiveness of speed reduction markings (SRMs). The empirical data including vehicle operations and drivers' psychological and physical reactions were collected in a driving simulator. An index-the relative speed difference-was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of speed reduction markings.