An integrative approach to generating explainable safety assessment scenarios for autonomous vehicles based on Vision Transformer and SHAP.

Automated Vehicles (AVs) are on the cusp of commercialization, prompting global governments to organize the forthcoming mobility phase. However, the advancement of technology alone cannot guarantee the successful commercialization of AVs without insights into the accidents on the read roads where Human-driven Vehicles (HV) coexist. To address such an issue, The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) is currently in progress, and scenario-based approaches have been spotlighted.

DeepIOD: Towards A Context-Aware Indoor-Outdoor Detection Framework Using Smartphone Sensors.

Accurate indoor-outdoor detection (IOD) is essential for location-based services, context-aware computing, and mobile applications, as it enhances service relevance and precision. However, traditional IOD methods, which rely only on GPS data, often fail in indoor environments due to signal obstructions, while IMU data are unreliable on unseen data in real-time applications due to reduced generalizability. This study addresses this research gap by introducing the DeepIOD framework, which leverages IMU sensor data, GPS, and light information to accurately classify environments as indoor or outdoor.

Wafer-Scale Synthesis of Highly Oriented 2D Topological Semimetal PtTe via Tellurization.

Platinum ditelluride (1-PtTe) is a two-dimensional (2D) topological semimetal with a distinctive band structure and flexibility of van der Waals integration as a promising candidate for future electronics and spintronics. Although the synthesis of large-scale, uniform, and highly crystalline films of 2D semimetals system is a prerequisite for device application, the synthetic methods meeting these criteria are still lacking. Here, we introduce an approach to synthesize highly oriented 2D topological semimetal PtTe using a thermally assisted conversion called tellurization, which is a cost-efficient method compared to the other epitaxial deposition methods.

Nanogap-containing thermo-plasmonic nano-heaters for amplified photo-triggered tumor ablation at low laser power density.

Herein, nanogap amplified plasmonic heat-generators are fabricated by decorating Pt nanodots on gold nanospheres (GNSs@Pt@mPEG) by maintaining strategic nano-gaps (1-2 nm) and studied precisely for plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) of colon cancer by passive tumor targeting. The surface modification of GNSs@Pt with poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether thiol (mPEG) increases their accumulation in tumor cells and hence the GNSs@Pt@mPEG stay at the tumor site for a longer time. The nanogap amplified GNSs@Pt@mPEG (O.

Strategically Controlled Flash Irradiation on Silicon Anode for Enhancing Cycling Stability and Rate Capability toward High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Si has attracted considerable interest as a promising anode material for next-generation Li-ion batteries owing to its outstanding specific capacity. However, the commercialization of Si anodes has been consistently limited by severe instabilities originating from their significant volume change (approximately 300%) during the charge-discharge process. Herein, we introduce an ultrafast processing strategy of controlled multi-pulse flash irradiation for stabilizing the Si anode by modifying its physical properties in a spatially stratified manner.

A weighted rebinned backprojection-filtration algorithm from partially beam-blocked data for a single-scan cone-beam CT with hybrid type scatter correction.

Purpose: Scatter contamination constitutes a dominant source of degradation of image quality in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). We have recently developed an analytic image reconstruction method with a scatter correction capability from the partially blocked cone-beam data out of a single scan. Despite its easy implementation and its computational efficiency, the developed method may result in additional image artifacts for a large cone angle geometry due to data inconsistency.

A single port surgical robot system with novel elbow joint mechanism for high force transmission.

Background: Despite its evident clinical benefits, single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) imposes inherent limitations of collision between external arms and inadequate triangulation because multiple instruments are inserted through a single port at the same time.

Methods: A robot platform appropriate for SILS was developed wherein an elbowed instrument can be equipped to easily create surgical triangulation without the interference of robot arms. A novel joint mechanism for a surgical instrument actuated by a rigid link was designed for high torque transmission capability.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP selectively regulates mutant epidermal growth factor receptor by ubiquitination and degradation.

Somatic mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a decisive factor for the therapeutic response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in lung adenocarcinoma. The stability of mutant EGFR is maintained by various regulators, including heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90). The C terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP) is a Hsp70/Hsp90 co-chaperone and exhibits E3 ubiquitin ligase activity.

Hippo pathway effector YAP inhibition restores the sensitivity of EGFR-TKI in lung adenocarcinoma having primary or acquired EGFR-TKI resistance.

The efficacy of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is significantly limited by various resistance mechanisms to those drugs. The resistance to EGFR-TKI is largely divided by two classes; acquired resistance after EGFR-TKI treatment, and primary resistance marked by cancer cell's dependence on other oncogene, such as KRAS. YAP has emerged as critical oncogene in conferring drug resistance against targeted therapy.

Graphene-ferroelectric metadevices for nonvolatile memory and reconfigurable logic-gate operations.

Memory metamaterials are artificial media that sustain transformed electromagnetic properties without persistent external stimuli. Previous memory metamaterials were realized with phase-change materials, such as vanadium dioxide or chalcogenide glasses, which exhibit memory behaviour with respect to electrically/optically induced thermal stimuli. However, they require a thermally isolated environment for longer retention or strong optical pump for phase-change.

Highly Enhanced Gas Adsorption Properties in Vertically Aligned MoS2 Layers.

In this work, we demonstrate that gas adsorption is significantly higher in edge sites of vertically aligned MoS2 compared to that of the conventional basal plane exposed MoS2 films. To compare the effect of the alignment of MoS2 on the gas adsorption properties, we synthesized three distinct MoS2 films with different alignment directions ((1) horizontally aligned MoS2 (basal plane exposed), (2) mixture of horizontally aligned MoS2 and vertically aligned layers (basal and edge exposed), and (3) vertically aligned MoS2 (edge exposed)) by using rapid sulfurization method of CVD process. Vertically aligned MoS2 film shows about 5-fold enhanced sensitivity to NO2 gas molecules compared to horizontally aligned MoS2 film.

Optical activity enhanced by strong inter-molecular coupling in planar chiral metamaterials.

The polarization of light can be rotated in materials with an absence of molecular or structural mirror symmetry. While this rotating ability is normally rather weak in naturally occurring chiral materials, artificial chiral metamaterials have demonstrated extraordinary rotational ability by engineering intra-molecular couplings. However, while in general, chiral metamaterials can exhibit strong rotatory power at or around resonances, they convert linearly polarized waves into elliptically polarized ones.

HER2-specific aptide conjugated magneto-nanoclusters for potential breast cancer imaging and therapy.

Here, we report a nanotheranostic system that enables simultaneous imaging and therapy of HER2-overexpressing tumors. We first screened an aptide-based phage library for HER2-specific peptide ligands, identifying a HER2-specific aptide (APT) phage clone. Chemically synthesized APT showed high affinity for its target protein (K≈ 89 nM) and specifically bound HER2-overexpressing cells (NIH3T6.

Presynaptic proteoglycans: sweet organizers of synapse development.

Synaptic adhesion molecules control neuronal synapse development. In this issue of Neuron, Siddiqui et al. (2013) and de Wit et al.

Solution-processed flexible fluorine-doped indium zinc oxide thin-film transistors fabricated on plastic film at low temperature.

Transparent flexible fluorine-doped indium zinc oxide (IZO:F) thin-film transistors (TFTs) were demonstrated using the spin-coating method of the metal fluoride precursor aqueous solution with annealing at 200°C for 2 hrs on polyethylene naphthalate films. The proposed thermal evolution mechanism of metal fluoride aqueous precursor solution examined by thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectroscopy can easily explain oxide formation. The chemical composition analysed by XPS confirms that the fluorine was doped in the thin films annealed below 250°C.

Rapid one-step inactivation of single or multiple genes in Escherichia coli.

Gene knockout experiments are frequently performed for both fundamental and applied biological research. We developed an integration helper plasmid-based knockout system for more efficient and rapid engineering of Escherichia coli. The integration helper plasmid, pCW611, contains two recombinases that are expressed in the reverse direction by two independent inducible systems.

cAMP/PKA signalling reinforces the LATS-YAP pathway to fully suppress YAP in response to actin cytoskeletal changes.

Actin cytoskeletal damage induces inactivation of the oncoprotein YAP (Yes-associated protein). It is known that the serine/threonine kinase LATS (large tumour suppressor) inactivates YAP by phosphorylating its Ser127 and Ser381 residues. However, the events downstream of actin cytoskeletal changes that are involved in the regulation of the LATS-YAP pathway and the mechanism by which LATS differentially phosphorylates YAP on Ser127 and Ser381 in vivo have remained elusive.

Enhanced production of full-length immunoglobulin G via the signal recognition particle (SRP)-dependent pathway in Escherichia coli.

Because of the lack of post-translational glycosylation, Escherichia coli is not a preferable host for immunoglobulin G (IgG) production. However, recent successes in the developments of aglycosylated IgG variants that do not require glycosylation for effector functions have increased the likelihood of using E. coli for IgG production.

In vivo high spatiotemporal resolution visualization of circulating T lymphocytes in high endothelial venules of lymph nodes.

Lymph nodes (LN) are major checkpoints for circulating T lymphocytes to recognize foreign antigens collected from peripheral tissue. High endothelial venule (HEV) in LN facilitates the effective transmigration of circulating T lymphocytes from the blood into LN. There have been many efforts to visualize T lymphocytes trafficking across HEV to understand the underlying mechanism.

Enhanced mechanical properties of epoxy nanocomposites by mixing noncovalently functionalized boron nitride nanoflakes.

The influence of surface modifications on the mechanical properties of epoxy-hexagonal boron nitride nanoflake (BNNF) nanocomposites is investigated. Homogeneous distributions of boron nitride nanoflakes in a polymer matrix, preserving intrinsic material properties of boron nitride nanoflakes, is the key to successful composite applications. Here, a method is suggested to obtain noncovalently functionalized BNNFs with 1-pyrenebutyric acid (PBA) molecules and to synthesize epoxy-BNNF nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical properties.

Wearable mental-health monitoring platform with independent component analysis and nonlinear chaotic analysis.

The wearable mental-health monitoring platform is proposed for mobile mental healthcare system. The platform is headband type of 50 g and consumes 1.1 mW.

Double loop control strategy with different time steps based on human characteristics.

This paper proposes a cooperative control strategy in consideration of the force sensitivity of human. The strategy consists of two loops: one is the intention estimation loop whose sampling time can be variable in order to investigate the effect of the sampling time; the other is the position control loop with fixed time step. A high sampling rate is not necessary for the intention estimation loop due to the bandwidth of the mechanoreceptors in humans.

Adaptive fabrication of a flexible electrode by optically self-selected interfacial adhesion and its application to highly transparent and conductive film.

A novel adaptive electrode fabrication method using optically self-selected interfacial adhesion between a laser-processed metal layer and polymer film is introduced to fabricate cost-effectively a high-resolution arbitrary electrode with high conductivity. The quality is close to that from vacuum deposition on a highly heat sensitive polymer film, with active response to various design requirements. A highly conductive metal film (resistivity: 3.

Tuning the photoluminescence of graphene quantum dots through the charge transfer effect of functional groups.

The band gap properties of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) arise from quantum confinement effects and differ from those in semimetallic graphene sheets. Tailoring the size of the band gap and understanding the band gap tuning mechanism are essential for the applications of GQDs in opto-electronics. In this study, we observe that the photoluminescence (PL) of the GQDs shifts due to charge transfers between functional groups and GQDs.