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Reinforcement learning-based fusion framework for vehicle sideslip angle estimators using physically guided neural networks
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Data will be made available on request.Accurate and robust estimation of the vehicle sideslip angle is crucial for maintaining safety under extreme and variable driving conditions. In this paper, we first propose a reinforcement learning-based framework for estimator fusion in vehicle sideslip angle estimation, where the estimator is constructed using physically guided neural networks incorporating gated recurrent unit (GRU) and self-attention mechanisms. First, the physical knowledge of vehicle kinematics and dynamics is analyzed to design the input configuration of the dynamically and kinematically guided neural network estimators. Second, a GRU-based neural network with self-attention is developed to capture both instantaneous and long-range dependencies in time-series signals, serving as the employed neural network estimator. Third, a reinforcement learning-based estimator fusion framework is proposed to integrate the dynamically and kinematically guided neural network estimators. The estimator fusion is modeled as a Markov decision process (MDP) and implemented using soft actor–critic with auto-entropy, extending reinforcement learning to estimation scenarios where actions do not affect state transitions. Finally, the accuracy and robustness of sideslip angle estimation, as well as the generalizability and adaptability of the reinforcement learning-based estimator fusion framework, are validated through diverse real vehicle experiments using both self-collected and public datasets under normal and extreme maneuvers.This work was supported by the Development of tire models considering temperature and road conditions (Grant No. 12893) and the China Scholarship Council program (Grant No. 202306170146)
Numerical Simulation of Overburden Deformation Mechanism and Surface Settlement Characteristics Induced by Underground Coal Mining: A Case Study
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Underground mining in mountainous regions presents a significant geological hazard, characterised by the occurrence of land subsidence and movement of overlying strata. To aggrandise the theory of mine rock mechanics, we conducted a systematic investigation into the deformation and failure mechanisms of overlying strata as well as the patterns of surface subsidence in mountainous regions. With the method of engineering mechanics and theoretical analysis, supplemented by the universal distinct element code (UDEC) numerical simulation, the mining status of Songzao mine was simulated effectively. Herein, the results revealed that the nonlinearity of the overlying strata failure field occurred during mining, as evidenced by an increase in the failure field when the coal approached the seam roof. The subsidence curve of the underlying lower strata exhibits an inverted trapezoid pattern, while that of the overlying upper overburden displays a funnel-shaped trend. Additionally, the upward transmission displacement velocity was significantly attenuated due to the shielding effect exerted by the key stratum in the overburden, resulting in a greater spatial separation from the underlying strata. The critical stratum fractures as the working face advanced to 120 m, subsequently leading to an increase in vertical displacement and cessation of surface subsidence. The surface subsidence value and speed, however, exhibited a gradual increase as the coal seam mining progressed. Due to the influence of mountain surface landforms, the subsidence value of convex landforms surpasses that of concave landforms, thereby expediting the rate of subsidence and resulting in geological hazards.the project of slope safety control and disaster prevention technology innovation team of “Youth Innovation Talent Introduction and Education Plan” of Shandong colleges and universities. Grant Number: 51;
Research Fund of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Grant Numbers: 42477142, 42277154;
the high-level talent Introduction project of Changzhou University. Grant Number: ZMF24020037;
the project of national natural Science foundation of Shandong province, China. Grant Number: ZR2022ME188;
the project of Jinan “New University 20” research leader studio, China. Grant Number: 20228108;
the Science and technology projects of Yunnan Province, China. Grant Number: 202407AC110019
A Self-Aware Robotic Machining Architecture Based on Physics-Informed Neural Networks
Get PDFIndustrial robots have been widely used in various industrial scenarios due to their flexibility and expandability. However, robots are susceptible to instability at high speeds and load conditions due to their low stiffness and dynamic characteristics variation with posture. Enhancing the processing stability of industrial robots through data-driven modeling and physical modeling approaches suffers from different drawbacks, such as solution complexity and weak interpretability. With the emergence of physics-informed neural networks (PINNs), new methodologies can be developed to enhance the self-aware processing of robots. In this paper, typical industry application scenarios and dynamics of robotics as well as PINNs are introduced and analyzed, and a framework and method based on PINNs are proposed to enhance the self-aware operation of industrial robots. This framework and methodology contribute to the researcher's efforts to apply PINNs more intensively to robot operation in the future to improve the stability and intelligence of robot operation.This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Grant No. 202201789 and the GJYC program of Guangzhou, Grant No. 2024D03J0005
PilOT-Measure: A mobile 3D depth sensing application to support accurate and efficient clinician-led home-based falls risk assessments
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The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Supplementary Information: electronic supplementary material is available online at:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12911-025-03149-7#Sec35 .Background:
An aging global population, coupled with high levels of assistive equipment abandonment, has propelled increases in falls-related injuries at home. Equipment abandonment occurs, in-part, due to inaccurate measurements of the patient’s home taken during the falls risk assessment process. There is an urgent need to explore the value of new digital mobile technologies to help clinicians to take more efficient and effective measurements of patient’s home, thereby enhancing the efficacy of falls risk assessments and potentially minimising equipment abandonment.
Aim:
The aim of this study is to present and evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of PilOT-Measure, a digital mobile 3D depth-sensor-enabled measurement guidance application for use by clinicians carrying out falls risk assessments.
Methods:
Twenty-one trainee and registered Occupational Therapists took part in this repeated-measures, mixed methods study to evaluate measurement accuracy, task completion time, and overall system usability and user perceptions of the application.
Results:
For measurement accuracy, PilOT-Measure outperformed current state of the art handheld tape measure and paper-based measurement guidance booklet. For accuracy consistency, the handheld tape measure and booklet was more consistently accurate for six out of 11 cases. However, PilOT-Measure tended to facilitate significantly faster task completion times, suggesting potential task efficiency benefits. In terms of usability, participants favoured PilOT-Measure and saw potential to reduce administrative tasks and support joint decision-making. Concerns about marker placement on reflective surfaces and patient privacy were noted.
Conclusions:
This study highlights the positive role that mobile depth-sensing technologies can potentially play in improving the efficiency and accuracy of falls risk assessments, hence, reducing levels of equipment abandonment and falls related injuries at home. Future work will focus on improving marker placement, measurement accuracy, and accuracy consistency and explore the potential of using PilOT-Measure as a falls risk patient self-assessment tool..No funding was obtained for this study
BMP signalling in colorectal cancer; the yin to WNTs yang
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Data sharing is not applicable to this article, as no new data were created or analysed in this study.Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common form of cancer globally, and arises from the hyperproliferation of epithelial cells in the intestine. The architecture and maintenance of these cells is governed by two major signalling pathways working in a counter-gradient: the stem cell WNT signalling pathway, and the prodifferentiation bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway. It has long been known that this WNT-BMP balance is disrupted in CRC, with hyperactive WNT signalling leading to increased proliferation of epithelial cells and tumour progression. BMP signalling, and its prodifferentiation effects, have increasingly become a focus for CRC research. Loss of BMP signalling, and that of its receptors, has been shown to increase WNT signalling and cancer stem cells in CRC. BMP signalling is further modulated through secreted BMP antagonists localised to the intestinal crypts, which create a niche ensuring that sustained WNT signalling can maintain stem-cell self-renewal capacity. A number of studies combine to demonstrate the effects of overexpression of these BMP antagonists, showing that hyperactivity of the stem-cell-supporting WNT signalling pathway ensues, leading to deregulation of the intestinal epithelium. Cellular hyperproliferation, the emergence of ectopic crypts, and an increase in stem cell numbers and characteristics are common themes, contributing to disrupted epithelial homeostasis, an increase in CRC risk and progression, and resistance to therapy. This review aims to compile the current knowledge on BMP antagonists, their role in CRC development, and how we can utilise this information for biomarker research and novel therapeutics. © 2025 The Author(s). The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.Studentship funding for EC was provided by Bowel Research UK: project title ‘Investigating variations in two genes that increase the risk of bowel cancer’
Cooperative credit banks and economic fluctuations: the Italian case
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G01; G21.This paper analyses lending behaviour and economic fluctuations in the Italian banking system as a whole and in the case of the Cooperative Credit Banks (CCBs) and Joint Stock Banks using time series data from 2000Q1 to 2022Q4. The specified models include the main determinants of loans to households and firms. In the first stage, VECMs are estimated to identify the long-run relationship between credit and economic variables. In the second, on the basis of appropriate exogeneity tests, only the credit variables are treated as endogenous, and all others as exogenous. Specifically. ECMs are estimated for both loans to households and loans to firms by all banks as well as from the CCBs and Joint Stock Banks. The results suggest that lending behaviour is less affected by economic fluctuations in the case of the CCBs, namely these tend to reduce credit by less or not at all during economic downturns. The reason is that relationship lending enables CCBs to gather confidential (non-public) information about their clients, which can aid lending decisions and reduce credit rationing during such phases.The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article
‘Being that hopeful person’: The contribution of social workers to older people’s well-being
Get PDFDrawing on the findings of research in adult teams in two local authorities in England, this article examines what social workers with older people do, how this contributes to older people’s well-being, and the impact of the social and organizational context of practice. Researchers observed social workers in their practice, interviewed social workers, older people, family carers, and other workers, analysed older people’s records, and examined social workers’ calendars. Framework analysis was used to chart the data in relation to social work capabilities, well-being outcomes for older people, and contextual influences. The article illustrates key findings with reference to examples drawn from social workers’ practice with three older people and family carers. It then discusses three cross-cutting themes: rights and risks; therapeutic engagement; and navigating boundaries. We conclude that the complexity and value of social work with older people need greater recognition, and we argue for changes that allow social work time to be deployed where it has most impact, that is, in direct work with older people and their families.The research was funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research School for Social Care (Project P189)
Assessment of aqueous graphene as a cancer therapeutics delivery system
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The data that supports the findings of this study are available upon request from the corresponding authors. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to AK and IT.Graphene is a nanomaterial used in health and oncology settings. However, several reports have raised the alarm about potential toxicity. This study addressed this concern and determined the in vitro cytotoxicity of few-layer graphene (FLG) flakes produced in bespoke ultrasonic reactors using benign methods. The use of graphene flakes as a potential sensitising agent and a carrier for drug delivery in cancer cells was evaluated. To this end, aqueous based FLG suspensions were systematically characterised using UV-Vis, Raman spectroscopy and High-resolution Transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Cell toxicity characterisation (e.g., cell viability assays using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and cell membrane integrity) of FLG in water were performed together with charge coupled device (CCD) and second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging of live cells in graphene solutions. Collectively, our findings show that NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblast and human fibroblast cells survival was higher than 80% and 90%, respectively upon treatment with the FLG fraction (~ 16 µg/ml ) recovered after centrifugation at 2000 revolutions per minute (RPM). In contrast, the cervical cancer cell line HeLa exposed to similar concentrations of FLG flakes resulted in approximately 30% cell death arguing in favour of a sensitising effect in cervical cancer cells.This work was supported by NFFA EUROPE Pilot (EU H2020 framework programme) under grant agreement no.101007417 from 1/03/2021 to 28/02/2026/NFFA proposal ID-184, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the UK via the project “Sustainable and industrially scalable ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation technologies for manufacturing 2D advanced functional materials” (EcoUltra2D), with the grant nos. EP/R031665/1; EP/R031401/1; EP/R031819/1; EP/R031975/1 and the Royal Society via the Isaac Newton International Fellowship to the project “Large Scale Exfoliation of 2D nanomaterials using an Environmentally Friendly Hybrid Cavitation Reactor” with grant number NIF\R1\221238 for providing financial support to this work. Also. Dr. Sotiris Psilodimitrakopoulos acknowledges MAYA – Project number: 014772. This project is carried out within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0, funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU (Implementation body: HFRI). Mary Kefalogianni acknowledges the project Brain precision - TAEDR-0535850. This project is carried out within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0, funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU
Therapeutic combination of L-ascorbic acid, N-acetylcysteine, and dimethyl fumarate in Friedreich’s ataxia: insights from in vitro models
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The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.Supplemental Material is available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13510002.2025.2505303# .Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA) is a rare neurological disorder caused by an abnormal expansion of Guanine-Adenine-Adenine (GAA) repeat in intron 1 of the FXN gene, which encodes frataxin, leading to reduced expression of frataxin, a mitochondrial protein essential for cellular homeostasis. Frataxin deficiency results in oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired redox balance. Currently, there is no cure for FRDA. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of antioxidants dimethyl fumarate (DMF), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and L-ascorbic acid (LAA) in restoring mitochondrial redox homeostasis and frataxin levels in FRDA patient-derived fibroblasts and 2D sensory neurons. We assessed cell viability, mitochondrial and cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mitochondrial DNA copy number, mitochondrial membrane potential, and frataxin and NRF2 expression at both mRNA and protein levels following antioxidant treatment, either individually or in combination. Treatment with LAA, NAC, and DMF resulted in significant reductions in mitochondrial and cellular ROS, along with increased FXN and NRF2 expression, and enhanced NRF2 nuclear translocation. Furthermore, these compounds improved aconitase/citrate synthase activity, GSH/GSSG ratios, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Notably, the combination of LAA and NAC consistently alleviated multiple disease-associated defects in FRDA cells, suggesting its potential as a promising therapeutic approach.This work was supported by Ataxia UK: [Grant Number]; Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance: [Grant Number]
Barriers to Mainstream Adoption of Circular Packaging in Indonesia
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The data supporting the findings of this study are not publicly available due to ethical considerations related to participant confidentiality and the terms of consent. Transcripts and recordings from focus group discussions and expert workshops contain sensitive information and cannot be shared openly. However, anonymised excerpts and summary tables are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and subject to ethical approval.Achieving the mainstream adoption of circular packaging is essential for mitigating the environmental impacts of plastic waste. Its widespread adoption, however, remains hindered by significant user barriers. This study investigates the barriers to user adoption of upstream packaging solutions in Indonesia with the aim of reducing plastic packaging waste. Through a mixed-methods approach including case studies, expert workshops, and focus group discussions, nine key barriers were identified and analysed. These include inconvenience, resistance to changing habits and behaviours, higher costs and deposit schemes, contamination and hygiene concerns, wear and tear, functional and performance limitations, a lack of awareness about the environmental impacts, limited availability and variety, and a lack of trust. This research advances the literature by offering a detailed analysis of these barriers, categorising them into sociocultural, economic, contextual, and regulatory aspects. Additionally, barriers specific to Indonesia were identified such as a shift from being served to self-service refilling, some people not having smartphones, poor cellular signals in rural areas, a preference for plastic packaging due to its resale value, and a preference for cash payments due to limited access to credit or bank cards. The findings highlight the need for tailored, multidisciplinary strategies to overcome these barriers and promote the adoption of circular packaging solutions. This research provides valuable insights for researchers studying circular design, businesses seeking to innovate upstream packaging solutions, and policymakers aiming to develop regulations that support the adoption of circular packaging practices.The research is part of PISCES project funded by NERC grant (NE/V006428/1)
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