A randomized trial of behavioral interventions yielding sustained reductions in distracted driving.

Distracted driving is responsible for nearly 1 million crashes each year in the United States alone, and a major source of driver distraction is handheld phone use. We conducted a randomized, controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of interventions designed to create sustained reductions in handheld use while driving (NCT04587609). Participants were 1,653 consenting Progressive® Snapshot® usage-based auto insurance customers ages 18 to 77 who averaged at least 2 min/h of handheld use while driving in the month prior to study invitation. They were randomly assigned to one of five arms for a 10-wk intervention period. Arm 1 (control) got education about the risks of handheld phone use, as did the other arms. Arm 2 got a free phone mount to facilitate hands-free use. Arm 3 got the mount plus a commitment exercise and tips for hands-free use. Arm 4 got the mount, commitment, and tips plus weekly goal gamification and social competition. Arm 5 was the same as Arm 4, plus offered behaviorally designed financial incentives. Postintervention, participants were monitored until the end of their insurance rating period, 25 to 65 d more. Outcome differences were measured using fractional logistic regression. Arm 4 participants, who received gamification and competition, reduced their handheld use by 20.5% relative to control (P < 0.001); Arm 5 participants, who additionally received financial incentives, reduced their use by 27.6% (P < 0.001). Both groups sustained these reductions through the end of their insurance rating period.

Characteristics of Pediatric Concussion across Different Mechanisms of Injury in 5 through 12-Year-Olds.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate characteristics of sport-related concussion (SRC), recreation-related concussion (RRC), and nonsport or recreation-related concussion (non-SRRC) in patients 5 through 12 years old, an understudied population in youth concussion. STUDY DESIGN: This observational study included patients aged 5 through 12 years presenting to a specialty care concussion setting at ≤28 days postinjury from 2018 through 2022. The following characteristics were assessed: demographics, injury mechanism (SRC, RRC, or SRRC), point of healthcare entry, and clinical signs and symptoms. Kruskal-Wallis and chi-square tests were used to assess group differences. Posthoc pairwise comparisons were employed for all analyses (α = 0.017). RESULTS: One thousand one hundred forty-one patients reported at ≤28 days of injury (female = 42.9%, median age = 11, interquartile range (IQR) = 9-12) with the most common mechanism being RRC (37.3%), followed by non-SRRC (31.9%). More non-SRRCs (39.6%) and RRC (35.7%) were first seen in the emergency department (P < .001) compared with SRC (27.9%). Patients with RRC and non-SRRC were first evaluated at specialists 2 and 3 days later than SRC (P < .001). Patients with non-SRRC reported with higher symptom burden, more frequent visio-vestibular abnormalities, and more changes to sleep and daily habits (P < .001) compared with RRC and SRC (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In concussion patients 5 through 12 years, RRCs and non-SRRC were more prevalent than SRC, presenting first more commonly to the emergency department and taking longer to present to specialists. Non-SRRC had more severe clinical features. RRC and non-SRRC are distinct from SRC in potential for less supervision at time of injury and less direct access to established concussion health care following injury.

Characteristics of motor vehicle crashes and fatality risk among drivers with epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: Among motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), little is known about whether the characteristics and collision features involving drivers with epilepsy differ from those involving drivers without any history of epilepsy. We assessed MVC features and the effect of epilepsy diagnosis on the risk of severe crash-related injuries among drivers. METHODS: A total of 33 174 MVC events among people with epilepsy (PWE) and 663 480 MVC events of age- and sex-matched non-PWE (1:20) were selected. Crash-related features that involved drivers with and without epilepsy were compared, including driver eligibility, medical history of comorbidities and medications, road and environmental conditions, and accident causes. Cox and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the risks of fatality and severe injury among drivers with and without epilepsy. RESULTS: PWE involved in MVCs were more likely to have lower socioeconomic status, comorbidities, scooter drivers without a qualified driver's license, driving under the influence of alcohol, and be involved in single-vehicle accidents than non-PWE. Drivers with epilepsy also had a higher risk of fatality within 30 days of MVC, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-1.57) and a higher risk of hospital admission within 3 days after MVC (aHR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.29-1.38) compared to that of non-PWE. SIGNIFICANCE: The characteristics of MVCs of drivers with epilepsy were distinct from those of non-affected drivers. And higher fatality and injury rates were observed among drivers with epilepsy, which should be considered in further policymaking regarding safe driving of PWE.

Understanding the Burden of Pediatric Traumatic Injury in Uganda: A Multicenter, Prospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic injury is responsible for eight million childhood deaths annually. In Uganda, there is a paucity of comprehensive data describing the burden of pediatric trauma, which is essential for resource allocation and surgical workforce planning. This study aimed to ascertain the burden of non-adolescent pediatric trauma across four Ugandan hospitals. METHODS: We performed a descriptive review of four independent and prospective pediatric surgical databases in Uganda: Mulago National Referral Hospital (2012-2019), Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (2015-2019), Soroti Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH) (2016-2019), and St Mary's Hospital Lacor (SMHL) (2016-2019). We sub-selected all clinical encounters that involved trauma. The primary outcome was the distribution of injury mechanisms. Secondary outcomes included operative intervention and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: There was a total of 693 pediatric trauma patients, across four hospital sites: Mulago National Referral Hospital (n = 245), Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (n = 29), SRRH (n = 292), and SMHL (n = 127). The majority of patients were male (63%), with a median age of 5 [interquartile range = 2, 8]. Chiefly, patients suffered blunt injury mechanisms, including falls (16.2%) and road traffic crashes (14.7%) resulting in abdominal trauma (29.4%) and contusions (11.8%). At SRRH and SMHL, from which orthopedic data were available, 27% of patients suffered long-bone fractures. Overall, 55% of patients underwent surgery and 95% recovered to discharge. CONCLUSIONS: In Uganda, non-adolescent pediatric trauma patients most commonly suffer injuries due to falls and road traffic crashes, resulting in high rates of abdominal trauma. Amid surgical workforce deficits and resource-variability, these data support interventions aimed at training adult general surgeons to provide emergency pediatric surgical care and procedures.

The Association Between Home and Crash Site Social Vulnerability on Injury and Mortality After Motor Vehicle Crashes: Implications for Traffic Policy.

INTRODUCTION: There is a growing body of literature that shows geographic social vulnerability, which seeks to measure the resiliency of a community to withstand unforeseen disasters, may be associated with negative outcomes after traumatic injury. For motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) specifically, it is unknown how the resources of a patient's home environment may interact with resources of the environment where the crash occurred. METHODS: We merged publicly available crash data from the state of Michigan with the Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement dataset. A social vulnerability index (SVI) score was calculated for each ZIP code and was then cross-referenced between the location of the MVC (Crash-SVI) and the patient's home address (Home-SVI). SVI was divided into quintiles, with higher numbers indicating greater vulnerability. Adjusted logistic regression models using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator for feature selection and regularization were performed sequentially using patient, vehicular, and environmental variables to identify associations between Home-SVI and Crash-SVI, with mortality and injury severity score (ISS) greater than 15 (ISS15). RESULTS: Between January 2020 and December 2022, a total of 14,706 patients were identified. Most MVCs (75.3% of all patients) occurred in the second through fourth quintiles of SVI. In all cases, Crash-SVI occurred most frequently within the same quintile as the patient's Home-SVI. Average crash speed limits showed a significant negative association with increasing SVI. On adjusted logistic regression, there were significantly increased odds of mortality for the fifth quintile of Home-SVI in comparison to the first quintile when adjusted for patient factors; but this lost significance after the addition of vehicular or environmental variables. In contrast, there were decreased odds of ISS15 for the highest quintiles of Crash-SVI in all logistic regression models. CONCLUSIONS: Geographic social vulnerability markers were associated with lower MVC-associated injury severity, perhaps in part because of the association with lower speed limit in these areas.

Epilepsy and driving: A preliminary survey of people with epilepsy at an epilepsy clinic in China.

BACKGROUND: Driving is an important part of the daily life for most adults, and restrictions on driving can significantly affect the quality of life for people with epilepsy. This study aimed to investigate the current driving status of patients at an epilepsy clinic in China. METHOD: Study participants were administered a survey by a questionnaire including the demographic and clinical characteristics of seizure, driving-related questions and attitudes to driving. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients responded the survey. Among 33(32.7%) who hold the driving license, 20 (60.6%) still drive, 3 had seizures while driving, and the rate of traffic accidents was 0. There was no significant difference in seizure frequency and type of medication between patients with and without the driving license, but compliance with medication was significantly better for those who held the driving license. CONCLUSIONS: One-third of people with epilepsy hold the driving license and good drug compliance is a favorable factor for driving. Standardizing different levels of restriction on driving for people with epilepsy is urgently needed.

New insights into the influence of pre-culture on robust solvent production of C. acetobutylicum.

Clostridia are known for their solvent production, especially the production of butanol. Concerning the projected depletion of fossil fuels, this is of great interest. The cultivation of clostridia is known to be challenging, and it is difficult to achieve reproducible results and robust processes. However, existing publications usually concentrate on the cultivation conditions of the main culture. In this paper, the influence of cryo-conservation and pre-culture on growth and solvent production in the resulting main cultivation are examined. A protocol was developed that leads to reproducible cultivations of Clostridium acetobutylicum. Detailed investigation of the cell conservation in cryo-cultures ensured reliable cell growth in the pre-culture. Moreover, a reason for the acid crash in the main culture was found, based on the cultivation conditions of the pre-culture. The critical parameter to avoid the acid crash and accomplish the shift to the solventogenesis of clostridia is the metabolic phase in which the cells of the pre-culture were at the time of inoculation of the main culture; this depends on the cultivation time of the pre-culture. Using cells from the exponential growth phase to inoculate the main culture leads to an acid crash. To achieve the solventogenic phase with butanol production, the inoculum should consist of older cells which are in the stationary growth phase. Considering these parameters, which affect the entire cultivation process, reproducible results and reliable solvent production are ensured. KEY POINTS: • Both cryo- and pre-culture strongly impact the cultivation of C. acetobutylicum • Cultivation conditions of the pre-culture are a reason for the acid crash • Inoculum from cells in stationary growth phase ensures shift to solventogenesis.

Effects of rewarming therapies on outcomes in accidental hypothermia: A secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Rewarming therapies for accidental hypothermia (AH) include extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and non-ECMO related (conventional) therapies. However, there are limited data available to inform the selection of conventional rewarming therapy. The aim of the present study was to explore what patients' factors and which rewarming therapy predicted favorable prognosis. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of the Intensive Care with Extra Corporeal membrane oxygenation Rewarming in Accidentally Severe Hypothermia (ICE-CRASH) study, a multicenter prospective, observational study conducted in Japan. Enrolled in the ICE-CRASH study were patients aged ≥18 years with a core temperature of ≤32 °C who were transported to the emergency departments of 36 tertiary care hospitals in Japan between 1 December 2019 and 31 March 2022, among whom those who were rewarmed with conventional rewarming therapy were included in the present study. Logistic regression analysis was performed with 28-day survival as the objective variable; and seven factors including age, activities of daily living (ADL) independence, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and each rewarming technique as explanatory variables. We performed linear regression analysis to identify whether each rewarming technique was associated with rewarming rate. RESULTS: Of the 499 patients enrolled in the ICE-CRASH study, 371 were eligible for this secondary analysis. The median age was 81 years, 50.9% were male, and the median initial body temperature was 28.8 °C. Age (odds ratio [OR]: 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94-1.00) and SOFA score (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.67-0.81) were associated with lower survival, whereas ADL independence (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.15-4.63) was associated with higher survival. No conventional rewarming therapy was associated with 28-day survival. Hot bath was associated with a high rewarming rate (regression coefficient: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.75-1.53). CONCLUSION: No conventional rewarming therapy was associated with improved 28-day survival, which suggests that background factors such as age, ADL, and severity of condition contribute more to prognosis than does the selection of rewarming technique.

Getting patients to the right level of trauma center after motorcycle crashes in a rural trauma system.

PURPOSE: After a motorcycle crash (MCC), emergency medical services (EMS) responders must balance trauma center proximity with clinical needs of patients, which is especially challenging in rural states. The study purpose was to determine if MCC patients treated at lower-level trauma centers (LLTC) experienced higher mortality when compared to patients transported directly to the highest level of trauma care available in the state at Level II trauma centers. PROCEDURES: A retrospective study was conducted on MCC patients transported by EMS to Montana hospitals and met registry inclusion criteria in 2020-2021. The first study group included patients initially transported to state-designated trauma centers (equivalent to Level III-V) or non-designated hospitals (LLTC), and the second group included patients transported directly to American College of Surgeon verified Level II trauma centers (L2TC). Secondary transfer was defined as initial transport to a LLTC and subsequent transfer to a L2TC. Primary study outcome was mortality at the L2TC. Chi-square tests and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used for analysis. FINDINGS: In the study period, 337 MCC patients were transported by EMS; 186 (55%) patients were transported to a LLTC while 151 patients (45%) were transported to a L2TC. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality (12% vs 8%, p = 0.30) when comparing secondary transfer patients to patients transported directly to a L2TC. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of patients initially evaluated at a LLTC required transfer to a higher-level of care. Secondary transfer was not associated with increased mortality.

The Influence of a Booster Seat on the Motion of the Reclined Small Female Anthropomorphic Test Device in Low-Acceleration Far-Side Lateral Oblique Impacts.

Belt-positioning booster (BPB) seats may prevent submarining in reclined child occupants in frontal impacts. BPB-seated child volunteers showed reduced lateral displacement in reclined seating in low-acceleration lateral-oblique impacts. As submarining was particularly evident in reclined small adult female occupants, we examined if a booster seat could provide similar effects on the kinematics of the small female occupant to the ones found on the reclined child volunteers in low-acceleration far-side lateral oblique impacts. The THOR-AV-5F was seated on a vehicle seat on a sled simulating a far-side lateral-oblique impact (80 deg from frontal, maximum acceleration ∼2 g, duration ∼170 ms). Lateral and forward head and trunk displacements, trunk rotation, knee-head distance, seatbelt loads, and head acceleration were recorded. Three seatback angles (25 deg, 45 deg, 60 deg) and two booster conditions were examined. Lateral peak head and trunk displacements decreased in more severe reclined seatback angles (25-36 mm decrease compared to nominal). Forward peak head, trunk displacements, and knee-head distance were greater with the seatback reclined and no BPB. Knee-head distance increased in the severe reclined angle also with the booster seat (>40 mm compared to nominal). Seat belt peak loads increased with increased recline angle with the booster, but not without the booster seat. Booster-like solutions may be beneficial for reclined small female adult occupants to reduce head and trunk displacements in far-side lateral-oblique impacts, and knee-head distance and motion variability in severe reclined seatback angles.

Does abdominal protrusion in pregnant women affect abdominal injury severity in motor vehicle collisions? A nationwide database study.

AIMS: Some pregnant women avoid vehicle driving owing to the risk of contact between their protruding abdomen and steering wheel. This study was performed to determine whether abdominal protrusion in late-term pregnant car users affects the occurrence and severity of abdominal injuries in motor vehicle collisions using a national crash database. METHODS: The National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System was used to analyse maternal background, collision characteristics, outcome and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores for the body regions of all persons involved in the collision. RESULTS: Comparison of pregnant and non-pregnant women in the driver's seat showed no significant differences in the rate of AIS scores of ≥2 (2+) for abdominal injuries and female outcomes. Comparison of use of the driver's seat and front passenger's seat by pregnant women showed no significant difference in rate of AIS 2+ injuries or in maternal and fetal outcomes. Comparison of pregnant women with a gestational age of ≤27 and >27 weeks in the driver's seat showed no significant differences in rate of AIS 2+ injuries or in maternal and fetal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the data from relatively low-speed frontal collisions, obstetrician/gynaecologists should advise pregnant women that they do not need to change their preferred car seat from the driver's seat to another seat because of fear of contact between their protruding abdomen and the vehicle interior.

Effectiveness of Interventions on Work Outcomes After Road Traffic Crash-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal injuries are common after road traffic crash (RTC) and can lead to poor work-related outcomes. This review evaluated the impact of interventions on work-related (e.g. sick leave), health, and functional outcomes in individuals with a RTC-related musculoskeletal injury, and explored what factors were associated with work-related outcomes. METHODS: Searches of seven databases were conducted up until 9/03/2023. Eligible interventions included adults with RTC-related musculoskeletal injuries, a comparison group, and a work-related outcome, and were in English. Meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan and meta-regressions in Stata. RESULTS: Studies (n = 27) were predominantly conducted in countries with third-party liability schemes (n = 26), by physiotherapists (n = 17), and in participants with whiplash injuries (94%). Pooled effects in favour of the intervention group were seen overall (SMD = - 0.14, 95% CI: - 0.29, 0.00), for time to return to work (- 17.84 days, 95% CI: - 24.94, - 10.74), likelihood of returning to full duties vs. partial duties (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.36), decreased pain intensity (- 6.17 units, 95% CI: - 11.96, - 0.39, 100-point scale), and neck disability (- 1.77 units, 95% CI: - 3.24, - 0.30, 50-point scale). DISCUSSION: Interventions after RTC can reduce time to return to work and increase the likelihood of returning to normal duties, but the results for these outcomes were based on a small number of studies with low-quality evidence. Further research is needed to evaluate a broader range of interventions, musculoskeletal injury types, and to include better quality work-related outcomes.

Analysis of Head Movement in KPSIT Dummies and the Impact of Seats and Seat Belts during Low-Speed Collisions 20 km/h.

The aim of this study was to compare the head displacement of the KPSIT C50 dummy, representing a 50th percentile male, with the KPSIT C5 dummy, representing a 5th percentile female, during low-speed collisions. Low-speed collisions, such as those occurring in urban traffic jams, are increasingly common. The research was conducted on a dedicated educational workstation designed to measure forces in seat belts. This study is part of a comprehensive research project on crash tests involving both volunteers and physical KPSIT dummies. The tests were conducted at a speed of 20 km/h to simulate real-world low-speed collision scenarios. The findings demonstrate that using a sports bucket seat with four-point or five-point harnesses significantly reduces head displacement compared with standard car seats. Such seating configurations enhance safety by minimizing the risk of head injuries, which can occur when airbags do not deploy during low-speed collisions. Moreover, the study highlights that standard three-point seat belts allow for greater forward head movement, increasing the risk of head contact with the vehicle's interior during collisions at speeds too low to trigger airbag deployment.

Hardware Schemes for Smarter Indoor Robotics to Prevent the Backing Crash Framework Using Field Programmable Gate Array-Based Multi-Robots.

The use of smart indoor robotics services is gradually increasing in real-time scenarios. This paper presents a versatile approach to multi-robot backing crash prevention in indoor environments, using hardware schemes to achieve greater competence. Here, sensor fusion was initially used to analyze the state of multi-robots and their orientation within a static or dynamic scenario. The proposed novel hardware scheme-based framework integrates both static and dynamic scenarios for the execution of backing crash prevention. A round-robin (RR) scheduling algorithm was composed for the static scenario. Dynamic backing crash prevention was deployed by embedding a first come, first served (FCFS) scheduling algorithm. The behavioral control mechanism of the distributed multi-robots was integrated with FCFS and adaptive cruise control (ACC) scheduling algorithms. The integration of multiple algorithms is a challenging task for smarter indoor robotics, and the Xilinx-based partial reconfiguration method was deployed to avoid computational issues with multiple algorithms during the run-time. These methods were coded with Verilog HDL and validated using an FPGA (Zynq)-based multi-robot system.

Frontal Impact Energy Absorbers for Passenger Cars.

Road accidents cause considerable losses to road users and to society. The steady increase in the number of vehicles leads to increased traffic volume. Therefore, there is a real need to improve passenger safety by developing passive safety systems. This article presents the results of experimental tests of structures absorbing kinetic energy, which could be used in the front section of a vehicle in order to reduce the consequences of passenger car head-on collisions. A number of crash tests of selected structures were conducted under various load conditions. An analysis was carried out of parameters enabling the authors to assess the level of energy absorption by the absorbers made, and compare these to absorbers available on the market. The tests carried out made it possible to determine energy absorption capability of the crash boxes prepared and to identify a structure exhibiting the most advantageous properties from the point of view of its prospective use. Of all of the absorbers analysed, in the context of energy absorption, it was the absorber made of glass-fibre-reinforced polyphenylene sulphide that produced the most advantageous results. Nonetheless, favourable results were obtained for all of the structures tested.

The Effect of Changing the Angle of the Passenger Car Seat Backrest on the Head Trajectories of the 50th Percentile Male Dummy.

The aim of the study is to compare the head displacement of the KPSIT C50 dummy during a frontal collision at a speed of 20 km/h, along with the change in the angle of the car seat backrest. Passenger car manufacturers recommend setting the backrest angle of the car seat between 100 and 125 degrees. It should be noted that the driver's position is of great importance in the event of a collision injury. In the event of a rear-end collision, the position of the headrest of the car seat is an element that affects the degree of the driver's injuries. In extreme cases, incorrect positioning of the headrest, even at low speed, can lead to serious injuries to the cervical spine and even death. The article is part of a large-scale study on low-speed crash testing. The research problem concerned the influence of the seat backrest angle on the head displacement during a low-speed collision. The article compares the displacement of the head of the KPSIT C50 dummy during a series of crash tests, where the angle of the car seat backrest was changed. On the basis of the research, it was found that the optimal angle of the car seat backrest is 110 degrees. In addition, a preliminary analysis of the displacements of the dummy's head showed a high risk of whiplash injury in people sitting in a fully reclined seat.

Multi-Tracking Sensor Architectures for Reconstructing Autonomous Vehicle Crashes: An Exploratory Study.

With the continuous development of new sensor features and tracking algorithms for object tracking, researchers have opportunities to experiment using different combinations. However, there is no standard or agreed method for selecting an appropriate architecture for autonomous vehicle (AV) crash reconstruction using multi-sensor-based sensor fusion. This study proposes a novel simulation method for tracking performance evaluation (SMTPE) to solve this problem. The SMTPE helps select the best tracking architecture for AV crash reconstruction. This study reveals that a radar-camera-based centralized tracking architecture of multi-sensor fusion performed the best among three different architectures tested with varying sensor setups, sampling rates, and vehicle crash scenarios. We provide a brief guideline for the best practices in selecting appropriate sensor fusion and tracking architecture arrangements, which can be helpful for future vehicle crash reconstruction and other AV improvement research.

Comprehensive Assessment of Artificial Intelligence Tools for Driver Monitoring and Analyzing Safety Critical Events in Vehicles.

Human factors are a primary cause of vehicle accidents. Driver monitoring systems, utilizing a range of sensors and techniques, offer an effective method to monitor and alert drivers to minimize driver error and reduce risky driving behaviors, thus helping to avoid Safety Critical Events (SCEs) and enhance overall driving safety. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, in particular, have been widely investigated to improve the efficiency and accuracy of driver monitoring or analysis of SCEs. To better understand the state-of-the-art practices and potential directions for AI tools in this domain, this work is an inaugural attempt to consolidate AI-related tools from academic and industry perspectives. We include an extensive review of AI models and sensors used in driver gaze analysis, driver state monitoring, and analyzing SCEs. Furthermore, researchers identified essential AI tools, both in academia and industry, utilized for camera-based driver monitoring and SCE analysis, in the market. Recommendations for future research directions are presented based on the identified tools and the discrepancies between academia and industry in previous studies. This effort provides a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of leveraging AI tools to minimize driver errors, avoid SCEs, and increase driving safety.

SDC-Net++: End-to-End Crash Detection and Action Control for Self-Driving Car Deep-IoT-Based System.

Few prior works study self-driving cars by deep learning with IoT collaboration. SDC-Net, which is an end-to-end multitask self-driving car camera cocoon IoT-based system, is one of the research areas that tackles this direction. However, by design, SDC-Net is not able to identify the accident locations; it only classifies whether a scene is a crash scene or not. In this work, we introduce an enhanced design for the SDC-Net system by (1) replacing the classification network with a detection one, (2) adapting our benchmark dataset labels built on the CARLA simulator to include the vehicles' bounding boxes while keeping the same training, validation, and testing samples, and (3) modifying the shared information via IoT to include the accident location. We keep the same path planning and automatic emergency braking network, the digital automation platform, and the input representations to formulate the comparative study. The SDC-Net++ system is proposed to (1) output the relevant control actions, especially in case of accidents: accelerate, decelerate, maneuver, and brake, and (2) share the most critical information to the connected vehicles via IoT, especially the accident locations. A comparative study is also conducted between SDC-Net and SDC-Net++ with the same input representations: front camera only, panorama and bird's eye views, and with single-task networks, crash avoidance only, and multitask networks. The multitask network with a BEV input representation outperforms the nearest representation in precision, recall, f1-score, and accuracy by more than 15.134%, 12.046%, 13.593%, and 5%, respectively. The SDC-Net++ multitask network with BEV outperforms SDC-Net multitask with BEV in precision, recall, f1-score, accuracy, and average MSE by more than 2.201%, 2.8%, 2.505%, 2%, and 18.677%, respectively.

How does the issuance of green bonds impact stock price crash risk: An analysis utilizing the NCSKEW and DUVOL.

China's rapid development in the context of carbon neutrality has positioned it as the global leader in green bond issuance. As the Chinese A-share market continues to slump, adverse shocks are accumulating. Thus, the question arises: How will the issuance of green bonds (GB) impact stock price crash risk (SPCR)? The present study utilizes datasets of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2012 to 2022 and conducts a differences-in-difference analysis to address this inquiry. The findings indicate that issuing GB can significantly reduce SPCR, suggesting that GB plays a stabilizing role in the capital market. This effect remains robust after consideration of parallel trend testing, placebo tests, propensity score matching, replacement of explained variables, and controlling for geographic and industrial factors. The mechanism studies demonstrate that the issuance of GB can effectively alleviate financing constraints faced by companies and reduce SPCR through the financing constraints mechanism. The issuance can also enhance firm exposure and attract investor attention, thereby mitigating SPCR through the investor attention mechanism. The issuance contributes to the formation of a positive reputation image among investors and can diminish SPCR through the investor sentiment mechanism. The heterogeneity analyses show that the depressive effect of issuing GB on SPCR is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises, heavily polluting industries, and regions with a higher degree of marketization. Further discussion suggests that given the influence of externalities, the green signals released when a firm issues GB can spread within the capital market, generating a positive spillover effect on the decrease in SPCR of other firms in the same region and a negative spillover effect on the increase in SPCR of other firms in the same industry. This study not only confirms GB's stabilization role in the capital market, but also offers theoretical insights for improving the institutional design of the green bond market and promoting sustainable green development.