Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bearings-only localization and mapping

In many applications, mobile robots must be able to localize themselves with respect to environments which are not known a priori in order to navigate and accomplish tasks. This means that the robot must be able to build a map of an unknown environment while simultaneously localizing itself within that map. The so called Simultaneous Localization and Mapping or SLAM problem is a formulation of this requirement, and has been the subject of a considerable amount of robotics research in the last decade. This thesis looks at the problem of localization and mapping when the only information available to the robot is measurements of relative motion and bearings to features. The relative motion sensor measures displacement from one time to the next through some means such as inertial measurement or odometry, as opposed to externally referenced position measurements like compass or GPS. The bearing sensor measures the direction toward features from the robot through a sensor such as an omnidirectional camera, as opposed to bearing and range sensors such as laser rangefinders, sonar, or millimeter wave radar. A full solution to the bearing-only SLAM problem must take into consideration detecting and identifying features and estimating the location of the features as well as the motion of the robot using the measurements. This thesis focuses on the estimation problem given that feature detection and data association are available. Estimation requires a solution that is fast, accurate, consistent, and robust. In an applied sense, this dissertation puts forth a methodology for building maps and localizing a mobile robot using odometry and monocular vision. This sensor suite is chosen for its simplicity and generality, and in some sense represents a minimal configuration for localization and mapping. In a broader sense, the dissertation describes a novel method for state estimation applicable to problems which exhibit particular nonlinearity and sparseness properties. The method relies on deterministic sampling in order to compute sufficient statistics at each time step in a recursive filter. The relationship of the new algorithm to bundle adjustment and Kalman filtering (including some of its variants) is discussed.
Can you trust what you hear: Effects of audio‐attacks on voice‐to‐face generation system

Owing to the widespread deployment of face and speaker recognition systems, research on attacks on neural‐network‐based biometric systems, which involves face or voice signal classification problems with a low‐dimensional output vector, has drawn increasing attention. Recently, cross‐modal voice‐to‐face (VTF) systems have learned to generate faces from voices by matching several biometric characteristics of the generated faces to those of speakers. However, attacks focusing on VTF systems with high‐dimensional face image outputs have not yet been conducted. In this paper, we introduce various adversarial attack methods for the VTF system under different attack conditions. These methods can generate a fake face close to the target face or far from the original face, by adding subtle perturbations to the original voice. Under the white‐box setting, we formulate a multiobjective optimization to generate target faces and improve the imperceptibility of the adversarial sample. Further a stepwise iterative optimization strategy is proposed to achieve faster and more effective attacks. Finally, the results of comparative experiments with various methods are demonstrated. Under the black‐box setting, the adversarial samples generated from surrogate models are able to generate the fake face far from the original one. Qualitative and quantitative experimental results show the high target face‐matching rate and irrelevance to the original face, as well as the imperceptibility of the adversarial audio. This study provides useful insights for privacy protection and improving generation robustness for information security.
Safely Reducing Hospitalizations for Anaphylaxis in Children Through an Evidence-Based Guideline.

BACKGROUND Emergency department visits for anaphylaxis have increased considerably over the past few decades, especially among children. Despite this, anaphylaxis management remains highly variable and contributes to significant health care spending. On the basis of emerging evidence, in this quality improvement project we aimed to safely decrease hospitalization rates, increase the use of cetirizine, and decrease use of corticosteroids for children with anaphylaxis by December 31, 2019. METHODS A multipronged intervention strategy including a revised evidence-based guideline was implemented at a tertiary children's teaching hospital by using the Model for Improvement. Statistical process control was used to evaluate for changes in key measures. Length of stay and unplanned return visits within 72 hours were monitored as process and balancing measures, respectively. As a national comparison, hospitalization rates were compared with other hospitals' data from the Pediatric Health Information System. RESULTS Hospitalizations decreased significantly from 28.5% to 11.2% from preimplementation to implementation, and the balancing measure of 72-hour revisits was stable. The proportion of patients receiving cetirizine increased significantly from 4.2% to 59.7% and use of corticosteroids decreased significantly from 72.6% to 32.4% in patients without asthma. The proportion of patients meeting length of stay criteria increased from 53.3% to 59.9%. Hospitalization rates decreased nationally over time. CONCLUSIONS We reduced hospitalizations for anaphylaxis by 17.3% without concomitant increases in revisits, demonstrating that unnecessary hospitalizations can be safely avoided. The use of a local evidence-based guideline paired with close outcome monitoring and sustained messaging and feedback to clinicians can effectively improve anaphylaxis management.
Helicopter encounters with aircraft vortex wakes

Abstract This paper presents the results of a study into wake vortex-related safety issues associated with simultaneous rotary and fixed-wing aircraft operations at busy airports. An analysis conducted using both simple analytic models and high fidelity FLIGHTLAB simulations has considered a helicopter located in the hover above the landing point and during approach and landing. Tip vortices from a Boeing 747 are shed and are assumed to be travelling in a horizontal plane by the time they reach the helicopter. A worst case scenario is simulated, with no vortex ageing or attenuation due to ground effect. Both simple and high fidelity simulations indicate that the rates of climb and descent induced by the vortex tails can be significant. When the helicopter flies through the vortex core, moderately large transient excursions in attitude occur within a few seconds. When the helicopter does not pass through or close to the core, while the flight path perturbations are still significant, the attitude response is shown to be significantly reduced. The predicted cyclic control power required to counteract the vortex-induced hub moments is about 40% of full control, compared with more than 100% for an ‘equivalent’ fixed-wing aircraft. The control power required in the vertical, collective, axis to overcome the downdraught and updraught in the vortex tails can be as high as 15–20%. While the authors have not tried to make judgements as to whether pilots would find the transients manageable, an approach to quantifying the extent of the hazard has been suggested using the failure transients criteria from the handling qualities performance standard ADS–33. Combined with analysis of the likelihood of such occurrences at particular airports, such response criteria offer a rational approach to developing safety cases for simultaneous operations.
Experimental study of blast mitigation by foamed concrete

Field blast tests were performed to investigate the effects of foamed concrete panels on structural response. Foamed concrete specimen with two densities and aluminum-alloy front face sheet were studied. Effects of four key parameters, that is, blast impulse, foamed concrete density, thickness of foamed concrete panel, and the thickness of front face sheet, on structural response were studied using ballistic pendulum system and laser displacement transducer. Deformation of the back panel protected by foamed concrete and the failure modes of foamed concrete specimen when subjected to blast load were obtained. Experimental results indicate that foamed concrete can be used to attenuate blast load and reduce structural deformation effectively.
Expression of the Adenosine A2A-A3 Receptor Heteromer in Different Brain Regions and Marked Upregulation in the Microglia of the Transgenic APPSw,Ind Alzheimer’s Disease Model

Adenosine (Ado) receptors have been instrumental in the detection of heteromers and other higher-order receptor structures, mainly via interactions with other cell surface G-protein-coupled receptors. Apart from the first report of the A1 Ado receptor interacting with the A2A Ado receptor, there has been more recent data on the possibility that every Ado receptor type, A1, A2A, A2B, and A3, may interact with each other. The aim of this paper was to look for the expression and function of the A2A/A3 receptor heteromer (A2AA3Het) in neurons and microglia. In situ proximity ligation assays (PLA), performed in primary cells, showed that A2AA3Het expression was markedly higher in striatal than in cortical and hippocampal neurons, whereas it was similar in resting and activated microglia. Signaling assays demonstrated that the effect of the A2AR agonist, PSB 777, was reduced in the presence of the A3R agonist, 2-Cl-IB-MECA, whereas the effect of the A3R agonist was potentiated by the A2AR antagonist, SCH 58261. Interestingly, the expression of the heteromer was markedly enhanced in microglia from the APPSw,Ind model of Alzheimer’s disease. The functionality of the heteromer in primary microglia from APPSw,Ind mice was more similar to that found in resting microglia from control mice.
Relaxation of Steel in Prestressed Concrete

where fpx , = initial stress immediately after stretching (at time tt) = strength of prestressed steel When X is smaller than 0.5 the intrinsic relaxation is negligible, but its value increases rapidly as A approaches 1. A tendon in a prestressed concrete member loses a part of its initial tension due to the combined effect of creep and shrinkage of concrete and steel relaxation; the loss in tension is associated with shortening of the tendon. The reduction in tension caused by creep and shrinkage has the same effect on the magnitude of the relaxation as if the initial stress were smaller. Thus, the value of relaxation to be used in predicting prestress loss and the associated deformations of prestressed concrete members should be smaller than the intrinsic relaxation obtained from a constant length relaxation test. Hence, one can write:
Operation and Control of a Pulsejet with High Pressure Liquid Fuel Injection

An experimental study was conducted to demonstrate active, feedback control of fuel injection in a liquid fueled pulsejet. Pulsed fuel supply to the pulsejet allows for optimal timing and quantity of fuel injected, which could ultimately yield greater fuel specific impulse than the current steady fuel flow configuration. A Solar PJ32 pulsejet was modified to allow for a steady and pulsed fuel injection system and successfully ran with both systems installed. Results show a strong correlation between injection timing and specific impulse. Maximum measured specific impulses for the steady and pulsed fuel injection were within experimental error of one another at 1350 seconds.
LDA Study of the Flow Development Through an Orthogonally Rotating U-Bend of Strong Curvature and Rib Roughened Walls

This paper reports laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) and wall pressure measurements of turbulent flow in a square-sectioned, rotating U-bend typical of coolant passages employed in modern gas turbine blades. In the upstream and downstream tangents, the pressure and suction (inner and outer) surfaces are roughened with discrete square-sectioned ribs in a staggered arrangement for a rib-height to duct-diameter ratio of 0.1. Three cases have been examined at a passage Reynolds number of 105: a stationary case; a case of positive rotation (the pressure side coinciding with the outer side of the U-bend) at a rotation number (Ro=ΩD/Um) of 0.2; and a case of negative rotation at Ro=−0.2. Measurements have been obtained along the symmetry plane of the duct. In the upstream section, the separation bubble behind each rib is about 2.5 rib-heights long. Rotation displaces the high momentum fluid towards the pressure side, enhances turbulence along the pressure side and suppresses turbulence along the suction side. The introduction of ribs in the straight sections reduces the size of the separation bubble along the inner wall of the U-bend, by raising turbulence levels at the bend entry; it also causes the formation of an additional separation bubble over the first rib interval along the outer wall, downstream of the bend exit. Rotation also modifies the mean flow development within the U-bend, with negative rotation speeding up the flow along the inner wall and causing a wider inner-wall separation bubble at exit. Turbulence levels within the bend are generally increased by rotation and, over the first two diameters downstream of the bend, negative rotation increases turbulence while positive rotation on the whole has the opposite effect. © 1996 ASME
Single-wall carbon nanotube mechanical behavior using the modified embedded atom method with bond order (MEAM-BO)

We report the capability of the modified embedded atom method with bond order (MEAM-BO) potential to capture single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) mechanical properties accurately by calculating the wavenumber of the radial breathing mode (RBM), elastic properties, and folding energy (ΔE), which are all associated with bond curvature. We find that the existing MEAM-BO potential gives results that correlate well with experimental and density functional theory (DFT) results with the exception of the folding energy. The MEAM-BO potential parameters are updated to produce a MEAM-BO* potential for the SWCNT system. Interestingly, including the SWCNT data base, improved the previous fit of the C-H binary system. Previous studies in the literature concluded that the CNTs diameter, d, was inversely proportional to the RBM wavenumber and folding energy. When comparing MEAM-BO*, MEAM-BO, REBO, and ReaxFF with DFT results, we found that MEAM-BO* gave the closest results to DFT for the RBM wavenumbers, folding energy, and SWCNT Young’s modulus, especially for small diameter SWCNTs. We conclude that MEAM-BO* captures SWCNT curvature effects and unsaturated hydrocarbons bond behavior.
Altered blood–brain barrier and blood–spinal cord barrier dynamics in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Impact on medication efficacy and safety

The access of drugs into the central nervous system (CNS) is regulated by the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and blood–spinal cord barrier (BSCB). A large body of evidence supports perturbation of these barriers in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Modifications to the BBB and BSCB are also reported in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), albeit these modifications have received less attention relative to those in other neurodegenerative diseases. Such alterations to the BBB and BSCB have the potential to impact on CNS exposure of drugs in ALS, modulating the effectiveness of drugs intended to reach the brain and the toxicity of drugs that are not intended to reach the brain. Given the clinical importance of these phenomena, this review will summarise reported modifications to the BBB and BSCB in ALS, discuss their impact on CNS drug exposure, and suggest further research directions so as to optimise medicine use in people with ALS.
The Power of Population Effect in Temnothorax Ant House-Hunting: A Computational Modeling Approach

The decentralized cognition of animal groups is both a challenging biological problem and a potential basis for bioinspired design. In this study, we investigated the house-hunting algorithm used by emigrating colonies of Temnothorax ants to reach consensus on a new nest. We developed a tractable model that encodes accurate individual behavior rules, and estimated our parameter values by matching simulated behaviors with observed ones on both the individual and group levels. We then used our model to explore a potential, but yet untested, component of the ants' decision algorithm. Specifically, we examined the hypothesis that incorporating site population (the number of adult ants at each potential nest site) into individual perceptions of nest quality can improve emigration performance. Our results showed that attending to site population accelerates emigration and reduces the incidence of split decisions. This result suggests the value of testing empirically whether nest site scouts use site population in this way, in addition to the well-demonstrated quorum rule. We also used our model to make other predictions with varying degrees of empirical support, including the high cognitive capacity of colonies and their rational time investment during decision-making. In addition, we provide a versatile and easy-to-use Python simulator that can be used to explore other hypotheses or make testable predictions. It is our hope that the insights and the modeling tools can inspire further research from both the biology and computer science community.
The analysis of the teacher views on the Anatolian Tales published by the Ministry of National Education for preschool children

The present study was conducted to determine the views of preschool teachers on the Preschool Anatolian Tales textbook published by the Ministry of National Education. The case study method, a qualitative research model, was employed in the study. The study group included 20 pre-school teachers employed in various kindergartens serving the Eyyübiye district in Şanlıurfa province, Turkey, and assigned with the purposive sampling method, who had the Preschool Anatolian Tales Education Set in their school and stated that they examined these tales and conducted related activities with children. The study data were collected with a semi-structured interview form. Data analysis was conducted with the content analysis method. The participating teachers stated that the Preschool Anatolian Tales textbook was suitable for the level of the students, contributed to the development of social, emotional, language, critical and creative thinking skills, introduced Turkish culture to the children, and expressed views on the size and illustrations in the book.
Long Memory and Fractality in the Universe of Volatility Indices

Unlike previous studies that consider the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) implied volatility index (VIX), we examine long memory and fractality in the universe of nine CBOE volatility indices. Using daily data from October 5, 2007, to October 5, 2020, covering calm and crisis periods, we find evidence of long memory and fractality in all indices and a change in the degree of volatility persistence, which points to inefficiency. The long memory of the SKEW index is strong before the onset of three crisis periods, but eases afterwards. The findings provide new insights that matter to investment decisions and trading strategies.
Isogeometric Analysis Toward Integration of CAD and CAE

Integration of CAD and CAE is described based on an isogeometric analysis that can be easily incorporated into the existing finite element codes without changing the element form and assembly algorithms.The isogeometric analysis approach is based on non-uniform rational B-splines(NURBS). The analysis model represents the structural geometry exactly.Furthermore,NURBS enables efficient geometry control together with smooth boundaries.We have derived the algorithm of isogeometric analysis,which is predicated in the environment of finite element analysis and the NURBS-based isogeometric analysis.A model of structural shape optimization is established,and the calculation algorithm for sensitivity developed.Some representative examples demonstrate validity of the method.
An open-source tool for automated analysis of breathing behaviors in common marmosets and rodents

The respiratory system maintains homeostatic levels of oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the body through rapid and efficient regulation of breathing frequency and depth (tidal volume). The commonly used methods of analyzing breathing data in behaving experimental animals are usually subjective, laborious, and time-consuming. To overcome these hurdles, we optimized an analysis toolkit for the unsupervised study of respiratory activities in animal subjects. Using this tool, we analyzed breathing behaviors of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a New World non-human primate model. Using whole-body plethysmography in room air as well as acute hypoxic (10% O2) and hypercapnic (6% CO2) conditions, we describe breathing behaviors in awake, freely behaving marmosets. Our data indicate that marmosets’ exposure to acute hypoxia decreased metabolic rate and increased sigh rate. However, the hypoxic condition did not augment ventilation. Hypercapnia, on the other hand, increased both the frequency and depth (i.e., tidal volume) of breathing.
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic led many countries to impose restrictions on the movement and behaviour of their populations. Swedish authorities took another route, largely adopting voluntary disease control, with particularly strict recommendations targeting people over the age of 70. The present study sought to explore the lived experiences of eight older adults (four men and four women) aged 71–82 in Sweden, of living during a pandemic using diaries across a 14-day period followed by interviews. From an interpretative phenomenological analysis, three themes emerged: (a) a life on hold (b), caring for body and soul, and (c) putting things into perspective. The results revealed that the participants adapted to the circumstances and adhered to the recommendations. They cared for their physical and psychological health by engaging in physical activities, structuring their days, and by finding adaptive ways to engage with family and friends. Nostalgia for pre-pandemic time seemed to bring meaning to their present situation, and participants identified with being privileged in their living situation. The study highlights protective factors throughout the pandemic. However, more studies need to be made to understand the experiences of the pandemic of more vulnerable groups of older adults.
SPATIALLY AVERAGED CONSTITUTIVE LAW FOR RC IN-PLANE ELEMENTS WITH NON-ORTHOGONAL CRACKING AS FAR AS 4-WAY DIRECTIONS

本研究は, 2次元平面応力状態で最大4方向まで, 独立して交差するひび割れを有するRCの履歴依存型空間平均化構成モデルの構築を行ったものである. 提案するRCモデルは, 従来の2方向ひび割れ挙動に関するアクティブクラック法を拡張し, 疑似直交2方向ひび割れを対象とするRCモデルと組み合わせたものである. 多方向ひび割れ間の開口と閉合をモデルに取り込み, できる限り実際の力学現象に対応したモデル化を図った. 要素レベルの検証として, 本研究にて実施した一様応力場での3・4方向ひび割れRC要素実験との比較解析を行い, 作用応力-ひずみ関係, 作用応力の変化に伴う新規ひび割れの発生とアクティブラックの乗り移りなど, 良好に挙動を追跡できることを確かめた.