Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using collaborative sharing on cloud for fast relocalization in keyframe-based SLAM

Relocalization when tracking fails during simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is still a task full of challenges, especially for these using keyframe technology to reduce backend pose graph size. These challenges come from two aspects, which include lack of enough image data when tracking fails and the high computational complexity which can't afford by local robot. In this situation, even the state-of-the-art keyframe-based SLAM may not be fast enough to recovery from the tracking failure state. However, the emerging cloud robotics has enlightened a new direction to address relocalization problem in both two factors and in this paper we present an approach based on cloud-based sharing, which aims at providing a way for fast relocalization on the existing keyframe-based SLAM framework. Our method can effectively utilize the sharing environment map data contributed by large scale of robots for the local relocalization and also proposes various mechanisms to eliminate the degeneration of this distributed model and the unstable network. We have realized the prototype, and made it cooperation with the leading framework, ORB-SLAM. The evaluation results also show that our method does have the ability for fast relocate itself compared with the original setup and retains the high efficiency of the original SLAM framework in normal state.
The Association Between Trajectories of Physical Activity and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality

Background The benefits of physical activity (PA) for health have primarily been evaluated during midlife. Whether patterns of change in late-life PA associate with overall and cause-specific mortality remains unclear. Methods We examined the association between PA trajectories and subsequent mortality among 3,767 men aged ≥65 years. Men self-reported PA using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) at up to four time points from 2000 through 2009 (Year 7); mortality was assessed over an average of 7.1 years after the Year 7 contact. Group-based trajectory modeling identified patterns of PA change. Cox proportional hazards models described associations between patterns of change in PA, Year 7 PA, and subsequent mortality risk. Results Three discrete PA patterns were identified, all with declining PA. Compared to low-activity declining men, moderate (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.70, 0.88) and high-activity (HR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.83) declining groups were associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality. Among models with a single time point, the last time point (Year 7 PA score) was a strong predictor of mortality with HR = 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78, 0.93) per SD increase in PASE score. PA patterns were not a risk factor for mortality after adjustment for the Year 7 PA score. Conclusions Recent PA levels are a stronger indicator of subsequent mortality risk than PA patterns reported over the prior 7 years or prior PA level, suggesting that current PA rather than history of PA is the most relevant parameter in clinical settings.
Weekday and Survival After Cardiac Surgery—A Swedish Nationwide Cohort Study in 106 473 Patients

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between weekday of surgery and survival following cardiac surgery. Methods and Results In a nationwide cohort study, we included all patients who underwent cardiac surgery in 1999–2013 from the SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web‐system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence‐based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies) register. All‐cause mortality until March 2014 was obtained from national registers. The association between weekday of surgery and mortality was estimated using Cox regression, and reported as hazard ratios with 95% CI. We used the restricted mean survival time difference to estimate loss of life related to weekday of surgery. Among 106 473 patients, 25 221 (24%), 24 471 (23%), 22 977 (22%), 20 189 (19%), 9251 (8.7%), and 4364 (4.1%) underwent surgery during a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and a Saturday/Sunday, respectively. More patients were operated on urgently during Friday to Sunday, and unadjusted analyses showed higher early and late mortality in those patients. The adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) were 1.00 (0.89–1.13), 1.00 (0.88–1.12), 1.02 (0.90–1.16), 1.17 (1.01–1.37), and 1.05 (0.86–1.29) in patients who underwent surgery during a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday/Sunday compared to a Monday, after 1 year of follow‐up conditional on 30‐day survival. In elective surgery (n=46 146), the 1‐year restricted mean survival time difference (95% CI) was −0.5 (−1.8–0.8), −0.5 (−1.9–0.8), −1.0 (−2.6–0.5), 0.02 (−2.2–2.3), and −1.2 (−6.3–3.9) days in patients who underwent surgery during a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and a Saturday/Sunday, respectively, compared to a Monday. Conclusions We found no evidence of a clinically relevant weekday effect in patents who underwent cardiac surgery in Sweden during a 15‐year period. These data suggest that the early risk and long‐term prognosis following cardiac surgery was not affected by the weekday of surgery. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT02276950.
March of the Titans: The Locomotor Capabilities of Sauropod Dinosaurs

Sauropod dinosaurs are the largest terrestrial vertebrate to have lived on Earth. This size must have posed special challenges for the musculoskeletal system. Scaling theory shows that body mass and hence the loads that must be overcome increases with body size more rapidly than either the ability of the muscles to generate force, or the ability of the skeleton to support these loads. Here we demonstrate how one of the very largest sauropods, Argentinosaurus huinculensis (40 metres long, weighing 83 tonnes), may have moved. A musculoskeletal model was generated using data captured by laser scanning a mounted skeleton and assigning muscle properties based on comparative data from living animals. Locomotion is generated using forward dynamic simulation to calculate the accelerations produced by the muscle forces, coupled with machine learning techniques to find a control pattern that minimises metabolic cost. The simulation demonstrates that at such vast body size, joint range of motion needs to be restricted to allow sufficient force generation for an achievable muscle mass. However when this is done, a perfectly plausible gait can be generated relatively easily. Whilst this model represents the best current simulation of the gait of these giant animals, it is likely that there are as yet unknown mechanical mechanisms, possibly based on passive elastic structures that should be incorporated to increase the efficiency of the animal's locomotion. It is certainly the case that these would need to be incorporated into the model to properly assess the full locomotor capabilities of the animal.
Memory Inhibition as a Critical Factor Preventing Creative Problem Solving

The hypothesis that reduced accessibility to relevant information can negatively affect problem solving in a remote associate test (RAT) was tested by using, immediately before the RAT, a retrieval practice procedure to hinder access to target solutions. The results of 2 experiments clearly showed that, relative to baseline, target words that had been competitors during selective retrieval were much less likely to be provided as solutions in the RAT, demonstrating that performance in the problem-solving task was strongly influenced by the predetermined accessibility status of the solutions in memory. Importantly, this was so even when participants were unaware of the relationship between the memory and the problem-solving procedures in the experiments. This finding is consistent with an inhibitory account of retrieval-induced forgetting effects and, more generally, constitutes support for the idea that the activation status of mental representations originating in a given task (e.g., episodic memory) can unwittingly have significant consequences for a different, unrelated task (e.g., problem solving).
Balanced Binary-Tree Decomposition for Area-Efficient Pipelined FFT Processing

This paper presents an area-efficient algorithm for the pipelined processing of fast Fourier transform (FFT). The proposed algorithm is to decompose a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) into two balanced sub-DFTs in order to minimize the total number of twiddle factors to be stored into tables. The radix in the proposed decomposition is adaptively changed according to the remaining transform length to make the transform lengths of sub-DFTs resulting from the decomposition as close as possible. An 8192-point pipelined FFT processor designed for digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T) systems saves 33% of general multipliers and 23% of the total size of twiddle factor tables compared to a conventional pipelined FFT processor based on the radix-22 algorithm. In addition to the decomposition, several implementation techniques are proposed to reduce area, such as a simple index generator of twiddle factor and add/subtract units combined with the two's complement operation
NF-κB signaling pathway-enhanced complement activation mediates renal injury in trichloroethylene-sensitized mice

Abstract Both NF-κB pathway and complement activation appear to be involved in kidney damage induced by trichloroethylene (TCE). However, any relationship between these two systems has not yet been established. The present study aimed to clarify the role of NF-κB in complement activation and renal injury in TCE-sensitized BALB/c mice. Mice were sensitized by an initial subcutaneous injection and repeated focal applications of TCE to dorsal skin at specified timepoints. NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) was injected (intraperitoneal) before the final two focal TCE challenges. In the experiments, mice had their blood and kidneys collected. Kidney function was evaluated via blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) content; renal histology was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Kidney levels of phospho-p65 were assessed by Western blot and kidney mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and p65 by real-time quantitative PCR. Presence of C3 and C5b-9 membrane attack complexes in the kidneys was evaluated via immunohistochemistry. The results showed there was significant swelling, vacuolar degeneration in mitochondria, shrinkage of microvilli, disappearance of brush borders, segmental foot process fusion, and glomerular basement membrane thickening (or disrobing) in kidneys from TCE-sensitized mice. In conjunction with these changes, serum BUN and Cr levels were increased and IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, and TNFα mRNA levels were elevated. Levels of p65 and phospho-p65 protein were also up-regulated, and there was significant C3 and C5b-9 deposition. PDTC pretreatment attenuated TCE-induced up-regulation of p65 and its phosphorylation, complement deposition, cytokine release, and renal damage. These results provide the first evidence that NF-κB pathway has an important role in TCE-induced renal damage mediated by enhanced complement activation in situ.
Operator dependent factors implicated in failure of non‐invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) for respiratory failure

Non‐invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NIPPV) is employed for the management of acute respiratory failure and studies have shown that it can prevent the need for endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation and associated complications. Given limited studies evaluating the factors, other than those related patient or underlying disease severity, that may lead to NIPPV failure, we performed this study to gain insight into current practices in terms of utilization of NIPPV and operator dependent factors that may possibly contribute to failure of NIPPV.
A loop shaping approach for designing biological circuits

Synthetic biology has the potential to bring about great benefits to society. This interdisciplinary research area covers many subjects including mathematics, engineering and biology. What is lacking at the moment is a framework that allows for the robust design and realization of synthetic biological circuits. In this paper we show how a classical control framework can be used to formally specify design criteria and realize a biologically implementable lead-lag controller from genetic constructs. A loop shaping approach is used to obtain the desired closed loop response.
Stopping a Rapid Tornado with a Puff

RaptorQ is the most advanced fountain code proposed so far. Its properties make it attractive for forward error correction (FEC), offering high reliability at low overheads (i.e., for a small amount of repair information) and efficient encoding and decoding operations. Since RaptorQ's emergence, it has already been standardized by the IETF, and there is the expectation that it will be adopted by several other standardization bodies, in areas related to digital media broadcast, cellular networks, and satellite communications. The paper describes a new attack on RaptorQ that breaks the near ideal FEC performance, by carefully choosing which packets are allowed to reach the receiver. Furthermore, the attack was extended to be performed over secure channels with IPsec/ESP. The paper also proposes a few solutions to protect the code from the attack, which could be easily integrated into the implementations.
Dentate Gyrus Development Requires ERK Activity to Maintain Progenitor Population and MAPK Pathway Feedback Regulation

The ERK/MAPK pathway is an important developmental signaling pathway. Mutations in upstream elements of this pathway result in neuro-cardio-facial cutaneous (NCFC) syndromes, which are typified by impaired neurocognitive abilities that are reliant upon hippocampal function. The role of ERK signaling during hippocampal development has not been examined and may provide critical insight into the cause of hippocampal dysfunction in NCFC syndromes. In this study, we have generated ERK1 and conditional ERK2 compound knock-out mice to determine the role of ERK signaling during development of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. We found that loss of both ERK1 and ERK2 resulted in 60% fewer granule cells and near complete absence of neural progenitor pools in the postnatal dentate gyrus. Loss of ERK1/2 impaired maintenance of neural progenitors as they migrate from the dentate ventricular zone to the dentate gyrus proper, resulting in premature depletion of neural progenitor cells beginning at E16.5, which prevented generation of granule cells later in development. Finally, loss of ERK2 alone does not impair development of the dentate gyrus as animals expressing only ERK1 developed a normal hippocampus. These findings establish that ERK signaling regulates maintenance of progenitor cells required for development of the dentate gyrus.
Joint Resource Allocation Scheme for OFDM Wireless-Powered Cooperative Communication Networks

Energy harvesting techniques, particularly radio frequency energy harvesting (RF-EH) techniques, which are known to provide feasible solutions to enhance the performance of energy constrained wireless communication systems, have gained increasing attention. In this paper, we consider a wireless-powered cooperative communication network (WPCCN) for transferring energy in the downlink and forwarding signals in the uplink. The objective is to maximize the average transmission rate of the system, subject to the total network power constraint. We formulate such a problem as a form of wireless energy transmission based on resource allocation that searches for the joint subcarrier pairing and the time and power allocation, and this can be solved by using a dual approach. Simulation results show that the proposed joint optimal scheme can efficiently improve system performance with an increase in the number of subcarriers and relays.
Juvenile Galápagos Pelicans Increase Their Foraging Success by Copying Adult Behaviour

Social learning is the building block of culture and traditions in humans and nonhuman animals, and its study has a long history. Most investigations have addressed either the causation or the function of social learning. Though much is known about the underlying mechanisms of social learning, demonstrations of its adaptive value in a natural setting are lacking. Here we show that juvenile brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) can increase their foraging efficiency by copying adult diving behaviour, suggesting that social learning helps juveniles to find profitable food patches. Our findings demonstrate the potential fitness consequences of behavioural copying and thus highlight the possible adaptive importance of social learning.
“Their Today Is Our Future”: Direct Carers’ Work Experience and Formal Caring Relationships in a Community-Based Eldercare Program in Shanghai

The purpose of this study is to explore direct carers’ work experience and formal caring relationships with older adults in a community-based eldercare program in Shanghai. Existing evidence has primarily focused on direct carers’ work experience in residential care settings. However, direct carers’ experiences of caring older adults in the community also deserve exploration. This qualitative study purposively sampled direct carers who worked in government-sponsored programs. Carers participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews (N = 37). Results reveal that despite occasional frustration, direct carers undertook demanding workloads and fostered strong emotional attachments with older adult clients. “Karma” was a critical cultural factor pertaining to their work ethic and motivated their care provision to benefit their future elderly selves. This study recognizes the cultural aspects of caring relationships that contribute to the quality of care of the community-based older adults in urban China.
Influence of the Event Rate on Discrimination Abilities of Bankruptcy Prediction Models

In bankruptcy prediction, the proportion of events is very low, which is often oversampled to eliminate this bias. In this paper, we study the influence of the event rate on discrimination abilities of bankruptcy prediction models. First the statistical association and significance of public records and firmographics indicators with the bankruptcy were explored. Then the event rate was oversampled from 0.12% to 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%, respectively. Seven models were developed, including Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, Support Vector Machine, Bayesian Network, and Neural Network. Under different event rates, models were comprehensively evaluated and compared based on Kolmogorov-Smirnov Statistic, accuracy, F1 score, Type I error, Type II error, and ROC curve on the hold-out dataset with their best probability cut-offs. Results show that Bayesian Network is the most insensitive to the event rate, while Support Vector Machine is the most sensitive.
Neutron Radiography of Water Freezing in the Gas Diffusion Layer of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Research on hydrogen fuel cells is of considerable importance due to the need for dependable, renewable energy source solutions. The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has proven promising for application to transportation vehicles. The PEMFC is an open electrochemical system capable of producing electromotive force from the catalytic reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Within the PEMFC, water is produced through the reaction:
A semiadiabatic spectral‐spatial spectroscopic imaging (SASSI) sequence for improved high‐field MR spectroscopic imaging

MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) benefits from operation at 7T due to increased signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and spectral separation. The 180° radiofrequency (RF) pulses used in the conventional MRSI sequences are particularly susceptible to the variation in the transmitted RF (B1) field and severe chemical shift localization errors at 7T. RF power deposition, as measured by specific absorption rate (SAR), also increases with field strength. Adiabatic 180° RF pulses may mitigate the effects of B1 variation. We designed and implemented a semiadiabatic spectral‐spatial spectroscopic imaging (SASSI) pulse sequence to provide more uniform spectral data at 7T with reduced SAR.
Oceanic distribution and sources of bromoform and dibromomethane in the Mauritanian upwelling

The tropical oceans are a source of reactive bromine to the atmosphere in the form of short-lived brominated methanes as bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2). Elevated atmospheric concentrations above the tropical oceans are related to oceanic supersaturations of the compounds and especially to upwelling regimes. Although the sources of these brominated gases in the open ocean are not well understood, they have been habitually linked to phytoplankton, especially diatom abundance. Thus according to common assumptions, high concentrations of the brominated trace gases were expected to occur in the biologically active and diatom-rich Mauritanian upwelling. However, contrary to expectations, only low levels were encountered in the upwelling waters, 10.7 (range 5.2–23.8) pmol L−1 CHBr3 and 4.7 (range 3.1–7.0) pmol L−1 CH2Br2, values more typical of open ocean concentrations. The aqueous CHBr3 concentrations were not correlated to high chlorophyll a values or diatom abundances. However, significant correlations existed with low concentrations of marker pigments for diatoms, cyanobacteria, and degradation, suggesting miscellaneous small biological sources of the compound in the upwelling. Air-sea exchange could additionally account for an oceanic source in fresh upwelled waters, while advection of different water masses also influenced the distribution. CHBr3 concentrations were maximized in warm and nitrogen-depleted surface waters, while CH2Br2 was maximized in colder and nitrogen-enriched deeper waters, suggesting that both compounds, at least in part, have different sources and fates.
An Incremental Self-Organizing Architecture for Sensorimotor Learning and Prediction

During visuomotor tasks, robots must compensate for temporal delays inherent in their sensorimotor processing systems. Delay compensation becomes crucial in a dynamic environment where the visual input is constantly changing, e.g., during the interaction with a human demonstrator. For this purpose, the robot must be equipped with a prediction mechanism for using the acquired perceptual experience to estimate possible future motor commands. In this paper, we present a novel neural network architecture that learns prototypical visuomotor representations and provides reliable predictions on the basis of the visual input. These predictions are used to compensate for the delayed motor behavior in an online manner. We investigate the performance of our method with a set of experiments comprising a humanoid robot that has to learn and generate visually perceived arm motion trajectories. We evaluate the accuracy in terms of mean prediction error and analyze the response of the network to novel movement demonstrations. Additionally, we report experiments with incomplete data sequences, showing the robustness of the proposed architecture in the case of a noisy visual input.