Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Talk Resource-Efficiently to Me: Optimal Communication Planning for Distributed Loop Closure Detection

Due to the distributed nature of cooperative simultaneous localization and mapping (CSLAM), detecting inter-robot loop closures necessitates sharing sensory data with other robots. A naïve approach to data sharing can easily lead to a waste of mission-critical resources. This paper investigates the logistical aspects of CSLAM. Particularly, we present a general resource-efficient communication planning framework that takes into account both the total amount of exchanged data and the induced division of labor between the participating robots. Compared to other state-of-the-art approaches, our framework is able to verify the same set of potential inter-robot loop closures while exchanging considerably less data and influencing the induced workloads. We develop a fast algorithm for finding globally optimal communication policies, and present theoretical analysis to characterize the necessary and sufficient conditions under which simpler strategies are optimal. The proposed framework is extensively evaluated with data from the KITTI odometry benchmark datasets.
Association analysis of novel polymorphisms in 2′, 5′‐oligoadenylate synthetase gene with reproductive traits in indigenous and cross‐bred cattle of Indian Origin

2', 5'-Oligoadenylate synthetases (OAS) are important components of an interferon-mediated antiviral pathway. No polymorphisms in exonic regions of bovine OAS1 gene have been identified and associated with reproduction traits. The objective of the study was to detect and evaluate the effects of mutations in exonic region of bovine OAS1 gene with reproduction traits in cattle. DNA samples collected from 250 individual cows of two Indian dairy breeds (Sahiwal and Frieswal) of cattle were used in the study. The genetic variants of the OAS1 gene were identified with polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequence analysis using seven set of primer pairs. The PCR-SSCP analysis revealed polymorphism in the fragments comprising of exon 2, exon 5 and first fragment of exon 6 while the fragments of exons 1, 3, 4 and second fragment of exon 6 were monomorphic in Sahiwal and Frieswal cattle. The mutations in the amplified region comprising of exon 2 were found to have significant association with age at first breeding and calving, service period, dry period and pregnancy rate. Significant associations were found between SNPs in the exon 5 and service and dry periods of the animal, whereas the genetic variants in the first fragment of the exon 6 showed significant association with age at first breeding and calving. To our knowledge, this study demonstrated for the first time that the polymorphisms in OAS1 gene were associated with reproductive traits and it can be chosen as a candidate gene for improvement of reproductive performance of cattle.
Vision-based parking-slot detection: A benchmark and a learning-based approach

Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in developing automatic parking systems in the field of intelligent vehicle. However, how to effectively and efficiently locating parking-slots using a vision-based system is still an unresolved issue. In this paper, we attempt to fill this research gap to some extent and our contributions are twofold. Firstly, to facilitate the study of vision-based parking-slot detection, a large-scale parking-slot image database is established. For each image in this database, the marking-points and parking-slots are carefully labelled. Such a database can serve as a benchmark to design and validate parking-slot detection algorithms. Secondly, a learning based parking-slot detection approach is proposed. With this approach, given a test image, the marking-points will be detected at first and then the valid parking-slots can be inferred. Its efficacy and efficiency have been corroborated on our database. The labeled database and the source codes are publicly available at http://sse.tongji. edu.cn/linzhang/ps/index.htm.
High gain bidirectional DC-DC converter with reduced component count

Solar Photovoltaic system as a source and battery as an intermediary load necessitates the development of bidirectional dc-dc converter. Conventional battery loads are rated at 12 V to 48 V. High gain is required both in step up and step down modes to supply the ac grid or charge from the grid. Conventional isolated transformer based topologies can be designed with high gain at the expense of increase in component count and requirement of snubber circuits for protection as the leakage inductance causes a spike across the switch resulting in losses, complex control schemes and the requirement of over rated components. Non isolated converter circuits with coupled inductors are used for low power systems. The size of the converter, magnetic losses increase with increase in the inductance for higher power capability. The proposed converter is a non isolated converter requiring minimum number of switches. Various operating modes and the analysis of the converter are discussed. Simulation results of the system with MATLAB and PSIM are presented.
A Flow Cytometry-Based Screen of Nuclear Envelope Transmembrane Proteins Identifies NET4/Tmem53 as Involved in Stress-Dependent Cell Cycle Withdrawal

Disruption of cell cycle regulation is one mechanism proposed for how nuclear envelope protein mutation can cause disease. Thus far only a few nuclear envelope proteins have been tested/found to affect cell cycle progression: to identify others, 39 novel nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins were screened for their ability to alter flow cytometry cell cycle/DNA content profiles when exogenously expressed. Eight had notable effects with seven increasing and one decreasing the 4N:2N ratio. We subsequently focused on NET4/Tmem53 that lost its effects in p53(-/-) cells and retinoblastoma protein-deficient cells. NET4/TMEM53 knockdown by siRNA altered flow cytometry cell cycle/DNA content profiles in a similar way as overexpression. NET4/TMEM53 knockdown did not affect total retinoblastoma protein levels, unlike nuclear envelope-associated proteins Lamin A and LAP2α. However, a decrease in phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein was observed along with a doubling of p53 levels and a 7-fold increase in p21. Consequently cells withdrew from the cell cycle, which was confirmed in MRC5 cells by a drop in the percentage of cells expressing Ki-67 antigen and an increase in the number of cells stained for ß-galactosidase. The ß-galactosidase upregulation suggests that cells become prematurely senescent. Finally, the changes in retinoblastoma protein, p53, and p21 resulting from loss of NET4/Tmem53 were dependent upon active p38 MAP kinase. The finding that roughly a fifth of nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins screened yielded alterations in flow cytometry cell cycle/DNA content profiles suggests a much greater influence of the nuclear envelope on the cell cycle than is widely held.
Evaluation of platelet indices and platelet counts and their significance in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia

Background: Although it is generally accepted that the hemoglobin concentration decreases and white cell count increases during normal pregnancy, there is less accord regarding changes in platelet indices. The aim of this study is to find out the relationship between platelet indices and platelet counts with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Material and Methods: 82 cases of preeclampsia and 63 cases of eclampsia diagnosed between the years September 2007 and December 2009 were evaluated prospectively. One hundred healthy pregnant women with similar demographic features and gestational age and without the diagnosis of preeclampsia, gestational or chronic hypertension and proteinuria were included in the study as the control group. Blood samples were analyzed by automated hematology analyzer. The platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width and platelet large cell ratio were compared. Results: The platelet counts were lower while the mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width and platelet large cell ratio were increased in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia as compared to control group. Conclusion: We found a relationship between platelet indices and severity of pre-eclampsia. The estimation of platelet indices can be considered as an early, simple and rapid procedure in the assessment of severity of pre-eclampsia.
Evolutionary Instability of Symbiotic Function in Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Bacterial mutualists are often acquired from the environment by eukaryotic hosts. However, both theory and empirical work suggest that this bacterial lifestyle is evolutionarily unstable. Bacterial evolution outside of the host is predicted to favor traits that promote an independent lifestyle in the environment at a cost to symbiotic function. Consistent with these predictions, environmentally-acquired bacterial mutualists often lose symbiotic function over evolutionary time. Here, we investigate the evolutionary erosion of symbiotic traits in Bradyrhizobium japonicum, a nodulating root symbiont of legumes. Building on a previous published phylogeny we infer loss events of nodulation capability in a natural population of Bradyrhizobium, potentially driven by mutation or deletion of symbiosis loci. Subsequently, we experimentally evolved representative strains from the symbiont population under host-free in vitro conditions to examine potential drivers of these loss events. Among Bradyrhizobium genotypes that evolved significant increases in fitness in vitro, two exhibited reduced symbiotic quality, but no experimentally evolved strain lost nodulation capability or evolved any fixed changes at six sequenced loci. Our results are consistent with trade-offs between symbiotic quality and fitness in a host free environment. However, the drivers of loss-of-nodulation events in natural Bradyrhizobium populations remain unknown.
Analysis of complete genome sequence and major surface antigens of Neorickettsia helminthoeca, causative agent of salmon poisoning disease

Neorickettsia helminthoeca, a type species of the genus Neorickettsia, is an endosymbiont of digenetic trematodes of veterinary importance. Upon ingestion of salmonid fish parasitized with infected trematodes, canids develop salmon poisoning disease (SPD), an acute febrile illness that is particularly severe and often fatal in dogs without adequate treatment. We determined and analysed the complete genome sequence of N. helminthoeca: a single small circular chromosome of 884 232 bp encoding 774 potential proteins. N. helminthoeca is unable to synthesize lipopolysaccharides and most amino acids, but is capable of synthesizing vitamins, cofactors, nucleotides and bacterioferritin. N. helminthoeca is, however, distinct from majority of the family Anaplasmataceae to which it belongs, as it encodes nearly all enzymes required for peptidoglycan biosynthesis, suggesting its structural hardiness and inflammatory potential. Using sera from dogs that were experimentally infected by feeding with parasitized fish or naturally infected in southern California, Western blot analysis revealed that among five predicted N. helminthoeca outer membrane proteins, P51 and strain‐variable surface antigen were uniformly recognized. Our finding will help understanding pathogenesis, prevalence of N. helminthoeca infection among trematodes, canids and potentially other animals in nature to develop effective SPD diagnostic and preventive measures. Recent progresses in large‐scale genome sequencing have been uncovering broad distribution of Neorickettsia spp. , the comparative genomics will facilitate understanding of biology and the natural history of these elusive environmental bacteria.
Joint Congestion Control and Scheduling in Wireless Networks With Network Coding

This paper studies how to perform joint congestion control and scheduling with network coding in wireless networks. Under network coding, a node may need to buffer a sent packet for decoding a packet to be received later. If sent packets are not forgotten smartly, much buffer space will be taken up, leading to dropping of new incoming packets. This unexpected packet dropping harms the final throughput obtained, although optimal scheduling has been used. To solve the problem, we introduce a new node model incorporating a transmission-mode preassignment procedure and a scheduling procedure. The introduced transmission-mode preassignment avoids memorizing several sent packets to reduce buffer overhead. We develop a new scheduling policy based on our node model and analyze formally the stability property of a network system using the proposed policy. We finally evaluate the efficiency of our algorithm through simulations from the perspectives of throughput and packet loss ratio.
Self-injection-locked radar sensor with active-integrated-antenna and differentiator-based demodulator for noncontact vital sign detection

This paper presents a new self-injection-locked (SIL) radar sensor with an active-integrated-antenna (AIA) and a differentiator-based demodulator for noncontact vital sign detection. The AIA is designed to play both roles of radiating the radio-frequency signal and received the scattered-back signal, which is phase-modulated by the human chest movement. Moreover, a novel differentiator-based demodulator is proposed to acquire the vital signs from the modulated signal. The developed radar sensor has been successfully verified as the human subject is located at the distances of 1.5 m and 2.8 m away from the radar. Except for the compactness and low cost, the developed SIL AIA sensor has a frequency-scalable advantage to be realized in the millimeter-wave range for the sensitivity improvement.
Novel scores combining AFP with non‐invasive markers for prediction of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients

Serum levels of alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) were reported to increase in patients with significant or advanced hepatic fibrosis. Combination of non‐invasive tests decreases the use of liver biopsy in large proportion of chronic HCV patients. The aim of the study was to compare and combine AFP with commonly used non‐invasive fibrosis tests in novel scores for prediction of different stages of hepatic fibrosis. Six hundred and fifty two treatment naïve chronic hepatitis C patients were enrolled. Demographic data, basic pre‐treatment laboratory tests including complete blood count (CBC), liver biochemical profile and renal functions test, international normalized ratio (INR) in addition to AFP, liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by Fibroscan and liver biopsies were retrospectively analyzed. AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) and FIB‐4 scores were calculated. Different predictive models using multivariate logistic regression analysis were generated and presented in equations (scores) composed of a combination of AFP, LSM plus FIB‐4/APRI scores. AFP was correlating significantly with LSM, FIB‐4, and APRI scores. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) for predicting significant hepatic fibrosis, advanced hepatic fibrosis, and cirrhosis were 0.897, 0.931, and 0.955, respectively, for equations (scores) containing AFP, LSM, and FIB‐4. AUROCs for predicting significant hepatic fibrosis, advanced hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis were 0.897, 0.929, and 0.959, respectively, for equations (scores) containing AFP, LSM, and APRI. The study shows that combining AFP to serum biomarkers and LSM increases their diagnostic performance for prediction of different stages of liver fibrosis.
Survival and Transfer of Murine Norovirus within a Hydroponic System during Kale and Mustard Microgreen Harvesting

ABSTRACT Hydroponically grown microgreens are gaining in popularity, but there is a lack of information pertaining to their microbiological safety. The potential risks associated with virus contamination of crops within a hydroponic system have not been studied to date. Here a human norovirus (huNoV) surrogate (murine norovirus [MNV]) was evaluated for its ability to become internalized from roots to edible tissues of microgreens. Subsequently, virus survival in recirculated water without adequate disinfection was assessed. Kale and mustard seeds were grown on hydroponic pads (for 7 days with harvest at days 8 to 12), edible tissues (10 g) were cut 1 cm above the pads, and corresponding pieces (4 cm by 4 cm) of pads containing only roots were collected separately. Samples were collected from a newly contaminated system (recirculated water inoculated with ∼3 log PFU/ml MNV on day 8) and from a previously contaminated system. (A contaminated system without adequate disinfection or further inoculation was used for production of another set of microgreens.) Viral titers and RNA copies were quantified by plaque assay and real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. The behaviors of MNV in kale and mustard microgreens were similar (P > 0.05). MNV was detected in edible tissues and roots after 2 h postinoculation, and the levels were generally stable during the first 12 h. Relatively low levels (∼2.5 to ∼1.5 log PFU/sample of both edible tissues and roots) of infectious viruses were found with a decreasing trend over time from harvest days 8 to 12. However, the levels of viral RNA present were higher and consistently stable (∼4.0 to ∼5.5 log copies/sample). Recirculated water maintained relatively high levels of infectious MNV over the period of harvest, from 3.54 to 2.73 log PFU/ml. Importantly, cross-contamination occurred easily; MNV remained infectious in previously contaminated hydroponic systems for up to 12 days (2.26 to 1.00 PFU/ml), and MNV was detected in both edible tissues and roots. Here we see that viruses can be recirculated in water, even after an initial contamination event is removed, taken up through the roots of microgreens, and transferred to edible tissues. The ease of product contamination shown here reinforces the need for proper sanitation.
Loss of Niemann-Pick C1 or C2 Protein Results in Similar Biochemical Changes Suggesting That These Proteins Function in a Common Lysosomal Pathway

Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and other lipids in the endolysosomal system. NPC disease results from a defect in either of two distinct cholesterol-binding proteins: a transmembrane protein, NPC1, and a small soluble protein, NPC2. NPC1 and NPC2 are thought to function closely in the export of lysosomal cholesterol with both proteins binding cholesterol in vitro but they may have unrelated lysosomal roles. To investigate this possibility, we compared biochemical consequences of the loss of either protein. Analyses of lysosome-enriched subcellular fractions from brain and liver revealed similar decreases in buoyant densities of lysosomes from NPC1 or NPC2 deficient mice compared to controls. The subcellular distribution of both proteins was similar and paralleled a lysosomal marker. In liver, absence of either NPC1 or NPC2 resulted in similar alterations in the carbohydrate processing of the lysosomal protease, tripeptidyl peptidase I. These results highlight biochemical alterations in the lysosomal system of the NPC-mutant mice that appear secondary to lipid storage. In addition, the similarity in biochemical phenotypes resulting from either NPC1 or NPC2 deficiency supports models in which the function of these two proteins within lysosomes are linked closely.
Pinning of a receding contact line

Receding contact lines of colloidal suspensions are studied in the pres- ence of drying, inside Hele-Shaw cells. At high velocity the contact line movement is continuous and the particle deposition is uniform. At small velocity, a periodic pinning-unpinning of the contact line is observed leading to a patterning of the substrate. We focused on the correlation between the deposition pattern and the pinning force that grows during the pinning. Our results strongly indicate that this pinning force is proportional to the macroscopic slope of the deposit and accounted by a simple capillary balance.
TRPC1 Channels Are Expressed in Pyramidal Neurons and in a Subset of Somatostatin Interneurons in the Rat Neocortex

Disturbances in calcium homeostasis due to canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) and/or store-operated calcium (SOC) channels can play a key role in a large number of brain disorders. TRPC channels are plasma membrane cation channels included in the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily. The most widely distributed member of the TRPC subfamily in the brain is TRPC1, which is frequently linked to group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and to the components of SOC channels. Proposing TRPC/SOC channels as a therapeutic target in neurological diseases previously requires a detailed knowledge of the distribution of such molecules in the brain. The aim of our study was to analyze the neuroanatomical distribution of TRPC1 in the rat neocortex. By double- and triple-labeling and confocal microscopy, we tested the presence of TRPC1 by using a series of specific neurochemical markers. TRPC1 was abundant in SMI 32-positive pyramidal neurons, and in some glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) interneurons, but was lacking in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive glial cells. In neurons it colocalized with postsynaptic marker MAP2 in cell bodies and apical dendritic trunks and it was virtually absent in synaptophysin-immunoreactive terminals. By using a panel of antibodies to classify interneurons, we identified the GABAergic interneurons that contained TRPC1. TRPC1 was lacking in basket and chandelier parvalbumin (PVALB) cells, and a very low percentage of calretinin (CALR) or calbindin (CALB) interneurons expressed TRPC1. Moreover, 63% of somatostatin (SST) expressing-cells and 37% of reelin-positive cells expressed TRPC1. All the SST/TRPC1 double-labeled cells, many of which were presumptive Martinotti cells (MC), were positive for reelin. The presence of TRPC1 in the somata and apical dendritic trunks of neocortical pyramidal cells suggests a role for this channel in sensory processing and synaptic plasticity. Conversely in SST/reelin interneurons, TRPC1 could modulate GABAergic transmission, which is responsible for shaping the coordinated activity of the pyramidal cells in the cortical network. In future studies, it would be relevant to investigate whether TRPC1 could be involved in the expression or processing of reelin in SST inhibitory interneurons.
Proteomic Analysis of Rta2p-Dependent Raft-Association of Detergent-Resistant Membranes in Candida albicans

In Candida albicans, lipid rafts (also called detergent-resistant membranes, DRMs) are involved in many cellular processes and contain many important proteins. In our previous study, we demonstrated that Rta2p was required for calcineurin-mediated azole resistance and sphingoid long-chain base release in C. albicans. Here, we found that Rta2p was co-localized with raft-constituted ergosterol on the plasma membrane of C. albicans. Furthermore, this membrane expression pattern was totally disturbed by inhibitors of either ergosterol or sphingolipid synthesis. Biochemical fractionation of DRMs together with immunoblot uncovered that Rta2p, along with well-known DRM-associated proteins (Pma1p and Gas1p homologue), was associated with DRMs and their associations were blocked by inhibitors of either ergosterol or sphingolipid synthesis. Finally, we used the proteomic analysis together with immunoblot and identified that Rta2p was required for the association of 10 proteins with DRMs. These 5 proteins (Pma1p, Gas1p homologue, Erg11p, Pmt2p and Ali1p) have been reported to be DRM-associated and also that Erg11p is a well-known target of azoles in C. albicans. In conclusion, our results showed that Rta2p was predominantly localized in lipid rafts and was required for the association of certain membrane proteins with lipid rafts in C. albicans.