Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autonomous Vehicle Navigation in Semi-Structured Urban Environment

Abstract Recent advances in mobile robotic research have contributed to the development of autonomous driving systems for intelligent robotic vehicles. The motion planner is the component of the intelligent system responsible for planning a path that leads the vehicle from its current state to the desired goal state avoiding obstacles in the environment. This paper describes the use of a motion planning method based on lattice state space and anytime dynamic A * applied to our autonomous vehicle for navigation in a semi-structured urban environment. We created a 3D simulation model of our vehicle, implemented the motion planner approach described here and conducted experiments in both simulated and real parking lots.
Spiral microstrip resonators for narrow-stopband filters

A rectangular spiral microstrip resonator is proposed for use in planar narrow-stopband filters. A full-wave electromagnetic simulator is used to show that this small-size resonator is suitable for realising compact narrow-stopband microstrip filters. Simulated and measured results indicate that minimal coupling between adjacent resonators exists, with the effect that the microstrip filter response corresponds very closely to that of the equivalent network response of the filter. As a comparison, results are also shown for a similar filter realised with microstrip open-loop resonators.
SFGPR RFI Suppression Using Wavelet Packet Selective Algorithm

This paper presents a wavelet packet selective algorithm to suppress the radio frequency interference (RFI) in the step-frequency ground-penetrating radar (SFGPR). Based on the property and the form of RFI in the frequency domain of radar echo, the methods of RFI suppression are studied, and the new algorithm is proposed. Using the new algorithm to suppress the RFI in experimental GPR data, the result of the experimentation shows that the algorithm can effectively suppress the RFI in SFGPR. Finally, the performance of the algorithm is analyzed and evaluated. Compared with the median filter algorithm, the ability of the new algorithm to suppress the RFI is significantly improved.
Bronchoscopic destruction of endobronchial lung tumors

Background: Bronchoscopy is a safe and reliable intervention for the management of airway diseases. Airway patency is particularly important for patients with endobronchial tumors. The aim of this study was to report the effects of rigid bronchoscopy on the prognosis of endobronchial lung tumors causing bronchial obstruction. Materials and Methods: The study included 38 patients who were referred to our clinic during 2009– 2019 following radiological or bronchoscopic diagnosis of endobronchial lesions and who were at the stage of diagnosis and treatment for lung malignancy. Their demographic characteristics, clinical complaints, pathologic diagnoses, stages of primary lung cancer, preoperative and postoperative radiological findings, and bronchoscopy results were retrospectively evaluated and recorded. Results: A total of 29 males and 9 females were included in the study. The most common complaints observed were cough in 16 patients (42.1%) and shortness of breath in 12 (31.5%). Overall, 28 patients (73.6%) had primary pulmonary malignancy, 6 (15.7%) had benign diseases, 2 (5.2%) had primary tracheal malignancy, and 2 (5.2%) had metastasis of non-pulmonary malignancy. Full endobronchial patency was achieved in 23 patients (60.5%), whereas partial patency was achieved in 10 (26.3%). Radiological regression of opacities was observed with symptomatic relief of clinical complaints in all patients who achieved partial or full patency. Conclusion: Bronchoscopic destruction of an endobronchial lesion causing tracheobronchial obstruction is critical for improving acute respiratory distress, avoiding the development of lung damage, and preventing delayed treatment in malignant cases.
Research article COMPARISION OF POTENCY OF DIFFERENT TYPES NEURO-MUSCULAR JUNCTION (NMJ) BLOCKERS ON ISOLATED RECTUS ABDOMINIS MUSCLE OF RANA TIGRINA.

The most important use of neuromuscular blockers is as adjuvant to general anaesthesia where adequate muscle relaxation can be achieved at lighter plane. They also reduce reflex muscle contraction in the region undergoing surgery and assist maintenance of controlled ventilation during anaesthesia. They are particularly helpful in abdominal and thoracic surgery, intubations and endoscopies, orthopedic manipulation, etc. Thus, the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular depression is minimized, and post anesthetic recovery is shortened. The potency ratio of two commonly used neuromuscular agents depolarizing succinylcholine and non depolarizing pancuronium. Double pith a frog and fasten it to a frog board with ventral side up. The sternum was cut through just above the xiphisternum at its base and a pair of muscle attached to it were dissected out and transferred to a dish containing frog Ringer solution at room temperature. All the drug containing solutions were freshly prepared before the experiments Succinyl choline, Pancuronium (1,10,100μg/ml and 1mg/dl) respectively Acetyl choline (10,100μg/ml and 1mg/dl). Acetylcholine solution in various strength were prepared starting from 0.1% to 0.0001%. NMJ blocker Pancuronium was added to the biophase in addition to selected dose (128μg or 256μg) and the contraction of muscle till the 70-80% of inhibition is produced and the difference from sub maximal contractions. The median ED 50 was interpolated from the figure taking 50%of inhibition from Height of contraction in mm. The 't' test was performed to compare the ED 50 value were interpolated from the regression line to find out the ED 50 of the drug. The median doses (ED 50 ) of both of them were calculated graphically and compared. The mean ED 50 value of succinylcholine was found to be 1.59 ± 0. 08μg (95% confidential limit was from 1.53 to 1.66μg). The ED 50 of pancuronium was found to be 0.52 ± 0.10μg with 95% confidence limit being from 0.44 to 0. 60μg. The ED 50 value of the two drugs was very significantly different (P < 0.001). The potency ratio of pancuronium to succinylcholine was 0.32.
An Improved Control Scheme for Constant Power Generation Control in Photovoltaic Systems

As the penetration rate of photovoltaic generation continues to increase, the problems such as grid overload and overvoltage are gradually emerging. Therefore, a method of limiting active power output to a specific value has emerged, called constant power generation (CPG). Conventional CPG control algorithm usually exists a large oscillation at the reference power. In this paper, an improved CPG control algorithm is proposed. The proposed method can reduce power oscillation at the reference power which leads to less power loss. The superiority of the algorithm is verified in simulation and experiment.
Regional Topological Aberrances of White Matter- and Gray Matter-Based Functional Networks for Attention Processing May Foster Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Attention Deficits in Adults

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is highly prevalent in adults. TBI-related functional brain alterations have been linked with common post-TBI neurobehavioral sequelae, with unknown neural sub-strates. This study examined the systems-level functional brain alterations in white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) for visual sustained attention processing, their interactions, and contribution to post-TBI attention deficits. Task-based functional MRI data were collected from 42 adults with TBI and 43 group-matched normal controls (NCs), and analyzed using the graph theoretic tech-nique. Global and nodal topological properties were calculated and compared between the two groups. Correlation analyses were conducted between the neuroimaging measures that showed significant between-group differences and the behavioral symptom measures in attention domain in the groups of TBI and NCs, respectively. Significantly altered nodal efficiency and/or degree in several WM and GM nodes were reported in the TBI group, including the posterior corona radiata (PCR), posterior thalamic radiation (PTR), postcentral gyrus (PoG), and superior temporal sulcus (STS). Subjects with TBI also demonstrated abnormal systems-level functional synchronization between the PTR and STS in the right hemisphere, hypo-interaction between PCR and PoG in the left hemisphere; as well as the involvement of systems-level functional aberrances in PCR in TBI-related behavioral impairments in the attention domain. Findings of the current study suggest that TBI-related systems-level functional alterations associated with these two major association WM tracts and their anatomically connected GM regions may play critical role in TBI-related behavioral deficits in attention domain.
Development of the data-driven models for accessing the impact of design variables on heavy metal removal in constructed wetlands

Constructed wetlands are a type of green infrastructure commonly used for urban stormwater treatment. Previous studies have shown that the various design characteristics have an influence on the outflow heavy metal concentrations. In this study, we develop a Bayesian linear mixed model (BLMM) and a Bayesian linear regression model (BLRM) to predict the outflow concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) using an inflow concentration (Cin) and five design variables, namely media type, constructed wetland type (CWT), hydraulic retention time, presence of a sedimentation pond (SedP) and wetland-to-catchment area ratio (Ratio). The results show that the BLMM had much better performance, with the mean Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency between 0.51 (Pb) and 0.75 (Cu) in calibration and between 0.28 (Pb) and 0.71 (Zn) in validation. The inflow concentration was found to have significant impacts on the outflow concentration of all heavy metals, while the impacts of other variables on the wetland performance varied across metals, e.g., CWT and SedP showed a positive correlation to Cd and Cu, whereas media and Ratio were negatively correlated with Pb and Zn. Results also show that the 100-fold calibration and validation was superior in identifying the key influential factors.
Rethinking farmer knowledge from soil to plate through narrative inquiry: An agroecological food systems perspective

This paper illustrates how farmer knowledge is generatively constructed and framed within an agroecological context to address the complexities of our food system more fully. For some, farmer knowledge is a hidden asset below the surface that acts as a reserve for sustaining and fortifying food system possibilities. We interviewed 12 self-identified smallholder farmers in Virginia using narrative inquiry as a dynamic methodology to explore the rhizomatic quality and mycorrhizal nature of smallholder farmers’ knowledge and experiences of soil, conservation, and place. The narrative inquiry method offered a participatory research approach to analyze how farmers perform their work in ways that extend across and are entangled with other domains of the food system that reflect agroecological values. Five primary themes were identified from the narrative inquiry data analysis by drawing upon the whole measures of community food systems as a values-based framework. Our findings illustrate how farmer praxis is reflective of and influenced by the ecological and sociopolitical ethos of land, food, health, and liberation. For scholar-practitioners, this research emphasizes the current claim for reevaluating and reconceptualizing research and outreach responses to mounting food system crises. The construction and expansion of farmer knowledge are not linear but rhizomatic and mycorrhizal in quality; therefore, scholar-practitioner responses to understanding and engaging with farmer knowledge systems should be amenable to a diversity of culturally dynamic sys­tems of knowing that embody socio-eco relations and networks. Like others, we argue that an over­emphasis on essentialist “best practices” and tech­nocratic problem-solving does not adequately help us see these generative possibilities from soil to plate. Thus, we recommend that food system practitioners and researchers emphasize engaged listening, storytelling, and generative—not extrac­tive—approaches as an epistemological frame for expanding our understanding of agroecology and food systems change.
Mobilizing physiotherapy knowledge: Understanding the best evidence and barriers to implementation of hydrotherapy for musculoskeletal disease

ABSTRACT Objectives To explore two linked strategies to highlight the best current available evidence for hydrotherapy and to explore the barriers and enablers to mobilizing this evidence into practice. Method Phase 1: The best published evidence for hydrotherapy was collated using a Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) methodology. The focus was the best available research evidence for hydrotherapy in musculoskeletal conditions (i.e. osteoarthritis (OA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and low back pain (LBP)). Once evaluated for quality, a summary of the evidence was produced in a Clinical Bottom Line (CBL). Phase 2: A Focus Group explored the: CBL, the barriers and facilitators of embedding the best evidence for hydrotherapy into practice. Results Phase 1: The CAT identified seven studies that indicated hydrotherapy had beneficial, although short term, effects for common musculoskeletal conditions. Phase 2: Six participants from primary, secondary care, private practice, and education discussed the evidence identified. They highlighted issues such as: understanding the value of hydrotherapy, an overuse of quantitative methodologies and the quality of existing research as being barriers to this knowledge being actively mobilized into clinical care. Conclusions These two linked enquiries (CAT and Focus Group) identified the best evidence and the basis for discussion to explore barriers and facilitators of evidence use in practice. This gave an understanding of the reasons for the research to practice gap and thereby allows planning of knowledge mobilization strategies to reduce this.
A RFID Authentication Protocol for Epidemic Prevention and Epidemic Emergency Management Systems

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has exposed many problems in the auxiliary information system for epidemic prevention and control, which needs to be resolved by using methods such as the antitampering of logistics data and the management and control of epidemic materials. This article discusses the introduction of emerging technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which support privacy protection into the auxiliary information system for epidemic prevention and control. Recently, this paper found that Khwaja et al.'s protocol (RAPUS protocol) is susceptible to database impersonation attacks and reader impersonation attacks. Therefore, this article proposes the enhanced protocol, which not only perfectly solves the problems of the abovementioned protocols but also comprehensively compares multiple protocols. The enhanced protocol has higher efficiency and security. The security of the proposed protocol (RAPUS + protocol) is analyzed by GNY logic and the AVISPA model. The designed scheme can help realize the safety and traceability of epidemic prevention materials and improve the automation and decision-making efficiency of the epidemic prevention.
Implementation of IoT in Agriculture

In this modern world agriculture is one of the major booming sectors around the world. In India around 60 percent of GDP comes from agriculture sector alone. Also, around the world there are many technologies showing up in the field of agriculture. In this paper proposed a technology by means of which potential pest attack in the crops can be detected and the respective pesticide is also sprayed as well. Along with these there is a range of sensor employed in the field connected to the controller that will take the real time values from the field and can be displayed in the respective screen (monitor or mobile screen) by means of technology called IOT (Internet of Things). Raspberry-pi is used as the controller to perform IoT. system is linked with an application called “cain” Which allows us to display various values of sensors in the monitor or in mobile application.
Steviol Represses Glucose Metabolism and Translation Initiation in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic cancer has the worst prognosis and lowest survival rate among all cancers. Pancreatic cancer cells are highly metabolically active and typically reprogrammed for aberrant glucose metabolism; thus they respond poorly to therapeutic modalities. It is highly imperative to understand mechanisms that are responsible for high glucose metabolism and identify natural/synthetic agents that can repress glucose metabolic machinery in pancreatic cancer cells, to improve the therapeutic outcomes/management of pancreatic cancer patients. We have identified a glycoside, steviol that effectively represses glucose consumption in pancreatic cancer cells via the inhibition of the translation initiation machinery of the molecular components. Herein, we report that steviol effectively inhibits the glucose uptake and lactate production in pancreatic cancer cells (AsPC1 and HPAF-II). The growth, colonization, and invasion characteristics of pancreatic cancer cells were also determined by in vitro functional assay. Steviol treatment also inhibited the tumorigenic and metastatic potential of human pancreatic cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G1/M phase. The metabolic shift by steviol was mediated through the repression of the phosphorylation of mTOR and translation initiation proteins (4E-BP1, eIF4e, eIF4B, and eIF4G). Overall, the results of this study suggest that steviol can effectively suppress the glucose metabolism and translation initiation in pancreatic cancer cells to mitigate their aggressiveness. This study might help in the design of newer combination therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer treatment.
A Graph Optimization-Based Acoustic SLAM Edge Computing System Offering Centimeter-Level Mapping Services with Reflector Recognition Capability

Robots can use echo signals for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) services in unknown environments where its own camera is not available. In current acoustic SLAM solutions, the time of arrival (TOA) in the room impulse response (RIR) needs to be associated with the corresponding reflected wall, which leads to an echo labelling problem (ELP). The position of the wall can be derived from the TOA associated with the wall, but most of the current solutions ignore the effect of the cumulative error in the robot’s moving state measurement on the wall position estimation. In addition, the estimated room map contains only the shape information of the room and lacks position information such as the positions of doors and windows. To address the above problems, this paper proposes a graph optimization-based acoustic SLAM edge computing system offering centimeter-level mapping services with reflector recognition capability. In this paper, a robot equipped with a sound source and a four-channel microphone array travels around the room, and it can collect the room impulse response at different positions of the room and extract the RIR cepstrum feature from the room impulse response. The ELP is solved by using the RIR cepstrum to identify reflectors with different absorption coefficients. Then, the similarity of the RIR cepstrum vectors is used for closed-loop detection. Finally, this paper proposes a method to eliminate the cumulative error of robot movement by fusing IMU data and acoustic echo data using graph-optimized edge computation. The experiments show that the acoustic SLAM system in this paper can accurately estimate the trajectory of the robot and the position of doors, windows, and so on in the room map. The average self-localization error of the robot is 2.84 cm, and the mapping error is 4.86 cm, which meet the requirement of centimeter-level map service.
Research on Life Cycle Environmental Property of Biomass Biodegradable Packaging Material

Biomass biodegradable packaging material as a new green packaging material is a hot research area of packaging material. In order to obtain its life cycle environmental property, the life cycle environmental impact of biomass biodegradable packaging materials was studied in this paper. Firstly, the life cycle assessment theory and Eco-indicator99 method were used to establish the life cycle assessment model for biomass biodegradable packaging material; Secondly, objective and scope of the assessment are identified through the research on characteristics of life cycle stages of biomass biodegradable packaging material; Finally, Simapro software is used to do the biomass biodegradable packaging materials LCA and the comparative analysis with the corrugated cardboard, kraft paper, modified starch biodegradable plastics packaging materials.
Offshore Occurrence of a Migratory Bat, Pipistrellus nathusii, Depends on Seasonality and Weather Conditions

Simple Summary Migratory bats regularly fly over the North Sea, where the number of offshore wind farms will increase rapidly in the next decades. Information is urgently needed on the timing and the conditions bats can be expected offshore, since windfarms can cause fatalities amongst bats. We therefore collected acoustic data on the presence of bats at four nearshore locations at sea between 2012 and 2016. Modelling the occurrence of Nathusius’ pipistrelle for 480 nights in autumn showed that its migration is strongest in early September, with east-northeasterly tailwinds, low wind speeds, and relatively high temperatures. The species’ migration did not show a strong relationship with other factors, i.e., moon phase, cloud cover, atmospheric pressure, rain, and visibility. Our results provide valuable input to policy-makers to prescribe mitigation measures to reduce bat fatalities in offshore wind farms. Abstract Bats regularly migrate over the North Sea, but information on the environmental conditions when this occurs is scarce. Detailed information is urgently needed on the conditions under which bats can be expected offshore, as the number of offshore windfarms that can cause fatalities amongst bats in the North Sea is increasing rapidly. We performed ultrasonic acoustic monitoring at multiple nearshore locations at sea between 2012 and 2016 for, in total, 480 monitoring nights. We modelled the offshore occurrence of Nathusius’ pipistrelle in autumn as a function of weather conditions, seasonality, and the lunar cycle using a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM). We investigated which covariates are important using backward selection based on a likelihood ratio test. Our model showed that important explanatory variables for the offshore occurrence of Nathusius’ pipistrelle are seasonality (night in year), wind speed, wind direction, and temperature. The species’ migration is strongest in early September, with east-northeasterly tailwinds, wind speeds < 5 m/s, and temperatures > 15 °C. Lunar cycle, cloud cover, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric pressure change, rain, and visibility were excluded during the model selection. These results provide valuable input to reduce bat fatalities in offshore wind farms by taking mitigation measures.