Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Object Extraction Method for Mobile Robots using Fast Growing Neural Gas

In this work, we present a fast object extraction method that can be applied to embedded computers in mobile robots. Currently, perceiving the real-world in 3D space is becoming increasingly important, and robotics is no exception. Many types of robots have utilized 3D point cloud data as part of their mission, such as rescue robots, humanoid robots, explorer robots, etc. All of them make use of 3D sensor data as the input. However, a problem occurs when large amounts of data are generated, especially for embedded computers that are usually installed in mobile robots. Therefore, we propose an object extraction method for 3D point cloud data that is lightweight and can be applied to the embedded computers. It is developed based on a simplification of fast growing neural gas algorithm, called as simplified FastGNG. As opposed to the standard GNG algorithm, FastGNG uses a multi-scale batch learning strategy to enhance the learning speed. Thus, in this work, we applied the algorithm to extract information of the point could data as a way to compress the large amounts of data. The experimental results have shown that the proposed method is able to reach 36.2 fps which is real-time capable, and hence suitable for embedded computers.
Registration of images with affine geometric distortion by means of moment invariants

This paper deals with the registration of images with affine geometric distortion. It describes a new method for automatic control point selection and matching. First, reference and sensed images are segmented and closed-boundary regions are extracted. Each region is represented by a set of affine-invariant moment-based features. Correspondence between the regions is then established by a two-stage matching algorithm that works both in the feature space and in the image space. Centers of gravity of corresponding regions are used as control points. A practical use of the proposed method is demonstrated by registration of SPOT and Landsat TM images. It is shown that our method can produce subpixel registration accuracy.
Pyrrolyl and Indolyl α-γ-Diketo Acid Derivatives Acting as Selective Inhibitors of Human Carbonic Anhydrases IX and XII

Solid tumors are active tissues containing hypoxic regions and producing metabolic acids. By decreasing pH, cancer cells create a hostile environment for surrounding host cells and foster tumor growth and progression. By governing acid/base regulation, carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are involved in several physiological/pathological processes, including tumors. Indeed, CAs are clinically relevant in cancer therapy as among the fifteen human isoforms, two of them, namely CA IX (overexpressed in solid tumors and associated with increased metastasis and poor prognosis) and CA XII (overexpressed in some tumors) are involved in tumorigenesis. Targeting these two isoforms is considered as a pertinent approach to develop new cancer therapeutics. Several CA inhibitors (CAIs) have been described, even though they are unselective inhibitors of different isoforms. Thus, efforts are needed to find new selective CAIs. In this work, we described new diketo acid derivatives as CAIs, with the best acting compounds 1c and 5 as nanomolar inhibitors of CA IX and XII, being also two orders of magnitude selective over CAs I and II. Molecular modeling studies showed the different binding poses of the best acting CAIs within CA II and IX, highlighting the key structural features that could confer the ability to establish specific interactions within the enzymes. In different tumor cell lines overexpressing CA IX and XII, the tested compounds showed antiproliferative activity already at 24 h treatment, with no effects on somatic not transformed cells.
Trajectory Tracking for Autonomous Vehicles based on Frenet Frame

This paper investigates a trajectory tracking control problem of autonomous vehicles. Existing methods can suffer from complex control algorithms and a lack of tracking stability at high speed, which negatively affects tracking performance. This study decouples the vehicle's motion by considering the Frenet frame and Frenet equations. A lateral control law based on the linear-quadratic-regulator (LQR) imposes the tracking errors to converge to zero stably and quickly, providing the optimal solution in real-time due to adaptive gains. Regarding the steady-state errors, they are eliminated through the correction of the feedforward term. Furthermore, the designed double proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller realizes not only the longitudinal control but also the velocity tracking. By the proposed strategy, the tracking accuracy and stability can be enhanced regardless of the vehicle speed, verified by the simulation results from different driving scenarios.
Progress in Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Individuals with Prader–Willi Syndrome

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare epigenetic disease mapping the imprinted chromosomal domain of 15q11.2-q13.3, manifests a regular neurodevelopmental trajectory in different phases. The current multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach for PWS focues on morphological MRI (mMRI), diffusion MRI (dMRI) and functional MRI (fMRI) to uncover brain alterations. This technique offers another perspective to understand potential neurodevelopmental and neuropathological processes of PWS, in addition to specific molecular gene expression patterns, various clinical manifestations and metabolic phenotypes. Multimodal MRI studies of PWS patients demonstrated common brain changes in the volume of gray matter, the integrity of the fiber tracts and the activation and connectivity of some networks. These findings mainly showed that brain alterations in the frontal reward circuit and limbic system were related to molecular genetics and clinical manifestations (e.g., overwhelming eating, obsessive compulsive behaviors and skin picking). Further exploration using a large sample size and advanced MRI technologies, combined with artificial intelligence algorithms, will be the main research direction to study the structural and functional changes and potential pathogenesis of PWS.
The Impact of Different Hydrogen Configurations on Light- and Elevated-Temperature- Induced Degradation

In this article, the impact of different hydrogen configurations and their evolution on the extent and kinetics of light- and elevated-temperature-induced degradation (LeTID) is investigated in float-zone silicon via charge carrier lifetime measurements, low-temperature Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and four-point-probe resistance measurements. Degradation conditions were light soaking at 77 °C and 1 sun-equivalent illumination intensity and dark anneal at 175 °C. The initial configuration of hydrogen is manipulated by varying the wafer thickness, the cooling ramp of the fast-firing process, and the dopant type (B- or P-doped). We find lower hydrogen concentrations in thinner samples and samples with a slower cooling ramp. This suggests that hydrogen diffuses out of the sample during the cool-down, which strongly affects the final concentration of hydrogen molecules H2, and to a smaller degree the concentration of boron-hydrogen (BH) pairs. A regeneration of potential LeTID defects and a presumed LeTID degradation during dark annealing is found in n-type Si. In p-type Si, the LeTID extent was found to scale with H2, suggesting a direct link between both. The temporal evolution of BH pairs, LeTID degradation/regeneration, and surface degradation depends on wafer thickness and the cooling ramp of the fast-firing process. Based upon these findings, we formulate a theory of the hydrogen-related mechanism behind LeTID: Hydrogen originating from H2 moves between different temporary traps. First, hydrogen binds to LeTID precursors and acceptor atoms in the silicon bulk, later moving toward the surface. This leads first to the LeTID degradation and regeneration and then to the degradation of surface passivation.
Power and resistance: Iranian day-laborers’ lived experience of power relations in the workplace

ABSTRACT This article discusses power in four dimensions and delves into the modes of encountering power by the subaltern. We delved into the lived experience of 25 male day laborers in the construction section in the city of Tehran, Iran, using narrative interviews that are analyzed from the perspective of hermeneutical phenomenology. The findings suggest that the concept of resistance cannot explain the encountering of power and that a broader conceptual network including receptiveness, powerlessness, as well as resistance, must be considered. The emergence of each of these modes depends on the actor’s situation and their interpretation of the situation.
MARs: Memory Access Rearrangements in Open MPI

The datatype engine in Message Passing Interface (MPI) libraries supports the communication layer by handling the transfer of non-contiguous datatypes. Basic datatypes (integer, float, etc.) serve as building blocks for more complex, and potentially non-contiguous, derived datatypes. In this context, the datatype engine facilitates the description of complex datatypes and provides an efficient and portable interface between complex types and the network communication layer. In this paper, we focus on the Open MPI datatype engine with its compact type representations and pipeline techniques used to hide communication latency. We identified cases where the current datatype representation is sub-optimal and provide an alternative based on range descriptions and Memory Access Rearrangements (MARs) for more efficient pack/unpack operations. As a result, we obtain a performance improvement between 1.2x and 3.2x compared to the current datatype description in Open MPI.
A broadband miniaturized dual-polarized dual-frequency base station antenna

A broadband miniaturized dual-polarized dual-frequency base station antenna is presented in this letter. The proposed antenna is composed of a form of a bent crossed dipole, and a vertical square resonant branch is loaded at the end of the ring dipole, and a rectangular parasitic structure is loaded directly above the radiator to effectively reduce the size, the size of the antenna aperture improves the impedance matching and radiation characteristics. The low-profile base station antenna has two broad bandwidths of 28% (2.49-3.3GHz) and 4%(4.8-$5\text{GHz})$ for VSWR$< 1.5$ at the same time. A stable half-beam width and gain are achieved, and the isolation between the ports is kept above 20dB. The antenna size is about $0.28 \lambda_0 \times 0.28 \lambda_0 \times 0.23 \lambda_0$ (wavelength of the low-frequency center frequency of the antenna in free space). The results of this antenna is potential appeal for mobile communications.
Blockchain-Based Traceability Architecture for Mapping Object-Related Supply Chain Events

Supply chains have evolved into dynamic, interconnected supply networks, which increases the complexity of achieving end-to-end traceability of object flows and their experienced events. With its capability of ensuring a secure, transparent, and immutable environment without relying on a trusted third party, the emerging blockchain technology shows strong potential to enable end-to-end traceability in such complex multitiered supply networks. This paper aims to overcome the limitations of existing blockchain-based traceability architectures regarding their object-related event mapping ability, which involves mapping the creation and deletion of objects, their aggregation and disaggregation, transformation, and transaction, in one holistic architecture. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel ‘blueprint-based’ token concept, which allows clients to group tokens into different types, where tokens of the same type are non-fungible. Furthermore, blueprints can include minting conditions, which, for example, are necessary when mapping assembly processes. In addition, the token concept contains logic for reflecting all conducted object-related events in an integrated token history. Finally, for validation purposes, this article implements the architecture’s components in code and proves its applicability based on the Ethereum blockchain. As a result, the proposed blockchain-based traceability architecture covers all object-related supply chain events and proves its general-purpose end-to-end traceability capabilities of object flows.
Impedimetric Sensing: An Emerging Tool for Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a pressing need for the development of sensitive and low-cost point-of-care sensors for disease diagnosis. The current standard of care for COVID-19 is quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). This method is sensitive, but takes time, effort, and requires specialized equipment and reagents to be performed correctly. This make it unsuitable for widespread, rapid testing and causes poor individual and policy decision-making. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are a widely used alternative that provide results quickly but have low sensitivity and are prone to false negatives, particularly in cases with lower viral burden. Electrochemical sensors have shown much promise in filling this technology gap, and impedance spectroscopy specifically has exciting potential in rapid screening of COVID-19. Due to the data-rich nature of impedance measurements performed at different frequencies, this method lends itself to machine-leaning (ML) algorithms for further data processing. This review summarizes the current state of impedance spectroscopy-based point-of-care sensors for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This article also suggests future directions to address the technology’s current limitations to move forward in this current pandemic and prepare for future outbreaks.
Impact of Self-Efficacy on Entrepreneurs’ Ambidextrous Behavior in New Ventures: Moderating Effect of Status

This article discusses the mechanism of the ambidextrous behavior of entrepreneurs in exploring and exploiting simultaneously in new ventures. We draw on social cognition theory to discuss the influence of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) on entrepreneurs’ ambidextrous behavior and the moderating effect of their status. We contend that an inverted ‘U’ relationship exists between ESE and entrepreneurs’ ambidextrous behavior. A higher economic status of an entrepreneur strengthens the relationship between ESE and that entrepreneur’s ambidextrous behavior, whereas higher power status weakens the relationship. Analyses of high-tech industry entrepreneurs support our hypotheses in the context of emerging economies, represented by China.
Quadruped’s Efficient Walking on Challenging Terrains with Perception and Whole-Body Control

One of the dominant destinies of legged robots is to traverse challenging terrains. In this paper, we present a control framework for a quadrupedal robot walking over discontinuous but flat terrains. Firstly, we analyze the kinematic characteristic of the leg and give the 3-D torque distribution. Secondly, we proposed the center of gravity (CoG) trajectory planner and foothold planner based on the map information and torque distribution. Additionally, a whole-body controller is utilized to achieve model-based compliant control. Simulation results based on the quadruped Solo-12 demonstrate that our method works well when walking over arrays of cylinders.
Potential of Insect Life Stages as Functional Ingredients for Improved Nutrition and Health

Simple Summary Despite edible insects being possible future food sources, studies on the nutritional properties of some of the insects are still limited. Gonimbrasia cocaulti (GC), a saturniid caterpillar, is a delicacy in some communities in Africa, yet there is no information on its nutrition profile to provide insight on their contribution to rural household nutrition. This study provides in-depth knowledge on the nutritional composition of the edible larval stage of G. cocaulti and the pupal life stages of the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori) and Eri silkworm (Samia Cynthia ricini). The results showed that the edible stage of GC had significantly high levels of linoleic acid, minerals (Ca, Fe, K), vitamins (B6, B9, B12, α-tocopherol) and crude fiber. The crude protein content of the larval and pupal stages of the various insects ranged between 50 and 62%. It is evident that the developmental life stage of GC and silkworms have adequate nutrients that could allow them to be utilized as ingredients in food fortification. Abstract This study aimed to provide information on the nutrients of the edible larval stage of Gonimbrasia cocaulti (GC) for the first time, while exploring the potential nutrient content of the pupal life stages of the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori; BM) and the Eri silkworm (Samia Cynthia ricini; SC). The three insects were analyzed for fatty acids, minerals, proximate composition and vitamins. Among the fatty acids, linoleic, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, was approximately threefold higher in GC than in the silkworms. The Ca, Fe and K contents were highest in GC. However, the Zn and Na contents were highest in BM, while Mg content was predominant in SC. The crude protein content of the various developmental life stages of the edible caterpillars and pupae ranged between 50 and 62%. Further, the fiber content of GC was substantially higher compared to the pupal stages of the two silkworm species. The vitamin (B6, B9, B12 and α-tocopherol) levels of the two insect life stages were considerably high. These insects are comparably rich in nutrients with potential suitability to be utilized in food fortification and thus ease pressure on the over-reliance on animal and plant-based sources, which are becoming unsustainable.
Excess ultrasonic attenuation due to inhomogeneities in porous media

While Biot's theory seems well adapted to model the acoustical waves propagation in cancellous bone, some of its predictions do not agree with the experimental results. The excess of attenuation of the fast wave is one of these discrepancies. In this paper we propose a modified Biot's model which takes into account the fluctuations of the physical parameters and their correlations. As a result of this model, we show that this excess of attenuation is due to several processes: i) classical Biot's attenuation, ii) scattering leading to the extension of the wave path, iii) mode conversion. Some comparison between experimental results and numerical simulations are proposed.
A divorce of convenience: exploring radical right populist parties’ position on Putin’s Russia within the context of the Ukrainian war. A social media perspective

ABSTRACT Over the last decade there has been a growing convergence between Putin’s Russia and West European right-wing populist parties (WERPPs) that are growing in consensus around Europe. Such relationship, depicted as “marriage of convenience”, benefits both Putin in his quest for the international legitimization of his political regime and WERPPs in their rally for power at both the national and the European levels. Grounded on a mix of populism, opposition to the European Union and radical right-wing ideology, does this marriage survive the Ukrainian crisis or does it transform itself in a “divorce of convenience”? This work uses an original dataset of more than 900k tweets collected in the period between 2013 and 2022 and produced by two Italian populist parties and shows what shapes WERPPs’ communication about Russia. Moreover, it empirically demonstrates how fragile, mutable and exposed to the influence of contextual factors this relationship is.
ULTRASONIC SURFACE WAVES ABOVE RECTANGULAR-GROOVE GRATINGS

A modal model, initially developed to modelize diffraction of electromagnetic waves by rectangular-groove gratings, is used to describe ultrasonic surface waves above the same structures in air. A simple analytical formulation which provides results comparable to the modal method is presented. Measurements performed on ultrasonic surface waves are compared to predictions obtained with the simplified formulation and the modal model.
Mechanics of fiber reinforced soft manipulators based on inhomogeneous Cosserat rod theory

In this study, an inhomogeneous Cosserat rod theory is introduced and compared to the conventional homogeneous rod for modeling soft manipulators. The inhomogeneity is addressed by considering the pressure actuation as part of the rod's constitutive laws, resulting in shifting the neutral axis. This shift is investigated for a soft manipulator with three parallel fiber-reinforced actuators. Furthermore, a fiber-reinforced actuator is modeled using nonlinear continuum mechanics to extract the effect of radial pressure on axial deformation and is combined with Cosserat model. Finally, several numerical methods are employed to solve the proposed model and validated by a series of experiments.
Broadband Low Sidelobe T/R Array With Mutual Coupling Reduction Based On Metasurface

A design of transmit-receive (T/R) array with low sidelobe, wide beam and high isolation is presented in this paper. Planar microstrip quasi- Y agi antenna is employed as the antenna unit, which has the properties of broadband and wide beam-width. To obtain high-gain and low-sidelobe performance, a 1 x4 antenna array with taper excitation by unequal power divider is carried out. Meanwhile, by employing the folded T -shaped metasurface, the mutual coupling between the transmit array and receive array is significantly reduced. Simulated results show that the 3-dB beam width of the T/R array is 124°, the side lobe level is lower than -18 dB, and the isolation is approximately 40 dB at 1.5GHz.
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF NATURAL CONVECTION IN AN ENCLOSURE WITH ROTATIONALLY PRODUCED ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY

Buoyancy-induced flow and heat transfer in an artificial gravitational field produced by rotation is examined. A comparison is made between such flows and those produced in a stationary enclosure exposed to a terrestrial gravitational field. The computational results show that the structure of the buoyancy-induced flow fields is different for the two cases. Natural convection in an artificial gravity field is examined in terms of the ratio of artificial gravity buoyancy forces to viscous forces. Unlike a stationary enclosure in a terrestrial gravitational field, in an artificial gravity field there is no bifurcation in the Nusselt number behavior.
Interlinkages between the Just Ecological Transition and the Digital Transformation

Notwithstanding increasing policy and academic debate around the ‘twin’ digital and ecological transitions, there is no systematic assessment of their linkages, potential synergies and trade-offs. Most fundamentally, the full extent of challenges that their interaction poses for the prospects of a ‘just transition’ is not fully understood. This paper discusses the role and impact of digital technologies on two key objectives of a just sustainability transition, namely (1) the creation of decent-quality employment in (2) the pursuit of climate change mitigation and, more broadly, sustainability. In addition, it also discusses (3) whether and how digitalisation affects society more broadly, with a particular focus on how digital technologies can contribute to or reduce existing inequalities, as well as promote social dialogue at all levels. For each of these three aspects, evidence is presented regarding either the negative or positive effects of a number of digital technologies in several key sectors. Based on this evidence, the rationale for jointly addressing these transformations is explained and key policy implications are put forward.