Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unified Shape and External Load State Estimation for Continuum Robots

Continuum robots navigate narrow, winding passageways while safely and compliantly interacting with their environments. Sensing the robot's shape under these conditions is often done indirectly, using a few coarsely distributed (e.g., strain or position) sensors combined with the robot's mechanics-based model. More recently, given high-fidelity shape data, external interaction loads along the robot have been estimated by solving an inverse problem on the mechanics model of the robot. In this article, we argue that since shape and force are fundamentally coupled, they should be estimated simultaneously using a statistically principled approach. We accomplish this by applying continuous-time batch estimation directly to the arclength domain. A general continuum robot model serves as a statistical prior that is fused with discrete, noisy measurements taken along the robot's backbone. The result is a continuous posterior containing both shape and load functions of arclength, as well as their uncertainties. We first test the approach with a Cosserat rod, i.e., the underlying modeling framework that is the basis for a variety of continuum robots. We verify our approach numerically using distributed loads with various sensor combinations. Next, we experimentally validate shape and external load errors for highly concentrated force distributions (point loads). Finally, we apply the approach to a tendon-actuated continuum robot demonstrating applicability to more complex actuated robots.
Enlightenment of Medical Hotel on the development of Medical Tourism in China

Although health tourism has become a fashionable industry in contemporary society, consumers are no longer satisfied with simple rehabilitation and recuperation. Therefore, a new favorite tourism product that seeking medical treatment overseas has become popular. In this research, the authors analyzes the development status of medical hotel in China based on the literature review and field survey. Furthermore, based on the qualitative research, this study explains that medical hotel is an inevitable trend in the future due to its mixed functions that can help to break the existing reception short-board of medical tourism destinations. This research makes contributions to the theory of medical tourism and also the sustainable development of medical tourism industry.
Street Mapping of Ife Metropolis, Osun State, Nigeria

The importance of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System in map making cannot be overemphasized because of its ability to integrate spatial data with non-spatial data and also communicate the resulting information in a way that everyone would understand. Several works have taken advantage of the abilities of these technologies to produce street maps using High Resolution Images. The increase in development in Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, has brought about navigation challenge and associated difficulties. This work intends to produce a street map that will ease navigation within the study area and help in road network analysis, site suitability analysis etc. Aerial Photographs, captured in the year 2009 and GeoEye1 Satellite Image of 2011 were used to extract the road network of Ife Metropolis. The image was imported into ArcGIS environment, where the database was created having feature datasets such as roads and special features. To have all the elements in vector format, the image was digitized. The street names collected from the field work was inputted into the database and then subjected to cartographical processes. 512 Roads were captured within four classes of Road Network namely Express road (5), Secondary Road (25), Primary Roads (22) and Street Road (460). This field work revealed that a larger percentage of the roads were not paved, while most of the paved ones have deteriorated and the newly constructed ones were not documented. It also showed that some of the roads were not named according to the standard and some were not named at all. From this study, we recommend that the naming system should be standardized across the study area. It is also recommended that provision should be made for street map revision on a yearly basis so as to account for changes.
Assessment of Bioenergy Potential of Pistacia chinensis in China Based on GIS and Life Cycle Analysis

Fossil fuel shortages and environmental pollution problems are worsening,while globally,countries are actively seeking alternative energy sources.As an important renewable energy,bio-fuel(including bio-fuel ethanol and biodiesel) has attracted extensive attention of governments and enterprises throughout the world.Development and utilization of energy plants is one effective way to deal with energy issues and global change,and accurate information resource potential and the spatial and temporal important distribution is a foundation for resource planning and related research.The main objective of this paper is to establish an operational method for comprehensive evaluating biodiesel potential of Pistacia chinensis in China by combining GIS with life cycle analysis(LCA). Geographic Information System(GIS) is adopted as a tool to process spatial data from different sources,and establish the integrated multiple factors model.Meanwhile,LCA is used to evaluate the GHG emission from Pistacia chinensis plantation,yield acquisition,production,and product use through to post-processing.First,the potentiality,degree and spatial distribution of marginal land resources suitable for Pistacia chinensis planting are determined.Next,LCA-based analytical model of GHG emission reduction potential of biodiesel produced from Pistacia chinensis is established.By this means,the analysis and appraisal of maximum net GHG emission reduction potential of biodiesel from Pistacia chinensis can be achieved,thus offering technical methods and typical cases for analysis of development potentials and environmental benefits of biofuels derived from energy plants.The results indicate that total area of marginal land exploitable for development of Pistacia chinensis is about 19.90 million hm2,which is made up of the suitable area 7.10 million hm2and the fairly suitable area 12.79 million hm2.And the total greenhouse gas emission reduction potential is 2.55 million tons per year.
Fluorescence-Based Protein Stability Monitoring—A Review

Proteins are large biomolecules with a specific structure that is composed of one or more long amino acid chains. Correct protein structures are directly linked to their correct function, and many environmental factors can have either positive or negative effects on this structure. Thus, there is a clear need for methods enabling the study of proteins, their correct folding, and components affecting protein stability. There is a significant number of label-free methods to study protein stability. In this review, we provide a general overview of these methods, but the main focus is on fluorescence-based low-instrument and -expertise-demand techniques. Different aspects related to thermal shift assays (TSAs), also called differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) or ThermoFluor, are introduced and compared to isothermal chemical denaturation (ICD). Finally, we discuss the challenges and comparative aspects related to these methods, as well as future opportunities and assay development directions.
Yield estimation using regional mb(Pn)

Seismic yield estimation at regional distances will become increasingly important in monitoring a Low-Yield Threshold Test Ban (LYTTB). In order to investigate seismic yield estimation using regional data, we have examined regional mb(Pn) values for a large population of Nevada Test Site (NTS) underground nuclear explosions that occurred in widely varying geologic media with a range of yields from less than 1 kt to 300 kt. Magnitude-yield relationships were developed using data from a set of pre-1985 events (calibration set). To obtain an independent estimate of the uncertainty in estimating yields of events at NTS using mb(Pn) alone, the calibrated relationships were applied to a set of post-1984 events (prediction set). We found that the average uncertainty in the yield estimate, based on a weighted combination of the yield estimates from the four Livermore NTS Network (LNN) seismic stations, is about 1.8 (at the 2σ level). If data are available from all four LNN stations, the uncertainty is about 1.7 (at the 2σ level). By including a term for the gas-filled porosity of the rock near the working point in the magnitude-yield relationship, we were able to develop a single relationship valid for events both above and below the water table, as well as those in alluvium and tuff. We have found, however, systematic differences in the relationships for events in Yucca Flat, Pahute Mesa, and Rainier Mesa.
An RRAM-Based Computing-in-Memory Architecture and Its Application in Accelerating Transformer Inference

Deep neural network (DNN)-based transformer models have demonstrated remarkable performance in natural language processing (NLP) applications. Unfortunately, the unique scaled dot-product attention mechanism and intensive memory access pose a significant challenge during inference on power-constrained edge devices. One emerging solution to this challenge is computing-in-memory (CIM), which uses memory cells for logic computation to reduce data movement and overcome the memory wall. However, existing CIM designs do not support high-precision computations, such as floating-point operations, which are essential for NLP applications. Furthermore, CIM architectures require complex control modules and costly peripheral circuits to harness the full potential of in-memory computation. Hence, this article proposes a scalable RRAM-based in-memory floating-point computation architecture (RIME) that uses single-cycle NOR, NAND, and minority logic to implement in-memory floating-point operations. RIME features efficient parallel and pipeline capabilities with a centralized control module and a simplified peripheral circuit to eliminate data movement during computation. Furthermore, the article proposes pipelined implementations of matrix–matrix multiplication (MatMul) and softmax functions, enabling the construction of a transformer accelerator based on RIME. Extensive experimental results show that compared with GPU-based implementation, the RIME-based transformer accelerator improves timing efficiency by $2.3\times $ and energy efficiency by $1.7\times $ without compromising inference accuracy.
Groundwater depletion in the Indus Plains of Pakistan: imperatives, repercussions and management issues

ABSTRACT The sustainability of agricultural growth has been greatly influenced by the massive use of groundwater in Pakistan for the last few decades. However, the groundwater economy of Pakistan is at critical juncture now. Concomitant with massive pumping of groundwater aquifers through unrestricted expansion of tube-wells, groundwater exploitation has led to many negative environmental, economic and spatial impacts and serious threats to the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the region. The spectacular increase in the groundwater development during the last half-century has manifested as a kind of ‘silent revolution’ carried out by thousands of farmers in pursuit of reliable irrigation water supplies. The groundwater revolution in the Indus Basin has been a result of a succession of factors –each of them exacerbated the groundwater crises in the subsequent periods. Massive groundwater extraction programmes were commenced to overcome waterlogging and salinity, which was blown up by large-scale surface water developments in coming years. Within this backdrop, this article attempts to identify the causes and consequences of groundwater overdrafting in Pakistan and draws attention to groundwater resource management issues. In this article, we discuss how the rigidity of the surface-water-allocation system, the Green Revolution, the Indus Water Treaty, soaring population and the groundwater management policies have led to groundwater revolution. Major environmental impacts identified include soil salinization, salt water and sea water intrusion, land subsidence, and drying up of lakes and vegetation in different parts of the country. Various pecuniary impacts such as increasing pumping costs while decreasing land values are also very prominent. Migration and prospective social conflicts are amongst the potential spatial impacts. We have concluded that decreasing surface water supplies, unimpeded pumping of aquifers, lack of groundwater entitlements and the institutional impediments are the major problems related to the sustainable groundwater management in Pakistan.
The Implementationof Digital Text Coding Algorithm Through A Three Dimensional Mapping Derived From Generalized ΔΔ-mKdV Equation Using Mathematica

Encryption-decryption algorithm using a mapping can be done for encoding a digital text, such as two dimensional mapping ΔΔ-sine Gordon equation. In this article, we will be given an encryption-decryption algorithm to a digital text through a three dimensional mapping that derived from the generalized ΔΔ-mKdV equation. Implementation of Encryption-decryption algorithm in this article using MATHEMATICA.
Identification of intra pulse modulation signal in the presence of noise

In Electronic Warfare systems, Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) radar signals are used for identifying the targets in the selected region of operation. LPI radars are designed to minimize the chances of being intercepted or detected by passive radar receivers. Advanced signal processing techniques become an essential requirement when these signals are used for the detection and separation of multiple targets in a noisy environment. In this work, a noisy Stepped Frequency Modulated (SFM) waveform is detected by using high resolution spectrum estimation techniques. To improve the detection capability of the noisy SFM, two level filtering is used as pre-processing step. The filtered SFM signal is analysed using Root MUSIC and Eigenvector algorithms and the multiple target frequencies are estimated. The proposed method is successful in detecting the parameters of the SFM signal in the low Signal Noise Ratio conditions up to -9dB with an accuracy of 99%.
The Cost of Conservatism : Extreme Returns , Value-at-Risk , and the Basle ‘ Multiplication Factor ’

We argue that most current methodologies for value-at-risk (VaR) underestimate the VaR, and are therefore ill-suited for market risk capital. Better VaR methods are available, such as the tail–fitting method proposed here. However, financial institutions may be reluctant to use those methods since current market risk regulations may, perversely, provide incentives for banks to underestimate the VaR. Email: j.danielsson@lse.ac.uk, p.hartmann@lse.ac.uk, and cdevries@few.eur. nl. The authors research papers can be downloaded from the web site http://cep.lse.ac.uk/ ̃jond.
Role of co-management in wetland productivity: A case study from Hail haor in Bangladesh

This study provides an overview of the current resources and fisheries status of the Hail haor, and identifies the scope of opportunities to evolve existing fisheries management strategies, focusing on fish biodiversity conservation. Hail haor is one of the largest, most important wetland in the North East Bangladesh, and covers an area of about 18,000 ha during the monsoon season. A fish catch survey was carried out in the fishing season (April to June 2013) in the studied areas. A total of 1310 individuals was found, representing 54 fish species. To preserve this wetland, the government introduced a comanagement system in 1998 through a project entitled “Management of Aquatic Ecosystems through Community Husbandry (MACH)”. Through this project some Resource Management Organizations (RMOs) were formed by involving all resource users and stakeholders from the adjacent haor regions. RMOs in Hail haor serve as a platform for bringing together community people and concerned stakeholders to work towards sustainable development of this haor. We compared the performance of Borogangina and Dumuria RMOs who are responsible for managing the major part of the Hail haor. The results of the survey report revealed that the Borogangina RMO performed better (score 80.60) than Dumuria RMO (score 66), because of superior communication with authorities and more effective organizational capabilities. Nevertheless, resource users in both RMOs benefitted after establishing the co-management system in the Hail haor. Several management strategies were suggested by the stakeholders including continuing co-management, increasing monitoring, and the findings are discussed in the context of overall developments in the Hail haor fisheries and community development, and also biodiversity management.
Climatic features of the Red Sea from a regional assimilative model

The Advanced Research version of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF‐ARW) model was used to generate a downscaled, 10‐km resolution regional climate dataset over the Red Sea and adjacent region. The model simulations are performed based on two, two‐way nested domains of 30‐ and 10‐km resolutions assimilating all conventional observations using a cyclic three‐dimensional variational approach over an initial 12‐h period. The improved initial conditions are then used to generate regional climate products for the following 24 h. We combined the resulting daily 24‐h datasets to construct a 15‐year Red Sea atmospheric downscaled product from 2000 to 2014. This 15‐year downscaled dataset is evaluated via comparisons with various in situ and gridded datasets. Our analysis indicates that the assimilated model successfully reproduced the spatial and temporal variability of temperature, wind, rainfall, relative humidity and sea level pressure over the Red Sea region. The model also efficiently simulated the seasonal and monthly variability of wind patterns, the Red Sea Convergence Zone and associated rainfall. Our results suggest that dynamical downscaling and assimilation of available observations improve the representation of regional atmospheric features over the Red Sea compared to global analysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. We use the dataset to describe the atmospheric climatic conditions over the Red Sea region.
Microbiological Quality and Antimicrobial Resistance of Commercial Probiotic Products for Food-Producing Animals

Probiotics have been popularly used in livestock production as an alternative to antibiotics. This study aimed to investigate the microbiological quality and phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance of bacteria in probiotic products sold for food animals. A total of 45 probiotic products were examined for the number of viable cells, species, and antimicrobial susceptibility; the contamination of Escherichia coli and Salmonella; and the presence of 112 genes encoding resistance to clinically important antimicrobials and transferability of AMR determinants. The results showed that 29 of 45 products (64.4%) were incorrectly labeled in either number of viable cells or bacterial species. None of the tested products were contaminated with E. coli and Salmonella. A total of 33 out of 64 bacterial isolates (51.6%) exhibited resistance to at least one antimicrobial agent. Of the 45 products tested, 16 (35.5%) carried AMR genes. Almost all AMR genes detected in probiotic products were not correlated to the AMR phenotype of probiotic strains formulated in the products. Three streptomycin-resistant Lactobacillus isolates could horizontally transfer their AMR determinants. The findings demonstrated that the probiotic products could serve as reservoirs for the spread of AMR genes and may not yield benefits to animals as claimed. The need for the adequate quality control of probiotic products is highlighted.
Farmed fish value chain development in Bangladesh: Situation analysis and trends

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works to improve food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for better and more sustainable use of livestock. ILRI is a member of the CGIAR Consortium, a global research partnership of 15 centres working with many partners for a food-secure future. ILRI has two main campuses in East Africa and other hubs in East, West and Southern Africa and South, Southeast and East Asia. ilri.org
Enhancing the referral process for surgical management of spinal metastases: insights from a 12-year, bi-institutional study of 533 patients

Introduction Delayed surgical management of spinal metastases (SMs) can have detrimental effects on patient survival and quality of life, leading to pain and potential neurological impairment. This study aimed to assess the impact of delayed referral for SMs on clinical outcomes by analyzing patients managed in emergency situations. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the data of all patients admitted on either emergency or elective basis who underwent surgery for the treatment of neoplastic spine lesions at our two institutions (tertiary referral neurosurgical units) between January 2008 and December 2019. Results We analyzed 210 elective (EGp) and 323 emergency patients (UGp); emergencies increased significantly over the 12-year period, with a Friday peak (39.3%) and frequent neurological impairment (61.6% vs. 20%). Among the UGp patients, 186 (7.5%) had a previously monitored primitive cancer, including 102 (31.6%) with known SMs. On admission, 71 of the 102 (69.9%) patients presented with neurological deficits. UGp patients were more likely to undergo a single decompression without fixation. Outcomes at the 3-month follow-up were significantly worse for UGp patients ([very] poor, 29.2 vs. 13.8%), and the median overall survival for UGp patients was statistically lower. Risk factors for patients with SM undergoing emergency management included short delay between onset of symptoms and first contact with a spine surgeon, and an initial motor deficit. Conclusion Many patients with previously identified metastases, including those with neurological deficits, are urgently referred. Optimization is needed in the oncology pathway, and all stakeholders must be made aware of the factors contributing to the improvement in the clinical and radiological identification of potential complications affecting patient survival and quality of life.