Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Merging three‐dimensional occupancy grid maps to support multi‐UAVs cooperative navigation systems

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been widely used in many applications due to, among other features, their versatility, reduced operation cost, and reduced size. These applications increasingly require that features related to autonomous navigation be employed, such as mapping. However, the reduced capacity of resources such as battery life and hardware (memory and processing capacity) can hinder the development of these applications in UAVs. Thus, the collaborative use of multi‐UAVs for mapping can be used as an alternative to solve this problem, creating a cooperative navigation system. This system requires that individual local maps will be merged into a global map in a distributed way. In this context, this work proposes a system for merging three‐dimensional occupancy grid maps for use in UAVs that compose a cooperative navigation system. The proposed solution consists of a keypoint detector, a keypoint descriptor, and filters for keypoints and correspondences. The keypoint properties, such as orientation, are acquired from potential field gradients. Image processing techniques are applied to remove the map noise and better calculate the transformation parameters. The proposed system is validated by a set of simulation experiments performed in six different environments (indoor and outdoor). First, each component of the proposed system is individually evaluated. Then, the complete pairwise map merging system is evaluated. Finally, the appropriate functioning of the proposed system is validated through a visual evaluation.
The effect of the combined use of an intrauterine device and a Foley balloon in the prevention of adhesion following hysteroscopic adhesiolysis

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine whether intrauterine device (IUD) combined with Foley balloon could obtain better efficacy in preventing re-adhesion for patients with intrauterine adhesions (IUAs). The data of 89 patients with IUAs, who underwent transcervical resection of adhesion (TCRA) operation, were retrospectively collected. According to the method used for preventing re-adhesion of the uterine cavity after TCRA, the enrolled patients were divided into IUD group, Foley balloon group and the combined group. The second-look hysteroscopy was carried out at 3 months after TCRA surgery. The severity and extent of IUA were scored by American Fertility Society (AFS) scoring system. The endometrial thickness (EMT) was measured by ultrasound. Furthermore, the menstruation and pregnancy outcomes were also assessed. Our results showed that the postoperative decrease in AFS score was significantly greater in the combined group than in the IUD group or in the Foley balloon group. The increase in menstrual score among the 3 groups was not significantly different. The difference between preoperative and postoperative values of EMT was greater in the combined group than in the other 2 groups. In conclusion, the effect of a Foley balloon combined with IUD in preventing re-adhesion after TCRA might be better than that of IUD or Foley balloon alone.
Quotients, ranges, and normal solvability of maximal monotone operators.

If X and Υ are Banach spaces, L: X -» Υ is a continuous linear operator, and N is the nullspace of L, L defines in an obvious way an injective continuous linear operator L: XIN -» Υ on the quotient space XjN. In Part I of this note I shall state and prove a sufficient condition under which a similar Operation may be carried out on a nonlinear maximal monotone operator T: X~> X* and a closed subspace N < X. In Part II, I use this result to obtain a partial analogy to the well-known closed r nge theorem of Banach for maximal monotone operators. Finally in Part III, I use these resultsto give extensions of present theorems on the existence of Solutions to nonlinear Hammerstein equations and quasilinear partial differential equations with general boundary conditions*).
Modeling of Groundwater Nitrate Contamination Due to Agricultural Activities—A Systematic Review

Groundwater nitrate contamination is a significant concern in agricultural watersheds worldwide with it becoming a more pervasive problem in the last three decades. Models are great tools that are used to identify the sources and spatial patterns of nitrate contamination of groundwater due to agricultural activities. This Systematic Review (SR) seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of different models used to estimate nitrate contamination of groundwater due to agricultural activities. We described different types of models available in the field of modeling groundwater nitrate contamination, the models used, the input requirements of different models, and the evaluation metrics used. Out of all the models reviewed, stand-alone process-based models are predominantly used for modeling nitrate contamination, followed by integrated models, with HYDRUS and LEACHM models being the two most commonly used process-based models worldwide. Most models are evaluated using the statistical metric Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) followed by the correlation coefficient (r). This study provides the current basis for model selection in modeling nitrate contamination of groundwater due to agricultural activities. In addition, it also provides a clear and concise picture of the state of the art and implications to the scientific community doing groundwater quality modeling studies.
Effect of biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles using Nepeta extract against multidrug‐resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii

The problems of drug resistance in bacteria have become one of the daily challenges of the clinical treatment of patients, which inevitably forces us to use agents other than common antibiotics. Among these, we can take help from different properties and applications of nanoparticles (NPs). In this work, we evaluate the antibacterial activity of biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) against standard strains of multidrug‐resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. The production of biosynthesized SeNPs was proved by ultraviolet‐visible, Fourier transform infrared, X‐ray diffractometer, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Dynamic light scattering, and Zeta potential methods. The cytotoxicity effect of SeNPs was investigated by MTT assay. Disk diffusion agar (DDA) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests were performed on the mentioned bacteria using different classes of standard antibiotics and SeNPs separately. The impact of SeNPs combined with the desired antibiotics for better treatment of these infections was evaluated by checkerboard assay to determine the synergism effect. After the confirmation results based on the biosynthesis of SeNPs, both standard bacterial strains were susceptible to SeNPs and had a zone of inhibition using the DDA test. Also, the results of MICs showed that biosynthesized SeNPs in lower concentrations than antibiotics cause no growth of bacteria. On the other hand, according to the checkerboard assay, SeNPs had a synergistic effect with conventional antibiotics. The antibacterial sensitivity tests demonstrated the inhibition of bacterial growth in the presence of lower concentrations of SeNPs than common antibiotics. This property can be exerted in future applications to solve the drug resistance obstacle of microorganisms in bacterial diseases.
Transform coding for low-bit-rate applications

Low bit rate image coding at 10 kbit/s and less is a difficult problem and does not appear possible with the current generation of block transform based methods. Current research efforts center around the use of transforms with less objectionable artifacts such as wavelets or model based methods. We examine a method that is transform based but captures specific features of the image to be represented. The transform uses principal component analysis to generate a basis set specific to the particular class of images to be coded. We present results from a transform designed for use in a `talking head' sequence. Significant improvement in reconstructed quality is shown when perceptual weighting is used in generating the basis set. The appendix includes details of computationally efficient methods for deriving the basis set as well as a description of the weighting method.
VERIFICATION OF ACCURACY AND COST OF USE METHODS OF QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF DESIGN PATTERNS

Professional programmers use many additional tools over the Integrated Development Environment during their work. Very often they are looking for new solutions, while expecting that the new tool will provide accurate results, and the cost of use will fit within the planned budget. The aim of the article is to present the results of two comparative analyzes carried out in terms of accuracy and the cost of using the quality assessment method of implementation of design patterns.
Ultra-High-Resolution UAV-Based Detection of Alternaria solani Infections in Potato Fields

Automatic detection of foliar diseases in potato fields, such as early blight caused by Alternaria solani, could allow farmers to reduce the application of plant protection products while minimizing production losses. UAV-based, high resolution, NIR-sensitive cameras offer the advantage of a detailed top-down perspective, with high-contrast images ideally suited for detecting Alternaria solani lesions. A field experiment was conducted with 8 plots housing 256 infected plants which were monitored 6 times over a 16-day period with a UAV. A modified RGB camera, sensitive to NIR, was combined with a superzoom lens to obtain ultra-high-resolution images with a spatial resolution of 0.3 mm/px. More than 15,000 lesions were annotated with points in two full size images corresponding to 1250 cropped tiles of 256 by 256 pixels. A deep learning U-Net model was trained to predict the density of Alternaria solani lesions for every pixel. In this way, density maps were calculated to indicate disease hotspots as a guide for the farmer.
Toxicoproteomics reveals an effect of clozapine on autophagy in human liver spheroids

Abstract Background: Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic drug used to treat treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Its side effects, including liver enzyme abnormalities, experienced by many patients preclude its more common use as a first-line therapy for schizophrenia. Toxicoproteomic approaches have been demonstrated to effectively guide the identification of toxicological mechanisms. Methods: To further our understanding of the molecular effects of clozapine, we performed a data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based quantitative proteomics investigation of clozapine-treated human liver spheroid cultures. Results: In total, we quantified 4479 proteins across the five treatment groups (vehicle; 15 µM, 30 µM, and 60 µM clozapine; and 10 ng/mL TNFα + IL-1β). Clozapine (60 µM) treatment yielded 36 differentially expressed proteins (FDR < 0.05). Gene-set enrichment analysis indicated perturbation of several gene sets, including interferon gamma signaling (e.g. interferon gamma receptor 1) and prominent autophagy-related processes (e.g. upregulation of sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1), MAP1LC3B/LC3B2, GABARAPL2, and nuclear receptor coactivator 4). The effects of clozapine on autophagy were confirmed by targeted mass spectrometry and western blotting using conventional SQSTM1 and LC3B markers. Conclusions: Combined with prior literature, our work suggests a broad contribution of autophagy to both the therapeutic and side effects of clozapine. Overall, this study demonstrates how proteomics can contribute to the elucidation of physiological and toxicological mechanisms of drugs. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Structure of Child Externalizing Behavior and Associated Parental Stress in Family Situations

All three cardinal symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) describe impaired stimulus control over behavior. Children with ADHD require more frequent and explicit behavioral cues from others and thereby increase parental stress. Both self-control deficits and parental stress manifest depending on the situation and possess intra-individual variability. Common measures of externalizing behavior and parental stress rarely address this and target generalized impressions instead. Intraindividual differences in externalizing and stressful child behavior can be assessed with a family situations inventory including two rating scales. It rests on the HSQ and supplements the original with a parental stress scale. Method: Parents of children with (male = 204, female = 33; mean = 8.6 years) and without confirmed ADHD (male = 206, female = 155; mean = 7.6 years) took part. They were asked to rate 16 family situations concerning the extent of child externalizing behavior and their own associated stress. Three established scales (CBCL, PSI, BAP) were employed in the clinical sample to determine the external validity of the German HSQ adaption. Results: Both HSQ scales share the same two-factorial structure with satisfying explained variance (56.02–60.38%) and acceptable external and discriminant validity. “Accomplishments” (factor 2) discriminates better than “agreeableness” (factor 1) between children with and without ADHD. Discussion: “Accomplishments” refers to behavior in regularly recurring situations and demands rule following. Parental stress associated with child externalizing behaviors in family situations appears to represent regulation load rather than mental load.
The Evaluation of Modelling Competences: Difficulties and potentials for the learning of the sciences

Modelling is an inherent process for the construction and use of science concepts that mobilize diverse specific competences. The aims of this work are to put forward a means of evaluating modelling competences that is relevant for physics teaching and science education research and to identify the potentials and constraints in the development of modelling competences. A written test, which embraces a wide range of modelling aspects in mechanics domain, was drawn up and validated, and a theoretically based evaluation methodology was specified. In the validation process, the test was given to 75 subjects distributed across seven levels of physics education. The answers were analysed and later cluster analysis was carried out in order to identify categories of answers among the diverse answers. The results indicate that the test identified and delimitated modelling competences. Some results are in agreement with those obtained through other research into this issue and other results better elucidate certain aspects of modelling. The way in which evaluation methodology can be used in other areas of physics is discussed, such as in research and in teaching. Also discussed is how the constraints and potentials identified in the development of modelling competences can be taken into account in teaching and learning sciences.
An Interpretation of Cloud Overlap Statistics

AbstractObservational studies have shown that the vertical overlap of cloudy layers separated by clear sky can exceed that of the random overlap assumption, suggesting a tendency toward minimum overlap. In addition, the rate of decorrelation of vertically continuous clouds with increasing layer separation is sensitive to the horizontal scale of the cloud scenes used. The authors give a heuristic argument that these phenomena result from data truncation, where overcast or single cloud layers are removed from the analysis. This occurs more frequently as the cloud sampling scale falls progressively below the typical cloud system scale. The postulate is supported by sampling artificial cyclic and subsequently more realistic fractal cloud scenes at various length scales. The fractal clouds indicate that the degree of minimal overlap diagnosed in previous studies for discontinuous clouds could result from sampling randomly overlapped clouds at spatial scales that are 30%–80% of the cloud system scale. Removing .
Phytoextraction Potential of Sunn Hemp, Sunflower, and Marigold for Carbaryl Contamination: Hydroponic Experiment

The phytoextraction ability and responses of sunn hemp, sunflower, and marigold plants were investigated toward carbaryl insecticide at 10 mg L−1 and its degradative product (1-naphthol). All test plants exhibited significant carbaryl removal capability (65–93%) with different mechanisms. Marigold had the highest translocation factor, with carbaryl taken up, translocated and accumulated in the shoots, where it was biotransformed into 1-naphthol. Consequently, marigold had the least observable toxicity symptoms caused by carbaryl and the highest bioconcentration factor (1848), indicating its hyperaccumulating capability. Sunflower responded to carbaryl exposure differently, with the highest carbaryl accumulation (8.7 mg kg−1) in roots within 4 days of cultivation, leading to a partial toxicity effect. Sunn hemp exhibited severe toxicity, having the highest carbaryl accumulation (91.7 mg kg−1) that was biotransformed to 1-naphthol in the sunn hemp shoots. In addition, the different models were discussed on plant hormone formation in response to carbaryl exposure.
Anti-Inflammatory Action of Antidepressants: Investigating the Longitudinal Effect of Antidepressants on White Blood Cell Count

Introduction: Antidepressants have documented anti-inflammatory effects on pro-inflammatory biomarkers. However, the long-term effects of antidepressants on inflammatory markers and the effects of different antidepressant classes on pro-inflammatory biomarkers are largely unexplored. Here, we evaluate the short- and long-term effects of all antidepressant classes on a clinical immune marker, white blood cell count (WBC). Methods: Using a retrospective study design, we extracted WBC count and prescription medications from electronic health records at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. We created a longitudinal model to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of these medications on WBC count. We validated our longitudinal model using two known anti-inflammatory medications, biologic immunosuppressants, and chemotherapy, and one medication class without known immunomodulatory properties, contraceptives. We used the longitudinal model to determine the effects of antidepressant use on WBC count stratified by drug class. Results: Biologic immunosuppressant and chemotherapy use was associated with decreased WBC count, but contraceptive use did not associate with changes in WBC count, validating our longitudinal modeling approach. All antidepressant classes were associated with decreased WBC count in the long-term cohorts. SSRI and atypical use also associated with decreased WBC count in the short-term cohort. Conclusions: Using electronic health record data, we show all antidepressant classes exhibit anti-inflammatory effects on a clinical immune marker, WBC count. Additionally, our results indicate that in some cases the anti-inflammatory effects of antidepressants persist over at least a 1-year time frame. Our work contributes to the immunomodulatory knowledge of antidepressants and motivates future studies investigating alternative therapeutic routes for antidepressants.
Colocalization Analysis of Cytoplasmic Actin Isoforms Distribution in Endothelial Cells

Actin cytoskeleton is an essential component of living cells and plays a decisive role in many cellular processes. In mammals, β- and γ-actin are cytoplasmic actin isoforms in non-muscle cells. Despite minor differences in the amino acid sequence, β- and γ-actin localize in different cell structures and perform different functions. While cytoplasmic β-actin is involved in many intracellular processes including cell contraction, γ-actin is responsible for cell mobility and promotes tumor transformation. Numerous studies demonstrate that β- and γ-actin are spatially separated in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts and epithelial cells; this separation is functionally determined. The spatial location of β/γ-actin in endothelial cells is still a subject for discussion. Using super-resolution microscopy, we investigated the β/γ-actin colocalization in endotheliocytes and showed that the β/γ-actin colocalization degree varies widely between different parts of the marginal regions and near the cell nucleus. In the basal cytoplasm, β-actin predominates, while the ratio of isoforms evens out as it moves to the apical cytoplasm. Thus, our colocalization analysis suggests that β- and γ-actin are segregated in the endotheliocyte cytoplasm. The segregation is greatly enhanced during cell lamella activation in the nocodazole-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction, reflecting a different functional role of cytoplasmic actin isoforms in endothelial cells.
DEVELOPMENT AND PLASTICITY IN THE BRAIN

This paper examines different aspects of the development of the brain before birth, and the subsequent plasticity after birth. First, rough outlines of the pre-natal formation of the neural structures are presented: cell identity, neuron migration, axon formation and initial synapse formation. Second, the paper looks at the post-natal plasticity with regard to critical periods. A short introduction to the visual system serves as a starting point for a description of Hubel and Wiesel’s pioneering experiments on cats and monkeys. In addition, Harlow’s experiments with sensory deprivation of monkeys are described. This leads to an attempt to link these results to a computational strategy for the analysis and representation of the connections between sensory input and motor output: feed-forward neural units that are dynamically re-grouped by reciprocal connections. The conclusion attempts to place development and plasticity in a broader context within the brain.
6G System architecture: A service of services vision

The architectures of mobile networks have seen an unprecedented techno-economic transformation, fusing the telcommunications world within the cloud world, adding the spices of Software Engineering to the overall system design, and ultimately yielding the concept of Telco Cloud. This has brought significant benefits in terms of reducing expenditure and operational costs, flexibility in deployment, and a faster time to market. The key enablers are network function virtualization, software-defined networking, and edge/cloud computing. Artificial intelligence is also kicking in this arena. When all these technologies are well integrated, the creation and life-cycle management of fully programmable, flexible, service-tailored, and automated end-to-end network slices/services become possible. This will support diverse 5G and beyond 5G services, spanning from tactile IoT to pervasive robotics and immersive services. This paper introduces an unprecedented and disruptive vision for 6G that shifts the perception of future mobile networks from the old-fashioned concept of "network of networks" towards a new vision of "service of services. " The paper then introduces the functional model of the envisioned system architecture, along with its components. It then provides a high-level description of the logical architecture.