Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimization of swarm robotic constellation communication for object detection and event recognition

Swarm robotics research describes the study of how a group of relatively simple physically embodied agents can, through their interaction collectively accomplish tasks which are far beyond the capabilities of a single agent. This self organizing but decentralized form of intelligence requires that all members are autonomous and act upon their available information. From this information they are able to decide their behavior and take the appropriate action. A global behavior can then be witnessed that is derived from the local behaviors of each agent. The presented research introduces the novel method for optimizing the communication and the processing of communicated data for the purpose of detecting large scale meta object or event, denoted as meta event, which are unquantifiable through a single robotic agent. The ability of a swarm of robotic agents to cover a relatively large physical environment and their ability to detect changes or anomalies within the environment is especially advantageous for the detection of objects and the recognition of events such as oil spills, hurricanes, and large scale security monitoring. In contrast a single robot, even with much greater capabilities, could not explore or cover multiple areas of the same environment simultaneously. Many previous swarm behaviors have been developed focusing on the rules governing the local agent to agent behaviors of separation, alignment, and cohesion. By effectively optimizing these simple behaviors in coordination, through cooperative and competitive actions based on a chosen local behavior, it is possible to achieve an optimized global emergent behavior of locating a meta object or event. From the local to global relationship an optimized control algorithm was developed following the basic rules of swarm behavior for the purpose of meta event detection and recognition. Results of this optimized control algorithm are presented and compared with other work in the field of swarm robotics.
Acoustic diffusion and scattering coefficients for room surfaces

This project concerns quantifying the diffuseness of sound reflections from surfaces by means of a diffusion coefficient. Afthough it is now acknowledged that diffuse reflections are important in determining sound fields within rooms, no standardised diffusion coefficient currently exists. Definition of a universal coefficient would permit comparison of different surfaces and aid the understanding of diffusion. It would also benefit diffuser designers and room acoustic computer modellers. Previously proposed diffusion parameters for room surfaces are investigated and new ones developed. One approach is to parameterise the uniformity of the scattered energy measured as a polar response; a number of such parameters have been previously published. These are appraised using measured and predicted 2D and 3D polar responses for a diverse range of sample surfaces. The situations in which the parameters succeed and fail are discussed and it is demonstrated that none is ideal. A new polar response coefficient, superior to those previously published, is presented. This satisfies many criteria of the ideal diffusion measure and is likely to be standardised by the Audio Engineering Society. It is shown that the application of all polar response diffusion parameters is, however, limited. Two recently proposed alternative approaches to evaluating a scattering coefficient, which involve measuring the invariance of the energy reflected from a surface to its orientation, are discussed. One of these is a free field technique and the other requires reverberant conditions. Practical analysis shows that the reverberation chamber method is superior. It is likely to be standardised by ISO. An empirical reverberation chamber technique is also investigated, as is the possibility of quantifying the diffusion efficacy of surfaces from their effect on sound field diffuseness. Both of these approaches require further research. It is concluded that to provide maAmum benefit, the choice of diffusion coefficient is application dependent.
Fast and Accurate Residential Fire Detection Using Wireless Sensor Networks

Prompt and accurate residential fire detection is important for on-time fire extinguishing and consequently reducing damages and life losses. To detect fire sensors are needed to measure the environmental parameters and algorithms are required to decide about occurrence of fire. Recently, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been used for environmental monitoring and real-time event detection because of their low implementation costs and their capability of distributed sensing and processing. Although there are several works on fire detection using WSNs, they have rarely paid sufficient attention to investigate the optimal sensor sets and usage of suitable artificial intelligence (AI) methods. Therefore, by aiming at residential fire detection, this paper investigates proper sensor sets and proposes AI-based techniques for fire detection in WSNs. The proposed methods are evaluated in terms of detection accuracy rate and computational complexity.
Cone-Driven Retinal Responses Are Shaped by Rod But Not Cone HCN1

Signal integration of converging neural circuits is poorly understood. One example is in the retina where the integration of rod and cone signaling is responsible for the large dynamic range of vision. The relative contribution of rods versus cones is dictated by a complex function involving background light intensity and stimulus temporal frequency. One understudied mechanism involved in coordinating rod and cone signaling onto the shared retinal circuit is the hyperpolarization activated current (Ih) mediated by hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated 1 (HCN1) channels expressed in rods and cones. Ih opposes membrane hyperpolarization driven by activation of the phototransduction cascade and modulates the strength and kinetics of the photoreceptor voltage response. We examined conditional knock-out (KO) of HCN1 from mouse rods using electroretinography (ERG). In the absence of HCN1, rod responses are prolonged in dim light which altered the response to slow modulation of light intensity both at the level of retinal signaling and behavior. Under brighter intensities, cone-driven signaling was suppressed. To our surprise, conditional KO of HCN1 from mouse cones had no effect on cone-mediated signaling. We propose that Ih is dispensable in cones because of the high level of temporal control of cone phototransduction. Thus, HCN1 is required for cone-driven retinal signaling only indirectly by modulating the voltage response of rods to limit their output. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Hyperpolarization gated hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated 1 (HCN1) channels carry a feedback current that helps to reset light-activated photoreceptors. Using conditional HCN1 knock-out (KO) mice we show that ablating HCN1 from rods allows rods to signal in bright light when they are normally shut down. Instead of enhancing vision this results in suppressing cone signaling. Conversely, ablating HCN1 from cones was of no consequence. This work provides novel insights into the integration of rod and cone signaling in the retina and challenges our assumptions about the role of HCN1 in cones.
Trade-Offs (and Constraints) in Organismal Biology

Trade-offs and constraints are inherent to life, and studies of these phenomena play a central role in both organismal and evolutionary biology. Trade-offs can be defined, categorized, and studied in at least six, not mutually exclusive, ways. (1) Allocation constraints are caused by a limited resource (e.g., energy, time, space, essential nutrients), such that increasing allocation to one component necessarily requires a decrease in another (if only two components are involved, this is referred to as the Y-model, e.g., energy devoted to size versus number of offspring). (2) Functional conflicts occur when features that enhance performance of one task decrease performance of another (e.g., relative lengths of in-levers and out-levers, force-velocity trade-offs related to muscle fiber type composition). (3) Shared biochemical pathways, often involving integrator molecules (e.g., hormones, neurotransmitters, transcription factors), can simultaneously affect multiple traits, with some effects being beneficial for one or more components of Darwinian fitness (e.g., survival, age at first reproduction, fecundity) and others detrimental. (4) Antagonistic pleiotropy describes genetic variants that increase one component of fitness (or a lower-level trait) while simultaneously decreasing another. (5) Ecological circumstances (or selective regime) may impose trade-offs, such as when foraging behavior increases energy availability yet also decreases survival. (6) Sexual selection may lead to the elaboration of (usually male) secondary sexual characters that improve mating success but handicap survival and/or impose energetic costs that reduce other fitness components. Empirical studies of trade-offs often search for negative correlations between two traits that are the expected outcomes of the trade-offs, but this will generally be inadequate if more than two traits are involved and especially for complex physiological networks of interacting traits. Moreover, trade-offs often occur only in populations that are experiencing harsh environmental conditions or energetic challenges at the extremes of phenotypic distributions, such as among individuals or species that have exceptional athletic abilities. Trade-offs may be (partially) circumvented through various compensatory mechanisms, depending on the timescale involved, ranging from acute to evolutionary. Going forward, a pluralistic view of trade-offs and constraints, combined with integrative analyses that cross levels of biological organization and traditional boundaries among disciplines, will enhance the study of evolutionary organismal biology.
Involvement of Transforming Growth Factor Beta Family Genes in Gonadal Differentiation in Japanese Eel, Anguilla japonica, According to Sex-Related Gene Expressions

The gonochoristic feature with environmental sex determination that occurs during the yellow stage in the eel provides an interesting model to investigate the mechanisms of gonadal development. We previously studied various sex-related genes during gonadal sex differentiation in Japanese eels. In the present study, the members of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily were investigated. Transcript levels of anti-Müllerian hormone, its receptor, gonadal soma-derived factor (amh, amhr2, and gsdf, respectively) measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed a strong sexual dimorphism. Transcripts were dominantly expressed in the testis, and their levels significantly increased with testicular differentiation. In contrast, the expressions of amh, amhr2, and gsdf transcripts were low in the ovary of E2-feminized female eels. In situ hybridization detected gsdf (but not amh) transcript signals in undifferentiated gonads. amh and gsdf signals were localized to Sertoli cells and had increased significantly with testicular differentiation. Weak gsdf and no amh signals were detected in early ovaries of E2-feminized female eels. Transcript levels of amh and gsdf (not amhr2) decreased during human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)-induced spermatogenesis in males. This study suggests that amh, amhr2, and especially gsdf might be involved in the gene pathway regulating testicular differentiation of Japanese eels.
Microcomputer-based acceleration sensor device for sports biomechanics -stroke evaluation by using swimmer's wrist acceleration

In order to observe underwater stroke motion in swimming, the author developed a tri-axial acceleration data logger and a tri-axial acceleration/angular velocity data logger Those sensor devices were attached on the wrist joint of the swimmers. The obtained acceleration and angular velocity in swimming indicated the swimmer's stroke characteristics. In this study, the author applied (1) the discrimination of the stroke phases and (2) the fatigue estimation by the wrist acceleration during intensive interval training.
A Novel Design of Dual-Band Circularly Polarized Antenna Based on Patches Having Rotation Angles

In this paper, a dual-band circularly polarized (CP) patch antenna with left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) in the lower band and right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) in the higher band is proposed. On the basis of aperture coupled feed, the dual-band circular polarizations are achieved by adopting two rectangular patches with different rotation angles on the front and back of a substrate. A good agreement between the simulated and measured results is obtained. The 10- dB impedance bandwidths and 3 dB Axial Ratio (AR) bandwidths are 18.4% (1.93-2.32 GHz) and 3.2% (2.14-2.21 GHz) in the lower band and 12.4% (2.58-2.92 GHz) and 1.7% (2.84-2.89 GHz) in the higher band, respectively. The proposed antenna with its simple structure, compact size and excellent performance provides a reference for communication system applications.
A Survey on Privacy-Preserving Authentication Schemes in VANETs: Attacks, Challenges and Open Issues

Vehicular ad hoc Networks (VANETs) are an emerging technology with robust applications in Intelligent Transport System. It consists of smart vehicles and roadside infrastructure which communicate through open access wireless networks. The rapid growth in vehicles results in VANETs becoming large-scale, dynamic, heterogeneous and it is possible for the attacker to harm vehicular communication which leads to life-endangering situations. VANETs must ensure secured vehicular communication using strong privacy-preserving and authentication mechanisms. In addition, efficiency is also a major concern in VANETs. Numerous studies have been discussed in literature for VANETs privacy and security. Nevertheless, no one covered the privacy and security issues as a holistic view. In this paper, we have given a detailed background overview of VANETs. Details of different possible attacks in VANET are also given in this paper. We have classified privacy and authentication schemes into four major groups with their security mechanisms, security requirements, strength, limitations, attacks countermeasures and performance measures. Finally, we have discussed some open issues in the field of VANETs security.
Partial characterization and the evaluation of antimicrobial activities of silver nanoparticles biosynthesized from Cymbopogon citratus leaf extract

Background Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are toxic to microorganisms and can potentially kill multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nanoparticles can be synthesized in many different ways, such as physical or chemical methods. Recently, it has been found that plant molecules can perform the same reduction reactions necessary for the production of nanoparticles but in a much more efficient way. Results Here, green chemistry was employed to synthesize silver nanoparticles using leaf extracts of Cymbopogon citratus. Effects of different parameters such as temperature, pH and volume of plant extract were also tested using their absorbance pattern at different wavelengths. The Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) changed with the changes in parameters. Changes in temperature from 20°C to 60°C have changed the highest absorbance from 0.972 to 3.893 with an SPR of 470 nm. At higher pH (11.1), the particles become highly unstable and have irregular shapes and sizes. At lower pH (3.97), the peak shifts to the right, indicating a smaller but unstable compound. We have also investigated the effect of the volume of plant extracts on the reaction time. The sample with the highest amount of plant extract showed the most absorbance with a value of 0.963 at λmax, which was calculated to be 470 nm. The total formation of the AgNPs was observed visually with a color change from yellow to brownish-black. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to monitor the quantitative formation of silver nanoparticles, showing a signature peak in absorbance between 400 and 500 nm. We have estimated the size of the nanoparticles as 47nm by comparing the experimental data with the theoretical value using Mieplot. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles showed enhanced antibacterial activity against several multidrug-resistant bacteria, determined based on the minimal inhibitory concentration and zone of inhibition. Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that an aqueous extract of C. citratus can synthesize silver nanoparticles when silver nitrate is used as a precursor and silver nanoparticles act as antimicrobial properties enhancers. These findings can influence further studies in this field to better understand the properties and applications of nanoparticles.
Neural network speed controller of induction motor drive based on direct MRAC method

A novel neural network speed controller (NNSC) of induction motor drive is presented, which is on-line trained by a dynamic BP algorithm based on direct model reference adaptive control (MRAC) method. In particular, a new error function is used for the dynamic BP algorithm, which can adjust the parameters of NNSC and minimize the error between motor speed and the speed provided by reference model. A 2-rank linear model is used as reference model, which can be automatically designed according to performance indices given beforehand. The induction motor drive with a NNSC based on dynamic BP algorithm and direct MRAC method is proved to be asymptotic stable. The simulation and experimental results reveal that the proposed NNSC based on direct MRAC method can ensure motor speed tracking the reference speed closely, and having robustness against load disturbances.
Collective composite-rotating consensus of multi-agent systems

This paper investigates a distributed composite-rotating consensus problem of second-order multi-agent systems,where all agents move in a nested circular orbit. A distributed control law is proposed which contains two parts: the local state feedback that guarantees the circular motion and the distributed relative state feedback that guarantees the consensus of all agents. A sufficient condition is derived to drive all agents as well as ensure their circle centers make circular motion in a distributed manner. Finally, a numerical simulation is included to demonstrate our theoretical results.
Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles: From Fluid Mechanics to Vehicle Engineering

For years, engineers have turned to Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles as their 'bible' on this field. The fourth edition continues this tradition. Much of the material has been substantially revised, and new chapters on wind noise and motorcycles have been added. Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles thoroughly covers the fundamental principles that influence vehicle performance, handling, safety and comfort. An excellent introduction to the topic for the novice or student and a useful refresher and reference for the expert, the book focuses on: * The fundamentals of fluid dynamics as related to vehicle aerodynamics * Specific experimental results * Design strategies, showing how existing individual results can be applied to specific problems * Development techniques, as related to different types of wind tunnels, on-road tests and numerical methods. The aerodynamics of passenger cars, commercial vehicles, sports and race cars, and motorcycles are dealt with in detail. Related fields that are influenced by aerodynamics are also covered, including the effects of aerodynamics on fuel economy, directional stability, engine cooling, and passenger comfort. Contents include: * Introduction to Automobile Aerodynamics (including a section on its history) * Some Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics * Performance of Cars and Light Trucks * Aerodynamics Drag of Passenger Cars * Directional Stability * Function, Safety, and Comfort * Wind Noise * High-Performance Vehicles * Commercial Vehicles * Motorcycles * Engine Cooling * Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning of Passenger Cars * Wind Tunnels * Measurement and Test Techniques * Computational Fluid Dynamics Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles is an indispensable book for vehicle engineers, designers, researchers, and those working in government regulatory agencies. It is also an excellent introduction for students, and an insightful look for the enthusiast at why vehicles behave as they do. The book covers aerodynamic principles of: Passenger cars; Commercial vehicles; Sports and race car; Motorcycles. By reading this book, vehicle engineers and designers will be able to: Apply general rules to solve your own design problems; Develop test techniques and design strategies to maximise aerodynamic effectiveness. Car enthusiasts will gain an understanding of: Why vehicles behave as they do; The factors affecting vehicle performance, handling, safety, and comfort. Students will learn: The fundamentals of aerodynamics and its application in the 'real-world' of vehicle design; How to apply specific experimental results as general rules to solve design problems. /P
Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning

Leaders Creating Leaders This latest edition of the classic Managers as Mentors is a rapid-fire read that guides leaders in helping associates grow in today’s tumultuous organizations. Thoroughly revised throughout with twelve new chapters, this edition places increased emphasis on the mentor acting as a learning catalyst with the protege rather than simply handing down knowledge. As with previous editions, a fictional case study of a mentor-protege relationship runs through the book. But now this is augmented with interviews with six top US CEOs. New chapters cover topics such as the role of mentoring in spurring innovation and mentoring a diverse and dispersed workforce accustomed to interacting digitally. Also new to this edition is the Mentor’s Toolkit, six resources to help in developing the mentor-protege relationship. This hands-on guide teaches leaders to be the kind of confident coaches integral to learning organizations. “Continual learning is a key to effective leadership…Managers as Mentors is a practical yet powerful book for helping leaders make continual learning a valuable addition to their strategy. ” —Mike Krzyzewski, Head Coach, Duke University Men’s Basketball, 2010 NCAA Champions “Mentoring is the highest of the teaching arts, and in this new edition, Chip Bell and Marshall Goldsmith have skillfully crafted the essential handbook for all those who are trusted advisors to aspiring leaders. ” —Jim Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University “Managers as Mentors will be the indispensable handbook of managers/leaders across the sectors. ” —Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO, The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute, and former CEO, Girls Scouts of the USA