Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feature-based 3D SLAM

This doctoral thesis deals with an open subproblem of robot navigation, namely simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) in three-dimensional space. The goal is to develop a system which is capable of localizing a mobile robot in a reliable way and at the same time reconstruct its environment as a three-dimensional map. Besides enabling robot navigation in 3D, such a map could be of great importance for higher-level robotic tasks, like scene interpretation or manipulation as well as visualization purposes in general, which are required in surveying, architecture, urban search and rescue and others. The third dimension is challenging. Firstly, sensors providing three-dimensional data have to be found which suit the requirements of mobile robots and therefore have to be limited in size and power consumption. For this work, two sensors have been considered: the Swiss Ranger from CSEM (Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology) and a custom-built range sensor based on a commercially available 2D laser scanner from SICK. Both are active sensors relying on measuring the time-of-flight of the emitted light. After calibration and error analysis it was concluded that the Swiss Ranger is less suited for localization and mapping than the rotating laser scanner due to its noisy data and limited field of view. It was therefore not further considered in the ensuing work. As a single 3D scan generated by the rotating laser scanner can be composed of many tens of thousands of data points and the robot takes dozens of scans during a mission, it is necessary to compress the raw data to visualize and process it efficiently. The method chosen in this work is to use a feature-based representation, which enables detailed and, at the same time, compact and informative environment reconstruction. The chosen features are planar segments, whose probabilistic representation and extraction are described, results of the SLAM algorithm are shown. With the aid of an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) the pose of the robot and the location of the different planar segments – considering their uncertainty – can be estimated in an incremental way. The framework defined by the SPmodel (Symmetries and Perturbations Model) is used, allowing to represent and process various uncertain geometric models. The approach is validated through different experiments with a mobile robot in an office environment.
Rethinking Education with ICT: New Directions for Effective Practices

This book brings together a number of academics who have conducted research and written about effective practices and pedagogies that incorporate the use of information and communications technologies (ICT). The book is intended for graduate and undergraduate students in Teacher Education programmes, as well as teachers and those who areinterested in contemporary educational issues. The authors in this book have been engaged in rethinking education with ICT. Implicit in this, is the view that we need to reconceptualise our pedagogies and practices in order to make schools relevant to the lives of the young people who inhabit them. The chapters in this book are based on empirically grounded research work. The chapters illustrate the various dimensions of innovative practices with ICT that can extend teachers’ pedagogies and engage learners so that they are able to extend their potential for knowledge building in new and dynamic ways.
Three-Dimensional Structure Trajectory Guiding Scan and Points Cloud Registration

Three-dimensional visual scanning is an advanced non-contact measurement approach that can obtain a complete surface model of object. But, in the method, the local raster point cloud sets calculated must be registered to a whole. To reduce fluctuating errors and increase efficiency, we propose a new method that scanner can be moved around object guided by pre-planning trajectory of the robot. First, considering the structural parameters of the robot, the Inverse Kinematics Problem of each joint rotating function is derived, and the moving trajectory is simulated. Then, the relationship between the distances of controlled motion and data gotten by scanner is analyzed, a transform matrix which registered the local point cloud sets is deduced, the raster data can be normalized to the world coordinate by it. The experimental results show that error of registration is less than 0.09mm. The method is suited to measuring different targets in robot workspace. It can improve the efficiency and flexibility of visual measurement system.
Antibiotikaeinsatz beim akuten Durchfall des Hundes – Übersicht potenzieller Risiken, Indikationen und Alternativen

Zusammenfassung Antibiotika werden bei Hunden mit Magen-Darm-Problemen wie akutem Durchfall (AD) in Deutschland häufig eingesetzt. In Einklang mit den weltweiten Bemühungen, den Antibiotikaeinsatz einzuschränken, soll diese Literaturübersicht einen Überblick über den rationalen und sinnvollen Einsatz von Antibiotika beim AD liefern. Antibiotika können zu gastrointestinalen Nebenwirkungen, negativen Auswirkungen auf die intestinale Mikrobiota und zur Entstehung von Resistenzen führen. Es gibt auch Hinweise darauf, dass chronische immunologische Erkrankungen durch die Verabreichung von Antibiotika ausgelöst werden können. Daher sollten sie bei unkompliziertem AD ohne Anzeichen einer Sepsis oder einer systemischen Entzündungsreaktion nicht verabreicht werden. Darüber hinaus spielen enteropathogene Bakterien bei der Ätiologie akuter Durchfälle beim Hund kaum eine Rolle. Bei bestimmten Krankheitsbildern, wie dem akuten hämorrhagischen Durchfallsyndrom, wird eine Antibiotikatherapie nur dann empfohlen, wenn Hinweise auf eine bakterielle Translokation mit nachfolgender Sepsis vorliegen. Dagegen ist die Gabe von Antibiotika bei der Parvovirose aufgrund der immunologischen Inkompetenz des Hundes, die durch die hochgradige Neutropenie verursacht wird, unumgänglich.
Knowledge Management Case Book: Siemens Best Practises

From the Publisher: With a Foreword by Dr. Heinrich von PiererPresident and CEO of Siemens AGWhile theoretical perspectives on knowledge management abound, there is clearly a lack of shared practical applications and experiences. This book provides a perspective on knowledge management at Siemens - an internationally recognised benchmark. Tom Davenport and Gilbert Probst bring together instructive case studies from different areas of this major transnational corporation that reflect the rich insights gained from years of experience in practising knowledge management.The Knowledge Management Case Book provides a comprehensive account of how organisational knowledge assets can be managed effectively. Specific emphasis is given to the development of generic lessons that can be learned from Siemens' experience. The book also offers a roadmap to building a 'mature knowledge enterprise', thereby enhancing our understanding of the steps that need to be taken in order to sustain competitive dominance in the knowledge economy.
Electrothermally actuated Fabry-Pe/spl acute/rot tunable filter with a high tuning efficiency

We report on a electrothermally actuated Fabry-Pe/spl acute/rot wavelength tunable filter with a high tuning efficiency by using surface micromachining. To prevent a current flowing through the mirror, a Wheatstone bridge structure is introduced. Because the full wafer is monolithically grown and the electrodes are formed in a single step, the fabrication processes is simple and reproducible. As the current flows through the two parallel thermal actuators, the top mirror moves away from the bottom mirror so that a sticking problem does not occur. The maximum voltage for the 69-nm wavelength tuning by using a 5.2-/spl mu/m-thick filter structure is only 1.7 V and the high tuning efficiency of /spl sim/75 nm/mW is achieved.
Investigation of PVdF active diaphragms for synthetic jets

Current research has shown that aircraft can gain significant aerodynamic performance benefits by employing active flow control (AFC). One of the enabling technologies of AFC is the synthetic jet. Synthetic jets, also known as zero-net-mass flux actuators, act as bi-directional pumps injecting high momentum air into the local aerodynamic flow. Previous work has concentrated on high frequency synthetic jets based on piezoelectric active diaphragms such as Thunder actuators. Low frequency synthetic jets present a unique challenge requiring large displacements, which current technology has difficulty meeting. Boeing is investigating novel shaped low frequency synthetic jets that can modify the flow over fixed aircraft wings. This paper present the initial study of two promising active diaphragm concepts: a crescent shape and an opposing bender shape. These active diaphragms were numerically modeled utilizing the general-purpose finite element code ABAQUS. Using the ABAQUS results, the dynamic volume change within each jet was calculated and incorporated into an analytical linear Bernoulli model to predict the velocities and pressures at the nozzle. Simulations were performed to determine trends to assist in selection of prototype configurations. Prototypes of both diaphragm concepts were constructed from polyvinylidene fluoride and experimentally tested at Boeing with promising results.
Research on Technology of Variable Spindle Speed Noncircular Turning

To improve the stability and precision of noncircular manufacture process, the variable spindle speed turning is applied to noncircular turning process. The variable spindle turning system is designed. The character of variable spindle speed is analyzed. The linear servo unit available for variable speed noncircular turning process is designed. An active disturbance rejection control technique is applied to servo unit. The experiment results show that surface quality and tracking error of variable spindle speed noncircular turning are better than constant speed machining. The linear servo unit is able to track the desired trajectory of cutting tool motion.
Robust and fast license plate detection based on the fusion of color and edge feature

Extracting a license plate is an important stage in automatic vehicle identification. The degradation of images and the computation intense make this task difficult. In this paper, a robust and fast license plate detection based on the fusion of color and edge feature is proposed. Based on the dichromatic reflection model, two new color ratios computed from the RGB color model are introduced and proved to be two color invariants. The global color feature extracted by the new color invariants improves the method’s robustness. The local Sobel edge feature guarantees the method’s accuracy. In the experiment, the detection performance is good. The detection results show that this paper’s method is robust to the illumination, object geometry and the disturbance around the license plates. The method can also detect license plates when the color of the car body is the same as the color of the plates. The processing time for image size of 1000x1000 by pixels is nearly 0.2s. Based on the comparison, the performance of the new ratios is comparable to the common used HSI color model.
Ammonia Emission for US Poultry Houses: Laying Hens

Ammonia (NH3) emissions were monitored from ten commercial layer houses in Iowa (IA, six) and Pennsylvania (PA, four) for a full year, with two different housing and management schemes. Highrise layer houses (four in IA and two in PA) stored manure in the lower levels for a year, whereas manure belt houses (two in each state) had the manure removed either daily (IA) or twice a week (PA). Dietary manipulation consisting of two levels of crude protein (CP): standard CP (Ctrl) and essential amino acids (AA) supplemented lower CP (Trt), was evaluated with the four high-rise houses in IA, two houses per type of diet. Ammonia and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations of exhaust air in each house were measured weekly or bi-weekly using portable monitoring units (PMUs), with each data collection episode lasting two consecutive days. Ammonia levels were measured using periodically purged electrochemical sensors. Ventilation rates were determined by calibrated carbon dioxide mass balance method, based on the latest metabolic rate data for the laying hens. There existed substantial diurnal variations in ammonia emission rate (ER) for the high-rise layer houses but less variation for the manure-belt houses. In comparison, seasonal variations in ER were relatively small. Manure handling practices and diet manipulation all demonstrated effects of various degrees on ammonia emissions rate. Specifically, NH3 emission rates during 12-month monitoring period averaged 0.90 and 0.81 g/d-hen, respectively, for the high-rise layer houses with Ctrl and Trt diet in Iowa; 0.83 g/d-hen for the high-rise layer houses in Pennsylvania; and 0.068 and 0.084 g/d-hen, respectively, for the belt houses in Iowa and Pennsylvania. The results contribute to the U.S. national inventory on ammonia emissions from animal production operations, and quantify the dynamics and magnitude of ammonia emissions from U.S. layer houses as affected by housing type, manure management, diet manipulation and geographical location.
Design and Development on Piezoelectric Ceramic Type Insole 3D Force Measurement System Based on LabVIEW

According to the requirements of measurement of plantar pressure and shear stress in the meantime, this thesis puts forward a plan to construct a new insole plantar pressure and shear stress system based on multifunction data acquisition modular and Lab VIEW. Then the hardware part and software part are designed and developed respectively. There are 3 sensors are arrayed at each measurement point, that means 3 sensors are assembled in 3 different directions of X,Y and Z . The piezoelectric ceramic type sensors are designed, manufactured and calibrated according to scientific methods. Meanwhile, the DAQ card is selected carefully. Of course, the software part is developed based on Lab VIEW. A series of tests are performed in order to validate the function of the measurement system. The results satisfy the anticipated design requirements. At last, the problems and application trend of the measurement system are predicted.
Genetic structure of prey populations underlies the geographic mosaic of arms race coevolution

Reciprocal adaptation is the hallmark of arms race coevolution1,2, but the symmetry of evolutionary change in each species is often untested even in the best-studied battles between natural enemies3. We tested whether prey and predator exhibit symmetrical evidence of local co-adaptation in the classic example of a geographic mosaic of coevolution between toxic newts (Taricha granulosa) and resistant garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis)4,5. Levels of newt toxin and snake resistance are functionally matched in populations across the landscape, implying that mosaic variation in the armaments of both species results from the local pressures of reciprocal selection. Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, we found that landscape-wide variation in the newt toxin is best predicted by neutral population divergence rather than the resistance of local predators. On the other hand, snake resistance is clearly explained by prey toxin levels. Prey populations seem to structure variation in defensive toxin levels across the geographic mosaic, which in turn determines selection on predator resistance. Exaggerated armaments suggest coevolution occurs in certain hotspots, but our results imply that neutral processes including gene flow—rather than reciprocal adaptation—comprise the greatest source of variation across the coevolutionary mosaic.
Spectral bandwidth correction by responsivity measurement

An influence of usual measurement equipment and set-up used by photodetector responsivity calibration is discussed. To keep the reproducibility and correctness of the responsivity a mathematical method using Taylor's polynome is worked out for correction of the spectral bandwidth influence on primary measured responsivity. An polynomial model using polynomial regression is also worked out. An example is given to demonstrate a capability of this mathematical correction method.
Throughput Analysis of Group-Based DCA MAC Protocol in Cognitive Radio Network

Recently, the CR (cognitive radio) technology is gathering more and more attention because it has the capacity to deal with the scarce of the precious spectrum resource. Within the domain of CR technology, channel management of CR is of utmost importance due to its key role in the performance enhancement of the transmission. A group-based DCA (dynamic channel allocation) MAC protocol in CR network has been proposed in this paper. It divides the channels into several groups which consist of the data channels and common control channel. We analyze the throughput under saturation condition, and the simulation results show that by using our protocol the throughput is improved obviously compared with traditional DCA.
Active Control of Axial-flow Fan Noise Using Magnetic Bearings

In this paper we present a novel approach to reducing blade-rate noise of axial-flow fans. By using magnetic bearings as a noise control actuator, it is possible to collocate the anti-noise source with the disturbance noise source. This approach allows for global noise reduction throughout the sound field. A DC motor connected to a fan by a short rigid shaft was used to demonstrate this approach. The shaft was supported in the radial and axial directions by magnetic bearings. The bearings provide position control of the shaft and fan; this position control can be used to vibrate the fan at a desired frequency and amplitude. Controlled vibration of the fan allows its use as a speaker in an active noise control scheme. Noise control was implemented on a dedicated digital signal processor using a least mean square algorithm. The output of the noise control algorithm supplies the position commands for the magnetic bearing controller. Experimental data showed that by actuating the axial thrust bearing, the noise output of a fan could be reduced by 4 dB at the error microphone, and 3 dB at points away from the error microphone.
EVALUATION OF DISINFECTING EFFECT OF 0.5% SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE AND 2% GLUTARALDEHYDE ON HEAT-CURE ACRYLIC RESIN

Introduction: Disinfection of dental prostheses is important, so determining an appropriate disinfectant and the effective time for disinfection is necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate of the disinfecting effect of 0.5% Sodium hypochlorite and 2% Glutaraldehyde on heat cure acrylic resin contaminated by two types of bacteria. Materials & Methods: In this experimental & In vitro study 90 acrylic resin samples, 6mm×17mm, were made using Acropars acrylic resin. The sterilized samples were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to a microbial suspension containing Streptococcus viridance and the other was exposed to a microbial suspension containing Bacillus subtilis. Two negative controls not contaminated with barteria were considered. Two samples from each group were used as the positive controls and were not disinfected. Each group was divided into two subgroups. The subgroups were immersed in either 2% glutaraldehyde or 0.5% sodium hypochlorite. After 30 min, 2h and 4h, seven samples were removed from each solution and transferred to individual tubes containing Brain Heart Inpusion (BHI) culture medium. The tubes were incubated for 24h at 37°C and then examined for turbidity. A sample of each tube was plated onto blood agar plate and the results were observed after 24h. Statistical analysis was made by Chi-Square tests (Fisher's exact test) and Kendalls tau-b. Results: The difference between 3 time interval in all samples for hypochlorite solution (P=0.057) was not significant but it was significant for glutaraldehyde (P=0.021). Comparing 3 time intervals in the samples contaminated with Bacillus subtilis for hypochlorite solution (P=0.032) and glutaraldehyde (P=0.014) showed significant difference. The analysis was not made for Streptococcus viridance because all the results were negative. The difference between the disinfecting ability of the solutions after 30 min (P=1) and 2h (P=0.266) was not significant. Conclusion: The results indicate that both disinfecting solutions eliminated Streptococcus viridance after 30min but could not eliminate Bacillus subtilis until 4h immersion time. Within the number of the samples in this study there was no difference between the disinfecting ability of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite and 2% glutaraldehyde. Key words: Heat-cure acrylic resin, Disinfectant material, Sodium hypochlorite, Glutaraldehyde, Streptococcus viridance, Bacillus subtilis.
A frequency‐reconfigurable antenna for internal mobile handset applications

In this article, a frequency‐reconfigurable planar antenna for mobile handset applications that covers the GSM, DCS, PCS, and UMTS bands is presented and studied. The antenna consists of a single continuous loop element with three connections to a printed circuit board through a feeding point and two shorting points. Additionally, a protruded ground plane is printed on the circuit board near the radiating element. Depending on the switching states of the PIN diode, the reconfigurable antenna operates in a planar inverted‐F antenna (PIFA) mode or loop mode. It is found from the measured results that the PIFA mode covers the GSM band, and the loop mode covers the DCS/PCS/UMTS bands. The occupied antenna volume of the proposed design is 27.8 × 10 × 1.6 mm3, which is quite compact as compared to internal mobile handset antennas that have been reported recently. Good radiation pattern characteristics with reasonable gains have been observed over the operating bandwidths. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1366–1371, 2014
A novel circuit model of PV cell for electrothermal simulations

In this paper, a novel circuit model of photovoltaic (PV) cells is presented, which exploits the thermal equivalent of the Ohm's law and the macromodeling technique to describe the temperature dependence of all key parameters and allow a specific temperature for each cell. The model is compatible with commercial SPICE-like simulation tools, and suitable to be employed for dynamic electrothermal (ET) simulations of PV panels either exposed to sunlight or under partial shading conditions.
Feasibility Study of an Indoor Air Quality Measurement Protocol on 12 Parameters in Mechanically Ventilated and Air-Conditioned Buildings

The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department has recently launched a set of guidance notes on indoor air quality (IAQ) management for offices and public places. An IAQ Certification Programme will be con ducted on a self-regulatory basis that is intended to divide IAQ in mechanically ventilated buildings into three classes. Due to the large number of buildings in Hong Kong and the associated cost implications, a sim plified, operationally feasible and scientifically sound as sessment has been developed. Twenty-five government buildings covering eight different types of premises were examined in a trial-run programme to verify the validity of the proposed methodology. Among these 25 prem ises, only 1 (4%) achieved level 1 while 11 (44%) achieved the level 2 objective. The remaining 13 prem ises (52%) met the level 3 objective. High concentrations of volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide were found to be the dominating parameters that made a building unable to meet class level 2. This measurement study has also illustrated the very different nature of IAQ found in different types of buildings where the pattern of air conditioning operation and indoor air pollutant sources can influence it substantially.