Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Miniature Mobile Robot Detection Using an Ultralow-Resolution Time-of-Flight Sensor

Miniature mobile robots in multirobotic systems require reliable environmental perception for successful navigation, especially when operating in a real-world environment. One of the sensors that have recently become accessible in microrobotics due to their size and cost-effectiveness is a multizone time-of-flight (ToF) sensor. In this research, object classification using a convolutional neural network (CNN) based on an ultralow-resolution ToF sensor is implemented on a miniature mobile robot to distinguish the robot from other objects. The main contribution of this work is an accurate classification system implemented on low-resolution, low-processing power, and low-power consumption hardware. The developed system consists of a VL53L5CX ToF sensor with an $8\times8$ depth image and a low-power RP2040 microcontroller. The classification system is based on a customized CNN architecture to determine the presence of a miniature mobile robot within the observed terrain, primarily characterized by sand and rocks. The developed system trained on a custom dataset can detect a mobile robot with an accuracy of 91.8% when deployed on a microcontroller. The model implementation requires 7 kB of RAM, has an inference time of 34 ms, and an energy consumption during inference of 3.685 mJ.
Modelling, Analysis and Forecasting of Deep Sea Oxygen Isotope Variations Response to Orbital Forcing

Over the Pleistocene Period, which covers the time interval [2.588, 0.0117] million years ago, the dominant period of glacial-interglacial cycles changed from 41 000 years to 100 000 years. According to Milankovitch’s Theory the variations of Earth’s orbital parameters eccentricity, obliquity and precession are driving the growth and melting of glaciers. Despite being generally accepted, Milankovitch’s Theory is still being challenged by some scientists largely because of lack of models that are driven by the orbital parameters, which can adequately reproduce climate proxy variables. In this context, the aim of this thesis was to study the link between Earth’s orbital parameters and climate proxy data and more specifically the role of orbital forcing in the shift of dominant oscillation cycle during the Pleistocene and the origins of the 100 000 years cycle. In this work, nonlinear system identification tools were used to model oxygen isotope ratios time-series extracted from the Western Pacific Drilling Site 806B. By analysing the resulting models in the time and frequency domain, using Generalized Frequency Response Functions and Output Frequency Responses, it was possible to determine which frequencies and combinations of frequencies from the spectrum of the orbital parameters contribute most significantly in the output spectrum, with focus on the frequency corresponding to the 100 000 years cycle. More specifically, two new polynomial models, each dealing with one of the two Pleistocene time periods dominated by a different cycle, were developed, analysed and compared. The estimated models predict very well the oxygen isotope ratio time-series extracted from Site 806B. The identified models not only predict well the oxygen isotope ratios, but also capture
The nonlinear evolution and approximate scaling of directionally spread wave groups on deep water

The evolution of steep waves in the open ocean is nonlinear. In narrow-banded but directionally spread seas, this nonlinearity does not produce significant extra elevation but does lead to a large change in the shape of the wave group, causing, relative to linear evolution, contraction in the mean wave direction and lateral expansion. We use the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) to derive an approximate analytical relationship for these changes in group shape. This shows excellent agreement with the numerical results both for the NLSE and for the full water wave equations. We also consider the application of scaling laws from the NLSE in terms of wave steepness and bandwidth to solutions of the full water wave equations. We investigate these numerically. While some aspects of water wave evolution do not scale, the major changes that a wave group undergoes as it evolves scale very well.
Composite Powders Synthesized from the Water Solutions of Sodium Silicate and Different Calcium Salts (Nitrate, Chloride, and Acetate)

Composite powders were synthesized from the water solutions of sodium silicate and different calcium salts (nitrate, chloride, and acetate) at a Ca/Si molar ratio of 1.0. According to the XRD data, all the synthesized powders included hydrated calcium silicate Ca1,5SiO3,5·xH2O (Ca/Si molar ratio = 1.5) and calcium carbonate CaCO3 (Ca/Si molar ratio = ∞). The presence of H2SiO3 or SiO2·xH2O in the synthesized powders was assumed to be due to the difference between the Ca/Si molar ratio of 1.0 specified by the synthesis protocol and the molar ratio of the detected products. Reaction by-products (sodium nitrate NaNO3, sodium chloride NaCl, and sodium acetate NaCH3COO) were also found in the synthesized powders after filtration and drying. According to the XRD data phase composition of all powders after washing four times consisted of the quasi-amorphous phase and calcium carbonate in the form of calcite. Calcium carbonate in the form of aragonite was detected in powders synthesized from calcium chloride CaCl2 and calcium nitrate Ca(NO3)2 before and after washing. Synthesized powders containing reaction by-products and washed powders were used for the preparation of ceramics at 900, 1000, and 1100 °C. The phase composition of the ceramic samples prepared from the washed powders and powder containing NaCl after firing at 900 and 1000 °C consisted of β-wollastonite β-CaSiO3, and, after firing at 1100 °C, consisted of both β-wollastonite β-CaSiO3 and pseudo-wollastonite α-CaSiO3. The phase composition of the ceramic samples prepared from powders containing sodium nitrate NaNO3 and sodium acetate NaCH3COO after firing at 900, 1000, and 1100 °C consisted of calcium sodium silicates, i.e., Na2Ca2Si3O9 (combeite) and Na2Ca3Si2O8. Synthesized and washed composite powders can be used for the preparation of biocompatible materials, in the technology of construction materials, and as components of lunar soil simulants.
The Impact of Cloud Feedbacks on Arctic Climate under Greenhouse Forcing

Abstract The simulation of Arctic cloud cover and the sensitivity of Arctic climate to cloud changes are investigated using an atmosphere–mixed-layer ocean GCM (GENESIS2). The model is run with and without changes in three-dimensional cloud fraction under 2 × CO2 radiative forcing. This model was chosen in part because of its relatively successful representation of modern Arctic cloud cover, a trait attributable to the parameterized treatment of mixed-phase microphysics. Simulated modern Arctic cloud fraction is insensitive to model biases in surface boundary conditions (SSTs and sea ice distribution), but the modeled Arctic climate is sensitive to high-frequency cloud variability. When forced with increased CO2 the model generally simulates more (less) vertically integrated cloudiness in high (low) latitudes. In the simulation without cloud feedbacks, cloud fraction is fixed at its modern control value at all grid points and all levels while CO2 is doubled. Compared with this fixed-cloud experiment, the .
Tongue Features Detection Based on YOLOX and Attention Mechanism

Tongue diagnosis is a kind of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis, which is one of the key elements of “Inspection Diagnosis of TCM”. According to TCM, the tongue is closely related to the internal organs, and when the body suffers from various diseases, it will affect the endocrine function, blood composition, nerve conduction, and digestive function. Therefore, the tongue diagnosis can effectively identify whether a patient is suffering from a disease or not, and provide a medical basis for TCM diagnosis. In this paper, we propose a fusion model based on the YOLOX model and attention mechanism, which can effectively identify three pathological features of the tongue image of kidney disease: Teeth-printed tongue, Wrinkled tongue, and Greasy-fur tongue. The experimental results showed that the overall recognition of the 3 features by this fusion model was significantly improved. The overall mAP value was 91.95%, including 0.85 for the Teeth-printed tongue, 0.96 for the Wrinkled tongue, and 0.95 for the Greasy-fur tongue. Therefore, the fusion model based on the YOLOX model and attention mechanism proposed in this paper can assist physicians in quickly identifying whether a patient has kidney disease by the three types of kidney disease tongue features, which have a certain significance for the prevention and treatment of kidney disease.
Stereoscopic Image Generation with Optimal Disparity using Depth Map Preprocessing and Depth Information Analysis

The DIBR(depth image-based rendering) method gives the sense of depth to viewers by using one color image and corresponding depth image. At this time, the qualities of the generated left- and right-image depend on the baseline distance of the virtual cameras corresponding to the view of the generated left- and right-image. In this paper, we present a novel method for enhancing the sense of depth by adjusting baseline distance of virtual cameras. Geometric analysis shows that the sense of depth is better in accordance with the increasing disparity due to the reduction of the image distortion. However, the entailed image degradation is not considered. Experimental results show that there is maximum bound in the disparity increasement due to image degradation and the visual field. Since the image degradation is reduced for increasing that bound, we add a depth map preprocessing. Since the interactive service where the disparity and view position are controlled by viewers can also be provided, the proposed method can be applied to the mobile broadcasting system such as DMB as well as 3DTV system.
Episodicity and Rates of Thrust-sheet Motion in the Himalayas (Western Nepal)

The kinematics and rates of displacement along single faults of the Outer Belt and through the entire thrust belt of the Himalayas of western Nepal have been estimated by structural field work, balanced cross sections, fluviatile terrace-deposit studies, and geodesy. GPS geodetic studies indicate that the shortening is 15 2mm/yr and is perpendicular to the trend of the western Nepal Himalayas and compatible with elastic strain accumulation. This surface shortening would be induced by a 19 mm/yr slip rate, at depth, on the basal detachment beneath the Great Himalayas, whereas the detachment is locked beneath the Lesser Himalayas. In the outer zone, most of the displacement presumably occurs during major seismic events, and the 2.5- to 5-m thrust movements observed locally for imbricate fans branching off the major thrusts of the Sub-Himalayas could reflect surficial rupture during these events. During the Holocene, the Main FrontalThrust (MFT) has been active, but portions of the piggyback thrusts of the Outer Belt also show episodes of activity that vary from a few meters to several tens of meters of displacement. The ratio of MFT shortening to total Himalayan shortening varies laterally, from 1 to less than 0.5, and out-of-sequence thrusting occurs in the Sub-Himalayas and possibly in the Lesser Himalayas. This pattern of episodic out-of-sequence reactivation fits with the evolution of a brittle thrust wedge affected by surficial mass transport and/or fluid pressure variation due to fault-valve behavior. The total shortening rate through the Himalayas of western Nepal following the Miocene is 19 mm/yr, with present-day, Holocene, and long-term shortening-rate uncertainties of 2, 6, and 5 mm/yr, respectively.
Model Fidelity versus Skill in Seasonal Forecasting

Abstract The relation between skill and fidelity of seasonal mean hindcasts of surface temperature by seven coupled atmosphere–ocean models is investigated. By definition, fidelity measures the agreement between model and observational climatological distributions, and skill measures the agreement between hindcasts and their corresponding verifications. While a relation between skill and fidelity seems intuitively plausible, it has not been checked systematically, nor is it mandated mathematically. New measures of skill and fidelity based on information theory are proposed. Specifically, fidelity is measured by the area average relative entropy between the climatological distributions of the model and observations, and skill is measured by the area averaged mutual information between forecast and verification. The fidelity measure is found to be dominated by the term measuring mean bias; that is, the discrepancy in climatological means is much larger than the discrepancy in climatological variances. Moreo.
Equation of state, elastic properties, and stability of CaSiO3 perovskite: First principles (periodic Hartree‐Fock) results

The cubic CaSiO3 perovskite phase is possibly the third most abundant mineral in the lower mantle. In addition to its geochemical significance, CaSiO3 perovskite provides a useful system with which to test the application of quantum chemistry to mantle silicates. Here, the electronic structure, equation of state, and elastic properties of cubic CaSiO3 perovskite are calculated using the periodic Hartree-Fock formalism. Cubic CaSiO3 is found to be stable relative to an orthorhombic structure to at least 106 GPa. Calculations using a moderately extended basis set give an equation of state for CaSiO3 in close agreement with experiment (V0 = 44.96 A3, K0 = 300 GPa, and K0′ = 4). The aggregate shear modulus of CaSiO3 perovskite is found to be 209 GPa which is comparable to that of MgSiO3 perovskite. The high seismic velocities of CaSiO3 perovskite means it will act as a seismic complement to magnesiowustite in the lower mantle. The free energy, as a function of pressure, of stishovite and B2-CaO have also been calculated at the same level of theory. From those results, it is found that cubic CaSiO3 perovskite is stable relative to the free oxides at pressures up to 130 GPa (the core-mantle boundary).
Modern Intertidal Foraminifera of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, U.S.A., and their Applicability for Sea-Level Studies

Abstract We collected modern foraminiferal and environmental data from three back-barrier intertidal sites (Currituck Barrier Island, Oregon Inlet, and Pea Island) of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, United States, which have different salinity settings and a wind-driven tidal regime. The foraminiferal assemblages indicate that a vertical zonation of foraminifera occurs, with several significant site-specific variations of assemblages. The intertidal zone can be divided into two elements: first, an agglutinated assemblage that is restricted to the vegetated marsh and is dominated by Ammobaculites crassus, Ammobaculites subcatenulatus, Arenoparrella mexicana, Jadammina macrescens, Miliammina fusca, and Trochammina inflata and, second, a calcareous assemblage that dominates the mudflats and sandflats of the intertidal zone, characterized by Ammonia parkinsoniana, Elphidium excavatum, and Haynesina germanica. We used canonical correspondence analysis and partial canonical correspondence analyses of the foraminiferal and environmental data from the Outer Banks to support the hypothesis that the distribution of foraminifera in the intertidal zone is a direct function of elevation, with the duration and frequency of inundation as the most important factors. Partial canonical correspondence analyses and Monte Carlo permutation tests suggest that all available environmental variables except pH play a significant role in understanding the variations in foraminiferal data.
Factors contributing to the acid sulfate soil scalding process in the coastal floodplains of New South Wales, Australia

Acid sulfate soil (ASS) scalds are persistently bare areas of land, occurring in the coastal backswamps of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. This study aims to understand why particular areas become ASS scalds, while adjacent areas remain vegetated. Some important soil parameters are compared and field observations are summarised. Soil core sampling in both ASS-scalded land and surrounding areas of permanently vegetated paddocks has demonstrated similar pyrite concentrations and depth occurrence, soil salinity, and soil acidity (pH). As conditions are similar beneath both vegetated and non-vegetated land, there must be some additional factors influencing which areas become denuded. Several disparate (usually human-induced) events were found to cause initial loss of vegetative cover. Once the soil is bare, surface evaporation causes toxic solutes to build up quickly at the soil surface and ASS scalding is perpetuated. Some of the intervening events include fire, flood, flood-scouring, deliberate topsoil removal, surface pyrite oxidation, saltwater inundation of freshwater paddocks, saltwater exclusion from saltmarsh or mangroves, changes to the vegetation regimes, excessive vehicular traffic, and over-grazing. Backswamp management needs to ensure that land underlain by shallow pyritic layers (or with soil-water that is enriched with the toxic by-products of pyrite oxidation) is not laid bare by accident or design. Similar soil chemical conditions underlying both ASS scalds and the surrounding permanently vegetated paddocks suggest that much larger areas are potentially at risk of ASS scalding.
Enhanced Astrocyte Activity and Excitatory Synaptic Function in the Hippocampus of Pentylenetetrazole Kindling Model of Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a chronic condition characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures. The interaction between astrocytes and neurons has been suggested to play a role in the abnormal neuronal activity observed in epilepsy. However, the exact way astrocytes influence neuronal activity in the epileptogenic brain remains unclear. Here, using the PTZ-induced kindling mouse model, we evaluated the interaction between astrocyte and synaptic function by measuring astrocytic Ca2+ activity, neuronal excitability, and the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the hippocampus. Compared to control mice, hippocampal slices from PTZ-kindled mice displayed an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels and an abnormal pattern of intracellular Ca2+-oscillations, characterized by an increased frequency of prolonged spontaneous transients. PTZ-kindled hippocampal slices also showed an increase in the E/I ratio towards excitation, likely resulting from an augmented release probability of excitatory inputs without affecting inhibitory synapses. Notably, the alterations in the release probability seen in PTZ-kindled slices can be recovered by reducing astrocyte hyperactivity with the reversible toxin fluorocitrate. This suggests that astroglial hyper-reactivity enhances excitatory synaptic transmission, thereby impacting the E/I balance in the hippocampus. Altogether, our findings support the notion that abnormal astrocyte–neuron interactions are pivotal mechanisms in epileptogenesis.
Pancreatic cancer vaccine: a unique potential therapy

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress. com/permissions.php Gastrointestinal Cancer: Targets and Therapy 2016:6 1–11 Gastrointestinal Cancer: Targets and Therapy Dovepress
The 30-year cardiovascular risk trajectories and their independently associated factors in participants of a Brazilian cohort (CUME Study)

Abstract: We aimed to analyze the different trajectories of 30-year cardiovascular risk (CVR) and its independently associated factors in participants of the CUME Study, a prospective study with alumni from federal universities of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. In this study, 1,286 participants who answered the baseline (2016) and follow-up (2018 and 2020) questionnaires were included. Trajectories of CVR, according to the Framingham score, were identified with the latent class growth modelling technique with the use of the censored normal model. Analysis of the factors independently associated with each of the trajectories was conducted with multinomial logistic regression technique. Three CVR trajectories were identified: Low-Low (68.3%), Medium-Medium (26.2%), and High-High (5.5%). Male sex, living in a stable union, and having moderate and high intakes of ultra-processed foods were positively associated with the Medium-Medium and High-High CVR trajectories. Having non-healthcare professional training and working were positively associated with the Medium-Medium CVR trajectory, whereas being physically active was negatively associated with the High-High CVR trajectory. In conclusion, more than one-third of participants had CVR trajectories in the Medium-Medium and High-High categories. Food consumption and physical activity are modifiable factors that were associated with these trajectories; thus, implementing health promotion measures could help prevent the persistence or worsen of CVR. On the other hand, sociodemographic and labor characteristics are non-modifiable factors that were associated with Medium-Medium and High-High trajectories, which could help identify people who should be monitored with more caution by health services.
Does single broadband or multispectral thermal data add information for classification of visible, near‐ and shortwave infrared imagery of urban areas?

The potential value of combining broadband and multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) data with multispectral and hyperspectral visible, near‐infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) data was investigated within the context of urban land‐cover classification. Using a case study of airborne Digital Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (DAIS) imagery of Strasbourg, France, the relative contribution of TIR wavelengths to classification accuracy was investigated for hyperspectral and simulated multispectral IKONOS, SPOT and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) bands. A support vector machines (SVM) classifier was used because this method was found to be very effective at handling the complex distributions of the heterogeneous land cover classes. The overall classification accuracy varied greatly with different band combinations. The inclusion of a single broad thermal band increased classification accuracy by as much as 20% for simulated IKONOS bands, but only 4% for hyperspectral VNIR and SWIR data. Adding multispectral TIR data raised the average accuracy approximately a further 10% for each band combination studied. Thermal wavelengths were found to be particularly useful for reducing the confusion between road and roof surfaces.
Learning Analytics for Communities of Inquiry

This paper describes a doctoral research that focuses on the development of a learning analytics framework for inquiry-based digital learning. This research builds on the the Community of Inquiry model (CoI) as a foundation commonly used in research and practice of digital learning and teaching. Specifically, the main contributions of this research are: i) the development of a novel text classification algorithm for (semi)automated message classification which enables for easier adoption of the CoI model, ii) understanding of the relationships between different socio-technological interactions and the dimensions of the CoI model.