A model-free 6-DOF grasp detection method based on point clouds of local sphere area

Grasping object is one of the basic tasks of robots in many scenarios. The main challenge is how to generate grasping poses for unknown objects in cluttered scenes. This paper proposes a model-free 6-DOF grasp detection framework based on single-view local point clouds. The whole process includes three stages: Candidate Generation Network(CGN), Reliable Adjustment Module(RAM), and Quality Assessment Network(QAN). CGN predicts the graspability and the initial grasp pose of the sampled points by the features extracted from the local sphere region based on the improved Pointnet. In order to better learn local area point clouds, we propose a progressive local region data learning mechanism, which can extract features from small to large scales efficiently. Candidate grasps are then consisting of graspable points and their grasping poses. RAM adjusts the position and width of the generated candidate grasps by using reliable heuristic rules. QAN uses a simpled-pointnet to evaluate the quality of the grasp candidates and filters out grasps with high confidence to execute. The proposed method not only achieves state-of-the-art results on GraspNet-1Billion but also shows high grasping success rates in real cluttered scenes.</p

Instrumentation at Changi land reclamation project, Singapore

Ground improvement is often required in land reclamation projects on soft soil deposits to reduce future settlement under the projected future dead and live loads. In the case of thick deposits of marine clay, it is often necessary to accelerate the consolidation process of the clay using prefabricated vertical drains. In such projects, the degree of improvement has to be ascertained to confirm whether the soil has achieved the required degree of consolidation before the removal of surcharge. This analysis can be carried out by means of observational methods for which the ground behaviour is continuously monitored from the date of instrument installation. This paper provides a case study of the applications of geotechnical instrumentation for construction control in the Changi East reclamation project in the Republic of Singapore. Field instruments adopted in this project included settlement plates, deep settlement gauges, earth pressure cells, pneumatic piezometers, electric piezometers and water standpipes. Some of the field instruments were installed offshore. Special techniques were adopted to protect these offshore instruments before placement of sand fill by hydraulic pumping. Geotechnical instruments were also used in the construction control process to monitor the deformation of ground and the stability of the earth and retaining structure. Field instrumentation readings obtained from a pilot test area comprising a vertical drain area (horizontal vertical drain spacing 1·5m × 1·5 m) and an adjacent control area (no vertical drains) are also presented in this paper

Supplementary Figure 1: Prognostic value of H-GNRI in patients undergoing postoperative radiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Supplementary Figure 1. Prognostic value of H-GNRI in patients undergoing postoperative radiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinomaDetermination of optimal cut-off values of hemoglobin and GNRI. (A, B) Identification of optimal cut-off value of hemoglobin by X-tile. (C, D) Identification of optimal cut-off value of GNRI by X-tile. </div

Washed recycled sand derived from construction and demolition wastes as engineering fill materials

The accumulation of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in landfills is a global issue which is exacerbated by the impact of rapid urbanization and increased construction activities in metropolitan and regional areas. The recycled sands studied in this research were derived from processed C&D waste from a washing plant located in Melbourne, Victoria. Two types of washed recycled sands were used as the target materials in this study: coarse recycled sand (CRS) and fine recycled sand (FRS). Extensive geotechnical laboratory tests were performed and the results indicated that both washed sand types exhibited similar geotechnical behavior with conventional virgin materials when used as geotechnical fills. Geoenvironmental tests indicated that the application of washed recycled sand will not have adverse impacts on the surrounding environment. This study highlighted CRS and FRS could both successfully substitute quarry materials required for geotechnical fill and subgrade pavement works

From UV to Vis Broadband Photodetectors Based on ZnO/CuO/NiO Core–Shell–Shell Heterojunction Nanostructures

In recent years, with the development of wearable electronics, the demands for high-performance photodetectors with smaller size, lower power consumption, and higher sensitivity have increased remarkably. Photodetectors based on one-dimensional (1D) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) have been intensively investigated owing to their geometrical nanostructure possessing a large surface-to-volume ratio, high carrier mobility, and adjustable optical absorption. However, ZnO NW photodetectors usually can only detect ultraviolet (UV) light, limiting their application in the field of photodetection. In this paper, a heterojunction photodetector (HPD) based on ZnO/CuO/NiO (ZCN) core–shell–shell NWs is reported. The nanoscale copper oxide (CuO) film is deposited on hydrothermally grown ZnO NWs as the visible light absorber. The nanoscale nickel oxide (NiO) shell layer is uniformly coated on the surface of ZnO/CuO NWs by spin coating, which improves the detection capability of the photodetector in the range of UV-to-visible (UV–vis) significantly. Benefited from the large light absorption area provided by the 1D nanostructure and the type II band alignment, the ZCN NW HPD shows a fast response (rise/decay 0.12/0.22 s) and a large sensitivity of 18.65 mA/W under UV irradiation at a 0 V bias. Experimental and simulation results show the key role of NiO shell layer in ZCN NW HPD. Our results suggest core–shell–shell heterojunction nanostructures to develop high-performance photodetectors for next-generation UV–vis broadband photosensing applications

Integration analysis of PLAUR as a sunitinib resistance and macrophage related biomarker in ccRCC, an in silicon and experimental study

Sunitinib remains the preferred systemic treatment option for specific patients with advanced RCC who are ineligible for immune therapy. However, it’s essential to recognize that Sunitinib fails to elicit a favourable response in all patients. Moreover, most patients eventually develop resistance to Sunitinib. Therefore, identifying new targets associated with Sunitinib resistance is crucial. Utilizing multiple datasets from public cohorts, we conducted an exhaustive analysis and identified a total of 8 microRNAs and 112 mRNAs displaying significant expression differences between Sunitinib responsive and resistant groups. A particular set of six genes, specifically NIPSNAP1, STK40, SDC4, NEU1, TBC1D9, and PLAUR, were identified as highly significant via WGCNA. To delve deeper into the resistance mechanisms, we performed additional investigations using cell, molecular, and flow cytometry tests. These studies confirmed PLAUR's pivotal role in fostering Sunitinib resistance, both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that PLAUR could be a promising therapeutic target across various cancer types. In conclusion, this investigation not only uncovers vital genes and microRNAs associated with Sunitinib resistance in RCC but also introduces PLAUR as a prospective therapeutic target for diverse cancers. The outcomes contribute to advancing personalized healthcare and developing superior therapeutic strategies. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma</p

Additional file 1 of Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor and cardiotoxicity in doxorubicin-treated breast cancer patients: a prospective exploratory study

Additional file 1: Supplementary Table 1. Baseline demographic variables of patients who withdrew participation from the study. Supplementary Table 2. Tabulation of missing variables over study follow-up over 222 total observations during follow-up. Supplementary Figure 1. Changes in cohort measurements of SuPAR, GLS, NT-proBNP, TnI, and hs-CRP over study follow-up. Supplementary Figure 2. Estimates of association between baseline suPAR or serial suPAR measurements and the primary/secondary endpoints as markers of cardiotoxicity using multiply imputed datasets. Mixed effects linear regression was performed with adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, current smoker, body mass index, family history of premature ASCVD, aspirin, statin, ACE-i/ARB, beta-blocker

Sulfanilic Acid Pending on a Graphene Scaffold: Novel, Efficient Synthesis and Much Enhanced Polymer Solar Cell Efficiency and Stability Using It as a Hole Extraction Layer

In this contribution, we describe a novel, facile, and scalable methodology for high degree functionalization toward graphene by the reaction between bulk graphite fluoride and in situ generated amine anion. Using this, the rationally designed sulfanilic acid pending on a graphene scaffold (G-SO₃H), a two-dimensional (2D) π-conjugated counterpart of poly­(styrenesulfonate), is available. Combined reliable characterizations demonstrate that a very large quantity of sulfanilic blocks are linked to graphene through the foreseen substitution of carbon–fluorine units and an unexpected reductive defluorination simultaneously proceeds during the one-step reaction, endowing the resultant G-SO₃H with splendid dispersity in various solvents and film-forming property via the former, and with recovered 2D π-conjugation via the latter. Besides, the work function of G-SO₃H lies at −4.8 eV, well matched with the P3HT donor. Awarded with these fantastic merits, G-SO₃H behaves capable in hole collection and transport, indicated by the enhanced device efficiency and stability of polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on intensively studied P3HT:PCBM blends as an active layer. In particular, comparison with conventional poly­(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly­(styrenesulfonate) and recently rising and shining graphene oxide, G-SO₃H outperforms above 17 and 24%, respectively, in efficiency. More impressively, when these three unencapsulated devices are placed in a N₂-filled glovebox at around 25 °C for 7 weeks, or subject to thermal treatment at 150 °C for 6 h also in N₂ atmosphere, or even rudely exposed to indoor air, G-SO₃H-based PSCs exhibit the best stability. These findings enable G-SO₃H to be a strongly competitive alternative of the existing hole extraction materials for PSC real-life applications

MOESM1 of Roles of extracellular polymeric substances in uranium immobilization by anaerobic sludge

Additional file 1: Table S1. The components of the minerals solution. Table S2. The fractionation of U in the sludge. EPS extraction by CER method. Table S3. U(VI) removal rates in the initial three days. Statistical significance test. Grey relational analysis. Fig. S2. N-NO3− and N-NO2− concentrations during U(VI) immobilization by anaerobic sludge. Influent concentrations of U(VI), acetate and nitrate were respectively 50 mg/L, 10 mM and 20 mg/L. Fig. S3. Nucleic acids concentration during U(VI) immobilization by anaerobic sludge without U(VI), acetate and nitrate (control test). Quantification of the mineral fraction of nano-sized U in the EPS. FTIR analysis of the EPS. Measurement of bicarbonate and phosphate of the EPS. Table S14. Bicarbonate and phosphate concentration in the EPS extracts from the original anaerobic sludge. UV/visible absorption spectroscopy of the EPS

DataSheet_1_Zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 1, ZSCAN1, is a novel stemness-related tumor suppressor and transcriptional repressor in breast cancer targeting TAZ.pdf

IntroductionCancer stem cells (CSCs) targeted therapy holds the potential for improving cancer management; identification of stemness-related genes in CSCs is necessary for its development.MethodsThe Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) datasets were used for survival analysis. ZSCAN1 correlated genes was identified by Spearman correlation analysis. Breast cancer stem-like cells (BCSLCs) were isolated by sorting CD44+CD24- cells from suspension cultured breast cancer (BC) spheroids. The sphere-forming capacity and sphere- and tumor-initiating capacities were determined by sphere formation and limiting dilution assays. The relative gene expression was determined by qRT-PCR, western blot. Lentivirus system was used for gene manipulation. Nuclear run-on assay was employed to examine the levels of nascent mRNAs. DNA pull-down and Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were used for determining the interaction between protein and target DNA fragments. Luciferase reporter assay was used for evaluating the activity of the promoter.Results and discussionZSCAN1 is aberrantly suppressed in BC, and this suppression indicates a bad prognosis. Ectopic expression of ZSCAN1 inhibited the proliferation, clonogenicity, and tumorigenicity of BC cells. ZSCAN1-overexpressing BCSLCs exhibited weakened stemness properties. Normal human mammary epithelial (HMLE) cells with ZSCAN1 depletion exhibited enhanced stemness properties. Mechanistic studies showed that ZSCAN1 directly binds to -951 ~ -925bp region of WWTR1 (encodes TAZ) promoter, inhibits WWTR1 transcription, thereby inhibiting the stemness of BCSCs. Our work thus revealed ZSCAN1 as a novel stemness-related tumor suppressor and transcriptional repressor in BC.</p