Vision-Based Monocular SLAM in Micro Aerial Vehicle

Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) are popular for their efficiency, agility, and lightweights. They can navigate in dynamic environments that cannot be accessed by humans or traditional aircraft. These MAVs rely on GPS and it will be difficult for GPS-denied areas where it is obstructed by buildings and other obstacles.  Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) in an unknown environment can solve the aforementioned problems faced by flying robots.  A rotation and scale invariant visual-based solution, oriented fast and rotated brief (ORB-SLAM) is one of the best solutions for localization and mapping using monocular vision.  In this paper, an ORB-SLAM3 has been used to carry out the research on localizing micro-aerial vehicle Tello and mapping an unknown environment.  The effectiveness of ORB-SLAM3 was tested in a variety of indoor environments.   An integrated adaptive controller was used for an autonomous flight that used the 3D map, produced by ORB-SLAM3 and our proposed novel technique for robust initialization of the SLAM system during flight.  The results show that ORB-SLAM3 can provide accurate localization and mapping for flying robots, even in challenging scenarios with fast motion, large camera movements, and dynamic environments.  Furthermore, our results show that the proposed system is capable of navigating and mapping challenging indoor situations

Clinical and electrophysiological efficacy of leaf extract of Gingko biloba L (Ginkgoaceae) in subjects with diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy

Purpose: To investigate the health benefits of Gingko biloba L. leave extract EGb 761 in patients with diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSP).Method: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo trial, patients (n = 156) received Gingko biloba (120 mg/day) or placebo for 6 months. Efficacy of Gingko biloba extract EGb 761 was assessed on the reduction in the scores of “Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire” (SF-MPQ) and improvements in latency, amplitude and conduction velocity of four sensory (ulnar, median, peroneal and sural) and four motor (ulnar, median, peroneal and tibial) nerves.Results: Gingko biloba significantly improved the mean scores of sensory, affective, visual analogue score (VAS) and present pain intensity (PPI) of SF-MPQ on 3 and 6 month post-treatment. At the start of experiment in the Gingko biloba-treated group, scores for sensory, affective, VAS and PPI domains were 12.90 ± 7.21, 4.40 ± 1.79, 4.38 ± 1.69 and 3.24 ± 0.78 respectively. After 6-months treatment with Gingko biloba, scores for sensory, affective, VAS and PPI domains were reduced (p < 0.01) to 7.24 ± 4.91, 3.11 ± 1.81, 3.37 ± 1.35 and 2.45 ± 0.65 respectively. Contrarily, in the placebo-administered group, sensory domain was (p < 0.01) deteriorated after 6 month (4.70 ± 1.87) compared to the baseline (4.04 ± 1.67). Gingko biloba extract EGb 761 failed to influence the electrophysiological measures when compared with the placebo group. The common adverse effects observed with Gingko biloba were somnolence and dryness of mouth compared with the placebo-treated patientsConclusion: Gingko biloba extract EGb 761 seems to be an effective and safe drug for reducing symptoms of DSP without any apparent effect on the electrophysiological attributes of sensorimotor nerves.Keywords: Diabetic polyneuropathy, Diabetes mellitus, Electrophysiological parameters, Gingko biloba, Sensorimotor nerves, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnair

The Iran-Pakistan-India Pipeline Project

The planned Iran-Pakistan-India natural-gas pipeline (IPI Pipeline) has been in the Asian spotlight for many years and its full realisation would be politically ground-breaking. Its energy-supply route is planned to cross the political fault line between the two rivals Pakistan and India, who would thus be bound to cooperate with one another. In fact, planning the Pipeline is the first time in history that the two countries have ever even negotiated on a trilateral project. Additionally, intricate Iran-Pakistan relations may well improve.Although negotiations over the IPI Pipeline started more than a decade ago, the project has still not been realised, despite it apparently being a win-win situation for all the parties involved. A wide range of serious challenges have emerged since the birth of the Pipeline idea and this article looks into the economic, political, regional and global obstacles the project faces, and explores alternative, and perhaps more likely, versions of the original trilateral project.But even a less ambitious outcome would have clear merits: regardless of whether the Pipeline materialises in the form in which it was initially proposed, negotiations over it have already produced spillover effects in key sectors, such as diplomacy and economics. This is the main argument of this article, as it examines both current and potential spillover effects in the future from the Pipeline project

India-Myanmar Relations and the Management of Transnational Militant Threats

Militant groups hiding in Myanmar launch cross-border attacks into India, killing soldiers and civilians. The Indian Army has responded by launching cross-border military incursions into Burmese territory. After decades of trial and failure to curb the militants, a reciprocated spirit of cooperation for the first time seems to characterize India and Myanmar’s joint efforts in fighting them. This article analyses the evolution of these efforts and argues that a sum of dovetailing drivers have created space for enhancing countermilitancy cooperation in an ambivalent and distrustful relationship. Central elements are an overall improvement in bilateral relations, India’s need to counter China’s growing influence in its neighbourhood, Myanmar’s urge to diversify its benefactors, the urgency of stabilizing India’s northeast, Myanmar’s domestic security calculations, as well as a large untapped economic cooperation potential. Despite increasing countermilitancy cooperation, difficult challenges remain as Myanmar has ceasefire agreements with India-hostile militants residing on its territory. The relationship is caught in a complex interstate order in a mix of conflict and cooperation, between the use of extraterritorial force and its acceptance

India-Myanmar Relations and the Management of Transnational Militant Threats

Militant groups hiding in Myanmar launch cross-border attacks into India, killing soldiers and civilians. The Indian Army has responded by launching cross-border military incursions into Burmese territory. After decades of trial and failure to curb the militants, a reciprocated spirit of cooperation for the first time seems to characterize India and Myanmar’s joint efforts in fighting them. This article analyses the evolution of these efforts and argues that a sum of dovetailing drivers have created space for enhancing countermilitancy cooperation in an ambivalent and distrustful relationship. Central elements are an overall improvement in bilateral relations, India’s need to counter China’s growing influence in its neighbourhood, Myanmar’s urge to diversify its benefactors, the urgency of stabilizing India’s northeast, Myanmar’s domestic security calculations, as well as a large untapped economic cooperation potential. Despite increasing countermilitancy cooperation, difficult challenges remain as Myanmar has ceasefire agreements with India-hostile militants residing on its territory. The relationship is caught in a complex interstate order in a mix of conflict and cooperation, between the use of extraterritorial force and its acceptance

Gassrørledningen Iran-Pakistan-India

Multilaterale prosjekter som den planlagte naturgassrørledningen Iran-Pakistan-India kan føre til økt samhandling mellom stater. Transnasjonale samarbeidsprosjekter mellom rivaliserende land kan også være vanskelig gjennomførbare. Kan det uansett komme noe godt ut av selve forhandlingene rundt slike prosjekter

Iran's trust in China and Russia : an analysis of Iranian media discourse in the wake of UNSC Resolution 1737 (2006)

The aim of my thesis is to study the nature of the Islamic Republic’s relations with China and Russia. In order to shed light on this topic, I analyse a selection of texts published in the four Iranian newspapers Iran, Kayhan, Etemad-e Melli, and Kargozaran in the wake of the Chinese and Russian backing of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) Resolution 1737 (2006), which imposed sanctions on Iran for its failure to halt its uranium enrichment programme. My research question is: To what degree did leading Iranian newspapers portray China and Russia as responsible for the implementation of the resolution? By analysing responsibility, I seek to assess Iran’s trust in Russia and China, which is a precondition for the development of closer cooperation between these states. A certain degree of trust is a minimum requirement in every alliance and the issue of ‘trust’ and ‘mistrust’ has gained increasing interest in the literature of international relations. Methodically, I draw on constructionist theories, and specifically the so-called ‘Danish School of International Relations’, associated with scholars such as Ole Wæver, Henrik Larsen and Lene Hansen, who apply discourse analysis in the study of foreign policy. Conclusively, it seems as Iran, in this case reflected by the four Iranian newspapers, has little trust in Russia and China. It seems as an alliance between Iran on the one hand, and Russia and China on the other, is not likely to develop in the nearest future, because it takes time to build a trustworthy relationship

Emerging naval powers in Asia: China's and India's quest for sea power

This study offers a historically informed and comprehensive assessment of the contemporary naval policies of China and India, the leading rising powers. It shows how China and India, traditionally and predominantly concerned with their respective continental frontiers, in recent decades have shifted their strategic outlook towards the sea and development of sea power. The study examines the core drivers behind this increasing interest in maritime affairs and naval power and provides an analysis of the main constraints facing China and India in their bid to achieve their naval ambitions. By comparing and contrasting the findings of the respective studies of India and China, the study reveals certain common drivers, though the hierarchy of causes explaining the countries’ growing ambitions to develop their naval power differs

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Work Commitment: The Moderating Role of Organizational Culture

Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and work commitment through the moderating role of organizational culture. Design/Methodology/Approach: A sample of 351 teachers was randomly selected from public sector universities of Punjab, Pakistan. The data was acquired using a self-administered questionnaire. The study used the structural equational modeling technique (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings: The result showed a differential impact of all the dimensions of emotional intelligence on work commitment.  The results showed a significant positive relationship between the interpersonal dimension and work commitment and a significant negative relationship between the adaptability dimension and work commitment. The remaining dimensions of emotional intelligence were found to have an insignificant relationship. However, hierarchy culture moderated the relationship between emotional intelligence and work commitment. Implications/Originality/Value: The results highlight the significance of emotional intelligence and hierarchy culture for university teachers. The study suggests university authorities to invest in organizational culture to develop and improve emotional intelligence competencies among university teachers to enhance work commitment