Control Input Inference of Mobile Agents under Unknown Objective

Trajectory and control secrecy is an important issue in robotics security. This paper proposes a novel algorithm for the control input inference of a mobile agent without knowing its control objective. Specifically, the algorithm first estimates the target state by applying external perturbations. Then we identify the objective function based on the inverse optimal control, providing the well-posedness proof and the identifiability analysis. Next, we obtain the optimal estimate of the control horizon using binary search. Finally, the agent's control optimization problem is reconstructed and solved to predict its input. Simulation illustrates the efficiency and the performance of the algorithm

Observation of unconventional van der Waals multiferroics near room temperature

The search for two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) multiferroics is an exciting yet challenging endeavor. Room-temperature 2D vdW few-layer multiferroic is a much bigger insurmountable obstacle. Here we report the discovery of an unconventional 2D vdW multiferroic with out-of-plane ferroelectric polarization and long-range magnetic orders in trilayer NiI2 device from 10 K to 295 K. The evolutions of magnetic domains with magnetic field, and the evolutions between ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phase have been unambiguously observed. More significantly, we realize a robust mutual control of magnetism and ferroelectricity at room temperature. The magnetic domains are manipulated by a small voltage ranging from 1 V to 6 V at 0 T and 295 K. This work opens opportunities for exploring multiferroic physics at the limit of few atomic layers.Comment: 4 figure

Studying bubble-particle interactions by zeta potential distribution analysis

Over a decade ago, Xu and Masliyah pioneered an approach to characterize the interactions between particles in dynamic environments of multicomponent systems by measuring zeta potential distributions of individual components and their mixtures. Using a Zetaphoremeter, the measured zeta potential distributions of individual components and their mixtures were used to determine the conditions of preferential attachment in multicomponent particle suspensions. The technique has been applied to study the attachment of nano-sized silica and alumina particles to sub-micron size bubbles in solutions with and without the addition of surface active agents (SDS, DAH and DF250). The degree of attachment between gas bubbles and particles is shown to be a function of the interaction energy governed by the dispersion, electrostatic double layer and hydrophobic forces. Under certain chemical conditions, the attachment of nano-particles to sub-micron size bubbles is shown to be enhanced by in-situ gas nucleation induced by hydrodynamic cavitation for the weakly interacting systems, where mixing of the two individual components results in negligible attachment. Preferential interaction in complex tertiary particle systems demonstrated strong attachment between micron-sized alumina and gas bubbles, with little attachment between micron-sized alumina and silica, possibly due to instability of the aggregates in the shear flow environment

SasWOT: Real-Time Semantic Segmentation Architecture Search WithOut Training

In this paper, we present SasWOT, the first training-free Semantic segmentation Architecture Search (SAS) framework via an auto-discovery proxy. Semantic segmentation is widely used in many real-time applications. For fast inference and memory efficiency, Previous SAS seeks the optimal segmenter by differentiable or RL Search. However, the significant computational costs of these training-based SAS limit their practical usage. To improve the search efficiency, we explore the training-free route but empirically observe that the existing zero-cost proxies designed on the classification task are sub-optimal on the segmentation benchmark. To address this challenge, we develop a customized proxy search framework for SAS tasks to augment its predictive capabilities. Specifically, we design the proxy search space based on the some observations: (1) different inputs of segmenter statistics can be well combined; (2) some basic operators can effectively improve the correlation. Thus, we build computational graphs with multiple statistics as inputs and different advanced basis arithmetic as the primary operations to represent candidate proxies. Then, we employ an evolutionary algorithm to crossover and mutate the superior candidates in the population based on correlation evaluation. Finally, based on the searched proxy, we perform the segmenter search without candidate training. In this way, SasWOT not only enables automated proxy optimization for SAS tasks but also achieves significant search acceleration before the retrain stage. Extensive experiments on Cityscapes and CamVid datasets demonstrate that SasWOT achieves superior trade-off between accuracy and speed over several state-of-the-art techniques. More remarkably, on Cityscapes dataset, SasWOT achieves the performance of 71.3% mIoU with the speed of 162 FPS

Study on the Safety of the New Radial Artery Hemostasis Device

Objective. At present, the use of particular radial hemostatic devices after coronary angiography (CAG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has become the primary method of hemostasis. Most control studies are based on the products already on the market, while only a few studies are on the new hemostatic devices. The aim of this study is to compare a new radial artery hemostasis device which is transformed based on the invention patent (Application number: CN201510275446) with TR Band (Terumo Medical) to evaluate its clinical effects. Methods. In a prospective randomized clinical trial, 60 patients after CAG or PCI were randomly divided into two groups, patients in the trial group (CD group) using a new radial artery hemostasis device to stop bleeding and the control group (TR group) using the TR Band. The method is to collect relevant data of the two groups and compare the differences in hemostasis, local complications, and patient discomfort between the two groups. Results. The hemostatic devices in both groups achieved adequate hemostasis, and there was no failure to stop bleeding. The new radial artery hemostasis device was better than the TR band in pain and swelling (P0.05). Conclusions. The sample of the new radial artery hemostasis device can stop bleeding effectively at the puncture site after CAG or PCI and is not inferior to the TR Band balloon hemostatic device in safety and is better in comfort

Measuring the Spatial Allocation Rationality of Service Facilities of Residential Areas Based on Internet Map and Location-Based Service Data

The spatial allocation rationality of the service facilities of residential areas, which is affected by the scope of the population and the capacity of service facilities, is meaningful for harmonious urban development. The growth of the internet, especially Internet map and location-based service (LBS) data, provides micro-scale knowledge about residential areas. The purpose is to characterize the spatial allocation rationality of the service facilities of residential areas from Internet map and LBS data. An Internet map provides exact geographical data (e.g., points of interests (POI)) and stronger route planning analysis capability through an application programming interface (API) (e.g., route planning API). Meanwhile, LBS data collected from mobile equipment afford detailed population distribution values. Firstly, we defined the category system of service facilities and calculated the available service facilities capacity of residential areas (ASFC-RA) through a scrappy algorithm integrated with the modified cumulative opportunity measure model. Secondly, we used Thiessen polygon spatial subdivision to gain the population distribution capacity of residential areas (PDC-RA) from Tencent LBS data at the representative moment. Thirdly, we measured the spatial allocation rationality of service facilities of residential areas (SARSF-RA) by combining ASFC-RA and PDC-RA. In this case, a trial strip census, consisting of serval urban residential areas from Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is selected as research area. Residential areas have been grouped within several ranges according to their SARSF-RA values. Different residential areas belong to different groups, even if they are spatially contiguous. Spatial locations and other investigation information coordinate with these differences. Those results show that the method that we proposed can express the micro-spatial allocation rationality of different residential areas dramatically, which provide a new data lens for various researchers and applications, such as urban residential areas planning and service facilities allocation

Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty in Thick Corneas

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) in corneas > 820 microns in thickness. Methods: This retrospective study included 30 eyes of 30 patients who underwent DSAEK. Endothelial cell destiny (ECD) and corneal thickness were recorded before surgery and at 1 and 12 months postoperatively. Patients were divided into two groups (≤ 820 microns and > 820 microns) based on median preoperative corneal thickness. Linear regression analyses were used to investigate the correlations between ECD and preoperative corneal thickness. Results: Recipient corneal thickness (RCT) and postoperative central cornea thickness had a statistically significant difference 1 month after surgery (p = 0.03, p = 0.08, respectively). BCVA and ECD did not have a statistical difference in the two groups at 1 month and 12 months after DSAEK. Conclusions: BCVA, ECD and corneal thickness were similar at 12 months after DSAEK in thick corneas. DSAEK is a viable surgical option in thick corneas

Associations of systemic immune‐inflammation index with high risk for prostate cancer in middle‐aged and older US males: A population‐based study

Abstract Background Systemic immune‐inflammation index (SII) provides convincing evaluation of systemic immune and inflammatory condition in human body. Its correlation with prostate cancer (PCa) risk remains uncharted. The principal objective of this investigation was to elucidate the association between SII and the risk for PCa in middle‐aged and elderly males. Materials and Methods Analysis entailed multivariate linear and logistic regression, generalized additive model, and smoothing curve fitting using resource from 2007 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). To ascertain robustness and consistency of this association across different demographic strata, we conducted rigorous subgroup analyses and interaction tests. Results Among 3359 participants, those with elevated SII displayed higher total prostate‐specific antigen (tPSA) levels, higher risk for PCa, and lower free/total PSA (f/t PSA) ratio. Specifically, each unit increase of log2 (SII) was associated with a 0.22 ng/mL increase in tPSA (β: 0.22, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.05–0.38), a 2.22% decline in f/t PSA ratio (β: −2.22, 95% CI −3.20 to −1.23), and a 52% increased odds of being at high risk for PCa (odds ratio [OR]: 1.52, 95% CI 1.13–2.04). People in the top quartile of log2 (SII) exhibited 0.55 ng/mL increased tPSA (β: 0.55, 95% CI 0.19–0.90), 4.39% reduced f/t PSA ratio (β: −4.39, 95% CI −6.50 to −2.27), and 168% increased odds of being at high risk for PCa (OR: 2.68, 95% CI 1.32–5.46) compared to those in the bottom quartile. Conclusion Systemic immune and inflammatory condition, as represented by SII, is independently and positively associated with tPSA levels and the risk for PCa, as well as independently and negatively associated with f/t PSA ratio among middle‐aged and older US males. These findings may enhance the effectiveness of PCa screening in predicting positive biopsy results

NIR-dye bridged human serum albumin reassemblies for effective photothermal therapy of tumor

Human serum albumin (HSA) based drug delivery platforms that feature desirable biocompatibility and pharmacokinetic property are rapidly developed for tumor-targeted drug delivery. Even though various HSA-based platforms have been established, it is still of great significance to develop more efficient preparation technology to broaden the therapeutic applications of HSA-based nano-carriers. Here we report a bridging strategy that unfastens HSA to polypeptide chains and subsequently crosslinks these chains by a bridge-like molecule (BPY-Mal2) to afford the HSA reassemblies formulation (BPY@HSA) with enhanced loading capacity, endowing the BPY@HSA with uniformed size, high photothermal efficacy, and favorable therapeutic features. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that the BPY@HSA presents higher delivery efficacy and more prominent photothermal therapeutic performance than that of the conventionally prepared formulation. The feasibility in preparation, stability, high photothermal conversion efficacy, and biocompatibility of BPY@HSA may facilitate it as an efficient photothermal agents (PTAs) for tumor photothermal therapy (PTT). This work provides a facile strategy to enhance the loading capacity of HSA-based crosslinking platforms in order to improve delivery efficacy and therapeutic effect.Published versionWe greatly acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32101065 to H. Chen and 82272154 to L. Mei), the start-up fund (BS2021001 to C. Ding) from Maoming People’s Hospital, the Guangdong Medical Science and Technology Research Fund (A2021213 to C. Ding), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2021-RC310-005 to L. Mei), the Tianjin Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (22JCJQJC00120 to L. Mei), the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2021-I2M-1-058 and 2022-I2M2-003 to L. Mei), the Science and Technology Program of Tianjin City (the Basic Research Cooperation Special Foundation of Beijing Tianjin-Hebei Region, 22JCZXJC00060 to L. Mei), and the National Research Foundation Singapore under Its Competitive Research Programme (NRF-CRP26-2021-0002 to Y. Zhao)