DS-K3DOM: 3-D Dynamic Occupancy Mapping with Kernel Inference and Dempster-Shafer Evidential Theory

Occupancy mapping has been widely utilized to represent the surroundings for autonomous robots to perform tasks such as navigation and manipulation. While occupancy mapping in 2-D environments has been well-studied, there have been few approaches suitable for 3-D dynamic occupancy mapping which is essential for aerial robots. This paper presents a novel 3-D dynamic occupancy mapping algorithm called DSK3DOM. We first establish a Bayesian method to sequentially update occupancy maps for a stream of measurements based on the random finite set theory. Then, we approximate it with particles in the Dempster-Shafer domain to enable real time computation. Moreover, the algorithm applies kernel based inference with Dirichlet basic belief assignment to enable dense mapping from sparse measurements. The efficacy of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through simulations and real experiments.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitted to ICRA 202

InFusionSurf: Refining Neural RGB-D Surface Reconstruction Using Per-Frame Intrinsic Refinement and TSDF Fusion Prior Learning

We introduce InFusionSurf, a novel approach to enhance the fidelity of neural radiance field (NeRF) frameworks for 3D surface reconstruction using RGB-D video frames. Building upon previous methods that have employed feature encoding to improve optimization speed, we further improve the reconstruction quality with minimal impact on optimization time by refining depth information. Our per-frame intrinsic refinement scheme addresses frame-specific blurs caused by camera motion in each depth frame. Furthermore, InFusionSurf utilizes a classical real-time 3D surface reconstruction method, the truncated signed distance field (TSDF) Fusion, as prior knowledge to pretrain the feature grid to support reconstruction details while accelerating the training. The quantitative and qualitative experiments comparing the performances of InFusionSurf against prior work indicate that our method is capable of accurately reconstructing a scene without sacrificing optimization speed. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of our per-frame intrinsic refinement and TSDF Fusion prior learning techniques via an ablation study

Multilayered Composites with Modulus Gradient for Enhanced Pressure???Temperature Sensing Performance

Highly sensitive and flexible composite sensors with pressure and temperature sensing abilities are of great importance in human motion monitoring, robotic skins, and automobile seats when checking the boarding status. Several studies have been conducted to improve the temperature-pressure sensitivity; however, they require a complex fabrication process for micro-nanostructures, which are material-dependent. Therefore, there is a need to develop the structural designs to improve the sensing abilities. Herein, we demonstrate a flexible composite with an enhanced pressure and temperature sensing performance. Its structural design consists of a multilayered composite construction with an elastic modulus gradient. Controlled stress concentration and distribution induced by a micropatterned structure between the layers improves its pressure and temperature sensing performance. The proposed composite sensor can monitor a wide range of pressure and temperature stimuli and also has potential applications as an automotive seat sensor for simultaneous human temperature detection and occupant weight sensing

Bioanalysis of alpelisib using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and application to pharmacokinetic study

Abstract Alpelisib is the first alpha-specific phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor indicated for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, PI3K catalytic subunit alpha-mutated, advanced, or metastatic breast cancer. Substantial attempts have been made to extend its clinical use to other types of cancer. Analytical methods proven to accurately quantify alpelisib would improve the reliability of the preclinical and clinical data of alpelisib. Therefore, we developed and validated a quantification method based on liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for alpelisib in mouse and human plasma samples. Alpelisib and an internal standard (IS; enzalutamide) were separated from endogenous substances using an XTerra MS C18 column with a linear gradient of 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. Multiple reaction monitoring transitions for alpelisib and the IS were m/z 442.1 > 328.0 and m/z 465.0 > 209.1, respectively. The calibration curve for alpelisib was confirmed to be linear in the range of 1–2000ng/mL in both mouse and human plasma. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision met the acceptance criteria, and no significant matrix effects were observed. Alpelisib was stable under various storage and handling conditions, and the carryover effect was overcome using the injection loop flushing method. We successfully used this assay to study the in vitro metabolic profiles and in vivo pharmacokinetics of alpelisib in mice. Here, to the best of our knowledge, we report for the first time a valid quantitative method for alpelisib in mouse and human plasma, which could aid in providing valuable pharmacokinetic information on alpelisib to increase its clinical availability

Effects of Mental Health Support on the Grief of Bereaved People Caused by Sewol Ferry Accident

Few studies have assessed the overall effects of multi-centered, complicated mental health support on the grief process. This study investigated the broader influence of mental health support provided practically to the bereaved family on the severity of complicated grief. Ninety-three bereaved family members of the Sewol ferry accident were recruited. Severity of complicated grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive disorder was assessed through self-reporting questionnaire, inventory of complicated grief (ICG), PTSD Check List-5 (PCL-5) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We also included demographic, socioeconomic, health-related variables, and Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ), which affect the ICG score. Participants were divided into 4 groups based on the experience of psychotherapy or psychiatry clinic service before the accident and mental health support after the disaster. In univariate analysis, these 4 groups showed a significant difference in the mean ICG score (P=0.020). Participants who received mental health support only after the Sewol ferry accident (group 2) showed a lower mean ICG score than those who received neither psychotherapy or psychiatry clinic service before the disaster nor mental health support after the accident (group 4). There was no significant correlation between the ICG score and other variables except for subjective health status measured 1 month after the disaster (P=0.005). There was no significant difference in PCL-5 (P=0.140) and PHQ-9 scores (P=0.603) among groups, respectively. In conclusion, mental health support significantly reduced the severity of grief only in those participants who had not received any psychotherapy or psychiatry clinic service before the accident

Safety and Efficacy of Second-Generation Everolimus-Eluting Xience V Stents Versus Zotarolimus-Eluting Resolute Stents in Real-World Practice Patient-Related and Stent-Related Outcomes From the Multicenter Prospective EXCELLENT and RESOLUTE-Korea Registries

ObjectivesThis study sought to compare the safety and efficacy of the Xience V/Promus everolimus-eluting stent (EES) (Abbott Vascular, Temecula, California) with the Endeavor Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES-R) (Medtronic Cardiovascular, Santa Rosa, California) in “all-comer” cohorts.BackgroundOnly 2 randomized controlled trials have compared these stents.MethodsThe EXCELLENT (Efficacy of Xience/Promus Versus Cypher to Reduce Late Loss After Stenting) and RESOLUTE-Korea registries prospectively enrolled 3,056 patients treated with the EES and 1,998 patients treated with the ZES-R, respectively, without exclusions. Stent-related composite outcomes (target lesion failure [TLF]) and patient-related composite outcomes were compared in crude and propensity score-matched analyses.ResultsOf 5,054 patients, 3,830 (75.8%) had off-label indication (2,217 treated with EES and 1,613 treated with ZES-R). The stent-related outcome (82 [2.7%] vs. 58 [2.9%], p = 0.662) and the patient-related outcome (225 [7.4%] vs. 153 [7.7%], p = 0.702) did not differ between EES and ZES-R, respectively, at 1 year, which was corroborated by similar results from the propensity score-matched cohort. The rate of definite or probable stent thrombosis (18 [0.6%] vs. 7 [0.4%], p = 0.306) also was similar. In multivariate analysis, off-label indication was the strongest predictor of TLF (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.882; 95% confidence interval: 1.226 to 6.779; p = 0.015).ConclusionsIn this robust real-world registry with unrestricted use of EES and ZES-R, both stents showed comparable safety and efficacy at 1-year follow-up. Overall incidences of TLF and definite stent thrombosis were low, even in the patients with off-label indication, suggesting excellent safety and efficacy of both types of second-generation drug-eluting stents