A State Estimation Approach for a Skid-Steered Off-Road Mobile Robot

This thesis presents a novel state estimation structure, a hybrid extended Kalman filter/Kalman filter developed for a skid-steered, six-wheeled, ARGO® all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The ARGO ATV is a teleoperated unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) custom fitted with an inertial measurement unit, wheel encoders and a GPS. In order to enable the ARGO for autonomous applications, the proposed hybrid EKF/KF state estimator strategy is combined with the vehicle’s sensor measurements to estimate key parameters for the vehicle. Field experiments in this thesis reveal that the proposed estimation structure is able to estimate the position, velocity, orientation, and longitudinal slip of the ARGO with a reasonable amount of accuracy. In addition, the proposed estimation structure is well-suited for online applications and can incorporate offline virtual GPS data to further improve the accuracy of the position estimates. The proposed estimation structure is also capable of estimating the longitudinal slip for every wheel of the ARGO, and the slip results align well with the motion estimate findings

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

MULTI HOP CLUSTER DESIGN IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are the refined networks used to gather information from different environment factors. It is a promising technology which is composed of tiny sensing objects called sensors that are wirelessly distributed in the environment of interest in the form of clusters. Consumption of energy of sensor nodes depends on the size of the cluster and the amount of information send over the network. An inherent problem with the WSN is the consumption of battery power since when the cluster size is increased depending on application it is designed for, battery life of sensor nodes gets reduced with this extra consumption of energy due to the expanded size of the cluster. In this paper we examined different performance matrices of the WSN by increasing the size of cluster up to four hops and then compared the results with the network having a cluster with small number of hops

Risk Factors Assessment of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Professional Vehicle Drivers in India Using an Ordinal Priority Approach

Professional driving involves sitting in uncomfortable positions, navigating difficult terrain and roads, and occasionally conducting small repairs and other auxiliary transportation duties while at work for long periods. Drivers who engage in these activities may develop a variety of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs in professional drivers are accompanied by several risk factors. In this study, the various risk factors for MSD have been identified through the literature reviews, discussions with professional drivers, and consultations with ergonomics specialists. This study employed the ordinal priority approach (OPA), a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique, to rank the identified risk variables for MSD in order of importance. The same OPA method has also been used to identify the group of professional drivers who use eight different types of vehicles and are more likely to develop MSDs. The analyses findings show that the five main risk factors for MSDs among drivers are prolonged sitting, restricted posture, working hours, alcohol consumption, and uncomfortable seating. Additionally, among all drivers regarded as professionals, truck drivers are found to be the most at risk. For the study’s conclusions to be validated, a sensitivity analysis was also carried out. The results of this study are anticipated to help formulate strategies for lowering these hazards through the ergonomic design of drivers’ cabins by automobile OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and vehicle scheduling by concerned transportation organizations to reduce driver tiredness

Fabrication of Effective Co-SnO₂/SGCN Photocatalysts for the Removal of Organic Pollutants and Pathogen Inactivation

Substantial improvement is needed in efficient and affordable decolorization and disinfection methods to solve the issues caused by dyes and harmful bacteria in water and wastewater. This work involves the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) as well as gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria by cobalt-doped tin oxide (Co-SnO2) nanoparticles (NPs) and Co-SnO2/SGCN (sulfur-doped graphitic carbon nitride) nanocomposites (NCs) under sunlight. The coprecipitation approach was used to synthesize the photocatalysts. Maximum methylene blue (MB) photocatalytic degradation was seen with the 7% Co-SnO2 NPs compared to other (1, 3, 5, and 9 wt.%) Co-SnO2 NPs. The 7% Co-SnO2 NPs were then homogenized with different amounts (10, 30, 50, and 70 weight %) of sulfur-doped graphitic carbon nitride (SGCN) to develop Co-SnO2/SGCN heterostructures with the most significant degree of MB degradation. The synthesized samples were identified by modern characterization methods such as FT-IR, SEM, EDX, UV-visible, and XRD spectroscopies. The Co-SnO2/50% SGCN composites showed a significant increase in MB degradation and degraded 96% of MB after 150 min of sunlight irradiation. Both gram-negative (E. coli) and gram-positive (B. subtiles) bacterial strains were subjected to antibacterial activity. All samples were shown to have vigorous antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, but the Co-SnO2/50% SGCN composites exhibited the maximum bactericidal action. Thus, the proposed NC is an efficient organic/inorganic photocatalyst that is recyclable and stable without lowering efficiency. Hence, Co-SnO2/50% SGCNNC has the potential to be employed in water treatment as a dual-functional material that simultaneously removes organic pollutants and eradicates bacteria

Accelerated Decoloration of Organic Dyes from Wastewater Using Ternary Metal/g-C3N4/ZnO Nanocomposites: An Investigation of Impact of g-C3N4 Concentration and Ni and Mn Doping

Wastewater from many sectors that contains hazardous organic pollutants exacerbates environmental contamination. Consequently, outstanding photocatalytic substances that can successfully degrade hazardous substances are needed to provide pollution-free water. From this perspective, zinc oxide/g-C3N4-based composites are desirable due to their low cost, strong reactivity, and environmental friendliness. So, in the current investigation, sequences of Mn/g-C3N4/ZnO (Mn/GZ) and Ni/g-C3N4/ZnO (Ni/GZ) nanocomposites (NCs) containing different concentrations (wt.%) of g-C3N4 were made via the co-precipitation process. The chemical makeup and morphological characteristics of the produced composites were ascertained via the techniques of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL), and UV spectrophotometry. Methyl orange (MO) and Eriochrome Black T (EBT) dyes were used as target pollutants to assess the composite materials’ photocatalytic effectiveness. Compared to g-C3N4/ZnO and g-C3N4, the produced Mn/GZ and Ni/GZ NCs displayed better photocatalytic activity. The improved photocatalytic efficiency of the Ni/GZ and Mn/GZ NCs might be credited to synergistic interactions at the g-C3N4 and ZnO interface that result in a more efficient separation and conduction of photo-induced charges. Furthermore, the Ni/Mn atoms act as the facilitators to improve electron–hole pair separation and conduction in NCs. The nanocomposites were found to be incredibly stable, with consistently high dye decoloration efficiency over five catalytic cycles. Hence, Ni/GZ and Mn/GZ could potentially be very effective and adaptable photocatalysts for the photocatalytic decoloration of wastewater pollutants

Accelerated Decoloration of Organic Dyes from Wastewater Using Ternary Metal/g-C₃N₄/ZnO Nanocomposites: An Investigation of Impact of g-C₃N₄ Concentration and Ni and Mn Doping

Wastewater from many sectors that contains hazardous organic pollutants exacerbates environmental contamination. Consequently, outstanding photocatalytic substances that can successfully degrade hazardous substances are needed to provide pollution-free water. From this perspective, zinc oxide/g-C3N4-based composites are desirable due to their low cost, strong reactivity, and environmental friendliness. So, in the current investigation, sequences of Mn/g-C3N4/ZnO (Mn/GZ) and Ni/g-C3N4/ZnO (Ni/GZ) nanocomposites (NCs) containing different concentrations (wt.%) of g-C3N4 were made via the co-precipitation process. The chemical makeup and morphological characteristics of the produced composites were ascertained via the techniques of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL), and UV spectrophotometry. Methyl orange (MO) and Eriochrome Black T (EBT) dyes were used as target pollutants to assess the composite materials’ photocatalytic effectiveness. Compared to g-C3N4/ZnO and g-C3N4, the produced Mn/GZ and Ni/GZ NCs displayed better photocatalytic activity. The improved photocatalytic efficiency of the Ni/GZ and Mn/GZ NCs might be credited to synergistic interactions at the g-C3N4 and ZnO interface that result in a more efficient separation and conduction of photo-induced charges. Furthermore, the Ni/Mn atoms act as the facilitators to improve electron–hole pair separation and conduction in NCs. The nanocomposites were found to be incredibly stable, with consistently high dye decoloration efficiency over five catalytic cycles. Hence, Ni/GZ and Mn/GZ could potentially be very effective and adaptable photocatalysts for the photocatalytic decoloration of wastewater pollutants

Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke

Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease