LIO-GVM: an Accurate, Tightly-Coupled Lidar-Inertial Odometry with Gaussian Voxel Map

This letter presents an accurate and robust Lidar Inertial Odometry framework. We fuse LiDAR scans with IMU data using a tightly-coupled iterative error state Kalman filter for robust and fast localization. To achieve robust correspondence matching, we represent the points as a set of Gaussian distributions and evaluate the divergence in variance for outlier rejection. Based on the fitted distributions, a new residual metric is proposed for the filter-based Lidar inertial odometry, which demonstrates an improvement from merely quantifying distance to incorporating variance disparity, further enriching the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the residual metric. Due to the strategic design of the residual metric, we propose a simple yet effective voxel-solely mapping scheme, which only necessities the maintenance of one centroid and one covariance matrix for each voxel. Experiments on different datasets demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of our framework for various data inputs and environments. To the benefit of the robotics society, we open source the code at https://github.com/Ji1Xingyu/lio_gvm

Kangxianling decoction prevents renal fibrosis in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy and inhibits Ang II-induced ECM production in glomerular mesangial cells

Renal fibrosis is a common pathological change in all stages of kidney disease. Kangxianling decoction was widely used in patients with chronic kidney disease, which could improve symptoms such as poor appetite, edema, and fatigue. However, its effect on renal fibrosis remains to be studied. In this study, we investigated its effects on renal fibrosis in a rat model of 5/6 Nephrectomy (5/6 N) in vivo and in angiotensin II (Ang II)-treated rat glomerular mesangial cells (HBZY-1) in vitro. Our data showed that 5/6 N induced renal fibrosis and combined with the activation of JNK signaling, the upregulation of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), collagen I (Col-I) and fibronectin (FN). The administration of kangxianling decoction inhibited the activation of JNK signaling and attenuated the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in damaged kidneys. In HBZY-1 cells, Ang II increased the protein expression of Col-I and FN. It also activates JNK signaling and TGF-β in a time-dependent manner. Treatment of the HBZY-1 cells with kangxianling decoction blocked Ang II-induced JNK activation and ECM overproduction. Our results indicated that Kangxianling Decoction could reduce renal fibrosis, accompanied by inhibiting the production of ECM proteins and JNK, along with downregulation of TGF-β, Ang II. Keywords: Kangxianling decoction, Renal fibrosis, Angiotensin II, ECM, Transforming growth factor-

Design and analysis of welding inspection robot

Abstract Periodic inspection, commonly performed by a technician, of weld seam quality is important for assessing equipment reliability. To save labor costs and improve efficiency, an autonomous navigation and inspection robot is developed. The development process involves the design of chassis damping, target detection mechanism, control system, and algorithms. For performing weld inspection in complex, outdoor, environments, an algorithm is developed for the robot to avoid any obstacles. This algorithm for planning the inspection route is based on an improved timed-elastic-band (TEB) algorithm. The developed robot is capable of conducting inspection tasks in complex and dangerous environments efficiently and autonomously

Relationship among Electrical Signals, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Root Vitality of Strawberry Seedlings under Drought Stress

Drought area expansion has a great impact on the growth and development of plants. To contribute to the water management of strawberry, this work aims to study the chronological relationship between the electrical signals and representative physiological parameters of strawberry seedlings under drought stress. This study analyzed the characteristic variables of the electrical signals; physiological parameters under drought; and control treatments. Moreover, we compared the chronological sequence of the appearance of significant differences between drought and control treatment in terms of their physiological parameters and electrical signals. The results showed that with the increase of drought treatment, the time domain parameters (peak-to-peak value, standard deviation) and frequency domain parameters (spectral of central gravity, power spectrum entropy) of the drought-treated electrical signals showed significant differences from the control on Day 2 and Day 6, respectively (p < 0.05). The root vitality of the drought treatment was significantly different from the control on Day 4 (p < 0.05); the Fv/Fm and the SPAD were significantly different (p < 0.05) on Day 7. Electrical signals first start to show a significant difference between drought and control treatment, followed by physiological parameters. Therefore, the electrical signal can be used as an early indicator of drought stress conditions. This will provide a scientific basis for the actual water management of strawberry seedlings. It also provides a methodological and theoretical basis for other studies analyzing the relationship between plant physiological parameters and electrical signals under other stress conditions.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Bacterial Ghosts-Based Vaccine and Drug Delivery Systems

Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are empty bacterial envelopes of Gram-negative bacteria produced by controlled expressions of cloned gene E, forming a lysis tunnel structure within the envelope of the living bacteria. Globally, BGs have been used as vaccine delivery systems and vaccine adjuvants. There is an increasing interest in the development of novel delivery systems that are based on BGs for biomedical applications. Due to intact reservation of bacterial cell membranes, BGs have an inherent immunogenicity, which enables targeted drug delivery and controlled release. As carrier vehicles, BGs protect drugs from interference by external factors. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in BG-based delivery systems against tumors, inflammation, and infection, among others. Herein, we reviewed the preparation methods for BGs, interactions between BGs and the host, and further highlighted research progress in BG development

Toxic Mechanism and Biological Detoxification of Fumonisins

Food safety is related to the national economy and people&rsquo;s livelihood. Fumonisins are widely found in animal feed, feed raw materials, and human food. This can not only cause economic losses in animal husbandry but can also have carcinogenicity or teratogenicity and can be left in animal meat, eggs, and milk which may enter the human body and pose a serious threat to human health. Although there are many strategies to prevent fumonisins from entering the food chain, the traditional physical and chemical methods of mycotoxin removal have some disadvantages, such as an unstable effect, large nutrient loss, impact on the palatability of feed, and difficulty in mass production. As a safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly detoxification technology, biological detoxification attracts more and more attention from researchers and is gradually becoming an accepted technique. This work summarizes the toxic mechanism of fumonisins and highlights the advances of fumonisins in the detoxification of biological antioxidants, antagonistic microorganisms, and degradation mechanisms. Finally, the future challenges and focus of the biological control and degradation of fumonisins are discussed

Konjac Glucomannan: An Emerging Specialty Medical Food to Aid in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

There are many factors causing T2DM; thus, it is difficult to prevent and cure it with conventional treatment. In order to realize the continuous intervention of T2DM, the treatment strategy of combining diet therapy and traditional medication came into being. As a natural product with the concept of being healthy, konjac flour and its derivatives are popular with the public. Its main component, Konjac glucomannan (KGM), can not only be applied as a food additive, which greatly improves the taste and flavor of food and extends the shelf life of food but also occupies an important role in T2DM. KGM can extend gastric emptying time, increase satiety, and promote liver glycogen synthesis, and also has the potential to improve intestinal flora and the metabolic system through a variety of molecular pathways in order to positively regulate oxidative stress and immune inflammation, and protect the liver and kidneys. In order to establish the theoretical justification for the adjunctive treatment of T2DM, we have outlined the physicochemical features of KGM in this article, emphasizing the advantages of KGM as a meal for special medical purposes of T2DM