An Empirical Analysis of cluster-based routing protocols in wireless sensor network

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are utilized for condition monitoring, developing the board, following animals or goods, social protection, transportation, and house frameworks. WSNs are revolutionizing research. A WSN includes a large number of sensor nodes, or bits, in the application. Bits outfitted with the application\u27s sensors acquire nature data and send it to at least one sink center (in like manner called base stations). This article simulates energy-efficient network initialization strategies using simulation models. First, an overview of network initiation and exploration procedures in wireless ad-hoc networks is provided. The clustering-based routing strategy was selected since it\u27s best for ad-hoc sensor networks. The clustering-based routing techniques used for this study are described below. LEACH, SEP, and Z-SEP are used. MATLAB was used to implement and simulate all routing protocols. All protocols were simulated with various parameters like Number of CHs, Number of Alive Nodes, Number of Dead Nodes, Number of packets to BS, and circumstances to show their functioning and to determine their behavior in different sensor networks

Agronav: Autonomous Navigation Framework for Agricultural Robots and Vehicles using Semantic Segmentation and Semantic Line Detection

The successful implementation of vision-based navigation in agricultural fields hinges upon two critical components: 1) the accurate identification of key components within the scene, and 2) the identification of lanes through the detection of boundary lines that separate the crops from the traversable ground. We propose Agronav, an end-to-end vision-based autonomous navigation framework, which outputs the centerline from the input image by sequentially processing it through semantic segmentation and semantic line detection models. We also present Agroscapes, a pixel-level annotated dataset collected across six different crops, captured from varying heights and angles. This ensures that the framework trained on Agroscapes is generalizable across both ground and aerial robotic platforms. Codes, models and dataset will be released at \href{https://github.com/shivamkumarpanda/agronav}{github.com/shivamkumarpanda/agronav}

A Geometric Model for the Coiling of an Elastic Rod Deployed Onto a Moving Substrate

We report results from a systematic numerical investigation of the nonlinear patterns that emerge when a slender elastic rod is deployed onto a moving substrate; a system also known as the elastic sewing machine (ESM). The discrete elastic rods (DER) method is employed to quantitatively characterize the coiling patterns, and a comprehensive classification scheme is introduced based on their Fourier spectrum. Our analysis yields physical insight on both the length scales excited by the ESM, as well as the morphology of the patterns. The coiling process is then rationalized using a reduced geometric model (GM) for the evolution of the position and orientation of the contact point between the rod and the belt, as well as the curvature of the rod near contact. This geometric description reproduces almost all of the coiling patterns of the ESM and allows us to establish a unifying bridge between our elastic problem and the analogous patterns obtained when depositing a viscous thread onto a moving surface; a well-known system known as the fluid-mechanical sewing machine (FMSM).National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CMMI-1129894

microRNAs Orchestrate Pathophysiology of Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis: Advances in Therapy

Brain metastasis (BM) predominantly occurs in triple-negative (TN) and epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC) patients, and currently, there is an unmet need for the treatment of these patients. BM is a complex process that is regulated by the formation of a metastatic niche. A better understanding of the brain metastatic processes and the crosstalk between cancer cells and brain microenvironment is essential for designing a novel therapeutic approach. In this context, the aberrant expression of miRNA has been shown to be associated with BM. These non-coding RNAs/miRNAs regulate metastasis through modulating the formation of a metastatic niche and metabolic reprogramming via regulation of their target genes. However, the role of miRNA in breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) is poorly explored. Thus, identification and understanding of miRNAs in the pathobiology of BCBM may identify a novel candidate miRNA for the early diagnosis and prevention of this devastating process. In this review, we focus on understanding the role of candidate miRNAs in the regulation of BC brain metastatic processes as well as designing novel miRNA-based therapeutic strategies for BCBM

Propulsion and Instability of a Flexible Helical Rod Rotating in a Viscous Fluid

We combine experiments with simulations to investigate the fluid-structure interaction of a flexible helical rod rotating in a viscous fluid, under low Reynolds number conditions. Our analysis takes into account the coupling between the geometrically nonlinear behavior of the elastic rod with a nonlocal hydrodynamic model for the fluid loading. We quantify the resulting propulsive force, as well as the buckling instability of the originally helical filament that occurs above a critical rotation velocity. A scaling analysis is performed to rationalize the onset of this instability. A universal phase diagram is constructed to map out the region of successful propulsion and the corresponding boundary of stability is established. Comparing our results with data for flagellated bacteria suggests that this instability may be exploited in nature for physiological purposes.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CMMI-1129894

Sediment Quality in Puget Sound Year 3 - Southern Puget Sound

As a component of a three-year cooperative effort of the Washington State Department of Ecology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, surficial sediment samples from 100 locations in southern Puget Sound were collected in 1999 to determine their relative quality based on measures of toxicity, chemical contamination, and benthic infaunal assemblage structure. The survey encompassed an area of approximately 858 km2, ranging from East and Colvos Passages south to Oakland Bay, and including Hood Canal. Toxic responses were most severe in some of the industrialized waterways of Tacoma’s Commencement Bay. Other industrialized harbors in which sediments induced toxic responses on smaller scales included the Port of Olympia, Oakland Bay at Shelton, Gig Harbor, Port Ludlow, and Port Gamble. Based on the methods selected for this survey, the spatial extent of toxicity for the southern Puget Sound survey area was 0% of the total survey area for amphipod survival, 5.7% for urchin fertilization, 0.2% for microbial bioluminescence, and 5- 38% with the cytochrome P450 HRGS assay. Measurements of trace metals, PAHs, PCBs, chlorinated pesticides, other organic chemicals, and other characteristics of the sediments, indicated that 20 of the 100 samples collected had one or more chemical concentrations that exceeded applicable, effects-based sediment guidelines and/or Washington State standards. Chemical contamination was highest in eight samples collected in or near the industrialized waterways of Commencement Bay. Samples from the Thea Foss and Middle Waterways were primarily contaminated with a mixture of PAHs and trace metals, whereas those from Hylebos Waterway were contaminated with chlorinated organic hydrocarbons. The remaining 12 samples with elevated chemical concentrations primarily had high levels of other chemicals, including bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, benzoic acid, benzyl alcohol, and phenol. The characteristics of benthic infaunal assemblages in south Puget Sound differed considerably among locations and habitat types throughout the study area. In general, many of the small embayments and inlets throughout the study area had infaunal assemblages with relatively low total abundance, taxa richness, evenness, and dominance values, although total abundance values were very high in some cases, typically due to high abundance of one organism such as the polychaete Aphelochaeta sp. N1. The majority of the samples collected from passages, outer embayments, and larger bodies of water tended to have infaunal assemblages with higher total abundance, taxa richness, evenness, and dominance values. Two samples collected in the Port of Olympia near a superfund cleanup site had no living organisms in them. A weight-of-evidence approach used to simultaneously examine all three “sediment quality triad” parameters, identified 11 stations (representing 4.4 km2, 0.5% of the total study area) with sediment toxicity, chemical contamination, and altered benthos (i.e., degraded sediment quality), 36 stations (493.5 km2, 57.5% total study area) with no toxicity or chemical contamination (i.e., high sediment quality), 35 stations (274.1 km2, 32.0% total study area) with one impaired sediment triad parameter (i.e., intermediate/high sediment quality), and 18 stations (85.7km2, 10.0% total study area) with two impaired sediment parameters (i.e., intermediate/degraded quality sediments). Generally, upon comparison, the number of stations with degraded sediments based upon the sediment quality triad of data was slightly greater in the central Puget Sound than in the northern and southern Puget Sound study areas, with the percent of the total study area degraded in each region decreasing from central to north to south (2.8, 1.3 and 0.5%, respectively). Overall, the sediments collected in Puget Sound during the combined 1997-1999 surveys were among the least contaminated relative to other marine bays and estuaries studied by NOAA using equivalent methods. (PDF contains 351 pages

Evaluation of FOXM1 inhibitor (FDI-6) as a potential therapeutic molecule for small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths accounting for about 22% of all cancer related cases in both males and females. Lung cancers are broadly grouped into two types mainly small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with SCLC accounting for about 15% of all lung cancer cases. SCLC is different from NSCLC because in most cases it originates centrally in the bronchi and is frequently seen in smokers. SCLC is aggressive and one of the most malignant forms of tumor characterized by uncontrolled rapid growth of certain cells in the lungs. SCLC displays poor prognosis because of early-stage metastasis, acquisition of chemoresistance, and has a high rate of recurrence. One of major drivers of chemoresistance is the transcription factor Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) that is responsible for modulating cell cycle proliferation, maintenance of genomic stability, DNA damage response, and cell differentiation in numerous tumor entities. In order to explore properties of SCLC cancer cell lines, human non-bone metastatic SBC3, bone metastatic SBC5, H1688, and murine (RPM) cells were treated with a FOXM1 inhibitor known as FDI-6. As a transcription factor FOXMI binds sequence-specific motifs on DNA through its DNA-binding domain activating proliferation and differentiation-associated genes. Anomalous overexpression of FOXMI is a crucial characteristic in oncogenesis and the development of SCLC. FDI-6 is a novel small molecule inhibitor of FOXM1, and it works by binding directly to FOXM1 protein, to displace FOXM1 from genomic targets in SCLC cells prompting concomitant translational downregulation. Functional assays performed confirm that FDI-6 is a viable FOXMI inhibitor showing therapeutic efficacies in SCLC.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2021/1044/thumbnail.jp

Survey of sediment quality in Sabine Lake, Texas and vicinity

The toxicity of sediments in Sabine Lake, Texas, and adjoining Intracoastal Waterway canals was determined as part of bioeffects assessment studies managed by NOAA’s National Status and Trends Program. The objectives of the survey were to determine: (1) the incidence and degree of toxicity of sediments throughout the study area; (2) the spatial patterns (or gradients) in chemical contamination and toxicity, if any, throughout the study area; (3) the spatial extent of chemical contamination and toxicity; and (4) the statistical relationships between measures of toxicity and concentrations of chemicals in the sediments. Surficial sediment samples were collected during August, 1995 from 66 randomly-chosen locations. Laboratory toxicity tests were performed as indicators of potential ecotoxicological effects in sediments. A battery of tests was performed to generate information from different phases (components) of the sediments. Tests were selected to represent a range in toxicological endpoints from acute to chronic sublethal responses. Toxicological tests were conducted to measure: reduced survival of adult amphipods exposed to solid-phase sediments; impaired fertilization success and abnormal morphological development in gametes and embryos, respectively, of sea urchins exposed to pore waters; reduced metabolic activity of a marine bioluminescent bacteria exposed to organic solvent extracts; and induction of a cytochrome P-450 reporter gene system in exposures to solvent extracts of the sediments. Chemical analyses were performed on portions of each sample to quantify the concentrations of trace metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and chlorinated organic compounds. Correlation analyses were conducted to determine the relationships between measures of toxicity and concentrations of potentially toxic substances in the samples. Based upon the compilation of results from chemical analyses and toxicity tests, the quality of sediments in Sabine Lake and vicinity did not appear to be severely degraded. Chemical concentrations rarely exceeded effects-based numerical guidelines, suggesting that toxicant-induced effects would not be expected in most areas. None of the samples was highly toxic in acute amphipod survival tests and a minority (23%) of samples were highly toxic in sublethal urchin fertilization tests. Although toxic responses occurred frequently (94% of samples) in urchin embryo development tests performed with 100% pore waters, toxicity diminished markedly in tests done with diluted pore waters. Microbial bioluminescent activity was not reduced to a great degree (no EC50 <0.06 mg/ml) and cytochrome P-450 activity was not highly induced (6 samples exceeded 37.1 ug/g benzo[a]pyrene equivalents) in tests done with organic solvent extracts. Urchin embryological development was highly correlated with concentrations of ammonia and many trace metals. Cytochrome P450 induction was highly correlated with concentrations of a number of classes of organic compounds (including the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated compounds). (PDF contains 51 pages

Quantitative shadow compensated optical coherence tomography of choroidal vasculature

Conventionally rendered optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the posterior segment contain shadows which influence the visualization of deep structures such as the choroid. The purpose of this study was to determine whether OCT shadow compensation (SC) alters the appearance of the choroid and the apparent choroidal vascularity index (CVI), an OCT-derived estimated ratio of luminal to total choroidal volume. All scans were shadow compensated using a previously published algorithm, binarized using a novel validated algorithm and extracted binarized choroid to estimate CVI. On 27 raw swept-source OCT volume-scans of healthy subjects, the effect of SC on CVI was established both qualitatively and quantitatively. In shadow compensated scans, the choroid was visualized with greater brightness than the neurosensory retina and the masking of deep tissues by retinal blood vessels was greatly reduced. Among study subjects, significant mean difference in CVI of -0.13 was observed between raw and shadow compensated scans. Conventionally acquired OCT underestimates both choroidal reflectivity and calculated CVI. Quantitative analysis based on subjective grading demonstrated that SC increased the contrast between stromal and luminal regions and are in agreement with true tissue regions. This study is warranted to determine the effects of SC on CVI in diseased eyes