Comparative study of subset selection methods for rapid prototyping of 3D object detection algorithms

Object detection in 3D is a crucial aspect in the context of autonomous vehicles and drones. However, prototyping detection algorithms is time-consuming and costly in terms of energy and environmental impact. To address these challenges, one can check the effectiveness of different models by training on a subset of the original training set. In this paper, we present a comparison of three algorithms for selecting such a subset - random sampling, random per class sampling, and our proposed MONSPeC (Maximum Object Number Sampling per Class). We provide empirical evidence for the superior effectiveness of random per class sampling and MONSPeC over basic random sampling. By replacing random sampling with one of the more efficient algorithms, the results obtained on the subset are more likely to transfer to the results on the entire dataset. The code is available at: https://github.com/vision-agh/monspec.Comment: Accepted for MMAR 2023 (27 th International Conference on Methods and Models in Automation and Robotics

PointPillars Backbone Type Selection For Fast and Accurate LiDAR Object Detection

3D object detection from LiDAR sensor data is an important topic in the context of autonomous cars and drones. In this paper, we present the results of experiments on the impact of backbone selection of a deep convolutional neural network on detection accuracy and computation speed. We chose the PointPillars network, which is characterised by a simple architecture, high speed, and modularity that allows for easy expansion. During the experiments, we paid particular attention to the change in detection efficiency (measured by the mAP metric) and the total number of multiply-addition operations needed to process one point cloud. We tested 10 different convolutional neural network architectures that are widely used in image-based detection problems. For a backbone like MobilenetV1, we obtained an almost 4x speedup at the cost of a 1.13% decrease in mAP. On the other hand, for CSPDarknet we got an acceleration of more than 1.5x at an increase in mAP of 0.33%. We have thus demonstrated that it is possible to significantly speed up a 3D object detector in LiDAR point clouds with a small decrease in detection efficiency. This result can be used when PointPillars or similar algorithms are implemented in embedded systems, including SoC FPGAs. The code is available at https://github.com/vision-agh/pointpillars\_backbone.Comment: Accepted for the ICCVG 2022 conferenc

Optimisation of the PointPillars network for 3D object detection in point clouds

In this paper we present our research on the optimisation of a deep neural network for 3D object detection in a point cloud. Techniques like quantisation and pruning available in the Brevitas and PyTorch tools were used. We performed the experiments for the PointPillars network, which offers a reasonable compromise between detection accuracy and calculation complexity. The aim of this work was to propose a variant of the network which we will ultimately implement in an FPGA device. This will allow for real-time LiDAR data processing with low energy consumption. The obtained results indicate that even a significant quantisation from 32-bit floating point to 2-bit integer in the main part of the algorithm, results in 5%-9% decrease of the detection accuracy, while allowing for almost a 16-fold reduction in size of the model.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitted to SPA 2020 conferenc

Czy założenie taśmy podcewkowej jednoczasowo z korekcją zaburzeń statyki dna miednicy zwiększa częstość występowania de novo OAB? – prospektywne badanie obserwacyjne

Objectives: Approximately 20% of women suffer from pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Furthermore, POP and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms often coexist. Midurethral slings and mesh surgeries are both considered to be risk factors for de novo OAB symptoms. The aim of our study was to determine whether simultaneous midurethral sling insertion at the time of pelvic organ prolapse mesh surgery further increases the risk of de novo OAB. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 234 women who underwent surgery in our department between August 2007 and October 2009 (114 patients underwent surgery because of coexisting POP and SUI, and 120 underwent surgery because POP alone). The patients were evaluated at follow-up visits scheduled after 6-8 weeks and after 12 months. All women underwent surgery using the Gynecare Prolift® Pelvic Floor Repair System, whereas in women with additional overt or occult SUI after restoration of the pelvic anatomy, monofilament midurethral slings were simultaneously inserted. The chi-squared test was used to compare the study groups. Results: De novo OAB symptoms were significantly more pronounced among women in the Prolift® only surgery group (23.3%) compared to the Prolift® with IVS04M group (10.5%; p=0.0093). Conclusions: Midurethral sling insertion at the time of pelvic organ prolapse surgery significantly decreases the rate of postoperative de novo OAB symptoms. The lack of anatomical success of the mesh-based reconstructive surgery is a risk factor for the development of de novo OAB symptoms.Cel pracy: Około 20% kobiet uskarża się jednocześnie na zaburzenia statyki dna miednicy i nietrzymanie moczu. Wykazano również, że występowaniu objawów OAB towarzyszą istotne klinicznie zaburzenia statyki. Z drugiej strony zarówno slingi podcewkowe jak też operacje rekonstrukcyjne z użyciem siatek niosą ze sobą ryzyko wystąpienia de novo objawów OAB. Celem naszego badania było ustalenie, czy jednoczasowe zakładanie slingu podcewkowego podczas operacji rekonstrukcyjnej niesie ze sobą podwyższenie ryzyka wystąpienia de novo pooperacyjnych objawów OAB. Materiał i metody: Grupa badana obejmowała 234 pacjentki leczone w klinice pomiędzy sierpniem 2007 a październikiem 2009 (u 114 pacjentek wykonano operację korygującą statykę dna miednicy oraz wysiłkowe nietrzymanie moczu, a u 120 kobiet korygowano jedynie zaburzenia statyki). Pacjentki były oceniane 6-8 tygodni oraz 12 miesięcy po zabiegu. Wszystkie pacjentki operowano z użyciem monofilamentowych siatek polipropylenowych (Gynecare Prolift® Pelvic Floor Repair System), natomiast u pacjentek z objawowym bądź ukrytym nietrzymaniem moczu jednoczasowo zakładano sling podcewkowy. Obie grupy porównano wykorzystując test chi2. Wyniki: De novo objawy OAB wystąpiły częściej u pacjentek, u których korygowano jedynie statykę dna miednicy (23.3%) w porównaniu do pacjentek, u których dodatkowo zakładano sling podcewkowy (10,5%; p=0,0093). Wnioski: Jednoczasowe zakładanie slingu podcewkowego podczas operacji rekonstrukcyjnej dna miednicy nie zwiększa ryzyka wystąpienia pooperacyjnych objawów nadreaktywności mięśnia wypieracza. Jednocześnie niepowodzenie anatomiczne operacji rekonstrukcyjnej jest czynnikiem ryzyka wystąpienia de novo pooperacyjnych objawów OAB

Does a midurethral sling inserted at the time of pelvic organ prolapse mesh surgery increase the rate of de novo OAB? A prospective longitudinal study

Objectives: Approximately 20% of women suffer from pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Furthermore, POP and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms often coexist. Midurethral slings and mesh surgeries are both considered to be risk factors for de novo OAB symptoms. The aim of our study was to determine whether simultaneous midurethral sling insertion at the time of pelvic organ prolapse mesh surgery further increases the risk of de novo OAB. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 234 women who underwent surgery in our department between August 2007 and October 2009 (114 patients underwent surgery because of coexisting POP and SUI, and 120 underwent surgery because POP alone). The patients were evaluated at follow-up visits scheduled after 6-8 weeks and after 12 months. All women underwent surgery using the Gynecare ProliftR Pelvic Floor Repair System, whereas in women with additional overt or occult SUI after restoration of the pelvic anatomy, monofilament midurethral slings were simultaneously inserted. The chi-squared test was used to compare the study groups. Results: De novo OAB symptoms were significantly more pronounced among women in the ProliftR only surgery group (23.3%) compared to the ProliftR with IVS04M group (10.5%; p=0.0093). Conclusions: Midurethral sling insertion at the time of pelvic organ prolapse surgery significantly decreases the rate of postoperative de novo OAB symptoms. The lack of anatomical success of the mesh-based reconstructive surgery is a risk factor for the development of de novo OAB symptoms

Inteligentny rozwój obszarów wiejskich (smart rural development): koncepcja, wymiary, metody

Niniejsza ekspertyza ma charakter wdrożeniowy i została wykonana przez zespół badawczy pod kierunkiem prof. UŁ, dr. hab. Marcin Wójcika z Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego (dyscyplina badawcza: geografia społeczno-ekonomiczna i gospodarka przestrzenna).Inteligentny rozwój obszarów wiejskich (smart rural development) jest stosunkowo nową koncepcją w polityce społecznej, ekonomicznej i przestrzennej Unii Europejskiej. Po 2020 r. koncepcja ta może stać jedną z wiodących w planowaniu działań, które będą wymagały wsparcia finansowego z funduszy europejskich, w tym programów rozwoju wsi i rolnictwa. Ważne jest zatem aby już w chwili obecnej samorządy terytorialne przygotowały się do opracowania dokumentów (strategii rozwoju inteligentnego gminy) lub uzupełnienia już istniejących zapisów (np. w strategii rozwoju gminy) o priorytety, które będą wynikały ze wzrastającego nacisku na tworzenie i wdrażanie różnych innowacji, zwłaszcza technologicznych w płaszczyznach społecznych, ekonomicznych i środowiskowych. Aktywność aktorów rozwoju lokalnego (samorządów, społeczności wiejskich, instytucji wsparcia) ma na celu szybszą modernizację obszarów wiejskich, nie tylko ekonomiczną, ale taką, która będzie budowała coraz bardziej świadome postawy obywatelskie i wspólnotowe. Istota takiego rozwoju opiera się m.in. na modernizacji różnych usług publicznych i usług samorządu dla społeczności lokalnych (zadania gminy) za pomocą technologii cyfrowych, które mają wspomagać szybszy przepływ informacji do mieszkańców wsi, ograniczyć liczbę wyjazdów poza miejsce zamieszkania w celu skorzystania z usług, a w konsekwencji prowadzić do poczucia wzrostu jakości życia.Publikacja zrealizowana w ramach projektu "Inteligentny rozwój obszarów wiejskich (smart rural development): koncepcja, wymiary, metody. Ekspertyza naukowa", współfinansowana jest ze środków Unii Europejskiej w ramach Schematu II Pomocy Technicznej "Krajowa Sieć Obszarów Wiejskich" Programu Rozwoju Obszarów Wiejskich na lata 2014–2020. Instytucja Zarządzająca Programem Rozwoju Obszarów Wiejskich na lata 2014–2020 – Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi

The clinical utility of the continuous performance test and objective measures of activity for diagnosing and monitoring ADHD in children: a systematic review

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is typically diagnosed using clinical observation and subjective informant reports. Once children commence ADHD medication, robust monitoring is required to detect partial or non-responses. The extent to which neuropsychological continuous performance tests (CPTs) and objective measures of activity can clinically aid the assessment and titration process in ADHD is not fully understood. This review describes the current evidence base for the use of CPTs and objectively measured activity to support the diagnostic procedure and medication management for children with ADHD. Four databases (PsycINFO, Medline, Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED) and PsycARTICLES) were systematically searched to understand the current evidence base for: (1) the use of CPTs to aid clinical assessment of ADHD; (2) the use of CPTs to aid medication management; (3) the clinical utility of objective measures of activity in ADHD. Sixty relevant articles were identified. The search revealed six commercially available CPTs that had been reported on for their clinical use. There were mixed findings with regard to the use of CPTs to assess and manage medication, with contrasting evidence on their ability to support clinical decision making. There was a strong evidence base for the use of objective measures of activity to aid ADHD/non-ADHD group differentiation, which appears sensitive to medication effects and would also benefit from further research on their clinical utility. The findings suggest that combining CPTs and an objective measure of activity may be particularly useful as a clinical tool and worthy of further pursuit

Analysis of the Effect of Skew Rolling Parameters on the Surface Roughness of C60 Steel Products Using ML Methods

This paper presents results from experimental and numerical studies of the skew rolling process used to shape axisymmetric products made of C60-grade steel. An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effect of process parameters described by the forming angle α, the skew angle θ, the reduction ratio δ, and the jaw chuck velocity Vu on the surface roughness Ra of the forgings. Stepped forgings made of C60-grade steel were rolled. Based on numerical calculations, a machine learning regression model was developed that uses process parameters to predict the surface roughness of produced parts. The random forest model was found to be the most effective based on the determined metrics (MAE, RMSE, R2). A more detailed analysis of this model was performed using the SHAP library. The application of ML methods will enable optimization of skew rolling through appropriate selection of process parameters affecting improvement in product quality

Numerical Analysis of the Cross-Wedge of a Hollow Rail Axle

The article presents an innovative method of manufacturing hollow rail axles using three combined wedge rolls. The proposed solution was evaluated using numerical simulation. Two cases of forming, differing in the wall thickness of the billet, were analysed. The geometry of the formed axles, distributions of the effective strain, temperature and damage function were presented. Moreover, the changes to the forces and torques acting on each roll were presented

Plastometric tests for plasticine as physical modelling material

This paper presents results of plastometric tests for plasticine, used as material for physical modelling of metal forming processes. The test was conducted by means of compressing by flat dies of cylindrical billets at various temperatures. The aim of the conducted research was comparison of yield stresses and course of material flow curves. Tests were made for plasticine in black and white colour. On the basis of the obtained experimental results, the influence of forming parameters change on flow curves course was determined. Sensitivity of yield stresses change in function of material deformation, caused by forging temperature change within the scope of 0&C ÷ 20&C and differentiation of strain rate for ˙ɛ = 0.563; ˙ɛ = 0.0563; ˙ɛ = 0.0056s−1,was evaluated. Experimental curves obtained in compression test were described by constitutive equations. On the basis of the obtained results the function which most favourably describes flow curves was chosen