Design and Implementation of Welding Mobile Robot Using a Proposed Control Scheme Based On Its Developed Dynamic Modeling for Tracking Desired Welding Trajectory

This paper presents a proposed control scheme that makes the combination of a kinematic controller (KC) and an integral sliding mode controller (ISMC) for a welding mobile robot (WMR) to track a desired welding path. First, a posture tracking error vector is defined and a kinematic controller is designed based on kinematic modeling to make the tracking error vector go to zero asymptotically. Second, a sliding surface vector is defined based on the velocity tracking error vector and its integral term. And then, an integral sliding mode dynamic controller is designed based on developed dynamic modeling to make velocity tracking error vector also go to zero asymptotically. The above controllers are obtained by backstepping method. The stability of system is proved based on the Lyapunov stability theory. To implement the designed tracking controller, a control system is developed based on DSP F28355 and ATmega328. A scheme for measuring the posture tracking error vector using torch sensor is presented. The simulation and experiment results are shown to illustrate effectiveness and the applicability to the welding industry field of the proposed controller

Postharvest loss in the supply chain for vegetables – The case of chili and tomato in Viet Nam

AVRDC Publication 06-685Christian Genova II, Katinka Weinberger, Hoang Bang An, Dang Dinh Dam, Nguyen Thi Tan Loc, Le Nhu Thinh, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thu

Swin Transformer-Based Dynamic Semantic Communication for Multi-User with Different Computing Capacity

Semantic communication has gained significant attention from researchers as a promising technique to replace conventional communication in the next generation of communication systems, primarily due to its ability to reduce communication costs. However, little literature has studied its effectiveness in multi-user scenarios, particularly when there are variations in the model architectures used by users and their computing capacities. To address this issue, we explore a semantic communication system that caters to multiple users with different model architectures by using a multi-purpose transmitter at the base station (BS). Specifically, the BS in the proposed framework employs semantic and channel encoders to encode the image for transmission, while the receiver utilizes its local channel and semantic decoder to reconstruct the original image. Our joint source-channel encoder at the BS can effectively extract and compress semantic features for specific users by considering the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and computing capacity of the user. Based on the network status, the joint source-channel encoder at the BS can adaptively adjust the length of the transmitted signal. A longer signal ensures more information for high-quality image reconstruction for the user, while a shorter signal helps avoid network congestion. In addition, we propose a hybrid loss function for training, which enhances the perceptual details of reconstructed images. Finally, we conduct a series of extensive evaluations and ablation studies to validate the effectiveness of the proposed system.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure

Therapeutic exploitation of IPSE, a urogenital parasite-derived host modulatory protein, for chemotherapy-induced hemorrhagic cystitis

Chemotherapy-induced hemorrhagic cystitis (CHC) can be difficult to manage. Prior work suggests IL-4 alleviates ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis (IHC), but systemically administered IL-4 causes significant side effects. We hypothesized that the Schistosoma haematobium homolog of Interleukin-4-inducing principle from Schistosoma mansoni Eggs (H-IPSE), would reduce IHC and associated bladder pathology. IPSE binds IgE on basophils and mast cells, triggering IL-4 secretion by these cells. IPSE is also an “infiltrin”, translocating into the host nucleus to modulate gene transcription. Mice were administered IL-4, H-IPSE protein or its nuclear localization sequence (NLS) mutant with or without neutralizing anti-IL-4 antibody, or MESNA, followed by ifosfamide. Bladder tissue damage and hemoglobin content were measured. Spontaneous and evoked pain, urinary frequency and gene expression were assessed. Pain behaviors were interpreted in a blinded fashion. One dose of H-IPSE was superior to MESNA and IL-4 in suppressing bladder hemorrhage in an IL-4-and NLS-dependent fashion, and comparable to MESNA in dampening ifosfamide-triggered pain behaviors in an NLS-dependent manner. H-IPSE also accelerated urothelial repair following IHC. Our work represents the first therapeutic exploitation of a uropathogen-derived host modulatory molecule in a clinically relevant bladder disease model, and indicates that IPSE may be an alternative to MESNA for mitigating CHC

Intensified Antituberculosis Therapy in Adults with Tuberculous Meningitis

BACKGROUND Tuberculous meningitis is often lethal. Early antituberculosis treatment and adjunctive treatment with glucocorticoids improve survival, but nearly one third of patients with the condition still die. We hypothesized that intensified antituberculosis treatment would enhance the killing of intracerebral Mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms and decrease the rate of death among patients. METHODS We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults and HIV-uninfected adults with a clinical diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis who were admitted to one of two Vietnamese hospitals. We compared a standard, 9-month antituberculosis regimen (which included 10 mg of rifampin per kilogram of body weight per day) with an intensified regimen that included higher-dose rifampin (15 mg per kilogram per day) and levofloxacin (20 mg per kilogram per day) for the first 8 weeks of treatment. The primary outcome was death by 9 months after randomization. RESULTS A total of 817 patients (349 of whom were HIV-infected) were enrolled; 409 were randomly assigned to receive the standard regimen, and 408 were assigned to receive intensified treatment. During the 9 months of follow-up, 113 patients in the intensified-treatment group and 114 patients in the standard-treatment group died (hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.73 to 1.22; P=0.66). There was no evidence of a significant differential effect of intensified treatment in the overall population or in any of the subgroups, with the possible exception of patients infected with isoniazid-resistant M. tuberculosis. There were also no significant differences in secondary outcomes between the treatment groups. The overall number of adverse events leading to treatment interruption did not differ significantly between the treatment groups (64 events in the standard-treatment group and 95 events in the intensified-treatment group, P=0.08). CONCLUSIONS Intensified antituberculosis treatment was not associated with a higher rate of survival among patients with tuberculous meningitis than standard treatment. (Funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Li Ka Shing Foundation; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN61649292.)

Efficacy of a broad host range lytic bacteriophage against E. coli adhered to urothelium

Persistent urinary tract infections (UTI) are often caused by E. coli adhered to urothelium. This type of cells is generally recognized as very tolerant to antibiotics which renders difficult the treatment of chronic UTI. This work investigates the use of lytic bacteriophages as alternative antimicrobial agents, particularly the interaction of phages with E. coli adhered to urothelium and specifically determines their efficiency against this type of cells. The bacterial adhesion to urothelium was performed varying the bacterial cell concentrations and the period and conditions (static, shaken) of adhesion. Three collection bacteriophages (T1, T4 and phiX174 like phages) were tested against clinical E. coli isolates and only one was selected for further infection experiments. Based on the lytic spectrum against clinical isolates and its ability to infect the highest number of antibiotic resistant strains, the T1-like bacteriophage was selected. This bacteriophage caused nearly a 45 % reduction of the bacterial population after 2 h of treatment. This study provides evidence that bacteriophages are effective in controlling suspended and adhered cells and therefore can be a viable alternative to antibiotics to control urothelium adhered bacteria

Effectiveness of cervical pessary compared to cervical cerclage with or without vaginal progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth in women with twin pregnancies and a short cervix : Study protocol for a two-by-two factorial randomised clinical trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD