INTEROPERABLE MODEL FOR BIORESOURCE DISTRIBUTED DATABASES

Recently, numerous frameworks and tools are being developed for enhancing access to data and services with a standardized view to communicate the advances in open information sharing. Another emerging field of data exploration is encountered in the coordination, examination and perception of bioresource data and are prompting corresponding new innovations. The bioresource information team aims to develop standards for nationwide data exchange by the establishment of a catalog service to locate and access biological data and information from across the country and information tool for decision makers. With the growth of open data sharing initiatives, the sharing of data among different and myriad sources has increased significantly, but major challenge lies in addressing the issues of interoperability during exchange and use since the data sources are heterogeneous and the data being organization specific is prepared with different (organization) specific data standards and platforms. This paper presents the model based on the study of different metadata standards and to develop a recommended standard for biodiversity information to support interoperability among heterogeneous databases under the umbrella of Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN) portal. The paper presents the mapping of different data standards into the IBIN standard for sharing species data in the form of distributed and interoperable web services to set the stage for interoperability

CNx-modified Fe3O4 as Pt nanoparticle support for the oxygen reduction reaction

A novel electrocatalyst support material, nitrogendoped carbon (CNx)-modified Fe3O4 (Fe3O4-CNx), was synthesized through carbonizing a polypyrrole-Fe3O4 hybridized precursor. Subsequently, Fe3O4-CNx-supported Pt (Pt/Fe3O4-CNx) nanocomposites were prepared by reducing Pt precursor in ethylene glycol solution and evaluated for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The Pt/Fe3O4-CNx catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrocatalytic activity and stability of the as-prepared electrocatalysts toward ORR were studied by cyclic voltammetry and steady-state polarization measurements. The results showed that Pt/ Fe3O4-CNx catalysts exhibited superior catalytic performance for ORR to the conventional Pt/C and Pt/C-CNx catalysts.Web of Scienc

Role and task allocation framework for Multi-Robot Collaboration with latent knowledge estimation

In this work a novel framework for modeling role and task allocation in Cooperative Heterogeneous Multi-Robot Systems (CHMRSs) is presented. This framework encodes a CHMRS as a set of multidimensional relational structures (MDRSs). This set of structure defines collaborative tasks through both temporal and spatial relations between processes of heterogeneous robots. These relations are enriched with tensors which allow for geometrical reasoning about collaborative tasks. A learning schema is also proposed in order to derive the components of each MDRS. According to this schema, the components are learnt from data reporting the situated history of the processes executed by the team of robots. Data are organized as a multirobot collaboration treebank (MRCT) in order to support learning. Moreover, a generative approach, based on a probabilistic model, is combined together with nonnegative tensor decomposition (NTD) for both building the tensors and estimating latent knowledge. Preliminary evaluation of the performance of this framework is performed in simulation with three heterogeneous robots, namely, two Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and one Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Case report: bilateral tunneled epidural catheters to prevent unilateral analgesia for cancer-related pain

Raj B Padalia,1 Corey J Reeves,2 Neal Shah,1 Ankur A Patel,3 Devang M Padalia4 1Pain Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; 2Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; 3Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA; 4Interventional Pain, Moffitt Cancer Center, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA Objective: Unilateral analgesia often occurs with epidural analgesia. Traditional methods of troubleshooting this problem can be insufficient in obtaining adequate pain relief in a timely manner for terminal cancer patients. This case report demonstrates a safe and effective solution which can be utilized in these circumstances.Case report: A 55-year-old female with stage IV pancreatic cancer and life expectancy of a few weeks presented to the interventional pain clinic with intractable sacral pain. The decision to place an epidural catheter and external pump for analgesia was made. An epidural catheter placed at the L5-S1 level showed contrast spread only along the right nerve roots and a test dose produced only right-sided analgesia. Suspecting compartmentalization of the epidural space, a second left-sided epidural catheter was placed and bilateral analgesia was achieved by using both catheters. This dual catheter technique gave the patient effective bilateral analgesia until she passed away several weeks later. Conclusion: The bilateral epidural catheter technique is safe and effective in patients who present with persistent unilateral epidural analgesia despite exhausting traditional solutions. Keywords: pain management, palliative care, cancer, regional technique

Coupling Earth observation and eddy covariance data in light-use efficiency based model for estimation of forest productivity

The light use efficiency (LUE) approach is a well-established method for estimating gross primary productivity (GPP) over large areas using Earth observation data. The present study aims to determine maximum light use efficiency (LUEmax) values specific to the northwest Himalayan foothills of India. It also aims to estimate the spatio-temporal variability of GPP from 2001 to 2020 using remote sensing data in combination with eddy covariance data in the LUE-based model. The model was parameterized using different sets of default and calculated parameters. The study showed that the use of PFT-specific LUEmax and temperatures increased the accuracy of the model predictions. On validation, the LUE-based model predicted GPP showed R2 = 0.82 for moist deciduous and R2 = 0.83 for dry deciduous PFTs. The study revealed that with rigorous model parameterization, RS data can be used in an LUE-based model to achieve accurate spatio-temporal estimates of GPP

Spatio-temporal variability of gross primary productivity in moist and dry deciduous plant functional types of Northwest Himalayan foothills of India using temperature-greenness model

The present study aims to estimate the spatio-temporal variability of gross primary productivity (GPP) in moist and dry deciduous plant functional types (PFTs) of northwest Himalayan foothills of India using remote sensing-based Temperature-Greenness (TG) model and to study the response of GPP to environmental variables. TG model was implemented in Google Earth Engine platform using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer enhanced vegetation index (MOD13A2) and land surface temperature (MOD11A2) from 2001 to 2018. The mean monthly GPP ranged from 1.80 to 18.57 gCm−2day−1 in moist deciduous and from 0.20 to 12.06 gCm−2day−1 in dry deciduous PFTs. On site-scale validation with eddy covariance flux tower GPP, the modelled GPP showed R2=0.79 for moist deciduous and R2=0.77 for dry deciduous PFT. Leaf area index showed the highest correlation with the predicted GPP (r = 0.74 for moist and 0.83 for dry deciduous PFTs). The study revealed that TG model could predict the long-term forest GPP with minimum in-situ inputs

Valence-fluctuation behavior of yb ions in ybcuga

The compound YbCuGa has been synthesized and is found to crystallize in the orthorhombic CeCu2-type structure. Its magnetic susceptibility has been measured between 4.2 and 300 K and shows a broad maximum at about 190 K. This maximum is a characteristic feature of the mixed-valent Ce- and Yb-based compounds. The temperature-dependent resistivity exhibits an S-type behavior. The thermoelectric power is negative between 20 and 300 K and also shows a broad minimum at about 190 K. L3 x-ray-absorption near-edge-structure (XANES) measurements show the two-peak pattern that corresponds to two different valence states of Yb. Thus, magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, thermoelectric power, and Lβ XANES measurements all point to the mixed-valence nature of Yb ions in YbCuGa