A Distributed ADMM Approach to Non-Myopic Path Planning for Multi-Target Tracking

This paper investigates non-myopic path planning of mobile sensors for multi-target tracking. Such problem has posed a high computational complexity issue and/or the necessity of high-level decision making. Existing works tackle these issues by heuristically assigning targets to each sensing agent and solving the split problem for each agent. However, such heuristic methods reduce the target estimation performance in the absence of considering the changes of target state estimation along time. In this work, we detour the task-assignment problem by reformulating the general non-myopic planning problem to a distributed optimization problem with respect to targets. By combining alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) and local trajectory optimization method, we solve the problem and induce consensus (i.e., high-level decisions) automatically among the targets. In addition, we propose a modified receding-horizon control (RHC) scheme and edge-cutting method for efficient real-time operation. The proposed algorithm is validated through simulations in various scenarios.Comment: Copyright 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other work

Evaluation for Damaged Degree of Vegetation by Forest Fire Using LiDAR and Digital Aerial Photograph

The amount of vegetation physically damaged by forest fire can be evaluated using lidar (Light Detection And Ranging) data because the loss of canopy height and width by forest fire can be relevant to the number of points transmitted to the ground through the canopy of the damaged forest. On the other hand, the biological damage of vegetation caused by forest fire can be obtained from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which determines the vegetation vitality. In this study, the degree of physical damage from the lidar data was classified into serious physical damage (SPD) and light physical damage (LPD). The degree of biological damage using NDVI was likewise classified into serious biological damage (SBD) and light biological damage (LBD). Finally, the damaged area was graded into four categories: (a) SPD and SBD, (b) LPD and SBD, (c) SPD and LBD, and (d) LPD and LBD. The accuracy assessment for the area classified into four grades showed an overall accuracy of 0.74, and a kappa value of 0.61 which provides improvement over previous works

Crystal structure of hyperthermophilic esterase EstE1 and the relationship between its dimerization and thermostability properties

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>EstE1 is a hyperthermophilic esterase belonging to the hormone-sensitive lipase family and was originally isolated by functional screening of a metagenomic library constructed from a thermal environmental sample. Dimers and oligomers may have been evolutionally selected in thermophiles because intersubunit interactions can confer thermostability on the proteins. The molecular mechanisms of thermostabilization of this extremely thermostable esterase are not well understood due to the lack of structural information.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we report for the first time the 2.1-Å resolution crystal structure of EstE1. The three-dimensional structure of EstE1 exhibits a classic α/β hydrolase fold with a central parallel-stranded beta sheet surrounded by alpha helices on both sides. The residues Ser154, Asp251, and His281 form the catalytic triad motif commonly found in other α/β hydrolases. EstE1 exists as a dimer that is formed by hydrophobic interactions and salt bridges. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and heat inactivation kinetic analysis of EstE1 mutants, which were generated by structure-based site-directed mutagenesis of amino acid residues participating in EstE1 dimerization, revealed that hydrophobic interactions through Val274 and Phe276 on the β8 strand of each monomer play a major role in the dimerization of EstE1. In contrast, the intermolecular salt bridges contribute less significantly to the dimerization and thermostability of EstE1.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that intermolecular hydrophobic interactions are essential for the hyperthermostability of EstE1. The molecular mechanism that allows EstE1 to endure high temperature will provide guideline for rational design of a thermostable esterase/lipase using the lipolytic enzymes showing structural similarity to EstE1.</p

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) polymorphisms associated with carcass traits of meat in Korean cattle

BACKGROUND: Cold carcass weight (CW) and longissimus muscle area (EMA) are the major quantitative traits in beef cattle. In this study, we found several polymorphisms of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) gene and examined the association of polymorphisms with carcass traits (CW and EMA) in Korean native cattle (Hanwoo). RESULTS: By direct DNA sequencing in 24 unrelated Korean cattle, we identified 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms within the 9 kb full gene region, including the 1.5 kb promoter region. Among them, six polymorphic sites were selected for genotyping in our beef cattle (n = 428) and five marker haplotypes (frequency > 0.1) were identified. Statistical analysis revealed that -4241A>T showed significant associations with CW and EMA. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that polymorphisms in GHRH might be one of the important genetic factors that influence carcass yield in beef cattle. Sequence variation/haplotype information identified in this study would provide valuable information for the production of a commercial line of beef cattle

Footwear Design Crowdsourcing Platform Model For Strengthening Of the Competitiveness Of The Footwear Industry

The volumes of global footwear production and consumption have been steadily increasing. In particular, the income increases of China and Southeast Asian countries have led to the rapid growth of footwear production and consumption in Asia. However, while advanced countries still include footwear business as one of their growth engines, Korea regard it as stagnant or diminishing. However, beyond the category of simple manufacturing, footwear industry involves the integration of highly functional products, parts manufacturing, and marketing business, and includes expertise in the fields of design, materials, and epidemiology. The strengthening of the shoe industry is an important potential driver of the overall economy. The strengthened competiveness of the footwear industry will play an important role in the overall economic growth. Crowdsourcing is an approach that encourages the participation of specific communities or unspecified masses in a company’s production, service, or problem-solving processes to increase efficiency. To this end, this paper suggests the crowdsourcing platform model built through the integration of footwear design and IT for the ultimate enhancement of the competitiveness of the Korean footwear industry. Following this paper, a study about the practical development, application, and active use of such platform needs to be conducted. One limitation of this study is that the platform is yet to be developed or applied. Future research should focus on developing an actual platform and further studies in its application and vitalization

Genetic diversity and divergence among Korean cattle breeds assessed using a BovineHD single-nucleotide polymorphism chip

Objective In Korea, there are three main cattle breeds, which are distinguished by coat color: Brown Hanwoo (BH), Brindle Hanwoo (BRH), and Jeju Black (JB). In this study, we sought to compare the genetic diversity and divergence among there Korean cattle breeds using a BovineHD chip genotyping array. Methods Sample data were collected from 168 cattle in three populations of BH (48 cattle), BRH (96 cattle), and JB (24 cattle). The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping was performed using the Illumina BovineHD SNP 777K Bead chip. Results Heterozygosity, used as a measure of within-breed genetic diversity, was higher in BH (0.293) and BRH (0.296) than in JB (0.266). Linkage disequilibrium decay was more rapid in BH and BRH than in JB, reaching an average r2 value of 0.2 before 26 kb in BH and BRH, whereas the corresponding value was reached before 32 kb in JB. Intra-population, inter-population, and Fst analyses were used to identify candidate signatures of positive selection in the genome of a domestic Korean cattle population and 48, 11, and 11 loci were detected in the genomic region of the BRH breed, respectively. A Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree showed two main groups: a group comprising BH and BRH on one side and a group containing JB on the other. The runs of homozygosity analysis between Korean breeds indicated that the BRH and JB breeds have high inbreeding within breeds compared with BH. An analysis of differentiation based on a high-density SNP chip showed differences between Korean cattle breeds and the closeness of breeds corresponding to the geographic regions where they are evolving. Conclusion Our results indicate that although the Korean cattle breeds have common features, they also show reliable breed diversity