Indoor navigation map design based on the analysis of space characteristics

The application scope of geographical information science is gradually evolving from large-scale to small-scale environments (Afyouni et al., 2010). The space that we are dealing with is no longer limited to outdoor spaces but is extended to indoor spaces. Facing the indoor structure of complex buildings, the demand for indoor location services such as navigation and emergency evacuation services is increasing. Indoor navigation maps are an important tool for people to arrive at their destination in large public buildings. There are a lot of indoor navigation services to help mobile users but there are still some gaps between map design and the navigation process, such as how to model the path of the multi-dimensional structure of indoor environments, quantify the visibility condition of indoor areas, and compensate for the lack of semantic annotation of indoor corridors (e.g., there are typically no road signs as in the outdoor case). Most existing application studies focus on indoor maps that visualize the basic indoor spatial structures, while few take into account the navigation process in buildings. From the scientific perspective, there are a lot of aspects for designing indoor navigation maps (e.g., 2D/3D, visibility, and semantics). However, it is unclear which type of design is most effective for aiding pedestrians in indoor wayfinding. There has been some research on the design and representation of indoor maps. Nossum (2011) proposed a "Tubes" map representation method, which overlays the access information of different floors on the same plane, allowing users to understand the structure of each floor inside a building with the help of only one map. Li et al. (2013) studied indoor maps with multiple modes of representation on mobile terminals. They pointed out that both 2D and 3D maps significantly improved pointing and vertical navigation accuracy compared to the control condition with no map assistance, and argued that better visualization of the layered structure of the building could facilitate multi-level cognitive map development. The indoor space has special characteristics as the building space is divided by numerous walls and rooms, which limit the user's visual reach and hinder the overall perception of the space. In the process of indoor navigation, relevant studies have provided auxiliary guidance information for turns and specific decision points, adding guidance images, text, and symbols to convey information to users (De et al., 2019). It is also necessary to provide good navigational aids for areas with poor visibility. For example, Pang et al. (2021) generated an indoor visibility map based on a navigation network in corridor space. There are no names for the passages in an indoor space, but there are some landmarks, which are important elements for people to communicate route information, either verbally or graphically, and can assist pedestrians in making route decisions when they are at a fork along a path (May et al., 2003). In both outdoor and indoor environments, landmarks are generally selected considering the visual, semantic, and structural salience of the objects (Zhu et al., 2021; Zhou et al., 2022). Different from outdoor landforms, residential areas, water systems, vegetation, and other elements, indoor spaces are mainly artificially constructed entities. Indoor space elements refer to all the physical elements existing in the actual space, which describe the frame structure and local details of the indoor space. In map visualization, some elements are generally selected for mapping according to the map form, the specific purpose of the map, or the specific users (Ryder, 2015). According to the importance of the elements to the visualization of an indoor navigation map, the elements that are not salient enough for user attention and that have little or even interfering effects on reflecting the indoor navigation should be discarded

Numerical simulation of Rayleigh–Bénard convection with supercritical carbon dioxide in a shallow cavity

A numerical simulation of Rayleigh–Bénard convection with supercritical carbon dioxide is presented in this paper. A shallow cavity with an aspect ratio of 4 is selected as a container that is fully filled with supercritical carbon dioxide. The influences of the bottom heat flux on the flow stability, flow pattern evolution, and heat transfer ability of Rayleigh–Bénard convection are analyzed. Meanwhile, the transient and steady-state fluid behaviors are obtained. The results show that the bottom heat flux plays a dominating role in the stability of the convection. A transition from stable evolution to significant oscillation is found with the increase of the heat flux. The flow pattern evolution also strongly relies on the heat flux. A four-cell structure to a six-cell structure transformation accompanied by the orderly multicellular flow is observed with increasing heat flux. In addition, the local Nusselt number on the bottom wall is strongly related to the cell structure in the cavity

Humidity Sensitivity of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Networks Deposited by Dielectrophoresis

This paper presents an investigation on the humidity sensitivity of deposited multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) networks using ac dielectrophoresis (DEP) between interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). MWCNTs dispersed in ethanol were trapped and enriched between IDEs on a Si/SiO2 substrate under a positive DEP force. After the DEP process, the ethanol was evaporated and the MWCNT network on a substrate with IDEs was put into a furnace for repeated thermal annealing. It was found that the resistance stability of the network was effectively improved through thermal annealing. The humidity sensitivity was obtained by measuring the resistance of the MWCNT network with different relative humidity at room temperature. The experimental results show the resistance increases linearly with increasing the relative humidity from 25% to 95% RH with a sensitivity of 0.5%/%RH. The MWCNT networks have a reversible humidity sensing capacity with response time and recovery time of about 3 s and 25 s, respectively. The resistance is dependent on temperature with a negative coefficient of about −0.33%/K in a temperature range from 293 K to 393 K

Transcriptome Analysis of Host-Associated Differentiation in \u3cem\u3eBemisia tabaci\u3c/em\u3e (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Host-associated differentiation is one of the driving forces behind the diversification of phytophagous insects. In this study, host induced transcriptomic differences were investigated in the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci, an invasive agricultural pest worldwide. Comparative transcriptomic analyses using coding sequence (CDS), 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTR) showed that sequence divergences between the original host plant, cabbage, and the derived hosts, including cotton, cucumber and tomato, were 0.11–0.14%, 0.19–0.26%, and 0.15–0.21%, respectively. In comparison to the derived hosts, 418 female and 303 male transcripts, respectively, were up-regulated in the original cabbage strain. Among them, 17 transcripts were consistently up-regulated in both female and male whiteflies originated from the cabbage host. Specifically, two ESTs annotated as Cathepsin B or Cathepsin B-like genes were significantly up-regulated in the original cabbage strain, representing a transcriptomic response to the dietary challenges imposed by the host shifting. Results from our transcriptome analysis, in conjunction with previous reports documenting the minor changes in their reproductive capacity, insecticide susceptibility, symbiotic composition and feeding behavior, suggest that the impact of host-associated differentiation in whiteflies is limited. Furthermore, it is unlikely the major factor contributing to their rapid range expansion/invasiveness

Transcriptomic Dissection of Sexual Differences in \u3cem\u3eBemisia tabaci\u3c/em\u3e, an Invasive Agricultural Pest Worldwide

Sex difference involving chromosomes and gene expression has been extensively documented. In this study, the gender difference in the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci was investigated using Illumina-based transcriptomic analysis. Gender-based RNAseq data produced 27 Gb reads, and subsequent de novo assembly generated 93,948 transcripts with a N50 of 1,853 bp. A total of 1,351 differentially expressed genes were identified between male and female B. tabaci, and majority of them were female-biased. Pathway and GO enrichment experiments exhibited a gender-specific expression, including enriched translation in females, and enhanced structural constituent of cuticle in male whiteflies. In addition, a putative transformer2 gene (tra2) was cloned, and the structural feature and expression profile of tra2 were investigated. Sexually dimorphic transcriptome is an uncharted territory for the agricultural insect pests. Molecular understanding of sex determination in B. tabaci, an emerging invasive insect pest worldwide, will provide potential molecular target(s) for genetic pest control alternatives

The Invasive MED/Q \u3cem\u3eBemisia tabaci\u3c/em\u3e Genome: A Tale of Gene Loss and Gene Gain

Background: Sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MED/Q and MEAM1/B, are two economically important invasive species that cause considerable damages to agriculture crops through direct feeding and indirect vectoring of plant pathogens. Recently, a draft genome of B. tabaci MED/Q has been assembled. In this study, we focus on the genomic comparison between MED/Q and MEAM1/B, with a special interest in MED/Q’s genomic signatures that may contribute to the highly invasive nature of this emerging insect pest. Results: The genomes of both species share similarity in syntenic blocks, but have significant divergence in the gene coding sequence. Expansion of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and UDP glycosyltransferases in MED/Q and MEAM1/B genome is functionally validated for mediating insecticide resistance in MED/Q using in vivo RNAi. The amino acid biosynthesis pathways in MED/Q genome are partitioned among the host and endosymbiont genomes in a manner distinct from other hemipterans. Evidence of horizontal gene transfer to the host genome may explain their obligate relationship. Putative loss-of-function in the immune deficiency-signaling pathway due to the gene loss is a shared ancestral trait among hemipteran insects. Conclusions: The expansion of detoxification genes families, such as P450s, may contribute to the development of insecticide resistance traits and a broad host range in MED/Q and MEAM1/B, and facilitate species’ invasions into intensively managed cropping systems. Numerical and compositional changes in multiple gene families (gene loss and gene gain) in the MED/Q genome sets a foundation for future hypothesis testing that will advance our understanding of adaptation, viral transmission, symbiosis, and plant-insect-pathogen tritrophic interactions

Comparison of c-aminobutyric acid accumulation capability in different mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) varieties under heat and relative humidity treatment, and its correlation with endogenous amino acids and polyamines

peer reviewedIn this study, the accumulation of GABA and its inherent factors across different varieties of mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) in response to heat and relative humidity (HRH) were investigated. Results showed the average GABA content in mung bean varieties was increased 7.52-times following HRH treatment, and the black mung bean variety (A8) exhibited the highest GABA accumulation capability (1.76 to 84.57 mg/100 g DW). From the perspective of GABA shunt metabolites, the free glutamic acid content of mung beans significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after HRH treatment and presented a significant correlation (p < 0.05) with GABA content. In polyamine degradation pathway, although the average levels of spermine and spermidine of mung bean varieties significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after HRH treatment, no significant correlation with GABA content was identified. Hence, the GABA accumulation was predominantly attributed to GABA shunt. Besides, free amino acids including glutamic acid, serine, ornithine, arginine and glycine in mung beans showed a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) with GABA content and increment following HRH treatment, which suggested that mung beans enriched in these free amino acids might accumulate higher amounts of GABA after HRH treatment and be useful for industrial applications

CMT2N-causing aminoacylation domain mutants enable Nrp1 interaction with AlaRS.

Through dominant mutations, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases constitute the largest protein family linked to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). An example is CMT subtype 2N (CMT2N), caused by individual mutations spread out in AlaRS, including three in the aminoacylation domain, thereby suggesting a role for a tRNA-charging defect. However, here we found that two are aminoacylation defective but that the most widely distributed R329H is normal as a purified protein in vitro and in unfractionated patient cell samples. Remarkably, in contrast to wild-type (WT) AlaRS, all three mutant proteins gained the ability to interact with neuropilin 1 (Nrp1), the receptor previously linked to CMT pathogenesis in GlyRS. The aberrant AlaRS-Nrp1 interaction is further confirmed in patient samples carrying the R329H mutation. However, CMT2N mutations outside the aminoacylation domain do not induce the Nrp1 interaction. Detailed biochemical and biophysical investigations, including X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering, hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX), switchSENSE hydrodynamic diameter determinations, and protease digestions reveal a mutation-induced structural loosening of the aminoacylation domain that correlates with the Nrp1 interaction. The b1b2 domains of Nrp1 are responsible for the interaction with R329H AlaRS. The results suggest Nrp1 is more broadly associated with CMT-associated members of the tRNA synthetase family. Moreover, we revealed a distinct structural loosening effect induced by a mutation in the editing domain and a lack of conformational impact with C-Ala domain mutations, indicating mutations in the same protein may cause neuropathy through different mechanisms. Our results show that, as with other CMT-associated tRNA synthetases, aminoacylation per se is not relevant to the pathology

CMT2N-causing aminoacylation domain mutants enable Nrp1 interaction with AlaRS

Through dominant mutations, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases constitute the largest protein family linked to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). An example is CMT subtype 2N (CMT2N), caused by individual mutations spread out in AlaRS, including three in the aminoacylation domain, thereby suggesting a role for a tRNA-charging defect. However, here we found that two are aminoacylation defective but that the most widely distributed R329H is normal as a purified protein in vitro and in unfractionated patient cell samples. Remarkably, in contrast to wild-type (WT) AlaRS, all three mutant proteins gained the ability to interact with neuropilin 1 (Nrp1), the receptor previously linked to CMT pathogenesis in GlyRS. The aberrant AlaRS-Nrp1 interaction is further confirmed in patient samples carrying the R329H mutation. However, CMT2N mutations outside the aminoacylation domain do not induce the Nrp1 interaction. Detailed biochemical and biophysical investigations, including X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering, hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX), switchSENSE hydrodynamic diameter determinations, and protease digestions reveal a mutation-induced structural loosening of the aminoacylation domain that correlates with the Nrp1 interaction. The b1b2 domains of Nrp1 are responsible for the interaction with R329H AlaRS. The results suggest Nrp1 is more broadly associated with CMT-associated members of the tRNA synthetase family. Moreover, we revealed a distinct structural loosening effect induced by a mutation in the editing domain and a lack of conformational impact with C-Ala domain mutations, indicating mutations in the same protein may cause neuropathy through different mechanisms. Our results show that, as with other CMT-associated tRNA synthetases, aminoacylation per se is not relevant to the pathology