A New Semantic-Based Tool Detection Method for Robots

Home helper robots have become more acceptable due to their excellent image recognition ability. However, some common household tools remain challenging to recognize, classify, and use by robots. We designed a detection method for the functional components of common household tools based on the mask regional convolutional neural network (Mask-R-CNN). This method is a multitask branching target detection algorithm that includes tool classification, target box regression, and semantic segmentation. It provides accurate recognition of the functional components of tools. The method is compared with existing algorithms on the dataset UMD Part Affordance dataset and exhibits effective instance segmentation and key point detection, with higher accuracy and robustness than two traditional algorithms. The proposed method helps the robot understand and use household tools better than traditional object detection algorithms

Compact graphene mode-locked wavelength-tunable erbium-doped fiber lasers: from all anomalous dispersion towards all normal dispersion

Soliton operation and soliton wavelength tuning of erbium-doped fiber lasers mode locked with atomic layer graphene was experimentally investigated under various cavity dispersion conditions. It was shown that not only wide range soliton wavelength tuning but also soltion pulse width variation could be obtained in the fiber lasers. Our results show that the graphene mode locked erbium-doped fiber lasers provide a compact, user friendly and low cost wavelength tunable ultrahsort pulse source

Preferential etching by flowing oxygen on the (100) surfaces of HPHT single-crystal diamond

Application of diamond is determined by its oxidation behaviour in some measure. Oxidation process of single-crystal diamond prepared under high pressure and high temperature has been studied by the thermal analysis, scanning electron microscope and Raman spectrometer. The result of a simultaneous thermal analysis indicates that single-crystal diamond is oxidized at ~ 818 °C at a heating rate of 5°C/min in the flowing oxygen. Based on the data of the thermal analysis at different heating rates, the activation energy is calculated by the Kissinger method. A weight loss rate increases with the rising heat treatment temperature from 600 to 800°C. After the oxidation at 800 °C, etch pits emerge on the {100} surfaces of single-crystal diamond, while the {111} surfaces are smooth. Shapes of the etch pits on the {100} surfaces are inverted pyramidal hollows, with edges direction parallel to the direction.Застосування алмазу в якійсь мірі визначається його поведінкою при окисленні. За допомогою термічного аналізу, скануючої електронної мікроскопії і спектроскопії комбінаційного розсіювання світла вивчено процес окислення монокристалічного алмазу, отриманого при високому тиску і високій температурі. Одночасний термічний аналіз показав, що монокристалічний алмаз окислюється при ~ 818 °С при швидкості нагріву 5 °С/хв в потоці кисню. На основі даних термічного аналізу при різних швидкостях нагрівання розраховано енергію активації за методом Кіссінджера. Швидкість втрати ваги зростає з підвищенням температури термообробки від 600 до 800 °C. Після окислення при температурі 800 °С ямки травлення з’являються на поверхні {100} монокристалічного алмазу, в той час як поверхні {111} гладкі. Форма ямок на поверхнях {100} – перевернуті пірамідальні западини з ребрами в напрямку паралельному .Применение алмаза в какой-то мере определяется его поведением при окислении. С помощью термического анализа, сканирующей электронной микроскопии и спектроскопии комбинационного рассеяния света изучен процесс окисления монокристаллического алмаза, полученного при высоком давлении и высокой температуре. Одновременный термический анализ показывает, что монокристаллический алмаз окисляется при ~ 818 °С при скорости нагрева 5 °С/мин в потоке кислорода. На основе данных термического анализа при различных скоростях нагрева рассчитана энергия активации по методу Киссинджера. Скорость потери веса возрастает с повышением температуры термообработки от 600 до 800 °C. После окисления при температуре 800 °С ямки травления появляются на поверхности {100} монокристаллического алмаза, в то время как поверхности {111} гладкие. Форма ямок на поверхностях {100} – перевернутые пирамидальные впадины с ребрами в направлении параллельном

Diversity and distribution of Calonectria species from plantation and forest soils in Fujian province, China

To meet the growing demand for wood and pulp products, Eucalyptus plantations have expanded rapidly during the past two decades, becoming an integral part of the southern China landscape. Leaf blight caused by various Calonectria spp., is a serious threat to these plantations. In order to explore the diversity and distribution of Calonectria spp. in Fujian Province soils, samples were collected in Eucalyptus plantations and adjacent plantings of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Phyllostachys heterocycle and Pinus massoniana as well as in natural forests. Three hundred and fiftythree Calonectria isolates were recovered from soil samples and they were identified based on a comparison of multilocus DNA sequence data for the act (actin), cmdA (calmodulin), his3 (histone H3), rpb2 (the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase), tef1 (translation elongation factor 1-alpha) and tub2 (β-tubulin) gene regions, as well as morphological characteristics. Six known taxa including Calonectria aconidialis, Ca. hongkongensis, Ca. ilicicola, Ca. kyotensis, Ca. pacifica, Ca. pseudoreteaudii and one novel species described here as Ca. minensis sp. nov. were identified. Of these, Ca. aconidialis and Ca. kyotensis were the most prevalent species, and found in eight and seven sites, and four and five forest types, respectively. Calonectria spp. were most abundant in soils from Eucalyptus stands, followed by P. heterocycle and natural forests. Relatively few species were found in the soils associated with Cunninghamia lanceolata and Pinus massoniana. The abundance of known Calonectria spp. suggests that these fungi have been relatively well sampled in Fujian. The results are also consistent with the fact that most Calonectria diseases are found on Angiosperm as opposed to Gymnosperm plantsThe National Key R&D Program of China (China-South Africa Forestry Joint Research Centre Project; the special fund for basic scientific research of State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding (SKLTGB) of China, the National Ten-thousand Talents Program and the Guangdong Top Young Talents Program in China.http://www.mdpi.com/journal/jofBiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Combining in vivo proton exchange rate (k(ex)) MRI with quantitative susceptibility mapping to further stratify the gadolinium-negative multiple sclerosis lesions

BACKGROUND: Conventional gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MRI is currently used for stratifying the lesion activity of multiple sclerosis (MS) despite limited correlation with disability and disease activity. The stratification of MS lesion activity needs further improvement to better support clinics. PURPOSE: To investigate if the novel proton exchange rate (k(ex)) MRI combined with quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) may help to further stratify non-enhanced (Gd-negative) MS lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From December 2017 to December 2020, clinically diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS patients who underwent MRI were consecutively enrolled in this IRB-approved retrospective study. The customized MRI protocol covered conventional T(2)-weighted, T(2)-fluid-attenuated-inversion-recovery, pre- and post-contrast T(1)-weighted imaging, and quantitative sequences, including (k(ex)) MRI based on direct-saturation removed omega plots and QSM. Each MS lesion was evaluated based on its Gd-enhancement as well as its susceptibility and (k(ex)) elevation compared to the normal appearing white matter. The difference and correlation concerning lesion characteristics and imaging contrasts were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman rank analysis with p < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 322 MS lesions from 30 patients were identified with 153 Gd-enhanced and 169 non-enhanced lesions. We found that the (k(ex)) elevation of all lesions significantly correlated with their susceptibility elevation (r = 0.30, p < 0.001). Within the 153 MS lesions with Gd-enhancement, ring-enhanced lesions showed higher (k(ex)) elevation than the nodular-enhanced ones' (p < 0.001). Similarly, lesions with ring-hyperintensity in QSM also had higher (k(ex)) elevation than the lesions with nodular-QSM-hyperintensity (p < 0.001). Of the 169 Gd-negative lesions, three radiological patterns were recognized according to lesion manifestations on the (k(ex)) map and QSM images: Pattern I ((k(ex))(+) and QSM(+), n = 114, 67.5%), Pattern II (only (k(ex)) or QSM(+), n = 47, 27.8%) and Pattern III ((k(ex))(-) and QSM(-), n = 8, 4.7%). Compared to Pattern II and III, Pattern I had higher (k(ex)) (p < 0.001) and susceptibility (p < 0.05) elevation. The percentage of Pattern I of each subject was negatively correlated with the disease duration (r = -0.45,P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: As a potential imaging biomarker for inflammation due to oxidative stress, in vivo (k(ex)) MRI combined with QSM is promising in extending the clinical classification of MS lesions beyond conventional Gd-enhanced MRI

Reconsideration of species boundaries and proposed DNA barcodes for Calonectria

Calonectria represents a genus of phytopathogenic ascomycetous fungi with a worldwide distribution. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of taxonomic studies on these fungi. Currently, there are 169 described species of Calonectria based on comparisons of DNA sequence data, combined with morphological characteristics. However, for some of these species, the sequence data utilised at the time of their description were relatively limited. This has justified an urgent need to reconsider the species boundaries for Calonectria based on robust genus-wide phylogenetic analyses. In this study, we utilised 240 available isolates including the ex-types of 128 Calonectria species, and re-sequenced eight gene regions (act, cmdA, his3, ITS, LSU, rpb2, tef1 and tub2) for them. Sequences for 44 Calonectria species, for which cultures could not be obtained, were downloaded from GenBank. DNA sequence data of all the 169 Calonectria species were then used to determine their phylogenetic relationships. As a consequence, 51 species were reduced to synonymy, two new species were identified, and the name Ca. lauri was validated. This resulted in the acceptance of 120 clearly defined Calonectria spp. The overall data revealed that the genus includes 11 species complexes, distributed across the Prolate and Sphaero-Naviculate Groups known to divide Calonectria. The results also made it possible to develop a robust set of DNA barcodes for Calonectria spp. To accomplish this goal, we evaluated the outcomes of each of the eight candidate DNA barcodes for the genus, as well as for each of the 11 species complexes. No single gene region provided a clear identity for all Calonectria species. Sequences of the tef1 and tub2 genes were the most reliable markers; those for the cmdA, his3, rpb2 and act gene regions also provided a relatively effective resolution for Calonectria spp., while the ITS and LSU failed to produce useful barcodes for species discrimination. At the species complex level, results showed that the most informative barcodes were inconsistent, but that a combination of six candidate barcodes (tef1, tub2, cmdA, his3, rpb2 and act) provided stable and reliable resolution for all 11 species complexes. A six-gene combined phylogeny resolved all 120 Calonectria species, and revealed that tef1, tub2, cmdA, his3, rpb2 and act gene regions are effective DNA barcodes for Calonectria.http://www.studiesinmycology.orgam2021BiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Moments of the Hadronic Invariant Mass Spectrum in B --> X_c l nu Decays at Belle

We present a measurement of the hadronic invariant mass squared (M^2_X) spectrum in charmed semileptonic B meson decays B --> X_c l nu based on 140 fb^-1 of Belle data collected near the Y(4S) resonance. We determine the first, the second central and the second non-central moments of this spectrum for lepton energy thresholds ranging between 0.7 and 1.9 GeV. Full correlations between these measurements are evaluated.Comment: published version of the paper (one figure added, minor changes in the text); 16 pages, 3 figures, 10 table

Time-Dependent CP Violation Effects in Partially Reconstructed B0→D∗πB^0 \to D^* \pi Decays

We report measurements of time-dependent decay rates for $B^0 \to D^{*\mp} \pi^\pm$ decays and extraction of CP violation parameters related to $\phi_3$. We use a partial reconstruction technique, whereby signal events are identified using information only from the primary pion and the charged pion from the decay of the $D^{*\mp}$. The analysis uses $140 {\rm fb}^{-1}$ of data accumulated at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^{+}e^{-}$ collider. We measure the CP violation parameters $S^+ = 0.035 \pm 0.041 ({\rm stat}) \pm 0.018 ({\rm syst})$ and $S^- = 0.025 \pm 0.041 ({\rm stat}) \pm 0.018 ({\rm syst})$.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Physics Letters

Major vault protein suppresses obesity and atherosclerosis through inhibiting IKK-NF-kappa B signaling mediated inflammation

Macrophage-orchestrated, low-grade chronic inflammation plays a pivotal role in obesity and atherogenesis. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we identify major vault protein (MVP), the main component of unique cellular ribonucleoprotein particles, as a suppressor for NF-κB signaling in macrophages. Both global and myeloid-specific MVP gene knockout aggravates high-fat diet induced obesity, insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis and atherosclerosis in mice. The exacerbated metabolic disorders caused by MVP deficiency are accompanied with increased macrophage infiltration and heightened inflammatory responses in the microenvironments. In vitro studies reveal that MVP interacts with TRAF6 preventing its recruitment to IRAK1 and subsequent oligomerization and ubiquitination. Overexpression of MVP and its α-helical domain inhibits the activity of TRAF6 and suppresses macrophage inflammation. Our results demonstrate that macrophage MVP constitutes a key constraint of NF-κB signaling thereby suppressing metabolic diseases