Panoramic Annular Localizer: Tackling the Variation Challenges of Outdoor Localization Using Panoramic Annular Images and Active Deep Descriptors

Visual localization is an attractive problem that estimates the camera localization from database images based on the query image. It is a crucial task for various applications, such as autonomous vehicles, assistive navigation and augmented reality. The challenging issues of the task lie in various appearance variations between query and database images, including illumination variations, dynamic object variations and viewpoint variations. In order to tackle those challenges, Panoramic Annular Localizer into which panoramic annular lens and robust deep image descriptors are incorporated is proposed in this paper. The panoramic annular images captured by the single camera are processed and fed into the NetVLAD network to form the active deep descriptor, and sequential matching is utilized to generate the localization result. The experiments carried on the public datasets and in the field illustrate the validation of the proposed system.Comment: Accepted by ITSC 201

Integrated Sensing and Communication based Outdoor Multi-Target Detection, Tracking and Localization in Practical 5G Networks

The 6th generation (6G) wireless networks will likely to support a variety of capabilities beyond communication, such as sensing and localization, through the use of communication networks empowered by advanced technologies. Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has been recognized as a critical technology as well as an usage scenario for 6G, as widely agreed by leading global standardization bodies. ISAC utilizes communication infrastructure and devices to provide the capability of sensing the environment with high resolution, as well as tracking and localizing moving objects nearby. Meeting both the requirements for communication and sensing simultaneously, ISAC based approaches celebrate the advantages of higher spectral and energy efficiency compared to two separate systems to serve two purposes, and potentially lower costs and easy deployment. A key step towards the standardization and commercialization of ISAC is to carry out comprehensive field trials in practical networks, such as the 5th generation (5G) network, to demonstrate its true capacities in practical scenarios. In this paper, an ISAC based outdoor multi-target detection, tracking and localization approach is proposed and validated in 5G networks. The proposed system comprises of 5G base stations (BSs) which serve nearby mobile users normally, while accomplishing the task of detecting, tracking and localizing drones, vehicles and pedestrians simultaneously. Comprehensive trial results demonstrate the relatively high accuracy of the proposed method in practical outdoor environment when tracking and localizing single targets and multiple targets.Comment: Accepted by an open access journal (appearing on IEEEXplore soon

A high energy output and low onset temperature nanothermite based on three-dimensional ordered macroporous nano-NiFe2O4

Three-dimensional ordered macroporous (3DOM) Al/NiFe2O4 nanothermite has been obtained by colloidal crystal templating method combined with magnetron sputtering processing. Owing to the superior material properties and unique 3DOM structural characteristics of composite metal oxides, the heat output of the Al/NiFe2O4 nanothermite is up to 2921.7 J g− 1, which is more than the values of Al/NiO and Al/Fe2O3 nanothermites in literature. More importantly, by comparison to the other two nanothermites, the onset temperature of 298.2 °C from Al/NiFe2O4 is remarkably low, which means it can be ignited more easily. Laser ignition experiment indicate that the synthesized Al/NiFe2O4 nanothermite can be easily ignited by laser. In addition, the preparation process is highly compatible with the MEMS technology. These exciting achievements have great potential to expand the scope of nanothermite applications

3D ordered macroporous NiO/Al nanothermite film with significantly improved higher heat output, lower ignition temperature and less gas production

The performances of nanothermites largely rely on a meticulous design of nanoarchitectures and the close assembly of components. Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) NiO/Al nanothermite film has been successfully fabricated by integrating colloidal crystal template (CCT) method and controllable magnetron sputtering. The as-prepared NiO/Al film shows uniform structure and homogeneous dispersity, with greatly improved interfacial contact between fuel and oxidizer at the nanoscale. The total heat output of 3DOM NiO/Al nanothermite has reached 2461.27 J·g−1 at optimal deposition time of 20 min, which is significantly more than the values of other NiO/Al structural systems that have been reported before. Intrinsic reduced ignition temperature (onset temperature) and less gas production render the wide applications of 3DOM NiO/Al nanothermite. Moreover, this design strategy can also be readily generalized to realize diverse 3DOM structured nanothermites

Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of microRNAs in diverse phases of wood formation in Populus trichocarpa

We applied miRNA expression profiling method to Populus trichocarpa stems of the three developmental stages, primary stem (PS), transitional stem (TS), and secondary stem (SS), to investigate miRNA species and their regulation on lignocellulosic synthesis and related processes. We obtained 892, 872, and 882 known miRNAs and 1727, 1723, and 1597 novel miRNAs, from PS, TS, and SS, respectively. Comparisons of these miRNA species among different developmental stages led to the identification of 114, 306, and 152 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs), which had 921, 2639, and 2042 candidate target genes (CTGs) in the three respective stages of the same order. Correlation analysis revealed 47, 439, and 71 DE-miRNA-CTG pairs of high negative correlation in PS, TS, and SS, respectively. Through biological process analysis, we finally identified 34, 6, and 76 miRNA-CTG pairs from PS, TS, and SS, respectively, and the miRNA target genes in these pairs regulate or participate lignocellulosic biosynthesis-related biological processes: cell division and differentiation, cell wall modification, secondary cell wall biosynthesis, lignification, and programmed cell death processes. This is the first report on an integrated analysis of genome-wide mRNA and miRNA profilings during multiple phases of poplar stem development. Our analysis results imply that individual miRNAs modulate secondary growth and lignocellulosic biosynthesis through regulating transcription factors and lignocellulosic biosynthetic pathway genes, resulting in more dynamic promotion, suppression, or regulatory circuits. This study advanced our understanding of many individual miRNAs and their essential, diversified roles in the dynamic regulation of secondary growth in woody tree species