Data fusion technology for precision forestry applications

Presently precision forestry is playing an important role in realizing sustainable development and improving societal and economical efficiency for forestry applications. Based on analyzing the features of precision forestry's information requirements, the data needed for precision forestry were classified and the characteristics of the different information were summarized. Data fusion for precision forestry was studied in this paper. The architecture for precision forestry information processing, which integrated information fusion and data mining, was put forward. New and emerging technologies such as Remote Sensing (RS), Geographical Information System (GIS), Global Position System (GPS), Data Base Management System (DBMS), Data Fusion, Decision Support Systems (DSS), and Variable Rate technology (VRT) are applied in forestry production as aids in producers' and managers' decision-making process. Precision irrigation, precision fertilizing, precision pesticide application, precision harvesting, and precision deforestation can promote the realization of minimizing resource inputs, minimizing environmental impacts, and maximizing forest outputs

Comparison of DDS, MQTT, and Zenoh in Edge-to-Edge and Edge-to-Cloud Communication for Distributed ROS 2 Systems

The increased data transmission and number of devices involved in communications among distributed systems make it challenging yet significantly necessary to have an efficient and reliable networking middleware. In robotics and autonomous systems, the wide application of ROS\,2 brings the possibility of utilizing various networking middlewares together with DDS in ROS\,2 for better communication among edge devices or between edge devices and the cloud. However, there is a lack of comprehensive communication performance comparison of integrating these networking middlewares with ROS\,2. In this study, we provide a quantitative analysis for the communication performance of utilized networking middlewares including MQTT and Zenoh alongside DDS in ROS\,2 among a multiple host system. For a complete and reliable comparison, we calculate the latency and throughput of these middlewares by sending distinct amounts and types of data through different network setups including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and 4G. To further extend the evaluation to real-world application scenarios, we assess the drift error (the position changes) over time caused by these networking middlewares with the robot moving in an identical square-shaped path. Our results show that CycloneDDS performs better under Ethernet while Zenoh performs better under Wi-Fi and 4G. In the actual robot test, the robot moving trajectory drift error over time (96\,s) via Zenoh is the smallest. It is worth noting we have a discussion of the CPU utilization of these networking middlewares and the performance impact caused by enabling the security feature in ROS\,2 at the end of the paper.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to the Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems. Under revie

Co-administration of a DNA vaccine encoding the prostate specific membrane antigen and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides suppresses tumor growth

BACKGROUND: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a well characterized prostate-specific tumor associated antigen. Its expression is elevated in prostate carcinoma, particularly in metastatic and recurrent lesions. These observations suggest that PSMA can be used as immune target to induce tumor cell-specific recognition by the host and, consequently tumor rejection. We utilized a DNA-based vaccine to specifically enhance PSMA expression. An immune modulator, such as CpG oligodeoxynucleotides which promote Th1-type immune responses was combined to increase the efficacy of tumor recognition and elimination. METHODS: A eukaryotic expression plasmid pCDNA3.1-PSMA encoding full-length PSMA was constructed. C57BL/6 mice were immunized with endotoxin-free pCDNA3.1-PSMA alone or in combination with CpG oligodeoxynucleotides by intramuscular injection. After 4 immunizations, PSMA specific antibodies and cytotoxic T lymphocyte reactivity were measured. Immunized C57BL/6 mice were also challenged subcutaneously with B16 cells transfected with PSMA to evaluate suppression of tumor growth. RESULTS: Vaccine-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes reactive with B16 cells expressing PSMA could be induced with this treatment schedule. Immune protection was observed in vaccinated mice as indicated by increased tumor growth in the control group (100%) compared with the groups vaccinated with DNA alone (66.7%) or DNA plus CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (50%) respectively. Average tumor volume was smaller in vaccinated groups and tumor-free survival time was prolonged by the vaccination. CONCLUSION: The current findings suggest that specific anti-tumor immune response can be induced by DNA vaccines expressing PSMA. In addition, the suppression of in vivo growth of tumor cells expressing PSMA was augmented by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides. This strategy may provide a new venue for the treatment of carcinoma of prostate after failure of standard therapy

Distributed Robotic Systems in the Edge-Cloud Continuum with ROS 2: a Review on Novel Architectures and Technology Readiness

Robotic systems are more connected, networked, and distributed than ever. New architectures that comply with the \textit{de facto} robotics middleware standard, ROS\,2, have recently emerged to fill the gap in terms of hybrid systems deployed from edge to cloud. This paper reviews new architectures and technologies that enable containerized robotic applications to seamlessly run at the edge or in the cloud. We also overview systems that include solutions from extension to ROS\,2 tooling to the integration of Kubernetes and ROS\,2. Another important trend is robot learning, and how new simulators and cloud simulations are enabling, e.g., large-scale reinforcement learning or distributed federated learning solutions. This has also enabled deeper integration of continuous interaction and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for robotic systems development, going beyond standard software unit tests with simulated tests to build and validate code automatically. We discuss the current technology readiness and list the potential new application scenarios that are becoming available. Finally, we discuss the current challenges in distributed robotic systems and list open research questions in the field

Recent Progresses in Electrocatalysts for Water Electrolysis

Abstract The study of hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysts for water electrolysis is a developing field in which noble metal-based materials are commonly used. However, the associated high cost and low abundance of noble metals limit their practical application. Non-noble metal catalysts, aside from being inexpensive, highly abundant and environmental friendly, can possess high electrical conductivity, good structural tunability and comparable electrocatalytic performances to state-of-the-art noble metals, particularly in alkaline media, making them desirable candidates to reduce or replace noble metals as promising electrocatalysts for water electrolysis. This article will review and provide an overview of the fundamental knowledge related to water electrolysis with a focus on the development and progress of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts in alkaline, polymer exchange membrane and solid oxide electrolysis. A critical analysis of the various catalysts currently available is also provided with discussions on current challenges and future perspectives. In addition, to facilitate future research and development, several possible research directions to overcome these challenges are provided in this article. Graphical Abstrac