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Optimized Feature Points and Keyframe Methods for VSLAM in High-Dynamic Indoor Environments
Get PDFVSLAM is one of the key technologies for indoor mobile robots, used to perceive the surrounding environment, achieve accurate positioning and mapping. However, traditional VSLAM algorithms based on the assumption of a static environment still face certain challenges. The movement, occlusion, and appearance changes of dynamic objects can lead to feature point-matching errors, making data association difficult and causing biases in motion estimation. In order to address this challenge, this paper proposes a dynamic feature point removal method and a closed-loop detection method for high dynamic scenes, aiming to effectively improve the robustness and positioning accuracy in dynamic environments. First, the YOLOv7-tiny object detection network and LK optical flow algorithm are combined to detect the dynamic area, and the adaptive threshold keyframe selection method is adopted to solve the problem of poor quality of keyframe caused by the existing heuristic threshold selection method. Then, this paper proposes a dynamic keyframe sequence creation method based on the angle difference between keyframes, which reduces the workload of loop back detection and accelerates the efficiency of loop back detection in the system. Next, the ParC_NetVLAD image matching algorithm is proposed. In this paper, ConvNeXt-Tiny network is used for feature extraction of images, and ParC-Net network and CBAM attention mechanism are added to the feature extraction network. Finally, NetVLAD is used to cluster the extracted local features to obtain global features that can represent images. Experiments are conducted on public TUM RGB-D datasets and in real-world situations. The proposed algorithm reduces the ATE (Absolute Trajectory Error) by 96.4% and the RPE (Relative Trajectory Error) by 82.8% on average in highly dynamic scenarios. In the Pittsburgh30k dataset, the average accuracy of loop closure detection has been improved by 2.6%.10.13039/501100001809-National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number: 62161010 and 62361024);
10.13039/501100013142-Key Research and Development Project of Hainan Province (Grant Number: ZDYF2022GXJS348 and ZDYF2024GXJS021);
Hainan Province Natural Science Foundation (Grant Number: 623RC446)
Regulating NFT marketplaces: a comparative analysis of the EU and UK legal systems
No full text...other eds. DiMatteo/Hufnagel
Match and training injury epidemiology in elite UK netball: a prospective cohort study over one season
Get PDFSupplementary files are available online at: https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/1/e002324#supplementary-materials .What is already known on this topic:
⇒ Netball is a popular female sport with high injury rates, particularly at the ankle and knee.
⇒ There is a lack of ongoing, systematic injury surveillance systems and limited epidemiological data in elite UK netball.
What this study adds:
⇒ This first netball study comparing the profile of match and training injuries found match incidence was considerably higher than training incidence.
⇒ Contact-related, acute ankle ligament injuries had the highest incidence and time-loss burden in matches.
⇒ Non-contact, overuse leg tendinopathies, with a high medical attention burden, were most common in training.
⇒ Knee anterior cruciate ligament injuries were infrequent but caused significant time loss in matches and training.
⇒ The centre position sustained most injuries in matches and training
How this study might affect research, practice or policy:
⇒ Implementing such an injury surveillance system for elite UK netball will enable continuous, systematic injury data collection, enhancing future injury incidence evidence and informing appropriate prevention strategies.
⇒ Prevention strategies should focus on reducing the incidence and impact of acute lower limb injuries.
⇒ Strategies should also prioritise the prevention of overuse injuries, with further investigation required to assess the impact of playing while managing these injuries.
⇒ Further understanding of position-specific injuries could aid tailored prevention programmes.Objective: To describe the incidence and characteristics of match and training injuries in the UK Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL).
Methods: Ninety players were observed over one 14-month VNSL season (2021), including pre-, in- and post-season periods. Team physiotherapists recorded injuries using an online surveillance system, classifying them by location, type, mode, mechanism and impact, including severity (time-loss days, TL) and medical attention days (MA). Injury incidence (I) and TL/MA injury burden were calculated per 1000 player hours. χ2 analysis compared match and training differences.
Results: Thirty-nine players sustained 70 injuries (n=35 match, 35 training). Match incidence exceeded training (I=41.12 vs 1.10 injuries). Acute injuries were higher in matches (27 vs 17), while overuse injuries were higher in training (18 vs 3; p=0.001). Contact injuries were higher in matches (21 vs 7), and non-contact injuries were higher in training (10 vs 6; p=0.028). Acute ankle ligament injuries in matches caused substantial TL burden (411.7 days lost), while overuse lower leg injuries in training led to high MA burden (13.8). Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries were infrequent but burdensome (TL 496). The centre position sustained the most injuries (41%).
Conclusion: This study underpinned implementing the first injury surveillance system in the elite UK netball competition, revealing match injury rates ~40 times higher than in training, with distinct injury characteristics. Findings suggest that prevention should target acute lower limb injuries and overuse conditions. Further research should assess the impact of playing with overuse injuries
Demokratija pred sudom: Demokratija kao pravno primenjiv koncept u EU
No full textDemocracy is a justiciable concept under EU law. Beyond identifying the EU as being a representative democracy, the EU treaties provide relatively little guidance of what democracy entails. The context is the contestedness of the concept of democracy, especially across 27 polities of the Member States of the EU, and the potentially extensive review of national constitutional orders that could result from the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU regarding Article 2 TEU (Treaty on European Union) as a statement of foundational values of the EU. This paper considers, in particular, how the concept of democracy interacts with the other values in Article 2, principally, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The jurisdiction of the Court of Justice under Article 2 highlights the problem of determining the relative importance and interaction of the fundamental values of the EU given their relative incommensurability, including the problems of i. relating democracy at national and supranational levels in the EU and of ii. the limits of democratic authority. It is argued that Article 2 should be understood as presenting a complex problem of the inter-relationship of values for which a method of reflective equilibrium and a threshold test are essential for their application as justiciable concepts. Applying this framework or approach, the final part considers some examples of national practices relating to democracy that could be considered contrary to the values of democracy in EU law and subject to jurisdiction under Articles 2 and 7 TEU: the lengthening of parliamentary terms, recall procedures, and militant democracy.Apstrakt:
Demokratija je pravno primenljiv (justiciabilan) koncept u okviru prava Evropske unije. Iako se EU identifikuje kao predstavnička demokratija, ugovori EU pružaju relativno malo smernica o tome šta demokratija zapravo podrazumeva. Kontekst ovog pitanja je u tome što je sam pojam demokratije predmet sporenja, naročito među 27 političkih sistema država članica EU, kao i u potencijalno širokom preispitivanju nacionalnih ustavnih poredaka koje bi moglo proisteći iz nadležnosti Suda pravde EU u vezi sa članom 2 Ugovora o Evropskoj uniji (TEU), koji predstavlja izjavu o osnovnim vrednostima EU.
Ovaj rad se posebno bavi time kako se koncept demokratije prepliće sa ostalim vrednostima iz člana 2, pre svega sa vladavinom prava i poštovanjem ljudskih prava. Nadležnost Suda pravde prema članu 2 naglašava problem određivanja relativne važnosti i međusobne interakcije osnovnih vrednosti EU, imajući u vidu njihovu relativnu neuporedivost. To uključuje i probleme: i. povezivanja demokratije na nacionalnom i nadnacionalnom nivou u EU, i ii. određivanja granica demokratskog autoriteta.
U radu se tvrdi da član 2 treba shvatiti kao predstavljanje složenog problema međusobnog odnosa vrednosti, za koji su neophodni metoda reflektivne ravnoteže i test praga kako bi se ti koncepti mogli pravno primeniti.
Na osnovu ovog okvira, završni deo rada razmatra neke primere nacionalne prakse u vezi sa demokratijom koje bi se mogle smatrati suprotnim vrednostima demokratije prema pravu EU i koje bi mogle potpasti pod nadležnost prema članovima 2 i 7 TEU-a: produžavanje trajanja mandata parlamenata, postupci opoziva (recall procedures), i koncept “borbene demokratije” (militant democracy)
Synchronized acoustic emission and high-speed imaging of cavitation-induced atomization: The role of shock waves
Get PDFSupplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350417725000124#s0070 .This study experimentally investigates the role of cavitation-induced shock waves in initiating and destabilizing capillary (surface) waves on a droplet surface, preceding atomization. Acoustic emissions and interfacial wave dynamics were simultaneously monitored in droplets of different liquids (water, isopropyl alcohol and glycerol), using a calibrated fiber-optic hydrophone and high-speed imaging. Spectral analysis of the hydrophone data revealed distinct subharmonic frequency peaks in the acoustic spectrum correlated with the wavelength of capillary waves, which were optically captured during the onset of atomization from the repetitive imploding bubbles. This finding provides the first direct evidence that the wavelength of the growing surface waves, which governs capillary instability resulting in droplet breakup, is linked to the periodicity of shock waves responsible for the onset of the subharmonic frequencies detected in the acoustic spectra. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of ultrasonic atomization, signifying the role of cavitation and shock waves in the atomization process.This study experimentally investigates the role of cavitation-induced shock waves in initiating and destabilizing capillary (surface) waves on a droplet surface, preceding atomization. Acoustic emissions and interfacial wave dynamics were simultaneously monitored in droplets of different liquids (water, isopropyl alcohol and glycerol), using a calibrated fiber-optic hydrophone and high-speed imaging. Spectral analysis of the hydrophone data revealed distinct subharmonic frequency peaks in the acoustic spectrum correlated with the wavelength of capillary waves, which were optically captured during the onset of atomization from the repetitive imploding bubbles. This finding provides the first direct evidence that the wavelength of the growing surface waves, which governs capillary instability resulting in droplet breakup, is linked to the periodicity of shock waves responsible for the onset of the subharmonic frequencies detected in the acoustic spectra. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of ultrasonic atomization, signifying the role of cavitation and shock waves in the atomization process.The research for this work was made possible through funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) via the Performance-driven design of aluminium alloys for additive manufacturing (PAAM) project, which is granted under the following numbers: EP/W006774/1, EP/W006154/1, and EP/W00593X/1. This work was also supported by The Royal Society via the Isaac Newton International Fellowship with grant number NIF\R1\221238 and the British Council via the International Science Partnerships Fund with grant number 1203770538
An early-warning risk signals framework to capture systematic risk in financial markets
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Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.Despite extensive research on the relationship between systematic risk and expected returns, there exists limited knowledge of how early-warning risk signals could capture investors’ expectations about changes in systematic risk. Leveraging on graph theory and covariance matrices, this study proposes a novel framework to develop risk signal patterns. Our approach not only discerns high-risk periods from calmer ones but also elucidates the pivotal role of interconnections among securities as indicators of systematic risk. The findings offer actionable insights for timely portfolio management and risk management responses in periods of transitions towards higher systematic risk. Moreover, by leveraging on graph theory, regulators can take timely decisions about how much liquidity to inject into the markets during periods of uncertainty. This study contributes to the literature by establishing a novel framework on linking investors’ expectations and expected changes in systematic risk.No funding was received for this research
Circularity assessment of industrial heat exchanger and water treatment systems integration
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Data will be made available on request.Water recycling and reusing strategies in industries have been promoted to reduce freshwater consumption. In addition, Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger technology has been employed successfully, resulting in the reduction of natural gas consumption and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. It is important to assess the true benefits of the application of these Circular Economy strategies. Therefore, this work assesses the integration of a Heat Pipe Condenser Economiser (HPCE) and a water treatment system in a ceramic industry. Additionally, rooftop rainwater harvesting is integrated into the industry. The CE assessment methodologies and selected indicators measure the efficiency of the transition from a linear to a circular economy and identify strategies for optimisation. However, the interactions between human and natural systems related to the abstraction of resources and release of outflows are not considered. This is important to understand potential disruptions when implementing circular actions. Therefore, the assessment focuses on circular principles such as resource traceability and value created by implemented actions, and through resource flow and circular action indicators, the intrinsic circularity of system integration is quantified. The assessment showed the integration of both systems and the rooftop rainwater harvesting increased the Circular Water Flow and the Water Withdrawal Reduction up to 33.73 % and 22.88 %, respectively. Moreover, it demonstrates that the HPCE integration increased the Recovered Energy Contribution up to 19.98 %. This indicates the system’s integrations increased circular performance over the baseline scenario. Additionally, the assessment enabled a scenario analysis which aided in identifying further strategies to improve the circular actions, such as reducing freshwater withdrawal.The reported work in this article was supported by two grants:
1) This work was partly funded by the European Union H2020 programme project iWAYS under grant agreement number 958274. For mor information: https://www.iways.eu/
2) Project ‘Development of the Bioeconomy Research Center of Excellence’ (BioTEC) No. S-A-UEI-23-14) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania under the Program ‘University Excellence Initiative’
Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates can encode plastic-degrading enzymes that allow survival on plastic and augment biofilm formation
Get PDFData and code availability:
• RNA-seq data have been deposited at the National Centre for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus public database and are publicly available as of the date of publication. Accession numbers are listed in the key resources table.
• This paper does not report original code.
• Any additional information required to reanalyze the data reported in this work paper is available from the lead contact upon request.Materials availability:
The materials that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Please contact the lead contact for additional information.Acknowledgements: We thank Prof. Stephan Heeb for kindly providing the clinical isolate P. aeruginosa PA-W23 and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy for providing the BSAC Bacteraemia Resistance Surveillance Programme P. aeruginosa collection. We would like to thank Prof. Alain Filloux for the gift of the different secretion mutants and Dr. Luke Allsopp for retrieving them. We thank the Brunel University Experimental Techniques Centre for SEM support.Declaration of interests:
Brunel University London has a priority patent and PCT filings covering the manipulation of biofilm levels to enhance plastic degradation.Multiple bacteria encoding plastic-degrading enzymes have been isolated from the environment. Given the widespread use of plastic in healthcare, we hypothesized that bacterial clinical isolates may also degrade plastic. This could render plastic-containing medical devices susceptible to degradation and failure and potentially offer these pathogens a growth-sustaining substrate, enabling them to persist in the hospital-built environment. Here, we mined the genomes of prevalent pathogens and identified several species encoding enzymes with homology to known plastic-degrading enzymes. We identify a clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that encodes an enzyme that enables it to degrade a medically relevant plastic, polycaprolactone (PCL), by 78% in 7 days. Furthermore, this degradation enables the bacterium to utilize PCL as its sole carbon source. We also demonstrate that encoding plastic-degrading enzymes can enhance biofilm formation and pathogenicity. Given the central role of plastic in healthcare, screening nosocomial bacteria for plastic-degrading capacity should be an important future consideration.R.R.M. and S.A.H. are supported by a National Environmental Research Council Exploring the Frontiers Grant (NE/X010902/1). R.R.M. and R.d.D. are supported by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council New Investigator Award (BB/V007823/1) and a Medical Research Council Grant (MR/Y001354/1). R.R.M. is also supported by the Academy of Medical Sciences/the Wellcome Trust/the Government Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy/the British Heart Foundation/Diabetes UK Springboard Award (SBF006∖1040). R.R.M. has also received support from the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 887648. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Bio-based Industries Consortium. R.R.M. and E.M. are also supported by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) (NC/V001582/1). R.R.M. is also supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council grant BB/Y008332/1
Low-Carbon Practices and Cultural Adaptation Among Older Chinese Migrants: Insights from Walking Interviews on Environmental Policy and Social Integration
No full textData Availability Statement:
The data relating to this study can be obtained from the first author.This study employs walking interviews to examine the low-carbon practices, cultural adaptation, and policy awareness of older Chinese migrants in the UK within their everyday environments. A total of 20 participants were interviewed in public spaces such as parks, supermarkets, and their homes. Using contextual thematic analysis, the study identifies key factors influencing their environmental behaviors. The findings reveal the following: (1) Language barriers, economic pressures, and social isolation limit migrants’ understanding of environmental policies. Many participants rely on self-sufficient ethnic community networks rather than engaging with mainstream sources; (2) Generational differences are evident—younger migrants demonstrate greater theoretical awareness of environmental policies, whereas older migrants exhibit stronger low-carbon behaviors through energy conservation and waste reduction; (3) A balance between cultural identity and consumption habits—while some migrants adjust their dietary, spending, and linguistic habits, core cultural values such as frugality and family responsibility remain unchanged. This study highlights the value of walking interviews in capturing situational insights into low-carbon behaviors and cultural adaptation. It provides empirical evidence for government agencies and community organizations, advocating for cross-cultural environmental education and improved policy communication. Recommendations include targeted environmental training, community-based volunteer initiatives, intergenerational environmental education, and policy dissemination through WeChat, Chinese communities, and ethnic networks. These measures can help bridge the generational gap in policy awareness and promote social integration among older Chinese migrants.This research received no external funding
Minor Visual Phenomena in Lewy Body Disease: A Systematic Review
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The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article/Supplementary Materials. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.Supplementary Materials are available online at: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/5/1152#app1-biomedicines-13-01152 .Minor visual phenomena (MVP), such as visual illusions, pareidolias, feeling of presence, and passage hallucinations, are often experienced by patients with Lewy Body Disease (LBD), in addition to complex visual hallucinations (VH), even in the early stages of the disease. This systematic review aimed to provide an up-to-date literature review of the occurrence and prevalence of MVP in LBD and to assess their potential associations both with VH and visuoperceptual and visuospatial deficits. A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, and a total of 44 articles were included. The included studies showed significant variability in the occurrence of MVP in the LBD population and in the assessment methods used, such as standardized scales (e.g., the noise pareidolia test), semi-structured interviews (e.g., the North-East Visual Hallucinations Interview), and clinical descriptions. Similarly to VH, MVP appears to be highly specific to LBD, helping in differential diagnosis from Alzheimer’s Disease. The overall relationship between MVP, VH, and visuoperceptual/visuospatial deficits remains unclear. Some studies found that MVP (especially pareidolic responses and presence of hallucinations) was positively correlated with VH, yet it is challenging to determine whether MVP can be considered a precursor of future VH development. Negative associations were reported between MVP (especially pareidolias) and visuoperceptual/visuospatial abilities. However, it is not clear whether these deficits serve as independent, exclusive factors in MVP occurrence or if they interact with VH as a contributing component. Gaining insight into the occurrence of these phenomena could prove beneficial for differential diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of treatment outcomes in patients with LBD.This study has been supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (#GR-2019-12369242). MM and AV are supported by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3—Call for tender No. 341 of 15/03/2022 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU, Project code PE0000006, Concession Decree No. 1553 of 11/10/2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP D93C22000930002, “A multiscale integrated approach to the study of the nervous system in health and disease” (MNESYS)
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