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READMem: Robust Embedding Association for a Diverse Memory in Unconstrained Video Object Segmentation
No full textWe present READMem (Robust Embedding Association for a Diverse Memory), a modular framework for semi-automatic video object segmentation (sVOS) methods designed to handle unconstrained videos. Contemporary sVOS works typically aggregate video frames in an ever-expanding memory, demanding high hardware resources for long-term applications. To mitigate memory requirements and prevent near object duplicates (caused by information of adjacent frames), previous methods introduce a hyper-parameter that controls the frequency of frames eligible to be stored. This parameter has to be adjusted according to concrete video properties (such as rapidity of appearance changes and video length) and does not generalize well. Instead, we integrate the embedding of a new frame into the memory only if it increases the diversity of the memory content. Furthermore, we propose a robust association of the embeddings stored in the memory with the query embeddings during the update process. Our approach avoids the accumulation of redundant data, allowing us in return, to restrict the memory size and prevent extreme memory demands in long videos. We extend popular sVOS baselines with READMem, which previously showed limited performance on long videos. Our approach achieves competitive results on the Long-time Video dataset (LV1) while not hindering performance on short sequences. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/Vujas-Eteph/READMem
Interference Free Vital Sign Extraction with Radar Using a Signal Fusion Approach
No full text310313Vital sign extraction with radar from people who move during the measurement is very difficult. This paper proposes a vital sign extraction method for MIMO radars. The basic idea is to cluster different measurements belonging to the person and fuse them using a Kalman filter with an oscillation model. The measurement results show that the approach allows accurate vital sign measurements despite the movement of the person or disturbed measurements
An economically viable lunar isru process for oxygen and metal production and related benefits for terrestrial applications
No full textA sustainable exploration of the Solar System will be dependent on the use of local resources, provided that they can be produced very efficiently such that the mass of the locally produced resources exceeds the mass of any needed consumables or spares to sustain the process. Any facility considered for that purpose will therefore need to be as compact and robust as possible, minimize the need for maintenance and spare parts and maximize the efficiency of the process. For the specific case of oxygen and metal production from regolith on the Moon an attractive process would need to have the capability to reduce most constituents of lunar regolith and have a high oxygen yield in order to be largely site-independent. Current trends in process development are reviewed and a new process is proposed that will enable an attractive small, simple, compact and efficient lunar facility design for high-purity oxygen and metals production, and produces a metal product that is well suited for a range of downstream manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing and aerosol deposition. With its design for minimum maintenance and mass, maximum compactness and robustness, and zero emissions this process is also very interesting for terrestrial applications in the area of clean metals production, and could be a contribution to lowering the emissions of greenhouse gases associated with metals production
The design of a mobile platform providing personalized assistance to older multimorbid patients with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
No full text3743Management of multiple chronic conditions introduces demanding challenges for patients. This situation becomes more complex when multimorbidity is associated with dementia. In this paper, we present the design of a mobile Patient Empowerment Platform that enables older multimorbid patients with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to easily follow their complex care plans and increase their adherence. We focus on the presentation of the human-centered design process that we have followed with the involvement of patients, informal caregivers, and healthcare professionals via the clinical pilot sites of the CAREPATH project. We elaborate the design challenges we have faced and present the iterative mock-ups that have been created in cooperation with end users to address these challenges and the final PEP design
Applications of Metal Foam in Catalysis and Electrolysis
No full textOpen cell metallic foams are suitable for a wide range of applications as materials for filters, catalyst supports for heterogeneous catalysis and electrodes in batteries, fuel cells and electrolyzers due to their excellent heat and mass transfer, low pressure drop, good electrical conductivity and high chemical resistance. The foam can be produced in a wide range from pure metals like nickel, iron, silver and copper. Depending on the application, high high-temperature, oxidation and corrosion resistance can be achieved by a patented powder metallurgical alloying process on industrial scale. In the current paper, results for applications of NiFeCrAl foam as catalyst for Steam Methane Reforming and silver foam for the formaldehyde synthesis are discussed. Another focus is the application of nickel foam as electrode material in electrolysis. Electrochemical investigations show that modified nickel foam exhibit a much lower overvoltage than nickel sheets and thus the operating costs of electrolyzers can be significantly reduced
Nitride Ferroelectric Domain Wall Memory for Next-Generation Computing
No full textThe emerging nitride ferroelectrics, such as Al1-xScxN promise to significantly advance our current information technology. In particular, two-terminal memristive devices are ideal candidates for artificial intelligence accelerators and in-memory computing due to their simplicity in design, non-volatility and non-destructive readout. The recent discovery of conductive domain walls in Al1-xScxN is a promising enabler for such technology, offering several benefits compared to barrier height modulation- or tunneling-based devices. First, domain walls can be highly conductive and feature high read currents (required for aggressive lateral scaling and fast access times), also in non-epitaxial films without being restricted to the technologically challenging ultrathin thickness regime (< 10 nm). Second, nitride ferroelectrics are fully compatible with silicon and GaN technology on which the ferroelectric domain wall memory (FeDMEM) can be integrated with logic circuitry. Third, excellent scalability and temperature resistance of ferroelectric Al1-xScxN were demonstrated, enabling scaled, low-latency edge computing under extreme environmental conditions. In this study, a FeDMEM device consisting of a Pt/Al0.72Sc0.28N/Pt capacitor grown on Si substrates is electrically characterized in-depth, revealing unique peculiarities in the memristive response. A read current density of 350 A/m2 and an ON/OFF ratio of 20 is achieved, allowing for consistent storing of up to eight levels of information.12
Smelling the romantic partner’s natural body odor increases psychological and autonomic but not cortisol stress responses
No full textWhile social support from romantic partners is known to ameliorate stress responses, it remains unclear whether perceiving a partner’s body odor can elicit similar stress-buffering effects. In this study, 179 participants living in heterosexual romantic relationships underwent either the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or a non-stressful control condition while being exposed to their partner’s body odor (collected under standardized conditions over five consecutive nights) or a neutral, non-social control odor presented via an olfactometer. The partner’s odor had no effect on cortisol release. However, contrary to previous findings, subconsciously smelling one’s own partner increased subjective stress and heart rates. Potential underlying mechanisms include the causal misattribution of attraction-related, arousal-induced heart rate increases to the stressful experimental situation, or an evolutionarily adaptive mechanism that amplifies stress responses when a loved one is potentially involved in the threatening situation.1
Inductive sensor with integrated components
No full text619623In today's world, the requirement for data security in electronics is constantly increasing and is becoming more and more important not only in the industry, but also in other areas, such as the medical sector. Electronic hardware, such as cell phones or communication modules used in the energy sector, collect sensitive data from consumers and must be protected by adapted algorithms. In addition, the risk of product piracy or reverse engineering attempts has increased in recent years due to the rise of digitalization and requires appropriate counter measures. Algorithms must be constantly adapted to the new security challenges. In addition, purely software-based protection has long been insufficient to protect sensitive electronics. Much better protection against possible cyber-attacks is offered by a combination of software and physical hardware protection. There are various ways of achieving this, such as encapsulation with potting material (epoxy resin) or wrapping with a drill protection film. In the BMBF project "Safe" the possibility was investigated of integrating standardized components into the printed circuit board (PCB), the so called embedding technology. The embedding, not only serves to protect against external influences such as moisture, dirt, etc., but can also counteract reverse engineering attempts. It is more difficult for the potential attacker to draw conclusions about the internal structures of the circuit. In addition, a "protective shield" in the form of an integrated rectangular planar coil was developed for the outer layers. This is additionally connected along all edges of the module by further contacts. This makes it possible to detect physical attacks that occur from the side or above. The goal is to delete the data or digital keys in the event of a potential attack in order to keep them secret or prevent tampering. In experiments, the inductance of the system was monitored by an integrated circuit (Texas Instruments LDC131x Series) to detect the approach of electrically conductive objects. These generate eddy currents on the surface, whose magnetic fields counteract the current of the induction coil, reducing the inductance of the system and increasing the resonant frequency of the sensor. These characteristics of these changes can then be evaluated and assigned to specific attack scenarios
Digital beamforming transceiver design in 22 nm FD-SOI technology for 39 Ghz 5G access
No full text3155Pure digital beamforming is the best strategy to address dense end-user area. However, this architecture comes with its own challenges (power consumption, extra area, extremely high I/O data rates) which often makes it considered to be a non-practical solution for antenna array integration. In this paper, we will discuss how these inherent challenges have been addressed in the development of fully integrated transceiver solution operating at 39 GHz. Low power RF front-end with Rx/Tx switching solution will be presented. Local oscillator multiplication from 13 to 39 GHz will be detailed. Efficient and high resolu¬tion data conversion will be justified and presented. Lastly, a new architectural solution addressing the issue of high-data rate transfer will be explained
AN AGENT-BASED ENERGY MANAGEMENT CONCEPT FOR V2X-CAPABLE EV CHARGER CLUSTERS
No full text171175This study applies an agent-based concept for managing electric vehicle (EV) charging in clustered systems. The applied concept is the modified implementation of SwarmGrid-X algorithm, targeting energy neutralization of consumer-producer clusters through fully decentralized control. In this concept, each bidirectional charging unit (CU) is represented by an agent. Depending on the urgency of the charging demand of the connected EV, the CU agent can act as a consumer or producer and negotiate with other agents to find the complementary needs between individual agents. A consumer agent, firstly, searches for a producer agent in its close proximity and looks for further producers only when it is not possible to cover all the demanded power. This approach enables efficient utilization of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) functions for system objectives- energy neutralization of charger clusters-without enforcing any centralized control