Recognition and prediction of driver’s whole body posture model

The driver’s whole-body posture at the time of a collision is a key factor in determining the magnitude of injury to the driver. However, current researchs on driver posture models only consider the upper body posture of the driver, and the lower body area which is not perceived by sensors is not studied. This paper investigates the driver’s posture and establishes a 3D posture model of the driver’s whole body through the application of machine vision algorithms and regression model statistics. This study proposes an improved Kinect-OpenPose algorithm for identifying the 3D spatial coordinates of nine keypoints of the driver’s upper body. The posture prediction regression model of four keypoints of the lower body is established by conducting volunteer posture acquisition experiments on the developed simulated driving seat and analyzing the volunteer posture data through using the principal components of the upper body keypoints and the seat parameters. The experiments proved that the error of the regression model in this paper is minor than that of current studies, and the accuracy of the keypoint location and the keypoint connection length of the established driver whole body posture model is high, which provides implications for future studies.

A Novel Deep Learning Approach Using Contextual Embeddings for Toponym Resolution

This article describes a novel approach for toponym resolution with deep neural networks. The proposed approach does not involve matching references in the text against entries in a gazetteer, instead directly predicting geo-spatial coordinates. Multiple inputs are considered in the neural network architecture (e.g., the surrounding words are considered in combination with the toponym to disambiguate), using pre-trained contextual word embeddings (i.e., ELMo or BERT) as well as bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory units, which are both regularly used for modeling textual data. The intermediate representations are then used to predict a probability distribution over possible geo-spatial regions, and finally to predict the coordinates for the input toponym. The proposed model was tested on three datasets used on previous toponym resolution studies, specifically the (i) War of the Rebellion, (ii) Local–Global Lexicon, and (iii) SpatialML corpora. Moreover, we evaluated the effect of using (i) geophysical terrain properties as external information, including information on elevation or terrain development, among others, and (ii) additional data collected from Wikipedia articles, to further help with the training of the model. The obtained results show improvements using the proposed method, when compared to previous approaches, and specifically when BERT embeddings and additional data are involved.

The dynamic of quantum entanglement of two dimensional harmonic oscillator in non-commutative space

In the present paper, we study the influence of non-commutativity on entanglement in a system of two oscillators-modes in interaction with its environment. The considered system is a two-dimensional harmonic oscillator in non-commuting spatial coordinates coupled to its environment. The dynamics of the covariance matrix, the separability criteria for two Gaussian states in non-commutative space coordinates, and the logarithmic negativity are used to evaluate the quantum entanglement in the system, which is compared to the commutative space coordinates case. The result is applied for two initially entangled states, namely the squeezed vacuum and squeezed thermal states. It can be observed that the phenomenon of entanglement sudden death appears more early in the system for the case of squeezed vacuum state than in the case of squeezed thermal state. Thereafter, it is also observed that non-commutativity effects lead to an increasing of entanglement of initially entangled quantum states, and reduce the separability in the open quantum system. It turns out that a separable state in the usual commutative quantum mechanics might be entangled in non-commutative extension.

ForestScanner: A mobile application for measuring and mapping trees with LiDAR-equipped iPhone and iPad

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative means to conventional forest inventory methods. By gauging the distances to multiple points on the surrounding object surfaces, TLS acquires 3D point clouds from which tree sizes and spatial distributions can be rapidly estimated. However, the high cost and specialized skills required for TLS have put it out of reach for many potential users. We here introduce ForestScanner, a free, mobile application that allows TLS-based forest inventories by means of iPhone or iPad with a built-in LiDAR sensor. ForestScanner does not require any manual analysis of 3D point clouds. As the user scans trees with an iPhone/iPad, ForestScanner estimates the stem diameters and spatial coordinates based on real-time instance segmentation and circle fitting. The users can visualize, check, and share the results of scanning in situ. By using ForestScanner, we measured the stem diameters and spatial coordinates of 672 trees within a 1 ha plot in 1 h 39 min with an iPhone and in 1 h 38 min with an iPad (diameter ≥5 cm; detection rate = 100%). ForestScanner reduced the person-hours required for measuring diameters to 25.7%, mapping trees to 9.3%, and doing both to 6.8% of the person-hours taken using a dimeter tape and a conventional surveying method. The diameters measured by ForestScanner and diameter tape were in good agreement; R2=0.963 for iPhone and R2=0.961 for iPad. ForestScanner and the conventional surveying system showed almost identical results for tree mapping (assessed by the spatial distances among trees within 0.04 ha subplots); Mantel R2=0.999 for both iPhone and iPad. Our results indicate that ForestScanner enables cost-, labor-, and time-efficient forest inventories. The application can increase the accessibility to TLS for people beyond specialists and enhance resource assessments and biodiversity monitoring in forests worldwide.

Temperature modes in a heat-sensitive plate with local heating

Nonlinear mathematical models for the analysis of temperature regimes in a thermosensitive isotropic plate heated by locally concentrated heat sources have been developed. For this purpose, the heat-active zones of the plate are described using the theory of generalized functions. Given this, the equation of thermal conductivity and boundary conditions contain discontinuous and singular right parts. The original nonlinear equations of thermal conductivity and nonlinear boundary conditions are linearized by Kirchhoff transformation. To solve the obtained boundary value problems, the integral Fourier transform was used and, as a result, their analytical solutions in the images were determined. The inverse integral Fourier transform was applied to these solutions, which made it possible to obtain analytical expressions for determining the Kirchhoff variable. As an example, the linear dependence of the thermal conductivity on temperature is chosen, which is often used in many practical problems. As a result, analytical relations were obtained to determine the temperature in the heat-sensitive plate. The given analytical solutions are presented in the form of improper convergent integrals. According to Newtons method (three-eighths), numerical values of these integrals are obtained with a certain accuracy for given values of plate thickness, spatial coordinates, specific power of heat sources, the thermal conductivity of structural materials of the plate, and geometric parameters of the heat-active zone. The material of the plate is silicon and germanium. To determine the numerical values of temperature in the structure, as well as the analysis of heat transfer processes in the middle of the plate due to local heating, developed software, using which geometric mapping of temperature distribution depending on spatial coordinates, thermal conductivity, specific heat flux density. The obtained numerical values of temperature testify to the correspondence of the developed mathematical models of the analysis of heat exchange processes in the thermosensitive plate with local heating to the real physical process. The software also makes it possible to analyze such environments that are exposed to local heat loads in terms of their heat resistance. As a result, it becomes possible to increase it and to protect it from overheating, which can cause the destruction not only of individual elements but also of the entire structure. Keywords: temperature field; isotropic thermosensitive plate; thermal conductivity; heat-insulated surface; perfect thermal contact; local heating.

Imagine Your Crossed Hands as Uncrossed: Visual Imagery Impacts the Crossed-Hands Deficit

Successful interaction with our environment requires accurate tactile localization. Although we seem to localize tactile stimuli effortlessly, the processes underlying this ability are complex. This is evidenced by the crossed-hands deficit, in which tactile localization performance suffers when the hands are crossed. The deficit results from the conflict between an internal reference frame, based in somatotopic coordinates, and an external reference frame, based in external spatial coordinates. Previous evidence in favour of the integration model employed manipulations to the external reference frame (e.g., blindfolding participants), which reduced the deficit by reducing conflict between the two reference frames. The present study extends this finding by asking blindfolded participants to visually imagine their crossed arms as uncrossed. This imagery manipulation further decreased the magnitude of the crossed-hands deficit by bringing information in the two reference frames into alignment. This imagery manipulation differentially affected males and females, which was consistent with the previously observed sex difference in this effect: females tend to show a larger crossed-hands deficit than males and females were more impacted by the imagery manipulation. Results are discussed in terms of the integration model of the crossed-hands deficit.

Hi-C Contacts Encode Heterogeneity in Sub-diffusive Motion of E. coli Chromosomal Loci

Underneath its apparently simple architecture, the circular chromosome of E. coli is known for displaying complex dynamics in its cytoplasm. Recent experiments have hinted at an inherently heterogeneous dynamics of chromosomal loci, the origin of which has largely been elusive. In this regard, here we investigate the loci dynamics of E. coli chromosome in a minimally growing condition at 30°C by integrating the experimentally derived Hi-C interaction matrix within a computer model. Our quantitative analysis demonstrates that, while the dynamics of the chromosome is sub-diffusive in a viscoelastic media in general, the diffusion constants and the diffusive exponents are strongly dependent on the spatial coordinates of chromosomal loci. In particular, the loci in Ter Macro-domain display slower mobility compared to the others. The result is found to be robust even in the presence of active noise. Interestingly, a series of control investigations reveal that the absence of Hi-C interactions in the model would have abolished the heterogeneity in loci diffusion, indicating that the observed coordinate-dependent chromosome dynamics is heavily dictated via Hi-C-guided long-range inter-loci communications. Overall, the study underscores the key role of Hi-C interactions in guiding the inter-loci encounter and in modulating the underlying heterogeneity of the loci diffusion.

Tools for integrating inertial sensor data with video bio-loggers, including estimation of animal orientation, motion, and position

Bio-logging devices equipped with inertial measurement units—particularly accelerometers, magnetometers, and pressure sensors—have revolutionized our ability to study animals as necessary electronics have gotten smaller and more affordable over the last two decades. These animal-attached tags allow for fine scale determination of behavior in the absence of direct observation, particularly useful in the marine realm, where direct observation is often impossible, and recent devices can integrate more power hungry and sensitive instruments, such as hydrophones, cameras, and physiological sensors. To convert the raw voltages recorded by bio-logging sensors into biologically meaningful metrics of orientation (e.g., pitch, roll and heading), motion (e.g., speed, specific acceleration) and position (e.g., depth and spatial coordinates), we developed a series of MATLAB tools and online instructional tutorials. Our tools are adaptable for a variety of devices, though we focus specifically on the integration of video, audio, 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis magnetometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, pressure, temperature, light and GPS data that are the standard outputs from Customized Animal Tracking Solutions (CATS) video tags. Our tools were developed and tested on cetacean data but are designed to be modular and adaptable for a variety of marine and terrestrial species. In this text, we describe how to use these tools, the theories and ideas behind their development, and ideas and additional tools for applying the outputs of the process to biological research. We additionally explore and address common errors that can occur during processing and discuss future applications. All code is provided open source and is designed to be useful to both novice and experienced programmers.

THE STUDY OF THE “CETUS” UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE FOR TOPOGRAPHIC AERIAL SURVEYING

The work aims to analyze and study the possibilities of using “Cetus” unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for performing topographic aerial surveys. The authors developed and tested aircraft-type UAV for topographic aerial photography. The studies were conducted on a specialized landfill, at which there is an appropriate number of situational points whose coordinates are determined with high accuracy. These points were used as both reference and control points. The obtained UAV aerial survey materials were subjected to a phototriangulation process to determine the orientation elements and to analyze, first and foremost, the angular orientation elements. The surveying was carried out on a mountainous territory, where the spatial coordinates of 37 situational points were determined by the method of ground-based GPS survey with an average accuracy of up to 0.05 m. These points were used as reference and control points. Aerial photography was performed in such a way that the scale of the images was as uniform as possible. The design solutions implemented in the Cetus UAV provide all the possibilities to perform aerial surveys of territories in strict compliance with the projected flight parameters. UAV equipment provides the necessary real-time correction of the position of the aerial camera. At the same time the optimum straightness of routes, stability of scales and mutual overlapping of pictures is reached. Regarding the accuracy of obtaining the spatial coordinates of the points of terrain objects, using “Cetus” UAV surveys, plans can even be made on a scale of even 1: 1000. As a result of the creation of the UAV “Cetus”, it became possible to perform the topographic aerial survey of the territories and to create large-scale orthophotos that fully meet the instructions. As a result of testing the “Cetus” UAV, it can be used in production processes when drawing up topographic plans for a large-scale series: 1: 1000 – 1: 5000, which will significantly save the cost of performing topographic work.