Access Path Research Articles

Map Representation and Navigation Planning for Legged Climbing UGVs in 3D Environments

Legged climbing unmanned ground vehicles (LC-UGVs) possess obstacle avoidance and wall transition capabilities, allowing them to move in 3D environments. Existing navigation methods for legged UGVs are only suitable for ground locomotion rather than 3D space. Although some wall transition methods have been proposed, they are specific to certain legged structures and have not been integrated into the navigation framework in full 3D environments. The planning of collision-free and accessible paths for legged climbing UGVs with any configuration in a 3D environment remains an open problem. This paper proposes a map representation suitable for the navigation planning of LC-UGVs in 3D space, named the Multi-Level Elevation Map (MLEM). Based on this map representation, we propose a universal hierarchical planning architecture. A global planner is applied to rapidly find cross-plane topological paths, and then a local planner and a motion generator based on motion primitives produces accessible paths and continuous motion trajectories. The hierarchical planning architecture equips the LC-UGVs with the ability to transition between different walls, thereby allowing them to navigate through challenging 3D environments.

Responding to the Call and Preparing for Ministry: The First Female Missionaries from Latvia

This paper explores the diverse family and socio-economic backgrounds of the first female missionaries from Latvia (1896–1924), examining how these factors either facilitated or hindered their missionary endeavors. It highlights the more accessible paths for pastors’ daughters like Emma Elizabeth Seesemann and Anna Irbe, contrasted with the more challenging journeys of the orphan Auguste Vietnieka and Lilija Otīlija Grīviņa, a railway worker’s daughter. The author discusses the varying preparation methods of different denominational German mission societies, noting the informal language training for women and the faith-centric approach of the Liebenzell mission. Each missionary’s unique experience of responding to God’s call and their subsequent success in missions across India, Tanzania, China, and Indonesia is also considered in detail.

Setonix: Blockchain-Based Hierarchy Domain Name System for Web3

DNS is an essential component for internet access, but the traditional centralized structure is not suitable for the rapidly growing Web3 ecosystem. Currently, Web3 services rely on Web2-based access paths, revealing limitations such as the Single Point of Failure (SPoF) issue and the compromise of decentralization principles. To address these issues, this paper proposes Setonix, a blockchain-based decentralized DNS. Experimental results of the implemented Setonix showed that it had only a marginal performance difference of up to approximately 5% compared to Google and Cloudflare DNS. Additionally, it demonstrated over 95% lower latency compared to Handshake DNS, proving its high efficiency. Setonix eliminates dependency on centralized access paths and brings the hierarchical address structure of existing domain names into the blockchain network, adhering to legacy systems to minimize user resistance. Additionally, it provides a blockchain-based architecture that supports cross-compatibility between traditional domain names and Web3 domain names through a simple interface. This design significantly enhances the scalability and accessibility of Web3, presenting a new standard for decentralized internet services. By doing so, it helps to establish a foundation that contributes to the growth and innovation of the Web3 ecosystem.

One-shot learning HMI for people with disabilities

Abstract For people with physical disabilities, it is often desirable to regain control over their personal environment and communication tools. This paper introduces a novel Human- Machine Interface (HMI) using one-shot learning for individualized control signals without extensive training or specialized hardware. Our work suggests a modular system that utilizes common, easily accessible devices like webcams to interpret user-defined gestures and commands through a single demonstration. As a feasibility study on healthy volunteers, we investigate the control of a computer mouse by head movements only. We demonstrate the technical details of the HMI and discuss its potential applications in enhancing the autonomy and interaction capabilities of users with disabilities. By combining usercentric design principles with the advancements in one-shot learning, we aim to forge a more inclusive, accessible path forward in the development of assistive technologies.

Clearing the Hurdle of Corruption: Indonesia’s Path to OECD Accession

Indonesia has recently entered into formal talks with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). While debate persists about the wisdom of such a move, it is relevant to recognize that there are many hurdles to overcome. The OECD has provided Indonesia a roadmap outlining both procedures and substantive legislative provisions required for accession to the OECD treaty. Among these requirements, OECD membership candidates must establish law that are in compliance with the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. Given Indonesia’s history, this component may pose a significant impediment to OECD membership. To explore this, the study examines the accession path of other recent members to the OECD and provides guidance for clear changes that are required to Indonesia’s legal framework surrounding corruption. This study found that compliance with the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention as imperative, as demonstrated by the experiences of countries that have recently joined the OECD and other candidate countries that are further along in the accession process than Indonesia. This research also demonstrates that significant legislative changes to Indonesia’s legal framework on corruption are required for full accession to the OECD Convention

Carbon-Efficient Scheduling in Fresh Food Supply Chains with a Time-Window-Constrained Deep Reinforcement Learning Model.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSs) leverage Internet of Things (IoT) technology to facilitate smart interconnectivity among vehicles, infrastructure, and users, thereby optimizing traffic flow. This paper constructs an optimization model for the fresh food supply chain distribution route of fresh products, considering factors such as carbon emissions, time windows, and cooling costs. By calculating carbon emission costs through carbon taxes, the model aims to minimize distribution costs. With a graph attention network structure adopted to describe node locations, accessible paths, and data with collection windows for path planning, it integrates to solve for the optimal distribution routes, taking into account carbon emissions and cooling costs under varying temperatures. Extensive simulation experiments and comparative analyses demonstrate that the proposed time-window-constrained reinforcement learning model provides effective decision-making information for optimizing fresh product fresh food supply chain transportation and distribution, controlling logistics costs, and reducing carbon emissions.

HOW NOT TO DO EUROPEAN INTEGRATIONS: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND LEGAL CHALLENGES IN ACCESSION PROCESS TO EUROPEAN UNION

Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina, with its complex constitutional and legal system, is facing many difficulties in its progress toward European Union membership. These challenges have been worsened by political instability, exacerbated by geopolitical shifts in Europe following Russian aggression on Ukraine. Legal complexities in the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina are often used to halt the country's progress and divert it from its European trajectory. This article analyses the specific instances of very unfavourable legal solutions that are hindering the EU accession process, as well as the recommendations put forth by the EU Commission aimed at removing these legal obstacles. There is an urgent need for reform of constitutional and legal rules to enable the country to effectively continue its EU accession path. The importance of the EU membership perspective for Bosnia and Herzegovina extends beyond simply joining a desirable club of prosperous countries; the reforms required during the EU accession process are needed to strengthen the efficiency of state institutions and secure lasting peace in the country and region. As such, the urgency and potential impact of these proposed legislative changes cannot be overstated. Methods: The research primarily employs a combination of analytical, normative, and comparative methods to examine the legal system and chronology of the integration process. The legal historical method is also used where appropriate. The research focuses on the content of constitutional norms, relevant legislative acts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and legislative acts of the European Union and other countries. These legislative acts are compared with EU recommendations and legislation from other EU member states to identify the discrepancies. The article provides an overview of the legal framework governing EU integrations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including norms of international law, constitutional law, national legislation, and EU law that are negatively impacting the EU accession process, and offers certain recommendations for their improvement. Results and conclusions: The research has identified certain norms of constitutional and legislative origin in the legal system of Bosnia and Herzegovina that are harming the country's ability to effectively engage in the EU accession process. Through a normative approach, the article gives recommendations for their improvement, which are in line with the standards set by the institutions of the EU. Amending these problematic legal frameworks would remove their use as political tools aimed at halting the country’s progress in the EU integrations.

Treatment of diametaphyseal forearm fractures in children and adolescents : Antegrade intramedullary nail osteosynthesis and its alternatives

Osteosynthesis in dislocated diametaphyseal forearm fractures is intended to restore anatomy and function. Antegrade intramedullary nailing in the radius is used to restore length, rotation, and axis within the age-specific correction limits. Sufficient stability ensures early functional postoperative treatment without load. Dislocated diametaphyseal forearm or radius fractures that cannot be closed, stably reduced, or remain outside the age-specific correction limits. Radius or forearm fractures located distal or proximal to the defined area. Soft tissue defects, contamination or infections located in the access path. In the course of the Thompson approach, the soft spot between the extensor digitorum and extensor carpi radialis brevis muscles is located and an approx. 3-4 cm skin incision is made. Then blunt preparation down to the bone, sparing the profundus and superficial radial nerve. Retraction of the musculature with two Langenbeck hooks. Opening of the cortex with an awl. If necessary, a2.5 mm drill with tissue protection can be used beforehand if the cortex is very hard. Atitanium elastic nail (TEN) diameter is selected so that it fills approximately 2/3 of the medullary canal. It is recommended to flatten the TEN runner with parallel flattening forceps. After closed reduction, the TEN is then brought up in front of the growth plate with slightly rotating movements. The TEN is bent over at the proximal end and pinched off above the muscle bellies. Alternative procedures include Kirschner wire osteosynthesis or retrograde TEN from radial or dorsal, with or without bending. The aim of osteosynthesis is early functional follow-up without load. Sports abstinence is recommended for 8weeks. Metal removal can be performed after consolidation between 3and 6months. Clearly dislocated or outside the correction limits infantile radius and forearm fractures show very good treatment results with alow risk profile after the described osteosynthesis technique. Pseudarthrosis and nerve damage were not observed. Secondary dislocation has not occurred.

SPATA: Effective OS Bug Detection with Summary-Based, Alias-Aware, and Path-Sensitive Typestate Analysis

The operating system (OS) is the cornerstone for computer systems. It manages hardware and provides fundamental service for user-level applications. Thus, detecting bugs in OSes is important to improve the reliability of computer systems. Static typestate analysis is a common technique for detecting various types of bugs, but it is often inaccurate or unscalable for large-size OS code, due to imprecision of identifying alias relationships as well as high costs of typestate tracking, path-feasibility validation, and inter-procedural analysis. In this article, 1 we present SPATA, a novel summary-based, alias-aware, and path-sensitive typestate analysis framework to detect OS bugs. To identify precise alias relationships in the OS code, SPATA performs a path-based alias analysis based on control-flow paths and access paths. With these alias relationships, SPATA reduces the costs of typestate tracking and path-feasibility validation, to accelerate path-sensitive typestate analysis for accurate bug detection. Moreover, SPATA uses an alias-summary-based analysis to accelerate inter-procedural bug detection, without time-consuming alias analysis across functions. We have evaluated SPATA on the Linux kernel and three popular IoT OSes, and it finds 651 real bugs with a false-positive rate of 18%. Besides, our alias-summary-based analysis achieves a 6.7x speedup in bug detection compared to non-summary-based analysis.

Bus Network Adjustment Pre-Evaluation Based on Biometric Recognition and Travel Spatio-Temporal Deduction

A critical component of bus network adjustment is the accurate prediction of potential risks, such as the likelihood of complaints from passengers. Traditional simulation methods, however, face limitations in identifying passengers and understanding how their travel patterns may change. To address this issue, a pre-evaluation method has been developed, leveraging the spatial distribution of bus networks and the spatio-temporal behavior of passengers. The method includes stage of travel demand analysis, accessible path set calculation, passenger assignment, and evaluation of key indicators. First, we explore the actual passengers’ origin and destination (OD) stop from bus card (or passenger Code) payment data and biometric recognition data, with the OD as one of the main input parameters. Second, a digital bus network model is constructed to represent the logical and spatial relationships between routes and stops. Upon inputting bus line adjustment parameters, these relationships allow for the precise and automatic identification of the affected areas, as well as the calculation of accessible paths of each OD pair. Third, the factors influencing passengers’ path selection are analyzed, and a predictive model is built to estimate post-adjustment path choices. A genetic algorithm is employed to optimize the model’s weights. Finally, various metrics, such as changes in travel routes and ride times, are analyzed by integrating passenger profiles. The proposed method was tested on the case of the Guangzhou 543 route adjustment. Results show that the accuracy of the number of predicted trips after adjustment is 89.6%, and the predicted flow of each associated bus line is also consistent with the actual situation. The main reason for the error is that the path selection has a certain level of irrationality, which stems from the fact that the proportion of passengers who choose the minimum cost path for direct travel is about 65%, while the proportion of one-transfer passengers is only about 50%. Overall, the proposed algorithm can quantitatively analyze the impact of rigid travel groups, occasional travel groups, elderly groups, and other groups that are prone to making complaints in response to bus line adjustment.

Specialization Restricts the Evolutionary Paths Available to Yeast Sugar Transporters.

Functional innovation at the protein level is a key source of evolutionary novelties. The constraints on functional innovations are likely to be highly specific in different proteins, which are shaped by their unique histories and the extent of global epistasis that arises from their structures and biochemistries. These contextual nuances in the sequence-function relationship have implications both for a basic understanding of the evolutionary process and for engineering proteins with desirable properties. Here, we have investigated the molecular basis of novel function in a model member of an ancient, conserved, and biotechnologically relevant protein family. These Major Facilitator Superfamily sugar porters are a functionally diverse group of proteins that are thought to be highly plastic and evolvable. By dissecting a recent evolutionary innovation in an α-glucoside transporter from the yeast Saccharomyces eubayanus, we show that the ability to transport a novel substrate requires high-order interactions between many protein regions and numerous specific residues proximal to the transport channel. To reconcile the functional diversity of this family with the constrained evolution of this model protein, we generated new, state-of-the-art genome annotations for 332 Saccharomycotina yeast species spanning ∼400 My of evolution. By integrating phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses across these species, we show that the model yeast α-glucoside transporters likely evolved from a multifunctional ancestor and became subfunctionalized. The accumulation of additive and epistatic substitutions likely entrenched this subfunction, which made the simultaneous acquisition of multiple interacting substitutions the only reasonably accessible path to novelty.

A comprehensive assessment of the biological attributes of and analytical quantification methods for monosodium glutamate

AbstractThis review focuses on monosodium glutamate which proclaims the fifth taste as “Umami”. Monosodium glutamate imparts a deep, meaty, umami flavour to foods. Asian cuisine frequently uses this flavouring, just as in the processed items produced across the United States and Europe. This article dealt with a detailed discussion of physicochemical features, pharmacological actions, and different reported analytical methodologies for the estimation of monosodium glutamate. Monosodium glutamate is analyzed using a variety of techniques, including spectroscopy, chromatography, electrochemistry, electrophoresis, chemometrics, flow injection analysis, and biosensors. According to results of comparative research of analytical methodologies, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is most widely used method for analyzing monosodium glutamate which surpasses the gas chromatographic (GC) approach. All of the reported methods are accurate, precise, cost-effective, and sensitive. The European Union defined monosodium glutamate as a food additive that is permitted in some foods, but is subject to quantitative limits. Consequently, this study provides the analyst with an accessible path to quantifying monosodium glutamate's content for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

From neighbour to member: Assessing Moldova’s EU membership perspectives

This article examines Moldova’s prospective membership in the European Union (EU) in the wake of the EU’s renewed enlargement drive which was prompted by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It explores the dynamics shaping Moldova’s accession path, spotlighting obstacles to integration that official reports appear to overlook or underplay. The article compares EU and Moldovan documents, civil society reports, and insights from interviews with Moldovan officials and civil society representatives to gain a nuanced picture of the evolving situation. Attention is also given to the distinct characteristics of the currently unfolding enlargement process, including its sense of urgency and geopolitical significance which have led to calls for an expedited or ‘fast-track’ accession. Findings note that despite Moldova’s impressive progress in aligning with EU standards in many areas, substantial hurdles in justice reform, combating corruption and de-oligarchisation persist. Incomplete public administration reforms, uneven civil society involvement in decision-making, and issues associated with the Transnistria conflict also have consequences for Moldova’s EU prospects, especially if an expedited version of enlargement occurs.

Boosting the Performance of Alias-Aware IFDS Analysis with CFL-Based Environment Transformers

The IFDS algorithm is pivotal in solving field-sensitive data-flow problems. However, its conventional use of access paths for field sensitivity leads to the generation of a large number of data-flow facts. This causes scalability challenges in larger programs, limiting its practical application in extensive codebases. In response, we propose a new field-sensitive technique that reinterprets the generation of access paths as a Context-Free Language (CFL) for field-sensitivity and formulates it as an IDE problem. This approach significantly reduces the number of data-flow facts generated and handled during the analysis, which is a major factor in performance degradation. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, we developed a taint analysis tool, IDEDroid, in the IFDS/IDE framework. IDEDroid outperforms FlowDroid, an established IFDS-based taint analysis tool, in the analysis of 24 major Android apps while improving its precision (guaranteed theoretically). The speed improvement ranges from 2.1× to 2,368.4×, averaging at 222.0×, with precision gains reaching up to 20.0% (in terms of false positives reduced). This performance indicates that IDEDroid is substantially more effective in detecting information-flow leaks, making it a potentially superior tool for mobile app vetting in the market.

A Qualitative Study on the Integrated Life Cycle Access Path between Training Center, Majoring Course, Customized Training Center, University, and Lifelong Education Center for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (TCPDD-MC-CTCPDD-U-LECPDD)

A Qualitative Study on the Integrated Life Cycle Access Path between Training Center, Majoring Course, Customized Training Center, University, and Lifelong Education Center for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (TCPDD-MC-CTCPDD-U-LECPDD)

Structural basis for the access and binding of resolvin D1 (RvD1) to formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2/ALX), a class A GPCR.

Inflammation is essential to the body's defense against tissue injury and microbial invasion. However, uncontrolled inflammation is highly detrimental and can result in chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. An increasing body of evidence suggests that specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), such as resolvins, are actively involved in critical cellular events that drive the resolution of inflammation and a return to homeostasis. An imbalance caused by insufficient SPMs can result in the unsuccessful resolution of inflammation. The D-series resolvins (metabolites of docosahexaenoic acid), such as resolvin D1 (RvD1) and resolvin D2 (RvD2), carry out their pro-resolving functions by directly binding to class A G protein-coupled receptors FPR2/ALXR and GPR32, and GPR18, respectively. We recently demonstrated that RvD1 and RvD2 preferentially partition and accumulate at the polar headgroup regions of the membrane. However, the mechanistic detail of how RvD1 gains access to the FPR2 binding site from a surrounding membrane environment remains unknown. In this study, we used classical MD and well-tempered metadynamics simulations to examine the structural basis for the access and binding of RvD1 to its target receptor from aqueous and membrane environments. The results offer valuable insights into the access path, potential binding pose, and key residue interactions essential for the access and binding of RvD1 to FPR2/ALXR and may help in identifying small molecule therapeutics as a possible treatment for inflammatory disorders.

Performance Modeling of Distributed Data Processing in Microservice Applications

Microservice applications are increasingly adopted in distributed data processing systems, such as in mobile edge computing and data mesh architectures. However, existing performance models of such systems fall short in providing comprehensive insights into the intricate interplay between data placement and data processing. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel class of performance models that enables joint analysis of data storage access workflows, caching, and queueing contention. Our proposed models introduce a notion of access path for data items to model hierarchical data locality constraints. We develop analytical solutions to efficiently approximate the performance metrics of these models under different data caching policies, finding in particular conditions under which the underlying Markov chain admits a product-form solution. Extensive trace-driven simulations based on real-world datasets indicate that service and data placement policies based on our proposed models can respectively improve by up to 35% and 37% the average response time in edge and data mesh case studies compared to baseline resource allocation heuristics.

Intent and Extent: Computer Science Concepts and Practices in Integrated Computing

Integrated computing curricula combine learning objectives in computing with those in another discipline, like literacy, math, or science, to give all students experience with computing, typically before they must decide whether to take standalone CS courses. One goal of integrated computing curricula is to provide an accessible path to an introductory computing course by introducing computing concepts and practices in required courses. This study analyzed integrated computing curricula to determine which CS practices and concepts are taught, how extensively the curricula are taught, and, by extension, how they might prepare students for later computing courses. The authors conducted a content analysis to examine primary and lower secondary (i.e., K-8) curricula that are taught in non-CS classrooms, have explicit CS learning objectives (i.e., CS+X), and that took 5+ hours to complete. Lesson plans, descriptions, and resources were scored based on frameworks developed from the K-12 CS Framework, including programming concepts, non-programming CS concepts, and CS practices. The results found that curricula most extensively taught introductory concepts and practices, such as sequences, and rarely taught more advanced content, such as conditionals. Students who engage with most of these curricula would have no experience working with fundamental concepts, like variables, operators, data collection or storage, or abstraction in the context of a program. While this focus might be appropriate for integrated curricula, it has implications for the prior knowledge that students should be expected to have when starting standalone computing courses.

Multi-area collision-free path planning and efficient task scheduling optimization for autonomous agricultural robots

Collision-free path planning and task scheduling optimization in multi-region operations of autonomous agricultural robots present a complex coupled problem. In addition to considering task access sequences and collision-free path planning, multiple factors such as task priorities, terrain complexity of farmland, and robot energy consumption must be comprehensively addressed. This study aims to explore a hierarchical decoupling approach to tackle the challenges of multi-region path planning. Firstly, we conduct path planning based on the A* algorithm to traverse paths for all tasks and obtain multi-region connected paths. Throughout this process, factors such as path length, turning points, and corner angles are thoroughly considered, and a cost matrix is constructed for subsequent optimization processes. Secondly, we reformulate the multi-region path planning problem into a discrete optimization problem and employ genetic algorithms to optimize the task sequence, thus identifying the optimal task execution order under energy constraints. We finally validate the feasibility of the multi-task planning algorithm proposed by conducting experiments in an open environment, a narrow environment and a large-scale environment. Experimental results demonstrate the method's capability to find feasible collision-free and cost-optimal task access paths in diverse and complex multi-region planning scenarios.

How can healthcare organisations improve the social determinants of health for their local communities? Findings from realist-informed case studies among secondary healthcare organisations in England

ObjectivesIncreasingly, healthcare and public health strategists invite us to look at healthcare organisations as not just care providers but as anchor institutions (ie, large community-rooted organisations with significant impact in...