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For many lawmakers, energy-efficient buildings have been the main focus in large cities across the United States. Buildings consume the largest amount of energy and produce the highest amounts of greenhouse emissions. This is especially true for New York City (NYC)’s public and private buildings, which alone emit more than two-thirds of the city’s total greenhouse emissions. Therefore, improvements in building energy efficiency have become an essential target to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption. NYC’s buildings’ historical energy consumption data was used in machine learning models to determine their ENERGY STAR scores for time series analysis and future pre- diction. Machine learning models were used to predict future energy use and answer the question of how to incorporate machine learning for effective decision-making to optimize energy usage within the largest buildings in a city. The results show that grouping buildings by property type, rather than by location, provides better predictions for ENERGY STAR scores. 

This paper presents a mobile-based solution that integrates 3D vision and voice interaction to assist people who are blind or have low vision to explore and interact with their surroundings. The key components of the system are the two 3D vision modules: the 3D object detection module integrates a deep-learning based 2D object detector with ARKit-based point cloud generation, and an interest direction recognition module integrates hand/finger recognition and ARKit-based 3D direction estimation. The integrated system consists of a voice interface, a task scheduler, and an instruction generator. The voice interface contains a customized user request mapping module that maps the user’s input voice into one of the four primary system operation modes (exploration, search, navigation, and settings adjustment). The task scheduler coordinates with two web services that host the two vision modules to allocate resources for computation based on the user request and network connectivity strength. Finally, the instruction generator computes the corresponding instructions based on the user request and results from the two vision modules. The system is capable of running in real time on mobile devices. We have shown preliminary experimental results on the performance of the voice to user request mapping module and the two vision modules. 

Many eukaryotic transcription factors (TF) form homodimer or heterodimer complexes to regulate gene expression. Dimerization of BASIC LEUCINE ZIPPER (bZIP) TFs are critical for their functions, but the molecular mechanism underlying the DNA binding and functional specificity of homo-versusheterodimers remains elusive. To address this gap, we present the double DNA Affinity Purification-sequencing (dDAP-seq) technique that maps heterodimer binding sites on endogenous genomic DNA. Using dDAP-seq we profile twenty pairs of C/S1 bZIP heterodimers and S1 homodimers inArabidopsisand show that heterodimerization significantly expands the DNA binding preferences of these TFs. Analysis of dDAP-seq binding sites reveals the function of bZIP9 in abscisic acid response and the role of bZIP53 heterodimer-specific binding in seed maturation. The C/S1 heterodimers show distinct preferences for the ACGT elements recognized by plant bZIPs and motifs resembling the yeast GCN4cis-elements. This study demonstrates the potential of dDAP-seq in deciphering the DNA binding specificities of interacting TFs that are key for combinatorial gene regulation.

 

This paper proposes an AR-based real-time mobile system for assistive indoor navigation with target segmentation (ARMSAINTS) for both sighted and blind or low-vision (BLV) users to safely explore and navigate in an indoor environment. The solution comprises four major components: graph construction, hybrid modeling, real-time navigation and target segmentation. The system utilizes an automatic graph construction method to generate a graph from a 2D floorplan and the Delaunay triangulation-based localization method to provide precise localization with negligible error. The 3D obstacle detection method integrates the existing capability of AR with a 2D object detector and a semantic target segmentation model to detect and track 3D bounding boxes of obstacles and people to increase BLV safety and understanding when traveling in the indoor environment. The entire system does not require the installation and maintenance of expensive infrastructure, run in real-time on a smartphone, and can easily adapt to environmental changes. 

The radiance of sky brightness differs principally with wavelength passband. Atmospheric scattering of sunlight causes the radiation in the near-infrared band. The Antarctic is a singular area of the planet, marked by an unparalleled climate and geographical conditions, including the coldest temperatures and driest climate on Earth, which leads it to be the best candidate site for observing in infrared bands. At present, there are still no measurements of night-sky brightness at DOME A. We have developed the Near-Infrared Sky Brightness Monitor (NISBM) in the J, H, and Ks bands for measurements at DOME A. The instruments were installed at DOME A in 2019 and early results of NIR sky brightness from 2019 January–April have been obtained. The variation of sky background brightness with solar elevation and scanning angle is analysed. The zenith sky flux intensity for the early night at DOME A in the J band is in the 600–1100 μJy arcsec−2 range, that in the H band is between 1100 and 2600 μJy arcsec−2, and that in the Ks band is in the range ∼200–900 μJy arcsec−2. This result shows that the sky brightness in J and H bands is close to that of Ali in China and Mauna Kea in the USA. The sky brightness in the Ks band is much better than that in Ali, China and Mauna Kea, USA. This shows that, from our early results, DOME A is a good site for astronomical observation in the Ks band.

 

Real-time detection of 3D obstacles and recognition of humans and other objects is essential for blind or low- vision people to travel not only safely and independently but also confidently and interactively, especially in a cluttered indoor environment. Most existing 3D obstacle detection techniques that are widely applied in robotic applications and outdoor environments often require high-end devices to ensure real-time performance. There is a strong need to develop a low-cost and highly efficient technique for 3D obstacle detection and object recognition in indoor environments. This paper proposes an integrated 3D obstacle detection system implemented on a smartphone, by utilizing deep-learning-based pre-trained 2D object detectors and ARKit- based point cloud data acquisition to predict and track the 3D positions of multiple objects (obstacles, humans, and other objects), and then provide alerts to users in real time. The system consists of four modules: 3D obstacle detection, 3D object tracking, 3D object matching, and information filtering. Preliminary tests in a small house setting indicated that this application could reliably detect large obstacles and their 3D positions and sizes in the real world and small obstacles’ positions, without any expensive devices besides an iPhone.