Method of collaborative detection of autonomous transport vehicles based on laser rangefinder data

To master changing performance demands, autonomous transport vehicles are deployed to make inhouse material flow applications more flexible. The socalled cellular transport system consists of a multitude of small scale transport vehicles which shall be able to form a swarm. Therefore the vehicles need to detect each other, exchange information amongst each other and sense their environment. By provision of peripherally acquired information of other transport entities, more convenient decisions can be made in terms of navigation and collision avoidance. This paper is a contribution to collective utilization of sensor data in the swarm of cellular transport vehicles.

Approximating method of frames

In this paper, the well-known method of frames approach to the signal decomposition problem is reformulated as a certain bilevel goal-attainment linear least squares problem. As a consequence, a numerically robust variant of the method, named approximating method of frames, is proposed on the basis of a certain minimal Euclidean norm approximating splitting pseudo-iteration-wise method.

A nonparametric method of comparing the partial areas under two correlated receiver operating characteristic curves

A non-parametric method was developed and tested to compare the partial areas under two correlated Receiver Operating Characteristic curves. Based on the theory of generalized U-statistics the mathematical formulas have been derived for computing ROC area, and the variance and covariance between the portions of two ROC curves. A practical SAS application also has been developed to facilitate the calculations. The accuracy of the non-parametric method was evaluated by comparing it to other methods. By applying our method to the data from a published ROC analysis of CT image, our results are very close to theirs. A hypothetical example was used to demonstrate the effects of two crossed ROC curves. The two ROC areas are the same. However each portion of the area between two ROC curves were found to be significantly different by the partial ROC curve analysis. For computation of ROC curves with large scales, such as a logistic regression model, we applied our method to the breast cancer study with Medicare claims data. It yielded the same ROC area computation as the SAS Logistic procedure. Our method also provides an alternative to the global summary of ROC area comparison by directly comparing the true-positive rates for two regression models and by determining the range of false-positive values where the models differ. ^

A Modification of the Response Method of Tidal Analysis

An easily implemented extension of the standard response method of tidal analysis is outlined. The modification improves the extraction of both the steady and the tidal components from problematic time series by calculating tidal response weights uncontaminated by missing or anomalous data. Examples of time series containing data gaps and anomalous events are analyzed to demonstrate the applicability and advantage of the proposed method.

The effect of nontemporal stimulus size on perceived duration as assessed by the method of reproduction

Perceived duration is assumed to be positively related to nontemporal stimulus magnitude. Most recently, the finding that larger stimuli are perceived to last longer has been challenged to represent a mere decisional bias induced by the use of comparative duration judgments. Therefore, in the present study, the method of temporal reproduction was applied as a psychophysical procedure to quantify perceived duration. Another major goal was to investigate the influence of attention on the effect of visual stimulus size on perceived duration. For this purpose, an additional dual-task paradigm was employed. Our results not only converged with previous findings in demonstrating a functional positive relationship between nontemporal stimulus size and perceived duration, but also showed that the effect of stimulus size on perceived duration was not confined to comparative duration judgments. Furthermore, the effect of stimulus size proved to be independent of attentional resources allocated to stimulus size; nontemporal visual stimulus information does not need to be processed intentionally to influence perceived duration. Finally, the effect of nontemporal stimulus size on perceived duration was effectively modulated by the duration of the target intervals, suggesting a hitherto largely unrecognized role of temporal context for the effect of nontemporal stimulus size to become evident.

Explication as a Method of Conceptual Re-engineering

Taking Carnap’s classic exposition as a starting point, this paper develops a pragmatic account of the method of explication, defends it against a range of challenges and proposes a detailed recipe for the practice of explicating. It is then argued that confusions are involved in characterizing explications as definitions, and in advocating precising definitions as an alternative to explications. Explication is better characterized as conceptual re-engineering for theoretical purposes, in contrast to conceptual re-engineering for other purposes and improving exactness for purely practical reasons. Finally, three limitations which call for further development of the method of explication are discussed.

A movement from traditional malarial chemoprophylaxis to the use of intermittent preventive treatment as a method of protection for children diagnosed with sickle-cell disease: A proposal for consideration based on a systematic review of the literature

Approximately 200,000 African children are born with sickle-cell anemia each year. Research has shown that individuals with hemoglobin disorders, particularly sickle-cell anemia, have increased susceptibility to contracting malaria. Currently it is recommended that patients diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia undergo malaria chemoprophylaxis in order to decrease their chances of malarial infection. However, studies have shown that routine administration of these drugs increases the risk of drug resistance and could possibly impair the development of naturally acquired immunity. Clinical trials have shown intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) to be an effective method of protection against malaria. The objective of this report was to review previously conducted clinical trials that study the effects of intermittent preventive treatment on malaria and anemia in infants and children. Based on the review, implications for its appropriateness as a protective measure against malaria for infants and children diagnosed with sickle-cell disease were provided.^ The 18 studies reviewed were randomized controlled trials that focused on IPT’s effect on malaria (7 studies), anemia (1 study), or both (8 studies). In addition to these 16, one study looks at IPT’s effect on molecular resistance to malaria, and another study is a follow-up to a study in order to review IPT’s potential to cause a rebound effect. The 18 th study in this review specifically looks at IPT’s protective efficacy in children with SCA. The studies in this report were restricted to randomized controlled trials that have been performed from 2000 to 2010. Reports on anemia were included to illustrate possible added benefits of the use of IPT specific to burdens associated with SCA other than malaria susceptibility. The outcomes of these studies address several issues of concern involving the administration of IPT: protective efficacy (in reference to age, seasonal versus perennial malaria regions, and overall effectiveness against malaria and anemia), drug resistance, drug rebound effect, drug side-effects, and long-term effects. Overall, these showed that IPT has a significant level of protective efficacy against malaria and/or anemia in children. More specifically, the IPT study evaluating children diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia proved IPT to be a more effective method of protection than traditional chemoprophylaxis. ^

Differential Activity of the KRAS Oncogene by Method of Activation: Implications for Signaling and Therapeutic Intervention

Despite having been identified over thirty years ago and definitively established as having a critical role in driving tumor growth and predicting for resistance to therapy, the KRAS oncogene remains a target in cancer for which there is no effective treatment. KRas is activated b y mutations at a few sites, primarily amino acid substitutions at codon 12 which promote a constitutively active state. I have found that different amino acid substitutions at codon 12 can activate different KRas downstream signaling pathways, determine clonogenic growth potential and determine patient response to molecularly targeted therapies. Computer modeling of the KRas structure shows that different amino acids substituted at the codon 12 position influences how KRas interacts with its effecters. In the absence of a direct inhibitor of mutant KRas several agents have recently entered clinical trials alone and in combination directly targeting two of the common downstream effecter pathways of KRas, namely the Mapk pathway and the Akt pathway. These inhibitors were evaluated for efficacy against different KRAS activating mutations. An isogenic panel of colorectal cells with wild type KRas replaced with KRas G12C, G12D, or G12V at the endogenous loci differed in sensitivity to Mek and Akt inhibition. In contrast, screening was performed in a broad panel of lung cell lines alone and no correlation was seen between types of activating KRAS mutation due to concurrent oncogenic lesions. To find a new method to inhibit KRAS driven tumors, siRNA screens were performed in isogenic lines with and without active KRas. The knockdown of CNKSR1 (CNK1) showed selective growth inhibition in cells with an oncogenic KRAS. The deletion of CNK1 reduces expression of mitotic cell cycle proteins and arrests cells with active KRas in the G1 phase of the cell cycle similar to the deletion of an activated KRas regardless of activating substitution. CNK1 has a PH domain responsible for localizing it to membrane lipids making KRas potentially amenable to inhibition with small molecules. The work has identified a series of small molecules capable of binding to this PH domain and inhibiting CNK1 facilitated KRas signaling.

Method of threshing grain

This invention relates generally to grain threshing apparatus and in particular to an improved method of an apparatus for threshing grain wherein an impeller is rotatable within a concave or tubular screen. An object of this invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for threshing grain.

An interactive method of fuzzy probability elicitation in risk analysis

Expert knowledge is used to assign probabilities to events in many risk analysis models. However, experts sometimes find it hard to provide specific values for these probabilities, preferring to express vague or imprecise terms that are mapped using a previously defined fuzzy number scale. The rigidity of these scales generates bias in the probability elicitation process and does not allow experts to adequately express their probabilistic judgments. We present an interactive method for extracting a fuzzy number from experts that represents their probabilistic judgments for a given event, along with a quality measure of the probabilistic judgments, useful in a final information filtering and analysis sensitivity process.

Teaching based on the case method of building collective protection

One of the fundamental aspects in the adaptation of the teaching to the European higher education is changing based models of teacher education to models based on student learning. In this work we present an educational experience developed with the teaching method based on the case method, with a clearly multidisciplinary. The experience has been developed in the teaching of analysis and verification of safety rails. This is a multidisciplinary field that presents great difficulties during their teaching. The use of the case method has given good results in the competences achieved by students