On Robust Sequential Analysis - Kiefer-Weiss Optimal Testing under Interval Probability

Usual sequential testing procedures often are very sensitive against even small deviations from the `ideal model' underlying the hypotheses. This makes robust procedures highly desirable. To rely on a clearly defined optimality criterion, we incorporate robustness aspects directly into the formulation of the hypotheses considering the problem of sequentially testing between two interval probabilities (imprecise probabilities). We derive the basic form of the Kiefer-Weiss optimal testing procedure and show how it can be calculated by an easy-to-handle optimization problem. These results are based on the reinterpretation of our testing problem as the task to test between nonparametric composite hypotheses, which allows to adopt the framework of Pavlov (1991). From this we obtain a general result applicable to any interval probability field on a finite sample space, making the approach powerful far beyond robustness considerations, for instance for applications in artificial intelligence dealing with imprecise expert knowledge

The office and duty of a justice of the peace: and a guide to clerks, constables, coroners, executors, administrators, guardians, sheriffs, tax collectors, and receivers, and other civil officers

From the front matter: BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the twenty-eighth day of September,in the forty•fourth year of the independence of the United States of America, A. ll.1819, Mathew Carey and Son, of the said district, have deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof they claim a, proprietors, in the words following, to wit: The office and duty of a Justice of the Peace, and a guide to Clerks, Constables, Coroners, Executors, Administrators, Guardians, Sheriffs, Tax-collectors, and Receivers, and other civil officers, ac­cording to the laws of the State of Georgia; with an Appendix, containing a collection of the most approved forms, together with the Constitution of this State, and the Constitution of the United States, with the amendments to each. By Augustin s. Clayton. In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, intituled, An act for the encour­agement of learning, securing \u27the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned.\u27\u27-And also to the Act entitled, An Act supplementary\u27 to an Act entitled, \u27\u27An Act for the encouragement of learning, securing the copies of maps, charts, and books,to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned,\u27\u27 and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints. D. CALDWELL, Clerk of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/historic_treat/1000/thumbnail.jp

Using imprecise continuous time Markov chains for assessing the reliability of power networks with common cause failure and non-immediate repair.

We explore how imprecise continuous time Markov chains can improve traditional reliability models based on precise continuous time Markov chains. Specifically, we analyse the reliability of power networks under very weak statistical assumptions, explicitly accounting for non-stationary failure and repair rates and the limited accuracy by which common cause failure rates can be estimated. Bounds on typical quantities of interest are derived, namely the expected time spent in system failure state, as well as the expected number of transitions to that state. A worked numerical example demonstrates the theoretical techniques described. Interestingly, the number of iterations required for convergence is observed to be much lower than current theoretical bounds

Bio-Inspired Hovering Control for an Aerial Robot Equipped with a Decoupled Eye and a Rate Gyro

International audienceThis work provides an hovering control strategy for a sighted robot, the eye of which being decoupled from the body and controlled by means of a tiny rotative piezo motor. The main purpose of this paper is to show the effectiveness and the efficiency of this fundamental bio-inspired mechanical decoupling. Indeed, it exhibits several benefits: * it enables to stabilize the robot's gaze on the basis of three bio-inspired oculomotor reflexes (ORs) : a visual fixation reflex (VFR), a translational and rotational vestibulo- ocular reflexes (tVOR and rVOR), * the eye can better, quickly and accurately compensate for sudden, untoward disturbances caused by the vagaries of the supporting head or body, * it yields a reference visual signal that can be used to unbias the rate gyro used to implement the VORs and to stabilize the hovering robot, * it increases the tracking accuracy with moving targets compared to without OR, This paper shows also that lateral disturbances are rejected 2 times faster with the decoupled eye robot, and roll perturbations induce a retinal error 20 times smaller. The occulomotor reflexes enables to cancel retinal error 6 times faster with 5 times lower retinal error picks. The conclusion of the paper is that decoupled eye must be considered as an efficient autonomous flight solution

SURFACE TREATMENT FOR THE MITIGATION OF WHEY PROTEIN FOULING

Heat transfer fouling experiments were carried out in a temperature controlled stirred vessel using aqueous solutions of whey protein concentrate in the concentration range of 3 to 3.5 wt-% at a bulk temperature of 50 °C and pH of 6. Heat transfer data were obtained from thermocouples embedded in an immersed electrical heating rod with various metal plates attached with-and-without surface treatments. Measurements included solution temperature, heating element surface temperature, and heat duty. Results are presented as fouling resistance versus time for aluminum, copper, stainless steel, electro-polished stainless steel, and surfaces coated with DLC and doped with Si , SiO, as well as DLC-coating of an electro-polished stainless steel. Reducing surface roughness was found to mitigate fouling but the combination of both surface treatments, DLC coatings, and electro-polishing gave the best performance. The experimental results demonstrate the potential and value for reducing the adhesive behavior of whey protein fouling layers using modified surfaces. Also a comparison of these results with those for crystallization fouling show the same effects of the surface modification on nucleation and crystal growth. Of particular importance is the influence on the cleaning performance where the main potential can be expected

INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT SURFACE MATERIALS ON NUCLEATION AND CRYSTAL GROWTH IN HEAT EXCHANGERS

The influence of different materials on the fouling tendency in saline calcium sulfate solution was investigated. The effects of the untreated material on the crystallization process have been studied experimentally in the micro- and macroscopic scale. The crystallization in the induction period was visualized with SEM and AFM to locate preferred nucleation spots and to visualize the crystal growth. The different materials are showing different crystal growth behavior (number and size of the crystals). These results are corresponding with the macroscopic fouling results with limited shear stress. Also different roughness values on stainless steel have been studied with respect to fouling tendency. The induction time can be extended with smoother surfaces due to the limitation of nucleation spots. With higher fluid velocities, the adhesion of the forming crystals on the heat transfer surface dominates the length of the induction time

A robust Bayesian analysis of the impact of policy decisions on crop rotations.

We analyse the impact of a policy decision on crop rotations, using the imprecise land use model that was developed by the authors in earlier work. A specific challenge in crop rotation models is that farmer’s crop choices are driven by both policy changes and external non-stationary factors, such as rainfall, temperature and agricultural input and output prices. Such dynamics can be modelled by a non-stationary stochastic process, where crop transition probabilities are multinomial logistic functions of such external factors. We use a robust Bayesian approach to estimate the parameters of our model, and validate it by comparing the model response with a non-parametric estimate, as well as by cross validation. Finally, we use the resulting predictions to solve a hypothetical yet realistic policy problem

Crystal structures of two tandem malectin-like receptor kinases involved in plant reproduction.

Complex cell-to-cell communication between the male pollen tube and the female reproductive organs is required for plant fertilization. A family of Catharanthus roseus receptor kinase 1-like (CrRLK1L) membrane receptors has been genetically implicated in this process. Here, crystal structures of the CrRLK1Ls ANXUR1 and ANXUR2 are reported at 1.48 and 1.1 Å resolution, respectively. The structures reveal a novel arrangement of two malectin-like domains connected by a short β-hairpin linker and stabilized by calcium ions. The canonical carbohydrate-interaction surfaces of related animal and bacterial carbohydrate-binding modules are not conserved in plant CrRLK1Ls. In line with this, the binding of chemically diverse oligosaccharides to ANXUR1 and HERCULES1 could not be detected. Instead, CrRLK1Ls have evolved a protein-protein interface between their malectin domains which forms a deep cleft lined by highly conserved aromatic and polar residues. Analysis of the glycosylation patterns of different CrRLK1Ls and their oligomeric states suggests that this cleft could resemble a binding site for a ligand required for receptor activation of CrRLK1Ls

The wisdom of crowds and the repurposing of artesunate as an anticancer drug.

Artesunate, a semi-synthetic and water-soluble artemisinin-derivative used as an anti-malarial agent, has attracted the attention of cancer researchers due to a broad range of anti-cancer activity including anti-angiogenic, immunomodulatory and treatment-sensitisation effects. In addition to pre-clinical evidence in a range of cancers, a recently completed randomised blinded trial in colorectal cancer has provided a positive signal for further clinical investigation. Used perioperatively artesunate appears to reduce the rate of disease recurrence - and the Neo-Art trial, a larger Phase II RCT, is seeking to confirm this positive effect. However, artesunate is a generic medication, and as with other trials of repurposed drugs, the Neo-Art trial does not have commercial sponsorship. In an innovative move, the trial is seeking funds directly from members of the public via a crowd-funding strategy that may have resonance beyond this single trial