Run-Time Selection of Coordination Mechanisms in Multi-Agent Systems

This paper presents a framework that enables autonomous agents to dynamically select the mechanism they employ in order to coordinate their inter-related activities. Adopting this framework means coordination mechanisms move from the realm of being imposed upon the system at design time, to something that the agents select at run-time in order to fit their prevailing circumstances and their current coordination needs. Empirical analysis is used to evaluate the effect of various design alternatives for the agent's decision making mechanisms and for the coordination mechanisms themselves

Helicopter Pilot Performance for Discrete-maneuver Flight Tasks

This paper describes a current study of several basic helicopter flight maneuvers. The data base consists of in-flight measurements from instrumented helicopters using experienced pilots. The analysis technique is simple enough to apply without automatic data processing, and the results can be used to build quantitative matah models of the flight task and some aspects of the pilot control strategy. In addition to describing the performance measurement technqiue, some results are presented which define the aggressiveness and amplitude of maneuvering for several lateral maneuvers including turns and sidesteps

Thermal energy storage material thermophysical property measurement and heat transfer impact

The thermophysical properties of salts having potential for thermal energy storage to provide peaking energy in conventional electric utility power plants were investigated. The power plants studied were the pressurized water reactor, boiling water reactor, supercritical steam reactor, and high temperature gas reactor. The salts considered were LiNO3, 63LiOH/37 LiCl eutectic, LiOH, and Na2B4O7. The thermal conductivity, specific heat (including latent heat of fusion), and density of each salt were measured for a temperature range of at least + or - 100 K of the measured melting point. Measurements were made with both reagent and commercial grades of each salt

Field tests of micropatch and prey-size selection by Snail Kites Rostrhamus sociabilis

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74846/1/j.1474-919X.1985.tb05050.x.pd

Mathematical models in physiology

Computational modelling of biological processes and systems has witnessed a remarkable development in recent years. The search-term (modelling OR modeling) yields over 58000 entries in PubMed, with more than 34000 since the year 2000: thus, almost two-thirds of papers appeared in the last 5–6 years, compared to only about one-third in the preceding 5–6 decades.\ud \ud The development is fuelled both by the continuously improving tools and techniques available for bio-mathematical modelling and by the increasing demand in quantitative assessment of element inter-relations in complex biological systems. This has given rise to a worldwide public domain effort to build a computational framework that provides a comprehensive theoretical representation of integrated biological function—the Physiome.\ud \ud The current and next issues of this journal are devoted to a small sub-set of this initiative and address biocomputation and modelling in physiology, illustrating the breadth and depth of experimental data-based model development in biological research from sub-cellular events to whole organ simulations

Limitations and Prospects for Diffusion-Weighted MRI of the Prostate

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is the most effective component of the modern multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) scan for prostate pathology. DWI provides the strongest prediction of cancer volume, and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) correlates moderately with Gleason grade. Notwithstanding the demonstrated cancer assessment value of DWI, the standard measurement and signal analysis methods are based on a model of water diffusion dynamics that is well known to be invalid in human tissue. This review describes the biophysical limitations of the DWI component of the current standard mpMRI protocol and the potential for significantly improved cancer assessment performance based on more sophisticated measurement and signal modeling techniques