Acquire Driving Scenarios Efficiently: A Framework for Prospective Assessment of Cost-Optimal Scenario Acquisition

Scenario-based testing is becoming increasingly important in safety assurance for automated driving. However, comprehensive and sufficiently complete coverage of the scenario space requires significant effort and resources if using only real-world data. To address this issue, driving scenario generation methods are developed and used more frequently, but the benefit of substituting generated data for real-world data has not yet been quantified. Additionally, the coverage of a set of concrete scenarios within a given logical scenario space has not been predicted yet. This paper proposes a methodology to quantify the cost-optimal usage of scenario generation approaches to reach a certainly complete scenario space coverage under given quality constraints and parametrization. Therefore, individual process steps for scenario generation and usage are investigated and evaluated using a meta model for the abstraction of knowledge-based and data-driven methods. Furthermore, a methodology is proposed to fit the meta model including the prediction of reachable complete coverage, quality criteria, and costs. Finally, the paper exemplary examines the suitability of a hybrid generation model under technical, economical, and quality constraints in comparison to different real-world scenario mining methods.Comment: Accepted to be published as part of the 26th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC) 2023, Bilbao, Spain, September 24-28, 202

Automated Proof Planning for Instructional Design

Automated theorem proving based on proof planning is a new and promising paradigm in the field of automated deduction. The idea is to use methods and heuristics as they are used by human mathematicians and encode this knowledge into so-called methods. Naturally, the question arises whether these methods can be beneficially used in learning mathematics too. This paper investigates and compares the effect of different instruction materials (textbook-based, example-based, and method-based) on problem solving performance. The results indicate that the performance for the method-based instruction derived from automated proof planning in the WMEGA system is superior to that of the other instructions that were derived from a textbook and an example-based classroom lesson. These results provide a first support for introducing proof planning based on methodological knowledge into the school curriculum for mathematics

Vertebral Artery Caught in the Fracture Gap after Traumatic C2/3 Spondylolisthesis

Background Context. Patient with a C2 fracture and entrapment of the right vertebral artery in the fracture gap. Purpose. Presentation of a case with follow-up until end of treatment. Study Design. Case report. Methods. A 25-year-old woman was brought into our emergency room after falling while riding a horse. She complained of pain in the cervical spine. Clinical examinations showed local tenderness at the upper cervical spine and painful impairment of the mobility of the neck, with no signs of neurological impairment. Radiological diagnostics revealed a traumatic C2/3 spondylolisthesis. A computer tomography (CT) angiographic scan showed a dislocation of the right vertebral artery into the fracture gap without injury to the artery. Open reduction and osteosynthesis were considered of too high risk. Therefore, we conducted fracture treatment with closed reduction and halo fixation. After removal of the halo fixator, the patient was given a soft cervical collar and was advised to rest for additional 6 weeks before beginning gradual activity. Results. Conventional follow-up revealed osseous consolidation and a CT angiographic scan showed consistent blood flow to the artery. Conclusion. Halo fixation was a safe and effective therapy strategy in the case of vertebral artery entrapment after traumatic C2 spondylolisthesis

Budesonide 9 mg is at least as effective as mesalamine 4.5 g in patients with mildly to moderately active Crohn's disease

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Liposomes alter thermal phase behavior and composition of red blood cell membranes

Stoll C, Stadnick H, Kollas O, et al. Liposomes alter thermal phase behavior and composition of red blood cell membranes. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes. 2011;1808(1):474-481.Unilamellar liposomes composed of natural phospholipids provide a new promising class of protective agents for hypothermic storage, cryopreservation, or freeze-drying of red blood cells (RBCs). In this study, FTIR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF MS, and colorimetric assays were used to investigate the effects of liposomes composed of a homologous series of linear saturated phosphatidylcholine phospholipids (18:0; 16:0; 14:0; 12:0) on RBC membranes. RBCs were incubated with liposomes at 37 degrees C and both the liposomal and the RBC fraction were analyzed after incubation. FTIR studies showed that liposomes composed of short acyl chain length lipids cause an increase in RBC membrane conformational disorder at suprazero temperatures, whereas long acyl chain length lipids were found to have little effects. The increased lipid conformational disorder in the RBC membranes coincided with a decrease in the cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratio. The opposite effects were found in the liposomes after incubation with RBCs. MALDI-TOF MS analysis showed the presence of short acyl chain length lipids (14:0 and 12:0) in RBC membranes after incubation, which was not observed after incubation with liposomes containing long acyl chain length lipids (18:0 and 16:0). Liposomes alter RBC membrane properties by cholesterol depletion and lipid addition. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved