Fuzzy Mathematics

This book provides a timely overview of topics in fuzzy mathematics. It lays the foundation for further research and applications in a broad range of areas. It contains break-through analysis on how results from the many variations and extensions of fuzzy set theory can be obtained from known results of traditional fuzzy set theory. The book contains not only theoretical results, but a wide range of applications in areas such as decision analysis, optimal allocation in possibilistics and mixed models, pattern classification, credibility measures, algorithms for modeling uncertain data, and numerical methods for solving fuzzy linear systems. The book offers an excellent reference for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in applied and theoretical fuzzy mathematics. Researchers and referees in fuzzy set theory will find the book to be of extreme value

The Usefulness of Complete Lattices in Reliability Theory

The main aim of this paper is to show how lattice theory in the very next future will be a useful tool in analysing complex real reliability problems, not properly modelled within classical reliability theory. The introduction of a complete lattice as a state space appears not only of theoretical importance that allows to understand several phenomena with respect to reliability theory better, but as a need claimed from practical engineering. Two important topics are discussed in this general framework: incomparability of component and system states and the duality principle. The strong relationship between the ideas of fuzzy set theory and the ideas that led to the introduction of the theory of multistate structure functions will become clear

Group Decision Making with Incomplete Interval-valued Fuzzy Preference Relations Based on the Minimum Operator

This paper presents a new method to estimate the unknown values in incomplete interval-valued fuzzy preference relations (IVFPRs). The method is based on the min-consistency and is used to develop the algorithm for group decision making (GDM) dealing with incomplete IVFPRs

Study protocol for THINK : a multinational open-label phase I study to assess the safety and clinical activity of multiple administrations of NKR-2 in patients with different metastatic tumour types

Introduction: NKR-2 are autologous T cells genetically modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) comprising a fusion of the natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) receptor with the CD3 zeta signalling domain, which associates with the adaptor molecule DNAX-activating protein of 10 kDa (DAP10) to provide co-stimulatory signal upon ligand binding. NKG2D binds eight different ligands expressed on the cell surface of many tumour cells and which are normally absent on non-neoplastic cells. In preclinical studies, NKR-2 demonstrated long-term antitumour activity towards a breadth of tumour indications, with maximum efficacy observed after multiple NKR-2 administrations. Importantly, NKR-2 targeted tumour cells and tumour neovasculature and the local tumour immunosuppressive microenvironment and this mechanism of action of NKR-2 was established in the absence of preconditioning. Methods and analysis: This open-label phase I study will assess the safety and clinical activity of NKR-2 treatment administered three times, with a 2-week interval between each administration in different tumour types. The study will contain two consecutive segments: a dose escalation phase followed by an expansion phase. The dose escalation study involves two arms, one in solid tumours (five specific indications) and one in haematological tumours (two specific indications) and will include three dose levels in each arm: 3x10(8), 1x10(9) and 3x10(9) NKR-2 per injection. On the identification of the recommended dose in the first segment, based on dose-limiting toxicity occurrences, the study will expand to seven different cohorts examining the seven different tumour types separately. Clinical responses will be determined according to standard Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria for solid tumours or international working group response criteria in haematological tumours. Ethics approval and dissemination: Ethical approval has been obtained at all sites. Written informed consent will be taken from all participants. The results of this study will be disseminated through presentation at international scientific conferences and reported in peer-reviewed scientific journals

Fuzzy Free Path Detection based on Dense Disparity Maps obtained from Stereo Cameras

In this paper we propose a fuzzy method to detect free paths in real-time using digital stereo images. It is based on looking for linear variations of depth in disparity maps, which are obtained by processing a pair of rectified images from two stereo cameras. By applying least-squares fitting over groups of disparity maps columns to a linear model, free paths are detected by giving a certainty using a fuzzy rule. Experimental results on real outdoor images are also presented.Nuria Ortigosa acknowledges the support of Universidad Polit'ecnica de Valencia under grant FPI-UPV 2008. Samuel Morillas acknowledges the support of Spanish Ministry of Education and Science under grant MTM 2009-12872-C02-01.Ortigosa Araque, N.; Morillas Gómez, S.; Peris Fajarnes, G.; Dunai Dunai, L. (2012). Fuzzy Free Path Detection based on Dense Disparity Maps obtained from Stereo Cameras. International Journal of Uncertainty, Fuzziness and Knowledge-Based Systems. 20(2):245-259. doi:10.1142/S0218488512500122S245259202Grosso, E., & Tistarelli, M. (1995). Active/dynamic stereo vision. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 17(9), 868-879. doi:10.1109/34.406652Wedel, A., Badino, H., Rabe, C., Loose, H., Franke, U., & Cremers, D. (2009). B-Spline Modeling of Road Surfaces With an Application to Free-Space Estimation. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 10(4), 572-583. doi:10.1109/tits.2009.2027223Bloch, I. (2005). Fuzzy spatial relationships for image processing and interpretation: a review. Image and Vision Computing, 23(2), 89-110. doi:10.1016/j.imavis.2004.06.013Keller, J. M., & Wang, X. (2000). A Fuzzy Rule-Based Approach to Scene Description Involving Spatial Relationships. Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 80(1), 21-41. doi:10.1006/cviu.2000.0872Moreno-Garcia, J., Rodriguez-Benitez, L., Fernández-Caballero, A., & López, M. T. (2010). Video sequence motion tracking by fuzzification techniques. Applied Soft Computing, 10(1), 318-331. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2009.08.002Morillas, S., Gregori, V., & Hervas, A. (2009). Fuzzy Peer Groups for Reducing Mixed Gaussian-Impulse Noise From Color Images. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 18(7), 1452-1466. doi:10.1109/tip.2009.2019305Poloni, M., Ulivi, G., & Vendittelli, M. (1995). Fuzzy logic and autonomous vehicles: Experiments in ultrasonic vision. Fuzzy Sets and Systems, 69(1), 15-27. doi:10.1016/0165-0114(94)00237-2Alonso, J. M., Magdalena, L., Guillaume, S., Sotelo, M. A., Bergasa, L. M., Ocaña, M., & Flores, R. (2007). Knowledge-based Intelligent Diagnosis of Ground Robot Collision with Non Detectable Obstacles. Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, 48(4), 539-566. doi:10.1007/s10846-006-9125-6McFetridge, L., & Ibrahim, M. Y. (2009). A new methodology of mobile robot navigation: The agoraphilic algorithm. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 25(3), 545-551. doi:10.1016/j.rcim.2008.01.008Sun, H., & Yang, J. (2001). Obstacle detection for mobile vehicle using neural network and fuzzy logic. Neural Network and Distributed Processing. doi:10.1117/12.441696Ortigosa, N., Morillas, S., & Peris-Fajarnés, G. (2010). Obstacle-Free Pathway Detection by Means of Depth Maps. Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems, 63(1), 115-129. doi:10.1007/s10846-010-9498-4Picton, P. D., & Capp, M. D. (2008). Relaying scene information to the blind via sound using cartoon depth maps. Image and Vision Computing, 26(4), 570-577. doi:10.1016/j.imavis.2007.07.005Zhang, Z. (2000). A flexible new technique for camera calibration. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 22(11), 1330-1334. doi:10.1109/34.888718Scharstein, D., & Szeliski, R. (2002). International Journal of Computer Vision, 47(1/3), 7-42. doi:10.1023/a:1014573219977Felzenszwalb, P. F., & Huttenlocher, D. P. (2006). Efficient Belief Propagation for Early Vision. International Journal of Computer Vision, 70(1), 41-54. doi:10.1007/s11263-006-7899-4Qingxiong Yang, Liang Wang, Ruigang Yang, Stewenius, H., & Nister, D. (2009). Stereo Matching with Color-Weighted Correlation, Hierarchical Belief Propagation, and Occlusion Handling. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 31(3), 492-504. doi:10.1109/tpami.2008.99Zitnick, C. L., & Kang, S. B. (2007). Stereo for Image-Based Rendering using Image Over-Segmentation. International Journal of Computer Vision, 75(1), 49-65. doi:10.1007/s11263-006-0018-8Hartley, R., & Zisserman, A. (2004). Multiple View Geometry in Computer Vision. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511811685Lee, C. C. (1990). Fuzzy logic in control systems: fuzzy logic controller. I. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, 20(2), 404-418. doi:10.1109/21.52551C. Fodor, J. (1993). A new look at fuzzy connectives. Fuzzy Sets and Systems, 57(2), 141-148. doi:10.1016/0165-0114(93)90153-9Nalpantidis, L., & Gasteratos, A. (2010). Stereo vision for robotic applications in the presence of non-ideal lighting conditions. Image and Vision Computing, 28(6), 940-951. doi:10.1016/j.imavis.2009.11.011BOHANNON, R. W. (1997). Comfortable and maximum walking speed of adults aged 20—79 years: reference values and determinants. Age and Ageing, 26(1), 15-19. doi:10.1093/ageing/26.1.1

A New Fuzzy Additive Noise Reduction Method

Die Kurzsichtigkeit der Kölner Stadtpolitiker, die jetzt einen Planungsstopp für das Kölner Stadtarchiv wollen und die Integration der gemeinsamen Museumsbibliothek in Frage stellen, ist schändlich. Es geht nicht um ein Luxusarchiv, sondern darum, dass das durch die größte Archivkatastrophe in Deutschland nach 1945 gebeutelte Stadtarchiv zuverlässige bauliche Grundlagen bekommt. Unsinnig ist es, an eine Zerschlagung der gemeinsamen Museumsbibliothek zu denken, die als weiterer Nutzer des gepl..

Towards a Proof Theory of G\"odel Modal Logics

Analytic proof calculi are introduced for box and diamond fragments of basic modal fuzzy logics that combine the Kripke semantics of modal logic K with the many-valued semantics of G\"odel logic. The calculi are used to establish completeness and complexity results for these fragments

Improved standardization of flow cytometry diagnostic screening of primary immunodeficiency by software-based automated gating

BackgroundMultiparameter flow cytometry (FC) is essential in the diagnostic work-up and classification of primary immunodeficiency (PIDs). The EuroFlow PID Orientation tube (PIDOT) allows identification of all main lymphocyte subpopulations in blood. To standardize data analysis, tools for Automated Gating and Identification (AG&I) of the informative cell populations, were developed by EuroFlow. Here, we evaluated the contribution of these innovative AG&I tools to the standardization of FC in the diagnostic work-up of PID, by comparing AG&I against expert-based (EuroFlow-standardized) Manual Gating (MG) strategy, and its impact on the reproducibility and clinical interpretation of results.MethodsFC data files from 44 patients (13 CVID, 12 PID, 19 non-PID) and 26 healthy donor (HD) blood samples stained with PIDOT were analyzed in parallel by MG and AG&I, using Infinicyt (TM) software (Cytognos). For comparison, percentage differences in absolute cell counts/mu L were calculated for each lymphocyte subpopulation. Data files showing differences >20% were checked for their potential clinical relevance, based on age-matched percentile (p5-p95) reference ranges. In parallel, intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of MG vs AG&I were evaluated in a subset of 12 samples.ResultsThe AG&I approach was able to identify the vast majority of lymphoid events (>99%), associated with a significantly higher intra- and inter-observer reproducibility compared to MG. For most HD (83%) and patient (68%) samples, a high degree of agreement (<20% numerical differences in absolute cell counts/mu L) was obtained between MG and the AG&I module. This translated into a minimal impact (<5% of observations) on the final clinical interpretation. In all except three samples, extended expert revision of the AG&I approach revealed no error. In the three remaining samples aberrant maturation and/or abnormal marker expression profiles were seen leading in all three cases to numerical alarms by AG&I.ConclusionAltogether, our results indicate that replacement of MG by the AG&I module would be associated with a greater reproducibility and robustness of results in the diagnostic work-up of patients suspected of PID. However, expert revision of the results of AG&I of PIDOT data still remains necessary in samples with numerical alterations and aberrant B- and T-cell maturation and/or marker expression profiles.Stemcel biology/Regenerative medicine (incl. bloodtransfusion

Detrimental NFKB1 missense variants affecting the Rel-homology domain of p105/p50

Most of the currently known heterozygous pathogenic NFKB1 (Nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) variants comprise deleterious defects such as severe truncations, internal deletions, and frameshift variants. Collectively, these represent the most frequent monogenic cause of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) identified so far. NFKB1 encodes the transcription factor precursor p105 which undergoes limited proteasomal processing of its C-terminal half to generate the mature NF-kappa B subunit p50. Whereas p105/p50 haploinsufficiency due to devastating genetic damages and protein loss is a well-known disease mechanism, the pathogenic significance of numerous NFKB1 missense variants still remains uncertain and/or unexplored, due to the unavailability of accurate test procedures to confirm causality. In this study we functionally characterized 47 distinct missense variants residing within the N-terminal domains, thus affecting both proteins, the p105 precursor and the processed p50. Following transient overexpression of EGFP-fused mutant p105 and p50 in HEK293T cells, we used fluorescence microscopy, Western blotting, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), and reporter assays to analyze their effects on subcellular localization, protein stability and precursor processing, DNA binding, and on the RelA-dependent target promoter activation, respectively. We found nine missense variants to cause harmful damage with intensified protein decay, while two variants left protein stability unaffected but caused a loss of the DNA-binding activity. Seven of the analyzed single amino acid changes caused ambiguous protein defects and four variants were associated with only minor adverse effects. For 25 variants, test results were indistinguishable from those of the wildtype controls, hence, their pathogenic impact remained elusive. In summary, we show that pathogenic missense variants affecting the Rel-homology domain may cause protein-decaying defects, thus resembling the disease-mechanisms of p105/p50 haploinsufficiency or may cause DNA-binding deficiency. However, rare variants (with a population frequency of less than 0.01%) with minor abnormalities or with neutral tests should still be considered as potentially pathogenic, until suitable tests have approved them being benign.Peer reviewe