Multisensor Data Fusion Strategies for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

Multisensor data fusion and integration is a rapidly evolving research area that requires interdisciplinary knowledge in control theory, signal processing, artificial intelligence, probability and statistics, etc. Multisensor data fusion refers to the synergistic combination of sensory data from multiple sensors and related information to provide more reliable and accurate information than could be achieved using a single, independent sensor (Luo et al., 2007). Actually Multisensor data fusion is a multilevel, multifaceted process dealing with automatic detection, association, correlation, estimation, and combination of data from single and multiple information sources. The results of data fusion process help users make decisions in complicated scenarios. Integration of multiple sensor data was originally needed for military applications in ocean surveillance, air-to air and surface-to-air defence, or battlefield intelligence. More recently, multisensor data fusion has also included the nonmilitary fields of remote environmental sensing, medical diagnosis, automated monitoring of equipment, robotics, and automotive systems (Macci et al., 2008). The potential advantages of multisensor fusion and integration are redundancy, complementarity, timeliness, and cost of the information. The integration or fusion of redundant information can reduce overall uncertainty and thus serve to increase the accuracy with which the features are perceived by the system. Multiple sensors providing redundant information can also serve to increase reliability in the case of sensor error or failure. Complementary information from multiple sensors allows features in the environment to be perceived that are impossible to perceive using just the information from each individual sensor operating separately. (Luo et al., 2007) Besides, driving as one of our daily activities is a complex task involving a great amount of interaction between driver and vehicle. Drivers regularly share their attention among operating the vehicle, monitoring traffic and nearby obstacles, and performing secondary tasks such as conversing, adjusting comfort settings (e.g. temperature, radio.) The complexity of the task and uncertainty of the driving environment make driving a very dangerous task, as according to a study in the European member states, there are more than 1,200,000 traffic accidents a year with over 40,000 fatalities. This fact points up the growing demand for automotive safety systems, which aim for a significant contribution to the overall road safety (Tatschke et al., 2006). Therefore, recently, there are an increased number of research activities focusing on the Driver Assistance System (DAS) development in order O pe n A cc es s D at ab as e w w w .in te ch w eb .o r

Selecting Reading Texts for University Iranian EFL Students

Selecting appropriate reading texts is very important and teachers shouldn’t do it randomly. This research examined the importance of criteria involved in selecting reading texts and the extent these criteria used in Iran universities. The sample consisted of 82 male and female university Iranian EFL students from some governmental and nongovernmental universities in Tehran. This procedure was adopted due to the accessibility of the participants. For the sake of the best answers from students, a questionnaire was constructed.  The analysis of the data revealed that the students’ interests, topic, appearance of the text, students’ needs, exploitability, and relevance are the most important criteria involved in selecting reading texts. However, teachers do not consider some of these criteria while selecting reading texts. The findings imply that for effective academic reading course, process of text selection needs some changes. If teachers consider all of these criteria and select an appropriate reading text fit for the readers, reading courses in Iran universities will improve significantly

The bidirectional complementarity between market orientation and launch proficiency affecting new product performance

Purpose- Based on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory, this study examines the complementarity between market orientation and launch proficiency as a driver of new product performance. Design/methodology/approach- In this research, an on-site survey of Iranian, R&D-intensive, manufacturing firms was carried out to examine the proposed hypotheses. Based on the 179 workable survey responses, a covariance-based structural equation modeling was applied to verify the proposed theoretical model. Findings- The empirical findings reveal that the effects of market orientation or launch proficiency alone are not significant while the complementarity between them significantly influences new product performance. These research outcomes suggest that this complementarity leads to a bidirectional co-specialization relationship in firms, promoting both market intelligence generation processes and product-launch capabilities and therefore resulting in superior new product performance. Originality/value- The current characterization of the resource-based theory signifies that strategic resources merely have potential value, and actualizing this value needs complementary organizational capabilities. Furthermore, the literature notably lacks empirical findings supporting these complementarities. Therefore, the findings concerning the bidirectional co-specialization between market orientation and launch proficiency not only provide empirical support for the dynamic capabilities theory but also address recent research calls to identify and calibrate the importance of dynamic capabilities for leveraging market orientation on new product performance

The Effect of Vitamin K2 on Osteogenic Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells: An In Vitro Study

Introduction: dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) have been shown to have great capacity to differentiation toward the osteoblast lineage and they can be considered as a great cell source for bone tissue engineering. The vitamin K family, especially vitamin K2 (MK-4), have been shown to have an osteoprotective role.  In this study, we have investigated the effect of various concentrations of MK-4 on differentiation of DPSCs into osteoblast. Materials and Methods: DPSCs were isolated and characterized to expression the mesenchymal markers. These cells were treated with osteogenic medium with and without of various concentrations of MK-4 for 14 days. Osteogenic capability and extracellular calcium deposition were assessed by ALP assay and alizarin red staining, respectively, at zero, 7, 14 days after induction.Result: the additional of MK-4 at concentration of 10 µM with osteogenic medium had a significant effect on differentiation DPSCs into osteoblast (P<0.05) at 14 day, as it confirmed by both ALP activity assay and alizarin red staining. Conclusion: MK-4 can promote differentiation of DPSCs into osteoblast in vitro so have a potential to be considered in improvement of cell-based bone tissue engineering therapies.

Radiographic Vertical Bone Loss Evaluation around Dental Implants Following One Year of Functional Loading

Objective: Vertical bone loss evaluations in the Nobel Biocare Replace® Select Tapered TM implant system in the human after one-year loading time.Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on 31 patients (14 men, 17 women; mean age, 60.39 years) receiving 170 implants (mean, 5.48 for each patient) of Groovy and Non-groovy designs in the Nobel Biocare Replace® Select Tapered TM system. The marginal bone loss was measured at mesial and distal aspects of the implants on OPG x-rays after one-year follow-up. The data regarding the patient's gender, age, history of disease, smoking, bone type at implant location, loading time of prosthesis and implant, implant design, diameter and length were recorded by the patients'records and interview. The data were subjected to multiple linear regression and Pearson coefficient ratio regarding different factors.Results: The mean (standard deviation) distal, mesial and overall bone loss was 0.688 mm (0.851), 0.665 mm (0.849) and 0.935 mm (0.905), respectively in the studied implants. No significant differences were found regarding implant location, bone quality at the implant region, implant design and bone graft reception. In addition, no significant correlation was found between the occurred bone loss and implant diameter, length and number of usedsplints.Conclusion: Due to the criteria mentioned for implant success in term of bone loss values after one-year loading time, Noble Biocare Replace® Select Tapered TM implant system is an acceptable treatment option for implant restorations in this regard