Path Planning in the Presence of Dynamically Moving Obstacles with Uncertainty

In this paper, the problem of path-planning with dynamically moving elliptical obstacles is addressed. A new analytical result for computing the axes aligned bounding box for the ellipses with bounded uncertainty in the position of the centre and the orientation is presented. Genetic algorithm is utilised for finding the shortest path from the initial to goal position avoiding the moving obstacles.Defence Science Journal, 2010, 60(1), pp.55-60, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.10

Socioeconomic and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Cancer Mortality, Incidence, and Survival in the United States, 1950–2014: Over Six Decades of Changing Patterns and Widening Inequalities

We analyzed socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in US mortality, incidence, and survival rates from all-cancers combined and major cancers from 1950 to 2014. Census-based deprivation indices were linked to national mortality and cancer data for area-based socioeconomic patterns in mortality, incidence, and survival. The National Longitudinal Mortality Study was used to analyze individual-level socioeconomic and racial/ethnic patterns in mortality. Rates, risk-ratios, least squares, log-linear, and Cox regression were used to examine trends and differentials. Socioeconomic patterns in all-cancer, lung, and colorectal cancer mortality changed dramatically over time. Individuals in more deprived areas or lower education and income groups had higher mortality and incidence rates than their more affluent counterparts, with excess risk being particularly marked for lung, colorectal, cervical, stomach, and liver cancer. Education and income inequalities in mortality from all-cancers, lung, prostate, and cervical cancer increased during 1979–2011. Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality widened as mortality in lower socioeconomic groups/areas declined more slowly. Mortality was higher among Blacks and lower among Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics than Whites. Cancer patient survival was significantly lower in more deprived neighborhoods and among most ethnic-minority groups. Cancer mortality and incidence disparities may reflect inequalities in smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, diet, alcohol use, screening, and treatment

Input energy requirements for processing convenient chicken products

In order to assess the economic Production of cooked chicken stock and cooked gizzard stock, data were collected on Product yield, input output energy requirements and qualitative differences in these Products Processed manually at experimental scale. A total of eight trials, including four replicates, were done for each Product. Preparation of cooked chicken stock rendered 46.24% and 69.01 % yield for raw and de-skinned chicken meat respectively, whereas the Processing ofcooked gizzard stock yielded 36.79% and 60.05%Product for raw and defatted gizzard respectively. Pilot studies on input energy requirements revealed the need for 0.765 MJ human energy (hE) and 2.617 MJ electrical inputs for Processing a kilogram (kg) of dressed chicken; while 1.138 MJ human energy and 3.148 MJ electrical inputs were required to Process a kg of raw gizzards. Physico-chemical analysis of samples showed greater shear Press value for cooked gizzard stock but overall acceptability of Products was insignificantly (P<0.05) different. However, more caloric outputs were calculated from cooked gizzard stock (333 Cal/100 g) than from cooked chicken stock (315 Cal/100 g). Based on the existing market rates of the ingredients used and input energy requirements, the Processing ofcooked gizzard stock was found to be cost effective (22 Cal/rupee) as compared to cooked chicken stock (17 Cal/rupee)

Do Life Style Factors And Socioeconomic Variables Explain Why Black Women Have A Remarkably Higher Body Mass Index (BMI) Than White Women In The United States? Findings From The 2010 National Health Interview Survey

Objective: There are marked inequalities in body mass index (BMI), overweight, and obesity across ethnic groups. We sought to examine the extent to which lifestyle factors and socioeconomic variables explain the higher BMI in Black women compared to White women in the United States. Methods: We used data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and limited the sample to non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White women (n = 9,491). We employed normal regression and compared the association of race with BMI before and after adjusting for lifestyle factors (diet, physical activity, smoking, and drinking) and socioeconomic variables (education, ratio of income to poverty threshold, occupation, and home ownership). Data analysis was performed in 2012. Results: The difference between the BMI of Black and White women decreased from 2.91 to 2.17 Kg/m2 (i.e. a decrease of 27.2%) after adjusting for lifestyle factors and socioeconomic variables. Multivariate results also showed that higher consumption of fruit/vegetables and beans, lower consumption of red meat and sugar sweetened beverages, physical activity, smoking, regular drinking, and higher socioeconomic status were associated with lower BMI. Conclusions: Lifestyle factors and socioeconomic variables explain about a quarter of the BMI inequality between Black and White women. Thus, interventions that promote healthy eating and physical activity among Blacks as well as social policies that ameliorate socioeconomic inequalities between races might be able to reduce the current BMI inequality between Black and White women

Changing Urbanization Patterns in US Lung Cancer Mortality, 1950–2007

This study examined disparities in lung cancer mortality rates among US men and women in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas from 1950 through 2007. Annual age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated for men and women in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, and differences in mortality rates were tested for statistical significance. Log-linear regression was used to model annual rates of change in mortality over time, while Poisson regression was used to estimate relative risk after adjusting for age, sex, deprivation, and urbanization levels. Urbanization patterns in lung cancer mortality changed dramatically between 1950 and 2007. Compared to men in metropolitan areas, men aged 25–64 years in non-metropolitan areas had significantly lower lung cancer mortality rates from 1950 to 1977 and men aged ≥65 years in non-metropolitan areas had lower mortality rates from 1950 to 1985. Differentials began to reverse and widen by the mid-1980s for men and by the mid-1990s for younger women. In 2007, compared to their metropolitan counterparts, men aged 25–64 and ≥65 years in non-metropolitan areas had 49 and 19% higher lung cancer mortality and women aged 25–64 and ≥65 years in non-metropolitan areas had 32 and 4% higher lung cancer mortality, respectively. Although adjustment for deprivation levels reduced excess lung cancer mortality risk among those in non-metropolitan areas, significant rural–urban differences remained. Rural–urban patterns reversed because of faster and earlier reductions in lung cancer mortality among men and women in metropolitan areas. Temporal trends in rural–urban disparities in lung cancer mortality appear to be consistent with those in smoking

Solution of Integral Equation using Second and Third Order B-Spline Wavelets

It was proven that semi-orthogonal wavelets approximate the solution of integral equation very finely over the orthogonal wavelets Here we used the compactly supported semi-orthogonal B-spline wavelets generated in our paper Compactly Supported B-spline Wavelets with Orthonormal Scaling Functions satisfying the Daubechies conditions to solve the Fredholm integral equation The generated wavelets satisfies all the properties on the bounded interval The method is computationally easy which is illustrated with two examples whose solution closely resembles the exact solution as the order of wavelet increase

Socioeconomic, Rural-Urban, and Racial Inequalities in US Cancer Mortality: Part I—All Cancers and Lung Cancer and Part II—Colorectal, Prostate, Breast, and Cervical Cancers

We analyzed socioeconomic, rural-urban, and racial inequalities in US mortality from all cancers, lung, colorectal, prostate, breast, and cervical cancers. A deprivation index and rural-urban continuum were linked to the 2003–2007 county-level mortality data. Mortality rates and risk ratios were calculated for each socioeconomic, rural-urban, and racial group. Weighted linear regression yielded relative impacts of deprivation and rural-urban residence. Those in more deprived groups and rural areas had higher cancer mortality than more affluent and urban residents, with excess risk being marked for lung, colorectal, prostate, and cervical cancers. Deprivation and rural-urban continuum were independently related to cancer mortality, with deprivation showing stronger impacts. Socioeconomic inequalities existed for both whites and blacks, with blacks experiencing higher mortality from each cancer than whites within each deprivation group. Socioeconomic gradients in mortality were steeper in nonmetropolitan than in metropolitan areas. Mortality disparities may reflect inequalities in smoking and other cancer-risk factors, screening, and treatment