Statistical Safeguards: Redefining Col lision Avoidance with Probability Theory: Employing Statistical Decision-Making to Enhance Safety in Mixed Traffic Environments

This thesis introduces a probabilistic collision avoidance system that employs statistical decision-making in order to enhance the safety of mixed traffic environments. Central to this approach is the representation of vehicle positions as normal probability distributions, which are convolved with real-time sensor data to assess risks more accurately and reduce the unnecessary emergency stops. The research develops and implements a dynamic collision probability threshold, that is derived from safety integrity levels (SIL), which is imperative for complying with the rigorous safety standards and regulations. Simulations and analytical methods were used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and demonstrating its potential in decision-making in emergency situations. Thus a a scalable solution for collision avoidance is presented in the form of an algorithm that can be integrated into existing safety systems, in order to enhance the operational efficiency for mixed traffic environments

Giving shape to Norberg’s place identity : a design proposal for a park alongside the river Norbergsån

Detta arbete handlar om att tolka en plats och som utomstående betraktare förstå dess identitet. Att tolka en plats handlar om att förstå vad som gör platsen speciell, därav syftar arbetet till att undersöka en platsidentitet, vad som kännetecknar den och hur den kan ta sig uttryck i en gestaltning. Norbergs samhälle uppstod i anslutning till järnfyndigheter som gav upphov till bergsbruk och är en plats med anor från medeltiden som idag förvaltar ett kulturarv. I Norberg sammanstrålar malmen, skogen och vattnet – element som definierar Norberg som ort. Centrala Norberg är strategiskt beläget utmed Norbergsån som rinner från sjön Noren och förbinder platsen med omvärlden. Utmed ån i centrala Norberg sträcker sig ett parkstråk som Norbergs kommun ämnar göra mer attraktivt och tillgängligt. Detta arbete besvarar frågan “vad kännetecknar Norbergs platsidentitet och hur kan den uttryckas i en omgestaltning av en del av det centrala parkstråket utmed Norbergsån?” genom att utgå ifrån teorier om platsidentitet och hur den identifieras. För att identifiera platsidentiteten genomfördes platsbesök och intervjuer i Norberg, litteraturstudier, platsanalys utifrån valda teorier samt referensbesök till andra platser. Som utgångspunkt för vår gestaltning utifrån en platsidentitet använde vi oss av Norbergs förråd av strukturer, element och rumsligheter av symbolisk mening och omvandlade dessa till fysiska element som representerar platsen. Arbetets frågeställning besvaras med ett gestaltningsförslag för parkstråket som går i Norbergs mänskliga skala med strukturer, material och färger som återfinns i byn. Stråket förses med nya tillgängliga stråk, entréer och funktioner, i linje med det som uppskattas av invånare och besökare. Sociala och historiska värden får utrymme i gestaltningsförslaget utifrån vad undersökningen visade att Norbergs platsidentitet domineras av. En platsidentitet fastställdes i arbetet som en sammanvägning av helheten - vad som format platsen till det den är idag, hur den använts tidigare och hur den används nu, samt vilka sociala strukturer som råder på platsen. Framtiden får utvisa om gestaltningsförslaget blir en representativ plats för Norbergs platsidentitet, då det till stor del handlar om människorna som använder och har använt platsen.The central subject of this thesis is the interpretation of a place as an outside observer, for the purpose of capturing its identity. Interpreting a place is a matter of identifying that which defines that place in particular. Hence, our work consists in exploring the identity of a place, its defining features and how these features can be represented in spatial design. The town of Norberg, in Västmanland County, Sweden, was established in close proximity to ore deposits, giving rise to an iron mining industry dating back to medieval times, which today constitutes a defining cultural heritage. The town centre of Norberg is strategically located on the river Norbergsån, flowing from lake Noren and connecting the town to the world. In Norberg, the iron ore, the surrounding forests, and the water of the traversing river, converge to form the backdrop as well as the central elements of the town’s place identity. Along the river in central Norberg, the municipality is looking to reshape the riverside parks into a more attractive and accessible public space. This thesis, using theory on place identity and how to capture it as a starting point, aims to address the following question: ‘What defines the place identity of Norberg and how may it be represented in the refashioning of a segment of Norberg’s central riverside parks?’ To this end, we conducted field work and interviews in Norberg, as well as reference excursions to other relevant sites. Field work, interviews and excursions were analysed with reference to the theoretical literature. We used Norberg’s existing plethora of symbolic structures, elements, and spatial features as a point of departure for our design, reinterpreting these in physical elements representing the place. A design proposal for a chosen segment of the riverside parks, in which Norberg’s humane scale and familiar structures, materials and colour schemes are reproduced, is presented as an answer to the research question set out above. The park area is furnished with accessible pathways, entrances, and functions, in line with the preferences of local inhabitants and visitors. Social and historical values are bought to the fore, drawing on the analysis of the place identity of Norberg. In this thesis, a place identity is described as the totality of historical influences, uses to which the place has been put in the past as well as the present, and social structures shaping the local community’s outlook on the place. Time will tell whether our design proposal successfully captures the place identity of Norberg, for which the adoption and use of the inhabitants and visitors is the ultimate litmus test

Preventing crime through environmental design : a study of the safety and crime preventing qualities of an outdoor gym

Människans behov av interaktion i stadens offentliga rum förutsätter att den offentliga miljön är trygg och säker att vistas i. Ett område som upplevs otryggt kan leda till frånvaro av användare, vilket kan bidra till ytterligare otrygghet i området. Den här uppsatsen avser att undersöka hur ett litet tillägg i den offentliga miljön kan få trygghetsskapande och brottsförebyggande effekter i ett särskilt utsatt område. Tillägget preciseras som ett utegym med placering inom Gottsunda- /Valsätra i Uppsala. För att uppfylla syftet används två teorier med utgångspunkt i platsens betydelse för brottsförebyggande arbete, CPTED och ”Eyes on the street”. Teorierna bygger på möjligheten att stärka platsens övervakning, framtoning och aktivitet samt invånarnas känsla av ansvar för platsen. De förespråkar naturlig övervakning genom aktivering av plats, med målet att skapa förutsättningar för en utemiljö som attraherar besökare. Teorierna används som underlag till en intervjustudie, vilken genom analys visar hur brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande effekter kan uppnås genom att placering och utformning av ett tillägg anpassas efter platsens förutsättningar och invånarnas önskemål. Genom samarbete vid planering och förvaltning av tillägget kan tryggheten öka genom ökade flöden och naturlig övervakning.Man’s need for interaction in the city’s public spaces presupposes that the public environment is safe and secure to use. An area that is perceived as unsafe can lead to the absence of users, which may contribute to further insecurity in that area. The present thesis aims to investigate how a small addition in the public outdoor environment might generate safety and crime preventing effects in an especially vulnerable area. The addition is defined as an outdoor gym located within Gottsunda/Valsätra in Uppsala. To fulfill the purpose, the two theories CPTED and “Eyes on the street” are used. The theories are based on the importance of the location in crime preventing work and the possibility to increase surveillance, image and activity, together with the citizen’s sense of responsibility towards the place. They advocate natural surveillance through activation of the place, with the goal to create an attractive outdoor environment. The theories are used as a base in an interview study, which shows how safety and crime preventing effects can be reached through a placement and design that is adapted to the conditions of the place and the requests of the inhabitants. Through cooperation in planning and managing the addition, safety can be increased through increased flows and natural surveillance

Samband mellan hull, underhudsfett, levande vikt och fruktsamhet hos SRB och SLB

After parturition the energy demand for milk production is greater then the energy provided from the diet. The cow mobilises therefore body tissues to compensate for the energy loss. Live weight and body condition scores decreases as a consequence of the mobilisation. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between body condition score, live weight and subcutaneous fat depth measured by ultrasound and the changes during the lactation. Possible differences between Swedish Holstein (SLB) and Swedish Red and White Cattle (SRB) were also investigated. The relationship between the measures mentioned and reproduction such as the number of days from calving to first luteal activity and to the first ovulatory oestrus was analysed. The study was based on observations on cows from the experimental dairy herd (Jälla) of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Body condition scoring and measurements of live weight and subcutaneous fat were performed during the period 1997 to 2002. The body condition scoring was performed according to a method described by Edmonsson et al. (1989). A total of 211 cows were included in this study of which 88 were SLB and 123 SRB. The latter breed has since 1985 been selected for either high (SRB-high) or low (SRB-low) milkfat yield but with the same total quantity of milk energy. These SRB lines were handled as separate groups in the analyses. The data set included 4036, 639 and approximately 1260 live weight registrations, body condition scores and ultrasound measurements, respectively. Body condition score (BCS) and subcutaneous fat depth differed significantly between breed and selection lines. The parity number had no effect on these measures. The unadjusted mean BCS was 3.18, 3.10 and 2.82 for SRB-low, SRB-high and SLB respectively. SRB-low had the highest unadjusted mean BCS from week 1 to 36 after calving compared to SRB-high and SLB. SLB and SRB-low decreased in BCS with approximately 20 %, whereas SRB-high decreased with 5 %. SLB had significantly higher BSC during week 36 compared to the BCS from week 4 until week 16 after calving. The unadjusted mean for the subcutaneous fat depth was 0,44 cm, 0,49 cm and 0,41 cm for SRB-low, SRB-high and SLB respectively. The difference between two different body locations for measuring the fat depth was small. Fat tissue was mobilised from calving until week 16. SLB and SRB-high gained fat until week 36 after calving and regained weight to approximately the same level as at calving, whereas SRB-low did not succeed to regain the weight. However, it consistently had higher BCS and fat measures. Breed and selection line and parity had a significant effect on live weight. The unadjusted mean for live weight was 670 kg for SLB, 653 kg for SRB-low and 620 kg for SRB-high. SLB had a higher weight than both the SRB selection lines during the lactation. Further on SRB-high weighed more than SRB-low. Both breeds lost weight after calving and the decrease went on until 16 weeks of lactation. With higher parity number cows were heavier. The residual correlation between the ultrasound measurements at two different body locations varied between 0.70 and 0.90. The result indicated that a measurement at one body location is enough to get a reliable value of the subcutaneous fat depth. The residual correlation between the subcutaneous fat depth and BCS and body weight respectively varied between 0.35- 0.64 and between 0.26-0.47 during week 1 until week 16 after calving. The residual correlations between changes of body condition score, weight and subcutaneous fat were negative between different periods during the lactation. This indicates that cows mobilises body tissue in early lactation and gain fat and weight in later lactation. An increase of 1 BCS was significantly related to a weight increase of 47 – 72 kg during week 1 to week 16. An increase of the subcutaneous depth with 0.1 cm was significantly related to a weight increase of 21 – 33 kg. The relationship between BCS, subcutaneous fat depth and weight and the number of days from calving to first luteal activity and to the first ovulatory heat, respectively, were very low and not significant.Efter kalvning hamnar kon ofta i negativ energibalans. Den ökade mjölkproduktionen ställer högre krav på energi än vad kon klarar av att konsumera via fodret. Som kompensation för den bristande energitillförseln mobiliseras kroppsvävnad. Mobiliseringen leder till att kon minskar i hull och går ner i vikt. Syftet med detta arbete var att analysera sambandet mellan levande vikt, tjockleken på underhudsfett uppmätt med hjälp av ultraljud samt levande vikt. Förändringarna av dessa mått undersöktes och eventuella skillnader analyserades mellan svensk lågland (SLB) och svensk röd och vit boskap (SRB), indelade i olika selektionslinjer för hög respektive låg mjölkfetthalt. Dessutom analyserades relationen mellan nämnda mått och intervallet från kalvning till första lutealfas respektive intervallet från kalvning till första ovulatoriska brunst. Studien baserades på observationer från Institutionens för husdjursgenetik försöksbesättning (Jälla). Hullbedömningar, mätningar av vikt och tjocklek på underhudsfett genomfördes under 1997 till 2002. Hullbedömningen skedde enligt den framtagna metoden av Edmonsson et al. (1989). Totalt 211 mjölkkor med varierande antal laktationsnummer ingick, varav 88 SLB och 123 SRB. SRB har sedan 1985 ingått i ett försök där man selekterat för hög (SRB-hög) och låg (SRB-låg) mjölkfetthalt. Selektionslinjerna hanterades som olika raser. I studiens dataset ingick 4036, 639 respektive ca 1260 registreringar för levande vikt, hull och ultraljudsmått. Skillnaden i hullpoäng och tjocklek på underhudsfettet var signifikant mellan ras och selektionslinje. Laktationsnumret hade ingen effekt på dessa mått. SLB hade i genomsnitt 2,82 hullpoäng. SRB-låg hade 3,18 och SRB-hög 3,10 hullpoäng. SRB-låg hade högsta hullpoängen under laktationsvecka 1 till laktationsvecka 36 jämfört med SRB-hög och SLB. SLB och SRB-låg minskade i hull med ca 20 %. Motsvarande minskning för SRB-hög var 5 %. SLB hade signifikant högre hullpoäng under laktationsvecka 36 än under laktationsvecka 4 till16, medan SRB inte hade det. Tjockleken på underhudsfettet var i genomsnitt mellan 0,41 cm, 0,44 cm samt 0,49 cm för SLB, SRB-hög respektive SRB-låg. Skillnaden var mycket liten mellan två mätpunkter på kroppen. Fettlagret mobiliserades fram till laktationsvecka 16. SLB och SRB-hög ökade tjockleken på fettlager fram till laktationsvecka 36 och återfick ungefär samma hull som vid kalvning medan SRB-låg inte återfick samma tjocklek på fettlagret. Ras och selektionslinje samt kalvningsintervall hade en signifikant effekt på levande vikten. SLB vägde i genomsnitt 670 kg, SRB-låg 653 kg och SRB-hög 620 kg. SLB vägde mer än SRB-linjerna under hela laktationen. Vidare vägde SRB-låg mer än SRB-hög. Båda raserna minskade i vikt efter kalvning fram till laktationsvecka 16. Ökad vikt var relaterat till högre laktationsnummer. Residualkorrelationen mellan måttet på underhudfettets tjocklek vid två mätpunkter på kroppen varierade mellan 0,70 och 0,90. Resultatet indikerade att det räcker att mäta vid en punkt på kroppen för att få ett tillräckligt säkert mått på underhudsfettets tjocklek. Residualkorrelationen mellan tjockleken på underhudsfettet och hull respektive vikt varierade mellan 0,35 och 0,64 respektive mellan 0,26 och 0,47 under laktationsvecka 1 till 16. Residualkorrelationen mellan förändringar av hull, vikt respektive tjocklek på underhudsfett under olika perioder av laktationen var negativ. Resultatet visar att korna mobiliserar kroppsvävnad i början av laktationen för att senare under laktationen öka i vikt och hull. En ökning med 1 hullpoäng var signifikant relaterat till en viktökning med 47-72 kg under laktationsvecka 1 till 16. En ökning av fettlagret med 0,1 cm var signifikant relaterat till en hullökning med 0,13-0,31 poäng respektive en viktökning med 21-33 kg. Sambanden mellan hull, tjockleken på underhudsfett samt vikt och intervallet från kalvning till första lutealfas respektive kalvning till första ovulatoriska brunst var mycket låga och med undantag för några tillfällen inte signifikanta

Determination of association constants between 5 '-guanosine monophosphate gel and aromatic compounds by capillary electrophoresis

Hydro gel formed by 5'-guanosine monophosphate (GMP) in the presence of a potassium ion is expected to exhibit interesting selectivity in capillary electrophoretic separations. Here, we estimated the conditional association constants between the hydro gel (G-gel) and aromatic compounds by capillary electrophoresis in order to investigate the separation selectivity that is induced by the G-gel. Several aromatic compounds were separated in a solution containing GMP and potassium ion at different concentrations. The association constants were calculated by correlating the electrophoretic mobilities of the analytes obtained experimentally using a concentration of G-gel. During semi-quantitative estimation, naphthalene derivatives had larger association constants (K-ass = 10.3-16.8) compared with those of benzene derivatives (K-ass = 3.91-5.31), which means that the binding sites of G-gel match better to a naphthalene ring than to a benzene ring. A hydrophobic interaction was also found when the association constants for alkyl resorcinol were compared with those of different hydrocarbon chains. The association constants of nucleobases and tryptophan ranged from 6.05 to 12.6, which approximated the intermediate values between benzene and naphthalene derivatives. Consequently, the selective interaction between G-gel and aromatic compounds was classified as one of three types: (1) an intercalation into stacked planar GMP tetramers; (2) a hydrophobic interaction with a long alkyl chain; or, (3) a small contribution of steric hindrance and/or hydrogen bonding with functional groups such as amino and hydroxyl groups

A cysteine proteinase in the penetration glands of the cercariae of Cotylurus cornutus (Trematoda, Strigeidae)

A cysteine proteinase from the penetration glands of Cotylurus cornutus cercariae was examined with histochemical and biochemical methods. The enzyme hydrolyzed gelatin, azocoll, azocasein, azoalbumin, N-blocked-l-arginine-4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide, and N-blocked-p-nitroanilide, but did not degrade elastin. The metal ion complexane ethylenediamine tetraacetate and the thiol-reducing compound dithioerythritol enhanced the proteinase activity, whereas the thiol-blocking compounds p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) inhibited it. The enzyme was also sensitive to leupeptin but insensitive to soybean trypsin inhibitor. An electrophoretic separation of extract proteins from the cercariae under acidic, non-denaturing conditions and in the presence of 0.1% gelatin in a polyacrylamide gel revealed the presence of two distinct and three weak transparent bands in the gel resulting from a gelatinolytic activity at pH 6.8. The distinct bands apparently resulted from the activity of the glandular enzyme and lysosomal cathepsin B, whereas the weak ones presumably indicated these enzymes partially degraded in the course of the preparative procedure. No gelatinolysis occurred following treatment of an extract sample with 0.1 mM NEM

Performance implications of chemical mobilization after microchannel IEF

Chemical mobilization following IEF enables single-point detection of an ideally stationary equilibrium electrophoresis mode. Despite prior studies exploring optimization of chemical mobilization conditions and recent insight from numerical simulations, understanding of both chemical mobilization mechanisms and the implications of mobilization on IEF analytical performance remains limited. In this study, we utilize full-field imaging of microchannel IEF to assess the performance of a range of canonical chemical mobilization schemes. We empirically demonstrate and characterize key areas where limited understanding of performance implications exists, including: the effects of mobilization solution pH and ion concentration, differences between ionic and zwitterionic mobilization, and diffusion as a source of zone broadening. We utilize Simul5 simulations to gain insight into the sources of the measured performance differences. Measurements of the location, linearity, and slope of the IEF pH gradient (via fluorescent pH markers imaged before and during mobilization) as well as mobilization-associated broadening of focused analytes were performed to quantify performance and determine the dominant sources of variability. Our results suggest that nonuniform broadening of the pH gradient and changes in the pH gradient linearity stem from conductivity nonuniformities in the separation channel and not diffusion-associated band broadening during mobilization