Learning to Segment and Represent Motion Primitives from Driving Data for Motion Planning Applications

Developing an intelligent vehicle which can perform human-like actions requires the ability to learn basic driving skills from a large amount of naturalistic driving data. The algorithms will become efficient if we could decompose the complex driving tasks into motion primitives which represent the elementary compositions of driving skills. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to segment unlabeled trajectory data into a library of motion primitives. By applying a probabilistic inference based on an iterative Expectation-Maximization algorithm, our method segments the collected trajectories while learning a set of motion primitives represented by the dynamic movement primitives. The proposed method utilizes the mutual dependencies between the segmentation and representation of motion primitives and the driving-specific based initial segmentation. By utilizing this mutual dependency and the initial condition, this paper presents how we can enhance the performance of both the segmentation and the motion primitive library establishment. We also evaluate the applicability of the primitive representation method to imitation learning and motion planning algorithms. The model is trained and validated by using the driving data collected from the Beijing Institute of Technology intelligent vehicle platform. The results show that the proposed approach can find the proper segmentation and establish the motion primitive library simultaneously

Technology adaptation and boundary management in bona fide virtual groups.

In this research project composed of multiple case studies, I focused on how bona fide virtual groups appropriated multiple media to facilitate group boundary construction and boundary management, which are preconditions of group identity formation. Specific topics explored in the study included how virtual groups socially constructed their group boundaries through recurring patterns of media use as well as other communication practices, how the group boundaries were preserved and blurred in both internal and external communication, and how bona fide groups managed dialectal tensions in interacting with external groups. To explore those research questions, I conducted four in-depth case studies of real life groups operating in natural contexts. Multiple qualitative methods of data collection were employed in the study and a modified grounded theory method was used in analyzing the collected data. As a result, the study found that the groups studied constructed group boundaries through communication practices such as making sense of common goals, negotiation of task jurisdiction with other interlocking groups, distinguishing patterns of ingroup interaction from those of outgroup interactions, and through developing group specific patterns and norms of media combination and media use. Group boundaries were preserved when the influence of outgroup members were constrained through media use, such as excluding them from team conference calls, filtering messages from external groups or members, and using boundary spanners to interact with external members. Group boundaries were blurred when intergroup communication impacted internal dynamics and when norms and practices were transferred from other contexts into a given group context. The study suggested that technology adaptation and boundary management occurred simultaneously. In addition, the groups experienced dialectical tensions in face of the permeability of group boundaries and developed communication tactics to deal with those tensions. Theoretical implications of the study were also discussed

Stabilization via delay feedback for highly nonlinear stochastic time-varying delay systems with Markovian switching and Poisson jump

Little work seems to be known about stabilization results of highly nonlinear stochastic time-varying delay systems (STVDSs) with Markovian switching and Poisson jump. This paper is concerned with the stabilization problem for a class of STVDSs with Markovian switching and Poisson jump. The coefficients of such systems do not satisfy the conventional linear growth conditions, but are subject to high nonlinearity. The aim of this paper is to design a delay feedback controller to make an unstable highly nonlinear STVDSs with Markovian switching and Poisson jump H∞-stable and asymptotically stable. Besides, an illustrative example is provided to support the theoretical results

Who gains and who loses from more information in technology markets? Evidence from the Sunshine Act

Research Summary: We consider the context of a technology market where participants (in particular, sellers) differ in reputation, and sellers observed participating in the transactions might suffer a reputation loss. Our theoretical model predicts that low-reputation idea sellers, thanks to the improvement in information disclosure, are more likely to be involved in technology transactions; at the same time, high-reputation idea sellers, to protect their reputations, might prefer avoiding any transactions. This shift in seller composition might affect the quantity and quality of collaborations. To test our theory, we assess the effect of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act on physician-firm collaborations. Overall, our findings indicate that while information disclosure might benefit some market participants, it can have unintended negative consequences for others. Managerial Summary: In technology markets, more information about market participants generally leads to better outcomes. However, in contexts where sellers suffer a reputation loss if their transactions become known, higher-reputation sellers may leave the market, affecting the quality of ideas being traded and impacting buyers. On the other hand, lower-reputation sellers may benefit from increased visibility and share their ideas more frequently. Our research examined these effects in the context of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, which made physician collaborations with medical device companies visible. The results suggest that the effects of information disclosure are not uniform and that some market participants may benefit while others may suffer losses.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Traveling Wave Solutions in a Stage-Structured Delayed Reaction-Diffusion Model with Advection

We investigate a stage-structured delayed reaction-diffusion model with advection that describes competition between two mature species in water flow. Time delays are incorporated to measure the time lengths from birth to maturity of the populations. We show there exists a finite positive number c∗ that can be characterized as the slowest spreading speed of traveling wave solutions connecting two mono-culture equilibria or connecting a mono-culture with the coexistence equilibrium. The model and mathematical result in [J.F.M. Al-Omari, S.A. Gourley, Stability and travelling fronts in Lotka–Volterra competition models with stage structure, SIAM J. Appl. Math. 63 (2003) 2063–2086] are generalized

Dehazed Image Quality Evaluation: From Partial Discrepancy to Blind Perception

Image dehazing aims to restore spatial details from hazy images. There have emerged a number of image dehazing algorithms, designed to increase the visibility of those hazy images. However, much less work has been focused on evaluating the visual quality of dehazed images. In this paper, we propose a Reduced-Reference dehazed image quality evaluation approach based on Partial Discrepancy (RRPD) and then extend it to a No-Reference quality assessment metric with Blind Perception (NRBP). Specifically, inspired by the hierarchical characteristics of the human perceiving dehazed images, we introduce three groups of features: luminance discrimination, color appearance, and overall naturalness. In the proposed RRPD, the combined distance between a set of sender and receiver features is adopted to quantify the perceptually dehazed image quality. By integrating global and local channels from dehazed images, the RRPD is converted to NRBP which does not rely on any information from the references. Extensive experiment results on several dehazed image quality databases demonstrate that our proposed methods outperform state-of-the-art full-reference, reduced-reference, and no-reference quality assessment models. Furthermore, we show that the proposed dehazed image quality evaluation methods can be effectively applied to tune parameters for potential image dehazing algorithms

Metabolic profile, bioavailability and toxicokinetics of zearalenone-14-glucoside in rats after oral and intravenous administration by liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry

Zearalenone-14-glucoside (ZEN-14G), a key modified mycotoxin, has attracted a great deal of attention due to the possible conversion to its free form of zearalenone (ZEN) exerting toxicity. In this study, the toxicokinetics of ZEN-14G were investigated in rats after oral and intravenous administration. The plasma concentrations of ZEN-14G and its major five metabolites were quantified using a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The data were analyzed via non-compartmental analysis using software WinNonlin 6.3. The results indicated that ZEN-14G was rapidly hydrolyzed into ZEN in vivo. In addition, the major parameters of ZEN-14G following intravenous administration were: area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), 1.80 h.ng/mL; the apparent volume of distribution (V-Z), 7.25 L/kg; and total body clearance (CL), 5.02 mL/h/kg, respectively. After oral administration, the typical parameters were: AUC, 0.16 h.ng/mL; V-Z, 6.24 mL/kg; and CL, 4.50 mL/h/kg, respectively. The absolute oral bioavailability of ZEN-14G in rats was about 9%, since low levels of ZEN-14G were detected in plasma, which might be attributed to its extensive metabolism. Therefore, liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was adopted to clarify the metabolic profile of ZEN-14G in rats' plasma. As a result, eight metabolites were identified in which ZEN-14-glucuronic acid (ZEN-14GlcA) had a large yield from the first time-point and continued accumulating after oral administration, indicating that ZEN-14-glucuronic acid could serve a potential biomarker of ZEN-14G. The obtained outcomes would prompt the accurate safety evaluation of ZEN-14G

Salinity stress induces the production of 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones and regulates novel classes of responsive genes involved in signal transduction in Aquilaria sinensis calli

Gene ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis of assembled unigenes. A total of 53514 matched unigenes were classfied into three principal categories: biological process, cellular component and molecular function. (PPTX 165 kb

The effect of intravenous vitamin C on clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis or septic shock: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

ObjectivesVitamin C deficiency is common among patients with sepsis and has been associated with poor clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, the effect of intravenous (IV) vitamin C for the treatment of sepsis remains controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of IV vitamin C in patients with sepsis or septic shock.MethodsElectronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library) were searched from inception through May 25, 2022 for randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of IV vitamin C treatment in patients with sepsis. The primary outcome was short-term mortality, and secondary outcomes including the duration of vasopressor, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score after vitamin C treatment. Subgroup analyses were performed based on the type of disease, dose and duration of IV vitamin C.ResultsA total of 10 studies were included, with a total sample of 755 septic patients. The IV vitamin C was associated with a significant reduction in the short-term mortality (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.37–0.69, I2 = 0%) and duration of vasopressor (MD −27.88, 95% CI −49.84 to −5.92, I2 = 95%). The length of ICU stay (MD −0.68, 95% CI −2.13 to 0.78, I2 = 74%) and SOFA score (MD −0.05, 95% CI −1.69 to 1.58, I2 = 86%) were not significantly different between two groups.ConclusionIn patients with sepsis or septic shock, the IV vitamin C reduced the short-term mortality rate and duration of vasopressor, with no effect on the length of ICU stay and SOFA score. Further trials are required to explore the optimal dosage and duration of IV vitamin C.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-6-0013/, identifier INPLASY202260013