582 research outputs found
Prediction Of Cancer Possibility By Pattern Recognition And Statistical Study Of Expression Of Gene Level Of Cancer Cells
The activity of the p53 tumor-suppressor protein has a key role in controlling both cancer and aging: under activity encourages the growth of cancer, and over activity can accelerate the aging process. The p53 protein is a tumor suppressor encoded by a gene whose disruption is associated with approximately 50 to 55 percent of human cancers. The p53 protein acts as a checkpoint in the cell cycle, either preventing or initiating programmed cell death (Apoptosis). p53 regulating genes MDM2, PARP, Oncogenicras, and p21 etc play a crucial role in tumor suppression
A novel method of sensing and classifying terrain for autonomous unmanned ground vehicles
Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) play a vital role in preserving human life during hostile military operations and extend our reach by exploring extraterrestrial worlds during space missions. These systems generally have to operate in unstructured environments which contain dynamic variables and unpredictable obstacles, making the seemingly simple task of traversing from A-B extremely difficult. Terrain is one of the biggest obstacles within these environments as it could potentially cause a vehicle to become stuck and render it useless, therefore autonomous systems must possess the ability to directly sense terrain conditions. Current autonomous vehicles use look-ahead vision systems and passive laser scanners to navigate a safe path around obstacles; however these methods lack detail when considering terrain as they make predictions using estimations of the terrain’s appearance alone. This study establishes a more accurate method of measuring, classifying and monitoring terrain in real-time. A novel instrument for measuring direct terrain features at the wheel-terrain contact interface is presented in the form of the Force Sensing Wheel (FSW). Additionally a classification method using unique parameters of the wheel-terrain interaction is used to identify and monitor terrain conditions in real-time. The combination of both the FSW and real-time classification method facilitates better traversal decisions, creating a more Terrain Capable system
Temperature and pore pressure effects on the shear strength of granite in the brittle-plastic transition regime
Currently published lithospheric strength profiles lack constraints from experimental data for shear failure of typical crustal materials in the brittle-plastic transition regime in wet environments. Conventional triaxial shear fracture experiments were conducted to determine temperature and pore pressure effects on shear fracture strength of wet and dry Tsukuba granite. Experimental conditions were 70MPa < P-C < 480MPa, 10MPa < P-p < 300MPa, 25 A degreesC < T < 480 degreesC, at a constant strain rate of 10(-5)s(-1). An empirical relation is proposed which can predict the shear strength of Tsukuba granite, within the range of experimental conditions. Mechanical pore pressure effects are incorporated in the effective stress law. Chemical effects are enhanced at temperatures above 300 degreesC. Below 300 degreesC wet and dry granite strengths are temperature insensitive and wholly within the brittle regime. Above 400 degreesC, semi-brittle effects and ductility are observed
SUPPLY CHAIN INNOVATIONS FOR DELIVERING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IN UNITED KINGDOM
This research study identifies the key elements, the drivers and barriers which impact on the innovative supply chain practices of the building products suppliers and therefore the sustainability of the UK construction Industry. In particular, sustainability continues to be an important thought for the UK construction industry materials/products suppliers. The study draws upon a number of literature themes such as product development, parameters of innovation, product innovation, rapid prototyping, collaboration, lean production practices, perspectives of supply chain; supply chain management, supply chain innovations, research and development; research and development; sustainability; sustainable construction; and benefits of sustainable construction to the environment. This study supported process of identifying different innovative supply chain practices in the building products manufacturers, a sub-sector contributing to the sustainability of the UK construction industry. Starting with the initial aim of exploring features that impact positively or negatively on innovation of supply chain practices and different theories, a number of frameworks as well as literature and approaches for innovative practices within the construction industry were reviewed. It is understood that the supply chain practices in the construction industry are integrative, interrelated and impacts the sustainability. Therefore it was important to further examine the industry supply chain relationships, the drivers of industry supply chain and impact on organisational performances. The building products manufacturers sub-sector within the UK construction industry is being transformed profoundly due to a number of factors including new products development, new markets, and increased environmental awareness, global reach of organisations and changing customer expectations as well as lifestyle; these companies are expected to consider sustainability and environmental issues while developing innovative supply chain strategies. The specifics include innovative issues around sourcing materials and products; the marketing and lifetime operations of construction industry initiatives; and even disposing construction wastes either from construction activities or at the terminal stage of construction products.
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From the relevant literature and contexts study of the UK construction industry, a theoretical framework was informed and questions for the survey were identified. For the questions raised and during the design of theoretical framework a mixed methods research methodology was adopted to collect quantitative data through a questionnaire and a case study. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS software. Through the results from the data analysis, and interviews with the industry practitioners within the supply chain, a conceptual framework was developed and further adjusted to identify three core influencing groups of factors –company, industrial and regulatory; and further enhanced through the case study interviews. Finally, the interactions between these factors were focused on and the results used to articulate the research findings.
This study confirmed that some of these organisations already had an excellent past experience of supply chain management and were informed of regulations affecting the UK construction industry. There is evidence that some of these organisations were leading in innovation of supply chain practices to enhance their competitiveness and therefore increase industry market share and profitability.
This research proposes a new conceptual framework for the UK construction industry practitioners and makers. It is expected that it will motivate as well as aid the UK construction industry stakeholders to evaluate the existing innovative supply chain practices and therefore influence sustainability.
It is further expected that this study will help the Industry players to better understand the importance of various sustainability drivers and the barriers which prevents adoption of innovative supply chain practices. Additionally, the results from the study will be used as motivators towards adopting innovative supply chain practices in the UK construction industry to improve sustainability
Improving the mobility performance of autonomous unmanned ground vehicles by adding the ability to 'Sense/Feel' their local environment.
This paper follows on from earlier work detailed in output one and critically reviews the sensor technologies used in autonomous vehicles, including robots, to ascertain the physical properties of the environment including terrain sensing. The paper reports on a comprehensive study done in terrain types and how these could be determined and the appropriate sensor technologies that can be used. It also reports on work currently in progress in applying these sensor technologies and gives details of a prototype system built at Middlesex University on a reconfigurable mobility system, demonstrating the success of the proposed strategies.
This full paper was subject to a blind refereed review process and presented at the 12th HCI International 2007, Beijing, China, incorporating 8 other international thematic conferences. The conference involved over 250 parallel sessions and was attended by 2000 delegates. The conference proceedings are published by Springer in a 17 volume paperback book edition in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science series (LNCS). These are available on-line through the LNCS Digital Library, readily accessible by all subscribing libraries around the world, published in the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Virtual Reality, ICVR 2007, held as Part of HCI International 2007, Beijing, China, July 22-27, 2007. It is also published as a collection of 81 papers in Lecture Notes in Computer Science Series by Springer
Investigating the mobility of unmanned ground vehicles.
Unmanned Vehicles have to be as capable if not more
capable than a human in the same situation,
especially when used by the military to serve as an
extension of the soldiers capability on the battlefield.
All unmanned systems types have obstacles and
encounter difficulties when trying to complete their
missions, but none more so than the Unmanned
Ground Vehicle (UGV). This is because UGV’s have
to operate in environments with a large amount of
variables which includes a range of different
obstacles, and terrain types; making the simple task
of driving from A to B very hard. This highlights the
fact that a UGV’s capability is predominantly
dependant on its mobility and is seen as one of the
most important factors in their development, because
the more capable of traversing over all types of
terrain the vehicle is, then the less likely it will
become stuck and need human assistance. This paper
investigates current military UGV’s, their mobility
capabilities and the future of UGV development
Using acoustic sensor technologies to create a more terrain capable unmanned ground vehicle
Unmanned Ground Vehicle’s (UGV) have to cope with the most complex range of dynamic and variable obstacles and therefore need to be highly intelligent in order to cope with navigating in such a cluttered environment. When traversing over different terrains (whether it is a UGV or a commercial manned vehicle) different drive styles and configuration settings need to be selected in order to travel successfully over each terrain type. These settings are usually selected by a human operator in manned systems on what they assume the ground conditions to be, but how can an autonomous UGV ‘sense’ these changes in terrain or ground conditions? This paper will investigate noncontact acoustic sensor technologies and how they can be used to detect different terrain types by listening to the interaction between the wheel and the terrain. The results can then be used to create a terrain classification list for the system so in future missions it can use the sensor technology to identify the terrain type it is trying to traverse, which creating a more autonomous and terrain capable vehicle. The technology would also benefit commercial driver assistive technologie
Design and development of a pole climbing surveillance robot
The cost of installing, monitoring and servicing a fixed camera system can be high and not all areas are in need of constant surveying. The increase in crime in urban areas emphasizes the need for a more effective and efficient surveillance system, as a result could lead to fewer crimes. A temporary surveillance unit which is able to climb to gain an elevated view has great potential for both military and civilian application. This paper highlights how the patent pending climbing robotic system (PC-101) was developed to be used by London’s Metropolitan Police Forensic Department for analysing outdoor crime scenes especially that related to car accidents. When cars are involved in accidents in the Metropolitan area, depending on the scale of the incident, the road generally has to be shut off to traffic if there are serious casualties. Elevated images are required for cases which may be taken to court, which then the images are then used as evidence, therefore regulations on the quality and perspectives of the image have to be met. By climbing a range of existing street furniture such as street lamp post, a temporary platform eliminates the use of larger special vehicle which struggles to get to the crime scene as well as cuts down the duration of the road closure. 98% of London street lamps in the Metropolitan area are constructed out of steel structures which make the use of magnetic wheels for locomotion an ideal solution to the climbing problem. Once remote controlled to the top of the lamp post, the PC-101 makes use of its actuated camera arm/gimbal to take the required shot, which can be seen on the ground control unit. A surveillance tool of this sort can be used for many applications which include crowd/riot control, crime scene investigations, monitoring hostile environments and even the monitoring of nature within urban environment
Eulerian particle flamelet modelling of a bluff-body CH4/H2 flame
In this paper an axisymmetric RANS simulation of a bluff-body stabilized flame has been attempted using
steady and unsteady flamelet models. The unsteady effects are considered in a postprocessing manner through
the Eulerian particle flamelet model (EPFM). In this model the transient history of scalar dissipation rate, conditioned
by stoichiometric mixture fraction, is required to generate unsteady flamelets and is obtained by tracing
Eulerian particles. In this approach unsteady convective–diffusive transport equations are solved to consider the
transport of Eulerian particles in the domain. Comparisons of the results of steady and unsteady calculations show
that transient effects do not have much influence on major species, including OH, and the structure of the flame
therefore can be successfully predicted by steady or unsteady approaches. However, it appears that slow processes
such as NO formation can only be captured accurately if unsteady effects are taken into account, while steady
simulations tend to overpredict NO. In this work turbulence has been modeled using the Reynolds stress model.
Predictions of velocity, velocity rms, mean mixture fraction, and its rms show very good agreement with experiments.
Performance of three detailed chemical mechanisms, the GRI Mech 2.11, the San Diego mechanism, and
the GRI Mech 3.0, has also been evaluated in this study. All three mechanisms performed well with both steady
and unsteady approaches and produced almost identical results for major species and OH. However, the difference
between mechanisms and flamelet models becomes clearly apparent in the NO predictions. The unsteady model
incorporating the GRI Mech 2.11 provided better predictions of NO than steady calculations and showed close
agreement with experiments. The other two mechanisms showed overpredictions of NO with both unsteady and
steady models. The level of overprediction is severe with the steady approach. GRI Mech 3.0 appears to overpredict
NO by a factor of 2 compared to GRI Mech 2.11. The NO predictions by the San Diego mechanism fall
between those of the two GRI mechanisms. The present study demonstrates the success of the EPFM model and
when used with the GRI 2.11 mechanism predicts all flame properties and major and minor species very well, and
most importantly the correct NO levels
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