29 research outputs found
Factor Graphs for Heterogeneous Bayesian Decentralized Data Fusion
This paper explores the use of factor graphs as an inference and analysis
tool for Bayesian peer-to-peer decentralized data fusion. We propose a
framework by which agents can each use local factor graphs to represent
relevant partitions of a complex global joint probability distribution, thus
allowing them to avoid reasoning over the entirety of a more complex model and
saving communication as well as computation cost. This allows heterogeneous
multi-robot systems to cooperate on a variety of real world, task oriented
missions, where scalability and modularity are key. To develop the initial
theory and analyze the limits of this approach, we focus our attention on
static linear Gaussian systems in tree-structured networks and use Channel
Filters (also represented by factor graphs) to explicitly track common
information. We discuss how this representation can be used to describe various
multi-robot applications and to design and analyze new heterogeneous data
fusion algorithms. We validate our method in simulations of a multi-agent
multi-target tracking and cooperative multi-agent mapping problems, and discuss
the computation and communication gains of this approach.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, submitted to the 24th International
Conference on Information Fusio
Heterogeneous Bayesian Decentralized Data Fusion: An Empirical Study
In multi-robot applications, inference over large state spaces can often be
divided into smaller overlapping sub-problems that can then be collaboratively
solved in parallel over `separate' subsets of states. To this end, the factor
graph decentralized data fusion (FG-DDF) framework was developed to analyze and
exploit conditional independence in heterogeneous Bayesian decentralized fusion
problems, in which robots update and fuse pdfs over different locally
overlapping random states. This allows robots to efficiently use smaller
probabilistic models and sparse message passing to accurately and scalably fuse
relevant local parts of a larger global joint state pdf, while accounting for
data dependencies between robots. Whereas prior work required limiting
assumptions about network connectivity and model linearity, this paper relaxes
these to empirically explore the applicability and robustness of FG-DDF in more
general settings. We develop a new heterogeneous fusion rule which generalizes
the homogeneous covariance intersection algorithm, and test it in multi-robot
tracking and localization scenarios with non-linear motion/observation models
under communication dropout. Simulation and linear hardware experiments show
that, in practice, the FG-DDF continues to provide consistent filtered
estimates under these more practical operating conditions, while reducing
computation and communication costs by more than 95%, thus enabling the design
of scalable real-world multi-robot systems.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitted to IEEE Conference on Robotics and
Automation (ICRA 2023
Exploiting Structure for Optimal Multi-Agent Bayesian Decentralized Estimation
A key challenge in Bayesian decentralized data fusion is the `rumor
propagation' or `double counting' phenomenon, where previously sent data
circulates back to its sender. It is often addressed by approximate methods
like covariance intersection (CI) which takes a weighted average of the
estimates to compute the bound. The problem is that this bound is not tight,
i.e. the estimate is often over-conservative. In this paper, we show that by
exploiting the probabilistic independence structure in multi-agent
decentralized fusion problems a tighter bound can be found using (i) an
expansion to the CI algorithm that uses multiple (non-monolithic) weighting
factors instead of one (monolithic) factor in the original CI and (ii) a
general optimization scheme that is able to compute optimal bounds and fully
exploit an arbitrary dependency structure. We compare our methods and show that
on a simple problem, they converge to the same solution. We then test our new
non-monolithic CI algorithm on a large-scale target tracking simulation and
show that it achieves a tighter bound and a more accurate estimate compared to
the original monolithic CI.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. presented at the Inference and Decision Making
for Autonomous Vehicles (IDMAV) RSS 2023 worksho
The Natural Cytotoxicity Receptor 1 Contribution to Early Clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae and to Natural Killer-Macrophage Cross Talk
Natural killer (NK) cells serve as a crucial first line of defense against tumors, viral and bacterial infections. We studied the involvement of a principal activating natural killer cell receptor, natural cytotoxicity receptor 1 (NCR1), in the innate immune response to S. pneumoniae infection. Our results demonstrate that the presence of the NCR1 receptor is imperative for the early clearance of S. pneumoniae. We tied the ends in vivo by showing that deficiency in NCR1 resulted in reduced lung NK cell activation and lung IFNΞ³ production at the early stages of S. pneumoniae infection. NCR1 did not mediate direct recognition of S. pneumoniae. Therefore, we studied the involvement of lung macrophages and dendritic cells (DC) as the mediators of NK-expressed NCR1 involvement in response to S. pneumoniae. In vitro, wild type BM-derived macrophages and DC expressed ligands to NCR1 and co-incubation of S. pneumoniae-infected macrophages/DC with NCR1-deficient NK cells resulted in significantly lesser IFNΞ³ levels compared to NCR1-expressing NK cells. In vivo, ablation of lung macrophages and DC was detrimental to the early clearance of S. pneumoniae. NCR1-expressing mice had more potent alveolar macrophages as compared to NCR1-deficient mice. This result correlated with the higher fraction of NCR1-ligandhigh lung macrophages, in NCR1-expressing mice, that had better phagocytic activity compared to NCR1-liganddull macrophages. Overall, our results point to the essential contribution of NK-expressed NCR1 in early response to S. pneumoniae infection and to NCR1-mediated interaction of NK and S. pneumoniae infected-macrophages and -DC
Diffusion MRI of Structural Brain Plasticity Induced by a Learning and Memory Task
Background: Activity-induced structural remodeling of dendritic spines and glial cells was recently proposed as an important factor in neuroplasticity and suggested to accompany the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). Although T1 and diffusion MRI have been used to study structural changes resulting from long-term training, the cellular basis of the findings obtained and their relationship to neuroplasticity are poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Finding: Here we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine the microstructural manifestations of neuroplasticity in rats that performed a spatial navigation task. We found that DTI can be used to define the selective localization of neuroplasticity induced by different tasks and that this process is age-dependent in cingulate cortex and corpus callosum and age-independent in the dentate gyrus. Conclusion/Significance: We relate the observed DTI changes to the structural plasticity that occurs in astrocytes and discuss the potential of MRI for probing structural neuroplasticity and hence indirectly localizing LTP
Exact and Approximate Heterogeneous Bayesian Decentralized Data Fusion
In Bayesian peer-to-peer decentralized data fusion for static and dynamic
systems, the underlying estimated or communicated distributions are frequently
assumed to be homogeneous between agents. This requires each agent to process
and communicate the full global joint distribution, and thus leads to high
computation and communication costs irrespective of relevancy to specific local
objectives. This work considers a family of heterogeneous decentralized fusion
problems, where we consider the set of problems in which either the
communicated or the estimated distributions describe different, but
overlapping, states of interest that are subsets of a larger full global joint
state. We exploit the conditional independence structure of such problems and
provide a rigorous derivation for a family of exact and approximate
heterogeneous conditionally factorized channel filter methods. We further
extend existing methods for approximate conservative filtering and
decentralized fusion in heterogeneous dynamic problems. Numerical examples show
more than 99.5% potential communication reduction for heterogeneous channel
filter fusion, and a multi-target tracking simulation shows that these methods
provide consistent estimates.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, submitted to IEEE Transactions on
Robotics (T-RO
Simulation Tool Coupling Nonlinear Electrophoresis and Reaction Kinetics for Design and Optimization of Biosensors
We
present the development, formulation, validation, and demonstration
of a fast, generic, and open source simulation tool, which integrates
nonlinear electromigration with multispecies nonequilibrium kinetic
reactions. The code is particularly useful for the design and optimization
of new electrophoresis-based bioanlaytical assays, in which electrophoretic
transport, separation, or focusing control analyte spatial concentration
and subsequent reactions. By decoupling the kinetics solver from the
electric field solver, we demonstrate an order of magnitude improvement
in total simulation time for a series of 100 reaction simulations
using a shared background electric field. The code can efficiently
handle complex electrophoretic setups coupling sharp electric field
gradients with bulk reactions, surface reactions, and competing reactions.
For example, we demonstrate the use of the code for investigating
accelerated reactions using isotachophoresis (ITP), revealing new
regimes of operation which in turn enable significant improvement
of the signal-to-noise ratio of ITP-based genotypic assays. The user
can define arbitrary initial conditions and reaction rules, and we
believe it will be a valuable tool for the design of novel bioanalytical
assays. We will offer the code as open source, and it will be available
for free download at http://microfluidics.technion.ac.il
Several siblings with Cystic Fibrosis as a risk factor for poor outcome
SummaryBackgroundOccurrence of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) in more than one member in a family is not uncommon. The aim of our study was to assess the influence of multiple siblings with CF on disease expression and outcome.MethodsStudy group consisted of 2-siblings (2-sibs, nΒ =Β 42) or 3/4 siblings (3/4-sibs, nΒ =Β 22) with CF in one family. Each sibling was matched by age, mutation, and gender to a single CF patient.Results3/4-sibs subgroup compared to singles showed a lower mean FEV1 with a faster decline rate (58.4Β Β±Β 27.5 vs. 72.7Β Β±Β 25.4 and β5Β Β±Β 6.4 vs. β1.7Β Β±Β 2.8 %predicted decline/year respectively, pΒ <Β .05), more airway colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium abscessus (15 (68%) vs. 8 (36%) and 7 (32%) vs. 4 (18%), respectively, pΒ <Β .05) and more lung transplants (5 (23%) vs. 2 (9%), respectively, pΒ <Β .02). Last mean FEV1 within 3/4-sibs was significantly lower for the youngest sib (pΒ <Β .05).ConclusionsThree or more CF patients in one family may be a risk factor for more severe disease and poor prognosis. In our view this reflects the burden of disease on the patients and families