A Comprehensive Strategy for Longitudinal Vehicle Control with Fuzzy Supervisory Expert System

The main objectives of vehicle motion control on an automated highway system are stable and safe automatic longitudinal and/or lateral path following in a platoon of vehicles. Various controllers can be used to satisfy the same objectives, but they may require different variables to be sensed or different conditions to be met. Supervision can select a controller and switch to a different controller depending on the conditions. Specifically, a fuzzy supervisory expert system checks for various system conditions and chooses a controller from PID, PI, sliding mode and a fuzzy controller or gives a distress signal. The choice between PID and PI controllers is based on the availability of the error derivative. Robust and complex sliding mode control can counter the external disturbances which the PID and PI controllers cannot handle. The fuzzy controller is used when the sensors are not working perfectly but the sensor values are still reliable enough to define corresponding fuzzy linguistic variables

H∞ Tracking Control for a Class of Nonlinear Systems

Develops the theory for tracking control using the nonlinear H∞ control design methodology for a class of nonlinear input affine systems. The authors use a two-step process of first designing the feedforward part of the controller to design for perfect trajectory following and then design the feedback part of the controller using nonlinear H∞ regulator theory. Results for infinite-time and finite-time horizons are presente

Pursuit Evasion: The Herding Noncooperative Dynamic Game-The Stochastic Model

This article proposes a solution to the herding problem, a class of pursuit evasion problem in a stochastic framework. The problem involves a pursuer agent trying to herd a stochastically moving evader agent into a pen. The problem is stated in terms of allowable sequential actions of the two agents. The solution is obtained by applying the principles of stochastic dynamic programming. Three algorithms for solution are presented with their accompanying results

Pursuit Evasion: The Herding Non-cooperative Dynamic Game

A class of pursuit evasion problems is studied. This problem involves a dog agent herding a sheep agent in order to take the sheep to a pen. The problem is stated in terms of the allowable sequential actions of the two agents and the game being played because of the choices each agent has. The solution is obtained using the dynamic programming principle applied in the game setting. The algorithm is analyzed and simulation results are presented

Image Processing Based Control for Scaled Automated Vehicles

This paper presents a way to design a lateral controller for an automated vehicle using information gained through image processing with the control objective being to stay on a desired path. Two possible ways to obtain the information necessary for lateral control by image processing are presented, one based on pixel intensity summation and the other on vanishing point calculations. The paper also describes two algorithms for the actual lateral control, one based on classical control theory and the other on modern H∞ control. The resulting control algorithms were implemented on a scaled autonomous vehicle system

Dynamic Programming Solution for a Class of Pursuit Evasion Problems: The Herding Problem

A herding dog and sheep problem is studied where the agent “dog” is considered the control action for moving the agent “sheep” to a fixed location using the dynamics of their interaction. The problem is solved for the deterministic case using dynamic programming. Proofs are provided for the correctness of the algorithms. The algorithm is analyzed for its complexity. A software package developed for experimentation is described

An effective virus-based gene silencing method for functional genomics studies in common bean

BACKGROUND: Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a crop of economic and nutritious importance in many parts of the world. The lack of genomic resources have impeded the advancement of common bean genomics and thereby crop improvement. Although concerted efforts from the "Phaseomics" consortium have resulted in the development of several genomic resources, functional studies have continued to lag due to the recalcitrance of this crop for genetic transformation. RESULTS: Here we describe the use of a bean pod mottle virus (BPMV)-based vector for silencing of endogenous genes in common bean as well as for protein expression. This BPMV-based vector was originally developed for use in soybean. It has been successfully employed for both protein expression and gene silencing in this species. We tested this vector for applications in common bean by targeting common bean genes encoding nodulin 22 and stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase for silencing. Our results indicate that the BPMV vector can indeed be employed for reverse genetics studies of diverse biological processes in common bean. We also used the BPMV-based vector for expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in common bean and demonstrate stable GFP expression in all common bean tissues where BPMV was detected. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of this vector is an important advance for the common bean research community not only because it provides a rapid means for functional studies in common bean, but also because it does so without generating genetically modified plants. Here we describe the detailed methodology and provide essential guidelines for the use of this vector for both gene silencing and protein expression in common bean. The entire VIGS procedure can be completed in 4-5 weeks

Enhanced Disease Susceptibility 1 and Salicylic Acid Act Redundantly to Regulate Resistance Gene-Mediated Signaling

Resistance (R) protein–associated pathways are well known to participate in defense against a variety of microbial pathogens. Salicylic acid (SA) and its associated proteinaceous signaling components, including enhanced disease susceptibility 1 (EDS1), non–race-specific disease resistance 1 (NDR1), phytoalexin deficient 4 (PAD4), senescence associated gene 101 (SAG101), and EDS5, have been identified as components of resistance derived from many R proteins. Here, we show that EDS1 and SA fulfill redundant functions in defense signaling mediated by R proteins, which were thought to function independent of EDS1 and/or SA. Simultaneous mutations in EDS1 and the SA–synthesizing enzyme SID2 compromised hypersensitive response and/or resistance mediated by R proteins that contain coiled coil domains at their N-terminal ends. Furthermore, the expression of R genes and the associated defense signaling induced in response to a reduction in the level of oleic acid were also suppressed by compromising SA biosynthesis in the eds1 mutant background. The functional redundancy with SA was specific to EDS1. Results presented here redefine our understanding of the roles of EDS1 and SA in plant defense

A Transcriptional Regulatory Network of \u3cem\u3eRsv3\u3c/em\u3e-Mediated Extreme Resistance against \u3cem\u3eSoybean Mosaic Virus\u3c/em\u3e

Resistance genes are an effective means for disease control in plants. They predominantly function by inducing a hypersensitive reaction, which results in localized cell death restricting pathogen spread. Some resistance genes elicit an atypical response, termed extreme resistance, where resistance is not associated with a hypersensitive reaction and its standard defense responses. Unlike hypersensitive reaction, the molecular regulatory mechanism(s) underlying extreme resistance is largely unexplored. One of the few known, naturally occurring, instances of extreme resistance is resistance derived from the soybean Rsv3 gene, which confers resistance against the most virulent Soybean mosaic virus strains. To discern the regulatory mechanism underlying Rsv3-mediated extreme resistance, we generated a gene regulatory network using transcriptomic data from time course comparisons of Soybean mosaic virus-G7-inoculated resistant (L29, Rsv3-genotype) and susceptible (Williams82, rsv3-genotype) soybean cultivars. Our results show Rsv3 begins mounting a defense by 6 hpi via a complex phytohormone network, where abscisic acid, cytokinin, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid pathways are suppressed. We identified putative regulatory interactions between transcription factors and genes in phytohormone regulatory pathways, which is consistent with the demonstrated involvement of these pathways in Rsv3-mediated resistance. One such transcription factor identified as a putative transcriptional regulator was MYC2 encoded by Glyma.07G051500. Known as a master regulator of abscisic acid and jasmonic acid signaling, MYC2 specifically recognizes the G-box motif (“CACGTG”), which was significantly enriched in our data among differentially expressed genes implicated in abscisic acid- and jasmonic acid-related activities. This suggests an important role for Glyma.07G051500 in abscisic acid- and jasmonic acid-derived defense signaling in Rsv3. Resultantly, the findings from our network offer insights into genes and biological pathways underlying the molecular defense mechanism of Rsv3-mediated extreme resistance against Soybean mosaic virus. The computational pipeline used to reconstruct the gene regulatory network in this study is freely available at https://github.com/LiLabAtVT/rsv3-network