Modeling of Stimulus-Response Secondary Tasks with Different Modalities while Driving in a Computational Cognitive Architecture

This paper introduces a computational human performance model based upon the queueing network cognitive architecture to predict driver’s eye glances and workload for four stimulus-response secondary tasks (i.e., auditorymanual, auditory-speech, visual-manual, and visual-speech types) while driving. The model was evaluated with the empirical data from 24 subjects, and the percentage of eyes-off-road time and driver workload generated by the model were similar to the human subject data. Future studies aim to extend the types of voice announcements/commands to enable Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) evaluations with a wider range of usability test for in-vehicle infotainment system developments

Steering a Driving Simulator Using the Queueing Network-Model Human Processor (QN-MHP)

The Queueing Network-Model Human Processor (QN-MHP) is a computational architecture that combines the mathematical theories and simulation methods of queueing networks (QN) with the symbolic and procedure methods of GOMS analysis and the Model Human Processor (MHP). QN-MHP has been successfully used to model reaction time tasks and visual search tasks (Feyen and Liu, 2001a,b). This paper describes our work of using QN-MHP to model vehicle steering and to steer a driving simulator as a step toward modeling more complex driving scenarios. The steering model was implemented in Promodel, a commercially available simulation program. A network of 20 servers represents different functional modules of the human perceptual, cognitive, and motor information processing system. Entities carrying information on vehicle location and orientation arrive at and flow through the visual, cognitive and motor sub-networks of the system and are processed independently and concurrently by the servers. The QN-MHP steering model was interfaced with a driving simulator (DriveSafety) using an Ethernet protocol and several custom-built software modules. Heading and location information were received in real-time from the simulator and processed through the servers. Whenever the model made a hand movement, the corresponding position of the steering wheel was transferred to the simulator, thus steering the simulated vehicle. The model demonstrated realistic steering behavior. It steered the driving simulator within the lane boundaries of straight sections and curves of varying curvature. This work showed the potential strength of QN-MHP as a model of driving behavior. Ongoing work will further develop the model by expanding the scope of the driving task and by adding secondary in-vehicle tasks

A Survey on Problems in Smart Grid with Large Capacity Wind Farm Interconnected

AbstractThe basic concepts and development of smart grid is described. The influence of large capacity wind farm interconnected on the smart grid is analyzed particularly, following contents are emphatically presented: model of wind farm, basic operation performance, output forecasting of wind farm, power flow in smart grid including wind farm, balance of voltage and raeactive power, small disturbance stability, transient stability, faults and reliability, etc., in the hope of offering references for the fast development of smart grids absorbing more capacity of wind power

From Capture to Display: A Survey on Volumetric Video

Volumetric video, which offers immersive viewing experiences, is gaining increasing prominence. With its six degrees of freedom, it provides viewers with greater immersion and interactivity compared to traditional videos. Despite their potential, volumetric video services poses significant challenges. This survey conducts a comprehensive review of the existing literature on volumetric video. We firstly provide a general framework of volumetric video services, followed by a discussion on prerequisites for volumetric video, encompassing representations, open datasets, and quality assessment metrics. Then we delve into the current methodologies for each stage of the volumetric video service pipeline, detailing capturing, compression, transmission, rendering, and display techniques. Lastly, we explore various applications enabled by this pioneering technology and we present an array of research challenges and opportunities in the domain of volumetric video services. This survey aspires to provide a holistic understanding of this burgeoning field and shed light on potential future research trajectories, aiming to bring the vision of volumetric video to fruition.Comment: Submitte

Summary of Advances in the Heat-Pulse Technique: Improvements in Measuring Soil Thermal Properties

This essay provides a summary of “Advances in the Heat-Pulse Technique: Improvements in Measuring Soil Thermal Properties” recently appearing in Methods of Soil Analysis. Series

Enriching the endophytic bacterial microbiota of Ginkgo roots

Bacterial endophytes of Ginkgo roots take part in the secondary metabolic processes of the fossil tree and contribute to plant growth, nutrient uptake, and systemic resistance. However, the diversity of bacterial endophytes in Ginkgo roots is highly underestimated due to the lack of successful isolates and enrichment collections. The resulting culture collection contains 455 unique bacterial isolates representing 8 classes, 20 orders, 42 families, and 67 genera from five phyla: Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Deinococcus-Thermus, using simply modified media (a mixed medium without any additional carbon sources [MM)] and two other mixed media with separately added starch [GM] and supplemented glucose [MSM]). A series of plant growth-promoting endophytes had multiple representatives within the culture collection. Moreover, we investigated the impact of refilling carbon sources on enrichment outcomes. Approximately 77% of the natural community of root-associated endophytes were predicted to have successfully cultivated the possibility based on a comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences between the enrichment collections and the Ginkgo root endophyte community. The rare or recalcitrant taxa in the root endosphere were mainly associated with Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Blastocatellia, and Ktedonobacteria. By contrast, more operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (0.6% in the root endosphere) became significantly enriched in MM than in GM and MSM. We further found that the bacterial taxa of the root endosphere had strong metabolisms with the representative of aerobic chemoheterotrophy, while the functions of the enrichment collections were represented by the sulfur metabolism. In addition, the co-occurrence network analysis suggested that the substrate supplement could significantly impact bacterial interactions within the enrichment collections. Our results support the fact that it is better to use the enrichment to assess the cultivable potential and the interspecies interaction as well as to increase the detection/isolation of certain bacterial taxa. Taken together, this study will deepen our knowledge of the indoor endophytic culture and provide important insights into the substrate-driven enrichment