Multiple Hypnotizabilities: Differentiating the Building Blocks of Hypnotic Response.

Although hypnotizability can be conceptualized as involving component subskills, standard measures do not differentiate them from a more general unitary trait, partly because the measures include limited sets of dichotomous items. To overcome this, the authors applied full-information factor analysis, a sophisticated analytic approach for dichotomous items, to a large data set from 2 hypnotizability scales. This analysis yielded 4 subscales (Direct Motor, Motor Challenge, Perceptual-Cognitive, Posthypnotic Amnesia) that point to the building blocks of hypnotic response. The authors then used the subscales as simultaneous predictors of hypnotic responses in 4 experiments to distinguish the contribution of each component from general hypnotizability. This analysis raises interesting questions about how best to conceptualize and advance measurement of the ability to experience hypnosis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Practical determination and use of bearing dynamic coefficients

For four practically important journal bearing designs the stiffness and damping coefficients for ideal operating conditions were determined and their reliability ascertained by vibration measurements on high-speed rotors. The effects of static bearing misalignment, variable lubricant viscosity, inertial forces in the lubricant film and turbulent gap flow were investigated in detail. The significant effects on the static load capacity of the bearing and the stability behaviour of the rotor-bearing systems are illustrated and discussed.     

Calibration tests for count data

Calibration, the statistical consistency of forecast distributions and observations, is a central requirement for probabilistic predictions. Calibration of continuous forecasts has been widely discussed, and significance tests are commonly used to detect whether a prediction model is miscalibrated. However, calibration tests for discrete forecasts are rare, especially for distributions with unlimited support. In this paper, we propose two types of calibration tests for count data: tests based on conditional exceedance probabilities and tests based on proper scoring rules. For the latter, three scoring rules are considered: the ranked probability score, the logarithmic score and the Dawid-Sebastiani score. Simulation studies show that all the different tests have good control of the type I error rate and sufficient power under miscalibration. As an illustration, we apply the methodology to weekly data on meningoccocal disease incidence in Germany, 2001–2006. The results show that the test approach is powerful in detecting miscalibrated forecasts.     

TUM autonomous motorsport: An autonomous racing software for the Indy Autonomous Challenge

For decades, motorsport has been an incubator for innovations in the automotive sector and brought forth systems, like, disk brakes or rearview mirrors. Autonomous racing series such as Roborace, F1Tenth, or the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) are envisioned as playing a similar role within the autonomous vehicle sector, serving as a proving ground for new technology at the limits of the autonomous systems capabilities. This paper outlines the software stack and approach of the TUM Autonomous Motorsport team for their participation in the IAC, which holds two competitions: A single-vehicle competition on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a passing competition at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Nine university teams used an identical vehicle platform: A modified Indy Lights chassis equipped with sensors, a computing platform, and actuators. All the teams developed different algorithms for object detection, localization, planning, prediction, and control of the race cars. The team from Technical University of Munich (TUM) placed first in Indianapolis and secured second place in Las Vegas. During the final of the passing competition, the TUM team reached speeds and accelerations close to the limit of the vehicle, peaking at around $270\text{km h}{}^{-1}$ and $28ms{}^{-2}$. This paper will present details of the vehicle hardware platform, the developed algorithms, and the workflow to test and enhance the software applied during the 2-year project. We derive deep insights into the autonomous vehicle's behavior at high speed and high acceleration by providing a detailed competition analysis. On the basis of this, we deduce a list of lessons learned and provide insights on promising areas of future work based on the real-world evaluation of the displayed concepts.     

From Molecules to Heat-Integrated Processes: Computer-Aided Design of Solvents and Processes Using Quantum Chemistry

Solvents are key to many chemical and energy conversion processes. Solvents should be selected as part of process design, optimizing a process-level objective to account for the interactions between molecular properties and process performance. In this paper, we integrate the computer-aided molecular design of solvents with the design of heat-integrated processes for minimum utility demand. The process flowsheet is represented by thermodynamically accurate shortcut process models, encompassing the most common unit operations: extraction, distillation, absorption, and multiphase reaction. For each candidate solvent, we optimize the process considering heat integration and design solvents based on their process performance. All thermodynamic properties are predicted using quantum chemistry. The method is applied to two case studies: extraction-distillation and integrated carbon capture and utilization. In both studies, designed solvents improve process performance compared to literature benchmarks, where simpler heuristics lead to suboptimal choices. Thus, the results highlight the importance of integrating molecular and process design to achieve maximum process performance.     

2-Amino-4-aryl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromene-3-carbonitriles with Microtubule-Disruptive,Centrosome-Declustering,and Antiangiogenic Effects in vitro and in vivo

A series of fifteen 2-amino-4-aryl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromene-3-carbonitriles ( 1 a – o ) were synthesized via a three-component reaction of 4-hydroxycoumarin, malononitrile, and diversely substituted benzaldehydes or pyridine carbaldehydes. The compounds were tested for anticancer activities against a panel of eight human tumor cell lines. A few derivatives with high antiproliferative activities and different cancer cell specificity were identified and investigated for their modes of action. They led to microtubule disruption, centrosome de-clustering and G2/M cell cycle arrest in 518 A2 melanoma cells. They also showed anti-angiogenic effects in vitro and in vivo.     

Workflow for computational fluid dynamics modeling of fixed-bed reactors packed with metal foam pellets: Hydrodynamics

In recent years, the catalyst pellets made of open-cell metallic foams have been identified as a promising alternative in fixed-bed reactors. A reliable modeling tool is necessary to investigate the suitability of different foam properties and the shapes of foam pellets. In this article, a workflow for a detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is presented, which aims to study the flow characteristics in the slender packed beds made of metal foam pellets. The CFD model accounts for the actual random packing structure and the fluid flow throughout the interstitial regions is fully resolved, whereas flow through the porous foam pellets is represented by the closure equations for the porous media model. The bed structure is generated using rigid body dynamics (RBD) and the influence of the catalyst loading method is also considered. The mean bed voidage and the pressure drop predicted by the simulations show good agreement with the experimental data.