Statistical Threat Assessment for General Road Scenes Using Monte Carlo Sampling

This paper presents a threat-assessment algorithm for general road scenes. A road scene consists of a number of objects that are known, and the threat level of the scene is based on their current positions and velocities. The future driver inputs of the surrounding objects are unknown and are modeled as random variables. In order to capture realistic driver behavior, a dynamic driver model is implemented as a probabilistic prior, which computes the likelihood of a potential maneuver. A distribution of possible future scenarios can then be approximated using a Monte Carlo sampling. Based on this distribution, different threat measures can be computed, e.g., probability of collision or time to collision. Since the algorithm is based on the Monte Carlo sampling, it is computationally demanding, and several techniques are presented to increase performance without increasing computational load. The algorithm is intended both for online safety applications in a vehicle and for offline data analysis.     

Structural studies of the O-specific polysaccharide of Hafnia alvei strain 1209 lipopolysaccharide

The structure of the O-specific side chains of the Hafnia alvei strain 1209 lipopolysaccharide has been investigated. Methylation analysis and 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy were the principal methods used. It is concluded that the polysaccharide is composed of pentasaccharide repeating units that have the following structure: -->3)-beta-D-Galp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->4)-beta-D-GlepA-(1--> 3)-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1 --> 4 increases 1 alpha-L-Rhap The relative intensity of the signals from the terminal repeating unit in the 1H-NMR spectrum, the amount of 2,3,6-tri-O-methylgalactose in the methylation analysis, and the matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionisation time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrum of the O-polysaccharide indicated that the structure is also the biological repeating unit and that the O-chains mainly consisted of 8-11 repeating units and, on average, ten repeating units.     

Energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis of the dentin in rat molars after corticosteroid treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) composition of corticosteroid induced dentin was the same as in normally developed dentin. Seven rats were given corticosteroids intravenously and three rats served as controls. Energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) was carried out on the axially sawn roots of the molars. Measurements were made at 20 sites, equally distributed in the buccal, mesial, lingual and distal direction. The results showed that the Ca/P ratio (weight %) was slightly above 2.0 in both the experimental and the control group, indicating that the corticosteroid induced dentin had a normal Ca/P ratio. However, different degrees of mineralization were found in different directions of the roots.     

Comparison of microstructural and physical properties of two petroleum waxes

Microstructural and physical properties of two petroleum waxes, petrolatum and microcrystalline wax, were characterized in this work. Petroleum waxes are known to be hydrophobic and can be used in applications where a good moisture barrier is needed. In order to achieve a better understanding of different inherent properties of a wax, the two waxes in this work were characterized with infrared spectroscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, rheology and X-ray diffraction. It was concluded from the results of infrared spectroscopy that the two waxes consisted only of saturated alkanes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that the petrolatum sample had a more open microstructure with coarse crystals separated from each other than the microcrystalline wax, which appeared to have a more network-like crystalline structure consisting of somewhat finer crystals. Both waxes crystallized over a broad temperature range. Their crystallization characteristics were quite different, however, probably owing to a different oil content. According to modulated differential scanning calorimetry and rheological measurements the microcrystalline wax crystallized through a two-step process, whereas the petrolatum crystallized through only one step.     

Creating robust high-throughput traffic sign detectors using centre-surround HOG statistics

In this paper, we detail a system for creating object detectors which meet the extreme demands of real-world traffic sign detection applications such as GPS map making and real-time in-car traffic sign detection. The resulting detectors are designed to detect and locate multiple traffic sign types in high-definition video (high throughput) from several cameras captured along thousands of kilometers of road with minimal false-positives and detection rates in excess of 99%. This allows for the accurate detection and location of traffic signs in geo-tagged video datasets of entire national road networks in reasonable time using only moderate computing infrastructure. A key to the success of the methods described in this paper is the use of extremely efficient classifier features. In this paper, we identify two obstacles to achieving the desired performance for all target traffic sign types, feature memory bandwidth requirements and feature discriminance. We introduce our use of centre-surround histogram of oriented gradient (HOG) statistics which greatly reduce the per-feature memory bandwidth requirements. Subsequently we extend our use of centre-surround HOG statistics to the color domain, raising the discriminant power of the final classifiers for more challenging sign types.     

Pulsed NMR Method for Solid Fat Content Determination in Tempering Fats,Part I: Cocoa Butters and Equivalents

A general pre-treatment and measuring procedure is described for Solid Fat Content (SFC) determination with pulsed NMR on tempering fats (i. e. Cocoa Butters and Cocoa Butter Equivalents). These fats need a careful pre-treatment to reach their stable β-polymorphic form and crystal size. The different steps in the analysis were studied and optimized to give reliable and quick results. Critical steps were found to be how to start the crystallization from the melted fat and the tempering process. The fat sample should be completely melted at 80° C and held at 60° C for 20 min. Commencement of crystallization is carried out at O° C for 90 min and tempering at 26.5° C for 40 hours. Cooling is carried out at O° C for 90 min before the serial measuring procedure with 35 min/bath using 10,20,25,27,5,30,32.5,35,40 and 60° C baths. Only the liquid signal is measured (indirect method) and 1 puls with 6 sec trigger time used. The temperature dependence of the signal is compensated with a liquid soya oil. The standard deviation for the described method was 0.3–1.8% (abs) with the highest deviations at temperatures in the very intensive melting range, showing that the temperature accuracy and stability in these baths is of greatest importance. A method to check the tempering process with SFC determinations at 26.5° C for various tempering times is also proposed.     

Mapping of hydrogen isotopes with a scanning nuclear microprobe

Elastic recoil detection analysis using heavy ions with a scanning nuclear microprobe was applied to determine the content of hydrogen isotopes in carbon material facing fusion plasma in the JET fusion reactor. The hydrogen and deuterium concentrations in re-deposited material were obtained by mapping a cross sectional cut of a wall sample. De-trapping and hydrogen release caused by the primary ion beam were investigated. For both the deuterium and hydrogen concentration a drop of ∼75% was observed from an extrapolated initial value to a final steady state region. A procedure was used to determine the initial concentration. In this way a mapping of the initial deuterium concentration could be obtained.     

Efficacy of an iodophore teat disinfectant against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae in experimental challenge

A 1.0% iodophore teat disinfectant (Full-Bac) was evaluated in comparison with a positive control (Bovadine), a commercially available 1.0% iodophore teat disinfectant. The study was conducted under conditions of experimental challenge, following the guidelines recommended by the National Mastitis Council. The test product and a positive control were compared in 41 cows, with 82 teats receiving each product at milking, during a 10-wk study period. There were no differences between the test product and the positive control in new intramammary infections due to Staphylococcus aureus, which averaged 13.4% in each of the 2 treatment groups. Additionally, no statistical difference was seen between the test product and positive control in new intramammary infections by Streptococcus agalactiae, which averaged 8.5 and 6.1% for the Full-Bac and Bovadine groups, respectively. Teat skin and teat end condition scores were statistically evaluated at wk 1, 5, and 9 of the study, and no significant differences were observed between the treatment groups. The test teat disinfectant provided similar germicidal activity to that of the positive control teat disinfectant with no adverse effects on teat skin or teat end condition during the warm-season study period.     

Impact of extraction conditions on the content of acrylamide in model systems and food

It has recently been suggested that the analytical methods that have been developed to date for the determination of acrylamide (AA) may underestimate the concentration of AA in certain foods, because significantly higher results were obtained upon extraction of the food matrix under alkaline conditions. The present study employs food (potato, rye) and chemical model systems to better understand the tentative release of AA under high pH extraction conditions. The experimental design is based on the generation of AA in an environment containing an AA-isotopomer, and by comparing the ratio of AA, respectively the AA-isotopomer, after extraction at pHs 7 and 12. The results show that the additional AA released is not due to improved extractability of AA from the food matrix, and should therefore be regarded as an extraction artefact. Strongly alkaline conditions seem to induce net formation of AA from water-soluble precursors formed during thermolysis.     

The statistics of polarization-dependent loss in a recirculating loop

In this paper, we study the statistical distribution of the accumulated polarization-dependent loss (PDL) in a recirculating loop. The distribution is studied both via numerical simulations and with analytical theory and very good agreement is found between the two. In addition, we have experimentally obtained the probability density distribution for the PDL and, even in this case, we find good agreement with the predicted one. The mean accumulated PDL is found to grow linearly with the number of circulations N in contraposition to a straight-line system. Moreover, the statistical distribution tends to become uniformly distributed as N is increasing. Finally, the statistics of the PDL for a recirculating loop, when considering small values of PDL, is found to be equal to the statistics of the differential group delay for recirculating loops.