Providing user models direct access to interfaces: an exploratory study of a simple interface with implications for HRI and HCI

Models of users are a way to understand and improve the usability of computer interfaces. We present here a model in ACT-R cognitive-modeling language that interacts with a publicly available driving simulation as a simple analog for robot interfaces. The model interacts with the unmodified Java interface by incorporating a novel use of bitmap parsing. The model's structure starts to describe the knowledge a human operator of a robot must have. The model also indicates some of the aspects of the task will be difficult for the operator. For example, the model's performance makes quantitative predictions about how robot speed will influence navigation quality, correlating well to human performance. While the model does not cover all aspects of human-robot interaction, it illustrates how providing user models access to an interface through its bitmap can lead to more accurate and more widely applicable model users.     

Update strategies for kriging models used in variable fidelity optimization

Many optimization methods for simulation-based design rely on the sequential use of metamodels to reduce the associated computational burden. In particular, kriging models are frequently used in variable fidelity optimization. Nevertheless, such methods may become computationally inefficient when solving problems with large numbers of design variables and/or sampled data points due to the expensive process of optimizing the kriging model parameters in each iteration. One solution to this problem would be to replace the kriging models with traditional Taylor series response surface models. Kriging models, however, were shown to provide good approximations of computer simulations that incorporate larger amounts of data, resulting in better global accuracy. In this paper, a metamodel update management scheme (MUMS) is proposed to reduce the cost of using kriging models sequentially by updating the kriging model parameters only when they produce a poor approximation. The scheme uses the trust region ratio (TR-MUMS), which is a ratio that compares the approximation to the true model. Two demonstration problems are used to evaluate the proposed method: an internal combustion engine sizing problem and a control-augmented structural design problem. The results indicate that the TR-MUMS approach is very effective; on the demonstration problems, it reduced the number of likelihood evaluations by three orders of magnitude compared to using a global optimizer to find the kriging parameters in every iteration. It was also found that in trust region-based method, the kriging model parameters need not be updated using a global optimizer—local methods perform just as well in terms of providing a good approximation without affecting the overall convergence rate, which, in turn, results in a faster execution time.     

Mechanism of action of pulsed high electric field (PHEF) on the membranes of food-poisoning bacteria is an 'all-or-nothing' effect

Salmonella typhimurium (CRA 1005) was more sensitive than Listeria monocytogenes (NCTC 11994) to pulsed high electric field (PHEF) treatment in distilled water (10, 15 and 20 kV/cm), 10 mM tris-maleate buffer pH 7.4 (15 kV/cm) and model beef broth (0.75% w/v: 15 kV/cm). Sublethal injury could not be detected using a selective medium plating technique, indicating that bacterial inactivation by PHEF may be an 'all-or-nothing' event. PHEF-induced membrane permeabilization resulted in increased UV-leakage and a decreased ability of L. monocytogenes to maintain a pH gradient.     

16 Gbit/s all-optical demultiplexing using four-wave mixing

A novel, purely optical technique for demultiplexing high-speed time-division multiplexed data is proposed and demonstrated. The technique uses optical fibre nonlinearity induced four-wave mixing with a data signal and a probe signal located at different wavelengths. Using only semiconductor laser light sources, 1:4 demultiplexing of 20 ps long, subpicojoule, 2/sup 15/-1 RZ pulses at a data rate of 16 Gbit/s with less than 1 dB penalty is demonstrated.<>     

Purification and characterization of MAR1. A mitochondrial associated ribonuclease from Leishmania tarentolae

A relatively thermostable 22-kDa endoribonuclease (MAR1) was purified more than 10,000-fold from a mitochondrial extract of Leishmania tarentolae and the gene cloned. The purified nuclease has a Km of 100-145 +/- 33 nM and a Vmax of 1.8-2.9 +/- 2 nmol/min, depending on the RNA substrate, and yields a 3'-OH and a 5'-phosphate. Cleavage was limited to several specific sites in the substrate RNAs tested, but cleavage of pre-edited RNAs was generally independent of the addition of cognate guide RNA. The MAR1 gene was expressed in Escherichia coli or in L. tarentolae cells, and the recombinant protein was affinity-purified. The cleavage specificity of the recombinant enzyme from L. tarentolae was identical to that of the native enzyme. The single copy MAR1 gene maps to an 820-kilobase pair chromosome and contains an open reading frame of 579 nucleotides. The 18-amino acid N-terminal sequence shows characteristics of an uncleaved mitochondrial targeting sequence. Data base searching revealed two homologues of MAR1 corresponding to unidentified open reading frames in Caenorhabditis elegans (GenBankTM accession number Z69637) and Archaeoglobus fulgidus (GenBankTM accession number AE000943). The function of MAR1 in mitochondrial RNA metabolism in L. tarentolae remains to be determined.     

Pharmacokinetics of 2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate, a cysteine prodrug, and cysteine

The pharmacokinetics of both 2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate (OTZ), a prodrug of cysteine, and total blood cysteine (cysteine plus cystine) were investigated in 18 healthy volunteers. OTZ was given either as a single, 2-hour intravenous infusion (56-66 mg/kg) or similarly infused (70-100 mg/kg) every 8 hours for four doses. Blood was assayed for OTZ, total blood cysteine, and glutathione. The pharmacokinetics of OTZ were analyzed alone and simultaneously with total cysteine using the NONMEM software package (University of California at San Francisco. The pharmacokinetics of OTZ were best described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics with parallel first-order elimination. OTZ was efficiently removed from the plasma. The Michaelis-Menten route of elimination was attributed to conversion of OTZ to total cysteine. At plasma OTZ concentrations equal to the Michaelis constant Km, 84% of OTZ was converted to total cysteine. These findings suggest that OTZ administered intravenously is an efficient means of increasing total blood cysteine.     

Osteopenia in children surviving brain tumours

Mature and post-translational precursor gastrin forms are growth factors for colorectal tumours. The immunogen Gastrimmune is composed of the amino terminus of gastrin-17 linked to diphtheria toxoid and raises antibodies in situ which neutralise amidated and glycine-extended gastrin-17. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of treatment with 5-fluorouracil(5-FU)/leucovorin on the antibody titres induced by Gastrimmune and the effect of combination therapy on the growth of the rat colon tumour DHDK12. Gastrimmune was administered to rats s.c. at 3 weekly intervals. The rat colon tumour line DHDK12 was injected into the abdominal wall of BDIX rats. Combinations of 5-FU/leucovorin were injected i.v. on days 1, 3 and 5, with the cycle repeated every 4 weeks. Antibody titres were measured by an ELISA technique. Antibody titres were followed for 40 weeks after Gastrimmune (500 microg.ml(-1)) immunization, with titres peaking between 10 and 20 weeks after a single immunisation and falling by week 30. At termination, no effect was observed on either the histological appearance of the gastro-intestinal tract or the proliferation of the colonic mucosa. Pre- and post-treatment with 5-FU/leucovorin (30 mg.kg(-1)) had no effect on the kinetics and level of antibody response to Gastrimmune. Gastrimmune (200 microg.ml(-1)) and 5-FU/leucovorin combinations (12.5 and 20 mg.kg(-1)) increased the therapeutic effects on the in vivo growth of DHDK12 tumors when compared to the agents given singly. Gastrimmune immunisation may be a therapeutic option for the treatment of colorectal cancer in combination with 5-FU/leucovorin.