Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System: Indigenous Australian Adaptation Model (ABAS: IAAM)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

du Plessis, Santie

2015-01-01

The study objectives were to develop, trial and evaluate a cross-cultural adaptation of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition Teacher Form (ABAS-II TF) ages 5-21 for use with Indigenous Australian students ages 5-14. This study introduced a multiphase mixed-method design with semi-structured and informal interviews, school…

Development of an Adaptive Learning System with Two Sources of Personalization Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tseng, J. C. R.; Chu, H. C.; Hwang, G. J.; Tsai, C. C.

2008-01-01

Previous research of adaptive learning mainly focused on improving student learning achievements based only on single-source of personalization information, such as learning style, cognitive style or learning achievement. In this paper, an innovative adaptive learning approach is proposed by basing upon two main sources of personalization…

A Multimedia Adaptive Tutoring System for Mathematics That Addresses Cognition, Metacognition and Affect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arroyo, Ivon; Woolf, Beverly Park; Burelson, Winslow; Muldner, Kasia; Rai, Dovan; Tai, Minghui

2014-01-01

This article describes research results based on multiple years of experimentation and real-world experience with an adaptive tutoring system named Wayang Outpost. The system represents a novel adaptive learning technology that has shown successful outcomes with thousands of students, and provided teachers with valuable information about students'…

Developing Adaptive Systems at Early Stages of Children's Foreign Language Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espada, Ana Belen Cumbreno; Garcia, Mercedes Rico; Fuentes, Alejandro Curado; Gomez, Eva Ma Dominguez

2006-01-01

This paper describes the integration of hypermedia adaptive systems for foreign language learners at an early age. Our research project is concerned with exploring the relationship between language learning and information technology according to six different phases: a preliminary study of the plausible adaptive system; the development of lessons…

Flexible Early Warning Systems with Workflows and Decision Tables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riedel, F.; Chaves, F.; Zeiner, H.

2012-04-01

An essential part of early warning systems and systems for crisis management are decision support systems that facilitate communication and collaboration. Often official policies specify how different organizations collaborate and what information is communicated to whom. For early warning systems it is crucial that information is exchanged dynamically in a timely manner and all participants get exactly the information they need to fulfil their role in the crisis management process. Information technology obviously lends itself to automate parts of the process. We have experienced however that in current operational systems the information logistics processes are hard-coded, even though they are subject to change. In addition, systems are tailored to the policies and requirements of a certain organization and changes can require major software refactoring. We seek to develop a system that can be deployed and adapted to multiple organizations with different dynamic runtime policies. A major requirement for such a system is that changes can be applied locally without affecting larger parts of the system. In addition to the flexibility regarding changes in policies and processes, the system needs to be able to evolve; when new information sources become available, it should be possible to integrate and use these in the decision process. In general, this kind of flexibility comes with a significant increase in complexity. This implies that only IT professionals can maintain a system that can be reconfigured and adapted; end-users are unable to utilise the provided flexibility. In the business world similar problems arise and previous work suggested using business process management systems (BPMS) or workflow management systems (WfMS) to guide and automate early warning processes or crisis management plans. However, the usability and flexibility of current WfMS are limited, because current notations and user interfaces are still not suitable for end-users, and workflows are usually only suited for rigid processes. We show how improvements can be achieved by using decision tables and rule-based adaptive workflows. Decision tables have been shown to be an intuitive tool that can be used by domain experts to express rule sets that can be interpreted automatically at runtime. Adaptive workflows use a rule-based approach to increase the flexibility of workflows by providing mechanisms to adapt workflows based on context changes, human intervention and availability of services. The combination of workflows, decision tables and rule-based adaption creates a framework that opens up new possibilities for flexible and adaptable workflows, especially, for use in early warning and crisis management systems.

Observations to support adaptation: Principles, scales and decision-making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulwarty, R. S.

2012-12-01

As has been long noted, a comprehensive, coordinated observing system is the backbone of any Earth information system. Demands are increasingly placed on earth observation and prediction systems and attendant services to address the needs of economically and environmentally vulnerable sectors and investments, including energy, water, human health, transportation, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, biodiversity, and national security. Climate services include building capacity to interpret information and recognize standards and limitations of data in the promotion of social and economic development in a changing climate. This includes improving the understanding of climate in the context of a variety of temporal and spatial scales (including the influence of decadal scale forcings and land surface feedbacks on seasonal forecast reliability). Climate data and information are central for developing decision options that are sensitive to climate-related uncertainties and the design of flexible adaptation pathways. Ideally monitoring should be action oriented to support climate risk assessment and adaptation including informing robust decision making to multiple risks over the long term. Based on the experience of global observations programs and empirical research we outline- Challenges in developing effective monitoring and climate information systems to support adaptation. The types of observations of critical importance needed for sector planning to enhance food, water and energy security, and to improve early warning for disaster risk reduction Observations needed for ecosystem-based adaptation including the identification of thresholds, maintenance of biological diversity and land degradation The benefits and limits of linking regional model output to local observations including analogs and verification for adaptation planning To support these goals a robust systems of integrated observations are needed to characterize the uncertainty surrounding emergent risks including overcoming unrealistically precise information demands. While monitoring systems design and operation should be guided by the standards and requirements of management, those who provide information to the system (e.g. hydromet services) should also derive benefits. Drawing on identified information needs to support climate risk management (in drought, water resources and other areas) we outline principles of effective monitoring and develop preliminary strategic guidance for information systems being developed through the GEO, GCOS and Global and national frameworks for climate services. The efficacy of such services are improved by a problem-solving orientation, participatory planning, extension management and improvements in the use and value of existing data to legitimize new investments.

A multi-interface adaptive hypermedia system to promote consumer-provider partnership in chronic disease management.

PubMed

Lundström, Maria; Warren, Jim; Jones, Sara; Chung, Frank

2003-01-01

Much of chronic disease management depends on active partnership of consumer and provider. Our system promotes diabetes management through profiling and adaptive support of both consumer and provider. We use a University Podiatry Clinic and diabetes consumer information portal as inter-related contexts that share profile information.

Cryptanalysis of a chaotic communication scheme using adaptive observer.

PubMed

Liu, Ying; Tang, Wallace K S

2008-12-01

This paper addresses the cryptanalysis of a secure communication scheme recently proposed by Wu [Chaos 16, 043118 (2006)], where the information signal is modulated into a system parameter of a unified chaotic system. With the Kerckhoff principle, assuming that the structure of the cryptosystem is known, an adaptive observer can be designed to synchronize the targeted system, so that the transmitted information and the user-specific parameters are obtained. The success of adaptive synchronization is mathematically proved with the use of Lyapunov stability theory, based on the original assumption, i.e., the dynamical evolution of the information signal is available. A more practical case, but yet much more difficult, is also considered. As demonstrated with simulations, generalized synchronization is still possible, even if the derivative of the information signal is kept secret. Hence, the message can be coarsely estimated, making the security of the considered system questionable.

Dynamic Reconfiguration of a RGBD Sensor Based on QoS and QoC Requirements in Distributed Systems.

PubMed

Munera, Eduardo; Poza-Lujan, Jose-Luis; Posadas-Yagüe, Juan-Luis; Simó-Ten, José-Enrique; Noguera, Juan Fco Blanes

2015-07-24

The inclusion of embedded sensors into a networked system provides useful information for many applications. A Distributed Control System (DCS) is one of the clearest examples where processing and communications are constrained by the client's requirements and the capacity of the system. An embedded sensor with advanced processing and communications capabilities supplies high level information, abstracting from the data acquisition process and objects recognition mechanisms. The implementation of an embedded sensor/actuator as a Smart Resource permits clients to access sensor information through distributed network services. Smart resources can offer sensor services as well as computing, communications and peripheral access by implementing a self-aware based adaptation mechanism which adapts the execution profile to the context. On the other hand, information integrity must be ensured when computing processes are dynamically adapted. Therefore, the processing must be adapted to perform tasks in a certain lapse of time but always ensuring a minimum process quality. In the same way, communications must try to reduce the data traffic without excluding relevant information. The main objective of the paper is to present a dynamic configuration mechanism to adapt the sensor processing and communication to the client's requirements in the DCS. This paper describes an implementation of a smart resource based on a Red, Green, Blue, and Depth (RGBD) sensor in order to test the dynamic configuration mechanism presented.

User-Centered Indexing for Adaptive Information Access

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, James R.; Mathe, Nathalie

1996-01-01

We are focusing on information access tasks characterized by large volume of hypermedia connected technical documents, a need for rapid and effective access to familiar information, and long-term interaction with evolving information. The problem for technical users is to build and maintain a personalized task-oriented model of the information to quickly access relevant information. We propose a solution which provides user-centered adaptive information retrieval and navigation. This solution supports users in customizing information access over time. It is complementary to information discovery methods which provide access to new information, since it lets users customize future access to previously found information. It relies on a technique, called Adaptive Relevance Network, which creates and maintains a complex indexing structure to represent personal user's information access maps organized by concepts. This technique is integrated within the Adaptive HyperMan system, which helps NASA Space Shuttle flight controllers organize and access large amount of information. It allows users to select and mark any part of a document as interesting, and to index that part with user-defined concepts. Users can then do subsequent retrieval of marked portions of documents. This functionality allows users to define and access personal collections of information, which are dynamically computed. The system also supports collaborative review by letting users share group access maps. The adaptive relevance network provides long-term adaptation based both on usage and on explicit user input. The indexing structure is dynamic and evolves over time. Leading and generalization support flexible retrieval of information under similar concepts. The network is geared towards more recent information access, and automatically manages its size in order to maintain rapid access when scaling up to large hypermedia space. We present results of simulated learning experiments.

Information security governance: a risk assessment approach to health information systems protection.

PubMed

Williams, Patricia A H

2013-01-01

It is no small task to manage the protection of healthcare data and healthcare information systems. In an environment that is demanding adaptation to change for all information collection, storage and retrieval systems, including those for of e-health and information systems, it is imperative that good information security governance is in place. This includes understanding and meeting legislative and regulatory requirements. This chapter provides three models to educate and guide organisations in this complex area, and to simplify the process of information security governance and ensure appropriate and effective measures are put in place. The approach is risk based, adapted and contextualized for healthcare. In addition, specific considerations of the impact of cloud services, secondary use of data, big data and mobile health are discussed.

Request for Information Response for the Flight Validation of Adaptive Control to Prevent Loss-of-Control Events. Overview of RFI Responses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosworth, John T.

2009-01-01

Adaptive control should be integrated with a baseline controller and only used when necessary (5 responses). Implementation as an emergency system. Immediately re-stabilize and return to controlled flight. Forced perturbation (excitation) for fine-tuning system a) Check margins; b) Develop requirements for amplitude of excitation. Adaptive system can improve performance by eating into margin constraints imposed on the non-adaptive system. Nonlinear effects due to multi-string voting.

A Multi-interface Adaptive Hypermedia System to Promote Consumer-Provider Partnership in Chronic Disease Management

PubMed Central

Lundström, Maria; Warren, Jim; Jones, Sara; Chung, Frank

2003-01-01

Much of chronic disease management depends on active partnership of consumer and provider. Our system promotes diabetes management through profiling and adaptive support of both consumer and provider. We use a University Podiatry Clinic and diabetes consumer information portal as inter-related contexts that share profile information. PMID:14728425

Promoting evaluation capacity building in a complex adaptive system.

PubMed

Lawrenz, Frances; Kollmann, Elizabeth Kunz; King, Jean A; Bequette, Marjorie; Pattison, Scott; Nelson, Amy Grack; Cohn, Sarah; Cardiel, Christopher L B; Iacovelli, Stephanie; Eliou, Gayra Ostgaard; Goss, Juli; Causey, Lauren; Sinkey, Anne; Beyer, Marta; Francisco, Melanie

2018-04-10

This study provides results from an NSF funded, four year, case study about evaluation capacity building in a complex adaptive system, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net). The results of the Complex Adaptive Systems as a Model for Network Evaluations (CASNET) project indicate that complex adaptive system concepts help to explain evaluation capacity building in a network. The NISE Network was found to be a complex learning system that was supportive of evaluation capacity building through feedback loops that provided for information sharing and interaction. Participants in the system had different levels of and sources of evaluation knowledge. To be successful at building capacity, the system needed to have a balance between both centralized and decentralized control, coherence, redundancy, and diversity. Embeddedness of individuals within the system also provided support and moved the capacity of the system forward. Finally, success depended on attention being paid to the control of resources. Implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing for adaptation to novelty and change: functional information, emergent feature graphics, and higher-level control.

PubMed

Hajdukiewicz, John R; Vicente, Kim J

2002-01-01

Ecological interface design (EID) is a theoretical framework that aims to support worker adaptation to change and novelty in complex systems. Previous evaluations of EID have emphasized representativeness to enhance generalizability of results to operational settings. The research presented here is complementary, emphasizing experimental control to enhance theory building. Two experiments were conducted to test the impact of functional information and emergent feature graphics on adaptation to novelty and change in a thermal-hydraulic process control microworld. Presenting functional information in an interface using emergent features encouraged experienced participants to become perceptually coupled to the interface and thereby to exhibit higher-level control and more successful adaptation to unanticipated events. The absence of functional information or of emergent features generally led to lower-level control and less success at adaptation, the exception being a minority of participants who compensated by relying on analytical reasoning. These findings may have practical implications for shaping coordination in complex systems and fundamental implications for the development of a general unified theory of coordination for the technical, human, and social sciences. Actual or potential applications of this research include the design of human-computer interfaces that improve safety in complex sociotechnical systems.

NSF Support for Information Science Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brownstein, Charles N.

1986-01-01

Major research opportunities and needs are expected by the National Science Foundation in six areas of information science: models of adaptive information processing, learning, searching, and recognition; knowledge resource systems, particularly intelligent systems; user-system interaction; augmentation of human information processing tasks;…

Adaptive control based on retrospective cost optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Dennis S. (Inventor); Santillo, Mario A. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A discrete-time adaptive control law for stabilization, command following, and disturbance rejection that is effective for systems that are unstable, MIMO, and/or nonminimum phase. The adaptive control algorithm includes guidelines concerning the modeling information needed for implementation. This information includes the relative degree, the first nonzero Markov parameter, and the nonminimum-phase zeros. Except when the plant has nonminimum-phase zeros whose absolute value is less than the plant's spectral radius, the required zero information can be approximated by a sufficient number of Markov parameters. No additional information about the poles or zeros need be known. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the algorithm's effectiveness in handling systems with errors in the required modeling data, unknown latency, sensor noise, and saturation.

Adaptive microwave impedance memory effect in a ferromagnetic insulator.

PubMed

Lee, Hanju; Friedman, Barry; Lee, Kiejin

2016-12-14

Adaptive electronics, which are often referred to as memristive systems as they often rely on a memristor (memory resistor), are an emerging technology inspired by adaptive biological systems. Dissipative systems may provide a proper platform to implement an adaptive system due to its inherent adaptive property that parameters describing the system are optimized to maximize the entropy production for a given environment. Here, we report that a non-volatile and reversible adaptive microwave impedance memory device can be realized through the adaptive property of the dissipative structure of the driven ferromagnetic system. Like the memristive device, the microwave impedance of the device is modulated as a function of excitation microwave passing through the device. This kind of new device may not only helpful to implement adaptive information processing technologies, but also may be useful to investigate and understand the underlying mechanism of spontaneous formation of complex and ordered structures.

Adaptive microwave impedance memory effect in a ferromagnetic insulator

PubMed Central

Lee, Hanju; Friedman, Barry; Lee, Kiejin

2016-01-01

Adaptive electronics, which are often referred to as memristive systems as they often rely on a memristor (memory resistor), are an emerging technology inspired by adaptive biological systems. Dissipative systems may provide a proper platform to implement an adaptive system due to its inherent adaptive property that parameters describing the system are optimized to maximize the entropy production for a given environment. Here, we report that a non-volatile and reversible adaptive microwave impedance memory device can be realized through the adaptive property of the dissipative structure of the driven ferromagnetic system. Like the memristive device, the microwave impedance of the device is modulated as a function of excitation microwave passing through the device. This kind of new device may not only helpful to implement adaptive information processing technologies, but also may be useful to investigate and understand the underlying mechanism of spontaneous formation of complex and ordered structures. PMID:27966536

CRISPR-Cas encoding of a digital movie into the genomes of a population of living bacteria.

PubMed

Shipman, Seth L; Nivala, Jeff; Macklis, Jeffrey D; Church, George M

2017-07-20

DNA is an excellent medium for archiving data. Recent efforts have illustrated the potential for information storage in DNA using synthesized oligonucleotides assembled in vitro. A relatively unexplored avenue of information storage in DNA is the ability to write information into the genome of a living cell by the addition of nucleotides over time. Using the Cas1-Cas2 integrase, the CRISPR-Cas microbial immune system stores the nucleotide content of invading viruses to confer adaptive immunity. When harnessed, this system has the potential to write arbitrary information into the genome. Here we use the CRISPR-Cas system to encode the pixel values of black and white images and a short movie into the genomes of a population of living bacteria. In doing so, we push the technical limits of this information storage system and optimize strategies to minimize those limitations. We also uncover underlying principles of the CRISPR-Cas adaptation system, including sequence determinants of spacer acquisition that are relevant for understanding both the basic biology of bacterial adaptation and its technological applications. This work demonstrates that this system can capture and stably store practical amounts of real data within the genomes of populations of living cells.

An information adaptive system study report and development plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ataras, W. S.; Eng, K.; Morone, J. J.; Beaudet, P. R.; Chin, R.

1980-01-01

The purpose of the information adaptive system (IAS) study was to determine how some selected Earth resource applications may be processed onboard a spacecraft and to provide a detailed preliminary IAS design for these applications. Detailed investigations of a number of applications were conducted with regard to IAS and three were selected for further analysis. Areas of future research and development include algorithmic specifications, system design specifications, and IAS recommended time lines.

An adaptive technique for a redundant-sensor navigation system.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, T.-T.

1972-01-01

An on-line adaptive technique is developed to provide a self-contained redundant-sensor navigation system with a capability to utilize its full potentiality in reliability and performance. This adaptive system is structured as a multistage stochastic process of detection, identification, and compensation. It is shown that the detection system can be effectively constructed on the basis of a design value, specified by mission requirements, of the unknown parameter in the actual system, and of a degradation mode in the form of a constant bias jump. A suboptimal detection system on the basis of Wald's sequential analysis is developed using the concept of information value and information feedback. The developed system is easily implemented, and demonstrates a performance remarkably close to that of the optimal nonlinear detection system. An invariant transformation is derived to eliminate the effect of nuisance parameters such that the ambiguous identification system can be reduced to a set of disjoint simple hypotheses tests. By application of a technique of decoupled bias estimation in the compensation system the adaptive system can be operated without any complicated reorganization.

Using case-mix information in strategic hospital marketing. Deriving market research from patient data.

PubMed

Little, A

1992-01-01

Hospital survival requires adaptation, adaptation requires understanding, and understanding requires information. These are the basic equations behind hospital strategic marketing, and one of the answers may lie in hospitals' own patient-data systems. Marketers' and administrators' enlightened application of case-mix information could become one more hospital survival tool.

An Approach to Automated Fusion System Design and Adaptation

PubMed Central

Fritze, Alexander; Mönks, Uwe; Holst, Christoph-Alexander; Lohweg, Volker

2017-01-01

Industrial applications are in transition towards modular and flexible architectures that are capable of self-configuration and -optimisation. This is due to the demand of mass customisation and the increasing complexity of industrial systems. The conversion to modular systems is related to challenges in all disciplines. Consequently, diverse tasks such as information processing, extensive networking, or system monitoring using sensor and information fusion systems need to be reconsidered. The focus of this contribution is on distributed sensor and information fusion systems for system monitoring, which must reflect the increasing flexibility of fusion systems. This contribution thus proposes an approach, which relies on a network of self-descriptive intelligent sensor nodes, for the automatic design and update of sensor and information fusion systems. This article encompasses the fusion system configuration and adaptation as well as communication aspects. Manual interaction with the flexibly changing system is reduced to a minimum. PMID:28300762

An Approach to Automated Fusion System Design and Adaptation.

PubMed

Fritze, Alexander; Mönks, Uwe; Holst, Christoph-Alexander; Lohweg, Volker

2017-03-16

Industrial applications are in transition towards modular and flexible architectures that are capable of self-configuration and -optimisation. This is due to the demand of mass customisation and the increasing complexity of industrial systems. The conversion to modular systems is related to challenges in all disciplines. Consequently, diverse tasks such as information processing, extensive networking, or system monitoring using sensor and information fusion systems need to be reconsidered. The focus of this contribution is on distributed sensor and information fusion systems for system monitoring, which must reflect the increasing flexibility of fusion systems. This contribution thus proposes an approach, which relies on a network of self-descriptive intelligent sensor nodes, for the automatic design and update of sensor and information fusion systems. This article encompasses the fusion system configuration and adaptation as well as communication aspects. Manual interaction with the flexibly changing system is reduced to a minimum.

An information theoretic approach of designing sparse kernel adaptive filters.

PubMed

Liu, Weifeng; Park, Il; Principe, José C

2009-12-01

This paper discusses an information theoretic approach of designing sparse kernel adaptive filters. To determine useful data to be learned and remove redundant ones, a subjective information measure called surprise is introduced. Surprise captures the amount of information a datum contains which is transferable to a learning system. Based on this concept, we propose a systematic sparsification scheme, which can drastically reduce the time and space complexity without harming the performance of kernel adaptive filters. Nonlinear regression, short term chaotic time-series prediction, and long term time-series forecasting examples are presented.

Using evaluation to adapt health information outreach to the complex environments of community-based organizations.

PubMed

Olney, Cynthia A

2005-10-01

After arguing that most community-based organizations (CBOs) function as complex adaptive systems, this white paper describes the evaluation goals, questions, indicators, and methods most important at different stages of community-based health information outreach. This paper presents the basic characteristics of complex adaptive systems and argues that the typical CBO can be considered this type of system. It then presents evaluation as a tool for helping outreach teams adapt their outreach efforts to the CBO environment and thus maximize success. Finally, it describes the goals, questions, indicators, and methods most important or helpful at each stage of evaluation (community assessment, needs assessment and planning, process evaluation, and outcomes assessment). Literature from complex adaptive systems as applied to health care, business, and evaluation settings is presented. Evaluation models and applications, particularly those based on participatory approaches, are presented as methods for maximizing the effectiveness of evaluation in dynamic CBO environments. If one accepts that CBOs function as complex adaptive systems-characterized by dynamic relationships among many agents, influences, and forces-then effective evaluation at the stages of community assessment, needs assessment and planning, process evaluation, and outcomes assessment is critical to outreach success.

Information Science Research: The Search for the Nature of Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kochen, Manfred

1984-01-01

High-level scientific research in the information sciences is illustrated by sampling of recent discoveries involving adaptive information processing strategies, computer and information systems, centroid scaling, economic growth of computer and communication industries, and information flow in biological systems. Relationship of information…

Performance Enhancement of a USV INS/CNS/DVL Integration Navigation System Based on an Adaptive Information Sharing Factor Federated Filter

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiuying; Cui, Xufei; Li, Yibing; Ye, Fang

2017-01-01

To improve the ability of autonomous navigation for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), multi-sensor integrated navigation based on Inertial Navigation System (INS), Celestial Navigation System (CNS) and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) is proposed. The CNS position and the DVL velocity are introduced as the reference information to correct the INS divergence error. The autonomy of the integrated system based on INS/CNS/DVL is much better compared with the integration based on INS/GNSS alone. However, the accuracy of DVL velocity and CNS position are decreased by the measurement noise of DVL and bad weather, respectively. Hence, the INS divergence error cannot be estimated and corrected by the reference information. To resolve the problem, the Adaptive Information Sharing Factor Federated Filter (AISFF) is introduced to fuse data. The information sharing factor of the Federated Filter is adaptively adjusted to maintaining multiple component solutions usable as back-ups, which can improve the reliability of overall system. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by simulation and experiment, the results show that for the INS/CNS/DVL integrated system, when the DVL velocity accuracy is decreased and the CNS cannot work under bad weather conditions, the INS/CNS/DVL integrated system can operate stably based on the AISFF method. PMID:28165369

Performance Enhancement of a USV INS/CNS/DVL Integration Navigation System Based on an Adaptive Information Sharing Factor Federated Filter.

PubMed

Wang, Qiuying; Cui, Xufei; Li, Yibing; Ye, Fang

2017-02-03

To improve the ability of autonomous navigation for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), multi-sensor integrated navigation based on Inertial Navigation System (INS), Celestial Navigation System (CNS) and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) is proposed. The CNS position and the DVL velocity are introduced as the reference information to correct the INS divergence error. The autonomy of the integrated system based on INS/CNS/DVL is much better compared with the integration based on INS/GNSS alone. However, the accuracy of DVL velocity and CNS position are decreased by the measurement noise of DVL and bad weather, respectively. Hence, the INS divergence error cannot be estimated and corrected by the reference information. To resolve the problem, the Adaptive Information Sharing Factor Federated Filter (AISFF) is introduced to fuse data. The information sharing factor of the Federated Filter is adaptively adjusted to maintaining multiple component solutions usable as back-ups, which can improve the reliability of overall system. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by simulation and experiment, the results show that for the INS/CNS/DVL integrated system, when the DVL velocity accuracy is decreased and the CNS cannot work under bad weather conditions, the INS/CNS/DVL integrated system can operate stably based on the AISFF method.

Adaptive Optimal Control Using Frequency Selective Information of the System Uncertainty With Application to Unmanned Aircraft.

PubMed

Maity, Arnab; Hocht, Leonhard; Heise, Christian; Holzapfel, Florian

2018-01-01

A new efficient adaptive optimal control approach is presented in this paper based on the indirect model reference adaptive control (MRAC) architecture for improvement of adaptation and tracking performance of the uncertain system. The system accounts here for both matched and unmatched unknown uncertainties that can act as plant as well as input effectiveness failures or damages. For adaptation of the unknown parameters of these uncertainties, the frequency selective learning approach is used. Its idea is to compute a filtered expression of the system uncertainty using multiple filters based on online instantaneous information, which is used for augmentation of the update law. It is capable of adjusting a sudden change in system dynamics without depending on high adaptation gains and can satisfy exponential parameter error convergence under certain conditions in the presence of structured matched and unmatched uncertainties as well. Additionally, the controller of the MRAC system is designed using a new optimal control method. This method is a new linear quadratic regulator-based optimal control formulation for both output regulation and command tracking problems. It provides a closed-form control solution. The proposed overall approach is applied in a control of lateral dynamics of an unmanned aircraft problem to show its effectiveness.

Cultural Adaptation of a Neurobiologically Informed Intervention in Local and International Contexts.

PubMed

Pakulak, Eric; Hampton Wray, Amanda; Longoria, Zayra; Garcia Isaza, Alejandra; Stevens, Courtney; Bell, Theodore; Burlingame, Sarah; Klein, Scott; Berlinski, Samuel; Attanasio, Orazio; Neville, Helen

2017-12-01

The relationship between early adversity and numerous negative outcomes across the lifespan is evident in a wide range of societies and cultures (e.g., Pakulak, Stevens, & Neville, 2018). Among the most affected neural systems are those supporting attention, self-regulation, and stress regulation. As such, these systems represent targets for neurobiologically informed interventions addressing early adversity. In prior work with monolingual native English-speaking families, we showed that a two-generation intervention targeting these systems in families improves outcomes across multiple domains including child brain function for selective attention (for detail, see Neville et al., 2013). Here, we discuss the translation and cultural adaptation (CA) of this intervention in local and international contexts, which required systematic consideration of cultural differences that could affect program acceptability. First, we conducted a translation and CA of our program to serve Latino families in the United States using the Cultural Adaptation Process (CAP), a model that works closely with stakeholders in a systematic, iterative process. Second, to implement the adapted program in Medellín, Colombia, we conducted a subsequent adaptation for Colombian culture using the same CAP. Our experience underscores the importance of consideration of cultural differences and a systematic approach to adaptation before assessing the efficacy of neurobiologically informed interventions in different cultural contexts. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Theory of Complex Adaptive Inquiring Organizations: Application to Continuous Assurance of Corporate Financial Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuhn, John R., Jr.

2009-01-01

Drawing upon the theories of complexity and complex adaptive systems and the Singerian Inquiring System from C. West Churchman's seminal work "The Design of Inquiring Systems" the dissertation herein develops a systems design theory for continuous auditing systems. The dissertation consists of discussion of the two foundational theories,…

A Neural Network Approach to Intention Modeling for User-Adapted Conversational Agents

PubMed Central

Griol, David

2016-01-01

Spoken dialogue systems have been proposed to enable a more natural and intuitive interaction with the environment and human-computer interfaces. In this contribution, we present a framework based on neural networks that allows modeling of the user's intention during the dialogue and uses this prediction to dynamically adapt the dialogue model of the system taking into consideration the user's needs and preferences. We have evaluated our proposal to develop a user-adapted spoken dialogue system that facilitates tourist information and services and provide a detailed discussion of the positive influence of our proposal in the success of the interaction, the information and services provided, and the quality perceived by the users. PMID:26819592

PERSO: Towards an Adaptive e-Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chorfi, Henda; Jemni, Mohamed

2004-01-01

In today's information technology society, members are increasingly required to be up to date on new technologies, particularly for computers, regardless of their background social situation. In this context, our aim is to design and develop an adaptive hypermedia e-learning system, called PERSO (PERSOnalizing e-learning system), where learners…

Dynamic Information Encoding With Dynamic Synapses in Neural Adaptation

PubMed Central

Li, Luozheng; Mi, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Wenhao; Wang, Da-Hui; Wu, Si

2018-01-01

Adaptation refers to the general phenomenon that the neural system dynamically adjusts its response property according to the statistics of external inputs. In response to an invariant stimulation, neuronal firing rates first increase dramatically and then decrease gradually to a low level close to the background activity. This prompts a question: during the adaptation, how does the neural system encode the repeated stimulation with attenuated firing rates? It has been suggested that the neural system may employ a dynamical encoding strategy during the adaptation, the information of stimulus is mainly encoded by the strong independent spiking of neurons at the early stage of the adaptation; while the weak but synchronized activity of neurons encodes the stimulus information at the later stage of the adaptation. The previous study demonstrated that short-term facilitation (STF) of electrical synapses, which increases the synchronization between neurons, can provide a mechanism to realize dynamical encoding. In the present study, we further explore whether short-term plasticity (STP) of chemical synapses, an interaction form more common than electrical synapse in the cortex, can support dynamical encoding. We build a large-size network with chemical synapses between neurons. Notably, facilitation of chemical synapses only enhances pair-wise correlations between neurons mildly, but its effect on increasing synchronization of the network can be significant, and hence it can serve as a mechanism to convey the stimulus information. To read-out the stimulus information, we consider that a downstream neuron receives balanced excitatory and inhibitory inputs from the network, so that the downstream neuron only responds to synchronized firings of the network. Therefore, the response of the downstream neuron indicates the presence of the repeated stimulation. Overall, our study demonstrates that STP of chemical synapse can serve as a mechanism to realize dynamical neural encoding. We believe that our study shed lights on the mechanism underlying the efficient neural information processing via adaptation. PMID:29636675

Intelligent agents for adaptive security market surveillance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kun; Li, Xin; Xu, Baoxun; Yan, Jiaqi; Wang, Huaiqing

2017-05-01

Market surveillance systems have increasingly gained in usage for monitoring trading activities in stock markets to maintain market integrity. Existing systems primarily focus on the numerical analysis of market activity data and generally ignore textual information. To fulfil the requirements of information-based surveillance, a multi-agent-based architecture that uses agent intercommunication and incremental learning mechanisms is proposed to provide a flexible and adaptive inspection process. A prototype system is implemented using the techniques of text mining and rule-based reasoning, among others. Based on experiments in the scalping surveillance scenario, the system can identify target information evidence up to 87.50% of the time and automatically identify 70.59% of cases depending on the constraints on the available information sources. The results of this study indicate that the proposed information surveillance system is effective. This study thus contributes to the market surveillance literature and has significant practical implications.

A meta-learning system based on genetic algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellerin, Eric; Pigeon, Luc; Delisle, Sylvain

2004-04-01

The design of an efficient machine learning process through self-adaptation is a great challenge. The goal of meta-learning is to build a self-adaptive learning system that is constantly adapting to its specific (and dynamic) environment. To that end, the meta-learning mechanism must improve its bias dynamically by updating the current learning strategy in accordance with its available experiences or meta-knowledge. We suggest using genetic algorithms as the basis of an adaptive system. In this work, we propose a meta-learning system based on a combination of the a priori and a posteriori concepts. A priori refers to input information and knowledge available at the beginning in order to built and evolve one or more sets of parameters by exploiting the context of the system"s information. The self-learning component is based on genetic algorithms and neural Darwinism. A posteriori refers to the implicit knowledge discovered by estimation of the future states of parameters and is also applied to the finding of optimal parameters values. The in-progress research presented here suggests a framework for the discovery of knowledge that can support human experts in their intelligence information assessment tasks. The conclusion presents avenues for further research in genetic algorithms and their capability to learn to learn.

Adaptation of a web-based, open source electronic medical record system platform to support a large study of tuberculosis epidemiology

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In 2006, we were funded by the US National Institutes of Health to implement a study of tuberculosis epidemiology in Peru. The study required a secure information system to manage data from a target goal of 16,000 subjects who needed to be followed for at least one year. With previous experience in the development and deployment of web-based medical record systems for TB treatment in Peru, we chose to use the OpenMRS open source electronic medical record system platform to develop the study information system. Supported by a core technical and management team and a large and growing worldwide community, OpenMRS is now being used in more than 40 developing countries. We adapted the OpenMRS platform to better support foreign languages. We added a new module to support double data entry, linkage to an existing laboratory information system, automatic upload of GPS data from handheld devices, and better security and auditing of data changes. We added new reports for study managers, and developed data extraction tools for research staff and statisticians. Further adaptation to handle direct entry of laboratory data occurred after the study was launched. Results Data collection in the OpenMRS system began in September 2009. By August 2011 a total of 9,256 participants had been enrolled, 102,274 forms and 13,829 laboratory results had been entered, and there were 208 users. The system is now entirely supported by the Peruvian study staff and programmers. Conclusions The information system served the study objectives well despite requiring some significant adaptations mid-stream. OpenMRS has more tools and capabilities than it did in 2008, and requires less adaptations for future projects. OpenMRS can be an effective research data system in resource poor environments, especially for organizations using or considering it for clinical care as well as research. PMID:23131180

Adaptation of industry standards to PACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Joseph K.; Yin, Lloyd; Huang, H. K.; Wong, Albert W. K.

1994-05-01

Imagery and textual communications among healthcare information systems, medical imaging equipment, and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) have always been difficult as each of these components varies with platforms, modalities, and manufacturers. With the emerging of industry standards, it become feasible to integrate all these heterogeneous, disparate medical images and textual data. This paper describes two such major industry standards: Health Level 7 (HL7) and ACR/NEMA. In conforming to the HL7 standard, we are able to share medical information between the hospital information systems, radiology information systems, and PACS. By adapting the ACR/NEMA 2.0 standard, we also can convert medical images generated from a variety of modalities and manufacturers to its standardized data format. The conversion is based on the data dictionary defined in the ACR/NEMA 2.0 document.

Delinquent-Victim Youth-Adapting a Trauma-Informed Approach for the Juvenile Justice System.

PubMed

Rapp, Lisa

2016-01-01

The connection between victimization and later delinquency is well established and most youth involved with the juvenile justice system have at least one if not multiple victimizations in their history. Poly-victimized youth or those presenting with complex trauma require specialized assessment and services to prevent deleterious emotional, physical, and social life consequences. Empirical studies have provided information which can guide practitioners work with these youth and families, yet many of the policies and practices of the juvenile justice system are counter to this model. Many youth-serving organizations are beginning to review their operations to better match a trauma-informed approach and in this article the author will highlight how a trauma-informed care model could be utilized to adapt the juvenile justice system.

Institutional networks and adaptive water governance in the Klamath River Basin, USA.

EPA Science Inventory

Polycentric networks of formal organizations and informal stakeholder groups, as opposed to centralized institutional hierarchies, can be critically important for strengthening the capacity of governance systems to adapt to unexpected social and biophysical change. Adaptive gover...

Embedding climate change risk assessment within a governance context

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Preston, Benjamin L

Climate change adaptation is increasingly being framed in the context of climate risk management. This has contributed to the proliferation of climate change vulnerability and/or risk assessments as means of supporting institutional decision-making regarding adaptation policies and measures. To date, however, little consideration has been given to how such assessment projects and programs interact with governance systems to facilitate or hinder the implementation of adaptive responses. An examination of recent case studies involving Australian local governments reveals two key linkages between risk assessment and the governance of adaptation. First, governance systems influence how risk assessment processes are conducted, by whommore » they are conducted, and whom they are meant to inform. Australia s governance system emphasizes evidence-based decision-making that reinforces a knowledge deficit model of decision support. Assessments are often carried out by external experts on behalf of local government, with limited participation by relevant stakeholders and/or civil society. Second, governance systems influence the extent to which the outputs from risk assessment activities are translated into adaptive responses and outcomes. Technical information regarding risk is often stranded by institutional barriers to adaptation including poor uptake of information, competition on the policy agenda, and lack of sufficient entitlements. Yet, risk assessments can assist in bringing such barriers to the surface, where they can be debated and resolved. In fact, well-designed risk assessments can contribute to multi-loop learning by institutions, and that reflexive problem orientation may be one of the more valuable benefits of assessment.« less

Efficient Use of Information in Adaptive Management with an Application to Managing Recreation near Golden Eagle Nesting Sites

PubMed Central

Fackler, Paul L.; Pacifici, Krishna; Martin, Julien; McIntyre, Carol

2014-01-01

It is generally the case that a significant degree of uncertainty exists concerning the behavior of ecological systems. Adaptive management has been developed to address such structural uncertainty, while recognizing that decisions must be made without full knowledge of how a system behaves. This paradigm attempts to use new information that develops during the course of management to learn how the system works. To date, however, adaptive management has used a very limited information set to characterize the learning that is possible. This paper uses an extension of the Partial Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) framework to expand the information set used to update belief in competing models. This feature can potentially increase the speed of learning through adaptive management, and lead to better management in the future. We apply this framework to a case study wherein interest lies in managing recreational restrictions around golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nesting sites. The ultimate management objective is to maintain an abundant eagle population in Denali National Park while minimizing the regulatory burden on park visitors. In order to capture this objective, we developed a utility function that trades off expected breeding success with hiker access. Our work is relevant to the management of human activities in protected areas, but more generally demonstrates some of the benefits of POMDP in the context of adaptive management. PMID:25098955

Natural language processing and visualization in the molecular imaging domain.

PubMed

Tulipano, P Karina; Tao, Ying; Millar, William S; Zanzonico, Pat; Kolbert, Katherine; Xu, Hua; Yu, Hong; Chen, Lifeng; Lussier, Yves A; Friedman, Carol

2007-06-01

Molecular imaging is at the crossroads of genomic sciences and medical imaging. Information within the molecular imaging literature could be used to link to genomic and imaging information resources and to organize and index images in a way that is potentially useful to researchers. A number of natural language processing (NLP) systems are available to automatically extract information from genomic literature. One existing NLP system, known as BioMedLEE, automatically extracts biological information consisting of biomolecular substances and phenotypic data. This paper focuses on the adaptation, evaluation, and application of BioMedLEE to the molecular imaging domain. In order to adapt BioMedLEE for this domain, we extend an existing molecular imaging terminology and incorporate it into BioMedLEE. BioMedLEE's performance is assessed with a formal evaluation study. The system's performance, measured as recall and precision, is 0.74 (95% CI: [.70-.76]) and 0.70 (95% CI [.63-.76]), respectively. We adapt a JAVA viewer known as PGviewer for the simultaneous visualization of images with NLP extracted information.

Training a Constitutional Dynamic Network for Effector Recognition: Storage, Recall, and Erasing of Information.

PubMed

Holub, Jan; Vantomme, Ghislaine; Lehn, Jean-Marie

2016-09-14

Constitutional dynamic libraries (CDLs) of hydrazones, acylhydrazones, and imines undergo reorganization and adaptation in response to chemical effectors (herein metal cations) via component exchange and selection. Such CDLs can be subjected to training by exposition to given effectors and keep memory of the information stored by interaction with a specific metal ion. The long-term storage of the acquired information into the set of constituents of the system allows for fast recognition on subsequent contacts with the same effector(s). Dynamic networks of constituents were designed to adapt orthogonally to different metal cations by up- and down-regulation of specific constituents in the final distribution. The memory may be erased by component exchange between the constituents so as to regenerate the initial (statistical) distribution. The libraries described represent constitutional dynamic systems capable of acting as information storage molecular devices, in which the presence of components linked by reversible covalent bonds in slow exchange and bearing adequate coordination sites allows for the adaptation to different metal ions by constitutional variation. The system thus performs information storage, recall, and erase processes.

Systematic Planning of Adaptation Options for Pluvial Flood Resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babovic, Filip; Mijic, Ana; Madani, Kaveh

2016-04-01

Different elements of infrastructure and the built environment vary in their ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Furthermore, many of the slowest, and often largest infrastructure adaptations, offer the greatest improvements to system performance. In the context of de-carbonation of individual buildings Brand (1995) identified six potential layers of adaptation based on their renewal times ranging from daily to multi-decadal time scales. Similar layers exist in urban areas with regards to Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) and pluvial flood risk. These layers range from appliances within buildings to changes in the larger urban form. Changes in low-level elements can be quickly implemented, but are limited in effectiveness, while larger interventions occur at a much slower pace but offer greater benefits as a part of systemic change. In the context of urban adaptation this multi-layered approach provides information on how to order urban adaptations. This information helps to identify potential pathways by prioritising relatively quick adaptations to be implemented in the short term while identifying options which require more long term planning with respect to both uncertainty and flexibility. This information is particularly critical in the evolution towards more resilient and water sensitive cities (Brown, 2009). Several potential adaptation options were identified ranging from small to large-scale adaptations. The time needed for the adaptation to be implemented was estimated and curves representing the added drainage capacity per year were established. The total drainage capacity added by each option was then established. This methodology was utilised on a case study in the Cranbrook Catchment in the North East of London. This information was able to provide insight on how to best renew or extend the life of critical ageing infrastructure.

Supporting the Loewenstein occupational therapy cognitive assessment using distributed user interfaces.

PubMed

Tesoriero, Ricardo; Gallud Lazaro, Jose A; Altalhi, Abdulrahman H

2017-02-01

Improve the quantity and quality of information obtained from traditional Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment Battery systems to monitor the evolution of patients' rehabilitation process as well as to compare different rehabilitation therapies. The system replaces traditional artefacts with virtual versions of them to take advantage of cutting edge interaction technology. The system is defined as a Distributed User Interface (DUI) supported by a display ecosystem, including mobile devices as well as multi-touch surfaces. Due to the heterogeneity of the devices involved in the system, the software technology is based on a client-server architecture using the Web as the software platform. The system provides therapists with information that is not available (or it is very difficult to gather) using traditional technologies (i.e. response time measurements, object tracking, information storage and retrieval facilities, etc.). The use of DUIs allows therapists to gather information that is unavailable using traditional assessment methods as well as adapt the system to patients' profile to increase the range of patients that are able to take this assessment. Implications for Rehabilitation Using a Distributed User Interface environment to carry out LOTCAs improves the quality of the information gathered during the rehabilitation assessment. This system captures physical data regarding patient's interaction during the assessment to improve the rehabilitation process analysis. Allows professionals to adapt the assessment procedure to create different versions according to patients' profile. Improves the availability of patients' profile information to therapists to adapt the assessment procedure.

Unifying Complexity and Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Da-Guan

2013-04-01

Complex systems, arising in many contexts in the computer, life, social, and physical sciences, have not shared a generally-accepted complexity measure playing a fundamental role as the Shannon entropy H in statistical mechanics. Superficially-conflicting criteria of complexity measurement, i.e. complexity-randomness (C-R) relations, have given rise to a special measure intrinsically adaptable to more than one criterion. However, deep causes of the conflict and the adaptability are not much clear. Here I trace the root of each representative or adaptable measure to its particular universal data-generating or -regenerating model (UDGM or UDRM). A representative measure for deterministic dynamical systems is found as a counterpart of the H for random process, clearly redefining the boundary of different criteria. And a specific UDRM achieving the intrinsic adaptability enables a general information measure that ultimately solves all major disputes. This work encourages a single framework coving deterministic systems, statistical mechanics and real-world living organisms.

Quantum Information Biology: From Information Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics to Applications in Molecular Biology and Cognitive Psychology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asano, Masanari; Basieva, Irina; Khrennikov, Andrei; Ohya, Masanori; Tanaka, Yoshiharu; Yamato, Ichiro

2015-10-01

We discuss foundational issues of quantum information biology (QIB)—one of the most successful applications of the quantum formalism outside of physics. QIB provides a multi-scale model of information processing in bio-systems: from proteins and cells to cognitive and social systems. This theory has to be sharply distinguished from "traditional quantum biophysics". The latter is about quantum bio-physical processes, e.g., in cells or brains. QIB models the dynamics of information states of bio-systems. We argue that the information interpretation of quantum mechanics (its various forms were elaborated by Zeilinger and Brukner, Fuchs and Mermin, and D' Ariano) is the most natural interpretation of QIB. Biologically QIB is based on two principles: (a) adaptivity; (b) openness (bio-systems are fundamentally open). These principles are mathematically represented in the framework of a novel formalism— quantum adaptive dynamics which, in particular, contains the standard theory of open quantum systems.

Workflow-enabled distributed component-based information architecture for digital medical imaging enterprises.

PubMed

Wong, Stephen T C; Tjandra, Donny; Wang, Huili; Shen, Weimin

2003-09-01

Few information systems today offer a flexible means to define and manage the automated part of radiology processes, which provide clinical imaging services for the entire healthcare organization. Even fewer of them provide a coherent architecture that can easily cope with heterogeneity and inevitable local adaptation of applications and can integrate clinical and administrative information to aid better clinical, operational, and business decisions. We describe an innovative enterprise architecture of image information management systems to fill the needs. Such a system is based on the interplay of production workflow management, distributed object computing, Java and Web techniques, and in-depth domain knowledge in radiology operations. Our design adapts the approach of "4+1" architectural view. In this new architecture, PACS and RIS become one while the user interaction can be automated by customized workflow process. Clinical service applications are implemented as active components. They can be reasonably substituted by applications of local adaptations and can be multiplied for fault tolerance and load balancing. Furthermore, the workflow-enabled digital radiology system would provide powerful query and statistical functions for managing resources and improving productivity. This paper will potentially lead to a new direction of image information management. We illustrate the innovative design with examples taken from an implemented system.

Concept of intellectual charging system for electrical and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Russian Federation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolbasov, A.; Karpukhin, K.; Terenchenko, A.; Kavalchuk, I.

2018-02-01

Electric vehicles have become the most common solution to improve sustainability of the transportation systems all around the world. Despite all benefits, wide adaptation of electric vehicles requires major changes in the infrastructure, including grid adaptation to the rapidly increased power demand and development of the Connected Car concept. This paper discusses the approaches to improve usability of electric vehicles, by creating suitable web-services, with possible connections vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, and vehicle-to-grid. Developed concept combines information about electrical loads on the grid in specific direction, navigation information from the on-board system, existing and empty charging slots and power availability. In addition, this paper presents the universal concept of the photovoltaic integrated charging stations, which are connected to the developed information systems. It helps to achieve rapid adaptation of the overall infrastructure to the needs of the electric vehicles users with minor changes in the existing grid and loads.

Monitoring is not enough: on the need for a model-based approach to migratory bird management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, J.D.; Bonney, Rick; Pashley, David N.; Cooper, Robert; Niles, Larry

2000-01-01

Informed management requires information about system state and about effects of potential management actions on system state. Population monitoring can provide the needed information about system state, as well as information that can be used to investigate effects of management actions. Three methods for investigating effects of management on bird populations are (1) retrospective analysis, (2) formal experimentation and constrained-design studies, and (3) adaptive management. Retrospective analyses provide weak inferences, regardless of the quality of the monitoring data. The active use of monitoring data in experimental or constrained-design studies or in adaptive management is recommended. Under both approaches, learning occurs via the comparison of estimates from the monitoring program with predictions from competing management models.

Application of Non-Kolmogorovian Probability and Quantum Adaptive Dynamics to Unconscious Inference in Visual Perception Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Accardi, Luigi; Khrennikov, Andrei; Ohya, Masanori; Tanaka, Yoshiharu; Yamato, Ichiro

2016-07-01

Recently a novel quantum information formalism — quantum adaptive dynamics — was developed and applied to modelling of information processing by bio-systems including cognitive phenomena: from molecular biology (glucose-lactose metabolism for E.coli bacteria, epigenetic evolution) to cognition, psychology. From the foundational point of view quantum adaptive dynamics describes mutual adapting of the information states of two interacting systems (physical or biological) as well as adapting of co-observations performed by the systems. In this paper we apply this formalism to model unconscious inference: the process of transition from sensation to perception. The paper combines theory and experiment. Statistical data collected in an experimental study on recognition of a particular ambiguous figure, the Schröder stairs, support the viability of the quantum(-like) model of unconscious inference including modelling of biases generated by rotation-contexts. From the probabilistic point of view, we study (for concrete experimental data) the problem of contextuality of probability, its dependence on experimental contexts. Mathematically contextuality leads to non-Komogorovness: probability distributions generated by various rotation contexts cannot be treated in the Kolmogorovian framework. At the same time they can be embedded in a “big Kolmogorov space” as conditional probabilities. However, such a Kolmogorov space has too complex structure and the operational quantum formalism in the form of quantum adaptive dynamics simplifies the modelling essentially.

Multi-service terminal adapter based on IP technology applications in rural area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Li; Li, Xiaobo; Yan, Juntao; Ren, Xupeng

Take advantage of ample modern existing telecom network resources to rural areas may achieve it's information society gradually. This includes the establishment of integrated rural information service platform, modern remote education center and electronic administration management platform for rural areas. The geographical and economic constraints must be overcome for structuring the rural service support system, in order to provide technical support, information products and information services to modern rural information service system. It is important that development an access platform based IP technology, which supports multi-service access in order to implement a variety of types of mobile terminal equipment adapter access and to reduce restrictions on mobile terminal equipment.

Adaptation to sensory-motor reflex perturbations is blind to the source of errors.

PubMed

Hudson, Todd E; Landy, Michael S

2012-01-06

In the study of visual-motor control, perhaps the most familiar findings involve adaptation to externally imposed movement errors. Theories of visual-motor adaptation based on optimal information processing suppose that the nervous system identifies the sources of errors to effect the most efficient adaptive response. We report two experiments using a novel perturbation based on stimulating a visually induced reflex in the reaching arm. Unlike adaptation to an external force, our method induces a perturbing reflex within the motor system itself, i.e., perturbing forces are self-generated. This novel method allows a test of the theory that error source information is used to generate an optimal adaptive response. If the self-generated source of the visually induced reflex perturbation is identified, the optimal response will be via reflex gain control. If the source is not identified, a compensatory force should be generated to counteract the reflex. Gain control is the optimal response to reflex perturbation, both because energy cost and movement errors are minimized. Energy is conserved because neither reflex-induced nor compensatory forces are generated. Precision is maximized because endpoint variance is proportional to force production. We find evidence against source-identified adaptation in both experiments, suggesting that sensory-motor information processing is not always optimal.

Information management system study results. Volume 2: IMS study results appendixes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

Computer systems program specifications are presented for the modular space station information management system. These are the computer program contract end item, data bus system, data bus breadboard, and display interface adapter specifications. The performance, design, tests, and qualification requirements are established for the implementation of the information management system. For Vol. 1, see N72-19972.

Learning of spatio-temporal codes in a coupled oscillator system.

PubMed

Orosz, Gábor; Ashwin, Peter; Townley, Stuart

2009-07-01

In this paper, we consider a learning strategy that allows one to transmit information between two coupled phase oscillator systems (called teaching and learning systems) via frequency adaptation. The dynamics of these systems can be modeled with reference to a number of partially synchronized cluster states and transitions between them. Forcing the teaching system by steady but spatially nonhomogeneous inputs produces cyclic sequences of transitions between the cluster states, that is, information about inputs is encoded via a "winnerless competition" process into spatio-temporal codes. The large variety of codes can be learned by the learning system that adapts its frequencies to those of the teaching system. We visualize the dynamics using "weighted order parameters (WOPs)" that are analogous to "local field potentials" in neural systems. Since spatio-temporal coding is a mechanism that appears in olfactory systems, the developed learning rules may help to extract information from these neural ensembles.

GALE: a generic open source extensible adaptation engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Bra, Paul; Knutov, Evgeny; Smits, David; Stash, Natalia; Ramos, Vinicius F. C.

2013-06-01

This paper motivates and describes GALE, the Generic Adaptation Language and Engine that came out of the GRAPPLE EU FP7 project. The main focus of the paper is the extensible nature of GALE. The purpose of this description is to illustrate how a single core adaptation engine can be used for different types of adaptation, applied to different types of information items and documents. We illustrate the adaptive functionality on some examples of hypermedia documents. In April 2012, David Smits defended the world's first adaptive PhD thesis on this topic. The thesis, available for download and direct adaptive access at http://gale.win.tue.nl/thesis, shows that a single source of information can serve different audiences and at the same time also allows more freedom of navigation than is possible in any paper or static hypermedia document. The same can be done for course texts, hyperfiction, encyclopedia, museum, or other cultural heritage websites, etc. We explain how to add functionality to GALE if desired, to adapt the system's behavior to whatever the application requires. This stresses our main objective: to provide a technological base for adaptive (hypermedia) system researchers on which they can build extensions for the specific research they have in mind.

Innate control of adaptive immunity: Beyond the three-signal paradigm

PubMed Central

Jain, Aakanksha; Pasare, Chandrashekhar

2017-01-01

Activation of cells in the adaptive immune system is a highly orchestrated process dictated by multiples cues from the innate immune system. Although the fundamental principles of innate control of adaptive immunity are well established, it is not fully understood how innate cells integrate qualitative pathogenic information in order to generate tailored protective adaptive immune responses. In this review, we discuss complexities involved in the innate control of adaptive immunity that extend beyond T cell receptor engagement, co-stimulation and priming cytokine production but are critical for generation of protective T cell immunity. PMID:28483987

Deficits in context-dependent adaptive coding of reward in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Kirschner, Matthias; Hager, Oliver M; Bischof, Martin; Hartmann-Riemer, Matthias N; Kluge, Agne; Seifritz, Erich; Tobler, Philippe N; Kaiser, Stefan

2016-01-01

Theoretical principles of information processing and empirical findings suggest that to efficiently represent all possible rewards in the natural environment, reward-sensitive neurons have to adapt their coding range dynamically to the current reward context. Adaptation ensures that the reward system is most sensitive for the most likely rewards, enabling the system to efficiently represent a potentially infinite range of reward information. A deficit in neural adaptation would prevent precise representation of rewards and could have detrimental effects for an organism’s ability to optimally engage with its environment. In schizophrenia, reward processing is known to be impaired and has been linked to different symptom dimensions. However, despite the fundamental significance of coding reward adaptively, no study has elucidated whether adaptive reward processing is impaired in schizophrenia. We therefore studied patients with schizophrenia (n=27) and healthy controls (n=25), using functional magnetic resonance imaging in combination with a variant of the monetary incentive delay task. Compared with healthy controls, patients with schizophrenia showed less efficient neural adaptation to the current reward context, which leads to imprecise neural representation of reward. Importantly, the deficit correlated with total symptom severity. Our results suggest that some of the deficits in reward processing in schizophrenia might be due to inefficient neural adaptation to the current reward context. Furthermore, because adaptive coding is a ubiquitous feature of the brain, we believe that our findings provide an avenue in defining a general impairment in neural information processing underlying this debilitating disorder. PMID:27430009

A computational framework for modeling targets as complex adaptive systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Eugene; Santos, Eunice E.; Korah, John; Murugappan, Vairavan; Subramanian, Suresh

2017-05-01

Modeling large military targets is a challenge as they can be complex systems encompassing myriad combinations of human, technological, and social elements that interact, leading to complex behaviors. Moreover, such targets have multiple components and structures, extending across multiple spatial and temporal scales, and are in a state of change, either in response to events in the environment or changes within the system. Complex adaptive system (CAS) theory can help in capturing the dynamism, interactions, and more importantly various emergent behaviors, displayed by the targets. However, a key stumbling block is incorporating information from various intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sources, while dealing with the inherent uncertainty, incompleteness and time criticality of real world information. To overcome these challenges, we present a probabilistic reasoning network based framework called complex adaptive Bayesian Knowledge Base (caBKB). caBKB is a rigorous, overarching and axiomatic framework that models two key processes, namely information aggregation and information composition. While information aggregation deals with the union, merger and concatenation of information and takes into account issues such as source reliability and information inconsistencies, information composition focuses on combining information components where such components may have well defined operations. Since caBKBs can explicitly model the relationships between information pieces at various scales, it provides unique capabilities such as the ability to de-aggregate and de-compose information for detailed analysis. Using a scenario from the Network Centric Operations (NCO) domain, we will describe how our framework can be used for modeling targets with a focus on methodologies for quantifying NCO performance metrics.

Grinding Wheel System

DOEpatents

Malkin, Stephen; Gao, Robert; Guo, Changsheng; Varghese, Biju; Pathare, Sumukh

2003-08-05

A grinding wheel system includes a grinding wheel with at least one embedded sensor. The system also includes an adapter disk containing electronics that process signals produced by each embedded sensor and that transmits sensor information to a data processing platform for further processing of the transmitted information.

Grinding Wheel System

DOEpatents

Malkin, Stephen; Gao, Robert; Guo, Changsheng; Varghese, Biju; Pathare, Sumukh

2006-01-10

A grinding wheel system includes a grinding wheel with at least one embedded sensor. The system also includes an adapter disk containing electronics that process signals produced by each embedded sensor and that transmits sensor information to a data processing platform for further processing of the transmitted information.

Contextual and interdependent causes of climate change adaptation barriers: Insights from water management institutions in Himachal Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Azhoni, Adani; Holman, Ian; Jude, Simon

2017-01-15

Research on adaptation barriers is increasing as the need for climate change adaptation becomes evident. However, empirical studies regarding the emergence, causes and sustenance of adaptation barriers remain limited. This research identifies key contextual causes of adaptation barriers in water institutions in the mountainous Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with representatives from twenty-six key governmental, non-governmental, academic and research institutions in the State with responsibilities spanning domestic water supply, irrigation and hydropower generation, environmental monitoring and research. It identified low knowledge capacity and resources, policy implementation gaps, normative attitudes, and unavailability and inaccessibility of data and information compounded with weak interinstitutional networks as key adaptation barriers. Although these barriers are similar to those reported elsewhere, they have important locally-contextual root causes. For instance, inadequate resources result from fragmented resources allocation due to competing developmental priorities and the desire of the political leadership to please diverse electors, rather than climate scepticism. The identified individual barriers are found to be highly inter-dependent and closely intertwined which enables the identification of leverage points for interventions to maximise barrier removal. For instance, breaking down key barriers hindering accessibility to data and information, which are shaped by systemic bureaucracies and cultural attitudes, will involve attitudinal change through sensitisation to the importance of accurate and accessible data and information and the building trust between different actors, in addition to institutional structural changes through legislation and inter-institutional agreements. Approaching barriers as a system of contextually interconnected cultural, systemic, geographical and political underlying factors enriches the understanding of adaptation enablers, thereby contributing to achieving a better adapted society. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Information theory of adaptation in neurons, behavior, and mood.

PubMed

Sharpee, Tatyana O; Calhoun, Adam J; Chalasani, Sreekanth H

2014-04-01

The ability to make accurate predictions of future stimuli and consequences of one's actions are crucial for the survival and appropriate decision-making. These predictions are constantly being made at different levels of the nervous system. This is evidenced by adaptation to stimulus parameters in sensory coding, and in learning of an up-to-date model of the environment at the behavioral level. This review will discuss recent findings that actions of neurons and animals are selected based on detailed stimulus history in such a way as to maximize information for achieving the task at hand. Information maximization dictates not only how sensory coding should adapt to various statistical aspects of stimuli, but also that reward function should adapt to match the predictive information from past to future. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An accuracy aware low power wireless EEG unit with information content based adaptive data compression.

PubMed

Tolbert, Jeremy R; Kabali, Pratik; Brar, Simeranjit; Mukhopadhyay, Saibal

2009-01-01

We present a digital system for adaptive data compression for low power wireless transmission of Electroencephalography (EEG) data. The proposed system acts as a base-band processor between the EEG analog-to-digital front-end and RF transceiver. It performs a real-time accuracy energy trade-off for multi-channel EEG signal transmission by controlling the volume of transmitted data. We propose a multi-core digital signal processor for on-chip processing of EEG signals, to detect signal information of each channel and perform real-time adaptive compression. Our analysis shows that the proposed approach can provide significant savings in transmitter power with minimal impact on the overall signal accuracy.

Complex adaptive systems and their relevance for nursing: An evolutionary concept analysis.

PubMed

Notarnicola, Ippolito; Petrucci, Cristina; De Jesus Barbosa, Maria Rosimar; Giorgi, Fabio; Stievano, Alessandro; Rocco, Gennaro; Lancia, Loreto

2017-06-01

This study aimed to analyse the concept of "complex adaptive systems." The construct is still nebulous in the literature, and a further explanation of the idea is needed to have a shared knowledge of it. A concept analysis was conducted utilizing Rodgers evolutionary method. The inclusive years of bibliographic search started from 2005 to 2015. The search was conducted at PubMed©, CINAHL© (EBSCO host©), Scopus©, Web of Science©, and Academic Search Premier©. Retrieved papers were critically analysed to explore the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of the concept. Moreover, surrogates, related terms, and a pattern recognition scheme were identified. The concept analysis showed that complex systems are adaptive and have the ability to process information. They can adapt to the environment and consequently evolve. Nursing is a complex adaptive system, and the nursing profession in practice exhibits complex adaptive system characteristics. Complexity science through complex adaptive systems provides new ways of seeing and understanding the mechanisms that underpin the nursing profession. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Adapting forest health assessments to changing perspectives on threats--a case example from Sweden.

PubMed

Wulff, Sören; Lindelöw, Åke; Lundin, Lars; Hansson, Per; Axelsson, Anna-Lena; Barklund, Pia; Wijk, Sture; Ståhl, Göran

2012-04-01

A revised Swedish forest health assessment system is presented. The assessment system is composed of several interacting components which target information needs for strategic and operational decision making and accommodate a continuously expanding knowledge base. The main motivation for separating information for strategic and operational decision making is that major damage outbreaks are often scattered throughout the landscape. Generally, large-scale inventories (such as national forest inventories) cannot provide adequate information for mitigation measures. In addition to broad monitoring programs that provide time-series information on known damaging agents and their effects, there is also a need for local and regional inventories adapted to specific damage events. While information for decision making is the major focus of the health assessment system, the system also contributes to expanding the knowledge base of forest conditions. For example, the integrated monitoring programs provide a better understanding of ecological processes linked to forest health. The new health assessment system should be able to respond to the need for quick and reliable information and thus will be an important part of the future monitoring of Swedish forests.

Atmospheric free-space coherent optical communications with adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ting, Chueh; Zhang, Chengyu; Yang, Zikai

2017-02-01

Free-space coherent optical communications have a potential application to offer last mile bottleneck solution in future local area networks (LAN) because of their information carrier, information security and license-free status. Coherent optical communication systems using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) digital modulation are successfully demonstrated in a long-haul tens Giga bits via optical fiber, but they are not yet available in free space due to atmospheric turbulence-induced channel fading. Adaptive optics is recognized as a promising technology to mitigate the effects of atmospheric turbulence in free-space optics. In this paper, a free-space coherent optical communication system using an OFDM digital modulation scheme and adaptive optics (FSO OFDM AO) is proposed, a Gamma-Gamma distribution statistical channel fading model for the FSO OFDM AO system is examined, and FSO OFDM AO system performance is evaluated in terms of bit error rate (BER) versus various propagation distances.

Information adaptive system of NEEDS. [of NASA End to End Data System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howle, W. M., Jr.; Kelly, W. L.

1979-01-01

The NASA End-to-End Data System (NEEDS) program was initiated by NASA to improve significantly the state of the art in acquisition, processing, and distribution of space-acquired data for the mid-1980s and beyond. The information adaptive system (IAS) is a program element under NEEDS Phase II which addresses sensor specific processing on board the spacecraft. The IAS program is a logical first step toward smart sensors, and IAS developments - particularly the system components and key technology improvements - are applicable to future smart efforts. The paper describes the design goals and functional elements of the IAS. In addition, the schedule for IAS development and demonstration is discussed.

A cognitive task analysis of information management strategies in a computerized provider order entry environment.

PubMed

Weir, Charlene R; Nebeker, Jonathan J R; Hicken, Bret L; Campo, Rebecca; Drews, Frank; Lebar, Beth

2007-01-01

Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) with electronic documentation, and computerized decision support dramatically changes the information environment of the practicing clinician. Prior work patterns based on paper, verbal exchange, and manual methods are replaced with automated, computerized, and potentially less flexible systems. The objective of this study is to explore the information management strategies that clinicians use in the process of adapting to a CPOE system using cognitive task analysis techniques. Observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 88 primary-care clinicians at 10 Veterans Administration Medical Centers. Interviews were taped, transcribed, and extensively analyzed to identify key information management goals, strategies, and tasks. Tasks were aggregated into groups, common components across tasks were clarified, and underlying goals and strategies identified. Nearly half of the identified tasks were not fully supported by the available technology. Six core components of tasks were identified. Four meta-cognitive information management goals emerged: 1) Relevance Screening; 2) Ensuring Accuracy; 3) Minimizing memory load; and 4) Negotiating Responsibility. Strategies used to support these goals are presented. Users develop a wide array of information management strategies that allow them to successfully adapt to new technology. Supporting the ability of users to develop adaptive strategies to support meta-cognitive goals is a key component of a successful system.

REACTOR - a Concept for establishing a System-of-Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haener, Rainer; Hammitzsch, Martin; Wächter, Joachim

2014-05-01

REACTOR is a working title for activities implementing reliable, emergent, adaptive, and concurrent collaboration on the basis of transactional object repositories. It aims at establishing federations of autonomous yet interoperable systems (Systems-of-Systems), which are able to expose emergent behaviour. Following the principles of event-driven service-oriented architectures (SOA 2.0), REACTOR enables adaptive re-organisation by dynamic delegation of responsibilities and novel yet coherent monitoring strategies by combining information from different domains. Thus it allows collaborative decision-processes across system, discipline, and administrative boundaries. Interoperability is based on two approaches that implement interconnection and communication between existing heterogeneous infrastructures and information systems: Coordinated (orchestration-based) communication and publish/subscribe (choreography-based) communication. Choreography-based communication ensures the autonomy of the participating systems to the highest possible degree but requires the implementation of adapters, which provide functional access to information (publishing/consuming events) via a Message Oriented Middleware (MOM). Any interconnection of the systems (composition of service and message cascades) is established on the basis of global conversations that are enacted by choreographies specifying the expected behaviour of the participating systems with respect to agreed Service Level Agreements (SLA) required by e.g. national authorities. The specification of conversations, maintained in commonly available repositories also enables the utilisation of systems for purposes (evolving) other than initially intended. Orchestration-based communication additionally requires a central component that controls the information transfer via service requests or event processing and also takes responsibility of managing business processes. Commonly available transactional object repositories are well suited to establish brokers, which mediate metadata and semantic information about the resources of all involved systems. This concept has been developed within the project Collaborative, Complex, and Critical Decision-Support in Evolving Crises (TRIDEC) on the basis of semantic registries describing all facets of events and services utilisable for crisis management systems. The implementation utilises an operative infrastructure including an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), adapters to proprietary sensor systems, a workflow engine, and a broker-based MOM. It also applies current technologies like actor-based frameworks for highly concurrent, distributed, and fault tolerant event-driven applications. Therefore REACTOR implementations are well suited to be hosted in a cloud that provides Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). To provide low entry barriers for legacy and future systems, REACTOR adapts the principles of Design by Contract (DbC) as well as standardised and common information models like the Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) or the JavaScript Object Notation for geographic features (GeoJSON). REACTOR has been applied exemplarily within two different scenarios, Natural Crisis Management and Industrial Subsurface Development.

Coordinating Decentralized Learning and Conflict Resolution across Agent Boundaries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Shanjun

2012-01-01

It is crucial for embedded systems to adapt to the dynamics of open environments. This adaptation process becomes especially challenging in the context of multiagent systems because of scalability, partial information accessibility and complex interaction of agents. It is a challenge for agents to learn good policies, when they need to plan and…

An incremental knowledge assimilation system (IKAS) for mine detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porway, Jake; Raju, Chaitanya; Varadarajan, Karthik Mahesh; Nguyen, Hieu; Yadegar, Joseph

2010-04-01

In this paper we present an adaptive incremental learning system for underwater mine detection and classification that utilizes statistical models of seabed texture and an adaptive nearest-neighbor classifier to identify varied underwater targets in many different environments. The first stage of processing uses our Background Adaptive ANomaly detector (BAAN), which identifies statistically likely target regions using Gabor filter responses over the image. Using this information, BAAN classifies the background type and updates its detection using background-specific parameters. To perform classification, a Fully Adaptive Nearest Neighbor (FAAN) determines the best label for each detection. FAAN uses an extremely fast version of Nearest Neighbor to find the most likely label for the target. The classifier perpetually assimilates new and relevant information into its existing knowledge database in an incremental fashion, allowing improved classification accuracy and capturing concept drift in the target classes. Experiments show that the system achieves >90% classification accuracy on underwater mine detection tasks performed on synthesized datasets provided by the Office of Naval Research. We have also demonstrated that the system can incrementally improve its detection accuracy by constantly learning from new samples.

From Resource-Adaptive Navigation Assistance to Augmented Cognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmer, Hubert D.; Münzer, Stefan; Baus, Jörg

In an assistance scenario, a computer provides purposive information supporting a human user in an everyday situation. Wayfinding with navigation assistance is a prototypical assistance scenario. The present chapter analyzes the interplay of the resources of the assistance system and the resources of the user. The navigation assistance system provides geographic knowledge, positioning information, route planning, spatial overview information, and route commands at decision points. The user's resources encompass spatial knowledge, spatial abilities and visuo-spatial working memory, orientation strategies, and cultural habit. Flexible adaptations of the assistance system to available resources of the user are described, taking different wayfinding goals, situational constraints, and individual differences into account. Throughout the chapter, the idea is pursued that the available resources of the user should be kept active.

Spatiotopic updating of visual feature information.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Eckart; Weidner, Ralph; Fink, Gereon R

2017-10-01

Saccades shift the retina with high-speed motion. In order to compensate for the sudden displacement, the visuomotor system needs to combine saccade-related information and visual metrics. Many neurons in oculomotor but also in visual areas shift their receptive field shortly before the execution of a saccade (Duhamel, Colby, & Goldberg, 1992; Nakamura & Colby, 2002). These shifts supposedly enable the binding of information from before and after the saccade. It is a matter of current debate whether these shifts are merely location based (i.e., involve remapping of abstract spatial coordinates) or also comprise information about visual features. We have recently presented fMRI evidence for a feature-based remapping mechanism in visual areas V3, V4, and VO (Zimmermann, Weidner, Abdollahi, & Fink, 2016). In particular, we found fMRI adaptation in cortical regions representing a stimulus' retinotopic as well as its spatiotopic position. Here, we asked whether spatiotopic adaptation exists independently from retinotopic adaptation and which type of information is behaviorally more relevant after saccade execution. We first adapted at the saccade target location only and found a spatiotopic tilt aftereffect. Then, we simultaneously adapted both the fixation and the saccade target location but with opposite tilt orientations. As a result, adaptation from the fixation location was carried retinotopically to the saccade target position. The opposite tilt orientation at the retinotopic location altered the effects induced by spatiotopic adaptation. More precisely, it cancelled out spatiotopic adaptation at the saccade target location. We conclude that retinotopic and spatiotopic visual adaptation are independent effects.

Developing Rational-Empirical Views of Intelligent Adaptive Behavior

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-01

biological frame to the information processing model and outline our understanding of intentions and beliefs that co-exist with rational and...notion that the evolution of cognition has produced memory/ knowledge systems that specialize in the processing of particular types of information ...1 PERMIS 2004 Developing Rational-Empirical Views of Intelligent Adaptive Behavior Gary Berg-Cross, Knowledge Strategies Potomac, Maryland

Information overload in healthcare: too much of a good thing?

PubMed

Klerings, Irma; Weinhandl, Alexandra S; Thaler, Kylie J

2015-01-01

The rapidly growing production of healthcare information - both scientific and popular - increasingly leads to a situation of information overload affecting all actors of the healthcare system and threatening to impede the adoption of evidence-based practice. In preparation for the 2015 Cochrane Colloquium in Vienna, we discuss the issues faced by three major actors of this system: patients, healthcare practitioners, and systematic reviewers. We analyze their situation through the concept of "filter failure", positing that the main problem is not that there is "too much information", but that the traditional means of managing and evaluating information are ill-suited to the realities of the digital age. Some of the major instances of filter failure are inadequate information retrieval systems for point-of-care settings, the problem of identifying all relevant evidence in an exceedingly diverse landscape of information resources, and the very basic lack of health information literacy, concerning not only the general public. Finally, we give an overview of proposed solutions to the problem of information overload. These new or adapted filtering systems include adapting review literature to the specific needs of practitioners or patients, technological improvements to information systems, strengthening the roles of intermediaries, as well as improving health literacy. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Convergent Adaptation in Small Groups: Understanding Professional Development Activities through a Complex Systems Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Susan; Liu, Lei; Goh, Sao-Ee

2010-01-01

Understanding the dynamics of individual or group adaptation can provide valuable information for constructing professional development strategies to increase chances of instructional success. This paper reports on an exploratory study that identifies indicators of convergent vs. non-convergent adaptation in two cases of teachers working together…

Effective Levels of Adaptation to Different Types of Users in Interactive Museum Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paterno, F.; Mancini, C.

2000-01-01

Discusses user interaction with museum application interfaces and emphasizes the importance of adaptable and adaptive interfaces to meet differing user needs. Considers levels of support that can be given to different users during navigation of museum hypermedia information, using examples from the Web site for the Marble Museum (Italy).…

Adaptive Management of Computing and Network Resources for Spacecraft Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfarr, Barbara; Welch, Lonnie R.; Detter, Ryan; Tjaden, Brett; Huh, Eui-Nam; Szczur, Martha R. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

It is likely that NASA's future spacecraft systems will consist of distributed processes which will handle dynamically varying workloads in response to perceived scientific events, the spacecraft environment, spacecraft anomalies and user commands. Since all situations and possible uses of sensors cannot be anticipated during pre-deployment phases, an approach for dynamically adapting the allocation of distributed computational and communication resources is needed. To address this, we are evolving the DeSiDeRaTa adaptive resource management approach to enable reconfigurable ground and space information systems. The DeSiDeRaTa approach embodies a set of middleware mechanisms for adapting resource allocations, and a framework for reasoning about the real-time performance of distributed application systems. The framework and middleware will be extended to accommodate (1) the dynamic aspects of intra-constellation network topologies, and (2) the complete real-time path from the instrument to the user. We are developing a ground-based testbed that will enable NASA to perform early evaluation of adaptive resource management techniques without the expense of first deploying them in space. The benefits of the proposed effort are numerous, including the ability to use sensors in new ways not anticipated at design time; the production of information technology that ties the sensor web together; the accommodation of greater numbers of missions with fewer resources; and the opportunity to leverage the DeSiDeRaTa project's expertise, infrastructure and models for adaptive resource management for distributed real-time systems.

Resilience of Adapting Networks: Results from a Stylized Infrastructure Model.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beyeler, Walter E.; Vugrin, Eric D.; Forden, Geoffrey Ethan

2015-01-01

Adaptation is believed to be a source of resilience in systems. It has been difficult to measure the contribution of adaptation to resilience, unlike other resilience mechanisms such as restoration and recovery. One difficulty comes from treating adaptation as a deus ex machina that is interjected after a disruption. This provides no basis for bounding possible adaptive responses. We can bracket the possible effects of adaptation when we recognize that it occurs continuously, and is in part responsible for the current system’s properties. In this way the dynamics of the system’s pre-disruption structure provides information about post-disruption adaptive reaction. Seenmore » as an ongoing process, adaptation has been argued to produce “robust-yet-fragile” systems. Such systems perform well under historical stresses but become committed to specific features of those stresses in a way that makes them vulnerable to system-level collapse when those features change. In effect adaptation lessens the cost of disruptions within a certain historical range, at the expense of increased cost from disruptions outside that range. Historical adaptive responses leave a signature in the structure of the system. Studies of ecological networks have suggested structural metrics that pick out systemic resilience in the underlying ecosystems. If these metrics are generally reliable indicators of resilience they provide another strategy for gaging adaptive resilience. To progress in understanding how the process of adaptation and the property of resilience interrelate in infrastructure systems, we pose some specific questions: Does adaptation confer resilience?; Does it confer resilience to novel shocks as well, or does it tune the system to fragility?; Can structural features predict resilience to novel shocks?; Are there policies or constraints on the adaptive process that improve resilience?.« less

Adaptive Wavelet Coding Applied in a Wireless Control System.

PubMed

Gama, Felipe O S; Silveira, Luiz F Q; Salazar, Andrés O

2017-12-13

Wireless control systems can sense, control and act on the information exchanged between the wireless sensor nodes in a control loop. However, the exchanged information becomes susceptible to the degenerative effects produced by the multipath propagation. In order to minimize the destructive effects characteristic of wireless channels, several techniques have been investigated recently. Among them, wavelet coding is a good alternative for wireless communications for its robustness to the effects of multipath and its low computational complexity. This work proposes an adaptive wavelet coding whose parameters of code rate and signal constellation can vary according to the fading level and evaluates the use of this transmission system in a control loop implemented by wireless sensor nodes. The performance of the adaptive system was evaluated in terms of bit error rate (BER) versus E b / N 0 and spectral efficiency, considering a time-varying channel with flat Rayleigh fading, and in terms of processing overhead on a control system with wireless communication. The results obtained through computational simulations and experimental tests show performance gains obtained by insertion of the adaptive wavelet coding in a control loop with nodes interconnected by wireless link. These results enable the use of this technique in a wireless link control loop.

Untangling Risk in Water Supply Systems: What Factors Drive Long-term Adaptation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeff, H. B.; Lin, L.; Band, L. E.; Reed, P. M.; Characklis, G. W.

2016-12-01

Deeply uncertain factors like climate change, the hydrologic impacts of urbanization, forest evolution, and long-term demand forecasts make water supply planning a `wicked' problem. The traditional technique of assessing risk based on historical observations can be inadequate in the face of environmental non-stationarity. However, competing models and limited observational data make it difficult for decision makers and experts to agree on how much uncertainty should be built into analyses of risk, particularly at the timescales relevant to long-term investments in water infrastructure. Further, the physical connectivity of these deeply uncertain processes create inter-related systems, amplifying the challenges of a `worst case scenario'. The development of adaptive systems and planning processes provide solutions that have been shown to meet technical, environmental, and social objectives at lower costs. Instead of developing plans with fixed targets for the timing of actions, adaptive plans develop risk metrics and thresholds that are able to integrate new information to determine when conditions reach a `tipping point' which necessitates action. It is an open question as to how new information can be best integrated into the decision-making process (i.e. how much weight do we give new observations relative to the historical record), but a better understanding of the way the relevant systems are expected to evolve and change over time could inform these decisions. In this study, we use linked, dynamic models of temperature and precipitation changes, forest evolution, urbanization, hydrology, and water demand to develop scenarios for an adaptive water management framework that uses risk-based metrics to make short- and long-term decisions. The impact of individual environmental processes on the adaptive capability of this management framework is evaluated through problem formulations that successively increase the complexity of the uncertainty scenarios. Although this work is focused on a group of water utilities in the Research Triangle of North Carolina, results provide insights into the conditions under which environmental changes could outpace our adaptive skill. In turn, risk measures can be designed to identify these conditions and better inform adaptive planning methods.

Robust fault detection of turbofan engines subject to adaptive controllers via a Total Measurable Fault Information Residual (ToMFIR) technique.

PubMed

Chen, Wen; Chowdhury, Fahmida N; Djuric, Ana; Yeh, Chih-Ping

2014-09-01

This paper provides a new design of robust fault detection for turbofan engines with adaptive controllers. The critical issue is that the adaptive controllers can depress the faulty effects such that the actual system outputs remain the pre-specified values, making it difficult to detect faults/failures. To solve this problem, a Total Measurable Fault Information Residual (ToMFIR) technique with the aid of system transformation is adopted to detect faults in turbofan engines with adaptive controllers. This design is a ToMFIR-redundancy-based robust fault detection. The ToMFIR is first introduced and existing results are also summarized. The Detailed design process of the ToMFIRs is presented and a turbofan engine model is simulated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed ToMFIR-based fault-detection strategy. Copyright © 2013 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marketing Development Information in South Asia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geethananda, Hemamalee

1993-01-01

Discusses adapting traditional marketing strategies for the nonprofit sector, including libraries and information centers, and describes experiences of the Development Information Network for South Asia in Sri Lanka. Topics addressed include librarians' value systems, including free access to information; the need for information marketing;…

Architecture of next-generation information management systems for digital radiology enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Stephen T. C.; Wang, Huili; Shen, Weimin; Schmidt, Joachim; Chen, George; Dolan, Tom

2000-05-01

Few information systems today offer a clear and flexible means to define and manage the automated part of radiology processes. None of them provide a coherent and scalable architecture that can easily cope with heterogeneity and inevitable local adaptation of applications. Most importantly, they often lack a model that can integrate clinical and administrative information to aid better decisions in managing resources, optimizing operations, and improving productivity. Digital radiology enterprises require cost-effective solutions to deliver information to the right person in the right place and at the right time. We propose a new architecture of image information management systems for digital radiology enterprises. Such a system is based on the emerging technologies in workflow management, distributed object computing, and Java and Web techniques, as well as Philips' domain knowledge in radiology operations. Our design adapts the approach of '4+1' architectural view. In this new architecture, PACS and RIS will become one while the user interaction can be automated by customized workflow process. Clinical service applications are implemented as active components. They can be reasonably substituted by applications of local adaptations and can be multiplied for fault tolerance and load balancing. Furthermore, it will provide powerful query and statistical functions for managing resources and improving productivity in real time. This work will lead to a new direction of image information management in the next millennium. We will illustrate the innovative design with implemented examples of a working prototype.

Brain processing of visual information during fast eye movements maintains motor performance.

PubMed

Panouillères, Muriel; Gaveau, Valérie; Socasau, Camille; Urquizar, Christian; Pélisson, Denis

2013-01-01

Movement accuracy depends crucially on the ability to detect errors while actions are being performed. When inaccuracies occur repeatedly, both an immediate motor correction and a progressive adaptation of the motor command can unfold. Of all the movements in the motor repertoire of humans, saccadic eye movements are the fastest. Due to the high speed of saccades, and to the impairment of visual perception during saccades, a phenomenon called "saccadic suppression", it is widely believed that the adaptive mechanisms maintaining saccadic performance depend critically on visual error signals acquired after saccade completion. Here, we demonstrate that, contrary to this widespread view, saccadic adaptation can be based entirely on visual information presented during saccades. Our results show that visual error signals introduced during saccade execution--by shifting a visual target at saccade onset and blanking it at saccade offset--induce the same level of adaptation as error signals, presented for the same duration, but after saccade completion. In addition, they reveal that this processing of intra-saccadic visual information for adaptation depends critically on visual information presented during the deceleration phase, but not the acceleration phase, of the saccade. These findings demonstrate that the human central nervous system can use short intra-saccadic glimpses of visual information for motor adaptation, and they call for a reappraisal of current models of saccadic adaptation.

CRISPR-Cas: Adapting to change.

PubMed

Jackson, Simon A; McKenzie, Rebecca E; Fagerlund, Robert D; Kieper, Sebastian N; Fineran, Peter C; Brouns, Stan J J

2017-04-07

Bacteria and archaea are engaged in a constant arms race to defend against the ever-present threats of viruses and invasion by mobile genetic elements. The most flexible weapons in the prokaryotic defense arsenal are the CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems. These systems are capable of selective identification and neutralization of foreign DNA and/or RNA. CRISPR-Cas systems rely on stored genetic memories to facilitate target recognition. Thus, to keep pace with a changing pool of hostile invaders, the CRISPR memory banks must be regularly updated with new information through a process termed CRISPR adaptation. In this Review, we outline the recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing CRISPR adaptation. Specifically, the conserved protein machinery Cas1-Cas2 is the cornerstone of adaptive immunity in a range of diverse CRISPR-Cas systems. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Adaptation without parameter change: Dynamic gain control in motion detection

PubMed Central

Borst, Alexander; Flanagin, Virginia L.; Sompolinsky, Haim

2005-01-01

Many sensory systems adapt their input-output relationship to changes in the statistics of the ambient stimulus. Such adaptive behavior has been measured in a motion detection sensitive neuron of the fly visual system, H1. The rapid adaptation of the velocity response gain has been interpreted as evidence of optimal matching of the H1 response to the dynamic range of the stimulus, thereby maximizing its information transmission. Here, we show that correlation-type motion detectors, which are commonly thought to underlie fly motion vision, intrinsically possess adaptive properties. Increasing the amplitude of the velocity fluctuations leads to a decrease of the effective gain and the time constant of the velocity response without any change in the parameters of these detectors. The seemingly complex property of this adaptation turns out to be a straightforward consequence of the multidimensionality of the stimulus and the nonlinear nature of the system. PMID:15833815

Adaptive route choice modeling in uncertain traffic networks with real-time information.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-03-01

The objective of the research is to study travelers' route choice behavior in uncertain traffic networks : with real-time information. The research is motivated by two observations of the traffic system: 1) : the system is inherently uncertain with r...

Adaptive synchronization and anticipatory dynamical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Ying-Jen; Chen, Chun-Chung; Lai, Pik-Yin; Chan, C. K.

2015-09-01

Many biological systems can sense periodical variations in a stimulus input and produce well-timed, anticipatory responses after the input is removed. Such systems show memory effects for retaining timing information in the stimulus and cannot be understood from traditional synchronization consideration of passive oscillatory systems. To understand this anticipatory phenomena, we consider oscillators built from excitable systems with the addition of an adaptive dynamics. With such systems, well-timed post-stimulus responses similar to those from experiments can be obtained. Furthermore, a well-known model of working memory is shown to possess similar anticipatory dynamics when the adaptive mechanism is identified with synaptic facilitation. The last finding suggests that this type of oscillator can be common in neuronal systems with plasticity.

Adaptive synchronization and anticipatory dynamical systems.

PubMed

Yang, Ying-Jen; Chen, Chun-Chung; Lai, Pik-Yin; Chan, C K

2015-09-01

Many biological systems can sense periodical variations in a stimulus input and produce well-timed, anticipatory responses after the input is removed. Such systems show memory effects for retaining timing information in the stimulus and cannot be understood from traditional synchronization consideration of passive oscillatory systems. To understand this anticipatory phenomena, we consider oscillators built from excitable systems with the addition of an adaptive dynamics. With such systems, well-timed post-stimulus responses similar to those from experiments can be obtained. Furthermore, a well-known model of working memory is shown to possess similar anticipatory dynamics when the adaptive mechanism is identified with synaptic facilitation. The last finding suggests that this type of oscillator can be common in neuronal systems with plasticity.

Bottom-up perspectives of extreme event and climate change threats to water quality: Drinking water utilities in California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekstrom, J.; Klasic, M.; Fencl, A.; Lubell, M.; Bedsworth, L. W.; Baker, E.

2016-12-01

Extreme events impact water quality, which pose serious challenges for drinking water systems. Such extreme events, including wildfire, storm surge, and other weather-related extremes, are projected to increase under a changing climate. It remains unclear what climate change information can support water managers in preparing for more extreme events. Exploring this topic requires understanding the larger question: What is the role of scientific information in adapting to climate change? We present two parts of a three-year study geared to understand whether, where, why and in what way climate information (or the lack of) is used or needed to support long term water quality planning for extreme events. In 2015 we surveyed California drinking water utilities and found a wide range of extreme event/water quality issues, perspectives on the severity of climate change threats, drought impacts and trusted information sources relating to water quality concerns. Approximately 70% of 259 respondents had recently experienced extreme weather-related events that worsen or trigger water quality. Survey results informed development of a case study analysis to gain a more in-depth understanding of what type of - or when - extreme events information could support climate adaptation. Projections of extreme events are often not in a form that is useable for water quality planning. Relative to supply-related projections, water quality has received much less scientific attention, leaving it an assumed scientific information gap and need for management. The question remains whether filling this gap would help adaptation, whom it would help, and in what way. Based on interviews with water systems in Summer 2016, our case study analyses reinforce that extreme events threaten water quality in many ways; largely as secondary impacts of climate change. Secondary impacts involve disinfection byproducts, increasing salinity in the Delta, and the use of lower quality sources. The most common barriers impeding effective adaptation were not related to information. Instead, respondents frequently expressed the obstacles of external institutions not coordinating with their needs. This demonstrates why climate adaptation must simultaneously occur at multiple levels of governance in order for water systems to successfully advance.

A Cognitive Task Analysis of Information Management Strategies in a Computerized Provider Order Entry Environment

PubMed Central

Weir, Charlene R.; Nebeker, Jonathan J.R.; Hicken, Bret L.; Campo, Rebecca; Drews, Frank; LeBar, Beth

2007-01-01

Objective Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) with electronic documentation, and computerized decision support dramatically changes the information environment of the practicing clinician. Prior work patterns based on paper, verbal exchange, and manual methods are replaced with automated, computerized, and potentially less flexible systems. The objective of this study is to explore the information management strategies that clinicians use in the process of adapting to a CPOE system using cognitive task analysis techniques. Design Observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 88 primary-care clinicians at 10 Veterans Administration Medical Centers. Measurements Interviews were taped, transcribed, and extensively analyzed to identify key information management goals, strategies, and tasks. Tasks were aggregated into groups, common components across tasks were clarified, and underlying goals and strategies identified. Results Nearly half of the identified tasks were not fully supported by the available technology. Six core components of tasks were identified. Four meta-cognitive information management goals emerged: 1) Relevance Screening; 2) Ensuring Accuracy; 3) Minimizing memory load; and 4) Negotiating Responsibility. Strategies used to support these goals are presented. Conclusion Users develop a wide array of information management strategies that allow them to successfully adapt to new technology. Supporting the ability of users to develop adaptive strategies to support meta-cognitive goals is a key component of a successful system. PMID:17068345

Diversification and intensification of agricultural adaptation from global to local scales.

PubMed

Chen, Minjie; Wichmann, Bruno; Luckert, Marty; Winowiecki, Leigh; Förch, Wiebke; Läderach, Peter

2018-01-01

Smallholder farming systems are vulnerable to a number of challenges, including continued population growth, urbanization, income disparities, land degradation, decreasing farm size and productivity, all of which are compounded by uncertainty of climatic patterns. Understanding determinants of smallholder farming practices is critical for designing and implementing successful interventions, including climate change adaptation programs. We examine two dimensions wherein smallholder farmers may adapt agricultural practices; through intensification (i.e., adopt more practices) or diversification (i.e. adopt different practices). We use data on 5314 randomly sampled households located in 38 sites in 15 countries across four regions (East and West Africa, South Asia, and Central America). We estimate empirical models designed to assess determinants of both intensification and diversification of adaptation activities at global scales. Aspects of adaptive capacity that are found to increase intensification of adaptation globally include variables associated with access to information and human capital, financial considerations, assets, household infrastructure and experience. In contrast, there are few global drivers of adaptive diversification, with a notable exception being access to weather information, which also increases adaptive intensification. Investigating reasons for adaptation indicate that conditions present in underdeveloped markets provide the primary impetus for adaptation, even in the context of climate change. We also compare determinants across spatial scales, which reveals a variety of local avenues through which policy interventions can relax economic constraints and boost agricultural adaptation for both intensification and diversification. For example, access to weather information does not affect intensification adaptation in Africa, but is significant at several sites in Bangladesh and India. Moreover, this information leads to diversification of adaptive activities on some sites in South Asia and Central America, but increases specialization in West and East Africa.

Diversification and intensification of agricultural adaptation from global to local scales

PubMed Central

Chen, Minjie; Wichmann, Bruno; Luckert, Marty; Winowiecki, Leigh; Förch, Wiebke

2018-01-01

Smallholder farming systems are vulnerable to a number of challenges, including continued population growth, urbanization, income disparities, land degradation, decreasing farm size and productivity, all of which are compounded by uncertainty of climatic patterns. Understanding determinants of smallholder farming practices is critical for designing and implementing successful interventions, including climate change adaptation programs. We examine two dimensions wherein smallholder farmers may adapt agricultural practices; through intensification (i.e., adopt more practices) or diversification (i.e. adopt different practices). We use data on 5314 randomly sampled households located in 38 sites in 15 countries across four regions (East and West Africa, South Asia, and Central America). We estimate empirical models designed to assess determinants of both intensification and diversification of adaptation activities at global scales. Aspects of adaptive capacity that are found to increase intensification of adaptation globally include variables associated with access to information and human capital, financial considerations, assets, household infrastructure and experience. In contrast, there are few global drivers of adaptive diversification, with a notable exception being access to weather information, which also increases adaptive intensification. Investigating reasons for adaptation indicate that conditions present in underdeveloped markets provide the primary impetus for adaptation, even in the context of climate change. We also compare determinants across spatial scales, which reveals a variety of local avenues through which policy interventions can relax economic constraints and boost agricultural adaptation for both intensification and diversification. For example, access to weather information does not affect intensification adaptation in Africa, but is significant at several sites in Bangladesh and India. Moreover, this information leads to diversification of adaptive activities on some sites in South Asia and Central America, but increases specialization in West and East Africa. PMID:29727457

Stability and Performance Metrics for Adaptive Flight Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stepanyan, Vahram; Krishnakumar, Kalmanje; Nguyen, Nhan; VanEykeren, Luarens

2009-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of verifying adaptive control techniques for enabling safe flight in the presence of adverse conditions. Since the adaptive systems are non-linear by design, the existing control verification metrics are not applicable to adaptive controllers. Moreover, these systems are in general highly uncertain. Hence, the system's characteristics cannot be evaluated by relying on the available dynamical models. This necessitates the development of control verification metrics based on the system's input-output information. For this point of view, a set of metrics is introduced that compares the uncertain aircraft's input-output behavior under the action of an adaptive controller to that of a closed-loop linear reference model to be followed by the aircraft. This reference model is constructed for each specific maneuver using the exact aerodynamic and mass properties of the aircraft to meet the stability and performance requirements commonly accepted in flight control. The proposed metrics are unified in the sense that they are model independent and not restricted to any specific adaptive control methods. As an example, we present simulation results for a wing damaged generic transport aircraft with several existing adaptive controllers.

Towards Contextualized Learning Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Specht, Marcus

Personalization of feedback and instruction has often been considered as a key feature in learning support. The adaptations of the instructional process to the individual and its different aspects have been investigated from different research perspectives as learner modelling, intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive hypermedia, adaptive instruction and others. Already in the 1950s first commercial systems for adaptive instruction for trainings of keyboard skills have been developed utilizing adaptive configuration of feedback based on user performance and interaction footprints (Pask 1964). Around adaptive instruction there is a variety of research issues bringing together interdisciplinary research from computer science, engineering, psychology, psychotherapy, cybernetics, system dynamics, instructional design, and empirical research on technology enhanced learning. When classifying best practices of adaptive instruction different parameters of the instructional process have been identified which are adapted to the learner, as: sequence and size of task difficulty, time of feedback, pace of learning speed, reinforcement plan and others these are often referred to the adaptation target. Furthermore Aptitude Treatment Interaction studies explored the effect of adapting instructional parameters to different characteristics of the learner (Tennyson and Christensen 1988) as task performance, personality characteristics, or cognitive abilities, this is information is referred to as adaptation mean.

Development of hardwood seed zones for Tennessee using a geographic information system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Post, L.S.; Schlarbaum, S.E.; Van Manen, F.; Cecich, R.A.; Saxton, A.M.; Schneider, J.F.

2003-01-01

For species that have no or limited information on genetic variation and adaptability to nonnative sites, there is a need for seed collection guidelines based on biological, climatological, and/or geographical criteria. Twenty-eight hardwood species are currently grown for reforestation purposes at the East Tennessee State Nursery. The majority of these species have had no genetic testing to define guidelines for seed collection location and can be distributed to sites that have a very different environment than that of seed origin(s). Poor survival and/or growth may result if seedlings are not adapted to environmental conditions at the planting location. To address this problem, 30 yr of Tennessee county precipitation and minimum temperature data were analyzed and grouped using a centroid hierarchical cluster analysis. The weather data and elevational data were entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS) and separately layered over Bailey's Ecoregions to develop a seed zone system for Tennessee. The seed zones can be used as a practical guideline for collecting seeds to ensure that the resulting seedlings will be adapted to planting environments.

Adaptive environmental management of tourism in the province of Siena, Italy using the ecological footprint.

Treesearch

Trista M. Patterson; Valentina Niccolucci; Nadia Marchettini

2007-01-01

Adaptive management as applied to tourism policy treats management policies as experiments that probe the responses of the system as human behavior changes. We present a conceptual systems model that incorporates the gap between observed and desired levels of the ecological footprint with respect to biocapacity. Addressing this gap (or "overshoot") can inform...

Multivariable adaptive closed-loop control of an artificial pancreas without meal and activity announcement.

PubMed

Turksoy, Kamuran; Bayrak, Elif Seyma; Quinn, Lauretta; Littlejohn, Elizabeth; Cinar, Ali

2013-05-01

Accurate closed-loop control is essential for developing artificial pancreas (AP) systems that adjust insulin infusion rates from insulin pumps. Glucose concentration information from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems is the most important information for the control system. Additional physiological measurements can provide valuable information that can enhance the accuracy of the control system. Proportional-integral-derivative control and model predictive control have been popular in AP development. Their implementations to date rely on meal announcements (e.g., bolus insulin dose based on insulin:carbohydrate ratios) by the user. Adaptive control techniques provide a powerful alternative that do not necessitate any meal or activity announcements. Adaptive control systems based on the generalized predictive control framework are developed by extending the recursive modeling techniques. Physiological signals such as energy expenditure and galvanic skin response are used along with glucose measurements to generate a multiple-input-single-output model for predicting future glucose concentrations used by the controller. Insulin-on-board (IOB) is also estimated and used in control decisions. The controllers were tested with clinical studies that include seven cases with three different patients with type 1 diabetes for 32 or 60 h without any meal or activity announcements. The adaptive control system kept glucose concentration in the normal preprandial and postprandial range (70-180 mg/dL) without any meal or activity announcements during the test period. After IOB estimation was added to the control system, mild hypoglycemic episodes were observed only in one of the four experiments. This was reflected in a plasma glucose value of 56 mg/dL (YSI 2300 STAT; Yellow Springs Instrument, Yellow Springs, OH) and a CGM value of 63 mg/dL). Regulation of blood glucose concentration with an AP using adaptive control techniques was successful in clinical studies, even without any meal and physical activity announcement.

Public Health Climate Change Adaptation Planning Using Stakeholder Feedback.

PubMed

Eidson, Millicent; Clancy, Kathleen A; Birkhead, Guthrie S

2016-01-01

Public health climate change adaptation planning is an urgent priority requiring stakeholder feedback. The 10 Essential Public Health Services can be applied to adaptation activities. To develop a state health department climate and health adaptation plan as informed by stakeholder feedback. With Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) implemented a 2010-2013 climate and health planning process, including 7 surveys on perceptions and adaptation priorities. New York State Department of Health program managers participated in initial (n = 41, denominator unknown) and follow-up (72.2%) needs assessments. Surveillance system information was collected from 98.1% of surveillance system managers. For adaptation prioritization surveys, participants included 75.4% of NYSDOH leaders; 60.3% of local health departments (LHDs); and 53.7% of other stakeholders representing environmental, governmental, health, community, policy, academic, and business organizations. Interviews were also completed with 38.9% of other stakeholders. In 2011 surveys, 34.1% of state health program directors believed that climate change would impact their program priorities. However, 84.6% of state health surveillance system managers provided ideas for using databases for climate and health monitoring/surveillance. In 2012 surveys, 46.5% of state health leaders agreed they had sufficient information about climate and health compared to 17.1% of LHDs (P = .0046) and 40.9% of other stakeholders (nonsignificant difference). Significantly fewer (P < .0001) LHDs (22.9%) were incorporating or considering incorporating climate and health into planning compared to state health leaders (55.8%) and other stakeholders (68.2%). Stakeholder groups agreed on the 4 highest priority adaptation categories including core public health activities such as surveillance, coordination/collaboration, education, and policy development. Feedback from diverse stakeholders was utilized by NYSDOH to develop its Climate and Health Strategic Map in 2013. The CDC Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework and funding provides a collaborative model for state climate and health adaptation planning.

Adaptation to conflict via context-driven anticipatory signals in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Horga, Guillermo; Maia, Tiago V; Wang, Pengwei; Wang, Zhishun; Marsh, Rachel; Peterson, Bradley S

2011-11-09

Behavioral interference elicited by competing response tendencies adapts to contextual changes. Recent nonhuman primate research suggests a key mnemonic role of distinct prefrontal cells in supporting such context-driven behavioral adjustments by maintaining conflict information across trials, but corresponding prefrontal functions have yet to be probed in humans. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the human neural substrates of contextual adaptations to conflict. We found that a neural system comprising the rostral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and portions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex specifically encodes the history of previously experienced conflict and influences subsequent adaptation to conflict on a trial-by-trial basis. This neural system became active in anticipation of stimulus onsets during preparatory periods and interacted with a second neural system engaged during the processing of conflict. Our findings suggest that a dynamic interaction between a system that represents conflict history and a system that resolves conflict underlies the contextual adaptation to conflict.

Adaptation to Conflict via Context-Driven Anticipatory Signals in the Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex

PubMed Central

Horga, Guillermo; Maia, Tiago V.; Wang, Pengwei; Wang, Zhishun; Marsh, Rachel; Peterson, Bradley S.

2011-01-01

Behavioral interference elicited by competing response tendencies adapts to contextual changes. Recent nonhuman primate research suggests a key mnemonic role of distinct prefrontal cells in supporting such context-driven behavioral adjustments by maintaining conflict information across trials, but corresponding prefrontal functions have yet to be probed in humans. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated the human neural substrates of contextual adaptations to conflict. We found that a neural system comprising the rostral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and portions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex specifically encodes the history of previously experienced conflict and influences subsequent adaptation to conflict on a trial-by-trial basis. This neural system became active in anticipation of stimulus onsets during preparatory periods and interacted with a second neural system engaged during the processing of conflict. Our findings suggest that a dynamic interaction between a system that represents conflict history and a system that resolves conflict underlies the contextual adaptation to conflict. PMID:22072672

Investigation of signal models and methods for evaluating structures of processing telecommunication information exchange systems under acoustic noise conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kropotov, Y. A.; Belov, A. A.; Proskuryakov, A. Y.; Kolpakov, A. A.

2018-05-01

The paper considers models and methods for estimating signals during the transmission of information messages in telecommunication systems of audio exchange. One-dimensional probability distribution functions that can be used to isolate useful signals, and acoustic noise interference are presented. An approach to the estimation of the correlation and spectral functions of the parameters of acoustic signals is proposed, based on the parametric representation of acoustic signals and the components of the noise components. The paper suggests an approach to improving the efficiency of interference cancellation and highlighting the necessary information when processing signals from telecommunications systems. In this case, the suppression of acoustic noise is based on the methods of adaptive filtering and adaptive compensation. The work also describes the models of echo signals and the structure of subscriber devices in operational command telecommunications systems.

Traveling With Success, How Local Governments Use Intelligent Transportation Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-01-01

ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT OR ETC/ETTM, ADVANCED TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OR ATMS, ADVANCED TRAVELER INFORMATION SYSTEMS OR ATIS, ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS SYSTEMS, TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL/REAL-TIME ADAPTIVE CONTROL, TRANSIT MANAGEM...

Adaptive Multi-scale PHM for Robotic Assembly Processes

PubMed Central

Choo, Benjamin Y.; Beling, Peter A.; LaViers, Amy E.; Marvel, Jeremy A.; Weiss, Brian A.

2017-01-01

Adaptive multiscale prognostics and health management (AM-PHM) is a methodology designed to support PHM in smart manufacturing systems. As a rule, PHM information is not used in high-level decision-making in manufacturing systems. AM-PHM leverages and integrates component-level PHM information with hierarchical relationships across the component, machine, work cell, and production line levels in a manufacturing system. The AM-PHM methodology enables the creation of actionable prognostic and diagnostic intelligence up and down the manufacturing process hierarchy. Decisions are made with the knowledge of the current and projected health state of the system at decision points along the nodes of the hierarchical structure. A description of the AM-PHM methodology with a simulated canonical robotic assembly process is presented. PMID:28664161

Intelligent multi-sensor integrations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volz, Richard A.; Jain, Ramesh; Weymouth, Terry

1989-01-01

Growth in the intelligence of space systems requires the use and integration of data from multiple sensors. Generic tools are being developed for extracting and integrating information obtained from multiple sources. The full spectrum is addressed for issues ranging from data acquisition, to characterization of sensor data, to adaptive systems for utilizing the data. In particular, there are three major aspects to the project, multisensor processing, an adaptive approach to object recognition, and distributed sensor system integration.

Pilot Inventory Complex Adaptive System (PICAS): An Artificial Life Approach to Managing Pilot Retention.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-03-01

mates) and base their behaviors on this interactive information. This alone defines the nature of a complex adaptive system and it is based on this...world policy initiatives. 2.3.4. User Interaction Building the model with extensive user interaction gives the entire system a more appealing feel...complex behavior that hopefully mimics trends observed in reality . User interaction also allows for easier justification of assumptions used within

On the role of model-based monitoring for adaptive planning under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raso, Luciano; Kwakkel, Jan; Timmermans, Jos; Haasnoot, Mariolijn

2016-04-01

Adaptive plans, designed to anticipate and respond to an unfolding uncertain future, have found a fertile application domain in the planning of deltas that are exposed to rapid socioeconomic development and climate change. Adaptive planning, under the moniker of adaptive delta management, is used in the Dutch Delta Program for developing a nation-wide plan to prepare for uncertain climate change and socio-economic developments. Scientifically, adaptive delta management relies heavily on Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways. Currently, in the Netherlands the focus is shifting towards implementing the adaptive delta plan. This shift is especially relevant because the efficacy of adaptive plans hinges on monitoring on-going developments and ensuring that actions are indeed taken if and when necessary. In the design of an effective monitoring system for an adaptive plan, three challenges have to be confronted: • Shadow of the past: The development of adaptive plans and the design of their monitoring system relies heavily on current knowledge of the system, and current beliefs about plausible future developments. A static monitoring system is therefore exposed to the exact same uncertainties one tries to address through adaptive planning. • Inhibition of learning: Recent applications of adaptive planning tend to overlook the importance of learning and new information, and fail to account for this explicitly in the design of adaptive plans. • Challenge of surprise: Adaptive policies are designed in light of the current foreseen uncertainties. However, developments that are not considered during the design phase as being plausible could still substantially affect the performance of adaptive policies. The shadow of the past, the inhibition of learning, and the challenge of surprise taken together suggest that there is a need for redesigning the concepts of monitoring and evaluation to support the implementation of adaptive plans. Innovations from control theory, triggered by the challenge of uncertainty in operational control, may offer solutions from which monitoring for adaptive planning can benefit. Specifically: (i) in control, observations are incorporated into the model through data assimilation, updating the present state, boundary conditions, and parameters based on new observations, diminishing the shadow of the past; (ii) adaptive control is a way to modify the characteristics of the internal model, incorporating new knowledge on the system, countervailing the inhibition of learning; and (iii) in closed-loop control, a continuous system update equips the controller with "inherent robustness", i.e. to capacity to adapts to new conditions even when these were not initially considered. We aim to explore how inherent robustness addresses the challenge of surprise. Innovations in model-based control might help to improve and adapt the models used to support adaptive delta management to new information (reducing uncertainty). Moreover, this would offer a starting point for using these models not only in the design of adaptive plans, but also as part of the monitoring. The proposed research requires multidisciplinary cooperation between control theory, the policy sciences, and integrated assessment modeling.

Criticality of Adaptive Control Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patzelt, Felix; Pawelzik, Klaus

2011-12-01

We show, that stabilization of a dynamical system can annihilate observable information about its structure. This mechanism induces critical points as attractors in locally adaptive control. It also reveals, that previously reported criticality in simple controllers is caused by adaptation and not by other controller details. We apply these results to a real-system example: human balancing behavior. A model of predictive adaptive closed-loop control subject to some realistic constraints is introduced and shown to reproduce experimental observations in unprecedented detail. Our results suggests, that observed error distributions in between the Lévy and Gaussian regimes may reflect a nearly optimal compromise between the elimination of random local trends and rare large errors.

A Charrelation Matrix-Based Blind Adaptive Detector for DS-CDMA Systems

PubMed Central

Luo, Zhongqiang; Zhu, Lidong

2015-01-01

In this paper, a blind adaptive detector is proposed for blind separation of user signals and blind estimation of spreading sequences in DS-CDMA systems. The blind separation scheme exploits a charrelation matrix for simple computation and effective extraction of information from observation signal samples. The system model of DS-CDMA signals is modeled as a blind separation framework. The unknown user information and spreading sequence of DS-CDMA systems can be estimated only from the sampled observation signals. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the improved performance of the proposed algorithm in comparison with the existing conventional algorithms used in DS-CDMA systems. Especially, the proposed scheme is suitable for when the number of observation samples is less and the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is low. PMID:26287209

A Charrelation Matrix-Based Blind Adaptive Detector for DS-CDMA Systems.

PubMed

Luo, Zhongqiang; Zhu, Lidong

2015-08-14

In this paper, a blind adaptive detector is proposed for blind separation of user signals and blind estimation of spreading sequences in DS-CDMA systems. The blind separation scheme exploits a charrelation matrix for simple computation and effective extraction of information from observation signal samples. The system model of DS-CDMA signals is modeled as a blind separation framework. The unknown user information and spreading sequence of DS-CDMA systems can be estimated only from the sampled observation signals. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the improved performance of the proposed algorithm in comparison with the existing conventional algorithms used in DS-CDMA systems. Especially, the proposed scheme is suitable for when the number of observation samples is less and the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is low.

Climate change and mosquito-borne diseases in China: a review.

PubMed

Bai, Li; Morton, Lindsay Carol; Liu, Qiyong

2013-03-09

China has experienced noticeable changes in climate over the past 100 years and the potential impact climate change has on transmission of mosquito-borne infectious diseases poses a risk to Chinese populations. The aims of this paper are to summarize what is known about the impact of climate change on the incidence and prevalence of malaria, dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis in China and to provide important information and direction for adaptation policy making. Fifty-five papers met the inclusion criteria for this study. Examination of these studies indicates that variability in temperature, precipitation, wind, and extreme weather events is linked to transmission of mosquito-borne diseases in some regions of China. However, study findings are inconsistent across geographical locations and this requires strengthening current evidence for timely development of adaptive options. After synthesis of available information we make several key adaptation recommendations including: improving current surveillance and monitoring systems; concentrating adaptation strategies and policies on vulnerable communities; strengthening adaptive capacity of public health systems; developing multidisciplinary approaches sustained by an new mechanism of inter-sectional coordination; and increasing awareness and mobilization of the general public.

Climate change and mosquito-borne diseases in China: a review

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

China has experienced noticeable changes in climate over the past 100 years and the potential impact climate change has on transmission of mosquito-borne infectious diseases poses a risk to Chinese populations. The aims of this paper are to summarize what is known about the impact of climate change on the incidence and prevalence of malaria, dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis in China and to provide important information and direction for adaptation policy making. Fifty-five papers met the inclusion criteria for this study. Examination of these studies indicates that variability in temperature, precipitation, wind, and extreme weather events is linked to transmission of mosquito-borne diseases in some regions of China. However, study findings are inconsistent across geographical locations and this requires strengthening current evidence for timely development of adaptive options. After synthesis of available information we make several key adaptation recommendations including: improving current surveillance and monitoring systems; concentrating adaptation strategies and policies on vulnerable communities; strengthening adaptive capacity of public health systems; developing multidisciplinary approaches sustained by an new mechanism of inter-sectional coordination; and increasing awareness and mobilization of the general public. PMID:23497420

Online POMDP Algorithms for Very Large Observation Spaces

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-06

stochastic optimization: From sets to paths." In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, pp. 1585- 1593 . 2015. • Luo, Yuanfu, Haoyu Bai...and Wee Sun Lee. "Adaptive stochastic optimization: From sets to paths." In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, pp. 1585- 1593 . 2015

Adaptation to vestibular disorientation. IV, Responses to angular acceleration and to bilateral caloric stimulation following unilateral caloric habituation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1967-01-01

The paper provides information that angular acceleration tests of the vestibular system transcend clinical caloric tests in revealing adaptation to angular accelerations as experienced in rotary motions, including flight situations. The caloric test ...

On-board multispectral classification study. Volume 2: Supplementary tasks. [adaptive control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ewalt, D.

1979-01-01

The operational tasks of the onboard multispectral classification study were defined. These tasks include: sensing characteristics for future space applications; information adaptive systems architectural approaches; data set selection criteria; and onboard functional requirements for interfacing with global positioning satellites.

Adapting Agricultural Water Use to Climate Change in a Post-Soviet Context: Challenges and Opportunities in Southeast Kazakhstan.

PubMed

Barrett, Tristam; Feola, Giuseppe; Khusnitdinova, Marina; Krylova, Viktoria

2017-01-01

The convergence of climate change and post-Soviet socio-economic and institutional transformations has been underexplored so far, as have the consequences of such convergence on crop agriculture in Central Asia. This paper provides a place-based analysis of constraints and opportunities for adaptation to climate change, with a specific focus on water use, in two districts in southeast Kazakhstan. Data were collected by 2 multi-stakeholder participatory workshops, 21 semi-structured in-depth interviews, and secondary statistical data. The present-day agricultural system is characterised by enduring Soviet-era management structures, but without state inputs that previously sustained agricultural productivity. Low margins of profitability on many privatised farms mean that attempts to implement integrated water management have produced water users associations unable to maintain and upgrade a deteriorating irrigation infrastructure. Although actors engage in tactical adaptation measures, necessary structural adaptation of the irrigation system remains difficult without significant public or private investments. Market-based water management models have been translated ambiguously to this region, which fails to encourage efficient water use and hinders adaptation to water stress. In addition, a mutual interdependence of informal networks and formal institutions characterises both state governance and everyday life in Kazakhstan. Such interdependence simultaneously facilitates operational and tactical adaptation, but hinders structural adaptation, as informal networks exist as a parallel system that achieves substantive outcomes while perpetuating the inertia and incapacity of the state bureaucracy. This article has relevance for critical understanding of integrated water management in practice and adaptation to climate change in post-Soviet institutional settings more broadly.

Observer-based distributed adaptive iterative learning control for linear multi-agent systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jinsha; Liu, Sanyang; Li, Junmin

2017-10-01

This paper investigates the consensus problem for linear multi-agent systems from the viewpoint of two-dimensional systems when the state information of each agent is not available. Observer-based fully distributed adaptive iterative learning protocol is designed in this paper. A local observer is designed for each agent and it is shown that without using any global information about the communication graph, all agents achieve consensus perfectly for all undirected connected communication graph when the number of iterations tends to infinity. The Lyapunov-like energy function is employed to facilitate the learning protocol design and property analysis. Finally, simulation example is given to illustrate the theoretical analysis.

Materials learning from life: concepts for active, adaptive and autonomous molecular systems.

PubMed

Merindol, Rémi; Walther, Andreas

2017-09-18

Bioinspired out-of-equilibrium systems will set the scene for the next generation of molecular materials with active, adaptive, autonomous, emergent and intelligent behavior. Indeed life provides the best demonstrations of complex and functional out-of-equilibrium systems: cells keep track of time, communicate, move, adapt, evolve and replicate continuously. Stirred by the understanding of biological principles, artificial out-of-equilibrium systems are emerging in many fields of soft matter science. Here we put in perspective the molecular mechanisms driving biological functions with the ones driving synthetic molecular systems. Focusing on principles that enable new levels of functionalities (temporal control, autonomous structures, motion and work generation, information processing) rather than on specific material classes, we outline key cross-disciplinary concepts that emerge in this challenging field. Ultimately, the goal is to inspire and support new generations of autonomous and adaptive molecular devices fueled by self-regulating chemistry.

A new approach for designing self-organizing systems and application to adaptive control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramamoorthy, P. A.; Zhang, Shi; Lin, Yueqing; Huang, Song

1993-01-01

There is tremendous interest in the design of intelligent machines capable of autonomous learning and skillful performance under complex environments. A major task in designing such systems is to make the system plastic and adaptive when presented with new and useful information and stable in response to irrelevant events. A great body of knowledge, based on neuro-physiological concepts, has evolved as a possible solution to this problem. Adaptive resonance theory (ART) is a classical example under this category. The system dynamics of an ART network is described by a set of differential equations with nonlinear functions. An approach for designing self-organizing networks characterized by nonlinear differential equations is proposed.

Computer interfaces for the visually impaired

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Higgins, Gerry

1991-01-01

Information access via computer terminals extends to blind and low vision persons employed in many technical and nontechnical disciplines. Two aspects are detailed of providing computer technology for persons with a vision related handicap. First, research into the most effective means of integrating existing adaptive technologies into information systems was made. This was conducted to integrate off the shelf products with adaptive equipment for cohesive integrated information processing systems. Details are included that describe the type of functionality required in software to facilitate its incorporation into a speech and/or braille system. The second aspect is research into providing audible and tactile interfaces to graphics based interfaces. Parameters are included for the design and development of the Mercator Project. The project will develop a prototype system for audible access to graphics based interfaces. The system is being built within the public domain architecture of X windows to show that it is possible to provide access to text based applications within a graphical environment. This information will be valuable to suppliers to ADP equipment since new legislation requires manufacturers to provide electronic access to the visually impaired.

Adaptive oxide electronics: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Sieu D.; Ramanathan, Shriram

2011-10-01

Novel information processing techniques are being actively explored to overcome fundamental limitations associated with CMOS scaling. A new paradigm of adaptive electronic devices is emerging that may reshape the frontiers of electronics and enable new modalities. Creating systems that can learn and adapt to various inputs has generally been a complex algorithm problem in information science, albeit with wide-ranging and powerful applications from medical diagnosis to control systems. Recent work in oxide electronics suggests that it may be plausible to implement such systems at the device level, thereby drastically increasing computational density and power efficiency and expanding the potential for electronics beyond Boolean computation. Intriguing possibilities of adaptive electronics include fabrication of devices that mimic human brain functionality: the strengthening and weakening of synapses emulated by electrically, magnetically, thermally, or optically tunable properties of materials.In this review, we detail materials and device physics studies on functional metal oxides that may be utilized for adaptive electronics. It has been shown that properties, such as resistivity, polarization, and magnetization, of many oxides can be modified electrically in a non-volatile manner, suggesting that these materials respond to electrical stimulus similarly as a neural synapse. We discuss what device characteristics will likely be relevant for integration into adaptive platforms and then survey a variety of oxides with respect to these properties, such as, but not limited to, TaOx, SrTiO3, and Bi4-xLaxTi3O12. The physical mechanisms in each case are detailed and analyzed within the framework of adaptive electronics. We then review theoretically formulated and current experimentally realized adaptive devices with functional oxides, such as self-programmable logic and neuromorphic circuits. Finally, we speculate on what advances in materials physics and engineering may be needed to realize the full potential of adaptive oxide electronics.

Factors Associated with Incomplete Reporting of HIV and AIDS by Uganda's Surveillance System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akankunda, Denis B.

2014-01-01

Background: Over the last 20 years, Uganda has piloted and implemented various management information systems (MIS) for better surveillance of HIV/AIDS. With support from the United States Government, Uganda introduced the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) in 2012. However, districts have yet to fully adapt to this system given a…

Public Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-17

DOD personnel and family members in other locations. (a) AFRTS has a wide range of deployable equipment systems , from small unmanned satellite...adapted to each operational situation. (1) For US (or allied) units, specific numerical information on troop strength, aircraft , weapons systems , on... aircraft points of origin, other than as land- or carrier- based. (8) Information on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of weapon systems and

Event-based knowledge elicitation of operating room management decision-making using scenarios adapted from information systems data

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background No systematic process has previously been described for a needs assessment that identifies the operating room (OR) management decisions made by the anesthesiologists and nurse managers at a facility that do not maximize the efficiency of use of OR time. We evaluated whether event-based knowledge elicitation can be used practically for rapid assessment of OR management decision-making at facilities, whether scenarios can be adapted automatically from information systems data, and the usefulness of the approach. Methods A process of event-based knowledge elicitation was developed to assess OR management decision-making that may reduce the efficiency of use of OR time. Hypothetical scenarios addressing every OR management decision influencing OR efficiency were created from published examples. Scenarios are adapted, so that cues about conditions are accurate and appropriate for each facility (e.g., if OR 1 is used as an example in a scenario, the listed procedure is a type of procedure performed at the facility in OR 1). Adaptation is performed automatically using the facility's OR information system or anesthesia information management system (AIMS) data for most scenarios (43 of 45). Performing the needs assessment takes approximately 1 hour of local managers' time while they decide if their decisions are consistent with the described scenarios. A table of contents of the indexed scenarios is created automatically, providing a simple version of problem solving using case-based reasoning. For example, a new OR manager wanting to know the best way to decide whether to move a case can look in the chapter on "Moving Cases on the Day of Surgery" to find a scenario that describes the situation being encountered. Results Scenarios have been adapted and used at 22 hospitals. Few changes in decisions were needed to increase the efficiency of use of OR time. The few changes were heterogeneous among hospitals, showing the usefulness of individualized assessments. Conclusions Our technical advance is the development and use of automated event-based knowledge elicitation to identify suboptimal OR management decisions that decrease the efficiency of use of OR time. The adapted scenarios can be used in future decision-making. PMID:21214905

Event-based knowledge elicitation of operating room management decision-making using scenarios adapted from information systems data.

PubMed

Dexter, Franklin; Wachtel, Ruth E; Epstein, Richard H

2011-01-07

No systematic process has previously been described for a needs assessment that identifies the operating room (OR) management decisions made by the anesthesiologists and nurse managers at a facility that do not maximize the efficiency of use of OR time. We evaluated whether event-based knowledge elicitation can be used practically for rapid assessment of OR management decision-making at facilities, whether scenarios can be adapted automatically from information systems data, and the usefulness of the approach. A process of event-based knowledge elicitation was developed to assess OR management decision-making that may reduce the efficiency of use of OR time. Hypothetical scenarios addressing every OR management decision influencing OR efficiency were created from published examples. Scenarios are adapted, so that cues about conditions are accurate and appropriate for each facility (e.g., if OR 1 is used as an example in a scenario, the listed procedure is a type of procedure performed at the facility in OR 1). Adaptation is performed automatically using the facility's OR information system or anesthesia information management system (AIMS) data for most scenarios (43 of 45). Performing the needs assessment takes approximately 1 hour of local managers' time while they decide if their decisions are consistent with the described scenarios. A table of contents of the indexed scenarios is created automatically, providing a simple version of problem solving using case-based reasoning. For example, a new OR manager wanting to know the best way to decide whether to move a case can look in the chapter on "Moving Cases on the Day of Surgery" to find a scenario that describes the situation being encountered. Scenarios have been adapted and used at 22 hospitals. Few changes in decisions were needed to increase the efficiency of use of OR time. The few changes were heterogeneous among hospitals, showing the usefulness of individualized assessments. Our technical advance is the development and use of automated event-based knowledge elicitation to identify suboptimal OR management decisions that decrease the efficiency of use of OR time. The adapted scenarios can be used in future decision-making.

Determining climate change management priorities: A case study from Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

LeDee, Olivia E.; Ribic, Christine

2015-01-01

A burgeoning dialogue exists regarding how to allocate resources to maximize the likelihood of long-term biodiversity conservation within the context of climate change. To make effective decisions in natural resource management, an iterative, collaborative, and learning-based decision process may be more successful than a strictly consultative approach. One important, early step in a decision process is to identify priority species or systems. Although this promotes the conservation of select species or systems, it may inadvertently alter the future of non-target species and systems. We describe a process to screen terrestrial wildlife for potential sensitivity to climate change and then use the results to engage natural resource professionals in a process of identifying priorities for monitoring, research, and adaptation strategy implementation. We demonstrate this approach using a case study from Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, experts identified 23 out of 353 species with sufficient empirical research and management understanding to inform targeted action. Habitat management and management of hydrological conditions were the common strategies for targeted action. Although there may be an interest in adaptation strategy implementation for many species and systems, experts considered existing information inadequate to inform targeted action. According to experts, 40% of the vertebrate species in Wisconsin will require near-term intervention for climate adaptation. These results will inform state-wide conservation planning as well as regional efforts.

Developing Adaptable Online Information Literacy Modules for a Learning Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mune, Christina; Goldman, Crystal; Higgins, Silke; Eby, Laurel; Chan, Emily K.; Crotty, Linda

2015-01-01

Higher education institutions increasingly utilize learning management systems (LMS) to teach courses and programs in hybrid or online-only formats. Providing information literacy instruction in these emerging digital environments poses challenges to librarians as the delivery of instruction requires familiarity with navigating an LMS and…

Videotex. CET Information Sheet No. 10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council for Educational Technology, London (England).

This overview of videotex covers three types of systems--teletext, viewdata, and cabletext. Teletext, which stores information as a series of pages which are broadcast along with television pictures for viewing on specially adapted television screens, is characterized as journalistic, and the offerings of three British systems--CEEFAX (BBC),…

Teaching Service Modelling to a Mixed Class: An Integrated Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deng, Jeremiah D.; Purvis, Martin K.

2015-01-01

Service modelling has become an increasingly important area in today's telecommunications and information systems practice. We have adapted a Network Design course in order to teach service modelling to a mixed class of both the telecommunication engineering and information systems backgrounds. An integrated approach engaging mathematics teaching…

Interoperability in Personalized Adaptive Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aroyo, Lora; Dolog, Peter; Houben, Geert-Jan; Kravcik, Milos; Naeve, Ambjorn; Nilsson, Mikael; Wild, Fridolin

2006-01-01

Personalized adaptive learning requires semantic-based and context-aware systems to manage the Web knowledge efficiently as well as to achieve semantic interoperability between heterogeneous information resources and services. The technological and conceptual differences can be bridged either by means of standards or via approaches based on the…

Distributed adaptive asymptotically consensus tracking control of uncertain Euler-Lagrange systems under directed graph condition.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Wen, Changyun; Huang, Jiangshuai; Fan, Huijin

2017-11-01

In this paper, a backstepping based distributed adaptive control scheme is proposed for multiple uncertain Euler-Lagrange systems under directed graph condition. The common desired trajectory is allowed totally unknown by part of the subsystems and the linearly parameterized trajectory model assumed in currently available results is no longer needed. To compensate the effects due to unknown trajectory information, a smooth function of consensus errors and certain positive integrable functions are introduced in designing virtual control inputs. Besides, to overcome the difficulty of completely counteracting the coupling terms of distributed consensus errors and parameter estimation errors in the presence of asymmetric Laplacian matrix, extra information transmission of local parameter estimates are introduced among linked subsystem and adaptive gain technique is adopted to generate distributed torque inputs. It is shown that with the proposed distributed adaptive control scheme, global uniform boundedness of all the closed-loop signals and asymptotically output consensus tracking can be achieved. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three-camera stereo vision for intelligent transportation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergendahl, Jason; Masaki, Ichiro; Horn, Berthold K. P.

1997-02-01

A major obstacle in the application of stereo vision to intelligent transportation system is high computational cost. In this paper, a PC based three-camera stereo vision system constructed with off-the-shelf components is described. The system serves as a tool for developing and testing robust algorithms which approach real-time performance. We present an edge based, subpixel stereo algorithm which is adapted to permit accurate distance measurements to objects in the field of view using a compact camera assembly. Once computed, the 3D scene information may be directly applied to a number of in-vehicle applications, such as adaptive cruise control, obstacle detection, and lane tracking. Moreover, since the largest computational costs is incurred in generating the 3D scene information, multiple applications that leverage this information can be implemented in a single system with minimal cost. On-road applications, such as vehicle counting and incident detection, are also possible. Preliminary in-vehicle road trial results are presented.

Indirect adaptive fuzzy wavelet neural network with self- recurrent consequent part for AC servo system.

PubMed

Hou, Runmin; Wang, Li; Gao, Qiang; Hou, Yuanglong; Wang, Chao

2017-09-01

This paper proposes a novel indirect adaptive fuzzy wavelet neural network (IAFWNN) to control the nonlinearity, wide variations in loads, time-variation and uncertain disturbance of the ac servo system. In the proposed approach, the self-recurrent wavelet neural network (SRWNN) is employed to construct an adaptive self-recurrent consequent part for each fuzzy rule of TSK fuzzy model. For the IAFWNN controller, the online learning algorithm is based on back propagation (BP) algorithm. Moreover, an improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) is used to adapt the learning rate. The aid of an adaptive SRWNN identifier offers the real-time gradient information to the adaptive fuzzy wavelet neural controller to overcome the impact of parameter variations, load disturbances and other uncertainties effectively, and has a good dynamic. The asymptotical stability of the system is guaranteed by using the Lyapunov method. The result of the simulation and the prototype test prove that the proposed are effective and suitable. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Adaptive lenses using transparent dielectric elastomer actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shian, Samuel; Diebold, Roger; Clarke, David

2013-03-01

Variable focal lenses, used in a vast number of applications such as endoscope, digital camera, binoculars, information storage, communication, and machine vision, are traditionally constructed as a lens system consisting of solid lenses and actuating mechanisms. However, such lens system is complex, bulky, inefficient, and costly. Each of these shortcomings can be addressed using an adaptive lens that performs as a lens system. In this presentation, we will show how we push the boundary of adaptive lens technology through the use of a transparent electroactive polymer actuator that is integral to the optics. Detail of our concepts and lens construction will be described as well as electromechanical and optical performances. Preliminary data indicate that our adaptive lens prototype is capable of varying its focus by more than 100%, which is higher than that of human eyes. Furthermore, we will show how our approach can be used to achieve certain controls over the lens characteristics such as adaptive aberration and optical axis, which are difficult or impossible to achieve in other adaptive lens configurations.

An Attention-Information-Based Spatial Adaptation Framework for Browsing Videos via Mobile Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Houqiang; Wang, Yi; Chen, Chang Wen

2007-12-01

With the growing popularity of personal digital assistant devices and smart phones, more and more consumers are becoming quite enthusiastic to appreciate videos via mobile devices. However, limited display size of the mobile devices has been imposing significant barriers for users to enjoy browsing high-resolution videos. In this paper, we present an attention-information-based spatial adaptation framework to address this problem. The whole framework includes two major parts: video content generation and video adaptation system. During video compression, the attention information in video sequences will be detected using an attention model and embedded into bitstreams with proposed supplement-enhanced information (SEI) structure. Furthermore, we also develop an innovative scheme to adaptively adjust quantization parameters in order to simultaneously improve the quality of overall encoding and the quality of transcoding the attention areas. When the high-resolution bitstream is transmitted to mobile users, a fast transcoding algorithm we developed earlier will be applied to generate a new bitstream for attention areas in frames. The new low-resolution bitstream containing mostly attention information, instead of the high-resolution one, will be sent to users for display on the mobile devices. Experimental results show that the proposed spatial adaptation scheme is able to improve both subjective and objective video qualities.

Closed-form expressions of some stochastic adapting equations for nonlinear adaptive activation function neurons.

PubMed

Fiori, Simone

2003-12-01

In recent work, we introduced nonlinear adaptive activation function (FAN) artificial neuron models, which learn their activation functions in an unsupervised way by information-theoretic adapting rules. We also applied networks of these neurons to some blind signal processing problems, such as independent component analysis and blind deconvolution. The aim of this letter is to study some fundamental aspects of FAN units' learning by investigating the properties of the associated learning differential equation systems.

Using the SPICE system to help plan and interpret space science observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acton, Charles H., Jr.

1993-01-01

A portable multimission information system named SPICE is used to assemble, archive, and provide easy user access to viewing geometry and other ancillary information needed by space scientists to interpret observations of bodies within our solar system. The modular nature of this system lends it to use in planning such observations as well. With a successful proof of concept on Voyager, the SPICE system has been adapted to the Magellan, Galileo and Mars Observer missions, and to a variety of ground based operations. Adaptation of SPICE for Cassini and the Russian Mars 94/96 projects is underway, and work on Cassini will follow, SPICE has been used to support observation planning for moving targets on the Hubble Space Telescope Project. Applications for SPICE on earth science, space physics and other astrophysics missions are under consideration.

A perspective of adaptation in healthcare.

PubMed

Mezghani, Emna; Da Silveira, Marcos; Pruski, Cédric; Exposito, Ernesto; Drira, Khalil

2014-01-01

Emerging new technologies in healthcare has proven great promises for managing patient care. In recent years, the evolution of Information and Communication Technologies pushes many research studies to think about treatment plan adaptation in this area. The main goal is to accelerate the decision making by dynamically generating new treatment due to unexpected situations. This paper portrays the treatment adaptation from a new perspective inspired from the human nervous system named autonomic computing. Thus, the selected potential studies are classified according to the maturity levels of this paradigm. To guarantee optimal and accurate treatment adaptation, challenges related to medical knowledge and data are identified and future directions to be explored in healthcare systems are discussed.

Complex adaptive systems: A new approach for understanding health practices.

PubMed

Gomersall, Tim

2018-06-22

This article explores the potential of complex adaptive systems theory to inform behaviour change research. A complex adaptive system describes a collection of heterogeneous agents interacting within a particular context, adapting to each other's actions. In practical terms, this implies that behaviour change is 1) socially and culturally situated; 2) highly sensitive to small baseline differences in individuals, groups, and intervention components; and 3) determined by multiple components interacting "chaotically". Two approaches to studying complex adaptive systems are briefly reviewed. Agent-based modelling is a computer simulation technique that allows researchers to investigate "what if" questions in a virtual environment. Applied qualitative research techniques, on the other hand, offer a way to examine what happens when an intervention is pursued in real-time, and to identify the sorts of rules and assumptions governing social action. Although these represent very different approaches to complexity, there may be scope for mixing these methods - for example, by grounding models in insights derived from qualitative fieldwork. Finally, I will argue that the concept of complex adaptive systems offers one opportunity to gain a deepened understanding of health-related practices, and to examine the social psychological processes that produce health-promoting or damaging actions.

An adaptive three-stage extended Kalman filter for nonlinear discrete-time system in presence of unknown inputs.

PubMed

Xiao, Mengli; Zhang, Yongbo; Wang, Zhihua; Fu, Huimin

2018-04-01

Considering the performances of conventional Kalman filter may seriously degrade when it suffers stochastic faults and unknown input, which is very common in engineering problems, a new type of adaptive three-stage extended Kalman filter (AThSEKF) is proposed to solve state and fault estimation in nonlinear discrete-time system under these conditions. The three-stage UV transformation and adaptive forgetting factor are introduced for derivation, and by comparing with the adaptive augmented state extended Kalman filter, it is proven to be uniformly asymptotically stable. Furthermore, the adaptive three-stage extended Kalman filter is applied to a two-dimensional radar tracking scenario to illustrate the effect, and the performance is compared with that of conventional three stage extended Kalman filter (ThSEKF) and the adaptive two-stage extended Kalman filter (ATEKF). The results show that the adaptive three-stage extended Kalman filter is more effective than these two filters when facing the nonlinear discrete-time systems with information of unknown inputs not perfectly known. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implementation of an anonymisation tool for clinical trials using a clinical trial processor integrated with an existing trial patient data information system.

PubMed

Aryanto, Kadek Y E; Broekema, André; Oudkerk, Matthijs; van Ooijen, Peter M A

2012-01-01

To present an adapted Clinical Trial Processor (CTP) test set-up for receiving, anonymising and saving Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data using external input from the original database of an existing clinical study information system to guide the anonymisation process. Two methods are presented for an adapted CTP test set-up. In the first method, images are pushed from the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) using the DICOM protocol through a local network. In the second method, images are transferred through the internet using the HTTPS protocol. In total 25,000 images from 50 patients were moved from the PACS, anonymised and stored within roughly 2 h using the first method. In the second method, an average of 10 images per minute were transferred and processed over a residential connection. In both methods, no duplicated images were stored when previous images were retransferred. The anonymised images are stored in appropriate directories. The CTP can transfer and process DICOM images correctly in a very easy set-up providing a fast, secure and stable environment. The adapted CTP allows easy integration into an environment in which patient data are already included in an existing information system.

Beyond empiricism: informing vaccine development through innate immunity research.

PubMed

Levitz, Stuart M; Golenbock, Douglas T

2012-03-16

Although a great public heath success, vaccines provide suboptimal protection in some patient populations and are not available to protect against many infectious diseases. Insights from innate immunity research have led to a better understanding of how existing vaccines work and have informed vaccine development. New adjuvants and delivery systems are being designed based upon their capacity to stimulate innate immune sensors and target antigens to dendritic cells, the cells responsible for initiating adaptive immune responses. Incorporating these adjuvants and delivery systems in vaccines can beneficially alter the quantitative and qualitative nature of the adaptive immune response, resulting in enhanced protection. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Beyond empiricism: Informing vaccine development through innate immunity research

PubMed Central

Levitz, Stuart M.; Golenbock, Douglas T.

2012-01-01

Summary While a great public heath success, vaccines provide suboptimal protection in some patient populations and are not available to protect against many infectious diseases. Insights from innate immunity research have led to a better understanding of how existing vaccines work and informed vaccine development. New adjuvants and delivery systems are being designed based upon their capacity to stimulate innate immune sensors and target antigens to dendritic cells, the cells responsible for initiating adaptive immune responses. Incorporating these adjuvants and delivery systems in vaccines can beneficially alter the quantitative and qualitative nature of the adaptive immune response resulting in enhanced protection. PMID:22424235

Adaptation of a Knowledge-Based Decision-Support System in the Tactical Environment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

002-04-6411S1CURITY CL All PICATION OF 1,416 PAGE (00HIR Onto ea0aOW .L10 *GU9WVC 4bGSI.CAYON S. Voss 10466lVka t... OftesoE ’ making decisons . The...noe..aaw Ad tdlalttt’ IV 680011 MMib) Artificial Intelligence; Decision-Support Systems; Tactical Decision- making ; Knowledge-based Decision-support...tactical information to assist tactical commanders in making decisions. The system, TAC*, for "Tactical Adaptable Consultant," incorporates a database

Towards a Framework for Modeling Space Systems Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shames, Peter; Skipper, Joseph

2006-01-01

Topics covered include: 1) Statement of the problem: a) Space system architecture is complex; b) Existing terrestrial approaches must be adapted for space; c) Need a common architecture methodology and information model; d) Need appropriate set of viewpoints. 2) Requirements on a space systems model. 3) Model Based Engineering and Design (MBED) project: a) Evaluated different methods; b) Adapted and utilized RASDS & RM-ODP; c) Identified useful set of viewpoints; d) Did actual model exchanges among selected subset of tools. 4) Lessons learned & future vision.

Adaptive kanban control mechanism for a single-stage hybrid system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korugan, Aybek; Gupta, Surendra M.

2002-02-01

In this paper, we consider a hybrid manufacturing system with two discrete production lines. Here the output of either production line can satisfy the demand for the same type of product without any penalties. The interarrival times for demand occurrences and service completions are exponentially distributed i.i.d. variables. In order to control this type of manufacturing system we suggest a single stage pull type control mechanism with adaptive kanbans and state independent routing of the production information.

Observer-based adaptive backstepping control for fractional order systems with input saturation.

PubMed

Sheng, Dian; Wei, Yiheng; Cheng, Songsong; Wang, Yong

2017-07-03

An observer-based fractional order anti-saturation adaptive backstepping control scheme is proposed for incommensurate fractional order systems with input saturation and partial measurable state in this paper. On the basis of stability analysis, a novel state observer is established first since the only information we could acquire is the system output. In order to compensate the saturation, a series of virtual signals are generated via the construction of fractional order auxiliary system. Afterwards, the controller design is carried out in accordance with the adaptive backstepping control method by introduction of the indirect Lyapunov method. To highlight the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme, simulation examples are demonstrated at last. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Library Information-Processing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

System works with Library of Congress MARC II format. System composed of subsystems that provide wide range of library informationprocessing capabilities. Format is American National Standards Institute (ANSI) format for machine-readable bibliographic data. Adaptable to any medium-to-large library.

Contextualizing Secure Information System Design: A Socio-Technical Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charif, Abdul Rahim

2017-01-01

Secure Information Systems (SIS) design paradigms have evolved in generations to adapt to IS security needs. However, modern IS are still vulnerable and are far from secure. The development of an underlying IS cannot be reduced to "technological fixes" neither is the design of SIS. Technical security cannot ensure IS security.…

Conflict Adaptation Depends on Task Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akcay, Caglar; Hazeltine, Eliot

2008-01-01

The dependence of the Simon effect on the correspondence of the previous trial can be explained by the conflict-monitoring theory, which holds that a control system adjusts automatic activation from irrelevant stimulus information (conflict adaptation) on the basis of the congruency of the previous trial. The authors report on 4 experiments…

Extension Agents' Awareness of Climate Change in Ethiopia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abegaz, Dagmawi M.; Wims, Padraig

2015-01-01

Purpose: The fact that highly vulnerable countries like Ethiopia face far greater challenges from climate change makes agricultural adaptation a top priority. Even though the public agriculture extension system in Ethiopia plays a central role in facilitating and supporting adaptation, very limited information is available on how aware the actual…

Adaptive model-based control systems and methods for controlling a gas turbine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brunell, Brent Jerome (Inventor); Mathews, Jr., Harry Kirk (Inventor); Kumar, Aditya (Inventor)

2004-01-01

Adaptive model-based control systems and methods are described so that performance and/or operability of a gas turbine in an aircraft engine, power plant, marine propulsion, or industrial application can be optimized under normal, deteriorated, faulted, failed and/or damaged operation. First, a model of each relevant system or component is created, and the model is adapted to the engine. Then, if/when deterioration, a fault, a failure or some kind of damage to an engine component or system is detected, that information is input to the model-based control as changes to the model, constraints, objective function, or other control parameters. With all the information about the engine condition, and state and directives on the control goals in terms of an objective function and constraints, the control then solves an optimization so the optimal control action can be determined and taken. This model and control may be updated in real-time to account for engine-to-engine variation, deterioration, damage, faults and/or failures using optimal corrective control action command(s).

The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity

PubMed Central

Ellis, Bruce J.; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A.

2010-01-01

This paper presents the Adaptive Calibration Model (ACM), an evolutionary-developmental theory of individual differences in the functioning of the stress response system. The stress response system has three main biological functions: (1) to coordinate the organism’s allostatic response to physical and psychosocial challenges; (2) to encode and filter information about the organism’s social and physical environment, mediating the organism’s openness to environmental inputs; and (3) to regulate the organism’s physiology and behavior in a broad range of fitness-relevant areas including defensive behaviors, competitive risk-taking, learning, attachment, affiliation and reproductive functioning. The information encoded by the system during development feeds back on the long-term calibration of the system itself, resulting in adaptive patterns of responsivity and individual differences in behavior. Drawing on evolutionary life history theory, we build a model of the development of stress responsivity across life stages, describe four prototypical responsivity patterns, and discuss the emergence and meaning of sex differences. The ACM extends the theory of biological sensitivity to context (BSC) and provides an integrative framework for future research in the field. PMID:21145350

Stochastic and information-thermodynamic structures of population dynamics in a fluctuating environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Tetsuya J.; Sughiyama, Yuki

2017-07-01

Adaptation in a fluctuating environment is a process of fueling environmental information to gain fitness. Living systems have gradually developed strategies for adaptation from random and passive diversification of the phenotype to more proactive decision making, in which environmental information is sensed and exploited more actively and effectively. Understanding the fundamental relation between fitness and information is therefore crucial to clarify the limits and universal properties of adaptation. In this work, we elucidate the underlying stochastic and information-thermodynamic structure in this process, by deriving causal fluctuation relations (FRs) of fitness and information. Combined with a duality between phenotypic and environmental dynamics, the FRs reveal the limit of fitness gain, the relation of time reversibility with the achievability of the limit, and the possibility and condition for gaining excess fitness due to environmental fluctuation. The loss of fitness due to causal constraints and the limited capacity of real organisms is shown to be the difference between time-forward and time-backward path probabilities of phenotypic and environmental dynamics. Furthermore, the FRs generalize the concept of the evolutionary stable state (ESS) for fluctuating environment by giving the probability that the optimal strategy on average can be invaded by a suboptimal one owing to rare environmental fluctuation. These results clarify the information-thermodynamic structures in adaptation and evolution.

Adaptable data management for systems biology investigations.

PubMed

Boyle, John; Rovira, Hector; Cavnor, Chris; Burdick, David; Killcoyne, Sarah; Shmulevich, Ilya

2009-03-06

Within research each experiment is different, the focus changes and the data is generated from a continually evolving barrage of technologies. There is a continual introduction of new techniques whose usage ranges from in-house protocols through to high-throughput instrumentation. To support these requirements data management systems are needed that can be rapidly built and readily adapted for new usage. The adaptable data management system discussed is designed to support the seamless mining and analysis of biological experiment data that is commonly used in systems biology (e.g. ChIP-chip, gene expression, proteomics, imaging, flow cytometry). We use different content graphs to represent different views upon the data. These views are designed for different roles: equipment specific views are used to gather instrumentation information; data processing oriented views are provided to enable the rapid development of analysis applications; and research project specific views are used to organize information for individual research experiments. This management system allows for both the rapid introduction of new types of information and the evolution of the knowledge it represents. Data management is an important aspect of any research enterprise. It is the foundation on which most applications are built, and must be easily extended to serve new functionality for new scientific areas. We have found that adopting a three-tier architecture for data management, built around distributed standardized content repositories, allows us to rapidly develop new applications to support a diverse user community.

Livelihood resilience in the face of climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, Thomas; Lewis, David; Wrathall, David; Bronen, Robin; Cradock-Henry, Nick; Huq, Saleemul; Lawless, Chris; Nawrotzki, Raphael; Prasad, Vivek; Rahman, Md. Ashiqur; Alaniz, Ryan; King, Katherine; McNamara, Karen; Nadiruzzaman, Md.; Henly-Shepard, Sarah; Thomalla, Frank

2015-01-01

The resilience concept requires greater attention to human livelihoods if it is to address the limits to adaptation strategies and the development needs of the planet's poorest and most vulnerable people. Although the concept of resilience is increasingly informing research and policy, its transfer from ecological theory to social systems leads to weak engagement with normative, social and political dimensions of climate change adaptation. A livelihood perspective helps to strengthen resilience thinking by placing greater emphasis on human needs and their agency, empowerment and human rights, and considering adaptive livelihood systems in the context of wider transformational changes.

Improved Information Retrieval Performance on SQL Database Using Data Adapter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husni, M.; Djanali, S.; Ciptaningtyas, H. T.; Wicaksana, I. G. N. A.

2018-02-01

The NoSQL databases, short for Not Only SQL, are increasingly being used as the number of big data applications increases. Most systems still use relational databases (RDBs), but as the number of data increases each year, the system handles big data with NoSQL databases to analyze and access data more quickly. NoSQL emerged as a result of the exponential growth of the internet and the development of web applications. The query syntax in the NoSQL database differs from the SQL database, therefore requiring code changes in the application. Data adapter allow applications to not change their SQL query syntax. Data adapters provide methods that can synchronize SQL databases with NotSQL databases. In addition, the data adapter provides an interface which is application can access to run SQL queries. Hence, this research applied data adapter system to synchronize data between MySQL database and Apache HBase using direct access query approach, where system allows application to accept query while synchronization process in progress. From the test performed using data adapter, the results obtained that the data adapter can synchronize between SQL databases, MySQL, and NoSQL database, Apache HBase. This system spends the percentage of memory resources in the range of 40% to 60%, and the percentage of processor moving from 10% to 90%. In addition, from this system also obtained the performance of database NoSQL better than SQL database.

An Adaptive Sensor Mining Framework for Pervasive Computing Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashidi, Parisa; Cook, Diane J.

Analyzing sensor data in pervasive computing applications brings unique challenges to the KDD community. The challenge is heightened when the underlying data source is dynamic and the patterns change. We introduce a new adaptive mining framework that detects patterns in sensor data, and more importantly, adapts to the changes in the underlying model. In our framework, the frequent and periodic patterns of data are first discovered by the Frequent and Periodic Pattern Miner (FPPM) algorithm; and then any changes in the discovered patterns over the lifetime of the system are discovered by the Pattern Adaptation Miner (PAM) algorithm, in order to adapt to the changing environment. This framework also captures vital context information present in pervasive computing applications, such as the startup triggers and temporal information. In this paper, we present a description of our mining framework and validate the approach using data collected in the CASAS smart home testbed.

Algorithms for adaptive stochastic control for a class of linear systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toda, M.; Patel, R. V.

1977-01-01

Control of linear, discrete time, stochastic systems with unknown control gain parameters is discussed. Two suboptimal adaptive control schemes are derived: one is based on underestimating future control and the other is based on overestimating future control. Both schemes require little on-line computation and incorporate in their control laws some information on estimation errors. The performance of these laws is studied by Monte Carlo simulations on a computer. Two single input, third order systems are considered, one stable and the other unstable, and the performance of the two adaptive control schemes is compared with that of the scheme based on enforced certainty equivalence and the scheme where the control gain parameters are known.

Predicting Adaptive Behavior in the Environment from Central Nervous System Dynamics

PubMed Central

Proekt, Alex; Wong, Jane; Zhurov, Yuriy; Kozlova, Nataliya; Weiss, Klaudiusz R.; Brezina, Vladimir

2008-01-01

To generate adaptive behavior, the nervous system is coupled to the environment. The coupling constrains the dynamical properties that the nervous system and the environment must have relative to each other if adaptive behavior is to be produced. In previous computational studies, such constraints have been used to evolve controllers or artificial agents to perform a behavioral task in a given environment. Often, however, we already know the controller, the real nervous system, and its dynamics. Here we propose that the constraints can also be used to solve the inverse problem—to predict from the dynamics of the nervous system the environment to which they are adapted, and so reconstruct the production of the adaptive behavior by the entire coupled system. We illustrate how this can be done in the feeding system of the sea slug Aplysia. At the core of this system is a central pattern generator (CPG) that, with dynamics on both fast and slow time scales, integrates incoming sensory stimuli to produce ingestive and egestive motor programs. We run models embodying these CPG dynamics—in effect, autonomous Aplysia agents—in various feeding environments and analyze the performance of the entire system in a realistic feeding task. We find that the dynamics of the system are tuned for optimal performance in a narrow range of environments that correspond well to those that Aplysia encounter in the wild. In these environments, the slow CPG dynamics implement efficient ingestion of edible seaweed strips with minimal sensory information about them. The fast dynamics then implement a switch to a different behavioral mode in which the system ignores the sensory information completely and follows an internal “goal,” emergent from the dynamics, to egest again a strip that proves to be inedible. Key predictions of this reconstruction are confirmed in real feeding animals. PMID:18989362

Cardiovascular Adaptations Induced by Resistance Training in Animal Models.

PubMed

Melo, S F S; da Silva Júnior, N D; Barauna, V G; Oliveira, E M

2018-01-01

In the last 10 years the number of studies showing the benefits of resistance training (RT) to the cardiovascular system, have grown. In comparison to aerobic training, RT-induced favorable adaptations to the cardiovascular system have been ignored for many years, thus the mechanisms of the RT-induced cardiovascular adaptations are still uncovered. The lack of animal models with comparable protocols to the RT performed by humans hampers the knowledge. We have used squat-exercise model, which is widely used by many others laboratories. However, to a lesser extent, other models are also employed to investigate the cardiovascular adaptations. In the subsequent sections we will review the information regarding cardiac morphological adaptations, signaling pathway of the cardiac cell, cardiac function and the vascular adaptation induced by RT using this animal model developed by Tamaki et al. in 1992. Furthermore, we also describe cardiovascular findings observed using other animal models of RT.

Varying geospatial analyses to assess climate risk and adaptive capacity in a hotter, drier Southwestern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elias, E.; Reyes, J. J.; Steele, C. M.; Rango, A.

2017-12-01

Assessing vulnerability of agricultural systems to climate variability and change is vital in securing food systems and sustaining rural livelihoods. Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners rely on science-based, decision-relevant, and localized information to maintain production, ecological viability, and economic returns. This contribution synthesizes a collection of research on the future of agricultural production in the American Southwest (SW). Research was based on a variety of geospatial methodologies and datasets to assess the vulnerability of rangelands and livestock, field crops, specialty crops, and forests in the SW to climate-risk and change. This collection emerged from the development of regional vulnerability assessments for agricultural climate-risk by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Climate Hub Network, established to deliver science-based information and technologies to enable climate-informed decision-making. Authors defined vulnerability differently based on their agricultural system of interest, although each primarily focuses on biophysical systems. We found that an inconsistent framework for vulnerability and climate risk was necessary to adequately capture the diversity, variability, and heterogeneity of SW landscapes, peoples, and agriculture. Through the diversity of research questions and methodologies, this collection of articles provides valuable information on various aspects of SW vulnerability. All articles relied on geographic information systems technology, with highly variable levels of complexity. Agricultural articles used National Agricultural Statistics Service data, either as tabular county level summaries or through the CropScape cropland raster datasets. Most relied on modeled historic and future climate information, but with differing assumptions regarding spatial resolution and temporal framework. We assert that it is essential to evaluate climate risk using a variety of complementary methodologies and perspectives. In addition, we found that spatial analysis supports informed adaptation, within and outside the SW United States. The persistence and adaptive capacity of agriculture in the water-limited Southwest serves as an instructive example and may offer solutions to reduce future climate risk.

Generating Shifting Workloads to Benchmark Adaptability in Relational Database Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabl, Tilmann; Lang, Andreas; Hackl, Thomas; Sick, Bernhard; Kosch, Harald

A large body of research concerns the adaptability of database systems. Many commercial systems already contain autonomic processes that adapt configurations as well as data structures and data organization. Yet there is virtually no possibility for a just measurement of the quality of such optimizations. While standard benchmarks have been developed that simulate real-world database applications very precisely, none of them considers variations in workloads produced by human factors. Today’s benchmarks test the performance of database systems by measuring peak performance on homogeneous request streams. Nevertheless, in systems with user interaction access patterns are constantly shifting. We present a benchmark that simulates a web information system with interaction of large user groups. It is based on the analysis of a real online eLearning management system with 15,000 users. The benchmark considers the temporal dependency of user interaction. Main focus is to measure the adaptability of a database management system according to shifting workloads. We will give details on our design approach that uses sophisticated pattern analysis and data mining techniques.

Enhancing astronaut performance using sensorimotor adaptability training

PubMed Central

Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Peters, Brian T.; Cohen, Helen S.; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.

2015-01-01

Astronauts experience disturbances in balance and gait function when they return to Earth. The highly plastic human brain enables individuals to modify their behavior to match the prevailing environment. Subjects participating in specially designed variable sensory challenge training programs can enhance their ability to rapidly adapt to novel sensory situations. This is useful in our application because we aim to train astronauts to rapidly formulate effective strategies to cope with the balance and locomotor challenges associated with new gravitational environments—enhancing their ability to “learn to learn.” We do this by coupling various combinations of sensorimotor challenges with treadmill walking. A unique training system has been developed that is comprised of a treadmill mounted on a motion base to produce movement of the support surface during walking. This system provides challenges to gait stability. Additional sensory variation and challenge are imposed with a virtual visual scene that presents subjects with various combinations of discordant visual information during treadmill walking. This experience allows them to practice resolving challenging and conflicting novel sensory information to improve their ability to adapt rapidly. Information obtained from this work will inform the design of the next generation of sensorimotor countermeasures for astronauts. PMID:26441561

Dynamic Speed Adaptation for Path Tracking Based on Curvature Information and Speed Limits.

PubMed

Gámez Serna, Citlalli; Ruichek, Yassine

2017-06-14

A critical concern of autonomous vehicles is safety. Different approaches have tried to enhance driving safety to reduce the number of fatal crashes and severe injuries. As an example, Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) systems warn the driver when the vehicle exceeds the recommended speed limit. However, these systems only take into account fixed speed limits without considering factors like road geometry. In this paper, we consider road curvature with speed limits to automatically adjust vehicle's speed with the ideal one through our proposed Dynamic Speed Adaptation (DSA) method. Furthermore, 'curve analysis extraction' and 'speed limits database creation' are also part of our contribution. An algorithm that analyzes GPS information off-line identifies high curvature segments and estimates the speed for each curve. The speed limit database contains information about the different speed limit zones for each traveled path. Our DSA senses speed limits and curves of the road using GPS information and ensures smooth speed transitions between current and ideal speeds. Through experimental simulations with different control algorithms on real and simulated datasets, we prove that our method is able to significantly reduce lateral errors on sharp curves, to respect speed limits and consequently increase safety and comfort for the passenger.

Enhancing astronaut performance using sensorimotor adaptability training.

PubMed

Bloomberg, Jacob J; Peters, Brian T; Cohen, Helen S; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P

2015-01-01

Astronauts experience disturbances in balance and gait function when they return to Earth. The highly plastic human brain enables individuals to modify their behavior to match the prevailing environment. Subjects participating in specially designed variable sensory challenge training programs can enhance their ability to rapidly adapt to novel sensory situations. This is useful in our application because we aim to train astronauts to rapidly formulate effective strategies to cope with the balance and locomotor challenges associated with new gravitational environments-enhancing their ability to "learn to learn." We do this by coupling various combinations of sensorimotor challenges with treadmill walking. A unique training system has been developed that is comprised of a treadmill mounted on a motion base to produce movement of the support surface during walking. This system provides challenges to gait stability. Additional sensory variation and challenge are imposed with a virtual visual scene that presents subjects with various combinations of discordant visual information during treadmill walking. This experience allows them to practice resolving challenging and conflicting novel sensory information to improve their ability to adapt rapidly. Information obtained from this work will inform the design of the next generation of sensorimotor countermeasures for astronauts.

Natural hazards and climate change in Dhaka: future trends, social adaptation and informal dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiele-Eich, I.; Aßheuer, T.; Simmer, C.; Braun, B.

2009-04-01

Similar to many megacities in the world, Dhaka is regularly threatened by natural hazards. Risks associated with floods and cyclones in particular are expected to increase in the years to come because of global climate change and rapid urbanization. Greater Dhaka is expected to grow from 13.5 million inhabitants in 2007 to 22 million inhabitants by 2025. The vast majority of this growth will take place in informal settlements. Due to the setting of Greater Dhaka in a deltaic plain, the sprawl of slums is primarily taking place in wetlands, swamps and other flood-prone areas. Slum dwellers and informal businesses are vulnerable, but have somehow learned to cope with seasonal floods and developed specific adaptation strategies. An increase of precipitation extremes and tropical cyclones, however, would put considerable stress on the adaptability of the social and economic system. DhakaHazard, a joint research project of the Department of Meteorology at the University of Bonn and the Department of Geography at the University of Cologne, takes up these issues in an interdisciplinary approach. The project, which begun in November 2008, aims to achieve two main objectives: To link analyses of informal social and economic adaptation strategies to models on future climate change and weather extremes. To estimate more accurately the future frequency and magnitude of weather extremes and floods which are crucial for the future adaptability of informal systems. To fulfill these objectives, scientists at the Meteorological Institute are studying the evolution of natural hazards in Bangladesh, while researchers at the Department of Geography are undertaking the task of assessing these hazards from a social point of view. More specifically, the meteorologists are identifying global and regional weather conditions resulting in flooding of the Greater Dhaka region, while possible variations in flood-inducing weather patterns are analyzed by evaluating their frequency and magnitude. Findings are then applied to future global climate scenario runs to obtain a first estimate of trends for the frequency and magnitude of weather extremes and their impact on spatial and temporal characteristics of floods in the Greater Dhaka region. From this estimate, a prediction method for the spatial patterns of flooding within the Dhaka area will be developed. The social part of the project analyzes the vulnerability and resilience of economic and social systems within high-risk areas by utilizing methods such as e.g. quantitative household surveys in Dhaka and qualitative expert interviews. Geographers are hoping to identify adaptation and recovery strategies of slum dwellers and informal businesses (e.g. brickfields, tanneries), analyze the role of social capital as well as formal and informal institutions for building up resilience, and analyze possibilities and limits of adaptation strategies under conditions of further urban growth and climate change. By paying attention to the important behavioral patterns of the informal sector, a meteorological early warning system can then be developed to make better use of weather predictions to mitigate weather-related risks for Greater Dhaka. If successful, this project poses as an exemplary intersection of social science and natural hazards research.

Using engineering control principles to inform the design of adaptive interventions: a conceptual introduction.

PubMed

Rivera, Daniel E; Pew, Michael D; Collins, Linda M

2007-05-01

The goal of this paper is to describe the role that control engineering principles can play in developing and improving the efficacy of adaptive, time-varying interventions. It is demonstrated that adaptive interventions constitute a form of feedback control system in the context of behavioral health. Consequently, drawing from ideas in control engineering has the potential to significantly inform the analysis, design, and implementation of adaptive interventions, leading to improved adherence, better management of limited resources, a reduction of negative effects, and overall more effective interventions. This article illustrates how to express an adaptive intervention in control engineering terms, and how to use this framework in a computer simulation to investigate the anticipated impact of intervention design choices on efficacy. The potential benefits of operationalizing decision rules based on control engineering principles are particularly significant for adaptive interventions that involve multiple components or address co-morbidities, situations that pose significant challenges to conventional clinical practice.

Using Engineering Control Principles to Inform the Design of Adaptive Interventions: A Conceptual Introduction

PubMed Central

Rivera, Daniel E.; Pew, Michael D.; Collins, Linda M.

2007-01-01

The goal of this paper is to describe the role that control engineering principles can play in developing and improving the efficacy of adaptive, time-varying interventions. It is demonstrated that adaptive interventions constitute a form of feedback control system in the context of behavioral health. Consequently, drawing from ideas in control engineering has the potential to significantly inform the analysis, design, and implementation of adaptive interventions, leading to improved adherence, better management of limited resources, a reduction of negative effects, and overall more effective interventions. This article illustrates how to express an adaptive intervention in control engineering terms, and how to use this framework in a computer simulation to investigate the anticipated impact of intervention design choices on efficacy. The potential benefits of operationalizing decision rules based on control engineering principles are particularly significant for adaptive interventions that involve multiple components or address co-morbidities, situations that pose significant challenges to conventional clinical practice. PMID:17169503

Understanding Farmer Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: The Roles of Trust in Sources of Climate Information, Climate Change Beliefs, and Perceived Risk.

PubMed

Arbuckle, J Gordon; Morton, Lois Wright; Hobbs, Jon

2015-02-01

Agriculture is vulnerable to climate change and a source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Farmers face pressures to adjust agricultural systems to make them more resilient in the face of increasingly variable weather (adaptation) and reduce GHG production (mitigation). This research examines relationships between Iowa farmers' trust in environmental or agricultural interest groups as sources of climate information, climate change beliefs, perceived climate risks to agriculture, and support for adaptation and mitigation responses. Results indicate that beliefs varied with trust, and beliefs in turn had a significant direct effect on perceived risks from climate change. Support for adaptation varied with perceived risks, while attitudes toward GHG reduction (mitigation) were associated predominantly with variation in beliefs. Most farmers were supportive of adaptation responses, but few endorsed GHG reduction, suggesting that outreach should focus on interventions that have adaptive and mitigative properties (e.g., reduced tillage, improved fertilizer management).

Support patient search on pathology reports with interactive online learning based data extraction.

PubMed

Zheng, Shuai; Lu, James J; Appin, Christina; Brat, Daniel; Wang, Fusheng

2015-01-01

Structural reporting enables semantic understanding and prompt retrieval of clinical findings about patients. While synoptic pathology reporting provides templates for data entries, information in pathology reports remains primarily in narrative free text form. Extracting data of interest from narrative pathology reports could significantly improve the representation of the information and enable complex structured queries. However, manual extraction is tedious and error-prone, and automated tools are often constructed with a fixed training dataset and not easily adaptable. Our goal is to extract data from pathology reports to support advanced patient search with a highly adaptable semi-automated data extraction system, which can adjust and self-improve by learning from a user's interaction with minimal human effort. We have developed an online machine learning based information extraction system called IDEAL-X. With its graphical user interface, the system's data extraction engine automatically annotates values for users to review upon loading each report text. The system analyzes users' corrections regarding these annotations with online machine learning, and incrementally enhances and refines the learning model as reports are processed. The system also takes advantage of customized controlled vocabularies, which can be adaptively refined during the online learning process to further assist the data extraction. As the accuracy of automatic annotation improves overtime, the effort of human annotation is gradually reduced. After all reports are processed, a built-in query engine can be applied to conveniently define queries based on extracted structured data. We have evaluated the system with a dataset of anatomic pathology reports from 50 patients. Extracted data elements include demographical data, diagnosis, genetic marker, and procedure. The system achieves F-1 scores of around 95% for the majority of tests. Extracting data from pathology reports could enable more accurate knowledge to support biomedical research and clinical diagnosis. IDEAL-X provides a bridge that takes advantage of online machine learning based data extraction and the knowledge from human's feedback. By combining iterative online learning and adaptive controlled vocabularies, IDEAL-X can deliver highly adaptive and accurate data extraction to support patient search.

HF propagation factors affecting the design and operation of real time, channel evaluation, adaptive systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aarons, J.; Grossi, M. D.

1982-08-01

To develop and operate an adaptive system, propagation factors of the ionospheric medium must be given to the designer. The operation of the system must change as a function of multipath spread, Doppler spread, path losses, channel correlation functions, etc. In addition, NATO mid-latitude HF transmission and transauroral paths require varying system operation, which must fully utilize automatic path diversity across transauroral paths. Current research and literature are reviewed to estimate the extent of the available technical information. Additional investigations to allow designers to orient new systems on realistic models of these parameters are suggested.

Development of the workflow kine systems for support on KAIZEN.

PubMed

Mizuno, Yuki; Ito, Toshihiko; Yoshikawa, Toru; Yomogida, Satoshi; Morio, Koji; Sakai, Kazuhiro

2012-01-01

In this paper, we introduce the new workflow line system consisted of the location and image recording, which led to the acquisition of workflow information and the analysis display. From the results of workflow line investigation, we considered the anticipated effects and the problems on KAIZEN. Workflow line information included the location information and action contents information. These technologies suggest the viewpoints to help improvement, for example, exclusion of useless movement, the redesign of layout and the review of work procedure. Manufacturing factory, it was clear that there was much movement from the standard operation place and accumulation residence time. The following was shown as a result of this investigation, to be concrete, the efficient layout was suggested by this system. In the case of the hospital, similarly, it is pointed out that the workflow has the problem of layout and setup operations based on the effective movement pattern of the experts. This system could adapt to routine work, including as well as non-routine work. By the development of this system which can fit and adapt to industrial diversification, more effective "visual management" (visualization of work) is expected in the future.

An Adaptive Fuzzy-Logic Traffic Control System in Conditions of Saturated Transport Stream

PubMed Central

Marakhimov, A. R.; Igamberdiev, H. Z.; Umarov, Sh. X.

2016-01-01

This paper considers the problem of building adaptive fuzzy-logic traffic control systems (AFLTCS) to deal with information fuzziness and uncertainty in case of heavy traffic streams. Methods of formal description of traffic control on the crossroads based on fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic are proposed. This paper also provides efficient algorithms for implementing AFLTCS and develops the appropriate simulation models to test the efficiency of suggested approach. PMID:27517081

Towards Self-adaptation for Dependable Service-Oriented Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardellini, Valeria; Casalicchio, Emiliano; Grassi, Vincenzo; Lo Presti, Francesco; Mirandola, Raffaela

Increasingly complex information systems operating in dynamic environments ask for management policies able to deal intelligently and autonomously with problems and tasks. An attempt to deal with these aspects can be found in the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm that foresees the creation of business applications from independently developed services, where services and applications build up complex dependencies. Therefore the dependability of SOA systems strongly depends on their ability to self-manage and adapt themselves to cope with changes in the operating conditions and to meet the required dependability with a minimum of resources. In this paper we propose a model-based approach to the realization of self-adaptable SOA systems, aimed at the fulfillment of dependability requirements. Specifically, we provide a methodology driving the system adaptation and we discuss the architectural issues related to its implementation. To bring this approach to fruition, we developed a prototype tool and we show the results that can be achieved with a simple example.

Adaptive extended-state observer-based fault tolerant attitude control for spacecraft with reaction wheels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ran, Dechao; Chen, Xiaoqian; de Ruiter, Anton; Xiao, Bing

2018-04-01

This study presents an adaptive second-order sliding control scheme to solve the attitude fault tolerant control problem of spacecraft subject to system uncertainties, external disturbances and reaction wheel faults. A novel fast terminal sliding mode is preliminarily designed to guarantee that finite-time convergence of the attitude errors can be achieved globally. Based on this novel sliding mode, an adaptive second-order observer is then designed to reconstruct the system uncertainties and the actuator faults. One feature of the proposed observer is that the design of the observer does not necessitate any priori information of the upper bounds of the system uncertainties and the actuator faults. In view of the reconstructed information supplied by the designed observer, a second-order sliding mode controller is developed to accomplish attitude maneuvers with great robustness and precise tracking accuracy. Theoretical stability analysis proves that the designed fault tolerant control scheme can achieve finite-time stability of the closed-loop system, even in the presence of reaction wheel faults and system uncertainties. Numerical simulations are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control scheme over existing methodologies.

Workload-Matched Adaptive Automation Support of Air Traffic Controller Information Processing Stages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaber, David B.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Wright, Melanie C.; Clamann, Michael P.

2002-01-01

Adaptive automation (AA) has been explored as a solution to the problems associated with human-automation interaction in supervisory control environments. However, research has focused on the performance effects of dynamic control allocations of early stage sensory and information acquisition functions. The present research compares the effects of AA to the entire range of information processing stages of human operators, such as air traffic controllers. The results provide evidence that the effectiveness of AA is dependent on the stage of task performance (human-machine system information processing) that is flexibly automated. The results suggest that humans are better able to adapt to AA when applied to lower-level sensory and psychomotor functions, such as information acquisition and action implementation, as compared to AA applied to cognitive (analysis and decision-making) tasks. The results also provide support for the use of AA, as compared to completely manual control. These results are discussed in terms of implications for AA design for aviation.

Optimum Strategies for Selecting Descent Flight-Path Angles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Minghong G. (Inventor); Green, Steven M. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

An information processing system and method for adaptively selecting an aircraft descent flight path for an aircraft, are provided. The system receives flight adaptation parameters, including aircraft flight descent time period, aircraft flight descent airspace region, and aircraft flight descent flyability constraints. The system queries a plurality of flight data sources and retrieves flight information including any of winds and temperatures aloft data, airspace/navigation constraints, airspace traffic demand, and airspace arrival delay model. The system calculates a set of candidate descent profiles, each defined by at least one of a flight path angle and a descent rate, and each including an aggregated total fuel consumption value for the aircraft following a calculated trajectory, and a flyability constraints metric for the calculated trajectory. The system selects a best candidate descent profile having the least fuel consumption value while the fly ability constraints metric remains within aircraft flight descent flyability constraints.

Integrated Information Systems Across the Weather-Climate Continuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulwarty, R. S.; Higgins, W.; Nierenberg, C.; Trtanj, J.

2015-12-01

The increasing demand for well-organized (integrated) end-to-end research-based information has been highlighted in several National Academy studies, in IPCC Reports (such as the SREX and Fifth Assessment) and by public and private constituents. Such information constitutes a significant component of the "environmental intelligence" needed to address myriad societal needs for early warning and resilience across the weather-climate continuum. The next generation of climate research in service to the nation requires an even more visible, authoritative and robust commitment to scientific integration in support of adaptive information systems that address emergent risks and inform longer-term resilience strategies. A proven mechanism for resourcing such requirements is to demonstrate vision, purpose, support, connection to constituencies, and prototypes of desired capabilities. In this presentation we will discuss efforts at NOAA, and elsewhere, that: Improve information on how changes in extremes in key phenomena such as drought, floods, and heat stress impact management decisions for resource planning and disaster risk reduction Develop regional integrated information systems to address these emergent challenges, that integrate observations, monitoring and prediction, impacts assessments and scenarios, preparedness and adaptation, and coordination and capacity-building. Such systems, as illustrated through efforts such as NIDIS, have strengthened the integration across the foundational research enterprise (through for instance, RISAs, Modeling Analysis Predictions and Projections) by increasing agility for responding to emergent risks. The recently- initiated Climate Services Information System, in support of the WMO Global Framework for Climate Services draws on the above models and will be introduced during the presentation.

Adaptive PID formation control of nonholonomic robots without leader's velocity information.

PubMed

Shen, Dongbin; Sun, Weijie; Sun, Zhendong

2014-03-01

This paper proposes an adaptive proportional integral derivative (PID) algorithm to solve a formation control problem in the leader-follower framework where the leader robot's velocities are unknown for the follower robots. The main idea is first to design some proper ideal control law for the formation system to obtain a required performance, and then to propose the adaptive PID methodology to approach the ideal controller. As a result, the formation is achieved with much more enhanced robust formation performance. The stability of the closed-loop system is theoretically proved by Lyapunov method. Both numerical simulations and physical vehicle experiments are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive PID algorithm. Copyright © 2013 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using planned adaptation to implement evidence-based programs with new populations.

PubMed

Lee, Shawna J; Altschul, Inna; Mowbray, Carol T

2008-06-01

The Interactive Systems Framework (ISF) for Dissemination and Implementation (Wandersman et al. 2008) elaborates the functions and structures that move evidence-based programs (EBPs) from research to practice. Inherent in that process is the tension between implementing programs with fidelity and the need to tailor programs to fit the target population. We propose Planned Adaptation as one approach to resolve this tension, with the goal of guiding practitioners in adapting EBPs so that they maintain core components of program theory while taking into account the needs of particular populations. Planned Adaptation is a form of capacity building within the Prevention Support System that provides a framework to guide practitioners in adapting programs while encouraging researchers to provide information relevant to adaptation as a critical aspect of dissemination research, with the goal of promoting wider dissemination and better implementation of EBPs. We illustrate Planned Adaptation using the JOBS Program (Caplan et al. 1989), which was developed for recently laid-off, working- and middle-class workers and subsequently implemented with welfare recipients.

Information systems in ADOT : an analysis of intra-function flow, decision support needs, existing systems utility and user attitudes. Final report, volume 3 : appendices

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1985-03-01

A report is offered on a study of the information activities within the Right-of-Way section of ADOT. The objectives of the study were to adapt and apply techniques to measure user-perceived needs, satisfaction and utility of services provided Right-...

Information systems in ADOT : an analysis of intra-function flow, decision support needs, existing systems utility and user attitudes. Final report, volume 1

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1985-03-01

A report is offered on a study of the information activities within the Right-of-Way section of ADOT. The objectives of the study were to adapt and apply techniques to measure user-perceived needs, satisfaction and utility of services provided Right-...

Information-theoretic metamodel of organizational evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sepulveda, Alfredo

2011-12-01

Social organizations are abstractly modeled by holarchies---self-similar connected networks---and intelligent complex adaptive multiagent systems---large networks of autonomous reasoning agents interacting via scaled processes. However, little is known of how information shapes evolution in such organizations, a gap that can lead to misleading analytics. The research problem addressed in this study was the ineffective manner in which classical model-predict-control methods used in business analytics attempt to define organization evolution. The purpose of the study was to construct an effective metamodel for organization evolution based on a proposed complex adaptive structure---the info-holarchy. Theoretical foundations of this study were holarchies, complex adaptive systems, evolutionary theory, and quantum mechanics, among other recently developed physical and information theories. Research questions addressed how information evolution patterns gleamed from the study's inductive metamodel more aptly explained volatility in organization. In this study, a hybrid grounded theory based on abstract inductive extensions of information theories was utilized as the research methodology. An overarching heuristic metamodel was framed from the theoretical analysis of the properties of these extension theories and applied to business, neural, and computational entities. This metamodel resulted in the synthesis of a metaphor for, and generalization of organization evolution, serving as the recommended and appropriate analytical tool to view business dynamics for future applications. This study may manifest positive social change through a fundamental understanding of complexity in business from general information theories, resulting in more effective management.

Statewide Intelligent Transportation Systems As-Is Agency Reports For Minnesota, Volume 6, City Of St. Paul

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-08-01

KEYWORDS: : TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL/REAL-TIME ADAPTIVE CONTROL, ADVANCED TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OR ATMS : THIS DOCUMENT PRESENTS THE METHODS, ASSUMPTIONS AND PROCEDURES USED TO COLLECT THE BASELINE INFORMATION. THE DOCUMENTATION OF SYSTEMS ...

LCMS landscape change monitoring system—results from an information needs assessment

Treesearch

Kevin Megown; Brian Schwind; Don Evans; Mark Finco

2015-01-01

Understanding changes in land use and land cover over space and time provides an important means to evaluate complex interactions between human and biophysical systems, to project future conditions, and to design mitigation and adaptive management strategies. Assessing and monitoring landscape change is evolving into a foundational element of climate change adaptation...

Management of natural crises with choreography and orchestration of federated warning-systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haener, Rainer; Waechter, Joachim; Hammitzsch, Martin

2013-04-01

The project Collaborative, Complex and Critical Decision-Support in Evolving Crises (TRIDEC), co-funded by the European Commission in its Seventh Framework Programme focuses on real-time intelligent information management in earth management. The addressed challenges include the design and implementation of a robust and scalable service infrastructure supporting the integration of existing resources, components and systems. Key challenge for TRIDEC is establishing a network of independent systems, cooperatively interacting as a collective in a system-of-systems (SoS). For this purpose TRIDEC adopts enhancements of service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles in terms of an event-driven architecture (EDA) design (SOA 2.0). In this way TRIDEC establishes large-scale concurrent and intelligent information management of a manifold of crisis types by focusing on the integration of autonomous, task-oriented and geographically distributed systems. To this end TRIDEC adapts both ways SOA 2.0 offers: orchestration and choreography. In orchestration, a central knowledge-based processing framework takes control over the involved services and coordinates their execution. Choreography on the other hand avoids central coordination. Rather, each system involved in the SoS follows a global scenario without a single point of control but specifically defined (enacted, agreed upon) trigger conditions. More than orchestration choreography allows collaborative business processes of various heterogeneous sub-systems (e.g. cooperative decision making) by concurrent Complex Event Processing (CEP) and asynchronous communication. These types of interaction adapt the concept of decoupled relationships between information producers (e.g. sensors and sensor systems) and information consumers (e.g. warning systems and warning dissemination systems). Asynchronous communication is useful if a participant wants to trigger specific actions by delegating the responsibility (separation of concerns) for the action to a dedicated participant. Implementing CEP, none of the participants has to know anything about the others. Information is filtered from a stream of manifold events (triggers) assigned to certain and well-defined topics. Both, orchestration and choreography are based on the specification of conversations, which comprise the information model, the roles and responsibilities of all participants, services and business processes, and interaction scenarios. By the maintenance of conversations in commonly available and semantically enabled registries it is possible to establish a federation of systems that is able to provide dynamic, yet coherent behaviour. TRIDEC establishes a reliable and adaptive SoS (concurrent processing of events and activities) which exposes emergent behaviour (e.g. intelligent and adaptive monitoring strategies, cooperative decision making or dynamic system configuration) even in case of partly system failures. In a process of self-organising (task balancing and dynamic delegation of responsibilities) as SoS is able to secure the reliability and responsiveness for real-time, long running & durable monitoring activities. Concepts like Design by Contract (DbC), service level agreements (SLA), redundancy- and failover-strategies as well as a comprehensive knowledge-based description of all facets of all potential interactions ensure the interoperability, robustness and expected behaviour of the TRIDEC SoS even if it is composed of managerial independent sub-systems. Beyond these features, the adaptability of a SoS offers scalability and virtualization regarding both, systems and domains. Composability and re-use of functionality can be achieved easily even across domain-boundaries.

Online adaptive optimal control for continuous-time nonlinear systems with completely unknown dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Yongfeng; Na, Jing; Yang, Qinmin; Wu, Xing; Guo, Yu

2016-01-01

An online adaptive optimal control is proposed for continuous-time nonlinear systems with completely unknown dynamics, which is achieved by developing a novel identifier-critic-based approximate dynamic programming algorithm with a dual neural network (NN) approximation structure. First, an adaptive NN identifier is designed to obviate the requirement of complete knowledge of system dynamics, and a critic NN is employed to approximate the optimal value function. Then, the optimal control law is computed based on the information from the identifier NN and the critic NN, so that the actor NN is not needed. In particular, a novel adaptive law design method with the parameter estimation error is proposed to online update the weights of both identifier NN and critic NN simultaneously, which converge to small neighbourhoods around their ideal values. The closed-loop system stability and the convergence to small vicinity around the optimal solution are all proved by means of the Lyapunov theory. The proposed adaptation algorithm is also improved to achieve finite-time convergence of the NN weights. Finally, simulation results are provided to exemplify the efficacy of the proposed methods.

On the development of an interactive resource information management system for analysis and display of spatiotemporal data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schell, J. A.

1974-01-01

The recent availability of timely synoptic earth imagery from the Earth Resources Technology Satellites (ERTS) provides a wealth of information for the monitoring and management of vital natural resources. Formal language definitions and syntax interpretation algorithms were adapted to provide a flexible, computer information system for the maintenance of resource interpretation of imagery. These techniques are incorporated, together with image analysis functions, into an Interactive Resource Information Management and Analysis System, IRIMAS, which is implemented on a Texas Instruments 980A minicomputer system augmented with a dynamic color display for image presentation. A demonstration of system usage and recommendations for further system development are also included.

Advanced technology development for image gathering, coding, and processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huck, Friedrich O.

1990-01-01

Three overlapping areas of research activities are presented: (1) Information theory and optimal filtering are extended to visual information acquisition and processing. The goal is to provide a comprehensive methodology for quantitatively assessing the end-to-end performance of image gathering, coding, and processing. (2) Focal-plane processing techniques and technology are developed to combine effectively image gathering with coding. The emphasis is on low-level vision processing akin to the retinal processing in human vision. (3) A breadboard adaptive image-coding system is being assembled. This system will be used to develop and evaluate a number of advanced image-coding technologies and techniques as well as research the concept of adaptive image coding.

Sequences spanning the leader-repeat junction mediate CRISPR adaptation to phage in Streptococcus thermophilus

PubMed Central

Wei, Yunzhou; Chesne, Megan T.; Terns, Rebecca M.; Terns, Michael P.

2015-01-01

CRISPR-Cas systems are RNA-based immune systems that protect prokaryotes from invaders such as phages and plasmids. In adaptation, the initial phase of the immune response, short foreign DNA fragments are captured and integrated into host CRISPR loci to provide heritable defense against encountered foreign nucleic acids. Each CRISPR contains a ∼100–500 bp leader element that typically includes a transcription promoter, followed by an array of captured ∼35 bp sequences (spacers) sandwiched between copies of an identical ∼35 bp direct repeat sequence. New spacers are added immediately downstream of the leader. Here, we have analyzed adaptation to phage infection in Streptococcus thermophilus at the CRISPR1 locus to identify cis-acting elements essential for the process. We show that the leader and a single repeat of the CRISPR locus are sufficient for adaptation in this system. Moreover, we identified a leader sequence element capable of stimulating adaptation at a dormant repeat. We found that sequences within 10 bp of the site of integration, in both the leader and repeat of the CRISPR, are required for the process. Our results indicate that information at the CRISPR leader-repeat junction is critical for adaptation in this Type II-A system and likely other CRISPR-Cas systems. PMID:25589547

Analysis of Costs and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duchesne, Roderick M.

1973-01-01

This article outlines a library management information system concerned with total library costs and performance. The system is essentially an adaptation of well-proven industrial and commercial management accounting techniques to the library context. (24 references) (Author)

Provision of Ubiquitous Tourist Information in Public Transport Networks

PubMed Central

García, Carmelo R.; Pérez, Ricardo; Alayón, Francisco; Quesada-Arencibia, Alexis; Padrón, Gabino

2012-01-01

This paper outlines an information system for tourists using collective public transport based on mobile devices with limited computation and wireless connection capacities. In this system, the mobile device collaborates with the vehicle infrastructure in order to provide the user with multimedia (visual and audio) information about his/her trip. The information delivered, adapted to the user preferences, is synchronized with the passage of vehicles through points of interest along the route, for example: bus stops, tourist sights, public service centres, etc.

FRIEND: a brain-monitoring agent for adaptive and assistive systems.

PubMed

Morris, Alexis; Ulieru, Mihaela

2012-01-01

This paper presents an architectural design for adaptive-systems agents (FRIEND) that use brain state information to make more effective decisions on behalf of a user; measuring brain context versus situational demands. These systems could be useful for alerting users to cognitive workload levels or fatigue, and could attempt to compensate for higher cognitive activity by filtering noise information. In some cases such systems could also share control of devices, such as pulling over in an automated vehicle. These aim to assist people in everyday systems to perform tasks better and be more aware of internal states. Achieving a functioning system of this sort is a challenge, involving a unification of brain- computer-interfaces, human-computer-interaction, soft-computin deliberative multi-agent systems disciplines. Until recently, these were not able to be combined into a usable platform due largely to technological limitations (e.g., size, cost, and processing speed), insufficient research on extracting behavioral states from EEG signals, and lack of low-cost wireless sensing headsets. We aim to surpass these limitations and develop control architectures for making sense of brain state in applications by realizing an agent architecture for adaptive (human-aware) technology. In this paper we present an early, high-level design towards implementing a multi-purpose brain-monitoring agent system to improve user quality of life through the assistive applications of psycho-physiological monitoring, noise-filtering, and shared system control.

Adaptive control for eye-gaze input system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Qijie; Tu, Dawei; Yin, Hairong

2004-01-01

The characteristics of the vision-based human-computer interaction system have been analyzed, and the practical application and its limited factors at present time have also been mentioned. The information process methods have been put forward. In order to make the communication flexible and spontaneous, the algorithms to adaptive control of user"s head movement has been designed, and the events-based methods and object-oriented computer language is used to develop the system software, by experiment testing, we found that under given condition, these methods and algorithms can meet the need of the HCI.

On Cognition, Structured Sequence Processing, and Adaptive Dynamical Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petersson, Karl Magnus

2008-11-01

Cognitive neuroscience approaches the brain as a cognitive system: a system that functionally is conceptualized in terms of information processing. We outline some aspects of this concept and consider a physical system to be an information processing device when a subclass of its physical states can be viewed as representational/cognitive and transitions between these can be conceptualized as a process operating on these states by implementing operations on the corresponding representational structures. We identify a generic and fundamental problem in cognition: sequentially organized structured processing. Structured sequence processing provides the brain, in an essential sense, with its processing logic. In an approach addressing this problem, we illustrate how to integrate levels of analysis within a framework of adaptive dynamical systems. We note that the dynamical system framework lends itself to a description of asynchronous event-driven devices, which is likely to be important in cognition because the brain appears to be an asynchronous processing system. We use the human language faculty and natural language processing as a concrete example through out.

Service Center for Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture - an initiative of the University of West Hungary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matyas, Cs.; Berki, I.; Drüszler, A.; Eredics, A.; Galos, B.; Moricz, N.; Rasztovits, E.

2012-04-01

In whole Central Europe agricultural production is highly vulnerable and sensitive to impacts of projected climatic changes. The low-elevation regions of the Carpathian Basin (most of the territory of Hungary), where precipitation is the minimum factor of production, are especially exposed to climatic extremes, especially to droughts. Rainfed agriculture, animal husbandry on nature-close pastures and nature-close forestry are the most sensitive sectors due to limited possibilities to counterbalance moisture supply constraints. These sectors have to be best prepared to frequency increase of extreme events, disasters and economic losses. So far, there is a lack of information about the middle and long term consequences on regional and local level. Therefore the importance of complex, long term management planning and of land use optimation is increasing. The aim of the initiative is to set up a fine-scale, GIS-based, complex, integrated system for the definition of the most important regional and local challenges and tasks of climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and also nature protection. The Service Center for Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture is planned to provide the following services: § Complex, GIS-supported database, which integrates the basic information about present and projected climates, extremes, hydrology and soil conditions; § Evaluation of existing satellite-based and earth-based monitoring systems; § GIS-supported information about the future trends of climate change impacts on the agroecological potential and sensitivity status on regional and local level (e.g. land cover/use and expectable changes, production, water and carbon cycle, biodiversity and other ecosystem services, potential pests and diseases, tolerance limits etc.) in fine-scale horizontal resolution, based first of all on natural produce, including also social and economic consequences; § Complex decision supporting system on regional and local scale for middle- and long term adaptation and mitigation strategies, providing information on optimum technologies and energy balances. Cooperation with already existing Climate Service Centres and national and international collaboration in monitoring and research are important elements of the activity of the Centre. In the future, the Centre is planned to form part of a national information system on climate change adaptation and mitigation, supported by the Ministry of Development. Keywords: climate change impacts, forestry, rainfed agriculture, animal husbandry

An adaptive deep-coupled GNSS/INS navigation system with hybrid pre-filter processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Mouyan; Ding, Jicheng; Zhao, Lin; Kang, Yingyao; Luo, Zhibin

2018-02-01

The deep-coupling of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) with an inertial navigation system (INS) can provide accurate and reliable navigation information. There are several kinds of deeply-coupled structures. These can be divided mainly into coherent and non-coherent pre-filter based structures, which have their own strong advantages and disadvantages, especially in accuracy and robustness. In this paper, the existing pre-filters of the deeply-coupled structures are analyzed and modified to improve them firstly. Then, an adaptive GNSS/INS deeply-coupled algorithm with hybrid pre-filters processing is proposed to combine the advantages of coherent and non-coherent structures. An adaptive hysteresis controller is designed to implement the hybrid pre-filters processing strategy. The simulation and vehicle test results show that the adaptive deeply-coupled algorithm with hybrid pre-filters processing can effectively improve navigation accuracy and robustness, especially in a GNSS-challenged environment.

Improving Sensorimotor Adaptation Following Long Duration Space Flight by Enhancing Vestibular Information Transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, A. P.; Kofman, I. S.; De Dios, Y. E; Galvan, R.; Goel, R.; Miller, C.; Peters, B.; Cohen, H. S.; Jeevarajan, J.; Reschke, M.;

Adaptive hybrid optimal quantum control for imprecisely characterized systems.

PubMed

Egger, D J; Wilhelm, F K

2014-06-20

Optimal quantum control theory carries a huge promise for quantum technology. Its experimental application, however, is often hindered by imprecise knowledge of the input variables, the quantum system's parameters. We show how to overcome this by adaptive hybrid optimal control, using a protocol named Ad-HOC. This protocol combines open- and closed-loop optimal control by first performing a gradient search towards a near-optimal control pulse and then an experimental fidelity estimation with a gradient-free method. For typical settings in solid-state quantum information processing, adaptive hybrid optimal control enhances gate fidelities by an order of magnitude, making optimal control theory applicable and useful.

More About Vector Adaptive/Predictive Coding Of Speech

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jedrey, Thomas C.; Gersho, Allen

1992-01-01

Report presents additional information about digital speech-encoding and -decoding system described in "Vector Adaptive/Predictive Encoding of Speech" (NPO-17230). Summarizes development of vector adaptive/predictive coding (VAPC) system and describes basic functions of algorithm. Describes refinements introduced enabling receiver to cope with errors. VAPC algorithm implemented in integrated-circuit coding/decoding processors (codecs). VAPC and other codecs tested under variety of operating conditions. Tests designed to reveal effects of various background quiet and noisy environments and of poor telephone equipment. VAPC found competitive with and, in some respects, superior to other 4.8-kb/s codecs and other codecs of similar complexity.

Development and preliminary testing of an automatic turning movements identification system : final report, February 2010.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

It is important for many applications, such as intersection delay estimation and adaptive signal : control, to obtain vehicle turning movement information at signalized intersections. However, : vehicle turning movement information is very time consu...

Referral hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo as complex adaptive systems: similar program, different dynamics.

PubMed

Karemere, Hermès; Ribesse, Nathalie; Kahindo, Jean-Bosco; Macq, Jean

2015-01-01

In many African countries, first referral hospitals received little attention from development agencies until recently. We report the evolution of two of them in an unstable region like Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo when receiving the support from development aid program. Specifically, we aimed at studying how actors' network and institutional framework evolved over time and what could matter the most when looking at their performance in such an environment. We performed two cases studies between 2006 and 2010. We used multiple sources of data: reports to document events; health information system for hospital services production, and "key-informants" interviews to interpret the relation between interventions and services production. Our analysis was inspired from complex adaptive system theory. It started from the analysis of events implementation, to explore interaction process between the main agents in each hospital, and the consequence it could have on hospital health services production. This led to the development of new theoretical propositions. Two events implemented in the frame of the development aid program were identified by most of the key-informants interviewed as having the greatest impact on hospital performance: the development of a hospital plan and the performance based financing. They resulted in contrasting interaction process between the main agents between the two hospitals. Two groups of services production were reviewed: consultation at outpatient department and admissions, and surgery. The evolution of both groups of services production were different between both hospitals. By studying two first referral hospitals through the lens of a Complex Adaptive System, their performance in a context of development aid takes a different meaning. Success is not only measured through increased hospital production but through meaningful process of hospital agents'" network adaptation. Expected process is not necessarily a change; strengthened equilibrium and existing institutional arrangement may be a preferable result. Much more attention should be given in future international aid to the proper understanding of the hospital adaptation capacities.

Schools as social complex adaptive systems: a new way to understand the challenges of introducing the health promoting schools concept.

PubMed

Keshavarz, Nastaran; Nutbeam, Don; Rowling, Louise; Khavarpour, Freidoon

2010-05-01

Achieving system-wide implementation of health promotion programs in schools and sustaining both the program and its health related benefits have proved challenging. This paper reports on a qualitative study examining the implementation of health promoting schools programs in primary schools in Sydney, Australia. It draw upon insights from systems science to examine the relevance and usefulness of the concept of "complex adaptive systems" as a framework to better understand ways in which health promoting school interventions could be introduced and sustained. The primary data for the study were collected by semi-structured interviews with 26 school principals and teachers. Additional information was extracted from publicly available school management plans and annual reports. We examined the data from these sources to determine whether schools exhibit characteristics of complex adaptive systems. The results confirmed that schools do exhibit most, but not all of the characteristics of social complex adaptive systems, and exhibit significant differences with artificial and natural systems. Understanding schools as social complex adaptive systems may help to explain some of the challenges of introducing and sustaining change in schools. These insights may, in turn, lead us to adopt more sophisticated approaches to the diffusion of new programs in school systems that account for the diverse, complex and context specific nature of individual school systems. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peripheral Processing Facilitates Optic Flow-Based Depth Perception

PubMed Central

Li, Jinglin; Lindemann, Jens P.; Egelhaaf, Martin

2016-01-01

Flying insects, such as flies or bees, rely on consistent information regarding the depth structure of the environment when performing their flight maneuvers in cluttered natural environments. These behaviors include avoiding collisions, approaching targets or spatial navigation. Insects are thought to obtain depth information visually from the retinal image displacements (“optic flow”) during translational ego-motion. Optic flow in the insect visual system is processed by a mechanism that can be modeled by correlation-type elementary motion detectors (EMDs). However, it is still an open question how spatial information can be extracted reliably from the responses of the highly contrast- and pattern-dependent EMD responses, especially if the vast range of light intensities encountered in natural environments is taken into account. This question will be addressed here by systematically modeling the peripheral visual system of flies, including various adaptive mechanisms. Different model variants of the peripheral visual system were stimulated with image sequences that mimic the panoramic visual input during translational ego-motion in various natural environments, and the resulting peripheral signals were fed into an array of EMDs. We characterized the influence of each peripheral computational unit on the representation of spatial information in the EMD responses. Our model simulations reveal that information about the overall light level needs to be eliminated from the EMD input as is accomplished under light-adapted conditions in the insect peripheral visual system. The response characteristics of large monopolar cells (LMCs) resemble that of a band-pass filter, which reduces the contrast dependency of EMDs strongly, effectively enhancing the representation of the nearness of objects and, especially, of their contours. We furthermore show that local brightness adaptation of photoreceptors allows for spatial vision under a wide range of dynamic light conditions. PMID:27818631

Adaptable data management for systems biology investigations

PubMed Central

Boyle, John; Rovira, Hector; Cavnor, Chris; Burdick, David; Killcoyne, Sarah; Shmulevich, Ilya

2009-01-01

Background Within research each experiment is different, the focus changes and the data is generated from a continually evolving barrage of technologies. There is a continual introduction of new techniques whose usage ranges from in-house protocols through to high-throughput instrumentation. To support these requirements data management systems are needed that can be rapidly built and readily adapted for new usage. Results The adaptable data management system discussed is designed to support the seamless mining and analysis of biological experiment data that is commonly used in systems biology (e.g. ChIP-chip, gene expression, proteomics, imaging, flow cytometry). We use different content graphs to represent different views upon the data. These views are designed for different roles: equipment specific views are used to gather instrumentation information; data processing oriented views are provided to enable the rapid development of analysis applications; and research project specific views are used to organize information for individual research experiments. This management system allows for both the rapid introduction of new types of information and the evolution of the knowledge it represents. Conclusion Data management is an important aspect of any research enterprise. It is the foundation on which most applications are built, and must be easily extended to serve new functionality for new scientific areas. We have found that adopting a three-tier architecture for data management, built around distributed standardized content repositories, allows us to rapidly develop new applications to support a diverse user community. PMID:19265554

Adaptive control of a millimeter-scale flapping-wing robot.

PubMed

Chirarattananon, Pakpong; Ma, Kevin Y; Wood, Robert J

2014-06-01

Challenges for the controlled flight of a robotic insect are due to the inherent instability of the system, complex fluid-structure interactions, and the general lack of a complete system model. In this paper, we propose theoretical models of the system based on the limited information available from previous work and a comprehensive flight controller. The modular flight controller is derived from Lyapunov function candidates with proven stability over a large region of attraction. Moreover, it comprises adaptive components that are capable of coping with uncertainties in the system that arise from manufacturing imperfections. We have demonstrated that the proposed methods enable the robot to achieve sustained hovering flights with relatively small errors compared to a non-adaptive approach. Simple lateral maneuvers and vertical takeoff and landing flights are also shown to illustrate the fidelity of the flight controller. The analysis suggests that the adaptive scheme is crucial in order to achieve millimeter-scale precision in flight control as observed in natural insect flight.

Cluster formation by allelomimesis in real-world complex adaptive systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juanico, Dranreb Earl; Monterola, Christopher; Saloma, Caesar

2005-04-01

Animal and human clusters are complex adaptive systems and many organize in cluster sizes s that obey the frequency distribution D(s)∝s-τ . The exponent τ describes the relative abundance of the cluster sizes in a given system. Data analyses reveal that real-world clusters exhibit a broad spectrum of τ values, 0.7 (tuna fish schools) ⩽τ⩽4.61 (T4 bacteriophage gene family sizes). Allelomimesis is proposed as an underlying mechanism for adaptation that explains the observed broad τ spectrum. Allelomimesis is the tendency of an individual to imitate the actions of others and two cluster systems have different τ values when their component agents display unequal degrees of allelomimetic tendencies. Cluster formation by allelomimesis is shown to be of three general types: namely, blind copying, information-use copying, and noncopying. Allelomimetic adaptation also reveals that the most stable cluster size is formed by three strongly allelomimetic individuals. Our finding is consistent with available field data taken from killer whales and marmots.

Important ingredients for health adaptive information systems.

PubMed

Senathirajah, Yalini; Bakken, Suzanne

2011-01-01

Healthcare information systems frequently do not truly meet clinician needs, due to the complexity, variability, and rapid change in medical contexts. Recently the internet world has been transformed by approaches commonly termed 'Web 2.0'. This paper proposes a Web 2.0 model for a healthcare adaptive architecture. The vision includes creating modular, user-composable systems which aim to make all necessary information from multiple internal and external sources available via a platform, for the user to use, arrange, recombine, author, and share at will, using rich interfaces where advisable. Clinicians can create a set of 'widgets' and 'views' which can transform data, reflect their domain knowledge and cater to their needs, using simple drag and drop interfaces without the intervention of programmers. We have built an example system, MedWISE, embodying the user-facing parts of the model. This approach to HIS is expected to have several advantages, including greater suitability to user needs (reflecting clinician rather than programmer concepts and priorities), incorporation of multiple information sources, agile reconfiguration to meet emerging situations and new treatment deployment, capture of user domain expertise and tacit knowledge, efficiencies due to workflow and human-computer interaction improvements, and greater user acceptance.

Generic Educational Knowledge Representation for Adaptive and Cognitive Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caravantes, Arturo; Galan, Ramon

2011-01-01

The interoperability of educational systems, encouraged by the development of specifications, standards and tools related to the Semantic Web is limited to the exchange of information in domain and student models. High system interoperability requires that a common framework be defined that represents the functional essence of educational systems.…

IT [Information Technology] in Vocational Education [and] Training. Paper Presentations: Session D.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

This document contains 15 papers from the information technology (IT) in vocational education and training (VET) section of an international conference on VET for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Adapting the System of Continuing Vocational Education for the 3rd Industrial Revolution--Experiences…

A qualitative examination of the health workforce needs during climate change disaster response in Pacific Island Countries

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background There is a growing body of evidence that the impacts of climate change are affecting population health negatively. The Pacific region is particularly vulnerable to climate change; a strong health-care system is required to respond during times of disaster. This paper examines the capacity of the health sector in Pacific Island Countries to adapt to changing disaster response needs, in terms of: (i) health workforce governance, management, policy and involvement; (ii) health-care capacity and skills; and (iii) human resources for health training and workforce development. Methods Key stakeholder interviews informed the assessment of the capacity of the health sector and disaster response organizations in Pacific Island Countries to adapt to disaster response needs under a changing climate. The research specifically drew upon and examined the adaptive capacity of individual organizations and the broader system of disaster response in four case study countries (Fiji, Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Samoa). Results ‘Capacity’ including health-care capacity was one of the objective determinants identified as most significant in influencing the adaptive capacity of disaster response systems in the Pacific. The research identified several elements that could support the adaptive capacity of the health sector such as: inclusive involvement in disaster coordination; policies in place for health workforce coordination; belief in their abilities; and strong donor support. Factors constraining adaptive capacity included: weak coordination of international health personnel; lack of policies to address health worker welfare; limited human resources and material resources; shortages of personnel to deal with psychosocial needs; inadequate skills in field triage and counselling; and limited capacity for training. Conclusion Findings from this study can be used to inform the development of human resources for health policies and strategic plans, and to support the development of a coordinated and collaborative approach to disaster response training across the Pacific and other developing contexts. This study also provides an overview of health-care capacity and some of the challenges and strengths that can inform future development work by humanitarian organizations, regional and international donors involved in climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction in the Pacific region. PMID:24521057

A Multiple Objective Test Assembly Approach for Exposure Control Problems in Computerized Adaptive Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veldkamp, Bernard P.; Verschoor, Angela J.; Eggen, Theo J. H. M.

2010-01-01

Overexposure and underexposure of items in the bank are serious problems in operational computerized adaptive testing (CAT) systems. These exposure problems might result in item compromise, or point at a waste of investments. The exposure control problem can be viewed as a test assembly problem with multiple objectives. Information in the test has…

LandCaRe DSS--an interactive decision support system for climate change impact assessment and the analysis of potential agricultural land use adaptation strategies.

PubMed

Wenkel, Karl-Otto; Berg, Michael; Mirschel, Wilfried; Wieland, Ralf; Nendel, Claas; Köstner, Barbara

2013-09-01

Decision support to develop viable climate change adaptation strategies for agriculture and regional land use management encompasses a wide range of options and issues. Up to now, only a few suitable tools and methods have existed for farmers and regional stakeholders that support the process of decision-making in this field. The interactive model-based spatial information and decision support system LandCaRe DSS attempts to close the existing methodical gap. This system supports interactive spatial scenario simulations, multi-ensemble and multi-model simulations at the regional scale, as well as the complex impact assessment of potential land use adaptation strategies at the local scale. The system is connected to a local geo-database and via the internet to a climate data server. LandCaRe DSS uses a multitude of scale-specific ecological impact models, which are linked in various ways. At the local scale (farm scale), biophysical models are directly coupled with a farm economy calculator. New or alternative simulation models can easily be added, thanks to the innovative architecture and design of the DSS. Scenario simulations can be conducted with a reasonable amount of effort. The interactive LandCaRe DSS prototype also offers a variety of data analysis and visualisation tools, a help system for users and a farmer information system for climate adaptation in agriculture. This paper presents the theoretical background, the conceptual framework, and the structure and methodology behind LandCaRe DSS. Scenario studies at the regional and local scale for the two Eastern German regions of Uckermark (dry lowlands, 2600 km(2)) and Weißeritz (humid mountain area, 400 km(2)) were conducted in close cooperation with stakeholders to test the functionality of the DSS prototype. The system is gradually being transformed into a web version (http://www.landcare-dss.de) to ensure the broadest possible distribution of LandCaRe DSS to the public. The system will be continuously developed, updated and used in different research projects and as a learning and knowledge-sharing tool for students. The main objective of LandCaRe DSS is to provide information on the complex long-term impacts of climate change and on potential management options for adaptation by answering "what-if" type questions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beyond exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity: A response based ecological framework to assess species climate change vulnerability

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fortini, Lucas B.; Schubert, Olivia

2017-01-01

As the impacts of global climate change on species are increasingly evident, there is a clear need to adapt conservation efforts worldwide. Species vulnerability assessments (VAs) are increasingly used to summarize all relevant information to determine a species’ potential vulnerability to climate change and are frequently the first step in informing climate adaptation efforts. VAs commonly integrate multiple sources of information by utilizing a framework that distinguishes factors relevant to species exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. However, this framework was originally developed for human systems, and its use to evaluate species vulnerability has serious practical and theoretical limitations. By instead defining vulnerability as the degree to which a species is unable to exhibit any of the responses necessary for persistence under climate change (i.e., toleration of projected changes, migration to new climate-compatible areas, enduring in microrefugia, and evolutionary adaptation), we can bring VAs into the realm of ecological science without applying borrowed abstract concepts that have consistently challenged species-centric research and management. This response-based framework to assess species vulnerability to climate change allows better integration of relevant ecological data and past research, yielding results with much clearer implications for conservation and research prioritization.

Auditory fovea and Doppler shift compensation: adaptations for flutter detection in echolocating bats using CF-FM signals.

PubMed

Schnitzler, Hans-Ulrich; Denzinger, Annette

2011-05-01

Rhythmical modulations in insect echoes caused by the moving wings of fluttering insects are behaviourally relevant information for bats emitting CF-FM signals with a high duty cycle. Transmitter and receiver of the echolocation system in flutter detecting foragers are especially adapted for the processing of flutter information. The adaptations of the transmitter are indicated by a flutter induced increase in duty cycle, and by Doppler shift compensation (DSC) that keeps the carrier frequency of the insect echoes near a reference frequency. An adaptation of the receiver is the auditory fovea on the basilar membrane, a highly expanded frequency representation centred to the reference frequency. The afferent projections from the fovea lead to foveal areas with an overrepresentation of sharply tuned neurons with best frequencies near the reference frequency throughout the entire auditory pathway. These foveal neurons are very sensitive to stimuli with natural and simulated flutter information. The frequency range of the foveal areas with their flutter processing neurons overlaps exactly with the frequency range where DS compensating bats most likely receive echoes from fluttering insects. This tight match indicates that auditory fovea and DSC are adaptations for the detection and evaluation of insects flying in clutter.

Trigger learning and ECG parameter customization for remote cardiac clinical care information system.

PubMed

Bashir, Mohamed Ezzeldin A; Lee, Dong Gyu; Li, Meijing; Bae, Jang-Whan; Shon, Ho Sun; Cho, Myung Chan; Ryu, Keun Ho

2012-07-01

Coronary heart disease is being identified as the largest single cause of death along the world. The aim of a cardiac clinical information system is to achieve the best possible diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias by electronic data processing. Cardiac information system that is designed to offer remote monitoring of patient who needed continues follow up is demanding. However, intra- and interpatient electrocardiogram (ECG) morphological descriptors are varying through the time as well as the computational limits pose significant challenges for practical implementations. The former requires that the classification model be adjusted continuously, and the latter requires a reduction in the number and types of ECG features, and thus, the computational burden, necessary to classify different arrhythmias. We propose the use of adaptive learning to automatically train the classifier on up-to-date ECG data, and employ adaptive feature selection to define unique feature subsets pertinent to different types of arrhythmia. Experimental results show that this hybrid technique outperforms conventional approaches and is, therefore, a promising new intelligent diagnostic tool.

Design for Run-Time Monitor on Cloud Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Mikyung; Kang, Dong-In; Yun, Mira; Park, Gyung-Leen; Lee, Junghoon

Cloud computing is a new information technology trend that moves computing and data away from desktops and portable PCs into large data centers. The basic principle of cloud computing is to deliver applications as services over the Internet as well as infrastructure. A cloud is the type of a parallel and distributed system consisting of a collection of inter-connected and virtualized computers that are dynamically provisioned and presented as one or more unified computing resources. The large-scale distributed applications on a cloud require adaptive service-based software, which has the capability of monitoring the system status change, analyzing the monitored information, and adapting its service configuration while considering tradeoffs among multiple QoS features simultaneously. In this paper, we design Run-Time Monitor (RTM) which is a system software to monitor the application behavior at run-time, analyze the collected information, and optimize resources on cloud computing. RTM monitors application software through library instrumentation as well as underlying hardware through performance counter optimizing its computing configuration based on the analyzed data.

A knowledge representation approach using fuzzy cognitive maps for better navigation support in an adaptive learning system.

PubMed

Chrysafiadi, Konstantina; Virvou, Maria

2013-12-01

In this paper a knowledge representation approach of an adaptive and/or personalized tutoring system is presented. The domain knowledge should be represented in a more realistic way in order to allow the adaptive and/or personalized tutoring system to deliver the learning material to each individual learner dynamically taking into account her/his learning needs and her/his different learning pace. To succeed this, the domain knowledge representation has to depict the possible increase or decrease of the learner's knowledge. Considering that the domain concepts that constitute the learning material are not independent from each other, the knowledge representation approach has to allow the system to recognize either the domain concepts that are already partly or completely known for a learner, or the domain concepts that s/he has forgotten, taking into account the learner's knowledge level of the related concepts. In other words, the system should be informed about the knowledge dependencies that exist among the domain concepts of the learning material, as well as the strength on impact of each domain concept on others. Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) seem to be an ideal way for representing graphically this kind of information. The suggested knowledge representation approach has been implemented in an e-learning adaptive system for teaching computer programming. The particular system was used by the students of a postgraduate program in the field of Informatics in the University of Piraeus and was compared with a corresponding system, in which the domain knowledge was represented using the most common used technique of network of concepts. The results of the evaluation were very encouraging.

Dynamic Speed Adaptation for Path Tracking Based on Curvature Information and Speed Limits †

PubMed Central

Gámez Serna, Citlalli; Ruichek, Yassine

2017-01-01

A critical concern of autonomous vehicles is safety. Different approaches have tried to enhance driving safety to reduce the number of fatal crashes and severe injuries. As an example, Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) systems warn the driver when the vehicle exceeds the recommended speed limit. However, these systems only take into account fixed speed limits without considering factors like road geometry. In this paper, we consider road curvature with speed limits to automatically adjust vehicle’s speed with the ideal one through our proposed Dynamic Speed Adaptation (DSA) method. Furthermore, ‘curve analysis extraction’ and ‘speed limits database creation’ are also part of our contribution. An algorithm that analyzes GPS information off-line identifies high curvature segments and estimates the speed for each curve. The speed limit database contains information about the different speed limit zones for each traveled path. Our DSA senses speed limits and curves of the road using GPS information and ensures smooth speed transitions between current and ideal speeds. Through experimental simulations with different control algorithms on real and simulated datasets, we prove that our method is able to significantly reduce lateral errors on sharp curves, to respect speed limits and consequently increase safety and comfort for the passenger. PMID:28613251

A SCORING SYSTEM TO IMPROVE DECISION MAKING AND OUTCOMES IN THE ADAPTATION OF RECENTLY CAPTURED WHITE RHINOCEROSES (CERATOTHERIUM SIMUM) TO CAPTIVITY.

PubMed

Miller, Michele; Kruger, Milandie; Kruger, Marius; Olea-Popelka, Francisco; Buss, Peter

2016-04-01

Ninety-four subadult and adult white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) were captured between February and October, 2009-11, in Kruger National Park and placed in holding bomas prior to translocation to other locations within South Africa. A simple three-category system was developed based on appetite, fecal consistency/volume, and behavior to assess adaptation to bomas. Individual animal and group daily median scores were used to determine trends and when rhinoceroses had successfully adapted to the boma. Seventeen rhinoceroses did not adapt to boma confinement, and 16 were released (1 mortality). No differences in boma scores were observed between rhinoceroses that adapted and those that did not, until day 8, when the first significant differences were observed (adapted score=13 versus nonadapted score=10). The time to reach a boma score determined as successful adaptation (median 19 d) matched subjective observations, which was approximately 3 wk for most rhinoceroses. Unsuccessful adaptation was indicated by an individual boma score of less than 15, typically during the first 2 wk, or a declining trend in scores within the first 7-14 d. This scoring system can be used for most locations and could also be easily adapted to other areas in which rhinoceroses are held in captivity. This tool also provides important information for assessing welfare in newly captured rhinoceroses.

Practical Performance Analysis for Multiple Information Fusion Based Scalable Localization System Using Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Zhao, Yubin; Li, Xiaofan; Zhang, Sha; Meng, Tianhui; Zhang, Yiwen

2016-08-23

In practical localization system design, researchers need to consider several aspects to make the positioning efficiently and effectively, e.g., the available auxiliary information, sensing devices, equipment deployment and the environment. Then, these practical concerns turn out to be the technical problems, e.g., the sequential position state propagation, the target-anchor geometry effect, the Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) identification and the related prior information. It is necessary to construct an efficient framework that can exploit multiple available information and guide the system design. In this paper, we propose a scalable method to analyze system performance based on the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB), which can fuse all of the information adaptively. Firstly, we use an abstract function to represent all of the wireless localization system model. Then, the unknown vector of the CRLB consists of two parts: the first part is the estimated vector, and the second part is the auxiliary vector, which helps improve the estimation accuracy. Accordingly, the Fisher information matrix is divided into two parts: the state matrix and the auxiliary matrix. Unlike the theoretical analysis, our CRLB can be a practical fundamental limit to denote the system that fuses multiple information in the complicated environment, e.g., recursive Bayesian estimation based on the hidden Markov model, the map matching method and the NLOS identification and mitigation methods. Thus, the theoretical results are approaching the real case more. In addition, our method is more adaptable than other CRLBs when considering more unknown important factors. We use the proposed method to analyze the wireless sensor network-based indoor localization system. The influence of the hybrid LOS/NLOS channels, the building layout information and the relative height differences between the target and anchors are analyzed. It is demonstrated that our method exploits all of the available information for the indoor localization systems and serves as an indicator for practical system evaluation.

Adapting ISA system warnings to enhance user acceptance.

PubMed

Jiménez, Felipe; Liang, Yingzhen; Aparicio, Francisco

2012-09-01

Inappropriate speed is a major cause of traffic accidents. Different measures have been considered to control traffic speed, and intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) systems are one of the alternatives. These systems know the speed limits and try to improve compliance with them. This paper deals with an informative ISA system that provides the driver with an advance warning before reaching a road section with singular characteristics that require a lower safe speed than the current speed. In spite of the extensive tests performed using ISA systems, few works show how warnings can be adapted to the driver. This paper describes a method to adapt warning parameters (safe speed on curves, zone of influence of a singular stretch, deceleration process and reaction time) to normal driving behavior. The method is based on a set of tests with and without the ISA system. This adjustment, as well as the analysis of driver acceptance before and after the adaptation and changes in driver behavior (changes in speed and path) resulting from the tested ISA regarding a driver's normal driving style, is shown in this paper. The main conclusion is that acceptance by drivers increased significantly after redefining the warning parameters, but the effect of speed homogenization was not reduced. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defining adaptation measures collaboratively: A participatory approach in the Doñana socio-ecological system, Spain.

PubMed

De Stefano, Lucia; Hernández-Mora, Nuria; Iglesias, Ana; Sánchez, Berta

2017-06-15

The uncertainty associated with the definition of strategies for climate change adaptation poses a challenge that cannot be faced by science alone. We present a participatory experience where, instead of having science defining solutions and eliciting stakeholders' feedback, local actors actually drove the process. While principles and methods of the approach are easily adaptable to different local contexts, this paper shows the contribution of participatory dynamics to the design of adaptation measures in the biodiversity-rich socio-ecological region surrounding the Doñana wetlands (Southern Spain). During the process, stakeholders and scientists collaboratively designed a common scenario for the future in which to define and assess a portfolio of potential adaptation measures, and found a safe, informal space for open dialogue and information exchange. Through this dialogue, points of connection among local actors emerged around the need for more integrated, transparent design of adaptation measures; for strengthening local capacity; and for strategies to diversify economic activities in order to increase the resilience of the region. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing services for climate impact and adaptation baseline information and methodologies for the Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huggel, C.

2012-04-01

Impacts of climate change are observed and projected across a range of ecosystems and economic sectors, and mountain regions thereby rank among the hotspots of climate change. The Andes are considered particularly vulnerable to climate change, not only due to fragile ecosystems but also due to the high vulnerability of the population. Natural resources such as water systems play a critical role and are observed and projected to be seriously affected. Adaptation to climate change impacts is therefore crucial to contain the negative effects on the population. Adaptation projects require information on the climate and affected socio-environmental systems. There is, however, generally a lack of methodological guidelines how to generate the necessary scientific information and how to communicate to implementing governmental and non-governmental institutions. This is particularly important in view of the international funds for adaptation such as the Green Climate Fund established and set into process at the UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties in Cancun 2010 and Durban 2011. To facilitate this process international and regional organizations (World Bank and Andean Community) and a consortium of research institutions have joined forces to develop and define comprehensive methodologies for baseline and climate change impact assessments for the Andes, with an application potential to other mountain regions (AndesPlus project). Considered are the climatological baseline of a region, and the assessment of trends based on ground meteorological stations, reanalysis data, and satellite information. A challenge is the scarcity of climate information in the Andes, and the complex climatology of the mountain terrain. A climate data platform has been developed for the southern Peruvian Andes and is a key element for climate data service and exchange. Water resources are among the key livelihood components for the Andean population, and local and national economy, in particular for agriculture and hydropower. The retreat of glaciers as one of the clearest signal of climate change represents a problem for water supply during the long dry season. Hydrological modeling, using data from the few gauging stations and complemented by satellite precipitation data, is needed to generate baseline and climate impact information. Food security is often considered threatened due to climate change impacts, in the Andes for instance by droughts and cold spells that seriously affect high-elevation food systems. Eventually, methodologies are compiled and developed for analyzing risks from natural hazards and disasters. The vulnerabilities and risks for all types of climate impacts need to be reflected by analyzing the local and regional social, cultural, political and economic context. To provide the necessary references and information the project AndesPlus has developed a web-based knowledge and information platform. The highly interdisciplinary process of the project should contribute to climate impact and adaptation information services, needed to meet the challenges of adaptation.

Intelligent transportation systems for work zones : deployment benefits and lessons learned

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-12-01

This paper presents what has been learned in four principal areas of arterial management: 1) adaptive control strategies; 2) advanced traveler information systems; 3) automated enforcement; and 4) integration. The levels of deployment, benefits, depl...

Position-adaptive explosive detection concepts for swarming micro-UAVs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selmic, Rastko R.; Mitra, Atindra

2008-04-01

We have formulated a series of position-adaptive sensor concepts for explosive detection applications using swarms of micro-UAV's. These concepts are a generalization of position-adaptive radar concepts developed for challenging conditions such as urban environments. For radar applications, this concept is developed with platforms within a UAV swarm that spatially-adapt to signal leakage points on the perimeter of complex clutter environments to collect information on embedded objects-of-interest. The concept is generalized for additional sensors applications by, for example, considering a wooden cart that contains explosives. We can formulate system-of-systems concepts for a swarm of micro-UAV's in an effort to detect whether or not a given cart contains explosives. Under this new concept, some of the members of the UAV swarm can serve as position-adaptive "transmitters" by blowing air over the cart and some of the members of the UAV swarm can serve as position-adaptive "receivers" that are equipped with chem./bio sensors that function as "electronic noses". The final objective can be defined as improving the particle count for the explosives in the air that surrounds a cart via development of intelligent position-adaptive control algorithms in order to improve the detection and false-alarm statistics. We report on recent simulation results with regard to designing optimal sensor placement for explosive or other chemical agent detection. This type of information enables the development of intelligent control algorithms for UAV swarm applications and is intended for the design of future system-of-systems with adaptive intelligence for advanced surveillance of unknown regions. Results are reported as part of a parametric investigation where it is found that the probability of contaminant detection depends on the air flow that carries contaminant particles, geometry of the surrounding space, leakage areas, and other factors. We present a concept of position-adaptive detection (i.e. based on the example in the previous paragraph) consisting of position-adaptive fluid actuators (fans) and position-adaptive sensors. Based on these results, a preliminary analysis of sensor requirements for these fluid actuators and sensors is presented for small-UAVs in a field-enabled explosive detection environment. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation software Fluent is used to simulate the air flow in the corridor model containing a box with explosive particles. It is found that such flow is turbulent with Reynolds number greater than 106. Simulation methods and results are presented which show particle velocity and concentration distribution throughout the closed box. The results indicate that the CFD-based method can be used for other sensor placement and deployment optimization problems. These techniques and results can be applied towards the development of future system-of-system UAV swarms for defense, homeland defense, and security applications.

Adaptive approaches to biosecurity governance.

PubMed

Cook, David C; Liu, Shuang; Murphy, Brendan; Lonsdale, W Mark

2010-09-01

This article discusses institutional changes that may facilitate an adaptive approach to biosecurity risk management where governance is viewed as a multidisciplinary, interactive experiment acknowledging uncertainty. Using the principles of adaptive governance, evolved from institutional theory, we explore how the concepts of lateral information flows, incentive alignment, and policy experimentation might shape Australia's invasive species defense mechanisms. We suggest design principles for biosecurity policies emphasizing overlapping complementary response capabilities and the sharing of invasive species risks via a polycentric system of governance. © 2010 Society for Risk Analysis

An adaptive incremental approach to constructing ensemble classifiers: application in an information-theoretic computer-aided decision system for detection of masses in mammograms.

PubMed

Mazurowski, Maciej A; Zurada, Jacek M; Tourassi, Georgia D

2009-07-01

Ensemble classifiers have been shown efficient in multiple applications. In this article, the authors explore the effectiveness of ensemble classifiers in a case-based computer-aided diagnosis system for detection of masses in mammograms. They evaluate two general ways of constructing subclassifiers by resampling of the available development dataset: Random division and random selection. Furthermore, they discuss the problem of selecting the ensemble size and propose two adaptive incremental techniques that automatically select the size for the problem at hand. All the techniques are evaluated with respect to a previously proposed information-theoretic CAD system (IT-CAD). The experimental results show that the examined ensemble techniques provide a statistically significant improvement (AUC = 0.905 +/- 0.024) in performance as compared to the original IT-CAD system (AUC = 0.865 +/- 0.029). Some of the techniques allow for a notable reduction in the total number of examples stored in the case base (to 1.3% of the original size), which, in turn, results in lower storage requirements and a shorter response time of the system. Among the methods examined in this article, the two proposed adaptive techniques are by far the most effective for this purpose. Furthermore, the authors provide some discussion and guidance for choosing the ensemble parameters.

Robust Adaptive Thresholder For Document Scanning Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsing, To R.

1982-12-01

In document scanning applications, thresholding is used to obtain binary data from a scanner. However, due to: (1) a wide range of different color backgrounds; (2) density variations of printed text information; and (3) the shading effect caused by the optical systems, the use of adaptive thresholding to enhance the useful information is highly desired. This paper describes a new robust adaptive thresholder for obtaining valid binary images. It is basically a memory type algorithm which can dynamically update the black and white reference level to optimize a local adaptive threshold function. The results of high image quality from different types of simulate test patterns can be obtained by this algorithm. The software algorithm is described and experiment results are present to describe the procedures. Results also show that the techniques described here can be used for real-time signal processing in the varied applications.

A new generation of real-time DOS technology for mission-oriented system integration and operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, E. Douglas

1988-01-01

Information is given on system integration and operation (SIO) requirements and a new generation of technical approaches for SIO. Real-time, distribution, survivability, and adaptability requirements and technical approaches are covered. An Alpha operating system program management overview is outlined.

Rapid Training of Information Extraction with Local and Global Data Views

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

relation type extension system based on active learning a relation type extension system based on semi-supervised learning, and a crossdomain...bootstrapping system for domain adaptive named entity extraction. The active learning procedure adopts features extracted at the sentence level as the local

Method and system for determining induction motor speed

DOEpatents

Parlos, Alexander G.; Bharadwaj, Raj M.

2004-03-30

A non-linear, semi-parametric neural network-based adaptive filter is utilized to determine the dynamic speed of a rotating rotor within an induction motor, without the explicit use of a speed sensor, such as a tachometer, is disclosed. The neural network-based filter is developed using actual motor current measurements, voltage measurements, and nameplate information. The neural network-based adaptive filter is trained using an estimated speed calculator derived from the actual current and voltage measurements. The neural network-based adaptive filter uses voltage and current measurements to determine the instantaneous speed of a rotating rotor. The neural network-based adaptive filter also includes an on-line adaptation scheme that permits the filter to be readily adapted for new operating conditions during operations.

Complex adaptive systems: concept analysis.

PubMed

Holden, Lela M

2005-12-01

The aim of this paper is to explicate the concept of complex adaptive systems through an analysis that provides a description, antecedents, consequences, and a model case from the nursing and health care literature. Life is more than atoms and molecules--it is patterns of organization. Complexity science is the latest generation of systems thinking that investigates patterns and has emerged from the exploration of the subatomic world and quantum physics. A key component of complexity science is the concept of complex adaptive systems, and active research is found in many disciplines--from biology to economics to health care. However, the research and literature related to these appealing topics have generated confusion. A thorough explication of complex adaptive systems is needed. A modified application of the methods recommended by Walker and Avant for concept analysis was used. A complex adaptive system is a collection of individual agents with freedom to act in ways that are not always totally predictable and whose actions are interconnected. Examples include a colony of termites, the financial market, and a surgical team. It is often referred to as chaos theory, but the two are not the same. Chaos theory is actually a subset of complexity science. Complexity science offers a powerful new approach--beyond merely looking at clinical processes and the skills of healthcare professionals. The use of complex adaptive systems as a framework is increasing for a wide range of scientific applications, including nursing and healthcare management research. When nursing and other healthcare managers focus on increasing connections, diversity, and interactions they increase information flow and promote creative adaptation referred to as self-organization. Complexity science builds on the rich tradition in nursing that views patients and nursing care from a systems perspective.

Optimal adaptive control for quantum metrology with time-dependent Hamiltonians.

PubMed

Pang, Shengshi; Jordan, Andrew N

2017-03-09

Quantum metrology has been studied for a wide range of systems with time-independent Hamiltonians. For systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians, however, due to the complexity of dynamics, little has been known about quantum metrology. Here we investigate quantum metrology with time-dependent Hamiltonians to bridge this gap. We obtain the optimal quantum Fisher information for parameters in time-dependent Hamiltonians, and show proper Hamiltonian control is generally necessary to optimize the Fisher information. We derive the optimal Hamiltonian control, which is generally adaptive, and the measurement scheme to attain the optimal Fisher information. In a minimal example of a qubit in a rotating magnetic field, we find a surprising result that the fundamental limit of T 2 time scaling of quantum Fisher information can be broken with time-dependent Hamiltonians, which reaches T 4 in estimating the rotation frequency of the field. We conclude by considering level crossings in the derivatives of the Hamiltonians, and point out additional control is necessary for that case.

Time-Varying, Multi-Scale Adaptive System Reliability Analysis of Lifeline Infrastructure Networks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gearhart, Jared Lee; Kurtz, Nolan Scot

2014-09-01

The majority of current societal and economic needs world-wide are met by the existing networked, civil infrastructure. Because the cost of managing such infrastructure is high and increases with time, risk-informed decision making is essential for those with management responsibilities for these systems. To address such concerns, a methodology that accounts for new information, deterioration, component models, component importance, group importance, network reliability, hierarchical structure organization, and efficiency concerns has been developed. This methodology analyzes the use of new information through the lens of adaptive Importance Sampling for structural reliability problems. Deterioration, multi-scale bridge models, and time-variant component importance aremore » investigated for a specific network. Furthermore, both bridge and pipeline networks are studied for group and component importance, as well as for hierarchical structures in the context of specific networks. Efficiency is the primary driver throughout this study. With this risk-informed approach, those responsible for management can address deteriorating infrastructure networks in an organized manner.« less

Optimal adaptive control for quantum metrology with time-dependent Hamiltonians

PubMed Central

Pang, Shengshi; Jordan, Andrew N.

2017-01-01

Quantum metrology has been studied for a wide range of systems with time-independent Hamiltonians. For systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians, however, due to the complexity of dynamics, little has been known about quantum metrology. Here we investigate quantum metrology with time-dependent Hamiltonians to bridge this gap. We obtain the optimal quantum Fisher information for parameters in time-dependent Hamiltonians, and show proper Hamiltonian control is generally necessary to optimize the Fisher information. We derive the optimal Hamiltonian control, which is generally adaptive, and the measurement scheme to attain the optimal Fisher information. In a minimal example of a qubit in a rotating magnetic field, we find a surprising result that the fundamental limit of T2 time scaling of quantum Fisher information can be broken with time-dependent Hamiltonians, which reaches T4 in estimating the rotation frequency of the field. We conclude by considering level crossings in the derivatives of the Hamiltonians, and point out additional control is necessary for that case. PMID:28276428

Adaptation Pathway of Low Impact Development Planning under Climate Change for a Sustainable Rural Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, P. Y.; Tung, C. P.

2016-12-01

The study focuses on developing the methodology of adaptation pathway for storm water management in a community scale. Following previous results on adaptation procedures including problem and goal setup, current risk assessment and analysis, future risk assessment and analysis, and adaptation options identification and evaluation, the study aims at analyzing adaptation pathway planning and implementation, namely the fifth step, for applying low impact development (LID). Based on the efficacy analyses of the feasible adaptation options, an adaptation pathway map can be build. Each pathway is a combination of the adaptation measures arranged in certain order. The developed adaptation pathway map visualizes the relative effectiveness and the connection of the adaptation measures. In addition, the tipping points of the system can be clearly identified and the triggers can be defined accordingly. There are multiple choices of pathways in an adaptation pathway map, which can be referred as pathway candidates. To ensure the applicability and operability, the methodology of adaptation pathway analysis is applied to a case study. Required information for developing an adaptation pathway map includes the scores of the adaptation options on the criteria, namely the effects, costs, immediacy, and side effect. Feasible adaptation options for the design case are dredging, pipeline expansion, pumping station, LID and detention pond. By ranking the options according to the criteria, LID is found dominating dredging and pumping station in this case. The information of the pathway candidates can be further used by the stakeholders to select the most suitable and promising pathway.

Strategies to intervene on causal systems are adaptively selected.

PubMed

Coenen, Anna; Rehder, Bob; Gureckis, Todd M

2015-06-01

How do people choose interventions to learn about causal systems? Here, we considered two possibilities. First, we test an information sampling model, information gain, which values interventions that can discriminate between a learner's hypotheses (i.e. possible causal structures). We compare this discriminatory model to a positive testing strategy that instead aims to confirm individual hypotheses. Experiment 1 shows that individual behavior is described best by a mixture of these two alternatives. In Experiment 2 we find that people are able to adaptively alter their behavior and adopt the discriminatory model more often after experiencing that the confirmatory strategy leads to a subjective performance decrement. In Experiment 3, time pressure leads to the opposite effect of inducing a change towards the simpler positive testing strategy. These findings suggest that there is no single strategy that describes how intervention decisions are made. Instead, people select strategies in an adaptive fashion that trades off their expected performance and cognitive effort. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Method Engineering: A Service-Oriented Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cauvet, Corine

In the past, a large variety of methods have been published ranging from very generic frameworks to methods for specific information systems. Method Engineering has emerged as a research discipline for designing, constructing and adapting methods for Information Systems development. Several approaches have been proposed as paradigms in method engineering. The meta modeling approach provides means for building methods by instantiation, the component-based approach aims at supporting the development of methods by using modularization constructs such as method fragments, method chunks and method components. This chapter presents an approach (SO2M) for method engineering based on the service paradigm. We consider services as autonomous computational entities that are self-describing, self-configuring and self-adapting. They can be described, published, discovered and dynamically composed for processing a consumer's demand (a developer's requirement). The method service concept is proposed to capture a development process fragment for achieving a goal. Goal orientation in service specification and the principle of service dynamic composition support method construction and method adaptation to different development contexts.

Payment changes require integrating records.

PubMed

Palley, M A

1990-06-01

The greatest challenges for healthcare organizations facing radical changes in their payment and reporting structures lie in finding ways to integrate various forms of patient information. An analysis of how three New York City hospitals dealt with their state's switch to an all-payer diagnosis related group-based payment system reveals strengths and weaknesses in their existing information systems and in steps taken to adapt to the change.

Information systems in ADOT : an analysis of intra-function flow, decision support needs, existing systems utility and user attitudes. Final report, volume 2 : manual for evaluation of needs and attitudes of EDP users

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1985-03-01

A report is offered on a study of the information activities within the Right-of-Way section of ADOT. The objectives of the study were to adapt and apply techniques to measure user-perceived needs, satisfaction and utility of services provided Right-...

Information theoretic methods for image processing algorithm optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prokushkin, Sergey F.; Galil, Erez

2015-01-01

Modern image processing pipelines (e.g., those used in digital cameras) are full of advanced, highly adaptive filters that often have a large number of tunable parameters (sometimes > 100). This makes the calibration procedure for these filters very complex, and the optimal results barely achievable in the manual calibration; thus an automated approach is a must. We will discuss an information theory based metric for evaluation of algorithm adaptive characteristics ("adaptivity criterion") using noise reduction algorithms as an example. The method allows finding an "orthogonal decomposition" of the filter parameter space into the "filter adaptivity" and "filter strength" directions. This metric can be used as a cost function in automatic filter optimization. Since it is a measure of a physical "information restoration" rather than perceived image quality, it helps to reduce the set of the filter parameters to a smaller subset that is easier for a human operator to tune and achieve a better subjective image quality. With appropriate adjustments, the criterion can be used for assessment of the whole imaging system (sensor plus post-processing).

An Approach for Automatic Generation of Adaptive Hypermedia in Education with Multilingual Knowledge Discovery Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfonseca, Enrique; Rodriguez, Pilar; Perez, Diana

2007-01-01

This work describes a framework that combines techniques from Adaptive Hypermedia and Natural Language processing in order to create, in a fully automated way, on-line information systems from linear texts in electronic format, such as textbooks. The process is divided into two steps: an "off-line" processing step, which analyses the source text,…

Systems identification and the adaptive management of waterfowl in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, B.K.; Nichols, J.D.

2001-01-01

Waterfowl management in the United States is one of the more visible conservation success stories in the United States. It is authorized and supported by appropriate legislative authorities, based on large-scale monitoring programs, and widely accepted by the public. The process is one of only a limited number of large-scale examples of effective collaboration between research and management, integrating scientific information with management in a coherent framework for regulatory decision-making. However, harvest management continues to face some serious technical problems, many of which focus on sequential identification of the resource system in a context of optimal decision-making. The objective of this paper is to provide a theoretical foundation of adaptive harvest management, the approach currently in use in the United States for regulatory decision-making. We lay out the legal and institutional framework for adaptive harvest management and provide a formal description of regulatory decision-making in terms of adaptive optimization. We discuss some technical and institutional challenges in applying adaptive harvest management and focus specifically on methods of estimating resource states for linear resource systems.

Experiences with a generator tool for building clinical application modules.

PubMed

Kuhn, K A; Lenz, R; Elstner, T; Siegele, H; Moll, R

2003-01-01

To elaborate main system characteristics and relevant deployment experiences for the health information system (HIS) Orbis/OpenMed, which is in widespread use in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In a deployment phase of 3 years in a 1.200 bed university hospital, where the system underwent significant improvements, the system's functionality and its software design have been analyzed in detail. We focus on an integrated CASE tool for generating embedded clinical applications and for incremental system evolution. We present a participatory and iterative software engineering process developed for efficient utilization of such a tool. The system's functionality is comparable to other commercial products' functionality; its components are embedded in a vendor-specific application framework, and standard interfaces are being used for connecting subsystems. The integrated generator tool is a remarkable feature; it became a key factor of our project. Tool generated applications are workflow enabled and embedded into the overall data base schema. Rapid prototyping and iterative refinement are supported, so application modules can be adapted to the users' work practice. We consider tools supporting an iterative and participatory software engineering process highly relevant for health information system architects. The potential of a system to continuously evolve and to be effectively adapted to changing needs may be more important than sophisticated but hard-coded HIS functionality. More work will focus on HIS software design and on software engineering. Methods and tools are needed for quick and robust adaptation of systems to health care processes and changing requirements.

System level mechanisms of adaptation, learning, memory formation and evolvability: the role of chaperone and other networks.

PubMed

Gyurko, David M; Soti, Csaba; Stetak, Attila; Csermely, Peter

2014-05-01

During the last decade, network approaches became a powerful tool to describe protein structure and dynamics. Here, we describe first the protein structure networks of molecular chaperones, then characterize chaperone containing sub-networks of interactomes called as chaperone-networks or chaperomes. We review the role of molecular chaperones in short-term adaptation of cellular networks in response to stress, and in long-term adaptation discussing their putative functions in the regulation of evolvability. We provide a general overview of possible network mechanisms of adaptation, learning and memory formation. We propose that changes of network rigidity play a key role in learning and memory formation processes. Flexible network topology provides ' learning-competent' state. Here, networks may have much less modular boundaries than locally rigid, highly modular networks, where the learnt information has already been consolidated in a memory formation process. Since modular boundaries are efficient filters of information, in the 'learning-competent' state information filtering may be much smaller, than after memory formation. This mechanism restricts high information transfer to the 'learning competent' state. After memory formation, modular boundary-induced segregation and information filtering protect the stored information. The flexible networks of young organisms are generally in a 'learning competent' state. On the contrary, locally rigid networks of old organisms have lost their 'learning competent' state, but store and protect their learnt information efficiently. We anticipate that the above mechanism may operate at the level of both protein-protein interaction and neuronal networks.

Roogle: an information retrieval engine for clinical data warehouse.

PubMed

Cuggia, Marc; Garcelon, Nicolas; Campillo-Gimenez, Boris; Bernicot, Thomas; Laurent, Jean-François; Garin, Etienne; Happe, André; Duvauferrier, Régis

2011-01-01

High amount of relevant information is contained in reports stored in the electronic patient records and associated metadata. R-oogle is a project aiming at developing information retrieval engines adapted to these reports and designed for clinicians. The system consists in a data warehouse (full-text reports and structured data) imported from two different hospital information systems. Information retrieval is performed using metadata-based semantic and full-text search methods (as Google). Applications may be biomarkers identification in a translational approach, search of specific cases, and constitution of cohorts, professional practice evaluation, and quality control assessment.

Building hydrologic information systems to promote climate resilience in the Blue Nile/Abay higlands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Climate adaptation requires information about climate and land-surface conditions – spatially distributed, and at scales of human influence (the field scale). This article describes a project aimed at combining meteorological data, satellite remote sensing, hydrologic modeling, and downscaled clima...

Using Mutual Information for Adaptive Item Comparison and Student Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Chao-Lin

2005-01-01

The author analyzes properties of mutual information between dichotomous concepts and test items. The properties generalize some common intuitions about item comparison, and provide principled foundations for designing item-selection heuristics for student assessment in computer-assisted educational systems. The proposed item-selection strategies…

Introduction to the Special Issue on "State-of-the-Art Sensor Technology in Japan 2015".

PubMed

Tokumitsu, Masahiro; Ishida, Yoshiteru

2016-08-23

This Special Issue, "State-of-the-Art Sensor Technology in Japan 2015", collected papers on different kinds of sensing technology: fundamental technology for intelligent sensors, information processing for monitoring humans, and information processing for adaptive and survivable sensor systems.[...].

Mission-based guidance system design for autonomous UAVs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Jongki

The advantages of UAVs in the aviation arena have led to extensive research activities on autonomous technology of UAVs to achieve specific mission objectives. This thesis mainly focuses on the development of a mission-based guidance system. Among various missions expected for future needs, autonomous formation flight (AFF) and obstacle avoidance within safe operation limits are investigated. In the design of an adaptive guidance system for AFF, the leader information except position is assumed to be unknown to a follower. Thus, the only measured information related to the leader is the line-of-sight (LOS) range and angle. Adding an adaptive element with neural networks into the guidance system provides a capability to effectively handle leader's velocity changes. Therefore, this method can be applied to the AFF control systems that use a passive sensing method. In this thesis, an adaptive velocity command guidance system and an adaptive acceleration command guidance system are developed and presented. Since relative degrees of the LOS range and angle are different depending on the outputs from the guidance system, the architecture of the guidance system changes accordingly. Simulations and flight tests are performed using the Georgia Tech UAV helicopter, the GTMax, to evaluate the proposed guidance systems. The simulation results show that the neural network (NN) based adaptive element can improve the tracking performance by effectively compensating for the effect of unknown dynamics. It has also been shown that the combination of an adaptive velocity command guidance system and the existing GTMax autopilot controller performs better than the combination of an adaptive acceleration command guidance system and the GTMax autopilot controller. The successful flight evaluation using an adaptive velocity command guidance system clearly shows that the adaptive guidance control system is a promising solution for autonomous formation flight of UAVs. In addition, an integrated approach is proposed to resolve the conflict between aggressive maneuvering needed for obstacle avoidance and the constrained maneuvering needed for envelope protection. A time-optimal problem with obstacle and envelope constraints is used for an integrated approach for obstacle avoidance and envelope protection. The Nonlinear trajectory generator (NTG) is used as a real-time optimization solver. The computational complexity arising from the obstacle constraints is reduced by converting the obstacle constraints into a safe waypoint constraint along with an implicit requirement that the horizontal velocity during the avoidance maneuver must be nonnegative. The issue of when to initiate a time-optimal avoidance maneuver is addressed by including a requirement that the vehicle must maintain its original flight path to the maximum extent possible. The simulation evaluations are preformed for the nominal case, the unsafe avoidance solution case, the multiple safe waypoint case, and the unidentified obstacle size case. Artificial values for the load factor limit and the longitudinal flap angle limit are imposed as safe operational boundaries. Also, simulation results for different limit values and different initial flight speed are compared. Simulation results using a nonlinear model of a rotary wing UAV demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach for obstacle avoidance with envelope protection.

A tunable algorithm for collective decision-making.

PubMed

Pratt, Stephen C; Sumpter, David J T

2006-10-24

Complex biological systems are increasingly understood in terms of the algorithms that guide the behavior of system components and the information pathways that link them. Much attention has been given to robust algorithms, or those that allow a system to maintain its functions in the face of internal or external perturbations. At the same time, environmental variation imposes a complementary need for algorithm versatility, or the ability to alter system function adaptively as external circumstances change. An important goal of systems biology is thus the identification of biological algorithms that can meet multiple challenges rather than being narrowly specified to particular problems. Here we show that emigrating colonies of the ant Temnothorax curvispinosus tune the parameters of a single decision algorithm to respond adaptively to two distinct problems: rapid abandonment of their old nest in a crisis and deliberative selection of the best available new home when their old nest is still intact. The algorithm uses a stepwise commitment scheme and a quorum rule to integrate information gathered by numerous individual ants visiting several candidate homes. By varying the rates at which they search for and accept these candidates, the ants yield a colony-level response that adaptively emphasizes either speed or accuracy. We propose such general but tunable algorithms as a design feature of complex systems, each algorithm providing elegant solutions to a wide range of problems.

Adaptive data rate control TDMA systems as a rain attenuation compensation technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sato, Masaki; Wakana, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Takashi; Takeuchi, Makoto; Yamamoto, Minoru

1993-01-01

Rainfall attenuation has a severe effect on signal strength and impairs communication links for future mobile and personal satellite communications using Ka-band and millimeter wave frequencies. As rain attenuation compensation techniques, several methods such as uplink power control, site diversity, and adaptive control of data rate or forward error correction have been proposed. In this paper, we propose a TDMA system that can compensate rain attenuation by adaptive control of transmission rates. To evaluate the performance of this TDMA terminal, we carried out three types of experiments: experiments using a Japanese CS-3 satellite with Ka-band transponders, in house IF loop-back experiments, and computer simulations. Experimental results show that this TDMA system has advantages over the conventional constant-rate TDMA systems, as resource sharing technique, in both bit error rate and total TDMA burst lengths required for transmitting given information.

Context-dependent player's movement interpretation: application to adaptive game development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picard, Francois; Estraillier, Pascal

2010-02-01

Video games are more and more controlled by the real movements of the player. However, the player is constrained by the system devices, imposing a limited vocabulary of actions associated with a set of unnatural movements. To introduce more entertaining video games to players, a component-based architecture is proposed. It has been acknowledged as the starting point for the development of adaptive applications based on the hypothesis of a high level dialogue between the system and the player. The system adaptability relies on interpretation mechanisms of the player behaviors. These behaviors are defined through the representation of the real movements of the player who freely interacts with the 3D elements composing an immersive virtual environment, following a given game scenario. The efficient interpretation of the player movements relies on the introduction in the system of the management of the scene's context. The contextual information not only helps to determine the true meaning of an observed behavior but also makes the system to adapt its processes regarding this interpretation, while managing its hardware and software resources efficiently. A commercial motion capture interface has been enhanced by the elaboration of such a system.

Design of adaptive control systems by means of self-adjusting transversal filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merhav, S. J.

1986-01-01

The design of closed-loop adaptive control systems based on nonparametric identification was addressed. Implementation is by self-adjusting Least Mean Square (LMS) transversal filters. The design concept is Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC). Major issues are to preserve the linearity of the error equations of each LMS filter, and to prevent estimation bias that is due to process or measurement noise, thus providing necessary conditions for the convergence and stability of the control system. The controlled element is assumed to be asymptotically stable and minimum phase. Because of the nonparametric Finite Impulse Response (FIR) estimates provided by the LMS filters, a-priori information on the plant model is needed only in broad terms. Following a survey of control system configurations and filter design considerations, system implementation is shown here in Single Input Single Output (SISO) format which is readily extendable to multivariable forms. In extensive computer simulation studies the controlled element is represented by a second-order system with widely varying damping, natural frequency, and relative degree.

Designing urban rules from emergent patterns: co-evolving paths of informal and formal urban systems - the case of Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Paulo

2018-05-01

In many societies, informality has been a relevant part of the construction of the urban fabric. This is valid along a city’s history and in recent urbanization processes. In the past, informality was in the origin of many of urban planning. Very soon urban planning adopted, as one of their main missions malfunctions in cities. Therefore, the need of formalization became one of the main reasons on the emergence, the control of informal processes. As an answer to informal individual solutions, urban planning responded with standardized rules and the urge of creating spaces fitting into pre-established rules instead of rules fitting into spaces. Urban planning as a discipline has gradually changed its path. The contrast between urbanization promoted under formal urban planning and informal urbanization is only one sign of the mismatch between urban planning actions and informal urbanization dynamics. Considering this tension between formal and informal dynamics, in some cases, planning rules and planning processes continue ignoring informal dynamics; in other cases, planning rules are designed to integrate informality “without losing its face” through “planning games” [1]; and a third and less explored way in which planning systems interact with informality and from that interaction learn how to improve (we consider it a process of enrichment) planning rules while they promote an upgrade of informal interventions [2]. This latter win-win situation in which both informal and formal systems benefit from their interaction is still rare: most of the time either only one side benefits or none benefit from the interaction. Nevertheless, there are signs that from this interaction co-dependent adaptation might occur with positive outcomes for the urban system – in which co-evolutionary dynamics can be traced. We propose to look at the way building rules have been designed in Europe in a context considered successful in the sense of dealing of informality – the one of Portugal. The country experienced a wave of informality associated with illegal urbanization since the 1960’s in the main urban areas. The process of interaction between informal and formal urban systems proved to be a success in statistic terms. Slum clearance reduced the existence of informal occupations to almost zero. Informal settlements involving land tenure have been dealt with in the last two decades with considerable positive impact in the urban fabric. Based on this, with this paper we will evaluate how informal and formal systems are impacting each other and changing along the time the shape of building and of planning rules. For this we will look at the planning tools created to formalize informal settlements in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area from the last forty years to see how urban and building rules were adapted to respond to the specific needs of informal settlements; how this adaptation moved from temporary and exceptional to permanent rules; finally, how were these new rules able to “contaminate” the general planning and building codes. We aim that these findings would help us to contribute to a “healthier” relation between formal and informal urban systems, not ignoring each other, not controlling each other but instead learning with each other. By achieving this, planning systems become more responsive; on the other hand, informal occupations can be upgraded without being destroyed with the contribution of the planning systems.

Enhancing topology adaptation in information-sharing social networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cimini, Giulio; Chen, Duanbing; Medo, Matúš; Lü, Linyuan; Zhang, Yi-Cheng; Zhou, Tao

2012-04-01

The advent of the Internet and World Wide Web has led to unprecedent growth of the information available. People usually face the information overload by following a limited number of sources which best fit their interests. It has thus become important to address issues like who gets followed and how to allow people to discover new and better information sources. In this paper we conduct an empirical analysis of different online social networking sites and draw inspiration from its results to present different source selection strategies in an adaptive model for social recommendation. We show that local search rules which enhance the typical topological features of real social communities give rise to network configurations that are globally optimal. These rules create networks which are effective in information diffusion and resemble structures resulting from real social systems.

Adaptive Multi-scale Prognostics and Health Management for Smart Manufacturing Systems

PubMed Central

Choo, Benjamin Y.; Adams, Stephen C.; Weiss, Brian A.; Marvel, Jeremy A.; Beling, Peter A.

2017-01-01

The Adaptive Multi-scale Prognostics and Health Management (AM-PHM) is a methodology designed to enable PHM in smart manufacturing systems. In application, PHM information is not yet fully utilized in higher-level decision-making in manufacturing systems. AM-PHM leverages and integrates lower-level PHM information such as from a machine or component with hierarchical relationships across the component, machine, work cell, and assembly line levels in a manufacturing system. The AM-PHM methodology enables the creation of actionable prognostic and diagnostic intelligence up and down the manufacturing process hierarchy. Decisions are then made with the knowledge of the current and projected health state of the system at decision points along the nodes of the hierarchical structure. To overcome the issue of exponential explosion of complexity associated with describing a large manufacturing system, the AM-PHM methodology takes a hierarchical Markov Decision Process (MDP) approach into describing the system and solving for an optimized policy. A description of the AM-PHM methodology is followed by a simulated industry-inspired example to demonstrate the effectiveness of AM-PHM. PMID:28736651

Adaptive Regulation of the Northern California Reservoir System for Water, Energy, and Environmental Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgakakos, A. P.; Kistenmacher, M.; Yao, H.; Georgakakos, K. P.

2014-12-01

The 2014 National Climate Assessment of the US Global Change Research Program emphasizes that water resources managers and planners in most US regions will have to cope with new risks, vulnerabilities, and opportunities, and recommends the development of adaptive capacity to effectively respond to the new water resources planning and management challenges. In the face of these challenges, adaptive reservoir regulation is becoming all the more ncessary. Water resources management in Northern California relies on the coordinated operation of several multi-objective reservoirs on the Trinity, Sacramento, American, Feather, and San Joaquin Rivers. To be effective, reservoir regulation must be able to (a) account for forecast uncertainty; (b) assess changing tradeoffs among water uses and regions; and (c) adjust management policies as conditions change; and (d) evaluate the socio-economic and environmental benefits and risks of forecasts and policies for each region and for the system as a whole. The Integrated Forecast and Reservoir Management (INFORM) prototype demonstration project operated in Northern California through the collaboration of several forecast and management agencies has shown that decision support systems (DSS) with these attributes add value to stakeholder decision processes compared to current, less flexible management practices. Key features of the INFORM DSS include: (a) dynamically downscaled operational forecasts and climate projections that maintain the spatio-temporal coherence of the downscaled land surface forcing fields within synoptic scales; (b) use of ensemble forecast methodologies for reservoir inflows; (c) assessment of relevant tradeoffs among water uses on regional and local scales; (d) development and evaluation of dynamic reservoir policies with explicit consideration of hydro-climatic forecast uncertainties; and (e) focus on stakeholder information needs.This article discusses the INFORM integrated design concept, underlying methodologies, and selected applications with the California water resources system.

Distributed neural network control for adaptive synchronization of uncertain dynamical multiagent systems.

PubMed

Peng, Zhouhua; Wang, Dan; Zhang, Hongwei; Sun, Gang

2014-08-01

This paper addresses the leader-follower synchronization problem of uncertain dynamical multiagent systems with nonlinear dynamics. Distributed adaptive synchronization controllers are proposed based on the state information of neighboring agents. The control design is developed for both undirected and directed communication topologies without requiring the accurate model of each agent. This result is further extended to the output feedback case where a neighborhood observer is proposed based on relative output information of neighboring agents. Then, distributed observer-based synchronization controllers are derived and a parameter-dependent Riccati inequality is employed to prove the stability. This design has a favorable decouple property between the observer and the controller designs for nonlinear multiagent systems. For both cases, the developed controllers guarantee that the state of each agent synchronizes to that of the leader with bounded residual errors. Two illustrative examples validate the efficacy of the proposed methods.

Color adaptation induced from linguistic description of color

PubMed Central

Zheng, Liling; Huang, Ping; Zhong, Xiao; Li, Tianfeng; Mo, Lei

2017-01-01

Recent theories propose that language comprehension can influence perception at the low level of perceptual system. Here, we used an adaptation paradigm to test whether processing language caused color adaptation in the visual system. After prolonged exposure to a color linguistic context, which depicted red, green, or non-specific color scenes, participants immediately performed a color detection task, indicating whether they saw a green color square in the middle of a white screen or not. We found that participants were more likely to perceive the green color square after listening to discourses denoting red compared to discourses denoting green or conveying non-specific color information, revealing that language comprehension caused an adaptation aftereffect at the perceptual level. Therefore, semantic representation of color may have a common neural substrate with color perception. These results are in line with the simulation view of embodied language comprehension theory, which predicts that processing language reactivates the sensorimotor systems that are engaged during real experience. PMID:28358807

Color adaptation induced from linguistic description of color.

PubMed

Zheng, Liling; Huang, Ping; Zhong, Xiao; Li, Tianfeng; Mo, Lei

2017-01-01

Recent theories propose that language comprehension can influence perception at the low level of perceptual system. Here, we used an adaptation paradigm to test whether processing language caused color adaptation in the visual system. After prolonged exposure to a color linguistic context, which depicted red, green, or non-specific color scenes, participants immediately performed a color detection task, indicating whether they saw a green color square in the middle of a white screen or not. We found that participants were more likely to perceive the green color square after listening to discourses denoting red compared to discourses denoting green or conveying non-specific color information, revealing that language comprehension caused an adaptation aftereffect at the perceptual level. Therefore, semantic representation of color may have a common neural substrate with color perception. These results are in line with the simulation view of embodied language comprehension theory, which predicts that processing language reactivates the sensorimotor systems that are engaged during real experience.

Farmers' Perceived Risks of Climate Change and Influencing Factors: A Study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Dang, Hoa; Li, Elton; Nuberg, Ian; Bruwer, Johan

2014-08-01

Many countries are confronting climate change that threatens agricultural production and farmers' lives. Farmers' perceived risks of climate change and factors influencing those perceived risks are critical to their adaptive behavior and well-planned adaptation strategies. However, there is limited understanding of these issues. In this paper, we attempt to quantitatively measure farmers' perceived risks of climate change and explore the influences of risk experience, information, belief in climate change, and trust in public adaptation to those perceived risks. Data are from structured interviews with 598 farmers in the Mekong Delta. The study shows that perceived risks to production, physical health, and income dimensions receive greater priority while farmers pay less attention to risks to happiness and social relationships. Experiences of the events that can be attributed to climate change increase farmers' perceived risks. Information variables can increase or decrease perceived risks, depending on the sources of information. Farmers who believe that climate change is actually happening and influencing their family's lives, perceive higher risks in most dimensions. Farmers who think that climate change is not their concern but the government's, perceive lower risks to physical health, finance, and production. As to trust in public adaptation, farmers who believe that public adaptive measures are well co-ordinated, perceive lower risks to production and psychology. Interestingly, those who believe that the disaster warning system is working well, perceive higher risks to finance, production, and social relationships. Further attention is suggested for the quality, timing, and channels of information about climate change and adaptation.

Farmers' perceived risks of climate change and influencing factors: a study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

PubMed

Le Dang, Hoa; Li, Elton; Nuberg, Ian; Bruwer, Johan

2014-08-01

Many countries are confronting climate change that threatens agricultural production and farmers' lives. Farmers' perceived risks of climate change and factors influencing those perceived risks are critical to their adaptive behavior and well-planned adaptation strategies. However, there is limited understanding of these issues. In this paper, we attempt to quantitatively measure farmers' perceived risks of climate change and explore the influences of risk experience, information, belief in climate change, and trust in public adaptation to those perceived risks. Data are from structured interviews with 598 farmers in the Mekong Delta. The study shows that perceived risks to production, physical health, and income dimensions receive greater priority while farmers pay less attention to risks to happiness and social relationships. Experiences of the events that can be attributed to climate change increase farmers' perceived risks. Information variables can increase or decrease perceived risks, depending on the sources of information. Farmers who believe that climate change is actually happening and influencing their family's lives, perceive higher risks in most dimensions. Farmers who think that climate change is not their concern but the government's, perceive lower risks to physical health, finance, and production. As to trust in public adaptation, farmers who believe that public adaptive measures are well co-ordinated, perceive lower risks to production and psychology. Interestingly, those who believe that the disaster warning system is working well, perceive higher risks to finance, production, and social relationships. Further attention is suggested for the quality, timing, and channels of information about climate change and adaptation.

Integration of design and manufacturing in a virtual enterprise using enterprise rules, intelligent agents, STEP, and work flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilman, Charles R.; Aparicio, Manuel; Barry, J.; Durniak, Timothy; Lam, Herman; Ramnath, Rajiv

1997-12-01

An enterprise's ability to deliver new products quickly and efficiently to market is critical for competitive success. While manufactureres recognize the need for speed and flexibility to compete in this market place, companies do not have the time or capital to move to new automation technologies. The National Industrial Information Infrastructure Protocols Consortium's Solutions for MES Adaptable Replicable Technology (NIIIP SMART) subgroup is developing an information infrastructure to enable the integration and interoperation among Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Enterprise Information Systems within an enterprise or among enterprises. The goal of these developments is an adaptable, affordable, reconfigurable, integratable manufacturing system. Key innovative aspects of NIIIP SMART are: (1) Design of an industry standard object model that represents the diverse aspects of MES. (2) Design of a distributed object network to support real-time information sharing. (3) Product data exchange based on STEP and EXPRESS (ISO 10303). (4) Application of workflow and knowledge management technologies to enact manufacturing and business procedures and policy. (5) Application of intelligent agents to support emergent factories. This paper illustrates how these technologies have been incorporated into the NIIIP SMART system architecture to enable the integration and interoperation of existing tools and future MES applications in a 'plug and play' environment.

Library Theory and Research Section. Education and Research Division. Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Federation of Library Associations, The Hague (Netherlands).

Papers on library/information science theory and research, which were presented at the 1983 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference, include: (1) "The Role of the Library in Computer-Aided Information and Documentation Systems," in which Wolf D. Rauch (West Germany) asserts that libraries must adapt to the…

Nonbibliographic Applications of Z39.50.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunze, John A.

1992-01-01

Describes the use of the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol as the basis for Infocal, a read-only, client/server-based campus information system. Technical considerations in adapting the protocol to nonbibliographic data, including semantic modules, dynamic attribute sets, and dynamic record syntax, are described in detail. (Contains 11…

A Comparison of Item Selection Techniques for Testlets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Daniel L.; Dodd, Barbara G.; Vaughn, Brandon K.

2010-01-01

This study examined the performance of the maximum Fisher's information, the maximum posterior weighted information, and the minimum expected posterior variance methods for selecting items in a computerized adaptive testing system when the items were grouped in testlets. A simulation study compared the efficiency of ability estimation among the…

Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nairne, James S.; Thompson, Sarah R.; Pandeirada, Josefa N. S.

2007-01-01

The authors investigated the idea that memory systems might have evolved to help us remember fitness-relevant information--specifically, information relevant to survival. In 4 incidental learning experiments, people were asked to rate common nouns for their survival relevance (e.g., in securing food, water, or protection from predators); in…

Stable adaptive PI control for permanent magnet synchronous motor drive based on improved JITL technique.

PubMed

Zheng, Shiqi; Tang, Xiaoqi; Song, Bao; Lu, Shaowu; Ye, Bosheng

2013-07-01

In this paper, a stable adaptive PI control strategy based on the improved just-in-time learning (IJITL) technique is proposed for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive. Firstly, the traditional JITL technique is improved. The new IJITL technique has less computational burden and is more suitable for online identification of the PMSM drive system which is highly real-time compared to traditional JITL. In this way, the PMSM drive system is identified by IJITL technique, which provides information to an adaptive PI controller. Secondly, the adaptive PI controller is designed in discrete time domain which is composed of a PI controller and a supervisory controller. The PI controller is capable of automatically online tuning the control gains based on the gradient descent method and the supervisory controller is developed to eliminate the effect of the approximation error introduced by the PI controller upon the system stability in the Lyapunov sense. Finally, experimental results on the PMSM drive system show accurate identification and favorable tracking performance. Copyright © 2013 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reducing variable frequency vibrations in a powertrain system with an adaptive tuned vibration absorber group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Pu; Xiang, Changle; Liu, Hui; Zhou, Han

2018-07-01

Based on a multiple degrees of freedom dynamic model of a vehicle powertrain system, natural vibration analyses and sensitivity analyses of the eigenvalues are performed to determine the key inertia for each natural vibration of a powertrain system. Then, the results are used to optimize the installation position of each adaptive tuned vibration absorber. According to the relationship between the variable frequency torque excitation and the natural vibration of a powertrain system, the entire vibration frequency band is divided into segments, and the auxiliary vibration absorber and dominant vibration absorber are determined for each sensitive frequency band. The optimum parameters of the auxiliary vibration absorber are calculated based on the optimal frequency ratio and the optimal damping ratio of the passive vibration absorber. The instantaneous change state of the natural vibrations of a powertrain system with adaptive tuned vibration absorbers is studied, and the optimized start and stop tuning frequencies of the adaptive tuned vibration absorber are obtained. These frequencies can be translated into the optimum parameters of the dominant vibration absorber. Finally, the optimal tuning scheme for the adaptive tuned vibration absorber group, which can be used to reduce the variable frequency vibrations of a powertrain system, is proposed, and corresponding numerical simulations are performed. The simulation time history signals are transformed into three-dimensional information related to time, frequency and vibration energy via the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). A comprehensive time-frequency analysis is then conducted to verify that the optimal tuning scheme for the adaptive tuned vibration absorber group can significantly reduce the variable frequency vibrations of a powertrain system.

Development of a real-time clinical decision support system upon the web mvc-based architecture for prostate cancer treatment

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background A real-time clinical decision support system (RTCDSS) with interactive diagrams enables clinicians to instantly and efficiently track patients' clinical records (PCRs) and improve their quality of clinical care. We propose a RTCDSS to process online clinical informatics from multiple databases for clinical decision making in the treatment of prostate cancer based on Web Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, by which the system can easily be adapted to different diseases and applications. Methods We designed a framework upon the Web MVC-based architecture in which the reusable and extractable models can be conveniently adapted to other hospital information systems and which allows for efficient database integration. Then, we determined the clinical variables of the prostate cancer treatment based on participating clinicians' opinions and developed a computational model to determine the pretreatment parameters. Furthermore, the components of the RTCDSS integrated PCRs and decision factors for real-time analysis to provide evidence-based diagrams upon the clinician-oriented interface for visualization of treatment guidance and health risk assessment. Results The resulting system can improve quality of clinical treatment by allowing clinicians to concurrently analyze and evaluate the clinical markers of prostate cancer patients with instantaneous clinical data and evidence-based diagrams which can automatically identify pretreatment parameters. Moreover, the proposed RTCDSS can aid interactions between patients and clinicians. Conclusions Our proposed framework supports online clinical informatics, evaluates treatment risks, offers interactive guidance, and provides real-time reference for decision making in the treatment of prostate cancer. The developed clinician-oriented interface can assist clinicians in conveniently presenting evidence-based information to patients and can be readily adapted to an existing hospital information system and be easily applied in other chronic diseases. PMID:21385459

Development of a real-time clinical decision support system upon the Web MVC-based architecture for prostate cancer treatment.

PubMed

Lin, Hsueh-Chun; Wu, Hsi-Chin; Chang, Chih-Hung; Li, Tsai-Chung; Liang, Wen-Miin; Wang, Jong-Yi Wang

2011-03-08

A real-time clinical decision support system (RTCDSS) with interactive diagrams enables clinicians to instantly and efficiently track patients' clinical records (PCRs) and improve their quality of clinical care. We propose a RTCDSS to process online clinical informatics from multiple databases for clinical decision making in the treatment of prostate cancer based on Web Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, by which the system can easily be adapted to different diseases and applications. We designed a framework upon the Web MVC-based architecture in which the reusable and extractable models can be conveniently adapted to other hospital information systems and which allows for efficient database integration. Then, we determined the clinical variables of the prostate cancer treatment based on participating clinicians' opinions and developed a computational model to determine the pretreatment parameters. Furthermore, the components of the RTCDSS integrated PCRs and decision factors for real-time analysis to provide evidence-based diagrams upon the clinician-oriented interface for visualization of treatment guidance and health risk assessment. The resulting system can improve quality of clinical treatment by allowing clinicians to concurrently analyze and evaluate the clinical markers of prostate cancer patients with instantaneous clinical data and evidence-based diagrams which can automatically identify pretreatment parameters. Moreover, the proposed RTCDSS can aid interactions between patients and clinicians. Our proposed framework supports online clinical informatics, evaluates treatment risks, offers interactive guidance, and provides real-time reference for decision making in the treatment of prostate cancer. The developed clinician-oriented interface can assist clinicians in conveniently presenting evidence-based information to patients and can be readily adapted to an existing hospital information system and be easily applied in other chronic diseases.

Framework for a clinical information system.

PubMed

Van De Velde, R; Lansiers, R; Antonissen, G

2002-01-01

The design and implementation of Clinical Information System architecture is presented. This architecture has been developed and implemented based on components following a strong underlying conceptual and technological model. Common Object Request Broker and n-tier technology featuring centralised and departmental clinical information systems as the back-end store for all clinical data are used. Servers located in the "middle" tier apply the clinical (business) model and application rules. The main characteristics are the focus on modelling and reuse of both data and business logic. Scalability as well as adaptability to constantly changing requirements via component driven computing are the main reasons for that approach.

Output Feedback Adaptive Control of Non-Minimum Phase Systems Using Optimal Control Modification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan; Hashemi, Kelley E.; Yucelen, Tansel; Arabi, Ehsan

2018-01-01

This paper describes output feedback adaptive control approaches for non-minimum phase SISO systems with relative degree 1 and non-strictly positive real (SPR) MIMO systems with uniform relative degree 1 using the optimal control modification method. It is well-known that the standard model-reference adaptive control (MRAC) cannot be used to control non-SPR plants to track an ideal SPR reference model. Due to the ideal property of asymptotic tracking, MRAC attempts an unstable pole-zero cancellation which results in unbounded signals for non-minimum phase SISO systems. The optimal control modification can be used to prevent the unstable pole-zero cancellation which results in a stable adaptation of non-minimum phase SISO systems. However, the tracking performance using this approach could suffer if the unstable zero is located far away from the imaginary axis. The tracking performance can be recovered by using an observer-based output feedback adaptive control approach which uses a Luenberger observer design to estimate the state information of the plant. Instead of explicitly specifying an ideal SPR reference model, the reference model is established from the linear quadratic optimal control to account for the non-minimum phase behavior of the plant. With this non-minimum phase reference model, the observer-based output feedback adaptive control can maintain stability as well as tracking performance. However, in the presence of the mismatch between the SPR reference model and the non-minimum phase plant, the standard MRAC results in unbounded signals, whereas a stable adaptation can be achieved with the optimal control modification. An application of output feedback adaptive control for a flexible wing aircraft illustrates the approaches.

Power System Information Delivering System Based on Distributed Object

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Tatsuji; Tsuchiya, Takehiko; Tamura, Setsuo; Seki, Tomomichi; Kubota, Kenji

In recent years, improvement in computer performance and development of computer network technology or the distributed information processing technology has a remarkable thing. Moreover, the deregulation is starting and will be spreading in the electric power industry in Japan. Consequently, power suppliers are required to supply low cost power with high quality services to customers. Corresponding to these movements the authors have been proposed SCOPE (System Configuration Of PowEr control system) architecture for distributed EMS/SCADA (Energy Management Systems / Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system based on distributed object technology, which offers the flexibility and expandability adapting those movements. In this paper, the authors introduce a prototype of the power system information delivering system, which was developed based on SCOPE architecture. This paper describes the architecture and the evaluation results of this prototype system. The power system information delivering system supplies useful power systems information such as electric power failures to the customers using Internet and distributed object technology. This system is new type of SCADA system which monitors failure of power transmission system and power distribution system with geographic information integrated way.

Supporting Adaptive Ubiquitous Applications With the Solar System

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-31

stackable operators to manage ubiqui- tous information sources. After developing a set of di - verse adaptive applications, we expect to identify fun...performance. Solar provides flexibility by allowing applications to define and interconnect op- erator objects. Solar provides scalability by dis ...children by publishing events. (Static directory nodes are sources and dynamic di - rectory nodes are operators.) Alias nodes are pub- lishers that announce

Sensemaking Training Requirements for the Adaptive Battlestaff

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

for the Adaptive Battlestaff Topic: Cognitive and Social Issues Celestine A. Ntuen1& Dennis Leedom2 1Army Center for Human-Centric Command...intelligent analysts. We need a new training strategy, paradigms, and methods for this purpose. The sensemaking trainability factors o must be identified...juxtapositions of social forces—a complex of network of information systems with people, technology, and domains of adversaries (tasks) that have been

Detection of network attacks based on adaptive resonance theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bukhanov, D. G.; Polyakov, V. M.

2018-05-01

The paper considers an approach to intrusion detection systems using a neural network of adaptive resonant theory. It suggests the structure of an intrusion detection system consisting of two types of program modules. The first module manages connections of user applications by preventing the undesirable ones. The second analyzes the incoming network traffic parameters to check potential network attacks. After attack detection, it notifies the required stations using a secure transmission channel. The paper describes the experiment on the detection and recognition of network attacks using the test selection. It also compares the obtained results with similar experiments carried out by other authors. It gives findings and conclusions on the sufficiency of the proposed approach. The obtained information confirms the sufficiency of applying the neural networks of adaptive resonant theory to analyze network traffic within the intrusion detection system.

A New Polar Transfer Alignment Algorithm with the Aid of a Star Sensor and Based on an Adaptive Unscented Kalman Filter.

PubMed

Cheng, Jianhua; Wang, Tongda; Wang, Lu; Wang, Zhenmin

2017-10-23

Because of the harsh polar environment, the master strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS) has low accuracy and the system model information becomes abnormal. In this case, existing polar transfer alignment (TA) algorithms which use the measurement information provided by master SINS would lose their effectiveness. In this paper, a new polar TA algorithm with the aid of a star sensor and based on an adaptive unscented Kalman filter (AUKF) is proposed to deal with the problems. Since the measurement information provided by master SINS is inaccurate, the accurate information provided by the star sensor is chosen as the measurement. With the compensation of lever-arm effect and the model of star sensor, the nonlinear navigation equations are derived. Combined with the attitude matching method, the filter models for polar TA are designed. An AUKF is introduced to solve the abnormal information of system model. Then, the AUKF is used to estimate the states of TA. Results have demonstrated that the performance of the new polar TA algorithm is better than the state-of-the-art polar TA algorithms. Therefore, the new polar TA algorithm proposed in this paper is effectively to ensure and improve the accuracy of TA in the harsh polar environment.

A New Polar Transfer Alignment Algorithm with the Aid of a Star Sensor and Based on an Adaptive Unscented Kalman Filter

PubMed Central

Cheng, Jianhua; Wang, Tongda; Wang, Lu; Wang, Zhenmin

2017-01-01

Because of the harsh polar environment, the master strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS) has low accuracy and the system model information becomes abnormal. In this case, existing polar transfer alignment (TA) algorithms which use the measurement information provided by master SINS would lose their effectiveness. In this paper, a new polar TA algorithm with the aid of a star sensor and based on an adaptive unscented Kalman filter (AUKF) is proposed to deal with the problems. Since the measurement information provided by master SINS is inaccurate, the accurate information provided by the star sensor is chosen as the measurement. With the compensation of lever-arm effect and the model of star sensor, the nonlinear navigation equations are derived. Combined with the attitude matching method, the filter models for polar TA are designed. An AUKF is introduced to solve the abnormal information of system model. Then, the AUKF is used to estimate the states of TA. Results have demonstrated that the performance of the new polar TA algorithm is better than the state-of-the-art polar TA algorithms. Therefore, the new polar TA algorithm proposed in this paper is effectively to ensure and improve the accuracy of TA in the harsh polar environment. PMID:29065521

Advanced Telemetry System Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

Progress in advanced telemetry system development is described. Discussions are included of studies leading to the specification for design...characteristics of adaptive and analytical telemetry systems in which the information efficiently utilizes the data channel capacity. Also discussed are...Progress indicates that further sophistication of existing designs in telemetry will be less advantageous than the development of new systems of

Adaptation to Laterally Displacing Prisms in Anisometropic Amblyopia.

PubMed

Sklar, Jaime C; Goltz, Herbert C; Gane, Luke; Wong, Agnes M F

2015-06-01

Using visual feedback to modify sensorimotor output in response to changes in the external environment is essential for daily function. Prism adaptation is a well-established experimental paradigm to quantify sensorimotor adaptation; that is, how the sensorimotor system adapts to an optically-altered visuospatial environment. Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by spatiotemporal deficits in vision that impacts manual and oculomotor function. This study explored the effects of anisometropic amblyopia on prism adaptation. Eight participants with anisometropic amblyopia and 11 visually-normal adults, all right-handed, were tested. Participants pointed to visual targets and were presented with feedback of hand position near the terminus of limb movement in three blocks: baseline, adaptation, and deadaptation. Adaptation was induced by viewing with binocular 11.4° (20 prism diopter [PD]) left-shifting prisms. All tasks were performed during binocular viewing. Participants with anisometropic amblyopia required significantly more trials (i.e., increased time constant) to adapt to prismatic optical displacement than visually-normal controls. During the rapid error correction phase of adaptation, people with anisometropic amblyopia also exhibited greater variance in motor output than visually-normal controls. Amblyopia impacts on the ability to adapt the sensorimotor system to an optically-displaced visual environment. The increased time constant and greater variance in motor output during the rapid error correction phase of adaptation may indicate deficits in processing of visual information as a result of degraded spatiotemporal vision in amblyopia.

New Encryption Scheme of One-Time Pad Based on KDC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xin; Chen, Honglei; Wu, Ying; Zhang, Heng; Wu, Peng

As more and more leakage incidents come up, traditional encryption system has not adapted to the complex and volatile network environment, so, there should be a new encryption system that can protect information security very well, this is the starting point of this paper. Based on DES and RSA encryption system, this paper proposes a new scheme of one time pad, which really achieves "One-time pad" and provides information security a new and more reliable encryption method.

Building climate adaptation capabilities through technology and community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, D.; McWhirter, J.; Intsiful, J. D.; Cozzini, S.

2011-12-01

To effectively plan for adaptation to changes in climate, decision makers require infrastructure and tools that will provide them with timely access to current and future climate information. For example, climate scientists and operational forecasters need to access global and regional model projections and current climate information that they can use to prepare monitoring products and reports and then publish these for the decision makers. Through the UNDP African Adaption Programme, an infrastructure is being built across Africa that will provide multi-tiered access to such information. Web accessible servers running RAMADDA, an open source content management system for geoscience information, will provide access to the information at many levels: from the raw and processed climate model output to real-time climate conditions and predictions to documents and presentation for government officials. Output from regional climate models (e.g. RegCM4) and downscaled global climate models will be accessible through RAMADDA. The Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) is being used by scientists to create visualizations that assist the understanding of climate processes and projections, using the data on these as well as external servers. Since RAMADDA is more than a data server, it is also being used as a publishing platform for the generated material that will be available and searchable by the decision makers. Users can wade through the enormous volumes of information and extract subsets for their region or project of interest. Participants from 20 countries attended workshops at ICTP during 2011. They received training on setting up and installing the servers and necessary software and are now working on deploying the systems in their respective countries. This is the first time an integrated and comprehensive approach to climate change adaptation has been widely applied in Africa. It is expected that this infrastructure will enhance North-South collaboration and improve the delivery of technical support and services. This improved infrastructure will enhance the capacity of countries to provide a wide range of robust products and services in a timely manner.

Electromagnetic information transfer through aqueous system.

PubMed

Foletti, Alberto; Ledda, Mario; Lolli, Maria Grazia; Grimaldi, Settimio; Lisi, Antonella

2017-01-01

Several beneficial effects of the electromagnetic information transfer through aqueous system (EMITTAS) procedure have previously been reported in vitro. The clinical potential of this procedure has also started to be evaluated. Information flow in biological systems can be investigated through chemical and molecular approaches or by a biophysical approach focused on endogenous electrodynamic activities. Electromagnetic signals are endogenously generated at different levels of the biological organization and, likely, play an active role in synchronizing internal cell function or local/systemic adaptive response. Consequently, each adaptive response can be described by its specific electromagnetic pattern and, therefore, correlates with a unique and specific electromagnetic signature. A biophysical procedure synchronously integrating the EMITTAS procedure has already been applied for the treatment of articular pain, low-back pain, neck pain and mobility, fluctuating asymmetry, early-stage chronic kidney disease, refractory gynecological infections, minor anxiety and depression disorders. This clinical strategy involves a single treatment, since the EMITTAS procedure allows the patient to continue his/her own personal treatment at home by means of self-administration of the recorded aqueous system. A significant and long-lasting improvement has been reported, showing a potential beneficial use of this biophysical procedure in the management of common illnesses in an efficient, effective and personalized way. Data from recent studies suggest that aqueous systems may play a key role in providing the basis for recording, storing, transferring and retrieving clinically effective quanta of biological information. These features likely enable to trigger local and systemic self-regulation and self-regeneration potential of the organism.

Human factors aspects of control room design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, J. P.

1983-01-01

A plan for the design and analysis of a multistation control room is reviewed. It is found that acceptance of the computer based information system by the uses in the control room is mandatory for mission and system success. Criteria to improve computer/user interface include: match of system input/output with user; reliability, compatibility and maintainability; easy to learn and little training needed; self descriptive system; system under user control; transparent language, format and organization; corresponds to user expectations; adaptable to user experience level; fault tolerant; dialog capability user communications needs reflected in flexibility, complexity, power and information load; integrated system; and documentation.

A-Book: A Feedback-Based Adaptive System to Enhance Meta-Cognitive Skills during Reading.

PubMed

Guerra, Ernesto; Mellado, Guido

2017-01-01

In the digital era, tech devices (hardware and software) are increasingly within hand's reach. Yet, implementing information and communication technologies for educational contexts that have robust and long-lasting effects on student learning outcomes is still a challenge. We propose that any such system must a) be theoretically motivated and designed to tackle specific cognitive skills (e.g., inference making) supporting a given cognitive task (e.g., reading comprehension) and b) must be able to identify and adapt to the user's profile. In the present study, we implemented a feedback-based adaptive system called A-book (assisted-reading book) and tested it in a sample of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. To assess our hypotheses, we contrasted three experimental assisted-reading conditions; one that supported meta-cognitive skills and adapted to the user profile (adaptive condition), one that supported meta-cognitive skills but did not adapt to the user profile (training condition) and a control condition. The results provide initial support for our proposal; participants in the adaptive condition improved their accuracy scores on inference making questions over time, outperforming both the training and control groups. There was no evidence, however, of significant improvements on other tested meta-cognitive skills (i.e., text structure knowledge, comprehension monitoring). We discussed the practical implications of using the A-book for the enhancement of meta-cognitive skills in school contexts, as well as its current limitations and future developments that could improve the system.

ISTC Projects from RFNC-VNIIEF Devoted to Improving Laser Beam Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starikov, F.; Kochemasov, G.

Information is given about the Projects # 1929 and # 2631 supported by ISTC and concerned with improving laser beam quality and interesting for adaptive optics community. One of them, Project # 1929 has been recently finished. It has been devoted to development of an SBS phase conjugation mirror of superhigh conjugation quality employing the kinoform optics for high-power lasers with nanosecond scale pulse duration. With the purpose of reaching ideal PC fidelity, the SBS mirror includes the raster of small lenses that has been traditionally used as the lenslet in Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor in adaptive optics. The second of them, Project # 2631, is concerned with the development of an adaptive optical system for phase correction of laser beams with wavefront vortex. The principles of operation of modern adaptive systems are based on the assumption that the phase is a smooth continuous function in space. Therefore the solution of the Project tasks will assume a new step in adaptive optics.

Understanding adaptive capacity and capacity to innovate in social-ecological systems: Applying a gender lens.

PubMed

Cohen, Philippa J; Lawless, Sarah; Dyer, Michelle; Morgan, Miranda; Saeni, Enly; Teioli, Helen; Kantor, Paula

2016-12-01

Development policy increasingly focuses on building capacities to respond to change (adaptation), and to drive change (innovation). Few studies, however, focus specifically on the social and gender differentiation of capacities to adapt and innovate. We address this gap using a qualitative study in three communities in Solomon Islands; a developing country, where rural livelihoods and well-being are tightly tied to agriculture and fisheries. We find the five dimensions of capacity to adapt and to innovate (i.e. assets, flexibility, learning, social organisation, agency) to be mutually dependant. For example, limits to education, physical mobility and agency meant that women and youth, particularly, felt it was difficult to establish relations with external agencies to access technical support or new information important for innovating or adapting. Willingness to bear risk and to challenge social norms hindered both women's and men's capacity to innovate, albeit to differing degrees. Our findings are of value to those aspiring for equitable improvements to well-being within dynamic and diverse social-ecological systems.

Technology-mediated therapy for chronic pain management: the challenges of adapting behavior change interventions for delivery with pervasive communication technology.

PubMed

Rosser, Benjamin A; McCullagh, Paul; Davies, Richard; Mountain, Gail A; McCracken, Lance; Eccleston, Christopher

2011-04-01

Adapting therapeutic practice from traditional face-to-face exchange to remote technology-based delivery presents challenges for the therapist, patient, and technical writer. This article documents the process of therapy adaptation and the resultant specification for the SMART2 project-a technology-based self-management system for assisting long-term health conditions, including chronic pain. Focus group discussions with healthcare professionals and patients were conducted to inform selection of therapeutic objectives and appropriate technology. Pertinent challenges are identified, relating to (1) reduction and definition of therapeutic objectives, and (2) how to approach adaptation of therapy to a form suited to technology delivery. The requirement of the system to provide dynamic and intelligent responses to patient experience and behavior is also emphasized. Solutions to these challenges are described in the context of the SMART2 technology-based intervention. More explicit discussion and documentation of therapy adaptation to technology-based delivery within the literature is encouraged.

Developmental adaptations to gravity in animals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hargens, Alan R.

1991-01-01

Terrestrial animals have adapted to a constant gravitational stress over millions of years. Tissues of the cardiovascular system and lumbar spine in tall species of animals such as the giraffe are particularly well adapted to high and variable vectors of gravitational force. Swelling of the leg tissues in the giraffe is prevented by a variety of physiological mechanisms including (1) a natural 'antigravity suit', (2) impermeable capillaries, (3) arterial-wall hypertrophy, (4) variable blood pressures during normal activity, and (5) a large-capacity lymphatic system. These adaptations, as well as a natural hypertension, maintain blood perfusion to the giraffe's brain. The intervertebral disk is another tissue that is uniquely adapted to gravitational stress. Tall and large terrestrial animals have higher swelling pressures than their smaller or aquatic counterparts. Finally, the meniscus of the rabbit knee provides information on the effects of aging and load-bearing on cartilaginous tissues. Such tissues within the joints of animals are important for load-bearing on Earth; these connective tissues may degenerate during long-duration space flight.

The Development and Assesment of Adaptation Pathways for Urban Pluvial Flooding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babovic, F.; Mijic, A.; Madani, K.

2017-12-01

Around the globe, urban areas are growing in both size and importance. However, due to the prevalence of impermeable surfaces within the urban fabric of cities these areas have a high risk of pluvial flooding. Due to the convergence of population growth and climate change the risk of pluvial flooding is growing. When designing solutions and adaptations to pluvial flood risk urban planners and engineers encounter a great deal of uncertainty due to model uncertainty, uncertainty within the data utilised, and uncertainty related to future climate and land use conditions. The interaction of these uncertainties leads to conditions of deep uncertainty. However, infrastructure systems must be designed and built in the face of this deep uncertainty. An Adaptation Tipping Points (ATP) methodology was used to develop a strategy to adapt an urban drainage system in the North East of London under conditions of deep uncertainty. The ATP approach was used to assess the current drainage system and potential drainage system adaptations. These adaptations were assessed against potential changes in rainfall depth and peakedness-defined as the ratio of mean to peak rainfall. These solutions encompassed both traditional and blue-green solutions that the Local Authority are known to be considering. This resulted in a set of Adaptation Pathways. However, theses pathways do not convey any information regarding the relative merits and demerits of the potential adaptation options presented. To address this a cost-benefit metric was developed that would reflect the solutions' costs and benefits under uncertainty. The resulting metric combines elements of the Benefits of SuDS Tool (BeST) with real options analysis in order to reflect the potential value of ecosystem services delivered by blue-green solutions under uncertainty. Lastly, it is discussed how a local body can utilise the adaptation pathways; their relative costs and benefits; and a system of local data collection to help guide better decision making with respect to urban flood adaptation.

Development of an interactive interface to raise awareness of public, policy makers, and practitioners about natural hazards.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordova, Yulia; Gordov, Evgeny; Okladnikov, Igor; Titov, Alexander

2017-04-01

Due to a global climate change the following consequences are predicted: rise in sea level due to melting glaciers and polar ice, changes in precipitation, changes in the hydrological regime, impact on ecosystems, agriculture and forestry. In Russia's vast territory these effects will be most dramatic. According to Hydrometeorological Center of Russian Federation report there is an increase in the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events, as well as in their damage to ecosystems and infrastructure. In the framework of adaptation to climate change and mitigation of its consequences it is necessary to promote and support activities aimed at reducing possible risks. Adaptation methods include among others improving seasonal weather forecasts, systems of early warning and systems of management of risks. But there is a problem of insufficient awareness among decision-makers, as well a lack of scientific background. Those responsible for making decisions, stakeholders and the public do not have the skills and knowledge to work with the accumulated climate data to development an adaptation and sustainable development strategy. The goal is to provide these groups with tools, skills, thematic information for understanding climate processes occurring in the region. We believe that the preparation of both the persons responsible for decision-making, and the future specialist in environmental sciences shouldn't be realized artificial learning environment, but on the basis of actual operating computational and information systems used in climate research. Such kind of a system was developed by a team of the Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems SB RAS. The information-computational Web GIS "Climate" (http://climate.climate.scert.ru) provides opportunities to study regional climate change and its consequences providing access to climate and weather models, a large set of geophysical data and means of processing and visualization. Also, the system is used for undergraduate and graduate students training. In addition, the system capabilities allow creating information resources to raise public awareness about climate change, its causes and consequences, which is a necessary step for the subsequent adaptation to these changes. "Climate" allows climatologists, specialists in related fields, decision-makers, stakeholders and the public use a variety of geographically distributed spatially-referenced data, resources and processing services via a web-browser. Currently, an interactive System User Manual for decision-makers is developed. It contains not only the information needed to use the system and perform practical tasks, but also the basic concepts explained in detail. The knowledge necessary for understanding the causes and possible consequences of the processes is given. The results of implementation of practical tasks are available not only in the form of color surface maps, but also on the Internet and in the form of layers for most GIS. Thus these layers can be used in usual desktop GIS which is a common software for most of decision-makers. Thus, this manual helps to prepare qualified users, which in the future will be able to determine the policy of the region to adapt to climate change impacts and hazards. The work is supported by Russian Science Foundation grant № 16-19-10257.

Perspectives for the information approach application to natural and artificial ecosystems investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lankin, Yuliy

As a methodological matter, all modern conceptions of life development can be subdivided into the substrate (S), the energetic (E) and the informational (I). The S-conception is based on biochemical, genetic and morphological ideas. The E-conception deals with an idea of development of complicated open systems (COS) which are characterized by energy getting constantly from the outside, by improvement of substance cycles and as speeding-up and increasing of "power" of them as well, and by increasing of energy intensity transformation by the each structure of COS. The I-conception has been developing so far in the main within the frameworks of the traditional both cybernetic ideas and information theory that are convenient for many technical applications but are deficient for investigation of ecoand bio-systems. Situation was changed when the conception of adaptive systems (CAS) based on the ideas of ecology, biology and neurocybernetic (neuroinforamtic) had offered. As a consequence of this, the I-conception based on the CAS well accords with the S- and the E-conceptions and allows to hope to their combine into one the S + E + I conception that will include all virtues of the S-, the E-, and the I-conceptions and eliminate of their limitations. Thanks to relative easiness of hierarchic adaptive nonlinear models making using of the CAS, it is possible overcome effectively both of the problems as the "dimensionality problem" and the "loss of stability" as well for complicated models of ecosystems (CME). Optimization of energy and substance consumption process and adaptation of the CME to changes of current conditions are well realized in ranges given by goal function. A use adaptive networks (including neural nets) in frames of the CAS allows to realize any continuous function in control loops and at information processing. The considered features of the S + E + I proposed approach based on the CAS make it perspective for construction as biosphere models and artificial ecosystems as well for space and earth applications.

Intelligent Control Systems Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loparo, Kenneth A.

1994-01-01

Results of a three phase research program into intelligent control systems are presented. The first phase looked at implementing the lowest or direct level of a hierarchical control scheme using a reinforcement learning approach assuming no a priori information about the system under control. The second phase involved the design of an adaptive/optimizing level of the hierarchy and its interaction with the direct control level. The third and final phase of the research was aimed at combining the results of the previous phases with some a priori information about the controlled system.

Using a complex adaptive system lens to understand family caregiving experiences navigating the stroke rehabilitation system.

PubMed

Ghazzawi, Andrea; Kuziemsky, Craig; O'Sullivan, Tracey

2016-10-01

Family caregivers provide the stroke survivor with social support and continuity during the transition home from a rehabilitation facility. In this exploratory study we examined family caregivers' perceptions and experiences navigating the stroke rehabilitation system. The theories of continuity of care and complex adaptive systems were integrated to examine the transition from a stroke rehabilitation facility to the patient's home. This study provides an understanding of the interacting complexities at the macro and micro levels. A convenient sample of family caregivers (n = 14) who provide care for a stroke survivor were recruited 4-12 weeks following the patient's discharge from a stroke rehabilitation facility in Ontario, Canada. Interviews were conducted with family caregivers to examine their perceptions and experiences navigating the stroke rehabilitation system. Directed and inductive content analysis and the theory of Complex Adaptive Systems were used to interpret the perceptions of family caregivers. Health system policies and procedures at the macro-level determined the types and timing of information being provided to caregivers, and impacted continuity of care and access to supports and services at the micro-level. Supports and services in the community, such as outpatient physiotherapy services, were limited or did not meet the specific needs of the stroke survivors or family caregivers. Relationships with health providers, informational support, and continuity in case management all influence the family caregiving experience and ultimately the quality of care for the stroke survivor, during the transition home from a rehabilitation facility.

A survey to identify the clinical coding and classification systems currently in use across Europe.

PubMed

de Lusignan, S; Minmagh, C; Kennedy, J; Zeimet, M; Bommezijn, H; Bryant, J

2001-01-01

This is a survey to identify what clinical coding systems are currently in use across the European Union, and the states seeking membership to it. We sought to identify what systems are currently used and to what extent they were subject to local adaptation. Clinical coding should facilitate identifying key medical events in a computerised medical record, and aggregating information across groups of records. The emerging new driver is as the enabler of the life-long computerised medical record. A prerequisite for this level of functionality is the transfer of information between different computer systems. This transfer can be facilitated either by working on the interoperability problems between disparate systems or by harmonising the underlying data. This paper examines the extent to which the latter has occurred across Europe. Literature and Internet search. Requests for information via electronic mail to pan-European mailing lists of health informatics professionals. Coding systems are now a de facto part of health information systems across Europe. There are relatively few coding systems in existence across Europe. ICD9 and ICD 10, ICPC and Read were the most established. However the local adaptation of these classification systems either on a by country or by computer software manufacturer basis; significantly reduces the ability for the meaning coded with patients computer records to be easily transferred from one medical record system to another. There is no longer any debate as to whether a coding or classification system should be used. Convergence of different classifications systems should be encouraged. Countries and computer manufacturers within the EU should be encouraged to stop making local modifications to coding and classification systems, as this practice risks significantly slowing progress towards easy transfer of records between computer systems.

Design and Development of a Run-Time Monitor for Multi-Core Architectures in Cloud Computing

PubMed Central

Kang, Mikyung; Kang, Dong-In; Crago, Stephen P.; Park, Gyung-Leen; Lee, Junghoon

2011-01-01

Cloud computing is a new information technology trend that moves computing and data away from desktops and portable PCs into large data centers. The basic principle of cloud computing is to deliver applications as services over the Internet as well as infrastructure. A cloud is a type of parallel and distributed system consisting of a collection of inter-connected and virtualized computers that are dynamically provisioned and presented as one or more unified computing resources. The large-scale distributed applications on a cloud require adaptive service-based software, which has the capability of monitoring system status changes, analyzing the monitored information, and adapting its service configuration while considering tradeoffs among multiple QoS features simultaneously. In this paper, we design and develop a Run-Time Monitor (RTM) which is a system software to monitor the application behavior at run-time, analyze the collected information, and optimize cloud computing resources for multi-core architectures. RTM monitors application software through library instrumentation as well as underlying hardware through a performance counter optimizing its computing configuration based on the analyzed data. PMID:22163811

Design and development of a run-time monitor for multi-core architectures in cloud computing.

PubMed

Kang, Mikyung; Kang, Dong-In; Crago, Stephen P; Park, Gyung-Leen; Lee, Junghoon

2011-01-01

Cloud computing is a new information technology trend that moves computing and data away from desktops and portable PCs into large data centers. The basic principle of cloud computing is to deliver applications as services over the Internet as well as infrastructure. A cloud is a type of parallel and distributed system consisting of a collection of inter-connected and virtualized computers that are dynamically provisioned and presented as one or more unified computing resources. The large-scale distributed applications on a cloud require adaptive service-based software, which has the capability of monitoring system status changes, analyzing the monitored information, and adapting its service configuration while considering tradeoffs among multiple QoS features simultaneously. In this paper, we design and develop a Run-Time Monitor (RTM) which is a system software to monitor the application behavior at run-time, analyze the collected information, and optimize cloud computing resources for multi-core architectures. RTM monitors application software through library instrumentation as well as underlying hardware through a performance counter optimizing its computing configuration based on the analyzed data.

Non-Kolmogorovian Approach to the Context-Dependent Systems Breaking the Classical Probability Law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asano, Masanari; Basieva, Irina; Khrennikov, Andrei; Ohya, Masanori; Yamato, Ichiro

2013-07-01

There exist several phenomena breaking the classical probability laws. The systems related to such phenomena are context-dependent, so that they are adaptive to other systems. In this paper, we present a new mathematical formalism to compute the joint probability distribution for two event-systems by using concepts of the adaptive dynamics and quantum information theory, e.g., quantum channels and liftings. In physics the basic example of the context-dependent phenomena is the famous double-slit experiment. Recently similar examples have been found in biological and psychological sciences. Our approach is an extension of traditional quantum probability theory, and it is general enough to describe aforementioned contextual phenomena outside of quantum physics.

Computational Model for Ethnographically Informed Systems Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Rahat; James, Anne; Shah, Nazaraf; Terken, Jacuqes

This paper presents a computational model for ethnographically informed systems design that can support complex and distributed cooperative activities. This model is based on an ethnographic framework consisting of three important dimensions (e.g., distributed coordination, awareness of work and plans and procedure), and the BDI (Belief, Desire and Intention) model of intelligent agents. The ethnographic framework is used to conduct ethnographic analysis and to organise ethnographically driven information into three dimensions, whereas the BDI model allows such information to be mapped upon the underlying concepts of multi-agent systems. The advantage of this model is that it is built upon an adaptation of existing mature and well-understood techniques. By the use of this model, we also address the cognitive aspects of systems design.

Valuing physically and financially-induced flexibility in large-scale water resources systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tilmant, Amaury; Pina, Jasson; Côté, Pascal

2017-04-01

In a world characterized by rapid changes in terms of water demands and supplies, there is a growing and persistent need for institutional reforms that promote cross-sectoral, adaptive management processes and policies. Yet, in many regions throughout the world, the continued expansion of supply-side infrastructure is still perceived as the way to go despite the rising financial, social and environmental costs. This trend is further compounded by the risks posed by climate change; reservoir storage, for example, is still perceived as a key element of climate change adaptation strategies in many countries. There is a growing concern that such strategies may result in a rigidity trap whereby the physical and institutional infrastructure become inflexible and unable to adapt to changes because they are mutually reinforcing each other. However, several authors have recently advocated for adaptive, flexible, management techniques involving a more diversified portfolio of measures whose management is regularly updated as new information about supplies and demands becomes available. Despite being conceptually attractive, such a management approach presents several challenges to policy makers. One of them is the sheer amount of information that must be processed each time a management decision must be taken. To address this issue, we propose an optimization framework that can be used to determine the optimal management of a large portfolio of physical and financial assets using various hydro-climatic information. This optimization framework is illustrated with the management of a power system in Quebec involving various power stations, reservoirs, power and energy contracts as well as hydrologic and climatic data. The results can be used to assess the economic value of the flexibility induced by either the physical assets (power stations and reservoirs) or by the financial ones (contracts), an information we believe is important to highlight the benefits of adaptive management techniques.

An adaptive incremental approach to constructing ensemble classifiers: Application in an information-theoretic computer-aided decision system for detection of masses in mammograms

PubMed Central

Mazurowski, Maciej A.; Zurada, Jacek M.; Tourassi, Georgia D.

2009-01-01

Ensemble classifiers have been shown efficient in multiple applications. In this article, the authors explore the effectiveness of ensemble classifiers in a case-based computer-aided diagnosis system for detection of masses in mammograms. They evaluate two general ways of constructing subclassifiers by resampling of the available development dataset: Random division and random selection. Furthermore, they discuss the problem of selecting the ensemble size and propose two adaptive incremental techniques that automatically select the size for the problem at hand. All the techniques are evaluated with respect to a previously proposed information-theoretic CAD system (IT-CAD). The experimental results show that the examined ensemble techniques provide a statistically significant improvement (AUC=0.905±0.024) in performance as compared to the original IT-CAD system (AUC=0.865±0.029). Some of the techniques allow for a notable reduction in the total number of examples stored in the case base (to 1.3% of the original size), which, in turn, results in lower storage requirements and a shorter response time of the system. Among the methods examined in this article, the two proposed adaptive techniques are by far the most effective for this purpose. Furthermore, the authors provide some discussion and guidance for choosing the ensemble parameters. PMID:19673196

Cloud-based adaptive exon prediction for DNA analysis.

PubMed

Putluri, Srinivasareddy; Zia Ur Rahman, Md; Fathima, Shaik Yasmeen

2018-02-01

Cloud computing offers significant research and economic benefits to healthcare organisations. Cloud services provide a safe place for storing and managing large amounts of such sensitive data. Under conventional flow of gene information, gene sequence laboratories send out raw and inferred information via Internet to several sequence libraries. DNA sequencing storage costs will be minimised by use of cloud service. In this study, the authors put forward a novel genomic informatics system using Amazon Cloud Services, where genomic sequence information is stored and accessed for processing. True identification of exon regions in a DNA sequence is a key task in bioinformatics, which helps in disease identification and design drugs. Three base periodicity property of exons forms the basis of all exon identification techniques. Adaptive signal processing techniques found to be promising in comparison with several other methods. Several adaptive exon predictors (AEPs) are developed using variable normalised least mean square and its maximum normalised variants to reduce computational complexity. Finally, performance evaluation of various AEPs is done based on measures such as sensitivity, specificity and precision using various standard genomic datasets taken from National Center for Biotechnology Information genomic sequence database.

Digital and biological computing in organizations.

PubMed

Kampfner, Roberto R

2002-01-01

Michael Conrad unveiled many of the fundamental characteristics of biological computing. Underlying the behavioral variability and the adaptability of biological systems are these characteristics, including the ability of biological information processing to exploit quantum features at the atomic level, the powerful 3-D pattern recognition capabilities of macromolecules, the computational efficiency, and the ability to support biological function. Among many other things, Conrad formalized and explicated the underlying principles of biological adaptability, characterized the differences between biological and digital computing in terms of a fundamental tradeoff between adaptability and programmability of information processing, and discussed the challenges of interfacing digital computers and human society. This paper is about the encounter of biological and digital computing. The focus is on the nature of the biological information processing infrastructure of organizations and how it can be extended effectively with digital computing. In order to achieve this goal effectively, however, we need to embed properly digital computing into the information processing aspects of human and social behavior and intelligence, which are fundamentally biological. Conrad's legacy provides a firm, strong, and inspiring foundation for this endeavor.

Solar adaptive optics: specificities, lessons learned, and open alternatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montilla, I.; Marino, J.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Collados, M.; Montoya, L.; Tallon, M.

2016-07-01

First on sky adaptive optics experiments were performed on the Dunn Solar Telescope on 1979, with a shearing interferometer and limited success. Those early solar adaptive optics efforts forced to custom-develop many components, such as Deformable Mirrors and WaveFront Sensors, which were not available at that time. Later on, the development of the correlation Shack-Hartmann marked a breakthrough in solar adaptive optics. Since then, successful Single Conjugate Adaptive Optics instruments have been developed for many solar telescopes, i.e. the National Solar Observatory, the Vacuum Tower Telescope and the Swedish Solar Telescope. Success with the Multi Conjugate Adaptive Optics systems for GREGOR and the New Solar Telescope has proved to be more difficult to attain. Such systems have a complexity not only related to the number of degrees of freedom, but also related to the specificities of the Sun, used as reference, and the sensing method. The wavefront sensing is performed using correlations on images with a field of view of 10", averaging wavefront information from different sky directions, affecting the sensing and sampling of high altitude turbulence. Also due to the low elevation at which solar observations are performed we have to include generalized fitting error and anisoplanatism, as described by Ragazzoni and Rigaut, as non-negligible error sources in the Multi Conjugate Adaptive Optics error budget. For the development of the next generation Multi Conjugate Adaptive Optics systems for the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope and the European Solar Telescope we still need to study and understand these issues, to predict realistically the quality of the achievable reconstruction. To improve their designs other open issues have to be assessed, i.e. possible alternative sensing methods to avoid the intrinsic anisoplanatism of the wide field correlation Shack-Hartmann, new parameters to estimate the performance of an adaptive optics solar system, alternatives to the Strehl and the Point Spread Function used in night time adaptive optics but not really suitable to the solar systems, and new control strategies more complex than the ones used in nowadays solar Multi Conjugate Adaptive Optics systems. In this paper we summarize the lessons learned with past and current solar adaptive optics systems and focus on the discussion on the new alternatives to solve present open issues limiting their performance.

Initial Alignment of Large Azimuth Misalignment Angles in SINS Based on Adaptive UPF

PubMed Central

Sun, Jin; Xu, Xiao-Su; Liu, Yi-Ting; Zhang, Tao; Li, Yao

2015-01-01

The case of large azimuth misalignment angles in a strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS) is analyzed, and a method of using the adaptive UPF for the initial alignment is proposed. The filter is based on the idea of a strong tracking filter; through the introduction of the attenuation memory factor to effectively enhance the corrections of the current information residual error on the system, it reduces the influence on the system due to the system simplification, and the uncertainty of noise statistical properties to a certain extent; meanwhile, the UPF particle degradation phenomenon is better overcome. Finally, two kinds of non-linear filters, UPF and adaptive UPF, are adopted in the initial alignment of large azimuth misalignment angles in SINS, and the filtering effects of the two kinds of nonlinear filter on the initial alignment were compared by simulation and turntable experiments. The simulation and turntable experiment results show that the speed and precision of the initial alignment using adaptive UPF for a large azimuth misalignment angle in SINS under the circumstance that the statistical properties of the system noise are certain or not have been improved to some extent. PMID:26334277

Digital adaptive optics line-scanning confocal imaging system.

PubMed

Liu, Changgeng; Kim, Myung K

2015-01-01

A digital adaptive optics line-scanning confocal imaging (DAOLCI) system is proposed by applying digital holographic adaptive optics to a digital form of line-scanning confocal imaging system. In DAOLCI, each line scan is recorded by a digital hologram, which allows access to the complex optical field from one slice of the sample through digital holography. This complex optical field contains both the information of one slice of the sample and the optical aberration of the system, thus allowing us to compensate for the effect of the optical aberration, which can be sensed by a complex guide star hologram. After numerical aberration compensation, the corrected optical fields of a sequence of line scans are stitched into the final corrected confocal image. In DAOLCI, a numerical slit is applied to realize the confocality at the sensor end. The width of this slit can be adjusted to control the image contrast and speckle noise for scattering samples. DAOLCI dispenses with the hardware pieces, such as Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor and deformable mirror, and the closed-loop feedbacks adopted in the conventional adaptive optics confocal imaging system, thus reducing the optomechanical complexity and cost. Numerical simulations and proof-of-principle experiments are presented that demonstrate the feasibility of this idea.

Focus and perspective adaptive digital surgical microscope: optomechanical design and experimental implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claus, Daniel; Reichert, Carsten; Herkommer, Alois

2017-05-01

This paper relates to the improvement of conventional surgical stereo microscopy via the application of digital recording devices and adaptive optics. The research is aimed at improving the working conditions of the surgeon during the operation, such that free head movement is possible. The depth clues known from conventional stereo microscopy in interaction with the human eye's functionality, such as convergence, disparity, angular elevation, parallax, and accommodation, are implemented in a digital recording system via adaptive optomechanical components. Two laterally moving pupil apertures have been used mimicking the digital implementation of the eye's vergence and head motion. The natural eye's accommodation is mimicked via the application of a tunable lens. Additionally, another system has been built, which enables tracking the surgeon's eye pupil through a digital displaying stereoscopic microscope to supply the necessary information for steering the recording system. The optomechanical design and experimental results for both systems, digital recording stereoscopic microscope and pupil tracking system, are shown.

Unbalance vibration suppression for AMBs system using adaptive notch filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Qi; Liu, Gang; Han, Bangcheng

2017-09-01

The unbalance of rotor levitated by active magnetic bearings (AMBs) will cause synchronous vibration which greatly degrade the performance at high speeds in the rotating machinery. To suppress the unbalance vibration without angular velocity information, a novel modified adaptive notch filter (ANF) with phase shift in the AMBs system is presented in this study. Firstly, a 4-degree-of-freedom (DOF) radial unbalanced AMB rotor system is described and analyzed, and the solution of rotor vibration displacement is compared with the experimental data to verify the preciseness of the dynamic model. Then the principle and structure of the proposed notch filter used for the frequency estimation and online identification of synchronous component are presented. As well, the convergence property of the algorithm is investigated. In addition, the stability analysis of the closed-loop AMB system with the proposed ANF is conducted. Simulation and experiments on an AMB driveline system demonstrate the effectiveness and the adaptive characteristics of the proposed ANF on the elimination of synchronous controlled current in a widely operating speed range.

Cross-Layer Adaptive Feedback Scheduling of Wireless Control Systems

PubMed Central

Xia, Feng; Ma, Longhua; Peng, Chen; Sun, Youxian; Dong, Jinxiang

2008-01-01

There is a trend towards using wireless technologies in networked control systems. However, the adverse properties of the radio channels make it difficult to design and implement control systems in wireless environments. To attack the uncertainty in available communication resources in wireless control systems closed over WLAN, a cross-layer adaptive feedback scheduling (CLAFS) scheme is developed, which takes advantage of the co-design of control and wireless communications. By exploiting cross-layer design, CLAFS adjusts the sampling periods of control systems at the application layer based on information about deadline miss ratio and transmission rate from the physical layer. Within the framework of feedback scheduling, the control performance is maximized through controlling the deadline miss ratio. Key design parameters of the feedback scheduler are adapted to dynamic changes in the channel condition. An event-driven invocation mechanism for the feedback scheduler is also developed. Simulation results show that the proposed approach is efficient in dealing with channel capacity variations and noise interference, thus providing an enabling technology for control over WLAN. PMID:27879934

DS-MAC: differential service medium access control design for wireless medical information systems.

PubMed

Yuan, Xiaojing; Bagga, Sumegha; Shen, Jian; Balakrishnan, M; Benhaddou, D

2008-01-01

The integration of wireless networking technologies with medical information systems (telemedicine) have a significant impact on healthcare services provided to our society. Applications of telemedicine range from personalized medicine to affordable healthcare for underserved population. Though wireless technologies and medical informatics are individually progressing rapidly, wireless networking for healthcare systems is still at a very premature stage. In this paper we first present our open architecture for medical information systems that integrates both wired and wireless networked data acquisition systems. We then present the implementation at the physical layer and differential service MAC design that adapts channel provisioning based on the information criticality. Performance evaluation using analytical modeling and simulation shows that our DS-MAC provides differentiated services for emergency, warning, and normal traffic.

Information Processing Techniques Program. Volume II. Communications- Adaptive Internetting

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-09-30

LABORATORY INFORMATION PROCESSING TECHNIQUES PROGRAM VOLUME II: COMMUNICATIONS-ADAPTIVE INTERNETTING I SEMIANNUAL TECHNICAL SUMMARY REPORT TO THE...MASSACHUSETTS ABSTRACT This repori describes work performed on the Communications-Adaptive Internetting program sponsored by the Information ... information processing techniques network speech terminal communicatlons-adaptive internetting 04 links digital voice communications time-varying

Learning, memory, and the role of neural network architecture.

PubMed

Hermundstad, Ann M; Brown, Kevin S; Bassett, Danielle S; Carlson, Jean M

2011-06-01

The performance of information processing systems, from artificial neural networks to natural neuronal ensembles, depends heavily on the underlying system architecture. In this study, we compare the performance of parallel and layered network architectures during sequential tasks that require both acquisition and retention of information, thereby identifying tradeoffs between learning and memory processes. During the task of supervised, sequential function approximation, networks produce and adapt representations of external information. Performance is evaluated by statistically analyzing the error in these representations while varying the initial network state, the structure of the external information, and the time given to learn the information. We link performance to complexity in network architecture by characterizing local error landscape curvature. We find that variations in error landscape structure give rise to tradeoffs in performance; these include the ability of the network to maximize accuracy versus minimize inaccuracy and produce specific versus generalizable representations of information. Parallel networks generate smooth error landscapes with deep, narrow minima, enabling them to find highly specific representations given sufficient time. While accurate, however, these representations are difficult to generalize. In contrast, layered networks generate rough error landscapes with a variety of local minima, allowing them to quickly find coarse representations. Although less accurate, these representations are easily adaptable. The presence of measurable performance tradeoffs in both layered and parallel networks has implications for understanding the behavior of a wide variety of natural and artificial learning systems.

Innovations in clinical trials informatics.

PubMed

Summers, Ron; Vyas, Hiten; Dudhal, Nilesh; Doherty, Neil F; Coombs, Crispin R; Hepworth, Mark

2008-01-01

This paper will investigate innovations in information management for use in clinical trials. The application typifies a complex, adaptive, distributed and information-rich environment for which continuous innovation is necessary. Organisational innovation is highlighted as well as the technical innovations in workflow processes and their representation as an integrated set of web services. Benefits realization uncovers further innovations in the business strand of the work undertaken. Following the description of the development of this information management system, the semantic web is postulated as a possible solution to tame the complexity related to information management issues found within clinical trials support systems.

The role of mechanics in biological and bio-inspired systems.

PubMed

Egan, Paul; Sinko, Robert; LeDuc, Philip R; Keten, Sinan

2015-07-06

Natural systems frequently exploit intricate multiscale and multiphasic structures to achieve functionalities beyond those of man-made systems. Although understanding the chemical make-up of these systems is essential, the passive and active mechanics within biological systems are crucial when considering the many natural systems that achieve advanced properties, such as high strength-to-weight ratios and stimuli-responsive adaptability. Discovering how and why biological systems attain these desirable mechanical functionalities often reveals principles that inform new synthetic designs based on biological systems. Such approaches have traditionally found success in medical applications, and are now informing breakthroughs in diverse frontiers of science and engineering.

Fast Tracking Data to Informed Decisions: An Advanced Information System to Improve Environmental Understanding and Management (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minsker, B. S.; Myers, J.; Liu, Y.; Bajcsy, P.

2010-12-01

Emerging sensing and information technology are rapidly creating a new paradigm for environmental research and management, in which data from multiple sensors and information sources can guide real-time adaptive observation and decision making. This talk will provide an overview of emerging cyberinfrastructure and three case studies that illustrate their potential: combined sewer overflows in Chicago, hypoxia in Corpus Christi Bay, Texas, and sustainable agriculture in Illinois. An advanced information system for real-time decision making and visual geospatial analytics will be presented as an example of cyberinfrastructure that enables easier implementation of numerous real-time applications.

A Decision Analysis Tool for Climate Impacts, Adaptations, and Vulnerabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Omitaomu, Olufemi A; Parish, Esther S; Nugent, Philip J

Climate change related extreme events (such as flooding, storms, and drought) are already impacting millions of people globally at a cost of billions of dollars annually. Hence, there are urgent needs for urban areas to develop adaptation strategies that will alleviate the impacts of these extreme events. However, lack of appropriate decision support tools that match local applications is limiting local planning efforts. In this paper, we present a quantitative analysis and optimization system with customized decision support modules built on geographic information system (GIS) platform to bridge this gap. This platform is called Urban Climate Adaptation Tool (Urban-CAT). Formore » all Urban-CAT models, we divide a city into a grid with tens of thousands of cells; then compute a list of metrics for each cell from the GIS data. These metrics are used as independent variables to predict climate impacts, compute vulnerability score, and evaluate adaptation options. Overall, the Urban-CAT system has three layers: data layer (that contains spatial data, socio-economic and environmental data, and analytic data), middle layer (that handles data processing, model management, and GIS operation), and application layer (that provides climate impacts forecast, adaptation optimization, and site evaluation). The Urban-CAT platform can guide city and county governments in identifying and planning for effective climate change adaptation strategies.« less

Using Web GIS "Climate" for Adaptation to Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordova, Yulia; Martynova, Yulia; Shulgina, Tamara

2015-04-01

A work is devoted to the application of an information-computational Web GIS "Climate" developed by joint team of the Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems SB RAS and Tomsk State University to raise awareness about current and future climate change as a basis for further adaptation. Web-GIS "Climate» (http://climate.scert.ru/) based on modern concepts of Web 2.0 provides opportunities to study regional climate change and its consequences by providing access to climate and weather models, a large set of geophysical data and means of processing and visualization. Also, the system is used for the joint development of software applications by distributed research teams, research based on these applications and undergraduate and graduate students training. In addition, the system capabilities allow creating information resources to raise public awareness about climate change, its causes and consequences, which is a necessary step for the subsequent adaptation to these changes. Basic information course on climate change is placed in the public domain and is aimed at local population. Basic concepts and problems of modern climate change and its possible consequences are set out and illustrated in accessible language. Particular attention is paid to regional climate changes. In addition to the information part, the course also includes a selection of links to popular science network resources on current issues in Earth Sciences and a number of practical tasks to consolidate the material. These tasks are performed for a particular territory. Within the tasks users need to analyze the prepared within the "Climate" map layers and answer questions of direct interest to the public: "How did the minimum value of winter temperatures change in your area?", "What are the dynamics of maximum summer temperatures?", etc. Carrying out the analysis of the dynamics of climate change contributes to a better understanding of climate processes and further adaptation. Passing this course raises awareness of the general public, as well as prepares the user for subsequent registration in the system and work with its tools in conducting independent research. This work is partially supported by SB RAS project VIII.80.2.1, RFBR grants 13-05-12034 and 14-05-00502.

Mapping Extreme Heat Vulnerability and Health Outcomes to inform the District of Columbia's Climate Adaptation Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Declet-Barreto, J.; Wilhelmi, O.; Goggans, A.

2016-12-01

In this collaborative engagement, scientists are partnering with the District of Columbia (DC) to develop an extreme heat vulnerability assessment. To do so, we map socio-demographic and built environment indicators of extreme heat vulnerability in Census Tracts in DC neighborhoods. In order to provide information useful for DC public health and urban planning practitioners, we aggregate the indicators into an index of extreme heat vulnerability. We compare the index against heat-related call data from DC's 911 system to better understand the socio-spatial distribution of extreme heat-related health outcomes. Our assessment can help inform the District's Climate Adaptation Plan as well as increase public engagement in reducing vulnerability to extreme heat.

Developing a National Climate Indicators System to Track Climate Changes, Impacts, Vulnerabilities, and Preparedness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenney, M. A.; Janetos, A. C.; Arndt, D.; Chen, R. S.; Pouyat, R.; Anderson, S. M.

2013-12-01

The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is being conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), pursuant to the Global Change Research Act of 1990, Section 106, which requires a report to Congress every 4 years. Part of the vision, which is now under development, for the sustained National Climate Assessment (NCA) process is a system of physical, ecological, and societal indicators that communicate key aspects of the physical climate, climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and preparedness for the purpose of informing both decision makers and the public with scientifically valid information that is useful to inform decision-making processes such as the development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies in a particular sector or region. These indicators will be tracked as a part of ongoing assessment activities, with adjustments as necessary to adapt to changing conditions and understanding. The indicators will be reviewed and updated so that the system adapts to new information. The NCA indicator system is not intended to serve as a vehicle for documenting rigorous cause and effect relationships. It is reasonable, however, for it to serve as a guide to those factors that affect the evolution of variability and change in the climate system, the resources and sectors of concern that are affected by it, and how society chooses to respond. Different components of the end-to-end climate issue serve as categories within which to organize an end-to-end system of indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, Atmospheric Composition, Physical Climate Variability and Change, Sectors and Resources of Concern, and Adaptation and Mitigation Responses. This framing has several advantages. It can be used to identify the different components of the end-to-end climate issue that both decision-makers and researchers are interested in. It is independent of scale, and therefore allows the indicators themselves to be described at spatial scales that are the most relevant for their intended use. National decision-makers may find indicators of national greenhouse gas emissions to be informative; however, state or local decision-makers have the freedom in this framework to define indicators of state, regional, or local greenhouse emissions that are more relevant to their concerns. The framework is also independent of time scale and topics within the broad categories. It therefore allows indicators of different sectors to be developed, and allows the consideration of both indicators of current state, past trends, and leading indicators. In this talk we will discuss the general conceptual model for the system, the sector specific conceptual models, and indicators that will be included in the prototype end-to-end indicator system.

Visually guided gait modifications for stepping over an obstacle: a bio-inspired approach.

PubMed

Silva, Pedro; Matos, Vitor; Santos, Cristina P

2014-02-01

There is an increasing interest in conceiving robotic systems that are able to move and act in an unstructured and not predefined environment, for which autonomy and adaptability are crucial features. In nature, animals are autonomous biological systems, which often serve as bio-inspiration models, not only for their physical and mechanical properties, but also their control structures that enable adaptability and autonomy-for which learning is (at least) partially responsible. This work proposes a system which seeks to enable a quadruped robot to online learn to detect and to avoid stumbling on an obstacle in its path. The detection relies in a forward internal model that estimates the robot's perceptive information by exploring the locomotion repetitive nature. The system adapts the locomotion in order to place the robot optimally before attempting to step over the obstacle, avoiding any stumbling. Locomotion adaptation is achieved by changing control parameters of a central pattern generator (CPG)-based locomotion controller. The mechanism learns the necessary alterations to the stride length in order to adapt the locomotion by changing the required CPG parameter. Both learning tasks occur online and together define a sensorimotor map, which enables the robot to learn to step over the obstacle in its path. Simulation results show the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Learning-based traffic signal control algorithms with neighborhood information sharing: An application for sustainable mobility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aziz, H. M. Abdul; Zhu, Feng; Ukkusuri, Satish V.

Here, this research applies R-Markov Average Reward Technique based reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm, namely RMART, for vehicular signal control problem leveraging information sharing among signal controllers in connected vehicle environment. We implemented the algorithm in a network of 18 signalized intersections and compare the performance of RMART with fixed, adaptive, and variants of the RL schemes. Results show significant improvement in system performance for RMART algorithm with information sharing over both traditional fixed signal timing plans and real time adaptive control schemes. Additionally, the comparison with reinforcement learning algorithms including Q learning and SARSA indicate that RMART performs better atmore » higher congestion levels. Further, a multi-reward structure is proposed that dynamically adjusts the reward function with varying congestion states at the intersection. Finally, the results from test networks show significant reduction in emissions (CO, CO 2, NO x, VOC, PM 10) when RL algorithms are implemented compared to fixed signal timings and adaptive schemes.« less

Lessons from a Space Analog on Adaptation for Long-Duration Exploration Missions.

PubMed

Anglin, Katlin M; Kring, Jason P

2016-04-01

Exploration missions to asteroids and Mars will bring new challenges associated with communication delays and more autonomy for crews. Mission safety and success will rely on how well the entire system, from technology to the human elements, is adaptable and resilient to disruptive, novel, or potentially catastrophic events. The recent NASA Extreme Environment Missions Operations (NEEMO) 20 mission highlighted this need and produced valuable "lessons learned" that will inform future research on team adaptation and resilience. A team of NASA, industry, and academic members used an iterative process to design a tripod shaped structure, called the CORAL Tower, for two astronauts to assemble underwater with minimal tools. The team also developed assembly procedures, administered training to the crew, and provided support during the mission. During the design, training, and assembly of the Tower, the team learned first-hand how adaptation in extreme environments depends on incremental testing, thorough procedures and contingency plans that predict possible failure scenarios, and effective team adaptation and resiliency for the crew and support personnel. Findings from NEEMO 20 provide direction on the design and testing process for future space systems and crews to maximize adaptation. This experience also underscored the need for more research on team adaptation, particularly how input and process factors affect adaption outcomes, the team adaptation iterative process, and new ways to measure the adaptation process.

Adaptive coupling optimized spiking coherence and synchronization in Newman-Watts neuronal networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Yubing; Xu, Bo; Wu, Ya'nan

2013-09-01

In this paper, we have numerically studied the effect of adaptive coupling on the temporal coherence and synchronization of spiking activity in Newman-Watts Hodgkin-Huxley neuronal networks. It is found that random shortcuts can enhance the spiking synchronization more rapidly when the increment speed of adaptive coupling is increased and can optimize the temporal coherence of spikes only when the increment speed of adaptive coupling is appropriate. It is also found that adaptive coupling strength can enhance the synchronization of spikes and can optimize the temporal coherence of spikes when random shortcuts are appropriate. These results show that adaptive coupling has a big influence on random shortcuts related spiking activity and can enhance and optimize the temporal coherence and synchronization of spiking activity of the network. These findings can help better understand the roles of adaptive coupling for improving the information processing and transmission in neural systems.

Design considerations for community mental health management information systems.

PubMed

Lowe, B H; Sugarman, B

1978-01-01

Many community mental health centers are presently faced with the necessity of implementing a management information system. This article offers guidelines for centers dealing with this situation. Whether a center chooses to adapt an existing system or develop one of its own, careful planning prior to the implementation of the system can help ensure that it will meet the needs of the center and operate successfully. The guidelines are organized into the categories of data considerations, people considerations, and system considerations. The first two categories are of general interest, whereas the last category is more technical in nature.

Filter accuracy for the Lorenz 96 model: Fixed versus adaptive observation operators

DOE PAGES

Stuart, Andrew M.; Shukla, Abhishek; Sanz-Alonso, Daniel; ...

2016-02-23

In the context of filtering chaotic dynamical systems it is well-known that partial observations, if sufficiently informative, can be used to control the inherent uncertainty due to chaos. The purpose of this paper is to investigate, both theoretically and numerically, conditions on the observations of chaotic systems under which they can be accurately filtered. In particular, we highlight the advantage of adaptive observation operators over fixed ones. The Lorenz ’96 model is used to exemplify our findings. Here, we consider discrete-time and continuous-time observations in our theoretical developments. We prove that, for fixed observation operator, the 3DVAR filter can recovermore » the system state within a neighbourhood determined by the size of the observational noise. It is required that a sufficiently large proportion of the state vector is observed, and an explicit form for such sufficient fixed observation operator is given. Numerical experiments, where the data is incorporated by use of the 3DVAR and extended Kalman filters, suggest that less informative fixed operators than given by our theory can still lead to accurate signal reconstruction. Adaptive observation operators are then studied numerically; we show that, for carefully chosen adaptive observation operators, the proportion of the state vector that needs to be observed is drastically smaller than with a fixed observation operator. Indeed, we show that the number of state coordinates that need to be observed may even be significantly smaller than the total number of positive Lyapunov exponents of the underlying system.« less

A New Socio-technical Model for Studying Health Information Technology in Complex Adaptive Healthcare Systems

PubMed Central

Sittig, Dean F.; Singh, Hardeep

2011-01-01

Conceptual models have been developed to address challenges inherent in studying health information technology (HIT). This manuscript introduces an 8-dimensional model specifically designed to address the socio-technical challenges involved in design, development, implementation, use, and evaluation of HIT within complex adaptive healthcare systems. The 8 dimensions are not independent, sequential, or hierarchical, but rather are interdependent and interrelated concepts similar to compositions of other complex adaptive systems. Hardware and software computing infrastructure refers to equipment and software used to power, support, and operate clinical applications and devices. Clinical content refers to textual or numeric data and images that constitute the “language” of clinical applications. The human computer interface includes all aspects of the computer that users can see, touch, or hear as they interact with it. People refers to everyone who interacts in some way with the system, from developer to end-user, including potential patient-users. Workflow and communication are the processes or steps involved in assuring that patient care tasks are carried out effectively. Two additional dimensions of the model are internal organizational features (e.g., policies, procedures, and culture) and external rules and regulations, both of which may facilitate or constrain many aspects of the preceding dimensions. The final dimension is measurement and monitoring, which refers to the process of measuring and evaluating both intended and unintended consequences of HIT implementation and use. We illustrate how our model has been successfully applied in real-world complex adaptive settings to understand and improve HIT applications at various stages of development and implementation. PMID:20959322

A new sociotechnical model for studying health information technology in complex adaptive healthcare systems.

PubMed

Sittig, Dean F; Singh, Hardeep

2010-10-01

Conceptual models have been developed to address challenges inherent in studying health information technology (HIT). This manuscript introduces an eight-dimensional model specifically designed to address the sociotechnical challenges involved in design, development, implementation, use and evaluation of HIT within complex adaptive healthcare systems. The eight dimensions are not independent, sequential or hierarchical, but rather are interdependent and inter-related concepts similar to compositions of other complex adaptive systems. Hardware and software computing infrastructure refers to equipment and software used to power, support and operate clinical applications and devices. Clinical content refers to textual or numeric data and images that constitute the 'language' of clinical applications. The human--computer interface includes all aspects of the computer that users can see, touch or hear as they interact with it. People refers to everyone who interacts in some way with the system, from developer to end user, including potential patient-users. Workflow and communication are the processes or steps involved in ensuring that patient care tasks are carried out effectively. Two additional dimensions of the model are internal organisational features (eg, policies, procedures and culture) and external rules and regulations, both of which may facilitate or constrain many aspects of the preceding dimensions. The final dimension is measurement and monitoring, which refers to the process of measuring and evaluating both intended and unintended consequences of HIT implementation and use. We illustrate how our model has been successfully applied in real-world complex adaptive settings to understand and improve HIT applications at various stages of development and implementation.

Complex adaptive systems (CAS): an overview of key elements, characteristics and application to management theory.

PubMed

Ellis, Beverley; Herbert, Stuart Ian

2011-01-01

To identify key elements and characteristics of complex adaptive systems (CAS) relevant to implementing clinical governance, drawing on lessons from quality improvement programmes and the use of informatics in primary care. The research strategy includes a literature review to develop theoretical models of clinical governance of quality improvement in primary care organisations (PCOs) and a survey of PCOs. Complex adaptive system theories are a valuable tool to help make sense of natural phenomena, which include human responses to problem solving within the sampled PCOs. The research commenced with a survey; 76% (n16) of respondents preferred to support the implementation of clinical governance initiatives guided by outputs from general practice electronic health records. There was considerable variation in the way in which consultation data was captured, recorded and organised. Incentivised information sharing led to consensus on coding policies and models of data recording ahead of national contractual requirements. Informatics was acknowledged as a mechanism to link electronic health record outputs, quality improvement and resources. Investment in informatics was identified as a development priority in order to embed clinical governance principles in practice. Complex adaptive system theory usefully describes evolutionary change processes, providing insight into how the origins of quality assurance were predicated on rational reductionism and linearity. New forms of governance do not neutralise previous models, but add further dimensions to them. Clinical governance models have moved from deterministic and 'objective' factors to incorporate cultural aspects with feedback about quality enabled by informatics. The socio-technical lessons highlighted should inform healthcare management.

Filter accuracy for the Lorenz 96 model: Fixed versus adaptive observation operators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stuart, Andrew M.; Shukla, Abhishek; Sanz-Alonso, Daniel

In the context of filtering chaotic dynamical systems it is well-known that partial observations, if sufficiently informative, can be used to control the inherent uncertainty due to chaos. The purpose of this paper is to investigate, both theoretically and numerically, conditions on the observations of chaotic systems under which they can be accurately filtered. In particular, we highlight the advantage of adaptive observation operators over fixed ones. The Lorenz ’96 model is used to exemplify our findings. Here, we consider discrete-time and continuous-time observations in our theoretical developments. We prove that, for fixed observation operator, the 3DVAR filter can recovermore » the system state within a neighbourhood determined by the size of the observational noise. It is required that a sufficiently large proportion of the state vector is observed, and an explicit form for such sufficient fixed observation operator is given. Numerical experiments, where the data is incorporated by use of the 3DVAR and extended Kalman filters, suggest that less informative fixed operators than given by our theory can still lead to accurate signal reconstruction. Adaptive observation operators are then studied numerically; we show that, for carefully chosen adaptive observation operators, the proportion of the state vector that needs to be observed is drastically smaller than with a fixed observation operator. Indeed, we show that the number of state coordinates that need to be observed may even be significantly smaller than the total number of positive Lyapunov exponents of the underlying system.« less

Signaling Network of Environmental Sensing and Adaptation in Plants:. Key Roles of Calcium Ion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurusu, Takamitsu; Kuchitsu, Kazuyuki

2011-01-01

Considering the important issues concerning food, environment, and energy that humans are facing in the 21st century, humans mostly depend on plants. Unlike animals which move from an inappropriate environment, plants do not move, but rapidly sense diverse environmental changes or invasion by other organisms such as pathogens and insects in the place they root, and adapt themselves by changing their own bodies, through which they developed adaptability. Whole genetic information corresponding to the blueprints of many biological systems has recently been analyzed, and comparative genomic studies facilitated tracing strategies of each organism in their evolutional processes. Comparison of factors involved in intracellular signal transduction between animals and plants indicated diversification of different gene sets. Reversible binding of Ca2+ to sensor proteins play key roles as a molecular switch both in animals and plants. Molecular mechanisms for signaling network of environmental sensing and adaptation in plants will be discussed with special reference to Ca2+ as a key element in information processing.

Health Information Technology (HIT) Adaptation: Refocusing on the Journey to Successful HIT Implementation

PubMed Central

McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Sieck, Cynthia J; Hefner, Jennifer L; Huerta, Timothy R

2017-01-01

In past years, policies and regulations required hospitals to implement advanced capabilities of certified electronic health records (EHRs) in order to receive financial incentives. This has led to accelerated implementation of health information technologies (HIT) in health care settings. However, measures commonly used to evaluate the success of HIT implementation, such as HIT adoption, technology acceptance, and clinical quality, fail to account for complex sociotechnical variability across contexts and the different trajectories within organizations because of different implementation plans and timelines. We propose a new focus, HIT adaptation, to illuminate factors that facilitate or hinder the connection between use of the EHR and improved quality of care as well as to explore the trajectory of changes in the HIT implementation journey as it is impacted by frequent system upgrades and optimizations. Future research should develop instruments to evaluate the progress of HIT adaptation in both its longitudinal design and its focus on adaptation progress rather than on one cross-sectional outcome, allowing for more generalizability and knowledge transfer. PMID:28882812

Blind information-theoretic multiuser detection algorithms for DS-CDMA and WCDMA downlink systems.

PubMed

Waheed, Khuram; Salem, Fathi M

2005-07-01

Code division multiple access (CDMA) is based on the spread-spectrum technology and is a dominant air interface for 2.5G, 3G, and future wireless networks. For the CDMA downlink, the transmitted CDMA signals from the base station (BS) propagate through a noisy multipath fading communication channel before arriving at the receiver of the user equipment/mobile station (UE/MS). Classical CDMA single-user detection (SUD) algorithms implemented in the UE/MS receiver do not provide the required performance for modern high data-rate applications. In contrast, multi-user detection (MUD) approaches require a lot of a priori information not available to the UE/MS. In this paper, three promising adaptive Riemannian contra-variant (or natural) gradient based user detection approaches, capable of handling the highly dynamic wireless environments, are proposed. The first approach, blind multiuser detection (BMUD), is the process of simultaneously estimating multiple symbol sequences associated with all the users in the downlink of a CDMA communication system using only the received wireless data and without any knowledge of the user spreading codes. This approach is applicable to CDMA systems with relatively short spreading codes but becomes impractical for systems using long spreading codes. We also propose two other adaptive approaches, namely, RAKE -blind source recovery (RAKE-BSR) and RAKE-principal component analysis (RAKE-PCA) that fuse an adaptive stage into a standard RAKE receiver. This adaptation results in robust user detection algorithms with performance exceeding the linear minimum mean squared error (LMMSE) detectors for both Direct Sequence CDMA (DS-CDMA) and wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) systems under conditions of congestion, imprecise channel estimation and unmodeled multiple access interference (MAI).

Intelligent Context-Aware and Adaptive Interface for Mobile LBS

PubMed Central

Liu, Yanhong

2015-01-01

Context-aware user interface plays an important role in many human-computer Interaction tasks of location based services. Although spatial models for context-aware systems have been studied extensively, how to locate specific spatial information for users is still not well resolved, which is important in the mobile environment where location based services users are impeded by device limitations. Better context-aware human-computer interaction models of mobile location based services are needed not just to predict performance outcomes, such as whether people will be able to find the information needed to complete a human-computer interaction task, but to understand human processes that interact in spatial query, which will in turn inform the detailed design of better user interfaces in mobile location based services. In this study, a context-aware adaptive model for mobile location based services interface is proposed, which contains three major sections: purpose, adjustment, and adaptation. Based on this model we try to describe the process of user operation and interface adaptation clearly through the dynamic interaction between users and the interface. Then we show how the model applies users' demands in a complicated environment and suggested the feasibility by the experimental results. PMID:26457077

Integrating adaptive management and ecosystem services concepts to improve natural resource management: Challenges and opportunities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Epanchin-Niell, Rebecca S.; Boyd, James W.; Macauley, Molly K.; Scarlett, Lynn; Shapiro, Carl D.; Williams, Byron K.

2018-05-07

Executive Summary—OverviewNatural resource managers must make decisions that affect broad-scale ecosystem processes involving large spatial areas, complex biophysical interactions, numerous competing stakeholder interests, and highly uncertain outcomes. Natural and social science information and analyses are widely recognized as important for informing effective management. Chief among the systematic approaches for improving the integration of science into natural resource management are two emergent science concepts, adaptive management and ecosystem services. Adaptive management (also referred to as “adaptive decision making”) is a deliberate process of learning by doing that focuses on reducing uncertainties about management outcomes and system responses to improve management over time. Ecosystem services is a conceptual framework that refers to the attributes and outputs of ecosystems (and their components and functions) that have value for humans.This report explores how ecosystem services can be moved from concept into practice through connection to a decision framework—adaptive management—that accounts for inherent uncertainties. Simultaneously, the report examines the value of incorporating ecosystem services framing and concepts into adaptive management efforts.Adaptive management and ecosystem services analyses have not typically been used jointly in decision making. However, as frameworks, they have a natural—but to date underexplored—affinity. Both are policy and decision oriented in that they attempt to represent the consequences of resource management choices on outcomes of interest to stakeholders. Both adaptive management and ecosystem services analysis take an empirical approach to the analysis of ecological systems. This systems orientation is a byproduct of the fact that natural resource actions affect ecosystems—and corresponding societal outcomes—often across large geographic scales. Moreover, because both frameworks focus on resource systems, both must confront the analytical challenges of systems modeling—in terms of complexity, dynamics, and uncertainty.Given this affinity, the integration of ecosystem services analysis and adaptive management poses few conceptual hurdles. In this report, we synthesize discussions from two workshops that considered ways in which adaptive management approaches and ecosystem service concepts may be complementary, such that integrating them into a common framework may lead to improved natural resource management outcomes. Although the literature on adaptive management and ecosystem services is vast and growing, the report focuses specifically on the integration of these two concepts rather than aiming to provide new definitions or an indepth review or primer of the concepts individually.Key issues considered include the bidirectional links between adaptive decision making and ecosystem services, as well as the potential benefits and inevitable challenges arising in the development and use of an integrated framework. Specifically, the workshops addressed the following questions:How can application of ecosystem service analysis within an adaptive decision process improve the outcomes of management and advance understanding of ecosystem service identification, production, and valuation?How can these concepts be integrated in concept and practice?What are the constraints and challenges to integrating adaptive management and ecosystem services?And, should the integration of these concepts be moved forward to wider application—and if so, how?

A Study of Adaptive Relevance Feedback - UIUC TREC-2008 Relevance Feedback Experiments

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

terms. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 27(3):129–146, 1976. [7] J . J . Rocchio. Relevance feedback in information retrieval. In...In The SMART Retrieval System: Experiments in Automatic Document Processing, pages 313–323. Prentice-Hall Inc., 1971. [8] Gerard Salton and Chris

Pedagogy with Information and Communications Technologies in Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Mary

2014-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of ways in which pedagogy with information and communications technologies (ICTs) may need to adapt to accommodate to a major shift in our conceptions of knowledge and learning. A holistic approach to this analysis based on Checkland's "systems thinking" suggested changes in pedagogy needed for 21st…

Evidence from Visuomotor Adaptation for Two Partially Independent Visuomotor Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thaler, Lore; Todd, James T.

2010-01-01

Visual information can specify spatial layout with respect to the observer (egocentric) or with respect to an external frame of reference (allocentric). People can use both of these types of visual spatial information to guide their hands. The question arises if movements based on egocentric and movements based on allocentric visual information…

Computerized Adaptive Test vs. decision trees: Development of a support decision system to identify suicidal behavior.

PubMed

Delgado-Gomez, D; Baca-Garcia, E; Aguado, D; Courtet, P; Lopez-Castroman, J

2016-12-01

Several Computerized Adaptive Tests (CATs) have been proposed to facilitate assessments in mental health. These tests are built in a standard way, disregarding useful and usually available information not included in the assessment scales that could increase the precision and utility of CATs, such as the history of suicide attempts. Using the items of a previously developed scale for suicidal risk, we compared the performance of a standard CAT and a decision tree in a support decision system to identify suicidal behavior. We included the history of past suicide attempts as a class for the separation of patients in the decision tree. The decision tree needed an average of four items to achieve a similar accuracy than a standard CAT with nine items. The accuracy of the decision tree, obtained after 25 cross-validations, was 81.4%. A shortened test adapted for the separation of suicidal and non-suicidal patients was developed. CATs can be very useful tools for the assessment of suicidal risk. However, standard CATs do not use all the information that is available. A decision tree can improve the precision of the assessment since they are constructed using a priori information. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An innovative information fusion method with adaptive Kalman filter for integrated INS/GPS navigation of autonomous vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yahui; Fan, Xiaoqian; Lv, Chen; Wu, Jian; Li, Liang; Ding, Dawei

2018-02-01

Information fusion method of INS/GPS navigation system based on filtering technology is a research focus at present. In order to improve the precision of navigation information, a navigation technology based on Adaptive Kalman Filter with attenuation factor is proposed to restrain noise in this paper. The algorithm continuously updates the measurement noise variance and processes noise variance of the system by collecting the estimated and measured values, and this method can suppress white noise. Because a measured value closer to the current time would more accurately reflect the characteristics of the noise, an attenuation factor is introduced to increase the weight of the current value, in order to deal with the noise variance caused by environment disturbance. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, a series of road tests are carried out in urban environment. The GPS and IMU data of the experiments were collected and processed by dSPACE and MATLAB/Simulink. Based on the test results, the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 20% higher than that of a traditional Adaptive Kalman Filter. It also shows that the precision of the integrated navigation can be improved due to the reduction of the influence of environment noise.

A Comprehensive Environmental Assessment Approach to Making Informed Decisions about Engineered Nanoparticles

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

fuel oxygenate MBTE Adapted from Davis, 2007 4 ( 1 ) A multimedia environmental perspective built on a product life cycle framework is essential. (2...Picatinney Arsenal Nanotechnology Research Center: Radiofrequency (RF) Induction Plasma reactor (Tekna Plasma Systems) pilot plant Synthesis Challenges: ( 1 ...Genotoxicity in vivo and in vitro, secondary to ROS (?)23 BUILDING STRONG® CEA: Lessons Learned with fuel oxygenate MBTE Adapted from Davis, 2007 24 ( 1

Regional Water System Vulnerabilities and Strengths for Unavoidable Climate Adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleick, P. H.; Palaniappan, M.; Christian-Smith, J.; Cooley, H.

2011-12-01

A wide range of options are available to help water systems prepare and adapt for unavoidable climate impacts, but these options vary depending on region, climatic conditions, economic status, and technical infrastructure in place. Drawing on case studies from the United States, India, and elsewhere, and from both urban and agricultural water systems, risks to water supply and quality are evaluated and summarized and categories of responses to help improve the effectiveness of adaptation policies are reviewed. Among the issues to be discussed are characteristics unique to developing country cities, such as the predominance of informal actors in the water sector. The formal, or government sector, which often exclusively manages water access and distribution in developed country cities, is only one among many players in the water sector in developing country cities. Informal access to water includes direct access by individuals through private groundwater systems, private water markets using vendors or sales of bottled water, and rainwater harvesting systems on individual homes. In this environment, with already existing pressures on water availability and use, the impacts of climate change on water will be strongly felt. This complicates planning for water supply and demand and risks increasing already prevalent water insecurity, especially for urban poor. In wealthier countries, any planning for water-related climate impacts tends to take the form of "business as usual" responses, such as efforts to expand supply with new infrastructure, manage demand through conservation programs, or simply put off addressing the problem to the next generation of managers and users. These approaches can be effective, but also risk missing unusual, non-linear, or threshold impacts. Examples of more informed and innovative efforts to substantively address climate change risks will be presented.

An Expertise Recommender using Web Mining

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joshi, Anupam; Chandrasekaran, Purnima; ShuYang, Michelle; Ramakrishnan, Ramya

2001-01-01

This report explored techniques to mine web pages of scientists to extract information regarding their expertise, build expertise chains and referral webs, and semi automatically combine this information with directory information services to create a recommender system that permits query by expertise. The approach included experimenting with existing techniques that have been reported in research literature in recent past , and adapted them as needed. In addition, software tools were developed to capture and use this information.

A Remote Sensing Image Fusion Method based on adaptive dictionary learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Tongdi; Che, Zongxi

2018-01-01

This paper discusses using a remote sensing fusion method, based on' adaptive sparse representation (ASP)', to provide improved spectral information, reduce data redundancy and decrease system complexity. First, the training sample set is formed by taking random blocks from the images to be fused, the dictionary is then constructed using the training samples, and the remaining terms are clustered to obtain the complete dictionary by iterated processing at each step. Second, the self-adaptive weighted coefficient rule of regional energy is used to select the feature fusion coefficients and complete the reconstruction of the image blocks. Finally, the reconstructed image blocks are rearranged and an average is taken to obtain the final fused images. Experimental results show that the proposed method is superior to other traditional remote sensing image fusion methods in both spectral information preservation and spatial resolution.

Adaptive Practice: Next Generation Evidence-Based Practice in Digital Environments.

PubMed

Kennedy, Margaret Ann

2016-01-01

Evidence-based practice in nursing is considered foundational to safe, competent care. To date, rigid traditional perceptions of what constitutes 'evidence' have constrained the recognition and use of practice-based evidence and the exploitation of novel forms of evidence from data rich environments. Advancements such as the conceptualization of clinical intelligence, the prevalence of increasingly sophisticated digital health information systems, and the advancement of the Big Data phenomenon have converged to generate a new contemporary context. In today's dynamic data-rich environments, clinicians have new sources of valid evidence, and need a new paradigm supporting clinical practice that is adaptive to information generated by diverse electronic sources. This opinion paper presents adaptive practice as the next generation of evidence-based practice in contemporary evidence-rich environments and provides recommendations for the next phase of evolution.

The Colorado Climate Preparedness Project: A Systematic Approach to Assessing Efforts Supporting State-Level Adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, R.; Gordon, E.

2010-12-01

Scholars and policy analysts often contend that an effective climate adaptation strategy must entail "mainstreaming," or incorporating responses to possible climate impacts into existing planning and management decision frameworks. Such an approach, however, makes it difficult to assess the degree to which decisionmaking entities are engaging in adaptive activities that may or may not be explicitly framed around a changing climate. For example, a drought management plan may not explicitly address climate change, but the activities and strategies outlined in it may reduce vulnerabilities posed by a variable and changing climate. Consequently, to generate a strategic climate adaptation plan requires identifying the entire suite of activities that are implicitly linked to climate and may affect adaptive capacity within the system. Here we outline a novel, two-pronged approach, leveraging social science methods, to understanding adaptation throughout state government in Colorado. First, we conducted a series of interviews with key actors in state and federal government agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, and other entities engaged in state issues. The purpose of these interviews was to elicit information about current activities that may affect the state’s adaptive capacity and to identify future climate-related needs across the state. Second, we have developed an interactive database cataloging organizations, products, projects, and people actively engaged in adaptive planning and policymaking that are relevant to the state of Colorado. The database includes a wiki interface, helping create a dynamic component that will enable frequent updating as climate-relevant information emerges. The results of this project are intended to paint a clear picture of sectors and agencies with higher and lower levels of adaptation awareness and to provide a roadmap for the next gubernatorial administration to pursue a more sophisticated climate adaptation agenda. Project results can also inform numerous other ongoing database efforts connected to the U.S. National Assessment of Climate Change.

On valuing information in adaptive-management models.

PubMed

Moore, Alana L; McCarthy, Michael A

2010-08-01

Active adaptive management looks at the benefit of using strategies that may be suboptimal in the near term but may provide additional information that will facilitate better management in the future. In many adaptive-management problems that have been studied, the optimal active and passive policies (accounting for learning when designing policies and designing policy on the basis of current best information, respectively) are very similar. This seems paradoxical; when faced with uncertainty about the best course of action, managers should spend very little effort on actively designing programs to learn about the system they are managing. We considered two possible reasons why active and passive adaptive solutions are often similar. First, the benefits of learning are often confined to the particular case study in the modeled scenario, whereas in reality information gained from local studies is often applied more broadly. Second, management objectives that incorporate the variance of an estimate may place greater emphasis on learning than more commonly used objectives that aim to maximize an expected value. We explored these issues in a case study of Merri Creek, Melbourne, Australia, in which the aim was to choose between two options for revegetation. We explicitly incorporated monitoring costs in the model. The value of the terminal rewards and the choice of objective both influenced the difference between active and passive adaptive solutions. Explicitly considering the cost of monitoring provided a different perspective on how the terminal reward and management objective affected learning. The states for which it was optimal to monitor did not always coincide with the states in which active and passive adaptive management differed. Our results emphasize that spending resources on monitoring is only optimal when the expected benefits of the options being considered are similar and when the pay-off for learning about their benefits is large.

Adaptive Communication: Languages with More Non-Native Speakers Tend to Have Fewer Word Forms

PubMed Central

Bentz, Christian; Verkerk, Annemarie; Kiela, Douwe; Hill, Felix; Buttery, Paula

2015-01-01

Explaining the diversity of languages across the world is one of the central aims of typological, historical, and evolutionary linguistics. We consider the effect of language contact-the number of non-native speakers a language has-on the way languages change and evolve. By analysing hundreds of languages within and across language families, regions, and text types, we show that languages with greater levels of contact typically employ fewer word forms to encode the same information content (a property we refer to as lexical diversity). Based on three types of statistical analyses, we demonstrate that this variance can in part be explained by the impact of non-native speakers on information encoding strategies. Finally, we argue that languages are information encoding systems shaped by the varying needs of their speakers. Language evolution and change should be modeled as the co-evolution of multiple intertwined adaptive systems: On one hand, the structure of human societies and human learning capabilities, and on the other, the structure of language. PMID:26083380

Integrating the hospital information system (HIS) into the Austrian electronic health record ("ELGA") using the example of the health care facility "Breitenstein".

PubMed

Bonstingl, Martina

2014-01-01

The health care facility "Breitenstein" makes use of a hospital information system to coordinate clinical processes and document medical health data. So as to comply with novel Austrian legislation and fit the "ELGA" architecture, the system has to be adapted. This paper is based on a literature research and gives answers to technical and legal aspects of "ELGA". The introduction of an IHE connector and a CDA manager are the main changes to the current hospital information system. The implementation of interfaces that allow an integration of further "ELGA" features possible are the next step of the project.

A cascade reaction network mimicking the basic functional steps of adaptive immune response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Da; Wu, Cuichen; You, Mingxu; Zhang, Tao; Wan, Shuo; Chen, Tao; Qiu, Liping; Zheng, Zheng; Liang, Hao; Tan, Weihong

2015-10-01

Biological systems use complex ‘information-processing cores’ composed of molecular networks to coordinate their external environment and internal states. An example of this is the acquired, or adaptive, immune system (AIS), which is composed of both humoral and cell-mediated components. Here we report the step-by-step construction of a prototype mimic of the AIS that we call an adaptive immune response simulator (AIRS). DNA and enzymes are used as simple artificial analogues of the components of the AIS to create a system that responds to specific molecular stimuli in vitro. We show that this network of reactions can function in a manner that is superficially similar to the most basic responses of the vertebrate AIS, including reaction sequences that mimic both humoral and cellular responses. As such, AIRS provides guidelines for the design and engineering of artificial reaction networks and molecular devices.

A video-based real-time adaptive vehicle-counting system for urban roads.

PubMed

Liu, Fei; Zeng, Zhiyuan; Jiang, Rong

2017-01-01

In developing nations, many expanding cities are facing challenges that result from the overwhelming numbers of people and vehicles. Collecting real-time, reliable and precise traffic flow information is crucial for urban traffic management. The main purpose of this paper is to develop an adaptive model that can assess the real-time vehicle counts on urban roads using computer vision technologies. This paper proposes an automatic real-time background update algorithm for vehicle detection and an adaptive pattern for vehicle counting based on the virtual loop and detection line methods. In addition, a new robust detection method is introduced to monitor the real-time traffic congestion state of road section. A prototype system has been developed and installed on an urban road for testing. The results show that the system is robust, with a real-time counting accuracy exceeding 99% in most field scenarios.

A video-based real-time adaptive vehicle-counting system for urban roads

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

In developing nations, many expanding cities are facing challenges that result from the overwhelming numbers of people and vehicles. Collecting real-time, reliable and precise traffic flow information is crucial for urban traffic management. The main purpose of this paper is to develop an adaptive model that can assess the real-time vehicle counts on urban roads using computer vision technologies. This paper proposes an automatic real-time background update algorithm for vehicle detection and an adaptive pattern for vehicle counting based on the virtual loop and detection line methods. In addition, a new robust detection method is introduced to monitor the real-time traffic congestion state of road section. A prototype system has been developed and installed on an urban road for testing. The results show that the system is robust, with a real-time counting accuracy exceeding 99% in most field scenarios. PMID:29135984

A control systems engineering approach for adaptive behavioral interventions: illustration with a fibromyalgia intervention.

PubMed

Deshpande, Sunil; Rivera, Daniel E; Younger, Jarred W; Nandola, Naresh N

2014-09-01

The term adaptive intervention has been used in behavioral medicine to describe operationalized and individually tailored strategies for prevention and treatment of chronic, relapsing disorders. Control systems engineering offers an attractive means for designing and implementing adaptive behavioral interventions that feature intensive measurement and frequent decision-making over time. This is illustrated in this paper for the case of a low-dose naltrexone treatment intervention for fibromyalgia. System identification methods from engineering are used to estimate dynamical models from daily diary reports completed by participants. These dynamical models then form part of a model predictive control algorithm which systematically decides on treatment dosages based on measurements obtained under real-life conditions involving noise, disturbances, and uncertainty. The effectiveness and implications of this approach for behavioral interventions (in general) and pain treatment (in particular) are demonstrated using informative simulations.

Determination Of Ph Including Hemoglobin Correction

DOEpatents

Maynard, John D.; Hendee, Shonn P.; Rohrscheib, Mark R.; Nunez, David; Alam, M. Kathleen; Franke, James E.; Kemeny, Gabor J.

2005-09-13

Methods and apparatuses of determining the pH of a sample. A method can comprise determining an infrared spectrum of the sample, and determining the hemoglobin concentration of the sample. The hemoglobin concentration and the infrared spectrum can then be used to determine the pH of the sample. In some embodiments, the hemoglobin concentration can be used to select an model relating infrared spectra to pH that is applicable at the determined hemoglobin concentration. In other embodiments, a model relating hemoglobin concentration and infrared spectra to pH can be used. An apparatus according to the present invention can comprise an illumination system, adapted to supply radiation to a sample; a collection system, adapted to collect radiation expressed from the sample responsive to the incident radiation; and an analysis system, adapted to relate information about the incident radiation, the expressed radiation, and the hemoglobin concentration of the sample to pH.

A Phonocardiographic-Based Fiber-Optic Sensor and Adaptive Filtering System for Noninvasive Continuous Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring.

PubMed

Martinek, Radek; Nedoma, Jan; Fajkus, Marcel; Kahankova, Radana; Konecny, Jaromir; Janku, Petr; Kepak, Stanislav; Bilik, Petr; Nazeran, Homer

2017-04-18

This paper focuses on the design, realization, and verification of a novel phonocardiographic- based fiber-optic sensor and adaptive signal processing system for noninvasive continuous fetal heart rate (fHR) monitoring. Our proposed system utilizes two Mach-Zehnder interferometeric sensors. Based on the analysis of real measurement data, we developed a simplified dynamic model for the generation and distribution of heart sounds throughout the human body. Building on this signal model, we then designed, implemented, and verified our adaptive signal processing system by implementing two stochastic gradient-based algorithms: the Least Mean Square Algorithm (LMS), and the Normalized Least Mean Square (NLMS) Algorithm. With this system we were able to extract the fHR information from high quality fetal phonocardiograms (fPCGs), filtered from abdominal maternal phonocardiograms (mPCGs) by performing fPCG signal peak detection. Common signal processing methods such as linear filtering, signal subtraction, and others could not be used for this purpose as fPCG and mPCG signals share overlapping frequency spectra. The performance of the adaptive system was evaluated by using both qualitative (gynecological studies) and quantitative measures such as: Signal-to-Noise Ratio-SNR, Root Mean Square Error-RMSE, Sensitivity-S+, and Positive Predictive Value-PPV.

A Phonocardiographic-Based Fiber-Optic Sensor and Adaptive Filtering System for Noninvasive Continuous Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring

PubMed Central

Martinek, Radek; Nedoma, Jan; Fajkus, Marcel; Kahankova, Radana; Konecny, Jaromir; Janku, Petr; Kepak, Stanislav; Bilik, Petr; Nazeran, Homer

2017-01-01

This paper focuses on the design, realization, and verification of a novel phonocardiographic- based fiber-optic sensor and adaptive signal processing system for noninvasive continuous fetal heart rate (fHR) monitoring. Our proposed system utilizes two Mach-Zehnder interferometeric sensors. Based on the analysis of real measurement data, we developed a simplified dynamic model for the generation and distribution of heart sounds throughout the human body. Building on this signal model, we then designed, implemented, and verified our adaptive signal processing system by implementing two stochastic gradient-based algorithms: the Least Mean Square Algorithm (LMS), and the Normalized Least Mean Square (NLMS) Algorithm. With this system we were able to extract the fHR information from high quality fetal phonocardiograms (fPCGs), filtered from abdominal maternal phonocardiograms (mPCGs) by performing fPCG signal peak detection. Common signal processing methods such as linear filtering, signal subtraction, and others could not be used for this purpose as fPCG and mPCG signals share overlapping frequency spectra. The performance of the adaptive system was evaluated by using both qualitative (gynecological studies) and quantitative measures such as: Signal-to-Noise Ratio—SNR, Root Mean Square Error—RMSE, Sensitivity—S+, and Positive Predictive Value—PPV. PMID:28420215

Evolution of Information Systems Curriculum in an Australian University over the Last Twenty-Five Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tatnall, Arthur; Burgess, Stephen

Information Systems (IS) courses began in Australia’s higher education institutions in the 1960, and have continued to evolve at a rapid rate since then. Beginning with a need by the Australian Commonwealth Government for a large number of computer professionals, Information Systems (or Business Computing) courses developed rapidly. The nature and content of these courses in the 1960s and 70s, however, was quite different to present courses and this paper traces this change and the reasons for it. After some brief discussion of the beginnings and the early days of Information Systems curriculum, we address in particular how these courses have evolved in one Australian university over the last 25 years. IS curriculum is seen to adapt, new materials are added and emphases changed as new technologies and new computing applications emerge. The paper offers a model of how curriculum change in Information Systems takes place.

Adaptive Correction from Virtually Complex Dynamic Libraries: The Role of Noncovalent Interactions in Structural Selection and Folding.

PubMed

Lafuente, Maria; Atcher, Joan; Solà, Jordi; Alfonso, Ignacio

2015-11-16

The hierarchical self-assembling of complex molecular systems is dictated by the chemical and structural information stored in their components. This information can be expressed through an adaptive process that determines the structurally fittest assembly under given environmental conditions. We have set up complex disulfide-based dynamic covalent libraries of chemically and topologically diverse pseudopeptidic compounds. We show how the reaction evolves from very complex mixtures at short reaction times to the almost exclusive formation of a major compound, through the establishment of intramolecular noncovalent interactions. Our experiments demonstrate that the systems evolve through error-check and error-correction processes. The nature of these interactions, the importance of the folding and the effects of the environment are also discussed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of patient satisfaction with tailored online patient education information.

PubMed

Atack, Lynda; Luke, Robert; Chien, Elise

2008-01-01

Patients are using the Internet for access to standardized health information in ever-growing numbers. Although increased access to health information can be helpful, the quality of information varies widely. All too often, the information retrieved is incomplete, inaccurate, or inappropriate. An interdisciplinary team of clinicians, librarians, software engineers, and multimedia designers developed an online patient education system that enables clinicians to "prescribe" tailored, evidence-based health information. The system provides access to text and video that patients can adapt for language, vision, and hearing preferences. Usability testing was conducted with eight patients in a usability laboratory using the "think-aloud" method, surveys, and interviews. Results indicated that patients were highly satisfied and that the site has the potential to become a valuable resource in disease management. Patients made several recommendations regarding system appearance, function, and content that will have application for other groups developing online patient education systems.

[Development method of healthcare information system integration based on business collaboration model].

PubMed

Li, Shasha; Nie, Hongchao; Lu, Xudong; Duan, Huilong

2015-02-01

Integration of heterogeneous systems is the key to hospital information construction due to complexity of the healthcare environment. Currently, during the process of healthcare information system integration, people participating in integration project usually communicate by free-format document, which impairs the efficiency and adaptability of integration. A method utilizing business process model and notation (BPMN) to model integration requirement and automatically transforming it to executable integration configuration was proposed in this paper. Based on the method, a tool was developed to model integration requirement and transform it to integration configuration. In addition, an integration case in radiology scenario was used to verify the method.

From Answer Garden to Answer Jungle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dron, Jon; Mitchell, Richard; Siviter, Phil

1998-01-01

The use of Usenet newsgroups in a computing and information systems classroom at the University of Brighton showed how Internet-based learning systems can encourage rapid evolution so that resources adapt to learners' needs. Although not always used as intended, and including off-topic distractions, newsgroups did accommodate learning styles and…

Computational Systems Toxicology: recapitulating the logistical dynamics of cellular response networks in virtual tissue models (Eurotox_2017)

EPA Science Inventory

Translating in vitro data and biological information into a predictive model for human toxicity poses a significant challenge. This is especially true for complex adaptive systems such as the embryo where cellular dynamics are precisely orchestrated in space and time. Computer ce...

Integrating ICT in Teacher Colleges--A Change Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magen-Nagar, Noga; Maskit, Ditza

2016-01-01

The National Israeli Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Program that called for the "adaption of the educational system to the 21st century", has been implemented in Israel since 2010. The program's purpose intended to introduce an "ICT culture" in the educational system--pre-schools and lower-level schools, as well…

A Genetic Algorithm Approach to Recognise Students' Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yannibelli, Virginia; Godoy, Daniela; Amandi, Analia

2006-01-01

Learning styles encapsulate the preferences of the students, regarding how they learn. By including information about the student learning style, computer-based educational systems are able to adapt a course according to the individual characteristics of the students. In accomplishing this goal, educational systems have been mostly based on the…

Evaluation of wolf impacts on cattle productivity and behavior

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We have initiated and employed an Adaptive Management System (AMS) to document the effects of gray wolves on cattle production systems in Oregon and Idaho. The project has collected information on cattle movement on land in both wolf common and wolf rare areas with GPS collars that record positions ...

Autonomous Information Fading and Provision to Achieve High Response Time in Distributed Information Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiaodong; Arfaoui, Helene; Mori, Kinji

In highly dynamic electronic commerce environment, the need for adaptability and rapid response time to information service systems has become increasingly important. In order to cope with the continuously changing conditions of service provision and utilization, Faded Information Field (FIF) has been proposed. FIF is a distributed information service system architecture, sustained by push/pull mobile agents to bring high-assurance of services through a recursive demand-oriented provision of the most popular information closer to the users to make a tradeoff between the cost of information service allocation and access. In this paper, based on the analysis of the relationship that exists among the users distribution, information provision and access time, we propose the technology for FIF design to resolve the competing requirements of users and providers to improve users' access time. In addition, to achieve dynamic load balancing with changing users preference, the autonomous information reallocation technology is proposed. We proved the effectiveness of the proposed technology through the simulation and comparison with the conventional system.

A Methodology for Investigating Adaptive Postural Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McDonald, P. V.; Riccio, G. E.

1999-01-01

Our research on postural control and human-environment interactions provides an appropriate scientific foundation for understanding the skill of mass handling by astronauts in weightless conditions (e.g., extravehicular activity or EVA). We conducted an investigation of such skills in NASA's principal mass-handling simulator, the Precision Air-Bearing Floor, at the Johnson Space Center. We have studied skilled movement-body within a multidisciplinary context that draws on concepts and methods from biological and behavioral sciences (e.g., psychology, kinesiology and neurophysiology) as well as bioengineering. Our multidisciplinary research has led to the development of measures, for manual interactions between individuals and the substantial environment, that plausibly are observable by human sensory systems. We consider these methods to be the most important general contribution of our EVA investigation. We describe our perspective as control theoretic because it draws more on fundamental concepts about control systems in engineering than it does on working constructs from the subdisciplines of biomechanics and motor control in the bio-behavioral sciences. At the same time, we have attempted to identify the theoretical underpinnings of control-systems engineering that are most relevant to control by human beings. We believe that these underpinnings are implicit in the assumptions that cut across diverse methods in control-systems engineering, especially the various methods associated with "nonlinear control", "fuzzy control," and "adaptive control" in engineering. Our methods are based on these theoretical foundations rather than on the mathematical formalisms that are associated with particular methods in control-systems engineering. The most important aspects of the human-environment interaction in our investigation of mass handling are the functional consequences that body configuration and stability have for the pick up of information or the achievement of overt goals. It follows that an essential characteristic of postural behavior is the effective maintenance of the orientation and stability of the sensory and motor "platforms" (e.g., head or shoulders) over variations in the human, the environment and the task. This general skill suggests that individuals should be sensitive to the functional consequences of body configuration and stability. In other words, individuals should perceive the relation between configuration, stability, and performance so that they can adaptively control their interaction with the surroundings. Human-environment interactions constitute robust systems in that individuals can maintain the stability of such interactions over uncertainty about and variations in the dynamics of the interaction. Robust interactions allow individuals to adopt orientations and configurations that are not optimal with respect to purely energetic criteria. Individuals can tolerate variation in postural states, and such variation can serve an important function in adaptive systems. Postural variability generates stimulation which is "textured" by the dynamics of the human-environment system. The texture or structure in stimulation provides information about variation in dynamics, and such information can be sufficient to guide adaption in control strategies. Our method were designed to measure informative patterns of movement variability.

Engineering healthcare as a service system.

PubMed

Tien, James M; Goldschmidt-Clermont, Pascal J

2010-01-01

Engineering has and will continue to have a critical impact on healthcare; the application of technology-based techniques to biological problems can be defined to be technobiology applications. This paper is primarily focused on applying the technobiology approach of systems engineering to the development of a healthcare service system that is both integrated and adaptive. In general, healthcare services are carried out with knowledge-intensive agents or components which work together as providers and consumers to create or co-produce value. Indeed, the engineering design of a healthcare system must recognize the fact that it is actually a complex integration of human-centered activities that is increasingly dependent on information technology and knowledge. Like any service system, healthcare can be considered to be a combination or recombination of three essential components - people (characterized by behaviors, values, knowledge, etc.), processes (characterized by collaboration, customization, etc.) and products (characterized by software, hardware, infrastructures, etc.). Thus, a healthcare system is an integrated and adaptive set of people, processes and products. It is, in essence, a system of systems which objectives are to enhance its efficiency (leading to greater interdependency) and effectiveness (leading to improved health). Integration occurs over the physical, temporal, organizational and functional dimensions, while adaptation occurs over the monitoring, feedback, cybernetic and learning dimensions. In sum, such service systems as healthcare are indeed complex, especially due to the uncertainties associated with the human-centered aspects of these systems. Moreover, the system complexities can only be dealt with methods that enhance system integration and adaptation.

The Stimuli-Actions-Effects-Responses (SAER)-framework for exploring perceived relationships between private and public climate change adaptation in agriculture.

PubMed

Mitter, Hermine; Schönhart, Martin; Larcher, Manuela; Schmid, Erwin

2018-03-01

Empirical findings on actors' roles and responsibilities in the climate change adaptation process are rare even though cooperation between private and public actors is perceived important to foster adaptation in agriculture. We therefore developed the framework SAER (Stimuli-Actions-Effects-Responses) to investigate perceived relationships between private and public climate change adaptation in agriculture at regional scale. In particular, we explore agricultural experts' perceptions on (i) climatic and non-climatic factors stimulating private adaptation, (ii) farm adaption actions, (iii) potential on-farm and off-farm effects from adaptation, and (iv) the relationships between private and public adaptation. The SAER-framework is built on a comprehensive literature review and empirical findings from semi-structured interviews with agricultural experts from two case study regions in Austria. We find that private adaptation is perceived as incremental, systemic or transformational. It is typically stimulated by a mix of bio-physical and socio-economic on-farm and off-farm factors. Stimulating factors related to climate change are perceived of highest relevance for systemic and transformational adaptation whereas already implemented adaptation is mostly perceived to be incremental. Perceived effects of private adaptation are related to the environment, weather and climate, quality and quantity of agricultural products as well as human, social and economic resources. Our results also show that public adaptation can influence factors stimulating private adaptation as well as adaptation effects through the design and development of the legal, policy and organizational environment as well as the provision of educational, informational, financial, and technical infrastructure. Hence, facilitating existing and new collaborations between private and public actors may enable farmers to adapt effectively to climate change. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intelligent systems for strategic power infrastructure defense

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Ju-Hwan

A fault or disturbance in a power system can be severe due to the sources of vulnerability such as human errors, protection and control system failures, a failure of communication networks to deliver critical control signals, and market and load uncertainties. There have been several catastrophic failures resulting from disturbances involving the sources of vulnerability while power systems are designed to withstand disturbances or faults. To avoid catastrophic failures or minimize the impact of a disturbance(s), the state of the power system has to be analyzed correctly and preventive or corrective self-healing control actions have to be deployed. This dissertation addresses two aspects of power systems: Defense system and diagnosis, both concerned with the power system analysis and operation during events involving faults or disturbances. This study is intended to develop a defense system that is able to assess power system vulnerability and to perform self-healing control actions based on the system-wide analysis. In order to meet the requirements of the system-wide analysis, the defense system is designed with multi-agent system technologies. Since power systems are dynamic and uncertain the self-healing control actions need to be adaptive. This study applies the reinforcement learning technique to provide a theoretical basis for adaptation. One of the important issues in adaptation is the convergence of the learning algorithm. An appropriate convergence criterion is derived and an application with a load-shedding scheme is demonstrated in this study. This dissertation also demonstrates the feasibility of the defense system and self-healing control actions through multi-agent system technologies. The other subject of this research is to investigate the methodology for on-line fault diagnosis using the information from Sequence-of-Events Recorders (SER). The proposed multiple-hypothesis analysis generates one or more hypothetical fault scenarios to interpret the SER information. In order to avoid ambiguity of the hypotheses, this study proposes a new method to determine the credibility of each hypothesis. Even if there is not enough SER information, the proposed method is able to perform an accurate fault and malfunction analysis. To avoid exhaustive testing, a minimal set of test scenarios is derived, which is able to handle missing information and SERs. During extreme contingencies or cascading events, fault diagnosis is the first step in the operation of the power system. On-line fault diagnosis provides necessary and correct information for the defense system to make correct and efficient decisions on self-healing control actions. It has been shown in previous studies that incorrect fault diagnosis can lead to catastrophic failures in power systems. Fault diagnosis is an important issue for strategic power infrastructure defense.

Improving Early Adaptation Following Long Duration Spaceflight by Enhancing Vestibular Information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, Ajitkumar; Kofman, Igor; DeDios, Yiri E.; Galvan, Raquel; Miller, Chris; Peters, Brian; Cohen, Helen; Jeevarajan, Jerome; Reschke, Millard; Wood, Scott;

Guiding climate change adaptation within vulnerable natural resource management systems.

PubMed

Bardsley, Douglas K; Sweeney, Susan M

2010-05-01

Climate change has the potential to compromise the sustainability of natural resources in Mediterranean climatic systems, such that short-term reactive responses will increasingly be insufficient to ensure effective management. There is a simultaneous need for both the clear articulation of the vulnerabilities of specific management systems to climate risk, and the development of appropriate short- and long-term strategic planning responses that anticipate environmental change or allow for sustainable adaptive management in response to trends in resource condition. Governments are developing climate change adaptation policy frameworks, but without the recognition of the importance of responding strategically, regional stakeholders will struggle to manage future climate risk. In a partnership between the South Australian Government, the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board and the regional community, a range of available research approaches to support regional climate change adaptation decision-making, were applied and critically examined, including: scenario modelling; applied and participatory Geographical Information Systems modelling; environmental risk analysis; and participatory action learning. As managers apply ideas for adaptation within their own biophysical and socio-cultural contexts, there would be both successes and failures, but a learning orientation to societal change will enable improvements over time. A base-line target for regional responses to climate change is the ownership of the issue by stakeholders, which leads to an acceptance that effective actions to adapt are now both possible and vitally important. Beyond such baseline knowledge, the research suggests that there is a range of tools from the social and physical sciences available to guide adaptation decision-making.

Guiding Climate Change Adaptation Within Vulnerable Natural Resource Management Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bardsley, Douglas K.; Sweeney, Susan M.

2010-05-01

Climate change has the potential to compromise the sustainability of natural resources in Mediterranean climatic systems, such that short-term reactive responses will increasingly be insufficient to ensure effective management. There is a simultaneous need for both the clear articulation of the vulnerabilities of specific management systems to climate risk, and the development of appropriate short- and long-term strategic planning responses that anticipate environmental change or allow for sustainable adaptive management in response to trends in resource condition. Governments are developing climate change adaptation policy frameworks, but without the recognition of the importance of responding strategically, regional stakeholders will struggle to manage future climate risk. In a partnership between the South Australian Government, the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board and the regional community, a range of available research approaches to support regional climate change adaptation decision-making, were applied and critically examined, including: scenario modelling; applied and participatory Geographical Information Systems modelling; environmental risk analysis; and participatory action learning. As managers apply ideas for adaptation within their own biophysical and socio-cultural contexts, there would be both successes and failures, but a learning orientation to societal change will enable improvements over time. A base-line target for regional responses to climate change is the ownership of the issue by stakeholders, which leads to an acceptance that effective actions to adapt are now both possible and vitally important. Beyond such baseline knowledge, the research suggests that there is a range of tools from the social and physical sciences available to guide adaptation decision-making.

Developing a System of National Climate Assessment Indicators to Track Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerabilities, and Preparedness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janetos, A. C.; Kenney, M. A.; Chen, R. S.; Arndt, D.

2012-12-01

The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is being conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), pursuant to the Global Change Research Act of 1990, Section 106, which requires a report to Congress every 4 years (http://globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment/). Part of the vision for the sustained National Climate Assessment (NCA) process is a system of physical, ecological, and societal indicators that communicate key aspects of the physical climate, climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and preparedness for the purpose of informing both decision makers and the public with scientifically valid information that is useful to inform decision-making processes such as the development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies in a particular sector or region. These indicators will be tracked as a part of ongoing assessment activities, with adjustments as necessary to adapt to changing conditions and understanding. The indicators will be reviewed and updated so that the system adapts to new information. The NCA indicator system is not intended to serve as a vehicle for documenting rigorous cause and effect relationships. It is reasonable, however, for it to serve as a guide to those factors that affect the evolution of variability and change in the climate system, the resources and sectors of concern that are affected by it, and how society chooses to respond. Different components of the end-to-end climate issue serve as categories within which to organize an end-to-end system of indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks Atmospheric Composition Physical Climate Variability and Change Sectors and Resources of Concern Adaptation and Mitigation Responses This framing has several advantages. It can be used to identify the different components of the end-to-end climate issue that both decision-makers and researchers are interested in. It is independent of scale, and therefore allows the indicators themselves to be described at spatial scales that are the most relevant for their intended use. National decision-makers may find indicators of national greenhouse gas emissions to be informative; however, state or local decision-makers have the freedom in this framework to define indicators of state, regional, or local greenhouse emissions that are more relevant to their concerns. The framework is also independent of time scale and topics within the broad categories. It therefore allows indicators of different sectors to be developed, and allows the consideration of both indicators of current state, past trends, and leading indicators. In this talk we will discuss a number of existing candidate indicators that could be included in this framework as well as the research needed to fully develop an end-to-end indicator system.

Local motion adaptation enhances the representation of spatial structure at EMD arrays

PubMed Central

Lindemann, Jens P.; Egelhaaf, Martin

2017-01-01

Neuronal representation and extraction of spatial information are essential for behavioral control. For flying insects, a plausible way to gain spatial information is to exploit distance-dependent optic flow that is generated during translational self-motion. Optic flow is computed by arrays of local motion detectors retinotopically arranged in the second neuropile layer of the insect visual system. These motion detectors have adaptive response characteristics, i.e. their responses to motion with a constant or only slowly changing velocity decrease, while their sensitivity to rapid velocity changes is maintained or even increases. We analyzed by a modeling approach how motion adaptation affects signal representation at the output of arrays of motion detectors during simulated flight in artificial and natural 3D environments. We focused on translational flight, because spatial information is only contained in the optic flow induced by translational locomotion. Indeed, flies, bees and other insects segregate their flight into relatively long intersaccadic translational flight sections interspersed with brief and rapid saccadic turns, presumably to maximize periods of translation (80% of the flight). With a novel adaptive model of the insect visual motion pathway we could show that the motion detector responses to background structures of cluttered environments are largely attenuated as a consequence of motion adaptation, while responses to foreground objects stay constant or even increase. This conclusion even holds under the dynamic flight conditions of insects. PMID:29281631

Bridging Body and Mind: Considerations for Trauma-Informed Yoga.

PubMed

Justice, Lauren; Brems, Christiane; Ehlers, Karrie

2018-02-08

Individuals who suffer from trauma-related symptoms are a unique population that could benefit from the mind-body practice of yoga-or have their symptoms reactivated by it, depending on the type of yoga. Trauma-informed yoga (TIY), that is, yoga adapted to the unique needs of individuals working to overcome trauma, may ameliorate symptoms by creating a safe, tailored practice for students to learn how to respond, rather than react, to symptoms and circumstances. Yoga not thus adapted, on the other hand, may increase reactivity and activate symptoms such as hyperarousal or dissociation. This article reports on expert input about adapting yoga for individuals with trauma, with special considerations for military populations. Eleven experts, recruited based on literature review and referrals, were interviewed in person or via telephone and asked seven questions about trauma-informed yoga. Verbatim transcripts were subjected to open-coding thematic analysis and a priori themes. Findings revealed that TIY needs to emphasize beneficial practices (e.g., diaphragmatic breath and restorative postures), consider contraindications (e.g., avoiding sequences that overly engage the sympathetic nervous system), adapt to limitations and challenges for teaching in unconventional settings (e.g., prisons, VA hospitals), and provide specialized training and preparation (e.g., specialized TIY certifications, self-care of instructors/therapists, adaptions for student needs). TIY for veterans must additionally consider gender- and culture-related barriers, differing relationships to pain and injury, and medication as a barrier to practice.

Neural network based adaptive control for nonlinear dynamic regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Yoonghyun

Adaptive control designs using neural networks (NNs) based on dynamic inversion are investigated for aerospace vehicles which are operated at highly nonlinear dynamic regimes. NNs play a key role as the principal element of adaptation to approximately cancel the effect of inversion error, which subsequently improves robustness to parametric uncertainty and unmodeled dynamics in nonlinear regimes. An adaptive control scheme previously named 'composite model reference adaptive control' is further developed so that it can be applied to multi-input multi-output output feedback dynamic inversion. It can have adaptive elements in both the dynamic compensator (linear controller) part and/or in the conventional adaptive controller part, also utilizing state estimation information for NN adaptation. This methodology has more flexibility and thus hopefully greater potential than conventional adaptive designs for adaptive flight control in highly nonlinear flight regimes. The stability of the control system is proved through Lyapunov theorems, and validated with simulations. The control designs in this thesis also include the use of 'pseudo-control hedging' techniques which are introduced to prevent the NNs from attempting to adapt to various actuation nonlinearities such as actuator position and rate saturations. Control allocation is introduced for the case of redundant control effectors including thrust vectoring nozzles. A thorough comparison study of conventional and NN-based adaptive designs for a system under a limit cycle, wing-rock, is included in this research, and the NN-based adaptive control designs demonstrate their performances for two highly maneuverable aerial vehicles, NASA F-15 ACTIVE and FQM-117B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), operated under various nonlinearities and uncertainties.

Utilization Possibilities of Area Definition in User Space for User-Centric Pervasive-Adaptive Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krejcar, Ondrej

The ability to let a mobile device determine its location in an indoor environment supports the creation of a new range of mobile information system applications. The goal of my project is to complement the data networking capabilities of RF wireless LANs with accurate user location and tracking capabilities for user needed data prebuffering. I created a location based system enhancement for locating and tracking users of indoor information system. User position is used for data prebuffering and pushing information from a server to his mobile client. All server data is saved as artifacts (together) with its indoor position information. The area definition for artifacts selecting is described for current and predicted user position along with valuating options for artifacts ranging. Future trends are also discussed.

An adaptive band selection method for dimension reduction of hyper-spectral remote sensing image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhijie; Yu, Hui; Wang, Chen-sheng

2014-11-01

Hyper-spectral remote sensing data can be acquired by imaging the same area with multiple wavelengths, and it normally consists of hundreds of band-images. Hyper-spectral images can not only provide spatial information but also high resolution spectral information, and it has been widely used in environment monitoring, mineral investigation and military reconnaissance. However, because of the corresponding large data volume, it is very difficult to transmit and store Hyper-spectral images. Hyper-spectral image dimensional reduction technique is desired to resolve this problem. Because of the High relation and high redundancy of the hyper-spectral bands, it is very feasible that applying the dimensional reduction method to compress the data volume. This paper proposed a novel band selection-based dimension reduction method which can adaptively select the bands which contain more information and details. The proposed method is based on the principal component analysis (PCA), and then computes the index corresponding to every band. The indexes obtained are then ranked in order of magnitude from large to small. Based on the threshold, system can adaptively and reasonably select the bands. The proposed method can overcome the shortcomings induced by transform-based dimension reduction method and prevent the original spectral information from being lost. The performance of the proposed method has been validated by implementing several experiments. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can reduce the dimensions of hyper-spectral image with little information loss by adaptively selecting the band images.

Sensorimotor Adaptation Following Exposure to Ambiguous Inertial Motion Cues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, S. J.; Clement, G. R.; Rupert, A. H.; Reschke, M. F.; Harm, D. L.; Guedry, F. E.

2007-01-01

The central nervous system must resolve the ambiguity of inertial motion sensory cues in order to derive accurate spatial orientation awareness. Adaptive changes in how inertial cues from the otolith system are integrated with other sensory information lead to perceptual and postural disturbances upon return to Earth s gravity. The primary goals of this ground-based research investigation are to explore physiological mechanisms and operational implications of tilt-translation disturbances during and following re-entry, and to evaluate a tactile prosthesis as a countermeasure for improving control of whole-body orientation during tilt and translation motion.

Urban drainage system planning and design--challenges with climate change and urbanization: a review.

PubMed

Yazdanfar, Zeinab; Sharma, Ashok

2015-01-01

Urban drainage systems are in general failing in their functions mainly due to non-stationary climate and rapid urbanization. As these systems are becoming less efficient, issues such as sewer overflows and increase in urban flooding leading to surge in pollutant loads to receiving water bodies are becoming pervasive rapidly. A comprehensive investigation is required to understand these factors impacting the functioning of urban drainage, which vary spatially and temporally and are more complex when weaving together. It is necessary to establish a cost-effective, integrated planning and design framework for every local area by incorporating fit for purpose alternatives. Carefully selected adaptive measures are required for the provision of sustainable drainage systems to meet combined challenges of climate change and urbanization. This paper reviews challenges associated with urban drainage systems and explores limitations and potentials of different adaptation alternatives. It is hoped that the paper would provide drainage engineers, water planners, and decision makers with the state of the art information and technologies regarding adaptation options to increase drainage systems efficiency under changing climate and urbanization.

Issues in Designing Tutors for Games of Incomplete Information: a Bridge Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, Ray; McKenzie, Ben; Kemp, Elizabeth

There are a number of commercial packages for playing the game of bridge, and even more papers on possible techniques for improving the quality of such systems. We examine some of the AI techniques that have proved successful for implementing bridge playing systems and discuss how they might be adapted for teaching the game. We pay particular attention to the issue of incomplete information and include some of our own research into the subject.

Adaptive change in corporate control practices.

PubMed

Alexander, J A

1991-03-01

Multidivisional organizations are not concerned with what structure to adopt but with how they should exercise control within the divisional form to achieve economic efficiencies. Using an information-processing framework, I examined control arrangements between the headquarters and operating divisions of such organizations and how managers adapted control practices to accommodate increasing environmental uncertainty. Also considered were the moderating effects of contextual attributes on such adaptive behavior. Analyses of panel data from 97 multihospital systems suggested that organizations generally practice selective decentralization under conditions of increasing uncertainty but that organizational age, dispersion, and initial control arrangements significantly moderate the direction and magnitude of such changes.

Synchronization Of Parallel Discrete Event Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinman, Jeffrey S.

1992-01-01

Adaptive, parallel, discrete-event-simulation-synchronization algorithm, Breathing Time Buckets, developed in Synchronous Parallel Environment for Emulation and Discrete Event Simulation (SPEEDES) operating system. Algorithm allows parallel simulations to process events optimistically in fluctuating time cycles that naturally adapt while simulation in progress. Combines best of optimistic and conservative synchronization strategies while avoiding major disadvantages. Algorithm processes events optimistically in time cycles adapting while simulation in progress. Well suited for modeling communication networks, for large-scale war games, for simulated flights of aircraft, for simulations of computer equipment, for mathematical modeling, for interactive engineering simulations, and for depictions of flows of information.

VELOC - A new kind of information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dittloff, H. J.; Keuser, H.; Langer, H.

Based on the Global Positioning System (GPS), VELOC (Vehicle Location) is designed to be a vehicle information system for fleet management adaptable to various user groups, e.g., haulage and delivery companies, and service enterprises with vehicle fleets. The needs of these groups vary with respect to position accuracy, position update rate, and type of communication. The authors describe the requirements, specifications, and performance of VELOC. Special emphasis is placed on some substantial features of the VELOC center, namely the integration of DGPS, a comfortable user interface, and handling of vehicle positions on digital maps.

Distributed Synchronization in Networks of Agent Systems With Nonlinearities and Random Switchings.

PubMed

Tang, Yang; Gao, Huijun; Zou, Wei; Kurths, Jürgen

2013-02-01

In this paper, the distributed synchronization problem of networks of agent systems with controllers and nonlinearities subject to Bernoulli switchings is investigated. Controllers and adaptive updating laws injected in each vertex of networks depend on the state information of its neighborhood. Three sets of Bernoulli stochastic variables are introduced to describe the occurrence probabilities of distributed adaptive controllers, updating laws and nonlinearities, respectively. By the Lyapunov functions method, we show that the distributed synchronization of networks composed of agent systems with multiple randomly occurring nonlinearities, multiple randomly occurring controllers, and multiple randomly occurring updating laws can be achieved in mean square under certain criteria. The conditions derived in this paper can be solved by semi-definite programming. Moreover, by mathematical analysis, we find that the coupling strength, the probabilities of the Bernoulli stochastic variables, and the form of nonlinearities have great impacts on the convergence speed and the terminal control strength. The synchronization criteria and the observed phenomena are demonstrated by several numerical simulation examples. In addition, the advantage of distributed adaptive controllers over conventional adaptive controllers is illustrated.

The research of adaptive-exposure on spot-detecting camera in ATP system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Feng; Jia, Jian-jun; Zhang, Liang; Wang, Jian-Yu

2013-08-01

High precision acquisition, tracking, pointing (ATP) system is one of the key techniques of laser communication. The spot-detecting camera is used to detect the direction of beacon in laser communication link, so that it can get the position information of communication terminal for ATP system. The positioning accuracy of camera decides the capability of laser communication system directly. So the spot-detecting camera in satellite-to-earth laser communication ATP systems needs high precision on target detection. The positioning accuracy of cameras should be better than +/-1μ rad . The spot-detecting cameras usually adopt centroid algorithm to get the position information of light spot on detectors. When the intensity of beacon is moderate, calculation results of centroid algorithm will be precise. But the intensity of beacon changes greatly during communication for distance, atmospheric scintillation, weather etc. The output signal of detector will be insufficient when the camera underexposes to beacon because of low light intensity. On the other hand, the output signal of detector will be saturated when the camera overexposes to beacon because of high light intensity. The calculation accuracy of centroid algorithm becomes worse if the spot-detecting camera underexposes or overexposes, and then the positioning accuracy of camera will be reduced obviously. In order to improve the accuracy, space-based cameras should regulate exposure time in real time according to light intensity. The algorithm of adaptive-exposure technique for spot-detecting camera based on metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) detector is analyzed. According to analytic results, a CMOS camera in space-based laser communication system is described, which utilizes the algorithm of adaptive-exposure to adapting exposure time. Test results from imaging experiment system formed verify the design. Experimental results prove that this design can restrain the reduction of positioning accuracy for the change of light intensity. So the camera can keep stable and high positioning accuracy during communication.

Ecological theories of systems and contextual change in medical education.

PubMed

Ellaway, Rachel H; Bates, Joanna; Teunissen, Pim W

2017-12-01

Contemporary medical practice is subject to many kinds of change, to which both individuals and systems have to respond and adapt. Many medical education programmes have their learners rotating through different training contexts, which means that they too must learn to adapt to contextual change. Contextual change presents many challenges to medical education scholars and practitioners, not least because of a somewhat fractured and contested theoretical basis for responding to these challenges. There is a need for robust concepts to articulate and connect the various debates on contextual change in medical education. Ecological theories of systems encompass a range of concepts of how and why systems change and how and why they respond to change. The use of these concepts has the potential to help medical education scholars explore the nature of change and understand the role it plays in affording as well as limiting teaching and learning. This paper, aimed at health professional education scholars and policy makers, explores a number of key concepts from ecological theories of systems to present a comprehensive model of contextual change in medical education to inform theory and practice in all areas of medical education. The paper considers a range of concepts drawn from ecological theories of systems, including biotic and abiotic factors, panarchy, attractors and repellers, basins of attraction, homeostasis, resilience, adaptability, transformability and hysteresis. Each concept is grounded in practical examples from medical education. Ecological theories of systems consider change and response in terms of adaptive cycles functioning at different scales and speeds. This can afford opportunities for systematic consideration of responses to contextual change in medical education, which in turn can inform the design of education programmes, activities, evaluations, assessments and research that accommodates the dynamics and consequences of contextual change. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

77 FR 323 - Agency Information Collection (Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-04

... (Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant) Activity Under OMB Review....'' SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation... assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or the special home adaptation grant. VA will use the data...

Lithofacies identification using multiple adaptive resonance theory neural networks and group decision expert system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chang, H.-C.; Kopaska-Merkel, D. C.; Chen, H.-C.; Rocky, Durrans S.

2000-01-01

Lithofacies identification supplies qualitative information about rocks. Lithofacies represent rock textures and are important components of hydrocarbon reservoir description. Traditional techniques of lithofacies identification from core data are costly and different geologists may provide different interpretations. In this paper, we present a low-cost intelligent system consisting of three adaptive resonance theory neural networks and a rule-based expert system to consistently and objectively identify lithofacies from well-log data. The input data are altered into different forms representing different perspectives of observation of lithofacies. Each form of input is processed by a different adaptive resonance theory neural network. Among these three adaptive resonance theory neural networks, one neural network processes the raw continuous data, another processes categorial data, and the third processes fuzzy-set data. Outputs from these three networks are then combined by the expert system using fuzzy inference to determine to which facies the input data should be assigned. Rules are prioritized to emphasize the importance of firing order. This new approach combines the learning ability of neural networks, the adaptability of fuzzy logic, and the expertise of geologists to infer facies of the rocks. This approach is applied to the Appleton Field, an oil field located in Escambia County, Alabama. The hybrid intelligence system predicts lithofacies identity from log data with 87.6% accuracy. This prediction is more accurate than those of single adaptive resonance theory networks, 79.3%, 68.0% and 66.0%, using raw, fuzzy-set, and categorical data, respectively, and by an error-backpropagation neural network, 57.3%. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Asymmetric interlimb transfer of concurrent adaptation to opposing dynamic forces

PubMed Central

Miall, R. C.; Woolley, D. G.

2007-01-01

Interlimb transfer of a novel dynamic force has been well documented. It has also been shown that unimanual adaptation to opposing novel environments is possible if they are associated with different workspaces. The main aim of this study was to test if adaptation to opposing velocity dependent viscous forces with one arm could improve the initial performance of the other arm. The study also examined whether this interlimb transfer occurred across an extrinsic, spatial, coordinative system or an intrinsic, joint based, coordinative system. Subjects initially adapted to opposing viscous forces separated by target location. Our measure of performance was the correlation between the speed profiles of each movement within a force condition and an ‘average’ trajectory within null force conditions. Adaptation to the opposing forces was seen during initial acquisition with a significantly improved coefficient in epoch eight compared to epoch one. We then tested interlimb transfer from the dominant to non-dominant arm (D → ND) and vice-versa (ND → D) across either an extrinsic or intrinsic coordinative system. Interlimb transfer was only seen from the dominant to the non-dominant limb across an intrinsic coordinative system. These results support previous studies involving adaptation to a single dynamic force but also indicate that interlimb transfer of multiple opposing states is possible. This suggests that the information available at the level of representation allowing interlimb transfer can be more intricate than a general movement goal or a single perceived directional error. PMID:17703286

Adaptive pattern for autonomous UAV guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Chen-Ko; Segor, Florian

2013-09-01

The research done at the Fraunhofer IOSB in Karlsruhe within the AMFIS project is focusing on a mobile system to support rescue forces in accidents or disasters. The system consists of a ground control station which has the capability to communicate with a large number of heterogeneous sensors and sensor carriers and provides several open interfaces to allow easy integration of additional sensors into the system. Within this research we focus mainly on UAV such as VTOL (Vertical takeoff and Landing) systems because of their ease of use and their high maneuverability. To increase the positioning capability of the UAV, different onboard processing chains of image exploitation for real time detection of patterns on the ground and the interfacing technology for controlling the UAV from the payload during flight were examined. The earlier proposed static ground pattern was extended by an adaptive component which admits an additional visual communication channel to the aircraft. For this purpose different components were conceived to transfer additive information using changeable patterns on the ground. The adaptive ground pattern and their application suitability had to be tested under external influence. Beside the adaptive ground pattern, the onboard process chains and the adaptations to the demands of changing patterns are introduced in this paper. The tracking of the guiding points, the UAV navigation and the conversion of the guiding point positions from the images to real world co-ordinates in video sequences, as well as use limits and the possibilities of an adaptable pattern are examined.

Internet based ECG medical information system.

PubMed

James, D A; Rowlands, D; Mahnovetski, R; Channells, J; Cutmore, T

2003-03-01

Physiological monitoring of humans for medical applications is well established and ready to be adapted to the Internet. This paper describes the implementation of a Medical Information System (MIS-ECG system) incorporating an Internet based ECG acquisition device. Traditionally clinical monitoring of ECG is largely a labour intensive process with data being typically stored on paper. Until recently, ECG monitoring applications have also been constrained somewhat by the size of the equipment required. Today's technology enables large and fixed hospital monitoring systems to be replaced by small portable devices. With an increasing emphasis on health management a truly integrated information system for the acquisition, analysis, patient particulars and archiving is now a realistic possibility. This paper describes recent Internet and technological advances and presents the design and testing of the MIS-ECG system that utilises those advances.

Communal Sensor Network for Adaptive Noise Reduction in Aircraft Engine Nacelles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Kennie H.; Nark, Douglas M.; Jones, Michael G.

2011-01-01

Emergent behavior, a subject of much research in biology, sociology, and economics, is a foundational element of Complex Systems Science and is apropos in the design of sensor network systems. To demonstrate engineering for emergent behavior, a novel approach in the design of a sensor/actuator network is presented maintaining optimal noise attenuation as an adaptation to changing acoustic conditions. Rather than use the conventional approach where sensors are managed by a central controller, this new paradigm uses a biomimetic model where sensor/actuators cooperate as a community of autonomous organisms, sharing with neighbors to control impedance based on local information. From the combination of all individual actions, an optimal attenuation emerges for the global system.

Subaperture correlation based digital adaptive optics for full field optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Kumar, Abhishek; Drexler, Wolfgang; Leitgeb, Rainer A

2013-05-06

This paper proposes a sub-aperture correlation based numerical phase correction method for interferometric full field imaging systems provided the complex object field information can be extracted. This method corrects for the wavefront aberration at the pupil/ Fourier transform plane without the need of any adaptive optics, spatial light modulators (SLM) and additional cameras. We show that this method does not require the knowledge of any system parameters. In the simulation study, we consider a full field swept source OCT (FF SSOCT) system to show the working principle of the algorithm. Experimental results are presented for a technical and biological sample to demonstrate the proof of the principle.

Adapting to climate change in the mixed crop and livestock farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thornton, Philip K.; Herrero, Mario

2015-09-01

Mixed crop-livestock systems are the backbone of African agriculture, providing food security and livelihood options for hundreds of millions of people. Much is known about the impacts of climate change on the crop enterprises in the mixed systems, and some, although less, on the livestock enterprises. The interactions between crops and livestock can be managed to contribute to environmentally sustainable intensification, diversification and risk management. There is relatively little information on how these interactions may be affected by changes in climate and climate variability. This is a serious gap, because these interactions may offer some buffering capacity to help smallholders adapt to climate change.

Criticality as a Set-Point for Adaptive Behavior in Neuromorphic Hardware

PubMed Central

Srinivasa, Narayan; Stepp, Nigel D.; Cruz-Albrecht, Jose

2015-01-01

Neuromorphic hardware are designed by drawing inspiration from biology to overcome limitations of current computer architectures while forging the development of a new class of autonomous systems that can exhibit adaptive behaviors. Several designs in the recent past are capable of emulating large scale networks but avoid complexity in network dynamics by minimizing the number of dynamic variables that are supported and tunable in hardware. We believe that this is due to the lack of a clear understanding of how to design self-tuning complex systems. It has been widely demonstrated that criticality appears to be the default state of the brain and manifests in the form of spontaneous scale-invariant cascades of neural activity. Experiment, theory and recent models have shown that neuronal networks at criticality demonstrate optimal information transfer, learning and information processing capabilities that affect behavior. In this perspective article, we argue that understanding how large scale neuromorphic electronics can be designed to enable emergent adaptive behavior will require an understanding of how networks emulated by such hardware can self-tune local parameters to maintain criticality as a set-point. We believe that such capability will enable the design of truly scalable intelligent systems using neuromorphic hardware that embrace complexity in network dynamics rather than avoiding it. PMID:26648839

Research and Development for an Operational Information Ecology: The User-System Interface Agent Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Sadanand; deLamadrid, James

1998-01-01

The User System Interface Agent (USIA) is a special type of software agent which acts as the "middle man" between a human user and an information processing environment. USIA consists of a group of cooperating agents which are responsible for assisting users in obtaining information processing services intuitively and efficiently. Some of the main features of USIA include: (1) multiple interaction modes and (2) user-specific and stereotype modeling and adaptation. This prototype system provides us with a development platform towards the realization of an operational information ecology. In the first phase of this project we focus on the design and implementation of prototype system of the User-System Interface Agent (USIA). The second face of USIA allows user interaction via a restricted query language as well as through a taxonomy of windows. In third phase the USIA system architecture was revised.

Adaptive selection and validation of models of complex systems in the presence of uncertainty

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farrell-Maupin, Kathryn; Oden, J. T.

This study describes versions of OPAL, the Occam-Plausibility Algorithm in which the use of Bayesian model plausibilities is replaced with information theoretic methods, such as the Akaike Information Criterion and the Bayes Information Criterion. Applications to complex systems of coarse-grained molecular models approximating atomistic models of polyethylene materials are described. All of these model selection methods take into account uncertainties in the model, the observational data, the model parameters, and the predicted quantities of interest. A comparison of the models chosen by Bayesian model selection criteria and those chosen by the information-theoretic criteria is given.

Adaptive selection and validation of models of complex systems in the presence of uncertainty

DOE PAGES

Farrell-Maupin, Kathryn; Oden, J. T.

2017-08-01

This study describes versions of OPAL, the Occam-Plausibility Algorithm in which the use of Bayesian model plausibilities is replaced with information theoretic methods, such as the Akaike Information Criterion and the Bayes Information Criterion. Applications to complex systems of coarse-grained molecular models approximating atomistic models of polyethylene materials are described. All of these model selection methods take into account uncertainties in the model, the observational data, the model parameters, and the predicted quantities of interest. A comparison of the models chosen by Bayesian model selection criteria and those chosen by the information-theoretic criteria is given.

Medicaid information technology architecture: an overview.

PubMed

Friedman, Richard H

2006-01-01

The Medicaid Information Technology Architecture (MITA) is a roadmap and tool-kit for States to transform their Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) into an enterprise-wide, beneficiary-centric system. MITA will enable State Medicaid agencies to align their information technology (IT) opportunities with their evolving business needs. It also addresses long-standing issues of interoperability, adaptability, and data sharing, including clinical data, across organizational boundaries by creating models based on nationally accepted technical standards. Perhaps most significantly, MITA allows State Medicaid Programs to actively participate in the DHHS Secretary's vision of a transparent health care market that utilizes electronic health records (EHRs), ePrescribing and personal health records (PHRs).

Spatial Orientation in Flight

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-11-01

activating system or the vestibular efferent system , or both, are responsible for the resulting heightened arousal and enhanced vestibular information...the emetic response to poisons. When an animal ingests a tý.xc substance and experiences its effects on the central nervous system ---,m,-!y...ACCELERATION ax,xy,az ANGULAR REACTION RxRy,Rz Figure 2. System for describing acceleratiots and inertial reactions in humans . (Adapted from Hixson et

Can Perceptions of Environmental and Climate Change in Island Communities Assist in Adaptation Planning Locally?

PubMed

Aswani, Shankar; Vaccaro, Ismael; Abernethy, Kirsten; Albert, Simon; de Pablo, Javier Fernández-López

2015-12-01

Local perceptions of environmental and climate change, as well as associated adaptations made by local populations, are fundamental for designing comprehensive and inclusive mitigation and adaptation plans both locally and nationally. In this paper, we analyze people's perceptions of environmental and climate-related transformations in communities across the Western Solomon Islands through ethnographic and geospatial methods. Specifically, we documented people's observed changes over the past decades across various environmental domains, and for each change, we asked respondents to identify the causes, timing, and people's adaptive responses. We also incorporated this information into a geographical information system database to produce broad-scale base maps of local perceptions of environmental change. Results suggest that people detected changes that tended to be acute (e.g., water clarity, logging intensity, and agricultural diseases). We inferred from these results that most local observations of and adaptations to change were related to parts of environment/ecosystem that are most directly or indirectly related to harvesting strategies. On the other hand, people were less aware of slower insidious/chronic changes identified by scientific studies. For the Solomon Islands and similar contexts in the insular tropics, a broader anticipatory adaptation planning strategy to climate change should include a mix of local scientific studies and local observations of ongoing ecological changes.

Improved methods in neural network-based adaptive output feedback control, with applications to flight control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Nakwan

Utilizing the universal approximation property of neural networks, we develop several novel approaches to neural network-based adaptive output feedback control of nonlinear systems, and illustrate these approaches for several flight control applications. In particular, we address the problem of non-affine systems and eliminate the fixed point assumption present in earlier work. All of the stability proofs are carried out in a form that eliminates an algebraic loop in the neural network implementation. An approximate input/output feedback linearizing controller is augmented with a neural network using input/output sequences of the uncertain system. These approaches permit adaptation to both parametric uncertainty and unmodeled dynamics. All physical systems also have control position and rate limits, which may either deteriorate performance or cause instability for a sufficiently high control bandwidth. Here we apply a method for protecting an adaptive process from the effects of input saturation and time delays, known as "pseudo control hedging". This method was originally developed for the state feedback case, and we provide a stability analysis that extends its domain of applicability to the case of output feedback. The approach is illustrated by the design of a pitch-attitude flight control system for a linearized model of an R-50 experimental helicopter, and by the design of a pitch-rate control system for a 58-state model of a flexible aircraft consisting of rigid body dynamics coupled with actuator and flexible modes. A new approach to augmentation of an existing linear controller is introduced. It is especially useful when there is limited information concerning the plant model, and the existing controller. The approach is applied to the design of an adaptive autopilot for a guided munition. Design of a neural network adaptive control that ensures asymptotically stable tracking performance is also addressed.

Understanding Farmer Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

PubMed Central

Morton, Lois Wright; Hobbs, Jon

2015-01-01

Agriculture is vulnerable to climate change and a source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Farmers face pressures to adjust agricultural systems to make them more resilient in the face of increasingly variable weather (adaptation) and reduce GHG production (mitigation). This research examines relationships between Iowa farmers’ trust in environmental or agricultural interest groups as sources of climate information, climate change beliefs, perceived climate risks to agriculture, and support for adaptation and mitigation responses. Results indicate that beliefs varied with trust, and beliefs in turn had a significant direct effect on perceived risks from climate change. Support for adaptation varied with perceived risks, while attitudes toward GHG reduction (mitigation) were associated predominantly with variation in beliefs. Most farmers were supportive of adaptation responses, but few endorsed GHG reduction, suggesting that outreach should focus on interventions that have adaptive and mitigative properties (e.g., reduced tillage, improved fertilizer management). PMID:25983336

QPSO-Based Adaptive DNA Computing Algorithm

PubMed Central

Karakose, Mehmet; Cigdem, Ugur

2013-01-01

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) computing that is a new computation model based on DNA molecules for information storage has been increasingly used for optimization and data analysis in recent years. However, DNA computing algorithm has some limitations in terms of convergence speed, adaptability, and effectiveness. In this paper, a new approach for improvement of DNA computing is proposed. This new approach aims to perform DNA computing algorithm with adaptive parameters towards the desired goal using quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO). Some contributions provided by the proposed QPSO based on adaptive DNA computing algorithm are as follows: (1) parameters of population size, crossover rate, maximum number of operations, enzyme and virus mutation rate, and fitness function of DNA computing algorithm are simultaneously tuned for adaptive process, (2) adaptive algorithm is performed using QPSO algorithm for goal-driven progress, faster operation, and flexibility in data, and (3) numerical realization of DNA computing algorithm with proposed approach is implemented in system identification. Two experiments with different systems were carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach with comparative results. Experimental results obtained with Matlab and FPGA demonstrate ability to provide effective optimization, considerable convergence speed, and high accuracy according to DNA computing algorithm. PMID:23935409

The adjustments experienced by persons with an ostomy: an integrative review of the literature.

PubMed

Torquato Lopes, Ana Patrícia Araujo; Decesaro, Maria das Neves

2014-10-01

The person with an ostomy may focus on the negative aspects of the stoma rather than its function to the detriment of self-image, acceptance of a new lifestyle, and ability to self-care. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to explore factors involved in the adaption process of persons with a gastrointestinal stoma with a focus on the role of nonspecialist professional nurses in the process. The authors searched the databases of the Virtual Health Library, the Latin American and Caribbean of Health Sciences Information System, the Scientific Electronic Library Online, the Spanish Bibliographic Index of Health Sciences, International Literature on Health Sciences (MEDLINE), and the Cochrane Library using the keywords ostomy, adaption, and nursing for full text articles in all languages published between 2008 and 2013. Of the 612 articles identified, 21 were not duplicates and met the inclusion criteria of availability of full text, published in the past 5 years, indexed, and covering the topic of stoma adaption; this literature was analyzed using Bardin's thematic analysis. Three categories emerged: experiences and adaption strategies employed by the person with a stoma, the role of the care provider, and education as a tool in healthcare. Persons with a stoma need time and support from caregivers, family, and friends to adjust to the changes and adapt to having a stoma. This includes the ability to overcome the stigma of appearance and activities involving social interaction. Caregivers and health professionals need to serve as information resources while encouraging care autonomy. The more informed the patient, the smoother the adaption process. The literature also suggests nursing education may affect caregiving. Further research to elucidate the adaption experienced by each person with an ostomy is needed to help the multidisciplinary team plan care appropriately.

Adaptive Critic Nonlinear Robust Control: A Survey.

PubMed

Wang, Ding; He, Haibo; Liu, Derong

2017-10-01

Adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) and reinforcement learning are quite relevant to each other when performing intelligent optimization. They are both regarded as promising methods involving important components of evaluation and improvement, at the background of information technology, such as artificial intelligence, big data, and deep learning. Although great progresses have been achieved and surveyed when addressing nonlinear optimal control problems, the research on robustness of ADP-based control strategies under uncertain environment has not been fully summarized. Hence, this survey reviews the recent main results of adaptive-critic-based robust control design of continuous-time nonlinear systems. The ADP-based nonlinear optimal regulation is reviewed, followed by robust stabilization of nonlinear systems with matched uncertainties, guaranteed cost control design of unmatched plants, and decentralized stabilization of interconnected systems. Additionally, further comprehensive discussions are presented, including event-based robust control design, improvement of the critic learning rule, nonlinear H ∞ control design, and several notes on future perspectives. By applying the ADP-based optimal and robust control methods to a practical power system and an overhead crane plant, two typical examples are provided to verify the effectiveness of theoretical results. Overall, this survey is beneficial to promote the development of adaptive critic control methods with robustness guarantee and the construction of higher level intelligent systems.

Dynamic plasticity in coupled avian midbrain maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atwal, Gurinder Singh

2004-12-01

Internal mapping of the external environment is carried out using the receptive fields of topographic neurons in the brain, and in a normal barn owl the aural and visual subcortical maps are aligned from early experiences. However, instantaneous misalignment of the aural and visual stimuli has been observed to result in adaptive behavior, manifested by functional and anatomical changes of the auditory processing system. Using methods of information theory and statistical mechanics a model of the adaptive dynamics of the aural receptive field is presented and analyzed. The dynamics is determined by maximizing the mutual information between the neural output and the weighted sensory neural inputs, admixed with noise, subject to biophysical constraints. The reduced costs of neural rewiring, as in the case of young barn owls, reveal two qualitatively different types of receptive field adaptation depending on the magnitude of the audiovisual misalignment. By letting the misalignment increase with time, it is shown that the ability to adapt can be increased even when neural rewiring costs are high, in agreement with recent experimental reports of the increased plasticity of the auditory space map in adult barn owls due to incremental learning. Finally, a critical speed of misalignment is identified, demarcating the crossover from adaptive to nonadaptive behavior.

Linking Climate Risk, Policy Networks and Adaptation Planning in Public Lands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubell, M.; Schwartz, M.; Peters, C.

2014-12-01

Federal public land management agencies in the United States have engaged a variety of planning efforts to address climate adaptation. A major goal of these efforts is to build policy networks that enable land managers to access information and expertise needed for responding to local climate risks. This paper investigates whether the perceived and modeled climate risk faced by different land managers is leading to larger networks or more participating in climate adaptation. In theory, the benefits of climate planning networks are larger when land managers are facing more potential changes. The basic hypothesis is tested with a survey of public land managers from hundreds of local and regional public lands management units in the Southwestern United States, as well as other stakeholders involved with climate adaptation planning. All survey respondents report their perceptions of climate risk along a variety of dimensions, as well as their participation in climate adaptation planning and information sharing networks. For a subset of respondents, we have spatially explicity GIS data about their location, which will be linked with downscaled climate model data. With the focus on climate change, the analysis is a subset of the overall idea of linking social and ecological systems.

Total Integrated Library Information System. Part 2. A Report on the Specific Design Phase: Identification and Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, R. W.; Alexander, George

This study, conducted to determine which automated system would be the most appropriate to replicate or install at Clemson University to support the users of the library, screened 29 library automation systems to determine those most adaptable to Clemson's needs. In-depth comparisons were made with regard to functions available, features, start up…

Enriching Adaptation in E-Learning Systems through a Situation-Aware Ontology Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pernas, Ana Marilza; Diaz, Alicia; Motz, Regina; de Oliveira, Jose Palazzo Moreira

2012-01-01

Purpose: The broader adoption of the internet along with web-based systems has defined a new way of exchanging information. That advance added by the multiplication of mobile devices has required systems to be even more flexible and personalized. Maybe because of that, the traditional teaching-controlled learning style has given up space to a new…

Modelling the Success of Learning Management Systems: Application of Latent Class Segmentation Using FIMIX-PLS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arenas-Gaitán, Jorge; Rondán-Cataluña, Francisco Javier; Ramírez-Correa, Patricio E.

2018-01-01

There is not a unique attitude towards the implementation of digital technology in educational sceneries. This paper aims to validate an adaptation of the DeLone and McLean information systems success model in the context of a learning management system. Furthermore, this study means to prove (1) the necessity of segmenting students in order to…

Adaptive neuro-heuristic hybrid model for fruit peel defects detection.

PubMed

Woźniak, Marcin; Połap, Dawid

2018-02-01

Fusion of machine learning methods benefits in decision support systems. A composition of approaches gives a possibility to use the most efficient features composed into one solution. In this article we would like to present an approach to the development of adaptive method based on fusion of proposed novel neural architecture and heuristic search into one co-working solution. We propose a developed neural network architecture that adapts to processed input co-working with heuristic method used to precisely detect areas of interest. Input images are first decomposed into segments. This is to make processing easier, since in smaller images (decomposed segments) developed Adaptive Artificial Neural Network (AANN) processes less information what makes numerical calculations more precise. For each segment a descriptor vector is composed to be presented to the proposed AANN architecture. Evaluation is run adaptively, where the developed AANN adapts to inputs and their features by composed architecture. After evaluation, selected segments are forwarded to heuristic search, which detects areas of interest. As a result the system returns the image with pixels located over peel damages. Presented experimental research results on the developed solution are discussed and compared with other commonly used methods to validate the efficacy and the impact of the proposed fusion in the system structure and training process on classification results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adaptation to sensory input tunes visual cortex to criticality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shew, Woodrow L.; Clawson, Wesley P.; Pobst, Jeff; Karimipanah, Yahya; Wright, Nathaniel C.; Wessel, Ralf

2015-08-01

A long-standing hypothesis at the interface of physics and neuroscience is that neural networks self-organize to the critical point of a phase transition, thereby optimizing aspects of sensory information processing. This idea is partially supported by strong evidence for critical dynamics observed in the cerebral cortex, but the impact of sensory input on these dynamics is largely unknown. Thus, the foundations of this hypothesis--the self-organization process and how it manifests during strong sensory input--remain unstudied experimentally. Here we show in visual cortex and in a computational model that strong sensory input initially elicits cortical network dynamics that are not critical, but adaptive changes in the network rapidly tune the system to criticality. This conclusion is based on observations of multifaceted scaling laws predicted to occur at criticality. Our findings establish sensory adaptation as a self-organizing mechanism that maintains criticality in visual cortex during sensory information processing.

Adaptive Optics Technology for High-Resolution Retinal Imaging

PubMed Central

Lombardo, Marco; Serrao, Sebastiano; Devaney, Nicholas; Parravano, Mariacristina; Lombardo, Giuseppe

2013-01-01

Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of optical aberrations. The direct visualization of the photoreceptor cells, capillaries and nerve fiber bundles represents the major benefit of adding AO to retinal imaging. Adaptive optics is opening a new frontier for clinical research in ophthalmology, providing new information on the early pathological changes of the retinal microstructures in various retinal diseases. We have reviewed AO technology for retinal imaging, providing information on the core components of an AO retinal camera. The most commonly used wavefront sensing and correcting elements are discussed. Furthermore, we discuss current applications of AO imaging to a population of healthy adults and to the most frequent causes of blindness, including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. We conclude our work with a discussion on future clinical prospects for AO retinal imaging. PMID:23271600

NASA Access Mechanism - Graphical user interface information retrieval system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Judy F.; Generous, Curtis; Duncan, Denise

1993-01-01

Access to online information sources of aerospace, scientific, and engineering data, a mission focus for NASA's Scientific and Technical Information Program, has always been limited by factors such as telecommunications, query language syntax, lack of standardization in the information, and the lack of adequate tools to assist in searching. Today, the NASA STI Program's NASA Access Mechanism (NAM) prototype offers a solution to these problems by providing the user with a set of tools that provide a graphical interface to remote, heterogeneous, and distributed information in a manner adaptable to both casual and expert users. Additionally, the NAM provides access to many Internet-based services such as Electronic Mail, the Wide Area Information Servers system, Peer Locating tools, and electronic bulletin boards.

NASA access mechanism: Graphical user interface information retrieval system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Judy; Generous, Curtis; Duncan, Denise

1993-01-01

Access to online information sources of aerospace, scientific, and engineering data, a mission focus for NASA's Scientific and Technical Information Program, has always been limited to factors such as telecommunications, query language syntax, lack of standardization in the information, and the lack of adequate tools to assist in searching. Today, the NASA STI Program's NASA Access Mechanism (NAM) prototype offers a solution to these problems by providing the user with a set of tools that provide a graphical interface to remote, heterogeneous, and distributed information in a manner adaptable to both casual and expert users. Additionally, the NAM provides access to many Internet-based services such as Electronic Mail, the Wide Area Information Servers system, Peer Locating tools, and electronic bulletin boards.

Application of bacteriorhodopsin films in an adaptive-focusing schlieren system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downie, John D.

1995-09-01

The photochromic property of bacteriorhodopsin films is exploited in the application of a focusing schlieren optical system for the visualization of optical phase information. By encoding an image on the film with light of one wavelength and reading out with a different wavelength, the readout beam can effectively see the photographic negative of the original image. The potential advantage of this system over previous focusing schlieren systems is that the updatable nature of the bacteriorhodopsin film allows system adaptation. I discuss two image encoding and readout techniques for the bacteriorhodopsin and use film transmission characteristics to choose the more appropriate method. I demonstrate the system principle with experimental results using argon-ion and He-Cd lasers as the two light sources of different wavelengths, and I discuss current limitations to implementation with a white-light source.

Application of Bacteriorhodopsin Films in an Adaptive-Focusing Schlieren System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Downie, John D.

1995-01-01

The photochromic property of bacteriorhodopsin films is exploited in the application of a focusing schlieren optical system for the visualization of optical phase information. By encoding an image on the film with light of one wavelength and reading out with a different wavelength, the readout beam can effectively see the photographic negative of the original image. The potential advantage of this system over previous focusing schlieren systems is that the updatable nature of the bacteriorhodopsin film allows system adaptation. I discuss two image encoding and readout techniques for the bacteriorhodopsin and use film transmission characteristics to choose the more appropriate method. I demonstrate the system principle with experimental results using argon-ion and He-Cd lasers as the two light sources of different wavelengths, and I discuss current limitations to implementation with a white-light source.

Autonomous Preference-Aware Information Services Integration for High Response in Integrated Faded Information Field Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiaodong; Mori, Kinji

The market and users' requirements have been rapidly changing and diversified. Under these heterogeneous and dynamic situations, not only the system structure itself, but also the accessible information services would be changed constantly. To cope with the continuously changing conditions of service provision and utilization, Faded Information Field (FIF) has been proposed, which is a agent-based distributed information service system architecture. In the case of a mono-service request, the system is designed to improve users' access time and preserve load balancing through the information structure. However, with interdependent requests of multi-service increasing, adaptability and timeliness have to be assured by the system. In this paper, the relationship that exists among the correlated services and the users' preferences for separate and integrated services is clarified. Based on these factors, the autonomous preference-aware information services integration technology to provide one-stop service for users multi-service requests is proposed. As compared to the conventional system, we show that proposed technology is able to reduce the total access time.

Unpacking the 'information barrier': comparing perspectives on information as a barrier to climate change adaptation in the interior mountain West.

PubMed

Archie, Kelli M; Dilling, Lisa; Milford, Jana B; Pampel, Fred C

2014-01-15

Inadequate information has been repeatedly identified as a barrier to climate change adaptation planning and implementation. However less is known about how information functions as a barrier, and to what degree it prevents adaptation compared to other perceived barriers. In addition, the role of institutional context in mediating the demand for information in the context of adaptation has been less well studied. This paper helps to clarify the role that information plays in adaptation planning for two sectors of public employees working at similar scales, in similar locations, with similar challenges. We conducted surveys and semi-structured interviews to investigate the demand for information in support of adaptation implementation and planning from US federal public lands managers and municipal officials in the US interior West. We found that federal managers and municipal officials both consulted information frequently for decision making, and while both groups indicated that lack of information at relevant scales was a barrier to adaptation planning, this was seen as a much stronger barrier for federal managers than for communities. Uncertainty of information was raised as an issue, but results were mixed on whether or not this acted as a strong barrier. While peer-reviewed publications were seen as the "best available science," and correlated with adaptation planning, they were not accessed directly as frequently as other sources of information, including colleagues, the internet and reports. The strong connection between communities and adjacent federal lands may provide an opportunity for networking that could facilitate the flow of information relevant for adaptation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cloud-based adaptive exon prediction for DNA analysis

PubMed Central

Putluri, Srinivasareddy; Fathima, Shaik Yasmeen

2018-01-01

Cloud computing offers significant research and economic benefits to healthcare organisations. Cloud services provide a safe place for storing and managing large amounts of such sensitive data. Under conventional flow of gene information, gene sequence laboratories send out raw and inferred information via Internet to several sequence libraries. DNA sequencing storage costs will be minimised by use of cloud service. In this study, the authors put forward a novel genomic informatics system using Amazon Cloud Services, where genomic sequence information is stored and accessed for processing. True identification of exon regions in a DNA sequence is a key task in bioinformatics, which helps in disease identification and design drugs. Three base periodicity property of exons forms the basis of all exon identification techniques. Adaptive signal processing techniques found to be promising in comparison with several other methods. Several adaptive exon predictors (AEPs) are developed using variable normalised least mean square and its maximum normalised variants to reduce computational complexity. Finally, performance evaluation of various AEPs is done based on measures such as sensitivity, specificity and precision using various standard genomic datasets taken from National Center for Biotechnology Information genomic sequence database. PMID:29515813

Fifth IPCC Assessment Report Now Out

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundzewicz, Zbigniew W.

2014-01-01

The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is now available. It provides policymakers with an assessment of information on climate change, its impacts and possible response options (adaptation and mitigation). Summaries for policymakers of three reports of IPCC working groups and of the Synthesis Report have now been approved by IPCC plenaries. This present paper reports on the most essential findings in AR5. It briefly informs on the contents of reports of all IPCC working groups. It discusses the physical science findings, therein observed changes (ubiquitous warming, shrinking cryosphere, sea level rise, changes in precipitation and extremes, and biogeochemical cycles). It deals with the drivers of climate change, progress in climate system understanding (evaluation of climate models, quantification of climate system responses), and projections for the future. It reviews impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, including observed changes, key risks, key reasons for concern, sectors and systems, and managing risks and building resilience. Finally, mitigation of climate change is discussed, including greenhouse gas emissions in the past, present and future, and mitigation in sectors. It is hoped that the present article will encourage the readership of this journal to dive into the AR5 report that provides a wealth of useful information.

Psychological Entropy: A Framework for Understanding Uncertainty-Related Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirsh, Jacob B.; Mar, Raymond A.; Peterson, Jordan B.

2012-01-01

Entropy, a concept derived from thermodynamics and information theory, describes the amount of uncertainty and disorder within a system. Self-organizing systems engage in a continual dialogue with the environment and must adapt themselves to changing circumstances to keep internal entropy at a manageable level. We propose the entropy model of…

Axis: Generating Explanations at Scale with Learnersourcing and Machine Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Joseph Jay; Kim, Juho; Rafferty, Anna; Heffernan, Neil; Maldonado, Samuel; Gajos, Krzysztof Z.; Lasecki, Walter S.; Heffernan, Neil

2016-01-01

While explanations may help people learn by providing information about why an answer is correct, many problems on online platforms lack high-quality explanations. This paper presents AXIS (Adaptive eXplanation Improvement System), a system for obtaining explanations. AXIS asks learners to generate, revise, and evaluate explanations as they solve…

Cultural Adaptation of a Neurobiologically Informed Intervention in Local and International Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pakulak, Eric; Hampton Wray, Amanda; Longoria, Zayra; Garcia Isaza, Alejandra; Stevens, Courtney; Bell, Theodore; Burlingame, Sarah; Klein, Scott; Berlinski, Samuel; Attanasio, Orazio; Neville, Helen

2017-01-01

The relationship between early adversity and numerous negative outcomes across the lifespan is evident in a wide range of societies and cultures (e.g., Pakulak, Stevens, & Neville, 2018). Among the most affected neural systems are those supporting attention, self-regulation, and stress regulation. As such, these systems represent targets for…

Military Curriculum Materials for Vocational and Technical Education. Engine Principles, 8-3. Edition 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

This individualized, self-paced course for independent study in engine principles has been adapted from military curriculum materials for vocational education use. The course provides the student with basic information on engine principles including different kinds of combustion engines, lubrication systems, and cooling systems. It is organized…

Effectiveness of an Adaptation of the Project Connect Health Systems Intervention: Youth and Clinic-Level Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loosier, Penny S.; Doll, Shelli; Lepar, Danielle; Ward, Kristin; Gamble, Ginger; Dittus, Patricia J.

2016-01-01

Background: The Project Connect Health Systems Intervention (Project Connect) uses a systematic process of collecting community and healthcare infrastructure information to craft a referral guide highlighting local healthcare providers who provide high quality sexual and reproductive healthcare. Previous self-report data on healthcare usage…

Applying a Web and Simulation-Based System for Adaptive Competence Assessment of Spinal Anaesthesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hockemeyer, Cord; Nussbaumer, Alexander; Lövquist, Erik; Aboulafia, Annette; Breen, Dorothy; Shorten, George; Albert, Dietrich

The authors present an approach for implementing a system for the assessment of medical competences using a haptic simulation device. Based on Competence based Knowledge Space Theory (CbKST), information on the learners’ competences is gathered from different sources (test questions, data from the simulator, and supervising experts’ assessments).

Providing Personal Assistance in the SAGRES Virtual Museum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertoletti, Ana Carolina; Moraes, Marcia Cristina; da Rocha Costa, Antonio Carlos

The SAGRES system is an educational environment built on the Web that facilitates the organization of visits to museums, presenting museum information bases in a way adapted to the user's characteristics (capacities and preferences). The system determines the group of links appropriate to the user(s) and shows them in a resultant HTML page. In…

Well-Being and Support Systems of Taiwanese Mothers of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Tzu-Hua

2013-01-01

This study investigated the influences of children's adaptive skills, problem behaviors, and parent support systems (informal support and formal professional support) on maternal well-being (health and stress) in Taiwanese mothers of young children with developmental disabilities. The study examined the moderating effects of formal support and…

A New Look at NASA: Strategic Research In Information Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alfano, David; Tu, Eugene (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This viewgraph presentation provides information on research undertaken by NASA to facilitate the development of information technologies. Specific ideas covered here include: 1) Bio/nano technologies: biomolecular and nanoscale systems and tools for assembly and computing; 2) Evolvable hardware: autonomous self-improving, self-repairing hardware and software for survivable space systems in extreme environments; 3) High Confidence Software Technologies: formal methods, high-assurance software design, and program synthesis; 4) Intelligent Controls and Diagnostics: Next generation machine learning, adaptive control, and health management technologies; 5) Revolutionary computing: New computational models to increase capability and robustness to enable future NASA space missions.

Artificial neural network does better spatiotemporal compressive sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Soo-Young; Hsu, Charles; Szu, Harold

2012-06-01

Spatiotemporal sparseness is generated naturally by human visual system based on artificial neural network modeling of associative memory. Sparseness means nothing more and nothing less than the compressive sensing achieves merely the information concentration. To concentrate the information, one uses the spatial correlation or spatial FFT or DWT or the best of all adaptive wavelet transform (cf. NUS, Shen Shawei). However, higher dimensional spatiotemporal information concentration, the mathematics can not do as flexible as a living human sensory system. The reason is obviously for survival reasons. The rest of the story is given in the paper.

A vector-product information retrieval system adapted to heterogeneous, distributed computing environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rorvig, Mark E.

1991-01-01

Vector-product information retrieval (IR) systems produce retrieval results superior to all other searching methods but presently have no commercial implementations beyond the personal computer environment. The NASA Electronic Library Systems (NELS) provides a ranked list of the most likely relevant objects in collections in response to a natural language query. Additionally, the system is constructed using standards and tools (Unix, X-Windows, Notif, and TCP/IP) that permit its operation in organizations that possess many different hosts, workstations, and platforms. There are no known commercial equivalents to this product at this time. The product has applications in all corporate management environments, particularly those that are information intensive, such as finance, manufacturing, biotechnology, and research and development.

A mixed signal ECG processing platform with an adaptive sampling ADC for portable monitoring applications.

PubMed

Kim, Hyejung; Van Hoof, Chris; Yazicioglu, Refet Firat

2011-01-01

This paper describes a mixed-signal ECG processing platform with an 12-bit ADC architecture that can adapt its sampling rate according to the input signals rate of change. This enables the sampling of ECG signals with significantly reduced data rate without loss of information. The presented adaptive sampling scheme reduces the ADC power consumption, enables the processing of ECG signals with lower power consumption, and reduces the power consumption of the radio while streaming the ECG signals. The test results show that running a CWT-based R peak detection algorithm using the adaptively sampled ECG signals consumes only 45.6 μW and it leads to 36% less overall system power consumption.

What Every Textbook Evaluator Should Know.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muther, Connie

1985-01-01

Presents information on textbook design and marketing practices, and their consequences for textbook content; recommends that selection committees firmly define the role of the textbook in curriculum, and adapt published materials to their school system's unique requirements. (MCG)

Fitting perception in and to cognition.

PubMed

Goldstone, Robert L; de Leeuw, Joshua R; Landy, David H

2015-02-01

Perceptual modules adapt at evolutionary, lifelong, and moment-to-moment temporal scales to better serve the informational needs of cognizers. Perceptual learning is a powerful way for an individual to become tuned to frequently recurring patterns in its specific local environment that are pertinent to its goals without requiring costly executive control resources to be deployed. Mechanisms like predictive coding, categorical perception, and action-informed vision allow our perceptual systems to interface well with cognition by generating perceptual outputs that are systematically guided by how they will be used. In classic conceptions of perceptual modules, people have access to the modules' outputs but no ability to adjust their internal workings. However, humans routinely and strategically alter their perceptual systems via training regimes that have predictable and specific outcomes. In fact, employing a combination of strategic and automatic devices for adapting perception is one of the most promising approaches to improving cognition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adapted Minds and Evolved Schools

PubMed Central

Keil, Frank C.

2009-01-01

Evolutionary psychology raises questions about how cognitive adaptations might be related to the emergence of formal schooling. Is there a special role for natural domains of cognition such as folk physics, folk psychology and folk biology? These domains may vary from small fragments of reasoning to large integrated systems. This heterogeneity complicates claims about abilities to inhibit folk sciences and about how formal education exploits such inhibitory abilities. Moreover, formal education often needs to build on intuitive knowledge systems rather than inhibit them. Education must also reduce complex information to the right level of granularity and help students appreciate the limits of their understanding. This involves learning how to outsource understanding to other minds and to read intentions. Geary (2008) provides an important focus on these issues by suggesting that educational and evolutionary psychologists ask how the patterns found in each field might inform the other. PMID:19946618

Visual perception system and method for a humanoid robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chelian, Suhas E. (Inventor); Linn, Douglas Martin (Inventor); Wampler, II, Charles W. (Inventor); Bridgwater, Lyndon (Inventor); Wells, James W. (Inventor); Mc Kay, Neil David (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A robotic system includes a humanoid robot with robotic joints each moveable using an actuator(s), and a distributed controller for controlling the movement of each of the robotic joints. The controller includes a visual perception module (VPM) for visually identifying and tracking an object in the field of view of the robot under threshold lighting conditions. The VPM includes optical devices for collecting an image of the object, a positional extraction device, and a host machine having an algorithm for processing the image and positional information. The algorithm visually identifies and tracks the object, and automatically adapts an exposure time of the optical devices to prevent feature data loss of the image under the threshold lighting conditions. A method of identifying and tracking the object includes collecting the image, extracting positional information of the object, and automatically adapting the exposure time to thereby prevent feature data loss of the image.

[Health threats and health system crises. An approach to early warning and response. 2008 SESPAS Report].

PubMed

Simón Soria, Fernando; Guillén Enríquez, Francisco Javier

2008-04-01

The world is changing more and faster than ever before. New diseases are coming to light each year, controlled diseases are reemerging as potential threats, and natural or man-made disasters are increasingly affecting human health. The "International Health Regulations (2005)" reflect the changes in the response of public health to this new situation. Surveillance of specific diseases and predefined control measures have been replaced by surveillance of public health events of international concern and control measures adapted to each situation. The public health events of international interest are characterized by their seriousness, predictability, the risk of international spread and potential for travel or trade restrictions. The development of the European Early Warning and Response System in 1998 and the creation of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control in 2005 demonstrate political commitment in Europe, with early detection of and response to public health threats. However, timely risk evaluation and response at a national level requires improved data digitalization and accessibility, automatic notification processes, data analysis and dissemination of information, the combination of information from multiple sources and adaptation of public health services. The autonomous regions in Spain are initiating this adaptation process, but interoperability between systems and the development of guidelines for a coordinated response should be steered by the National Interregional Health Council and coordinated by the Ministry of Health. Efficient early warning systems of health threats that allow for a timely response and reduce uncertainty about information would help to minimize the risk of public health crises. The profile of public health threats is nonspecific. Early detection of threats requires access to information from multiple sources and efficient risk assessment. Key factors for improving the response to public health threats are the development of surveillance methods and operational research in public health.

CPG-inspired workspace trajectory generation and adaptive locomotion control for quadruped robots.

PubMed

Liu, Chengju; Chen, Qijun; Wang, Danwei

2011-06-01

This paper deals with the locomotion control of quadruped robots inspired by the biological concept of central pattern generator (CPG). A control architecture is proposed with a 3-D workspace trajectory generator and a motion engine. The workspace trajectory generator generates adaptive workspace trajectories based on CPGs, and the motion engine realizes joint motion imputes. The proposed architecture is able to generate adaptive workspace trajectories online by tuning the parameters of the CPG network to adapt to various terrains. With feedback information, a quadruped robot can walk through various terrains with adaptive joint control signals. A quadruped platform AIBO is used to validate the proposed locomotion control system. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control architecture. A comparison by experiments shows the superiority of the proposed method against the traditional CPG-joint-space control method.

An Adaptive Handover Prediction Scheme for Seamless Mobility Based Wireless Networks

PubMed Central

Safa Sadiq, Ali; Fisal, Norsheila Binti; Ghafoor, Kayhan Zrar; Lloret, Jaime

2014-01-01

We propose an adaptive handover prediction (AHP) scheme for seamless mobility based wireless networks. That is, the AHP scheme incorporates fuzzy logic with AP prediction process in order to lend cognitive capability to handover decision making. Selection metrics, including received signal strength, mobile node relative direction towards the access points in the vicinity, and access point load, are collected and considered inputs of the fuzzy decision making system in order to select the best preferable AP around WLANs. The obtained handover decision which is based on the calculated quality cost using fuzzy inference system is also based on adaptable coefficients instead of fixed coefficients. In other words, the mean and the standard deviation of the normalized network prediction metrics of fuzzy inference system, which are collected from available WLANs are obtained adaptively. Accordingly, they are applied as statistical information to adjust or adapt the coefficients of membership functions. In addition, we propose an adjustable weight vector concept for input metrics in order to cope with the continuous, unpredictable variation in their membership degrees. Furthermore, handover decisions are performed in each MN independently after knowing RSS, direction toward APs, and AP load. Finally, performance evaluation of the proposed scheme shows its superiority compared with representatives of the prediction approaches. PMID:25574490

An adaptive handover prediction scheme for seamless mobility based wireless networks.

PubMed

Sadiq, Ali Safa; Fisal, Norsheila Binti; Ghafoor, Kayhan Zrar; Lloret, Jaime

2014-01-01

We propose an adaptive handover prediction (AHP) scheme for seamless mobility based wireless networks. That is, the AHP scheme incorporates fuzzy logic with AP prediction process in order to lend cognitive capability to handover decision making. Selection metrics, including received signal strength, mobile node relative direction towards the access points in the vicinity, and access point load, are collected and considered inputs of the fuzzy decision making system in order to select the best preferable AP around WLANs. The obtained handover decision which is based on the calculated quality cost using fuzzy inference system is also based on adaptable coefficients instead of fixed coefficients. In other words, the mean and the standard deviation of the normalized network prediction metrics of fuzzy inference system, which are collected from available WLANs are obtained adaptively. Accordingly, they are applied as statistical information to adjust or adapt the coefficients of membership functions. In addition, we propose an adjustable weight vector concept for input metrics in order to cope with the continuous, unpredictable variation in their membership degrees. Furthermore, handover decisions are performed in each MN independently after knowing RSS, direction toward APs, and AP load. Finally, performance evaluation of the proposed scheme shows its superiority compared with representatives of the prediction approaches.

Higher-order neural processing tunes motion neurons to visual ecology in three species of hawkmoths.

PubMed

Stöckl, A L; O'Carroll, D; Warrant, E J

2017-06-28

To sample information optimally, sensory systems must adapt to the ecological demands of each animal species. These adaptations can occur peripherally, in the anatomical structures of sensory organs and their receptors; and centrally, as higher-order neural processing in the brain. While a rich body of investigations has focused on peripheral adaptations, our understanding is sparse when it comes to central mechanisms. We quantified how peripheral adaptations in the eyes, and central adaptations in the wide-field motion vision system, set the trade-off between resolution and sensitivity in three species of hawkmoths active at very different light levels: nocturnal Deilephila elpenor, crepuscular Manduca sexta , and diurnal Macroglossum stellatarum. Using optical measurements and physiological recordings from the photoreceptors and wide-field motion neurons in the lobula complex, we demonstrate that all three species use spatial and temporal summation to improve visual performance in dim light. The diurnal Macroglossum relies least on summation, but can only see at brighter intensities. Manduca, with large sensitive eyes, relies less on neural summation than the smaller eyed Deilephila , but both species attain similar visual performance at nocturnal light levels. Our results reveal how the visual systems of these three hawkmoth species are intimately matched to their visual ecologies. © 2017 The Author(s).

Semantic transcoding of video based on regions of interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Jeongyeon; Kim, Munchurl; Kim, Jong-Nam; Kim, Kyeongsoo

2003-06-01

Traditional transcoding on multimedia has been performed from the perspectives of user terminal capabilities such as display sizes and decoding processing power, and network resources such as available network bandwidth and quality of services (QoS) etc. The adaptation (or transcoding) of multimedia contents to given such constraints has been made by frame dropping and resizing of audiovisual, as well as reduction of SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) values by saving the resulting bitrates. Not only such traditional transcoding is performed from the perspective of user"s environment, but also we incorporate a method of semantic transcoding of audiovisual based on region of interest (ROI) from user"s perspective. Users can designate their interested parts in images or video so that the corresponding video contents can be adapted focused on the user"s ROI. We incorporate the MPEG-21 DIA (Digital Item Adaptation) framework in which such semantic information of the user"s ROI is represented and delivered to the content provider side as XDI (context digital item). Representation schema of our semantic information of the user"s ROI has been adopted in MPEG-21 DIA Adaptation Model. In this paper, we present the usage of semantic information of user"s ROI for transcoding and show our system implementation with experimental results.

Development of an Adaptable Display and Diagnostic System for the Evaluation of Tropical Cyclone Forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucera, P. A.; Burek, T.; Halley-Gotway, J.

2015-12-01

NCAR's Joint Numerical Testbed Program (JNTP) focuses on the evaluation of experimental forecasts of tropical cyclones (TCs) with the goal of developing new research tools and diagnostic evaluation methods that can be transitioned to operations. Recent activities include the development of new TC forecast verification methods and the development of an adaptable TC display and diagnostic system. The next generation display and diagnostic system is being developed to support evaluation needs of the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) and broader TC research community. The new hurricane display and diagnostic capabilities allow forecasters and research scientists to more deeply examine the performance of operational and experimental models. The system is built upon modern and flexible technology that includes OpenLayers Mapping tools that are platform independent. The forecast track and intensity along with associated observed track information are stored in an efficient MySQL database. The system provides easy-to-use interactive display system, and provides diagnostic tools to examine forecast track stratified by intensity. Consensus forecasts can be computed and displayed interactively. The system is designed to display information for both real-time and for historical TC cyclones. The display configurations are easily adaptable to meet the needs of the end-user preferences. Ongoing enhancements include improving capabilities for stratification and evaluation of historical best tracks, development and implementation of additional methods to stratify and compute consensus hurricane track and intensity forecasts, and improved graphical display tools. The display is also being enhanced to incorporate gridded forecast, satellite, and sea surface temperature fields. The presentation will provide an overview of the display and diagnostic system development and demonstration of the current capabilities.

A multicriteria decision making model for assessment and selection of an ERP in a logistics context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, Teresa; Ferreira, Fernanda A.

2017-07-01

The aim of this work is to apply a methodology of decision support based on a multicriteria decision analyses (MCDA) model that allows the assessment and selection of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in a Portuguese logistics company by Group Decision Maker (GDM). A Decision Support system (DSS) that implements a MCDA - Multicriteria Methodology for the Assessment and Selection of Information Systems / Information Technologies (MMASSI / IT) is used based on its features and facility to change and adapt the model to a given scope. Using this DSS it was obtained the information system that best suited to the decisional context, being this result evaluated through a sensitivity and robustness analysis.

Exploring the functional impact of adaptive seating on the lives of individual children and their families: a collective case study.

PubMed

Stier, Carly D; Chieu, Ivan B; Howell, Lori; Ryan, Stephen E

2017-07-01

This study examined parent-reported change in the functional performance of four school-aged children with wheeled mobility needs who had used a new adaptive seating system for 6 weeks. The collective case study involved four mothers whose children, ages 6-9 years, received a new adaptive seating system for a manual wheelchair or stroller. Mothers completed the Family Impact of Assistive Technology Scale for Adaptive Seating (FIATS-AS) at the time their child received a new seating system, and then after 6 weeks of daily use. Other questionnaires, health records, and semi-structured interviews provided additional data about the seating interventions and their functional effects on individual children and their families. The FIATS-AS detected overall functional gain in one family, and both gains and losses in 2-7 dimensions for all families. Functional status and change scores showed consistency with measures of seating intervention satisfaction, global functional change, and home participation. Interview themes also suggested consistency with change scores, but provided a deeper understanding of important factors that influenced adaptive seating outcomes. This study supports the need to explore further the complexity, temporality and meaningfulness of adaptive seating outcomes in individual children and their families. Implications for Rehabilitation Assistive technology practitioners need to adopt practical measurement strategies that consider the complexity, temporality, and meaningfulness of outcomes to make evidence-informed decisions about how to improve adaptive seating services and interventions. Health measurement scales that measure adaptive seating outcomes for service applications must have adequate levels of reliability and validity, as well as demonstrate responsive to important change over time for individual children and their families. Needs-specific measurement scales provide a promising avenue for understanding functional outcomes for individual children and youth who use adaptive seating systems.

Building Adaptive Capacity with the Delphi Method and Mediated Modeling for Water Quality and Climate Change Adaptation in Lake Champlain Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, S.; Hurley, S.; Koliba, C.; Zia, A.; Exler, S.

2014-12-01

Eutrophication and nutrient pollution of surface waters occur within complex governance, social, hydrologic and biophysical basin contexts. The pervasive and perennial nutrient pollution in Lake Champlain Basin, despite decades of efforts, exemplifies problems found across the world's surface waters. Stakeholders with diverse values, interests, and forms of explicit and tacit knowledge determine water quality impacts through land use, agricultural and water resource decisions. Uncertainty, ambiguity and dynamic feedback further complicate the ability to promote the continual provision of water quality and ecosystem services. Adaptive management of water resources and land use requires mechanisms to allow for learning and integration of new information over time. The transdisciplinary Research on Adaptation to Climate Change (RACC) team is working to build regional adaptive capacity in Lake Champlain Basin while studying and integrating governance, land use, hydrological, and biophysical systems to evaluate implications for adaptive management. The RACC team has engaged stakeholders through mediated modeling workshops, online forums, surveys, focus groups and interviews. In March 2014, CSS2CC.org, an interactive online forum to source and identify adaptive interventions from a group of stakeholders across sectors was launched. The forum, based on the Delphi Method, brings forward the collective wisdom of stakeholders and experts to identify potential interventions and governance designs in response to scientific uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding the effectiveness of any strategy, climate change impacts, and the social and natural systems governing water quality and eutrophication. A Mediated Modeling Workshop followed the forum in May 2014, where participants refined and identified plausible interventions under different governance, policy and resource scenarios. Results from the online forum and workshop can identify emerging consensus across scales and sectors and be simulated in adaptation scenarios within integrated models. Comparing interventions and scenarios to existing and planned policy and governance systems in Lake Champlain Basin allows for new feedback to build adaptive capacity to identify key leverage points in the coupled natural and human system.

Introduction on health recommender systems.

PubMed

Sanchez-Bocanegra, C L; Sanchez-Laguna, F; Sevillano, J L

2015-01-01

People are looking for appropriate health information which they are concerned about. The Internet is a great resource of this kind of information, but we have to be careful if we don't want to get harmful info. Health recommender systems are becoming a new wave for apt health information as systems suggest the best data according to the patients' needs.The main goals of health recommender systems are to retrieve trusted health information from the Internet, to analyse which is suitable for the user profile and select the best that can be recommended, to adapt their selection methods according to the knowledge domain and to learn from the best recommendations.A brief definition of recommender systems will be given and an explanation of how are they incorporated in the health sector. A description of the main elementary recommender methods as well as their most important problems will also be made. And, to finish, the state of the art will be described.

The Houston Academy of Medicine--Texas Medical Center Library management information system.

PubMed Central

Camille, D; Chadha, S; Lyders, R A

1993-01-01

A management information system (MIS) provides a means for collecting, reporting, and analyzing data from all segments of an organization. Such systems are common in business but rare in libraries. The Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library developed an MIS that operates on a system of networked IBM PCs and Paradox, a commercial database software package. The data collected in the system include monthly reports, client profile information, and data collected at the time of service requests. The MIS assists with enforcement of library policies, ensures that correct information is recorded, and provides reports for library managers. It also can be used to help answer a variety of ad hoc questions. Future plans call for the development of an MIS that could be adapted to other libraries' needs, and a decision-support interface that would facilitate access to the data contained in the MIS databases. PMID:8251972

Adaptation to climate change--exploring the potential of locally adapted breeds.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Irene

2013-06-01

The livestock sector and agriculture as a whole face unprecedented challenges to increase production while improving the environment. On the basis of a literature review, the paper first discusses challenges related to climate change, food security and other drivers of change in livestock production. On the basis of a recent discourse in ecology, a framework for assessing livestock species' and breeds' vulnerability to climate change is presented. The second part of the paper draws on an analysis of data on breed qualities obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization's Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) to explore the range of adaptation traits present in today's breed diversity. The analysis produced a first mapping of a range of ascribed adaptation traits of national breed populations. It allowed to explore what National Coordinators understand by 'locally adapted' and other terms that describe general adaptation, to better understand the habitat, fodder and temperature range of each species and to shed light on the environments in which targeted search for adaptation traits could focus.

The Effects of Climate Model Similarity on Local, Risk-Based Adaptation Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinschneider, S.; Brown, C. M.

2014-12-01

The climate science community has recently proposed techniques to develop probabilistic projections of climate change from ensemble climate model output. These methods provide a means to incorporate the formal concept of risk, i.e., the product of impact and probability, into long-term planning assessments for local systems under climate change. However, approaches for pdf development often assume that different climate models provide independent information for the estimation of probabilities, despite model similarities that stem from a common genealogy. Here we utilize an ensemble of projections from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to develop probabilistic climate information, with and without an accounting of inter-model correlations, and use it to estimate climate-related risks to a local water utility in Colorado, U.S. We show that the tail risk of extreme climate changes in both mean precipitation and temperature is underestimated if model correlations are ignored. When coupled with impact models of the hydrology and infrastructure of the water utility, the underestimation of extreme climate changes substantially alters the quantification of risk for water supply shortages by mid-century. We argue that progress in climate change adaptation for local systems requires the recognition that there is less information in multi-model climate ensembles than previously thought. Importantly, adaptation decisions cannot be limited to the spread in one generation of climate models.

An automatic dose verification system for adaptive radiotherapy for helical tomotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mo, Xiaohu; Chen, Mingli; Parnell, Donald; Olivera, Gustavo; Galmarini, Daniel; Lu, Weiguo

2014-03-01

Purpose: During a typical 5-7 week treatment of external beam radiotherapy, there are potential differences between planned patient's anatomy and positioning, such as patient weight loss, or treatment setup. The discrepancies between planned and delivered doses resulting from these differences could be significant, especially in IMRT where dose distributions tightly conforms to target volumes while avoiding organs-at-risk. We developed an automatic system to monitor delivered dose using daily imaging. Methods: For each treatment, a merged image is generated by registering the daily pre-treatment setup image and planning CT using treatment position information extracted from the Tomotherapy archive. The treatment dose is then computed on this merged image using our in-house convolution-superposition based dose calculator implemented on GPU. The deformation field between merged and planning CT is computed using the Morphon algorithm. The planning structures and treatment doses are subsequently warped for analysis and dose accumulation. All results are saved in DICOM format with private tags and organized in a database. Due to the overwhelming amount of information generated, a customizable tolerance system is used to flag potential treatment errors or significant anatomical changes. A web-based system and a DICOM-RT viewer were developed for reporting and reviewing the results. Results: More than 30 patients were analysed retrospectively. Our in-house dose calculator passed 97% gamma test evaluated with 2% dose difference and 2mm distance-to-agreement compared with Tomotherapy calculated dose, which is considered sufficient for adaptive radiotherapy purposes. Evaluation of the deformable registration through visual inspection showed acceptable and consistent results, except for cases with large or unrealistic deformation. Our automatic flagging system was able to catch significant patient setup errors or anatomical changes. Conclusions: We developed an automatic dose verification system that quantifies treatment doses, and provides necessary information for adaptive planning without impeding clinical workflows.

Research on three-dimensional real scene technology of Sichuan-Tibet highway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Peng; Bo, Xianglei; Liu, Fen

2018-04-01

This paper studies the three-dimensional real scene technology in the application of highway simulation, and a system to realize three-dimensional real scene of Sichuan-Tibet highway is presented. This system can improve the defect of the traditional Sichuan-Tibet highway geographic information system from performance and feeling. The Tibet forces can use this system to improve motor adaptive training effect and command decision-making ability.

Complex adaptive systems: a tool for interpreting responses and behaviours.

PubMed

Ellis, Beverley

2011-01-01

Quality improvement is a priority for health services worldwide. There are many barriers to implementing change at the locality level and misinterpreting responses and behaviours can effectively block change. Electronic health records will influence the means by which knowledge and information are generated and sustained among those operating quality improvement programmes. To explain how complex adaptive system (CAS) theory provides a useful tool and new insight into the responses and behaviours that relate to quality improvement programmes in primary care enabled by informatics. Case studies in two English localities who participated in the implementation and development of quality improvement programmes. The research strategy included purposefully sampled case studies, conducted within a social constructionist ontological perspective. Responses and behaviours of quality improvement programmes in the two localities include both positive and negative influences associated with a networked model of governance. Pressures of time, resources and workload are common issues, along with the need for education and training about capturing, coding, recording and sharing information held within electronic health records to support various information requirements. Primary care informatics enables information symmetry among those operating quality improvement programmes by making some aspects of care explicit, allowing consensus about quality improvement priorities and implementable solutions.

Toward visual user interfaces supporting collaborative multimedia content management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husein, Fathi; Leissler, Martin; Hemmje, Matthias

2000-12-01

Supporting collaborative multimedia content management activities, as e.g., image and video acquisition, exploration, and access dialogues between naive users and multi media information systems is a non-trivial task. Although a wide variety of experimental and prototypical multimedia storage technologies as well as corresponding indexing and retrieval engines are available, most of them lack appropriate support for collaborative end-user oriented user interface front ends. The development of advanced user adaptable interfaces is necessary for building collaborative multimedia information- space presentations based upon advanced tools for information browsing, searching, filtering, and brokering to be applied on potentially very large and highly dynamic multimedia collections with a large number of users and user groups. Therefore, the development of advanced and at the same time adaptable and collaborative computer graphical information presentation schemes that allow to easily apply adequate visual metaphors for defined target user stereotypes has to become a key focus within ongoing research activities trying to support collaborative information work with multimedia collections.

Maintaining resilience in the face of climate change: Chapter 8

USGS Publications Warehouse

Camacho, Alejandro E.; Beard, T. Douglas

2014-01-01

Climate change, when combined with more conventional stress from human exploitation, calls into question the capacity of both existing ecological communities and resource management institutions to experience disturbances while substantially retaining their same functions and identities (Zellmer and Gunderson 2009; Ruhl 2011). In other words, the physical and biological effects of climate change raise fundamental challenges to the resilience of natural ecosystems (Gunderson and Holling 2002). Perhaps more importantly, the projected scope of ecological shifts from global climate change-and uncertainty about such changes-significantly stresses the capacity of legal institutions to manage ecosystem change (Camacho 2009). Existing governmental institutions lack the adaptive capacity to manage such substantial changes to ecological and legal systems. In particular, regulators and managers lack information about ecological effects and alternative management strategies for managing the effects of climate change (Karkkainen 2008; Camacho 2009), as well as the institutional infrastructure for obtaining such information (Peters 2008).A number of recent initiatives have been proposed to address the effects of climate change on ecological systems. However, these nascent programs do not fully meet the needs for developing adaptive capacity. A federal, publicly accessible, and system-wide portal and clearinghouse will help regulators at all levels of government manage the effects and uncertainty from climate change (DiMento and Ingram 2005; Farber 2007). Such an information infrastructure, combined with a range of incentives that encourage regulators to engage in adaptive management and programmatic adjustment over time (Baron et al. 2009), will help governmental and private institutions become more resilient and capable of managing the physical and human institutional effects of changing climate (Camacho 2009).

Stakeholder Participation in Freshwater Monitoring and Evaluation Programs: Applying Thresholds of Potential Concern within Environmental Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conallin, John; McLoughlin, Craig A.; Campbell, Josh; Knight, Roger; Bright, Troy; Fisher, Ian

2018-03-01

The complex nature of freshwater systems provides challenges for incorporating evidence-based techniques into management. This paper investigates the potential of participatory evidence-based techniques to involve local stakeholders and make decisions based on different "knowledge" sources within adaptive management programs. It focuses on the application of thresholds of potential concern (TPC) within strategic adaptive management (SAM) for facilitating inclusive decision-making. The study is based on the case of the Edward-Wakool (E-W) "Fish and Flows" SAM project in the Murray-Darling River Basin, Australia. We demonstrate the application of TPCs for improving collaborative decision-making within the E-W, associated with environmental watering requirements, and other natural resource management programs such as fish stocking. The development of TPCs in the E-W fish and flows SAM project helped improve stakeholder involvement and understanding of the system, and also the effectiveness of the implemented management interventions. TPCs ultimately helped inform environmental flow management activities. The TPC process complemented monitoring that was already occurring in the system and provided a mechanism for linking formal and informal knowledge to form explicit and measurable endpoints from objectives. The TPC process faced challenges due to the perceived reduction in scientific rigor within initial TPC development and use. However, TPCs must remain tangible to managers and other stakeholders, in order to aid in the implementation of adaptive management. Once accepted by stakeholders, over time TPCs should be reviewed and refined in order to increase their scientific rigor, as new information is generated.

Direct Patlak Reconstruction From Dynamic PET Data Using the Kernel Method With MRI Information Based on Structural Similarity.

PubMed

Gong, Kuang; Cheng-Liao, Jinxiu; Wang, Guobao; Chen, Kevin T; Catana, Ciprian; Qi, Jinyi

2018-04-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging modality widely used in oncology, cardiology, and neuroscience. It is highly sensitive, but suffers from relatively poor spatial resolution, as compared with anatomical imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With the recent development of combined PET/MR systems, we can improve the PET image quality by incorporating MR information into image reconstruction. Previously, kernel learning has been successfully embedded into static and dynamic PET image reconstruction using either PET temporal or MRI information. Here, we combine both PET temporal and MRI information adaptively to improve the quality of direct Patlak reconstruction. We examined different approaches to combine the PET and MRI information in kernel learning to address the issue of potential mismatches between MRI and PET signals. Computer simulations and hybrid real-patient data acquired on a simultaneous PET/MR scanner were used to evaluate the proposed methods. Results show that the method that combines PET temporal information and MRI spatial information adaptively based on the structure similarity index has the best performance in terms of noise reduction and resolution improvement.

Assessing climate adaptation options and uncertainties for cereal systems in West Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, K.; Sultan, B.; Biasutti, M.; Lobell, D. B.

2015-12-01

The already fragile agriculture production system in West Africa faces further challenges in meeting food security in the coming decades, primarily due to a fast increasing population and risks of climate change. Successful adaptation of agriculture should not only benefit in the current climate but should also reduce negative (or enhance positive) impacts for climate change. Assessment of various possible adaptation options and their uncertainties provides key information for prioritizing adaptation investments. Here, based on the several robust aspects of climate projections in this region (i.e. temperature increases and rainfall pattern shifts), we use two well-validated crop models (i.e. APSIM and SARRA-H) and an ensemble of downscaled climate forcing to assess five possible and realistic adaptation options (late sowing, intensification, thermal time increase, water harvesting and increased resilience to heat stress) in West Africa for the staple crop production of sorghum. We adopt a new assessment framework to account for both the impacts of adaptation options in current climate and their ability to reduce impacts of future climate change, and also consider changes in both mean yield and its variability. Our results reveal that most proposed "adaptation options" are not more beneficial in the future than in the current climate, i.e. not really reduce the climate change impacts. Increased temperature resilience during grain number formation period is the main adaptation that emerges. We also find that changing from the traditional to modern cultivar, and later sowing in West Sahel appear to be robust adaptations.

Dynamic route and departure time choice model based on self-adaptive reference point and reinforcement learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xue-yan; Li, Xue-mei; Yang, Lingrun; Li, Jing

2018-07-01

Most of the previous studies on dynamic traffic assignment are based on traditional analytical framework, for instance, the idea of Dynamic User Equilibrium has been widely used in depicting both the route choice and the departure time choice. However, some recent studies have demonstrated that the dynamic traffic flow assignment largely depends on travelers' rationality degree, travelers' heterogeneity and what the traffic information the travelers have. In this paper, we develop a new self-adaptive multi agent model to depict travelers' behavior in Dynamic Traffic Assignment. We use Cumulative Prospect Theory with heterogeneous reference points to illustrate travelers' bounded rationality. We use reinforcement-learning model to depict travelers' route and departure time choosing behavior under the condition of imperfect information. We design the evolution rule of travelers' expected arrival time and the algorithm of traffic flow assignment. Compared with the traditional model, the self-adaptive multi agent model we proposed in this paper can effectively help travelers avoid the rush hour. Finally, we report and analyze the effect of travelers' group behavior on the transportation system, and give some insights into the relation between travelers' group behavior and the performance of transportation system.

Will current probabilistic climate change information, as such, improve adaptation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, A.; Smith, L. A.

2012-04-01

Probabilistic climate scenarios are currently being provided to end users, to employ as probabilities in adaptation decision making, with the explicit suggestion that they quantify the impacts of climate change relevant to a variety of sectors. These "probabilities" are, however, rather sensitive to the assumptions in, and the structure of the modelling approaches used to generate them. It is often argued that stakeholders require probabilistic climate change information to adequately evaluate and plan adaptation pathways. On the other hand, some circumstantial evidence suggests that on the ground decision making rarely uses well defined probability distributions of climate change as inputs. Nevertheless it is within this context of probability distributions of climate change that we discuss possible drawbacks of supplying information that, while presented as robust and decision relevant, , is in fact unlikely to be so due to known flaws both in the underlying models and in the methodology used to "account for" those known flaws. How might one use a probability forecast that is expected to change in the future, not due to a refinement in our information but due to fundamental flaws in its construction? What then are the alternatives? While the answer will depend on the context of the problem at hand, a good approach will be strongly informed by the timescale of the given planning decision, and the consideration of all the non-climatic factors that have to be taken into account in the corresponding risk assessment. Using a water resources system as an example, we illustrate an alternative approach to deal with these challenges and make robust adaptation decisions today.

Climate change and adaptation of the health sector: The case of infectious diseases.

PubMed

Confalonieri, Ulisses E C; Menezes, Júlia Alves; Margonari de Souza, Carina

2015-01-01

Infectious diseases form a group of health problems highly susceptible to the influences of climate. Adaptation to protect human population health from the changes in infectious disease epidemiology expected to occur as a consequence of climate change involve actions in the health systems as well as in other non-health sectors. In the health sector strategies such as enhanced and targeted epidemiological and entomological surveillance and the development of epidemic early warning systems informed by climate scenarios are needed. Measures in other sectors such as meteorology, civil defense and environmental sanitation will also contribute to a reduction in the risk of infection under climate change.

Biologically inspired computation and learning in Sensorimotor Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Daniel D.; Seung, H. S.

2001-11-01

Networking systems presently lack the ability to intelligently process the rich multimedia content of the data traffic they carry. Endowing artificial systems with the ability to adapt to changing conditions requires algorithms that can rapidly learn from examples. We demonstrate the application of such learning algorithms on an inexpensive quadruped robot constructed to perform simple sensorimotor tasks. The robot learns to track a particular object by discovering the salient visual and auditory cues unique to that object. The system uses a convolutional neural network that automatically combines color, luminance, motion, and auditory information. The weights of the networks are adjusted using feedback from a teacher to reflect the reliability of the various input channels in the surrounding environment. Additionally, the robot is able to compensate for its own motion by adapting the parameters of a vestibular ocular reflex system.

Adaptive Optimization of Aircraft Engine Performance Using Neural Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Donald L.; Long, Theresa W.

1995-01-01

Preliminary results are presented on the development of an adaptive neural network based control algorithm to enhance aircraft engine performance. This work builds upon a previous National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) effort known as Performance Seeking Control (PSC). PSC is an adaptive control algorithm which contains a model of the aircraft's propulsion system which is updated on-line to match the operation of the aircraft's actual propulsion system. Information from the on-line model is used to adapt the control system during flight to allow optimal operation of the aircraft's propulsion system (inlet, engine, and nozzle) to improve aircraft engine performance without compromising reliability or operability. Performance Seeking Control has been shown to yield reductions in fuel flow, increases in thrust, and reductions in engine fan turbine inlet temperature. The neural network based adaptive control, like PSC, will contain a model of the propulsion system which will be used to calculate optimal control commands on-line. Hopes are that it will be able to provide some additional benefits above and beyond those of PSC. The PSC algorithm is computationally intensive, it is valid only at near steady-state flight conditions, and it has no way to adapt or learn on-line. These issues are being addressed in the development of the optimal neural controller. Specialized neural network processing hardware is being developed to run the software, the algorithm will be valid at steady-state and transient conditions, and will take advantage of the on-line learning capability of neural networks. Future plans include testing the neural network software and hardware prototype against an aircraft engine simulation. In this paper, the proposed neural network software and hardware is described and preliminary neural network training results are presented.

Green cooperative adaptive control systems in the vicinity of signalized intersections.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

Vehicle stops and speed variations account for a large percentage of vehicle fuel losses especially at signalized intersections. : Recently, researchers have attempted to develop tools that reduce these losses by capitalizing on traffic signal inform...

Role of Utility and Inference in the Evolution of Functional Information

PubMed Central

Sharov, Alexei A.

2009-01-01

Functional information means an encoded network of functions in living organisms from molecular signaling pathways to an organism’s behavior. It is represented by two components: code and an interpretation system, which together form a self-sustaining semantic closure. Semantic closure allows some freedom between components because small variations of the code are still interpretable. The interpretation system consists of inference rules that control the correspondence between the code and the function (phenotype) and determines the shape of the fitness landscape. The utility factor operates at multiple time scales: short-term selection drives evolution towards higher survival and reproduction rate within a given fitness landscape, and long-term selection favors those fitness landscapes that support adaptability and lead to evolutionary expansion of certain lineages. Inference rules make short-term selection possible by shaping the fitness landscape and defining possible directions of evolution, but they are under control of the long-term selection of lineages. Communication normally occurs within a set of agents with compatible interpretation systems, which I call communication system. Functional information cannot be directly transferred between communication systems with incompatible inference rules. Each biological species is a genetic communication system that carries unique functional information together with inference rules that determine evolutionary directions and constraints. This view of the relation between utility and inference can resolve the conflict between realism/positivism and pragmatism. Realism overemphasizes the role of inference in evolution of human knowledge because it assumes that logic is embedded in reality. Pragmatism substitutes usefulness for truth and therefore ignores the advantage of inference. The proposed concept of evolutionary pragmatism rejects the idea that logic is embedded in reality; instead, inference rules are constructed within each communication system to represent reality and they evolve towards higher adaptability on a long time scale. PMID:20160960

Software Testbed for Developing and Evaluating Integrated Autonomous Subsystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ong, James; Remolina, Emilio; Prompt, Axel; Robinson, Peter; Sweet, Adam; Nishikawa, David

2015-01-01

To implement fault tolerant autonomy in future space systems, it will be necessary to integrate planning, adaptive control, and state estimation subsystems. However, integrating these subsystems is difficult, time-consuming, and error-prone. This paper describes Intelliface/ADAPT, a software testbed that helps researchers develop and test alternative strategies for integrating planning, execution, and diagnosis subsystems more quickly and easily. The testbed's architecture, graphical data displays, and implementations of the integrated subsystems support easy plug and play of alternate components to support research and development in fault-tolerant control of autonomous vehicles and operations support systems. Intelliface/ADAPT controls NASA's Advanced Diagnostics and Prognostics Testbed (ADAPT), which comprises batteries, electrical loads (fans, pumps, and lights), relays, circuit breakers, invertors, and sensors. During plan execution, an experimentor can inject faults into the ADAPT testbed by tripping circuit breakers, changing fan speed settings, and closing valves to restrict fluid flow. The diagnostic subsystem, based on NASA's Hybrid Diagnosis Engine (HyDE), detects and isolates these faults to determine the new state of the plant, ADAPT. Intelliface/ADAPT then updates its model of the ADAPT system's resources and determines whether the current plan can be executed using the reduced resources. If not, the planning subsystem generates a new plan that reschedules tasks, reconfigures ADAPT, and reassigns the use of ADAPT resources as needed to work around the fault. The resource model, planning domain model, and planning goals are expressed using NASA's Action Notation Modeling Language (ANML). Parts of the ANML model are generated automatically, and other parts are constructed by hand using the Planning Model Integrated Development Environment, a visual Eclipse-based IDE that accelerates ANML model development. Because native ANML planners are currently under development and not yet sufficiently capable, the ANML model is translated into the New Domain Definition Language (NDDL) and sent to NASA's EUROPA planning system for plan generation. The adaptive controller executes the new plan, using augmented, hierarchical finite state machines to select and sequence actions based on the state of the ADAPT system. Real-time sensor data, commands, and plans are displayed in information-dense arrays of timelines and graphs that zoom and scroll in unison. A dynamic schematic display uses color to show the real-time fault state and utilization of the system components and resources. An execution manager coordinates the activities of the other subsystems. The subsystems are integrated using the Internet Communications Engine (ICE). an object-oriented toolkit for building distributed applications.

Informatics Metrics and Measures for a Smart Public Health Systems Approach: Information Science Perspective

PubMed Central

Shea, Christopher Michael

2017-01-01

Public health informatics is an evolving domain in which practices constantly change to meet the demands of a highly complex public health and healthcare delivery system. Given the emergence of various concepts, such as learning health systems, smart health systems, and adaptive complex health systems, health informatics professionals would benefit from a common set of measures and capabilities to inform our modeling, measuring, and managing of health system “smartness.” Here, we introduce the concepts of organizational complexity, problem/issue complexity, and situational awareness as three codependent drivers of smart public health systems characteristics. We also propose seven smart public health systems measures and capabilities that are important in a public health informatics professional's toolkit. PMID:28167999

Informatics Metrics and Measures for a Smart Public Health Systems Approach: Information Science Perspective.

PubMed

Carney, Timothy Jay; Shea, Christopher Michael

2017-01-01

Public health informatics is an evolving domain in which practices constantly change to meet the demands of a highly complex public health and healthcare delivery system. Given the emergence of various concepts, such as learning health systems, smart health systems, and adaptive complex health systems, health informatics professionals would benefit from a common set of measures and capabilities to inform our modeling, measuring, and managing of health system "smartness." Here, we introduce the concepts of organizational complexity, problem/issue complexity, and situational awareness as three codependent drivers of smart public health systems characteristics. We also propose seven smart public health systems measures and capabilities that are important in a public health informatics professional's toolkit.