This paper studies the problem of multi-agent planning in the environment where agents may need to cooperate in order to achieve their individual goals but they do so only if the cooperation is beneficial to each of them. We assume that each agent has a reward function and a cost function that determines the agent’s utility over all possible plans. The agents negotiate to form a joint plan thro...

OBJECTIVE To obtain the simplest definition of minimal disease activity (MDA) and to compare it with published proposed definitions of MDA in patients with RA. METHODS Two hundred and fourteen patients with long-standing RA (LSRA) were evaluated for clinical and laboratory parameters. Factor analysis was performed to remove redundant variables included in the core set measure for MDA definiti...

A two-dimensional CFD model of a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has been developed.This model can predict the performance of SOFC at various operating and design conditions.The effect of Knudsen diffusion is accounted in the porous electrode (backing) and reaction zonelayers. The mathematical model solves conservation of electrons and ions and conservation ofspecies. The model is formulate...

Compared with running straight, when human runners sprint along a curve, the ability of the inside leg to generate force is compromised. This decreased force generation has been suggested to limit the overall performance of the runner. One theory for this force loss is that the large non-sagittal plane joint moments of the inside leg reach their operating limits, thus prohibiting further genera...

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study on the ampacity of the prefabricated straight-through joint of a 110 kV high voltage cable. Thermal modelling revealed that the critical spot limiting the ampacity of this type of cable joint is located on its crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation section. The axial distribution of the thermal field in this type of cable joint was al...

conclusion investigative assessment of breast us by residents is inadvisable. we recommend continued professional resident training to improve the degree of agreement and performance. results for the faculty members, fair-to-good agreement was obtained in all descriptors and final assessment, while for residents, poor-to-moderate agreement was obtained. the areas under the roc curves were 0.78 ...

Ultrasound (US) imaging of an infant's hip joint is widely used for early detection of developmental dysplasia of the hip. In current US-based diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip, trained clinicians acquire US images and, if they judge them to be adequate (i.e., to contain relevant hip joint structures), analyze them manually to extract clinically useful dysplasia metrics. However, ...