Autonomous Land Vehicle

The demand for the autonomous land vehicle industry has been increasing tremendously, and continues to grow; nearly 30 million autonomous vehicles are expected to be sold by 2040.1 Through the Autonomous Lands Vehicle (ALV) VIP team, students develop both the hardware and software to help enhance knowledge and gain experience in vehicle autonomy. An automatic pilot has been built that can drive the vehicle in real time. The purpose of this pilot is to generate vehicle control commands that will direct the vehicle from the starting point to the finishing point, without hitting unforeseen obstacles. A remote controlled vehicle has been transformed into an autonomous vehicle by implementing appropriate steering logic based on incoming data from ultrasonic distance sensors. The Team has strategized that the use of the Raspberry Pi single board computer would be the best candidate to function as the brain of the project due to open source software and familiarity of use.The current steering logic has been refined through an obstacle course based testing in scenarios with low gradient surfaces.For future iterations of this project, implementation of object recognition via a Pi CAM can relay what the ALV is seeing and with the introduction of a GPS module the user can actively monitor the coordinates of the vehicle . In addition to this, the project could be improved with a wider variation of testing in less controlled environments. Reference: https://news.ihsmarkit.com/press-release/automotive/autonomous-vehicle-sales-surpass-33-million-annually-2040-enabling-new-aut

Use of computer-based interventions to teach communication skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review

Contains fulltext : 103195.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The purpose of this review is to provide a systematic analysis of studies involving the use of computer-based interventions (CBI) to teach communication skills to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This review evaluates intervention outcomes, appraises the certainty of evidence, and describes software and system requirements for each included study. This review has three main aims: (a) to evaluate the evidence-base regarding CBI, (b) to inform and guide practitioners interested in using CBI, and (c) to stimulate and guide future research aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of CBI in communication for individuals with ASD. Results suggest that CBI should not yet be considered a researched-based approach to teaching communication skills to individuals with ASD. However, CBI does seem a promising practice that warrants future research.22 p

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing: A Motivation Model

Case studies were conducted on eight serial killers in India who were inmates in central prisons of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The study is a pioneering one on serial killers in the locale of the study. All available information about the lives of offenders were collected through multiple sources, including in-depth interviews with serial killers in the prisons, interviews of relatives of the killers, surviving victims, Investigators, crime scene studies, etc. The collected data have been chronologically arranged to construct biographies of the offenders. The rich biographies were carefully analyzed to construct an inclusive motivation model that can explain the process of individuals evolving into serial killers from a life-course approach. The motivation in each of the eight cases was explained with the proposed motivation model. The constructed motivation model is unique from the existing models, which were mostly rigid and, therefore, not applicable to cases outside the studies. The model proposes three critical determinants for explaining the evolution of a person into a serial killer, “nature,” “Deep Resting Life Factor,” and “key Incidents.” The study found a relatively short incident named “trigger” in the lives of six serial killers, which played a significant role in bringing out the dormant killer instinct and push the subjects toward the first murder. The comparative analysis of the motivation in different cases revealed that though there were recurring factors in the lives of serial killers, their interactions were more important than standalone factors. The study also found that there are no predetermined recipes for the making of a killer like some past researchers claimed. </jats:p

Transforming temple streets in the new digital era

Digital social networks such as Mobile phones have become increasingly important in our daily life in a manner, which has wide range of implications on day to day lifestyles of the people and their livelihoods. Such a revolutionary changes in the lives and livelihoods of the resident inhabitant’s and visitors of the temple have intervened into these historical Temple Streets. Therefore, this paper has been developed with a growing concern on the transformation process in historic temple streets of Srirangam, located in the Tamilnadu, India. Primarily, it reviews an extensive literature and develops a theoretical framework for understanding the transformation of the temple streets in the new digital era. Secondly, it discusses about the findings that were developed from the observations in the field work. This study concludes that even in the digital era physical and virtual world can complement each other to enhance our experience with the digital technology rather than replacing each other.Godkänd; 2012; 20121016 (rampas

Clinical profile and management with immunosuppressants and biologics in Behcet's uveitis: A cohort of 25 patients from a tertiary eye care center in South India

Purpose: To report the clinical profile of Behcet's disease and its management with immunosuppressants and biologics in a cohort of 25 patients from a tertiary eye care center in South India. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study. Records of 45 eyes of 25 patients between January 2016 and December 2021 were retrieved from the hospital database. Complete ophthalmic evaluation and systemic examination by the rheumatologist with appropriate investigations had been done. Results were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: Males (19, 76%) were found to be more affected than females (6, 24%). Mean age of presentation was 27.68 ± 11.08 years. Twenty patients had bilateral involvement (80%), and unilateral involvement was seen in five patients (20%). Seven eyes of four patients (16%) had isolated anterior uveitis, out of which one patient had unilateral and three patients had bilateral involvement. Twenty-six eyes of 16 patients (64%) had posterior uveitis, out of which six patients had unilateral and 10 had bilateral involvement. Twelve eyes of seven patients (28%) had panuveitis, out of which two patients had unilateral and five had bilateral involvement. Hypopyon was seen in five eyes (11.1%) and posterior synechiae in seven eyes (15.55%). Posterior segment findings included vitritis (24.44%), vasculitis (17.78%), retinitis (17.78%), disc hyperemia (11.11%), and disc pallor (8.89%). Steroids alone were given in five patients (20%) and intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) was given in four patients (16%). Immunosuppressive agents along with steroids were given in 20 patients (80%), of which azathioprine alone was given in seven patients (28%), cyclosporin alone was given in two patients (8%), mycophenolate mofetil alone was given in three patients (12%), combination of azathioprine and cyclosporin was given in six patients (24%), and combination of methotrexate and mycophenolate mofetil was given in one patient (4%). Biologics were given in 10 patients (40%) – adalimumab in seven patients (28%) and infliximab in three patients (12%). Conclusion: Behcet's disease is an uncommon uveitis in India. Addition of immunosuppressants and biologics to conventional steroid therapy gives better visual outcomes