A hierarchical hybrid system of integrated longitudinal and lateral control for intelligent vehicles.

A hierarchical hybrid control system is proposed to cope with highly automated driving in highway environments with multiple lanes and surrounding vehicles. In the high-level layer, the discrete driving decisions are coordinated by the finite-state machine (FSM) based on the relative position identification and predictive longitudinal distance of the surrounding vehicles. The low-level layer is responsible for the vehicle motion control, where the model predictive control (MPC) approach is utilized to integrate the longitudinal and lateral control mainly including car-following control and lane changing control.

Research on Target Detection Based on Distributed Track Fusion for Intelligent Vehicles.

Accurate target detection is the basis of normal driving for intelligent vehicles. However, the sensors currently used for target detection have types of defects at the perception level, which can be compensated by sensor fusion technology. In this paper, the application of sensor fusion technology in intelligent vehicle target detection is studied with a millimeter-wave (MMW) radar and a camera.

Estimation of states and parameters of multi-axle distributed electric vehicle based on dual unscented Kalman filter.

Distributed electric drive technology has become an important trend because of its ability to enhance the dynamic performance of multi-axle heavy vehicle. This article presents a joint estimation of vehicle's state and parameters based on the dual unscented Kalman filter. First, a 12-degrees-of-freedom dynamic model of an 8 × 8 distributed electric vehicle is established.

A descriptive evaluation of CDC's LEAN Works! Leading employees to activity and nutrition--a Web-based employer tool for workplace obesity management.

Purpose: The study aim was to determine the utility of and satisfaction with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web-based employer tool, CDC's LEAN Works!, which provides evidence-based recommendations and promising practices for obesity prevention and control at worksites.

Design: This study examined employers' natural usage (i.e.

Ten modifiable health risk factors are linked to more than one-fifth of employer-employee health care spending.

An underlying premise of the Affordable Care Act provisions that encourage employers to adopt health promotion programs is an association between workers' modifiable health risks and increased health care costs. Employers, consultants, and vendors have cited risk-cost estimates developed in the 1990s and wondered whether they still hold true. Examining ten of these common health risk factors in a working population, we found that similar relationships between such risks and total medical costs documented in a widely cited study published in 1998 still hold.

The relationship between health risks and health and productivity costs among employees at Pepsi Bottling Group.

Objective: To evaluate relationships between modifiable health risks and costs and measure potential cost savings from risk reduction programs.

Methods: Health risk information from active Pepsi Bottling Group employees who completed health risk assessments between 2004 and 2006 (N = 11,217) were linked to medical care, workers' compensation, and short-term disability cost data. Ten health risks were examined.

Second-year results of an obesity prevention program at the Dow Chemical Company.

Objective: Evaluate innovative, evidence-based approaches to organizational/supportive environmental interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity among Dow employees after 2 years of implementation.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study design compared outcomes for two levels of intervention intensity with a control group. Propensity scores were used to weight baseline differences between intervention and control subjects.

How accurate are self-reports? Analysis of self-reported health care utilization and absence when compared with administrative data.

Objective: To determine the accuracy of self-reported health care utilization and absence reported on health risk assessments against administrative claims and human resource records.

Methods: Self-reported values of health care utilization and absenteeism were analyzed for concordance to administrative claims values. Percent agreement, Pearson's correlations, and multivariate logistic regression models examined the level of agreement and characteristics of participants with concordance.

First-year results of an obesity prevention program at The Dow Chemical Company.

Objective: To examine first-year results from a workplace environmental obesity prevention program at The Dow Chemical Company.

Methods: A quasi-experimental cohort study was conducted among employees at nine treatment worksites (n = 8013) who received environmental weight management interventions and three control worksites (n = 2269). Changes in employees' weight, body mass index (BMI), and other health risks were examined using chi2 and t-tests.

Using a return-on-investment estimation model to evaluate outcomes from an obesity management worksite health promotion program.

Objective: Certain modifiable risk factors lead to higher health care costs and reduced worker productivity. A predictive return-on-investment (ROI) model was applied to an obesity management intervention to demonstrate the use of econometric modeling in establishing financial justification for worksite health promotion.

Methods: Self-reported risk factors (n = 890) were analyzed using chi2 and t test methods.