Learning weakly correlated cause-effects for gardening with a cognitive system

We propose a cognitive system that combines artificial intelligence techniques for planning and learning to execute tasks involving delayed and variable correlations between the actions executed and their expected effects. The system is applied to the task of controlling the growth of plants, where the evolution of the plant attributes strongly depends on different events taking place in the temporally distant past history of the plant. The main problem to tackle is how to efficiently detect these past events. This is very challenging since the inclusion of time could make the dimensionality of the search space extremely large and the collected training instances may only provide very limited information about the relevant combinations of events. To address this problem we propose a learning method that progressively identifies those events that are more likely to produce a sequence of changes under a plant treatment. Since the number of experiences is very limited compared to the size of the event space, we use a probabilistic estimate that takes into account the lack of experience to prevent biased estimations. Planning operators are generated from most accurately predicted sequences of changes. Planning and learning are integrated in a decision-making framework that operates without task interruptions by allowing a human gardener to instruct the treatments when the knowledge acquired so far is not enough to make a decision.This research was supported by the European Community Seventh Framework ProgrammeFP7/2007–2013 – Challenge 2 – Cognitive Systems, Interaction, Robotics – under Grant agreement No 247947 – GARNICS.Peer Reviewe

The Impact of Fall Efficacy on Occupational Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Falls are a major health concern in the older adult (OA) population. While there is research on falls and their prevention, research on how low fall efficacy (FE) impacts the occupational engagement of the OA population is limited. FE is defined as the confidence a person has in his/her ability to complete a task without falling (Tinetti & Powell, 1993). A qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of OAs with low FE and the impact on occupational performance. Participants who scored ≤ 6 on the Modified Fall Efficacy Scale (MFES) engaged in a semi-structured interview, that explored the relationship between low FE and participation in occupations. Researchers asked open-ended questions to explore the activities impacted by participants low FE. A constant comparison method was utilized to analyze the interviews. The findings suggested that participants discontinued certain occupations due to a poor fit between the environment and the occupational challenges. However, those who experienced a good fit between the environment and the occupational challenges continued to participate in the activity using environmental modifications when needed. The occupations that had the lowest average scores on the MFES were occupations that mandated a narrow base of support (BOS) and the shifting of one’s weight. Therefore, occupational performance was impacted by the demands of the activity, the functional ability of the person, and environmental modifications

Robotic leaf probing via segmentation of range data into surface patches

Presentado al International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS AGROBOTICS), Workshop on Agricultural Robotics: Enabling Safe, Efficient, Affordable Robots for Food Production celebrado en Portugal del 7 al 12 de octubre de 2012.We present a novel method for the robotized probing of plant leaves using Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors. Plant images are segmented into surface patches by combining a segmentation of the infrared intensity image, provided by the ToF camera, with quadratic surface fitting using ToF depth data. Leaf models are fitted to the boundaries of the segments and used to determine probing points and to evaluate the suitability of leaves for being sampled. The robustness of the approach is evaluated by repeatedly placing an especially adapted, robot-mounted spad meter on the probing points which are extracted in an automatic manner. The number of successful chlorophyll measurements is counted, and the total time for processing the visual data and probing the plant with the robot is measured for each trial. In case of failure, the underlying causes are determined and reported, allowing a better assessment of the applicability of the method in real scenarios.This research is partially funded by the EU GARNICS project FP7-247947, by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under projects PAU+ and MIPRCV Consolider Ingenio CSD2007-00018, and the Catalan Research Commission. B. Dellen acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation via a Ramon y Cajal program. S. Foix is supported by PhD fellowship from CSIC’s JAE program.Peer Reviewe

A pilot investigation of illness representations and coping in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and their relationship with quality of life

This study investigates the relationship between illness representations, coping strategies and the quality of life domains of anxiety, depression, activity levels and psychosocial functioning in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Leventhal's Self Regulation Model is used as a theoretical framework. Twenty - six people with COPD completed a series of questionnaires and a semi - structured interview. The sample was found to have high levels of anxiety, lowered activity levels and reduced psychosocial functioning. The illness representations of the sample could be characterised as a high illness identity, a chronic time line, a perception of serious consequences, a perception of multiple causes and a lack of control over the illness. These representations would all be expected to cause distress. In common with other chronic illnesses, emotion focused coping strategies were most commonly used. Regression models were produced for the outcome variables of anxiety, depression, activity levels and psychosocial functioning. Independent variables were demographic and disease variables, illness representations and coping strategies. It was hypothesised that illness representations and coping would explain more of the variance in the outcome measures than demographic and disease variables. Only one of the four hypotheses relating to the regression analyses was upheld. Nevertheless, it would seem that illness representations and coping strategies . may be important in the understanding of what influences outcome in COPD, and are worthy of further study. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions made for future research

Pro-Con Debate: Nitrous Oxide for Labor Analgesia

This Pro-Con debate will provide the practitioner with an evidence-based knowledge approach to assist the clinician in determining whether to employ (Pro) or not to employ (Con) this technique in the obstetrical suite for labor analgesia. Nitrous oxide has been used safely in dentistry and medicine for many centuries. However, accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence increasingly suggests previously unrecognized adverse maternal and fetal effects of nitrous oxide, which warrants reconsideration of its use in pregnant women and a more detailed informed consent. Nitrous oxide is associated with metabolic, oxidative, genotoxic, and transgenerational epigenetic effects in animals and humans that may warrant limiting its usefulness in labor. This debate will discuss and review the clinical uses, advantages, and disadvantages of nitrous oxide on occupational effects of nitrous oxide exposure, neuroapoptosis, FDA warning on inhalational anesthetics and the developing brain, research limitations, occupational exposure safety limits, effects on global warming, and potential for diversion

Age-Related Olfactory Decline Is Associated With Levels of Exercise and Non-exercise Physical Activities

Objective: This cross-sectional study evaluates the impact of active or non-active lifestyle in terms of physical, cognitive and social activity on the olfactory function in Elderly Subjects (ES) and aims at looking for a correlation between the time devoted to life activities and the score obtained during the olfactory tests by each individual. Methods: One hundred and twenty-two elderly volunteers were recruited in Sardinia (Italy) and divided into active ES (n = 60; 17 men, 43 women; age 67.8 ± 1.12 years) and inactive ES (n = 62; 21 men, 41 women, age 71.1 ± 1.14 years) based on their daily physical activities. The olfactory function was evaluated using the “Sniffin’s Sticks” battery test, while the assessment of daily activities was made by means of personal interviews. Results: A significant effect of active or inactive lifestyle was found on the olfactory function of ES (F(1,120) > 10.16; p < 0.005). A positive correlation was found between the olfactory scores and the number of hours per week dedicated to physical activities (Pearson’s r > 0.32, p ≤ 0.014) in both active and inactive ES. Conclusions: High levels of exercise and non-exercise physical activity are strongly associated with the olfactory function and, consequently, with the quality of life of the elderly. Given the limited physical exercise of elderly people, they can benefit from a more active lifestyle by increasing non-exercise physical activities

2023 SOARS Conference Program

Program for the 2023 Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS

2011 Annual Research Symposium Abstract Book

2011 annual volume of abstracts for science research projects conducted by students at Trinity College

Intent to engage in therapeutic lifestyle changes: Impact of an intervention, self-efficacy expectations, outcome expectations, and locus of control

Engagement in Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLCs), such as time in nature, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, social interaction, religion/spirituality, stress management, and helping others, provides many mental health benefits (Walsh, 2011). Young adults could particularly benefit from the use of TLCs, as they are at greater risk of experiencing mental health concerns (APA, 2013). I devised an intervention to enhance TLC engagement in college students, and examined the impact this intervention (against a control intervention), had on self-efficacy expectations, outcome expectations, mental health locus of control, intent to increase TLC use, and TLC use at one-week follow-up. Participants were 459 undergraduates. Participants completed baseline TLC use and self-efficacy expectations measures, then were randomly assigned to either a Control or my TLC intervention. Participants then responded to items assessing: post-intervention self-efficacy expectations, outcome expectations, mental health locus of control, intent to increase TLC use, and TLC preferences. Additionally, 211 of these participants completed a one-week follow-up survey inquiring about increased TLC use. Results demonstrated significant changes in pre- to post-intervention self-efficacy expectations for participants in the TLC condition; however, that condition did not bring a significant change in TLC use at follow-up. Outcome expectations partially mediated the direct relation between post-intervention self-efficacy expectations and intent to increase TLC use. Mental health locus of control did not moderate either intent to, or follow-up change in, TLC use post-intervention, as hypothesized. Regression analyses demonstrated that self-efficacy and outcome expectations accounted for 43% of the variance in intent to increase TLC use, and self-efficacy expectations accounted for 11% of the variance in post-intervention TLC use at one-week follow-up. I offer discussion on the implications of my findings and directions for future research

Urban biodiversity conservation a basic concept of sustainable urbanism: a systematic review

Delhi is a highly urbanized city in India. The rapid increase in population and unplanned development of infrastructure within the built-up environment is continuously damaging the urban and peri-urban green spaces of Delhi. Our modern indoor bound lifestyle is distancing us from the natural world. Through this paper, we have tried to review the possible contributions of both blue and green infrastructure on the urban environment and also on the wellbeing of the urban dweller. In continuation, this review article provides an interdisciplinary overview of the scientifically grounded knowledge on urban biodiversity and conservation, how it benefits urban ecosystems through their services, and finally integration of urban biodiversity into urban planning. At the outcome, knowledge gaps and opportunities for future research under the theme “Green Urbanism” has been critically reviewed.   Key words: Conservation, Ecosystem services, Human health, Urban Biodiversity, Urban gree