Challenges in Collaborative HRI for Remote Robot Teams

Collaboration between human supervisors and remote teams of robots is highly challenging, particularly in high-stakes, distant, hazardous locations, such as off-shore energy platforms. In order for these teams of robots to truly be beneficial, they need to be trusted to operate autonomously, performing tasks such as inspection and emergency response, thus reducing the number of personnel placed in harm's way. As remote robots are generally trusted less than robots in close-proximity, we present a solution to instil trust in the operator through a `mediator robot' that can exhibit social skills, alongside sophisticated visualisation techniques. In this position paper, we present general challenges and then take a closer look at one challenge in particular, discussing an initial study, which investigates the relationship between the level of control the supervisor hands over to the mediator robot and how this affects their trust. We show that the supervisor is more likely to have higher trust overall if their initial experience involves handing over control of the emergency situation to the robotic assistant. We discuss this result, here, as well as other challenges and interaction techniques for human-robot collaboration.Comment: 9 pages. Peer reviewed position paper accepted in the CHI 2019 Workshop: The Challenges of Working on Social Robots that Collaborate with People (SIRCHI2019), ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, May 2019, Glasgow, U

A framework to estimate cognitive load using physiological data

Cognitive load has been widely studied to help understand human performance. It is desirable to monitor user cognitive load in applications such as automation, robotics, and aerospace to achieve operational safety and to improve user experience. This can allow efficient workload management and can help to avoid or to reduce human error. However, tracking cognitive load in real time with high accuracy remains a challenge. Hence, we propose a framework to detect cognitive load by non-intrusively measuring physiological data from the eyes and heart. We exemplify and evaluate the framework where participants engage in a task that induces different levels of cognitive load. The framework uses a set of classifiers to accurately predict low, medium and high levels of cognitive load. The classifiers achieve high predictive accuracy. In particular, Random Forest and Naive Bayes performed best with accuracies of 91.66% and 85.83% respectively. Furthermore, we found that, while mean pupil diameter change for both right and left eye were the most prominent features, blinking rate also made a moderately important contribution to this highly accurate prediction of low, medium and high cognitive load. The existing results on accuracy considerably outperform prior approaches and demonstrate the applicability of our framework to detect cognitive load

Functional characterization of the Mycobacterium abscessus genome coupled with condition specific transcriptomics reveals conserved molecular strategies for host adaptation and persistence

Background: Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus (MAB) is a highly drug resistant mycobacterium and the most common respiratory pathogen among the rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacteria. MAB is also one of the most deadly of the emerging cystic fibrosis (CF) pathogens requiring prolonged treatment with multiple antibiotics. In addition to its “mycobacterial” virulence genes, the genome of MAB harbours a large accessory genome, presumably acquired via lateral gene transfer including homologs shared with the CF pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia. While multiple genome sequences are available there is little functional genomics data available for this important pathogen. Results: We report here the first multi-omics approach to characterize the primary transcriptome, coding potential and potential regulatory regions of the MAB genome utilizing differential RNA sequencing (dRNA-seq), RNA-seq, Ribosome profiling and LC-MS proteomics. In addition we attempt to address the genomes contribution to the molecular systems that underlie MAB’s adaptation and persistence in the human host through an examination of MABs transcriptional response to a number of clinically relevant conditions. These include hypoxia, exposure to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics and growth in an artificial sputum designed to mimic the conditions within the cystic fibrosis lung. Conclusions: Our integrated map provides the first comprehensive view of the primary transcriptome of MAB and evidence for the translation of over one hundred new short open reading frames (sORFs). Our map will act as a resource for ongoing functional genomics characterization of MAB and our transcriptome data from clinically relevant stresses informs our understanding of MAB’s adaptation to life in the CF lung. MAB’s adaptation to growth in artificial CF sputum highlights shared metabolic strategies with other CF pathogens including P. aeruginosa and mirrors the transcriptional responses that lead to persistence in mycobacteria. These strategies include an increased reliance on amino acid metabolism, and fatty acid catabolism and highlights the relevance of the glyoxylate shunt to growth in the CF lung. Our data suggests that, similar to what is seen in chronically persisting P. aeruginosa, progression towards a biofilm mode of growth would play a more prominent role in a longer-term MAB infection. Finally, MAB’s transcriptional response to antibiotics highlights the role of antibiotic modifications enzymes, active transport and the evolutionarily conserved WhiB7 driven antibiotic resistance regulon

The distribution of lead concentrations and isotope compositions in the eastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean

Anthropogenic emissions have dominated marine Pb sources during the past century. Here we present Pb concentrations and isotope compositions for ocean depth profiles collected in the eastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean (GEOTRACES section GA06), to trace the transfer of anthropogenic Pb into the ocean interior. Variations in Pb concentration and isotope composition were associated with changes in hydrography. Water masses ventilated in the southern hemisphere generally featured lower 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb ratios than those ventilated in the northern hemisphere, in accordance with Pb isotope data of historic anthropogenic Pb emissions. The distributions of Pb concentrations and isotope compositions in northern sourced waters were consistent with differences in their ventilation timescales. For example, a Pb concentration maximum at intermediate depth (600–900 m, 35 pmol kg−1) in waters sourced from the Irminger/Labrador Seas, is associated with Pb isotope compositions (206Pb/207Pb = 1.1818–1.1824, 208Pb/207Pb = 2.4472–2.4483) indicative of northern hemispheric emissions during the 1950s and 1960s close to peak leaded petrol usage, and a transit time of ∼50–60 years. In contrast, North Atlantic Deep Water (2000–4000 m water depth) featured lower Pb concentrations and isotope compositions (206Pb/207Pb = 1.1762–1.184, 208Pb/207Pb = 2.4482–2.4545) indicative of northern hemispheric emissions during the 1910s and 1930s and a transit time of ∼80–100 years. This supports the notion that transient anthropogenic Pb inputs are predominantly transferred into the ocean interior by water mass transport. However, the interpretation of Pb concentration and isotope composition distributions in terms of ventilation timescales and pathways is complicated by (1) the chemical reactivity of Pb in the ocean, and (2) mixing of waters ventilated during different time periods. The complex effects of water mass mixing on Pb distributions is particularly apparent in seawater in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean which is ventilated from the southern hemisphere. In particular, South Atlantic Central Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water were dominated by anthropogenic Pb emitted during the last 50–100 years, despite estimates of much older average ventilation ages in this region

Radical Stability vs. Temporal Resolution of EPR-Spectroscopy on Biological Samples

Spin-labeling active compounds is a convenient way to prepare them for EPR spectroscopy with minimal alteration of the target molecule. In this study we present the labeling reaction of dexamethasone (Dx) with either TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy) or PCA (3-(carboxy)-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrrolidinyloxy) with high yields. According to NMR data, both labels are attached at the primary hydroxy group of the steroid. In subsequent spin-stability measurements both compounds were applied onto HaCaT cells. When the signal of Dx-TEMPO decreased below the detection limit within 3 h, the signal of Dx-PCA remained stable for the same period of time

Iron biogeochemistry across marine systems progress from the past decade

Based on an international workshop (Gothenburg, 14–16 May 2008), this review article aims to combine interdisciplinary knowledge from coastal and open ocean research on iron biogeochemistry. The major scientific findings of the past decade are structured into sections on natural and artificial iron fertilization, iron inputs into coastal and estuarine systems, colloidal iron and organic matter, and biological processes. Potential effects of global climate change, particularly ocean acidification, on iron biogeochemistry are discussed. The findings are synthesized into recommendations for future research areas