Robotic Services for New Paradigm Smart Cities Based on Decentralized Technologies

This article describes different methods of organizing robotic services for smart cities using secure encrypted decentralized technologies and market mechanisms—as opposed to models based on centralized solutions based (or not) on using cloud services and stripping citizens of the control of their own data. The basis of the proposed methods is the Ethereum decentralized computer with the mechanism of smart contracts. In this work, special attention is paid to the integration of technical and economic information into one network of transactions, which allows creating a unified way of interaction between robots—the robot economy. Three possible scenarios of robotic services for smart cities based on the economy of robots are presented: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), environmental monitoring, and smart factories. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scenarios, three experiments are presented and discussed. Our work shows that the Ethereum network can provide, through smart contracts and their ability to activate programs to interact with the physical world, an effective and practical way to manage robot services for smart cities

Prospects in Analytical Atomic Spectrometry

Tendencies in five main branches of atomic spectrometry (absorption, emission, mass, fluorescence and ionization spectrometry) are considered. The first three techniques are the most widespread and universal, with the best sensitivity attributed to atomic mass spectrometry. In the direct elemental analysis of solid samples, the leading roles are now conquered by laser-induced breakdown and laser ablation mass spectrometry, and the related techniques with transfer of the laser ablation products into inductively-coupled plasma. Advances in design of diode lasers and optical parametric oscillators promote developments in fluorescence and ionization spectrometry and also in absorption techniques where uses of optical cavities for increased effective absorption pathlength are expected to expand. Prospects for analytical instrumentation are seen in higher productivity, portability, miniaturization, incorporation of advanced software, automated sample preparation and transition to the multifunctional modular architecture. Steady progress and growth in applications of plasma- and laser-based methods are observed. An interest towards the absolute (standardless) analysis has revived, particularly in the emission spectrometry.Comment: Proofread copy with an added full reference list of 279 citations. A pdf version of the final published review may be requested from Alexander Bol'shakov <[email protected]

Papildomų objektų įtaka stimulo ilgio ir kampo dydžio suvokimui

This study describes experiments in which subjects adjusted the spatial positions of spots in three different kinds of basic stimuli in order to best perceive a required spatial property: 1) vernier alignment in a three-spot line arrangement, 2) orthogonality in a right-angled triangle constructed of three spots, or 3) length equality in a Brentano type figure. The magnitudes of the perceptual errors were measured as functions of the distance between the spots and flanking objects placed in close proximity to the spot stimuli. Quantitative characteristics of the strengths of the different illusions were obtained with the flanking objects placed at varying extents of spatial separation. The data were interpreted in terms of centroid biases caused by local integration processes. An appropriate analytical description of the experimental data was proposed, and good correspondence between it and the data was obtained. The calculated spatial parameters of the local lateral integration showed a linear dependence on the stimulus size.Šiame straipsnyje aprašomi eksperimentai, kuriuose stebėtojų prašoma pastumti vieną iš trijų pagrindinių stimulo dėmelių į vietą, tenkinančią reikalavimą: 1) trys dėmelės išsirikiuoja viena linija arba 2) išsidėsto stačiu kampu, arba 3) abu Brentano tipo iliuzinės figūros intervalai tampa vienodo ilgio. Suvokimo klaidų dydis matuojamas kaip atstumo tarp dėmelių ir šalia jų esančių papildomų objektų funkcijos. Gautos šių objektų sukeliamų skirtingų geometrinių iliuzijų kiekybinės charakteristikos. Eksperimentų duomenys interpretuojami, remiantis lokalios jaudinimų integracijos ir svorio centro postūmio samprata. Pasiūlytos atitinkamos analitinės funkcijos gana tiksliai aproksimuoja eksperimentines kreives. Išskaičiuotieji erdviniai lokaliosios integracijos parametrai yra tiesiškai susiję su bendruoju stimulo dydžiu

Dependence of the filled‑space illusion on the size and location of contextual distractors

For most observers, the part of the stimulus that is filled with some visual elements (e.g., distractors) appears larger than the unfilled part of the same size. This illusion of interrupted spatial extent is also known as the ‘filled‑space’ or ‘Oppel‑Kundt’ illusion. Although the continuously filled‑space illusion has been systematically studied for over a century, there is still no generally accepted explanation of its origin. The present study aimed to further develop our computational model of the continuously filled‑space illusion and to examine whether the model predictions successfully account for illusory effects caused by distracting line‑segments of various lengths that are attached to different endpoints (i.e., terminators) of the reference spatial interval of the three‑dot stimulus. Our experiments confirm that the illusion manifests itself along a distracting segment located both inside and outside of the reference interval. In the case of two distractors arranged symmetrically with respect to the lateral terminator, we found that the magnitude of the illusion is approximately equal to the sum of the relevant values obtained with separate distractors. The results of experiments using vertical shifts of distractors supported the model’s assumption regarding the two‑dimensional Gaussian profile of hypothetical areas of weighted spatial summation of neural activity. A good correspondence between the experimental and theoretical results supports the suggestion that perceptual positional biases associated with the context‑evoked increase in neural excitation may be one of the main causes of the continuously filled‑space illusion

Three-part Oppel-Kundt illusory figure

The Oppel-Kundt illusion was examined in the psychophysical experiments with the classical two-part stimuli and modified three-part figures. The modified versions comprised either one filled medial interval and two empty flanking intervals or one empty space situated in between two fillings. The illusion was measured as a function of the number of filling elements in the referential parts of the figures. The curves obtained by two modified figures and by the original two-part stimulus were quite similar in shape, but the magnitudes of the illusions differed significantly. The figure with two filled intervals yielded about twice-stronger illusory effect than the contrasting figure with a single filled and two empty intervals. The two-part stimulus showed the illusion magnitudes in the midst. Our assumption suggests the illusory effect being related particularly to overestimations of the filled interval when compared with the empty interval displayed side-to-side. The unfilled interval might not contribute to the illusion

Psychophysical measurements of illusion of the puffy circle

The strength of an illusion of curvature created by an equilateral triangle, square or pentagon inscribed in a circle has been measured in the psychophysical experiments. The arcs of the circle looked as if they were bowed outwards in the stimuli of various sizes, but, at a fixed diameter of the circumscribed circle, the triangles produced the strongest, and the pentagons, the weakest illusion. The strength of the illusion augmented with the stimulus diameter. Concave and convex sides of the inscribed figures caused less illusory effect than the straight ones. Similar distortions of the stimuli have been observed in the output of a neurophysiological model of spatial frequency filtering of images, and the computed curves resembled those of the experimental data, in respect to their shape and quantitative values