Structural Descriptions in Human-Assisted Robot Visual Learning

The paper presents an approach to using structural descriptions, obtained through a human-robot tutoring dialogue, as labels for the visual object models a robot learns. The paper shows how structural descriptions enable relating models for different aspects of one and the same object, and how being able to relate descriptions for visual models and discourse referents enables incremental updating of model descriptions through dialogue (either robot- or human-initiated). The approach has been implemented in an integrated architecture for human-assisted robot visual learning

A Novel Azeotropic Mixture for Solvent Extraction of Edible Oils

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 8 (2006): A Novel Azeotropic Mixture for Solvent Extraction of Edible Oils. Manuscript FP 06 005. Vol. VIII. April, 2006

ColabNAS: Obtaining lightweight task-specific convolutional neural networks following Occam's razor

The current trend of applying transfer learning from convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained on large datasets can be an overkill when the target application is a custom and delimited problem, with enough data to train a network from scratch. On the other hand, the training of custom and lighter CNNs requires expertise, in the from-scratch case, and or high-end resources, as in the case of hardware-aware neural architecture search (HW NAS), limiting access to the technology by non-habitual NN developers. For this reason, we present ColabNAS, an affordable HW NAS technique for producing lightweight task-specific CNNs. Its novel derivative-free search strategy, inspired by Occam's razor, allows to obtain state-of-the-art results on the Visual Wake Word dataset, a standard TinyML benchmark, in just 3.1 GPU hours using free online GPU services such as Google Colaboratory and Kaggle Kernel

Introducing wearable haptics for rendering velocity feedback in VR serious games for neuro-rehabilitation of children

Rehabilitation in virtual reality offers advantages in terms of flexibility and parametrization of exercises, repeatability, and continuous data recording and analysis of the progress of the patient, also promoting high engagement and cognitive challenges. Still, most of the proposed virtual settings provide a high quality, immersive visual and audio feedback, without involving the sense of touch. In this paper, we show the design, implementation, and first evaluation of a gaming scenario for upper limb rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy. In particular, we took care to introduce haptic feedback as a useful source of sensory information for the proposed task, considering—at the same time—the strict constraints for haptic wearable devices to comply with patient’s comfort, residual motor abilities, and with the embedded tracking features of the latest VR technologies. To show the potential of haptics in a rehabilitation setup, the proposed device and rendering method have been used to improve the velocity control of upper limb movements during the VR exercise, given its importance as a motor recovery metric. Eight healthy participants were enrolled, and results showed that haptic feedback can lead to lower speed tracking errors and higher movement smoothness, making the proposed setup suitable to be used in a rehabilitation context as a way to promote movement fluidity during exercises

Rendering Fine Tactile Feedback With a Novel Hydraulic Actuation Method for Wearable Haptic Devices

Tiny contact transients prove very informative for dexterous, fine manipulation, both in virtual environments and teleoperation. Yet, it is challenging to obtain such quality of the rendering in compact and highly wearable haptic devices. To this aim we propose a novel miniature hydraulic actuator, aiming at low-noise rendering of tiny tactile signals, fully enclosed in a fingertip haptic device. Its novelty is in the use of ferrofluidic sealings, embedded within a miniature linear electromagnetic motor. The solution has two main advantages: it shows no static friction, due to the magnetohydrodynamic levitation effect of the ferrofluid, and a noiseless hydraulic reduction. Besides, the hydraulic actuator enables the use of a soft and compliant interface for transmission of signals to the fingerpad tissues. We evaluate here a prototype of the actuator implemented in a compact and soft haptic thimble: the low-noise rendering capabilities are evaluated in experiments at the bench and through perception study. Then, in a simplified teleoperation setup, we match one-to-one the pressure rendered by the device with a sensitive pneumatic pressure sensor mounted on a robotic fingertip. Results show that haptic feedback alone (no vision) is able to improve results over the visual condition in terms of maximum exerted pressure

Anti-inflammatory activity of citrus pectin on chicken monocytes' immune response

Pectin is a dietary fibre composed of galacturonic acid, primarily found in the citrus fruits' cell walls. Citrus pectin (CP) has demonstrated antioxidative, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties in humans and animals. In broilers, CP supplementation improves energy utilization and nutrient digestibility, but limited information on its effects on chicken immunity is available so far. This study aimed to assess the in vitro impact of CP on chicken monocytes' immune response. Cells were purified from whole blood of healthy chickens and incubated with increasing concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 mg/mL) of CP to determine CP working concentration. The effects of different CP concentrations on cells' apoptosis and viability were assessed by measuring caspase-3 and -7 and the cells' metabolic activity (MTT assay), respectively. CP had no dose-dependent effect on monocyte apoptosis and viability.Then, the effects of CP (0.5 mg/mL) on chicken monocytes' chemotaxis and phagocytosis were assessed by measuring transwell migration and fluorescein-labelled E. coli incorporation, respectively. CP inhibited both monocytes' chemotaxis and phagocytosis.These data demonstrate that CP exerts an immunomodulatory role in chicken monocytes, supporting its integration in nutrition strategies that might be beneficial for the animal's immunity and health

Microbiologic characteristics and predictors of mortality in bloodstream infections in intensive care unit patients: A 1-year, large, prospective surveillance study in 5 Italian hospitals

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) from multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria cause morbidity and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients worldwide. This study investigated the incidence of BSIs in 5 adult general ICUs in Rome, Italy, and evaluated the mortality rate and risk factors associated with these infections

Diamond Detectors for the TOTEM Timing Upgrade

This paper describes the design and the performance of the timing detector developed by the TOTEM Collaboration for the Roman Pots (RPs) to measure the Time-Of-Flight (TOF) of the protons produced in central diffractive interactions at the LHC. The measurement of the TOF of the protons allows the determination of the longitudinal position of the proton interaction vertex and its association with one of the vertices reconstructed by the CMS detectors. The TOF detector is based on single crystal Chemical Vapor Deposition (scCVD) diamond plates and is designed to measure the protons TOF with about 50 ps time precision. This upgrade to the TOTEM apparatus will be used in the LHC run 2 and will tag the central diffractive events up to an interaction pileup of about 1. A dedicated fast and low noise electronics for the signal amplification has been developed. The digitization of the diamond signal is performed by sampling the waveform. After introducing the physics studies that will most profit from the addition of these new detectors, we discuss in detail the optimization and the performance of the first TOF detector installed in the LHC in November 2015.Comment: 26 pages, 18 figures, 2 tables, submitted for publication to JINS