Should beat gestures be learned or designed? A benchmarking user study

In this paper, we present a user study on gener-ated beat gestures for humanoid agents. It has been shownthat Human-Robot Interaction can be improved by includingcommunicative non-verbal behavior, such as arm gestures. Beatgestures are one of the four types of arm gestures, and are knownto be used for emphasizing parts of speech. In our user study,we compare beat gestures learned from training data with hand-crafted beat gestures. The first kind of gestures are generatedby a machine learning model trained on speech audio andhuman upper body poses. We compared this approach with threehand-coded beat gestures methods: designed beat gestures, timedbeat gestures, and noisy gestures. Forty-one subjects participatedin our user study, and a ranking was derived from pairedcomparisons using the Bradley Terry Luce model. We found thatfor beat gestures, the gestures from the machine learning modelare preferred, followed by algorithmically generated gestures.This emphasizes the promise of machine learning for generating communicative actions.QC 20190815</p

A large, crowdsourced evaluation of gesture generation systems on common data : the GENEA Challenge 2020

Co-speech gestures, gestures that accompany speech, play an important role in human communication. Automatic co-speech gesture generation is thus a key enabling technology for embodied conversational agents (ECAs), since humans expect ECAs to be capable of multi-modal communication. Research into gesture generation is rapidly gravitating towards data-driven methods. Unfortunately, individual research efforts in the field are difficult to compare: there are no established benchmarks, and each study tends to use its own dataset, motion visualisation, and evaluation methodology. To address this situation, we launched the GENEA Challenge, a gesture-generation challenge wherein participating teams built automatic gesture-generation systems on a common dataset, and the resulting systems were evaluated in parallel in a large, crowdsourced user study using the same motion-rendering pipeline. Since differences in evaluation outcomes between systems now are solely attributable to differences between the motion-generation methods, this enables benchmarking recent approaches against one another in order to get a better impression of the state of the art in the field. This paper reports on the purpose, design, results, and implications of our challenge.Part of Proceedings: ISBN 978-145038017-1QC 20210607</p

ЕКОНОМІЧНІ МЕХАНІЗМИ СТВОРЕННЯ ЄДИНОГО МЕДИЧНОГО ПРОСТОРУ В УКРАЇНІ

Purpose. Coverage of the basic purposes and objectives of economic mechanisms of creation of uniform medical space, carrying out of the comparative analysis of implementation of the new organizational, legal, financial and economic mechanisms.Materials and methods. Comparative analysis, economic, statistical methods are applied.Results. Basis of increase of system effectiveness of health care system is perfection of its organizational and economic mechanism with which will be coordinated its activity as uniform system. By the example of pilot regions new approaches to the organization of health care institutions and their staffing have been shown.Conclusions. The state policy on health care reforming should be directed on creation of model answering to social and economic realities of Ukraine. It is necessary to introduce experience of reforming of health care system in pilot regions at a national level.Мета: висвітлення основних цілей та орієнтирів економічних механізмів створення єдиного медичного простору; проведення порівняльного аналізу впровадження нових організаційно-правових та фінансово-економічних механізмів, спрямованих на підвищення ефективності та доступності медичного обслуговування населення.Матеріали і методи. Були використані статистичні дані пілотних регіонів; застосовані економічний, статистичний, методи порівняльного аналізу.Результати. Основою підвищення ефективності системи охорони здоров’я є удосконалення її організаційно-економічного механізму – сукупності форм, методів і механізмів, за допомогою яких здійснюється організація суспільного виробництва в сфері охорони здоров’я й узгоджується економічно доцільна її діяльність як єдиної системи. На прикладі пілотних регіонів показані нові підходи до організації роботи закладів охорони здоров'я та їх кадрового забезпечення.Висновки. Державна політика щодо реформування охорони здоров’я має бути спрямована на формування моделі, що відповідає соціально-економічним реаліям України. Необхідно запровадити набутий досвід реформування системи охорони здоров’я в пілотних регіонах на національному рівні

Clinical and pathogenetic substantiation of the use of Wobenzim in the complex treatment of generalized periodontitis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of using Wobenzim as a general therapy in the complex treatment of generalized periodontitis. 61 patients, I-II degree of severity, with tooth safety in an amount of at least 90%, without concomitant general pathology requiring treatment for the current time were examined. Comparative effectiveness of treatment was studied in 2 groups similar in all clinical indices. The main (31 people) patients, along with the symptomatic treatment received Wobenzim; control (30 people) - polytherapy (immunocorrecting, antioxidant, antimicrobial agents). As a result of the generally accepted clinical, paraclinical, immunological and biochemical studies conducted during the treatment and at long-term follow-up, it was found that the use of systemic enzyme therapy in this category of patients ensures rapid regression of the main clinical symptoms (on days 6-7), elimination of pathogenetic links of the disease more than in 90% of treated patients and the onset of remission for at least 6-12 months. It is characteristic that during the monotherapy with Wobenzim, positive results of treatment of generalized periodontitis were achieved, similar to those with the use of complex standard therapy, including administration of a number of medications with targeted action on pathogenesis mechanisms of the disease. From the position of evidence-based medicine, the expediency of replacing a broad arsenal of medicines in the complex treatment of generalized periodontitis with certain pharmacological preparations with a systemic effect is justified

CeFePO: f-d hybridization and quenching of superconductivity

Being homologue to the new, Fe-based type of high-temperature superconductors, CeFePO exhibits magnetism, Kondo and heavy-fermion phenomena. We experimentally studied the electronic structure of CeFePO by means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. In particular, contributions of the Ce 4f-derived states and their hybridization to the Fe 3d bands were explored using both symmetry selection rules for excitation and their photoionization cross-section variations as a function of photon energy. It was experimentally found - and later on confirmed by LDA as well as DMFT calculations - that the Ce 4f states hybridize to the Fe 3d states of d_{3z^2-r^2} symmetry near the Fermi level that discloses their participation in the occurring electron-correlation phenomena and provides insight into mechanism of superconductivity in oxopnictides.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Derivative based global sensitivity measures

The method of derivative based global sensitivity measures (DGSM) has recently become popular among practitioners. It has a strong link with the Morris screening method and Sobol' sensitivity indices and has several advantages over them. DGSM are very easy to implement and evaluate numerically. The computational time required for numerical evaluation of DGSM is generally much lower than that for estimation of Sobol' sensitivity indices. This paper presents a survey of recent advances in DGSM concerning lower and upper bounds on the values of Sobol' total sensitivity indices $S\_{i}^{tot}$. Using these bounds it is possible in most cases to get a good practical estimation of the values of $S\_{i}^{tot}$. Several examples are used to illustrate an application of DGSM

Юстировка установки для измерения ОПФ обьективов

Розглядається методика юстувань оптико-механічної частини установки для вимірювання оптичної передавальної функції (ОПФ) об’єктивів. Обгрунтовуються вимоги до точності юстувань та розглядається принцип дії контрольно-юстувальних засобів.The methodology of adjustment of the optic- mechanical part of the Optic Transmission Function (OTF) equipment of the objectives is considered in this article. The requirements of precision of the adjustment are justified and the principle of functioning of the control adjustment of the equipment is considered.Рассматривается методика юстировки оптико-механической части установки для измерения оптической передаточной функции (ОПФ) обьективов. Обосновываются требования к точности юстировки и рассматривается принцип действия контрольно-юстировочных приспособлений

Marker-assisted selection and use of molecular markers in sunflower breeding for resistance to diseases and parasites

Recently, the problem of phytosanitary condition of sunflower crops has been exacerbated, which is associated with violation of crop rotations and, as a consequence, spread of common diseases. Selection for resistance to biotic factors requires comprehensive research into the crop biology and pathogens. The use of starting material, which is resistant to major pathogens and environmental stressors, in selection is a prerequisite for the breeding of highly productive hybrids. Significant progress in the breeding of heterosis sunflower hybrids has been achieved primarily due to stable inbred lines. However, their creation is time-consuming, taking 8-12 years. Selection of desirable genotypes and initial forms for crossing is complicated by the fact that it is driven by a set of polygenic traits that are prone to significant modification variability. The use of molecular genetic markers is a way to accelerate breeding. Marker-assisted selection breeding (MAS) has been theoretically justified in numerous publications and implemented in most breeding institutions around the world. However, in domestic breeding programs, MAS has not become widespread compared to traditional methods. Nevertheless, this breeding trend opens new opportunities for studying genetic diversity and determining kinship at the intraspecies and genus levels. The review provides information on the status and prospects of implementation of MAS in traditional plant breeding and highlights the achievements of modern biotechnology in sunflower breeding for resistance to biotic factors owing to molecular genetic markers. The MAS principles are outlined and the advantages of this method are described. Specific examples of application of the molecular approach during the development of starting material of sunflower for breeding for resistance to common diseases and parasites are given. The main stages and components of PCR analysis are also described. Inbred sunflower lines – carriers of the gene for resistance to the downy mildew pathogen are characterized and genetic passports using STS markers to the Pl6 locus have been formalized for 13 sunflower lines

Derivative based global sensitivity measures

International audienceThe method of derivative based global sensitivity measures (DGSM) has recently become popular among practitioners. It has a strong link with the Morris screening method and Sobol' sensitivity indices and has several advantages over them. DGSM are very easy to implement and evaluate numerically. The computational time required for numerical evaluation of DGSM is generally much lower than that for estimation of Sobol' sensitivity indices. This paper presents a survey of recent advances in DGSM concerning lower and upper bounds on the values of Sobol' total sensitivity indices $S_{i}^{tot}$. Using these bounds it is possible in most cases to get a good practical estimation of the values of $S_{i}^{tot}$. Several examples are used to illustrate an application of DGSM

Еколого-економічне моделювання предикторів інвестиційних програм сталого розвитку девелопменту в концепті стандартів біосферосумісного будівництва

Biosphesible construction is a practice of construction and operation of facilities, the purpose of which is to reduce the consumption of energy and material resources throughout the entire life cycle of a building: from site selection to design, construction, operation, repair and liquidation. Another objective of green building is to preserve and improve the quality of construction of facilities and the comfort of their internal environment. This practice expands and complements the classic design with the concepts of economy, quality, durability and comfort. The main objectives of biospheres-compatible construction are as follows: 1) reduction of the cumulative negative impact of construction activities on the environment and human health; 2) reduction of the volume of waste and other environmental impacts; 3) use of ecologically certified materials in construction and decoration of buildings; 4) increase of energy efficiency of the building, minimization of energy consumption, use of alternative energy sources; 5) development of new technologies and creation of modern industrial products; 6) reduction of energy consumption in the construction and decoration of buildings; 5) development of new technologies and creation of modern industrial products.Keywords: biosphere-compatible (green) construction, urban planning practice, urbanized territories of cities, models of green building.Біосферосумісне будівництво – цe прaктикa будiвництвa i eкcплуaтaцiї будiвeль, мeтою якої є знижeння рiвня cпоживaння eнeргeтичних i мaтeрiaльних рecурciв впродовж вcього життєвого циклу будiвлi: вiд вибору дiлянки до проeктувaння, будiвництвa, eкcплуaтaцiї, рeмонту i руйнувaння. Iншою мeтою зeлeного будiвництвa є збeрeжeння aбо пiдвищeння якоcтi будiвeль i комфорту їх внутрiшнього ceрeдовищa. Ця прaктикa розширює i доповнює клacичнe будiвeльнe проeктувaння поняттями eкономiї, якості, довговiчноcтi i комфорту. Основні завдання біосферосумісного будівництва: 1) зниження сукупного негативного впливу будівельної діяльності на навколишнє середовище та здоров’я людей; 2) скорочення обсягу відходів та зменшення інших екологічних впливів; 3) використання екологічно сертифікованих матеріалів в будівництві та при оздобленні будівель; 4) підвищення енергоефективності будівлі, мінімізація енергоспоживання, використання альтернативних джерел енергії; 5) розробка нових технологій і створення сучасних промислових продуктів; 6) зниження енергоспоживання та, відповідно, навантаження на електромережі; 7) комплексне скорочення витрат на будівництво та утримання будинків