Integrating Planning and Learning for Agents Acting in Unknown Environments

An Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent acting in an environment can perceive the environment through sensors and execute actions through actuators. Symbolic planning provides an agent with decision-making capabilities about the actions to execute for accomplishing tasks in the environment. For applying symbolic planning, an agent needs to know its symbolic state, and an abstract model of the environment dynamics. However, in the real world, an agent has low-level perceptions of the environment (e.g. its position given by a GPS sensor), rather than symbolic observations representing its current state. Furthermore, in many real-world scenarios, it is not feasible to provide an agent with a complete and correct model of the environment, e.g., when the environment is unknown a priori. The gap between the high-level representations, suitable for symbolic planning, and the low-level sensors and actuators, available in a real-world agent, can be bridged by integrating learning, planning, and acting. Firstly, an agent has to map its continuous perceptions into its current symbolic state, e.g. by detecting the set of objects and their properties from an RGB image provided by an onboard camera. Afterward, the agent has to build a model of the environment by interacting with the environment and observing the effects of the executed actions. Finally, the agent has to plan on the learned environment model and execute the symbolic actions through its actuators. We propose an architecture that integrates learning, planning, and acting. Our approach combines data-driven learning methods for building an environment model online with symbolic planning techniques for reasoning on the learned model. In particular, we focus on learning the environment model, from either continuous or symbolic observations, assuming the agent perceptual input is the complete and correct state of the environment, and the agent is able to execute symbolic actions in the environment. Afterward, we assume a partial model of the environment and the capability of mapping perceptions into noisy and incomplete symbolic states are given, and the agent has to exploit the environment model and its perception capabilities to perform tasks in unknown and partially observable environments. Then, we tackle the problem of online learning the mapping between continuous perceptions and symbolic states, assuming the agent is given a partial model of the environment and is able to execute symbolic actions in the real world. In our approach, we take advantage of learning methods for overcoming some of the simplifying assumptions of symbolic planning, such as the full observability of the environment, or the need of having a correct environment model. Similarly, we take advantage of symbolic planning techniques to enable an agent to autonomously gather relevant information online, which is necessary for data-driven learning methods. We experimentally show the effectiveness of our approach in simulated and complex environments, outperforming state-of-the-art methods. Finally, we empirically demonstrate the applicability of our approach in real environments, by conducting experiments on a real robot

The Etruscan Settlement of Forcello (Bagnolo San Vito, Mantova)

Archaeological fieldwork at the Etruscan settlement of Forcello (Bagnolo San Vito, Mantova) has been carried out since 1983; excavations led to the discovery of structures and floor levels assigned to nine frequentation phases, dated from 540 to 380-375 BC. This paper offers an overview of the most recent findings, as the Attic ceramic fragments from the aristocratic dwelling called “Casa dei Velna”, whose decoration can be attributed to the Orchard Painter.Indagini archeologiche presso l’abitato etrusco del Forcello (Bagnolo San Vito, Mantova), condotte a partire dal 1983, hanno portato alla scoperta di strutture e piani d’uso pertinenti a nove fasi di frequentazione, datate tra 540 e 380-375 a.C. Questo articolo offre una panoramica dei ritrovamenti più recenti, quali i frammenti di ceramica attica provenienti dall’abitazione aristocratica detta “Casa dei Velna”, la cui decorazione è attribuibile al Pittore del Frutteto (Orchard Painter)

Necropoli alto-medievali in Lombardia orientale. Il contributo della morfologia dentaria all'indagine archeologica

The aim of this PhD project is to test the potential of dental morphological analysis for the purposes of funerary and social archaeology. Dental nonmetric (or discrete) traits are non-pathological anatomical variants that can occur, with a certain degree of expression, in an individual. Since these phenotypic traits are assumed as having a strong genetic origin, they can be scored to obtain data about geographic provenance, ancestry and variability of a given population. Observations were thus carried out on human skeletal samples from east Lombardy, following the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS). The largest samples under study were derived from two ancient sites: the necropolis of Montichiari Monte San Zeno (Brescia) and the necropolis of Fara Olivana (Bergamo), both dating to Early Middle Ages (6-7th century). A total of 152 individuals and 2016 teeth from these sites were examined, and more than 50 discrete dental traits were scored during the observation. Results show that dental morphology variation can provide us with crucial information about several aspects of past societies, such as: Control on cemeteries by kinship groups: presence/absence of particular set of discrete dental traits can suggest blood ties between individuals buried in the same necropolis. In the cemetery of Montichiari Monte San Zeno, seven individuals showing a rare trait, the two-rooted lower canine, were inhumed along a single line of burials, over more than one generation, expanding from west to east. There is hence a high probability that these seven individuals belonged to a single kinship group, able to keep control on the access to and the destination of a family funerary space over a long time. Biological distance between past populations: frequencies of dental discrete traits are known for several ancient European human groups, dating from Palaeolithic to Middle Age. These frequencies can be used to calculate the mean measure of divergence (MMD) between different samples, a value corresponding to their relative biological (genetic) distance. As instance, the low MMD value between the samples from Fara Olivana and Dorestad de Heul (Netherland) - the latter derived from a 6-7th necropolis of ancient Frisons - indicates high dental phenotypic similarity between these two populations, which can maybe be explained by the distant common Germanic origin or by genetic admixture. Post-marital residence patterns: variation in nonmetric dental traits has been examined among the groups of males and females from the cemeteries under study. The sex with the higher within-group variance is considered the more 'mobile' sex (assuming the variance as reflecting the heterogeneous phenotypic/genetic features of the 'outsiders'). In the sample from Fara Olivana female individuals show a higher within-group variance, which means that women are more mobile than men. This seems consistent with a patrilocal community, where men show stronger connections to the site, acquiring new women from outside communities, mostly by marriage. In fact, at Fara Olivana men are buried with weapons (swords, scramasax, spears, shields), indicating a cohesive community dedicated to the military control of the surroundings. Males from the necropolis of Montichiari, at the opposite, are more variable than females, thus indicating different residence patterns. This can be due to the particular role of the men from Montichiari, involved in land management and administration, maybe colons of mixed Germanic-Roman origin, derived from different places and established in the villages around Montichiari because of their specific task

Self-Powered Edible Defrosting Sensor

Improper freezing of food causes food waste and negatively impacts the environment. In this work, we propose a device that can detect defrosting events by coupling a temperature-activated galvanic cell with an ionochromic cell, which is activated by the release of ions during current flow. Both the components of the sensor are fabricated through simple and low-energy-consuming procedures from edible materials. The galvanic cell operates with an aqueous electrolyte solution, producing current only at temperatures above the freezing point of the solution. The ionochromic cell exploits the current generated during the defrosting to release tin ions, which form complexes with natural dyes, causing the color change. Therefore, this sensor provides information about defrosting events. The temperature at which the sensor reacts can be tuned between 0 and -50 °C. The device can thus be flexibly used in the supply chain: as a sensor, it can measure the length of exposure to above-the-threshold temperatures, while as a detector, it can provide a signal that there was exposure to above-the-threshold temperatures. Such a device can ensure that frozen food is handled correctly and is safe for consumption. As a sensor, it could be used by the workers in the supply chain, while as a detector, it could be useful for end consumers, ensuring that the food was properly frozen during the whole supply chain

A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot

Titanosauria is an exceptionally diverse, globally-distributed clade of sauropod dinosaurs that includes the largest known land animals. Knowledge of titanosaurian pedal structure is critical to understanding the stance and locomotion of these enormous herbivores and, by extension, gigantic terrestrial vertebrates as a whole. However, completely preserved pedes are extremely rare among Titanosauria, especially as regards the truly giant members of the group. Here we describe Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza Province, Argentina. With a powerfully-constructed humerus 1.76m in length, Notocolossus is one of the largest known dinosaurs. Furthermore, the complete pes of the new taxon exhibits a strikingly compact, homogeneous metatarsus - seemingly adapted for bearing extraordinary weight - and truncated unguals, morphologies that are otherwise unknown in Sauropoda. The pes underwent a near-progressive reduction in the number of phalanges along the line to derived titanosaurs, eventually resulting in the reduced hind foot of these sauropods.Fil: Gonzalez Riga, Bernardo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Dinosaurios.; ArgentinaFil: Lamanna, Matthew C.. University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown; Estados UnidosFil: Ortiz David, Leonardo Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Dinosaurios.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Calvo, Jorge Orlando. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; ArgentinaFil: Coria, Juan Pedro. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Dinosaurios.; Argentin

An overview of the appendicular skeletal anatomy of South American titanosaurian sauropods, with definition of a newly recognized clade

In the last two decades, the number of phylogenetically informative anatomical characters recognized in the appendicular skeleton of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs has increased dramatically with the discovery of new and comparatively complete specimens. here we provide an overview of the appendicular skeletal morphology of South American titanosaurs and discuss its significance for phylogenetic reconstruction. the appendicular skeletal diversity of South American titanosaurs is substantially greater than was initially appreciated. Moreover, some regions of the appendicular skeleton, such as the pes, exhibit remarkable variability in form. Multiple synapomorphies of titanosauria and the less inclusive clades Lithostrotia and Saltasauridae consist of characters of the girdles and limbs. Although the phylogenetic definitions of titanosaurian clades such as Saltasaurinae and Lognkosauria are stable, the taxonomic content of these clades has varied in recent analyses depending on the phylogenetic topology recovered. Within titanosauria, the results of four recent, largely independent analyses support the existence of a derived titanosaurian lineage distinct from the ‘Saltasaurinae line,’ which is herein termed Colossosauria. At present, this clade is mainly comprised by taxa within Lognkosauria and rinconsauria, and is useful in discussions of titanosaurian lower-level relationships.Fil: Gonzalez Riga, Bernardo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Dinosaurios.; ArgentinaFil: Lamanna, Matthew C.. American Museum of Natural History; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Otero, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Ortiz David, Leonardo Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Dinosaurios.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Kellner, Alexander Wilhelm Armin. Universidade do Estado de Rio do Janeiro; BrasilFil: Ibiricu, Lucio Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Geología y Paleontología; Argentin

Chitosan gated organic transistors printed on ethyl cellulose as a versatile platform for edible electronics and bioelectronics

Edible electronics is an emerging research field targeting electronic devices that can be safely ingested and directly digested or metabolized by the human body. As such, it paves the way to a whole new family of applications, ranging from ingestible medical devices and biosensors, to smart labelling for food quality monitoring and anti-counterfeiting. Being a newborn research field, many challenges need to be addressed to realize fully edible electronic components. In particular, an extended library of edible electronic materials is required, with suitable electronic properties depending on the target device and compatible with large-area printing processes, to allow scalable and cost-effective manufacturing. In this work, we propose a platform for future low-voltage edible transistors and circuits that comprises an edible chitosan gating medium and inkjet printed inert gold electrodes, compatible with low thermal budget edible substrates, such as ethylcellulose. We report the compatibility of the platform, characterized by critical channel features as low as 10 µm, with different inkjet printed carbon-based semiconductors, including biocompatible polymers present in the picograms range per device. A complementary organic inverter is also demonstrated with the same platform as a proof-of-principle logic gate. The presented results offer a promising approach to future low-voltage edible active circuitry, as well as a testbed for non-toxic printable semiconductors

Sex-related morbidity and mortality in non-adult individuals from the Early Medieval site of Valdaro (Italy): the contribution of dental enamel peptide analysis

In this work, osteological and paleopathological analyses are combined with liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry to study life and death of 30 non-adult individuals from an Early Medieval Italian funerary context (Valdaro, 7th-8th cent. AD). We estimated individual sex by exploiting sexual differences in enamel-bounded peptides. Enamel proteins were extracted through an acid etching of the whole tooth crowns for 4 samples\ud and through a partial digestion of small enamel chunks for the remaining 26 samples. Both protocols were informative on the sex of the individuals through the identification of amelogenin isoforms (AMELX and AMELY). In addition, low-mineralized tooth germs were analysed and they provided reliable information on the infants’ sex. We observed the presence of 13 males and 17 females among the non-adults of Valdaro, not significantly different from a random sample with an equal frequency of males and females. Cribra cranii and endocranial lesion occurrence showed an association with sex, with higher frequencies in male individuals

Performance Assessment in Fingerprinting and Multi Component Quantitative NMR Analyses

An interlaboratory comparison (ILC) was organized with the aim to set up quality control indicators suitable for multicomponent quantitative analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A total of 36 NMR data sets (corresponding to 1260 NMR spectra) were produced by 30 participants using 34 NMR spectrometers. The calibration line method was chosen for the quantification of a five-component model mixture. Results show that quantitative NMR is a robust quantification tool and that 26 out of 36 data sets resulted in statistically equivalent calibration lines for all considered NMR signals. The performance of each laboratory was assessed by means of a new performance index (named Qp-score) which is related to the difference between the experimental and the consensus values of the slope of the calibration lines. Laboratories endowed with a Qp-score falling within the suitable acceptability range are qualified to produce NMR spectra that can be considered statistically equivalent in terms of relative intensities of the signals. In addition, the specific response of nuclei to the experimental excitation/relaxation conditions was addressed by means of the parameter named NR. NR is related to the difference between the theoretical and the consensus slopes of the calibration lines and is specific for each signal produced by a well-defined set of acquisition parameters

Joint Observation of the Galactic Center with MAGIC and CTA-LST-1

MAGIC is a system of two Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), designed to detect very-high-energy gamma rays, and is operating in stereoscopic mode since 2009 at the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos in La Palma, Spain. In 2018, the prototype IACT of the Large-Sized Telescope (LST-1) for the Cherenkov Telescope Array, a next-generation ground-based gamma-ray observatory, was inaugurated at the same site, at a distance of approximately 100 meters from the MAGIC telescopes. Using joint observations between MAGIC and LST-1, we developed a dedicated analysis pipeline and established the threefold telescope system via software, achieving the highest sensitivity in the northern hemisphere. Based on this enhanced performance, MAGIC and LST-1 have been jointly and regularly observing the Galactic Center, a region of paramount importance and complexity for IACTs. In particular, the gamma-ray emission from the dynamical center of the Milky Way is under debate. Although previous measurements suggested that a supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* plays a primary role, its radiation mechanism remains unclear, mainly due to limited angular resolution and sensitivity. The enhanced sensitivity in our novel approach is thus expected to provide new insights into the question. We here present the current status of the data analysis for the Galactic Center joint MAGIC and LST-1 observations