Architecting centralized coordination of soccer robots based on principle solution

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Advanced Robotics on 2015, available online:http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01691864.2015.1017534Coordination strategy is a relevant topic in multi-robot systems, and robot soccer offers a suitable domain to conduct research in multi-robot coordination. Team strategy collects and uses environmental information to derive optimal team reactions, through cooperation among individual soccer robots. This paper presents a diagrammatic approach to architecting the coordination strategy of robot soccer teams by means of a principle solution. The proposed model focuses on robot soccer leagues that possess a central decision-making system, involving the dynamic selection of the roles and behaviors of the robot soccer players. The work sets out from the conceptual design phase, facilitating cross-domain development efforts, where different layers must be interconnected and coordinated to perform multiple tasks. The principle solution allows for intuitive design and the modeling of team strategies in a highly complex robot soccer environment with changing game conditions. Furthermore, such an approach enables systematic realization of collaborative behaviors among the teammates.This work was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under the CICYT project Mission Based Control (COBAMI): DPI2011-28507-C02-01/02. Jose G. Guarnizo was supported by a scholarship from the Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation COLCIENCIAS, Colombia.Guarnizo Marín, JG.; Mellado Arteche, M.; Low, CY.; Blanes Noguera, F. (2015). Architecting centralized coordination of soccer robots based on principle solution. Advanced Robotics. 29(15):989-1004. https://doi.org/10.1080/01691864.2015.1017534S98910042915Farinelli, A., Iocchi, L., & Nardi, D. (2004). Multirobot Systems: A Classification Focused on Coordination. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Part B (Cybernetics), 34(5), 2015-2028. doi:10.1109/tsmcb.2004.832155Tews, A., & Wyeth, G. (2000). MAPS: a system for multi-agent coordination. Advanced Robotics, 14(1), 37-50. doi:10.1163/156855300741429Stulp, F., Utz, H., Isik, M., & Mayer, G. (2010). Implicit Coordination with Shared Belief: A Heterogeneous Robot Soccer Team Case Study. Advanced Robotics, 24(7), 1017-1036. doi:10.1163/016918610x496964Guarnizo, J. G., Mellado, M., Low, C. Y., & Aziz, N. (2013). Strategy Model for Multi-Robot Coordination in Robotic Soccer. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 393, 592-597. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.393.592Riley, P., & Veloso, M. (2002). Recognizing Probabilistic Opponent Movement Models. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 453-458. doi:10.1007/3-540-45603-1_59Ros, R., Arcos, J. L., Lopez de Mantaras, R., & Veloso, M. (2009). A case-based approach for coordinated action selection in robot soccer. Artificial Intelligence, 173(9-10), 1014-1039. doi:10.1016/j.artint.2009.02.004Atkinson, J., & Rojas, D. (2009). On-the-fly generation of multi-robot team formation strategies based on game conditions. Expert Systems with Applications, 36(3), 6082-6090. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2008.07.039Costelha, H., & Lima, P. (2012). Robot task plan representation by Petri nets: modelling, identification, analysis and execution. Autonomous Robots, 33(4), 337-360. doi:10.1007/s10514-012-9288-xAbreu, P. H., Silva, D. C., Almeida, F., & Mendes-Moreira, J. (2014). Improving a simulated soccer team’s performance through a Memory-Based Collaborative Filtering approach. Applied Soft Computing, 23, 180-193. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2014.06.021Duan, Y., Liu, Q., & Xu, X. (2007). Application of reinforcement learning in robot soccer. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 20(7), 936-950. doi:10.1016/j.engappai.2007.01.003Hwang, K.-S., Jiang, W.-C., Yu, H.-H., & Li, S.-Y. (2011). Cooperative Reinforcement Learning Based on Zero-Sum Games. Mobile Robots - Control Architectures, Bio-Interfacing, Navigation, Multi Robot Motion Planning and Operator Training. doi:10.5772/26620Gausemeier, J., Dumitrescu, R., Kahl, S., & Nordsiek, D. (2011). Integrative development of product and production system for mechatronic products. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 27(4), 772-778. doi:10.1016/j.rcim.2011.02.005Klančar, G., Zupančič, B., & Karba, R. (2007). Modelling and simulation of a group of mobile robots. Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory, 15(6), 647-658. doi:10.1016/j.simpat.2007.02.002Gausemeier, J., Frank, U., Donoth, J., & Kahl, S. (2009). Specification technique for the description of self-optimizing mechatronic systems. Research in Engineering Design, 20(4), 201-223. doi:10.1007/s00163-008-0058-

Of Potions, Poisons, Polygonum and Pre‐emptive Polymorphism

There are scores of references to plants and herbs in William Shakespeare's plays; he was obviously very knowledgeable about their perceived effects. The secret to the highly potent love potion Oberon asks Puck to find, lies in the purple, yellow and white flower, ‘love‐in‐idleness’, a folk name for the wild pansy (Viola tricolour). When scientists from Royal Society of Chemistry and Quest International put this to the test 400 years later, they concluded that ‘Wild pansies were noted in herbal folklore medicine

Перспективи розвитку експортоорієнтованої стратегії підприємств

Рассмотрен вопрос стратегического развития экспортноориентрованной политики предприятий. Раскрыты перспективы развития международных торговых отношений Украины.Розглянуто питання стратегічного розвитку експортноорієнтовної політики підприємств. Розкрито перспективи розвитку міжнародних торгівельних відносин України

Galileons as Wess-Zumino Terms

We show that the galileons can be thought of as Wess-Zumino terms for the spontaneous breaking of space-time symmetries. Wess-Zumino terms are terms which are not captured by the coset construction for phenomenological Lagrangians with broken symmetries. Rather they are, in d space-time dimensions, d-form potentials for (d+1)-forms which are non-trivial co-cycles in Lie algebra cohomology of the full symmetry group relative to the unbroken symmetry group. We introduce the galileon algebras and construct the non-trivial (d+1)-form co-cycles, showing that the presence of galileons and multi-galileons in all dimensions is counted by the dimensions of particular Lie algebra cohomology groups. We also discuss the DBI and conformal galileons from this point of view, showing that they are not Wess-Zumino terms, with one exception in each case.Comment: 49 pages. v2 minor changes, version appearing in JHE

Interleukin-1β sequesters hypoxia inducible factor 2α to the primary cilium.

BACKGROUND: The primary cilium coordinates signalling in development, health and disease. Previously we have shown that the cilium is essential for the anabolic response to loading and the inflammatory response to interleukin-1β (IL-1β). We have also shown the primary cilium elongates in response to IL-1β exposure. Both anabolic phenotype and inflammatory pathology are proposed to be dependent on hypoxia-inducible factor 2 alpha (HIF-2α). The present study tests the hypothesis that an association exists between the primary cilium and HIFs in inflammatory signalling. RESULTS: Here we show, in articular chondrocytes, that IL-1β-induces primary cilia elongation with alterations to cilia trafficking of arl13b. This elongation is associated with a transient increase in HIF-2α expression and accumulation in the primary cilium. Prolyl hydroxylase inhibition results in primary cilia elongation also associated with accumulation of HIF-2α in the ciliary base and axoneme. This recruitment and the associated cilia elongation is not inhibited by blockade of HIFα transcription activity or rescue of basal HIF-2α expression. Hypomorphic mutation to intraflagellar transport protein IFT88 results in limited ciliogenesis. This is associated with increased HIF-2α expression and inhibited response to prolyl hydroxylase inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that ciliary sequestration of HIF-2α provides negative regulation of HIF-2α expression and potentially activity. This study indicates, for the first time, that the primary cilium regulates HIF signalling during inflammation

Senescence marker protein 30 in acute liver failure: validation of a mass spectrometry proteomics assay

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our previous proteomic study showed that the senescence marker protein (SMP30) is selectively present in the plasma of a murine model of acute liver failure (ALF). The aim of this study was to validate this SMP30 expression in the plasma and liver tissues of mice and humans with ALF.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>After the proteomic analysis of plasma from a murine model of D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (GalN/LPS)-induced ALF by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry, the expression levels of SMP30 in the plasma and liver tissues were validated by western blot and RT-PCR analyses. These results were then confirmed in plasma samples from humans.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>These data validate the results of 2-DE, and western blot showed that SMP30 protein levels were only elevated in the plasma of ALF mice. Further analysis revealed that GalN/LPS induced the downregulation of SMP30 protein levels in liver tissues (by approximately 25% and 16% in the GalN/LPS-treated mice and in the treated mice that survived, respectively; <it>P </it>< 0.01). Hepatic SMP30 mRNA levels decreased by about 90% only in the mice that survived the GalN/LPS treatment. Importantly, plasma obtained from patients with ALF also contained higher levels of SMP30, about (3.65 ± 0.34) times those observed in healthy volunteers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study shows that SMP30 is not only a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and even prognosis of ALF. It also plays a very important role in a self-protective mechanism in survival and participates in the pathophysiological processes of ALF.</p

Caveolin-1 protects B6129 mice against Helicobacter pylori gastritis.

Caveolin-1 (Cav1) is a scaffold protein and pathogen receptor in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic infection of gastric epithelial cells by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a major risk factor for human gastric cancer (GC) where Cav1 is frequently down-regulated. However, the function of Cav1 in H. pylori infection and pathogenesis of GC remained unknown. We show here that Cav1-deficient mice, infected for 11 months with the CagA-delivery deficient H. pylori strain SS1, developed more severe gastritis and tissue damage, including loss of parietal cells and foveolar hyperplasia, and displayed lower colonisation of the gastric mucosa than wild-type B6129 littermates. Cav1-null mice showed enhanced infiltration of macrophages and B-cells and secretion of chemokines (RANTES) but had reduced levels of CD25+ regulatory T-cells. Cav1-deficient human GC cells (AGS), infected with the CagA-delivery proficient H. pylori strain G27, were more sensitive to CagA-related cytoskeletal stress morphologies ("humming bird") compared to AGS cells stably transfected with Cav1 (AGS/Cav1). Infection of AGS/Cav1 cells triggered the recruitment of p120 RhoGTPase-activating protein/deleted in liver cancer-1 (p120RhoGAP/DLC1) to Cav1 and counteracted CagA-induced cytoskeletal rearrangements. In human GC cell lines (MKN45, N87) and mouse stomach tissue, H. pylori down-regulated endogenous expression of Cav1 independently of CagA. Mechanistically, H. pylori activated sterol-responsive element-binding protein-1 (SREBP1) to repress transcription of the human Cav1 gene from sterol-responsive elements (SREs) in the proximal Cav1 promoter. These data suggested a protective role of Cav1 against H. pylori-induced inflammation and tissue damage. We propose that H. pylori exploits down-regulation of Cav1 to subvert the host's immune response and to promote signalling of its virulence factors in host cells

MFN1 structures reveal nucleotide-triggered dimerization critical for mitochondrial fusion

Mitochondria are double-membraned organelles with variable shapes influenced by metabolic conditions, developmental stage, and environmental stimuli. Their dynamic morphology is a result of regulated and balanced fusion and fission processes. Fusion is crucial for the health and physiological functions of mitochondria, including complementation of damaged mitochondrial DNAs and the maintenance of membrane potential. Mitofusins are dynamin-related GTPases that are essential for mitochondrial fusion. They are embedded in the mitochondrial outer membrane and thought to fuse adjacent mitochondria via combined oligomerization and GTP hydrolysis. However, the molecular mechanisms of this process remain unknown. Here we present crystal structures of engineered human MFN1 containing the GTPase domain and a helical domain during different stages of GTP hydrolysis. The helical domain is composed of elements from widely dispersed sequence regions of MFN1 and resembles the ‘neck’ of the bacterial dynamin-like protein. The structures reveal unique features of its catalytic machinery and explain how GTP binding induces conformational changes to promote GTPase domain dimerization in the transition state. Disruption of GTPase domain dimerization abolishes the fusogenic activity of MFN1. Moreover, a conserved aspartate residue trigger was found to affect mitochondrial elongation in MFN1, probably through a GTP-loading-dependent domain rearrangement. Thus, we propose a mechanistic model for MFN1-mediated mitochondrial tethering, and our results shed light on the molecular basis of mitochondrial fusion and mitofusin-related human neuromuscular disorders

Comparative proteomic analysis of metabolically labelled proteins from Plasmodium falciparum isolates with different adhesion properties

The virulence of Plasmodium falciparum relates in part to the cytoadhesion characteristics of parasitized erythrocytes but the molecular basis of the different qualitative and quantitative binding phenotypes is incompletely understood. This paucity of information is due partly to the difficulty in working with membrane proteins, the variant nature of these surface antigens and their relatively low abundance. To address this two-dimensional (2D) protein profiles of closely related, but phenotypically different laboratory strains of P. falciparum have been characterized using proteomic approaches. Since the mature erythrocyte has no nucleus and no protein synthesis capability, metabolic labelling of proteins was used to selectively identify parasite proteins and increase detection sensitivity. A small number of changes (less than 10) were observed between four different P. falciparum laboratory strains with distinctive cytoadherence properties using metabolic labelling, with more parasite protein changes found in trophozoite iRBCs than ring stage. The combination of metabolic labelling and autoradiography can therefore be used to identify parasite protein differences, including quantitative ones, and in some cases to obtain protein identifications by mass spectrometry. The results support the suggestion that the membrane protein profile may be related to cytoadherent properties of the iRBCs. Most changes between parasite variants were differences in iso-electric point indicating differential protein modification rather than the presence or absence of a specific peptide