Closed-loop Bayesian Semantic Data Fusion for Collaborative Human-Autonomy Target Search

In search applications, autonomous unmanned vehicles must be able to efficiently reacquire and localize mobile targets that can remain out of view for long periods of time in large spaces. As such, all available information sources must be actively leveraged -- including imprecise but readily available semantic observations provided by humans. To achieve this, this work develops and validates a novel collaborative human-machine sensing solution for dynamic target search. Our approach uses continuous partially observable Markov decision process (CPOMDP) planning to generate vehicle trajectories that optimally exploit imperfect detection data from onboard sensors, as well as semantic natural language observations that can be specifically requested from human sensors. The key innovation is a scalable hierarchical Gaussian mixture model formulation for efficiently solving CPOMDPs with semantic observations in continuous dynamic state spaces. The approach is demonstrated and validated with a real human-robot team engaged in dynamic indoor target search and capture scenarios on a custom testbed.Comment: Final version accepted and submitted to 2018 FUSION Conference (Cambridge, UK, July 2018

Taxonomic assessment of two pygopodoid gecko subspecies from Western Australia

Abstract Subspecies designations for herpetofauna in Western Australia were largely coined in the 20th century where rigorous evolutionary concepts to species were not consistently applied. Rather, subspecies tended to designate geographic populations of similar-looking taxa to nominate forms, usually differing in size, pattern or colour and, at best, a few scalation differences. Here we re-evaluate two pygopodoid taxa from Western Australia using a combination of published and original genetic data coupled with a reassessment of morphology. We review these differences in light of an integrative taxonomic approach that looks to find multiple independent lines of evidence to establish the evolutionary independence of populations. For the pygopod species Pletholax gracilis, we found consistent diagnostic characters (e.g. body size, visibility of ear opening, scalation) and a deep genetic divergence between the two subspecies. We therefore raise each subspecies to full species: P. gracilis and P. edelensis. The two subspecies of the carphodactylid gecko Nephrurus wheeleri were also assessed, and we found strong genetic and morphological evidence (e.g. body size, scalation, pattern) to raise these to full species: N. wheeleri and N. cinctus. By revisiting Storr’s morphological insights and newly acquired genetic evidence, in addition to a thorough re-examination of morphological traits, our study provides a robust foundation to raise Storr’s morphological subspecies into full species based upon multiple lines of evidence. Such an approach applied to other subspecies in the Australian herpetofauna also may result in revised taxonomies

Multicomponent Solid Forms in Pharma, Hair Care and Dental Care

This work covers multicomponent solid forms including co-amorphous solid forms with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and, co-crystals, salts, hydrates and solvates to help model intermolecular interaction taking place in larger systems including polymers and proteins. A new prediction model was created to help identify which combinations of APIs and small molecule co-formers were likely to form co-amorphous systems. The prediction model suggests co-amorphous formation is related to the average molecular weight of the two components and the strength of the intermolecular interactions formed. A new co-amorphous screen containing mebendazole with 29 co-formers was performed and compared to the predicted results, which showed a predictive hit rate of 90%. The dimer of vinylcaprolactam (bisVCap) was used in a co-amorphous screen with 13 APIs. The experimental results were compared to the predicted results with 11 out of 13 systems correctly predicted. The co-amorphous systems found were analysed by FTIR which identified new intermolecular interactions formed between bisVCap and the APIs, stabilising the co-amorphous state. Crystals of a hydrogenated dimer of vinylpyrrolidone and hydrogen peroxide were grown by cooling crystallisation and characterised by SXRD. The structures were used to identify the bonding models present in a polyvinylpyrrolidone hydrogen peroxide complex. The crystal structures were combined with DFT calculations to produce two new proposed structures of the hydrogen bonding in the polyvinylpyrrolidone hydrogen peroxide complex. A hair care mixture formed from a gluconamide and a gluconate and 3-hydroxypropyl ammonium salt, is known to strengthen hair fibres; however, the process is unknown. To identify potential interactions between the mixture and hair fibres, a range of crystals were grown. The crystals were identified by SXRD as two polymorphic forms of the gluconamide and three salts of 3-hydroxypropylammonium with sulfuric acid, methane sulfonic acid and oxalic acid. The new crystal structures and structures from the Cambridge structural database were used to speculate potential interactions formed. The gluconamide was identified to be a supramolecular gelator in aniline and benzyl alcohol. The gels were characterised by rheology, scanning electron microscopy, 1H NMR, FTIR and XRPD

An examination of pupils' metacognitive ability in physical education

The objectives of the present study were to examine the type and quality of metacognitive ability that pupils bring with them to Physical Education lessons, and the potential influences upon, and the effects of, pupils' metacognitive ability. In addition, there was an examination of whether pupils' metacognitive ability could be developed in Physical Education. The research programme involved four stages and a total of six schools. Stage one to three involved validating classroom-based literature in Physical Education, the development of metacognitive ability assessment procedures and a pilot study. Stage four of the study (the main study) examined Year 7 and Year 9 pupils' metacognitive ability both before and after one of three possible intervention settings: (1) a control setting; (2) a self-questioning metacognitive strategy setting (Meta); or (3) a self-questioning metacognitive strategy, metacognitive knowledge of person and strategy variables and specific cognitive strategies setting (Meta+). The main data-gathering tool in stage four was a specifically designed questionnaire, supported by semi-structured interviews and ethnographic data relevant to the schools, teachers, classes and lessons involved in the study. From the pre-intervention data collected in the main study it would appear that pupils aged between eleven and fourteen struggle to develop efficient metacognitive ability and that they lack even the most fundamental necessities of effective learning such as understanding the purpose of a task. The pupils' rnetacognitive ability seemed to be influenced by a range of contextual and personal variables and there was an interacting relationship between their metacognitive ability and concepts such as volitional control, locus of control, motivational orientation and self-efficacy. The intervention treatment settings seemed more beneficial to the development of pupils' metacognitive ability compared to a control setting, although the influence of contextual and personal variables still had a significant bearing on this development

Inherit the Wind: Formal Essay [Liberal Arts]

This common assignment was designed for students in an LMF 101 (First-Year Seminar for Liberal Arts: Math & Science) class and those in a capstone LIB 200 (Science, Technology, and Humanism) class. The assignment is aligned to the Integrative Learning Core Competency and the Written Communication Ability. In this assignment, the students in both classes critically read the play, Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, and the LMF 101 class is also shown the film based on the play. The play is based on the connection of two of the major themes of these classes: humanism and science. The students are then required to write a comprehensive essay, which addresses a declared thesis statement based on the conflicts and intersections of the overarching themes, inherent within the play. In preparation for the formal essay assignment, there are in-class discussions and activities that are focused on critically thinking and analyzing several key quotations from the play: significant to character and plot development, as well as the connections between humanism and science. Subsequently, the LIB 200 students peer review the essays of the LMF 101 students, who in turn, respond to these peer reviews. The peer-review process comprises two combined class meetings and discussions focused on the LIB 200 student reviews and the LMF 101 student responses. LMF 101 is a dynamic, interactive course with a variety of objectives that have been designed to address key issues connected to college life, the utilization of on-campus resources, the learning process for students and the pathway to their major. The introductory nature of this course serves as an orientation to the academic disciplines in the program, and provides exposure to the content that students will learn to develop and organize as they progress, as well as the connections they will make between academic content and their own experience. The overwhelming majority of students enrolled in this course are concurrently enrolled in remedial writing or introductory composition courses; the concept/process of peer-reviewing and peer-critiquing is introduced in students’ writing courses, and then applied to diverse context in this collaborative project with the Capstone students. LIB 200 is a culminating capstone course in the college experience that explores, in depth, the relationship between humanism, science and technology. It is a writing intensive class, in which students apply knowledge, writing, and critical thinking strategies acquired in earlier courses to relevant contemporary and historical societal issues, as well as reflect on their responsibilities in a diverse society. LaGuardia’s Core Competencies and Communication Abilities Framed by the dimensions of the Written Communication Ability rubric, this assignment helps students build the ability to critically examine and interpret a relevant text in order to enhance their critical thinking, synthesis, analysis, reflection and evaluation skills within the context of societal ethics and values. Overall, the assignment is worth 15% of the final grade in the LMF 101 and LIB 200 courses. The assignment was developed and implemented as part of a Learning Matters mini-grant project that aimed to enhance the Liberal Arts experience to students across the academic spectrum. The assignment was also discussed in detail in the mini-seminar sessions and revised based on the feedback obtained from such interactions with colleagues

Mediating exposure in public interactions

Mobile computing and public interactions together open up a new range of challenges in interaction design. To date a very gregarious model of interaction has been assumed. However, the public setting will invoke feelings of shyness and a desire to control the personal exposure associated with interactions. In this paper we discuss these issues and our initial tests of a system which affords a control beyond "engage or don't engage"

Children in care or in need:educational progress at home and in care

By age 16 the attainment of most children in or on the edge of out of home care has fallen well behind the average for their age. This paper uses the English National Pupil Database to examine how much of this falling behind occurs before the age 7, and how any subsequent decline relates to time in care as against time outside it. We compare the previous progress of three groups of 16-year-olds: 5,175 looked after by the state (CLA), 17,392 in need but not in care (CIN), and 22,567 children matched with the CLA or CIN on initial attainment, special educational needs and eligibility for free school meals. We found that the attainment of the CIN and those CLA not yet in care was around one standard deviation below the cohort average at age 7. It then fell relative to their peers while their rate of unauthorised absences and exclusions grew. Removal from home to care appeared to halt or greatly reduce this decline but did not, on average, reverse it. We conclude that educational interventions for CLA should also include CIN, start before 7, target both school and family, and exploit the educational opportunity which care provides

Approximating Nash Equilibria in Normal-Form Games via Stochastic Optimization

We propose the first, to our knowledge, loss function for approximate Nash equilibria of normal-form games that is amenable to unbiased Monte Carlo estimation. This construction allows us to deploy standard non-convex stochastic optimization techniques for approximating Nash equilibria, resulting in novel algorithms with provable guarantees. We complement our theoretical analysis with experiments demonstrating that stochastic gradient descent can outperform previous state-of-the-art approaches

Functional Benefits of Hard Martial Arts for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(3): 1430-1443, 2022. The present scoping review focused upon the functional benefits of hard martial arts training for older adults. The AXIS Critical Appraisal Tool was used to appraise all studies included in the review. A systematic literature search identified 265 papers via electronic database and ten papers from additional sources. Of these, six studies featuring 240 participants were included in the final scoping review. Of the included studies, three were randomized control trials and three were comparative studies with concurrent controls. The available studies outlined improvements in functional fitness parameters for older adults participating in hard martial arts training (strength 9.3–34%; mobility 9.5–13.6%; aerobic endurance 13.4%; flexibility 11.1–316.7%; balance 20.5%). However, inconsistencies in training stimulus and a limited number of studies highlight the need for further research before hard martial arts can be recommended for older adults. Based upon the limited available literature, to improve functional fitness, hard martial arts training should be conducted for 60 to 90 minutes, at least twice a week for a minimum of eleven weeks