Experimental evaluation of three leak detection and location concepts for space stations

Three leak (or precursor damage modes) detection and location concepts for space station overboard leakage were evaluated experimentally. The techniques are: (1) static and dynamic seal leak detector sensing of moisture or all gases in space cabin atmosphere, (2) active ultrasonic Lamb-wave detection of flaws or cracks in cabin wall, and (3) impact gage detection of stress waves induced in cabin pressure wall by meteoroid or orbital impact. The experimental results obtained in the program demonstrated that all three leak detection and location concepts are feasible. With further development, the methods can be integrated into an effective damage control system for advanced manned earth-orbital systems

Towards Empathetic Social Robots: Investigating the Interplay between Facial Expressions and Brain Activity

The pursuit of creating empathetic social robots that can understand and respond to human emotions is a critical challenge in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Social robots, designed to interact with humans in various settings, from healthcare to customer service, require a sophisticated understanding of human emotional states to resonate and effectively assist truly. Our research contributes to this ambitious goal by exploring the relationship between natural facial expressions and brain activity in these human-robot interactions, as captured by electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. This paper presents our initial steps towards this attempt. We want to find which areas in the participant user’s brain are most activated and how these activations correlate with facial expressions. Understanding these correlations is essential for developing social robots that recognize and empathize with various human emotions. Our approach combines neuroscience and computer science, offering a novel perspective in the quest to enhance the emotional intelligence of social robots. We share some preliminary results on a new multimodal dataset that we are developing, providing valuable insights into the potential of our work to improve the personalization and emotional depth of social robot interactions

Leaves and fruits preparations of Pistacia lentiscus L.: A review on the ethnopharmacological uses and implications in inflammation and infection

There is an increasing interest in revisiting plants for drug discovery, proving scientifically their role as remedies. The aim of this review was to give an overview of the ethnopharmacological uses of Pistacia lentiscus L. (PlL) leaves and fruits, expanding the search for the scientific discovery of their chemistry, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antimicrobial activities. PlL is a wild-growing shrub rich in terpenoids and polyphenols, the oil and extracts of which have been widely used against inflammation and infections, and as wound healing agents. The more recurrent components in PlL essential oil (EO) are represented by α-pinene, terpinene, caryophyllene, limonene and myrcene, with high variability in concentration depending on the Mediterranean country. The anti-inflammatory activity of the oil mainly occurs due to the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the arachidonic acid cascade. Interestingly, the capacity against COX-2 and LOX indicates PlL EO as a dual inhibitory compound. The high content of polyphenols enriching the extracts provide explanations for the known biological properties of the plant. The protective effect against reactive oxygen species is of wide interest. In particular, their anthocyanins content greatly clarifies their antioxidative capacity. Further, the antimicrobial activity of PlL oil and extracts includes the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, periodontal bacteria and Candida spp. In conclusion, the relevant scientific properties indicate PlL as a nutraceutical and also as a therapeutic agent against a wide range of diseases based on inflammation and infections

Comparing angular and curved shapes in terms of implicit associations and approach/avoidance responses.

Most people prefer smoothly curved shapes over more angular shapes. We investigated the origin of this effect using abstract shapes and implicit measures of semantic association and preference. In Experiment 1 we used a multidimensional Implicit Association Test (IAT) to verify the strength of the association of curved and angular polygons with danger (safe vs. danger words), valence (positive vs. negative words) and gender (female vs. male names). Results showed that curved polygons were associated with safe and positive concepts and with female names, whereas angular polygons were associated with danger and negative concepts and with male names. Experiment 2 used a different implicit measure, which avoided any need to categorise the stimuli. Using a revised version of the Stimulus Response Compatibility (SRC) task we tested with a stick figure (i.e., the manikin) approach and avoidance reactions to curved and angular polygons. We found that RTs for approaching vs. avoiding angular polygons did not differ, even in the condition where the angles were more pronounced. By contrast participants were faster and more accurate when moving the manikin towards curved shapes. Experiment 2 suggests that preference for curvature cannot derive entirely from an association of angles with threat. We conclude that smoothly curved contours make these abstract shapes more pleasant. Further studies are needed to clarify the nature of such a preference

L’esperienza dell’arte nel museo. Note psicologiche

Il proporci di esplorare quel tipo particolare di esperienza dell’arte che si può fare nel contesto del museo, ci consente di introdurre un concetto che la psicologia, mutuandolo dalla fisica, trovò utile per descrivere le dinamiche del funzionamento psichico dell’individuo nel rapporto con l’ambiente; si tratta del concetto di “campo”. Tra i gestaltisti, Lewin, in particolare, aveva posto a fulcro della sua teoria dinamica della condotta il principio che ogni esperienza umana si costituisce all’interno di relazioni tra fattori, traendo significato non dalle caratteristiche di singoli oggetti o condizioni, ma dalla risultante delle loro interconnessioni

Naive Observers and Art Experts Rate Irregular Stochastic Pictures More Dynamic and Beautiful

Several artists, neuroscientists, and art psychologists have investigated the existence of a relationship between perceived motion and beauty in figurative and abstract paintings. In our study, we created stimulus pictures by combining the same matrices, consisting of modular stochastic polygons, to obtain regular (translational symmetry) and irregular (non-symmetry) combinations. Some of these combinations consisted of many small matrices, making it difficult to read the 'shapes' of stochastic polygons. Our sample consisted of both art experts and non-art experts. We hypothesised that irregu-lar combinations, with fewer and greater numbers of the same matrices, would have stimulated more perception of motion, complexity and beauty than regular compositions. Results showed that stochas-tic irregular combinations are generally dynamic, more complex, and more aesthetically pleasing than stochastic regular compositions. Perhaps the greater dynamism of irregular combinations influ-ences beauty evaluation for compositions with stochastic matrices. Research has shown that specific artistic competence influences the assessment of irregular or asymmetrical stimuli as beautiful. Our study, on the other hand, shows that irregular stochastic combinations are more beautiful for both art experts and non-experts