Design of a mixed reality workspace for an expressive humanoid robot

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 25).The MIT Media Laboratory Robotic Life Group's Leonardo is a highly expressive robot used for, among other things, social learning and human-robot teamwork research. A mixed reality workspace was conceived to aid in experimentation and demonstration of human-robot interaction by providing a complex state space and several interaction possibilities. A box concept was selected for its ability to incorporate several interaction mechanisms while allowing for meaningful physical tasks. A first iteration of the system was completed, which was controllable primarily through serial communication with a computer, while providing minimal physical communication. For a second revision of the system, physical interaction devices were developed which could be actuated by either the robot or a human, so as to better explore social interaction. Further development of the project will yield a robust, flexible and expandable tool with which future robot social learning and teamwork research can be performed.by Javier G. Matamoros.S.B

Pore-forming transmembrane domains control ion selectivity and selectivity filter conformation in the KirBac1.1 potassium channel

Potassium (K+) channels are membrane proteins with the remarkable ability to very selectively conduct K+ ions across the membrane. High-resolution structures have revealed that dehydrated K+ ions permeate through the narrowest region of the pore, formed by the backbone carbonyls of the signature selectivity filter (SF) sequence TxGYG. However, the existence of nonselective channels with similar SF sequences, as well as effects of mutations in other regions on selectivity, suggest that the SF is not the sole determinant of selectivity. We changed the selectivity of the KirBac1.1 channel by introducing mutations at residue I131 in transmembrane helix 2 (TM2). These mutations increase Na+ flux in the absence of K+ and introduce significant proton conductance. Consistent with K+ channel crystal structures, single-molecule FRET experiments show that the SF is conformationally constrained and stable in high-K+ conditions but undergoes transitions to dilated low-FRET states in high-Na+/low-K+ conditions. Relative to wild-type channels, I131M mutants exhibit marked shifts in the K+ and Na+ dependence of SF dynamics to higher K+ and lower Na+ concentrations. These results illuminate the role of I131, and potentially other structural elements outside the SF, in controlling ion selectivity, by suggesting that the physical interaction of these elements with the SF contributes to the relative stability of the constrained K+-induced SF configuration versus nonselective dilated conformations

Toward a Typology of Public Innovation. Eccentric, Discrete, Flat and Transformative Innovation

Academic literature on public innovation has principally centered on the dimension of novelty, placing less importance on the scope of the adoption of every innovation. This chapter explores both dimensions as a means of proposing a typology of public innovation with four possibilities: eccentric, discrete, flat and transformative innovation, explaining them based on examples of recent practices including some associated with the response to the COVID-19 virus. While not proposing a theory of Public Innovation, the chapter allows for advancement in the exploration of causal connections included within both dimensions of public innovation, based on the typology. The conceptual relations between Public Innovation, on the one hand, and the literature on the Entrepreneurial State, mission-oriented innovation and inclusive development, on the other hand, are also addressed

Towards a functional governance framework for regional innovation systems in emerging economies: the case of Risaralda (Colombia)

The analysis of Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) in Latin America has grown from both academic and policy perspectives. However, the dominant structural approach on RIS has limited the scope of analysis, overlooking the functional dynamics that take place in such systems. This paper addresses the question of how to conceive the governance of RIS from a functional perspective, by conducting a case study on the emerging Risaralda RIS (Colombia), which stands out for its innovative performance while still displaying important systemic failures. We specifically inquire into the strengths, weaknesses, integration dynamics and functions of this RIS. Results show a system with institutional and governance failures, which is host to a disperse network of stakeholders and innovation processes that include prioritized and enabling functions. We discuss these results and propose a governance framework that was collectively outlined with the participation of stakeholders in the RIS of Risaralda

Science, Technology, and Innovation Governance for Social Inclusion and Sustainable Development in Latin America

The introduction of the concept of governance in Latin America belongs to the neoliberal policies of privatization that tried to trace and assure that public funds, especially international loans, can overcome several corruption problems and the lag in the bargaining between public and private actors. The idea that transparency and accountability in the private actors that receive contracts from the States with the slogan of competitiveness reach bankruptcy. In this framework, studies in science, technology, and innovation (STI) began to interest in governance as a way to explain how policy and research networks create space, mechanisms, and instruments to negotiate and steer policies and actions and create a better future. The scientific challenges to solve complex problems need several actors and fields beyond traditional ministries and bureaucratic governments jurisdictions. Then, governance arises to understand the coordination between several stakeholders that are able to collaborate and develop systems to achieve common goals. This chapter introduces the book that covers the research shared in the congress “Governance of science, technology, and innovation for inclusive and sustainable development in Latin America” organized by the Network on Governance and Management of Science, Technology, and Innovation—(Red GCTI) with a critical point of view. The main contribution is to show the topics, approaches, controversies, trends, and challenges in the Latin American research of STI governance for social inclusion and sustainability

Conformational plasticity of NaK2K and TREK2 potassium channel selectivity filters

The

Anomalous roughness with system size dependent local roughness exponent

We note that in a system far from equilibrium the interface roughening may depend on the system size which plays the role of control parameter. To detect the size effect on the interface roughness, we study the scaling properties of rough interfaces formed in paper combustion experiments. Using paper sheets of different width \lambda L, we found that the turbulent flame fronts display anomalous multi-scaling characterized by non universal global roughness exponent \alpha and the system size dependent spectrum of local roughness exponents,\xi_q, whereas the burning fronts possess conventional multi-affine scaling. The structure factor of turbulent flame fronts also exhibit unconventional scaling dependence on \lambda These results are expected to apply to a broad range of far from equilibrium systems, when the kinetic energy fluctuations exceed a certain critical value.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figure

Relación entre sintomatología depresiva y cohesión familiar en adolescentes de una institución educativa de Boyacá/ Relationship between depressive symptoms and family cohesion among adolescents in an educational institution from Boyaca

Investigación correlacional, cuyo objetivo fue establecer la relación entre cohesión familiar y nivel de sintomatología depresiva en adolescentes escolarizados de una institución educativa de la ciudad de Tunja (Boyacá). La muestra, seleccionada a partir de muestreo no probabilístico, estuvo conformada por 244 estudiantes de básica secundaria, 51,6 % hombres y 48,4 % mujeres, con una media de edad de 17 años. Se aplicó la Escala de Depresión del Centro de Estudios Epidemiológicos CES-D adaptada para población colombiana (Villalobos & Ortiz, 2012), la Escala de Cohesión Familiar de Torres de Galvis y Murelle (Maya et al., 2000) y una ficha de datos sociodemográfica diseñada para el estudio. Los datos se analizaron con el índice de correlación de Tau-b de Kendall (SPSS v.23), y se concluye que existe una relación negativa (-0,161) entre la presencia de sintomatología depresiva y el nivel de cohesión familiar y una significancia de 0.012; se destaca la correlación existente entre las dos variables y los altos índices de sintomatología depresiva. De acuerdo a lo anterior se sugiere implementar estrategias de prevención e intervención int