Towards a music visualization on robot (MVR) prototype

© 2018 IEEE. This paper presents a Music Visualization on Robot (MVR) prototype system which automatically links the flashlight, color and emotion of a robot through music. The MVR system is divided into three portions. Firstly, the system calculates the waiting time for a flashlight by beat tracking. Secondly, the system calculates the emotion correlated with music mood. Thirdly, the system links the color with emotion. To illustrate the prototype on a robot, the prototype implementation is based on a programmable robot called Zenbo because Zenbo has 8 LED light colors on 2 wheels and 24 face emotions to support various compositions

Integrating phase change materials in buildings for heating and cooling demand reduction – A global study

This study aims to analyse the integration of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) in building envelopes globally, focusing on its ability to reduce the energy demand and its economic viability. The study conducted extensive simulations using the DesignBuilder software across 5684 locations globally and utilising artificial intelligence (AI) models to extend the simulation further to 73,515 locations, evaluating the impacts of PCM properties such as melting temperature (MT) and thickness. The main findings indicate that pronounced annual energy savings, 2500 to 3000 kWh, are observed in equatorial regions including northeast Brazil, central Africa, and the Malay Archipelago. Additionally, the optimal utilisation of increased PCM thickness is contingent upon selecting the correct MT and is most effective in regions with high average maximum temperatures, while the most common effective thickness is 20 mm. The study demonstrates that MT significantly affects energy savings, more than PCM thickness, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate MT based on climatic conditions. The 25 °C MT is most effective within lower latitude range (−15°–30°), averaging 743.2 kWh greater savings than the 21 °C option. The 21 °C MT shows superior performance outside of this range, however the advantage is marginal as the average savings is 251.0 kWh. Economically, regions such as the USA, southern Europe (Spain and Italy), Brazil, and northern Australia show the best viability for PCM integration, aligning energy efficiency improvements with substantial economic returns. This comprehensive analysis suggests that tailored PCM integration strategies are essential for maximising energy savings and advancing sustainable building practices

Harvest and Post?harvest Issues in Farming Systems Research

RESUMEN Los temas de la cosecha y post?cosecha en la investigaciön de sistemas agricoles La creciente literatura sobre la investigación de sistemas agricolas presta poca atención al sistema de cosecha y post?cosecha (SCPC), Y aún así el SCPC es probable que sea central en cualquier programa de investigación de sistemas agrícolas, tanto por ser prioritario de por sí como por los efectos que tendrán en el SCPC tradicional los cambios tecnológicos en otras partes del sistema agricola. El argumento se ilustra con un caso estudiado en Santa Cruz, Bolivia, examinándose asimismo las implicaciones para la organización de la investigación de sistemas agricolas. SUMMARY The growing literature on farming systems research pays little attention to the harvest and post?harvest system (HPHS). Yet the HPHS is likely to be central to any programme of farming systems research both because it is a priority on its own account and because technology changes in other parts of the farm system disturb the traditional HPHS. The argument is illustrated by a case study from Santa Cruz, Bolivia and the implications for the organisation of farming systems research are examined. RÉSUMÉ Questions de récoltes et post?récoltes dans la recherche des systèmes agricoles La littérature grossisante sur les recherches des systèmes agricoles ne prête que peu d'attention au système récolte et post?récolte (SRPR). II est cependant très possible que le SRPR soit au coeur même de tout programme de recherche des systèmes agricoles tant parce que c'est en lui?même une priorité de recherche que parce que les modifications de la technologie dans d'autres parties du système agricole troublent le SRPR traditionnel. Le point est illustré par une étude individuelle de Santa Cruz, en Bolivie, et les implications pour l'organisation de la recherche des systèmes d'exploitation agricole sont examinées

Anxiety and Depression in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are thought to be at disproportionate risk of developing mental health comorbidities, with anxiety and depression being considered most prominent amongst these. Yet, no systematic review has been carried out to date to examine rates of both anxiety and depression focusing specifically on adults with ASD. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the rates of anxiety and depression in adults with ASD and the impact of factors such as assessment methods and presence of comorbid intellectual disability (ID) diagnosis on estimated prevalence rates. Electronic database searches for studies published between January 2000 and September 2017 identified a total of 35 studies, including 30 studies measuring anxiety (n = 26 070; mean age = 30.9, s.d. = 6.2 years) and 29 studies measuring depression (n = 26 117; mean age = 31.1, s.d. = 6.8 years). The pooled estimation of current and lifetime prevalence for adults with ASD were 27% and 42% for any anxiety disorder, and 23% and 37% for depressive disorder. Further analyses revealed that the use of questionnaire measures and the presence of ID may significantly influence estimates of prevalence. The current literature suffers from a high degree of heterogeneity in study method and an overreliance on clinical samples. These results highlight the importance of community-based studies and the identification and inclusion of well-characterized samples to reduce heterogeneity and bias in estimates of prevalence for comorbidity in adults with ASD and other populations with complex psychiatric presentations

A study of children facial recognition for privacy in smart TV

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017. Nowadays Smart TV is becoming very popular in many families. Smart TV provides computing and connectivity capabilities with access to online services, such as video on demand, online games, and even sports and healthcare activities. For example, Google Smart TV, which is based on Google Android, integrates into the users’ daily physical activities through its ability to extract and access context information dependent on the surrounding environment and to react accordingly via built-in camera and sensors. Without a viable privacy protection system in place, however, the expanding use of Smart TV can lead to privacy violations through tracking and user profiling by broadcasters and others. This becomes of particular concern when underage users such as children who may not fully understand the concept of privacy are involved in using the Smart TV services. In this study, we consider digital imaging and ways to identify and properly tag pictures of children in order to prevent unwanted disclosure of personal information. We have conducted a preliminary experiment on the effectiveness of facial recognition technology in Smart TV where experimental recognition of child face presence in feedback image streams is conducted through the Microsoft’s Face Application Programming Interface

Short chain diamines are the physiological substrates of PACE family efflux pumps

Acinetobacter baumannii has rapidly emerged as a major cause of gram-negative hospital infections worldwide. A. baumannii encodes for the transport protein AceI, which confers resistance to chlorhexidine, a widely used antiseptic. AceI is also the prototype for the recently discovered proteobacterial antimicrobial compound efflux (PACE) family of transport proteins that confer resistance to a range of antibiotics and antiseptics in many gram-negative bacteria, including pathogens. The gene encoding AceI is conserved in the core genome of A. baumannii, suggesting that it has an important primordial function. This is incongruous with the sole characterized substrate of AceI, chlorhexidine, an entirely synthetic biocide produced only during the last century. Here we investigated a potential primordial function of AceI and other members of the PACE family in the transport of naturally occurring polyamines. Polyamines are abundant in living cells, where they have physiologically important functions and play multifaceted roles in bacterial infection. Gene expression studies revealed that the aceI gene is induced in A. baumannii by the short-chain diamines cadaverine and putrescine. Membrane transport experiments conducted in whole cells of A. baumannii and Escherichia coli and also in proteoliposomes showed that AceI mediates the efflux of these short-chain diamines when energized by an electrochemical gradient. Assays conducted using 8 additional diverse PACE family proteins identified 3 that also catalyze cadaverine transport. Taken together, these results demonstrate that short-chain diamines are common substrates for the PACE family of transport proteins, adding to their broad significance as a novel family of efflux pumps