Single-Shot Clothing Category Recognition in Free-Configurations with Application to Autonomous Clothes Sorting

This paper proposes a single-shot approach for recognising clothing categories from 2.5D features. We propose two visual features, BSP (B-Spline Patch) and TSD (Topology Spatial Distances) for this task. The local BSP features are encoded by LLC (Locality-constrained Linear Coding) and fused with three different global features. Our visual feature is robust to deformable shapes and our approach is able to recognise the category of unknown clothing in unconstrained and random configurations. We integrated the category recognition pipeline with a stereo vision system, clothing instance detection, and dual-arm manipulators to achieve an autonomous sorting system. To verify the performance of our proposed method, we build a high-resolution RGBD clothing dataset of 50 clothing items of 5 categories sampled in random configurations (a total of 2,100 clothing samples). Experimental results show that our approach is able to reach 83.2\% accuracy while classifying clothing items which were previously unseen during training. This advances beyond the previous state-of-the-art by 36.2\%. Finally, we evaluate the proposed approach in an autonomous robot sorting system, in which the robot recognises a clothing item from an unconstrained pile, grasps it, and sorts it into a box according to its category. Our proposed sorting system achieves reasonable sorting success rates with single-shot perception.Comment: 9 pages, accepted by IROS201

Assessing Factors that Influence Teenagers’ Involvement in Gambling Activities in Tanzania: A Case of Tandika Ward of Temeke District, Dar es Salaam - Tanzania

Gambling is not a new phenomenon in the society and to the field of scholars. The subject has been in existence since the ancient societies, nevertheless it has gained popularity with more human interactions and modernization. Of late, gambling has gained attention due to the age problem in which there is a concern of growing numbers of teenagers who engage in gambling activities. The main aim of this study was to assess the factors for increasing teenagers’ involvement in gambling activities. Thus, the objective of the study was to examine the effectiveness of legislation in controlling teenage gambling. The explorative study was conducted in Temeke district of Dar es salaam and it engaged both qualitative and quantitative methods. A sample of 99 participants was selected through simple random sampling, snow ball sampling and convenience sampling. The study employed in-depth interview and questionnaire to collect information that enabled the writing of this paper. Qualitative data was analyzed by use of thematic data analysis methods while quantitative data was analyzed with graphs and percentages of responses as well as paragraph explanations. The findings revealed that there are legislative factors that influence teenagers involvement into gambling activities, the factors include: ineffectiveness of Tanzania Gambling Act (TGA) of 2006, ineffectiveness of Gaming Board of Tanzania (GBT), District Administrative Secretary (DAS’) office, and Ward Executive Offices (WEO). The study recommended that the government should review the policies and clearly stipulate further restrictions and repercussions on areas concerning teenagers and/or under age involvement in gambling activities. Through the Regional Administration and Local Government Authority (RALG) departments and Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST) to design awareness programs to the public and sensitize members of public on social and economic adverse effects of gambling to teenagers. Parents should be encourages to be responsible and accountable for the behaviors of their children. Also, the local government authorities should be training in technology aspects and equipped with resources to execute better on their roles in the communities

Dietary flavonoid intakes and CVD incidence in the Framingham Offspring Cohort

This study examines the relationship between long-term intake of six flavonoid classes and incidence of CVD and CHD, using a comprehensive flavonoid database and repeated measures of intake, while accounting for possible confounding by components of a healthy dietary pattern. Flavonoid intakes were assessed using a FFQ among the Framingham Offspring Cohort at baseline and three times during follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to characterise prospective associations between the natural logarithms of flavonoid intakes and CVD incidence using a time-dependent approach, in which intake data were updated at each examination to represent average intakes from previous examinations. Mean baseline age was 54 years, and 45 % of the population was male. Over an average 14·9 years of follow-up among 2880 participants, there were 518 CVD events and 261 CHD events. After multivariable adjustment, only flavonol intake was significantly associated with lower risk of CVD incidence (hazard ratios (HR) per 2·5-fold flavonol increase = 0·86, Ptrend = 0·05). Additional adjustment for total fruit and vegetable intake and overall diet quality attenuated this observation (HR = 0·89, Ptrend = 0·20 and HR = 0·92, Ptrend = 0·33, respectively). There were no significant associations between flavonoids and CHD incidence after multivariable adjustment. Our findings suggest that the observed association between flavonol intake and CVD risk may be a consequence of better overall diet. However, the strength of this non-significant association was also consistent with relative risks observed in previous meta-analyses, and therefore a modest benefit of flavonol intake on CVD risk cannot be ruled out

Mule Deer Impede Pando’s Recovery: Implications for Aspen Resilience from a Single-Genotype Forest

Aspen ecosystems (upland Populus-dominated forests) support diverse species assemblages in many parts of the northern hemisphere, yet are imperiled by common stressors. Extended drought, fire suppression, human development, and chronic herbivory serve to limit the sustainability of this keystone species. Here we assess conditions at a renowned quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) grove—purportedly the largest living organism on earth—with ramifications for aspen biogeography globally. The “Pando” clone is 43 ha and estimated to contain 47,000 genetically identical aspen ramets. This iconic forest is threatened in particular by herbivory, and current management activities aim to reverse the potential for type conversion, likely to a non-forest state. We set out to gauge agents affecting recent deterioration through a network of monitoring plots and by examining a chronosequence of historic aerial photos to better understand the timing of putative departure from a sustainable course. Sixty-five permanent forest monitoring plots were located in three management regimes existing within Pando: no fencing, fencing with active and passive treatments, fencing with passive-only treatment. At each sample plot we measured live and dead mature trees, stem recruitment and regeneration, forest and shrub cover, browse level, and feces counts as a surrogate for ungulate presence. Ordination results indicate that aspen regeneration was the strongest indicator of overall forest conditions at Pando, and that mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) presence strongly impacts successful regeneration. Additionally, fencing with active/passive treatments yielded the most robust regeneration levels; however, a fence penetrable by ungulates in the passive-only treatment most likely played a role in this outcome. The aerial photo sequence depicts various human intrusions over the past seven decades, but perhaps most telling, a decline in self-replacement beginning 30–40 years ago. Aspen communities in many locations in North American and Europe are impacted by unchecked herbivory. The Pando clone presents a unique opportunity for understanding browse mechanisms in a forest where tree genotype, closely aligned with growth and chemical defense, is uniform

Hydrologic Model Studies of the Mt. Olympus Cove Area of Salt Lake County

Urban development on any natural drainage basin causes marked changes in the runoff characteristics of the basin. Urbanization alters natural drainage channels and reduces average infiltration rates. Thus, flood conditions are enhanced both within the urbanizing area itself and at downstream locations, where existing channels might not be able to cope with the increased rates of water flow. The Olympus Cove area in Salt Lake County is undergoing rapid urban development, and potential flood hazards within the area and at downstream locations are thereby increasing. Recognizing this situation, officials of the Sale Lake County took the initiative in organizing an ‘ad hoc’ interagency technical team to study and evaluate the problem. The particular responsibilities which were undertaken by the representatives of the Utah Water Research Laboratory on this study team were to synthesize all existing information, and what which might be developed during the study period, and on this basis to formulate computer models to represent the hydrology of the area. The report describes the model development process and discusses the application of the models to the three source areas being considered, namely: (1) the Neff’s Canyon drainage; (2) the northern slopes of Mt. Olympus; and (3) the urbanizing area of Olympus Cove. Runoff from the short-term, high-intensity, convective storms is emphasized. Hydrologic response was found to be particularl

Aspen Indicator Species in Lichen Communities in the Bear River Range of Idaho and Utah

Aspen are thought to be declining in this region due to a combination of fire suppression, grazing and wildlife management practices, and potentially cool/wet climates of the past century which favor advancing conifer succession. Many scientists are concerned that aspen’s related species may also be losing habitat, thereby threatening the long-term local and regional viability of this important community. To date, few studies have specifically examined the role of aspen’s epiphytic lichen community. This paper presents basic community research describing the application of Indicator Species Analysis for lichens growing on aspen stems in the central Rocky Mountains of North American. Results show unique lichen assemblages between conifers and aspen – the dominant hardwood of mid-elevations in this region