RoboTalk - Prototyping a Humanoid Robot as Speech-to-Sign Language Translator

Information science mostly focused on sign language recognition. The current study instead examines whether humanoid robots might be fruitful avatars for sign language translation. After a review of research into sign language technologies, a survey of 50 deaf participants regarding their preferences for potential reveals that humanoid robots represent a promising option. The authors also 3D-printed two arms of a humanoid robot, InMoov, with special joints for the index finger and thumb that would provide it with additional degrees of freedom to express sign language. They programmed the robotic arms with German sign language and integrated it with a voice recognition system. Thus this study provides insights into human–robot interactions in the context of sign language translation; it also contributes ideas for enhanced inclusion of deaf people into society

30 Jahre Sächsische Verfassung - Feierstunde am 18. März 2022:

Der Weg zur sächsischen Verfassung vor 30 Jahren folgte eben diesem Prinzip. Der im Kurort Gohrisch erarbeitete Gesetzentwurf stieß in der Bevölkerung auf großes Interesse. Der Entwurfstext selbst, aber auch strittige Punkte und Gegenpositionen waren in den Tageszeitungen jener Zeit zu lesen. Etwa 1.300 Zuschriften, ich wiederhole 1.300 Zuschriften, gingen beim zuständigen Ausschuss des Landtags ein. Die res publica, der öffentliche politische Raum, wurde gelebte Realität

Jubiläum: 1990-2020: 30 Jahre Sächsischer Landtag

Vor 30 Jahren versammelten sich, nach Jahrzehnten der Diktatur, erstmals wieder frei gewählte Abgeordnete in Sachsen. Am Tage der feierlichen Konstituierung des 1. Sächsischen Landtags am 27. Oktober 1990 saßen sie Stuhl an Stuhl, Reihe an Reihe, gemeinsam im Saal der Dreikönigskirche in Dresden. Dass uns Parlamentariern dieser Raum mit dem ikonografischen Wandbild von Werner Juza zur Verfügung stand, war ein historischer Glücksfall. Schließlich war er nach sechs Jahren Bauzeit erst kurz vorher fertiggestellt worden

Global stabilization of fixed points using predictive control

We analyze the global stability properties of some methods of predictive control. We particularly focus on the optimal control function introduced by de Sousa Vieira and Lichtenberg [Phys. Rev. E54, 1200 (1996)]. We rigorously prove that it is possible to use this method for the global stabilization of a discrete system xn+1=f(xn) into a positive equilibrium for a class of maps commonly used in population dynamics. Moreover, the controlledsystem is globally stable for all values of the control parameter for which it is locally asymptotically stable. Our study highlights the difficulty of obtaining global stability results for other methods of predictive control, where higher iterations of f are used in the control scheme.Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciónFondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regiona

A web-based app to provide personalized recommendations for COVID-19

Peer Reviewe

Mucosal melanomas of different anatomic sites share a common global DNA methylation profile with cutaneous melanoma but show location-dependent patterns of genetic and epigenetic alterations

Cutaneous, ocular, and mucosal melanomas are histologically indistinguishable tumors that are driven by a different spectrum of genetic alterations. With current methods, identification of the site of origin of a melanoma metastasis is challenging. DNA methylation profiling has shown promise for the identification of the site of tumor origin in various settings. Here we explore the DNA methylation landscape of melanomas from different sites and analyze if different melanoma origins can be distinguished by their epigenetic profile. We performed DNA methylation analysis, next generation DNA panel sequencing, and copy number analysis of 82 non-cutaneous and 25 cutaneous melanoma samples. We further analyzed eight normal melanocyte cell culture preparations. DNA methylation analysis separated uveal melanomas from melanomas of other primary sites. Mucosal, conjunctival, and cutaneous melanomas shared a common global DNA methylation profile. Still, we observed location-dependent DNA methylation differences in cancer-related genes, such as low frequencies of RARB (7/63) and CDKN2A promoter methylation (6/63) in mucosal melanomas, or a high frequency of APC promoter methylation in conjunctival melanomas (6/9). Furthermore, all investigated melanomas of the paranasal sinus showed loss of PTEN expression (9/9), mainly caused by promoter methylation. This was less frequently seen in melanomas of other sites (24/98). Copy number analysis revealed recurrent amplifications in mucosal melanomas, including chromosomes 4q, 5p, 11q and 12q. Most melanomas of the oral cavity showed gains of chromosome 5p with TERT amplification (8/10), while 11q amplifications were enriched in melanomas of the nasal cavity (7/16). In summary, mucosal, conjunctival, and cutaneous melanomas show a surprisingly similar global DNA methylation profile and identification of the site of origin by DNA methylation testing is likely not feasible. Still, our study demonstrates tumor location-dependent differences of promoter methylation frequencies in specific cancer-related genes together with tumor site-specific enrichment for specific chromosomal changes and genetic mutations. (c) 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland

An exploratory study into the effects of a 20 minute crushed ice application on knee joint position sense during a small knee bend.

Objectives The effect of cryotherapy on joint positioning presents conflicting debates as to whether individuals are at an increased risk of injury when returning to play or activity immediately following cryotherapy application at the knee. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a 20 minute application of crushed ice at the knee immediately affects knee joint position sense during a small knee bend. Design Pre and post-intervention. Setting University movement analysis laboratory. Participants Eleven healthy male participants. Main Outcome Measures Kinematics of the knee were measured during a weight bearing functional task pre and post cryotherapy intervention using three-dimensional motion analysis (Qualisys Medical AB Gothenburg, Sweden). Tissue cooling was measured via a digital thermometer at the knee. Results Results demonstrated significant reductions in the ability to accurately replicate knee joint positioning in both sagittal (P=.035) and coronal (P=.011) planes during the descent phase of a small knee bend following cryotherapy. Conclusion In conclusion a twenty minute application of crushed ice to the knee has an adverse effect on knee joint repositioning. Team doctors, clinicians, therapists and athletes should consider these findings when deciding to return an athlete to functional weight bearing tasks immediately following ice application at the knee, due to the potential increase risk of injury

Common Oversights in the Design and Monitoring of Ecosystem-Based Management Plans and the Siting of Marine Protected Areas

Scientific information to properly manage resources, improve sustainability of exploited ecosystems and conserve biodiversity will never be sufficient to provide a ‘how-to’ user manual for managers and conservation agencies. Yet, scientists must still provide guidelines to preserve the ecosystem services on which life depends and help us navigate a path away from collapse. Facing the impossibility of managing data-poor coastal fisheries using traditional fisheries protocols and recognizing the limitations of ‘resource-focus’ approaches, which disregard the wider ecosystem implications of fisheries and the human dimensions of sustainability, scientists and practitioners have turned to more integrated and holistic approaches. The implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) plans have been endorsed by the scientific community and are prioritized. Here, we highlight two persistently overlooked or under-appreciated aspects in the zonation design, the monitoring programs, and EBM and MPA effectiveness assessments. Using the Galápagos Marine Reserve Management Plan (GMRMP) as example we illustrate the need to include: (1) basic principles of dispersal and connectivity in spatial planning and EBM in general and (2) multi-species models to assess ecosystem-wide consequences of management policies, i.e. adaptive monitoring. On one hand, well-developed metapopulatiton theory, advanced oceanographic modeling, and global hydrographic information make it possible to consider connectivity in spatial management and we show why it is urgent to include time-varying metapopulation dynamics if we are to sustainably exploit coastal marine ecosystems, including the Galapagos Marine Reserve. On the other hand, attributing biodiversity changes to policy cannot be done without species interaction models that anticipate the propagation of effects through the ecological web. We suggest that quantitative, bioenergetic multi-species models, parameterized following basic allometric principles can be used in a qualitative manner to simulate management scenarios and identify the species that can be most affected by spatial management decisions

Easy, fast and reproducible Stochastic Cellular Automata withchouca

* Stochastic cellular automata (SCA) are models that describe spatial ecological dynamics using a grid of cells that switch between discrete states over time, depending only on current states (Markov chain processes). They are widely used to understand how small-scale processes scale up to affect ecological dynamics at larger spatial scales, and have been applied to a wide diversity of theoretical and applied problems in all systems, such as arid ecosystems, coral reefs, forests, bacteria, or urban growth. * Despite their wide applications, SCA implementations found in the literature are often ad-hoc, lacking performance and guarantees of correctness. More importantly, de novo implementation of SCA for each specific system and application represents a major barrier for many practitioners. To provide a unifying, well-tested technical basis to this class of models and facilitate their implementation, we built chouca. which is an R package that translates intuitive SCA model declarations and expert-based assumptions about the state space system into compiled code and run simulations in a reproducible and efficient way. * chouca supports a wide set of SCA along with deterministic cellular automata, with performance typically two to three orders of magnitude that of ad hoc implementations found in the literature, all while maintaining an intuitive interface in the R environment. Exact and mean-field simulations can be run, and both numerical and graphical results can be easily exported. * Besides providing better reproducibility and accessibility, a fast engine for SCA unlocks novel, computationally intensive statistical approaches, such as simulation-based inference of ecological interactions from field data, which represents by itself an important avenue for research. By providing an easy and efficient entry point to SCAs, chouca lowers the bar to the use of this class of models for ecologists, managers and general practitioners, providing a leveled-off reproducible platform while opening novel methodological approaches