An android architecture for bio-inspired honest signalling in Human-Humanoid Interaction

This paper outlines an augmented robotic architecture to study the conditions of successful Human-Humanoid Interaction (HHI). The architecture is designed as a testable model generator for interaction centred on the ability to emit, display and detect honest signals. First we overview the biological theory in which the concept of honest signals has been put forward in order to assess its explanatory power. We reconstruct the application of the concept of honest signalling in accounting for interaction in strategic contexts and in laying bare the foundation for an automated social metrics. We describe the modules of the architecture, which is intended to implement the concept of honest signalling in connection with a refinement provided by delivering the sense of co-presence in a shared environment. Finally, an analysis of Honest Signals, in term of body postures, exhibited by participants during the preliminary experiment with the Geminoid Hi-1 is provided

QUIJOTE scientific results - II. Polarisation measurements of the microwave emission in the Galactic molecular complexes W43 and W47 and supernova remnant W44

We present Q-U-I JOint TEnerife (QUIJOTE) intensity and polarisation maps at 10-20 GHz covering a region along the Galactic plane 24° ≳ l ≳ 45°, |b| ≳ 8°. These maps result from 210 h of data, have a sensitivity in polarisation of ≈ 40 μK beam and an angular resolution of ≈1°. Our intensity data are crucial to confirm the presence of anomalous microwave emission (AME) towards the two molecular complexesW43 (22σ) and W47 (8σ).We also detect at high significance (6σ) AME associated with W44, the first clear detection of this emission towards a supernova remnant. The new QUIJOTE polarisation data, in combination with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), are essential to (i) determine the spectral index of the synchrotron emission in W44, β = -0.62 ± 0.03, in good agreement with the value inferred from the intensity spectrum once a free-free component is included in the fit; (ii) trace the change in the polarisation angle associated with Faraday rotation in the direction of W44 with rotation measure -404 ± 49 rad m and (iii) set upper limits on the polarisation ofW43 of Π < 0.39 per cent (95 per cent C.L.) from QUIJOTE 17 GHz, and < 0.22 per cent from WMAP 41 GHz data, which are the most stringent constraints ever obtained on the polarisation fraction of the AME. For typical physical conditions (grain temperature and magnetic field strengths), and in the case of perfect alignment between the grains and the magnetic field, the models of electric or magnetic dipole emissions predict higher polarisation fractions.This work has been partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under the projects AYA2007-68058-C03-01, AYA2010-21766- C03-02, AYA2012-39475-C02-01, the Consolider-Ingenio project CSD2010-00064 (EPI: Exploring the Physics of Inflation) and also by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 687312. FP thanks the European Commission under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions within the H2020 program, Grant Agreement Number 658499-PolAME-H2020-MSCA-IF-2014.Peer Reviewe

Effectiveness of laxatives in elderly - a cross sectional study in nursing homes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Laxatives are efficient drugs, but the effectiveness has been questioned. In nursing homes, the prevalence of constipation is high and laxatives are commonly used drugs. The aims of the study were to assess the effectiveness of laxative therapy in an everyday setting in Norwegian nursing homes, study differences between treatment regimens and factors associated with normal bowel function.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study. After giving informed consent, residents above 60 years of age using laxatives for functional constipation were included, and their characteristics, medical history, use of drugs and bowel functions were recorded. Normal bowel function was defined as bowel movements from 3 times/week to 3 times/day and stool consistency 3-5 on Bristol Stool Form Scale.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Out of 647 residents in the nursing homes, 197 were included and 116 (59%) had normal bowel function. The treatment effect did not differ significantly between the laxatives, treatment regimens or expected efficacy of the regimens. The treatment was unsatisfactorily adapted to individual needs. In subjects with normal bowel function, 113 (97%) had persistent complaints; 68 (59.5%), 10 (8.0%), 34 (28.6%) and 26 (22.5%) reported straining, manual manoeuvre to facilitate bowel movements, feeling of incomplete bowel movements, and feeling of anorectal obstruction respectively. Good nutritional status, previous or present cancer disease and anxiety/depression were predictors of normal bowel function.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Treatment of constipation in nursing homes was unsatisfactory. Nearly all patients with normal stool frequency and consistence had some persistent complaints. Improved nutrition and individualization of the treatment could improve the outcome.</p

The QUIJOTE experiment: project overview and first results

QUIJOTE (Q-U-I JOint TEnerife) is a new polarimeter aimed to characterize the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background and other Galactic and extragalactic signals at medium and large angular scales in the frequency range 10-40 GHz. The multi-frequency (10-20~GHz) instrument, mounted on the first QUIJOTE telescope, saw first light on November 2012 from the Teide Observatory (2400~m a.s.l). During 2014 the second telescope has been installed at this observatory. A second instrument at 30~GHz will be ready for commissioning at this telescope during summer 2015, and a third additional instrument at 40~GHz is now being developed. These instruments will have nominal sensitivities to detect the B-mode polarization due to the primordial gravitational-wave component if the tensor-to-scalar ratio is larger than r=0.05.Comment: To appear in "Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VIII", Proceedings of the XI Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society, Teruel, Spain (2014

Parâmetros genéticos e análises de componentes principais para peso corporal e características morfológicas em bovinos de corte da raça Nelore.

Resumo: O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar as associações entre características de escores visuais de estrutura corporal ao sobreano (ES), precocidade ao sobreano (PS) e musculosidade ao sobreano (MS), e peso ajustado aos 455 dias de idade, por meio de análises de componentes principais, de forma a obter variáveis indicadoras de biotipo animal e estimar os parâmetros genéticos. Foram analisados 10.888 registros de bovinos de corte da raça Nelore, provenientes de um rebanho participante do Programa Nelore Brasil. As análises de componentes principais (PCA) foram realizadas por meio do software STATISTICA. Utilizando como autovetor o primeiro componente principal das análises, foram calculados valores para os animais com informações de escores visuais e pesos ajustados, que originaram as características de índices de biotipo INDs1, INDs2 e INDs3. Os componentes de (co) variância e os parâmetros genéticos foram estimados por inferência Bayesiana, utilizando modelo ui-característica pelo software AIREMLF90. As estimativas de herdabilidade para P455, ES, PS, MS, INDs1, INDs2 e INDs3 foram de 0,50, 0,33, 0,41, 0,34, 0,36, 0,44 e 0,30, respectivamente. As características estudadas apresentam variância genética aditiva suficiente para responderem satisfatoriamente a seleção. Mais estudos sobre as associações genéticas entre os índices de biotipo e características de importância econômica são necessários. Palavras?chave: bovinos de corte, componentes principais, estrutura corporal, herdabilidade, musculosidade, precocidade Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between visual scores of body structure (BY), finishing precocity, and muscling (MY) evaluated at yearling, and weight adjusted to 455 days of age, through principal components analysis, in order to obtain indicators of animal biotype and to estimate the genetic parameters. A total of 10.888 records of Nelore beef cattle from a herd of Nelore Brasil program were analyzed. Principal components analyzes (PCA) were performed using STATISTICA software. Using as eigenvector or the first main component of the analyzes, values were calculated for the animals with information of visual scores and adjusted weights, which gave rise to the biotype indexes characteristics INDy1, INDy2, INDy3. The (co) variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by Bayesian inference, using a uni-characteristic model by AIREMLF90 software. The estimates of heritability for W455, BY, PY, MY, INDs1, INDs2 and INDs3 were 0.50, 0.33, 0.41, 0.34, 0.36, 0.44 and 0.30, respectively. As characteristics studied, they present sufficient genetic variance to satisfy the selection. More studies on genetic associations between biotype indexes and economic importance are needed

QUIJOTE scientific results - III. Microwave spectrum of intensity and polarization in the Taurus Molecular Cloud complex and L1527

ABSTRACT: We present new intensity and polarization observations of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC) region in the frequency range 10–20 GHz with the multifrequency instrument (MFI) mounted on the first telescope of the Q-U-I-JOint TEnerife (QUIJOTE) experiment. From the combination of the QUIJOTE data with the WMAP 9-yr data release, the Planck second data release, the DIRBE maps, and ancillary data, we detect an anomalous microwave emission (AME) component with flux density SAME,peak = 43.0 ± 7.9 Jy in the TMC and SAME,peak = 10.7 ± 2.7 Jy in the dark cloud nebula L1527, which is part of the TMC. In the TMC the diffuse AME emission peaks around a frequency of 19 GHz, compared with an emission peak about a frequency of 25 GHz in L1527. In the TMC, the best constraint on the level of AME polarization is obtained at the Planck channel of 28.4 GHz, with an upper limit πAME < 4.2 per cent (95 per cent C.L.), which reduces to πAME < 3.8 per cent (95 per cent C.L.) if the intensity of all the free–free, synchrotron and thermal dust components are negligible at this frequency. The same analysis in L1527 leads to πAME < 5.3 per cent (95 per cent C.L.) or πAME < 4.5 per cent (95 per cent C.L.) under the same assumption. We find that in the TMC and L1527 on average about 80 per cent of the H II gas should be mixed with thermal dust. Our analysis shows how the QUIJOTE-MFI 10–20 GHz data provide key information to properly separate the synchrotron, free–free, and AME components.This work has been partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under the projects AYA2007-68058-C03-01, AYA2010-21766-C03-02, AYA2012-39475-C02-01, AYA2014-60438-P: ESP2015- 70646.C2-1-R, AYA2015-64508-P and the Consolider-Ingenio project CSD2010-00064 (EPI: Exploring the Physics of Inflation)

Planck 2015 results. XXVII. The Second Planck Catalogue of Sunyaev-Zeldovich Sources

We present the all-sky Planck catalogue of Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) sources detected from the 29 month full-mission data. The catalogue (PSZ2) is the largest SZ-selected sample of galaxy clusters yet produced and the deepest all-sky catalogue of galaxy clusters. It contains 1653 detections, of which 1203 are confirmed clusters with identified counterparts in external data-sets, and is the first SZ-selected cluster survey containing > $10^3$ confirmed clusters. We present a detailed analysis of the survey selection function in terms of its completeness and statistical reliability, placing a lower limit of 83% on the purity. Using simulations, we find that the Y5R500 estimates are robust to pressure-profile variation and beam systematics, but accurate conversion to Y500 requires. the use of prior information on the cluster extent. We describe the multi-wavelength search for counterparts in ancillary data, which makes use of radio, microwave, infra-red, optical and X-ray data-sets, and which places emphasis on the robustness of the counterpart match. We discuss the physical properties of the new sample and identify a population of low-redshift X-ray under- luminous clusters revealed by SZ selection. These objects appear in optical and SZ surveys with consistent properties for their mass, but are almost absent from ROSAT X-ray selected samples