Conjunctive Visual and Auditory Development via Real-Time Dialogue

Human developmental learning is capable of dealing with the dynamic visual world, speech-based dialogue, and their complex real-time association. However, the architecture that realizes this for robotic cognitive development has not been reported in the past. This paper takes up this challenge. The proposed architecture does not require a strict coupling between visual and auditory stimuli. Two major operations contribute to the “abstraction” process: multiscale temporal priming and high-dimensional numeric abstraction through internal responses with reduced variance. As a basic principle of developmental learning, the programmer does not know the nature of the world events at the time of programming and, thus, hand-designed task-specific representation is not possible. We successfully tested the architecture on the SAIL robot under an unprecedented challenging multimodal interaction mode: use real-time speech dialogue as a teaching source for simultaneous and incremental visual learning and language acquisition, while the robot is viewing a dynamic world that contains a rotating object to which the dialogue is referring

Developmental Robots - A New Paradigm

It has been proved to be extremely challenging for humans to program a robot to such a sufficient degree that it acts properly in a typical unknown human environment. This is especially true for a humanoid robot due to the very large number of redundant degrees of freedom and a large number of sensors that are required for a humanoid to work safely and effectively in the human environment. How can we address this fundamental problem? Motivated by human mental development from infancy to adulthood, we present a theory, an architecture, and some experimental results showing how to enable a robot to develop its mind automatically, through online, real time interactions with its environment. Humans mentally “raise” the robot through “robot sitting” and “robot schools” instead of task-specific robot programming

Sugar beet pectin–sodium caseinate conjugate stabilised emulsions: An investigation into the relationship between interfacial and bulk rheological properties for varying types of conjugates

There have been successful cases of conjugating polysaccharide and protein through electrostatic attraction, enzymatic cross-linking, and Maillard reaction in the literature. However, the effect of different interaction mechanisms on physiochemical properties of polysaccharide-protein conjugates under different environment stresses have not been clearly defined. The aim of this research was to test the hypothesis that the different interaction mechanisms of a mixed biopolymer system, designed to stabilise an oil-in-water emulsion have an impact upon the aggregation and rheological properties of this emulsion system at different environment stresses (pH and thermal treatment). The chosen mixed biopolymer system was sugar beet pectin (SBP) and sodium caseinate (SC) at mixing ratios of SBP:SC at 1:1, 1:3 and 3:1 respectively. Physical and chemical conjugates prepared by electrostatic complexation near the isoelectric point of SC, enzyme catalysed oxidation and Maillard reactions, respectively, were included. Emulsions were then processed, at pH 4.5, near the isoelectric point of SC via high shear overhead mixing followed by an assessment for stability against coalescence, zeta potential and dynamic rheological properties of the emulsion cream phase. All three types of SBP:SC conjugates stabilised the emulsion interfaces at an SBP:SC ratio of 1:1 at both pH 4.5 and pH 7, as did the 3:1 ratio of SBP:SC at pH 4.5, meaning that the emulsions were stable against coalescence. Extensive flocculation was observed for the 1:3 ratio of SBP:SC at pH 4.5. Moreover, heat treatment (80 ℃ for 10 minutes) had an effect on the aggregation properties of all three types of SBP:SC conjugates stabilised emulsion at both pH 4.5 and pH 7. Oscillatory rheological data were affected by the mixing ratio as well as by the type of conjugate. All emulsion cream phases and replicated droplet interfaces showed predominantly elastic behaviour, and also where one conjugate type showed higher shear storage modulus (G’) at pH 7, e.g. the enzyme-created conjugate at a mixing ratio of 1:1, compared to another one the trend was the same for dilatational interfacial storage modulus (E’). To include one observation here, the slope of G’ versus frequency assessed in the linear viscoelastic domain revealed the strongest gel-like behaviour for 1:3 ratio electrostatic and Maillard-based conjugates, compared to a slight increase in G’ versus frequency for all other systems. The research suggests that SBP ratios have a heavy impact on the aggregation properties of SBP-SC conjugates and conjugate-stabilised emulsions

Physico-chemical properties of sugar beet pectin-sodium caseinate conjugates via different interaction mechanisms

Polysaccharides and proteins are frequently conjugated through electrostatic attraction, enzymatic cross-linking, and heat treatment (Maillard reaction) to obtain food structuring ingredients, mostly for their application as emulsifiers. The conjugate partners and their interaction type affect performance at acidic or neutral pH and during thermal processing, thus requiring careful selection. Here, the aggregate properties (particle size, conjugate charge, shear viscosity) of three types of sugar beet pectin (SBP)-sodium caseinate (SC) 1:1 conjugates, at acidic and neutral pH (4.5; 7), as well as their thermal processing stability (80 °C), were investigated. The enzymatically cross-linked SBP:SC was more acid tolerant than the electrostatically interacting conjugates. Maillard cross-linked conjugates aggregated at pH 4.5, suggesting poor emulsifier performance in acidic conditions. At pH 7, the three conjugate types showed similar aggregate properties. The results are discussed in terms of structural re-arrangement

Sterol biosynthesis is required for heat resistance but not extracellular survival in Leishmania

Sterol biosynthesis is a crucial pathway in eukaryotes leading to the production of cholesterol in animals and various C24-alkyl sterols (ergostane-based sterols) in fungi, plants, and trypanosomatid protozoa. Sterols are important membrane components and precursors for the synthesis of powerful bioactive molecules, including steroid hormones in mammals. Their functions in pathogenic protozoa are not well characterized, which limits the development of sterol synthesis inhibitors as drugs. Here we investigated the role of sterol C14α-demethylase (C14DM) in Leishmania parasites. C14DM is a cytochrome P450 enzyme and the primary target of azole drugs. In Leishmania, genetic or chemical inactivation of C14DM led to a complete loss of ergostane-based sterols and accumulation of 14-methylated sterols. Despite the drastic change in lipid composition, C14DM-null mutants (c14dm(-)) were surprisingly viable and replicative in culture. They did exhibit remarkable defects including increased membrane fluidity, failure to maintain detergent resistant membrane fraction, and hypersensitivity to heat stress. These c14dm(-) mutants showed severely reduced virulence in mice but were highly resistant to itraconazole and amphotericin B, two drugs targeting sterol synthesis. Our findings suggest that the accumulation of toxic sterol intermediates in c14dm(-) causes strong membrane perturbation and significant vulnerability to stress. The new knowledge may help improve the efficacy of current drugs against pathogenic protozoa by exploiting the fitness loss associated with drug resistance

Anti-CD137 mAb Deletes Both Donor CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells in Acute Graft-versus-host Disease

We previously demonstrated that in vivo engagement of CD137, a member of TNF receptor superfamily, can delete allorective CD4+ T cells through the induction of activation-induced cell death (AICD) in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) and subsequently reverse established cGVHD. In this study, we further showed that agonistic anti-CD137 mAb was highly effective in triggering AICD of donor CD8+ T cells as well as donor CD4+ T cells in the C57BL/6→unirradiated (C57BL/6 × DBA/2)F1 acute GVHD model. Our results suggest that strong allostimulation should facilitate AICD of both alloreactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells induced by CD137 stimulation. Therefore, depletion of pathogenic T cells using agonistic anti-CD137 mAb combined with potent TCR stimulation may be used to block autoimmune or inflammatory diseases mediated by T cells

Мемораты и семейные фотографии русских Трёхречья: семейно-родовые основы исторической памяти

The main goal of the study is the reconstruction of significant aspects of the family-clan and ethnic culture of a special ethnolocal group of Russians – Russians of the Trekhrechye (Sanhe district, Inner Mongolia, China). The source of the reconstruction is the audio-visual complexes (oral story, narrative, accompanying the demonstration of the family photo archive). In the ethnolocal group of Russians of the Trekhrechye, memorials and family photo archives retained in the Chinese environment a close relationship with the Russian tradition of narrativization and the display of family photo collections: they are especially significant as a visual fixation of historical memory and the basis of ethnic identity. The gender components of the family past narrative and the gender photographic images of the family group in the ethno-cultural conditions of the Trekhrechye reveal the general patterns of the functioning of memorials in an ethnic context and reveal the specifics of the functioning of narratives, due to the characteristics of culture.Основной целью исследования является реконструкция значимых сторон семейно-родовой и этнической культуры особой этнолокальной группы русских – русских Трёхречья (Внутренняя Монголия, КНР). Источником реконструкции выступают аудиовизуальные комплексы (устный рассказ, нарратив, сопровождающий демонстрацию семейного фотоархива). В этнолокальной группе русских Трёхречья мемораты и семейные фотоархивы сохранили в китайской среде тесную связь с русской традицией нарративизации и экспонирования семейных фотоколлекций: они особенно значимы как визуальная фиксация исторической памяти и основа этнической идентичности. Гендерные составляющие повествования о семейном прошлом и гендерные фотографические образы семейной группы в этнокультурных условиях Трёхречья раскрывают общие закономерности функционирования меморатов в этническом контексте и выявляют специфику функционирования нарративов, обусловленную особенностями культуры

Influence of porosity on osteogenesis, bone growth and osteointegration in trabecular tantalum scaffolds fabricated by additive manufacturing

Porous tantalum implants are a class of materials commonly used in clinical practice to repair bone defects. However, the cumbersome and problematic preparation procedure have limited their widespread application. Additive manufacturing has revolutionized the design and process of orthopedic implants, but the pore architecture feature of porous tantalum scaffolds prepared from additive materials for optimal osseointegration are unclear, particularly the influence of porosity. We prepared trabecular bone-mimicking tantalum scaffolds with three different porosities (60%, 70% and 80%) using the laser powder bed fusing technique to examine and compare the effects of adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation capacity of rat mesenchymal stem cells on the scaffolds in vitro. The in vivo bone ingrowth and osseointegration effects of each scaffold were analyzed in a rat femoral bone defect model. Three porous tantalum scaffolds were successfully prepared and characterized. In vitro studies showed that scaffolds with 70% and 80% porosity had a better ability to osteogenic proliferation and differentiation than scaffolds with 60% porosity. In vivo studies further confirmed that tantalum scaffolds with the 70% and 80% porosity had a better ability for bone ingrowh than the scaffold with 60% porosity. As for osseointegration, more bone was bound to the material in the scaffold with 70% porosity, suggesting that the 3D printed trabecular tantalum scaffold with 70% porosity could be the optimal choice for subsequent implant design, which we will further confirm in a large animal preclinical model for better clinical use

Global analysis of the relationship between reconstructed solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and gross primary production (GPP)

Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is increasingly known as an effective proxy for plant photosynthesis, and therefore, has great potential in monitoring gross primary production (GPP). However, the relationship between SIF and GPP remains highly uncertain across space and time. Here, we analyzed the SIF (reconstructed, SIFc)–GPP relationships and their spatiotemporal variability, using GPP estimates from FLUXNET2015 and two spatiotemporally contiguous SIFc datasets (CSIF and GOSIF). The results showed that SIFc had significant positive correlations with GPP at the spatiotemporal scales investigated (p p p > 0.05). Therefore, we propose a two-slope scheme to differentiate ENF from non-ENF biome and synopsize spatiotemporal variability of the GPP/SIFc slope. The relative biases were 7.14% and 11.06% in the estimated cumulative GPP across all EC towers, respectively, for GOSIF and CSIF using a two-slope scheme. The significantly higher GPP/SIFc slopes of the ENF biome in the two-slope scheme are intriguing and deserve further study. In addition, there was still considerable dispersion in the comparisons of CSIF/GOSIF and GPP at both site and biome levels, calling for discriminatory analysis backed by higher spatial resolution to systematically address issues related to landscape heterogeneity and mismatch between SIFc pixel and the footprints of flux towers and their impacts on the SIF–GPP relationship