Probabilistic Hybrid Action Models for Predicting Concurrent Percept-driven Robot Behavior

This article develops Probabilistic Hybrid Action Models (PHAMs), a realistic causal model for predicting the behavior generated by modern percept-driven robot plans. PHAMs represent aspects of robot behavior that cannot be represented by most action models used in AI planning: the temporal structure of continuous control processes, their non-deterministic effects, several modes of their interferences, and the achievement of triggering conditions in closed-loop robot plans. The main contributions of this article are: (1) PHAMs, a model of concurrent percept-driven behavior, its formalization, and proofs that the model generates probably, qualitatively accurate predictions; and (2) a resource-efficient inference method for PHAMs based on sampling projections from probabilistic action models and state descriptions. We show how PHAMs can be applied to planning the course of action of an autonomous robot office courier based on analytical and experimental results

The EU's Democratic Deficit in a Realist Key: Multilateral Governance, Popular Sovereignty, and Critical Responsiveness

This paper provides a realist analysis of the EU's legitimacy. We propose a modification of Bernard Williams' theory of legitimacy, which we term critical responsiveness. For Williams, 'Basic Legitimation Demand + Modernity = Liberalism'. Drawing on that model, we make three claims. (i) The right side of the equation is insufficiently sensitive to popular sovereignty; (ii) The left side of the equation is best thought of as a 'legitimation story': a non-moralised normative account of how to shore up belief in legitimacy while steering clear of both raw domination and ideological distortions. (iii) The EU's current legitimation story draws on a tradition of popular sovereignty that sits badly with the supranational delegation and pooling of sovereign powers. We conclude by suggesting that the EU's legitimation deficit may be best addressed demoicratically, by recovering the value of popular sovereignty at the expense of a degree of state sovereignty

Coping with lists in the ifcOWL ontology

Over the past few years, several suggestions have been made of how to convert an EXPRESS schema into an OWL ontology. The conversion from EXPRESS to OWL is of particular use to architectural design and construction industry, because one of the key data models in architectural design and construction industry, namely the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is represented using the EXPRESS information modelling language. In each of these conversion options, the way in which lists are converted (e.g. lists of coordinates, lists of spaces in a floor) is key to the structure and eventual strength of the resulting ontology. In this article, we outline and discuss the main decisions that can be made in converting LIST concepts in EXPRESS to equivalent OWL expressions. This allows one to identify which conversion option is appropriate to support proper and efficient information reuse in the domain of architecture and construction

Furniture models learned from the WWW: using web catalogs to locate and categorize unknown furniture pieces in 3D laser scans

In this article, we investigate how autonomous robots can exploit the high quality information already available from the WWW concerning 3-D models of office furniture. Apart from the hobbyist effort in Google 3-D Warehouse, many companies providing office furnishings already have the models for considerable portions of the objects found in our workplaces and homes. In particular, we present an approach that allows a robot to learn generic models of typical office furniture using examples found in the Web. These generic models are then used by the robot to locate and categorize unknown furniture in real indoor environments

Attachment and emotion regulation strategies in juveniles with and without emotional and behavioral disorders

Bindung bildet eine wichtige Grundlage für die Entwicklung sozio-emotionaler Kompetenzen, darunter die adäquate Regulation negativer Emotionen. Maladaptive im Kontrast zu adaptiven Strategien der Emotionsregulation finden sich häufiger bei klinischen Stichproben. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde der Zusammenhang von Bindungssicherheit in der Repräsentation bezüglich der Mutter und den Peers und Emotionsregulationsstrategien bei Jugendlichen (Alter 12-15) mit und ohne emotionale Störungen und Verhaltensauffälligkeiten untersucht. Je sicherer unauffällige Jugendliche ihre Bindung zu Mutter und Peers einschätzten, desto mehr adaptive Strategien der Emotionsregulation und Suche nach sozialer Unterstützung setzten sie ein. Je unsicherer ihre Bindungsrepräsentationen waren, desto mehr nutzten sie maladaptive Strategien und Emotionskontrolle. In der auffälligen Gruppe dagegen war nur Entfremdung in der Bindung zu Mutter und Peers (unsichere Bindungsrepräsentation) mit maladaptiven Emotionsregulationsstrategien assoziiert. Diese Befunde untermauern die Wichtigkeit der Qualität von Bindung als Grundlage adäquater Emotionsregulation bei Jugendlichen mit und ohne emotionale Störungen und Verhaltensauffälligkeiten. (DIPF/Orig.)Attachment is the basis for the development of socio-emotional competence, including the adequate regulation of negative emotions. The use of maladaptive strategies in contrast to adaptive strategies of emotion regulation is more frequent in clinical samples. In this study the association of the quality of attachment and emotion regulation strategies was investigated in juveniles (age 12-15) with and without emotional and behavioural disorders. Results show that the more secure the representation of the attachment to the mother and to peers of individuals in the non-clinical group were the more adaptive strategies of emotion regulation and the use of social support they reported. More insecure relationships were related to more maladaptive strategies and emotion control. In the clinical group, only alienation as indicator of an insecure attachment to the mother and to peers was related to maladaptive strategies, emotion control and seeking social support less frequently. The results underline the importance of the quality of attachment for adequate emotion regulation. (DIPF/Orig.

Prediction of patient-rated radiation-induced xerostomia

Een onderdeel van de behandeling van patiënten met tumoren in het hoofdhalsgebied omvat meestal radiotherapie. Bij bestraling in het hoofdhalsgebied worden delen van de speekselklieren meebestraald. Een van de meest voorkomende bijwerkingen na curatieve bestraling voor hoofdhalstumoren is daarom ook de verminderde productie van speeksel door de speekselklieren. Verminderde productie van speeksel kan leiden tot klachten van droge mond, veranderde smaak, slik- en spraakproblemen en is van invloed op de kwaliteit van leven. Het hoofddoel van dit promotieonderzoek was het ontwikkelen en valideren van multivariate predictie modellen voor verschillende aspecten van patiëntgescoorde drogemond klachten na behandeling met radiotherapie. In de analyses werden zowel de dosisverdelingen in verschillende speekselklieren als andere klinische factoren meegnomen. Uit dit proefschrift kunnen we concluderen dat verminderde speekselproductie, resulterende in matig tot ernstige patiëntgescoorde xerostomie en plakkerig speeksel, nog een frequent voorkomende bijwerking is bij patiënten die curatief behandeld zijn met (chemo)radiatie voor hoofd-halskanker. Het risico op klachten van patiëntgescoorde xerostomie en plakkerig speeksel hangt van verschillende factoren af. De bevindingen in dit proefschrift bieden mogelijke aanknopingspunten om groepen patiënten te selecteren die voordeel zouden kunnen hebben van behandelingen met nieuwe bestralingstechnieken, zoals een behandeling met protonen