Master of Science

thesisIn this work we consider task-based planning in uncertainty. To make progress in this problem, we propose an end-to-end method that makes progress toward the unification of perception and manipulation. Critical for this unification is the geometric primitive. A geometric primitive is a 3D geometry that can be fit to a single view from a 3D image. Geometric primitives are a consistent structure in many scenes, and by leveraging this, perceptual tasks such as segmentation, localization, and recognition can be solved. Sharing this information between these subroutines also makes the method computationally efficient. Geometric primitives can be used to define a set of actions the robot can use to influence the world. Leveraging the rich 3D information in geometric primitives allows the designer to develop actions with a high chance of success. In this work, we consider a pick-and-place action, parameterized by the object and scene constraints. The design of the perceptual capabilities and actions is independent of the task given to the robot, giving the robot more versatility to complete a range of tasks. With a large number of available actions, the robot needs to select which action the robot performs. We propose a task-specific reward function to determine the next-best action for the robot to complete the task. A key insight into making the action selection tractable is reasoning about the occluded regions of the scene. We propose to not reason about what could be in the occluded regions, but instead to treat the occluded regions as parts of the scene to explore. Defining reward functions that encourage this exploration while balancing trying to solve the given task gives the robot more versatility to perform many different tasks. Reasoning about occlusion in this way also makes actions in the scene more robust to scene uncertainty and increases the computational efficiency of the method overall. In this work, we show results for segmentation of geometric primitives on real data, and discuss problems with fitting their parameters. While positive segmentation results are shown, there are problems with fitting consistent parameters to the geometric primitives. We also present simulation results showing the action selection process solving a singulation task. We show that our method is able to perform this task in several scenes with varying levels of complexity. We compare against selecting actions at random, and show our method consistently takes fewer actions to solve the scene

Realms, regions and lords : Ireland and Scotland in the later middle ages

Los estudios sobre política de las Islas Británicas en la baja edad media han tendido a tratar sobre territorios concretos o a poner el Reino de Inglaterra en el centro de los debates. No obstante, en términos de su tamaño y carácter interno, hay buenas razones para considerar el Reino de Escocia y el Señorío de Irlanda como modelos de sociedad política. Más allá las significativas diferencias en el estatus, leyes y relaciones externas, hacia el año 1400 los dos territorios pueden relacionarse por compartir experiencias comunes de gobierno y de guerras internas. Éstas son las más aparentes desde una perspectiva regional. Tanto Irlanda y Escocia operaban como sistemas políticos regionalizados en los que predominaban los intereses de las principales casas aristocráticas. La importancia de dichas casas fue reconocida tanto internamente como por el gobierno real. Observando en regiones paralelas, Munster y el nordeste de Escocia, es posible identificar rasgos comparables y diferencias de largo término en dichas sociedades. | Studies of the polities of the British Isles in the later middle ages have tended to deal with the individual lands or to place the English kingdom at the centre of discussions. However, in terms of their size and internal character there are good reasons for considering the Scottish kingdom and the lordship of Ireland as models of political society. Beneath the significant differences of status, law and external relationships, around 1400 the two lands can be regarded as sharing common experiences of government and internal warfare. These are most apparent from a regional perspective. Both Ireland and Scotland operated as regionalised polities in which the interests of major aristocratic houses predominated. The importance of such houses was recognised both internally and by the royal government. By looking at parallel regions, Munster and north-east Scotland, it is possible to identify comparable features and long-term differences between these societies.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Characterization of Stream Quality of Five Ouachita River Tributaries Utilizing Macrobenthic Species and Fish Populations

The Ouachita River originates in west-central Arkansas and exits the state in south-central Arkansas near El Dorado. There are many tributaries that make up the Ouachita River through its Arkansas journey. Five of these tributaries are located in Clark County and were selected for this research. Basic in situ water quality parameters were measured and the riparian zone was characterized at each sample site. The five streams selected were Decieper/Little Deceiper Creek, Mill Creek, DeRoche Creek, Saline Bayou, and Tupelo Creek. Macrobenthic and fish surveys were conducted at two sites (upper and lower) on each creek except Saline Bayou and Tupelo Creek which included only one site each. Streams will be characterized using the tolerant and intolerant species. Potential impacts of these streams include runoff from agriculture, municipal runoff from the city of Arkadelphia, and miscellaneous anthropomorphic sources from town. The presence of intolerant species indicates less impact while finding only tolerant species indicates potential disturbance that warrants further investigation

IMPLEMENTATION OF A PRE-ANESTHESIA TAKE-HOME EVALUATION (PATHE) AS A MEANS OF PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: A BEST PRACTICE RECOMMENDATION

The pre-anesthesia evaluation (PAE) is a vital component to anesthesia providers when choosing an appropriate anesthetic plan for patients requiring surgery. The PAE, pre-anesthesia risk-factor assessment, and provision of pre-anesthesia instructions are standards of care implemented in order to assess the patient’s likely outcome of surgery and anesthesia as well as stratify any known risk factors to optimize surgical/anesthetic outcomes. Any disruption in this process could potentially lead to decreased patient/provider satisfaction, reduced patient compliance with pre-anesthetic instructions, reduced patient safety, and unnecessary financial burden. After the completion of a literature review, the need for a best practice recommendation was identified and a document was created containing a Pre-Anesthetic Take-Home Evaluation (PATHE). PATHE specifically aims to improve the pre-anesthesia assessment process through increased patient reporting of pertinent health history, stratification of pertinent risk factors, and pre-anesthesia education. The PATHE document was provided to seven practicing certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and 22 student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) currently in clinical. Of the respondents, 100% agreed that the document was thorough, well organized, and free from grammatical and formatting errors. Twenty-eight respondents (96.55%) agreed that the document would be easy for adults (age \u3e 18 years) of all cognitive levels to comprehend; however, one respondent (3.45%) disagreed. Additionally, 100% of respondents agreed that the document provides a clear representation of all majors aspects of anesthesia care, addresses most commonly encountered questions from patients, provides an accurate depiction of all topics addressed, addresses most commonly encountered risks associated with anesthesia, solicits the minimal amount of information required to develop a safe and effective plan for anesthesia care, provides a clear and accurate list of risks, and provides recommendations for risk stratification that are supported by current evidence. Lastly, one constructive comment left by a respondent stated that the document was too long, which could potentially deter patient compliance. With consideration of the literature review and survey results, the authors have concluded that patients, healthcare providers, nurses, and healthcare facilities all stand to benefit from the implementation of PATHE into their current evidence-based practice

Synthetic lethal analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans posterior embryonic patterning genes identifies conserved genetic interactions

Phenotypic robustness is evidenced when single-gene mutations do not result in an obvious phenotype. It has been suggested that such phenotypic stability results from 'buffering' activities of homologous genes as well as non-homologous genes acting in parallel pathways. One approach to characterizing mechanisms of phenotypic robustness is to identify genetic interactions, specifically, double mutants where buffering is compromised. To identify interactions among genes implicated in posterior patterning of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo, we measured synthetic lethality following RNA interference of 22 genes in 15 mutant strains. A pair of homologous T-box transcription factors (tbx-8 and tbx-9) is found to interact in both C. elegans and C. briggsae, indicating that their compensatory function is conserved. Furthermore, a muscle module is defined by transitive interactions between the MyoD homolog hlh-1, another basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, hnd-1, and the MADS-box transcription factor unc-120. Genetic interactions within a homologous set of genes involved in vertebrate myogenesis indicate broad conservation of the muscle module and suggest that other genetic modules identified in C. elegans will be conserved

A Role for YouTube in Telerehabilitation

YouTube is a free video sharing website that allows users to post and view videos. Although there are definite limitations in the applicability of this website to telerehabilitation, there are possible uses that should not be overlooked. Certain types of therapy, such as errorless learning therapy for certain language and cognitive deficits can be provided remotely via YouTube. In addition, negative emotional reactions to deficits are known to delay or halt recovery. The social networking capability YouTube provides enables individuals with health problems that may be unable to leave their houses an opportunity to gain valuable emotional support by meeting and communicating with others with similar problems. This article address the benefits and limitations of YouTube in the context of telerehabilitation and reports patient feedback on errorless learning therapy for aphasia delivered via videos posted on YouTube.