Footstep and Motion Planning in Semi-unstructured Environments Using Randomized Possibility Graphs

Traversing environments with arbitrary obstacles poses significant challenges for bipedal robots. In some cases, whole body motions may be necessary to maneuver around an obstacle, but most existing footstep planners can only select from a discrete set of predetermined footstep actions; they are unable to utilize the continuum of whole body motion that is truly available to the robot platform. Existing motion planners that can utilize whole body motion tend to struggle with the complexity of large-scale problems. We introduce a planning method, called the "Randomized Possibility Graph", which uses high-level approximations of constraint manifolds to rapidly explore the "possibility" of actions, thereby allowing lower-level motion planners to be utilized more efficiently. We demonstrate simulations of the method working in a variety of semi-unstructured environments. In this context, "semi-unstructured" means the walkable terrain is flat and even, but there are arbitrary 3D obstacles throughout the environment which may need to be stepped over or maneuvered around using whole body motions.Comment: Accepted by IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 201

The Internet isn’t Forever: Early Internet Fan Archives, their Stewards, Lifespans, and the Political Nature of the Deaths of their Queer Communities

The concept of a “forever Internet” has been pervasive in the modern digital age, but the degradation of fan archives from the late 1990s and 2000s seems to tell a different story; as such, we find ourselves in the midst of a Digital Dark Age and we are losing independent digital fan archives quickly- what is happening and how can we save this digital cultural memory, particularly queer cultural memory? To lose these fan archives is to lose valuable insight into the lives and communities of the individuals who interacted in these spaces. By utilizing the lenses of play, theft, cultural memory and stewardship, we can begin to better understand the means and ways that these archives have fallen apart (or how they stick together in spite of overwhelming odds). Through the autoethnographic research of three emblematic fan archives in differing stages of life and security, this thesis attempts to shed light on a crucial issue in the modern age and provide a pathway for potential future means to get what we can out of the burning of our digital metaphorical Library of Alexandria

John Allen Paulos, Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences

Louis D. Grey reviews the book Innumeracy : Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences by John Allen Paulos. New York: Hill & Wang, 1988. By innumeracy Paulos means an inability to deal comfortably with the fundamental notions of number and chance. Paulos is talking about the problem of mathematical illiteracy, a problems that afflicts people who are otherwise very knowledgeable. Paolos uses many examples, some serious and some amusing, to illustrate that if we are uncomfortable with the reasoning to solve a mathematical problem , even using the most elementary mathematics and probability theory, then we show ourselves to be victims of innumeracy. Paolos does not provide a solution to correct the problem. This is however a charming collection of examples which point out the consequences of innumeracy

Academic tutors/advisors and students working in partnership: negotiating and co-creating in “The Third Space”

In this perspectives piece, we argue that technology can be used to create and facilitate “Third Space” advising, via a model of “flipped advising” which focuses on the development of quality staff–student partnerships. “Third Space” advising, using technology, encourages students and staff to work together to create and validate knowledge, connect experiences, and improve the learning culture of the organization. It also aligns with Hockings’ (2010) definition of inclusive practice in learning and teaching. While so much focus has been on the development of the advisor, the concept of Students as Partners (SaP) and “The Third Space” offer important lenses within which to shift the focus of advising practice away from the development of advisors and toward the development of staff–student partnerships, with a view to improving the impact and outcomes on students themselves

Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D and risk of cardiovascular events : reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative limited access dataset and meta-analysis

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Where The Rainbow Ends

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/5070/thumbnail.jp

Bone Mineral Density and Body Composition of Division III NCAA Athletes at Southwestern University

PURPOSE: To examine the variation of bone mineral density and body composition between athletes of different sports at Southwestern University. METHODS: One hundred and three Division III NCAA athletes at Southwestern University came to the kinesiology lab in a single session to complete a full body DEXA scan using a GE Lunar Prodigy Dexa Bone Densitometer. The athletes’ bone mineral density, body composition data and health history questionnaire were collected. RESULTS: There was a significant difference of t-scores among the men’s sports means (F(6,41) = 5.599, p \u3c 0.001). There was a significant difference of t-scores among the women’s sports means (F(6, 34) = 2.879, p = 0.022). There was no significant difference of % body fat among the men’s sports means (F(6,42) = 1.787, p = 0.125). There was no significant difference of % body fat among the women’s sports means (F(6,35) = 1.301, p = 0.283). CONCLUSION: This study found a significant difference of T-scores between sports but not % body fat