Probabilistic movement modeling for intention inference in human-robot interaction.

Intention inference can be an essential step toward efficient humanrobot interaction. For this purpose, we propose the Intention-Driven Dynamics Model (IDDM) to probabilistically model the generative process of movements that are directed by the intention. The IDDM allows to infer the intention from observed movements using Bayes ’ theorem. The IDDM simultaneously finds a latent state representation of noisy and highdimensional observations, and models the intention-driven dynamics in the latent states. As most robotics applications are subject to real-time constraints, we develop an efficient online algorithm that allows for real-time intention inference. Two human-robot interaction scenarios, i.e., target prediction for robot table tennis and action recognition for interactive humanoid robots, are used to evaluate the performance of our inference algorithm. In both intention inference tasks, the proposed algorithm achieves substantial improvements over support vector machines and Gaussian processes.

Alternative Oxidase Expression in the Mouse Enables Bypassing Cytochrome c Oxidase Blockade and Limits Mitochondrial ROS Overproduction

Peer reviewe

Coastal upwelling south of Madagascar : temporal and spatial variability

Madagascar's southern coastal marine zone is a region of high biological productivity which supports a wide range of marine ecosystems, including fisheries. This high biological productivity is attributed to coastal up-welling. This paper provides new insights on the structure, variability and drivers of the coastal upwelling south of Madagascar. Satellite remote sensing is used to characterize the spatial extent and strength of the coastal upwelling. A front detection algorithm is applied to thirteen years of Multi-scale Ultra-high Resolution (MUR) Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) and an upwelling index is calculated. The influence of winds and ocean currents as drivers of the upwelling is investigated using satellite, in-situ observations, and a numerical model. Results reveal the presence of two well-defined upwelling cells. The first cell (Core 1) is located in the southeastern corner of Madagascar, and the second cell (Core 2) is west of the southern tip of Madagascar. These two cores are characterized by different seasonal variability, different intensities, different upwelled water mass origins, and distinct forcing mechanisms. Core 1 is associated with a dynamical upwelling forced by the detachment of the East Madagascar Current (EMC), which is reinforced by upwelling favourable winds. Core 2 appears to be primarily forced by upwelling favourable winds, but is also influenced by a poleward eastern boundary flow coming from the Mozambique Channel. The intrusion of Mozambique Channel warm waters could result in an asynchronicity in seasonality between upwelling surface signature and upwelling favourables winds

Where and how the East Madagascar Current retroflection originates?

The East Madagascar Current (EMC) is one of the western boundary currents of the South Indian Ocean. As such, it plays an important role in the climate system by transporting water and heat towards the pole and recirculating to the large-scale Indian Ocean through retroflection modes of its southern extension. Five cruise datasets and remote sensing data from different sensors are used to identify three states of the southern extension of the East Madagascar Current (EMC): early retroflection, canonical retroflection and no retroflection. Retroflections occur 47% of the time. EMC strength regulates the retroflection state, although impinged mesoscale eddies also contribute to retroflection formation. Early retroflection is linked with EMC volume transport. Anticyclonic eddies drifting from the central Indian Ocean to the coast favour early retroflection formation, anticyclonic eddies near the southern tip of Madagascar promote the generation of canonical retroflection, and no retroflection appears to be associated with a lower eddy kinetic energy (EKE). Knowledge of the EMC retroflection state could help predict (1) coastal upwelling south of Madagascar, (2) the southeastern Madagascar phytoplankton bloom, and (3) the formation of the South Indian Ocean Counter Current (SICC). Plain Language Summary Using in situ and satellite observations, we show that the East Madagascar Current (EMC), a strong current flowing along the East Coast of Madagascar, often detaches from the coast before the southern tip of the island and goes directly into the Indian Ocean, the so-called EMC retroflection. The EMC retroflection is characterized by three well-defined forms: early retroflection, canonical retroflection, and no retroflection. The EMC Early Retroflection is an unusual abrupt return current straight to the Indian Ocean without reaching the detachment point, while the EMC Canonical Retroflection returns the mass flow in the vicinity of the southern tip of the island. No retroflection is characterized by the straight propagation of the flow towards the Agulhas Current. These three forms of retroflection are due to the strength of the EMC and the contribution of mesoscale eddies arriving from the Indian Ocean. Retroflections have implications for coastal upwelling strength, Southeast Madagascar phytoplankton bloom occurrences, and South Indian Ocean Counter Current (SICC) formation

Geographies of shit: spatial and temporal variations in attitudes towards human waste

Taboos surrounding human waste have resulted in a lack of attention to spatial inequalities in access to sanitation and the consequences of this for human, environmental and economic health. This paper explores spaces where urgent environmental health imperatives intersect with deeply entrenched cultural norms surrounding human waste and the barriers they create for the development of more appropriate excreta management systems. The primary focus is on the global South (particularly India), although literature on sanitation histories in Europe and its colonies is drawn upon to illustrate spatial and temporal differences in cultural attitudes towards excrement

Where and How the East Madagascar Current Retroflection Originates?

The East Madagascar Current (EMC) is one of the western boundary currents of the South Indian Ocean. As such, it plays an important role in the climate system by transporting water and heat toward the pole and recirculating to the large-scale Indian Ocean through retroflection modes of its southern extension. Five cruise data sets and remote sensing data from different sensors are used to identify three states of the southern extension of the EMC: early retroflection, canonical retroflection, and no retroflection. Retroflections occur 47% of the time. EMC strength regulates the retroflection state, although impinged mesoscale eddies also contribute to retroflection formation. Early retroflection is linked with EMC volume transport. Anticyclonic eddies drifting from the central Indian Ocean to the coast favor early retroflection formation, anticyclonic eddies near the southern tip of Madagascar promote the generation of canonical retroflection, and no retroflection appears to be associated with a lower eddy kinetic energy (EKE). Knowledge of the EMC retroflection state could help predict (a) coastal upwelling south of Madagascar, (b) the southeastern Madagascar phytoplankton bloom, and (c) the formation of the South Indian Ocean Counter Current (SICC)

Uncovering a new current : the Southwest MAdagascar Coastal Current

Cruise data sets, satellite remote sensing observations, and model data analyses are combined to highlight the existence of a coastal surface poleward flow in the southwest of Madagascar: the Southwest MAdagascar Coastal Current (SMACC). The SMACC is a relatively shallow (<300 m) and narrow (<100 km wide) warm and salty coastal surface current, which flows along the south western coast of Madagascar toward the south, opposite to the dominant winds. The warm water surface signature of the SMACC extends from 22 degrees S (upstream) to 26.4 degrees S (downstream). The SMACC exhibits a seasonal variability: more intense in summer and reduced in winter. The average volume transport of its core is about 1.3 Sv with a mean summer maximum of 2.1 Sv. It is forced by a strong cyclonic wind stress curl associated with the bending of the trade winds along the southern tip of Madagascar. The SMACC directly influences the coastal upwelling regions south of Madagascar. Its existence is likely to influence local fisheries and larval transport patterns, as well as the connectivity with the Agulhas Current, affecting the returning branch of the global overturning circulation. Plain Language Summary A new coastal current: the Southwest MAdagascar Coastal Current (SMACC) has been uncovered. This coastal current flows along the southwestern coast of Madagascar toward the south. The SMACC is a relatively shallow (<300 m) and narrow (<100 km wide) warm and salty surface current, which is more intense in summer and reduced in winter. The Southwest MAdagascar Coastal Current has a downstream impact on the upwelling system at the south of Madagascar which is a physical process inducing local fertilization. As such, the Southwest MAdagascar Coastal Current has key implications for studies about the greater Agulhas Current system, remote connections between oceanographic systems, biophysical coupling in upwelling systems, fisheries management, local livelihoods, and so forth. The uncovering of the SMACC has significant implications for the improved broader understanding of ocean systems around the world