The Values of Tangible User Interfaces: How to discover, assess and evaluate them?

Since the introduction of Tangible User Interfaces, in the beginning of the 90s, a generation grew up interacting with computers. At the same time the context of computing changed dramatically: from a device used almost exclusively by specialists, it evolved to a general device that plays a dominant role in our societies. But where does this leave TUI? In many respects, the idea of tangibility plays a marginal role in Human Computer Interaction. It makes sense to re-evaluate the intrinsic values of TUI design. This paper proposes to research the appropriate metrics to do so

Integrated analyses of single-cell atlases reveal age, gender, and smoking status associations with cell type-specific expression of mediators of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry and highlights inflammatory programs in putative target cells

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, creates an urgent need for identifying molecular mechanisms that mediate viral entry, propagation, and tissue pathology. Cell membrane bound angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and associated proteases, transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and Cathepsin L (CTSL), were previously identified as mediators of SARS-CoV2 cellular entry. Here, we assess the cell type-specific RNA expression of ACE2, TMPRSS2, and CTSL through an integrated analysis of 107 single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-Seq studies, including 22 lung and airways datasets (16 unpublished), and 85 datasets from other diverse organs. Joint expression of ACE2 and the accessory proteases identifies specific subsets of respiratory epithelial cells as putative targets of viral infection in the nasal passages, airways, and alveoli. Cells that co-express ACE2 and proteases are also identified in cells from other organs, some of which have been associated with COVID-19 transmission or pathology, including gut enterocytes, corneal epithelial cells, cardiomyocytes, heart pericytes, olfactory sustentacular cells, and renal epithelial cells. Performing the first meta-analyses of scRNA-seq studies, we analyzed 1,176,683 cells from 282 nasal, airway, and lung parenchyma samples from 164 donors spanning fetal, childhood, adult, and elderly age groups, associate increased levels of ACE2, TMPRSS2, and CTSL in specific cell types with increasing age, male gender, and smoking, all of which are epidemiologically linked to COVID-19 susceptibility and outcomes. Notably, there was a particularly low expression of ACE2 in the few young pediatric samples in the analysis. Further analysis reveals a gene expression program shared by ACE2(+)TMPRSS2(+) cells in nasal, lung and gut tissues, including genes that may mediate viral entry, subtend key immune functions, and mediate epithelial-macrophage cross-talk. Amongst these are IL6, its receptor and co-receptor, IL1R, TNF response pathways, and complement genes. Cell type specificity in the lung and airways and smoking effects were conserved in mice. Our analyses suggest that differences in the cell type-specific expression of mediators of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry may be responsible for aspects of COVID-19 epidemiology and clinical course, and point to putative molecular pathways involved in disease susceptibility and pathogenesis

Disease severity-specific neutrophil signatures in blood transcriptomes stratify COVID-19 patients

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is currently leading to increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients all over the world. Clinical presentations range from asymptomatic, mild respiratory tract infection, to severe cases with acute respiratory distress syndrome, respiratory failure, and death. Reports on a dysregulated immune system in the severe cases call for a better characterization and understanding of the changes in the immune system. METHODS: In order to dissect COVID-19-driven immune host responses, we performed RNA-seq of whole blood cell transcriptomes and granulocyte preparations from mild and severe COVID-19 patients and analyzed the data using a combination of conventional and data-driven co-expression analysis. Additionally, publicly available data was used to show the distinction from COVID-19 to other diseases. Reverse drug target prediction was used to identify known or novel drug candidates based on finding from data-driven findings. RESULTS: Here, we profiled whole blood transcriptomes of 39 COVID-19 patients and 10 control donors enabling a data-driven stratification based on molecular phenotype. Neutrophil activation-associated signatures were prominently enriched in severe patient groups, which was corroborated in whole blood transcriptomes from an independent second cohort of 30 as well as in granulocyte samples from a third cohort of 16 COVID-19 patients (44 samples). Comparison of COVID-19 blood transcriptomes with those of a collection of over 3100 samples derived from 12 different viral infections, inflammatory diseases, and independent control samples revealed highly specific transcriptome signatures for COVID-19. Further, stratified transcriptomes predicted patient subgroup-specific drug candidates targeting the dysregulated systemic immune response of the host. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides novel insights in the distinct molecular subgroups or phenotypes that are not simply explained by clinical parameters. We show that whole blood transcriptomes are extremely informative for COVID-19 since they capture granulocytes which are major drivers of disease severity

Formal Verification in Robotics: Why and How?

ed automaton corresponding to starting and stopping signals of the servoing tasks (not =BF rpr!); BF = =BF rpr!; which renames as tau (invisible action) all the sequences of actions (regular operator (*)) which do not indicate the good termination, and as BF the remaining ones. The second is specified as an automaton with one state and one transition labeled BF. ffl Conflicts detection We are interesting here to check that during the RP evolution it does not exist a time at which two different RTs are competing for the use of a particular resource of the system. For verifying that, in the case of the mobile robot anis, we observe the global automaton with respect to the signals StartServoing and ServoingStop. Figure 5 shows the resulting automaton. We can easily verify that the two signals appears alternatively. 5.1.4 Coherence with the Application Requirements The conformity of the RP behavior to the mission constraints can also be verified. These constraints have to be expressed ..

Control laws, Tasks and Procedures with ORCCAD: Application to the . . .

Software reliability is a major issue in the design of control architecture for robots operating in hostile or poorly known environments. The Orccad control architecture gathers control laws in continuous time at the low levels and discrete time logical aspects at higher levels. While some performances can be checked using simulations, crucial properties such as dead-lock avoidance, safety and liveliness can be formally verified at both levels, using in particular some advantages of synchronous programming and associated tools. In the framework of the Union project, the underlying programming style using mission composition from basic actions and formal verification is illustrated by the design of an underwater structure inspection mission simulation using an ROV fitted with a manipulator. Since the physical system is not yet ready only realistic simulation results are provided, but it is expected that they will be rather easy to transfer on the real plant

Distributed Control of a Free-floating Underwater Manipulation System

Robotic applications are real-time dynamical systems which intimately combine different components ranging from high-level decision making and discrete-event controllers to low-level feedback loops. Tightly coupling the two last components and considering them in a formal framework permitted, in a centralized approach, both crucial properties to be proved and efficient implementation. We examine this coupling in the case of an architecture where discrete-event and low-level controllers are spatially distributed and we propose, in the framework of the Orccad methodology, different methods for their implementation. Their impact to the verification process is analyzed. The experimental evaluation of the proposed techniques uses the Ifremer free-floating underwater manipulation system Vortex-Pa10. The real-time programming aspects of the experiment are handled in the framework of the Orccad programming environment targeting the Pirat real-time controller

Vision-based control for space applications

International audienceThis paper presents the work performed in the context of the VIMANCO ESA project. It has the objective of improving the autonomy, safety and robustness of robotics system using vision. The approach we propose is based on an up-to-date recognition and 3D tracking method that allows to determine if a known object is visible on only one image, to compute its pose and to track it in real time along the image sequence acquired by the camera, even in the presence of varying lighting conditions, partial occlusions, and aspects changes. The robustness of the proposed method has been achieved by combining an efficient low level image processing step, statistical techniques to take into account potential outliers, and a formulation of the registration step as a closed loop minimization scheme. This approach is valid if only one camera observes the object, but can also be applied to a multi-cameras system. Finally, this approach provides all the necessary data for the manipulation of non cooperative objects using the general formalism of visual servoing, which is a closed loop control scheme on visual data expressed either in the image, or in 3D, or even in both spaces simultaneously. This formalism can be applied whatever the vision sensor configuration (one or several cameras) with respect to the robot arms (eye- in-hand or eye-to-hand systems). The global approach has been integrated and validated in the Eurobot testbed located at ESTEC

VIMANCO: Vision manipulation of non-cooperative objects

International audienceThis paper presents the work performed in the context of the VIMANCO on-going project. It has the objective of improving the autonomy, safety and robustness of robotics system using vision. Vision is certainly the most adequate exteroceptive sensor to deal with complex and varying environments and for manipulation tasks of non cooperative objects. The approach we propose is based on an up-to-date recognition and 3D tracking method that features many advantages with respect to other approaches. First of all, it allows to determine if a known object is visible on only one image. It also allows to compute its pose and to track it in real time along the image sequence acquired by the camera, even in the presence of varying lighting conditions, partial occlusions, and aspects changes. The robustness of the proposed method has been achieved by combining an efficient low level image processing step, statistical techniques to take into account potential outliers, and a formulation of the registration step as a closed loop minimization scheme. This approach is valid if only one camera observes the object, but can also be applied to a multi-cameras system. Finally, this approach provides all the necessary data for the manipulation of non cooperative objects using the general formalism of visual servoing, which is a closed loop control scheme on visual data expressed either in the image, or in 3D, or even in both spaces simultaneously. This formalism can be applied whatever the vision sensor configuration (one or several cameras) with respect to the robot arms (eye-in-hand or eye-to-hand systems)