Light-Controlled Micromotors and Soft Microrobots

Mobile microscale devices and microrobots can be powered by catalytic reactions (chemical micromotors) or by external fields. This report is focused on the role of light as a versatile means for wirelessly powering and controlling such microdevices. Recent advances in the development of autonomous micromotors are discussed, where light permits their actuation with unprecedented control and thereby enables advances in the field of active matter. In addition, structuring the light field is a new means to drive soft microrobots that are based on (photo-) responsive polymers. The behavior of the two main classes of thermo- and photoresponsive polymers adopted in microrobotics (poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and liquid-crystal elastomers) is analyzed, and recent applications are reported. The advantages and limitations of controlling micromotors and microrobots by light are reviewed, and some of the remaining challenges in the development of novel photo-active materials for micromotors and microrobots are discussed

Sexual signalling in Propithecus verreauxi: male ‘‘chest badge’’ and female mate choice

Communication, an essential prerequisite for sociality, involves the transmission of signals. A signal can be defined as any action or trait produced by one animal, the sender, that produces a change in the behaviour of another animal, the receiver. Secondary sexual signals are often used for mate choice because they may inform on a potential partner’s quality. Verreaux’s sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) is characterized by the presence of two different morphs of males (bimorphism), which can show either a stained or clean chest. The chest becomes stained by secretions of the sternal gland during throat marking (rubbing throat and chest on a vertical substrate while smearing the scent deposition). The role of the chest staining in guiding female mate choice was previously hypothesized but never demonstrated probably due to the difficulty of observing sifaka copulations in the wild. Here we report that stained-chested males had a higher throat marking activity than clean-chested males during the mating season, but not during the birth season. We found that females copulated more frequently with stained-chested males than the clean-chested males. Finally, in agreement with the biological market theory, we found that clean-chested males, with a lower scent-releasing potential, offered more grooming to females. This ‘‘grooming for sex’’ tactic was not completely unsuccessful; in fact, half of the clean-chested males copulated with females, even though at low frequency. In conclusion, the chest stain, possibly correlated with different cues targeted by females, could be one of the parameters which help females in selecting mates

A convergent decomposition algorithm for support vector machines.

In this work we consider nonlinear minimization problems with a single linear equality constraint and box constraints. In particular we are interested in solving problems where the number of variables is so huge that traditional optimization methods cannot be directly applied. Many interesting real world problems lead to the solution of large scale constrained problems with this structure. For example, the special subclass of problems with convex quadratic objective function plays a fundamental role in the training of Support Vector Machine, which is a technique for machine learning problems. For this particular subclass of convex quadratic problem, some convergent decomposition methods, based on the solution of a sequence of smaller subproblems, have been proposed. In this paper we define a new globally convergent decomposition algorithm that differs from the previous methods in the rule for the choice of the subproblem variables and in the presence of a proximal point modification in the objective function of the subproblems. In particular, the new rule for sequentially selecting the subproblems appears to be suited to tackle large scale problems, while the introduction of the proximal point term allows us to ensure the global convergence of the algorithm for the general case of nonconvex objective function. Furthermore, we report some preliminary numerical results on support vector classification problems with up to 100 thousands variables

An earthworm-like modular soft robot for locomotion in multi-terrain environments

Robotic locomotion in subterranean environments is still unsolved, and it requires innovative designs and strategies to overcome the challenges of burrowing and moving in unstructured conditions with high pressure and friction at depths of a few centimeters. Inspired by antagonistic muscle contractions and constant volume coelomic chambers observed in earthworms, we designed and developed a modular soft robot based on a peristaltic soft actuator (PSA). The PSA demonstrates two active configurations from a neutral state by switching the input source between positive and negative pressure. PSA generates a longitudinal force for axial penetration and a radial force for anchorage, through bidirectional deformation of the central bellows-like structure, which demonstrates its versatility and ease of control. The performance of PSA depends on the amount and type of fluid confined in an elastomer chamber, generating different forces and displacements. The assembled robot with five PSA modules enabled to perform peristaltic locomotion in different media. The role of friction was also investigated during experimental locomotion tests by attaching passive scales like earthworm setae to the ventral side of the robot. This study proposes a new method for developing a peristaltic earthworm-like soft robot and provides a better understanding of locomotion in different environments

A project for polarimetric observations in single dish with Medicina and Noto 32 m antennas

A project with multidisciplinary characteristics, aimed to implement the possibility of polarimetric measurements in single dish at the VLBI stations of Medicina and Noto, is presented. The project will open a new window on many astrophysical items that may be approached using the already existing instrumentation and facilities of the two Italian radioastronomical stations. We report here some scientific backgrounds, together with some technical evaluations, on which the feasibility of the project is based

Rough-and-tumble play as a window on animal communication.

Rough-and-tumble play (RT) is a widespread phenomenon in mammals. Since it involves competition, whereby one animal attempts to gain advantage over another, RT runs the risk of escalation to serious fighting. Competition is typically curtailed by some degree of cooperation and different signals help negotiate potential mishaps during RT. This review provides a framework for such signals, showing that they range along two dimensions: one from signals borrowed from other functional contexts to those that are unique to play, and the other from purely emotional expressions to highly cognitive (intentional) constructions. Some animal taxa have exaggerated the emotional and cognitive interplay aspects of play signals, yielding admixtures of communication that have led to complex forms of RT. This complexity has been further exaggerated in some lineages by the development of specific novel gestures that can be used to negotiate playful mood and entice reluctant partners. Play-derived gestures may provide new mechanisms by which more sophisticated communication forms can evolve. Therefore, RT and playful communication provide a window into the study of social cognition, emotional regulation and the evolution of communication systems

VLA Observations of H2O Masers in the Class 0 Protostar S106 FIR: Evidence for a 10 AU-Scale Accelerating Jet-like Flow

We conducted VLA observations at 0".06 resolution of the 22 GHz water masers toward the Class 0 source S106 FIR (d=600 pc; 15" west of S106-IRS4) on two epochs separated by ~3 months. Two compact clusters of the maser spots were found in the center of the submillimeter core of S106 FIR. The separation of the clusters was ~80 mas (48 AU) along P. A. = 70 degrees and the size of each cluster was ~20 mas x 10 mas. The western cluster, which had three maser components, was 7.0 km/s redshifted with respect to the ambient cloud velocity. Each component was composed of a few spatially localized maser spots and was aligned on a line connecting the clusters. We found relative proper motions of the components with ~30 mas/yr (18 AU/yr) along the line. In addition, a series of single-dish observations show that the maser components drifted with a radial acceleration of ~1 km/s/yr. These facts indicate that the masers could be excited by a 10 AU-scale jet-like accelerating flow ejected from an assumed protostar located between the two clusters. The outflow size traced by the masers was 50 AU x 5 AU after correction for an inclination angle of 10 degrees which was derived from the relative proper motions and radial velocities of the maser components. The three-dimensional outflow velocity ranged from 40 to 70 km/s assuming symmetric motions for the blue and red components. Since no distinct CO molecular outflows have been detected so far, we suggest that S106 FIR is an extremely young protostar observed just after the onset of outflowing activity.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures, No. 5 color. Accepted, Astrophysical Journa