User—robot personality matching and assistive robot behavior adaptation for post-stroke rehabilitation therapy

This paper describes a hands-off socially assistive therapist robot designed to monitor, assist, encourage, and socially interact with post-stroke users engaged in rehabilitation exercises. We investigate the role of the robot’s personality in the hands-off therapy process, focusing on the relationship between the level of extroversion–introversion of the robot and the user. We also demonstrate a behavior adaptation system capable of adjusting its social interaction parameters (e.g., interaction distances/proxemics, speed, and vocal content) toward customized post-stroke rehabilitation therapy based on the user’s personality traits and task performance. Three validation experiment sets are described. The first maps the user’s extroversion–introversion personality dimension to a spectrum of robot therapy styles that range from challenging to nurturing. The second and the third experiments adjust the personality matching dynamically to adapt the robot’s therapy styles based on user personality and performance. The reported results provide first evidence for user preference for personality matching in the assistive domain and demonstrate how the socially assistive robot’s autonomous behavior adaptation to the user’s personality can result in improved human task performance. This work was supported by USC Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Program and the Okawa Foundation.     

Learning from History for Behavior-Based Mobile Robots in Non-Stationary Conditions

Learning in the mobile robot domain is a very challenging task, especially in non-stationary conditions. The behavior-based approach has proven to be useful in making mobile robots work in real-world situations. Since the behaviors are responsible for managing the interactions between the robots and its environment, observing their use can be exploited to model these interactions. In our approach, the robot is initially given a set of behavior-producing modules to choose from, and the algorithm provides a memory-based approach to dynamically adapt the selection of these behaviors according to the history of their use. The approach is validated using a vision- and sonar-based Pioneer I robot in non-stationary conditions, in the context of a multi-robot foraging task. Results show the effectiveness of the approach in taking advantage of any regularities experienced in the world, leading to fas t and adaptable specialization for the learning robot.     

A qualitative and quantitative study of the hepatic pigmented macrophage aggregates during the breeding cycle of Ohrid trout, Salmo letnica Kar. (Teloestei, Salmonidae)

It is well known that factors such as aging and water quality may influence pigmented macrophages (PMacs) in fishes, but it is not established yet if PMacs undergo seasonal and breeding dependent variations. This study explored this caveat and reports qualitative histological and stereological data on liver PMacs from wild female Ohrid trout, Salmo letnica, during the annual breeding cycle. Data showed that a minority of PMacs contained melanin and that the vast majority of them contained only hemosiderin or hemosiderin and lipofuscin/ceroid pigment. It was suggested that this is the normal scenario for the species. One remarkable result was the demonstration of a striking increase, after spawning, of the relative and total volumes of the hepatic macrophages, both parenchyma and stroma located. Because the melano PMacs did not vary, those changes were due to fluctuations in the hemosiderin-laden PMacs. We concluded that Ohrid trout presented a pigment composition in liver macrophages that differed from other fish, including salmonids, where most liver phagocytes essentially display melanin. Our quantitative data support interspecies differences in the amount of liver macrophages and also that after spawning expansion of the macrophage pool is crucial and most likely connected with the needs of liver remodeling (leading to a decrease in hepatic mass). So, we suggested that the hormonal (sex steroidal) constellation influenced the liver macrophage pool. Additionally, we proved that the use of fish liver macrophages for biomonitoring should take into account the considerable natural breeding/seasonal dependent variations that are expected to occur.     

Proteomic approaches to the study of malignant lymphoma: Analyses on patient samples

We describe the application of proteomic techniques for protein profiling and biomarker discovery in malignant lymphoma. Hematologic malignancies are primarily characterized by their clinical, morphological, immunophenotypical, and molecular-genetic features. However, when based on these parameters, apparently identical lymphomas may show distinct clinical courses, suggesting underlying biological heterogeneity. Recent proteomic analyses have identified differences in protein expression both with regard to subclassification of the malignant lymphoma entities, as well as in correlation with clinical outcome. In this review, studies on quantification of differential protein expression in and between malignant lymphoma entities are included. Studies are included that are based on patient samples, that is, serum/plasma or cytological specimens, as well as intact tumor tissues, together with studies that focus on tumor cells alone, or in conjunction with the tumor microenvironment. For biomarker discovery in malignant lymphoma, these approaches are used to uncover the underlying biological mechanisms and identify proteins with potential diagnostic and prognostic utility, either as predictive biomarkers or as novel future treatment targets.     

Optimization of a Fabric Softener Formulation with an Electrochemical Sensor and Streaming Potential Measurements

An electrochemical, cationic, surfactant-selective sensor based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) functionalized with a sulfate group and the cetylpyridinium ion (MWCNT–OSO₃⁻CP⁺) as a sensing material was used for optimization of the formulation of a fabric softener. Potentiometric titrations were performed and response measurements were obtained using four cationic surfactants (CS) of technical grade and four CS of analytical grade. The slope closest to Nernstian was obtained for di-(tallow carboxyethyl) hydroxyethyl methylammonium methosulfate (MAS) (59.5 ± 1.1 mV/decade of activity in water and 57.5 ± 1.3 mV/decade of activity in CaCl₂). When using CS as analytes in potentiometric titrations, the best accuracy (99.8%) was obtained when using MAS; therefore, it was chosen as the CS for the fabric softener formulation. Due to the better properties of fabric softeners with silicone in their formulations, four silicones at several concentration levels were used as potential additives. Based on the stability and viscosity of the system, the diquaternary polydimethylsiloxane (DPS) (w = 0.19%) was chosen for the fabric softener formulation. The pH did not significantly influence the potential when in the range of 3–8 or the recovery of potentiometric titrations when in the range of 3–7. The application profile of the CS was assessed through streaming potential measurements of reference fabrics in an electrokinetic analyzer. The obtained electrokinetic parameters indicated on lag in adsorption of model fabric softener (MFS) based on MAS (w = 9%), with the addition of silicone DPS (MFS 3), on cotton and polyester fabrics, but advantage in stability when compared with other MFS investigated.     

Stable Shapes of Thin Anisotropic Nano-strips

The elastic properties of a thin anisotropic nano-strip are characterized by its intrinsic mean curvature and intrinsic curvature deviator. It is shown that minimization of the elastic energy of the strip including the deviatoric contribution may explain the stability of the observed helical and twisted shapes of inorganic nano-strips (helix A and B).     

Design, implementation and validation of a Europe-wide pedagogical framework for e-Learning

Within the context of a Europe-wide project UNITE, a number of European partners set out to design, implement and validate a pedagogical framework (PF) for e- and m-Learning in secondary schools. The process of formulating and testing the PF was an evolutionary one that reflected the experiences and skills of the various European partners and secondary schools involved in the project. The framework involved pedagogies which underpin the teaching of subject matter in a number of European secondary schools as well as the ways in which learning is delivered and assessed. The PF represents an essential part of the e-Learning system conceptualization and development and offers sound concepts for the development of learning scenarios in order to enhance the learning experience of students in secondary schools. A five-component framework which, by means of its constituents, drives and guides the creation of e-Learning scenarios was designed and tested. It is composed of the pedagogical framework context, pedagogical approaches, assessment techniques, teacher education and national specifics and current pedagogical practices implemented in national curricula. A series of learning scenarios were created to test the PF in classrooms. A detailed exemplar of a scenario in practice is offered. An evaluation of the scenarios based on [Reeves, T. C., 1994. Evaluating what really matters in computer-based education. In M. Wild, D. Kirkpatrick (Eds.), Computer education: new perspectives (pp. 219–246). Perth, Australia: MASTEC] pedagogical dimensions revealed that UNITE is based on constructivist and cognitive foundations. With increased experience of the system the teachers’ implementation of the pedagogical framework developed into increased mastery in the school context. Teachers from the second validation phase became more confident in their application of the framework principles and evaluated more positively the outcomes. This helped them to become more aware of the opportunities offered by the framework in their secondary school teaching. In order to bring this about the supports for change were put into place at the levels of pedagogical design, administrative support and the provision of the required resources and appropriate continuing professional development. The project has sought to create this support structure to ensure maximal benefits of the system for teaching and learning. Such a pedagogical support PF has offered scope for both collaborative and autonomous learning which have brought about value-added teaching and learning effects in the Europe-wide network of schools.     

Modeling of kinetics for the enzymatic hydrolysis of sunflower oil in a high-pressure reactor

This study presents a mathematical model for characterizing the Michaelis-Menten type of sunflower oil hydrolysis, catalyzed by the lipase preparation Lipolase 100T (Novozymes Ays, Bagsvaerd, Denmark). Supercritical carbon dioxide was used as a solvent for this reaction. Computer modeling of the kinetics was done for the enzymatic hydrolysis of sunflower oil in a high-pressure reactor using the MicroMath Scientist^® program (Micro-Math Research, St. Louis, MO). On the basis of the experimental results, we presumed the reaction was reversible. The suitability of the model was confirmed statistically with Student's t-test. Good agreement was found between the experimental and calculated values for the concentrations of oleic and linoleic acids.     

Parental attachment and adolescents' emotional adjustment: The associations with social skills and relational competence.

Young people learn from their interactions with their parents how to initiate and maintain satisfying and warm friendships. Attachment with parents thereby plays an important role in adolescents' social and emotional adjustment. The model tested in this study proposes that the relation between parental attachment and emotional adjustment is mediated by social skills and relational competence. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the models and paths between concepts using data from a sample of 412 12–18-year-olds. In the 12–14-year-old age group, no effects of parental attachment on social skills and relational competence were displayed. However, in the 15–18-year-old age group, parental attachment was moderately related to social skills, which, in turn, affected middle adolescents' competence in friendships and romantic relationships. Parental attachment and relational competence were significant predictors of adolescents' emotional adjustment in both age groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)