An efficient omnidirectional vision system for soccer robots: From calibration to object detection

Robotic soccer is nowadays a popular research domain in the area of multi-robot systems. In the context of RoboCup, the Middle Size League is one of the most challenging. This paper presents an efficient omnidirectional vision system for real-time object detection, developed for the robotic soccer team of the University of Aveiro, CAMBADA. The vision system is used to find the ball and white lines, which are used for self-localization, as well as to find the presence of obstacles. Algorithms for detecting these objects and also for calibrating most of the parameters of the vision system are presented in this paper. We also propose an efficient approach for detecting arbitrary FIFA balls, which is an important topic of research in the Middle Size League. The experimental results that we present show the effectiveness of our algorithms, both in terms of accuracy and processing time, as well as the results that the team has been achieving: 1st place in RoboCup 2008, 3rd place in 2009 and 1st place in the mandatory technical challenge in RoboCup 2009, where the robots have to play with an arbitrary standard FIFA ball.     

Optimized trajectories of the transfer cask system in ITER

The transfer cask system (TCS) is one of the remote handling systems that will operate in ITER, transporting heavy and highly activated in-vessel components between the tokamak building and the hot cell building. A motion planning methodology for the TCS was developed, providing smooth paths that maximize the clearance to obstacles and that incorporate manoeuvres whenever necessary. This paper presents the results of the TCS planning algorithm with trajectories computed for nominal operations. The length of the journey, the velocity, the time duration, and the risk of collision were evaluated individually for each trajectory. A summary of all results, conclusions and future work are presented and discussed.     

Implicit versus explicit frequency comparisons: Two mechanisms of auditory change detection.

Listeners had to compare, with respect to pitch (frequency), a pure tone (T) to a combination of pure tones presented subsequently (C). The elements of C were either synchronous, and therefore difficult to hear out individually, or asynchronous and therefore easier to hear out individually. In the “present/absent” condition, listeners had to judge if T reappeared in C or not. In the “up/down” condition, the task was to judge if the element of C most similar to T was higher or lower than T. When the elements of C were synchronous, the up/down task was found to be easier than the present/absent task; the converse result was obtained when the elements of C were asynchronous. This provides evidence for a duality of auditory comparisons between tone frequencies: (1) implicit comparisons made by automatic and direction-sensitive “frequency-shift detectors”; (2) explicit comparisons more sensitive to the magnitude of a frequency change than to its direction. Another experiment suggests that although the frequency-shift detectors cannot compare effectively two tones separated by an interfering tone, they are largely insensitive to interfering noise bursts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

When it comes to pay, do the thin win? The effect of weight on pay for men and women.

Cultivation theory suggests that society holds very different body standards for men versus women, and research indicates that the consequences of defying these social norms may not be linear. To test these notions in the employment context, we examined the relationship between weight and income and the degree to which the relationship varies by gender. For women, we theorized a negative weight–income relationship that is steepest at the thin end of the distribution. For men, we predicted a positive weight–income relationship until obesity, where it becomes negative. To test these hypotheses, we utilized 2 longitudinal studies, 1 German and 1 American. In Study 1, weight was measured over 2 time periods, and earnings were averaged over the subsequent 5 years. Study 2 was a multilevel study in which weight and earnings were within-individual variables observed over time, and gender was a between-individual variable. Results from the 2 studies generally support the hypotheses, even when examining within-individual changes in weight over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Formation Mechanism of Alkyl Nitrites,Valuable Intermediates in C1-Upgrading Chemistry and Oxidation Processes

In this contribution we use computational tools to investigate the reaction of alcohol substrates with reactive nitrogen oxide species such as N₂O₃ and N₂O₄, leading to the formation of alkyl nitrites. These nitrites are interesting intermediates which can be processed to various valuable chemicals such as ketones/aldehydes and dimethyl oxalate while regenerating NO _x . As such, NO _x is used as an oxidation mediator, converting alcohol substrates to more reactive nitrites which can be selectively converted to more desired compounds, closing a catalytic cycle in NO _x species.     

Strontium Zirconate and Strontium Titanate Ceramics for High-Voltage Applications: Synthesis, Processing, and Dielectric Properties

The synthesis, processing, and electrical properties of SrZrO₃ and SrTiO₃ materials have been examined. Phase-pure powders of SrZrO₃ and SrTiO₃ materials were synthesized using the Pechini method. Powder processing routes that used water and 2-propanol as carrier fluids were developed to achieve high green densities, which resulted in sintered densities of >99% of the theoretical density. The relative permittivity and average breakdown strength for carefully processed SrZrO₃ were 60 and 40 V/μm; the corresponding values for SrTiO₃ were 400 and 35 V/μm. The higher breakdown strengths suggest that these materials can be used in high-voltage capacitor applications.     

Social influence during the initial phase of a fire evacuation—Analysis of evacuation experiments in a cinema theatre

Unannounced evacuation experiments in a cinema theatre were analysed. The analysis focused on investigating if people are influenced by others during the initial phase of a fire evacuation. This type of influence is called social influence. Three separate behaviour types were identified and studied and the recognition and pre-movement time was measured. The results suggest that social influence is an important factor and that it becomes more important when the fire cue, e.g., the alarm, is unclear or uninformative. Results also indicate that social influence increases with decreasing distance between visitors. This result implies that individuals are influenced more by people who are close than by people who are further away.     

Verbal working memory and language production: Common approaches to the serial ordering of verbal information.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 136(3) of Psychological Bulletin (see record 2010-07936-010). In the article “Verbal Working Memory and Language Production: Common Approaches to the Serial Ordering of Verbal Information” by Daniel J. Acheson and Maryellen C. MacDonald (Psychological Bulletin, 2009, Vol. 135, No. 1, pp. 50–68), the initial sentence of the text of the article (p. 50) contains an error. The first name of the researcher Andrew W. Ellis was listed incorrectly. The sentence should read as follows: Nearly 30 years ago, Andrew W. Ellis (1980) observed that errors on tests of verbal working memory (WM) paralleled those that occur naturally in speech production.] Verbal working memory (WM) tasks typically involve the language production architecture for recall; however, language production processes have had a minimal role in theorizing about WM. A framework for understanding verbal WM results is presented here. In this framework, domain-specific mechanisms for serial ordering in verbal WM are provided by the language production architecture, in which positional, lexical, and phonological similarity constraints are highly similar to those identified in the WM literature. These behavioral similarities are paralleled in computational modeling of serial ordering in both fields. The role of long-term learning in serial ordering performance is emphasized, in contrast to some models of verbal WM. Classic WM findings are discussed in terms of the language production architecture. The integration of principles from both fields illuminates the maintenance and ordering mechanisms for verbal information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)