Detection,localisation and tracking of pallets using machine learning techniques and 2D range data

The problem of autonomous transportation in industrial scenarios is receiving a renewed interest due to the way it can revolutionise internal logistics, especially in unstructured environments. This paper presents a novel architecture allowing a robot to detect, localise, and track (possibly multiple) pallets using machine learning techniques based on an on-board 2D laser rangefinder only. The architecture is composed of two main components: the first stage is a pallet detector employing a Faster Region-Based Convolutional Neural Network (Faster R-CNN) detector cascaded with a CNN-based classifier; the second stage is a Kalman filter for localising and tracking detected pallets, which we also use to defer commitment to a pallet detected in the first stage until sufficient confidence has been acquired via a sequential data acquisition process. For fine-tuning the CNNs, the architecture has been systematically evaluated using a real-world dataset containing 340 labelled 2D scans, which have been made freely available in an online repository. Detection performance has been assessed on the basis of the average accuracy over k-fold cross-validation, and it scored 99.58% in our tests. Concerning pallet localisation and tracking, experiments have been performed in a scenario where the robot is approaching the pallet to fork. Although data have been originally acquired by considering only one pallet as per specification of the use case we consider, artificial data have been generated as well to mimic the presence of multiple pallets in the robot workspace. Our experimental results confirm that the system is capable of identifying, localising and tracking pallets with a high success rate while being robust to false positives.

     

Using normative ethics for building a good evaluation of research practices: towards the assessment of researcher’s virtues

This paper is an attempt of using co-citation analysis to sort out and to analyze the development and evolution of a latest hot area, open innovation from the perspective of network embedding. A dataset of 1437 records published between 1990 and 2019 is collected from Web of Science database. The empirical results show the latest hot topics in the open innovation study focus on innovation performance and value creation. In addition, we make a new interpretation of open innovation from four aspects: innovation and entrepreneurship, resource acquisition, knowledge sharing and innovation performance, then combines the importance of network embedding to the innovation and development of enterprises, and proposes the future research direction of open innovation. Our research in this paper is helpful to systematically sort out the knowledge context of open innovation, which is of great significance to the construction and development of open innovation knowledge system. The conclusions and implications in this paper will be particularly illuminating for both academic research and enterprises’ practice application.

     

Shaking the usability tree: why usability is not a dead end,and a constructive way forward

A recent contribution to the ongoing debate concerning the concept of usability and its measures proposed that usability reached a dead end – i.e. a construct unable to provide stable results and to unify scientific knowledge. Extensive commentaries rejected the conclusion that researchers need to look for alternative constructs to measure the quality of interaction. Nevertheless, several practitioners involved in this international debate asked for a constructive way to move forward the usability practice. In fact, two key issues of the usability field were identified in this debate: (i) knowledge fragmentation in the scientific community, and (ii) the unstable relationship among the usability metrics. We recognise both the importance and impact of these key issues, although, in line with others, we may not agree with the conclusion that the usability is a dead end. Under the light of the international debate, this work discusses the strengths and weaknesses of usability construct and its application. Our discussion focuses on identifying alternative explanations to the issues and to suggest mitigation strategies, which may be considered the starting point to move forward the usability field. However, scientific community actions will be needed to implement these mitigation strategies and to harmonise the usability practice.     

Anisotropic MoS2 Nanosheets Grown on Self‐Organized Nanopatterned Substrates

Manipulating the anisotropy in 2D nanosheets is a promising way to tune or trigger functional properties at the nanoscale. Here, a novel approach is presented to introduce a one‐directional anisotropy in MoS₂ nanosheets via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) onto rippled patterns prepared on ion‐sputtered SiO₂/Si substrates. The optoelectronic properties of MoS₂ are dramatically affected by the rippled MoS₂ morphology both at the macro‐ and the nanoscale. In particular, strongly anisotropic phonon modes are observed depending on the polarization orientation with respect to the ripple axis. Moreover, the rippled morphology induces localization of strain and charge doping at the nanoscale, thus causing substantial redshifts of the phonon mode frequencies and a topography‐dependent modulation of the MoS₂ workfunction, respectively. This study paves the way to a controllable tuning of the anisotropy via substrate pattern engineering in CVD‐grown 2D nanosheets.     

Combining social media affordances for organising collective action

Social media provide new opportunities for supporting the dynamics of collective action (CA), allowing for the mobilisation of people into debates and involving them in new forms of collective decision making. Although current studies focus on opportunities offered by social media for collective action, there is still a need to deepen the understanding of how social media support the organisation of CA and to study the effects of individual actions performed on social media in complex organisational settings. We here explore how social media are used to manage CA by the Italian political movement Movimento Cinque Stelle, using the concept of affordances as the conceptual framing. Based on the qualitative case analyses, our study contributes to the knowledge base by identifying a typology of nine affordances supporting CA and exploring how the combined actualisations of some affordances of the typology create antecedents of the fundamental processes of CA. On the basis of the study analysis, we suggest a model to describe how social media support CA through affordances, their combinations, and the creation of antecedents and then formulate implications for research and practice.     

Exploring the ERTMS/ETCS full moving block specification: an experience with formal methods

International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer - Shift2Rail is a joint undertaking funded by the EU via its Horizon 2020 program and by main railway stakeholders. Several...     

The Interaction of the Antitumor Complexes Na[trans-RuCl(4) (DMSO)(Im)] and Na[trans-RuCl(4)(DMSO)(Ind)] With Apotransferrin: a Spectroscopic Study

The interaction of two antitumor ruthenium(III) complexes,-Na[trans-RuCl(4)(DMSO)(Im)] and Na[trans-RuCl(4)(DMSO)(Ind)]- with human serum apotransferrin (apoTf) was investigated through a number of spectroscopic techniques such as UV-Vis absorption, CD and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Interestingly, the hydrolysis profiles of these complexes in a physiological buffer are markedly affected by the presence, in solution, of apoTf suggesting the occurrence of a specific interaction of their respective hydrolysis products with the protein. The formation of stable adducts with apotransferrin has been demonstrated by CD spectroscopy, and additional information obtained through (1)H NMR of the hyperfine shifted signals. The bound ruthenium(III) species may be detached from these adducts by addition of excess citrate at low pH. The behavior of the investigated ruthenium(III) complexes with apoTf is compared with that of the recently described and strictly related ru-im and ru-ind antitumour complexes, and discussed in the frame of general strategies of drug targeting.     

Natural Polyphenols Selectively Inhibit β‐Carbonic Anhydrase from the Dandruff‐Producing Fungus Malassezia globosa: Activity and Modeling Studies

Around 50 % of the worldwide population is affected by dandruff, which is triggered by a variety of factors. The yeast Malassezia globosa has been labeled as the most probable causative agent for the onset of dandruff. The β‐carbonic anhydrase (CA) of MgCA was recently validated as an anti‐dandruff target, with its inhibition being responsible for in vivo growth defects in the fungus. As classical CA inhibitors of the sulfonamide type give rise to permeability problems through biological membranes, finding non‐sulfonamide alternatives for MgCA inhibition is of considerable interest in the cosmetic field. We recently screened a large library of human (h) CA inhibitors for MgCA inhibition, including different chemotypes, such as monothiocarbamates, dithiocarbamates, phenols, and benzoxaboroles. Herein, we expanded the research toward new MgCA inhibitors by considering a set of natural polyphenols (including flavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavanols, isoflavones, and depsides) that exhibited MgCA inhibitory activity in the micromolar range, as well as selectivity for the fungal isozyme over off‐target human isoforms. The binding mode of representative derivatives within the MgCA catalytic cleft was investigated by docking studies using a homology‐built model.     

The FAST module: an add-on unit for driving commercial scanning probe microscopes at video rate and beyond

We present the design and the performance of the FAST (Fast Acquisition of SPM Timeseries) module, an add-on instrument that can drive commercial scanning probe microscopes (SPM) at and beyond video rate image frequencies. In the design of this module, we adopted and integrated several technical solutions previously proposed by different groups in order to overcome the problems encountered when driving SPMs at high scanning frequencies. The fast probe motion control and signal acquisition are implemented in a way that is totally transparent to the existing control electronics, allowing the user to switch immediately and seamlessly to the fast scanning mode when imaging in the conventional slow mode. The unit provides a completely non-invasive, fast scanning upgrade to common SPM instruments that are not specifically designed for high speed scanning. To test its performance, we used this module to drive a commercial scanning tunneling microscope (STM) system in a quasi-constant height mode to frame rates of 100 Hz and above, demonstrating extremely stable and high resolution imaging capabilities. The module is extremely versatile and its application is not limited to STM setups but can, in principle, be generalized to any scanning probe instrument.     

Frequency recovery techniques for TM/TC satellite modem in critical scenarios

Reliability and effectiveness are essential features of satellite transceivers for telemetry and telecommand applications. Modem performance has a strong impact on the success of a satellite mission, in particular, during critical scenarios as the early operation phase, the disposal of a satellite at the end of its life, or the deep‐space missions. In these specific mission critical scenarios, fast and correct data reception is even more important than high channel capacity. An unknown and fast variable channel condition, which can be caused by uncertain spacecraft attitude and large Doppler shift with respect to the data rate, requires efficient and innovative receiver architecture. This paper introduces a complete digital implementation of a transceiver for TM/TC application in low Earth orbit mission that is perfectly compliant with aforementioned requirements. Particular attention is dedicated to the definition and selection of the most appropriate frequency recovery technique; 2 open‐loop techniques that are derived from ML optimal estimator are presented and compared. Additionally, the performance of the proposed receiver is extensively studied and compared with an incoherent technique that is based on the double differential PSK modulation and is known to be suitable for sat‐com in critical scenarios.