In our previous research we focused on the role of Intrinsically motivated learning signals in driving the selection and learning of different skills. This work makes a further step towards more ...autonomous and versatile robots, implementing a 3-level hierarchical architecture with the mechanisms necessary to both select goals to pursue and search for the best way to achieve them. In particular, we focus on the important problem of providing artificial agents with a decoupled architecture that separates the selection of goals from the selection of resources. To verify our solution, we use the architecture to control the two redundant arms of a simulated iCub robotic platform tested in a reaching task within a 3D environment. We compare its performance to a previous model having a coupled architecture where the different goals are associated at design-time to different modules pursuing them.
Hadron scattering and production uncertainties are a limiting systematic on accelerator and at-mospheric neutrino flux predictions. New hadron measurements are necessary for neutrino fluxpredictions ...with well-understood and reduced uncertainties. We propose a new compact experimentto measure hadron scattering and production cross sections at beam energies that are inaccessibleto currently operating experiments. These measurements can reduce the current 10% neutrino fluxuncertainties by an approximate factor of two.
Liquid argon time projection chamber technology is an attractive choice for large neutrino detectors, as it provides a high-resolution active target and it is expected to be scalable to very large ...masses. Consequently, it has been chosen as the technology for the first module of the DUNE far detector. However, the fiducial mass required for "far detectors" of the next generation of neutrino oscillation experiments far exceeds what has been demonstrated so far. Scaling to this larger mass, as well as the requirement for underground construction places a number of additional constraints on the design. A prototype 35-ton cryostat was built at Fermi National Acccelerator Laboratory to test the functionality of the components foreseen to be used in a very large far detector. The Phase I run, completed in early 2014, demonstrated that liquid argon could be maintained at sufficient purity in a membrane cryostat. A time projection chamber was installed for the Phase II run, which collected data in February and March of 2016. The Phase II run was a test of the modular anode plane assemblies with wrapped wires, cold readout electronics, and integrated photon detection systems. While the details of the design do not match exactly those chosen for the DUNE far detector, the 35-ton TPC prototype is a demonstration of the functionality of the basic components. Measurements are performed using the Phase II data to extract signal and noise characteristics and to align the detector components. A measurement of the electron lifetime is presented, and a novel technique for measuring a track's position based on pulse properties is described.
The authors evaluated the role of immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy in defining neural differentiation in 28 cases of Ewing sarcoma/ PNET. The panel of primary antibodies used included ...vimentin, MIC-2, NSE, S-100 protein, leu7, neurofilaments, GFAP, and chromogranin A. Cases were considered undifferentiated when neural markers were absent, poorly differentiated if one neural marker was present, and well differentiated if two or more markers were observed. Cases were also evaluated for the presence of cytoplasmic processes, microtubules, and neurosecretory granules as ultrastructural features of neural differentiation: the tumor was classified as well differentiated if two of these features were present; and poorly differentiated if one was evident; all other cases were considered undifferentiated. According to immunohistochemistry, 10 cases (35.7%) were undifferentiated, 12 cases (42.9%) were poorly differentiated, and 6 (21.4%) were well differentiated. According to the ultrastructural analysis, 10 tumors were undifferentiated (35.7%), 14 poorly differentiated (50%), and 4 well differentiated (14.3%). The overall concordance between the two techniques was low (35.7%), and both modalities were concordant in classifying only 1 well-differentiated, 5 poorly differentiated, and 4 undifferentiated tumors. In conclusion, the authors suggest that investigations devoted to test the prognostic significance of neural differentiation in these neoplasms should employ both immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy, separately and in combination, to assess what is the most effective choice for predicting the clinical course.
This poster provides an analytical model for examining performances of IR systems, based on the discounted cumulative gain family of metrics, and visualization for interacting and exploring the ...performances of the system under examination. Moreover, we propose machine learning approach to learn the ranking model of the examined system in order to be able to conduct a "what-if" analysis and visually explore what can happen if you adopt a given solution before having to actually implement it.
Smart homes to improve the quality of life for all Aiello, M.; Aloise, F.; Baldoni, R. ...
2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society,
01/2011, Letnik:
2011
Conference Proceeding, Journal Article
Odprti dostop
A home is smart when, being aware of its own state and that of its users, is capable of controlling itself in order to support the user wishes and thus improving their quality of life. This holds ...both for users with special needs and for those with ordinary domestic needs. In this paper, we overview the Smart Homes for All project which represents the current state of the art with respect to software control and user interfaces in the smart homes arena.
The impact of informed consent to tetanus prophylaxis with human immunoglobulins on patients treated in the Emergency Department has been evaluated.
Tetanus vaccination history was investigated in ...1435 patients in 1995 and in 1300 patients in 1996 with post-traumatic skin lesions.
The study has shown that in 1995, 55% and in 1996 49.5% of the total patients studied had not received vaccine for tetanus or boosters for over 10 years. These patients had been proposed the treatment with human tetanus immunoglobulins (TIG). The research was performed comparing the consent obtained before (from 17/5 to 15/7/1995) and after (from 17/5 to 15/7/1996) the introduction of the informed consent. The survey was divided into 15-day periods. In 1995 prophylaxis with human immunoglobulins was refused by 42 patients out of 831 (5%) while, in the following year, by 284 out of 641 (44.3%). Every period examined has shown highly significant differences (p < 0.000).
Informing the patients that tetanus prophylaxis with human immunoglobulins can expose them to the risk, at present remote, of transmission of viral infections, has caused a heavy rise of denials to the suggestion of treatment with human immunoglobulins. The amount of the treated patients and the time that was devoted to informed consent would make Emergency Department one of the main places for effective and widespread tetanus prophylaxis. However a greater activity of outer structures would also be hoped for.
Materializing the Web De Rosa, M.; Catarci, T.; Iocchi, L. ...
Proceedings. 3rd IFCIS International Conference on Cooperative Information Systems (Cat. No.98EX122),
1998
Conference Proceeding
In this paper we present a novel approach to accessing the Web, that enables automatically acquiring data from Web sites and making them accessible to the user through a database query paradigm. The ...basic idea is to build, once the user has specified a generic domain of interest, the domain conceptual representation, to instantiate it with data extracted from Web sites (so to build a materialized view over the Web), and to query such a conceptual representation through an easy-to-use visual interface. Knowledge representation techniques are used for both the internal modeling of the conceptual representation and for supporting the automatic extraction of data from Web sites to feed the materialized view. We describe a prototype implementation, focusing on the internal representation of information and on the process for analysing Web sites and acquiring data from them. Our preliminary results support our intuition that, at least for certain kinds of queries, the proposed approach can effectively provide the desired information.
The 35-ton prototype for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment far detector was a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber with an integrated photon detector system, all situated inside a ...membrane cryostat. The detector took cosmic-ray data for six weeks during the period of February 1, 2016 to March 12, 2016. The performance of the photon detection system was checked with these data. An installed photon detector was demonstrated to measure the arrival times of cosmic-ray muons with a resolution better than 32 ns, limited by the timing of the trigger system. A measurement of the timing resolution using closely-spaced calibration pulses yielded a resolution of 15 ns for pulses at a level of 6 photo-electrons. Scintillation light from cosmic-ray muons was observed to be attenuated with increasing distance with a characteristic length of \(155 \pm 28\) cm.
A methodology for the design of data dictionaries Batini, C.; Di Battista, G.; Santucci, G.
Ninth Annual International Phoenix Conference on Computers and Communications. 1990 Conference Proceedings,
1990
Conference Proceeding
The data dictionary of an organization is the integrated repository of all types of data produced, managed, exchanged, and maintained in the organization, represented in such a way as to allow all ...users of the information system to understand their meaning. Since the way in which data are represented is usually dependent on the application domain, that is, the DBMS used, the role of the responsible organization unit, that is, designing and maintaining a dictionary, is a challenging task. A methodology is discussed for data dictionary design; several structuring mechanisms are proposed for use in the representation of data in the dictionary. A strategy is provided to produce the dictionary according to such mechanisms.< >
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