Search results for " Neuroscience"

UJI RobInLab's approach to the Amazon Robotics Challenge 2017

2017

This paper describes the approach taken by the team from the Robotic Intelligence Laboratory at Jaume I University to the Amazon Robotics Challenge 2017. The goal of the challenge is to automate pick and place operations in unstructured environments, specifically the shelves in an Amazon warehouse. RobInLab's approach is based on a Baxter Research robot and a customized storage system. The system's modular architecture, based on ROS, allows communication between two computers, two Arduinos and the Baxter. It integrates 9 hardware components along with 10 different algorithms to accomplish the pick and stow tasks. We describe the main components and pipelines of the system, along with some e…

Extreme minimal learning machine: Ridge regression with distance-based basis

2019

The extreme learning machine (ELM) and the minimal learning machine (MLM) are nonlinear and scalable machine learning techniques with a randomly generated basis. Both techniques start with a step in which a matrix of weights for the linear combination of the basis is recovered. In the MLM, the feature mapping in this step corresponds to distance calculations between the training data and a set of reference points, whereas in the ELM, a transformation using a radial or sigmoidal activation function is commonly used. Computation of the model output, for prediction or classification purposes, is straightforward with the ELM after the first step. In the original MLM, one needs to solve an addit…

2D/3D Object Recognition and Categorization Approaches for Robotic Grasping

2017

International audience; Object categorization and manipulation are critical tasks for a robot to operate in the household environment. In this paper, we propose new methods for visual recognition and categorization. We describe 2D object database and 3D point clouds with 2D/3D local descriptors which we quantify with the k-means clustering algorithm for obtaining the Bag of Words (BOW). Moreover, we develop a new global descriptor called VFH-Color that combines the original version of Viewpoint Feature Histogram (VFH) descriptor with the color quantization histogram, thus adding the appearance information that improves the recognition rate. The acquired 2D and 3D features are used for train…

Simulation Goals and Metrics Identification

2016

Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) is a very useful means for producing high quality models during simulation studies. When ABMS is part of a methodological ap- proach it becomes important to have a method for identifying the objectives of the simulation study in a disciplined fashion. In this work we propose a set of guidelines for properly capturing and representing the goals of the simulations and the metrics, allowing and evaluating the achievement of a simulation objective. We take inspiration from the goal-question-metric approach and with the aid of a specific problem formalization we are able to derive the right questions for relating simulation goals and metrics.

Fault detection for nonlinear networked systems based on quantization and dropout compensation: An interval type-2 fuzzy-model method

2016

Abstract This paper investigates the problem of filter-based fault detection for a class of nonlinear networked systems subject to parameter uncertainties in the framework of the interval type-2 (IT2) T–S fuzzy model-based approach. The Bernoulli random distribution process and logarithm quantizer are used to describe the measurement loss and signals quantization, respectively. In the framework of the IT2 T–S fuzzy model, the parameter uncertainty is handled by the membership functions with lower and upper bounds. A novel IT2 fault detection filter is designed to guarantee the residual system to be stochastically stable and satisfy the predefined H ∞ performance. It should be mentioned that…

Mapping the Other Side of Agency

2021

Schonau et al. (2021) put forward an “agency map” that brings together the so far underappreciated interrelation of responsibility, privacy, authenticity, and trust for the purpose of better unders...

'Palaeoshellomics' reveals the use of freshwater mother-of-pearl in prehistory

2019

The extensive use of mollusc shell as a versatile raw material is testament to its importance in prehistoric times. The consistent choice of certain species for different purposes, including the making of ornaments, is a direct representation of how humans viewed and exploited their environment. The necessary taxonomic information, however, is often impossible to obtain from objects that are small, heavily worked or degraded. Here we propose a novel biogeochemical approach to track the biological origin of prehistoric mollusc shell. We conducted an in-depth study of archaeological ornaments using microstructural, geochemical and biomolecular analyses, including ‘palaeoshellomics’, the first…

Barrel Cortex Function Special Issue Editorial

2018

TReND in Africa: Toward a Truly Global (Neuro)science Community

2020

TReND is a volunteer-scientist run charity dedicated to promoting research and education on the African continent. Focusing on neuroscience, we discuss approaches to address some of the factors that currently stifle Africa's scientific development and our experience in implementing them.

Functions of histone modifications and histone modifiers in Schwann cells.

2019

Schwann cells (SCs) are the main glial cells present in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Their primary functions are to insulate peripheral axons to protect them from the environment and to enable fast conduction of electric signals along big caliber axons by enwrapping them in a thick myelin sheath rich in lipids. In addition, SCs have the peculiar ability to foster axonal regrowth after a lesion by demyelinating and converting into repair cells that secrete neurotrophic factors and guide axons back to their former target to finally remyelinate regenerated axons. The different steps of SC development and their role in the maintenance of PNS integrity and regeneration after lesion are c…