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Miniature Fibre-Optic based Shape Sensing for Robotic Application using Curved Reflectors
Get PDF...Miniature integratable shape-sensing is crucial for precise control and measurement of curvatures made by continuum-robots, prosthetic devices and wearable body-shape sensors. A miniaturised one-degree-of-freedom joint-angle sensor is devised, using a single light emitting/receiving optical fibre with a coupler connected to a Keyence (FS-N11MN, Osaka, Japan) sensor that supplies and detects light through the optical fibres. A
curvature-varying reflective surface integrated in the joint demonstrates non-contact light intensity-based sensing. Various reflector geometries and surface colours are designed to compare sensor output for achieving a
large angle range and improved sensitivity for the proposed miniaturised robotic shape-sensing applications.This research has received funding from MSc project 2022-2023, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Brunel University London. The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation has supported attendance to the 42nd annual conference of the robotics society of Japan
Assessing Usefulness, Ease of Use and Recognition Performance of Semi-Automatic Mulsemedia Authoring
Get PDFMulsemedia (Multiple Sensorial Media) authoring poses a considerable challenge as authors navigate the intricate task of identifying moments to activate sensory effects within multimedia content. A novel proposal is to integrate content recognition algorithms that use machine learning (ML) into authoring tools to alleviate the authoring effort. As author subjectivity is very important, it is imperative to allow users to define which sensory effects should be automatically extracted. This paper conducts a twofold evaluation of the proposed semi-automatic authoring. The first is from a user perspective within the STEVE 2.0 mulsemedia authoring tool, employing the Goal-Question-Metric (GQM) methodology and a user feedback questionnaire. Our user evaluation indicates that users perceive the semi-automatic authoring approach as a positive enhancement to the authoring process. The second evaluation targets sensory effect recognition using two different content recognition modules, quantifying their automatic recognition capabilities against manual authoring. Metrics such as precision, recall, and F1 scores provide insights into the strengths and nuances of each module. Differences in label assignments underscore the need for ML module result combination methodologies. These evaluations contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of sensory effect recognition modules in enhancing mulsemedia content authoring.The authors wish to thank CAPES, CAPES Print, CNPQ, INCT-MACC and FAPERJ for the partial financing of this work
Research on the Gap Effect of Circular Concrete-Filled Steel Tube using the Improved Cohesive Zone Model
Get PDFData Availability Statement: All data files are available from the Brunel University London’s data repository, Brunelfigshare, under a CCBY license with the DOI of 10.17633/rd.brunel.26980513.Understanding the influence of gap distribution characteristics on the mechanical properties of circular concrete-filled steel tubes (CCFSTs) under bending load is important for stability and support design in engineering projects. In this study, the improved cohesive zone model considering friction was used to describe the mechanical behavior of mortar interfaces. Meanwhile, the concrete damage plastic model and isotropic elastoplastic model were applied for core concrete and steel tubes. The improved cohesive zone model has a unified potential function that governs the Mode I and Mode II failure processes of mortar interfaces to realize the mechanical interaction between concrete and steel. A smooth frictional function was utilized in the elastic stage to calculate the accurate frictional effect. Furthermore, the capability of the model in addressing unloading and reloading was verified, and the fracture energy varied accordingly during the cyclic loading. Then, the mechanical response of CCFSTs was investigated under bending loads by setting different gap sizes and angles between the gap and loading direction. The results show that under three-point bending, the equivalent plastic strains at the middle part of CCFSTs are much larger and the peak bearing forces are much lower than the other degrees when the angles between the coronal gap axis and loading direction equal 0° and 180°. In addition, the order of the peak bearing forces, from highest to lowest, is when the height of the coronal-cap gap increases from 0.0 mm to 2.5 mm, 5.0 mm, and 7.5 mm. The significant effect makes it inappropriate to ignore the weakening of the structural performance caused by coronal gaps in structural design.This research received no external funding
Increasing hexokinase 1 expression improves mitochondrial and glycolytic functional deficits seen in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease astrocytes
Get PDFData availability: The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials. Additional data and information is available on request from the authors.Supplementary information is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02746-8#Sec34.Abnormalities in cellular metabolism are seen early in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Astrocyte support for neuronal function has a high metabolic demand, and astrocyte glucose metabolism plays a key role in encoding memory. This indicates that astrocyte metabolic dysfunction might be an early event in the development of AD. In this paper we interrogate glycolytic and mitochondrial functional changes and mitochondrial structural alterations in patients’ astrocytes derived with a highly efficient direct conversion protocol. In astrocytes derived from patients with sporadic (sAD) and familial AD (fAD) we identified reductions in extracellular lactate, total cellular ATP and an increase in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. sAD and fAD astrocytes displayed significant reductions in mitochondrial spare respiratory capacity, have altered mitochondrial membrane potential and a stressed mitochondrial network. A reduction in glycolytic reserve and glycolytic capacity is seen. Interestingly, glycolytic reserve, mitochondrial spare respiratory capacity and extracellular lactate levels correlated positively with neuropsychological tests of episodic memory affected early in AD. We identified a deficit in the glycolytic enzyme hexokinase 1 (HK1), and correcting this deficit improved the metabolic phenotype in sAD not fAD astrocytes. Importantly, the amount of HK1 at the mitochondria was shown to be reduced in sAD astrocytes, and not in fAD astrocytes. Overexpression of HK1 in sAD astrocytes increases mitochondrial HK1 levels. In fAD astrocytes HK1 levels were unaltered at the mitochondria after overexpression. This study highlights a clear metabolic deficit in AD patient-derived astrocytes and indicates how HK1, with its roles in both oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis, contributes to this.This research was funded by Wellcome 4ward North (Ref: 216340/Z/19/Z), ARUK Yorkshire Network Centre Small Grant Scheme, ARUK Preparatory Clinical Fellowship scheme (Ref: ARUK-PCRF2016A-1), Academy of Medical Sciences Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers Scheme (Ref: SGL028\1097), Parkinson’s UK (Ref: F1301), Michael J Fox Foundation (Ref: 005021), Australian Research Council (CE200100012), European Union Seventh Framework Programme (Ref: FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 601055, and the NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre award (NIHR 203321)
American mental models of scientific versus theological prestige: a freelist analysis
Get PDFIn much public discourse, “Christianity” and “Science” are conceptualized as incompatible belief systems that make competing ontological claims. From this perspective, scientists and theologians are rival knowledge specialists. Prestige is one of the ways we evaluate who we should trust, but we do not know whether the prestige of scientists and theologians is conceptualized similarly, and whether they really are seen as rival knowledge specialists by the bulk of the US population. To investigate this question, we use a free listing methodology to explore public attitudes toward prestigious academic theologians and physicists in a US sample. We find that for all participants, prestige in physics is overwhelmingly associated with forms of intelligence necessary to unravel complex questions about the nature of reality. By contrast, the prestige even of academic theologians is more strongly associated with piety, virtue, and charisma than it is with raw intelligence. They appear to be seen as social models rather than ontological experts. Furthermore, we find that while both religious and nonreligious individuals share a unified representation for prestigious physicists, this is not the case with prestigious theologians: virtue is more salient in Christian evaluations of theological prestige, while charisma is more salient for the nonreligious.This research was funded by a grant awarded by The Issachar Fund and the Templeton Religion Trust (grant number TRT0207)
DAI: A Dependencies Analyzer and Installer For Solidity Smart Contracts
Get PDFThe growing importance of Decentralized Applications (dApps) in areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Cybersecurity, and Finance is playing a crucial role in advancing software maintenance, security, and data sharing. Understanding the complex architecture and components of dApps is essential to harness their full benefits. This often involves the challenging task of identifying and retrieving key components during the dApp compilation process, particularly when dealing with multiple external dependencies. A case in point is the variety of versions in the OpenZeppelin libraries, where finding compatible elements can be a laborious process. In response to this challenge, we introduce DAI (Dependency Analyser and Installer), a novel tool that automates the identification of compatible external dependency versions for specific smart contracts. This tool significantly simplifies the compilation process for dApps that incorporate external modules, making it more efficient for developers and researchers. We evaluated DAI on 57 real-world dApps, achieving success in determining the right dependency match for 50 cases. However, the inability to compile the remaining 7 dApps due to missing files and artifacts highlights the ongoing complexities in dApp development.S.B., G.D., R.N. and M.O. acknowledge support from the Ethereum foundation grant FY23-1048
Complex Systems Oriented Approach for dApps Analysis
Get PDFThis position paper discusses on applying complex systems theory to analyse decentralised applications (dApps). It highlights the need for understanding smart contract networks’ dynamics that are at the base of such platforms. Through a discussion that includes architecture, use cases, and both network and function-level scrutiny, including traditional and new software metrics, we argue how insights from complex systems can improve the understanding of dApps’ behavior, vulnerabilities, and areas for optimisation. This position paper lays a foundation for enhancing the resilience, efficiency, and security of dApps within the blockchain environment
Cryogenic Media in Biomedical Applications: Current Advances, Challenges, and Future Perspectives
Get PDFThis paper explores the crucial role of cryogenic mediums in driving breakthroughs within the biomedical sector. The objective was to investigate, critically discuss, and present the current knowledge and state-of-the-art practices, along with the challenges and perspectives of the most common applications. Through an extensive literature review, this work aims to supplement existing research, offering a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of the subject. Biomedical research involving cryogenic mediums is advancing on multiple fronts, including the development of advanced medical technologies, clinical treatments for life-threatening conditions, high-quality biospecimen preservation, and antimicrobial interventions in industrial food processing. These advances open new horizons and present cutting-edge opportunities for research and the medical community. While the current body of evidence showcases the impressive impact of cryogenic mediums, such as nitrogen, helium, argon, and oxygen, on revolutionary developments, reaching definitive conclusions on their efficiency and safety remains challenging due to process complexity and research scarcity with a moderate certainty of evidence. Knowledge gaps further underline the need for additional studies to facilitate cryogenic research in developing innovative technological processes in biomedicine. These advancements have the potential to reshape the modern world and significantly enhance the quality of life for people worldwide.The reported work was supported by Air Products PLC under grant agreement: 216-206-P-F. Grant Holder: Professor Hussam Jouhara
Efficient classical simulation of cluster state quantum circuits with alternative inputs
Get PDFWe provide new examples of pure entangled systems related to cluster state quantum computation that can be efficiently simulated classically. In cluster state quantum computation input qubits are initialised in the `equator' of the Bloch sphere, CZ gates are applied, and finally the qubits are measured adaptively using Z measurements or measurements of cos(θ)X + sin(θ)Y operators. We consider what happens when the initialisation step is modified, and show that for lattices of finite degree D, there is a constant λ ≈ 2.06 such that if the qubits are prepared in a state that is within λ^−D in trace distance of a state that is diagonal in the computational basis, then the system can be efficiently simulated classically in the sense of sampling from the output distribution within a desired total variation distance. In the square lattice with D = 4 for instance, λ ^−D ≈ 0.056. We develop a coarse grained version of the argument which increases the size of the classically efficient region. In the case of the square lattice of qubits, the size of the classically simulatable region increases in size to at least around ≈ 0.070, and in fact probably increases to around ≈ 0.1. The results generalise to a broader family of systems, including qudit systems where the interaction is diagonal in the computational basis and the measurements are either in the computational basis or unbiased to it. Potential readers who only want the short version can get much of the intuition from figures 1 to 3
The association between childhood trauma and emotion recognition is reduced or eliminated when controlling for alexithymia and psychopathy traits
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The dataset generated and analysed during the current study and a fully programmed version of the experiment is available on Open Science Framework: (https://osf.io/vhwxj/?view_only=f6776204f42d4368b4a7a262d0fc8139).Emotion recognition shows large inter-individual variability, and is substantially affected by childhood trauma as well as modality, emotion portrayed, and intensity. While research suggests childhood trauma influences emotion recognition, it is unclear whether this effect is consistent when controlling for interrelated individual differences. Further, the universality of the effects has not been explored, most studies have not examined differing modalities or intensities. This study examined childhood trauma’s association with accuracy, when controlling for alexithymia and psychopathy traits, and if this varied across modality, emotion portrayed, and intensity. An adult sample (N = 122) completed childhood trauma, alexithymia, and psychopathy questionnaires and three emotion tasks: faces, voices, audio-visual. When investigating childhood trauma alone, there was a significant association with poorer accuracy when exploring modality, emotion portrayed, and intensity. When controlling for alexithymia and psychopathy, childhood trauma remained significant when exploring emotion portrayed, however, it was no longer significant when exploring modality and intensity. In fact, alexithymia was significant when exploring intensity. The effect sizes overall were small. Our findings suggest the importance of controlling for interrelated individual differences. Future research should explore more sensitive measures of emotion recognition, such as intensity ratings and sensitivity to intensity, to see if these follow accuracy findings.Partially funded by internal funding awarded to RB by Brunel University London (BRIEF award 1086)
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