Learning multidimensional joint control of a robot using receding horizon locally weighted regression

In this paper we explore the ability of a recent model-based learning technique Receding Horizon Locally Weighted Regression (RH-LWR) useful for learning temporally dependent systems. In particular this paper investigates the application of RH-LWR to learn control of Multiple-input Multiple-output robot systems. RH-LWR is demonstrated through learning joint velocity and position control of a three Degree of Freedom (DoF) rigid body robot.

Locally oriented crime prevention and the “partnership approach” : politics, practices and prospects

Why have multi-agency or "partnership" approaches to crime prevention and community safety been reported internationally with unfavorable results? Can groups and individuals from disparate government and non-government sectors work together to reduce or prevent crime? This article will address these and other questions by using developments in Belgium as its case study. In 1992, Belgium launched its "safety and crime prevention contracts", a series of locally based crime prevention initiatives which have attempted to contract federal, regional and local governments to a range of social and police oriented crime prevention endeavors. Traces the development of the Belgian crime prevention contracts and examines the difficulties experienced with "multi-agency crime prevention" and suggests that much of the political rhetoric in Belgium calling for local, community and intersectorial "partnerships" has, like several other countries including England and Wales, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, lacked clear practical expression. However, some promising initiatives indicate that this prevention approach may be capable of producing effective crime prevention and community safety outcomes. Further research is needed to describe these initiatives and analyze the conditions under which they are developed.

Locally weighted learning model predictivek control for elastic joint robots

This paper proposes an efficient and online learning control system that uses the successful Model Predictive Control (MPC) method in a model based locally weighted learning framework. The new approach named Locally Weighted Learning Model Predictive Control (LWL-MPC) has been proposed as a solution to learn to control complex and nonlinear Elastic Joint Robots (EJR). Elastic Joint Robots are generally difficult to learn to control due to their elastic properties preventing standard model learning techniques from being used, such as learning computed torque control. This paper demonstrates the capability of LWL-MPC to perform online and incremental learning while controlling the joint positions of a real three Degree of Freedom (DoF) EJR. An experiment on a real EJR is presented and LWL-MPC is shown to successfully learn to control the system to follow two different figure of eight trajectories.

Locally weighted learning model predictive control for nonlinear and time varying dynamics

This paper proposes an online learning control system that uses the strategy of Model Predictive Control (MPC) in a model based locally weighted learning framework. The new approach, named Locally Weighted Learning Model Predictive Control (LWL-MPC), is proposed as a solution to learn to control robotic systems with nonlinear and time varying dynamics. This paper demonstrates the capability of LWL-MPC to perform online learning while controlling the joint trajectories of a low cost, three degree of freedom elastic joint robot. The learning performance is investigated in both an initial learning phase, and when the system dynamics change due to a heavy object added to the tool point. The experiment on the real elastic joint robot is presented and LWL-MPC is shown to successfully learn to control the system with and without the object. The results highlight the capability of the learning control system to accommodate the lack of mechanical consistency and linearity in a low cost robot arm.

Leaders in Local : Exploring Consumers‘ Purchase Intentions of Locally Produced Foods

* Local foods are growing in importance in the mind set of the consumer – “the new organic” (McKenzie-Minifie, 2007) * Consumers are becoming more active in choosing alternative channels to purchase locally grown/produced foods Growth of farmer’s markets, roadside stalls, community gardens and *CSA programs * Supermarkets and grocers continue to tailor their assortments to include, ethnic, organic, natural and local foods to meet changing consumer needs * Australian research is limited, although one early study has found ‘buying locally produced foods’ was considered an important attribute (Lea & Worsley, 2007) * International research has tended to focus on COO effects, rather than region or local effects. (Insch & Florek, 2009) *Emerging research is beginning to explore consumer interest in ‘local’ over simply ‘domestic’ – although not specifically in food. (Hustvedt, Carroll & Bernard, 2013) * One study has examined differences in attitudes, subjective norms and intentions toward the purchase of locally produced foods. (Campbell, 2013)

Spatial and temporal patterns of locally-acquired dengue transmission in northern Queensland, Australia, 1993-2012

BACKGROUND: Dengue has been a major public health concern in Australia since it re-emerged in Queensland in 1992-1993. We explored spatio-temporal characteristics of locally-acquired dengue cases in northern tropical Queensland, Australia during the period 1993-2012. METHODS: Locally-acquired notified cases of dengue were collected for northern tropical Queensland from 1993 to 2012. Descriptive spatial and temporal analyses were conducted using geographic information system tools and geostatistical techniques. RESULTS: 2,398 locally-acquired dengue cases were recorded in northern tropical Queensland during the study period. The areas affected by the dengue cases exhibited spatial and temporal variation over the study period. Notified cases of dengue occurred more frequently in autumn. Mapping of dengue by statistical local areas (census units) reveals the presence of substantial spatio-temporal variation over time and place. Statistically significant differences in dengue incidence rates among males and females (with more cases in females) (χ(2) = 15.17, d.f.  = 1, p<0.01). Differences were observed among age groups, but these were not statistically significant. There was a significant positive spatial autocorrelation of dengue incidence for the four sub-periods, with the Moran's I statistic ranging from 0.011 to 0.463 (p<0.01). Semi-variogram analysis and smoothed maps created from interpolation techniques indicate that the pattern of spatial autocorrelation was not homogeneous across the northern Queensland. CONCLUSIONS: Tropical areas are potential high-risk areas for mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue. This study demonstrated that the locally-acquired dengue cases have exhibited a spatial and temporal variation over the past twenty years in northern tropical Queensland, Australia. Therefore, this study provides an impetus for further investigation of clusters and risk factors in these high-risk areas.

Locally weighted learning methods for non-rigid robot control

This thesis develops a novel approach to robot control that learns to account for a robot's dynamic complexities while executing various control tasks using inspiration from biological sensorimotor control and machine learning. A robot that can learn its own control system can account for complex situations and adapt to changes in control conditions to maximise its performance and reliability in the real world. This research has developed two novel learning methods, with the aim of solving issues with learning control of non-rigid robots that incorporate additional dynamic complexities. The new learning control system was evaluated on a real three degree-of-freedom elastic joint robot arm with a number of experiments: initially validating the learning method and testing its ability to generalise to new tasks, then evaluating the system during a learning control task requiring continuous online model adaptation.

Paraxial-wave optics and relativistic front description .1. The scalar theory

With the extension of the work of the preceding paper, the relativistic front form for Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism is developed and shown to be particularly suited to the description of paraxial waves. The generators of the Poincaré group in a form applicable directly to the electric and magnetic field vectors are derived. It is shown that the effect of a thin lens on a paraxial electromagnetic wave is given by a six-dimensional transformation matrix, constructed out of certain special generators of the Poincaré group. The method of construction guarantees that the free propagation of such waves as well as their transmission through ideal optical systems can be described in terms of the metaplectic group, exactly as found for scalar waves by Bacry and Cadilhac. An alternative formulation in terms of a vector potential is also constructed. It is chosen in a gauge suggested by the front form and by the requirement that the lens transformation matrix act locally in space. Pencils of light with accompanying polarization are defined for statistical states in terms of the two-point correlation function of the vector potential. Their propagation and transmission through lenses are briefly considered in the paraxial limit. This paper extends Fourier optics and completes it by formulating it for the Maxwell field. We stress that the derivations depend explicitly on the "henochromatic" idealization as well as the identification of the ideal lens with a quadratic phase shift and are heuristic to this extent.

CBCT-guided radiotherapy for locally advanced head and cancer: dosimetric impact of weight loss on VMAT and IMRT plans for selected organs at risk structures (OARs)

Purpose: It is common for head and neck patients to be affected by time trend errors as a result of weight loss during a course of radiation treatment. The objective of this planning study was to investigate the impact of weight loss on Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) as well as Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for locally advanced head and neck cancer using automatic co-registration of the CBCT. Methods and Materials: A retrospective analysis of previously treated IMRT plans for 10 patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer patients was done. A VMAT plan was also produced for all patients. We calculated the dose–volume histograms (DVH) indices for spinal cord planning at risk volumes (PRVs), the brainstem PRVs (SC+0.5cm and BS+0.5cm, respectively) as well as mean dose to the parotid glands. Results: The results show that the mean difference in dose to the SC+0.5cm was 1.03% and 1.27% for the IMRT and VMAT plans, respectively. As for dose to the BS+0.5, the percentage difference was 0.63% for the IMRT plans and 0.61% for the VMAT plans. The analysis of the parotid gland doses shows that the percentage change in mean dose to left parotid was -8.0% whereas that of the right parotid was -6.4% for the IMRT treatment plans. In the VMAT plans, the percentages change for the left and the right parotid glands were -6.6% and -6.7% respectively. Conclusions: This study shows a clinically significant impact of weight loss on DVH indices analysed in head and neck organs at risk. It highlights the importance of adaptive radiotherapy in head and neck patients if organ at risk sparing is to be maintained.

2nd ESMO Consensus Conference in Lung Cancer: Locally advanced stage III non-small-cell lung cancer

To complement the existing treatment guidelines for all tumour types, ESMO organises consensus conferences to focus on specific issues in each type of tumour. The 2nd ESMO Consensus Conference on Lung Cancer was held on 11–12 May 2013 in Lugano. A total of 35 experts met to address several questions on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in each of four areas: pathology and molecular biomarkers, first-line/second and further lines of treatment in advanced disease, early-stage disease and locally advanced disease. For each question, recommendations were made including reference to the grade of recommendation and level of evidence. This consensus paper focuses on locally advanced disease.

Note on the locally product and almost locally product structures

This paper is concerned with a study of some of the properties of locally product and almost locally product structures on a differentiable manifold X n of class C k . Every locally product space has certain almost locally product structures which transform the local tangent space to X n at an arbitrary point P in a set fashion: this is studied in Theorem (2.2). Theorem (2.3) considers the nature of transformations that exist between two co-ordinate systems at a point whenever an almost locally product structure has the same local representation in each of these co-ordinate systems. A necessary and sufficient condition for X n to be a locally product manifold is obtained in terms of the pseudo-group of co-ordinate transformations on X n and the subpseudo-groups [cf., Theoren (2.1)]. Section 3 is entirely devoted to the study of integrable almost locally product structures.

Locally checkable proofs

This work studies decision problems from the perspective of nondeterministic distributed algorithms. For a yes-instance there must exist a proof that can be verified with a distributed algorithm: all nodes must accept a valid proof, and at least one node must reject an invalid proof. We focus on locally checkable proofs that can be verified with a constant-time distributed algorithm. For example, it is easy to prove that a graph is bipartite: the locally checkable proof gives a 2-colouring of the graph, which only takes 1 bit per node. However, it is more difficult to prove that a graph is not bipartite—it turns out that any locally checkable proof requires Ω(log n) bits per node. In this work we classify graph problems according to their local proof complexity, i.e., how many bits per node are needed in a locally checkable proof. We establish tight or near-tight results for classical graph properties such as the chromatic number. We show that the proof complexities form a natural hierarchy of complexity classes: for many classical graph problems, the proof complexity is either 0, Θ(1), Θ(log n), or poly(n) bits per node. Among the most difficult graph properties are symmetric graphs, which require Ω(n2) bits per node, and non-3-colourable graphs, which require Ω(n2/log n) bits per node—any pure graph property admits a trivial proof of size O(n2).

Tunable Locally-Optimal Geographical Forwarding in Wireless Sensor Networks with Sleep-Wake Cycling Nodes

We consider a wireless sensor network whose main function is to detect certain infrequent alarm events, and to forward alarm packets to a base station, using geographical forwarding. The nodes know their locations, and they sleep-wake cycle, waking up periodically but not synchronously. In this situation, when a node has a packet to forward to the sink, there is a trade-off between how long this node waits for a suitable neighbor to wake up and the progress the packet makes towards the sink once it is forwarded to this neighbor. Hence, in choosing a relay node, we consider the problem of minimizing average delay subject to a constraint on the average progress. By constraint relaxation, we formulate this next hop relay selection problem as a Markov decision process (MDP). The exact optimal solution (BF (Best Forward)) can be found, but is computationally intensive. Next, we consider a mathematically simplified model for which the optimal policy (SF (Simplified Forward)) turns out to be a simple one-step-look-ahead rule. Simulations show that SF is very close in performance to BF, even for reasonably small node density. We then study the end-to-end performance of SF in comparison with two extremal policies: Max Forward (MF) and First Forward (FF), and an end-to-end delay minimising policy proposed by Kim et al. 1]. We find that, with appropriate choice of one hop average progress constraint, SF can be tuned to provide a favorable trade-off between end-to-end packet delay and the number of hops in the forwarding path.

Variants of Miyachi�s Theorem for Nilpotent lie Groups

We formulate and prove two versions of Miyachi�s theorem for connected, simply connected nilpotent Lie groups. This allows us to prove the sharpness of the constant 1/4 in the theorems of Hardy and of Cowling and Price for any nilpotent Lie group. These theorems are proved using a variant of Miyachi�s theorem for the group Fourier transform.