Our second issue of ACM THRI this year brings together another collection of insightful and thoughtful articles pushing the boundaries of thought in Human-Robot Interaction. Furthering ideas at the meeting of HRI and artificial intelligence, our first article, from Heard et al., presents a human workload assessment algorithm to enable dynamic task allocation that improves the collective performance of human-robot teams. Stefanov et al. use artificial neural networks for the generation of robot gaze directions in dialogues including multiple individuals that analyze human behavior across combinations of movement and speech signals. The middle section of this issue focuses on the perspectives of older adults and their acceptance of robotic technology. Yeh et al. deliver findings that that can improve acceptance of robots through establishing personal relevance, even though such populations tend to have more negative initial reactions to robots. Jung and Ludden explored the potential for robotic exoskeletons to be accepted by older adults as viable mobility aids, yielding insights that will be important for the design of usable devices with this technology. The

We study the problem of maximizing privacy of data sets by adding random vectors generated via synchronized chaotic oscillators. In particular, we consider the setup where information about data sets, queries, is sent through public (unsecured) communication channels to a remote station. To hide private features (specific entries) within the data set, we corrupt the response to queries by adding random vectors. We send the distorted query (the sum of the requested query and the random vector) through the public channel. The distribution of the additive random vector is designed to minimize the mutual information (our privacy metric) between private entries of the data set and the distorted query. We cast the synthesis of this distribution as a convex program in the probabilities of the additive random vector. Once we have the optimal distribution, we propose an algorithm to generate pseudo-random realizations from this distribution using trajectories of a chaotic oscillator. At the other end of the channel, we have a second chaotic oscillator, which we use to generate realizations from the same distribution. Note that if we obtain the same realizations on both sides of the channel, we can simply subtract the realization from the distorted query to recover the requested query. To generate equal realizations, we need the two chaotic oscillators to be synchronized, i.e., we need them to generate exactly the same trajectories on both sides of the channel synchronously in time. We force the two chaotic oscillators into exponential synchronization using a driving signal. Simulations are presented to illustrate our results.

The recent structure of the monitoring, protection, and control of the power systems includes GPS timely synchronized measurement units (Phasor Measurement Units). With the implementation of these units, Wide-Area Monitoring, Protection and Control Systems are required to perform fast and efficient identification of the disturbances that may lead to cascade propagation and blackouts in the power system. The requirements furthermore enable appropriate actions, preventive and corrective measures to minimize effects of the occurring disturbances. This paper proposes the application of the discrete Teager Energy Operator for the power system fault identification, localization, and classification. Identification and localization of the disturbances are performed with the analysis of available signals with the application of the Teager Energy Operator and comparison of its peak values at several points in the system. The proposed classifier of the disturbances is based on the Teager Energy Operator analysis of available signals and values of indicator of active power unbalance at several points in the system. Simulations are performed in the New England 39 bus test system using DIgSILENT Power Factory software. The performance and the comparison of the applied techniques are assessed through a large number of the simulated faults for the specific fault type. Fault identification and localization results are compared with the results obtained in the analysis performed with Discrete Wavelet Transform and Hilbert-Huang Transform indicating on satisfactory performance of the proposed approach. Furthermore, the proposed approach provides notable results in the fault classification performed according to 141 simulated faults. Teager Energy Operator in the proposed method outperforms other techniques with less computational work and faster estimation, enabling the development of a relatively simple algorithm for the fast and efficient identification, localization, and classification of the disturbances in power system.

This paper proposes a control method for multi-input linear systems that provides the closed-loop system dynamics of an arbitrary order having a specified feasible spectrum of poles. By appropriate selection of auxiliary outputs, the system is decoupled into a set of subsystems. The number of these subsystems is equal to the number of control inputs. The desired dynamic of the considered system is achieved using higher order sliding mode, where the sliding mode of appropriate order is realized in each subsystem. The proposed control approach is illustrated by a simulation example.

The Editors' Network of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) provides a dynamic forum for editorial discussions and endorses the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) to improve the scientific quality of biomedical journals. Authorship confers credit and important academic rewards. Recently, however, the ICMJE emphasized that authorship also requires responsibility and accountability. These issues are now covered by the new (fourth) criterion for authorship. Authors should agree to be accountable and ensure that questions regarding the accuracy and integrity of the entire work will be appropriately addressed. This review discusses the implications of this paradigm shift on authorship requirements with the aim of increasing awareness on good scientific and editorial practices.

In this paper two clustering algorithms DBSCAN and CLARA were applied over the pedological database of Montenegro. Both algorithms clusterize data based on their density distribution. DBSCAN enables discovering clusters of arbitary shapes, without domain knowledge. On the other hand, CLARA forms clusters of approximatly equal size and shape for databases with uniformly spaced data. The used databases is composed of chemical and mechanical-physical parameters of soil samples. There are no clear transitions between different types of soil and large differences in values of their parameters at the boundary points of the clusters. Thus, CLARA is proved to be better for clustering pedologic data, which is confirmed by means of simulations. The results obtained by the CLARA are comparable with the results obtained by the analysis of soil in Montenegro by the expert.

BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex stress related disorder, that follows a severe traumatic experience, characterized with an intense sense of terror, fear, and helplessness. The aim of this study is to identify associations of genetic variations within candidate genes DRD2 and DRD4 with various PTSD related phenotypes. PTSD lifetime and PTSD current subjects were analyzed separately, each of them were analyzed in a Case/Control design, as well as regarding BSI and CAPS within cases only. SUBJECTS AND METHODS 719 (487 male, 232 female) participants who had experienced war-related trauma between 1991 and 1999 in Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo and Croatia were included in the study. Sociodemographic questionnaire, Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were used to collect clinical data. RESULTS The DRD2 rs1800497 variant and a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) located in exon three of DRD4 were investigated for association with PTSD. In case control analyses we did not identify any significant associations. Within the PTSD current patients, we identified an association of DRD2 rs1800497 with BSI in the genotypic and the recessive model with the T allele as the risk allele. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that rs1800497 of DRD2 gene is involved in pathogenesis of PTSD.

BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by highly traumatic experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the neuropeptide S receptor 1 (NPSR1) and the glutamate decarboxylase 1(GAD1) gene on PTSD and its psychopathological aspects among individuals affected by the Balkan wars during the 90s. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This study was conducted as part of the South Eastern Europe (SEE) study on molecular mechanisms of PTSD. It comprised 719 participants (539 males), including those with current PTSD, remitted PTSD and healthy volunteers. Psychometric evaluation was performed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), the Clinician Administrated PTSD Scale (CAPS) andthe Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). We examined NPSR1 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs324981 and GAD1 variant rs3749034 genotypes. Case-control analyses were carried out using logistical regression to determine genotype differences between all patients that had either current or remitted PTSD and control individuals. To analyse the influence of the analysed SNPs on PTSD severity, we performed linear regression analyses with CAPS and BSI within each of the two patient groups separately. All of the calculations were performed for additive allelic, recessive, dominant and genotypic models. RESULTS We observed a nominally significant association for the major allele (G) of GAD1 rs3749034 with an increased risk to develop PTSD in a case control analysis in the recessive model (P=0.0315, odds ratio=0.47, SE=0.35). In contrast, a nominally significant association of the minor allele (A) with higher CAPS scores was identified within the patient group with lifetime PTSD in the dominant model (P=0.0372, β=6.29, SE=2.99). None of these results did withstand correction for multiple tests. No nominal significant results of GAD1 rs3749034 were found with regard to the intensity of psychological BSI symptoms. Case-control analyses of NPSR1 rs324981 revealed a nominally significant higher risk for homozygous T allele carriers to develop PTSD (P=0.0452) in the recessive model. On the other hand, the T allele showed a nominally significant association with higher BSI scores in patients suffering from lifetime PTSD in the recessive model (P=0.0434). Again, these results were not significant anymore after correction for multiple tests. No associations of NPSR1 rs324981 and CAPS score was identified. CONCLUSION The findings of this study provide some evidence that the NPSR1 and GAD1 polymorphisms might play a role in the development of war-related PTSD and its related psychological expressions. Further research is needed to elucidate the interactions of specific gene variants and environmental factors in the development of PTSD.

BACKGROUND Individuals who are exposed to traumatic events are at an increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition during which an individual's ability to function is impaired by emotional responses to memories of those events. The gene coding for neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the gene coding for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are among the number of candidate gene variants that have been identified as potential contributors to PTSD. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between NPY and BDNF and PTSD in individuals who experienced war-related trauma in the South Eastern Europe (SEE) conflicts (1991-1999). SUBJECTS AND METHODS This study included participants with current and remitted PTSD and healthy volunteers (N=719, 232 females, 487 males), who were recruited between 2013 and 2015 within the framework of the South Eastern Europe (SEE) - PTSD Study. Psychometric methods comprised the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). DNA was isolated from whole blood and genotyped for NPY rs5574 via PCR - RFLP and NPY rs16147 and BDNF rs6265 using the KASP assay. RESULTS Tests for deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium showed no significant results. Analyses at the categorical level yielded no associations between the affected individuals and all three SNPs when compared to controls. Within lifetime PTSD patients, the major alleles of both NPY variants showed a nominally significant association with higher CAPS scores (p=0.007 and p=0.02, respectively). Also, the major allele of rs5574C>T was associated with higher BSI scores with a nominal significance among current PTSD patients (p=0.047). The results did not withstand a Bonferroni adjustment (α=0.002). CONCLUSION Nominally significant associations between NPY polymorphisms and PTSD susceptibility were found that did not withstand Bonferroni correction.