In this paper we propose a trainable system that learns grounded language models from examples with a minimum of user intervention and without feedback. We have focused on the acquisition of grounded meanings of spatial and adjective/noun terms. The system has been used to understand and subsequently to generate appropriate natural language descriptions of real objects and to engage in verbal interactions with a human partner. We have also addressed the problem of resolving eventual ambiguities arising during verbal interaction through an information theoretic approach.

This paper introduces “outside-in design” as a collaborative approach to social robot design and human-robot interaction research. As an interdisciplinary group of social and computer scientists, we follow an iterative practice of collecting and analyzing data from realworld interaction, designing appropriate robotic perception and control mechanisms, developing models of interaction through automatic coding of behaviors and evaluation by human subjects, and validating the models in embodied human-robot interaction. We apply this approach in the context of shadow puppeteering, a constrained interaction space which allows us to study the foundational elements of synchronous interaction and apply them to a robot. We contribute to both social and computer sciences by combining the study of human social interaction with the design of socially responsive robot control algorithms. Interaction with robotic technologies in the real world poses both social and technical challenges. For a robot to collaborate seamlessly with humans in an everyday activity, it has to be situationally aware, able to take advantage of the human’s knowledge of the world, and adapt its behavior accordingly. To enable a socially interactive robot to perceive and display relevant social behaviors, designers must solve complex problems in real-time perception and control involving multiple mechanical and computational systems. Designing robots for social interaction also calls for expertise in analyzing social behavior to understand the factors that make people respond to robots as social actors. The challenges of social human-robot interaction suggest that it is difficult to neatly ‘divide and conquer’ social robot design through partial solutions bounded off within social and computational disciplines. This paper describes a collaborative practice bringing together computational and social expertise in the exploration and design of social human-robot interaction. We use an “outside-in” 1 design strategy, iterating between real

This work had as purpose to analyze the possible factors related with the occurrences of Hepatitis in the neighborhoods of Grande Vitoria, Estrelinha and Inhangueta located in the city of Vitoria, State of the Espirito Santo, from April the June, 2006, and the quality of the water consumed by the population. The indicators for the water quality used were the Free Residual Chlorine concentrations (FRC) and the presence of thermotolerant coliforms. The microbiological analyses performed in the water consumed for the studied communities did not presented results indicating contamination by thermotolerants coliforms and the percentage of FRC determined between January and June were always above of the minimum limit demanded by the legislation (Act 518/2004). The results showed that the occurrence of a Hepatitis A outbreak can be related with the absence of physical barriers that impede the contact of people with the contaminated water and the practical deficiencies in the hygienic practices adopted, individually, by the local population.

BACKGROUND/AIM Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk for ischemic stroke and other thromboembolic (TE) events. Aim of the study was to examine the relationship between clinical types of atrial fibrillation (AF) and (TE) events. METHODS This longitudinal, observational study included patients with nonvalvular AF as main indication for in-hospital and/or outpatient treatment in the Cardiology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia during a period 1992-2007. The treatment of AF was based on the International Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of AF, correspondent to given study period. Clinical types of AF were defined according to the latest ACC/AHA/ESC Guidelines for AF, from 2006. Diagnosis of central and systemic TE events during a follow-up was made exclusively by the neurologist and vascular surgeon. RESULTS During a follow-up of 9.9 +/- 6 years, TE events were documented in 88/1 100 patients (8%). In the time of TE event 46/88 patients (52.3%) had permanent AF. The patients with permanent AF were at baseline significantly older and more frequently had underlying heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Cumulative TE risk during follow-up was similar for patients with paroxysmal and permanent AF, and significantly higher as compared to TE risk in patients with persistent AF. However, multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis with independent variables clinical types of AF at baseline and in the time of TE event, clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and therapy for prevention of TE complications at baseline and at the time of TE event, did not reveal independent predictive value of clinical type of AF for the occurrence of TE events during a follow-up. CONCLUSION TE risk in patients with AF does not depend on clinical type of AF. Treatment for prevention of TE events should be based on the presence of well recognized risk factors, and not on the clinical type of AF.