In this paper a method for sensor-based online trajectory generation is proposed. This method is based on a nonlinear mapping from sensor information to a desired trajectory, and a nonlinear mapping is decided by online learning based on constraints of dynamics and kinematics. This method is applied to a catching task, and responsive and flexible motion is realized based on realtime high-speed ...

Temporary circuits amplify spontaneous activity in the visual system of neonatal rats.

The sniffles, sneezes, aches, and pains of flu are a dreaded part of the winter season. The fear of another deadly pandemic is ever imminent, and this issue’s Select looks at recent efforts to understand this ever-shifting virus. From efforts aiming to predict its geographical spread to those that elucidate the basic viral biology and host response, researchers are looking for new ways to stay ...

To study evolution, biologists have traditionally investigated what has happened in the past, sometimes many millions of years ago. To learn about dinosaurs, a paleontologist looks at dinosaur fossils. To study human evolution, an anthropologist looks at human fossils and, increasingly, examines the “family tree” of mutations that have accumulated in human DNA over millions of years. For the bi...

A hundred years ago Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was taught as the foundation of biology in public schools throughout the United States. Then something happened. In the 1920s, conservative religious groups began to argue against the teaching of evolution in our nation's schools. Darwinism, they said, contradicted the revealed word of God in the Bible and thus was a ...

In the present study, the limits of human catching behavior were challenged to investigate quantitative and qualitative adaptations of the catching movement when performing under varying ball speeds, implying minor as well as severe temporal constraints. Nine male participants caught balls approaching at speeds ranging from 8.5 to 19.7 m/s with their preferred hand. Although a decrease in catch...

High-speed cinematography of feeding Pleurobrachia revealed a stereo-typed sequence of ciliary motor responses underlying the feeding behaviour of this ctenophore. Prey capture by a tentacle first elicited high frequency beating in all comb rows, propelling the animal forward at a rapid speed for several seconds. This was followed by a brief period of inactivity on some or all comb rows. Then c...

In this paper, we look at the role of export composition in the growth process, considering how increased similarity in trade structure among countries can induce catching-up in income levels in a group of countries in transition. We analyze the sectoral export patterns of the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) by comparing them to those of the current members of the European Union ...