scholarly journals Predictive Control of Aerial Swarms in Cluttered Environments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrica Soria ◽  
Fabrizio Schiano ◽  
Dario Floreano
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Collective Motion ◽  
Tight Coupling ◽  
Cluttered Environments ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Robotic Swarms ◽  
Classical Models ◽  
Explanatory Success ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Classical models of aerial swarms often describe global coordinated motion as the combination of local interactions that happen at the individual level. Mathematically, these interactions are represented with Potential Fields. Despite their explanatory success, these models fail to guarantee rapid and safe collective motion when applied to aerial robotic swarms flying in cluttered environments of the real world, such as forests and urban areas. Moreover, these models necessitate a tight coupling with the deployment scenarios to induce consistent swarm behaviors. Here, we propose a predictive model that combines the local principles of potential field models with the knowledge of the agents’ dynamics. We show that our approach improves the speed, order, and safety of the swarm, it is independent of the environment layout, and scalable in the swarm speed and inter-agent distance. Our model is validated with a swarm of five quadrotors that can successfully navigate in a real-world indoor environment populated with obstacles.

scholarly journals Urban–Rural Disparities in the Magnitude and Determinants of Stunting among Children under Five in Tanzania: Based on Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys 1991–2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5184
Author(s):  
Wenjun Zhu ◽  
Si Zhu ◽  
Bruno F. Sunguya ◽  
Jiayan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Child Stunting ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
The Individual

Our study aims to examine the disparity of under-5 child stunting prevalence between urban and rural areas of Tanzania in the past three decades, and to explore factors affecting the rural–urban disparity. Secondary analyses of Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS) data drawn from 1991–1992, 1996, 1999, 2004–2005, 2009–2010, and 2015–2016 surveys were conducted. Under-5 child stunting prevalence was calculated separately for rural and urban children and its decline trends were examined by chi-square tests. Descriptive analyses were used to present the individual-level, household-level, and societal-level characteristics of children, while multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine determinants of stunting in rural and urban areas, respectively. Additive interaction effects were estimated between residence and other covariates. The results showed that total stunting prevalence was declining in Tanzania, but urban–rural disparity has widened since the decline was slower in the rural area. No interaction effect existed between residence and other determinants, and the urban–rural disparity was mainly caused by the discrepancy of the individual-level and household-level factors between rural and urban households. As various types of determinants exist, multisector nutritional intervention strategies are required to address the child stunting problem. Meanwhile, the intervention should focus on targeting vulnerable children, rather than implementing different policies in rural and urban areas.

scholarly journals Conformity in the collective: differences in hunger affect individual and group behavior in a shoaling fish

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 968-974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander D M Wilson ◽  
Alicia L J Burns ◽  
Emanuele Crosato ◽  
Joseph Lizier ◽  
Mikhail Prokopenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collective Behavior ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Collective Motion ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Group Behavior ◽  
Fundamental Interest ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Group Members ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Nearest Neighbor Distances

Abstract Animal groups are often composed of individuals that vary according to behavioral, morphological, and internal state parameters. Understanding the importance of such individual-level heterogeneity to the establishment and maintenance of coherent group responses is of fundamental interest in collective behavior. We examined the influence of hunger on the individual and collective behavior of groups of shoaling fish, x-ray tetras (Pristella maxillaris). Fish were assigned to one of two nutritional states, satiated or hungry, and then allocated to 5 treatments that represented different ratios of satiated to hungry individuals (8 hungry, 8 satiated, 4:4 hungry:satiated, 2:6 hungry:satiated, 6:2 hungry:satiated). Our data show that groups with a greater proportion of hungry fish swam faster and exhibited greater nearest neighbor distances. Within groups, however, there was no difference in the swimming speeds of hungry versus well-fed fish, suggesting that group members conform and adapt their swimming speed according to the overall composition of the group. We also found significant differences in mean group transfer entropy, suggesting stronger patterns of information flow in groups comprising all, or a majority of, hungry individuals. In contrast, we did not observe differences in polarization, a measure of group alignment, within groups across treatments. Taken together these results demonstrate that the nutritional state of animals within social groups impacts both individual and group behavior, and that members of heterogenous groups can adapt their behavior to facilitate coherent collective motion.

scholarly journals Prevalensi dan Determinan Hipertensi di Pulau Jawa, Tahun 2004

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Zamhir Setiawan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Hypertension Status ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level Measurement ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Ecological Measurement ◽  
The Individual

Hipertensi merupakan faktor risiko utama kardiovaskuler yang merupakan penyebab utama kematian di seluruh dunia. Peningkatan umur harapan hidup dan perubahan gaya hidup meningkatkan faktor risiko hipertensi di berbagai negara. Tujuan penelitian ini (1) Mengetahui prevalensi hipertensi dan penyebarannya di Pulau Jawa tahun 2004. (2) Mengetahui faktor-faktor sosiodemografi yang berhubungan dengan kejadian hipertensi. (3) Mengetahui kontribusi dan dampak potensial masing-masing faktor tersebut. Penelitian dengan rancangan studi Ekologi Multilevel ini menggabungkan variabel tingkat pengukuran individu dengan tingkat pengukuran ekologi dalam analisis bersama, dengan unit analisis individu. Analisis kontekstual dilakukan melalui kerangka konsep hipertensi, menggunakan metode analisis regresi logistik ganda, dengan status hipertensi sebagai variabel dependen. Data variabel dependen dan variabel perancu yang merupakan data pengukuran tingkat individu diambil dari data SKRT 2004. Data sosiodemografi tingkat pengukuran ekologi sebagai variabel independen utama, diperoleh dari Profil Kesehatan Indonesia, Statistik Indonesia, Statistik Kesehatan, Statistik Kesejahteraan Rakyat, danData Departemen Dalam Negeri, unit pengamatan provinsi. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan prevalensi hipertensi di Pulau Jawa 41,9%, dengan kisaran di masing-masing provinsi 36,6%-47,7%. Prevalensi di perkotaan 39,9% (37,0%-45,8%) dan di perdesaan 44,1% (36,2%-51,7%). Kata kunci: Hipertensi, faktor sosiodemografiAbstractHypertension is a main risk factor of cardiovascular disease which is ranked as number one cause of death in the world. The increase of life expectancy and changes in life style have increased the prevalence of hypertension risk factor in both developed and developing countries. The objectives of this study are (1) To know the prevalence and distribution of hypertension in di Java island, in year 2004. (2) To know sosiodemographic factors related to hypertension. (3) To know the contribution of each sosiodemographic factor toward hypertension. The study used multilevel ecologic study design that integrated both individual and ecological level variables measurement. The analysis method used in this study was contextual analysis and multiple logistic regression with hypertension status as dependent variable. The individual level measurement of variables such as hypertension status and age, job, education and sex is taken from Household Health Survey (SKRT) 2004. The sosiodemographic data which was ecological measurement level served as the main independent variables were taken from Indonesian Health Profile, Indonesian Health Statistics, Public Welfare Statistics and data from Department of Internal Affair, particularly from Province Surveillance Unit. The study results showed that the prevalence of hypertension in Java Island was 41.9%, with range of prevalence in provincial level of 36.6%-47.7%. The prevalence in urban areas was 39.9% (37.0%-45.8%) and in rural areas was 44.1% (36.2%-51.7%)Keywords: Hypertension, sosiodemographic factors

Allostasis and metastasis: The yin and yang of childhood self-regulation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Samuel V. Wass
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
The Real ◽  
Chain Reactions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Yin And Yang ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Regulation Of Emotion ◽  
Dynamical Principle

Abstract Most research has studied self-regulation by presenting experimenter-controlled test stimuli and measuring change between baseline and stimulus. In the real world, however, stressors do not flash on and off in a predetermined sequence, and there is no experimenter controlling things. Rather, the real world is continuous and stressful events can occur through self-sustaining interactive chain reactions. Self-regulation is an active process through which we adaptively select which aspects of the social environment we attend to from one moment to the next. Here, we describe this dynamic interactive process by contrasting two mechanisms that underpin it: the “yin” and “yang” of self-regulation. The first mechanism is allostasis, the dynamical principle underlying self-regulation, through which we compensate for change to maintain homeostasis. This involves upregulating in some situations and downregulating in others. The second mechanism is metastasis, the dynamical principle underling dysregulation. Through metastasis, small initial perturbations can become progressively amplified over time. We contrast these processes at the individual level (i.e., examining moment-to-moment change in one child, considered independently) and also at the inter-personal level (i.e., examining change across a dyad, such as a parent–child dyad). Finally, we discuss practical implications of this approach in improving the self-regulation of emotion and cognition, in typical development and psychopathology.

scholarly journals The Health Consequences of Social Mobility in Contemporary China

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 2644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Yan ◽  
Guangye He ◽  
Yunsong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Downward Mobility ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Provincial Level ◽  
Class Mobility ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Individual

Although numerous studies have shown the importance of an individual’s socioeconomic status on his or her self-rated health status, less well-known is whether self-perceived class mobility, a measure highly correlated with an individual’s de facto social class and past mobility experiences, affects self-rated health. In this paper, we attempt to fill the gap by examining how perception of class mobility is associated with self-rated health. Using eight waves of Chinese General Social Survey data spanning the years 2005 to 2015, we conducted an analysis at the micro (individual) level and the macro (provincial) level. Analyses at both levels yielded consistent results. At the individual level, we employed ordered logistic regression and found that the perception of experiencing downward mobility was associated with significantly lower self-rated health in both rural and urban areas compared with those who consider themselves to be upwardly mobile or immobile. At the provincial level, the findings from static panel analysis further revealed that there is a positive relationship between the self-perceived class mobility and self-rated health level.

scholarly journals Is the true ‘wisdom of the crowd’ to copy successful individuals?

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. King ◽  
Lawrence Cheng ◽  
Sandra D. Starke ◽  
Julia P. Myatt
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Swarm Intelligence ◽  
Real World ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
True Value ◽  
Individual Decisions ◽  
The Individual

Diversity of expertise at an individual level can increase intelligence at a collective level—a type of swarm intelligence (SI) popularly known as the ‘wisdom of the crowd’. However, this requires independent estimates (rare in the real world owing to the availability of public information) and contradicts people's bias for copying successful individuals. To explain these inconsistencies, 429 people took part in a ‘guess the number of sweets’ exercise. Guesses made with no public information were diverse, resulting in highly accurate SI. Individuals with access to the previous guess, mean guess or a randomly chosen guess, tended to over-estimate the number of sweets and this undermined SI. However, when people were provided with the current best guess, this prevented very large (inaccurate) guesses, resulting in convergence of guesses towards the true value and accurate SI across a range of group sizes. Thus, contrary to previous work, we show that social influence need not undermine SI, especially where individual decisions are made sequentially and then aggregated. Furthermore, we offer an explanation for why people have a bias to recruit and follow experts in team settings: copying successful individuals can enable accuracy at both the individual and group level, even at small group sizes.

scholarly journals A model of collective behavior based purely on vision

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. eaay0792
Author(s):  
Renaud Bastien ◽  
Pawel Romanczuk
Keyword(s):  
Collective Behavior ◽  
Spatial Representation ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Robotic Systems ◽  
External Information ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Mathematical Framework ◽  
Classical Models ◽  
Explanatory Success ◽  
The Individual

Classical models of collective behavior often take a “bird’s-eye perspective,” assuming that individuals have access to social information that is not directly available (e.g., the behavior of individuals outside of their field of view). Despite the explanatory success of those models, it is now thought that a better understanding needs to incorporate the perception of the individual, i.e., how internal and external information are acquired and processed. In particular, vision has appeared to be a central feature to gather external information and influence the collective organization of the group. Here, we show that a vision-based model of collective behavior is sufficient to generate organized collective behavior in the absence of spatial representation and collision. Our work suggests a different approach for the development of purely vision-based autonomous swarm robotic systems and formulates a mathematical framework for exploration of perception-based interactions and how they differ from physical ones.

scholarly journals Sociological modeling of smart city with the implementation of UN sustainable development goals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Kolesnichenko ◽  
Lev Mazelis ◽  
Alexander Sotnik ◽  
Dariya Yakovleva ◽  
Sergey Amelkin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Personal Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Data Governance ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The World ◽  
The Individual

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic before mass vaccination can be restrained only by the limitation of contacts between people, which makes the digital economy a key condition for survival. More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and many cities have already transformed into “smart” digital/virtual hubs. Digital services ensure city life safe without an economy lockout and unemployment. Urban society strives to be safe, sustainable, well-being, and healthy. We set the task to construct a hybrid sociological and technological concept of a smart city with matched solutions, complementary to each other. Our modeling with the elaborated digital architectures and with the bionic solution for ensuring sufficient data governance showed that a smart city in comparison with the traditional city is tightly interconnected inside like a social “organism”. Society has entered a decisive decade during which the world will change by moving closer towards SDGs targets 2030 as well as by the transformation of cities and their digital infrastructures. It is important to recognize the large vector of sociological transformation as smart cities are just a transition phase to human-centered personal space or smart home. The “atomization” of the world urban population raises the gap problem in achieving SDGs because of different approaches to constructing digital architectures for smart cities or smart homes in countries. The strategy of creating smart cities should bring each citizen closer to SDGs at the individual level, laying in the personal space the principles of sustainable development and wellness of personality.

scholarly journals Geographies of Flowers and Geographies of Flower Power

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13712
Author(s):  
Annie Tubadji ◽  
Valentina Montalto
Keyword(s):  
Utility Function ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Creative Industries ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Proactive Behaviour ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The Individual

The world is changing under the pressure of environmental and health crises, and in this context, location choice and political choice become of even more poignant importance. Following a Culture-Based Development (CBD) stand, our paper highlights the link between political voting and the cultural and ecological valuation of a place. We start from the premise that the individual utility functions of the urban inhabitant and the urban voter coincide, since they both express the citizen’s satisfaction with the life in a place. We suggest that the unified citizen’s utility function is driven by a trade-off between the availability of virtual and physical spaces for interaction. We expect that this trade-off can lead to dissatisfaction with the place and consequent political discontent if the incumbents’ access to green areas and artistic environment in a place is simultaneously hampered for a long time. Our operational hypothesis is that the political sensitivity of citizens is related to the local availability of green areas (geographies of flowers) and cultural capital endowments (geographies of flower power). Using individual-level data from the WVS from the period close before the pandemic—2017–2020, we test empirically this hypothesis. We use as an outcome of interest the individual propensity to active political behaviour. We explain this propensity through the geographies of flowers (i.e., green areas) and geographies of flower power (i.e., cultural and creative industries). We compare the effects for urban and for rural areas. We find strong dependence of politically proactive behaviour on the geographies of flowers and geographies of flower power, with explicit prominence in urban areas. We find a more pronounced effect of these two geographies on the utility function of incumbent than migrant residents. We also crosscheck empirically the relationship of this CBD mechanism on an aggregate level, using data from the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor. The findings confirm the Schelling magnifying effect of micro preferences on a macro level.

scholarly journals Determinants of Investment at the Individual Level - Evidence from SACCOS in Mbeya District, Tanzania

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Momole Kasambala
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
National Level ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Ordinary Least Square Regression ◽  
The Individual

Investment is the corner stone for economic growth and development. Poor countries experience a scant growth of their economy simply because of minute investment at the individual to national level. In these less developed economiesinvestment has been hampered by insufficient capital to support a viable business enterprise. External financing is required to reverse this trend. Experience shows that the provision of credit is the preeminent way to increase capital for investment. There have been several credit providers in developing countries namely, the formal, semiformal, and informal sources. While the formal and semiformal sources dominate in urban areas, the informal ones seem to dominate in rural areas. Many of the formal sources require credit to be secured by tangible assets. Unlike other credit lines like banks, credit from saving and credit cooperative (SACCOS) are issued without delay because credit worthiness can be established easily. These SACCOS normally operate within the premises of members and are well positioned to serve poor people both in urban and rural areas.This study was conducted to assess the determinants of investment at the individual level. Multistage and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the study area and respondents. The sample includes 239 SACCOS members and 241 non members. Data analysis employed both descriptive statistics and Ordinary least square regression methods. The study examines achievement differences in terms of the investment level achieved by SACCOS and non SACCOS members in order to determine the attributed factors to their success. The study provides sufficient evidence to support the proposition that acquisition of credit is important for investment at an individual level at P<0.001.

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