Behavior adaptation for mobile robots via semantic map compositions of constraint-based controllers.

Specifying and solving Constraint-based Optimization Problems (COP) has become a mainstream technology for advanced motion control of mobile robots. COP programming still requires expert knowledge to transform specific application context into the right configuration of the COP parameters (i.e., objective functions and constraints). The research contribution of this paper is a methodology to couple the context knowledge of application developers to the robot knowledge of control engineers, which, to our knowledge, has not yet been carried out. The former is offered a selected set of symbolic descriptions of the robots' capabilities (its so-called "behavior semantics") that are translated in control actions via "templates" in a "semantic map"; the latter contains the parameters that cover contextual dependencies in an application and robot vendor-independent way. The translation from semantics to control templates takes place in an "interaction layer" that contains 1) generic knowledge about robot motion capabilities (e.g., depending on the kinematic type of the robots), 2) spatial queries to extract relevant COP parameters from a semantic map (e.g., what is the impact of entering different types of "collision areas"), and 3) generic application knowledge (e.g., how the robots' behavior is impacted by priorities, emergency, safety, and prudence). This particular design of, and interplay between, the application, interaction, and control layers provides a structured, conceptually simple approach to advance the complexity of mobile robot applications. Eventually, industry-wide cooperation between representatives of the application and control communities should result in an interaction layer with different standardized versions of semantic complexity.

Characterizations of botanical attractant of Halyomorpha halys and selection of relevant deorphanization candidates via computational approach.

Halyomorpha halys has been recognized as a global cross-border pest species. Along with well-established pheromone trapping approaches, there have been many attempts to utilize botanical odorant baits for field monitoring. Due to sensitivity, ecological friendliness, and cost-effectiveness for large-scale implementation, the selection of botanical volatiles as luring ingredients and/or synergists for H. halys is needed. In the current work, botanical volatiles were tested by olfactometer and electrophysiological tests. Results showed that linalool oxide was a potential candidate for application as a behavioral modifying chemical. It drove remarkable attractiveness toward H. halys adults in Y-tube assays, as well as eliciting robust electroantennographic responsiveness towards antennae. A computational pipeline was carried out to screen olfactory proteins related to the reception of linalool oxide. Simulated docking activities of four H. halys odorant receptors and two odorant binding proteins to linalool oxide and nerolidol were performed. Results showed that all tested olfactory genes were likely to be involved in plant volatile-sensing pathways, and they tuned broadly to tested components. The current work provides insights into the later development of field demonstration strategies using linalool oxide and its molecular targets.

Effect of Photoperiod on Longevity, Food Consumption, and Reproduction of Holotrichia oblita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

Holotrichia oblita (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a major soil insect pest that damages forest trees, crops, and lawns. Adults of H. oblita fly, forage, and mate at night but remain underground during the day. We studied the effect of photoperiod on H. oblita reproduction. H. oblita females laid more eggs at 8:16 (L:D) h and 0:24 (L:D) h than other photoperiods. As the scotophase increased, the preoviposition period decreased and the oviposition period increased. Female longevity exceeded that of males at all photoperiods, and both males and females at 0:24 (L:D) h had the shortest longevity. The number of eggs laid per female increased with increasing food consumption. Females at 8:16 (L:D) h had the greatest food consumption and laid the most eggs, while females at 24:0 (L:D) h had the lowest food consumption and laid few eggs. The food intake of adults increased gradually and decreased slowly after reaching a peak. Females began to lay eggs when their food consumption reached a maximum. These results indicate that a scotophase is necessary for the reproduction of H. oblita. A long scotophase promotes greater oviposition. The effect of photoperiod on reproduction is affected by food intake.

Transcript analysis and expression profiling of three heat shock protein 70 genes in the ectoparasitoid Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are known as chaperones that help with folding of other proteins when cells are under environmental stresses. The upregulation of HSPs is essential for cold survival during insect diapause. The ectoparasitoid Habrobracon hebetor, a potential biological control agent, can enter reproductive diapause when reared at low temperature and short photoperiod. However, the expression of HSPs during diapause of H. hebetor has not been studied. In this study, we sequenced and characterized the full-length complementary DNAs of three Hsp70 genes (HhHsp70I, HhHsp70II and HhHsp70III) from H. hebetor. Their deduced amino acid sequences showed more than 80% identities to their counterparts from other insect species. However, the multiple sequence alignment among the three deduced amino acid sequences of HhHsp70s showed only 46% identities. A phylogenetic analysis of the three HhHsp70s and all other known Hsp70 sequences from Hymenoptera clustered all the Hsp70s into four groups, and the three HhHsp70s were distributed into three different groups. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the expression of the three HhHsp70 genes in H. hebetor reared at different conditions was quite different. HhHsp70I showed higher relative expression when H. hebetor were reared at 27.5°C than at two lower temperatures (17.5°C and 20°C) regardless of the photoperiod, whereas HhHsp70II showed higher expression when H. hebetor were reared at 20°C and 10 : 14 L : D than when reared at 17.5°C and either 16 : 8 L : D or 10 : 14 L : D. In contrast, HhHSP70III was expressed at similar levels regardless of the rearing conditions. These results may suggest functional differences among the three HhHsp70 genes in H. hebetor.