Technical note : TRACKFlow, a new versatile microscope system forfission track analysis

We here present TRACKFlow, a new system with dedicated modules for the fission track (FT) laboratory. It is based on the motorised Nikon Eclipse Ni-E upright microscope with the Nikon DS-Ri2 full frame camera and is embedded within the Nikon NIS-Elements Advanced Research software package. TRACKFlow decouples image acquisition from analysis to decrease schedule stress of the microscope. The system further has the aim of being versatile, adaptable to multiple preparation protocols and analysis approaches. It is both suited for small-scale laboratories and is also ready for upscaling to high-throughput imaging. The versatility of the system, based on the operators’ full access to the NIS-Elements package, exceeds that of other systems for FT and further expands to stepping away from the dedicated FT microscope towards a general microscope for Earth Sciences, including dedicated modules for FT research. TRACKFlow consists of a number of user-friendly protocols which are based on the well plate design that allows sequential scanning of multiple samples without the need of replacing the slide on the stage. All protocols include a sub-protocol to scan a map of the mount for easy navigation through the samples on the stage. Two protocols are designed for the External Detector Method (EDM) and the LA–ICP–MS apatite fission track (LAFT) approach, with tools for repositioning and calibration to the external detector. Two other tools are designed for large crystals, such as the Durango age standard and U-doped glass external detectors. These protocols generate a regular grid of points and inspect if each point is suitable for analysis. Both protocols also include an option to image each withheld point. One more protocol is included for the measurement of etch pit diameters and one last protocol prepares a list of coordinates for correlative microscopy. In a following phase of development TRACKFlow can be expanded towards fully autonomous calibration, grain detection and imaging

MScMS-II: an innovative IR-based indoor coordinate measuring system for large-scale metrology applications

According to the current great interest concerning large-scale metrology applications in many different fields of manufacturing industry, technologies and techniques for dimensional measurement have recently shown a substantial improvement. Ease-of-use, logistic and economic issues, as well as metrological performance are assuming a more and more important role among system requirements. This paper describes the architecture and the working principles of a novel infrared (IR) optical-based system, designed to perform low-cost and easy indoor coordinate measurements of large-size objects. The system consists of a distributed network-based layout, whose modularity allows fitting differently sized and shaped working volumes by adequately increasing the number of sensing units. Differently from existing spatially distributed metrological instruments, the remote sensor devices are intended to provide embedded data elaboration capabilities, in order to share the overall computational load. The overall system functionalities, including distributed layout configuration, network self-calibration, 3D point localization, and measurement data elaboration, are discussed. A preliminary metrological characterization of system performance, based on experimental testing, is also presente

Dream-Work in Psychotherapy: Jungian, Post-Jungian, Existential-Phenomenological, and Cognitive-Experiential Approaches

This literature review examines the theoretical underpinnings and clinical approaches of Jungian, Post-Jungian, Existential-Phenomenological, and Cognitive-Experiential models of working with dreams therapeutically. A review of applicable empirical studies is included, examining utility and effectiveness of dream-work across a variety of domains. Suggestions for the training of therapists in working with dreams are made. Results indicate that working with dreams therapeutically can have a variety of beneficial outcomes

Object reconstruction using close-range all-round digital photogrammetry for applications in industry

Bibliography: p. 66-68.Photogrammetry has many inherent advantages in engineering and industrial applications, which include the ability to obtain accurate, non-contact measurements from data rapidly acquired with the object in situ. Along with these advantages, digital photogrammetry offers the potential for the automation or semi-automation of many of the conventional photogrammetric procedures, leading to real-time or near real-time measurement capabilities. However, all-round surface measurement of an object usually benefits less from the above advantages of photogrammetry. To obtain the necessary imagery from all sides of the measurement object, real-time processing is nearly impossible, and it becomes difficult to avoid moving the object, thus precluding in situ measurement. However, all-round digital photogrammetry and, in particular, the procedure presented here, still offer advantages over other methods of full surface measurement, including rapid, non-contact data acquisition along with the ability to store and reprocess data at a later date. Conventional or topographic photogrammetry is well-established as a tool for mapping simple terrain surfaces and for acquiring accurate 3-D point data. The complexities of all-round photogrammetry make many of the standard photogrammetric methods all but redundant. The work presented in this thesis was aimed at the development of a reliable method of obtaining complete surface data of an object with non-topographic, all-round, close-range digital photogrammetry. A method was developed to improve the integrity of the data, and possibilities for the presentation and visualisation of the data were explored. The potential for automation was considered important, as was the need to keep the overall time required to a minimum. A measurement system was developed to take as input an object, and produce as output an accurate, representative point cloud, allowing for the reconstruction of the surface. This system included the following procedures: ■ a novel technique of achieving high-accuracy system pre-calibration using a cubic control frame and fixed camera stations, ■ separate image capture for the control frame and the object, ■ surface sub-division and all-round step-wise image matching to produce a comprehensive 3-D data set, ■ point cloud refinement, and ■ surface reconstruction by separate surface generation. The development and reliability of these new approaches is discussed and investigated; and the results of various test procedures are presented. The technique of system pre-calibration involved the use of a mechanical device - a rotary table - to impart precisely repeatable rotations to the control frame and, separately, the object. The actual repeatability precision was tested and excellent results achieved, with standard deviations for the resected camera station coordinates of between 0.05 and 0.5 mm. In a detailed test case, actual rotations differed from the desired rotations by an average of 0.7" with a standard deviation of less than 2'. The image matching for the test case, from a set of forty-eight images, achieved a satisfactory final accuracy, comparable to that achieved in other similar work. The meaningful reconstruction of surfaces presented problems, although an acceptable rendering was achieved, and a thorough survey of current commercially available software failed to produce a package capable of all-round modelling from random 3-D data. The final analysis of the results indicated that digital photogrammetry, and this method in particular, are highly suited to accurate all-round surface measurement. The potential for automation - and, therefore, for near real-time results - of the method in the stages of image acquisition and processing, calibration, image matching and data visualisation is great. The method thus lends itself to industrial applications. However, the need for a robust and rapid method of surface reconstruction needs to be fulfilled

Procedures for condition mapping using 360° images

The identification of deterioration mechanisms and their monitoring over time is an essential phase for conservation. This work aimed at developing a novel approach for deterioration mapping and monitoring based on 360° images, which allows for simple and rapid data collection. The opportunity to capture the whole scene around a 360° camera reduces the number of images needed in a condition mapping project, resulting in a powerful solution to document small and narrow spaces. The paper will describe the implemented workflow for deterioration mapping based on 360° images, which highlights pathologies on surfaces and quantitatively measures their extension. Such a result will be available as standard outputs as well as an innovative virtual environment for immersive visualization. The case of multi-temporal data acquisition will be considered and discussed as well. Multiple 360° images acquired at different epochs from slightly different points are co-registered to obtain pixel-to-pixel correspondence, providing a solution to quantify and track deterioration effects

Lissitzky : new materialism and diagrammatic living

Lissitsky\u27s spatial and architectural work anticipates the contemporary fascination with expanded fields of activity that have resulted in transdisciplinary approaches to research and the role of practice-led research. This paper will discuss Lissitzky\u27s suprematist perspective in relation to contemporary practices - under the rubric of the &quot;diagram&quot; - that re-imagine and enact the relationship between the built surround and embodied cognition. Lissitzky\u27s work will serve as the starting point for a discussion of contemporary practitioners and theorists working across philosophy, cognitive science and built environment in order to draw out, through the act of diagramming, life on new terms.<br /

Deployable Payloads with Starbug

We explore the range of wide field multi-object instrument concepts taking advantage of the unique capabilities of the Starbug focal plane positioning concept. Advances to familiar instrument concepts, such as fiber positioners and deployable fiber-fed IFUs, are discussed along with image relays and deployable active sensors. We conceive deployable payloads as components of systems more traditionally regarded as part of telescope systems rather than instruments - such as adaptive optics and ADCs. Also presented are some of the opportunities offered by the truly unique capabilities of Starbug, such as microtracking to apply intra-field distortion correction during the course of an observation.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Proc. SPIE 6273 "Opto-Mechanical Technologies for Astronomy

Research students exhibition catalogue 2011

The catalogue demonstrates the scope and vibrancy of current inquiries and pays tribute to the creative capacity and investment of UCA research students. It brings together contributions from students who are at different stages in their research ad/venture. Their explorations are connected by the centrality of contemporary material practices as focal point for the reconsideration of societal values, cultural symbols and rituals and their meaning, and the trans/formation of individual, collective and national identities The media and formats employed range from cloth, jewellery and ceramics to analogue film, the human voice and the representation of dress and fashionin virtual environments. Thematic interests span from explorations at the interface of art and medical science to an investigation of the role of art in contested spaces, or the role of metonymy in ‘how the arts think’ And whilst the projects are motivated by personal curiosity and passion, their outcomes transcend the boundaries of individual practice and offer new insights, under-standing and applications for the benefit of wider society. Prof. Kerstin Me

Consumers and Sustainability at Walmart: A Student\u27s Perspective

To further encourage students to analyze initial goals in comparison with outcomes over time, we have developed a consumer-oriented case—“Consumers and Sustainability at Walmart: A Student’s Perspective”—that moves beyond the perspective of internal Walmart participants to explores issues of sustainability from the point of view of a typical Walmart shopper. In this case, we examine the experience of a fictional student shopper who goes to Walmart and wants to buy sustainable products, which helps raise questions for students about what Walmart’s actions mean to them as consumers, citizens as well as business professionals. The case also asks students to evaluate the progress that Walmart has made in its stores over the course of its sustainability journey, particularly in comparison to its initial aspirations and goa