1,313 research outputs found
A Multiprocessor System for Performing Mail Sorting in Real Time
This paper describes a special purpose embedded multiprocessor architecture and algorithms developed for performmg real time Multi-Line Optical Character Recognition (MLOCR). MLOCR is a computationally intensive real time application involving character image extraction, gray scale thresholding, rotation and scaling of individual characters, and character identification. The computational complexity of the algorithms implemented in the system required custom hardware in a parallel processing environment to meet the real time system requirements. The algorithms as well as the functional partitioning of the algorithms mto parallel processing subsystems are discussed
Complex Instantons and Charged Rotating Black Hole Pair Creation
We consider the general process of pair-creation of charged rotating black
holes. We find that instantons which describe this process are necessarily
complex due to regularity requirements. However their associated probabilities
are real, and fully consistent with the interpretation that the entropy of a
charged rotating black hole is the logarithm of the number of its quantum
states.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, Latex, text shortened with only minor changes in
content, accepted for Phys Rev Letter
Brown-York Energy and Radial Geodesics
We compare the Brown-York (BY) and the standard Misner-Sharp (MS) quasilocal
energies for round spheres in spherically symmetric space-times from the point
of view of radial geodesics. In particular, we show that the relation between
the BY and MS energies is precisely analogous to that between the
(relativistic) energy E of a geodesic and the effective (Newtonian) energy
E_{eff} appearing in the geodesic equation, thus shedding some light on the
relation between the two. Moreover, for Schwarzschild-like metrics we establish
a general relationship between the BY energy and the geodesic effective
potential which explains and generalises the recently observed connection
between negative BY energy and the repulsive behaviour of geodesics in the
Reissner-Nordstrom metric. We also comment on the extension of this connection
between geodesics and the quasilocal BY energy to regions inside a horizon.Comment: v3: 7 pages, shortened and revised version to appear in CQ
Discovery of the Transiting Planet Kepler-5B
We present 44 days of high duty cycle, ultra precise photometry of the 13th magnitude star Kepler-5 (KIC 8191672, T(eff) = 6300 K, log g = 4.1), which exhibits periodic transits with a depth of 0.7%. Detailed modeling of the transit is consistent with a planetary companion with an orbital period of 3.548460 +/- 0.000032 days and a radius of 1.431(-0.052)(+0.041) R(J). Follow-up radial velocity measurements with the Keck HIRES spectrograph on nine separate nights demonstrate that the planet is more than twice as massive as Jupiter with a mass of 2.114(-0.059)(+0.056) M(J) and a mean density of 0.894 +/- 0.079 g cm(-3).NASA's Science Mission DirectorateAstronom
Promotion of physical activity in rural, remote and northern settings: a Canadian call to action
Introduction: The lack of policy, practice and research action on physical activity and features of the physical (built and natural) environments in rural, remote and northern settings is a significant threat to population health equity in Canada. This paper presents a synthesis of current evidence on the promotion of physical activity in non-urban settings, outcomes from a national priority-setting meeting, and a preliminary call to action to support the implementation and success of population-level initiatives targeting physical activity in non-urban settings.
Methods: We conducted a âsynopses of synthesesâ scoping review to explore current evidence on physical activity promotion in rural, remote, northern and natural settings. Next, we facilitated a collaborative priority-setting conference with 28 Canadian experts from policy, research and practice arenas to develop a set of priorities on physical activity in rural, remote and northern communities. These priorities informed the development of a preliminary Canadian call to action.
Results: We identified a limited number of reviews that focused on physical activity and the built environment in rural, remote and northern communities. At the priority-setting conference, participants representing rural, remote and northern settings identified top priorities for policy, practice and research action to begin to address the gaps and issues noted in the literature. These priorities include self-identifying priorities at the community level; compiling experiences; establishing consistency in research definitions and methods; and developing mentorship opportunities.
Conclusion: Coordinated action across policy, practice and research domains will be essential to the success of the recommendations presented in this call to action
(G)hosting television: Ghostwatch and its medium
This articleâs subject is Ghostwatch (BBC, 1992), a drama broadcast on Halloween night of 1992 which adopted the rhetoric of live non-fiction programming, and attracted controversy and ultimately censure from the Broadcasting Standards Council. In what follows, we argue that Ghostwatch must be understood as a televisually-specific artwork and artefact. We discuss the programmeâs ludic relationship with some key features of television during what Ellis (2000) has termed its era of âavailabilityâ, principally liveness, mass simultaneous viewing, and the flow of the television super-text. We trace the programmeâs television-specific historicity whilst acknowledging its allusions and debts to other media (most notably film and radio). We explore the sophisticated ways in which Ghostwatchâs visual grammar and vocabulary and deployment of âbroadcast talkâ (Scannell 1991) variously ape, comment upon and subvert the rhetoric of factual programming, and the ends to which these strategies are put. We hope that these arguments collectively demonstrate the aesthetic and historical significance of Ghostwatch and identify its relationship to its medium and that mediumâs history. We offer the programme as an historically-reflexive artefact, and as an exemplary instance of the work of art in televisionâs age of broadcasting, liveness and co-presence
Altered Blood Flow Response to Small Muscle Mass Exercise in Cancer Survivors Treated With Adjuvant Therapy
Citation: Didier, K. D., Ederer, A. K., Reiter, L. K., Brown, M., Hardy, R., Caldwell, J., . . . Ade, C. J. (2017). Altered Blood Flow Response to Small Muscle Mass Exercise in Cancer Survivors Treated With Adjuvant Therapy. Journal of the American Heart Association, 6(2), 9. doi:10.1161/jaha.116.004784Background-Adjuvant cancer treatments have been shown to decrease cardiac function. In addition to changes in cardiovascular risk, there are several additional functional consequences including decreases in exercise capacity and increased incidence of cancer-related fatigue. However, the effects of adjuvant cancer treatment on peripheral vascular function during exercise in cancer survivors have not been well documented. We investigated the vascular responses to exercise in cancer survivors previously treated with adjuvant cancer therapies. Methods and Results-Peripheral vascular responses were investigated in 11 cancer survivors previously treated with adjuvant cancer therapies (age 58 +/- 6 years, 34 +/- 30 months from diagnosis) and 9 healthy controls group matched for age, sex, and maximal voluntary contraction. A dynamic handgrip exercise test at 20% maximal voluntary contraction was performed with simultaneous measurements of forearm blood flow and mean arterial pressure. Forearm vascular conductance was calculated from forearm blood flow and mean arterial pressure. Left ventricular ejection time index (LVETi) was derived from the arterial pressure wave form. Forearm blood flow was attenuated in cancer therapies compared to control at 20% maximal voluntary contraction (189.8 +/- 53.8 vs 247.9 +/- 80.3 mL.min (1), respectively). Forearm vascular conductance was not different between groups at rest or during exercise. Mean arterial pressure response to exercise was attenuated in cancer therapies compared to controls (107.8 +/- 10.8 vs 119.2 +/- 16.2 mm Hg). LEVTi was lower in cancer therapies compared to controls. Conclusions-These data suggest an attenuated exercise blood flow response in cancer survivors approximate to 34 months following adjuvant cancer therapy that may be attributed to an attenuated increase in mean arterial pressure
Atmospheric parameters of 82 red giants in the Kepler field
Context: Accurate fundamental parameters of stars are essential for the
asteroseismic analysis of data from the NASA Kepler mission. Aims: We aim at
determining accurate atmospheric parameters and the abundance pattern for a
sample of 82 red giants that are targets for the Kepler mission. Methods: We
have used high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra from three different
spectrographs. We used the iterative spectral synthesis method VWA to derive
the fundamental parameters from carefully selected high-quality iron lines.
After determination of the fundamental parameters, abundances of 13 elements
were measured using equivalent widths of the spectral lines. Results: We
identify discrepancies in log g and [Fe/H], compared to the parameters based on
photometric indices in the Kepler Input Catalogue (larger than 2.0 dex for log
g and [Fe/H] for individual stars). The Teff found from spectroscopy and
photometry shows good agreement within the uncertainties. We find good
agreement between the spectroscopic log g and the log g derived from
asteroseismology. Also, we see indications of a potential metallicity effect on
the stellar oscillations. Conclusions: We have determined the fundamental
parameters and element abundances of 82 red giants. The large discrepancies
between the spectroscopic log g and [Fe/H] and values in the Kepler Input
Catalogue emphasize the need for further detailed spectroscopic follow-up of
the Kepler targets in order to produce reliable results from the asteroseismic
analysis.Comment: 16 Pages, 12 Figures, accepted for publication in A&
Shadowing in the nuclear photoabsorption above the resonance region
A model based on the hadronic fluctuations of the real photon is developed to
describe the total photonucleon and photonuclear cross sections in the energy
region above the nucleon resonances. The hadronic spectral function of the
photon is derived including the finite width of vector-meson resonances and the
quark-antiquark continuum. The shadowing effect is evaluated considering the
effective interaction of the hadronic component with the bound nucleons within
a Glauber-Gribov multiple scattering theory. The low energy onset of the
shadowing effect is interpreted as a possible signature of a modification of
the hadronic spectral function in the nuclear medium. A decrease of the
-meson mass in nuclei is suggested for a better explanation of the
experimental data.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
Spectroscopic Discovery of the Supernova 2003dh Associated with GRB 030329
We present early observations of the afterglow of the Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB)
030329 and the spectroscopic discovery of its associated supernova SN 2003dh.
We obtained spectra of the afterglow of GRB 030329 each night from March 30.12
(0.6 days after the burst) to April 8.13 (UT) (9.6 days after the burst). The
spectra cover a wavelength range of 350 nm to 850 nm. The early spectra consist
of a power-law continuum (F_nu ~ nu^{-0.9}) with narrow emission lines
originating from HII regions in the host galaxy, indicating a low redshift of
z=0.1687. However, our spectra taken after 2003 Apr. 5 show broad peaks in flux
characteristic of a supernova. Correcting for the afterglow emission, we find
the spectrum of the supernova is remarkably similar to the type Ic `hypernova'
SN 1998bw. While the presence of supernovae have been inferred from the light
curves and colors of GRB afterglows in the past, this is the first direct,
spectroscopic confirmation that a subset of classical gamma-ray bursts
originate from supernovae.Comment: published by ApJ Letters; additional material avilable at
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/oir/Research/GRB
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