5,056 research outputs found
Real-time tracking using stereo and motion: Visual perception for space robotics
The state-of-the-art in computing technology is rapidly attaining the performance necessary to implement many early vision algorithms at real-time rates. This new capability is helping to accelerate progress in vision research by improving our ability to evaluate the performance of algorithms in dynamic environments. In particular, we are becoming much more aware of the relative stability of various visual measurements in the presence of camera motion and system noise. This new processing speed is also allowing us to raise our sights toward accomplishing much higher-level processing tasks, such as figure-ground separation and active object tracking, in real-time. This paper describes a methodology for using early visual measurements to accomplish higher-level tasks; it then presents an overview of the high-speed accelerators developed at Teleos to support early visual measurements. The final section describes the successful deployment of a real-time vision system to provide visual perception for the Extravehicular Activity Helper/Retriever robotic system in tests aboard NASA's KC135 reduced gravity aircraft
Saltation transport on Mars
We present the first calculation of saltation transport and dune formation on
Mars and compare it to real dunes. We find that the rate at which grains are
entrained into saltation on Mars is one order of magnitude higher than on
Earth. With this fundamental novel ingredient, we reproduce the size and
different shapes of Mars dunes, and give an estimate for the wind velocity on
Mars.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
A randomized, multicentre trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of fast-acting insulin aspart in continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in adults with type 1 diabetes (onset 5).
AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fast-acting insulin aspart (faster aspart) vs insulin aspart (IAsp) used in continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) in participants with type 1 diabetes (T1D). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a double-blind, treat-to-target, randomized, 16-week trial investigating CSII treatment with faster aspart (n = 236) or IAsp (n = 236). All available information, regardless of treatment discontinuation, was used for the evaluation of effect. RESULTS: Faster aspart was non-inferior to IAsp regarding the change from baseline in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c; primary endpoint). The mean HbA1c changed from 58.4 mmol/mol (7.5%) at baseline to 57.8 mmol/mol (7.4%) with faster aspart and to 56.8 mmol/mol (7.4%) with IAsp after 16 weeks' treatment, with an estimated treatment difference (ETD) of 1.0 mmol/mol (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.14; 1.87) or 0.09% (95% CI 0.01; 0.17; P < 0.001) for non-inferiority (0.4% margin; P < 0.02 for statistical significance in favour of IAsp). Faster aspart was superior to IAsp in change from baseline in 1-hour postprandial glucose (PPG) increment after a meal test (ETD -0.91 mmol/L [95% CI -1.43; -0.39] or -16.4 mg/dL [95% CI -25.7; -7.0]; P = 0.001), with statistically significant reductions also at 30 minutes and 2 hours. The improvement in PPG was reflected in the change from baseline in 1-hour interstitial glucose increment after all meals (ETD -0.21 mmol/L [95% CI -0.31; -0.11] or -3.77 mg/dL [95% CI -5.53; -2.01]). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall rate of severe or blood glucose-confirmed hypoglycaemia (estimated rate ratio 1.00 [95% CI 0.85; 1.16]). A numerical imbalance in severe hypoglycaemic episodes between faster aspart and IAsp was seen in the treatment (21 vs 7) and 4-week run-in periods (4 vs 0). CONCLUSIONS: Faster aspart provides an effective and safe option for CSII treatment in T1D.NovoNordis
The Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury XI: The Spatially-Resolved Recent Star Formation History of M31
We measure the recent star formation history (SFH) across M31 using optical
images taken with the \texit{Hubble Space Telescope} as part of the
Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT). We fit the color-magnitude
diagrams in ~9000 regions that are ~100 pc 100 pc in projected size,
covering a 0.5 square degree area (~380 kpc, deprojected) in the NE
quadrant of M31. We show that the SFHs vary significantly on these small
spatial scales but that there are also coherent galaxy-wide fluctuations in the
SFH back to ~500 Myr, most notably in M31's 10-kpc star-forming ring. We find
that the 10-kpc ring is at least 400 Myr old, showing ongoing star formation
over the past ~500 Myr. This indicates the presence of molecular gas in the
ring over at least 2 dynamical times at this radius. We also find that the
ring's position is constant throughout this time, and is stationary at the
level of 1 km/s, although there is evidence for broadening of the ring due to
diffusion of stars into the disk. Based on existing models of M31's ring
features, the lack of evolution in the ring's position makes a purely
collisional ring origin highly unlikely. We find that the global SFR has been
fairly constant over the last ~500 Myr, though it does show a small increase at
50 Myr that is 1.3 times the average SFR over the past 100 Myr. During the last
~500 Myr, ~60% of all SF occurs in the 10-kpc ring. Finally, we find that in
the past 100 Myr, the average SFR over the PHAT survey area is
M yr with an average deprojected intensity of M yr kpc, which yields a total SFR of ~0.7
M yr when extrapolated to the entire area of M31's disk. This
SFR is consistent with measurements from broadband estimates. [abridged]Comment: 23 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Spectroscopic Identification of Massive Galaxies at z~2.3 with Strongly Suppressed Star Formation
We present first results of a spectroscopic survey targeting K-selected
galaxies at z=2.0-2.7 using the GNIRS instrument on Gemini-South. We obtained
near-infrared spectra with a wavelength coverage of 1.0-2.5 micron for 26
K-bright galaxies (K<19.7) selected from the MUSYC survey using photometric
redshifts. We successfully derived spectroscopic redshifts for all 26 galaxies
using rest-frame optical emission lines or the redshifted Balmer/4000 Angstrom
break. Twenty galaxies have spectroscopic redshifts in the range 2.0<z<2.7, for
which bright emission lines like Halpha and [OIII] fall in atmospheric windows.
Surprisingly, we detected no emission lines for nine of these 20 galaxies. The
median 2 sigma upper limit on the rest-frame equivalent width of Halpha for
these nine galaxies is ~10 Angstrom. The stellar continuum emission of these
same nine galaxies is best fitted by evolved stellar population models. The
best-fit star formation rate (SFR) is zero for five out of nine galaxies, and
consistent with zero within 1 sigma for the remaining four. Thus, both the
Halpha measurements and the independent stellar continuum modeling imply that
45% of our K-selected galaxies are not forming stars intensely. This high
fraction of galaxies without detected line emission and low SFRs may imply that
the suppression of star formation in massive galaxies occurs at higher redshift
than is predicted by current CDM galaxy formation models. However, obscured
star formation may have been missed, and deep mid-infrared imaging is needed to
clarify this situation.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Dune formation on the present Mars
We apply a model for sand dunes to calculate formation of dunes on Mars under
the present Martian atmospheric conditions. We find that different dune shapes
as those imaged by Mars Global Surveyor could have been formed by the action of
sand-moving winds occuring on today's Mars. Our calculations show, however,
that Martian dunes could be only formed due to the higher efficiency of Martian
winds in carrying grains into saltation. The model equations are solved to
study saltation transport under different atmospheric conditions valid for
Mars. We obtain an estimate for the wind speed and migration velocity of
barchan dunes at different places on Mars. From comparison with the shape of
bimodal sand dunes, we find an estimate for the timescale of the changes in
Martian wind regimes.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure
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