200 research outputs found
Online Motion Planning for Safe Human–Robot Cooperation Using B-Splines and Hidden Markov Models
When humans and robots work together, ensuring safe cooperation must be a priority. This research aims to develop a novel real-time planning algorithm that can handle unpredictable human movements by both slowing down task execution and modifying the robot’s path based on the proximity of the human operator. To achieve this, an efficient method for updating the robot’s motion is developed using a two-fold control approach that combines B-splines and hidden Markov models. This allows the algorithm to adapt to a changing environment and avoid collisions. The proposed framework is thus validated using the Franka Emika Panda robot in a simple start–goal task. Our algorithm successfully avoids collision with the moving hand of an operator monitored by a fixed camera
Sustainability in Aquaponics: Industrial Spirulina Waste as a Biofertilizer for Lactuca sativa L. Plants
Aquaponics represents an alternative to traditional soil cultivation. To solve the problem of nutrient depletion that occurs in this biotechnological system, the application of a spirulina-based biofertilizer was assessed. The microalgal waste used in this study came from industrial processing. Four different dilutions of the supernatant portion of this waste were sprayed on lettuce plants cultivated in an aquaponics system installed at the Botanical Gardens of the Tor Vergata University of Rome. The biofertilizer was characterized to evaluate its amount of macro- and micronutrients. The analysis conducted on the plants involved both morpho-biometric aspects and qualitative–quantitative measurements. The experiments showed that the spirulina extract had a positive effect on the growth and nutraceutical content of the lettuce plants; the obtained results highlighted that a dilution of 75% was the best for treatment. The use of the proposed organic and recycled fertilizer could increase the sustainability of crop cultivation and promote the functioning of aquaponics systems
Herschel Multitiered Extragalactic Survey: clusters of dusty galaxies uncovered by Herschel and Planck
The potential for Planck to detect clusters of dusty, star-forming galaxies at z > 1 is tested by examining the Herschel-SPIRE images of Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalog sources lying in fields observed by the Herschel Multitiered Extragalactic Survey. Of the 16 Planck sources that lie in the ∼90 sq. deg. examined, we find that 12 are associated with single bright Herschel sources. The remaining four are associated with overdensities of Herschel sources, making them candidate clusters of dusty, star-forming galaxies. We use complementary optical/near-IR data for these ‘clumps’ to test this idea, and find evidence for the presence of galaxy clusters in all four cases. We use photometric redshifts and red sequence galaxies to estimate the redshifts of these clusters, finding that they range from 0.8 to 2.3. These redshifts imply that the Herschel sources in these clusters, which contribute to the detected Planck flux, are forming stars very rapidly, with typical total cluster star formation rates >1000M ? yr −1 . The high-redshift clusters discovered in these observations are used to constrain the epoch of cluster galaxy formation, finding that the galaxies in our clusters are 1–1.5 Gyr old at z ∼ 1–2. Prospects for the discovery of further clusters of dusty galaxies are discussed, using not only all sky Planck surveys, but also deeper, smaller area, Herschel surveys
Two fossil groups of galaxies at z~0.4 in the COSMOS: accelerated stellar-mass build-up, different progenitors
We report on 2 fossil groups of galaxies at z=0.425 and 0.372 discovered in
the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) area. Selected as X-ray extended sources,
they have total masses (M_200) of 1.9(+/-0.41)E13 and 9.5(+/-0.42)E13 M_sun,
respectively, as obtained from a recent X-ray luminosity-mass scaling relation.
The lower mass system appears isolated, whereas the other sits in a well-known
large-scale structure (LSS) populated by 27 other X-ray emitting groups. The
identification as fossil is based on the i-band photometry of all the galaxies
with a photo-z consistent with that of the group at the 2-sigma confidence
level and within a projected group-centric distance equal to 0.5R_200, and
i_AB<=22.5-mag limited spectroscopy. Both fossil groups exhibit high
stellar-to-total mass ratios compared to all the X-ray selected groups of
similar mass at 0.3<=z<=0.5 in the COSMOS. At variance with the composite
galaxy stellar mass functions (GSMFs) of similarly massive systems, both fossil
group GSMFs are dominated by passively evolving galaxies down to M^stars~1E10
M_sun (according to the galaxy broad-band spectral energy distributions). The
relative lack of star-forming galaxies with 1E10<=M^stars<=1E11 M_sun is
confirmed by the galaxy distribution in the b-r vs i color-magnitude diagram.
Hence, the 2 fossil groups appear as more mature than the coeval, similarly
massive groups. Their overall star formation activity ended rapidly after an
accelerated build up of the total stellar mass; no significant infall of
galaxies with M^stars>=1E10 M_sun took place in the last 3 to 6 Gyr. This
similarity holds although the 2 fossil groups are embedded in two very
different density environments of the LSS, which suggests that their galaxy
populations were shaped by processes that do not depend on the LSS. However,
their progenitors may do so. ...Comment: 12 pages, 5 color figures, 1 table; to be published in the MNRA
Predictive factors of clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 treated with tocilizumab: A monocentric retrospective analysis
Objective The aim of this retrospective observational study is to analyse clinical, serological and radiological predictors of outcome in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia treated with tocilizumab, providing clinical guidance to its use in real-life. Method This is a retrospective, monocentric observational cohort study. All consecutive patients hospitalized between February the 11th and April 14th 2020 for severe COVID-19 pneumonia at Reggio Emilia AUSL and treated with tocilizumab were enrolled. The patient's clinical status was recorded every day using the WHO ordinal scale for clinical improvement. Response to treatment was defined as an improvement of one point (from the status at the beginning of tocilizumab treatment) during the follow-up on this scale. Bivariate association of main patients' characteristics with outcomes was explored by descriptive statistics and Fisher or Kruskal Wallis tests (respectively for qualitative or quantitative variables). Each clinically significant predictor was checked by a loglikelihood ratio test (in univariate logistic models for each of the considered outcomes) against the null model. Results A total of 173 patients were included. Only hypertension, the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, PaO2/FiO2, respiratory rate and C-reactive protein were selected for the multivariate analysis. In the multivariable model, none of them was significantly associated with response. Conclusions Evaluating a large number of clinical variables, our study did not find new predictors of outcome in COVID19 patients treated with tocilizumab. Further studies are needed to investigate the use of tocilizumab in COVID-19 and to better identify clinical phenotypes which could benefit from this treatment
Environment of Pr in fluorozirconate glasses: an XAFS and anomalous X-ray scattering study
In the whirlpool's coils: tracing substructure from combined optical/X-ray data in the galaxy cluster A1300
Structure formation is thought to act via hierarchical mergers and accretion
of smaller systems driven by gravity with dark matter dominating the
gravitational field. Combining X-ray and optical imaging and spectroscopy
provides a powerful approach to the study of the cluster dynamics and mass
assembly history. The REFLEX-DXL sample contains the most X-ray luminous galaxy
clusters (L_X > 10^45 erg/s) from the REFLEX survey at z = 0.27-0.31. We
present the photometric (WFI) and spectroscopic (VIMOS) data for the DXL
cluster RXCJ1131.9-1955 (Abell 1300); in combination with the existing X-ray
data we determine and characterise the substructure of this post-merging
system. We analyse X-ray selected groups in a 30' x 30' region encompassing the
cluster in order to study the mass assembly of A1300. The X-ray surface
brightness map of A1300 appears disturbed and exhibits the signature of a
forward shock, which is consistent with a previous analysis of radio data.
Moreover, we detect a large scale-filament in which the cluster is embedded and
several infalling groups. Comparison of the whirlpool-like features in the
entropy pseudo-map of the intra-cluster medium with the distribution of the
cluster members reveals a direct correspondence between the ICM structure and
the galaxy distribution. Moreover, comparison with existing simulations allows
us to better understand the dynamics of the cluster progenitors and to age date
their impact. A1300 is a complex massive system in which a major merging
occurred about 3 Gyr ago and additional minor merging events happen at
different times via filaments, that will lead to an increase of the cluster
mass of up to 60% in the next Gyr.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 18 pages, 16 figures. Replaced
with revised versio
H-ATLAS: a candidate high redshift cluster/protocluster of star-forming galaxies
We investigate the region around the Planck-detected z=3.26 gravitationally lensed galaxy HATLAS J114637.9-001132 (hereinafter HATLAS12-00) using both archival Herschel data from the H-ATLAS survey and using submm data obtained with both LABOCA and SCUBA2. The lensed source is found to be surrounded by a strong overdensity of both Herschel-SPIRE sources and submm sources. We detect 17 bright (S870 >~7 mJy) sources at >4sigma closer than 5 arcmin to the lensed object at 850/870 microns. Ten of these sources have good cross-identifications with objects detected by Herschel-SPIRE which have redder colours than other sources in the field, with 350 micron flux > 250 micron flux, suggesting that they lie at high redshift. Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations localise one of these companions to ~1 arcsecond, allowing unambiguous cross identification with a 3.6 and 4.5 micron Spitzer source. The optical/near-IR spectral energy distribution (SED) of this source is measured by further observations and found to be consistent with z>2, but incompatible with lower redshifts. We conclude that this system may be a galaxy cluster/protocluster or larger scale structure that contains a number of galaxies undergoing starbursts at the same time
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