Geometrical Calibration for the Panrover: a Stereo Omnidirectional System for Planetary Rover

Abstract. A novel panoramic stereo imaging system is proposed in this paper. The system is able to carry out a 360° stereoscopic vision, useful for rover autonomous-driving, and capture simultaneously a high-resolution stereo scene. The core of the concept is a novel "bifocal panoramic lens" (BPL) based on hyper hemispheric model (Pernechele et al. 2016). This BPL is able to record a panoramic field of view (FoV) and, simultaneously, an area (belonging to the panoramic FoV) with a given degree of magnification by using a unique image sensor. This strategy makes possible to avoid rotational mechanisms. Using two BPLs settled in a vertical baseline (system called PANROVER) allows the monitoring of the surrounding environment in stereoscopic (3D) mode and, simultaneously, capturing an high-resolution stereoscopic images to analyse scientific cases, making it a new paradigm in the planetary rovers framework.Differently from the majority of the Mars systems which are based on rotational mechanisms for the acquisition of the panoramic images (mosaicked on ground), the PANROVER does not contain any moving components and can rescue a hi-rate stereo images of the context panorama.Scope of this work is the geometric calibration of the panoramic acquisition system by the omnidirectional calibration methods (Scaramuzza et al. 2006) based on Zhang calibration grid. The procedures are applied in order to obtain well rectified synchronized stereo images to be available for 3D reconstruction. We applied a Zhang chess boards based approach even during STC/SIMBIO-SYS stereo camera calibration (Simioni et al. 2014, 2017). In this case the target of the calibration will be the stereo heads (the BPLs) of the PANROVER with the scope of extracting the intrinsic parameters of the optical systems. Differently by previous pipelines, using the same data bench the estimate of the extrinsic parameters is performed

Perinatal or neonatal mortality among women who intend at the onset of labour to give birth at home compared to women of low obstetrical risk who intend to give birth in hospital: A systematic review and meta-analyses

Background: More women are choosing to birth at home in well-resourced countries. Concerns persist that out-of-hospital birth contributes to higher perinatal and neonatal mortality. This systematic review and meta-analyses determines if risk of fetal or neonatal loss differs among low-risk women who begin labour intending to give birth at home compared to low-risk women intending to give birth in hospital. Methods: In April 2018 we searched five databases from 1990 onward and used R to obtain pooled estimates of effect. We stratified by study design, study settings and parity. The primary outcome is any perinatal or neonatal death after the onset of labour. The study protocol is peer-reviewed, published and registered (PROSPERO No.CRD42013004046). Findings: We identified 14 studies eligible for meta-analysis including ~ 500,000 intended home births. Among nulliparous women intending a home birth in settings where midwives attending home birth are well-integrated in health services, the odds ratio (OR) of perinatal or neonatal mortality compared to those intending hospital birth was 1.07 (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.70 to 1.65); and in less integrated settings 3.17 (95% CI, 0.73 to 13.76). Among multiparous women intending a home birth in well-integrated settings, the estimated OR compared to those intending a hospital birth was 1.08 (95% CI, 0.84 to 1.38); and in less integrated settings was 1.58 (95% CI, 0.50 to 5.03). Interpretation: The risk of perinatal or neonatal mortality was not different when birth was intended at home or in hospital. Funding: Partial funding: Association of Ontario Midwives open peer reviewed grant. Research in Context: Evidence before this study Although there is increasing acceptance for intended home birth as a choice for birthing women, controversy about its safety persists. The varying responses of obstetrical societies to intended home birth provide evidence of contrasting views. A Cochrane review of randomised controlled trials addressing this topic included one small trial and noted that in the absence of adequately sized randomised controlled trials on the topic of intended home compared to intended hospital birth, a peer reviewed protocol be published to guide a systematic review and meta-analysis including observational studies. Reviews to date have been limited by design or methodological issues and none has used a protocol published a priori.Added value of this study Individual studies are underpowered to detect small but potentially important differences in rare outcomes. This study uses a published peer-reviewed protocol and is the largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis comparing outcomes of intended home and hospital birth. We take study design, parity and jurisdictional support for home birth into account. Our study provides much needed information to policy makers, care providers and women and families when planning for birth.Implications of all the available evidence Women who are low risk and who intend to give birth at home do not appear to have a different risk of fetal or neonatal loss compared to a population of similarly low risk women intending to give birth in hospital

Le site d'étude à long terme de Fontblanche -

Le site expérimental de Fontblanche est l'un des trois sites d'expérimentation de la région méditerranéenne française, avec celui de Puéchabon dans l'Hérault et celui de Haute-Provence. Il suit l'évolution d'une forêt mélangée à pins d'Alep et à chênes verts soumise au changement climatique et complète ainsi les deux autres sites qui étudient les écosystèmes à chênaie verte (Puéchabon) et à chênaie blanche (O3HP)

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF 3DPD, THE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC PIPELINE FOR THE CASSIS STEREO IMAGES

A novel photogrammetric pipeline has been designed by INAF-Padova for the processing of the recent stereo images of CaSSIS and it will be a starting point for the future procedures that will be applied to Stereo Camera (STC) (Cremonese, 2009; Da Deppo, 2010) images for the BepiColombo mission to Mercury. The large number of stereo pairs being generated has made it necessary that several teams attempt to generate products. The presented procedures are the two strategies (proposed by INAF-PADOVA and by EPFLLausanne) available nowadays in an international attempt to generate 3D products from the CaSSIS images. The comparisons here presented will be the first of several such efforts and are important to make the planetary community aware of the accuracy of the 3D data available. Furthermore, the possibility to consider higher accuracy DTMs as the ones of HiRISE makes the quality assessment of stereo products of CaSSIS robust and important for the assessment of data to be provided to the scientific community. The performance evaluation of the INAF-Padova pipeline (3DPD software) is the main objectives of this work. Additionally, the comparison between the correlation phase of 3DPD and of ASP (Moratto, 2010) that is integrated in the EPFL pipeline has been considered

Functioning and disability in multiple sclerosis from the patient perspective

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has a great impact on functioning and disability. The perspective of those who experience the health problem has to be taken into account to obtain an in-depth understanding of functioning and disability. The objective was to describe the areas of functioning and disability and relevant contextual factors in MS from the patient perspective. A qualitative study using focus group methodology was performed. The sample size was determined by saturation. The focus groups were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. The meaning condensation procedure was used for data analysis. Identified concepts were linked to International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories according to established linking rules. Six focus groups with a total of 27 participants were performed. In total, 1327 concepts were identified and linked to 106 ICF categories of the ICF components Body Functions, Activities and Participation and Environmental Factors. This qualitative study reports on the impact of MS on functioning and disability from the patient perspective. The participants in this study provided information about all physical aspects and areas of daily life affected by the disease, as well as the environmental factors influencing their lives

The Hubble Space Telescope UV legacy survey of galactic globular clusters - X. The radial distribution of stellar populations in NGC2808

Due to their extreme helium abundance, the multiple stellar populations of the globular cluster NGC 2808 have been widely investigated from a photometric, spectroscopic, and kinematic perspective. The most striking feature of the colour–magnitude diagram of NGC 2808 is the triple main sequence (MS), with the red MS corresponding to a stellar population with primordial helium, and the middle and the blue MS being enhanced in helium up to Y ∼ 0.32 and ∼0.38, respectively. A recent study has revealed that this massive cluster hosts at least five distinct stellar populations (A, B, C, D, and E). Among them populations A, B, and C correspond to the red MS, while populations C and D are connected to the middle and the blue MS. In this paper, we exploit Hubble Space Telescope photometry to investigate the radial distribution of the red, the middle, and the blue MS from the cluster centre out to about 8.5 arcmin. Our analysis shows that the radial distribution of each of the three MSs is different. In particular, as predicted from multiple-population formation models, both the blue MS and the middle MS appears to be more concentrated than the red MS with a significance level for this result which is above 3

The Hubble Space Telescope UV Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. XIII. ACS/WFC Parallel-Field Catalogues

As part of the Hubble Space Telescope UV Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters, 110 parallel fields were observed with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, in the outskirts of 48 globular clusters, plus the open cluster NGC 6791. Totalling about $0.3$ square degrees of observed sky, this is the largest homogeneous Hubble Space Telescope photometric survey of Galalctic globular clusters outskirts to date. In particular, two distinct pointings have been obtained for each target on average, all centred at about $6.5$ arcmin from the cluster centre, thus covering a mean area of about $23\,{\rm arcmin^{2}}$ for each globular cluster. For each field, at least one exposure in both F475W and F814W filters was collected. In this work, we publicly release the astrometric and photometric catalogues and the astrometrised atlases for each of these fields.Comment: 30 pages, 23 figures. Accepted by MNRA

Small inner marsh area delimitation using remote sensing spectral indexes and decision tree method in southern Brazil

Revista oficial de la Asociación Española de Teledetección[EN] Vast small inner marsh (SIM) areas have been lost in the past few decades through the conversion to agricultural, urban and industrial lands. The remaining marshes face several threats such as drainage for agriculture, construction of roads and port facilities, waste disposal, among others. This study integrates 17 remote sensing spectral indexes and decision tree (DT) method to map SIM areas using Sentinel 2A images from Summer and Winter seasons. Our results showed that remote sensing indexes, although not developed specifically for wetland delimitation, presented satisfactory results in order to classify these ecosystems. The indexes that showed to be more useful for marshes classification by DT techniques in the study area were NDTI, BI, NDPI and BI_2, with 25.9%, 17.7%, 11.1% and 0.8%, respectively. In general, the Proportion Correct (PC) found was 95.9% and 77.9% for the Summer and Winter images respectively. We hypothetize that this significant PC variation is related to the rice-planting period in the Summer and/or to the water level oscillation period in the Winter. For future studies, we recommend the use of active remote sensors (e.g., radar) and soil maps in addition to the remote sensing spectral indexes in order to obtain better results in the delimitation of small inner marsh areas.[ES] En las últimas décadas se han perdido grandes áreas de pequeñas marismas interiores (SIM) a través de la conversión a tierras agrícolas, urbanas e industriales. Las marismas restantes enfrentan varias amenazas, como el drenaje para la agricultura, la construcción de carreteras e instalaciones portuarias, la eliminación de residuos, entre otras. Este estudio integra 17 índices espectrales de teledetección y un método basado en árboles de decisión (DT) para cartografiar áreas de pequeñas marismas interiores utilizando imágenes del satélite Sentinel 2A de verano e invierno. Los resultados muestran que los índices de teledetección, aunque no han sido desarrollados específicamente para la delimitación de marismas, presentan resultados satisfactorios para clasificar estos ecosistemas. Los índices que demostraron ser más útiles para la clasificación de marismas mediante técnicas de DT en el área de estudio fueron el NDTI, BI, NDPI y BI_2, con 25.9%, 17.7%, 11.1% y 0.8%, respectivamente. En general, la proporción correcta encontrada fue de 95.9% y 77.9% para las imágenes de verano e invierno, respectivamente. Nuestra hipótesis es que esta variación significativa de la proporción correcta está relacionada con el período de siembra del arroz en verano y/o con el período de oscilación del nivel del agua en invierno. Para futuras investigaciones, recomendamos el uso de sensores remotos activos (por ejemplo, radar) y mapas de suelo además de los índices espectrales de teledetección para obtener mejores resultados en la delimitación de pequeñas áreas de marismas interiores.João Paulo Delapasse Simioni thanks the CAPES agency for providing a doctoral fellowship. The au-thors acknowledge the Center for Remote Sensing and Meteorology (CEPSRM) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) for the support provided for this research.Simioni, JPD.; Guasselli, LA.; Ruiz, LFC.; Nascimento, VF.; De Oliveira, G. (2018). Delimitación de pequeñas marismas interiores mediante índices espectrales y árboles de decisión en el sur de Brasil. Revista de Teledetección. (52):55-66. doi:10.4995/raet.2018.10366SWORD556652Artigas, F. J., Yang, J. 2006. Spectral discrimination of marsh vegetation types in the New Jersey Meadowlands, USA. 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The Combined Quantification and Interpretation of Multiple Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Metrics Enlightens Longitudinal Changes Compatible with Brain Repair in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Quantitative and semi-quantitative MRI (qMRI) metrics provide complementary specificity and differential sensitivity to pathological brain changes compatible with brain inflammation, degeneration, and repair. Moreover, advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics with overlapping elements amplify the true tissue-related information and limit measurement noise. In this work, we combined multiple advanced MRI parameters to assess focal and diffuse brain changes over 2 years in a group of early-stage relapsing-remitting MS patients. Thirty relapsing-remitting MS patients with less than 5 years disease duration and nine healthy subjects underwent 3T MRI at baseline and after 2 years including T1, T2, T2* relaxometry, and magnetization transfer imaging. To assess longitudinal changes in normal-appearing (NA) tissue and lesions, we used analyses of variance and Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the correlation between clinical outcome and multiparametric MRI changes in lesions and NA tissue. In patients, we measured a significant longitudinal decrease of mean T2 relaxation times in NA white matter (p = 0.005) and a decrease of T1 relaxation times in the pallidum (p < 0.05), which are compatible with edema reabsorption and/or iron deposition. No longitudinal changes in qMRI metrics were observed in controls. In MS lesions, we measured a decrease in T1 relaxation time (p-value < 2.2e-16) and a significant increase in MTR (p-value < 1e-6), suggesting repair mechanisms, such as remyelination, increased axonal density, and/or a gliosis. Last, the evolution of advanced MRI metrics-and not changes in lesions or brain volume-were correlated to motor and cognitive tests scores evolution (Adj-R(2) > 0.4, p < 0.05). In summary, the combination of multiple advanced MRI provided evidence of changes compatible with focal and diffuse brain repair at early MS stages as suggested by histopathological studies

MP2RAGE provides new clinically-compatible correlates of mild cognitive deficits in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Despite that cognitive impairment is a known early feature present in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, the biological substrate of cognitive deficits in MS remains elusive. In this study, we assessed whether T1 relaxometry, as obtained in clinically acceptable scan times by the recent Magnetization Prepared 2 Rapid Acquisition Gradient Echoes (MP2RAGE) sequence, may help identifying the structural correlate of cognitive deficits in relapsing-remitting MS patients (RRMS). Twenty-nine healthy controls (HC) and forty-nine RRMS patients underwent high-resolution 3T magnetic resonance imaging to obtain optimal cortical lesion (CL) and white matter lesion (WML) count/volume and T1 relaxation times. T1 z scores were then obtained between T1 relaxation times in lesion and the corresponding HC tissue. Patient cognitive performance was tested using the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuro-psychological Tests. Multivariate analysis was applied to assess the contribution of MRI variables (T1 z scores, lesion count/volume) to cognition in patients and Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple comparison. T1 z scores were higher in WML (p < 0.001) and CL-I (p < 0.01) than in the corresponding normal-appearing tissue in patients, indicating relative microstructural loss. (1) T1 z scores in CL-I (p = 0.01) and the number of CL-II (p = 0.04) were predictors of long-term memory; (2) T1 z scores in CL-I (β = 0.3; p = 0.03) were independent determinants of long-term memory storage, and (3) lesion volume did not significantly influenced cognitive performances in patients. Our study supports evidence that T1 relaxometry from MP2RAGE provides information about microstructural properties in CL and WML and improves correlation with cognition in RRMS patients, compared to conventional measures of disease burden