SNR: Software Library for Introductory Robotics

This thesis introduces SNR, a Python library for programming robotic systems in the context of introductory robotics courses. Greater demand for roboticists has pressured educational institutions to expand robotics curricula. Students are now more likely to take robotics courses earlier and with less prior programming experience. Students may be attempting to simultaneously learn a systems programming language, a library API, and robotics concepts. SNR is written purely in Python to present familiar semantics, eliminating one of these learning curves. Industry standard robotics libraries such as ROS often require additional build tools and configuration languages. Students in introductory courses frequently lack skills needed for these tools. SNR does not use any additional build tools, so students are faced with fewer compounding learning curves. SNR presents students with concepts important to robotic systems programming such as modular and event driven architectures to bridge the gap between introductory programming courses and industry standard libraries

Showtime: the phenomenology of film consciousness

The thesis argues that the notion of film consciousness deepens a wide-range of philosophical issues in ways which are only accessible through film experience. These issues, directly related to the continental tradition, deal with consciousness, experience, intentionally and meaning. We look to the implications of the initial acts of film reproduction as it creates 'images' of the world which reconceptualise vision in terms of space, time and dimension. We move from ontology to experience and examine an aesthetic form with radical implications for spectator consciousness. These issues are explored from two philosophical positions. Firstly, phenomenology, especially Edmund Husserl and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Secondly, the work of Gilles Deleuze who presents the most penetrating insights to date into film consciousness and its repercussions for thought and affectivity. The focus of this study is to draw together these two philosophical positions, showing their fundamental differences but also similarities where they exist. This approach is rarely attempted but the belief running through this thesis is that film is one arena which is invaluable for making such comparisons. It is argued philosophically that film writes large key phenomenological concepts on intentionality, time-consciousness and the relation of the lifeworld to the predicative. In terms of Deleuze, film is shown as a unique artform which in allowing us to link otherwise casts light on Deleuze's own complex system of thought. Chapters 1-3 are concerned with phenomenology and detail the role of film in terms of the lifeworld, intentionally, reduction and the transcendental in a way which has not been attempted elsewhere. The linking chapter on time (4) is used to introduce the work of Henri Bergson and its influence both on phenomenology's inner time-consciousness and Deleuze's fundamental categories of film movement and time imagery. The final two chapters look at the way film is reconfigured through montage and the implications of this for film's unique expression of movement and time

Multi-wavelength INTEGRAL NEtwork (MINE) observations of the microquasar GRS 1915+105

We present the international collaboration MINE (Multi-lambda Integral NEtwork) aimed at conducting multi-wavelength observations of X-ray binaries and microquasars simultaneously with the INTEGRAL gamma-ray satellite. We will focus on the 2003 March-April campaign of observations of the peculiar microquasar GRS 1915+105 gathering radio, IR and X-ray data. The source was observed 3 times in the plateau state, before and after a major radio and X-ray flare. It showed strong steady optically thick radio emission corresponding to powerful compact jets resolved in the radio images, bright near-infrared emission, a strong QPO at 2.5 Hz in the X-rays and a power law dominated spectrum without cutoff in the 3-300 keV range. We compare the different observations, their multi-wavelength light curves, including JEM-X, ISGRI and SPI, and the parameters deduced from fitting the spectra obtained with these instruments on board INTEGRAL.Comment: 4 pages, 9 fig., Proc. of the 5th INTEGRAL Workshop (Feb. 16-20 2004), to be published by ES

Simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of microquasars (the MINE collaboration)

We present the international collaboration MINE (Multi-lambda INTEGRAL NEtwork) aimed at conducting multi-wavelength observations of microquasars simultaneously with the INTEGRAL satellite. The first results on GRS 1915+105 are encouraging and those to come should help us to understand the physics of the accretion and ejection phenomena around a compact object.Comment: 2 p, 3 fig., proc. of the IAU Coll. 194, ``Compact Binaries in the Galaxy and Beyond'', Nov. 2003, La Paz, Mexico, to be published in the Conf. Series of Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Eds. G. Tovmassian & E. Sio

Quantum adiabatic polarons by translationally invariant perturbation theory

The translationally invariant diagrammatic quantum perturbation theory (TPT) is applied to the polaron problem on the 1D lattice, modeled through the Holstein Hamiltonian with the phonon frequency omega0, the electron hopping t and the electron-phonon coupling constant g. The self-energy diagrams of the fourth-order in g are calculated exactly for an intermittently added electron, in addition to the previously known second-order term. The corresponding quadratic and quartic corrections to the polaron ground state energy become comparable at t/omega0>1 for g/omega0~(t/omega0)^{1/4} when the electron self-trapping and translation become adiabatic. The corresponding non adiabatic/adiabatic crossover occurs while the polaron width is large, i.e. the lattice coarsening negligible. This result is extended to the range (t/omega0)^{1/2}>g/omega0>(t/omega0)^{1/4}>1 by considering the scaling properties of the high-order self-energy diagrams. It is shown that the polaron ground state energy, its width and the effective mass agree with the results found traditionally from the broken symmetry side, kinematic corrections included. The Landau self trapping of the electron in the classic self-consistent, localized displacement potential, the restoration of the translational symmetry by the classic translational Goldstone mode and the quantization of the polaronic translational coordinate are thus all encompassed by a quantum theory which is translationally invariant from the outset.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

“It's Ok, We're Not Cousins by Blood”: The Cousin Marriage Controversy in Historical Perspective

Marriage between first cousins is highly stigmatized in the West and, indeed, is illegal in 31 US states. But is the hostility to such marriage scientifically well-grounded

Elder abuse awareness community guide tool kit

Elder Abuse is a universal problem. It is prevalent everywhere. Abuse can occur anywhere, by anyone, but frequently it is familial, institutional and social. Raising awareness and prevention of elder abuse requires the involvement of everyone. Elder abuse will be successfully prevented only if we develop a global culture that fosters intergenerational solidarity. To assist in raising awareness, the Community Guide Toolkit was developed. This is a resource that was created to help individuals, organizations and communities throughout the world plan for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD). WEAAD is held annually on June 15th. This Toolkit is also useful to plan for fur-ther awareness-raising activities, and also supports ongoing projects and events throughout the months and years to come

System-Level Experimental Validations for Supersonic Commercial Transport Aircraft Entering Service in the 2018-2020 Time Period

This report describes the work conducted under NASA funding for the Boeing N+2 Supersonic Experimental Validation project to experimentally validate the conceptual design of a supersonic airliner feasible for entry into service in the 2018 -to 2020 timeframe (NASA N+2 generation). The primary goal of the project was to develop a low-boom configuration optimized for minimum sonic boom signature (65 to 70 PLdB). This was a very aggressive goal that could be achieved only through integrated multidisciplinary optimization tools validated in relevant ground and, later, flight environments. The project was split into two phases. Phase I of the project covered the detailed aerodynamic design of a low boom airliner as well as the wind tunnel tests to validate that design (ref. 1). This report covers Phase II of the project, which continued the design methodology development of Phase I with a focus on the propulsion integration aspects as well as the testing involved to validate those designs. One of the major airplane configuration features of the Boeing N+2 low boom design was the overwing nacelle. The location of the nacelle allowed for a minimal effect on the boom signature, however, it added a level of difficulty to designing an inlet with acceptable performance in the overwing flow field. Using the Phase I work as the starting point, the goals of the Phase 2 project were to design and verify inlet performance while maintaining a low-boom signature. The Phase II project was successful in meeting all contract objectives. New modular nacelles were built for the larger Performance Model along with a propulsion rig with an electrically-actuated mass flow plug. Two new mounting struts were built for the smaller Boom Model, along with new nacelles. Propulsion integration testing was performed using an instrumented fan face and a mass flow plug, while boom signatures were measured using a wall-mounted pressure rail. A side study of testing in different wind tunnels was completed as a precursor to the selection of the facilities used for validation testing. As facility schedules allowed, the propulsion testing was done at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) 8 x 6-Foot wind tunnel, while boom and force testing was done at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) 9 x 7-Foot wind tunnel. During boom testing, a live balance was used for gathering force data. This report is broken down into nine sections. The first technical section (Section 2) covers the general scope of the Phase II activities, goals, a description of the design and testing efforts, and the project plan and schedule. Section 3 covers the details of the propulsion system concepts and design evolution. A series of short tests to evaluate the suitability of different wind tunnels for boom, propulsion, and force testing was also performed under the Phase 2 effort, with the results covered in Section 4. The propulsion integration testing is covered in Section 5 and the boom and force testing in Section 6. CFD comparisons and analyses are included in Section 7. Section 8 includes the conclusions and lessons learned

Gender- and age-related differences in clinical presentation and management of outpatients with stable coronary artery disease

<br>Introduction: Contemporary generalizable data on the demographics and management of outpatients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) in routine clinical practice are sparse. Using the data from the CLARIFY registry we describe gender- and age-related differences in baseline characteristics and management of these patients across broad geographic regions.</br> <br>Methods: This international, prospective, observational, longitudinal registry enrolled stable CAD outpatients from 45 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and North, Central, and South America.</br> <br>Results: Baseline data were available for 33 280 patients. Mean (SD) age was 64 (10.5) years and 22.5% of patients were female. The prevalence of CAD risk factors was generally higher in women than in men. Women were older (66.6 vs 63.4 years), more frequently diagnosed with diabetes (33% vs 28%), hypertension (79% vs 69%), and higher resting heart rate (69 vs 67 bpm), and were less physically active. Smoking and a history of myocardial infarction were more common in men. Women were more likely to have angina (28% vs 20%), but less likely to have undergone revascularization procedures. CAD was more likely to be asymptomatic in older patients perhaps because of reduced levels of physical activity. Prescription of evidence-based medication for secondary prevention varied with age, with patients ≥ 75 years treated less often with beta blockers, aspirin and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors than patients < 65 years.</br> <br>Conclusions: Important gender-related differences in clinical characteristics and management continue to exist in all age groups of outpatients with stable CAD.</br&gt

Comparison of Efficiency and Function of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Adenovirus Vectors in Endothelial Cells for Gene Therapy of Placental Insufficiency

Introduction: Severe fetal growth restriction (FGR) affects 1:500 pregnancies, is untreatable and causes serious neonatal morbidity and death. Reduced uterine blood flow (UBF) and lack of bioavailable VEGF due to placental insufficiency is a major cause. Transduction of uterine arteries in normal or FGR sheep and guinea pigs using an adenovirus (Ad) encoding VEGF isoforms A (Ad.VEGF-A165) and a FLAG-tagged pre-processed short form D (DΔNΔC, Ad.VEGF-DΔNΔC-FLAG) increases endothelial nitric oxide expression, enhances relaxation and reduces constriction of the uterine arteries and their branches. UBF and angiogenesis are increased long term, improving fetal growth in utero. For clinical trial development we compared Ad.VEGF vector transduction efficiency and function in endothelial cells (ECs) derived from different species. Objective: To compare the transduction efficiency and function of the pre-clinical study Ad. constructs (Ad.VEGF-A165, Ad.VEGF-DΔNΔC-FLAG) with the intended clinical trial construct (Ad.VEGF-DΔNΔC) where the FLAG tag is removed. Methods: We infected ECs from human umbilical vein, pregnant sheep uterine artery, pregnant guinea pig aorta and non-pregnant rabbit aorta, with increasing multiplicity of infection (MOI) for 24 or 48 hours of three Ad.VEGF vectors, compared to control Ad. containing the LacZ gene (Ad.LacZ). VEGF supernatant expression was analysed by ELISA. Functional assessment used tube formation assay and Erk-Akt phosphorylation by ELISA. Results: VEGF expression was higher after Ad.VEGF-DΔNΔC-FLAG and Ad.VEGF-DΔNΔC transduction compared to Ad.VEGF-A165 in all EC types (*p<0.001). Tube formation was higher in ECs transduced with Ad.VEGF-DΔNΔC in all species compared to other constructs (***p<0.001, *p<0.05 with rabbit aortic ECs). Phospho-Erk and phospho-Akt assays displayed no differences between the three vector constructs, whose effect was, as in other experiments, higher than Ad.LacZ (***p<0.001). Conclusion: We observed high transduction efficiency and functional effects of Ad.VEGF-DΔNΔC vector with comparability in major pathway activation to constructs used in pre-clinical studies, supporting its use in a clinical trial