227 research outputs found
Semantic Validation in Structure from Motion
The Structure from Motion (SfM) challenge in computer vision is the process
of recovering the 3D structure of a scene from a series of projective
measurements that are calculated from a collection of 2D images, taken from
different perspectives. SfM consists of three main steps; feature detection and
matching, camera motion estimation, and recovery of 3D structure from estimated
intrinsic and extrinsic parameters and features.
A problem encountered in SfM is that scenes lacking texture or with
repetitive features can cause erroneous feature matching between frames.
Semantic segmentation offers a route to validate and correct SfM models by
labelling pixels in the input images with the use of a deep convolutional
neural network. The semantic and geometric properties associated with classes
in the scene can be taken advantage of to apply prior constraints to each class
of object. The SfM pipeline COLMAP and semantic segmentation pipeline DeepLab
were used. This, along with planar reconstruction of the dense model, were used
to determine erroneous points that may be occluded from the calculated camera
position, given the semantic label, and thus prior constraint of the
reconstructed plane. Herein, semantic segmentation is integrated into SfM to
apply priors on the 3D point cloud, given the object detection in the 2D input
images. Additionally, the semantic labels of matched keypoints are compared and
inconsistent semantically labelled points discarded. Furthermore, semantic
labels on input images are used for the removal of objects associated with
motion in the output SfM models. The proposed approach is evaluated on a
data-set of 1102 images of a repetitive architecture scene. This project offers
a novel method for improved validation of 3D SfM models
An approach to CMG steering using feedback linearization
This paper presents an approach for controlling spacecraft equipped with control moment gyroscopes. A technique from feedback linearization theory is used to transform the original nonlinear problem to an equivalent linear form without approximating assumptions. In this form, the spacecraft dynamics appear linearly, and are decoupled from redundancy in the system of gyroscopes. A general approach to distributing control effort among the available actuators is described which includes provisions for redistribution of rotors, explicit bounds in gimbal rates, and guaranteed operation at or near singular configurations. A particular algorithm is developed for systems of double-gimbal devices, and demonstrated in two examples for which existing approaches fail to give adequate performance
Validation of Ionospheric Specifications During Geomagnetic Storms: TEC and foF2 During the 2013 March Storm Event
To address challenges of assessing space weather modeling capabilities, the CommunityCoordinated Modeling Center is leading a newly establishedInternational Forum for Space WeatherModeling Capabilities Assessment. This paper presents preliminary results of validation of modeled foF2 (F2 layer critical frequency) and TEC (total electron content) during the first selected 2013 March storm event (17 March 2013). In this study, we used eight ionospheric models ranging from empirical to physics-based, coupled ionosphere-thermosphere and data assimilation models. The quantities we considered are TEC and foF2 changes and percentage changes compared to quiet time background, and the maximum and minimum percentage changes. In addition, we considered normalized percentage changes of TEC. We compared the modeled quantities with ground-based observations of vertical Global Navigation SatelliteSystem TEC (provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory) and foF2 data (provided by Global Ionospheric Radio Observatory) at the 12 locations selected in middle latitudes of the American and European-African longitude sectors. To quantitatively evaluate the models’ performance, we calculated skill scores including correlation coefficient, root-mean square error (RMSE), ratio of the modeled to observed maximum percentage changes (yield), and timing error. Our study indicates that average RMSEs of foF2range from about 1 MHz to 1.5 MHz. The average RMSEs of TEC are between ~5 and ~10 TECU (1 TEC Unit= 1016el/m2). dfoF2[%] RMSEs are between 15% and 25%, which is smaller than RMSE of dTEC[%] ranging from30% to 60%. The performance of the models varies with the location and metrics considered
Establishing a large prospective clinical cohort in people with head and neck cancer as a biomedical resource: head and neck 5000
BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancer is an important cause of ill health. Survival appears to be improving but the reasons for this are unclear. They could include evolving aetiology, modifications in care, improvements in treatment or changes in lifestyle behaviour. Observational studies are required to explore survival trends and identify outcome predictors. METHODS: We are identifying people with a new diagnosis of head and neck cancer. We obtain consent that includes agreement to collect longitudinal data, store samples and record linkage. Prior to treatment we give participants three questionnaires on health and lifestyle, quality of life and sexual history. We collect blood and saliva samples, complete a clinical data capture form and request a formalin fixed tissue sample. At four and twelve months we complete further data capture forms and send participants further quality of life questionnaires. DISCUSSION: This large clinical cohort of people with head and neck cancer brings together clinical data, patient-reported outcomes and biological samples in a single co-ordinated resource for translational and prognostic research
The SPARC Toroidal Field Model Coil Program
The SPARC Toroidal Field Model Coil (TFMC) Program was a three-year effort
between 2018 and 2021 that developed novel Rare Earth Yttrium Barium Copper
Oxide (REBCO) superconductor technologies and then successfully utilized these
technologies to design, build, and test a first-in-class, high-field (~20 T),
representative-scale (~3 m) superconducting toroidal field coil. With the
principal objective of demonstrating mature, large-scale, REBCO magnets, the
project was executed jointly by the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC)
and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). The TFMC achieved its programmatic goal
of experimentally demonstrating a large-scale high-field REBCO magnet,
achieving 20.1 T peak field-on-conductor with 40.5 kA of terminal current, 815
kN/m of Lorentz loading on the REBCO stacks, and almost 1 GPa of mechanical
stress accommodated by the structural case. Fifteen internal demountable
pancake-to-pancake joints operated in the 0.5 to 2.0 nOhm range at 20 K and in
magnetic fields up to 12 T. The DC and AC electromagnetic performance of the
magnet, predicted by new advances in high-fidelity computational models, was
confirmed in two test campaigns while the massively parallel, single-pass,
pressure-vessel style coolant scheme capable of large heat removal was
validated. The REBCO current lead and feeder system was experimentally
qualified up to 50 kA, and the crycooler based cryogenic system provided 600 W
of cooling power at 20 K with mass flow rates up to 70 g/s at a maximum design
pressure of 20 bar-a for the test campaigns. Finally, the feasibility of using
passive, self-protection against a quench in a fusion-scale NI TF coil was
experimentally assessed with an intentional open-circuit quench at 31.5 kA
terminal current.Comment: 17 pages 9 figures, overview paper and the first of a six-part series
of papers covering the TFMC Progra
Contribution of Intrinsic Reactivity of the HIV-1 Envelope Glycoproteins to CD4-Independent Infection and Global Inhibitor Sensitivity
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) enters cells following sequential activation of the high-potential-energy viral envelope glycoprotein trimer by target cell CD4 and coreceptor. HIV-1 variants differ in their requirements for CD4; viruses that can infect coreceptor-expressing cells that lack CD4 have been generated in the laboratory. These CD4-independent HIV-1 variants are sensitive to neutralization by multiple antibodies that recognize different envelope glycoprotein epitopes. The mechanisms underlying CD4 independence, global sensitivity to neutralization and the association between them are still unclear. By studying HIV-1 variants that differ in requirements for CD4, we investigated the contribution of CD4 binding to virus entry. CD4 engagement exposes the coreceptor-binding site and increases the “intrinsic reactivity” of the envelope glycoproteins; intrinsic reactivity describes the propensity of the envelope glycoproteins to negotiate transitions to lower-energy states upon stimulation. Coreceptor-binding site exposure and increased intrinsic reactivity promote formation/exposure of the HR1 coiled coil on the gp41 transmembrane glycoprotein and allow virus entry upon coreceptor binding. Intrinsic reactivity also dictates the global sensitivity of HIV-1 to perturbations such as exposure to cold and the binding of antibodies and small molecules. Accordingly, CD4 independence of HIV-1 was accompanied by increased susceptibility to inactivation by these factors. We investigated the role of intrinsic reactivity in determining the sensitivity of primary HIV-1 isolates to inhibition. Relative to the more common neutralization-resistant (“Tier 2-like”) viruses, globally sensitive (“Tier 1”) viruses exhibited increased intrinsic reactivity, i.e., were inactivated more efficiently by cold exposure or by a given level of antibody binding to the envelope glycoprotein trimer. Virus sensitivity to neutralization was dictated both by the efficiency of inhibitor/antibody binding to the envelope glycoprotein trimer and by envelope glycoprotein reactivity to the inhibitor/antibody binding event. Quantitative differences in intrinsic reactivity contribute to HIV-1 strain variability in global susceptibility to neutralization and explain the long-observed relationship between increased inhibitor sensitivity and decreased entry requirements for target cell CD4
A View from the Past Into our Collective Future: The Oncofertility Consortium Vision Statement
Today, male and female adult and pediatric cancer patients, individuals transitioning between gender identities, and other individuals facing health extending but fertility limiting treatments can look forward to a fertile future. This is, in part, due to the work of members associated with the Oncofertility Consortium. The Oncofertility Consortium is an international, interdisciplinary initiative originally designed to explore the urgent unmet need associated with the reproductive future of cancer survivors. As the strategies for fertility management were invented, developed or applied, the individuals for who the program offered hope, similarly expanded. As a community of practice, Consortium participants share information in an open and rapid manner to addresses the complex health care and quality-of-life issues of cancer, transgender and other patients. To ensure that the organization remains contemporary to the needs of the community, the field designed a fully inclusive mechanism for strategic planning and here present the findings of this process. This interprofessional network of medical specialists, scientists, and scholars in the law, medical ethics, religious studies and other disciplines associated with human interventions, explore the relationships between health, disease, survivorship, treatment, gender and reproductive longevity. The goals are to continually integrate the best science in the service of the needs of patients and build a community of care that is ready for the challenges of the field in the future
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