158 research outputs found
Basil Leaf Automation
Recent population and wage increases have forced farmers to grow more food without a proportionate increase in work force. Automation is a key factor in reducing cost and increasing efficiency. In this paper, we explore our automation solution that utilizes position manipulation and vision processing to identify, pick up, and drop a leaf into a can. Two stepper motors and a linear actuator drove the three-dimensional actuation. Leaf and can recognition were accomplished through edge detection and machine learning algorithms. Testing proved subsystem-level functionality and proof of concept of a delicate autonomous pick-and-place robot
Techniques and resources for storm-scale numerical weather prediction
The topics discussed include the following: multiscale application of the 5th-generation PSU/NCAR mesoscale model, the coupling of nonhydrostatic atmospheric and hydrostatic ocean models for air-sea interaction studies; a numerical simulation of cloud formation over complex topography; adaptive grid simulations of convection; an unstructured grid, nonhydrostatic meso/cloud scale model; efficient mesoscale modeling for multiple scales using variable resolution; initialization of cloud-scale models with Doppler radar data; and making effective use of future computing architectures, networks, and visualization software
A New Time Series Similarity Measure and Its Smart Grid Applications
Many smart grid applications involve data mining, clustering, classification,
identification, and anomaly detection, among others. These applications
primarily depend on the measurement of similarity, which is the distance
between different time series or subsequences of a time series. The commonly
used time series distance measures, namely Euclidean Distance (ED) and Dynamic
Time Warping (DTW), do not quantify the flexible nature of electricity usage
data in terms of temporal dynamics. As a result, there is a need for a new
distance measure that can quantify both the amplitude and temporal changes of
electricity time series for smart grid applications, e.g., demand response and
load profiling. This paper introduces a novel distance measure to compare
electricity usage patterns. The method consists of two phases that quantify the
effort required to reshape one time series into another, considering both
amplitude and temporal changes. The proposed method is evaluated against ED and
DTW using real-world data in three smart grid applications. Overall, the
proposed measure outperforms ED and DTW in accurately identifying the best load
scheduling strategy, anomalous days with irregular electricity usage, and
determining electricity users' behind-the-meter (BTM) equipment.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures conferenc
Macrophages inhibit and enhance endometriosis depending on their origin
Macrophages are intimately involved in the pathophysiology of endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue (lesions) outside the uterus. By combining genetic and pharmacological monocyte and macrophage depletion strategies we determined the ontogeny and function of macrophages in a mouse model of induced endometriosis. We demonstrate that lesion-resident macrophages are derived from eutopic endometrial tissue, infiltrating large peritoneal macrophages (LpM) and monocytes. Furthermore, we found endometriosis to trigger continuous recruitment of monocytes and expansion of CCR2+ LpM. Depletion of eutopic endometrial macrophages results in smaller endometriosis lesions, whereas constitutive inhibition of monocyte recruitment significantly reduces peritoneal macrophage populations and increases the number of lesions. Reprogramming the ontogeny of peritoneal macrophages such that embryo-derived LpM are replaced by monocyte-derived LpM decreases the number of lesions that develop. We propose a putative model whereby endometrial macrophages are “proendometriosis” while newly recruited monocyte-derived macrophages, possibly in LpM form, are “antiendometriosis.” These observations highlight the importance of monocyte-derived macrophages in limiting disease progression
Solving linear and quadratic random matrix differential equations: A mean square approach
[EN] In this paper linear and Riccati random matrix differential equations are solved taking advantage of the so called L-p-random calculus. Uncertainty is assumed in coefficients and initial conditions. Existence of the solution in the L-p-random sense as well as its construction are addressed. Numerical examples illustrate the computation of the expectation and variance functions of the solution stochastic process. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This work has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad grant MTM2013-41765-P and by the European Union in the FP7-PEOPLE-2012-ITN Program under Grant Agreement no. 304617 (FP7 Marie Curie Action, Project Multi-ITN STRIKE-Novel Methods in Computational Finance).Casabán Bartual, MC.; Cortés López, JC.; Jódar Sánchez, LA. (2016). Solving linear and quadratic random matrix differential equations: A mean square approach. Applied Mathematical Modelling. 40(21-22):9362-9377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apm.2016.06.017S936293774021-2
CO2 saturated brine injected into fractured shale: An X-ray micro-tomography in-situ analysis at reservoir conditions
Fracture morphology and permeability are key factors in enhanced gas recovery (EOR) and Carbon Geo-storage (CCS) in shale gas reservoirs as they determine production and injection rates. However, the exact effect of CO2-saturated (live) brine on shale fracture morphology, and how the permeability changes during live brine injection and exposure is only poorly understood. We thus imaged fractured shale samples before and after live brine injection in-situ at high resolution in 3D via X-ray micro-computed tomography. Clearly, the fractures’ aperture and connectivity increased after live brine injection
Childhood socioeconomic position and objectively measured physical capability levels in adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis
<p><b>Background:</b> Grip strength, walking speed, chair rising and standing balance time are objective measures of physical capability that characterise current health and predict survival in older populations. Socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood may influence the peak level of physical capability achieved in early adulthood, thereby affecting levels in later adulthood. We have undertaken a systematic review with meta-analyses to test the hypothesis that adverse childhood SEP is associated with lower levels of objectively measured physical capability in adulthood.</p>
<p><b>Methods and Findings:</b> Relevant studies published by May 2010 were identified through literature searches using EMBASE and MEDLINE. Unpublished results were obtained from study investigators. Results were provided by all study investigators in a standard format and pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. 19 studies were included in the review. Total sample sizes in meta-analyses ranged from N = 17,215 for chair rise time to N = 1,061,855 for grip strength. Although heterogeneity was detected, there was consistent evidence in age adjusted models that lower childhood SEP was associated with modest reductions in physical capability levels in adulthood: comparing the lowest with the highest childhood SEP there was a reduction in grip strength of 0.13 standard deviations (95% CI: 0.06, 0.21), a reduction in mean walking speed of 0.07 m/s (0.05, 0.10), an increase in mean chair rise time of 6% (4%, 8%) and an odds ratio of an inability to balance for 5s of 1.26 (1.02, 1.55). Adjustment for the potential mediating factors, adult SEP and body size attenuated associations greatly. However, despite this attenuation, for walking speed and chair rise time, there was still evidence of moderate associations.</p>
<p><b>Conclusions:</b> Policies targeting socioeconomic inequalities in childhood may have additional benefits in promoting the maintenance of independence in later life.</p>
The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory
The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly
successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical
Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy
universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range,
from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution,
high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral
resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in
the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers
covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing
hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12
keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and
a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the
40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral
resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science
themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical
Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to
Gamma Ray
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