Real-time turbulence profiling with a pair of laser guide star Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensors for wide-field adaptive optics systems on large to extremely large telescopes

Real-time turbulence profiling is necessary to tune tomographic wavefront reconstruction algorithms for wide-field adaptive optics (AO) systems on large to extremely large telescopes, and to perform a variety of image post-processing tasks involving point-spread function reconstruction. This paper describes a computationally efficient and accurate numerical technique inspired by the slope detection and ranging (SLODAR) method to perform this task in real time from properly selected Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor measurements accumulated over a few hundred frames from a pair of laser guide stars, thus eliminating the need for an additional instrument. The algorithm is introduced, followed by a theoretical influence function analysis illustrating its impulse response to high-resolution turbulence profiles. Finally, its performance is assessed in the context of the Thirty Meter Telescope multi-conjugate adaptive optics system via end-to-end wave optics Monte Carlo simulations

Demo: real-time indoors people tracking in scalable camera networks

In this demo we present a people tracker in indoor environments. The tracker executes in a network of smart cameras with overlapping views. Special attention is given to real-time processing by distribution of tasks between the cameras and the fusion server. Each camera performs tasks of processing the images and tracking of people in the image plane. Instead of camera images, only metadata (a bounding box per person) are sent from each camera to the fusion server. The metadata are used on the server side to estimate the position of each person in real-world coordinates. Although the tracker is designed to suit any indoor environment, in this demo the tracker's performance is presented in a meeting scenario, where occlusions of people by other people and/or furniture are significant and occur frequently. Multiple cameras insure views from multiple angles, which keeps tracking accurate even in cases of severe occlusions in some of the views

Rigidity : a cognitive style conceptualization of depression : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

The traditional ideas of depression as an affective illness are examined and evidence is presented that contrary to the view presented in many texts, depression is also associated with thought disorders as severe as those experienced in other psychopathological illnesses. A model of depression as a single entity is proposed that suggests that the various manifestations of the disorder are due to a single underlying mechanism. This mechanism is conceived of in terms of cognitive style and cognitive control theory and evidence is presented that this is an adaptive mechanism for the individual and consists of selective blocking of incoming stimuli or in more general terms, 'rigidity'. Twelve depressed patients were examined using a battery of tests which yielded 22 measures including level of depression, rigidity, anxiety, field-dependence and various scales of personality. These measures were then correlated using Pearsons Product-Moment correlation coefficients and were then subjected to cluster analysis using Tryons modification of Holzinger and Harmon's B-coefficient technique. This gave four meaningful clusters of which three matched the components of Becks primary triad, with the important addition that this analysis reveals the importance of rigidity as a factor in Beck's second component-negative self-concept

Navigating through the RLATES Interface: A Web-Based Adaptive and Intelligent Educational System

10 pages, 4 figures.-- Contributed to: Workshop on Human Computer Interface for Semantic Web and Web Applications (HCI-SWWA’03). Part of the International Federated Conferences (OTM'03, Catania, Sicily, Italy, Nov 3-7, 2003).The paper shows the architecture of the RLATES system, an Adaptive and Intelligent Educational System that uses the Reinforcement Learning model (RL) in order to learn to teach each student individually, being adapted to their learning needs in each moment of the interaction. This paper is focused on the interface module of RLATES, describing how the student could navigate through the system interface and how this interface adjusts the page contents according to the user learning needs. For this adaptation, the system changes the links appearance of the page and the presentation of the system knowledge.Publicad

Analysis of Internally Bandlimited Multistage Cubic-Term Generators for RF Receivers

Adaptive feedforward error cancellation applied to correct distortion arising from third-order nonlinearities in RF receivers requires low-noise low-power reference cubic nonidealities. Multistage cubic-term generators utilizing cascaded nonlinear operations are ideal in this regard, but the frequency response of the interstage circuitry can introduce errors into the cubing operation. In this paper, an overview of the use of cubic-term generators in receivers relative to other applications is presented. An interstage frequency response plan is presented for a receiver cubic-term generator and is shown to function for arbitrary three-signal third-order intermodulation generation. The noise of such circuits is also considered and is shown to depend on the total incoming signal power across a particular frequency band. Finally, the effects of the interstage group delay are quantified in the context of a relevant communication standard requirement

Optical neural networks

The trade-off between the number of neurons that can be implemented with a single correlator and the shift invariance that each neuron has is investigated. A new type of correlator implemented with a planar hologram is described whose shift invariance can be controlled by setting the position of the hologram properly. The shift invariance and the capacity of correlators implemented with volume holograms is also investigated

Therapeutic collaboration and resistance: describing the nature and quality of the therapeutic relationship within ambivalence events using the therapeutic collaboration coding system

We understand ambivalence as a cyclical movement between two opposing parts of the self. The emergence of a novel part produces an innovative moment, challenging the current maladaptive self-narrative. However, the novel part is subsequently attenuated by a return to the maladaptive self-narrative. This study focused on the analysis of the therapeutic collaboration in episodes in which a relatively poor-outcome client in narrative therapy expressed ambivalence. Method: For our analysis we used the Therapeutic Collaboration Coding System, developed to assess whether and how the therapeutic dyad is working within the therapeutic zone of proximal development (TZPD). Results: Results showed that when the therapist challenged the client after the emergence of ambivalence, the client tended to invalidate (reject or ignore) the therapist’s intervention. Conclusions: This suggests that in such ambivalence episodes the therapist did not match the client’s developmental level, and by working outside the TZPD unintentionally contributed to the maintaining the client’s ambivalence