ARE: Augmented Reality Environment for Mobile Robots

In this paper we present ARE, an Augmented Reality Environment, with the main purpose of providing cognitive robotics modelers with a development tool for constructing, at real-time, complex planning scenarios for robots, eliminating the need to model the dynamics of both the robot and the real environment as it would be required by whole simulation environments. The framework also builds a world model representation that serves as ground truth for training and validating algorithms for vision, motion planning and control. We demonstrate the application of the AR-based framework for evaluating the capability of the robot to plan safe paths to goal locations in real outdoor scenarios, while the planning scene dynamically changes, being augmented by virtual objects

IDENTIFICATION AND QUADRUPOLE-MOMENT MEASUREMENT OF A SUPERDEFORMED BAND IN ZR-84

High-spin states in Zr-84 were studied using the early implementation phase of the Gammasphere array and the ''Microball'' charged-particle detector system. A cascade of nine gamma rays with a dynamic moment of inertia which is characteristic of superdeformed rotational bands in the A = 80 region has been identified and assigned to Zr-84. The measured transition quadrupole moment of the band corresponds to a prolate quadrupole deformation of beta(2) = 0.53 and confirms the superdeformed nature of this band. This is the first direct experimental confirmation of the existence of the predicted superdeformed shell gap at N similar or equal to 44 particle number.</p

Effects of life-history traits on parasitism in a monogamous mammal, the eastern rock sengi (Elephantulus myurus)

The distribution of parasites is often characterised by substantial aggregation with a small proportion of hosts harbouring the majority of parasites. This pattern can be generated by abiotic and biotic factors that affect hosts and determine host exposure and susceptibility to parasites. Climate factors can change a host’s investment in life-history traits (e.g. growth, reproduction) generating temporal patterns of parasite aggregation. Similarly, host age may affect such investment. Furthermore, sex-biased parasitism is common among vertebrates and has been linked to sexual dimorphism in morphology, behaviour and physiology. Studies exploring sex-biased parasitism have been almost exclusively conducted on polygynous species where dimorphic traits are often correlated. We investigated the effects of season and life-history traits on tick loads of the monogamous eastern rock sengi (Elephantulus myurus). We found larger tick burdens during the non-breeding season possibly as a result of energetic constraints and/or climate effects on the tick. Reproductive investment resulted in increased larval abundance for females but not males and may be linked to sex-specific life-history strategies. The costs of reproduction could also explain the observed age effect with yearling individuals harbouring lower larval burdens than adults. Although adult males had the greatest larval tick loads, host sex appears to play a minor role in generating the observed parasite heterogeneities. Our study suggests that reproductive investment plays a major role for parasite patterns in the study species.National Research Foundation (NRF), HL a Research Fellowship from the University of Pretoria and IGH funding from the University of Pretoria.http://www.springerlink.com/content/0028-1042/nf201