Sviluppo di software per centralina di contollo motore tramite Simulink e Real-Time Workshop Embedded Coder

Quando si lavora con sistemi embedded real-time le tematiche da affrontare e sviscerare per ottenere dei buoni risultati sono molteplici. Il lavoro di tesi parte analizzando la fase di produzione del codice da parte del Real-Time Workshop per finire con la realizzazione di un target custom ottenuto modificando il target per Infineon C166 esistente. Nella tesi viene mostrata l’architettura software dell’ambiente di cross-sviluppo Keil e l’architettura hardware della famiglia di microcontrollori Infineon C166. Vengono poi sviluppati diversi blocchetti Simulink per ottenere il controllo delle periferiche integrate nel microcontrollore al fine di utilizzarle per realizzare il software di centralina. La tesi mostra quindi la possibilit&agrave di generare il codice di controllo della centralina interamente attraverso Simulink senza dover scrivere nessuno spezzone di codice a mano. Questo permette di simulare e modificare a piacimento il modello senza dover ricorrere ad una programmazione a basso livello per ottenere l’applicazione richiesta

On the dispersion in lithium and potassium among late-type stars in young clusters: IC 2602

We have measured the equivalent width (EW) of the K I 7699 A line in a sample of G and K-type members of the ~35 Myr old cluster IC 2602 for which a dispersion in Li EWs had been reported by previous studies. Active cluster stars with 0.75 < (B-V)o < 1 are characterized by a dispersion in the EW of the K I 7699 A, while earlier and later-type stars do not show any significant scatter. Cluster stars at all colors show potassium EW excesses with respect to field inactive stars; furthermore, a statistically significant relationship is found between differential potassium EWs and log Lx/Lbol ratios, indicating that the EWs of the potassium feature are altered by activity. Our results suggest that the dispersion in Li EWs observed among cluster stars later than (B-V)o ~ 1 cannot be fully explained by the effects of activity. No final conclusion can instead be drawn for earlier-type stars.Comment: accepted by A&

The Na I D resonance lines in main sequence late-type stars

We study the sodium D lines (D1: 5895.92 \AA; D2: 5889.95 \AA) in late-type dwarf stars. The stars have spectral types between F6 and M5.5 (B-V between 0.457 and 1.807) and metallicity between [Fe/H] = -0.82 and 0.6. We obtained medium resolution echelle spectra using the 2.15-m telescope at the argentinian observatory CASLEO. The observations have been performed periodically since 1999. The spectra were calibrated in wavelength and in flux. A definition of the pseudo-continuum level is found for all our observations. We also define a continuum level for calibration purposes. The equivalent width of the D lines is computed in detail for all our spectra and related to the colour index (B-V) of the stars. When possible, we perform a careful comparison with previous studies. Finally, we construct a spectral index (R_D') as the ratio between the flux in the D lines, and the bolometric flux. We find that, once corrected for the photospheric contribution, this index can be used as a chromospheric activity indicator in stars with a high level of activity. Additionally, we find that combining some of our results, we obtain a method to calibrate in flux stars of unknown colour.Comment: 12 pages, including 14 figures and 4 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Inter-individual cognitive variability in children with Asperger's syndrome

Multiple studies have tried to establish the distinctive profile of individuals with Asperger's syndrome (AS). However, recent reports suggest that adults with AS feature heterogeneous cognitive profiles. The present study explores inter-individual variability in children with AS through group comparison and multiple case series analysis. All participants completed an extended battery including measures of fluid and crystallized intelligence, executive functions, theory of mind, and classical neuropsychological tests. Significant group differences were found in theory of mind and other domains related to global information processing. However, the AS group showed high inter-individual variability (both sub- and supra-normal performance) on most cognitive tasks. Furthermore, high fluid intelligence correlated with less general cognitive impairment, high cognitive flexibility, and speed of motor processing. In light of these findings, we propose that children with AS are characterized by a distinct, uneven pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses.Fil: González Gadea, María Luz. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Universidad Favaloro; Argentina. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Tripicchio, Paula. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro; ArgentinaFil: Rattazzi del Carril, Alexia. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro; ArgentinaFil: Báez Buitrago, Sandra Jimena. Universidad Favaloro; Argentina. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Universidad Catolica Argentina; Argentina. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Marino, Julián Carlos. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Psicología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Roca, María. Universidad Favaloro; Argentina. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Manes, Facundo Francisco. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro; Argentina. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders; AustriaFil: Ibanez Barassi, Agustin Mariano. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro; Argentina. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders; Austria. Universidad Autonoma del Caribe; Colombi

Gas Absorption in the KH 15D System: Further Evidence for Dust Settling in the Circumbinary Disk

Na I D lines in the spectrum of the young binary KH 15D have been analyzed in detail. We find an excess absorption component that may be attributed to foreground interstellar absorption, and to gas possibly associated with the solids in the circumbinary disk. The derived column density is log N_NaI = 12.5 cm^-2, centered on a radial velocity that is consistent with the systemic velocity. Subtracting the likely contribution of the ISM leaves log N_NaI ~ 12.3 cm^-2. There is no detectable change in the gas column density across the "knife edge" formed by the opaque grain disk, indicating that the gas and solids have very different scale heights, with the solids being highly settled. Our data support a picture of this circumbinary disk as being composed of a very thin particulate grain layer composed of millimeter-sized or larger objects that are settled within whatever remaining gas may be present. This phase of disk evolution has been hypothesized to exist as a prelude to the formation of planetesimals through gravitational fragmentation, and is expected to be short-lived if much gas were still present in such a disk. Our analysis also reveals the presence of excess Na I emission relative to the comparison spectrum at the radial velocity of the currently visible star that plausibly arises within the magnetosphere of this still-accreting young star.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 23 pages, 6 figure

Remote Sensing of Target Object Detection and Identification II

The ability to detect and identify target objects from remote images and acquisitions is paramount in remote sensing systems for the proper analysis of territories [...

The remarkable properties of the symbiotic star AE Circinus

We present new optical spectroscopy and photometry, 2MASS infrared observations and 24 years of combined AAVSO and AFOEV photometry of the symbiotic star candidate \ae. The long-term light curve is characterized by outbursts lasting several years and having a slow decline of $\sim 2 \times 10^{-4}$ mag/day. The whole range of variability of the star in the $V$ band is about 4 magnitudes. The periodogram of the photometric data reveals strong signals at $\sim$ 342 and 171 days. The presence of the emission feature at $\lambda$ 6830 \AA at minimum and the detection of absorption lines of a $\sim$ K5 type star confirm the symbiotic classification and suggest that AE Cir is a new member of the small group of s-type yellow symbiotic stars. We estimate a distance of 9.4 kpc. Our spectrum taken at the high state shows a much flatter spectral energy distribution, the disappearance of the $\lambda$ 6830 \AA emission feature and the weakness of the He II 4686 emission relative to the Balmer emission lines. Our observations indicate the presence of emission line flickering in time scales of minutes in 2001. The peculiar character of \ae is revealed in the visibility of the secondary star at the high and low state, the light curve resembling a dwarf nova superoutburst and the relatively short low states. The data are hard to reconciliate with standard models for symbiotic star outbursts.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS, 7 figure

Real-Time Numerical Simulation for Accurate Soft Tissues Modeling during Haptic Interaction

The simulation of fabrics physics and its interaction with the human body has been largely studied in recent years to provide realistic-looking garments and wears specifically in the entertainment business. When the purpose of the simulation is to obtain scientific measures and detailed mechanical properties of the interaction, the underlying physical models should be enhanced to obtain better simulation accuracy increasing the modeling complexity and relaxing the simulation timing constraints to properly solve the set of equations under analysis. However, in the specific field of haptic interaction, the desiderata are to have both physical consistency and high frame rate to display stable and coherent stimuli as feedback to the user requiring a tradeoff between accuracy and real-time interaction. This work introduces a haptic system for the evaluation of the fabric hand of specific garments either existing or yet to be produced in a virtual reality simulation. The modeling is based on the co-rotational Finite Element approach that allows for large displacements but the small deformation of the elements. The proposed system can be beneficial for the fabrics industry both in the design phase or in the presentation phase, where a virtual fabric portfolio can be shown to customers around the world. Results exhibit the feasibility of high-frequency real-time simulation for haptic interaction with virtual garments employing realistic mechanical properties of the fabric materials

RFID Gazebo-Based Simulator With RSSI and Phase Signals for UHF Tags Localization and Tracking

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is becoming very popular in the new era of Industry 4.0, especially for warehouse management, retails, and logistics. RFID systems can be used for objects identification, localization, and tracking, facilitating everyday operators' efforts. However, the deployment of RFID tags and reader antennas in real-world application scenarios is crucial and takes time. Indeed, deciding where to place tags and/or readers' requires examining many conditions. If some weaknesses appear in the design, the arrangement must be reconsidered. The proposed work presents a novel open-source RFID simulator that allows modeling environments and testing the deployment of RFID tags and antennas apriori. In such a way, validating the performance of the localization or tracking algorithms in simulation, possible weaknesses that could arise may be fixed before facilities are applied on the field. Any number of tags and antennas can be placed in any position in the created scenario, and the simulator provides the phase and the RSSI signals for each tag. Every reader antenna is parametrized so that different antennas of different vendors can be reproduced. The simulator is implemented as a plugin of Gazebo, a widely used robotic framework integrated with the Robot Operating System (ROS), to reach a broad audience. In order to validate the simulator, a warehouse scenario is modeled, and a tag localization algorithm that uses the phase unwrapping technique and hyperbolae intersection method employing a reader antenna mounted on a mobile robot is used to estimate the position of the tags deployed in the scenario. The outcomes of the experiments showed realistic results

Family-based treatment of pediatric obesity in low-income minority youth: Strategies, outcomes, and novel predictors of success.

Childhood obesity remains a pressing public health issue. Low-income minority children are disproportionately affected by obesity and disparities are potentially widening in these populations. Multicomponent family-based behavioral group (FBBG) treatment programs, which use comprehensive approaches to target multiple health behaviors, currently provide the strongest evidence for childhood obesity treatment. However, low-income minority children are not adequately represented in these studies. To address this gap, the primary aim of this study was to examine the effect of Healthy Hawks (HH), a standard FBBG treatment program, in low-income minority youth 2-19 years of age who are overweight or obese. Parent-child dyads were recruited from various urban clinics to participate in a standard 12-week FBBG program targeting diet, physical activity, and related weight-change skills. Child body mass index (BMI) percent above the 95th percentile (%BMIp95) was measured as the primary outcome at baseline, post-intervention (12-week), and 1-year follow-up. Findings from this primary aim suggest that HH is effective in improving %BMIp95 at post-intervention (n=201; β=-1.29 (0.37), p<0.001), but effects are not maintained at 1-year (n=115; β=-0.51 (1.06), p=0.64). The secondary aims of this study tested two novel strategies to improve child weight outcomes: 1) Technology adjuncts (physical activity app and web-based health coaching sessions) were added subsequently alongside the standard HH program in two cohorts; 2) the Healthy Hawks Primary Plus (HHP+) program was developed and implemented by recruiting participants from a single pediatric clinic and engaging primary care providers to administer visits between post-intervention and 1-year follow-up. Three cohorts have participated in HHP+. HHP+ participants (n=34) had significantly higher retention at 1-year follow-up compared to HH (HH: 38.3%, HHP+: 73.9%, χ2 =20.59, p≤0.001) and greater child %BMIp95 reductions at 1-year (β=-3.24(1.48), p=0.03). The cohort that received both technology adjuncts had significantly greater %BMIp95 reductions at post-intervention compared to HH, which received no technology (n=18, β=-2.42 (0.83), p=0.004). This research addresses several important gaps in the existing child obesity treatment literature and provides innovative targets for improving outcomes in high-risk populations. These approaches can be used to bolster future child obesity intervention efforts in populations most in need of efficacious treatment.Doctor of Philosoph