Fluid mechanics of additive manufacturing of metal objects by accretion of droplets - a survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesař, Václav

2016-03-01

Paper presents a survey of principles of additive manufacturing of metal objects by accretion of molten metal droplets, focusing on fluid-mechanical problems that deserve being investigated. The main problem is slowness of manufacturing due to necessarily small size of added droplets. Increase of droplet repetition rate calls for basic research of the phenomena that take place inside and around the droplets: ballistics of their flight, internal flowfield with heat and mass transfer, oscillation of surfaces, and the ways to elimination of satellite droplets.

Determination of residual stresses in objects at their additive manufacturing by layer-by-layer photopolymerization method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bychkov, P. S.; Chentsov, A. V.; Kozintsev, V. M.; Popov, A. L.

2018-04-01

A calculation-experimental technique is developed for identification of the shrinkage stresses generated in objects after their additive manufacturing by layer-by-layer photopolymerization. The technique is based on the analysis of shrinkage deformations at bending occurring in a series of samples in the form of plates-stripes with identical sizes, but with different time of polymerization which is predetermined during their production on the 3D printer.

Optimisation of Ferrochrome Addition Using Multi-Objective Evolutionary and Genetic Algorithms for Stainless Steel Making via AOD Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behera, Kishore Kumar; Pal, Snehanshu

2018-03-01

This paper describes a new approach towards optimum utilisation of ferrochrome added during stainless steel making in AOD converter. The objective of optimisation is to enhance end blow chromium content of steel and reduce the ferrochrome addition during refining. By developing a thermodynamic based mathematical model, a study has been conducted to compute the optimum trade-off between ferrochrome addition and end blow chromium content of stainless steel using a predator prey genetic algorithm through training of 100 dataset considering different input and output variables such as oxygen, argon, nitrogen blowing rate, duration of blowing, initial bath temperature, chromium and carbon content, weight of ferrochrome added during refining. Optimisation is performed within constrained imposed on the input parameters whose values fall within certain ranges. The analysis of pareto fronts is observed to generate a set of feasible optimal solution between the two conflicting objectives that provides an effective guideline for better ferrochrome utilisation. It is found out that after a certain critical range, further addition of ferrochrome does not affect the chromium percentage of steel. Single variable response analysis is performed to study the variation and interaction of all individual input parameters on output variables.

Including non-additive genetic effects in Bayesian methods for the prediction of genetic values based on genome-wide markers

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Molecular marker information is a common source to draw inferences about the relationship between genetic and phenotypic variation. Genetic effects are often modelled as additively acting marker allele effects. The true mode of biological action can, of course, be different from this plain assumption. One possibility to better understand the genetic architecture of complex traits is to include intra-locus (dominance) and inter-locus (epistasis) interaction of alleles as well as the additive genetic effects when fitting a model to a trait. Several Bayesian MCMC approaches exist for the genome-wide estimation of genetic effects with high accuracy of genetic value prediction. Including pairwise interaction for thousands of loci would probably go beyond the scope of such a sampling algorithm because then millions of effects are to be estimated simultaneously leading to months of computation time. Alternative solving strategies are required when epistasis is studied. Methods We extended a fast Bayesian method (fBayesB), which was previously proposed for a purely additive model, to include non-additive effects. The fBayesB approach was used to estimate genetic effects on the basis of simulated datasets. Different scenarios were simulated to study the loss of accuracy of prediction, if epistatic effects were not simulated but modelled and vice versa. Results If 23 QTL were simulated to cause additive and dominance effects, both fBayesB and a conventional MCMC sampler BayesB yielded similar results in terms of accuracy of genetic value prediction and bias of variance component estimation based on a model including additive and dominance effects. Applying fBayesB to data with epistasis, accuracy could be improved by 5% when all pairwise interactions were modelled as well. The accuracy decreased more than 20% if genetic variation was spread over 230 QTL. In this scenario, accuracy based on modelling only additive and dominance effects was generally superior to

Addition of fornix transection to frontal-temporal disconnection increases the impairment in object-in-place memory in macaque monkeys.

PubMed

Wilson, C R E; Baxter, M G; Easton, A; Gaffan, D

2008-04-01

Both frontal-inferotemporal disconnection and fornix transection (Fx) in the monkey impair object-in-place scene learning, a model of human episodic memory. If the contribution of the fornix to scene learning is via interaction with or modulation of frontal-temporal interaction--that is, if they form a unitary system--then Fx should have no further effect when added to frontal-temporal disconnection. However, if the contribution of the fornix is to some extent distinct, then fornix lesions may produce an additional deficit in scene learning beyond that caused by frontal-temporal disconnection. To distinguish between these possibilities, we trained three male rhesus monkeys on the object-in-place scene-learning task. We tested their learning on the task following frontal-temporal disconnection, achieved by crossed unilateral aspiration of the frontal cortex in one hemisphere and the inferotemporal cortex in the other, and again following the addition of Fx. The monkeys were significantly impaired in scene learning following frontal-temporal disconnection, and furthermore showed a significant increase in this impairment following the addition of Fx, from 32.8% error to 40.5% error (chance = 50%). The increased impairment following the addition of Fx provides evidence that the fornix and frontal-inferotemporal interaction make distinct contributions to episodic memory.

FILILAB: Creation and Use of a Learning Object Repository for EFL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litzler, Mary Frances; Garcia Laborda, Jesus; Halbach, Ana

2012-01-01

Background: Students at the Universidad de Alcala need batteries of learning objects and exercises. Although student textbooks tend to include a wide range of additional exercises, students in advanced linguistics and language courses require learning objects to obtain additional practice. Online repositories offer excellent opportunities for…

Objective assessment of corticosteroid effect in plantar fasciitis: additional utility of ultrasound.

PubMed

Moustafa, Asmaa Mahmoud Ali; Hassanein, Eshrak; Foti, Calogero

2015-01-01

although plantar fascia thickening is well documented as a sonographic criterion for the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis (PF), however it was less evaluated as an objective measure of response to treatment. It is unknown to what extent if any different responses to different treatments are related to the ultrasound (US) morphology changes. We aimed to evaluate changes in US findings in correlation to pain reported. this prospective observational trial included 21 plantar fasciitis patients (26 feet), resistant to conservative treatment for at least 2 months. Plantar fascia thickness and echogenicity were evaluated, compared to asymptomatic feet and correlated with visual analogue scale (VAS) and Heel Tenderness Index (HTI), before and after dexam-ethasone (DXM) iontophoresis in group I, and DXM injection in group II. increased thickness and reduced echogenicity were constant in symptomatic feet, with high statistical significant difference compared to asymptomatic side. Correlation between plantar fascia thickness with VAS and HTI before and after treatment showed statistically significant positive correlation (p<0.05). ROC curve test showed that reduction of plantar fascia thickness by US in response to DXM had 100% sensitivity, 65.2% specificity and 69% accuracy, with higher specificity and accuracy than VAS. US changes showed concurrent validity correlated with self-reported clinical improvement. Accordingly, ultrasound can be considered an objective useful tool for monitoring response to corticosteroid in patients with plantar fasciitis.

Unrewarded Object Combinations in Captive Parrots

PubMed Central

Auersperg, Alice Marie Isabel; Oswald, Natalie; Domanegg, Markus; Gajdon, Gyula Koppany; Bugnyar, Thomas

2015-01-01

In primates, complex object combinations during play are often regarded as precursors of functional behavior. Here we investigate combinatory behaviors during unrewarded object manipulation in seven parrot species, including kea, African grey parrots and Goffin cockatoos, three species previously used as model species for technical problem solving. We further examine a habitually tool using species, the black palm cockatoo. Moreover, we incorporate three neotropical species, the yellow- and the black-billed Amazon and the burrowing parakeet. Paralleling previous studies on primates and corvids, free object-object combinations and complex object-substrate combinations such as inserting objects into tubes/holes or stacking rings onto poles prevailed in the species previously linked to advanced physical cognition and tool use. In addition, free object-object combinations were intrinsically structured in Goffin cockatoos and in kea. PMID:25984564

Objective assessment of corticosteroid effect in plantar fasciitis: additional utility of ultrasound

PubMed Central

Moustafa, Asmaa Mahmoud Ali; Hassanein, Eshrak; Foti, Calogero

2015-01-01

Summary Background although plantar fascia thickening is well documented as a sonographic criterion for the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis (PF), however it was less evaluated as an objective measure of response to treatment. It is unknown to what extent if any different responses to different treatments are related to the ultrasound (US) morphology changes. We aimed to evaluate changes in US findings in correlation to pain reported. Methods this prospective observational trial included 21 plantar fasciitis patients (26 feet), resistant to conservative treatment for at least 2 months. Plantar fascia thickness and echogenicity were evaluated, compared to asymptomatic feet and correlated with visual analogue scale (VAS) and Heel Tenderness Index (HTI), before and after dexam-ethasone (DXM) iontophoresis in group I, and DXM injection in group II. Results increased thickness and reduced echogenicity were constant in symptomatic feet, with high statistical significant difference compared to asymptomatic side. Correlation between plantar fascia thickness with VAS and HTI before and after treatment showed statistically significant positive correlation (p<0.05). ROC curve test showed that reduction of plantar fascia thickness by US in response to DXM had 100% sensitivity, 65.2% specificity and 69% accuracy, with higher specificity and accuracy than VAS. Conclusion US changes showed concurrent validity correlated with self-reported clinical improvement. Accordingly, ultrasound can be considered an objective useful tool for monitoring response to corticosteroid in patients with plantar fasciitis. PMID:26958538

Genomic BLUP including additive and dominant variation in purebreds and F1 crossbreds, with an application in pigs.

PubMed

Vitezica, Zulma G; Varona, Luis; Elsen, Jean-Michel; Misztal, Ignacy; Herring, William; Legarra, Andrès

2016-01-29

Most developments in quantitative genetics theory focus on the study of intra-breed/line concepts. With the availability of massive genomic information, it becomes necessary to revisit the theory for crossbred populations. We propose methods to construct genomic covariances with additive and non-additive (dominance) inheritance in the case of pure lines and crossbred populations. We describe substitution effects and dominant deviations across two pure parental populations and the crossbred population. Gene effects are assumed to be independent of the origin of alleles and allelic frequencies can differ between parental populations. Based on these assumptions, the theoretical variance components (additive and dominant) are obtained as a function of marker effects and allelic frequencies. The additive genetic variance in the crossbred population includes the biological additive and dominant effects of a gene and a covariance term. Dominance variance in the crossbred population is proportional to the product of the heterozygosity coefficients of both parental populations. A genomic BLUP (best linear unbiased prediction) equivalent model is presented. We illustrate this approach by using pig data (two pure lines and their cross, including 8265 phenotyped and genotyped sows). For the total number of piglets born, the dominance variance in the crossbred population represented about 13 % of the total genetic variance. Dominance variation is only marginally important for litter size in the crossbred population. We present a coherent marker-based model that includes purebred and crossbred data and additive and dominant actions. Using this model, it is possible to estimate breeding values, dominant deviations and variance components in a dataset that comprises data on purebred and crossbred individuals. These methods can be exploited to plan assortative mating in pig, maize or other species, in order to generate superior crossbred individuals in terms of performance.

Human Object-Similarity Judgments Reflect and Transcend the Primate-IT Object Representation

PubMed Central

Mur, Marieke; Meys, Mirjam; Bodurka, Jerzy; Goebel, Rainer; Bandettini, Peter A.; Kriegeskorte, Nikolaus

2013-01-01

Primate inferior temporal (IT) cortex is thought to contain a high-level representation of objects at the interface between vision and semantics. This suggests that the perceived similarity of real-world objects might be predicted from the IT representation. Here we show that objects that elicit similar activity patterns in human IT (hIT) tend to be judged as similar by humans. The IT representation explained the human judgments better than early visual cortex, other ventral-stream regions, and a range of computational models. Human similarity judgments exhibited category clusters that reflected several categorical divisions that are prevalent in the IT representation of both human and monkey, including the animate/inanimate and the face/body division. Human judgments also reflected the within-category representation of IT. However, the judgments transcended the IT representation in that they introduced additional categorical divisions. In particular, human judgments emphasized human-related additional divisions between human and non-human animals and between man-made and natural objects. hIT was more similar to monkey IT than to human judgments. One interpretation is that IT has evolved visual-feature detectors that distinguish between animates and inanimates and between faces and bodies because these divisions are fundamental to survival and reproduction for all primate species, and that other brain systems serve to more flexibly introduce species-dependent and evolutionarily more recent divisions. PMID:23525516

Deterministic object tracking using Gaussian ringlet and directional edge features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krieger, Evan W.; Sidike, Paheding; Aspiras, Theus; Asari, Vijayan K.

2017-10-01

Challenges currently existing for intensity-based histogram feature tracking methods in wide area motion imagery (WAMI) data include object structural information distortions, background variations, and object scale change. These issues are caused by different pavement or ground types and from changing the sensor or altitude. All of these challenges need to be overcome in order to have a robust object tracker, while attaining a computation time appropriate for real-time processing. To achieve this, we present a novel method, Directional Ringlet Intensity Feature Transform (DRIFT), which employs Kirsch kernel filtering for edge features and a ringlet feature mapping for rotational invariance. The method also includes an automatic scale change component to obtain accurate object boundaries and improvements for lowering computation times. We evaluated the DRIFT algorithm on two challenging WAMI datasets, namely Columbus Large Image Format (CLIF) and Large Area Image Recorder (LAIR), to evaluate its robustness and efficiency. Additional evaluations on general tracking video sequences are performed using the Visual Tracker Benchmark and Visual Object Tracking 2014 databases to demonstrate the algorithms ability with additional challenges in long complex sequences including scale change. Experimental results show that the proposed approach yields competitive results compared to state-of-the-art object tracking methods on the testing datasets.

78 FR 67369 - National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Addition to the Vaccine Injury Table to Include All...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-12

... Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Addition to the Vaccine Injury Table to Include All Vaccines Against...) announces that all FDA- approved vaccines against seasonal influenza are covered under the National Vaccine... individuals who have been injured by covered childhood vaccines. Prior to this publication, trivalent...

Linkage of additional contents to moving objects and video shots in a generic media framework for interactive television

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, Alejandro; Noe, Miquel; Fernandez, Gabriel

2004-10-01

The GMF4iTV project (Generic Media Framework for Interactive Television) is an IST European project that consists of an end-to-end broadcasting platform providing interactivity on heterogeneous multimedia devices such as Set-Top-Boxes and PCs according to the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) standard from DVB. This platform allows the content providers to create enhanced audiovisual contents with a degree of interactivity at moving object level or shot change from a video. The end user is then able to interact with moving objects from the video or individual shots allowing the enjoyment of additional contents associated to them (MHP applications, HTML pages, JPEG, MPEG4 files...). This paper focus the attention to the issues related to metadata and content transmission, synchronization, signaling and bitrate allocation of the GMF4iTV project.

Optimisation of chromatographic resolution using objective functions including both time and spectral information.

PubMed

Torres-Lapasió, J R; Pous-Torres, S; Ortiz-Bolsico, C; García-Alvarez-Coque, M C

2015-01-16

The optimisation of the resolution in high-performance liquid chromatography is traditionally performed attending only to the time information. However, even in the optimal conditions, some peak pairs may remain unresolved. Such incomplete resolution can be still accomplished by deconvolution, which can be carried out with more guarantees of success by including spectral information. In this work, two-way chromatographic objective functions (COFs) that incorporate both time and spectral information were tested, based on the peak purity (analyte peak fraction free of overlapping) and the multivariate selectivity (figure of merit derived from the net analyte signal) concepts. These COFs are sensitive to situations where the components that coelute in a mixture show some spectral differences. Therefore, they are useful to find out experimental conditions where the spectrochromatograms can be recovered by deconvolution. Two-way multivariate selectivity yielded the best performance and was applied to the separation using diode-array detection of a mixture of 25 phenolic compounds, which remained unresolved in the chromatographic order using linear and multi-linear gradients of acetonitrile-water. Peak deconvolution was carried out using the combination of orthogonal projection approach and alternating least squares. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct manipulation of virtual objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Long K.

validated, linked, and extended several previous research findings, using one common test bed and participant pool. The results provided a proven method and solid reference points for further research. The second set of experiments leveraged the first to explore the full R-V spectrum and included additional, relevant sensory modalities. It consisted of two full-factorial experiments providing for rich data and key insights into the effect of each type of environment and each modality on accuracy and timeliness of virtual object interaction. The empirical results clearly showed that mean depth perception error in personal space was less than four millimeters whether the stimuli presented were real, virtual, or mixed. Likewise, mean error for the simple task of pushing a button was less than four millimeters whether the button was real or virtual. Mean task completion time was less than one second. Key to the high accuracy and quick task performance time observed was the correct presentation of the visual cues, including occlusion, stereoscopy, accommodation, and convergence. With performance results already near optimal level with accurate visual cues presented, adding proprioception, audio, and haptic cues did not significantly improve performance. Recommendations for future research include enhancement of the visual display and further experiments with more complex tasks and additional control variables.

Examining Object Location and Object Recognition Memory in Mice

PubMed Central

Vogel-Ciernia, Annie; Wood, Marcelo A.

2014-01-01

Unit Introduction The ability to store and recall our life experiences defines a person's identity. Consequently, the loss of long-term memory is a particularly devastating part of a variety of cognitive disorders, diseases and injuries. There is a great need to develop therapeutics to treat memory disorders, and thus a variety of animal models and memory paradigms have been developed. Mouse models have been widely used both to study basic disease mechanisms and to evaluate potential drug targets for therapeutic development. The relative ease of genetic manipulation of Mus musculus has led to a wide variety of genetically altered mice that model cognitive disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease to autism. Rodents, including mice, are particularly adept at encoding and remembering spatial relationships, and these long-term spatial memories are dependent on the medial temporal lobe of the brain. These brain regions are also some of the first and most heavily impacted in disorders of human memory including Alzheimer's disease. Consequently, some of the simplest and most commonly used tests of long-term memory in mice are those that examine memory for objects and spatial relationships. However, many of these tasks, such as Morris water maze and contextual fear conditioning, are dependent upon the encoding and retrieval of emotionally aversive and inherently stressful training events. While these types of memories are important, they do not reflect the typical day-to-day experiences or memories most commonly affected in human disease. In addition, stress hormone release alone can modulate memory and thus obscure or artificially enhance these types of tasks. To avoid these sorts of confounds, we and many others have utilized tasks testing animals’ memory for object location and novel object recognition. These tasks involve exploiting rodents’ innate preference for novelty, and are inherently not stressful. In this protocol we detail how memory for object location

System for controlled acoustic rotation of objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barmatz, M. B. (Inventor)

1983-01-01

A system is described for use with acoustically levitated objects, which enables close control of rotation of the object. One system includes transducers that propagate acoustic waves along the three dimensions (X, Y, Z) of a chamber of rectangular cross section. Each transducers generates one wave which is resonant to a corresponding chamber dimension to acoustically levitate an object, and additional higher frequency resonant wavelengths for controlling rotation of the object. The three chamber dimensions and the corresponding three levitation modes (resonant wavelengths) are all different, to avoid degeneracy, or interference, of waves with one another, that could have an effect on object rotation. Only the higher frequencies, with pairs of them having the same wavelength, are utilized to control rotation, so that rotation is controlled independently of levitation and about any arbitrarily chosen axis.

Target-object integration, attention distribution, and object orientation interactively modulate object-based selection.

PubMed

Al-Janabi, Shahd; Greenberg, Adam S

2016-10-01

The representational basis of attentional selection can be object-based. Various studies have suggested, however, that object-based selection is less robust than spatial selection across experimental paradigms. We sought to examine the manner by which the following factors might explain this variation: Target-Object Integration (targets 'on' vs. part 'of' an object), Attention Distribution (narrow vs. wide), and Object Orientation (horizontal vs. vertical). In Experiment 1, participants discriminated between two targets presented 'on' an object in one session, or presented as a change 'of' an object in another session. There was no spatial cue-thus, attention was initially focused widely-and the objects were horizontal or vertical. We found evidence of object-based selection only when targets constituted a change 'of' an object. Additionally, object orientation modulated the sign of object-based selection: We observed a same-object advantage for horizontal objects, but a same-object cost for vertical objects. In Experiment 2, an informative cue preceded a single target presented 'on' an object or as a change 'of' an object (thus, attention was initially focused narrowly). Unlike in Experiment 1, we found evidence of object-based selection independent of target-object integration. We again found that the sign of selection was modulated by the objects' orientation. This result may reflect a meridian effect, which emerged due to anisotropies in the cortical representations when attention is oriented endogenously. Experiment 3 revealed that object orientation did not modulate object-based selection when attention was oriented exogenously. Our findings suggest that target-object integration, attention distribution, and object orientation modulate object-based selection, but only in combination.

Accelerometry-based gait analysis, an additional objective approach to screen subjects at risk for falling.

PubMed

Senden, R; Savelberg, H H C M; Grimm, B; Heyligers, I C; Meijer, K

2012-06-01

This study investigated whether the Tinetti scale, as a subjective measure for fall risk, is associated with objectively measured gait characteristics. It is studied whether gait parameters are different for groups that are stratified for fall risk using the Tinetti scale. Moreover, the discriminative power of gait parameters to classify elderly according to the Tinetti scale is investigated. Gait of 50 elderly with a Tinneti>24 and 50 elderly with a Tinetti≤24 was analyzed using acceleration-based gait analysis. Validated algorithms were used to derive spatio-temporal gait parameters, harmonic ratio, inter-stride amplitude variability and root mean square (RMS) from the accelerometer data. Clear differences in gait were found between the groups. All gait parameters correlated with the Tinetti scale (r-range: 0.20-0.73). Only walking speed, step length and RMS showed moderate to strong correlations and high discriminative power to classify elderly according to the Tinetti scale. It is concluded that subtle gait changes that have previously been related to fall risk are not captured by the subjective assessment. It is therefore worthwhile to include objective gait assessment in fall risk screening. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

41 CFR 302-7.21 - If my HHG shipment includes an item for which a weight additive is assessed by the HHG carrier (e...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... includes an item for which a weight additive is assessed by the HHG carrier (e.g., boat, trailer... BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE General Rules § 302-7.21 If my HHG shipment includes an item for which a weight additive... payment? (a) No, you will not be responsible for the shipping charges that result from a weight additive...

41 CFR 302-7.21 - If my HHG shipment includes an item for which a weight additive is assessed by the HHG carrier (e...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... includes an item for which a weight additive is assessed by the HHG carrier (e.g., boat, trailer...) General Rules § 302-7.21 If my HHG shipment includes an item for which a weight additive is assessed by... will not be responsible for the shipping charges that result from a weight additive so long as the...

41 CFR 302-7.21 - If my HHG shipment includes an item for which a weight additive is assessed by the HHG carrier (e...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... includes an item for which a weight additive is assessed by the HHG carrier (e.g., boat, trailer...) General Rules § 302-7.21 If my HHG shipment includes an item for which a weight additive is assessed by... will not be responsible for the shipping charges that result from a weight additive so long as the...

Setting objectives for managing Key deer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Diefenbach, Duane R.; Wagner, Tyler; Stauffer, Glenn E.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is responsible for the protection and management of Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) because the species is listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. There are a host of actions that could possibly be undertaken to recover the Key deer population, but without a clearly defined problem and stated objectives it can be difficult to compare and evaluate alternative actions. In addition, management goals and the acceptability of alternative management actions are inherently linked to stakeholders, who should be engaged throughout the process of developing a decision framework. The purpose of this project was to engage a representative group of stakeholders to develop a problem statement that captured the management problem the FWS must address with Key deer and identify objectives that, if met, would help solve the problem. In addition, the objectives were organized in a hierarchical manner (i.e., an objectives network) to show how they are linked, and measurable attributes were identified for each objective. We organized a group of people who represented stakeholders interested in and potentially affected by the management of Key deer. These stakeholders included individuals who represented local, state, and federal governments, non-governmental organizations, the general public, and local businesses. This stakeholder group met five full days over the course of an eight-week period to identify objectives that would address the following problem:“As recovery and removal from the Endangered Species list is the purpose of the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs a management approach that will ensure a sustainable, viable, and healthy Key deer population. Urbanization has affected the behavior and population dynamics of the Key deer and the amount and characteristics

Automated solar collector installation design including ability to define heterogeneous design preferences

DOEpatents

Wayne, Gary; Frumkin, Alexander; Zaydman, Michael; Lehman, Scott; Brenner, Jules

2014-04-29

Embodiments may include systems and methods to create and edit a representation of a worksite, to create various data objects, to classify such objects as various types of pre -defined "features" with attendant properties and layout constraints. As part of or in addition to classification, an embodiment may include systems and methods to create, associate, and edit intrinsic and extrinsic properties to these objects. A design engine may apply of design rules to the features described above to generate one or more solar collectors installation design alternatives, including generation of on-screen and/or paper representations of the physical layout or arrangement of the one or more design alternatives. Embodiments may also include definition of one or more design apertures, each of which may correspond to boundaries in which solar collector layouts should comply with distinct sets of user-defined design preferences. Distinct apertures may provide heterogeneous regions of collector layout according to the user-defined design preferences.

Automated solar collector installation design including ability to define heterogeneous design preferences

DOEpatents

Wayne, Gary; Frumkin, Alexander; Zaydman, Michael; Lehman, Scott; Brenner, Jules

2013-01-08

Embodiments may include systems and methods to create and edit a representation of a worksite, to create various data objects, to classify such objects as various types of pre-defined "features" with attendant properties and layout constraints. As part of or in addition to classification, an embodiment may include systems and methods to create, associate, and edit intrinsic and extrinsic properties to these objects. A design engine may apply of design rules to the features described above to generate one or more solar collectors installation design alternatives, including generation of on-screen and/or paper representations of the physical layout or arrangement of the one or more design alternatives. Embodiments may also include definition of one or more design apertures, each of which may correspond to boundaries in which solar collector layouts should comply with distinct sets of user-defined design preferences. Distinct apertures may provide heterogeneous regions of collector layout according to the user-defined design preferences.

The search for structure - Object classification in large data sets. [for astronomers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurtz, Michael J.

1988-01-01

Research concerning object classifications schemes are reviewed, focusing on large data sets. Classification techniques are discussed, including syntactic, decision theoretic methods, fuzzy techniques, and stochastic and fuzzy grammars. Consideration is given to the automation of MK classification (Morgan and Keenan, 1973) and other problems associated with the classification of spectra. In addition, the classification of galaxies is examined, including the problems of systematic errors, blended objects, galaxy types, and galaxy clusters.

Should Age at Diagnosis Be Included as an Additional Variable in the Risk of Recurrence Classification System in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

PubMed Central

Pitoia, Fabián; Jerkovich, Fernando; Smulever, Anabella; Brenta, Gabriela; Bueno, Fernanda; Cross, Graciela

2017-01-01

Objective To evaluate the influence of age at diagnosis on the frequency of structural incomplete response (SIR) according to the modified risk of recurrence (RR) staging system from the American Thyroid Association guidelines. Patients and Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 268 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) followed up for at least 3 years after initial treatment (total thyroidectomy and remnant ablation). The median follow-up in the whole cohort was 74.3 months (range: 36.1-317.9) and the median age at diagnosis was 45.9 years (range: 18-87). The association between age at diagnosis and the initial and final response to treatment was assessed with analysis of variance (ANOVA). Patients were also divided into several groups considering age younger and older than 40, 50, and 60 years. Results Age at diagnosis was not associated with either an initial or final statistically significant different SIR to treatment (p = 0.14 and p = 0.58, respectively). Additionally, we did not find any statistically significant differences when the percentages of SIR considering the classification of RR were compared between different groups of patients by using several age cutoffs. Conclusions When patients are correctly risk stratified, it seems that age at diagnosis is not involved in the frequency of having a SIR at the initial evaluation or at the final follow-up, so it should not be included as an additional variable to be considered in the RR classifications. PMID:28785543

The IRMIS object model and services API.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saunders, C.; Dohan, D. A.; Arnold, N. D.

2005-01-01

The relational model developed for the Integrated Relational Model of Installed Systems (IRMIS) toolkit has been successfully used to capture the Advanced Photon Source (APS) control system software (EPICS process variables and their definitions). The relational tables are populated by a crawler script that parses each Input/Output Controller (IOC) start-up file when an IOC reboot is detected. User interaction is provided by a Java Swing application that acts as a desktop for viewing the process variable information. Mapping between the display objects and the relational tables was carried out with the Hibernate Object Relational Modeling (ORM) framework. Work is wellmore » underway at the APS to extend the relational modeling to include control system hardware. For this work, due in part to the complex user interaction required, the primary application development environment has shifted from the relational database view to the object oriented (Java) perspective. With this approach, the business logic is executed in Java rather than in SQL stored procedures. This paper describes the object model used to represent control system software, hardware, and interconnects in IRMIS. We also describe the services API used to encapsulate the required behaviors for creating and maintaining the complex data. In addition to the core schema and object model, many important concepts in IRMIS are captured by the services API. IRMIS is an ambitious collaborative effort for defining and developing a relational database and associated applications to comprehensively document the large and complex EPICS-based control systems of today's accelerators. The documentation effort includes process variables, control system hardware, and interconnections. The approach could also be used to document all components of the accelerator, including mechanical, vacuum, power supplies, etc. One key aspect of IRMIS is that it is a documentation framework, not a design and development tool. We do

Object oriented studies into artificial space debris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adamson, J. M.; Marshall, G.

1988-01-01

A prototype simulation is being developed under contract to the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE), Farnborough, England, to assist in the discrimination of artificial space objects/debris. The methodology undertaken has been to link Object Oriented programming, intelligent knowledge based system (IKBS) techniques and advanced computer technology with numeric analysis to provide a graphical, symbolic simulation. The objective is to provide an additional layer of understanding on top of conventional classification methods. Use is being made of object and rule based knowledge representation, multiple reasoning, truth maintenance and uncertainty. Software tools being used include Knowledge Engineering Environment (KEE) and SymTactics for knowledge representation. Hooks are being developed within the SymTactics framework to incorporate mathematical models describing orbital motion and fragmentation. Penetration and structural analysis can also be incorporated. SymTactics is an Object Oriented discrete event simulation tool built as a domain specific extension to the KEE environment. The tool provides facilities for building, debugging and monitoring dynamic (military) simulations.

Aries x ray objective grating spectrograph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Catura, R. C.

1991-01-01

This investigation was initiated in June of 1983. An Aries payload involving a single Wolter 1 telescope was developed and flown under a previous contract and the objective of this work was to add two additional mirrors, nested inside of the then existing mirror and add 12 objective reflection gratings to convert the telescope into a spectrograph. A summary of major milestones in the investigation are given. Results of efforts under this contract prior to 1987 are presented in the form of four reprints of published papers attached to this report. Results of the gamma-ray research are also included in the form of an attached reprint. A summary of other work under the contract since 1987 is given.

Expanding the North American Breeding Bird Survey analysis to include additional species and regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sauer, John; Niven, Daniel; Pardieck, Keith L.; Ziolkowski, David; Link, William

2017-01-01

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) contains data for >700 bird species, but analyses often focus on a core group of ∼420 species. We analyzed data for 122 species of North American birds for which data exist in the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) database but are not routinely analyzed on the BBS Summary and Analysis Website. Many of these species occur in the northern part of the continent, on routes that fall outside the core survey area presently analyzed in the United States and southern Canada. Other species not historically analyzed occur in the core survey area with very limited data but have large portions of their ranges in Mexico and south. A third group of species not historically analyzed included species thought to be poorly surveyed by the BBS, such as rare, coastal, or nocturnal species. For 56 species found primarily in regions north of the core survey area, we expanded the scope of the analysis, using data from 1993 to 2014 during which ≥3 survey routes had been sampled in 6 northern strata (Bird Conservation regions in Alaska, Yukon, and Newfoundland and Labrador) and fitting log-linear hierarchical models for an augmented BBS survey area that included both the new northern strata and the core survey area. We also applied this model to 168 species historically analyzed in the BBS that had data from these additional northern strata. For both groups of species we calculated survey-wide trends for the both core and augmented survey areas from 1993 to 2014; for species that did not occur in the newly defined strata, we computed trends from 1966 to 2014. We evaluated trend estimates in terms of established credibility criteria for BBS results, screening for imprecise trends, small samples, and low relative abundance. Inclusion of data from the northern strata permitted estimation of trend for 56 species not historically analyzed, but only 4 of these were reasonably monitored and an additional 13 were questionably monitored; 39

Method for assessment of stormwater treatment facilities - Synthetic road runoff addition including micro-pollutants and tracer.

PubMed

Cederkvist, Karin; Jensen, Marina B; Holm, Peter E

2017-08-01

Stormwater treatment facilities (STFs) are becoming increasingly widespread but knowledge on their performance is limited. This is due to difficulties in obtaining representative samples during storm events and documenting removal of the broad range of contaminants found in stormwater runoff. This paper presents a method to evaluate STFs by addition of synthetic runoff with representative concentrations of contaminant species, including the use of tracer for correction of removal rates for losses not caused by the STF. A list of organic and inorganic contaminant species, including trace elements representative of runoff from roads is suggested, as well as relevant concentration ranges. The method was used for adding contaminants to three different STFs including a curbstone extension with filter soil, a dual porosity filter, and six different permeable pavements. Evaluation of the method showed that it is possible to add a well-defined mixture of contaminants despite different field conditions by having a flexibly system, mixing different stock-solutions on site, and use bromide tracer for correction of outlet concentrations. Bromide recovery ranged from only 12% in one of the permeable pavements to 97% in the dual porosity filter, stressing the importance of including a conservative tracer for correction of contaminant retention values. The method is considered useful in future treatment performance testing of STFs. The observed performance of the STFs is presented in coming papers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the strength of additively manufactured objects via modified interior structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al, Can Mert; Yaman, Ulas

2017-10-01

Additive manufacturing (AM), in other words 3D printing, is becoming more common because of its crucial advantages such as geometric complexity, functional interior structures, etc. over traditional manufacturing methods. Especially, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing technology is frequently used because of the fact that desktop variants of these types of printers are highly appropriate for different fields and are improving rapidly. In spite of the fact that there are significant advantages of AM, the strength of the parts fabricated with AM is still a major problem especially when plastic materials, such as Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polylactic acid (PLA), Nylon, etc., are utilized. In this study, an alternative method is proposed in which the strength of AM fabricated parts is improved employing direct slicing approach. Traditional Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software of 3D printers takes only the geometry as an input in triangular mesh form (stereolithography, STL file) generated by Computer Aided Design software. This file format includes data only about the outer boundaries of the geometry. Interior of the artifacts are manufactured with homogeneous infill patterns, such as diagonal, honeycomb, linear, etc. according to the paths generated in CAM software. The developed method within this study provides a way to fabricate parts with heterogeneous infill patterns by utilizing the stress field data obtained from a Finite Element Analysis software, such as ABAQUS. According to the performed tensile tests, the strength of the test specimen is improved by about 45% compared to the conventional way of 3D printing.

Representing object oriented specifications and designs with extended data flow notations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buser, Jon Franklin; Ward, Paul T.

1988-01-01

The issue of using extended data flow notations to document object oriented designs and specifications is discussed. Extended data flow notations, for the purposes here, refer to notations that are based on the rules of Yourdon/DeMarco data flow analysis. The extensions include additional notation for representing real-time systems as well as some proposed extensions specific to object oriented development. Some advantages of data flow notations are stated. How data flow diagrams are used to represent software objects are investigated. Some problem areas with regard to using data flow notations for object oriented development are noted. Some initial solutions to these problems are proposed.

Synchrotron-based FTIR microspectroscopy for the mapping of photo-oxidation and additives in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene model samples and historical objects.

PubMed

Saviello, Daniela; Pouyet, Emeline; Toniolo, Lucia; Cotte, Marine; Nevin, Austin

2014-09-16

Synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared micro-spectroscopy (SR-μFTIR) was used to map photo-oxidative degradation of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and to investigate the presence and the migration of additives in historical samples from important Italian design objects. High resolution (3×3 μm(2)) molecular maps were obtained by FTIR microspectroscopy in transmission mode, using a new method for the preparation of polymer thin sections. The depth of photo-oxidation in samples was evaluated and accompanied by the formation of ketones, aldehydes, esters, and unsaturated carbonyl compounds. This study demonstrates selective surface oxidation and a probable passivation of material against further degradation. In polymer fragments from design objects made of ABS from the 1960s, UV-stabilizers were detected and mapped, and microscopic inclusions of proteinaceous material were identified and mapped for the first time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Additives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smalheer, C. V.

1973-01-01

The chemistry of lubricant additives is discussed to show what the additives are chemically and what functions they perform in the lubrication of various kinds of equipment. Current theories regarding the mode of action of lubricant additives are presented. The additive groups discussed include the following: (1) detergents and dispersants, (2) corrosion inhibitors, (3) antioxidants, (4) viscosity index improvers, (5) pour point depressants, and (6) antifouling agents.

A Model for the Design of Puzzle-Based Games Including Virtual and Physical Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melero, Javier; Hernandez-Leo, Davinia

2014-01-01

Multiple evidences in the Technology-Enhanced Learning domain indicate that Game-Based Learning can lead to positive effects in students' performance and motivation. Educational games can be completely virtual or can combine the use of physical objects or spaces in the real world. However, the potential effectiveness of these approaches…

Improvements in Ross type astrometric objectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, J.

1971-01-01

It is shown that aspheric deformations of the first and fourth elements of the four element Ross objective can be introduced to permit one to obtain improved color corrections for astrometric purposes. The usual monochromatic aberrations are as well corrected as for the standard Ross lens. In addition, one can eliminate or reduce additional aberrations, such as secondary spectrum, chromatic spherical aberration, chromatic coma and chromatic distortion. The resulting objectives are suitable for use as intermediate and long focus astrometric objectives covering large angle fields.

[Depressive realism: happiness or objectivity].

PubMed

Birinci, Fatih; Dirik, Gülay

2010-01-01

Realism is described as objective evaluations and judgments about the world; however, some research indicates that judgments made by "normal" people include a self-favored, positive bias in the perception of reality. Additionally, some studies report that compared to normal people, such cognitive distortions are less likely among depressive people. These findings gave rise to the depressive realism hypothesis. While results of several studies verify the notion that depressive people evaluate reality more objectively, other studies fail to support this hypothesis. Several causes for these inconsistent findings have been proposed, which can be characterized under 3 headings. One proposed explanation suggests that what is accepted as "realistic" in these studies is not quite objective and is in fact ambiguous. According to another perspective, the term "depressive" used in these studies is inconsistent with the criteria of scientific diagnostic methods. Another suggests that the research results can only be obtained under the specific experimental conditions. General negativity and limited processing are popular approaches used for explaining the depressive realism hypothesis. Nowadays, the debate over this hypothesis continues. The present review focuses on frequently cited research related to depressive realism and discusses the findings.

Color-Space Outliers in DPOSS: Quasars and Peculiar Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djorgovski, S. G.; Gal, R. R.; Mahabal, A.; Brunner, R.; Castro, S. M.; Odewahn, S. C.; de Carvalho, R. R.; DPOSS Team

2000-12-01

The processing of DPOSS, a digital version of the POSS-II sky atlas, is now nearly complete. The resulting Palomar--Norris Sky Catalog (PNSC) is expected to contain > 5 x 107 galaxies and > 109 stars, including large numbers of quasars and other unresolved sources. For objects morphologically classified as stellar (i.e., PSF-like), colors and magnitudes provide the only additional source of discriminating information. We investigate the distribution of objects in the parameter space of (g-r) and (r-i) colors as a function of magnitude. Normal stars form a well-defined (temperature) sequence in this parameter space, and we explore the nature of the objects which deviate significantly from this stellar locus. The causes of the deviations include: non-thermal or peculiar spectra, interagalactic absorption (for high-z quasars), presence of strong emission lines in one or more of the bandpasses, or strong variability (because the plates are taken at widely separated epochs). In addition to minor contamination by misclassified compact galaxies, we find the following: (1) Quasars at z > 4; to date, ~ 100 of these objects have been found, and used for a variety of follow-up studies. They are made publicly available immediately after discovery, through http://astro.caltech.edu/ ~george/z4.qsos. (2) Type-2 quasars in the redshift interval z ~ 0.31 - 0.38. (3) Other quasars, starburst and emission-line galaxies, and emission-line stars. (4) Objects with highly peculiar spectra, some or all of which may be rare subtypes of BAL QSOs. (5) Highly variable stars and optical transients, some of which may be GRB ``orphan afterglows''. To date, systematic searches have been made only for (1) and (2); other types of objects were found serendipitously. However, we plan to explore systematically all of the statistically significant outliers in this parameter space. This illustrates the potential of large digital sky surveys for discovery of rare types of objects, both known (e.g., high

Fire-Retardant Polymeric Additives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Martha K.; Smith, Trent M.

2011-01-01

Polyhydroxyamide (PHA) and polymethoxyamide (PMeOA) are fire-retardant (FR) thermoplastic polymers and have been found to be useful as an additive for imparting fire retardant properties to other compatible, thermoplastic polymers (including some elastomers). Examples of compatible flammable polymers include nylons, polyesters, and acrylics. Unlike most prior additives, PHA and PMeOA do not appreciably degrade the mechanical properties of the matrix polymer; indeed, in some cases, mechanical properties are enhanced. Also, unlike some prior additives, PHA and PMeOA do not decompose into large amounts of corrosive or toxic compounds during combustion and can be processed at elevated temperatures. PMeOA derivative formulations were synthesized and used as an FR additive in the fabrication of polyamide (PA) and polystyrene (PS) composites with notable reduction (>30 percent for PS) in peak heat release rates compared to the neat polymer as measured by a Cone Calorimeter (ASTM E1354). Synergistic effects were noted with nanosilica composites. These nanosilica composites had more than 50-percent reduction in peak heat release rates. In a typical application, a flammable thermoplastic, thermoplastic blend, or elastomer that one seeks to render flame-retardant is first dry-mixed with PHA or PMeOA or derivative thereof. The proportion of PHA or PMeOA or derivative in the mixture is typically chosen to lie between 1 and 20 weight percent. The dry blend can then be melt-extruded. The extruded polymer blend can further be extruded and/or molded into fibers, pipes, or any other of a variety of objects that may be required to be fire-retardant. The physical and chemical mechanisms which impart flame retardancy of the additive include inhibiting free-radical oxidation in the vapor phase, preventing vaporization of fuel (the polymer), and cooling through the formation of chemical bonds in either the vapor or the condensed phase. Under thermal stress, the cyclic hydroxyl/ methoxy

Distributed Object Oriented Programming

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

of the object oriented model of computation. Therefore, object oriented programming can provide the programmer with good conceptual tools to divide his...LABOR SALES-COMMISSION). The symbol + refers to the addition function and takes any number of numeric arguments. The third subtype of list forms is the...2) ’(:SEND-DONE) (SEWF (AREF OBJECT-i1-MESSAGES-SENT 2) ’(PROGN (FORMAT T "-s methd completely executed instr-ptr -s-V NAME %INSTR-PTR%) (INCF

Apparatus for measuring surface movement of an object that is subjected to external vibrations

DOEpatents

Kotidis, Petros A.; Woodroffe, Jaime A.; Rostler, Peter S.

1997-01-01

A system for non-destructively measuring an object and controlling industrial processes in response to the measurement is disclosed in which an impulse laser generates a plurality of sound waves over timed increments in an object. A polarizing interferometer is used to measure surface movement of the object caused by the sound waves and sensed by phase shifts in the signal beam. A photon multiplier senses the phase shift and develops an electrical signal. A signal conditioning arrangement modifies the electrical signals to generate an average signal correlated to the sound waves which in turn is correlated to a physical or metallurgical property of the object, such as temperature, which property may then be used to control the process. External, random vibrations of the workpiece are utilized to develop discernible signals which can be sensed in the interferometer by only one photon multiplier. In addition the interferometer includes an arrangement for optimizing its sensitivity so that movement attributed to various waves can be detected in opaque objects. The interferometer also includes a mechanism for sensing objects with rough surfaces which produce speckle light patterns. Finally the interferometer per se, with the addition of a second photon multiplier is capable of accurately recording beam length distance differences with only one reading.

Method and apparatus for measuring surface movement of an object using a polarizing interfeometer

DOEpatents

Schultz, Thomas J.; Kotidis, Petros A.; Woodroffe, Jaime A.; Rostler, Peter S.

1995-01-01

A system for non-destructively measuring an object and controlling industrial processes in response to the measurement is disclosed in which an impulse laser generates a plurality of sound waves over timed increments in an object. A polarizing interferometer is used to measure surface movement of the object caused by the sound waves and sensed by phase shifts in the signal beam. A photon multiplier senses the phase shift and develops an electrical signal. A signal conditioning arrangement modifies the electrical signals to generate an average signal correlated to the sound waves which in turn is correlated to a physical or metallurgical property of the object, such as temperature, which property may then be used to control the process. External, random vibrations of the workpiece are utilized to develop discernible signals which can be sensed in the interferometer by only one photon multiplier. In addition the interferometer includes an arrangement for optimizing its sensitivity so that movement attributed to various waves can be detected in opaque objects. The interferometer also includes a mechanism for sensing objects with rough surfaces which produce speckle light patterns. Finally the interferometer per se, with the addition of a second photon multiplier is capable of accurately recording beam length distance differences with only one reading.

Method and apparatus for measuring surface movement of an object using a polarizing interferometer

DOEpatents

Schultz, T.J.; Kotidis, P.A.; Woodroffe, J.A.; Rostler, P.S.

1995-05-09

A system for non-destructively measuring an object and controlling industrial processes in response to the measurement is disclosed in which an impulse laser generates a plurality of sound waves over timed increments in an object. A polarizing interferometer is used to measure surface movement of the object caused by the sound waves and sensed by phase shifts in the signal beam. A photon multiplier senses the phase shift and develops an electrical signal. A signal conditioning arrangement modifies the electrical signals to generate an average signal correlated to the sound waves which in turn is correlated to a physical or metallurgical property of the object, such as temperature, which property may then be used to control the process. External, random vibrations of the workpiece are utilized to develop discernible signals which can be sensed in the interferometer by only one photon multiplier. In addition the interferometer includes an arrangement for optimizing its sensitivity so that movement attributed to various waves can be detected in opaque objects. The interferometer also includes a mechanism for sensing objects with rough surfaces which produce speckle light patterns. Finally the interferometer per se, with the addition of a second photon multiplier is capable of accurately recording beam length distance differences with only one reading. 38 figs.

Apparatus for measuring surface movement of an object that is subjected to external vibrations

DOEpatents

Kotidis, P.A.; Woodroffe, J.A.; Rostler, P.S.

1997-04-22

A system for non-destructively measuring an object and controlling industrial processes in response to the measurement is disclosed in which an impulse laser generates a plurality of sound waves over timed increments in an object. A polarizing interferometer is used to measure surface movement of the object caused by the sound waves and sensed by phase shifts in the signal beam. A photon multiplier senses the phase shift and develops an electrical signal. A signal conditioning arrangement modifies the electrical signals to generate an average signal correlated to the sound waves which in turn is correlated to a physical or metallurgical property of the object, such as temperature, which property may then be used to control the process. External, random vibrations of the workpiece are utilized to develop discernible signals which can be sensed in the interferometer by only one photon multiplier. In addition the interferometer includes an arrangement for optimizing its sensitivity so that movement attributed to various waves can be detected in opaque objects. The interferometer also includes a mechanism for sensing objects with rough surfaces which produce speckle light patterns. Finally the interferometer per se, with the addition of a second photon multiplier is capable of accurately recording beam length distance differences with only one reading. 38 figs.

Color object detection using spatial-color joint probability functions.

PubMed

Luo, Jiebo; Crandall, David

2006-06-01

Object detection in unconstrained images is an important image understanding problem with many potential applications. There has been little success in creating a single algorithm that can detect arbitrary objects in unconstrained images; instead, algorithms typically must be customized for each specific object. Consequently, it typically requires a large number of exemplars (for rigid objects) or a large amount of human intuition (for nonrigid objects) to develop a robust algorithm. We present a robust algorithm designed to detect a class of compound color objects given a single model image. A compound color object is defined as having a set of multiple, particular colors arranged spatially in a particular way, including flags, logos, cartoon characters, people in uniforms, etc. Our approach is based on a particular type of spatial-color joint probability function called the color edge co-occurrence histogram. In addition, our algorithm employs perceptual color naming to handle color variation, and prescreening to limit the search scope (i.e., size and location) for the object. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm is insensitive to object rotation, scaling, partial occlusion, and folding, outperforming a closely related algorithm based on color co-occurrence histograms by a decisive margin.

Biophysics of object segmentation in a collision-detecting neuron

PubMed Central

Dewell, Richard Burkett

2018-01-01

Collision avoidance is critical for survival, including in humans, and many species possess visual neurons exquisitely sensitive to objects approaching on a collision course. Here, we demonstrate that a collision-detecting neuron can detect the spatial coherence of a simulated impending object, thereby carrying out a computation akin to object segmentation critical for proper escape behavior. At the cellular level, object segmentation relies on a precise selection of the spatiotemporal pattern of synaptic inputs by dendritic membrane potential-activated channels. One channel type linked to dendritic computations in many neural systems, the hyperpolarization-activated cation channel, HCN, plays a central role in this computation. Pharmacological block of HCN channels abolishes the neuron's spatial selectivity and impairs the generation of visually guided escape behaviors, making it directly relevant to survival. Additionally, our results suggest that the interaction of HCN and inactivating K+ channels within active dendrites produces neuronal and behavioral object specificity by discriminating between complex spatiotemporal synaptic activation patterns. PMID:29667927

A Survey of Complex Object Technologies for Digital Libraries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Michael L.; Argue, Brad; Efron, Miles; Denn, Sheila; Pattuelli, Maria Cristina

2001-01-01

Many early web-based digital libraries (DLs) had implicit assumptions reflected in their architecture that the unit of focus in the DL (frequently "reports" or "e-prints") would only be manifested in a single, or at most a few, common file formats such as PDF or PostScript. DLs have now matured to the point where their contents are commonly no longer simple files. Complex objects in DLs have emerged from in response to various requirements, including: simple aggregation of formats and supporting files, bundling additional information to aid digital preservation, creating opaque digital objects for e-commerce applications, and the incorporation of dynamic services with the traditional data files. We examine a representative (but not necessarily exhaustive) number of current and recent historical web-based complex object technologies and projects that are applicable to DLs: Aurora, Buckets, ComMentor, Cryptolopes, Digibox, Document Management Alliance, FEDORA, Kahn-Wilensky Framework Digital Objects, Metadata Encoding & Transmission Standard, Multivalent Documents, Open eBooks, VERS Encapsulated Objects, and the Warwick Framework.

Ceramic Stereolithography: Additive Manufacturing for Ceramics by Photopolymerization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halloran, John W.

2016-07-01

Ceramic stereolithography and related additive manufacturing methods involving photopolymerization of ceramic powder suspensions are reviewed in terms of the capabilities of current devices. The practical fundamentals of the cure depth, cure width, and cure profile are related to the optical properties of the monomer, ceramic, and photo-active components. Postpolymerization steps, including harvesting and cleaning the objects, binder burnout, and sintering, are discussed and compared with conventional methods. The prospects for practical manufacturing are discussed.

Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing for Composite Part Molds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duty, Chad E.; Springfield, Robert M.

2015-02-01

The ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) collaborated with Tru-Design to test the quality and durability of molds used for making fiber reinforced composites using additive manufacturing. The partners developed surface treatment techniques including epoxy coatings and machining to improve the quality of the surface finish. Test samples made using the printed and surface finished molds demonstrated life spans suitable for one-of-a-kind and low-volume applications, meeting the project objective.

Multi-Objective vs. Single Objective Calibration of a Hydrologic Model using Either Different Hydrologic Signatures or Complementary Data Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mai, J.; Cuntz, M.; Zink, M.; Schaefer, D.; Thober, S.; Samaniego, L. E.; Shafii, M.; Tolson, B.

2015-12-01

Hydrologic models are traditionally calibrated against discharge. Recent studies have shown however, that only a few global model parameters are constrained using the integral discharge measurements. It is therefore advisable to use additional information to calibrate those models. Snow pack data, for example, could improve the parametrization of snow-related processes, which might be underrepresented when using only discharge. One common approach is to combine these multiple objectives into one single objective function and allow the use of a single-objective algorithm. Another strategy is to consider the different objectives separately and apply a Pareto-optimizing algorithm. Both methods are challenging in the choice of appropriate multiple objectives with either conflicting interests or the focus on different model processes. A first aim of this study is to compare the two approaches employing the mesoscale Hydrologic Model mHM at several distinct river basins over Europe and North America. This comparison will allow the identification of the single-objective solution on the Pareto front. It is elucidated if this position is determined by the weighting and scaling of the multiple objectives when combing them to the single objective. The principal second aim is to guide the selection of proper objectives employing sensitivity analyses. These analyses are used to determine if an additional information would help to constrain additional model parameters. The additional information are either multiple data sources or multiple signatures of one measurement. It is evaluated if specific discharge signatures can inform different parts of the hydrologic model. The results show that an appropriate selection of discharge signatures increased the number of constrained parameters by more than 50% compared to using only NSE of the discharge time series. It is further assessed if the use of these signatures impose conflicting objectives on the hydrologic model. The usage of

Object Segmentation from Motion Discontinuities and Temporal Occlusions–A Biologically Inspired Model

PubMed Central

Beck, Cornelia; Ognibeni, Thilo; Neumann, Heiko

2008-01-01

Background Optic flow is an important cue for object detection. Humans are able to perceive objects in a scene using only kinetic boundaries, and can perform the task even when other shape cues are not provided. These kinetic boundaries are characterized by the presence of motion discontinuities in a local neighbourhood. In addition, temporal occlusions appear along the boundaries as the object in front covers the background and the objects that are spatially behind it. Methodology/Principal Findings From a technical point of view, the detection of motion boundaries for segmentation based on optic flow is a difficult task. This is due to the problem that flow detected along such boundaries is generally not reliable. We propose a model derived from mechanisms found in visual areas V1, MT, and MSTl of human and primate cortex that achieves robust detection along motion boundaries. It includes two separate mechanisms for both the detection of motion discontinuities and of occlusion regions based on how neurons respond to spatial and temporal contrast, respectively. The mechanisms are embedded in a biologically inspired architecture that integrates information of different model components of the visual processing due to feedback connections. In particular, mutual interactions between the detection of motion discontinuities and temporal occlusions allow a considerable improvement of the kinetic boundary detection. Conclusions/Significance A new model is proposed that uses optic flow cues to detect motion discontinuities and object occlusion. We suggest that by combining these results for motion discontinuities and object occlusion, object segmentation within the model can be improved. This idea could also be applied in other models for object segmentation. In addition, we discuss how this model is related to neurophysiological findings. The model was successfully tested both with artificial and real sequences including self and object motion. PMID:19043613

Tardigrada of Ireland: a review of records and an updated checklist of species including a new addition to the Irish fauna.

PubMed

DeMilio, Erica; Lawton, Colin; Marley, Nigel J

2016-01-01

The phylum Tardigrada was not recorded in Ireland until the Clare Island Survey of 1909-1911, with only rare subsequent reports on Irish tardigrade species. In recent decades, significant taxonomic revision has occurred within Tardigrada. This has resulted in the need for a review of all known historical records from Ireland and Northern Ireland in order to produce an updated checklist of valid taxa. The new checklist includes fifty-one tardigrade species and subspecies including a new addition to the Irish fauna reported herein, Echiniscus quadrispinosus quadrispinosus Richters, 1902 from Newtown, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare.

Detecting submerged objects: the application of side scan sonar to forensic contexts.

PubMed

Schultz, John J; Healy, Carrie A; Parker, Kenneth; Lowers, Bim

2013-09-10

Forensic personnel must deal with numerous challenges when searching for submerged objects. While traditional water search methods have generally involved using dive teams, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and water scent dogs for cases involving submerged objects and bodies, law enforcement is increasingly integrating multiple methods that include geophysical technologies. There are numerous advantages for integrating geophysical technologies, such as side scan sonar and ground penetrating radar (GPR), with more traditional search methods. Overall, these methods decrease the time involved searching, in addition to increasing area searched. However, as with other search methods, there are advantages and disadvantages when using each method. For example, in instances with excessive aquatic vegetation or irregular bottom terrain, it may not be possible to discern a submersed body with side scan sonar. As a result, forensic personnel will have the highest rate of success during searches for submerged objects when integrating multiple search methods, including deploying multiple geophysical technologies. The goal of this paper is to discuss the methodology of various search methods that are employed for submerged objects and how these various methods can be integrated as part of a comprehensive protocol for water searches depending upon the type of underwater terrain. In addition, two successful case studies involving the search and recovery of a submerged human body using side scan sonar are presented to illustrate the successful application of integrating a geophysical technology with divers when searching for a submerged object. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overt attention in natural scenes: objects dominate features.

PubMed

Stoll, Josef; Thrun, Michael; Nuthmann, Antje; Einhäuser, Wolfgang

2015-02-01

Whether overt attention in natural scenes is guided by object content or by low-level stimulus features has become a matter of intense debate. Experimental evidence seemed to indicate that once object locations in a scene are known, salience models provide little extra explanatory power. This approach has recently been criticized for using inadequate models of early salience; and indeed, state-of-the-art salience models outperform trivial object-based models that assume a uniform distribution of fixations on objects. Here we propose to use object-based models that take a preferred viewing location (PVL) close to the centre of objects into account. In experiment 1, we demonstrate that, when including this comparably subtle modification, object-based models again are at par with state-of-the-art salience models in predicting fixations in natural scenes. One possible interpretation of these results is that objects rather than early salience dominate attentional guidance. In this view, early-salience models predict fixations through the correlation of their features with object locations. To test this hypothesis directly, in two additional experiments we reduced low-level salience in image areas of high object content. For these modified stimuli, the object-based model predicted fixations significantly better than early salience. This finding held in an object-naming task (experiment 2) and a free-viewing task (experiment 3). These results provide further evidence for object-based fixation selection--and by inference object-based attentional guidance--in natural scenes. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 3560.602 - Program objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... AGRICULTURE DIRECT MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING LOANS AND GRANTS On-Farm Labor Housing § 3560.602 Program objectives. In addition to the objectives stated in § 3560.52, on-farm labor housing funds will be used to... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Program objectives. 3560.602 Section 3560.602...

7 CFR 3560.552 - Program objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... AGRICULTURE DIRECT MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING LOANS AND GRANTS Off-Farm Labor Housing § 3560.552 Program objectives. (a) In addition to the objectives stated in § 3560.52, off-farm labor housing loan and grant funds... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Program objectives. 3560.552 Section 3560.552...

Tardigrada of Ireland: a review of records and an updated checklist of species including a new addition to the Irish fauna

PubMed Central

DeMilio, Erica; Lawton, Colin; Marley, Nigel J.

2016-01-01

Abstract The phylum Tardigrada was not recorded in Ireland until the Clare Island Survey of 1909–1911, with only rare subsequent reports on Irish tardigrade species. In recent decades, significant taxonomic revision has occurred within Tardigrada. This has resulted in the need for a review of all known historical records from Ireland and Northern Ireland in order to produce an updated checklist of valid taxa. The new checklist includes fifty-one tardigrade species and subspecies including a new addition to the Irish fauna reported herein, Echiniscus quadrispinosus quadrispinosus Richters, 1902 from Newtown, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare. PMID:27667947

29 CFR 102.41 - Objection to conduct of hearing; how made; objections not waived by further participation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., including any objection to the introduction of evidence, may be stated orally or in writing, accompanied by a short statement of the grounds of such objection, and included in the record. No such objection...

Polymers for 3D Printing and Customized Additive Manufacturing.

PubMed

Ligon, Samuel Clark; Liska, Robert; Stampfl, Jürgen; Gurr, Matthias; Mülhaupt, Rolf

2017-08-09

Additive manufacturing (AM) alias 3D printing translates computer-aided design (CAD) virtual 3D models into physical objects. By digital slicing of CAD, 3D scan, or tomography data, AM builds objects layer by layer without the need for molds or machining. AM enables decentralized fabrication of customized objects on demand by exploiting digital information storage and retrieval via the Internet. The ongoing transition from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing prompts new challenges for mechanical engineers and materials scientists alike. Because polymers are by far the most utilized class of materials for AM, this Review focuses on polymer processing and the development of polymers and advanced polymer systems specifically for AM. AM techniques covered include vat photopolymerization (stereolithography), powder bed fusion (SLS), material and binder jetting (inkjet and aerosol 3D printing), sheet lamination (LOM), extrusion (FDM, 3D dispensing, 3D fiber deposition, and 3D plotting), and 3D bioprinting. The range of polymers used in AM encompasses thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, hydrogels, functional polymers, polymer blends, composites, and biological systems. Aspects of polymer design, additives, and processing parameters as they relate to enhancing build speed and improving accuracy, functionality, surface finish, stability, mechanical properties, and porosity are addressed. Selected applications demonstrate how polymer-based AM is being exploited in lightweight engineering, architecture, food processing, optics, energy technology, dentistry, drug delivery, and personalized medicine. Unparalleled by metals and ceramics, polymer-based AM plays a key role in the emerging AM of advanced multifunctional and multimaterial systems including living biological systems as well as life-like synthetic systems.

Polymers for 3D Printing and Customized Additive Manufacturing

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Additive manufacturing (AM) alias 3D printing translates computer-aided design (CAD) virtual 3D models into physical objects. By digital slicing of CAD, 3D scan, or tomography data, AM builds objects layer by layer without the need for molds or machining. AM enables decentralized fabrication of customized objects on demand by exploiting digital information storage and retrieval via the Internet. The ongoing transition from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing prompts new challenges for mechanical engineers and materials scientists alike. Because polymers are by far the most utilized class of materials for AM, this Review focuses on polymer processing and the development of polymers and advanced polymer systems specifically for AM. AM techniques covered include vat photopolymerization (stereolithography), powder bed fusion (SLS), material and binder jetting (inkjet and aerosol 3D printing), sheet lamination (LOM), extrusion (FDM, 3D dispensing, 3D fiber deposition, and 3D plotting), and 3D bioprinting. The range of polymers used in AM encompasses thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, hydrogels, functional polymers, polymer blends, composites, and biological systems. Aspects of polymer design, additives, and processing parameters as they relate to enhancing build speed and improving accuracy, functionality, surface finish, stability, mechanical properties, and porosity are addressed. Selected applications demonstrate how polymer-based AM is being exploited in lightweight engineering, architecture, food processing, optics, energy technology, dentistry, drug delivery, and personalized medicine. Unparalleled by metals and ceramics, polymer-based AM plays a key role in the emerging AM of advanced multifunctional and multimaterial systems including living biological systems as well as life-like synthetic systems. PMID:28756658

Modifying the Sleep Treatment Education Program for Students to include technology use (STEPS-TECH): Intervention effects on objective and subjective sleep outcomes.

PubMed

Barber, Larissa K; Cucalon, Maria S

2017-12-01

University students often have sleep issues that arise from poor sleep hygiene practices and technology use patterns. Yet, technology-related behaviors are often neglected in sleep hygiene education. This study examined whether the Sleep Treatment Education Program for Students-modified to include information regarding managing technology use (STEPS-TECH)-helps improve both subjective and objective sleep outcomes among university students. Results of an experimental study among 78 university students showed improvements in objective indicators of sleep quantity (total sleep time) and sleep quality (less awakenings) during the subsequent week for students in the STEPS-TECH intervention group compared to a control group. Exploratory analyses indicated that effects were driven by improvements in weekend days immediately following the intervention. There were also no intervention effects on subjective sleep quality or quantity outcomes. In terms of self-reported behavioral responses to educational content in the intervention, there were no group differences in sleep hygiene practices or technology use before bedtime. However, the intervention group reported less technology use during sleep periods than the control group. These preliminary findings suggest that STEPS-TECH may be a useful educational tool to help improve objective sleep and reduce technology use during sleep periods among university students. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Organizing and Typing Persistent Objects Within an Object-Oriented Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madany, Peter W.; Campbell, Roy H.

1991-01-01

Conventional operating systems provide little or no direct support for the services required for an efficient persistent object system implementation. We have built a persistent object scheme using a customization and extension of an object-oriented operating system called Choices. Choices includes a framework for the storage of persistent data that is suited to the construction of both conventional file system and persistent object system. In this paper we describe three areas in which persistent object support differs from file system support: storage organization, storage management, and typing. Persistent object systems must support various sizes of objects efficiently. Customizable containers, which are themselves persistent objects and can be nested, support a wide range of object sizes in Choices. Collections of persistent objects that are accessed as an aggregate and collections of light-weight persistent objects can be clustered in containers that are nested within containers for larger objects. Automated garbage collection schemes are added to storage management and have a major impact on persistent object applications. The Choices persistent object store provides extensible sets of persistent object types. The store contains not only the data for persistent objects but also the names of the classes to which they belong and the code for the operation of the classes. Besides presenting persistent object storage organization, storage management, and typing, this paper discusses how persistent objects are named and used within the Choices persistent data/file system framework.

Common path in-line holography using enhanced joint object reference digital interferometers

PubMed Central

Kelner, Roy; Katz, Barak; Rosen, Joseph

2014-01-01

Joint object reference digital interferometer (JORDI) is a recently developed system capable of recording holograms of various types [Opt. Lett. 38(22), 4719 (2013)24322115]. Presented here is a new enhanced system design that is based on the previous JORDI. While the previous JORDI has been based purely on diffractive optical elements, displayed on spatial light modulators, the present design incorporates an additional refractive objective lens, thus enabling hologram recording with improved resolution and increased system applicability. Experimental results demonstrate successful hologram recording for various types of objects, including transmissive, reflective, three-dimensional, phase and highly scattering objects. The resolution limit of the system is analyzed and experimentally validated. Finally, the suitability of JORDI for microscopic applications is verified as a microscope objective based configuration of the system is demonstrated. PMID:24663838

78 FR 55134 - Culturally Significant Object Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Iran Modern”

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-09

... Determinations: ``Iran Modern'' ACTION: Notice, correction. SUMMARY: On August 8, 2013, notice was published on... State pertaining to the exhibit ``Iran Modern.'' The referenced notice is corrected to accommodate an... additional object to be included in the exhibition ``Iran Modern,'' imported from abroad for temporary...

Music Objectives: Second Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO. National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The document describes the development of objectives and presents objectives formulated by music educators, lay individuals, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) staff in 1973. Objectives from the first music assessment were reappraised, reviewed, and revised to include greater breadth of application, greater emphasis on the…

Major histocompatibility complex harbors widespread genotypic variability of non-additive risk of rheumatoid arthritis including epistasis.

PubMed

Wei, Wen-Hua; Bowes, John; Plant, Darren; Viatte, Sebastien; Yarwood, Annie; Massey, Jonathan; Worthington, Jane; Eyre, Stephen

2016-04-25

Genotypic variability based genome-wide association studies (vGWASs) can identify potentially interacting loci without prior knowledge of the interacting factors. We report a two-stage approach to make vGWAS applicable to diseases: firstly using a mixed model approach to partition dichotomous phenotypes into additive risk and non-additive environmental residuals on the liability scale and secondly using the Levene's (Brown-Forsythe) test to assess equality of the residual variances across genotype groups per marker. We found widespread significant (P < 2.5e-05) vGWAS signals within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) across all three study cohorts of rheumatoid arthritis. We further identified 10 epistatic interactions between the vGWAS signals independent of the MHC additive effects, each with a weak effect but jointly explained 1.9% of phenotypic variance. PTPN22 was also identified in the discovery cohort but replicated in only one independent cohort. Combining the three cohorts boosted power of vGWAS and additionally identified TYK2 and ANKRD55. Both PTPN22 and TYK2 had evidence of interactions reported elsewhere. We conclude that vGWAS can help discover interacting loci for complex diseases but require large samples to find additional signals.

Object instance recognition using motion cues and instance specific appearance models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumann, Arne

2014-03-01

In this paper we present an object instance retrieval approach. The baseline approach consists of a pool of image features which are computed on the bounding boxes of a query object track and compared to a database of tracks in order to find additional appearances of the same object instance. We improve over this simple baseline approach in multiple ways: 1) we include motion cues to achieve improved robustness to viewpoint and rotation changes, 2) we include operator feedback to iteratively re-rank the resulting retrieval lists and 3) we use operator feedback and location constraints to train classifiers and learn an instance specific appearance model. We use these classifiers to further improve the retrieval results. The approach is evaluated on two popular public datasets for two different applications. We evaluate person re-identification on the CAVIAR shopping mall surveillance dataset and vehicle instance recognition on the VIVID aerial dataset and achieve significant improvements over our baseline results.

Tracking planets and moons: mechanisms of object tracking revealed with a new paradigm

PubMed Central

Tombu, Michael

2014-01-01

People can attend to and track multiple moving objects over time. Cognitive theories of this ability emphasize location information and differ on the importance of motion information. Results from several experiments have shown that increasing object speed impairs performance, although speed was confounded with other properties such as proximity of objects to one another. Here, we introduce a new paradigm to study multiple object tracking in which object speed and object proximity were manipulated independently. Like the motion of a planet and moon, each target–distractor pair rotated about both a common local point as well as the center of the screen. Tracking performance was strongly affected by object speed even when proximity was controlled. Additional results suggest that two different mechanisms are used in object tracking—one sensitive to speed and proximity and the other sensitive to the number of distractors. These observations support models of object tracking that include information about object motion and reject models that use location alone. PMID:21264704

Tracking planets and moons: mechanisms of object tracking revealed with a new paradigm.

PubMed

Tombu, Michael; Seiffert, Adriane E

2011-04-01

People can attend to and track multiple moving objects over time. Cognitive theories of this ability emphasize location information and differ on the importance of motion information. Results from several experiments have shown that increasing object speed impairs performance, although speed was confounded with other properties such as proximity of objects to one another. Here, we introduce a new paradigm to study multiple object tracking in which object speed and object proximity were manipulated independently. Like the motion of a planet and moon, each target-distractor pair rotated about both a common local point as well as the center of the screen. Tracking performance was strongly affected by object speed even when proximity was controlled. Additional results suggest that two different mechanisms are used in object tracking--one sensitive to speed and proximity and the other sensitive to the number of distractors. These observations support models of object tracking that include information about object motion and reject models that use location alone.

Studies on combined model based on functional objectives of large scale complex engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuting, Wang; Jingchun, Feng; Jiabao, Sun

2018-03-01

As various functions were included in large scale complex engineering, and each function would be conducted with completion of one or more projects, combined projects affecting their functions should be located. Based on the types of project portfolio, the relationship of projects and their functional objectives were analyzed. On that premise, portfolio projects-technics based on their functional objectives were introduced, then we studied and raised the principles of portfolio projects-technics based on the functional objectives of projects. In addition, The processes of combined projects were also constructed. With the help of portfolio projects-technics based on the functional objectives of projects, our research findings laid a good foundation for management of large scale complex engineering portfolio management.

Groups of adjacent contour segments for object detection.

PubMed

Ferrari, V; Fevrier, L; Jurie, F; Schmid, C

2008-01-01

We present a family of scale-invariant local shape features formed by chains of k connected, roughly straight contour segments (kAS), and their use for object class detection. kAS are able to cleanly encode pure fragments of an object boundary, without including nearby clutter. Moreover, they offer an attractive compromise between information content and repeatability, and encompass a wide variety of local shape structures. We also define a translation and scale invariant descriptor encoding the geometric configuration of the segments within a kAS, making kAS easy to reuse in other frameworks, for example as a replacement or addition to interest points. Software for detecting and describing kAS is released on lear.inrialpes.fr/software. We demonstrate the high performance of kAS within a simple but powerful sliding-window object detection scheme. Through extensive evaluations, involving eight diverse object classes and more than 1400 images, we 1) study the evolution of performance as the degree of feature complexity k varies and determine the best degree; 2) show that kAS substantially outperform interest points for detecting shape-based classes; 3) compare our object detector to the recent, state-of-the-art system by Dalal and Triggs [4].

Method and apparatus for measuring surface movement of a solid object that is subjected to external vibrations

DOEpatents

Schultz, Thomas J.; Kotidis, Petros A.; Woodroffe, Jaime A.; Rostler, Peter S.

1995-01-01

A system for non-destructively measuring an object and controlling industrial processes in response to the measurement is disclosed in which an impulse laser generates a plurality of sound waves over timed increments in an object. A polarizing interferometer is used to measure surface movement of the object caused by the sound waves and sensed by phase shifts in the signal beam. A photon multiplier senses the phase shift and develops an electrical signal. A signal conditioning arrangement modifies the electrical signals to generate an average signal correlated to the sound waves which in turn is correlated to a physical or metallurgical property of the object, such as temperature, which property may then be used to control the process. External, random vibrations of the workpiece are utilized to develop discernible signals which can be sensed in the interferometer by only one photon multiplier. In addition the interferometer includes an arrangement for optimizing its sensitivity so that movement attributed to various waves can be detected in opaque objects. The interferometer also includes a mechanism for sensing objects with rough surfaces which produce speckle light patterns. Finally the interferometer per se, with the addition of a second photon multiplier is capable of accurately recording beam length distance differences with only one reading.

Method and apparatus for measuring surface movement of a solid object that is subjected to external vibrations

DOEpatents

Schultz, T.J.; Kotidis, P.A.; Woodroffe, J.A.; Rostler, P.S.

1995-04-25

A system for non-destructively measuring an object and controlling industrial processes in response to the measurement is disclosed in which an impulse laser generates a plurality of sound waves over timed increments in an object. A polarizing interferometer is used to measure surface movement of the object caused by the sound waves and sensed by phase shifts in the signal beam. A photon multiplier senses the phase shift and develops an electrical signal. A signal conditioning arrangement modifies the electrical signals to generate an average signal correlated to the sound waves which in turn is correlated to a physical or metallurgical property of the object, such as temperature, which property may then be used to control the process. External, random vibrations of the workpiece are utilized to develop discernible signals which can be sensed in the interferometer by only one photon multiplier. In addition the interferometer includes an arrangement for optimizing its sensitivity so that movement attributed to various waves can be detected in opaque objects. The interferometer also includes a mechanism for sensing objects with rough surfaces which produce speckle light patterns. Finally the interferometer per se, with the addition of a second photon multiplier is capable of accurately recording beam length distance differences with only one reading. 38 figs.

Electronics 7-12 [Instructional Objectives Exchange].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Univ., Los Angeles. Center for the Study of Evaluation.

Included are instructional objectives which can be considered for use in a classroom or laboratory. The objectives are followed by measurement items meant to test if a certain objective is accomplished. Means for judging the adequacy of student responses are given. The areas of electronics included in this publication are: Fundamentals, Block…

GENASIS Basics: Object-oriented utilitarian functionality for large-scale physics simulations (Version 2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardall, Christian Y.; Budiardja, Reuben D.

2017-05-01

GenASiS Basics provides Fortran 2003 classes furnishing extensible object-oriented utilitarian functionality for large-scale physics simulations on distributed memory supercomputers. This functionality includes physical units and constants; display to the screen or standard output device; message passing; I/O to disk; and runtime parameter management and usage statistics. This revision -Version 2 of Basics - makes mostly minor additions to functionality and includes some simplifying name changes.

Comparative analysis of imaging configurations and objectives for Fourier microscopy.

PubMed

Kurvits, Jonathan A; Jiang, Mingming; Zia, Rashid

2015-11-01

Fourier microscopy is becoming an increasingly important tool for the analysis of optical nanostructures and quantum emitters. However, achieving quantitative Fourier space measurements requires a thorough understanding of the impact of aberrations introduced by optical microscopes that have been optimized for conventional real-space imaging. Here we present a detailed framework for analyzing the performance of microscope objectives for several common Fourier imaging configurations. To this end, we model objectives from Nikon, Olympus, and Zeiss using parameters that were inferred from patent literature and confirmed, where possible, by physical disassembly. We then examine the aberrations most relevant to Fourier microscopy, including the alignment tolerances of apodization factors for different objective classes, the effect of magnification on the modulation transfer function, and vignetting-induced reductions of the effective numerical aperture for wide-field measurements. Based on this analysis, we identify an optimal objective class and imaging configuration for Fourier microscopy. In addition, the Zemax files for the objectives and setups used in this analysis have been made publicly available as a resource for future studies.

Object links in the repository

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beck, Jon; Eichmann, David

1991-01-01

Some of the architectural ramifications of extending the Eichmann/Atkins lattice-based classification scheme to encompass the assets of the full life-cycle of software development are explored. In particular, we wish to consider a model which provides explicit links between objects in addition to the edges connecting classification vertices in the standard lattice. The model we consider uses object-oriented terminology. Thus, the lattice is viewed as a data structure which contains class objects which exhibit inheritance. A description of the types of objects in the repository is presented, followed by a discussion of how they interrelate. We discuss features of the object-oriented model which support these objects and their links, and consider behavior which an implementation of the model should exhibit. Finally, we indicate some thoughts on implementing a prototype of this repository architecture.

Goals for Near-Earth-Object Exploration Examined

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2010-09-01

With Japan's Hayabusa space probe having returned a sample of the Itokawa asteroid this past June, and with NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft impactor having successfully struck comet Tempel 1 in 2006, among other recent missions, the study of near-Earth objects (NEOs) recently has taken some major steps forward. The recent discovery of two asteroids that passed within the Moon's distance of Earth on 8 September is a reminder of the need to further understand NEOs. During NASA's Exploration of Near-Earth Objects (NEO) Objectives Workshop, held in August in Washington, D. C., scientists examined rationales and goals for studying NEOs. Several recent documents have recognized NEO research as important as a scientific precursor for a potential mission to Mars, to learn more about the origins of the solar system, for planetary defense, and for resource exploitation. The October 2009 Review of Human Space Flight Plans Committee report (known as the Augustine report), for example, recommended a “flexible path ” for human exploration, with people visiting sites in the solar system, including NEOs. The White House's National Space Policy, released in June, indicates that by 2025, there should be “crewed missions beyond the moon, including sending humans to an asteroid.” In addition, NASA's proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 calls for the agency to send robotic precursor missions to nearby asteroids and elsewhere and to increase funding for identifying and cataloging NEOs.

Genetic algorithm approaches for conceptual design of spacecraft systems including multi-objective optimization and design under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Rania A.

In the design of complex large-scale spacecraft systems that involve a large number of components and subsystems, many specialized state-of-the-art design tools are employed to optimize the performance of various subsystems. However, there is no structured system-level concept-architecting process. Currently, spacecraft design is heavily based on the heritage of the industry. Old spacecraft designs are modified to adapt to new mission requirements, and feasible solutions---rather than optimal ones---are often all that is achieved. During the conceptual phase of the design, the choices available to designers are predominantly discrete variables describing major subsystems' technology options and redundancy levels. The complexity of spacecraft configurations makes the number of the system design variables that need to be traded off in an optimization process prohibitive when manual techniques are used. Such a discrete problem is well suited for solution with a Genetic Algorithm, which is a global search technique that performs optimization-like tasks. This research presents a systems engineering framework that places design requirements at the core of the design activities and transforms the design paradigm for spacecraft systems to a top-down approach rather than the current bottom-up approach. To facilitate decision-making in the early phases of the design process, the population-based search nature of the Genetic Algorithm is exploited to provide computationally inexpensive---compared to the state-of-the-practice---tools for both multi-objective design optimization and design optimization under uncertainty. In terms of computational cost, those tools are nearly on the same order of magnitude as that of standard single-objective deterministic Genetic Algorithm. The use of a multi-objective design approach provides system designers with a clear tradeoff optimization surface that allows them to understand the effect of their decisions on all the design objectives

Secure content objects

DOEpatents

Evans, William D [Cupertino, CA

2009-02-24

A secure content object protects electronic documents from unauthorized use. The secure content object includes an encrypted electronic document, a multi-key encryption table having at least one multi-key component, an encrypted header and a user interface device. The encrypted document is encrypted using a document encryption key associated with a multi-key encryption method. The encrypted header includes an encryption marker formed by a random number followed by a derivable variation of the same random number. The user interface device enables a user to input a user authorization. The user authorization is combined with each of the multi-key components in the multi-key encryption key table and used to try to decrypt the encrypted header. If the encryption marker is successfully decrypted, the electronic document may be decrypted. Multiple electronic documents or a document and annotations may be protected by the secure content object.

COGNITION, ACTION, AND OBJECT MANIPULATION

PubMed Central

Rosenbaum, David A.; Chapman, Kate M.; Weigelt, Matthias; Weiss, Daniel J.; van der Wel, Robrecht

2012-01-01

Although psychology is the science of mental life and behavior, it has paid little attention to the means by which mental life is translated into behavior. One domain where links between cognition and action have been explored is the manipulation of objects. This article reviews psychological research on this topic, with special emphasis on the tendency to grasp objects differently depending on what one plans to do with the objects. Such differential grasping has been demonstrated in a wide range of object manipulation tasks, including grasping an object in a way that reveals anticipation of the object's future orientation, height, and required placement precision. Differential grasping has also been demonstrated in a wide range of behaviors, including one-hand grasps, two-hand grasps, walking, and transferring objects from place to place as well as from person to person. The populations in whom the tendency has been shown are also diverse, including nonhuman primates as well as human adults, children, and babies. Meanwhile, the tendency is compromised in a variety of clinical populations and in children of a surprisingly advanced age. Verbal working memory is compromised as well if words are memorized while object manipulation tasks are performed; the recency portion of the serial position curve is reduced in this circumstance. In general, the research reviewed here points to rich connections between cognition and action as revealed through the study of object manipulation. Other implications concern affordances, Donders' Law, and naturalistic observation and the teaching of psychology. PMID:22448912

Preliminary evaluation of feeder and lint slide moisture addition on ginning, fiber quality, and textile processing of western cotton

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of moisture addition at the gin stand feeder conditioning hopper and/or the battery condenser slide on gin performance and Western cotton fiber quality and textile processing. The test treatments included no moisture addition, feeder hopper hum...

Independent effects of colour on object identification and memory.

PubMed

Lloyd-Jones, Toby J; Nakabayashi, Kazuyo

2009-02-01

We examined the effects of colour on object identification and memory using a study-test priming procedure with a coloured-object decision task at test (i.e., deciding whether an object is correctly coloured). Objects were selected to have a single associated colour and were either correctly or incorrectly coloured. In addition, object shape and colour were either spatially integrated (i.e., colour fell on the object surface) or spatially separated (i.e., colour formed the background to the object). Transforming the colour of an object from study to test (e.g., from a yellow banana to a purple banana) reduced priming of response times, as compared to when the object was untransformed. This utilization of colour information in object memory was not contingent upon colour falling on the object surface or whether the resulting configuration was of a correctly or incorrectly coloured object. In addition, we observed independent effects of colour on response times, whereby coloured-object decisions were more efficient for correctly than for incorrectly coloured objects but only when colour fell on the object surface. These findings provide evidence for two distinct mechanisms of shape-colour binding in object processing.

Neural correlates of the object-recall process in semantic memory.

PubMed

Assaf, Michal; Calhoun, Vince D; Kuzu, Cheedem H; Kraut, Michael A; Rivkin, Paul R; Hart, John; Pearlson, Godfrey D

2006-10-30

The recall of an object from features is a specific operation in semantic memory in which the thalamus and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) are integrally involved. Other higher-order semantic cortices are also likely to be involved. We used the object-recall-from-features paradigm, with more sensitive scanning techniques and larger sample size, to replicate and extend our previous results. Eighteen right-handed healthy participants performed an object-recall task and an association semantic task, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. During object-recall, subjects determined whether words pairs describing object features combined to recall an object; during the association task they decided if two words were related. Of brain areas specifically involved in object recall, in addition to the thalamus and pre-SMA, other regions included the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and middle temporal gyrus, and bilateral rostral anterior cingulate and inferior frontal gyri. These regions are involved in semantic processing, verbal working memory and response-conflict detection and monitoring. The thalamus likely helps to coordinate activity of these different brain areas. Understanding the circuit that normally mediates this process is relevant for schizophrenia, where many regions in this circuit are functionally abnormal and semantic memory is impaired.

Robot Grasps Rotating Object

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilcox, Brian H.; Tso, Kam S.; Litwin, Todd E.; Hayati, Samad A.; Bon, Bruce B.

1991-01-01

Experimental robotic system semiautomatically grasps rotating object, stops rotation, and pulls object to rest in fixture. Based on combination of advanced techniques for sensing and control, constructed to test concepts for robotic recapture of spinning artificial satellites. Potential terrestrial applications for technology developed with help of system includes tracking and grasping of industrial parts on conveyor belts, tracking of vehicles and animals, and soft grasping of moving objects in general.

[Review of digital ground object spectral library].

PubMed

Zhou, Xiao-Hu; Zhou, Ding-Wu

2009-06-01

A higher spectral resolution is the main direction of developing remote sensing technology, and it is quite important to set up the digital ground object reflectance spectral database library, one of fundamental research fields in remote sensing application. Remote sensing application has been increasingly relying on ground object spectral characteristics, and quantitative analysis has been developed to a new stage. The present article summarized and systematically introduced the research status quo and development trend of digital ground object reflectance spectral libraries at home and in the world in recent years. Introducing the spectral libraries has been established, including desertification spectral database library, plants spectral database library, geological spectral database library, soil spectral database library, minerals spectral database library, cloud spectral database library, snow spectral database library, the atmosphere spectral database library, rocks spectral database library, water spectral database library, meteorites spectral database library, moon rock spectral database library, and man-made materials spectral database library, mixture spectral database library, volatile compounds spectral database library, and liquids spectral database library. In the process of establishing spectral database libraries, there have been some problems, such as the lack of uniform national spectral database standard and uniform standards for the ground object features as well as the comparability between different databases. In addition, data sharing mechanism can not be carried out, etc. This article also put forward some suggestions on those problems.

Food additives and preschool children.

PubMed

Martyn, Danika M; McNulty, Breige A; Nugent, Anne P; Gibney, Michael J

2013-02-01

Food additives have been used throughout history to perform specific functions in foods. A comprehensive framework of legislation is in place within Europe to control the use of additives in the food supply and ensure they pose no risk to human health. Further to this, exposure assessments are regularly carried out to monitor population intakes and verify that intakes are not above acceptable levels (acceptable daily intakes). Young children may have a higher dietary exposure to chemicals than adults due to a combination of rapid growth rates and distinct food intake patterns. For this reason, exposure assessments are particularly important in this age group. The paper will review the use of additives and exposure assessment methods and examine factors that affect dietary exposure by young children. One of the most widely investigated unfavourable health effects associated with food additive intake in preschool-aged children are suggested adverse behavioural effects. Research that has examined this relationship has reported a variety of responses, with many noting an increase in hyperactivity as reported by parents but not when assessed using objective examiners. This review has examined the experimental approaches used in such studies and suggests that efforts are needed to standardise objective methods of measuring behaviour in preschool children. Further to this, a more holistic approach to examining food additive intakes by preschool children is advisable, where overall exposure is considered rather than focusing solely on behavioural effects and possibly examining intakes of food additives other than food colours.

Space Object Query Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, Veronica J.

2017-01-01

STI is for a fact sheet on the Space Object Query Tool being created by the MDC. When planning launches, NASA must first factor in the tens of thousands of objects already in orbit around the Earth. The number of human-made objects, including nonfunctional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris and fragmentation debris orbiting Earth has grown steadily since Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957. Currently, the U.S. Department of Defenses Joint Space Operations Center, or JSpOC, tracks over 15,000 distinct objects and provides data for more than 40,000 objects via its Space-Track program, found at space-track.org.

A Framework for Including Family Health Spillovers in Economic Evaluation

PubMed Central

Al-Janabi, Hareth; van Exel, Job; Brouwer, Werner; Coast, Joanna

2016-01-01

Health care interventions may affect the health of patients’ family networks. It has been suggested that these “health spillovers” should be included in economic evaluation, but there is not a systematic method for doing this. In this article, we develop a framework for including health spillovers in economic evaluation. We focus on extra-welfarist economic evaluations where the objective is to maximize health benefits from a health care budget (the “health care perspective”). Our framework involves adapting the conventional cost-effectiveness decision rule to include 2 multiplier effects to internalize the spillover effects. These multiplier effects express the ratio of total health effects (for patients and their family networks) to patient health effects. One multiplier effect is specified for health benefit generated from providing a new intervention, one for health benefit displaced by funding this intervention. We show that using multiplier effects to internalize health spillovers could change the optimal funding decisions and generate additional health benefits to society. PMID:26377370

Objects of Maximum Electromagnetic Chirality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez-Corbaton, Ivan; Fruhnert, Martin; Rockstuhl, Carsten

2016-07-01

We introduce a definition of the electromagnetic chirality of an object and show that it has an upper bound. Reciprocal objects attain the upper bound if and only if they are transparent for all the fields of one polarization handedness (helicity). Additionally, electromagnetic duality symmetry, i.e., helicity preservation upon interaction, turns out to be a necessary condition for reciprocal objects to attain the upper bound. We use these results to provide requirements for the design of such extremal objects. The requirements can be formulated as constraints on the polarizability tensors for dipolar objects or on the material constitutive relations for continuous media. We also outline two applications for objects of maximum electromagnetic chirality: a twofold resonantly enhanced and background-free circular dichroism measurement setup, and angle-independent helicity filtering glasses. Finally, we use the theoretically obtained requirements to guide the design of a specific structure, which we then analyze numerically and discuss its performance with respect to maximal electromagnetic chirality.

Association of subjective memory complaint and depressive symptoms with objective cognitive functions in prodromal Alzheimer's disease including pre-mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Seo, Eun Hyun; Kim, Hoowon; Choi, Kyu Yeong; Lee, Kun Ho; Choo, Il Han

2017-08-01

Subjective memory complaints (SMC) and depressive symptoms (SDS) are common in the elderly population. However, the relationship among SMC, SDS, and cognitive function remains unclear. We investigated these associations in the elderly from cognitively normal (CN), pre-mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and amnestic MCI (aMCI) groups. Participants (CN, 299; pre-MCI, 106; aMCI, 267) underwent comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessment. and self-report SMC and SDS questionnaires. SMC and SDS were administered in a self-report format. For each neuropsychological test z-score, stepwise multiple linear regressions were performed to assess the relative contribution of SMC, SDS, and their interactions. SMC are associated with lower objective memory, while SDS are associated with lower psychomotor speed. Interactions between SMC and SDS were significant for tests of memory, executive function, psychomotor speed, and global cognition. Additional analyses revealed that SDS moderated the SMC-cognition relationship such that only individuals with higher SDS showed significant SMC-cognition associations. Due to the cross-sectional design, associations among SMC, SDS, and cognitive function was rather weak, albeit significant. Additionally, future biomarker studies, such as those assessing amyloid burden, are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying the relationship among SMC, SDS, and cognitive function. Early identification of individuals at risk for developing abnormal cognitive changes is critical. Our findings from the study involving a large sample of carefully selected participants suggest that SMC and SDS could be used as early detection markers of Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Distinct cognitive mechanisms involved in the processing of single objects and object ensembles

PubMed Central

Cant, Jonathan S.; Sun, Sol Z.; Xu, Yaoda

2015-01-01

Behavioral research has demonstrated that the shape and texture of single objects can be processed independently. Similarly, neuroimaging results have shown that an object's shape and texture are processed in distinct brain regions with shape in the lateral occipital area and texture in parahippocampal cortex. Meanwhile, objects are not always seen in isolation and are often grouped together as an ensemble. We recently showed that the processing of ensembles also involves parahippocampal cortex and that the shape and texture of ensemble elements are processed together within this region. These neural data suggest that the independence seen between shape and texture in single-object perception would not be observed in object-ensemble perception. Here we tested this prediction by examining whether observers could attend to the shape of ensemble elements while ignoring changes in an unattended texture feature and vice versa. Across six behavioral experiments, we replicated previous findings of independence between shape and texture in single-object perception. In contrast, we observed that changes in an unattended ensemble feature negatively impacted the processing of an attended ensemble feature only when ensemble features were attended globally. When they were attended locally, thereby making ensemble processing similar to single-object processing, interference was abolished. Overall, these findings confirm previous neuroimaging results and suggest that distinct cognitive mechanisms may be involved in single-object and object-ensemble perception. Additionally, they show that the scope of visual attention plays a critical role in determining which type of object processing (ensemble or single object) is engaged by the visual system. PMID:26360156

Object-based neglect in number processing

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that neglect patients seem to have particular problems representing relatively smaller numbers corresponding to the left part of the mental number line. However, while this indicates space-based neglect for representational number space little is known about whether and - if so - how object-based neglect influences number processing. To evaluate influences of object-based neglect in numerical cognition, a group of neglect patients and two control groups had to compare two-digit numbers to an internally represented standard. Conceptualizing two-digit numbers as objects of which the left part (i.e., the tens digit should be specifically neglected) we were able to evaluate object-based neglect for number magnitude processing. Object-based neglect was indicated by a larger unit-decade compatibility effect actually reflecting impaired processing of the leftward tens digits. Additionally, faster processing of within- as compared to between-decade items provided further evidence suggesting particular difficulties in integrating tens and units into the place-value structure of the Arabic number system. In summary, the present study indicates that, in addition to the spatial representation of number magnitude, also the processing of place-value information of multi-digit numbers seems specifically impaired in neglect patients. PMID:23343126

Object strength--an accurate measure for small objects that is insensitive to partial volume effects.

PubMed

Tofts, P S; Silver, N C; Barker, G J; Gass, A

2005-07-01

There are currently four problems in characterising small nonuniform lesions or other objects in Magnetic Resonance images where partial volume effects are significant. Object size is over- or under-estimated; boundaries are often not reproducible; mean object value cannot be measured; and fuzzy borders cannot be accommodated. A new measure, Object Strength, is proposed. This is the sum of all abnormal intensities, above a uniform background value. For a uniform object, this is simply the product of the increase in intensity and the size of the object. Biologically, this could be at least as relevant as existing measures of size or mean intensity. We hypothesise that Object Strength will perform better than traditional area measurements in characterising small objects. In a pilot study, the reproducibility of object strength measurements was investigated using MR images of small multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. In addition, accuracy was investigated using artificial lesions of known volume (0.3-6.2 ml) and realistic appearance. Reproducibility approached that of area measurements (in 33/90 lesion reports the difference between repeats was less than for area measurements). Total lesion volume was accurate to 0.2%. In conclusion, Object Strength has potential for improved characterisation of small lesions and objects in imaging and possibly spectroscopy.

Affective Objectives in Community College Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ediger, Marlow

Science teachers need to stress several kinds of objectives in teaching and learning. One kind, cognitive, receives major emphasis by teachers. In addition to vital facts and concepts, pupils should also acquire major generalizations. And, in addition to facts, concepts, and generalizations, pupils also need to be able to think critically.…

78 FR 26682 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Hall of Ancient Egypt”

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-07

... Determinations: ``Hall of Ancient Egypt'' AGENCY: Department of State. ACTION: Notice, correction. SUMMARY: On... determinations made by the Department of State pertaining to the exhibition ``Hall of Ancient Egypt.'' The... additional objects to be included in the exhibition ``Hall of Ancient Egypt,'' imported from abroad for...

Potential objective biomarkers for fatigue among working women

PubMed Central

Ebata, Chie; Tatsuta, Hitomi; Tatemichi, Masayuki

2017-01-01

Objective: The prediction of health impairment due to work overload is subjectively assessed based on recognized symptoms; however, objective evaluation is primarily ideal in the field of occupational health. Recently, some biomarkers of autonomic function and/or oxidative stress were reported to be associated with fatigue. This study aimed to preliminarily investigate whether these biomarkers could be objective indicators for fatigue and stress among working women. Method: Participants included 118 full-time female workers (mean age 37.8 years), including 55 shift workers. Self-administered questionnaires, such as visual analog scale (VAS) for general health, a lifestyle questionnaire, SF-8 for health-related quality of life, and K6 for mental health screening, were used. In addition, biomarkers such as acceleration plethysmogram (APG), reactive oxygen metabolites-derived compounds (d-ROMs), and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) were measured. Results: A significant association was observed between BAP and VAS (r=0.482, p<0.01) among shift workers. However, other biomarkers such as APG and d-ROMs were not significantly associated with symptoms. d-ROMs were significantly correlated with age and body mass index. There was a significant negative correlation between BAP and smoking. Results of the APG (low-frequency (LF) /high-frequency (HF) ratio) were significantly correlated with BAP, but not with d-ROMs. The LF/HF ratio and BAP for shift workers were significantly higher than those for day-time workers. Conclusions: Our results suggest that APG and BAP are potential objective biomarkers for fatigue among working women, although further follow-up studies are needed to clarify the scope of usefulness of the biomarkers for fatigue. PMID:28163282

Enabling Technologies for Medium Additive Manufacturing (MAAM)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richardson, Bradley S.; Love, Lonnie J.; Chesser, Phillip C.

ORNL has worked with Cosine Additive, Inc. on the design of MAAM extrusion components. The objective is to improve the print speed and part quality. A pellet extruder has been procured and integrated into the MAAM printer. Print speed has been greatly enhanced. In addition, ORNL and Cosine Additive have worked on alternative designs for a pellet drying and feed system.

EMEN2: An Object Oriented Database and Electronic Lab Notebook

PubMed Central

Rees, Ian; Langley, Ed; Chiu, Wah; Ludtke, Steven J.

2013-01-01

Transmission electron microscopy and associated methods such as single particle analysis, 2-D crystallography, helical reconstruction and tomography, are highly data-intensive experimental sciences, which also have substantial variability in experimental technique. Object-oriented databases present an attractive alternative to traditional relational databases for situations where the experiments themselves are continually evolving. We present EMEN2, an easy to use object-oriented database with a highly flexible infrastructure originally targeted for transmission electron microscopy and tomography, which has been extended to be adaptable for use in virtually any experimental science. It is a pure object-oriented database designed for easy adoption in diverse laboratory environments, and does not require professional database administration. It includes a full featured, dynamic web interface in addition to APIs for programmatic access. EMEN2 installations currently support roughly 800 scientists worldwide with over 1/2 million experimental records and over 20 TB of experimental data. The software is freely available with complete source. PMID:23360752

29 CFR 2200.72 - Objections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... hearing, including any objection to the introduction of evidence or a ruling by the Judge, may be stated orally or in writing, accompanied by a short statement of the grounds for the objection, and shall be...

Planning and setting objectives in field studies: Chapter 2

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fisher, Robert N.; Dodd, C. Kenneth

2016-01-01

This chapter enumerates the steps required in designing and planning field studies on the ecology and conservation of reptiles, as these involve a high level of uncertainty and risk. To this end, the chapter differentiates between goals (descriptions of what one intends to accomplish) and objectives (the measurable steps required to achieve the established goals). Thus, meeting a specific goal may require many objectives. It may not be possible to define some of them until certain experiments have been conducted; often evaluations of sampling protocols are needed to increase certainty in the biological results. And if sampling locations are fixed and sampling events are repeated over time, then both study-specific covariates and sampling-specific covariates should exist. Additionally, other critical design considerations for field study include obtaining permits, as well as researching ethics and biosecurity issues.

Surface gloss and color perception of 3D objects.

PubMed

Xiao, Bei; Brainard, David H

2008-01-01

Two experiments explore the color perception of objects in complex scenes. The first experiment examines the color perception of objects across variation in surface gloss. Observers adjusted the color appearance of a matte sphere to match that of a test sphere. Across conditions we varied the body color and glossiness of the test sphere. The data indicate that observers do not simply match the average light reflected from the test. Indeed, the visual system compensates for the physical effect of varying the gloss, so that appearance is stabilized relative to what is predicted by the spatial average. The second experiment examines how people perceive color across locations on an object. We replaced the test sphere with a soccer ball that had one of its hexagonal faces colored. Observers were asked to adjust the match sphere have the same color appearance as this test patch. The test patch could be located at either an upper or lower location on the soccer ball. In addition, we varied the surface gloss of the entire soccer ball (including the test patch). The data show that there is an effect of test patch location on observers' color matching, but this effect is small compared to the physical change in the average light reflected from the test patch across the two locations. In addition, the effect of glossy highlights on the color appearance of the test patch was consistent with the results from Experiment 1.

Surface gloss and color perception of 3D objects

PubMed Central

Xiao, Bei; Brainard, David H.

2008-01-01

Two experiments explore the color perception of objects in complex scenes. The first experiment examines the color perception of objects across variation in surface gloss. Observers adjusted the color appearance of a matte sphere to match that of a test sphere. Across conditions we varied the body color and glossiness of the test sphere. The data indicate that observers do not simply match the average light reflected from the test. Indeed, the visual system compensates for the physical effect of varying the gloss, so that appearance is stabilized relative to what is predicted by the spatial average. The second experiment examines how people perceive color across locations on an object. We replaced the test sphere with a soccer ball that had one of its hexagonal faces colored. Observers were asked to adjust the match sphere have the same color appearance as this test patch. The test patch could be located at either an upper or lower location on the soccer ball. In addition, we varied the surface gloss of the entire soccer ball (including the test patch). The data show that there is an effect of test patch location on observers’ color matching, but this effect is small compared to the physical change in the average light reflected from the test patch across the two locations. In addition, the effect of glossy highlights on the color appearance of the test patch was consistent with the results from Experiment 1. PMID:18598406

Adiponectin, Leptin and Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Adults: A Narrative Review

PubMed Central

Nurnazahiah, Ali; Lua, Pei Lin; Shahril, Mohd Razif

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to compile and analyse existing scientific evidences reporting the effects of objectively measured physical activity on the levels of adiponectin and leptin. Articles related to the effects of objectively measured physical activity on the levels of adiponectin and leptin were searched from the Medline and PubMed databases. The search was limited to ‘objectively measured’ physical activity, and studies that did not objectively measure the physical activity were excluded. Only English articles were included in the search and review. A total of 18 articles encompassing 2,026 respondents met the inclusion criteria. The eligible articles included all forms of evidence (e.g., cross-sectional and intervention). Seventeen and 11 studies showed the effects of objectively measured physical activity on adiponectin and leptin, respectively. Five and four cross-sectional studies showed the effects of objectively measured physical activity on adiponectin and leptin, respectively. Two out of five studies showed a weak to moderate positive association between adiponectin and objectively measured physical activity, while three out of four studies showed a weak to moderate inverse association between leptin and objectively measured physical activity. For intervention studies, six out of 12 studies involving adiponectin and five out of seven studies involving leptin showed a significant effect between the proteins and objectively measured physical activity. However, a definitive conclusion could not be drawn due to several methodological flaws in the existing articles and the acute lack of additional research in this area. In conclusion, the existing evidences are encouraging but yet not compelling. Hence, further well-designed large trials are needed before the effectiveness of objectively measured physical activity in elevating adiponectin levels and in decreasing leptin levels could be strongly confirmed. PMID:28090175

Object Oriented Learning Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Ed

2005-01-01

We apply the object oriented software engineering (OOSE) design methodology for software objects (SOs) to learning objects (LOs). OOSE extends and refines design principles for authoring dynamic reusable LOs. Our learning object class (LOC) is a template from which individualised LOs can be dynamically created for, or by, students. The properties…

A Manager's Guide to Objectives. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Donald R.; And Others

This guide, focusing on participative management and the requirements of public decision-making in education, is designed as a management referent for the development and use of verifiable performance objectives. In addition to an indexed main section, the volume contains an anlysis matrix for educational objectives; formats for and examples of…

Curriculum Guidelines for Teaching Profound and Severely Retarded Students (I.Q. Under 40) Including Those with Physical Handicaps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Constance

1975-01-01

Presented are curriculum guidelines for teaching severely and profoundly retarded students, including students with physical handicaps. In addition to a listing of aims and objectives (such as that the student should analyze the need for space for himself and others), guidelines are provided for the following areas: awareness (of such stimuli as…

Neural correlates of observing pretend play in which one object is represented as another

PubMed Central

Whitehead, Charles; Marchant, Jennifer L.; Craik, David

2009-01-01

Observers were scanned while they watched a video of an actor using an object. Three conditions were contrasted in which the same object was used: (i) normally (e.g. using a tennis racket to hit a ball), (ii) in an unusual way (e.g. using a tennis racket to strain spaghetti), (iii) in a pretend play (e.g. playing a tennis racket like a banjo). Observing real and unusual uses of objects activated areas previously seen in studies of tool use including areas associated with a mirror system for action. Observing pretend play activated additional areas previously associated with theory of mind tasks and listening to narrative, including medial prefrontal cortex, posterior superior temporal sulcus and temporal poles. After presentation of each video, observers were asked to name the object as used in the preceding action video (e.g. racket, sieve or banjo). Naming the pretend object elicited activity in medial prefrontal cortex. These results are consistent with proposals that pretend play is a form of communicative narrative, associated with the ability to mentalize. However, this leaves open the question as to whether pretence or mentalizing is the more basic process. PMID:19535615

Object tracking with stereo vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huber, Eric

1994-01-01

A real-time active stereo vision system incorporating gaze control and task directed vision is described. Emphasis is placed on object tracking and object size and shape determination. Techniques include motion-centroid tracking, depth tracking, and contour tracking.

Science Objectives and Mission Concepts for Europa Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamppari, L. K.; Senske, D. A.; Johnson, T. V.; Oberto, R.; Zimmerman, W.; JPL's Team-X Team

2000-10-01

Since the arrival of the Galileo spacecraft to the Jovian system in 1995, evidence indicating a liquid water ocean beneath the icy Europan crust has become much stronger. This evidence combined with the fact that Europa is greater than 90 wt% water [1] makes it a candidate body to harbor extant or extinct life. The outstanding Europa science questions [2] are to determine whether or not there is or has been a liquid water layer under the ice and whether or not liquid water currently exists on the surface or has in the geologically recent past, what geological processes create the ice rafts and other ice-tectonic processes that affect the surface, the composition of the deep interior , geochemical sources of energy, the nature of the neutral atmosphere and ionosphere, and the nature of the radiation environment, especially with regard to its implications for organic and biotic chemistry. In addition, in situ studies of the surface of Europa would offer the opportunity to characterize the chemistry of the ice including organics, pH, salinity, and redox potential. In order to address these scientific objectives, a Europa program, involving multiple spacecraft, is envisioned. The JPL Outer Planets program has been helping to lay the groundwork for such a program. This effort is being conducted with particular emphasis on compiling and identifying science objectives which will flow down to a Europa mission architecture. This poster will show the tracability of observational methods from the science objectives. Also in support of developing a Europa mission architecture, JPL's Team-X has conducted a variety of Europa mission studies . A comparison of the studies done to date will be presented, highlighting science objectives accomplished, technological challenges, and cost. A more detailed presentation will be given on a Europa Lander concept study. First, the science objectives and instrumentation will be shown, including instrument mass, power usage, volume, and data

Top-down attention based on object representation and incremental memory for knowledge building and inference.

PubMed

Kim, Bumhwi; Ban, Sang-Woo; Lee, Minho

2013-10-01

Humans can efficiently perceive arbitrary visual objects based on an incremental learning mechanism with selective attention. This paper proposes a new task specific top-down attention model to locate a target object based on its form and color representation along with a bottom-up saliency based on relativity of primitive visual features and some memory modules. In the proposed model top-down bias signals corresponding to the target form and color features are generated, which draw the preferential attention to the desired object by the proposed selective attention model in concomitance with the bottom-up saliency process. The object form and color representation and memory modules have an incremental learning mechanism together with a proper object feature representation scheme. The proposed model includes a Growing Fuzzy Topology Adaptive Resonance Theory (GFTART) network which plays two important roles in object color and form biased attention; one is to incrementally learn and memorize color and form features of various objects, and the other is to generate a top-down bias signal to localize a target object by focusing on the candidate local areas. Moreover, the GFTART network can be utilized for knowledge inference which enables the perception of new unknown objects on the basis of the object form and color features stored in the memory during training. Experimental results show that the proposed model is successful in focusing on the specified target objects, in addition to the incremental representation and memorization of various objects in natural scenes. In addition, the proposed model properly infers new unknown objects based on the form and color features of previously trained objects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Density of Mid-sized Kuiper Belt Objects from ALMA Thermal Observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Michael E.; Butler, Bryan J.

The densities of mid-sized Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) are a key constraint in understanding the assembly of objects in the outer solar system. These objects are critical for understanding the currently unexplained transition from the smallest KBOs with densities lower than that of water, to the largest objects with significant rock content. Mapping this transition is made difficult by the uncertainties in the diameters of these objects, which maps into an even larger uncertainty in volume and thus density. The substantial collecting area of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array allows significantly more precise measurements of thermal emission from outer solarmore » system objects and could potentially greatly improve the density measurements. Here we use new thermal observations of four objects with satellites to explore the improvements possible with millimeter data. We find that effects due to effective emissivity at millimeter wavelengths make it difficult to use the millimeter data directly to find diameters and thus volumes for these bodies. In addition, we find that when including the effects of model uncertainty, the true uncertainties on the sizes of outer solar system objects measured with radiometry are likely larger than those previously published. Substantial improvement in object sizes will likely require precise occultation measurements.« less

Chemical additive to maximize antimicrobial effect of chlorine during pilot scale immersion chilling of broiler carcasses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A prior laboratory scale study demonstrated the potential for T-128, a proprietary blend including propylene glycol and phosphoric acid, to enhance the antimicrobial efficacy of chlorine during immersion chilling of broiler parts. The objective of the current study was to test the addition of T-128...

Auditory memory can be object based.

PubMed

Dyson, Benjamin J; Ishfaq, Feraz

2008-04-01

Identifying how memories are organized remains a fundamental issue in psychology. Previous work has shown that visual short-term memory is organized according to the object of origin, with participants being better at retrieving multiple pieces of information from the same object than from different objects. However, it is not yet clear whether similar memory structures are employed for other modalities, such as audition. Under analogous conditions in the auditory domain, we found that short-term memories for sound can also be organized according to object, with a same-object advantage being demonstrated for the retrieval of information in an auditory scene defined by two complex sounds overlapping in both space and time. Our results provide support for the notion of an auditory object, in addition to the continued identification of similar processing constraints across visual and auditory domains. The identification of modality-independent organizational principles of memory, such as object-based coding, suggests possible mechanisms by which the human processing system remembers multimodal experiences.

Exceptional Solar-System Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zellner, Benjamin

1990-12-01

This is a target-of-opportunity proposal for HST observations to be executed if a previously unknown, truly exceptional solar-system object or phenomenon is discovered either in the normal course of HST work or by anyone, anywhere. Trails due to unknown moving objects will often appear on HST images made for other purposes. A short trail seen near the opposition point or at high ecliptic latitude could represent a major addition to our knowledge of the solar system. Thus we further propose that all short trials seen on HST images taken in favorable regions of the sky be given a quick analysis in the Observation Support System for their possible significance. If an unusual object is found we propose to: (1) Seek from the owner of data rights permission to proceed as may be appropriate; (2) Contact the Minor Planet Center for an evaluation of the significance of the discovery; and (3) For an object that appears to be of great significance where effective groundbased followup appears unlikely, request the HST schedule be replanned for followup images and physical studies using HST.

Propelling Extended Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humbert, Richard

2010-03-01

A force acting on just part of an extended object (either a solid or a volume of a liquid) can cause all of it to move. That motion is due to the transmission of the force through the object by its material. This paper discusses how the force is distributed to all of the object by a gradient of stress or pressure in it, which creates the local force that directly propels each part of the object. Those gradients resemble the ones created in objects by their weights. An example of the latter is the compressive stress in a column of a building increasing steadily toward its lower end. That gradient occurs because each horizontal section through the column supports all of the weight above it, including the load force pushing down on the column's upper end. The gradient resembles the pressure in a container of liquid increasing with depth in it. Likewise, the weight of a vertically hanging cable causes its tension and tensile stress to increase toward its upper end.

Multi objective multi refinery optimization with environmental and catastrophic failure effects objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khogeer, Ahmed Sirag

2005-11-01

Petroleum refining is a capital-intensive business. With stringent environmental regulations on the processing industry and declining refining margins, political instability, increased risk of war and terrorist attacks in which refineries and fuel transportation grids may be targeted, higher pressures are exerted on refiners to optimize performance and find the best combination of feed and processes to produce salable products that meet stricter product specifications, while at the same time meeting refinery supply commitments and of course making profit. This is done through multi objective optimization. For corporate refining companies and at the national level, Intea-Refinery and Inter-Refinery optimization is the second step in optimizing the operation of the whole refining chain as a single system. Most refinery-wide optimization methods do not cover multiple objectives such as minimizing environmental impact, avoiding catastrophic failures, or enhancing product spec upgrade effects. This work starts by carrying out a refinery-wide, single objective optimization, and then moves to multi objective-single refinery optimization. The last step is multi objective-multi refinery optimization, the objectives of which are analysis of the effects of economic, environmental, product spec, strategic, and catastrophic failure. Simulation runs were carried out using both MATLAB and ASPEN PIMS utilizing nonlinear techniques to solve the optimization problem. The results addressed the need to debottleneck some refineries or transportation media in order to meet the demand for essential products under partial or total failure scenarios. They also addressed how importing some high spec products can help recover some of the losses and what is needed in order to accomplish this. In addition, the results showed nonlinear relations among local and global objectives for some refineries. The results demonstrate that refineries can have a local multi objective optimum that does not

An Object-Oriented Finite Element Framework for Multiphysics Phase Field Simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michael R Tonks; Derek R Gaston; Paul C Millett

2012-01-01

The phase field approach is a powerful and popular method for modeling microstructure evolution. In this work, advanced numerical tools are used to create a phase field framework that facilitates rapid model development. This framework, called MARMOT, is based on Idaho National Laboratory's finite element Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment. In MARMOT, the system of phase field partial differential equations (PDEs) are solved simultaneously with PDEs describing additional physics, such as solid mechanics and heat conduction, using the Jacobian-Free Newton Krylov Method. An object-oriented architecture is created by taking advantage of commonalities in phase fields models to facilitate development of newmore » models with very little written code. In addition, MARMOT provides access to mesh and time step adaptivity, reducing the cost for performing simulations with large disparities in both spatial and temporal scales. In this work, phase separation simulations are used to show the numerical performance of MARMOT. Deformation-induced grain growth and void growth simulations are included to demonstrate the muliphysics capability.« less

Representational dynamics of object recognition: Feedforward and feedback information flows.

PubMed

Goddard, Erin; Carlson, Thomas A; Dermody, Nadene; Woolgar, Alexandra

2016-03-01

Object perception involves a range of visual and cognitive processes, and is known to include both a feedfoward flow of information from early visual cortical areas to higher cortical areas, along with feedback from areas such as prefrontal cortex. Previous studies have found that low and high spatial frequency information regarding object identity may be processed over different timescales. Here we used the high temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG) combined with multivariate pattern analysis to measure information specifically related to object identity in peri-frontal and peri-occipital areas. Using stimuli closely matched in their low-level visual content, we found that activity in peri-occipital cortex could be used to decode object identity from ~80ms post stimulus onset, and activity in peri-frontal cortex could also be used to decode object identity from a later time (~265ms post stimulus onset). Low spatial frequency information related to object identity was present in the MEG signal at an earlier time than high spatial frequency information for peri-occipital cortex, but not for peri-frontal cortex. We additionally used Granger causality analysis to compare feedforward and feedback influences on representational content, and found evidence of both an early feedfoward flow and later feedback flow of information related to object identity. We discuss our findings in relation to existing theories of object processing and propose how the methods we use here could be used to address further questions of the neural substrates underlying object perception. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fuzzy connected object definition in images with respect to co-objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udupa, Jayaram K.; Saha, Punam K.; Lotufo, Roberto A.

1999-05-01

Tangible solutions to practical image segmentation are vital to ensure progress in many applications of medical imaging. Toward this goal, we previously proposed a theory and algorithms for fuzzy connected object definition in n- dimensional images. Their effectiveness has been demonstrated in several applications including multiple sclerosis lesion detection/delineation, MR Angiography, and craniofacial imaging. The purpose of this work is to extend the earlier theory and algorithms to fuzzy connected object definition that considers all relevant objects in the image simultaneously. In the previous theory, delineation of the final object from the fuzzy connectivity scene required the selection of a threshold that specifies the weakest `hanging-togetherness' of image elements relative to each other in the object. Selection of such a threshold was not trivial and has been an active research area. In the proposed method of relative fuzzy connectivity, instead of defining an object on its own based on the strength of connectedness, all co-objects of importance that are present in the image are also considered and the objects are let to compete among themselves in having image elements as their members. In this competition, every pair of elements in the image will have a strength of connectedness in each object. The object in which this strength is highest will claim membership of the elements. This approach to fuzzy object definition using a relative strength of connectedness eliminates the need for a threshold of strength of connectedness that was part of the previous definition. It seems to be more natural since it relies on the fact that an object gets defined in an image by the presence of other objects that coexist in the image. All specified objects are defined simultaneously in this approach. The concept of iterative relative fuzzy connectivity has also been introduced. Robustness of relative fuzzy objects with respect to selection of reference image elements

Near-Earth object hazardous impact: A Multi-Criteria Decision Making approach.

PubMed

Sánchez-Lozano, J M; Fernández-Martínez, M

2016-11-16

The impact of a near-Earth object (NEO) may release large amounts of energy and cause serious damage. Several NEO hazard studies conducted over the past few years provide forecasts, impact probabilities and assessment ratings, such as the Torino and Palermo scales. These high-risk NEO assessments involve several criteria, including impact energy, mass, and absolute magnitude. The main objective of this paper is to provide the first Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach to classify hazardous NEOs. Our approach applies a combination of two methods from a widely utilized decision making theory. Specifically, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology is employed to determine the criteria weights, which influence the decision making, and the Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to obtain a ranking of alternatives (potentially hazardous NEOs). In addition, NEO datasets provided by the NASA Near-Earth Object Program are utilized. This approach allows the classification of NEOs by descending order of their TOPSIS ratio, a single quantity that contains all of the relevant information for each object.

Connection-based and object-based grouping in multiple-object tracking: A developmental study.

PubMed

Van der Hallen, Ruth; Reusens, Julie; Evers, Kris; de-Wit, Lee; Wagemans, Johan

2018-03-30

Developmental research on Gestalt laws has previously revealed that, even as young as infancy, we are bound to group visual elements into unitary structures in accordance with a variety of organizational principles. Here, we focus on the developmental trajectory of both connection-based and object-based grouping, and investigate their impact on object formation in participants, aged 9-21 years old (N = 113), using a multiple-object tracking paradigm. Results reveal a main effect of both age and grouping type, indicating that 9- to 21-year-olds are sensitive to both connection-based and object-based grouping interference, and tracking ability increases with age. In addition to its importance for typical development, these results provide an informative baseline to understand clinical aberrations in this regard. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The origin of the Gestalt principles is still an ongoing debate: Are they innate, learned over time, or both? Developmental research has revealed how each Gestalt principle has its own trajectory and unique relationship to visual experience. Both connectedness and object-based grouping play an important role in object formation during childhood. What does this study add? The study identifies how sensitivity to connectedness and object-based grouping evolves in individuals, aged 9-21 years old. Using multiple-object tracking, results reveal that the ability to track multiple objects increases with age. These results provide an informative baseline to understand clinical aberrations in different types of grouping. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Developmental Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Coordinate Transformations in Object Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graf, Markus

2006-01-01

A basic problem of visual perception is how human beings recognize objects after spatial transformations. Three central classes of findings have to be accounted for: (a) Recognition performance varies systematically with orientation, size, and position; (b) recognition latencies are sequentially additive, suggesting analogue transformation…

Determining characteristics of artificial near-Earth objects using observability analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, Alex M.; Frueh, Carolin

2018-03-01

Observability analysis is a method for determining whether a chosen state of a system can be determined from the output or measurements. Knowledge of state information availability resulting from observability analysis leads to improved sensor tasking for observation of orbital debris and better control of active spacecraft. This research performs numerical observability analysis of artificial near-Earth objects. Analysis of linearization methods and state transition matrices is performed to determine the viability of applying linear observability methods to the nonlinear orbit problem. Furthermore, pre-whitening is implemented to reformulate classical observability analysis. In addition, the state in observability analysis is typically composed of position and velocity; however, including object characteristics beyond position and velocity can be crucial for precise orbit propagation. For example, solar radiation pressure has a significant impact on the orbit of high area-to-mass ratio objects in geosynchronous orbit. Therefore, determining the time required for solar radiation pressure parameters to become observable is important for understanding debris objects. In order to compare observability analysis results with and without measurement noise and an extended state, quantitative measures of observability are investigated and implemented.

Expanding the Design Space: Forging the Transition from 3D Printing to Additive Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amend, Matthew

The synergy of Additive Manufacturing and Computational Geometry has the potential to radically expand the "design space" of solutions available to designers. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is capable of fabricating objects that are highly complex both in geometry and material properties. However, the introduction of any new technology can have a disruptive effect on established design practices and organizations. Before "Design for Additive Manufacturing" (DFAM) is a commonplace means of producing objects employed in "real world" products, appropriate design knowledge must be sufficiently integrated within industry. First, materials suited to additive manufacturing methods must be developed to satisfy existing industry standards and specifications, or new standards must be developed. Second, a new class of design representation (CAD) tools will need to be developed. Third, designers and design organizations will need to develop strategies for employing such tools. This thesis describes three DFAM exercises intended to demonstrate the potential for innovative design when using advanced additive materials, tools, and printers. These design exercises included 1) a light-weight composite layup mold developed with topology optimization, 2) a low-pressure fluid duct enhanced with an external lattice structure, and 3) an airline seat tray designed using a non-uniform lattice structure optimized with topology optimization.

Manipulator for hollow objects

DOEpatents

Cawley, William E.; Frantz, Charles E.

1977-01-01

A device for gripping the interior of a tubular object to pull it out of a body in which it has become stuck includes an expandable rubber tube having a plurality of metal cables lodged in the exterior of the rubber tube so as to protrude slightly therefrom, means for inflating the tube and means for pulling the tube longitudinally of the tubular object.

Potential objective biomarkers for fatigue among working women.

PubMed

Ebata, Chie; Tatsuta, Hitomi; Tatemichi, Masayuki

2017-05-25

The prediction of health impairment due to work overload is subjectively assessed based on recognized symptoms; however, objective evaluation is primarily ideal in the field of occupational health. Recently, some biomarkers of autonomic function and/or oxidative stress were reported to be associated with fatigue. This study aimed to preliminarily investigate whether these biomarkers could be objective indicators for fatigue and stress among working women. Participants included 118 full-time female workers (mean age 37.8 years), including 55 shift workers. Self-administered questionnaires, such as visual analog scale (VAS) for general health, a lifestyle questionnaire, SF-8 for health-related quality of life, and K6 for mental health screening, were used. In addition, biomarkers such as acceleration plethysmogram (APG), reactive oxygen metabolites-derived compounds (d-ROMs), and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) were measured. A significant association was observed between BAP and VAS (r=0.482, p<0.01) among shift workers. However, other biomarkers such as APG and d-ROMs were not significantly associated with symptoms. d-ROMs were significantly correlated with age and body mass index. There was a significant negative correlation between BAP and smoking. Results of the APG (low-frequency (LF) /high-frequency (HF) ratio) were significantly correlated with BAP, but not with d-ROMs. The LF/HF ratio and BAP for shift workers were significantly higher than those for day-time workers. Our results suggest that APG and BAP are potential objective biomarkers for fatigue among working women, although further follow-up studies are needed to clarify the scope of usefulness of the biomarkers for fatigue.

High Energy Density Additives for Hybrid Fuel Rockets to Improve Performance and Enhance Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaffe, Richard L.

2014-01-01

We propose a conceptual study of prototype strained hydrocarbon molecules as high energy density additives for hybrid rocket fuels to boost the performance of these rockets without compromising safety and reliability. Use of these additives could extend the range of applications for which hybrid rockets become an attractive alternative to conventional solid or liquid fuel rockets. The objectives of the study were to confirm and quantify the high enthalpy of these strained molecules and to assess improvement in rocket performance that would be expected if these additives were blended with conventional fuels. We confirmed the chemical properties (including enthalpy) of these additives. However, the predicted improvement in rocket performance was too small to make this a useful strategy for boosting hybrid rocket performance.

Audiovisual communication of object-names improves the spatial accuracy of recalled object-locations in topographic maps.

PubMed

Lammert-Siepmann, Nils; Bestgen, Anne-Kathrin; Edler, Dennis; Kuchinke, Lars; Dickmann, Frank

2017-01-01

Knowing the correct location of a specific object learned from a (topographic) map is fundamental for orientation and navigation tasks. Spatial reference systems, such as coordinates or cardinal directions, are helpful tools for any geometric localization of positions that aims to be as exact as possible. Considering modern visualization techniques of multimedia cartography, map elements transferred through the auditory channel can be added easily. Audiovisual approaches have been discussed in the cartographic community for many years. However, the effectiveness of audiovisual map elements for map use has hardly been explored so far. Within an interdisciplinary (cartography-cognitive psychology) research project, it is examined whether map users remember object-locations better if they do not just read the corresponding place names, but also listen to them as voice recordings. This approach is based on the idea that learning object-identities influences learning object-locations, which is crucial for map-reading tasks. The results of an empirical study show that the additional auditory communication of object names not only improves memory for the names (object-identities), but also for the spatial accuracy of their corresponding object-locations. The audiovisual communication of semantic attribute information of a spatial object seems to improve the binding of object-identity and object-location, which enhances the spatial accuracy of object-location memory.

Audiovisual communication of object-names improves the spatial accuracy of recalled object-locations in topographic maps

PubMed Central

Bestgen, Anne-Kathrin; Edler, Dennis; Kuchinke, Lars; Dickmann, Frank

2017-01-01

Knowing the correct location of a specific object learned from a (topographic) map is fundamental for orientation and navigation tasks. Spatial reference systems, such as coordinates or cardinal directions, are helpful tools for any geometric localization of positions that aims to be as exact as possible. Considering modern visualization techniques of multimedia cartography, map elements transferred through the auditory channel can be added easily. Audiovisual approaches have been discussed in the cartographic community for many years. However, the effectiveness of audiovisual map elements for map use has hardly been explored so far. Within an interdisciplinary (cartography-cognitive psychology) research project, it is examined whether map users remember object-locations better if they do not just read the corresponding place names, but also listen to them as voice recordings. This approach is based on the idea that learning object-identities influences learning object-locations, which is crucial for map-reading tasks. The results of an empirical study show that the additional auditory communication of object names not only improves memory for the names (object-identities), but also for the spatial accuracy of their corresponding object-locations. The audiovisual communication of semantic attribute information of a spatial object seems to improve the binding of object-identity and object-location, which enhances the spatial accuracy of object-location memory. PMID:29059237

Assessment of the core learning objectives curriculum for the urology clerkship.

PubMed

Rapp, David E; Gong, Edward M; Reynolds, W Stuart; Lucioni, Alvaro; Zagaja, Gregory P

2007-11-01

The traditional approach to the surgical clerkship has limitations, including variability of clinical exposure. To optimize student education we developed and introduced the core learning objectives curriculum, which is designed to allow students freedom to direct their learning and focus on core concepts. We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled study to compare the efficacy of core learning objectives vs traditional curricula through objective and subjective measures. Medical students were randomly assigned to the core learning objectives or traditional curricula during the 2-week urology clerkship. Faculty was blinded to student assignment. Upon rotation completion all students were given a 20-question multiple choice examination covering basic urology concepts. In addition, students completed a questionnaire addressing subjective clerkship satisfaction, comprising 15 questions. Between June 2005 and January 2007, 10 core learning objectives students and 10 traditional students completed the urology clerkship. The average +/- SEM multiple choice examination score was 12.1 +/- 0.87 and 9.8 +/- 0.59 for students assigned to the core learning objectives and traditional curricula, respectively (p <0.05). Subjective scores were higher in the core learning objectives cohort, although this result did not attain statistical significance (124.9 +/- 3.72 vs 114.3 +/- 4.96, p = 0.1). Core learning objectives students reported higher satisfaction in all 15 assessed subjective end points. Our experience suggests that the core learning objectives model may be an effective educational tool to help students achieve a broad and directed exposure to the core urological concepts.

Industrial Electronics. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tiffany, Earl

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 30 terminal objectives for a two-semester (2 hours daily) high school course in basic industrial electronics. The objectives cover instruction in basic electricity including AC-DC theory, magnetism, electrical safety, care and use of hand tools,…

Multiple Level Crowding: Crowding at the Object Parts Level and at the Object Configural level.

PubMed

Kimchi, Ruth; Pirkner, Yossef

2015-01-01

In crowding, identification of a peripheral target in the presence of nearby flankers is worse than when the target appears alone. Prevailing theories hold that crowding occurs because of integration or "pooling" of low-level features at a single, relatively early stage of visual processing. Recent studies suggest that crowding can occur also between high-level object representations. The most relevant findings come from studies with faces and may be specific to faces. We examined whether crowding can occur at the object configural level in addition to part-level crowding, using nonface objects. Target (a disconnected square or diamond made of four elements) identification was measured at varying eccentricities. The flankers were similar either to the target parts or to the target configuration. The results showed crowding in both cases: Flankers interfered with target identification such that identification accuracy decreased with an increase in eccentricity, and no interference was observed at the fovea. Crowding by object parts, however, was weaker and had smaller spatial extent than crowding by object configurations; we related this finding to the relationship between crowding and perceptual organization. These results provide strong evidence that crowding occurs not only between object parts but also between configural representations of objects. © The Author(s) 2015.

Optimization of forest wildlife objectives

Treesearch

John Hof; Robert Haight

2007-01-01

This chapter presents an overview of methods for optimizing wildlife-related objectives. These objectives hinge on landscape pattern, so we refer to these methods as "spatial optimization." It is currently possible to directly capture deterministic characterizations of the most basic spatial relationships: proximity relationships (including those that lead to...

A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing Part I: System Analysis, Component Identification, Additive Manufacturing, and Testing of Polymer Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grady, Joseph E.; Haller, William J.; Poinsatte, Philip E.; Halbig, Michael C.; Schnulo, Sydney L.; Singh, Mrityunjay; Weir, Don; Wali, Natalie; Vinup, Michael; Jones, Michael G.;

77 FR 55195 - Procurement List; Additions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-07

... nonprofit agencies to provide the services and impact of the additions on the current or most recent... would accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 8501-8506) in connection with...

Adult Roles & Functions. Objective Based Evaluation System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West Virginia State Vocational Curriculum Lab., Cedar Lakes.

This book of objective-based test items is designed to be used with the Adult Roles and Functions curriculum for a non-laboratory home economic course for grades eleven and twelve. It contains item banks for each cognitive objective in the curriculum. In addition, there is a form for the table of specifications to be developed for each unit. This…

Teaching Object Permanence: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, Susan M.; Vargas, Claudia

2013-01-01

"Object permanence," also known as "object concept" in the field of visual impairment, is one of the most important early developmental milestones. The achievement of object permanence is associated with the onset of representational thought and language. Object permanence is important to orientation, including the recognition of landmarks.…

Food additives

MedlinePlus

... or natural. Natural food additives include: Herbs or spices to add flavor to foods Vinegar for pickling ... Certain colors improve the appearance of foods. Many spices, as well as natural and man-made flavors, ...

Towards Robust Designs Via Multiple-Objective Optimization Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Man Mohan, Rai

2006-01-01

Fabricating and operating complex systems involves dealing with uncertainty in the relevant variables. In the case of aircraft, flow conditions are subject to change during operation. Efficiency and engine noise may be different from the expected values because of manufacturing tolerances and normal wear and tear. Engine components may have a shorter life than expected because of manufacturing tolerances. In spite of the important effect of operating- and manufacturing-uncertainty on the performance and expected life of the component or system, traditional aerodynamic shape optimization has focused on obtaining the best design given a set of deterministic flow conditions. Clearly it is important to both maintain near-optimal performance levels at off-design operating conditions, and, ensure that performance does not degrade appreciably when the component shape differs from the optimal shape due to manufacturing tolerances and normal wear and tear. These requirements naturally lead to the idea of robust optimal design wherein the concept of robustness to various perturbations is built into the design optimization procedure. The basic ideas involved in robust optimal design will be included in this lecture. The imposition of the additional requirement of robustness results in a multiple-objective optimization problem requiring appropriate solution procedures. Typically the costs associated with multiple-objective optimization are substantial. Therefore efficient multiple-objective optimization procedures are crucial to the rapid deployment of the principles of robust design in industry. Hence the companion set of lecture notes (Single- and Multiple-Objective Optimization with Differential Evolution and Neural Networks ) deals with methodology for solving multiple-objective Optimization problems efficiently, reliably and with little user intervention. Applications of the methodologies presented in the companion lecture to robust design will be included here. The

An Object Oriented Extensible Architecture for Affordable Aerospace Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Follen, Gregory J.; Lytle, John K. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Driven by a need to explore and develop propulsion systems that exceeded current computing capabilities, NASA Glenn embarked on a novel strategy leading to the development of an architecture that enables propulsion simulations never thought possible before. Full engine 3 Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamic propulsion system simulations were deemed impossible due to the impracticality of the hardware and software computing systems required. However, with a software paradigm shift and an embracing of parallel and distributed processing, an architecture was designed to meet the needs of future propulsion system modeling. The author suggests that the architecture designed at the NASA Glenn Research Center for propulsion system modeling has potential for impacting the direction of development of affordable weapons systems currently under consideration by the Applied Vehicle Technology Panel (AVT). This paper discusses the salient features of the NPSS Architecture including its interface layer, object layer, implementation for accessing legacy codes, numerical zooming infrastructure and its computing layer. The computing layer focuses on the use and deployment of these propulsion simulations on parallel and distributed computing platforms which has been the focus of NASA Ames. Additional features of the object oriented architecture that support MultiDisciplinary (MD) Coupling, computer aided design (CAD) access and MD coupling objects will be discussed. Included will be a discussion of the successes, challenges and benefits of implementing this architecture.

Sex and spatial position effects on object location memory following intentional learning of object identities.

PubMed

Alexander, Gerianne M; Packard, Mark G; Peterson, Bradley S

2002-01-01

Memory for object location relative both to veridical center (left versus right visual hemispace) and to eccentricity (central versus peripheral objects) was measured in 26 males and 25 females using the Silverman and Eals Location Memory Task. A subset of participants (17 males and 13 females) also completed a measure of implicit learning, the mirror-tracing task. No sex differences were observed in memory for object identities. Further, in both sexes, memory for object locations was better for peripherally located objects than for centrally located objects. In contrast to these similarities in female and male task performance, females but not males showed better recovery of object locations in the right compared to the left visual hemispace. Moreover, memory for object locations in the right hemispace was associated with mirror-tracing performance in women but not in men. Together, these data suggest that the processing of object features and object identification in the left cerebral hemisphere may include processing of spatial information that may contribute to superior object location memory in females relative to males.

Augmenting Phase Space Quantization to Introduce Additional Physical Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robbins, Matthew P. G.

Quantum mechanics can be done using classical phase space functions and a star product. The state of the system is described by a quasi-probability distribution. A classical system can be quantized in phase space in different ways with different quasi-probability distributions and star products. A transition differential operator relates different phase space quantizations. The objective of this thesis is to introduce additional physical effects into the process of quantization by using the transition operator. As prototypical examples, we first look at the coarse-graining of the Wigner function and the damped simple harmonic oscillator. By generalizing the transition operator and star product to also be functions of the position and momentum, we show that additional physical features beyond damping and coarse-graining can be introduced into a quantum system, including the generalized uncertainty principle of quantum gravity phenomenology, driving forces, and decoherence.

An efficient voting algorithm for finding additive biclusters with random background.

PubMed

Xiao, Jing; Wang, Lusheng; Liu, Xiaowen; Jiang, Tao

2008-12-01

The biclustering problem has been extensively studied in many areas, including e-commerce, data mining, machine learning, pattern recognition, statistics, and, more recently, computational biology. Given an n x m matrix A (n >or= m), the main goal of biclustering is to identify a subset of rows (called objects) and a subset of columns (called properties) such that some objective function that specifies the quality of the found bicluster (formed by the subsets of rows and of columns of A) is optimized. The problem has been proved or conjectured to be NP-hard for various objective functions. In this article, we study a probabilistic model for the implanted additive bicluster problem, where each element in the n x m background matrix is a random integer from [0, L - 1] for some integer L, and a k x k implanted additive bicluster is obtained from an error-free additive bicluster by randomly changing each element to a number in [0, L - 1] with probability theta. We propose an O(n(2)m) time algorithm based on voting to solve the problem. We show that when k >or= Omega(square root of (n log n)), the voting algorithm can correctly find the implanted bicluster with probability at least 1 - (9/n(2)). We also implement our algorithm as a C++ program named VOTE. The implementation incorporates several ideas for estimating the size of an implanted bicluster, adjusting the threshold in voting, dealing with small biclusters, and dealing with overlapping implanted biclusters. Our experimental results on both simulated and real datasets show that VOTE can find biclusters with a high accuracy and speed.

Global agenda, local health: including concepts of health security in preparedness programs at the jurisdictional level.

PubMed

Eby, Chas

2014-01-01

The Global Health Security Agenda's objectives contain components that could help health departments address emerging public health challenges that threaten the population. As part of the agenda, partner countries with advanced public health systems will support the development of infrastructure in stakeholder health departments. To facilitate this process and augment local programs, state and local health departments may want to include concepts of health security in their public health preparedness offices in order to simultaneously build capacity. Health security programs developed by public health departments should complete projects that are closely aligned with the objectives outlined in the global agenda and that facilitate the completion of current preparedness grant requirements. This article identifies objectives and proposes tactical local projects that run parallel to the 9 primary objectives of the Global Health Security Agenda. Executing concurrent projects at the international and local levels in preparedness offices will accelerate the completion of these objectives and help prevent disease epidemics, detect health threats, and respond to public health emergencies. Additionally, future funding tied or related to health security may become more accessible to state and local health departments that have achieved these objectives.

Object recognition contributions to figure-ground organization: operations on outlines and subjective contours.

PubMed

Peterson, M A; Gibson, B S

1994-11-01

In previous research, replicated here, we found that some object recognition processes influence figure-ground organization. We have proposed that these object recognition processes operate on edges (or contours) detected early in visual processing, rather than on regions. Consistent with this proposal, influences from object recognition on figure-ground organization were previously observed in both pictures and stereograms depicting regions of different luminance, but not in random-dot stereograms, where edges arise late in processing (Peterson & Gibson, 1993). In the present experiments, we examined whether or not two other types of contours--outlines and subjective contours--enable object recognition influences on figure-ground organization. For both types of contours we observed a pattern of effects similar to that originally obtained with luminance edges. The results of these experiments are valuable for distinguishing between alternative views of the mechanisms mediating object recognition influences on figure-ground organization. In addition, in both Experiments 1 and 2, fixated regions were seen as figure longer than nonfixated regions, suggesting that fixation location must be included among the variables relevant to figure-ground organization.

Cantera and Cantera Electrolyte Thermodynamics Objects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

John Hewson, Harry Moffat

Cantera is a suite of object-oriented software tools for problems involving chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and/or transport processes. It is a multi-organizational effort to create and formulate high quality 0D and 1D constitutive modeling tools for reactive transport codes.Institutions involved with the effort include Sandia, MIT, Colorado School of Mines, U. Texas, NASA, and Oak Ridge National Labs. Specific to Sandia's contributions, the Cantera Electrolyte Thermo Objects (CETO) packages is comprised of add-on routines for Cantera that handle electrolyte thermochemistry and reactions within the overall Cantera package. Cantera is a C++ Cal Tech code that handles gas phase species transport, reaction,more » and thermodynamics. With this addition, Cantera can be extended to handle problems involving liquid phase reactions and transport in electrolyte systems, and phase equilibrium problemsinvolving concentrated electrolytes and gas/solid phases. A full treatment of molten salt thermodynamics and transport has also been implemented in CETO. The routines themselves consist of .cpp and .h files containing C++ objects that are derived from parent Cantera objects representing thermodynamic functions. They are linked unto the main Cantera libraries when requested by the user. As an addendum to the main thermodynamics objects, several utility applications are provided. The first is multiphase Gibbs free energy minimizer based on the vcs algorithm, called vcs_cantera. This code allows for the calculation of thermodynamic equilibrium in multiple phases at constant temperature and pressure. Note, a similar code capability exists already in Cantera. This version follows the same algorithm, but gas a different code-base starting point, and is used as a research tool for algorithm development. The second program, cttables, prints out tables of thermodynamic and kinetic information for thermodynamic and kinetic objects within Cantera. This program serves as a "Get the

A retrograde object near Jupiter's orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connors, M.; Wiegert, P.

2018-02-01

Asteroid 2007 VW266 is among the rare objects with a heliocentric retrograde orbit, and its semimajor axis is within a Hill sphere radius of that of Jupiter. This raised the interesting possibility that it could be in co-orbital retrograde resonance with Jupiter, a second "counter-orbital" object in addition to recently discovered 2015 BZ509. We find instead that the object is in 13/14 retrograde mean motion resonance (also referred to as 13/-14). The object is shown to have entered its present orbit about 1700 years ago, and it will leave it in about 8000 years, both through close approach to Jupiter. Entry and exit states both avoid 1:1 retrograde resonance, but the retrograde nature is preserved. The temporary stable state is due to an elliptic orbit with high inclination keeping nodal passages far from the associated planet. We discuss the motion of this unusual object based on modeling and theory, and its observational prospects.

Application of LC-MS to the analysis of dyes in objects of historical interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xian; Laursen, Richard

2009-07-01

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with photodiode array and mass spectrometric detection permits dyes extracted from objects of historical interest or from natural plant or animal dyestuffs to be characterized on the basis of three orthogonal properties: HPLC retention time, UV-visible spectrum and molecular mass. In the present study, we have focused primarily on yellow dyes, the bulk of which are flavonoid glycosides that would be almost impossible to characterize without mass spectrometric detection. Also critical for this analysis is a method for mild extraction of the dyes from objects (e.g., textiles) without hydrolyzing the glycosidic linkages. This was accomplished using 5% formic acid in methanol, rather than the more traditional 6 M HCl. Mass spectroscopy, besides providing the molecular mass of the dye molecule, sometimes yields additional structural data based on fragmentation patterns. In addition, coeluting compounds can often be detected using extracted ion chromatography. The utility of mass spectrometry is illustrated by the analysis of historical specimens of silk that had been dyed yellow with flavonoid glycosides from Sophora japonica (pagoda tree) and curcumins from Curcuma longa (turmeric). In addition, we have used these techniques to identify the dye type, and sometimes the specific dyestuff, in a variety of objects, including a yellow varnish from a 19th century Tibetan altar and a 3000-year-old wool mortuary textiles, from Xinjiang, China. We are using HPLC with diode array and mass spectrometric detection to create a library of analyzed dyestuffs (>200 so far; mostly plants) to serve as references for identification of dyes in objects of historical interest.

Direct and indirect pathways for choosing objects and actions.

PubMed

Hikosaka, Okihide; Kim, Hyoung F; Amita, Hidetoshi; Yasuda, Masaharu; Isoda, Masaki; Tachibana, Yoshihisa; Yoshida, Atsushi

2018-02-23

A prominent target of the basal ganglia is the superior colliculus (SC) which controls gaze orientation (saccadic eye movement in primates) to an important object. This 'object choice' is crucial for choosing an action on the object. SC is innervated by the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) which is controlled mainly by the caudate nucleus (CD). This CD-SNr-SC circuit is sensitive to the values of individual objects and facilitates saccades to good objects. The object values are processed differently in two parallel circuits: flexibly by the caudate head (CDh) and stably by the caudate tail (CDt). To choose good objects, we need to reject bad objects. In fact, these contrasting functions are accomplished by the circuit originating from CDt: The direct pathway focuses on good objects and facilitates saccades to them; the indirect pathway focuses on bad objects and suppresses saccades to them. Inactivation of CDt deteriorated the object choice, because saccades to bad objects were no longer suppressed. This suggests that the indirect pathway is important for object choice. However, the direct and indirect pathways for 'object choice', which aim at the same action (i.e., saccade), may not work for 'action choice'. One possibility is that circuits controlling different actions are connected through the indirect pathway. Additional connections of the indirect pathway with brain areas outside the basal ganglia may also provide a wider range of behavioral choice. In conclusion, basal ganglia circuits are composed of the basic direct/indirect pathways and additional connections and thus have acquired multiple functions. © 2018 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Laser scanning system for object monitoring

DOEpatents

McIntyre, Timothy James [Knoxville, TN; Maxey, Lonnie Curtis [Powell, TN; Chiaro, Jr; John, Peter [Clinton, TN

2008-04-22

A laser scanner is located in a fixed position to have line-of-sight access to key features of monitored objects. The scanner rapidly scans pre-programmed points corresponding to the positions of retroreflecting targets affixed to the key features of the objects. The scanner is capable of making highly detailed scans of any portion of the field of view, permitting the exact location and identity of targets to be confirmed. The security of an object is verified by determining that the cooperative target is still present and that its position has not changed. The retroreflecting targets also modulate the reflected light for purposes of returning additional information back to the location of the scanner.

Matrix evaluation of science objectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessen, Randii R.

1994-01-01

The most fundamental objective of all robotic planetary spacecraft is to return science data. To accomplish this, a spacecraft is fabricated and built, software is planned and coded, and a ground system is designed and implemented. However, the quantitative analysis required to determine how the collection of science data drives ground system capabilities has received very little attention. This paper defines a process by which science objectives can be quantitatively evaluated. By applying it to the Cassini Mission to Saturn, this paper further illustrates the power of this technique. The results show which science objectives drive specific ground system capabilities. In addition, this process can assist system engineers and scientists in the selection of the science payload during pre-project mission planning; ground system designers during ground system development and implementation; and operations personnel during mission operations.

Monocular Vision-Based Underwater Object Detection

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhen; Dai, Fengzhao; Bu, Yang; Wang, Huibin

2017-01-01

In this paper, we propose an underwater object detection method using monocular vision sensors. In addition to commonly used visual features such as color and intensity, we investigate the potential of underwater object detection using light transmission information. The global contrast of various features is used to initially identify the region of interest (ROI), which is then filtered by the image segmentation method, producing the final underwater object detection results. We test the performance of our method with diverse underwater datasets. Samples of the datasets are acquired by a monocular camera with different qualities (such as resolution and focal length) and setups (viewing distance, viewing angle, and optical environment). It is demonstrated that our ROI detection method is necessary and can largely remove the background noise and significantly increase the accuracy of our underwater object detection method. PMID:28771194

78 FR 75912 - Procurement List; Addition and Deletion

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-13

... nonprofit agency to provide the service and impact of the addition on the current or most recent contractors... would accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 8501-8506) in connection with... would accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 8501-8506) in connection with...

Developments in Young Infants' Reasoning about Occluded Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aguiar, Andrea; Baillargeon, Renee

2002-01-01

Eight experiments were conducted to examine 3- and 3.5-month-old infants' responses to occlusion events. The results revealed two developments, one in infants' knowledge of when objects should and should not be occluded and the other in infants' ability to posit additional objects to make sense of events that would otherwise violate their…

[Objective accommodation parameters depending on accommodation task].

PubMed

Tarutta, E P; Tarasova, N A; Dolzhenko, O O

2011-01-01

62 myopic patients were examined to study objective accommodation parameters in different conditions of accommodation stimulus presenting (use of convex lenses). Objective accommodation response (OAR) was studied using binocular open-field autorefractometer in different conditions of stimulus presenting: complete myopia correction and adding of convex lenses with increasing power from +1.0 till +3.0 D. In 88,5% of children and adolescents showed significant decrease of OAR for 1,5-2,75D in 3.0D stimulus. Additional correction with convex lenses with increasing power leads to further reduce of accommodation response. As a result induced dynamic refraction in eye-lens system is lower than accommodation task. Only addition of +2,5D lense approximates it to required index of -3.0D.

Additive Manufacturing for Cost Efficient Production of Compact Ceramic Heat Exchangers and Recuperators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shulman, Holly; Ross, Nicole

2015-10-30

An additive manufacture technique known as laminated object manufacturing (LOM) was used to fabricate compact ceramic heat exchanger prototypes. LOM uses precision CO2 laser cutting of ceramic green tapes, which are then precision stacked to build a 3D object with fine internal features. Modeling was used to develop prototype designs and predict the thermal response, stress, and efficiency in the ceramic heat exchangers. Build testing and materials analyses were used to provide feedback for the design selection. During this development process, laminated object manufacturing protocols were established. This included laser optimization, strategies for fine feature integrity, lamination fluid control, greenmore » handling, and firing profile. Three full size prototypes were fabricated using two different designs. One prototype was selected for performance testing. During testing, cross talk leakage prevented the application of a high pressure differential, however, the prototype was successful at withstanding the high temperature operating conditions (1300 °F). In addition, analysis showed that the bulk of the part did not have cracks or leakage issues. This led to the development of a module method for next generation LOM heat exchangers. A scale-up cost analysis showed that given a purpose built LOM system, these ceramic heat exchangers would be affordable for the applications.« less

Spacecraft formation flying for Earth-crossing object deflections using a power limited laser ablating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Sung-Moon; Song, Young-Joo; Park, Sang-Young; Choi, Kyu-Hong

2009-06-01

A formation flying strategy with an Earth-crossing object (ECO) is proposed to avoid the Earth collision. Assuming that a future conceptual spacecraft equipped with a powerful laser ablation tool already rendezvoused with a fictitious Earth collision object, the optimal required laser operating duration and direction histories are accurately derived to miss the Earth. Based on these results, the concept of formation flying between the object and the spacecraft is applied and analyzed as to establish the spacecraft's orbital motion design strategy. A fictitious "Apophis"-like object is established to impact with the Earth and two major deflection scenarios are designed and analyzed. These scenarios include the cases for the both short and long laser operating duration to avoid the Earth impact. Also, requirement of onboard laser tool's for both cases are discussed. As a result, the optimal initial conditions for the spacecraft to maintain its relative trajectory to the object are discovered. Additionally, the discovered optimal initial conditions also satisfied the optimal required laser operating conditions with no additional spacecraft's own fuel expenditure to achieve the spacecraft formation flying with the ECO. The initial conditions founded in the current research can be used as a spacecraft's initial rendezvous points with the ECO when designing the future deflection missions with laser ablation tools. The results with proposed strategy are expected to make more advances in the fields of the conceptual studies, especially for the future deflection missions using powerful laser ablation tools.

Ethical objections against including life-extension costs in cost-effectiveness analysis: a consistent approach.

PubMed

Gandjour, Afschin; Müller, Dirk

2014-10-01

One of the major ethical concerns regarding cost-effectiveness analysis in health care has been the inclusion of life-extension costs ("it is cheaper to let people die"). For this reason, many analysts have opted to rule out life-extension costs from the analysis. However, surprisingly little has been written in the health economics literature regarding this ethical concern and the resulting practice. The purpose of this work was to present a framework and potential solution for ethical objections against life-extension costs. This work found three levels of ethical concern: (i) with respect to all life-extension costs (disease-related and -unrelated); (ii) with respect to disease-unrelated costs only; and (iii) regarding disease-unrelated costs plus disease-related costs not influenced by the intervention. Excluding all life-extension costs for ethical reasons would require-for reasons of consistency-a simultaneous exclusion of savings from reducing morbidity. At the other extreme, excluding only disease-unrelated life-extension costs for ethical reasons would require-again for reasons of consistency-the exclusion of health gains due to treatment of unrelated diseases. Therefore, addressing ethical concerns regarding the inclusion of life-extension costs necessitates fundamental changes in the calculation of cost effectiveness.

Optical Properties of High Area-to-Mass Objects at GEO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seitzer, Patrick; Schildknecht, Thomas; Musci, Reto; Flohrer, Tim; Barker, Ed; Stansbery, Eugene; Agapov, Vladimir; Rumyantsev, Vasilij; Biryukov, Vadym; Abercromby, Kira;

75 FR 36362 - Procurement List Additions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-25

... additions to the Procurement List. Glove, Mechanic's A commercial company submitted comments objecting to... provide the mechanic's gloves in compliance with the Acts cited by CamelBak in its correspondence to the... Accordingly, the following products and services are added to the Procurement List: Products Glove, Mechanic's...

Visual working memory for global, object, and part-based information.

PubMed

Patterson, Michael D; Bly, Benjamin Martin; Porcelli, Anthony J; Rypma, Bart

2007-06-01

We investigated visual working memory for novel objects and parts of novel objects. After a delay period, participants showed strikingly more accurate performance recognizing a single whole object than the parts of that object. This bias to remember whole objects, rather than parts, persisted even when the division between parts was clearly defined and the parts were disconnected from each other so that, in order to remember the single whole object, the participants needed to mentally combine the parts. In addition, the bias was confirmed when the parts were divided by color. These experiments indicated that holistic perceptual-grouping biases are automatically used to organize storage in visual working memory. In addition, our results suggested that the bias was impervious to top-down consciously directed control, because when task demands were manipulated through instruction and catch trials, the participants still recognized whole objects more quickly and more accurately than their parts. This bias persisted even when the whole objects were novel and the parts were familiar. We propose that visual working memory representations depend primarily on the global configural properties of whole objects, rather than part-based representations, even when the parts themselves can be clearly perceived as individual objects. This global configural bias beneficially reduces memory load on a capacity-limited system operating in a complex visual environment, because fewer distinct items must be remembered.

Use of Objective Metrics in Dynamic Facial Reanimation: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Revenaugh, Peter C; Smith, Ryan M; Plitt, Max A; Ishii, Lisa; Boahene, Kofi; Byrne, Patrick J

2018-06-21

Facial nerve deficits cause significant functional and social consequences for those affected. Existing techniques for dynamic restoration of facial nerve function are imperfect and result in a wide variety of outcomes. Currently, there is no standard objective instrument for facial movement as it relates to restorative techniques. To determine what objective instruments of midface movement are used in outcome measurements for patients treated with dynamic methods for facial paralysis. Database searches from January 1970 to June 2017 were performed in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus. Only English-language articles on studies performed in humans were considered. The search terms used were ("Surgical Flaps"[Mesh] OR "Nerve Transfer"[Mesh] OR "nerve graft" OR "nerve grafts") AND (face [mh] OR facial paralysis [mh]) AND (innervation [sh]) OR ("Face"[Mesh] OR facial paralysis [mh]) AND (reanimation [tiab]). Two independent reviewers evaluated the titles and abstracts of all articles and included those that reported objective outcomes of a surgical technique in at least 2 patients. The presence or absence of an objective instrument for evaluating outcomes of midface reanimation. Additional outcome measures were reproducibility of the test, reporting of symmetry, measurement of multiple variables, and test validity. Of 241 articles describing dynamic facial reanimation techniques, 49 (20.3%) reported objective outcome measures for 1898 patients. Of those articles reporting objective measures, there were 29 different instruments, only 3 of which reported all outcome measures. Although instruments are available to objectively measure facial movement after reanimation techniques, most studies do not report objective outcomes. Of objective facial reanimation instruments, few are reproducible and able to measure symmetry and multiple data points. To accurately compare objective outcomes in facial reanimation, a reproducible, objective, and

The highs and lows of object impossibility: effects of spatial frequency on holistic processing of impossible objects.

PubMed

Freud, Erez; Avidan, Galia; Ganel, Tzvi

2015-02-01

Holistic processing, the decoding of a stimulus as a unified whole, is a basic characteristic of object perception. Recent research using Garner's speeded classification task has shown that this processing style is utilized even for impossible objects that contain an inherent spatial ambiguity. In particular, similar Garner interference effects were found for possible and impossible objects, indicating similar holistic processing styles for the two object categories. In the present study, we further investigated the perceptual mechanisms that mediate such holistic representation of impossible objects. We relied on the notion that, whereas information embedded in the high-spatial-frequency (HSF) content supports fine-detailed processing of object features, the information conveyed by low spatial frequencies (LSF) is more crucial for the emergence of a holistic shape representation. To test the effects of image frequency on the holistic processing of impossible objects, participants performed the Garner speeded classification task on images of possible and impossible cubes filtered for their LSF and HSF information. For images containing only LSF, similar interference effects were observed for possible and impossible objects, indicating that the two object categories were processed in a holistic manner. In contrast, for the HSF images, Garner interference was obtained only for possible, but not for impossible objects. Importantly, we provided evidence to show that this effect could not be attributed to a lack of sensitivity to object possibility in the LSF images. Particularly, even for full-spectrum images, Garner interference was still observed for both possible and impossible objects. Additionally, performance in an object classification task revealed high sensitivity to object possibility, even for LSF images. Taken together, these findings suggest that the visual system can tolerate the spatial ambiguity typical to impossible objects by relying on information

Astrometric and Photometric Follow-Up of Faint Near Earth Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spahr, Timothy

2004-01-01

During the last year, the Near-Earth Object (NEO) follow-up program at Mt. Hopkins funded by the Near-Earth Object Observations (NEOO) program continued to improve. The Principal Investigator was again granted all the requested observing time. In addition to the requested time on the 4 8 in. telescope, 2 nights were also granted on the MMT for observations of extremely faint main-belt asteroids and NEOs. It is expected that the MMT can easily reach V = 25 over a 24 X 24 arcminute field of view. Improvements in the last year included more tweaks to the automatic astrometric routine for higher-quality astrometric fits. Use of the new USNO-B1.0 reference catalog has allowed the PI to push the average RMS of reference star solutions below 0.2 in.. Shift-and- stack techniques are used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the target objects. The 48 in. telescope at Mt. Hopkins is completely automated, and can be run remotely from either the Principal Investigator's office at SAO, or even his study at home. Most observing runs are now done remotely.

Physical Properties of Centaur Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruikshank, Dale P.; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Centaurs are objects in unstable orbits that cross the orbits of the giant planets. They are presumed to be recent additions to the planetary zone of the Solar System, having been dynamically perturbed from the Kulper Disk by the gravitational action of Neptune. Telescopic observations of Centaurs are important because they give us a view of the composition (and in some cases cometary activity) of large bodies that are normally to far from the Sun to be studied in detail. This paper reports on physical observations, primarily through spectroscopy, of the compositions of a small number of Centaurs that have been studied to date. In particular, the composition of 5145 Pholus is reviewed, following the published work of Crulkshank et al., in which compositional models that fit the spectrum well included H2O ice, the organic solid Titan tholin, a light hydrocarbon ice (e.g., CH3OH), the silicate mineral olivine, and amorphous carbon. The Centaur 1997 CU(26) shows evidence for H2O ice, but nothing else is yet identified.

Selective object encryption for privacy protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yicong; Panetta, Karen; Cherukuri, Ravindranath; Agaian, Sos

2009-05-01

This paper introduces a new recursive sequence called the truncated P-Fibonacci sequence, its corresponding binary code called the truncated Fibonacci p-code and a new bit-plane decomposition method using the truncated Fibonacci pcode. In addition, a new lossless image encryption algorithm is presented that can encrypt a selected object using this new decomposition method for privacy protection. The user has the flexibility (1) to define the object to be protected as an object in an image or in a specific part of the image, a selected region of an image, or an entire image, (2) to utilize any new or existing method for edge detection or segmentation to extract the selected object from an image or a specific part/region of the image, (3) to select any new or existing method for the shuffling process. The algorithm can be used in many different areas such as wireless networking, mobile phone services and applications in homeland security and medical imaging. Simulation results and analysis verify that the algorithm shows good performance in object/image encryption and can withstand plaintext attacks.

Postscript: Identity and Constraints in Models of Object Formation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellman, Philip J.; Garrigan, Patrick; Shipley, Thomas F.; Keane, Brian P.

2007-01-01

Presents some additional comments from the current authors regarding their original article Interpolation processes in object perception: Reply to Anderson (2007). As this exchange concludes, we believe that the account of interpolation and object formation proposed by Kellman and Shipley (1991), further developed in recent years (Kellman, 2003;…

Object-based benefits without object-based representations.

PubMed

Fougnie, Daryl; Cormiea, Sarah M; Alvarez, George A

2013-08-01

Influential theories of visual working memory have proposed that the basic units of memory are integrated object representations. Key support for this proposal is provided by the same object benefit: It is easier to remember multiple features of a single object than the same set of features distributed across multiple objects. Here, we replicate the object benefit but demonstrate that features are not stored as single, integrated representations. Specifically, participants could remember 10 features better when arranged in 5 objects compared to 10 objects, yet memory for one object feature was largely independent of memory for the other object feature. These results rule out the possibility that integrated representations drive the object benefit and require a revision of the concept of object-based memory representations. We propose that working memory is object-based in regard to the factors that enhance performance but feature based in regard to the level of representational failure. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

The Contribution of Object Shape and Surface Properties to Object Ensemble Representation in Anterior-medial Ventral Visual Cortex.

PubMed

Cant, Jonathan S; Xu, Yaoda

2017-02-01

Our visual system can extract summary statistics from large collections of objects without forming detailed representations of the individual objects in the ensemble. In a region in ventral visual cortex encompassing the collateral sulcus and the parahippocampal gyrus and overlapping extensively with the scene-selective parahippocampal place area (PPA), we have previously reported fMRI adaptation to object ensembles when ensemble statistics repeated, even when local image features differed across images (e.g., two different images of the same strawberry pile). We additionally showed that this ensemble representation is similar to (but still distinct from) how visual texture patterns are processed in this region and is not explained by appealing to differences in the color of the elements that make up the ensemble. To further explore the nature of ensemble representation in this brain region, here we used PPA as our ROI and investigated in detail how the shape and surface properties (i.e., both texture and color) of the individual objects constituting an ensemble affect the ensemble representation in anterior-medial ventral visual cortex. We photographed object ensembles of stone beads that varied in shape and surface properties. A given ensemble always contained beads of the same shape and surface properties (e.g., an ensemble of star-shaped rose quartz beads). A change to the shape and/or surface properties of all the beads in an ensemble resulted in a significant release from adaptation in PPA compared with conditions in which no ensemble feature changed. In contrast, in the object-sensitive lateral occipital area (LO), we only observed a significant release from adaptation when the shape of the ensemble elements varied, and found no significant results in additional scene-sensitive regions, namely, the retrosplenial complex and occipital place area. Together, these results demonstrate that the shape and surface properties of the individual objects comprising an

Method for imaging a concealed object

DOEpatents

Davidson, James R [Idaho Falls, ID; Partin, Judy K [Idaho Falls, ID; Sawyers, Robert J [Idaho Falls, ID

2007-07-03

A method for imaging a concealed object is described and which includes a step of providing a heat radiating body, and wherein an object to be detected is concealed on the heat radiating body; imaging the heat radiating body to provide a visibly discernible infrared image of the heat radiating body; and determining if the visibly discernible infrared image of the heat radiating body is masked by the presence of the concealed object.

Estimating Additive and Non-Additive Genetic Variances and Predicting Genetic Merits Using Genome-Wide Dense Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers

PubMed Central

Su, Guosheng; Christensen, Ole F.; Ostersen, Tage; Henryon, Mark; Lund, Mogens S.

2012-01-01

Non-additive genetic variation is usually ignored when genome-wide markers are used to study the genetic architecture and genomic prediction of complex traits in human, wild life, model organisms or farm animals. However, non-additive genetic effects may have an important contribution to total genetic variation of complex traits. This study presented a genomic BLUP model including additive and non-additive genetic effects, in which additive and non-additive genetic relation matrices were constructed from information of genome-wide dense single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. In addition, this study for the first time proposed a method to construct dominance relationship matrix using SNP markers and demonstrated it in detail. The proposed model was implemented to investigate the amounts of additive genetic, dominance and epistatic variations, and assessed the accuracy and unbiasedness of genomic predictions for daily gain in pigs. In the analysis of daily gain, four linear models were used: 1) a simple additive genetic model (MA), 2) a model including both additive and additive by additive epistatic genetic effects (MAE), 3) a model including both additive and dominance genetic effects (MAD), and 4) a full model including all three genetic components (MAED). Estimates of narrow-sense heritability were 0.397, 0.373, 0.379 and 0.357 for models MA, MAE, MAD and MAED, respectively. Estimated dominance variance and additive by additive epistatic variance accounted for 5.6% and 9.5% of the total phenotypic variance, respectively. Based on model MAED, the estimate of broad-sense heritability was 0.506. Reliabilities of genomic predicted breeding values for the animals without performance records were 28.5%, 28.8%, 29.2% and 29.5% for models MA, MAE, MAD and MAED, respectively. In addition, models including non-additive genetic effects improved unbiasedness of genomic predictions. PMID:23028912

BAAM Additive Manufacturing of Magnetically Levitated Wind Turbine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richardson, Bradley S.; Noakes, Mark W.; Roschli, Alex C.

ORNL worked with Hover Energy LLC (Hover) on the design of Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) extrusion components. The objective of this technical collaboration was to identify and evaluate fabrication of components using alternative additive manufacturing techniques. Multiple candidate parts were identified. A design modification to fabricate diverters using additive manufacturing (AM) was performed and the part was analyzed based on anticipated wind loading. Scaled versions of two parts were printed using the BAAM for wind tunnel testing.

Extraction of Extended Small-Scale Objects in Digital Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, V. Y.

2015-05-01

Detection and localization problem of extended small-scale objects with different shapes appears in radio observation systems which use SAR, infra-red, lidar and television camera. Intensive non-stationary background is the main difficulty for processing. Other challenge is low quality of images, blobs, blurred boundaries; in addition SAR images suffer from a serious intrinsic speckle noise. Statistics of background is not normal, it has evident skewness and heavy tails in probability density, so it is hard to identify it. The problem of extraction small-scale objects is solved here on the basis of directional filtering, adaptive thresholding and morthological analysis. New kind of masks is used which are open-ended at one side so it is possible to extract ends of line segments with unknown length. An advanced method of dynamical adaptive threshold setting is investigated which is based on isolated fragments extraction after thresholding. Hierarchy of isolated fragments on binary image is proposed for the analysis of segmentation results. It includes small-scale objects with different shape, size and orientation. The method uses extraction of isolated fragments in binary image and counting points in these fragments. Number of points in extracted fragments is normalized to the total number of points for given threshold and is used as effectiveness of extraction for these fragments. New method for adaptive threshold setting and control maximises effectiveness of extraction. It has optimality properties for objects extraction in normal noise field and shows effective results for real SAR images.

Objects of attention, objects of perception.

PubMed

Avrahami, J

1999-11-01

Four experiments were conducted, to explore the notion of objects in perception. Taking as a starting point the effects of display content on rapid attention transfer and manipulating curvature, closure, and processing time, a link between objects of attention and objects of perception is proposed. In Experiment 1, a number of parallel, equally spaced, straight lines facilitated attention transfer along the lines, relative to transfer across the lines. In Experiment 2, with curved, closed-contour shapes, no "same-object" facilitation was observed. However, when a longer time interval was provided, in Experiment 3, a same-object advantage started to emerge. In Experiment 4, using the same curved shapes but in a non-speeded distance estimation task, a strong effect of objects was observed. It is argued that attention transfer is facilitated by line tracing but that line tracing is encouraged by objects.

Electronics Technology. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Guy

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 20 terminal objectives for a basic electronics technology course. The materials were developed for a two-semester course (2 hours daily) designed to include instruction in basic electricity and electronic fundamentals, and to develop skills and…

Exotic objects of atomic physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eletskii, A. V.

2017-11-01

There has been presented a short survey of physical properties, methods of production and exploration as well as directions of practical usage of the objects of atomic physics which are not yet described in detail in modern textbooks and manuals intended for students of technical universities. The family of these objects includes negative and multicharged ions, Rydberg atoms, excimer molecules, clusters. Besides of that, in recent decades this family was supplemented with new nanocarbon structures such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene. The textbook “Exotic objects of atomic physics” [1] edited recently contains some information on the above-listed objects of the atomic physics. This textbook can be considered as a supplement to classic courses of atomic physics teaching in technical universities.

Single prolonged stress impairs social and object novelty recognition in rats.

PubMed

Eagle, Andrew L; Fitzpatrick, Chris J; Perrine, Shane A

2013-11-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) results from exposure to a traumatic event and manifests as re-experiencing, arousal, avoidance, and negative cognition/mood symptoms. Avoidant symptoms, as well as the newly defined negative cognitions/mood, are a serious complication leading to diminished interest in once important or positive activities, such as social interaction; however, the basis of these symptoms remains poorly understood. PTSD patients also exhibit impaired object and social recognition, which may underlie the avoidance and symptoms of negative cognition, such as social estrangement or diminished interest in activities. Previous studies have demonstrated that single prolonged stress (SPS), models PTSD phenotypes, including impairments in learning and memory. Therefore, it was hypothesized that SPS would impair social and object recognition memory. Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to SPS then tested in the social choice test (SCT) or novel object recognition test (NOR). These tests measure recognition of novelty over familiarity, a natural preference of rodents. Results show that SPS impaired preference for both social and object novelty. In addition, SPS impairment in social recognition may be caused by impaired behavioral flexibility, or an inability to shift behavior during the SCT. These results demonstrate that traumatic stress can impair social and object recognition memory, which may underlie certain avoidant symptoms or negative cognition in PTSD and be related to impaired behavioral flexibility. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The rotation of very low mass objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scholz, Alexander

2004-10-01

the literature were selected as targets for the variability study. Masses for all these candidates were estimated by comparing the photometry with stellar evolutionary tracks. For each of the clusters, at least one photometric monitoring campaign was carried out; three of them were observed twice. Subsequently, the magnitudes of the VLM objects were measured relative to non-variable stars in the same fields. The difference image analysis procedure was used to improve the precision for two time series. That way, a photometric precision between 5 and 20 mmag was reached for the brightest stars. A comparison of several period search techniques showed that periodogram analysis delivers by far the best results for the available time series data. Beside the Scargle and CLEAN periodogram, the period search includes several independent and robust control procedures, to assure the reliability of the results. Additionally, a test to identify even non-periodic variability was implemented. For 87 candidates, a photometric rotation period was determined, 80 of these objects have masses <0.4 MS. Thus, this work increases the number of known VLM rotation periods in the age range between 3 and 750 Myr by a factor of 14. Altogether, about 30-50% of the candidates are variable. In the two youngest clusters, several objects show variability with very high amplitudes between 0.2 and 1.1 mag. Their lightcurves contain in the most cases a periodic component, but additionally irregular brightness variations. For two VLM stars, a flare event was detected. The origin of the periodic variability is surface features co-rotating with the objects. In most cases, these surface features are cool magnetically induced spots. From the lightcurves, it can be concluded that the spot properties change on timescales of at most two or three weeks. The amplitudes of the lightcurves are in the VLM regime by a factor of 2.4 smaller than for solar-mass stars, indicating a change of the spot properties with

D Imaging for Museum Artefacts: a Portable Test Object for Heritage and Museum Documentation of Small Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hess, M.; Robson, S.

2012-07-01

3D colour image data generated for the recording of small museum objects and archaeological finds are highly variable in quality and fitness for purpose. Whilst current technology is capable of extremely high quality outputs, there are currently no common standards or applicable guidelines in either the museum or engineering domain suited to scientific evaluation, understanding and tendering for 3D colour digital data. This paper firstly explains the rationale towards and requirements for 3D digital documentation in museums. Secondly it describes the design process, development and use of a new portable test object suited to sensor evaluation and the provision of user acceptance metrics. The test object is specifically designed for museums and heritage institutions and includes known surface and geometric properties which support quantitative and comparative imaging on different systems. The development for a supporting protocol will allow object reference data to be included in the data processing workflow with specific reference to conservation and curation.

Management by Objectives for Colleges and Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroeder, Roger G.

Management by Objectives (MBO) has been used by many businesses as a means of improving performance by managers. MBO involves setting agreed performance objectives in writing and includes a periodic review of the degree of achievement of those objectives. This document argues that MBO principles should be used by colleges and universities, and it…

Priming Addition Facts with Semantic Relations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bassok, Miriam; Pedigo, Samuel F.; Oskarsson, An T.

2008-01-01

Results from 2 relational-priming experiments suggest the existence of an automatic analogical coordination between semantic and arithmetic relations. Word pairs denoting object sets served as primes in a task that elicits "obligatory" activation of addition facts (5 + 3 activates 8; J. LeFevre, J. Bisanz, & L. Mrkonjic, 1988). Semantic relations…

Exploration of Objective Functions for Optimal Placement of Weather Stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snyder, A.; Dietterich, T.; Selker, J. S.

2016-12-01

Many regions of Earth lack ground-based sensing of weather variables. For example, most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have reliable weather station networks. This absence of sensor data has many consequences ranging from public safety (poor prediction and detection of severe weather events), to agriculture (lack of crop insurance), to science (reduced quality of world-wide weather forecasts, climate change measurement, etc.). The Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO.org) project seeks to address these problems by deploying and operating a large network of weather stations throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. To design the TAHMO network, we must determine where to locate each weather station. We can formulate this as the following optimization problem: Determine a set of N sites that jointly optimize the value of an objective function. The purpose of this poster is to propose and assess several objective functions. In addition to standard objectives (e.g., minimizing the summed squared error of interpolated values over the entire region), we consider objectives that minimize the maximum error over the region and objectives that optimize the detection of extreme events. An additional issue is that each station measures more than 10 variables—how should we balance the accuracy of our interpolated maps for each variable? Weather sensors inevitably drift out of calibration or fail altogether. How can we incorporate robustness to failed sensors into our network design? Another important requirement is that the network should make it possible to detect failed sensors by comparing their readings with those of other stations. How can this requirement be met? Finally, we provide an initial assessment of the computational cost of optimizing these various objective functions. We invite everyone to join the discussion at our poster by proposing additional objectives, identifying additional issues to consider, and expanding our bibliography of relevant

Quantifying Laryngopharyngeal Reflux in Singers: Perceptual and Objective Findings

PubMed Central

Lewis, Vicki M.

2017-01-01

This study examines the relationship between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms and oropharyngeal pH levels in singers. We hypothesized that reported symptoms would correlate with objective measures of pH levels from the oropharynx, including the number and total duration of reflux episodes. Twenty professional/semiprofessional singers completed the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and underwent oropharyngeal pH monitoring. Mild, moderate, or severe pH exposure was recorded during oropharyngeal pH monitoring. Correlations were performed to examine potential relationships between reflux symptoms and duration of LPR episodes. Symptom severity did not correlate with pH levels; however, we found a number of covariances of interest. Large sample sizes are necessary to determine if true correlations exist. Our results suggest that singers may exhibit enhanced sensitivity to LPR and may therefore manifest symptoms, even in response to subtle changes in pH. This study emphasizes the importance of sensitive and objective measures of reflux severity as well as consideration of the cumulative time of reflux exposure in addition to the number of reflux episodes. PMID:29098155

22 CFR 1423.21 - Objection to conduct of hearing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the conduct of the hearing, including any objection to the introduction of evidence, may be stated orally or in writing accompanied by a short statement of the grounds for such objection, and included in...

Auto Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Thomas G., Sr.

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 14 terminal objectives for a basic automotive mechanics course. The materials were developed for a two-semester course (2 hours daily) designed to provide training in the basic fundamentals in diagnosis and repair including cooling system and…

Photometric Data from Non-Resolved Objects for Space Object Characterization and Improved Atmospheric Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linares, R.; Palmer, D.; Thompson, D.; Koller, J.

2013-09-01

Recent events in space, including the collision of Russia's Cosmos 2251 satellite with Iridium 33 and China's Feng Yun 1C anti-satellite demonstration, have stressed the capabilities of Space Surveillance Network (SSN) and its ability to provide accurate and actionable impact probability estimates. The SSN network has the unique challenge of tracking more than 18,000 resident space objects (RSOs) and providing critical collision avoidance warnings to military, NASA, and commercial systems. However, due to the large number of RSOs and the limited number of sensors available to track them, it is impossible to maintain persistent surveillance. Observation gaps result in large propagation intervals between measurements and close approaches. Coupled with nonlinear RSO dynamics this results in difficulty in modeling the probability distribution functions (pdfs) of the RSO. In particular low-Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites are heavily influenced by atmospheric drag, which is very difficult to model accurately. A number of atmospheric models exist which can be classified as either empirical or physics-based models. The current Air Force standard is the High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model (HASDM), which is an empirical model based on observation of calibration satellites. These satellite observations are used to determine model parameters based on their orbit determination solutions. Atmospheric orbits are perturbed by a number of factors including drag coefficient, attitude, and shape of the space object. The satellites used for the HASDM model calibration process are chosen because of their relatively simple shapes, to minimize errors introduced due to shape miss-modeling. Under this requirement the number of calibration satellites that can be used for calibrating the atmospheric models is limited. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has established a research effort, called IMPACT (Integrated Modeling of Perturbations in Atmospheres for Conjunction Tracking), to improve

Woods. Industrial Arts. Performance Objectives. Junior High School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bunch, Edwood; And Others

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for a woodworking course for seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students. The seventh grade section includes seven terminal objectives for a 9-week basic hand woodworking course which includes planning and layout, skill in the use of hand tools, construction…

Infants' Recognition of Objects Using Canonical Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimura, Atsushi; Wada, Yuji; Yang, Jiale; Otsuka, Yumiko; Dan, Ippeita; Masuda, Tomohiro; Kanazawa, So; Yamaguchi, Masami K.

2010-01-01

We explored infants' ability to recognize the canonical colors of daily objects, including two color-specific objects (human face and fruit) and a non-color-specific object (flower), by using a preferential looking technique. A total of 58 infants between 5 and 8 months of age were tested with a stimulus composed of two color pictures of an object…

Object-oriented biomedical system modelling--the language.

PubMed

Hakman, M; Groth, T

1999-11-01

The paper describes a new object-oriented biomedical continuous system modelling language (OOBSML). It is fully object-oriented and supports model inheritance, encapsulation, and model component instantiation and behaviour polymorphism. Besides the traditional differential and algebraic equation expressions the language includes also formal expressions for documenting models and defining model quantity types and quantity units. It supports explicit definition of model input-, output- and state quantities, model components and component connections. The OOBSML model compiler produces self-contained, independent, executable model components that can be instantiated and used within other OOBSML models and/or stored within model and model component libraries. In this way complex models can be structured as multilevel, multi-component model hierarchies. Technically the model components produced by the OOBSML compiler are executable computer code objects based on distributed object and object request broker technology. This paper includes both the language tutorial and the formal language syntax and semantic description.

3-D Object Recognition from Point Cloud Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W.; Walker, A. S.; Zhang, B.

2011-09-01

The market for real-time 3-D mapping includes not only traditional geospatial applications but also navigation of unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs). Massively parallel processes such as graphics processing unit (GPU) computing make real-time 3-D object recognition and mapping achievable. Geospatial technologies such as digital photogrammetry and GIS offer advanced capabilities to produce 2-D and 3-D static maps using UAV data. The goal is to develop real-time UAV navigation through increased automation. It is challenging for a computer to identify a 3-D object such as a car, a tree or a house, yet automatic 3-D object recognition is essential to increasing the productivity of geospatial data such as 3-D city site models. In the past three decades, researchers have used radiometric properties to identify objects in digital imagery with limited success, because these properties vary considerably from image to image. Consequently, our team has developed software that recognizes certain types of 3-D objects within 3-D point clouds. Although our software is developed for modeling, simulation and visualization, it has the potential to be valuable in robotics and UAV applications. The locations and shapes of 3-D objects such as buildings and trees are easily recognizable by a human from a brief glance at a representation of a point cloud such as terrain-shaded relief. The algorithms to extract these objects have been developed and require only the point cloud and minimal human inputs such as a set of limits on building size and a request to turn on a squaring option. The algorithms use both digital surface model (DSM) and digital elevation model (DEM), so software has also been developed to derive the latter from the former. The process continues through the following steps: identify and group 3-D object points into regions; separate buildings and houses from trees; trace region boundaries; regularize and simplify boundary polygons; construct complex roofs. Several case

The Mission Accessible Near-Earth Objects Survey (MANOS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abell, Paul; Moskovitz, Nicholas; DeMeo, Francesca; Endicott, Thomas; Busch, Michael; Roe, Henry; Trilling, David; Thomas, Cristina; Willman, Mark; Grundy, Will;

"Keep a low profile": pesticide residue, additives, and freon use in Australian tobacco manufacturing

PubMed Central

Chapman, S

2003-01-01

Objectives: To review the Australian tobacco industry's knowledge of pesticide residue on Australian tobacco and its policies and practices on resisting calls by tobacco control advocates that consumers should be informed about pesticide residue as well as additives. Methods: Review of previously internal industry documents relevant to pesticides and additives in Australian tobacco located from the Master Settlement Agreement websites. Results: Between 1972 and 1994 Philip Morris Australia was aware that its leaf samples were often contaminated with pesticide residue, sometimes including organochlorine levels described by PM's European laboratories as being "extremely high". Consumers were not advised of the contamination nor products withdrawn. From 1981, the industry also resisted calls to declare fully the extent of use and long term safety data on all additives used in their products. They developed standard public responses that were evasive and misleading and, in 2000, implemented voluntary additive disclosure which allowed the companies to continue to avoid disclosure of any ingredient they deemed to be a trade secret. There was extensive use of ozone depleting freon in Australian tobacco manufacturing. Again, the industry kept this information away from consumers. Conclusions: Australian smokers are unable to make informed decisions about smoking because pesticide and additive disclosure remains voluntary. The Australian government should regulate tobacco to require full disclosure including information on the likely health consequences of inhaling pesticide and additive pyrolysis products. PMID:14645948

Effect of antistripping additives on the compaction of bituminous concrete.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-01-01

The objective of this investigation was to determine the effect of antistripping additives on the compaction of bituminous concrete. To do this, the densities obtained on test sections with and without additive were compared. Comparisons of nuclear d...

Additive direct-write microfabrication for MEMS: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teh, Kwok Siong

2017-12-01

Direct-write additive manufacturing refers to a rich and growing repertoire of well-established fabrication techniques that builds solid objects directly from computer- generated solid models without elaborate intermediate fabrication steps. At the macroscale, direct-write techniques such as stereolithography, selective laser sintering, fused deposition modeling ink-jet printing, and laminated object manufacturing have significantly reduced concept-to-product lead time, enabled complex geometries, and importantly, has led to the renaissance in fabrication known as the maker movement. The technological premises of all direct-write additive manufacturing are identical—converting computer generated three-dimensional models into layers of two-dimensional planes or slices, which are then reconstructed sequentially into threedimensional solid objects in a layer-by-layer format. The key differences between the various additive manufacturing techniques are the means of creating the finished layers and the ancillary processes that accompany them. While still at its infancy, direct-write additive manufacturing techniques at the microscale have the potential to significantly lower the barrier-of-entry—in terms of cost, time and training—for the prototyping and fabrication of MEMS parts that have larger dimensions, high aspect ratios, and complex shapes. In recent years, significant advancements in materials chemistry, laser technology, heat and fluid modeling, and control systems have enabled additive manufacturing to achieve higher resolutions at the micrometer and nanometer length scales to be a viable technology for MEMS fabrication. Compared to traditional MEMS processes that rely heavily on expensive equipment and time-consuming steps, direct-write additive manufacturing techniques allow for rapid design-to-prototype realization by limiting or circumventing the need for cleanrooms, photolithography and extensive training. With current direct-write additive

Balancing Science Objectives and Operational Constraints: A Mission Planner's Challenge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weldy, Michelle

1996-01-01

The Air Force minute sensor technology integration (MSTI-3) satellite's primary mission is to characterize Earth's atmospheric background clutter. MSTI-3 will use three cameras for data collection, a mid-wave infrared imager, a short wave infrared imager, and a visible imaging spectrometer. Mission science objectives call for the collection of over 2 million images within the one year mission life. In addition, operational constraints limit camera usage to four operations of twenty minutes per day, with no more than 10,000 data and calibrating images collected per day. To balance the operational constraints and science objectives, the mission planning team has designed a planning process to e event schedules and sensor operation timelines. Each set of constraints, including spacecraft performance capabilities, the camera filters, the geographical regions, and the spacecraft-Sun-Earth geometries of interest, and remote tracking station deconflictions has been accounted for in this methodology. To aid in this process, the mission planning team is building a series of tools from commercial off-the-shelf software. These include the mission manifest which builds a daily schedule of events, and the MSTI Scene Simulator which helps build geometrically correct scans. These tools provide an efficient, responsive, and highly flexible architecture that maximizes data collection while minimizing mission planning time.

THE ROLE OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS IN OBJECT DISCRIMINATION BASED ON VISUAL FEATURES.

PubMed

Levcik, David; Nekovarova, Tereza; Antosova, Eliska; Stuchlik, Ales; Klement, Daniel

2018-06-07

The role of rodent hippocampus has been intensively studied in different cognitive tasks. However, its role in discrimination of objects remains controversial due to conflicting findings. We tested whether the number and type of features available for the identification of objects might affect the strategy (hippocampal-independent vs. hippocampal-dependent) that rats adopt to solve object discrimination tasks. We trained rats to discriminate 2D visual objects presented on a computer screen. The objects were defined either by their shape only or by multiple-features (a combination of filling pattern and brightness in addition to the shape). Our data showed that objects displayed as simple geometric shapes are not discriminated by trained rats after their hippocampi had been bilaterally inactivated by the GABA A -agonist muscimol. On the other hand, objects containing a specific combination of non-geometric features in addition to the shape are discriminated even without the hippocampus. Our results suggest that the involvement of the hippocampus in visual object discrimination depends on the abundance of object's features. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Joint Geophysical Inversion With Multi-Objective Global Optimization Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lelievre, P. G.; Bijani, R.; Farquharson, C. G.

2015-12-01

Pareto multi-objective global optimization (PMOGO) methods generate a suite of solutions that minimize multiple objectives (e.g. data misfits and regularization terms) in a Pareto-optimal sense. Providing a suite of models, as opposed to a single model that minimizes a weighted sum of objectives, allows a more complete assessment of the possibilities and avoids the often difficult choice of how to weight each objective. We are applying PMOGO methods to three classes of inverse problems. The first class are standard mesh-based problems where the physical property values in each cell are treated as continuous variables. The second class of problems are also mesh-based but cells can only take discrete physical property values corresponding to known or assumed rock units. In the third class we consider a fundamentally different type of inversion in which a model comprises wireframe surfaces representing contacts between rock units; the physical properties of each rock unit remain fixed while the inversion controls the position of the contact surfaces via control nodes. This third class of problem is essentially a geometry inversion, which can be used to recover the unknown geometry of a target body or to investigate the viability of a proposed Earth model. Joint inversion is greatly simplified for the latter two problem classes because no additional mathematical coupling measure is required in the objective function. PMOGO methods can solve numerically complicated problems that could not be solved with standard descent-based local minimization methods. This includes the latter two classes of problems mentioned above. There are significant increases in the computational requirements when PMOGO methods are used but these can be ameliorated using parallelization and problem dimension reduction strategies.

Effects of object asymmetry on visual attention.

PubMed

Maguire, Anne M; Bates, Timothy C; Boycott, Noël; Corballis, Michael C

2002-01-01

Unilateral neglect has been demonstrated relative to the intrinsic left side of objects, even when presented in the preserved hemispace. These results have been interpreted as evidence of an object-centered reference frame. In the present study, neurologically normal individuals were presented with letter stimuli having distinguishing features to the right (R) or left (J) of their intrinsic midline, shown in normal and mirror parity, and in six angle rotations. RTs confirmed that participants rotated the letters to the upright to decide parity: such rotation would align the object-centered and viewer-centered frames of reference, suggesting that not controlling for mental rotation would confound this effect. In addition, a dot, presented lateral to the main letter stimulus, resulted in quicker parity decisions when on the maximally-informative side of the letter. Together, the results suggest that apparent object-centered neglect may arise from the combined effects of mental rotation and within-object information asymmetries.

77 FR 51606 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Extravagant Inventions...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-24

... temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The additional objects are... exhibition or display of the additional exhibit objects at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, from... at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, three of the works will continue to be displayed at The...

Laser Additive Manufacturing of F/M Steels for Radiation Tolerant Nuclear Components

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lienert, Thomas J.; Maloy, Stuart Andrew

According to the Nuclear Energy R&D Roadmap Report submitted to Congress in 2010, one the key challenges facing the nuclear energy industry involves development of new reactor designs with reduced capital costs. Two related R&D objectives outlined in the report include: 1) Making improvements in the affordability of new reactors; and 2) Development of structural materials to withstand irradiation for longer periods. Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) is particularly well suited for more rapid and economical fabrication of reactor components relative to current fabrication methods. The proposed work involving LAM directly addresses the two R&D objectives outlined above relevant to themore » pertinent mission problems. The classical Materials Science approach involving development of Process/Structure/Property/Performance (P/S/P/P) relations was employed in this project. Processing included LAM and heat-treating. Thermal cycling during LAM is discussed here, and phase diagrams and continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams are used to rationalize microstructural evolution. Structures were characterized including grain size & morphology, volume fraction, morphology, composition and location of carbides in as-deposited and heat-treated conditions. In the simplest sense, the goal was to control microstructures through process manipulation with a view toward optimizing properties and performance in service.« less

Detection of a concealed object

DOEpatents

Keller, Paul E [Richland, WA; Hall, Thomas E [Kennewick, WA; McMakin, Douglas L [Richland, WA

2010-11-16

Disclosed are systems, methods, devices, and apparatus to determine if a clothed individual is carrying a suspicious, concealed object. This determination includes establishing data corresponding to an image of the individual through interrogation with electromagnetic radiation in the 200 MHz to 1 THz range. In one form, image data corresponding to intensity of reflected radiation and differential depth of the reflecting surface is received and processed to detect the suspicious, concealed object.

Detection of a concealed object

DOEpatents

Keller, Paul E [Richland, WA; Hall, Thomas E [Kennewick, WA; McMakin, Douglas L [Richland, WA

2008-04-29

Disclosed are systems, methods, devices, and apparatus to determine if a clothed individual is carrying a suspicious, concealed object. This determination includes establishing data corresponding to an image of the individual through interrogation with electromagnetic radiation in the 200 MHz to 1 THz range. In one form, image data corresponding to intensity of reflected radiation and differential depth of the reflecting surface is received and processed to detect the suspicious, concealed object.

Taxonomy based analysis of force exchanges during object grasping and manipulation

PubMed Central

Martin-Brevet, Sandra; Jarrassé, Nathanaël; Burdet, Etienne

2017-01-01

The flexibility of the human hand in object manipulation is essential for daily life activities, but remains relatively little explored with quantitative methods. On the one hand, recent taxonomies describe qualitatively the classes of hand postures for object grasping and manipulation. On the other hand, the quantitative analysis of hand function has been generally restricted to precision grip (with thumb and index opposition) during lifting tasks. The aim of the present study is to fill the gap between these two kinds of descriptions, by investigating quantitatively the forces exerted by the hand on an instrumented object in a set of representative manipulation tasks. The object was a parallelepiped object able to measure the force exerted on the six faces and its acceleration. The grasping force was estimated from the lateral force and the unloading force from the bottom force. The protocol included eleven tasks with complementary constraints inspired by recent taxonomies: four tasks corresponding to lifting and holding the object with different grasp configurations, and seven to manipulating the object (rotation around each of its axis and translation). The grasping and unloading forces and object rotations were measured during the five phases of the actions: unloading, lifting, holding or manipulation, preparation to deposit, and deposit. The results confirm the tight regulation between grasping and unloading forces during lifting, and extend this to the deposit phase. In addition, they provide a precise description of the regulation of force exchanges during various manipulation tasks spanning representative actions of daily life. The timing of manipulation showed both sequential and overlapping organization of the different sub-actions, and micro-errors could be detected. This phenomenological study confirms the feasibility of using an instrumented object to investigate complex manipulative behavior in humans. This protocol will be used in the future to

36 CFR 218.10 - Objection time periods and process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Objection time periods and... Objection time periods and process. (a) Time to file an objection. Written objections, including any... of objectors to ensure that their objection is received in a timely manner. (b) Computation of time...

Use of Self-to-Object and Object-to-Object Spatial Relations in Locomotion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiao, Chengli; Mou, Weimin; McNamara, Timothy P.

2009-01-01

In 8 experiments, the authors examined the use of representations of self-to-object or object-to-object spatial relations during locomotion. Participants learned geometrically regular or irregular layouts of objects while standing at the edge or in the middle and then pointed to objects while blindfolded in 3 conditions: before turning (baseline),…

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope as a Near-Earth Object discovery machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, R. Lynne; Slater, Colin T.; Moeyens, Joachim; Allen, Lori; Axelrod, Tim; Cook, Kem; Ivezić, Željko; Jurić, Mario; Myers, Jonathan; Petry, Catherine E.

2018-03-01

Using the most recent prototypes, design, and as-built system information, we test and quantify the capability of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) to discover Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) and Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). We empirically estimate an expected upper limit to the false detection rate in LSST image differencing, using measurements on DECam data and prototype LSST software and find it to be about 450 deg-2. We show that this rate is already tractable with current prototype of the LSST Moving Object Processing System (MOPS) by processing a 30-day simulation consistent with measured false detection rates. We proceed to evaluate the performance of the LSST baseline survey strategy for PHAs and NEOs using a high-fidelity simulated survey pointing history. We find that LSST alone, using its baseline survey strategy, will detect 66% of the PHA and 61% of the NEO population objects brighter than H = 22 , with the uncertainty in the estimate of ± 5 percentage points. By generating and examining variations on the baseline survey strategy, we show it is possible to further improve the discovery yields. In particular, we find that extending the LSST survey by two additional years and doubling the MOPS search window increases the completeness for PHAs to 86% (including those discovered by contemporaneous surveys) without jeopardizing other LSST science goals (77% for NEOs). This equates to reducing the undiscovered population of PHAs by additional 26% (15% for NEOs), relative to the baseline survey.

Ridge, Lasso and Bayesian additive-dominance genomic models.

PubMed

Azevedo, Camila Ferreira; de Resende, Marcos Deon Vilela; E Silva, Fabyano Fonseca; Viana, José Marcelo Soriano; Valente, Magno Sávio Ferreira; Resende, Márcio Fernando Ribeiro; Muñoz, Patricio

2015-08-25

A complete approach for genome-wide selection (GWS) involves reliable statistical genetics models and methods. Reports on this topic are common for additive genetic models but not for additive-dominance models. The objective of this paper was (i) to compare the performance of 10 additive-dominance predictive models (including current models and proposed modifications), fitted using Bayesian, Lasso and Ridge regression approaches; and (ii) to decompose genomic heritability and accuracy in terms of three quantitative genetic information sources, namely, linkage disequilibrium (LD), co-segregation (CS) and pedigree relationships or family structure (PR). The simulation study considered two broad sense heritability levels (0.30 and 0.50, associated with narrow sense heritabilities of 0.20 and 0.35, respectively) and two genetic architectures for traits (the first consisting of small gene effects and the second consisting of a mixed inheritance model with five major genes). G-REML/G-BLUP and a modified Bayesian/Lasso (called BayesA*B* or t-BLASSO) method performed best in the prediction of genomic breeding as well as the total genotypic values of individuals in all four scenarios (two heritabilities x two genetic architectures). The BayesA*B*-type method showed a better ability to recover the dominance variance/additive variance ratio. Decomposition of genomic heritability and accuracy revealed the following descending importance order of information: LD, CS and PR not captured by markers, the last two being very close. Amongst the 10 models/methods evaluated, the G-BLUP, BAYESA*B* (-2,8) and BAYESA*B* (4,6) methods presented the best results and were found to be adequate for accurately predicting genomic breeding and total genotypic values as well as for estimating additive and dominance in additive-dominance genomic models.

Apology in the criminal justice setting: evidence for including apology as an additional component in the legal system.

PubMed

Petrucci, Carrie J

2002-01-01

The criminal justice system has reached unprecedented scope in the United States, with over 6.4 million people under some type of supervision. Remedies that have the potential to reduce this number are continually being sought. This article analyzes an innovative strategy currently being reconsidered in criminal justice: the apology. Despite a legal system that only sporadically acknowledges it, evidence for the use of apology is supported by social science research, current criminal justice theories, case law, and empirical studies. Social psychological, sociological and socio-legal studies pinpoint the elements and function of apology, what makes apologies effective, and concerns about apology if it were implemented in the criminal justice system. Theoretical evidence is examined (including restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, crime, shame, and reintegration) to explore the process of apology in the criminal justice context. Attribution theory and social conduct theory are used to explain the apology process specifically for victims and offenders. A brief examination of case law reveals that though apology has no formal place in criminal law, it has surfaced recently under the federal sentencing guidelines. Finally, empirical evidence in criminal justice settings reveals that offenders want to apologize and victims desire an apology. Moreover, by directly addressing the harmful act, apology may be the link to reduced recidivism for offenders, as well as empowerment for victims. This evidence combined suggests that apology is worthy of further study as a potentially valuable addition to the criminal justice process. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Additive Manufactured Product Integrity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waller, Jess; Wells, Doug; James, Steve; Nichols, Charles

2017-01-01

NASA is providing key leadership in an international effort linking NASA and non-NASA resources to speed adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) to meet NASA's mission goals. Participants include industry, NASA's space partners, other government agencies, standards organizations and academia. Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) is identified as a universal need for all aspects of additive manufacturing.

Functional Additive Mixed Models

PubMed Central

Scheipl, Fabian; Staicu, Ana-Maria; Greven, Sonja

2014-01-01

We propose an extensive framework for additive regression models for correlated functional responses, allowing for multiple partially nested or crossed functional random effects with flexible correlation structures for, e.g., spatial, temporal, or longitudinal functional data. Additionally, our framework includes linear and nonlinear effects of functional and scalar covariates that may vary smoothly over the index of the functional response. It accommodates densely or sparsely observed functional responses and predictors which may be observed with additional error and includes both spline-based and functional principal component-based terms. Estimation and inference in this framework is based on standard additive mixed models, allowing us to take advantage of established methods and robust, flexible algorithms. We provide easy-to-use open source software in the pffr() function for the R-package refund. Simulations show that the proposed method recovers relevant effects reliably, handles small sample sizes well and also scales to larger data sets. Applications with spatially and longitudinally observed functional data demonstrate the flexibility in modeling and interpretability of results of our approach. PMID:26347592

Functional Additive Mixed Models.

PubMed

Scheipl, Fabian; Staicu, Ana-Maria; Greven, Sonja

2015-04-01

We propose an extensive framework for additive regression models for correlated functional responses, allowing for multiple partially nested or crossed functional random effects with flexible correlation structures for, e.g., spatial, temporal, or longitudinal functional data. Additionally, our framework includes linear and nonlinear effects of functional and scalar covariates that may vary smoothly over the index of the functional response. It accommodates densely or sparsely observed functional responses and predictors which may be observed with additional error and includes both spline-based and functional principal component-based terms. Estimation and inference in this framework is based on standard additive mixed models, allowing us to take advantage of established methods and robust, flexible algorithms. We provide easy-to-use open source software in the pffr() function for the R-package refund. Simulations show that the proposed method recovers relevant effects reliably, handles small sample sizes well and also scales to larger data sets. Applications with spatially and longitudinally observed functional data demonstrate the flexibility in modeling and interpretability of results of our approach.

Practicing doctors' perceptions on new learning objectives for Vietnamese medical schools.

PubMed

Hoat, Luu Ngoc; Dung, Do Van; Wright, E Pamela

2007-06-28

As part of the process to develop more community-oriented medical teaching in Vietnam, eight medical schools prepared a set of standard learning objectives with attention to the needs of a doctor working with the community. Because they were prepared based on government documents and the opinions of the teachers, it was necessary to check them with doctors who had already graduated and were working at different sites in the community. Each of the eight medical faculties asked 100 practising recent graduates to complete a questionnaire to check the relevance of the skills that the teachers considered most important. We used mean and standard deviation to summarize the scores rated by the respondents for each skill and percentile at four points: p50, p25, p10 and p5 to describe the variation of scores among the respondents. Correlation coefficient was used to measure the relationship between skill levels set by the teachers and the perception of practicing doctors regarding frequency of using skills and priority for each skill. Additional information was taken from the records of focus group discussions to clarify, explain or expand on the results from the quantitative data. In many cases the skills considered important by teachers were also rated as highly necessary and/or frequently used by the respondents. There were, however, discrepancies: some skills important to teachers were seldom used and not considered important by the doctors. In focus group discussions the doctors also identified skills that are not taught at all in the medical schools but would be needed by practising doctors. Although most of the skills and skill levels included in the learning objectives by the teachers were consistent with the opinions of their graduates, the match was not perfect. The experience of the graduates and their additional comments should be included as inputs to the definition of learning objectives for medical students.

Regulation of object recognition and object placement by ovarian sex steroid hormones

PubMed Central

Tuscher, Jennifer J.; Fortress, Ashley M.; Kim, Jaekyoon; Frick, Karyn M.

2014-01-01

effects are highly dependent on factors such as dose and timing of administration. In addition to providing more detail on these general conclusions, this review will discuss directions for future avenues of research into the hormonal regulation of object memory. PMID:25131507

Homodyne impulse radar hidden object locator

DOEpatents

McEwan, T.E.

1996-04-30

An electromagnetic detector is designed to locate an object hidden behind a separator or a cavity within a solid object. The detector includes a PRF generator for generating 2 MHz pulses, a homodyne oscillator for generating a 2 kHz square wave, and for modulating the pulses from the PRF generator. A transmit antenna transmits the modulated pulses through the separator, and a receive antenna receives the signals reflected off the object. The receiver path of the detector includes a sample and hold circuit, an AC coupled amplifier which filters out DC bias level shifts in the sample and hold circuit, and a rectifier circuit connected to the homodyne oscillator and to the AC coupled amplifier, for synchronously rectifying the modulated pulses transmitted over the transmit antenna. The homodyne oscillator modulates the signal from the PRF generator with a continuous wave (CW) signal, and the AC coupled amplifier operates with a passband centered on that CW signal. The present detector can be used in several applications, including the detection of metallic and non-metallic objects, such as pipes, studs, joists, nails, rebars, conduits and electrical wiring, behind wood wall, ceiling, plywood, particle board, dense hardwood, masonry and cement structure. The detector is portable, light weight, simple to use, inexpensive, and has a low power emission which facilitates the compliance with Part 15 of the FCC rules. 15 figs.

Homodyne impulse radar hidden object locator

DOEpatents

McEwan, Thomas E.

1996-01-01

An electromagnetic detector is designed to locate an object hidden behind a separator or a cavity within a solid object. The detector includes a PRF generator for generating 2 MHz pulses, a homodyne oscillator for generating a 2 kHz square wave, and for modulating the pulses from the PRF generator. A transmit antenna transmits the modulated pulses through the separator, and a receive antenna receives the signals reflected off the object. The receiver path of the detector includes a sample and hold circuit, an AC coupled amplifier which filters out DC bias level shifts in the sample and hold circuit, and a rectifier circuit connected to the homodyne oscillator and to the AC coupled amplifier, for synchronously rectifying the modulated pulses transmitted over the transmit antenna. The homodyne oscillator modulates the signal from the PRF generator with a continuous wave (CW) signal, and the AC coupled amplifier operates with a passband centered on that CW signal. The present detector can be used in several applications, including the detection of metallic and non-metallic objects, such as pipes, studs, joists, nails, rebars, conduits and electrical wiring, behind wood wall, ceiling, plywood, particle board, dense hardwood, masonry and cement structure. The detector is portable, light weight, simple to use, inexpensive, and has a low power emission which facilitates the compliance with Part 15 of the FCC rules.

36 CFR 218.10 - Objection time periods and process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... calendar day (11:59 p.m. in the time zone of the receiving office) for objections filed by electronic means... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Objection time periods and... Objection time periods and process. (a) Time to file an objection. Written objections, including any...

Octogenarian and centenarian performance on the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation.

PubMed

Rahman-Filipiak, Annalise; Woodard, John L; Miller, L Stephen; Martin, Peter; Davey, Adam; Poon, Leonard W

2015-01-01

The Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (FOME) has considerable utility for cognitive assessment in older adults, but there are few normative data, particularly for the oldest old. In this study, 80 octogenarians and 244 centenarians from the Georgia Centenarian Study completed the FOME. Total and trial-to-trial performance on the storage, retrieval, repeated retrieval, and ineffective reminder indices were assessed. Additional data stratified by age group, education, and cognitive impairment are provided in the Supplemental data. Octogenarians performed significantly better than centenarians on all FOME measures. Neither age group benefitted from additional learning trials beyond Trial 3 for storage and Trial 2 for retention and retrieval. Ineffective reminders showed no change across learning trials for octogenarians, while centenarians improved only between Trials 1 and 2. This minimal improvement past Trial 2 indicates that older adults might benefit from a truncated version of the test that does not include trials three through five, with the added benefit of reducing testing burden in this population.

Intermediate BL Lac objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondi, M.; Marchã, M. J. M.; Dallacasa, D.; Stanghellini, C.

2001-08-01

The 200-mJy sample, defined by Marchã et al., contains about 60 nearby, northern, flat-spectrum radio sources. In particular, the sample has proved effective at finding nearby radio-selected BL Lac objects with radio luminosities comparable to those of X-ray-selected objects, and low-luminosity flat-spectrum weak emission-line radio galaxies (WLRGs). The 200-mJy sample contains 23 BL Lac objects (including 6 BL Lac candidates) and 19 WLRGs. We will refer to these subsamples as the 200-mJy BL Lac sample and the 200-mJy WLRG sample, respectively. We have started a systematic analysis of the morphological pc-scale properties of the 200-mJy radio sources using VLBI observations. This paper presents VLBI observations at 5 and 1.6GHz of 14 BL Lac objects and WLRGs selected from the 200-mJy sample. The pc-scale morphology of these objects is briefly discussed. We derive the radio beaming parameters of the 200-mJy BL Lac objects and WLRGs and compare them with those of other BL Lac samples and with a sample of FR I radio galaxies. The overall broad-band radio, optical and X-ray properties of the 200-mJy BL Lac sample are discussed and compared with those of other BL Lac samples, radio- and X-ray-selected. We find that the 200-mJy BL Lac objects fill the gap between HBL and LBL objects in the colour-colour plot, and have intermediate αXOX as expected in the spectral energy distribution unification scenario. Finally, we briefly discuss the role of the WLRGs.

How Prevalent Is Object-Based Attention?

PubMed Central

Pilz, Karin S.; Roggeveen, Alexa B.; Creighton, Sarah E.; Bennett, Patrick J.; Sekuler, Allison B.

2012-01-01

Previous research suggests that visual attention can be allocated to locations in space (space-based attention) and to objects (object-based attention). The cueing effects associated with space-based attention tend to be large and are found consistently across experiments. Object-based attention effects, however, are small and found less consistently across experiments. In three experiments we address the possibility that variability in object-based attention effects across studies reflects low incidence of such effects at the level of individual subjects. Experiment 1 measured space-based and object-based cueing effects for horizontal and vertical rectangles in 60 subjects comparing commonly used target detection and discrimination tasks. In Experiment 2 we ran another 120 subjects in a target discrimination task in which rectangle orientation varied between subjects. Using parametric statistical methods, we found object-based effects only for horizontal rectangles. Bootstrapping methods were used to measure effects in individual subjects. Significant space-based cueing effects were found in nearly all subjects in both experiments, across tasks and rectangle orientations. However, only a small number of subjects exhibited significant object-based cueing effects. Experiment 3 measured only object-based attention effects using another common paradigm and again, using bootstrapping, we found only a small number of subjects that exhibited significant object-based cueing effects. Our results show that object-based effects are more prevalent for horizontal rectangles, which is in accordance with the theory that attention may be allocated more easily along the horizontal meridian. The fact that so few individuals exhibit a significant object-based cueing effect presumably is why previous studies of this effect might have yielded inconsistent results. The results from the current study highlight the importance of considering individual subject data in addition to commonly

System and method for disrupting suspect objects

DOEpatents

Gladwell, T. Scott; Garretson, Justin R; Hobart, Clinton G; Monda, Mark J

2013-07-09

A system and method for disrupting at least one component of a suspect object is provided. The system includes a source for passing radiation through the suspect object, a screen for receiving the radiation passing through the suspect object and generating at least one image therefrom, a weapon having a discharge deployable therefrom, and a targeting unit. The targeting unit displays the image(s) of the suspect object and aims the weapon at a disruption point on the displayed image such that the weapon may be positioned to deploy the discharge at the disruption point whereby the suspect object is disabled.

Mission objectives and trajectories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The present state of the knowledge of asteroids was assessed to identify mission and target priorities for planning asteroidal flights in the 1980's and beyond. Mission objectives, mission analysis, trajectory studies, and cost analysis are discussed. A bibliography of reports and technical memoranda is included.

Cost-effectiveness of additional catheter-directed thrombolysis for deep vein thrombosis

PubMed Central

ENDEN, T.; RESCH, S.; WHITE, C.; WIK, H. S.; KLØW, N. E.; SANDSET, P. M.

2013-01-01

Summary Background Additional treatment with catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) has recently been shown to reduce post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS). Objectives To estimate the cost effectiveness of additional CDT compared with standard treatment alone. Methods Using a Markov decision model, we compared the two treatment strategies in patients with a high proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and a low risk of bleeding. The model captured the development of PTS, recurrent venous thromboembolism and treatment-related adverse events within a lifetime horizon and the perspective of a third-party payer. Uncertainty was assessed with one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyzes. Model inputs from the CaVenT study included PTS development, major bleeding from CDT and utilities for post DVT states including PTS. The remaining clinical inputs were obtained from the literature. Costs obtained from the CaVenT study, hospital accounts and the literature are expressed in US dollars ($); effects in quality adjusted life years (QALY). Results In base case analyzes, additional CDT accumulated 32.31 QALYs compared with 31.68 QALYs after standard treatment alone. Direct medical costs were $64 709 for additional CDT and $51 866 for standard treatment. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was $20 429/QALY gained. One-way sensitivity analysis showed model sensitivity to the clinical efficacy of both strategies, but the ICER remained < $55 000/QALY over the full range of all parameters. The probability that CDT is cost effective was 82% at a willingness to pay threshold of $50 000/QALY gained. Conclusions Additional CDT is likely to be a cost-effective alternative to the standard treatment for patients with a high proximal DVT and a low risk of bleeding. PMID:23452204

System and method for detecting a faulty object in a system

DOEpatents

Gunnels, John A.; Gustavson, Fred Gehrung; Engle, Robert Daniel

2010-12-14

A method (and system) for detecting at least one faulty object in a system including a plurality of objects in communication with each other in an n-dimensional architecture, includes probing a first plane of objects in the n-dimensional architecture and probing at least one other plane of objects in the n-dimensional architecture which would result in identifying a faulty object in the system.

System and method for detecting a faulty object in a system

DOEpatents

Gunnels, John A [Brewster, NY; Gustavson, Fred Gehrung [Briarcliff Manor, NY; Engle, Robert Daniel [St. Louis, MO

2009-03-17

A method (and system) for detecting at least one faulty object in a system including a plurality of objects in communication with each other in an n-dimensional architecture, includes probing a first plane of objects in the n-dimensional architecture and probing at least one other plane of objects in the n-dimensional architecture which would result in identifying a faulty object in the system.

Tactile agnosia. Underlying impairment and implications for normal tactile object recognition.

PubMed

Reed, C L; Caselli, R J; Farah, M J

1996-06-01

In a series of experimental investigations of a subject with a unilateral impairment of tactile object recognition without impaired tactile sensation, several issues were addressed. First, is tactile agnosia secondary to a general impairment of spatial cognition? On tests of spatial ability, including those directed at the same spatial integration process assumed to be taxed by tactile object recognition, the subject performed well, implying a more specific impairment of high level, modality specific tactile perception. Secondly, within the realm of high level tactile perception, is there a distinction between the ability to derive shape ('what') and spatial ('where') information? Our testing showed an impairment confined to shape perception. Thirdly, what aspects of shape perception are impaired in tactile agnosia? Our results indicate that despite accurate encoding of metric length and normal manual exploration strategies, the ability tactually to perceive objects with the impaired hand, deteriorated as the complexity of shape increased. In addition, asymmetrical performance was not found for other body surfaces (e.g. her feet). Our results suggest that tactile shape perception can be disrupted independent of general spatial ability, tactile spatial ability, manual shape exploration, or even the precise perception of metric length in the tactile modality.

Real-time object detection, tracking and occlusion reasoning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Divakaran, Ajay; Yu, Qian; Tamrakar, Amir

A system for object detection and tracking includes technologies to, among other things, detect and track moving objects, such as pedestrians and/or vehicles, in a real-world environment, handle static and dynamic occlusions, and continue tracking moving objects across the fields of view of multiple different cameras.

Object extraction method for image synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Seiki

1991-11-01

The extraction of component objects from images is fundamentally important for image synthesis. In TV program production, one useful method is the Video-Matte technique for specifying the necessary boundary of an object. This, however, involves some manually intricate and tedious processes. A new method proposed in this paper can reduce the needed level of operator skill and simplify object extraction. The object is automatically extracted by just a simple drawing of a thick boundary line. The basic principle involves a thinning of the thick boundary line binary image using the edge intensity of the original image. This method has many practical advantages, including the simplicity of specifying an object, the high accuracy of thinned-out boundary line, its ease of application to moving images, and the lack of any need for adjustment.

Behavioural response of adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to predator and conspecific alarm cues: evidence of additive effects

USGS Publications Warehouse

Di Rocco, Richard T.; Imre, Istvan; Johnson, Nicholas; Brown, Grant B

2016-01-01

Sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus, an invasive pest in the Upper Great Lakes, avoid odours that represent danger in their habitat. These odours include conspecific alarm cues and predator cues, like 2-phenylethylamine hydrochloride (PEA HCl), which is found in the urine of mammalian predators. Whether conspecific alarm cues and predator cues function additively or synergistically when mixed together is unknown. The objectives of this experimental study were to determine if the avoidance response of sea lamprey to PEA HCl is proportional to the concentration delivered, and if the avoidance response to the combination of a predator cue (PEA HCl) and sea lamprey alarm cue is additive. To accomplish the first objective, groups of ten sea lampreys were placed in an artificial stream channel and presented with stepwise concentrations of PEA HCl ranging from 5 × 10−8 to 5 × 10−10 M and a deionized water control. Sea lampreys exhibited an increase in their avoidance behaviour in response to increasing concentrations of PEA HCl. To accomplish the second objective, sea lampreys were exposed to PEA HCl, conspecific alarm cue and a combination of the two. Sea lampreys responded to the combination of predator cue and conspecific alarm cue in an additive manner.

Update on Spacewatch Observations of Near-Earth Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brucker, Melissa; McMillan, Robert S.; Bressi, Terry; Larsen, Jeff; Mastaler, Ron; Read, Mike; Scotti, Jim; Tubbiolo, Andrew

2017-10-01

Spacewatch performs targeted astrometric follow-up of near-Earth objects, primarily asteroids (NEAs), to improve knowledge of their orbits. We have a noteworthy history of asteroid and comet observations beginning in 1984 as the first survey to use CCDs to scan the sky for asteroids and comets. Currently, we measure simultaneous astrometry and photometry of observations during an average of 24 nights per lunation (dark and gray time) as the exclusive users of a 1.8-m telescope and a 0.9-m telescope on Kitt Peak. In addition, we use bright time on the 2.3-m Bok Telescope and the 4-m Mayall Telescope on Kitt Peak to chase fainter targets. Continued astrometric follow-up helps to prevent potentially hazardous objects and scientifically interesting NEAs from becoming lost.We prioritize virtual impactors, MPC confirmation page objects, potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) with close approaches within 0.03 AU in the next 30 years, upcoming radar targets with astrometry requests, Yarkovsky effect candidates, NEAs with existing characterization data (WISE, Spitzer, SMASS, MANOS), possible spacecraft destinations (NHATS), and requests from the community.In mid October 2015, we switched from survey mode to targeted astrometry on the 0.9-m telescope. From 2015 October 15 through 2017 June 29 (1.7yr), Spacewatch (observatory codes 291, 691, and ^695) had 20951 MPC-accepted NEO lines of astrometry corresponding to measurements of 2647 different NEOs. This includes 4801 PHA lines of astrometry corresponding to 426 different PHAs, of which 223 lines were at apparent magnitudes V>=22.5. We observed 43% of all NEAs and 52% of all unnumbered NEAs that were observed by any observatory during that period. We observed 50% of all PHAs and 64% of all unnumbered PHAs observed during that period. These statistics do not include submitted measurements of confirmation page objects that were not confirmed as NEAs.Support of Spacewatch is from NASA/NEOO grants, the Lunar and Planetary

Efficient Skeletonization of Volumetric Objects.

PubMed

Zhou, Yong; Toga, Arthur W

1999-07-01

Skeletonization promises to become a powerful tool for compact shape description, path planning, and other applications. However, current techniques can seldom efficiently process real, complicated 3D data sets, such as MRI and CT data of human organs. In this paper, we present an efficient voxel-coding based algorithm for Skeletonization of 3D voxelized objects. The skeletons are interpreted as connected centerlines. consisting of sequences of medial points of consecutive clusters. These centerlines are initially extracted as paths of voxels, followed by medial point replacement, refinement, smoothness, and connection operations. The voxel-coding techniques have been proposed for each of these operations in a uniform and systematic fashion. In addition to preserving basic connectivity and centeredness, the algorithm is characterized by straightforward computation, no sensitivity to object boundary complexity, explicit extraction of ready-to-parameterize and branch-controlled skeletons, and efficient object hole detection. These issues are rarely discussed in traditional methods. A range of 3D medical MRI and CT data sets were used for testing the algorithm, demonstrating its utility.

Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malin, David; Frew, David J.

1995-10-01

Many of the most spectacular astronomical objects are found in the southern skies. With this up-to-date, superbly illustrated handbook, both the amateur with binoculars and the expert with a telescope can make discoveries about new and interesting objects. Professor E. J. Hartung first produced his comprehensive and highly respected guide in 1968. Now the book has been greatly expanded and thoroughly revised, enhancing its character as an indispensable information source. With over 150 illustrations, new material is included on constellations and celestial coordinate systems as well as more modern descriptions of stars, nebulae and galaxies. The authors have included a new "southern Messier" list of objects. The authors' passion for their subject make this a unique and inspirational book. Many of the beautiful photographs were taken by David Malin, the world's leading astronomical photographer. The result will fascinate active and armchair astronomers alike.

Are object- and space-based attentional biases both important to free-viewing perceptual asymmetries?

PubMed

Nicholls, Michael E R; Hughes, Georgina; Mattingley, Jason B; Bradshaw, John L

2004-02-01

In contrast to unilateral neglect patients, who overattend to the right hemispace, normal participants attend more to the left: a phenomenon known as pseudoneglect. Two experiments examined whether pseudoneglect results from object- or space-based attentional biases. Normal participants ( n=38, 22) made luminance judgments for two left/right mirror-reversed luminance gradients (greyscales task). The relative lateral position of the greyscales stimuli was manipulated so that object- and space-based coordinates were congruent or incongruent. A baseline condition was also included. A leftward bias, found for the baseline condition, was annulled in the incongruent condition, demonstrating an opposition of object- and space-based biases. The leftward bias was reduced in the congruent condition where object- and space-based biases were expected to be additive. This effect was attributed to extraneous factors, which were avoided in the second experiment by presenting the greyscales stimuli sequentially. Once again, no bias was observed in the incongruent condition where object- and space-based biases were opposed. The leftward bias in the congruent condition was the same as the baseline. The results can be explained by a combination of space- and object-based biases or by space-based biases alone and are discussed with reference to a variety of models, which describe the distribution of attention across space.

Marine Engine Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Marion

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are presented for each of ten terminal objectives for a two-semester course (3 hours daily). This 540-hour intermediate course includes advanced troubleshooting techniques on outboard marine engines, inboard-outboard marine engines, inboard marine engines, boat…

Objective Assessment of Vergence after Treatment of Concussion-Related CI: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Scheiman, Mitchell; Talasan, Henry; Mitchell, Gladys L; Alvarez, Tara L.

2016-01-01

Purpose To evaluate changes in objective measures of disparity vergence after office-based vision therapy (OBVT) for concussion-related convergence insufficiency (CI), and determine the feasibility of using this objective assessment as an outcome measure in a clinical trial. Methods This was a prospective, observational trial. All participants were treated with weekly OBVT with home reinforcement. Participants included two adolescents and three young adults with concussion-related, symptomatic CI. The primary outcome measure was average peak velocity for 4-degree symmetrical convergence steps. Other objective outcome measures of disparity vergence included time to peak velocity, latency, accuracy, settling time, and main sequence. We also evaluated saccadic eye movements using the same outcome measures. Changes in clinical measures (near point of convergence, positive fusional vergence at near, Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) score) were evaluated. Results There were statistically significant and clinically meaningful changes in all clinical measures for convergence. Four of the five subjects met clinical success criteria. For the objective measures, we found a statistically significant increase in peak velocity, response accuracy to 4° symmetrical convergence and divergence step stimuli and the main sequence ratio for convergence step stimuli. Objective saccadic eye movements (5° and 10°) appeared normal pre-OBVT, and did not show any significant change after treatment. Conclusions This is the first report of the use of objective measures of disparity vergence as outcome measures for concussion-related convergence insufficiency. These measures provide additional information that is not accessible with clinical tests about underlying physiological mechanisms leading to changes in clinical findings and symptoms. The study results also demonstrate that patients with concussion can tolerate the visual demands (over 200 vergence and versional eye

Objective Assessment of Vergence after Treatment of Concussion-Related CI: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Scheiman, Mitchell M; Talasan, Henry; Mitchell, G Lynn; Alvarez, Tara L

2017-01-01

To evaluate changes in objective measures of disparity vergence after office-based vision therapy (OBVT) for concussion-related convergence insufficiency (CI) and determine the feasibility of using this objective assessment as an outcome measure in a clinical trial. This was a prospective, observational trial. All participants were treated with weekly OBVT with home reinforcement. Participants included two adolescents and three young adults with concussion-related, symptomatic CI. The primary outcome measure was average peak velocity for 4° symmetrical convergence steps. Other objective outcome measures of disparity vergence included time to peak velocity, latency, accuracy, settling time, and main sequence. We also evaluated saccadic eye movements using the same outcome measures. Changes in clinical measures (near point of convergence, positive fusional vergence at near, Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey [CISS] score) were evaluated. There were statistically significant and clinically meaningful changes in all clinical measures for convergence. Four of the five subjects met clinical success criteria. For the objective measures, we found a statistically significant increase in peak velocity, response accuracy to 4° symmetrical convergence and divergence step stimuli, and the main sequence ratio for convergence step stimuli. Objective saccadic eye movements (5 and 10°) appeared normal pre-OBVT and did not show any significant change after treatment. This is the first report of the use of objective measures of disparity vergence as outcome measures for concussion-related convergence insufficiency. These measures provide additional information that is not accessible with clinical tests about underlying physiological mechanisms leading to changes in clinical findings and symptoms. The study results also demonstrate that patients with concussion can tolerate the visual demands (over 200 vergence and versional eye movements) during the 25-minute testing time

Threat Assessment of Small Near-Earth Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, E.; Ryan, W.

2010-09-01

Researchers at the Magdalena Ridge Observatory’s (MRO) 2.4-meter telescope facility are in their third year of a program to derive physical characterization information on some of the smallest (less than 200 meters in diameter) objects in the Near-Earth Object (NEO) population. Tiny comets and asteroids are being discovered by survey programs on a routine basis, so targets available for study have been abundant. Our primary objective is to derive rotation rates for these objects, and to place the results in context with previous data to enhance our understanding of asteroid impact physics and better address the threat from NEOs having Earth-crossing orbits. Rotation rate can be used to infer internal structure, which is a physical property important to assessing the energy needed for object disruption or other forms of hazard mitigation. Since the existing database of rotational data derived from lightcurves of objects in this small size regime is sparse, collection of additional observational data is beneficial. Acquiring more knowledge about the physical nature of NEOs not only contributes to general scientific pursuits, but is important to planetary defense.

Consolidation of silicon nitride without additives. [for gas turbine engine efficiency increase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sikora, P. F.; Yeh, H. C.

1976-01-01

The use of ceramics for gas turbine engine construction might make it possible to increase engine efficiency by raising operational temperatures to values beyond those which can be tolerated by metallic alloys. The most promising ceramics being investigated in this connection are Si3N4 and SiC. A description is presented of a study which had the objective to produce dense Si3N4. The two most common methods of consolidating Si3N4 currently being used include hot pressing and reaction sintering. The feasibility was explored of producing a sound, dense Si3N4 body without additives by means of conventional gas hot isostatic pressing techniques and an uncommon hydraulic hot isostatic pressing technique. It was found that Si3N4 can be densified without additions to a density which exceeds 95% of the theoretical value

Numerical Analysis Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, Michael

1997-08-01

The Numerical Analysis Objects project (NAO) is a project in the Mathematics Department of IBM's TJ Watson Research Center. While there are plenty of numerical tools available today, it is not an easy task to combine them into a custom application. NAO is directed at the dual problems of building applications from a set of tools, and creating those tools. There are several "reuse" projects, which focus on the problems of identifying and cataloging tools. NAO is directed at the specific context of scientific computing. Because the type of tools is restricted, problems such as tools with incompatible data structures for input and output, and dissimilar interfaces to tools which solve similar problems can be addressed. The approach we've taken is to define interfaces to those objects used in numerical analysis, such as geometries, functions and operators, and to start collecting (and building) a set of tools which use these interfaces. We have written a class library (a set of abstract classes and implementations) in C++ which demonstrates the approach. Besides the classes, the class library includes "stub" routines which allow the library to be used from C or Fortran, and an interface to a Visual Programming Language. The library has been used to build a simulator for petroleum reservoirs, using a set of tools for discretizing nonlinear differential equations that we have written, and includes "wrapped" versions of packages from the Netlib repository. Documentation can be found on the Web at "http://www.research.ibm.com/nao". I will describe the objects and their interfaces, and give examples ranging from mesh generation to solving differential equations.

Evaluation of certain food additives.

PubMed

2017-01-01

This report represents the conclusions of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee convened to evaluate the safety of various food additives, including flavouring agents, with a view to concluding as to safety concerns and to preparing specifications for identity and purity. The first part of the report contains a general discussion of the principles governing the toxicological evaluation of and assessment of dietary exposure to food additives, including flavouring agents. A summary follows of the Committee’s evaluations of technical, toxicological and dietary exposure data for 10 food additives (Allura Red AC; carob bean gum; lutein esters from Tagetes erecta; octenyl succinic acid (OSA)– modified gum arabic; pectin; Quinoline Yellow; rosemary extract; steviol glycosides; tartrazine; and xanthan gum) and five groups of flavouring agents (alicyclic, alicyclic-fused and aromatic-fused ring lactones; aliphatic and aromatic amines and amides; aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and related esters; cinnamyl alcohol and related substances; and tetrahydrofuran and furanone derivatives). Specifications for the following food additives were revised: aspartame; cassia gum; citric and fatty acid esters of glycerol (CITREM); modified starches; octanoic acid; starch sodium octenyl succinate; and total colouring matters. Annexed to the report are tables summarizing the Committee’s recommendations for dietary exposures to and toxicological evaluations of all of the food additives, including flavouring agents, considered at this meeting.

New Scattered Disk Object and Centaur Colors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brucker, Melissa; Wilcox, P.; Stansberry, J.

2013-10-01

We report B, V, and R magnitudes for scattered disk objects and centaurs from observations taken in December 2011 and August 2013 using the Lowell Observatory Perkins Telescope with PRISM and observations taken in March 2012 at the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) on Mt. Graham, Arizona. Targeted scattered disk objects include 2002 CY224, 2003 UY117, 2006 QJ181, 2008 CT190, 2009 YG19, 2010 FD49, 2010 VZ98. Targeted centaurs include 2002 QX47, 2005 UJ438, 2006 UX184, and 2007 RH283. We will determine if the resultant centaur colors follow the bimodal distribution (B-R either red or gray) previously detected. We will also compare the resultant scattered disk object colors to those published for other scattered disk objects. This work is based on observations with the Perkins Telescope at Lowell Observatory, and with the VATT: The Alice P. Lennon Telescope and the Thomas J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility.

WISE Observations of Comets, Centaurs, & Scattered Disk Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauer, J.; Walker, R.; Mainzer, A.; Masiero, J.; Grav, T.; Cutri, R.; Dailey, J.; McMillan, R.; Lisse, C. M.; Fernandez, Y. R.;

[Eye movement study in multiple object search process].

PubMed

Xu, Zhaofang; Liu, Zhongqi; Wang, Xingwei; Zhang, Xin

2017-04-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the search time regulation of objectives and eye movement behavior characteristics in the multi-objective visual search. The experimental task was accomplished with computer programming and presented characters on a 24 inch computer display. The subjects were asked to search three targets among the characters. Three target characters in the same group were of high similarity degree while those in different groups of target characters and distraction characters were in different similarity degrees. We recorded the search time and eye movement data through the whole experiment. It could be seen from the eye movement data that the quantity of fixation points was large when the target characters and distraction characters were similar. There were three kinds of visual search patterns for the subjects including parallel search, serial search, and parallel-serial search. In addition, the last pattern had the best search performance among the three search patterns, that is, the subjects who used parallel-serial search pattern spent shorter time finding the target. The order that the targets presented were able to affect the search performance significantly; and the similarity degree between target characters and distraction characters could also affect the search performance.

Motion measurement of acoustically levitated object

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watkins, John L. (Inventor); Barmatz, Martin B. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A system is described for determining motion of an object that is acoustically positioned in a standing wave field in a chamber. Sonic energy in the chamber is sensed, and variation in the amplitude of the sonic energy is detected, which is caused by linear motion, rotational motion, or drop shape oscillation of the object. Apparatus for detecting object motion can include a microphone coupled to the chamber and a low pass filter connected to the output of the microphone, which passes only frequencies below the frequency of sound produced by a transducer that maintains the acoustic standing wave field. Knowledge about object motion can be useful by itself, can be useful to determine surface tension, viscosity, and other information about the object, and can be useful to determine the pressure and other characteristics of the acoustic field.

Rubrics for Evaluating Open Education Resource (OER) Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2011

2011-01-01

The rubrics presented in this report represent an evaluation system for objects found within Open Education Resources. An object could include images, applets, lessons, units, assessments and more. For the purpose of this evaluation, any component that can exist as a stand-alone qualifies as an object. The rubrics in this packet can be applied…

Objective speech quality assessment and the RPE-LTP coding algorithm in different noise and language conditions.

PubMed

Hansen, J H; Nandkumar, S

1995-01-01

The formulation of reliable signal processing algorithms for speech coding and synthesis require the selection of a prior criterion of performance. Though coding efficiency (bits/second) or computational requirements can be used, a final performance measure must always include speech quality. In this paper, three objective speech quality measures are considered with respect to quality assessment for American English, noisy American English, and noise-free versions of seven languages. The purpose is to determine whether objective quality measures can be used to quantify changes in quality for a given voice coding method, with a known subjective performance level, as background noise or language conditions are changed. The speech coding algorithm chosen is regular-pulse excitation with long-term prediction (RPE-LTP), which has been chosen as the standard voice compression algorithm for the European Digital Mobile Radio system. Three areas are considered for objective quality assessment which include: (i) vocoder performance for American English in a noise-free environment, (ii) speech quality variation for three additive background noise sources, and (iii) noise-free performance for seven languages which include English, Japanese, Finnish, German, Hindi, Spanish, and French. It is suggested that although existing objective quality measures will never replace subjective testing, they can be a useful means of assessing changes in performance, identifying areas for improvement in algorithm design, and augmenting subjective quality tests for voice coding/compression algorithms in noise-free, noisy, and/or non-English applications.

Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) met in Rome from 14 to 23 June 2011. The purpose of the committee was to provide the Codex Alimentarius Commission access with objective advice on high priority food safety matters. Specifically, the tasks before the Committee were: i) t...

Feasibility and Scaling of Composite Based Additive Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nuttall, David; Chen, Xun; Kunc, Vlastimil

2016-04-27

Engineers and Researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (ORNL MDF) collaborated with Impossible Objects (IO) in the characterization of PEEK infused carbon fiber mat manufactured by means of CBAM composite-based additive manufacturing, a first generation assembly methodology developed by Robert Swartz, Chairman, Founder, and CTO of Impossible Objects.[1] The first phase of this project focused on demonstration of CBAM for composite tooling. The outlined steps focused on selecting an appropriate shape that fit the current machine s build envelope, characterized the resulting form, and presented next steps for transitioning to a Phase II CRADA agreement. Phasemore » I of collaborative research and development agreement NFE-15-05698 was initiated in April of 2015 with an introduction to Impossible Objects, and concluded in March of 2016 with a visitation to Impossible Objects headquarters in Chicago, IL. Phase II as discussed herein is under consideration by Impossible Objects as of this writing.« less

Ionic liquids, electrolyte solutions including the ionic liquids, and energy storage devices including the ionic liquids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gering, Kevin L.; Harrup, Mason K.; Rollins, Harry W.

2015-12-08

An ionic liquid including a phosphazene compound that has a plurality of phosphorus-nitrogen units and at least one pendant group bonded to each phosphorus atom of the plurality of phosphorus-nitrogen units. One pendant group of the at least one pendant group comprises a positively charged pendant group. Additional embodiments of ionic liquids are disclosed, as are electrolyte solutions and energy storage devices including the embodiments of the ionic liquid.

Visual features as stepping stones toward semantics: Explaining object similarity in IT and perception with non-negative least squares

PubMed Central

Jozwik, Kamila M.; Kriegeskorte, Nikolaus; Mur, Marieke

2016-01-01

Object similarity, in brain representations and conscious perception, must reflect a combination of the visual appearance of the objects on the one hand and the categories the objects belong to on the other. Indeed, visual object features and category membership have each been shown to contribute to the object representation in human inferior temporal (IT) cortex, as well as to object-similarity judgments. However, the explanatory power of features and categories has not been directly compared. Here, we investigate whether the IT object representation and similarity judgments are best explained by a categorical or a feature-based model. We use rich models (>100 dimensions) generated by human observers for a set of 96 real-world object images. The categorical model consists of a hierarchically nested set of category labels (such as “human”, “mammal”, and “animal”). The feature-based model includes both object parts (such as “eye”, “tail”, and “handle”) and other descriptive features (such as “circular”, “green”, and “stubbly”). We used non-negative least squares to fit the models to the brain representations (estimated from functional magnetic resonance imaging data) and to similarity judgments. Model performance was estimated on held-out images not used in fitting. Both models explained significant variance in IT and the amounts explained were not significantly different. The combined model did not explain significant additional IT variance, suggesting that it is the shared model variance (features correlated with categories, categories correlated with features) that best explains IT. The similarity judgments were almost fully explained by the categorical model, which explained significantly more variance than the feature-based model. The combined model did not explain significant additional variance in the similarity judgments. Our findings suggest that IT uses features that help to distinguish categories as stepping stones

Visual features as stepping stones toward semantics: Explaining object similarity in IT and perception with non-negative least squares.

PubMed

Jozwik, Kamila M; Kriegeskorte, Nikolaus; Mur, Marieke

2016-03-01

Object similarity, in brain representations and conscious perception, must reflect a combination of the visual appearance of the objects on the one hand and the categories the objects belong to on the other. Indeed, visual object features and category membership have each been shown to contribute to the object representation in human inferior temporal (IT) cortex, as well as to object-similarity judgments. However, the explanatory power of features and categories has not been directly compared. Here, we investigate whether the IT object representation and similarity judgments are best explained by a categorical or a feature-based model. We use rich models (>100 dimensions) generated by human observers for a set of 96 real-world object images. The categorical model consists of a hierarchically nested set of category labels (such as "human", "mammal", and "animal"). The feature-based model includes both object parts (such as "eye", "tail", and "handle") and other descriptive features (such as "circular", "green", and "stubbly"). We used non-negative least squares to fit the models to the brain representations (estimated from functional magnetic resonance imaging data) and to similarity judgments. Model performance was estimated on held-out images not used in fitting. Both models explained significant variance in IT and the amounts explained were not significantly different. The combined model did not explain significant additional IT variance, suggesting that it is the shared model variance (features correlated with categories, categories correlated with features) that best explains IT. The similarity judgments were almost fully explained by the categorical model, which explained significantly more variance than the feature-based model. The combined model did not explain significant additional variance in the similarity judgments. Our findings suggest that IT uses features that help to distinguish categories as stepping stones toward a semantic representation

Subjective Wellbeing, Objective Wellbeing and Inequality in Australia

PubMed Central

Western, Mark

2016-01-01

In recent years policy makers and social scientists have devoted considerable attention to wellbeing, a concept that refers to people’s capacity to live healthy, creative and fulfilling lives. Two conceptual approaches dominate wellbeing research. The objective approach examines the objective components of a good life. The subjective approach examines people’s subjective evaluations of their lives. In the objective approach how subjective wellbeing relates to objective wellbeing is not a relevant research question. The subjective approach does investigate how objective wellbeing relates to subjective wellbeing, but has focused primarily on one objective wellbeing indicator, income, rather than the comprehensive indicator set implied by the objective approach. This paper attempts to contribute by examining relationships between a comprehensive set of objective wellbeing measures and subjective wellbeing, and by linking wellbeing research to inequality research by also investigating how subjective and objective wellbeing relate to class, gender, age and ethnicity. We use three waves of a representative state-level household panel study from Queensland, Australia, undertaken from 2008 to 2010, to investigate how objective measures of wellbeing are socially distributed by gender, class, age, and ethnicity. We also examine relationships between objective wellbeing and overall life satisfaction, providing one of the first longitudinal analyses linking objective wellbeing with subjective evaluations. Objective aspects of wellbeing are unequally distributed by gender, age, class and ethnicity and are strongly associated with life satisfaction. Moreover, associations between gender, ethnicity, class and life satisfaction persist after controlling for objective wellbeing, suggesting that mechanisms in addition to objective wellbeing link structural dimensions of inequality to life satisfaction. PMID:27695042

Subjective Wellbeing, Objective Wellbeing and Inequality in Australia.

PubMed

Western, Mark; Tomaszewski, Wojtek

2016-01-01

In recent years policy makers and social scientists have devoted considerable attention to wellbeing, a concept that refers to people's capacity to live healthy, creative and fulfilling lives. Two conceptual approaches dominate wellbeing research. The objective approach examines the objective components of a good life. The subjective approach examines people's subjective evaluations of their lives. In the objective approach how subjective wellbeing relates to objective wellbeing is not a relevant research question. The subjective approach does investigate how objective wellbeing relates to subjective wellbeing, but has focused primarily on one objective wellbeing indicator, income, rather than the comprehensive indicator set implied by the objective approach. This paper attempts to contribute by examining relationships between a comprehensive set of objective wellbeing measures and subjective wellbeing, and by linking wellbeing research to inequality research by also investigating how subjective and objective wellbeing relate to class, gender, age and ethnicity. We use three waves of a representative state-level household panel study from Queensland, Australia, undertaken from 2008 to 2010, to investigate how objective measures of wellbeing are socially distributed by gender, class, age, and ethnicity. We also examine relationships between objective wellbeing and overall life satisfaction, providing one of the first longitudinal analyses linking objective wellbeing with subjective evaluations. Objective aspects of wellbeing are unequally distributed by gender, age, class and ethnicity and are strongly associated with life satisfaction. Moreover, associations between gender, ethnicity, class and life satisfaction persist after controlling for objective wellbeing, suggesting that mechanisms in addition to objective wellbeing link structural dimensions of inequality to life satisfaction.

Memory for faces and objects by deaf and hearing signers and hearing nonsigners.

PubMed

Arnold, P; Murray, C

1998-07-01

The memory of 11 deaf and 11 hearing British Sign Language users and 11 hearing nonsigners for pictures of faces of and verbalizable objects was measured using the game Concentration. The three groups performed at the same level for the objects. In contrast the deaf signers were better for faces than the hearing signers, who in turn were superior to the hearing nonsigners, who were the worst. Three hypotheses were made: That there would be no significant difference in terms of the number of attempts between the three groups on the verbalizable object task, that the hearing and deaf signers would demonstrate superior performance to that of the hearing nonsigners on the matching faces task, and that the hearing and deaf signers would exhibit similar performance levels on the matching faces task. The first two hypotheses were supported, but the third was not. Deaf signers were found to be superior for memory for faces to hearing signers and hearing nonsigners. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed, including the possibility that deafness and the long use of sign language have additive effects.

Strategies for teaching object-oriented concepts with Java

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicilia, Miguel-Ángel

2006-03-01

A considerable amount of experiences in teaching object-oriented concepts using the Java language have been reported to date, some of which describe language pitfalls and concrete learning difficulties. In this paper, a number of additional issues that have been experienced as difficult for students to master, along with approaches intended to overcome them, are addressed. Concretely, practical issues regarding associations, interfaces, genericity and exceptions are described. These issues suggest that more emphasis is required on presenting Java programs as derivations of conceptual models, in order to guarantee that a thorough design of the object structure actually precedes implementation issues. In addition, common student misunderstandings about the uses of interfaces and exceptions point to the necessity of introducing both specific design philosophies and also a clear distinction between design-for-reuse and more specific implementation issues.

The Real-Time ObjectAgent Software Architecture for Distributed Satellite Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

real - time operating system selection are also discussed. The fourth section describes a simple demonstration of real-time ObjectAgent. Finally, the...experience with C++. After selecting the programming language, it was necessary to select a target real - time operating system (RTOS) and embedded...ObjectAgent software to run on the OSE Real Time Operating System . In addition, she is responsible for the integration of ObjectAgent

17 CFR 230.408 - Additional information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Additional information. 230... RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 General Requirements § 230.408 Additional information. (a) In addition to the information expressly required to be included in a registration statement, there...

Optical polarimetry and photometry of X-ray selected BL Lacertae objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jannuzi, Buell T.; Smith, Paul S.; Elston, Richard

1993-01-01

We present the data from 3 years of monitoring the optical polarization and apparent brightness of 37 X-ray-selected BL Lacertae objects. The monitored objects include a complete sample drawn from the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey. We confirm the BL Lac identifications for 15 of these 22 objects. We include descriptions of the objects and samples in our monitoring program and of the existing complete samples of BL Lac objects, highly polarized quasars, optically violent variable quasars, and blazars.

ARTEMIS Science Objectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sibeck, D. G.; Angelopoulos, V.; Brain, D. A.; Delory, G. T.; Eastwood, J. P.; Farrell, W. M.; Grimm, R. E.; Halekas, J. S.; Hasegawa, H.; Hellinger, P.;

Automatic Recognition of Object Names in Literature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonnin, C.; Lesteven, S.; Derriere, S.; Oberto, A.

2008-08-01

SIMBAD is a database of astronomical objects that provides (among other things) their bibliographic references in a large number of journals. Currently, these references have to be entered manually by librarians who read each paper. To cope with the increasing number of papers, CDS develops a tool to assist the librarians in their work, taking advantage of the Dictionary of Nomenclature of Celestial Objects, which keeps track of object acronyms and of their origin. The program searches for object names directly in PDF documents by comparing the words with all the formats stored in the Dictionary of Nomenclature. It also searches for variable star names based on constellation names and for a large list of usual names such as Aldebaran or the Crab. Object names found in the documents often correspond to several astronomical objects. The system retrieves all possible matches, displays them with their object type given by SIMBAD, and lets the librarian make the final choice. The bibliographic reference can then be automatically added to the object identifiers in the database. Besides, the systematic usage of the Dictionary of Nomenclature, which is updated manually, permitted to automatically check it and to detect errors and inconsistencies. Last but not least, the program collects some additional information such as the position of the object names in the document (in the title, subtitle, abstract, table, figure caption...) and their number of occurrences. In the future, this will permit to calculate the 'weight' of an object in a reference and to provide SIMBAD users with an important new information, which will help them to find the most relevant papers in the object reference list.

Object Pragmatics and Language Development.

PubMed

Béguin, Marie

2016-12-01

The purpose of this contribution is to investigate the advent of language in the light of the appropriation of the cultural uses of the material objects related to material culture and the constitution of their public and shared meanings linked to their uses. First, we suggest that the Object Pragmatics paradigm offers a framework which allows us to take into account the uses of objects in daily life as a site of social conventions, communication and public and shared meanings. Second, we would like to underline the key role of the adult's mediations in the child's ability to evolve towards linguistic development. This contribution will discuss the notion of scenario involving primarily the object, as a possible semiotic tool to support the child's transition to language. We will finally illustrate that it is possible to take into consideration the mastery of conventional uses of the object in the child's ability to engage in a scenario and then to move towards communication and speech development. These issues will be addressed in the context of a research project which focuses on the observation of children interacting with an adult at 16, 20 and 24 months. These longitudinal data were collected by video in a semi-experimental triadic interaction design. The triadic interaction is considered as a relevant unit for the observation and analysis of the role of material culture in speech development, suggesting the existence of new mechanisms to be taken into account in addition to the interactive conditions largely mentioned in literature.

Object tracking using plenoptic image sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jae Woo; Bae, Seong-Joon; Park, Seongjin; Kim, Do Hyung

2017-05-01

Object tracking is a very important problem in computer vision research. Among the difficulties of object tracking, partial occlusion problem is one of the most serious and challenging problems. To address the problem, we proposed novel approaches to object tracking on plenoptic image sequences. Our approaches take advantage of the refocusing capability that plenoptic images provide. Our approaches input the sequences of focal stacks constructed from plenoptic image sequences. The proposed image selection algorithms select the sequence of optimal images that can maximize the tracking accuracy from the sequence of focal stacks. Focus measure approach and confidence measure approach were proposed for image selection and both of the approaches were validated by the experiments using thirteen plenoptic image sequences that include heavily occluded target objects. The experimental results showed that the proposed approaches were satisfactory comparing to the conventional 2D object tracking algorithms.

Decoding Visual Object Categories in Early Somatosensory Cortex

PubMed Central

Smith, Fraser W.; Goodale, Melvyn A.

2015-01-01

Neurons, even in the earliest sensory areas of cortex, are subject to a great deal of contextual influence from both within and across modality connections. In the present work, we investigated whether the earliest regions of somatosensory cortex (S1 and S2) would contain content-specific information about visual object categories. We reasoned that this might be possible due to the associations formed through experience that link different sensory aspects of a given object. Participants were presented with visual images of different object categories in 2 fMRI experiments. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed reliable decoding of familiar visual object category in bilateral S1 (i.e., postcentral gyri) and right S2. We further show that this decoding is observed for familiar but not unfamiliar visual objects in S1. In addition, whole-brain searchlight decoding analyses revealed several areas in the parietal lobe that could mediate the observed context effects between vision and somatosensation. These results demonstrate that even the first cortical stages of somatosensory processing carry information about the category of visually presented familiar objects. PMID:24122136

Significance of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations to Plastic Surgery Residency Training.

PubMed

Simmons, Brian J; Zoghbi, Yasmina; Askari, Morad; Birnbach, David J; Shekhter, Ilya; Thaller, Seth R

2017-09-01

Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) have proven to be a powerful tool. They possess more than a 30-year track record in assessing the competency of medical students, residents, and fellows. Objective structured clinical examinations have been used successfully in a variety of medical specialties, including surgery. They have recently found their way into the subspecialty of plastic surgery. This article uses a systematic review of the available literature on OSCEs and their recent use in plastic surgery. It incorporates survey results assessing program directors' views on the use of OSCEs. Approximately 40% of programs surveyed use OSCEs to assess the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies. We found that 40% use OSCEs to evaluate specific plastic surgery milestones. Objective structured clinical examinations are usually performed annually. They cost anywhere between $100 and more than $1000 per resident. Four milestones giving residents the most difficulties on OSCEs were congenital anomalies, noncancer breast surgery, breast reconstruction, and practice-based learning and improvement. It was determined that challenges with milestones were due to lack of adequate general knowledge and surgical ward patient care, as well as deficits in professionalism and system-based problems. Programs were able to remediate weakness found by OSCEs using a variety of methods. Objective structured clinical examinations offer a unique tool to objectively assess the proficiency of residents in key areas of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies. In addition, they can be used to assess the specific milestones that plastic surgery residents must meet. This allows programs to identify and improve identified areas of weakness.

Shape and color conjunction stimuli are represented as bound objects in visual working memory.

PubMed

Luria, Roy; Vogel, Edward K

2011-05-01

The integrated object view of visual working memory (WM) argues that objects (rather than features) are the building block of visual WM, so that adding an extra feature to an object does not result in any extra cost to WM capacity. Alternative views have shown that complex objects consume additional WM storage capacity so that it may not be represented as bound objects. Additionally, it was argued that two features from the same dimension (i.e., color-color) do not form an integrated object in visual WM. This led some to argue for a "weak" object view of visual WM. We used the contralateral delay activity (the CDA) as an electrophysiological marker of WM capacity, to test those alternative hypotheses to the integrated object account. In two experiments we presented complex stimuli and color-color conjunction stimuli, and compared performance in displays that had one object but varying degrees of feature complexity. The results supported the integrated object account by showing that the CDA amplitude corresponded to the number of objects regardless of the number of features within each object, even for complex objects or color-color conjunction stimuli. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Manually locating physical and virtual reality objects.

PubMed

Chen, Karen B; Kimmel, Ryan A; Bartholomew, Aaron; Ponto, Kevin; Gleicher, Michael L; Radwin, Robert G

2014-09-01

In this study, we compared how users locate physical and equivalent three-dimensional images of virtual objects in a cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE) using the hand to examine how human performance (accuracy, time, and approach) is affected by object size, location, and distance. Virtual reality (VR) offers the promise to flexibly simulate arbitrary environments for studying human performance. Previously, VR researchers primarily considered differences between virtual and physical distance estimation rather than reaching for close-up objects. Fourteen participants completed manual targeting tasks that involved reaching for corners on equivalent physical and virtual boxes of three different sizes. Predicted errors were calculated from a geometric model based on user interpupillary distance, eye location, distance from the eyes to the projector screen, and object. Users were 1.64 times less accurate (p < .001) and spent 1.49 times more time (p = .01) targeting virtual versus physical box corners using the hands. Predicted virtual targeting errors were on average 1.53 times (p < .05) greater than the observed errors for farther virtual targets but not significantly different for close-up virtual targets. Target size, location, and distance, in addition to binocular disparity, affected virtual object targeting inaccuracy. Observed virtual box inaccuracy was less than predicted for farther locations, suggesting possible influence of cues other than binocular vision. Human physical interaction with objects in VR for simulation, training, and prototyping involving reaching and manually handling virtual objects in a CAVE are more accurate than predicted when locating farther objects.

An Efficient Objective Analysis System for Parallel Computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stobie, James G.

1999-01-01

A new objective analysis system designed for parallel computers will be described. The system can produce a global analysis (on a 2 x 2.5 lat-lon grid with 20 levels of heights and winds and 10 levels of moisture) using 120,000 observations in less than 3 minutes on 32 CPUs (SGI Origin 2000). No special parallel code is needed (e.g. MPI or multitasking) and the 32 CPUs do not have to be on the same platform. The system Ls totally portable and can run on -several different architectures at once. In addition, the system can easily scale up to 100 or more CPUS. This will allow for much higher resolution and significant increases in input data. The system scales linearly as the number of observations and the number of grid points. The cost overhead in going from I to 32 CPus is 18%. in addition, the analysis results are identical regardless of the number of processors used. T'his system has all the characteristics of optimal interpolation, combining detailed instrument and first guess error statistics to produce the best estimate of the atmospheric state. It also includes a new quality control (buddy check) system. Static tests with the system showed it's analysis increments are comparable to the latest NASA operational system including maintenance of mass-wind balance. Results from a 2-month cycling test in the Goddard EOS Data Assimilation System (GEOS DAS) show this new analysis retains the same level of agreement between the first guess and observations (0-F statistics) throughout the entire two months.

A Geometric Analysis to Protect Manned Assets from Newly Launched Objects - Cola Gap Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hametz, Mark E.; Beaver, Brian A.

2013-01-01

A safety risk was identified for the International Space Station (ISS) by The Aerospace Corporation, where the ISS would be unable to react to a conjunction with a newly launched object following the end of the launch Collision Avoidance (COLA) process. Once an object is launched, there is a finite period of time required to track, catalog, and evaluate that new object as part of standard onorbit COLA screening processes. Additionally, should a conjunction be identified, there is an additional period of time required to plan and execute a collision avoidance maneuver. While the computed prelaunch probability of collision with any object is extremely low, NASA/JSC has requested that all US launches take additional steps to protect the ISS during this "COLA gap" period. This paper details a geometric-based COLA gap analysis method developed by the NASA Launch Services Program to determine if launch window cutouts are required to mitigate this risk. Additionally, this paper presents the results of several missions where this process has been used operationally.

Subjective versus objective measures of tic severity in Tourette syndrome - The influence of environment.

PubMed

Barnea, Meirav; Benaroya-Milshtein, Noa; Gilboa-Sechtman, Eva; Woods, Douglas W; Piacentini, John; Fennig, Silvana; Apter, Alan; Steinberg, Tamar

2016-08-30

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of environmental challenges on tic expression by subjective and objective measures. The study group consisted of 41 children aged 6-18 years (M=10.15, SD=2.73) with a primary diagnosis of Tourette syndrome. Subjective measures included the Functional Assessment Interview developed for this study and three standard validated instruments. The objective measure was a video-recording of the patients in five daily-life situations: watching television, doing homework, being alone, receiving attention when ticcing, and talking to a stranger. In addition, the effect of premonitory urges on assessment of tic expression was evaluated. The associations between the subjective and objective measures of tic expression were moderate to low. A significantly higher number of tics were observed in the television situation, and a significantly lower number in the alone situation, compared to the other situations. Higher levels of premonitory urge were associated with greater awareness of objectively measured tic expression. In conclusion, tic expression is significantly influenced by the environment. Subjective measures of tic expression may be misleading. These results have implications for refining the clinical assessment of tics, improving research methodology, and developing new therapeutic strategies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Convergence and objective functions of some fault/noise-injection-based online learning algorithms for RBF networks.

PubMed

Ho, Kevin I-J; Leung, Chi-Sing; Sum, John

2010-06-01

In the last two decades, many online fault/noise injection algorithms have been developed to attain a fault tolerant neural network. However, not much theoretical works related to their convergence and objective functions have been reported. This paper studies six common fault/noise-injection-based online learning algorithms for radial basis function (RBF) networks, namely 1) injecting additive input noise, 2) injecting additive/multiplicative weight noise, 3) injecting multiplicative node noise, 4) injecting multiweight fault (random disconnection of weights), 5) injecting multinode fault during training, and 6) weight decay with injecting multinode fault. Based on the Gladyshev theorem, we show that the convergence of these six online algorithms is almost sure. Moreover, their true objective functions being minimized are derived. For injecting additive input noise during training, the objective function is identical to that of the Tikhonov regularizer approach. For injecting additive/multiplicative weight noise during training, the objective function is the simple mean square training error. Thus, injecting additive/multiplicative weight noise during training cannot improve the fault tolerance of an RBF network. Similar to injective additive input noise, the objective functions of other fault/noise-injection-based online algorithms contain a mean square error term and a specialized regularization term.

Faunus: An object oriented framework for molecular simulation

PubMed Central

Lund, Mikael; Trulsson, Martin; Persson, Björn

2008-01-01

Background We present a C++ class library for Monte Carlo simulation of molecular systems, including proteins in solution. The design is generic and highly modular, enabling multiple developers to easily implement additional features. The statistical mechanical methods are documented by extensive use of code comments that – subsequently – are collected to automatically build a web-based manual. Results We show how an object oriented design can be used to create an intuitively appealing coding framework for molecular simulation. This is exemplified in a minimalistic C++ program that can calculate protein protonation states. We further discuss performance issues related to high level coding abstraction. Conclusion C++ and the Standard Template Library (STL) provide a high-performance platform for generic molecular modeling. Automatic generation of code documentation from inline comments has proven particularly useful in that no separate manual needs to be maintained. PMID:18241331

Modified-hybrid optical neural network filter for multiple object recognition within cluttered scenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kypraios, Ioannis; Young, Rupert C. D.; Chatwin, Chris R.

2009-08-01

Motivated by the non-linear interpolation and generalization abilities of the hybrid optical neural network filter between the reference and non-reference images of the true-class object we designed the modifiedhybrid optical neural network filter. We applied an optical mask to the hybrid optical neural network's filter input. The mask was built with the constant weight connections of a randomly chosen image included in the training set. The resulted design of the modified-hybrid optical neural network filter is optimized for performing best in cluttered scenes of the true-class object. Due to the shift invariance properties inherited by its correlator unit the filter can accommodate multiple objects of the same class to be detected within an input cluttered image. Additionally, the architecture of the neural network unit of the general hybrid optical neural network filter allows the recognition of multiple objects of different classes within the input cluttered image by modifying the output layer of the unit. We test the modified-hybrid optical neural network filter for multiple objects of the same and of different classes' recognition within cluttered input images and video sequences of cluttered scenes. The filter is shown to exhibit with a single pass over the input data simultaneously out-of-plane rotation, shift invariance and good clutter tolerance. It is able to successfully detect and classify correctly the true-class objects within background clutter for which there has been no previous training.

A review of supervised object-based land-cover image classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Lei; Li, Manchun; Ma, Xiaoxue; Cheng, Liang; Du, Peijun; Liu, Yongxue

2017-08-01

Object-based image classification for land-cover mapping purposes using remote-sensing imagery has attracted significant attention in recent years. Numerous studies conducted over the past decade have investigated a broad array of sensors, feature selection, classifiers, and other factors of interest. However, these research results have not yet been synthesized to provide coherent guidance on the effect of different supervised object-based land-cover classification processes. In this study, we first construct a database with 28 fields using qualitative and quantitative information extracted from 254 experimental cases described in 173 scientific papers. Second, the results of the meta-analysis are reported, including general characteristics of the studies (e.g., the geographic range of relevant institutes, preferred journals) and the relationships between factors of interest (e.g., spatial resolution and study area or optimal segmentation scale, accuracy and number of targeted classes), especially with respect to the classification accuracy of different sensors, segmentation scale, training set size, supervised classifiers, and land-cover types. Third, useful data on supervised object-based image classification are determined from the meta-analysis. For example, we find that supervised object-based classification is currently experiencing rapid advances, while development of the fuzzy technique is limited in the object-based framework. Furthermore, spatial resolution correlates with the optimal segmentation scale and study area, and Random Forest (RF) shows the best performance in object-based classification. The area-based accuracy assessment method can obtain stable classification performance, and indicates a strong correlation between accuracy and training set size, while the accuracy of the point-based method is likely to be unstable due to mixed objects. In addition, the overall accuracy benefits from higher spatial resolution images (e.g., unmanned aerial

WISE Views of Centaurs & Scattered Disk Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauer, J. M.; Walker, R.; Mainzer, A.; Blauvelt, E.; Masiero, J.; Grav, T.; Cutri, R.; Dailey, J.; Lisse, C. M.; Fernandez, Y. R.;

Conflict in object affordance revealed by grip force

PubMed Central

McBride, Jennifer; Sumner, Petroc; Husain, Masud

2011-01-01

Viewing objects can result in automatic, partial activation of motor plans associated with them—“object affordance”. Here, we recorded grip force simultaneously from both hands in an object affordance task to investigate the effects of conflict between coactivated responses. Participants classified pictures of objects by squeezing force transducers with their left or right hand. Responses were faster on trials where the object afforded an action with the same hand that was required to make the response (congruent trials) compared to the opposite hand (incongruent trials). In addition, conflict between coactivated responses was reduced if it was experienced on the preceding trial, just like Gratton adaptation effects reported in “conflict” tasks (e.g., Eriksen flanker). This finding suggests that object affordance demonstrates conflict effects similar to those shown in other stimulus–response mapping tasks and thus could be integrated into the wider conceptual framework on overlearnt stimulus–response associations. Corrected erroneous responses occurred more frequently when there was conflict between the afforded response and the response required by the task, providing direct evidence that viewing an object activates motor plans appropriate for interacting with that object. Recording continuous grip force, as here, provides a sensitive way to measure coactivated responses in affordance tasks. PMID:21824035

When objects lose their meaning: what happens to their use?

PubMed

Bozeat, Sasha; Lambon Ralph, Matthew A; Patterson, Karalyn; Hodges, John R

2002-09-01

The 8 patients involved in this study were impaired on tests assessing knowledge of objects and on the demonstration of their use. The patients' success in object use was significantly correlated with their knowledge about the objects, providing further evidence that conceptual knowledge plays a key role in object use. Having a recipient present improved performance in the moderately impaired patients, suggesting that a certain level of conceptual knowledge must remain for the additional information to be beneficial. Although overall accuracy in using the target objects was not related to our measures of affordance, the specific aspects of use afforded by the objects' structures were relatively impervious to semantic impairment, suggesting a role for affordance information when object-specific knowledge is disrupted. The patients' familiarity with the objects was an important predictor of performance. Finally, despite good performance on tests of mechanical problem solving, the patients showed very little evidence of employing these skills in their interactions with real objects.

Color appearance of familiar objects: effects of object shape, texture, and illumination changes.

PubMed

Olkkonen, Maria; Hansen, Thorsten; Gegenfurtner, Karl R

2008-05-26

People perceive roughly constant surface colors despite large changes in illumination. The familiarity of colors of some natural objects might help achieve this feat through direct modulation of the objects' color appearance. Research on memory colors and color appearance has yielded controversial results and due to the employed methods has often confounded perceptual with semantic effects. We studied the effect of memory colors on color appearance by presenting photographs of fruit on a monitor under various simulated illuminations and by asking observers to make either achromatic or typical color settings without placing demands on short-term memory or semantic processing. In a control condition, we presented photographs of 3D fruit shapes without texture and 2D outline shapes. We found that (1) achromatic settings for fruit were systematically biased away from the gray point toward the opposite direction of a fruit's memory color; (2) the strength of the effect depended on the degree of naturalness of the stimuli; and (3) the effect was evident under all tested illuminations, being strongest for illuminations whose chromaticity was closest to the stimulus chromaticity. We conclude that the visual identity of an object has a measurable effect on color perception, and that this effect is robust under illuminant changes, indicating its potential significance as an additional mechanism for color constancy.

Object linking in repositories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eichmann, David (Editor); Beck, Jon; Atkins, John; Bailey, Bill

1992-01-01

This topic is covered in three sections. The first section explores some of the architectural ramifications of extending the Eichmann/Atkins lattice-based classification scheme to encompass the assets of the full life cycle of software development. A model is considered that provides explicit links between objects in addition to the edges connecting classification vertices in the standard lattice. The second section gives a description of the efforts to implement the repository architecture using a commercially available object-oriented database management system. Some of the features of this implementation are described, and some of the next steps to be taken to produce a working prototype of the repository are pointed out. In the final section, it is argued that design and instantiation of reusable components have competing criteria (design-for-reuse strives for generality, design-with-reuse strives for specificity) and that providing mechanisms for each can be complementary rather than antagonistic. In particular, it is demonstrated how program slicing techniques can be applied to customization of reusable components.

Children Seek Historical Traces of Owned Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gelman, Susan A.; Manczak, Erika M.; Was, Alexandra M.; Noles, Nicholaus S.

2016-01-01

An object's mental representation includes not just visible attributes but also its nonvisible history. The present studies tested whether preschoolers seek subtle indicators of an object's history, such as a mark acquired during its handling. Five studies with 169 children 3-5 years of age and 97 college students found that children (like adults)…

Multi-objective thermodynamic optimisation of supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles integrated with solar central receivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasquez Padilla, Ricardo; Soo Too, Yen Chean; Benito, Regano; McNaughton, Robbie; Stein, Wes

2018-01-01

In this paper, optimisation of the supercritical CO? Brayton cycles integrated with a solar receiver, which provides heat input to the cycle, was performed. Four S-CO? Brayton cycle configurations were analysed and optimum operating conditions were obtained by using a multi-objective thermodynamic optimisation. Four different sets, each including two objective parameters, were considered individually. The individual multi-objective optimisation was performed by using Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm. The effect of reheating, solar receiver pressure drop and cycle parameters on the overall exergy and cycle thermal efficiency was analysed. The results showed that, for all configurations, the overall exergy efficiency of the solarised systems achieved at maximum value between 700°C and 750°C and the optimum value is adversely affected by the solar receiver pressure drop. In addition, the optimum cycle high pressure was in the range of 24.2-25.9 MPa, depending on the configurations and reheat condition.

Support system, excavation arrangement, and process of supporting an object

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arnold, Bill W.

2017-08-01

A support system, an excavation arrangement, and a process of supporting an object are disclosed. The support system includes a weight-bearing device and a camming mechanism positioned below the weight-bearing device. A downward force on the weight-bearing device at least partially secures the camming mechanism to opposing surfaces. The excavation arrangement includes a borehole, a support system positioned within and secured to the borehole, and an object positioned on and supported by the support system. The process includes positioning and securing the support system and positioning the object on the weight-bearing device.

Optimum sensitivity derivatives of objective functions in nonlinear programming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barthelemy, J.-F. M.; Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, J.

1983-01-01

The feasibility of eliminating second derivatives from the input of optimum sensitivity analyses of optimization problems is demonstrated. This elimination restricts the sensitivity analysis to the first-order sensitivity derivatives of the objective function. It is also shown that when a complete first-order sensitivity analysis is performed, second-order sensitivity derivatives of the objective function are available at little additional cost. An expression is derived whose application to linear programming is presented.

Remembering Complex Objects in Visual Working Memory: Do Capacity Limits Restrict Objects or Features?

PubMed Central

Hardman, Kyle; Cowan, Nelson

2014-01-01

Visual working memory stores stimuli from our environment as representations that can be accessed by high-level control processes. This study addresses a longstanding debate in the literature about whether storage limits in visual working memory include a limit to the complexity of discrete items. We examined the issue with a number of change-detection experiments that used complex stimuli which possessed multiple features per stimulus item. We manipulated the number of relevant features of the stimulus objects in order to vary feature load. In all of our experiments, we found that increased feature load led to a reduction in change-detection accuracy. However, we found that feature load alone could not account for the results, but that a consideration of the number of relevant objects was also required. This study supports capacity limits for both feature and object storage in visual working memory. PMID:25089739

The roles of scene priming and location priming in object-scene consistency effects

PubMed Central

Heise, Nils; Ansorge, Ulrich

2014-01-01

Presenting consistent objects in scenes facilitates object recognition as compared to inconsistent objects. Yet the mechanisms by which scenes influence object recognition are still not understood. According to one theory, consistent scenes facilitate visual search for objects at expected places. Here, we investigated two predictions following from this theory: If visual search is responsible for consistency effects, consistency effects could be weaker (1) with better-primed than less-primed object locations, and (2) with less-primed than better-primed scenes. In Experiments 1 and 2, locations of objects were varied within a scene to a different degree (one, two, or four possible locations). In addition, object-scene consistency was studied as a function of progressive numbers of repetitions of the backgrounds. Because repeating locations and backgrounds could facilitate visual search for objects, these repetitions might alter the object-scene consistency effect by lowering of location uncertainty. Although we find evidence for a significant consistency effect, we find no clear support for impacts of scene priming or location priming on the size of the consistency effect. Additionally, we find evidence that the consistency effect is dependent on the eccentricity of the target objects. These results point to only small influences of priming to object-scene consistency effects but all-in-all the findings can be reconciled with a visual-search explanation of the consistency effect. PMID:24910628

Modular Elastomer Photoresins for Digital Light Processing Additive Manufacturing.

PubMed

Thrasher, Carl J; Schwartz, Johanna J; Boydston, Andrew J

2017-11-15

A series of photoresins suitable for the production of elastomeric objects via digital light processing additive manufacturing are reported. Notably, the printing procedure is readily accessible using only entry-level equipment under ambient conditions using visible light projection. The photoresin formulations were found to be modular in nature, and straightforward adjustments to the resin components enabled access to a range of compositions and mechanical properties. Collectively, the series includes silicones, hydrogels, and hybrids thereof. Printed test specimens displayed maximum elongations of up to 472% under tensile load, a tunable swelling behavior in water, and Shore A hardness values from 13.7 to 33.3. A combination of the resins was used to print a functional multimaterial three-armed pneumatic gripper. These photoresins could be transformative to advanced prototyping applications such as simulated human tissues, stimuli-responsive materials, wearable devices, and soft robotics.

Analysis of Additive Manufacturing for Sustainment of Naval Aviation Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

selection methodology to query the aviation spare-parts inventory for identification of additive manufacturing candidates. The methodology organizes...a component selection methodology to query the aviation spare-parts inventory for identification of additive manufacturing candidates. The... methodology organizes the resultant data using a top-down approach that aligns technical feasibility with programmatic objectives. Finally, a discrete event

Object-processing neural efficiency differentiates object from spatial visualizers.

PubMed

Motes, Michael A; Malach, Rafael; Kozhevnikov, Maria

2008-11-19

The visual system processes object properties and spatial properties in distinct subsystems, and we hypothesized that this distinction might extend to individual differences in visual processing. We conducted a functional MRI study investigating the neural underpinnings of individual differences in object versus spatial visual processing. Nine participants of high object-processing ability ('object' visualizers) and eight participants of high spatial-processing ability ('spatial' visualizers) were scanned, while they performed an object-processing task. Object visualizers showed lower bilateral neural activity in lateral occipital complex and lower right-lateralized neural activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The data indicate that high object-processing ability is associated with more efficient use of visual-object resources, resulting in less neural activity in the object-processing pathway.

The subjective experience of object recognition: comparing metacognition for object detection and object categorization.

PubMed

Meuwese, Julia D I; van Loon, Anouk M; Lamme, Victor A F; Fahrenfort, Johannes J

2014-05-01

Perceptual decisions seem to be made automatically and almost instantly. Constructing a unitary subjective conscious experience takes more time. For example, when trying to avoid a collision with a car on a foggy road you brake or steer away in a reflex, before realizing you were in a near accident. This subjective aspect of object recognition has been given little attention. We used metacognition (assessed with confidence ratings) to measure subjective experience during object detection and object categorization for degraded and masked objects, while objective performance was matched. Metacognition was equal for degraded and masked objects, but categorization led to higher metacognition than did detection. This effect turned out to be driven by a difference in metacognition for correct rejection trials, which seemed to be caused by an asymmetry of the distractor stimulus: It does not contain object-related information in the detection task, whereas it does contain such information in the categorization task. Strikingly, this asymmetry selectively impacted metacognitive ability when objective performance was matched. This finding reveals a fundamental difference in how humans reflect versus act on information: When matching the amount of information required to perform two tasks at some objective level of accuracy (acting), metacognitive ability (reflecting) is still better in tasks that rely on positive evidence (categorization) than in tasks that rely more strongly on an absence of evidence (detection).

Computed Tomography Inspection and Analysis for Additive Manufacturing Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beshears, Ronald D.

2017-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) inspection was performed on test articles additively manufactured from metallic materials. Metallic AM and machined wrought alloy test articles with programmed flaws and geometric features were inspected using a 2-megavolt linear accelerator based CT system. Performance of CT inspection on identically configured wrought and AM components and programmed flaws was assessed to determine the impact of additive manufacturing on inspectability of objects with complex geometries.

Applications of additive manufacturing in dentistry: A review.

PubMed

Bhargav, Aishwarya; Sanjairaj, Vijayavenkatraman; Rosa, Vinicius; Feng, Lu Wen; Fuh Yh, Jerry

2017-07-24

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing has been hailed as the third industrial revolution as it has caused a paradigm shift in the way objects have been manufactured. Conventionally, converting a raw material to a fully finished and assembled, usable product comprises several steps which can be eliminated by using this process as functional products can be created directly from the raw material at a fraction of the time originally consumed. Thus, AM has found applications in several sectors including automotive, aerospace, printed electronics, and healthcare. AM is increasingly being used in the healthcare sector, given its potential to fabricate patient-specific customized implants with required accuracy and precision. Implantable heart valves, rib cages, and bones are some of the examples where AM technologies are used. A vast variety of materials including ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites have been processed to fabricate intricate implants using 3D printing. The applications of AM in dentistry include maxillofacial implants, dentures, and other prosthetic aids. It may also be used in surgical training and planning, as anatomical models can be created at ease using AM. This article gives an overview of the AM process and reviews in detail the applications of 3D printing in dentistry. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

To include or not to include: Evaluations and reasoning about the failure to include peers with autism spectrum disorder in elementary students.

PubMed

Bottema-Beutel, Kristen; Turiel, Elliot; DeWitt, Mila N; Wolfberg, Pamela J

2017-01-01

Given the significant role that typically developing children play in the social lives of children with autism spectrum disorder, it is important to understand how they evaluate and reason about the inclusion/exclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder in social situations. The objective of this study is to determine elementary students' evaluations, reasoning patterns, and reasoning complexity regarding the failure to include children with autism spectrum disorder in social activities. Forty-four elementary-aged students participated in interviews, which included vignettes describing four contexts in which a child with autism spectrum disorder is not invited to a social event. Responses were analyzed according to social domain theory, an approach emphasizing that children identify and coordinate different domains of social knowledge, including the moral, personal, societal, and prudential. Results showed that regardless of grade and context, most children judge that failure to include on the basis of disability status is not acceptable. However, the complexity of children's reasoning (i.e. the extent to which they drew upon and coordinated multiple domains) was higher in older children. Mean complexity scores were also higher in a birthday party context as compared to a playdate context. We offer implications for future research and practice regarding the social inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder. © The Author(s) 2016.

Bottlenose dolphins perceive object features through echolocation.

PubMed

Harley, Heidi E; Putman, Erika A; Roitblat, Herbert L

2003-08-07

How organisms (including people) recognize distant objects is a fundamental question. The correspondence between object characteristics (distal stimuli), like visual shape, and sensory characteristics (proximal stimuli), like retinal projection, is ambiguous. The view that sensory systems are 'designed' to 'pick up' ecologically useful information is vague about how such mechanisms might work. In echolocating dolphins, which are studied as models for object recognition sonar systems, the correspondence between echo characteristics and object characteristics is less clear. Many cognitive scientists assume that object characteristics are extracted from proximal stimuli, but evidence for this remains ambiguous. For example, a dolphin may store 'sound templates' in its brain and identify whole objects by listening for a particular sound. Alternatively, a dolphin's brain may contain algorithms, derived through natural endowments or experience or both, which allow it to identify object characteristics based on sounds. The standard method used to address this question in many species is indirect and has led to equivocal results with dolphins. Here we outline an appropriate method and test it to show that dolphins extract object characteristics directly from echoes.

Structure preserving clustering-object tracking via subgroup motion pattern segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Zheyi; Zhu, Yixuan; Jiang, Jiao; Weng, Shuqin; Liu, Zhiwen

2018-01-01

Tracking clustering objects with similar appearances simultaneously in collective scenes is a challenging task in the field of collective motion analysis. Recent work on clustering-object tracking often suffers from poor tracking accuracy and terrible real-time performance due to the neglect or the misjudgment of the motion differences among objects. To address this problem, we propose a subgroup motion pattern segmentation framework based on a multilayer clustering structure and establish spatial constraints only among objects in the same subgroup, which entails having consistent motion direction and close spatial position. In addition, the subgroup segmentation results are updated dynamically because crowd motion patterns are changeable and affected by objects' destinations and scene structures. The spatial structure information combined with the appearance similarity information is used in the structure preserving object tracking framework to track objects. Extensive experiments conducted on several datasets containing multiple real-world crowd scenes validate the accuracy and the robustness of the presented algorithm for tracking objects in collective scenes.

Content-based fused off-axis object illumination direct-to-digital holography

DOEpatents

Price, Jeffery R.

2006-05-02

Systems and methods are described for content-based fused off-axis illumination direct-to-digital holography. A method includes calculating an illumination angle with respect to an optical axis defined by a focusing lens as a function of data representing a Fourier analyzed spatially heterodyne hologram; reflecting a reference beam from a reference mirror at a non-normal angle; reflecting an object beam from an object the object beam incident upon the object at the illumination angle; focusing the reference beam and the object beam at a focal plane of a digital recorder to from the content-based off-axis illuminated spatially heterodyne hologram including spatially heterodyne fringes for Fourier analysis; and digitally recording the content based off-axis illuminated spatially heterodyne hologram including spatially heterodyne fringes for Fourier analysis.

Fluid Surface Deformation by Objects in the Cheerios Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Khoi; Miller, Michael; Mandre, Shreyas; Mandre Lab Team

2012-11-01

Small objects floating on a fluid/air interface deform of the surface depending on material surface properties, density, and geometry. These objects attract each other through capillary interactions, a phenomenon dubbed the ``cheerios effect.'' The attractive force and torque exerted on these objects by the interface can be estimated if the meniscus deformation is known. In addition, the floating objects can also rotate due to such an interaction. We present a series of experiments focused on visualizing the the motions of the floating objects and the deformation of the interface. The experiments involve thin laser-cut acrylic pieces attracting each other on water in a large glass petri dish and a camera set-up to capture the process. Furthermore, optical distortion of a grid pattern is used to visualize the water surface deformation near the edge of the objects. This study of the deformation of the water surface around a floating object, of the attractive/repulsive forces, and of post-contact rotational dynamics are potentially instrumental in the study of colloidal self-assembly.

Monitoring objects orbiting earth using satellite-based telescopes

DOEpatents

Olivier, Scot S.; Pertica, Alexander J.; Riot, Vincent J.; De Vries, Willem H.; Bauman, Brian J.; Nikolaev, Sergei; Henderson, John R.; Phillion, Donald W.

2015-06-30

An ephemeris refinement system includes satellites with imaging devices in earth orbit to make observations of space-based objects ("target objects") and a ground-based controller that controls the scheduling of the satellites to make the observations of the target objects and refines orbital models of the target objects. The ground-based controller determines when the target objects of interest will be near enough to a satellite for that satellite to collect an image of the target object based on an initial orbital model for the target objects. The ground-based controller directs the schedules to be uploaded to the satellites, and the satellites make observations as scheduled and download the observations to the ground-based controller. The ground-based controller then refines the initial orbital models of the target objects based on the locations of the target objects that are derived from the observations.

Additive Manufacturing of Aerospace Propulsion Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Misra, Ajay K.; Grady, Joseph E.; Carter, Robert

2015-01-01

The presentation will provide an overview of ongoing activities on additive manufacturing of aerospace propulsion components, which included rocket propulsion and gas turbine engines. Future opportunities on additive manufacturing of hybrid electric propulsion components will be discussed.

Computed tomography of radioactive objects and materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawicka, B. D.; Murphy, R. V.; Tosello, G.; Reynolds, P. W.; Romaniszyn, T.

1990-12-01

Computed tomography (CT) has been performed on a number of radioactive objects and materials. Several unique technical problems are associated with CT of radioactive specimens. These include general safety considerations, techniques to reduce background-radiation effects on CT images and selection criteria for the CT source to permit object penetration and to reveal accurate values of material density. In the present paper, three groups of experiments will be described, for objects with low, medium and high levels of radioactivity. CT studies on radioactive specimens will be presented. They include the following: (1) examination of individual ceramic reactor-fuel (uranium dioxide) pellets, (2) examination of fuel samples from the Three Mile Island reactor, (3) examination of a CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uraniun: registered trademark) nuclear-fuel bundle which underwent a simulated loss-of-coolant accident resulting in high-temperature damage and (4) examination of a PWR nuclear-reactor fuel assembly.

Infrared near-Earth-object survey modeling for observatories interior to the Earth's orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buie, M.

2014-07-01

The search for and dynamical characterization of the near-Earth population of objects (NEOs) has been a busy topic for surveys for many years. Most of the work thus far has been from ground-based optical surveys such as the Catalina Sky Survey and LINEAR. These surveys have essentially reached a complete inventory of objects down to 1 km diameter and have shown that the known objects do not pose any significant impact threat. Smaller objects are correspondingly smaller threats but there are more of them and fewer of them have so far been discovered. The next generation of surveys is looking to extend their reach down to much smaller sizes. From an impact risk perspective, those objects as small as 30--40 m are still of interest (similar in size to the Tunguska bolide). Smaller objects than this are largely of interest from a space resource or in-situ analysis efforts. A recent mission concept promoted by the B612 Foundation and Ball Aerospace calls for an infrared survey telescope in a Venus-like orbit, known as the Sentinel Mission. This wide-field facility has been designed to complete the inventory down to a 140 m diameter while also providing substantial constraints on the NEO population down to a Tunguska-sized object. I have been working to develop a suite of tools to provide survey modeling for this class of survey telescope. The purpose of the tool is to uncover hidden complexities that govern mission design and operation while also working to quantitatively understand the orbit quality provided on its catalog of objects without additional followup assets. The baseline mission design calls for a 6.5 year survey lifetime. This survey model is a statistically based tool for establishing completeness as a function of object size and survey duration. Effects modeled include the ability to adjust the field-of-regard (includes all pointing restrictions), field-of-view, focal plane array fill factor, and the observatory orbit. Consequences tracked include time

Decoding visual object categories in early somatosensory cortex.

PubMed

Smith, Fraser W; Goodale, Melvyn A

2015-04-01

Neurons, even in the earliest sensory areas of cortex, are subject to a great deal of contextual influence from both within and across modality connections. In the present work, we investigated whether the earliest regions of somatosensory cortex (S1 and S2) would contain content-specific information about visual object categories. We reasoned that this might be possible due to the associations formed through experience that link different sensory aspects of a given object. Participants were presented with visual images of different object categories in 2 fMRI experiments. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed reliable decoding of familiar visual object category in bilateral S1 (i.e., postcentral gyri) and right S2. We further show that this decoding is observed for familiar but not unfamiliar visual objects in S1. In addition, whole-brain searchlight decoding analyses revealed several areas in the parietal lobe that could mediate the observed context effects between vision and somatosensation. These results demonstrate that even the first cortical stages of somatosensory processing carry information about the category of visually presented familiar objects. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press.

Object-based warping: an illusory distortion of space within objects.

PubMed

Vickery, Timothy J; Chun, Marvin M

2010-12-01

Visual objects are high-level primitives that are fundamental to numerous perceptual functions, such as guidance of attention. We report that objects warp visual perception of space in such a way that spatial distances within objects appear to be larger than spatial distances in ground regions. When two dots were placed inside a rectangular object, they appeared farther apart from one another than two dots with identical spacing outside of the object. To investigate whether this effect was object based, we measured the distortion while manipulating the structure surrounding the dots. Object displays were constructed with a single object, multiple objects, a partially occluded object, and an illusory object. Nonobject displays were constructed to be comparable to object displays in low-level visual attributes. In all cases, the object displays resulted in a more powerful distortion of spatial perception than comparable non-object-based displays. These results suggest that perception of space within objects is warped.

Fault-tolerant wait-free shared objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jayanti, Prasad; Chandra, Tushar D.; Toueg, Sam

1992-01-01

A concurrent system consists of processes communicating via shared objects, such as shared variables, queues, etc. The concept of wait-freedom was introduced to cope with process failures: each process that accesses a wait-free object is guaranteed to get a response even if all the other processes crash. However, if a wait-free object 'crashes,' all the processes that access that object are prevented from making progress. In this paper, we introduce the concept of fault-tolerant wait-free objects, and study the problem of implementing them. We give a universal method to construct fault-tolerant wait-free objects, for all types of 'responsive' failures (including one in which faulty objects may 'lie'). In sharp contrast, we prove that many common and interesting types (such as queues, sets, and test&set) have no fault-tolerant wait-free implementations even under the most benign of the 'non-responsive' types of failure. We also introduce several concepts and techniques that are central to the design of fault-tolerant concurrent systems: the concepts of self-implementation and graceful degradation, and techniques to automatically increase the fault-tolerance of implementations. We prove matching lower bounds on the resource complexity of most of our algorithms.

Testing and injury potential analysis of rollovers with narrow object impacts.

PubMed

Meyer, Steven E; Forrest, Stephen; Herbst, Brian; Hayden, Joshua; Orton, Tia; Sances, Anthony; Kumaresan, Srirangam

2004-01-01

Recent statistics highlight the significant risk of serious and fatal injuries to occupants involved in rollover collisions due to excessive roof crush. The government has reported that in 2002. Sports Utility Vehicle rollover related fatalities increased by 14% to more than 2400 annually. 61% of all SUV fatalities included rollovers [1]. Rollover crashes rely primarily upon the roof structures to maintain occupant survival space. Frequently these crashes occur off the travel lanes of the roadway and, therefore, can include impacts with various types of narrow objects such as light poles, utility poles and/or trees. A test device and methodology is presented which facilitates dynamic, repeatable rollover impact evaluation of complete vehicle roof structures with such narrow objects. These tests allow for the incorporation of Anthropomorphic Test Dummies (ATDs) which can be instrumented to measure accelerations, forces and moments to evaluate injury potential. High-speed video permits for detailed analysis of occupant kinematics and evaluation of injury causation. Criteria such as restraint performance, injury potential, survival space and the effect of roof crush associated with various types of design alternatives, countermeasures and impact circumstances can also be evaluated. In addition to presentation of the methodology, two representative vehicle crash tests are also reported. Results indicated that the reinforced roof structure significantly reduced the roof deformation compared to the production roof structure.

Multiple Object Based RFID System Using Security Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jiyeon; Jung, Jongjin; Ryu, Ukjae; Ko, Hoon; Joe, Susan; Lee, Yongjun; Kim, Boyeon; Chang, Yunseok; Lee, Kyoonha

2007-12-01

RFID systems are increasingly applied for operational convenience in wide range of industries and individual life. However, it is uneasy for a person to control many tags because common RFID systems have the restriction that a tag used to identify just a single object. In addition, RFID systems can make some serious problems in violation of privacy and security because of their radio frequency communication. In this paper, we propose a multiple object RFID tag which can keep multiple object identifiers for different applications in a same tag. The proposed tag allows simultaneous access for their pair applications. We also propose an authentication protocol for multiple object tag to prevent serious problems of security and privacy in RFID applications. Especially, we focus on efficiency of the authentication protocol by considering security levels of applications. In the proposed protocol, the applications go through different authentication procedures according to security level of the object identifier stored in the tag. We implemented the proposed RFID scheme and made experimental results about efficiency and stability for the scheme.

Evaluation of certain food additives.

PubMed

2015-01-01

This report represents the conclusions of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee convened to evaluate the safety of various food additives, including flavouring agents, and to prepare specifications for identity and purity. The first part of the report contains a general discussion of the principles governing the toxicological evaluation of and assessment of dietary exposure to food additives, including flavouring agents. A summary follows of the Committee's evaluations of technical, toxicological and dietary exposure data for eight food additives (Benzoe tonkinensis; carrageenan; citric and fatty acid esters of glycerol; gardenia yellow; lutein esters from Tagetes erecta; octenyl succinic acid-modified gum arabic; octenyl succinic acid-modified starch; paprika extract; and pectin) and eight groups of flavouring agents (aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons; aliphatic and aromatic ethers; ionones and structurally related substances; miscellaneous nitrogen-containing substances; monocyclic and bicyclic secondary alcohols, ketones and related esters; phenol and phenol derivatives; phenyl-substituted aliphatic alcohols and related aldehydes and esters; and sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds). Specifications for the following food additives were revised: citric acid; gellan gum; polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monostearate; potassium aluminium silicate; and Quillaia extract (Type 2). Annexed to the report are tables summarizing the Committee's recommendations for dietary exposures to and toxicological evaluations of all of the food additives and flavouring agents considered at this meeting.

Acoustic facilitation of object movement detection during self-motion

PubMed Central

Calabro, F. J.; Soto-Faraco, S.; Vaina, L. M.

2011-01-01

In humans, as well as most animal species, perception of object motion is critical to successful interaction with the surrounding environment. Yet, as the observer also moves, the retinal projections of the various motion components add to each other and extracting accurate object motion becomes computationally challenging. Recent psychophysical studies have demonstrated that observers use a flow-parsing mechanism to estimate and subtract self-motion from the optic flow field. We investigated whether concurrent acoustic cues for motion can facilitate visual flow parsing, thereby enhancing the detection of moving objects during simulated self-motion. Participants identified an object (the target) that moved either forward or backward within a visual scene containing nine identical textured objects simulating forward observer translation. We found that spatially co-localized, directionally congruent, moving auditory stimuli enhanced object motion detection. Interestingly, subjects who performed poorly on the visual-only task benefited more from the addition of moving auditory stimuli. When auditory stimuli were not co-localized to the visual target, improvements in detection rates were weak. Taken together, these results suggest that parsing object motion from self-motion-induced optic flow can operate on multisensory object representations. PMID:21307050

Sensorimotor memory of object weight distribution during multidigit grasp.

PubMed

Albert, Frederic; Santello, Marco; Gordon, Andrew M

2009-10-09

We studied the ability to transfer three-digit force sharing patterns learned through consecutive lifts of an object with an asymmetric center of mass (CM). After several object lifts, we asked subjects to rotate and translate the object to the contralateral hand and perform one additional lift. This task was performed under two weight conditions (550 and 950 g) to determine the extent to which subjects would be able to transfer weight and CM information. Learning transfer was quantified by measuring the extent to which force sharing patterns and peak object roll on the first post-translation trial resembled those measured on the pre-translation trial with the same CM. We found that the overall gain of fingertip forces was transferred following object rotation, but that the scaling of individual digit forces was specific to the learned digit-object configuration, and thus was not transferred following rotation. As a result, on the first post-translation trial there was a significantly larger object roll following object lift-off than on the pre-translation trial. This suggests that sensorimotor memories for weight, requiring scaling of fingertip force gain, may differ from memories for mass distribution.

Should Relational Aggression Be Included in DSM-V?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keenan, Kate; Coyne, Claire; Lahey, Benjamin B.

2008-01-01

The study examines whether relational aggression should be included in DSM-V disruptive behavior disorders. The results conclude that some additional information is gathered from assessing relational aggression but not enough to be included in DSM-V.

A possible divot in the Kuiper belt's scattered-object size distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shankman, C.; Kavelaars, J.; Gladman, B.; Petit, J.

2014-07-01

The formation and evolution history of the Solar System, while not directly accessible, has measurable signatures in the present-day size distributions of the Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) populations. The form of the size distribution is modelled as a power law with number going as size to some characteristic slope. Recent works have shown that a single power law does not match the observations across all sizes; the power law breaks to a different form [1, 2, 3]. The large- size objects record the accretion history, while the small-size objects record the collision history. The changes of size-distribution shape and slope as one moves from 'large' to 'medium' to 'small' KBOs are the signature needed to constrain the formation and collision history of the Solar System. The scattering TNOs are those TNOs undergoing strong (scattering) interactions Neptune. The scattering objects can come to pericentre in the giant planet region. This close-in pericentre passage allows for the observation of smaller objects, and thus for the constraint of the small-size end of the size distribution. Our recent analysis of the Canada France Ecliptic Plane Survey's (CFEPS) scattering objects revealed an exciting potential form for the scattering object size distribution - a divot (see Figure). Our divot (a sharp drop in the number of objects per unit size which then returns at a potentially different slope) matches our observations well and can simultaneously explain observed features in other inclined (so-called "hot") Kuiper Belt populations. In this scenario all of the hot populations would share the same source and have been implanted in the outer solar system through scattering processes. If confirmed, our divot would represent a new exciting paradigm for the formation history of the Kuiper Belt. Here we present the results of an extension of our previous work to include a new, deeper, Kuiper Belt survey. By the addition of two new faint scattering objects from this survey which

Object-oriented fault tree evaluation program for quantitative analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.

1988-01-01

Object-oriented programming can be combined with fault free techniques to give a significantly improved environment for evaluating the safety and reliability of large complex systems for space missions. Deep knowledge about system components and interactions, available from reliability studies and other sources, can be described using objects that make up a knowledge base. This knowledge base can be interrogated throughout the design process, during system testing, and during operation, and can be easily modified to reflect design changes in order to maintain a consistent information source. An object-oriented environment for reliability assessment has been developed on a Texas Instrument (TI) Explorer LISP workstation. The program, which directly evaluates system fault trees, utilizes the object-oriented extension to LISP called Flavors that is available on the Explorer. The object representation of a fault tree facilitates the storage and retrieval of information associated with each event in the tree, including tree structural information and intermediate results obtained during the tree reduction process. Reliability data associated with each basic event are stored in the fault tree objects. The object-oriented environment on the Explorer also includes a graphical tree editor which was modified to display and edit the fault trees.

Remembering complex objects in visual working memory: do capacity limits restrict objects or features?

PubMed

Hardman, Kyle O; Cowan, Nelson

2015-03-01

Visual working memory stores stimuli from our environment as representations that can be accessed by high-level control processes. This study addresses a longstanding debate in the literature about whether storage limits in visual working memory include a limit to the complexity of discrete items. We examined the issue with a number of change-detection experiments that used complex stimuli that possessed multiple features per stimulus item. We manipulated the number of relevant features of the stimulus objects in order to vary feature load. In all of our experiments, we found that increased feature load led to a reduction in change-detection accuracy. However, we found that feature load alone could not account for the results but that a consideration of the number of relevant objects was also required. This study supports capacity limits for both feature and object storage in visual working memory. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Near-infrared spectroscopy of primitive solar system objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luu, Jane; Jewitt, David; Cloutis, Edward

1994-01-01

We have obtained near-infrared (H and K band at lambda/Delta(lambda) is approximately 480 to 600) spectra of a sample of primitive objects including 2 Centaur objects (2060 Chiron and 5145 Pholus) and 16 P- and D-type asteroids. The spectra were obtained at the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope using the cooled grating spectrometer CGS4, and were used to search for chemically diagnostic vibrational features in these primitive objects. Pholus exhibits broad adsorption features at 2.07 and 2.27 micrometers, as well as a weak feature at 1.72 micrometers. The 1.72- and 2.27-micrometer features are similar to those seen in a laboratory tar sand sample. No distinct absorption features are found in other objects, including Chiron, which displays a spectrally neutral continuum. A comparison of the P- and D-type asteroid spectra with laboratory measurements of organic solids shows no compelling evidence for hydrocarbon overtones seen in terrestrial bituminous tar sands.

Computed Tomography Inspection and Analysis for Additive Manufacturing Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beshears, Ronald D.

2016-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) inspection was performed on test articles additively manufactured from metallic materials. Metallic AM and machined wrought alloy test articles with programmed flaws were inspected using a 2MeV linear accelerator based CT system. Performance of CT inspection on identically configured wrought and AM components and programmed flaws was assessed using standard image analysis techniques to determine the impact of additive manufacturing on inspectability of objects with complex geometries.

An Efficient Voting Algorithm for Finding Additive Biclusters with Random Background

PubMed Central

Xiao, Jing; Wang, Lusheng; Liu, Xiaowen

2008-01-01

Abstract The biclustering problem has been extensively studied in many areas, including e-commerce, data mining, machine learning, pattern recognition, statistics, and, more recently, computational biology. Given an n × m matrix A (n ≥ m), the main goal of biclustering is to identify a subset of rows (called objects) and a subset of columns (called properties) such that some objective function that specifies the quality of the found bicluster (formed by the subsets of rows and of columns of A) is optimized. The problem has been proved or conjectured to be NP-hard for various objective functions. In this article, we study a probabilistic model for the implanted additive bicluster problem, where each element in the n × m background matrix is a random integer from [0, L − 1] for some integer L, and a k × k implanted additive bicluster is obtained from an error-free additive bicluster by randomly changing each element to a number in [0, L − 1] with probability θ. We propose an O (n2m) time algorithm based on voting to solve the problem. We show that when \\documentclass{aastex}\\usepackage{amsbsy}\\usepackage{amsfonts}\\usepackage{amssymb}\\usepackage{bm}\\usepackage{mathrsfs}\\usepackage{pifont}\\usepackage{stmaryrd}\\usepackage{textcomp}\\usepackage{portland, xspace}\\usepackage{amsmath, amsxtra}\\pagestyle{empty}\\DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6}\\begin{document}$$k \\geq \\Omega (\\sqrt{n \\log n})$$\\end{document}, the voting algorithm can correctly find the implanted bicluster with probability at least \\documentclass{aastex}\\usepackage{amsbsy}\\usepackage{amsfonts}\\usepackage{amssymb}\\usepackage{bm}\\usepackage{mathrsfs}\\usepackage{pifont}\\usepackage{stmaryrd}\\usepackage{textcomp}\\usepackage{portland, xspace}\\usepackage{amsmath, amsxtra}\\pagestyle{empty}\\DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6}\\begin{document}$$1 - {\\frac {9} {n^ {2}}}$$\\end{document}. We also implement our algorithm as a C++ program named VOTE. The implementation incorporates several

Pedagogical Issues in Object Orientation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nerur, Sridhar; Ramanujan, Sam; Kesh, Someswar

2002-01-01

Discusses the need for people with object-oriented (OO) skills, explains benefits of OO in software development, and addresses some of the difficulties in teaching OO. Topics include the evolution of programming languages; differences between OO and traditional approaches; differences from data modeling; and Unified Modeling Language (UML) and…

Reflective and refractive objects for mixed reality.

PubMed

Knecht, Martin; Traxler, Christoph; Winklhofer, Christoph; Wimmer, Michael

2013-04-01

In this paper, we present a novel rendering method which integrates reflective or refractive objects into a differential instant radiosity (DIR) framework usable for mixed-reality (MR) applications. This kind of objects are very special from the light interaction point of view, as they reflect and refract incident rays. Therefore they may cause high-frequency lighting effects known as caustics. Using instant-radiosity (IR) methods to approximate these high-frequency lighting effects would require a large amount of virtual point lights (VPLs) and is therefore not desirable due to real-time constraints. Instead, our approach combines differential instant radiosity with three other methods. One method handles more accurate reflections compared to simple cubemaps by using impostors. Another method is able to calculate two refractions in real-time, and the third method uses small quads to create caustic effects. Our proposed method replaces parts in light paths that belong to reflective or refractive objects using these three methods and thus tightly integrates into DIR. In contrast to previous methods which introduce reflective or refractive objects into MR scenarios, our method produces caustics that also emit additional indirect light. The method runs at real-time frame rates, and the results show that reflective and refractive objects with caustics improve the overall impression for MR scenarios.

Should Age at Diagnosis Be Included as an Additional Variable in the Risk of Recurrence Classification System in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

PubMed

Pitoia, Fabián; Jerkovich, Fernando; Smulever, Anabella; Brenta, Gabriela; Bueno, Fernanda; Cross, Graciela

2017-07-01

To evaluate the influence of age at diagnosis on the frequency of structural incomplete response (SIR) according to the modified risk of recurrence (RR) staging system from the American Thyroid Association guidelines. We performed a retrospective analysis of 268 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) followed up for at least 3 years after initial treatment (total thyroidectomy and remnant ablation). The median follow-up in the whole cohort was 74.3 months (range: 36.1-317.9) and the median age at diagnosis was 45.9 years (range: 18-87). The association between age at diagnosis and the initial and final response to treatment was assessed with analysis of variance (ANOVA). Patients were also divided into several groups considering age younger and older than 40, 50, and 60 years. Age at diagnosis was not associated with either an initial or final statistically significant different SIR to treatment ( p = 0.14 and p = 0.58, respectively). Additionally, we did not find any statistically significant differences when the percentages of SIR considering the classification of RR were compared between different groups of patients by using several age cutoffs. When patients are correctly risk stratified, it seems that age at diagnosis is not involved in the frequency of having a SIR at the initial evaluation or at the final follow-up, so it should not be included as an additional variable to be considered in the RR classifications.

Object Manipulation Facilitates Kind-Based Object Individuation of Shape-Similar Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingo, Osman S.; Krojgaard, Peter

2011-01-01

Five experiments investigated the importance of shape and object manipulation when 12-month-olds were given the task of individuating objects representing exemplars of kinds in an event-mapping design. In Experiments 1 and 2, results of the study from Xu, Carey, and Quint (2004, Experiment 4) were partially replicated, showing that infants were…

Action relations facilitate the identification of briefly-presented objects.

PubMed

Roberts, Katherine L; Humphreys, Glyn W

2011-02-01

The link between perception and action allows us to interact fluently with the world. Objects which 'afford' an action elicit a visuomotor response, facilitating compatible responses. In addition, positioning objects to interact with one another appears to facilitate grouping, indicated by patients with extinction being better able to identify interacting objects (e.g. a corkscrew going towards the top of a wine bottle) than the same objects when positioned incorrectly for action (Riddoch, Humphreys, Edwards, Baker, & Willson, Nature Neuroscience, 6, 82-89, 2003). Here, we investigate the effect of action relations on the perception of normal participants. We found improved identification of briefly-presented objects when in correct versus incorrect co-locations for action. For the object that would be 'active' in the interaction (the corkscrew), this improvement was enhanced when it was oriented for use by the viewer's dominant hand. In contrast, the position-related benefit for the 'passive' object was stronger when the objects formed an action-related pair (corkscrew and bottle) compared with an unrelated pair (corkscrew and candle), and it was reduced when spatial cues disrupted grouping between the objects. We propose that these results indicate two separate effects of action relations on normal perception: a visuomotor response to objects which strongly afford an action; and a grouping effect between objects which form action-related pairs.

Metals. Industrial Arts. Performance Objectives, Junior High School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bunch, Edwood; And Others

Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for a metals course for seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students. The seventh grade section includes 13 terminal objectives for a 9-week course and provides exploratory units in bench metals and sheet metals. Industrial materials and processes receive…

Identification of simple objects in image sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geiselmann, Christoph; Hahn, Michael

1994-08-01

We present an investigation in the identification and location of simple objects in color image sequences. As an example the identification of traffic signs is discussed. Three aspects are of special interest. First regions have to be detected which may contain the object. The separation of those regions from the background can be based on color, motion, and contours. In the experiments all three possibilities are investigated. The second aspect focuses on the extraction of suitable features for the identification of the objects. For that purpose the border line of the region of interest is used. For planar objects a sufficient approximation of perspective projection is affine mapping. In consequence, it is near at hand to extract affine-invariant features from the border line. The investigation includes invariant features based on Fourier descriptors and moments. Finally, the object is identified by maximum likelihood classification. In the experiments all three basic object types are correctly identified. The probabilities for misclassification have been found to be below 1%

Patterns of Learning Object Reuse in the Connexions Repository

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, S. M.

2009-01-01

Since the term "learning object" was first published, there has been either an explicit or implicit expectation of reuse. There has also been a lot of speculation about why learning objects are, or are not, reused. This study quantitatively examined the actual amount and type of learning object use, to include reuse, modification, and translation,…

Dissociating verbal and nonverbal audiovisual object processing.

PubMed

Hocking, Julia; Price, Cathy J

2009-02-01

This fMRI study investigates how audiovisual integration differs for verbal stimuli that can be matched at a phonological level and nonverbal stimuli that can be matched at a semantic level. Subjects were presented simultaneously with one visual and one auditory stimulus and were instructed to decide whether these stimuli referred to the same object or not. Verbal stimuli were simultaneously presented spoken and written object names, and nonverbal stimuli were photographs of objects simultaneously presented with naturally occurring object sounds. Stimulus differences were controlled by including two further conditions that paired photographs of objects with spoken words and object sounds with written words. Verbal matching, relative to all other conditions, increased activation in a region of the left superior temporal sulcus that has previously been associated with phonological processing. Nonverbal matching, relative to all other conditions, increased activation in a right fusiform region that has previously been associated with structural and conceptual object processing. Thus, we demonstrate how brain activation for audiovisual integration depends on the verbal content of the stimuli, even when stimulus and task processing differences are controlled.

Digital fabrication of multi-material biomedical objects.

PubMed

Cheung, H H; Choi, S H

2009-12-01

This paper describes a multi-material virtual prototyping (MMVP) system for modelling and digital fabrication of discrete and functionally graded multi-material objects for biomedical applications. The MMVP system consists of a DMMVP module, an FGMVP module and a virtual reality (VR) simulation module. The DMMVP module is used to model discrete multi-material (DMM) objects, while the FGMVP module is for functionally graded multi-material (FGM) objects. The VR simulation module integrates these two modules to perform digital fabrication of multi-material objects, which can be subsequently visualized and analysed in a virtual environment to optimize MMLM processes for fabrication of product prototypes. Using the MMVP system, two biomedical objects, including a DMM human spine and an FGM intervertebral disc spacer are modelled and digitally fabricated for visualization and analysis in a VR environment. These studies show that the MMVP system is a practical tool for modelling, visualization, and subsequent fabrication of biomedical objects of discrete and functionally graded multi-materials for biomedical applications. The system may be adapted to control MMLM machines with appropriate hardware for physical fabrication of biomedical objects.

Environmental Cracking and Irradiation Resistant Stainless Steels by Additive Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rebak, Raul B.; Lou, Xiaoyuan

Metal additive manufacturing (AM), or metal 3D printing is an emergent advanced manufacturing method that can create near net shape geometries directly from computer models. This technology can provide the capability to rapidly fabricate complex parts that may be required to enhance the integrity of reactor internals components. Such opportunities may be observed during a plant refueling outage and AM parts can be rapidly custom designed, manufactured and deployed within the outage interval. Additive manufacturing of stainless steel (SS) components can add business benefits on fast delivery on repair hardware, installation tooling, new design prototypes tests, etc. For the nuclearmore » industry, the supply chain is always an issue for reactor service. AM can provide through-life supply chain (40-60 years) for high-value low-volume components. In the meantime, the capability of generating complex geometries and functional gradient materials will improve the performance, reduce the overall component cost, plant asset management cost and increase the plant reliability by the improvement in materials performance in nuclear environments. While extensive work has been conducted regarding additively manufacturing of austenitic SS parts, most efforts focused only on basic attributes such as porosity, residual stress, basic tensile properties, along with components yield and process monitoring. Little work has been done to define and evaluate the material requirements for nuclear applications. Technical gaps exist, which limit this technology adoption in the nuclear industry, which includes high manufacturing cost, unknown risks, limited nuclear related data, lack of specification and qualification methods, and no prior business experience. The main objective of this program was to generate research data to address all these technical gaps and establish a commercial practice to use AM technology in the nuclear power industry. The detailed objectives are listed as follows

Development of a Repeatable Protocol to Uniformly Coat Internal Complex Geometries of Fine Featured 3D Printed Objects with Ceramic Material, including Determination of Viscosity Limits to Properly Coat Certain Pore Sizes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rogers, A.

HEPA filters are commonly used in air filtration systems ranging in application from simple home systems to the more advanced networks used in research and development. Currently, these filters are most often composed of glass fibers with diameter on the order of one micron with polymer binders. These fibers, as well as the polymers used, are known to be fragile and can degrade or become extremely brittle with heat, severely limiting their use in high temperature applications. Ceramics are one promising alternative and can enhance the filtration capabilities compared to the current technology. Because ceramic materials are more thermally resistantmore » and chemically stable, there is great interest in developing a repeatable protocol to uniformly coat fine featured polymer objects with ceramic material for use as a filter. The purpose of this experiment is to determine viscosity limits that are able to properly coat certain pore sizes in 3D printed objects, and additionally to characterize the coatings themselves. Latex paint was used as a surrogate because it is specifically designed to produce uniform coatings.« less

Methods and Apparatus for Detecting Defects in an Object of Interest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartman, John K. (Inventor); Pearson, Lee H (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A method for detecting defects in an object of interest comprises applying an ultrasonic signal including a tone burst having a predetermined frequency and number of cycles into an object of interest, receiving a return signal reflected from the object of interest, and processing the return signal to detect defects in at least one inner material. The object may have an outer material and the at least one inner material that have different acoustic impedances. An ultrasonic sensor system includes an ultrasonic sensor configured to generate an ultrasonic signal having a tone burst at a predetermined frequency corresponding to a resonant frequency of an outer material of an object of interest.

Nonstationary EO/IR Clutter Suppression and Dim Object Tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tartakovsky, A.; Brown, A.; Brown, J.

2010-09-01

We develop and evaluate the performance of advanced algorithms which provide significantly improved capabilities for automated detection and tracking of ballistic and flying dim objects in the presence of highly structured intense clutter. Applications include ballistic missile early warning, midcourse tracking, trajectory prediction, and resident space object detection and tracking. The set of algorithms include, in particular, adaptive spatiotemporal clutter estimation-suppression and nonlinear filtering-based multiple-object track-before-detect. These algorithms are suitable for integration into geostationary, highly elliptical, or low earth orbit scanning or staring sensor suites, and are based on data-driven processing that adapts to real-world clutter backgrounds, including celestial, earth limb, or terrestrial clutter. In many scenarios of interest, e.g., for highly elliptic and, especially, low earth orbits, the resulting clutter is highly nonstationary, providing a significant challenge for clutter suppression to or below sensor noise levels, which is essential for dim object detection and tracking. We demonstrate the success of the developed algorithms using semi-synthetic and real data. In particular, our algorithms are shown to be capable of detecting and tracking point objects with signal-to-clutter levels down to 1/1000 and signal-to-noise levels down to 1/4.

In situ testing of a satellite or other object prior to development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eagen, James H. (Inventor); Vujcich, Michael (Inventor); Scharton, Terry D. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A method and system for testing a test object, such as a satellite, is disclosed. High energy acoustic testing is performed on the object by assembling an acoustical system about the test object rather than transporting the test object to a specially configured acoustic chamber. The acoustic system of the present invention preferably provides and directs acoustic energy directly to the surfaces of the test object rather than providing the test object in a high energy acoustic environment where a substantial amount of the acoustic energy is randomly directed within a chamber having the test object. Additionally, the present invention further provides for mechanical vibration tests concurrently or serially with acoustic testing, wherein the object is not required to be transported.

Teaching Adaptability of Object-Oriented Programming Language Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhu, Xiao-dong

2012-01-01

The evolution of object-oriented programming languages includes update of their own versions, update of development environments, and reform of new languages upon old languages. In this paper, the evolution analysis of object-oriented programming languages is presented in term of the characters and development. The notion of adaptive teaching upon…

Neurocomputational bases of object and face recognition.

PubMed Central

Biederman, I; Kalocsai, P

1997-01-01

A number of behavioural phenomena distinguish the recognition of faces and objects, even when members of a set of objects are highly similar. Because faces have the same parts in approximately the same relations, individuation of faces typically requires specification of the metric variation in a holistic and integral representation of the facial surface. The direct mapping of a hypercolumn-like pattern of activation onto a representation layer that preserves relative spatial filter values in a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate space, as proposed by C. von der Malsburg and his associates, may account for many of the phenomena associated with face recognition. An additional refinement, in which each column of filters (termed a 'jet') is centred on a particular facial feature (or fiducial point), allows selectivity of the input into the holistic representation to avoid incorporation of occluding or nearby surfaces. The initial hypercolumn representation also characterizes the first stage of object perception, but the image variation for objects at a given location in a 2D coordinate space may be too great to yield sufficient predictability directly from the output of spatial kernels. Consequently, objects can be represented by a structural description specifying qualitative (typically, non-accidental) characterizations of an object's parts, the attributes of the parts, and the relations among the parts, largely based on orientation and depth discontinuities (as shown by Hummel & Biederman). A series of experiments on the name priming or physical matching of complementary images (in the Fourier domain) of objects and faces documents that whereas face recognition is strongly dependent on the original spatial filter values, evidence from object recognition indicates strong invariance to these values, even when distinguishing among objects that are as similar as faces. PMID:9304687

The Development and Implementation of a Minimum Objective System in the Hinesburg Elementary School. Hinesburg Elementary School Minimum Objectives for Science, Physical Education, Music, Library. Appendix B: Vol. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morse, Margaret; And Others

The appendix to the report of the minimum objective system of the Hinesburg Elementary School (Vermont) includes objectives for science, physical education, music, and library skills, from the kindergarten through grade 6 levels. Most objectives are presented in the format of condition (or task), student behavior, and criteria. Also included are…

Salient object detection method based on multiple semantic features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chunyang; Yu, Chunyan; Song, Meiping; Wang, Yulei

2018-04-01

The existing salient object detection model can only detect the approximate location of salient object, or highlight the background, to resolve the above problem, a salient object detection method was proposed based on image semantic features. First of all, three novel salient features were presented in this paper, including object edge density feature (EF), object semantic feature based on the convex hull (CF) and object lightness contrast feature (LF). Secondly, the multiple salient features were trained with random detection windows. Thirdly, Naive Bayesian model was used for combine these features for salient detection. The results on public datasets showed that our method performed well, the location of salient object can be fixed and the salient object can be accurately detected and marked by the specific window.

Figure-ground organization and the emergence of proto-objects in the visual cortex.

PubMed

von der Heydt, Rüdiger

2015-01-01

A long history of studies of perception has shown that the visual system organizes the incoming information early on, interpreting the 2D image in terms of a 3D world and producing a structure that provides perceptual continuity and enables object-based attention. Recordings from monkey visual cortex show that many neurons, especially in area V2, are selective for border ownership. These neurons are edge selective and have ordinary classical receptive fields (CRF), but in addition their responses are modulated (enhanced or suppressed) depending on the location of a 'figure' relative to the edge in their receptive field. Each neuron has a fixed preference for location on one side or the other. This selectivity is derived from the image context far beyond the CRF. This paper reviews evidence indicating that border ownership selectivity reflects the formation of early object representations ('proto-objects'). The evidence includes experiments showing (1) reversal of border ownership signals with change of perceived object structure, (2) border ownership specific enhancement of responses in object-based selective attention, (3) persistence of border ownership signals in accordance with continuity of object perception, and (4) remapping of border ownership signals across saccades and object movements. Findings 1 and 2 can be explained by hypothetical grouping circuits that sum contour feature signals in search of objectness, and, via recurrent projections, enhance the corresponding low-level feature signals. Findings 3 and 4 might be explained by assuming that the activity of grouping circuits persists and can be remapped. Grouping, persistence, and remapping are fundamental operations of vision. Finding these operations manifest in low-level visual areas challenges traditional views of visual processing. New computational models need to be developed for a comprehensive understanding of the function of the visual cortex.

76 FR 68256 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Shapeshifting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-03

...Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, Delegation of Authority No. 236-3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Shapeshifting: Transformations in Native American Art,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are imported pursuant to loan agreements with the foreign owners or custodians. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA, from on or about January 14, 2012, until on or about April 29, 2012, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register.

Object-based attention: strength of object representation and attentional guidance.

PubMed

Shomstein, Sarah; Behrmann, Marlene

2008-01-01

Two or more features belonging to a single object are identified more quickly and more accurately than are features belonging to different objects--a finding attributed to sensory enhancement of all features belonging to an attended or selected object. However, several recent studies have suggested that this "single-object advantage" may be a product of probabilistic and configural strategic prioritizations rather than of object-based perceptual enhancement per se, challenging the underlying mechanism that is thought to give rise to object-based attention. In the present article, we further explore constraints on the mechanisms of object-based selection by examining the contribution of the strength of object representations to the single-object advantage. We manipulated factors such as exposure duration (i.e., preview time) and salience of configuration (i.e., objects). Varying preview time changes the magnitude of the object-based effect, so that if there is ample time to establish an object representation (i.e., preview time of 1,000 msec), then both probability and configuration (i.e., objects) guide attentional selection. If, however, insufficient time is provided to establish a robust object-based representation, then only probabilities guide attentional selection. Interestingly, at a short preview time of 200 msec, when the two objects were sufficiently different from each other (i.e., different colors), both configuration and probability guided attention selection. These results suggest that object-based effects can be explained both in terms of strength of object representations (established at longer exposure durations and by pictorial cues) and probabilistic contingencies in the visual environment.

Application of multi-objective nonlinear optimization technique for coordinated ramp-metering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haj Salem, Habib; Farhi, Nadir; Lebacque, Jean Patrick, E-mail: abib.haj-salem@ifsttar.fr, E-mail: nadir.frahi@ifsttar.fr, E-mail: jean-patrick.lebacque@ifsttar.fr

2015-03-10

This paper aims at developing a multi-objective nonlinear optimization algorithm applied to coordinated motorway ramp metering. The multi-objective function includes two components: traffic and safety. Off-line simulation studies were performed on A4 France Motorway including 4 on-ramps.

Commercial objectives, technology transfer, and systems analysis for fusion power development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dean, Stephen O.

1988-03-01

Fusion is an essentially inexhaustible source of energy that has the potential for economically attractive commercial applications with excellent safety and environmental characteristics. The primary focus for the fusion-energy development program is the generation of centralstation electricity. Fusion has the potential, however, for many other applications. The fact that a large fraction of the energy released in a DT fusion reaction is carried by high-energy neutrons suggests potentially unique applications. These include breeding of fissile fuels, production of hydrogen and other chemical products, transmutation or “burning” of various nuclear or chemical wastes, radiation processing of materials, production of radioisotopes, food preservation, medical diagnosis and medical treatment, and space power and space propulsion. In addition, fusion R&D will lead to new products and new markets. Each fusion application must meet certain standards of economic and safety and environmental attractiveness. For this reason, economics on the one hand, and safety and environment and licensing on the other hand, are the two primary criteria for setting long-range commercial fusion objectives. A major function of systems analysis is to evaluate the potential of fusion against these objectives and to help guide the fusion R&D program toward practical applications. The transfer of fusion technology and skills from the national laboratories and universities to industry is the key to achieving the long-range objective of commercial fusion applications.

Effusion plate using additive manufacturing methods

DOEpatents

Johnson, Thomas Edward; Keener, Christopher Paul; Ostebee, Heath Michael; Wegerif, Daniel Gerritt

2016-04-12

Additive manufacturing techniques may be utilized to construct effusion plates. Such additive manufacturing techniques may include defining a configuration for an effusion plate having one or more internal cooling channels. The manufacturing techniques may further include depositing a powder into a chamber, applying an energy source to the deposited powder, and consolidating the powder into a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the defined configuration. Such methods may be implemented to construct an effusion plate having one or more channels with a curved cross-sectional geometry.

An object-mediated updating account of insensitivity to transsaccadic change

PubMed Central

Tas, A. Caglar; Moore, Cathleen M.; Hollingworth, Andrew

2012-01-01

Recent evidence has suggested that relatively precise information about the location and visual form of a saccade target object is retained across a saccade. However, this information appears to be available for report only when the target is removed briefly, so that the display is blank when the eyes land. We hypothesized that the availability of precise target information is dependent on whether a post-saccade object is mapped to the same object representation established for the presaccade target. If so, then the post-saccade features of the target overwrite the presaccade features, a process of object mediated updating in which visual masking is governed by object continuity. In two experiments, participants' sensitivity to the spatial displacement of a saccade target was improved when that object changed surface feature properties across the saccade, consistent with the prediction of the object-mediating updating account. Transsaccadic perception appears to depend on a mechanism of object-based masking that is observed across multiple domains of vision. In addition, the results demonstrate that surface-feature continuity contributes to visual stability across saccades. PMID:23092946

Object-oriented Persistent Homology

PubMed Central

Wang, Bao; Wei, Guo-Wei

2015-01-01

Persistent homology provides a new approach for the topological simplification of big data via measuring the life time of intrinsic topological features in a filtration process and has found its success in scientific and engineering applications. However, such a success is essentially limited to qualitative data classification and analysis. Indeed, persistent homology has rarely been employed for quantitative modeling and prediction. Additionally, the present persistent homology is a passive tool, rather than a proactive technique, for classification and analysis. In this work, we outline a general protocol to construct object-oriented persistent homology methods. By means of differential geometry theory of surfaces, we construct an objective functional, namely, a surface free energy defined on the data of interest. The minimization of the objective functional leads to a Laplace-Beltrami operator which generates a multiscale representation of the initial data and offers an objective oriented filtration process. The resulting differential geometry based object-oriented persistent homology is able to preserve desirable geometric features in the evolutionary filtration and enhances the corresponding topological persistence. The cubical complex based homology algorithm is employed in the present work to be compatible with the Cartesian representation of the Laplace-Beltrami flow. The proposed Laplace-Beltrami flow based persistent homology method is extensively validated. The consistence between Laplace-Beltrami flow based filtration and Euclidean distance based filtration is confirmed on the Vietoris-Rips complex for a large amount of numerical tests. The convergence and reliability of the present Laplace-Beltrami flow based cubical complex filtration approach are analyzed over various spatial and temporal mesh sizes. The Laplace-Beltrami flow based persistent homology approach is utilized to study the intrinsic topology of proteins and fullerene molecules. Based on a

Humanoid Robotics: Real-Time Object Oriented Programming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newton, Jason E.

2005-01-01

Programming of robots in today's world is often done in a procedural oriented fashion, where object oriented programming is not incorporated. In order to keep a robust architecture allowing for easy expansion of capabilities and a truly modular design, object oriented programming is required. However, concepts in object oriented programming are not typically applied to a real time environment. The Fujitsu HOAP-2 is the test bed for the development of a humanoid robot framework abstracting control of the robot into simple logical commands in a real time robotic system while allowing full access to all sensory data. In addition to interfacing between the motor and sensory systems, this paper discusses the software which operates multiple independently developed control systems simultaneously and the safety measures which keep the humanoid from damaging itself and its environment while running these systems. The use of this software decreases development time and costs and allows changes to be made while keeping results safe and predictable.

Track Everything: Limiting Prior Knowledge in Online Multi-Object Recognition.

PubMed

Wong, Sebastien C; Stamatescu, Victor; Gatt, Adam; Kearney, David; Lee, Ivan; McDonnell, Mark D

2017-10-01

This paper addresses the problem of online tracking and classification of multiple objects in an image sequence. Our proposed solution is to first track all objects in the scene without relying on object-specific prior knowledge, which in other systems can take the form of hand-crafted features or user-based track initialization. We then classify the tracked objects with a fast-learning image classifier, that is based on a shallow convolutional neural network architecture and demonstrate that object recognition improves when this is combined with object state information from the tracking algorithm. We argue that by transferring the use of prior knowledge from the detection and tracking stages to the classification stage, we can design a robust, general purpose object recognition system with the ability to detect and track a variety of object types. We describe our biologically inspired implementation, which adaptively learns the shape and motion of tracked objects, and apply it to the Neovision2 Tower benchmark data set, which contains multiple object types. An experimental evaluation demonstrates that our approach is competitive with the state-of-the-art video object recognition systems that do make use of object-specific prior knowledge in detection and tracking, while providing additional practical advantages by virtue of its generality.

Object Transportation by Two Mobile Robots with Hand Carts

PubMed Central

Hara, Tatsunori

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a methodology by which two small mobile robots can grasp, lift, and transport large objects using hand carts. The specific problems involve generating robot actions and determining the hand cart positions to achieve the stable loading of objects onto the carts. These problems are solved using nonlinear optimization, and we propose an algorithm for generating robot actions. The proposed method was verified through simulations and experiments using actual devices in a real environment. The proposed method could reduce the number of robots required to transport large objects with 50–60%. In addition, we demonstrated the efficacy of this task in real environments where errors occur in robot sensing and movement. PMID:27433499

Object Transportation by Two Mobile Robots with Hand Carts.

PubMed

Sakuyama, Takuya; Figueroa Heredia, Jorge David; Ogata, Taiki; Hara, Tatsunori; Ota, Jun

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a methodology by which two small mobile robots can grasp, lift, and transport large objects using hand carts. The specific problems involve generating robot actions and determining the hand cart positions to achieve the stable loading of objects onto the carts. These problems are solved using nonlinear optimization, and we propose an algorithm for generating robot actions. The proposed method was verified through simulations and experiments using actual devices in a real environment. The proposed method could reduce the number of robots required to transport large objects with 50-60%. In addition, we demonstrated the efficacy of this task in real environments where errors occur in robot sensing and movement.

Attention to Attributes and Objects in Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowan, Nelson; Blume, Christopher L.; Saults, J. Scott

2013-01-01

It has been debated on the basis of change-detection procedures whether visual working memory is limited by the number of objects, task-relevant attributes within those objects, or bindings between attributes. This debate, however, has been hampered by several limitations, including the use of conditions that vary between studies and the absence…

The Importance of Object Memories for Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phenice, Lillian A.; Griffore, Robert J.

2013-01-01

The memories of treasured objects are essential in giving life meaning. In the process of development in later adulthood, most changes involve significant loss including loss of physical and mental ability, loss of family and friends, and loss of possessions. Objects and their associated memories are especially important in maintaining an internal…

Multi-scale Microstructure Characterization for Improved Understanding of Microstructure-Property Relationship in Additive Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Hye Yun

Additive manufacturing (AM) is the process for making 3-D objects by adding materials layer by layer. It can result in a marked reduction of the time and cost associated with designing and producing highly complex parts. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in machine hardware and control software for process development to achieve dimensional accuracy and mitigate defects. On the other hand, the knowledge on microstructure-property relationship in the additively manufactured builds is still being established. In additive manufacturing, the interactions between the heat source and the material lead to a series of physical phenomena including localized heating, melting, solidification and micro-segregation, and cooling. Far-from-equilibrium microstructure can form as the material experiences a large number of repeated, rapid heating and cooling cycles (i.e. temperature gyrations) during depositions. The mechanical properties of additively manufactured parts are significantly influenced by their final microstructure. The overarching goal of the present research is to improve the fundamental understanding of microstructure-property relationship for AM parts. Specially, it is investigated the high-temperature creep strength of InconelRTM 718 (abbreviated as IN718 thereafter) fabricated by laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) AM. The specific objectives include (1) effect of support on the local microstructure, (2) microstructure evolution during post-built heat treatment, and (3) creep strength. Detailed microstructure characterization is performed using a multitude of tools including micro-hardness mapping, scanning electron microscope (SEM) along with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) for selected area diffraction (SAD) analysis and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The characterized microstructure is correlated to the mechanical properties. Highlights of the research findings are discussed in

Application of Multi-Objective Human Learning Optimization Method to Solve AC/DC Multi-Objective Optimal Power Flow Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Jia; Yan, Zheng; He, Guangyu

2016-06-01

This paper introduces an efficient algorithm, multi-objective human learning optimization method (MOHLO), to solve AC/DC multi-objective optimal power flow problem (MOPF). Firstly, the model of AC/DC MOPF including wind farms is constructed, where includes three objective functions, operating cost, power loss, and pollutant emission. Combining the non-dominated sorting technique and the crowding distance index, the MOHLO method can be derived, which involves individual learning operator, social learning operator, random exploration learning operator and adaptive strategies. Both the proposed MOHLO method and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGAII) are tested on an improved IEEE 30-bus AC/DC hybrid system. Simulation results show that MOHLO method has excellent search efficiency and the powerful ability of searching optimal. Above all, MOHLO method can obtain more complete pareto front than that by NSGAII method. However, how to choose the optimal solution from pareto front depends mainly on the decision makers who stand from the economic point of view or from the energy saving and emission reduction point of view.

The development of catalytic nucleophilic additions of terminal alkynes in water.

PubMed

Li, Chao-Jun

2010-04-20

One of the major research endeavors in synthetic chemistry over the past two decades is the exploration of synthetic methods that work under ambient atmosphere with benign solvents, that maximize atom utilization, and that directly transform natural resources, such as renewable biomass, from their native states into useful chemical products, thus avoiding the need for protecting groups. The nucleophilic addition of terminal alkynes to various unsaturated electrophiles is a classical (textbook) reaction in organic chemistry, allowing the formation of a C-C bond while simultaneously introducing the alkyne functionality. A prerequisite of this classical reaction is the stoichiometric generation of highly reactive metal acetylides. Over the past decade, our laboratory and others have been exploring an alternative, the catalytic and direct nucleophilic addition of terminal alkynes to unsaturated electrophiles in water. We found that various terminal alkynes can react efficiently with a wide range of such electrophiles in water (or organic solvent) in the presence of simple and readily available catalysts, such as copper, silver, gold, iron, palladium, and others. In this Account, we describe the development of these synthetic methods, focusing primarily on results from our laboratory. Our studies include the following: (i) catalytic reaction of terminal alkynes with acid chloride, (ii) catalytic addition of terminal alkynes to aldehydes and ketones, (iii) catalytic addition of alkynes to C=N bonds, and (iv) catalytic conjugate additions. Most importantly, these reactions can tolerate various functional groups and, in many cases, perform better in water than in organic solvents, clearly defying classical reactivities predicated on the relative acidities of water, alcohols, and terminal alkynes. We further discuss multicomponent and enantioselective reactions that were developed. These methods provide an alternative to the traditional requirement of separate steps in

On the effect of model parameters on forecast objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marzban, Caren; Jones, Corinne; Li, Ning; Sandgathe, Scott

2018-04-01

Many physics-based numerical models produce a gridded, spatial field of forecasts, e.g., a temperature map. The field for some quantities generally consists of spatially coherent and disconnected objects. Such objects arise in many problems, including precipitation forecasts in atmospheric models, eddy currents in ocean models, and models of forest fires. Certain features of these objects (e.g., location, size, intensity, and shape) are generally of interest. Here, a methodology is developed for assessing the impact of model parameters on the features of forecast objects. The main ingredients of the methodology include the use of (1) Latin hypercube sampling for varying the values of the model parameters, (2) statistical clustering algorithms for identifying objects, (3) multivariate multiple regression for assessing the impact of multiple model parameters on the distribution (across the forecast domain) of object features, and (4) methods for reducing the number of hypothesis tests and controlling the resulting errors. The final output of the methodology is a series of box plots and confidence intervals that visually display the sensitivities. The methodology is demonstrated on precipitation forecasts from a mesoscale numerical weather prediction model.

Results from the LCOGT Near-Earth Object Follow-up Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenstreet, Sarah; Lister, Tim; Gomez, Edward; Christensen, Eric; Larson, Steve

2015-11-01

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) has deployed a homogeneous telescope network of nine 1-meter and two 2-meter telescopes to five locations in the northern and southern hemispheres, with plans to extend to twelve 1-meter telescopes at 6 locations. The versitility and design of this network allows for rapid response to target of opportunity events as well as the long-term monitoring of slowly changing astronomical phenomena. The network's global coverage and the apertures of telescopes available make LCOGT ideal for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)) and ultimately for the discovery of new objects.LCOGT has completed the first phase of the deployment with the installation and commissioning of the nine 1-meter telescopes at McDonald Observatory (Texas), Cerro Tololo (Chile), SAAO (South Africa) and Siding Spring Observatory (Australia). This is complimented by the two 2-meter telescopes at Haleakala (Hawaii) and Siding Spring Observatory. The telescope network has been fully operational since May 2014, and observations are being executed remotely and robotically. Future expansion to sites in the Canary Islands and Tibet are planned for 2016.The LCOGT near-Earth object group is using the network to confirm newly detected NEO candidates produced by the major sky surveys such as Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), PanSTARRS (PS1) and NEOWISE, with several hundred targets being followed per year. Follow-up astrometry and photometry of radar-targeted objects and those on the Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) or Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) lists are improving orbits, producing light curves and rotation periods, and better characterizing these NEOs. Recent results include the first period determinations for several of the Goldstone-targeted NEOs. In addition, we are in the process of building a NEO portal that will allow

The role of objects and effects in action imitation: Comparing the imitation of object-related actions vs. gestures in 18-month-old infants.

PubMed

Kim, Ziyon; Óturai, Gabriella; Király, Ildikó; Knopf, Monika

2015-11-01

This study aimed to systematically investigate 18-month-old infants' imitation of object-related actions compared to motorically similar gestures. An additional goal of the study was to examine the role of action effects on infants' imitation of target actions. One group of infants (n=17) observed object-related actions and gestures leading to salient effects (sounds or visual resp. social effects), and the other group (n=16) watched the same actions without effects. Furthermore, this study examined whether infants show a consistent imitation ability for object-related actions and gestures. First, the present study showed that 18-month-old infants imitated object-related actions more frequently than gestures. Second, the presence of an effect significantly increased the imitation rate of object-related actions; however, this difference was not found for gestures. Third, indications for a general imitation ability were found as results on an individual level showed that object-related action imitation significantly correlated with gesture imitation. Implications of the results for theory and future studies are discussed with a focus on the role of objects and effects in 18-month-old infants' action imitation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An object memory bias induced by communicative reference.

PubMed

Marno, Hanna; Davelaar, Eddy J; Csibra, Gergely

2016-01-01

In humans, a good proportion of knowledge, including knowledge about objects and object kinds, is acquired via social learning by direct communication from others. If communicative signals raise the expectation of social learning about objects, intrinsic (permanent) features that support object recognition are relevant to store into memory, while extrinsic (accidental) object properties can be ignored. We investigated this hypothesis by instructing participants to memorise shape-colour associations that constituted either an extrinsic object property (the colour of the box that contained the object, Experiment 1) or an intrinsic one (the colour of the object, Experiment 2). Compared to a non-communicative context, communicative presentation of the objects impaired participants' performance when they recalled extrinsic object properties, while their incidental memory of the intrinsic shape-colour associations was not affected. Communicative signals had no effect on performance when the task required the memorisation of intrinsic object properties. The negative effect of communicative reference on the memory of extrinsic properties was also confirmed in Experiment 3, where this property was object location. Such a memory bias suggests that referent objects in communication tend to be seen as representatives of their kind rather than as individuals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

75 FR 6079 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-05

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [PUBLIC NOTICE 6894] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Compass and Rule: Architecture as Mathematical Practice in England, 1500-1750'' SUMMARY: Notice... objects to be included in the exhibition ``Compass and Rule: Architecture as Mathematical Practice in...

Breastfeeding trends and updated national health objectives for exclusive breastfeeding--United States, birth years 2000-2004.

PubMed

2007-08-03

Breastfeeding is associated with decreased risk for many early-life diseases and conditions, including otitis media, respiratory tract infections, atopic dermatitis, gastroenteritis, type 2 diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome, and obesity. Breastfeeding also is associated with health benefits to women, including decreased risk for type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as an infant receiving only breast milk and no other liquids or solids except for drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, minerals, or medicines. In 2007, Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) objectives for breastfeeding initiation and duration were updated to include two new objectives on exclusive breastfeeding (i.e., to increase the proportion of mothers who exclusively breastfeed their infants through age 3 months to 60% and through age 6 months to 25% [objectives 16-19d and 16-19e]). To monitor progress toward achieving HP2010 breastfeeding objectives, CDC analyzed data from the National Immunization Survey (NIS). This report describes the results of that analysis, which indicated that rates for breastfeeding initiation and duration increased among infants born during 2000-2004. Rates for exclusive breastfeeding through ages 3 months and 6 months among infants born in 2004 were 30.5% and 11.3%, respectively, below targets set by HP2010. Rates of exclusive breastfeeding were significantly lower among black infants (compared with white infants) and infants born to unmarried mothers (compared with married mothers). Additionally, older age, urban residence, higher education, and higher income of mothers all were positively associated with exclusive breastfeeding. Further research is needed to identify successful programs and policies to support exclusive breastfeeding, especially among subgroups with the lowest rates.

Color Image Processing and Object Tracking System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klimek, Robert B.; Wright, Ted W.; Sielken, Robert S.

1996-01-01

This report describes a personal computer based system for automatic and semiautomatic tracking of objects on film or video tape, developed to meet the needs of the Microgravity Combustion and Fluids Science Research Programs at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The system consists of individual hardware components working under computer control to achieve a high degree of automation. The most important hardware components include 16-mm and 35-mm film transports, a high resolution digital camera mounted on a x-y-z micro-positioning stage, an S-VHS tapedeck, an Hi8 tapedeck, video laserdisk, and a framegrabber. All of the image input devices are remotely controlled by a computer. Software was developed to integrate the overall operation of the system including device frame incrementation, grabbing of image frames, image processing of the object's neighborhood, locating the position of the object being tracked, and storing the coordinates in a file. This process is performed repeatedly until the last frame is reached. Several different tracking methods are supported. To illustrate the process, two representative applications of the system are described. These applications represent typical uses of the system and include tracking the propagation of a flame front and tracking the movement of a liquid-gas interface with extremely poor visibility.

Strategies for Teaching Object-Oriented Concepts with Java

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sicilia, Miguel-Angel

2006-01-01

A considerable amount of experiences in teaching object-oriented concepts using the Java language have been reported to date, some of which describe language pitfalls and concrete learning difficulties. In this paper, a number of additional issues that have been experienced as difficult for students to master, along with approaches intended to…

Enabling Object Storage via shims for Grid Middleware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadellin Skipsey, Samuel; De Witt, Shaun; Dewhurst, Alastair; Britton, David; Roy, Gareth; Crooks, David

2015-12-01

The Object Store model has quickly become the basis of most commercially successful mass storage infrastructure, backing so-called ”Cloud” storage such as Amazon S3, but also underlying the implementation of most parallel distributed storage systems. Many of the assumptions in Object Store design are similar, but not identical, to concepts in the design of Grid Storage Elements, although the requirement for ”POSIX-like” filesystem structures on top of SEs makes the disjunction seem larger. As modern Object Stores provide many features that most Grid SEs do not (block level striping, parallel access, automatic file repair, etc.), it is of interest to see how easily we can provide interfaces to typical Object Stores via plugins and shims for Grid tools, and how well experiments can adapt their data models to them. We present evaluation of, and first-deployment experiences with, (for example) Xrootd-Ceph interfaces for direct object-store access, as part of an initiative within GridPP[1] hosted at RAL. Additionally, we discuss the tradeoffs and experience of developing plugins for the currently-popular Ceph parallel distributed filesystem for the GFAL2 access layer, at Glasgow.

Integrating ergonomics into engineering design: the role of objects.

PubMed

Hall-Andersen, Lene Bjerg; Broberg, Ole

2014-05-01

The objective of this study was to explore the role of objects in integrating ergonomic knowledge in engineering design processes. An engineering design case was analyzed using the theoretical concepts of boundary objects and intermediary objects: Boundary objects facilitate collaboration between different knowledge domains, while the aim of an intermediary object is to circulate knowledge and thus produce a distant effect. Adjustable layout drawings served as boundary objects and had a positive impact on the dialog between an ergonomist and designers. An ergonomic guideline document was identified as an intermediary object. However, when the ergonomic guidelines were circulated in the design process, only some of the guidelines were transferred to the design of the sterile processing plant. Based on these findings, recommendations for working with objects in design processes are included. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Chemistry of dense clumps near moving Herbig-Haro objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christie, H.; Viti, S.; Williams, D. A.; Girart, J. M.; Morata, O.

2011-09-01

Localized regions of enhanced emission from HCO+, NH3 and other species near Herbig-Haro objects (HHOs) have been interpreted as arising in a photochemistry stimulated by the HHO radiation on high-density quiescent clumps in molecular clouds. Static models of this process have been successful in accounting for the variety of molecular species arising ahead of the jet; however, recent observations show that the enhanced molecular emission is widespread along the jet as well as ahead. Hence, a realistic model must take into account the movement of the radiation field past the clump. It was previously unclear as to whether the short interaction time between the clump and the HHO in a moving source model would allow molecules such as HCO+ to reach high enough levels, and to survive for long enough to be observed. In this work we model a moving radiation source that approaches and passes a clump. The chemical picture is qualitatively unchanged by the addition of the moving source, strengthening the idea that enhancements are due to evaporation of molecules from dust grains. In addition, in the case of several molecules, the enhanced emission regions are longer lived. Some photochemically induced species, including methanol, are expected to maintain high abundances for ˜104 yr.

Object locating system

DOEpatents

Novak, J.L.; Petterson, B.

1998-06-09

A sensing system locates an object by sensing the object`s effect on electric fields. The object`s effect on the mutual capacitance of electrode pairs varies according to the distance between the object and the electrodes. A single electrode pair can sense the distance from the object to the electrodes. Multiple electrode pairs can more precisely locate the object in one or more dimensions. 12 figs.

Lightweight Object Oriented Structure analysis: Tools for building Tools to Analyze Molecular Dynamics Simulations

PubMed Central

Romo, Tod D.; Leioatts, Nicholas; Grossfield, Alan

2014-01-01

LOOS (Lightweight Object-Oriented Structure-analysis) is a C++ library designed to facilitate making novel tools for analyzing molecular dynamics simulations by abstracting out the repetitive tasks, allowing developers to focus on the scientifically relevant part of the problem. LOOS supports input using the native file formats of most common biomolecular simulation packages, including CHARMM, NAMD, Amber, Tinker, and Gromacs. A dynamic atom selection language based on the C expression syntax is included and is easily accessible to the tool-writer. In addition, LOOS is bundled with over 120 pre-built tools, including suites of tools for analyzing simulation convergence, 3D histograms, and elastic network models. Through modern C++ design, LOOS is both simple to develop with (requiring knowledge of only 4 core classes and a few utility functions) and is easily extensible. A python interface to the core classes is also provided, further facilitating tool development. PMID:25327784

Self-actuating mechanical grapple for lifting and handling objects

DOEpatents

Hovis, Gregory L.; Etheredge, Jr., Carl T.

2001-01-01

A self-actuating mechanical grapple for lifting and handling an object includes a support housing with upper and lower portions and defining an internal recess. The lower portion of the housing includes a bottom opening which communicates with the recess. Preferably, two or three grapple jaws are provided, the first end portions of which are connected to the housing and the second end portions thereof remain free for engaging an object. The grapple jaws are pivotable between open and closed positions. An actuator member is slidably positioned in the recess for opening and closing the jaws, and includes a cam portion in operative engagement with the first end portions of the jaws in a manner to pivot the jaws when the actuator member moves axially relative to the housing. The actuator member includes a rotatable member with at least one contact member. A locking member or logic ring includes grooves defining open and closed positions of the jaws and is fixedly mounted to the internal surface of the housing and cooperates with the rotatable member. A plunger member is axially movable in the housing for contacting an object and includes at least one stud member for immovably engaging the contact member.

Neural representation of objects in space: a dual coding account.

PubMed Central

Humphreys, G W

1998-01-01

I present evidence on the nature of object coding in the brain and discuss the implications of this coding for models of visual selective attention. Neuropsychological studies of task-based constraints on: (i) visual neglect; and (ii) reading and counting, reveal the existence of parallel forms of spatial representation for objects: within-object representations, where elements are coded as parts of objects, and between-object representations, where elements are coded as independent objects. Aside from these spatial codes for objects, however, the coding of visual space is limited. We are extremely poor at remembering small spatial displacements across eye movements, indicating (at best) impoverished coding of spatial position per se. Also, effects of element separation on spatial extinction can be eliminated by filling the space with an occluding object, indicating that spatial effects on visual selection are moderated by object coding. Overall, there are separate limits on visual processing reflecting: (i) the competition to code parts within objects; (ii) the small number of independent objects that can be coded in parallel; and (iii) task-based selection of whether within- or between-object codes determine behaviour. Between-object coding may be linked to the dorsal visual system while parallel coding of parts within objects takes place in the ventral system, although there may additionally be some dorsal involvement either when attention must be shifted within objects or when explicit spatial coding of parts is necessary for object identification. PMID:9770227

Building a Competitive Edge with Additive Manufacturing

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-14

construct ceramic molds for complex metal parts using a 3D printing technique. They estimate the new 6 technique could eliminate all of the...processes. They include 3D printing and Additive Beam Techniques.15 Most Additive Manufacturing techniques are specific to certain classes of materials...9 Example Additive Manufacturing Techniques16 3D Printing Additive Beam Stereolithography (SLA) Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS

Salient Object Detection via Structured Matrix Decomposition.

PubMed

Peng, Houwen; Li, Bing; Ling, Haibin; Hu, Weiming; Xiong, Weihua; Maybank, Stephen J

2016-05-04

Low-rank recovery models have shown potential for salient object detection, where a matrix is decomposed into a low-rank matrix representing image background and a sparse matrix identifying salient objects. Two deficiencies, however, still exist. First, previous work typically assumes the elements in the sparse matrix are mutually independent, ignoring the spatial and pattern relations of image regions. Second, when the low-rank and sparse matrices are relatively coherent, e.g., when there are similarities between the salient objects and background or when the background is complicated, it is difficult for previous models to disentangle them. To address these problems, we propose a novel structured matrix decomposition model with two structural regularizations: (1) a tree-structured sparsity-inducing regularization that captures the image structure and enforces patches from the same object to have similar saliency values, and (2) a Laplacian regularization that enlarges the gaps between salient objects and the background in feature space. Furthermore, high-level priors are integrated to guide the matrix decomposition and boost the detection. We evaluate our model for salient object detection on five challenging datasets including single object, multiple objects and complex scene images, and show competitive results as compared with 24 state-of-the-art methods in terms of seven performance metrics.

Multiresolution saliency map based object segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jian; Wang, Xin; Dai, ZhenYou

2015-11-01

Salient objects' detection and segmentation are gaining increasing research interest in recent years. A saliency map can be obtained from different models presented in previous studies. Based on this saliency map, the most salient region (MSR) in an image can be extracted. This MSR, generally a rectangle, can be used as the initial parameters for object segmentation algorithms. However, to our knowledge, all of those saliency maps are represented in a unitary resolution although some models have even introduced multiscale principles in the calculation process. Furthermore, some segmentation methods, such as the well-known GrabCut algorithm, need more iteration time or additional interactions to get more precise results without predefined pixel types. A concept of a multiresolution saliency map is introduced. This saliency map is provided in a multiresolution format, which naturally follows the principle of the human visual mechanism. Moreover, the points in this map can be utilized to initialize parameters for GrabCut segmentation by labeling the feature pixels automatically. Both the computing speed and segmentation precision are evaluated. The results imply that this multiresolution saliency map-based object segmentation method is simple and efficient.

Flexible Method for Inter-object Communication in C++

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curlett, Brian P.; Gould, Jack J.

1994-01-01

A method has been developed for organizing and sharing large amounts of information between objects in C++ code. This method uses a set of object classes to define variables and group them into tables. The variable tables presented here provide a convenient way of defining and cataloging data, as well as a user-friendly input/output system, a standardized set of access functions, mechanisms for ensuring data integrity, methods for interprocessor data transfer, and an interpretive language for programming relationships between parameters. The object-oriented nature of these variable tables enables the use of multiple data types, each with unique attributes and behavior. Because each variable provides its own access methods, redundant table lookup functions can be bypassed, thus decreasing access times while maintaining data integrity. In addition, a method for automatic reference counting was developed to manage memory safely.

Consolidated Development Objectives Document (CDOD) For MB-60

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, William D.

2013-01-01

This document defines the objectives related to liquid rocket engine system development to be undertaken by JAXA in support of the Space Launch System (SLS) Program managed out of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). These objectives include furnishing the necessary management, labor, facilities, tools, equipment, and materials required to execute the specified activities. 1.1 Project Scope: The scope of this effort is to develop a rocket engine and associated products per the objectives and technical requirements established in this document. This engine, minus the engine controller, designated here as MB ]60, is to be developed through to a prequalification point of maturity. It is assumed that should JCNE ]1 development proceed beyond this maturity point towards actual flight qualification, the engine controller will be supplied and integrated by NASA. 1.2 Document Structure: The structure of this Consolidated Development Objectives Document (CDOD) includes a traditional description of objectives in a SOO, plus the associated Data Products Document (DPD) in an attached appendix, and then Engine Requirements Document (ERD) as another attached appendix. It is the intent that this document, in conjunction with the cited applicable documents, should constitute a complete programmatic and technical description of the development effort to be pursued.

The Initial Development of Object Knowledge by a Learning Robot

PubMed Central

Modayil, Joseph; Kuipers, Benjamin

2008-01-01

We describe how a robot can develop knowledge of the objects in its environment directly from unsupervised sensorimotor experience. The object knowledge consists of multiple integrated representations: trackers that form spatio-temporal clusters of sensory experience, percepts that represent properties for the tracked objects, classes that support efficient generalization from past experience, and actions that reliably change object percepts. We evaluate how well this intrinsically acquired object knowledge can be used to solve externally specified tasks including object recognition and achieving goals that require both planning and continuous control. PMID:19953188

Implications of using broadband photometry for compositional remote sensing of icy objects. [including natural satellites and asteroids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, R. N.

1982-01-01

The validity and limitations of assuming bright surfaces are icy and dark surfaces are stony are investigated, and the limitations of JHK colorimetry for distinguishing icy versus stony objects are studied. The broadband JHK reflectances of a large range of minerals and mineral assemblages were computed, the visual albedo obtained, and the J-H and H-K colors computed. Visual reflectance was found to vary easily from 0.15 to 1.0 when the surface contains 99 percent or more water by weight. The effect of varying particulate weight fraction and grain size are described. Visual albedo is found to give no indication of the purity of an icy surface. The JHK colors of an ice and particulate mixture can fall anywhere in the classical J-H versus H-K diagram, and thus the diagram cannot be used to distinguish a predominantly rock surface from a predominantly ice one in a specific case, except where both J-H and H-K colors are less than about -0.2.

Reducing uncertainty about objective functions in adaptive management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, B.K.

2012-01-01

This paper extends the uncertainty framework of adaptive management to include uncertainty about the objectives to be used in guiding decisions. Adaptive decision making typically assumes explicit and agreed-upon objectives for management, but allows for uncertainty as to the structure of the decision process that generates change through time. Yet it is not unusual for there to be uncertainty (or disagreement) about objectives, with different stakeholders expressing different views not only about resource responses to management but also about the appropriate management objectives. In this paper I extend the treatment of uncertainty in adaptive management, and describe a stochastic structure for the joint occurrence of uncertainty about objectives as well as models, and show how adaptive decision making and the assessment of post-decision monitoring data can be used to reduce uncertainties of both kinds. Different degrees of association between model and objective uncertainty lead to different patterns of learning about objectives. ?? 2011.

Running Improves Pattern Separation during Novel Object Recognition.

PubMed

Bolz, Leoni; Heigele, Stefanie; Bischofberger, Josef

2015-10-09

Running increases adult neurogenesis and improves pattern separation in various memory tasks including context fear conditioning or touch-screen based spatial learning. However, it is unknown whether pattern separation is improved in spontaneous behavior, not emotionally biased by positive or negative reinforcement. Here we investigated the effect of voluntary running on pattern separation during novel object recognition in mice using relatively similar or substantially different objects.We show that running increases hippocampal neurogenesis but does not affect object recognition memory with 1.5 h delay after sample phase. By contrast, at 24 h delay, running significantly improves recognition memory for similar objects, whereas highly different objects can be distinguished by both, running and sedentary mice. These data show that physical exercise improves pattern separation, independent of negative or positive reinforcement. In sedentary mice there is a pronounced temporal gradient for remembering object details. In running mice, however, increased neurogenesis improves hippocampal coding and temporally preserves distinction of novel objects from familiar ones.

Anaerobic sludge digestion with a biocatalytic additive

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ghosh, S.; Henry, M.P.; Fedde, P.A.

1982-01-01

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of a lactobacillus additive an anaerobic sludge digestion under normal, variable, and overload operating conditions. The additive was a whey fermentation product of an acid-tolerant strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus fortified with CaCO/sub 3/, (NH/sub 4/)/sub 2/HPO/sub 4/, ferrous lactate, and lactic acid. The lactobacillus additive is multifunctional in nature and provides growth factors, metabolic intermediates, and enzymes needed for substrate degradation and cellular synthesis. The experimental work consisted of several pairs of parallel mesophilic (35/sup 0/C) digestion runs (control and test) conducted in five experimental phases. Baseline runs without themore » additive showed that the two experimental digesters had the same methane content, gas production rate (GPR), and ethane yield. The effect of the additive was to increase methane yield and GPR by about 5% (which was statistically significant) during digester operation at a loading rate (LR) of 3.2 kg VS/m/sup 3/-day and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 14 days. Data collected from the various experimental phases showed that the biochemical additive increased methane yield, gas production rate, and VS reduction, and decreased volatile acids accumulation. In addition, it enhanced digester buffer capacity and improved the fertilizer value and dewatering characteristics of the digested residue.« less

Conditioning 3D object-based models to dense well data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yimin C.; Pyrcz, Michael J.; Catuneanu, Octavian; Boisvert, Jeff B.

2018-06-01

Object-based stochastic simulation models are used to generate categorical variable models with a realistic representation of complicated reservoir heterogeneity. A limitation of object-based modeling is the difficulty of conditioning to dense data. One method to achieve data conditioning is to apply optimization techniques. Optimization algorithms can utilize an objective function measuring the conditioning level of each object while also considering the geological realism of the object. Here, an objective function is optimized with implicit filtering which considers constraints on object parameters. Thousands of objects conditioned to data are generated and stored in a database. A set of objects are selected with linear integer programming to generate the final realization and honor all well data, proportions and other desirable geological features. Although any parameterizable object can be considered, objects from fluvial reservoirs are used to illustrate the ability to simultaneously condition multiple types of geologic features. Channels, levees, crevasse splays and oxbow lakes are parameterized based on location, path, orientation and profile shapes. Functions mimicking natural river sinuosity are used for the centerline model. Channel stacking pattern constraints are also included to enhance the geological realism of object interactions. Spatial layout correlations between different types of objects are modeled. Three case studies demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed optimization-simulation method. These examples include multiple channels with high sinuosity, as well as fragmented channels affected by limited preservation. In all cases the proposed method reproduces input parameters for the object geometries and matches the dense well constraints. The proposed methodology expands the applicability of object-based simulation to complex and heterogeneous geological environments with dense sampling.

76 FR 38640 - Procurement List; Additions and Deletions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-01

...-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46- 48c) in connection with the products and services proposed for addition... aggregated by the Department of Veterans Affairs National Acquisition Center, Hines, IL. NSN: M.R. 860... alternatives which would accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46- 48c) in...

Enhancing Interactivity and Productivity through Object-Oriented Authoring: An Instructional Designer's Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Bryan L.

1994-01-01

Discusses the effect of object-oriented programming on the evolution of authoring systems. Topics include the definition of an object; examples of object-oriented authoring interfaces; what object-orientation means to an instructional developer; how object orientation increases productivity and enhances interactivity; and the future of courseware…

Distinct brain activity in processing negative pictures of animals and objects --- the role of human contexts

PubMed Central

Cao, Zhijun; Zhao, Yanbing; Tan, Tengteng; Chen, Gang; Ning, Xueling; Zhan, Lexia; Yang, Jiongjiong

2013-01-01

Previous studies have shown that the amygdala is important in processing not only animate entities but also social information. It remains to be determined to what extent the factors of category and social context interact to modulate the activities of the amygdala and cortical regions. In this study, pictures depicting animals and inanimate objects in negative and neutral levels were presented. The contexts of the pictures differed in whether they included human/human parts. The factors of valence, arousal, familiarity and complexity of pictures were controlled across categories. The results showed that the amygdala activity was modulated by category and contextual information. Under the nonhuman context condition, the amygdala responded more to animals than objects for both negative and neutral pictures. In contrast, under the human context condition, the amygdala showed stronger activity for negative objects than animals. In addition to cortical regions related to object action, functional and effective connectivity analyses showed that the anterior prefrontal cortex interacted with the amygdala more for negative objects (vs. animals) in the human context condition, by a top-down modulation of the anterior prefrontal cortex to the amygdala. These results highlighted the effects of category and human contexts on modulating brain activity in emotional processing. PMID:24099847

36 CFR 1290.4 - Types of materials included in scope of assassination record and additional records and information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS... COLLECTION ACT OF 1992 (JFK ACT) § 1290.4 Types of materials included in scope of assassination record and... information includes, for purposes of interpreting and implementing the JFK Act: (a) Papers, maps, and other...

36 CFR 1290.4 - Types of materials included in scope of assassination record and additional records and information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS... COLLECTION ACT OF 1992 (JFK ACT) § 1290.4 Types of materials included in scope of assassination record and... information includes, for purposes of interpreting and implementing the JFK Act: (a) Papers, maps, and other...

36 CFR 1290.4 - Types of materials included in scope of assassination record and additional records and information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS... COLLECTION ACT OF 1992 (JFK ACT) § 1290.4 Types of materials included in scope of assassination record and... information includes, for purposes of interpreting and implementing the JFK Act: (a) Papers, maps, and other...

36 CFR 1290.4 - Types of materials included in scope of assassination record and additional records and information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS... COLLECTION ACT OF 1992 (JFK ACT) § 1290.4 Types of materials included in scope of assassination record and... information includes, for purposes of interpreting and implementing the JFK Act: (a) Papers, maps, and other...

Object-location memory in adults with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Ring, Melanie; Gaigg, Sebastian B; Bowler, Dermot M

2015-10-01

This study tested implicit and explicit spatial relational memory in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants were asked to study pictures of rooms and pictures of daily objects for which locations were highlighted in the rooms. Participants were later tested for their memory of the object locations either by being asked to place objects back into their original locations or into new locations. Proportions of times when participants choose the previously studied locations for the objects irrespective of the instruction were used to derive indices of explicit and implicit memory [process-dissociation procedure, Jacoby, 1991, 1998]. In addition, participants performed object and location recognition and source memory tasks where they were asked about which locations belonged to the objects and which objects to the locations. The data revealed difficulty for ASD individuals in actively retrieving object locations (explicit memory) but not in subconsciously remembering them (implicit memory). These difficulties cannot be explained by difficulties in memory for objects or locations per se (i.e., the difficulty pertains to object-location relations). Together these observations lend further support to the idea that ASD is characterised by relatively circumscribed difficulties in relational rather than item-specific memory processes and show that these difficulties extend to the domain of spatial information. They also lend further support to the idea that memory difficulties in ASD can be reduced when support is provided at test. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Self-perceived versus objectively measured competence in performing clinical practical procedures by final year medical students

PubMed Central

Banda, Sekelani

2016-01-01

Objectives To determine and compare the self-perceived and objectively measured competence in performing 14 core-clinical practical procedures by Final Year Medical Students of the University of Zambia. Methods The study included 56 out of 60 graduating University of Zambia Medical Students of the 2012/2013 academic year. Self-perceived competence: students rated their competence on 14 core- clinical practical procedures using a self-administered questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Objective competence: it was measured by Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) by faculty using predetermined rating scales. Rank order correlation test was performed for self-perceived and objectively measured competence. Results Two thirds 36 (66.7%) of the participants perceived themselves as moderately competent, 15 (27.8%) rated themselves as highly competent while 3 (5.6%) had low self-perception. With objective competence, the majority 52 (92.8%) were barely competent while 4 (7.2%) were absolutely competent. When overall self-perception was compared to objectively measured competence, there was a discordance which was demonstrated by a negative correlation (Spearman rho -.123). Conclusions Significant numbers of students reported low self-competence in performing procedures such as endotracheal intubation, gastric lavage and cardiopulmonary resuscitation which most never performed during the clinical years of medical education. In addition, the negative correlation between self-perceived and objectively measured competence demonstrated the inability of students to assess and rate themselves objectively due to fear that others may know their weaknesses and realize that they are not as competent as expected at a specific level of training. PMID:27132255

Revisiting the reported signal of acute pancreatitis with rasburicase: an object lesson in pharmacovigilance

PubMed Central

Hauben, Manfred; Hung, Eric Y.

2016-01-01

Introduction: There is an interest in methodologies to expeditiously detect credible signals of drug-induced pancreatitis. An example is the reported signal of pancreatitis with rasburicase emerging from a study [the ‘index publication’ (IP)] combining quantitative signal detection findings from a spontaneous reporting system (SRS) and electronic health records (EHRs). The signal was reportedly supported by a clinical review with a case series manuscript in progress. The reported signal is noteworthy, being initially classified as a false-positive finding for the chosen reference standard, but reclassified as a ‘clinically supported’ signal. Objective: This paper has dual objectives: to revisit the signal of rasburicase and acute pancreatitis and extend the original analysis via reexamination of its findings, in light of more contemporary data; and to motivate discussions on key issues in signal detection and evaluation, including recent findings from a major international pharmacovigilance research initiative. Methodology: We used the same methodology as the IP, including the same disproportionality analysis software/dataset for calculating observed to expected reporting frequencies (O/Es), Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities Preferred Term, and O/E metric/threshold combination defining a signal of disproportionate reporting. Baseline analysis results prompted supplementary analyses using alternative analytical choices. We performed a comprehensive literature search to identify additional published case reports of rasburicase and pancreatitis. Results: We could not replicate positive findings (e.g. a signal or statistic of disproportionate reporting) from the SRS data using the same algorithm, software, dataset and vendor specified in the IP. The reporting association was statistically highlighted in default and supplemental analysis when more sensitive forms of disproportionality analysis were used. Two of three reports in the FAERS database were

Estimating interaction on an additive scale between continuous determinants in a logistic regression model.

PubMed

Knol, Mirjam J; van der Tweel, Ingeborg; Grobbee, Diederick E; Numans, Mattijs E; Geerlings, Mirjam I

2007-10-01

To determine the presence of interaction in epidemiologic research, typically a product term is added to the regression model. In linear regression, the regression coefficient of the product term reflects interaction as departure from additivity. However, in logistic regression it refers to interaction as departure from multiplicativity. Rothman has argued that interaction estimated as departure from additivity better reflects biologic interaction. So far, literature on estimating interaction on an additive scale using logistic regression only focused on dichotomous determinants. The objective of the present study was to provide the methods to estimate interaction between continuous determinants and to illustrate these methods with a clinical example. and results From the existing literature we derived the formulas to quantify interaction as departure from additivity between one continuous and one dichotomous determinant and between two continuous determinants using logistic regression. Bootstrapping was used to calculate the corresponding confidence intervals. To illustrate the theory with an empirical example, data from the Utrecht Health Project were used, with age and body mass index as risk factors for elevated diastolic blood pressure. The methods and formulas presented in this article are intended to assist epidemiologists to calculate interaction on an additive scale between two variables on a certain outcome. The proposed methods are included in a spreadsheet which is freely available at: http://www.juliuscenter.nl/additive-interaction.xls.

Figure–ground organization and the emergence of proto-objects in the visual cortex

PubMed Central

von der Heydt, Rüdiger

2015-01-01

A long history of studies of perception has shown that the visual system organizes the incoming information early on, interpreting the 2D image in terms of a 3D world and producing a structure that provides perceptual continuity and enables object-based attention. Recordings from monkey visual cortex show that many neurons, especially in area V2, are selective for border ownership. These neurons are edge selective and have ordinary classical receptive fields (CRF), but in addition their responses are modulated (enhanced or suppressed) depending on the location of a ‘figure’ relative to the edge in their receptive field. Each neuron has a fixed preference for location on one side or the other. This selectivity is derived from the image context far beyond the CRF. This paper reviews evidence indicating that border ownership selectivity reflects the formation of early object representations (‘proto-objects’). The evidence includes experiments showing (1) reversal of border ownership signals with change of perceived object structure, (2) border ownership specific enhancement of responses in object-based selective attention, (3) persistence of border ownership signals in accordance with continuity of object perception, and (4) remapping of border ownership signals across saccades and object movements. Findings 1 and 2 can be explained by hypothetical grouping circuits that sum contour feature signals in search of objectness, and, via recurrent projections, enhance the corresponding low-level feature signals. Findings 3 and 4 might be explained by assuming that the activity of grouping circuits persists and can be remapped. Grouping, persistence, and remapping are fundamental operations of vision. Finding these operations manifest in low-level visual areas challenges traditional views of visual processing. New computational models need to be developed for a comprehensive understanding of the function of the visual cortex. PMID:26579062

76 FR 30923 - Procurement List; Proposed Additions and Deletion

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-27

... Committee approves the proposed additions, the entities of the Federal Government identified in this notice... other than the small organizations that will furnish the products and services to the Government. 2. If... Government. 3. There are no known regulatory alternatives, which would accomplish the objectives of the...

Multi-objective Optimization of Solar-driven Hollow-fiber Membrane Distillation Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nenoff, Tina M.; Moore, Sarah E.; Mirchandani, Sera

Securing additional water sources remains a primary concern for arid regions in both the developed and developing world. Climate change is causing fluctuations in the frequency and duration of precipitation, which can be can be seen as prolonged droughts in some arid areas. Droughts decrease the reliability of surface water supplies, which forces communities to find alternate primary water sources. In many cases, ground water can supplement the use of surface supplies during periods of drought, reducing the need for above-ground storage without sacrificing reliability objectives. Unfortunately, accessible ground waters are often brackish, requiring desalination prior to use, and underdevelopedmore » infrastructure and inconsistent electrical grid access can create obstacles to groundwater desalination in developing regions. The objectives of the proposed project are to (i) mathematically simulate the operation of hollow fiber membrane distillation systems and (ii) optimize system design for off-grid treatment of brackish water. It is anticipated that methods developed here can be used to supply potable water at many off-grid locations in semi-arid regions including parts of the Navajo Reservation. This research is a collaborative project between Sandia and the University of Arizona.« less

Science Objectives of the JEM EUSO Mission on International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takahashi, Yoshiyuki

2007-01-01

JEM-EUSO space observatory is planned with a very large exposure factor which will exceed the critical exposure factor required for observing the most of the sources within the propagational horizon of about one hundred Mpc. The main science objective of JEM-EUSO is the source-identifying astronomy in particle channel with extremey-high-energy particles. Quasi-linear tracking of the source objects through galactic magnetic field should become feasible at energy > 10(exp 20) eV for all-sky. The individual GZK profile in high statistics experiments should differ from source to source due to different distance unless Lorentz invariance is somehow limited. hi addition, JEM-EUSO has three exploratory test observations: (i), extremely high energy neutrinos beginning at E > 10(exp 19) eV: neutrinos as being expected to have a slowly increasing cross section in the Standard Model, and in particular, hundreds of times more in the extra-dimension models. (ii). fundamental physics at extreme Super LHC (Large Hadronic Collider) energies with the hierarchical unified energy much below the GUT scale, and (iii). global atmospheric observation, including large-scale and local plasma discharges, night-glow, meteorites, and others..

Tracking target objects orbiting earth using satellite-based telescopes

DOEpatents

De Vries, Willem H; Olivier, Scot S; Pertica, Alexander J

2014-10-14

A system for tracking objects that are in earth orbit via a constellation or network of satellites having imaging devices is provided. An object tracking system includes a ground controller and, for each satellite in the constellation, an onboard controller. The ground controller receives ephemeris information for a target object and directs that ephemeris information be transmitted to the satellites. Each onboard controller receives ephemeris information for a target object, collects images of the target object based on the expected location of the target object at an expected time, identifies actual locations of the target object from the collected images, and identifies a next expected location at a next expected time based on the identified actual locations of the target object. The onboard controller processes the collected image to identify the actual location of the target object and transmits the actual location information to the ground controller.

Writing objectives and evaluating learning in the affective domain.

PubMed

Maier-Lorentz, M M

1999-01-01

Staff educators recognize the importance of affective competency for effective nursing practice. Inservice programs must include affective learning with objectives stated in measurable terms. Staff educators often express frustration in developing affective objectives and evaluating the learning outcome because attitudes and feelings are usually inferred from observations. This article presents affective learning objectives for a gerontological nursing inservice program and a rating scale that measures attitudes to evaluate the learning outcome.

Object recognition for autonomous robot utilizing distributed knowledge database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takatori, Jiro; Suzuki, Kenji; Hartono, Pitoyo; Hashimoto, Shuji

2003-10-01

In this paper we present a novel method of object recognition utilizing a remote knowledge database for an autonomous robot. The developed robot has three robot arms with different sensors; two CCD cameras and haptic sensors. It can see, touch and move the target object from different directions. Referring to remote knowledge database of geometry and material, the robot observes and handles the objects to understand them including their physical characteristics.

Assessment of Physical Activity and Energy Expenditure: An Overview of Objective Measures

PubMed Central

Hills, Andrew P.; Mokhtar, Najat; Byrne, Nuala M.

2014-01-01

The ability to assess energy expenditure (EE) and estimate physical activity (PA) in free-living individuals is extremely important in the global context of non-communicable diseases including malnutrition, overnutrition (obesity), and diabetes. It is also important to appreciate that PA and EE are different constructs with PA defined as any bodily movement that results in EE and accordingly, energy is expended as a result of PA. However, total energy expenditure, best assessed using the criterion doubly labeled water (DLW) technique, includes components in addition to physical activity energy expenditure, namely resting energy expenditure and the thermic effect of food. Given the large number of assessment techniques currently used to estimate PA in humans, it is imperative to understand the relative merits of each. The goal of this review is to provide information on the utility and limitations of a range of objective measures of PA and their relationship with EE. The measures discussed include those based on EE or oxygen uptake including DLW, activity energy expenditure, physical activity level, and metabolic equivalent; those based on heart rate monitoring and motion sensors; and because of their widespread use, selected subjective measures. PMID:25988109

Object permanence development in infants with motor handicaps.

PubMed

Fetters, L

1981-03-01

This study was an investigation of the effects of a motor handicap on the development of object permanence in the young child. Motor abilities were evaluated for 12 infants aged 13 to 29 months. Based on this evaluation, the children were described as manipulators or nonmanipulators in reference to their upper extremity skills. Their stage of object permanence was assessed using traditional and nontraditional assessments. Heart rate and visual tracking were recorded during the nontraditional assessment. Heart rate did not significantly relate to visual fixation or search response. There was, however, a significant difference (p less than .02) between stage achievement with traditional testing and age-appropriate levels. There was no significant difference between the nontraditional assessment and the age-appropriate levels. In addition, there was no significant difference in the development of object permanence between infants described as manipulators and those described as nonmanipulators. The last two findings suggest that infants with motor handicaps may develop object permanence at the expected ages, according to a nontraditional assessment.

Drag reduction - Jet breakup correlation with kerosene-based additives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoyt, J. W.; Altman, R. L.; Taylor, J. J.

1980-01-01

The drag-reduction effectiveness of a number of high-polymer additives dissolved in aircraft fuel has been measured in a turbulent-flow rheometer. These solutions were further subjected to high elongational stress and breakup forces in a jet discharging in air. The jet was photographed using a high-resolution camera with special lighting. The object of the work was to study the possible spray-suppression ability of high-polymer additives to aircraft fuel and to correlate this with the drag-reducing properties of the additives. It was found, in fact, that the rheometer results indicate the most effective spray-suppressing additives. Using as a measure the minimum polymer concentration to give a maximum friction-reducing effect, the order of effectiveness of eight different polymer additives as spray-suppressing agents was predicted. These results may find application in the development of antimisting additives for aircraft fuel which may increase fire safety in case of crash or accident.

Border collie comprehends object names as verbal referents.

PubMed

Pilley, John W; Reid, Alliston K

2011-02-01

Four experiments investigated the ability of a border collie (Chaser) to acquire receptive language skills. Experiment 1 demonstrated that Chaser learned and retained, over a 3-year period of intensive training, the proper-noun names of 1022 objects. Experiment 2 presented random pair-wise combinations of three commands and three names, and demonstrated that she understood the separate meanings of proper-noun names and commands. Chaser understood that names refer to objects, independent of the behavior directed toward those objects. Experiment 3 demonstrated Chaser's ability to learn three common nouns--words that represent categories. Chaser demonstrated one-to-many (common noun) and many-to-one (multiple-name) name-object mappings. Experiment 4 demonstrated Chaser's ability to learn words by inferential reasoning by exclusion--inferring the name of an object based on its novelty among familiar objects that already had names. Together, these studies indicate that Chaser acquired referential understanding of nouns, an ability normally attributed to children, which included: (a) awareness that words may refer to objects, (b) awareness of verbal cues that map words upon the object referent, and (c) awareness that names may refer to unique objects or categories of objects, independent of the behaviors directed toward those objects. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.