Design and Optimization of Low-thrust Orbit Transfers Using Q-law and Evolutionary Algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Seungwon; vonAllmen, Paul; Fink, Wolfgang; Petropoulos, Anastassios; Terrile, Richard

2005-01-01

Future space missions will depend more on low-thrust propulsion (such as ion engines) thanks to its high specific impulse. Yet, the design of low-thrust trajectories is complex and challenging. Third-body perturbations often dominate the thrust, and a significant change to the orbit requires a long duration of thrust. In order to guide the early design phases, we have developed an efficient and efficacious method to obtain approximate propellant and flight-time requirements (i.e., the Pareto front) for orbit transfers. A search for the Pareto-optimal trajectories is done in two levels: optimal thrust angles and locations are determined by Q-law, while the Q-law is optimized with two evolutionary algorithms: a genetic algorithm and a simulated-annealing-related algorithm. The examples considered are several types of orbit transfers around the Earth and the asteroid Vesta.

Q-Space Scattering Power Laws and the Interior Fields of Particles

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-12

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: This work studied the relationship between light scattered by particles of any shape and the interior field of that...Release; Distribution Unlimited UU UU UU UU 12-02-2016 7-Jul-2014 6-Apr-2015 Final Report: Q-space Scattering Power Laws and the Interior Fields of...the Army position, policy or decision, unless so designated by other documentation. 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES) U.S

Parameterization of the Van Hove dynamic self-scattering law Ss(Q,omega)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zetterstrom, P.

In this paper we present a model of the Van Hove dynamic scattering law SME(Q, omega) based on the maximum entropy principle which is developed for the first time. The model is aimed to be used in the calculation of inelastic corrections to neutron diffraction data. The model is constrained by the first and second frequency moments and detailed balance, but can be expanded to an arbitrary number of frequency moments. The second moment can be varied by an effective temperature to account for the kinetic energy of the atoms. The results are compared with a diffusion model of the scattering law. Finally some calculations of the inelastic self-scattering for a time-of-flight diffractometer are presented. From this we show that the inelastic self-scattering is very sensitive to the details of the dynamic scattering law.

High-Alpha Research Vehicle Lateral-Directional Control Law Description, Analyses, and Simulation Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidson, John B.; Murphy, Patrick C.; Lallman, Frederick J.; Hoffler, Keith D.; Bacon, Barton J.

1998-01-01

This report contains a description of a lateral-directional control law designed for the NASA High-Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). The HARV is a F/A-18 aircraft modified to include a research flight computer, spin chute, and thrust-vectoring in the pitch and yaw axes. Two separate design tools, CRAFT and Pseudo Controls, were integrated to synthesize the lateral-directional control law. This report contains a description of the lateral-directional control law, analyses, and nonlinear simulation (batch and piloted) results. Linear analysis results include closed-loop eigenvalues, stability margins, robustness to changes in various plant parameters, and servo-elastic frequency responses. Step time responses from nonlinear batch simulation are presented and compared to design guidelines. Piloted simulation task scenarios, task guidelines, and pilot subjective ratings for the various maneuvers are discussed. Linear analysis shows that the control law meets the stability margin guidelines and is robust to stability and control parameter changes. Nonlinear batch simulation analysis shows the control law exhibits good performance and meets most of the design guidelines over the entire range of angle-of-attack. This control law (designated NASA-1A) was flight tested during the Summer of 1994 at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

Does Oral Coenzyme Q10 Plus NADH Supplementation Improve Fatigue and Biochemical Parameters in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

PubMed Central

Cordero, Mario D.; Segundo, María José; Sáez-Francàs, Naia; Calvo, Natalia; Román-Malo, Lourdes; Aliste, Luisa; Fernández de Sevilla, Tomás; Alegre, José

2015-01-01

Abstract Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a chronic and extremely debilitating illness characterized by prolonged fatigue and multiple symptoms with unknown cause, diagnostic test, or universally effective treatment. Inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and CoQ10 deficiency have been well documented in CFS. We conducted an 8-week, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the benefits of oral CoQ10 (200 mg/day) plus NADH (20 mg/day) supplementation on fatigue and biochemical parameters in 73 Spanish CFS patients. This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02063126). A significant improvement of fatigue showing a reduction in fatigue impact scale total score (p<0.05) was reported in treated group versus placebo. In addition, a recovery of the biochemical parameters was also reported. NAD+/NADH (p<0.001), CoQ10 (p<0.05), ATP (p<0.05), and citrate synthase (p<0.05) were significantly higher, and lipoperoxides (p<0.05) were significantly lower in blood mononuclear cells of the treated group. These observations lead to the hypothesis that the oral CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation could confer potential therapeutic benefits on fatigue and biochemical parameters in CFS. Larger sample trials are warranted to confirm these findings. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 22, 679–685. PMID:25386668

New multirate sampled-data control law structure and synthesis algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Martin C.; Mason, Gregory S.; Yang, Gen-Sheng

1992-01-01

A new multirate sampled-data control law structure is defined and a new parameter-optimization-based synthesis algorithm for that structure is introduced. The synthesis algorithm can be applied to multirate, multiple-input/multiple-output, sampled-data control laws having a prescribed dynamic order and structure, and a priori specified sampling/update rates for all sensors, processor states, and control inputs. The synthesis algorithm is applied to design two-input, two-output tip position controllers of various dynamic orders for a sixth-order, two-link robot arm model.

Light scattering Q-space analysis of irregularly shaped particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinson, Yuli W.; Maughan, Justin B.; Heinson, William R.; Chakrabarti, Amitabha; Sorensen, Christopher M.

2016-01-01

We report Q-space analysis of light scattering phase function data for irregularly shaped dust particles and of theoretical model output to describe them. This analysis involves plotting the scattered intensity versus the magnitude of the scattering wave vector q = (4π/λ)sin(θ/2), where λ is the optical wavelength and θ is the scattering angle, on a double-logarithmic plot. In q-space all the particle shapes studied display a scattering pattern which includes a q-independent forward scattering regime; a crossover, Guinier regime when q is near the inverse size; a power law regime; and an enhanced backscattering regime. Power law exponents show a quasi-universal functionality with the internal coupling parameter ρ'. The absolute value of the exponents start from 4 when ρ' < 1, the diffraction limit, and decreases as ρ' increases until a constant 1.75 ± 0.25 when ρ' ≳ 10. The diffraction limit exponent implies that despite their irregular structures, all the particles studied have mass and surface scaling dimensions of Dm = 3 and Ds = 2, respectively. This is different from fractal aggregates that have a power law equal to the fractal dimension Df because Df = Dm = Ds < 3. Spheres have Dm = 3 and Ds = 2 but do not show a single power law nor the same functionality with ρ'. The results presented here imply that Q-space analysis can differentiate between spheres and these two types of irregularly shaped particles. Furthermore, they are applicable to analysis of the contribution of aerosol radiative forcing to climate change and of aerosol remote sensing data.

Optimization of motion control laws for tether crawler or elevator systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swenson, Frank R.; Von Tiesenhausen, Georg

1988-01-01

Based on the proposal of a motion control law by Lorenzini (1987), a method is developed for optimizing motion control laws for tether crawler or elevator systems in terms of the performance measures of travel time, the smoothness of acceleration and deceleration, and the maximum values of velocity and acceleration. The Lorenzini motion control law, based on powers of the hyperbolic tangent function, is modified by the addition of a constant-velocity section, and this modified function is then optimized by parameter selections to minimize the peak acceleration value for a selected travel time or to minimize travel time for the selected peak values of velocity and acceleration. It is shown that the addition of a constant-velocity segment permits further optimization of the motion control law performance.

Some optimal considerations in attitude control systems. [evaluation of value of relative weighting between time and fuel for relay control law

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boland, J. S., III

1973-01-01

The conventional six-engine reaction control jet relay attitude control law with deadband is shown to be a good linear approximation to a weighted time-fuel optimal control law. Techniques for evaluating the value of the relative weighting between time and fuel for a particular relay control law is studied along with techniques to interrelate other parameters for the two control laws. Vehicle attitude control laws employing control moment gyros are then investigated. Steering laws obtained from the expression for the reaction torque of the gyro configuration are compared to a total optimal attitude control law that is derived from optimal linear regulator theory. This total optimal attitude control law has computational disadvantages in the solving of the matrix Riccati equation. Several computational algorithms for solving the matrix Riccati equation are investigated with respect to accuracy, computational storage requirements, and computational speed.

qPIPSA: Relating enzymatic kinetic parameters and interaction fields

PubMed Central

Gabdoulline, Razif R; Stein, Matthias; Wade, Rebecca C

2007-01-01

Background The simulation of metabolic networks in quantitative systems biology requires the assignment of enzymatic kinetic parameters. Experimentally determined values are often not available and therefore computational methods to estimate these parameters are needed. It is possible to use the three-dimensional structure of an enzyme to perform simulations of a reaction and derive kinetic parameters. However, this is computationally demanding and requires detailed knowledge of the enzyme mechanism. We have therefore sought to develop a general, simple and computationally efficient procedure to relate protein structural information to enzymatic kinetic parameters that allows consistency between the kinetic and structural information to be checked and estimation of kinetic constants for structurally and mechanistically similar enzymes. Results We describe qPIPSA: quantitative Protein Interaction Property Similarity Analysis. In this analysis, molecular interaction fields, for example, electrostatic potentials, are computed from the enzyme structures. Differences in molecular interaction fields between enzymes are then related to the ratios of their kinetic parameters. This procedure can be used to estimate unknown kinetic parameters when enzyme structural information is available and kinetic parameters have been measured for related enzymes or were obtained under different conditions. The detailed interaction of the enzyme with substrate or cofactors is not modeled and is assumed to be similar for all the proteins compared. The protein structure modeling protocol employed ensures that differences between models reflect genuine differences between the protein sequences, rather than random fluctuations in protein structure. Conclusion Provided that the experimental conditions and the protein structural models refer to the same protein state or conformation, correlations between interaction fields and kinetic parameters can be established for sets of related enzymes

Electrostatics of proteins in dielectric solvent continua. I. Newton's third law marries qE forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stork, Martina; Tavan, Paul

2007-04-01

The authors reformulate and revise an electrostatic theory treating proteins surrounded by dielectric solvent continua [B. Egwolf and P. Tavan, J. Chem. Phys. 118, 2039 (2003)] to make the resulting reaction field (RF) forces compatible with Newton's third law. Such a compatibility is required for their use in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, in which the proteins are modeled by all-atom molecular mechanics force fields. According to the original theory the RF forces, which are due to the electric field generated by the solvent polarization and act on the partial charges of a protein, i.e., the so-called qE forces, can be quite accurately computed from Gaussian RF dipoles localized at the protein atoms. Using a slightly different approximation scheme also the RF energies of given protein configurations are obtained. However, because the qE forces do not account for the dielectric boundary pressure exerted by the solvent continuum on the protein, they do not obey the principle that actio equals reactio as required by Newton's third law. Therefore, their use in MD simulations is severely hampered. An analysis of the original theory has led the authors now to a reformulation removing the main difficulties. By considering the RF energy, which represents the dominant electrostatic contribution to the free energy of solvation for a given protein configuration, they show that its negative configurational gradient yields mean RF forces obeying the reactio principle. Because the evaluation of these mean forces is computationally much more demanding than that of the qE forces, they derive a suggestion how the qE forces can be modified to obey Newton's third law. Various properties of the thus established theory, particularly issues of accuracy and of computational efficiency, are discussed. A sample application to a MD simulation of a peptide in solution is described in the following paper [M. Stork and P. Tavan, J. Chem. Phys., 126, 165106 (2007).

Effect of q-nonextensive parameter and saturation time on electron density steepening in electron-positron-ion plasmas

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

Hashemzadeh, M., E-mail: hashemzade@gmail.com

2015-11-15

The effect of q-nonextensive parameter and saturation time on the electron density steepening in electron-positron-ion plasmas is studied by particle in cell method. Phase space diagrams show that the size of the holes, and consequently, the number of trapped particles strongly depends on the q-parameter and saturation time. Furthermore, the mechanism of the instability and exchange of energy between electron-positron and electric field is explained by the profiles of the energy density. Moreover, it is found that the q-parameter, saturation time, and electron and positron velocities affect the nonlinear evolution of the electron density which leads to the steepening ofmore » its structure. The q-nonextensive parameter or degree of nonextensivity is the relation between temperature gradient and potential energy of the system. Therefore, the deviation of q-parameter from unity indicates the degree of inhomogeneity of temperature or deviation from equilibrium. Finally, using the kinetic theory, a generalized q-dispersion relation is presented for electron-positron-ion plasma systems. It is found that the simulation results in the linear regime are in good agreement with the growth rate results obtained by the kinetic theory.« less

Distributed System Optimal Control and Parameter Estimation: Computational Techniques Using Spline Approximations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

orthogonal proJec- differential equations (PDE) of hyperbolic or tion of Z onto ZN and N -pN’/PN. This parabolic type. Roughly speaking, in each results in...to choose a parameter from an sipative inequality in Z (such asə(q)ZZ> admissible set Q so as to yield a best fit < W < z,z> for z E Dom (.&(q))and .W...semigroup T(t;q). The approxi- sumed fixed and known and F in (1) is a N control input term , say F(t) = Bu(t). Then mating operators. S1(q) are defined

Coenzyme Q supplementation in pulmonary arterial hypertension

PubMed Central

Sharp, Jacqueline; Farha, Samar; Park, Margaret M.; Comhair, Suzy A.; Lundgrin, Erika L.; Tang, W.H. Wilson; Bongard, Robert D.; Merker, Marilyn P.; Erzurum, Serpil C.

2014-01-01

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a fundamental abnormality in the vascular endothelium and smooth muscle of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Because coenzyme Q (CoQ) is essential for mitochondrial function and efficient oxygen utilization as the electron carrier in the inner mitochondrial membrane, we hypothesized that CoQ would improve mitochondrial function and benefit PAH patients. To test this, oxidized and reduced levels of CoQ, cardiac function by echocardiogram, mitochondrial functions of heme synthesis and cellular metabolism were evaluated in PAH patients (N=8) in comparison to healthy controls (N=7), at baseline and after 12 weeks oral CoQ supplementation. CoQ levels were similar among PAH and control individuals, and increased in all subjects with CoQ supplementation. PAH patients had higher CoQ levels than controls with supplementation, and a tendency to a higher reduced-to-oxidized CoQ ratio. Cardiac parameters improved with CoQ supplementation, although 6-minute walk distances and BNP levels did not significantly change. Consistent with improved mitochondrial synthetic function, hemoglobin increased and red cell distribution width (RDW) decreased in PAH patients with CoQ, while hemoglobin declined slightly and RDW did not change in healthy controls. In contrast, metabolic and redox parameters, including lactate, pyruvate and reduced or oxidized gluthathione, did not change in PAH patients with CoQ. In summary, CoQ improved hemoglobin and red cell maturation in PAH, but longer studies and/or higher doses with a randomized placebo-controlled controlled design are necessary to evaluate the clinical benefit of this simple nutritional supplement. PMID:25180165

A stochastic regulator for integrated communication and control systems. I - Formulation of control law. II - Numerical analysis and simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, Luen-Woei; Ray, Asok

1991-01-01

A state feedback control law for integrated communication and control systems (ICCS) is formulated by using the dynamic programming and optimality principle on a finite-time horizon. The control law is derived on the basis of a stochastic model of the plant which is augmented in state space to allow for the effects of randomly varying delays in the feedback loop. A numerical procedure for synthesizing the control parameters is then presented, and the performance of the control law is evaluated by simulating the flight dynamics model of an advanced aircraft. Finally, recommendations for future work are made.

Asymptotic Linearity of Optimal Control Modification Adaptive Law with Analytical Stability Margins

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan T.

2010-01-01

Optimal control modification has been developed to improve robustness to model-reference adaptive control. For systems with linear matched uncertainty, optimal control modification adaptive law can be shown by a singular perturbation argument to possess an outer solution that exhibits a linear asymptotic property. Analytical expressions of phase and time delay margins for the outer solution can be obtained. Using the gradient projection operator, a free design parameter of the adaptive law can be selected to satisfy stability margins.

F-8C adaptive flight control laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, G. L.; Harvey, C. A.; Stein, G.; Carlson, D. N.; Hendrick, R. C.

1977-01-01

Three candidate digital adaptive control laws were designed for NASA's F-8C digital flyby wire aircraft. Each design used the same control laws but adjusted the gains with a different adaptative algorithm. The three adaptive concepts were: high-gain limit cycle, Liapunov-stable model tracking, and maximum likelihood estimation. Sensors were restricted to conventional inertial instruments (rate gyros and accelerometers) without use of air-data measurements. Performance, growth potential, and computer requirements were used as criteria for selecting the most promising of these candidates for further refinement. The maximum likelihood concept was selected primarily because it offers the greatest potential for identifying several aircraft parameters and hence for improved control performance in future aircraft application. In terms of identification and gain adjustment accuracy, the MLE design is slightly superior to the other two, but this has no significant effects on the control performance achievable with the F-8C aircraft. The maximum likelihood design is recommended for flight test, and several refinements to that design are proposed.

Significant improvements of electrical discharge machining performance by step-by-step updated adaptive control laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ming; Wu, Jianyang; Xu, Xiaoyi; Mu, Xin; Dou, Yunping

2018-02-01

In order to obtain improved electrical discharge machining (EDM) performance, we have dedicated more than a decade to correcting one essential EDM defect, the weak stability of the machining, by developing adaptive control systems. The instabilities of machining are mainly caused by complicated disturbances in discharging. To counteract the effects from the disturbances on machining, we theoretically developed three control laws from minimum variance (MV) control law to minimum variance and pole placements coupled (MVPPC) control law and then to a two-step-ahead prediction (TP) control law. Based on real-time estimation of EDM process model parameters and measured ratio of arcing pulses which is also called gap state, electrode discharging cycle was directly and adaptively tuned so that a stable machining could be achieved. To this end, we not only theoretically provide three proved control laws for a developed EDM adaptive control system, but also practically proved the TP control law to be the best in dealing with machining instability and machining efficiency though the MVPPC control law provided much better EDM performance than the MV control law. It was also shown that the TP control law also provided a burn free machining.

Open-flavor charm and bottom s q q ¯ Q ¯ and q q q ¯ Q ¯ tetraquark states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wei; Chen, Hua-Xing; Liu, Xiang; Steele, T. G.; Zhu, Shi-Lin

2017-06-01

We provide comprehensive investigations for the mass spectrum of exotic open-flavor charmed/bottom s q q ¯ c ¯ , q q q ¯ c ¯ , s q q ¯ b ¯ , q q q ¯ b ¯ tetraquark states with various spin-parity assignments JP=0+,1+,2+ and 0- , 1- in the framework of QCD sum rules. In the diquark configuration, we construct the diquark-antidiquark interpolating tetraquark currents using the color-antisymmetric scalar and axial-vector diquark fields. The stable mass sum rules are established in reasonable parameter working ranges, which are used to give reliable mass predictions for these tetraquark states. We obtain the mass spectra for the open-flavor charmed/bottom s q q ¯c ¯, q q q ¯c ¯, s q q ¯b ¯, q q q ¯b ¯ tetraquark states with various spin-parity quantum numbers. In addition, we suggest searching for exotic doubly-charged tetraquarks, such as [s d ][u ¯ c ¯ ]→Ds(*)-π- in future experiments at facilities such as BESIII, BelleII, PANDA, LHCb, and CMS, etc.

Control Law for Automatic Landing Using Fuzzy Logic Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Akio; Inagaki, Yoshiki

The effectiveness of fuzzy logic control law for automatic landing of aircraft, which cover both of control to lead aircraft from level flight at an altitude of 500m to the flight on the glide-path course near the runway and control for the aircraft to land smoothly on a runway, was studied. The control law of the automatic landing was designed to match the design goals of leading from the horizontal flight to the flight on the glide-path course quickly and smoothly and of landing smoothly on a runway. Because there is the ground effect at landing, design of control law and evaluation of control performance were done in consideration of the ground effect. As a result, it was confirmed that the design objective was achieved. Even if the characteristics of the plant changes greatly, this control law was able to maintain the control performance. Moreover, it was confirmed to be able to land safely when there was air turbulence. This paper shows that fuzzy logic control is an effective and flexible method when applied to control law for automatic landing and the design method of control law using fuzzy logic control was obtained.

Control Law for Automatic Landing Using Fuzzy-Logic Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Akio; Inagaki, Yoshiki

The effectiveness of a fuzzy-logic control law for automatically landing an aircraft that handles both the control to lead an aircraft from horizontal flight at an altitude of 500 meters to flight along the glide-path course near the runway, as well as the control to direct the aircraft to land smoothly on a runway, was investigated. The control law for the automatic landing was designed to match the design goals of directing an aircraft from horizontal flight to flight along a glide-path course quickly and smoothly, and for landing smoothly on a runway. The design of the control law and evaluation of the control performance were performed considering the ground effect at landing. As a result, it was confirmed that the design goals were achieved. Even if the characteristics of the aircraft change greatly, the proposed control law is able to maintain the control performance. Moreover, it was confirmed to be able to land an aircraft safely during air turbulence. The present paper indicates that fuzzy-logic control is an effective and flexible method when applied to the control law for automatic landing, and the design method of the control law using fuzzy-logic control was obtained.

Lateral vegetation growth rates exert control on coastal foredune <q>hummockiness> and coalescing time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, Evan B.; Moore, Laura J.; Durán Vinent, Orencio

2017-08-01

Coastal foredunes form along sandy, low-sloped coastlines and range in shape from continuous dune ridges to hummocky features, which are characterized by alongshore-variable dune crest elevations. Initially scattered dune-building plants and species that grow slowly in the lateral direction have been implicated as a cause of foredune <q>hummockiness>. Our goal in this work is to explore how the initial configuration of vegetation and vegetation growth characteristics control the development of hummocky coastal dunes including the maximum hummockiness of a given dune field. We find that given sufficient time and absent external forcing, hummocky foredunes coalesce to form continuous dune ridges. Model results yield a predictive rule for the timescale of coalescing and the height of the coalesced dune that depends on initial plant dispersal and two parameters that control the lateral and vertical growth of vegetation, respectively. Our findings agree with previous observational and conceptual work - whether or not hummockiness will be maintained depends on the timescale of coalescing relative to the recurrence interval of high-water events that reset dune building in low areas between hummocks. Additionally, our model reproduces the observed tendency for foredunes to be hummocky along the southeast coast of the US where lateral vegetation growth rates are slower and thus coalescing times are likely longer.

Discrete-Time Deterministic $Q$ -Learning: A Novel Convergence Analysis.

PubMed

Wei, Qinglai; Lewis, Frank L; Sun, Qiuye; Yan, Pengfei; Song, Ruizhuo

2017-05-01

In this paper, a novel discrete-time deterministic Q -learning algorithm is developed. In each iteration of the developed Q -learning algorithm, the iterative Q function is updated for all the state and control spaces, instead of updating for a single state and a single control in traditional Q -learning algorithm. A new convergence criterion is established to guarantee that the iterative Q function converges to the optimum, where the convergence criterion of the learning rates for traditional Q -learning algorithms is simplified. During the convergence analysis, the upper and lower bounds of the iterative Q function are analyzed to obtain the convergence criterion, instead of analyzing the iterative Q function itself. For convenience of analysis, the convergence properties for undiscounted case of the deterministic Q -learning algorithm are first developed. Then, considering the discounted factor, the convergence criterion for the discounted case is established. Neural networks are used to approximate the iterative Q function and compute the iterative control law, respectively, for facilitating the implementation of the deterministic Q -learning algorithm. Finally, simulation results and comparisons are given to illustrate the performance of the developed algorithm.

Properties of ΣQ*, ΞQ* and ΩQ* heavy baryons in cold nuclear matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizi, K.; Er, N.

2018-02-01

The in-medium properties of the heavy spin-3/2 ΣQ*, ΞQ* and ΩQ* baryons with Q being b or c quark are investigated. The shifts in some spectroscopic parameters of these particles due to the saturated cold nuclear matter are calculated. The variations of those parameters with respect to the changes in the density of the cold nuclear medium are studied, as well. It is observed that the parameters of ΣQ* baryons are considerably affected by the nuclear matter compared to the ΞQ* and ΩQ* particles that roughly do not see the medium. The results obtained may be used in analyses of the data to be provided by the in-medium experiments like PANDA.

Gust alleviation - Criteria and control laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rynaski, E. G.

1979-01-01

The relationships between criteria specified for aircraft gust alleviation and the form of the control laws that result from the criteria are considered. Open-loop gust alleviation based on the linearized, small perturbation equations of aircraft motion is discussed, and an approximate solution of the open-loop control law is presented for the case in which the number of degrees of freedom of the aircraft exceeds the rank of the control effectiveness matrix. Excessive actuator lag is compensated for by taking into account actuator dynamics in the equations of motion, resulting in the specification of a general load network. Criteria for gust alleviation when output motions are gust alleviated and the closed-loop control law derived from them are examined and linear optimal control law is derived. Comparisons of the control laws reveal that the effectiveness of an open-loop control law is greatest at low aircraft frequencies but deteriorates as the natural frequency of the actuators is approached, while closed-loop methods are found to be more effective at higher frequencies.

Exponentially Stabilizing Robot Control Laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wen, John T.; Bayard, David S.

1990-01-01

New class of exponentially stabilizing laws for joint-level control of robotic manipulators introduced. In case of set-point control, approach offers simplicity of proportion/derivative control architecture. In case of tracking control, approach provides several important alternatives to completed-torque method, as far as computational requirements and convergence. New control laws modified in simple fashion to obtain asymptotically stable adaptive control, when robot model and/or payload mass properties unknown.

Kinetic rate laws of Cd, Pb, and Zn vaporization during municipal solid waste incineration.

PubMed

Falcoz, Quentin; Gauthier, Daniel; Abanades, Stéphane; Flamant, Gilles; Patisson, Fabrice

2009-03-15

The kinetic rate laws of heavy metal (HM) vaporization from municipal solid waste during its incineration were studied. Realistic artificial waste (RAW) samples spiked with Pb, Zn, and Cd were injected into a fluidized bed reactor. Metal vaporization wastracked by continuous measure ofthe above metals in exhaust gases. An inverse model of the reactor was used to calculate the metal vaporization rates from the concentration vs time profiles in the outlet gas. For each metal, experiments were carried out at several temperatures in order to determine the kinetic parameters and to obtain specific rate laws as functions of temperature. Temperature has a strong influence on the HM vaporization dynamics, especially on the vaporization kinetics profile. This phenomenon was attributed to internal diffusion control of the HM release. Two types of kinetic rate laws were established based on temperature: a fourth- or fifth-order polynomial rate law (r(x) = k0e(-E(A)/RT)p(x)) for temperatures lower than 740 degrees C and a first-order polynomial (r(x) = k0e(-E(A)/ RT(q-q(f) for temperatures higher than 740 degrees C.

A Control Model: Interpretation of Fitts' Law

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connelly, E. M.

1984-01-01

The analytical results for several models are given: a first order model where it is assumed that the hand velocity can be directly controlled, and a second order model where it is assumed that the hand acceleration can be directly controlled. Two different types of control-laws are investigated. One is linear function of the hand error and error rate; the other is the time-optimal control law. Results show that the first and second order models with the linear control-law produce a movement time (MT) function with the exact form of the Fitts' Law. The control-law interpretation implies that the effect of target width on MT must be a result of the vertical motion which elevates the hand from the starting point and drops it on the target at the target edge. The time optimal control law did not produce a movement-time formula simular to Fitt's Law.

Reinforcement interval type-2 fuzzy controller design by online rule generation and q-value-aided ant colony optimization.

PubMed

Juang, Chia-Feng; Hsu, Chia-Hung

2009-12-01

This paper proposes a new reinforcement-learning method using online rule generation and Q-value-aided ant colony optimization (ORGQACO) for fuzzy controller design. The fuzzy controller is based on an interval type-2 fuzzy system (IT2FS). The antecedent part in the designed IT2FS uses interval type-2 fuzzy sets to improve controller robustness to noise. There are initially no fuzzy rules in the IT2FS. The ORGQACO concurrently designs both the structure and parameters of an IT2FS. We propose an online interval type-2 rule generation method for the evolution of system structure and flexible partitioning of the input space. Consequent part parameters in an IT2FS are designed using Q -values and the reinforcement local-global ant colony optimization algorithm. This algorithm selects the consequent part from a set of candidate actions according to ant pheromone trails and Q-values, both of which are updated using reinforcement signals. The ORGQACO design method is applied to the following three control problems: 1) truck-backing control; 2) magnetic-levitation control; and 3) chaotic-system control. The ORGQACO is compared with other reinforcement-learning methods to verify its efficiency and effectiveness. Comparisons with type-1 fuzzy systems verify the noise robustness property of using an IT2FS.

Feedback control laws for highly maneuverable aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrard, William L.; Balas, Gary J.

1992-01-01

The results of a study of the application of H infinity and mu synthesis techniques to the design of feedback control laws for the longitudinal dynamics of the High Angle of Attack Research Vehicle (HARV) are presented. The objective of this study is to develop methods for the design of feedback control laws which cause the closed loop longitudinal dynamics of the HARV to meet handling quality specifications over the entire flight envelope. Control law designs are based on models of the HARV linearized at various flight conditions. The control laws are evaluated by both linear and nonlinear simulations of typical maneuvers. The fixed gain control laws resulting from both the H infinity and mu synthesis techniques result in excellent performance even when the aircraft performs maneuvers in which the system states vary significantly from their equilibrium design values. Both the H infinity and mu synthesis control laws result in performance which compares favorably with an existing baseline longitudinal control law.

Power laws reveal phase transitions in landscape controls of fire regimes

Treesearch

Donald McKenzie; Maureen C. Kennedy

2012-01-01

Understanding the environmental controls on historical wildfires, and how they changed across spatial scales, is difficult because there are no surviving explicit records of either weather or vegetation (fuels). Here we show how power laws associated with fire-event time series arise in limited domains of parameters that represent critical transitions in the controls...

Does Q223R Polymorphism of Leptin Receptor Influence on Anthropometric Parameters and Bone Density in Childhood Cancer Survivors?

PubMed Central

Sawicka-Żukowska, Malgorzata; Krawczuk-Rybak, Maryna; Muszynska-Roslan, Katarzyna; Panasiuk, Anna; Latoch, Eryk; Konstantynowicz, Jerzy

2013-01-01

Childhood cancer survivors are in augmented risk for developing obesity. For many factors leptin and leptin receptor gene polymorphism play an important role in the development and metabolism not only of fat, but also, bone tissue. The aim of the analysis was to find the relationships between Q223R, leptin levels, and anthropometric parameters. Patients and Methods. In the study 74 cancer survivors participated (ALL n = 64, lymphomas n = 10), and the control group consisted of 51 healthy peers. Leptin blood concentration was determined by ELISA method. To estimate leptin receptor gene polymorphism, RFLP method was used. Bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC), fat, and lean tissue measurements were obtained by DXA. Results. We found no correlations between serum leptin concentrations and anthropometric parameters nor BMD. Serum leptin concentrations were significantly lower in the group of cancer survivors compared to controls; however, in those overweight from examined group we found leptin levels higher than those in nonoverweight. Genotype Q223R was not associated with higher leptin levels, BMI, BMD, body fat or lean tissue. Conclusion. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the relationship between BMD and Q223R polymorphism in childhood cancer survivors. Further analysis, based on a larger group of patients, is needed to confirm these findings. PMID:24319457

Adaptive Control Parameters for Dispersal of Multi-Agent Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) Swarms

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

Kurt Derr; Milos Manic

A mobile ad hoc network is a collection of independent nodes that communicate wirelessly with one another. This paper investigates nodes that are swarm robots with communications and sensing capabilities. Each robot in the swarm may operate in a distributed and decentralized manner to achieve some goal. This paper presents a novel approach to dynamically adapting control parameters to achieve mesh configuration stability. The presented approach to robot interaction is based on spring force laws (attraction and repulsion laws) to create near-optimal mesh like configurations. In prior work, we presented the extended virtual spring mesh (EVSM) algorithm for the dispersionmore » of robot swarms. This paper extends the EVSM framework by providing the first known study on the effects of adaptive versus static control parameters on robot swarm stability. The EVSM algorithm provides the following novelties: 1) improved performance with adaptive control parameters and 2) accelerated convergence with high formation effectiveness. Simulation results show that 120 robots reach convergence using adaptive control parameters more than twice as fast as with static control parameters in a multiple obstacle environment.« less

Integrated structure/control law design by multilevel optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilbert, Michael G.; Schmidt, David K.

1989-01-01

A new approach to integrated structure/control law design based on multilevel optimization is presented. This new approach is applicable to aircraft and spacecraft and allows for the independent design of the structure and control law. Integration of the designs is achieved through use of an upper level coordination problem formulation within the multilevel optimization framework. The method requires the use of structure and control law design sensitivity information. A general multilevel structure/control law design problem formulation is given, and the use of Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control law design and design sensitivity methods within the formulation is illustrated. Results of three simple integrated structure/control law design examples are presented. These results show the capability of structure and control law design tradeoffs to improve controlled system performance within the multilevel approach.

Safe haven laws as crime control theater.

PubMed

Hammond, Michelle; Miller, Monica K; Griffin, Timothy

2010-07-01

This article examines safe haven laws, which allow parents to legally abandon their infants. The main objective is to determine whether safe haven laws fit the criteria of crime control theater, a term used to describe public policies that produce the appearance, but not the effect, of crime control, and as such are essentially socially constructed "solutions" to socially constructed crime "problems." The analysis will apply the principles of crime control theater to safe haven laws. Specifically, the term crime control theater applies to laws that are reactionary responses to perceived criminal threats and are often widely supported as a way to address the crime in question. Such laws are attractive because they appeal to mythic narratives (i.e., saving an innocent child from a predator); however they are likely ineffective due to the complexity of the crime. These laws can have deleterious effects when policymakers make false claims of success and stunt public discourse (e.g., drawing attention away from more frequent and preventable crimes). This analysis applies these criteria to safe haven laws to determine whether such laws can be classified as crime control theater. Many qualities inherent to crime control theater are present in safe haven laws. For example, the laws are highly publicized, their intentions lack moral ambiguity, rare cases of success legitimize law enforcement and other agencies, and they appeal to the public sense of responsibility in preventing crime. Yet the goal of saving infant lives may be unattainable. These qualities make the effectiveness of the laws questionable and suggest they may be counterproductive. This analysis determined that safe haven laws are socially constructed solutions to the socially constructed problem of child abandonment. Safe haven laws are appropriately classified as crime control theater. It is imperative that further research be conducted to examine the effectiveness and collateral effects of safe haven laws

Lung ventilation-perfusion imbalance in pulmonary emphysema: assessment with automated V/Q quotient SPECT.

PubMed

Suga, Kazuyoshi; Kawakami, Yasuhiko; Koike, Hiroaki; Iwanaga, Hideyuki; Tokuda, Osamu; Okada, Munemasa; Matsunaga, Naofumi

2010-05-01

Tc-99m-Technegas-MAA single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-derived ventilation (V)/perfusion (Q) quotient SPECT was used to assess lung V-Q imbalance in patients with pulmonary emphysema. V/Q quotient SPECT and V/Q profile were automatically built in 38 patients with pulmonary emphysema and 12 controls, and V/Q distribution and V/Q profile parameters were compared. V/Q distribution on V/Q quotient SPECT was correlated with low attenuation areas (LAA) on density-mask computed tomography (CT). Parameters of V/Q profile such as the median, standard deviation (SD), kurtosis and skewness were proposed to objectively evaluate the severity of lung V-Q imbalance. In contrast to uniform V/Q distribution on V/Q quotient SPECT and a sharp peak with symmetrical V/Q distribution on V/Q profile in controls, lung areas showing heterogeneously high or low V/Q and flattened peaks with broadened V/Q distribution were frequently seen in patients with emphysema, including lung areas with only slight LAA. V/Q distribution was also often asymmetric regardless of symmetric LAA. All the proposed parameters of V/Q profile in entire lungs of patients with emphysema showed large variations compared with controls; SD and kurtosis were significantly different from controls (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001, respectively), and a significant correlation was found between SD and A-aDO2 (P < 0.0001). V/Q quotient SPECT appears to be more sensitive to detect emphysematous lungs compared with morphologic CT in patients with emphysema. SD and kurtosis of V/Q profile can be adequate parameters to assess the severity of lung V-Q imbalance causing gas-exchange impairment in patients with emphysema.

Helicopter mathematical models and control law development for handling qualities research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Robert T. N.; Lebacqz, J. Victor; Aiken, Edwin W.; Tischler, Mark B.

1988-01-01

Progress made in joint NASA/Army research concerning rotorcraft flight-dynamics modeling, design methodologies for rotorcraft flight-control laws, and rotorcraft parameter identification is reviewed. Research into these interactive disciplines is needed to develop the analytical tools necessary to conduct flying qualities investigations using both the ground-based and in-flight simulators, and to permit an efficient means of performing flight test evaluation of rotorcraft flying qualities for specification compliance. The need for the research is particularly acute for rotorcraft because of their mathematical complexity, high order dynamic characteristics, and demanding mission requirements. The research in rotorcraft flight-dynamics modeling is pursued along two general directions: generic nonlinear models and nonlinear models for specific rotorcraft. In addition, linear models are generated that extend their utilization from 1-g flight to high-g maneuvers and expand their frequency range of validity for the design analysis of high-gain flight control systems. A variety of methods ranging from classical frequency-domain approaches to modern time-domain control methodology that are used in the design of rotorcraft flight control laws is reviewed. Also reviewed is a study conducted to investigate the design details associated with high-gain, digital flight control systems for combat rotorcraft. Parameter identification techniques developed for rotorcraft applications are reviewed.

Revised scaling laws for asteroid disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jutzi, M.

2014-07-01

Models for the evolution of small-body populations (e.g., the asteroid main belt) of the solar system compute the time-dependent size and velocity distributions of the objects as a result of both collisional and dynamical processes. A scaling parameter often used in such numerical models is the critical specific impact energy Q^*_D, which results in the escape of half of the target's mass in a collision. The parameter Q^*_D is called the catastrophic impact energy threshold. We present recent improvements of the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) technique (Benz and Asphaug 1995, Jutzi et al. 2008, Jutzi 2014) for the modeling of the disruption of small bodies. Using the improved models, we then systematically study the effects of various target properties (e.g., strength, porosity, and friction) on the outcome of disruptive collisions (Figure), and we compute the corresponding Q^*_D curves as a function of target size. For a given specific impact energy and impact angle, the outcome of a collision in terms of Q^*_D does not only depend on the properties of the bodies involved, but also on the impact velocity and the size ratio of target/impactor. Leinhardt and Stewardt (2012) proposed scaling laws to predict the outcome of collisions with a wide range of impact velocities (m/s to km/s), target sizes and target/impactor mass ratios. These scaling laws are based on a "principal disruption curve" defined for collisions between equal-sized bodies: Q^*_{RD,γ = 1} = c^* 4/5 π ρ G R_{C1}^2, where the parameter c^* is a measure of the dissipation of energy within the target, R_{C1} the radius of a body with the combined mass of target and projectile and a density ρ = 1000 kg/m^3, and γ is the mass ratio. The dissipation parameter c^* is proposed to be 5±2 for bodies with strength and 1.9±0.3 for hydrodynamic bodies (Leinhardt and Stewardt 2012). We will present values for c^* based on our SPH simulations using various target properties and impact conditions. We

Model-Free Optimal Tracking Control via Critic-Only Q-Learning.

PubMed

Luo, Biao; Liu, Derong; Huang, Tingwen; Wang, Ding

2016-10-01

Model-free control is an important and promising topic in control fields, which has attracted extensive attention in the past few years. In this paper, we aim to solve the model-free optimal tracking control problem of nonaffine nonlinear discrete-time systems. A critic-only Q-learning (CoQL) method is developed, which learns the optimal tracking control from real system data, and thus avoids solving the tracking Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. First, the Q-learning algorithm is proposed based on the augmented system, and its convergence is established. Using only one neural network for approximating the Q-function, the CoQL method is developed to implement the Q-learning algorithm. Furthermore, the convergence of the CoQL method is proved with the consideration of neural network approximation error. With the convergent Q-function obtained from the CoQL method, the adaptive optimal tracking control is designed based on the gradient descent scheme. Finally, the effectiveness of the developed CoQL method is demonstrated through simulation studies. The developed CoQL method learns with off-policy data and implements with a critic-only structure, thus it is easy to realize and overcome the inadequate exploration problem.

Nonclassical Properties of Q-Deformed Superposition Light Field State

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ren, Min; Shenggui, Wang; Ma, Aiqun; Jiang, Zhuohong

1996-01-01

In this paper, the squeezing effect, the bunching effect and the anti-bunching effect of the superposition light field state which involving q-deformation vacuum state and q-Glauber coherent state are studied, the controllable q-parameter of the squeezing effect, the bunching effect and the anti-bunching effect of q-deformed superposition light field state are obtained.

Limb darkening and exoplanets - II. Choosing the best law for optimal retrieval of transit parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinoza, Néstor; Jordán, Andrés

2016-04-01

Very precise measurements of exoplanet transit light curves both from ground- and space-based observatories make it now possible to fit the limb-darkening coefficients in the transit-fitting procedure rather than fix them to theoretical values. This strategy has been shown to give better results, as fixing the coefficients to theoretical values can give rise to important systematic errors which directly impact the physical properties of the system derived from such light curves such as the planetary radius. However, studies of the effect of limb-darkening assumptions on the retrieved parameters have mostly focused on the widely used quadratic limb-darkening law, leaving out other proposed laws that are either simpler or better descriptions of model intensity profiles. In this work, we show that laws such as the logarithmic, square-root and three-parameter law do a better job that the quadratic and linear laws when deriving parameters from transit light curves, both in terms of bias and precision, for a wide range of situations. We therefore recommend to study which law to use on a case-by-case basis. We provide code to guide the decision of when to use each of these laws and select the optimal one in a mean-square error sense, which we note has a dependence on both stellar and transit parameters. Finally, we demonstrate that the so-called exponential law is non-physical as it typically produces negative intensities close to the limb and should therefore not be used.

Parameter Transient Behavior Analysis on Fault Tolerant Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belcastro, Christine (Technical Monitor); Shin, Jong-Yeob

2003-01-01

In a fault tolerant control (FTC) system, a parameter varying FTC law is reconfigured based on fault parameters estimated by fault detection and isolation (FDI) modules. FDI modules require some time to detect fault occurrences in aero-vehicle dynamics. This paper illustrates analysis of a FTC system based on estimated fault parameter transient behavior which may include false fault detections during a short time interval. Using Lyapunov function analysis, the upper bound of an induced-L2 norm of the FTC system performance is calculated as a function of a fault detection time and the exponential decay rate of the Lyapunov function.

The development of optimal control laws for orbiting tethered platform systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bainum, P. M.; Woodard, S.; Juang, J.-N.

1986-01-01

A mathematical model of the open and closed loop in-orbit plane dynamics of a space platform-tethered-subsatellite system is developed. The system consists of a rigid platform from which an (assumed massless) tether is deploying (retrieving) a subsatellite from an attachment point which is, in general, offset from the platform's mass center. A Lagrangian formulation yields equations describing platform pitch, subsatellite tether-line swing, and varying tether length motions. These equations are linearized about the nominal station keeping motion. Control can be provided by both modulation of the tether tension level and by a momentum type platform-mounted device; system controllability depends on the presence of both control inputs. Stability criteria are developed in terms of the control law gains, the platform inertia ratio, and tether offset parameter. Control law gains are obtained based on linear quadratic regulator techniques. Typical transient responses of both the state and required control effort are presented.

The development of optimal control laws for orbiting tethered platform systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bainum, P. M.

1986-01-01

A mathematical model of the open and closed loop in orbit plane dynamics of a space platform-tethered-subsatellite system is developed. The system consists of a rigid platform from which an (assumed massless) tether is deploying (retrieving) a subsatellite from an attachment point which is, in general, offset from the platform's mass center. A Langrangian formulation yields equations describing platform pitch, subsatellite tetherline swing, and varying tether length motions. These equations are linearized about the nominal station keeping motion. Control can be provided by both modulation of the tether tension level and by a momentum type platform-mounted device; system controllability depends on the presence of both control inputs. Stability criteria are developed in terms of the control law gains, the platform inertia ratio, and tether offset parameter. Control law gains are obtained based on linear quadratic regulator techniques. Typical transient responses of both the state and required control effort are presented.

Q-controlled amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy in liquids: An analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hölscher, H.; Schwarz, U. D.

2006-08-01

An analysis of amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy in liquids is presented with respect to the application of the Q-Control technique. The equation of motion is solved by numerical and analytic methods with and without Q-Control in the presence of a simple model interaction force adequate for many liquid environments. In addition, the authors give an explicit analytical formula for the tip-sample indentation showing that higher Q factors reduce the tip-sample force. It is found that Q-Control suppresses unwanted deformations of the sample surface, leading to the enhanced image quality reported in several experimental studies.

MTPA control of mechanical sensorless IPMSM based on adaptive nonlinear control.

PubMed

Najjar-Khodabakhsh, Abbas; Soltani, Jafar

2016-03-01

In this paper, an adaptive nonlinear control scheme has been proposed for implementing maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) control strategy corresponding to interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) drive. This control scheme is developed in the rotor d-q axis reference frame using adaptive input-output state feedback linearization (AIOFL) method. The drive system control stability is supported by Lyapunov theory. The motor inductances are online estimated by an estimation law obtained by AIOFL. The estimation errors of these parameters are proved to be asymptotically converged to zero. Based on minimizing the motor current amplitude, the MTPA control strategy is performed by using the nonlinear optimization technique while considering the online reference torque. The motor reference torque is generated by a conventional rotor speed PI controller. By performing MTPA control strategy, the generated online motor d-q reference currents were used in AIOFL controller to obtain the SV-PWM reference voltages and the online estimation of the motor d-q inductances. In addition, the stator resistance is online estimated using a conventional PI controller. Moreover, the rotor position is detected using the online estimation of the stator flux and online estimation of the motor q-axis inductance. Simulation and experimental results obtained prove the effectiveness and the capability of the proposed control method. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Model-Free control performance improvement using virtual reference feedback tuning and reinforcement Q-learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radac, Mircea-Bogdan; Precup, Radu-Emil; Roman, Raul-Cristian

2017-04-01

This paper proposes the combination of two model-free controller tuning techniques, namely linear virtual reference feedback tuning (VRFT) and nonlinear state-feedback Q-learning, referred to as a new mixed VRFT-Q learning approach. VRFT is first used to find stabilising feedback controller using input-output experimental data from the process in a model reference tracking setting. Reinforcement Q-learning is next applied in the same setting using input-state experimental data collected under perturbed VRFT to ensure good exploration. The Q-learning controller learned with a batch fitted Q iteration algorithm uses two neural networks, one for the Q-function estimator and one for the controller, respectively. The VRFT-Q learning approach is validated on position control of a two-degrees-of-motion open-loop stable multi input-multi output (MIMO) aerodynamic system (AS). Extensive simulations for the two independent control channels of the MIMO AS show that the Q-learning controllers clearly improve performance over the VRFT controllers.

Advanced rotorcraft control using parameter optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vansteenwyk, Brett; Ly, Uy-Loi

1991-01-01

A reliable algorithm for the evaluation of a quadratic performance index and its gradients with respect to the controller design parameters is presented. The algorithm is part of a design algorithm for an optimal linear dynamic output feedback controller that minimizes a finite time quadratic performance index. The numerical scheme is particularly robust when it is applied to the control law synthesis for systems with densely packed modes and where there is a high likelihood of encountering degeneracies in the closed loop eigensystem. This approach through the use of a accurate Pade series approximation does not require the closed loop system matrix to be diagonalizable. The algorithm has been included in a control design package for optimal robust low order controllers. Usefulness of the proposed numerical algorithm has been demonstrated using numerous practical design cases where degeneracies occur frequently in the closed loop system under an arbitrary controller design initialization and during the numerical search.

A minimum attention control law for ball catching.

PubMed

Jang, Cheongjae; Lee, Jee-eun; Lee, Sohee; Park, F C

2015-10-06

Digital implementations of control laws typically involve discretization with respect to both time and space, and a control law that can achieve a task at coarser levels of discretization can be said to require less control attention, and also reduced implementation costs. One means of quantitatively capturing the attention of a control law is to measure the rate of change of the control with respect to changes in state and time. In this paper we present an attention-minimizing control law for ball catching and other target tracking tasks based on Brockett's attention criterion. We first highlight the connections between this attention criterion and some well-known principles from human motor control. Under the assumption that the optimal control law is the sum of a linear time-varying feedback term and a time-varying feedforward term, we derive an LQR-based minimum attention tracking control law that is stable, and obtained efficiently via a finite-dimensional optimization over the symmetric positive-definite matrices. Taking ball catching as our primary task, we perform numerical experiments comparing the performance of the various control strategies examined in the paper. Consistent with prevailing theories about human ball catching, our results exhibit several familiar features, e.g., the transition from open-loop to closed-loop control during the catching movement, and improved robustness to spatiotemporal discretization. The presented control laws are applicable to more general tracking problems that are subject to limited communication resources.

Control Law-Control Allocation Interaction: F/A-18 PA Simulation Test - Bed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Durham, Wayne; Nelson, Mark

2001-01-01

This report documents the first stage of research into Control Law - Control Allocation Interactions. A three-year research effort was originally proposed: 1. Create a desktop flight simulation environment under which experiments related to the open questions may be conducted. 2. Conduct research to determine which aspects of control allocation have impact upon control law design that merits further research. 3. Conduct research into those aspects of control allocation identified above, and their impacts upon control law design. Simulation code was written utilizing the F/A-18 airframe in the power approach (PA) configuration. A dynamic inversion control law was implemented and used to drive a state-of-the-art control allocation subroutine.

Control Laws for a Dual-Spin Stabilized Platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lim, K. B.; Moerder, D. D.

2008-01-01

This paper describes two attitude control laws suitable for atmospheric flight vehicles with a steady angular momentum bias in the vehicle yaw axis. This bias is assumed to be provided by an internal flywheel, and is introduced to enhance roll and pitch stiffness. The first control law is based on Lyapunov stability theory, and stability proofs are given. The second control law, which assumes that the angular momentum bias is large, is based on a classical PID control. It is shown that the large yaw-axis bias requires that the PI feedback component on the roll and pitch angle errors be cross-fed. Both control laws are applied to a vehicle simulation in the presence of disturbances for several values of yaw-axis angular momentum bias. It is seen that both control laws provide a significant improvement in attitude performance when the bias is sufficiently large, but the nonlinear control law is also able to provide improved performance for a small value of bias. This is important because the smaller bias corresponds to a smaller requirement for mass to be dedicated to the flywheel.

Modeling and controlling a robotic convoy using guidance laws strategies.

PubMed

Belkhouche, Fethi; Belkhouche, Boumediene

2005-08-01

This paper deals with the problem of modeling and controlling a robotic convoy. Guidance laws techniques are used to provide a mathematical formulation of the problem. The guidance laws used for this purpose are the velocity pursuit, the deviated pursuit, and the proportional navigation. The velocity pursuit equations model the robot's path under various sensors based control laws. A systematic study of the tracking problem based on this technique is undertaken. These guidance laws are applied to derive decentralized control laws for the angular and linear velocities. For the angular velocity, the control law is directly derived from the guidance laws after considering the relative kinematics equations between successive robots. The second control law maintains the distance between successive robots constant by controlling the linear velocity. This control law is derived by considering the kinematics equations between successive robots under the considered guidance law. Properties of the method are discussed and proven. Simulation results confirm the validity of our approach, as well as the validity of the properties of the method. Index Terms-Guidance laws, relative kinematics equations, robotic convoy, tracking.

No Control Genes Required: Bayesian Analysis of qRT-PCR Data

PubMed Central

Matz, Mikhail V.; Wright, Rachel M.; Scott, James G.

2013-01-01

Background Model-based analysis of data from quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is potentially more powerful and versatile than traditional methods. Yet existing model-based approaches cannot properly deal with the higher sampling variances associated with low-abundant targets, nor do they provide a natural way to incorporate assumptions about the stability of control genes directly into the model-fitting process. Results In our method, raw qPCR data are represented as molecule counts, and described using generalized linear mixed models under Poisson-lognormal error. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm is used to sample from the joint posterior distribution over all model parameters, thereby estimating the effects of all experimental factors on the expression of every gene. The Poisson-based model allows for the correct specification of the mean-variance relationship of the PCR amplification process, and can also glean information from instances of no amplification (zero counts). Our method is very flexible with respect to control genes: any prior knowledge about the expected degree of their stability can be directly incorporated into the model. Yet the method provides sensible answers without such assumptions, or even in the complete absence of control genes. We also present a natural Bayesian analogue of the “classic” analysis, which uses standard data pre-processing steps (logarithmic transformation and multi-gene normalization) but estimates all gene expression changes jointly within a single model. The new methods are considerably more flexible and powerful than the standard delta-delta Ct analysis based on pairwise t-tests. Conclusions Our methodology expands the applicability of the relative-quantification analysis protocol all the way to the lowest-abundance targets, and provides a novel opportunity to analyze qRT-PCR data without making any assumptions concerning target stability. These procedures have been implemented as the MCMC

No control genes required: Bayesian analysis of qRT-PCR data.

PubMed

Matz, Mikhail V; Wright, Rachel M; Scott, James G

2013-01-01

Model-based analysis of data from quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is potentially more powerful and versatile than traditional methods. Yet existing model-based approaches cannot properly deal with the higher sampling variances associated with low-abundant targets, nor do they provide a natural way to incorporate assumptions about the stability of control genes directly into the model-fitting process. In our method, raw qPCR data are represented as molecule counts, and described using generalized linear mixed models under Poisson-lognormal error. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm is used to sample from the joint posterior distribution over all model parameters, thereby estimating the effects of all experimental factors on the expression of every gene. The Poisson-based model allows for the correct specification of the mean-variance relationship of the PCR amplification process, and can also glean information from instances of no amplification (zero counts). Our method is very flexible with respect to control genes: any prior knowledge about the expected degree of their stability can be directly incorporated into the model. Yet the method provides sensible answers without such assumptions, or even in the complete absence of control genes. We also present a natural Bayesian analogue of the "classic" analysis, which uses standard data pre-processing steps (logarithmic transformation and multi-gene normalization) but estimates all gene expression changes jointly within a single model. The new methods are considerably more flexible and powerful than the standard delta-delta Ct analysis based on pairwise t-tests. Our methodology expands the applicability of the relative-quantification analysis protocol all the way to the lowest-abundance targets, and provides a novel opportunity to analyze qRT-PCR data without making any assumptions concerning target stability. These procedures have been implemented as the MCMC.qpcr package in R.

Extended q -Gaussian and q -exponential distributions from gamma random variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budini, Adrián A.

2015-05-01

The family of q -Gaussian and q -exponential probability densities fit the statistical behavior of diverse complex self-similar nonequilibrium systems. These distributions, independently of the underlying dynamics, can rigorously be obtained by maximizing Tsallis "nonextensive" entropy under appropriate constraints, as well as from superstatistical models. In this paper we provide an alternative and complementary scheme for deriving these objects. We show that q -Gaussian and q -exponential random variables can always be expressed as a function of two statistically independent gamma random variables with the same scale parameter. Their shape index determines the complexity q parameter. This result also allows us to define an extended family of asymmetric q -Gaussian and modified q -exponential densities, which reduce to the standard ones when the shape parameters are the same. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a simple change of variables always allows relating any of these distributions with a beta stochastic variable. The extended distributions are applied in the statistical description of different complex dynamics such as log-return signals in financial markets and motion of point defects in a fluid flow.

Unified Scaling Law for flux pinning in practical superconductors: II. Parameter testing, scaling constants, and the Extrapolative Scaling Expression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekin, Jack W.; Cheggour, Najib; Goodrich, Loren; Splett, Jolene; Bordini, Bernardo; Richter, David

2016-12-01

A scaling study of several thousand Nb3Sn critical-current (I c) measurements is used to derive the Extrapolative Scaling Expression (ESE), a relation that can quickly and accurately extrapolate limited datasets to obtain full three-dimensional dependences of I c on magnetic field (B), temperature (T), and mechanical strain (ɛ). The relation has the advantage of being easy to implement, and offers significant savings in sample characterization time and a useful tool for magnet design. Thorough data-based analysis of the general parameterization of the Unified Scaling Law (USL) shows the existence of three universal scaling constants for practical Nb3Sn conductors. The study also identifies the scaling parameters that are conductor specific and need to be fitted to each conductor. This investigation includes two new, rare, and very large I c(B,T,ɛ) datasets (each with nearly a thousand I c measurements spanning magnetic fields from 1 to 16 T, temperatures from ˜2.26 to 14 K, and intrinsic strains from -1.1% to +0.3%). The results are summarized in terms of the general USL parameters given in table 3 of Part 1 (Ekin J W 2010 Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 083001) of this series of articles. The scaling constants determined for practical Nb3Sn conductors are: the upper-critical-field temperature parameter v = 1.50 ± 0.04 the cross-link parameter w = 3.0 ± 0.3 and the strain curvature parameter u = 1.7 ± 0.1 (from equation (29) for b c2(ɛ) in Part 1). These constants and required fitting parameters result in the ESE relation, given by I c ( B , T , ɛ ) B = C [ b c 2 ( ɛ ) ] s ( 1 - t 1.5 ) η - μ ( 1 - t 2 ) μ b p ( 1 - b ) q with reduced magnetic field b ≡ B/B c2*(T,ɛ) and reduced temperature t ≡ T/T c*(ɛ), where: B c 2 * ( T , ɛ ) = B c 2 * ( 0 , 0 ) ( 1 - t 1.5 ) b c 2 ( ɛ ) T c * ( ɛ ) = T c * ( 0 ) [ b c 2 ( ɛ ) ] 1/3 and fitting parameters: C, B c2*(0,0), T c*(0), s, either η or μ (but not both), plus the parameters in the strain function b c2

An injection seeded single frequency Nd:YAG Q-switched laser with precisely controllable laser pulse firing time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Frank F.; Khizhnyak, Anatoliy; Markov, Vladimir

2010-02-01

We have realized a single frequency Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with precisely controllable lasing time and thus enabled synchronization of multi-laser systems. The use of injection seeding to the slave ring oscillator results in unidirectional Q-switched laser oscillation with suppression of bidirectional Q-switched oscillation that otherwise would be initiated from spontaneous emission if the seeding laser is not present. Under normal condition, the cavity is high in loss during the pumping period; then a Pockels cell opens the cavity to form the pulse build up, with a second Pockels cell to perform cavity dumping, generating the Q-switched pulse output with optimized characteristics. The two Pockels cells can be replaced by a single unit if an adjustable gated electrical pulse is applied to the Pockels cell in which the pulse front is used to open the cavity and the falling edge to dump the laser pulse. Proper selection of the pump parameters and Pockels-cell gating enables operation of the system in a mode in which the Q-switched pulse can be formed only under the seeding condition. The advantage of the realized regime is in stable laser operation with no need in adjustment of the seeded light wavelength and the mode of the cavity. It is found that the frequency of the Q-switched laser radiation matches well to the injected seeded laser mode. By using two-stage amplifiers, an output energy better than 300 mJ has been achieved in MOPA configuration without active control of the cavity length and with pulse width adjustability from several nanoseconds to 20 ns. The Q-switched oscillator operates not only at precisely controlled firing time but also can be tuned over wide range. This will enable multi-laser systems synchronization and frequency locking down each other if necessary.

Modeling of process parameters for enhanced production of coenzyme Q10 from Rhodotorula glutinis.

PubMed

Balakumaran, Palanisamy Athiyaman; Meenakshisundaram, Sankaranarayanan

2015-01-01

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) plays an indispensable role in ATP generation through oxidative phosphorylation and helps in scavenging superoxides generated during electron transfer reactions. It finds extensive applications specifically related to oxidative damage and metabolic dysfunctions. This article reports the use of a statistical approach to optimize the concentration of key variables for the enhanced production of CoQ10 by Rhodotorula glutinis in a lab-scale fermenter. The culture conditions that promote optimum growth and CoQ10 production were optimized and the interaction of significant variables para-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHB, 819.34 mg/L) and soybean oil (7.78% [v/v]) was studied using response surface methodology (RSM). CoQ10 production increased considerably from 10 mg/L (in control) to 39.2 mg/L in batch mode with RSM-optimized precursor concentration. In the fed-batch mode, PHB and soybean oil feeding strategy enhanced CoQ10 production to 78.2 mg/L.

Comparative study of flare control laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nadkarni, A. A.

1981-01-01

The development of a digital, three dimensional, automatic control law designed to achieve an optimal transition of a B-737 aircraft between glide slope conditions and the desired final touchdown condition is presented. The digital control law is a time invariant, state estimate feedback law, and the design is capable of using the microwave landing system. Major emphasis is placed on the reduction of aircraft noise in communities surroundings airports, the reduction of fuel consumption, the reduction of the effects of adverse weather conditions on aircraft operations, and the efficient use of airspace in congested terminal areas. Attention is also given to the development of the capability to perform automatic flares from steep glide slopes to precise touchdown locations.

Childhood cognitive development in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: case-control study.

PubMed

Chawner, Samuel J R A; Doherty, Joanne L; Moss, Hayley; Niarchou, Maria; Walters, James T R; Owen, Michael J; van den Bree, Marianne B M

2017-10-01

Background 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is associated with a high risk of childhood as well as adult psychiatric disorders, in particular schizophrenia. Childhood cognitive deterioration in 22q11.2DS has previously been reported, but only in studies lacking a control sample. Aims To compare cognitive trajectories in children with 22q11.2DS and unaffected control siblings. Method A longitudinal study of neurocognitive functioning (IQ, executive function, processing speed and attention) was conducted in children with 22q11.2DS ( n = 75, mean age time 1 ( T 1 ) 9.9, time 2 ( T 2 ) 12.5) and control siblings ( n = 33, mean age T 1 10.6, T 2 13.4). Results Children with 22q11.2DS exhibited deficits in all cognitive domains. However, mean scores did not indicate deterioration. When individual trajectories were examined, some participants showed significant decline over time, but the prevalence was similar for 22q11.2DS and control siblings. Findings are more likely to reflect normal developmental fluctuation than a 22q11.2DS-specific abnormality. Conclusions Childhood cognitive deterioration is not associated with 22q11.2DS. Contrary to previous suggestions, we believe it is premature to recommend repeated monitoring of cognitive function for identifying individual children with 22q11.2DS at high risk of developing schizophrenia. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017.

Dust-acoustic waves and stability in the permeating dusty plasma. II. Power-law distributions

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

Gong Jingyu; Du Jiulin; Liu Zhipeng

2012-08-15

The dust-acoustic waves and the stability theory for the permeating dusty plasma with power-law distributions are studied by using nonextensive q-statistics. In two limiting physical cases, when the thermal velocity of the flowing dusty plasma is much larger than, and much smaller than the phase velocity of the waves, we derived the dust-acoustic wave frequency, the instability growth rate, and the instability critical flowing velocity. As compared with the formulae obtained in part I [Gong et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 043704 (2012)], all formulae of the present cases and the resulting plasma characteristics are q-dependent, and the power-law distribution ofmore » each plasma component of the permeating dusty plasma has a different q-parameter and thus has a different nonextensive effect. Further, we make numerical analyses of an example that a cometary plasma tail is passing through the interplanetary space dusty plasma and we show that these power-law distributions have significant effects on the plasma characteristics of this kind of plasma environment.« less

Soil erosion and sediment control laws. A review of state laws and their natural resource data requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, S. B.

1980-01-01

Twenty states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands enacted erosion and sediment control legislation during the past decade to provide for the implementation or the strengthening of statewide erosion and sediment control plans for rural and/or urban lands. That legislation and the state programs developed to implement these laws are quoted and reviewed. The natural resource data requirements of each program are also extracted. The legislation includes amendments to conservation district laws, water quality laws, and erosion and sediment control laws. Laws which provides for legislative review of administrative regulations and LANDSAT applications and/or information systems that were involved in implementing or gathering data for a specific soil erosion and sediment control program are summarized as well as principal concerns affecting erosion and sediment control laws.

NL(q) Theory: A Neural Control Framework with Global Asymptotic Stability Criteria.

PubMed

Vandewalle, Joos; De Moor, Bart L.R.; Suykens, Johan A.K.

1997-06-01

In this paper a framework for model-based neural control design is presented, consisting of nonlinear state space models and controllers, parametrized by multilayer feedforward neural networks. The models and closed-loop systems are transformed into so-called NL(q) system form. NL(q) systems represent a large class of nonlinear dynamical systems consisting of q layers with alternating linear and static nonlinear operators that satisfy a sector condition. For such NL(q)s sufficient conditions for global asymptotic stability, input/output stability (dissipativity with finite L(2)-gain) and robust stability and performance are presented. The stability criteria are expressed as linear matrix inequalities. In the analysis problem it is shown how stability of a given controller can be checked. In the synthesis problem two methods for neural control design are discussed. In the first method Narendra's dynamic backpropagation for tracking on a set of specific reference inputs is modified with an NL(q) stability constraint in order to ensure, e.g., closed-loop stability. In a second method control design is done without tracking on specific reference inputs, but based on the input/output stability criteria itself, within a standard plant framework as this is done, for example, in H( infinity ) control theory and &mgr; theory. Copyright 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Safe Haven Laws as "Crime Control Theater"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammond, Michelle; Miller, Monica K.; Griffin, Timothy

2010-01-01

Objectives: This article examines safe haven laws, which allow parents to legally abandon their infants. The main objective is to determine whether safe haven laws fit the criteria of "crime control theater", a term used to describe public policies that produce the appearance, but not the effect, of crime control, and as such are essentially…

Efficient Control Law Simulation for Multiple Mobile Robots

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

Driessen, B.J.; Feddema, J.T.; Kotulski, J.D.

1998-10-06

In this paper we consider the problem of simulating simple control laws involving large numbers of mobile robots. Such simulation can be computationally prohibitive if the number of robots is large enough, say 1 million, due to the 0(N2 ) cost of each time step. This work therefore uses hierarchical tree-based methods for calculating the control law. These tree-based approaches have O(NlogN) cost per time step, thus allowing for efficient simulation involving a large number of robots. For concreteness, a decentralized control law which involves only the distance and bearing to the closest neighbor robot will be considered. The timemore » to calculate the control law for each robot at each time step is demonstrated to be O(logN).« less

Generalized permutation entropy analysis based on the two-index entropic form S q , δ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Mengjia; Shang, Pengjian

2015-05-01

Permutation entropy (PE) is a novel measure to quantify the complexity of nonlinear time series. In this paper, we propose a generalized permutation entropy ( P E q , δ ) based on the recently postulated entropic form, S q , δ , which was proposed as an unification of the well-known Sq of nonextensive-statistical mechanics and S δ , a possibly appropriate candidate for the black-hole entropy. We find that P E q , δ with appropriate parameters can amplify minor changes and trends of complexities in comparison to PE. Experiments with this generalized permutation entropy method are performed with both synthetic and stock data showing its power. Results show that P E q , δ is an exponential function of q and the power ( k ( δ ) ) is a constant if δ is determined. Some discussions about k ( δ ) are provided. Besides, we also find some interesting results about power law.

Modeling Hubble Space Telescope flight data by Q-Markov cover identification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, K.; Skelton, R. E.; Sharkey, J. P.

1992-01-01

A state space model for the Hubble Space Telescope under the influence of unknown disturbances in orbit is presented. This model was obtained from flight data by applying the Q-Markov covariance equivalent realization identification algorithm. This state space model guarantees the match of the first Q-Markov parameters and covariance parameters of the Hubble system. The flight data were partitioned into high- and low-frequency components for more efficient Q-Markov cover modeling, to reduce some computational difficulties of the Q-Markov cover algorithm. This identification revealed more than 20 lightly damped modes within the bandwidth of the attitude control system. Comparisons with the analytical (TREETOPS) model are also included.

Systems and Methods for Parameter Dependent Riccati Equation Approaches to Adaptive Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Kilsoo (Inventor); Yucelen, Tansel (Inventor); Calise, Anthony J. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Systems and methods for adaptive control are disclosed. The systems and methods can control uncertain dynamic systems. The control system can comprise a controller that employs a parameter dependent Riccati equation. The controller can produce a response that causes the state of the system to remain bounded. The control system can control both minimum phase and non-minimum phase systems. The control system can augment an existing, non-adaptive control design without modifying the gains employed in that design. The control system can also avoid the use of high gains in both the observer design and the adaptive control law.

Feedback control laws for highly maneuverable aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrard, William L.; Balas, Gary J.

1994-01-01

During the first half of the year, the investigators concentrated their efforts on completing the design of control laws for the longitudinal axis of the HARV. During the second half of the year they concentrated on the synthesis of control laws for the lateral-directional axes. The longitudinal control law design efforts can be briefly summarized as follows. Longitudinal control laws were developed for the HARV using mu synthesis design techniques coupled with dynamic inversion. An inner loop dynamic inversion controller was used to simplify the system dynamics by eliminating the aerodynamic nonlinearities and inertial cross coupling. Models of the errors resulting from uncertainties in the principal longitudinal aerodynamic terms were developed and included in the model of the HARV with the inner loop dynamic inversion controller. This resulted in an inner loop transfer function model which was an integrator with the modeling errors characterized as uncertainties in gain and phase. Outer loop controllers were then designed using mu synthesis to provide robustness to these modeling errors and give desired response to pilot inputs. Both pitch rate and angle of attack command following systems were designed. The following tasks have been accomplished for the lateral-directional controllers: inner and outer loop dynamic inversion controllers have been designed; an error model based on a linearized perturbation model of the inner loop system was derived; controllers for the inner loop system have been designed, using classical techniques, that control roll rate and Dutch roll response; the inner loop dynamic inversion and classical controllers have been implemented on the six degree of freedom simulation; and lateral-directional control allocation scheme has been developed based on minimizing required control effort.

Table of periodic properties of fullerenes based on structural parameters.

PubMed

Torrens, Francisco

2004-01-01

The periodic table (PT) of the elements suggests that hydrogen could be the origin of everything else. The construction principle is an evolutionary process that is formally similar to those of Darwin and Oparin. The Kekulé structure count and permanence of the adjacency matrix of fullerenes are related to structural parameters involving the presence of contiguous pentagons p, q and r. Let p be the number of edges common to two pentagons, q the number of vertices common to three pentagons, and r the number of pairs of nonadjacent pentagon edges shared between two other pentagons. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the structural parameters and cluster analysis (CA) of the fullerenes permit classifying them and agree. A PT of the fullerenes is built based on the structural parameters, PCA and CA. The periodic law does not have the rank of the laws of physics. (1) The properties of the fullerenes are not repeated; only, and perhaps, their chemical character. (2) The order relationships are repeated, although with exceptions. The proposed statement is the following: The relationships that any fullerene p has with its neighbor p + 1 are approximately repeated for each period.

Approximating the linear quadratic optimal control law for hereditary systems with delays in the control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milman, Mark H.

1987-01-01

The fundamental control synthesis issue of establishing a priori convergence rates of approximation schemes for feedback controllers for a class of distributed parameter systems is addressed within the context of hereditary systems. Specifically, a factorization approach is presented for deriving approximations to the optimal feedback gains for the linear regulator-quadratic cost problem associated with time-varying functional differential equations with control delays. The approach is based on a discretization of the state penalty which leads to a simple structure for the feedback control law. General properties of the Volterra factors of Hilbert-Schmidt operators are then used to obtain convergence results for the controls, trajectories and feedback kernels. Two algorithms are derived from the basic approximation scheme, including a fast algorithm, in the time-invariant case. A numerical example is also considered.

Approximating the linear quadratic optimal control law for hereditary systems with delays in the control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milman, Mark H.

1988-01-01

The fundamental control synthesis issue of establishing a priori convergence rates of approximation schemes for feedback controllers for a class of distributed parameter systems is addressed within the context of hereditary schemes. Specifically, a factorization approach is presented for deriving approximations to the optimal feedback gains for the linear regulator-quadratic cost problem associated with time-varying functional differential equations with control delays. The approach is based on a discretization of the state penalty which leads to a simple structure for the feedback control law. General properties of the Volterra factors of Hilbert-Schmidt operators are then used to obtain convergence results for the controls, trajectories and feedback kernels. Two algorithms are derived from the basic approximation scheme, including a fast algorithm, in the time-invariant case. A numerical example is also considered.

Development and Testing of Control Laws for the Active Aeroelastic Wing Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dibley, Ryan P.; Allen, Michael J.; Clarke, Robert; Gera, Joseph; Hodgkinson, John

2005-01-01

The Active Aeroelastic Wing research program was a joint program between the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA established to investigate the characteristics of an aeroelastic wing and the technique of using wing twist for roll control. The flight test program employed the use of an F/A-18 aircraft modified by reducing the wing torsional stiffness and adding a custom research flight control system. The research flight control system was optimized to maximize roll rate using only wing surfaces to twist the wing while simultaneously maintaining design load limits, stability margins, and handling qualities. NASA Dryden Flight Research Center developed control laws using the software design tool called CONDUIT, which employs a multi-objective function optimization to tune selected control system design parameters. Modifications were made to the Active Aeroelastic Wing implementation in this new software design tool to incorporate the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center nonlinear F/A-18 simulation for time history analysis. This paper describes the design process, including how the control law requirements were incorporated into constraints for the optimization of this specific software design tool. Predicted performance is also compared to results from flight.

Comparative study of flare control laws. [optimal control of b-737 aircraft approach and landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nadkarni, A. A.; Breedlove, W. J., Jr.

1979-01-01

A digital 3-D automatic control law was developed to achieve an optimal transition of a B-737 aircraft between various initial glid slope conditions and the desired final touchdown condition. A discrete, time-invariant, optimal, closed-loop control law presented for a linear regulator problem, was extended to include a system being acted upon by a constant disturbance. Two forms of control laws were derived to solve this problem. One method utilized the feedback of integral states defined appropriately and augmented with the original system equations. The second method formulated the problem as a control variable constraint, and the control variables were augmented with the original system. The control variable constraint control law yielded a better performance compared to feedback control law for the integral states chosen.

A parameter control method in reinforcement learning to rapidly follow unexpected environmental changes.

PubMed

Murakoshi, Kazushi; Mizuno, Junya

2004-11-01

In order to rapidly follow unexpected environmental changes, we propose a parameter control method in reinforcement learning that changes each of learning parameters in appropriate directions. We determine each appropriate direction on the basis of relationships between behaviors and neuromodulators by considering an emergency as a key word. Computer experiments show that the agents using our proposed method could rapidly respond to unexpected environmental changes, not depending on either two reinforcement learning algorithms (Q-learning and actor-critic (AC) architecture) or two learning problems (discontinuous and continuous state-action problems).

Fractional order sliding-mode control based on parameters auto-tuning for velocity control of permanent magnet synchronous motor.

PubMed

Zhang, BiTao; Pi, YouGuo; Luo, Ying

2012-09-01

A fractional order sliding mode control (FROSMC) scheme based on parameters auto-tuning for the velocity control of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is proposed in this paper. The control law of the proposed F(R)OSMC scheme is designed according to Lyapunov stability theorem. Based on the property of transferring energy with adjustable type in F(R)OSMC, this paper analyzes the chattering phenomenon in classic sliding mode control (SMC) is attenuated with F(R)OSMC system. A fuzzy logic inference scheme (FLIS) is utilized to obtain the gain of switching control. Simulations and experiments demonstrate that the proposed FROSMC not only achieve better control performance with smaller chatting than that with integer order sliding mode control, but also is robust to external load disturbance and parameter variations. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flight Control Laws for NASA's Hyper-X Research Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidson, J.; Lallman, F.; McMinn, J. D.; Martin, J.; Pahle, J.; Stephenson, M.; Selmon, J.; Bose, D.

1999-01-01

The goal of the Hyper-X program is to demonstrate and validate technology for design and performance predictions of hypersonic aircraft with an airframe-integrated supersonic-combustion ramjet propulsion system. Accomplishing this goal requires flight demonstration of a hydrogen-fueled scramjet powered hypersonic aircraft. A key enabling technology for this flight demonstration is flight controls. Closed-loop flight control is required to enable a successful stage separation, to achieve and maintain the design condition during the engine test, and to provide a controlled descent. Before the contract award, NASA developed preliminary flight control laws for the Hyper-X to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed scramjet test sequence and descent trajectory. After the contract award, a Boeing/NASA partnership worked to develop the current control laws. This paper presents a description of the Hyper-X Research Vehicle control law architectures with performance and robustness analyses. Assessments of simulated flight trajectories and stability margin analyses demonstrate that these control laws meet the flight test requirements.

76 FR 4366 - Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel Liquor Control Law

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-25

... Law AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice publishes Liquor Control Law No. LB-06-08 of the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel (Nation). The Liquor Control Law regulates... are located in Indian country and this Liquor Control Law allows for possession and sale of alcoholic...

Adaptive control of Parkinson's state based on a nonlinear computational model with unknown parameters.

PubMed

Su, Fei; Wang, Jiang; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xi-Le; Chen, Ying-Yuan; Liu, Chen; Li, Hui-Yan

2015-02-01

The objective here is to explore the use of adaptive input-output feedback linearization method to achieve an improved deep brain stimulation (DBS) algorithm for closed-loop control of Parkinson's state. The control law is based on a highly nonlinear computational model of Parkinson's disease (PD) with unknown parameters. The restoration of thalamic relay reliability is formulated as the desired outcome of the adaptive control methodology, and the DBS waveform is the control input. The control input is adjusted in real time according to estimates of unknown parameters as well as the feedback signal. Simulation results show that the proposed adaptive control algorithm succeeds in restoring the relay reliability of the thalamus, and at the same time achieves accurate estimation of unknown parameters. Our findings point to the potential value of adaptive control approach that could be used to regulate DBS waveform in more effective treatment of PD.

Minimal complexity control law synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Dennis S.; Haddad, Wassim M.; Nett, Carl N.

1989-01-01

A paradigm for control law design for modern engineering systems is proposed: Minimize control law complexity subject to the achievement of a specified accuracy in the face of a specified level of uncertainty. Correspondingly, the overall goal is to make progress towards the development of a control law design methodology which supports this paradigm. Researchers achieve this goal by developing a general theory of optimal constrained-structure dynamic output feedback compensation, where here constrained-structure means that the dynamic-structure (e.g., dynamic order, pole locations, zero locations, etc.) of the output feedback compensation is constrained in some way. By applying this theory in an innovative fashion, where here the indicated iteration occurs over the choice of the compensator dynamic-structure, the paradigm stated above can, in principle, be realized. The optimal constrained-structure dynamic output feedback problem is formulated in general terms. An elegant method for reducing optimal constrained-structure dynamic output feedback problems to optimal static output feedback problems is then developed. This reduction procedure makes use of star products, linear fractional transformations, and linear fractional decompositions, and yields as a byproduct a complete characterization of the class of optimal constrained-structure dynamic output feedback problems which can be reduced to optimal static output feedback problems. Issues such as operational/physical constraints, operating-point variations, and processor throughput/memory limitations are considered, and it is shown how anti-windup/bumpless transfer, gain-scheduling, and digital processor implementation can be facilitated by constraining the controller dynamic-structure in an appropriate fashion.

Flutter suppression control law synthesis for the Active Flexible Wing model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek; Perry, Boyd, III; Noll, Thomas E.

1989-01-01

The Active Flexible Wing Project is a collaborative effort between the NASA Langley Research Center and Rockwell International. The objectives are the validation of methodologies associated with mathematical modeling, flutter suppression control law development and digital implementation of the control system for application to flexible aircraft. A flutter suppression control law synthesis for this project is described. The state-space mathematical model used for the synthesis included ten flexible modes, four control surface modes and rational function approximation of the doublet-lattice unsteady aerodynamics. The design steps involved developing the full-order optimal control laws, reducing the order of the control law, and optimizing the reduced-order control law in both the continuous and the discrete domains to minimize stochastic response. System robustness was improved using singular value constraints. An 8th order robust control law was designed to increase the symmetric flutter dynamic pressure by 100 percent. Preliminary results are provided and experiences gained are discussed.

Pretreatment with coenzyme Q10 improves ovarian response and embryo quality in low-prognosis young women with decreased ovarian reserve: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Xu, Yangying; Nisenblat, Victoria; Lu, Cuiling; Li, Rong; Qiao, Jie; Zhen, Xiumei; Wang, Shuyu

2018-03-27

Management of women with reduced ovarian reserve or poor ovarian response (POR) to stimulation is one of the major challenges in reproductive medicine. The primary causes of POR remain elusive and oxidative stress was proposed as one of the important contributors. It has been suggested that focus on the specific subpopulations within heterogeneous group of poor responders could assist in evaluating optimal management strategies for these patients. This study investigated the effect of anti-oxidant treatment with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on ovarian response and embryo quality in young low-prognosis patients with POR. This prospective, randomized controlled study included 186 consecutive patients with POR stratified according to the POSEIDON classification group 3 (age < 35, poor ovarian reserve parameters). The participants were randomized to the CoQ10 pre-treatment for 60 days preceding IVF-ICSI cycle or no pre-treatment. The number of high quality embryos was a primary outcome measure. A total of 169 participants were evaluated (76 treated with CoQ10 and 93 controls); 17 women were excluded due to low compliance with CoQ10 administration. The baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were comparable between the groups. CoQ10 pretreatment resulted in significantly lower gonadotrophin requirements and higher peak E2 levels. Women in CoQ10 group had increased number of retrieved oocytes (4, IQR 2-5), higher fertilization rate (67.49%) and more high-quality embryos (1, IQR 0-2); p < 0.05. Significantly less women treated with CoQ10 had cancelled embryo transfer because of poor embryo development than controls (8.33% vs. 22.89%, p = 0.04) and more women from treatment group had available cryopreserved embryos (18.42% vs. 4.3%, p = 0.012). The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates per embryo transfer and per one complete stimulation cycle tended to be higher in CoQ10 group but did not achieve statistical significance. Pretreatment with CoQ10

Neural Substrates of Inhibitory Control Deficits in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome†

PubMed Central

Montojo, C.A.; Jalbrzikowski, M.; Congdon, E.; Domicoli, S.; Chow, C.; Dawson, C.; Karlsgodt, K.H.; Bilder, R.M.; Bearden, C.E.

2015-01-01

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is associated with elevated levels of impulsivity, inattention, and distractibility, which may be related to underlying neurobiological dysfunction due to haploinsufficiency for genes involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission (i.e. catechol-O-methyltransferase). The Stop-signal task has been employed to probe the neural circuitry involved in response inhibition (RI); findings in healthy individuals indicate that a fronto-basal ganglia network underlies successful inhibition of a prepotent motor response. However, little is known about the neurobiological substrates of RI difficulties in 22q11DS. Here, we investigated this using functional magnetic resonance imaging while 45 adult participants (15 22q11DS patients, 30 matched controls) performed the Stop-signal task. Healthy controls showed significantly greater activation than 22q11DS patients within frontal cortical and basal ganglia regions during successful RI, whereas 22q11DS patients did not show increased neural activity relative to controls in any regions. Using the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, we also investigated whether neural dysfunction during RI was associated with cognitive impulsivity in 22q11DS patients. RI-related activity within left middle frontal gyrus and basal ganglia was associated with severity of self-reported cognitive impulsivity. These results suggest reduced engagement of RI-related brain regions in 22q11DS patients, which may be relevant to characteristic behavioral manifestations of the disorder. PMID:24177988

The q-G method : A q-version of the Steepest Descent method for global optimization.

PubMed

Soterroni, Aline C; Galski, Roberto L; Scarabello, Marluce C; Ramos, Fernando M

2015-01-01

In this work, the q-Gradient (q-G) method, a q-version of the Steepest Descent method, is presented. The main idea behind the q-G method is the use of the negative of the q-gradient vector of the objective function as the search direction. The q-gradient vector, or simply the q-gradient, is a generalization of the classical gradient vector based on the concept of Jackson's derivative from the q-calculus. Its use provides the algorithm an effective mechanism for escaping from local minima. The q-G method reduces to the Steepest Descent method when the parameter q tends to 1. The algorithm has three free parameters and it is implemented so that the search process gradually shifts from global exploration in the beginning to local exploitation in the end. We evaluated the q-G method on 34 test functions, and compared its performance with 34 optimization algorithms, including derivative-free algorithms and the Steepest Descent method. Our results show that the q-G method is competitive and has a great potential for solving multimodal optimization problems.

Evaluating signal and noise spectral density of a qPlus sensor with an active feedback control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Manhee; An, Sangmin; Jhe, Wonho

2018-05-01

Q-control technique enables to actively change the quality factor of the probe oscillation in dynamic atomic force microscopy. The Q-control is realized by adding a self-feedback loop into the original actuation-detection system, in which a damping force with controllable damping coefficient in magnitude and sign is applied to the oscillating probe. While the applied force alters the total damping interaction and thus the overall `signal' of the probe motion, the added feedback system changes the `noise' of the motion as well. Here, we systematically investigate the signal, the noise, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the qPlus sensor under the active Q-control. We quantify the noise of the qPlus motion by measuring the noise spectral density, which is reproduced by a harmonic oscillator model including the thermal and the measurement noises. We show that the noise signal increases with the quality factor controlled, scaling as the square root of the quality factor. Because the overall signal is linearly proportional to the quality factor, the signal-to-noise ratio scales as the square root of the quality factor. The Q-controlled qPlus with a highly enhanced Q, up to 10,000 in air, leads to the minimum detectable force gradient of 0.001 N/m, which would enhance the capability of the qPlus sensor for atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy.

Design of a completely model free adaptive control in the presence of parametric, non-parametric uncertainties and random control signal delay.

PubMed

Tutsoy, Onder; Barkana, Duygun Erol; Tugal, Harun

2018-05-01

In this paper, an adaptive controller is developed for discrete time linear systems that takes into account parametric uncertainty, internal-external non-parametric random uncertainties, and time varying control signal delay. Additionally, the proposed adaptive control is designed in such a way that it is utterly model free. Even though these properties are studied separately in the literature, they are not taken into account all together in adaptive control literature. The Q-function is used to estimate long-term performance of the proposed adaptive controller. Control policy is generated based on the long-term predicted value, and this policy searches an optimal stabilizing control signal for uncertain and unstable systems. The derived control law does not require an initial stabilizing control assumption as in the ones in the recent literature. Learning error, control signal convergence, minimized Q-function, and instantaneous reward are analyzed to demonstrate the stability and effectiveness of the proposed adaptive controller in a simulation environment. Finally, key insights on parameters convergence of the learning and control signals are provided. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Separability of a family of one-parameter W and Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger multiqubit states using the Abe-Rajagopal q-conditional-entropy approach

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

Prabhu, R.; Usha Devi, A. R.; Inspire Institute Inc., McLean, Virginia 22101

2007-10-15

We employ conditional Tsallis q entropies to study the separability of symmetric one parameter W and GHZ multiqubit mixed states. The strongest limitation on separability is realized in the limit q{yields}{infinity}, and is found to be much superior to the condition obtained using the von Neumann conditional entropy (q=1 case). Except for the example of two qubit and three qubit symmetric states of GHZ family, the q-conditional entropy method leads to sufficient--but not necessary--conditions on separability.

Construction of general colored R matrices for the Yang-Baxter equation and q-boson realization of quantum algebra SL[sub q](2) when q is a root of unity

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

Ge, M.L.; Sun, C.P.; Xue, K.

1992-10-20

In this paper, through a general q-boson realization of quantum algebra sl[sub q](2) and its universal R matrix an operator R matrix with many parameters is obtained in terms of q-boson operators. Building finite-dimensional representations of q-boson algebra, the authors construct various colored R matrices associated with nongeneric representations of sl[sub q](2) with dimension-independent parameters. The nonstandard R matrices obtained by Lee-Couture and Murakami are their special examples.

A Naturally-Calibrated Flow Law for Quartz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lusk, A. D.; Platt, J. P.

2017-12-01

Flow laws for power-law behavior of quartz deforming by crystal-plastic processes with grain size sensitive creep included take the general form: ė = A σn f(H2O) exp(-Q/RT) dmWhere A - prefactor; σ - differential stress; n - stress exponent; f(H2O) - water fugacity; Q - activation energy; R - gas constant; T - temperature (K); d - grain size sensitivity raised to power m. Assuming the dynamically recrystallized grain size for quartz follows the peizometric relationship, substitute dm = (K σ-p)m, where K - piezometric constant; σ - differential stress; p - piezometric exponent. Rearranging the above flow law: ė = A K σ(n-pm) f(H2O) exp(-Q/RT)We use deformation temperatures, paleo-stresses, and strain rates calculated from rocks deformed in the Caledonian Orogeny, NW Scotland, along with existing experimental data, to compare naturally-calibrated values of stress exponent (n-pm) and activation energy (Q) to those determined experimentally. Microstructures preserved in the naturally-strained rocks closely resemble those produced by experimental work, indicating that quartz was deformed by the same mechanism(s). These observations validate the use of predetermined values for A as well as the addition of experimental data to calculate Q. Values for f(H2O) are based on calculated pressure and temperature conditions. Using the abovementioned constraints, we compare results, discuss challenges, and explore implications of naturally- vs. experimentally-derived flow laws for dislocation creep in quartz. Rocks used for this study include quartzite and quartz-rich psammite of the Cambrian-Ordovician shelf sequence and tectonically overlying Moine Supergroup. In both cases, quartz is likely the primary phase that controlled rheological behavior. We use the empirically derived piezometer for the dynamically recrystallized grain size of quartz to calculate the magnitude of differential stress, along with the Ti-in-quartz thermobarometer and the c-axis opening angle

Neural substrates of inhibitory control deficits in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

PubMed

Montojo, C A; Jalbrzikowski, M; Congdon, E; Domicoli, S; Chow, C; Dawson, C; Karlsgodt, K H; Bilder, R M; Bearden, C E

2015-04-01

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is associated with elevated levels of impulsivity, inattention, and distractibility, which may be related to underlying neurobiological dysfunction due to haploinsufficiency for genes involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission (i.e. catechol-O-methyltransferase). The Stop-signal task has been employed to probe the neural circuitry involved in response inhibition (RI); findings in healthy individuals indicate that a fronto-basal ganglia network underlies successful inhibition of a prepotent motor response. However, little is known about the neurobiological substrates of RI difficulties in 22q11DS. Here, we investigated this using functional magnetic resonance imaging while 45 adult participants (15 22q11DS patients, 30 matched controls) performed the Stop-signal task. Healthy controls showed significantly greater activation than 22q11DS patients within frontal cortical and basal ganglia regions during successful RI, whereas 22q11DS patients did not show increased neural activity relative to controls in any regions. Using the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, we also investigated whether neural dysfunction during RI was associated with cognitive impulsivity in 22q11DS patients. RI-related activity within left middle frontal gyrus and basal ganglia was associated with severity of self-reported cognitive impulsivity. These results suggest reduced engagement of RI-related brain regions in 22q11DS patients, which may be relevant to characteristic behavioral manifestations of the disorder. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Simple robust control laws for robot manipulators. Part 2: Adaptive case

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bayard, D. S.; Wen, J. T.

1987-01-01

A new class of asymptotically stable adaptive control laws is introduced for application to the robotic manipulator. Unlike most applications of adaptive control theory to robotic manipulators, this analysis addresses the nonlinear dynamics directly without approximation, linearization, or ad hoc assumptions, and utilizes a parameterization based on physical (time-invariant) quantities. This approach is made possible by using energy-like Lyapunov functions which retain the nonlinear character and structure of the dynamics, rather than simple quadratic forms which are ubiquitous to the adaptive control literature, and which have bound the theory tightly to linear systems with unknown parameters. It is a unique feature of these results that the adaptive forms arise by straightforward certainty equivalence adaptation of their nonadaptive counterparts found in the companion to this paper (i.e., by replacing unknown quantities by their estimates) and that this simple approach leads to asymptotically stable closed-loop adaptive systems. Furthermore, it is emphasized that this approach does not require convergence of the parameter estimates (i.e., via persistent excitation), invertibility of the mass matrix estimate, or measurement of the joint accelerations.

The composition of heterogeneous control laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuipers, Benjamin; Astrom, Karl

1991-01-01

The fuzzy control literature and industrial practice provide certain nonlinear methods for combining heterogeneous control laws, but these methods have been very difficult to analyze theoretically. An alternate formulation and extension of this approach is presented that has several practical and theoretical benefits. An example of heterogeneous control is given and two alternate analysis methods are presented.

Sensitivity method for integrated structure/active control law design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilbert, Michael G.

1987-01-01

The development is described of an integrated structure/active control law design methodology for aeroelastic aircraft applications. A short motivating introduction to aeroservoelasticity is given along with the need for integrated structures/controls design algorithms. Three alternative approaches to development of an integrated design method are briefly discussed with regards to complexity, coordination and tradeoff strategies, and the nature of the resulting solutions. This leads to the formulation of the proposed approach which is based on the concepts of sensitivity of optimum solutions and multi-level decompositions. The concept of sensitivity of optimum is explained in more detail and compared with traditional sensitivity concepts of classical control theory. The analytical sensitivity expressions for the solution of the linear, quadratic cost, Gaussian (LQG) control problem are summarized in terms of the linear regulator solution and the Kalman Filter solution. Numerical results for a state space aeroelastic model of the DAST ARW-II vehicle are given, showing the changes in aircraft responses to variations of a structural parameter, in this case first wing bending natural frequency.

Q-values for P and S waves in Southern Sinai and Southern Gulf of Suez Region, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Gad-Elkareem A.

2014-05-01

The quality factor Q has been estimated using spectral amplitudes of P and S waves from earthquakes recorded by the seismic network of the Egyptian National Seismological Network (ENSN) in southern Sinai and southern Gulf of Suez region. The earthquakes recorded at nine stations - DHA, NUB, TR1, TR2, KAT, SH2, GRB, HRG and SFG have been used in this study. The spectral amplitude ratios have been calculated between 2 - 20 Hz and single station spectral ratio method has been applied for this purpose. The results show that the quality factors for both P and S waves (Qp and Qs) increase as a function of frequency according to law the Q = Q0fn. By averaging the estimated Q- Value obtained at all stations we calculated the average attenuation laws: Qp = (13.15± 0.76) f0.95± 0.19 and Qs = (20.05± 0.79) f1.03±0.04 for P and S waves respectively. These relations are useful for the estimation of source parameters of earthquakes and simulation of earthquake strong ground motions. The QS /QP ratio for KAT station is less than 1 at lower frequencies, whereas at HRG and SH2 stations QS /QP ratio is are greater than 1.

Theory and experimental verifications of the resonator Q and equivalent electrical parameters due to viscoelastic and mounting supports losses.

PubMed

Yong, Yook-Kong; Patel, Mihir S; Tanaka, Masako

2010-08-01

A novel analytical/numerical method for calculating the resonator Q and its equivalent electrical parameters due to viscoelastic, conductivity, and mounting supports losses is presented. The method presented will be quite useful for designing new resonators and reducing the time and costs of prototyping. There was also a necessity for better and more realistic modeling of the resonators because of miniaturization and the rapid advances in the frequency ranges of telecommunication. We present new 3-D finite elements models of quartz resonators with viscoelasticity, conductivity, and mounting support losses. The losses at the mounting supports were modeled by perfectly matched layers (PMLs). A previously published theory for dissipative anisotropic piezoelectric solids was formulated in a weak form for finite element (FE) applications. PMLs were placed at the base of the mounting supports to simulate the energy losses to a semi-infinite base substrate. FE simulations were carried out for free vibrations and forced vibrations of quartz tuning fork and AT-cut resonators. Results for quartz tuning fork and thickness shear AT-cut resonators were presented and compared with experimental data. Results for the resonator Q and the equivalent electrical parameters were compared with their measured values. Good equivalences were found. Results for both low- and high-Q AT-cut quartz resonators compared well with their experimental values. A method for estimating the Q directly from the frequency spectrum obtained for free vibrations was also presented. An important determinant of the quality factor Q of a quartz resonator is the loss of energy from the electrode area to the base via the mountings. The acoustical characteristics of the plate resonator are changed when the plate is mounted onto a base substrate. The base affects the frequency spectra of the plate resonator. A resonator with a high Q may not have a similarly high Q when mounted on a base. Hence, the base is an

Development of a digital guidance and control law for steep approach automatic landings using modern control techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halyo, N.

1979-01-01

The development of a digital automatic control law for a small jet transport to perform a steep final approach in automatic landings is reported along with the development of a steady-state Kalman filter used to provide smooth estimates to the control law. The control law performs the functions of localizer and glides capture, localizer and glideslope track, decrab, and place. The control law uses the microwave landing system position data, and aircraft body-mounted accelerators, attitude and attitude rate information. The results obtained from a digital simulation of the aircraft dynamics, wind conditions, and sensor noises using the control law and filter developed are described.

State laws on tobacco control--United States, 1998.

PubMed

Fishman, J A; Allison, H; Knowles, S B; Fishburn, B A; Woollery, T A; Marx, W T; Shelton, D M; Husten, C G; Eriksen, M P

1999-06-25

State laws addressing tobacco use, the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, are summarized. Laws address smoke-free indoor air, minors' access to tobacco products, advertising of tobacco products, and excise taxes on tobacco products. Legislation effective through December 31, 1998. CDC identified laws addressing tobacco control by using an on-line legal research database. CDC's findings were verified with the National Cancer Institute's State Cancer Legislative Database. Since a previous surveillance summary on state tobacco-control laws published in November 1995 (covering legislation effective through June 30, 1995), several states have enacted new restrictions or strengthened existing legislation that addresses smoke-free indoor air, minors' access to tobacco, tobacco advertising, and tobacco taxes. Five states strengthened their smoke-free indoor air legislation. All states and Washington, D.C., continued to prohibit the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors; however, 21 states expanded minors' access laws by designating enforcement authorities, adding license suspension or revocation for sale to minors, or requiring signage. Since the 1995 report, eight additional states (a total of 19 states and Washington, D.C.) now ban vending machines from areas accessible to minors. Thirteen states restrict advertising of tobacco products, an increase of four states since the 1995 report. Although the number of states that tax cigarettes and smokeless tobacco did not change, 13 states increased excise taxes on cigarettes, and five states increased excise taxes on smokeless tobacco products. The average state excise tax on cigarettes is 38.9 cents per pack, an increase of 7.4 cents compared with the average tax in the 1995 report. State laws addressing tobacco control vary in relation to restrictiveness, enforcement and penalties, preemptions, and exceptions. The data summarizing state tobacco-control laws are available through CDC

Emerging Trends in International Law Concerning Global Infectious Disease Control1

PubMed Central

2003-01-01

International cooperation has become critical in controlling infectious diseases. In this article, I examine emerging trends in international law concerning global infectious disease control. The role of international law in horizontal and vertical governance responses to infectious disease control is conceptualized; the historical development of international law regarding infectious diseases is described; and important shifts in how states, international institutions, and nonstate organizations use international law in the context of infectious disease control today are analyzed. The growing importance of international trade law and the development of global governance mechanisms, most prominently in connection with increasing access to drugs and other medicines in unindustrialized countries, are emphasized. Traditional international legal approaches to infectious disease control—embodied in the International Health Regulations—may be moribund. PMID:12643821

LPV gain-scheduled control of SCR aftertreatment systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meisami-Azad, Mona; Mohammadpour, Javad; Grigoriadis, Karolos M.; Harold, Michael P.; Franchek, Matthew A.

2012-01-01

Hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and some of other polluting emissions produced by diesel engines are usually lower than those produced by gasoline engines. While great strides have been made in the exhaust aftertreatment of vehicular pollutants, the elimination of nitrogen oxide (NO x ) from diesel vehicles is still a challenge. The primary reason is that diesel combustion is a fuel-lean process, and hence there is significant unreacted oxygen in the exhaust. Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a well-developed technology for power plants and has been recently employed for reducing NO x emissions from automotive sources and in particular, heavy-duty diesel engines. In this article, we develop a linear parameter-varying (LPV) feedforward/feedback control design method for the SCR aftertreatment system to decrease NO x emissions while keeping ammonia slippage to a desired low level downstream the catalyst. The performance of the closed-loop system obtained from the interconnection of the SCR system and the output feedback LPV control strategy is then compared with other control design methods including sliding mode, and observer-based static state-feedback parameter-varying control. To reduce the computational complexity involved in the control design process, the number of LPV parameters in the developed quasi-LPV (qLPV) model is reduced by applying the principal component analysis technique. An LPV feedback/feedforward controller is then designed for the qLPV model with reduced number of scheduling parameters. The designed full-order controller is further simplified to a first-order transfer function with a parameter-varying gain and pole. Finally, simulation results using both a low-order model and a high-fidelity and high-order model of SCR reactions in GT-POWER interfaced with MATLAB/SIMULINK illustrate the high NO x conversion efficiency of the closed-loop SCR system using the proposed parameter-varying control law.

Bandwidth-limited control and ringdown suppression in high-Q resonators.

PubMed

Borneman, Troy W; Cory, David G

2012-12-01

We describe how the transient behavior of a tuned and matched resonator circuit and a ringdown suppression pulse may be integrated into an optimal control theory (OCT) pulse-design algorithm to derive control sequences with limited ringdown that perform a desired quantum operation in the presence of resonator distortions of the ideal waveform. Inclusion of ringdown suppression in numerical pulse optimizations significantly reduces spectrometer deadtime when using high quality factor (high-Q) resonators, leading to increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and sensitivity of inductive measurements. To demonstrate the method, we experimentally measure the free-induction decay of an inhomogeneously broadened solid-state free radical spin system at high Q. The measurement is enabled by using a numerically optimized bandwidth-limited OCT pulse, including ringdown suppression, robust to variations in static and microwave field strengths. We also discuss the applications of pulse design in high-Q resonators to universal control of anisotropic-hyperfine coupled electron-nuclear spin systems via electron-only modulation even when the bandwidth of the resonator is significantly smaller than the hyperfine coupling strength. These results demonstrate how limitations imposed by linear response theory may be vastly exceeded when using a sufficiently accurate system model to optimize pulses of high complexity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Focus expansion and stability of the spread parameter estimate of the power law model for dispersal gradients

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Empirical and mechanistic modeling indicate that aerially transmitted pathogens follow a power law, resulting in dispersive epidemic waves. The spread parameter (b) of the power law model, which defines the distance travelled by the epidemic wave front, has been found to be approximately 2 for sever...

Estimation of regression laws for ground motion parameters using as case of study the Amatrice earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiberi, Lara; Costa, Giovanni

2017-04-01

The possibility to directly associate the damages to the ground motion parameters is always a great challenge, in particular for civil protections. Indeed a ground motion parameter, estimated in near real time that can express the damages occurred after an earthquake, is fundamental to arrange the first assistance after an event. The aim of this work is to contribute to the estimation of the ground motion parameter that better describes the observed intensity, immediately after an event. This can be done calculating for each ground motion parameter estimated in a near real time mode a regression law which correlates the above-mentioned parameter to the observed macro-seismic intensity. This estimation is done collecting high quality accelerometric data in near field, filtering them at different frequency steps. The regression laws are calculated using two different techniques: the non linear least-squares (NLLS) Marquardt-Levenberg algorithm and the orthogonal distance methodology (ODR). The limits of the first methodology are the needed of initial values for the parameters a and b (set 1.0 in this study), and the constraint that the independent variable must be known with greater accuracy than the dependent variable. While the second algorithm is based on the estimation of the errors perpendicular to the line, rather than just vertically. The vertical errors are just the errors in the 'y' direction, so only for the dependent variable whereas the perpendicular errors take into account errors for both the variables, the dependent and the independent. This makes possible also to directly invert the relation, so the a and b values can be used also to express the gmps as function of I. For each law the standard deviation and R2 value are estimated in order to test the quality and the reliability of the found relation. The Amatrice earthquake of 24th August of 2016 is used as case of study to test the goodness of the calculated regression laws.

Transonic Flutter Suppression Control Law Design, Analysis and Wind-Tunnel Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

1999-01-01

The benchmark active controls technology and wind tunnel test program at NASA Langley Research Center was started with the objective to investigate the nonlinear, unsteady aerodynamics and active flutter suppression of wings in transonic flow. The paper will present the flutter suppression control law design process, numerical nonlinear simulation and wind tunnel test results for the NACA 0012 benchmark active control wing model. The flutter suppression control law design processes using classical, and minimax techniques are described. A unified general formulation and solution for the minimax approach, based on the steady state differential game theory is presented. Design considerations for improving the control law robustness and digital implementation are outlined. It was shown that simple control laws when properly designed based on physical principles, can suppress flutter with limited control power even in the presence of transonic shocks and flow separation. In wind tunnel tests in air and heavy gas medium, the closed-loop flutter dynamic pressure was increased to the tunnel upper limit of 200 psf. The control law robustness and performance predictions were verified in highly nonlinear flow conditions, gain and phase perturbations, and spoiler deployment. A non-design plunge instability condition was also successfully suppressed.

Digest of impaired driving and selected beverage control laws

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-08-01

This digest reports the status of State laws that are concerned with impaired driving offenses and alcoholic beverage control. Unless otherwise indicated, the status of the laws reported is January 1, 2007.

Digest of impaired driving and selected beverage control laws

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-04-01

This digest reports the status of State laws that are concerned with impaired driving offenses and alcoholic beverage control. Unless otherwise indicated, the status of the laws reported is January 1, 2006.

Oxidative Stress Correlates with Headache Symptoms in Fibromyalgia: Coenzyme Q10 Effect on Clinical Improvement

PubMed Central

Cordero, Mario D.; Cano-García, Francisco Javier; Alcocer-Gómez, Elísabet; De Miguel, Manuel; Sánchez-Alcázar, José Antonio

2012-01-01

Background Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome with unknown etiology and a wide spectrum of symptoms such as allodynia, debilitating fatigue, joint stiffness and migraine. Recent studies have shown some evidences demonstrating that oxidative stress is associated to clinical symptoms in FM of fibromyalgia. We examined oxidative stress and bioenergetic status in blood mononuclear cells (BMCs) and its association to headache symptoms in FM patients. The effects of oral coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation on biochemical markers and clinical improvement were also evaluated. Methods We studied 20 FM patients and 15 healthy controls. Clinical parameters were evaluated using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), visual analogues scales (VAS), and the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6). Oxidative stress was determined by measuring CoQ10, catalase and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels in BMCs. Bioenergetic status was assessed by measuring ATP levels in BMCs. Results We found decreased CoQ10, catalase and ATP levels in BMCs from FM patients as compared to normal control (P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively) We also found increased level of LPO in BMCs from FM patients as compared to normal control (P<0.001). Significant negative correlations between CoQ10 or catalase levels in BMCs and headache parameters were observed (r = −0.59, P<0.05; r = −0.68, P<0.05, respectively). Furthermore, LPO levels showed a significant positive correlation with HIT-6 (r = 0.33, P<0.05). Oral CoQ10 supplementation restored biochemical parameters and induced a significant improvement in clinical and headache symptoms (P<0.001). Discussion The results of this study suggest a role for mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in the headache symptoms associated with FM. CoQ10 supplementation should be examined in a larger placebo controlled trial as a possible treatment in FM. PMID:22532869

Analysis of Q fever in Dutch dairy goat herds and assessment of control measures by means of a transmission model.

PubMed

Bontje, D M; Backer, J A; Hogerwerf, L; Roest, H I J; van Roermund, H J W

2016-01-01

Between 2006 and 2009 the largest human Q fever epidemic ever described occurred in the Netherlands. The source of infection was traced back to dairy goat herds with abortion problems due to Q fever. The first aim of control measures taken in these herds was the reduction of human exposure. To analyze Q fever dynamics in goat herds and to study the effect of control measures, a within-herd model of Coxiella burnetii transmission in dairy goat herds was developed. With this individual-based stochastic model we evaluated six control strategies and three herd management styles and studied which strategy leads to a lower Q fever prevalence and/or to disease extinction in a goat herd. Parameter values were based on literature and on experimental work. The model could not be validated with independent data. The results of the epidemiological model were: (1) Vaccination is effective in quickly reducing the prevalence in a dairy goat herd. (2) When taking into account the average time to extinction of the infection and the infection pressure in a goat herd, the most effective control strategy is preventive yearly vaccination, followed by the reactive strategies to vaccinate after an abortion storm or after testing BTM (bulk tank milk) positive. (3) As C. burnetii in dried dust may affect public health, an alternative ranking method is based on the cumulative amount of C. burnetii emitted into the environment (from disease introduction until extinction). Using this criterion, the same control strategies are effective as when based on time to extinction and infection pressure (see 2). (4) As the bulk of pathogen excretion occurs during partus and abortion, culling of pregnant animals during an abortion storm leads to a fast reduction of the amount of C. burnetii emitted into the environment. However, emission is not entirely prevented and Q fever will not be eradicated in the herd by this measure. (5) A search & destroy (i.e. test and cull) method by PCR of individual milk

F-8C digital CCV flight control laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, G. L.; Hauge, J. A.; Hendrick, R. C.

1976-01-01

A set of digital flight control laws were designed for the NASA F-8C digital fly-by-wire aircraft. The control laws emphasize Control Configured Vehicle (CCV) benefits. Specific pitch axis objectives were improved handling qualities, angle-of-attack limiting, gust alleviation, drag reduction in steady and maneuvering flight, and a capability to fly with reduced static stability. The lateral-directional design objectives were improved Dutch roll damping and turn coordination over a wide range in angle-of-attack. An overall program objective was to explore the use of modern control design methodilogy to achieve these specific CCV benefits. Tests for verifying system integrity, an experimental design for handling qualities evaluation, and recommended flight test investigations were specified.

Development of a Model Following Control Law for Inflight Simulation and Flight Controls Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takahashi, Mark; Fletcher, Jay; Aiken, Edwin W. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The U.S. Army and NASA are currently developing the Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) at the Ames Research Center. RASCAL, shown in Figure 1, is a UH-60, which is being modified in a phased development program to have a research fly-by-wire flight control system, and an advanced navigation research platform. An important part of the flight controls and handling qualities research on RASCAL will be an FCS design for the aircraft to achieve high bandwidth control responses and disturbance rejection characteristics. Initially, body states will be used as feedbacks, but research into the use of rotor states will also be considered in later stages to maximize agility and maneuverability. In addition to supporting flight controls research, this FCS design will serve as the inflight simulation control law to support basic handling qualities, guidance, and displays research. Research in high bandwidth controls laws is motivated by the desire to improve the handling qualities in aggressive maneuvering and in severely degraded weather conditions. Naturally, these advantages will also improve the quality of the model following, thereby improving the inflight simulation capabilities of the research vehicle. High bandwidth in the control laws provides tighter tracking allowing for higher response bandwidths which can meet handling qualities requirements for aggressive maneuvering. System sensitivity is also reduced preventing variations in the response from the vehicle due to changing flight conditions. In addition, improved gust rejection will result from this reduced sensitivity. The gust rejection coupled with a highly stable system will make more precise maneuvering and pointing possible in severely degraded weather conditions. The difficulty in achieving higher bandwidths from the control laws in the feedback and in the responses arises from the complexity of the models that are needed to produce a satisfactory design. In this case, high

The impact law of confining pressure and plastic parameter on Dilatancy of rock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bin; Zhang, Zhenjie; Zhu, Jiebing

2017-08-01

Based on cyclic loading-unloading triaxle test of marble, the double parameter dilation angle model is established considering confining pressure effect and plastic parameter. Research shows that not only the strength but also the militancy behavior is highly depended on its confining pressure and plastic parameter during process of failure. Dilation angle evolution law shows obvious nonlinear characteristic almost with a rapid increase to the peak and then decrease gradually with plastic increasing, and the peak dilation angle value is inversely proportional with confining pressure. The proposed double parameter nonlinear dilation angle model can be used to well describe the Dilatancy of rock, which helps to understand the failure mechanism of surrounding rock mass and predict the range of plastic zone.

Comparative study of passively Q-switched c-cut Nd:YVO4/Nd:YAG lasers based on CVD graphene and controlled operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Fuqiang; Liu, Pei; Li, Kang; Chen, Hao; Cheng, Yongjie; Cai, Zhiping; Copner, Nigel

2017-07-01

In this paper, a comparative study of passively Q-switched c-cut Nd:YVO4 and Nd:YAG lasers using four different layers CVD graphene as saturable absorber are demonstrated experimentally for the first time. Moreover, it is successful to accurately control the frequency of repetition rates of the CVD graphern passively Q-switched lasers by pulsed pump. The impacts of laser materials, layers of CVD graphene and cavity length on output parameters are investigated intensively as well, the result shows that the c-cut Nd:YVO4 is a promising laser media compared with Nd:YAG for passively Q-switched lasers based on CVD graphene, as it has better performances in pulse width, pulse energy and peak power. A useful and cost-effective way to generate stable pulsed lasers by CVD graphene or other novel saturable materials are demonstrated.

ICG: a wiki-driven knowledgebase of internal control genes for RT-qPCR normalization.

PubMed

Sang, Jian; Wang, Zhennan; Li, Man; Cao, Jiabao; Niu, Guangyi; Xia, Lin; Zou, Dong; Wang, Fan; Xu, Xingjian; Han, Xiaojiao; Fan, Jinqi; Yang, Ye; Zuo, Wanzhu; Zhang, Yang; Zhao, Wenming; Bao, Yiming; Xiao, Jingfa; Hu, Songnian; Hao, Lili; Zhang, Zhang

2018-01-04

Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) has become a widely used method for accurate expression profiling of targeted mRNA and ncRNA. Selection of appropriate internal control genes for RT-qPCR normalization is an elementary prerequisite for reliable expression measurement. Here, we present ICG (http://icg.big.ac.cn), a wiki-driven knowledgebase for community curation of experimentally validated internal control genes as well as their associated experimental conditions. Unlike extant related databases that focus on qPCR primers in model organisms (mainly human and mouse), ICG features harnessing collective intelligence in community integration of internal control genes for a variety of species. Specifically, it integrates a comprehensive collection of more than 750 internal control genes for 73 animals, 115 plants, 12 fungi and 9 bacteria, and incorporates detailed information on recommended application scenarios corresponding to specific experimental conditions, which, collectively, are of great help for researchers to adopt appropriate internal control genes for their own experiments. Taken together, ICG serves as a publicly editable and open-content encyclopaedia of internal control genes and accordingly bears broad utility for reliable RT-qPCR normalization and gene expression characterization in both model and non-model organisms. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Design and Testing of Flight Control Laws on the RASCAL Research Helicopter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, Chad R.; Hindson, William S.; Moralez. Ernesto, III; Tucker, George E.; Dryfoos, James B.

2001-01-01

Two unique sets of flight control laws were designed, tested and flown on the Army/NASA Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) JUH-60A Black Hawk helicopter. The first set of control laws used a simple rate feedback scheme, intended to facilitate the first flight and subsequent flight qualification of the RASCAL research flight control system. The second set of control laws comprised a more sophisticated model-following architecture. Both sets of flight control laws were developed and tested extensively using desktop-to-flight modeling, analysis, and simulation tools. Flight test data matched the model predicted responses well, providing both evidence and confidence that future flight control development for RASCAL will be efficient and accurate.

Transonic Flutter Suppression Control Law Design, Analysis and Wind Tunnel Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

1999-01-01

The benchmark active controls technology and wind tunnel test program at NASA Langley Research Center was started with the objective to investigate the nonlinear, unsteady aerodynamics and active flutter suppression of wings in transonic flow. The paper will present the flutter suppression control law design process, numerical nonlinear simulation and wind tunnel test results for the NACA 0012 benchmark active control wing model. The flutter suppression control law design processes using (1) classical, (2) linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG), and (3) minimax techniques are described. A unified general formulation and solution for the LQG and minimax approaches, based on the steady state differential game theory is presented. Design considerations for improving the control law robustness and digital implementation are outlined. It was shown that simple control laws when properly designed based on physical principles, can suppress flutter with limited control power even in the presence of transonic shocks and flow separation. In wind tunnel tests in air and heavy gas medium, the closed-loop flutter dynamic pressure was increased to the tunnel upper limit of 200 psf The control law robustness and performance predictions were verified in highly nonlinear flow conditions, gain and phase perturbations, and spoiler deployment. A non-design plunge instability condition was also successfully suppressed.

Transonic Flutter Suppression Control Law Design, Analysis and Wind-Tunnel Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

1999-01-01

The benchmark active controls technology and wind tunnel test program at NASA Langley Research Center was started with the objective to investigate the nonlinear, unsteady aerodynamics and active flutter suppression of wings in transonic flow. The paper will present the flutter suppression control law design process, numerical nonlinear simulation and wind tunnel test results for the NACA 0012 benchmark active control wing model. The flutter suppression control law design processes using (1) classical, (2) linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG), and (3) minimax techniques are described. A unified general formulation and solution for the LQG and minimax approaches, based on the steady state differential game theory is presented. Design considerations for improving the control law robustness and digital implementation are outlined. It was shown that simple control laws when properly designed based on physical principles, can suppress flutter with limited control power even in the presence of transonic shocks and flow separation. In wind tunnel tests in air and heavy gas medium, the closed-loop flutter dynamic pressure was increased to the tunnel upper limit of 200 psf. The control law robustness and performance predictions were verified in highly nonlinear flow conditions, gain and phase perturbations, and spoiler deployment. A non-design plunge instability condition was also successfully suppressed.

Theoretic aspects of the identification of the parameters in the optimal control model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanwijk, R. A.; Kok, J. J.

1977-01-01

The identification of the parameters of the optimal control model from input-output data of the human operator is considered. Accepting the basic structure of the model as a cascade of a full-order observer and a feedback law, and suppressing the inherent optimality of the human controller, the parameters to be identified are the feedback matrix, the observer gain matrix, and the intensity matrices of the observation noise and the motor noise. The identification of the parameters is a statistical problem, because the system and output are corrupted by noise, and therefore the solution must be based on the statistics (probability density function) of the input and output data of the human operator. However, based on the statistics of the input-output data of the human operator, no distinction can be made between the observation and the motor noise, which shows that the model suffers from overparameterization.

Software Considerations for Subscale Flight Testing of Experimental Control Laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murch, Austin M.; Cox, David E.; Cunningham, Kevin

2009-01-01

The NASA AirSTAR system has been designed to address the challenges associated with safe and efficient subscale flight testing of research control laws in adverse flight conditions. In this paper, software elements of this system are described, with an emphasis on components which allow for rapid prototyping and deployment of aircraft control laws. Through model-based design and automatic coding a common code-base is used for desktop analysis, piloted simulation and real-time flight control. The flight control system provides the ability to rapidly integrate and test multiple research control laws and to emulate component or sensor failures. Integrated integrity monitoring systems provide aircraft structural load protection, isolate the system from control algorithm failures, and monitor the health of telemetry streams. Finally, issues associated with software configuration management and code modularity are briefly discussed.

Scenario-based fitted Q-iteration for adaptive control of water reservoir systems under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertoni, Federica; Giuliani, Matteo; Castelletti, Andrea

2017-04-01

Over recent years, mathematical models have largely been used to support planning and management of water resources systems. Yet, the increasing uncertainties in their inputs - due to increased variability in the hydrological regimes - are a major challenge to the optimal operations of these systems. Such uncertainty, boosted by projected changing climate, violates the stationarity principle generally used for describing hydro-meteorological processes, which assumes time persisting statistical characteristics of a given variable as inferred by historical data. As this principle is unlikely to be valid in the future, the probability density function used for modeling stochastic disturbances (e.g., inflows) becomes an additional uncertain parameter of the problem, which can be described in a deterministic and set-membership based fashion. This study contributes a novel method for designing optimal, adaptive policies for controlling water reservoir systems under climate-related uncertainty. The proposed method, called scenario-based Fitted Q-Iteration (sFQI), extends the original Fitted Q-Iteration algorithm by enlarging the state space to include the space of the uncertain system's parameters (i.e., the uncertain climate scenarios). As a result, sFQI embeds the set-membership uncertainty of the future inflow scenarios in the action-value function and is able to approximate, with a single learning process, the optimal control policy associated to any scenario included in the uncertainty set. The method is demonstrated on a synthetic water system, consisting of a regulated lake operated for ensuring reliable water supply to downstream users. Numerical results show that the sFQI algorithm successfully identifies adaptive solutions to operate the system under different inflow scenarios, which outperform the control policy designed under historical conditions. Moreover, the sFQI policy generalizes over inflow scenarios not directly experienced during the policy design

Digital robust active control law synthesis for large order systems using constrained optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

1987-01-01

This paper presents a direct digital control law synthesis procedure for a large order, sampled data, linear feedback system using constrained optimization techniques to meet multiple design requirements. A linear quadratic Gaussian type cost function is minimized while satisfying a set of constraints on the design loads and responses. General expressions for gradients of the cost function and constraints, with respect to the digital control law design variables are derived analytically and computed by solving a set of discrete Liapunov equations. The designer can choose the structure of the control law and the design variables, hence a stable classical control law as well as an estimator-based full or reduced order control law can be used as an initial starting point. Selected design responses can be treated as constraints instead of lumping them into the cost function. This feature can be used to modify a control law, to meet individual root mean square response limitations as well as minimum single value restrictions. Low order, robust digital control laws were synthesized for gust load alleviation of a flexible remotely piloted drone aircraft.

Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion Baseline Control Law: Architecture and Performance Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Christopher J.

2011-01-01

A model reference dynamic inversion control law has been developed to provide a baseline control law for research into adaptive elements and other advanced flight control law components. This controller has been implemented and tested in a hardware-in-the-loop simulation; the simulation results show excellent handling qualities throughout the limited flight envelope. A simple angular momentum formulation was chosen because it can be included in the stability proofs for many basic adaptive theories, such as model reference adaptive control. Many design choices and implementation details reflect the requirements placed on the system by the nonlinear flight environment and the desire to keep the system as basic as possible to simplify the addition of the adaptive elements. Those design choices are explained, along with their predicted impact on the handling qualities.

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuster, E.; Wehner, W. P.; Barton, J. E.; Boyer, M. D.; Luce, T. C.; Ferron, J. R.; Holcomb, C. T.; Walker, M. L.; Humphreys, D. A.; Solomon, W. M.; Penaflor, B. G.; Johnson, R. D.

2017-11-01

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feedforward  +  feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q_min=1.3, q95=4.4 ; Target 2: q_min=1.65, q95=5.0 ; Target 3: q_min=2.1, q95=6.2 ) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t=1.5 s; Target 2: t=1.3 s; Target 3: t=1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme is a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feedforward  +  feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. These results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feedforward-only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.

Differential modulation of ROS signals and other mitochondrial parameters by the antioxidants MitoQ, resveratrol and curcumin in human adipocytes.

PubMed

Hirzel, Estelle; Lindinger, Peter W; Maseneni, Swarna; Giese, Maria; Rhein, Véronique Virginie; Eckert, Anne; Hoch, Matthias; Krähenbühl, Stephan; Eberle, Alex N

2013-10-01

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been demonstrated to play an important role as signaling and regulating molecules in human adipocytes. In order to evaluate the differential modulating roles of antioxidants, we treated human adipocytes differentiated from human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells with MitoQ, resveratrol and curcumin. The effects on ROS, viability, mitochondrial respiration and intracellular ATP levels were examined. MitoQ lowered both oxidizing and reducing ROS. Resveratrol decreased reducing and curcumin oxidizing radicals only. All three substances slightly decreased state III respiration immediately after addition. After 24 h of treatment, MitoQ inhibited both basal and uncoupled oxygen consumption, whereas curcumin and resveratrol had no effect. Intracellular ATP levels were not altered. This demonstrates that MitoQ, resveratrol and curcumin exert potent modulating effects on ROS signaling in human adipocyte with marginal effects on metabolic parameters.

On alternative q-Weibull and q-extreme value distributions: Properties and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fode; Ng, Hon Keung Tony; Shi, Yimin

2018-01-01

Tsallis statistics and Tsallis distributions have been attracting a significant amount of research work in recent years. Importantly, the Tsallis statistics, q-distributions have been applied in different disciplines. Yet, a relationship between some existing q-Weibull distributions and q-extreme value distributions that is parallel to the well-established relationship between the conventional Weibull and extreme value distributions through a logarithmic transformation has not be established. In this paper, we proposed an alternative q-Weibull distribution that leads to a q-extreme value distribution via the q-logarithm transformation. Some important properties of the proposed q-Weibull and q-extreme value distributions are studied. Maximum likelihood and least squares estimation methods are used to estimate the parameters of q-Weibull distribution and their performances are investigated through a Monte Carlo simulation study. The methodologies and the usefulness of the proposed distributions are illustrated by fitting the 2014 traffic fatalities data from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Cortical Correlates of Fitts’ Law

PubMed Central

Ifft, Peter J.; Lebedev, Mikhail A.; Nicolelis, Miguel A. L.

2011-01-01

Fitts’ law describes the fundamental trade-off between movement accuracy and speed: it states that the duration of reaching movements is a function of target size (TS) and distance. While Fitts’ law has been extensively studied in ergonomics and has guided the design of human–computer interfaces, there have been few studies on its neuronal correlates. To elucidate sensorimotor cortical activity underlying Fitts’ law, we implanted two monkeys with multielectrode arrays in the primary motor (M1) and primary somatosensory (S1) cortices. The monkeys performed reaches with a joystick-controlled cursor toward targets of different size. The reaction time (RT), movement time, and movement velocity changed with TS, and M1 and S1 activity reflected these changes. Moreover, modifications of cortical activity could not be explained by changes of movement parameters alone, but required TS as an additional parameter. Neuronal representation of TS was especially prominent during the early RT period where it influenced the slope of the firing rate rise preceding movement initiation. During the movement period, cortical activity was correlated with movement velocity. Neural decoders were applied to simultaneously decode TS and motor parameters from cortical modulations. We suggest that sensorimotor cortex activity reflects the characteristics of both the movement and the target. Classifiers that extract these parameters from cortical ensembles could improve neuroprosthetic control. PMID:22275888

Infectious disease-related laws: prevention and control measures.

PubMed

Park, Mijeong

2017-01-01

This study examines recently revised Korean government legislation addressing global infectious disease control for public health emergency situations, with the aim of proposing more rational, effective and realistic interpretations and applications for improvement of law. The Korea reported its first laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus on May 20, 2015. Since the first indexed case, Korean public health authorities enforced many public health measures that were not authorized in the law; the scope of the current law was too limited to cover MERS. Korea has three levels of government: the central government, special self-governing provinces, and si/gun/gu. Unfortunately, the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act does not designate the specific roles of each level of government, and does not state how these governmental branches should be vertically integrated in a state of emergency. When thinking about these policy questions, we should be especially concerned about introducing a new act that deals with all matters relevant to emerging infectious diseases. The aim would be to develop a structure that specifies the roles of each level of government, and facilitates the close collaboration among them, then enacting this in law for the prevention and response of infectious disease. To address this problem, after analyzing the national healthcare infrastructure along with the characteristics of emerging infectious diseases, we propose the revision of the relevant law(s) in terms of governance aspects, emergency medical countermeasure aspects, and the human rights aspect.

Robust Operation of Tendon-Driven Robot Fingers Using Force and Position-Based Control Laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hargrave, Brian (Inventor); Abdallah, Muhammad E (Inventor); Reiland, Matthew J (Inventor); Diftler, Myron A (Inventor); Strawser, Philip A (Inventor); Platt, Jr., Robert J. (Inventor); Ihrke, Chris A. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A robotic system includes a tendon-driven finger and a control system. The system controls the finger via a force-based control law when a tension sensor is available, and via a position-based control law when a sensor is not available. Multiple tendons may each have a corresponding sensor. The system selectively injects a compliance value into the position-based control law when only some sensors are available. A control system includes a host machine and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a control process, which is executed by the host machine to control the finger via the force- or position-based control law. A method for controlling the finger includes determining the availability of a tension sensor(s), and selectively controlling the finger, using the control system, via the force or position-based control law. The position control law allows the control system to resist disturbances while nominally maintaining the initial state of internal tendon tensions.

Differential-Drive Mobile Robot Control Design based-on Linear Feedback Control Law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurmaini, Siti; Dewi, Kemala; Tutuko, Bambang

2017-04-01

This paper deals with the problem of how to control differential driven mobile robot with simple control law. When mobile robot moves from one position to another to achieve a position destination, it always produce some errors. Therefore, a mobile robot requires a certain control law to drive the robot’s movement to the position destination with a smallest possible error. In this paper, in order to reduce position error, a linear feedback control is proposed with pole placement approach to regulate the polynoms desired. The presented work leads to an improved understanding of differential-drive mobile robot (DDMR)-based kinematics equation, which will assist to design of suitable controllers for DDMR movement. The result show by using the linier feedback control method with pole placement approach the position error is reduced and fast convergence is achieved.

Stochastic control and the second law of thermodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brockett, R. W.; Willems, J. C.

1979-01-01

The second law of thermodynamics is studied from the point of view of stochastic control theory. We find that the feedback control laws which are of interest are those which depend only on average values, and not on sample path behavior. We are lead to a criterion which, when satisfied, permits one to assign a temperature to a stochastic system in such a way as to have Carnot cycles be the optimal trajectories of optimal control problems. Entropy is also defined and we are able to prove an equipartition of energy theorem using this definition of temperature. Our formulation allows one to treat irreversibility in a quite natural and completely precise way.

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

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

Schuster, Eugenio J.; Wehner, William P.; Barton, Joseph E.

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feed forward + feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q min = 1.3,q 95 = 4:4; Target 2: q min = 1.65,q 95 = 5.0; Target 3: q min = 2.1,q 95 = 6:2) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t = 1.5 s; Target 2: t = 1:3 s; Target 3: t = 1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme ismore » a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feed forward + feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. Here, these results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feed forward only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.« less

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Schuster, Eugenio J.; Wehner, William P.; Barton, Joseph E.; ...

2017-08-09

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feed forward + feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q min = 1.3,q 95 = 4:4; Target 2: q min = 1.65,q 95 = 5.0; Target 3: q min = 2.1,q 95 = 6:2) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t = 1.5 s; Target 2: t = 1:3 s; Target 3: t = 1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme ismore » a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feed forward + feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. Here, these results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feed forward only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.« less

Data-driven model reference control of MIMO vertical tank systems with model-free VRFT and Q-Learning.

PubMed

Radac, Mircea-Bogdan; Precup, Radu-Emil; Roman, Raul-Cristian

2018-02-01

This paper proposes a combined Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning-Q-learning model-free control approach, which tunes nonlinear static state feedback controllers to achieve output model reference tracking in an optimal control framework. The novel iterative Batch Fitted Q-learning strategy uses two neural networks to represent the value function (critic) and the controller (actor), and it is referred to as a mixed Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning-Batch Fitted Q-learning approach. Learning convergence of the Q-learning schemes generally depends, among other settings, on the efficient exploration of the state-action space. Handcrafting test signals for efficient exploration is difficult even for input-output stable unknown processes. Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning can ensure an initial stabilizing controller to be learned from few input-output data and it can be next used to collect substantially more input-state data in a controlled mode, in a constrained environment, by compensating the process dynamics. This data is used to learn significantly superior nonlinear state feedback neural networks controllers for model reference tracking, using the proposed Batch Fitted Q-learning iterative tuning strategy, motivating the original combination of the two techniques. The mixed Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning-Batch Fitted Q-learning approach is experimentally validated for water level control of a multi input-multi output nonlinear constrained coupled two-tank system. Discussions on the observed control behavior are offered. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reinforcement learning design-based adaptive tracking control with less learning parameters for nonlinear discrete-time MIMO systems.

PubMed

Liu, Yan-Jun; Tang, Li; Tong, Shaocheng; Chen, C L Philip; Li, Dong-Juan

2015-01-01

Based on the neural network (NN) approximator, an online reinforcement learning algorithm is proposed for a class of affine multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) nonlinear discrete-time systems with unknown functions and disturbances. In the design procedure, two networks are provided where one is an action network to generate an optimal control signal and the other is a critic network to approximate the cost function. An optimal control signal and adaptation laws can be generated based on two NNs. In the previous approaches, the weights of critic and action networks are updated based on the gradient descent rule and the estimations of optimal weight vectors are directly adjusted in the design. Consequently, compared with the existing results, the main contributions of this paper are: 1) only two parameters are needed to be adjusted, and thus the number of the adaptation laws is smaller than the previous results and 2) the updating parameters do not depend on the number of the subsystems for MIMO systems and the tuning rules are replaced by adjusting the norms on optimal weight vectors in both action and critic networks. It is proven that the tracking errors, the adaptation laws, and the control inputs are uniformly bounded using Lyapunov analysis method. The simulation examples are employed to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Q-factor control of multilayer micromembrane using PZT composite material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Čekas, Elingas; Janušas, Giedrius; Palevicius, Arvydas; Janušas, Tomas; Ciganas, Justas

2018-02-01

Cantilever and membrane based sensors, which are capable of providing accurate detection of target analytes have been always an important research topic of medical diagnostics, food testing, and environmental monitoring fields. Here, the mechanical detection is achieved by micro- and nano-scale cantilevers for stress sensing and mass sensing, or micro- and nano-scale plates or membranes. High sensitivity is a major issue for the active element and it could be achieved via increased Q-factor. The ability to control the Q factor expands the range of application of the device and allows to achieve more accurate results. The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanical and electrical properties, as well as, the ability to control the Q factor of the membrane with PZT nanocomposite. This multilayered membrane was formatted using the n-type <100> silicon substrate by implementing the Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD), photolithography by using photomask with defined dimensions, deep etching, and e-beam evaporation techniques. Dynamic and electrical characteristics of the membrane were numerically investigated using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The use of the multilayered membrane can range from simple monitoring of particles concentration in a closed environment to inspecting glucose levels in human fluids (blood, tears, sweat, etc.).

Q-space analysis of light scattering by ice crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinson, Yuli W.; Maughan, Justin B.; Ding, Jiachen; Chakrabarti, Amitabha; Yang, Ping; Sorensen, Christopher M.

2016-12-01

Q-space analysis is applied to extensive simulations of the single-scattering properties of ice crystals with various habits/shapes over a range of sizes. The analysis uncovers features common to all the shapes: a forward scattering regime with intensity quantitatively related to the Rayleigh scattering by the particle and the internal coupling parameter, followed by a Guinier regime dependent upon the particle size, a complex power law regime with incipient two dimensional diffraction effects, and, in some cases, an enhanced backscattering regime. The effects of significant absorption on the scattering profile are also studied. The overall features found for the ice crystals are similar to features in scattering from same sized spheres.

Speed Control Law for Precision Terminal Area In-Trail Self Spacing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbott, Terence S.

2002-01-01

This document describes a speed control law for precision in-trail airborne self-spacing during final approach. This control law was designed to provide an operationally viable means to obtain a desired runway threshold crossing time or minimum distance, one aircraft relative to another. The control law compensates for dissimilar final approach speeds between aircraft pairs and provides guidance for a stable final approach. This algorithm has been extensively tested in Monte Carlo simulation and has been evaluated in piloted simulation, with preliminary results indicating acceptability from operational and workload standpoints.

Time-Coordination Strategies and Control Laws for Multi-Agent Unmanned Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puig-Navarro, Javier; Hovakimyan, Naira; Allen, B. Danette

2017-01-01

Time-critical coordination tools for unmanned systems can be employed to enforce the type of temporal constraints required in terminal control areas, ensure minimum distance requirements among vehicles are satisfied, and successfully perform coordinated missions. In comparison with previous literature, this paper presents an ampler spectrum of coordination and temporal specifications for unmanned systems, and proposes a general control law that can enforce this range of constraints. The constraint classification presented con- siders the nature of the desired arrival window and the permissible coordination errors to define six different types of time-coordination strategies. The resulting decentralized coordination control law allows the vehicles to negotiate their speeds along their paths in response to information exchanged over the communication network. This control law organizes the different members in the fleet hierarchically per their behavior and informational needs as reference agent, leaders, and followers. Examples and simulation results for all the coordination strategies presented demonstrate the applicability and efficacy of the coordination control law for multiple unmanned systems.

A Comparative Study of Obsessionality in Medical Students, Law Students, and Controls.

PubMed

Harries, Michael D; Kim, Suck Won; Grant, Jon E

2017-09-01

Understanding obsessive-compulsive behavior in medical students and law students is necessary for administrators and educators to properly work with students struggling with obsessionality. We aim to compare the differences in obsessive symptoms between medical students, law students and a control population. A total of 100 third-year medical students, 102 third-year law students and 103 control subjects drawn from the general population completed the Leyton Obsessional Inventory (LOI). Subjects were examined on all three sections (symptoms/traits, resistance and interference) of the LOI. Obsessional symptom scores for medical students (14.29 ± 7.33) and law students (13.65 ± 6.61) were significantly greater than for the control group (11.58 ± 7.45). Medical and law students were both more likely to report checking, order, routine and attention to detail as obsessive symptoms. Medical students were more likely than law students to possess the obsessive symptoms of cleanliness and conscientiousness, while law students were more likely than medical students to possess obsessive symptoms related to difficulty in making up their mind and doubting themselves. While medical students and law students are more obsessional than the control population, each group is more likely to report different obsessive symptoms.

Infectious disease-related laws: prevention and control measures

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES This study examines recently revised Korean government legislation addressing global infectious disease control for public health emergency situations, with the aim of proposing more rational, effective and realistic interpretations and applications for improvement of law. METHODS The Korea reported its first laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus on May 20, 2015. Since the first indexed case, Korean public health authorities enforced many public health measures that were not authorized in the law; the scope of the current law was too limited to cover MERS. Korea has three levels of government: the central government, special self-governing provinces, and si/gun/gu. Unfortunately, the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act does not designate the specific roles of each level of government, and does not state how these governmental branches should be vertically integrated in a state of emergency. RESULTS When thinking about these policy questions, we should be especially concerned about introducing a new act that deals with all matters relevant to emerging infectious diseases. The aim would be to develop a structure that specifies the roles of each level of government, and facilitates the close collaboration among them, then enacting this in law for the prevention and response of infectious disease. CONCLUSIONS To address this problem, after analyzing the national healthcare infrastructure along with the characteristics of emerging infectious diseases, we propose the revision of the relevant law(s) in terms of governance aspects, emergency medical countermeasure aspects, and the human rights aspect. PMID:28774161

Parameter-Space Survey of Linear G-mode and Interchange in Extended Magnetohydrodynamics

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

Howell, E. C.; Sovinec, C. R.

The extended magnetohydrodynamic stability of interchange modes is studied in two configurations. In slab geometry, a local dispersion relation for the gravitational interchange mode (g-mode) with three different extensions of the MHD model [P. Zhu, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 085005 (2008)] is analyzed. Our results delineate where drifts stablize the g-mode with gyroviscosity alone and with a two-fluid Ohm’s law alone. Including the two-fluid Ohm’s law produces an ion drift wave that interacts with the g-mode. This interaction then gives rise to a second instability at finite k y. A second instability is also observed in numerical extended MHD computations of linear interchange in cylindrical screw-pinch equilibria, the second configuration. Particularly with incomplete models, this mode limits the regions of stability for physically realistic conditions. But, applying a consistent two-temperature extended MHD model that includes the diamagnetic heat flux density (more » $$\\vec{q}$$ *) makes the onset of the second mode occur at larger Hall parameter. For conditions relevant to the SSPX experiment [E.B. Hooper, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 54, 113001 (2012)], significant stabilization is observed for Suydam parameters as large as unity (D s≲1).« less

Parameter-Space Survey of Linear G-mode and Interchange in Extended Magnetohydrodynamics

DOE PAGES

Howell, E. C.; Sovinec, C. R.

2017-09-11

The extended magnetohydrodynamic stability of interchange modes is studied in two configurations. In slab geometry, a local dispersion relation for the gravitational interchange mode (g-mode) with three different extensions of the MHD model [P. Zhu, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 085005 (2008)] is analyzed. Our results delineate where drifts stablize the g-mode with gyroviscosity alone and with a two-fluid Ohm’s law alone. Including the two-fluid Ohm’s law produces an ion drift wave that interacts with the g-mode. This interaction then gives rise to a second instability at finite k y. A second instability is also observed in numerical extended MHD computations of linear interchange in cylindrical screw-pinch equilibria, the second configuration. Particularly with incomplete models, this mode limits the regions of stability for physically realistic conditions. But, applying a consistent two-temperature extended MHD model that includes the diamagnetic heat flux density (more » $$\\vec{q}$$ *) makes the onset of the second mode occur at larger Hall parameter. For conditions relevant to the SSPX experiment [E.B. Hooper, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 54, 113001 (2012)], significant stabilization is observed for Suydam parameters as large as unity (D s≲1).« less

Development of ADOCS controllers and control laws. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Kenneth H.; Glusman, Steven I.

1985-01-01

The Advanced Cockpit Controls/Advanced Flight Control System (ACC/AFCS) study was conducted by the Boeing Vertol Company as part of the Army's Advanced Digital/Optical Control System (ADOCS) program. Specifically, the ACC/AFCS investigation was aimed at developing the flight control laws for the ADOCS demonstrator aircraft that will provide satisfactory handling qualities for an attack helicopter mission. The three major elements of design considered during the study are as follows: Pilot's integrated Side-Stick Controller (SSC) -- Number of axes controlled; force/displacement characteristics; ergonomic design. Stability and Control Augmentation System (SCAS)--Digital flight control laws for the various mission phases; SCAS mode switching logic. Pilot's Displays--For night/adverse weather conditions, the dynamics of the superimposed symbology presented to the pilot in a format similar to the Advanced Attack Helicopter (AAH) Pilot Night Vision System (PNVS) for each mission phase as a function of SCAS characteristics; display mode switching logic. Volume 1 is an Executive Summary of the study. Conclusions drawn from analysis of pilot rating data and commentary were used to formulate recommendations for the ADOCS demonstrator flight control system design. The ACC/AFCS simulation data also provide an extensive data base to aid the development of advanced flight control system design for future V/STOL aircraft.

Development of ADOCS controllers and control laws. Volume 2: Literature review and preliminary analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Kenneth H.; Glusman, Steven I.

1985-01-01

The Advanced Cockpit Controls/Advanced Flight Control System (ACC/AFCS) study was conducted by the Boeing Vertol Company as part of the Army's Advanced Digital/Optical Control System (ADOCS) program. Specifically, the ACC/AFCS investigation was aimed at developing the flight control laws for the ADOCS demonstrator aircraft which will provide satisfactory handling qualities for an attack helicopter mission. The three major elements of design considered are as follows: Pilot's integrated Side-Stick Controller (SSC) -- Number of axes controlled; force/displacement characteristics; ergonomic design. Stability and Control Augmentation System (SCAS)--Digital flight control laws for the various mission phases; SCAS mode switching logic. Pilot's Displays--For night/adverse weather conditions, the dynamics of the superimposed symbology presented to the pilot in a format similar to the Advanced Attack Helicopter (AAH) Pilot Night Vision System (PNVS) for each mission phase as a function of ACAS characteristics; display mode switching logic. Findings from the literature review and the analysis and synthesis of desired control laws are reported in Volume 2. Conclusions drawn from pilot rating data and commentary were used to formulate recommendations for the ADOCS demonstrator flight control system design. The ACC/AFCS simulation data also provide an extensive data base to aid the development of advanced flight control system design for future V/STOL aircraft.

Development of a digital automatic control law for steep glideslope capture and flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halyo, N.

1977-01-01

A longitudinal digital guidance and control law for steep glideslopes using MLS (Microwave Landing System) data is developed for CTOL aircraft using modern estimation and control techniques. The control law covers the final approach phases of glideslope capture, glideslope tracking, and flare to touchdown for automatic landings under adverse weather conditions. The control law uses a constant gain Kalman filter to process MLS and body-mounted accelerometer data to form estimates of flight path errors and wind velocities including wind shear. The flight path error estimates and wind estimates are used for feedback in generating control surface commands. Results of a digital simulation of the aircraft dynamics and the guidance and control law are presented for various wind conditions.

Optimal Control Modification Adaptive Law for Time-Scale Separated Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan T.

2010-01-01

Recently a new optimal control modification has been introduced that can achieve robust adaptation with a large adaptive gain without incurring high-frequency oscillations as with the standard model-reference adaptive control. This modification is based on an optimal control formulation to minimize the L2 norm of the tracking error. The optimal control modification adaptive law results in a stable adaptation in the presence of a large adaptive gain. This study examines the optimal control modification adaptive law in the context of a system with a time scale separation resulting from a fast plant with a slow actuator. A singular perturbation analysis is performed to derive a modification to the adaptive law by transforming the original system into a reduced-order system in slow time. A model matching conditions in the transformed time coordinate results in an increase in the actuator command that effectively compensate for the slow actuator dynamics. Simulations demonstrate effectiveness of the method.

Simple control laws for low-thrust orbit transfers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petropoulos, Anastassios E.

2003-01-01

Two methods are presented by which to determine both a thrust direction and when to apply thrust to effect specified changes in any of the orbit elements except for true anomaly, which is assumed free. The central body is assumed to be a point mass, and the initial and final orbits are assumed closed. Thrust, when on, is of a constant value, and specific impulse is constant. The thrust profiles derived from the two methods are not propellant-optimal, but are based firstly on the optimal thrust directions and location on the osculating orbit for changing each of the orbit elements and secondly on the desired changes in the orbit elements. Two examples of transfers are presented, one in semimajor axis and inclination, and one in semimajor axis and eccentricity. The latter compares favourably with a propellant-optimized transfer between the same orbits. The control laws have few input parameters, but can still capture the complexity of a wide variety of orbit transfers.

Dynamics of the process boom machine working equipment under the real law of the hydraulic distributor electric spool control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarasov, V. N.; Boyarkina, I. V.

2017-06-01

Analytical calculation methods of dynamic processes of the self-propelled boom hydraulic machines working equipment are more preferable in comparison with numerical methods. The analytical research method of dynamic processes of the boom hydraulic machines working equipment by means of differential equations of acceleration and braking of the working equipment is proposed. The real control law of a hydraulic distributor electric spool is considered containing the linear law of the electric spool activation and stepped law of the electric spool deactivation. Dependences of dynamic processes of the working equipment on reduced mass, stiffness of hydraulic power cylinder, viscous drag coefficient, piston acceleration, pressure in hydraulic cylinders, inertia force are obtained. Definite recommendations relative to the reduction of dynamic loads, appearing during the working equipment control are considered as the research result. The nature and rate of parameter variations of the speed and piston acceleration dynamic process depend on the law of the ports opening and closure of the hydraulic distributor electric spool. Dynamic loads in the working equipment are decreased during a smooth linear activation of the hydraulic distributor electric spool.

Effects of Mitochondrial Antioxidant SkQ1 on Biochemical and Behavioral Parameters in a Parkinsonism Model in Mice.

PubMed

Pavshintsev, V V; Podshivalova, L S; Frolova, O Y; Belopolskaya, M V; Averina, O A; Kushnir, E A; Marmiy, N V; Lovat, M L

2017-12-01

According to one hypothesis, Parkinson's disease pathogenesis is largely caused by dopamine catabolism that is catalyzed on mitochondrial membranes by monoamine oxidase. Reactive oxygen species are formed as a byproduct of these reactions, which can lead to mitochondrial damage followed by cell degeneration and death. In this study, we investigated the effects of administration of the mitochondrial antioxidant SkQ1 on biochemical, immunohistochemical, and behavioral parameters in a Parkinson-like condition caused by protoxin MPTP injections in C57BL/6 mice. SkQ1 administration increased dopamine quantity and decreased signs of sensory-motor deficiency as well as destruction of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area in mice with the Parkinson-like condition.

Interpreting the Weibull fitting parameters for diffusion-controlled release data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ignacio, Maxime; Chubynsky, Mykyta V.; Slater, Gary W.

2017-11-01

We examine the diffusion-controlled release of molecules from passive delivery systems using both analytical solutions of the diffusion equation and numerically exact Lattice Monte Carlo data. For very short times, the release process follows a √{ t } power law, typical of diffusion processes, while the long-time asymptotic behavior is exponential. The crossover time between these two regimes is determined by the boundary conditions and initial loading of the system. We show that while the widely used Weibull function provides a reasonable fit (in terms of statistical error), it has two major drawbacks: (i) it does not capture the correct limits and (ii) there is no direct connection between the fitting parameters and the properties of the system. Using a physically motivated interpolating fitting function that correctly includes both time regimes, we are able to predict the values of the Weibull parameters which allows us to propose a physical interpretation.

Tobacco control laws in Pakistan and their implementation: A pilot study in Karachi.

PubMed

Khan, Javaid Ahmed; Amir Humza Sohail, Abdul Malik; Arif Maan, Muhammad Arslan

2016-07-01

In order to limit the high prevalence of tobacco use in Pakistan various tobacco control laws have been implemented. The objective of this study is to serve as a pilot study to assess the implementation of these laws in the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi. The implementation of tobacco control laws in 'smoke-free' places, the adherence of tobacco companies to these laws, the regulation of cigarette sale, and the awareness and views of the general public regarding tobacco control laws were assessed via direct observation by visits and through self-administered questionnaires. The implementation of tobacco control laws in 'smoke-free' public places was found to be poor. Out of 37, only 23(62%) brands displayed pictorial warnings on their packs. 3(8%) of the brands were available in two different kinds of packs, both with and without pictorial warnings. Cigarette sale to minors was taking place at 80(85%) of the visited cigarette outlets. 50(53%) of the outlets displayed cigarette advertisements in the form of posters. 46(40%) of the persons questioned had awareness regarding the existence of ban on smoking in public places and 126(90%) of these were in favour of it. The implementation of tobacco control law in Pakistan is poor. Non adherence to the law in public places was alarmingly high. Also, the study demonstrates the poor compliance to the tobacco control laws by tobacco companies. The sale of cigarettes is almost unregulated.

Dynamic increase and decrease of photonic crystal nanocavity Q factors for optical pulse control.

PubMed

Upham, Jeremy; Tanaka, Yoshinori; Asano, Takashi; Noda, Susumu

2008-12-22

We introduce recent advances in dynamic control over the Q factor of a photonic crystal nanocavity system. By carefully timing a rapid increase of the Q factor from 3800 to 22,000, we succeed in capturing a 4ps signal pulse within the nanocavity with a photon lifetime of 18ps. By performing an additional transition of the Q factor within the photon lifetime, the held light is once again ejected from of the system on demand.

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 <q>map>. The field for some quantities generally consists of spatially coherent and disconnected <q>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 <q>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.

Combined magnetic and kinetic control of advanced tokamak steady state scenarios based on semi-empirical modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreau, D.; Artaud, J. F.; Ferron, J. R.; Holcomb, C. T.; Humphreys, D. A.; Liu, F.; Luce, T. C.; Park, J. M.; Prater, R.; Turco, F.; Walker, M. L.

2015-06-01

This paper shows that semi-empirical data-driven models based on a two-time-scale approximation for the magnetic and kinetic control of advanced tokamak (AT) scenarios can be advantageously identified from simulated rather than real data, and used for control design. The method is applied to the combined control of the safety factor profile, q(x), and normalized pressure parameter, βN, using DIII-D parameters and actuators (on-axis co-current neutral beam injection (NBI) power, off-axis co-current NBI power, electron cyclotron current drive power, and ohmic coil). The approximate plasma response model was identified from simulated open-loop data obtained using a rapidly converging plasma transport code, METIS, which includes an MHD equilibrium and current diffusion solver, and combines plasma transport nonlinearity with 0D scaling laws and 1.5D ordinary differential equations. The paper discusses the results of closed-loop METIS simulations, using the near-optimal ARTAEMIS control algorithm (Moreau D et al 2013 Nucl. Fusion 53 063020) for steady state AT operation. With feedforward plus feedback control, the steady state target q-profile and βN are satisfactorily tracked with a time scale of about 10 s, despite large disturbances applied to the feedforward powers and plasma parameters. The robustness of the control algorithm with respect to disturbances of the H&CD actuators and of plasma parameters such as the H-factor, plasma density and effective charge, is also shown.

Development and evaluation of automatic landing control laws for light wing loading STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinreich, B.; Degani, O.; Gevaert, G.

1981-01-01

Automatic flare and decrab control laws were developed for NASA's experimental Twin Otter. This light wing loading STOL aircraft was equipped with direct lift control (DLC) wing spoilers to enhance flight path control. Automatic landing control laws that made use of the spoilers were developed, evaluated in a simulation and the results compared with these obtained for configurations that did not use DLC. The spoilers produced a significant improvement in performance. A simulation that could be operated faster than real time in order to provide statistical landing data for a large number of landings over a wide spectrum of disturbances in a short time was constructed and used in the evaluation and refinement of control law configurations. A longitudinal control law that had been previously developed and evaluated in flight was also simulated and its performance compared with that of the control laws developed. Runway alignment control laws were also defined, evaluated, and refined to result in a final recommended configuration. Good landing performance, compatible with Category 3 operation into STOL runways, was obtained.

The third law of thermodynamics and the fractional entropies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baris Bagci, G.

2016-08-01

We consider the fractal calculus based Ubriaco and Machado entropies and investigate whether they conform to the third law of thermodynamics. The Ubriaco entropy satisfies the third law of thermodynamics in the interval 0 < q ≤ 1 exactly where it is also thermodynamically stable. The Machado entropy, on the other hand, yields diverging inverse temperature in the region 0 < q ≤ 1, albeit with non-vanishing negative entropy values. Therefore, despite the divergent inverse temperature behavior, the Machado entropy fails the third law of thermodynamics. We also show that the aforementioned results are also supported by the one-dimensional Ising model with no external field.

On the universality of power laws for tokamak plasma predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, J.; Cambon, D.; Contributors, JET

2018-02-01

Significant deviations from well established power laws for the thermal energy confinement time, obtained from extensive databases analysis as the IPB98(y,2), have been recently reported in dedicated power scans. In order to illuminate the adequacy, validity and universality of power laws as tools for predicting plasma performance, a simplified analysis has been carried out in the framework of a minimal modeling for heat transport which is, however, able to account for the interplay between turbulence and collinear effects with the input power known to play a role in experiments with significant deviations from such power laws. Whereas at low powers, the usual scaling laws are recovered with little influence of other plasma parameters, resulting in a robust power low exponent, at high power it is shown how the exponents obtained are extremely sensitive to the heating deposition, the q-profile or even the sampling or the number of points considered due to highly non-linear behavior of the heat transport. In particular circumstances, even a minimum of the thermal energy confinement time with the input power can be obtained, which means that the approach of the energy confinement time as a power law might be intrinsically invalid. Therefore plasma predictions with a power law approximation with a constant exponent obtained from a regression of a broad range of powers and other plasma parameters which can non-linearly affect and suppress heat transport, can lead to misleading results suggesting that this approach should be taken cautiously and its results continuously compared with modeling which can properly capture the underline physics, as gyrokinetic simulations.

Imaging contrast and tip-sample interaction of non-contact amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy with Q-control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Shuai; Guo, Dan; Luo, Jianbin

2017-10-01

Active quality factor (Q) exhibits many promising properties in dynamic atomic force microscopy. Energy dissipation and image contrasts are investigated in the non-contact amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy (AM-AFM) with an active Q-control circuit in the ambient air environment. Dissipated power and virial were calculated to compare the highly nonlinear interaction of tip-sample and image contrasts with different Q gain values. Greater free amplitudes and lower effective Q values show better contrasts for the same setpoint ratio. Active quality factor also can be employed to change tip-sample interaction force in non-contact regime. It is meaningful that non-destructive and better contrast images can be realized in non-contact AM-AFM by applying an active Q-control to the dynamic system.

Booster seat laws and child fatalities: a case-control study.

PubMed

Farmer, P; Howard, A; Rothman, L; Macpherson, A

2009-10-01

A case-control study examined, primarily, the association between booster seat laws and fatalities among children in frontal collisions and, secondarily, the association between booster seat laws and reported restraint use, and restraint use and child fatalities. Children who died in a crash in the US were cases, and children who survived a fatal crash were controls. Subjects were child passengers (4-8 years old) in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System Database, 1995-2005. In states with a booster seat law, children were less likely to die than in states without a law (OR 0.80; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.98). They were also more likely to be restrained (adjusted OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.21 to 2.09) and were more likely to be correctly restrained (adjusted OR 4.44; 95% CI 3.18 to 6.20). It is concluded that booster seat laws are associated with a decrease in child deaths and an increase in correct restraint use among children involved in a fatal crash in the USA.

Robust parameter design for automatically controlled systems and nanostructure synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, Tirthankar

2007-12-01

This research focuses on developing comprehensive frameworks for developing robust parameter design methodology for dynamic systems with automatic control and for synthesis of nanostructures. In many automatically controlled dynamic processes, the optimal feedback control law depends on the parameter design solution and vice versa and therefore an integrated approach is necessary. A parameter design methodology in the presence of feedback control is developed for processes of long duration under the assumption that experimental noise factors are uncorrelated over time. Systems that follow a pure-gain dynamic model are considered and the best proportional-integral and minimum mean squared error control strategies are developed by using robust parameter design. The proposed method is illustrated using a simulated example and a case study in a urea packing plant. This idea is also extended to cases with on-line noise factors. The possibility of integrating feedforward control with a minimum mean squared error feedback control scheme is explored. To meet the needs of large scale synthesis of nanostructures, it is critical to systematically find experimental conditions under which the desired nanostructures are synthesized reproducibly, at large quantity and with controlled morphology. The first part of the research in this area focuses on modeling and optimization of existing experimental data. Through a rigorous statistical analysis of experimental data, models linking the probabilities of obtaining specific morphologies to the process variables are developed. A new iterative algorithm for fitting a Multinomial GLM is proposed and used. The optimum process conditions, which maximize the above probabilities and make the synthesis process less sensitive to variations of process variables around set values, are derived from the fitted models using Monte-Carlo simulations. The second part of the research deals with development of an experimental design methodology, tailor

Coda Q Attenuation and Source Parameters Analysis in North East India Using Local Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohapatra, A. K.; Mohanty, W. K.; Earthquake Seismology

2010-12-01

Alok Kumar Mohapatra1* and William Kumar Mohanty1 *Corresponding author: alokgpiitkgp@gmail.com 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Pin-721302 ABSTRACT In the present study, the quality factor of coda waves (Qc) and the source parameters has been estimated for the Northeastern India, using the digital data of ten local earthquakes from April 2001 to November 2002. Earthquakes with magnitude range from 3.8 to 4.9 have been taken into account. The time domain coda decay method of a single back scattering model is used to calculate frequency dependent values of Coda Q (Qc) where as, the source parameters like seismic moment(Mo), stress drop, source radius(r), radiant energy(Wo),and strain drop are estimated using displacement amplitude spectrum of body wave using Brune's model. The earthquakes with magnitude range 3.8 to 4.9 have been used for estimation Qc at six central frequencies 1.5 Hz, 3.0 Hz, 6.0 Hz, 9.0 Hz, 12.0 Hz, and 18.0 Hz. In the present work, the Qc value of local earthquakes are estimated to understand the attenuation characteristic, source parameters and tectonic activity of the region. Based on a criteria of homogeneity in the geological characteristics and the constrains imposed by the distribution of available events the study region has been classified into three zones such as the Tibetan Plateau Zone (TPZ), Bengal Alluvium and Arakan-Yuma Zone (BAZ), Shillong Plateau Zone (SPZ). It follows the power law Qc= Qo (f/fo)n where, Qo is the quality factor at the reference frequency (1Hz) fo and n is the frequency parameter which varies from region to region. The mean values of Qc reveals a dependence on frequency, varying from 292.9 at 1.5 Hz to 4880.1 at 18 Hz. Average frequency dependent relationship Qc values obtained of the Northeastern India is 198 f 1.035, while this relationship varies from the region to region such as, Tibetan Plateau Zone (TPZ): Qc= 226 f 1.11, Bengal Alluvium

Chagas disease vector control and Taylor's law

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Planes, Lucía I.; Gaspe, María S.; Cecere, María C.; Cardinal, Marta V.

2017-01-01

Background Large spatial and temporal fluctuations in the population density of living organisms have profound consequences for biodiversity conservation, food production, pest control and disease control, especially vector-borne disease control. Chagas disease vector control based on insecticide spraying could benefit from improved concepts and methods to deal with spatial variations in vector population density. Methodology/Principal findings We show that Taylor's law (TL) of fluctuation scaling describes accurately the mean and variance over space of relative abundance, by habitat, of four insect vectors of Chagas disease (Triatoma infestans, Triatoma guasayana, Triatoma garciabesi and Triatoma sordida) in 33,908 searches of people's dwellings and associated habitats in 79 field surveys in four districts in the Argentine Chaco region, before and after insecticide spraying. As TL predicts, the logarithm of the sample variance of bug relative abundance closely approximates a linear function of the logarithm of the sample mean of abundance in different habitats. Slopes of TL indicate spatial aggregation or variation in habitat suitability. Predictions of new mathematical models of the effect of vector control measures on TL agree overall with field data before and after community-wide spraying of insecticide. Conclusions/Significance A spatial Taylor's law identifies key habitats with high average infestation and spatially highly variable infestation, providing a new instrument for the control and elimination of the vectors of a major human disease. PMID:29190728

Control law system for X-Wing aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawrence, Thomas H. (Inventor); Gold, Phillip J. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

Control law system for the collective axis, as well as pitch and roll axes, of an X-Wing aircraft and for the pneumatic valving controlling circulation control blowing for the rotor. As to the collective axis, the system gives the pilot single-lever direct lift control and insures that maximum cyclic blowing control power is available in transition. Angle-of-attach de-coupling is provided in rotary wing flight, and mechanical collective is used to augment pneumatic roll control when appropriate. Automatic gain variations with airspeed and rotor speed are provided, so a unitary set of control laws works in all three X-Wing flight modes. As to pitch and roll axes, the system produces essentially the same aircraft response regardless of flight mode or condition. Undesirable cross-couplings are compensated for in a manner unnoticeable to the pilot without requiring pilot action, as flight mode or condition is changed. A hub moment feedback scheme is implemented, utilizing a P+I controller, significantly improving bandwidth. Limits protect aircraft structure from inadvertent damage. As to pneumatic valving, the system automatically provides the pressure required at each valve azimuth location, as dictated by collective, cyclic and higher harmonic blowing commands. Variations in the required control phase angle are automatically introduced, and variations in plenum pressure are compensated for. The required switching for leading, trailing and dual edge blowing is automated, using a simple table look-up procedure. Non-linearities due to valve characteristics of circulation control lift are linearized by map look-ups.

Acceptance Test Procedure for New Pumping Instrumentation and Control Skid Q

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

KOCH, M.R.

2000-03-27

This Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) provides for the inspection and testing of the new Pumping Instrumentation and Control (PIC) skid designed as ''Q''. The ATP will be performed after the construction of the PIC skid in the fabrication shop.

TRAP abortion laws and partisan political party control of state government.

PubMed

Medoff, Marshall H; Dennis, Christopher

2011-01-01

Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (or TRAP) laws impose medically unnecessary and burdensome regulations solely on abortion providers in order to make abortion services more expensive and difficult to obtain. Using event history analysis, this article examines the determinants of the enactment of a TRAP law by states over the period 1974–2008. The empirical results find that Republican institutional control of a state's legislative/executive branches is positively associated with a state enacting a TRAP law, while Democratic institutional control is negatively associated with a state enacting a TRAP law. The percentage of a state's population that is Catholic, public anti-abortion attitudes, state political ideology, and the abortion rate in a state are statistically insignificant predictors of a state enacting a TRAP law. The empirical results are consistent with the hypothesis that abortion is a redistributive issue and not a morality issue.

Adaptive control for a class of nonlinear complex dynamical systems with uncertain complex parameters and perturbations.

PubMed

Liu, Jian; Liu, Kexin; Liu, Shutang

2017-01-01

In this paper, adaptive control is extended from real space to complex space, resulting in a new control scheme for a class of n-dimensional time-dependent strict-feedback complex-variable chaotic (hyperchaotic) systems (CVCSs) in the presence of uncertain complex parameters and perturbations, which has not been previously reported in the literature. In detail, we have developed a unified framework for designing the adaptive complex scalar controller to ensure this type of CVCSs asymptotically stable and for selecting complex update laws to estimate unknown complex parameters. In particular, combining Lyapunov functions dependent on complex-valued vectors and back-stepping technique, sufficient criteria on stabilization of CVCSs are derived in the sense of Wirtinger calculus in complex space. Finally, numerical simulation is presented to validate our theoretical results.

Adaptive control for a class of nonlinear complex dynamical systems with uncertain complex parameters and perturbations

PubMed Central

Liu, Jian; Liu, Kexin; Liu, Shutang

2017-01-01

In this paper, adaptive control is extended from real space to complex space, resulting in a new control scheme for a class of n-dimensional time-dependent strict-feedback complex-variable chaotic (hyperchaotic) systems (CVCSs) in the presence of uncertain complex parameters and perturbations, which has not been previously reported in the literature. In detail, we have developed a unified framework for designing the adaptive complex scalar controller to ensure this type of CVCSs asymptotically stable and for selecting complex update laws to estimate unknown complex parameters. In particular, combining Lyapunov functions dependent on complex-valued vectors and back-stepping technique, sufficient criteria on stabilization of CVCSs are derived in the sense of Wirtinger calculus in complex space. Finally, numerical simulation is presented to validate our theoretical results. PMID:28467431

Balneotherapy and coenzyme Q10 in clinical and experimental medicine.

PubMed

Gvozdjakova, Anna; Kucharska, Jarmila; Sykora, L'ubomir; Singh, Ram B

2014-01-01

Balneotherapy or Spa therapy is used in neurological, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, dermatological and gynecological diseases, in infertility as well as in metabolic disturbances. Beneficial effects of balneotherapy at the metabolic level is not fully understood. Authors have documented enhancement of antioxidants concentrations (coenzyme Q10- CoQ(10-OX) and alpha-tocopherol) of women with gynecological diseases by treatment with natural mineral water (Spa Lucky balneotherapy, Slovakia). In an experiment with rats, drinking of Spa Lucky mineral water decreased oxidative stress and enhanced concentrations of antioxidants CoQ(9-OX), CoQ(10-OX) in the myocardium, and alpha-tocopherol in uterus, ovaries and myocardium. Drinking of Spa Lucky water by rats stimulated myocardial mitochondrial respiration and energy production, and diminished skeletal muscle mitochondrial function. Simultaneous ingestion of coenzyme Q10 with drinking spa water returned mitochondrial parameters to the values of the control group. This pilot study helps explain the role of antioxidants, oxidative stress and mitochondrial energy production in beneficial effects of Spa Lucky balneotherapy.

A Nonlinear Fuel Optimal Reaction Jet Control Law

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-07-29

derive a nonlinear fuel optimal attitude control system (ACS) that drives the final state to the desired state according to a cost function that...αroll = 0.22 rad/s2 and αyaw = 0.20 rad/s2. [ ] ( )( )ωωτω rrr&r r&r ⋅×−⋅= ⋅Ω−= − 2 1 1 II QQ (9) where, Q r is the attitude quaternion ...from Table-1 regarding the relative performance of the nonlinear controller with a conventional PID controller ( used in this paper as a benchmark for

"Mysteries" of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battino, Rubin

2007-01-01

The thermodynamic concepts of First and Second Laws with respect to the entropy function are described using atoms and molecules and probability as manifested in statistical mechanics. The First Law is conceptually understood as [Delta]U = Q + W and the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the entropy function have provided the probability and…

Analysis of Shared Haplotypes amongst Palauans Maps Loci for Psychotic Disorders to 4q28 and 5q23-q31.

PubMed

Bodea, Corneliu A; Middleton, Frank A; Melhem, Nadine M; Klei, Lambertus; Song, Youeun; Tiobech, Josepha; Marumoto, Pearl; Yano, Victor; Faraone, Stephen V; Roeder, Kathryn; Myles-Worsley, Marina; Devlin, Bernie; Byerley, William

2017-02-01

To localize genetic variation affecting risk for psychotic disorders in the population of Palau, we genotyped DNA samples from 203 Palauan individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders, broadly defined, and 125 control subjects using a genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism array. Palau has unique features advantageous for this study: due to its population history, Palauans are substantially interrelated; affected individuals often, but not always, cluster in families; and we have essentially complete ascertainment of affected individuals. To localize risk variants to genomic regions, we evaluated long-shared haplotypes, ≥10 Mb, identifying clusters of affected individuals who share such haplotypes. This extensive sharing, typically identical by descent, was significantly greater in cases than population controls, even after controlling for relatedness. Several regions of the genome exhibited substantial excess of shared haplotypes for affected individuals, including 3p21, 3p12, 4q28, and 5q23-q31. Two of these regions, 4q28 and 5q23-q31, showed significant linkage by traditional LOD score analysis and could harbor variants of more sizeable risk for psychosis or a multiplicity of risk variants. The pattern of haplotype sharing in 4q28 highlights PCDH10 , encoding a cadherin-related neuronal receptor, as possibly involved in risk.

Two different approaches for a control law of single gimbal control moment gyros

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schiehlen, W. O.

1972-01-01

In the field of momentum exchange attitude control systems, single gimbal control moment gyros (SGCMG) are of increasing interest. A gimbal angle approach and a gimbal rate approach are presented for the SGCMG control law including the singularity avoidance. Both approaches are compared and some illustrative examples are given.

Improving qPCR telomere length assays: Controlling for well position effects increases statistical power.

PubMed

Eisenberg, Dan T A; Kuzawa, Christopher W; Hayes, M Geoffrey

2015-01-01

Telomere length (TL) is commonly measured using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Although, easier than the southern blot of terminal restriction fragments (TRF) TL measurement method, one drawback of qPCR is that it introduces greater measurement error and thus reduces the statistical power of analyses. To address a potential source of measurement error, we consider the effect of well position on qPCR TL measurements. qPCR TL data from 3,638 people run on a Bio-Rad iCycler iQ are reanalyzed here. To evaluate measurement validity, correspondence with TRF, age, and between mother and offspring are examined. First, we present evidence for systematic variation in qPCR TL measurements in relation to thermocycler well position. Controlling for these well-position effects consistently improves measurement validity and yields estimated improvements in statistical power equivalent to increasing sample sizes by 16%. We additionally evaluated the linearity of the relationships between telomere and single copy gene control amplicons and between qPCR and TRF measures. We find that, unlike some previous reports, our data exhibit linear relationships. We introduce the standard error in percent, a superior method for quantifying measurement error as compared to the commonly used coefficient of variation. Using this measure, we find that excluding samples with high measurement error does not improve measurement validity in our study. Future studies using block-based thermocyclers should consider well position effects. Since additional information can be gleaned from well position corrections, rerunning analyses of previous results with well position correction could serve as an independent test of the validity of these results. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tokamak Operation with Safety Factor q 95 < 2 via Control of MHD Stability

DOE PAGES

Piovesan, Paolo; Hanson, Jeremy M.; Martin, Piero; ...

2014-07-24

Magnetic feedback control of the resistive-wall mode has enabled DIII-D to access stable operation at safety factor q95 = 1:9 in divertor plasmas for 150 instability growth times. Magnetohydrodynamic stability sets a hard, disruptive limit on the minimum edge safety factor achievable in a tokamak, or on the maximum plasma current at given toroidal magnetic eld. In tokamaks with a divertor, the limit occurs at q95 = 2, as con rmed in DIII-D. Since the energy con cement time scales linearly with current, this also bounds the performance of a fusion reactor. DIII-D has overcome this limit, opening a wholemore » new high-current regime not accessible before. This result brings signi cant possible bene ts in terms of fusion performance, but it also extends resistive wall mode physics and its control to conditions never explored before. In present experiments, q95 < 2 operation is eventually halted by voltage limits reached in the feedback power supplies, not by intrinsic physics issues. Improvements to power supplies and to control algorithms have the potential to further extend this regime.« less

Performance Validation of Version 152.0 ANSER Control Laws for the F-18 HARV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Messina, Michael D.

1996-01-01

The Actuated Nose Strakes for Enhanced Rolling (ANSER) Control Laws were modified as a result of Phase 3 F/A-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) flight testing. The control law modifications for the next software release were designated version 152.0. The Ada implementation was tested in the Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation and results were compared to those obtained with the NASA Langley batch Fortran implementation of the control laws which are considered the 'truth model.' This report documents the performance validation test results between these implementations for ANSER control law version 152.0.

Steering law for parallel mounted double-gimbaled control moment gyros

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennel, H. F.

1975-01-01

Parallel mounting of double-gimbaled control moment gyros (DG CMG) is discussed in terms of simplification of the steering law. The steering law/parallel mounted DG CMG is considered to be a 'CMG kit' applicable to any space vehicle where the need for DG CMG's has been established.

A Gyroless Safehold Control Law Using Angular Momentum as an Inertial Reference Vector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoneking, Eric; Lebsock, Ken

2008-01-01

A novel safehold control law was developed for the nadir-pointing Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) spacecraft, necessitated by a challenging combination of constraints. The instrument optics did not have a recloseable cover to protect them form potentially catastrophic damage if they were exposed to direct sunlight. The baseline safehold control law relied on a single-string inertial reference unit. A gyroless safehold law was developed to give a degree of robustness to gyro failures. Typical safehold solutions were not viable; thermal constraints made spin stabilization unsuitable, and an inertial hold based solely on magnetometer measurements wandered unaceptably during eclipse. The novel approach presented here maintains a momentum bias vector not for gyroscopic stiffness, but to use as an inertial reference direction during eclipse. The control law design is presented. The effect on stability of the rank-deficiency of magnetometer-based rate derivation is assessed. The control law's performance is evaluated by simulation.

A Gyroless Safehold Control Law using Angular Momentum as an Inertial Reference Vector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoneking, Eric; Lebsock, Ken

2008-01-01

A novel safehold control law was developed for the nadir-pointing Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) spacecraft, necessitated by a challenging combination of constraints. The instrument optics did not have a reclosable cover to protect them from potentially catastrophic damage if they were exposed to direct sunlight. The baseline safehold control law relied on a single-string inertial reference unit. A gyroless safehold law was developed to give a degree of rebustness to gyro failures. Typical safehold solutions were not viable; thermal constraints made spin stabilization unsuitable, and an inertial hold based solely on magnetometer measurements wandered unacceptably during eclipse. The novel approach presented here maintains a momentum bias vector not for gyroscopic stiffness, but to use as an inertial reference direction during eclipse. The control law design is presented. The effect on stability of the rate-deficiency of magnetometer-based rate derivation is assessed. The control law's performance is evaluated by simulation.

Performance of cancer cluster Q-statistics for case-control residential histories

PubMed Central

Sloan, Chantel D.; Jacquez, Geoffrey M.; Gallagher, Carolyn M.; Ward, Mary H.; Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole; Nordsborg, Rikke Baastrup; Meliker, Jaymie R.

2012-01-01

Few investigations of health event clustering have evaluated residential mobility, though causative exposures for chronic diseases such as cancer often occur long before diagnosis. Recently developed Q-statistics incorporate human mobility into disease cluster investigations by quantifying space- and time-dependent nearest neighbor relationships. Using residential histories from two cancer case-control studies, we created simulated clusters to examine Q-statistic performance. Results suggest the intersection of cases with significant clustering over their life course, Qi, with cases who are constituents of significant local clusters at given times, Qit, yielded the best performance, which improved with increasing cluster size. Upon comparison, a larger proportion of true positives were detected with Kulldorf’s spatial scan method if the time of clustering was provided. We recommend using Q-statistics to identify when and where clustering may have occurred, followed by the scan method to localize the candidate clusters. Future work should investigate the generalizability of these findings. PMID:23149326

Tobacco Control Laws and Pediatric Asthma.

PubMed

Hatoun, Jonathan; Davis-Plourde, Kendra; Penti, Brian; Cabral, Howard; Kazis, Lewis

2018-01-01

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke increases pediatric asthma severity. Strict, state-level tobacco control reduces smoking. The Child Asthma Call-Back Survey (Child ACBS) is a nationally representative survey of the guardians of children with asthma. The American Lung Association's annual State of Tobacco Control report grades tobacco control laws in each state including a tax grade (cigarette excise tax relative to the national mean), and a smoke-free air grade (number of locations where smoking is prohibited). We joined Child ACBS data from 2006 to 2010 with corresponding state and year tobacco grades. In the primary analysis, we investigated the effect of state tax grades on a child's asthma severity by using a logistic regression model adjusting for year. A secondary analysis assessed the impact of smoke-free air grades on in-home smoking. Our analysis included 12 860 Child ACBS interviews from 35 states over 5 years, representing over 24 million individuals. We merged 112 unique State of Tobacco Control grades with patient data by state and year. A higher tax grade was associated with reduced severity (adjusted odds ratio = 1.40; P = .007, 95% confidence interval: 1.10-1.80). A better smoke-free air grade was not associated with decreased in-home smoking after adjusting for confounding by income and type of residence. A stronger tobacco tax is associated with reduced asthma severity. Further study is needed to determine the effect of smoke-free air laws on in-home environmental. This work supports ongoing efforts to strengthen tobacco control through federal and state regulations. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Integrated structural control design of large space structures

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

Allen, J.J.; Lauffer, J.P.

1995-01-01

Active control of structures has been under intensive development for the last ten years. Reference 2 reviews much of the identification and control technology for structural control developed during this time. The technology was initially focused on space structure and weapon applications; however, recently the technology is also being directed toward applications in manufacturing and transportation. Much of this technology focused on multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) identification and control methodology because many of the applications require a coordinated control involving multiple disturbances and control objectives where multiple actuators and sensors are necessary for high performance. There have been many optimal robust controlmore » methods developed for the design of MIMO robust control laws; however, there appears to be a significant gap between the theoretical development and experimental evaluation of control and identification methods to address structural control applications. Many methods have been developed for MIMO identification and control of structures, such as the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA), Q-Markov Covariance Equivalent Realization (Q-Markov COVER) for identification; and, Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG), Frequency Weighted LQG and H-/ii-synthesis methods for control. Upon implementation, many of the identification and control methods have shown limitations such as the excitation of unmodelled dynamics and sensitivity to system parameter variations. As a result, research on methods which address these problems have been conducted.« less

A reactive torque control law for gyroscopically controlled space vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farmer, J. E.

1973-01-01

A method of control is developed based on the reactive torques as seen by the individual CMG gimbals. The application of a torque to the gimbal of a CMG rotates the momentum vector and applies a torque to the spacecraft according to well-known laws. The response (rotation) of the vehicle produces a reverse or reaction torque opposing the torque producing the gimbal movement. The reactive torque and the pseudoinverse control schemes are contrasted in order to point out the simplicity of the first method. Simulation was performed only to the extent necessary to prove that reactive torque stabilization and control is feasible.

Effects of coenzyme Q10 on statin-induced myopathy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Banach, Maciej; Serban, Corina; Sahebkar, Amirhossein; Ursoniu, Sorin; Rysz, Jacek; Muntner, Paul; Toth, Peter P; Jones, Steven R; Rizzo, Manfredi; Glasser, Stephen P; Lip, Gregory Y H; Dragan, Simona; Mikhailidis, Dimitri P

2015-01-01

To evaluate the efficacy of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation on statin-induced myopathy. We searched the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and EMBASE databases (November 1, 1987, to May 1, 2014) to identify randomized controlled trials investigating the impact of CoQ10 on muscle pain and plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity as 2 measures of statin-induced myalgia. Two independent reviewers extracted data on study characteristics, methods, and outcomes. We included 6 studies with 302 patients receiving statin therapy: 5 studies with 226 participants evaluated the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on plasma CK activity, and 5 studies (4 used in the CK analysis and 1 other study) with 253 participants were included to assess the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on muscle pain. Compared with the control group, plasma CK activity was increased after CoQ10 supplementation, but this change was not significant (mean difference, 11.69 U/L [to convert to μkat/L, multiply by 0.0167]; 95% CI, -14.25 to 37.63 U/L; P=.38). Likewise, CoQ10 supplementation had no significant effect on muscle pain despite a trend toward a decrease (standardized mean difference, -0.53; 95% CI, -1.33 to 0.28; P=.20). No dose-effect association between changes in plasma CK activity (slope, -0.001; 95% CI, -0.004 to 0.001; P=.33) or in the indices of muscle pain (slope, 0.002; 95% CI, -0.005 to 0.010; P=.67) and administered doses of CoQ10 were observed. The results of this meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials do not suggest any significant benefit of CoQ10 supplementation in improving statin-induced myopathy. Larger, well-designed trials are necessary to confirm the findings from this meta-analysis. Copyright © 2015 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Three-axis stabilization of spacecraft using parameter-independent nonlinear quaternion feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joshi, Suresh M.; Kelkar, Atul G.

1994-01-01

This paper considers the problem of rigid spacecraft. A nonlinear control law which uses the feedback of the unit quaternion and the measured angular velocities is proposed and is shown to provide global asymptotic stability. The control law does not require the knowledge of the system parameters, and is therefore robust to modeling errors. The significance of the control law is that it can be used for large-angle maneuvers with guaranteed stability.

Ride quality sensitivity to SAS control law and to handling quality variations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, P. A.; Schmidt, D. K.; Swaim, R. L.

1976-01-01

The RQ trends which large flexible aircraft exhibit under various parameterizations of control laws and handling qualities are discussed. A summary of the assumptions and solution technique, a control law parameterization review, a discussion of ride sensitivity to handling qualities, and the RQ effects generated by implementing relaxed static stability configurations are included.

Dependence of SOL widths on plasma parameters in NSTX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Joon-Wook; Maingi, Rajesh; Boedo, Jose; Soukhanovskii, Vlad; Leblanc, Ben; Kaita, Robert

2008-11-01

The dependence of various upstream Scrape-Off Layer (SOL) widths on the line-averaged density (n e), plasma current (Ip), and power into the SOL (PSOL) for H-mode plasmas was investigated, using the mid-plane fast reciprocating probe and Thomson scattering diagnostics, in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). The heat flux width (λq) at the divertor plate, measured by the IR camera, was also measured and compared with the upstream SOL widths. The edge density profile remains fixed during the H-mode, such that the separatrix density is constant even though n e is ramping. Thus λq, λTe, and λne are insensitive to n e. λTe and λjsat have strong negative dependence on Ip, whereas there was only a very weak change in λne when Ip was varied. These empirical results have been compared with scaling laws in the literature. The λTe dependence on Ip is consistent with an H-mode λTe scaling law, while the insensitivity of λne to n e is not consistent with the λne scaling law. Dependence of decay lengths on plasma parameters in a wide range of plasma conditions will be presented. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, contract numbers DE-FG02-03ER54731, DE-AC02-76CH03073, DE-AC05-00OR22725, and DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Optically-controlled extinction ratio and Q-factor tunable silicon microring resonators based on optical forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Yun; Wang, Jian

2014-06-01

Tunability is a desirable property of microring resonators to facilitate superior performance. Using light to control light, we present an alternative simple approach to tuning the extinction ratio (ER) and Q-factor of silicon microring resonators based on optical forces. We design an opto-mechanical tunable silicon microring resonator consisting of an add-drop microring resonator and a control-light-carrying waveguide (``controlling'' waveguide). One of the two bus waveguides of the microring resonator is a deformable nanostring put in parallel with the ``controlling'' waveguide. The tuning mechanism relies on the optical force induced deflection of suspended nanostring, leading to the change of coupling coefficient of microring and resultant tuning of ER and Q-factor. Two possible geometries, i.e. double-clamped nanostring and cantilever nanostring, are studied in detail for comparison. The obtained results imply a favorable structure with the microring positioned at the end of the cantilever nanostring. It features a wide tuning range of ER from 5.6 to 39.9 dB and Q-factor from 309 to 639 as changing the control power from 0 to 1.4 mW.

Vista/F-16 Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring (MATV) control law design and evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zwerneman, W. D.; Eller, B. G.

1994-01-01

For the Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring (MATV) program, a new control law was developed using multi-axis thrust vectoring to augment the aircraft's aerodynamic control power to provide maneuverability above the normal F-16 angle of attack limit. The control law architecture was developed using Lockheed Fort Worth's offline and piloted simulation capabilities. The final flight control laws were used in flight test to demonstrate tactical benefits gained by using thrust vectoring in air-to-air combat. Differences between the simulator aerodynamics data base and the actual aircraft aerodynamics led to significantly different lateral-directional flying qualities during the flight test program than those identified during piloted simulation. A 'dial-a-gain' flight test control law update was performed in the middle of the flight test program. This approach allowed for inflight optimization of the aircraft's flying qualities. While this approach is not preferred over updating the simulator aerodynamic data base and then updating the control laws, the final selected gain set did provide adequate lateral-directional flying qualities over the MATV flight envelope. The resulting handling qualities and the departure resistance of the aircraft allowed the 422nd_squadron pilots to focus entirely on evaluating the aircraft's tactical utility.

Hubble Space Telescope Reduced-Gyro Control Law Design, Implementation, and On-Orbit Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clapp, Brian R.; Ramsey, Patrick R.; Wirzburger, John H.; Smith, Daniel C.; VanArsadall, John C.

2008-01-01

Following gyro failures in April 2001 and April 2003, HST Pointing Control System engineers designed reduced-gyro control laws to extend the spacecraft science mission. The Two-Gyro Science (TGS) and One-Gyro Science (OGS) control laws were designed and implemented using magnetometers, star trackers, and Fine Guidance Sensors in succession to control vehicle rate about the missing gyro axes. Both TGS and OGS have demonstrated on-orbit pointing stability of 7 milli-arcseconds or less, which depends upon the guide star magnitude used by the Fine Guidance Sensor. This paper describes the design, implementation, and on-orbit performance of the TGS and OGS control law fine-pointing modes using Fixed Head Star Trackers and Fine Guidance Sensors, after successfully achieving coarse-pointing control using magnetometers.

Planning Robot-Control Parameters With Qualitative Reasoning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, Stephen F.

1993-01-01

Qualitative-reasoning planning algorithm helps to determine quantitative parameters controlling motion of robot. Algorithm regarded as performing search in multidimensional space of control parameters from starting point to goal region in which desired result of robotic manipulation achieved. Makes use of directed graph representing qualitative physical equations describing task, and interacts, at each sampling period, with history of quantitative control parameters and sensory data, to narrow search for reliable values of quantitative control parameters.

Cancellation control law for lateral-directional dynamics of a supermaneuverable aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snell, Antony

1993-01-01

Cancellation control laws are designed which reduce the high levels of lateral acceleration encountered during aggressive rolling maneuvers executed at high angle of attack. Two independent problem are examined. One is to reduce lateral acceleration at the mass center, while the other focuses on lateral acceleration at the pilot's station, located 7.0 m forward of the mass center. Both of these problems are challenging and somewhat different in their limitations. In each case the design is based on a linearization of the lateral-directional dynamics about a high angle of attack condition. The controllers incorporate dynamic inversion inner loops to provide control of stability-axis roll- and yaw-rates and then employ cancellation filters in both feed-forward and feed-back signal paths. The relative simplicity of the control laws should allow nonlinear generalizations to be devised. Although it is shown that lateral acceleration can be reduced substantially by such control laws, this is at the cost of slowed roll response, poor dutch-roll damping or a combination of the two.

Investigation of control law reconfigurations to accommodate a control element failure on a commercial airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ostroff, A. J.; Hueschen, R. M.

1984-01-01

The ability of a pilot to reconfigure the control surfaces on an airplane after a failure, allowing the airplane to recover to a safe condition, becomes more difficult with increasing airplane complexity. Techniques are needed to stabilize and control the airplane immediately after a failure, allowing the pilot more time to make longer range decisions. This paper presents a baseline design of a discrete multivariable control law using four controls for the longitudinal channel of a B-737. Non-reconfigured and reconfigured control laws are then evaluated, both analytically and by means of a digital airplane simulation, for three individual control element failures (stabilizer, elevator, spoilers). The simulation results are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the control reconfiguration on tracking ability during the approach and landing phase of flight with severe windshear and turbulence disturbing the airplane dynamics.

Power-law rheology controls aftershock triggering and decay

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaoming; Shcherbakov, Robert

2016-01-01

The occurrence of aftershocks is a signature of physical systems exhibiting relaxation phenomena. They are observed in various natural or experimental systems and usually obey several non-trivial empirical laws. Here we consider a cellular automaton realization of a nonlinear viscoelastic slider-block model in order to infer the physical mechanisms of triggering responsible for the occurrence of aftershocks. We show that nonlinear viscoelasticity plays a critical role in the occurrence of aftershocks. The model reproduces several empirical laws describing the statistics of aftershocks. In case of earthquakes, the proposed model suggests that the power-law rheology of the fault gauge, underlying lower crust, and upper mantle controls the decay rate of aftershocks. This is verified by analysing several prominent aftershock sequences for which the rheological properties of the underlying crust and upper mantle were established. PMID:27819355

Comparing Interval Management Control Laws for Steady-State Errors and String Stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weitz, Lesley A.; Swieringa, Kurt A.

2018-01-01

Interval Management (IM) is a future airborne spacing concept that leverages avionics to provide speed guidance to an aircraft to achieve and maintain a specified spacing interval from another aircraft. The design of a speed control law to achieve the spacing goal is a key aspect in the research and development of the IM concept. In this paper, two control laws that are used in much of the contemporary IM research are analyzed and compared to characterize steady-state errors and string stability. Numerical results are used to illustrate how the choice of control laws gains impacts the size of steady-state errors and string performance and the potential trade-offs between those performance characteristics.

Candidate proof mass actuator control laws for the vibration suppression of a frame

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Umland, Jeffrey W.; Inman, Daniel J.

1991-01-01

The vibration of an experimental flexible space truss is controlled with internal control forces produced by several proof mass actuators. Four candidate control law strategies are evaluated in terms of performance and robustness. These control laws are experimentally implemented on a quasi free-free planar truss. Sensor and actuator dynamics are included in the model such that the final closed loop is self-equilibrated. The first two control laws considered are based on direct output feedback and consist of tuning the actuator feedback gains to the lowest mode intended to receive damping. The first method feeds back only the position and velocity of the proof mass relative to the structure; this results in a traditional vibration absorber. The second method includes the same feedback paths as the first plus feedback of the local structural velocity. The third law is designed with robust H infinity control theory. The fourth strategy is an active implementation of a viscous damper, where the actuator is configured to provide a bending moment at two points on the structure. The vibration control system is then evaluated in terms of how it would benefit the space structure's position control system.

A two-parameter family of double-power-law biorthonormal potential-density expansions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lilley, Edward J.; Sanders, Jason L.; Evans, N. Wyn

2018-07-01

We present a two-parameter family of biorthonormal double-power-law potential-density expansions. Both the potential and density are given in a closed analytic form and may be rapidly computed via recurrence relations. We show that this family encompasses all the known analytic biorthonormal expansions: the Zhao expansions (themselves generalizations of ones found earlier by Hernquist & Ostriker and by Clutton-Brock) and the recently discovered Lilley et al. expansion. Our new two-parameter family includes expansions based around many familiar spherical density profiles as zeroth-order models, including the γ models and the Jaffe model. It also contains a basis expansion that reproduces the famous Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile at zeroth order. The new basis expansions have been found via a systematic methodology which has wide applications in finding other new expansions. In the process, we also uncovered a novel integral transform solution to Poisson's equation.

A two-parameter family of double-power-law biorthonormal potential-density expansions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lilley, Edward J.; Sanders, Jason L.; Evans, N. Wyn

2018-05-01

We present a two-parameter family of biorthonormal double-power-law potential-density expansions. Both the potential and density are given in closed analytic form and may be rapidly computed via recurrence relations. We show that this family encompasses all the known analytic biorthonormal expansions: the Zhao expansions (themselves generalizations of ones found earlier by Hernquist & Ostriker and by Clutton-Brock) and the recently discovered Lilley et al. (2017a) expansion. Our new two-parameter family includes expansions based around many familiar spherical density profiles as zeroth-order models, including the γ models and the Jaffe model. It also contains a basis expansion that reproduces the famous Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile at zeroth order. The new basis expansions have been found via a systematic methodology which has wide applications in finding other new expansions. In the process, we also uncovered a novel integral transform solution to Poisson's equation.

A two-parameter family of double-power-law biorthonormal potential-density expansions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lilley, Edward J.; Sanders, Jason L.; Evans, N. Wyn

2018-05-01

We present a two-parameter family of biorthonormal double-power-law potential-density expansions. Both the potential and density are given in closed analytic form and may be rapidly computed via recurrence relations. We show that this family encompasses all the known analytic biorthonormal expansions: the Zhao expansions (themselves generalizations of ones found earlier by Hernquist & Ostriker and by Clutton-Brock) and the recently discovered Lilley et al. (2018b) expansion. Our new two-parameter family includes expansions based around many familiar spherical density profiles as zeroth-order models, including the γ models and the Jaffe model. It also contains a basis expansion that reproduces the famous Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile at zeroth order. The new basis expansions have been found via a systematic methodology which has wide applications in finding other new expansions. In the process, we also uncovered a novel integral transform solution to Poisson's equation.

Hypersonic vehicle control law development using H(infinity) and micron-synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregory, Irene M.; Mcminn, John D.; Shaughnessy, John D.; Chowdhry, Rajiv S.

1993-01-01

Hypersonic vehicle control law development using H(infinity) and mu-synthesis is discussed. Airbreathing SSTO vehicles has a mutli-faceted mission that includes orbital operations, as well as re-entry and descent culminating in horizontal landing. However, the most challenging part of the operations is the ascent to orbit. The airbreathing propulsion requires lengthy atmospheric flight that may last as long as 30 minutes and take the vehicle half way around the globe. The vehicles's ascent is characterized by tight payload to orbit margins which translate into minimum fuel orbit as the performance criteria. Issues discussed include: SSTO airbreathing vehicle issues; control system performance requirements; robust control law framework; H(infinity) controller frequency analysis; and mu controller frequency analysis.

Evaluation of MuSyQ land surface albedo based on LAnd surface Parameters VAlidation System (LAPVAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, B.; Wen, J.; Xinwen, L.; Zhiming, F.; Wu, S.; Zhang, Y.

2016-12-01

satellite derived Land surface albedo is an essential climate variable which controls the earth energy budget and it can be used in applications such as climate change, hydrology, and numerical weather prediction. However, the accuracy and uncertainty of surface albedo products should be evaluated with a reliable reference truth data prior to applications. A new comprehensive and systemic project of china, called the Remote Sensing Application Network (CRSAN), has been launched recent years. Two subjects of this project is developing a Multi-source data Synergized Quantitative Remote Sensin g Production System ( MuSyQ ) and a Web-based validation system named LAnd surface remote sensing Product VAlidation System (LAPVAS) , which aims to generate a quantitative remote sensing product for ecosystem and environmental monitoring and validate them with a reference validation data and a standard validation system, respectively. Land surface BRDF/albedo is one of product datasets of MuSyQ which has a pentad period with 1km spatial resolution and is derived by Multi-sensor Combined BRDF Inversion ( MCBI ) Model. In this MuSyQ albedo evaluation, a multi-validation strategy is implemented by LAPVAS, including directly and multi-scale validation with field measured albedo and cross validation with MODIS albedo product with different land cover. The results reveal that MuSyQ albedo data with a 5-day temporal resolution is in higher sensibility and accuracy during land cover change period, e.g. snowing. But results without regard to snow or changed land cover, MuSyQ albedo generally is in similar accuracy with MODIS albedo and meet the climate modeling requirement of an absolute accuracy of 0.05.

An improved lateral control wheel steering law for the Transport Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ragsdale, W. A.

1992-01-01

A lateral control wheel steering law with improved performance was developed for the Transport Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV) simulation and used in the Microwave Landing System research project. The control law converted rotational hand controller inputs into roll rate commands, manipulated ailerons, spoilers, and the rudder to achieve the desired roll rates. The system included automatic turn coordination, track angle hold, and autopilot/autoland modes. The resulting control law produced faster roll rates (15 degrees/sec), quicker response to command reversals, and safer bank angle limits, while using a more concise program code.

Focus expansion and stability of the spread parameter estimate of the power law model for dispersal gradients

PubMed Central

Gent, David H.; Mehra, Lucky K.; Christie, David; Magarey, Roger

2017-01-01

Empirical and mechanistic modeling indicate that pathogens transmitted via aerially dispersed inoculum follow a power law, resulting in dispersive epidemic waves. The spread parameter (b) of the power law model, which is an indicator of the distance of the epidemic wave front from an initial focus per unit time, has been found to be approximately 2 for several animal and plant diseases over a wide range of spatial scales under conditions favorable for disease spread. Although disease spread and epidemic expansion can be influenced by several factors, the stability of the parameter b over multiple epidemic years has not been determined. Additionally, the size of the initial epidemic area is expected to be strongly related to the final epidemic extent for epidemics, but the stability of this relationship is also not well established. Here, empirical data of cucurbit downy mildew epidemics collected from 2008 to 2014 were analyzed using a spatio-temporal model of disease spread that incorporates logistic growth in time with a power law function for dispersal. Final epidemic extent ranged from 4.16 ×108 km2 in 2012 to 6.44 ×108 km2 in 2009. Current epidemic extent became significantly associated (P < 0.0332; 0.56 < R2 < 0.99) with final epidemic area beginning near the end of April, with the association increasing monotonically to 1.0 by the end of the epidemic season in July. The position of the epidemic wave-front became exponentially more distant with time, and epidemic velocity increased linearly with distance. Slopes from the temporal and spatial regression models varied with about a 2.5-fold range across epidemic years. Estimates of b varied substantially ranging from 1.51 to 4.16 across epidemic years. We observed a significant b ×time (or distance) interaction (P < 0.05) for epidemic years where data were well described by the power law model. These results suggest that the spread parameter b may not be stable over multiple epidemic years. However, b

Spacecraft flight control with the new phase space control law and optimal linear jet select

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bergmann, E. V.; Croopnick, S. R.; Turkovich, J. J.; Work, C. C.

1977-01-01

An autopilot designed for rotation and translation control of a rigid spacecraft is described. The autopilot uses reaction control jets as control effectors and incorporates a six-dimensional phase space control law as well as a linear programming algorithm for jet selection. The interaction of the control law and jet selection was investigated and a recommended configuration proposed. By means of a simulation procedure the new autopilot was compared with an existing system and was found to be superior in terms of core memory, central processing unit time, firings, and propellant consumption. But it is thought that the cycle time required to perform the jet selection computations might render the new autopilot unsuitable for existing flight computer applications, without modifications. The new autopilot is capable of maintaining attitude control in the presence of a large number of jet failures.

A method for obtaining reduced-order control laws for high-order systems using optimization techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, V.; Newsom, J. R.; Abel, I.

1981-01-01

A method of synthesizing reduced-order optimal feedback control laws for a high-order system is developed. A nonlinear programming algorithm is employed to search for the control law design variables that minimize a performance index defined by a weighted sum of mean-square steady-state responses and control inputs. An analogy with the linear quadractic Gaussian solution is utilized to select a set of design variables and their initial values. To improve the stability margins of the system, an input-noise adjustment procedure is used in the design algorithm. The method is applied to the synthesis of an active flutter-suppression control law for a wind tunnel model of an aeroelastic wing. The reduced-order controller is compared with the corresponding full-order controller and found to provide nearly optimal performance. The performance of the present method appeared to be superior to that of two other control law order-reduction methods. It is concluded that by using the present algorithm, nearly optimal low-order control laws with good stability margins can be synthesized.

The effect of parental involvement laws on teen birth control use.

PubMed

Sabia, Joseph J; Anderson, D Mark

2016-01-01

In Volume 32, Issue 5 of this journal, Colman, Dee, and Joyce (CDJ) used data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (NYRBS) and found that parental involvement (PI) laws had no effect on the probability that minors abstain from sex or use contraception. We re-examine this question, augmenting the NYRBS with data from the State Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (SYRBS), and use a variety of identification strategies to control for state-level time-varying unmeasured heterogeneity. Consistent with CDJ, we find that PI laws have no effect on minor teen females' abstinence decisions. However, when we exploit additional state policy variation unavailable to CDJ and use non-minor teens as a within-state control group, we find evidence to suggest that PI laws are associated with an increase in the probability that sexually active minor teen females use birth control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On representations of U{sub q}osp(1{vert_bar}2) when q is a root of unity

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

Chung, W.; Suzuki, T.

1997-06-01

The infinite dimensional highest weight representations of U{sub q}osp(1{vert_bar}2) for the deformation parameter q being a root of unity are investigated. As in the cases of q-deformed nongraded Lie algebras, we find that every irreducible representation is isomorphic to the tensor product of a highest weight representation of sl{sub 2}(R) and a finite dimensional one of U{sub q}osp(1{vert_bar}2). The structure is investigated in detail. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

Linear Parameter Varying Control Synthesis for Actuator Failure, Based on Estimated Parameter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, Jong-Yeob; Wu, N. Eva; Belcastro, Christine

2002-01-01

The design of a linear parameter varying (LPV) controller for an aircraft at actuator failure cases is presented. The controller synthesis for actuator failure cases is formulated into linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimizations based on an estimated failure parameter with pre-defined estimation error bounds. The inherent conservatism of an LPV control synthesis methodology is reduced using a scaling factor on the uncertainty block which represents estimated parameter uncertainties. The fault parameter is estimated using the two-stage Kalman filter. The simulation results of the designed LPV controller for a HiMXT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) vehicle with the on-line estimator show that the desired performance and robustness objectives are achieved for actuator failure cases.

Supersymmetric Q-balls: A numerical study

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

Campanelli, L.; INFN--Sezione di Ferrara, I-44100 Ferrara; Ruggieri, M.

2008-02-15

We study numerically a class of nontopological solitons, the Q-balls, arising in a supersymmetric extension of the standard model with low-energy, gauge-mediated symmetry breaking. Taking into account the exact form of the supersymmetric potential giving rise to Q-balls, we find that there is a lower limit on the value of the charge Q in order to make them classically stable: Q > or approx. 5x10{sup 2}Q{sub cr}, where Q{sub cr} is constant depending on the parameters defining the potential and can be in the range 1 < or approx. Q{sub cr} < or approx. 10{sup 8} {sup divide} {sup 16}.more » If Q is the baryon number, stability with respect to the decay into protons requires Q > or approx. 10{sup 17}Q{sub cr}, while if the gravitino mass is greater then m{sub 3/2} > or approx. 61 MeV, no stable gauge-mediation supersymmetric Q-balls exist. Finally, we find that energy and radius of Q-balls can be parametrized as E{approx}{xi}{sub E}Q{sup 3/4} and R{approx}{xi}{sub R}Q{sup 1/4}, where {xi}{sub E} and {xi}{sub R} are slowly varying functions of the charge.« less

Development of ADOCS controllers and control laws. Volume 3: Simulation results and recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Kenneth H.; Glusman, Steven I.

1985-01-01

The Advanced Cockpit Controls/Advanced Flight Control System (ACC/AFCS) study was conducted by the Boeing Vertol Company as part of the Army's Advanced Digital/Optical Control System (ADOCS) program. Specifically, the ACC/AFCS investigation was aimed at developing the flight control laws for the ADOCS demonstator aircraft which will provide satisfactory handling qualities for an attack helicopter mission. The three major elements of design considered are as follows: Pilot's integrated Side-Stick Controller (SSC) -- Number of axes controlled; force/displacement characteristics; ergonomic design. Stability and Control Augmentation System (SCAS)--Digital flight control laws for the various mission phases; SCAS mode switching logic. Pilot's Displays--For night/adverse weather conditions, the dynamics of the superimposed symbology presented to the pilot in a format similar to the Advanced Attack Helicopter (AAH) Pilot Night Vision System (PNVS) for each mission phase is a function of SCAS characteristics; display mode switching logic. Results of the five piloted simulations conducted at the Boeing Vertol and NASA-Ames simulation facilities are presented in Volume 3. Conclusions drawn from analysis of pilot rating data and commentary were used to formulate recommendations for the ADOCS demonstrator flight control system design. The ACC/AFCS simulation data also provide an extensive data base to aid the development of advanced flight control system design for future V/STOL aircraft.

Triply heavy Q Q Q ¯ q ¯ tetraquark states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Jin-Feng; Chen, Wei; Zhu, Shi-Lin

2017-11-01

Within the framework of QCD sum rules, we have investigated the tetraquark states with three heavy quarks. We systematically construct the interpolating currents for the possible c c c ¯ q ¯ , c c b ¯q ¯, b c b ¯q ¯, b b b ¯q ¯ tetraquark states with quantum numbers JP=0+ and JP=1+. Using these interpolating currents, we have calculated the two-point correlation functions and extracted the mass spectra for the above tetraquark states. We also discuss the decay patterns of these tetraquarks, and notice that the c c c ¯q ¯, c c b ¯q ¯, b c b ¯q ¯ may decay quickly with a narrow width due to their mass spectra. The b b b ¯q ¯ tetraquarks are expected to be very narrow resonances since their OZI (Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka)-allowed decay modes are kinematically forbidden. These states may be searched for in the final states with a B meson plus a light meson or photon.

Youth Attitudes towards Tobacco Control Laws: The Influence of Smoking Status and Grade in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Terrinieka T.; Jason, Leonard A.; Pokorny, Steven B.

2008-01-01

This study examined adolescent attitudes towards tobacco control laws. An exploratory factor analysis, using surveys from over 9,000 students, identified the following three factors: (1) youth attitudes towards the efficacy of tobacco control laws, (2) youth attitudes towards tobacco possession laws and (3) youth attitudes towards tobacco sales…

Control law synthesis and optimization software for large order aeroservoelastic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, V.; Pototzky, A.; Noll, Thomas

1989-01-01

A flexible aircraft or space structure with active control is typically modeled by a large-order state space system of equations in order to accurately represent the rigid and flexible body modes, unsteady aerodynamic forces, actuator dynamics and gust spectra. The control law of this multi-input/multi-output (MIMO) system is expected to satisfy multiple design requirements on the dynamic loads, responses, actuator deflection and rate limitations, as well as maintain certain stability margins, yet should be simple enough to be implemented on an onboard digital microprocessor. A software package for performing an analog or digital control law synthesis for such a system, using optimal control theory and constrained optimization techniques is described.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of coenzyme Q10 in Huntington disease.

PubMed

McGarry, Andrew; McDermott, Michael; Kieburtz, Karl; de Blieck, Elisabeth A; Beal, Flint; Marder, Karen; Ross, Christopher; Shoulson, Ira; Gilbert, Peter; Mallonee, William M; Guttman, Mark; Wojcieszek, Joanne; Kumar, Rajeev; LeDoux, Mark S; Jenkins, Mary; Rosas, H Diana; Nance, Martha; Biglan, Kevin; Como, Peter; Dubinsky, Richard M; Shannon, Kathleen M; O'Suilleabhain, Padraig; Chou, Kelvin; Walker, Francis; Martin, Wayne; Wheelock, Vicki L; McCusker, Elizabeth; Jankovic, Joseph; Singer, Carlos; Sanchez-Ramos, Juan; Scott, Burton; Suchowersky, Oksana; Factor, Stewart A; Higgins, Donald S; Molho, Eric; Revilla, Fredy; Caviness, John N; Friedman, Joseph H; Perlmutter, Joel S; Feigin, Andrew; Anderson, Karen; Rodriguez, Ramon; McFarland, Nikolaus R; Margolis, Russell L; Farbman, Eric S; Raymond, Lynn A; Suski, Valerie; Kostyk, Sandra; Colcher, Amy; Seeberger, Lauren; Epping, Eric; Esmail, Sherali; Diaz, Nancy; Fung, Wai Lun Alan; Diamond, Alan; Frank, Samuel; Hanna, Philip; Hermanowicz, Neal; Dure, Leon S; Cudkowicz, Merit

2017-01-10

To test the hypothesis that chronic treatment of early-stage Huntington disease (HD) with high-dose coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) will slow the progressive functional decline of HD. We performed a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients with early-stage HD (n = 609) were enrolled at 48 sites in the United States, Canada, and Australia from 2008 to 2012. Patients were randomized to receive either CoQ 2,400 mg/d or matching placebo, then followed for 60 months. The primary outcome variable was the change from baseline to month 60 in Total Functional Capacity score (for patients who survived) combined with time to death (for patients who died) analyzed using a joint-rank analysis approach. An interim analysis for futility revealed a conditional power of <5% for the primary analysis, prompting premature conclusion in July 2014. No statistically significant differences were seen between treatment groups for the primary or secondary outcome measures. CoQ was generally safe and well-tolerated throughout the study. These data do not justify use of CoQ as a treatment to slow functional decline in HD. NCT00608881. This article provides Class I evidence that CoQ does not slow the progressive functional decline of patients with HD. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

Synthesis and implementation of state-trajectory control law for dc-to-dc converters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, W. W., III; Huffman, S. D.; Wilson, T. G.; Owen, H. A., Jr.

1977-01-01

Mathematical representations of a state-plane switching boundary employed in a state-trajectory control law for dc-to-dc converters are derived. Two approaches to implementing the control law are discussed; one approach employs a digital processor and the other uses analog computational circuits. Performance characteristics of experimental voltage step-up dc-to-dc converters operating under the control of each of these implementations are presented.

Simple robust control laws for robot manipulators. Part 1: Non-adaptive case

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wen, J. T.; Bayard, D. S.

1987-01-01

A new class of exponentially stabilizing control laws for joint level control of robot arms is introduced. It has been recently recognized that the nonlinear dynamics associated with robotic manipulators have certain inherent passivity properties. More specifically, the derivation of the robotic dynamic equations from the Hamilton's principle gives rise to natural Lyapunov functions for control design based on total energy considerations. Through a slight modification of the energy Lyapunov function and the use of a convenient lemma to handle third order terms in the Lyapunov function derivatives, closed loop exponential stability for both the set point and tracking control problem is demonstrated. The exponential convergence property also leads to robustness with respect to frictions, bounded modeling errors and instrument noise. In one new design, the nonlinear terms are decoupled from real-time measurements which completely removes the requirement for on-line computation of nonlinear terms in the controller implementation. In general, the new class of control laws offers alternatives to the more conventional computed torque method, providing tradeoffs between robustness, computation and convergence properties. Furthermore, these control laws have the unique feature that they can be adapted in a very simple fashion to achieve asymptotically stable adaptive control.

New approaches for the standardization and validation of a real-time qPCR assay using TaqMan probes for quantification of yellow fever virus on clinical samples with high quality parameters.

PubMed

Fernandes-Monteiro, Alice G; Trindade, Gisela F; Yamamura, Anna M Y; Moreira, Otacilio C; de Paula, Vanessa S; Duarte, Ana Cláudia M; Britto, Constança; Lima, Sheila Maria B

2015-01-01

The development and production of viral vaccines, in general, involve several steps that need the monitoring of viral load throughout the entire process. Applying a 2-step quantitative reverse transcription real time PCR assay (RT-qPCR), viral load can be measured and monitored in a few hours. In this context, the development, standardization and validation of a RT-qPCR test to quickly and efficiently quantify yellow fever virus (YFV) in all stages of vaccine production are extremely important. To serve this purpose we used a plasmid construction containing the NS5 region from 17DD YFV to generate the standard curve and to evaluate parameters such as linearity, precision and specificity against other flavivirus. Furthermore, we defined the limits of detection as 25 copies/reaction, and quantification as 100 copies/reaction for the test. To ensure the quality of the method, reference controls were established in order to avoid false negative results. The qRT-PCR technique based on the use of TaqMan probes herein standardized proved to be effective for determining yellow fever viral load both in vivo and in vitro, thus becoming a very important tool to assure the quality control for vaccine production and evaluation of viremia after vaccination or YF disease.

New approaches for the standardization and validation of a real-time qPCR assay using TaqMan probes for quantification of yellow fever virus on clinical samples with high quality parameters

PubMed Central

Fernandes-Monteiro, Alice G; Trindade, Gisela F; Yamamura, Anna MY; Moreira, Otacilio C; de Paula, Vanessa S; Duarte, Ana Cláudia M; Britto, Constança; Lima, Sheila Maria B

2015-01-01

The development and production of viral vaccines, in general, involve several steps that need the monitoring of viral load throughout the entire process. Applying a 2-step quantitative reverse transcription real time PCR assay (RT-qPCR), viral load can be measured and monitored in a few hours. In this context, the development, standardization and validation of a RT-qPCR test to quickly and efficiently quantify yellow fever virus (YFV) in all stages of vaccine production are extremely important. To serve this purpose we used a plasmid construction containing the NS5 region from 17DD YFV to generate the standard curve and to evaluate parameters such as linearity, precision and specificity against other flavivirus. Furthermore, we defined the limits of detection as 25 copies/reaction, and quantification as 100 copies/reaction for the test. To ensure the quality of the method, reference controls were established in order to avoid false negative results. The qRT-PCR technique based on the use of TaqMan probes herein standardized proved to be effective for determining yellow fever viral load both in vivo and in vitro, thus becoming a very important tool to assure the quality control for vaccine production and evaluation of viremia after vaccination or YF disease. PMID:26011746

Experimental Study of Temperature-Dependence Laws of Non-Voigt Absorption Line Shape Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilzewski, Jonas; Birk, Manfred; Loos, Joep; Wagner, Georg

2017-06-01

To improve the understanding of temperature-dependence laws of spectral line shape parameters, spectra of the ν_3 rovibrational band of CO_2 perturbed by 10, 30, 100, 300 and 1000 mbar of N_2 were measured at nine temperatures between 190 K and 330 K using a 22 cm long single-pass absorption cell in a Bruker IFS125 HR Fourier Transform spectrometer. The spectra were fitted employing a quadratic speed-dependent hard collision model in the Hartmann-Tran implementation extended to account for line mixing in the Rosenkranz approximation by means of a multispectrum fitting approach developed at DLR This enables high accuracy parameter retrievals to reproduce the spectra down to noise level and we will present the behavior of line widths, shifts, speed-dependence-, collisional narrowing- and line mixing-parameters over this 140 K temperature range. Tran et al. JQSRT 129, 199-203 (2013); JQSRT 134, 104 (2014). Loos et al., 2014; http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11156. Ngo et al. JQSRT 29, 89-100 (2013); JQSRT 134, 105 (2014).

Progress in multirate digital control system design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Martin C.; Mason, Gregory S.

1991-01-01

A new methodology for multirate sampled-data control design based on a new generalized control law structure, two new parameter-optimization-based control law synthesis methods, and a new singular-value-based robustness analysis method are described. The control law structure can represent multirate sampled-data control laws of arbitrary structure and dynamic order, with arbitrarily prescribed sampling rates for all sensors and update rates for all processor states and actuators. The two control law synthesis methods employ numerical optimization to determine values for the control law parameters. The robustness analysis method is based on the multivariable Nyquist criterion applied to the loop transfer function for the sampling period equal to the period of repetition of the system's complete sampling/update schedule. The complete methodology is demonstrated by application to the design of a combination yaw damper and modal suppression system for a commercial aircraft.

Controlling Underage Drinking: Fear of Law Enforcement or Internalized Normative Values?

PubMed

Cook, Won Kim

2013-11-22

Previous research on alcohol control policies has generally taken a deterrence perspective. Whether internalized normative values, consistent with the changes intended by alcohol policies, were a potential base for securing public compliance with them has received little research attention. To fill this gap, this study examined whether underage young adults' support for underage drinking laws was associated with their alcohol use. National Alcohol Surveys (NAS) data collected in 1995-2005 were used. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Covariates included: sex, race, education level, household income, positive alcohol expectancies, the perceived likelihood of law enforcement, and the availability and affordability of alcohol. Controlling for other covariates, support for underage drinking laws was significantly associated with some drinking outcomes. Underage young adults who were not supportive of the minimum legal drinking age law were more likely to engage in frequent binge drinking (OR=3.08) and drinking driving (OR=4.17), and to have initiated drinking at age 16 or younger (OR=2.37). Those who indicated a lower degree of support for the zero-tolerance drunk driving law had higher odds of drinking driving (OR=4.36), as well as higher odds of having ever had alcohol (OR=5.46), current drinking (OR=5.36), and having initiated drinking at the age of 16 or younger (OR=3.09). The perceived likelihood of law enforcement was protective only from frequent binge drinking (OR=0.09). A clear articulation of potential harms associated with underage drinking to help legitimize underage drinking laws, along with their rigorous enforcement, may help reduce underage drinking.

Identifiability of altimetry-based rating curve parameters in function of river morphological parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paris, Adrien; André Garambois, Pierre; Calmant, Stéphane; Paiva, Rodrigo; Walter, Collischonn; Santos da Silva, Joecila; Medeiros Moreira, Daniel; Bonnet, Marie-Paule; Seyler, Frédérique; Monnier, Jérôme

2016-04-01

Estimating river discharge for ungauged river reaches from satellite measurements is not straightforward given the nonlinearity of flow behavior with respect to measurable and non measurable hydraulic parameters. As a matter of facts, current satellite datasets do not give access to key parameters such as river bed topography and roughness. A unique set of almost one thousand altimetry-based rating curves was built by fit of ENVISAT and Jason-2 water stages with discharges obtained from the MGB-IPH rainfall-runoff model in the Amazon basin. These rated discharges were successfully validated towards simulated discharges (Ens = 0.70) and in-situ discharges (Ens = 0.71) and are not mission-dependent. The rating curve writes Q = a(Z-Z0)b*sqrt(S), with Z the water surface elevation and S its slope gained from satellite altimetry, a and b power law coefficient and exponent and Z0 the river bed elevation such as Q(Z0) = 0. For several river reaches in the Amazon basin where ADCP measurements are available, the Z0 values are fairly well validated with a relative error lower than 10%. The present contribution aims at relating the identifiability and the physical meaning of a, b and Z0given various hydraulic and geomorphologic conditions. Synthetic river bathymetries sampling a wide range of rivers and inflow discharges are used to perform twin experiments. A shallow water model is run for generating synthetic satellite observations, and then rating curve parameters are determined for each river section thanks to a MCMC algorithm. Thanks to twin experiments, it is shown that rating curve formulation with water surface slope, i.e. closer from Manning equation form, improves parameter identifiability. The compensation between parameters is limited, especially for reaches with little water surface variability. Rating curve parameters are analyzed for riffle and pools for small to large rivers, different river slopes and cross section shapes. It is shown that the river bed

Discrimination and identification of Q-markers based on 'Spider-web' mode for quality control of traditional Chinese medicine.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhenzuo; Yang, Jing; Wang, Yuefei

2017-12-28

The safety and effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in clinical practice is directly related to the quality of TCM. And, the quality control of TCM is a pivotal issue to the quality of TCM, but also an obstacle impeding the modernization of TCM. The purpose of this work is to compile and develop a strategy based on discrimination and identification of quality markers (Q-markers) for quality control of TCM. Mainly established by seven variables derived from four dimensions including content, stability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacology, the 'Spider-web' mode was undertaken to assess the Q-marker property of candidate compounds originated from TCM by taking regression area (A) and coefficient variation (CV) of the tested compounds into account. The importance index (ImI), ImI = A × 1/CV, was suggested to focus Q-markers. The compounds with larger regression area (A) and less coefficient variation (CV) are preferentially adopted as Q-markers, which should possess the satisfactory properties of content, stability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacological activity. To the contrary, the compounds are excluded on the grounds of the unsatisfactory Q-markers' property, less regression area (A) and larger coefficient variation (CV), which cannot represent the quality of TCM. The 'Spider-web' mode can filter out the redundant constituents and focus on the key indexes of quality control - Q-markers. The screened Q-markers possess the optimal integrated properties of content, stability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacology among the numerous and complicated ingredients of TCM, which can comprehensively characterize inherent quality of TCM. In summary, the novel strategy established in this work provides a valuable perspective for the quality control of TCM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The production of coenzyme Q10 in microorganisms.

PubMed

Cluis, Corinne P; Pinel, Dominic; Martin, Vincent J

2012-01-01

Coenzyme Q10 has emerged as a valuable molecule for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. Therefore, research into producing and optimizing coenzyme Q10 via microbial fermentation is ongoing. There are two major paths being explored for maximizing production of this molecule to commercially advantageous levels. The first entails using microbes that naturally produce coenzyme Q10 as fermentation biocatalysts and optimizing the fermentation parameters in order to reach industrial levels of production. However, the natural coenzyme Q10-producing microbes tend to be intractable for industrial fermentation settings. The second path to coenzyme Q10 production being explored is to engineer Escherichia coli with the ability to biosynthesize this molecule in order to take advantage of its more favourable fermentation characteristics and the well-understood array of genetic tools available for this bacteria. Although many studies have attempted to over-produce coenzyme Q10 in E. coli through genetic engineering, production titres still remain below those of the natural coenzyme Q10-producing microorganisms. Current research is providing the knowledge needed to alleviate the bottlenecks involved in producing coenzyme Q10 from an E. coli strain platform and the fermentation parameters that could dramatically increase production titres from natural microbial producers. Synthesizing the lessons learned from both approaches may be the key towards a more cost-effective coenzyme Q10 industry.

Excitations for Rapidly Estimating Flight-Control Parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moes, Tim; Smith, Mark; Morelli, Gene

2006-01-01

A flight test on an F-15 airplane was performed to evaluate the utility of prescribed simultaneous independent surface excitations (PreSISE) for real-time estimation of flight-control parameters, including stability and control derivatives. The ability to extract these derivatives in nearly real time is needed to support flight demonstration of intelligent flight-control system (IFCS) concepts under development at NASA, in academia, and in industry. Traditionally, flight maneuvers have been designed and executed to obtain estimates of stability and control derivatives by use of a post-flight analysis technique. For an IFCS, it is required to be able to modify control laws in real time for an aircraft that has been damaged in flight (because of combat, weather, or a system failure). The flight test included PreSISE maneuvers, during which all desired control surfaces are excited simultaneously, but at different frequencies, resulting in aircraft motions about all coordinate axes. The objectives of the test were to obtain data for post-flight analysis and to perform the analysis to determine: 1) The accuracy of derivatives estimated by use of PreSISE, 2) The required durations of PreSISE inputs, and 3) The minimum required magnitudes of PreSISE inputs. The PreSISE inputs in the flight test consisted of stacked sine-wave excitations at various frequencies, including symmetric and differential excitations of canard and stabilator control surfaces and excitations of aileron and rudder control surfaces of a highly modified F-15 airplane. Small, medium, and large excitations were tested in 15-second maneuvers at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds. Typical excitations are shown in Figure 1. Flight-test data were analyzed by use of pEst, which is an industry-standard output-error technique developed by Dryden Flight Research Center. Data were also analyzed by use of Fourier-transform regression (FTR), which was developed for onboard, real-time estimation of the

Model reference adaptive control (MRAC)-based parameter identification applied to surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Chongquan; Lin, Yaoyao

2017-11-01

In this work, a model reference adaptive control-based estimated algorithm is proposed for online multi-parameter identification of surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous machines. By taking the dq-axis equations of a practical motor as the reference model and the dq-axis estimation equations as the adjustable model, a standard model-reference-adaptive-system-based estimator was established. Additionally, the Popov hyperstability principle was used in the design of the adaptive law to guarantee accurate convergence. In order to reduce the oscillation of identification result, this work introduces a first-order low-pass digital filter to improve precision regarding the parameter estimation. The proposed scheme was then applied to an SPM synchronous motor control system without any additional circuits and implemented using a DSP TMS320LF2812. For analysis, the experimental results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Reduction of coenzyme q10 content: a possible effect of isoproterenol on heart failure and myocardial infarction in rat.

PubMed

Khorrami, A; Garjani, A; Ghanbarzadeh, S; Andalib, S

2014-04-01

Myocardial infarction (MI) was induced by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (ISO) to investigate the effect of ISO on Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) content of myocardium and subsequent effects on lipid peroxidation, electrocardiogram pattern and hemodynamic parameters of the rat's heart.36 male Wistar rats were divided randomly into 6 groups. To induce heart failure (HF) and MI, 10 and 100 mg/kg of ISO was administered subcutaneously for 10 and 2 consecutive days, respectively. The effects of ISO on myocardium CoQ10 content, concentration of malondialdehyde, ECG pattern and hemodynamic parameters of heart were analyzed.ISO-treated rats showed significant alteration in heart hemodynamic parameters such as reduction of left-ventricular systolic pressure, maximum and minimum rate of developed left ventricular pressure, besides increase of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. Significant depletion of heart CoQ10 content (from 4.57 and 4.55 µg/100 mg tissue in control groups to 2.85 and 2.89 µg/100 mg tissue in ISO-induced HF and MI groups respectively) and increase in tissue levels of malondialdehyde (47.1 and 53.8 nmol/100 mg tissue in ISO-induced HF and MI groups, respectively) were also observed in ISO-treated animals compared with the normal animals (17.4 and 18.8 nmol/100 mg tissue in control groups, respectively). Additionally CoQ10 improved ISO effects on hemodynamic parameters and ECG pattern in ISO-induced HF and myocardial injury.The present findings have demonstrated that the cardiotoxic effects of ISO such as oxidative damage and hemodynamic declination might be related to depletion of CoQ10 concentration. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Adaptive vibration suppression system: an iterative control law for a piezoelectric actuator shunted by a negative capacitor.

PubMed

Kodejska, Milos; Mokry, Pavel; Linhart, Vaclav; Vaclavik, Jan; Sluka, Tomas

2012-12-01

An adaptive system for the suppression of vibration transmission using a single piezoelectric actuator shunted by a negative capacitance circuit is presented. It is known that by using a negative-capacitance shunt, the spring constant of a piezoelectric actuator can be controlled to extreme values of zero or infinity. Because the value of spring constant controls a force transmitted through an elastic element, it is possible to achieve a reduction of transmissibility of vibrations through the use of a piezoelectric actuator by reducing its effective spring constant. Narrow frequency range and broad frequency range vibration isolation systems are analyzed, modeled, and experimentally investigated. The problem of high sensitivity of the vibration control system to varying operational conditions is resolved by applying an adaptive control to the circuit parameters of the negative capacitor. A control law that is based on the estimation of the value of the effective spring constant of a shunted piezoelectric actuator is presented. An adaptive system which achieves a self-adjustment of the negative capacitor parameters is presented. It is shown that such an arrangement allows the design of a simple electronic system which offers a great vibration isolation efficiency under variable vibration conditions.

Electro-optic Q-switch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zou, Yingyin (Inventor); Chen, Qiushui (Inventor); Zhang, Run (Inventor); Jiang, Hua (Inventor)

2006-01-01

An electro-optic Q-switch for generating sequence of laser pulses was disclosed. The Q-switch comprises a quadratic electro-optic material and is connected with an electronic unit generating a radio frequency wave with positive and negative pulses alternatively. The Q-switch is controlled by the radio frequency wave in such a way that laser pulse is generated when the radio frequency wave changes its polarity.

Photo-Double Ionization: Threshold Law and Low-Energy Behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatia, A. K.; Temkin, A.

2007-01-01

The threshold law for photoejection of two electrons from atoms (PDI) is derived from a modification of the Coulomb-dipole (C-D) theory. The C-D theory applies to two-electron ejection from negative ions (photo-double detachment:PDD). The modification consists of correctly accounting for the fact that in PDI that the two escaping electrons see a Coulomb field, asymptotically no matter what their relative distances from the residual ion are. We find in the contralinear spherically symmetric model that the analytic threshold law Q(E), i.e. the yield of residual ions, to be Q Integral of (E) varies as E + (C(sub w) E(sup gamma W)) +CE(sup 5/4) sin [1/2 ln E + phi]/ln(E). The first and third terms are beyond the Wannier law. Our threshold law can only be rigorously justified for residual energies <= 10(exp -3) eV. Nevertheless in the present experimental range (0.1 - 4 eV), the form, even without the second term, can be fitted to experimental results of PDI for He, Li, and Be, in contrast to the Wannier law which has a larger deviation from the data for Li and Be.

Steering Law Controlling the Constant Speeds of Control Moment Gyros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KOYASAKO, Y.; TAKAHASHI, M.

2016-09-01

To enable the agile control of satellites, using control moment gyros (CMGs) has become increasingly necessary because of their ability to generate large amounts of torque. However, CMGs have a singularity problem whereby the torque by the CMGs degenerates from three dimensions to two dimensions, affecting spacecraft attitude control performance. This study proposes a new steering control law for CMGs by controlling the constant speed of a CMG. The proposed method enables agile attitude changes, according to the required task, by managing the total angular momentum of the CMGs by considering the distance to external singularities. In the proposed method, the total angular momentum is biased in a specific direction and the angular momentum envelope is extended. The design method can increase the net angular momentum of CMGs which can be exchanged with the satellite. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by numerical simulations.

Does Mckuer's Law Hold for Heart Rate Control via Biofeedback Display?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Courter, B. J.; Jex, H. R.

1984-01-01

Some persons can control their pulse rate with the aid of a biofeedback display. If the biofeedback display is modified to show the error between a command pulse-rate and the measured rate, a compensatory (error correcting) heart rate tracking control loop can be created. The dynamic response characteristics of this control loop when subjected to step and quasi-random disturbances were measured. The control loop includes a beat-to-beat cardiotachmeter differenced with a forcing function from a quasi-random input generator; the resulting error pulse-rate is displayed as feedback. The subject acts to null the displayed pulse-rate error, thereby closing a compensatory control loop. McRuer's Law should hold for this case. A few subjects already skilled in voluntary pulse-rate control were tested for heart-rate control response. Control-law properties are derived, such as: crossover frequency, stability margins, and closed-loop bandwidth. These are evaluated for a range of forcing functions and for step as well as random disturbances.

Transonic Flutter Suppression Control Law Design Using Classical and Optimal Techniques with Wind-Tunnel Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

1999-01-01

The benchmark active controls technology and wind tunnel test program at NASA Langley Research Center was started with the objective to investigate the nonlinear, unsteady aerodynamics and active flutter suppression of wings in transonic flow. The paper will present the flutter suppression control law design process, numerical nonlinear simulation and wind tunnel test results for the NACA 0012 benchmark active control wing model. The flutter suppression control law design processes using (1) classical, (2) linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG), and (3) minimax techniques are described. A unified general formulation and solution for the LQG and minimax approaches, based on the steady state differential game theory is presented. Design considerations for improving the control law robustness and digital implementation are outlined. It was shown that simple control laws when properly designed based on physical principles, can suppress flutter with limited control power even in the presence of transonic shocks and flow separation. In wind tunnel tests in air and heavy gas medium, the closed-loop flutter dynamic pressure was increased to the tunnel upper limit of 200 psf. The control law robustness and performance predictions were verified in highly nonlinear flow conditions, gain and phase perturbations, and spoiler deployment. A non-design plunge instability condition was also successfully suppressed.

Temperature-dependence laws of absorption line shape parameters of the CO2 ν3 band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilzewski, J. S.; Birk, M.; Loos, J.; Wagner, G.

2018-02-01

To improve the understanding of temperature-dependence laws of spectral line shape parameters, spectra of the ν3 rovibrational band of CO2 perturbed by 10, 30, 100, 300 and 1000 mbar of N2 were recorded at nine temperatures between 190 K and 330 K using a 22 cm long single-pass absorption cell in a Bruker IFS125 HR Fourier Transform spectrometer. The spectra were fitted employing a quadratic speed-dependent hard collision model in the Hartmann-Tran implementation extended to account for line mixing in the Rosenkranz approximation by means of a multispectrum fitting approach developed at DLR. This enables high accuracy parameter retrievals to reproduce the spectra down to noise level and we present the behavior of line widths, shifts, speed-dependence-, collisional narrowing- and line mixing-parameters over this 140 K temperature range.

Flutter suppression digital control law design and testing for the AFW wind tunnel model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

1994-01-01

The design of a control law for simultaneously suppressing the symmetric and antisymmetric flutter modes of a sting mounted fixed-in-roll aeroelastic wind-tunnel model is described. The flutter suppression control law was designed using linear quadratic Gaussian theory, and it also involved control law order reduction, a gain root-locus study, and use of previous experimental results. A 23 percent increase in the open-loop flutter dynamic pressure was demonstrated during the wind-tunnel test. Rapid roll maneuvers at 11 percent above the symmetric flutter boundary were also performed when the model was in a free-to-roll configuration.

Flutter suppression digital control law design and testing for the AFW wind-tunnel model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

1992-01-01

Design of a control law for simultaneously suppressing the symmetric and antisymmetric flutter modes of a string mounted fixed-in-roll aeroelastic wind tunnel model is described. The flutter suppression control law was designed using linear quadratic Gaussian theory and involved control law order reduction, a gain root-locus study, and the use of previous experimental results. A 23 percent increase in open-loop flutter dynamic pressure was demonstrated during the wind tunnel test. Rapid roll maneuvers at 11 percent above the symmetric flutter boundary were also performed when the model was in a free-to-roll configuration.

Flutter suppression digital control law design and testing for the AFW wind tunnel model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

1992-01-01

Design of a control law for simultaneously suppressing the symmetric and antisymmetric flutter modes of a sting mounted fixed-in-roll aeroelastic wind tunnel model is described. The flutter suppression control law was designed using linear quadratic Gaussian theory, and involved control law order reduction, a gain root-locus study and use of previous experimental results. A 23 percent increase in the open-loop flutter dynamic pressure was demonstrated during the wind tunnel test. Rapid roll maneuvers at 11 percent above the symmetric flutter boundary were also performed when the model was in a free-to-roll configuration.

Controlling Underage Drinking: Fear of Law Enforcement or Internalized Normative Values?

PubMed Central

Cook, Won Kim

2014-01-01

Background Previous research on alcohol control policies has generally taken a deterrence perspective. Whether internalized normative values, consistent with the changes intended by alcohol policies, were a potential base for securing public compliance with them has received little research attention. To fill this gap, this study examined whether underage young adults’ support for underage drinking laws was associated with their alcohol use. Methods National Alcohol Surveys (NAS) data collected in 1995–2005 were used. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Covariates included: sex, race, education level, household income, positive alcohol expectancies, the perceived likelihood of law enforcement, and the availability and affordability of alcohol. Results Controlling for other covariates, support for underage drinking laws was significantly associated with some drinking outcomes. Underage young adults who were not supportive of the minimum legal drinking age law were more likely to engage in frequent binge drinking (OR=3.08) and drinking driving (OR=4.17), and to have initiated drinking at age 16 or younger (OR=2.37). Those who indicated a lower degree of support for the zero-tolerance drunk driving law had higher odds of drinking driving (OR=4.36), as well as higher odds of having ever had alcohol (OR=5.46), current drinking (OR=5.36), and having initiated drinking at the age of 16 or younger (OR=3.09). The perceived likelihood of law enforcement was protective only from frequent binge drinking (OR=0.09). Conclusion A clear articulation of potential harms associated with underage drinking to help legitimize underage drinking laws, along with their rigorous enforcement, may help reduce underage drinking. PMID:25243198

The Preventive Effect of Strict Gun Control Laws on Suicide and Homicide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lester, David; Murrell, Mary E.

1982-01-01

Examined state gun control laws and used a multidimensional scaling technique to study the relationship of strictness and death rates. Results showed states with stricter laws had lower suicide rates by firearms but higher rates by other means. No effect on homicide was found. (JAC)

Reduced NoGo-anteriorisation during continuous performance test in deletion syndrome 22q11.2.

PubMed

Romanos, Marcel; Ehlis, Ann-Christine; Baehne, Christina G; Jacob, Christian; Renner, Tobias J; Storch, Astrid; Briegel, Wolfgang; Walitza, Susanne; Lesch, Klaus-Peter; Fallgatter, Andreas J

2010-09-01

Deletion syndrome 22q11.2 (DS22q11.2) is a high-risk factor for psychiatric disorders. Alterations in brain morphology and function including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are suggested to underlie the increased psychiatric disposition. We assessed response-inhibition in patients with DS22q11.2 (n=13) and healthy controls (n=13) matched for age, sex, and handedness by means of a Go-NoGo-Task during recording of a multi-channel electroencephalography (EEG). Analysis of event-related potentials (P300) resulted in an aberrant topographical pattern and NoGo-anteriorisation (NGA) as a parameter of medial prefrontal function was significantly reduced in patients with DS22q11.2 compared to controls. Differences in IQ between groups did not account for the findings. Source localization analysis (LORETA) revealed diminished left temporal brain activation during the Go-condition, but no altered ACC activation in DS22q11 during the NoGo-condition. Despite recent reports of structural alterations of the ACC in DS22q11.2 our findings suggest that response-inhibition mediated by the ACC is not impaired in DS22q11.2. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design Specification for a Thrust-Vectoring, Actuated-Nose-Strake Flight Control Law for the High-Alpha Research Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bacon, Barton J.; Carzoo, Susan W.; Davidson, John B.; Hoffler, Keith D.; Lallman, Frederick J.; Messina, Michael D.; Murphy, Patrick C.; Ostroff, Aaron J.; Proffitt, Melissa S.; Yeager, Jessie C.;

A family of nonlinear Schrödinger equations admitting q-plane wave solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobre, F. D.; Plastino, A. R.

2017-08-01

Nonlinear Schrödinger equations with power-law nonlinearities have attracted considerable attention recently. Two previous proposals for these types of equations, corresponding respectively to the Gross-Pitaievsky equation and to the one associated with nonextensive statistical mechanics, are here unified into a single, parameterized family of nonlinear Schrödinger equations. Power-law nonlinear terms characterized by exponents depending on a real index q, typical of nonextensive statistical mechanics, are considered in such a way that the Gross-Pitaievsky equation is recovered in the limit q → 1. A classical field theory shows that, due to these nonlinearities, an extra field Φ (x → , t) (besides the usual one Ψ (x → , t)) must be introduced for consistency. The new field can be identified with Ψ* (x → , t) only when q → 1. For q ≠ 1 one has a pair of coupled nonlinear wave equations governing the joint evolution of the complex valued fields Ψ (x → , t) and Φ (x → , t). These equations reduce to the usual pair of complex-conjugate ones only in the q → 1 limit. Interestingly, the nonlinear equations obeyed by Ψ (x → , t) and Φ (x → , t) exhibit a common, soliton-like, traveling solution, which is expressible in terms of the q-exponential function that naturally emerges within nonextensive statistical mechanics.

An integrated approach to evaluate policies for controlling traffic law violations.

PubMed

Mehmood, Arif

2010-03-01

Modeling dynamics of the driver behavior is a complex problem. In this paper a system approach is introduced to model and to analyze the driver behavior related to traffic law violations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This paper demonstrates how the theoretical relationships between different factors can be expressed formally, and how the resulting model can assist in evaluating potential benefits of various policies to control the traffic law violations Using system approach, an integrated dynamic simulation model is developed, and model is tested to simulate the driver behavior for violating traffic laws during 2002-2007 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The dynamic simulation model attempts to address the questions: (1) "what" interventions should be implemented to reduce and eventually control traffic violations which will lead to improving road safety and (2) "how" to justify those interventions will be effective or ineffective to control the violations in different transportation conditions. The simulation results reveal promising capability of applying system approach in the policy evaluation studies. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inverse free steering law for small satellite attitude control and power tracking with VSCMGs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, M. S. I.; Asghar, Sajjad

2014-01-01

Recent developments in integrated power and attitude control systems (IPACSs) for small satellite, has opened a new dimension to more complex and demanding space missions. This paper presents a new inverse free steering approach for integrated power and attitude control systems using variable-speed single gimbal control moment gyroscope. The proposed inverse free steering law computes the VSCMG steering commands (gimbal rates and wheel accelerations) such that error signal (difference in command and output) in feedback loop is driven to zero. H∞ norm optimization approach is employed to synthesize the static matrix elements of steering law for a static state of VSCMG. Later these matrix elements are suitably made dynamic in order for the adaptation. In order to improve the performance of proposed steering law while passing through a singular state of CMG cluster (no torque output), the matrix element of steering law is suitably modified. Therefore, this steering law is capable of escaping internal singularities and using the full momentum capacity of CMG cluster. Finally, two numerical examples for a satellite in a low earth orbit are simulated to test the proposed steering law.

Public health law and the prevention and control of obesity.

PubMed

Dietz, William H; Benken, Donald E; Hunter, Alicia S

2009-03-01

Obesity constitutes a major public health challenge in the United States. Obesogenic environments have increased owing to the consumption of calorie-dense foods of low nutritional value and the reduction of daily physical activity (e.g., increased portion sizes of meals eaten in and out of the home and fewer physical activity requirements in schools). Policymakers and public health practitioners need to know the best practices and have the competencies to use laws and legal authorities to reverse the obesity epidemic. For instance, statutes and regulations at the federal, state, and local levels of government have been implemented to improve nutritional choices and access to healthy foods, encourage physical activity, and educate consumers about adopting healthy lifestyles. In an effort to understand the application of laws and legal authorities for obesity prevention and control, in June 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened the National Summit on Legal Preparedness for Obesity Prevention and Control. An outcome of this summit will be the publication of the proceeding's white papers written by eight law and subject-matter experts with substantive contributions from summit participants, which will identify actionable options that sectors and organizations at various jurisdictional levels can consider adopting. Law has played a critical role in the control of chronic diseases and the behaviors that lead to them. The use of a systematic legal framework--the use of legislation, regulation, and policy to address the multiple factors that contribute to obesogenic environments--can assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of a variety of legal approaches for obesity prevention and control. Although public health-focused legal interventions are in an early stage and the direct and indirect impact they may have on the obesity epidemic is not yet understood, efforts such as the summit and white papers should help determine potentially

Use of ILTV Control Laws for LaNCETS Flight Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moua, Cheng

2010-01-01

A report discusses the Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shock (LaNCETS) test to investigate the effects of lift distribution and nozzle-area ratio changes on tail shock strength of an F-15 aircraft. Specific research objectives are to obtain inflight shock strength for multiple combinations of nozzle-area ratio and lift distribution; compare results with preflight prediction tools; and update predictive tools with flight results. The objectives from a stability and control perspective are to ensure adequate aircraft stability for the changes in lift distribution and plume shape, and ensure manageable transient from engaging and disengaging the ILTV research control laws. In order to change the lift distribution and plume shape of the F-15 aircraft, a decade-old Inner Loop Thrust Vectoring (ILTV) research control law was used. Flight envelope expansion was performed for the test configuration and flight conditions prior to the probing test points. The approach for achieving the research objectives was to utilize the unique capabilities of NASA's NF-15B-837 aircraft to allow the adjustment of the nozzle-area ratio and/or canard positions by engaging the ILTV research control laws. The ILTV control laws provide the ability to add trim command biases to canard positions, nozzle area ratios, and thrust vectoring through the use of datasets. Datasets consist of programmed test inputs (PTIs) that define trims to change the nozzle-area ratio and/or canard positions. The trims are applied as increments to the normally commanded positions. A LaNCETS non-linear, six-degrees-of-freedom simulation capable of realtime pilot-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and non-real-time batch support was developed and validated. Prior to first flight, extensive simulation analyses were performed to show adequate stability margins with the changes in lift distribution and plume shape. Additionally, engagement/disengagement transient analysis was also performed to show manageable

Public Health Law and the Prevention and Control of Obesity

PubMed Central

Dietz, William H; Benken, Donald E; Hunter, Alicia S

2009-01-01

Context: Obesity constitutes a major public health challenge in the United States. Obesogenic environments have increased owing to the consumption of calorie-dense foods of low nutritional value and the reduction of daily physical activity (e.g., increased portion sizes of meals eaten in and out of the home and fewer physical activity requirements in schools). Policymakers and public health practitioners need to know the best practices and have the competencies to use laws and legal authorities to reverse the obesity epidemic. For instance, statutes and regulations at the federal, state, and local levels of government have been implemented to improve nutritional choices and access to healthy foods, encourage physical activity, and educate consumers about adopting healthy lifestyles. Methods: In an effort to understand the application of laws and legal authorities for obesity prevention and control, in June 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened the National Summit on Legal Preparedness for Obesity Prevention and Control. An outcome of this summit will be the publication of the proceeding's white papers written by eight law and subject-matter experts with substantive contributions from summit participants, which will identify actionable options that sectors and organizations at various jurisdictional levels can consider adopting. Findings: Law has played a critical role in the control of chronic diseases and the behaviors that lead to them. The use of a systematic legal framework—the use of legislation, regulation, and policy to address the multiple factors that contribute to obesogenic environments—can assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of a variety of legal approaches for obesity prevention and control. Conclusions: Although public health–focused legal interventions are in an early stage and the direct and indirect impact they may have on the obesity epidemic is not yet understood, efforts such as the summit and

A Control Law Design Method Facilitating Control Power, Robustness, Agility, and Flying Qualities Tradeoffs: CRAFT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Patrick C.; Davidson, John B.

1998-01-01

A multi-input, multi-output control law design methodology, named "CRAFT", is presented. CRAFT stands for the design objectives addressed, namely, Control power, Robustness, Agility, and Flying Qualities Tradeoffs. The methodology makes use of control law design metrics from each of the four design objective areas. It combines eigenspace assignment, which allows for direct specification of eigenvalues and eigenvectors, with a graphical approach for representing the metrics that captures numerous design goals in one composite illustration. Sensitivity of the metrics to eigenspace choice is clearly displayed, enabling the designer to assess the cost of design tradeoffs. This approach enhances the designer's ability to make informed design tradeoffs and to reach effective final designs. An example of the CRAFT methodology applied to an advanced experimental fighter and discussion of associated design issues are provided.

The ESR1 (6q25) Locus Is Associated with Calcaneal Ultrasound Parameters and Radial Volumetric Bone Mineral Density in European Men

PubMed Central

Thomson, Wendy; Boonen, Steven; Borghs, Herman; Vanderschueren, Dirk; Gielen, Evelien; Huhtaniemi, Ilpo T.; Adams, Judith E.; Ward, Kate A.; Bartfai, Gyorgy; Casanueva, Felipe; Finn, Joseph D.; Forti, Gianni; Giwercman, Aleksander; Han, Thang S.; Kula, Krzysztof; Labrie, Fernand; Lean, Michael E. J.; Pendleton, Neil; Punab, Margus; Wu, Frederick C. W.; O'Neill, Terence W.

2011-01-01

Purpose Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 6q25, which incorporates the oestrogen receptor α gene (ESR1), as a quantitative trait locus for areal bone mineral density (BMDa) of the hip and lumbar spine. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of this locus on other bone health outcomes; calcaneal ultrasound (QUS) parameters, radial peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) parameters and markers of bone turnover in a population sample of European men. Methods Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the 6q25 locus were genotyped in men aged 40–79 years from 7 European countries, participating in the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS). The associations between SNPs and measured bone parameters were tested under an additive genetic model adjusting for centre using linear regression. Results 2468 men, mean (SD) aged 59.9 (11.1) years had QUS measurements performed and bone turnover marker levels measured. A subset of 628 men had DXA and pQCT measurements. Multiple independent SNPs showed significant associations with BMD using all three measurement techniques. Most notably, rs1999805 was associated with a 0.10 SD (95%CI 0.05, 0.16; p = 0.0001) lower estimated BMD at the calcaneus, a 0.14 SD (95%CI 0.05, 0.24; p = 0.004) lower total hip BMDa, a 0.12 SD (95%CI 0.02, 0.23; p = 0.026) lower lumbar spine BMDa and a 0.18 SD (95%CI 0.06, 0.29; p = 0.003) lower trabecular BMD at the distal radius for each copy of the minor allele. There was no association with serum levels of bone turnover markers and a single SNP which was associated with cortical density was also associated with cortical BMC and thickness. Conclusions Our data replicate previous associations found between SNPs in the 6q25 locus and BMDa at the hip and extend these data to include associations with calcaneal ultrasound parameters and radial volumetric BMD. PMID:21760950

Archie's law - a reappraisal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glover, Paul W. J.

2016-07-01

When scientists apply Archie's first law they often include an extra parameter a, which was introduced about 10 years after the equation's first publication by Winsauer et al. (1952), and which is sometimes called the "tortuosity" or "lithology" parameter. This parameter is not, however, theoretically justified. Paradoxically, the Winsauer et al. (1952) form of Archie's law often performs better than the original, more theoretically correct version. The difference in the cementation exponent calculated from these two forms of Archie's law is important, and can lead to a misestimation of reserves by at least 20 % for typical reservoir parameter values. We have examined the apparent paradox, and conclude that while the theoretical form of the law is correct, the data that we have been analysing with Archie's law have been in error. There are at least three types of systematic error that are present in most measurements: (i) a porosity error, (ii) a pore fluid salinity error, and (iii) a temperature error. Each of these systematic errors is sufficient to ensure that a non-unity value of the parameter a is required in order to fit the electrical data well. Fortunately, the inclusion of this parameter in the fit has compensated for the presence of the systematic errors in the electrical and porosity data, leading to a value of cementation exponent that is correct. The exceptions are those cementation exponents that have been calculated for individual core plugs. We make a number of recommendations for reducing the systematic errors that contribute to the problem and suggest that the value of the parameter a may now be used as an indication of data quality.

Numerical optimization methods for controlled systems with parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyatyushkin, A. I.

2017-10-01

First- and second-order numerical methods for optimizing controlled dynamical systems with parameters are discussed. In unconstrained-parameter problems, the control parameters are optimized by applying the conjugate gradient method. A more accurate numerical solution in these problems is produced by Newton's method based on a second-order functional increment formula. Next, a general optimal control problem with state constraints and parameters involved on the righthand sides of the controlled system and in the initial conditions is considered. This complicated problem is reduced to a mathematical programming one, followed by the search for optimal parameter values and control functions by applying a multimethod algorithm. The performance of the proposed technique is demonstrated by solving application problems.

Testing backreaction effects with observational Hubble parameter data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Shu-Lei; Teng, Huan-Yu; Wan, Hao-Yi; Yu, Hao-Ran; Zhang, Tong-Jie

2018-02-01

The spatially averaged inhomogeneous Universe includes a kinematical backreaction term Q_{D} that is relate to the averaged spatial Ricci scalar _{D} in the framework of general relativity. Under the assumption that Q_{D} and < R > _{D} obey the scaling laws of the volume scale factor a_{D}, a direct coupling between them with a scaling index n is remarkable. In order to explore the generic properties of a backreaction model for explaining the accelerated expansion of the Universe, we exploit two metrics to describe the late time Universe. Since the standard FLRW metric cannot precisely describe the late time Universe on small scales, the template metric with an evolving curvature parameter κ _{D}(t) is employed. However, we doubt the validity of the prescription for κ _{D}, which motivates us apply observational Hubble parameter data (OHD) to constrain parameters in dust cosmology. First, for FLRW metric, by getting best-fit constraints of Ω^{D_0}_m = 0.25^{+0.03}_{-0.03}, n = 0.02^{+0.69}_{-0.66}, and H_{D_0} = 70.54^{+4.24}_{-3.97} km s^{-1 Mpc^{-1}}, the evolutions of parameters are explored. Second, in template metric context, by marginalizing over H_{D_0} as a prior of uniform distribution, we obtain the best-fit values of n=-1.22^{+0.68}_{-0.41} and Ωm^{D0}=0.12^{+0.04}_{-0.02}. Moreover, we utilize three different Gaussian priors of H_{D_0}, which result in different best-fits of n, but almost the same best-fit value of Ωm^{D0}˜ 0.12. Also, the absolute constraints without marginalization of parameter are obtained: n=-1.1^{+0.58}_{-0.50} and Ωm^{D0}=0.13± 0.03. With these constraints, the evolutions of the effective deceleration parameter q^{D} indicate that the backreaction can account for the accelerated expansion of the Universe without involving extra dark energy component in the scaling solution context. Nevertheless, the results also verify that the prescription of κ _{D} is insufficient and should be improved.

Estimation of inflation parameters for Perturbed Power Law model using recent CMB measurements

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

Mukherjee, Suvodip; Das, Santanu; Souradeep, Tarun

2015-01-01

Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is an important probe for understanding the inflationary era of the Universe. We consider the Perturbed Power Law (PPL) model of inflation which is a soft deviation from Power Law (PL) inflationary model. This model captures the effect of higher order derivative of Hubble parameter during inflation, which in turn leads to a non-zero effective mass m{sub eff} for the inflaton field. The higher order derivatives of Hubble parameter at leading order sources constant difference in the spectral index for scalar and tensor perturbation going beyond PL model of inflation. PPL model have two observable independentmore » parameters, namely spectral index for tensor perturbation ν{sub t} and change in spectral index for scalar perturbation ν{sub st} to explain the observed features in the scalar and tensor power spectrum of perturbation. From the recent measurements of CMB power spectra by WMAP, Planck and BICEP-2 for temperature and polarization, we estimate the feasibility of PPL model with standard ΛCDM model. Although BICEP-2 claimed a detection of r=0.2, estimates of dust contamination provided by Planck have left open the possibility that only upper bound on r will be expected in a joint analysis. As a result we consider different upper bounds on the value of r and show that PPL model can explain a lower value of tensor to scalar ratio (r<0.1 or r<0.01) for a scalar spectral index of n{sub s}=0.96 by having a non-zero value of effective mass of the inflaton field m{sup 2}{sub eff}/H{sup 2}. The analysis with WP + Planck likelihood shows a non-zero detection of m{sup 2}{sub eff}/H{sup 2} with 5.7 σ and 8.1 σ respectively for r<0.1 and r<0.01. Whereas, with BICEP-2 likelihood m{sup 2}{sub eff}/H{sup 2} = −0.0237 ± 0.0135 which is consistent with zero.« less

Estimation of inflation parameters for Perturbed Power Law model using recent CMB measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Suvodip; Das, Santanu; Joy, Minu; Souradeep, Tarun

2015-01-01

Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is an important probe for understanding the inflationary era of the Universe. We consider the Perturbed Power Law (PPL) model of inflation which is a soft deviation from Power Law (PL) inflationary model. This model captures the effect of higher order derivative of Hubble parameter during inflation, which in turn leads to a non-zero effective mass meff for the inflaton field. The higher order derivatives of Hubble parameter at leading order sources constant difference in the spectral index for scalar and tensor perturbation going beyond PL model of inflation. PPL model have two observable independent parameters, namely spectral index for tensor perturbation νt and change in spectral index for scalar perturbation νst to explain the observed features in the scalar and tensor power spectrum of perturbation. From the recent measurements of CMB power spectra by WMAP, Planck and BICEP-2 for temperature and polarization, we estimate the feasibility of PPL model with standard ΛCDM model. Although BICEP-2 claimed a detection of r=0.2, estimates of dust contamination provided by Planck have left open the possibility that only upper bound on r will be expected in a joint analysis. As a result we consider different upper bounds on the value of r and show that PPL model can explain a lower value of tensor to scalar ratio (r<0.1 or r<0.01) for a scalar spectral index of ns=0.96 by having a non-zero value of effective mass of the inflaton field m2eff/H2. The analysis with WP + Planck likelihood shows a non-zero detection of m2eff/H2 with 5.7 σ and 8.1 σ respectively for r<0.1 and r<0.01. Whereas, with BICEP-2 likelihood m2eff/H2 = -0.0237 ± 0.0135 which is consistent with zero.

Effects of coenzyme Q10 on semen cryopreservation of stallions classified as having good or bad semen freezing ability.

PubMed

Carneiro, Joao A M; Canisso, Igor F; Bandeira, R S; Scheeren, V F C; Freitas-Dell'Aqua, Camila P; Alvarenga, Marco A; Papa, Frederico O; Dell'Aqua, Jose A

2018-05-01

This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant properties of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) during cryopreservation of semen obtained from stallions having good and bad semen freezing ability (GFA vs. BFA, respectively). Forty ejaculates (n = 20 stallions) were split into five centrifugation and five freezing extenders containing different concentrations of CoQ10 (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 μmols/L). If CoQ10 was added to the centrifugation extender, the freezing extender had no CoQ10 added; similarly, if CoQ10 was added to the freezing extender, the centrifugation extender had no CoQ10. Semen cryopreserved on extenders containing no CoQ10 served as the control. After post-thaw total sperm motility (TM) assessments, the stallions were classified as GFA (i.e., decrease of ≤25% in TM, n = 7) or BFA (i.e., decrease of ≥40% in TM, n = 5). Stallions not fitting (n = 8) this enrollment criteria had samples discarded. After that, two straws for each extender were thawed at 37 °C for 30 s; one straw was immediately used for evaluation of sperm kinetics, plasma membrane integrity, non-capacitated spermatozoa, reactive oxygen species production, mitochondrial activity and lipid peroxidation. The second straw was kept at 37 °C for 30 min and subjected to the same assessments. Expectedly, sperm motility parameters were significantly lower for stallions with BFA. There were no effects of CoQ10 concentration or time for all parameters evaluated in the group with GFA when compared with the control extender (p > 0.05), except lipid peroxidation (p < 0.05). However, stallions with BFA had improved sperm parameters for samples processed with extenders containing CoQ10 (particularly 75 μmols/L) (p < 0.05), except for the reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial potential (T0) in which there were no differences between the groups (p > 0.05). In summary, 75 μmols/L appears to be the optimal dose of Co-Q10, particularly, when added to

The mathematical relationship between Zipf’s law and the hierarchical scaling law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yanguang

2012-06-01

The empirical studies of city-size distribution show that Zipf's law and the hierarchical scaling law are linked in many ways. The rank-size scaling and hierarchical scaling seem to be two different sides of the same coin, but their relationship has never been revealed by strict mathematical proof. In this paper, the Zipf's distribution of cities is abstracted as a q-sequence. Based on this sequence, a self-similar hierarchy consisting of many levels is defined and the numbers of cities in different levels form a geometric sequence. An exponential distribution of the average size of cities is derived from the hierarchy. Thus we have two exponential functions, from which follows a hierarchical scaling equation. The results can be statistically verified by simple mathematical experiments and observational data of cities. A theoretical foundation is then laid for the conversion from Zipf's law to the hierarchical scaling law, and the latter can show more information about city development than the former. Moreover, the self-similar hierarchy provides a new perspective for studying networks of cities as complex systems. A series of mathematical rules applied to cities such as the allometric growth law, the 2n principle and Pareto's law can be associated with one another by the hierarchical organization.

Automatic detection of slight parameter changes associated to complex biomedical signals using multiresolution q-entropy1.

PubMed

Torres, M E; Añino, M M; Schlotthauer, G

2003-12-01

It is well known that, from a dynamical point of view, sudden variations in physiological parameters which govern certain diseases can cause qualitative changes in the dynamics of the corresponding physiological process. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a technique that allows the automated temporal localization of slight changes in a parameter of the law that governs the nonlinear dynamics of a given signal. This tool takes, from the multiresolution entropies, the ability to show these changes as statistical variations at each scale. These variations are held in the corresponding principal component. Appropriately combining these techniques with a statistical changes detector, a complexity change detection algorithm is obtained. The relevance of the approach, together with its robustness in the presence of moderate noise, is discussed in numerical simulations and the automatic detector is applied to real and simulated biological signals.

The evaluation of Murray's law in Psilotum nudum (Psilotaceae), an analogue of ancestral vascular plants.

PubMed

McCulloh, Katherine A; Sperry, John S

2005-06-01

Previous work has shown that the xylem of seed plants follows Murray's law when conduits do not provide structural support to the plant. Here, compliance with Murray's law was tested in the stem photosynthesizer Psilotum nudum, a seedless vascular plant. Psilotum nudum was chosen because the central stele does not provide structural support, which means that Murray's law is applicable, and because its simple shoot structure resembles the earliest vascular plants. Murray's law predicts that the sum of the conduit radii cubed (Σr(3)) should decrease in direct proportion with the volume flow rate (Q) to maximize the hydraulic conductance per unit vascular investment. Agreement with Murray's law was assessed by estimating the transpiration rate distal to a cross-section, which should determine Q under steady state conditions, and comparing that with the Σr(3) of that cross-section. As predicted, regressions between the Σr(3) of the cross-section and Q resulted in a linear relationship with a y-intercept that was not different from zero. Two more rigorous statistical tests were also unable to reject Murray's law. Psilotum nudum plants also increased their conductance per investment by having more conduits distally than proximally, which is more efficient hydraulically than equal or declining conduit numbers distally.

Hidden correlations entailed by q-non additivity render the q-monoatomic gas highly non trivial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plastino, A.; Rocca, M. C.

2018-01-01

It ts known that Tsallis' q-non-additivity entails hidden correlations. It has also been shown that even for a monoatomic gas, both the q-partition function Z and the mean energy 〈 U 〉 diverge and, in particular, exhibit poles for certain values of the Tsallis non additivity parameter q. This happens because Z and 〈 U 〉 both depend on a Γ-function. This Γ, in turn, depends upon the spatial dimension ν. We encounter three different regimes according to the argument A of the Γ-function. (1) A > 0, (2) A < 0 and Γ > 0 outside the poles. (3) A displays poles and the physics is obtained via dimensional regularization. In cases (2) and (3) one discovers gravitational effects and quartets of particles. Moreover, bound states and gravitational effects emerge as a consequence of the hidden q-correlations.

Gender-stratified analysis of DLG5 R30Q in 4707 patients with Crohn disease and 4973 controls from 12 Caucasian cohorts.

PubMed

Browning, B L; Annese, V; Barclay, M L; Bingham, S A; Brand, S; Büning, C; Castro, M; Cucchiara, S; Dallapiccola, B; Drummond, H; Ferguson, L R; Ferraris, A; Fisher, S A; Gearry, R B; Glas, J; Henckaerts, L; Huebner, C; Knafelz, D; Lakatos, L; Lakatos, P L; Latiano, A; Liu, X; Mathew, C; Müller-Myhsok, B; Newman, W G; Nimmo, E R; Noble, C L; Palmieri, O; Parkes, M; Petermann, I; Rutgeerts, P; Satsangi, J; Shelling, A N; Siminovitch, K A; Török, H-P; Tremelling, M; Vermeire, S; Valvano, M R; Witt, H

2008-01-01

DLG5 p.R30Q has been reported to be associated with Crohn disease (CD), but this association has not been replicated in most studies. A recent analysis of gender-stratified data from two case-control studies and two population cohorts found an association of DLG5 30Q with increased risk of CD in men but not in women and found differences between 30Q population frequencies for males and females. Male-female differences in population allele frequencies and male-specific risk could explain the difficulty in replicating the association with CD. DLG5 R30Q genotype data were collected for patients with CD and controls from 11 studies that did not include gender-stratified allele counts in their published reports and tested for male-female frequency differences in controls and for case-control frequency differences in men and in women. The data showed no male-female allele frequency differences in controls. An exact conditional test gave marginal evidence that 30Q is associated with decreased risk of CD in women (p = 0.049, OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.00). There was also a trend towards reduced 30Q frequencies in male patients with CD compared with male controls, but this was not significant at the 0.05 level (p = 0.058, OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.01). When data from this study were combined with previously published, gender-stratified data, the 30Q allele was found to be associated with decreased risk of CD in women (p = 0.010, OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.97), but not in men. DLG5 30Q is associated with a small reduction in risk of CD in women.

Q-Vax Q fever vaccine failures, Victoria, Australia 1994-2013.

PubMed

Bond, Katherine A; Franklin, Lucinda J; Sutton, Brett; Firestone, Simon M

2017-12-18

Q-Vax®, a whole cell formalin inactivated vaccine, is currently the only licensed Q fever vaccine for humans world-wide. Efficacy is high, although vaccine failures have been described for those vaccinated within the incubation of a naturally acquired infection. In Australia, it is widely used to prevent occupational acquisition of Q fever and is the mainstay for outbreak control. A retrospective review of all notified cases of acute Q fever to the Victorian department of health, 1993-2013, revealed 34 of 659 cases were previously vaccinated and 10 cases were positive on pre-vaccination screening, precluding vaccination. Twenty-one cases described high-risk exposures for C. burnetii prior to and within 15 days post vaccination and are likely to have been vaccinated within the incubation period of a natural infection. Thirteen cases described symptom onset more than 15 days post vaccination and thus may represent the first described series of Q-Vax vaccine failures following appropriate vaccination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In-flight results of adaptive attitude control law for a microsatellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pittet, C.; Luzi, A. R.; Peaucelle, D.; Biannic, J.-M.; Mignot, J.

2015-06-01

Because satellites usually do not experience large changes of mass, center of gravity or inertia in orbit, linear time invariant (LTI) controllers have been widely used to control their attitude. But, as the pointing requirements become more stringent and the satellite's structure more complex with large steerable and/or deployable appendices and flexible modes occurring in the control bandwidth, one unique LTI controller is no longer sufficient. One solution consists in designing several LTI controllers, one for each set point, but the switching between them is difficult to tune and validate. Another interesting solution is to use adaptive controllers, which could present at least two advantages: first, as the controller automatically and continuously adapts to the set point without changing the structure, no switching logic is needed in the software; second, performance and stability of the closed-loop system can be assessed directly on the whole flight domain. To evaluate the real benefits of adaptive control for satellites, in terms of design, validation and performances, CNES selected it as end-of-life experiment on PICARD microsatellite. This paper describes the design, validation and in-flight results of the new adaptive attitude control law, compared to nominal control law.

Q-operators for the open Heisenberg spin chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frassek, Rouven; Szécsényi, István M.

2015-12-01

We construct Q-operators for the open spin-1/2 XXX Heisenberg spin chain with diagonal boundary matrices. The Q-operators are defined as traces over an infinite-dimensional auxiliary space involving novel types of reflection operators derived from the boundary Yang-Baxter equation. We argue that the Q-operators defined in this way are polynomials in the spectral parameter and show that they commute with transfer matrix. Finally, we prove that the Q-operators satisfy Baxter's TQ-equation and derive the explicit form of their eigenvalues in terms of the Bethe roots.

Advantages of measuring the Q Stokes parameter in addition to the total radiance I in the detection of absorbing aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamnes, Snorre; Fan, Yongzhen; Chen, Nan; Li, Wei; Tanikawa, Tomonori; Lin, Zhenyi; Liu, Xu; Burton, Sharon; Omar, Ali; Stamnes, Jakob J.; Cairns, Brian; Stamnes, Knut

2018-05-01

A simple but novel study was conducted to investigate whether an imager-type spectroradiometer instrument like MODIS, currently flying on board the Aqua and Terra satellites, or MERIS, which flew on board Envisat, could detect absorbing aerosols if they could measure the Q Stokes parameter in addition to the total radiance I, that is if they could also measure the linear polarization of the light. Accurate radiative transfer calculations were used to train a fast neural network forward model, which together with a simple statistical optimal estimation scheme was used to retrieve three aerosol parameters: aerosol optical depth at 869 nm, optical depth fraction of fine mode (absorbing) aerosols at 869 nm, and aerosol vertical location. The aerosols were assumed to be bimodal, each with a lognormal size distribution, located either between 0 and 2 km or between 2 and 4 km in the Earth's atmosphere. From simulated data with 3% random Gaussian measurement noise added for each Stokes parameter, it was found that by itself the total radiance I at the nine MODIS VIS channels was generally insufficient to accurately retrieve all three aerosol parameters (˜ 15% to 37% successful), but that together with the Q Stokes component it was possible to retrieve values of aerosol optical depth at 869 nm to ± 0.03, single-scattering albedo at 869 nm to ± 0.04, and vertical location in ˜ 65% of the cases. This proof-of-concept retrieval algorithm uses neural networks to overcome the computational burdens of using vector radiative transfer to accurately simulate top-of-atmosphere (TOA) total and polarized radiances, enabling optimal estimation techniques to exploit information from multiple channels. Therefore such an algorithm could, in concept, be readily implemented for operational retrieval of aerosol and ocean products from moderate or hyperspectral spectroradiometers.

Coenzyme Q10 for the treatment of heart failure: a review of the literature

PubMed Central

DiNicolantonio, James J; Bhutani, Jaikrit; McCarty, Mark F; O'Keefe, James H

2015-01-01

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an endogenously synthesised and diet-supplied lipid-soluble cofactor that functions in the mitochondrial inner membrane to transfer electrons from complexes I and II to complex III. In addition, its redox activity enables CoQ10 to act as a membrane antioxidant. In patients with congestive heart failure, myocardial CoQ10 content tends to decline as the degree of heart failure worsens. A number of controlled pilot trials with supplemental CoQ10 in heart failure found improvements in functional parameters such as ejection fraction, stroke volume and cardiac output, without side effects. Subsequent meta-analyses have confirmed these findings, although the magnitude of benefit tends to be less notable in patients with severe heart failure, or within the context of ACE inhibitor therapy. The multicentre randomised placebo-controlled Q-SYMBIO trial has assessed the impact of supplemental CoQ10 on hard endpoints in heart failure. A total of 420 patients received either CoQ10 (100 mg three times daily) or placebo and were followed for 2 years. Although short-term functional endpoints were not statistically different in the two groups, CoQ10 significantly reduced the primary long-term endpoint—a major adverse cardiovascular event—which was observed in 15% of the treated participants compared to 26% of those receiving placebo (HR=0.50, CI 0.32 to 0.80, p=0.003). Particularly in light of the excellent tolerance and affordability of this natural physiological compound, supplemental CoQ10 has emerged as an attractive option in the management of heart failure, and merits evaluation in additional large studies. PMID:26512330

Modeling Aftershocks and Foreshocks by Time-Dependent Friction Laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lippiello, E.; Landes, F.

2017-12-01

The transition with depth from rate-weakening to rate-strengthening rheology represents a viable mechanism to explain both afterslip and the temporal and spatial organization of aftershocks(Avouac, Annu. Rev. Eart Planet Sci. 2015).On the other hand, elastic models for seismic faults, as the Burridge-Knopoff model, are able to reproduce the Gutenberg-Richter (GR) law (de Arcangelis et al., Phys. Rep. 2016). Here we show that the two approaches can be combined in a minimal model containing only a parameter controlling the heterogeneities of the friction force. The key ingredient is the presence of a time-dependent friction on a temporal scale intermediate between the instantaneous scale of fracture propagation and the very slow one of the driving rate. Several features of aftershocks as the GR law, the productivity law, the spatial clustering and the temporal decay of the aftershock number, appear universal properties independent of details of model parameters and friction law. Quantitative agreement with the Omori law constraints the friction law according to a velocity strengthening rheology. The model also provides agreement with recent experimental results on the statistical properties of foreshock occurrence (Lippiello et al. , Pageoph, 2017). We then obtain insights on the nucleation phase preceding mainshocks which we compare with existing models (Ohnaka, Tectonophysics 1992).

An Improved Method to Control the Critical Parameters of a Multivariable Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subha Hency Jims, P.; Dharmalingam, S.; Wessley, G. Jims John

2017-10-01

The role of control systems is to cope with the process deficiencies and the undesirable effect of the external disturbances. Most of the multivariable processes are highly iterative and complex in nature. Aircraft systems, Modern Power Plants, Refineries, Robotic systems are few such complex systems that involve numerous critical parameters that need to be monitored and controlled. Control of these important parameters is not only tedious and cumbersome but also is crucial from environmental, safety and quality perspective. In this paper, one such multivariable system, namely, a utility boiler has been considered. A modern power plant is a complex arrangement of pipework and machineries with numerous interacting control loops and support systems. In this paper, the calculation of controller parameters based on classical tuning concepts has been presented. The controller parameters thus obtained and employed has controlled the critical parameters of a boiler during fuel switching disturbances. The proposed method can be applied to control the critical parameters like elevator, aileron, rudder, elevator trim rudder and aileron trim, flap control systems of aircraft systems.

X-38 Experimental Controls Laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munday, Steve; Estes, Jay; Bordano, Aldo J.

2000-01-01

X-38 Experimental Control Laws X-38 is a NASA JSC/DFRC experimental flight test program developing a series of prototypes for an International Space Station (ISS) Crew Return Vehicle, often called an ISS "lifeboat." X- 38 Vehicle 132 Free Flight 3, currently scheduled for the end of this month, will be the first flight test of a modem FCS architecture called Multi-Application Control-Honeywell (MACH), originally developed by the Honeywell Technology Center. MACH wraps classical P&I outer attitude loops around a modem dynamic inversion attitude rate loop. The dynamic inversion process requires that the flight computer have an onboard aircraft model of expected vehicle dynamics based upon the aerodynamic database. Dynamic inversion is computationally intensive, so some timing modifications were made to implement MACH on the slower flight computers of the subsonic test vehicles. In addition to linear stability margin analyses and high fidelity 6-DOF simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing is used to verify the implementation of MACH and its robustness to aerodynamic and environmental uncertainties and disturbances.

COLLISIONS BETWEEN GRAVITY-DOMINATED BODIES. I. OUTCOME REGIMES AND SCALING LAWS

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

Leinhardt, Zoee M.; Stewart, Sarah T., E-mail: Zoe.Leinhardt@bristol.ac.uk, E-mail: sstewart@eps.harvard.edu

2012-01-20

Collisions are the core agent of planet formation. In this work, we derive an analytic description of the dynamical outcome for any collision between gravity-dominated bodies. We conduct high-resolution simulations of collisions between planetesimals; the results are used to isolate the effects of different impact parameters on collision outcome. During growth from planetesimals to planets, collision outcomes span multiple regimes: cratering, merging, disruption, super-catastrophic disruption, and hit-and-run events. We derive equations (scaling laws) to demarcate the transition between collision regimes and to describe the size and velocity distributions of the post-collision bodies. The scaling laws are used to calculate mapsmore » of collision outcomes as a function of mass ratio, impact angle, and impact velocity, and we discuss the implications of the probability of each collision regime during planet formation. Collision outcomes are described in terms of the impact conditions and the catastrophic disruption criteria, Q*{sub RD}-the specific energy required to disperse half the total colliding mass. All planet formation and collisional evolution studies have assumed that catastrophic disruption follows pure energy scaling; however, we find that catastrophic disruption follows nearly pure momentum scaling. As a result, Q*{sub RD} is strongly dependent on the impact velocity and projectile-to-target mass ratio in addition to the total mass and impact angle. To account for the impact angle, we derive the interacting mass fraction of the projectile; the outcome of a collision is dependent on the kinetic energy of the interacting mass rather than the kinetic energy of the total mass. We also introduce a new material parameter, c*, that defines the catastrophic disruption criteria between equal-mass bodies in units of the specific gravitational binding energy. For a diverse range of planetesimal compositions and internal structures, c* has a value of 5 {+-} 2

Modeling metabolic networks in C. glutamicum: a comparison of rate laws in combination with various parameter optimization strategies

PubMed Central

Dräger, Andreas; Kronfeld, Marcel; Ziller, Michael J; Supper, Jochen; Planatscher, Hannes; Magnus, Jørgen B; Oldiges, Marco; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Zell, Andreas

2009-01-01

Background To understand the dynamic behavior of cellular systems, mathematical modeling is often necessary and comprises three steps: (1) experimental measurement of participating molecules, (2) assignment of rate laws to each reaction, and (3) parameter calibration with respect to the measurements. In each of these steps the modeler is confronted with a plethora of alternative approaches, e. g., the selection of approximative rate laws in step two as specific equations are often unknown, or the choice of an estimation procedure with its specific settings in step three. This overall process with its numerous choices and the mutual influence between them makes it hard to single out the best modeling approach for a given problem. Results We investigate the modeling process using multiple kinetic equations together with various parameter optimization methods for a well-characterized example network, the biosynthesis of valine and leucine in C. glutamicum. For this purpose, we derive seven dynamic models based on generalized mass action, Michaelis-Menten and convenience kinetics as well as the stochastic Langevin equation. In addition, we introduce two modeling approaches for feedback inhibition to the mass action kinetics. The parameters of each model are estimated using eight optimization strategies. To determine the most promising modeling approaches together with the best optimization algorithms, we carry out a two-step benchmark: (1) coarse-grained comparison of the algorithms on all models and (2) fine-grained tuning of the best optimization algorithms and models. To analyze the space of the best parameters found for each model, we apply clustering, variance, and correlation analysis. Conclusion A mixed model based on the convenience rate law and the Michaelis-Menten equation, in which all reactions are assumed to be reversible, is the most suitable deterministic modeling approach followed by a reversible generalized mass action kinetics model. A Langevin model

Addition of omega-3 fatty acid and coenzyme Q10 to statin therapy in patients with combined dyslipidemia.

PubMed

Tóth, Štefan; Šajty, Matej; Pekárová, Tímea; Mughees, Adil; Štefanič, Peter; Katz, Matan; Spišáková, Katarína; Pella, Jozef; Pella, Daniel

2017-07-26

Statins represent a group of drugs that are currently indicated in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Their administration can be associated with side effects and the insufficient reduction of triacylglyceride (TAG) levels. This study aimed to assess the effect of the triple combination of statins with omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on parameters associated with atherogenesis and statin side effects. In this pilot randomized double-blind trial, 105 subjects who met the criteria of combined dislipidemia and elevated TAG levels were randomly divided into three groups. In the control group, unaltered statin therapy was indicated. In the second and third groups, omega-3 PUFA 2.52 g/day (Zennix fa Pleuran) and omega-3 PUFA 2.52 g+CoQ10 200 mg/day (Pharma Nord ApS) were added, res//. At the end of the 3-month period (±1 week), all patients were evaluated. Significant reduction of hepatic enzymes activity, systolic blood preasure, inflammatory markers and TAG levels were detected in both groups in comparison to the control group. Activity of SOD and GPx increased significantly after additive therapy. Coenzyme Q10 addition significantly reduced most of the abovementioned parameters (systolic blood preasure, total cholesterol, LDL, hsCRP, IL-6, SOD) in comparison with the statin+omega-3 PUFA group. The intensity of statin adverse effects were significantly reduced in the group with the addition of CoQ10. The results of this pilot study suggest the possible beneficial effects of triple combination on the lipid and non-lipid parameters related to atherogenesis and side effects of statin treatment.

Application of precomputed control laws in a reconfigurable aircraft flight control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moerder, Daniel D.; Halyo, Nesim; Broussard, John R.; Caglayan, Alper K.

1989-01-01

A self-repairing flight control system concept in which the control law is reconfigured after actuator and/or control surface damage to preserve stability and pilot command tracking is described. A key feature of the controller is reconfigurable multivariable feedback. The feedback gains are designed off-line and scheduled as a function of the aircraft control impairment status so that reconfiguration is performed simply by updating the gain schedule after detection of an impairment. A novel aspect of the gain schedule design procedure is that the schedule is calculated using a linear quadratic optimization-based simultaneous stabilization algorithm in which the scheduled gain is constrained to stabilize a collection of plant models representing the aircraft in various control failure modes. A description and numerical evaluation of a controller design for a model of a statically unstable high-performance aircraft are given.

Comparison between different sets of suspension parameters and introduction of new modified skyhook control strategy incorporating varying road condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abul Kashem, Saad Bin; Ektesabi, Mehran; Nagarajah, Romesh

2012-07-01

This study examines the uncertainties in modelling a quarter car suspension system caused by the effect of different sets of suspension parameters of a corresponding mathematical model. To overcome this problem, 11 sets of identified parameters of a suspension system have been compared, taken from the most recent published work. From this investigation, a set of parameters were chosen which showed a better performance than others in respect of peak amplitude and settling time. These chosen parameters were then used to investigate the performance of a new modified continuous skyhook control strategy with adaptive gain that dictates the vehicle's semi-active suspension system. The proposed system first captures the road profile input over a certain period. Then it calculates the best possible value of the skyhook gain (SG) for the subsequent process. Meanwhile the system is controlled according to the new modified skyhook control law using an initial or previous value of the SG. In this study, the proposed suspension system is compared with passive and other recently reported skyhook controlled semi-active suspension systems. Its performances have been evaluated in terms of ride comfort and road handling performance. The model has been validated in accordance with the international standards of admissible acceleration levels ISO2631 and human vibration perception.

Supersymmetric Q-balls: A numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campanelli, L.; Ruggieri, M.

2008-02-01

We study numerically a class of nontopological solitons, the Q-balls, arising in a supersymmetric extension of the standard model with low-energy, gauge-mediated symmetry breaking. Taking into account the exact form of the supersymmetric potential giving rise to Q-balls, we find that there is a lower limit on the value of the charge Q in order to make them classically stable: Q≳5×102Qcr, where Qcr is constant depending on the parameters defining the potential and can be in the range 1≲Qcr≲108÷16. If Q is the baryon number, stability with respect to the decay into protons requires Q≳1017Qcr, while if the gravitino mass is greater then m3/2≳61MeV, no stable gauge-mediation supersymmetric Q-balls exist. Finally, we find that energy and radius of Q-balls can be parametrized as E˜ξEQ3/4 and R˜ξRQ1/4, where ξE and ξR are slowly varying functions of the charge.

Development of an optimal automatic control law and filter algorithm for steep glideslope capture and glideslope tracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halyo, N.

1976-01-01

A digital automatic control law to capture a steep glideslope and track the glideslope to a specified altitude is developed for the longitudinal/vertical dynamics of a CTOL aircraft using modern estimation and control techniques. The control law uses a constant gain Kalman filter to process guidance information from the microwave landing system, and acceleration from body mounted accelerometer data. The filter outputs navigation data and wind velocity estimates which are used in controlling the aircraft. Results from a digital simulation of the aircraft dynamics and the control law are presented for various wind conditions.

Q estimation of seismic data using the generalized S-transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Yaju; Wen, Xiaotao; Zhang, Bo; He, Zhenhua; Zhang, Rui; Zhang, Jinming

2016-12-01

Quality factor, Q, is a parameter that characterizes the energy dissipation during seismic wave propagation. The reservoir pore is one of the main factors that affect the value of Q. Especially, when pore space is filled with oil or gas, the rock usually exhibits a relative low Q value. Such a low Q value has been used as a direct hydrocarbon indicator by many researchers. The conventional Q estimation method based on spectral ratio suffers from the problem of waveform tuning; hence, many researchers have introduced time-frequency analysis techniques to tackle this problem. Unfortunately, the window functions adopted in time-frequency analysis algorithms such as continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and S-transform (ST) contaminate the amplitude spectra because the seismic signal is multiplied by the window functions during time-frequency decomposition. The basic assumption of the spectral ratio method is that there is a linear relationship between natural logarithmic spectral ratio and frequency. However, this assumption does not hold if we take the influence of window functions into consideration. In this paper, we first employ a recently developed two-parameter generalized S-transform (GST) to obtain the time-frequency spectra of seismic traces. We then deduce the non-linear relationship between natural logarithmic spectral ratio and frequency. Finally, we obtain a linear relationship between natural logarithmic spectral ratio and a newly defined parameter γ by ignoring the negligible second order term. The gradient of this linear relationship is 1/Q. Here, the parameter γ is a function of frequency and source wavelet. Numerical examples for VSP and post-stack reflection data confirm that our algorithm is capable of yielding accurate results. The Q-value results estimated from field data acquired in western China show reasonable comparison with oil-producing well location.

New class of control laws for robotic manipulators. I - Nonadaptive case. II - Adaptive case

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wen, John T.; Bayard, David S.

1988-01-01

A new class of exponentially stabilizing control laws for joint level control of robot arms is discussed. Closed-loop exponential stability has been demonstrated for both the set point and tracking control problems by a slight modification of the energy Lyapunov function and the use of a lemma which handles third-order terms in the Lyapunov function derivatives. In the second part, these control laws are adapted in a simple fashion to achieve asymptotically stable adaptive control. The analysis addresses the nonlinear dynamics directly without approximation, linearization, or ad hoc assumptions, and uses a parameterization based on physical (time-invariant) quantities.

Utsu aftershock productivity law explained from geometric operations on the permanent static stress field of mainshocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignan, Arnaud

2018-03-01

The aftershock productivity law is an exponential function of the form K ∝ exp(αM), with K being the number of aftershocks triggered by a given mainshock of magnitude M and α ≈ ln(10) being the productivity parameter. This law remains empirical in nature although it has also been retrieved in static stress simulations. Here, we parameterize this law using the solid seismicity postulate (SSP), the basis of a geometrical theory of seismicity where seismicity patterns are described by mathematical expressions obtained from geometric operations on a permanent static stress field. We first test the SSP that relates seismicity density to a static stress step function. We show that it yields a power exponent q = 1.96 ± 0.01 for the power-law spatial linear density distribution of aftershocks, once uniform noise is added to the static stress field, in agreement with observations. We then recover the exponential function of the productivity law with a break in scaling obtained between small and large M, with α = 1.5ln(10) and ln(10), respectively, in agreement with results from previous static stress simulations. Possible biases of aftershock selection, proven to exist in epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) simulations, may explain the lack of break in scaling observed in seismicity catalogues. The existence of the theoretical kink, however, remains to be proven. Finally, we describe how to estimate the solid seismicity parameters (activation density δ+, aftershock solid envelope r∗ and background stress amplitude range Δo∗) for large M values.

Student Interpretations of Equations Related to the First Law of Thermodynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadfield, Linda C.; Wieman, Carl E.

2010-01-01

Student interpretations of the equation for the first law of thermodynamics, [delta]U = q + w, an expression defining work done on or by a gas, w = -[image omitted]PdV, and an expression defining heat, q = [image omitted]C[subscript v]dT were investigated through a multiple-choice survey, a free-response written survey, and interviews. The…

Combined magnetic and kinetic control of advanced tokamak steady state scenarios based on semi-empirical modelling

DOE PAGES

Moreau, Didier; Artaud, J. F.; Ferron, John R.; ...

2015-05-01

This paper shows that semi-empirical data-driven models based on a twotime- scale approximation for the magnetic and kinetic control of advanced tokamak (AT) scenarios can be advantageously identified from simulated rather than real data, and used for control design. The method is applied to the combined control of the safety factor profile, q(x), and normalized pressure parameter, β N, using DIII-D parameters and actuators (on-axis co-current neutral beam injection (NBI) power, off axis co-current NBI power, electron cyclotron current drive power, and ohmic coil). The approximate plasma response model was identified from simulated data obtained using a rapidly converging plasmamore » transport code, METIS, which includes an MHD equilibrium and current diffusion solver, and combines plasma transport nonlinearity with 0-D scaling laws and 1.5-D ordinary differential equations. A number of open loop simulations were performed, in which the heating and current drive (H&CD) sources were randomly modulated around the typical values of a reference AT discharge on DIIID. Using these simulated data, a two-time-scale state space model was obtained for the coupled evolution of the poloidal flux profile and βN parameter, and a controller was synthesized based on the near-optimal ARTAEMIS algorithm [D. Moreau et al., Nucl. Fusion 53 (2013) 063020]. The paper discusses the results of closed-loop nonlinear simulations, using this controller for steady state AT operation. With feedforward plus feedback control, the steady state target q-profile and β N are satisfactorily tracked with a time scale of about ten seconds, despite large disturbances applied to the feedforward powers and plasma parameters. The effectiveness of the control algorithm is thus demonstrated for long pulse and steady state high-β N AT discharges. Its robustness with respect to disturbances of the H&CD actuators and of plasma parameters such as the H-factor, plasma density and effective charge, is also

Limits of Kirchhoff's Laws in Plasmonics.

PubMed

Razinskas, Gary; Biagioni, Paolo; Hecht, Bert

2018-01-30

The validity of Kirchhoff's laws in plasmonic nanocircuitry is investigated by studying a junction of plasmonic two-wire transmission lines. We find that Kirchhoff's laws are valid for sufficiently small values of a phenomenological parameter κ relating the geometrical parameters of the transmission line with the effective wavelength of the guided mode. Beyond such regime, for large values of the phenomenological parameter, increasing deviations occur and the equivalent impedance description (Kirchhoff's laws) can only provide rough, but nevertheless useful, guidelines for the design of more complex plasmonic circuitry. As an example we investigate a system composed of a two-wire transmission line and a nanoantenna as the load. By addition of a parallel stub designed according to Kirchhoff's laws we achieve maximum signal transfer to the nanoantenna.

The dynamical control of subduction parameters on surface topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crameri, F.; Lithgow-Bertelloni, C. R.; Tackley, P. J.

2017-04-01

The long-wavelength surface deflection of Earth's outermost rocky shell is mainly controlled by large-scale dynamic processes like isostasy or mantle flow. The largest topographic amplitudes are therefore observed at plate boundaries due to the presence of large thermal heterogeneities and strong tectonic forces. Distinct vertical surface deflections are particularly apparent at convergent plate boundaries mostly due to the convergence and asymmetric sinking of the plates. Having a mantle convection model with a free surface that is able to reproduce both realistic single-sided subduction and long-wavelength surface topography self-consistently, we are now able to better investigate this interaction. We separate the topographic signal into distinct features and quantify the individual topographic contribution of several controlling subduction parameters. Results are diagnosed by splitting the topographic signal into isostatic and residual components, and by considering various physical aspects like viscous dissipation during plate bending. Performing several systematic suites of experiments, we are then able to quantify the topographic impact of the buoyancy, rheology, and geometry of the subduction-zone system to each and every topographic feature at a subduction zone and to provide corresponding scaling laws. We identify slab dip and, slightly less importantly, slab buoyancy as the major agents controlling surface topography at subduction zones on Earth. Only the island-arc high and the back-arc depression extent are mainly controlled by plate strength. Overall, his modeling study sets the basis to better constrain deep-seated mantle structures and their physical properties via the observed surface topography on present-day Earth and back through time.

Power Law and Logarithmic Ricci Dark Energy Models in Hořava-Lifshitz Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasqua, Antonio; Chattopadhyay, Surajit; Khurshudyan, Martiros; Myrzakulov, Ratbay; Hakobyan, Margarit; Movsisyan, Artashes

2015-03-01

In this work, we studied the Power Law and the Logarithmic Entropy Corrected versions of the Ricci Dark Energy (RDE) model in a spatially non-flat universe and in the framework of Hořava-Lifshitz cosmology. For the two cases containing non-interacting and interacting RDE and Dark Matter (DM), we obtained the exact differential equation that determines the evolutionary form of the RDE energy density. Moreover, we obtained the expressions of the deceleration parameter q and, using a parametrization of the equation of state (EoS) parameter ω D given by the relation ω D ( z) = ω 0+ ω 1 z, we derived the expressions of both ω 0 and ω 1. We interestingly found that the expression of ω 0 is the same for both non-interacting and interacting case. The expression of ω 1 for the interacting case has strong dependence from the interacting parameter b 2. The parameters derived in this work are done in small redshift approximation and for low redshift expansion of the EoS parameter.

Laws of the United States Relating to Water Pollution Control and Environmental Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Public Works.

This compilation of Federal legislation contains copies of twelve Public Laws, four Executive Orders, and five International Conventions relevant to water pollution control. It also contains two Public Laws and two Executive Orders pertaining to environmental quality. There is a brief introduction summarizing the provisions of each Act. (AL)

Performance validation of the ANSER control laws for the F-18 HARV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Messina, Michael D.

1995-01-01

The ANSER control laws were implemented in Ada by NASA Dryden for flight test on the High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). The Ada implementation was tested in the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation, and results were compared to those obtained with the NASA Langley batch Fortran implementation of the control laws which are considered the 'truth model.' This report documents the performance validation test results between these implementations. This report contains the ANSER performance validation test plan, HIL versus batch time-history comparisons, simulation scripts used to generate checkcases, and detailed analysis of discrepancies discovered during testing.

Performance validation of the ANSER Control Laws for the F-18 HARV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Messina, Michael D.

1995-01-01

The ANSER control laws were implemented in Ada by NASA Dryden for flight test on the High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). The Ada implementation was tested in the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation, and results were compared to those obtained with the NASA Langley batch Fortran implementation of the control laws which are considered the 'truth model'. This report documents the performance validation test results between these implementations. This report contains the ANSER performance validation test plan, HIL versus batch time-history comparisons, simulation scripts used to generate checkcases, and detailed analysis of discrepancies discovered during testing.

Missile Guidance Law Based on Robust Model Predictive Control Using Neural-Network Optimization.

PubMed

Li, Zhijun; Xia, Yuanqing; Su, Chun-Yi; Deng, Jun; Fu, Jun; He, Wei

2015-08-01

In this brief, the utilization of robust model-based predictive control is investigated for the problem of missile interception. Treating the target acceleration as a bounded disturbance, novel guidance law using model predictive control is developed by incorporating missile inside constraints. The combined model predictive approach could be transformed as a constrained quadratic programming (QP) problem, which may be solved using a linear variational inequality-based primal-dual neural network over a finite receding horizon. Online solutions to multiple parametric QP problems are used so that constrained optimal control decisions can be made in real time. Simulation studies are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed guidance control law for missile interception.

Numerical algorithms for computations of feedback laws arising in control of flexible systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lasiecka, Irena

1989-01-01

Several continuous models will be examined, which describe flexible structures with boundary or point control/observation. Issues related to the computation of feedback laws are examined (particularly stabilizing feedbacks) with sensors and actuators located either on the boundary or at specific point locations of the structure. One of the main difficulties is due to the great sensitivity of the system (hyperbolic systems with unbounded control actions), with respect to perturbations caused either by uncertainty of the model or by the errors introduced in implementing numerical algorithms. Thus, special care must be taken in the choice of the appropriate numerical schemes which eventually lead to implementable finite dimensional solutions. Finite dimensional algorithms are constructed on a basis of a priority analysis of the properties of the original, continuous (infinite diversional) systems with the following criteria in mind: (1) convergence and stability of the algorithms and (2) robustness (reasonable insensitivity with respect to the unknown parameters of the systems). Examples with mixed finite element methods and spectral methods are provided.

Attitude control with realization of linear error dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paielli, Russell A.; Bach, Ralph E.

1993-01-01

An attitude control law is derived to realize linear unforced error dynamics with the attitude error defined in terms of rotation group algebra (rather than vector algebra). Euler parameters are used in the rotational dynamics model because they are globally nonsingular, but only the minimal three Euler parameters are used in the error dynamics model because they have no nonlinear mathematical constraints to prevent the realization of linear error dynamics. The control law is singular only when the attitude error angle is exactly pi rad about any eigenaxis, and a simple intuitive modification at the singularity allows the control law to be used globally. The forced error dynamics are nonlinear but stable. Numerical simulation tests show that the control law performs robustly for both initial attitude acquisition and attitude control.

Design of a robust control law for the Vega launcher ballistic phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valli, Monica; Lavagna, Michèle R.; Panozzo, Thomas

2012-02-01

This work presents the design of a robust control law, and the related control system architecture, for the Vega launcher ballistic phase, taking into account the complete six degrees of freedom dynamics. To gain robustness a non-linear control approach has been preferred: more specifically the Lyapunov's second stability theorem has been exploited, being a very powerful tool to guarantee asymptotic stability of the controlled dynamics. The dynamics of Vega's actuators has also been taken into account. The system performance has been checked and analyzed by numerical simulations run on real mission data for different operational and configuration scenarios, and the effectiveness of the synthesized control highlighted: in particular scenarios including a wide range of composite's inertial configurations performing various typologies of maneuvers have been run. The robustness of the controlled dynamics has been validated by 100 cases Monte Carlo analysis campaign: the containment of the dispersion for the controlled variables - say the composite roll, yaw and pitch angles - confirmed the wide validity and generality of the proposed control law. This paper will show the theoretical approach and discuss the obtained results.

Olanzapine induced Q-Tc shortening.

PubMed

Shoja Shafti, Saeed; Fallah Jahromi, Parisa

2014-12-01

Prolongation of Q-Tc interval is commonly accepted as a surrogate marker for the ability of a drug to cause torsade de pointes. In the present study, safety of olanzapine versus risperidone was compared among a group of patients with schizophrenia to see the frequency of the electrocardiographic alterations induced by those atypical antipsychotics. Two hundred and sixty-eight female inpatients with schizophrenia entered in one of the two parallel groups to participate in an open study for random assignment to olanzapine (n = 148) or risperidone (n = 120). Standard 12-lead surface electrocardiogram (ECG) was taken from each patient at baseline, before initiation of treatment, and then at the end of management, just before discharge. The parameters that were assessed included heart rate (HR), P-R interval, QRS interval, Q-T interval (corrected = Q-Tc), ventricular activation time (VAT), ST segment, T wave, axis of QRS, and finally, interventricular conduction process. A total of 37.83% of cases in the olanzapine group and 30% in the risperidone group showed some Q-Tc changes; 13.51% and 24.32% of the patients in the olanzapine group showed prolongation and shortening of the Q-Tc, respectively, while changes in the risperidone group were restricted to only prolongation of Q-Tc. Comparison of means showed a significant increment in Q-Tc by risperidone (p = 0.02). Also, comparison of proportions in the olanzapine group showed significantly more cases with shortening of Q-Tc versus its prolongation (p = 0.01). No significant alterations with respect to other variables were evident. Olanzapine and risperidone had comparable potentiality for induction of Q-Tc changes, while production of further miscellaneous alterations in ECG was more observable in the olanzapine group compared with the risperidone group. Also shortening of Q-Tc was specific to olanzapine.

Effective Power-Law Dependence of Lyapunov Exponents on the Central Mass in Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delis, N.; Efthymiopoulos, C.; Kalapotharakos, C.

2015-01-01

Using both numerical and analytical approaches, we demonstrate the existence of an effective power-law relation L alpha m(sup p) between themean Lyapunov exponent L of stellar orbits chaotically scattered by a supermassive black hole (BH) in the centre of a galaxy and the mass parameter m, i.e. ratio of the mass of the BH over the mass of the galaxy. The exponent p is found numerically to obtain values in the range p approximately equals 0.3-0.5. We propose a theoretical interpretation of these exponents, based on estimates of local 'stretching numbers', i.e. local Lyapunov exponents at successive transits of the orbits through the BH's sphere of influence. We thus predict p = 2/3 - q with q approximately equaling 0.1-0.2. Our basic model refers to elliptical galaxy models with a central core. However, we find numerically that an effective power-law scaling of L with m holds also in models with central cusp, beyond a mass scale up to which chaos is dominated by the influence of the cusp itself. We finally show numerically that an analogous law exists also in disc galaxies with rotating bars. In the latter case, chaotic scattering by the BH affects mainly populations of thick tube-like orbits surrounding some low-order branches of the x(sub 1) family of periodic orbits, as well as its bifurcations at low-order resonances, mainly the inner Lindblad resonance and the 4/1 resonance. Implications of the correlations between L and m to determining the rate of secular evolution of galaxies are discussed.

Data-Driven Learning of Q-Matrix

PubMed Central

Liu, Jingchen; Xu, Gongjun; Ying, Zhiliang

2013-01-01

The recent surge of interests in cognitive assessment has led to developments of novel statistical models for diagnostic classification. Central to many such models is the well-known Q-matrix, which specifies the item–attribute relationships. This article proposes a data-driven approach to identification of the Q-matrix and estimation of related model parameters. A key ingredient is a flexible T-matrix that relates the Q-matrix to response patterns. The flexibility of the T-matrix allows the construction of a natural criterion function as well as a computationally amenable algorithm. Simulations results are presented to demonstrate usefulness and applicability of the proposed method. Extension to handling of the Q-matrix with partial information is presented. The proposed method also provides a platform on which important statistical issues, such as hypothesis testing and model selection, may be formally addressed. PMID:23926363

Steering law design for redundant single-gimbal control moment gyroscopes. [for spacecraft attitude control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bedrossian, Nazareth S.; Paradiso, Joseph; Bergmann, Edward V.; Rowell, Derek

1990-01-01

Two steering laws are presented for single-gimbal control moment gyroscopes. An approach using the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse with a nondirectional null-motion algorithm is shown by example to avoid internal singularities for unidirectional torque commands, for which existing algorithms fail. Because this is still a tangent-based approach, however, singularity avoidance cannot be guaranteed. The singularity robust inverse is introduced as an alternative to the pseudoinverse for computing torque-producing gimbal rates near singular states. This approach, coupled with the nondirectional null algorithm, is shown by example to provide better steering law performance by allowing torque errors to be produced in the vicinity of singular states.

Task oriented nonlinear control laws for telerobotic assembly operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, R. A.; Ward, L. S.; Elia, C. F.

1987-01-01

The goal of this research is to achieve very intelligent telerobotic controllers which are capable of receiving high-level commands from the human operator and implementing them in an adaptive manner in the object/task/manipulator workspace. Initiatives by the authors at Integrated Systems, Inc. to identify and develop the key technologies necessary to create such a flexible, highly programmable, telerobotic controller are presented. The focus of the discussion is on the modeling of insertion tasks in three dimensions and nonlinear implicit force feedback control laws which incorporate tool/workspace constraints. Preliminary experiments with dual arm beam assembly in 2-D are presented.

Involvement of matrix metalloproteinases in chronic Q fever.

PubMed

Jansen, A F M; Schoffelen, T; Textoris, J; Mege, J L; Bleeker-Rovers, C P; Roest, H I J; Wever, P C; Joosten, L A B; Netea, M G; van de Vosse, E; van Deuren, M

2017-07-01

Chronic Q fever is a persistent infection with the intracellular Gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii, which can lead to complications of infected aneurysms. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) cleave extracellular matrix and are involved in infections as well as aneurysms. We aimed to study the role of MMPs in the pathogenesis of chronic Q fever. We investigated gene expression of MMPs through microarray analysis and MMP production with ELISA in C. burnetii-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with chronic Q fever and healthy controls. Twenty single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MMP and tissue inhibitor of MMP genes were genotyped in 139 patients with chronic Q fever and 220 controls with similar cardiovascular co-morbidity. Additionally, circulating MMPs levels in patients with chronic Q fever were compared with those in cardiovascular controls with and without a history of past Q fever. In healthy controls, the MMP pathway involving four genes (MMP1, MMP7, MMP10, MMP19) was significantly up-regulated in C. burnetii-stimulated but not in Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide -stimulated PBMCs. Coxiella burnetii induced MMP-1 and MMP-9 production in PBMCs of healthy individuals (both p<0.001), individuals with past Q fever (p<0.05, p<0.01, respectively) and of patients with chronic Q fever (both p<0.001). SNPs in MMP7 (rs11568810) (p<0.05) and MMP9 (rs17576) (p<0.05) were more common in patients with chronic Q fever. Circulating MMP-7 serum levels were higher in patients with chronic Q fever (median 33.5 ng/mL, interquartile range 22.3-45.7 ng/mL) than controls (20.6 ng/mL, 15.9-33.8 ng/mL). Coxiella burnetii-induced MMP production may contribute to the development of chronic Q fever. Copyright © 2017 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The q-harmonic oscillators, q-coherent states and the q-symplecton

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biedenharn, L. C.; Lohe, M. A.; Nomura, Masao

1993-01-01

The recently introduced notion of a quantum group is discussed conceptually and then related to deformed harmonic oscillators ('q-harmonic oscillators'). Two developments in applying q-harmonic oscillators are reviewed: q-coherent states and the q-symplecton.

Computational material design for Q&P steels with plastic instability theory

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

Cheng, G.; Choi, K. S.; Hu, X. H.

In this paper, the deformation limits of Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) steels are examined with the plastic instability theory. For this purpose, the constituent phase properties of various Q&P steels were first experimentally obtained, and used to estimate the overall tensile stress-strain curves based on the simple rule of mixture (ROM) with the iso-strain and iso-stress assumptions. Plastic instability theory was then applied to the obtained overall stress-strain curves in order to estimate the deformation limits of the Q&P steels. A parametric study was also performed to examine the effects of various material parameters on the deformation limits of Q&Pmore » steels. Computational material design was subsequently carried out based on the information obtained from the parametric study. The results show that the plastic instability theory with iso-stress-based stress-strain curve may be used to provide the lower bound estimate of the uniform elongation (UE) for the various Q&P steels considered. The results also indicate that higher austenite stability/volume fractions, less strength difference between the primary phases, higher hardening exponents of the constituent phases are generally beneficial for the performance improvement of Q&P steels, and that various material parameters may be concurrently adjusted in a cohesive way in order to improve the performance of Q&P steel. The information from this study may be used to devise new heat treatment parameters and alloying elements to produce Q&P steels with the improved performance.« less

Metabolic control of respiratory levels in coenzyme Q biosynthesis-deficient Escherichia coli strains leading to fine-tune aerobic lactate fermentation.

PubMed

Wu, Hui; Bennett, George N; San, Ka-Yiu

2015-08-01

A novel strategy to finely control the electron transfer chain (ETC) activity of Escherichia coli was established. In this study, the fine-tuning of the ubiquinone biosynthesis pathway was applied to further controlling ETC function in coenzyme Q8 biosynthesis-deficient E. coli strains, HW108 and HW109, which contain mutations in ubiE and ubiG, respectively. A competing pathway on the intermediate substrates of the Q8 synthesis pathway, catalyzed by diphosphate:4-hydroxybenzoate geranyltransferase (PGT-1) of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, was introduced into these mutant strains. A nearly theoretical yield of lactate production can be achieved under fully aerobic conditions via an in vivo, genetically fine-tunable means to further control the activity of the ETC of the Q8 biosynthesis-deficient E. coli strains. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

On the robustness of the q-Gaussian family

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicuro, Gabriele; Tempesta, Piergiulio; Rodríguez, Antonio; Tsallis, Constantino

2015-12-01

We introduce three deformations, called α-, β- and γ-deformation respectively, of a N-body probabilistic model, first proposed by Rodríguez et al. (2008), having q-Gaussians as N → ∞ limiting probability distributions. The proposed α- and β-deformations are asymptotically scale-invariant, whereas the γ-deformation is not. We prove that, for both α- and β-deformations, the resulting deformed triangles still have q-Gaussians as limiting distributions, with a value of q independent (dependent) on the deformation parameter in the α-case (β-case). In contrast, the γ-case, where we have used the celebrated Q-numbers and the Gauss binomial coefficients, yields other limiting probability distribution functions, outside the q-Gaussian family. These results suggest that scale-invariance might play an important role regarding the robustness of the q-Gaussian family.

The Controlled Substances Act: how a "big tent" reform became a punitive drug law.

PubMed

Courtwright, David T

2004-10-05

The 1970 Controlled Substances Act was part of an omnibus reform package designed to rationalize, and in some respects to liberalize, American drug policy. While the legislation provided additional resources for law enforcement and a systematic means for regulating the use of most psychoactive drugs, it also did away with mandatory minimum sentences and provided more support for treatment and research. Over the next three decades, and in response to public alarm about drug abuse, the US Congress continuously amended the law to produce a more punitive system of drug control. The amendments, which gave the Drug Enforcement Administration greater control over scheduling and maintenance and which substantially increased penalties for illicit trafficking, transformed the law into the legal foundation of America's "drug war," as the stricter criminal approach came to be known. By the 1980s, the flexibility and innovative spirit of the original Controlled Substances Act (and that of Nixon-era drug strategy generally) had largely disappeared from American drug policy.

Heavy-flavored tetraquark states with the Q Q Q ¯ Q ¯ configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jing; Liu, Yan-Rui; Chen, Kan; Liu, Xiang; Zhu, Shi-Lin

2018-05-01

In the framework of the color-magnetic interaction, we systematically investigate the mass spectrum of the tetraquark states composed of four heavy quarks with the Q Q Q ¯Q ¯ configuration in this work. We also show their strong decay patterns. Stable or narrow states in the b b b ¯c ¯ and b c b ¯c ¯ systems are found to be possible. We hope the studies shall be helpful to the experimental search for heavy-full exotic tetraquark states.

Impacts of P-f & Q-V Droop Control on MicroGrids Transient Stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao-xia, Xiao; Hong-wei, Fang

Impacts of P-f & Q-V droop control on MicroGrid transient stability was investigated with a wind unit of asynchronous generator in the MicroGrid. The system frequency stability was explored when the motor load starts and its load power changes, and faults of different types and different locations occurs. The simulations were done by PSCAD/EMTDC.

Wind-tunnel evaluation of NASA developed control laws for flutter suppression on a DC-10 derivative wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abel, I.; Newsom, J. R.

1981-01-01

Two flutter suppression control laws were synthesized, implemented, and tested on a low speed aeroelastic wing model of a DC-10 derivative. The methodology used to design the control laws is described. Both control laws demonstrated increases in flutter speed in excess of 25 percent above the passive wing flutter speed. The effect of variations in gain and phase on the closed loop performance was measured and compared with analytical predictions. The analytical results are in good agreement with experimental data.

A novel guidance law using fast terminal sliding mode control with impact angle constraints.

PubMed

Sun, Lianghua; Wang, Weihong; Yi, Ran; Xiong, Shaofeng

2016-09-01

This paper is concerned with the question of, for a missile interception with impact angle constraints, how to design a guidance law. Firstly, missile interception with impact angle constraints is modeled; secondly, a novel guidance law using fast terminal sliding mode control based on extended state observer is proposed to optimize the trajectory and time of interception; finally, for stationary targets, constant velocity targets and maneuvering targets, the guidance law and the stability of the closed loop system is analyzed and the stability of the closed loop system is analyzed, respectively. Simulation results show that when missile and target are on a collision course, the novel guidance law using fast terminal sliding mode control with extended state observer has more optimized trajectory and effectively reduces the time of interception which has a great significance in modern warfare. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tertiapin-Q removes a mechanosensitive component of muscarinic control of the sinoatrial pacemaker in the rat.

PubMed

Han, SuYoung; Wilson, Suzanne J; Bolter, Chris P

2010-09-01

1. In an isolated right atrial preparation, an increase in right atrial pressure (RAP) produces an increase in atrial rate. This rate response is larger and occurs faster when there is background vagal or muscarinic stimulation. 2. We hypothesized that in the latter situation, an increase in RAP antagonizes the effect of muscarinic stimulation through stretch inactivation of the mechanosensitive muscarinic potassium current I(K,ACh). 3. In two groups of bath-mounted right atria isolated from male Wistar rats (control n = 12; 300 nmol/L tertiapin-Q treated (to block I(K,ACh)) n = 10), we examined the change in atrial rate when RAP was raised from 2 to 8 mmHg; oxotremorine-M (oxo-M; from 10 to 500 nmol/L) was added to incrementally activate muscarinic receptors. 4. In both control and tertiapin-Q-treated groups, oxo-M reduced atrial rate, but its effect was less ( approximately 40-50%) in the latter group (P < 0.001). In control preparations, responses to an increase in RAP became progressively larger and quicker as the concentration of oxo-M was increased, whereas in tertiapin-Q treated preparations oxo-M did not affect either the amplitude or the speed of the response (P < 0.0001 for both). 5. The results support the hypothesis that atrial stretch antagonizes muscarinic slowing by its effect on I(K,ACh). We suggest that through this mechanism, parasympathetic control of heart rate may be modulated continuously by RAP.

Impact on cardiovascular disease events of the implementation of Argentina's national tobacco control law.

PubMed

Konfino, Jonatan; Ferrante, Daniel; Mejia, Raul; Coxson, Pamela; Moran, Andrew; Goldman, Lee; Pérez-Stable, Eliseo J

2014-03-01

Argentina's congress passed a tobacco control law that would enforce 100% smoke-free environments for the entire country, strong and pictorial health warnings on tobacco products and a comprehensive advertising ban. However, the Executive Branch continues to review the law and it has not been fully implemented. Our objective was to project the potential impact of full implementation of this tobacco control legislation on cardiovascular disease. The Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Policy Model was used to project future cardiovascular events. Data sources for the model included vital statistics, morbidity and mortality data, and tobacco use estimates from the National Risk Factor Survey. Estimated effectiveness of interventions was based on a literature review. Results were expressed as life-years, myocardial infarctions and strokes saved in an 8-year-period between 2012 and 2020. In addition we projected the incremental effectiveness on the same outcomes of a tobacco price increase not included in the law. In the period 2012-2020, 7500 CHD deaths, 16 900 myocardial infarctions and 4300 strokes could be avoided with the full implementation and enforcement of this law. Annual per cent reduction would be 3% for CHD deaths, 3% for myocardial infarctions and 1% for stroke. If a tobacco price increase is implemented the projected avoided CHD deaths, myocardial infarctions and strokes would be 15 500, 34 600 and 11 900, respectively. Implementation of the tobacco control law would produce significant public health benefits in Argentina. Strong advocacy is needed at national and international levels to get this law implemented throughout Argentina.

Linear Parameter Varying Control for Actuator Failure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, Jong-Yeob; Wu, N. Eva; Belcastro, Christine; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A robust linear parameter varying (LPV) control synthesis is carried out for an HiMAT vehicle subject to loss of control effectiveness. The scheduling parameter is selected to be a function of the estimates of the control effectiveness factors. The estimates are provided on-line by a two-stage Kalman estimator. The inherent conservatism of the LPV design is reducing through the use of a scaling factor on the uncertainty block that represents the estimation errors of the effectiveness factors. Simulations of the controlled system with the on-line estimator show that a superior fault-tolerance can be achieved.

Predictive IP controller for robust position control of linear servo system.

PubMed

Lu, Shaowu; Zhou, Fengxing; Ma, Yajie; Tang, Xiaoqi

2016-07-01

Position control is a typical application of linear servo system. In this paper, to reduce the system overshoot, an integral plus proportional (IP) controller is used in the position control implementation. To further improve the control performance, a gain-tuning IP controller based on a generalized predictive control (GPC) law is proposed. Firstly, to represent the dynamics of the position loop, a second-order linear model is used and its model parameters are estimated on-line by using a recursive least squares method. Secondly, based on the GPC law, an optimal control sequence is obtained by using receding horizon, then directly supplies the IP controller with the corresponding control parameters in the real operations. Finally, simulation and experimental results are presented to show the efficiency of proposed scheme. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parameter estimation in Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis: current problems and some solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeulen, Petrus

2017-04-01

A typical Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) comprises identification of seismic source zones, determination of hazard parameters for these zones, selection of an appropriate ground motion prediction equation (GMPE), and integration over probabilities according the Cornell-McGuire procedure. Determination of hazard parameters often does not receive the attention it deserves, and, therefore, problems therein are often overlooked. Here, many of these problems are identified, and some of them addressed. The parameters that need to be identified are those associated with the frequency-magnitude law, those associated with earthquake recurrence law in time, and the parameters controlling the GMPE. This study is concerned with the frequency-magnitude law and temporal distribution of earthquakes, and not with GMPEs. TheGutenberg-Richter frequency-magnitude law is usually adopted for the frequency-magnitude law, and a Poisson process for earthquake recurrence in time. Accordingly, the parameters that need to be determined are the slope parameter of the Gutenberg-Richter frequency-magnitude law, i.e. the b-value, the maximum value at which the Gutenberg-Richter law applies mmax, and the mean recurrence frequency,λ, of earthquakes. If, instead of the Cornell-McGuire, the "Parametric-Historic procedure" is used, these parameters do not have to be known before the PSHA computations, they are estimated directly during the PSHA computation. The resulting relation for the frequency of ground motion vibration parameters has an analogous functional form to the frequency-magnitude law, which is described by parameters γ (analogous to the b¬-value of the Gutenberg-Richter law) and the maximum possible ground motion amax (analogous to mmax). Originally, the approach was possible to apply only to the simple GMPE, however, recently a method was extended to incorporate more complex forms of GMPE's. With regards to the parameter mmax, there are numerous methods of estimation

Theoretical and experimental analysis of injection seeding a Q-switched alexandrite laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, C. R.; Lee, H. S.; Glesne, T. R.; Monosmith, B.; Schwemmer, G. K.

1991-01-01

Injection seeding is a method for achieving linewidths of less than 500 MHz in the output of broadband, tunable, solid state lasers. Dye lasers, CW and pulsed diode lasers, and other solid state lasers have been used as injection seeders. By optimizing the fundamental laser parameters of pump energy, Q-switched pulse build-up time, injection seed power and mode matching, one can achieve significant improvements in the spectral purity of the Q-switched output. These parameters are incorporated into a simple model for analyzing spectral purity and pulse build-up processes in a Q-switched, injection-seeded laser. Experiments to optimize the relevant parameters of an alexandrite laser show good agreement.

Heavy-Quark Symmetry Implies Stable Heavy Tetraquark Mesons Q i Q j q ¯ k q ¯ l

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

Eichten, Estia J.; Quigg, Chris

For very heavy quarks Q, relations derived from heavy-quark symmetry predict the existence of novel narrow doubly heavy tetraquark states of the form Q iQ j¯q k¯q l (subscripts label flavors), where q designates a light quark. By evaluating finite-mass corrections, we predict that double-beauty states composed of bb¯u¯d, bb¯u¯s, and bb¯d¯s will be stable against strong decays, whereas the double-charm states cc¯q k¯q l, mixed beauty+charm states bc¯q k¯q l, and heavier bb¯qk¯ql states will dissociate into pairs of heavy-light mesons. Furthermore, observation of a new double-beauty state through its weak decays would establish the existence of tetraquarks andmore » illuminate the role of heavy color-antitriplet diquarks as hadron constituents.« less

Heavy-Quark Symmetry Implies Stable Heavy Tetraquark Mesons Q i Q j q ¯ k q ¯ l

DOE PAGES

Eichten, Estia J.; Quigg, Chris

2017-11-15

For very heavy quarks Q, relations derived from heavy-quark symmetry predict the existence of novel narrow doubly heavy tetraquark states of the form Q iQ j¯q k¯q l (subscripts label flavors), where q designates a light quark. By evaluating finite-mass corrections, we predict that double-beauty states composed of bb¯u¯d, bb¯u¯s, and bb¯d¯s will be stable against strong decays, whereas the double-charm states cc¯q k¯q l, mixed beauty+charm states bc¯q k¯q l, and heavier bb¯qk¯ql states will dissociate into pairs of heavy-light mesons. Furthermore, observation of a new double-beauty state through its weak decays would establish the existence of tetraquarks andmore » illuminate the role of heavy color-antitriplet diquarks as hadron constituents.« less

Discovering Hidden Controlling Parameters using Data Analytics and Dimensional Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Rosario, Zachary; Lee, Minyong; Iaccarino, Gianluca

2017-11-01

Dimensional Analysis is a powerful tool, one which takes a priori information and produces important simplifications. However, if this a priori information - the list of relevant parameters - is missing a relevant quantity, then the conclusions from Dimensional Analysis will be incorrect. In this work, we present novel conclusions in Dimensional Analysis, which provide a means to detect this failure mode of missing or hidden parameters. These results are based on a restated form of the Buckingham Pi theorem that reveals a ridge function structure underlying all dimensionless physical laws. We leverage this structure by constructing a hypothesis test based on sufficient dimension reduction, allowing for an experimental data-driven detection of hidden parameters. Both theory and examples will be presented, using classical turbulent pipe flow as the working example. Keywords: experimental techniques, dimensional analysis, lurking variables, hidden parameters, buckingham pi, data analysis. First author supported by the NSF GRFP under Grant Number DGE-114747.

Beta Function Quintessence Cosmological Parameters and Fundamental Constants I: Power and Inverse Power Law Dark Energy Potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Rodger I.

2018-04-01

This investigation explores using the beta function formalism to calculate analytic solutions for the observable parameters in rolling scalar field cosmologies. The beta function in this case is the derivative of the scalar ϕ with respect to the natural log of the scale factor a, β (φ )=d φ /d ln (a). Once the beta function is specified, modulo a boundary condition, the evolution of the scalar ϕ as a function of the scale factor is completely determined. A rolling scalar field cosmology is defined by its action which can contain a range of physically motivated dark energy potentials. The beta function is chosen so that the associated "beta potential" is an accurate, but not exact, representation of the appropriate dark energy model potential. The basic concept is that the action with the beta potential is so similar to the action with the model potential that solutions using the beta action are accurate representations of solutions using the model action. The beta function provides an extra equation to calculate analytic functions of the cosmologies parameters as a function of the scale factor that are that are not calculable using only the model action. As an example this investigation uses a quintessence cosmology to demonstrate the method for power and inverse power law dark energy potentials. An interesting result of the investigation is that the Hubble parameter H is almost completely insensitive to the power of the potentials and that ΛCDM is part of the family of quintessence cosmology power law potentials with a power of zero.

Beta function quintessence cosmological parameters and fundamental constants - I. Power and inverse power law dark energy potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Rodger I.

2018-07-01

This investigation explores using the beta function formalism to calculate analytic solutions for the observable parameters in rolling scalar field cosmologies. The beta function in this case is the derivative of the scalar φ with respect to the natural log of the scale factor a, β (φ)=d φ/d ln (a). Once the beta function is specified, modulo a boundary condition, the evolution of the scalar φ as a function of the scale factor is completely determined. A rolling scalar field cosmology is defined by its action which can contain a range of physically motivated dark energy potentials. The beta function is chosen so that the associated `beta potential' is an accurate, but not exact, representation of the appropriate dark energy model potential. The basic concept is that the action with the beta potential is so similar to the action with the model potential that solutions using the beta action are accurate representations of solutions using the model action. The beta function provides an extra equation to calculate analytic functions of the cosmologies parameters as a function of the scale factor that are not calculable using only the model action. As an example, this investigation uses a quintessence cosmology to demonstrate the method for power and inverse power law dark energy potentials. An interesting result of the investigation is that the Hubble parameter H is almost completely insensitive to the power of the potentials and that Λ cold dark matter is part of the family of quintessence cosmology power-law potentials with a power of zero.

Study of thermodynamic laws in f(R,T,R{sub μν}T{sup μν}) gravity

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

Sharif, M.; Zubair, M., E-mail: msharif.math@pu.edu.pk, E-mail: mzubairkk@gmail.com

2013-11-01

We study first and second laws of black hole thermodynamics at the apparent horizon of FRW spacetime in f(R,T,R{sub μν}T{sup μν}) gravity, where R, R{sub μν} are the Ricci scalar and Riemann tensor and T is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor T{sub μν}. We develop the Friedmann equations for any spatial curvature in this modified theory and show that these equations can be transformed to the form of Clausius relation T{sub h}S{sub eff} = δQ. Here T{sub h} is the horizon temperature, S{sub eff} is the entropy which contains contributions both from horizon entropy and additional entropy term introducedmore » due to the non-equilibrating description and δQ is the energy flux across the horizon. The generalized second law of thermodynamics is also established in a more comprehensive form and one can recover the corresponding results in Einstein, f(R) and f(R,T) gravities. We discuss GSLT in the locality of assumption that temperature of matter inside the horizon is similar to that of horizon. Finally, we consider particular models in this theory and generate constraints on the coupling parameter for the validity of GSLT.« less

High angle of attack control law development for a free-flight wind tunnel model using direct eigenstructure assignment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wendel, Thomas R.; Boland, Joseph R.; Hahne, David E.

1991-01-01

Flight-control laws are developed for a wind-tunnel aircraft model flying at a high angle of attack by using a synthesis technique called direct eigenstructure assignment. The method employs flight guidelines and control-power constraints to develop the control laws, and gain schedules and nonlinear feedback compensation provide a framework for considering the nonlinear nature of the attack angle. Linear and nonlinear evaluations show that the control laws are effective, a conclusion that is further confirmed by a scale model used for free-flight testing.

Analysis of autism susceptibility gene loci on chromosomes 1p, 4p, 6q, 7q, 13q, 15q, 16p, 17q, 19q and 22q in Finnish multiplex families.

PubMed

Auranen, M; Nieminen, T; Majuri, S; Vanhala, R; Peltonen, L; Järvelä, I

2000-05-01

The role of genetic factors in the etiology of the autistic spectrum of disorders has clearly been demonstrated. Ten chromosomal regions, on chromosomes 1p, 4p, 6q, 7q, 13q, 15q, 16p, 17q, 19q and 22q have potentially been linked to autism.1-8 We have analyzed these chromosomal regions in a total of 17 multiplex families with autism originating from the isolated Finnish population by pairwise linkage analysis and sib-pair analysis. Mild evidence for putative contribution was found only with the 1p chromosomal region in the susceptibility to autism. Our data suggest that additional gene loci exist for autism which will be detectable in and even restricted to the isolated Finnish population.

Heating Parameter Estimation Using Coaxial Thermocouple Gages in Wind Tunnel Test Articles.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

Attack a Emissivity G Parameter Vector Pn Measurement Vector at nth Time Point p Density 0 Stefan-Boltzmann Constant 6 Transition Matrix APc Scaling...for. The radiation is modeled using the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, q = 60(U 4 - U, 4 ) (A-9) where 8 radiative emissivity a Stefan-Bol tzmann constant U...w00 I- 000 0 0111c :0 i zZ Z-4lwr I- E . - t J K - IL HHO "W 6i 0WZWZWO&000OW *0 . 0 - .- - -4 4 1"- 1 Lii w LiiU Li LI Li Lij Liw w ~ o 0 0wm ~wW6~w d

Active flutter suppression using optical output feedback digital controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

A method for synthesizing digital active flutter suppression controllers using the concept of optimal output feedback is presented. A convergent algorithm is employed to determine constrained control law parameters that minimize an infinite time discrete quadratic performance index. Low order compensator dynamics are included in the control law and the compensator parameters are computed along with the output feedback gain as part of the optimization process. An input noise adjustment procedure is used to improve the stability margins of the digital active flutter controller. Sample rate variation, prefilter pole variation, control structure variation and gain scheduling are discussed. A digital control law which accommodates computation delay can stabilize the wing with reasonable rms performance and adequate stability margins.

Tsallis q-triplet, intermittent turbulence and Portevin-Le Chatelier effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iliopoulos, A. C.; Aifantis, E. C.

2018-05-01

In this paper, we extend a previous study concerning Portevin-LeChatelier (PLC) effect and Tsallis statistics (Iliopoulos et al., 2015). In particular, we estimate Tsallis' q-triplet, namely {qstat, qsens, qrel} for two sets of stress serration time series concerning the deformation of Cu-15%Al alloy corresponding to different deformation temperatures and thus types (A and B) of PLC bands. The results concerning the stress serrations analysis reveal that Tsallis q- triplet attains values different from unity ({qstat, qsens, qrel} ≠ {1,1,1}). In particular, PLC type A bands' serrations were found to follow Tsallis super-q-Gaussian, non-extensive, sub-additive, multifractal statistics indicating that the underlying dynamics are at the edge of chaos, characterized by global long range correlations and power law scaling. For PLC type B bands' serrations, the results revealed a Tsallis sub-q-Gaussian, non-extensive, super-additive, multifractal statistical profile. In addition, our results reveal also significant differences in statistical and dynamical features, indicating important variations of the stress field dynamics in terms of rate of entropy production, relaxation dynamics and non-equilibrium meta-stable stationary states. We also estimate parameters commonly used for characterizing fully developed turbulence, such as structure functions and flatness coefficient (F), in order to provide further information about jerky flow underlying dynamics. Finally, we use two multifractal models developed to describe turbulence, namely Arimitsu and Arimitsu (A&A) [2000, 2001] theoretical model which is based on Tsallis statistics and p-model to estimate theoretical multifractal spectrums f(a). Furthermore, we estimate flatness coefficient (F) using a theoretical formula based on Tsallis statistics. The theoretical results are compared with the experimental ones showing a remarkable agreement between modeling and experiment. Finally, the results of this study verify, as

Control of a small working robot on a large flexible manipulator for suppressing vibrations: Development of a robust control law for flexible robot and it's stability analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soo, Han Lee

1991-01-01

Researchers developed a robust control law for slow motions for the accurate trajectory control of a flexible robot. The control law does not need larger velocity gains than position gains, which some researchers need to ensure the stability of a rigid robot. Initial experimentation for the Small Articulated Manipulator (SAM) shows that control laws that use smaller velocity gains are more robust to signal noise than the control laws that use larger velocity gains. Researchers analyzed the stability of the composite control law, the robust control for the slow motion, and the strain rate feedback for the fast control. The stability analysis was done by using a quadratic Liapunov function. Researchers found that the flexible motion of links could be controlled by relating the input force to the flexible signals which are sensed at the near tip of each link. The signals are contaminated by the time delayed input force. However, the effect of the time delayed input force can be reduced by giving a certain configuration to the SAM.

Empirical evaluation of humpback whale telomere length estimates; quality control and factors causing variability in the singleplex and multiplex qPCR methods.

PubMed

Olsen, Morten Tange; Bérubé, Martine; Robbins, Jooke; Palsbøll, Per J

2012-09-06

Telomeres, the protective cap of chromosomes, have emerged as powerful markers of biological age and life history in model and non-model species. The qPCR method for telomere length estimation is one of the most common methods for telomere length estimation, but has received recent critique for being too error-prone and yielding unreliable results. This critique coincides with an increasing awareness of the potentials and limitations of the qPCR technique in general and the proposal of a general set of guidelines (MIQE) for standardization of experimental, analytical, and reporting steps of qPCR. In order to evaluate the utility of the qPCR method for telomere length estimation in non-model species, we carried out four different qPCR assays directed at humpback whale telomeres, and subsequently performed a rigorous quality control to evaluate the performance of each assay. Performance differed substantially among assays and only one assay was found useful for telomere length estimation in humpback whales. The most notable factors causing these inter-assay differences were primer design and choice of using singleplex or multiplex assays. Inferred amplification efficiencies differed by up to 40% depending on assay and quantification method, however this variation only affected telomere length estimates in the worst performing assays. Our results suggest that seemingly well performing qPCR assays may contain biases that will only be detected by extensive quality control. Moreover, we show that the qPCR method for telomere length estimation can be highly precise and accurate, and thus suitable for telomere measurement in non-model species, if effort is devoted to optimization at all experimental and analytical steps. We conclude by highlighting a set of quality controls which may serve for further standardization of the qPCR method for telomere length estimation, and discuss some of the factors that may cause variation in qPCR experiments.

Improvement of vibration energy harvesters mechanical Q-factor through high density proof mass integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dompierre, A.; Fréchette, L. G.

2016-11-01

This paper reports on improvement of the mechanical Q-factor of resonant energy harvesters at ambient pressure via the use of tungsten proof masses by evaluating the impact of the mass size and density on the squeeze film damping. To this end, a simplified model is first proposed to evaluate cantilever beams deflection and the resulting fluid pressure build up between the mass and a near surface. The model, which accounts for simultaneous transverse and rotational motion of very long tip masses as well as for 2D fluid flow in the gap, is used to extract a scaling law for the device fluidic Q-factor Qf. This law states that Qf can be improved by either increasing the linear mass density of the tip mass or by reducing the side lengths compared to the gap height. The first approach is validated experimentally by adding a tungsten proof mass on a silicon based device and observing an improvement of the Q-factor by 103%, going from 430 to 871, while the resonance frequency drops from 457 to 127 Hz. In terms of fluidic Q-factor, this represents an increase from 562 to 1673. These results successfully demonstrate the benefits of integrating a tungsten mass to reduce the fluid losses while potentially reducing the device footprint.

The Legality of Nuclear Weapons Employment under the International Humanitarian Law of Coercion Control.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

fm$0 TELMT OF NUICLEMR IdERPONiS EMPLOYMENT UNDERTH 1/ I INTERNRTIOSEL NUIfI.. (U) AIR FORCE INST OF TECH I NRIONT-PATTERSON AFI ON R R PRICE 1967...Coercion Control c. Rank: Major d. Service: United States Air Force e. Date: 1987 I . Number of pages: 106 g. Degree awarded: Master ot Laws (LL.M.) in...33 A. Sources of International Humanitarian Law ............ 33 B. Use of Coercive Force Under International Law ..... 34 C. Basis Principles

Loss of 11q and 16q in Wilms tumors is associated with anaplasia, tumor recurrence, and poor prognosis.

PubMed

Wittmann, Stefanie; Zirn, Birgit; Alkassar, Muhannad; Ambros, Peter; Graf, Norbert; Gessler, Manfred

2007-02-01

Allele loss of chromosome arms 11q and 16q in Wilms tumors has been associated with different clinical parameters in prior studies. To substantiate these findings in a large collection of tumors treated according to the GPOH/SIOP protocol and to narrow down critical regions, we performed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analyses of chromosome arms 11q and 16q on 225 Wilms tumors. On chromosome arm 11q an overall rate of allele loss of 19.6% (44 of 225 tumors) was found using eleven markers that were almost evenly distributed along the long arm. Chromosome arm 16q was analyzed with six markers selected from gene-rich regions that identified an LOH rate of 18.4% (41/223). Evaluation of LOH with respect to clinical data revealed significant associations of LOH 11q with histology: LOH 11q was 3-4 times more frequent in mixed type and diffuse anaplastic tumors. In contrast, epithelial as well as stromal type tumors never exhibited allele loss on 11q. Furthermore, a significant correlation with tumor recurrence and death was detected, but only for tumors that lost the entire long arm of chromosome 11. Similarly, LOH 16q was correlated with higher risks of later relapse, especially in tumors with complete loss of the long arm. Hence, analyses of LOH on 11q and 16q appear to be helpful to identify tumors with a higher risk of relapse and adverse outcome, which need adjusted therapeutic approaches. Copyright 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Concurrently adjusting interrelated control parameters to achieve optimal engine performance

DOEpatents

Jiang, Li; Lee, Donghoon; Yilmaz, Hakan; Stefanopoulou, Anna

2015-12-01

Methods and systems for real-time engine control optimization are provided. A value of an engine performance variable is determined, a value of a first operating condition and a value of a second operating condition of a vehicle engine are detected, and initial values for a first engine control parameter and a second engine control parameter are determined based on the detected first operating condition and the detected second operating condition. The initial values for the first engine control parameter and the second engine control parameter are adjusted based on the determined value of the engine performance variable to cause the engine performance variable to approach a target engine performance variable. In order to cause the engine performance variable to approach the target engine performance variable, adjusting the initial value for the first engine control parameter necessitates a corresponding adjustment of the initial value for the second engine control parameter.

The <q>ABC modelq>: a non-hydrostatic toy model for use in convective-scale data assimilation investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrie, Ruth Elizabeth; Bannister, Ross Noel; Priestley Cullen, Michael John

2017-12-01

In developing methods for convective-scale data assimilation (DA), it is necessary to consider the full range of motions governed by the compressible Navier-Stokes equations (including non-hydrostatic and ageostrophic flow). These equations describe motion on a wide range of timescales with non-linear coupling. For the purpose of developing new DA techniques that suit the convective-scale problem, it is helpful to use so-called <q>toy modelsq> that are easy to run and contain the same types of motion as the full equation set. Such a model needs to permit hydrostatic and geostrophic balance at large scales but allow imbalance at small scales, and in particular, it needs to exhibit intermittent convection-like behaviour. Existing <q>toy modelsq> are not always sufficient for investigating these issues. A simplified system of intermediate complexity derived from the Euler equations is presented, which supports dispersive gravity and acoustic modes. In this system, the separation of timescales can be greatly reduced by changing the physical parameters. Unlike in existing toy models, this allows the acoustic modes to be treated explicitly and hence inexpensively. In addition, the non-linear coupling induced by the equation of state is simplified. This means that the gravity and acoustic modes are less coupled than in conventional models. A vertical slice formulation is used which contains only dry dynamics. The model is shown to give physically reasonable results, and convective behaviour is generated by localised compressible effects. This model provides an affordable and flexible framework within which some of the complex issues of convective-scale DA can later be investigated. The model is called the <q>ABC modelq> after the three tunable parameters introduced: A (the pure gravity wave frequency), B (the modulation of the divergent term in the continuity equation), and C (defining the compressibility).

Prophylactic role of coenzyme Q10 and Cynara scolymus L on doxorubicin-induced toxicity in rats: Biochemical and immunohistochemical study.

PubMed

Mustafa, Hesham N; El Awdan, Sally A; Hegazy, Gehan A; Abdel Jaleel, Gehad A

2015-01-01

The study aims to evaluate the protective effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and Cynara scolymus L (CS) on doxorubicin (dox)-induced toxicity. Sixty male rats were divided into six groups. Group 1 as a control. Group 2 received dox (10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Group 3 received CoQ10 (200 mg/kg). Group 4 received CS (500 mg/kg). Group 5 received CoQ10 (200 mg/kg) and dox (10 mg/kg). Group 6 received CS (500 mg/kg) and dox (10 mg/kg). The rats were then evaluated biochemically and immunohistochemically. Dox produced a significant deterioration of hepatic and renal functional parameters. Moreover, an upsurge of oxidative stress and nitrosative stress markers. The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was increased and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression was decreased. Administration of CoQ10 and CS resulted in a significant improvement of hepatic and renal functional parameters, and an improvement of both α-SMA and PCNA. It is concluded that pretreatment with CoQ10 and CS is associated with up-regulation of favorable protective enzymes and down-regulation of oxidative stress. That can be advised as a supplement to dox-treated patients.

Prophylactic role of coenzyme Q10 and Cynara scolymus L on doxorubicin-induced toxicity in rats: Biochemical and immunohistochemical study

PubMed Central

Mustafa, Hesham N.; El Awdan, Sally A.; Hegazy, Gehan A.; Abdel Jaleel, Gehad A.

2015-01-01

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the protective effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and Cynara scolymus L (CS) on doxorubicin (dox)-induced toxicity. Materials and Methods: Sixty male rats were divided into six groups. Group 1 as a control. Group 2 received dox (10 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Group 3 received CoQ10 (200 mg/kg). Group 4 received CS (500 mg/kg). Group 5 received CoQ10 (200 mg/kg) and dox (10 mg/kg). Group 6 received CS (500 mg/kg) and dox (10 mg/kg). The rats were then evaluated biochemically and immunohistochemically. Results: Dox produced a significant deterioration of hepatic and renal functional parameters. Moreover, an upsurge of oxidative stress and nitrosative stress markers. The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was increased and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression was decreased. Administration of CoQ10 and CS resulted in a significant improvement of hepatic and renal functional parameters, and an improvement of both α-SMA and PCNA. Conclusion: It is concluded that pretreatment with CoQ10 and CS is associated with up-regulation of favorable protective enzymes and down-regulation of oxidative stress. That can be advised as a supplement to dox-treated patients. PMID:26729958

Evaluation of control laws and actuator locations for control systems applicable to deformable astronomical telescope mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ostroff, A. J.

1973-01-01

Some of the major difficulties associated with large orbiting astronomical telescopes are the cost of manufacturing the primary mirror to precise tolerances and the maintaining of diffraction-limited tolerances while in orbit. One successfully demonstrated approach for minimizing these problem areas is the technique of actively deforming the primary mirror by applying discrete forces to the rear of the mirror. A modal control technique, as applied to active optics, has previously been developed and analyzed. The modal control technique represents the plant to be controlled in terms of its eigenvalues and eigenfunctions which are estimated via numerical approximation techniques. The report includes an extension of previous work using the modal control technique and also describes an optimal feedback controller. The equations for both control laws are developed in state-space differential form and include such considerations as stability, controllability, and observability. These equations are general and allow the incorporation of various mode-analyzer designs; two design approaches are presented. The report also includes a technique for placing actuator and sensor locations at points on the mirror based upon the flexibility matrix of the uncontrolled or unobserved modes of the structure. The locations selected by this technique are used in the computer runs which are described. The results are based upon three different initial error distributions, two mode-analyzer designs, and both the modal and optimal control laws.

On parameters identification of computational models of vibrations during quiet standing of humans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barauskas, R.; Krušinskienė, R.

2007-12-01

Vibration of the center of pressure (COP) of human body on the base of support during quiet standing is a very popular clinical research, which provides useful information about the physical and health condition of an individual. In this work, vibrations of COP of a human body in forward-backward direction during still standing are generated using controlled inverted pendulum (CIP) model with a single degree of freedom (dof) supplied with proportional, integral and differential (PID) controller, which represents the behavior of the central neural system of a human body and excited by cumulative disturbance vibration, generated within the body due to breathing or any other physical condition. The identification of the model and disturbance parameters is an important stage while creating a close-to-reality computational model able to evaluate features of disturbance. The aim of this study is to present the CIP model parameters identification approach based on the information captured by time series of the COP signal. The identification procedure is based on an error function minimization. Error function is formulated in terms of time laws of computed and experimentally measured COP vibrations. As an alternative, error function is formulated in terms of the stabilogram diffusion function (SDF). The minimization of error functions is carried out by employing methods based on sensitivity functions of the error with respect to model and excitation parameters. The sensitivity functions are obtained by using the variational techniques. The inverse dynamic problem approach has been employed in order to establish the properties of the disturbance time laws ensuring the satisfactory coincidence of measured and computed COP vibration laws. The main difficulty of the investigated problem is encountered during the model validation stage. Generally, neither the PID controller parameter set nor the disturbance time law are known in advance. In this work, an error function

Solving the dynamic rupture problem with different numerical approaches and constitutive laws

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bizzarri, A.; Cocco, M.; Andrews, D.J.; Boschi, Enzo

2001-01-01

We study the dynamic initiation, propagation and arrest of a 2-D in-plane shear rupture by solving the elastodynamic equation by using both a boundary integral equation method and a finite difference approach. For both methods we adopt different constitutive laws: a slip-weakening (SW) law, with constant weakening rate, and rate- and state-dependent friction laws (Dieterich-Ruina). Our numerical procedures allow the use of heterogeneous distributions of constitutive parameters along the fault for both formulations. We first compare the two solution methods with an SW law, emphasizing the required stability conditions to achieve a good resolution of the cohesive zone and to avoid artificial complexity in the solutions. Our modelling results show that the two methods provide very similar time histories of dynamic source parameters. We point out that, if a careful control of resolution and stability is performed, the two methods yield identical solutions. We have also compared the rupture evolution resulting from an SW and a rate- and state-dependent friction law. This comparison shows that despite the different constitutive formulations, a similar behaviour is simulated during the rupture propagation and arrest. We also observe a crack tip bifurcation and a jump in rupture velocity (approaching the P-wave speed) with the Dieterich-Ruina (DR) law. The rupture arrest at a barrier (high strength zone) and the barrier-healing mechanism are also reproduced by this law. However, this constitutive formulation allows the simulation of a more general and complex variety of rupture behaviours. By assuming different heterogeneous distributions of the initial constitutive parameters, we are able to model a barrier-healing as well as a self-healing process. This result suggests that if the heterogeneity of the constitutive parameters is taken into account, the different healing mechanisms can be simulated. We also study the nucleation phase duration Tn, defined as the time

Tiger beetles pursue prey using a proportional control law with a delay of one half-stride.

PubMed

Haselsteiner, Andreas F; Gilbert, Cole; Wang, Z Jane

2014-06-06

Tiger beetles are fast diurnal predators capable of chasing prey under closed-loop visual guidance. We investigated this control system using statistical analyses of high-speed digital recordings of beetles chasing a moving prey dummy in a laboratory arena. Correlation analyses reveal that the beetle uses a proportional control law in which the angular position of the prey relative to the beetle's body axis drives the beetle's angular velocity with a delay of about 28 ms. The proportionality coefficient or system gain, 12 s(-1), is just below critical damping. Pursuit simulations using the derived control law predict angular orientation during pursuits with a residual error of about 7°. This is of the same order of magnitude as the oscillation imposed by the beetle's alternating tripod gait, which was not factored into the control law. The system delay of 28 ms equals a half-stride period, i.e. the time between the touch down of alternating tripods. Based on these results, we propose a physical interpretation of the observed control law: to turn towards its prey, the beetle on average exerts a sideways force proportional to the angular position of the prey measured a half-stride earlier.

Pareto-Zipf law in growing systems with multiplicative interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohtsuki, Toshiya; Tanimoto, Satoshi; Sekiyama, Makoto; Fujihara, Akihiro; Yamamoto, Hiroshi

2018-06-01

Numerical simulations of multiplicatively interacting stochastic processes with weighted selections were conducted. A feedback mechanism to control the weight w of selections was proposed. It becomes evident that when w is moderately controlled around 0, such systems spontaneously exhibit the Pareto-Zipf distribution. The simulation results are universal in the sense that microscopic details, such as parameter values and the type of control and weight, are irrelevant. The central ingredient of the Pareto-Zipf law is argued to be the mild control of interactions.

The Q Continuum: Encounter with the Cloud Mask

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ackerman, S. A.; Frey, R.; Holz, R.; Philips, C.; Dutcher, S.

2017-12-01

We are developing a common cloud mask for MODIS and VIIRS observations, referred to as the MODIS VIIRS Continuity Mask (MVCM). Our focus is on extending the MODIS-heritage cloud detection approach in order to generate appropriate climate data records for clouds and climate studies. The MVCM is based on heritage from the MODIS cloud mask (MOD35 and MYD35) and employs a series of tests on MODIS reflectances and brightness temperatures. Cloud detection is based on contrasts (i.e., cloud versus background surface) at pixel resolution. The MVCM follows the same approach. These cloud masks use multiple cloud detection tests to indicate the confidence level that the observation is of a clear-sky scene. The outcome of a test ranges from 0 (cloudy) to 1 (clear-sky scene). Because of overlap in the sensitivities of the various spectral tests to the type of cloud, each test is considered in one of several groups. The final cloud mask is determined from the product of the minimum confidence of each group and is referred to as the Q value as defined in Ackerman et al (1998). In MOD35 and MYD35 processing, the Q value is not output, rather predetermined Q values determine the result: If Q ≥ .99 the scene is clear; .95 ≤ Q < .99 the pixel is probably a clear scene, .66 ≤ Q < .95 is probably cloudy and Q < .66 is cloudy. Thus representing Q discretely and not as a continuum. For the MVCM, the numerical value of the Q is output along with the classification of clear, probably clear, probably cloudy, and cloudy. Through comparisons with collocated CALIOP and MODIS observations, we will assess the categorization of the Q values as a function of scene type ). While validation studies have indicated the utility and statistical correctness of the cloud mask approach, the algorithm does not possess immeasurable power and perfection. This comparison will assess the time and space dependence of Q and assure that the laws of physics are followed, at least according to normal human

Implementation of Nonlinear Control Laws for an Optical Delay Line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hench, John J.; Lurie, Boris; Grogan, Robert; Johnson, Richard

2000-01-01

This paper discusses the implementation of a globally stable nonlinear controller algorithm for the Real-Time Interferometer Control System Testbed (RICST) brassboard optical delay line (ODL) developed for the Interferometry Technology Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The control methodology essentially employs loop shaping to implement linear control laws. while utilizing nonlinear elements as means of ameliorating the effects of actuator saturation in its coarse, main, and vernier stages. The linear controllers were implemented as high-order digital filters and were designed using Bode integral techniques to determine the loop shape. The nonlinear techniques encompass the areas of exact linearization, anti-windup control, nonlinear rate limiting and modal control. Details of the design procedure are given as well as data from the actual mechanism.

Power law tails in phylogenetic systems.

PubMed

Qin, Chongli; Colwell, Lucy J

2018-01-23

Covariance analysis of protein sequence alignments uses coevolving pairs of sequence positions to predict features of protein structure and function. However, current methods ignore the phylogenetic relationships between sequences, potentially corrupting the identification of covarying positions. Here, we use random matrix theory to demonstrate the existence of a power law tail that distinguishes the spectrum of covariance caused by phylogeny from that caused by structural interactions. The power law is essentially independent of the phylogenetic tree topology, depending on just two parameters-the sequence length and the average branch length. We demonstrate that these power law tails are ubiquitous in the large protein sequence alignments used to predict contacts in 3D structure, as predicted by our theory. This suggests that to decouple phylogenetic effects from the interactions between sequence distal sites that control biological function, it is necessary to remove or down-weight the eigenvectors of the covariance matrix with largest eigenvalues. We confirm that truncating these eigenvectors improves contact prediction.

Lifting q-difference operators for Askey-Wilson polynomials and their weight function

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

Atakishiyeva, M. K.; Atakishiyev, N. M., E-mail: natig_atakishiyev@hotmail.com

2011-06-15

We determine an explicit form of a q-difference operator that transforms the continuous q-Hermite polynomials H{sub n}(x | q) of Rogers into the Askey-Wilson polynomials p{sub n}(x; a, b, c, d | q) on the top level in the Askey q-scheme. This operator represents a special convolution-type product of four one-parameter q-difference operators of the form {epsilon}{sub q}(c{sub q}D{sub q}) (where c{sub q} are some constants), defined as Exton's q-exponential function {epsilon}{sub q}(z) in terms of the Askey-Wilson divided q-difference operator D{sub q}. We also determine another q-difference operator that lifts the orthogonality weight function for the continuous q-Hermite polynomialsH{submore » n}(x | q) up to the weight function, associated with the Askey-Wilson polynomials p{sub n}(x; a, b, c, d | q).« less

Mitochondrial superoxide and coenzyme Q in insulin-deficient rats: increased electron leak

PubMed Central

Herlein, Judith A.; Fink, Brian D.; Henry, Dorlyne M.; Yorek, Mark A.; Teesch, Lynn M.

2011-01-01

Mitochondrial superoxide is important in the pathogeneses of diabetes and its complications. However, there is uncertainty regarding the intrinsic propensity of mitochondria to generate this radical. Studies to date suggest that superoxide production by mitochondria of insulin-sensitive target tissues of insulin-deficient rodents is reduced or unchanged. Moreover, little is known of the role of the Coenzyme Q (CoQ), whose semiquinone form reacts with molecular oxygen to generate superoxide. We measured reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, respiratory parameters, and CoQ content in mitochondria from gastrocnemius muscle of control and streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. CoQ content did not differ between mitochondria isolated from vehicle- or STZ-treated animals. CoQ also was unaffected by weight loss in the absence of diabetes (induced by caloric restriction). Under state 4 or state 3 conditions, both respiration and ROS release were reduced in diabetic mitochondria fueled with succinate, glutamate plus malate, or with all three substrates (continuous TCA cycle). However, H2O2 and directly measured superoxide production were substantially increased in gastrocnemius mitochondria of diabetic rats when expressed per unit oxygen consumed. On the basis of substrate and inhibitor effects, the mechanism involved multiple electron transport sites. More limited results using heart mitochondria were similar. ROS per unit respiration was greater in muscle mitochondria from diabetic compared with control rats during state 3, as well as state 4, while the reduction in ROS per unit respiration on transition to state 3 was less for diabetic mitochondria. In summary, ROS production is, in fact, increased in mitochondria from insulin-deficient muscle when considered relative to electron transport. This is evident on multiple energy substrates and in different respiratory states. CoQ is not reduced in diabetic mitochondria or with weight loss due to food restriction. The

Functional regulation of Q by microRNA172 and transcriptional co-repressor TOPLESS in controlling bread wheat spikelet density.

PubMed

Liu, Pan; Liu, Jie; Dong, Huixue; Sun, Jiaqiang

2018-02-01

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) spike architecture is an important agronomic trait. The Q gene plays a key role in the domestication of bread wheat spike architecture. However, the regulatory mechanisms of Q expression and transcriptional activity remain largely unknown. In this study, we show that overexpression of bread wheat tae-miR172 caused a speltoid-like spike phenotype, reminiscent of that in wheat plants with the q gene. The reduction in Q transcript levels in the tae-miR172 overexpression transgenic bread wheat lines suggests that the Q expression can be suppressed by tae-miR172 in bread wheat. Indeed, our RACE analyses confirmed that the Q mRNA is targeted by tae-miR172 for cleavage. According to our analyses, the Q protein is localized in nucleus and confers transcriptional repression activity. Meanwhile, the Q protein could physically interact with the bread wheat transcriptional co-repressor TOPLESS (TaTPL). Specifically, the N-terminal ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) (LDLNVE) motif but not the C-terminal EAR (LDLDLR) motif of Q protein mediates its interaction with the CTLH motif of TaTPL. Moreover, we show that the N-terminal EAR motif of Q protein is also essentially required for the transcriptional repression activity of Q protein. Taken together, we reveal the functional regulation of Q protein by tae-miR172 and transcriptional co-repressor TaTPL in controlling the bread wheat spike architecture. © 2017 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fuzzy Q-Learning for Generalization of Reinforcement Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berenji, Hamid R.

1996-01-01

Fuzzy Q-Learning, introduced earlier by the author, is an extension of Q-Learning into fuzzy environments. GARIC is a methodology for fuzzy reinforcement learning. In this paper, we introduce GARIC-Q, a new method for doing incremental Dynamic Programming using a society of intelligent agents which are controlled at the top level by Fuzzy Q-Learning and at the local level, each agent learns and operates based on GARIC. GARIC-Q improves the speed and applicability of Fuzzy Q-Learning through generalization of input space by using fuzzy rules and bridges the gap between Q-Learning and rule based intelligent systems.

A Mapping Model for Magnetic Fields with q-profile Variations Typical of Internal Transport Barrier Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapoport, B. I.; Pavlenko, I.; Weyssow, B.; Carati, D.

2002-11-01

Recent studies of ion and electron transport indicate that the safety factor profile, q(r), affects internal transport barrier (ITB) formation in magnetic confinement devices [1, 2]. These studies are consistent with experimental observations that low shear suppresses magnetic island interaction and associated stochasticity when the ITB is formed [3]. In this sense the position and quality of the ITB depend on the stochasticity of the magnetic field, and can be controlled by q(r). This study explores effects of the q-profile on magnetic field stochasticity using two-dimensional mapping techniques. Q-profiles typical of ITB experiments are incorporated into Hamiltonian maps to investigate the relation between magnetic field stochasticity and ITB parameters predicted by other models. It is shown that the mapping technique generates results consistent with these predictions, and suggested that Hamiltonian mappings can be useful as simple and computationally inexpensive approximation methods for describing the magnetic field in ITB experiments. 1. I. Voitsekhovitch et al. 29th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (2002). O-4.04. 2. G.M.D. Hogeweij et al. Nucl. Fusion. 38 (1998): 1881. 3. K.A. Razumova et al. Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion. 42 (2000): 973.

The fourth law of black-hole thermodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lousto, C. O.

1993-12-01

We show that black holes fulfill the scaling laws arising in critical transitions. In particular, we find that in the transition from negative to positive values the heat capacities CJQ, CΩQ and CJΦ give rise to critical exponents satisfying the scaling laws. The three transitions have the same critical exponents as predicted by the universality hypothesis. We also briefly discuss the implications of this result with regards to the connections among gravitation, quantum mechanics and statistical physics. Permanent address: Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio, Casilla de Correo 67-Sucursal 28, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Design of control laws for flutter suppression based on the aerodynamic energy concept and comparisons with other design methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nissim, Eli

1990-01-01

The aerodynamic energy method is used to synthesize control laws for NASA's drone for aerodynamic and structural testing-aerodynamic research wing 1 (DAST-ARW1) mathematical model. The performance of these control laws in terms of closed-loop flutter dynamic pressure, control surface activity, and robustness is compared with other control laws that relate to the same model. A control law synthesis technique that makes use of the return difference singular values is developed. It is based on the aerodynamic energy approach and is shown to yield results that are superior to those results given in the literature and are based on optimal control theory. Nyquist plots are presented, together with a short discussion regarding the relative merits of the minimum singular value as a measure of robustness as compared with the more traditional measure involving phase and gain margins.

[Pharmaceutical product quality control and good manufacturing practices].

PubMed

Hiyama, Yukio

2010-01-01

This report describes the roles of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in pharmaceutical product quality control. There are three keys to pharmaceutical product quality control. They are specifications, thorough product characterization during development, and adherence to GMP as the ICH Q6A guideline on specifications provides the most important principles in its background section. Impacts of the revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (rPAL) which became effective in 2005 on product quality control are discussed. Progress of ICH discussion for Pharmaceutical Development (Q8), Quality Risk Management (Q9) and Pharmaceutical Quality System (Q10) are reviewed. In order to reconstruct GMP guidelines and GMP inspection system in the regulatory agencies under the new paradigm by rPAL and the ICH, a series of Health Science studies were conducted. For GMP guidelines, product GMP guideline, technology transfer guideline, laboratory control guideline and change control system guideline were written. For the GMP inspection system, inspection check list, inspection memo and inspection scenario were proposed also by the Health Science study groups. Because pharmaceutical products and their raw materials are manufactured and distributed internationally, collaborations with other national authorities are highly desired. In order to enhance the international collaborations, consistent establishment of GMP inspection quality system throughout Japan will be essential.

Pulsatility Index as a Diagnostic Parameter of Reciprocating Wall Shear Stress Parameters in Physiological Pulsating Waveforms

PubMed Central

Avrahami, Idit; Kersh, Dikla

2016-01-01

Arterial wall shear stress (WSS) parameters are widely used for prediction of the initiation and development of atherosclerosis and arterial pathologies. Traditional clinical evaluation of arterial condition relies on correlations of WSS parameters with average flow rate (Q) and heart rate (HR) measurements. We show that for pulsating flow waveforms in a straight tube with flow reversals that lead to significant reciprocating WSS, the measurements of HR and Q are not sufficient for prediction of WSS parameters. Therefore, we suggest adding a third quantity—known as the pulsatility index (PI)—which is defined as the peak-to-peak flow rate amplitude normalized by Q. We examine several pulsating flow waveforms with and without flow reversals using a simulation of a Womersley model in a straight rigid tube and validate the simulations through experimental study using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The results indicate that clinically relevant WSS parameters such as the percentage of negative WSS (P[%]), oscillating shear index (OSI) and the ratio of minimum to maximum shear stress rates (min/max), are better predicted when the PI is used in conjunction with HR and Q. Therefore, we propose to use PI as an additional and essential diagnostic quantity for improved predictability of the reciprocating WSS. PMID:27893801

A state-trajectory control law for dc-to-dc converters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, W. W., III; Wilson, T. G.

1978-01-01

Mathematical representations of a state-plane switching boundary employed in a state-trajectory control law for dc-to-dc converters are derived. Several levels of approximation to the switching boundary equations are presented, together with an evaluation of the effects of nonideal operating characteristics of converter power stage components on the shape and location of the boundary and the behavior of a system controlled by it. Digital computer simulations of dc-to-dc converters operating in conjunction with each of these levels of control are presented and evaluated with respect to changes in transient and steady-state performance.

The evolution of Zipf's law indicative of city development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yanguang

2016-02-01

Zipf's law of city-size distributions can be expressed by three types of mathematical models: one-parameter form, two-parameter form, and three-parameter form. The one-parameter and one of the two-parameter models are familiar to urban scientists. However, the three-parameter model and another type of two-parameter model have not attracted attention. This paper is devoted to exploring the conditions and scopes of application of these Zipf models. By mathematical reasoning and empirical analysis, new discoveries are made as follows. First, if the size distribution of cities in a geographical region cannot be described with the one- or two-parameter model, maybe it can be characterized by the three-parameter model with a scaling factor and a scale-translational factor. Second, all these Zipf models can be unified by hierarchical scaling laws based on cascade structure. Third, the patterns of city-size distributions seem to evolve from three-parameter mode to two-parameter mode, and then to one-parameter mode. Four-year census data of Chinese cities are employed to verify the three-parameter Zipf's law and the corresponding hierarchical structure of rank-size distributions. This study is revealing for people to understand the scientific laws of social systems and the property of urban development.

Robustness analysis of an air heating plant and control law by using polynomial chaos