Virtual Reality Games for Motor Rehabilitation

This paper presents a fuzzy logic based method to track user satisfaction without the need for devices to monitor users physiological conditions. User satisfaction is the key to any product’s acceptance; computer applications and video games provide a unique opportunity to provide a tailored environment for each user to better suit their needs. We have implemented a non-adaptive fuzzy logic model of emotion, based on the emotional component of the Fuzzy Logic Adaptive Model of Emotion (FLAME) proposed by El-Nasr, to estimate player emotion in UnrealTournament 2004. In this paper we describe the implementation of this system and present the results of one of several play tests. Our research contradicts the current literature that suggests physiological measurements are needed. We show that it is possible to use a software only method to estimate user emotion

Terahertz homodyne self-mixing and its application to tomographic imaging

Since the first mention of the “Terahertz-gap” by H. Rubens and E. F. Nicholes more than 100 years ago, this frequency region between 0.1 and 10THz is still of considerable interest. This region stands out by unique properties like spectral fingerprints of many molecules, transparency of plastics and paper and its non-ionizing nature, which enable a broad spectrum of applications. Due to the efforts in this field of research, nowadays a plurality of methods for the generation and detection of terahertz radiation is available. In combination with well-established optical systems like the fs-pulse laser or single frequency lasers, a photoconductive antenna (PCA) allows the generation and phase sensitive detection of spectrally broad terahertz pulses or single frequency continuous wave terahertz radiation, respectively. Conventionally, one PCA is used for the generation and another PCA is necessary for the detection of the terahertz radiation. In this publication a new concept combining the generation and phase sensitive detection of terahertz radiation in a single PCA is introduced. With this concept a compact terahertz tomographic system is realized and experimental results are discussced on the basis of theoretical investigations

Report of the Higgs Working Group of the Tevatron Run 2 SUSY/Higgs Workshop

This report presents the theoretical analysis relevant for Higgs physics at the upgraded Tevatron collider and documents the Higgs Working Group simulations to estimate the discovery reach in Run 2 for the Standard Model and MSSM Higgs bosons. Based on a simple detector simulation, we have determined the integrated luminosity necessary to discover the SM Higgs in the mass range 100-190 GeV. The first phase of the Run 2 Higgs search, with a total integrated luminosity of 2 fb-1 per detector, will provide a 95% CL exclusion sensitivity comparable to that expected at the end of the LEP2 run. With 10 fb-1 per detector, this exclusion will extend up to Higgs masses of 180 GeV, and a tantalizing 3 sigma effect will be visible if the Higgs mass lies below 125 GeV. With 25 fb-1 of integrated luminosity per detector, evidence for SM Higgs production at the 3 sigma level is possible for Higgs masses up to 180 GeV. However, the discovery reach is much less impressive for achieving a 5 sigma Higgs boson signal. Even with 30 fb-1 per detector, only Higgs bosons with masses up to about 130 GeV can be detected with 5 sigma significance. These results can also be re-interpreted in the MSSM framework and yield the required luminosities to discover at least one Higgs boson of the MSSM Higgs sector. With 5-10 fb-1 of data per detector, it will be possible to exclude at 95% CL nearly the entire MSSM Higgs parameter space, whereas 20-30 fb-1 is required to obtain a 5 sigma Higgs discovery over a significant portion of the parameter space. Moreover, in one interesting region of the MSSM parameter space (at large tan(beta)), the associated production of a Higgs boson and a b b-bar pair is significantly enhanced and provides potential for discovering a non-SM-like Higgs boson in Run 2.Comment: 185 pages, 124 figures, 55 table

Robustness of Topological Superconductivity in Solid State Hybrid Structures

The non-Abelian statistics of Majorana fermions (MFs) makes them an ideal platform for implementing topological quantum computation. In addition to the fascinating fundamental physics underlying the emergence of MFs, this potential for applications makes the study of these quasiparticles an extremely popular subject in condensed matter physics. The commonly called `Majorana fermions\u27 are zero-energy bound states that emerge near boundaries and defects in topological superconducting phases, which can be engineered, for example, by proximity coupling strong spin-orbit coupling semiconductor nanowires and ordinary s-wave superconductors. The stability of these bound states is determined by the stability of the underlying topological superconducting phase. Hence, understanding their stability (which is critical for quantum computation), involves studying the robustness of the engineered topological superconductors. This work addresses this important problem in the context of two types of hybrid structures that have been proposed for realizing topological superconductivity: topological insulator - superconductor (TI-SC) and semiconductor - superconductor (SM-SC) nanostructures. In both structures, electrostatic effects due to applied external potentials and interface-induced potentials are significant. This work focuses on developing a theoretical framework for understanding these effects, to facilitate the optimization of the nanostructures studied in the laboratory.;The approach presented in this thesis is based on describing the low-energy physics of the hybrid structure using effective tight-binding models that explicitly incorporate the proximity effects emerging at interfaces. Generically, as a result of the proximity coupling to the superconductor, an induced gap emerges in the semiconductor (topological insulator) sub-system. The strength of the proximity-induced gap is determined by the transparency of the interface and by the amplitude of the low- energy SM (TI) states at the interface. In turn, this amplitude is strongly impacted by electrostatic effects. In addition, these effects control the value of the chemical potential in the nanowire (nanoribbon), as well as the strength of the Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling -- two key parameters that determine the stability of the topological superconducting phase. To account for these critical effects, a numerically efficient Poisson-Schrodinger scheme is developed

Interacting with a virtually deformable object using an instrumented glove.

Ma Mun Chung.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88).Abstract also in Chinese.Abstract --- p.iDeclaration --- p.iiAcknowledgement --- p.iiiList of Figures --- p.ivList of Tables --- p.ixTable of Contents --- p.xChapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1. --- Motivation --- p.1Chapter 1.2. --- Thesis Roadmap --- p.3Chapter 1.3. --- ContributionChapter 2. --- System Architecture --- p.6Chapter 2.1. --- Tracker system --- p.6Chapter 2.1.1. --- Spatial Information --- p.6Chapter 2.1.2. --- Transmitter (Xmtr) --- p.6Chapter 2.1.3. --- Receiver (Recvr) --- p.7Chapter 2.2. --- Glove System --- p.7Chapter 2.2.1. --- CyberGlove Interface Unit (CGIU) --- p.7Chapter 2.2.2. --- Bend Sensors --- p.7Chapter 2.3. --- Integrating the tracker and the glove system --- p.9Chapter 2.3.1. --- System Layout --- p.9Chapter 3. --- Deformable Model --- p.11Chapter 3.1. --- Elastic models in computer --- p.11Chapter 3.2. --- Virtual object model --- p.17Chapter 3.3. --- Force displacement relationship --- p.18Chapter 3.3.1. --- Stress-strain relationship --- p.19Chapter 3.3.2. --- Stiffness matrix formulation --- p.20Chapter 3.4. --- Solving the linear system --- p.24Chapter 3.5. --- Implementation --- p.26Chapter 3.5.1. --- Data structure --- p.26Chapter 3.5.2. --- Global stiffness matrix formulation --- p.27Chapter 3.5.3. --- Re-assemble of nodal displacement --- p.30Chapter 4. --- Collision Detection --- p.32Chapter 4.1. --- Related Work --- p.31Chapter 4.2. --- Spatial Subdivision --- p.37Chapter 4.3. --- Hierarchy construction --- p.38Chapter 4.3.1. --- Data structure --- p.39Chapter 4.3.2. --- Initialisation --- p.41Chapter 4.3.3. --- Expanding the hierarchy --- p.42Chapter 4.4. --- Collision detection --- p.45Chapter 4.4.1. --- Hand Approximation --- p.45Chapter 4.4.2. --- Interference tests --- p.47Chapter 4.4.3. --- Searching the hierarchy --- p.51Chapter 4.4.4. --- Exact interference test --- p.51Chapter 4.5. --- Grasping mode --- p.53Chapter 4.5.1. --- Conditions for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) --- p.53Chapter 4.5.2. --- Attaching conditions --- p.53Chapter 4.5.3. --- Collision avoidance --- p.54Chapter 4.6. --- Repeating deformation in different orientation --- p.56Chapter 5. --- Enhancing performance --- p.59Chapter 5.1. --- Data communication --- p.60Chapter 5.1.1. --- Client-server model --- p.60Chapter 5.1.2. --- Internet protocol suite --- p.61Chapter 5.1.3. --- Berkeley socket --- p.61Chapter 5.1.4. --- Checksum problem --- p.62Chapter 5.2. --- Use of parallel tool --- p.62Chapter 5.2.1. --- Parallel code generation --- p.63Chapter 5.2.2. --- Optimising parallel code --- p.64Chapter 6. --- Implementation and Results --- p.65Chapter 6.1. --- Supporting functions --- p.65Chapter 6.1.1. --- Read file --- p.66Chapter 6.1.2. --- Keep shape --- p.67Chapter 6.1.3. --- Save as --- p.67Chapter 6.1.4. --- Exit --- p.67Chapter 6.2. --- Visual results --- p.67Chapter 6.3. --- An operation example --- p.75Chapter 6.4. --- Performance of parallel algorithm --- p.78Chapter 7. --- Conclusion and Future Work --- p.84Chapter 7.1. --- Conclusion --- p.84Chapter 7.2. --- Future Work --- p.84Reference --- p.86Appendix A Matrix Inversion --- p.89Appendix B Derivation of Equation 6.1 --- p.92Appendix C Derivation of (6.2) --- p.9

HYPERSPECTRAL LINE-SCANNING MICROSCOPY FOR HIGH-SPEED MULTICOLOR QUANTUM DOT TRACKING

One of the challenges in studying protein interactions in live cells lies in the capacity to obtain both spatial and temporal information that is sufficient to extend existing knowledge of the dynamics and interactions, especially when tracking proteins at high density. Here we introduce a high-speed laser line-scanning hyperspectral microscope that is designed to track quantum dot labeled proteins at 27 frames/sec over an area of 28 um2 using 128 spectral channels spanning the range from 500 to 750 nm. This instrument simultaneously excites 8 species of quantum dots and employs a custom prism spectrometer and high speed EMCCD to obtain spectral information that is then used to distinguish and track individual probes at high density. These emitters are localized to within 10s of nm in each frame and reconstructed trajectories yield information of the protein dynamics and interactions. This manuscript describes the design, implementation, characterization, and application of a high-speed laser line-scanning hyperspectral microscope (HSM). The intended primary application is that of investigating the dynamics of transmembrane antibody receptors using quantum dot labeled immunoglobulin E (QD-IgE). Several additional examples demonstrate other advantages and applications of this method, including 3D hyperspectral imaging of live cells and hyperspectral superresolution imaging

Fifth NASA Goddard Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies

This document contains copies of those technical papers received in time for publication prior to the Fifth Goddard Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies held September 17 - 19, 1996, at the University of Maryland, University Conference Center in College Park, Maryland. As one of an ongoing series, this conference continues to serve as a unique medium for the exchange of information on topics relating to the ingestion and management of substantial amounts of data and the attendant problems involved. This year's discussion topics include storage architecture, database management, data distribution, file system performance and modeling, and optical recording technology. There will also be a paper on Application Programming Interfaces (API) for a Physical Volume Repository (PVR) defined in Version 5 of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Reference Model (RM). In addition, there are papers on specific archives and storage products

Manufacturing Technology Today

Manufacturing Technology Today, Manufacturing Technology Abstracts, Vol. 14, No. 4, September 2015, Bangalore, India

Fourth NASA Goddard Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies

This report contains copies of all those technical papers received in time for publication just prior to the Fourth Goddard Conference on Mass Storage and Technologies, held March 28-30, 1995, at the University of Maryland, University College Conference Center, in College Park, Maryland. This series of conferences continues to serve as a unique medium for the exchange of information on topics relating to the ingestion and management of substantial amounts of data and the attendant problems involved. This year's discussion topics include new storage technology, stability of recorded media, performance studies, storage system solutions, the National Information infrastructure (Infobahn), the future for storage technology, and lessons learned from various projects. There also will be an update on the IEEE Mass Storage System Reference Model Version 5, on which the final vote was taken in July 1994