AAA gunnermodel based on observer theory

The Luenberger observer theory is used to develop a predictive model of a gunner's tracking response in antiaircraft artillery systems. This model is composed of an observer, a feedback controller and a remnant element. An important feature of the model is that the structure is simple, hence a computer simulation requires only a short execution time. A parameter identification program based on the least squares curve fitting method and the Gauss Newton gradient algorithm is developed to determine the parameter values of the gunner model. Thus, a systematic procedure exists for identifying model parameters for a given antiaircraft tracking task. Model predictions of tracking errors are compared with human tracking data obtained from manned simulation experiments. Model predictions are in excellent agreement with the empirical data for several flyby and maneuvering target trajectories

Two-Dimensional Inversion Asymmetric Topological Insulators in Functionalized III-Bi Bilayers

The search for inversion asymmetric topological insulators (IATIs) persists as an effect for realizing new topological phenomena. However, so for only a few IATIs have been discovered and there is no IATI exhibiting a large band gap exceeding 0.6 eV. Using first-principles calculations, we predict a series of new IATIs in saturated Group III-Bi bilayers. We show that all these IATIs preserve extraordinary large bulk band gaps which are well above room-temperature, allowing for viable applications in room-temperature spintronic devices. More importantly, most of these systems display large bulk band gaps that far exceed 0.6 eV and, part of them even are up to ~1 eV, which are larger than any IATIs ever reported. The nontrivial topological situation in these systems is confirmed by the identified band inversion of the band structures and an explicit demonstration of the topological edge states. Interestingly, the nontrivial band order characteristics are intrinsic to most of these materials and are not subject to spin-orbit coupling. Owning to their asymmetric structures, remarkable Rashba spin splitting is produced in both the valence and conduction bands of these systems. These predictions strongly revive these new systems as excellent candidates for IATI-based novel applications.Comment: 17 pages,5figure

When enough is not enough: information overload and metacognitive decisions to stop studying information

People are often exposed to more information than they can actually remember. Despite this frequent form of information overload, little is known about how much information people choose to remember. Using a novel “stop” paradigm, the current research examined whether and how people choose to stop receiving new—possibly overwhelming—information with the intent to maximize memory performance. Participants were presented with a long list of items and were rewarded for the number of correctly remembered words in a following free recall test. Critically, participants in a stop condition were provided with the option to stop the presentation of the remaining words at any time during the list, whereas participants in a control condition were presented with all items. Across five experiments, we found that participants tended to stop the presentation of the items to maximize the number of recalled items, but this decision ironically led to decreased memory performance relative to the control group. This pattern was consistent even after controlling for possible confounding factors (e.g., task demands). The results indicated a general, false belief that we can remember a larger number of items if we restrict the quantity of learning materials. These findings suggest people have an incomplete understanding of how we remember excessive amounts of information

New directions in self-regulation: the role of metamotivational beliefs

Research on self-regulation has primarily focused on how people exert control over their thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Less attention has been paid to the ways in which people manage their motivational states in the service of achieving valued goals. In the present paper, we explore an emerging line of research that focuses on people’s beliefs about their own motivation (i.e., their metamotivational knowledge), as well as the influence of these beliefs on their selection of regulatory strategies. In particular, we review evidence showing that people are often quite sensitive to the fact that distinct motivational states (e.g., eagerness vs. vigilance) are adaptive for different kinds of tasks. We also discuss how other metamotivational beliefs are inaccurate on average (e.g., beliefs about how rewards affect intrinsic motivation). Finally, we consider the implications of metamotivation research for the field of self-regulation and discuss future directions

Quench dynamics of topological quantum phase transition in Wen-plaquette model

We study the quench dynamics of the topological quantum phase transition in the two-dimensional transverse Wen-plaquette model, which has a phase transition from a Z2 topologically ordered to a spin-polarized state. By mapping the Wen-plaquette model onto a one-dimensional quantum Ising model, we calculate the expectation value of the plaquette operator Fi during a slowly quenching process from a topologically ordered state. A logarithmic scaling law of quench dynamics near the quantum phase transition is found, which is analogous to the well-known static critical behavior of the specific heat in the one-dimensional quantum Ising model.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures,add new conten

Catalytic Priors: Using Synthetic Data to Specify Prior Distributions in Bayesian Analysis

Catalytic prior distributions provide general, easy-to-use, and interpretable specifications of prior distributions for Bayesian analysis. They are particularly beneficial when the observed data are inadequate to stably estimate a complex target model. A catalytic prior distribution is constructed by augmenting the observed data with synthetic data that are sampled from the predictive distribution of a simpler model estimated from the observed data. We illustrate the usefulness of the catalytic prior approach using an example from labor economics. In the example, the resulting Bayesian inference reflects many important aspects of the observed data, and the estimation accuracy and predictive performance of the inference based on the catalytic prior are superior to, or comparable to, that of other commonly used prior distributions. We further explore the connection between the catalytic prior approach and a few popular regularization methods. We expect the catalytic prior approach to be useful in many applications

Metacognition and proofreading: the roles of aging, motivation, and interest

Objectives: The current study examined younger and older adults’ error detection accuracy, prediction calibration, and postdiction calibration on a proofreading task, to determine if age-related difference would be present in this type of common error detection task. Method: Participants were given text passages, and were first asked to predict the percentage of errors they would detect in the passage. They then read the passage and circled errors (which varied in complexity and locality), and made postdictions regarding their performance, before repeating this with another passage and answering a comprehension test of both passages. Results: There were no age-related differences in error detection accuracy, text comprehension, or metacognitive calibration, though participants in both age groups were overconfident overall in their metacognitive judgments. Both groups gave similar ratings of motivation to complete the task. The older adults rated the passages as more interesting than younger adults did, although this level of interest did not appear to influence error-detection performance. Discussion: The age equivalence in both proofreading ability and calibration suggests that the ability to proofread text passages and the associated metacognitive monitoring used in judging one’s own performance are maintained in aging. These age-related similarities persisted when younger adults completed the proofreading tasks on a computer screen, rather than with paper and pencil. The findings provide novel insights regarding the influence that cognitive aging may have on metacognitive accuracy and text processing in an everyday task