Path Planning in the Local-Level Frame for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

In this chapter, we propose a 3D path planning algorithm for small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). We develop the path planning logic using a body fixed relative coordinate system which is the unrolled, unpitched body frame. In this relative coordinate system, the ownship is fixed at the center of the coordinate system, and the detected intruder is located at a relative position and moves with a relative velocity with respect to the ownship. This technique eliminates the need to translate the sensor’s measurements from local coordinates to global coordinates, which saves computation cost and removes the error introduced by the transformation. We demonstrate and validate this approach using predesigned encounter scenarios in the Matlab/Simulink environment

Spin correlations in an isotropic spin-5/2 two-dimensional antiferromagnet

We report a neutron scattering study of the spin correlations for the spin 5/2, two-dimensional antiferromagnet Rb_2MnF_4 in an external magnetic field. Choosing fields near the system's bicritical point, we tune the effective anisotropy in the spin interaction to zero, constructing an ideal S=5/2 Heisenberg system. The correlation length and structure factor amplitude are closely described by the semiclassical theory of Cuccoli et al. over a broad temperature range but show no indication of approaching the low-temperature renormalized classical regime of the quantum non-linear sigma model.Comment: 4 pages, 3 EPS figure

Astrophysical S-factors for fusion reactions involving C, O, Ne and Mg isotopes

Using the Sao Paulo potential and the barrier penetration formalism we have calculated the astrophysical factor S(E) for 946 fusion reactions involving stable and neutron-rich isotopes of C, O, Ne, and Mg for center-of-mass energies E varying from 2 MeV to 18-30 MeV (covering the range below and above the Coulomb barrier). We have parameterized the energy dependence S(E) by an accurate universal 9-parameter analytic expression and present tables of fit parameters for all the reactions. We also discuss the reduced 3-parameter version of our fit which is highly accurate at energies below the Coulomb barrier, and outline the procedure for calculating the reaction rates. The results can be easily converted to thermonuclear or pycnonuclear reaction rates to simulate various nuclear burning phenomena, in particular, stellar burning at high temperatures and nucleosynthesis in high density environments.Comment: 30 pages including 11 tables, 4 figures, ADNDT, accepte

Ultrafast supercontinuum spectroscopy of carrier multiplication and biexcitonic effects in excited states of PbS quantum dots

We examine the multiple exciton population dynamics in PbS quantum dots by ultrafast spectrally-resolved supercontinuum transient absorption (SC-TA). We simultaneously probe the first three excitonic transitions over a broad spectral range. Transient spectra show the presence of first order bleach of absorption for the 1S_h-1S_e transition and second order bleach along with photoinduced absorption band for 1P_h-1P_e transition. We also report evidence of the one-photon forbidden 1S_{h,e}-1P_{h,e} transition. We examine signatures of carrier multiplication (multiexcitons for the single absorbed photon) from analysis of the first and second order bleaches, in the limit of low absorbed photon numbers (~ 10^-2), at pump energies from two to four times the semiconductor band gap. The multiexciton generation efficiency is discussed both in terms of a broadband global fit and the ratio between early- to long-time transient absorption signals.. Analysis of population dynamics shows that the bleach peak due to the biexciton population is red-shifted respect the single exciton one, indicating a positive binding energy.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Immune-responses to varicella-zoster in the aged

Skin test reactivity and in vitro lymphocyte stimulation responses to varicella-zoster (VZ) were examined in a large normal population ranging in age from 6 months to 93 years. Waning of cellular immunity, as examined by skin delayed hypersensitivity, began at age 40 years. Skin test responses to phytohemagglutinin, however, remained positive into the eighth decade of life. In vitro lymphocyte stimulation responses to VZ were usually positive (stimulation index ≥2.5) until age 60 years, after which time levels, as observed with nonimmune individuals, were often demonstrated. Antibody levels, as measured by fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen, remained positive into the ninth and tenth decades of life. This was especially so with a history of reactivation (zoster) VZ infections, while skin test and in vitro responses were rarely positive in those individuals. Thus cellular, as contrasted with humoral, immunity decreases with advancing age, which may account for a propensity to reactivation of VZ virus

Duality, thermodynamics, and the linear programming problem in constraint-based models of metabolism

It is shown that the dual to the linear programming problem that arises in constraint-based models of metabolism can be given a thermodynamic interpretation in which the shadow prices are chemical potential analogues, and the objective is to minimise free energy consumption given a free energy drain corresponding to growth. The interpretation is distinct from conventional non-equilibrium thermodynamics, although it does satisfy a minimum entropy production principle. It can be used to motivate extensions of constraint-based modelling, for example to microbial ecosystems.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, RevTeX 4, final accepted versio

Kosterlitz-Thouless Universality in a Fermionic System

A new extension of the attractive Hubbard model is constructed to study the critical behavior near a finite temperature superconducting phase transition in two dimensions using the recently developed meron-cluster algorithm. Unlike previous calculations in the attractive Hubbard model which were limited to small lattices, the new algorithm is used to study the critical behavior on lattices as large as $128\times 128$. These precise results for the first time show that a fermionic system can undergo a finite temperature phase transition whose critical behavior is well described by the predictions of Kosterlitz and Thouless almost three decades ago. In particular it is confirmed that the spatial winding number susceptibility obeys the well known predictions of finite size scaling for $T<T_c$ and up to logarithmic corrections the pair susceptibility scales as $L^{2-\eta}$ at large volumes with $0\leq\eta\leq 0.25$ for $0\leq T\leq T_c$.Comment: Revtex format; 4 pages, 2 figure

Geographical information retrieval with ontologies of place

Geographical context is required of many information retrieval tasks in which the target of the search may be documents, images or records which are referenced to geographical space only by means of place names. Often there may be an imprecise match between the query name and the names associated with candidate sources of information. There is a need therefore for geographical information retrieval facilities that can rank the relevance of candidate information with respect to geographical closeness of place as well as semantic closeness with respect to the information of interest. Here we present an ontology of place that combines limited coordinate data with semantic and qualitative spatial relationships between places. This parsimonious model of geographical place supports maintenance of knowledge of place names that relate to extensive regions of the Earth at multiple levels of granularity. The ontology has been implemented with a semantic modelling system linking non-spatial conceptual hierarchies with the place ontology. An hierarchical spatial distance measure is combined with Euclidean distance between place centroids to create a hybrid spatial distance measure. This is integrated with thematic distance, based on classification semantics, to create an integrated semantic closeness measure that can be used for a relevance ranking of retrieved objects

The Physical Origins of Entropy Production, Free Energy Dissipation and their Mathematical Representations

A complete mathematical theory of nonequilibrium thermodynamics of stochastic systems in terms of master equations is presented. As generalizations of isothermal entropy and free energy, two functions of states play central roles: the Gibbs entropy $S$ and the relative entropy $F$, which are related via the stationary distribution of the stochastic dynamics. $S$ satisfies the fundamental entropy balance equation $dS/dt=e_p-h_d/T$ with entropy production rate $e_p\ge 0$ and heat dissipation rate $h_d$, while $dF/dt=-f_d\le 0$. For closed systems that satisfy detailed balance: $Te_p(t)=f_d(t)$. For open system one has $Te_p(t)=f_d(t)+Q_{hk}(t)$ where the housekeeping heat $Q_{hk}\ge 0$ was first introduced in the phenomenological nonequilibrium steady state thermodynamics. Entropy production $e_p$ consists of free energy dissipation associated with spontaneous relaxation, $f_d$, and active energy pumping that sustains the open system $Q_{hk}$. The amount of excess heat involved in the relaxation $Q_{ex}=h_d-Q_{hk} = f_d-T(dS/dt)$.Comment: 4 pages, no figure