Military applications of automatic speech recognition and future requirements

An updated summary of the state-of-the-art of automatic speech recognition and its relevance to military applications is provided. A number of potential systems for military applications are under development. These include: (1) digital narrowband communication systems; (2) automatic speech verification; (3) on-line cartographic processing unit; (4) word recognition for militarized tactical data system; and (5) voice recognition and synthesis for aircraft cockpit

Feed additives : annual report 2009 of the National Reference Laboratory

This report of the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for feed additives describes the activties employed in 2010. The main tasks of the NRL are: giving assistance to the European Union Reference Laboratort (EU-RL) on their request and advice and support the competent authority, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation - Department of Food, Animal and Consumer (EL&I-VDC

On the use of internal state variables in thermoviscoplastic constitutive equations

The general theory of internal state variables are reviewed to apply it to inelastic metals in use in high temperature environments. In this process, certain constraints and clarifications will be made regarding internal state variables. It is shown that the Helmholtz free energy can be utilized to construct constitutive equations which are appropriate for metallic superalloys. Internal state variables are shown to represent locally averaged measures of dislocation arrangement, dislocation density, and intergranular fracture. The internal state variable model is demonstrated to be a suitable framework for comparison of several currently proposed models for metals and can therefore be used to exhibit history dependence, nonlinearity, and rate as well as temperature sensitivity

A Vector-Integration-to-Endpoint Model for Performance of Viapoint Movements

Viapoint (VP) movements are movements to a desired point that are constrained to pass through an intermediate point. Studies have shown that VP movements possess properties, such as smooth curvature around the VP, that are not explicable by treating VP movements as strict concatenations of simpler point-to-point (PTP) movements. Such properties have led some theorists to propose whole-trajectory optimization models, which imply that the entire trajectory is pre-computed before movement initiation. This paper reports new experiments conducted to systematically compare VP with PTP trajectories. Analyses revealed a statistically significant early directional deviation in VP movements but no associated curvature change. An explanation of this effect is offered by extending the Vector-Integration-To-Endpoint (VITE) model (Bullock and Grossberg, 1988), which postulates that voluntary movement trajectories emerge as internal gating signals control the integration of continuously computed vector commands based on the evolving, perceptible difference between desired and actual position variables. The model explains the observed trajectories of VP and PTP movements as emergent properties of a dynamical system that does not precompute entire trajectories before movement initiation. The new model includes a working memory and a stage sensitive to time-to-contact information. These cooperate to control serial performance. The structural and functional relationships proposed in the model are consistent with available data on forebrain physiology and anatomy.Office of Naval Research (N00014-92-J-1309, N00014-93-1-1364, N0014-95-1-0409

Bladder endometriosis, a remarkable resemblance in a monozygotic twin

It is known for many years that heritability plays a role in the development of endometriosis in many patients. Deep endometriosis of the bladder is a rare presentation of the disease and bladder endometriosis was not reported in monozygotic twin studies so far. Since monozygotic twins share the same genes, concordance and differences in presentation of endometriosis may help to discriminate between genetic and environmental determinants. The remarkable resemblance in the presentation of bladder endometriosis in this monozygotic twin seems to indicate that genetic factors are of importance in the arising of deep endometriosis in the bladder too

Effect analysis of transient scenarios for successful water management strategies

Recent scenario studies on water management focus on one or two projection years and the effects on the water system and functions. The future is however more complex and dynamic. Therefore, we analyse transient scenarios in order to evaluate the performance of water management strategies. Current available simulation tools are not suitable for this purpose. Therefore, we have developed and used a tool to simulate 50-100 year long time series and that is good and fast enough to simulate the effects of these scenarios and strategies on the water system and the interaction with the human system. We present the first step by means of a case study

Majorana mediated non-local charge dynamics in topological superconductors

Topology has enjoyed great success as a paradigm for the classification and understanding of condensed matter outside the framework of spontaneously broken symmetry. This success is all the more remarkable considering that the impact of interactions, in particular the Coulomb interaction between electrons, has been neglected in most analyses. Experience in topologically trivial systems demonstrates that, beyond simply leading to quantitative modifications, interactions can give rise to qualitatively new physics in condensed matter. This thesis explores the interplay between interaction effects and topologically non-trivial states and demonstrates how this interplay can lead to novel physics which is fundamentally contingent upon both a system's topological character and interactions. The prototypical example of a topological state in condensed matter is the Majorana bound state (MBS). In the work presented here, MBSs are significant because they lead to non-local fermionic states in superconductors that are bound to near-zero energy, inside the superconducting gap. The new physics arising from the synergy of MBSs and electron-electron interactions is illustrated by two examples. A Majorana-based analogue of the Kondo system is found to exhibit signs of a delocalised many-body state consisting of electrons from both metallic leads and a superconducting condensate. The presence of MBSs in a current driven capacitive Josephson junction enables excitation of the system to a non-equilibrium state and profoundly affects the overall charge dynamics of the junction. This thesis offers compelling evidence for the importance of interactions in the context of topologically non-trivial systems, not only with regard to determining the topology of the system per se, but also as the means by which new physics is realised.Funded via " EPSRC Grant No. EP/I007002/1." -- Acknowledgement