A dynamic measure of controllability and observability for the placement of actuators and sensors on large space structures

The degree of controllability of a large space structure is found by a four step procedure: (1) finding the minimum control energy for driving the system from a given initial state to the origin in the prescribed time; (2) finding the region of initial state which can be driven to the origin with constrained control energy and time using optimal control strategy; (3) scaling the axes so that a unit displacement in every direction is equally important to control; and (4) finding the linear measurement of the weighted "volume" of the ellipsoid in the equicontrol space. For observability, the error covariance must be reduced toward zero using measurements optimally, and the criterion must be standardized by the magnitude of tolerable errors. The results obtained using these methods are applied to the vibration modes of a free-free beam

Number and placement of control system components considering possible failures

A decision making methodology is presented which is intended to be useful in the early stages of system design, before a control system is designed in detail. The methodology accounts for the likelihood of failure among the sensors and actuators in a control system. A method to compute the degree of controllability and degree of observability of a system for a given set of actuators and sensors is also presented

Promoting Play-Based Learning at Home

This literature review discusses how teachers can help parents implement play-based-learning in their own home. The review first looks at what play-based-learning is, why it is developmentally appropriate in the early years, and how it has evolved and been used throughout the years. The review will discuss legislation that has made it difficult to practice play-based-learning in the classroom and how promoting parental involvement is one way that we can combat this. Home-visits, take-home-kits, and technology are then reviewed as viable ways to introduce parents to play-based-learning and help them implement it in their own homes

Kinetics and Products of the Acid-Catalyzed Ring-Opening of Atmospherically Relevant Butyl Epoxy Alcohols

Epoxydiols are produced in the gas phase from the photo-oxidation of isoprene in the absence of significant mixing ratios of nitrogen oxides (NO_x). The reactive uptake of these compounds onto acidic aerosols has been shown to produce secondary organic aerosol (SOA). To better characterize the fate of isoprene epoxydiols in the aerosol phase, the kinetics and products of the acid-catalyzed ring-opening reactions of four hydroxy-substituted epoxides were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. Polyols and sulfate esters are observed from the ring-opening of the epoxides in solutions of H_2SO_4/Na_2SO_4. Likewise, polyols and nitrate esters are produced in solutions of HNO_3/NaNO_3. In sulfuric acid, the rate of acid-catalyzed ring-opening is dependent on hydronium ion activity, sulfate ion, and bisulfate. The rates are much slower than the nonhydroxylated equivalent epoxides; however, the hydroxyl groups make them much more water-soluble. A model was constructed with the major channels for epoxydiol loss (i.e., aerosol-phase ring-opening, gas-phase oxidation, and deposition). In the atmosphere, SOA formation from epoxydiols will depend on a number of variables (e.g., pH and aerosol water content) with the yield of ring-opening products varying from less than 1% to greater than 50%

Penetration depth study of LaOs4_4Sb12_{12}: Multiband s-wave superconductivity

We measured the magnetic penetration depth $\lambda(T)$ in single crystals of LaOs$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ ($T_c$=0.74 K) down to 85 mK using a tunnel diode oscillator technique. The observed low-temperature exponential dependence indicates a s-wave gap. Fitting the low temperature data to BCS s-wave expression gives the zero temperature gap value $\Delta (0)= (1.34 \pm 0.07) k_B T_c$ which is significantly smaller than the BCS value of 1.76$k_B T_c$. In addition, the normalized superfluid density $\rho(T)$ shows an unusually long suppression near $T_c$, and are best fit by a two-band s-wave model.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Evolution of superconducting order in Pr(Os1−x_{1-x}Rux_{x})4_{4}Sb12_{12}

We report measurements of the magnetic penetration depth $\lambda$ in single crystals of Pr(Os$_{1-x}$Ru$_{x}$)$_{4}$Sb$_{12}$ down to 0.1 K. Both $\lambda$ and superfluid density $\rho_{s}$ exhibit an exponential behavior for the $x$$\geq$0.4 samples, going from weak ($x$=0.4,0.6), to moderate, coupling ($x$=0.8). For the $x$$\leq$0.2 samples, both $\lambda$ and $\rho_{s}$ vary as $T^{2}$ at low temperatures, but $\rho_{s}$ is s-wave-like at intermediate to high temperatures. Our data are consistent with a three-phase scenario, where a fully-gapped phase at $T_{c1}$ undergoes two transitions: first to an unconventional phase at $T_{c2}$$\lesssim$$T_{c1}$, then to a nodal low-$T$ phase at $T_{c3}$$<$$T_{c2}$, for small values of $x$.Comment: Changed title, enlarged numbering in figures 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Demonstration of Bias-Controlled Algorithmic Tuning of Quantum Dots in a Well (DWELL) MidIR Detectors

The quantum-confined Stark effect in intersublevel transitions present in quantum-dots-in-a-well (DWELL) detectors gives rise to a midIR spectral response that is dependent upon the detector\u27s operational bias. The spectral responses resulting from different biases exhibit spectral shifts, albeit with significant spectral overlap. A postprocessing algorithm was developed by Sakoglu that exploited this bias-dependent spectral diversity to predict the continuous and arbitrary tunability of the DWELL detector within certain limits. This paper focuses on the experimental demonstration of the DWELL-based spectral tuning algorithm. It is shown experimentally that it is possible to reconstruct the spectral content of a target electronically without using any dispersive optical elements for tuning, thereby demonstrating a DWELL-based algorithmic spectrometer. The effects of dark current, detector temperature, and bias selection on the tuning capability are also investigated experimentally

Characterization of the ABC methionine transporter from Neisseria meningitidis reveals that MetQ is a lipoprotein

NmMetQ is a substrate binding protein (SBP) from Neisseria meningitidis that has been identified as a surface-exposed candidate antigen for meningococcal vaccines. However, this location for NmMetQ challenges the prevailing view that SBPs in Gram-negative bacteria are localized to the periplasmic space to promote interaction with their cognate ABC transporter embedded in the bacterial inner membrane. To address the roles of NmMetQ, we characterized NmMetQ with and without its cognate ABC transporter (NmMetNI). Here, we show that NmMetQ is a lipoprotein (lipo-NmMetQ) that binds multiple methionine analogs and stimulates the ATPase activity of NmMetNI. Using single-particle electron cryo-microscopy, we determined the structures of NmMetNI in the absence and presence of lipo-NmMetQ. Based on our data, we propose that NmMetQ tethers to membranes via a lipid anchor and has dual function/topology, playing a role in NmMetNI-mediated transport at the inner-membrane in addition to moonlighting functions on the bacterial surface

Highly regioirregular polypropylene from asymmetric group 4 anilide(pyridine)phenoxide complexes

Group 4 complexes containing an anilide(pyridine)phenoxide ligand and activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyze the formation of highly regioirregular polypropylene