4,620 research outputs found
Attitude Determination from Single-Antenna Carrier-Phase Measurements
A model of carrier phase measurement (as carried out by a satellite
navigation receiver) is formulated based on electromagnetic theory. The model
shows that the phase of the open-circuit voltage induced in the receiver
antenna with respect to a local oscillator (in the receiver) depends on the
relative orientation of the receiving and transmitting antennas. The model
shows that using a {\it single} receiving antenna, and making carrier phase
measurements to seven satellites, the 3-axis attitude of a user platform (in
addition to its position and time) can be computed relative to an initial
point. This measurement model can also be used to create high-fidelity
satellite signal simulators that take into account the effect of platform
rotation as well as translation.Comment: 12 pages, and one figure. Published in J. Appl. Phys. vol. 91, No. 7,
April 1, 200
The Glasgow-Maastricht foot model, evaluation of a 26 segment kinematic model of the foot
BACKGROUND: Accurately measuring of intrinsic foot kinematics using skin mounted markers is difficult, limited in part by the physical dimensions of the foot. Existing kinematic foot models solve this problem by combining multiple bones into idealized rigid segments. This study presents a novel foot model that allows the motion of the 26 bones to be individually estimated via a combination of partial joint constraints and coupling the motion of separate joints using kinematic rhythms. METHODS: Segmented CT data from one healthy subject was used to create a template Glasgow-Maastricht foot model (GM-model). Following this, the template was scaled to produce subject-specific models for five additional healthy participants using a surface scan of the foot and ankle. Forty-three skin mounted markers, mainly positioned around the foot and ankle, were used to capture the stance phase of the right foot of the six healthy participants during walking. The GM-model was then applied to calculate the intrinsic foot kinematics. RESULTS: Distinct motion patterns where found for all joints. The variability in outcome depended on the location of the joint, with reasonable results for sagittal plane motions and poor results for transverse plane motions. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the GM-model were comparable with existing literature, including bone pin studies, with respect to the range of motion, motion pattern and timing of the motion in the studied joints. This novel model is the most complete kinematic model to date. Further evaluation of the model is warranted
Earthshine observation of vegetation and implication for life detection on other planets - A review of 2001 - 2006 works
The detection of exolife is one of the goals of very ambitious future space
missions that aim to take direct images of Earth-like planets. While
associations of simple molecules present in the planet's atmosphere (,
, etc.) have been identified as possible global biomarkers, we
review here the detectability of a signature of life from the planet's surface,
i.e. the green vegetation. The vegetation reflectance has indeed a specific
spectrum, with a sharp edge around 700 nm, known as the "Vegetation Red Edge"
(VRE). Moreover vegetation covers a large surface of emerged lands, from
tropical evergreen forest to shrub tundra. Thus considering it as a potential
global biomarker is relevant. Earthshine allows to observe the Earth as a
distant planet, i.e. without spatial resolution. Since 2001, Earthshine
observations have been used by several authors to test and quantify the
detectability of the VRE in the Earth spectrum. The egetation spectral
signature is detected as a small 'positive shift' of a few percents above the
continuum, starting at 700 nm. This signature appears in most spectra, and its
strength is correlated with the Earth's phase (visible land versus visible
ocean). The observations show that detecting the VRE on Earth requires a
photometric relative accuracy of 1% or better. Detecting something equivalent
on an Earth-like planet will therefore remain challenging, moreover considering
the possibility of mineral artifacts and the question of 'red edge'
universality in the Universe.Comment: Invited talk in "Strategies for Life Detection" (ISSI Bern, 24-28
April 2006) to appear in a hardcopy volume of the ISSI Space Science Series,
Eds, J. Bada et al., and also in an issue of Space Science Reviews. 13 pages,
8 figures, 1 tabl
Dynamics of Fluid Vesicles in Oscillatory Shear Flow
The dynamics of fluid vesicles in oscillatory shear flow was studied using
differential equations of two variables: the Taylor deformation parameter and
inclination angle . In a steady shear flow with a low viscosity
of internal fluid, the vesicles exhibit steady tank-treading
motion with a constant inclination angle . In the oscillatory flow
with a low shear frequency, oscillates between or
around for zero or finite mean shear rate ,
respectively. As shear frequency increases, the vesicle
oscillation becomes delayed with respect to the shear oscillation, and the
oscillation amplitude decreases. At high with , another limit-cycle oscillation between and
is found to appear. In the steady flow, periodically rotates
(tumbling) at high , and and the vesicle shape
oscillate (swinging) at middle and high shear rate. In the
oscillatory flow, the coexistence of two or more limit-cycle oscillations can
occur for low in these phases. For the vesicle with a fixed shape,
the angle rotates back to the original position after an oscillation
period. However, it is found that a preferred angle can be induced by small
thermal fluctuations.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figure
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