1,608 research outputs found
A robot trace maker: modeling the fossil evidence of early invertebrate behavior.
The study of trace fossils, the fossilized remains of animal behavior, reveals interesting parallels with recent research in behavior-based robotics. This article reports robot simulations of the meandering foraging trails left by early invertebrates that demonstrate that such trails can be generated by mechanisms similar to those used for robot wall-following. We conclude with the suggestion that the capacity for intelligent behavior shown by many behavior-based robots is similar to that of animals of the late Precambrian and early Cambrian periods approximately 530 to 565 million years ago
Effect of nucleon exchange on projectile multifragmentation in the reactions of 28Si + 112Sn and 124Sn at 30 and 50 MeV/nucleon
Multifragmentation of quasiprojectiles was studied in reactions of 28Si beam
with 112Sn and 124Sn targets at projectile energies 30 and 50 MeV/nucleon. The
quasiprojectile observables were reconstructed using isotopically identified
charged particles with Z_f <= 5 detected at forward angles. The nucleon
exchange between projectile and target was investigated using isospin and
excitation energy of reconstructed quasiprojectile. For events with total
reconstructed charge equal to the charge of the beam (Z_tot = 14) the influence
of beam energy and target isospin on neutron transfer was studied in detail.
Simulations employing subsequently model of deep inelastic transfer,
statistical model of multifragmentation and software replica of FAUST detector
array were carried out. A concept of deep inelastic transfer provides good
description of production of highly excited quasiprojectiles. The isospin and
excitation energy of quasiprojectile were described with good overall
agreement. The fragment multiplicity, charge and isospin were reproduced
satisfactorily. The range of contributing impact parameters was determined
using backtracing procedure.Comment: 11 pages, 8 Postscript figures, LaTeX, to appear in Phys. Rev. C (
Dec 2000
Cluster Interpretation of Properties of Alternating Parity Bands in Heavy Nuclei
The properties of the states of the alternating parity bands in actinides,
Ba, Ce and Nd isotopes are analyzed within a cluster model. The model is based
on the assumption that cluster type shapes are produced by the collective
motion of the nuclear system in the mass asymmetry coordinate. The calculated
spin dependences of the parity splitting and of the electric multipole
transition moments are in agreement with the experimental data.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure
Inhomogeneous isospin distribution in the reactions of 28Si + 112Sn and 124Sn at 30 and 50 MeV/nucleon
We have created quasiprojectiles of varying isospin via peripheral reactions
of 28Si + 112Sn and 124Sn at 30 and 50 MeV/nucleon. The quasiprojectiles have
been reconstructed from completely isotopically identified fragments. The
difference in N/Z of the reconstructed quasiprojectiles allows the
investigation of the disassembly as a function of the isospin of the
fragmenting system. The isobaric yield ratio 3H/3He depends strongly on N/Z
ratio of quasiprojectiles. The dependences of mean fragment multiplicity and
mean N/Z ratio of the fragments on N/Z ratio of the quasiprojectile are
different for light charged particles and intermediate mass fragments.
Observation of a different N/Z ratio of light charged particles and
intermediate mass fragments is consistent with an inhomogeneous distribution of
isospin in the fragmenting system.Comment: 5 pages, 4 Postscript figures, RevTe
The price of rapid exit in venture capital-backed IPOs
This paper proposes an explanation for two empirical puzzles surrounding initial public offerings (IPOs). Firstly, it is well documented that IPO underpricing increases during “hot issue” periods. Secondly, venture capital (VC) backed IPOs are less underpriced than non-venture capital backed IPOs during normal periods of activity, but the reverse is true during hot issue periods: VC backed IPOs are more underpriced than non-VC backed ones. This paper shows that when IPOs are driven by the initial investor’s desire to exit from an existing investment in order to finance a new venture, both the value of the new venture and the value of the existing firm to be sold in the IPO drive the investor’s choice of price and fraction of shares sold in the IPO. When this is the case, the availability of attractive new ventures increases equilibrium underpricing, which is what we observe during hot issue periods. Moreover, I show that underpricing is affected by the severity of the moral hazard problem between an investor and the firm’s manager. In the presence of a moral hazard problem the degree of equilibrium underpricing is more sensitive to changes in the value of the new venture. This can explain why venture capitalists, who often finance firms with more severe moral hazard problems, underprice IPOs less in normal periods, but underprice more strongly during hot issue periods. Further empirical implications relating the fraction of shares sold and the degree of underpricing are presented
Neurology
Contains reports on six research projects.U. S. Public Health Service (B-3055-4, B-3090-4, MH-06175-02)U. S. Air Force (AF49(638)-1313)U.S. Navy. Office of Naval Research (Nonr-1841(70)
Constant Angular Velocity Regulation for Visually Guided Terrain Following
Insects use visual cues to control their flight behaviours. By estimating the angular velocity of the visual stimuli and regulating it to a constant value, honeybees can perform a terrain following task which keeps the certain height above the undulated ground. For mimicking this behaviour in a bio-plausible computation structure, this paper presents a new angular velocity decoding model based on the honeybee's behavioural experiments. The model consists of three parts, the texture estimation layer for spatial information extraction, the motion detection layer for temporal information extraction and the decoding layer combining information from pervious layers to estimate the angular velocity. Compared to previous methods on this field, the proposed model produces responses largely independent of the spatial frequency and contrast in grating experiments. The angular velocity based control scheme is proposed to implement the model into a bee simulated by the game engine Unity. The perfect terrain following above patterned ground and successfully flying over irregular textured terrain show its potential for micro unmanned aerial vehicles' terrain following
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Home-based cardiac rehabilitation for people with heart failure and their caregivers: a mixed-methods analysis of the roll out an evidence-based programme in Scotland (SCOT:REACH-HF study)
Aims
Alternative models of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) are required to improve CR access and uptake. Rehabilitation EnAblement in CHronic Heart Failure (REACH-HF) is a comprehensive home-based rehabilitation and self-management programme, facilitated by trained health professionals, for people with heart failure (HF) and their caregivers. REACH-HF was shown to be clinically effective and cost-effective in a multicentre randomised trial. The SCOT:REACH-HF study assessed implementation of REACH-HF in routine clinical practice in NHS Scotland.
Methods & results
A mixed-method implementation study was conducted across six regional Health Boards. Of 136 people with HF and 56 caregivers recruited, 101 people with HF and 26 caregivers provided four-month follow-up data, after participating in the 12-week programme. Compared with baseline, REACH-HF participation resulted in substantial gains in the primary outcome of health-related quality of life, as assessed by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (mean difference: -9.8, 95% CI: -13.2 to -6.4, P < 0.001). Improvements were also seen in secondary outcomes (PROM-CR+; EQ-5D-5L; Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) domains of maintenance and symptom perception; Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care (CC-SCHFI) domains of symptom perception and management).
Twenty qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 REACH-HF facilitators, five supporting clinicians, and four national stakeholders. Interviewees were largely positive about REACH-HF, considering it to have ‘filled a gap’ where centre-based CR was not an option. Key issues to support future roll-out were also identified.
Conclusion
Our findings support wider roll-out of REACH-HF as an alternative to centre-based models, to improve CR access and uptake for people with HF
Energy Flow in the Hadronic Final State of Diffractive and Non-Diffractive Deep-Inelastic Scattering at HERA
An investigation of the hadronic final state in diffractive and
non--diffractive deep--inelastic electron--proton scattering at HERA is
presented, where diffractive data are selected experimentally by demanding a
large gap in pseudo --rapidity around the proton remnant direction. The
transverse energy flow in the hadronic final state is evaluated using a set of
estimators which quantify topological properties. Using available Monte Carlo
QCD calculations, it is demonstrated that the final state in diffractive DIS
exhibits the features expected if the interaction is interpreted as the
scattering of an electron off a current quark with associated effects of
perturbative QCD. A model in which deep--inelastic diffraction is taken to be
the exchange of a pomeron with partonic structure is found to reproduce the
measurements well. Models for deep--inelastic scattering, in which a
sizeable diffractive contribution is present because of non--perturbative
effects in the production of the hadronic final state, reproduce the general
tendencies of the data but in all give a worse description.Comment: 22 pages, latex, 6 Figures appended as uuencoded fil
A Search for Selectrons and Squarks at HERA
Data from electron-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 300 GeV
are used for a search for selectrons and squarks within the framework of the
minimal supersymmetric model. The decays of selectrons and squarks into the
lightest supersymmetric particle lead to final states with an electron and
hadrons accompanied by large missing energy and transverse momentum. No signal
is found and new bounds on the existence of these particles are derived. At 95%
confidence level the excluded region extends to 65 GeV for selectron and squark
masses, and to 40 GeV for the mass of the lightest supersymmetric particle.Comment: 13 pages, latex, 6 Figure
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