CURBING THE SUPREME COURT-STATE EXPERIENCES AND FEDERAL PROPOSALS

The avalanche of proposals introduced in the last session of Congress seeking to curb the power of the Supreme Court to declare legislative acts unconstitutional and President Roosevelt\u27s recent message to Congress on the judiciary have focused attention on the problem of the function of that Court in our governmental system. This article does not take sides in the controversy. Its purpose is merely to review the developments in the four states, Colorado, Ohio, North Dakota and Nebraska, which by amendments to their constitutions have sought to place curbs on their supreme courts, and also to classify the proposals which have actually been introduced in Congress since 1900 with a view to the modification or even to the abolition of the power of judicial review now exercised by the Supreme Court of the United States. The new problems raised by such proposals can only be suggested. Their proper solutions are matters for the future and will require careful consideration, extensive study, and doubtless much further experimentation

Multivariable Loop-Shaping in Bilateral Telemanipulation

Abstract This paper presents an architecture and control methodology for obtaining transparency and stability robustness in a multivariable bilateral teleoperator system. The work presented here extends a previously published single-input, single-output approach to accommodate multivariable systems. The extension entails the use of impedance control techniques, which are introduced to render linear the otherwise nonlinear dynamics of the master and slave manipulators, in addition to a diagonalization multivariable loop shaping technique, used to render tractable the multivariable compensator design. A multivariable measure of transparency is proposed based on the relative singular values of the environment and transmitted impedance matrices. The approach is experimentally demonstrated on a three degree-of-freedom scaled telemanipulator pair with a highly coupled environment. Using direct measurement of the power delivered to the operator to assess the system's stability robustness, along with the proposed measure of multivariable transparency, the loop-shaping compensation is shown to improve the stability robustness by a factor of two and the transparency by more than a factor of five. Fite and Goldfarb Multivariable Loop Shaping … 2 Introduction Bilateral teleoperation systems provide for human interaction with an environment while alleviating the necessity of direct contact between the two. Using a pair of robot manipulators, such a system enables dexterous human manipulation in remote, hazardous, or otherwise inaccessible environments. Bilateral telemanipulators can additionally incorporate power attenuation or amplification between the human operator and environment, allowing for human manipulation of microscopic objects (in the case of macro-micro bilateral telemanipulation) or large-scale objects (in the case of man-amplifiers). The teleoperative performance can be characterized by the transparency, which is a measure of the extent to which the telemanipulation system presents the undistorted dynamics of the environment to the human operator. A common goal in the control of bilateral telemanipulation is to provide transparent teleoperation while ensuring the robust stability of the human-telemanipulator-environment loop. Prior Work Several researchers have investigated aspects of transparency and stability in telemanipulation, primarily through the use of two-port network modeling techniques. Doyle [7], to assess the stability of a macro-micro bilateral telemanipulator interacting with a passive human operator and environment. Though the telemanipulator itself was a singledegree-of-freedom system, the human-teleoperator-environment interaction was formulated in a manner that required multivariable tools in order to assess stability robustness. Colgate did not explicitly treat transparency, but instead utilized impedance shaping to intentionally alter the dynamics as perceived by the human operator through the telemanipulator. Itoh et al. experimentally implemented a six degree-of-freedom telemanipulator using passivity theory to address stability robustness, but instead of providing transparency, the telemanipulator was controlled to exhibit a task-oriented dynamic behavior specified in order to facilitate a particular telemanipulation task. Hashstrudi-Zaad and Salcudean theoretically assessed the performance and stability robustness of a three degree-of-freedom telemanipulator by incorporating a parallel force/position control to linearize and decouple the manipulators, and by assuming the human operator and environment to be decoupled, in which case the analysis reduces to that required for three decoupled single-degree-of-freedom systems. In contrast to the combined hybrid parameter/passivity based approach, the architecture proposed by Fite et al. [8] formulates the teleoperation system as a single feedback loop to which the tools of classical control theory can then be applied to address the performance and stability robustness. In so doing, the stability robustness of the system is addressed in a non-conservative manner, and the transparency is addressed only in the bandwidth of interest. This loop shaping approach was developed in a single input, single output context; since telemanipulation Fite and Goldfarb Multivariable Loop Shaping … 4 applications generally involve systems with coupled multiple degrees of freedom, however, such a method is of limited utility without extension to the multivariable case. As such, the work presented in this paper extends this previously published approach to the multivariable case of telemanipulation. Specifically, the extension entails the use of impedance control techniques to render linear the otherwise nonlinear dynamics of the master and slave manipulators, and employs a diagonalization multivariable loop shaping technique used to render tractable the multivariable loop shaping compensator design. A multivariable measure of transparency is additionally proposed based on the relative singular values of the environment and transmitted impedance matrices. 3 Multivariable Telemanipulation Architecture Fite and Goldfarb Multivariable Loop Shaping … 6 Given the master/human and slave/environment dynamics as previously described, the loop shaping telemanipulation architecture is obtained by combining the master/human and slave/environment subsystems with the position and force scaling matrices, C 1 and C 2 , respectively, as shown in The transparency of the multivariable teleoperation loop is determined by the relative distortion between the transmitted impedance (i.e., the impedance felt by the human operator) and the actual environment impedance. The impedance transmitted to the human operator by the telemanipulation system is given by: For perfect transparency, the transmitted impedance transfer function matrix of Eq. (3) should equal the actual environment impedance, Z e . In practice, these matrices need only be similar within some frequency band of interest. Thus, within this band of interest, perfect transparency requires the singular values of the transmitted impedance transfer function matrix to equal those of the actual environment impedance transfer function matrix. As such, a measure of the desired multivariable performance can be given by the ratio of the respective singular values of the impedance transmitted to the human operator to those of the environment impedance: where n rank = ) ( e t Z , Z and i δ represents distortion in the teleoperative system. A desired bandwidth of transparency can be prescribed by ensuring that the distortion i δ in each singular Fite and Goldfarb Multivariable Loop Shaping … 7 value is less than some allowable amount of distortion ∆ for a desired bandwidth of operation. For ∆= 3 dB, a prescription for good teleoperative performance can be written as: where t Ω is a desired bandwidth of teleoperative transparency. The overall objective of the control architecture is to achieve the desired performance specified by Eq. (5) while ensuring the robust stability of the closed-loop system. With the introduction of a loop shaping compensator in the motion communication channel, th

Comparison of Computational-Model and Experimental-Example Trained Neural Networks for Processing Speckled Fringe Patterns

The responses of artificial neural networks to experimental and model-generated inputs are compared for detection of damage in twisted fan blades using electronic holography. The training-set inputs, for this work, are experimentally generated characteristic patterns of the vibrating blades. The outputs are damage-flag indicators or second derivatives of the sensitivity-vector-projected displacement vectors from a finite element model. Artificial neural networks have been trained in the past with computational-model-generated training sets. This approach avoids the difficult inverse calculations traditionally used to compare interference fringes with the models. But the high modeling standards are hard to achieve, even with fan-blade finite-element models

An Examination of Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Aggression Among Children with a History of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Childhood aggression is associated with many deleterious outcomes and is a common reason for psychiatric referral (Card and Little 2006; Gurnani, Ivanov, and Newcorn 2016). One factor associated with childhood aggression is Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs; Felitti et al. 1998). However, existing research remains equivocal on which characteristics of ACEs (e.g., cumulative impact, typology, etc.) are significantly elated to aggression, especially when considering differential effects of ACEs on proactive aggression (PA) and reactive aggression (RA; Dodge and Coie, 1987). Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are a common negative sequalae of ACEs and are characterized by disruptions in several cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes similar to those associated with both RA and PA (e.g., Marsee 2008). As such, the examination of PTSS as an underlying mechanism of influence on the relation between ACEs, PA, and RA is warranted. The present study fills several gaps in the literature by examining ACE characteristics that might be related to PTSS, PA, and RA while also examining direct and indirect effects on the relation between ACEs, PTSS and PA and RA. Results indicated the type of ACE, specifically child maltreatment ACEs (CM-ACEs), was most strongly related to all outcome variables. Therefore, CM-ACEs were included in a path analysis with PTSS, PA, and RA. Results indicated a significant indirect effect for PTSS on the relation between CM-ACEs and RA (β = .18, p \u3c .01) but not PA. Findings have several implications for future research and clinical practice, especially for children with an extensive history of CM-ACEs

Pathways from Child Maltreatment to Proactive and Reactive Aggression: The Role of Post-Traumatic Stress Symptom Clusters

Objective: Childhood aggression is related to a myriad of negative concurrent and long-term outcomes. To mitigate the risks associated with childhood aggression, it is important to understand risk factors that might predispose one to aggressive behaviors. One risk factor commonly associated with aggression is the experience of child maltreatment. A common outcome associated with child maltreatment is the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Several prevailing theoretical models of both post-traumatic stress and aggression indicate that these constructs have similar underlying cognitive, behavioral, and emotional mechanisms. Therefore, the present study examined the relations between and among child maltreatment, PTSS clusters, and proactive and reactive aggression in children. Method: Children between the ages of 6 and 14 who were enrolled in a residential treatment program completed self-report measures to evaluate variables of interest. These variables were included as multiple outcomes in a path analysis model in which individual PTSS clusters were examined as potential multiple mediators of the relations between child maltreatment and proactive and reactive aggression. Results: Direct effects of child maltreatment and PTSS clusters on aggression were observed. Significant indirect effects of the intrusion PTSS cluster on the relation between child maltreatment and reactive aggression was found. Conclusions: Findings suggest that symptoms associated with these specific PTSS clusters might help explain the relation between child maltreatment and reactive aggression and therefore present important implications for clinical practice and future research

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PvP) adsorbs on and interacts with biomembrane‑like layers

This communication describes an initial study into the interaction of solution polyvinylpyrrolidone (PvP) with electrode-supported monolayers of dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine (DOPC). Experiments were carried out in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 7.4, and solutions were screened on a DOPC-coated microfabricated Hg/Pt electrode in flow cell. The effect of the PvP interaction on the form of rapid cyclic voltammograms (RCV) was recorded at 40 Vs−1. It was found that the PvP-DOPC interaction is strongly dependent on PvP chain length. For shorter chain lengths, the interaction is linearly related to PvP concentration whereas at longer chain lengths, the interaction is Langmuirean; however, the interaction RCV in all cases is representative of adsorption. Both the affinity constant, K2, and the limit of detection (LoD) are extracted from these plots, and these values are inversely related to each other. Plots of log K2 and –log LoD versus the monomer segment number (PvPm) fit a two-term equation consisting of a power term and an exponential term. Plots of (log K2)/PvPm versus PvPm are near reciprocal showing that there is ‘looping’ of the chains on the DOPC surface during the adsorption process. The results fit a model of entropically driven adsorption at short chain lengths and enthalpically driven adsorption at longer chain lengths the latter assumedly due to non-covalent interactions between the PvP chains on the DOPC surface

Development of frequency-agile high-repetition-rate CO{sub 2} DIAL systems for long range chemical remote sensing

Issues related to the development of direct detection, long-range CO{sub 2} DIAL systems for chemical detection and identification are presented and discussed including: data handling and display techniques for large, multi-{lambda} data sets, turbulence effects, slant path propagation, and speckle averaging. Data examples from various field campaigns and CO{sub 2} lidar platforms are used to illustrate the issues

Is the abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii relevant to Crohn's disease?

Reports that bacteria within the Firmicutes phylum, especially the species Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, are less abundant in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients and supernatants from cultures of this bacterium are anti-inflammatory prompted the investigation of the possible correlations between the abundance of F.prausnitzii and the response to treatment in patients with gut diseases and healthy controls. In a randomized, double-blind trial, faeces were collected from healthy volunteers, and from patients with active CD, ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome before and after treatment. The levels of F. prausnitzii DNA in faecal suspensions were determined by PCR. Treatment by an elemental diet was effective, resulting in decreases in both the Harvey and Bradshaw index (P<0.001) and the concentrations of serum C-reactive protein (P<0.05). The total levels of F. prausnitzii in faecal samples from CD patients at presentation were lower than those in the other groups both before and after the treatment. There was no correlation between F. prausnitzii abundance and the severity of CD before treatment. Clinical improvement unexpectedly correlated with a significant decrease in the abundance of F. prausnitzii, especially the A2-165 subgroup (P<0.05). Our data suggest that a paucity of F. prausnitzii in the gastrointestinal microbial communities is likely to be a minor aetiological factor in CD: recovery following elemental diet is attributed to lower levels of gut flora

Theory of vortex excitation imaging via an NMR relaxation measurement

The temperature dependence of the site-dependent nuclear spin relaxation time T_1 around vortices is studied in s-wave and d-wave superconductors.Reflecting low energy electronic excitations associated with the vortex core, temperature dependences deviate from those of the zero-field case, and T_1 becomes faster with approaching the vortex core. In the core region, T_1^{-1} has a new peak below T_c. The NMR study by the resonance field dependence may be a new method to prove the spatial resolved vortex core structure in various superconductors.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Nonthermal Emission from a Supernova Remnant in a Molecular Cloud

In evolved supernova remnants (SNRs) interacting with molecular clouds, such as IC 443, W44, and 3C391, a highly inhomogeneous structure consisting of a forward shock of moderate Mach number, a cooling layer, a dense radiative shell and an interior region filled with hot tenuous plasma is expected. We present a kinetic model of nonthermal electron injection, acceleration and propagation in that environment and find that these SNRs are efficient electron accelerators and sources of hard X- and gamma-ray emission. The energy spectrum of the nonthermal electrons is shaped by the joint action of first and second order Fermi acceleration in a turbulent plasma with substantial Coulomb losses. Bremsstrahlung, synchrotron, and inverse Compton radiation of the nonthermal electrons produce multiwavelength photon spectra in quantitative agreement with the radio and the hard emission observed by ASCA and EGRET from IC 443. We distinguish interclump shock wave emission from molecular clump shock wave emission accounting for a complex structure of molecular cloud. Spatially resolved X- and gamma- ray spectra from the supernova remnants IC 443, W44, and 3C391 as might be observed with BeppoSAX, Chandra XRO, XMM, INTEGRAL and GLAST would distinguish the contribution of the energetic lepton component to the gamma-rays observed by EGRET.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure, Astrophysical Journal, v.538, 2000 (in press