Kalman-Takens filtering in the presence of dynamical noise

The use of data assimilation for the merging of observed data with dynamical models is becoming standard in modern physics. If a parametric model is known, methods such as Kalman filtering have been developed for this purpose. If no model is known, a hybrid Kalman-Takens method has been recently introduced, in order to exploit the advantages of optimal filtering in a nonparametric setting. This procedure replaces the parametric model with dynamics reconstructed from delay coordinates, while using the Kalman update formulation to assimilate new observations. We find that this hybrid approach results in comparable efficiency to parametric methods in identifying underlying dynamics, even in the presence of dynamical noise. By combining the Kalman-Takens method with an adaptive filtering procedure we are able to estimate the statistics of the observational and dynamical noise. This solves a long standing problem of separating dynamical and observational noise in time series data, which is especially challenging when no dynamical model is specified

Using a Peer-Nominated Team to Drive Change and Improve Trust

The article discusses the use of a peer-nominated team for driving change and improvement of trust in an organization. Topics include the concerns identified by the leadership of an organization during the survey of employees annually, the case study regarding the utilization of a peer nominated, cross-functional team within a multi-national healthcare company in Canada, and the involvement aspired by the client organization to start the change process

Investigating business casual dress policies: Questionnaire development and exploratory research

This study had two primary goals: to develop a questionnaire that can be used to determine what types and categories of attire are acceptable in today’s work environment for men and women and to provide a preliminary test of whether these policies impact work attitudes and behavior. Because of the lack of past theory and research to guide the project, human resource professionals were interviewed to help generate ideas for questionnaire design. Once developed, this questionnaire was completed by 95 students, most of whom worked full- or part-time. Analyses revealed that there are clear trends and categories that can be identified in determining acceptable attire for dress policies, and that these may differ for men and women. Further, the results suggest that business casual dress policies may have no impact on employee behavior and only minor impact on attitudes. Implications for dress code policies are discussed

DESIGN, VALIDATION AND APPLICATION OF AN UNOBTRUSIVE OAR FORCEANGLE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

Feedback is necessary for the improvement of motor performance. Elite level athletes in particular require accurate and detailed kinematic and kinetic information for improvement. The purpose of this study was to design, build, validate and apply an unobtrusive oar force-angle measurement system for the evaluation of on-water rowing performance. Performance measurement systems must also meet the criteria of accuracy, unobtrusiveness, reliability, quality visualisation and affordability. Using high quality IMU and force measurement technology a system (RowIMU) was designed and built that met these criteria. Results for horizontal, vertical and feather angle of the oar and the normal handle force were obtained and reported. The system provided innovative and useful information for coaches and rowers

The Effect of Workplace Bullying and Organizational Support on Health and Organizational Outcomes

We examined support systems on the health of those bullied at work. Our findings showed that bullied victims experience more stress, worse health, less satisfaction, and higher intentions to leave while organizational support systems help to minimize this effect of bullying on victims

The impact of an interdisciplinary learning community course on psuedoscientific reasoning in first-year science students

This case study examined the development and evaluation of an interdisciplinary first-year learning community designed to stimulate scientific reasoning. Designed to serve the needs of scholarship students majoring in mathematics and natural sciences, the six-credit learning community course was writing-intensive and emphasized general scientific reasoning and critical thinking skills. Success of the course was measured using a pretest-posttest design that assessed students’ paranormal beliefs. Outcomes of the study indicated students’ paranormal beliefs were significantly lower at the end of the semester than at the beginning, which was used as a surrogate measure of critical thinking that was also relevant to the course content. Supplementary analyses demonstrated that their (a) paranormal beliefs were significantly lower than other students and (b) students self-identified the importance of the scientific reasoning skills learned in the course without being prompted on their teacher-course evaluations. The results of this study can inform the design of interdisciplinary, scientific reasoning courses

Using the Storm Water Management Model to predict urban headwater stream hydrological response to climate and land cover change

Streams are natural features in urban landscapes that can provide ecosystem services for urban residents. However, urban streams are under increasing pressure caused by multiple anthropogenic impacts, including increases in human population and associated impervious surface area, and accelerated climate change. The ability to anticipate these changes and better understand their effects on streams is important for developing and implementing strategies to mitigate potentially negative effects. In this study, stream flow was monitored during April-November (2011 and 2012), and the data were used to apply the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) for five urban watersheds in central Iowa, USA, representing a gradient of percent impervious surface (IS, ranging from 5.3 to 37.1%). A set of three scenarios was designed to quantify hydrological responses to independent and combined effects of climate change (18% increase in precipitation), and land cover change (absolute increases between 5.2 and 17.1%, based on separate projections of impervious surfaces for the five watersheds) for the year 2040 compared to a current condition simulation. An additional set of three scenarios examined stream response to different distributions of land cover change within a single watershed. Hydrological responses were quantified using three indices: unit-area peak discharge, flashiness (R-B Index; Richards-Baker Index), and runoff ratio. Stream hydrology was strongly affected by watershed percent IS. For the current condition simulation, values for all three indices were five to seven times greater in the most developed watershed compared to the least developed watershed. The climate change scenario caused a 20.8% increase in unit-area peak discharge on average across the five watersheds compared to the current condition simulation. The land cover change scenario resulted in large increases for all three indices: 49.5% for unit-area peak discharge, 39.3% for R-B Index, and 73.9% for runoff ratio, on average, for the five watersheds. The combined climate and land cover change scenario resulted in slight increases on average for R-B Index (43.7%) and runoff ratio (74.5%) compared to the land cover change scenario, and a substantial increase, on average, in unit area peak discharge (80.1%). The scenarios for different distributions of land cover change within one watershed resulted in changes for all three indices, with an 18.4% increase in unit-area peak discharge for the midstream scenario, and 17.5% (downstream) and 18.1% (midstream) increases in R-B Index, indicating sensitivity to the location of potential additions of IS within a watershed. Given the likelihood of increased precipitation in the future, land use planning and policy tools that limit expansion of impervious surfaces (e.g. by substituting pervious surfaces) or mitigate against their impacts (e.g. by installing bioswales) could be used to minimize negative effects on streams

Broadband UBVRI Photometry of Horizontal-Branch and Metal-Poor Candidates from the HK and Hamburg/ESO Surveys. I

We report broadband UBV and/or BVRI CCD photometry for a total of 1857 stars in the thick-disk and halo populations of the Galaxy. The majority of our targets were selected as candidate field horizontal-branch or other A-type stars (FHB/A, N = 576), or candidate low-metallicity stars (N = 1221), from the HK and Hamburg/ESO objective-prism surveys. Similar data for a small number of additional stars from other samples are also reported. These data are being used for several purposes. In the case of the FHB/A candidates they are used to accurately separate the lower-gravity FHB stars from various higher-gravity A-type stars, a subsample that includes the so-called Blue Metal Poor stars, halo and thick-disk blue stragglers, main-sequence A-type dwarfs, and Am and Ap stars. These data are also being used to derive photometric distance estimates to high-velocity hydrogen clouds in the Galaxy and for improved measurements of the mass of the Galaxy. Photometric data for the metal-poor candidates are being used to refine estimates of stellar metallicity for objects with available medium-resolution spectroscopy, to obtain distance estimates for kinematic analyses, and to establish initial estimates of effective temperature for analysis of high-resolution spectroscopy of the stars for which this information now exists.Comment: 22 pages, including 3 figures, 5 tables, and two ascii files of full data, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (Supplements