9,898 research outputs found
Contains and Inside relationships within combinatorial Pyramids
Irregular pyramids are made of a stack of successively reduced graphs
embedded in the plane. Such pyramids are used within the segmentation framework
to encode a hierarchy of partitions. The different graph models used within the
irregular pyramid framework encode different types of relationships between
regions. This paper compares different graph models used within the irregular
pyramid framework according to a set of relationships between regions. We also
define a new algorithm based on a pyramid of combinatorial maps which allows to
determine if one region contains the other using only local calculus.Comment: 35 page
Introduction: The Third International Conference on Epigenetic Robotics
This paper summarizes the paper and poster contributions
to the Third International Workshop on
Epigenetic Robotics. The focus of this workshop is
on the cross-disciplinary interaction of developmental
psychology and robotics. Namely, the general
goal in this area is to create robotic models of the
psychological development of various behaviors. The
term "epigenetic" is used in much the same sense as
the term "developmental" and while we could call
our topic "developmental robotics", developmental
robotics can be seen as having a broader interdisciplinary
emphasis. Our focus in this workshop is
on the interaction of developmental psychology and
robotics and we use the phrase "epigenetic robotics"
to capture this focus
Use of stable isotopes, organic and inorganic chemistry to identify pollution sources and weathering processes in two small tropical rivers in southwestern India
The two main objectives of this study were to assess pollution dynamic from organic and inorganic major ion chemistry and stable isotopes (δ15N and δ18O) and to determine the weathering processes using carbon isotopes in two tropical river basins, i.e. Nethravati and Swarna, along southwest coast of India. These short length river basins (around 100 km) are characterized by high annual rainfall, warm temperature, high runo" (~3300mm) draining Precambrian basement rocks composed of green-stones, granitic-gneiss, charnockite and meta sediments. Intense silicate weathering is induced by high runo" and warm temperature (Gurumurthy et al., 2012). In this study, stable isotopes (δ15N & δ18O)of organic molecules from sewage and agricultural effluents,and carbon isotopes (δ13C) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) were measured to trace agricultural and domestic pollution and to identify the sources of inorganic carbon and the nature of chemical weathering in these river basins. Carbon isotopes measured on DIC reveals sources of carbon into the river, such as carbonate/silicate weathering of rocks, mineralization of organic matter from C3/C4 plants, soil and atmospheric CO2. The nitrate and phosphate levels remain low, with values ranging from 5 to 9 μM, and 0 to 2 μM respectively. The δ13C DIC values range from =-9.03 +/- 0.99 for the Swarna basin to -8.08 +/-0.78 for the Nethravati basin. These values point to a mixing of carbonate and silicate weathering products with a dominance of C3 vegetation, prevalent in the Western Ghats. The DOC values for both river basins are very low and very close: 0.72 +/- 0.09 mg/L (Swarna river) and 0.62 +/-0.11 mg/L (Nethravati river). This indicates that the contributions of organic matter from the adjacent forests and the $ood plains are very low during the sampling period. The analysis of organic acids reveals low amount of Oxalate and Acetate, and trace of Malate and Tartaric acids. The dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) concentrations are very low in these two rivers. During the dry season, river discharge is mainly supplied by groundwater with generally low contents in dissolved and particulate fractions. Even if we observe low concentration, we measured higher DOC and POC in the Swarna river. These higher DOC concentrations are accompanied with lower SUVA value. This indicates that more labile DOC (less aromaticity) is exported within this basin during dry season. C/N values in POC also show that the organic carbon is “fresher” and is probably more autochtonous than in the Nethravati river. Indeed, C/N value are closer of an autochthonous production (C/N : 2-6) than allochthonous one (C/N: 8-20). These observations can be explained as the Svarna watershed land use is more agricultural than in Nethravati. Agricultural lands generally export signi%cant amount of nutrients to rivers and participate to enhance autochthonous productivity. Autochthonous organic carbon production is more labile and less aromatic
Dark Energy and the Return of the Phoenix Universe
In cyclic universe models based on a single scalar field (e.g., the radion
determining the distance between branes in M-theory), virtually the entire
universe makes it through the ekpyrotic smoothing and flattening phase,
bounces, and enters a new epoch of expansion and cooling. This stable evolution
cannot occur, however, if scale-invariant curvature perturbations are produced
by the entropic mechanism because it requires two scalar fields (e.g., the
radion and the Calabi-Yau dilaton) evolving along an unstable classical
trajectory. In fact, we show here that an overwhelming fraction of the universe
fails to make it through the ekpyrotic phase; nevertheless, a sufficient volume
survives and cycling continues forever provided the dark energy phase of the
cycle lasts long enough, of order a trillion years. Two consequences are a new
role for dark energy and a global structure of the universe radically different
from that of eternal inflation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Estimating end-use demand: A Bayesian approach
Eliminating negative end-use or appliance consumption estimates and incorporating direct metering information into the process of generating these estimates; these are two important aspects, of conditional demand analysis (CDA) that will be the focus of this raper. In both cases a Bayesian approach seems a natural way of proceeding. What needs to be investigated is whether it is also a viable and effective approach. In addition, such a framework naturally lends itself to prediction. Our application involves the estimation of electrical appliance consumptions for a sample of Australian households. This application is designed to illustrate the viability of a full Bayesian analysis of the problem
Transatmospheric vehicle research
Research was conducted into the alternatives to the supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine for hypersonic flight. A new engine concept, the Oblique Detonation Wave Engine (ODWE) was proposed and explored analytically and experimentally. Codes were developed which can couple the fluid dynamics of supersonic flow with strong shock waves, with the finite rate chemistry necessary to model the detonation process. An additional study was conducted which compared the performance of a hypersonic vehicle powered by a scramjet or an ODWE. Engineering models of the overall performances of the two engines are included. This information was fed into a trajectory program which optimized the flight path to orbit. A third code calculated the vehicle size, weight, and aerodynamic characteristics. The experimental work was carried out in the Ames 20MW arc-jet wind tunnel, focusing on mixing and combustion of fuel injected into a supersonic airstream. Several injector designs were evaluated by sampling the stream behind the injectors and analyzing the mixture with an on-line mass spectrometer. In addition, an attempt was made to create a standing oblique detonation wave in the wind tunnel using hydrogen fuel. It appeared that the conditions in the test chamber were marginal for the generation of oblique detonation waves
Parametric macromodeling of lossy and dispersive multiconductor transmission lines
We propose an innovative parametric macromodeling technique for lossy and dispersive multiconductor transmission lines (MTLs) that can be used for interconnect modeling. It is based on a recently developed method for the analysis of lossy and dispersive MTLs extended by using the multivariate orthonormal vector fitting (MOVF) technique to build parametric macromodels in a rational form. They take into account design parameters, such as geometrical layout or substrate features, in addition to frequency. The presented technique is suited to generate state-space models and synthesize equivalent circuits, which can be easily embedded into conventional SPICE-like solvers. Parametric macromodels allow to perform design space exploration, design optimization, and sensitivity analysis efficiently. Numerical examples validate the proposed approach in both frequency and time domain
The hydrogen atom in electric and magnetic fields : Pauli's 1926 article
The results obtained by Pauli, in his 1926 article on the hydrogen atom, made
essential use of the dynamical so(4) symmetry of the bound states. Pauli used
this symmetry to compute the perturbed energy levels of an hydrogen atom in a
uniform electric field (Stark effect) and in uniform electric and magnetic
fields. Although the experimental check of the single Stark effect on the
hydrogen atom has been studied experimentally, Pauli's results in mixed fields
have been studied only for Rydberg states of rubidium atoms in crossedfields
and lithium atoms in parallel fields.Comment: 11 pages, latex file, 2 figure
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