Ukupno harmoničko izobličenje i brzina prostorne modalne informacije za analizu haptičkog paralelnog gibanja

In this paper, two kinds of evaluation index for the haptic motion analysis in parallel multiple degrees–of–freedom (MDOF) system are proposed. At first, the spatial modal decomposition method based on discrete Fourier series expansion (DFS) is presented. Spatial modal information expresses a motion element that corresponds to a specific physical action. The spatial modal information can mathematically be defined by the Fourier coefficients. Then, this paper proposes the total harmonic distortion (THD) and the content rate of the haptic modal information as motion evaluation indexes. THD of the spatial modal information can evaluate the complexity of the human motion and/or the deformability of the contact environment. Content rate of the spatial modal information can evaluate the priority of motion element. Some experimental results on the bilateral motion control of a parallel five DOF haptic system are shown, in order to confirm the utility of the proposed indexes.U ovom radu predložena su dva indikatora vrednovanja haptičkog gibanja u paralelnom sustavu s više stupnjeva slobode. Prikazana je metoda prostorne modalne dekompozicije zasnovana na proširenom diskretnom Fourierovom redu. Prostorna modalna informacija predstavlja element koji odgovara specifičnoj fizikalnoj radnji. Prostorna modalna informacija matematički se može opisati koristeći Fourierove koeficijente. U ovom se radu kao indikatori za evaluaciju gibanja predlažu ukupno harmoničko izobličenje i brzina haptičke modalne informacije. Ukupnim harmoničkim izobličenjem prostorne modalne informacije može se ocijeniti kompleksnost ljudskog gibanja i/ili deformabilnost kontaktne okoline. Przina prostorne modalne informacije ocjenjuje prioritet elementa u gibanju. Kako bi se potvrdila korisnost predloženih indikatora vrednovanja prikazani su eksperimentalni rezultati dobiveni dvoosnim prostornim upravljanjem paralelnim haptičkim sustavom s pet stupnjeva slobode

Secondary school students’ epistemic insight into the relationships between science and religion – a preliminary enquiry

A number of previous studies have shown that there is a widespread view among young people that science and religion are opposed. In this paper, we suggest that it requires a significant level of what can be termed ‘epistemic insight’ to access the idea that some people see science and religion as compatible while others do not. To explore this further, we draw on previous work to devise a methodology to discover students’ thinking about apparent contradictions between scientific and religious explanations of the origins of the universe. In our discussion of the findings, we highlight that students’ epistemic insight in this context does seem in many cases to be limited and we outline some of the issues emerging from the study that seem to boost or limit students’ progress in this area

Analiza FPGA implementacije bilateralnih algoritama upravljanja za dodirnu teleoperaciju

This paper presents the FPGA implementation of sliding mode control algorithm for bilateral teleoperation, such that, the problem of haptic teleoperation is addressed. The presented study improves haptic fidelity by widening the control bandwidth. For wide control bandwidth, short control periods as well as short sampling periods are required that was achieved by the FPGA. The presented FPGA design methodology applies basic optimization methods in order to meet the required control period as well as the required hardware resource consumption. The circuit specification was performed by the high-level programing language LabVIEW using the fixed-point data type. Hence, short design times for producing the FPGA logic circuit can be achieved. The proposed FPGA-based bilateral teleoperation was validated by master-slave experimental device.Ovaj rad opisuje FPGA implementaciju algoritama upravljanja kliznim režimima za bilateralnu teleoperaciju, pri čemu je opisan problem haptičke teleoperacije. Prikazano istraživanje poboljšava dodirnu pouzdanost proširenjem upravljačkog propusnog pojasa. Za široki propusni pojas, potrebni su kratki upravljački periodi i brzo vrijeme uzorkovanja, što je postignuto primjenom FPGA sklopovlja. Prikazana metodologija za projektiranje FPGA sklopovlja koristi osnovne optimizacijske metode s ciljem postizanja potrebnih upravljačkih perioda i zahtijevane fizičke iskorištenosti sklopovlja. Specifikacije sklopovlja su provedene programskim jezikom visoke razine LabVIEW uz korištenje podataka s nepomičnim decimalnim zarezom. Stoga je moguće implementirati traženu logiku na FPGA sklopovlje u kratkom vremenu. Opisana bilateralna teleoperacija temeljena na FPGA slopovlju je testirana na eksperimentalnom postavu s nadre.enim i podre.enim čvorom

The Effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit in the District of Columbia on Poverty and Income Dynamics

Using unique longitudinal administrative tax panel data for the District of Columbia (DC), we assess the combined effect of the DC supplemental earned income tax credit (EITC) and the federal EITC on poverty and income dynamics within Washington, DC, from 2001 to 2011. The EITC in DC merits investigation, as the DC supplement to the federal credit is the largest in the nation. The supplemental DC EITC was enacted in 2000, and has been expanded from 10 percent of the federal credit in 2001 to 40 percent as of 2009. To implement the study, we estimate least squares models with 0/1 dependent variables to estimate the likelihood of net-EITC income above poverty and near-poverty thresholds. We also estimate the likelihood of earnings growth and income stabilization from the EITC. To identify the effect of the EITC, we exploit variation in the EITC subsidy rate from 2008 to 2009, when an additional EITC bracket of 45 percent was added for workers with three or more dependent children, up from 40 percent in the previous year for workers with two or more children. We also estimate a model examining the impact of city-level changes to the EITC. The structure and richness of our data enable us to control for tax filer fixed effects, an important innovation from many previous EITC studies. Overall, we find that the combined EITC raises the likelihood of net-EITC income above poverty and near poverty by as much as 9 percent, with the largest consistent effects accruing to single-parent families

From domestic to regional: The civil war conundrum and the cases of Syria and Algeria

This paper seeks to answer a simple question: When do regional powers get involved in civil wars? Some civil wars see a significant involvement of regional actors, while others show a remarkable level of isolation. What explains this difference? This research answers this question by looking at two case studies: the Algerian civil war (1991–2002) and the Syrian civil war (2011–up to date). The paper identifies and develops five factors of regional involvement. These are: capabilities, regional dynamics, country’s relevance, regional security issues/containment and domestic–external links. civil wars are today one of the most prominent and deadly forms of conflict, and this paper contributes to understanding the important but understudied issue of regional involvement.N/

Smith Predictor-Based Control with Distance Feedback for Haptic Systems Under Distributed Time-Delays

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Some remarks on Smith predictor-based control with distance feedback for a 3-DOF haptic system with distributed delays

International audienceThis paper focuses on the construction of a Smith predictor for network-based haptic systems. Roughly speaking, the idea is to use a predictor just on the haptic side in order to compensate the viscosity effect and to provide an accurate feeling in the case of contacts. A new approach is presented by using the available information on the distance from the virtual reality simulator and introducing it in the predictor in order to maintain the similarity between the "real" and the "predicted model". In order to validate the approach, experimental results are presented for constant and random varying delays (normal distributed and gamma with gap distributed), for a simple virtual environment and for a virtual box