10,700 research outputs found
An inverse dynamics model for the analysis, reconstruction and prediction of bipedal walking
Walking is a constrained movement which may best be observed during the double stance phase when both feet contact the floor. When analyzing a measured movement with an inverse dynamics model, a violation of these constrains will always occur due to measuring errors and deviations of the segments model from reality, leading to inconsistent results. Consistency is obtained by implementing the constraints into the model. This makes it possible to combine the inverse dynamics model with optimization techniques in order to predict walking patterns or to reconstruct non-measured rotations when only a part of the three-dimensional joint rotations is measured. In this paper the outlines of the extended inverse dynamics method are presented, the constraints which define walking are defined and the optimization procedure is described. The model is applied to analyze a normal walking pattern of which only the hip, knee and ankle flexions/extensions are measured. This input movement is reconstructed to a kinematically and dynamically consistent three-dimensional movement, and the joint forces (including the ground reaction forces) and joint moments of force, needed to bring about this movement are estimated
A Note on the Ruelle Pressure for a Dilute Disordered Sinai Billiard
The topological pressure is evaluated for a dilute random Lorentz gas, in the
approximation that takes into account only uncorrelated collisions between the
moving particle and fixed, hard sphere scatterers. The pressure is obtained
analytically as a function of a temperature-like parameter, beta, and of the
density of scatterers. The effects of correlated collisions on the topological
pressure can be described qualitatively, at least, and they significantly
modify the results obtained by considering only uncorrelated collision
sequences. As a consequence, for large systems, the range of beta-values over
which our expressions for the topological pressure are valid becomes very
small, approaching zero, in most cases, as the inverse of the logarithm of
system size.Comment: 15 pages RevTeX with 2 figures. Final version with some typo's
correcte
On thermostats and entropy production
The connection between the rate of entropy production and the rate of phase
space contraction for thermostatted systems in nonequilibrium steady states is
discussed for a simple model of heat flow in a Lorentz gas, previously
described by Spohn and Lebowitz. It is easy to show that for the model
discussed here the two rates are not connected, since the rate of entropy
production is non-zero and positive, while the overall rate of phase space
contraction is zero. This is consistent with conclusions reached by other
workers. Fractal structures appear in the phase space for this model and their
properties are discussed. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of
this and related work for understanding the role of chaotic dynamics and
special initial conditions for an explanation of the Second Law of
Thermodynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur
Crossover phenomena involving the dense O() phase
We explore the properties of the low-temperature phase of the O() loop
model in two dimensions by means of transfer-matrix calculations and
finite-size scaling. We determine the stability of this phase with respect to
several kinds of perturbations, including cubic anisotropy, attraction between
loop segments, double bonds and crossing bonds. In line with Coulomb gas
predictions, cubic anisotropy and crossing bonds are found to be relevant and
introduce crossover to different types of behavior. Whereas perturbations in
the form of loop-loop attractions and double bonds are irrelevant, sufficiently
strong perturbations of these types induce a phase transition of the Ising
type, at least in the cases investigated. This Ising transition leaves the
underlying universal low-temperature O() behavior unaffected.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure
Inclination Measurement of Human Movement Using a 3-D Accelerometer With Autocalibration
In the medical field, accelerometers are often used for measuring inclination of body segments and activity of daily living (ADL) because they are small and require little power. A drawback of using accelerometers is the poor quality of inclination estimate for movements with large accelerations. This paper describes the design and performance of a Kalman filter to estimate inclination from the signals of a triaxial accelerometer. This design is based on assumptions concerning the frequency content of the acceleration of the movement that is measured, the knowledge that the magnitude of the gravity is 1 g and taking into account a fluctuating sensor offset. It is shown that for measuring trunk and pelvis inclination during the functional three-dimensional activity of stacking crates, the inclination error that is made is approximately 2/spl deg/ root-mean square. This is nearly twice as accurate as compared to current methods based on low-pass filtering of accelerometer signals
Spin Motion in Electron Transmission through Ultrathin Ferromagnetic Films Accessed by Photoelectron Spectroscopy
Ab initio and model calculations demonstrate that the spin motion of
electrons transmitted through ferromagnetic films can be analyzed in detail by
means of angle- and spin-resolved core-level photoelectron spectroscopy. The
spin motion appears as precession of the photoelectron spin polarization around
and as relaxation towards the magnetization direction. In a systematic study
for ultrathin Fe films on Pd(001) we elucidate its dependence on the Fe film
thickness and on the Fe electronic structure. In addition to elastic and
inelastic scattering, the effect of band gaps on the spin motion is addressed
in particular.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Nylon 6 polymerization in the solid state
The postcondensation of nylon 6 in the solid state was studied. The reactions were carried out on fine powder in a fluidized bed reactor in a stream of dry nitrogen in the temperature range 110-205°C and during 1-24 h. The solid-state polymerization (SSP) did not follow melt kinetics, but was found to be limited by the diffusion of the autocatalyzing acid chain end group. Factors thought to influence SSP were studied, e.g., heat treatment, starting molecular weight, and remelting. Surprisningly, heat treatment had little effect, but the starting molecular weight had a strong effect on the reaction rate. The higher the starting molecular weight, the faster the reaction. This could be explained as a changing concentration distribution of the reactive groups in the solid state on SSP. The kinetics of the SSP had more than one region, and the rate of reaction for conversions of over 30% could be expressed as - dc/dt = k(c/t), where k is a dimensionless constant independent of temperature with a value of 0.28. The integrated form has the form - In(c/co) = k In(t/), where co is the acid end-group concentration at the start, t is the reaction time, and is the induction time. The value of is both dependent on the starting concentration co and the reaction temperature and has an activation energy of 105 kJ/mol
- …