54,917 research outputs found
Model estimation and identification of manual controller objectives in complex tracking tasks
A methodology is presented for estimating the parameters in an optimal control structural model of the manual controller from experimental data on complex, multiinput/multioutput tracking tasks. Special attention is devoted to estimating the appropriate objective function for the task, as this is considered key in understanding the objectives and strategy of the manual controller. The technique is applied to data from single input/single output as well as multi input/multi outpuut experiments, and results discussed
Predicting floods in a large karst river basin by coupling PERSIANN-CCS QPEs with a physically based distributed hydrological model
In general, there are no long-term meteorological or hydrological data available for karst river basins. The lack of rainfall data is a great challenge that hinders the development of hydrological models. Quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) based on weather satellites offer a potential method by which rainfall data in karst areas could be obtained. Furthermore, coupling QPEs with a distributed hydrological model has the potential to improve the precision of flood predictions in large karst watersheds. Estimating precipitation from remotely sensed information using an artificial neural network-cloud classification system (PERSIANN-CCS) is a type of QPE technology based on satellites that has achieved broad research results worldwide. However, only a few studies on PERSIANN-CCS QPEs have occurred in large karst basins, and the accuracy is generally poor in terms of practical applications. This paper studied the feasibility of coupling a fully physically based distributed hydrological model, i.e., the Liuxihe model, with PERSIANN-CCS QPEs for predicting floods in a large river basin, i.e., the Liujiang karst river basin, which has a watershed area of 58 270 km-2, in southern China. The model structure and function require further refinement to suit the karst basins. For instance, the sub-basins in this paper are divided into many karst hydrology response units (KHRUs) to ensure that the model structure is adequately refined for karst areas. In addition, the convergence of the underground runoff calculation method within the original Liuxihe model is changed to suit the karst water-bearing media, and the Muskingum routing method is used in the model to calculate the underground runoff in this study. Additionally, the epikarst zone, as a distinctive structure of the KHRU, is carefully considered in the model. The result of the QPEs shows that compared with the observed precipitation measured by a rain gauge, the distribution of precipitation predicted by the PERSIANN-CCS QPEs was very similar. However, the quantity of precipitation predicted by the PERSIANN-CCS QPEs was smaller. A post-processing method is proposed to revise the products of the PERSIANN-CCS QPEs. The karst flood simulation results show that coupling the post-processed PERSIANN-CCS QPEs with the Liuxihe model has a better performance relative to the result based on the initial PERSIANN-CCS QPEs. Moreover, the performance of the coupled model largely improves with parameter re-optimization via the post-processed PERSIANN-CCS QPEs. The average values of the six evaluation indices change as follows: the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient increases by 14 %, the correlation coefficient increases by 15 %, the process relative error decreases by 8 %, the peak flow relative error decreases by 18 %, the water balance coefficient increases by 8 %, and the peak flow time error displays a 5 h decrease. Among these parameters, the peak flow relative error shows the greatest improvement; thus, these parameters are of page1506 the greatest concern for flood prediction. The rational flood simulation results from the coupled model provide a great practical application prospect for flood prediction in large karst river basins
Nanoscale austenite reversion through partitioning, segregation, and kinetic freezing: Example of a ductile 2 GPa Fe-Cr-C steel
Austenite reversion during tempering of a Fe-13.6Cr-0.44C (wt.%) martensite
results in an ultrahigh strength ferritic stainless steel with excellent
ductility. The austenite reversion mechanism is coupled to the kinetic freezing
of carbon during low-temperature partitioning at the interfaces between
martensite and retained austenite and to carbon segregation at
martensite-martensite grain boundaries. An advantage of austenite reversion is
its scalability, i.e., changing tempering time and temperature tailors the
desired strength-ductility profiles (e.g. tempering at 400{\deg}C for 1 min.
produces a 2 GPa ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and 14% elongation while 30
min. at 400{\deg}C results in a UTS of ~ 1.75 GPa with an elongation of 23%).
The austenite reversion process, carbide precipitation, and carbon segregation
have been characterized by XRD, EBSD, TEM, and atom probe tomography (APT) in
order to develop the structure-property relationships that control the
material's strength and ductility.Comment: in press Acta Materialia 201
The Role of Starburst-AGN composites in Luminous Infrared Galaxy Mergers: Insights from the New Optical Classification Scheme
We investigate the fraction of starbursts, starburst-AGN composites,
Seyferts, and LINERs as a function of infrared luminosity (L_IR) and merger
progress for ~500 infrared-selected galaxies. Using the new optical
classifications afforded by the extremely large data set of the Sloan Digital
Sky Survey, we find that the fraction of LINERs in IR-selected samples is rare
(< 5%) compared with other spectral types. The lack of strong infrared emission
in LINERs is consistent with recent optical studies suggesting that LINERs
contain AGN with lower accretion rates than in Seyfert galaxies. Most
previously classified infrared-luminous LINERs are classified as starburst-AGN
composite galaxies in the new scheme. Starburst-AGN composites appear to
"bridge" the spectral evolution from starburst to AGN in ULIRGs. The relative
strength of the AGN versus starburst activity shows a significant increase at
high infrared luminosity. In ULIRGs (L_IR >10^12 L_odot), starburst-AGN
composite galaxies dominate at early--intermediate stages of the merger, and
AGN galaxies dominate during the final merger stages. Our results are
consistent with models for IR-luminous galaxies where mergers of gas-rich
spirals fuel both starburst and AGN, and where the AGN becomes increasingly
dominant during the final merger stages of the most luminous infrared objects.Comment: 30 pages, 19 figures, 10 tables, ApJ accepte
CO observations and investigation of triggered star formation towards N10 infrared bubble and surroundings
We studied the environment of the dust bubble N10 in molecular emission.
Infrared bubbles, first detected by the GLIMPSE survey at 8.0 m, are ideal
regions to investigate the effect of the expansion of the HII region on its
surroundings eventual triggered star formation at its borders. In this work, we
present a multi-wavelength study of N10. This bubble is especially interesting
as infrared studies of the young stellar content suggest a scenario of ongoing
star formation, possibly triggered, on the edge of the HII region. We carried
out observations of CO(1-0) and CO(1-0) emission at PMO 13.7-m
towards N10. We also analyzed the IR and sub-mm emission on this region and
compare those different tracers to obtain a detailed view of the interaction
between the expanding HII region and the molecular gas. We also estimated the
parameters of the denser cold dust condensation and of the ionized gas inside
the shell. Bright CO emission was detected and two molecular clumps were
identified, from which we have derived physical parameters. We also estimate
the parameters for the densest cold dust condensation and for the ionized gas
inside the shell. The comparison between the dynamical age of this region and
the fragmentation time scale favors the "Radiation-Driven Implosion" mechanism
of star formation. N10 reveals to be specially interesting case with gas
structures in a narrow frontier between HII region and surrounding molecular
material, and with a range of ages of YSOs situated in region indicating
triggered star formation.Comment: Version 2 - Submmited to ApJ (under review
Mapping warm molecular hydrogen with Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Photometric maps, obtained with Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), can
provide a valuable probe of warm molecular hydrogen within the interstellar
medium. IRAC maps of the supernova remnant IC443, extracted from the Spitzer
archive, are strikingly similar to spectral line maps of the H2 pure rotational
transitions that we obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) instrument on
Spitzer. IRS spectroscopy indicates that IRAC Bands 3 and 4 are indeed
dominated by the H2 v=0-0 S(5) and S(7) transitions, respectively. Modeling of
the H2 excitation suggests that Bands 1 and 2 are dominated by H2 v=1-0 O(5)
and v=0-0 S(9). Large maps of the H2 emission in IC433, obtained with IRAC,
show band ratios that are inconsistent with the presence of gas at a single
temperature. The relative strengths of IRAC Bands 2, 3, and 4 are consistent
with pure H2 emission from shocked material with a power-law distribution of
gas temperatures. CO vibrational emissions do not contribute significantly to
the observed Band 2 intensity. Assuming that the column density of H2 at
temperatures T to T+dT is proportional to T raised to the power -b for
temperatures up to 4000 K, we obtained a typical estimate of 4.5 for b. The
power-law index, b, shows variations over the range 3 to 6 within the set of
different sight-lines probed by the maps, with the majority of sight-lines
showing b in the range 4 to 5. The observed power-law index is consistent with
the predictions of simple models for paraboloidal bow shocks.Comment: 27 pages, including 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Experimental position-time entanglement with degenerate single photons
We report an experiment in which two-photon interference occurs between
degenerate single photons that never meet. The two photons travel in opposite
directions through our fibre-optic interferometer and interference occurs when
the photons reach two different, spatially separated, 2-by-2 couplers at the
same time. We show that this experiment is analogous to the conventional
Franson-type entanglement experiment where the photons are entangled in
position and time. We measure wavefunction overlaps for the two photons as high
as 94 3%.Comment: Updated to published version, new fig. 4., corrected typo
Non-damping oscillations at flaring loops
Context. QPPs are usually detected as spatial displacements of coronal loops
in imaging observations or as periodic shifts of line properties in
spectroscopic observations. They are often applied for remote diagnostics of
magnetic fields and plasma properties on the Sun. Aims. We combine imaging and
spectroscopic measurements of available space missions, and investigate the
properties of non-damping oscillations at flaring loops. Methods. We used the
IRIS to measure the spectrum over a narrow slit. The double-component Gaussian
fitting method was used to extract the line profile of Fe XXI 1354.08 A at "O
I" window. The quasi-periodicity of loop oscillations were identified in the
Fourier and wavelet spectra. Results. A periodicity at about 40 s is detected
in the line properties of Fe XXI, HXR emissions in GOES 1-8 A derivative, and
Fermi 26-50 keV. The Doppler velocity and line width oscillate in phase, while
a phase shift of about Pi/2 is detected between the Doppler velocity and peak
intensity. The amplitudes of Doppler velocity and line width oscillation are
about 2.2 km/s and 1.9 km/s, respectively, while peak intensity oscillate with
amplitude at about 3.6% of the background emission. Meanwhile, a quasi-period
of about 155 s is identified in the Doppler velocity and peak intensity of Fe
XXI, and AIA 131 A intensity. Conclusions. The oscillations at about 40 s are
not damped significantly during the observation, it might be linked to the
global kink modes of flaring loops. The periodicity at about 155 s is most
likely a signature of recurring downflows after chromospheric evaporation along
flaring loops. The magnetic field strengths of the flaring loops are estimated
to be about 120-170 G using the MHD seismology diagnostics, which are
consistent with the magnetic field modeling results using the flux rope
insertion method.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, accepted by A&
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