3,993 research outputs found
A comparison of motor submodels in the optimal control model
Properties of several structural variations in the neuromotor interface portion of the optimal control model (OCM) are investigated. For example, it is known that commanding control-rate introduces an open-loop pole at S=O and will generate low frequency phase and magnitude characteristics similar to experimental data. However, this gives rise to unusually high sensitivities with respect to motor and sensor noise-ratios, thereby reducing the models' predictive capabilities. Relationships for different motor submodels are discussed to show sources of these sensitivities. The models investigated include both pseudo motor-noise and actual (system driving) motor-noise characterizations. The effects of explicit proprioceptive feedback in the OCM is also examined. To show graphically the effects of each submodel on system outputs, sensitivity studies are included, and compared to data obtained from other tests
New Pulsating DB White Dwarf Stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
We are searching for new He atmosphere white dwarf pulsators (DBVs) based on
the newly found white dwarf stars from the spectra obtained by the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey. DBVs pulsate at hotter temperature ranges than their better
known cousins, the H atmosphere white dwarf pulsators (DAVs or ZZ Ceti stars).
Since the evolution of white dwarf stars is characterized by cooling,
asteroseismological studies of DBVs give us opportunities to study white dwarf
structure at a different evolutionary stage than the DAVs. The hottest DBVs are
thought to have neutrino luminosities exceeding their photon luminosities
(Winget et al. 2004), a quantity measurable through asteroseismology.
Therefore, they can also be used to study neutrino physics in the stellar
interior. So far we have discovered nine new DBVs, doubling the number of
previously known DBVs. Here we report the new pulsators' lightcurves and power
spectra.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables, ApJ accepte
Display/control requirements for VTOL aircraft
Quantative metrics were determined for system control performance, workload for control, monitoring performance, and workload for monitoring. Pilot tasks were allocated for navigation and guidance of automated commercial V/STOL aircraft in all weather conditions using an optimal control model of the human operator to determine display elements and design
Intrinsic and Rashba Spin-orbit Interactions in Graphene Sheets
Starting from a microscopic tight-binding model and using second order
perturbation theory, we derive explicit expressions for the intrinsic and
Rashba spin-orbit interaction induced gaps in the Dirac-like low-energy band
structure of an isolated graphene sheet. The Rashba interaction parameter is
first order in the atomic carbon spin-orbit coupling strength and first
order in the external electric field perpendicular to the graphene plane,
whereas the intrinsic spin-orbit interaction which survives at E=0 is second
order in . The spin-orbit terms in the low-energy effective Hamiltonian
have the form proposed recently by Kane and Mele. \textit{Ab initio} electronic
structure calculations were performed as a partial check on the validity of the
tight-binding model.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; typos corrected, references update
The Shortest Period Detached Binary White Dwarf System
We identify SDSS J010657.39-100003.3 (hereafter J0106-1000) as the shortest
period detached binary white dwarf (WD) system currently known. We targeted
J0106-1000 as part of our radial velocity program to search for companions
around known extremely low-mass (ELM, ~ 0.2 Msol) WDs using the 6.5m MMT. We
detect peak-to-peak radial velocity variations of 740 km/s with an orbital
period of 39.1 min. The mass function and optical photometry rule out a
main-sequence star companion. Follow-up high-speed photometric observations
obtained at the McDonald 2.1m telescope reveal ellipsoidal variations from the
distorted primary but no eclipses. This is the first example of a tidally
distorted WD. Modeling the lightcurve, we constrain the inclination angle of
the system to be 67 +- 13 deg. J0106-1000 contains a pair of WDs (0.17 Msol
primary + 0.43 Msol invisible secondary) at a separation of 0.32 Rsol. The two
WDs will merge in 37 Myr and most likely form a core He-burning single subdwarf
star. J0106-1000 is the shortest timescale merger system currently known. The
gravitational wave strain from J0106-1000 is at the detection limit of the
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). However, accurate ephemeris and
orbital period measurements may enable LISA to detect J0106-1000 above the
Galactic background noise.Comment: MNRAS Letters, in pres
A study of psychiatristsâ concepts of mental illness
Background: There are multiple models of mental illness that inform professional and lay understanding. Few studies have formally investigated psychiatrists' attitudes. We aimed to measure how a group of trainee psychiatrists understand familiar mental illnesses in terms of propositions drawn from different models.
Method: We used a questionnaire study of a sample of trainees from South London and Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust designed to assess attitudes across eight models of mental illness (e.g. biological, psychodynamic) and four psychiatric disorders. Methods for analysing repeated measures and a principal components analysis (PCA) were used.
Results: No one model was endorsed by all respondents. Model endorsement varied with disorder. Attitudes to schizophrenia were expressed with the greatest conviction across models. Overall, the âbiologicalâ model was the most strongly endorsed. The first three components of the PCA (interpreted as dimensions around which psychiatrists, as a group, understand mental illness) accounted for 56% of the variance. Each main component was classified in terms of its distinctive combination of statements from different models: PC1 33% biological versus non-biological; PC2 12% âeclecticâ (combining biological, behavioural, cognitive and spiritual models); and PC3 10% psychodynamic versus sociological.
Conclusions: Trainee psychiatrists are most committed to the biological model for schizophrenia, but in general are not exclusively committed to any one model. As a group, they organize their attitudes towards mental illness in terms of a biological/non-biological contrast, an âeclecticâ view and a psychodynamic/sociological contrast. Better understanding of how professional group membership influences attitudes may facilitate better multidisciplinary working
A mixed ultrasoft/normconserved pseudopotential scheme
A variant of the Vanderbilt ultrasoft pseudopotential scheme, where the
normconservation is released for only one or a few angular channels, is
presented. Within this scheme some difficulties of the truly ultrasoft
pseudopotentials are overcome without sacrificing the pseudopotential softness.
i) Ghost states are easily avoided without including semicore shells. ii) The
ultrasoft pseudo-charge-augmentation functions can be made more soft. iii) The
number of nonlocal operators is reduced. The scheme will be most useful for
transition metals, and the feasibility and accuracy of the scheme is
demonstrated for the 4d transition metal rhodium.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Timesaving Double-Grid Method for Real-Space Electronic-Structure Calculations
We present a simple and efficient technique in ab initio electronic-structure
calculation utilizing real-space double-grid with a high density of grid points
in the vicinity of nuclei. This technique promises to greatly reduce the
overhead for performing the integrals that involves non-local parts of
pseudopotentials, with keeping a high degree of accuracy. Our procedure gives
rise to no Pulay forces, unlike other real-space methods using adaptive
coordinates. Moreover, we demonstrate the potential power of the method by
calculating several properties of atoms and molecules.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Microscopic mechanism for mechanical polishing of diamond (110) surfaces
Mechanically induced degradation of diamond, as occurs during polishing, is
studied using total--energy pseudopotential calculations. The strong asymmetry
in the rate of polishing between different directions on the diamond (110)
surface is explained in terms of an atomistic mechanism for nano--groove
formation. The post--polishing surface morphology and the nature of the
polishing residue predicted by this mechanism are consistent with experimental
evidence.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
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