Criticality of natural absorbing states

We study a recently introduced ladder model which undergoes a transition between an active and an infinitely degenerate absorbing phase. In some cases the critical behaviour of the model is the same as that of the branching annihilating random walk with $N\geq 2$ species both with and without hard-core interaction. We show that certain static characteristics of the so-called natural absorbing states develop power law singularities which signal the approach of the critical point. These results are also explained using random walk arguments. In addition to that we show that when dynamics of our model is considered as a minimum finding procedure, it has the best efficiency very close to the critical point.Comment: 6 page

Electrostatic control of a membrane using adaptive feedback linearization

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76357/1/AIAA-1998-4139-522.pd

Recent advances in parametric nonlinear model order reduction: treatment of shocks, contact and interfaces, structure-preserving hyper reduction, acceleration of multiscale formulations, and application to design optimization

International audienceParametric, projection-based, Model Order Reduction (MOR) is a mathematical tool for constructing a parametric Reduced-Order Model (ROM) by projecting a given parametric High Dimensional Model (HDM) onto a Reduced-Order Basis (ROB). It is rapidly becoming indispensable for a large number of applications including, among others, computational-based design and optimization, multiscale analysis, statistical analysis, uncertainty quantification, and model predictive control. It is also essential for scenarios where real-time simulation responses are desired. During the last two decades, linear, projection-based, parametric MOR has matured and made a major impact in many fields of engineering including electrical engineering, acoustics, and structural acoustics, to name only a few. By comparison, nonlinear, projection-based, parametric MOR remains somehow in its infancy. Nevertheless, giant strides have been recently achieved in many of its theoretical, algorithmic, and offline/online organizational aspects. The main purpose of this lecture is to highlight some of these advances, discuss their mathematical and computer science underpinnings, and report on their impact for an important class of problems in aerodynamics, fluid mechanics, nonlinear solid mechanics and structural dynamics, failure analysis, multiscale analysis, uncertainty quantification, and design optimization. To this effect, nonlinear, projection-based, parametric MOR will be first interpreted as a constrained semidiscretization on a subset of a compact Stiefel manifold, using a low-dimensional basis of global shape functions constructed a posteriori — that is, after some knowledge about the response of the system of interest has been developed. Usually, such a knowledge is gathered using the given parametric HDM and an offline training procedure where the model parameters are sampled with a greedy strategy based on a cost-effective ROM error indicator. Specifically, a set of problems related to the parametric problem of interest are solved at the sampled parameter points using the given HDM, and the computed solution snapshots are compressed to obtain the desired global ROB. Depending on the mathematical type of the governing equations underlying the given HDM, a dual ROB is also constructed and the sought-after nonlinear parametric ROM is constructed by Galerkin (or Petrov-Galerkin) projection of the HDM onto the global ROB (and its dual counterpart)

Extreme Kuiper Belt Object 2001 QG298 and the Fraction of Contact Binaries

Extensive time-resolved observations of Kuiper Belt object 2001 QG298 show a lightcurve with a peak-to-peak variation of 1.14 +-0.04 magnitudes and single-peaked period of 6.8872 +- 0.0002 hr. The mean absolute magnitude is 6.85 magnitudes which corresponds to a mean effective radius of 122 (77) km if an albedo of 0.04 (0.10) is assumed. This is the first known Kuiper Belt object and only the third minor planet with a radius > 25 km to display a lightcurve with a range in excess of 1 magnitude. We find the colors to be typical for a Kuiper Belt object (B-V = 1.00 +- 0.04, V-R = 0.60 +- 0.02) with no variation in color between minimum and maximum light. The large light variation, relatively long double-peaked period and absence of rotational color change argue against explanations due to albedo markings or elongation due to high angular momentum. Instead, we suggest that 2001 QG298 may be a very close or contact binary similar in structure to what has been independently proposed for the Trojan asteroid 624 Hektor. If so, its rotational period would be twice the lightcurve period or 13.7744 +- 0.0004 hr. By correcting for the effects of projection, we estimate that the fraction of similar objects in the Kuiper Belt is at least 10% to 20% with the true fraction probably much higher. A high abundance of close and contact binaries is expected in some scenarios for the evolution of binary Kuiper Belt objects.Comment: 15 text pages,6 figures(Color),5 Tables, Accepted to AJ for May 200

Self-Powered Robots to Reduce Motor Slacking During Upper-Extremity Rehabilitation: A Proof of Concept Study

Background: Robotic rehabilitation is a highly promising approach to recover lost functions after stroke or other neurological disorders. Unfortunately, robotic rehabilitation currently suffers from motor slacking , a phenomenon in which the human motor system reduces muscle activation levels and movement excursions, ostensibly to minimize metabolic- and movement-related costs. Consequently, the patient remains passive and is not fully engaged during therapy. To overcome this limitation, we envision a new class of body-powered robots and hypothesize that motor slacking could be reduced if individuals must provide the power to move their impaired limbs via their own body (i.e., through the motion of a healthy limb). Objective: To test whether a body-powered exoskeleton (i.e. robot) could reduce motor slacking during robotic training. Methods: We developed a body-powered robot that mechanically coupled the motions of the user\u27s elbow joints. We tested this passive robot in two groups of subjects (stroke and able-bodied) during four exercise conditions in which we controlled whether the robotic device was powered by the subject or by the experimenter, and whether the subject\u27s driven arm was engaged or at rest. Motor slacking was quantified by computing the muscle activation changes of the elbow flexor and extensor muscles using surface electromyography. Results: Subjects had higher levels of muscle activation in their driven arm during self-powered conditions compared to externally-powered conditions. Most notably, subjects unintentionally activated their driven arm even when explicitly told to relax when the device was self-powered. This behavior was persistent throughout the trial and did not wane after the initiation of the trial. Conclusions: Our findings provide novel evidence indicating that motor slacking can be reduced by self-powered robots; thus demonstrating promise for rehabilitation of impaired subjects using this new class of wearable system. The results also serve as a foundation to develop more sophisticated body-powered robots (e.g., with controllable transmissions) for rehabilitation purposes

Method and Apparatus for Non-Destructive Evaluation of Materials

Methods and apparatus for characterizing composite materials for manufacturing quality assurance (QA), periodic inspection during the useful life, or for forensic analysis/material testing. System are provided that relate eddy-current sensor responses to the fiber layup of a composite structure, the presence of impact damage on a composite structure with or without a metal liner, volumetric stress within the composite, fiber tow density, and other NDE inspection requirements. Also provided are systems that determine electromagnetic material properties and material dimensions of composite materials from capacitive sensor inspection measurements. These properties are related to the presence of buried defects in non-conductive composite materials, moisture ingress, aging of the material due to service or environmental/thermal exposure, or changes in manufacturing quality

Numerical simulation of micromachined acoustic resonators

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76479/1/AIAA-2000-546-400.pd

Flow field and performance of high frequency micromachined synthetic jets

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77283/1/AIAA-2002-974-315.pd

Resonance Effects of Electrostatically Actuated Acoustic Jets

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77281/1/AIAA-2003-1272-471.pd

Method and Apparatus for Non-Destructive Evaluation of Materials

Methods and apparatus for characterizing composite materials for manufacturing quality assurance (QA), periodic inspection during the useful life, or for forensic analysis/material testing. System are provided that relate eddy-current sensor responses to the fiber layup of a composite structure, the presence of impact damage on a composite structure with or without a metal liner, volumetric stress within the composite, fiber tow density, and other NDE inspection requirements. Also provided are systems that determine electromagnetic material properties and material dimensions of composite materials from capacitive sensor inspection measurements. These properties are related to the presence of buried defects in non-conductive composite materials, moisture ingress, aging of the material due to service or environmental/thermal exposure, or changes in manufacturing quality