An investigation of potential applications of OP-SAPS: Operational Sampled Analog Processors

The application of OP-SAP's (operational sampled analog processors) in pattern recognition system is summarized. Areas investigated include: (1) human face recognition; (2) a high-speed programmable transversal filter system; (3) discrete word (speech) recognition; and (4) a resolution enhancement system

Real time flight simulation methodology

An example sensitivity study is presented to demonstrate how a digital autopilot designer could make a decision on minimum sampling rate for computer specification. It consists of comparing the simulated step response of an existing analog autopilot and its associated aircraft dynamics to the digital version operating at various sampling frequencies and specifying a sampling frequency that results in an acceptable change in relative stability. In general, the zero order hold introduces phase lag which will increase overshoot and settling time. It should be noted that this solution is for substituting a digital autopilot for a continuous autopilot. A complete redesign could result in results which more closely resemble the continuous results or which conform better to original design goals

ALB Evaluation for NOAA charting requirements

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) acquires hydrographic data around the coasts of the US and its territories using in-house surveys and contracting resources. Hydrographic data are primarily collected using sonar systems, while a small percent is acquired via Airborne Lidar Bathymetry (ALB) for nearshore areas. NOAA has an ongoing requirement, as per the Coast and Geodetic Survey Act of 1947, to survey nearshore areas as part of its coastal mapping activities, including updating nautical charts, creating hydrodynamic models and supporting coastal planning and habitat mapping. NOAA has initiated a project to investigate the potential use of ALB data from non-hydrographic survey programmes (i.e., programmes designed to support objectives other than nautical charting and with specifications and requirements that differ from those of NOAA hydrographic surveys) in order to increase the amount of data available to meet these nearshore mapping requirements. THIS PAPER PRESENTS AN evaluation of ALB data from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP) for use by NOAA’s Offi ce of Coast Survey (OCS). Th ese NCMP datasets were evaluated through a statistical comparison to bathymetric surfaces derived from hydrographic NOAA surveys. Th e objectives of the analysis were: 1. to assess the level of agreement between the NCMP and OCS data in areas of overlap in a variety of coastal environments and 2. to determine whether NCMP ALB survey data can be compiled with NOAA OCS hydrographic data to generate seamless shallowbathymetry digital elevation modes (DEMs)

A polymorphic reconfigurable emulator for parallel simulation

Microprocessor and arithmetic support chip technology was applied to the design of a reconfigurable emulator for real time flight simulation. The system developed consists of master control system to perform all man machine interactions and to configure the hardware to emulate a given aircraft, and numerous slave compute modules (SCM) which comprise the parallel computational units. It is shown that all parts of the state equations can be worked on simultaneously but that the algebraic equations cannot (unless they are slowly varying). Attempts to obtain algorithms that will allow parellel updates are reported. The word length and step size to be used in the SCM's is determined and the architecture of the hardware and software is described

Book Review: Frank Murphy: The Washington Years. by Sidney Fine.

Book review: Frank Murphy: The Washington Years. By Sidney Fine. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 1984. Pp. ix, 784. Reviewed by: Michael E. Parrish

Book Review: Zechariah Chafee, Jr.: Defender of Liberty and Law. by Donald L. Smith.

Book review: Zechariah Chafee, Jr.: Defender of Liberty and Law. By Donald L. Smith. Cambridge, Ma.: Harvard University Press. 1986. Pp. x, 355. Reviewed by: Michael E. Parrish

An Investigation of Emergent Perceptual Phenomena in Primates: Illusions and Biases in Decision-Making

The perceptual system operates ideally to reveal rapidly processed, accurate and functional information to an organism. However, illusory phenomena emerge when there is discontinuity between sensory input and perception on the basis of misleading contexts. Because illusions emerge as a byproduct of an otherwise functional and efficient perceptual system, they provide a means to understand better mechanisms of perception within and across species. Beyond anatomical and functional similarities in the visual system across primates, nonhuman primate species reveal intriguing similarities in the perception of visual illusions with one another and humans. This dissertation explored visual illusions across the Order Primates, including human adults and children, chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, and capuchin monkeys, with a focus on when, why and for whom geometric illusions emerge. Geometric illusions occur when a target’s perceived properties (e.g., size, shape, color) are impacted by an illusory context. Specifically, I focused on similarities and differences in perceptual mechanisms across primate species and on the role of attention in illusion emergence. I also assessed the translational impact of visual illusions on everyday decision-making (i.e., food-choice behavior). Overall, this research demonstrated that illusions are complex, and they emerged differently across species as a function of processing mode (i.e., global versus local processing) and attentional control. Further, not all illusions were perceived equally. External factors including illusory array design (i.e., the relationship between target and inducer stimuli) and testing paradigm directly impacted illusion perception. Response competition emerged if the illusory array was too heavily weighted towards inducing stimuli, such that the inducers were the more salient element within the array relative to the target stimulus. These methodological challenges proved to be especially true for local processors (e.g., monkeys) that first perceived the individual elements within an array prior to perceiving the global figure. The manner in which illusions are presented to pre- and non-verbal species can constrain or perhaps create a scaffold for illusory perception. Comparative research as in this dissertation provides a deeper understanding of how context influences perception and choice and will shed light on how we see and subsequently interact with our world

Book Review: Brandeis. by Lewis J. Paper.

Book review: Brandeis. By Lewis J. Paper. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1983. Pp. 442. Reviewed by Michael E Parrish