336 research outputs found
Properties of pedestrians walking in line: Stepping behavior
In human crowds, interactions among individuals give rise to a variety of
self-organized collective motions that help the group to effectively solve the
problem of coordination. However, it is still not known exactly how humans
adjust their behavior locally, nor what are the direct consequences on the
emergent organization. One of the underlying mechanisms of adjusting individual
motions is the stepping dynamics. In this paper, we present first quantitative
analysis on the stepping behavior in a one-dimensional pedestrian flow studied
under controlled laboratory conditions. We find that the step length is
proportional to the velocity of the pedestrian, and is directly related to the
space available in front of him, while the variations of the step duration are
much smaller. This is in contrast with locomotion studies performed on isolated
pedestrians and shows that the local density has a direct influence on the
stepping characteristics. Furthermore, we study the phenomena of
synchronization -walking in lockstep- and show its dependence on flow
densities. We show that the synchronization of steps is particularly important
at high densities, which has direct impact on the studies of optimizing
pedestrians flow in congested situations. However, small synchronization and
antisynchronization effects are found also at very low densities, for which no
steric constraints exist between successive pedestrians, showing the natural
tendency to synchronize according to perceived visual signals.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Integration of external and internal dosimetry in Switzerland
Individual monitoring regulations in Switzerland are based on the ICRP60 recommendations. The annual limit of 20 mSv for the effective dose applies to the sum of external and internal radiation. External radiation is monitored monthly or quarterly with TLD, DIS or CR-39 dosemeters by 10 approved external dosimetry services and reported as Hp(10) and Hp(0.07). Internal monitoring is done in two steps. At the workplace, simple screening measurements are done frequently in order to recognise a possible incorporation. If a nuclide dependent activity threshold is exceeded then one of the seven approved dosimetry services for internal radiation does an incorporation measurement to assess the committed effective dose E50. The dosimetry services report all the measured or assessed dose values to the employer and to the National Dose Registry. The employer records the annually accumulated dose values into the individual dose certificate of the occupationally exposed person, both the external dose Hp(10) and the internal dose E50 as well as the total effective dose E = Hp(10)+E50. Based on the national dose registry an annual report on the dosimetry in Switzerland is published which contains the statistics for the total effective dose, as well as separate statistics for external and internal exposur
Simulating Dynamical Features of Escape Panic
One of the most disastrous forms of collective human behaviour is the kind of
crowd stampede induced by panic, often leading to fatalities as people are
crushed or trampled. Sometimes this behaviour is triggered in life-threatening
situations such as fires in crowded buildings; at other times, stampedes can
arise from the rush for seats or seemingly without causes. Tragic examples
within recent months include the panics in Harare, Zimbabwe, and at the
Roskilde rock concert in Denmark. Although engineers are finding ways to
alleviate the scale of such disasters, their frequency seems to be increasing
with the number and size of mass events. Yet, systematic studies of panic
behaviour, and quantitative theories capable of predicting such crowd dynamics,
are rare. Here we show that simulations based on a model of pedestrian
behaviour can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of and
preconditions for panic and jamming by incoordination. Our results suggest
practical ways of minimising the harmful consequences of such events and the
existence of an optimal escape strategy, corresponding to a suitable mixture of
individualistic and collective behaviour.Comment: For related information see http://angel.elte.hu/~panic,
http://www.helbing.org, http://angel.elte.hu/~fij, and
http://angel.elte.hu/~vicse
Inclusive omega photoproduction off nuclei
We investigate inclusive omega photoproduction off complex nuclei,
concentrating on the feasibility to examine a possible in-medium change of the
omega meson properties by observing the pi^0 gamma invariant mass spectrum. The
simulations are performed by means of a BUU transport model including a full
coupled-channel treatment of the final state interactions. In-medium changes of
the omega spectral density are found to yield a moderate modification of the
observables as compared to the situation in free space. Also the effects of a
momentum dependence of the strong omega potential are discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, minor corrections, accepted for publication in
EPJ
In-Medium Properties of Hadrons - Observables II
In this review we discuss the observable consequences of in-medium changes of
hadronic properties in reactions with elementary probes, and in particular
photons, on nuclei. After an outline of the theoretical method used we focus on
a discussion of actual observables in photonuclear reactions; we discuss in
detail - and vector-meson production. We show that the
photoproduction data can be well described by final state interactions of the
pions produced whereas the semi-charged channel exhibits a major
discrepancy with theory. For production on nuclei in the TAPS/CB@ELSA
experiment we analyse the decay channel, and illustrate the
strength of the method by simulating experimental acceptance problems.
Completely free of final state interactions is dilepton production in the few
GeV range. We show that the sensitivity of this decay channel to changes of
hadronic properties in medium in photonuclear reactions on nuclei is as large
as in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions and make predictions for the
on-going G7 experiment at JLAB. Finally we discuss that hadron production in
nuclei at 10 -- 20 GeV photon energies can give important information on the
hadronization process, and in particular on the time-scales involved. We show
here detailed calculations for the low-energy (12 GeV) run at HERMES and
predictions for planned experiments at JLAB.Comment: Invited Talk by U. Mosel, Proceedings of the Int. School on Nuclear
Physics, 26th Course, "Lepton scattering and the structure of hadrons and
nuclei", Erice (Sicily), September 16th-24th, 2004, short piece of text adde
In-medium Properties of Hadrons -- Observables
We first briefly review the theoretical basis for calculations of changes of
hadronic properties in dense nuclear matter. These changes have usually been
investigated by means of relativistic heavy-ion reactions. Here we discuss that
observable consequences of such changes can also be seen in more elementary
reactions on nuclei. Particular emphasis is put on a discussion of actual
observables in photonuclear reactions; we discuss in detail - and
vector-meson production. We show that photoproduction of 's can yield
essential information on in-medium properties of the resonance
while the meson properties will probably not be accessible through the
decay channel. However, for mesons the decay
channel, due to its reduced final state interaction, looks more promising in
this respect. Completely free of final state interactions is dilepton
production in the few GeV range. We show that the sensitivity of this decay
channel to changes of hadronic properties in medium in photonuclear reactions
on nuclei is as large as in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions. Finally we
discuss that hadron production in nuclei at 10 -- 20 GeV photon energies can
give important information on the hadronization process.Comment: Invited Lecture by U. Mosel at Erice International School on Nuclear
Physics 200
The Fundamental Diagram of Pedestrian Movement Revisited
The empirical relation between density and velocity of pedestrian movement is
not completely analyzed, particularly with regard to the `microscopic' causes
which determine the relation at medium and high densities. The simplest system
for the investigation of this dependency is the normal movement of pedestrians
along a line (single-file movement). This article presents experimental results
for this system under laboratory conditions and discusses the following
observations: The data show a linear relation between the velocity and the
inverse of the density, which can be regarded as the required length of one
pedestrian to move. Furthermore we compare the results for the single-file
movement with literature data for the movement in a plane. This comparison
shows an unexpected conformance between the fundamental diagrams, indicating
that lateral interference has negligible influence on the velocity-density
relation at the density domain . In addition we test a
procedure for automatic recording of pedestrian flow characteristics. We
present preliminary results on measurement range and accuracy of this method.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure
Optimal Self-Organization
We present computational and analytical results indicating that systems of
driven entities with repulsive interactions tend to reach an optimal state
associated with minimal interaction and minimal dissipation. Using concepts
from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and game theoretical ideas, we generalize
this finding to an even wider class of self-organizing systems which have the
ability to reach a state of maximal overall ``success''. This principle is
expected to be relevant for driven systems in physics like sheared granular
media, but it is also applicable to biological, social, and economic systems,
for which only a limited number of quantitative principles are available yet.Comment: This is the detailled revised version of a preprint on
``Self-Organised Optimality'' (cond-mat/9903319). For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.html and
http://angel.elte.hu/~vicsek
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