Anomalous Defects and Their Quantized Transverse Conductivities

Using a description of defects in solids in terms of three-dimensional gravity, we study the propagation of electrons in the background of disclinations and screw dislocations. We study the situations where there are bound states that are effectively localized on the defect and hence can be described in terms of an effective 1+1 dimensional field theory for the low energy excitations. In the case of screw dislocations, we find that these excitations are chiral and can be described by an effective field theory of chiral fermions. Fermions of both chirality occur even for a given direction of the magnetic field. The ``net'' chirality of the system however is not always the same for a given direction of the magnetic field, but changes from one sign of the chirality through zero to the other sign as the Fermi momentum or the magnitude of the magnetic flux is varied. On coupling to an external electromagnetic field, the latter becomes anomalous, and predicts novel conduction properties for these materials.Comment: New material added. ReVTeX , 31 pgs., 4 figs.(uses epsf

Design and Prototyping of a Bio-inspired Kinematic Sensing Suit for the Shoulder Joint: Precursor to a Multi-DoF Shoulder Exosuit

Soft wearable robots are a promising new design paradigm for rehabilitation and active assistance applications. Their compliant nature makes them ideal for complex joints like the shoulder, but intuitive control of these robots require robust and compliant sensing mechanisms. In this work, we introduce the sensing framework for a multi-DoF shoulder exosuit capable of sensing the kinematics of the shoulder joint. The proposed tendon-based sensing system is inspired by the concept of muscle synergies, the body's sense of proprioception, and finds its basis in the organization of the muscles responsible for shoulder movements. A motion-capture-based evaluation of the developed sensing system showed conformance to the behaviour exhibited by the muscles that inspired its routing and validates the hypothesis of the tendon-routing to be extended to the actuation framework of the exosuit in the future. The mapping from multi-sensor space to joint space is a multivariate multiple regression problem and was derived using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The sensing framework was tested with a motion-tracking system and achieved performance with root mean square error (RMSE) of approximately 5.43 degrees and 3.65 degrees for the azimuth and elevation joint angles, respectively, measured over 29000 frames (4+ minutes) of motion-capture data.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Nonlinearity Compensation in a Multi-DoF Shoulder Sensing Exosuit for Real-Time Teleoperation

The compliant nature of soft wearable robots makes them ideal for complex multiple degrees of freedom (DoF) joints, but also introduce additional structural nonlinearities. Intuitive control of these wearable robots requires robust sensing to overcome the inherent nonlinearities. This paper presents a joint kinematics estimator for a bio-inspired multi-DoF shoulder exosuit capable of compensating the encountered nonlinearities. To overcome the nonlinearities and hysteresis inherent to the soft and compliant nature of the suit, we developed a deep learning-based method to map the sensor data to the joint space. The experimental results show that the new learning-based framework outperforms recent state-of-the-art methods by a large margin while achieving 12ms inference time using only a GPU-based edge-computing device. The effectiveness of our combined exosuit and learning framework is demonstrated through real-time teleoperation with a simulated NAO humanoid robot.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. Accepted to be published in IEEE RoboSoft 202

Guardrail end accident analysis (FHWA-OK-92-09) 2190

This study documented attributes associated with guardrail end accidents on Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) roadways. The database which the researchers studied included accidents at a variety of guardrail end types, but most ends were either exposed or turned-down. The s everity of exposed and of turned-down guardrail end accidents in relation to lateral location of the guardrail, to vehicle rolling and vaulting, and to vehicle weight was investigated. Each acc ident report was read carefully to obtain relevant information for analyses. The results showed that on divided roads, vehicles struck median guardrail ends as often as right-side ends. On undivided roadways, right-side ends were struck 60% of the time. Fatalities or incapacitating injuries occurred in 1/6 of the end accidents. The vehicle vaulted or rolled in about 1/4 of the guardrail end accidents. The research indicated that turned-down guardrail end accidents had more vehicle rolling and/or vaulting than did exposed end accidents. Driver inattention was a factor in 1/3 of all guardrail end accidents. The majority of guardrail end accidents on the state system occurred on a small portion of the system, namely the higher volume roadways. The researchers sugge sted that accident reporting methods be enhanced, and that rumble strips be tested as a means to reduce guardrail end strike accidents. If newer, more expensive end treatments were installed, locating the new guardrail ends on a small portion of the system could address a maj ority of the end accident sites.Final Report, November 1991-December 1992N

Genus Zero Correlation Functions in c<1 String Theory

We compute N-point correlation functions of pure vertex operator states(DK states) for minimal models coupled to gravity. We obtain agreement with the matrix model results on analytically continuing in the numbers of cosmological constant operators and matter screening operators. We illustrate this for the cases of the $(2k-1,2)$ and $(p+1,p)$ models.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, IMSc--92/35. (revised) minor changes plus one reference adde

Sediment blue carbon stock of Avicennia officinalis in Vembanad Lake ecosystem, Kerala, India

Stock assessment of the blue carbon pool of selected patches of mangrove sediment in the Vembanad Lake was done using the standard protocols on a per ha basis and multiplied with the estimated area to derive the blue carbon stock of the particular fragmented mangrove stands of the species Avicennia officinalis (Indian Mangrove), twice (in the post and pre-monsoon) during October 2017-March 2018. The treatments included ‘aged’, ‘recent’, ‘healthy’ and ‘degraded’ mangroves of the selected species and ‘control’ without mangroves. The overall mean carbon stock in the A. officinalis sediments in selected locations of the Vembanad Lake area was 136.09 Mg C/ha (Mg=mega gram=1 tonne). This value is far low compared to the mean global soil organic carbon stock in the mangrove ecosystem (386 Mg C/ha). This finding suggests ample opportunity for more carbon sequestration in the selected mangrove ecosystems in Vembanad Lake, toward climate change mitigation measures. The treatments differed significantly in the cumulative stock of blue carbon and layer-wise blue carbon density in sediment (p<0.05), the highest seen in ‘healthy’ mangroves in both seasons. The overall range of layer-wise blue carbon density in sediment was found to be 0.003 to 0.56 Mg/m3. Spatial maps prepared for layer-wise blue carbon density in the sediment revealed its depth-wise increase. Layer wise blue carbon stock in sediment had a significant correlation with total organic carbon and organic matter (p<0.01) and with the C/N ratio of the sediment (p < 0.05). Based on the results, this study suggests total organic carbon and the C/N ratio of sediment as possible predictive indicators of sediment blue carbon

Public Health Service Project Py 71-1, National Institutes of Health Projects HE 11829 and HE 12536

SUMMARY Entrance block of an atrial premature beat (APB) into the atrioventricular node is demonstrated by its lack of effect on the A-V nodal conduction of a subsequent beat which is introduced before the full recovery time of the A-V node. This phenomenon was demonstrated in five patients by using programmed atrial stimulation and His bundle recordings. Entrance block into the A-V node occurred in a narrow range (28-33%) of the basic cycle length and concealed conduction occurred at coupling intervals longer than this range. It appears that entrance block of these early APBs is due to a &quot;functional block&quot; between the atrium and the A-V node

The association between delusional-like experiences, and tobacco, alcohol or cannabis use: a nationwide population-based survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous population-based studies have found that delusional-like experiences (DLE) are prevalent in the community, and are associated with a wide range of mental health disorders including substance use. The aim of the study was to explore the association between DLE and three commonly used substances - tobacco, alcohol and cannabis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects were drawn from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2007. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to identify DLE, common psychiatric disorders, and substance use. We examined the relationship between the variables of interest using logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounding factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 8 773 participants, 8.4% (n = 776) subjects endorsed one or more DLE. With respect to tobacco use, compared to nonusers, DLE were more common in those who (a) had daily use, (b) commenced usage aged 15 years or less, and (c) those who smoked heavily (23 or more cigarettes per day). Participants with cannabis use disorders were more likely to endorse DLE; this association was most prominent in those with an onset of 16 years or younger. In contrast, the pattern of association between DLE versus alcohol use or dependence was less consistent, however those with early onset alcohol use disorders were more likely to endorse DLE probe items.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While cannabis use disorders have been previously linked with DLE, our findings linking alcohol and tobacco use and DLE suggest that the influence of these substances on psychosis-related outcomes warrants closer scrutiny in longitudinal prospective studies.</p