361 research outputs found
Human Factors in Automated and Robotic Space Systems: Proceedings of a symposium. Part 1
Human factors research likely to produce results applicable to the development of a NASA space station is discussed. The particular sessions covered in Part 1 include: (1) system productivity -- people and machines; (2) expert systems and their use; (3) language and displays for human-computer communication; and (4) computer aided monitoring and decision making. Papers from each subject area are reproduced and the discussions from each area are summarized
Ergonomic Models of Anthropometry, Human Biomechanics and Operator-Equipment Interfaces
The Committee on Human Factors was established in October 1980 by the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education of the National Research Council. The committee is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation. The workshop discussed the following: anthropometric models; biomechanical models; human-machine interface models; and research recommendations. A 17-page bibliography is included
Pattern avoidance in binary trees
This paper considers the enumeration of trees avoiding a contiguous pattern.
We provide an algorithm for computing the generating function that counts
n-leaf binary trees avoiding a given binary tree pattern t. Equipped with this
counting mechanism, we study the analogue of Wilf equivalence in which two tree
patterns are equivalent if the respective n-leaf trees that avoid them are
equinumerous. We investigate the equivalence classes combinatorially. Toward
establishing bijective proofs of tree pattern equivalence, we develop a general
method of restructuring trees that conjecturally succeeds to produce an
explicit bijection for each pair of equivalent tree patterns.Comment: 19 pages, many images; published versio
Random walk generated by random permutations of {1,2,3, ..., n+1}
We study properties of a non-Markovian random walk , , evolving in discrete time on a one-dimensional lattice of
integers, whose moves to the right or to the left are prescribed by the
\text{rise-and-descent} sequences characterizing random permutations of
. We determine exactly the probability of finding
the end-point of the trajectory of such a
permutation-generated random walk (PGRW) at site , and show that in the
limit it converges to a normal distribution with a smaller,
compared to the conventional P\'olya random walk, diffusion coefficient. We
formulate, as well, an auxiliary stochastic process whose distribution is
identic to the distribution of the intermediate points , ,
which enables us to obtain the probability measure of different excursions and
to define the asymptotic distribution of the number of "turns" of the PGRW
trajectories.Comment: text shortened, new results added, appearing in J. Phys.
Degenerate flag varieties: moment graphs and Schr\"oder numbers
We study geometric and combinatorial properties of the degenerate flag
varieties of type A. These varieties are acted upon by the automorphism group
of a certain representation of a type A quiver, containing a maximal torus T.
Using the group action, we describe the moment graphs, encoding the zero- and
one-dimensional T-orbits. We also study the smooth and singular loci of the
degenerate flag varieties. We show that the Euler characteristic of the smooth
locus is equal to the large Schr\"oder number and the Poincar\'e polynomial is
given by a natural statistics counting the number of diagonal steps in a
Schr\"oder path. As an application we obtain a new combinatorial description of
the large and small Schr\"oder numbers and their q-analogues.Comment: 25 page
Phase transitions induced by microscopic disorder: a study based on the order parameter expansion
Based on the order parameter expansion, we present an approximate method
which allows us to reduce large systems of coupled differential equations with
diverse parameters to three equations: one for the global, mean field, variable
and two which describe the fluctuations around this mean value. With this tool
we analyze phase-transitions induced by microscopic disorder in three
prototypical models of phase-transitions which have been studied previously in
the presence of thermal noise. We study how macroscopic order is induced or
destroyed by time independent local disorder and analyze the limits of the
approximation by comparing the results with the numerical solutions of the
self-consistency equation which arises from the property of self-averaging.
Finally, we carry on a finite-size analysis of the numerical results and
calculate the corresponding critical exponents
Developing fencing policies in dryland ecosystems
The daily energy requirements of animals are determined by a combination of physical and physiological factors, but food availability may challenge the capacity to meet nutritional needs. Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) are an interesting model for investigating this topic because they are folivore-frugivores that adjust their diet and activities to seasonal variation in fruit availability. Observations of one habituated group of western gorillas in Bai-Hokou, Central African Republic (December 2004-December 2005) were used to examine seasonal variation in diet quality and nutritional intake. We tested if during the high fruit season the food consumed by western gorillas was higher in quality (higher in energy, sugar, fat but lower in fibre and antifeedants) than during the low fruit season. Food consumed during the high fruit season was higher in digestible energy, but not any other macronutrients. Second, we investigated whether the gorillas increased their daily intake of carbohydrates, metabolizable energy (KCal/g OM), or other nutrients during the high fruit season. Intake of dry matter, fibers, fat, protein and the majority of minerals and phenols decreased with increased frugivory and there was some indication of seasonal variation in intake of energy (KCal/g OM), tannins, protein/fiber ratio, and iron. Intake of non-structural carbohydrates and sugars was not influenced by fruit availability. Gorillas are probably able to extract large quantities of energy via fermentation since they rely on proteinaceous leaves during the low fruit season. Macronutrients and micronutrients, but not digestible energy, may be limited for them during times of low fruit availability because they are hind-gut fermenters. We discuss the advantages of seasonal frugivores having large dietary breath and flexibility, significant characteristics to consider in the conservation strategies of endangered species
Simulating Ising Spin Glasses on a Quantum Computer
A linear-time algorithm is presented for the construction of the Gibbs
distribution of configurations in the Ising model, on a quantum computer. The
algorithm is designed so that each run provides one configuration with a
quantum probability equal to the corresponding thermodynamic weight. The
partition function is thus approximated efficiently. The algorithm neither
suffers from critical slowing down, nor gets stuck in local minima. The
algorithm can be A linear-time algorithm is presented for the construction of
the Gibbs distribution of configurations in the Ising model, on a quantum
computer. The algorithm is designed so that each run provides one configuration
with a quantum probability equal to the corresponding thermodynamic weight. The
partition function is thus approximated efficiently. The algorithm neither
suffers from critical slowing down, nor gets stuck in local minima. The
algorithm can be applied in any dimension, to a class of spin-glass Ising
models with a finite portion of frustrated plaquettes, diluted Ising models,
and models with a magnetic field. applied in any dimension, to a class of
spin-glass Ising models with a finite portion of frustrated plaquettes, diluted
Ising models, and models with a magnetic field.Comment: 24 pages, 3 epsf figures, replaced with published and significantly
revised version. More info available at http://www.fh.huji.ac.il/~dani/ and
http://www.fiz.huji.ac.il/staff/acc/faculty/biha
Embodied Evolution in Collective Robotics: A Review
This paper provides an overview of evolutionary robotics techniques applied
to on-line distributed evolution for robot collectives -- namely, embodied
evolution. It provides a definition of embodied evolution as well as a thorough
description of the underlying concepts and mechanisms. The paper also presents
a comprehensive summary of research published in the field since its inception
(1999-2017), providing various perspectives to identify the major trends. In
particular, we identify a shift from considering embodied evolution as a
parallel search method within small robot collectives (fewer than 10 robots) to
embodied evolution as an on-line distributed learning method for designing
collective behaviours in swarm-like collectives. The paper concludes with a
discussion of applications and open questions, providing a milestone for past
and an inspiration for future research.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl
Thermodynamic Computing
The hardware and software foundations laid in the first half of the 20th
Century enabled the computing technologies that have transformed the world, but
these foundations are now under siege. The current computing paradigm, which is
the foundation of much of the current standards of living that we now enjoy,
faces fundamental limitations that are evident from several perspectives. In
terms of hardware, devices have become so small that we are struggling to
eliminate the effects of thermodynamic fluctuations, which are unavoidable at
the nanometer scale. In terms of software, our ability to imagine and program
effective computational abstractions and implementations are clearly challenged
in complex domains. In terms of systems, currently five percent of the power
generated in the US is used to run computing systems - this astonishing figure
is neither ecologically sustainable nor economically scalable. Economically,
the cost of building next-generation semiconductor fabrication plants has
soared past $10 billion. All of these difficulties - device scaling, software
complexity, adaptability, energy consumption, and fabrication economics -
indicate that the current computing paradigm has matured and that continued
improvements along this path will be limited. If technological progress is to
continue and corresponding social and economic benefits are to continue to
accrue, computing must become much more capable, energy efficient, and
affordable. We propose that progress in computing can continue under a united,
physically grounded, computational paradigm centered on thermodynamics. Herein
we propose a research agenda to extend these thermodynamic foundations into
complex, non-equilibrium, self-organizing systems and apply them holistically
to future computing systems that will harness nature's innate computational
capacity. We call this type of computing "Thermodynamic Computing" or TC.Comment: A Computing Community Consortium (CCC) workshop report, 36 page
- …