7,890 research outputs found
Applications of inertial-sensor high-inheritance instruments to DSN precision antenna pointing
Laboratory test results of the initialization and tracking performance of an existing inertial-sensor-based instrument are given. The instrument, although not primarily designed for precision antenna pointing applications, demonstrated an on-average 10-hour tracking error of several millidegrees. The system-level instrument performance is shown by analysis to be sensor limited. Simulated instrument improvements show a tracking error of less than 1 mdeg, which would provide acceptable performance, i.e., low pointing loss, for the Deep Space Network 70-m antenna subnetwork, operating at Ka-band (1-cm wavelength)
Gravity referenced elevation encoder development
Recent progress in the development of a gravity-sensor-based instrument for determining the elevation angle of DSN antennas is described. The benefits of such a system include the capability to locate the Gravity Referenced Elevation Encoder (GREE) directly on the primary reflector (thus bypassing structural flexure and deformation error sources), anticipated lower maintenance costs compared to the present gimbal encoders, direct replaceability, or supplementation of the present gimbal encoders and the utilization of off-the-shelf components to construct the GREE. This article includes a description of the nominal GREE design. Test results on a laboratory breadboard model are given. Rigid-body dynamics of the GREE are derived and the simulated performance in response to measured antenna vibrations is given
A strongly goal-directed close-range vision system for spacecraft docking
In this presentation, we will propose a strongly goal-oriented stereo vision system to establish proper docking approach motions for automated rendezvous and capture (AR&C). From an input sequence of stereo video image pairs, the system produces a current best estimate of: contact position; contact vector; contact velocity; and contact orientation. The processing demands imposed by this particular problem and its environment dictate a special case solution; such a system should necessarily be, in some sense, minimalist. By this we mean the system should construct a scene description just sufficiently rich to solve the problem at hand and should do no more processing than is absolutely necessary. In addition, the imaging resolution should be just sufficient. Extracting additional information and constructing higher level scene representations wastes energy and computational resources and injects an unnecessary degree of complexity, increasing the likelihood of malfunction. We therefore take a departure from most prior stereopsis work, including our own, and propose a system based on associative memory. The purpose of the memory is to immediately associate a set of motor commands with a set of input visual patterns in the two cameras. That is, rather than explicitly computing point correspondences and object positions in world coordinates and trying to reason forward from this information to a plan of action, we are trying to capture the essence of reflex behavior through the action of associative memory. The explicit construction of point correspondences and 3D scene descriptions, followed by online velocity and point of impact calculations, is prohibitively expensive from a computational point of view for the problem at hand. Learned patterns on the four image planes, left and right at two discrete but closely spaced instants in time, will be bused directly to infer the spacecraft reaction. This will be a continuing online process as the docking collar approaches
Co-morbidity burden in Parkinsonâs disease : Comparison with controls and its influence on prognosis
Financial support This study was funded by Parkinsonâs UK, the Scottish Chief Scientist Office, NHS Grampian endowments, the BMA Doris Hillier award, RS Macdonald Trust, the BUPA Foundation, and SPRING. The funders had no involvement in the study. Acknowledgements We acknowledge funding for the PINE study from Parkinsonâs UK (G-0502, G-0914, G-1302), the Scottish Chief Scientist Office(CAF/12/05), the BMA Doris Hillier award, RS Macdonald Trust, the BUPA Foundation, NHS Grampian endowments and SPRING. We thank the patients and controls for their participation and the research staff who collected data and supported the study database.Peer reviewedPostprintPostprintPublisher PD
Energetics of hydrogen coverage on group VIII transition metal surfaces and a kinetic model for adsorption/desorption
We determined the binding energy of hydrogen to the closest packed surface for all nine group VIII transition metals as a function of surface coverage using quantum mechanics (density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation) with periodic boundary conditions. The study provides a systematic comparison of the most stable surfaces of the nine group VIII transition metals, leading to results consistent with available surface science studies. We then use these to develop a simple thermodynamic model useful in estimating the surface coverage under typical heterogeneous catalysis conditions and compare these results to temperature programmed desorption experiments
Conformal Field Theories, Representations and Lattice Constructions
An account is given of the structure and representations of chiral bosonic
meromorphic conformal field theories (CFT's), and, in particular, the
conditions under which such a CFT may be extended by a representation to form a
new theory. This general approach is illustrated by considering the untwisted
and -twisted theories, and respectively,
which may be constructed from a suitable even Euclidean lattice .
Similarly, one may construct lattices and by
analogous constructions from a doubly-even binary code . In the case when
is self-dual, the corresponding lattices are also. Similarly,
and are self-dual if and only if is. We show that
has a natural ``triality'' structure, which induces an
isomorphism and also a triality
structure on . For the Golay code,
is the Leech lattice, and the triality on is the symmetry which extends the natural action of (an
extension of) Conway's group on this theory to the Monster, so setting triality
and Frenkel, Lepowsky and Meurman's construction of the natural Monster module
in a more general context. The results also serve to shed some light on the
classification of self-dual CFT's. We find that of the 48 theories
and with central charge 24 that there are 39 distinct ones,
and further that all 9 coincidences are accounted for by the isomorphism
detailed above, induced by the existence of a doubly-even self-dual binary
code.Comment: 65 page
Non Abelian Sugawara Construction and the q-deformed N=2 Superconformal Algebra
The construction of a q-deformed N=2 superconformal algebra is proposed in
terms of level 1 currents of quantum affine
Lie algebra and a single real Fermi field. In particular, it suggests the
expression for the q-deformed Energy-Momentum tensor in the Sugawara form. Its
constituents generate two isomorphic quadratic algebraic structures. The
generalization to is also proposed.Comment: AMSLATEX, 21page
Estimating Effects and Making Predictions from Genome-Wide Marker Data
In genome-wide association studies (GWAS), hundreds of thousands of genetic
markers (SNPs) are tested for association with a trait or phenotype. Reported
effects tend to be larger in magnitude than the true effects of these markers,
the so-called ``winner's curse.'' We argue that the classical definition of
unbiasedness is not useful in this context and propose to use a different
definition of unbiasedness that is a property of the estimator we advocate. We
suggest an integrated approach to the estimation of the SNP effects and to the
prediction of trait values, treating SNP effects as random instead of fixed
effects. Statistical methods traditionally used in the prediction of trait
values in the genetics of livestock, which predates the availability of SNP
data, can be applied to analysis of GWAS, giving better estimates of the SNP
effects and predictions of phenotypic and genetic values in individuals.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/09-STS306 the Statistical
Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical
Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Titration of Monolayers
The early work on the effect of pH on ionizable materials at
aqueous interfaces and the consequent development of the concept
of an effective pH in the interface region, which differs from tnat
in aqueous bulk phase, are outlined. Properties as a function of pH
of monolayers of a variety of surfactant types, viz., weak and
nonelectrolytes (fatty acids, amines, amine oxides, alcohols, ethers),
intermediate strength electrolytes (alkyl phosphates), strong electrolytes
(alkyl sulfates and alkane sulfonates, both as spread a:nd
adsorbed monolayers) and two zwitterionic materials, are presented
in some detail. Use is made of the approaches of Schulman and
Hughes and of Davies for analysis of the results which are shown
generally to be consistent with a shift towards weakness of the
monolayer electrolyte because of the charge developed during its
ionization; exceptions are the zwitterionic materials. Points of
interest are (a) the need to invoke acid-soap formation to explain
the surface potential- pH data of close-packed fatty acid monolayers;
(b) a prevalent tendency for most of the anionic or nonionic
monolayers to form oxonium ions at \u27ery low pH; (c) the relatively
expanded nature of the uncharged form of monolayers of the highly
dipolar amine oxide compared to its ionized form; (d) definite indications of »weakness« in both spread and adsorbed films of long
chain sulfates and alkane sulfonates. A brief section on the influence
of pH on polyelectrolyte monolayers is included
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