Bioenergetic constraints on tactical decision making in middle distance running.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A M; Whipp, B J

2002-04-01

The highest velocity that a runner can sustain during middle distance races is defined by the intersection of the runner's individual velocity-time curve and the distance-time curve. The velocity-time curve is presumably fixed at the onset of a race; however, whereas the race distance is ostensibly fixed, the actual distance-time curve is not. That is, it is possible for a runner to run further than the race distance if he or she runs wide on bends in track races. In this instance, the point of intersection of the individual velocity-time curve and the distance-time curve will move downwards and to the right, reducing the best average velocity that can be sustained for the distance. To illustrate this point, the race tactics used by the gold and silver medallists at 800 m and 5000 m in the Sydney Olympics were analysed. The paths taken by the runners were carefully tracked and the total distance they covered during the races and the average velocity they sustained over the distances they actually covered were calculated. In both the Olympic 800 m and 5000 m finals, for example, the winner was not the runner who ran at the highest average velocity in the race. Rather, the winners of these races were able to husband their metabolic resources to better effect by running closer to the actual race distance. Race results in middle distance running events are dependent not just on the energetic potential of the runners at the start of the race and their strategy for pace allocation, but also on the effect of their tactical approach to positioning on the total distance covered in the race. Middle distance runners should be conscious of minimising the distance covered in races if they wish to optimise their performance.

Piezoelectric translator. A simple and inexpensive device to move microelectrodes and micropipettes small distances rapidly.

Science.gov (United States)

Lederer, W J

1983-09-01

A device is described that is capable of rapidly moving microelectrodes and micropipettes over distances up to 15 mu. This piezoelectric transLator uses the diaphragm from virtually any available piezoelectric buzzer in combination with simple physical support and drive electronics. All of the necessary details for the construction of this small device are presented. Each finished unit is about 2 cm long with a diameter of 2 cm and can be readily adapted to existing manipulators. The translator has been found useful in aiding the independent penetration by one or more microelectrodes of single cells or of more complicated multicellular preparations (including those that lie behind a connective tissue layer). This new device offers fine control of microelectrode motion that cannot be obtained by the other methods used to aid microelectrode and micropipette penetration of cell membranes (e.g. capacitance overcompensation--"ringing in"' or "tickling"--or tapping the manipulator base). Finally, the device described in this paper is extremely simple and inexpensive to build.

Distances in zero-divisor and total graphs from commutative rings–A survey

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T. Tamizh Chelvam

2016-12-01

Full Text Available There are so many ways to construct graphs from algebraic structures. Most popular constructions are Cayley graphs, commuting graphs and non-commuting graphs from finite groups and zero-divisor graphs and total graphs from commutative rings. For a commutative ring R with non-zero identity, we denote the set of zero-divisors and unit elements of R by Z(R and U(R, respectively. One of the associated graphs to a ring R is the zero-divisor graph; it is a simple graph with vertex set Z(R∖{0}, and two vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if xy=0. This graph was first introduced by Beck, where all the elements of R are considered as the vertices. Anderson and Badawi, introduced the total graph of R, as the simple graph with all elements of R as vertices, and two distinct vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if x+y∈Z(R. For a given graph G, the concept of connectedness, diameter and girth are always of great interest. Several authors extensively studied about the zero-divisor and total graphs from commutative rings. In this paper, we present a survey of results obtained with regard to distances in zero-divisor and total graphs.

Relativistic distances, sizes, lengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strel'tsov, V.N.

1992-01-01

Such notion as light or retarded distance, field size, formation way, visible size of a body, relativistic or radar length and wave length of light from a moving atom are considered. The relation between these notions is cleared up, their classification is given. It is stressed that the formation way is defined by the field size of a moving particle. In the case of the electromagnetic field, longitudinal sizes increase proportionally γ 2 with growing charge velocity (γ is the Lorentz-factor). 18 refs

Monte Carlo estimation of total variation distance of Markov chains on large spaces, with application to phylogenetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Herbei, Radu; Kubatko, Laura

2013-03-26

Markov chains are widely used for modeling in many areas of molecular biology and genetics. As the complexity of such models advances, it becomes increasingly important to assess the rate at which a Markov chain converges to its stationary distribution in order to carry out accurate inference. A common measure of convergence to the stationary distribution is the total variation distance, but this measure can be difficult to compute when the state space of the chain is large. We propose a Monte Carlo method to estimate the total variation distance that can be applied in this situation, and we demonstrate how the method can be efficiently implemented by taking advantage of GPU computing techniques. We apply the method to two Markov chains on the space of phylogenetic trees, and discuss the implications of our findings for the development of algorithms for phylogenetic inference.

Analysis of Greedy Decision Making for Geographic Routing for Networks of Randomly Moving Objects

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Amber Israr

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Autonomous and self-organizing wireless ad-hoc communication networks for moving objects consist of nodes, which use no centralized network infrastructure. Examples of moving object networks are networks of flying objects, networks of vehicles, networks of moving people or robots. Moving object networks have to face many critical challenges in terms of routing because of dynamic topological changes and asymmetric networks links. A suitable and effective routing mechanism helps to extend the deployment of moving nodes. In this paper an attempt has been made to analyze the performance of the Greedy Decision method (position aware distance based algorithm for geographic routing for network nodes moving according to the random waypoint mobility model. The widely used GPSR (Greedy Packet Stateless Routing protocol utilizes geographic distance and position based data of nodes to transmit packets towards destination nodes. In this paper different scenarios have been tested to develop a concrete set of recommendations for optimum deployment of distance based Greedy Decision of Geographic Routing in randomly moving objects network

Fast and selective determination of total protein in milk powder via titration of moving reaction boundary electrophoresis.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Cheng-ye; Wang, Hou-yu; Liu, Xiao-ping; Fan, Liu-yin; Zhang, Lei; Cao, Cheng-xi

2013-05-01

In this paper, moving reaction boundary titration (MRBT) was developed for rapid and accurate quantification of total protein in infant milk powder, from the concept of moving reaction boundary (MRB) electrophoresis. In the method, the MRB was formed by the hydroxide ions and the acidic residues of milk proteins immobilized via cross-linked polyacrylamide gel (PAG), an acid-base indicator was used to denote the boundary motion. As a proof of concept, we chose five brands of infant milk powders to study the feasibility of MRBT method. The calibration curve of MRB velocity versus logarithmic total protein content of infant milk powder sample was established based on the visual signal of MRB motion as a function of logarithmic milk protein content. Weak influence of nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) reagents (e.g., melamine and urea) on MRBT method was observed, due to the fact that MRB was formed with hydroxide ions and the acidic residues of captured milk proteins, rather than the alkaline residues or the NPN reagents added. The total protein contents in infant milk powder samples detected via the MRBT method were in good agreement with those achieved by the classic Kjeldahl method. In addition, the developed method had much faster measuring speed compared with the Kjeldahl method. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design of Compressed Sensing Algorithm for Coal Mine IoT Moving Measurement Data Based on a Multi-Hop Network and Total Variation

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Gang Wang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available As the application of a coal mine Internet of Things (IoT, mobile measurement devices, such as intelligent mine lamps, cause moving measurement data to be increased. How to transmit these large amounts of mobile measurement data effectively has become an urgent problem. This paper presents a compressed sensing algorithm for the large amount of coal mine IoT moving measurement data based on a multi-hop network and total variation. By taking gas data in mobile measurement data as an example, two network models for the transmission of gas data flow, namely single-hop and multi-hop transmission modes, are investigated in depth, and a gas data compressed sensing collection model is built based on a multi-hop network. To utilize the sparse characteristics of gas data, the concept of total variation is introduced and a high-efficiency gas data compression and reconstruction method based on Total Variation Sparsity based on Multi-Hop (TVS-MH is proposed. According to the simulation results, by using the proposed method, the moving measurement data flow from an underground distributed mobile network can be acquired and transmitted efficiently.

Design of Compressed Sensing Algorithm for Coal Mine IoT Moving Measurement Data Based on a Multi-Hop Network and Total Variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Gang; Zhao, Zhikai; Ning, Yongjie

2018-05-28

As the application of a coal mine Internet of Things (IoT), mobile measurement devices, such as intelligent mine lamps, cause moving measurement data to be increased. How to transmit these large amounts of mobile measurement data effectively has become an urgent problem. This paper presents a compressed sensing algorithm for the large amount of coal mine IoT moving measurement data based on a multi-hop network and total variation. By taking gas data in mobile measurement data as an example, two network models for the transmission of gas data flow, namely single-hop and multi-hop transmission modes, are investigated in depth, and a gas data compressed sensing collection model is built based on a multi-hop network. To utilize the sparse characteristics of gas data, the concept of total variation is introduced and a high-efficiency gas data compression and reconstruction method based on Total Variation Sparsity based on Multi-Hop (TVS-MH) is proposed. According to the simulation results, by using the proposed method, the moving measurement data flow from an underground distributed mobile network can be acquired and transmitted efficiently.

[Determination of total protein content in soya-bean milk via visual moving reaction boundary titration].

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Chengye; Wang, Houyu; Zhang, Lei; Fan, Liuyin; Cao, Chengxi

2013-11-01

A visual, rapid and accurate moving reaction boundary titration (MRBT) method was used for the determination of the total protein in soya-bean milk. During the process, moving reaction boundary (MRB) was formed by hydroxyl ions in the catholyte and soya-bean milk proteins immobilized in polyacrylamide gel (PAG), and an acid-base indicator was used to denote the boundary motion. The velocity of MRB has a relationship with protein concentration, which was used to obtain a standard curve. By paired t-test, there was no significant difference of the protein content between MRBT and Kjeldahl method at 95% confidence interval. The procedure of MRBT method required about 10 min, and it had linearity in the range of 2.0-14.0 g/L, low limit of detection (0.05 g/L), good precision (RSD of intra-day < 1.90% and inter-day < 4.39%), and high recoveries (97.41%-99.91%). In addition, non-protein nitrogen (NPN) such as melamine added into the soya-bean milk had weak influence on MRBT results.

TH-EF-BRB-09: Total Body Irradiation with Uniform MU and Modulated Arc Segments, UMMS-TBI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, B; Chung, H; Mutaf, Y; Prado, K [University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To test a novel total body irradiation (TBI) system using conformal partial arc with patient lying on the stationary couch which is biologically equivalent to a moving couch TBI. This improves the scanning field TBI, which is previously presented. Methods: The Uniform MU Modulated arc Segments TBI or UMMS-TBI scans the treatment plane with a constant machine dose rate and a constant gantry rotation speed. A dynamic MLC pattern which moves while gantry rotates has been designed so that the treatment field moves same distance at the treatment plane per each gantry angle, while maintaining same treatment field size (34cm) at the plane. Dose across the plane varies due to the geometric differences including the distance from the source to a point of interest and the different attenuation from the slanted depth which changes the effective depth. Beam intensity is modulated to correct the dose variation across the plane by assigning the number of gantry angles inversely proportional to the uncorrected dose. Results: Measured dose and calculated dose matched within 1 % for central axis and 3% for off axis for various patient scenarios. Dose from different distance does not follow the inverse square relation as it is predicted from calculation. Dose uniformity better than 5% across 180 cm at 10cm depth is achieved by moving the gantry from −55 to +55 deg. Total treatment time for 2 Gy AP/PA fields is 40–50 minutes excluding patient set up time, at the machine dose rate of 200 MU/min. Conclusion: This novel technique, yet accurate but easy to implement enables TBI treatment in a small treatment room with less program development preparation than other techniques. The VMAT function of treatment delivery is not required to modulate beams. One delivery pattern can be used for different patients by changing the monitor units.

Energy flow around a moving dislocation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koizumi, H; Kirchner, H O K

2009-01-01

A dislocation moving in a lattice emits lattice waves. We study the energy flow accompanying the lattice wave emission in a molecular dynamics situation. About two thirds of the static free energy are emitted as lattice waves from the moving dislocation. Work done by the region around the dislocation helps to initiate the motion from the unstable equilibrium state under a small applied stress, or to compensate the energy emitted as lattice waves when the dislocation makes a long distance motion under a larger stress.

E-Learning in Malaysia: Moving forward in Open Distance Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Abas, Zoraini Wati

2009-01-01

Many higher education institutions have embarked on e-learning as a means to support their learning and teaching activities. In distance learning institutions, e-learning has enabled them to reach out to students dispersed over a wide geographical area, locally and internationally. In some countries, e-learning has also given students the…

Haptic Discrimination of Distance

Science.gov (United States)

van Beek, Femke E.; Bergmann Tiest, Wouter M.; Kappers, Astrid M. L.

2014-01-01

While quite some research has focussed on the accuracy of haptic perception of distance, information on the precision of haptic perception of distance is still scarce, particularly regarding distances perceived by making arm movements. In this study, eight conditions were measured to answer four main questions, which are: what is the influence of reference distance, movement axis, perceptual mode (active or passive) and stimulus type on the precision of this kind of distance perception? A discrimination experiment was performed with twelve participants. The participants were presented with two distances, using either a haptic device or a real stimulus. Participants compared the distances by moving their hand from a start to an end position. They were then asked to judge which of the distances was the longer, from which the discrimination threshold was determined for each participant and condition. The precision was influenced by reference distance. No effect of movement axis was found. The precision was higher for active than for passive movements and it was a bit lower for real stimuli than for rendered stimuli, but it was not affected by adding cutaneous information. Overall, the Weber fraction for the active perception of a distance of 25 or 35 cm was about 11% for all cardinal axes. The recorded position data suggest that participants, in order to be able to judge which distance was the longer, tried to produce similar speed profiles in both movements. This knowledge could be useful in the design of haptic devices. PMID:25116638

Haptic discrimination of distance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Femke E van Beek

Full Text Available While quite some research has focussed on the accuracy of haptic perception of distance, information on the precision of haptic perception of distance is still scarce, particularly regarding distances perceived by making arm movements. In this study, eight conditions were measured to answer four main questions, which are: what is the influence of reference distance, movement axis, perceptual mode (active or passive and stimulus type on the precision of this kind of distance perception? A discrimination experiment was performed with twelve participants. The participants were presented with two distances, using either a haptic device or a real stimulus. Participants compared the distances by moving their hand from a start to an end position. They were then asked to judge which of the distances was the longer, from which the discrimination threshold was determined for each participant and condition. The precision was influenced by reference distance. No effect of movement axis was found. The precision was higher for active than for passive movements and it was a bit lower for real stimuli than for rendered stimuli, but it was not affected by adding cutaneous information. Overall, the Weber fraction for the active perception of a distance of 25 or 35 cm was about 11% for all cardinal axes. The recorded position data suggest that participants, in order to be able to judge which distance was the longer, tried to produce similar speed profiles in both movements. This knowledge could be useful in the design of haptic devices.

The Effects of Land-Use Patterns on Home-Based Tour Complexity and Total Distances Traveled: A Path Analysis

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João de Abreu e Silva

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This work studies the relationships between the number of complex tours (with one or more intermediate stops and simple home-based tours, total distances traveled by mode, and land-use patterns both at the residence and at the workplace using path analysis. The model includes commuting distance, car ownership and motorcycle ownership, which are intermediate variables in the relationship between land use, tour complexity and distances traveled by mode. The dataset used here was collected in a region comprising four municipalities located in the north of Portugal that are made up of urban areas, their sprawling suburbs, and surrounding rural hinterland. The results confirm the association between complex tours and higher levels of car use. Land-use patterns significantly affect travelled distances by mode either directly and indirectly via the influence of longer-term decisions like vehicle ownership and commuting distance. The results obtained highlight the role of socioeconomic variables in influencing tour complexity; in particular, households with children, household income, and workers with a college degree tend to do more complex tours. Land-use patterns mediate the effects of tour complexity on the kilometers travelled by different modes. Increasing densities in central areas, and particularly the concentration of jobs, have relevant benefits by reducing car kilometers driven.

ELECTROMAGNETIC APPARATUS FOR MOVING A ROD

Science.gov (United States)

Young, J.N.

1958-04-22

An electromagnetic apparatus for moving a rod-like member in small steps in either direction is described. The invention has particular application in the reactor field where the reactor control rods must be moved only a small distance and where the use of mechanical couplings is impractical due to the high- pressure seals required. A neutron-absorbing rod is mounted in a housing with gripping uaits that engage the rod, and coils for magnetizing the gripping units to make them grip, shift, and release the rod are located outside the housing.

Saddlepoint approximation to the distribution of the total distance of the continuous time random walk

Science.gov (United States)

Gatto, Riccardo

2017-12-01

This article considers the random walk over Rp, with p ≥ 2, where a given particle starts at the origin and moves stepwise with uniformly distributed step directions and step lengths following a common distribution. Step directions and step lengths are independent. The case where the number of steps of the particle is fixed and the more general case where it follows an independent continuous time inhomogeneous counting process are considered. Saddlepoint approximations to the distribution of the distance from the position of the particle to the origin are provided. Despite the p-dimensional nature of the random walk, the computations of the saddlepoint approximations are one-dimensional and thus simple. Explicit formulae are derived with dimension p = 3: for uniformly and exponentially distributed step lengths, for fixed and for Poisson distributed number of steps. In these situations, the high accuracy of the saddlepoint approximations is illustrated by numerical comparisons with Monte Carlo simulation. Contribution to the "Topical Issue: Continuous Time Random Walk Still Trendy: Fifty-year History, Current State and Outlook", edited by Ryszard Kutner and Jaume Masoliver.

The UBIRIS.v2: a database of visible wavelength iris images captured on-the-move and at-a-distance.

Science.gov (United States)

Proença, Hugo; Filipe, Sílvio; Santos, Ricardo; Oliveira, João; Alexandre, Luís A

2010-08-01

The iris is regarded as one of the most useful traits for biometric recognition and the dissemination of nationwide iris-based recognition systems is imminent. However, currently deployed systems rely on heavy imaging constraints to capture near infrared images with enough quality. Also, all of the publicly available iris image databases contain data correspondent to such imaging constraints and therefore are exclusively suitable to evaluate methods thought to operate on these type of environments. The main purpose of this paper is to announce the availability of the UBIRIS.v2 database, a multisession iris images database which singularly contains data captured in the visible wavelength, at-a-distance (between four and eight meters) and on on-the-move. This database is freely available for researchers concerned about visible wavelength iris recognition and will be useful in accessing the feasibility and specifying the constraints of this type of biometric recognition.

Cobalt-60 total body irradiation dosimetry at 220 cm source-axis distance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glasgow, G.P.; Mill, W.B.

1980-01-01

Adults with acute leukemia are treated with cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation (TBI) followed by autologous marrow transplants. For TBI, patients seated in a stand angled 45 0 above the floor are treated for about 2 hours at 220 cm source-axis distance (SAD) with sequential right and left lateral 87 cm x 87 cm fields to a 900 rad mid-pelvic dose at about 8 rad/min using a 5000 Ci cobalt unit. Maximum (lateral) to minimum (mid-plane) dose ratios are: hips--1.15, shoulders--1.30, and head--1.05, which is shielded by a compensator filter. Organ doses are small intestine, liver and kidneys--1100 rad, lung--1100 to 1200 rad, and heart--1300 rad. Verification dosimetry reveals the prescribed dose is delivered to within +-5%. Details of the dosimetry of this treatment are presented

Distance Education Students Moving Towards Collaborative Learning - A Field Study of Australian Distance Education Students and Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva R Fåhræus

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Distance education has been offered to young students in Australia for about 100 years. Recently, information and communication technology has been introduced as a means to improve communication, but not all remote students have access to this new technology. This has made it difficult to arrange collaborative learning for distance-education students. In this student-focused study, more than 40 students as well as teachers and other important persons have been interviewed and observed in schools and on remote farms. Using Activity Theory for the analysis, different contradictions were identified. Lack of technology and access were not the only obstacles. The education was built on a tradition of individual learning, and the technology at hand was not supporting collaboration. However, contradictions may result in ‘expansive learning’ among students and teachers, leading to more of a development towards collaborative learning.

Evaluation of Hybrid and Distance Education Learning Environments in Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer-Cascales, Rosario; Walker, Scott L.; Reig-Ferrer, Abilio; Fernandez-Pascual, Maria Dolores; Albaladejo-Blazquez, Natalia

2011-01-01

This article describes the adaptation and validation of the "Distance Education Learning Environments Survey" (DELES) for use in investigating the qualities found in distance and hybrid education psycho-social learning environments in Spain. As Europe moves toward post-secondary student mobility, equanimity in access to higher education,…

Psychological influences on distance estimation in a virtual reality environment

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Kohske eTakahashi

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Researches on embodied perception have revealed that social, psychological and physiological factors influence perception of space. While many of these influences were observed with real or highly realistic stimuli, the present work showed that even the orientation of abstract geometric objects with a non-realistic virtual environment could influence distance perception. Observers wore a head mounted display and watched virtual cones moving within an invisible cube for five seconds with their head movement recorded. Subsequently, observers estimated the distance to the cones or evaluated their friendliness. The cones either faced the observer, a target behind the cones, or random orientations. Average viewing distance to the cones varied between 1.2 and 2.0 m. At a viewing distance of 1.6 m, observers perceived cones facing them as closer than cones facing an opposite target or random orientations. Furthermore, irrespective of viewing distance, observers moved their head away from the cones more strongly and evaluated the cones as less friendly when the cones were facing observers. Similar results of distance estimation were obtained with a 3D projection onto a large screen, although the effective viewing distance was farther away. These results suggest that factors other than physical distance could influence distance perception even with non-realistic geometric objects within a virtual environment. Furthermore, the modulation of distance perception was also accompanied by changes in subjective impression and avoidance movement. We propose that cones facing an observer are perceived as socially discomforting or threatening and potentially violate an observer’s personal space, which might influence the perceived distance of cones.

The anisotropy of perceived distance: The eyes story

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tošković Oliver

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine whether the eye position shift changes perceived distance, that is, whether kinesthetic information from eye muscles affects distance perception. Two experiments were done, in a dark room (reduced-cue situation, with 27 participants, psychology undergraduates. Participants had a task to match distances of three stimuli, on three viewing directions, 0, 30 and 60 deg rees relative to the body. Head and body of participants were fixed, and they changed viewing directions only by moving their eyes. Stimuli were 7cm

Psychological influences on distance estimation in a virtual reality environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Kohske; Meilinger, Tobias; Watanabe, Katsumi; Bülthoff, Heinrich H

2013-01-01

Studies of embodied perception have revealed that social, psychological, and physiological factors influence space perception. While many of these influences were observed with real or highly realistic stimuli, the present work showed that even the orientation of abstract geometric objects in a non-realistic virtual environment could influence distance perception. Observers wore a head mounted display and watched virtual cones moving within an invisible cube for 5 s with their head movement recorded. Subsequently, the observers estimated the distance to the cones or evaluated their friendliness. The cones either faced the observer, a target behind the cones, or were oriented randomly. The average viewing distance to the cones varied between 1.2 and 2.0 m. At a viewing distance of 1.6 m, the observers perceived the cones facing them as closer than the cones facing a target in the opposite direction, or those oriented randomly. Furthermore, irrespective of the viewing distance, observers moved their head away from the cones more strongly and evaluated the cones as less friendly when the cones faced the observers. Similar distance estimation results were obtained with a 3-dimensional projection onto a large screen, although the effective viewing distances were farther away. These results suggest that factors other than physical distance influenced distance perception even with non-realistic geometric objects in a virtual environment. Furthermore, the distance perception modulation was accompanied by changes in subjective impression and avoidance movement. We propose that cones facing an observer are perceived as socially discomforting or threatening, and potentially violate an observer's personal space, which might influence the perceived distance of cones.

High accuracy subwavelength distance measurements: A variable-angle standing-wave total-internal-reflection optical microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haynie, A.; Min, T.-J.; Luan, L.; Mu, W.; Ketterson, J. B.

2009-01-01

We describe an extension of the total-internal-reflection microscopy technique that permits direct in-plane distance measurements with high accuracy (<10 nm) over a wide range of separations. This high position accuracy arises from the creation of a standing evanescent wave and the ability to sweep the nodal positions (intensity minima of the standing wave) in a controlled manner via both the incident angle and the relative phase of the incoming laser beams. Some control over the vertical resolution is available through the ability to scan the incoming angle and with it the evanescent penetration depth.

Nanomechanical characterization by double-pass force-distance mapping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dagdas, Yavuz S; Tekinay, Ayse B; Guler, Mustafa O; Dana, Aykutlu [UNAM Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Necip Aslan, M, E-mail: aykutlu@unam.bilkent.edu.tr [Department of Physics, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul (Turkey)

2011-07-22

We demonstrate high speed force-distance mapping using a double-pass scheme. The topography is measured in tapping mode in the first pass and this information is used in the second pass to move the tip over the sample. In the second pass, the cantilever dither signal is turned off and the sample is vibrated. Rapid (few kHz frequency) force-distance curves can be recorded with small peak interaction force, and can be processed into an image. Such a double-pass measurement eliminates the need for feedback during force-distance measurements. The method is demonstrated on self-assembled peptidic nanofibers.

Nanomechanical characterization by double-pass force-distance mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dagdas, Yavuz S; Tekinay, Ayse B; Guler, Mustafa O; Dana, Aykutlu; Necip Aslan, M

2011-01-01

We demonstrate high speed force-distance mapping using a double-pass scheme. The topography is measured in tapping mode in the first pass and this information is used in the second pass to move the tip over the sample. In the second pass, the cantilever dither signal is turned off and the sample is vibrated. Rapid (few kHz frequency) force-distance curves can be recorded with small peak interaction force, and can be processed into an image. Such a double-pass measurement eliminates the need for feedback during force-distance measurements. The method is demonstrated on self-assembled peptidic nanofibers.

Crocodylus acutus (American Crocodile). Long distance juvenile movement

Science.gov (United States)

Crespo, Rafael; Beauchamp, Jeffrey S.; Mazzotti, Frank; Cherkiss, Michael S.

2015-01-01

the distance traveled ranged from 0.3 km to 90.2 km. The data showed that the smaller alligators moved greater distance than larger ones (Lance et al. 2011. Southeast Nat. 10:389–398). An ongoing 30 year mark and recapture study for Crocodylus acutus in Florida allowed us to look at long distance movement (>30 km) of juveniles (30km). Initial and most recent captures as a juvenile were used to analyze distances moved (Fig. 1). These distances were measured linearly between capture locations. Maximum linear distances of 76.3 km and 69.6 km were recorded for animals 4838 and 6662. All crocodiles moved from nesting habitat through potentially optimal nursery habitat prior to reaching their recapture locations. These juvenile long distance movements could be due to larger crocodiles facilitating their dispersal from the nest location (Lance et al. 2011. op. cit.). These data (Table 1.) support that there is exchange of individuals among the nesting colonies and our ongoing efforts to monitor this threatened species allow us to make observations of how juvenile crocodiles are moving throughout the landscape in an ecosystem currently undergoing restoration.

Analysis of hydrodynamic characteristics of unmanned underwater vehicle moving close to the sea bottom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-xu Du

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The accurate research on the hydrodynamics of unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV, which moves close to the sea bottom, has a great significance for its maneuverability. The structured grid of the computational models with different distances to the sea bottom and attack angles is generated by Ansys ICEM, and the flow field near the sea bottom is simulated using CFX. The characteristics of the drag, lift, pitching moment influenced by the distance to sea bottom and the attack angle are studied. The result shows that the drag coefficient increases with the decrease of distance, while it increases with the increase of attack angle. There exists attraction force when UUV moves close to the sea bottom, and the attraction force increases with the decrease in distance. The lift coefficient increases with the increase in attack angle. The absolute value of the pitching moment coefficient increases with the decrease in distance and the increase in attack angle.

Distance and total column density to the periodic radio star LSI + 61 deg 303

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frail, D.A.; Hjellming, R.M.

1991-01-01

New observations toward the periodic radio star LSI + 61 deg 303 in the lines of H I at 21 cm and CO-18 at 2.7 mm are reported. Using the kinematic method, H I observations are interpreted in terms of the two-armed spiral shock model of Roberts (1972) to derive a distance to LSI + 61 deg 303 of 2.0 + or - 0.2 kpc. The results clearly show the presence of the Perseus arm shock and locate LSI + 61 deg 303 between this shock and the more distant postshock gas. In addition, by using the H I and CO-18 data, the total neutral and molecular gas column density is derived along the line of sight toward LSI + 61 deg 303. 32 refs

Age- and season-specific variation in local and long-distance movement behavior of golden eagles

Science.gov (United States)

Poessel, Sharon; Bloom, Peter H.; Braham, Melissa A.; Katzner, Todd E.

2016-01-01

Animal movements can determine the population dynamics of wildlife. We used telemetry data to provide insight into the causes and consequences of local and long-distance movements of multiple age classes of conservation-reliant golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the foothills and mountains near Tehachapi, California. We estimated size and habitat-related correlates of 324 monthly 95 % home ranges and 317 monthly 50 % core areas for 25 birds moving locally over 2.5 years. We also calculated daily, hourly, and total distances traveled for the five of these birds that engaged in long-distance movements. Mean (±SD) monthly home-range size was 253.6 ± 429.4 km2 and core-area size was 26.4 ± 49.7 km2. Consistent with expectations, space used by pre-adults increased with age and was season-dependent but, unexpectedly, was not sex-dependent. For all ages and sexes, home ranges and core areas were dominated by both forest & woodland and shrubland & grassland habitat types. When moving long distances, eagles traveled up to 1588.4 km (1-way) in a season at highly variable speeds (63.7 ± 69.0 km/day and 5.2 ± 10.4 km/h) that were dependent on time of day. Patterns of long-distance movements by eagles were determined by age, yet these movements had characteristics of more than one previously described movement category (migration, dispersal, etc.). Our results provide a context for differentiating among types of movement behaviors and their population-level consequences and, thus, have implications for management and conservation of golden eagle populations.

Distance between configurations in Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuma, Masafumi; Matsumoto, Nobuyuki; Umeda, Naoya

2017-12-01

For a given Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm we introduce a distance between two configurations that quantifies the difficulty of transition from one configuration to the other configuration. We argue that the distance takes a universal form for the class of algorithms which generate local moves in the configuration space. We explicitly calculate the distance for the Langevin algorithm, and show that it certainly has desired and expected properties as distance. We further show that the distance for a multimodal distribution gets dramatically reduced from a large value by the introduction of a tempering method. We also argue that, when the original distribution is highly multimodal with large number of degenerate vacua, an anti-de Sitter-like geometry naturally emerges in the extended configuration space.

Markets, Distance Education, and Australian Higher Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ted Nunan

2005-03-01

Full Text Available The paper argues that the Australian university system is unstable. There will be significant change as government implements its reform agenda and even more radical change if it moves to new deregulation. The role of distance education in university education needs to be analyzed against this ‘market’ agenda of government in terms of characteristics of markets and market behavior. After a scan of the current role, the paper looks at two scenarios (regulated and deregulated for distance education in university teaching and learning in Australia.

Deteksi Pemalsuan Citra dengan Teknik Copy-Move Menggunakan Metode Ordinal Measure dari Koefisien Discrete Cosine Transform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zulfan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This article discusses a new method for the detection of forgery images generated by copy-move technique. Copy-move technique is one of image forgery techniques which taking a particular object from its original image and add it on that image for the purpose of increasing the number of or changing the same object in the original image. This study aims to detect the forged image generated by the copy-move techniques and copy-move forged image that has been modified by the rotation operation and histogram equalization. Detection feature used is Ordinal Measure of Discrete Cosine Transform coefficient (OM-DCT. Detection starts with division of the image into a block size of BXB (B = 16x16, 32x32 and 64x64 and two-dimensional DCT was performed to each of blocks. The feature distance from the original to the fake image, was calculated by the Euclidian distance and each feature has a distance of less than or equal to the threshold value (T according to the observations will be marked as a forged part. The results show that there are blocks detected on the copy-move image, whether on the unmodified copy-move forge image or those which modified by the rotation operation and histogram equalization. The number of blocks that are found in the copy-move object varies according to the size of the detection block used.

Rearrangement moves on rooted phylogenetic networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Gambette, Philippe; van Iersel, Leo; Jones, Mark; Lafond, Manuel; Pardi, Fabio; Scornavacca, Celine

2017-08-01

Phylogenetic tree reconstruction is usually done by local search heuristics that explore the space of the possible tree topologies via simple rearrangements of their structure. Tree rearrangement heuristics have been used in combination with practically all optimization criteria in use, from maximum likelihood and parsimony to distance-based principles, and in a Bayesian context. Their basic components are rearrangement moves that specify all possible ways of generating alternative phylogenies from a given one, and whose fundamental property is to be able to transform, by repeated application, any phylogeny into any other phylogeny. Despite their long tradition in tree-based phylogenetics, very little research has gone into studying similar rearrangement operations for phylogenetic network-that is, phylogenies explicitly representing scenarios that include reticulate events such as hybridization, horizontal gene transfer, population admixture, and recombination. To fill this gap, we propose "horizontal" moves that ensure that every network of a certain complexity can be reached from any other network of the same complexity, and "vertical" moves that ensure reachability between networks of different complexities. When applied to phylogenetic trees, our horizontal moves-named rNNI and rSPR-reduce to the best-known moves on rooted phylogenetic trees, nearest-neighbor interchange and rooted subtree pruning and regrafting. Besides a number of reachability results-separating the contributions of horizontal and vertical moves-we prove that rNNI moves are local versions of rSPR moves, and provide bounds on the sizes of the rNNI neighborhoods. The paper focuses on the most biologically meaningful versions of phylogenetic networks, where edges are oriented and reticulation events clearly identified. Moreover, our rearrangement moves are robust to the fact that networks with higher complexity usually allow a better fit with the data. Our goal is to provide a solid basis for

Rearrangement moves on rooted phylogenetic networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Gambette

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Phylogenetic tree reconstruction is usually done by local search heuristics that explore the space of the possible tree topologies via simple rearrangements of their structure. Tree rearrangement heuristics have been used in combination with practically all optimization criteria in use, from maximum likelihood and parsimony to distance-based principles, and in a Bayesian context. Their basic components are rearrangement moves that specify all possible ways of generating alternative phylogenies from a given one, and whose fundamental property is to be able to transform, by repeated application, any phylogeny into any other phylogeny. Despite their long tradition in tree-based phylogenetics, very little research has gone into studying similar rearrangement operations for phylogenetic network-that is, phylogenies explicitly representing scenarios that include reticulate events such as hybridization, horizontal gene transfer, population admixture, and recombination. To fill this gap, we propose "horizontal" moves that ensure that every network of a certain complexity can be reached from any other network of the same complexity, and "vertical" moves that ensure reachability between networks of different complexities. When applied to phylogenetic trees, our horizontal moves-named rNNI and rSPR-reduce to the best-known moves on rooted phylogenetic trees, nearest-neighbor interchange and rooted subtree pruning and regrafting. Besides a number of reachability results-separating the contributions of horizontal and vertical moves-we prove that rNNI moves are local versions of rSPR moves, and provide bounds on the sizes of the rNNI neighborhoods. The paper focuses on the most biologically meaningful versions of phylogenetic networks, where edges are oriented and reticulation events clearly identified. Moreover, our rearrangement moves are robust to the fact that networks with higher complexity usually allow a better fit with the data. Our goal is to provide

Evaluation of hybrid and distance education learning environments in Spain

OpenAIRE

Ferrer-Cascales, Rosario; Walker, Scott L.; Reig-Ferrer, Abilio; Fernández-Pascual, M. Dolores; Albaladejo-Blázquez, Natalia

2011-01-01

This article describes the adaptation and validation of the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) for use in investigating the qualities found in distance and hybrid education psycho-social learning environments in Spain. As Europe moves toward post-secondary student mobility, equanimity in access to higher education, and more standardised degree programs across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) the need for a high quality method for continually assessing the excelle...

Social distance decreases responders' sensitivity to fairness in the ultimatum game

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyunji Kim

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Studies using the Ultimatum Game have shown that participants reject unfair offers extended by another person although this incurs a financial cost. Previous research suggests that one possible explanation for this apparently self-defeating response is that unfair offers involve strong negative responses that decrease the chances of responders accepting offers that would objectively constitute a net profit. We tested the hypothesis that one way of reducing responders' rejections of unfair offers is through increased psychological distance, so that participants move away from the concrete feeling of being unfairly treated. Social distance was manipulated by having participants play the Ultimatum Game either for themselves, or for another person. Compared to deciding for one's self or a close social contact, participants showed less sensitivity to fairness when deciding for a stranger, as indicated by fewer rejected unfair offers. We suggest that social distance helps people move beyond immediate fairness concerns in the Ultimatum Game.

Making Distance Visible: Assembling Nearness in an Online Distance Learning Programme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jen Ross

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Online distance learners are in a particularly complex relationship with the educational institutions they belong to (Bayne, Gallagher, & Lamb, 2012. For part-time distance students, arrivals and departures can be multiple and invisible as students take courses, take breaks, move into independent study phases of a programme, find work or family commitments overtaking their study time, experience personal upheaval or loss, and find alignments between their professional and academic work. These comings and goings indicate a fluid and temporary assemblage of engagement, not a permanent or stable state of either “presence” or “distance”. This paper draws from interview data from the “New Geographies of Learning” project, a research project exploring the notions of space and institution for the MSc in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh, and from literature on distance learning and online community. The concept of nearness emerged from the data analyzing the comings and goings of students on a fully online programme. It proposes that “nearness” to a distance programme is a temporary assemblage of people, circumstances, and technologies. This state is difficult to establish and impossible to sustain in an uninterrupted way over the long period of time that many are engaged in part-time study. Interruptions and subsequent returns should therefore be seen as normal in the practice of studying as an online distance learner, and teachers and institutions should work to help students develop resilience in negotiating various states of nearness. Four strategies for increasing this resilience are proposed: recognising nearness as effortful; identifying affinities; valuing perspective shifts; and designing openings.

Predicting speech release from masking through spatial separation in distance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chabot-Leclerc, Alexandre; Dau, Torsten

2014-01-01

of spatial release from masking (SRM) where the masker is moved, on-axis, away from the target. Two binaural models, which use the conventional audio signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the decision metric, and two monaural models, using a decision metric based on the SNR in the envelope domain (SNRenv), were...... considered. The predictions were compared to data from Westermann et al. [2013, POMA, 19, 050156] in condi- tions where the target was located 0.5 m in front of the listener and the masker was presented at a distance of 0.5, 2, 5 or 10 m in front of the listener. The data showed an SRM of 10 dB when moving...... the masker from a distance of 0.5 m to a distance of 10 m. The long-term monaural model based on the SNRenv metric was able to account for most of the SRM data, whereas the models that used the audio SNR did not predict any SRM, even when they included an equalizationcancellation-like process. The short...

Pipelines : moving biomass and energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, A. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2006-07-01

Moving biomass and energy through pipelines was presented. Field sourced biomass utilization for fuel was discussed in terms of competing cost factors; economies of scale; and differing fuel plant sizes. The cost versus scale in a bioenergy facility was illustrated in chart format. The transportation cost of biomass was presented as it is a major component of total biomass processing cost and is in the typical range of 25-45 per cent of total processing costs for truck transport of biomass. Issues in large scale biomass utilization, scale effects in transportation, and components of transport cost were identified. Other topics related to transportation issues included approaches to pipeline transport; cost of wood chips in pipeline transport; and distance variable cost of transporting wood chips by pipeline. Practical applications were also offered. In addition, the presentation provided and illustrated a model for an ethanol plant supplied by truck transport as well as a sample configuration for 19 truck based ethanol plants versus one large facility supplied by truck plus 18 pipelines. Last, pipeline transport of bio-oil and pipeline transport of syngas was discussed. It was concluded that pipeline transport can help in reducing congestion issues in large scale biomass utilization and that it can offer a means to achieve large plant size. Some current research at the University of Alberta on pipeline transport of raw biomass, bio-oil and hydrogen production from biomass for oil sands and pipeline transport was also presented. tabs., figs.

Virtual Distances Used for Optimization of Applicationsin the Pervasive Computing Domain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schougaard, Kari Rye

2004-01-01

This paper presents the notion of virtual distances -- communication proximity -- to describe the quality of a connection between two devices. We use virtual distances as the baisis of optimizations performed by a virtual machine where a part of an application can be moved to another device if th...... advantage of temporarily available resources at the current local area network or through ad-hoc networks...

A Generalized Wave Diagram for Moving Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Alt, Robert; Wiley, Sam

2004-12-01

Many introductory physics texts1-5 accompany the discussion of the Doppler effect and the formation of shock waves with diagrams illustrating the effect of a source moving through an elastic medium. Typically these diagrams consist of a series of equally spaced dots, representing the location of the source at different times. These are surrounded by a series of successively smaller circles representing wave fronts (see Fig. 1). While such a diagram provides a clear illustration of the shock wave produced by a source moving at a speed greater than the wave speed, and also the resultant pattern when the source speed is less than the wave speed (the Doppler effect), the texts do not often show the details of the construction. As a result, the key connection between the relative distance traveled by the source and the distance traveled by the wave is not explicitly made. In this paper we describe an approach emphasizing this connection that we have found to be a useful classroom supplement to the usual text presentation. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the Doppler effect and the shock wave can be illustrated by diagrams generated by the construction that follows.

A Foundation for Efficient Indoor Distance-Aware Query Processing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Hua; Cao, Xin; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

2012-01-01

model that integrates indoor distance seamlessly. To enable the use of the model as a foundation for query processing, we develop accompanying, efficient algorithms that compute indoor distances for different indoor entities like doors as well as locations. We also propose an indexing framework......Indoor spaces accommodate large numbers of spatial objects, e.g., points of interest (POIs), and moving populations. A variety of services, e.g., location-based services and security control, are relevant to indoor spaces. Such services can be improved substantially if they are capable of utilizing...... that accommodates indoor distances that are pre-computed using the proposed algorithms. On top of this foundation, we develop efficient algorithms for typical indoor, distance-aware queries. The results of an extensive experimental evaluation demonstrate the efficacy of the proposals....

Research on measurement method of optical camouflage effect of moving object

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Juntang; Xu, Weidong; Qu, Yang; Cui, Guangzhen

2016-10-01

Camouflage effectiveness measurement as an important part of the camouflage technology, which testing and measuring the camouflage effect of the target and the performance of the camouflage equipment according to the tactical and technical requirements. The camouflage effectiveness measurement of current optical band is mainly aimed at the static target which could not objectively reflect the dynamic camouflage effect of the moving target. This paper synthetical used technology of dynamic object detection and camouflage effect detection, the digital camouflage of the moving object as the research object, the adaptive background update algorithm of Surendra was improved, a method of optical camouflage effect detection using Lab-color space in the detection of moving-object was presented. The binary image of moving object is extracted by this measurement technology, in the sequence diagram, the characteristic parameters such as the degree of dispersion, eccentricity, complexity and moment invariants are constructed to construct the feature vector space. The Euclidean distance of moving target which through digital camouflage was calculated, the results show that the average Euclidean distance of 375 frames was 189.45, which indicated that the degree of dispersion, eccentricity, complexity and moment invariants of the digital camouflage graphics has a great difference with the moving target which not spray digital camouflage. The measurement results showed that the camouflage effect was good. Meanwhile with the performance evaluation module, the correlation coefficient of the dynamic target image range 0.1275 from 0.0035, and presented some ups and down. Under the dynamic condition, the adaptability of target and background was reflected. In view of the existing infrared camouflage technology, the next step, we want to carry out the camouflage effect measurement technology of the moving target based on infrared band.

Research of the stopping distance for different road conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel LYUBENOV

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper a modern method for determination of stopping distance is represented. Application of the non-contact VBOX 3i 100Hz GPS Data Logger speed and distance measurement system is represented. A description of the total stopping distance of vehicle main components - driver reaction time, vehicle reaction time and vehicle braking capability has been made. Research of the total stopping distance of a vehicle for different road conditions has been made. The results for the stopping distance can be very useful in the expert practice.

Total number of planetary nebulae in different galaxies and the PN distance scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Peimbert, M.

1990-12-01

RESUMEN A partir de una muestra de quince galaxias se encuentra que la tasa de natalidad de nebulosas planetarias por unidad de luminosidad, , disminuye al aumentar la luminosidad y al aumentar (B - V)0. Se discuten posibles explicaciones para estos resultados. Se estima el valor de para la Galaxia y a partir de el se encuentra que el numero total de nebulosas planetarias en nuestra galaxia con R de 7200 j 1800. El valor galactico de implica que la mayorfa de las estrellas de masa intermedia pasa por la etapa de nebulosa planetaria. El valor galactico de , la tasa de mortalidad estelar por unidad de luminosidad y la tasa de natalidad de enanas blancas favorecen escalas de distancias largas para nebulosas planetarias, como la de Cudworth (1974) y la de Mallik y Peimbert (1988). ABSTRACT From a sample of fifteen galaxies it is found that the birth rate of PN per unit luminosity, , decreases with increasing luminosity and with increasing (B - V)0 possible reasons for these relationships are discussed. The value for the Galaxy is estimated and, from it, a total number of PN of 7200 # 1800 wid R < 0.64 pc is obtained. The galactic value implies that most of the intermediate mass stars go through the PN stage. The galactic value, the stellar death rate per unit luminosity and the white dwarf birth rate are in favor of long distance scales to PN like those of Cudworth (1974) and Mallik and (1988). Key wonis: NEBULAE.PLANETARY - STARS-EVOLUTION - STARS-SThLIAR STA. S

The impact of maternal separation on adult mouse behaviour and on the total neuron number in the mouse hippocampus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fabricius, K.; Wörtwein, Gitta; Pakkenberg, B.

2008-01-01

, the number of errors made by the MS24 mice compared to controls and in total distance moved. The mice were subsequently sacrificed and the total number of neurons estimated in the hippocampus using the optical fractionator. We found a significant loss of neurons in the dentate gyrus in MS mice compared...... to controls. Apparently a single maternal separation can impact the number of neurons in mouse hippocampus either by a decrease of neurogenesis or as an increase in neuron apoptosis. This study is the first to assess the result of maternal separation combining behaviour and stereology Udgivelsesdato: 2008/2...

Multiple Moving Obstacles Avoidance of Service Robot using Stereo Vision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Achmad Jazidie

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a multiple moving obstacles avoidance using stereo vision for service robots in indoor environments. We assume that this model of service robot is used to deliver a cup to the recognized customer from the starting point to the destination. The contribution of this research is a new method for multiple moving obstacle avoidance with Bayesian approach using stereo camera. We have developed and introduced 3 main modules to recognize faces, to identify multiple moving obstacles and to maneuver of robot. A group of people who is walking will be tracked as a multiple moving obstacle, and the speed, direction, and distance of the moving obstacles is estimated by a stereo camera in order that the robot can maneuver to avoid the collision. To overcome the inaccuracies of vision sensor, Bayesian approach is used for estimate the absense and direction of obstacles. We present the results of the experiment of the service robot called Srikandi III which uses our proposed method and we also evaluate its performance. Experiments shown that our proposed method working well, and Bayesian approach proved increasing the estimation perform for absence and direction of moving obstacle.

Autowaves in moving excitable media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.A.Davydov

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Within the framework of kinematic theory of autowaves we suggest a method for analytic description of stationary autowave structures appearing at the boundary between the moving and fixed excitable media. The front breakdown phenomenon is predicted for such structures. Autowave refraction and, particulary, one-side "total reflection" at the boundary is considered. The obtained analytical results are confirmed by computer simulations. Prospects of the proposed method for further studies of autowave dynamics in the moving excitable media are discussed.

Changing Attitudes Through Social Influence: Does Social Distance Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Mahaffey, Amanda L; Bryan, Angela D

2016-01-01

To test the effects of social influence and social distance on attitudes, we assessed judgments of gay and lesbian targets in various contexts over three studies (n = 814, 51% female). We compared the impact of a derogatory message to a relatively favorable message ostensibly written by another participant. Participants were robustly moved by the feedback; social influence was a significant predictor in final evaluations of the target, as was social distance. Discrimination against gay men and lesbian women appears not to be a fixed behavior; seemingly anyone can be persuaded to discriminate or not to discriminate by mere peer suggestion.

Slowly moving test charge in two-electron component non-Maxwellian plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, S.; Eliasson, B.

2015-01-01

Potential distributions around a slowly moving test charge are calculated by taking into account the electron-acoustic waves in an unmagnetized plasma. Considering a neutralizing background of static positive ions, the supra-thermal hot and cold electrons are described by the Vlasov equations to account for the Kappa (power-law in velocity space) and Maxwell equilibrium distributions. Fourier analysis further leads to the derivation of electrostatic potential showing the impact of supra-thermal hot electrons. The test charge moves slowly in comparison with the hot and cold electron thermal speeds and is therefore shielded by the electrons. This gives rise to a short-range Debye-Hückel potential decaying exponentially with distance and to a far field potential decaying as inverse third power of the distance from the test charge. The results are relevant for both laboratory and space plasmas, where supra-thermal hot electrons with power-law distributions have been observed

Representing distance, consuming distance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Gunvor Riber

Title: Representing Distance, Consuming Distance Abstract: Distance is a condition for corporeal and virtual mobilities, for desired and actual travel, but yet it has received relatively little attention as a theoretical entity in its own right. Understandings of and assumptions about distance...... are being consumed in the contemporary society, in the same way as places, media, cultures and status are being consumed (Urry 1995, Featherstone 2007). An exploration of distance and its representations through contemporary consumption theory could expose what role distance plays in forming...

Imaginary potential of moving quarkonia in a D-instanton background

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zi-qiang; Hou, De-fu; Chen, Gang

2017-11-01

The imaginary part of the inter-quark potential of moving heavy quarkonia is investigated in the context of dual super-gravity in an AdS background, deformed by a dilaton which induces the gauge field condensate in the dual gauge theory. A quark-anti-quark pair is analyzed, moving transverse and parallel to the plasma wind, in turn. It is shown that in both cases increased D-instanton density tends to increase the inter-distance and decrease the imaginary potential, opposite to the effect of the pair’s velocity. Moreover, it is found that the D-instanton density has stronger effects in the parallel case than the transverse.

Random walk of passive tracers among randomly moving obstacles.

Science.gov (United States)

Gori, Matteo; Donato, Irene; Floriani, Elena; Nardecchia, Ilaria; Pettini, Marco

2016-04-14

This study is mainly motivated by the need of understanding how the diffusion behavior of a biomolecule (or even of a larger object) is affected by other moving macromolecules, organelles, and so on, inside a living cell, whence the possibility of understanding whether or not a randomly walking biomolecule is also subject to a long-range force field driving it to its target. By means of the Continuous Time Random Walk (CTRW) technique the topic of random walk in random environment is here considered in the case of a passively diffusing particle among randomly moving and interacting obstacles. The relevant physical quantity which is worked out is the diffusion coefficient of the passive tracer which is computed as a function of the average inter-obstacles distance. The results reported here suggest that if a biomolecule, let us call it a test molecule, moves towards its target in the presence of other independently interacting molecules, its motion can be considerably slowed down.

UAS stealth: target pursuit at constant distance using a bio-inspired motion camouflage guidance law.

Science.gov (United States)

Strydom, Reuben; Srinivasan, Mandyam V

2017-09-21

The aim of this study is to derive a guidance law by which an unmanned aerial system(s) (UAS) can pursue a moving target at a constant distance, while concealing its own motion. We derive a closed-form solution for the trajectory of the UAS by imposing two key constraints: (1) the shadower moves in such a way as to be perceived as a stationary object by the shadowee, and (2) the distance between the shadower and shadowee is kept constant. Additionally, the theory presented in this paper considers constraints on the maximum achievable speed and acceleration of the shadower. Our theory is tested through Matlab simulations, which validate the camouflage strategy for both 2D and 3D conditions. Furthermore, experiments using a realistic vision-based implementation are conducted in a virtual environment, where the results demonstrate that even with noisy state information it is possible to remain well camouflaged using the constant distance motion camouflage technique.

Dislocation Dynamics in Al-Li Alloys. Mean Jump Distance and Activation Length of Moving Dislocations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hosson, J.Th.M. De; Huis in 't Veld, A.; Tamler, H.; Kanert, O.

1984-01-01

Pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance proved to be a complementary new technique for the study of moving dislocations in Al-Li alloys. The NMR technique, in combination with transmission electron microscopy and strain-rate change experiments have been applied to study dislocation motion in Al-2.2 wt% Li

Probe-Substrate Distance Control in Desorption Electrospray Ionization

Science.gov (United States)

Yarger, Tyler J.; Yuill, Elizabeth M.; Baker, Lane A.

2018-03-01

We introduce probe-substrate distance (Dps)-control to desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and report a systematic investigation of key experimental parameters. Examination of voltage, flow rate, and nebulizing gas pressure suggests as Dps decreases, the distance-dependent spray current increases, until a critical point. At the critical point the relationship inverts, and the spray current decreases as the probe moves closer to the surface due to constriction of solution flow by the nebulizing gas. Dps control was used to explore the use of spray current as a signal for feedback positioning, while mass spectrometry imaging was performed simultaneously. Further development of this technique is expected to find application in study of structure-function relationships for clinical diagnostics, biological investigation, and materials characterization. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Electrical Resistance Tomography for Visualization of Moving Objects Using a Spatiotemporal Total Variation Regularization Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Chen

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Electrical resistance tomography (ERT has been considered as a data collection and image reconstruction method in many multi-phase flow application areas due to its advantages of high speed, low cost and being non-invasive. In order to improve the quality of the reconstructed images, the Total Variation algorithm attracts abundant attention due to its ability to solve large piecewise and discontinuous conductivity distributions. In industrial processing tomography (IPT, techniques such as ERT have been used to extract important flow measurement information. For a moving object inside a pipe, a velocity profile can be calculated from the cross correlation between signals generated from ERT sensors. Many previous studies have used two sets of 2D ERT measurements based on pixel-pixel cross correlation, which requires two ERT systems. In this paper, a method for carrying out flow velocity measurement using a single ERT system is proposed. A novel spatiotemporal total variation regularization approach is utilised to exploit sparsity both in space and time in 4D, and a voxel-voxel cross correlation method is adopted for measurement of flow profile. Result shows that the velocity profile can be calculated with a single ERT system and that the volume fraction and movement can be monitored using the proposed method. Both semi-dynamic experimental and static simulation studies verify the suitability of the proposed method. For in plane velocity profile, a 3D image based on temporal 2D images produces velocity profile with accuracy of less than 1% error and a 4D image for 3D velocity profiling shows an error of 4%.

The Management of Interpersonal Communication in a Long Distance Relationship Amongst College Students in the Context of Romantical Relationship (Studies on Diponegoro University Students Who Undergo Long Distance Relationship with Their Partner).

OpenAIRE

Z, Zamratul Khairani; Lestari, Sri Budi; Purbaningrum, Dwi; Naryoso, Agus

2016-01-01

Long-distance romance relation carried by college students occur due to factors ofeducation or the demands of the profession that requires one of those pairs toproceed to move to other cities. The communication process they undergoheavily relying on the communication media they use. But the medium ofcommunication can also be a major cause of the resistance in a long distance romanceeither due to misunderstanding or network disruption in interpersonal communicationis ineffective against his pa...

Minimum distance determination between consecutive carriers in the gamma irradiator IR-200 K trajectory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Achmad Suntoro

2014-01-01

A design to determine the minimum distance between the consecutive carriers at the trajectory of gamma irradiators IR-200K is implemented. Equilibrium between centrifugal force of a moving carrier in circular trajectory and its gravity force as well as carrier dimensions are used as parameters in determining such a minimum distance. The minimum distance between the consecutive carriers in the design is defined 1.2 meters. The distance is 11.5% greater than the minimum distance theoretically calculated, namely 1,076 meters. Errors tolerance in construction/installation of the trajectory and other unexpected things during irradiator's operation are part of the consideration to enlarge the minimum distance from its theoretical value. The distance between the consecutive carriers will not affect throughput and efficiency of using radiation due to the straight trajectory segments do not need to follow such the minimum distance between the carriers, as the trajectory segments around the i radiation sources are straight. (author)

Positioning variations of the lungs shields during total body irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, A.; Marcie, S.; Boulabeiz, A.; Lagrange, J.L.

1995-01-01

During total body irradiation, the patient is entirely exposed to radiation and the dose to lungs have to be limited. Personalized shields are make and set between the source and the patient, in front of lungs. The patient and the shields set up are checked before the treatment session with radiographs. Verification films are performed during the treatment sessions with anterior and posterior beams. During the treatment session, the patient may move and his relative positioning can change. Also, for each daily session treatment, his positioning could be different. One way to determine position discrepancies of the shields lungs is to analyse verification films. A study has been achieved comparing positions of lungs and shields edges in digitised simulator and digitised verification images. Discrepancies on distance and angle between similar anatomical landmarks in both images are determined by applying a least squares minimisation approach. In this study, which concerns 29 patients, distance discrepancies are founded from 1,5 to 12,6 mm for the anterior beams and from 1,8 to 15,3 mm for the posterior beams. Angle discrepancies are founded from 0 to 2 degrees

Automatic setting of the distance between sample and detector in gamma-ray spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andeweg, A.H.

1980-01-01

An apparatus has been developed that automatically sets the distance from the sample to the detector according to the radioactivity of the sample. The distance-setting unit works in conjuction with an automatic sample changer, and is interconnected with other components so that the counting head automatically moves to the optimum distance for the analysis of a particular sample. The distance, which is indicated digitally in increments of 0,01 mm, can be set between 18 and 995 mm at count rates that can be preset between 1000 and 10 000 counts per second. On being tested, the instrument performed well within the desired range and accuracy. Under routine conditions, the spectra were much more accurate than before, especially when samples of different radioactivity were counted

DISTANCES TO DARK CLOUDS: COMPARING EXTINCTION DISTANCES TO MASER PARALLAX DISTANCES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, Jonathan B.; Jackson, James M.; Stead, Joseph J.; Hoare, Melvin G.; Benjamin, Robert A.

2012-01-01

We test two different methods of using near-infrared extinction to estimate distances to dark clouds in the first quadrant of the Galaxy using large near-infrared (Two Micron All Sky Survey and UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey) surveys. Very long baseline interferometry parallax measurements of masers around massive young stars provide the most direct and bias-free measurement of the distance to these dark clouds. We compare the extinction distance estimates to these maser parallax distances. We also compare these distances to kinematic distances, including recent re-calibrations of the Galactic rotation curve. The extinction distance methods agree with the maser parallax distances (within the errors) between 66% and 100% of the time (depending on method and input survey) and between 85% and 100% of the time outside of the crowded Galactic center. Although the sample size is small, extinction distance methods reproduce maser parallax distances better than kinematic distances; furthermore, extinction distance methods do not suffer from the kinematic distance ambiguity. This validation gives us confidence that these extinction methods may be extended to additional dark clouds where maser parallaxes are not available.

The Impact of Union Dissolution on Moving Distances and Destinations in the UK (discussion paper)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feijten, P.; Van Ham, M.

2011-01-01

The number of people who have ever experienced a divorce, or a split up of a non-marital union, is rising every year. It is well known that union dissolution has a disruptive effect on the housing careers of those involved, often leading to downward moves on the housing ladder. Much less is known

Transient thermal stress analysis of a near-edge elliptical defect in a semi-infinite plate subjected to a moving heat source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mingjong Wang; Weichung Wang

1994-01-01

In this paper, the maximum transient thermal stresses on the boundary of a near-edge elliptical defect in a semi-infinite thin plate were determined by the digital photoelastic technique, when the plate edge experiences a moving heat source. The relationships between the maximum transient thermal stresses and the size and inclination of the elliptical defect, the minimum distance from the elliptical defect to the plate edge as well as the speed of the moving heat source were also studied. Finally, by using a statistical analysis package, the variations of the maximum transient thermal stresses were then correlated with the time, the minimum distance between the edge and the elliptical defect, temperature difference, and speed of the moving heat source. (author)

Testing EDM of Total Stations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cirbus Ján

2001-03-01

Full Text Available The paper is devoted to testing electrooptical distance measuring devices (EDM built in total stations, than can be used for various tasks in the contemporary geodetic works. A rich market offer and availability of these universal measuring systems with satisfying distance range, excellent accuracy and other parameters, make total stations as dominant terrestrial geodetic instruments.For succesfully applying these instruments, above all for relliable distance measurements, the stability of the modulation frequency is the most important pre-condition. In the article, therefore, there are given some methods to verify the modulation frequency stability. In addition, some ways for determining the EDM distance constant and periodical corrections of the phase measuring unit are introduced for 4 types of EDM : LEICA 1700L, TOPCON GTS6A, TOPCON GTS2, C.ZEISS ELTA50. It were also investigated their possibilities for precise distance survey. Values of the determined constants and periodical corrections are presented in Tab. 2.Based on the investigation results of the 4 EDM types and using the values m obtained for different distances S, equations of the a posteriori standard deviations in form : m = (a+b.S were derived too.

Iterative method to compute the Fermat points and Fermat distances of multiquarks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bicudo, P.; Cardoso, M.

2009-01-01

The multiquark confining potential is proportional to the total distance of the fundamental strings linking the quarks and antiquarks. We address the computation of the total string distance and of the Fermat points where the different strings meet. For a meson the distance is trivially the quark-antiquark distance. For a baryon the problem was solved geometrically from the onset by Fermat and by Torricelli, it can be determined just with a rule and a compass, and we briefly review it. However we also show that for tetraquarks, pentaquarks, hexaquarks, etc., the geometrical solution is much more complicated. Here we provide an iterative method, converging fast to the correct Fermat points and the total distances, relevant for the multiquark potentials.

Iterative method to compute the Fermat points and Fermat distances of multiquarks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bicudo, P. [CFTP, Departamento de Fisica, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)], E-mail: bicudo@ist.utl.pt; Cardoso, M. [CFTP, Departamento de Fisica, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)

2009-04-13

The multiquark confining potential is proportional to the total distance of the fundamental strings linking the quarks and antiquarks. We address the computation of the total string distance and of the Fermat points where the different strings meet. For a meson the distance is trivially the quark-antiquark distance. For a baryon the problem was solved geometrically from the onset by Fermat and by Torricelli, it can be determined just with a rule and a compass, and we briefly review it. However we also show that for tetraquarks, pentaquarks, hexaquarks, etc., the geometrical solution is much more complicated. Here we provide an iterative method, converging fast to the correct Fermat points and the total distances, relevant for the multiquark potentials.

Teaching Gender Studies via Open and Distance Learning in South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Jessica; Byrne, Deirdre; Koenig-Visagie, Leandra

2013-01-01

The University of South Africa (UNISA) has recently redesigned its honors degree in Gender Studies. The course design team members have been mindful of three key factors while redesigning this degree. First, we are aligning our course design with the demands of open and distance learning (ODL) and UNISA's institutional move to online delivery of…

Wireless patient monitoring system for a moving-actuator type artificial heart.

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, K W; Chung, J; Choi, S W; Sun, K; Min, B G

2006-10-01

In this study, we developed a wireless monitoring system for outpatients equipped with a moving-actuator type pulsatile bi-ventricular assist device, AnyHeart. The developed monitoring system consists of two parts; a Bluetooth-based short-distance self-monitoring system that can monitor and control the operating status of a VAD using a Bluetooth-embedded personal digital assistant or a personal computer within a distance of 10 meters, and a cellular network-based remote monitoring system that can continuously monitor and control the operating status of AnyHeart at any location. Results of in vitro experiments demonstrate the developed system's ability to monitor the operational status of an implanted AnyHeart.

Calibration of robotic drilling systems with a moving rail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tian Wei

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Industrial robots are widely used in aircraft assembly systems such as robotic drilling systems. It is necessary to expand a robot’s working range with a moving rail. A method for improving the position accuracy of an automated assembly system with an industrial robot mounted on a moving rail is proposed. A multi-station method is used to control the robot in this study. The robot only works at stations which are certain positions defined on the moving rail. The calibration of the robot system is composed by the calibration of the robot and the calibration of the stations. The calibration of the robot is based on error similarity and inverse distance weighted interpolation. The calibration of the stations is based on a magnetic strip and a magnetic sensor. Validation tests were performed in this study, which showed that the accuracy of the robot system gained significant improvement using the proposed method. The absolute position errors were reduced by about 85% to less than 0.3 mm compared with the maximum nearly 2 mm before calibration.

Simulating control rod and fuel assembly motion using moving meshes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilbert, D. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario, L8S 4K1 (Canada)], E-mail: gilbertdw1@gmail.com; Roman, J.E. [Departamento de Sistemas Informaticos y Computacion, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia (Spain); Garland, Wm. J. [Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario, L8S 4K1 (Canada); Poehlman, W.F.S. [Department of Computing and Software, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton Ontario, L8S 4K1 (Canada)

2008-02-15

A prerequisite for designing a transient simulation experiment which includes the motion of control and fuel assemblies is the careful verification of a steady state model which computes k{sub eff} versus assembly insertion distance. Previous studies in nuclear engineering have usually approached the problem of the motion of control rods with the use of nonlinear nodal models. Nodal methods employ special approximations for the leading and trailing cells of the moving assemblies to avoid the rod cusping problem which results from the naive volume weighted cell cross-section approximation. A prototype framework called the MOOSE has been developed for modeling moving components in the presence of diffusion phenomena. A linear finite difference model is constructed, solutions for which are computed by SLEPc, a high performance parallel eigenvalue solver. Design techniques for the implementation of a patched non-conformal mesh which links groups of sub-meshes that can move relative to one another are presented. The generation of matrices which represent moving meshes which conserve neutron current at their boundaries, and the performance of the framework when applied to model reactivity insertion experiments is also discussed.

The Grid Method in Estimating the Path Length of a Moving Animal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reddingius, J.; Schilstra, A.J.; Thomas, G.

1983-01-01

(1) The length of a path covered by a moving animal may be estimated by counting the number of times the animal crosses any line of a grid and applying a conversion factor. (2) Some factors are based on the expected distance through a randomly crossed square; another on the expected crossings of a

Space imaging measurement system based on fixed lens and moving detector

Science.gov (United States)

Akiyama, Akira; Doshida, Minoru; Mutoh, Eiichiro; Kumagai, Hideo; Yamada, Hirofumi; Ishii, Hiromitsu

2006-08-01

We have developed the Space Imaging Measurement System based on the fixed lens and fast moving detector to the control of the autonomous ground vehicle. The space measurement is the most important task in the development of the autonomous ground vehicle. In this study we move the detector back and forth along the optical axis at the fast rate to measure the three-dimensional image data. This system is just appropriate to the autonomous ground vehicle because this system does not send out any optical energy to measure the distance and keep the safety. And we use the digital camera of the visible ray range. Therefore it gives us the cost reduction of the three-dimensional image data acquisition with respect to the imaging laser system. We can combine many pieces of the narrow space imaging measurement data to construct the wide range three-dimensional data. This gives us the improvement of the image recognition with respect to the object space. To develop the fast movement of the detector, we build the counter mass balance in the mechanical crank system of the Space Imaging Measurement System. And then we set up the duct to prevent the optical noise due to the ray not coming through lens. The object distance is derived from the focus distance which related to the best focused image data. The best focused image data is selected from the image of the maximum standard deviation in the standard deviations of series images.

Moving strip technique of electron beam therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsushima, Kishio; Wakasa, Hiroyuki; Oguri, Nobuhiro; Kitayama, Takuichi; Nakagiri, Yoshitada; Mikami, Yasutaka; Hashimoto, Keiji; Hiraki, Yoshio; Aono, Kaname

1984-12-01

The fieldsize in electron beam therapy is determined by the cone size. In case of skin metastasis of a malignant tumor and so on, which need a large field size and whose area is much larger than the size of the cone, a large field size is usually produced by dividing the portals. However, the dose distribution at the border of the field becomes unequal, and hot and cold dose areas are produced according to the distance between portals. We tried the strip field technique in a large field along the long axis of the body in order to flatten the dose of the border employing the moving strip used for whole abdominal irradiation in ovarian cancer. We set the film in Mix-DP and used the strip field technique with 2.5cm steps. We discussed the relationship between the interval (distance between portals) and the flattening of the dose within the field. Skin movement due to breathing and influences on the flattening of the dose were considered. The proper flatness was obtained at depths of 0,1,2, and 3cm by setting the interval at 0.5cm. When skin movement was produced by breathing in +-1.5mm, the proper flaness was obtained also at a 0.5-cm interval. It seems that smoothing is increased by breathing. An ''electron beam moving strip'' with a 2.5-cm step and 0.5-cm interval was clinically effective in the treatment of patients with skin metastasis of colon cancer. (author).

In-situ position and vibration measurement of rough surfaces using laser Doppler distance sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Czarske, J.; Pfister, T.; Günther, P.; Büttner, L.

2009-06-01

In-situ measurement of distances and shapes as well as dynamic deformations and vibrations of fast moving and especially rotating objects, such as gear shafts and turbine blades, is an important task at process control. We recently developed a laser Doppler distance frequency sensor, employing two superposed fan-shaped interference fringe systems with contrary fringe spacing gradients. Via two Doppler frequency evaluations the non-incremental position (i.e. distance) and the tangential velocity of rotating bodies are determined simultaneously. The distance uncertainty is in contrast to e.g. triangulation in principle independent of the object velocity. This unique feature allows micrometer resolutions of fast moved rough surfaces. The novel sensor was applied at turbo machines in order to control the tip clearance. The measurements at a transonic centrifugal compressor were performed during operation at up to 50,000 rpm, i.e. 586 m/s velocity of the blade tips. Due to the operational conditions such as temperatures of up to 300 °C, a flexible and robust measurement system with a passive fiber-coupled sensor, using diffractive optics, has been realized. Since the tip clearance of individual blades could be temporally resolved an analysis of blade vibrations was possible. A Fourier transformation of the blade distances results in an average period of 3 revolutions corresponding to a frequency of 1/3 of the rotary frequency. Additionally, a laser Doppler distance sensor using two tilted fringe systems and phase evaluation will be presented. This phase sensor exhibits a minimum position resolution of σz = 140 nm. It allows precise in-situ shape measurements at grinding and turning processes.

“Move vs. Agree”: the case of Clitic Doubling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihaela Adriana Marchis

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper continues the long-standing discussion whether clitics in clitic doubling constructionsshould be regarded as being similar to affixes expressing subject-verb agreement or rather as reflexes ofmovement. A crosslinguistic comparison of clitics will show that although clitics come in different flavorseither as phi-features or as determiners, they are all the result of an overt feature movement to repairviolations of the Minimal Link Constraint (Anagnostopoulou 2005. Long Distance Agree constructions inGreek, Romanian and Spanish use clitic doubling as a strategy to avoid minimality effects. On the basis of aparallel between clitic doubling and Long Distance Agree, I conclude that they are the outcome of twodifferent operations Move vs. Agree but both are sensitive to Minimal Link Constraint and are regulated by aphase-based locality condition (the Phase Impenetrability Condition.

Closing the gap between the inside and the outside: interoceptive sensitivity and social distances.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Ferri

Full Text Available Humans' ability to represent their body state from within through interoception has been proposed to predict different aspects of human cognition and behaviour. We focused on the possible contribution of interoceptive sensitivity to social behaviour as mediated by adaptive modulation of autonomic response. We, thus, investigated whether interoceptive sensitivity to one's heartbeat predicts participants' autonomic response at different social distances. We measured respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA during either a Social or a Non-social task. In the Social task each participant viewed an experimenter performing a caress-like movement at different distances from their hand. In the Non-social task a metal stick was moved at the same distances from the participant's hand. We found a positive association between interoceptive sensitivity and autonomic response only for the social setting. Moreover, only good heartbeat perceivers showed higher autonomic response 1 in the social compared to the non-social setting, 2 specifically, when the experimenter's hand was moving at boundary of their peripersonal space (20 cm from the participant's hand. Our findings suggest that interoceptive sensitivity might contribute to interindividual differences concerning social attitudes and interpersonal space representation via recruitment of different adaptive autonomic response strategies.

Interferometric 30 m bench for calibrations of 1D scales and optical distance measuring instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unkuri, J; Rantanen, A; Manninen, J; Esala, V-P; Lassila, A

2012-01-01

During construction of a new metrology building for MIKES, a 30 m interferometric bench was designed. The objective was to implement a straight, stable, adjustable and multifunctional 30 m measuring bench for calibrations. Special attention was paid to eliminating the effects of thermal expansion and inevitable concrete shrinkage. The linear guide, situated on top of a monolithic concrete beam, comprises two parallel round shafts with adjustable fixtures every 1 m. A carriage is moved along the rail and its position is followed by a reference interferometer. Depending on the measurement task, one or two retro-reflectors are fixed on the carriage. A microscope with a CCD camera and a monitor can be used to detect line mark positions on different line standards. When calibrating optical distance measuring instruments, various targets can be fixed to the carriage. For the most accurate measurements an online Abbe-error correction based on simultaneous carriage pitch measurement by a separate laser interferometer is applied. The bench is used for calibrations of machinist scales, tapes, circometers, electronic distance meters, total stations and laser trackers. The estimated expanded uncertainty for 30 m displacement for highest accuracy calibrations is 2.6 µm. (paper)

Soil pH, total phosphorus, climate and distance are the major factors influencing microbial activity at a regional spatial scale

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cao, Haichuan; Chen, Ruirui; Wang, Libing

2016-01-01

Considering the extensive functional redundancy in microbial communities and great difficulty in elucidating it based on taxonomic structure, studies on the biogeography of soil microbial activity at large spatial scale are as important as microbial community structure. Eighty-four soil samples...... scaling clearly revealed that soil microbial activities showed distinct differentiation at different sites over a regional spatial scale, which were strongly affected by soil pH, total P, rainfall, temperature, soil type and location. In addition, microbial community structure was greatly influenced...... scales. There are common (distance, climate, pH and soil type) but differentiated aspects (TP, SOC and N) in the biogeography of soil microbial community structure and activity....

Is it traffic type, volume, or distance? Wheezing in infants living near truck and bus traffic.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Patrick H; LeMasters, Grace; Biagini, Jocelyn; Bernstein, David; Grinshpun, Sergey A; Shukla, Rakesh; Wilson, Kimberly; Villareal, Manuel; Burkle, Jeff; Lockey, James

2005-08-01

Previous studies of air pollution have not examined the association between exposure to varying types, distance, and amounts of traffic and wheezing in very young infants. We sought to determine the relationship between types of traffic, traffic volume, and distance and wheezing among infants less than 1 year of age. A geographic information system and a classification scheme were developed to categorize infants enrolled in the study as living near moving truck and bus traffic (highway >50 miles per hour, >1000 trucks daily, bus traffic (bus and truck traffic had a significantly increased prevalence of wheezing (adjusted odds ratio, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.15-5.42) when compared with unexposed infants. The prevalence of wheezing among nonwhite infants was at least twice that of white infants, regardless of exposure. Infants living less than 400 m from a high volume of moving traffic, however, did not have an increased prevalence of wheezing. These results suggest that the distance from and type of traffic exposures are more significant risk factors than traffic volume for wheezing in early infancy.

Towards an intelligent environment for distance learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Morales

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Mainstream distance learning nowadays is heavily influenced by traditional educational approaches that produceshomogenised learning scenarios for all learners through learning management systems. Any differentiation betweenlearners and personalisation of their learning scenarios is left to the teacher, who gets minimum support from the system inthis respect. This way, the truly digital native, the computer, is left out of the move, unable to better support the teachinglearning processes because it is not provided with the means to transform into knowledge all the information that it storesand manages. I believe learning management systems should care for supporting adaptation and personalisation of bothindividual learning and the formation of communities of learning. Open learner modelling and intelligent collaborativelearning environments are proposed as a means to care. The proposal is complemented with a general architecture for anintelligent environment for distance learning and an educational model based on the principles of self-management,creativity, significance and participation.

Walking, running, and resting under time, distance, and average speed constraints: optimality of walk–run–rest mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Leroy L.; Srinivasan, Manoj

2013-01-01

On a treadmill, humans switch from walking to running beyond a characteristic transition speed. Here, we study human choice between walking and running in a more ecological (non-treadmill) setting. We asked subjects to travel a given distance overground in a given allowed time duration. During this task, the subjects carried, and could look at, a stopwatch that counted down to zero. As expected, if the total time available were large, humans walk the whole distance. If the time available were small, humans mostly run. For an intermediate total time, humans often use a mixture of walking at a slow speed and running at a higher speed. With analytical and computational optimization, we show that using a walk–run mixture at intermediate speeds and a walk–rest mixture at the lowest average speeds is predicted by metabolic energy minimization, even with costs for transients—a consequence of non-convex energy curves. Thus, sometimes, steady locomotion may not be energy optimal, and not preferred, even in the absence of fatigue. Assuming similar non-convex energy curves, we conjecture that similar walk–run mixtures may be energetically beneficial to children following a parent and animals on long leashes. Humans and other animals might also benefit energetically from alternating between moving forward and standing still on a slow and sufficiently long treadmill. PMID:23365192

Walking, running, and resting under time, distance, and average speed constraints: optimality of walk-run-rest mixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Leroy L; Srinivasan, Manoj

2013-04-06

On a treadmill, humans switch from walking to running beyond a characteristic transition speed. Here, we study human choice between walking and running in a more ecological (non-treadmill) setting. We asked subjects to travel a given distance overground in a given allowed time duration. During this task, the subjects carried, and could look at, a stopwatch that counted down to zero. As expected, if the total time available were large, humans walk the whole distance. If the time available were small, humans mostly run. For an intermediate total time, humans often use a mixture of walking at a slow speed and running at a higher speed. With analytical and computational optimization, we show that using a walk-run mixture at intermediate speeds and a walk-rest mixture at the lowest average speeds is predicted by metabolic energy minimization, even with costs for transients-a consequence of non-convex energy curves. Thus, sometimes, steady locomotion may not be energy optimal, and not preferred, even in the absence of fatigue. Assuming similar non-convex energy curves, we conjecture that similar walk-run mixtures may be energetically beneficial to children following a parent and animals on long leashes. Humans and other animals might also benefit energetically from alternating between moving forward and standing still on a slow and sufficiently long treadmill.

Apollo 16 lunar module 'Orion' photographed from distance during EVA

Science.gov (United States)

1972-01-01

The Apollo 16 Lunar Module 'Orion' is photographed from a distance by Astronaut Chares M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, aboard the moving Lunar Roving Vehicle. Astronauts Duke and John W. Young, commander, were returing from the third Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA-2). The RCA color television camera mounted on the LRV is in the foreground. A portion of the LRV's high-gain antenna is at top left.

Within- and cross-modal distance information disambiguate visual size-change perception.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter W Battaglia

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Perception is fundamentally underconstrained because different combinations of object properties can generate the same sensory information. To disambiguate sensory information into estimates of scene properties, our brains incorporate prior knowledge and additional "auxiliary" (i.e., not directly relevant to desired scene property sensory information to constrain perceptual interpretations. For example, knowing the distance to an object helps in perceiving its size. The literature contains few demonstrations of the use of prior knowledge and auxiliary information in combined visual and haptic disambiguation and almost no examination of haptic disambiguation of vision beyond "bistable" stimuli. Previous studies have reported humans integrate multiple unambiguous sensations to perceive single, continuous object properties, like size or position. Here we test whether humans use visual and haptic information, individually and jointly, to disambiguate size from distance. We presented participants with a ball moving in depth with a changing diameter. Because no unambiguous distance information is available under monocular viewing, participants rely on prior assumptions about the ball's distance to disambiguate their -size percept. Presenting auxiliary binocular and/or haptic distance information augments participants' prior distance assumptions and improves their size judgment accuracy-though binocular cues were trusted more than haptic. Our results suggest both visual and haptic distance information disambiguate size perception, and we interpret these results in the context of probabilistic perceptual reasoning.

Total body irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novack, D.H.; Kiley, J.P.

1987-01-01

The multitude of papers and conferences in recent years on the use of very large megavoltage radiation fields indicates an increased interest in total body, hemibody, and total nodal radiotherapy for various clinical situations. These include high dose total body irradiation (TBI) to destroy the bone marrow and leukemic cells and provide immunosuppression prior to a bone marrow transplant, high dose total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) prior to bone marrow transplantation in severe aplastic anemia, low dose TBI in the treatment of lymphocytic leukemias or lymphomas, and hemibody irradiation (HBI) in the treatment of advanced multiple myeloma. Although accurate provision of a specific dose and the desired degree of dose homogeneity are two of the physicist's major considerations for all radiotherapy techniques, these tasks are even more demanding for large field radiotherapy. Because most large field radiotherapy is done at an extended distance for complex patient geometries, basic dosimetry data measured at the standard distance (isocenter) must be verified or supplemented. This paper discusses some of the special dosimetric problems of large field radiotherapy, with specific examples given of the dosimetry of the TBI program for bone marrow transplant at the authors' hospital

Depth perception from moving cast shadow in macaque monkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Mizutani, Saneyuki; Usui, Nobuo; Yokota, Takanori; Mizusawa, Hidehiro; Taira, Masato; Katsuyama, Narumi

2015-07-15

In the present study, we investigate whether the macaque monkey can perceive motion in depth using a moving cast shadow. To accomplish this, we conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, an adult Japanese monkey was trained in a motion discrimination task in depth by binocular disparity. A square was presented on the display so that it appeared with a binocular disparity of 0.12 degrees (initial position), and moved toward (approaching) or away from (receding) the monkey for 1s. The monkey was trained to discriminate the approaching and receding motion of the square by GO/delayed GO-type responses. The monkey showed a significantly high accuracy rate in the task, and the performance was maintained when the position, color, and shape of the moving object were changed. In the next experiment, the change in the disparity was gradually decreased in the motion discrimination task. The results showed that the performance of the monkey declined as the distance of the approaching and receding motion of the square decreased from the initial position. However, when a moving cast shadow was added to the stimulus, the monkey responded to the motion in depth induced by the cast shadow in the same way as by binocular disparity; the reward was delivered randomly or given in all trials to prevent the learning of the 2D motion of the shadow in the frontal plane. These results suggest that the macaque monkey can perceive motion in depth using a moving cast shadow as well as using binocular disparity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Long-distance mountain biking does not disturb the measurement of total, free or complexed prostate-specific antigen in healthy men.

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann, Markus; Scharhag, Jürgen; Sand-Hill, Marga; Kindermann, Wilfried; Herrmann, Wolfgang

2004-03-01

Mechanical manipulation of the prostate is a generally accepted interfering factor for the measurement of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). However, only few studies have focused on common daily mechanical manipulations, such as bicycle riding. Furthermore, physical exercise is also supposed to modulate PSA serum concentration. Long-distance mountain biking is an excellent model to study the combined effect of mechanical prostate manipulation by bicycle riding and strenuous endurance exercise on total, free and complexed PSA (tPSA, fPSA, cPSA). We investigated tPSA, fPSA and cPSA in 42 healthy male cyclists (mean age 35+/-6 years) before and after a 120 km off-road mountain bike race. Blood sampling was done before, 15 min and 3 h after the race. Mean race time was 342+/-65 min. All athletes had normal serum levels of tPSA, fPSA or cPSA. None of these parameters was modified by the race. In healthy men the measurement of tPSA, fPSA and cPSA is not disturbed by preceding long distance mountain biking or endurance exercise. Based on the present data, there is no evidence for a recommendation to limit bicycle riding or physical activity before the measurement of tPSA, fPSA or cPSA.

Adaptive density trajectory cluster based on time and space distance

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fagui; Zhang, Zhijie

2017-10-01

There are some hotspot problems remaining in trajectory cluster for discovering mobile behavior regularity, such as the computation of distance between sub trajectories, the setting of parameter values in cluster algorithm and the uncertainty/boundary problem of data set. As a result, based on the time and space, this paper tries to define the calculation method of distance between sub trajectories. The significance of distance calculation for sub trajectories is to clearly reveal the differences in moving trajectories and to promote the accuracy of cluster algorithm. Besides, a novel adaptive density trajectory cluster algorithm is proposed, in which cluster radius is computed through using the density of data distribution. In addition, cluster centers and number are selected by a certain strategy automatically, and uncertainty/boundary problem of data set is solved by designed weighted rough c-means. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can perform the fuzzy trajectory cluster effectively on the basis of the time and space distance, and obtain the optimal cluster centers and rich cluster results information adaptably for excavating the features of mobile behavior in mobile and sociology network.

On the Scalability of Computing Triplet and Quartet Distances

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holt, Morten Kragelund; Johansen, Jens; Brodal, Gerth Stølting

2014-01-01

We present the first I/O- and practically-efficient algorithm for simplifying a planar subdivision, such that no point is moved more than a given distance εxy and such that neighbor relations between faces (homotopy) are preserved. Under some practically realistic assumptions, our algorithm uses ....... For example, for the contour map simplification problem it is significantly faster than the previous algorithm, while obtaining approximately the same simplification factor. Read More: http://epubs.siam.org/doi/abs/10.1137/1.9781611973198.3...

Move Closer: Towards Design Patterns To Support Initiating Social Encounters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mitchell, Robb; Boer, Laurens

2017-01-01

This paper offers four inspirational design patterns concerned with reducing inhibitions for unacquainted co-located people to interact. These patterns identify impediments to interpersonal contact in relation to the distances between people and present diverse examples of how these challenges may...... be addressed. Each inspirational design pattern offers strategies to make social interaction more likely through enabling, encouraging or excusing people to move closer together. The patterns are "Feel For Fun", "Conjoining Self Images", "Eye To Eye", and "Nudge People Together". Articulating possible...

Moving In, Moving Through, and Moving Out: The Transitional Experiences of Foster Youth College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Gamez, Sara I.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the transitional experiences of foster youth college students. The study explored how foster youth experienced moving into, moving through, and moving out of the college environment and what resources and strategies they used to thrive during their college transitions. In addition, this study…

Distance education unit "Mario Rizzini": a Salesian proposal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Farfán

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The distance education unit Mario Rizzini is a Salesian educational program designed to help excluded sectors of society, mainly young people, whom due to their employment status, premature parenthood, exclusion from formal schools that do not consider special conditions, who failed to complete their education at a school age but feel now the need to graduate.This teaching style is based on social constructivism, wich allows the person to move forward from his/her own reality and knowledge, guided by the Salesian perspective with Don Bosco's charisma, using the preventive method as a means to achieve a fair society. The teaching strategies and instruments are developed from contemporary concepts of distance education, partucularly using information techonology, turned into virtual classrooms that guarantee continuous individual support for the learner. To summarize, we offer an educational alternative that according to our founder's charisma, attempts to include those in need but with high quality education.

Considerations for The Instruction Of Research Methodologies In Graduate-Level Distance Education Degree Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Cleveland-INNERS

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Considerations for The Instruction Of Research Methodologies In Graduate-Level Distance Education Degree Programs Tom JONES, Ph.D. Associate Professor Centre for Distance Education Athabasca University, CANADA M. Cleveland-INNERS, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Centre for Distance Education Athabasca University, CANADA ABSTRACT The growth of basic and applied research activity in distance education requires redirection on several fronts, including the instruction of research methods in the education of graduate students. The majority of graduate students in distance education are practitioners whose goals range from carrying out original research to acquiring the concepts and skills necessary to become a practitioner. We argue that the best foundation for achieving both of those goals in distance education is developed by means of an understanding and internalization of sound research design methodologies, primarily acquired by formal instruction, and that an emphasis on research in graduate programs in distance education will encourage theory development. This paper presents the rationale for a general curricular model that attempts to address the sets of research competencies for graduate students in graduate-level distance education programs while at the same time moving students toward an appreciation and understanding of the epistemological foundations for social science research.

Generalized Heteroskedasticity ACF for Moving Average Models in Explicit Forms

OpenAIRE

Samir Khaled Safi

2014-01-01

The autocorrelation function (ACF) measures the correlation between observations at different   distances apart. We derive explicit equations for generalized heteroskedasticity ACF for moving average of order q, MA(q). We consider two cases: Firstly: when the disturbance term follow the general covariance matrix structure Cov(wi, wj)=S with si,j ¹ 0 " i¹j . Secondly: when the diagonal elements of S are not all identical but sij = 0 " i¹j, i.e. S=diag(s11, s22,&hellip...

Comparison of efficiency of distance measurement methodologies in mango (Mangifera indica) progenies based on physicochemical descriptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, E O S; Cerqueira-Silva, C B M; Souza, A M; Santos, C A F; Lima Neto, F P; Corrêa, R X

2012-03-14

We investigated seven distance measures in a set of observations of physicochemical variables of mango (Mangifera indica) submitted to multivariate analyses (distance, projection and grouping). To estimate the distance measurements, five mango progeny (total of 25 genotypes) were analyzed, using six fruit physicochemical descriptors (fruit weight, equatorial diameter, longitudinal diameter, total soluble solids in °Brix, total titratable acidity, and pH). The distance measurements were compared by the Spearman correlation test, projection in two-dimensional space and grouping efficiency. The Spearman correlation coefficients between the seven distance measurements were, except for the Mahalanobis' generalized distance (0.41 ≤ rs ≤ 0.63), high and significant (rs ≥ 0.91; P < 0.001). Regardless of the origin of the distance matrix, the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean grouping method proved to be the most adequate. The various distance measurements and grouping methods gave different values for distortion (-116.5 ≤ D ≤ 74.5), cophenetic correlation (0.26 ≤ rc ≤ 0.76) and stress (-1.9 ≤ S ≤ 58.9). Choice of distance measurement and analysis methods influence the.

Job Surfing: Move On to Move Up.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Justin

1997-01-01

Looks at the process of switching jobs and changing careers. Discusses when to consider options and make the move as well as the need to be flexible and open minded. Provides a test for determining the chances of promotion and when to move on. (JOW)

Displacement, distance, and shape measurements of fast-rotating rough objects by two mutually tilted interference fringe systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Günther, Philipp; Kuschmierz, Robert; Pfister, Thorsten; Czarske, Jürgen W

2013-05-01

The precise distance measurement of fast-moving rough surfaces is important in several applications such as lathe monitoring. A nonincremental interferometer based on two mutually tilted interference fringe systems has been realized for this task. The distance is coded in the phase difference between the generated interference signals corresponding to the fringe systems. Large tilting angles between the interference fringe systems are necessary for a high sensitivity. However, due to the speckle effect at rough surfaces, different envelopes and phase jumps of the interference signals occur. At large tilting angles, these signals become dissimilar, resulting in a small correlation coefficient and a high measurement uncertainty. Based on a matching of illumination and receiving optics, the correlation coefficient and the phase difference estimation have been improved significantly. For axial displacement measurements of recurring rough surfaces, laterally moving with velocities of 5 m/s, an uncertainty of 110 nm has been attained. For nonrecurring surfaces, a distance measurement uncertainty of 830 nm has been achieved. Incorporating the additionally measured lateral velocity and the rotational speed, the two-dimensional shape of rotating objects results. Since the measurement uncertainty of the displacement, distance, and shape is nearly independent of the lateral surface velocity, this technique is predestined for fast-rotating objects, such as crankshafts, camshafts, vacuum pump shafts, or turning parts of lathes.

Knowledge Based Artificial Augmentation Intelligence Technology: Next Step in Academic Instructional Tools for Distance Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Crowe, Dale; LaPierre, Martin; Kebritchi, Mansureh

2017-01-01

With augmented intelligence/knowledge based system (KBS) it is now possible to develop distance learning applications to support both curriculum and administrative tasks. Instructional designers and information technology (IT) professionals are now moving from the programmable systems era that started in the 1950s to the cognitive computing era.…

EFFECTIVENESS OF LEARNING PROCESS USING “WEB TECHNOLOGY” IN THE DISTANCE LEARNING SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manoj KILLEDAR

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Web is a globally distributed, still highly personalized media for cost-effective delivery of multimedia information and services. Web is expected to have a strong impact on almost every aspect of how we learn. ‘Total Quality’ is the totality of features, as perceived by the customers of the product or service. Totality of features includes stated as well as implied needs and expectations of all types of customers. No quality improvement is possible without its unambiguous measurement. But, ‘Total Quality’ of the learning experience in ‘Open and Distance Education System’ cannot be measured unless it is expressed in measurable clear terms which include complete spectrum of student support and educational services. A model for ‘Total Quality’ of an open and distance education system was used to measure impact of the “Web Technology” on the ‘Total Quality’ of the learning experience in ‘Open and Distance Education System’. Evidence indicates that application of the proposed model for ‘Total Quality’ and ‘Web Technology’ can simultaneously optimize quality, access and cost. Thus, a better learning experience can be provided even in open and distance education system, which can be comparable with the best. This study found that it was difficult for the subjects to decide the clear cut superiority regarding the effectiveness of ‘Traditional Classroom’ or ‘Virtual Classroom’.

The relationship between anogenital distance, fatherhood, and fertility in adult men.

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenberg, Michael L; Hsieh, Michael H; Walters, Rustin Chanc; Krasnow, Ross; Lipshultz, Larry I

2011-05-11

Anogenital distance (AGD), a sexually dimorphic measure of genital development, is a marker for endocrine disruption in animal studies and may be shorter in infant males with genital anomalies. Given the correlation between anogenital distance and genital development, we sought to determine if anogenital distance varied in fertile compared to infertile adult men. A cross sectional study of consecutive men being evaluated for infertility and men with proven fertility was recruited from an andrology clinic. Anogenital distance (the distance from the posterior aspect of the scrotum to the anal verge) and penile length (PL) were measured using digital calipers. ANOVA and linear regression were used to determine correlations between AGD, fatherhood status, and semen analysis parameters (sperm density, motility, and total motile sperm count). A total of 117 infertile men (mean age: 35.3±17.4) and 56 fertile men (mean age: 44.8±9.7) were recruited. The infertile men possessed significantly shorter mean AGD and PL compared to the fertile controls (AGD: 31.8 vs 44.6 mm, PL: 107.1 vs 119.5 mm, pfatherhood, on both unadjusted and adjusted linear regression, AGD was significantly correlated with sperm density and total motile sperm count. After adjusting for demographic and reproductive variables, for each 1 cm increase in a man's AGD, the sperm density increases by 4.3 million sperm per mL (95% CI 0.53, 8.09, p = 0.03) and the total motile sperm count increases by 6.0 million sperm (95% CI 1.34, 10.58, p = 0.01). On adjusted analyses, no correlation was seen between penile length and semen parameters. A longer anogenital distance is associated with fatherhood and may predict normal male reproductive potential. Thus, AGD may provide a novel metric to assess reproductive potential in men.

Measuring short distance dispersal of Alliaria petiolata and determining potential long distance dispersal mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher A. Loebach

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction Alliaria petiolata, an herbaceous plant, has invaded woodlands in North America. Its ecology has been thoroughly studied, but an overlooked aspect of its biology is seed dispersal distances and mechanisms. We measured seed dispersal distances in the field and tested if epizoochory is a potential mechanism for long-distance seed dispersal. Methods Dispersal distances were measured by placing seed traps in a sector design around three seed point sources, which consisted of 15 second-year plants transplanted within a 0.25 m radius circle. Traps were placed at intervals ranging from 0.25–3.25 m from the point source. Traps remained in the field until a majority of seeds were dispersed. Eight probability density functions were fitted to seed trap counts via maximum likelihood. Epizoochory was tested as a potential seed dispersal mechanism for A. petiolata through a combination of field and laboratory experiments. To test if small mammals transport A. petiolata seeds in their fur, experimental blocks were placed around dense A. petiolata patches. Each block contained a mammal inclusion treatment (MIT and control. The MIT consisted of a wood-frame (31 × 61× 31 cm covered in wire mesh, except for the two 31 × 31 cm ends, placed over a germination tray filled with potting soil. A pan filled with bait was placed in the center of the tray. The control frame (11 × 31 × 61 cm was placed over a germination tray and completely covered in wire mesh to exclude animal activity. Treatments were in the field for peak seed dispersal. In March, trays were moved to a greenhouse and A. petiolata seedlings were counted and then compared between treatments. To determine if A. petiolata seeds attach to raccoon (Procyon lotor and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus fur, wet and dry seeds were dropped onto wet and dry fur. Furs were rotated 180 degrees and the seeds that remained attached were counted. To measure seed retention, seeds

The Influence of Human Body Orientation on Distance Judgments.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Edgard; Takahashi, Kohske; Watanabe, Katsumi; de la Rosa, Stephan; Butz, Martin V; Bülthoff, Heinrich H; Meilinger, Tobias

2016-01-01

People maintain larger distances to other peoples' front than to their back. We investigated if humans also judge another person as closer when viewing their front than their back. Participants watched animated virtual characters (avatars) and moved a virtual plane toward their location after the avatar was removed. In Experiment 1, participants judged avatars, which were facing them as closer and made quicker estimates than to avatars looking away. In Experiment 2, avatars were rotated in 30 degree steps around the vertical axis. Observers judged avatars roughly facing them (i.e., looking max. 60 degrees away) as closer than avatars roughly looking away. No particular effect was observed for avatars directly facing and also gazing at the observer. We conclude that body orientation was sufficient to generate the asymmetry. Sensitivity of the orientation effect to gaze and to interpersonal distance would have suggested involvement of social processing, but this was not observed. We discuss social and lower-level processing as potential reasons for the effect.

Transmit Power Minimization and Base Station Planning for High-Speed Trains with Multiple Moving Relays in OFDMA Systems

KAUST Repository

Ghazzai, Hakim

2016-03-15

High-speed railway system equipped with moving relay stations placed on the middle of the ceiling of each train wagon is investigated. The users inside the train are served in two hops via the orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) technology. In this work, we first focus on minimizing the total downlink power consumption of the base station (BS) and the moving relays while respecting specific quality of service (QoS) constraints. We first derive the optimal resource allocation solution in terms of OFDMA subcarriers and power allocation using the dual decomposition method. Then, we propose an efficient algorithm based on the Hungarian method in order to find a suboptimal but low complexity solution. Moreover, we propose an OFDMA planning solution for high-speed train by finding the maximal inter-BS distance given the required user data rates in order to perform seamless handover. Our simulation results illustrate the performance of the proposed resource allocation schemes in the case of the 3GPP Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) and compare them with previously developed algorithms as well as with the direct transmission scenario. Our results also highlight the significant planning gain obtained thanks to the use of multiple relays instead of the conventional single relay scenario.

Foraging behavior of bee pollinators on the tropical weed Triumfetta semitriloba: flight distance and directionality.

Science.gov (United States)

Collevatti, R G; Schoereder, J H; Campos, L A

2000-02-01

We studied flight distance and directionality of bee pollinators on the tropical shrub weed Triumfetta semitriloba Jacq. (Tiliaceae), addressing (1) within- and between-plant movement pattern; (2) distances flown between plants; (3) flight directionality. Flowering plants were distributed in well-delimited clumps, in each of two pasture areas (A1 and A2) and one area of forest gap (A3), in Viçosa, southeastern Brazil. Five solitary bee species, Augochlorella michaelis, Augochloropsis cupreola, Pseudocentron paulistana, Ceratinula sp., Melissodes sexcincta, and two social bee, Plebeia droryana, P. cf. nigriceps were observed. All species moved mainly to the nearest flower on the same individual plant and, in between-plant movements, to the first or second nearest neighbor. All species moved non-randomly, presenting a flight directionality in departures (maintenance of flight direction), but with a high frequency of turn angles. It is suggested that this foraging behavior pattern occurred because of the resource quantity and quality (pollen or nectar), and environmental characteristics such as flower density and resource distribution.

Landscape features influence gene flow as measured by cost-distance and genetic analyses: a case study for giant pandas in the Daxiangling and Xiaoxiangling Mountains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Fuwen

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Gene flow maintains genetic diversity within a species and is influenced by individual behavior and the geographical features of the species' habitat. Here, we have characterized the geographical distribution of genetic patterns in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca living in four isolated patches of the Xiaoxiangling and Daxiangling Mountains. Three geographic distance definitions were used with the "isolation by distance theory": Euclidean distance (EUD, least-cost path distance (LCD defined by food resources, and LCD defined by habitat suitability. Results A total of 136 genotypes were obtained from 192 fecal samples and one blood sample, corresponding to 53 unique genotypes. Geographical maps plotted at high resolution using smaller neighborhood radius definitions produced large cost distances, because smaller radii include a finer level of detail in considering each pixel. Mantel tests showed that most correlation indices, particularly bamboo resources defined for different sizes of raster cell, were slightly larger than the correlations calculated for the Euclidean distance, with the exception of Patch C. We found that natural barriers might have decreased gene flow between the Xiaoxiangling and Daxiangling regions. Conclusions Landscape features were found to partially influence gene flow in the giant panda population. This result is closely linked to the biological character and behavior of giant pandas because, as bamboo feeders, individuals spend most of their lives eating bamboo or moving within the bamboo forest. Landscape-based genetic analysis suggests that gene flow will be enhanced if the connectivity between currently fragmented bamboo forests is increased.

Scaling of Natal Dispersal Distances in Terrestrial Birds and Mammals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glenn D. Sutherland

2000-07-01

Full Text Available Natal dispersal is a process that is critical in the spatial dynamics of populations, including population spread, recolonization, and gene flow. It is a central focus of conservation issues for many vertebrate species. Using data for 77 bird and 68 mammal species, we tested whether median and maximum natal dispersal distances were correlated with body mass, diet type, social system, taxonomic family, and migratory status. Body mass and diet type were found to predict both median and maximum natal dispersal distances in mammals: large species dispersed farther than small ones, and carnivorous species dispersed farther than herbivores and omnivores. Similar relationships occurred for carnivorous bird species, but not for herbivorous or omnivorous ones. Natal dispersal distances in birds or mammals were not significantly related to broad categories of social systems. Only in birds were factors such as taxonomic relatedness and migratory status correlated with natal dispersal, and then only for maximum distances. Summary properties of dispersal processes appeared to be derived from interactions among behavioral and morphological characteristics of species and from their linkages to the dynamics of resource availability in landscapes. In all the species we examined, most dispersers moved relatively short distances, and long-distance dispersal was uncommon. On the basis of these findings, we fit an empirical model based on the negative exponential distribution for calculating minimum probabilities that animals disperse particular distances from their natal areas. This model, coupled with knowledge of a species' body mass and diet type, can be used to conservatively predict dispersal distances for different species and examine possible consequences of large-scale habitat alterations on connectedness between populations. Taken together, our results can provide managers with the means to identify species vulnerable to landscape-level habitat changes

A Total Factor Productivity Toolbox for MATLAB

NARCIS (Netherlands)

B.M. Balk (Bert); J. Barbero (Javier); J.L. Zofío (José)

2018-01-01

textabstractTotal Factor Productivity Toolbox is a new package for MATLAB that includes functions to calculate the main Total Factor Productivity (TFP) indices and their decompositions, based on Shephard’s distance functions and using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) programming techniques. The

Virtual-reality techniques resolve the visual cues used by fruit flies to evaluate object distances.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, Stefan; Strauss, Roland; Götz, Karl G

2002-09-17

Insects can estimate distance or time-to-contact of surrounding objects from locomotion-induced changes in their retinal position and/or size. Freely walking fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) use the received mixture of different distance cues to select the nearest objects for subsequent visits. Conventional methods of behavioral analysis fail to elucidate the underlying data extraction. Here we demonstrate first comprehensive solutions of this problem by substituting virtual for real objects; a tracker-controlled 360 degrees panorama converts a fruit fly's changing coordinates into object illusions that require the perception of specific cues to appear at preselected distances up to infinity. An application reveals the following: (1) en-route sampling of retinal-image changes accounts for distance discrimination within a surprising range of at least 8-80 body lengths (20-200 mm). Stereopsis and peering are not involved. (2) Distance from image translation in the expected direction (motion parallax) outweighs distance from image expansion, which accounts for impact-avoiding flight reactions to looming objects. (3) The ability to discriminate distances is robust to artificially delayed updating of image translation. Fruit flies appear to interrelate self-motion and its visual feedback within a surprisingly long time window of about 2 s. The comparative distance inspection practiced in the small fruit fly deserves utilization in self-moving robots.

PERBANDINGAN EUCLIDEAN DISTANCE DENGAN CANBERRA DISTANCE PADA FACE RECOGNITION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sendhy Rachmat Wurdianarto

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Perkembangan ilmu pada dunia komputer sangatlah pesat. Salah satu yang menandai hal ini adalah ilmu komputer telah merambah pada dunia biometrik. Arti biometrik sendiri adalah karakter-karakter manusia yang dapat digunakan untuk membedakan antara orang yang satu dengan yang lainnya. Salah satu pemanfaatan karakter / organ tubuh pada setiap manusia yang digunakan untuk identifikasi (pengenalan adalah dengan memanfaatkan wajah. Dari permasalahan diatas dalam pengenalan lebih tentang aplikasi Matlab pada Face Recognation menggunakan metode Euclidean Distance dan Canberra Distance. Model pengembangan aplikasi yang digunakan adalah model waterfall. Model waterfall beriisi rangkaian aktivitas proses yang disajikan dalam proses analisa kebutuhan, desain menggunakan UML (Unified Modeling Language, inputan objek gambar diproses menggunakan Euclidean Distance dan Canberra Distance. Kesimpulan yang dapat ditarik adalah aplikasi face Recognation menggunakan metode euclidean Distance dan Canverra Distance terdapat kelebihan dan kekurangan masing-masing. Untuk kedepannya aplikasi tersebut dapat dikembangkan dengan menggunakan objek berupa video ataupun objek lainnya.   Kata kunci : Euclidean Distance, Face Recognition, Biometrik, Canberra Distance

Move up,Move out

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Guo Yan

2007-01-01

@@ China has already become the world's largest manufacturer of cement,copper and steel.Chinese producers have moved onto the world stage and dominated the global consumer market from textiles to electronics with amazing speed and efficiency.

The relationship between anogenital distance, fatherhood, and fertility in adult men.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael L Eisenberg

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Anogenital distance (AGD, a sexually dimorphic measure of genital development, is a marker for endocrine disruption in animal studies and may be shorter in infant males with genital anomalies. Given the correlation between anogenital distance and genital development, we sought to determine if anogenital distance varied in fertile compared to infertile adult men. METHODS: A cross sectional study of consecutive men being evaluated for infertility and men with proven fertility was recruited from an andrology clinic. Anogenital distance (the distance from the posterior aspect of the scrotum to the anal verge and penile length (PL were measured using digital calipers. ANOVA and linear regression were used to determine correlations between AGD, fatherhood status, and semen analysis parameters (sperm density, motility, and total motile sperm count. FINDINGS: A total of 117 infertile men (mean age: 35.3±17.4 and 56 fertile men (mean age: 44.8±9.7 were recruited. The infertile men possessed significantly shorter mean AGD and PL compared to the fertile controls (AGD: 31.8 vs 44.6 mm, PL: 107.1 vs 119.5 mm, p<0.01. The difference in AGD persisted even after accounting for ethnic and anthropomorphic differences. In addition to fatherhood, on both unadjusted and adjusted linear regression, AGD was significantly correlated with sperm density and total motile sperm count. After adjusting for demographic and reproductive variables, for each 1 cm increase in a man's AGD, the sperm density increases by 4.3 million sperm per mL (95% CI 0.53, 8.09, p = 0.03 and the total motile sperm count increases by 6.0 million sperm (95% CI 1.34, 10.58, p = 0.01. On adjusted analyses, no correlation was seen between penile length and semen parameters. CONCLUSION: A longer anogenital distance is associated with fatherhood and may predict normal male reproductive potential. Thus, AGD may provide a novel metric to assess reproductive potential in men.

Reliability and accuracy of Cooper's test in male long distance runners

OpenAIRE

J.R. Alvero-Cruz; M.A. Giráldez García; E.A. Carnero

2017-01-01

Objective: Endurance capacity can be assessed by field test such as Cooper's test; however, reliability and accuracy are rarely reported in the literature. It was our aims to describe reliability and accuracy of Cooper's test in long distance runners. Method: Fifteen male long distance runners performed twice all-out Cooper's test in a 400 m track. Total distance covered, maximum heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion were recorded. Bias correction factor (Bc) was used to describe ...

Role of moving planes and moving spheres following Dupin cyclides

KAUST Repository

Jia, Xiaohong

2014-03-01

We provide explicit representations of three moving planes that form a μ-basis for a standard Dupin cyclide. We also show how to compute μ-bases for Dupin cyclides in general position and orientation from their implicit equations. In addition, we describe the role of moving planes and moving spheres in bridging between the implicit and rational parametric representations of these cyclides. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Role of moving planes and moving spheres following Dupin cyclides

KAUST Repository

Jia, Xiaohong

2014-01-01

We provide explicit representations of three moving planes that form a μ-basis for a standard Dupin cyclide. We also show how to compute μ-bases for Dupin cyclides in general position and orientation from their implicit equations. In addition, we describe the role of moving planes and moving spheres in bridging between the implicit and rational parametric representations of these cyclides. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Encyclopedia of distances

CERN Document Server

Deza, Michel Marie

2016-01-01

This 4th edition of the leading reference volume on distance metrics is characterized by updated and rewritten sections on some items suggested by experts and readers, as well a general streamlining of content and the addition of essential new topics. Though the structure remains unchanged, the new edition also explores recent advances in the use of distances and metrics for e.g. generalized distances, probability theory, graph theory, coding theory, data analysis. New topics in the purely mathematical sections include e.g. the Vitanyi multiset-metric, algebraic point-conic distance, triangular ratio metric, Rossi-Hamming metric, Taneja distance, spectral semimetric between graphs, channel metrization, and Maryland bridge distance. The multidisciplinary sections have also been supplemented with new topics, including: dynamic time wrapping distance, memory distance, allometry, atmospheric depth, elliptic orbit distance, VLBI distance measurements, the astronomical system of units, and walkability distance. Lea...

Automatic Moving Object Segmentation for Freely Moving Cameras

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanli Wan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a new moving object segmentation algorithm for freely moving cameras which is very common for the outdoor surveillance system, the car build-in surveillance system, and the robot navigation system. A two-layer based affine transformation model optimization method is proposed for camera compensation purpose, where the outer layer iteration is used to filter the non-background feature points, and the inner layer iteration is used to estimate a refined affine model based on the RANSAC method. Then the feature points are classified into foreground and background according to the detected motion information. A geodesic based graph cut algorithm is then employed to extract the moving foreground based on the classified features. Unlike the existing global optimization or the long term feature point tracking based method, our algorithm only performs on two successive frames to segment the moving foreground, which makes it suitable for the online video processing applications. The experiment results demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm in both of the high accuracy and the fast speed.

Distance Learning

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Braddock, Joseph

1997-01-01

A study reviewing the existing Army Distance Learning Plan (ADLP) and current Distance Learning practices, with a focus on the Army's training and educational challenges and the benefits of applying Distance Learning techniques...

Spatial distance effects on incremental semantic interpretation of abstract sentences: evidence from eye tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerra, Ernesto; Knoeferle, Pia

2014-12-01

A large body of evidence has shown that visual context information can rapidly modulate language comprehension for concrete sentences and when it is mediated by a referential or a lexical-semantic link. What has not yet been examined is whether visual context can also modulate comprehension of abstract sentences incrementally when it is neither referenced by, nor lexically associated with, the sentence. Three eye-tracking reading experiments examined the effects of spatial distance between words (Experiment 1) and objects (Experiment 2 and 3) on participants' reading times for sentences that convey similarity or difference between two abstract nouns (e.g., 'Peace and war are certainly different...'). Before reading the sentence, participants inspected a visual context with two playing cards that moved either far apart or close together. In Experiment 1, the cards turned and showed the first two nouns of the sentence (e.g., 'peace', 'war'). In Experiments 2 and 3, they turned but remained blank. Participants' reading times at the adjective (Experiment 1: first-pass reading time; Experiment 2: total times) and at the second noun phrase (Experiment 3: first-pass times) were faster for sentences that expressed similarity when the preceding words/objects were close together (vs. far apart) and for sentences that expressed dissimilarity when the preceding words/objects were far apart (vs. close together). Thus, spatial distance between words or entirely unrelated objects can rapidly and incrementally modulate the semantic interpretation of abstract sentences. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Moving event and moving participant in aspectual conceptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Izutsu Katsunobu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study advances an analysis of the event conception of aspectual forms in four East Asian languages: Ainu, Japanese, Korean, and Ryukyuan. As earlier studies point out, event conceptions can be divided into two major types: the moving-event type and the moving-participant type, respectively. All aspectual forms in Ainu and Korean, and most forms in Japanese and Ryukyuan are based on that type of event conception. Moving-participant oriented Ainu and movingevent oriented Japanese occupy two extremes, between which Korean and Ryukyuan stand. Notwithstanding the geographical relationships among the four languages, Ryukyuan is closer to Ainu than to Korean, whereas Korean is closer to Ainu than to Japanese.

Nonequilibrium dynamics of moving mirrors in quantum fields: Influence functional and the Langevin equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, C.-H.; Lee, D.-S.

2005-01-01

We employ the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism to study the nonequilibrium dynamics of the mirror with perfect reflection moving in a quantum field. In the case where the mirror undergoes the small displacement, the coarse-grained effective action is obtained by integrating out the quantum field with the method of influence functional. The semiclassical Langevin equation is derived, and is found to involve two levels of backreaction effects on the dynamics of mirrors: radiation reaction induced by the motion of the mirror and backreaction dissipation arising from fluctuations in quantum field via a fluctuation-dissipation relation. Although the corresponding theorem of fluctuation and dissipation for the case with the small mirror's displacement is of model independence, the study from the first principles derivation shows that the theorem is also independent of the regulators introduced to deal with short-distance divergences from the quantum field. Thus, when the method of regularization is introduced to compute the dissipation and fluctuation effects, this theorem must be fulfilled as the results are obtained by taking the short-distance limit in the end of calculations. The backreaction effects from vacuum fluctuations on moving mirrors are found to be hardly detected while those effects from thermal fluctuations may be detectable

Screening of a moving charge in a nonequilibrium plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filippov, A. V.; Zagorodny, A. G.; Momot, A. I.; Pal', A. F.; Starostin, A. N.

2009-01-01

Based on the model of point sinks, we consider the problem on the screening of the charge of a moving macroparticle in a nonequilibrium plasma. The characteristic formation times of the polarization cloud around such a macroparticle have been determined by the method of a three-dimensional integral Fourier transformation in spatial variables and a Laplace transformation in time. The screening effect is shown to be enhanced with increasing macroparticle velocity. We consider the applicability conditions for the model of point sinks and establish that the domain of applicability of the results obtained expands with decreasing gas ionization rate and macroparticle size. We consider the problem of charge screening at low velocities and establish that the stationary potential of the moving charge has a dipole component that becomes dominant at large distances. We show that the direction of the force exerted on the dust particle by the induced charges generally depends on the relationship between the transport and loss coefficients of the plasma particles in a plasma. When the Langevin ion recombination coefficient β iL = 4πeμ i exceeds the electron-ion recombination coefficient β ei , this force will accelerate the dust particles in the presence of sinks. In the absence of sinks or when β ei > β iL , this force will be opposite in direction to the dust particle velocity. We also consider the problem on the energy and force of interaction between a moving charged macroparticle and the induced charges

INSIGHTS INTO THE CEPHEID DISTANCE SCALE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bono, G.; Caputo, F.; Marconi, M.; Musella, I.

2010-01-01

We present a detailed investigation of the Cepheid distance scale by using both theory and observations. Through the use of pulsation models for fundamental mode Cepheids, we found that the slope of the period-luminosity (P-L) relation covering the entire period range (0.40 ≤ log P ≤ 2.0) becomes steeper when moving from optical to near-infrared (NIR) bands, and that the metallicity dependence of the slope decreases from the B- to the K band. The sign of the metallicity dependence for the slopes of the P-L V and P-L I relation is at odds with some recent empirical estimates. We determined new homogeneous estimates of V- and I-band slopes for 87 independent Cepheid data sets belonging to 48 external galaxies with nebular oxygen abundance 7.5 ≤ 12 + log (O/H) ≤ 8.9. By using Cepheid samples including more than 20 Cepheids, the χ 2 test indicates that the hypothesis of a steepening of the P-L V,I relations with increased metal content can be discarded at the 99% level. On the contrary, the observed slopes agree with the metallicity trend predicted by pulsation models, i.e., the slope is roughly constant for galaxies with 12+log (O/H) 2 test concerning the hypothesis that the slope does not depend on metallicity gives confidence levels either similar (PL V , 62%) or smaller (PL I , 67%). We investigated the dependence of the period-Wesenheit (P-W) relations on the metal content and we found that the slopes of optical and NIR P-W relations in external galaxies are similar to the slopes of Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids. They also agree with the theoretical predictions suggesting that the slopes of the P-W relations are independent of the metal content. On this ground, the P-W relations provide a robust method to determine distance moduli relative to the LMC, but theory and observations indicate that the metallicity dependence of the zero point in the different passbands has to be taken into account. To constrain this effect, we compared the independent

REPRESENTATIONS OF DISTANCE: DIFFERENCES IN UNDERSTANDING DISTANCE ACCORDING TO TRAVEL METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gunvor Riber Larsen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper explores how Danish tourists represent distance in relation to their holiday mobility and how these representations of distance are a result of being aero-mobile as opposed to being land-mobile. Based on interviews with Danish tourists, whose holiday mobility ranges from the European continent to global destinations, the first part of this qualitative study identifies three categories of representations of distance that show how distance is being ‘translated’ by the tourists into non-geometric forms: distance as resources, distance as accessibility, and distance as knowledge. The representations of distance articulated by the Danish tourists show that distance is often not viewed in ‘just’ kilometres. Rather, it is understood in forms that express how transcending the physical distance through holiday mobility is dependent on individual social and economic contexts, and on whether the journey was undertaken by air or land. The analysis also shows that being aeromobile is the holiday transportation mode that removes the tourists the furthest away from physical distance, resulting in the distance travelled by air being represented in ways that have the least correlation, in the tourists’ minds, with physical distance measured in kilometres.

Resource tracking within and across continents in long-distance bird migrants

KAUST Repository

Thorup, Kasper

2017-01-05

Migratory birds track seasonal resources across and between continents. We propose a general strategy of tracking the broad seasonal abundance of resources throughout the annual cycle in the longest-distance migrating land birds as an alternative to tracking a certain climatic niche or shorter-term resource surplus occurring, for example, during spring foliation. Whether and how this is possible for complex annual spatiotemporal schedules is not known. New tracking technology enables unprecedented spatial and temporal mapping of long-distance movement of birds. We show that three Palearctic-African species track vegetation greenness throughout their annual cycle, adjusting the timing and direction of migratory movements with seasonal changes in resource availability over Europe and Africa. Common cuckoos maximize the vegetation greenness, whereas red-backed shrikes and thrush nightingales track seasonal surplus in greenness. Our results demonstrate that the longest-distance migrants move between consecutive staging areas even within the wintering region in Africa to match seasonal variation in regional climate. End-of-century climate projections indicate that optimizing greenness would be possible but that vegetation surplus might be more difficult to track in the future.

Resource tracking within and across continents in long-distance bird migrants.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorup, Kasper; Tøttrup, Anders P; Willemoes, Mikkel; Klaassen, Raymond H G; Strandberg, Roine; Vega, Marta Lomas; Dasari, Hari P; Araújo, Miguel B; Wikelski, Martin; Rahbek, Carsten

2017-01-01

Migratory birds track seasonal resources across and between continents. We propose a general strategy of tracking the broad seasonal abundance of resources throughout the annual cycle in the longest-distance migrating land birds as an alternative to tracking a certain climatic niche or shorter-term resource surplus occurring, for example, during spring foliation. Whether and how this is possible for complex annual spatiotemporal schedules is not known. New tracking technology enables unprecedented spatial and temporal mapping of long-distance movement of birds. We show that three Palearctic-African species track vegetation greenness throughout their annual cycle, adjusting the timing and direction of migratory movements with seasonal changes in resource availability over Europe and Africa. Common cuckoos maximize the vegetation greenness, whereas red-backed shrikes and thrush nightingales track seasonal surplus in greenness. Our results demonstrate that the longest-distance migrants move between consecutive staging areas even within the wintering region in Africa to match seasonal variation in regional climate. End-of-century climate projections indicate that optimizing greenness would be possible but that vegetation surplus might be more difficult to track in the future.

The Influence of Human Body Orientation on Distance Judgments

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Edgard eJung

2016-03-01

Full Text Available People maintain larger distances to other peoples’ front than to their back. We investigated if humans also judge another person as closer when viewing their front than their back. Participants watched animated virtual characters (avatars and moved a virtual plane towards their location after the avatar was removed. In Experiment 1, participants judged avatars, which were facing them as closer and made quicker estimates than to avatars looking away. In Experiment 2, avatars were rotated in 30 degree steps around the vertical axis. Observers judged avatars roughly facing them (i.e., looking max. 60 degrees away as closer than avatars roughly looking away. No particular effect was observed for avatars directly facing and also gazing at the observer. We conclude that body orientation was sufficient to generate the asymmetry. Sensitivity of the orientation effect to gaze and to interpersonal distance would have suggested involvement of social processing, but this was not observed. We discuss social and lower-level processing as potential reasons for the effect.

Encyclopedia of distances

CERN Document Server

Deza, Michel Marie

2014-01-01

This updated and revised third edition of the leading reference volume on distance metrics includes new items from very active research areas in the use of distances and metrics such as geometry, graph theory, probability theory and analysis. Among the new topics included are, for example, polyhedral metric space, nearness matrix problems, distances between belief assignments, distance-related animal settings, diamond-cutting distances, natural units of length, Heidegger’s de-severance distance, and brain distances. The publication of this volume coincides with intensifying research efforts into metric spaces and especially distance design for applications. Accurate metrics have become a crucial goal in computational biology, image analysis, speech recognition and information retrieval. Leaving aside the practical questions that arise during the selection of a ‘good’ distance function, this work focuses on providing the research community with an invaluable comprehensive listing of the main available di...

Age and gender interactions in short distance triathlon performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Etter, Franziska; Knechtle, Beat; Bukowski, Arkadiusz; Rüst, Christoph Alexander; Rosemann, Thomas; Lepers, Romuald

2013-01-01

This study investigated the participation and performance trends as well as the age and gender interaction at the Olympic distance 'Zürich Triathlon' (1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle and 10 km run) from 2000 to 2010 in 7,939 total finishers (1,666 females and 6,273 males). Female triathletes aged from 40 to 54 years significantly (P distance triathlon performance increased after the age of 35 years, which appeared earlier compared to long distance triathlon as suggested by previous studies. Future investigations should compare gender difference in performance for different endurance events across age to confirm a possible effect of exercise duration on gender difference with advancing age.

A comparison of moving object detection methods for real-time moving object detection

Science.gov (United States)

Roshan, Aditya; Zhang, Yun

2014-06-01

Moving object detection has a wide variety of applications from traffic monitoring, site monitoring, automatic theft identification, face detection to military surveillance. Many methods have been developed across the globe for moving object detection, but it is very difficult to find one which can work globally in all situations and with different types of videos. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate existing moving object detection methods which can be implemented in software on a desktop or laptop, for real time object detection. There are several moving object detection methods noted in the literature, but few of them are suitable for real time moving object detection. Most of the methods which provide for real time movement are further limited by the number of objects and the scene complexity. This paper evaluates the four most commonly used moving object detection methods as background subtraction technique, Gaussian mixture model, wavelet based and optical flow based methods. The work is based on evaluation of these four moving object detection methods using two (2) different sets of cameras and two (2) different scenes. The moving object detection methods have been implemented using MatLab and results are compared based on completeness of detected objects, noise, light change sensitivity, processing time etc. After comparison, it is observed that optical flow based method took least processing time and successfully detected boundary of moving objects which also implies that it can be implemented for real-time moving object detection.

Interface Simulation Distances

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Pavol Černý

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The classical (boolean notion of refinement for behavioral interfaces of system components is the alternating refinement preorder. In this paper, we define a distance for interfaces, called interface simulation distance. It makes the alternating refinement preorder quantitative by, intuitively, tolerating errors (while counting them in the alternating simulation game. We show that the interface simulation distance satisfies the triangle inequality, that the distance between two interfaces does not increase under parallel composition with a third interface, and that the distance between two interfaces can be bounded from above and below by distances between abstractions of the two interfaces. We illustrate the framework, and the properties of the distances under composition of interfaces, with two case studies.

Prototype moving-ring reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, A.C. Jr.; Ashworth, C.P.; Abreu, K.E.

1982-01-01

We have completed a design of the Prototype Moving-Ring Reactor. The fusion fuel is confined in current-carrying rings of magnetically-field-reversed plasma (Compact Toroids). The plasma rings, formed by a coaxial plasma gun, undergo adiabatic magnetic compression to ignition temperature while they are being injected into the reactor's burner section. The cylindrical burner chamber is divided into three burn stations. Separator coils and a slight axial guide field gradient are used to shuttle the ignited toroids rapidly from one burn station to the next, pausing for 1/3 of the total burn time at each station. D-T- 3 He ice pellets refuel the rings at a rate which maintains constant radiated power

Moves Analysis on Abstracts Written by the Students in Academic Writing Class

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Ajeng Setyorini

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper contains analysis results on abstracts written by students in Academic Writing course. The analysis includes analyses on moves and linguistic features. The analysis aims at finding out how the abstract writing structures of the English Education students are in the Academic Writing course. The abstract analysis also includes the analysis on the use of the linguistic features in the abstracts. The analysis uses a qualitative research approach. There are totally 10 abstracts that are analyzed. These are then called as the data. Data obtained is analyzed using genre analysis approach. Results of analysis on the 10 abstracts showed that some of the abstracts are written using 5 kinds of moves. All of the abstracts are found using Purpose Move and Method Move. Meanwhile, Situation Move is found in 5 abstracts. 8 abstracts are identified using Result Move. Conclusion Move is found in 5 abstracts. The results also show that all of the abstract writers use pronouns ‘the writer’ and ‘the researcher’. The use of personal pronoun ‘she’ is also found in 1 abstract. Hedges used in abstracts written by students in Academic Writing course vary from modal auxiliary verbs, adjectival, adverbial, nominal to Approximates of degree.

Bats Use Path Integration Rather Than Acoustic Flow to Assess Flight Distance along Flyways.

Science.gov (United States)

Aharon, Gal; Sadot, Meshi; Yovel, Yossi

2017-12-04

Navigation can be achieved using different strategies from simple beaconing to complex map-based movement [1-4]. Bats display remarkable navigation capabilities, ranging from nightly commutes of several kilometers and up to seasonal migrations over thousands of kilometers [5]. Many bats have been suggested to fly along fixed routes termed "flyways," when flying from their roost to their foraging sites [6]. Flyways commonly stretch along linear landscape elements such as tree lines, hedges, or rivers [7]. When flying along a flyway, bats must estimate the distance they have traveled in order to determine when to turn. This can be especially challenging when moving along a repetitive landscape. Some bats, like Kuhl's pipistrelles, which we studied here, have limited vision [8] and were suggested to rely on bio-sonar for navigation. These bats could therefore estimate distance using three main sensory-navigation strategies, all of which we have examined: acoustic flow, acoustic landmarks, or path integration. We trained bats to fly along a linear flyway and land on a platform. We then tested their behavior when the platform was removed under different manipulations, including changing the acoustic flow, moving the start point, and adding wind. We found that bats do not require acoustic flow, which was hypothesized to be important for their navigation [9-15], and that they can perform the task without landmarks. Our results suggest that Kuhl's pipistrelles use internal self-motion cues-also known as path integration-rather than external information to estimate flight distance for at least dozens of meters when navigating along linear flyways. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maximum distance between the Leader and the Laggard for three Brownian walkers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majumdar, Satya N; Bray, Alan J

2010-01-01

We consider three independent Brownian walkers moving on a line. The process terminates when the leftmost walker (the 'Leader') meets either of the other two walkers. For arbitrary values of the diffusion constants D 1 (the Leader), D 2 and D 3 of the three walkers, we compute the probability distribution P(m|y 2 , y 3 ) of the maximum distance m between the Leader and the current rightmost particle (the 'Laggard') during the process, where y 2 and y 3 are the initial distances between the Leader and the other two walkers. The result has, for large m, the form P(m|y 2 , y 3 ) ∼ A(y 2 , y 3 )m −δ , where δ = (2π − θ)/(π − θ) and θ= cos -1 (D 1 /√((D 1 +D 2 )(D 1 +D 3 ))). The amplitude A(y 2 , y 3 ) is also determined exactly

Reducing the distance in distance-caregiving by technology innovation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lazelle E Benefield

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Lazelle E Benefield1, Cornelia Beck21College of Nursing, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; 2Pat & Willard Walker Family Memory Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USAAbstract: Family caregivers are responsible for the home care of over 34 million older adults in the United States. For many, the elder family member lives more than an hour’s distance away. Distance caregiving is a growing alternative to more familiar models where: 1 the elder and the family caregiver(s may reside in the same household; or 2 the family caregiver may live nearby but not in the same household as the elder. The distance caregiving model involves elders and their family caregivers who live at some distance, defined as more than a 60-minute commute, from one another. Evidence suggests that distance caregiving is a distinct phenomenon, differs substantially from on-site family caregiving, and requires additional assistance to support the physical, social, and contextual dimensions of the caregiving process. Technology-based assists could virtually connect the caregiver and elder and provide strong support that addresses the elder’s physical, social, cognitive, and/or sensory impairments. Therefore, in today’s era of high technology, it is surprising that so few affordable innovations are being marketed for distance caregiving. This article addresses distance caregiving, proposes the use of technology innovation to support caregiving, and suggests a research agenda to better inform policy decisions related to the unique needs of this situation.Keywords: caregiving, family, distance, technology, elders

The critical distance in laser-induced plasmas: an operative definition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Side, D. Delle; Giuffreda, E.; Nassisi, V.

2016-01-01

We propose a method to estimate a precise value for the critical distance L cr after which three-body recombination stops to produce charge losses in an expanding laser-induced plasma. We show in particular that the total charge collected has a ''reversed sigmoid'' shape as a function of the target-to-detector distance. Fitting the total charge data with a logistic related function, we could consider as L cr the intercept of the tangent to this curve in its inflection point. Furthermore, this value scales well with theoretical predictions. From the application point of view, this could be of great practical interest, since it provide a reliable way to precisely determine the geometry of the extraction system in Laser Ion Sources.

The critical distance in laser-induced plasmas: an operative definition

Science.gov (United States)

Delle Side, D.; Giuffreda, E.; Nassisi, V.

2016-05-01

We propose a method to estimate a precise value for the critical distance Lcr after which three-body recombination stops to produce charge losses in an expanding laser-induced plasma. We show in particular that the total charge collected has a ``reversed sigmoid'' shape as a function of the target-to-detector distance. Fitting the total charge data with a logistic related function, we could consider as Lcr the intercept of the tangent to this curve in its inflection point. Furthermore, this value scales well with theoretical predictions. From the application point of view, this could be of great practical interest, since it provide a reliable way to precisely determine the geometry of the extraction system in Laser Ion Sources.

Censoring distances based on labeled cortical distance maps in cortical morphometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceyhan, Elvan; Nishino, Tomoyuki; Alexopolous, Dimitrios; Todd, Richard D; Botteron, Kelly N; Miller, Michael I; Ratnanather, J Tilak

2013-01-01

It has been demonstrated that shape differences in cortical structures may be manifested in neuropsychiatric disorders. Such morphometric differences can be measured by labeled cortical distance mapping (LCDM) which characterizes the morphometry of the laminar cortical mantle of cortical structures. LCDM data consist of signed/labeled distances of gray matter (GM) voxels with respect to GM/white matter (WM) surface. Volumes and other summary measures for each subject and the pooled distances can help determine the morphometric differences between diagnostic groups, however they do not reveal all the morphometric information contained in LCDM distances. To extract more information from LCDM data, censoring of the pooled distances is introduced for each diagnostic group where the range of LCDM distances is partitioned at a fixed increment size; and at each censoring step, the distances not exceeding the censoring distance are kept. Censored LCDM distances inherit the advantages of the pooled distances but also provide information about the location of morphometric differences which cannot be obtained from the pooled distances. However, at each step, the censored distances aggregate, which might confound the results. The influence of data aggregation is investigated with an extensive Monte Carlo simulation analysis and it is demonstrated that this influence is negligible. As an illustrative example, GM of ventral medial prefrontal cortices (VMPFCs) of subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD), subjects at high risk (HR) of MDD, and healthy control (Ctrl) subjects are used. A significant reduction in laminar thickness of the VMPFC in MDD and HR subjects is observed compared to Ctrl subjects. Moreover, the GM LCDM distances (i.e., locations with respect to the GM/WM surface) for which these differences start to occur are determined. The methodology is also applicable to LCDM-based morphometric measures of other cortical structures affected by disease.

Censoring Distances Based on Labeled Cortical Distance Maps in Cortical Morphometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elvan eCeyhan

2013-10-01

Full Text Available It has been demonstrated that shape differences are manifested in cortical structures due to neuropsychiatric disorders. Such morphometric differences can be measured by labeled cortical distance mapping (LCDM which characterizes the morphometry of the laminar cortical mantle of cortical structures. LCDM data consist of signed/labeled distances of gray matter (GM voxels with respect to GM/white matter (WM surface. Volumes and other summary measures for each subject and the pooled distances can help determine the morphometric differences between diagnostic groups, however they do not reveal all the morphometric information con-tained in LCDM distances. To extract more information from LCDM data, censoring of the pooled distances is introduced for each diagnostic group where the range of LCDM distances is partitioned at a fixed increment size; and at each censoring step, the distances not exceeding the censoring distance are kept. Censored LCDM distances inherit the advantages of the pooled distances but also provide information about the location of morphometric differences which cannot be obtained from the pooled distances. However, at each step, the censored distances aggregate, which might confound the results. The influence of data aggregation is investigated with an extensive Monte Carlo simulation analysis and it is demonstrated that this influence is negligible. As an illustrative example, GM of ventral medial prefrontal cortices (VMPFCs of subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD, subjects at high risk (HR of MDD, and healthy control (Ctrl subjects are used. A significant reduction in laminar thickness of the VMPFC in MDD and HR subjects is observed compared to Ctrl subjects. Moreover, the GM LCDM distances (i.e., locations with respect to the GM/WM surface for which these differences start to occur are determined. The methodology is also applicable to LCDM-based morphometric measures of other cortical structures affected by disease.

Training for Distance Teaching through Distance Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadorath, Jill; Harris, Simon; Encinas, Fatima

2002-01-01

Describes a mixed-mode bachelor degree course in English language teaching at the Universidad Autonoma de Puebla (Mexico) that was designed to help practicing teachers write appropriate distance education materials by giving them the experience of being distance students. Includes a course outline and results of a course evaluation. (Author/LRW)

Tourists consuming distance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Gunvor Riber

The environmental impact of tourism mobility is linked to the distances travelled in order to reach a holiday destination, and with tourists travelling more and further than previously, an understanding of how the tourists view the distance they travel across becomes relevant. Based on interviews...... contribute to an understanding of how it is possible to change tourism travel behaviour towards becoming more sustainable. How tourists 'consume distance' is discussed, from the practical level of actually driving the car or sitting in the air plane, to the symbolic consumption of distance that occurs when...... travelling on holiday becomes part of a lifestyle and a social positioning game. Further, different types of tourist distance consumers are identified, ranging from the reluctant to the deliberate and nonchalant distance consumers, who display very differing attitudes towards the distance they all travel...

Analytic processing of distance.

Science.gov (United States)

Dopkins, Stephen; Galyer, Darin

2018-01-01

How does a human observer extract from the distance between two frontal points the component corresponding to an axis of a rectangular reference frame? To find out we had participants classify pairs of small circles, varying on the horizontal and vertical axes of a computer screen, in terms of the horizontal distance between them. A response signal controlled response time. The error rate depended on the irrelevant vertical as well as the relevant horizontal distance between the test circles with the relevant distance effect being larger than the irrelevant distance effect. The results implied that the horizontal distance between the test circles was imperfectly extracted from the overall distance between them. The results supported an account, derived from the Exemplar Based Random Walk model (Nosofsky & Palmieri, 1997), under which distance classification is based on the overall distance between the test circles, with relevant distance being extracted from overall distance to the extent that the relevant and irrelevant axes are differentially weighted so as to reduce the contribution of irrelevant distance to overall distance. The results did not support an account, derived from the General Recognition Theory (Ashby & Maddox, 1994), under which distance classification is based on the relevant distance between the test circles, with the irrelevant distance effect arising because a test circle's perceived location on the relevant axis depends on its location on the irrelevant axis, and with relevant distance being extracted from overall distance to the extent that this dependency is absent. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Secular Extragalactic Parallax and Geometric Distances with Gaia Proper Motions

Science.gov (United States)

Paine, Jennie; Darling, Jeremiah K.

2018-06-01

The motion of the Solar System with respect to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) rest frame creates a well measured dipole in the CMB, which corresponds to a linear solar velocity of about 78 AU/yr. This motion causes relatively nearby extragalactic objects to appear to move compared to more distant objects, an effect that can be measured in the proper motions of nearby galaxies. An object at 1 Mpc and perpendicular to the CMB apex will exhibit a secular parallax, observed as a proper motion, of 78 µas/yr. The relatively large peculiar motions of galaxies make the detection of secular parallax challenging for individual objects. Instead, a statistical parallax measurement can be made for a sample of objects with proper motions, where the global parallax signal is modeled as an E-mode dipole that diminishes linearly with distance. We present preliminary results of applying this model to a sample of nearby galaxies with Gaia proper motions to detect the statistical secular parallax signal. The statistical measurement can be used to calibrate the canonical cosmological “distance ladder.”

Distancing, not embracing, the Distancing-Embracing model of art reception.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Stephen

2017-01-01

Despite denials in the target article, the Distancing-Embracing model appeals to compensatory ideas in explaining the appeal of artworks that elicit negative affect. The model also appeals to the deflationary effects of psychological distancing. Having pointed to the famous rejection in the 1960s of the view that aesthetic experience involves psychological distancing, I suggest that "distance" functions here as a weak metaphor that cannot sustain the explanatory burden the theory demands of it.

Distance-Based Functional Diversity Measures and Their Decomposition: A Framework Based on Hill Numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Chun-Huo; Chao, Anne

2014-01-01

Hill numbers (or the “effective number of species”) are increasingly used to characterize species diversity of an assemblage. This work extends Hill numbers to incorporate species pairwise functional distances calculated from species traits. We derive a parametric class of functional Hill numbers, which quantify “the effective number of equally abundant and (functionally) equally distinct species” in an assemblage. We also propose a class of mean functional diversity (per species), which quantifies the effective sum of functional distances between a fixed species to all other species. The product of the functional Hill number and the mean functional diversity thus quantifies the (total) functional diversity, i.e., the effective total distance between species of the assemblage. The three measures (functional Hill numbers, mean functional diversity and total functional diversity) quantify different aspects of species trait space, and all are based on species abundance and species pairwise functional distances. When all species are equally distinct, our functional Hill numbers reduce to ordinary Hill numbers. When species abundances are not considered or species are equally abundant, our total functional diversity reduces to the sum of all pairwise distances between species of an assemblage. The functional Hill numbers and the mean functional diversity both satisfy a replication principle, implying the total functional diversity satisfies a quadratic replication principle. When there are multiple assemblages defined by the investigator, each of the three measures of the pooled assemblage (gamma) can be multiplicatively decomposed into alpha and beta components, and the two components are independent. The resulting beta component measures pure functional differentiation among assemblages and can be further transformed to obtain several classes of normalized functional similarity (or differentiation) measures, including N-assemblage functional generalizations of

Distance-based functional diversity measures and their decomposition: a framework based on Hill numbers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Huo Chiu

Full Text Available Hill numbers (or the "effective number of species" are increasingly used to characterize species diversity of an assemblage. This work extends Hill numbers to incorporate species pairwise functional distances calculated from species traits. We derive a parametric class of functional Hill numbers, which quantify "the effective number of equally abundant and (functionally equally distinct species" in an assemblage. We also propose a class of mean functional diversity (per species, which quantifies the effective sum of functional distances between a fixed species to all other species. The product of the functional Hill number and the mean functional diversity thus quantifies the (total functional diversity, i.e., the effective total distance between species of the assemblage. The three measures (functional Hill numbers, mean functional diversity and total functional diversity quantify different aspects of species trait space, and all are based on species abundance and species pairwise functional distances. When all species are equally distinct, our functional Hill numbers reduce to ordinary Hill numbers. When species abundances are not considered or species are equally abundant, our total functional diversity reduces to the sum of all pairwise distances between species of an assemblage. The functional Hill numbers and the mean functional diversity both satisfy a replication principle, implying the total functional diversity satisfies a quadratic replication principle. When there are multiple assemblages defined by the investigator, each of the three measures of the pooled assemblage (gamma can be multiplicatively decomposed into alpha and beta components, and the two components are independent. The resulting beta component measures pure functional differentiation among assemblages and can be further transformed to obtain several classes of normalized functional similarity (or differentiation measures, including N-assemblage functional

Foundations of Distance Education. Third Edition. Routledge Studies in Distance Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Keegan, Desmond

This text gives an overview of distance education for students, administrators, and practitioners in distance education. Chapter 1 discusses the study of distance education. Chapter 2 analyzes forms of nonconventional education (open, nontraditional) that may have similarities to distance education but are not to be identified with it. Chapter 3…

modelling distances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert F. Love

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Distance predicting functions may be used in a variety of applications for estimating travel distances between points. To evaluate the accuracy of a distance predicting function and to determine its parameters, a goodness-of-fit criteria is employed. AD (Absolute Deviations, SD (Squared Deviations and NAD (Normalized Absolute Deviations are the three criteria that are mostly employed in practice. In the literature some assumptions have been made about the properties of each criterion. In this paper, we present statistical analyses performed to compare the three criteria from different perspectives. For this purpose, we employ the ℓkpθ-norm as the distance predicting function, and statistically compare the three criteria by using normalized absolute prediction error distributions in seventeen geographical regions. We find that there exist no significant differences between the criteria. However, since the criterion SD has desirable properties in terms of distance modelling procedures, we suggest its use in practice.

Vibration of Bridges under the Passage of Vehicles Simulated as Moving Loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouchenane, M.; Lassoued, R.; Ouchenane, K.

2011-01-01

The dynamic behavior of bridges under the effect of moving loads simulating the vehicle moving along the bridge structure idealized by an Euler beam is analyzed. We will present the dynamic behavior of beams under the stress of moving loads (or masses) by the analytical and semi-analytical approaches. When the mass of the bridge structure is comparable to that of the vehicle, the mobile source requesting the bridge is simulated by a mass. In most practical cases, the mobile force used is due to the effects of the gravitational moving masses: . When the moving mass is small compared to the beam mass, the obtained solution under the effect of moving force is approximately correct for the solution obtained with the moving mass. Otherwise, the problem of the moving mass is imperative. To do this, we wrote a program in Matlab language which reflects the dynamic behavior of beams under the effect of moving charges, which gives the following results T he frequencies and modes of vibration, the dynamics deflection of the beam requested by moving force, the dynamic response (DAF: dynamic amplification factor) of the beam requested by a moving force, over the whole length of the beam, for all times and for different speeds. The numerical example that we look to see for study the dynamic behavior of this type of bridge under moving loads is that of a thin beam unamortised on simple support and length of 50m, under the solicitation of moving force and mass at a constant speed and varies from 0 to 100 m / s (M. A. Foda, 1997), depending on the relationship between the vehicle mass and the mass of the bridge that will allow us to see the contribution of the choice of modelling type on the total response and then the vibration of bridge, also we will study the effect of type of simulation of the load by moving force or mass on the dynamic amplification factor and comparing our results with those from the literature. (author)

Embodied affectivity: On moving and being moved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas eFuchs

2014-06-01

Full Text Available There is a growing body of research indicating that bodily sensation and behaviour strongly influences one’s emotional reaction towards certain situations or objects. On this background, a framework model of embodied affectivity is suggested: we regard emotions as resulting from the circular interaction between affective qualities or affordances in the environment and the subject’s bodily resonance, be it in the form of sensations, postures, expressive movements or movement tendencies. Motion and emotion are thus intrinsically connected: one is moved by movement (perception; impression; affection and moved to move (action; expression; e-motion. Through its resonance, the body functions as a medium of emotional perception: it colours or charges self-experience and the environment with affective valences while it remains itself in the background of one’s own awareness. This model is then applied to emotional social understanding or interaffectivity which is regarded as an intertwinement of two cycles of embodied affectivity, thus continuously modifying each partner’s affective affordances and bodily resonance. We conclude with considerations of how embodied affectivity is altered in psychopathology and can be addressed in psychotherapy of the embodied self.

Method and apparatus for a combination moving bed thermal treatment reactor and moving bed filter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badger, Phillip C.; Dunn, Jr., Kenneth J.

2015-09-01

A moving bed gasification/thermal treatment reactor includes a geometry in which moving bed reactor particles serve as both a moving bed filter and a heat carrier to provide thermal energy for thermal treatment reactions, such that the moving bed filter and the heat carrier are one and the same to remove solid particulates or droplets generated by thermal treatment processes or injected into the moving bed filter from other sources.

EFFECTS OF DISTANCE SPECIALIZATION ON THE BACKSTROKE SWIMMING KINEMATICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cortesi Matteo

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to investigate different biomechanical variables of backstroke technique in swimmers specialized in different distance events, in order to investigate the capacity to modify the timing of the arm stroke when changing the swimming velocity from sub-maximal to maximal. Two 25-m backstroke trials respectively at 70% of maximum velocity (V70 and at 100% of maximum velocity (Vmax were performed by 9 200-m distance swimmers and 9 50-m distance swimmers. Swimming velocity, stroke length, stroke rate, duration of different phases of the arm stroke and selected kinematic variables were assessed in both cases. In the 50-m distance swimmers, the duration of the propulsive phase at Vmax, expressed as a percentage of the duration of the total underwater arm stroke, increased significantly (p = 0.001 with increasing swimming velocity. Specifically, both the pull and push phases were fundamental in the increase of duration of the propulsive phase. When compared to 200-m specialists, 50-m distance swimmers seem to be more able to modify their arm stroke phases duration when increasing the swimming velocity in backstroke

Brownian distance covariance

OpenAIRE

Székely, Gábor J.; Rizzo, Maria L.

2010-01-01

Distance correlation is a new class of multivariate dependence coefficients applicable to random vectors of arbitrary and not necessarily equal dimension. Distance covariance and distance correlation are analogous to product-moment covariance and correlation, but generalize and extend these classical bivariate measures of dependence. Distance correlation characterizes independence: it is zero if and only if the random vectors are independent. The notion of covariance with...

Analysis of the Dose Distribution of Moving Organ using a Moving Phantom System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yon Lae; Park, Byung Moon; Bae, Yong Ki; Kang, Min Young; Bang, Dong Wan; Lee, Gui Won

2006-01-01

Few researches have been performed on the dose distribution of the moving organ for radiotherapy so far. In order to simulate the organ motion caused by respiratory function, multipurpose phantom and moving device was used and dosimetric measurements for dose distribution of the moving organs were conducted in this study. The purpose of our study was to evaluate how dose distributions are changed due to respiratory motion. A multipurpose phantom and a moving device were developed for the measurement of the dose distribution of the moving organ due to respiratory function. Acryl chosen design of the phantom was considered the most obvious choice for phantom material. For construction of the phantom, we used acryl and cork with density of 1.14 g/cm 3 , 0.32 g/cm 3 respectively. Acryl and cork slab in the phantom were used to simulate the normal organ and lung respectively. The moving phantom system was composed of moving device, moving control system, and acryl and cork phantom. Gafchromic film and EDR2 film were used to measure dose distributions. The moving device system may be driven by two directional step motors and able to perform 2 dimensional movements (x, z axis), but only 1 dimensional movement(z axis) was used for this study. Larger penumbra was shown in the cork phantom than in the acryl phantom. The dose profile and isodose curve of Gafchromic EBT film were not uniform since the film has small optical density responding to the dose. As the organ motion was increased, the blurrings in penumbra, flatness, and symmetry were increased. Most of measurements of dose distributions, Gafchromic EBT film has poor flatness and symmetry than EDR2 film, but both penumbra distributions were more or less comparable. The Gafchromic EBT film is more useful as it does not need development and more radiation dose could be exposed than EDR2 film without losing film characteristics. But as response of the optical density of Gafchromic EBT film to dose is low, beam profiles

Traversing psychological distance.

Science.gov (United States)

Liberman, Nira; Trope, Yaacov

2014-07-01

Traversing psychological distance involves going beyond direct experience, and includes planning, perspective taking, and contemplating counterfactuals. Consistent with this view, temporal, spatial, and social distances as well as hypotheticality are associated, affect each other, and are inferred from one another. Moreover, traversing all distances involves the use of abstraction, which we define as forming a belief about the substitutability for a specific purpose of subjectively distinct objects. Indeed, across many instances of both abstraction and psychological distancing, more abstract constructs are used for more distal objects. Here, we describe the implications of this relation for prediction, choice, communication, negotiation, and self-control. We ask whether traversing distance is a general mental ability and whether distance should replace expectancy in expected-utility theories. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Critical Gap distance in Laser Butt-welding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagger, Claus; Olsen, Flemming Ove

of "reference" welds are made and compared to sheets with the edges shear cut. The gap distance is precisely controlled by inserting spacers between the sheets. In the tests the gap is set at 0.00, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08 and 0.10 mm. Mild steel (St 1203) with thickness? of 0.75 and 1.25 mm with and without zinc......When butt-welding metal sheets with high power lasers the gap distance between the sheets determine the final quality of the seam. In a number of systematic laboratory experiments the critical gap distance that results in sound beads is identified. By grinding the edges of the sheets, a number...... coating were analysed. A total of 120 welds are made at different welding speeds.As quality norm DIN 8563 is used to divide the welds into quality classes. Since this norm only deals with surface defects a number of welds are also x-ray photographed.According to DIN 8563 the welds have classes of either B...

Numerical analysis of melting/solidification phenomena using a moving boundary problem analysis method X-FEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uchibori, Akihiro; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

2008-01-01

A numerical analysis method for melting/solidification phenomena has been developed to evaluate a feasibility of several candidate techniques in the nuclear fuel cycle. Our method is based on the eXtended Finite Element Method (X-FEM) which has been used for moving boundary problems. Key technique of the X-FEM is to incorporate signed distance function into finite element interpolation to represent a discontinuous gradient of the temperature at a moving solid-liquid interface. Construction of the finite element equation, the technique of quadrature and the method to solve the equation are reported here. The numerical solutions of the one-dimensional Stefan problem, solidification in a two-dimensional square corner and melting of pure gallium are compared to the exact solutions or to the experimental data. Through these analyses, validity of the newly developed numerical analysis method has been demonstrated. (author)

Model creation of moving redox reaction boundary in agarose gel electrophoresis by traditional potassium permanganate method.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Hai-Yang; Liu, Qian; Li, Jia-Hao; Fan, Liu-Yin; Cao, Cheng-Xi

2013-02-21

A novel moving redox reaction boundary (MRRB) model was developed for studying electrophoretic behaviors of analytes involving redox reaction on the principle of moving reaction boundary (MRB). Traditional potassium permanganate method was used to create the boundary model in agarose gel electrophoresis because of the rapid reaction rate associated with MnO(4)(-) ions and Fe(2+) ions. MRB velocity equation was proposed to describe the general functional relationship between velocity of moving redox reaction boundary (V(MRRB)) and concentration of reactant, and can be extrapolated to similar MRB techniques. Parameters affecting the redox reaction boundary were investigated in detail. Under the selected conditions, good linear relationship between boundary movement distance and time were obtained. The potential application of MRRB in electromigration redox reaction titration was performed in two different concentration levels. The precision of the V(MRRB) was studied and the relative standard deviations were below 8.1%, illustrating the good repeatability achieved in this experiment. The proposed MRRB model enriches the MRB theory and also provides a feasible realization of manual control of redox reaction process in electrophoretic analysis.

Detection of moving objects from a moving platform in urban scenes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haar, F.B. ter; Hollander, R.J.M. den; Dijk, J.

2010-01-01

Moving object detection in urban scenes is important for the guidance of autonomous vehicles, robot navigation, and monitoring. In this paper moving objects are automatically detected using three sequential frames and tracked over a longer period. To this extend we modify the plane+parallax,

New long-distance transmissions in Russia may use hvdc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1940-09-01

Hvdc is considered for Kuibyshev-Moscow and other future Russian long-distance transmissions as a means to obtain higher transmission capacity and lower losses. A total saving of 46% is calculated as compared with ac transmission. An experimental transmission line will be built shortly.

Radiofrequency generation by coherently moving fluxons

Science.gov (United States)

Dobrovolskiy, O. V.; Sachser, R.; Huth, M.; Shklovskij, V. A.; Vovk, R. V.; Bevz, V. M.; Tsindlekht, M. I.

2018-04-01

A lattice of Abrikosov vortices in type II superconductors is characterized by a periodic modulation of the magnetic induction perpendicular to the applied magnetic field. For a coherent vortex motion under the action of a transport current, the magnetic induction at a given point of the sample varies in time with a washboard frequency fWB = v/d, where v is the vortex velocity and d is the distance between the vortices in the direction of motion. Here, by using a spectrum analyzer connected to a 50 nm-wide Au nanowire meander near the surface of a superconducting Nb film, we detect an ac voltage induced by coherently moving fluxons. The voltage is peaked at the washboard frequency, fWB, and its subharmonics, fTOF = fWB/5, determined by the antenna width. By sweeping the dc current value, we reveal that fWB can be tuned from 100 MHz to 1.5 GHz, thereby demonstrating that patterned normal metal/superconductor nanostructures can be used as dc-tunable generators operating in the radiofrequency range.

Identification of moving vehicle forces on bridge structures via moving average Tikhonov regularization

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Chu-Dong; Yu, Ling; Liu, Huan-Lin

2017-08-01

Traffic-induced moving force identification (MFI) is a typical inverse problem in the field of bridge structural health monitoring. Lots of regularization-based methods have been proposed for MFI. However, the MFI accuracy obtained from the existing methods is low when the moving forces enter into and exit a bridge deck due to low sensitivity of structural responses to the forces at these zones. To overcome this shortcoming, a novel moving average Tikhonov regularization method is proposed for MFI by combining with the moving average concepts. Firstly, the bridge-vehicle interaction moving force is assumed as a discrete finite signal with stable average value (DFS-SAV). Secondly, the reasonable signal feature of DFS-SAV is quantified and introduced for improving the penalty function (∣∣x∣∣2 2) defined in the classical Tikhonov regularization. Then, a feasible two-step strategy is proposed for selecting regularization parameter and balance coefficient defined in the improved penalty function. Finally, both numerical simulations on a simply-supported beam and laboratory experiments on a hollow tube beam are performed for assessing the accuracy and the feasibility of the proposed method. The illustrated results show that the moving forces can be accurately identified with a strong robustness. Some related issues, such as selection of moving window length, effect of different penalty functions, and effect of different car speeds, are discussed as well.

THE USE OF FACEBOOK FOR ONLINE DISCUSSIONS AMONG DISTANCE LEARNERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tina LIM

2010-10-01

Full Text Available With the advent of Web 2.0 tools, educators are looking to these new technological tools to examine its potential in enhancing teaching and learning. While its runaway success as a social networking tool is now renowned, the use of Facebook for educational purposes may be considered still at its infancy stage. This paper describes the use of Facebook as a platform for academic discussions among distance learners. It offers a glimpse into how mobile learning via SMS together with Facebook was used to support and enhance the blended learning approach at Open University Malaysia for three courses: Learning Skills for Open and Distance Learners, Company Law and Renal Nursing. Data on user interactions collected were from the “Page Insights” tools available to Page administrators for the whole duration of a course semester. Facebook interactions examined include total number of fans, total interactions, interactions per post, post quality and unique page views. Findings indicate that Facebook does have the potential to draw distance learners to engage in meaningful academic conversations but the quantity and quality of posts very much depends on the timing as well as the topics of discussion.

Settling distances of benthic invertebrates in a sediment mobilization simulation in semi-natural flumes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Cristina Bruno

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Drift time and distance depend on the ability of the drifting invertebrates to alter their body posture or by swimming, and these behaviors may change according to the local hydraulic environment, resulting in different distances travelled before exiting the drift. Such drift and settlement mediated invertebrate movement determine dispersal processes and ultimately generates distribution patterns within streams. We conducted an experiment in an open-air, artificial flume system directly fed by an Alpine stream, where we disturbed the sediment in the flumes, inducing catastrophic drift in the benthic community, and then assessed the settlement distances of benthic invertebrates. For each flume, we collected drift samples by disturbing the substrate at 1.5 m intervals, at increasing distance from the downstream end, for a total of 7 disturbances and a maximum settling distance of 10 m in each flume, with five replicates (i.e., five flumes for each disturbance. The disturbances induced a massive catastrophic drift in Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, always higher than the behaviorally-occurring basedrift. The Settling Index calculated over the total drift collected at each distance increased with increasing distance, and after 10 m, 90% of the drifting animals had settled. Evenness and taxa richness progressively decrease with increasing settling distance. All drifting taxa were represented mainly by young instars. We used the drift collected at 1 m from the disturbance to standardize the remaining samples, based on the assumption that 1 m is not a distance long enough to allow animals to settle at that water velocity. We calculated the percentage of possible drifters which settled by computing a Settling Index for each taxon. The drifting taxa listed by decreasing Settling Index scores were Epeorus sp., Rhithrogena semicolorata, Isoperla spp., Sericostoma spp., Ecdyonurus spp., Nemoura spp., Leuctra spp., Baetis spp., Hydropsyche spp

A Study for Reappearance According to the Scan Type, the CT Scanning by a Moving Phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Jae Hyock; Jeong, Do Hyeong; Choi, Gye Suk; Jang, Yo Jong; Kim, Jae Weon; Lee, Hui Seok

2007-01-01

CT scan shows that significant tumor movement occurs in lesions located in the proximity of the heart, diaphragm, and lung hilus. There are differences concerning three kinds of type to get images following the Scan type called Axial, Helical, Cine (4D-CT) mode, when the scanning by CT. To know how each protocol describe accurately, this paper is going to give you reappearance using the moving phantom. To reconstruct the movement of superior-inferior and anterior-posterior, the manufactured moving phantom and the motor following breathing were used. To distinguish movement from captured images by CT scanning, a localizer adhered to the marker on the motor. The moving phantom fixed the movement of superior-inferior upon 1.3 cm /1 min. The motor following breathing fixed the movement of anterior-posterior upon 0.2 cm /1 min. After fixing each movement, CT scanning was taken by following the CT protocols. The movement of A localizer and volume-reappearance analyzed by RTP machine. Total volume of a marker was 88.2 cm 3 considering movement of superior-inferior. Total volume was 184.3 cm 3 . Total volume according to each CT scan protocol were 135 cm 3 by axial mode, 164.9 cm 3 by helical mode, 181.7 cm 3 by cine (4D-CT) mode. The most closely describable protocol about moving reappearance was cine mode, the marker attached localizer as well. CT scan should reappear concerning a exact organ-description and target, when the moving organ is being scanned by three kinds of CT protocols. The cine (4D-CT) mode has the advantage of the most highly reconstructible ability of the three protocols in reappearance of the marker using a moving phantom. The marker on the phantom has always regular motion but breathing patients don't move like a phantom. Breathing education and devices setting patients were needed so that images reconstruct breathing as exactly as possible. Users should also consider that an amount of radiation to patients is being bombed.

Total Quality Service and the Business College

OpenAIRE

James Perotti

1995-01-01

Moving a business college to commit to a total quality service approach is much more difficult than the literature suggests. The commitment to customer satisfaction is the essential focus of total quality service. It is unlikely to occur in business colleges. While small incremental change is readily possible, the values and culture of the faculty and administration prevent the requisite acceptance by the faculty of students as their customers, and acceptance of the faculty as customers of th...

Practical long-distance quantum key distribution system using decoy levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenberg, D; Peterson, C G; Harrington, J W; Rice, P R; Dallmann, N; Tyagi, K T; McCabe, K P; Hughes, R J; Nordholt, J E; Nam, S; Baek, B; Hadfield, R H

2009-01-01

Quantum key distribution (QKD) has the potential for widespread real-world applications, but no secure long-distance experiment has demonstrated the truly practical operation needed to move QKD from the laboratory to the real world due largely to limitations in synchronization and poor detector performance. Here, we report results obtained using a fully automated, robust QKD system based on the Bennett Brassard 1984 (BB84) protocol with low-noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and decoy levels to produce a secret key with unconditional security over a record 140.6 km of optical fibre, an increase of more than a factor of five compared with the previous record for unconditionally secure key generation in a practical QKD system.

Open and Distance Learning Today. Routledge Studies in Distance Education Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockwood, Fred, Ed.

This book contains the following papers on open and distance learning today: "Preface" (Daniel); "Big Bang Theory in Distance Education" (Hawkridge); "Practical Agenda for Theorists of Distance Education" (Perraton); "Trends, Directions and Needs: A View from Developing Countries" (Koul); "American…

MOVES regional level sensitivity analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

The MOVES Regional Level Sensitivity Analysis was conducted to increase understanding of the operations of the MOVES Model in regional emissions analysis and to highlight the following: : the relative sensitivity of selected MOVES Model input paramet...

Observing the variation of asteroid thermal inertia with heliocentric distance

Science.gov (United States)

Rozitis, B.; Green, S. F.; MacLennan, E.; Emery, J. P.

2018-06-01

Thermal inertia is a useful property to characterize a planetary surface, since it can be used as a qualitative measure of the regolith grain size. It is expected to vary with heliocentric distance because of its dependence on temperature. However, no previous investigation has conclusively observed a change in thermal inertia for any given planetary body. We have addressed this by using NEOWISE data and the Advanced Thermophysical Model to study the thermophysical properties of the near-Earth asteroids (1036) Ganymed, (1580) Betulia, and (276 049) 2002 CE26 as they moved around their highly eccentric orbits. We confirm that the thermal inertia values of Ganymed and 2002 CE26 do vary with heliocentric distance, although the degree of variation observed depends on the spectral emissivity assumed in the thermophysical modelling. We also confirm that the thermal inertia of Betulia did not change for three different observations obtained at the same heliocentric distance. Depending on the spectral emissivity, the variations for Ganymed and 2002 CE26 are potentially more extreme than that implied by theoretical models of heat transfer within asteroidal regoliths, which might be explained by asteroids having thermal properties that also vary with depth. Accounting for this variation reduces a previously observed trend of decreasing asteroid thermal inertia with increasing size, and suggests that the surfaces of small and large asteroids could be much more similar than previously thought. Furthermore, this variation can affect Yarkovsky orbital drift predictions by a few tens of per cent.

Moving Field Guides

Science.gov (United States)

Cassie Meador; Mark Twery; Meagan. Leatherbury

2011-01-01

The Moving Field Guides (MFG) project is a creative take on site interpretation. Moving Field Guides provide an example of how scientific and artistic endeavors work in parallel. Both begin with keen observations that produce information that must be analyzed, understood, and interpreted. That interpretation then needs to be communicated to others to complete the...

From a distance: implications of spontaneous self-distancing for adaptive self-reflection.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayduk, Ozlem; Kross, Ethan

2010-05-01

Although recent experimental work indicates that self-distancing facilitates adaptive self-reflection, it remains unclear (a) whether spontaneous self-distancing leads to similar adaptive outcomes, (b) how spontaneous self-distancing relates to avoidance, and (c) how this strategy impacts interpersonal behavior. Three studies examined these issues demonstrating that the more participants spontaneously self-distanced while reflecting on negative memories, the less emotional (Studies 1-3) and cardiovascular (Study 2) reactivity they displayed in the short term. Spontaneous self-distancing was also associated with lower emotional reactivity and intrusive ideation over time (Study 1). The negative association between spontaneous self-distancing and emotional reactivity was mediated by how participants construed their experience (i.e., less recounting relative to reconstruing) rather than avoidance (Studies 1-2). In addition, spontaneous self-distancing was associated with more problem-solving behavior and less reciprocation of negativity during conflicts among couples in ongoing relationships (Study 3). Although spontaneous self-distancing was empirically related to trait rumination, it explained unique variance in predicting key outcomes. 2010 APA, all rights reserved

Distance-regular graphs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dam, Edwin R.; Koolen, Jack H.; Tanaka, Hajime

2016-01-01

This is a survey of distance-regular graphs. We present an introduction to distance-regular graphs for the reader who is unfamiliar with the subject, and then give an overview of some developments in the area of distance-regular graphs since the monograph 'BCN'[Brouwer, A.E., Cohen, A.M., Neumaier,

Detecting multiple moving objects in crowded environments with coherent motion regions

Science.gov (United States)

Cheriyadat, Anil M.; Radke, Richard J.

2013-06-11

Coherent motion regions extend in time as well as space, enforcing consistency in detected objects over long time periods and making the algorithm robust to noisy or short point tracks. As a result of enforcing the constraint that selected coherent motion regions contain disjoint sets of tracks defined in a three-dimensional space including a time dimension. An algorithm operates directly on raw, unconditioned low-level feature point tracks, and minimizes a global measure of the coherent motion regions. At least one discrete moving object is identified in a time series of video images based on the trajectory similarity factors, which is a measure of a maximum distance between a pair of feature point tracks.

Hierarchical traits distances explain grassland Fabaceae species' ecological niches distances

Science.gov (United States)

Fort, Florian; Jouany, Claire; Cruz, Pablo

2015-01-01

Fabaceae species play a key role in ecosystem functioning through their capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen via their symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria. To increase benefits of using Fabaceae in agricultural systems, it is necessary to find ways to evaluate species or genotypes having potential adaptations to sub-optimal growth conditions. We evaluated the relevance of phylogenetic distance, absolute trait distance and hierarchical trait distance for comparing the adaptation of 13 grassland Fabaceae species to different habitats, i.e., ecological niches. We measured a wide range of functional traits (root traits, leaf traits, and whole plant traits) in these species. Species phylogenetic and ecological distances were assessed from a species-level phylogenetic tree and species' ecological indicator values, respectively. We demonstrated that differences in ecological niches between grassland Fabaceae species were related more to their hierarchical trait distances than to their phylogenetic distances. We showed that grassland Fabaceae functional traits tend to converge among species with the same ecological requirements. Species with acquisitive root strategies (thin roots, shallow root systems) are competitive species adapted to non-stressful meadows, while conservative ones (coarse roots, deep root systems) are able to tolerate stressful continental climates. In contrast, acquisitive species appeared to be able to tolerate low soil-P availability, while conservative ones need high P availability. Finally we highlight that traits converge along the ecological gradient, providing the assumption that species with similar root-trait values are better able to coexist, regardless of their phylogenetic distance. PMID:25741353

Hierarchical traits distances explain grassland Fabaceae species’ ecological niches distances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian eFort

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Fabaceae species play a key role in ecosystem functioning through their capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen via their symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria. To increase benefits of using Fabaceae in agricultural systems, it is necessary to find ways to evaluate species or genotypes having potential adaptations to sub-optimal growth conditions. We evaluated the relevance of phylogenetic distance, absolute trait distance and hierarchical trait distance for comparing the adaptation of 13 grassland Fabaceae species to different habitats, i.e. ecological niches. We measured a wide range of functional traits (root traits, leaf traits and whole plant traits in these species. Species phylogenetic and ecological distances were assessed from a species-level phylogenetic tree and species’ ecological indicator values, respectively. We demonstrated that differences in ecological niches between grassland Fabaceae species were related more to their hierarchical trait distances than to their phylogenetic distances. We showed that grassland Fabaceae functional traits tend to converge among species with the same ecological requirements. Species with acquisitive root strategies (thin roots, shallow root systems are competitive species adapted to non-stressful meadows, while conservative ones (coarse roots, deep root systems are able to tolerate stressful continental climates. In contrast, acquisitive species appeared to be able to tolerate low soil-P availability, while conservative ones need high P availability. Finally we highlight that traits converge along the ecological gradient, providing the assumption that species with similar root-trait values are better able to coexist, regardless of their phylogenetic distance.

Numerical distance protection

CERN Document Server

Ziegler, Gerhard

2011-01-01

Distance protection provides the basis for network protection in transmission systems and meshed distribution systems. This book covers the fundamentals of distance protection and the special features of numerical technology. The emphasis is placed on the application of numerical distance relays in distribution and transmission systems.This book is aimed at students and engineers who wish to familiarise themselves with the subject of power system protection, as well as the experienced user, entering the area of numerical distance protection. Furthermore it serves as a reference guide for s

Study and Application of Remote Data Moving Transmission under the Network Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Zhiguo, Meng; Du, Zhou

The data transmission is an important problem in remote applications. Advance of network convergence has help to select and use data transmission model. The embedded system and data management platform is a key of the design. With communication module, interface technology and the transceiver which has independent intellectual property rights connected broadband network and mobile network seamlessly. Using the distribution system of mobile base station to realize the wireless transmission, using public networks to implement the data transmission, making the distant information system break through area restrictions and realizing transmission of the moving data, it has been fully recognized in long-distance medical care applications.

Temporal properties of coherent synchrotron radiation produced by an electron bunch moving along an arc of a circle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geloni, G.; Saldin, E.L.; Schneidmiller, E.A.; Yurkov, M.V.

2004-01-01

In the limit for a large distance between bunch and detector and under the assumption that the entire process, i.e. radiation and detection, happens in vacuum, one can use the well-known Schwinger formulas in order to describe the single-particle radiation in the case of circular motion. Nevertheless, these formulas cannot be applied for particles moving in an arc of a circle. In this paper, we present a characterization of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) pulses in the time-domain as they are emitted by an electron bunch moving in an arc of a circle. This can be used in order to give a quantitative estimation of the effects of a finite bending magnet extension on the characteristics of the CSR pulse

Generalized Heteroskedasticity ACF for Moving Average Models in Explicit Forms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samir Khaled Safi

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The autocorrelation function (ACF measures the correlation between observations at different   distances apart. We derive explicit equations for generalized heteroskedasticity ACF for moving average of order q, MA(q. We consider two cases: Firstly: when the disturbance term follow the general covariance matrix structure Cov(wi, wj=S with si,j ¹ 0 " i¹j . Secondly: when the diagonal elements of S are not all identical but sij = 0 " i¹j, i.e. S=diag(s11, s22,…,stt. The forms of the explicit equations depend essentially on the moving average coefficients and covariance structure of the disturbance terms.   /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"جدول عادي"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

The Distance Standard Deviation

OpenAIRE

Edelmann, Dominic; Richards, Donald; Vogel, Daniel

2017-01-01

The distance standard deviation, which arises in distance correlation analysis of multivariate data, is studied as a measure of spread. New representations for the distance standard deviation are obtained in terms of Gini's mean difference and in terms of the moments of spacings of order statistics. Inequalities for the distance variance are derived, proving that the distance standard deviation is bounded above by the classical standard deviation and by Gini's mean difference. Further, it is ...

Distance Education in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Nursel Selver RUZGAR,

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Distance Education in Turkey Assistant Professor Dr. Nursel Selver RUZGAR Technical Education Faculty Marmara University, TURKEY ABSTRACT Many countries of the world are using distance education with various ways, by internet, by post and by TV. In this work, development of distance education in Turkey has been presented from the beginning. After discussing types and applications for different levels of distance education in Turkey, the distance education was given in the cultural aspect of the view. Then, in order to create the tendencies and thoughts of graduates of Higher Education Institutions and Distance Education Institutions about being competitors in job markets, sufficiency of education level, advantages for education system, continuing education in different Institutions, a face-to-face survey was applied to 1284 graduates, 958 from Higher Education Institutions and 326 from Distance Education Institutions. The results were evaluated and discussed. In the last part of this work, suggestions to become widespread and improve the distance education in the country were made.

Study of probe-sample distance for biomedical spectra measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Lei

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Fiber-based optical spectroscopy has been widely used for biomedical applications. However, the effect of probe-sample distance on the collection efficiency has not been well investigated. Method In this paper, we presented a theoretical model to maximize the illumination and collection efficiency in designing fiber optic probes for biomedical spectra measurement. This model was in general applicable to probes with single or multiple fibers at an arbitrary incident angle. In order to demonstrate the theory, a fluorescence spectrometer was used to measure the fluorescence of human finger skin at various probe-sample distances. The fluorescence spectrum and the total fluorescence intensity were recorded. Results The theoretical results show that for single fiber probes, contact measurement always provides the best results. While for multi-fiber probes, there is an optimal probe distance. When a 400- μm excitation fiber is used to deliver the light to the skin and another six 400- μm fibers surrounding the excitation fiber are used to collect the fluorescence signal, the experimental results show that human finger skin has very strong fluorescence between 475 nm and 700 nm under 450 nm excitation. The fluorescence intensity is heavily dependent on the probe-sample distance and there is an optimal probe distance. Conclusions We investigated a number of probe-sample configurations and found that contact measurement could be the primary choice for single-fiber probes, but was very inefficient for multi-fiber probes. There was an optimal probe-sample distance for multi-fiber probes. By carefully choosing the probe-sample distance, the collection efficiency could be enhanced by 5-10 times. Our experiments demonstrated that the experimental results of the probe-sample distance dependence of collection efficiency in multi-fiber probes were in general agreement with our theory.

Long-distance swimming by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea during years of extensive open water

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) depend on sea ice for catching marine mammal prey. Recent sea-ice declines have been linked to reductions in body condition, survival, and population size. Reduced foraging opportunity is hypothesized to be the primary cause of sea-ice-linked declines, but the costs of travel through a deteriorated sea-ice environment also may be a factor. We used movement data from 52 adult female polar bears wearing Global Positioning System (GPS) collars, including some with dependent young, to document long-distance swimming (>50 km) by polar bears in the southern Beaufort and Chukchi seas. During 6 years (2004-2009), we identified 50 long-distance swims by 20 bears. Swim duration and distance ranged from 0.7 to 9.7 days (mean = 3.4 days) and 53.7 to 687.1 km (mean = 154.2 km), respectively. Frequency of swimming appeared to increase over the course of the study. We show that adult female polar bears and their cubs are capable of swimming long distances during periods when extensive areas of open water are present. However, long-distance swimming appears to have higher energetic demands than moving over sea ice. Our observations suggest long-distance swimming is a behavioral response to declining summer sea-ice conditions.

Measurement of distances between anatomical structures using a translating stage with mounted endoscope

Science.gov (United States)

Kahrs, Lueder A.; Blachon, Gregoire S.; Balachandran, Ramya; Fitzpatrick, J. Michael; Labadie, Robert F.

2012-02-01

During endoscopic procedures it is often desirable to determine the distance between anatomical features. One such clinical application is percutaneous cochlear implantation (PCI), which is a minimally invasive approach to the cochlea via a single, straight drill path and can be achieved accurately using bone-implanted markers and customized microstereotactic frame. During clinical studies to validate PCI, traditional open-field cochlear implant surgery was performed and prior to completion of the surgery, a customized microstereotactic frame designed to achieve the desired PCI trajectory was attached to the bone-implanted markers. To determine whether this trajectory would have safely achieved the target, a sham drill bit is passed through the frame to ensure that the drill bit would reach the cochlea without damaging vital structures. Because of limited access within the facial recess, the distances from the bit to anatomical features could not be measured with calipers. We hypothesized that an endoscope mounted on a sliding stage that translates only along the trajectory, would provide sufficient triangulation to accurately measure these distances. In this paper, the design, fabrication, and testing of such a system is described. The endoscope is mounted so that its optical axis is approximately aligned with the trajectory. Several images are acquired as the stage is moved, and threedimensional reconstruction of selected points allows determination of distances. This concept also has applicability in a large variety of rigid endoscopic interventions including bronchoscopy, laparoscopy, and sinus endoscopy.

Long distance transmission through distributed erbium-doped fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rottwitt, Karsten; Povlsen, Jørn Hedegaard; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard

1993-01-01

High bit rate, all-optical long-distance transmission could be created through the combined use of loss-compensating gain in erbium-doped fibers and solitons. A detailed analysis of the distributed erbium-doped fiber, including the spectral-gain dependency, is combined with an optimum design...... of the transmission fiber and general bit-error-rate calculations. Changes in wavenumber, group velocity, and fiber dispersion due to erbium doping in a single-mode fiber are evaluated, and a reduction in bit-error rates due to the erbium spectral-gain profile is shown. Transmission through distributed erbium......-doped fiber with 100-km separation between each pump-power station is shown, with a total bit-rate distance product of 55 Gb/s · Mm...

Variability of Surface Reflection Amplitudes of GPR Horn Antenna Depending on Distance between Antenna and Surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Komačka Jozef

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The study focused on variability of surface reflections amplitudes of GPR horn antenna in relation to distance between an antenna and a surface is presented in the paper. The air-coupled antenna with the central frequency of 1 GHz was used in the investigation. Four types of surfaces (dry pavement, wet pavement, metal plate and composite layer from gypsum and wood were tested. The distance of antenna above the surfaces was changed in the range from 37.5 cm to 53.5 cm. The amplitudes of negative and positive peaks and their variability were analysed in relation to the distance of antenna above the surfaces. Moreover, the influence of changes in the peaks of negative and positive amplitudes on the total amplitudes was assessed. It was found out the amplitudes of negative peaks for all investigated surfaces were relatively consistent in the range from 40.5 cm to 48.5 cm and the moderate decline was identified in the case of amplitudes of positive peaks in the range of distances from 37.5 cm to 51.5 cm. This decline influences the tendency of total amplitudes. Based on the results of analysis it can be stated the distance of air-coupled antenna above the surface can influence the value of total amplitude and the differences depend on the type of surface.

Hybrid Heat Capacity - Moving Slab Laser Concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stappaerts, E A

2002-01-01

A hybrid configuration of a heat capacity laser (HCL) and a moving slab laser (MSL) has been studied. Multiple volumes of solid-state laser material are sequentially diode-pumped and their energy extracted. When a volume reaches a maximum temperature after a ''sub-magazine depth'', it is moved out of the pumping region into a cooling region, and a new volume is introduced. The total magazine depth equals the submagazine depth times the number of volumes. The design parameters are chosen to provide high duty factor operation, resulting in effective use of the diode arrays. The concept significantly reduces diode array cost over conventional heat capacity lasers, and it is considered enabling for many potential applications. A conceptual design study of the hybrid configuration has been carried out. Three concepts were evaluated using CAD tools. The concepts are described and their relative merits discussed. Because of reduced disk size and diode cost, the hybrid concept may allow scaling to average powers on the order of 0.5 MW/module

TLD-300 detectors for separate measurement of total and gamma absorbed dose distributions of single, multiple, and moving-field neutron treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rassow, J.

1984-01-01

Fast neutron therapy requirements, because of the poor depth dose characteristic of present therapeutical sources, are at least as complex in treatment plans as photon therapy. The physical part of the treatment planning is very important; however, it is much more complicated than for photons or electrons owing to the need for: Separation of total and gamma absorbed dose distributions (Dsub(T) and Dsub(G)); and more stringent tissue-equivalence conditions of phantoms than in photon therapy. Therefore, methods of clinical dosimetry for the separate determination of total and gamma absorbed dose distributions in irregularly shaped (inhomogeneous) phantoms are needed. A method using TLD-300 (CaF 2 :Tm) detectors is described, which is able to give an approximate solution of the above-mentioned dosimetric requirements. The two independent doses, Dsub(T) and Dsub(G), can be calculated by an on-line computer analysis of the digitalized glow curve of TLD-300 detectors, irradiated with d(14)+Be neutrons of the cyclotron isocentric neutron therapy facility CIRCE in Essen. Results are presented for depth and lateral absorbed dose distributions (Dsub(T) and Dsub(G)) for fixed neutron beams of different field sizes compared with measurements by standard procedures (TE-TE ionization chamber, GM counter) in an A-150 phantom. The TLD-300 results for multiple and moving-field treatments (with and without wedge filters) in a patient simulating irregularly shaped (inhomogeneous) phantoms, are shown together with computer calculations of these dose distributions. The probable causes for some systematic deviations are discussed, which lead to open problems for further investigations owing to features of the detector material and the evaluation method, but mainly to differences in the composition of phantom materials used for the calculations (standard dose distributions) and TLD-300 measurements. (author)

Assessment of acute sublethal effects of clothianidin on motor function of honeybee workers using video-tracking analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Alkassab, Abdulrahim T; Kirchner, Wolfgang H

2018-01-01

Sublethal impacts of pesticides on the locomotor activity might occur to different degrees and could escape visual observation. Therefore, our objective is the utilization of video-tracking to quantify how the acute oral exposure to different doses (0.1-2ng/bee) of the neonicotinoid "clothianidin" influences the locomotor activity of honeybees in a time course experiment. The total distance moved, resting time as well as the duration and frequency of bouts of laying upside down are measured. Our results show that bees exposed to acute sublethal doses of clothianidin exhibit a significant increase in the total distance moved after 30 and 60min of the treatment at the highest dose (2ng/bee). Nevertheless, a reduction of the total distance is observed at this dose 90min post-treatment compared to the distance of the same group after 30min, where the treated bees show an arched abdomen and start to lose their postural control. The treated bees with 1ng clothianidin show a significant increase in total distance moved over the experimental period. Moreover, a reduction in the resting time and increase of the duration and frequency of bouts of laying upside down at these doses are found. Furthermore, significant effects on the tested parameters are observed at the dose (0.5ng/bee) first at 60min post-treatment compared to untreated bees. The lowest dose (0.1ng/bee) has non-significant effects on the motor activity of honeybees compared to untreated bees over the experimental period. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Moving toroidal limiter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikuta, Kazunari; Miyahara, Akira.

1983-06-01

The concept of the limiter-divertor proposed by Mirnov is extended to a toroidal limiter-divertor (which we call moving toroidal limiter) using the stream of ferromagnetic balls coated with a low Z materials such as plastics, graphite and ceramics. An important advantage of the use of the ferromagnetic materials would be possible soft landing of the balls on a catcher, provided that the temperature of the balls is below Curie point. Moreover, moving toroidal limiter would work as a protector of the first wall not only against the vertical movement of plasma ring but also against the violent inward motion driven by major disruption because the orbit of the ball in the case of moving toroidal limiter distributes over the small major radius side of the toroidal plasma. (author)

Long-distance gene flow and adaptation of forest trees to rapid climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Kremer, Antoine; Ronce, Ophélie; Robledo-Arnuncio, Juan J; Guillaume, Frédéric; Bohrer, Gil; Nathan, Ran; Bridle, Jon R; Gomulkiewicz, Richard; Klein, Etienne K; Ritland, Kermit; Kuparinen, Anna; Gerber, Sophie; Schueler, Silvio

2012-01-01

Forest trees are the dominant species in many parts of the world and predicting how they might respond to climate change is a vital global concern. Trees are capable of long-distance gene flow, which can promote adaptive evolution in novel environments by increasing genetic variation for fitness. It is unclear, however, if this can compensate for maladaptive effects of gene flow and for the long-generation times of trees. We critically review data on the extent of long-distance gene flow and summarise theory that allows us to predict evolutionary responses of trees to climate change. Estimates of long-distance gene flow based both on direct observations and on genetic methods provide evidence that genes can move over spatial scales larger than habitat shifts predicted under climate change within one generation. Both theoretical and empirical data suggest that the positive effects of gene flow on adaptation may dominate in many instances. The balance of positive to negative consequences of gene flow may, however, differ for leading edge, core and rear sections of forest distributions. We propose future experimental and theoretical research that would better integrate dispersal biology with evolutionary quantitative genetics and improve predictions of tree responses to climate change. PMID:22372546

ICT Application and Utilization for Distance and Open Learning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study examined the extent of ICT application and utilization for distance and open learning education at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The descriptive survey research method was adopted for the study while questionnaire was adopted as major instrument of data collection. A total of 113 copie/s of ...

On the Use of Normalized Compression Distances for Image Similarity Detection

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Dinu Coltuc

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the usefulness of the normalized compression distance (NCD for image similarity detection. Instead of the direct NCD between images, the paper considers the correlation between NCD based feature vectors extracted for each image. The vectors are derived by computing the NCD between the original image and sequences of translated (rotated versions. Feature vectors for simple transforms (circular translations on horizontal, vertical, diagonal directions and rotations around image center and several standard compressors are generated and tested in a very simple experiment of similarity detection between the original image and two filtered versions (median and moving average. The promising vector configurations (geometric transform, lossless compressor are further tested for similarity detection on the 24 images of the Kodak set subject to some common image processing. While the direct computation of NCD fails to detect image similarity even in the case of simple median and moving average filtering in 3 × 3 windows, for certain transforms and compressors, the proposed approach appears to provide robustness at similarity detection against smoothing, lossy compression, contrast enhancement, noise addition and some robustness against geometrical transforms (scaling, cropping and rotation.

Measuring the e-Learning Autonomy of Distance Education Students

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Mehmet Firat

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have provided evidence that learner autonomy is an important factor in academic achievement. However, few studies have investigated the autonomy of distance education students in e-learning environments. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the e-learning autonomy of distance education students who are responsible for their own learning. For this purpose, as the first step of the study, an e-learning autonomy scale was developed. Analyses of the validity and reliability of the scale were carried out with the participation of 1,152 distance education students from Anadolu University, Open Education System. The scale has an internal consistency coefficient of α = 0.952 and a single factorial model that explains 66.58% of the total variance. The scale was implemented with 3,293 students from 42 different programs. According to the findings, student autonomy in e-learning environments is directly proportional to level of ICT use but not affected by program or gender.

Work distribution for a particle moving in an optical trap and non ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

Work distribution for a particle moving in an optical trap and ... It is also observed that only at long time the total work is completely ...... speed ν and time t are varied but they are adjusted in ... the probability distribution P(W, t) for a given pull-.

Radioactive means for measuring distance intervals between anomalies in an earth formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandier, G.; Nels, J.P.

1975-01-01

In earth formation measurements an investigating tool having a first and a second detector at a relatively small spacing from each other and a third detector at a relatively great spacing from the first and second detectors is moved through a borehole having anomalies such as radioactive bullets or casing joints which are relatively uniformly spaced from each other by a distance which is of the order of said great spacing between the third detector and the first and the second detectors. The first and second detectors generate detection signal peaks for the same anomaly within a short time interval, and the third detector generates a detection signal peak for an adjacent anomaly at about the same time. By means of a defined apparatus, electrical signals representing the times of occurrence of the detection signal peaks from the first and second detectors for the same anomaly and the known small spacing between these detectors are used to obtain an electrical signal for the speed of the investigating tool at that time, and at least some of these electrical signals are combined with electrical signals representing the time of occurrence of the detection signal peak from the third detector for an adjacent anomaly and at least one of the known distances between the detectors to thereby obtain an accurate measure of the distance interval between the pair of adjacent anomalies. (U.S.)

Ultrasound image based visual servoing for moving target ablation by high intensity focused ultrasound.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Joonho; Koizumi, Norihiro; Mitsuishi, Mamoru; Sugita, Naohiko

2017-12-01

Although high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a promising technology for tumor treatment, a moving abdominal target is still a challenge in current HIFU systems. In particular, respiratory-induced organ motion can reduce the treatment efficiency and negatively influence the treatment result. In this research, we present: (1) a methodology for integration of ultrasound (US) image based visual servoing in a HIFU system; and (2) the experimental results obtained using the developed system. In the visual servoing system, target motion is monitored by biplane US imaging and tracked in real time (40 Hz) by registration with a preoperative 3D model. The distance between the target and the current HIFU focal position is calculated in every US frame and a three-axis robot physically compensates for differences. Because simultaneous HIFU irradiation disturbs US target imaging, a sophisticated interlacing strategy was constructed. In the experiments, respiratory-induced organ motion was simulated in a water tank with a linear actuator and kidney-shaped phantom model. Motion compensation with HIFU irradiation was applied to the moving phantom model. Based on the experimental results, visual servoing exhibited a motion compensation accuracy of 1.7 mm (RMS) on average. Moreover, the integrated system could make a spherical HIFU-ablated lesion in the desired position of the respiratory-moving phantom model. We have demonstrated the feasibility of our US image based visual servoing technique in a HIFU system for moving target treatment. © 2016 The Authors The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Moving Matters: The Causal Effect of Moving Schools on Student Performance. Working Paper #01-15

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Amy Ellen; Stiefel, Leanna; Cordes, Sarah A.

2015-01-01

The majority of existing research on mobility indicates that students do worse in the year of a school move. This research, however, has been unsuccessful in isolating the causal effects of mobility and often fails to distinguish the heterogeneous impacts of moves, conflating structural moves (mandated by a school's terminal grade) and…

New Cepheid distances to nearby galaxies based on BVRI CCD photometry. III - NGC 300

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freedman, W.L.; Madore, B.F.; Hawley, S.L.; Horowitz, I.K.; Mould, J.; Navarrete, M.; Sallmen, S. (Carnegie Institution of Washington, Observatories, Pasadena, CA (United States) JPL, Pasadena, CA (United States) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States) California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (United States) Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, La Serena (Chile) California, University, Berkeley (United States))

1992-09-01

A true distance modulus of (m - M) sub 0 = 26.66 +/- 0.10 mag (corresponding to 2.1 +/- 0.1 Mpc) has been determined for the Sculptor Group spiral galaxy NGC 300. New CCD data have been obtained for a sample of known Cepheids in this galaxy from which apparent distance moduli at B, V, R, and I wavelengths are determined. Combining the data available at different wavelenghts, and assuming a true distance modulus to the LMC of 18.5 mag, a true distance modulus is obtained for NGC 300, corrected for the effects of interstellar reddening. The availability of a new distance to NGC 300 brings to five the total number of galaxies with new CCD photometry of Cepheids, useful for calibration of the Hubble constant. 26 refs.

Development of a modular and scalable sensor system for the gathering of position and orientation of moved objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klingbeil, L.

2006-02-01

A modular and scalable sensor system for the estimation of position and orientation of moving objects has been developed and characterized. A sensor unit, which is mounted to the moving object, consists of acceleration -, angular rate - and magnetic field sensors for every spatial axis. Customized Kalman filter algorithms provide a robust and low latency reconstruction of the sensor's orientation. Additionally an ultrasound transducer network is used to measure the distance of a sensor unit with respect to several reference points in the room. This allows reconstruction of the absolute position using trilateration methods. The system is scalable with respect to the number of sensor units and the covered tracking volume. It is suitable for various applications for example the analysis of body movements or head tracking in augmented or virtual reality environments. (orig.)

Attitudes toward Online Communications in Open and Distance Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Erdem Aydin, Irem

2012-01-01

This article intended to reveal the results of a survey study in which the students' attitudes toward online communication in open and distance learning were investigated. In the study, affects of the students' gender and computer experience on their attitudes were also examined. A total of 626 subjects participated in the study and "Online…

Codimension-two bifurcation of axial loaded beam bridge subjected to an infinite series of moving loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Xin-Wei; Tian Rui-Lan; Li Hai-Tao

2013-01-01

A novel model is proposed which comprises of a beam bridge subjected to an axial load and an infinite series of moving loads. The moving loads, whose distance between the neighbouring ones is the length of the beam bridge, coupled with the axial force can lead the vibration of the beam bridge to codimension-two bifurcation. Of particular concern is a parameter regime where non-persistence set regions undergo a transition to persistence regions. The boundary of each stripe represents a bifurcation which can drive the system off a kind of dynamics and jump to another one, causing damage due to the resulting amplitude jumps. The Galerkin method, averaging method, invertible linear transformation, and near identity nonlinear transformations are used to obtain the universal unfolding for the codimension-two bifurcation of the mid-span deflection. The efficiency of the theoretical analysis obtained in this paper is verified via numerical simulations. (general)

Distancing from experienced self: how global-versus-local perception affects estimation of psychological distance.

Science.gov (United States)

Liberman, Nira; Förster, Jens

2009-08-01

In 4 studies, the authors examined the prediction derived from construal level theory (CLT) that higher level of perceptual construal would enhance estimated egocentric psychological distance. The authors primed participants with global perception, local perception, or both (the control condition). Relative to the control condition, global processing made participants estimate larger psychological distances in time (Study 1), space (Study 2), social distance (Study 3), and hypotheticality (Study 4). Local processing had the opposite effect. Consistent with CLT, all studies show that the effect of global-versus-local processing did emerge when participants estimated egocentric distances, which are distances from the experienced self in the here and now, but did not emerge with temporal distances not from now (Study 1), spatial distances not from here (Study 2), social distances not from the self (Study 3), or hypothetical events that did not involve altering an experienced reality (Study 4).

Fast Computing for Distance Covariance

OpenAIRE

Huo, Xiaoming; Szekely, Gabor J.

2014-01-01

Distance covariance and distance correlation have been widely adopted in measuring dependence of a pair of random variables or random vectors. If the computation of distance covariance and distance correlation is implemented directly accordingly to its definition then its computational complexity is O($n^2$) which is a disadvantage compared to other faster methods. In this paper we show that the computation of distance covariance and distance correlation of real valued random variables can be...

ORDERED WEIGHTED DISTANCE MEASURE

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zeshui XU; Jian CHEN

2008-01-01

The aim of this paper is to develop an ordered weighted distance (OWD) measure, which is thegeneralization of some widely used distance measures, including the normalized Hamming distance, the normalized Euclidean distance, the normalized geometric distance, the max distance, the median distance and the min distance, etc. Moreover, the ordered weighted averaging operator, the generalized ordered weighted aggregation operator, the ordered weighted geometric operator, the averaging operator, the geometric mean operator, the ordered weighted square root operator, the square root operator, the max operator, the median operator and the min operator axe also the special cases of the OWD measure. Some methods depending on the input arguments are given to determine the weights associated with the OWD measure. The prominent characteristic of the OWD measure is that it can relieve (or intensify) the influence of unduly large or unduly small deviations on the aggregation results by assigning them low (or high) weights. This desirable characteristic makes the OWD measure very suitable to be used in many actual fields, including group decision making, medical diagnosis, data mining, and pattern recognition, etc. Finally, based on the OWD measure, we develop a group decision making approach, and illustrate it with a numerical example.

Social environments and interpersonal distance regulation in psychosis: A virtual reality study.

Science.gov (United States)

Geraets, Chris N W; van Beilen, Marije; Pot-Kolder, Roos; Counotte, Jacqueline; van der Gaag, Mark; Veling, Wim

2018-02-01

Experimentally studying the influence of social environments on mental health and behavior is challenging, as social context is difficult to standardize in laboratory settings. Virtual Reality (VR) enables studying social interaction in terms of interpersonal distance in a more ecologically valid manner. Regulation of interpersonal distance may be abnormal in patients with psychotic disorders and influenced by environmental stress, symptoms or distress. To investigate interpersonal distance in people with a psychotic disorder and at ultrahigh risk for psychosis (UHR) compared to siblings and controls in virtual social environments, and explore the relationship between clinical characteristics and interpersonal distance. Nineteen UHR patients, 52 patients with psychotic disorders, 40 siblings of patients with a psychotic disorder and 47 controls were exposed to virtual cafés. In five virtual café visits, participants were exposed to different levels of social stress, in terms of crowdedness, ethnicity and hostility. Measures on interpersonal distance, distress and state paranoia were obtained. Baseline measures included trait paranoia, social anxiety, depressive, positive and negative symptoms. Interpersonal distance increased when social stressors were present in the environment. No difference in interpersonal distance regulation was found between the groups. Social anxiety and distress were positively associated with interpersonal distance in the total sample. This VR paradigm indicates that interpersonal distance regulation in response to environmental social stressors is unaltered in people with psychosis or UHR. Environmental stress, social anxiety and distress trigger both people with and without psychosis to maintain larger interpersonal distances in social situations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new moving frame to extract scattering phases in lattice QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Xu; Muenster Univ.; Jansen, Karl; Renner, Dru B.

2011-04-01

We present a derivation of the finite-size formulae in a moving frame with total momentum P=(2π/L)(e 1 +e 2 ). These formulae allow us to calculate the S-wave and P-wave scattering phases at more energies with a fixed lattice size and thus help us to determine the resonance parameters precisely. (orig.)

A new moving frame to extract scattering phases in lattice QCD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Xu [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany). NIC; Muenster Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik; Jansen, Karl; Renner, Dru B. [DESY, Zeuthen (Germany). NIC

2011-04-15

We present a derivation of the finite-size formulae in a moving frame with total momentum P=(2{pi}/L)(e{sub 1}+e{sub 2}). These formulae allow us to calculate the S-wave and P-wave scattering phases at more energies with a fixed lattice size and thus help us to determine the resonance parameters precisely. (orig.)

PARALLEL MOVING MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Ion Tiberius Petrescu

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Moving mechanical systems parallel structures are solid, fast, and accurate. Between parallel systems it is to be noticed Stewart platforms, as the oldest systems, fast, solid and precise. The work outlines a few main elements of Stewart platforms. Begin with the geometry platform, kinematic elements of it, and presented then and a few items of dynamics. Dynamic primary element on it means the determination mechanism kinetic energy of the entire Stewart platforms. It is then in a record tail cinematic mobile by a method dot matrix of rotation. If a structural mottoelement consists of two moving elements which translates relative, drive train and especially dynamic it is more convenient to represent the mottoelement as a single moving components. We have thus seven moving parts (the six motoelements or feet to which is added mobile platform 7 and one fixed.

Fundamental Properties of Co-moving Stars Observed by Gaia

Science.gov (United States)

Bochanski, John J.; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Gagné, Jonathan; Nelson, Olivia; Coker, Kristina; Smithka, Iliya; Desir, Deion; Vasquez, Chelsea

2018-04-01

We have estimated fundamental parameters for a sample of co-moving stars observed by Gaia and identified by Oh et al. We matched the Gaia observations to the 2MASS and Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer catalogs and fit MIST isochrones to the data, deriving estimates of the mass, radius, [Fe/H], age, distance, and extinction to 9754 stars in the original sample of 10606 stars. We verify these estimates by comparing our new results to previous analyses of nearby stars, examining fiducial cluster properties, and estimating the power-law slope of the local present-day mass function. A comparison to previous studies suggests that our mass estimates are robust, while metallicity and age estimates are increasingly uncertain. We use our calculated masses to examine the properties of binaries in the sample and show that separation of the pairs dominates the observed binding energies and expected lifetimes.

A Novel Detection Method for Underwater Moving Targets by Measuring Their ELF Emissions with Inductive Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinhong Wang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this article, we propose a novel detection method for underwater moving targets by detecting their extremely low frequency (ELF emissions with inductive sensors. The ELF field source of the targets is modeled by a horizontal electric dipole at distances more than several times of the targets’ length. The formulas for the fields produced in air are derived with a three-layer model (air, seawater and seafloor and are evaluated with a complementary numerical integration technique. A proof of concept measurement is presented. The ELF emissions from a surface ship were detected by inductive electronic and magnetic sensors as the ship was leaving a harbor. ELF signals are of substantial strength and have typical characteristic of harmonic line spectrum, and the fundamental frequency has a direct relationship with the ship’s speed. Due to the high sensitivity and low noise level of our sensors, it is capable of resolving weak ELF signals at long distance. In our experiment, a detection distance of 1300 m from the surface ship above the sea surface was realized, which shows that this method would be an appealing complement to the usual acoustic detection and magnetic anomaly detection capability.

Predicting pathologic tumor response to chemoradiotherapy with histogram distances characterizing longitudinal changes in 18F-FDG uptake patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Shan; Zhang, Hao; Zhang, Yongxue; Chen, Wengen; D’Souza, Warren D.; Lu, Wei

2013-01-01

Purpose: A family of fluorine-18 (18F)-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET) features based on histogram distances is proposed for predicting pathologic tumor response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). These features describe the longitudinal change of FDG uptake distribution within a tumor. Methods: Twenty patients with esophageal cancer treated with CRT plus surgery were included in this study. All patients underwent PET/CT scans before (pre-) and after (post-) CRT. The two scans were first rigidly registered, and the original tumor sites were then manually delineated on the pre-PET/CT by an experienced nuclear medicine physician. Two histograms representing the FDG uptake distribution were extracted from the pre- and the registered post-PET images, respectively, both within the delineated tumor. Distances between the two histograms quantify longitudinal changes in FDG uptake distribution resulting from CRT, and thus are potential predictors of tumor response. A total of 19 histogram distances were examined and compared to both traditional PET response measures and Haralick texture features. Receiver operating characteristic analyses and Mann-Whitney U test were performed to assess their predictive ability. Results: Among all tested histogram distances, seven bin-to-bin and seven crossbin distances outperformed traditional PET response measures using maximum standardized uptake value (AUC = 0.70) or total lesion glycolysis (AUC = 0.80). The seven bin-to-bin distances were: L2 distance (AUC = 0.84), χ2 distance (AUC = 0.83), intersection distance (AUC = 0.82), cosine distance (AUC = 0.83), squared Euclidean distance (AUC = 0.83), L1 distance (AUC = 0.82), and Jeffrey distance (AUC = 0.82). The seven crossbin distances were: quadratic-chi distance (AUC = 0.89), earth mover distance (AUC = 0.86), fast earth mover distance (AUC = 0.86), diffusion distance (AUC = 0.88), Kolmogorov-Smirnov distance (AUC = 0.88), quadratic form distance

Stress and Coping Strategies among Distance Education Students at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Science.gov (United States)

Kwaah, Christopher Yaw; Essilfie, Gabriel

2017-01-01

This study was designed to identify the causes of stress and coping strategies adopted among distance education students at the College of Distance Education in the University of Cape Coast. A total of 332 diploma and post-diploma final year students in 2014/2015 academic year were selected from two study centers using random sampling procedure to…

A moving subgrid model for simulation of reflood heat transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frepoli, Cesare; Mahaffy, John H.; Hochreiter, Lawrence E.

2003-01-01

In the quench front and froth region the thermal-hydraulic parameters experience a sharp axial variation. The heat transfer regime changes from single-phase liquid, to nucleate boiling, to transition boiling and finally to film boiling in a small axial distance. One of the major limitations of all the current best-estimate codes is that a relatively coarse mesh is used to solve the complex fluid flow and heat transfer problem in proximity of the quench front during reflood. The use of a fine axial mesh for the entire core becomes prohibitive because of the large computational costs involved. Moreover, as the mesh size decreases, the standard numerical methods based on a semi-implicit scheme, tend to become unstable. A subgrid model was developed to resolve the complex thermal-hydraulic problem at the quench front and froth region. This model is a Fine Hydraulic Moving Grid (FHMG) that overlies a coarse Eulerian mesh in the proximity of the quench front and froth region. The fine mesh moves in the core and follows the quench front as it advances in the core while the rods cool and quench. The FHMG software package was developed and implemented into the COBRA-TF computer code. This paper presents the model and discusses preliminary results obtained with the COBRA-TF/FHMG computer code

Mechanism to synthesize a ‘moving optical mark’ at solid-ambient interface for the estimation of thermal diffusivity of solid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Settu Balachandar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A novel mechanism is proposed, involving a novel interaction between solid-sample supporting unsteady heat flow with its ambient-humidity; invokes phase transformation of water-vapour molecule and synthesize a ‘moving optical-mark’ at sample-ambient-interface. Under tailored condition, optical-mark exhibits a characteristic macro-scale translatory motion governed by thermal diffusivity of solid. For various step-temperature inputs via cooling, position-dependent velocities of moving optical-mark are measured at a fixed distance. A new approach is proposed. ‘Product of velocity of optical-mark and distance’ versus ‘non-dimensional velocity’ is plotted. The slope reveals thermal diffusivity of solid at ambient-temperature; preliminary results obtained for Quartz-glass is closely matching with literature.

To which countries do European psychiatric trainees want to move to and why?

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto da Costa, M; Giurgiuca, A; Holmes, K; Biskup, E; Mogren, T; Tomori, S; Kilic, O; Banjac, V; Molina-Ruiz, R; Palumbo, C; Frydecka, D; Kaaja, J; El-Higaya, E; Kanellopoulos, A; Amit, B H; Madissoon, D; Andreou, E; Uleviciute-Belena, I; Rakos, I; Dragasek, J; Feffer, K; Farrugia, M; Mitkovic-Voncina, M; Gargot, T; Baessler, F; Pantovic-Stefanovic, M; De Picker, L

2017-09-01

There is a shortage of psychiatrists worldwide. Within Europe, psychiatric trainees can move between countries, which increases the problem in some countries and alleviates it in others. However, little is known about the reasons psychiatric trainees move to another country. Survey of psychiatric trainees in 33 European countries, exploring how frequently psychiatric trainees have migrated or want to migrate, their reasons to stay and leave the country, and the countries where they come from and where they move to. A 61-item self-report questionnaire was developed, covering questions about their demographics, experiences of short-term mobility (from 3 months up to 1 year), experiences of long-term migration (of more than 1 year) and their attitudes towards migration. A total of 2281 psychiatric trainees in Europe participated in the survey, of which 72.0% have 'ever' considered to move to a different country in their future, 53.5% were considering it 'now', at the time of the survey, and 13.3% had already moved country. For these immigrant trainees, academic was the main reason they gave to move from their country of origin. For all trainees, the overall main reason for which they would leave was financial (34.4%), especially in those with lower (2500€) incomes, personal reasons were paramount (44.5%). A high number of psychiatric trainees considered moving to another country, and their motivation largely reflects the substantial salary differences. These findings suggest tackling financial conditions and academic opportunities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The Moving image

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lennard Højbjerg

2014-01-01

Every day we are presented with bodily expressions in audiovisual media – by anchors, journalists and characters in films for instance. This article explores how body language in the moving image has been and can be approached in a scholarly manner.......Every day we are presented with bodily expressions in audiovisual media – by anchors, journalists and characters in films for instance. This article explores how body language in the moving image has been and can be approached in a scholarly manner....

Moving to Jobs?

OpenAIRE

Dave Maré; Jason Timmins

2003-01-01

This paper examines whether New Zealand residents move from low-growth to high-growth regions, using New Zealand census data from the past three inter-censal periods (covering 1986-2001). We focus on the relationship between employment growth and migration flows to gauge the strength of the relationship and the stability of the relationship over the business cycle. We find that people move to areas of high employment growth, but that the probability of leaving a region is less strongly relate...

Improved moving source photometry with TRIPPy

Science.gov (United States)

Alexandersen, Mike; Fraser, Wesley Cristopher

2017-10-01

Photometry of moving sources is more complicated than for stationary sources, because the sources trail their signal out over more pixels than a point source of the same magnitude. Using a circular aperture of same size as would be appropriate for point sources can cut out a large amount of flux if a moving source moves substantially relative to the size of the aperture during the exposure, resulting in underestimated fluxes. Using a large circular aperture can mitigate this issue at the cost of a significantly reduced signal to noise compared to a point source, as a result of the inclusion of a larger background region within the aperture.Trailed Image Photometry in Python (TRIPPy) solves this problem by using a pill-shaped aperture: the traditional circular aperture is sliced in half perpendicular to the direction of motion and separated by a rectangle as long as the total motion of the source during the exposure. TRIPPy can also calculate the appropriate aperture correction (which will depend both on the radius and trail length of the pill-shaped aperture), and has features for selecting good PSF stars, creating a PSF model (convolved moffat profile + lookup table) and selecting a custom sky-background area in order to ensure no other sources contribute to the background estimate.In this poster, we present an overview of the TRIPPy features and demonstrate the improvements resulting from using TRIPPy compared to photometry obtained by other methods with examples from real projects where TRIPPy has been implemented in order to obtain the best-possible photometric measurements of Solar System objects. While TRIPPy has currently mainly been used for Trans-Neptunian Objects, the improvement from using the pill-shaped aperture increases with source motion, making TRIPPy highly relevant for asteroid and centaur photometry as well.

Efficient DoA Tracking of Variable Number of Moving Stochastic EM Sources in Far-Field Using PNN-MLP Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoran Stanković

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An efficient neural network-based approach for tracking of variable number of moving electromagnetic (EM sources in far-field is proposed in the paper. Electromagnetic sources considered here are of stochastic radiation nature, mutually uncorrelated, and at arbitrary angular distance. The neural network model is based on combination of probabilistic neural network (PNN and the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP networks and it performs real-time calculations in two stages, determining at first the number of moving sources present in an observed space sector in specific moments in time and then calculating their angular positions in azimuth plane. Once successfully trained, the neural network model is capable of performing an accurate and efficient direction of arrival (DoA estimation within the training boundaries which is illustrated on the appropriate example.

Observational conditioning in flower choice copying by bumblebees (Bombus terrestris: influence of observer distance and demonstrator movement.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aurore Avarguès-Weber

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Bumblebees use information provided inadvertently by conspecifics when deciding between different flower foraging options. Such social learning might be explained by relatively simple associative learning mechanism: the bee may learn to associate conspecifics with nectar or pollen reward through previous experience of foraging jointly. However, in some studies, observers were guided by choices of 'demonstrators' viewed through a screen, so no reward was given to the observers at the time of seeing other bees' flowers choice and no demonstrator bee was present at the moment of decision. This behaviour, referred to observational conditioning, implies an additional associative step as the positive value of conspecific is transferred to the associated flower. Here we explore the role of demonstrator movement, and the distance between observers and demonstrators that is required for observation conditioning to take place. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identify the conditions under which observational conditioning occurs in the widespread European species Bombus terrestris. The presence of artificial demonstrator bees leads to a significant change in individual colour preference toward the indicated colour if demonstrators were moving and observation distance was limited (15 cm, suggesting that observational conditioning could only influence relatively short-range foraging decisions. In addition, the movement of demonstrators is a crucial factor for observational conditioning, either due to the more life-like appearance of moving artificial bees or an enhanced detectability of moving demonstrators, and an increased efficiency at directing attention to the indicated flower colour. CONCLUSION: Bumblebees possess the capacity to learn the quality of a flower by distal observation of other foragers' choices. This confirms that social learning in bees involves more advanced processes than simple associative learning, and indicates that

Application of the Total Least Square ESPRIT Method to Estimation of Angular Coordinates of Moving Objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wojciech Rosloniec

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The TLS ESPRIT method is investigated in application to estimation of angular coordinates (angles of arrival of two moving objects at the presence of an external, relatively strong uncorrelated signal. As a radar antenna system, the 32-element uniform linear array (ULA is used. Various computer simulations have been carried out in order to demonstrate good accuracy and high spatial resolution of the TLS ESPRIT method in the scenario outlined above. It is also shown that accuracy and angle resolution can be significantly increased by using the proposed preprocessing (beamforming. The most of simulation results, presented in a graphical form, have been compared to the corresponding equivalent results obtained by using the ESPRIT method and conventional amplitude monopulse method aided by the coherent Doppler filtration.

Trends in Distance Education Research: A Content Analysis of Journals 2009-2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aras Bozkurt

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This study intends to explore the current trends in the field of distance education research during the period of 2009-2013. The trends were identified by an extensive review of seven peer reviewed scholarly journals: The American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE, Distance Education (DE, The European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning (EURODL, The Journal of Distance Education (JDE, The Journal of Online Learning and Technology (JOLT, Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning (OL and The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL. A total of 861 research articles was reviewed. Mainly content analysis was employed to be able to analyze the current research. Also, a social network analysis (SNA was used to interpret the interrelationship between keywords indicated in these articles. Themes were developed and the content of the articles in the selected journals were coded according to categories derived from earlier studies. The results were interpreted using descriptive analysis (frequencies and social network analysis. The reporting of the results were organized into the following categories: research areas, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, variables, methods, models, strategies, data collection and analysis methods, and the participants. The study also identified the most commonly used keywords, and the most frequently cited authors and studies in distance education. The findings obtained in this study may be useful in the exploration of potential research areas and identification of neglected areas in the field of distance education.

Trends in Distance Education: A Content Analysis of Master's Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Durak, Gürhan; Çankaya, Serkan; Yunkul, Eyup; Urfa, Mehmet; Toprakliklioglu, Kivanç; Arda, Yagmur; Inam, Nazmiye

2017-01-01

The present study aimed at presenting the results of content analysis on Master's Theses carried out in the field of distance education at higher education level in Turkey between 1986 and 2015. A total of 285 Master's Theses were examined to determine the key words, academic disciplines, research areas, theoretical frameworks, research designs…

Minimum Delay Moving Object Detection

KAUST Repository

Lao, Dong

2017-11-09

We present a general framework and method for detection of an object in a video based on apparent motion. The object moves relative to background motion at some unknown time in the video, and the goal is to detect and segment the object as soon it moves in an online manner. Due to unreliability of motion between frames, more than two frames are needed to reliably detect the object. Our method is designed to detect the object(s) with minimum delay, i.e., frames after the object moves, constraining the false alarms. Experiments on a new extensive dataset for moving object detection show that our method achieves less delay for all false alarm constraints than existing state-of-the-art.

Minimum Delay Moving Object Detection

KAUST Repository

Lao, Dong

2017-01-08

We present a general framework and method for detection of an object in a video based on apparent motion. The object moves relative to background motion at some unknown time in the video, and the goal is to detect and segment the object as soon it moves in an online manner. Due to unreliability of motion between frames, more than two frames are needed to reliably detect the object. Our method is designed to detect the object(s) with minimum delay, i.e., frames after the object moves, constraining the false alarms. Experiments on a new extensive dataset for moving object detection show that our method achieves less delay for all false alarm constraints than existing state-of-the-art.

Minimum Delay Moving Object Detection

KAUST Repository

Lao, Dong; Sundaramoorthi, Ganesh

2017-01-01

We present a general framework and method for detection of an object in a video based on apparent motion. The object moves relative to background motion at some unknown time in the video, and the goal is to detect and segment the object as soon it moves in an online manner. Due to unreliability of motion between frames, more than two frames are needed to reliably detect the object. Our method is designed to detect the object(s) with minimum delay, i.e., frames after the object moves, constraining the false alarms. Experiments on a new extensive dataset for moving object detection show that our method achieves less delay for all false alarm constraints than existing state-of-the-art.

THE DISTANCE TO M51

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McQuinn, Kristen B. W. [University of Texas at Austin, McDonald Observatory, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400 Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Skillman, Evan D. [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, 116 Church Street, S.E., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Dolphin, Andrew E. [Raytheon Company, 1151 E. Hermans Road, Tucson, AZ 85756 (United States); Berg, Danielle [Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 1900 East Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee, WI 53211 (United States); Kennicutt, Robert, E-mail: kmcquinn@astro.as.utexas.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom)

2016-07-20

Great investments of observing time have been dedicated to the study of nearby spiral galaxies with diverse goals ranging from understanding the star formation process to characterizing their dark matter distributions. Accurate distances are fundamental to interpreting observations of these galaxies, yet many of the best studied nearby galaxies have distances based on methods with relatively large uncertainties. We have started a program to derive accurate distances to these galaxies. Here we measure the distance to M51—the Whirlpool galaxy—from newly obtained Hubble Space Telescope optical imaging using the tip of the red giant branch method. We measure the distance modulus to be 8.58 ± 0.10 Mpc (statistical), corresponding to a distance modulus of 29.67 ± 0.02 mag. Our distance is an improvement over previous results as we use a well-calibrated, stable distance indicator, precision photometry in a optimally selected field of view, and a Bayesian Maximum Likelihood technique that reduces measurement uncertainties.

Danish long distance travel A study of Danish travel behaviour and the role of infrequent travel activities

OpenAIRE

Knudsen, Mette Aagaard; Rich, Jeppe; Nielsen, Otto Anker

2014-01-01

Historically there has been a lack of knowledge with respect to long distance travel. Due to the considerable contribution of long distance travel to total travelled kilometres and the related energy consumption from the transport sector and derived impacts on greenhouse emissions, this is problematic. The average travel distance has steadily increased during the latest decades together with the increasing motorisation of daily travel and international aviation. Previously most focus has been...

Minimum Delay Moving Object Detection

KAUST Repository

Lao, Dong

2017-05-14

This thesis presents a general framework and method for detection of an object in a video based on apparent motion. The object moves, at some unknown time, differently than the “background” motion, which can be induced from camera motion. The goal of proposed method is to detect and segment the object as soon it moves in an online manner. Since motion estimation can be unreliable between frames, more than two frames are needed to reliably detect the object. Observing more frames before declaring a detection may lead to a more accurate detection and segmentation, since more motion may be observed leading to a stronger motion cue. However, this leads to greater delay. The proposed method is designed to detect the object(s) with minimum delay, i.e., frames after the object moves, constraining the false alarms, defined as declarations of detection before the object moves or incorrect or inaccurate segmentation at the detection time. Experiments on a new extensive dataset for moving object detection show that our method achieves less delay for all false alarm constraints than existing state-of-the-art.

Encyclopedia of distances

CERN Document Server

Deza, Michel Marie

2009-01-01

Distance metrics and distances have become an essential tool in many areas of pure and applied Mathematics. This title offers both independent introductions and definitions, while at the same time making cross-referencing easy through hyperlink-like boldfaced references to original definitions.

Decoding Target Distance and Saccade Amplitude from Population Activity in the Macaque Lateral Intraparietal Area (LIP)

Science.gov (United States)

Bremmer, Frank; Kaminiarz, Andre; Klingenhoefer, Steffen; Churan, Jan

2016-01-01

Primates perform saccadic eye movements in order to bring the image of an interesting target onto the fovea. Compared to stationary targets, saccades toward moving targets are computationally more demanding since the oculomotor system must use speed and direction information about the target as well as knowledge about its own processing latency to program an adequate, predictive saccade vector. In monkeys, different brain regions have been implicated in the control of voluntary saccades, among them the lateral intraparietal area (LIP). Here we asked, if activity in area LIP reflects the distance between fovea and saccade target, or the amplitude of an upcoming saccade, or both. We recorded single unit activity in area LIP of two macaque monkeys. First, we determined for each neuron its preferred saccade direction. Then, monkeys performed visually guided saccades along the preferred direction toward either stationary or moving targets in pseudo-randomized order. LIP population activity allowed to decode both, the distance between fovea and saccade target as well as the size of an upcoming saccade. Previous work has shown comparable results for saccade direction (Graf and Andersen, 2014a,b). Hence, LIP population activity allows to predict any two-dimensional saccade vector. Functional equivalents of macaque area LIP have been identified in humans. Accordingly, our results provide further support for the concept of activity from area LIP as neural basis for the control of an oculomotor brain-machine interface. PMID:27630547

Decoding target distance and saccade amplitude from population activity in the macaque lateral intraparietal area (LIP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Bremmer

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Primates perform saccadic eye movements in order to bring the image of an interesting target onto the fovea. Compared to stationary targets, saccades towards moving targets are computationally more demanding since the oculomotor system must use speed and direction information about the target as well as knowledge about its own processing latency to program an adequate, predictive saccade vector. In monkeys, different brain regions have been implicated in the control of voluntary saccades, among them the lateral intraparietal area (LIP. Here we asked, if activity in area LIP reflects the distance between fovea and saccade target, or the amplitude of an upcoming saccade, or both. We recorded single unit activity in area LIP of two macaque monkeys. First, we determined for each neuron its preferred saccade direction. Then, monkeys performed visually guided saccades along the preferred direction towards either stationary or moving targets in pseudo-randomized order. LIP population activity allowed to decode both, the distance between fovea and saccade target as well as the size of an upcoming saccade. Previous work has shown comparable results for saccade direction (Graf and Andersen, 2014a, b. Hence, LIP population activity allows to predict any two-dimensional saccade vector. Functional equivalents of macaque area LIP have been identified in humans. Accordingly, our results provide further support for the concept of activity from area LIP as neural basis for the control of an oculomotor brain-machine interface.

Node-pair reliability of network systems with small distances between adjacent nodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinowski, Jacek

2007-01-01

A new method for computing the node-pair reliability of network systems modeled by random graphs with nodes arranged in sequence is presented. It is based on a recursive algorithm using the 'sliding window' technique, the window being composed of several consecutive nodes. In a single step, the connectivity probabilities for all nodes included in the window are found. Subsequently, the window is moved one node forward. This process is repeated until, in the last step, the window reaches the terminal node. The connectivity probabilities found at that point are used to compute the node-pair reliability of the network system considered. The algorithm is designed especially for graphs with small distances between adjacent nodes, where the distance between two nodes is defined as the absolute value of the difference between the nodes' numbers. The maximal distance between any two adjacent nodes is denoted by Γ(G), where G symbolizes a random graph. If Γ(G)=2 then the method can be applied for directed as well as undirected graphs whose nodes and edges are subject to failure. This is important in view of the fact that many algorithms computing network reliability are designed for graphs with failure-prone edges and reliable nodes. If Γ(G)=3 then the method's applicability is limited to undirected graphs with reliable nodes. The main asset of the presented algorithms is their low numerical complexity-O(n), where n denotes the number of nodes

Involuntary human hand movements due to FM radio waves in a moving van.

Science.gov (United States)

Huttunen, P; Savinainen, A; Hänninen, Osmo; Myllylä, R

2011-06-01

Finland TRACT Involuntary movements of hands in a moving van on a public road were studied to clarify the possible role of frequency modulated radio waves on driving. The signals were measured in a direct 2 km test segment of an international road during repeated drives to both directions. Test subjects (n=4) had an ability to sense radio frequency field intensity variations of the environment. They were sitting in a minivan with arm movement detectors in their hands. A potentiometer was used to register the hand movements to a computer which simultaneously collected data on the amplitude of the RF signal of the local FM tower 30 km distance at a frequency of about 100 MHz. Involuntary hand movements of the test subjects correlated with electromagnetic field, i.e. FM radio wave intensity measured. They reacted also on the place of a geomagnetic anomaly crossing the road, which was found on the basis of these recordings and confirmed by the public geological maps of the area.In conclusion, RF irradiation seems to affect the human hand reflexes of sensitive persons in a moving van along a normal public road which may have significance in traffic safety.

Error Analysis of Fast Moving Target Geo-location in Wide Area Surveillance Ground Moving Target Indication Mode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng Shi-chao

2013-12-01

Full Text Available As an important mode in airborne radar systems, Wide Area Surveillance Ground Moving Target Indication (WAS-GMTI mode has the ability of monitoring a large area in a short time, and then the detected moving targets can be located quickly. However, in real environment, many factors introduce considerable errors into the location of moving targets. In this paper, a fast location method based on the characteristics of the moving targets in WAS-GMTI mode is utilized. And in order to improve the location performance, those factors that introduce location errors are analyzed and moving targets are relocated. Finally, the analysis of those factors is proved to be reasonable by simulation and real data experiments.

30 CFR 56.14107 - Moving machine parts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Moving machine parts. 56.14107 Section 56.14107... Safety Devices and Maintenance Requirements § 56.14107 Moving machine parts. (a) Moving machine parts... takeup pulleys, flywheels, couplings, shafts, fan blades, and similar moving parts that can cause injury...

Shape measurement and vibration analysis of moving speaker cone

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qican; Liu, Yuankun; Lehtonen, Petri

2014-06-01

Surface three-dimensional (3-D) shape information is needed for many fast processes such as structural testing of material, standing waves on loudspeaker cone, etc. Usually measurement is done from limited number of points using electrical sensors or laser distance meters. Fourier Transform Profilometry (FTP) enables fast shape measurement of the whole surface. Method is based on angled sinusoidal fringe pattern projection and image capturing. FTP requires only one image of the deformed fringe pattern to restore the 3-D shape of the measured object, which makes real-time or dynamic data processing possible. In our experiment the method was used for loudspeaker cone distortion measurement in dynamic conditions. For sound quality issues it is important that the whole cone moves in same phase and there are no partial waves. Our imaging resolution was 1280x1024 pixels and frame rate was 200 fps. Using our setup we found unwanted spatial waves in our sample cone.

An active one-particle microrheometer: incorporating magnetic tweezers to total internal reflection microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Xiangjun; Hua, Li; Wu, Chi; Ngai, To

2013-03-01

We present a novel microrheometer by incorporating magnetic tweezers in the total internal reflection microscopy (TIRM) that enables measuring of viscoelastic properties of materials near solid surface. An evanescent wave generated by a solid∕liquid interface in the TIRM is used as the incident light source in the microrheometer. When a probe particle (of a few micrometers diameter) moves near the interface, it can interact with the evanescent field and reflect its position with respect to the interface by the scattered light intensity. The exponential distance dependence of the evanescent field, on the one hand, makes this technique extremely sensitive to small changes from z-fluctuations of the probe (with a resolution of several nanometers), and on the other, it does not require imaging of the probe with high lateral resolution. Another distinct advantage is the high sensitivity in determining the z position of the probe in the absence of any labeling. The incorporated magnetic tweezers enable us to effectively manipulate the distance of the embedded particle from the interface either by a constant or an oscillatory force. The force ramp is easy to implement through a coil current ramp. In this way, the local viscous and elastic properties of a given system under different confinements can therefore be measured by resolving the near-surface particle motion. To test the feasibility of applying this microrheology to soft materials, we measured the viscoelastic properties of sucrose and poly(ethylene glycol) solutions and compared the results to bulk rheometry. In addition, we applied this technique in monitoring the structure and properties of deformable microgel particles near the flat surface.

Sonographic findings after total hip arthroplasty: normal and complications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyoung Rok; Seon, Young Seok; Choi, Ji He; Kim, Sun Su; Kim, Se Jong; Park, Byong Lan; Kim, Byoung Geun

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of sonography in the evaluation of normal pseudocapsular morphology and the detection of complications after total hip arthroplasty. Between Janvary 1997 and June 2000, 47 patients (35 men and 12 women aged 24 to 84 (mean, 61) years) using real-time linear-array, convex US units with 3.5-MHz and 10-MHz transducers. Normal capsular morphology in 30 with total hip replacements, who had been asymptomatic for at least one year, was studied, and the prosthetic joint infection demonstrated in six of 17 who had experienced was confirmed at surgery or by US-guided aspiration. Sonograms indicated that a normal pseudocapsule lay straight over the neck of the prosthesis or was slightly convex toward the neck , and that the mean bone-to-pseudocapsule distance was 2.9 mm. However, in the 11 symptomatic patients in whom no evidence of infection was revealed by cultures, th mean distance was 4.7 mm; in the remaining six patients, whose joints were infected (a condition strongly suggested by the presence of extracapsular fluid), the mean distance was 5.5 mm, with no significant difference between the two groups. Sonography can be used to evaluate normal caspular morphology after total hip replacement and to diagnose infection around hip prostheses. In all patients in whom sonography revealed the presence of extra-articular fluid, infection had occurred

Sonographic findings after total hip arthroplasty: normal and complications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kyoung Rok; Seon, Young Seok; Choi, Ji He; Kim, Sun Su; Kim, Se Jong; Park, Byong Lan; Kim, Byoung Geun [Kwangju Christian Hospital, Kwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2002-04-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of sonography in the evaluation of normal pseudocapsular morphology and the detection of complications after total hip arthroplasty. Between Janvary 1997 and June 2000, 47 patients (35 men and 12 women aged 24 to 84 (mean, 61) years) using real-time linear-array, convex US units with 3.5-MHz and 10-MHz transducers. Normal capsular morphology in 30 with total hip replacements, who had been asymptomatic for at least one year, was studied, and the prosthetic joint infection demonstrated in six of 17 who had experienced was confirmed at surgery or by US-guided aspiration. Sonograms indicated that a normal pseudocapsule lay straight over the neck of the prosthesis or was slightly convex toward the neck , and that the mean bone-to-pseudocapsule distance was 2.9 mm. However, in the 11 symptomatic patients in whom no evidence of infection was revealed by cultures, th mean distance was 4.7 mm; in the remaining six patients, whose joints were infected (a condition strongly suggested by the presence of extracapsular fluid), the mean distance was 5.5 mm, with no significant difference between the two groups. Sonography can be used to evaluate normal caspular morphology after total hip replacement and to diagnose infection around hip prostheses. In all patients in whom sonography revealed the presence of extra-articular fluid, infection had occurred.

People on the Move

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Audrey

2018-01-01

The purpose of this 2-3 day lesson is to introduce students in Grades 2-4 to the idea that people move around the world for a variety of reasons. In this activity, students explore why people move through class discussion, a guided reading, and interviews. The teacher elicits student ideas using the compelling question (Dimension 1 of the C3…

Heliocentric distance dependence of the interplanetary magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behannon, K.W.

1978-01-01

Recent and ongoing planetary missions have provided and are continuing to provide extensive observations of the variations of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) both in time and with heliocentric distance from the sun. Large time variations in both the IMF and its fluctuations are observed. These are produced predominantly by dynamical processes in the interplanetary medium associated with stream interactions. Magnetic field variations near the sun are propagated to greater heliocentric distances, a process also contributing to the observed variability of the IMF. Temporal variations on a time scale comparable to or less than the corotation period complicate attempts to deduce radial gradients of the field and its fluctuations from the various observations. However, recent measurements inward to 0.46 AU and outward to 5 AU suggest that the radial component of the field on average decreases approximately as r -2 , as was predicted by Parker, while the azimuthal component decreases more rapidly than the r -1 dependence predicted by simple theory. Three sets of observations are consistent with r/sup -1.3/ dependence for vertical-barB/sub phi/vertical-bar. The temporal variability of solar wind speed is most likely the predominant contributor to this latter observational result. The long-term average azimuthal component radial gradient is probably consistent with the Parker r -1 dependence when solar wind speed variations are taken into account. The observations of the normal component magnitude vertical-barB/sub theta/vertical-bar are roughly consistent with a heliocentric distance dependence of r/sup -1.4/. The observed radial distance dependence of the total magnitude of the IMF is well described by the Parker formulation. There is observational evidence that amplitudes of fluctuations of the vector field with periods less than 1 day vary with heliocentric distance as approximately r/sup -3/2/, in agreement with theoretical models by Whang and Hollweg

Learner characteristics involved in distance learning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cernicek, A.T.; Hahn, H.A.

1991-01-01

Distance learning represents a strategy for leveraging resources to solve educational and training needs. Although many distance learning programs have been developed, lessons learned regarding differences between distance learning and traditional education with respect to learner characteristics have not been well documented. Therefore, we conducted a survey of 20 distance learning professionals. The questionnaire was distributed to experts attending the second Distance Learning Conference sponsored by Los Alamos National Laboratory. This survey not only acquired demographic information from each of the respondents but also identified important distance learning student characteristics. Significant distance learner characteristics, which were revealed statistically and which influence the effectiveness of distance learning, include the following: reading level, student autonomy, and self-motivation. Distance learning cannot become a more useful and effective method of instruction without identifying and recognizing learner characteristics. It will be important to consider these characteristics when designing all distance learning courses. This paper will report specific survey findings and their implications for developing distance learning courses. 9 refs., 6 tabs.

Moving and Being Moved: Implications for Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kretchmar, R. Scott

2000-01-01

Uses philosophical writings, a novel about baseball, and a nonfiction work on rowing to analyze levels of meaning in physical activity, showing why three popular methods for enhancing meaning have not succeeded and may have moved some students away from deeper levels of meaning. The paper suggests that using hints taken from the three books could…

COOL YOUNG STARS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE: β PICTORIS AND AB DORADUS MOVING GROUP CANDIDATES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlieder, Joshua E.; Simon, Michal; Lépine, Sébastien

2012-01-01

As part of our continuing effort to identify new, low-mass members of nearby, young moving groups (NYMGs), we present a list of young, low-mass candidates in the northern hemisphere. We used our proven proper-motion selection procedure and ROSAT X-ray and GALEX-UV activity indicators to identify 204 young stars as candidate members of the β Pictoris and AB Doradus NYMGs. Definitive membership assignment of a given candidate will require a measurement of its radial velocity and distance. We present a simple system of indices to characterize the young candidates and help prioritize follow-up observations. New group members identified in this candidate list will be high priority targets for (1) exoplanet direct imaging searches, (2) the study of post-T-Tauri astrophysics, (3) understanding recent local star formation, and (4) the study of local galactic kinematics. Information available now allows us to identify eight likely new members in the list. Two of these, a late-K and an early-M dwarf, we find to be likely members of the β Pic group. The other six stars are likely members of the AB Dor moving group. These include an M dwarf triple system, and three very cool objects that may be young brown dwarfs, making them the lowest-mass, isolated objects proposed in the AB Dor moving group to date.

Distance Magic-Type and Distance Antimagic-Type Labelings of Graphs

Science.gov (United States)

Freyberg, Bryan J.

Generally speaking, a distance magic-type labeling of a graph G of order n is a bijection l from the vertex set of the graph to the first n natural numbers or to the elements of a group of order n, with the property that the weight of each vertex is the same. The weight of a vertex x is defined as the sum (or appropriate group operation) of all the labels of vertices adjacent to x. If instead we require that all weights differ, then we refer to the labeling as a distance antimagic-type labeling. This idea can be generalized for directed graphs; the weight will take into consideration the direction of the arcs. In this manuscript, we provide new results for d-handicap labeling, a distance antimagic-type labeling, and introduce a new distance magic-type labeling called orientable Gamma-distance magic labeling. A d-handicap distance antimagic labeling (or just d-handicap labeling for short) of a graph G = ( V,E) of order n is a bijection l from V to the set {1,2,...,n} with induced weight function [special characters omitted]. such that l(xi) = i and the sequence of weights w(x 1),w(x2),...,w (xn) forms an arithmetic sequence with constant difference d at least 1. If a graph G admits a d-handicap labeling, we say G is a d-handicap graph. A d-handicap incomplete tournament, H(n,k,d ) is an incomplete tournament of n teams ranked with the first n natural numbers such that each team plays exactly k games and the strength of schedule of the ith ranked team is d more than the i + 1st ranked team. That is, strength of schedule increases arithmetically with strength of team. Constructing an H(n,k,d) is equivalent to finding a d-handicap labeling of a k-regular graph of order n.. In Chapter 2 we provide general constructions for every d for large classes of both n and k, providing breadfth and depth to the catalog of known H(n,k,d)'s. In Chapters 3 - 6, we introduce a new type of labeling called orientable Gamma-distance magic labeling. Let Gamma be an abelian group of order

Mathematical design of a novel input/instruction device using a moving acoustic emitter

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xianchao; Guo, Yukun; Li, Jingzhi; Liu, Hongyu

2017-10-01

This paper is concerned with the mathematical design of a novel input/instruction device using a moving emitter. The emitter acts as a point source and can be installed on a digital pen or worn on the finger of the human being who desires to interact/communicate with the computer. The input/instruction can be recognized by identifying the moving trajectory of the emitter performed by the human being from the collected wave field data. The identification process is modelled as an inverse source problem where one intends to identify the trajectory of a moving point source. There are several salient features of our study which distinguish our result from the existing ones in the literature. First, the point source is moving in an inhomogeneous background medium, which models the human body. Second, the dynamical wave field data are collected in a limited aperture. Third, the reconstruction method is independent of the background medium, and it is totally direct without any matrix inversion. Hence, it is efficient and robust with respect to the measurement noise. Both theoretical justifications and computational experiments are presented to verify our novel findings.

Distance-transitive graphs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cohen, A.M.; Beineke, L.W.; Wilson, R.J.; Cameron, P.J.

2004-01-01

In this chapter we investigate the classification of distance-transitive graphs: these are graphs whose automorphism groups are transitive on each of the sets of pairs of vertices at distance i, for i = 0, 1,.... We provide an introduction into the field. By use of the classification of finite

Reasons for Moving in Nonmetro Iowa

OpenAIRE

Burke, Sandra Charvat; Edelman, Mark

2007-01-01

This study highlights the experiences of people who have recently moved to or from 19 selected nonmetropolitan counties of Iowa. This report highlights work, family, community, and housing reasons for moving. The purpose is to increase understanding about why people move so community leaders and citizens can develop actionable strategies for attracting and retaining population.

A stingless bee can use visual odometry to estimate both height and distance.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckles, M A; Roubik, D W; Nieh, J C

2012-09-15

Bees move and forage within three dimensions and rely heavily on vision for navigation. The use of vision-based odometry has been studied extensively in horizontal distance measurement, but not vertical distance measurement. The honey bee Apis mellifera and the stingless bee Melipona seminigra measure distance visually using optic flow-movement of images as they pass across the retina. The honey bees gauge height using image motion in the ventral visual field. The stingless bees forage at different tropical forest canopy levels, ranging up to 40 m at our site. Thus, estimating height would be advantageous. We provide the first evidence that the stingless bee Melipona panamica utilizes optic flow information to gauge not only distance traveled but also height above ground, by processing information primarily from the lateral visual field. After training bees to forage at a set height in a vertical tunnel lined with black and white stripes, we observed foragers that explored a new tunnel with no feeder. In a new tunnel, bees searched at the same height they were trained to. In a narrower tunnel, bees experienced more image motion and significantly lowered their search height. In a wider tunnel, bees experienced less image motion and searched at significantly greater heights. In a tunnel without optic cues, bees were disoriented and searched at random heights. A horizontal tunnel testing these variables similarly affected foraging, but bees exhibited less precision (greater variance in search positions). Accurately gauging flight height above ground may be crucial for this species and others that compete for resources located at heights ranging from ground level to the high tropical forest canopies.

Foraging efficiency of a predator flock for randomly moving prey: A simulation study

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sang-Hee; Kwon, Ohsung

2016-03-01

Flocking behavior of animals is highly advantageous for taking food resources. The degree of the advantage is related to the ability of flock members to detect their prey and the mobility of prey individuals. In this study, to explore the relation, we constructed a model to simulate a predator flock and its randomly moving prey. The predator members have the prey detection ability, which was characterized as sensing distance, R, and a sensing angle, θ. The mobility of the prey individuals was characterized as the maximum traveling distance of an iteration time step, L. The relative flock foraging efficiency, ɛ, was defined as ɛ = 1 - (Td/Tup). Tup and Td represent the spent time for the flock to eat all prey individuals and to uptake the last remaining 10% prey, respectively. Simulation results showed that ɛ increased, maximized, and decreased with the increase of R, regardless of L. As the number of prey, N, increased, the tendency of the increasing and decreasing was diluted. The result was briefly discussed in relation to the flock foraging behavior and the development of the model toward applications for real ecosystems.

Energy-efficient two-hop LTE resource allocation in high speed trains with moving relays

KAUST Repository

Alsharoa, Ahmad M.; Ghazzai, Hakim; Yaacoub, Elias E.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2014-01-01

of this work is to maximize the number of served users by respecting a specific quality-of-service constraint while minimizing the total power consumption of the eNodeB and the moving relays. We propose an efficient algorithm based on the Hungarian method

Image-guided total marrow and total lymphatic irradiation using helical tomotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultheiss, Timothy E.; Wong, Jeffrey; Liu, An; Olivera, Gustavo; Somlo, George

2007-01-01

Purpose: To develop a treatment technique to spare normal tissue and allow dose escalation in total body irradiation (TBI). We have developed intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques for the total marrow irradiation (TMI), total lymphatic irradiation, or total bone marrow plus lymphatic irradiation using helical tomotherapy. Methods and Materials: For TBI, we typically use 12 Gy in 10 fractions delivered at an extended source-to-surface distance (SSD). Using helical tomotherapy, it is possible to deliver equally effective doses to the bone marrow and lymphatics while sparing normal organs to a significant degree. In the TMI patients, whole body skeletal bone, including the ribs and sternum, comprise the treatment target. In the total lymphatic irradiation, the target is expanded to include the spleen and major lymph node areas. Sanctuary sites for disease (brain and testes) are included when clinically indicated. Spared organs include the lungs, esophagus, parotid glands, eyes, oral cavity, liver, kidneys, stomach, small and large intestine, bladder, and ovaries. Results: With TBI, all normal organs received the TBI dose; with TMI, total lymphatic irradiation, and total bone marrow plus lymphatic irradiation, the visceral organs are spared. For the first 6 patients treated with TMI, the median dose to organs at risk averaged 51% lower than would be achieved with TBI. By putting greater weight on the avoidance of specific organs, greater sparing was possible. Conclusion: Sparing of normal tissues and dose escalation is possible using helical tomotherapy. Late effects such as radiation pneumonitis, veno-occlusive disease, cataracts, neurocognitive effects, and the development of second tumors should be diminished in severity and frequency according to the dose reduction realized for the organs at risk

The question is: are fast-moving scales contracted or elongated?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strel'tsov, V.N.

1991-01-01

The traditional definition of the length of a fast-moving scale and the concept of relativistic length are considered from the point of view of the condition of relativistic covariance. It is shown that the latter concept satisfies this condition whereas the traditional definition is in contrast with it ('synchronous length' is not a 4-vector). It is stressed that the light and retarded distances and the relativistic length introduced in fact on their base serve as the basis for the space-time picture of the radar formulation of relativistic theory. The consequence of this approach is lengthening (and not contraction) of longitudinal sizes of relativistic objects. It is noted that the use of radar length (instead of 'instantaneous' one) in the known interpretation of the Michelson-Morley experiment leads to the elongation formula for a longitudinal arm of the interferometer. 16 refs.; 1 fig

Slow light in moving media

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, U.; Piwnicki, P.

2001-06-01

We review the theory of light propagation in moving media with extremely low group velocity. We intend to clarify the most elementary features of monochromatic slow light in a moving medium and, whenever possible, to give an instructive simplified picture.

AB Dor Moving Group Stars Resolved with the CHARA Array

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, G. H.; White, R. J.; Baines, E. K.; Boyajian, T. S.; ten Brummelaar, T. A.; Farrington, C. D.; Sturmann, J.; Sturmann, L.; Turner, N. H.

2018-05-01

We present interferometric measurements obtained with the CHARA Array of 13 adolescent-age stars in nearby moving groups. The motivation was to spatially resolve the largest stars and to search for binary companions. Nine stars have diameters smaller than the resolution limit and no evidence for companions within 0.5–50 mas and ΔH group, and former member HD 89744 (0.556 ± 0.032 mas). Combining the angular diameters with their distances and bolometric fluxes, we measured radii and effective temperatures. The temperatures of GJ 159 (6286 ± 123 K) and GJ 393 (3515 ± 68 K) are consistent with spectroscopic measurements. Comparisons with evolutionary models show that HD 89744 has evolved off the main sequence. GJ 159 and GJ 393 lie within 1.5σ of the zero-age main sequence, complicating their age estimates because it is unclear whether the stars are contracting or expanding. GJ 159 has a mass of 1.2 ± 0.1 {M}ȯ with an age spanning 0.021–3.0 Gyr. Its debris disk and lithium abundance favor a young age. GJ 393 has a mass of 0.42 ± 0.03 {M}ȯ and a lower limit on its age 0.06 Gyr. This overlaps with the age of the moving group; however, an older age would be more consistent with its slow rotation, low activity, and luminosity, suggesting that GJ 393 is a kinematic interloper.

The effects of size, clutter, and complexity on vanishing-point distances in visual imagery.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, T L; Baird, J C

1993-01-01

The portrayal of vanishing-point distances in visual imagery was examined in six experiments. In all experiments, subjects formed visual images of squares, and the squares were to be oriented orthogonally to subjects' line of sight. The squares differed in their level of surface complexity, and were either undivided, divided into 4 equally sized smaller squares, or divided into 16 equally sized smaller squares. Squares also differed in stated referent size, and ranged from 3 in. to 128 ft along each side. After subjects had formed an image of a specified square, they transformed their image so that the square was portrayed to move away from them. Eventually, the imaged square was portrayed to be so far away that if it were any further away, it could not be identified. Subjects estimated the distance to the square that was portrayed in their image at that time, the vanishing-point distance, and the relationship between stated referent size and imaged vanishing-point distance was best described by a power function with an exponent less than 1. In general, there were trends for exponents (slopes on log axes) to increase slightly and for multiplicative constants (y intercepts on log axes) to decrease as surface complexity increased. No differences in exponents or in multiplicative constants were found when the vanishing-point was approached from either subthreshold or suprathreshold directions. When clutter in the form of additional imaged objects located to either side of the primary imaged object was added to the image, the exponent of the vanishing-point function increased slightly and the multiplicative constant decreased. The success of a power function (and the failure of the size-distance invariance hypothesis) in describing the vanishing-point distance function calls into question the notions (a) that a constant grain size exists in the imaginal visual field at a given location and (b) that grain size specifies a lower limit in the storage of information in

Distance and protective barrier effects on the composite resin degree of conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Coutinho, Margareth; Trevizam, Natália Carvalho; Takayassu, Renata Nakase; Leme, Ariene Arcas; Soares, Giulliana Panfiglio

2013-01-01

Context: The food wrap films are used to cover the tip of curing light units in order to avoid contamination and prevent damage to the light guide. However, their effects on resin polymerization are not fully known. Aims: We investigated the effects on restoration efficiency of a food wrap protective barrier used on the tip of curing light units. Materials and Methods: For each treatment, five replications were performed, a total of 60 bovine incisor. The degree of conversion (%DC) of restorations with the composite resin Opallis EA2 was evaluated using 3 curing light devices (Optilux 501, Optilight and Ultra LED) and 2 curing distances (0 and 5 mm). The composite resin was tested for restoration of cavities in bovine crowns. %DC values were measured by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance technique. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed using 3-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. Results: Use of the protective film lowered %DC (F = 4.13; P = 0.05), and the effects of curing distance were associated to the curing light device (F = 3.61; P = 0.03). Conclusions: The distance from the light curing tip and use of a translucent protective barrier on the light-cure device can both impair composite resin %DC. PMID:24015001

Characteristics and Activities of Teachers on Distance Learning Programs that Affect Their Ratings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana M. Stanišić Stojić

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an analysis of teachers’ ratings on distance learning undergraduate study programs: 7,156 students enrolled in traditional and 528 students enrolled in distance learning studies took part in the evaluation questionnaire, assessing 71 teachers. The data were collected from the Moodle platform and from the Singidunum University information system, and then analysed with SPSS statistical software. The parameters considered as potentially affecting teacher ratings are: number of teachers engaged in a particular course, total number of courses in which the teacher is engaged, teacher’s gender and age, total number of the available resources, and so forth. The results imply that scores assigned to individual teachers are consistent in both traditional and distance learning programs. The average rate was perceived to be lower when there were several teachers in a single course; such an effect was enhanced in cases where there was a significant age discrepancy among them. The other factors considered did not show a significant association with teacher ratings. Students’ main remarks about the work of the teachers have been summarised at the end of this paper. Possible explanations and implications of the results are discussed and recommendations are given.

A Distance-Adaptive Refueling Recommendation Algorithm for Self-Driving Travel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quanli Xu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Taking the maximum vehicle driving distance, the distances from gas stations, the route length, and the number of refueling gas stations as the decision conditions, recommendation rules and an early refueling service warning mechanism for gas stations along a self-driving travel route were constructed by using the algorithm presented in this research, based on the spatial clustering characteristics of gas stations and the urgency of refueling. Meanwhile, by combining ArcEngine and Matlab capabilities, a scenario simulation system of refueling for self-driving travel was developed by using c#.net in order to validate and test the accuracy and applicability of the algorithm. A total of nine testing schemes with four simulation scenarios were designed and executed using this algorithm, and all of the simulation results were consistent with expectations. The refueling recommendation algorithm proposed in this study can automatically adapt to changes in the route length of self-driving travel, the maximum driving distance of the vehicle, and the distance from gas stations, which could provide variable refueling recommendation strategies according to differing gas station layouts along the route. Therefore, the results of this study could provide a scientific reference for the reasonable planning and timely supply of vehicle refueling during self-driving travel.

Nordic Seniors on the Move

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

”I believe that all people need to move about. Actually, some have difficulties in doing so. They stay in their home neighbourhoods where they’ve grown up and feel safe. I can understand that, but my wife and I, we didn’t want that. We are more open to new ideas.” This anthology is about seniors...... on the move. In seven chapters, Nordic researchers from various disciplines, by means of ethnographic methods, attempt to comprehend the phenomenon of Nordic seniors who move to leisure areas in their own or in other countries. The number of people involved in this kind of migratory movement has grown...... above gives voice to one of these seniors, stressing the necessity of moving. The anthology contributes to the international body of literature about later life migration, specifically representing experiences made by Nordic seniors. As shown here, mobility and migration in later life have implications...

Theoretical analysis of the distribution of isolated particles in totally asymmetric exclusion processes: Application to mRNA translation rate estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Dao Duc, Khanh; Saleem, Zain H.; Song, Yun S.

2018-01-01

The Totally Asymmetric Exclusion Process (TASEP) is a classical stochastic model for describing the transport of interacting particles, such as ribosomes moving along the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) during translation. Although this model has been widely studied in the past, the extent of collision between particles and the average distance between a particle to its nearest neighbor have not been quantified explicitly. We provide here a theoretical analysis of such quantities via the distribution of isolated particles. In the classical form of the model in which each particle occupies only a single site, we obtain an exact analytic solution using the matrix ansatz. We then employ a refined mean-field approach to extend the analysis to a generalized TASEP with particles of an arbitrary size. Our theoretical study has direct applications in mRNA translation and the interpretation of experimental ribosome profiling data. In particular, our analysis of data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae suggests a potential bias against the detection of nearby ribosomes with a gap distance of less than approximately three codons, which leads to some ambiguity in estimating the initiation rate and protein production flux for a substantial fraction of genes. Despite such ambiguity, however, we demonstrate theoretically that the interference rate associated with collisions can be robustly estimated and show that approximately 1% of the translating ribosomes get obstructed.

[Travel time and distances to Norwegian out-of-hours casualty clinics].

Science.gov (United States)

Raknes, Guttorm; Morken, Tone; Hunskår, Steinar

2014-11-01

Geographical factors have an impact on the utilisation of out-of-hours services. In this study we have investigated the travel distance to out-of-hours casualty clinics in Norwegian municipalities in 2011 and the number of municipalities covered by the proposed recommendations for secondary on-call arrangements due to long distances. We estimated the average maximum travel times and distances in Norwegian municipalities using a postcode-based method. Separate analyses were performed for municipalities with a single, permanently located casualty clinic. Altogether 417 out of 430 municipalities were included. We present the median value of the maximum travel times and distances for the included municipalities. The median maximum average travel distance for the municipalities was 19 km. The median maximum average travel time was 22 minutes. In 40 of the municipalities (10 %) the median maximum average travel time exceeded 60 minutes, and in 97 municipalities (23 %) the median maximum average travel time exceeded 40 minutes. The population of these groups comprised 2 % and 5 % of the country's total population respectively. For municipalities with permanent emergency facilities(N = 316), the median average flight time 16 minutes and median average distance 13 km.. In many municipalities, the inhabitants have a long average journey to out-of-hours emergency health services, but seen as a whole, the inhabitants of these municipalities account for a very small proportion of the Norwegian population. The results indicate that the proposed recommendations for secondary on-call duty based on long distances apply to only a small number of inhabitants. The recommendations should therefore be adjusted and reformulated to become more relevant.

Neighborhoods on the move: a community-based participatory research approach to promoting physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Suminski, Richard R; Petosa, Rick L; Jones, Larry; Hall, Lisa; Poston, Carlos W

2009-01-01

There is a scientific and practical need for high-quality effectiveness studies of physical activity interventions in "real-world" settings. To use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop, implement, operate, and evaluate an intervention for promoting physical activity called Neighborhoods on the Move. Two communities with similar physical and social characteristics participated in this study. One community was involved in Neighborhoods on the Move; the other (comparison community) participated only in the assessments. Academic personnel and residents/organizations in the Neighborhoods on the Move community worked together to create a community environment that was more conducive for physical activity. Pre- and posttest data on new initiatives promoting physical activity, existing physical activity initiatives, and business policies supporting physical activity were collected simultaneously in both communities. The success of the CBPR approach was evidenced by several developments, including substantial resident involvement and the formation of a leadership committee, marketing campaign, and numerous community partnerships. The number of businesses with policies promoting physical activity and breadth of existing physical activity initiatives (participants, activities, hours) increased substantially more in the Neighborhoods on the Move community than in the comparison community. A total of sixty new initiatives promoting physical activity were implemented in the Neighborhoods on the Move community during the intervention. The CBPR approach is an effective strategy for inducing environmental changes that promote physical activity. Additional research is needed to assess the portability and sustainability of Neighborhoods on the Move.

Quality Assurance of Distance Education: Multiple Assessment Measures Used in a Business, Career, and Technical Education Department

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Elizabeth HODGE

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Quality Assurance of Distance Education: Multiple Assessment Measures Used in a Business, Career, and Technical Education Department Assistant Professor Dr. Shelia TUCKER East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA Assistant Professor Dr. Elizabeth HODGE East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA ABSTRACT Educational institutions are being encouraged by accrediting agencies to move beyond the traditional measures of success such as satisfaction surveys from students, employers, and alumni. They stress the use of a variety of measurement tools to audit students’ work. Thus, this study will seek to identify multiple assessment strategies that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of distance education courses within an entire degree program. Comparisons of three courses being taught simultaneously on line and in the classroom were made. There were no significant differences noted in student outcomes assessments. Additionally, the same assessment measures used for SACS for the traditional classroom were equated with the distance education classes for those in the field of Family and Consumer Sciences, Business Education, the BE/ME program, the MAEd program in Technical teaching, and Information Technologies. No significant differences were noted in student outcomes assessments.

Stakeout electronic total station construction layout boring of the experience and precision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Zhiqiang

2012-01-01

Electronic total station can simultaneously measure angle and distance, together with the appropriate calculation methods and operating skills, able to efficiently complete the survey work, this paper based on practical experience, theoretical analysis, based on total station introduced in setting out a few boring in the skills and the measurement of total station in the construction layout for accuracy. (authors)

Relativistic effects in the energy loss of a fast charged particle moving parallel to a two-dimensional electron gas

Science.gov (United States)

Mišković, Zoran L.; Akbari, Kamran; Segui, Silvina; Gervasoni, Juana L.; Arista, Néstor R.

2018-05-01

We present a fully relativistic formulation for the energy loss rate of a charged particle moving parallel to a sheet containing two-dimensional electron gas, allowing that its in-plane polarization may be described by different longitudinal and transverse conductivities. We apply our formulation to the case of a doped graphene layer in the terahertz range of frequencies, where excitation of the Dirac plasmon polariton (DPP) in graphene plays a major role. By using the Drude model with zero damping we evaluate the energy loss rate due to excitation of the DPP, and show that the retardation effects are important when the incident particle speed and its distance from graphene both increase. Interestingly, the retarded energy loss rate obtained in this manner may be both larger and smaller than its non-retarded counterpart for different combinations of the particle speed and distance.

Steiner Distance in Graphs--A Survey

OpenAIRE

Mao, Yaping

2017-01-01

For a connected graph $G$ of order at least $2$ and $S\\subseteq V(G)$, the \\emph{Steiner distance} $d_G(S)$ among the vertices of $S$ is the minimum size among all connected subgraphs whose vertex sets contain $S$. In this paper, we summarize the known results on the Steiner distance parameters, including Steiner distance, Steiner diameter, Steiner center, Steiner median, Steiner interval, Steiner distance hereditary graph, Steiner distance stable graph, average Steiner distance, and Steiner ...

Antirandom Testing: A Distance-Based Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shen Hui Wu

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Random testing requires each test to be selected randomly regardless of the tests previously applied. This paper introduces the concept of antirandom testing where each test applied is chosen such that its total distance from all previous tests is maximum. This spans the test vector space to the maximum extent possible for a given number of vectors. An algorithm for generating antirandom tests is presented. Compared with traditional pseudorandom testing, antirandom testing is found to be very effective when a high-fault coverage needs to be achieved with a limited number of test vectors. The superiority of the new approach is even more significant for testing bridging faults.

Navigating Distance and Traditional Higher Education: Online faculty experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alice G. Yick

2005-07-01

Full Text Available The academic culture of higher educational institutions is characterized by specific pedagogical philosophies, assumptions about rewards and incentives, and values about how teaching is delivered. In many academic settings, however, the field of distance education has been viewed as holding marginal status. Consequently, the goal of this qualitative study was to explore faculty members’ experiences in a distance education, online university while simultaneously navigating within a traditional environment of higher education. A total of 28 faculty members participated in a threaded, asynchronous discussion board that resembled a focus group. Participants discussed perceptions about online teaching, working in an institution without a traditional tenure system, and the role of research in distance education. Findings indicated that online teaching is still regarded as less credible; however, participants also noted how this perception is gradually changing. Several benchmarks of legitimacy were identified for online universities to adopt in order to be viewed as credible. The issue of tenure still remains highly debated, although some faculty felt that tenure will be less crucial in the future. Finally, recommendations regarding attitudinal shifts within academic circles are described with particular attention to professional practice, program development, and policy decision-making in academia.

A moving experience !

CERN Document Server

2005-01-01

The Transport Service pulled out all the stops and, more specifically, its fleet of moving and lifting equipment for the Discovery Monday on 6 June - a truly moving experience for all the visitors who took part ! Visitors could play at being machine operator, twiddling the controls of a lift truck fitted with a jib to lift a dummy magnet into a wooden mock-up of a beam-line.They had to show even greater dexterity for this game of lucky dip...CERN-style.Those with a head for heights took to the skies 20 m above ground in a telescopic boom lift.Children were allowed to climb up into the operator's cabin - this is one of the cranes used to move the LHC magnets around. Warm thanks to all members of the Transport Service for their participation, especially B. Goicoechea, T. Ilkei, R. Bihery, S. Prodon, S. Pelletier, Y. Bernard, A.  Sallot, B. Pigeard, S. Guinchard, B. Bulot, J. Berrez, Y. Grandjean, A. Bouakkaz, M. Bois, F. Stach, T. Mazzarino and S. Fumey.

Theoretical Principles of Distance Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Keegan, Desmond, Ed.

This book contains the following papers examining the didactic, academic, analytic, philosophical, and technological underpinnings of distance education: "Introduction"; "Quality and Access in Distance Education: Theoretical Considerations" (D. Randy Garrison); "Theory of Transactional Distance" (Michael G. Moore);…

THE DISTANCE TO M104

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McQuinn, Kristen B. W. [University of Texas at Austin, McDonald Observatory, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400 Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Skillman, Evan D. [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, 116 Church Street, SE, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Dolphin, Andrew E. [Raytheon Company, 1151 E. Hermans Road, Tucson, AZ 85756 (United States); Berg, Danielle [Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 1900 East Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee, WI 53211 (United States); Kennicutt, Robert, E-mail: kmcquinn@astro.as.utexas.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom)

2016-11-01

M104 (NGC 4594; the Sombrero galaxy) is a nearby, well-studied elliptical galaxy included in scores of surveys focused on understanding the details of galaxy evolution. Despite the importance of observations of M104, a consensus distance has not yet been established. Here, we use newly obtained Hubble Space Telescope optical imaging to measure the distance to M104 based on the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) method. Our measurement yields the distance to M104 to be 9.55 ± 0.13 ± 0.31 Mpc equivalent to a distance modulus of 29.90 ± 0.03 ± 0.07 mag. Our distance is an improvement over previous results as we use a well-calibrated, stable distance indicator, precision photometry in a optimally selected field of view, and a Bayesian maximum likelihood technique that reduces measurement uncertainties. The most discrepant previous results are due to Tully–Fisher method distances, which are likely inappropriate for M104 given its peculiar morphology and structure. Our results are part of a larger program to measure accurate distances to a sample of well-known spiral galaxies (including M51, M74, and M63) using the TRGB method.

The Distance to M51

Science.gov (United States)

McQuinn, Kristen. B. W.; Skillman, Evan D.; Dolphin, Andrew E.; Berg, Danielle; Kennicutt, Robert

2016-07-01

Great investments of observing time have been dedicated to the study of nearby spiral galaxies with diverse goals ranging from understanding the star formation process to characterizing their dark matter distributions. Accurate distances are fundamental to interpreting observations of these galaxies, yet many of the best studied nearby galaxies have distances based on methods with relatively large uncertainties. We have started a program to derive accurate distances to these galaxies. Here we measure the distance to M51—the Whirlpool galaxy—from newly obtained Hubble Space Telescope optical imaging using the tip of the red giant branch method. We measure the distance modulus to be 8.58 ± 0.10 Mpc (statistical), corresponding to a distance modulus of 29.67 ± 0.02 mag. Our distance is an improvement over previous results as we use a well-calibrated, stable distance indicator, precision photometry in a optimally selected field of view, and a Bayesian Maximum Likelihood technique that reduces measurement uncertainties. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the Data Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555.

Critical Gap distance in Laser Butt-welding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagger, Claus; Olsen, Flemming Ove

1999-01-01

In a number of systematic laboratory experiments the critical gap distance that results in sound beads in laser butt welding is sought identified. By grinding the edges of the sheets, a number of "reference" welds are made and compared to the sheets with shear cut edges. In the tests the gap...... was set at 0.00, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08 and 0.10 mm. Mild steel (St 1203) with a thickness of 0.75 and 1.25 mm with and without zinc coating were analysed. A total of 120 welds were made at different welding speeds.As quality norm DIN 8563 was used to divide the welds into quality classes. A number of welds...... were also x-ray photographed.Of the weld combinations analysed 80 % were of high quality and 17 % of a non-acceptable quality. 90 % of the bad welds had a gap distance larger than 0.05 mm. The results showed that 85 % of the bad welds were shear cut and only 15 % grinded. Two third of the bad welds...

Are contemporary tourists consuming distance?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Gunvor Riber

2012. Background The background for this research, which explores how tourists represent distance and whether or not distance can be said to be consumed by contemporary tourists, is the increasing leisure mobility of people. Travelling for the purpose of visiting friends and relatives is increasing...... of understanding mobility at a conceptual level, and distance matters to people's manifest mobility: how they travel and how far they travel are central elements of their movements. Therefore leisure mobility (indeed all mobility) is the activity of relating across distance, either through actual corporeal...... metric representation. These representations are the focus for this research. Research Aim and Questions The aim of this research is thus to explore how distance is being represented within the context of leisure mobility. Further the aim is to explore how or whether distance is being consumed...

Terminology report respect distance. The Use of the term respect distance in Posiva and SKB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lampinen, H.

2007-09-01

The term respect distance is used in some key publications of the Finnish Nuclear Waste Management Company, Posiva, and the Swedish Nuclear Waste Management Company, SKB (Svensk Kaernbrenslehantering). Posiva and SKB researchers use the same terms in their reports, and it is acknowledged that the terms used by both companies are not used in the same way, though the differences are often subtle. This report is a literature study of the term 'respect distance' and the terms immediately associated to it. Vital terms related to the respect distance and issues concerning the use of scale concepts in Posiva and SKB are gathered in the end of report. Posiva's respect distances consider the seismic, hydrological and mechanical properties of the deterministic deformation zones as important issues that constitute a risk for longterm safety. These requirements for respect distances are an interpretation of STUK's YVL 8.4 Guide. At present, Posiva's criteria regarding respect distances follow the instructions given in the Host Rock Classification system (HRC), whereas the size of a deformation zone to which respect distances are applied vary from the regional to local major and minor. This and other criteria that are given for respect distances may, however, change in the near future as Posiva's Rock Suitability Criteria (RSC) programme proceeds. SKB's considerations of respect distances acknowledge that the hydraulic and mechanical aspects of a deformation zone have an effect on the respect distance. However, the seismic risk is considered to overshadow the other effects on a regional scale. The respect distance defined for a deformation zone is coupled with the size of a fracture where secondary slip could occur. In the safety assessment it is assumed that this fracture cuts a deposition hole location. In SKB the respect distance is determined for regional and local major deformation zones. The trace length of such a zone is defined as being ≥ 3 km. For deformation zones

Adaptive moving mesh methods for simulating one-dimensional groundwater problems with sharp moving fronts

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, W.; Zheng, Lingyun; Zhan, X.

2002-01-01

Accurate modelling of groundwater flow and transport with sharp moving fronts often involves high computational cost, when a fixed/uniform mesh is used. In this paper, we investigate the modelling of groundwater problems using a particular adaptive mesh method called the moving mesh partial differential equation approach. With this approach, the mesh is dynamically relocated through a partial differential equation to capture the evolving sharp fronts with a relatively small number of grid points. The mesh movement and physical system modelling are realized by solving the mesh movement and physical partial differential equations alternately. The method is applied to the modelling of a range of groundwater problems, including advection dominated chemical transport and reaction, non-linear infiltration in soil, and the coupling of density dependent flow and transport. Numerical results demonstrate that sharp moving fronts can be accurately and efficiently captured by the moving mesh approach. Also addressed are important implementation strategies, e.g. the construction of the monitor function based on the interpolation error, control of mesh concentration, and two-layer mesh movement. Copyright ?? 2002 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.

New Maximal Two-distance Sets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lisonek, Petr

1996-01-01

A two-distance set in E^d is a point set X inthe d-dimensional Euclidean spacesuch that the distances between distinct points in Xassume only two different non-zero values. Based on results from classical distance geometry, we developan algorithm to classify, for a given dimension, all maximal...... (largest possible)two-distance sets in E^d.Using this algorithm we have completed the full classificationfor all dimensions less than or equal to 7, andwe have found one set in E^8 whosemaximality follows from Blokhuis' upper bound on sizes of s-distance sets.While in the dimensions less than or equal to 6...

Plantar Pressures During Long Distance Running: An Investigation of 10 Marathon Runners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik Hohmann, Peter Reaburn, Kevin Tetsworth, Andreas Imhoff

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to record plantar pressures using an in-shoe measuring system before, during, and after a marathon run in ten experienced long-distance runners with a mean age of 37.7 ± 11.5 years. Peak and mean plantar pressures were recorded before, after, and every three km during a marathon race. There were no significant changes over time in peak and mean plantar pressures for either the dominant or non-dominant foot. There were significant between foot peak and mean plantar pressure differences for the total foot (p = 0.0001, forefoot (p = 0.0001, midfoot (p = 0.02 resp. p = 0.006, hindfoot (p = 0.0001, first ray (p = 0.01 resp. p = 0.0001 and MTP (p = 0.05 resp. p = 0.0001. Long-distance runners do not demonstrate significant changes in mean or peak plantar foot pressures over the distance of a marathon race. However, athletes consistently favoured their dominant extremity, applying significantly higher plantar pressures through their dominant foot over the entire marathon distance.

Excessive Progression in Weekly Running Distance and Risk of Running-related Injuries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, R.O.; Parner, Erik Thorlund; Nohr, Ellen Aagaard

2014-01-01

Study Design An explorative, 1-year prospective cohort study. Objective To examine whether an association between a sudden change in weekly running distance and running-related injury varies according to injury type. Background It is widely accepted that a sudden increase in running distance...... is strongly related to injury in runners. But the scientific knowledge supporting this assumption is limited. Methods A volunteer sample of 874 healthy novice runners who started a self-structured running regimen were provided a global-positioning-system watch. After each running session during the study...... period, participants were categorized into 1 of the following exposure groups, based on the progression of their weekly running distance: less than 10% or regression, 10% to 30%, or more than 30%. The primary outcome was running-related injury. Results A total of 202 runners sustained a running...

French government to trim direct stake in Total

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the French government has decided to slash its direct stake in partly state owned oil company Total to 5% from 31.7%, a surprise move expected to raise 10 billion francs ($1.8 billion). At the same time, other state owned entities will be asked to boost their combined 2.2% stake in Total to 10%, leaving the government with a net 15% interest in Total vs. the current 34%. Initially, state owned insurance companies Groupe des Assurances Nationales and Assurances Generale de France will be asked to hike their stakes in Total, but others could be asked to join if needed to meet the 10% target. The government the its phase-down of participation in Total, established in 1924 to manage French interests in Iraq Petroleum Co., was prompted by the evolution of the oil context, which differs greatly from what had prompted a significant stake of the state in Total's capital

Distance learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarina Pucelj

2006-12-01

Full Text Available I would like to underline the role and importance of knowledge, which is acquired by individuals as a result of a learning process and experience. I have established that a form of learning, such as distance learning definitely contributes to a higher learning quality and leads to innovative, dynamic and knowledgebased society. Knowledge and skills enable individuals to cope with and manage changes, solve problems and also create new knowledge. Traditional learning practices face new circumstances, new and modern technologies appear, which enable quick and quality-oriented knowledge implementation. The centre of learning process at distance learning is to increase the quality of life of citizens, their competitiveness on the workforce market and ensure higher economic growth. Intellectual capital is the one, which represents the biggest capital of each society and knowledge is the key factor for succes of everybody, who are fully aware of this. Flexibility, openness and willingness of people to follow new IT solutions form suitable environment for developing and deciding to take up distance learning.

Simple standard problem for the Preisach moving model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morentin, F.J.; Alejos, O.; Francisco, C. de; Munoz, J.M.; Hernandez-Gomez, P.; Torres, C.

2004-01-01

The present work proposes a simple magnetic system as a candidate for a Standard Problem for Preisach-based models. The system consists in a regular square array of magnetic particles totally oriented along the direction of application of an external magnetic field. The behavior of such system was numerically simulated for different values of the interaction between particles and of the standard deviation of the critical fields of the particles. The characteristic parameters of the Preisach moving model were worked out during simulations, i.e., the mean value and the standard deviation of the interaction field. For this system, results reveal that the mean interaction field depends linearly on the system magnetization, as the Preisach moving model predicts. Nevertheless, the standard deviation cannot be considered as independent of the magnetization. In fact, the standard deviation shows a maximum at demagnetization and two minima at magnetization saturation. Furthermore, not all the demagnetization states are equivalent. The plot standard deviation vs. magnetization is a multi-valuated curve when the system undergoes an AC demagnetization procedure. In this way, the standard deviation increases as the system goes from coercivity to the AC demagnetized state

Moving to a total VM environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, T.Y.

1981-01-01

The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center is a single purpose laboratory operated by Stanford University for the Department of Energy. Its mission is to do research in High Energy (particle) physics. This research involves the use of large and complex electronic detectors. Each of these detectors is a multi-million dollar device. A part of each detector is a computer for process control and data logging. Most detectors at SLAC now use VAX 11/780s for this purpose. Most detectors record digital data via this process control computer. Consequently, physics today is not bounded by the cost of analog to digital conversion as it was in the past, and the physicist is able to run larger experiments than were feasible a decade ago. Today a medium sized experiment will produce several hundred full reels of 6250 BPI tape whereas a large experiment is a couple of thousand reels. The raw data must first be transformed into physics events using data transformation programs. The physicists then use subsets of the data to understand what went on. The subset may be anywhere from a few megabytes to 5 or 6 gigabytes of data (30 or 40 full reels of tape). This searching would be best solved interactively (if computers and I/0 devices were fast enough). Instead what we find are very dynamic batch programs that are generally changed every run. The result is that on any day there are probably around 50 to 100 physicists interacting with a half dozen different experiments who are causing us to mount around 750 to 1000 tapes a day. This has been the style of computing for the last decade. Our going to VM is part of our effort to change this style of computing and to make physics computing more effective

Fast Exact Euclidean Distance (FEED): A new class of adaptable distance transforms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, Theo E.; van den Broek, Egon

2014-01-01

A new unique class of foldable distance transforms of digital images (DT) is introduced, baptized: Fast Exact Euclidean Distance (FEED) transforms. FEED class algorithms calculate the DT starting directly from the definition or rather its inverse. The principle of FEED class algorithms is

Fast Exact Euclidean Distance (FEED) : A new class of adaptable distance transforms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, Theo E.; van den Broek, Egon L.

2014-01-01

A new unique class of foldable distance transforms of digital images (DT) is introduced, baptized: Fast Exact Euclidean Distance (FEED) transforms. FEED class algorithms calculate the DT startingdirectly from the definition or rather its inverse. The principle of FEED class algorithms is introduced,

Long-Term Oral Feeding of Lutein-Fortified Milk Increases Voluntary Running Distance in Rats

OpenAIRE

Matsumoto, Megumi; Hagio, Masahito; Inoue, Ryo; Mitani, Tomohiro; Yajima, Masako; Hara, Hiroshi; Yajima, Takaji

2014-01-01

To evaluate the effects of lutein-fortified milk administration on running exercise, a voluntary wheel-running model was performed in rats. Four-week-old F344 rats were administered test milk (10 mL/kg) daily following a 4-h fasting period, and their running distances were measured each day for a 9-week period. Total weekly running distance significantly increased from the sixth week until the end of the test period in lutein-supplemented rats (lutein-fortified milk administered) compared wit...

Distance covariance for stochastic processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Matsui, Muneya; Mikosch, Thomas Valentin; Samorodnitsky, Gennady

2017-01-01

The distance covariance of two random vectors is a measure of their dependence. The empirical distance covariance and correlation can be used as statistical tools for testing whether two random vectors are independent. We propose an analog of the distance covariance for two stochastic processes...

Effect of parameters in moving average method for event detection enhancement using phase sensitive OTDR

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Yong-Seok; Naeem, Khurram; Jeon, Min Yong; Kwon, Il-bum

2017-04-01

We analyze the relations of parameters in moving average method to enhance the event detectability of phase sensitive optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR). If the external events have unique frequency of vibration, then the control parameters of moving average method should be optimized in order to detect these events efficiently. A phase sensitive OTDR was implemented by a pulsed light source, which is composed of a laser diode, a semiconductor optical amplifier, an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, a fiber Bragg grating filter, and a light receiving part, which has a photo-detector and high speed data acquisition system. The moving average method is operated with the control parameters: total number of raw traces, M, number of averaged traces, N, and step size of moving, n. The raw traces are obtained by the phase sensitive OTDR with sound signals generated by a speaker. Using these trace data, the relation of the control parameters is analyzed. In the result, if the event signal has one frequency, then the optimal values of N, n are existed to detect the event efficiently.

Move of ground water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Shigehiko

1983-01-01

As a ground water flow which is difficult to explain by Darcy's theory, there is stagnant water in strata, which moves by pumping and leads to land subsidence. This is now a major problem in Japan. Such move on an extensive scale has been investigated in detail by means of 3 H such as from rainfall in addition to ordinary measurement. The move of ground water is divided broadly into that in an unsaturated stratum from ground surface to water-table and that in a saturated stratum below the water-table. The course of the analyses made so far by 3 H contained in water, and the future trend of its usage are described. A flow model of regarding water as plastic fluid and its flow as channel assembly may be available for some flow mechanism which is not possible to explain with Darcy's theory. (Mori, K.)

A new type industrial total station based on target automatic collimation

Science.gov (United States)

Lao, Dabao; Zhou, Weihu; Ji, Rongyi; Dong, Dengfeng; Xiong, Zhi; Wei, Jiang

2018-01-01

In the case of industrial field measurement, the present measuring instruments work with manual operation and collimation, which give rise to low efficiency for field measurement. In order to solve the problem, a new type industrial total station is presented in this paper. The new instrument can identify and trace cooperative target automatically, in the mean time, coordinate of the target is measured in real time. For realizing the system, key technology including high precision absolutely distance measurement, small high accuracy angle measurement, target automatic collimation with vision, and quick precise controlling should be worked out. After customized system assemblage and adjustment, the new type industrial total station will be established. As the experiments demonstrated, the coordinate accuracy of the instrument is under 15ppm in the distance of 60m, which proved that the measuring system is feasible. The result showed that the total station can satisfy most industrial field measurement requirements.

Managing Time, Workload and Costs in Distance Education: Findings from a Literature Review of "Distances et Médiations des Savoirs" (Formerly "Distances et Savoirs")

Science.gov (United States)

Moeglin, Pierre; Vidal, Martine

2015-01-01

The purpose of this review, spanning over 12 years of publication of "Distances et Médiations des Savoirs" ("DMS"), formerly "Distance et Savoirs" ("DMS") (2003-2014), is guided by the question why and how French-speaking researchers addressed the issues of time, workload and costs in distance learning, and…

Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeney, Diane; Harris, Leanna S.

2017-01-01

Student-centered coaching is a highly-effective, evidence-based coaching model that shifts the focus from "fixing" teachers to collaborating with them to design instruction that targets student outcomes. But what does this look like in practice? "Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves" shows you the day-to-day coaching moves that…

Comparing distance education and conventional education: observations from a comparative study of post-registration nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim Duffy

2002-12-01

Full Text Available This retrospective study presents a comparison of assessment results achieved by distancelearning students and classroom-based students undertaking the same module in a degree course. The purpose of the comparison is to provide some objective measurement of the quality of distance education in relation to conventional classroom-based education. The authors have selected three groups of students, who have all undertaken the same module in the B. Sc Health Studies degree programme offered by the University of Paisley. One group (in Paisley undertook their studies by means of conventional classroom-based education, the second (in Hong Kong by supported distance learning with face-to-face contact in the form of tutorials, and the third (in a geographically dispersed group in the United Kingdom and other countries by supported distance learning with no face-to-face contact. The results obtained by these three groups of students were analysed. Because of the differences in the size of the groups, the Kruskal- Wallis 1- Way Anova test was applied to validate the face value findings. The authors include findings from the literature comparing distance education with conventional education and from cross-cultural studies to present their data in context. Analysis of the assessment results showed that students from all three groups were successful in their studies, but the students studying by distance learning obtained significantly higher end-of-module results than their classroom-based colleagues. This latter finding reflects the conclusion that other investigators have reached In their discussion the authors identify educational, cultural and personal factors that may help to explain their findings. A limitation in the study is that it concerns only one module in the degree programme. The research now moves on to comparing students who have undertaken the whole degree programme by the means described

K0-anti K0 mixing: Approaching its short-distance origin and heavy flavours through loops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Picek, I.

1986-03-01

There have been three 'mysteries' in the history of the K-meson system: two of the pre-1964 physics as summarized by Feynman, 1) the unknown reasons for strangeness, 2) the unknown inner machinery of the K 0 -anti K 0 mixing, and the third, revealed to us in 1964, 3) CP violation. The attempts to explain these puzzles have been crucial in building the present, standard-model (SM) picture for understanding of elementary particle physics. As regards the first two points, I first want to illustrate how their study has opened the door to heavy flavours. Then I focus on some recently proposed short-distance K 0 -anti K 0 mixing mechanisms, and also remind the reader of the problem of separating short-distance (SD) from long-distance (LD) effects. As for CP violation 3), it is often considered to be just on the border of the SM. The observation of CP violation, still restricted to the K 0 meson, makes it that the K 0 -anti K 0 system is still one of the most intriguing systems in nature. The increasing body of data from heavy-quark physics have a chance to move the kaon from such a 'strange' (if not distinguished) place, and to provide a valuable test of the SM. (orig.)

Critical Points in Distance Learning System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Airina Savickaitė

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose – This article presents the results of distance learning system analysis, i.e. the critical elements of the distance learning system. The critical points of distance learning are a part of distance education online environment interactivity/community process model. The most important is the fact that the critical point is associated with distance learning participants. Design/methodology/approach – Comparative review of articles and analysis of distance learning module. Findings – A modern man is a lifelong learner and distance learning is a way to be a modern person. The focus on a learner and feedback is the most important thing of learning distance system. Also, attention should be paid to the lecture-appropriate knowledge and ability to convey information. Distance system adaptation is the way to improve the learner’s learning outcomes. Research limitations/implications – Different learning disciplines and learning methods may have different critical points. Practical implications – The information of analysis could be important for both lecturers and students, who studies distance education systems. There are familiar critical points which may deteriorate the quality of learning. Originality/value – The study sought to develop remote systems for applications in order to improve the quality of knowledge. Keywords: distance learning, process model, critical points. Research type: review of literature and general overview.

Quasiequilibrium states of black hole-neutron star binaries in the moving-puncture framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kyutoku, Koutarou; Shibata, Masaru; Taniguchi, Keisuke

2009-01-01

General relativistic quasiequilibrium states of black hole-neutron star binaries are computed in the moving-puncture framework. We propose three conditions for determining the quasiequilibrium states and compare the numerical results with those obtained in the excision framework. We find that the results obtained in the moving-puncture framework agree with those in the excision framework and with those in the third post-Newtonian approximation for the cases that (i) the mass ratio of the binary is close to unity irrespective of the orbital separation, and (ii) the orbital separation is large enough (m 0 Ω 0 and Ω are the total mass and the orbital angular velocity, respectively) irrespective of the mass ratio. For m 0 Ω > or approx. 0.03, both of the results in the moving-puncture and excision frameworks deviate, more or less, from those in the third post-Newtonian approximation. Thus the numerical results do not provide a quasicircular state, rather they seem to have a non-negligible eccentricity of order 0.01-0.1. We show by numerical simulation that a method in the moving-puncture framework can provide approximately quasicircular states in which the eccentricity is by a factor of ∼2 smaller than those in quasiequilibrium given by other approaches.

Connecting long distance: semantic distance in analogical reasoning modulates frontopolar cortex activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Adam E; Kraemer, David J M; Fugelsang, Jonathan A; Gray, Jeremy R; Dunbar, Kevin N

2010-01-01

Solving problems often requires seeing new connections between concepts or events that seemed unrelated at first. Innovative solutions of this kind depend on analogical reasoning, a relational reasoning process that involves mapping similarities between concepts. Brain-based evidence has implicated the frontal pole of the brain as important for analogical mapping. Separately, cognitive research has identified semantic distance as a key characteristic of the kind of analogical mapping that can support innovation (i.e., identifying similarities across greater semantic distance reveals connections that support more innovative solutions and models). However, the neural substrates of semantically distant analogical mapping are not well understood. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity during an analogical reasoning task, in which we parametrically varied the semantic distance between the items in the analogies. Semantic distance was derived quantitatively from latent semantic analysis. Across 23 participants, activity in an a priori region of interest (ROI) in left frontopolar cortex covaried parametrically with increasing semantic distance, even after removing effects of task difficulty. This ROI was centered on a functional peak that we previously associated with analogical mapping. To our knowledge, these data represent a first empirical characterization of how the brain mediates semantically distant analogical mapping.

Moving Target Photometry Using WISE and NEOWISE

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Edward L.

2015-01-01

WISE band 1 observations have a significant noise contribution from confusion. The image subtraction done on W0855-0714 by Wright et al. (2014) shows that this noise source can be eliminated for sources that move by much more than the beamsize. This paper describes an analysis that includes a pattern of celestially fixed flux plus a source moving with a known trajectory. This technique allows the confusion noise to be modeled with nuisance parameters and removed even for sources that have not moved by many beamwidths. However, the detector noise is magnified if the motion is too small. Examples of the method applied to fast moving Y dwarfs and slow moving planets will be shown.

The diffusion of the distance Entomology Master's Degree Program at the University of Nebraska Lincoln: A descriptive case study

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbell, Jody M.

This study explored three selected phases of Rogers' (1995) Diffusion of Innovations Theory to examine the diffusion process of the distance Entomology Master's Degree program at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. A qualitative descriptive case study approach incorporated semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in one or more of the three stages: Development, Implementation, and Institutionalization. Documents and archival evidence were used to triangulate findings. This research analyzed descriptions of the program as it moved from the Development, to the Implementation, and finally, the Institutionalization stages of diffusion. Each respective stage was examined through open and axial coding. Process coding identified themes common to two or more diffusion stages, and explored the evolution of themes from one diffusion stage to the next. At a time of significant budget constraints, many departments were faced with the possibility of merger or dissolution. The Entomology Master's Degree Program evolved from being an entrepreneurial means to prevent departmental dissolution to eventually being viewed as a model for the development of similar programs across this university and other institutions of higher education. During this evolution, the program was reinvented to meet the broader needs of industry and a global student market. One finding not consistent with Rogers' model was that smaller, rather than larger, departmental size contributed to the success of the program. Within this small department, faculty members were able to share their experiences and knowledge with each other on a regular basis, which promoted greater acceptance of the distance program. How quality and rigor may be defined and measured was a key issue in each respective stage. In this specific case, quality and rigor was initially a comparison of on-campus and distance course content and then moved to program-based assessment and measures of student outcomes such as job

Glucose uptake patterns in exercised skeletal muscles of elite male long-distance and short-distance runners.

Science.gov (United States)

Tai, Suh-Jun; Liu, Ren-Shyan; Kuo, Ya-Chen; Hsu, Chi-Yang; Chen, Chi-Hsien

2010-04-30

The aim of this study was to determine glucose uptake patterns in exercised skeletal muscles of elite male long-distance and short-distance runners. Positron emission tomography (PET) using 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) was performed to determine the patterns of glucose uptake in lower limbs of short-distance (SD group, n=8) and long-distance (LD group, n=8) male runners after a modified 20 min Bruce treadmill test. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to delineate the muscle groups in lower limbs. Muscle groups from hip, knee, and ankle movers were measured. The total FDG uptake and the standard uptake value (SUV) for each muscle group were compared between the 2 groups. For the SD and LD runners, the 2 major muscle groups utilizing glucose during running were knee extensors and ankle plantarflexors, which accounted for 49.3 +/- 8.1% (25.1 +/- 4.7% and 24.2 +/- 6.0%) of overall lower extremity glucose uptake for SD group, and 51.3 +/- 8.0% (27.2 +/- 2.7% and 24.0 +/- 8.1%) for LD group. No difference in muscle glucose uptake was noted for other muscle groups. For SD runners, the SUVs for the muscle groups varied from 0.49 +/- 0.27 for the ankle plantarflexors, to 0.20 +/- 0.08 for the hip flexor. For the LD runners, the highest and lowest SUVs were 0.43 +/- 0.15 for the ankle dorsiflexors and 0.21 +/- 0.19 for the hip. For SD and LD groups, no difference in muscle SUV was noted for the muscle groups. However, the SUV ratio between the ankle dorsiflexors and plantarflexors in the LD group was significantly greater than that in the SD group. We thus conclude that the major propelling muscle groups account for approximately 50% of lower limb glucose utilization during running. Thus, the other muscle groups involving maintenance of balance, limb deceleration, and shock absorption utilize an equal amount. This result provides a new insight into glucose distribution in skeletal muscle, suggesting that propellers and supporters are both energetically important

Equivalence of massive propagator distance and mathematical distance on graphs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filk, T.

1992-01-01

It is shown in this paper that the assignment of distance according to the massive propagator method and according to the mathematical definition (length of minimal path) on arbitrary graphs with a bound on the degree leads to equivalent large scale properties of the graph. Especially, the internal scaling dimension is the same for both definitions. This result holds for any fixed, non-vanishing mass, so that a really inequivalent definition of distance requires the limit m → 0

Total Variation Depth for Functional Data

KAUST Repository

Huang, Huang

2016-11-15

There has been extensive work on data depth-based methods for robust multivariate data analysis. Recent developments have moved to infinite-dimensional objects such as functional data. In this work, we propose a new notion of depth, the total variation depth, for functional data. As a measure of depth, its properties are studied theoretically, and the associated outlier detection performance is investigated through simulations. Compared to magnitude outliers, shape outliers are often masked among the rest of samples and harder to identify. We show that the proposed total variation depth has many desirable features and is well suited for outlier detection. In particular, we propose to decompose the total variation depth into two components that are associated with shape and magnitude outlyingness, respectively. This decomposition allows us to develop an effective procedure for outlier detection and useful visualization tools, while naturally accounting for the correlation in functional data. Finally, the proposed methodology is demonstrated using real datasets of curves, images, and video frames.

Dosimetric comparison between proton and photon beams in the moving gap region in cranio-spinal irradiation (CSI)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, Chee-Wai; Das, Indra J.; Zhao, Li; Wolanski, Mark; Johnstone, Peter A.S.; Buchsbaum, Jeffrey C. [IU Health Proton Therapy Center, Bloomington (United States); Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Indiana Univ. School of Medicine, Indianapolis (United States)], e-mail: ccheng1@iuhealth.org; Srivastava, Shiv P. [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Indiana Univ. School of Medicine, Indianapolis (United States); Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Reid Hospital, Richmond (United States); Simmons, Joseph [IU Health Proton Therapy Center, Bloomington (United States)

2013-04-15

Purpose: To investigate the moving gap region dosimetry in proton beam cranio-spinal irradiation (CSI) to provide optimal dose uniformity across the treatment volume. Material and methods: Proton beams of ranges 11.6 cm and 16 cm are used for the spine and the brain fields, respectively. Beam profiles for a 30 cm snout are first matched at the 50% level (hot match) on the computer. Feathering is simulated by shifting the dose profiles by a known distance two successive times to simulate a 2 x feathering scheme. The process is repeated for 2 mm and 4 mm gaps. Similar procedures are used to determine the dose profiles in the moving gap for a series of gap widths, 0-10 mm, and feathering step sizes, 4-10 mm, for a Varian iX 6MV beam. The proton and photon dose profiles in the moving gap region are compared. Results: The dose profiles in the moving gap exhibit valleys and peaks in both proton and photon beam CSI. The dose in the moving gap for protons is around 100% or higher for 0 mm gap, for both 5 and 10 mm feathering step sizes. When the field gap is comparable or larger than the penumbra, dose minima as low as 66% is obtained. The dosimetric characteristics for 6 MV photon beams can be made similar to those of the protons by appropriately combining gap width and feathering step size. Conclusion: The dose in the moving gap region is determined by the lateral penumbras, the width of the gap and the feathering step size. The dose decreases with increasing gap width or decreasing feathering step size. The dosimetric characteristics are similar for photon and proton beams. However, proton CSI has virtually no exit dose and is beneficial for pediatric patients, whereas with photon beams the whole lung and abdomen receive non-negligible exit dose.

Behavior of moving plasma in solenoidal magnetic field in a laser ion source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikeda, S.; Takahashi, K.; Okamura, M.; Horioka, K.

2016-01-01

In a laser ion source, a solenoidal magnetic field is useful to guide the plasma and to control the extracted beam current. However, the behavior of the plasma drifting in the magnetic field has not been well understood. Therefore, to investigate the behavior, we measured the plasma ion current and the total charge within a single pulse in the solenoid by changing the distance from the entrance of the solenoid to a detector. We observed that the decrease of the total charge along the distance became smaller as the magnetic field became larger and then the charge became almost constant with a certain magnetic flux density. The results indicate that the transverse spreading speed of the plasma decreased with increasing the field and the plasma was confined transversely with the magnetic flux density. We found that the reason of the confinement was not magnetization of ions but an influence induced by electrons

Behavior of moving plasma in solenoidal magnetic field in a laser ion source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ikeda, S., E-mail: ikeda.s.ae@m.titech.ac.jp [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8502 (Japan); Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0108 (Japan); Takahashi, K. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-2137 (Japan); Okamura, M. [Collider-Accelerator Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973-5000 (United States); Horioka, K. [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8502 (Japan)

2016-02-15

In a laser ion source, a solenoidal magnetic field is useful to guide the plasma and to control the extracted beam current. However, the behavior of the plasma drifting in the magnetic field has not been well understood. Therefore, to investigate the behavior, we measured the plasma ion current and the total charge within a single pulse in the solenoid by changing the distance from the entrance of the solenoid to a detector. We observed that the decrease of the total charge along the distance became smaller as the magnetic field became larger and then the charge became almost constant with a certain magnetic flux density. The results indicate that the transverse spreading speed of the plasma decreased with increasing the field and the plasma was confined transversely with the magnetic flux density. We found that the reason of the confinement was not magnetization of ions but an influence induced by electrons.

Behavior of moving plasma in solenoidal magnetic field in a laser ion source

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeda, S.; Takahashi, K.; Okamura, M.; Horioka, K.

2016-02-01

In a laser ion source, a solenoidal magnetic field is useful to guide the plasma and to control the extracted beam current. However, the behavior of the plasma drifting in the magnetic field has not been well understood. Therefore, to investigate the behavior, we measured the plasma ion current and the total charge within a single pulse in the solenoid by changing the distance from the entrance of the solenoid to a detector. We observed that the decrease of the total charge along the distance became smaller as the magnetic field became larger and then the charge became almost constant with a certain magnetic flux density. The results indicate that the transverse spreading speed of the plasma decreased with increasing the field and the plasma was confined transversely with the magnetic flux density. We found that the reason of the confinement was not magnetization of ions but an influence induced by electrons.

A semi-empirical formula for total cross sections of electron scattering from diatomic molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yufang; Sun Jinfeng; Henan Normal Univ., Xinxiang

1996-01-01

A fitting formula based on the Born approximation is used to fit the total cross sections for electron scattering by diatomic molecules (CO, N 2 , NO, O 2 and HCl) in the intermediate- and high-energy range. By analyzing the fitted parameters and the total cross sections, we found that the internuclear distance of the constituent atoms plays an important role in the e-diatomic molecule collision process. Thus a new semi-empirical formula has been obtained. There is no free parameter in the formula, and the dependence of the total cross sections on the internuclear distance has been reflected clearly. The total cross sections for electron scattering by CO, N 2 , NO, O 2 and HCl have been calculated over an incident energy range of 10-4000 eV. The results agree well with other available experimental and calculation data. (orig.)

Language distance and tree reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petroni, Filippo; Serva, Maurizio

2008-01-01

Languages evolve over time according to a process in which reproduction, mutation and extinction are all possible. This is very similar to haploid evolution for asexual organisms and for the mitochondrial DNA of complex ones. Exploiting this similarity, it is possible, in principle, to verify hypotheses concerning the relationship among languages and to reconstruct their family tree. The key point is the definition of the distances among pairs of languages in analogy with the genetic distances among pairs of organisms. Distances can be evaluated by comparing grammar and/or vocabulary, but while it is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify grammar distance, it is possible to measure a distance from vocabulary differences. The method used by glottochronology computes distances from the percentage of shared 'cognates', which are words with a common historical origin. The weak point of this method is that subjective judgment plays a significant role. Here we define the distance of two languages by considering a renormalized edit distance among words with the same meaning and averaging over the two hundred words contained in a Swadesh list. In our approach the vocabulary of a language is the analogue of DNA for organisms. The advantage is that we avoid subjectivity and, furthermore, reproducibility of results is guaranteed. We apply our method to the Indo-European and the Austronesian groups, considering, in both cases, fifty different languages. The two trees obtained are, in many respects, similar to those found by glottochronologists, with some important differences as regards the positions of a few languages. In order to support these different results we separately analyze the structure of the distances of these languages with respect to all the others

Language distance and tree reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Petroni, Filippo; Serva, Maurizio

2008-08-01

Languages evolve over time according to a process in which reproduction, mutation and extinction are all possible. This is very similar to haploid evolution for asexual organisms and for the mitochondrial DNA of complex ones. Exploiting this similarity, it is possible, in principle, to verify hypotheses concerning the relationship among languages and to reconstruct their family tree. The key point is the definition of the distances among pairs of languages in analogy with the genetic distances among pairs of organisms. Distances can be evaluated by comparing grammar and/or vocabulary, but while it is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify grammar distance, it is possible to measure a distance from vocabulary differences. The method used by glottochronology computes distances from the percentage of shared 'cognates', which are words with a common historical origin. The weak point of this method is that subjective judgment plays a significant role. Here we define the distance of two languages by considering a renormalized edit distance among words with the same meaning and averaging over the two hundred words contained in a Swadesh list. In our approach the vocabulary of a language is the analogue of DNA for organisms. The advantage is that we avoid subjectivity and, furthermore, reproducibility of results is guaranteed. We apply our method to the Indo-European and the Austronesian groups, considering, in both cases, fifty different languages. The two trees obtained are, in many respects, similar to those found by glottochronologists, with some important differences as regards the positions of a few languages. In order to support these different results we separately analyze the structure of the distances of these languages with respect to all the others.

Two-channel totally asymmetric simple exclusion processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pronina, Ekaterina; Kolomeisky, Anatoly B

2004-01-01

Totally asymmetric simple exclusion processes, consisting of two coupled parallel lattice chains with particles interacting with hard-core exclusion and moving along the channels and between them, are considered. In the limit of strong coupling between the channels, the particle currents, density profiles and a phase diagram are calculated exactly by mapping the system into an effective one-channel totally asymmetric exclusion model. For intermediate couplings, a simple approximate theory, that describes the particle dynamics in vertical clusters of two corresponding parallel sites exactly and neglects the correlations between different vertical clusters, is developed. It is found that, similarly to the case of one-channel totally asymmetric simple exclusion processes, there are three stationary state phases, although the phase boundaries and stationary properties strongly depend on inter-channel coupling. Extensive computer Monte Carlo simulations fully support the theoretical predictions

Trading Fees and Slow-Moving Capital

OpenAIRE

Buss, Adrian; Dumas, Bernard J

2015-01-01

In some situations, investment capital seems to move slowly towards profitable trades. We develop a model of a financial market in which capital moves slowly simply because there is a proportional cost to moving capital. We incorporate trading fees in an infinite-horizon dynamic general-equilibrium model in which investors optimally and endogenously decide when and how much to trade. We determine the steady-state equilibrium no-trade zone, study the dynamics of equilibrium trades and prices a...

Interactive Distance Learning in Connecticut.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietras, Jesse John; Murphy, Robert J.

This paper provides an overview of distance learning activities in Connecticut and addresses the feasibility of such activities. Distance education programs have evolved from the one dimensional electronic mail systems to the use of sophisticated digital fiber networks. The Middlesex Distance Learning Consortium has developed a long-range plan to…

Psychological distance of pedestrian at the bus terminal area

Science.gov (United States)

Firdaus Mohamad Ali, Mohd; Salleh Abustan, Muhamad; Hidayah Abu Talib, Siti; Abustan, Ismail; Rahman, Noorhazlinda Abd; Gotoh, Hitoshi

2018-03-01

Walking is a part of transportation modes that is effective for pedestrian in either short or long trips. All people are classified as pedestrian because people do walk every day and the higher number of people walking will lead to crowd conditions and that is the reason of the importance to study about the behaviour of pedestrian specifically the psychological distance in both indoor and outdoor. Nowadays, the number of studies of crowd dynamics among pedestrian have increased due to the concern about the safety issues primarily related to the emergency cases such as fire, earthquake, festival and etc. An observation of pedestrian was conducted at one of the main bus terminals in Kuala Lumpur with the main objective to obtain pedestrian psychological distance and it took place for 45 minutes by using a camcorder that was set up by using a tripod on the upper floor from the area of observation at the main lobby and the trapped area was approximately 100 m2. The analysis was focused on obtaining the gap between pedestrian based on two different categories, which are; (a) Pedestrian with relationship, and (b) Pedestrian without relationship. In total, 1,766 data were obtained during the analysis in which 561 data were obtained for `Pedestrian with relationship' and 1,205 data were obtained for "Pedestrian without relationship". Based on the obtained results, "Pedestrian without relationship" had shown a slightly higher average value of psychological distance between them compare to "Pedestrian with relationship" with the results of 1.6360m and 1.5909m respectively. In gender case, "Pedestrian without relationship" had higher mean of psychological distance in all three categories as well. Therefore, it can be concluded that pedestrian without relationship tend to have longer distance when walking in crowds.

Granular packings with moving side walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landry, James W.; Grest, Gary Stephen

2004-01-01

The effects of movement of the side walls of a confined granular packing are studied by discrete element, molecular dynamics simulations. The dynamical evolution of the stress is studied as a function of wall movement both in the direction of gravity as well as opposite to it. For all wall velocities explored, the stress in the final state of the system after wall movement is fundamentally different from the original state obtained by pouring particles into the container and letting them settle under the influence of gravity. The original packing possesses a hydrostaticlike region at the top of the container which crosses over to a depth-independent stress. As the walls are moved in the direction opposite to gravity, the saturation stress first reaches a minimum value independent of the wall velocity, then increases to a steady-state value dependent on the wall velocity. After wall movement ceases and the packing reaches equilibrium, the stress profile fits the classic Janssen form for high wall velocities, while some deviations remain for low wall velocities. The wall movement greatly increases the number of particle-wall and particle-particle forces at the Coulomb criterion. Varying the wall velocity has only small effects on the particle structure of the final packing so long as the walls travel a similar distance.

30 CFR 57.14107 - Moving machine parts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Moving machine parts. 57.14107 Section 57.14107... Equipment Safety Devices and Maintenance Requirements § 57.14107 Moving machine parts. (a) Moving machine parts shall be guarded to protect persons from contacting gears, sprockets, chains, drive, head, tail...

Lattice Boltzmann methods for moving boundary flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inamuro, Takaji

2012-01-01

The lattice Boltzmann methods (LBMs) for moving boundary flows are presented. The LBM for two-phase fluid flows with the same density and the LBM combined with the immersed boundary method are described. In addition, the LBM on a moving multi-block grid is explained. Three numerical examples (a droplet moving in a constricted tube, the lift generation of a flapping wing and the sedimentation of an elliptical cylinder) are shown in order to demonstrate the applicability of the LBMs to moving boundary problems. (invited review)

Lattice Boltzmann methods for moving boundary flows

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inamuro, Takaji, E-mail: inamuro@kuaero.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Advanced Research Institute of Fluid Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)

2012-04-01

The lattice Boltzmann methods (LBMs) for moving boundary flows are presented. The LBM for two-phase fluid flows with the same density and the LBM combined with the immersed boundary method are described. In addition, the LBM on a moving multi-block grid is explained. Three numerical examples (a droplet moving in a constricted tube, the lift generation of a flapping wing and the sedimentation of an elliptical cylinder) are shown in order to demonstrate the applicability of the LBMs to moving boundary problems. (invited review)

Motivation in Distance Leaming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Brečko

1996-12-01

Full Text Available It is estimated that motivation is one of the most important psychological functions making it possible for people to leam even in conditions that do not meet their needs. In distance learning, a form of autonomous learning, motivation is of outmost importance. When adopting this method in learning an individual has to stimulate himself and take learning decisions on his or her own. These specific characteristics of distance learning should be taken into account. This all different factors maintaining the motivation of partici­pants in distance learning are to be included. Moreover, motivation in distance learning can be stimulated with specific learning materials, clear instructions and guide-lines, an efficient feed back, personal contact between tutors and parti­cipants, stimulating learning letters, telephone calls, encouraging letters and through maintaining a positive relationship between tutor and participant.

Reactivation of slow-moving landslides by earthquakes, kinematics measurements and mechanical implications

Science.gov (United States)

Lacroix, Pascal; Perfettini, Hugo; Berthier, Etienne; Taipe, Edu; Guillier, Bertrand

2015-04-01

Major earthquakes in mountainous areas often trigger landslides. The impact of earthquakes on slow-moving landslides is however not well constrained due to few co-seismic measurements of landslide motion. We document the first time-series of a landslide reactivation by an earthquake (Mw6.0, distance 20 km), using continuous GPS measurements over the Maca landslide (Peru). Our survey shows a coseismic response of the landslide of about 2 cm, followed by a relaxation period of 5 weeks during which postseismic slip is three times greater than the coseismic displacement itself. Our results confirm the coseismic activation of landslides and provide the first observation of a post seismic displacement. Finally, a multi-temporal survey using images from the very high resolution Pléiades optical satellite, allowed us to detect 9 active slow-moving landslides over the whole valley. Their pattern of motion show they have been reactivated by the same earthquake. We analyze this small but comprehensive database of landslides reactivated by the earthquake. We find that the landslide motion due to the earthquake is function of the shaking intensity, suggesting a friction at the basal interface dependent on the earthquake solicitation. These various observations are consistent with a mechanical model where slip on the landslide basal interface is governed by rate and state friction, analogous to the mechanics of creeping tectonic faults.

Machine learning enhanced optical distance sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Amin, M. Junaid; Riza, N. A.

2018-01-01

Presented for the first time is a machine learning enhanced optical distance sensor. The distance sensor is based on our previously demonstrated distance measurement technique that uses an Electronically Controlled Variable Focus Lens (ECVFL) with a laser source to illuminate a target plane with a controlled optical beam spot. This spot with varying spot sizes is viewed by an off-axis camera and the spot size data is processed to compute the distance. In particular, proposed and demonstrated in this paper is the use of a regularized polynomial regression based supervised machine learning algorithm to enhance the accuracy of the operational sensor. The algorithm uses the acquired features and corresponding labels that are the actual target distance values to train a machine learning model. The optimized training model is trained over a 1000 mm (or 1 m) experimental target distance range. Using the machine learning algorithm produces a training set and testing set distance measurement errors of learning. Applications for the proposed sensor include industrial scenario distance sensing where target material specific training models can be generated to realize low <1% measurement error distance measurements.

Corrected Cephalometric Analysis to Determine the Distance and Vector of Distraction Osteogenesis for Syndromic Craniosynostosis

Science.gov (United States)

Fukawa, Toshihiko; Hirakawa, Takashi; Satake, Toshihiko; Maegawa, Jiro

2017-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to confirm the utility of a corrected cephalometric analysis to facilitate the planning of distraction osteogenesis with Le Fort III osteotomy for syndromic craniosynostosis. Methods: This prospective study involved 4 male and 2 female patients (mean patient age, 8 years 9 months; age range, 4 years 6 months to 13 years 2 months) with Crouzon syndrome who were treated with Le Fort III maxillary distraction using our previously described system of analysis of a corrected cephalogram and who underwent clinical follow-up. Lateral cephalograms were obtained immediately after device removal. Results: Distraction of orbitale moved the vector downward to the adult profile, but there was slightly less elongation than the adult profile for the distraction distance. The desired and real mean angles after distraction of point A were 29.2 ± 7.9° and 6.1 ± 8.5°, respectively, and the desired and the real mean distances after distraction of point A were 30.6 ± 12.7 mm and 29.4 ± 4.1 mm, respectively. Conclusions: Using the corrected cephalometric analysis, the distance and vector of distraction osteogenesis with Le Fort III osteotomy could be determined in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis. The distraction system brought the patients' facial bones to the planned position using controlling devices. PMID:29062650

Moving standard deviation and moving sum of outliers as quality tools for monitoring analytical precision.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiakai; Tan, Chin Hon; Badrick, Tony; Loh, Tze Ping

2018-02-01

An increase in analytical imprecision (expressed as CV a ) can introduce additional variability (i.e. noise) to the patient results, which poses a challenge to the optimal management of patients. Relatively little work has been done to address the need for continuous monitoring of analytical imprecision. Through numerical simulations, we describe the use of moving standard deviation (movSD) and a recently described moving sum of outlier (movSO) patient results as means for detecting increased analytical imprecision, and compare their performances against internal quality control (QC) and the average of normal (AoN) approaches. The power of detecting an increase in CV a is suboptimal under routine internal QC procedures. The AoN technique almost always had the highest average number of patient results affected before error detection (ANPed), indicating that it had generally the worst capability for detecting an increased CV a . On the other hand, the movSD and movSO approaches were able to detect an increased CV a at significantly lower ANPed, particularly for measurands that displayed a relatively small ratio of biological variation to CV a. CONCLUSION: The movSD and movSO approaches are effective in detecting an increase in CV a for high-risk measurands with small biological variation. Their performance is relatively poor when the biological variation is large. However, the clinical risks of an increase in analytical imprecision is attenuated for these measurands as an increased analytical imprecision will only add marginally to the total variation and less likely to impact on the clinical care. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Distance Learning: Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Course in Speech Pathology and Dentistry

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Janine Santos; da Silva, Letícia Korb; Pinzan, Arnaldo; de Castro Rodrigues, Antonio; Berretin-Felix, Giédre

2015-01-01

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of distance learning courses for the purpose of interdisciplinary continuing education in Speech Pathology and Dentistry. Methods: The online course was made available on the Moodle platform. A total of 30 undergraduates participated in the study (15 from the Dentistry course and 15 from the Speech Pathology…

77 FR 16566 - Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request, Proposed Collection: Let's Move Museums, Let's Move...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-21

..., Proposed Collection: Let's Move Museums, Let's Move Gardens AGENCY: Institute of Museum and Library..., comment request. SUMMARY: The Institute of Museum and Library Services announces that the following... functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; Evaluate the...

Drivers shaping the diversity and biogeography of total and active bacterial communities in the South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yao; Zhao, Zihao; Dai, Minhan; Jiao, Nianzhi; Herndl, Gerhard J

2014-01-01

To test the hypothesis that different drivers shape the diversity and biogeography of the total and active bacterial community, we examined the bacterial community composition along two transects, one from the inner Pearl River estuary to the open waters of the South China Sea (SCS) and the other from the Luzon Strait to the SCS basin, using 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA and 16S rRNA gene (V1-3 regions) and thereby characterizing the active and total bacterial community, respectively. The diversity and biogeographic patterns differed substantially between the active and total bacterial communities. Although the composition of both the total and active bacterial community was strongly correlated with environmental factors and weakly correlated with geographic distance, the active bacterial community displayed higher environmental sensitivity than the total community and particularly a greater distance effect largely caused by the active assemblage from deep waters. The 16S rRNA vs. rDNA relationships indicated that the active bacteria were low in relative abundance in the SCS. This might be due to a high competition between active bacterial taxa as indicated by our community network models. Based on these analyses, we speculate that high competition could cause some dispersal limitation of the active bacterial community resulting in a distinct distance-decay relationship. Altogether, our results indicated that the biogeographic distribution of bacteria in the SCS is the result of both environmental control and distance decay. PMID:24684298

Long-distance calls in Neotropical primates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliveira Dilmar A.G.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Long-distance calls are widespread among primates. Several studies concentrate on such calls in just one or in few species, while few studies have treated more general trends within the order. The common features that usually characterize these vocalizations are related to long-distance propagation of sounds. The proposed functions of primate long-distance calls can be divided into extragroup and intragroup ones. Extragroup functions relate to mate defense, mate attraction or resource defense, while intragroup functions involve group coordination or alarm. Among Neotropical primates, several species perform long-distance calls that seem more related to intragroup coordination, markedly in atelines. Callitrichids present long-distance calls that are employed both in intragroup coordination and intergroup contests or spacing. Examples of extragroup directed long-distance calls are the duets of titi monkeys and the roars and barks of howler monkeys. Considerable complexity and gradation exist in the long-distance call repertoires of some Neotropical primates, and female long-distance calls are probably more important in non-duetting species than usually thought. Future research must focus on larger trends in the evolution of primate long-distance calls, including the phylogeny of calling repertoires and the relationships between form and function in these signals.

Robustness of Distance-to-Default

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jessen, Cathrine; Lando, David

2013-01-01

Distance-to-default is a remarkably robust measure for ranking firms according to their risk of default. The ranking seems to work despite the fact that the Merton model from which the measure is derived produces default probabilities that are far too small when applied to real data. We use...... simulations to investigate the robustness of the distance-to-default measure to different model specifications. Overall we find distance-to-default to be robust to a number of deviations from the simple Merton model that involve different asset value dynamics and different default triggering mechanisms....... A notable exception is a model with stochastic volatility of assets. In this case both the ranking of firms and the estimated default probabilities using distance-to-default perform significantly worse. We therefore propose a volatility adjustment of the distance-to-default measure, that significantly...

Distance Education in Technological Age

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R .C. SHARMA

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Distance Education in Technological AgeRomesh Verma (Editor, New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2005, ISBN 81-261-2210-2, pp. 419 Reviewed by R C SHARMARegional DirectorIndira Gandhi National Open University-INDIA The advancements in information and communication technologies have brought significant changes in the way the open and distance learning are provided to the learners. The impact of such changes is quite visible in both developed and developing countries. Switching over to online mode, joining hands with private initiatives and making a presence in foreign waters, are some of the hallmarks of the open and distance education (ODE institutions in developing countries. The compilation of twenty six essays on themes as applicable to ODE has resulted in the book, “Distance Education in Technological Age”. These essays follow a progressive style of narration, starting from describing conceptual framework of distance education, how the distance education was emerged on the global scene and in India, and then goes on to discuss emergence of online distance education and research aspects in ODE. The initial four chapters provide a detailed account of historical development and growth of distance education in India and State Open University and National Open University Model in India . Student support services are pivot to any distance education and much of its success depends on how well the support services are provided. These are discussed from national and international perspective. The issues of collaborative learning, learning on demand, life long learning, learning-unlearning and re-learning model and strategic alliances have also given due space by the authors. An assortment of technologies like communication technology, domestic technology, information technology, mass media and entertainment technology, media technology and educational technology give an idea of how these technologies are being adopted in the open universities. The study

Moving Horizon Estimation and Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, John Bagterp

successful and applied methodology beyond PID-control for control of industrial processes. The main contribution of this thesis is introduction and definition of the extended linear quadratic optimal control problem for solution of numerical problems arising in moving horizon estimation and control...... problems. Chapter 1 motivates moving horizon estimation and control as a paradigm for control of industrial processes. It introduces the extended linear quadratic control problem and discusses its central role in moving horizon estimation and control. Introduction, application and efficient solution....... It provides an algorithm for computation of the maximal output admissible set for linear model predictive control. Appendix D provides results concerning linear regression. Appendix E discuss prediction error methods for identification of linear models tailored for model predictive control....

Improved Iris Recognition through Fusion of Hamming Distance and Fragile Bit Distance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollingsworth, Karen P; Bowyer, Kevin W; Flynn, Patrick J

2011-12-01

The most common iris biometric algorithm represents the texture of an iris using a binary iris code. Not all bits in an iris code are equally consistent. A bit is deemed fragile if its value changes across iris codes created from different images of the same iris. Previous research has shown that iris recognition performance can be improved by masking these fragile bits. Rather than ignoring fragile bits completely, we consider what beneficial information can be obtained from the fragile bits. We find that the locations of fragile bits tend to be consistent across different iris codes of the same eye. We present a metric, called the fragile bit distance, which quantitatively measures the coincidence of the fragile bit patterns in two iris codes. We find that score fusion of fragile bit distance and Hamming distance works better for recognition than Hamming distance alone. To our knowledge, this is the first and only work to use the coincidence of fragile bit locations to improve the accuracy of matches.

Partial distance correlation with methods for dissimilarities

OpenAIRE

Székely, Gábor J.; Rizzo, Maria L.

2014-01-01

Distance covariance and distance correlation are scalar coefficients that characterize independence of random vectors in arbitrary dimension. Properties, extensions, and applications of distance correlation have been discussed in the recent literature, but the problem of defining the partial distance correlation has remained an open question of considerable interest. The problem of partial distance correlation is more complex than partial correlation partly because the squared distance covari...

The Distancing-Embracing model of the enjoyment of negative emotions in art reception.

Science.gov (United States)

Menninghaus, Winfried; Wagner, Valentin; Hanich, Julian; Wassiliwizky, Eugen; Jacobsen, Thomas; Koelsch, Stefan

2017-01-01

Why are negative emotions so central in art reception far beyond tragedy? Revisiting classical aesthetics in the light of recent psychological research, we present a novel model to explain this much discussed (apparent) paradox. We argue that negative emotions are an important resource for the arts in general, rather than a special license for exceptional art forms only. The underlying rationale is that negative emotions have been shown to be particularly powerful in securing attention, intense emotional involvement, and high memorability, and hence is precisely what artworks strive for. Two groups of processing mechanisms are identified that conjointly adopt the particular powers of negative emotions for art's purposes. The first group consists of psychological distancing mechanisms that are activated along with the cognitive schemata of art, representation, and fiction. These schemata imply personal safety and control over continuing or discontinuing exposure to artworks, thereby preventing negative emotions from becoming outright incompatible with expectations of enjoyment. This distancing sets the stage for a second group of processing components that allow art recipients to positively embrace the experiencing of negative emotions, thereby rendering art reception more intense, more interesting, more emotionally moving, more profound, and occasionally even more beautiful. These components include compositional interplays of positive and negative emotions, the effects of aesthetic virtues of using the media of (re)presentation (musical sound, words/language, color, shapes) on emotion perception, and meaning-making efforts. Moreover, our Distancing-Embracing model proposes that concomitant mixed emotions often help integrate negative emotions into altogether pleasurable trajectories.

Vertical dynamics of a single-span beam subjected to moving mass-suspended payload system with variable speeds

Science.gov (United States)

He, Wei

2018-03-01

This paper presents the vertical dynamics of a simply supported Euler-Bernoulli beam subjected to a moving mass-suspended payload system of variable velocities. A planar theoretical model of the moving mass-suspended payload system of variable speeds is developed based on several assumptions: the rope is massless and rigid, and its length keeps constant; the stiffness of the gantry beam is much greater than the supporting beam, and the gantry beam can be treated as a mass particle traveling along the supporting beam; the supporting beam is assumed as a simply supported Bernoulli-Euler beam. The model can be degenerated to consider two classical cases-the moving mass case and the moving payload case. The proposed model is verified using both numerical and experimental methods. To further investigate the effect of possible influential factors, numerical examples are conducted covering a range of parameters, such as variable speeds (acceleration or deceleration), mass ratios of the payload to the total moving load, and the pendulum lengths. The effect of beam flexibility on swing response of the payload is also investigated. It is shown that the effect of a variable speed is significant for the deflections of the beam. The accelerating movement tends to induce larger beam deflections, while the decelerating movement smaller ones. For accelerating or decelerating movements, the moving mass model may underestimate the deflections of the beam compared with the presented model; while for uniform motion, both the moving mass model and the moving mass-payload model lead to same beam responses. Furthermore, it is observed that the swing response of the payload is not sensitive to the stiffness of the beam for operational cases of a moving crane, thus a simple moving payload model can be employed in the swing control of the payload.

Moving carbonation fronts in concrete: a moving-sharp-interface approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Muntean, A.; Böhm, M.; Kropp, J.

2011-01-01

We present a new modeling strategy for predicting the penetration of carbonation reaction fronts in concrete. The approach relies on the assumption that carbonation reaction concentrates macroscopically on an a priori unknown narrow strip (called reaction front) moving into concrete gradually

The Relationship between Power Distance and Organizational Commitment in Primary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Deniz, Ayhan; Yildirim, Bilal

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between organizational commitment and power distance. The study has a correlational survey research model. The population of the study consists of a total of 4838 teachers working in the primary schools in the center of the city of Balikesir and in the centers of its districts in the 2012-2013…

Distance labeling schemes for trees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alstrup, Stephen; Gørtz, Inge Li; Bistrup Halvorsen, Esben

2016-01-01

We consider distance labeling schemes for trees: given a tree with n nodes, label the nodes with binary strings such that, given the labels of any two nodes, one can determine, by looking only at the labels, the distance in the tree between the two nodes. A lower bound by Gavoille et al. [Gavoille...... variants such as, for example, small distances in trees [Alstrup et al., SODA, 2003]. We improve the known upper and lower bounds of exact distance labeling by showing that 1/4 log2(n) bits are needed and that 1/2 log2(n) bits are sufficient. We also give (1 + ε)-stretch labeling schemes using Theta...

extrap: Software to assist the selection of extrapolation methods for moving-boat ADCP streamflow measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, David S.

2013-01-01

Selection of the appropriate extrapolation methods for computing the discharge in the unmeasured top and bottom parts of a moving-boat acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) streamflow measurement is critical to the total discharge computation. The software tool, extrap, combines normalized velocity

A comparison of 3-D computed tomography versus 2-D radiography measurements of ulnar variance and ulnolunate distance during forearm rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawanishi, Y; Moritomo, H; Omori, S; Kataoka, T; Murase, T; Sugamoto, K

2014-06-01

Positive ulnar variance is associated with ulnar impaction syndrome and ulnar variance is reported to increase with pronation. However, radiographic measurement can be affected markedly by the incident angle of the X-ray beam. We performed three-dimensional (3-D) computed tomography measurements of ulnar variance and ulnolunate distance during forearm rotation and compared these with plain radiographic measurements in 15 healthy wrists. From supination to pronation, ulnar variance increased in all cases on the radiographs; mean ulnar variance increased significantly and mean ulnolunate distance decreased significantly. However on 3-D imaging, ulna variance decreased in 12 cases on moving into pronation and increased in three cases; neither the mean ulnar variance nor mean ulnolunate distance changed significantly. Our results suggest that the forearm position in which ulnar variance increased varies among individuals. This may explain why some patients with ulnar impaction syndrome complain of wrist pain exacerbated by forearm supination. It also suggests that standard radiographic assessments of ulnar variance are unreliable. © The Author(s) 2013.

Tracking frequency laser distance gauge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, J.D.; Reasenberg, R.D.

2005-01-01

Advanced astronomical missions with greatly enhanced resolution and physics missions of unprecedented accuracy will require laser distance gauges of substantially improved performance. We describe a laser gauge, based on Pound-Drever-Hall locking, in which the optical frequency is adjusted to maintain an interferometer's null condition. This technique has been demonstrated with pm performance. Automatic fringe hopping allows it to track arbitrary distance changes. The instrument is intrinsically free of the nm-scale cyclic bias present in traditional (heterodyne) high-precision laser gauges. The output is a radio frequency, readily measured to sufficient accuracy. The laser gauge has operated in a resonant cavity, which improves precision, can suppress the effects of misalignments, and makes possible precise automatic alignment. The measurement of absolute distance requires little or no additional hardware, and has also been demonstrated. The proof-of-concept version, based on a stabilized HeNe laser and operating on a 0.5 m path, has achieved 10 pm precision with 0.1 s integration time, and 0.1 mm absolute distance accuracy. This version has also followed substantial distance changes as fast as 16 mm/s. We show that, if the precision in optical frequency is a fixed fraction of the linewidth, both incremental and absolute distance precision are independent of the distance measured. We discuss systematic error sources, and present plans for a new version of the gauge based on semiconductor lasers and fiber-coupled components

ADULT LEARNERS IN DISTANCE HIGHER EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NORICA-FELICIA BUCUR

2012-05-01

Full Text Available This paper attempts at identifying the main features that characterize distance higher education and adult education, respectively, in order to be able to establish to what extent adult learners can fit in distance higher education programs. The historical background of distance learning education, the factors that influence adult learners, and distance learning’s key objectives, effects, issues, advantages, and disadvantages are to be briefly investigated in order to reach the purpose of this paper. Recent developments in Information Technology have led to a new approach to teaching and learning, especially as far as adult learning and distance learning are concerned. Thus, this study will also focus on the consequences of using technology for course design, delivery, and the perception of adult learners participating in distance learning.

Distance and Cable Length Measurement System

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Sergio Elias; Acosta, Leopoldo; Toledo, Jonay

2009-01-01

A simple, economic and successful design for distance and cable length detection is presented. The measurement system is based on the continuous repetition of a pulse that endlessly travels along the distance to be detected. There is a pulse repeater at both ends of the distance or cable to be measured. The endless repetition of the pulse generates a frequency that varies almost inversely with the distance to be measured. The resolution and distance or cable length range could be adjusted by varying the repetition time delay introduced at both ends and the measurement time. With this design a distance can be measured with centimeter resolution using electronic system with microsecond resolution, simplifying classical time of flight designs which require electronics with picosecond resolution. This design was also applied to position measurement. PMID:22303169

Spatio-Temporal Queries for moving objects Data warehousing

OpenAIRE

Esheiba, Leila; Mokhtar, Hoda M. O.; El-Sharkawi, Mohamed

2013-01-01

In the last decade, Moving Object Databases (MODs) have attracted a lot of attention from researchers. Several research works were conducted to extend traditional database techniques to accommodate the new requirements imposed by the continuous change in location information of moving objects. Managing, querying, storing, and mining moving objects were the key research directions. This extensive interest in moving objects is a natural consequence of the recent ubiquitous location-aware device...

Well balancing of the SWE schemes for moving-water steady flows

Science.gov (United States)

Caleffi, Valerio; Valiani, Alessandro

2017-08-01

In this work, the exact reproduction of a moving-water steady flow via the numerical solution of the one-dimensional shallow water equations is studied. A new scheme based on a modified version of the HLLEM approximate Riemann solver (Dumbser and Balsara (2016) [18]) that exactly preserves the total head and the discharge in the simulation of smooth steady flows and that correctly dissipates mechanical energy in the presence of hydraulic jumps is presented. This model is compared with a selected set of schemes from the literature, including models that exactly preserve quiescent flows and models that exactly preserve moving-water steady flows. The comparison highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches. In particular, the results show that the increase in accuracy in the steady state reproduction is counterbalanced by a reduced robustness and numerical efficiency of the models. Some solutions to reduce these drawbacks, at the cost of increased algorithm complexity, are presented.

Distance Education in Entwicklungslandern.

Science.gov (United States)

German Foundation for International Development, Bonn (West Germany).

Seminar and conference reports and working papers on distance education of adults, which reflect the experiences of many countries, are presented. Contents include the draft report of the 1979 International Seminar on Distance Education held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which was jointly sponsored by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa…

Utilization of the emergency room: impact of geographic distance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae Eun Lee

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to estimate the distance Mississippi patients must travel to access hospital-based emergency rooms (ERs and to determine whether an association exists between geographic distance and ER utilization. To that end, great circle distances between Census Block Group Centroid Points and 89 hospitals with emergency departments were calculated for the State of Mississippi. Data on the socio-demographic characteristics of each block group came from the 2000 US Census data. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test if there was any association between ER utilization and travel distance. Compared to the national benchmark of 35.7%, more than one in two (56.7%, or 1,612,762 Mississippians visited ERs in 2003 with an estimated 6.1 miles per person annual travel for this purpose. The majority of the target population (54.9% was found to live within 5 miles of hospitals with ERs. Logistic analyses revealed that block groups associated with less miles traveled to hospitals with ERs had a higher proportion of African Americans, impoverished people, female householders, people with more than 12 years education, people older than 65 years, people with high median house values, and people without employment. Twenty-nine of the 89 hospitals (33% providing ER care in Mississippi were found to be in areas with above-average ER utilization rates. These hospitals served a smaller geographical area (28% of the total but had a greater proportion of visitors (57% and served a higher percentage (37% of the state population. People in areas served by the less utilized ERs traveled more miles to be cared for (7.1 miles vs 5.4 miles; p<0.0001. Logistic regression analysis revealed that shorter distances were associated with increased use of the ERs, even after controlling for socio-demographic factors. The conclusion is that Mississippi ERs are typically located in block groups with higher percentages of disadvantaged residents and that

Distance sampling methods and applications

CERN Document Server

Buckland, S T; Marques, T A; Oedekoven, C S

2015-01-01

In this book, the authors cover the basic methods and advances within distance sampling that are most valuable to practitioners and in ecology more broadly. This is the fourth book dedicated to distance sampling. In the decade since the last book published, there have been a number of new developments. The intervening years have also shown which advances are of most use. This self-contained book covers topics from the previous publications, while also including recent developments in method, software and application. Distance sampling refers to a suite of methods, including line and point transect sampling, in which animal density or abundance is estimated from a sample of distances to detected individuals. The book illustrates these methods through case studies; data sets and computer code are supplied to readers through the book’s accompanying website.  Some of the case studies use the software Distance, while others use R code. The book is in three parts.  The first part addresses basic methods, the ...

Anxiety and Resistance in Distance Learning

OpenAIRE

Nazime Tuncay; Huseyin Uzunboylu

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' anxiety and resistance towards learning through distance education.Specifically, the study sought answers to the following questions: -What are the reasons of students not choosing distancelearning courses? -Which symptoms of anxiety, if any, do distance learner’s exhibit towards distance learning? Does genderhave any significant relationships with distance learners' perception of factors that affect their anxiety and resistance? A totalo...

Self-consistent coupling of atomic orbitals to a moving charge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Da Costa, H.F.M.; Micha, D.A.

1994-01-01

The authors describe the time evolution of hydrogenic orbitals perturbed by a moving charge. Starting with the equation for an atom interacting with a charge, the authors use an eikonal representation of the total wave-function, followed by an eikonal approximation, to derive coupled differential equations for the temporal change of the orbitals and the charge's trajectory. The orbitals are represented by functions with complex exponents changing with time, describing electronic density and flux changes. For each orbital, they solve a set of six coupled differential equations; two of them are derived with a time-dependent variational procedure for the real and imaginary parts of the exponents, and the other four are the Hamilton equations of the positions and momenta of the moving charge. The molecular potentials are derived from the exact expressions for the electronic energies. Results of calculations for 1s and 2s orbitals show large variation of the real exponent parts over time, with respect to asymptotic values, and that imaginary parts remain small

Role of Distance-Based Routing in Traffic Dynamics on Mobile Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Han-Xin; Wang, Wen-Xu

2013-06-01

Despite of intensive investigations on transportation dynamics taking place on complex networks with fixed structures, a deep understanding of networks consisting of mobile nodes is challenging yet, especially the lacking of insight into the effects of routing strategies on transmission efficiency. We introduce a distance-based routing strategy for networks of mobile agents toward enhancing the network throughput and the transmission efficiency. We study the transportation capacity and delivering time of data packets associated with mobility and communication ability. Interestingly, we find that the transportation capacity is optimized at moderate moving speed, which is quite different from random routing strategy. In addition, both continuous and discontinuous transitions from free flow to congestions are observed. Degree distributions are explored in order to explain the enhancement of network throughput and other observations. Our work is valuable toward understanding complex transportation dynamics and designing effective routing protocols.

Energy flux correlations and moving mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, L.H.; Roman, Thomas A.

2004-01-01

We study the quantum stress tensor correlation function for a massless scalar field in a flat two-dimensional spacetime containing a moving mirror. We construct the correlation functions for right-moving and left-moving fluxes for an arbitrary trajectory, and then specialize them to the case of a mirror trajectory for which the expectation value of the stress tensor describes a pair of delta-function pulses, one of negative energy and one of positive energy. The flux correlation function describes the fluctuations around this mean stress tensor, and reveals subtle changes in the correlations between regions where the mean flux vanishes

Revised Distances to 21 Supernova Remnants

Science.gov (United States)

Ranasinghe, S.; Leahy, D. A.

2018-05-01

We carry out a comprehensive study of H I 21 cm line observations and 13CO line observations of 21 supernova remnants (SNRs). The aim of the study is to search for H I absorption features to obtain kinematic distances in a consistent manner. The 21 SNRs are in the region of sky covered by the Very Large Array Galactic Plane Survey (H I 21 cm observations) and Galactic Ring Survey (13CO line observations). We obtain revised distances for 10 SNRs based on new evidence in the H I and 13CO observations. We revise distances for the other 11 SNRs based on an updated rotation curve and new error analysis. The mean change in distance for the 21 SNRs is ≃25%, i.e., a change of 1.5 kpc compared to a mean distance for the sample of 6.4 kpc. This has a significant impact on interpretation of the physical state of these SNRs. For example, using a Sedov model, age and explosion energy scale as the square of distance, and inferred ISM density scales as distance.

A cognitively grounded measure of pronunciation distance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martijn Wieling

Full Text Available In this study we develop pronunciation distances based on naive discriminative learning (NDL. Measures of pronunciation distance are used in several subfields of linguistics, including psycholinguistics, dialectology and typology. In contrast to the commonly used Levenshtein algorithm, NDL is grounded in cognitive theory of competitive reinforcement learning and is able to generate asymmetrical pronunciation distances. In a first study, we validated the NDL-based pronunciation distances by comparing them to a large set of native-likeness ratings given by native American English speakers when presented with accented English speech. In a second study, the NDL-based pronunciation distances were validated on the basis of perceptual dialect distances of Norwegian speakers. Results indicated that the NDL-based pronunciation distances matched perceptual distances reasonably well with correlations ranging between 0.7 and 0.8. While the correlations were comparable to those obtained using the Levenshtein distance, the NDL-based approach is more flexible as it is also able to incorporate acoustic information other than sound segments.

Fast Exact Euclidean Distance (FEED) Transformation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, Theo; Kittler, J.; van den Broek, Egon; Petrou, M.; Nixon, M.

2004-01-01

Fast Exact Euclidean Distance (FEED) transformation is introduced, starting from the inverse of the distance transformation. The prohibitive computational cost of a naive implementation of traditional Euclidean Distance Transformation, is tackled by three operations: restriction of both the number

Self-similarity of higher-order moving averages

Science.gov (United States)

Arianos, Sergio; Carbone, Anna; Türk, Christian

2011-10-01

In this work, higher-order moving average polynomials are defined by straightforward generalization of the standard moving average. The self-similarity of the polynomials is analyzed for fractional Brownian series and quantified in terms of the Hurst exponent H by using the detrending moving average method. We prove that the exponent H of the fractional Brownian series and of the detrending moving average variance asymptotically agree for the first-order polynomial. Such asymptotic values are compared with the results obtained by the simulations. The higher-order polynomials correspond to trend estimates at shorter time scales as the degree of the polynomial increases. Importantly, the increase of polynomial degree does not require to change the moving average window. Thus trends at different time scales can be obtained on data sets with the same size. These polynomials could be interesting for those applications relying on trend estimates over different time horizons (financial markets) or on filtering at different frequencies (image analysis).

Distance : between deixis and perspectivity

OpenAIRE

Meermann, Anastasia; Sonnenhauser, Barbara

2015-01-01

Discussing exemplary applications of the notion of distance in linguistic analysis, this paper shows that very different phenomena are described in terms of this concept. It is argued that in order to overcome the problems arising from this mixup, deixis, distance and perspectivity have to be distinguished and their interrelations need to be described. Thereby, distance emerges as part of a recursive process mediating between situation-bound deixis and discourse-level perspectivity. This is i...

Groundwater Contamination in Agbowo Community, Ibadan Nigeria: Impact of Septic Tanks Distances to Wells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Odetokun, I. A.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In Nigeria, inadequate supply of pipe borne water is a major concern; hence many homes have wells as a source of water for household uses. The groundwater of forty wells in Agbowo community was assessed for Total Aerobic Bacteria Counts (TABC and Total Coliform Counts (TCC. The location and distances of wells from septic tanks were determined using the Global Positioning System (GPS device and a tape rule respectively. All the wells sampled had high TABC (4.76 ± 1.41 log CFU/mL and TCC (2.2 9± 0.67 log CFU/mL counts which exceeded the international standard of 0 per 100 mL of potable water. There were no significant differences in the bacterial counts between covered and uncovered wells (p>0.05. The mean distance (8.93±3.61m of wells from the septic tanks was below the limit (15.24 m or 50 ft set by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA. TABC increased with a decrease in distance between the wells and septic tanks though not significant (p<0.05. A very weak positive correlation (r2 =0.021 ensued between the distance from septic tank and CC, while a weak negative correlation (r2 = ‒0.261 was obtained between the TCC and TABC. This study accentuates the need to set standards for the siting of wells from septic tanks while considering all possible sources of well contamination as well as treatment of ground water before use.

Chicks prefer to peck at insect-like elongated stimuli moving in a direction orthogonal to their longer axis.

Science.gov (United States)

Clara, Elena; Regolin, Lucia; Vallortigara, Giorgio; Rogers, Lesley J

2009-11-01

Spontaneous preferences towards possible prey have been little investigated using targets in motion. Preferences of domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) to peck at video-images of stimuli representing live insects moving along their longer body axis (i.e. "forwards") or along the shorter body axis (i.e. "sideways") were investigated. Chicks presented with both types of stimulus displayed a significant preference for pecking at stimuli moving sideways. This preference was already present on day 1 post-hatching, and it strengthened on day 6 for those chicks that had experienced pecking at live insects. Head angles used to fixate the stimuli prior to pecking were also analysed and were consistent (i.e. 30 degrees -35 degrees and 60 degrees -65 degrees ) with those reported for fixation of non-edible targets (larger stimuli at a distance). In a first control experiment the same video-presented stimuli were used but the insect's legs were removed to reduce flickering. In a second control experiment, paper-printed images of the whole insect were used. In both cases, the sideways direction of movement was clearly preferred. Overall, our data show that chicks have a spontaneous preference to peck at video-images resembling live insects moving along their shorter body axis. Sideways movement may constitute a crucial signal attracting chicks' attention and enhancing predatory responses possibly because of stronger stimulation of motion detectors.

A theory of traffic congestion at moving bottlenecks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kerner, Boris S [Daimler AG, GR/PTF, HPC: G021, 71059 Sindelfingen (Germany); Klenov, Sergey L, E-mail: boris.kerner@daimler.co [Department of Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region (Russian Federation)

2010-10-22

The physics of traffic congestion occurring at a moving bottleneck on a multi-lane road is revealed based on the numerical analyses of vehicular traffic with a discrete stochastic traffic flow model in the framework of three-phase traffic theory. We find that there is a critical speed of a moving bottleneck at which traffic breakdown, i.e. a first-order phase transition from free flow to synchronized flow, occurs spontaneously at the moving bottleneck, if the flow rate upstream of the bottleneck is great enough. The greater the flow rate, the higher the critical speed of the moving bottleneck. A diagram of congested traffic patterns at the moving bottleneck is found, which shows regions in the flow-rate-moving-bottleneck-speed plane in which congested patterns emerge spontaneously or can be induced through large enough disturbances in an initial free flow. A comparison of features of traffic breakdown and resulting congested patterns at the moving bottleneck with known ones at an on-ramp (and other motionless) bottleneck is made. Nonlinear features of complex interactions and transformations of congested traffic patterns occurring at on- and off-ramp bottlenecks due to the existence of the moving bottleneck are found. The physics of the phenomenon of traffic congestion due to 'elephant racing' on a multi-lane road is revealed.

A theory of traffic congestion at moving bottlenecks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerner, Boris S; Klenov, Sergey L

2010-01-01

The physics of traffic congestion occurring at a moving bottleneck on a multi-lane road is revealed based on the numerical analyses of vehicular traffic with a discrete stochastic traffic flow model in the framework of three-phase traffic theory. We find that there is a critical speed of a moving bottleneck at which traffic breakdown, i.e. a first-order phase transition from free flow to synchronized flow, occurs spontaneously at the moving bottleneck, if the flow rate upstream of the bottleneck is great enough. The greater the flow rate, the higher the critical speed of the moving bottleneck. A diagram of congested traffic patterns at the moving bottleneck is found, which shows regions in the flow-rate-moving-bottleneck-speed plane in which congested patterns emerge spontaneously or can be induced through large enough disturbances in an initial free flow. A comparison of features of traffic breakdown and resulting congested patterns at the moving bottleneck with known ones at an on-ramp (and other motionless) bottleneck is made. Nonlinear features of complex interactions and transformations of congested traffic patterns occurring at on- and off-ramp bottlenecks due to the existence of the moving bottleneck are found. The physics of the phenomenon of traffic congestion due to 'elephant racing' on a multi-lane road is revealed.

The distances of the Galactic Novae

Science.gov (United States)

Ozdonmez, Aykut; Guver, Tolga; Cabrera-Lavers, Antonio; Ak, Tansel

2016-07-01

Using location of the RC stars on the CMDs obtained from the UKIDSS, VISTA and 2MASS photometry, we have derived the reddening-distance relations towards each Galactic nova for which at least one independent reddening measurement exists. We were able to determine the distances of 72 Galactic novae and set lower limits on the distances of 45 systems. The reddening curves of the systems are presented. These curves can be also used to estimate reddening or the distance of any source, whose location is close to the position of the nova in our sample. The distance measurement method in our study can be easily applicable to any source, especially for ones that concentrated along the Galactic plane.

Molecular dynamics study on welding a defected graphene by a moving fullerene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Kun; Wan, Jing; Yu, Jingzhou; Cai, Haifang; Qin, Qinghua

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Fullerene (FN) is adopted to weld the gap on a graphene (GN) sheet using molecular dynamics simulation. • The mechanism is that the dangling sp"1 carbon atoms on both sides of gap are excited by FN to form new sp"2-sp"2 carbon bonds. • The velocity of FN influences the welding result due to the fact that the deformation of GN depends on the velocity of FN. • A complex nanostructure, e.g., cone, can be formed by the present method, which will be applicable in nano fabrication/manufacturing. - Abstract: When a composite nanostructure is fabricated through van der Waals interaction only, the interaction among components may be sensitive to environmental conditions. To endow such a structure with relative stability, new covalent bonds should be applied. In this paper, a welding method for welding a circular graphene with a defect gap through a moving fullerene (C240 or C540 buckyball) is presented. When the buckyball moves above the gap, the two faces of the gap are attracted to each other and the distance between the two faces is shortened. When the dangling carbon atoms on both faces of the gap are excited to form new normal sp"2-sp"2 carbon bonds, the gap can be sewn up quickly. Molecular dynamics simulations are presented to demonstrate the welding process. When the gap is a sector, an ideal cone can be fabricated using the present method.

Molecular dynamics study on welding a defected graphene by a moving fullerene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Kun, E-mail: kuncai99@163.com [College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A& F University, Yangling 712100 (China); Research School of Engineering, The Australian National University, ACT 2601 (Australia); Wan, Jing; Yu, Jingzhou; Cai, Haifang [College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A& F University, Yangling 712100 (China); Qin, Qinghua [Research School of Engineering, The Australian National University, ACT 2601 (Australia)

2016-07-30

Highlights: • Fullerene (FN) is adopted to weld the gap on a graphene (GN) sheet using molecular dynamics simulation. • The mechanism is that the dangling sp{sup 1} carbon atoms on both sides of gap are excited by FN to form new sp{sup 2}-sp{sup 2} carbon bonds. • The velocity of FN influences the welding result due to the fact that the deformation of GN depends on the velocity of FN. • A complex nanostructure, e.g., cone, can be formed by the present method, which will be applicable in nano fabrication/manufacturing. - Abstract: When a composite nanostructure is fabricated through van der Waals interaction only, the interaction among components may be sensitive to environmental conditions. To endow such a structure with relative stability, new covalent bonds should be applied. In this paper, a welding method for welding a circular graphene with a defect gap through a moving fullerene (C240 or C540 buckyball) is presented. When the buckyball moves above the gap, the two faces of the gap are attracted to each other and the distance between the two faces is shortened. When the dangling carbon atoms on both faces of the gap are excited to form new normal sp{sup 2}-sp{sup 2} carbon bonds, the gap can be sewn up quickly. Molecular dynamics simulations are presented to demonstrate the welding process. When the gap is a sector, an ideal cone can be fabricated using the present method.

ETUDE - European Trade Union Distance Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Creanor, Linda; Walker, Steve

2000-01-01

Describes transnational distance learning activities among European trade union educators carried out as part of the European Trade Union Distance Education (ETUDE) project, supported by the European Commission. Highlights include the context of international trade union distance education; tutor training course; tutors' experiences; and…

Preparedness of NGO Health Service Providers in Bangladesh about Distance Based Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AKM ALAMGIR

2006-07-01

Full Text Available This cross-sectional survey was conducted countrywide from 15 January to 01 March 2004 to explore the potentials of health care service providers (physicians, nurses, paramedics etc. for using distance-based learning materials. Face-to-face in-depth interview was taken from 99 randomly selected direct service providers, 45 midlevel clinic mangers/physicians and 06 administrators or policy planners. Quasi-open questionnaire was developed for three different levels. Pre-trained interviewer team assisted data collection at field level. Total procedure was stringently monitored for completeness and consistency to ensure quality data. SPSS software was used to process and analyze both univariate and multivariate multiple responses. Identified need for training areas were- STD/HIV, tuberculosis updates, family planning, treatment of locally endemic diseases, behavioral change communication & marketing and quality management system for managers. About 76.7% clinic managers and 89.1% service providers had primary information about distance-based learning in spite showed interest. About 51.5% desired monthly, 20.6% biweekly and 26.8% wanted bimonthly circulation of the distance-based study materials. About 35.1% expected print materials with regular facilitators while 58.8% demanded stand-by facilitators. The study suggested wide acceptance of distance-based learning methods as supplementary to the continuing medical education among the countrywide health service providers.

A constrained optimization algorithm for total energy minimization in electronic structure calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Chao; Meza, Juan C.; Wang Linwang

2006-01-01

A new direct constrained optimization algorithm for minimizing the Kohn-Sham (KS) total energy functional is presented in this paper. The key ingredients of this algorithm involve projecting the total energy functional into a sequence of subspaces of small dimensions and seeking the minimizer of total energy functional within each subspace. The minimizer of a subspace energy functional not only provides a search direction along which the KS total energy functional decreases but also gives an optimal 'step-length' to move along this search direction. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate that this new direct constrained optimization algorithm can be more efficient than the self-consistent field (SCF) iteration

Heterogeneous CPU-GPU moving targets detection for UAV video

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Maowen; Tang, Linbo; Han, Yuqi; Yu, Chunlei; Zhang, Chao; Fu, Huiquan

2017-07-01

Moving targets detection is gaining popularity in civilian and military applications. On some monitoring platform of motion detection, some low-resolution stationary cameras are replaced by moving HD camera based on UAVs. The pixels of moving targets in the HD Video taken by UAV are always in a minority, and the background of the frame is usually moving because of the motion of UAVs. The high computational cost of the algorithm prevents running it at higher resolutions the pixels of frame. Hence, to solve the problem of moving targets detection based UAVs video, we propose a heterogeneous CPU-GPU moving target detection algorithm for UAV video. More specifically, we use background registration to eliminate the impact of the moving background and frame difference to detect small moving targets. In order to achieve the effect of real-time processing, we design the solution of heterogeneous CPU-GPU framework for our method. The experimental results show that our method can detect the main moving targets from the HD video taken by UAV, and the average process time is 52.16ms per frame which is fast enough to solve the problem.

Approaching Behaviour Monitor and Vibration Indication in Developing a General Moving Object Alarm System (GMOAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haiwei Dong

2013-07-01

Full Text Available People who suffer from hearing impairment caused by illness, age or extremely noisy environments are constantly in danger of being hit or knocked down by fast moving objects behind them when they have no companion or augmented sensory system to warn them. In this paper, we propose the General Moving Object Alarm System (GMOAS, a system focused on aiding the safe mobility of people under these circumstances. The GMOAS is a wearable haptic device that consists of two main subsystems: (i a moving object monitoring subsystem that uses laser range data to detect and track approaching objects, and (ii an alarm subsystem that warns the user of possibly dangerous approaching objects by triggering tactile vibrations on an “alarm necklace”. For moving object monitoring, we propose a simple yet efficient solution to monitor the approaching behavior of objects. Compared with previous work in motion detection and tracking, we are not interested in specific objects but any type of approaching object that might harm the user. To this extent, we define a boundary in the laser range data where the objects are monitored. Within this boundary a fan-shape grid is constructed to obtain an evenly distributed spatial partitioning of the data. These partitions are efficiently clustered into continuous objects which are then tracked through time using an object association algorithm based on updating a deviation matrix that represents angle, distance and size variations of the objects. The speed of the tracked objects is monitored throughout the algorithm. When the speed of an approaching object surpasses the safety threshold, the alarm necklace is triggered indicating the approaching direction of the fast moving object. The alarm necklace is equipped with three motors that can indicate five directions with respect to the user: left, back, right, left-back and right-back. We performed three types of outdoor experiments (object passing, approaching and crossing that

Evaluation of notch effects in low cycle fatigue of alloy 718 using critical distances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eriksson Robert

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Gas turbine disks contain many notch-like features acting as stress raisers. The fatigue life based on the notch root stress may be overly conservative as the steep stress gradient in front of the notch may give rise to so-called notch support. In the current work, the theory of critical distances was applied to the prediction of the total fatigue life of low cycle fatigued, notched specimens made from alloy 718. The fatigue tests were performed at 450 °C and 550 °C. It was found that, for lives shorter than 5000–10000 cycles, the notched specimens had longer lives than would have been expected based on the notch root strain. For lives longer than 5000–10000 cycles, there were no notch support. The life prediction for notched specimens could be significantly improved by basing the prediction on the strain chosen some distance from the notch (the critical distance. An expression for calculating the critical distance based on the notch root strain was suggested.

A Physically—Based Geometry Model for Transport Distance Estimation of Rainfall-Eroded Soil Sediment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qian-Gui Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Estimations of rainfall-induced soil erosion are mostly derived from the weight of sediment measured in natural runoff. The transport distance of eroded soil is important for evaluating landscape evolution but is difficult to estimate, mainly because it cannot be linked directly to the eroded sediment weight. The volume of eroded soil is easier to calculate visually using popular imaging tools, which can aid in estimating the transport distance of eroded soil through geometry relationships. In this study, we present a straightforward geometry model to predict the maximum sediment transport distance incurred by rainfall events of various intensity and duration. In order to verify our geometry prediction model, a series of experiments are reported in the form of a sediment volume. The results show that cumulative rainfall has a linear relationship with the total volume of eroded soil. The geometry model can accurately estimate the maximum transport distance of eroded soil by cumulative rainfall, with a low root-mean-square error (4.7–4.8 and a strong linear correlation (0.74–0.86.

Space-efficient path-reporting approximate distance oracles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elkin, Michael; Neiman, Ofer; Wulff-Nilsen, Christian

2016-01-01

We consider approximate path-reporting distance oracles, distance labeling and labeled routing with extremely low space requirements, for general undirected graphs. For distance oracles, we show how to break the nlog⁡n space bound of Thorup and Zwick if approximate paths rather than distances need...

What do long-distance caregivers do? : judgment of propositions and the epistemics of long-distance family relationships

OpenAIRE

中川, 敦; Atsushi, NAKAGAWA

2015-01-01

This study clarifies what long-distance caregivers do. To this end, I conducted a conversation analysis of video data of a care conference in which a long-distance caregiver participated. When a professional caregiver proposes a care plan to a long-distance caregiver, he/she substitutes technical terms with laymen terms for easy understanding, indicating his/her orientation that a long-distance caregiver is not a professional. However, if the caregiver laughs or averts his/her eyes during the...

When interflow also percolates: downslope travel distances and hillslope process zones.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, C. Rhett [Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, GA 30602 Athens USA; Bitew, Menberu [Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, GA 30602 Athens USA; Du, Enhao [Climate Science Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CA 94720 Berkeley USA

2014-02-17

In hillslopes with soils characterized by deep regoliths, such as Ultisols,Oxisols, and Alfisols, interflow occurs episodically over impeding layers near and parallel to the soil surface such as low-conductivity B horizons (e.g.Newman et al., 1998; Buttle andMcDonald, 2002; Du et al., In Review), till layers (McGlynn et al., 1999; Bishop et al., 2004), hardpans (McDaniel et al., 2008), C horizons (Detty and McGuire, 2010), and permeable bedrock (Tromp van Meerveld et al., 2007). As perched saturation develops within and above these impeding but permeable horizons, flow moves laterally downslope, but the perched water also continues to percolate through the impeding horizon to the unsaturated soils and saprolite below. Perched water and solutes will eventually traverse the zone of perched saturation above the impeding horizon and then enter and percolate through the impeding horizon. In such flow situations, only lower hillslope segments with sufficient downslope travel distance will deliver water to the riparian zone within the time scale of a storm.farther up the slope, lateral flow within the zone of perched saturation. will act mainly to shift the point of percolation (location where a water packet leaves the downslope flow zone in the upper soil layer and enters the impeding layer) down the hillslope from the point of infiltration. In flatter parts of the hillslope or in areas with little contrast between the conductivities of the upper and impeding soil layers, lateral flow distances will be negligible.

Long-term oral feeding of lutein-fortified milk increases voluntary running distance in rats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Megumi Matsumoto

Full Text Available To evaluate the effects of lutein-fortified milk administration on running exercise, a voluntary wheel-running model was performed in rats. Four-week-old F344 rats were administered test milk (10 mL/kg daily following a 4-h fasting period, and their running distances were measured each day for a 9-week period. Total weekly running distance significantly increased from the sixth week until the end of the test period in lutein-supplemented rats (lutein-fortified milk administered compared with control rats (vehicle administered. This increase was not apparent in rats administered lutein alone. In the lutein-fortified-milk exercise group compared with the sedentary control group, carnitine palitroyltransferase 1 (CPT-1, total AMP-activated protein kinase (tAMPK, and phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK contents were significantly increased in the gastrocnemius muscle, with a concomitant decrease in triglyceride and total cholesterol levels in the blood and liver. Furthermore, the lutein level in blood of lutein-administered rats significantly decreased with exercise. These results suggest that lutein-fortified milk may enhance the effect of exercise by effective utilization of lipids when combined with voluntary running.

Long-term oral feeding of lutein-fortified milk increases voluntary running distance in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Megumi; Hagio, Masahito; Inoue, Ryo; Mitani, Tomohiro; Yajima, Masako; Hara, Hiroshi; Yajima, Takaji

2014-01-01

To evaluate the effects of lutein-fortified milk administration on running exercise, a voluntary wheel-running model was performed in rats. Four-week-old F344 rats were administered test milk (10 mL/kg) daily following a 4-h fasting period, and their running distances were measured each day for a 9-week period. Total weekly running distance significantly increased from the sixth week until the end of the test period in lutein-supplemented rats (lutein-fortified milk administered) compared with control rats (vehicle administered). This increase was not apparent in rats administered lutein alone. In the lutein-fortified-milk exercise group compared with the sedentary control group, carnitine palitroyltransferase 1 (CPT-1), total AMP-activated protein kinase (tAMPK), and phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK) contents were significantly increased in the gastrocnemius muscle, with a concomitant decrease in triglyceride and total cholesterol levels in the blood and liver. Furthermore, the lutein level in blood of lutein-administered rats significantly decreased with exercise. These results suggest that lutein-fortified milk may enhance the effect of exercise by effective utilization of lipids when combined with voluntary running.

Absolute photometry of the corona of July 10, 1972 total solar eclipse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khetsuriani, Ts.S.; Tetruashvili, Eh.I.

1985-01-01

The observations were carried out by the Abastumani astrophysical observatory expedition at July 10.1972 total solar eclipse from a site of the Chukotka Peninsula. The photometry of the corona images is performed by the equidensity method having expressed the intensities in absolute units. The F and K components of the corona are separated on the basis of photometric and polarisation data. The variations of the electron concentration with the distance from the centre of the Sun and tempeatures at various distances are calculated.

WE-E-213CD-11: A New Automatically Generated Metric for Evaluating the Spatial Precision of Deformable Image Registrations: The Distance Discordance Metric.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleh, Z; Apte, A; Sharp, G; Deasy, J

2012-06-01

We propose a new metric called Distance Discordance (DD), which is defined as the distance between two anatomic points from two moving images, which are co-located on some reference image, when deformed onto another reference image. To demonstrate the concept of DD, we created a reference software phantom which contains two objects. The first object (1) consists of a hollow box with a fixed size core and variable wall thickness. The second object (2) consists of a solid box of fixed size and arbitrary location. 7 different variations of the fixed phantom were created. Each phantom was deformed onto every other phantom using two B-Spline DIR algorithms available in Elastix and Plastimatch. Voxels were sampled from the reference phantom [1], which were also deformed from moving phantoms [2…6], and we find the differences in their corresponding location on phantom [7]. Each voxel results in a distribution of DD values, which we call distance discordance histogram (DDH). We also demonstrate this concept in 8 Head & Neck patients. The two image registration algorithms produced two different DD results for the same phantom image set. The mean values of the DDH were slightly lower for Elastix (0-1.28 cm) as compared to the values produced by Plastimatch (0-1.43 cm). The combined DDH for the H&N patients followed a lognormal distribution with a mean of 0.45 cm and std. deviation of 0.42 cm. The proposed distance discordance (DD) metric is an easily interpretable, quantitative tool that can be used to evaluate the effect of inter-patient variability on the goodness of the registration in different parts of the patient anatomy. Therefore, it can be utilized to exclude certain images based on their DDH characteristics. In addition, this metric does not rely on 'ground truth' or the presence of contoured structures. Partially supported by NIH grant R01 CA85181. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

SU-G-TeP1-13: Reclined Total Skin Electron Treatment Technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mathew, D; Gerbi, B [University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: The purpose is to describe a new reclined technique for treatment of weakened patients that require total skin electron irradiation. Methods: This technique is a modification of a previously published reclined technique differing in that all six patient positions are treated with the gantry angled 60° from vertically down. The patient is located at a treatment distance of 330 cm SSD along the CA of the beam. The 3/8′ thick Lexan beam spoiler is placed 25 cm from the most proximal surface of the patient for all patient treatment positions. To produce a flat, uniform field of ∼190 cm length, the patient was moved longitudinally by an experimentally determined distance. Kodak EDR2 and EBT3 Radiochromic film were placed around the periphery of the phantom, and OSLs were placed every 30° around the phantom periphery to determine output and surface dose uniformity. A piece of Kodak EDR2 was sandwiched between the two slabs of the 30 cm diameter phantom to determine beam penetration. Results: Field uniformity shifting the patient ±75 cm was ±5% over a treatment span of 190 cm. The dose variation around the periphery of the 30 cm diameter phantom varied by <±5% with the maximum values observed at the 0°-300°, 60° locations with the minimum values at the 30°-330°, 60° locations. Results obtained using Kodak EDR2, EBT3 Radiochromic film, and OSLs agreed to within ±5%. Conclusion: This technique provides a very efficient and convenient means by which to treat the entire skin surface of patients incapable of standing for treatment. It provides a treatment field that is both large and uniform enough for adults along with a convenient way to treat four of the six patient treatment positions. The beam spoiler lies to the side of the patient allowing easy access for patient positioning.

Phylogenetic inference with weighted codon evolutionary distances.

Science.gov (United States)

Criscuolo, Alexis; Michel, Christian J

2009-04-01

We develop a new approach to estimate a matrix of pairwise evolutionary distances from a codon-based alignment based on a codon evolutionary model. The method first computes a standard distance matrix for each of the three codon positions. Then these three distance matrices are weighted according to an estimate of the global evolutionary rate of each codon position and averaged into a unique distance matrix. Using a large set of both real and simulated codon-based alignments of nucleotide sequences, we show that this approach leads to distance matrices that have a significantly better treelikeness compared to those obtained by standard nucleotide evolutionary distances. We also propose an alternative weighting to eliminate the part of the noise often associated with some codon positions, particularly the third position, which is known to induce a fast evolutionary rate. Simulation results show that fast distance-based tree reconstruction algorithms on distance matrices based on this codon position weighting can lead to phylogenetic trees that are at least as accurate as, if not better, than those inferred by maximum likelihood. Finally, a well-known multigene dataset composed of eight yeast species and 106 codon-based alignments is reanalyzed and shows that our codon evolutionary distances allow building a phylogenetic tree which is similar to those obtained by non-distance-based methods (e.g., maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood) and also significantly improved compared to standard nucleotide evolutionary distance estimates.

Moves Analysis on Abstracts Written by the Students in Academic Writing Class

OpenAIRE

Ajeng Setyorini

2017-01-01

This paper contains analysis results on abstracts written by students in Academic Writing course. The analysis includes analyses on moves and linguistic features. The analysis aims at finding out how the abstract writing structures of the English Education students are in the Academic Writing course. The abstract analysis also includes the analysis on the use of the linguistic features in the abstracts. The analysis uses a qualitative research approach. There are totally 10 abstracts that are...

Distance Education at Silesian University of Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Klosowski

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents Distance Learning Platform used by Silesian University of Technology. Distance Learning Platform is based on modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment, represents LMS (Learning Management Systems technology, a software package designed to help educators create quality online courses. Currently on Distance Learning Platform at Silesian University of Technology are available over 520 online courses created for students of twelve University's faculties. Number of Distance Learning Platform users exceeds 12000. Distance Learning Platform works as typically asynchronous e-learning service, but in the future more synchronous e-learning services will be added. Distance Learning Platform has great potential to create a successful elearning experience by providing a plethora of excellent tools that can be used to enhance conventional classroom instruction, in hybrid courses, or any distance learning arrangements.

Moving in Circles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Gunvor

2008-01-01

The article examines the development of African diaspora history during the last fifty years. It outlines the move from a focus on African survivals to a focus on deep rooted cultural principles and back again to a revived interest in concrete cultural transfers from Africa to the Americas....... This circular movement can be explained by a combination of elements characterizing African Atlantic and black Atlantic history. Among them is a lack of attention to questions of periodisation and change. Likewise, it has proven difficult to conceptualize Africa and America at one and the same time...... as characterized by cultural diversity and variation. Moreover, the field has been haunted by a tendency of moving to easily from descriptive evidence to conclusions about African identity in the Americas. A promising way to overcome these problems, it is suggested, is to develop research that focuses on single...

Satisfaction with a distance continuing education program for health professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Bynum, Ann B; Irwin, Cathy A; Cohen, Betty

2010-09-01

This study assessed differences in program satisfaction among health professionals participating in a distance continuing education program by gender, ethnicity, discipline, and community size. A one-group posttest design was used with a sample of 45,996 participants in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Rural Hospital, Distance Continuing Medical Education Program during 1995-2007. This program provided 2,219 continuing education programs for physicians (n = 7,047), nurses (n = 21,264), allied health (n = 3,230) and dental (n = 305) professionals, pharmacists (n = 4,088), administrators (n = 1,211), and marketing/finance/human resources professionals (n = 343). These programs were provided in Arkansas hospitals, clinics, and area health education centers. Interactive video technology and the Internet were used to deliver these programs. The program satisfaction instrument demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and construct validity. Participants had high levels of satisfaction regarding knowledge and skills, use of information to enhance patient care, program quality, and convenience of the technology (mean total satisfaction score = 4.44, range: 1-5). Results from the t-test for independent samples and one-way analysis of variance indicated that men (p = 0.01), African-Americans and Hispanics (p affect satisfaction with distance continuing education programs.

Ancestry Estimation in Forensic Anthropology: Geometric Morphometric versus Standard and Nonstandard Interlandmark Distances.

Science.gov (United States)

Katherine Spradley, M; Jantz, Richard L

2016-07-01

Standard cranial measurements are commonly used for ancestry estimation; however, 3D digitizers have made cranial landmark data collection and geometric morphometric (GM) analyses more popular within forensic anthropology. Yet there has been little focus on which data type works best. The goal of the present research is to test the discrimination ability of standard and nonstandard craniometric measurements and data derived from GM analysis. A total of 31 cranial landmarks were used to generate 465 interlandmark distances, including a subset of 20 commonly used measurements, and to generate principal component scores from procrustes coordinates. All were subjected to discriminant function analysis to ascertain which type of data performed best for ancestry estimation of American Black and White and Hispanic males and females. The nonstandard interlandmark distances generated the highest classification rates for females (90.5%) and males (88.2%). Using nonstandard interlandmark distances over more commonly used measurements leads to better ancestry estimates for our current population structure. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Moving ring reactor 'Karin-1'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-12-01

The conceptual design of a moving ring reactor ''Karin-1'' has been carried out to advance fusion system design, to clarify the research and development problems, and to decide their priority. In order to attain these objectives, a D-T reactor with tritium breeding blanket is designed, a commercial reactor with net power output of 500 MWe is designed, the compatibility of plasma physics with fusion engineering is demonstrated, and some other guideline is indicated. A moving ring reactor is composed mainly of three parts. In the first formation section, a plasma ring is formed and heated up to ignition temperature. The plasma ring of compact torus is transported from the formation section through the next burning section to generate fusion power. Then the plasma ring moves into the last recovery section, and the energy and particles of the plasma ring are recovered. The outline of a moving ring reactor ''Karin-1'' is described. As a candidate material for the first wall, SiC was adopted to reduce the MHD effect and to minimize the interaction with neutrons and charged particles. The thin metal lining was applied to the SiC surface to solve the problem of the compatibility with lithium blanket. Plasma physics, the engineering aspect and the items of research and development are described. (Kako, I.)

Method and apparatus for ultrasonic characterization through the thickness direction of a moving web

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Theodore; Hall, Maclin S.

2001-01-01

A method and apparatus for determining the caliper and/or the ultrasonic transit time through the thickness direction of a moving web of material using ultrasonic pulses generated by a rotatable wheel ultrasound apparatus. The apparatus includes a first liquid-filled tire and either a second liquid-filled tire forming a nip or a rotatable cylinder that supports a thin moving web of material such as a moving web of paper and forms a nip with the first liquid-filled tire. The components of ultrasonic transit time through the tires and fluid held within the tires may be resolved and separately employed to determine the separate contributions of the two tire thicknesses and the two fluid paths to the total path length that lies between two ultrasonic transducer surfaces contained within the tires in support of caliper measurements. The present invention provides the benefit of obtaining a transit time and caliper measurement at any point in time as a specimen passes through the nip of rotating tires and eliminates inaccuracies arising from nonuniform tire circumferential thickness by accurately retaining point-to-point specimen transit time and caliper variation information, rather than an average obtained through one or more tire rotations. Morever, ultrasonic transit time through the thickness direction of a moving web may be determined independent of small variations in the wheel axle spacing, tire thickness, and liquid and tire temperatures.

IDENTIFYING THE YOUNG LOW-MASS STARS WITHIN 25 pc. II. DISTANCES, KINEMATICS, AND GROUP MEMBERSHIP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shkolnik, Evgenya L. [Lowell Observatory, 1400 W. Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (United States); Anglada-Escude, Guillem [Institut fuer Astrophysik, Universitaet Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, D-37077 Goettingen (Germany); Liu, Michael C.; Bowler, Brendan P. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Weinberger, Alycia J.; Boss, Alan P. [Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015 (United States); Reid, I. Neill [Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Tamura, Motohide, E-mail: shkolnik@lowell.edu [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo (Japan)

2012-10-10

We have conducted a kinematic study of 165 young M dwarfs with ages of {approx}<300 Myr. Our sample is composed of stars and brown dwarfs with spectral types ranging from K7 to L0, detected by ROSAT and with photometric distances of {approx}<25 pc assuming that the stars are single and on the main sequence. In order to find stars kinematically linked to known young moving groups (YMGs), we measured radial velocities for the complete sample with Keck and CFHT optical spectroscopy and trigonometric parallaxes for 75 of the M dwarfs with the CAPSCam instrument on the du Pont 2.5 m Telescope. Due to their youthful overluminosity and unresolved binarity, the original photometric distances for our sample underestimated the distances by 70% on average, excluding two extremely young ({approx}<3 Myr) objects found to have distances beyond a few hundred parsecs. We searched for kinematic matches to 14 reported YMGs and identified 10 new members of the AB Dor YMG and 2 of the Ursa Majoris group. Additional possible candidates include six Castor, four Ursa Majoris, two AB Dor members, and one member each of the Her-Lyr and {beta} Pic groups. Our sample also contains 27 young low-mass stars and 4 brown dwarfs with ages {approx}<150 Myr that are not associated with any known YMG. We identified an additional 15 stars that are kinematic matches to one of the YMGs, but the ages from spectroscopic diagnostics and/or the positions on the sky do not match. These warn against grouping stars together based only on kinematics and that a confluence of evidence is required to claim that a group of stars originated from the same star-forming event.

The Perception of Students on E-Assessment in Distance Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emine CABI

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study was carried out to obtain the views of master's degree students studying via distance education about tools and methods of measurement and e-assessment. Exhibiting advantages and disadvantages of the use of different measurement tools and methods and assessment processes are considered to contribute to elimination of significant deficiencies in terms of both distance education institutions and teaching staff. Phenomenology, one of qualitative research designs, was used for data collection. Criterion sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods, was taken into consideration. Being taken a course via distance education, and having the experience of measurement and evaluation by students was used as the sampling criteria. In this context, the study was conducted with a total of 10 students; four of which in the second semester and six of which in the third semester have taken course via distance education. In data collection, semi-structured interview form was used. There were five open-ended questions in the interview form. Descriptive analysis was used for the analysis of the obtained data. While assignments-projects and weekly online exams as the most preferred measurement tools by the students, navigation in the digital environment, reports and peer-evaluation were the least preferred ones. All of the students prefer e-assessment instead of the traditional evaluation for it is independent from space, providing equality of opportunity, more comprehensive. In e-assessment, it is stated that students who are responsible, highly motivated, contributor, inquisitive, skillful at using high-technology, are more successful.

Moving vertices to make drawings plane

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goaoc, X.; Kratochvil, J.; Okamoto, Y.; Shin, C.S.; Wolff, A.; Hong, S.K.; Nishizeki, T.; Quan, W.

2008-01-01

In John Tantalo’s on-line game Planarity the player is given a non-plane straight-line drawing of a planar graph. The aim is to make the drawing plane as quickly as possible by moving vertices. In this paper we investigate the related problem MinMovedVertices which asks for the minimum number of

A Streaming Distance Transform Algorithm for Neighborhood-Sequence Distances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolas Normand

2014-09-01

Full Text Available We describe an algorithm that computes a “translated” 2D Neighborhood-Sequence Distance Transform (DT using a look up table approach. It requires a single raster scan of the input image and produces one line of output for every line of input. The neighborhood sequence is specified either by providing one period of some integer periodic sequence or by providing the rate of appearance of neighborhoods. The full algorithm optionally derives the regular (centered DT from the “translated” DT, providing the result image on-the-fly, with a minimal delay, before the input image is fully processed. Its efficiency can benefit all applications that use neighborhood- sequence distances, particularly when pipelined processing architectures are involved, or when the size of objects in the source image is limited.

Cepheids Geometrical Distances Using Space Interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Marengo, M.; Karovska, M.; Sasselov, D. D.; Sanchez, M.

2004-05-01

A space based interferometer with a sub-milliarcsecond resolution in the UV-optical will provide a new avenue for the calibration of primary distance indicators with unprecedented accuracy, by allowing very accurate and stable measurements of Cepheids pulsation amplitudes at wavelengths not accessible from the ground. Sasselov & Karovska (1994) have shown that interferometers allow very accurate measurements of Cepheids distances by using a ``geometric'' variant of the Baade-Wesselink method. This method has been succesfully applied to derive distances and radii of nearby Cepheids using ground-based near-IR and optical interferometers, within a 15% accuracy level. Our study shows that the main source of error in these measurements is due to the perturbing effects of the Earth atmosphere, which is the limiting factor in the interferometer stability. A space interferometer will not suffer from this intrinsic limitations, and can potentially lead to improve astronomical distance measurements by an order of magnitude in precision. We discuss here the technical requirements that a space based facility will need to carry out this project, allowing distance measurements within a few percent accuracy level. We will finally discuss how a sub-milliarcsecond resolution will allow the direct distance determination for hundreds of galactic sources, and provide a substantial improvement in the zero-point of the Cepheid distance scale.

The total position-spread tensor: Spin partition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Khatib, Muammar; Evangelisti, Stefano; Leininger, Thierry; Brea, Oriana; Fertitta, Edoardo; Bendazzoli, Gian Luigi

2015-01-01

The Total Position Spread (TPS) tensor, defined as the second moment cumulant of the position operator, is a key quantity to describe the mobility of electrons in a molecule or an extended system. In the present investigation, the partition of the TPS tensor according to spin variables is derived and discussed. It is shown that, while the spin-summed TPS gives information on charge mobility, the spin-partitioned TPS tensor becomes a powerful tool that provides information about spin fluctuations. The case of the hydrogen molecule is treated, both analytically, by using a 1s Slater-type orbital, and numerically, at Full Configuration Interaction (FCI) level with a V6Z basis set. It is found that, for very large inter-nuclear distances, the partitioned tensor growths quadratically with the distance in some of the low-lying electronic states. This fact is related to the presence of entanglement in the wave function. Non-dimerized open chains described by a model Hubbard Hamiltonian and linear hydrogen chains H n (n ≥ 2), composed of equally spaced atoms, are also studied at FCI level. The hydrogen systems show the presence of marked maxima for the spin-summed TPS (corresponding to a high charge mobility) when the inter-nuclear distance is about 2 bohrs. This fact can be associated to the presence of a Mott transition occurring in this region. The spin-partitioned TPS tensor, on the other hand, has a quadratical growth at long distances, a fact that corresponds to the high spin mobility in a magnetic system

THE WEIGHTED POINCARÉ DISTANCE IN THE HALF PLANE

OpenAIRE

Byun, Jisoo; Baek, Seung Min; Cho, Hong Rae; Lee, Han-Wool

2014-01-01

In this paper we introduce the weighted Poincaré distance and the induced distance by the weighted Bloch type space. We prove that the weighted Poincaré distance is identical to the inner distance generated by the induced distance.

Infinite games with uncertain moves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas Asher

2013-03-01

Full Text Available We study infinite two-player games where one of the players is unsure about the set of moves available to the other player. In particular, the set of moves of the other player is a strict superset of what she assumes it to be. We explore what happens to sets in various levels of the Borel hierarchy under such a situation. We show that the sets at every alternate level of the hierarchy jump to the next higher level.

Benzo[b]naphthothiophenes and alkyl dibenzothiophenes: molecular tracers for oil migration distances

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Meijun; Wang, T.-G.; Shi, Shengbao; Liu, Keyu; Ellis, Geoffrey S.

2014-01-01

The secondary migration of petroleum is one of the most critical geological processes responsible for the accumulation of hydrocarbons in a sedimentary basin. Pyrrolic nitrogen compounds such as carbazoles and benzocarbazoles are thought to be practical molecular indicators for estimating relative migration distances of oil. In light oils or condensates, however, considerable analytical errors are usually caused by low concentrations of NSO-compounds. Here we show that polycyclic sulfur aromatic hydrocarbons such as dibenzothiophene, C1∼C3 alkylated dibenzothiophenes and benzo[b]naphthothiophenes, which are present in relatively higher concentrations than the pyrrolic nitrogen compounds, exhibit changes in both absolute and relative concentrations that correlate with migration distances. The polycyclic sulfur aromatic hydrocarbons related parameters — benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene/{benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene + benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]thiophene} (abbreviated as [2,1]BNT/([2,1]BNT+[1,2]BNT) and the concentration of total dibenzothiophenes plus benzo[b]naphthothiophenes — are proposed by this paper to trace the oil migration distances.

Can math beat gamers in Quantum Moves?

OpenAIRE

Sels, Dries

2017-01-01

Abstract: In a recent work on quantum state preparation, Sørensen and co-workers [Nature (London) 532, 210 (2016)] explore the possibility of using video games to help design quantum control protocols. The authors present a game called Quantum Moves (https://www.scienceathome.org/games/quantum-moves/) in which gamers have to move an atom from A to B by means of optical tweezers. They report that, players succeed where purely numerical optimization fails. Moreover, by harnessing the player str...

Can technical laboratory skills be taught at a distance? An analysis of a semiconductor course taught at a distance via interactive technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Lalita

2000-10-01

This study investigated extending synchronous distance learning to teaching courses in the psychomotor domain in real-time, with immediate, direct feedback on technical skills performance from an instructor at a remote site via interactive technologies such as videoconferencing. This study focused on two research questions (1) can interactive distance learning technologies be used to teach technical and/or trouble shooting skills that fall under psychomotor domain? and, (2) to what degree can psychomotor skills be taught at a distance? A technical course, "RF Power PC 211L" from a technical and vocational institute was selected and the instructor who had no prior experience in teaching a distance learning course taught the course. Data on cognitive skills, psychomotor technical skills, attitudes and perceptions, demographics as well as boundary conditions on teaching psychomotor skills was gathered from both remote and the main campus. Instruments used for data gathering were final course grades, total points in laboratory exercise, pre and post course surveys, demographic survey and open-ended interviews with the instructor, student and review of instructor journal were used to address the two research questions. The main campus course was taught to the remote campus via distance learning technology in a distance learning format. The main technology used was videoconferencing. Both campus classrooms had the RF Trainer equipment. The rooms were set up to facilitate distance learning in the classroom. The instructor was present only at the main campus. The students on the remote campus were the experimental group. The experimental group participated in all course activities such as demonstrations, laboratory exercises, learning conceptual skills and tests only via distance. These students only had the benefit of laboratory assistant. The role of the laboratory assistant was to assist students/instructor as needed, ensure the safety of students and equipment and

Measuring distances between complex networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrade, Roberto F.S.; Miranda, Jose G.V.; Pinho, Suani T.R.; Lobao, Thierry Petit

2008-01-01

A previously introduced concept of higher order neighborhoods in complex networks, [R.F.S. Andrade, J.G.V. Miranda, T.P. Lobao, Phys. Rev. E 73 (2006) 046101] is used to define a distance between networks with the same number of nodes. With such measure, expressed in terms of the matrix elements of the neighborhood matrices of each network, it is possible to compare, in a quantitative way, how far apart in the space of neighborhood matrices two networks are. The distance between these matrices depends on both the network topologies and the adopted node numberings. While the numbering of one network is fixed, a Monte Carlo algorithm is used to find the best numbering of the other network, in the sense that it minimizes the distance between the matrices. The minimal value found for the distance reflects differences in the neighborhood structures of the two networks that arise only from distinct topologies. This procedure ends up by providing a projection of the first network on the pattern of the second one. Examples are worked out allowing for a quantitative comparison for distances among distinct networks, as well as among distinct realizations of random networks

Computing Distances between Probabilistic Automata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathieu Tracol

2011-07-01

Full Text Available We present relaxed notions of simulation and bisimulation on Probabilistic Automata (PA, that allow some error epsilon. When epsilon is zero we retrieve the usual notions of bisimulation and simulation on PAs. We give logical characterisations of these notions by choosing suitable logics which differ from the elementary ones, L with negation and L without negation, by the modal operator. Using flow networks, we show how to compute the relations in PTIME. This allows the definition of an efficiently computable non-discounted distance between the states of a PA. A natural modification of this distance is introduced, to obtain a discounted distance, which weakens the influence of long term transitions. We compare our notions of distance to others previously defined and illustrate our approach on various examples. We also show that our distance is not expansive with respect to process algebra operators. Although L without negation is a suitable logic to characterise epsilon-(bisimulation on deterministic PAs, it is not for general PAs; interestingly, we prove that it does characterise weaker notions, called a priori epsilon-(bisimulation, which we prove to be NP-difficult to decide.

A tentative theory of large distance physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedan, Daniel

2003-01-01

A theoretical mechanism is devised to determine the large distance physics of spacetime. It is a two dimensional nonlinear model, the lambda model, set to govern the string world surface in an attempt to remedy the failure of string theory, as it stands. The lambda model is formulated to cancel the infrared divergent effects of handles at short distance on the world surface. The target manifold is the manifold of background spacetimes. The coupling strength is the spacetime coupling constant. The lambda model operates at 2d distance Δ -1 , very much shorter than the 2d distance μ -1 where the world surface is seen. A large characteristic spacetime distance L is given by L 2 ln(Δ/μ). Spacetime fields of wave number up to 1=L are the local coordinates for the manifold of spacetimes. The distribution of fluctuations at 2d distances shorter than Δ -1 gives the a priori measure on the target manifold, the manifold of spacetimes. If this measure concentrates at a macroscopic spacetime, then, nearby, it is a measure on the spacetime fields. The lambda model thereby constructs a spacetime quantum field theory, cutoff at ultraviolet distance L, describing physics at distances larger than L. The lambda model also constructs an effective string theory with infrared cutoff L, describing physics at distances smaller than L. The lambda model evolves outward from zero 2d distance, Δ -1 = 0, building spacetime physics starting from L ∞ and proceeding downward in L. L can be taken smaller than any distance practical for experiments, so the lambda model, if right, gives all actually observable physics. The harmonic surfaces in the manifold of spacetimes are expected to have novel nonperturbative effects at large distances. (author)

Analysing designed experiments in distance sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Stephen T. Buckland; Robin E. Russell; Brett G. Dickson; Victoria A. Saab; Donal N. Gorman; William M. Block

2009-01-01

Distance sampling is a survey technique for estimating the abundance or density of wild animal populations. Detection probabilities of animals inherently differ by species, age class, habitats, or sex. By incorporating the change in an observer's ability to detect a particular class of animals as a function of distance, distance sampling leads to density estimates...

The Effect of Direction on Cursor Moving Kinematics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiu-Ping Lu

2012-02-01

Full Text Available There have been only few studies to substantiate the kinematic characteristics of cursor movement. In this study, a quantitative experimental research method was used to explore the effect of moving direction on the kinematics of cursor movement in 24 typical young persons using our previously developed computerized measuring program. The results of multiple one way repeated measures ANOVAs and post hoc LSD tests demonstrated that the moving direction had effects on average velocity, movement time, movement unit and peak velocity. Moving leftward showed better efficiency than moving rightward, upward and downward from the kinematic evidences such as velocity, movement unit and time. Moreover, the unique pattern of the power spectral density (PSD of velocity (strategy for power application explained why the smoothness was still maintained while moving leftward even under an unstable situation with larger momentum. Moreover, the information from this cursor moving study can guide us to relocate the toolbars and icons in the window interface, especially for individuals with physical disabilities whose performances are easily interrupted while controlling the cursor in specific directions.

Permutation-invariant distance between atomic configurations

Science.gov (United States)

Ferré, Grégoire; Maillet, Jean-Bernard; Stoltz, Gabriel

2015-09-01

We present a permutation-invariant distance between atomic configurations, defined through a functional representation of atomic positions. This distance enables us to directly compare different atomic environments with an arbitrary number of particles, without going through a space of reduced dimensionality (i.e., fingerprints) as an intermediate step. Moreover, this distance is naturally invariant through permutations of atoms, avoiding the time consuming associated minimization required by other common criteria (like the root mean square distance). Finally, the invariance through global rotations is accounted for by a minimization procedure in the space of rotations solved by Monte Carlo simulated annealing. A formal framework is also introduced, showing that the distance we propose verifies the property of a metric on the space of atomic configurations. Two examples of applications are proposed. The first one consists in evaluating faithfulness of some fingerprints (or descriptors), i.e., their capacity to represent the structural information of a configuration. The second application concerns structural analysis, where our distance proves to be efficient in discriminating different local structures and even classifying their degree of similarity.

Permutation-invariant distance between atomic configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferré, Grégoire; Maillet, Jean-Bernard; Stoltz, Gabriel

2015-01-01

We present a permutation-invariant distance between atomic configurations, defined through a functional representation of atomic positions. This distance enables us to directly compare different atomic environments with an arbitrary number of particles, without going through a space of reduced dimensionality (i.e., fingerprints) as an intermediate step. Moreover, this distance is naturally invariant through permutations of atoms, avoiding the time consuming associated minimization required by other common criteria (like the root mean square distance). Finally, the invariance through global rotations is accounted for by a minimization procedure in the space of rotations solved by Monte Carlo simulated annealing. A formal framework is also introduced, showing that the distance we propose verifies the property of a metric on the space of atomic configurations. Two examples of applications are proposed. The first one consists in evaluating faithfulness of some fingerprints (or descriptors), i.e., their capacity to represent the structural information of a configuration. The second application concerns structural analysis, where our distance proves to be efficient in discriminating different local structures and even classifying their degree of similarity

Distance learning: its advantages and disadvantages

OpenAIRE

KEGEYAN SVETLANA ERIHOVNA

2016-01-01

Distance learning has become popular in higher institutions because of its flexibility and availability to learners and teachers at anytime, regardless of geographic location. With so many definitions and phases of distance education, this paper only focuses on the delivery mode of distance education (the use of information technology), background, and its disadvantages and advantages for today’s learners.

Modern Geometric Methods of Distance Determination

Science.gov (United States)

Thévenin, Frédéric; Falanga, Maurizio; Kuo, Cheng Yu; Pietrzyński, Grzegorz; Yamaguchi, Masaki

2017-11-01

Building a 3D picture of the Universe at any distance is one of the major challenges in astronomy, from the nearby Solar System to distant Quasars and galaxies. This goal has forced astronomers to develop techniques to estimate or to measure the distance of point sources on the sky. While most distance estimates used since the beginning of the 20th century are based on our understanding of the physics of objects of the Universe: stars, galaxies, QSOs, the direct measures of distances are based on the geometric methods as developed in ancient Greece: the parallax, which has been applied to stars for the first time in the mid-19th century. In this review, different techniques of geometrical astrometry applied to various stellar and cosmological (Megamaser) objects are presented. They consist in parallax measurements from ground based equipment or from space missions, but also in the study of binary stars or, as we shall see, of binary systems in distant extragalactic sources using radio telescopes. The Gaia mission will be presented in the context of stellar physics and galactic structure, because this key space mission in astronomy will bring a breakthrough in our understanding of stars, galaxies and the Universe in their nature and evolution with time. Measuring the distance to a star is the starting point for an unbiased description of its physics and the estimate of its fundamental parameters like its age. Applying these studies to candles such as the Cepheids will impact our large distance studies and calibration of other candles. The text is constructed as follows: introducing the parallax concept and measurement, we shall present briefly the Gaia satellite which will be the future base catalogue of stellar astronomy in the near future. Cepheids will be discussed just after to demonstrate the state of the art in distance measurements in the Universe with these variable stars, with the objective of 1% of error in distances that could be applied to our closest

THE ARAUCARIA PROJECT. A DISTANCE DETERMINATION TO THE LOCAL GROUP SPIRAL M33 FROM NEAR-INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF CEPHEID VARIABLES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gieren, Wolfgang; Pietrzynski, Grzegorz; Graczyk, Dariusz, E-mail: wgieren@astro-udec.cl, E-mail: pietrzyn@hubble.cfm.udec.cl [Warsaw University Observatory, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw (Poland); and others

2013-08-10

Motivated by an amazing range of reported distances to the nearby Local Group spiral galaxy M33, we have obtained deep near-infrared photometry for 26 long-period Cepheids in this galaxy with the ESO Very Large Telescope. From the data, we constructed period-luminosity relations in the J and K bands which together with previous optical VI photometry for the Cepheids by Macri et al. were used to determine the true distance modulus of M33, and the mean reddening affecting the Cepheid sample with the multiwavelength fit method developed in the Araucaria Project. We find a true distance modulus of 24.62 for M33, with a total uncertainty of {+-}0.07 mag which is dominated by the uncertainty on the photometric zero points in our photometry. The reddening is determined as E(B - V) = 0.19 {+-} 0.02, in agreement with the value used by the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project of Freedman et al. but in some discrepancy with other recent determinations based on blue supergiant spectroscopy and an O-type eclipsing binary which yielded lower reddening values. Our derived M33 distance modulus is extremely insensitive to the adopted reddening law. We show that the possible effects of metallicity and crowding on our present distance determination are both at the 1%-2% level and therefore minor contributors to the total uncertainty of our distance result for M33.

Trends and Issues in Distance Education: International Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erhan EROGLU

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Trends and Issues in Distance Education: International Perspectives Edited by Yusra Laila Visser, Lya Visser, Michael Simonsın, & Ray Amirault, 2005, United States of America: Information Age Publishing, Inc. pp. 315. ISBN 1-59311-212-2 Reviewed by Dr. Erhan EROGLU Anadolu University Eskisehir, TURKEY In this book, the terms of “distance education” has been discussed from different perspectives. The term “distance education” conjures up in many minds the image of modern, computer-enabled technology that has blossomed in only the last twenty years. Many of the lessons learned over the last century of distance education research and practice have been implemented in a wide variety of distance education programs worldwide, from higher education online learning programs in the United States to rural, radio-based instructional programs in developing countries. Distance education is truly international discipline. While it is true that the term “distance education” has a universal definiton, local distance ducation experiences are often quite idiosyncratic. This idiosyncratic nature emerges from the need to integrate distance education within the constraints, oppurtunities, and realities of spesific cultural and geographic contexts. From these local distance education experiences, educators are developing new understandings of the broader field of distance education, including the trends and issues present in the field. ORGANIZATION OF THE SECTIONS This book has been organized by thematic content into four main sections. Each of these sections represents a unique level of analysis for trends and issues in distance education. Part I presents five distinct perspectives on the state of distance education and the trends and issues of the field. First perspective of five distinct perpectives is “a survey of progressive and conservative trends in education with implications for distance education practice.” Second perspective is �

Force balance on two-dimensional superconductors with a single moving vortex

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Chun Kit; Arahata, Emiko; Kato, Yusuke

2014-03-01

We study forces on two-dimensional superconductors with a single moving vortex based on a recent fully self-consistent calculation of DC conductivity in an s-wave superconductor (E. Arahata and Y. Kato, arXiv:1310.0566). By considering momentum balance of the whole liquid, we attempt to identify various contributions to the total transverse force on the vortex. This provides an estimation of the effective Magnus force based on the quasiclassical theory generalized by Kita [T. Kita, Phys. Rev. B, 64, 054503 (2001)], which allows for the Hall effect in vortex states.

Ready, set, move!

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2012-01-01

This year, the CERN Medical Service is launching a new public health campaign. Advertised by the catchphrase “Move! & Eat Better”, the particular aim of the campaign is to encourage people at CERN to take more regular exercise, of whatever kind.   The CERN annual relay race is scheduled on 24 May this year. The CERN Medical Service will officially launch its “Move! & Eat Better” campaign at this popular sporting event. “We shall be on hand on the day of the race to strongly advocate regular physical activity,” explains Rachid Belkheir, one of the Medical Service doctors. "We really want to pitch our campaign and answer any questions people may have. Above all we want to set an example. So we are going to walk the same circuit as the runners to underline to people that they can easily incorporate movement into their daily routine.” An underlying concern has prompted this campaign: during their first few year...

Moving vortex matter with coexisting vortices and anti-vortices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carneiro, Gilson

2009-01-01

Moving vortex matter, driven by transport currents independent of time, in which vortices and anti-vortices coexist is investigated theoretically in thin superconducting films with nanostructured defects. A simple London model is proposed for the vortex dynamics in films with periodic arrays of nanomagnets or cylindrical holes (antidots). Common to these films is that vortex anti-vortex pairs may be created in the vicinity of the defects by relatively small transport currents, because it adds to the current generated by the defects - the nanomagnets screening current, or the antidots backflow current - and may exceed locally the critical value for vortex anti-vortex pair creation. The model assumes that vortex matter dynamics is governed by Langevin equations, modified to account for creation and annihilation of vortex anti-vortex pairs. For pair creation, it is assumed that whenever the total current at some location exceeds a critical value, equal to that needed to separate a vortex from an anti-vortex by a vortex core diameter, a pair is created instantaneously around this location. Pair annihilation occurs by vortex anti-vortex collisions. The model is applied to films at zero external magnetic field and low temperatures. It is found that several moving vortex matter steady-states with equal numbers of vortices and anti-vortices are possible.

Measuring and testing dependence by correlation of distances

OpenAIRE

Székely, Gábor J.; Rizzo, Maria L.; Bakirov, Nail K.

2007-01-01

Distance correlation is a new measure of dependence between random vectors. Distance covariance and distance correlation are analogous to product-moment covariance and correlation, but unlike the classical definition of correlation, distance correlation is zero only if the random vectors are independent. The empirical distance dependence measures are based on certain Euclidean distances between sample elements rather than sample moments, yet have a compact representation analogous to the clas...

Ethnical distance in Vojvodina: Research results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lazar Žolt

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents the results of the ethnical distance measuring in Vojvodina, the north Province of the Republic of Serbia. The measuring was carried out on autumn 2002, during realization of the wider project of multiculturalism research in the mentioned region. According to the results the ethnical distances in Vojvodina are quite equalized and they are grouped around the attitude "all the same". Vojvodinian Serbs are more favorable partners for the majority of social contacts, and the relatively largest distance is shown toward Roma. The ethnical distance results also discovers two very important factors for understanding the interethnic relations in Vojvodina: first, the "rational" kind of social contacts with the members of the other ethnical groups are more preferable for the majority of respondents, and second, they have very equal distances toward their own ethnical groups.

Three Generations of Distance Education Pedagogy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terry Anderson

2011-03-01

Full Text Available This paper defines and examines three generations of distance education pedagogy. Unlike earlier classifications of distance education based on the technology used, this analysis focuses on the pedagogy that defines the learning experiences encapsulated in the learning design. The three generations of cognitive-behaviourist, social constructivist, and connectivist pedagogy are examined, using the familiar community of inquiry model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000 with its focus on social, cognitive, and teaching presences. Although this typology of pedagogies could also be usefully applied to campus-based education, the need for and practice of openness and explicitness in distance education content and process makes the work especially relevant to distance education designers, teachers, and developers. The article concludes that high-quality distance education exploits all three generations as determined by the learning content, context, and learning expectations.

Camouflage, detection and identification of moving targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Joanna R; Cuthill, Innes C; Baddeley, Roland; Shohet, Adam J; Scott-Samuel, Nicholas E

2013-05-07

Nearly all research on camouflage has investigated its effectiveness for concealing stationary objects. However, animals have to move, and patterns that only work when the subject is static will heavily constrain behaviour. We investigated the effects of different camouflages on the three stages of predation-detection, identification and capture-in a computer-based task with humans. An initial experiment tested seven camouflage strategies on static stimuli. In line with previous literature, background-matching and disruptive patterns were found to be most successful. Experiment 2 showed that if stimuli move, an isolated moving object on a stationary background cannot avoid detection or capture regardless of the type of camouflage. Experiment 3 used an identification task and showed that while camouflage is unable to slow detection or capture, camouflaged targets are harder to identify than uncamouflaged targets when similar background objects are present. The specific details of the camouflage patterns have little impact on this effect. If one has to move, camouflage cannot impede detection; but if one is surrounded by similar targets (e.g. other animals in a herd, or moving background distractors), then camouflage can slow identification. Despite previous assumptions, motion does not entirely 'break' camouflage.

Social Distance and Intergenerational Relations

Science.gov (United States)

Kidwell, I. Jane; Booth, Alan

1977-01-01

Questionnaires were administered to a sample of adults to assess the extent of social distance between people of different ages. The findings suggest that the greater the age difference (younger or older) between people, the greater the social distance they feel. (Author)

The Psychology of Psychic Distance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Håkanson, Lars; Ambos, Björn; Schuster, Anja

2016-01-01

and their theoretical underpinnings assume psychic distances to be symmetric. Building on insights from psychology and sociology, this paper demonstrates how national factors and cognitive processes interact in the formation of asymmetric distance perceptions. The results suggest that exposure to other countries...

Cognitive Styles and Distance Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuliang; Ginther, Dean

1999-01-01

Considers how to adapt the design of distance education to students' cognitive styles. Discusses cognitive styles, including field dependence versus independence, holistic-analytic, sensory preference, hemispheric preferences, and Kolb's Learning Style Model; and the characteristics of distance education, including technology. (Contains 92…

Track way distance and cover as risk factors for lameness in Danish dairy cows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burow, Elke; Thomsen, Peter Thorup; Rousing, Tine

2014-01-01

This study investigates the effect of length and cover of track ways between barn and pasture on lameness in Danish dairy cows. We hypothesised that short track distances would be associated with a lower lameness probability of dairy cows compared to longer distances and that track ways...... with prepared cover (asphalt, gravel, slag, concrete, rubber) compared to no prepared cover (sand, soil and/or grass) would be associated with a lower lameness probability of dairy cows in grazing herds. In total, 2084 dairy cows from 36 herds, grazing their dairy cows during summer, were individually assessed...... was associated with decreased severe lameness in Danish dairy cows....

Using the interactive distance learning broadcast format for international audiences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Callan, C.; Hylko, J.M.

1997-01-01

Since 1989, the National Environmental Technology Network (NETN) has been broadcasting interactive presentations on topics of national and international concern. Each interactive presentation covers such topics as decommissioning, environmental risk management, radioactive waste management, waste minimization, and total quality management. Course materials are provided to the attendees which feature case studies, legal and regulatory issues, and the application of existing and new technologies. The interactive presentations are broadcast by satellite and videotaped, allowing employees to participate who do not have convenient access to traditional classroom training resources. Over 8,000 professionals and students in the United States and several foreign countries have participated in the distance learning broadcast format, thus providing a proven and cost-effective method for managing educational and facility resources effectively. A case study is presented depicting why training, if neglected, can result in costly errors, and how the distance learning broadcast format can be expanded to assist regulatory officials, and even the local populace, in making cost-effective decisions. (author)

A wireless power transmission system for implantable devices in freely moving rodents.

Science.gov (United States)

Eom, Kyungsik; Jeong, Joonsoo; Lee, Tae Hyung; Kim, Jinhyung; Kim, Junghoon; Lee, Sung Eun; Kim, Sung June

2014-08-01

Reliable wireless power delivery for implantable devices in animals is highly desired for safe and effective experimental use. Batteries require frequent replacement; wired connections are inconvenient and unsafe, and short-distance inductive coupling requires the attachment of an exterior transmitter to the animal's body. In this article, we propose a solution by which animals with implantable devices can move freely without attachments. Power is transmitted using coils attached to the animal's cage and is received by a receiver coil implanted in the animal. For a three-dimensionally uniform delivery of power, we designed a columnar dual-transmitter coil configuration. A resonator-based inductive link was adopted for efficient long-range power delivery, and we used a novel biocompatible liquid crystal polymer substrate as the implantable receiver device. Using this wireless power delivery system, we obtain an average power transfer efficiency of 15.2% (minimum efficiency of 10% and a standard deviation of 2.6) within a cage of 15×20×15 cm3.

Personal best times in an Olympic distance triathlon and in a marathon predict Ironman race time in recreational male triathletes.

Science.gov (United States)

Rüst, Christoph Alexander; Knechtle, Beat; Knechtle, Patrizia; Rosemann, Thomas; Lepers, Romuald

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to define predictor variables for recreational male Ironman triathletes, using age and basic measurements of anthropometry, training, and previous performance to establish an equation for the prediction of an Ironman race time for future recreational male Ironman triathletes. Age and anthropometry, training, and previous experience variables were related to Ironman race time using bivariate and multivariate analysis. A total of 184 recreational male triathletes, of mean age 40.9 ± 8.4 years, height 1.80 ± 0.06 m, and weight 76.3 ± 8.4 kg completed the Ironman within 691 ± 83 minutes. They spent 13.9 ± 5.0 hours per week in training, covering 6.3 ± 3.1 km of swimming, 194.4 ± 76.6 km of cycling, and 45.0 ± 15.9 km of running. In total, 149 triathletes had completed at least one marathon, and 150 athletes had finished at least one Olympic distance triathlon. They had a personal best time of 130.4 ± 44.2 minutes in an Olympic distance triathlon and of 193.9 ± 31.9 minutes in marathon running. In total, 126 finishers had completed both an Olympic distance triathlon and a marathon. After multivariate analysis, both a personal best time in a marathon (P marathon, minutes) + 1.964 × (personal best time in an Olympic distance triathlon, minutes). These results suggest that, in contrast with anthropometric and training characteristics, both the personal best time in an Olympic distance triathlon and in a marathon predict Ironman race time in recreational male Ironman triathletes.

Detection of a faint fast-moving near-Earth asteroid using the synthetic tracking technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhai, Chengxing; Shao, Michael; Nemati, Bijan; Werne, Thomas; Zhou, Hanying; Turyshev, Slava G.; Sandhu, Jagmit [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Hallinan, Gregg; Harding, Leon K., E-mail: chengxing.zhai@jpl.nasa.gov [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2014-09-01

We report a detection of a faint near-Earth asteroid (NEA) using our synthetic tracking technique and the CHIMERA instrument on the Palomar 200 inch telescope. With an apparent magnitude of 23 (H = 29, assuming detection at 20 lunar distances), the asteroid was moving at 6.°32 day{sup –1} and was detected at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 15 using 30 s of data taken at a 16.7 Hz frame rate. The detection was confirmed by a second observation 77 minutes later at the same S/N. Because of its high proper motion, the NEA moved 7 arcsec over the 30 s of observation. Synthetic tracking avoided image degradation due to trailing loss that affects conventional techniques relying on 30 s exposures; the trailing loss would have degraded the surface brightness of the NEA image on the CCD down to an approximate magnitude of 25 making the object undetectable. This detection was a result of our 12 hr blind search conducted on the Palomar 200 inch telescope over two nights, scanning twice over six (5.°3 × 0.°046) fields. Detecting only one asteroid is consistent with Harris's estimates for the distribution of the asteroid population, which was used to predict a detection of 1.2 NEAs in the H-magnitude range 28-31 for the two nights. The experimental design, data analysis methods, and algorithms are presented. We also demonstrate milliarcsecond-level astrometry using observations of two known bright asteroids on the same system with synthetic tracking. We conclude by discussing strategies for scheduling observations to detect and characterize small and fast-moving NEAs using the new technique.

Dispersion of traffic exhausts emitted from a stationary line source versus individual moving cars – a numerical comparison

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Günter Gross

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A three-dimensional microscale model was used to study the effects of moving vehicles on air pollution in the close vicinity of a road. The numerical results are compared to general findings from wind tunnel experiments and field observations. It was found that the model is suitable to capture the main flow characteristics within an urban street canyon, in particular the modifications relating to running traffic. A comparison of the results for a stationary line source approach and for multiple single moving sources demonstrates significant differences. For a street in a flat terrain, the near-road concentrations are underestimated by up to a factor of two if the emissions are approximated by a stationary line source. This underestimation decreases with increasing distance, and becomes negligible 30–50 m away from the road. For an urban canyon situation, the line source assumption is a conservative approximation for the concentrations at the leeside of the street, while on the opposite pavement and wall, a systematic underestimation was found. Also, the effects of different traffic situations have been studied and discussed.

Analysis of Geographic and Pairwise Distances among Chinese Cashmere Goat Populations

OpenAIRE

Liu, Jian-Bin; Wang, Fan; Lang, Xia; Zha, Xi; Sun, Xiao-Ping; Yue, Yao-Jing; Feng, Rui-Lin; Yang, Bo-Hui; Guo, Jian

2013-01-01

This study investigated the geographic and pairwise distances of nine Chinese local Cashmere goat populations through the analysis of 20 microsatellite DNA markers. Fluorescence PCR was used to identify the markers, which were selected based on their significance as identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG). In total, 206 alleles were detected; the average allele number was 10.30; the polymorphism i...

Robustness of Distance-to-Default

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jessen, Cathrine; Lando, David

2013-01-01

. A notable exception is a model with stochastic volatility of assets. In this case both the ranking of firms and the estimated default probabilities using distance-to-default perform significantly worse. We therefore propose a volatility adjustment of the distance-to-default measure, that significantly...

Particle transport patterns of short-distance soil erosion by wind-driven rain, rain and wind

Science.gov (United States)

Marzen, Miriam; Iserloh, Thomas; de Lima, João L. M. P.; Ries, Johannes B.

2015-04-01

Short distance erosion of soil surface material is one of the big question marks in soil erosion studies. The exact measurement of short-distance transported soil particles, prior to the occurrence of overland flow, is a challenge to soil erosion science due to the particular requirements of the experimental setup and test procedure. To approach a quantification of amount and distance of each type of transport, we applied an especially developed multiple-gutter system installed inside the Trier Portable Wind and Rainfall Simulator (PWRS). We measured the amount and travel distance of soil particles detached and transported by raindrops (splash), wind-driven rain (splash-saltation and splash-drift) and wind (saltation). The test setup included three different erosion agents (rain/ wind-driven rain/ wind), two substrates (sandy/ loamy), three surface structures (grain roughness/ rills lengthwise/ rills transversal) and three slope angles (0°/+7°/-7°). The results present detailed transport patterns of the three erosion agents under the varying soil and surface conditions up to a distance of 1.6 m. Under the applied rain intensity and wind velocity, wind-driven rain splash generates the highest erosion. The erodibility and travel distance of the two substrates depend on the erosion agent. The total erosion is slightly higher for the slope angle -7° (downslope), but for wind-driven rain splash, the inclination is not a relevant factor. The effect of surface structures (rills) changes with traveling distance. The wind driven rain splash generates a much higher amount of erosion and a further travel distance of the particles due to the combined action of wind and rain. The wind-driven rain factor appears to be much more significant than the other factors. The study highlights the effects of different erosion agents and surface parameters on short-distance particle transport and the powerful impact of wind-driven rain on soil erosion.

Environmental Impact Assessment of a School Building in Iceland Using LCA-Including the Effect of Long Distance Transport of Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nargessadat Emami

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Buildings are the key components of urban areas and society as a complex system. A life cycle assessment was applied to estimate the environmental impacts of the resources applied in the building envelope, floor slabs, and interior walls of the Vættaskóli-Engi building in Reykjavik, Iceland. The scope of this study included four modules of extraction and transportation of raw material to the manufacturing site, production of the construction materials, and transport to the building site, as described in the standard EN 15804. The total environmental effects of the school building in terms of global warming potential, ozone depletion potential, human toxicity, acidification, and eutrophication were calculated. The total global warming potential impact was equal to 255 kg of CO2 eq/sqm, which was low compared to previous studies and was due to the limited system boundary of the current study. The effect of long-distance overseas transport of materials was noticeable in terms of acidification (25% and eutrophication (31% while it was negligible in other impact groups. The results also concluded that producing the cement in Iceland caused less environmental impact in all five impact categories compared to the case in which the cement was imported from Germany. The major contribution of this work is that the environmental impacts of different plans for domestic production or import of construction materials to Iceland can be precisely assessed in order to identify effective measures to move towards a sustainable built environment in Iceland, and also to provide consistent insights for stakeholders.

Designing components using smartMOVE electroactive polymer technology

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenthal, Marcus; Weaber, Chris; Polyakov, Ilya; Zarrabi, Al; Gise, Peter

2008-03-01

Designing components using SmartMOVE TM electroactive polymer technology requires an understanding of the basic operation principles and the necessary design tools for integration into actuator, sensor and energy generation applications. Artificial Muscle, Inc. is collaborating with OEMs to develop customized solutions for their applications using smartMOVE. SmartMOVE is an advanced and elegant way to obtain almost any kind of movement using dielectric elastomer electroactive polymers. Integration of this technology offers the unique capability to create highly precise and customized motion for devices and systems that require actuation. Applications of SmartMOVE include linear actuators for medical, consumer and industrial applications, such as pumps, valves, optical or haptic devices. This paper will present design guidelines for selecting a smartMOVE actuator design to match the stroke, force, power, size, speed, environmental and reliability requirements for a range of applications. Power supply and controller design and selection will also be introduced. An overview of some of the most versatile configuration options will be presented with performance comparisons. A case example will include the selection, optimization, and performance overview of a smartMOVE actuator for the cell phone camera auto-focus and proportional valve applications.

Moving backwards, moving forward: the experiences of older Filipino migrants adjusting to life in New Zealand

OpenAIRE

Montayre, Jed; Neville, Stephen; Holroyd, Eleanor

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose: To explore the experiences of older Filipino migrants adjusting to living permanently in New Zealand. Method: The qualitative descriptive approach taken in this study involved 17 individual face-to-face interviews of older Filipino migrants in New Zealand. Results: Three main themes emerged from the data. The first theme was ?moving backwards and moving forward?, which described how these older Filipino migrants adjusted to challenges they experienced with migration. The sec...

Impact of Distance on Mode of Active Commuting in Chilean Children and Adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Rodríguez-Rodríguez

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Active commuting could contribute to increasing physical activity. The objective of this study was to characterise patterns of active commuting to and from schools in children and adolescents in Chile. A total of 453 Chilean children and adolescents aged between 10 and 18 years were included in this study. Data regarding modes of commuting and commuting distance was collected using a validated questionnaire. Commuting mode was classified as active commuting (walking and/or cycling or non-active commuting (car, motorcycle and/or bus. Commuting distance expressed in kilometres was categorised into six subgroups (0 to 0.5, 0.6 to 1, 1.1 to 2, 2.1 to 3, 3.1 to 5 and >5 km. Car commuting was the main mode for children (to school 64.9%; from school 51.2% and adolescents (to school 50.2%; from school 24.7%. Whereas public bus commuting was the main transport used by adolescents to return from school. Only 11.0% and 24.8% of children and adolescents, respectively, walk to school. The proportion of children and adolescents who engage in active commuting was lower in those covering longer distances compared to a short distance. Adolescents walked to and from school more frequently than children. These findings show that non-active commuting was the most common mode of transport and that journey distances may influence commuting modes in children and adolescents.

Reliability of the 6-min walk test after total knee arthroplasty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Thomas Linding; Kehlet, Henrik; Bandholm, Thomas

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: The 6-min walk test is a simple clinical outcome measure, which has been used frequently to assess functional performance in many different patient groups, including patients with total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The 6-min walk test measures the maximal distance a subject is able to walk i...

Global optimal path planning of an autonomous vehicle for overtaking a moving obstacle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Mashadi

Full Text Available In this paper, the global optimal path planning of an autonomous vehicle for overtaking a moving obstacle is proposed. In this study, the autonomous vehicle overtakes a moving vehicle by performing a double lane-change maneuver after detecting it in a proper distance ahead. The optimal path of vehicle for performing the lane-change maneuver is generated by a path planning program in which the sum of lateral deviation of the vehicle from a reference path and the rate of steering angle become minimum while the lateral acceleration of vehicle does not exceed a safe limit value. A nonlinear optimal control theory with the lateral vehicle dynamics equations and inequality constraint of lateral acceleration are used to generate the path. The indirect approach for solving the optimal control problem is used by applying the calculus of variation and the Pontryagin's Minimum Principle to obtain first-order necessary conditions for optimality. The optimal path is generated as a global optimal solution and can be used as the benchmark of the path generated by the local motion planning of autonomous vehicles. A full nonlinear vehicle model in CarSim software is used for path following simulation by importing path data from the MATLAB code. The simulation results show that the generated path for the autonomous vehicle satisfies all vehicle dynamics constraints and hence is a suitable overtaking path for the following vehicle.

Distance criterion for hydrogen bond

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Distance criterion for hydrogen bond. In a D-H ...A contact, the D...A distance must be less than the sum of van der Waals Radii of the D and A atoms, for it to be a hydrogen bond.

Distance Learning: Practice and Dilemmas

Science.gov (United States)

Tatkovic, Nevenka; Sehanovic, Jusuf; Ruzic, Maja

2006-01-01

In accordance with the European processes of integrated and homogeneous education, the paper presents the essential viewpoints and questions covering the establishment and development of "distance learning" (DL) in Republic of Croatia. It starts from the advantages of distance learning versus traditional education taking into account…

Observation of the activity of selected Oort Cloud comets with perihelia at large distances from the Sun

Science.gov (United States)

Kulyk, Iryna; Rousselot, Philippe; Korsun, Pavlo

2016-10-01

Many comets exhibit considerable level of activity at large distances from the Sun, where sublimation of crystalline water ice cannot account for observable comae. Different patterns of physical activity already observed at large heliocentric distances may be related to the primordial differences in the composition of comet nuclei. Therefore, monitoring of physical activity in the wide range of heliocentric distances can potentially contribute to understanding of internal structure of comet-like bodies. We have observed ten long periodic comets with orbital perihelia lying beyond the "water ice sublimation zone" to quantify the level of physical activity in the wide range of heliocentric distances. Pre-perihelion observations were made when targets moved between 16.7 and 6.5 au from the Sun; post perihelion activity was monitored between 5.2 and 10.6 au. The bulk of the data were gathered with the 2-m Robotic Liverpool Telescope (Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos, La Palma, Spain). Some targets were observed with the 2-m RC Telescope located at Peak Terskol Observatory and the 6-m Telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (Northern Caucasus, Russia). Since most of recently obtained spectra of distant active objects are continuum dominated, we use B, V, R images to estimate dust production rates, an upper limit on nucleus radii, and color indices of near nucleus region. The comets C/2005 L3 (McNaught) and C/2006 S3 (Boattini), which exhibit the considerable level of activity, have been repeatedly observed. This enables us to infer the heliocentric dependence of dust production rates, perihelion brightness asymmetries, and color variations over the comae caused possibly by small changes in dust particle properties.

Long distance travel ‘today’

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Linda

2014-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the Dane’s long distance travel. It is a part of the Drivers and Limits project about long distance travel. Long distance travel is in the project defined as infrequent travel with overnight stay. Danes 15-85 years-old travel in average 5.5 long distance travel...... per year og which a third is for international destinations, a third is for domestic second homes and a third are other domestic trips. However, 87% of the kilometres are for international destinations and only 4% are for domestic second homes. Travel activity is very uneven distributed with only half...... of the population having had a journey during the last three month. At the other hand 60% have travelled internationally during the last year and only 2% have never travelled abroad. The paper presents among other things how the travel activity is distributed on travel purpose and mode and how the mode choice...

Comparison of wintertime CO to NOx ratios to MOVES and MOBILE6.2 on-road emissions inventories

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, H. W.; Jobson, B. T.; Erickson, M. H.; McCoskey, J. K.; VanReken, T. M.; Lamb, B. K.; Vaughan, J. K.; Hardy, R. J.; Cole, J. L.; Strachan, S. M.; Zhang, W.

2012-12-01

The CO-to-NOx molar emission ratios from the US EPA vehicle emissions models MOVES and MOBILE6.2 were compared to urban wintertime measurements of CO and NOx. Measurements of CO, NOx, and volatile organic compounds were made at a regional air monitoring site in Boise, Idaho for 2 months from December 2008 to January 2009. The site is impacted by roadway emissions from a nearby busy urban arterial roads and highway. The measured CO-to-NOx ratio for morning rush hour periods was 4.2 ± 0.6. The average CO-to-NOx ratio during weekdays between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00 when vehicle miles travelled were highest was 5.2 ± 0.5. For this time period, MOVES yields an average hourly CO-to-NOx ratio of 9.1 compared to 20.2 for MOBILE6.2. Off-network emissions are a significant fraction of the CO and NOx emissions in MOVES, accounting for 65% of total CO emissions, and significantly increase the CO-to-NOx molar ratio. Observed ratios were more similar to the average hourly running emissions for urban roads determined by MOVES to be 4.3.

Capacity gains of buffer-aided moving relays

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar

2017-03-14

This work investigates the gain due to reduction in path loss by deploying buffer-aided moving relaying. In particular, the increase in gain due to moving relays is studied for dual-hop broadcast channels and the bidirectional relay channel. It is shown that the exploited gains in these channels due to buffer-aided relaying can be enhanced by utilizing the fact that a moving relay can communicate with the terminal closest to it and store the data in the buffer and then forward the data to the intended destination when it comes in close proximity with the destination. Numerical results show that for both the considered channels the achievable rates are increased as compared to the case of stationary relays. Numerical results also show that more significant increase in performance is seen when the relay moves to-and-fro between the source and the relay.

Capacity gains of buffer-aided moving relays

KAUST Repository

Zafar, Ammar; Shaqfeh, Mohammad; Alnuweiri, Hussein; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

This work investigates the gain due to reduction in path loss by deploying buffer-aided moving relaying. In particular, the increase in gain due to moving relays is studied for dual-hop broadcast channels and the bidirectional relay channel. It is shown that the exploited gains in these channels due to buffer-aided relaying can be enhanced by utilizing the fact that a moving relay can communicate with the terminal closest to it and store the data in the buffer and then forward the data to the intended destination when it comes in close proximity with the destination. Numerical results show that for both the considered channels the achievable rates are increased as compared to the case of stationary relays. Numerical results also show that more significant increase in performance is seen when the relay moves to-and-fro between the source and the relay.