Optimal trajectories of aircraft and spacecraft

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Miele, A.

1990-01-01

Work done on algorithms for the numerical solutions of optimal control problems and their application to the computation of optimal flight trajectories of aircraft and spacecraft is summarized. General considerations on calculus of variations, optimal control, numerical algorithms, and applications of these algorithms to real-world problems are presented. The sequential gradient-restoration algorithm (SGRA) is examined for the numerical solution of optimal control problems of the Bolza type. Both the primal formulation and the dual formulation are discussed. Aircraft trajectories, in particular, the application of the dual sequential gradient-restoration algorithm (DSGRA) to the determination of optimal flight trajectories in the presence of windshear are described. Both take-off trajectories and abort landing trajectories are discussed. Take-off trajectories are optimized by minimizing the peak deviation of the absolute path inclination from a reference value. Abort landing trajectories are optimized by minimizing the peak drop of altitude from a reference value. Abort landing trajectories are optimized by minimizing the peak drop of altitude from a reference value. The survival capability of an aircraft in a severe windshear is discussed, and the optimal trajectories are found to be superior to both constant pitch trajectories and maximum angle of attack trajectories. Spacecraft trajectories, in particular, the application of the primal sequential gradient-restoration algorithm (PSGRA) to the determination of optimal flight trajectories for aeroassisted orbital transfer are examined. Both the coplanar case and the noncoplanar case are discussed within the frame of three problems: minimization of the total characteristic velocity; minimization of the time integral of the square of the path inclination; and minimization of the peak heating rate. The solution of the second problem is called nearly-grazing solution, and its merits are pointed out as a useful

Contributions to Variations in Academic Trajectories amongst Recent Immigrant Youth

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Suarez-Orozco, Carola; Bang, Hee Jin; Onaga, Marie

2010-01-01

Immigration presents both challenges and opportunities that affect students' academic achievement. Over the course of five years, varying academic trajectories were identified for recent immigrant students from Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico. Latent class growth curve analysis revealed that although some students…

A Measure of Similarity Between Trajectories of Vessels

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Le QI

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The measurement of similarity between trajectories of vessels is one of the kernel problems that must be addressed to promote the development of maritime intelligent traffic system (ITS. In this study, a new model of trajectory similarity measurement was established to improve the data processing efficiency in dynamic application and to reflect actual sailing behaviors of vessels. In this model, a feature point detection algorithm was proposed to extract feature points, reduce data storage space and save computational resources. A new synthesized distance algorithm was also created to measure the similarity between trajectories by using the extracted feature points. An experiment was conducted to measure the similarity between the real trajectories of vessels. The growth of these trajectories required measurements to be conducted under different voyages. The results show that the similarity measurement between the vessel trajectories is efficient and correct. Comparison of the synthesized distance with the sailing behaviors of vessels proves that results are consistent with actual situations. The experiment results demonstrate the promising application of the proposed model in studying vessel traffic and in supplying reliable data for the development of maritime ITS.

Monte Carlo simulation of reflection spectra of random multilayer media strongly scattering and absorbing light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meglinskii, I V

2001-01-01

The reflection spectra of a multilayer random medium - the human skin - strongly scattering and absorbing light are numerically simulated. The propagation of light in the medium and the absorption spectra are simulated by the stochastic Monte Carlo method, which combines schemes for calculations of real photon trajectories and the statistical weight method. The model takes into account the inhomogeneous spatial distribution of blood vessels, water, and melanin, the degree of blood oxygenation, and the hematocrit index. The attenuation of the incident radiation caused by reflection and refraction at Fresnel boundaries of layers inside the medium is also considered. The simulated reflection spectra are compared with the experimental reflection spectra of the human skin. It is shown that a set of parameters that was used to describe the optical properties of skin layers and their possible variations, despite being far from complete, is nevertheless sufficient for the simulation of the reflection spectra of the human skin and their quantitative analysis. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

Logarithmic spiral trajectories generated by Solar sails

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Bassetto, Marco; Niccolai, Lorenzo; Quarta, Alessandro A.; Mengali, Giovanni

2018-02-01

Analytic solutions to continuous thrust-propelled trajectories are available in a few cases only. An interesting case is offered by the logarithmic spiral, that is, a trajectory characterized by a constant flight path angle and a fixed thrust vector direction in an orbital reference frame. The logarithmic spiral is important from a practical point of view, because it may be passively maintained by a Solar sail-based spacecraft. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic study concerning the possibility of inserting a Solar sail-based spacecraft into a heliocentric logarithmic spiral trajectory without using any impulsive maneuver. The required conditions to be met by the sail in terms of attitude angle, propulsive performance, parking orbit characteristics, and initial position are thoroughly investigated. The closed-form variations of the osculating orbital parameters are analyzed, and the obtained analytical results are used for investigating the phasing maneuver of a Solar sail along an elliptic heliocentric orbit. In this mission scenario, the phasing orbit is composed of two symmetric logarithmic spiral trajectories connected with a coasting arc.

Variations in vitrinite reflectance with organic facies - examples from Pennsylvanian cyclothems of the Midcontinent, USA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wenger, L M; Baker, D R

1987-01-01

Significant variations in vitrinite reflectance (% R/sub o/) with organic facies have been demonstrated from Pennsylvanian -aged cyclothems of the Midcontinent, USA. Thermal alteration index (TAI) and Rock-Eval T/sub m/ax values remain relatively constant through these thin lithologic successions, regardless of facies, and are in reasonable agreement with R/sub o/ measurements on interbedded coal. Organic-rich black and phosphatic black-shales, which contain significant component of liptinitic organic matter of presumed marine algal derivation, display R/sub o/ values which are suppressed relative to the coal benchmark. A distinct correlation between increased hydrogen index (HI) and liptinite content with suppressed reflectivities is apparent. More oxic facies (e.g. calcareous and fossiliferous gray shales and limestones) often display R/sub o/'s that are considerably higher than for coal. Soxhlet extraction prior to maceration yielded no variation in reflectance compared to non-extracted kerogens suggesting bitumen adsorption was not the cause of the apparent suppression in the organic-rich black-shales. Lower total organic carbon (TOC)-normalized bitumen contents and Rock-Eval transformations ratios in liptinite-rich facies suggest differential reaction kinetics for kerogen types, with terrestrial organic matter 'maturing' at an earlier stage than hydrogen-rich marine-derived organic matter. 8 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

Trajectory effects in the negative charge-state fraction of 3He and 4He reflected from a sodium target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, P.J.; Eckstein, W.; Verbeek, H.

1984-01-01

Measurement of the positive and negative charge-state fractions of He reflected from a sodium target with incident energies in the range of 1.75 keV/nucleon to 5 keV/nucleon are presented. The exit angle of the particles was held constant at 75 0 from the surface normal, while the incident angle was varied from 0 0 (normal incidence) to 75 0 . The positive charge-state fractions exhibited no incident-angle or incident-energy dependence and dependend only upon the exit energy. For normal incidence, the negative charge-state fractions were also only dependent upon the exit energy. However, for glancing incidence, the negative charge-state fractions were incident- and exit-energy dependent. These results are compared to previous results for D [1] and are discussed in terms of the trajectory-dependent formation probability of the negative ions. (orig.)

VISUAL UAV TRAJECTORY PLAN SYSTEM BASED ON NETWORK MAP

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X. L. Li

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The base map of the current software UP-30 using in trajectory plan for Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle is vector diagram. UP-30 draws navigation points manually. But in the field of operation process, the efficiency and the quality of work is influenced because of insufficient information, screen reflection, calculate inconveniently and other factors. If we do this work in indoor, the effect of external factors on the results would be eliminated, the network earth users can browse the free world high definition satellite images through downloading a client software, and can export the high resolution image by standard file format. This brings unprecedented convenient of trajectory plan. But the images must be disposed by coordinate transformation, geometric correction. In addition, according to the requirement of mapping scale ,camera parameters and overlap degree we can calculate exposure hole interval and trajectory distance between the adjacent trajectory automatically . This will improve the degree of automation of data collection. Software will judge the position of next point according to the intersection of the trajectory and the survey area and ensure the position of point according to trajectory distance. We can undertake the points artificially. So the trajectory plan is automatic and flexible. Considering safety, the date can be used in flying after simulating flight. Finally we can export all of the date using a key

Visual Uav Trajectory Plan System Based on Network Map

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X. L.; Lin, Z. J.; Su, G. Z.; Wu, B. Y.

2012-07-01

The base map of the current software UP-30 using in trajectory plan for Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle is vector diagram. UP-30 draws navigation points manually. But in the field of operation process, the efficiency and the quality of work is influenced because of insufficient information, screen reflection, calculate inconveniently and other factors. If we do this work in indoor, the effect of external factors on the results would be eliminated, the network earth users can browse the free world high definition satellite images through downloading a client software, and can export the high resolution image by standard file format. This brings unprecedented convenient of trajectory plan. But the images must be disposed by coordinate transformation, geometric correction. In addition, according to the requirement of mapping scale ,camera parameters and overlap degree we can calculate exposure hole interval and trajectory distance between the adjacent trajectory automatically . This will improve the degree of automation of data collection. Software will judge the position of next point according to the intersection of the trajectory and the survey area and ensure the position of point according to trajectory distance. We can undertake the points artificially. So the trajectory plan is automatic and flexible. Considering safety, the date can be used in flying after simulating flight. Finally we can export all of the date using a key

Embedding Human Expert Cognition Into Autonomous UAS Trajectory Planning.

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Narayan, Pritesh; Meyer, Patrick; Campbell, Duncan

2013-04-01

This paper presents a new approach for the inclusion of human expert cognition into autonomous trajectory planning for unmanned aerial systems (UASs) operating in low-altitude environments. During typical UAS operations, multiple objectives may exist; therefore, the use of multicriteria decision aid techniques can potentially allow for convergence to trajectory solutions which better reflect overall mission requirements. In that context, additive multiattribute value theory has been applied to optimize trajectories with respect to multiple objectives. A graphical user interface was developed to allow for knowledge capture from a human decision maker (HDM) through simulated decision scenarios. The expert decision data gathered are converted into value functions and corresponding criteria weightings using utility additive theory. The inclusion of preferences elicited from HDM data within an automated decision system allows for the generation of trajectories which more closely represent the candidate HDM decision preferences. This approach has been demonstrated in this paper through simulation using a fixed-wing UAS operating in low-altitude environments.

A Customized Vision System for Tracking Humans Wearing Reflective Safety Clothing from Industrial Vehicles and Machinery

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Mosberger, Rafael; Andreasson, Henrik; Lilienthal, Achim J.

2014-01-01

This article presents a novel approach for vision-based detection and tracking of humans wearing high-visibility clothing with retro-reflective markers. Addressing industrial applications where heavy vehicles operate in the vicinity of humans, we deploy a customized stereo camera setup with active illumination that allows for efficient detection of the reflective patterns created by the worker's safety garments. After segmenting reflective objects from the image background, the interest regions are described with local image feature descriptors and classified in order to discriminate safety garments from other reflective objects in the scene. In a final step, the trajectories of the detected humans are estimated in 3D space relative to the camera. We evaluate our tracking system in two industrial real-world work environments on several challenging video sequences. The experimental results indicate accurate tracking performance and good robustness towards partial occlusions, body pose variation, and a wide range of different illumination conditions. PMID:25264956

Multi-scale window specification over streaming trajectories

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Kostas Patroumpas

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Enormous amounts of positional information are collected by monitoring applications in domains such as fleet management, cargo transport, wildlife protection, etc. With the advent of modern location-based services, processing such data mostly focuses on providing real-time response to a variety of user requests in continuous and scalable fashion. An important class of such queries concerns evolving trajectories that continuously trace the streaming locations of moving objects, like GPS-equipped vehicles, commodities with RFID's, people with smartphones etc. In this work, we propose an advanced windowing operator that enables online, incremental examination of recent motion paths at multiple resolutions for numerous point entities. When applied against incoming positions, this window can abstract trajectories at coarser representations towards the past, while retaining progressively finer features closer to the present. We explain the semantics of such multi-scale sliding windows through parameterized functions that reflect the sequential nature of trajectories and can effectively capture their spatiotemporal properties. Such window specification goes beyond its usual role for non-blocking processing of multiple concurrent queries. Actually, it can offer concrete subsequences from each trajectory, thus preserving continuity in time and contiguity in space along the respective segments. Further, we suggest language extensions in order to express characteristic spatiotemporal queries using windows. Finally, we discuss algorithms for nested maintenance of multi-scale windows and evaluate their efficiency against streaming positional data, offering empirical evidence of their benefits to online trajectory processing.

APPLICATION OF MODERN ICT TO SHAPE INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL REFLECTIVE AND HUMANISTIC TRAJECTORY OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPIL OF SECONDARY SCHOOL

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T. Mukiy

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The widespread use of ICT in everyday life gives opportunities for acquiring of quality integrated knowledge in different fields, remote data management, self-education that improves and simplifies the life of modern man on the one hand. And on the other it’s caused the appearance of new psychological problems of value-motivational, cognitive, psycho-physical areas of the child’s personality due to the lack of skills of large information flow filtering. The uncontrolled behavior and mind manipulation through reflexive inability to comprehend the meaning of information resources of inhumane nature exposes a child to danger. In some way it leads to a child’s dependence on the computer and the Internet. In solving of above mentioned problems crucial importance is gained by qualities of intellectual, reflective, spiritual and humanistic potential of pupil’s personality in particular – forming of reflexive-humanistic educational development trajectory of the child’s development. Urgent problem that becomes for teacher of Informatics is the humanization of the educational process through the implementation of educational, computer-based learning tools that will develop reflexivity and humanistic pupil’s potential. The article deals with the special aspects of formation of humanistic reflexive-educational trajectory of the pupil’s development during studying Informatics at secondary school, it presents the systematization of specified definitions’ components. Ways of using the modern information and communication technologies for comprehensive harmonious development of a child’s personality in the global informatization are substantiated and generalized

Math Achievement Trajectories among Black Male Students in the Elementary- and Middle-School Years

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Zilanawala, Afshin; Martin, Margary; Noguera, Pedro A.; Mincy, Ronald B.

2018-01-01

In this article, we analyze the variation in math achievement trajectories of Black male students to understand the different ways these students successfully or unsuccessfully navigate schools and the school characteristics that are associated with their trajectories. Using longitudinal student-level data from a large urban US city (n = 7,039),…

Punctuated continuity: The technological trajectory of advanced biomass gasifiers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirkels, Arjan F.

2014-01-01

Recent interest in biofuels and bio-refineries has been building upon the technology of biomass gasification. This technology developed since the 1980s in three periods, but failed to break through. We try to explain this by studying the technological development from a quasi-evolutionary perspective, drawing upon the concepts of technological paradigms and technological trajectories. We show that the socio-economic context was most important, as it both offered windows of opportunity as well as provided direction to developments. Changes in this context resulted in paradigm shifts, characterized by a change in considered end-products and technologies, as well as a change in companies involved. Other influences on the technological trajectory were firm specific differences, like the focus on a specific feedstock, scale and more recently biofuels to be produced. These were strengthened by the national focus of supporting policies, as well as specific attention for multiple technologies in policies of the USA and European Commission. Over each period we see strong variation that likely benefitted the long term development of the technology. Despite policy efforts that included variation and institutionalization, our case shows that the large changes in socio-economic context and the technological challenges were hard to overcome. - Highlights: • Advanced biomass gasification, as important enabling technology for biofuels and the bio-based economy, has been lacking success despite decades of research and development. • We try to explain this by reconstructing its technological trajectory. • We focus on processes of variation and selection, and interaction between local demonstration projects and the upcoming technological field. • The development of the technology over each period shows strong variation. • Long RD and D times in combination with major changes in the socio-economic context have resulted in discontinuities that even affected premium

Ethnic Variations of Trajectories in Suicide Ideation and Attempt: From Middle School to High School.

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Kim, Jahun; Pike, Kenneth; McCauley, Elizabeth; Vander Stoep, Ann

2018-02-14

The purpose of this study was to compare patterns of suicide ideation and suicide attempt in three ethnic groups. We analyzed data from 463 students with ethnic backgrounds of African American (AA), Asian American (ASA), and European American (EA) for 6 years. The best fit model was a three-trajectory class model for all groups. The majority of adolescents belonged in the nonideators trajectory. The high level of ideation was found in the high ideators (4%), high-fluctuating ideators (8%), and high-decreasing ideators (4%) trajectory in AA, ASA, and EA, respectively. In the AA group, being a member of ideators was not a significant predictor of suicide attempt. In the ASA group, being a member of high-fluctuating ideators was a significant predictor. In the EA group, being a member of both ideators predicted suicide attempt. The timing of onset, patterns of change, and peak time in the ideators trajectories in the three ethnic groups were markedly different. The high level of attempts found in the ASA-AA group was not explained by having suicide ideation. Findings suggest the need for in-depth examination of suicide behaviors across ethnic groups and culturally adapted preventive efforts with distinct developmental timing for adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. © 2018 The American Association of Suicidology.

Multiplication factor evaluation of bare and reflected small fast assemblies using variational methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwivedi, S.R.; Jain, D.

1979-01-01

The multigroup collision probability equations were solved by the variational method to derive a simple relation between the multiplication factor and the size of a small spherical bare or reflected fast reactor. This relation was verified by a number of 26-group, S 4 , transport theory calculations in one-dimensional spherical geometry for enriched uranium and plutonium systems. It has been shown that further approximations to the above relation lead to the universal empirical relation obtained by Anil Kumar. (orig.) [de

Effects of Rocket Exhaust on Lunar Soil Reflectance Properties

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Clegg, R. N.; Jolliff, B. L.; Robinson, M. S.; Hapke, B. W.; Plescia, J. B.

2012-12-01

areas; this magnitude is the same, within uncertainty, for all sites, indicating a common process or combination of processes causing differences in reflectance properties of the regolith. Phase-ratio images and photometric data collected over a range of illumination geometries show that a greater separation in reflectance occurs between the HR-BZs and undisturbed areas with increasing phase angle and indicate that the HR-BZs are less backscattering than undisturbed areas. As working hypotheses, we consider the following possibilities to explain BZ reflectance phenomena: change in macroscopic roughness, microscopic modification of surface structure, redistribution of fines (excavation from LR-BZ and deposition in HR-BZ), change in compaction, contamination from fuel, and modification of maturity. The LR-BZ is affected by macroscopic disruption of the surface and increased shadowing. We infer that HR-BZ reflectance has been affected by scouring from particles entrained by exhaust gases with low-angle trajectories. Entrained particles with trajectories greater than a few degrees relative to horizontal travel well beyond the BZ boundary and do not contribute to BZ reflectance variations. Regolith particle interactions with surface soil within HR-BZs may destroy fine-scale surface structure (e.g., "fairy-castle") and decrease macroscopic roughness, contributing to a decrease in backscattering character within the HR-BZ.

Variation of MODIS reflectance and vegetation indices with viewing geometry and soybean development.

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Breunig, Fábio M; Galvão, Lênio S; Formaggio, Antônio R; Epiphanio, José C N

2012-06-01

Directional effects introduce a variability in reflectance and vegetation index determination, especially when large field-of-view sensors are used (e.g., Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer - MODIS). In this study, we evaluated directional effects on MODIS reflectance and four vegetation indices (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index - NDVI; Enhanced Vegetation Index - EVI; Normalized Difference Water Index - NDWI(1640) and NDWI(2120)) with the soybean development in two growing seasons (2004-2005 and 2005-2006). To keep the reproductive stage for a given cultivar as a constant factor while varying viewing geometry, pairs of images obtained in close dates and opposite view angles were analyzed. By using a non-parametric statistics with bootstrapping and by normalizing these indices for angular differences among viewing directions, their sensitivities to directional effects were studied. Results showed that the variation in MODIS reflectance between consecutive phenological stages was generally smaller than that resultant from viewing geometry for closed canopies. The contrary was observed for incomplete canopies. The reflectance of the first seven MODIS bands was higher in the backscattering. Except for the EVI, the other vegetation indices had larger values in the forward scattering direction. Directional effects decreased with canopy closure. The NDVI was lesser affected by directional effects than the other indices, presenting the smallest differences between viewing directions for fixed phenological stages.

Photographic Records Showing the Variations of the Virtual Height of Reflection as a Function of the Radio Frequency

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The standard (analog) ionosonde produces photographic records known as ionograms, which show the variations of the virtual height of reflection as a function of the...

Trajectories of quality of life among Chinese patients diagnosed with nasopharynegeal cancer.

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Wendy W T Lam

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: This secondary longitudinal analysis describes distinct quality of life trajectories during eight months of radiation therapy (RT among patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC and examines factors differentiating these trajectories. METHODS: 253 Chinese patients with NPC scheduled for RT were assessed at pre-treatment, and 4 months and 8 months later on QoL (Chinese version of the FACT-G, optimism, pain, eating function, and patient satisfaction. Latent growth mixture modelling identified different trajectories within each of four QoL domains: Physical, Emotional, Social/family, and Functional well-being. Multinomial logistic regression compared optimism, pain, eating function, and patient satisfaction by trajectories adjusted for demographic and medical characteristics. RESULTS: We identified three distinct trajectories for physical and emotional QoL domains, four trajectories for social/family, and two trajectories for functional domains. Within each domain most patients (physical (77%, emotional (85%, social/family (55% and functional (63% experienced relatively stable high levels of well-being over the 8-month period. Different Physical trajectory patterns were predicted by pain and optimism, whereas for Emotion-domain trajectories pain, optimism, eating enjoyment, patient satisfaction with information, and gender were predictive. Age, appetite, optimism, martial status, and household income predicted Social/family trajectories; household income, eating enjoyment, optimism, and patient satisfaction with information predicted Functional trajectories. CONCLUSION: Most patients with NPC showed high stable QoL during radiotherapy. Optimism predicted good QoL. Symptom impacts varied by QoL domain. Information satisfaction was protective in emotional and functional well-being, reflecting the importance in helping patients to establish a realistic expectation of treatment impacts.

A Numerical Study of Low-Thrust Limited Power Trajectories between Coplanar Circular Orbits in an Inverse-Square Force Field

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Sandro da Silva Fernandes

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A numerical study of optimal low-thrust limited power trajectories for simple transfer (no rendezvous between circular coplanar orbits in an inverse-square force field is performed by two different classes of algorithms in optimization of trajectories. This study is carried out by means of a direct method based on gradient techniques and by an indirect method based on the second variation theory. The direct approach of the trajectory optimization problem combines the main positive characteristics of two well-known direct methods in optimization of trajectories: the steepest-descent (first-order gradient method and a direct second variation (second-order gradient method. On the other hand, the indirect approach of the trajectory optimization problem involves two different algorithms of the well-known neighboring extremals method. Several radius ratios and transfer durations are considered, and the fuel consumption is taken as the performance criterion. For small-amplitude transfers, the results are compared to the ones provided by a linear analytical theory.

Longitudinal Trajectories of Ethnic Identity during the College Years

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Syed, Moin; Azmitia, Margarita

2009-01-01

The goals of this study were to examine trajectories of change in ethnic identity during the college years and to explore group-level and individual-level variations. Participants were 175 diverse college students who completed indices of ethnic identity exploration and commitment, self-esteem, and domain-general identity resolution. Multilevel…

Intrapopulation genome size variation in D. melanogaster reflects life history variation and plasticity.

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Lisa L Ellis

2014-07-01

Full Text Available We determined female genome sizes using flow cytometry for 211 Drosophila melanogaster sequenced inbred strains from the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel, and found significant conspecific and intrapopulation variation in genome size. We also compared several life history traits for 25 lines with large and 25 lines with small genomes in three thermal environments, and found that genome size as well as genome size by temperature interactions significantly correlated with survival to pupation and adulthood, time to pupation, female pupal mass, and female eclosion rates. Genome size accounted for up to 23% of the variation in developmental phenotypes, but the contribution of genome size to variation in life history traits was plastic and varied according to the thermal environment. Expression data implicate differences in metabolism that correspond to genome size variation. These results indicate that significant genome size variation exists within D. melanogaster and this variation may impact the evolutionary ecology of the species. Genome size variation accounts for a significant portion of life history variation in an environmentally dependent manner, suggesting that potential fitness effects associated with genome size variation also depend on environmental conditions.

Intrapopulation Genome Size Variation in D. melanogaster Reflects Life History Variation and Plasticity

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Ellis, Lisa L.; Huang, Wen; Quinn, Andrew M.; Ahuja, Astha; Alfrejd, Ben; Gomez, Francisco E.; Hjelmen, Carl E.; Moore, Kristi L.; Mackay, Trudy F. C.; Johnston, J. Spencer; Tarone, Aaron M.

2014-01-01

We determined female genome sizes using flow cytometry for 211 Drosophila melanogaster sequenced inbred strains from the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel, and found significant conspecific and intrapopulation variation in genome size. We also compared several life history traits for 25 lines with large and 25 lines with small genomes in three thermal environments, and found that genome size as well as genome size by temperature interactions significantly correlated with survival to pupation and adulthood, time to pupation, female pupal mass, and female eclosion rates. Genome size accounted for up to 23% of the variation in developmental phenotypes, but the contribution of genome size to variation in life history traits was plastic and varied according to the thermal environment. Expression data implicate differences in metabolism that correspond to genome size variation. These results indicate that significant genome size variation exists within D. melanogaster and this variation may impact the evolutionary ecology of the species. Genome size variation accounts for a significant portion of life history variation in an environmentally dependent manner, suggesting that potential fitness effects associated with genome size variation also depend on environmental conditions. PMID:25057905

OPTIMAL AIRCRAFT TRAJECTORIES FOR SPECIFIED RANGE

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Lee, H.

1994-01-01

For an aircraft operating over a fixed range, the operating costs are basically a sum of fuel cost and time cost. While minimum fuel and minimum time trajectories are relatively easy to calculate, the determination of a minimum cost trajectory can be a complex undertaking. This computer program was developed to optimize trajectories with respect to a cost function based on a weighted sum of fuel cost and time cost. As a research tool, the program could be used to study various characteristics of optimum trajectories and their comparison to standard trajectories. It might also be used to generate a model for the development of an airborne trajectory optimization system. The program could be incorporated into an airline flight planning system, with optimum flight plans determined at takeoff time for the prevailing flight conditions. The use of trajectory optimization could significantly reduce the cost for a given aircraft mission. The algorithm incorporated in the program assumes that a trajectory consists of climb, cruise, and descent segments. The optimization of each segment is not done independently, as in classical procedures, but is performed in a manner which accounts for interaction between the segments. This is accomplished by the application of optimal control theory. The climb and descent profiles are generated by integrating a set of kinematic and dynamic equations, where the total energy of the aircraft is the independent variable. At each energy level of the climb and descent profiles, the air speed and power setting necessary for an optimal trajectory are determined. The variational Hamiltonian of the problem consists of the rate of change of cost with respect to total energy and a term dependent on the adjoint variable, which is identical to the optimum cruise cost at a specified altitude. This variable uniquely specifies the optimal cruise energy, cruise altitude, cruise Mach number, and, indirectly, the climb and descent profiles. If the optimum

SeGRAm - A practical and versatile tool for spacecraft trajectory optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Rishikof, Brian H.; Mccormick, Bernell R.; Pritchard, Robert E.; Sponaugle, Steven J.

1991-01-01

An implementation of the Sequential Gradient/Restoration Algorithm, SeGRAm, is presented along with selected examples. This spacecraft trajectory optimization and simulation program uses variational calculus to solve problems of spacecraft flying under the influence of one or more gravitational bodies. It produces a series of feasible solutions to problems involving a wide range of vehicles, environments and optimization functions, until an optimal solution is found. The examples included highlight the various capabilities of the program and emphasize in particular its versatility over a wide spectrum of applications from ascent to interplanetary trajectories.

Coupled forward-backward trajectory approach for nonequilibrium electron-ion dynamics

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Sato, Shunsuke A.; Kelly, Aaron; Rubio, Angel

2018-04-01

We introduce a simple ansatz for the wave function of a many-body system based on coupled forward and backward propagating semiclassical trajectories. This method is primarily aimed at, but not limited to, treating nonequilibrium dynamics in electron-phonon systems. The time evolution of the system is obtained from the Euler-Lagrange variational principle, and we show that this ansatz yields Ehrenfest mean-field theory in the limit that the forward and backward trajectories are orthogonal, and in the limit that they coalesce. We investigate accuracy and performance of this method by simulating electronic relaxation in the spin-boson model and the Holstein model. Although this method involves only pairs of semiclassical trajectories, it shows a substantial improvement over mean-field theory, capturing quantum coherence of nuclear dynamics as well as electron-nuclear correlations. This improvement is particularly evident in nonadiabatic systems, where the accuracy of this coupled trajectory method extends well beyond the perturbative electron-phonon coupling regime. This approach thus provides an attractive route forward to the ab initio description of relaxation processes, such as thermalization, in condensed phase systems.

Geometrical properties of systems with spiral trajectories in R^3

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Luka Korkut

2015-10-01

Full Text Available We study a class of second-order nonautonomous differential equations, and the corresponding planar and spatial systems, from the geometrical point of view. The oscillatory behavior of solutions at infinity is measured by oscillatory and phase dimensions, The oscillatory dimension is defined as the box dimension of the reflected solution near the origin, while the phase dimension is defined as the box dimension of a trajectory of the planar system in the phase plane. Using the phase dimension of the second-order equation we compute the box dimension of a spiral trajectory of the spatial system. This phase dimension of the second-order equation is connected to the asymptotic of the associated Poincare map. Also, the box dimension of a trajectory of the reduced normal form with one eigenvalue equals zero, and a pair of pure imaginary eigenvalues is computed when limit cycles bifurcate from the origin.

Histories of poverty and self-rated health trajectories.

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McDonough, Peggy; Berglund, Pat

2003-06-01

This paper investigates the dynamic relationship between poverty histories and self-rated health trajectories. We are interested in patterns of change in individuals' health over time and the ways in which such patterns are structured by continuity and change in poverty experiences. Data, collected for adults aged 25 and older in 1984 (N = 7,258), are from the 1968-1996 annual waves of Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Individual growth curves allow us to investigate health trajectories as continuous processes, as well as individual and group heterogeneity in these trajectories. We find that, on average, health deteriorates slowly over time, but there is significant variation in health in 1984 and the rate at which health declines. Histories of poverty partly accounted for the sources of individual differences in self-rated health in 1984, but they were not related to health change over time. Although increasing incomes were better for self-rated health than falling incomes, current economic circumstances did not erase the health effects of earlier poverty experiences.

Ethnic Differences in Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms: Disadvantage in Family Background, High School Experiences, and Adult Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Walsemann, Katrina M.; Gee, Gilbert C.; Geronimus, Arline T.

2009-01-01

Although research investigating ethnic differences in mental health has increased in recent years, we know relatively little about how mental health trajectories vary across ethnic groups. Do these differences occur at certain ages but not others? We investigate ethnic variation in trajectories of depressive symptoms, and we examine the extent to…

Variational problems for plane curves in centro-affine geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musso, Emilio

2010-01-01

In this paper closed extremals of variational problems defined by quadratic polynomials in the centro-affine curvature are considered. The closure of the trajectories is discussed and the existence of countably many closed critical curves is proven. The geometrical properties of closed trajectories are analyzed by numerical methods.

Fourier descriptor classification of differential eddy current probe impedance plane trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lord, W.; Satish, S.R.

1984-01-01

This chapter describes the use of a parametric model for representing the two-dimensional eddy current impedance plane trajectory. The main advantage of this approach is the ability to reconstruct the trajectory from the model coefficients. Fourier descriptors are used to facilitate defect classification. The Fourier descriptors are obtained by expanding the complex contour function in a Fourier series. Functions of Fourier coefficients which are invariant under transformation of the trajectory are derived and incorporated into a feature vector. Defect classification is obtained by using the K-Means algorithm to cluster the feature vectors. It is demonstrated that the Fourier descriptor approach represents a powerful tool which have several advantages over nonparametric approaches including its insensitivity to drift in the eddy current instrument as well as variations in the probe speed

Long-term trajectories of positive and negative symptoms in first episode psychosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Austin, Stephen; Mors, Ole; Budtz-Jørgensen, Esben

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Knowledge about course of illness can help clinicians to develop effective interventions and improve treatment outcomes. The goal of this study was to construct positive and negative symptom trajectories based on structured clinical assessments collected over 10years within a cohort....... Positive symptoms showed a general pattern of reduction and stabilization over time while negative symptoms typically showed less variation over the ten years. Results have implications for the focus, timing and length of interventions in first episode psychosis....... was assessed using the Scales for Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms. Symptom trajectories were constructed using Latent Class Analysis. RESULTS: Five distinct trajectories were identified for positive symptoms (response - 47%, delayed response - 12%, relapse - 15%, non-response - 13% and episodic...

Can Universal SEL Programs Benefit Universally? Effects of the Positive Action Program on Multiple Trajectories of Social-Emotional and Misconduct Behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Robert; Washburn, Isaac J; Lewis, Kendra M; Bavarian, Niloofar; DuBois, David L; Acock, Alan C; Vuchinich, Samuel; Flay, Brian R

2017-02-01

Behavioral trajectories during middle childhood are predictive of consequential outcomes later in life (e.g., substance abuse, violence). Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are designed to promote trajectories that reflect both growth in positive behaviors and inhibited development of negative behaviors. The current study used growth mixture models to examine effects of the Positive Action (PA) program on behavioral trajectories of social-emotional and character development (SECD) and misconduct using data from a cluster-randomized trial that involved 14 schools and a sample of predominately low-income, urban youth followed from 3rd through 8th grade. For SECD, findings indicated that PA was similarly effective at improving trajectories within latent classes characterized as "high/declining" and "low/stable". Favorable program effects were likewise evident to a comparable degree for misconduct across observed latent classes that reflected "low/rising" and "high/rising" trajectories. These findings suggest that PA and perhaps other school-based universal SEL programs have the potential to yield comparable benefits across subgroups of youth with differing trajectories of positive and negative behaviors, making them promising strategies for achieving the intended goal of school-wide improvements in student outcomes.

Girls’ childhood trajectories of disruptive behavior predict adjustment problems in early adolescence

Science.gov (United States)

van der Molen, Elsa; Blokland, Arjan A. J.; Hipwell, Alison E.; Vermeiren, Robert R.J.M.; Doreleijers, Theo A.H.; Loeber, Rolf

2014-01-01

Background It is widely recognized that early onset of disruptive behavior is linked to a variety of detrimental outcomes in males later in life. In contrast, little is known about the association between girls’ childhood trajectories of disruptive behavior and adjustment problems in early adolescence. Methods The current study used 9 waves of data from the ongoing Pittsburgh Girls Study. A semi-parametric group based model was used to identify trajectories of disruptive behavior in 1,513 girls from age 6 to 12 years. Adjustment problems were characterized by depression, self-harm, PTSD, substance use, interpersonal aggression, sexual behavior, affiliation with delinquent peers, and academic achievement at ages 13 and 14. Results Three trajectories of childhood disruptive behavior were identified: low, medium, and high. Girls in the high group were at increased risk for depression, self-harm, PTSD, illegal substance use, interpersonal aggression, early and risky sexual behavior, and lower academic achievement. The likelihood of multiple adjustment problems increased with trajectories reflecting higher levels of disruptive behavior. Conclusion Girls following the high childhood trajectory of disruptive behavior require early intervention programs to prevent multiple, adverse outcomes in adolescence and further escalation in adulthood. PMID:25302849

Numerical optimization of actuator trajectories for ITER hybrid scenario profile evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dongen, J van; Hogeweij, G M D; Felici, F; Geelen, P; Maljaars, E

2014-01-01

Optimal actuator trajectories for an ITER hybrid scenario ramp-up are computed using a numerical optimization method. For both L-mode and H-mode scenarios, the time trajectory of plasma current, EC heating and current drive distribution is determined that minimizes a chosen cost function, while satisfying constraints. The cost function is formulated to reflect two desired properties of the plasma q profile at the end of the ramp-up. The first objective is to maximize the ITG turbulence threshold by maximizing the volume-averaged s/q ratio. The second objective is to achieve a stationary q profile by having a flat loop voltage profile. Actuator and physics-derived constraints are included, imposing limits on plasma current, ramp rates, internal inductance and q profile. This numerical method uses the fast control-oriented plasma profile evolution code RAPTOR, which is successfully benchmarked against more complete CRONOS simulations for L-mode and H-mode mode ITER hybrid scenarios. It is shown that the optimized trajectories computed using RAPTOR also result in an improved ramp-up scenario for CRONOS simulations using the same input trajectories. Furthermore, the optimal trajectories are shown to vary depending on the precise timing of the L–H transition. (paper)

Long range trajectories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, P. W.; Jessup, E. A.; White, R. E. [Air Resources Field Research Office, Las Vegas, Nevada (United States)

1967-07-01

A single air molecule can have a trajectory that can be described with a line, but most meteorologists use single lines to represent the trajectories of air parcels. A single line trajectory has the disadvantage that it is a categorical description of position. Like categorized forecasts it provides no qualification, and no provision for dispersion in case the parcel contains two or more molecules which may take vastly different paths. Diffusion technology has amply demonstrated that an initial aerosol cloud or volume of gas in the atmosphere not only grows larger, but sometimes divides into puffs, each having a different path or swath. Yet, the average meteorologist, faced with the problem of predicting the future motion of a cloud, usually falls back on the line trajectory approach with the explanation that he had no better tool for long range application. In his more rational moments, he may use some arbitrary device to spread his cloud with distance. One such technique has been to separate the trajectory into two or more trajectories, spaced about the endpoint of the original trajectory after a short period of travel, repeating this every so often like a chain reaction. This has the obvious disadvantage of involving a large amount of labor without much assurance of improved accuracy. Another approach is to draw a circle about the trajectory endpoint, to represent either diffusion or error. The problem then is to know what radius to give the circle and also whether to call it diffusion or error. Meteorologists at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) are asked frequently to provide advice which involves trajectory technology, such as prediction of an aerosol cloud path, reconstruction of the motion of a volume of air, indication of the dilution, and the possible trajectory prediction error over great distances. Therefore, we set out, nearly three years ago, to provide some statistical knowledge about the status of our trajectory technology. This report contains some of the

The Career Trajectories of English Language Teachers. Oxford Studies in Comparative Education

Science.gov (United States)

Haworth, Penny, Ed.; Craig, Cheryl, Ed.

2016-01-01

This volume identifies, illustrates, compares, contrasts and provides informed reflective commentary on the diverse career trajectories of English language teachers, teacher educators and researchers. Increased migration and globalisation pressures have led to dramatic changes in English language teaching over the last few decades. The resulting…

Trajectory Browser Website

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Cyrus; Jaroux, Belgacem A.

2012-01-01

The Trajectory Browser is a web-based tool developed at the NASA Ames Research Center to be used for the preliminary assessment of trajectories to small-bodies and planets and for providing relevant launch date, time-of-flight and V requirements. The site hosts a database of transfer trajectories from Earth to asteroids and planets for various types of missions such as rendezvous, sample return or flybys. A search engine allows the user to find trajectories meeting desired constraints on the launch window, mission duration and delta V capability, while a trajectory viewer tool allows the visualization of the heliocentric trajectory and the detailed mission itinerary. The anticipated user base of this tool consists primarily of scientists and engineers designing interplanetary missions in the context of pre-phase A studies, particularly for performing accessibility surveys to large populations of small-bodies. The educational potential of the website is also recognized for academia and the public with regards to trajectory design, a field that has generally been poorly understood by the public. The website is currently hosted on NASA-internal URL http://trajbrowser.arc.nasa.gov/ with plans for a public release as soon as development is complete.

DNA variation of the mammalian major histocompatibility complex reflects genomic diversity and population history

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuhki, Naoya; O' Brien, S.J. (National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD (USA))

1990-01-01

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a multigene complex of tightly linked homologous genes that encode cell surface antigens that play a key role in immune regulation and response to foreign antigens. In most species, MHC gene products display extreme antigenic polymorphism, and their variability has been interpreted to reflect an adaptive strategy for accommodating rapidly evolving infectious agents that periodically afflict natural populations. Determination of the extent of MHC variation has been limited to populations in which skin grafting is feasible or for which serological reagents have been developed. The authors present here a quantitative analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism of MHC class I genes in several mammalian species (cats, rodents, humans) known to have very different levels of genetic diversity based on functional MHC assays and on allozyme surveys. When homologous class I probes were employed, a notable concordance was observed between the extent of MHC restriction fragment variation and functional MHC variation detected by skin grafts or genome-wide diversity estimated by allozyme screens. These results confirm the genetically depauperate character of the African cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, and the Asiatic lion, Panthera leo persica; further, they support the use of class I MHC molecular reagents in estimating the extent and character of genetic diversity in natural populations.

DNA variation of the mammalian major histocompatibility complex reflects genomic diversity and population history

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuhki, Naoya; O'Brien, S.J.

1990-01-01

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a multigene complex of tightly linked homologous genes that encode cell surface antigens that play a key role in immune regulation and response to foreign antigens. In most species, MHC gene products display extreme antigenic polymorphism, and their variability has been interpreted to reflect an adaptive strategy for accommodating rapidly evolving infectious agents that periodically afflict natural populations. Determination of the extent of MHC variation has been limited to populations in which skin grafting is feasible or for which serological reagents have been developed. The authors present here a quantitative analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism of MHC class I genes in several mammalian species (cats, rodents, humans) known to have very different levels of genetic diversity based on functional MHC assays and on allozyme surveys. When homologous class I probes were employed, a notable concordance was observed between the extent of MHC restriction fragment variation and functional MHC variation detected by skin grafts or genome-wide diversity estimated by allozyme screens. These results confirm the genetically depauperate character of the African cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, and the Asiatic lion, Panthera leo persica; further, they support the use of class I MHC molecular reagents in estimating the extent and character of genetic diversity in natural populations

Management by Trajectory: Trajectory Management Study Report

Science.gov (United States)

Leiden, Kenneth; Atkins, Stephen; Fernandes, Alicia D.; Kaler, Curt; Bell, Alan; Kilbourne, Todd; Evans, Mark

2017-01-01

In order to realize the full potential of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), improved management along planned trajectories between air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and system users (e.g., pilots and airline dispatchers) is needed. Future automation improvements and increased data communications between aircraft and ground automation would make the concept of Management by Trajectory (MBT) possible.

Sustained fitness gains and variability in fitness trajectories in the long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli

Science.gov (United States)

Lenski, Richard E.; Wiser, Michael J.; Ribeck, Noah; Blount, Zachary D.; Nahum, Joshua R.; Morris, J. Jeffrey; Zaman, Luis; Turner, Caroline B.; Wade, Brian D.; Maddamsetti, Rohan; Burmeister, Alita R.; Baird, Elizabeth J.; Bundy, Jay; Grant, Nkrumah A.; Card, Kyle J.; Rowles, Maia; Weatherspoon, Kiyana; Papoulis, Spiridon E.; Sullivan, Rachel; Clark, Colleen; Mulka, Joseph S.; Hajela, Neerja

2015-01-01

Many populations live in environments subject to frequent biotic and abiotic changes. Nonetheless, it is interesting to ask whether an evolving population's mean fitness can increase indefinitely, and potentially without any limit, even in a constant environment. A recent study showed that fitness trajectories of Escherichia coli populations over 50 000 generations were better described by a power-law model than by a hyperbolic model. According to the power-law model, the rate of fitness gain declines over time but fitness has no upper limit, whereas the hyperbolic model implies a hard limit. Here, we examine whether the previously estimated power-law model predicts the fitness trajectory for an additional 10 000 generations. To that end, we conducted more than 1100 new competitive fitness assays. Consistent with the previous study, the power-law model fits the new data better than the hyperbolic model. We also analysed the variability in fitness among populations, finding subtle, but significant, heterogeneity in mean fitness. Some, but not all, of this variation reflects differences in mutation rate that evolved over time. Taken together, our results imply that both adaptation and divergence can continue indefinitely—or at least for a long time—even in a constant environment. PMID:26674951

Characteristics of the magnetic wall reflection model on ion acceleration in gas-puff z pinch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishio, M.; Takasugi, K.

2013-01-01

The magnetic wall reflection model was examined with the numerical simulation of the trajectory calculation of particles. This model is for the ions accelerated by some current-independent mechanism. The trajectory calculation showed angle dependency of highest velocities of accelerated particles. This characteristics is of the magnetic wall reflection model, not of the other current-independent acceleration mechanism. Thomson parabola measurements of accelerated ions produced in the gas-puff z-pinch experiments were carried out for the verification of the angle dependency. (author)

Longitudinal Trajectories of Cholesterol from Midlife through Late Life according to Apolipoprotein E Allele Status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian Downer

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Previous research indicates that total cholesterol levels increase with age during young adulthood and middle age and decline with age later in life. This is attributed to changes in diet, body composition, medication use, physical activity, and hormone levels. In the current study we utilized data from the Framingham Heart Study Original Cohort to determine if variations in apolipoprotein E (APOE, a gene involved in regulating cholesterol homeostasis, influence trajectories of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and total: HDL cholesterol ratio from midlife through late life. Methods: Cholesterol trajectories from midlife through late life were modeled using generalized additive mixed models and mixed-effects regression models. Results: APOE e2+ subjects had lower total cholesterol levels, higher HDL cholesterol levels, and lower total: HDL cholesterol ratios from midlife to late life compared to APOE e3 and APOE e4+ subjects. Statistically significant differences in life span cholesterol trajectories according to gender and use of cholesterol-lowering medications were also detected. Conclusion: The findings from this research provide evidence that variations in APOE modify trajectories of serum cholesterol from midlife to late life. In order to efficiently modify cholesterol through the life span, it is important to take into account APOE allele status.

Applications of low lift to drag ratio aerobrakes using angle of attack variation for control

Science.gov (United States)

Mulqueen, J. A.

1991-01-01

Several applications of low lift to drag ratio aerobrakes are investigated which use angle of attack variation for control. The applications are: return from geosynchronous or lunar orbit to low Earth orbit; and planetary aerocapture at Earth and Mars. A number of aerobrake design considerations are reviewed. It was found that the flow impingement behind the aerobrake and the aerodynamic heating loads are the primary factors that control the sizing of an aerobrake. The heating loads and other loads, such as maximum acceleration, are determined by the vehicle ballistic coefficient, the atmosphere entry conditions, and the trajectory design. Several formulations for defining an optimum trajectory are reviewed, and the various performance indices that can be used are evaluated. The 'nearly grazing' optimal trajectory was found to provide the best compromise between the often conflicting goals of minimizing the vehicle propulsive requirements and minimizing vehicle loads. The relationship between vehicle and trajectory design is investigated further using the results of numerical simulations of trajectories for each aerobrake application. The data show the sensitivity of the trajectories to several vehicle parameters and atmospheric density variations. The results of the trajectory analysis show that low lift to drag ratio aerobrakes, which use angle of attack variation for control, can potentially be used for a wide range of aerobrake applications.

Training trajectories by continuous recurrent multilayer networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Leistritz, L; Galicki, M; Witte, H; Kochs, E

2002-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of training trajectories by means of continuous recurrent neural networks whose feedforward parts are multilayer perceptrons. Such networks can approximate a general nonlinear dynamic system with arbitrary accuracy. The learning process is transformed into an optimal control framework where the weights are the controls to be determined. A training algorithm based upon a variational formulation of Pontryagin's maximum principle is proposed for such networks. Computer examples demonstrating the efficiency of the given approach are also presented.

Variation in narrative identity is associated with trajectories of mental health over several years.

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Jonathan M; Turner, Ariana F; Brookshier, Kathryn M; Monahan, Casey; Walder-Biesanz, Ilana; Harmeling, Luke H; Albaugh, Michelle; McAdams, Dan P; Oltmanns, Thomas F

2015-03-01

This article presents 2 longitudinal studies designed to assess the relationship between variability in narrative identity and trajectories of mental health over several years. In Study 1, core scenes from 89 late-mid-life adults' life stories were assessed for several narrative themes. Participants' mental health and physical health were assessed concurrently with the narratives and annually for the subsequent 4 years. Concurrent analyses indicated that the themes of agency, redemption, and contamination were significantly associated with mental health. Longitudinal analyses indicated that these same 3 themes were significantly associated with participants' trajectories of mental health over the course of 4 years. Exploratory analyses indicated that narratives of challenging experiences may be central to this pattern of results. In Study 2, similar longitudinal analyses were conducted on a sample of 27 late-mid-life adults who received a major physical illness diagnosis between the baseline assessment and 6 months later and a matched sample of 27 control participants who remained healthy throughout the study. Participants' mental health and physical health were assessed every 6 months for 2 years. In this study, the themes of agency, communion, redemption, and contamination in participants' life narratives collected at baseline (before any participant became sick) were significantly associated with mental health in the group of participants who went on to receive a medical diagnosis, but not in the control group. Taken together, the results of these 2 studies indicate that the way an individual constructs personal narratives may impact his or her trajectory of mental health over time. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Variation in Narrative Identity is Associated with Trajectories of Mental Health over Several Years

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Jonathan M.; Turner, Ariana F.; Brookshier, Kathryn M.; Monahan, Casey; Walder-Biesanz, Ilana; Harmeling, Luke H.; Albaugh, Michelle; McAdams, Dan P.; Oltmanns, Thomas F.

2015-01-01

This paper presents two longitudinal studies designed to assess the relationship between variability in narrative identity and trajectories of mental health over several years. In Study 1, core scenes from 89 late-mid-life adults’ life stories were assessed for several narrative themes. Participants’ mental health and physical health were assessed concurrently with the narratives and once a year for the subsequent four years. Concurrent analyses indicated that the themes of agency, redemption, and contamination were significantly associated with mental (but not physical) health. Longitudinal analyses indicated that these same three themes were significantly associated with participants’ trajectories of mental health over the course of four years. Exploratory analyses indicated that narratives of challenging experiences may be central to this pattern of results. In Study 2, similar longitudinal analyses were conducted on a sample of 27 late-mid-life adults who received a major physical illness diagnosis between the baseline assessment and six months later and a matched sample of 27 control participants who remained healthy throughout the study. Participants’ mental health and physical health were assessed every six months for two years. In this tightly controlled study, the themes of agency, communion, redemption, and contamination in participants’ life narratives collected at Baseline (before any participant got sick) were significantly positively associated with mental health in the group of participants who went on to receive a medical diagnosis, but not in the control group. Taken together, the results of these two studies indicate that the way an individual constructs personal narratives may impact his or her trajectory of mental health over time. PMID:25751718

HOTSPOTS DETECTION FROM TRAJECTORY DATA BASED ON SPATIOTEMPORAL DATA FIELD CLUSTERING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Qin

2017-09-01

Full Text Available City hotspots refer to the areas where residents visit frequently, and large traffic flow exist, which reflect the people travel patterns and distribution of urban function area. Taxi trajectory data contain abundant information about urban functions and citizen activities, and extracting interesting city hotspots from them can be of importance in urban planning, traffic command, public travel services etc. To detect city hotspots and discover a variety of changing patterns among them, we introduce a data field-based cluster analysis technique to the pick-up and drop-off points of taxi trajectory data and improve the method by introducing the time weight, which has been normalized to estimate the potential value in data field. Thus, in the light of the new potential function in data field, short distance and short time difference play a powerful role. So the region full of trajectory points, which is regarded as hotspots area, has a higher potential value, while the region with thin trajectory points has a lower potential value. The taxi trajectory data of Wuhan city in China on May 1, 6 and 9, 2015, are taken as the experimental data. From the result, we find the sustaining hotspots area and inconstant hotspots area in Wuhan city based on the spatiotemporal data field method. Further study will focus on optimizing parameter and the interaction among hotspots area.

Trajectories of martian habitability.

Science.gov (United States)

Cockell, Charles S

2014-02-01

Beginning from two plausible starting points-an uninhabited or inhabited Mars-this paper discusses the possible trajectories of martian habitability over time. On an uninhabited Mars, the trajectories follow paths determined by the abundance of uninhabitable environments and uninhabited habitats. On an inhabited Mars, the addition of a third environment type, inhabited habitats, results in other trajectories, including ones where the planet remains inhabited today or others where planetary-scale life extinction occurs. By identifying different trajectories of habitability, corresponding hypotheses can be described that allow for the various trajectories to be disentangled and ultimately a determination of which trajectory Mars has taken and the changing relative abundance of its constituent environments.

Influence of drag force upon the shortest time trajectory of an aircraft

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrei CRAIFALEANU

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The shortest time trajectory of an aircraft between two given locations is determined using a simple mathematical model. By taking into account the drag force (viscous friction force with the air, a problem of variational calculus is obtained which consists in determining two functions that minimize a functional, subject to a non-holonomic constraint. The trajectory is determined directly, by numerical integration of Euler equations with multipliers. Three types of drag forces were considered: constant, linear and quadratic. The results are verified through comparison to the values obtained from numerical minimization of the involved functional approximate forms.

Automatic Generation of Complex Spatial Trajectories of the UAV and Synthesis of Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. B. Tkachev

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a new method and algorithms that allow us to design complex spatial trajectories for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV passing through a given sequence of waypoints in the three-dimensional space.The nonlinear six-dimensional model of the UAV center-of-mass motion given in the trajectory frame is used for calculations. The state vector includes the altitude, the along-track deviation, the cross-track position, the velocity, the flight-path angle and the heading angle. The longitudinal and transverse overloads and the angle between the cross overload vector and vertical plane are considered as controls. This angle is often named as the roll angle.The feature of the problem is that both positions at waypoints and additional conditions are given. These conditions determine orientation of the velocity vector at each point (using the flight path angle and the heading angle. We also set either the point-visiting time or the pointvisiting velocity. The full state vector and controls are fixed at the starting waypoint.To construct a spatial trajectory, the concept of inverse dynamics problems is applied, as well as modern results of mathematical control theory of nonlinear dynamical systems. The introduction of new virtual controls allows us to represent the original system as an affine (linear in control system. Then, the designed system is converted into the regular canonical form.When we set flight times between any two waypoints, the corresponding segments of the trajectory are designed using time-dependent polynomials of the fifth degree. These polynomials specify the altitude variation, the variation of the along-track deviation and that of the cross-track position. If the point-visiting times are not fixed, the transition to a new independent variable (the normalized mechanical energy of the system is used. This transition is possible if the energy varies monotonically. In this case, the spatial trajectory is defined as a

Minimizers with discontinuous velocities for the electromagnetic variational method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Luca, Jayme

2010-01-01

The electromagnetic two-body problem has neutral differential delay equations of motion that, for generic boundary data, can have solutions with discontinuous derivatives. If one wants to use these neutral differential delay equations with arbitrary boundary data, solutions with discontinuous derivatives must be expected and allowed. Surprisingly, Wheeler-Feynman electrodynamics has a boundary value variational method for which minimizer trajectories with discontinuous derivatives are also expected, as we show here. The variational method defines continuous trajectories with piecewise defined velocities and accelerations, and electromagnetic fields defined by the Euler-Lagrange equations on trajectory points. Here we use the piecewise defined minimizers with the Lienard-Wierchert formulas to define generalized electromagnetic fields almost everywhere (but on sets of points of zero measure where the advanced/retarded velocities and/or accelerations are discontinuous). Along with this generalization we formulate the generalized absorber hypothesis that the far fields vanish asymptotically almost everywhere and show that localized orbits with far fields vanishing almost everywhere must have discontinuous velocities on sewing chains of breaking points. We give the general solution for localized orbits with vanishing far fields by solving a (linear) neutral differential delay equation for these far fields. We discuss the physics of orbits with discontinuous derivatives stressing the differences to the variational methods of classical mechanics and the existence of a spinorial four-current associated with the generalized variational electrodynamics.

PANTHER. Trajectory Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rintoul, Mark Daniel [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Wilson, Andrew T. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Valicka, Christopher G. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kegelmeyer, W. Philip [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Shead, Timothy M. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Newton, Benjamin D. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Czuchlewski, Kristina Rodriguez [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-09-01

We want to organize a body of trajectories in order to identify, search for, classify and predict behavior among objects such as aircraft and ships. Existing compari- son functions such as the Fr'echet distance are computationally expensive and yield counterintuitive results in some cases. We propose an approach using feature vectors whose components represent succinctly the salient information in trajectories. These features incorporate basic information such as total distance traveled and distance be- tween start/stop points as well as geometric features related to the properties of the convex hull, trajectory curvature and general distance geometry. Additionally, these features can generally be mapped easily to behaviors of interest to humans that are searching large databases. Most of these geometric features are invariant under rigid transformation. We demonstrate the use of different subsets of these features to iden- tify trajectories similar to an exemplar, cluster a database of several hundred thousand trajectories, predict destination and apply unsupervised machine learning algorithms.

Millennial-scale climate variations recorded in Early Pliocene colour reflectance time series from the lacustrine Ptolemais Basin (NW Greece)

Science.gov (United States)

Steenbrink, J.; Kloosterboer-van Hoeve, M. L.; Hilgen, F. J.

2003-03-01

Quaternary climate proxy records show compelling evidence for climate variability on time scales of a few thousand years. The causes for these millennial-scale or sub-Milankovitch cycles are still poorly understood, not least due to the complex feedback mechanisms of large ice sheets during the Quaternary. We present evidence of millennial-scale climate variability in Early Pliocene lacustrine sediments from the intramontane Ptolemais Basin in northwestern Greece. The sediments are well exposed in a series of open-pit lignite mines and exhibit a distinct millennial-scale sedimentary cyclicity of alternating lignites and lacustrine marl beds that resulted from precession-induced variations in climate. The higher-frequency, millennial-scale cyclicity is particularly prominent within the grey-coloured marl segment of individual cycles. A stratigraphic interval of ˜115 ka, covering five precession-induced sedimentary cycles, was studied in nine parallel sections from two open-pit lignite mines located several km apart. High-resolution colour reflectance records were used to quantify the within-cycle variability and to determine its lateral continuity. Much of the within-cycle variability could be correlated between the parallel sections, even in fine detail, which suggests that these changes reflect basin-wide variations in environmental conditions related to (regional) climate fluctuations. Interbedded volcanic ash beds demonstrate the synchronicity of these fluctuations and spectral analysis of the reflectance time series shows a significant concentration of within-cycle variability at periods of ˜11, ˜5.5 and ˜2 ka. The occurrence of variability at such time scales at times before the intensification of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation suggests that they cannot solely have resulted from internal ice-sheet dynamics. Possible candidates include harmonics or combination tones of the main orbital cycles, variations in solar output or periodic motions of the Earth

Trajectory of a synthetic jet issuing into a high Reynolds number turbulent boundary layer

Science.gov (United States)

Berk, Tim; Baidya, Rio; de Silva, Charitha; Marusic, Ivan; Hutchins, Nicholas; Ganapathisubramani, Bharathram

2017-11-01

Synthetic jets are zero-net-mass-flux actuators that can be used in a range of flow control applications. For several pulsed/synthetic jet in cross-flow applications the variation of the jet trajectory in the mean flow with jet and boundary layer parameters is important. This trajectory will provide an indication of the penetration depth of the pulsed/synthetic jet into a boundary layer. Trajectories of a synthetic jet in a turbulent boundary layer are measured for a range of actuation parameters in both low- and high Reynolds numbers (up to Reτ = 13000). The important parameters influencing the trajectory are determined from these measurements. The Reynolds number of the boundary layer is shown to only have a small effect on the trajectory. In fact, the critical parameters are found to be the Strouhal number of the jet based on jet dimensions as well as the velocity ratio of the jet (defined as a ratio between peak jet velocity and the freestream velocity). An expression for the trajectory of the synthetic (or pulsed) jet is derived from the data, which (in the limit) is consistent with known expressions for the trajectory of a steady jet in a cross-flow. T.B. and B.G. are grateful to the support from the ERC (Grant Agreement No. 277472) and the EPSRC (Grant ref. no. EP/L006383/1).

Controlling X-ray beam trajectory with a flexible hollow glass fibre

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Yoshihito, E-mail: yotanaka@riken.jp [RIKEN, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan); Kwansei Gakuin University, Gakuen, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1337 (Japan); Nakatani, Takashi; Onitsuka, Rena [Kwansei Gakuin University, Gakuen, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1337 (Japan); Sawada, Kei [RIKEN, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan); Takahashi, Isao [Kwansei Gakuin University, Gakuen, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1337 (Japan)

2014-01-01

X-ray beam trajectory control has been performed by using a 1.5 m-long flexible hollow glass fibre. A two-dimensional scan of a synchrotron radiation beam was demonstrated for X-ray absorption mapping. A metre-length flexible hollow glass fibre with 20 µm-bore and 1.5 mm-cladding diameters for transporting a synchrotron X-ray beam and controlling the trajectory has been examined. The large cladding diameter maintains a moderate curvature to satisfy the shallow glancing angle of total reflection. The observed transmission efficiency was more than 20% at 12.4 keV. As a demonstration, a wide-area scan of a synchrotron radiation beam was performed to identify the elements for a fixed metal film through its absorption spectra.

Adaptive Trajectory Design

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Adaptive Trajectory Design (ATD) is an original concept for quick and efficient end-to-end trajectory designs using proven piece-wise dynamical methods. With ongoing...

Identification of sources and long term trends for pollutants in the arctic using isentropic trajectory analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahura, A.; Jaffe, D.; Harris, J.

2003-07-01

The understanding of factors driving climate and ecosystem changes in the Arctic requires careful consideration of the sources, correlation and trends for anthropogenic pollutants. The database from the NOAA-CMDL Barrow Observatory (71deg.17'N, 156deg.47'W) is the longest and most complete record of pollutant measurements in the Arctic. It includes observations of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), methane (CH{sub 4}), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O{sub 3}), aerosol scattering coefficient ({sigma}{sub sp}), aerosol number concentration (NC{sub asl}), etc. The objectives of this study are to understand the role of long-range transport to Barrow in explaining: (1) the year-to-year variations, and (2) the trends in the atmospheric chemistry record at the NOAA-CMDL Barrow observatory. The key questions we try to answer are: 1. What is the relationship between various chemical species measured at Barrow Observatory, Alaska and transport pathways at various altitudes? 2. What are the trends of species and their relation to transport patterns from the source regions? 3. What is the impact of the Prudhoe Bay emissions on the Barrow's records? To answer on these questions we apply the following main research tools. First, it is an isentropic trajectory model used to calculate the trajectories arriving at Barrow at three altitudes of 0.5, 1.5 and 3 km above sea level. Second - clustering procedure used to divide the trajectories into groups based on source regions. Third - various statistical analysis tools such as the exploratory data analysis, two component correlation analysis, trend analysis, principal components and factor analysis used to identify the relationship between various chemical species vs. source regions as a function of time. In this study, we used the chemical data from the NOAA-CMDL Barrow observatory in combination with isentropic backward trajectories from gridded ECMWF data to understand the importance of various pollutant source regions on

Identification of sources and long term trends for pollutants in the arctic using isentropic trajectory analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahura, A.; Jaffe, D.; Harris, J.

2003-01-01

The understanding of factors driving climate and ecosystem changes in the Arctic requires careful consideration of the sources, correlation and trends for anthropogenic pollutants. The database from the NOAA-CMDL Barrow Observatory (71deg.17'N, 156deg.47'W) is the longest and most complete record of pollutant measurements in the Arctic. It includes observations of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O 3 ), aerosol scattering coefficient (σ sp ), aerosol number concentration (NC asl ), etc. The objectives of this study are to understand the role of long-range transport to Barrow in explaining: (1) the year-to-year variations, and (2) the trends in the atmospheric chemistry record at the NOAA-CMDL Barrow observatory. The key questions we try to answer are: 1. What is the relationship between various chemical species measured at Barrow Observatory, Alaska and transport pathways at various altitudes? 2. What are the trends of species and their relation to transport patterns from the source regions? 3. What is the impact of the Prudhoe Bay emissions on the Barrow's records? To answer on these questions we apply the following main research tools. First, it is an isentropic trajectory model used to calculate the trajectories arriving at Barrow at three altitudes of 0.5, 1.5 and 3 km above sea level. Second - clustering procedure used to divide the trajectories into groups based on source regions. Third - various statistical analysis tools such as the exploratory data analysis, two component correlation analysis, trend analysis, principal components and factor analysis used to identify the relationship between various chemical species vs. source regions as a function of time. In this study, we used the chemical data from the NOAA-CMDL Barrow observatory in combination with isentropic backward trajectories from gridded ECMWF data to understand the importance of various pollutant source regions on atmospheric composition in the Arctic. We

Trajectories of health-related quality of life during the natural history of dementia: a six-wave longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hongmei; Gao, Caihong; Zhang, Yanbo; He, Runlian; Zhou, Liye; Liang, Ruifeng

2017-09-01

The objective of this study was to explore profiles of quality of life (QoL) trajectories during the natural history of dementia and individual variations contributing to QoL trajectories. We conducted a longitudinal community-based study of 520 elderly people with mild cognitive impairment and 100 healthy people aged 60 years or over. We conducted six waves of assessment between October 2010 and May 2013 in Taiyuan, mainland China. Cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment, global impairment, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) were defined as state 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. We assessed health-related QoL (HRQoL) via the Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD) Chinese version. We used the latent growth curve model (LGCM) to investigate change in HRQoL over time. Latent growth curve model analysis revealed a mean initial QoL level of 29.865 with substantial variation and a significant mean slope for the whole sample. Multigroup LGCM showed substantial variations across individuals in initial QoL levels for each cognitive state transition group. For the slope factor, we found significant changes and variations for the transition from state 2 to 3 and from state 3 to 4. We estimated mean QoL levels over six assessments based on intercept, slope, and factor loadings for the whole sample and the three cognitive state transition groups. A decline in subjective QoL is not inevitable during the natural history of dementia in community settings, and there is a degree of individual variation in QoL. Future studies should investigate the factors associated with individual variations in QoL trajectories in AD. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Developmental trajectories in primary schoolchildren using n-back task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mónica eLópez-Vicente

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Neuropsychological instruments to assess cognitive trajectories during childhood in epidemiological studies are needed. This would improve neurodevelopment characterization in order to identify its potential determinants. We aimed to study whether repeated measures of n-back, a working memory task, detect developmental trajectories in schoolchildren during a one-year follow-up.Methods: We administered the n-back task to 2,897 healthy children aged 7-11 years old from 39 schools in Barcelona (Spain. The task consisted of 2 levels of complexity or loads (2- and 3-back and 2 different stimuli (numbers and words. Participants performed the task four times from January 2012 to March 2013. To study the trajectories during the follow-up, we performed linear mixed-effects models including school, individual and age as random effects.Results: We observed improvements related to age in n-back outcomes d’, HRT and accuracy, as well as reduced cognitive growth at older ages in d’ and HRT. Greater improvements in performance were observed at younger ages, in 2-back, in verbal rather than numerical stimuli and in girls compared to boys. Boys responded faster at baseline, while girls showed increased growth in 2-back numbers. Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms (15% of boys and 6% of girls had a lower working memory at baseline, but they showed similar cognitive growth trajectories in numbers variants of the task, as compared to children without ADHD symptoms. However, the age-related improvement in response speed was not observed in children with ADHD symptoms. Conclusions: Changes in n-back outcomes reflected developmental trajectories in one-year follow-up. The present results suggest that the repeated administration of this task can be used to study the factors that may alter the cognitive development during childhood.

Studying precipitation recycling over the Tibetan Plateau using evaporation-tagging and back-trajectory analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Y.

2017-12-01

Regional precipitation recycling (i.e., the contribution of local evaporation to local precipitation) is an important component of water cycle over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Two methods were used to investigate regional precipitation recycling: 1) tracking of tagged atmospheric water parcels originating from evaporation in a source region (i.e., E-tagging), and 2) back-trajectory approach to track the evaporative sources contributed to precipitation in a specific region. These two methods were applied to Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate simulations to quantify the precipitation recycling ratio in the TP for three selected years: climatologically normal, dry and wet year. The simulation region is characterized by high average elevation above 4000 m and complex terrain. The back-trajectory approach is also calculated over three sub-regions over the TP: namely western, northeastern and southeastern TP, and the E-tagging approach could provide recycling-ratio distributions over the whole TP. Three aspects are investigated to characterize the precipitation recycling: annual mean, seasonal variations and spatial distributions. Averaged over the TP, the precipitation recycling ratio estimated by the E-tagging approach is higher than that from the back-trajectory method. The back-trajectory approach uses a precipitation threshold as total precipitation in five days divided by a random number, and this number was set to 500 as a tread off between equilibrium and computational efficiency. Lower recycling ratio derived from the back-trajectory approach is related to the precipitation threshold used. The E-tagging, however, tracks every air parcel of evaporation regardless of the precipitation amount. There is no obvious seasonal variation in the recycling ratio using both methods. The E-tagging approach shows high recycling ratios in the center TP, indicating stronger land-atmospheric interactions than elsewhere.

A millennium of north-east Atlantic cod juvenile growth trajectories inferred from archaeological otoliths.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guðbjörg Ásta Ólafsdóttir

Full Text Available Archaeological excavations of historical fishing sites across the North Atlantic have recovered high quantities of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua bones. In the current study we use Atlantic cod otoliths from archaeological excavations of a historical fishing sites in north-west Iceland, dated to AD 970 -AD 1910 to examine historical growth trajectories of cod. No large scale growth variations or shifts in growth patterns were observed in the current chronologies, supporting the stability of historical Atlantic cod growth trajectories. The most significant variation in growth patterns was consistent with those that have been observed in recent times, for example, reduced early juvenile growth during periods of colder ocean temperature. The current results represent a high resolution chronological record of north-east Atlantic cod growth, greatly increasing the prior temporal range of such data, thereby providing a valuable baseline for a broad range of studies on Atlantic cod growth.

Variable trajectory model for regional assessments of air pollution from sulfur compounds.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Powell, D.C.; McNaughton, D.J.; Wendell, L.L.; Drake, R.L.

1979-02-01

This report describes a sulfur oxides atmospheric pollution model that calculates trajectories using single-layer historical wind data as well as chemical transformation and deposition following discrete contaminant air masses. Vertical diffusion under constraints is calculated, but all horizontal dispersion is a funcion of trajectory variation. The ground-level air concentrations and deposition are calculated in a rectangular area comprising the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Calculations for a 29-day assessment period in April 1974 are presented along with a limited verification. Results for the studies were calculated using a source inventory comprising 61% of the anthropogenic SO/sub 2/ emissions. Using current model parameterization levels, predicted concentration values are most sensitive to variations in dry deposition of SO/sub 2/, wet deposition of sulfate, and transformation of SO/sub 2/ to sulfate. Replacing the variable mixed-layer depth and variable stability features of the model with constant definitions of each results in increased ground-level concentration predicions for SO/sub 2/ and particularly for sulfate.

Computation of quantum electron transport with local current conservation using quantum trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alarcón, A; Oriols, X

2009-01-01

A recent proposal for modeling time-dependent quantum electron transport with Coulomb and exchange correlations using quantum (Bohm) trajectories (Oriols 2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 066803) is extended towards the computation of the total (particle plus displacement) current in mesoscopic devices. In particular, two different methods for the practical computation of the total current are compared. The first method computes the particle and the displacement currents from the rate of Bohm particles crossing a particular surface and the time-dependent variations of the electric field there. The second method uses the Ramo–Shockley theorem to compute the total current on that surface from the knowledge of the Bohm particle dynamics in a 3D volume and the time-dependent variations of the electric field on the boundaries of that volume. From a computational point of view, it is shown that both methods achieve local current conservation, but the second is preferred because it is free from 'spurious' peaks. A numerical example, a Bohm trajectory crossing a double-barrier tunneling structure, is presented, supporting the conclusions

Computing with spatial trajectories

CERN Document Server

2011-01-01

Covers the fundamentals and the state-of-the-art research inspired by the spatial trajectory data Readers are provided with tutorial-style chapters, case studies and references to other relevant research work This is the first book that presents the foundation dealing with spatial trajectories and state-of-the-art research and practices enabled by trajectories

Statistical trajectory of an approximate EM algorithm for probabilistic image processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Kazuyuki; Titterington, D M

2007-01-01

We calculate analytically a statistical average of trajectories of an approximate expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm with generalized belief propagation (GBP) and a Gaussian graphical model for the estimation of hyperparameters from observable data in probabilistic image processing. A statistical average with respect to observed data corresponds to a configuration average for the random-field Ising model in spin glass theory. In the present paper, hyperparameters which correspond to interactions and external fields of spin systems are estimated by an approximate EM algorithm. A practical algorithm is described for gray-level image restoration based on a Gaussian graphical model and GBP. The GBP approach corresponds to the cluster variation method in statistical mechanics. Our main result in the present paper is to obtain the statistical average of the trajectory in the approximate EM algorithm by using loopy belief propagation and GBP with respect to degraded images generated from a probability density function with true values of hyperparameters. The statistical average of the trajectory can be expressed in terms of recursion formulas derived from some analytical calculations

Synthesis of asymmetric movement trajectories in timed rhythmic behaviour by means of frequency modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Waadeland, Carl Haakon

2017-01-01

Results from different empirical investigations on gestural aspects of timed rhythmic movements indicate that the production of asymmetric movement trajectories is a feature that seems to be a common characteristic of various performances of repetitive rhythmic patterns. The behavioural or neural origin of these asymmetrical trajectories is, however, not identified. In the present study we outline a theoretical model that is capable of producing syntheses of asymmetric movement trajectories documented in empirical investigations by Balasubramaniam et al. (2004). Characteristic qualities of the extension/flexion profiles in the observed asymmetric trajectories are reproduced, and we conduct an experiment similar to Balasubramaniam et al. (2004) to show that the empirically documented movement trajectories and our modelled approximations share the same spectral components. The model is based on an application of frequency modulated movements, and a theoretical interpretation offered by the model is to view paced rhythmic movements as a result of an unpaced movement being "stretched" and "compressed", caused by the presence of a metronome. We discuss our model construction within the framework of event-based and emergent timing, and argue that a change between these timing modes might be reflected by the strength of the modulation in our model. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TrajAnalytics: A Web-Based Visual Analytics Software of Urban Trajectory

OpenAIRE

Zhao, Ye; AL-Dohuki, Shamal; Eynon, Thomas; Kamw, Farah; Sheets, David; Ma, Chao; Ye, Xinyue; Hu, Yueqi; Feng, Tinghao; Yang, Jing

2017-01-01

Advanced technologies in sensing and computing have created urban trajectory datasets of humans and vehicles travelling over urban road networks. Understanding and analyzing the large-scale, complex data reflecting city dynamics is of great importance to enhance both human lives and urban environments. Domain practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers need to store, manage, query and visualize such big datasets. We develop a software system named TrajAnalytics, which explicitly supports ...

Evaluating management risks using landscape trajectory analysis: a case study of California fisher

Science.gov (United States)

Craig M. Thompson; William J. Zielinski; Kathryn L. Purcell

2011-01-01

Ecosystem management requires an understanding of how landscapes vary in space and time, how this variation can be affected by management decisions or stochastic events, and the potential consequences for species. Landscape trajectory analysis, coupled with a basic knowledge of species habitat selection, offers a straightforward approach to ecological risk analysis and...

Generic trajectory representation and trajectory following for wheeled robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Morten; Andersen, Nils Axel; Ravn, Ole

2014-01-01

will drive. Safe: Avoid fatal collisions. Based on a survey of existing methods and algorithms the article presents a generic way to represent constraints for different types of robots, a generic way to represent trajectories using Bëzier curves, a method to convert the trajectory so it can be driven...... in a smooth motion, a method to create a safe velocity profile for the robot, and a path following controller....

A study of variable thrust, variable specific impulse trajectories for solar system exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Tadashi

A study has been performed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of variable thrust and variable Isp (specific impulse) trajectories for solar system exploration. There have been several numerical research efforts for variable thrust, variable Isp, power-limited trajectory optimization problems. All of these results conclude that variable thrust, variable Isp (variable specific impulse, or VSI) engines are superior to constant thrust, constant Isp (constant specific impulse; or CSI) engines. However, most of these research efforts assume a mission from Earth to Mars, and some of them further assume that these planets are circular and coplanar. Hence they still lack the generality. This research has been conducted to answer the following questions: (1) Is a VSI engine always better than a CSI engine or a high thrust engine for any mission to any planet with any time of flight considering lower propellant mass as the sole criterion? (2) If a planetary swing-by is used for a VSI trajectory, is the fuel savings of a VSI swing-by trajectory better than that of a CSI swing-by or high thrust swing-by trajectory? To support this research, an unique, new computer-based interplanetary trajectory calculation program has been created. This program utilizes a calculus of variations algorithm to perform overall optimization of thrust, Isp, and thrust vector direction along a trajectory that minimizes fuel consumption for interplanetary travel. It is assumed that the propulsion system is power-limited, and thus the compromise between thrust and Isp is a variable to be optimized along the flight path. This program is capable of optimizing not only variable thrust trajectories but also constant thrust trajectories in 3-D space using a planetary ephemeris database. It is also capable of conducting planetary swing-bys. Using this program, various Earth-originating trajectories have been investigated and the optimized results have been compared to traditional CSI and high

Associations between trajectories of perceived racial discrimination and psychological symptoms among African American adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith-Bynum, Mia A; Lambert, Sharon F; English, Devin; Ialongo, Nicholas S

2014-11-01

Many African American adolescents experience racial discrimination, with adverse consequences; however, stability and change in these experiences over time have not been examined. We examined longitudinal patterns of perceived racial discrimination assessed in Grades 7-10 and how these discrimination trajectories related to patterns of change in depressive and anxious symptoms and aggressive behaviors assessed over the same 4-year period. Growth mixture modeling performed on a community epidemiologically defined sample of urban African American adolescents (n = 504) revealed three trajectories of discrimination: increasing, decreasing, and stable low. As predicted, African American boys were more frequent targets for racial discrimination as they aged, and they were more likely to be in the increasing group. The results of parallel process growth mixture modeling revealed that youth in the increasing racial discrimination group were four times more likely to be in an increasing depression trajectory than were youth in the low stable discrimination trajectory. Though youth in the increasing racial discrimination group were nearly twice as likely to be in the high aggression trajectory, results were not statistically significant. These results indicate an association between variation in the growth of perceived racial discrimination and youth behavior and psychological well-being over the adolescent years.

Theory of reflection reflection and transmission of electromagnetic, particle and acoustic waves

CERN Document Server

Lekner, John

2016-01-01

This book deals with the reflection of electromagnetic and particle waves by interfaces. The interfaces can be sharp or diffuse. The topics of the book contain absorption, inverse problems, anisotropy, pulses and finite beams, rough surfaces, matrix methods, numerical methods,  reflection of particle waves and neutron reflection. Exact general results are presented, followed by long wave reflection, variational theory, reflection amplitude equations of the Riccati type, and reflection of short waves. The Second Edition of the Theory of Reflection is an updated and much enlarged revision of the 1987 monograph. There are new chapters on periodically stratified media, ellipsometry, chiral media, neutron reflection and reflection of acoustic waves. The chapter on anisotropy is much extended, with a complete treatment of the reflection and transmission properties of arbitrarily oriented uniaxial crystals. The book gives a systematic and unified treatment reflection and transmission of electromagnetic and particle...

Degenerate variational integrators for magnetic field line flow and guiding center trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Ellison, C. L.; Finn, J. M.; Burby, J. W.; Kraus, M.; Qin, H.; Tang, W. M.

2018-05-01

Symplectic integrators offer many benefits for numerically approximating solutions to Hamiltonian differential equations, including bounded energy error and the preservation of invariant sets. Two important Hamiltonian systems encountered in plasma physics—the flow of magnetic field lines and the guiding center motion of magnetized charged particles—resist symplectic integration by conventional means because the dynamics are most naturally formulated in non-canonical coordinates. New algorithms were recently developed using the variational integration formalism; however, those integrators were found to admit parasitic mode instabilities due to their multistep character. This work eliminates the multistep character, and therefore the parasitic mode instabilities via an adaptation of the variational integration formalism that we deem "degenerate variational integration." Both the magnetic field line and guiding center Lagrangians are degenerate in the sense that the resultant Euler-Lagrange equations are systems of first-order ordinary differential equations. We show that retaining the same degree of degeneracy when constructing discrete Lagrangians yields one-step variational integrators preserving a non-canonical symplectic structure. Numerical examples demonstrate the benefits of the new algorithms, including superior stability relative to the existing variational integrators for these systems and superior qualitative behavior relative to non-conservative algorithms.

Early Life Growth Predictors of Childhood Adiposity Trajectories and Future Risk for Obesity: Birth to Twenty Cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Munthali, Richard J; Kagura, Juliana; Lombard, Zané; Norris, Shane A

2017-10-01

There is growing evidence of variations in adiposity trajectories among individuals, but the influence of early life growth patterns on these trajectories is underresearched in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, our aim was to examine the association between early life conditional weight gain and childhood adiposity trajectories. We previously identified distinct adiposity trajectories (four for girls and three for boys) in black South African children (boys = 877; girls = 947). The association between the trajectories and early life growth patterns, and future obesity risk was assessed by multivariate linear and multinomial logistic and logistic regressions. Conditional weight gain independent of height was computed for infancy (0-2 years) and early childhood (2-4 years). Conditional weight gain before 5 years of age was significantly associated with early onset of obesity or overweight (excess weight) BMI trajectories in both boys and girls. In girls, greater conditional weight gain in infancy was associated with increased relative risk of being in the early-onset obese to morbid obese trajectory, with relative risk ratios of 2.03 (95% confidence interval: 1.17-3.52) compared to belonging to a BMI trajectory in the normal range. Boys and girls in the early-onset obesity or overweight BMI trajectories were more likely to be overweight or obese in early adulthood. Excessive weight gain in infancy and early childhood, independent of linear growth, predicts childhood and adolescent BMI trajectories toward obesity. These results underscore the importance of early life factors in the development of obesity and other NCDs in later life.

Quantum wave packet dynamics with trajectories: Implementation with distributed approximating functionals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wyatt, Robert E.; Kouri, Donald J.; Hoffman, David K.

2000-01-01

The quantum trajectory method (QTM) was recently developed to solve the hydrodynamic equations of motion in the Lagrangian, moving-with-the-fluid, picture. In this approach, trajectories are integrated for N fluid elements (particles) moving under the influence of both the force from the potential surface and from the quantum potential. In this study, distributed approximating functionals (DAFs) are used on a uniform grid to compute the necessary derivatives in the equations of motion. Transformations between the physical grid where the particle coordinates are defined and the uniform grid are handled through a Jacobian, which is also computed using DAFs. A difficult problem associated with computing derivatives on finite grids is the edge problem. This is handled effectively by using DAFs within a least squares approach to extrapolate from the known function region into the neighboring regions. The QTM-DAF is then applied to wave packet transmission through a one-dimensional Eckart potential. Emphasis is placed upon computation of the transmitted density and wave function. A problem that develops when part of the wave packet reflects back into the reactant region is avoided in this study by introducing a potential ramp to sweep the reflected particles away from the barrier region. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

On the radiation accompanying volume reflection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandiera, L.; Bagli, E.; Berra, A.; Bolognini, D.; Dalpiaz, P.; Della Mea, G.; De Salvador, D.; Guidi, V.; Hasan, S.; Lietti, D.; Mazzolari, A.

2013-01-01

The electromagnetic radiation emitted by 120 GeV/c volume-reflected electrons in a bent silicon crystal has been investigated at CERN SPS-H4 beamline. The trajectories of electrons crossing a silicon strip-like crystal have been reconstructed through a telescope system based on high precision micro-strip detectors. The experimental setup was also equipped with a spectrometer and an electromagnetic calorimeter to measure the energy loss of the particles under volume reflection condition. Such a system enabled to record the full photon spectrum up to the nominal energy of the beam. Experimental results were compared to recently developed theoretical approaches based on the quasi-classical operators method of Baier and Katkov

New method for remote and repeatable monitoring of intraocular pressure variations.

Science.gov (United States)

Margalit, Israel; Beiderman, Yevgeny; Skaat, Alon; Rosenfeld, Elkanah; Belkin, Michael; Tornow, Ralf-Peter; Mico, Vicente; Garcia, Javier; Zalevsky, Zeev

2014-02-01

We present initial steps toward a new measurement device enabling high-precision, noncontact remote and repeatable monitoring of intraocular pressure (IOP)-based on an innovative measurement principle. Using only a camera and a laser source, the device measures IOP by tracking the secondary speckle pattern trajectories produced by the reflection of an illuminating laser beam from the iris or the sclera. The device was tested on rabbit eyes using two different methods to modify IOP: via an infusion bag and via mechanical pressure. In both cases, the eyes were stimulated with increasing and decreasing ramps of the IOP. As IOP variations changed the speckle distributions reflected back from the eye, data were recorded under various optical configurations to define and optimize the best experimental configuration for the IOP extraction. The association between the data provided by our proposed device and that resulting from controlled modification of the IOP was assessed, revealing high correlation (R2=0.98) and sensitivity and providing a high-precision measurement (5% estimated error) for the best experimental configuration. Future steps will be directed toward applying the proposed measurement principle in clinical trials for monitoring IOP with human subjects.

Variation of MODIS reflectance and vegetation indices with viewing geometry and soybean development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio M. Breunig

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Directional effects introduce a variability in reflectance and vegetation index determination, especially when large field-of-view sensors are used (e.g., Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer - MODIS. In this study, we evaluated directional effects on MODIS reflectance and four vegetation indices (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index - NDVI; Enhanced Vegetation Index - EVI; Normalized Difference Water Index - NDWI1640 and NDWI2120 with the soybean development in two growing seasons (2004-2005 and 2005-2006. To keep the reproductive stage for a given cultivar as a constant factor while varying viewing geometry, pairs of images obtained in close dates and opposite view angles were analyzed. By using a non-parametric statistics with bootstrapping and by normalizing these indices for angular differences among viewing directions, their sensitivities to directional effects were studied. Results showed that the variation in MODIS reflectance between consecutive phenological stages was generally smaller than that resultant from viewing geometry for closed canopies. The contrary was observed for incomplete canopies. The reflectance of the first seven MODIS bands was higher in the backscattering. Except for the EVI, the other vegetation indices had larger values in the forward scattering direction. Directional effects decreased with canopy closure. The NDVI was lesser affected by directional effects than the other indices, presenting the smallest differences between viewing directions for fixed phenological stages.Efeitos direcionais introduzem variabilidade na reflectância e na determinação de índices de vegetação, especialmente quando sensores de amplo campo de visada são usados (p.ex., Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer - MODIS. Neste estudo, nós avaliamos os efeitos direcionais sobre a reflectância e quatro índices de vegetação (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index - NDVI; Enhanced Vegetation Index - EVI; Normalized

Analysis of Specular Reflections Off Geostationary Satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Jolley, A.

2016-09-01

Many photometric studies of artificial satellites have attempted to define procedures that minimise the size of datasets required to infer information about satellites. However, it is unclear whether deliberately limiting the size of datasets significantly reduces the potential for information to be derived from them. In 2013 an experiment was conducted using a 14 inch Celestron CG-14 telescope to gain multiple night-long, high temporal resolution datasets of six geostationary satellites [1]. This experiment produced evidence of complex variations in the spectral energy distribution (SED) of reflections off satellite surface materials, particularly during specular reflections. Importantly, specific features relating to the SED variations could only be detected with high temporal resolution data. An update is provided regarding the nature of SED and colour variations during specular reflections, including how some of the variables involved contribute to these variations. Results show that care must be taken when comparing observed spectra to a spectral library for the purpose of material identification; a spectral library that uses wavelength as the only variable will be unable to capture changes that occur to a material's reflected spectra with changing illumination and observation geometry. Conversely, colour variations with changing illumination and observation geometry might provide an alternative means of determining material types.

Lunar and interplanetary trajectories

CERN Document Server

Biesbroek, Robin

2016-01-01

This book provides readers with a clear description of the types of lunar and interplanetary trajectories, and how they influence satellite-system design. The description follows an engineering rather than a mathematical approach and includes many examples of lunar trajectories, based on real missions. It helps readers gain an understanding of the driving subsystems of interplanetary and lunar satellites. The tables and graphs showing features of trajectories make the book easy to understand. .

Semantic Enrichment of GPS Trajectories

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Graaff, V.; van Keulen, Maurice; de By, R.A.

2012-01-01

Semantic annotation of GPS trajectories helps us to recognize the interests of the creator of the GPS trajectories. Automating this trajectory annotation circumvents the requirement of additional user input. To annotate the GPS traces automatically, two types of automated input are required: 1) a

The influence of work-family conflict trajectories on self-rated health trajectories in Switzerland: a life course approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Cullati, Stéphane

2014-07-01

Self-rated health (SRH) trajectories tend to decline over a lifetime. Moreover, the Cumulative Advantage and Disadvantage (CAD) model indicates that SRH trajectories are known to consistently diverge along socioeconomic positions (SEP) over the life course. However, studies of working adults to consider the influence of work and family conflict (WFC) on SRH trajectories are scarce. We test the CAD model and hypothesise that SRH trajectories diverge over time according to socioeconomic positions and WFC trajectories accentuate this divergence. Using longitudinal data from the Swiss Household Panel (N = 2327 working respondents surveyed from 2004 to 2010), we first examine trajectories of SRH and potential divergence over time across age, gender, SEP and family status using latent growth curve analysis. Second, we assess changes in SRH trajectories in relation to changes in WFC trajectories and divergence in SRH trajectories according to gender, SEP and family status using parallel latent growth curve analysis. Three measures of WFC are used: exhaustion after work, difficulty disconnecting from work, and work interference in private family obligations. The results show that SRH trajectories slowly decline over time and that the rate of change is not influenced by age, gender or SEP, a result which does not support the CAD model. SRH trajectories are significantly correlated with exhaustion after work trajectories but not the other two WFC measures. When exhaustion after work trajectories are taken into account, SRH trajectories of higher educated people decline slower compared to less educated people, supporting the CAD hypothesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trajectories of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after major war among Palestinian children: Trauma, family- and child-related predictors.

Science.gov (United States)

Punamäki, Raija-Leena; Palosaari, Esa; Diab, Marwan; Peltonen, Kirsi; Qouta, Samir R

2015-02-01

Research shows great individual variation in changes in posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) after major traumas of terrorist attacks, military combat, and natural disasters. Earlier studies have identified specific mental health trajectories both in children and adults. This study aimed, first, to identify potential PTSS-related trajectories by using latent class growth analyses among children in a three-wave assessment after the 2008/2009 War on Gaza, Palestine. Second, it analyzed how family- and child related factors (e.g., attachment relations, posttraumatic cognitions (PTCs), guilt, and emotion regulation) associate with the trajectory class membership. The sample consisted of 240 Palestinian children (49.4% girls and 50.6% boys) of 10-13 years of age (M=11.29, SD=0.68), who completed PTSS (CRIES) assessments at 3 (T1), 5 (T2), and 11 (T3) months after the war. Children reported their personal exposure to war trauma, attachment style, cognitive trauma processing, and emotion regulation, and their parents reported family war trauma exposure and attachment style. Results revealed a three-trajectory solution, a majority of children belonging to the Recovery trajectory (n=183), and a minority belonged either to Resistant trajectory (n=29) or to Increasing symptoms trajectory (n=28). Low levels of negative posttraumatic cognitive appraisals, feelings of guilt and emotion regulation were characteristic of children in the Resistant trajectory as compared to Increasing symptoms trajectory. Father׳s attachment security was further associated with the Resistant trajectory membership. Children׳s attachment avoidance and high parental trauma were typical to children in Recovery trajectory (as compared to the Increasing symptoms trajectory). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Progress in classical and quantum variational principles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, C G; Karl, G; Novikov, V A

2004-01-01

We review the development and practical uses of a generalized Maupertuis least action principle in classical mechanics in which the action is varied under the constraint of fixed mean energy for the trial trajectory. The original Maupertuis (Euler-Lagrange) principle constrains the energy at every point along the trajectory. The generalized Maupertuis principle is equivalent to Hamilton's principle. Reciprocal principles are also derived for both the generalized Maupertuis and the Hamilton principles. The reciprocal Maupertuis principle is the classical limit of Schroedinger's variational principle of wave mechanics and is also very useful to solve practical problems in both classical and semiclassical mechanics, in complete analogy with the quantum Rayleigh-Ritz method. Classical, semiclassical and quantum variational calculations are carried out for a number of systems, and the results are compared. Pedagogical as well as research problems are used as examples, which include nonconservative as well as relativistic systems. '... the most beautiful and important discovery of Mechanics.' Lagrange to Maupertuis (November 1756)

Hyperspectral Vehicle BRDF Learning: An Exploration of Vehicle Reflectance Variation and Optimal Measures of Spectral Similarity for Vehicle Reacquisition and Tracking Algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Svejkosky, Joseph

The spectral signatures of vehicles in hyperspectral imagery exhibit temporal variations due to the preponderance of surfaces with material properties that display non-Lambertian bi-directional reflectance distribution functions (BRDFs). These temporal variations are caused by changing illumination conditions, changing sun-target-sensor geometry, changing road surface properties, and changing vehicle orientations. To quantify these variations and determine their relative importance in a sub-pixel vehicle reacquisition and tracking scenario, a hyperspectral vehicle BRDF sampling experiment was conducted in which four vehicles were rotated at different orientations and imaged over a six-hour period. The hyperspectral imagery was calibrated using novel in-scene methods and converted to reflectance imagery. The resulting BRDF sampled time-series imagery showed a strong vehicle level BRDF dependence on vehicle shape in off-nadir imaging scenarios and a strong dependence on vehicle color in simulated nadir imaging scenarios. The imagery also exhibited spectral features characteristic of sampling the BRDF of non-Lambertian targets, which were subsequently verified with simulations. In addition, the imagery demonstrated that the illumination contribution from vehicle adjacent horizontal surfaces significantly altered the shape and magnitude of the vehicle reflectance spectrum. The results of the BRDF sampling experiment illustrate the need for a target vehicle BRDF model and detection scheme that incorporates non-Lambertian BRDFs. A new detection algorithm called Eigenvector Loading Regression (ELR) is proposed that learns a hyperspectral vehicle BRDF from a series of BRDF measurements using regression in a lower dimensional space and then applies the learned BRDF to make test spectrum predictions. In cases of non-Lambertian vehicle BRDF, this detection methodology performs favorably when compared to subspace detections algorithms and graph-based detection algorithms that

Variational principle in quantum mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popiez, L.

1986-01-01

The variational principle in a standard, path integral formulation of quantum mechanics (as proposed by Dirac and Feynman) appears only in the context of a classical limit n to 0 and manifests itself through the method of abstract stationary phase. Symbolically it means that a probability amplitude averaged over trajectories denotes a classical evolution operator for points in a configuration space. There exists, however, the formulation of quantum dynamics in which variational priniple is one of basic postulates. It is explained that the translation between stochastic and quantum mechanics in this case can be understood as in Nelson's stochastic mechanics

Domestic work, consumption and intersectionality: agency possibilities in the trajectory of a (former domestic worker

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Mourão Macedo

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper reflects on the articulation of social categories of difference and intersectionalities from the analysis of a domestic worker trajectory, who is in transition to the profession of nursing assistant. I argue that, in the analyzed trajectory, the professional qualification and the possibility to consume some goods, before accessible only to middle and upper classes, were prominent in the search for agency, achievements facilitated by a favorable socio-economic context. Through an anthropological perspective, the purpose of the paper is to contribute to the debate on the articulation of categories such as gender, class and race, focusing on the agency possibilities in contexts marked by inequalities.

Example Solar Electric Propulsion System asteroid tours using variational calculus

Science.gov (United States)

Burrows, R. R.

1985-01-01

Exploration of the asteroid belt with a vehicle utilizing a Solar Electric Propulsion System has been proposed in past studies. Some of those studies illustrated multiple asteroid rendezvous with trajectories obtained using approximate methods. Most of the inadequacies of those approximations are overcome in this paper, which uses the calculus of variations to calculate the trajectories and associated payloads of four asteroid tours. The modeling, equations, and solution techniques are discussed, followed by a presentation of the results.

Trajectory grouping structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maike Buchin

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The collective motion of a set of moving entities like people, birds, or other animals, is characterized by groups arising, merging, splitting, and ending. Given the trajectories of these entities, we define and model a structure that captures all of such changes using the Reeb graph, a concept from topology. The trajectory grouping structure has three natural parameters that allow more global views of the data in group size, group duration, and entity inter-distance. We prove complexity bounds on the maximum number of maximal groups that can be present, and give algorithms to compute the grouping structure efficiently. We also study how the trajectory grouping structure can be made robust, that is, how brief interruptions of groups can be disregarded in the global structure, adding a notion of persistence to the structure. Furthermore, we showcase the results of experiments using data generated by the NetLogo flocking model and from the Starkey project. The Starkey data describe the movement of elk, deer, and cattle. Although there is no ground truth for the grouping structure in this data, the experiments show that the trajectory grouping structure is plausible and has the desired effects when changing the essential parameters. Our research provides the first complete study of trajectory group evolvement, including combinatorial,algorithmic, and experimental results.

Variational nature, integration, and properties of Newton reaction path.

Science.gov (United States)

Bofill, Josep Maria; Quapp, Wolfgang

2011-02-21

The distinguished coordinate path and the reduced gradient following path or its equivalent formulation, the Newton trajectory, are analyzed and unified using the theory of calculus of variations. It is shown that their minimum character is related to the fact that the curve is located in a valley region. In this case, we say that the Newton trajectory is a reaction path with the category of minimum energy path. In addition to these findings a Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg algorithm to integrate these curves is also proposed.

Variational nature, integration, and properties of Newton reaction path

Science.gov (United States)

Bofill, Josep Maria; Quapp, Wolfgang

2011-02-01

The distinguished coordinate path and the reduced gradient following path or its equivalent formulation, the Newton trajectory, are analyzed and unified using the theory of calculus of variations. It is shown that their minimum character is related to the fact that the curve is located in a valley region. In this case, we say that the Newton trajectory is a reaction path with the category of minimum energy path. In addition to these findings a Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg algorithm to integrate these curves is also proposed.

Thermal consequences of colour and near-infrared reflectance.

Science.gov (United States)

Stuart-Fox, Devi; Newton, Elizabeth; Clusella-Trullas, Susana

2017-07-05

The importance of colour for temperature regulation in animals remains controversial. Colour can affect an animal's temperature because all else being equal, dark surfaces absorb more solar energy than do light surfaces, and that energy is converted into heat. However, in reality, the relationship between colour and thermoregulation is complex and varied because it depends on environmental conditions and the physical properties, behaviour and physiology of the animal. Furthermore, the thermal effects of colour depend as much on absorptance of near-infrared ((NIR), 700-2500 nm) as visible (300-700 nm) wavelengths of direct sunlight; yet the NIR is very rarely considered or measured. The few available data on NIR reflectance in animals indicate that the visible reflectance is often a poor predictor of NIR reflectance. Adaptive variation in animal coloration (visible reflectance) reflects a compromise between multiple competing functions such as camouflage, signalling and thermoregulation. By contrast, adaptive variation in NIR reflectance should primarily reflect thermoregulatory requirements because animal visual systems are generally insensitive to NIR wavelengths. Here, we assess evidence and identify key research questions regarding the thermoregulatory function of animal coloration, and specifically consider evidence for adaptive variation in NIR reflectance.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Seasonal and daily variation of directions of approach to ground and balloon stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orozco, A.; Gall, R.

1975-01-01

The seasonal and daily variations of approach directions induced by the distortion of magnetic cavity has been studied by trajectory tracing technique in magnetospheric models. The main characteristics of these variations are reported here for McMurdo, Thule and Fort Churchill. (orig./WBU) [de

Reflection properties of hydrogen ions at helium irradiated tungsten surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doi, K; Tawada, Y; Kato, S; Sasao, M; Kenmotsu, T; Wada, M; Lee, H T; Ueda, Y; Tanaka, N; Kisaki, M; Nishiura, M; Matsumoto, Y; Yamaoka, H

2016-01-01

Nanostructured W surfaces prepared by He bombardment exhibit characteristic angular distributions of hydrogen ion reflection upon injection of 1 keV H + beam. A magnetic momentum analyzer that can move in the vacuum chamber has measured the angular dependence of the intensity and the energy of reflected ions. Broader angular distributions were observed for He-irradiated tungsten samples compared with that of the intrinsic polycrystalline W. Both intensity and energy of reflected ions decreased in the following order: the polycrystalline W, the He-bubble containing W, and the fuzz W. Classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations based on Atomic Collision in Amorphous Target code suggests that lower atom density near the surface can make the reflection coefficients lower due to increasing number of collisions. (paper)

Trajectory similarity join in spatial networks

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo

2017-09-07

The matching of similar pairs of objects, called similarity join, is fundamental functionality in data management. We consider the case of trajectory similarity join (TS-Join), where the objects are trajectories of vehicles moving in road networks. Thus, given two sets of trajectories and a threshold θ, the TS-Join returns all pairs of trajectories from the two sets with similarity above θ. This join targets applications such as trajectory near-duplicate detection, data cleaning, ridesharing recommendation, and traffic congestion prediction. With these applications in mind, we provide a purposeful definition of similarity. To enable efficient TS-Join processing on large sets of trajectories, we develop search space pruning techniques and take into account the parallel processing capabilities of modern processors. Specifically, we present a two-phase divide-and-conquer algorithm. For each trajectory, the algorithm first finds similar trajectories. Then it merges the results to achieve a final result. The algorithm exploits an upper bound on the spatiotemporal similarity and a heuristic scheduling strategy for search space pruning. The algorithm\\'s per-trajectory searches are independent of each other and can be performed in parallel, and the merging has constant cost. An empirical study with real data offers insight in the performance of the algorithm and demonstrates that is capable of outperforming a well-designed baseline algorithm by an order of magnitude.

Personalized trajectory matching in spatial networks

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo

2013-07-31

With the increasing availability of moving-object tracking data, trajectory search and matching is increasingly important. We propose and investigate a novel problem called personalized trajectory matching (PTM). In contrast to conventional trajectory similarity search by spatial distance only, PTM takes into account the significance of each sample point in a query trajectory. A PTM query takes a trajectory with user-specified weights for each sample point in the trajectory as its argument. It returns the trajectory in an argument data set with the highest similarity to the query trajectory. We believe that this type of query may bring significant benefits to users in many popular applications such as route planning, carpooling, friend recommendation, traffic analysis, urban computing, and location-based services in general. PTM query processing faces two challenges: how to prune the search space during the query processing and how to schedule multiple so-called expansion centers effectively. To address these challenges, a novel two-phase search algorithm is proposed that carefully selects a set of expansion centers from the query trajectory and exploits upper and lower bounds to prune the search space in the spatial and temporal domains. An efficiency study reveals that the algorithm explores the minimum search space in both domains. Second, a heuristic search strategy based on priority ranking is developed to schedule the multiple expansion centers, which can further prune the search space and enhance the query efficiency. The performance of the PTM query is studied in extensive experiments based on real and synthetic trajectory data sets. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Trajectories of Parental Engagement in Early Childhood among Dual-Earner Families: Effects on Child Self-Control

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Tiago; Cadima, Joana; Matias, Marisa; Vieira, Joana Marina; Leal, Teresa; Verschueren, Karine; Matos, Paula Mena

2018-01-01

Parental engagement in positive activities with the child may show significant variation across time, assuming a crucial influence on child development. In dual-earner families, work-family conflict can interfere with parental engagement, with negative consequences for children's behavior. The current study examined the change trajectories of…

Trajectory planning and trajectory tracking for a small-scale helicopter in autorotation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Taamallah, Skander; Bombois, Xavier; Van den Hof, Paul M.J.

2017-01-01

The design of a high-performance guidance and control system for a small-scale helicopterUnmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), with an engine OFF flight condition (i.e. autorotation), is known to be a challenging task. It is the purpose of this paper to present a Trajectory Planning (TP) and Trajectory

Multivariate trajectories across multiple domains of health-related quality of life in children with new-onset epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sajobi, Tolulope T; Wang, Meng; Ferro, Mark A; Brobbey, Anita; Goodwin, Shane; Speechley, Kathy N; Wiebe, Samuel

2017-10-01

The diagnosis of epilepsy in children is known to impact the trajectory of their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over time. However, there is limited knowledge about variations in longitudinal trajectories across multiple domains of HRQOL. This study aims to characterize the heterogeneity in HRQOL trajectories across multiple HRQOL domains and to evaluate predictors of differences among the identified trajectory groups in children with new-onset epilepsy. Data were obtained from the Health Related Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy Study (HERQULES), a prospective multi-center study of 373 children newly diagnosed with new-onset epilepsy who were followed up over 2years. Child HRQOL and family factors were reported by parents, and clinical characteristics were reported by neurologists. Group-based multi-trajectory modeling was adopted to characterize longitudinal trajectories of HRQOL as measured by the individual domains of cognitive, emotional, physical, and social functioning in the 55-item Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE-55). Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess potential factors that explain differences among the identified latent trajectory groups. Three distinct HRQOL trajectory subgroups were identified in children with new-onset epilepsy based on HRQOL scores: "High" (44.7%), "Intermediate" (37.0%), and "Low" (18.3%). While most trajectory groups exhibited increasing scores over time on physical and social domains, both flat and declining trajectories were noted on emotional and cognitive domains. Less severe epilepsy, an absence of cognitive and behavioral problems, lower parental depression scores, better family functioning, and fewer family demands were associated with a "Higher" or "Intermediate" HRQOL trajectory. The course of HRQOL over time in children with new-onset epilepsy appears to follow one of three different trajectories. Addressing the clinical and psychosocial determinants identified

Lunar Cube Transfer Trajectory Options

Science.gov (United States)

Folta, David; Dichmann, Donald James; Clark, Pamela E.; Haapala, Amanda; Howell, Kathleen

2015-01-01

Numerous Earth-Moon trajectory and lunar orbit options are available for Cubesat missions. Given the limited Cubesat injection infrastructure, transfer trajectories are contingent upon the modification of an initial condition of the injected or deployed orbit. Additionally, these transfers can be restricted by the selection or designs of Cubesat subsystems such as propulsion or communication. Nonetheless, many trajectory options can b e considered which have a wide range of transfer duration, fuel requirements, and final destinations. Our investigation of potential trajectories highlights several options including deployment from low Earth orbit (LEO) geostationary transfer orbits (GTO) and higher energy direct lunar transfer and the use of longer duration Earth-Moon dynamical systems. For missions with an intended lunar orbit, much of the design process is spent optimizing a ballistic capture while other science locations such as Sun-Earth libration or heliocentric orbits may simply require a reduced Delta-V imparted at a convenient location along the trajectory.

Towards Efficient Search for Activity Trajectories

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zheng, Kai; Shang, Shuo; Yuan, Jing

2013-01-01

, recent proliferation in location-based web applications (e.g., Foursquare, Facebook) has given rise to large amounts of trajectories associated with activity information, called activity trajectory. In this paper, we study the problem of efficient similarity search on activity trajectory database. Given...

Efficient Trajectory Options Allocation for the Collaborative Trajectory Options Program

Science.gov (United States)

Rodionova, Olga; Arneson, Heather; Sridhar, Banavar; Evans, Antony

2017-01-01

The Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP) is a Traffic Management Initiative (TMI) intended to control the air traffic flow rates at multiple specified Flow Constrained Areas (FCAs), where demand exceeds capacity. CTOP allows flight operators to submit the desired Trajectory Options Set (TOS) for each affected flight with associated Relative Trajectory Cost (RTC) for each option. CTOP then creates a feasible schedule that complies with capacity constraints by assigning affected flights with routes and departure delays in such a way as to minimize the total cost while maintaining equity across flight operators. The current version of CTOP implements a Ration-by-Schedule (RBS) scheme, which assigns the best available options to flights based on a First-Scheduled-First-Served heuristic. In the present study, an alternative flight scheduling approach is developed based on linear optimization. Results suggest that such an approach can significantly reduce flight delays, in the deterministic case, while maintaining equity as defined using a Max-Min fairness scheme.

Flight test trajectory control analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, R.; Gupta, N.

1983-01-01

Recent extensions to optimal control theory applied to meaningful linear models with sufficiently flexible software tools provide powerful techniques for designing flight test trajectory controllers (FTTCs). This report describes the principal steps for systematic development of flight trajectory controllers, which can be summarized as planning, modeling, designing, and validating a trajectory controller. The techniques have been kept as general as possible and should apply to a wide range of problems where quantities must be computed and displayed to a pilot to improve pilot effectiveness and to reduce workload and fatigue. To illustrate the approach, a detailed trajectory guidance law is developed and demonstrated for the F-15 aircraft flying the zoom-and-pushover maneuver.

Beyond shareholder primacy? Reflections on the trajectory of UK corporate governance.

OpenAIRE

Armour, J.; Deakin, S.; Konzelmann, Suzanne J.

2003-01-01

Core institutions of UK corporate governance, in particular the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, the Combined Code on Corporate Governance and the law on directors’ duties, are strongly orientated towards the norm of shareholder primacy. Beyond the core, however, stakeholder interests are better represented, in particular at the intersection of insolvency and employment law. This reflects the influence of European Community laws on information and consultation of employees. In addition, th...

A variational approach to niche construction.

Science.gov (United States)

Constant, Axel; Ramstead, Maxwell J D; Veissière, Samuel P L; Campbell, John O; Friston, Karl J

2018-04-01

In evolutionary biology, niche construction is sometimes described as a genuine evolutionary process whereby organisms, through their activities and regulatory mechanisms, modify their environment such as to steer their own evolutionary trajectory, and that of other species. There is ongoing debate, however, on the extent to which niche construction ought to be considered a bona fide evolutionary force, on a par with natural selection. Recent formulations of the variational free-energy principle as applied to the life sciences describe the properties of living systems, and their selection in evolution, in terms of variational inference. We argue that niche construction can be described using a variational approach. We propose new arguments to support the niche construction perspective, and to extend the variational approach to niche construction to current perspectives in various scientific fields. © 2018 The Authors.

Trajectories of Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin M. Swartout

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The purposes of this study were to assess the extent to which latent trajectories of female intimate partner violence (IPV victimization exist; and, if so, use negative childhood experiences to predict trajectory membership.Methods: We collected data from 1,575 women at 5 time-points regarding experiences during adolescence and their 4 years of college. We used latent class growth analysis to fit a series of personcentered, longitudinal models ranging from 1 to 5 trajectories. Once the best-fitting model was selected, we used negative childhood experience variables—sexual abuse, physical abuse, and witnessing domestic violence—to predict most-likely trajectory membership via multinomial logistic regression.Results: A 5-trajectory model best fit the data both statistically and in terms of interpretability. The trajectories across time were interpreted as low or no IPV, low to moderate IPV, moderate to low IPV, high to moderate IPV, and high and increasing IPV, respectively. Negative childhood experiences differentiated trajectory membership, somewhat, with childhood sexual abuse as a consistent predictor of membership in elevated IPV trajectories.Conclusion: Our analyses show how IPV risk changes over time and in different ways. These differential patterns of IPV suggest the need for prevention strategies tailored for women that consider victimization experiences in childhood and early adulthood. [West J Emerg Med. 2012;13(3:272–277.

Growth trajectories in the cave bear and its extant relatives: an examination of ontogenetic patterns in phylogeny.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchs, Manuela; Geiger, Madeleine; Stange, Madlen; Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R

2015-11-02

The study of postnatal ontogeny can provide insights into evolution by offering an understanding of how growth trajectories have evolved resulting in adult morphological disparity. The Ursus lineage is a good subject for studying cranial and mandibular shape and size variation in relation to postnatal ontogeny and phylogeny because it is at the same time not diverse but the species exhibit different feeding ecologies. Cranial and mandibular shapes of Ursus arctos (brown bear), U. maritimus (polar bear), U. americanus (American black bear), and the extinct U. spelaeus (cave bear) were examined, using a three-dimensional geometric morphometric approach. Additionally, ontogenetic series of crania and mandibles of U. arctos and U. spelaeus ranging from newborns to senile age were sampled. The distribution of specimens in morphospace allowed to distinguish species and age classes and the ontogenetic trajectories U. arctos and U. spelaeus were found to be more similar than expected by chance. Cranial shape changes during ontogeny are largely size related whereas the evolution of cranial shape disparity in this clade appears to be more influenced by dietary adaptation than by size and phylogeny. The different feeding ecologies are reflected in different cranial and mandibular shapes among species. The cranial and mandibular shape disparity in the Ursus lineage appears to be more influenced by adaptation to diet than by size or phylogeny. In contrast, the cranial and mandibular shape changes during postnatal ontogeny in U. arctos and U. spelaeus are probably largely size related. The patterns of morphospace occupation of the cranium and the mandible in adults and through ontogeny are different.

IRVE-II Post-Flight Trajectory Reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

O'Keefe, Stephen A.; Bose, David M.

2010-01-01

NASA s Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) II successfully demonstrated an inflatable aerodynamic decelerator after being launched aboard a sounding rocket from Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). Preliminary day of flight data compared well with pre-flight Monte Carlo analysis, and a more complete trajectory reconstruction performed with an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) approach followed. The reconstructed trajectory and comparisons to an attitude solution provided by NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) personnel at WFF are presented. Additional comparisons are made between the reconstructed trajectory and pre and post-flight Monte Carlo trajectory predictions. Alternative observations of the trajectory are summarized which leverage flight accelerometer measurements, the pre-flight aerodynamic database, and on-board flight video. Finally, analysis of the payload separation and aeroshell deployment events are presented. The flight trajectory is reconstructed to fidelity sufficient to assess overall project objectives related to flight dynamics and overall, IRVE-II flight dynamics are in line with expectations

Automated Cooperative Trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Curt; Pahle, Joseph; Brown, Nelson

2015-01-01

This presentation is an overview of the Automated Cooperative Trajectories project. An introduction to the phenomena of wake vortices is given, along with a summary of past research into the possibility of extracting energy from the wake by flying close parallel trajectories. Challenges and barriers to adoption of civilian automatic wake surfing technology are identified. A hardware-in-the-loop simulation is described that will support future research. Finally, a roadmap for future research and technology transition is proposed.

Canonical transformations of Kepler trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mostowski, Jan

2010-01-01

In this paper, canonical transformations generated by constants of motion in the case of the Kepler problem are discussed. It is shown that canonical transformations generated by angular momentum are rotations of the trajectory. Particular attention is paid to canonical transformations generated by the Runge-Lenz vector. It is shown that these transformations change the eccentricity of the orbit. A method of obtaining elliptic trajectories from the circular ones with the help of canonical trajectories is discussed.

From the trajectory to the density memory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cakir, Rasit; Krokhin, Arkadii; Grigolini, Paolo

2007-01-01

In this paper we discuss the connection between trajectory and density memory. The first form of memory is a property of a stochastic trajectory, whose stationary correlation function shows that the fluctuation at a given time depends on the earlier fluctuations. The density memory is a property of a collection of trajectories, whose density time evolution is described by a time convoluted equation showing that the density time evolution depends on its past history. We show that the trajectory memory does not necessarily yields density memory, and that density memory might be compatible with the existence of abrupt jumps resetting to zero the system's memory. We focus our attention on a time-convoluted diffusion equation, when the memory kernel is an inverse power law with (i) negative and (ii) positive tail. In case (i) there exist both renewal trajectories and trajectories with memory, compatible with this equation. Case (ii), which has eluded so far a convincing interpretation in terms of trajectories, is shown to be compatible only with trajectory memory

Educational Progression in Ghana: Gender and Spatial Variations in Longitudinal Trajectories of Junior High School Completion Rate

Science.gov (United States)

Ansong, David; Alhassan, Mustapha

2016-01-01

Completion of junior high school is a critical milestone in every Ghanaian child's educational trajectory and a critical step toward the transition to higher education. However, the rate of children completing junior high school still lags behind most educational indicators in Ghana. Far more attention is paid to ensuring that students enroll in…

Revealing Spatial Variation and Correlation of Urban Travels from Big Trajectory Data

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X.; Tu, W.; Shen, S.; Yue, Y.; Luo, N.; Li, Q.

2017-09-01

With the development of information and communication technology, spatial-temporal data that contain rich human mobility information are growing rapidly. However, the consistency of multi-mode human travel behind multi-source spatial-temporal data is not clear. To this aim, we utilized a week of taxies' and buses' GPS trajectory data and smart card data in Shenzhen, China to extract city-wide travel information of taxi, bus and metro and tested the correlation of multi-mode travel characteristics. Both the global correlation and local correlation of typical travel indicator were examined. The results show that: (1) Significant differences exist in of urban multi-mode travels. The correlation between bus travels and taxi travels, metro travel and taxi travels are globally low but locally high. (2) There are spatial differences of the correlation relationship between bus, metro and taxi travel. These findings help us understanding urban travels deeply therefore facilitate both the transport policy making and human-space interaction research.

REVEALING SPATIAL VARIATION AND CORRELATION OF URBAN TRAVELS FROM BIG TRAJECTORY DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Li

2017-09-01

Full Text Available With the development of information and communication technology, spatial-temporal data that contain rich human mobility information are growing rapidly. However, the consistency of multi-mode human travel behind multi-source spatial-temporal data is not clear. To this aim, we utilized a week of taxies’ and buses’ GPS trajectory data and smart card data in Shenzhen, China to extract city-wide travel information of taxi, bus and metro and tested the correlation of multi-mode travel characteristics. Both the global correlation and local correlation of typical travel indicator were examined. The results show that: (1 Significant differences exist in of urban multi-mode travels. The correlation between bus travels and taxi travels, metro travel and taxi travels are globally low but locally high. (2 There are spatial differences of the correlation relationship between bus, metro and taxi travel. These findings help us understanding urban travels deeply therefore facilitate both the transport policy making and human-space interaction research.

Trajectory optimization for dynamic couch rotation during volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Smyth, Gregory; Bamber, Jeffrey C.; Evans, Philip M.; Bedford, James L.

2013-11-01

Non-coplanar radiation beams are often used in three-dimensional conformal and intensity modulated radiotherapy to reduce dose to organs at risk (OAR) by geometric avoidance. In volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT) non-coplanar geometries are generally achieved by applying patient couch rotations to single or multiple full or partial arcs. This paper presents a trajectory optimization method for a non-coplanar technique, dynamic couch rotation during VMAT (DCR-VMAT), which combines ray tracing with a graph search algorithm. Four clinical test cases (partial breast, brain, prostate only, and prostate and pelvic nodes) were used to evaluate the potential OAR sparing for trajectory-optimized DCR-VMAT plans, compared with standard coplanar VMAT. In each case, ray tracing was performed and a cost map reflecting the number of OAR voxels intersected for each potential source position was generated. The least-cost path through the cost map, corresponding to an optimal DCR-VMAT trajectory, was determined using Dijkstra’s algorithm. Results show that trajectory optimization can reduce dose to specified OARs for plans otherwise comparable to conventional coplanar VMAT techniques. For the partial breast case, the mean heart dose was reduced by 53%. In the brain case, the maximum lens doses were reduced by 61% (left) and 77% (right) and the globes by 37% (left) and 40% (right). Bowel mean dose was reduced by 15% in the prostate only case. For the prostate and pelvic nodes case, the bowel V50 Gy and V60 Gy were reduced by 9% and 45% respectively. Future work will involve further development of the algorithm and assessment of its performance over a larger number of cases in site-specific cohorts.

Transmission and reflection in a double potential well: doing it the Bohmian way

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stomphorst, R.G.

2002-01-01

The Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics is applied to a transmission and reflection process in a double potential well. We consider a time-dependent periodic wave function and study the particle trajectories. The average time, eventually transmitted particles stay inside the barrier is the

Design of cycler trajectories and analysis of solar influences on radioactive decay rates during space missions

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Blake A.

This thesis investigates the design of interplanetary missions for the continual habitation of Mars via Earth-Mars cyclers and for the detection of variations in nuclear decay rates due to solar influences. Several cycler concepts have been proposed to provide safe and comfortable quarters for astronauts traveling between the Earth and Mars. However, no literature has appeared to show how these massive vehicles might be placed into their cycler trajectories. Trajectories are designed that use either Vinfinity leveraging or low thrust to establish cycler vehicles in their desired orbits. In the cycler trajectory cases considered, the use of Vinfinity leveraging or low thrust substantially reduces the total propellant needed to achieve the cycler orbit compared to direct orbit insertion. In the case of the classic Aldrin cycler, the propellant savings due to Vinfinity leveraging can be as large as a 24 metric ton reduction for a cycler vehicle with a dry mass of 75 metric tons, and an additional 111 metric ton reduction by instead using low thrust. The two-synodic period cyclers considered benefit less from Vinfinity leveraging, but have a smaller total propellant mass due to their lower approach velocities at Earth and Mars. It turns out that, for low-thrust establishment, the propellant required is approximately the same for each of the cycler trajectories. The Aldrin cycler has been proposed as a transportation system for human missions between Earth and Mars. However, the hyperbolic excess velocity values at the planetary encounters for these orbits are infeasibly large, especially at Mars. In a new version of the Aldrin cycler, low thrust is used in the interplanetary trajectories to reduce the encounter velocities. Reducing the encounter velocities at both planets reduces the propellant needed by the taxis (astronauts use these taxis to transfer between the planetary surfaces and the cycler vehicle) to perform hyperbolic rendezvous. While the propellant

Mexican origin youths' trajectories of perceived peer discrimination from middle childhood to adolescence: variation by neighborhood ethnic concentration.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Rebecca M B; Zeiders, Katharine H; Knight, George P; Roosa, Mark W; Tein, Jenn-Yun

2014-10-01

Developmentally salient research on perceived peer discrimination among minority youths is limited. Little is known about trajectories of perceived peer discrimination across the developmental period ranging from middle childhood to adolescence. Ethically concentrated neighborhoods are hypothesized to protect minority youths from discrimination, but strong empirical tests are lacking. The first aim of the current study was to estimate trajectories of perceived peer discrimination from middle childhood to adolescence, as youths transitioned from elementary to middle and to high school. The second aim was to examine the relationship between neighborhood ethnic concentration and perceived peer discrimination over time. Using a diverse sample of 749 Mexican origin youths (48.9% female), a series of growth models revealed that youths born in Mexico, relative to those born in the U.S., perceived higher discrimination in the 5th grade and decreases across time. Youths who had higher averages on neighborhood ethnic concentration (across the developmental period) experienced decreases in perceived peer discrimination over time; those that had lower average neighborhood ethnic concentration levels showed evidence of increasing trajectories. Further, when individuals experienced increases in their own neighborhood ethnic concentration levels (relative to their own cross-time averages), they reported lower levels of perceived peer discrimination. Neighborhood ethnic concentration findings were not explained by the concurrent changes youths were experiencing in school ethnic concentrations. The results support a culturally-informed developmental view of perceived peer discrimination that recognizes variability in co-ethnic neighborhood contexts. The results advance a view of ethnic enclaves as protective from mainstream threats.

Complex trajectories in a classical periodic potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, Alexander G; Bender, Carl M

2012-01-01

This paper examines the complex trajectories of a classical particle in the potential V(x) = −cos (x). Almost all the trajectories describe a particle that hops from one well to another in an erratic fashion. However, it is shown analytically that there are two special classes of trajectories x(t) determined only by the energy of the particle and not by the initial position of the particle. The first class consists of periodic trajectories; that is, trajectories that return to their initial position x(0) after some real time T. The second class consists of trajectories for which there exists a real time T such that x(t + T) = x(t) ± 2π. These two classes of classical trajectories are analogous to valence and conduction bands in quantum mechanics, where the quantum particle either remains localized or else tunnels resonantly (conducts) through a crystal lattice. These two special types of trajectories are associated with sets of energies of measure 0. For other energies, it is shown that for long times the average velocity of the particle becomes a fractal-like function of energy. (paper)

Complex trajectories in a classical periodic potential

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Alexander G.; Bender, Carl M.

2012-11-01

This paper examines the complex trajectories of a classical particle in the potential V(x) = -cos (x). Almost all the trajectories describe a particle that hops from one well to another in an erratic fashion. However, it is shown analytically that there are two special classes of trajectories x(t) determined only by the energy of the particle and not by the initial position of the particle. The first class consists of periodic trajectories; that is, trajectories that return to their initial position x(0) after some real time T. The second class consists of trajectories for which there exists a real time T such that x(t + T) = x(t) ± 2π. These two classes of classical trajectories are analogous to valence and conduction bands in quantum mechanics, where the quantum particle either remains localized or else tunnels resonantly (conducts) through a crystal lattice. These two special types of trajectories are associated with sets of energies of measure 0. For other energies, it is shown that for long times the average velocity of the particle becomes a fractal-like function of energy.

Kinematic evaluation of virtual walking trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Cirio, Gabriel; Olivier, Anne-Hélène; Marchal, Maud; Pettré, Julien

2013-04-01

Virtual walking, a fundamental task in Virtual Reality (VR), is greatly influenced by the locomotion interface being used, by the specificities of input and output devices, and by the way the virtual environment is represented. No matter how virtual walking is controlled, the generation of realistic virtual trajectories is absolutely required for some applications, especially those dedicated to the study of walking behaviors in VR, navigation through virtual places for architecture, rehabilitation and training. Previous studies focused on evaluating the realism of locomotion trajectories have mostly considered the result of the locomotion task (efficiency, accuracy) and its subjective perception (presence, cybersickness). Few focused on the locomotion trajectory itself, but in situation of geometrically constrained task. In this paper, we study the realism of unconstrained trajectories produced during virtual walking by addressing the following question: did the user reach his destination by virtually walking along a trajectory he would have followed in similar real conditions? To this end, we propose a comprehensive evaluation framework consisting on a set of trajectographical criteria and a locomotion model to generate reference trajectories. We consider a simple locomotion task where users walk between two oriented points in space. The travel path is analyzed both geometrically and temporally in comparison to simulated reference trajectories. In addition, we demonstrate the framework over a user study which considered an initial set of common and frequent virtual walking conditions, namely different input devices, output display devices, control laws, and visualization modalities. The study provides insight into the relative contributions of each condition to the overall realism of the resulting virtual trajectories.

Task Decomposition Module For Telerobot Trajectory Generation

Science.gov (United States)

Wavering, Albert J.; Lumia, Ron

1988-10-01

A major consideration in the design of trajectory generation software for a Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) is that the FTS will be called upon to perform tasks which require a diverse range of manipulator behaviors and capabilities. In a hierarchical control system where tasks are decomposed into simpler and simpler subtasks, the task decomposition module which performs trajectory planning and execution should therefore be able to accommodate a wide range of algorithms. In some cases, it will be desirable to plan a trajectory for an entire motion before manipulator motion commences, as when optimizing over the entire trajectory. Many FTS motions, however, will be highly sensory-interactive, such as moving to attain a desired position relative to a non-stationary object whose position is periodically updated by a vision system. In this case, the time-varying nature of the trajectory may be handled either by frequent replanning using updated sensor information, or by using an algorithm which creates a less specific state-dependent plan that determines the manipulator path as the trajectory is executed (rather than a priori). This paper discusses a number of trajectory generation techniques from these categories and how they may be implemented in a task decompo-sition module of a hierarchical control system. The structure, function, and interfaces of the proposed trajectory gener-ation module are briefly described, followed by several examples of how different algorithms may be performed by the module. The proposed task decomposition module provides a logical structure for trajectory planning and execution, and supports a large number of published trajectory generation techniques.

Parallel trajectory similarity joins in spatial networks

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo

2018-04-04

The matching of similar pairs of objects, called similarity join, is fundamental functionality in data management. We consider two cases of trajectory similarity joins (TS-Joins), including a threshold-based join (Tb-TS-Join) and a top-k TS-Join (k-TS-Join), where the objects are trajectories of vehicles moving in road networks. Given two sets of trajectories and a threshold θ, the Tb-TS-Join returns all pairs of trajectories from the two sets with similarity above θ. In contrast, the k-TS-Join does not take a threshold as a parameter, and it returns the top-k most similar trajectory pairs from the two sets. The TS-Joins target diverse applications such as trajectory near-duplicate detection, data cleaning, ridesharing recommendation, and traffic congestion prediction. With these applications in mind, we provide purposeful definitions of similarity. To enable efficient processing of the TS-Joins on large sets of trajectories, we develop search space pruning techniques and enable use of the parallel processing capabilities of modern processors. Specifically, we present a two-phase divide-and-conquer search framework that lays the foundation for the algorithms for the Tb-TS-Join and the k-TS-Join that rely on different pruning techniques to achieve efficiency. For each trajectory, the algorithms first find similar trajectories. Then they merge the results to obtain the final result. The algorithms for the two joins exploit different upper and lower bounds on the spatiotemporal trajectory similarity and different heuristic scheduling strategies for search space pruning. Their per-trajectory searches are independent of each other and can be performed in parallel, and the mergings have constant cost. An empirical study with real data offers insight in the performance of the algorithms and demonstrates that they are capable of outperforming well-designed baseline algorithms by an order of magnitude.

Parallel trajectory similarity joins in spatial networks

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo; Chen, Lisi; Wei, Zhewei; Jensen, Christian S.; Zheng, Kai; Kalnis, Panos

2018-01-01

The matching of similar pairs of objects, called similarity join, is fundamental functionality in data management. We consider two cases of trajectory similarity joins (TS-Joins), including a threshold-based join (Tb-TS-Join) and a top-k TS-Join (k-TS-Join), where the objects are trajectories of vehicles moving in road networks. Given two sets of trajectories and a threshold θ, the Tb-TS-Join returns all pairs of trajectories from the two sets with similarity above θ. In contrast, the k-TS-Join does not take a threshold as a parameter, and it returns the top-k most similar trajectory pairs from the two sets. The TS-Joins target diverse applications such as trajectory near-duplicate detection, data cleaning, ridesharing recommendation, and traffic congestion prediction. With these applications in mind, we provide purposeful definitions of similarity. To enable efficient processing of the TS-Joins on large sets of trajectories, we develop search space pruning techniques and enable use of the parallel processing capabilities of modern processors. Specifically, we present a two-phase divide-and-conquer search framework that lays the foundation for the algorithms for the Tb-TS-Join and the k-TS-Join that rely on different pruning techniques to achieve efficiency. For each trajectory, the algorithms first find similar trajectories. Then they merge the results to obtain the final result. The algorithms for the two joins exploit different upper and lower bounds on the spatiotemporal trajectory similarity and different heuristic scheduling strategies for search space pruning. Their per-trajectory searches are independent of each other and can be performed in parallel, and the mergings have constant cost. An empirical study with real data offers insight in the performance of the algorithms and demonstrates that they are capable of outperforming well-designed baseline algorithms by an order of magnitude.

The power of a single trajectory

Science.gov (United States)

Schnellbächer, Nikolas D.; Schwarz, Ulrich S.

2018-03-01

Random walks are often evaluated in terms of their mean squared displacements, either for a large number of trajectories or for one very long trajectory. An alternative evaluation is based on the power spectral density, but here it is less clear which information can be extracted from a single trajectory. For continuous-time Brownian motion, Krapf et al now have mathematically proven that the one property that can be reliably extracted from a single trajectory is the frequency dependence of the ensemble-averaged power spectral density (Krapf et al 2018 New J. Phys. 20 023029). Their mathematical analysis also identifies the appropriate frequency window for this procedure and shows that the diffusion coefficient can be extracted by averaging over a small number of trajectories. The authors have verified their analytical results both by computer simulations and experiments.

Optimal carbon emissions trajectories when damages depend on the rate or level of global warming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peck, S.C.; Teisberg, T.J.

1994-01-01

The authors extend earlier work with the Carbon Emissions Trajectory Assessment model (CETA) to consider a number of issues relating to the nature of optimal carbon emissions trajectories. They first explore model results when warming costs are associated with the rate of temperature rise, rather than with its level, as in earlier work. It is found that optimal trajectories are more strongly affected by the degree of non-linearity in the warming cost function than by whether the cost function is driven by the warming level or the warming rate. The authors briefly explore the implications of simple uncertainty and risk aversion for optimal emissions trajectories to be somewhat lower, but that the effect is not noticeable in the near term and not dramatic in the long term; the long term effect on the shadow price of carbon is more marked, however. Finally, they experiment with scaling up the warming cost functions until optimal policies are approximately the same as a policy of stabilising emissions at the 1990 level. Based on the results of this experiment, it is concluded that damages would have to be very high to justify anything like a stabilization policy; and even in this case, a policy allowing intertemporal variation in emissions would be better. 18 refs., 15 figs

'Combined reflectance stratigraphy' - subdivision of loess successions by diffuse reflectance spectrometry (DRS)

Science.gov (United States)

Szeberényi, Jozsef; Bradak-Hayashi, Balázs; Kiss, Klaudia; Kovács, József; Varga, György; Balázs, Réka; Szalai, Zoltán; Viczián, István

2016-04-01

The different varieties of loess (and intercalated paleosol layers) together constitute one of the most widespread terrestrial sediments, which was deposited, altered, and redeposited in the course of the changing climatic conditions of the Pleistocene. To reveal more information about Pleistocene climate cycles and/or environments the detailed lithostratigraphical subdivision and classification of the loess variations and paleosols are necessary. Beside the numerous method such as various field measurements, semi-quantitative tests and laboratory investigations, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is one of the well applied method on loess/paleosol sequences. Generally, DRS has been used to separate the detrital and pedogenic mineral component of the loess sections by the hematite/goethite ratio. DRS also has been applied as a joint method of various environmental magnetic investigations such as magnetic susceptibility- and isothermal remanent magnetization measurements. In our study the so-called "combined reflectance stratigraphy method" were developed. At First, complex mathematical method was applied to compare the results of the spectral reflectance measurements. One of the most preferred multivariate methods is cluster analysis. Its scope is to group and compare the loess variations and paleosol based on the similarity and common properties of their reflectance curves. In the Second, beside the basic subdivision of the profiles by the different reflectance curves of the layers, the most characteristic wavelength section of the reflectance curve was determined. This sections played the most important role during the classification of the different materials of the section. The reflectance value of individual samples, belonged to the characteristic wavelength were depicted in the function of depth and well correlated with other proxies like grain size distribution and magnetic susceptibility data. The results of the correlation showed the significance of

Aircraft 4D trajectories planning under uncertainties

OpenAIRE

Chaimatanan , Supatcha; Delahaye , Daniel; Mongeau , Marcel

2015-01-01

International audience; To sustain the rapidly increasing air traffic demand, the future air traffic management system will rely on a concept, called Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO), that will require aircraft to follow an assigned 4D trajectory (time-constrained trajectory) with high precision. TBO involves separating aircraft via strategic (long-term) trajectory deconfliction rather than the currently-practicing tactical (short-term) conflict resolution. In this context, this paper presen...

Predictors and Trajectories of Morning Fatigue Are Distinct from Evening Fatigue

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Fay; Melkus, Gail D’Eramo; Hammer, Marilyn; Schmidt, Brian L.; Knobf, M. Tish; Paul, Steven M.; Cartwright, Frances; Mastick, Judy; Cooper, Bruce A.; Chen, Lee-May; Melisko, Michelle; Levine, Jon D.; Kober, Kord; Aouizerat, Bradley E.; Miaskowski, Christine

2015-01-01

Context Fatigue is the most common symptom in oncology patients during chemotherapy (CTX). Little is known about the predictors of interindividual variability in initial levels and trajectories of morning fatigue severity in these patients. Objectives An evaluation was done to determine which demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics were associated with initial levels as well as the trajectories of morning fatigue and to compare findings with our companion paper on evening fatigue. Methods A sample of outpatients with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, and lung cancer (N=586) completed demographic and symptom questionnaires a total of six times over two cycles of CTX. Fatigue severity was evaluated using the Lee Fatigue Scale. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to answer the study objectives. Results A large amount of interindividual variability was found in the morning fatigue trajectories. A piecewise model fit the data best. Patients with higher body mass index (BMI), who did not exercise regularly, with a lower functional status, and who had higher levels of state anxiety, sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms, reported higher levels of morning fatigue at enrollment. Variations in the trajectories of morning fatigue were predicted by the patients’ ethnicity and younger age. Conclusion The modifiable risk factors that were associated with only morning fatigue were BMI, exercise, and state anxiety. Modifiable risk factors that were associated with both morning and evening fatigue included functional status, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbance. Using this information, clinicians can identify patients at higher risk for more severe morning fatigue and evening fatigue, provide individualized patient education, and tailor interventions to address the modifiable risk factors. PMID:25828559

Dynamic trajectory-based couch motion for improvement of radiation therapy trajectories in cranial SRT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MacDonald, R. Lee [Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 (Canada); Thomas, Christopher G., E-mail: Chris.Thomas@cdha.nshealth.ca [Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Nova Scotia Cancer Centre, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 1V7 (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 (Canada); Department of Radiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 (Canada)

2015-05-15

Purpose: To investigate potential improvement in external beam stereotactic radiation therapy plan quality for cranial cases using an optimized dynamic gantry and patient support couch motion trajectory, which could minimize exposure to sensitive healthy tissue. Methods: Anonymized patient anatomy and treatment plans of cranial cancer patients were used to quantify the geometric overlap between planning target volumes and organs-at-risk (OARs) based on their two-dimensional projection from source to a plane at isocenter as a function of gantry and couch angle. Published dose constraints were then used as weighting factors for the OARs to generate a map of couch-gantry coordinate space, indicating degree of overlap at each point in space. A couch-gantry collision space was generated by direct measurement on a linear accelerator and couch using an anthropomorphic solid-water phantom. A dynamic, fully customizable algorithm was written to generate a navigable ideal trajectory for the patient specific couch-gantry space. The advanced algorithm can be used to balance the implementation of absolute minimum values of overlap with the clinical practicality of large-scale couch motion and delivery time. Optimized cranial cancer treatment trajectories were compared to conventional treatment trajectories. Results: Comparison of optimized treatment trajectories with conventional treatment trajectories indicated an average decrease in mean dose to the OARs of 19% and an average decrease in maximum dose to the OARs of 12%. Degradation was seen for homogeneity index (6.14% ± 0.67%–5.48% ± 0.76%) and conformation number (0.82 ± 0.02–0.79 ± 0.02), but neither was statistically significant. Removal of OAR constraints from volumetric modulated arc therapy optimization reveals that reduction in dose to OARs is almost exclusively due to the optimized trajectory and not the OAR constraints. Conclusions: The authors’ study indicated that simultaneous couch and gantry motion

Dynamic trajectory-based couch motion for improvement of radiation therapy trajectories in cranial SRT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacDonald, R. Lee; Thomas, Christopher G.

2015-01-01

Purpose: To investigate potential improvement in external beam stereotactic radiation therapy plan quality for cranial cases using an optimized dynamic gantry and patient support couch motion trajectory, which could minimize exposure to sensitive healthy tissue. Methods: Anonymized patient anatomy and treatment plans of cranial cancer patients were used to quantify the geometric overlap between planning target volumes and organs-at-risk (OARs) based on their two-dimensional projection from source to a plane at isocenter as a function of gantry and couch angle. Published dose constraints were then used as weighting factors for the OARs to generate a map of couch-gantry coordinate space, indicating degree of overlap at each point in space. A couch-gantry collision space was generated by direct measurement on a linear accelerator and couch using an anthropomorphic solid-water phantom. A dynamic, fully customizable algorithm was written to generate a navigable ideal trajectory for the patient specific couch-gantry space. The advanced algorithm can be used to balance the implementation of absolute minimum values of overlap with the clinical practicality of large-scale couch motion and delivery time. Optimized cranial cancer treatment trajectories were compared to conventional treatment trajectories. Results: Comparison of optimized treatment trajectories with conventional treatment trajectories indicated an average decrease in mean dose to the OARs of 19% and an average decrease in maximum dose to the OARs of 12%. Degradation was seen for homogeneity index (6.14% ± 0.67%–5.48% ± 0.76%) and conformation number (0.82 ± 0.02–0.79 ± 0.02), but neither was statistically significant. Removal of OAR constraints from volumetric modulated arc therapy optimization reveals that reduction in dose to OARs is almost exclusively due to the optimized trajectory and not the OAR constraints. Conclusions: The authors’ study indicated that simultaneous couch and gantry motion

TRAJECTORIES AND DISTRIBUTION OF INTERSTELLAR DUST GRAINS IN THE HELIOSPHERE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slavin, Jonathan D.; Frisch, Priscilla C.; Müller, Hans-Reinhard; Heerikhuisen, Jacob; Pogorelov, Nikolai V.; Reach, William T.; Zank, Gary

2012-01-01

The solar wind carves a bubble in the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) known as the heliosphere. Charged interstellar dust grains (ISDG) encountering the heliosphere may be diverted around the heliopause or penetrate it depending on their charge-to-mass ratio. We present new calculations of trajectories of ISDG in the heliosphere, and the dust density distributions that result. We include up-to-date grain charging calculations using a realistic UV radiation field and full three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic fluid + kinetic models for the heliosphere. Models with two different (constant) polarities for the solar wind magnetic field (SWMF) are used, with the grain trajectory calculations done separately for each polarity. Small grains a gr ∼ gr ∼> 1.0 μm, pass into the inner solar system and are concentrated near the Sun by its gravity. Trajectories of intermediate size grains depend strongly on the SWMF polarity. When the field has magnetic north pointing to ecliptic north, the field de-focuses the grains resulting in low densities in the inner heliosphere, while for the opposite polarity the dust is focused near the Sun. The ISDG density outside the heliosphere inferred from applying the model results to in situ dust measurements is inconsistent with local ISM depletion data for both SWMF polarities but is bracketed by them. This result points to the need to include the time variation in the SWMF polarity during grain propagation. Our results provide valuable insights for interpretation of the in situ dust observations from Ulysses.

Variation in marital quality in a national sample of divorced women.

Science.gov (United States)

James, Spencer L

2015-06-01

Previous work has compared marital quality between stably married and divorced individuals. Less work has examined the possibility of variation among divorcés in trajectories of marital quality as divorce approaches. This study addressed that hole by first examining whether distinct trajectories of marital quality can be discerned among women whose marriages ended in divorce and, second, the profile of women who experienced each trajectory. Latent class growth analyses with longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample were used to "look backward" from the time of divorce. Although demographic and socioeconomic variables from this national sample did not predict the trajectories well, nearly 66% of divorced women reported relatively high levels of both happiness and communication and either low or moderate levels of conflict. Future research including personality or interactional patterns may lead to theoretical insights about patterns of marital quality in the years leading to divorce. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Trajectories of delinquency and parenting styles.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoeve, Machteld; Blokland, Arjan; Dubas, Judith Semon; Loeber, Rolf; Gerris, Jan R M; van der Laan, Peter H

2008-02-01

We investigated trajectories of adolescent delinquent development using data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study and examined the extent to which these different trajectories are differentially predicted by childhood parenting styles. Based on self-reported and official delinquency seriousness, covering ages 10-19, we identified five distinct delinquency trajectories differing in both level and change in seriousness over time: a nondelinquent, minor persisting, moderate desisting, serious persisting, and serious desisting trajectory. More serious delinquents tended to more frequently engage in delinquency, and to report a higher proportion of theft. Proportionally, serious persistent delinquents were the most violent of all trajectory groups. Using cluster analysis we identified three parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian (moderately supportive), and neglectful (punishing). Controlling for demographic characteristics and childhood delinquency, neglectful parenting was more frequent in moderate desisters, serious persisters, and serious desisters, suggesting that parenting styles differentiate non- or minor delinquents from more serious delinquents.

Path-based Queries on Trajectory Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krogh, Benjamin Bjerre; Pelekis, Nikos; Theodoridis, Yannis

2014-01-01

In traffic research, management, and planning a number of path-based analyses are heavily used, e.g., for computing turn-times, evaluating green waves, or studying traffic flow. These analyses require retrieving the trajectories that follow the full path being analyzed. Existing path queries cannot...... sufficiently support such path-based analyses because they retrieve all trajectories that touch any edge in the path. In this paper, we define and formalize the strict path query. This is a novel query type tailored to support path-based analysis, where trajectories must follow all edges in the path...... a specific path by only retrieving data from the first and last edge in the path. To correctly answer strict path queries existing network-constrained trajectory indexes must retrieve data from all edges in the path. An extensive performance study of NETTRA using a very large real-world trajectory data set...

Flash trajectory imaging of target 3D motion

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinwei; Zhou, Yan; Fan, Songtao; He, Jun; Liu, Yuliang

2011-03-01

We present a flash trajectory imaging technique which can directly obtain target trajectory and realize non-contact measurement of motion parameters by range-gated imaging and time delay integration. Range-gated imaging gives the range of targets and realizes silhouette detection which can directly extract targets from complex background and decrease the complexity of moving target image processing. Time delay integration increases information of one single frame of image so that one can directly gain the moving trajectory. In this paper, we have studied the algorithm about flash trajectory imaging and performed initial experiments which successfully obtained the trajectory of a falling badminton. Our research demonstrates that flash trajectory imaging is an effective approach to imaging target trajectory and can give motion parameters of moving targets.

Periodic trajectories for two-dimensional nonintegrable Hamiltonians

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, K.T.R.

1990-02-01

I want to report on some calculations of classical periodic trajectories in a two-dimensional nonintegrable potential. After a brief introduction, I will present some details of the theory. The main part of this report will be devoted to showing pictures of the various families of trajectories and to discussing the topology (in E-τ space) and branching behavior of these families. Then I will demonstrate the connection between periodic trajectories and ''nearby'' nonperiodic trajectories, which nicely illustrates the relationship of this work to chaos. Finally, I will discuss very briefly how periodic trajectories can be used to calculate tori. 12 refs., 40 figs

Detuning related coupler kick variation of a superconducting nine-cell 1.3 GHz cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Hellert, Thorsten; Dohlus, Martin

2018-04-01

Superconducting TESLA-type cavities are widely used to accelerate electrons in long bunch trains, such as in high repetition rate free electron lasers. The TESLA cavity is equipped with two higher order mode couplers and a fundamental power coupler (FPC), which break the axial symmetry of the cavity. The passing electrons therefore experience axially asymmetrical coupler kicks, which depend on the transverse beam position at the couplers and the rf phase. The resulting emittance dilution has been studied in detail in the literature. However, the kick induced by the FPC depends explicitly on the ratio of the forward to the backward traveling waves at the coupler, which has received little attention. The intention of this paper is to present the concept of discrete coupler kicks with a novel approach of separating the field disturbances related to the standing wave and a reflection dependent part. Particular attention is directed to the role of the penetration depth of the FPC antenna, which determines the loaded quality factor of the cavity. The developed beam transport model is compared to dedicated experiments at FLASH and European XFEL. Both the observed transverse coupling and detuning related coupler kick variations are in good agreement with the model. Finally, the expected trajectory variations due to coupler kick variations at European XFEL are investigated and results of numerical studies are presented.

Daytime Water Detection Based on Sky Reflections

Science.gov (United States)

Rankin, Arturo; Matthies, Larry; Bellutta, Paolo

2011-01-01

A water body s surface can be modeled as a horizontal mirror. Water detection based on sky reflections and color variation are complementary. A reflection coefficient model suggests sky reflections dominate the color of water at ranges > 12 meters. Water detection based on sky reflections: (1) geometrically locates the pixel in the sky that is reflecting on a candidate water pixel on the ground (2) predicts if the ground pixel is water based on color similarity and local terrain features. Water detection has been integrated on XUVs.

Early community context, genes, and youth body mass index trajectories: an investigation of gene-community interplay over early life course.

Science.gov (United States)

Wickrama, Kandauda K A S; O'Neal, Catherine Walker; Lee, Tae Kyoung

2013-09-01

To investigate additive and interactive influences of community adversity and cumulative genetic sensitivity on youth body mass index (BMI) trajectories over adolescence and young adulthood. We used latent growth curve modeling to examine BMI trajectories over three waves (1995, 2001, and 2008) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 14,563). We measured genetic sensitivity by a cumulative index of genes associated with serotonin and dopamine functions. Community adversity was positively associated with the initial level and rate of change in BMI trajectories over time. Adolescents experiencing community adversity had a higher BMI at Wave 1 and gained weight more quickly than those who did not live in adverse communities. Community adversity interacted with cumulative genetic sensitivity to explain variation in the rate of change in BMI trajectories. The influence of community adversity was greater for those with more sensitivity alleles than those with fewer sensitivity alleles. Gender, race/ethnicity, and family contexts were also associated with youth BMI trajectories. Community adversity in early adolescence, and its interaction with genes, has far-reaching consequences, including the rate of change in BMI trajectories extending into adulthood. This work has practical implications for future intervention/prevention programs. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Trajectories of Delinquency and Parenting Styles

OpenAIRE

Hoeve, Machteld; Blokland, Arjan; Dubas, Judith Semon; Loeber, Rolf; Gerris, Jan R. M.; van der Laan, Peter H.

2007-01-01

We investigated trajectories of adolescent delinquent development using data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study and examined the extent to which these different trajectories are differentially predicted by childhood parenting styles. Based on self-reported and official delinquency seriousness, covering ages 10?19, we identified five distinct delinquency trajectories differing in both level and change in seriousness over time: a nondelinquent, minor persisting, moderate desisting, serious persist...

Aging Trajectories in Different Body Systems Share Common Environmental Etiology: The Healthy Aging Twin Study (HATS).

Science.gov (United States)

Moayyeri, Alireza; Hart, Deborah J; Snieder, Harold; Hammond, Christopher J; Spector, Timothy D; Steves, Claire J

2016-02-01

Little is known about the extent to which aging trajectories of different body systems share common sources of variance. We here present a large twin study investigating the trajectories of change in five systems: cardiovascular, respiratory, skeletal, morphometric, and metabolic. Longitudinal clinical data were collected on 3,508 female twins in the TwinsUK registry (complete pairs:740 monozygotic (MZ), 986 dizygotic (DZ), mean age at entry 48.9 ± 10.4, range 18-75 years; mean follow-up 10.2 ± 2.8 years, range 4-17.8 years). Panel data on multiple age-related variables were used to estimate biological ages for each individual at each time point, in linear mixed effects models. A weighted average approach was used to combine variables within predefined body system groups. Aging trajectories for each system in each individual were then constructed using linear modeling. Multivariate structural equation modeling of these aging trajectories showed low genetic effects (heritability), ranging from 2% in metabolic aging to 22% in cardiovascular aging. However, we found a significant effect of shared environmental factors on the variations in aging trajectories in cardiovascular (54%), skeletal (34%), morphometric (53%), and metabolic systems (53%). The remainder was due to environmental factors unique to each individual plus error. Multivariate Cholesky decomposition showed that among aging trajectories for various body systems there were significant and substantial correlations between the unique environmental latent factors as well as shared environmental factors. However, there was no evidence for a single common factor for aging. This study, the first of its kind in aging, suggests that diverse organ systems share non-genetic sources of variance for aging trajectories. Confirmatory studies are needed using population-based twin cohorts and alternative methods of handling missing data.

Technical description of the RIVM trajectory model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Waal, E.S.; Van Pul, W.A.J.

1995-12-01

The RIVM trajectory model, described in this report, enables calculation of a backward or forward trajectory. These trajectories are used to `follow` previous released air pollution in a backward mode or to `find` the origin of air pollution in a forward mode. The trajectories are used in the smog forecasting and in the TREND model for the distribution of materials in Europe. Presently 6-hourly ECMWF wind fields at 1000 and 850 hPa, with 3 deg x 3 deg latitude-longitude resolution are used. Wind fields with a different resolution in latitude-longitude can also be used after simple adjustments. An iterative method, described elsewhere, is applied to calculate the trajectories. Within limits, the user is free to choose the time step (1, 2 or 6-hour), transport height, length, starting or arrival date and starting or arrival position of the trajectory. The differences between the trajectories calculated with time steps of 1, 2 and 6 h were small. For the 96-hour trajectories at 1000 and 850 hPa the deviations were generally within 1 deg latitude and longitude, i.e. 100-200 km. The trajectory calculated with the 6-hour time step could be used without a great loss in accuracy compared to the calculations with the 1-hour time step. A typical error in the trajectory path at 1000 and 850 hPa was 500 km, which is about 30% of a typical travel distance. However, close to quickly changing weather systems, such as cyclones, the error can be as large as the travel distance and makes the calculations unreliable. The error in the forecasted trajectory was found to be larger than the above error estimation due to larger uncertainties in the forecasted compared to the analyzed wind fields. A manual on how to run the model is also given. 5 figs., 3 tabs., 5 refs., 6 appendices

Thermal Decomposition of 1,5-Dinitrobiuret (DNB): Direct Dynamics Trajectory Simulations and Statistical Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-03

Vibrational frequencies and zero-point energies ( ZPE ) were scaled by a factor of 0.955 and 0.981,20 respectively. The corrected ZPE were added to the...PE) during the trajectory. The oscillations in the PE reflect the vibration of the DNB molecule and the products, including ZPE . The time scale of...Energetics of complexes, TSs, and products are derived from B3LYP/6-31++G** calculations, including ZPE . For TSs, vibrational modes corresponding

Segmenting Trajectories by Movement States

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buchin, M.; Kruckenberg, H.; Kölzsch, A.; Timpf, S.; Laube, P.

2013-01-01

Dividing movement trajectories according to different movement states of animals has become a challenge in movement ecology, as well as in algorithm development. In this study, we revisit and extend a framework for trajectory segmentation based on spatio-temporal criteria for this purpose. We adapt

Meteorological information in GPS-RO reflected signals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Boniface

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Vertical profiles of the atmosphere can be obtained globally with the radio-occultation technique. However, the lowest layers of the atmosphere are less accurately extracted. A good description of these layers is important for the good performance of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP systems, and an improvement of the observational data available for the low troposphere would thus be of great interest for data assimilation. We outline here how supplemental meteorological information close to the surface can be extracted whenever reflected signals are available. We separate the reflected signal through a radioholographic filter, and we interpret it with a ray tracing procedure, analyzing the trajectories of the electromagnetic waves over a 3-D field of refractive index. A perturbation approach is then used to perform an inversion, identifying the relevant contribution of the lowest layers of the atmosphere to the properties of the reflected signal, and extracting some supplemental information to the solution of the inversion of the direct propagation signals. It is found that there is a significant amount of useful information in the reflected signal, which is sufficient to extract a stand-alone profile of the low atmosphere, with a precision of approximately 0.1 %. The methodology is applied to one reflection case.

Picking Robot Arm Trajectory Planning Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Zhiyong

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The picking robot arm is scheduled to complete picking tasks in the working space, to overcome the shaking vibration to improve the picking stability, its movement should follow specific consistence trajectory points. Usually we should give definite multiple feature picking points, map their inverse kinematics to the joint space, establish motion equation for the corresponding point in the joint space, then follow these equations motion for the interpolation on the joint so that we can meet the movement requirements. Trajectory planning is decisive significance for accuracy and stability of controlling robot arm. The key issue that picking arm complete picking task will be come true by trajectory planning, namely, robot arm track the desired trajectory. which based on kinematics and statics picking analysis in a joint space according to the requirements of picking tasks, and obtain the position and orientation for picking robot arm, study and calculate the theory of trajectory parameters timely.

Methods for control over learning individual trajectory

Science.gov (United States)

Mitsel, A. A.; Cherniaeva, N. V.

2015-09-01

The article discusses models, methods and algorithms of determining student's optimal individual educational trajectory. A new method of controlling the learning trajectory has been developed as a dynamic model of learning trajectory control, which uses score assessment to construct a sequence of studied subjects.

Correction for reflected sky radiance in low-altitude coastal hyperspectral images.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Minsu; Park, Joong Yong; Kopilevich, Yuri; Tuell, Grady; Philpot, William

2013-11-10

Low-altitude coastal hyperspectral imagery is sensitive to reflections of sky radiance at the water surface. Even in the absence of sun glint, and for a calm water surface, the wide range of viewing angles may result in pronounced, low-frequency variations of the reflected sky radiance across the scan line depending on the solar position. The variation in reflected sky radiance can be obscured by strong high-spatial-frequency sun glint and at high altitude by path radiance. However, at low altitudes, the low-spatial-frequency sky radiance effect is frequently significant and is not removed effectively by the typical corrections for sun glint. The reflected sky radiance from the water surface observed by a low-altitude sensor can be modeled in the first approximation as the sum of multiple-scattered Rayleigh path radiance and the single-scattered direct-solar-beam radiance by the aerosol in the lower atmosphere. The path radiance from zenith to the half field of view (FOV) of a typical airborne spectroradiometer has relatively minimal variation and its reflected radiance to detector array results in a flat base. Therefore the along-track variation is mostly contributed by the forward single-scattered solar-beam radiance. The scattered solar-beam radiances arrive at the water surface with different incident angles. Thus the reflected radiance received at the detector array corresponds to a certain scattering angle, and its variation is most effectively parameterized using the downward scattering angle (DSA) of the solar beam. Computation of the DSA must account for the roll, pitch, and heading of the platform and the viewing geometry of the sensor along with the solar ephemeris. Once the DSA image is calculated, the near-infrared (NIR) radiance from selected water scan lines are compared, and a relationship between DSA and NIR radiance is derived. We then apply the relationship to the entire DSA image to create an NIR reference image. Using the NIR reference image

Quantum dynamics modeled by interacting trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz-Rodríguez, L.; Uranga-Piña, L.; Martínez-Mesa, A.; Meier, C.

2018-03-01

We present quantum dynamical simulations based on the propagation of interacting trajectories where the effect of the quantum potential is mimicked by effective pseudo-particle interactions. The method is applied to several quantum systems, both for bound and scattering problems. For the bound systems, the quantum ground state density and zero point energy are shown to be perfectly obtained by the interacting trajectories. In the case of time-dependent quantum scattering, the Eckart barrier and uphill ramp are considered, with transmission coefficients in very good agreement with standard quantum calculations. Finally, we show that via wave function synthesis along the trajectories, correlation functions and energy spectra can be obtained based on the dynamics of interacting trajectories.

Trajectory Design Considerations for Exploration Mission 1

Science.gov (United States)

Dawn, Timothy F.; Gutkowski, Jeffrey P.; Batcha, Amelia L.; Williams, Jacob; Pedrotty, Samuel M.

2018-01-01

Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) will be the first mission to send an uncrewed Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) to cislunar space in the fall of 2019. EM-1 was originally conceived as a lunar free-return mission, but was later changed to a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) mission as a precursor to the Asteroid Redirect Mission. To understand the required mission performance (i.e., propellant requirement), a series of trajectory optimization runs was conducted using JSC's Copernicus spacecraft trajectory optimization tool. In order for the runs to be done in a timely manner, it was necessary to employ a parallelization approach on a computing cluster using a new trajectory scan tool written in Python. Details of the scan tool are provided and how it is used to perform the scans and post-process the results. Initially, a scan of daily due east launched EM-1 DRO missions in 2018 was made. Valid mission opportunities are ones that do not exceed the useable propellant available to perform the required burns. The initial scan data showed the propellant and delta-V performance patterns for each launch period. As questions were raised from different subsystems (e.g., power, thermal, communications, flight operations, etc.), the mission parameters or data that were of interest to them were added to the scan output data file. The additional data includes: (1) local launch and landing times in relation to sunrise and sunset, (2) length of eclipse periods during the in-space portion of the mission, (3) Earth line of sight from cislunar space, (4) Deep Space Network field of view looking towards cislunar space, and (5) variation of the downrange distance from Earth entry interface to splashdown. Mission design trades can also be performed based on the information that the additional data shows. For example, if the landing is in darkness, but the recovery operations team desires a landing in daylight, then an analysis is performed to determine how to change the mission design

Searching Trajectories by Regions of Interest

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo

2017-03-22

With the increasing availability of moving-object tracking data, trajectory search is increasingly important. We propose and investigate a novel query type named trajectory search by regions of interest (TSR query). Given an argument set of trajectories, a TSR query takes a set of regions of interest as a parameter and returns the trajectory in the argument set with the highest spatial-density correlation to the query regions. This type of query is useful in many popular applications such as trip planning and recommendation, and location based services in general. TSR query processing faces three challenges: how to model the spatial-density correlation between query regions and data trajectories, how to effectively prune the search space, and how to effectively schedule multiple so-called query sources. To tackle these challenges, a series of new metrics are defined to model spatial-density correlations. An efficient trajectory search algorithm is developed that exploits upper and lower bounds to prune the search space and that adopts a query-source selection strategy, as well as integrates a heuristic search strategy based on priority ranking to schedule multiple query sources. The performance of TSR query processing is studied in extensive experiments based on real and synthetic spatial data.

UAV Trajectory Modeling Using Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Min

2017-01-01

Massive small unmanned aerial vehicles are envisioned to operate in the near future. While there are lots of research problems need to be addressed before dense operations can happen, trajectory modeling remains as one of the keys to understand and develop policies, regulations, and requirements for safe and efficient unmanned aerial vehicle operations. The fidelity requirement of a small unmanned vehicle trajectory model is high because these vehicles are sensitive to winds due to their small size and low operational altitude. Both vehicle control systems and dynamic models are needed for trajectory modeling, which makes the modeling a great challenge, especially considering the fact that manufactures are not willing to share their control systems. This work proposed to use a neural network approach for modelling small unmanned vehicle's trajectory without knowing its control system and bypassing exhaustive efforts for aerodynamic parameter identification. As a proof of concept, instead of collecting data from flight tests, this work used the trajectory data generated by a mathematical vehicle model for training and testing the neural network. The results showed great promise because the trained neural network can predict 4D trajectories accurately, and prediction errors were less than 2:0 meters in both temporal and spatial dimensions.

Searching Trajectories by Regions of Interest

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo; chen, Lisi; Jensen, Christian S.; Wen, Ji-Rong; Kalnis, Panos

2017-01-01

With the increasing availability of moving-object tracking data, trajectory search is increasingly important. We propose and investigate a novel query type named trajectory search by regions of interest (TSR query). Given an argument set of trajectories, a TSR query takes a set of regions of interest as a parameter and returns the trajectory in the argument set with the highest spatial-density correlation to the query regions. This type of query is useful in many popular applications such as trip planning and recommendation, and location based services in general. TSR query processing faces three challenges: how to model the spatial-density correlation between query regions and data trajectories, how to effectively prune the search space, and how to effectively schedule multiple so-called query sources. To tackle these challenges, a series of new metrics are defined to model spatial-density correlations. An efficient trajectory search algorithm is developed that exploits upper and lower bounds to prune the search space and that adopts a query-source selection strategy, as well as integrates a heuristic search strategy based on priority ranking to schedule multiple query sources. The performance of TSR query processing is studied in extensive experiments based on real and synthetic spatial data.

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping of Human Brain Reflects Spatial Variation in Tissue Composition

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wei; Wu, Bing; Liu, Chunlei

2011-01-01

Image phase from gradient echo MRI provides a unique contrast that reflects brain tissue composition variations, such as iron and myelin distribution. Phase imaging is emerging as a powerful tool for the investigation of functional brain anatomy and disease diagnosis. However, the quantitative value of phase is compromised by its nonlocal and orientation dependent properties. There is an increasing need for reliable quantification of magnetic susceptibility, the intrinsic property of tissue. In this study, we developed a novel and accurate susceptibility mapping method that is also phase-wrap insensitive. The proposed susceptibility mapping method utilized two complementary equations: (1) the Fourier relationship of phase and magnetic susceptibility; and (2) the first-order partial derivative of the first equation in the spatial frequency domain. In numerical simulation, this method reconstructed the susceptibility map almost free of streaking artifact. Further, the iterative implementation of this method allowed for high quality reconstruction of susceptibility maps of human brain in vivo. The reconstructed susceptibility map provided excellent contrast of iron-rich deep nuclei and white matter bundles from surrounding tissues. Further, it also revealed anisotropic magnetic susceptibility in brain white matter. Hence, the proposed susceptibility mapping method may provide a powerful tool for the study of brain physiology and pathophysiology. Further elucidation of anisotropic magnetic susceptibility in vivo may allow us to gain more insight into the white matter microarchitectures. PMID:21224002

Geometric Algorithms for Trajectory Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Staals, Frank

2015-01-01

Technology such as the Global Positing System (GPS) has made tracking moving entities easy and cheap. As a result there is a large amount of trajectory data available, and an increasing demand on tools and techniques to analyze such data. We consider several analysis tasks for trajectory data,

Air mass origins by back trajectory analysis for evaluating atmospheric 210Pb concentrations at Rokkasho, Aomori, Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akata, N.; Kawabata, H.; Hasegawa, H.; Kondo, K.; Chikuchi, Y.; Hisamatsu, S.; Inaba, J.; Sato, T.

2009-01-01

Atmospheric concentrations of 210 Pb change with various factors such as meso-scale meteorological conditions. We have already reported the biweekly atmospheric 210 Pb concentrations in Rokkasho, Japan for 5 years and found that they had clear seasonal variations: low concentrations in summer and high values in winter to spring. To study the reasons for the seasonal variations, the origins of the air mass flowing to Rokkasho were analyzed by 3-D backward air mass trajectory analysis. Routes of the calculated trajectories were classified into four regions: northeastern and southeastern Asian Continent, sea and other regions. The atmospheric 210 Pb concentrations were well correlated with the frequency of the routes through the northeastern Asian Continent. A non-linear multiple regression analysis of the 210 Pb concentrations and the relative frequencies of the four routes showed good fitting of the predicted values to the observed ones, and indicated that the atmospheric 210 Pb concentrations in Rokkasho depended on the frequency of the air mass from the northeastern Asian Continent. (author)

Individual differences in learning to perceive length by dynamic touch : Evidence for variation in perceptual learning capacities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Withagen, Rob; van Wermeskerken, Margot

Recent studies of perceptual learning have explored and commented on variation in learning trajectories. Although several factors have been suggested to account for this variation, thus far the idea that humans vary in their perceptual learning capacities has received scant attention. In the present

Reflectance Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J. A.; Cooper, K.; Randolph, M.

1984-01-01

A classical description of the one dimensional radiative transfer treatment of vegetation canopies was completed and the results were tested against measured prairie (blue grama) and agricultural canopies (soybean). Phase functions are calculated in terms of directly measurable biophysical characteristics of the canopy medium. While the phase functions tend to exhibit backscattering anisotropy, their exact behavior is somewhat more complex and wavelength dependent. A Monte Carlo model was developed that treats soil surfaces with large periodic variations in three dimensions. A photon-ray tracing technology is used. Currently, the rough soil surface is described by analytic functions and appropriate geometric calculations performed. A bidirectional reflectance distribution function is calculated and, hence, available for other atmospheric or canopy reflectance models as a lower boundary condition. This technique is used together with an adding model to calculate several cases where Lambertian leaves possessing anisotropic leaf angle distributions yield non-Lambertian reflectance; similar behavior is exhibited for simulated soil surfaces.

Trajectories of the healthy ageing phenotype among middle-aged and older Britons, 2004-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Tampubolon, Gindo

2016-06-01

Since the ageing population demands a response to ensure older people remain healthy and active, we studied the dynamics of a recently proposed healthy ageing phenotype. We drew the phenotype's trajectories and tested whether their levels and rates of change are influenced by health behaviours, comorbidities and socioeconomic positions earlier in the life course. The English Longitudinal Ageing Study, a prospective, nationally representative sample of people aged ≥50 years, measured a set of eight biomarkers which make up the outcome of the healthy ageing phenotype three times over nearly a decade (N2004=5009, N2008=5301, N2013=4455). A cluster of health behaviours, comorbidities and socioeconomic positions were also measured repeatedly. We assessed the phenotype's distribution non-parametrically, then fitted linear mixed models to phenotypic change and further examined time interactions with gender and socioeconomic position. We ran additional analyses to test robustness. Women had a wider distribution of the healthy ageing phenotype than men had. The phenotype declined annually by -0.242 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.352, -0.131). However, there was considerable heterogeneity in the levels and rates of phenotypic change. Women started at higher levels, then declined more steeply by -0.293 (CI: -0.403, -0.183) annually, leading to crossover in the trajectories. Smoking and physical activity assessed on the Allied Dunbar scale were strongly associated with the trajectories. Though marked by secular decline, the trajectories of the healthy ageing phenotype showed distinct socioeconomic gradients. The trajectories were also susceptible to variations in health behaviours, strengthening the case for serial interventions to attain healthy and active ageing. Copyright © 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The formation of movable cultural property conservators-restorer in Brazil: memories and historical trajectory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aloisio Arnaldo Nunes de Castro

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article proposes a panoramic reflection on the historical trajectory of the educational background of the conservator-restorer of cultural goods in the Brazilian context, covering the chronological interval that goes from 1855 to the 2010s. Using documentary data analysis and bibliographic review, it was also investigated the theoretical landmarks, paradigms, international influences and social policies that served as a foundation for the training and the development of this specialized professional within the Brazilian state.

Hypothetical learning trajectory design on the history of Indonesian independence struggle in Mathematics logic instruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dra Nurjanah

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The research was aimed at developing learning resources for mathematics logic using the hypothetical learning trajectory designed through reflection on the history of Indonesian independence struggle. The study was carried out at the Department of Mathematics Education of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Educational Sciences Nusantara Islamic University (Uninus. The study used design research consisted of three stages: preparing the experiments, design the experiments, and retrospective analysis. Preparing the experiments stage has been completed and design the experiments stage is currently under preparation. The main activities accomplished in preparing the experiments stage consisted of: studies of Indonesian independence struggle, curriculum analysis, literature review, and early prototype design. Design the experiments phase has enabled the development of the research instruments. The learning trajectory which has been designed in the first stage involved: reflections on the history of Indonesian independence struggle; implication and bi-implication; implication, bi-implication and their truth in the context of the history of the Indonesian independence struggle; and implication, bi-implication and their truth in the context of mathematics. Based on the results of discussions with colleagues, the students’ ability in mathematical thinking can be developed by using the history of Indonesian independence struggle as the context of learning in a mathematics logics course.

Effects of prolonged compression on the variations of haemoglobin oxygenation-assessment by spectral analysis of reflectance spectrophotometry signals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Zengyong; Tam, Eric W C; Mak, Arthur F T; Lau, Roy Y C

2006-01-01

The consequences of rhythmical flow motion for nutrition and the oxygen supply to tissue are largely unknown. In this study, the periodic variations of haemoglobin oxygenation in compressed and uncompressed skin were evaluated with a reflection spectrometer using an in vivo Sprague-Dawley rat model. Skin compression was induced over the trochanter area by a locally applied external pressure of 13.3 kPa (100 mmHg) via a specifically designed pneumatic indentor. A total of 19 rats were used in this study. The loading duration is 6 h per day for four consecutive days. Haemoglobin oxygenation variations were quantified using spectral analysis based on wavelets' transformation. The results found that in both compressed and uncompressed skin, periodic variations of the haemoglobin oxygenation were characterized by two frequencies in the range of 0.01-0.05 Hz and 0.15-0.4 Hz. These frequency ranges coincide with those of the frequency range of the endothelial-related metabolic and myogenic activities found in the flow motion respectively. Tissue compression following the above loading schedule induced a significant decrease in the spectral amplitudes of frequency interval 0.01-0.05 Hz during the pre-occlusion period on day 3 and day 4 as compared to that on day 1 (p 2 consumption rates of arteriolar walls. The modification of vessel wall oxygen consumption might substantially affect the available oxygen supply to the compressed tissue. This mechanism might be involved in the process leading to pressure ulcer formation

TRAJECTORIES AND DISTRIBUTION OF INTERSTELLAR DUST GRAINS IN THE HELIOSPHERE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Slavin, Jonathan D. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, MS 83, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Frisch, Priscilla C. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, 5460 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Mueller, Hans-Reinhard [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Heerikhuisen, Jacob; Pogorelov, Nikolai V. [Department of Physics and Center for Space Physics and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL 35899 (United States); Reach, William T. [Universities Space Research Association, MS 211-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Zank, Gary [Department of Physics and Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL 35805 (United States)

2012-11-20

The solar wind carves a bubble in the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) known as the heliosphere. Charged interstellar dust grains (ISDG) encountering the heliosphere may be diverted around the heliopause or penetrate it depending on their charge-to-mass ratio. We present new calculations of trajectories of ISDG in the heliosphere, and the dust density distributions that result. We include up-to-date grain charging calculations using a realistic UV radiation field and full three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic fluid + kinetic models for the heliosphere. Models with two different (constant) polarities for the solar wind magnetic field (SWMF) are used, with the grain trajectory calculations done separately for each polarity. Small grains a {sub gr} {approx}< 0.01 {mu}m are completely excluded from the inner heliosphere. Large grains, a {sub gr} {approx}> 1.0 {mu}m, pass into the inner solar system and are concentrated near the Sun by its gravity. Trajectories of intermediate size grains depend strongly on the SWMF polarity. When the field has magnetic north pointing to ecliptic north, the field de-focuses the grains resulting in low densities in the inner heliosphere, while for the opposite polarity the dust is focused near the Sun. The ISDG density outside the heliosphere inferred from applying the model results to in situ dust measurements is inconsistent with local ISM depletion data for both SWMF polarities but is bracketed by them. This result points to the need to include the time variation in the SWMF polarity during grain propagation. Our results provide valuable insights for interpretation of the in situ dust observations from Ulysses.

Longitudinal variation in adolescent physical activity patterns and the emergence of tobacco use.

Science.gov (United States)

Audrain-McGovern, Janet; Rodriguez, Daniel; Rodgers, Kelli; Cuevas, Jocelyn; Sass, Joseph

2012-07-01

The objective of this investigation was to examine how variation in adolescent physical activity is related to smoking and alternative tobacco use. Adolescents (N = 1,384) completed a self-report survey every 6 months from ages 14- to 18-years old in a prospective study of health behaviors. The 8 waves of data were analyzed using General Growth Mixture Modeling (GGMM) RESULTS: GGMM identified five physical activity trajectories including stable higher (SHPA), decreased (DPA), stable regular (SRPA), curvilinear (CPA), and stable low (SLPA). Across 4 years, the likelihood of smoking was greater among adolescents in the DPA, SLPA and SRPA trajectories compared to adolescents belonging to the SHPA trajectory. Alternative tobacco use was greatest among adolescents in the DPA and SRPA trajectories. Adolescents with decreasing physical activity and even adolescents averaging an hour of physical activity a day (SRPA) are important groups to target for tobacco use prevention and intervention efforts.

Management by Trajectory Trade Study of Roles and Responsibilities Between Participants and Automation Report

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Alicia D.; Kaler, Curt; Leiden, Kenneth; Atkins, Stephen; Bell, Alan; Kilbourne, Todd; Evans, Mark

2017-01-01

This report describes a trade study of roles and responsibilities associated with the Management by Trajectory (MBT) concept. The MBT concept describes roles, responsibilities, and information and automation requirements for providing air traffic controllers and managers the ability to quickly generate, evaluate and implement changes to an aircraft's trajectory. In addition, the MBT concept describes mechanisms for imposing constraints on flight operator preferred trajectories only to the extent necessary to maintain safe and efficient traffic flows, and the concept provides a method for the exchange of trajectory information between ground automation systems and the aircraft that allows for trajectory synchronization and trajectory negotiation. The participant roles considered in this trade study include: airline dispatcher, flight crew, radar controller, traffic manager, and Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) traffic management specialists. The proposed allocation of roles and responsibilities was based on analysis of several use cases that were developed for this purpose as well as for walking through concept elements. The resulting allocation of roles and responsibilities reflects both increased automation capability to support many aviation functions, as well as increased flexibility to assign responsibilities to different participants - in many cases afforded by the increased automation capabilities. Note that the selection of participants to consider for allocation of each function is necessarily rooted in the current environment, in that MBT is envisioned as an evolution of the National Airspace System (NAS), and not a revolution. A key feature of the MBT allocations is a vision for the traffic management specialist to take on a greater role. This is facilitated by the vision that separation management functions, in addition to traffic management functions, will be carried out as trajectory management functions. This creates an opportunity

Tracers vs. trajectories in a coastal region

Science.gov (United States)

Engqvist, A.; Döös, K.

2008-12-01

Two different methods of estimating the water exchange through a Baltic coastal region have been used, consisting of particle trajectories and passive tracers. Water is traced from and to a small discharge region near the coast. The discharge material in this region is treated as zero dimensional particles or tracers with neutral buoyancy. The real discharge material could be a leakage of radio-nuclides through the sea floor from an underground repository of nuclear waste. Water exchange rates between the discharge region and the model domain are estimated using both forward and backward trajectories as well as passive tracers. The Lagrangian trajectories can account for the time evolution of the water exchange while the tracers give one average age per model grid box. Water exchange times such as residence time, age and transient times have been calculated with trajectories but only the average age (AvA) for tracers. The trajectory calculations provide a more detailed time evolution than the tracers. On the other hand the tracers are integrated "on-line" simultaneously in the sea circulation model with the same time step while the Lagrangian trajectories are integrated "off-line" from the stored model velocities with its inherent temporal resolution, presently one hour. The sub-grid turbulence is parameterised as a Laplacian diffusion for the passive tracers and with an extra stochastic velocity for trajectories. The importance of the parameterised sub-grid turbulence for the trajectories is estimated to give an extra diffusion of the same order as the Laplacian diffusion by comparing the Lagrangian dispersions with and without parameterisation. The results of the different methods are similar but depend on the chosen diffusivity coefficient with a slightly higher correlation between trajectories and tracers when integrated with a lower diffusivity coefficient.

Probabilistic Tractography Recovers a Rostrocaudal Trajectory of Connectivity Variability in the Human Insular Cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Cerliani, Leonardo; Thomas, Rajat M; Jbabdi, Saad; Siero, Jeroen CW; Nanetti, Luca; Crippa, Alessandro; Gazzola, Valeria; D'Arceuil, Helen; Keysers, Christian

2012-01-01

The insular cortex of macaques has a wide spectrum of anatomical connections whose distribution is related to its heterogeneous cytoarchitecture. Although there is evidence of a similar cytoarchitectural arrangement in humans, the anatomical connectivity of the insula in the human brain has not yet been investigated in vivo. In the present work, we used in vivo probabilistic white-matter tractography and Laplacian eigenmaps (LE) to study the variation of connectivity patterns across insular territories in humans. In each subject and hemisphere, we recovered a rostrocaudal trajectory of connectivity variation ranging from the anterior dorsal and ventral insula to the dorsal caudal part of the long insular gyri. LE suggested that regional transitions among tractography patterns in the insula occur more gradually than in other brain regions. In particular, the change in tractography patterns was more gradual in the insula than in the medial premotor region, where a sharp transition between different tractography patterns was found. The recovered trajectory of connectivity variation in the insula suggests a relation between connectivity and cytoarchitecture in humans resembling that previously found in macaques: tractography seeds from the anterior insula were mainly found in limbic and paralimbic regions and in anterior parts of the inferior frontal gyrus, while seeds from caudal insular territories mostly reached parietal and posterior temporal cortices. Regions in the putative dysgranular insula displayed more heterogeneous connectivity patterns, with regional differences related to the proximity with either putative granular or agranular regions. Hum Brain Mapp 33:2005–2034, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:21761507

Early expressive and receptive language trajectories in high-risk infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie Longard

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Background & aims In response to limited research on early language development in infants at high risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, the current prospective study examined early expressive and receptive language trajectories in familial high-risk (HR infants who were and were not later diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD and HR-N, respectively, and low-risk (LR controls with no family history of ASD. Methods Participants were 523 children (371 HR siblings, 56% boys; 152 LR controls, 52% boys followed from age 6 or 12 months to 36 months. Based on independent, best-estimate clinical diagnoses at 36 months, HR participants were classified as HR-ASD (n = 94; 69% boys, or HR-N (n = 277; 52% boys; the sample also included 152 LR controls (52% boys. Expressive and receptive language trajectories were examined based on corresponding domain standard scores on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning ( MSEL at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. In the combined sample of HR and LR infants, semi-parametric group-based modeling was used to identify distinct trajectories in MSEL standard scores. Results A 3-group solution provided optimal fit to variation in both expressive and receptive language, with the following patterns of scores: (1 inclining from average to above average, (2 stable-average, and (3 declining from average to well below average. For both expressive and receptive language, membership in these trajectories was related to 3-year diagnostic outcomes. Conclusions Although HR-ASD, HR-N, and LR control infants were in each trajectory group, membership in the declining trajectory (expressive and/or receptive was associated with an ASD diagnosis. Implications Evidence of declining trajectories in either expressive or receptive language may be a risk marker for ASD in a high-risk sample.

Branching trajectory continual integral

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maslov, V.P.; Chebotarev, A.M.

1980-01-01

Heuristic definition of the Feynman continual integral over branching trajectories is suggested which makes it possible to obtain in the closed form the solution of the Cauchy problem for the model Hartree equation. A number of properties of the solution is derived from an integral representation. In particular, the quasiclassical asymptotics, exact solution in the gaussian case and perturbation theory series are described. The existence theorem for the simpliest continual integral over branching trajectories is proved [ru

Reconstructing the landing trajectory of the CE-3 lunar probe by using images from the landing camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jian-Jun; Yan Wei; Li Chun-Lai; Tan Xu; Ren Xin; Mu Ling-Li

2014-01-01

An accurate determination of the landing trajectory of Chang'e-3 (CE-3) is significant for verifying orbital control strategy, optimizing orbital planning, accurately determining the landing site of CE-3 and analyzing the geological background of the landing site. Due to complexities involved in the landing process, there are some differences between the planned trajectory and the actual trajectory of CE-3. The landing camera on CE-3 recorded a sequence of the landing process with a frequency of 10 frames per second. These images recorded by the landing camera and high-resolution images of the lunar surface are utilized to calculate the position of the probe, so as to reconstruct its precise trajectory. This paper proposes using the method of trajectory reconstruction by Single Image Space Resection to make a detailed study of the hovering stage at a height of 100 m above the lunar surface. Analysis of the data shows that the closer CE-3 came to the lunar surface, the higher the spatial resolution of images that were acquired became, and the more accurately the horizontal and vertical position of CE-3 could be determined. The horizontal and vertical accuracies were 7.09 m and 4.27 m respectively during the hovering stage at a height of 100.02 m. The reconstructed trajectory can reflect the change in CE-3's position during the powered descent process. A slight movement in CE-3 during the hovering stage is also clearly demonstrated. These results will provide a basis for analysis of orbit control strategy, and it will be conducive to adjustment and optimization of orbit control strategy in follow-up missions

Visiting Vehicle Ground Trajectory Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Hamm, Dustin

2013-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Visiting Vehicle Group needed a targeting tool for vehicles that rendezvous with the ISS. The Visiting Vehicle Ground Trajectory targeting tool provides the ability to perform both realtime and planning operations for the Visiting Vehicle Group. This tool provides a highly reconfigurable base, which allows the Visiting Vehicle Group to perform their work. The application is composed of a telemetry processing function, a relative motion function, a targeting function, a vector view, and 2D/3D world map type graphics. The software tool provides the ability to plan a rendezvous trajectory for vehicles that visit the ISS. It models these relative trajectories using planned and realtime data from the vehicle. The tool monitors ongoing rendezvous trajectory relative motion, and ensures visiting vehicles stay within agreed corridors. The software provides the ability to update or re-plan a rendezvous to support contingency operations. Adding new parameters and incorporating them into the system was previously not available on-the-fly. If an unanticipated capability wasn't discovered until the vehicle was flying, there was no way to update things.

Trajectory Design to Benefit Trajectory-Based Surface Operations, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Trajectory-based operations constitute a key mechanism considered by the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) for managing traffic in high-density or...

Trajectory Design to Benefit Trajectory-Based Surface Operations, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Trajectory-based operations constitute a key mechanism considered by the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) for managing traffic in high-density or...

THE VARIABLE REFLECTION NEBULA CEPHEUS A EAST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodapp, Klaus W.; Bressert, Eli

2009-01-01

We report K'-band imaging observations of the reflection nebula associated with Cepheus A East covering the time interval from 1990 to 2004. Over this time the reflection nebula shows variations of flux distribution, which we interpret as the effect of inhomogeneous and varying extinction in the light path from the illuminating source HW2 to the reflection nebula. The obscuring material is located within typical distances of ∼ 10 AU from the illuminating source.

Friendship networks and trajectories of adolescent tobacco use.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollard, Michael S; Tucker, Joan S; Green, Harold D; Kennedy, David; Go, Myong-Hyun

2010-07-01

This article examines how friendship networks in adolescence are linked to tobacco use trajectories through a combination of analytic techniques that traditionally are located in separate literatures: social network analysis and developmental trajectory analysis. Using six years of longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we identify a set of six unique developmental trajectories of smoking (never smokers, steady lows, delayed increasers, early increasers, decreasers, and steady highs). Individuals' locations in their friendship networks were then linked to their trajectory group membership. Adolescents with a greater number of smoking friends were more likely to belong to the higher use trajectories. Beyond this exposure to smoking peers, individuals who at baseline were either members of a smoking group or liaisons to a smoking group were more likely than members of a nonsmoking group to belong to the higher use trajectories. Liaisons to a smoking group were particularly likely to belong to the delayed increaser trajectory group. Trajectory group membership for adolescents who belonged to a nonsmoking group did not significantly differ from those who were isolates or liaisons to a nonsmoking group. The study suggests features of an individual's social network have long-lasting associations with smoking behaviors. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trajectory similarity join in spatial networks

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo; Chen, Lisi; Wei, Zhewei; Jensen, Christian S.; Zheng, Kai; Kalnis, Panos

2017-01-01

With these applications in mind, we provide a purposeful definition of similarity. To enable efficient TS-Join processing on large sets of trajectories, we develop search space pruning techniques and take into account the parallel processing capabilities of modern processors. Specifically, we present a two-phase divide-and-conquer algorithm. For each trajectory, the algorithm first finds similar trajectories. Then it merges the results to achieve a final result. The algorithm exploits an upper bound on the spatiotemporal similarity and a heuristic scheduling strategy for search space pruning. The algorithm's per-trajectory searches are independent of each other and can be performed in parallel, and the merging has constant cost. An empirical study with real data offers insight in the performance of the algorithm and demonstrates that is capable of outperforming a well-designed baseline algorithm by an order of magnitude.

An Examination of "The Martian" Trajectory

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Laura

2015-01-01

This analysis was performed to support a request to examine the trajectory of the Hermes vehicle in the novel "The Martian" by Andy Weir. Weir developed his own tool to perform the analysis necessary to provide proper trajectory information for the novel. The Hermes vehicle is the interplanetary spacecraft that shuttles the crew to and from Mars. It is notionally a Nuclear powered vehicle utilizing VASIMR engines for propulsion. The intent of this analysis was the determine whether the trajectory as it was outlined in the novel is consistent with the rules of orbital mechanics.

Trajectories of delinquency and parenting styles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoeve, M.; van Blokland, A.; Dubas, J.S.; Loeber, R; Gerris, J.R.M.; van der Laan, P.H.

2008-01-01

We investigated trajectories of adolescent delinquent development using data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study and examined the extent to which these different trajectories are differentially predicted by childhood parenting styles. Based on self-reported and official delinquency seriousness, covering

Trajectories of Delinquency and Parenting Styles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoeve, M.; Blokland, A.A.J.; Dubas, J.S.; Loeber, R.; Gerris, J.R.M.; Laan, P.H. van der

2008-01-01

We investigated trajectories of adolescent delinquent development using data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study and examined the extent to which these different trajectories are differentially predicted by childhood parenting styles. Based on self-reported and official delinquency seriousness, covering

Optimizing interplanetary trajectories with deep space maneuvers

Science.gov (United States)

Navagh, John

1993-09-01

Analysis of interplanetary trajectories is a crucial area for both manned and unmanned missions of the Space Exploration Initiative. A deep space maneuver (DSM) can improve a trajectory in much the same way as a planetary swingby. However, instead of using a gravitational field to alter the trajectory, the on-board propulsion system of the spacecraft is used when the vehicle is not near a planet. The purpose is to develop an algorithm to determine where and when to use deep space maneuvers to reduce the cost of a trajectory. The approach taken to solve this problem uses primer vector theory in combination with a non-linear optimizing program to minimize Delta(V). A set of necessary conditions on the primer vector is shown to indicate whether a deep space maneuver will be beneficial. Deep space maneuvers are applied to a round trip mission to Mars to determine their effect on the launch opportunities. Other studies which were performed include cycler trajectories and Mars mission abort scenarios. It was found that the software developed was able to locate quickly DSM's which lower the total Delta(V) on these trajectories.

Familiar trajectories facilitate the interpretation of physical forces when intercepting a moving target.

Science.gov (United States)

Mijatović, Antonija; La Scaleia, Barbara; Mercuri, Nicola; Lacquaniti, Francesco; Zago, Myrka

2014-12-01

Familiarity with the visual environment affects our expectations about the objects in a scene, aiding in recognition and interaction. Here we tested whether the familiarity with the specific trajectory followed by a moving target facilitates the interpretation of the effects of underlying physical forces. Participants intercepted a target sliding down either an inclined plane or a tautochrone. Gravity accelerated the target by the same amount in both cases, but the inclined plane represented a familiar trajectory whereas the tautochrone was unfamiliar to the participants. In separate sessions, the gravity field was consistent with either natural gravity or artificial reversed gravity. Target motion was occluded from view over the last segment. We found that the responses in the session with unnatural forces were systematically delayed relative to those with natural forces, but only for the inclined plane. The time shift is consistent with a bias for natural gravity, in so far as it reflects an a priori expectation that a target not affected by natural forces will arrive later than one accelerated downwards by gravity. Instead, we did not find any significant time shift with unnatural forces in the case of the tautochrone. We argue that interception of a moving target relies on the integration of the high-level cue of trajectory familiarity with low-level cues related to target kinematics.

Bidirectional reflectance distribution function of Spectralon white reflectance standard illuminated by incoherent unpolarized and plane-polarized light.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhandari, Anak; Hamre, Børge; Frette, Øvynd; Zhao, Lu; Stamnes, Jakob J; Kildemo, Morten

2011-06-01

A Lambert surface would appear equally bright from all observation directions regardless of the illumination direction. However, the reflection from a randomly scattering object generally has directional variation, which can be described in terms of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). We measured the BRDF of a Spectralon white reflectance standard for incoherent illumination at 405 and 680 nm with unpolarized and plane-polarized light from different directions of incidence. Our measurements show deviations of the BRDF for the Spectralon white reflectance standard from that of a Lambertian reflector that depend both on the angle of incidence and the polarization states of the incident light and detected light. The non-Lambertian reflection characteristics were found to increase more toward the direction of specular reflection as the angle of incidence gets larger.

Decentralized flight trajectory planning of multiple aircraft

OpenAIRE

Yokoyama, Nobuhiro; 横山　信宏

2008-01-01

Conventional decentralized algorithms for optimal trajectory planning tend to require prohibitive computational time as the number of aircraft increases. To overcome this drawback, this paper proposes a novel decentralized trajectory planning algorithm adopting a constraints decoupling approach for parallel optimization. The constraints decoupling approach is formulated as the path constraints of the real-time trajectory optimization problem based on nonlinear programming. Due to the parallel...

Variation formulae for the solutions of delay differential equations with discontinuous initial conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kharatishvili, G L; Tadumadze, T A

2005-01-01

Variation formulae are proved for solutions of non-linear differential equations with variable delays and discontinuous initial conditions. The discontinuity of the initial condition means that at the initial moment of time the values of the initial function and the trajectory, generally speaking, do not coincide. The formulae obtained contain a new summand connected with the discontinuity of the initial condition and the variation of the initial moment.

UAV Trajectory Modeling Using Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Min

2017-01-01

Large amount of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAVs) are projected to operate in the near future. Potential sUAV applications include, but not limited to, search and rescue, inspection and surveillance, aerial photography and video, precision agriculture, and parcel delivery. sUAVs are expected to operate in the uncontrolled Class G airspace, which is at or below 500 feet above ground level (AGL), where many static and dynamic constraints exist, such as ground properties and terrains, restricted areas, various winds, manned helicopters, and conflict avoidance among sUAVs. How to enable safe, efficient, and massive sUAV operations at the low altitude airspace remains a great challenge. NASA's Unmanned aircraft system Traffic Management (UTM) research initiative works on establishing infrastructure and developing policies, requirement, and rules to enable safe and efficient sUAVs' operations. To achieve this goal, it is important to gain insights of future UTM traffic operations through simulations, where the accurate trajectory model plays an extremely important role. On the other hand, like what happens in current aviation development, trajectory modeling should also serve as the foundation for any advanced concepts and tools in UTM. Accurate models of sUAV dynamics and control systems are very important considering the requirement of the meter level precision in UTM operations. The vehicle dynamics are relatively easy to derive and model, however, vehicle control systems remain unknown as they are usually kept by manufactures as a part of intellectual properties. That brings challenges to trajectory modeling for sUAVs. How to model the vehicle's trajectories with unknown control system? This work proposes to use a neural network to model a vehicle's trajectory. The neural network is first trained to learn the vehicle's responses at numerous conditions. Once being fully trained, given current vehicle states, winds, and desired future trajectory, the neural

Automated trajectory planning for multiple-flyby interplanetary missions

Science.gov (United States)

Englander, Jacob

Many space mission planning problems may be formulated as hybrid optimal control problems (HOCP), i.e. problems that include both real-valued variables and categorical variables. In interplanetary trajectory design problems the categorical variables will typically specify the sequence of planets at which to perform flybys, and the real-valued variables will represent the launch date, ight times between planets, magnitudes and directions of thrust, flyby altitudes, etc. The contribution of this work is a framework for the autonomous optimization of multiple-flyby interplanetary trajectories. The trajectory design problem is converted into a HOCP with two nested loops: an "outer-loop" that finds the sequence of flybys and an "inner-loop" that optimizes the trajectory for each candidate yby sequence. The problem of choosing a sequence of flybys is posed as an integer programming problem and solved using a genetic algorithm (GA). This is an especially difficult problem to solve because GAs normally operate on a fixed-length set of decision variables. Since in interplanetary trajectory design the number of flyby maneuvers is not known a priori, it was necessary to devise a method of parameterizing the problem such that the GA can evolve a variable-length sequence of flybys. A novel "null gene" transcription was developed to meet this need. Then, for each candidate sequence of flybys, a trajectory must be found that visits each of the flyby targets and arrives at the final destination while optimizing some cost metric, such as minimizing ▵v or maximizing the final mass of the spacecraft. Three different classes of trajectory are described in this work, each of which requireda different physical model and optimization method. The choice of a trajectory model and optimization method is especially challenging because of the nature of the hybrid optimal control problem. Because the trajectory optimization problem is generated in real time by the outer-loop, the inner

The trajectory control in the SLC linac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, I.C.; Adolphsen, C.E.; Himel, T.M.; Seeman, J.T.

1991-05-01

Due to wake field effects, the trajectories of accelerated beams in the Linac should be well maintained to avoid severe beam breakup. In order to maintain a small emittance at the end of the Linac, the tolerance on the trajectory deviations become tighter when the beam intensities increase. The existing two beam trajectory correction method works well when the theoretical model agrees with the real machine lattice. Unknown energy deviations along the linac as well as wake field effects can cause the real lattice to deviate from the model. This makes the trajectory correction difficult. Several automated procedures have been developed to solve these problems. They are: an automated procedure to frequently steer the whole Linac by dividing the Linac into several small regions; an automated procedure to empirically correct the model to fit the real lattice and eight trajectory correcting feedback loops along the linac and steering through the collimator region with restricted corrector strengths and a restricted number of correctors. 6 refs., 2 figs

US Decadal Survey Outer Solar System Missions: Trajectory Options

Science.gov (United States)

Spilker, T. R.; Atkinson, D. H.; Strange, N. J.; Landau, D.

2012-04-01

The report of the US Planetary Science Decadal Survey (PSDS), released in draft form March 7, 2011, identifies several mission concepts involving travel to high-priority outer solar system (OSS) destinations. These include missions to Europa and Jupiter, Saturn and two of its satellites, and Uranus. Because travel to the OSS involves much larger distances and larger excursions out of the sun's gravitational potential well than inner solar system (ISS) missions, transfer trajectories for OSS missions are stronger drivers of mission schedule and resource requirements than for ISS missions. Various characteristics of each planet system, such as obliquity, radiation belts, rings, deep gravity wells, etc., carry ramifications for approach trajectories or trajectories within the systems. The maturity of trajectory studies for each of these destinations varies significantly. Europa has been the focus of studies for well over a decade. Transfer trajectory options from Earth to Jupiter are well understood. Current studies focus on trajectories within the Jovian system that could reduce the total mission cost of a Europa orbiter mission. Three missions to the Saturn system received high priority ratings in the PSDS report: two flagship orbital missions, one to Titan and one to Enceladus, and a Saturn atmospheric entry probe mission for NASA's New Frontiers Program. The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) studies of 2007-2009 advanced our understanding of trajectory options for transfers to Saturn, including solar electric propulsion (SEP) trajectories. But SEP trajectories depend more on details of spacecraft and propulsion system characteristics than chemical trajectories, and the maturity of SEP trajectory search tools has not yet caught up with chemical trajectory tools, so there is still more useful research to be done on Saturn transfers. The TSSM studies revealed much about Saturn-orbiting trajectories that yield efficient and timely delivery to Titan or Enceladus

The influence of IVF/ICSI treatment on human embryonic growth trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Eindhoven, S C; van Uitert, E M; Laven, J S E; Willemsen, S P; Koning, A H J; Eilers, P H C; Exalto, N; Steegers, E A P; Steegers-Theunissen, R P M

2014-12-01

groups (βIVF/ICSI = 6 g; P = 0.36 and βIVF/ICSI = 80 g; P = 0.24, respectively). Variations in embryonic growth trajectories of spontaneously conceived pregnancies with reliable pregnancy dating may partially be a result of less precise pregnancy dating and differences in endometrium receptivity compared with IVF/ICSI pregnancies. The absence of a significant difference in embryonic and fetal growth trajectories suggests safety of IVF/ICSI treatment with regard to early embryonic growth. However, further research is warranted to ascertain the influence of IVF/ICSI treatments in a larger study population, and to estimate the impact of the underlying causes of the subfertility and other periconceptional exposures on human embryonic and fetal growth trajectories. This study was supported by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre. No competing interests are declared. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Distinguished trajectories in time dependent vector fields

OpenAIRE

Madrid, J. A. Jimenez; Mancho, Ana M.

2008-01-01

We introduce a new definition of distinguished trajectory that generalizes the concepts of fixed point and periodic orbit to aperiodic dynamical systems. This new definition is valid for identifying distinguished trajectories with hyperbolic and nonhyperbolic types of stability. The definition is implemented numerically and the procedure consists of determining a path of limit coordinates. It has been successfully applied to known examples of distinguished trajectories. In the context of high...

User Oriented Trajectory Search for Trip Recommendation

KAUST Repository

Ding, Ruogu

2012-07-08

Trajectory sharing and searching have received significant attention in recent years. In this thesis, we propose and investigate the methods to find and recommend the best trajectory to the traveler, and mainly focus on a novel technique named User Oriented Trajectory Search (UOTS) query processing. In contrast to conventional trajectory search by locations (spatial domain only), we consider both spatial and textual domains in the new UOTS query. Given a trajectory data set, the query input contains a set of intended places given by the traveler and a set of textual attributes describing the traveler’s preference. If a trajectory is connecting/close to the specified query locations, and the textual attributes of the trajectory are similar to the traveler’s preference, it will be recommended to the traveler. This type of queries can enable many popular applications such as trip planning and recommendation. There are two challenges in UOTS query processing, (i) how to constrain the searching range in two domains and (ii) how to schedule multiple query sources effectively. To overcome the challenges and answer the UOTS query efficiently, a novel collaborative searching approach is developed. Conceptually, the UOTS query processing is conducted in the spatial and textual domains alternately. A pair of upper and lower bounds are devised to constrain the searching range in two domains. In the meantime, a heuristic searching strategy based on priority ranking is adopted for scheduling the multiple query sources, which can further reduce the searching range and enhance the query efficiency notably. Furthermore, the devised collaborative searching approach can be extended to situations where the query locations are ordered. Extensive experiments are conducted on both real and synthetic trajectory data in road networks. Our approach is verified to be effective in reducing both CPU time and disk I/O time.

Tropospheric methane in northern Finland: seasonal variations, transport patterns and correlations with other trace gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aalto, Tuula; Hatakka, Juha; Lallo, Marko

2007-01-01

Methane mixing ratios have been continuously observed at Pallas, Finland since winter 2004. The seasonal variation in monthly means was ca. 40 ppb, showing largest mixing ratios in winter and also high values during late summer. Examination of back-trajectories showed that the air masses with elevated methane mixing ratios arrived from continental Eastern and Central Europe while low methane mixing ratios were connected with Atlantic and Arctic air masses. During summer, air masses with highest mixing ratios arrived from Northwestern Russia indicating wetland sources, while the influence of southern emissions became more significant in winter. Methane was positively correlated with carbon dioxide and negatively correlated with ozone in winter. The average slope of the selected wintertime background hourly mean mixing ratios was 7.0 ± 1.2 ppb(CH 4 )/ppm(CO 2 ). Nocturnal summertime low-altitude measurements above a local wetland source indicated slopes of about 10 ± 1 ppb(CH 4 )/ppm(CO 2 ). The different slopes reflect the differences in emission parameters

The probability of false positives in zero-dimensional analyses of one-dimensional kinematic, force and EMG trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Pataky, Todd C; Vanrenterghem, Jos; Robinson, Mark A

2016-06-14

A false positive is the mistake of inferring an effect when none exists, and although α controls the false positive (Type I error) rate in classical hypothesis testing, a given α value is accurate only if the underlying model of randomness appropriately reflects experimentally observed variance. Hypotheses pertaining to one-dimensional (1D) (e.g. time-varying) biomechanical trajectories are most often tested using a traditional zero-dimensional (0D) Gaussian model of randomness, but variance in these datasets is clearly 1D. The purpose of this study was to determine the likelihood that analyzing smooth 1D data with a 0D model of variance will produce false positives. We first used random field theory (RFT) to predict the probability of false positives in 0D analyses. We then validated RFT predictions via numerical simulations of smooth Gaussian 1D trajectories. Results showed that, across a range of public kinematic, force/moment and EMG datasets, the median false positive rate was 0.382 and not the assumed α=0.05, even for a simple two-sample t test involving N=10 trajectories per group. The median false positive rate for experiments involving three-component vector trajectories was p=0.764. This rate increased to p=0.945 for two three-component vector trajectories, and to p=0.999 for six three-component vectors. This implies that experiments involving vector trajectories have a high probability of yielding 0D statistical significance when there is, in fact, no 1D effect. Either (a) explicit a priori identification of 0D variables or (b) adoption of 1D methods can more tightly control α. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analytical Ballistic Trajectories with Approximately Linear Drag

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giliam J. P. de Carpentier

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a practical analytical approximation of projectile trajectories in 2D and 3D roughly based on a linear drag model and explores a variety of different planning algorithms for these trajectories. Although the trajectories are only approximate, they still capture many of the characteristics of a real projectile in free fall under the influence of an invariant wind, gravitational pull, and terminal velocity, while the required math for these trajectories and planners is still simple enough to efficiently run on almost all modern hardware devices. Together, these properties make the proposed approach particularly useful for real-time applications where accuracy and performance need to be carefully balanced, such as in computer games.

Path integrals and geometry of trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blau, M.; Keski-Vakkuri, E.; Niemi, A.J.

1990-01-01

A geometrical interpretation of path integrals is developed in the space of trajectories. This yields a supersymmetric formulation of a generic path integral, with the supersymmetry resembling the BRST supersymmetry of a first class constrained system. If the classical equation of motion is a Killing vector field in the space of trajectories, the supersymmetry localizes the path integral to classical trajectories and the WKB approximation becomes exact. This can be viewed as a path integral generalization of the Duistermaat-Heckman theorem, which states the conditions for the exactness of the WKB approximation for integrals in a compact phase space. (orig.)

Toward a method for tracking virus evolutionary trajectory applied to the pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Squires, R Burke; Pickett, Brett E; Das, Sajal; Scheuermann, Richard H

2014-12-01

In 2009 a novel pandemic H1N1 influenza virus (H1N1pdm09) emerged as the first official influenza pandemic of the 21st century. Early genomic sequence analysis pointed to the swine origin of the virus. Here we report a novel computational approach to determine the evolutionary trajectory of viral sequences that uses data-driven estimations of nucleotide substitution rates to track the gradual accumulation of observed sequence alterations over time. Phylogenetic analysis and multiple sequence alignments show that sequences belonging to the resulting evolutionary trajectory of the H1N1pdm09 lineage exhibit a gradual accumulation of sequence variations and tight temporal correlations in the topological structure of the phylogenetic trees. These results suggest that our evolutionary trajectory analysis (ETA) can more effectively pinpoint the evolutionary history of viruses, including the host and geographical location traversed by each segment, when compared against either BLAST or traditional phylogenetic analysis alone. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of Variational Guiding Center Algorithms for Parallel Calculations in Experimental Magnetic Equilibria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellison, C. Leland [PPPL; Finn, J. M. [LANL; Qin, H. [PPPL; Tang, William M. [PPPL

2014-10-01

Structure-preserving algorithms obtained via discrete variational principles exhibit strong promise for the calculation of guiding center test particle trajectories. The non-canonical Hamiltonian structure of the guiding center equations forms a novel and challenging context for geometric integration. To demonstrate the practical relevance of these methods, a prototypical variational midpoint algorithm is applied to an experimental magnetic equilibrium. The stability characteristics, conservation properties, and implementation requirements associated with the variational algorithms are addressed. Furthermore, computational run time is reduced for large numbers of particles by parallelizing the calculation on GPU hardware.

Variation in the Early Trajectories of Autism Symptoms Is Related to the Development of Language, Cognition, and Behavior Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Visser, Janne C; Rommelse, Nanda N J; Lappenschaar, Martijn; Servatius-Oosterling, Iris J; Greven, Corina U; Buitelaar, Jan K

2017-08-01

The objectives of this study were to model more homogeneous subgroups within autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on early trajectories of core symptoms; and to further characterize these subgroups in terms of trajectories of language, cognition, co-occurring (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]-related) traits and clinical outcome diagnosis. Children (N = 203) referred for possible ASD at ages 1 to 4 years were assessed at three time points at intervals ranging from 9 months to 3 years. Assessments included standardized measures for ASD (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule [ADOS]), language (ADOS-language item), nonverbal IQ (NV-IQ; different tests adequate to chronological/mental age), and parent-reported behavioral problems (Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment, Child Behavior Checklist). Latent-class growth curve analysis with ADOS total scores led to the identification of three main stable and two small improving groups: a severe-stable group (19.5% of sample)-the only group without considerable language improvement-showed persistent low NV-IQ and marked increase in attention problems over time; a moderate-stable group (21.7%) with below-average increasing NV-IQ; and a mild-stable group (48%) with stable-average NV-IQ and the highest scores on ADHD-related traits, whose ASD outcome diagnoses increased despite stable-low ASD scores. Two groups (each 5.4%) improved: one moved from severe to moderate ASD scores, and the other moved from moderate to mild/nonspectrum scores. Both of these groups improved on language, NV-IQ, and ADHD-related traits. Results support the high stability of ASD symptoms into various severity levels, but also highlight the significant contribution of non-ASD domains in defining and explaining the different ASD trajectories. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Low Thrust Trajectory Design for GSFC Missions

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Evolutionary Mission Trajectory Generator (EMTG) is a global trajectory optimization tool. EMTG is intended for use in designing interplanetary missions which...

Electron trajectory program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrmannsfeldt, W.B.

1979-11-01

The SLAC Electron Trajectory Program is described and instructions and examples for users are given. The program is specifically written to compute trajectories of charged particles in electrostatic and magnetostatic focusing systems including the effects of space charge and self-magnetic fields. Starting options include Child's Law conditions on cathodes of various shapes. Either rectangular or cylindrically symmetric geometry may be used. Magntic fields may be specified using arbitrary configurations of coils, or the output of a magnet program such as Poisson or by an externally calculated array of the axial fields. The program is available in IBM FORTRAN but can be easily converted for use on other brands of hardware. The program is intended to be used with a plotter whose interface the user must provide

A partnership model for a reflective narrative for researcher and participant.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Gill; Peters, Kath; Wilkes, Lesley; Jackson, Debra

2016-09-01

Background Conceptual frameworks are important to ensure a clear underpinning research philosophy. Further, the use of conceptual frameworks can support structured research processes. Aim To present a partnership model for a reflective narrative for researcher and participant. Discussion This paper positions the underpinning philosophical framework of the model in social constructionism (the idea that jointly constructed understandings form the basis for shared assumptions) and narrative enquiry. The model has five stages - study design, invitation to share a research space and partnership, a metaphorical research space, building a community story, and reading the community story to others. Core principles of the partnership model are continual reflection by the researcher, potential reflections by participants, reciprocal sharing, and partnership in research. Conclusion A 'trajectory of self' for both participants and researchers can be enhanced within reflective partnerships. Implications for practice This model can be applied to studies that use narrative enquiry and are seeking a humanistic approach with participant engagement.

DUKSUP: A Computer Program for High Thrust Launch Vehicle Trajectory Design and Optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Spurlock, O. Frank; Williams, Craig H.

2015-01-01

From the late 1960s through 1997, the leadership of NASAs Intermediate and Large class unmanned expendable launch vehicle projects resided at the NASA Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center (LeRC). One of LeRCs primary responsibilities --- trajectory design and performance analysis --- was accomplished by an internally-developed analytic three dimensional computer program called DUKSUP. Because of its Calculus of Variations-based optimization routine, this code was generally more capable of finding optimal solutions than its contemporaries. A derivation of optimal control using the Calculus of Variations is summarized including transversality, intermediate, and final conditions. The two point boundary value problem is explained. A brief summary of the codes operation is provided, including iteration via the Newton-Raphson scheme and integration of variational and motion equations via a 4th order Runge-Kutta scheme. Main subroutines are discussed. The history of the LeRC trajectory design efforts in the early 1960s is explained within the context of supporting the Centaur upper stage program. How the code was constructed based on the operation of the AtlasCentaur launch vehicle, the limits of the computers of that era, the limits of the computer programming languages, and the missions it supported are discussed. The vehicles DUKSUP supported (AtlasCentaur, TitanCentaur, and ShuttleCentaur) are briefly described. The types of missions, including Earth orbital and interplanetary, are described. The roles of flight constraints and their impact on launch operations are detailed (such as jettisoning hardware on heating, Range Safety, ground station tracking, and elliptical parking orbits). The computer main frames on which the code was hosted are described. The applications of the code are detailed, including independent check of contractor analysis, benchmarking, leading edge analysis, and vehicle performance improvement assessments. Several of DUKSUPs many major impacts on

Long Range Aircraft Trajectory Prediction

OpenAIRE

Magister, Tone

2009-01-01

The subject of the paper is the improvement of the aircraft future trajectory prediction accuracy for long-range airborne separation assurance. The strategic planning of safe aircraft flights and effective conflict avoidance tactics demand timely and accurate conflict detection based upon future four–dimensional airborne traffic situation prediction which is as accurate as each aircraft flight trajectory prediction. The improved kinematics model of aircraft relative flight considering flight ...

Dissipative quantum trajectories in complex space: Damped harmonic oscillator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chou, Chia-Chun, E-mail: ccchou@mx.nthu.edu.tw

2016-10-15

Dissipative quantum trajectories in complex space are investigated in the framework of the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation provides a phenomenological description for dissipative quantum systems. Substituting the wave function expressed in terms of the complex action into the complex-extended logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we derive the complex quantum Hamilton–Jacobi equation including the dissipative potential. It is shown that dissipative quantum trajectories satisfy a quantum Newtonian equation of motion in complex space with a friction force. Exact dissipative complex quantum trajectories are analyzed for the wave and solitonlike solutions to the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the damped harmonic oscillator. These trajectories converge to the equilibrium position as time evolves. It is indicated that dissipative complex quantum trajectories for the wave and solitonlike solutions are identical to dissipative complex classical trajectories for the damped harmonic oscillator. This study develops a theoretical framework for dissipative quantum trajectories in complex space.

Dissipative quantum trajectories in complex space: Damped harmonic oscillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chou, Chia-Chun

2016-01-01

Dissipative quantum trajectories in complex space are investigated in the framework of the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation provides a phenomenological description for dissipative quantum systems. Substituting the wave function expressed in terms of the complex action into the complex-extended logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we derive the complex quantum Hamilton–Jacobi equation including the dissipative potential. It is shown that dissipative quantum trajectories satisfy a quantum Newtonian equation of motion in complex space with a friction force. Exact dissipative complex quantum trajectories are analyzed for the wave and solitonlike solutions to the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the damped harmonic oscillator. These trajectories converge to the equilibrium position as time evolves. It is indicated that dissipative complex quantum trajectories for the wave and solitonlike solutions are identical to dissipative complex classical trajectories for the damped harmonic oscillator. This study develops a theoretical framework for dissipative quantum trajectories in complex space.

Trajectory phases of a quantum dot model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Genway, Sam; Hickey, James M; Garrahan, Juan P; Armour, Andrew D

2014-01-01

We present a thermodynamic formalism to study the trajectories of charge transport through a quantum dot coupled to two leads in the resonant-level model. We show that a close analogue of equilibrium phase transitions exists for the statistics of transferred charge; by tuning an appropriate ‘counting field’, crossovers to different trajectory phases are possible. Our description reveals a mapping between the statistics of a given device and current measurements over a range of devices with different dot–lead coupling strengths. Furthermore insight into features of the trajectory phases are found by studying the occupation of the dot conditioned on the transported charge between the leads; this is calculated from first principles using a trajectory biased two-point projective measurement scheme. (paper)

Quantum trajectories for time-dependent adiabatic master equations

Science.gov (United States)

Yip, Ka Wa; Albash, Tameem; Lidar, Daniel A.

2018-02-01

We describe a quantum trajectories technique for the unraveling of the quantum adiabatic master equation in Lindblad form. By evolving a complex state vector of dimension N instead of a complex density matrix of dimension N2, simulations of larger system sizes become feasible. The cost of running many trajectories, which is required to recover the master equation evolution, can be minimized by running the trajectories in parallel, making this method suitable for high performance computing clusters. In general, the trajectories method can provide up to a factor N advantage over directly solving the master equation. In special cases where only the expectation values of certain observables are desired, an advantage of up to a factor N2 is possible. We test the method by demonstrating agreement with direct solution of the quantum adiabatic master equation for 8-qubit quantum annealing examples. We also apply the quantum trajectories method to a 16-qubit example originally introduced to demonstrate the role of tunneling in quantum annealing, which is significantly more time consuming to solve directly using the master equation. The quantum trajectories method provides insight into individual quantum jump trajectories and their statistics, thus shedding light on open system quantum adiabatic evolution beyond the master equation.

Total Variation Regularization for Functions with Values in a Manifold

KAUST Repository

Lellmann, Jan

2013-12-01

While total variation is among the most popular regularizers for variational problems, its extension to functions with values in a manifold is an open problem. In this paper, we propose the first algorithm to solve such problems which applies to arbitrary Riemannian manifolds. The key idea is to reformulate the variational problem as a multilabel optimization problem with an infinite number of labels. This leads to a hard optimization problem which can be approximately solved using convex relaxation techniques. The framework can be easily adapted to different manifolds including spheres and three-dimensional rotations, and allows to obtain accurate solutions even with a relatively coarse discretization. With numerous examples we demonstrate that the proposed framework can be applied to variational models that incorporate chromaticity values, normal fields, or camera trajectories. © 2013 IEEE.

Total Variation Regularization for Functions with Values in a Manifold

KAUST Repository

Lellmann, Jan; Strekalovskiy, Evgeny; Koetter, Sabrina; Cremers, Daniel

2013-01-01

While total variation is among the most popular regularizers for variational problems, its extension to functions with values in a manifold is an open problem. In this paper, we propose the first algorithm to solve such problems which applies to arbitrary Riemannian manifolds. The key idea is to reformulate the variational problem as a multilabel optimization problem with an infinite number of labels. This leads to a hard optimization problem which can be approximately solved using convex relaxation techniques. The framework can be easily adapted to different manifolds including spheres and three-dimensional rotations, and allows to obtain accurate solutions even with a relatively coarse discretization. With numerous examples we demonstrate that the proposed framework can be applied to variational models that incorporate chromaticity values, normal fields, or camera trajectories. © 2013 IEEE.

Potential Cislunar and Interplanetary Proving Ground Excursion Trajectory Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

McGuire, Melissa L.; Strange, Nathan J.; Burke, Laura M.; MacDonald, Mark A.; McElrath, Timothy P.; Landau, Damon F.; Lantoine, Gregory; Hack, Kurt J.; Lopez, Pedro

2016-01-01

NASA has been investigating potential translunar excursion concepts to take place in the 2020s that would be used to test and demonstrate long duration life support and other systems needed for eventual Mars missions in the 2030s. These potential trajectory concepts could be conducted in the proving ground, a region of cislunar and near-Earth interplanetary space where international space agencies could cooperate to develop the technologies needed for interplanetary spaceflight. Enabled by high power Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technologies, the excursion trajectory concepts studied are grouped into three classes of increasing distance from the Earth and increasing technical difficulty: the first class of excursion trajectory concepts would represent a 90-120 day round trip trajectory with abort to Earth options throughout the entire length, the second class would be a 180-210 day round trip trajectory with periods in which aborts would not be available, and the third would be a 300-400 day round trip trajectory without aborts for most of the length of the trip. This paper provides a top-level summary of the trajectory and mission design of representative example missions of these three classes of excursion trajectory concepts.

Clustering Trajectories by Relevant Parts for Air Traffic Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrienko, Gennady; Andrienko, Natalia; Fuchs, Georg; Garcia, Jose Manuel Cordero

2018-01-01

Clustering of trajectories of moving objects by similarity is an important technique in movement analysis. Existing distance functions assess the similarity between trajectories based on properties of the trajectory points or segments. The properties may include the spatial positions, times, and thematic attributes. There may be a need to focus the analysis on certain parts of trajectories, i.e., points and segments that have particular properties. According to the analysis focus, the analyst may need to cluster trajectories by similarity of their relevant parts only. Throughout the analysis process, the focus may change, and different parts of trajectories may become relevant. We propose an analytical workflow in which interactive filtering tools are used to attach relevance flags to elements of trajectories, clustering is done using a distance function that ignores irrelevant elements, and the resulting clusters are summarized for further analysis. We demonstrate how this workflow can be useful for different analysis tasks in three case studies with real data from the domain of air traffic. We propose a suite of generic techniques and visualization guidelines to support movement data analysis by means of relevance-aware trajectory clustering.

On the stability conditions of flexible current conductor tightened in a magnetic field for charged particle trajectory tracing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozodaev, M.S.

1974-01-01

Conditions of equilibrium stability in three-dimensional space for a stretched flexible current conductor, while tracing the trajectories of charged particles moving in a magnetic field, have been determined using variational principles. Formulas suitable for engineering calculations have been obtained that allow to determine the stability regions and to estimate errors in tracing due to the conductor weight and elasticity

Signatures of unstable semiclassical trajectories in tunneling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levkov, D G; Panin, A G; Sibiryakov, S M

2009-01-01

It was found recently that processes of multidimensional tunneling are generally described at high energies by unstable semiclassical trajectories. We study two observational signatures related to the instability of trajectories. First, we find an additional power-law dependence of the tunneling probability on the semiclassical parameter as compared to the standard case of potential tunneling. The second signature is a substantial widening of the probability distribution over final-state quantum numbers. These effects are studied using a modified semiclassical technique which incorporates stabilization of the tunneling trajectories. The technique is derived from first principles. We obtain expressions for the inclusive and exclusive tunneling probabilities in the case of unstable semiclassical trajectories. We also investigate the 'phase transition' between the cases of stable and unstable trajectories across certain 'critical' values of energy. Finally, we derive the relation between the semiclassical probabilities of tunneling from the low-lying and highly excited initial states. This puts on firm ground a conjecture made previously in the semiclassical description of collision-induced tunneling in field theory

Drug use trajectory patterns among older drug users

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tyndall B

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Miriam Boeri, Thor Whalen, Benjamin Tyndall, Ellen BallardKennesaw State University, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Kennesaw GA, USAAbstract: To better understand patterns of drug use trajectories over time, it is essential to have standard measures of change. Our goal here is to introduce measures we developed to quantify change in drug use behaviors. A secondary goal is to provide effective visualizations of these trajectories for applied use. We analyzed data from a sample of 92 older drug users (ages 45 to 65 to identify transition patterns in drug use trajectories across the life course. Data were collected for every year since birth using a mixed methods design. The community-drawn sample of active and former users were 40% female, 50% African American, and 60% reporting some college or greater. Their life histories provided retrospective longitudinal data on the diversity of paths taken throughout the life course and changes in drug use patterns that occurred over time. Bayesian analysis was used to model drug trajectories displayed by innovative computer graphics. The mathematical techniques and visualizations presented here provide the foundation for future models using Bayesian analysis. In this paper we introduce the concepts of transition counts, transition rates and relapse/remission rates, and we describe how these measures can help us better understand drug use trajectories. Depicted through these visual tools, measurements of discontinuous patterns provide a succinct view of individual drug use trajectories. The measures we use on drug use data will be further developed to incorporate contextual influences on the drug trajectory and build predictive models that inform rehabilitation efforts for drug users. Although the measures developed here were conceived to better examine drug use trajectories, the applications of these measures can be used with other longitudinal datasets.Keywords: drug use, trajectory patterns

Trajectories and the influencing factors of behavior problems in preschool children: a longitudinal study in Guangzhou, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Peng; Jing, Jin; Jin, Yu; Hu, Xumin; Liu, Buyun; Hu, Min

2016-06-01

Since child mental health problem was a global health issue, many researchers in western countries has focused on the trajectory of it to provide evidence for prevention programs. We designed this study to determine the trajectories of children's behavior problems, and to explore the effect of parent predictors on children's behavior problems in Guangzhou, China. Children (N = 1480) for this longitudinal, population-based survey, were recruited from eight regular kindergartens (October, 2010) across four districts in Guangzhou. Repeated measurement design analysis was used to compare the variation in behavioral problems by gender, only child status, and temperament. Logistic regression was applied to analyze the effect of parents' risks (maternal depression, parenting style) on the change in child problem behaviors. The scores of behavior problems (externalizing, emotional, social communication problems) were stable during the entire preschool period by gender and child number. Children with difficult temperament exhibited more problem behaviors than children with easy temperament in the early years, and the misbehaviors declined significantly over time. Moreover, maternal depression and the increase in excessive interference/over protective or punishing parenting strategies resulted in an increase in child behavior problems. There was no difference between the only-child status and child with siblings in the trajectory of problem behaviors. Parent factors were significant predictions of trajectory of child behavior problem during preschool age.

PRESS: A Novel Framework of Trajectory Compression in Road Networks

OpenAIRE

Song, Renchu; Sun, Weiwei; Zheng, Baihua; Zheng, Yu

2014-01-01

Location data becomes more and more important. In this paper, we focus on the trajectory data, and propose a new framework, namely PRESS (Paralleled Road-Network-Based Trajectory Compression), to effectively compress trajectory data under road network constraints. Different from existing work, PRESS proposes a novel representation for trajectories to separate the spatial representation of a trajectory from the temporal representation, and proposes a Hybrid Spatial Compression (HSC) algorithm ...

Synthetic triphones from trajectory-based feature distributions

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Badenhorst, J

2015-11-01

Full Text Available we reconstruct models for unseen transitions. In the current study, we restrict ourselves to triphone modelling, and aim to generate synthetic triphones from seen diphones. If this is possible, the same approach should be applicable to larger contexts... are applied in a similar fashion. Using trajectory models for the same goal, builds on prior work analysing co-articulation trajectories [7], [8], [9] as well as various studies on trajectory modelling for ASR purposes [10], [11], [12], [13]. Particularly...

Electron trajectory program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herrmannsfeldt, W.B.

1979-11-01

The SLAC Electron Trajectory Program is described and instructions and examples for users are given. The program is specifically written to compute trajectories of charged particles in electrostatic and magnetostatic focusing systems including the effects of space charge and self-magnetic fields. Starting options include Child's Law conditions on cathodes of various shapes. Either rectangular or cylindrically symmetric geometry may be used. Magntic fields may be specified using arbitrary configurations of coils, or the output of a magnet program such as Poisson or by an externally calculated array of the axial fields. The program is available in IBM FORTRAN but can be easily converted for use on other brands of hardware. The program is intended to be used with a plotter whose interface the user must provide.

Density-independent population projection trajectories of chromosome-substituted lines resistant and susceptible to organophosphate insecticides in Drosophila melanogaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miyo Takahiro

2004-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Seasonal fluctuations in susceptibility to organophosphate insecticides were observed in the Katsunuma population of Drosophila melanogaster for two consecutive years; susceptibility to three organophosphates tended to increase in the fall. To examine the hypothesis that variation in fitness among resistant and susceptible genotypes could trigger the change of genetic constitution within the fall population, we investigated density-independent population projection trajectories starting from single adult females with characteristics of chromosome-substituted lines resistant and susceptible to the three organophosphates. Results Density-independent population projection trajectories, expressed as the ratios of the number of each chromosome-substituted line to that of line SSS, for which all chromosomes were derived from the susceptible line, showed significant declines in numbers with time for all the resistant chromosome-substituted lines. Conclusion The declining tendency in the density-independent population projection trajectories of the resistant chromosome-substituted lines could explain the simultaneous decline in the levels of resistance to the three organophosphates, observed in the Katsunuma population in the fall.

Growth Trajectories of Health Behaviors from Adolescence through Young Adulthood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nora Wiium

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Based on nine waves of data collected during a period of 17 years (1990–2007, the present study explored different developmental trajectories of the following unhealthy behaviors: regular smoking, lack of regular exercise, lack of daily fruit intake, and drunkenness. A baseline sample of 1195 13-year-old pupils was from 22 randomly selected schools in the Hordaland County in western Norway. Latent class growth analysis revealed three developmental trajectories. The first trajectory was a conventional trajectory, comprising 36.3% of participants, who showed changes in smoking, physical exercise, fruit intake, and drunkenness consistent with the prevailing age specific norms of these behaviors in the Norwegian society at the time. The second trajectory was a passive trajectory, comprising 25.5% of participants, who reported low levels of both healthy and unhealthy behaviors during the 17-year period. The third trajectory was an unhealthy trajectory, comprising 38.2% of participants, who had high levels of unhealthy behaviors over time. Several covariates were examined, but only sex and mother’s and father’s educational levels were found to be significantly associated with the identified trajectories. While these findings need to be replicated in future studies, the identification of the different trajectories suggests the need to tailor intervention according to specific needs.

Growth Trajectories of Health Behaviors from Adolescence through Young Adulthood

Science.gov (United States)

Wiium, Nora; Breivik, Kyrre; Wold, Bente

2015-01-01

Based on nine waves of data collected during a period of 17 years (1990–2007), the present study explored different developmental trajectories of the following unhealthy behaviors: regular smoking, lack of regular exercise, lack of daily fruit intake, and drunkenness. A baseline sample of 1195 13-year-old pupils was from 22 randomly selected schools in the Hordaland County in western Norway. Latent class growth analysis revealed three developmental trajectories. The first trajectory was a conventional trajectory, comprising 36.3% of participants, who showed changes in smoking, physical exercise, fruit intake, and drunkenness consistent with the prevailing age specific norms of these behaviors in the Norwegian society at the time. The second trajectory was a passive trajectory, comprising 25.5% of participants, who reported low levels of both healthy and unhealthy behaviors during the 17-year period. The third trajectory was an unhealthy trajectory, comprising 38.2% of participants, who had high levels of unhealthy behaviors over time. Several covariates were examined, but only sex and mother’s and father’s educational levels were found to be significantly associated with the identified trajectories. While these findings need to be replicated in future studies, the identification of the different trajectories suggests the need to tailor intervention according to specific needs. PMID:26516889

Growth Trajectories of Health Behaviors from Adolescence through Young Adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiium, Nora; Breivik, Kyrre; Wold, Bente

2015-10-28

Based on nine waves of data collected during a period of 17 years (1990-2007), the present study explored different developmental trajectories of the following unhealthy behaviors: regular smoking, lack of regular exercise, lack of daily fruit intake, and drunkenness. A baseline sample of 1195 13-year-old pupils was from 22 randomly selected schools in the Hordaland County in western Norway. Latent class growth analysis revealed three developmental trajectories. The first trajectory was a conventional trajectory, comprising 36.3% of participants, who showed changes in smoking, physical exercise, fruit intake, and drunkenness consistent with the prevailing age specific norms of these behaviors in the Norwegian society at the time. The second trajectory was a passive trajectory, comprising 25.5% of participants, who reported low levels of both healthy and unhealthy behaviors during the 17-year period. The third trajectory was an unhealthy trajectory, comprising 38.2% of participants, who had high levels of unhealthy behaviors over time. Several covariates were examined, but only sex and mother's and father's educational levels were found to be significantly associated with the identified trajectories. While these findings need to be replicated in future studies, the identification of the different trajectories suggests the need to tailor intervention according to specific needs.

Using machine learning and surface reconstruction to accurately differentiate different trajectories of mood and energy dysregulation in youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Versace, Amelia; Sharma, Vinod; Bertocci, Michele A; Bebko, Genna; Iyengar, Satish; Dwojak, Amanda; Bonar, Lisa; Perlman, Susan B; Schirda, Claudiu; Travis, Michael; Gill, Mary Kay; Diwadkar, Vaibhav A; Sunshine, Jeffrey L; Holland, Scott K; Kowatch, Robert A; Birmaher, Boris; Axelson, David; Frazier, Thomas W; Arnold, L Eugene; Fristad, Mary A; Youngstrom, Eric A; Horwitz, Sarah M; Findling, Robert L; Phillips, Mary L

2017-01-01

Difficulty regulating positive mood and energy is a feature that cuts across different pediatric psychiatric disorders. Yet, little is known regarding the neural mechanisms underlying different developmental trajectories of positive mood and energy regulation in youth. Recent studies indicate that machine learning techniques can help elucidate the role of neuroimaging measures in classifying individual subjects by specific symptom trajectory. Cortical thickness measures were extracted in sixty-eight anatomical regions covering the entire brain in 115 participants from the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS) study and 31 healthy comparison youth (12.5 y/o;-Male/Female = 15/16;-IQ = 104;-Right/Left handedness = 24/5). Using a combination of trajectories analyses, surface reconstruction, and machine learning techniques, the present study aims to identify the extent to which measures of cortical thickness can accurately distinguish youth with higher (n = 18) from those with lower (n = 34) trajectories of manic-like behaviors in a large sample of LAMS youth (n = 115; 13.6 y/o; M/F = 68/47, IQ = 100.1, R/L = 108/7). Machine learning analyses revealed that widespread cortical thickening in portions of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right inferior and middle temporal gyrus, bilateral precuneus, and bilateral paracentral gyri and cortical thinning in portions of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and right parahippocampal gyrus accurately differentiate (Area Under Curve = 0.89;p = 0.03) youth with different (higher vs lower) trajectories of positive mood and energy dysregulation over a period up to 5years, as measured by the Parent General Behavior Inventory-10 Item Mania Scale. Our findings suggest that specific patterns of cortical thickness may reflect transdiagnostic neural mechanisms associated with different temporal trajectories of positive mood and energy dysregulation in youth. This approach has

Using machine learning and surface reconstruction to accurately differentiate different trajectories of mood and energy dysregulation in youth.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amelia Versace

Full Text Available Difficulty regulating positive mood and energy is a feature that cuts across different pediatric psychiatric disorders. Yet, little is known regarding the neural mechanisms underlying different developmental trajectories of positive mood and energy regulation in youth. Recent studies indicate that machine learning techniques can help elucidate the role of neuroimaging measures in classifying individual subjects by specific symptom trajectory. Cortical thickness measures were extracted in sixty-eight anatomical regions covering the entire brain in 115 participants from the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS study and 31 healthy comparison youth (12.5 y/o;-Male/Female = 15/16;-IQ = 104;-Right/Left handedness = 24/5. Using a combination of trajectories analyses, surface reconstruction, and machine learning techniques, the present study aims to identify the extent to which measures of cortical thickness can accurately distinguish youth with higher (n = 18 from those with lower (n = 34 trajectories of manic-like behaviors in a large sample of LAMS youth (n = 115; 13.6 y/o; M/F = 68/47, IQ = 100.1, R/L = 108/7. Machine learning analyses revealed that widespread cortical thickening in portions of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right inferior and middle temporal gyrus, bilateral precuneus, and bilateral paracentral gyri and cortical thinning in portions of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and right parahippocampal gyrus accurately differentiate (Area Under Curve = 0.89;p = 0.03 youth with different (higher vs lower trajectories of positive mood and energy dysregulation over a period up to 5years, as measured by the Parent General Behavior Inventory-10 Item Mania Scale. Our findings suggest that specific patterns of cortical thickness may reflect transdiagnostic neural mechanisms associated with different temporal trajectories of positive mood and energy dysregulation in youth. This

Towards a Formal Semantics of Flight Plans and Trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Hagen, George E.; Butler, Ricky W.

2014-01-01

In the National Airspace System, ight plans are often used only as a planning tool by air trac controllers and aircraft operators. These plans are implicitly translated into trajectories by the pilot or by the ight management system, and subsequently own by the aircraft. This translation process inevitably introduces di erences between the plan and the trajectory. However, given the current intended usage, exact correspondence between the plan and the trajectory is not needed. To achieve greater capacity and eciency, future air trac management concepts are being designed around the use of trajectories where predictability is extremely important. In this paper, a mathematical relationship between ight plans and trajectories is explored with the goal of making feasible, highly accurate predictions of future positions and velocities of aircraft. The goal here is to describe, in mathematically precise detail, a formal language of trajectories, whereby all receivers of the trajectory information will be able to arrive at precisely the same trajectory predication and to do this without having aircraft broadcast a large amount of data. Although even a four-dimensional ight plan is simple in structure, this paper will show that it is inherently ambiguous and will explore these issues in detail. In e ect, we propose that a rigorous semantics for ight plans can be developed and this will serve as an important stepping stone towards trajectory-based operations in the National Airspace System.

Trajectory Control of Rendezvous with Maneuver Target Spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zhinqiang

2012-01-01

In this paper, a nonlinear trajectory control algorithm of rendezvous with maneuvering target spacecraft is presented. The disturbance forces on the chaser and target spacecraft and the thrust forces on the chaser spacecraft are considered in the analysis. The control algorithm developed in this paper uses the relative distance and relative velocity between the target and chaser spacecraft as the inputs. A general formula of reference relative trajectory of the chaser spacecraft to the target spacecraft is developed and applied to four different proximity maneuvers, which are in-track circling, cross-track circling, in-track spiral rendezvous and cross-track spiral rendezvous. The closed-loop differential equations of the proximity relative motion with the control algorithm are derived. It is proven in the paper that the tracking errors between the commanded relative trajectory and the actual relative trajectory are bounded within a constant region determined by the control gains. The prediction of the tracking errors is obtained. Design examples are provided to show the implementation of the control algorithm. The simulation results show that the actual relative trajectory tracks the commanded relative trajectory tightly. The predicted tracking errors match those calculated in the simulation results. The control algorithm developed in this paper can also be applied to interception of maneuver target spacecraft and relative trajectory control of spacecraft formation flying.

Medical Cost Trajectories and Onsets of Cancer and NonCancer Diseases in US Elderly Population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Akushevich

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Time trajectories of medical costs-associated with onset of twelve aging-related cancer and chronic noncancer diseases were analyzed using the National Long-Term Care Survey data linked to Medicare Service Use files. A special procedure for selecting individuals with onset of each disease was developed and used for identification of the date at disease onset. Medical cost trajectories were found to be represented by a parametric model with four easily interpretable parameters reflecting: (i prediagnosis cost (associated with initial comorbidity, (ii cost of the disease onset, (iii population recovery representing reduction of the medical expenses associated with a disease since diagnosis was made, and (iv acquired comorbidity representing the difference between post- and pre diagnosis medical cost levels. These parameters were evaluated for the entire US population as well as for the subpopulation conditional on age, disability and comorbidity states, and survival (2.5 years after the date of onset. The developed approach results in a family of new forecasting models with covariates.

Trajectory Shape Analysis and Anomaly Detection Utilizing Information Theory Tools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuejun Guo

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose to improve trajectory shape analysis by explicitly considering the speed attribute of trajectory data, and to successfully achieve anomaly detection. The shape of object motion trajectory is modeled using Kernel Density Estimation (KDE, making use of both the angle attribute of the trajectory and the speed of the moving object. An unsupervised clustering algorithm, based on the Information Bottleneck (IB method, is employed for trajectory learning to obtain an adaptive number of trajectory clusters through maximizing the Mutual Information (MI between the clustering result and a feature set of the trajectory data. Furthermore, we propose to effectively enhance the performance of IB by taking into account the clustering quality in each iteration of the clustering procedure. The trajectories are determined as either abnormal (infrequently observed or normal by a measure based on Shannon entropy. Extensive tests on real-world and synthetic data show that the proposed technique behaves very well and outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

Spatial and Temporal Extrapolation of Disdrometer Size Distributions Based on a Lagrangian Trajectory Model of Falling Rain

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, John E.; Kasparis, Takis; Jones, W. Linwood; Metzger, Philip T.

2009-01-01

Methodologies to improve disdrometer processing, loosely based on mathematical techniques common to the field of particle flow and fluid mechanics, are examined and tested. The inclusion of advection and vertical wind field estimates appear to produce significantly improved results in a Lagrangian hydrometeor trajectory model, in spite of very strict assumptions of noninteracting hydrometeors, constant vertical air velocity, and time independent advection during the scan time interval. Wind field data can be extracted from each radar elevation scan by plotting and analyzing reflectivity contours over the disdrometer site and by collecting the radar radial velocity data to obtain estimates of advection. Specific regions of disdrometer spectra (drop size versus time) often exhibit strong gravitational sorting signatures, from which estimates of vertical velocity can be extracted. These independent wind field estimates become inputs and initial conditions to the Lagrangian trajectory simulation of falling hydrometeors.

White matter developmental trajectories associated with persistence and recovery of childhood stuttering.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Ho Ming; Chang, Soo-Eun

2017-04-08

Stuttering affects the fundamental human ability of fluent speech production, and can have a significant negative impact on an individual's psychosocial development. While the disorder affects about 5% of all preschool children, approximately 80% of them recover naturally within a few years of stuttering onset. The pathophysiology and neuroanatomical development trajectories associated with persistence and recovery of stuttering are still largely unknown. Here, the first mixed longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study of childhood stuttering has been reported. A total of 195 high quality DTI scans from 35 children who stutter (CWS) and 43 controls between 3 and 12 years of age were acquired, with an average of three scans per child, each collected approximately a year apart. Fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure reflecting white matter structural coherence, was analyzed voxel-wise to examine group and age-related differences using a linear mixed-effects (LME) model. Results showed that CWS exhibited decreased FA relative to controls in the left arcuate fasciculus, underlying the inferior parietal and posterior temporal areas, and the mid body of corpus callosum. Further, white matter developmental trajectories reflecting growth rate of these tract regions differentiated children with persistent stuttering from those who recovered from stuttering. Specifically, a reduction in FA growth rate (i.e., slower FA growth with age) in persistent children relative to fluent controls in the left arcuate fasciculus and corpus callosum was found, which was not evident in recovered children. These findings provide first glimpses into the possible neural mechanisms of onset, persistence, and recovery of childhood stuttering. Hum Brain Mapp, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fluctuation theorems and atypical trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahoo, M; Lahiri, S; Jayannavar, A M

2011-01-01

In this work, we have studied simple models that can be solved analytically to illustrate various fluctuation theorems. These fluctuation theorems provide symmetries individually to the distributions of physical quantities such as the classical work (W c ), thermodynamic work (W), total entropy (Δs tot ) and dissipated heat (Q), when the system is driven arbitrarily out of equilibrium. All these quantities can be defined for individual trajectories. We have studied the number of trajectories which exhibit behaviour unexpected at the macroscopic level. As the time of observation increases, the fraction of such atypical trajectories decreases, as expected at the macroscale. The distributions for the thermodynamic work and entropy production in nonlinear models may exhibit a peak (most probable value) in the atypical regime without violating the expected average behaviour. However, dissipated heat and classical work exhibit a peak in the regime of typical behaviour only.

The effect of surface texture on total reflection of neutrons and X-rays from modified interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goldar, A.; Roser, S.J.; Hughes, A.

2002-01-01

X-ray and neutron scattering from macroscopically rough surfaces and interfaces is considered and a new method of analysis based on the variation of the shape of the total reflection edge in the reflectivity profile is proposed. It was shown that in the limit that the correlation length and the h......X-ray and neutron scattering from macroscopically rough surfaces and interfaces is considered and a new method of analysis based on the variation of the shape of the total reflection edge in the reflectivity profile is proposed. It was shown that in the limit that the correlation length...... and the height of the surface roughness are larger than the wavelength (at least 100 times bigger) of the incoming beam, the total reflection edge in the reflection profile becomes rounded. This technique allows direct analysis of the variation of the reflectivity pro le in terms of the structure of the surface...

Glue Film Thickness Measurements by Spectral Reflectance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, B.R.

2010-01-01

Spectral reflectance was used to determine the thickness of thin glue layers in a study of the effect of the glue on radiance and reflectance measurements of shocked-tin substrates attached to lithium fluoride windows. Measurements based on profilometry of the components were found to be inaccurate due to flatness variations and deformation of the tin substrate under pressure during the gluing process. The accuracy of the spectral reflectance measurements were estimated to be ±0.5 (micro)m, which was sufficient to demonstrate a convincing correlation between glue thickness and shock-generated light.

Glue Film Thickness Measurements by Spectral Reflectance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

B. R. Marshall

2010-09-20

Spectral reflectance was used to determine the thickness of thin glue layers in a study of the effect of the glue on radiance and reflectance measurements of shocked-tin substrates attached to lithium fluoride windows. Measurements based on profilometry of the components were found to be inaccurate due to flatness variations and deformation of the tin substrate under pressure during the gluing process. The accuracy of the spectral reflectance measurements were estimated to be ±0.5 μm, which was sufficient to demonstrate a convincing correlation between glue thickness and shock-generated light.

Ontogenetic trajectories of chimpanzee social play: similarities with humans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giada Cordoni

Full Text Available Social play, a widespread phenomenon in mammals, is a multifunctional behavior, which can have many different roles according to species, sex, age, relationship quality between playmates, group membership, context, and habitat. Play joins and cuts across a variety of disciplines leading directly to inquiries relating to individual developmental changes and species adaptation, thus the importance of comparative studies appears evident. Here, we aim at proposing a possible ontogenetic pathway of chimpanzee play (Pan troglodytes and contrast our data with those of human play. Chimpanzee play shows a number of changes from infancy to juvenility. Particularly, solitary and social play follows different developmental trajectories. While solitary play peaks in infancy, social play does not show any quantitative variation between infancy and juvenility but shows a strong qualitative variation in complexity, asymmetry, and playmate choice. Like laughter in humans, the playful expressions in chimpanzees (at the different age phases seem to have a role in advertising cooperative dispositions and intentions thus increasing the likelihood of engaging in solid social relationships. In conclusion, in chimpanzees, as in humans, both play behavior and the signals that accompany play serve multiple functions according to the different age phases.

Sustaining trajectory flexibility for air traffic complexity alleviation

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Saam N.; Rossiter, J. A.

2012-11-01

Despite the fact that several Air Traffic Management (ATM) complexity metrics have been proposed in the past few years, very few of these studies incorporate a control independent intrinsic approach to the problem with the aim of sustaining trajectory flexibility. This paper proposes the introduction of novel decision making metrics for sustaining user trajectory flexibility. The hypothesis is, if all aircraft apply a flexibility preservation function, complexity may reduce automatically. The functions proposed combine concepts of adaptability, robustness and intrinsic traffic complexity metrics based on Lyapunov exponents. Adaptability is defined as a measure of the ability of the aircraft to change its planned trajectory in response to the occurrence of a disturbance that renders the current planned trajectory infeasible. The Robustness metric is defined as the ability of the aircraft to keep its planned trajectory unchanged in response to the occurrence of disturbances. An Intrinsic complexity measure is used to evaluate the level of disorder with regards to the aircraft trajectory; disorder is defined in this context as the level of consistency in the flow patterns of aircraft and their proximity. A point mass model for multiple aircraft(s) is used to extract the trajectories and computing a form of characterisation of sensitivity and interdependencies of a set of aircraft trajectories. Lyapunov exponents are used to compute this measure. The main contribution of this paper will be to test the hypothesis by combining the complexity metrics described above. Different operational scenarios are simulated using a airspace environment developed in MATLAB which shows how well the traffic is structured by varying the metrics defined. The simulation shows the efficacy of the metrics to alleviate complexity in a heavily congested airspace.

Functional Trajectories, Cognition, and Subclinical Cerebrovascular Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhamoon, Mandip S; Cheung, Ying-Kuen; Gutierrez, Jose; Moon, Yeseon P; Sacco, Ralph L; Elkind, Mitchell S V; Wright, Clinton B

2018-03-01

Cognition and education influence functional trajectories, but whether associations differ with subclinical brain infarcts (SBI) or white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) is unknown. We hypothesized that SBI and WMHV moderated relationships between cognitive performance and education and functional trajectories. A total of 1290 stroke-free individuals underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and were followed for 7.3 years (mean) with annual functional assessments with the Barthel index (range, 0-100). Magnetic resonance imaging measurements included pathology-informed SBI (PI-SBI) and WMHV (% total cranial volume). Generalized estimating equation models tested associations between magnetic resonance imaging variables and baseline Barthel index and change in Barthel index, adjusting for demographic, vascular, cognitive, and social risk factors, and stroke and myocardial infarction during follow-up. We tested interactions among education level, baseline cognitive performance (Mini-Mental State score), and functional trajectories and ran models stratified by levels of magnetic resonance imaging variables. Mean age was 70.6 (SD, 9.0) years; 19% had PI-SBI, and mean WMHV was 0.68%. Education did not modify associations between cognition and functional trajectories. PI-SBI modified associations between cognition and functional trajectories ( P =0.04) with a significant protective effect of better cognition on functional decline seen only in those without PI-SBI. There was no significant interaction for WMHV ( P =0.8). PI-SBI, and greater WMHV, were associated with 2- to 3-fold steeper functional decline, holding cognition constant. PI-SBI moderated the association between cognition and functional trajectories, with 3-fold greater decline among those with PI-SBI (compared with no PI-SBI) and normal baseline cognition. This highlights the strong and independent association between subclinical markers and patient-centered trajectories over time. © 2018 American Heart

User oriented trajectory search for trip recommendation

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo

2012-01-01

Trajectory sharing and searching have received significant attentions in recent years. In this paper, we propose and investigate a novel problem called User Oriented Trajectory Search (UOTS) for trip recommendation. In contrast to conventional trajectory search by locations (spatial domain only), we consider both spatial and textual domains in the new UOTS query. Given a trajectory data set, the query input contains a set of intended places given by the traveler and a set of textual attributes describing the traveler\\'s preference. If a trajectory is connecting/close to the specified query locations, and the textual attributes of the trajectory are similar to the traveler\\'e preference, it will be recommended to the traveler for reference. This type of queries can bring significant benefits to travelers in many popular applications such as trip planning and recommendation. There are two challenges in the UOTS problem, (i) how to constrain the searching range in two domains and (ii) how to schedule multiple query sources effectively. To overcome the challenges and answer the UOTS query efficiently, a novel collaborative searching approach is developed. Conceptually, the UOTS query processing is conducted in the spatial and textual domains alternately. A pair of upper and lower bounds are devised to constrain the searching range in two domains. In the meantime, a heuristic searching strategy based on priority ranking is adopted for scheduling the multiple query sources, which can further reduce the searching range and enhance the query efficiency notably. Furthermore, the devised collaborative searching approach can be extended to situations where the query locations are ordered. The performance of the proposed UOTS query is verified by extensive experiments based on real and synthetic trajectory data in road networks. © 2012 ACM.

Quantum trajectory analysis of multimode subsystem-bath dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Wyatt, Robert E; Na, Kyungsun

2002-01-01

The dynamics of a swarm of quantum trajectories is investigated for systems involving the interaction of an active mode (the subsystem) with an M-mode harmonic reservoir (the bath). Equations of motion for the position, velocity, and action function for elements of the probability fluid are integrated in the Lagrangian (moving with the fluid) picture of quantum hydrodynamics. These fluid elements are coupled through the Bohm quantum potential and as a result evolve as a correlated ensemble. Wave function synthesis along the trajectories permits an exact description of the quantum dynamics for the evolving probability fluid. The approach is fully quantum mechanical and does not involve classical or semiclassical approximations. Computational results are presented for three systems involving the interaction on an active mode with M=1, 10, and 15 bath modes. These results include configuration space trajectory evolution, flux analysis of the evolving ensemble, wave function synthesis along trajectories, and energy partitioning along specific trajectories. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using a small number of quantum trajectories to obtain accurate quantum results on some types of open quantum systems that are not amenable to standard quantum approaches involving basis set expansions or Eulerian space-fixed grids.

Creating drag and lift curves from soccer trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Goff, John Eric; Kelley, John; Hobson, Chad M.; Seo, Kazuya; Asai, Takeshi; Choppin, S. B.

2017-07-01

Trajectory analysis is an alternative to using wind tunnels to measure a soccer ball’s aerodynamic properties. It has advantages over wind tunnel testing such as being more representative of game play. However, previous work has not presented a method that produces complete, speed-dependent drag and lift coefficients. Four high-speed cameras in stereo-calibrated pairs were used to measure the spatial co-ordinates for 29 separate soccer trajectories. Those trajectories span a range of launch speeds from 9.3 to 29.9 m s-1. That range encompasses low-speed laminar flow of air over a soccer ball, through the drag crises where air flow is both laminar and turbulent, and up to high-speed turbulent air flow. Results from trajectory analysis were combined to give speed-dependent drag and lift coefficient curves for the entire range of speeds found in the 29 trajectories. The average root mean square error between the measured and modelled trajectory was 0.028 m horizontally and 0.034 m vertically. The drag and lift crises can be observed in the plots of drag and lift coefficients respectively.

Spatiotemporal Interpolation Methods for Solar Event Trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Filali Boubrahimi, Soukaina; Aydin, Berkay; Schuh, Michael A.; Kempton, Dustin; Angryk, Rafal A.; Ma, Ruizhe

2018-05-01

This paper introduces four spatiotemporal interpolation methods that enrich complex, evolving region trajectories that are reported from a variety of ground-based and space-based solar observatories every day. Our interpolation module takes an existing solar event trajectory as its input and generates an enriched trajectory with any number of additional time–geometry pairs created by the most appropriate method. To this end, we designed four different interpolation techniques: MBR-Interpolation (Minimum Bounding Rectangle Interpolation), CP-Interpolation (Complex Polygon Interpolation), FI-Interpolation (Filament Polygon Interpolation), and Areal-Interpolation, which are presented here in detail. These techniques leverage k-means clustering, centroid shape signature representation, dynamic time warping, linear interpolation, and shape buffering to generate the additional polygons of an enriched trajectory. Using ground-truth objects, interpolation effectiveness is evaluated through a variety of measures based on several important characteristics that include spatial distance, area overlap, and shape (boundary) similarity. To our knowledge, this is the first research effort of this kind that attempts to address the broad problem of spatiotemporal interpolation of solar event trajectories. We conclude with a brief outline of future research directions and opportunities for related work in this area.

Puff-trajectory modelling for long-duration releases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Underwood, B.Y.

1988-01-01

This investigation considers some aspects of the interpretation and application of the puff-trajectory technique which is increasingly being considered for use in accident consequence assessment. It firsthigh lights the problems of applying the straight-line Gaussian model to releases of many hours duration and the drawbacks of using the ad hoc technique of multiple straight-line plumes, thereby pointing to the advantages of allowing curved trajectories. A number of fundamental questions are asked about the conventional puff-trajectory approach such as: what is the justification for using ensemble-average spread parameters (σ values) in constructing particular realizations of the concentration field and to what sampling time should these σ values correspond. These questions are answered in the present work by returning to basics: an interpretation of the puff-trajectory method is developed which establishes a correspondence between the omission of wind-field fluctuations with period below a given value in the generation of trajectories and the achievable spatial resolution of the estimates of time-integrated concentration. In application to accident consequence assessment, this focusses attention on what spatial resolution is necessary for particular consequence types or is implicit in the computational discretization employed

VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE FOR PLANETARY INTERIORS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Li; Jacobsen, Stein B.

2016-01-01

In the past few years, the number of confirmed planets has grown above 2000. It is clear that they represent a diversity of structures not seen in our own solar system. In addition to very detailed interior modeling, it is valuable to have a simple analytical framework for describing planetary structures. The variational principle is a fundamental principle in physics, entailing that a physical system follows the trajectory, which minimizes its action. It is alternative to the differential equation formulation of a physical system. Applying the variational principle to the planetary interior can beautifully summarize the set of differential equations into one, which provides us some insight into the problem. From this principle, a universal mass–radius relation, an estimate of the error propagation from the equation of state to the mass–radius relation, and a form of the virial theorem applicable to planetary interiors are derived.

MILP-Based 4D Trajectory Planning for Tactical Trajectory Management, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Aurora Flight Sciences proposes to develop specialized algorithms and software decision-aiding tools for four-dimensional (4D) vehicle-centric, tactical trajectory...

A Formally Verified Conflict Detection Algorithm for Polynomial Trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Narkawicz, Anthony; Munoz, Cesar

2015-01-01

In air traffic management, conflict detection algorithms are used to determine whether or not aircraft are predicted to lose horizontal and vertical separation minima within a time interval assuming a trajectory model. In the case of linear trajectories, conflict detection algorithms have been proposed that are both sound, i.e., they detect all conflicts, and complete, i.e., they do not present false alarms. In general, for arbitrary nonlinear trajectory models, it is possible to define detection algorithms that are either sound or complete, but not both. This paper considers the case of nonlinear aircraft trajectory models based on polynomial functions. In particular, it proposes a conflict detection algorithm that precisely determines whether, given a lookahead time, two aircraft flying polynomial trajectories are in conflict. That is, it has been formally verified that, assuming that the aircraft trajectories are modeled as polynomial functions, the proposed algorithm is both sound and complete.

Soccer ball lift coefficients via trajectory analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goff, John Eric; Carre, Matt J

2010-01-01

We performed experiments in which a soccer ball was launched from a machine while two high-speed cameras recorded portions of the trajectory. Using the trajectory data and published drag coefficients, we extracted lift coefficients for a soccer ball. We determined lift coefficients for a wide range of spin parameters, including several spin parameters that have not been obtained by today's wind tunnels. Our trajectory analysis technique is not only a valuable tool for professional sports scientists, it is also accessible to students with a background in undergraduate-level classical mechanics.

Soccer ball lift coefficients via trajectory analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goff, John Eric [Department of Physics, Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA 24501 (United States); Carre, Matt J, E-mail: goff@lynchburg.ed [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

2010-07-15

We performed experiments in which a soccer ball was launched from a machine while two high-speed cameras recorded portions of the trajectory. Using the trajectory data and published drag coefficients, we extracted lift coefficients for a soccer ball. We determined lift coefficients for a wide range of spin parameters, including several spin parameters that have not been obtained by today's wind tunnels. Our trajectory analysis technique is not only a valuable tool for professional sports scientists, it is also accessible to students with a background in undergraduate-level classical mechanics.

User Oriented Trajectory Search for Trip Recommendation

KAUST Repository

Ding, Ruogu

2012-01-01

Trajectory sharing and searching have received significant attention in recent years. In this thesis, we propose and investigate the methods to find and recommend the best trajectory to the traveler, and mainly focus on a novel technique named User

Trajectories of suicidal ideation in patients with first-episode psychosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Trine; Karstoft, Karen-Inge; Secher, Rikke Gry

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Heterogeneity in suicidal ideation over time in patients with first-episode psychosis is expected, but prototypical trajectories of this have not yet been established. We aimed to identify trajectories of suicidal ideation over a 3-year period and to examine how these trajectories...... assessments in a latent growth mixture modelling analysis to empirically identify trajectories of suicidal ideation. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate associations between trajectories and subsequent suicidality. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT...

Au pair trajectories

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalgas, Karina Märcher

2015-01-01

pair-sending families in the Philippines, this dissertation examines the long-term trajectories of these young Filipinas. It shows how the au pairs’ local and transnational family relations develop over time and greatly influence their life trajectories. A focal point of the study is how au pairs...... that Filipina au pairs see their stay abroad as an avenue of personal development and social recognition, I examine how the au pairs re-position themselves within their families at home through migration, and how they navigate between the often conflicting expectations of participation in the sociality......Since 2000, thousands of young Filipino migrants have come to Denmark as au pairs. Officially, they are there to “broaden their cultural horizons” by living temporarily with a Danish host family, but they also conduct domestic labor in exchange for food and money, which allows them to send...

Analysis of Grazing GNSS Reflections Observed at the Zeppelin Mountain Station, Spitsbergen

Science.gov (United States)

Peraza, L.; Semmling, M.; Falck, C.; Pavlova, O.; Gerland, S.; Wickert, J.

2017-11-01

A reflectometry station has been set up in 2013 near Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, at 78.9082°N, 11.9031°E. The main goal of the setup is to resolve the spatial and temporal variations in snow and ice cover, based on reflection power observations at grazing elevations. In this study, we develop a method to map the recorded signal power to the main reflection contributions while also discussing the spatial characteristics of the observations. A spectral analysis resolving differential Doppler between direct and reflected signals is presented to identify reflection contributions for a complete year (2014). Strong water reflections are identified with power ratios higher than 70 dB/Hz and constant Doppler shifts of 0.5-0.6 Hz for all elevations. Contributions with ratios higher than 40 dB/Hz can be related to specular land or glacier reflections, for which Doppler shift usually increases with the elevation angle and the distance between reflection point and receiver. Reflections nearby, around 3-5 km, show differential Doppler of 0.4-0.5 Hz, while for reflections farther than 16 km away, Doppler shift is usually larger than 0.8 Hz. Azimuth variations cause cross-track drift of up to 4° during the observation year. Topography-induced shadowing of very low lying satellites limits the extent of the monitoring area. However, the amount of satellites tracked daily, up to 30, allows the reflectometry station to constantly record reflections over areas with thick snow cover and glaciers. This offers the possibility to compare the derived reflected power with local meteorological data to resolve snow and ice variations on the area.

Underwater navigation using diffusion-based trajectory observers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jouffroy, Jerome; Opderbecke, Jan

2007-01-01

This paper addresses the issue of estimating underwater vehicle trajectories using gyro-Doppler (body-fixed velocities) and acoustic positioning signals (earth-fixed positions). The approach consists of diffusion-based observers processing a whole trajectory segment at a time, allowing the consid...

Trajectory Calculation as Forecasting Support Tool for Dust Storms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sultan Al-Yahyai

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In arid and semiarid regions, dust storms are common during windy seasons. Strong wind can blow loose sand from the dry surface. The rising sand and dust is then transported to other places depending on the wind conditions (speed and direction at different levels of the atmosphere. Considering dust as a moving object in space and time, trajectory calculation then can be used to determine the path it will follow. Trajectory calculation is used as a forecast supporting tool for both operational and research activities. Predefined dust sources can be identified and the trajectories can be precalculated from the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP forecast. In case of long distance transported dust, the tool should allow the operational forecaster to perform online trajectory calculation. This paper presents a case study for using trajectory calculation based on NWP models as a forecast supporting tool in Oman Meteorological Service during some dust storm events. Case study validation results showed a good agreement between the calculated trajectories and the real transport path of the dust storms and hence trajectory calculation can be used at operational centers for warning purposes.

User oriented trajectory search for trip recommendation

KAUST Repository

Shang, Shuo; Ding, Ruogu; Yuan, Bo; Xie, Kexin; Zheng, Kai; Kalnis, Panos

2012-01-01

trajectory search by locations (spatial domain only), we consider both spatial and textual domains in the new UOTS query. Given a trajectory data set, the query input contains a set of intended places given by the traveler and a set of textual attributes

Active Transportation Demand Management (ATDM) Trajectory Level Validation

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — The ATDM Trajectory Validation project developed a validation framework and a trajectory computational engine to compare and validate simulated and observed vehicle...

Trajectory tracking control for underactuated stratospheric airship

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Zewei; Huo, Wei; Wu, Zhe

2012-10-01

Stratospheric airship is a new kind of aerospace system which has attracted worldwide developing interests for its broad application prospects. Based on the trajectory linearization control (TLC) theory, a novel trajectory tracking control method for an underactuated stratospheric airship is presented in this paper. Firstly, the TLC theory is described sketchily, and the dynamic model of the stratospheric airship is introduced with kinematics and dynamics equations. Then, the trajectory tracking control strategy is deduced in detail. The designed control system possesses a cascaded structure which consists of desired attitude calculation, position control loop and attitude control loop. Two sub-loops are designed for the position and attitude control loops, respectively, including the kinematics control loop and dynamics control loop. Stability analysis shows that the controlled closed-loop system is exponentially stable. Finally, simulation results for the stratospheric airship to track typical trajectories are illustrated to verify effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Action Recognition Using Discriminative Structured Trajectory Groups

KAUST Repository

Atmosukarto, Indriyati

2015-01-06

In this paper, we develop a novel framework for action recognition in videos. The framework is based on automatically learning the discriminative trajectory groups that are relevant to an action. Different from previous approaches, our method does not require complex computation for graph matching or complex latent models to localize the parts. We model a video as a structured bag of trajectory groups with latent class variables. We model action recognition problem in a weakly supervised setting and learn discriminative trajectory groups by employing multiple instance learning (MIL) based Support Vector Machine (SVM) using pre-computed kernels. The kernels depend on the spatio-temporal relationship between the extracted trajectory groups and their associated features. We demonstrate both quantitatively and qualitatively that the classification performance of our proposed method is superior to baselines and several state-of-the-art approaches on three challenging standard benchmark datasets.

Free breathing whole-heart 3D CINE MRI with self-gated Cartesian trajectory.

Science.gov (United States)

Usman, M; Ruijsink, B; Nazir, M S; Cruz, G; Prieto, C

2017-05-01

To present a method that uses a novel free-running self-gated acquisition to achieve isotropic resolution in whole heart 3D Cartesian cardiac CINE MRI. 3D cardiac CINE MRI using navigator gating results in long acquisition times. Recently, several frameworks based on self-gated non-Cartesian trajectories have been proposed to accelerate this acquisition. However, non-Cartesian reconstructions are computationally expensive due to gridding, particularly in 3D. In this work, we propose a novel highly efficient self-gated Cartesian approach for 3D cardiac CINE MRI. Acquisition is performed using CArtesian trajectory with Spiral PRofile ordering and Tiny golden angle step for eddy current reduction (so called here CASPR-Tiger). Data is acquired continuously under free breathing (retrospective ECG gating, no preparation pulses interruption) for 4-5min and 4D whole-heart volumes (3D+cardiac phases) with isotropic spatial resolution are reconstructed from all available data using a soft gating technique combined with temporal total variation (TV) constrained iterative SENSE reconstruction. For data acquired on eight healthy subjects and three patients, the reconstructed images using the proposed method had good contrast and spatio-temporal variations, correctly recovering diastolic and systolic cardiac phases. Non-significant differences (P>0.05) were observed in cardiac functional measurements obtained with proposed 3D approach and gold standard 2D multi-slice breath-hold acquisition. The proposed approach enables isotropic 3D whole heart Cartesian cardiac CINE MRI in 4 to 5min free breathing acquisition. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eulerian-Lagrangian analysis for particle velocities and trajectories in a pure wave motion using particle image velocimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Umeyama, Motohiko

2012-04-13

This paper investigates the velocity and the trajectory of water particles under surface waves, which propagate at a constant water depth, using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The vector fields and vertical distributions of velocities are presented at several phases in one wave cycle. The third-order Stokes wave theory was employed to express the physical quantities. The PIV technique's ability to measure both temporal and spatial variations of the velocity was proved after a series of attempts. This technique was applied to the prediction of particle trajectory in an Eulerian scheme. Furthermore, the measured particle path was compared with the positions found theoretically by integrating the Eulerian velocity to the higher order of a Taylor series expansion. The profile of average travelling distance is also presented with a solution of zero net mass flux in a closed wave flume.

Advancing nursing science through health trajectory research: an introduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Wyman, Jean F; Henly, Susan J

2011-01-01

The Minnesota Center for Health Trajectory Research has focused on developing ways to better understand how interventions influence health trajectories during transitional, acute, or chronic health challenges across the life span. The health trajectory perspective advances nursing science by providing a person-centered point of view that emphasizes change in health over time within individuals, families, groups, or communities. Theoretical considerations and statistical modeling approaches used in studying health trajectories, along with exemplars from nursing research studies from this special issue of Nursing Research, are highlighted.

Mental health trajectories and their embeddedness in work and family circumstances: a latent state-trait approach to life-course trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Cullati, Stéphane; Courvoisier, Delphine S; Burton-Jeangros, Claudine

2014-09-01

Mental health trajectories are known to be influenced by work and family circumstances. However, few studies have examined both of these influences simultaneously in a longitudinal manner. The life-course perspective stresses the importance of examining trajectories in terms of both stable and dynamic components. In this article we use structural equation models (latent state-trait, LST) to distinguish the stable and situational components of mental health trajectories and hypothesise that situational mental health is influenced by satisfaction with work and family, and this effect differs by gender. An analysis of data from a nationally representative sample of 1616 working Swiss residents (2000-2006) shows that mental health trajectories are mostly stable and only slightly sensitive to situational influences. However, situational influences in a given wave do predict situational influences in the next wave. Satisfaction with work and family influences situational mental health in both genders, but the impact is greater for men. In conclusion, the LST approach allows for the examination of mental health trajectories from a life-course perspective by distinguishing stable and situational components. Mental health trajectories are more stable and constant than they are dependent on work and family circumstances, and men are more sensitive to family circumstances than women. © 2014 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2014 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons.

Helicopter trajectory planning using optimal control theory

Science.gov (United States)

Menon, P. K. A.; Cheng, V. H. L.; Kim, E.

1988-01-01

A methodology for optimal trajectory planning, useful in the nap-of-the-earth guidance of helicopters, is presented. This approach uses an adjoint-control transformation along with a one-dimensional search scheme for generating the optimal trajectories. In addition to being useful for helicopter nap-of-the-earth guidance, the trajectory planning solution is of interest in several other contexts, such as robotic vehicle guidance and terrain-following guidance for cruise missiles and aircraft. A distinguishing feature of the present research is that the terrain constraint and the threat envelopes are incorporated in the equations of motion. Second-order necessary conditions are examined.

Sensitivity of trajectory calculations to the temporal frequency of wind data

Science.gov (United States)

Doty, Kevin G.; Perkey, Donald J.

1993-01-01

A mesoscale primitive equation model is used to create a 36-h simulation of the three-dimensional wind field of an intense maritime extratropical cyclone. The control experiment uses the simulated wind field every 15 min in a trajectory model to calculate back trajectories from various horizontal and vertical positions of interest relative to synoptic features of the storm. The latter trajectories are compared to trajectories that were calculated with the simulated wind data degraded in time to 30 min, 1 h, 3 h, 6h, and 12 h. Various error statistics reveal significant deterioration in trajectory accuracy between trajectories calculated with 1- and 3-h data frequencies. Trajectories calculated with 15-min, 30-min, and 1-h data frequencies yielded similar results, while trajectories calculated with data time frequencies 3 h and greater yielded results with unacceptably large errors.

Low Thrust Trajectory Design for GSFC Missions Project

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Evolutionary Mission Trajectory Generator (EMTG) is a global trajectory optimization tool. EMTG is intended for use in designing interplanetary missions which...

Complexity Science Applications to Dynamic Trajectory Management: Research Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Sawhill, Bruce; Herriot, James; Holmes, Bruce J.; Alexandrov, Natalia

2009-01-01

The promise of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is strongly tied to the concept of trajectory-based operations in the national airspace system. Existing efforts to develop trajectory management concepts are largely focused on individual trajectories, optimized independently, then de-conflicted among each other, and individually re-optimized, as possible. The benefits in capacity, fuel, and time are valuable, though perhaps could be greater through alternative strategies. The concept of agent-based trajectories offers a strategy for automation of simultaneous multiple trajectory management. The anticipated result of the strategy would be dynamic management of multiple trajectories with interacting and interdependent outcomes that satisfy multiple, conflicting constraints. These constraints would include the business case for operators, the capacity case for the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), and the environmental case for noise and emissions. The benefits in capacity, fuel, and time might be improved over those possible under individual trajectory management approaches. The proposed approach relies on computational agent-based modeling (ABM), combinatorial mathematics, as well as application of "traffic physics" concepts to the challenge, and modeling and simulation capabilities. The proposed strategy could support transforming air traffic control from managing individual aircraft behaviors to managing systemic behavior of air traffic in the NAS. A system built on the approach could provide the ability to know when regions of airspace approach being "full," that is, having non-viable local solution space for optimizing trajectories in advance.

Acoustic reflections in the water column of Krishna-Godavari offshore basin, Bay of Bengal

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sinha, S.K.; Dewangan, P.; Sain, K.

reflection seismic data. Remarkable similarities between the reflection seismic and the salinity profile in the upper thermocline suggest the importance of salinity variations on the water column reflection. Furthermore, impedance inversion...

A Global Ozone Climatology from Ozone Soundings via Trajectory Mapping: A Stratospheric Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, J. J.; Tarasick, D. W.; Fioletov, V. E.; McLinden, C.; Zhao, T.; Gong, S.; Sioris, G.; Jin, J. J.; Liu, G.; Moeini, O.

2013-01-01

This study explores a domain-filling trajectory approach to generate a global ozone climatology from sparse ozonesonde data. Global ozone soundings of 51,898 profiles at 116 stations over 44 years (1965-2008) are used, from which forward and backward trajectories are performed for 4 days, driven by a set of meteorological reanalysis data. Ozone mixing ratios of each sounding from the surface to 26 km altitude are assigned to the entire path along the trajectory. The resulting global ozone climatology is archived monthly for five decades from the 1960s to the 2000s with grids of 5 degree 5 degree 1 km (latitude, longitude, and altitude). It is also archived yearly from 1965 to 2008. This climatology is validated at 20 ozonesonde stations by comparing the actual ozone sounding profile with that found through the trajectories, using the ozone soundings at all the stations except one being tested. The two sets of profiles are in good agreement, both individually with correlation coefficients between 0.975 and 0.998 and root mean square (RMS) differences of 87 to 482 ppbv, and overall with a correlation coefficient of 0.991 and an RMS of 224 ppbv. The ozone climatology is also compared with two sets of satellite data, from the Satellite Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) and the Optical Spectrography and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS). Overall, the ozone climatology compares well with SAGE and OSIRIS data by both seasonal and zonal means. The mean difference is generally under 20 above 15 km. The comparison is better in the northern hemisphere, where there are more ozonesonde stations, than in the southern hemisphere; it is also better in the middle and high latitudes than in the tropics, where assimilated winds are imperfect in some regions. This ozone climatology can capture known features in the stratosphere, as well as seasonal and decadal variations of these features. Furthermore, it provides a wealth of detail about longitudinal variations in the stratosphere such

Variational solution of the loop equation in QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agishtein, M.E.; Migdal, A.A.

1988-01-01

A new technique for the large N loop equation of QCD is worked out. The Wilson loop W(C) is approximated by a Gaussian functional. The parameters are fitted to the loop equation, after which the equation is statisfied up to 0.2%. The resulting Wilson loop corresponds to linearly rising Regge trajectories. The problem of tachyon is still present, but it could be cured by iteration of the loop equation starting from this variational solution. (orig.)

Variational solution of the loop equation in QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agishtein, M.E.; Migdal, A.A.

1988-01-01

A new technique for the large N loop equation of QCD is worked out. The Wilson loop W(C) is approximated by a Gaussian functional. The parameters are fitted to the loop equation, after which the equation is satisfied up to 0.2%. The resulting Wilson loop corresponds to linearly rising Regge trajectories. The problem of tachyon is still present, but it could be cured by iteration of the loop equation starting from this variational solution

Windfield and trajectory models for tornado-propelled objects. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Redmann, G.H.; Radbill, J.R.; Marte, J.E.; Dergarabedian, P.; Fendell, F.E.

1983-03-01

This is the final report of a three-phased research project to develop a six-degree-of-freedom mathematical model to predict the trajectories of tornado-propelled objects. The model is based on the meteorological, aerodynamic, and dynamic processes that govern the trajectories of missiles in a tornadic windfield. The aerodynamic coefficients for the postulated missiles were obtained from full-scale wind tunnel tests on a 12-inch pipe and car and from drop tests. Rocket sled tests were run whereby the 12-inch pipe and car were injected into a worst-case tornado windfield in order to verify the trajectory model. To simplify and facilitate the use of the trajectory model for design applications without having to run the computer program, this report gives the trajectory data for NRC-postulated missiles in tables based on given variables of initial conditions of injection and tornado windfield. Complete descriptions of the tornado windfield and trajectory models are presented. The trajectory model computer program is also included for those desiring to perform trajectory or sensitivity analyses beyond those included in the report or for those wishing to examine other missiles and use other variables

Trajectories of depressive symptoms among high risk African-American adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Repetto, Paula B; Caldwell, Cleopatra H; Zimmerman, Marc A

2004-12-01

To examine the trajectories of depressive symptoms among African-American youth and the psychosocial factors associated with these trajectories. The sample included 579 African-American adolescents who were at risk of dropping out of school, interviewed annually starting from ninth grade for 4 years. The measures included depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, self-esteem, stress, and active coping; all self-reported. We used cluster analysis to develop longitudinal trajectories of depression in our sample. Four different trajectories of depressive symptoms were found that represented the changes in depressive symptoms among the participants. These trajectories are: consistently high (15.9%), consistently low (21.1%), decreasing (41.8%), and increasing (21.2%) depressive symptoms. The results from the comparisons of the trajectories indicated that adolescents who presented consistently high levels of depressive symptoms were more likely to be female, reported more anxiety symptoms, lower self-esteem, higher stress, and lower grade point average (GPA) compared with adolescent members of the other trajectories. Depressive symptoms may be manifested in different ways according to the patterns of change. Different correlates are associated with these trajectories of depressive symptoms and provide insights about the antecedents and consequences of the patterns of change in depressive symptoms.

Trajectory Management of the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS in Emergency Situation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Majka

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Unmanned aircraft must be characterized by a level of safety, similar to that of manned aircraft, when performing flights over densely populated areas. Dangerous situations or emergencies are frequently connected with the necessity to change the profiles and parameters of a flight as well as the flight plans. The aim of this work is to present the methods used to determine an Unmanned Aircraft System’s (UAS flight profile after a dangerous situation or emergency occurs. The analysis was limited to the possibility of an engine system emergency and further flight continuing along a trajectory of which the shape depends on the type of the emergency. The suggested method also enables the determination of an optimal flying trajectory, based on the territory of a special protection zone (for example, large populated areas, in the case of an emergency that would disable continuation of the performed task. The method used in this work allows researchers, in a simplified way, to solve a variation task using the Ritz–Galerkin method, consisting of an approximate solution of the boundary value problem to determine the optimal flight path. The worked out method can become an element of the on-board system supporting UAS flight control.

Tracing developmental trajectories of oppositional defiant behaviors in preschool children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lourdes Ezpeleta

Full Text Available Previous studies on developmental trajectories have used ad hoc definitions of oppositional defiant behaviors (ODB, which makes it difficult to compare results. This article defines developmental trajectories of ODB from ages 3-5 based on five different standard measurements derived from three separate instruments.A sample of 622 three-year-old preschoolers, followed up at ages 4, 5, and 6, was assessed with the five measures of oppositionality answered by parents and teachers. Growth-Mixture-Modeling (GMM estimated separate developmental trajectories for each ODB measure for ages 3 to 5.The number of classes-trajectories obtained in each GMM depended on the ODB measure, but two clear patterns emerged: four trajectories (persistent low, decreasers, increasers/high increasers, persistent moderate/persistent high or three trajectories (persistent low, decreasers, increasers/high increasers. Persistent high trajectories accounted for 4.4%-9.5% of the children. The trajectories emerging from the different ODB measures at ages 3 to 5 discriminated disruptive disorders, comorbidity, use of services, and impairment at age 6, and globally showed a similar pattern, summarizing longitudinal information on oppositionality in preschool children in a similar way.Trajectories resulting from standard scales of the questionnaires have predictive validity for identifying relevant clinical outcomes, but are measure-specific. The results contribute to knowledge about the development of ODB in preschool children.

Foot trajectory approximation using the pendulum model of walking.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Juan; Vuckovic, Aleksandra; Galen, Sujay; Conway, Bernard A; Hunt, Kenneth J

2014-01-01

Generating a natural foot trajectory is an important objective in robotic systems for rehabilitation of walking. Human walking has pendular properties, so the pendulum model of walking has been used in bipedal robots which produce rhythmic gait patterns. Whether natural foot trajectories can be produced by the pendulum model needs to be addressed as a first step towards applying the pendulum concept in gait orthosis design. This study investigated circle approximation of the foot trajectories, with focus on the geometry of the pendulum model of walking. Three able-bodied subjects walked overground at various speeds, and foot trajectories relative to the hip were analysed. Four circle approximation approaches were developed, and best-fit circle algorithms were derived to fit the trajectories of the ankle, heel and toe. The study confirmed that the ankle and heel trajectories during stance and the toe trajectory in both the stance and the swing phases during walking at various speeds could be well modelled by a rigid pendulum. All the pendulum models were centred around the hip with pendular lengths approximately equal to the segment distances from the hip. This observation provides a new approach for using the pendulum model of walking in gait orthosis design.

Spatio-Temporal Pattern Mining on Trajectory Data Using Arm

Science.gov (United States)

Khoshahval, S.; Farnaghi, M.; Taleai, M.

2017-09-01

Preliminary mobile was considered to be a device to make human connections easier. But today the consumption of this device has been evolved to a platform for gaming, web surfing and GPS-enabled application capabilities. Embedding GPS in handheld devices, altered them to significant trajectory data gathering facilities. Raw GPS trajectory data is a series of points which contains hidden information. For revealing hidden information in traces, trajectory data analysis is needed. One of the most beneficial concealed information in trajectory data is user activity patterns. In each pattern, there are multiple stops and moves which identifies users visited places and tasks. This paper proposes an approach to discover user daily activity patterns from GPS trajectories using association rules. Finding user patterns needs extraction of user's visited places from stops and moves of GPS trajectories. In order to locate stops and moves, we have implemented a place recognition algorithm. After extraction of visited points an advanced association rule mining algorithm, called Apriori was used to extract user activity patterns. This study outlined that there are useful patterns in each trajectory that can be emerged from raw GPS data using association rule mining techniques in order to find out about multiple users' behaviour in a system and can be utilized in various location-based applications.

BALCO 6/7-DoF trajectory model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wey, P.; Corriveau, D.; Saitz, T.A.; Ruijter, W. de; Strömbäck, P.

2016-01-01

BALCO is a six- and seven-degree-of-freedom trajectory simulation program based on the mathematical model defined by the NATO Standardization Recommendation 4618. The primary goal of BALCO is to compute high-fidelity trajectories for both conventional and precision-guided projectiles. The 6-DoF

Reflective array modeling for reflective and directional SAW transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, D P

1998-01-01

This paper presents a new approximate method for analyzing reflective SAW transducers, with much of the convenience of the coupled-mode (COM) method but with better accuracy. Transduction accuracy is obtained by incorporating the accurate electrostatic solution, giving for example correct harmonics, and allowance for electrode width variation, in a simple manner. Results are shown for a single-electrode transducer, Natural SPUDT and DART SPUDT, each using theoretically derived parameters. In contrast to the COM, the RAM can give accurate results for short or withdrawal-weighted transducers and for wide analysis bandwidth.

Variation of wave speed determined by the PU-loop with proximity to a reflection site.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ye; Borlotti, Alessandra; Parker, Kim H; Khir, Ashraf W

2011-01-01

Wave speed is directly related to arterial distensibility and is widely used by clinicians to assess arterial stiffness. The PU-loop method for determining wave speed is based on the water hammer equation for flow in flexible tubes and artery using the method of characteristics. This technique determines wave speed using simultaneous measurements of pressure and velocity at a single point. The method shows that during the early part of systole, the relationship between pressure and velocity is generally linear, and the initial slope of the PU-loop is proportional to wave speed. In this work, we designed an in-vitro experiment to investigate the effect of proximity to a reflection site on the wave speed determined by the PU-loop through varying the distance between the measurement and reflection sites. Measurements were made in a flexible tube with a reflection site at the distal end formed by joining the tube to another tube with a different diameter and material properties. Six different flexible tubes were used to generate both positive and negative reflection coefficients of different magnitudes. We found that the wave speed determined by the PU-loop did not change when the measurement site was far from the reflection site but did change as the distance to the reflection site decreased. The calculated wave speed increased with positive reflections and decreased with negative reflections. The magnitude of the change in wave speed at a fixed distance from the reflection site increased with increasing the value of the reflection coefficient.

Trajectories of dental anxiety in a birth cohort

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, W. M.; Broadbent, J. M.; Locker, D.; Poulton, R.

2010-01-01

Objective To examine predictors of dental anxiety trajectories in a longitudinal study of New Zealanders. Methods Prospective study of a complete birth cohort born in 1972/73 in Dunedin, New Zealand, with dental anxiety scale (DAS) scores and dental utilization determined at ages 15, 18, 26 and 32 years. Personality traits were assessed at a superfactor and (more fine-grained) subscale level via the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire at age 18 years. Group-based trajectory analysis was used to identify dental anxiety trajectories. Results DAS scores from at least three assessments were available for 828 participants. Six dental anxiety trajectories were observed: stable nonanxious low (39.6%); stable nonanxious medium (37.9%); recovery (1.6%); adult-onset anxious (7.7%); stable anxious (7.2%) and adolescent-onset anxious (5.9%). Multivariate analysis showed that males and those with higher DMFS at age 15 years were more likely to be in the stable nonanxious low trajectory group. Membership of the stable nonanxious medium group was predicted by the dental caries experience at age 15 years. Participants who had lost one or more teeth between ages 26 and 32 years had almost twice the relative risk for membership of the adult-onset anxious group. Personality traits predicted group membership. Specifically, high scorers (via median split) on the ‘stress reaction’ subscale had over twice the risk of being in the stable anxious group; low scorers on the traditionalism subscale were more likely to be members of the recovery trajectory group; and high scorers on the ‘social closeness’ subscale had half the risk of being in the stable anxious group. Dental caries experience at age 5 years was also a predictor for the stable anxious group. Membership of the late-adolescent-onset anxious group was predicted by higher dental caries experience by age 15 years, but none of the other predictors was significant. Conclusion Six discrete trajectories of dental anxiety

Comparison of Trajectories Generated by the NOAA Oil Spill Model to Trajectories Produced Using HF Radar-Derived Curents in Monterey Bay

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Smith, Margaret

1997-01-01

.... Trajectories produced by the NOAA/HAZMAT On-Scene Spill Model, using different combinations of surface currents and winds, were compared to trajectories generated using HF radar-derived surface currents...

Energy-efficient Trajectory Tracking for Mobile Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun; Bhattacharya, Sourav; Blunck, Henrik

2011-01-01

Emergent location-aware applications often require tracking trajectories of mobile devices over a long period of time. To be useful, the tracking has to be energy-efficient to avoid having a major impact on the battery life of the mobile de vice. Furthermore, when trajectory information needs to ...

Context-aware pattern discovery for moving object trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Sharif, Mohammad; Asghar Alesheikh, Ali; Kaffash Charandabi, Neda

2018-05-01

Movement of point objects are highly sensitive to the underlying situations and conditions during the movement, which are known as contexts. Analyzing movement patterns, while accounting the contextual information, helps to better understand how point objects behave in various contexts and how contexts affect their trajectories. One potential solution for discovering moving objects patterns is analyzing the similarities of their trajectories. This article, therefore, contextualizes the similarity measure of trajectories by not only their spatial footprints but also a notion of internal and external contexts. The dynamic time warping (DTW) method is employed to assess the multi-dimensional similarities of trajectories. Then, the results of similarity searches are utilized in discovering the relative movement patterns of the moving point objects. Several experiments are conducted on real datasets that were obtained from commercial airplanes and the weather information during the flights. The results yielded the robustness of DTW method in quantifying the commonalities of trajectories and discovering movement patterns with 80 % accuracy. Moreover, the results revealed the importance of exploiting contextual information because it can enhance and restrict movements.

Pneumatic motor speed control by trajectory tracking fuzzy logic

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In this study, trajectory tracking fuzzy logic controller (TTFLC) is proposed for the speed control of a pneumatic motor (PM). A third order trajectory is defined to determine the trajectory function that has to be tracked by the PM speed. Genetic algorithm (GA) is used to find the TTFLC boundary values of membership functions ...

BMI trajectory groups in veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberger, Patricia H; Ning, Yuming; Brandt, Cynthia; Allore, Heather; Haskell, Sally

2011-09-01

The study sought to determine BMI trajectories in Iraq/Afghanistan veterans over 6 years and to examine sociodemographic factors associated with BMI trajectory membership. Our study sample included 16,656 veterans post-deployment and entering the Veteran Healthcare Administration (VHA) healthcare system. We used national VHA administrative sociodemographic data, tracked veteran BMI for 6 years, and used trajectory modeling to identify BMI trajectories and sociodemographic characteristics associated with trajectory membership. Five trajectory groups determined in the full sample were primarily differentiated by their post-deployment initial BMI: "healthy" (14.1%), "overweight" (36.3%), "borderline obese" (27.9%), "obese" (15.7%), and "severely obese" (6.0). Being female, younger, and white were associated with lower initial BMI trajectory group membership (p'seducation and white female Veterans were associated with the lowest initial BMI group (p'sEducation level and racial status are differentially related to BMI trajectory by gender. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Entropy method of measuring and evaluating periodicity of quasi-periodic trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Yanshuo; Turitsyn, Konstantin; Baoyin, Hexi; Junfeng, Li

2018-06-01

This paper presents a method for measuring the periodicity of quasi-periodic trajectories by applying discrete Fourier transform (DFT) to the trajectories and analyzing the frequency domain within the concept of entropy. Having introduced the concept of entropy, analytical derivation and numerical results indicate that entropies increase as a logarithmic function of time. Periodic trajectories typically have higher entropies, and trajectories with higher entropies mean the periodicities of the motions are stronger. Theoretical differences between two trajectories expressed as summations of trigonometric functions are also derived analytically. Trajectories in the Henon-Heiles system and the circular restricted three-body problem (CRTBP) are analyzed with the indicator entropy and compared with orthogonal fast Lyapunov indicator (OFLI). The results show that entropy is a better tool for discriminating periodicity in quasiperiodic trajectories than OFLI and can detect periodicity while excluding the spirals that are judged as periodic cases by OFLI. Finally, trajectories in the vicinity of 243 Ida and 6489 Golevka are considered as examples, and the numerical results verify these conclusions. Some trajectories near asteroids look irregular, but their higher entropy values as analyzed by this method serve as evidence of frequency regularity in three directions. Moreover, these results indicate that applying DFT to the trajectories in the vicinity of irregular small bodies and calculating their entropy in the frequency domain provides a useful quantitative analysis method for evaluating orderliness in the periodicity of quasi-periodic trajectories within a given time interval.

Costs and benefits of children's physical and relational aggression trajectories on peer rejection, acceptance, and friendships: Variations by aggression subtypes, gender, and age.

Science.gov (United States)

Ettekal, Idean; Ladd, Gary W

2015-12-01

This study examined the associations between children's co-occurring relational and physical aggression trajectories and their peer relations (i.e., peer rejection, peer acceptance, and reciprocated friendships) from late childhood (Grade 4; Mage = 10.0) to early adolescence (Grade 8; Mage = 13.9). Using a sample of 477 children (240 girls), the findings indicated there were multiple heterogeneous subgroups of children who followed distinct co-occurring aggression trajectories. For each of these subgroups, multiple indices of their relational development were assessed and findings revealed notable group differences. These results have implications about the potential costs and benefits of aggression, and how its associations with children's peer relationships may vary as a function of aggression subtype, developmental timing, and gender. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Young adults' trajectories of Ecstasy use: a population based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnov, Andrew; Najman, Jake M; Hayatbakhsh, Reza; Plotnikova, Maria; Wells, Helene; Legosz, Margot; Kemp, Robert

2013-11-01

Young adults' Ecstasy use trajectories have important implications for individual and population-level consequences of Ecstasy use, but little relevant research has been conducted. This study prospectively examines Ecstasy trajectories in a population-based sample. Data are from the Natural History Study of Drug Use, a retrospective/prospective cohort study conducted in Australia. Population screening identified a probability sample of Ecstasy users aged 19-23 years. Complete data for 30 months of follow-up, comprising 4 time intervals, were available for 297 participants (88.4% of sample). Trajectories were derived using cluster analysis based on recent Ecstasy use at each interval. Trajectory predictors were examined using a generalized ordered logit model and included Ecstasy dependence (World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Instrument), psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale), aggression (Young Adult Self Report) and contextual factors (e.g. attendance at electronic/dance music events). Three Ecstasy trajectories were identified (low, intermediate and high use). At its peak, the high-use trajectory involved 1-2 days Ecstasy use per week. Decreasing frequency of use was observed for intermediate and high-use trajectories from 12 months, independently of market factors. Intermediate and high-use trajectory membership was predicted by past Ecstasy consumption (>70 pills) and attendance at electronic/dance music events. High-use trajectory members were unlikely to have used Ecstasy for more than 3 years and tended to report consistently positive subjective effects at baseline. Given the social context and temporal course of Ecstasy use, Ecstasy trajectories might be better understood in terms of instrumental rather than addictive drug use patterns. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organized Sport Trajectories from Childhood to Adolescence and Health Associations.

Science.gov (United States)

Howie, Erin K; McVeigh, Joanne A; Smith, Anne J; Straker, Leon M

2016-07-01

The purpose of this study was to identify unique organized sport trajectories from early childhood to late adolescence in an Australian pregnancy cohort, the Raine Study. Participation in organized sport was assessed at ages 5, 8, 10, 14, and 17 yr. Physical activity, body composition, and self-rated physical and mental health were assessed at the age of 20 yr. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of sport participation. To assess the internal validity of the trajectory classes, differences in health characteristics between trajectories were analyzed using generalized linear models. For girls, three trajectory classes were identified: consistent sport participators (47.5%), sport dropouts (34.3%), and sport nonparticipators (18.1%). For boys, three trajectory classes were identified: consistent sport participators (55.2%), sport dropouts (36.9%), and sport joiners (8.1%). For girls, there were overall differences across trajectory classes in lean body mass (P = 0.003), lean mass index (P = 0.06), and physical health (P = 0.004). For boys, there were differences across classes in physical activity (P = 0.018), percent body fat (P = 0.002), lean body mass (P sport participation. The differences in health outcomes between trajectory classes, such as participants with consistent sport participation having more preferable health outcomes at the age of 20 yr, support the internal validity of the trajectories. Strategies are needed to identify and encourage those in the dropout trajectory to maintain their participation and those in the nonparticipator or joiner trajectories to join sport earlier. Specifically, interventions to encourage early sport participation in girls and help nonparticipating boys to join sport during adolescence may help more children receive the benefits of sport participation.

Effects of prolonged compression on the variations of haemoglobin oxygenation-assessment by spectral analysis of reflectance spectrophotometry signals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Zengyong; Tam, Eric W C; Mak, Arthur F T; Lau, Roy Y C [Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

2006-11-07

The consequences of rhythmical flow motion for nutrition and the oxygen supply to tissue are largely unknown. In this study, the periodic variations of haemoglobin oxygenation in compressed and uncompressed skin were evaluated with a reflection spectrometer using an in vivo Sprague-Dawley rat model. Skin compression was induced over the trochanter area by a locally applied external pressure of 13.3 kPa (100 mmHg) via a specifically designed pneumatic indentor. A total of 19 rats were used in this study. The loading duration is 6 h per day for four consecutive days. Haemoglobin oxygenation variations were quantified using spectral analysis based on wavelets' transformation. The results found that in both compressed and uncompressed skin, periodic variations of the haemoglobin oxygenation were characterized by two frequencies in the range of 0.01-0.05 Hz and 0.15-0.4 Hz. These frequency ranges coincide with those of the frequency range of the endothelial-related metabolic and myogenic activities found in the flow motion respectively. Tissue compression following the above loading schedule induced a significant decrease in the spectral amplitudes of frequency interval 0.01-0.05 Hz during the pre-occlusion period on day 3 and day 4 as compared to that on day 1 (p < 0.05). In contrast, at a frequency range of 0.15-0.4 Hz, prolonged compression caused a significant increase in spectral amplitude during the pre-occlusion period in the compressed tissue on day 3 (p = 0.041) and day 4 (p = 0.024) compared to that in the uncompressed tissue on day 1. These suggested that the variations of the haemoglobin oxygenation were closely related to the endothelial-related metabolic and myogenic activities. Increased amplitude in the frequency interval 0.15-0.4 Hz indicated an increased workload of the vascular smooth muscle and could be attributed to the increase of O{sub 2} consumption rates of arteriolar walls. The modification of vessel wall oxygen consumption might

Salinity and spectral reflectance of soils

Science.gov (United States)

Szilagyi, A.; Baumgardner, M. F.

1991-01-01

The basic spectral response related to the salt content of soils in the visible and reflective IR wavelengths is analyzed in order to explore remote sensing applications for monitoring processes of the earth system. The bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) was determined at 10 nm of increments over the 520-2320-nm spectral range. The effect of salts on reflectance was analyzed on the basis of 162 spectral measurements. MSS and TM bands were simulated within the measured spectral region. A strong relationship was found in variations of reflectance and soil characteristics pertaining to salinization and desalinization. Although the individual MSS bands had high R-squared values and 75-79 percent of soil/treatment combinations were separable, there was a large number of soil/treatment combinations not distinguished by any of the four highly correlated MSS bands under consideration.

Optimal heliocentric trajectories for solar sail with minimum area

Science.gov (United States)

Petukhov, Vyacheslav G.

2018-05-01

The fixed-time heliocentric trajectory optimization problem is considered for planar solar sail with minimum area. Necessary optimality conditions are derived, a numerical method for solving the problem is developed, and numerical examples of optimal trajectories to Mars, Venus and Mercury are presented. The dependences of the minimum area of the solar sail from the date of departure from the Earth, the time of flight and the departing hyperbolic excess of velocity are analyzed. In particular, for the rendezvous problem (approaching a target planet with zero relative velocity) with zero departing hyperbolic excess of velocity for a flight duration of 1200 days it was found that the minimum area-to-mass ratio should be about 12 m2/kg for trajectory to Venus, 23.5 m2/kg for the trajectory to Mercury and 25 m2/kg for trajectory to Mars.

Electron spin polarization in realistic trajectories around the magnetic node of two counter-propagating, circularly polarized, ultra-intense lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Del Sorbo, D.; Seipt, D.; Thomas, A. G. R.; Ridgers, C. P.

2018-06-01

It has recently been suggested that two counter-propagating, circularly polarized, ultra-intense lasers can induce a strong electron spin polarization at the magnetic node of the electromagnetic field that they setup (Del Sorbo et al 2017 Phys. Rev. A 96 043407). We confirm these results by considering a more sophisticated description that integrates over realistic trajectories. The electron dynamics is weakly affected by the variation of power radiated due to the spin polarization. The degree of spin polarization differs by approximately 5% if considering electrons initially at rest or already in a circular orbit. The instability of trajectories at the magnetic node induces a spin precession associated with the electron migration that establishes an upper temporal limit to the polarization of the electron population of about one laser period.

An incremental DPMM-based method for trajectory clustering, modeling, and retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Weiming; Li, Xi; Tian, Guodong; Maybank, Stephen; Zhang, Zhongfei

2013-05-01

Trajectory analysis is the basis for many applications, such as indexing of motion events in videos, activity recognition, and surveillance. In this paper, the Dirichlet process mixture model (DPMM) is applied to trajectory clustering, modeling, and retrieval. We propose an incremental version of a DPMM-based clustering algorithm and apply it to cluster trajectories. An appropriate number of trajectory clusters is determined automatically. When trajectories belonging to new clusters arrive, the new clusters can be identified online and added to the model without any retraining using the previous data. A time-sensitive Dirichlet process mixture model (tDPMM) is applied to each trajectory cluster for learning the trajectory pattern which represents the time-series characteristics of the trajectories in the cluster. Then, a parameterized index is constructed for each cluster. A novel likelihood estimation algorithm for the tDPMM is proposed, and a trajectory-based video retrieval model is developed. The tDPMM-based probabilistic matching method and the DPMM-based model growing method are combined to make the retrieval model scalable and adaptable. Experimental comparisons with state-of-the-art algorithms demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm.

SPATIO-TEMPORAL PATTERN MINING ON TRAJECTORY DATA USING ARM

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S. Khoshahval

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Preliminary mobile was considered to be a device to make human connections easier. But today the consumption of this device has been evolved to a platform for gaming, web surfing and GPS-enabled application capabilities. Embedding GPS in handheld devices, altered them to significant trajectory data gathering facilities. Raw GPS trajectory data is a series of points which contains hidden information. For revealing hidden information in traces, trajectory data analysis is needed. One of the most beneficial concealed information in trajectory data is user activity patterns. In each pattern, there are multiple stops and moves which identifies users visited places and tasks. This paper proposes an approach to discover user daily activity patterns from GPS trajectories using association rules. Finding user patterns needs extraction of user’s visited places from stops and moves of GPS trajectories. In order to locate stops and moves, we have implemented a place recognition algorithm. After extraction of visited points an advanced association rule mining algorithm, called Apriori was used to extract user activity patterns. This study outlined that there are useful patterns in each trajectory that can be emerged from raw GPS data using association rule mining techniques in order to find out about multiple users’ behaviour in a system and can be utilized in various location-based applications.

Dual unitarization scheme with several trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaichiam, M.; Hayashi, M.

1977-12-01

Consequences of bootstrap with several input Regge trajectories are investigated. We find that in a formal treatment of bootstrap the consistency requires the intercept of output Pomeron pole in the one-dimensional case to be larger than one: αsub(B)(0) > 1, a situation reminiscent of the one in the Reggeon field theory. Symmetry breakings of the Pomeron couplings are derived. These couplings coincide with those of the f-dominated Pomeron model of Carlitz-Green-Zee in the approximation, when in the unitarity loops only highest Regge trajectories are included. The case when all possible trajectories are exchanged is also discussed. Predictions of dual unitary model for the slopes of differential cross section for diffractive scattering are made which differ from the ones of the CGZ model. Comparison with the experimentally available data is done. (author)

Robot Trajectories Comparison: A Statistical Approach

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A. Ansuategui

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The task of planning a collision-free trajectory from a start to a goal position is fundamental for an autonomous mobile robot. Although path planning has been extensively investigated since the beginning of robotics, there is no agreement on how to measure the performance of a motion algorithm. This paper presents a new approach to perform robot trajectories comparison that could be applied to any kind of trajectories and in both simulated and real environments. Given an initial set of features, it automatically selects the most significant ones and performs a statistical comparison using them. Additionally, a graphical data visualization named polygraph which helps to better understand the obtained results is provided. The proposed method has been applied, as an example, to compare two different motion planners, FM2 and WaveFront, using different environments, robots, and local planners.

Robot Trajectories Comparison: A Statistical Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ansuategui, A.; Arruti, A.; Susperregi, L.; Yurramendi, Y.; Jauregi, E.; Lazkano, E.; Sierra, B.

2014-01-01

The task of planning a collision-free trajectory from a start to a goal position is fundamental for an autonomous mobile robot. Although path planning has been extensively investigated since the beginning of robotics, there is no agreement on how to measure the performance of a motion algorithm. This paper presents a new approach to perform robot trajectories comparison that could be applied to any kind of trajectories and in both simulated and real environments. Given an initial set of features, it automatically selects the most significant ones and performs a statistical comparison using them. Additionally, a graphical data visualization named polygraph which helps to better understand the obtained results is provided. The proposed method has been applied, as an example, to compare two different motion planners, FM2 and WaveFront, using different environments, robots, and local planners. PMID:25525618

Two Competing Normative Trajectories in the Context of the First Baltic Gay Pride Parade in Lithuania

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Mažylis Liudas

2014-12-01

Full Text Available For a long time post-Soviet space has been perceived as homophobic and intolerant of LGBT persons. The three Baltic States - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - as former Soviet republics and current members of the European Union, represent the space where a strong homophobic post-Soviet atmosphere competes with pro-LGBT Western influence. This article examines how the first LGBT Pride Parade (which occurred in Vilnius in 2010 is reflected in Lithuanian media portals. The article also presents the broader context of LGBT issues by reviewing legal changes and Lithuanian political parties’ programs. Our analysis of the media and other sources is based on three arguments: 1 that the LGBT pride parade in Vilnius became the most important event for reflecting LGBT issues in the media and society; 2 it might have not been possible without support and influence from external institutions; and 3 the LGBT parade revealed the division of two competing normative trajectories in Lithuania. The reconstructed trajectories in the article are based on the theoretical framework of new institutionalism, media analysis, interviews and focus groups. Construction of the LGBT campaign and counter-campaign seem delimited rather than approaching them as value normative consensus. However, the way in which LGBT persons are reflected within the Lithuanian media is remarkably different in comparison with the early post-Soviet period. The Baltic gay pride parade “for equality” and external (Western support for it were highly visible in the media, influenced a significant debate on the topic not otherwise experienced in Lithuania, and (reintroduced a question about the perception of ‘normality’ within society. These debates also raise the question of how norms and institutions change and adapt within society.

Direct dynamics trajectory study of the reaction of formaldehyde cation with D2: vibrational and zero-point energy effects on quasiclassical trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianbo; Song, Kihyung; Hase, William L; Anderson, Scott L

2005-12-22

Quasiclassical, direct dynamics trajectories have been used to study the reaction of formaldehyde cation with molecular hydrogen, simulating the conditions in an experimental study of H2CO+ vibrational effects on this reaction. Effects of five different H2CO+ modes were probed, and we also examined different approaches to treating zero-point energy in quasiclassical trajectories. The calculated absolute cross-sections are in excellent agreement with experiments, and the results provide insight into the reaction mechanism, product scattering behavior, and energy disposal, and how they vary with impact parameter and reactant state. The reaction is sharply orientation-dependent, even at high collision energies, and both trajectories and experiment find that H2CO+ vibration inhibits reaction. On the other hand, the trajectories do not reproduce the anomalously strong effect of nu2(+) (the CO stretch). The origin of the discrepancy and approaches for minimizing such problems in quasiclassical trajectories are discussed.

HERITABLE VARIATION FOR AGGRESSION AS A REFLECTION OF INDIVIDUAL COPING STRATEGIES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

BENUS, RF; BOHUS, B; KOOLHAAS, JM; VANOORTMERSSEN, GA

1991-01-01

Evidence is presented in rodents, that individual differences in aggression reflect heritable, fundamentally different, but equally valuable alternative strategies to cope with environmental demands. Generally, aggressive individuals show an active response to aversive situations. In a social

Analysis of air mass trajectories to explain observed variability of tritium in precipitation at the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory, California, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Visser, Ate; Thaw, Melissa; Esser, Brad

2018-01-01

Understanding the behavior of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, in the environment is important to evaluate the exposure risk of anthropogenic releases, and for its application as a tracer in hydrology and oceanography. To understand and predict the variability of tritium in precipitation, HYSPLIT air mass trajectories were analyzed for 16 aggregate precipitation samples collected over a 2 year period at irregular intervals at a research site located at 2000 m elevation in the southern Sierra Nevada (California, USA). Attributing the variation in tritium to specific source areas confirms the hypothesis that higher latitude or inland sources bring higher tritium levels in precipitation than precipitation originating in the lower latitude Pacific Ocean. In this case, the source of precipitation accounts for 79% of the variation observed in tritium concentrations. Air mass trajectory analysis is a promising tool to improve the predictions of tritium in precipitation at unmonitored locations and thoroughly understand the processes controlling transport of tritium in the environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soccer Ball Lift Coefficients via Trajectory Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Goff, John Eric; Carre, Matt J.

2010-01-01

We performed experiments in which a soccer ball was launched from a machine while two high-speed cameras recorded portions of the trajectory. Using the trajectory data and published drag coefficients, we extracted lift coefficients for a soccer ball. We determined lift coefficients for a wide range of spin parameters, including several spin…

Discontinuous gradient differential equations and trajectories in the calculus of variations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogaevskii, I A

2006-01-01

The concept of gradient of smooth functions is generalized for their sums with concave functions. An existence, uniqueness, and continuous dependence theorem for increasing time is formulated and proved for solutions of an ordinary differential equation the right-hand side of which is the gradient of the sum of a concave and a smooth function. With the use of this result a physically natural motion of particles, well defined even at discontinuities of the velocity field, is constructed in the variational problem of the minimal mechanical action in a space of arbitrary dimension. For such a motion of particles in the plane all typical cases of the birth and the interaction of point clusters of positive mass are described.

Discontinuous gradient differential equations and trajectories in the calculus of variations

Science.gov (United States)

Bogaevskii, I. A.

2006-12-01

The concept of gradient of smooth functions is generalized for their sums with concave functions. An existence, uniqueness, and continuous dependence theorem for increasing time is formulated and proved for solutions of an ordinary differential equation the right-hand side of which is the gradient of the sum of a concave and a smooth function. With the use of this result a physically natural motion of particles, well defined even at discontinuities of the velocity field, is constructed in the variational problem of the minimal mechanical action in a space of arbitrary dimension. For such a motion of particles in the plane all typical cases of the birth and the interaction of point clusters of positive mass are described.

The role of social position and depressive symptoms in adolescence for life-course trajectories of education and work: a cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Landstedt, Evelina; Brydsten, Anna; Hammarström, Anne; Virtanen, Pekka; Almquist, Ylva B

2016-11-18

While a vast amount of studies confirm the social reproduction of class and status from one generation to the next, less is known about the role of health in the child generation for these processes. Research has shown that particularly mental distress in adolescence is important for future life chances. This study aimed to examine the importance of parental socioeconomic position and depressive symptoms in youth for life-course trajectories of education and labour market attachment among men and women. Based on four waves of questionnaire data from the Northern Swedish Cohort (n = 1,001), consisting of individuals born in 1965, three steps of gender-separate analyses were undertaken. First, the individual trajectories of education and labour market attachment from age 18 to 42 were mapped through sequence analysis. Second, cluster analysis was used to identify typical trajectories. Third, two indicators of parental socioeconomic position - occupational class and employment status - and depressive symptoms at age 16 were used in multinomial regression analyses to predict adult life-course trajectories. Four typical trajectories were identified for men, of which three were characterised by stable employment and various lengths of education, and the fourth reflected a more unstable situation. Among women, five trajectories emerged, characterised by more instability compared to men. Low parental occupational class and unemployment were significantly associated with a higher risk of ending up in less advantaged trajectories for men while, for women, this was only the case for occupational class. Youth levels of depressive symptoms did not significantly differ across the trajectories. This study found support for the intergenerational reproduction of social position, particularly when measured in terms of parental occupational class. Youth depressive symptoms did not show clear differences across types of trajectories, subsequently impeding such symptoms to trigger any

Constructing seasonal LAI trajectory by data-model fusion for global evergreen needle-leaf forests

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, R.; Chen, J.; Mo, G.

2010-12-01

For decades, advancements in optical remote sensors made it possible to produce maps of a biophysical parameter--the Leaf Area Index (LAI), which is critically necessary in regional and global modeling of exchanges of carbon, water, energy and other substances, across large areas in a fast way. Quite a few global LAI products have been generated since 2000, e.g. GLOBCARBON (Deng et al., 2006), MODIS Collection 5 (Shabanov et al., 2007), CYCLOPES (Baret et al., 2007), etc. Albeit these progresses, the basic physics behind the technology restrains it from accurate estimation of LAI in winter, especially for northern high-latitude evergreen needle-leaf forests. Underestimation of winter LAI in these regions has been reported in literature (Yang et al., 2000; Cohen et al., 2003; Tian et al., 2004; Weiss et al., 2007; Pisek et al., 2007), and the distortion is usually attributed to the variations of canopy reflectance caused by understory change (Weiss et al., 2007) as well as by the presence of ice and snow on leaves and ground (Cohen, 2003; Tian et al., 2004). Seasonal changes in leaf pigments can also be another reason for low LAI retrieved in winter. Low conifer LAI values in winter retrieved from remote sensing make them unusable for surface energy budget calculations. To avoid these drawbacks of remote sensing approaches, we attempt to reconstruct the seasonal LAI trajectory through model-data fusion. A 1-degree LAI map of global evergreen needle-leaf forests at 10-day interval is produced based on the carbon allocation principle in trees. With net primary productivity (NPP) calculated by the Boreal Ecosystems Productivity Simulator (BEPS) (Chen et al., 1999), carbon allocated to needles is quantitatively evaluated and then can be further transformed into LAI using the specific leaf area (SLA). A leaf-fall scheme is developed to mimic the carbon loss caused by falling needles throughout the year. The seasonally maximum LAI from remote sensing data for each pixel

Measuring the Distance of Moving Objects from Big Trajectory Data

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Khaing Phyo Wai

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Location-based services have become important in social networking, mobile applications, advertising, traffic monitoring, and many other domains. The growth of location sensing devices has led to the vast generation of dynamic spatial-temporal data in the form of moving object trajectories which can be characterized as big trajectory data. Big trajectory data enables the opportunities such as analyzing the groups of moving objects. To obtain such facilities, the issue of this work is to find a distance measurement method that respects the geographic distance and the semantic similarity for each trajectory. Measurement of similarity between moving objects is a difficult task because not only their position changes but also their semantic features vary. In this research, a method to measure trajectory similarity based on both geographical features and semantic features of motion is proposed. Finally, the proposed methods are practically evaluated by using real trajectory dataset.

Trajectories of women's abortion-related care: A conceptual framework.

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Coast, Ernestina; Norris, Alison H; Moore, Ann M; Freeman, Emily

2018-03-01

We present a new conceptual framework for studying trajectories to obtaining abortion-related care. It assembles for the first time all of the known factors influencing a trajectory and encourages readers to consider the ways these macro- and micro-level factors operate in multiple and sometimes conflicting ways. Based on presentation to and feedback from abortion experts (researchers, providers, funders, policymakers and advisors, advocates) (n = 325) between 03/06/2014 and 22/08/2015, and a systematic mapping of peer-reviewed literature (n = 424) published between 01/01/2011 and 30/10/2017, our framework synthesises the factors shaping abortion trajectories, grouped into three domains: abortion-specific experiences, individual contexts, and (inter)national and sub-national contexts. Our framework includes time-dependent processes involved in an individual trajectory, starting with timing of pregnancy awareness. This framework can be used to guide testable hypotheses about enabling and inhibiting influences on care-seeking behaviour and consideration about how abortion trajectories might be influenced by policy or practice. Research based on understanding of trajectories has the potential to improve women's experiences and outcomes of abortion-related care. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Trajectory Generation Method with Convolution Operation on Velocity Profile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Geon [Hanyang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Doik [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-03-15

The use of robots is no longer limited to the field of industrial robots and is now expanding into the fields of service and medical robots. In this light, a trajectory generation method that can respond instantaneously to the external environment is strongly required. Toward this end, this study proposes a method that enables a robot to change its trajectory in real-time using a convolution operation. The proposed method generates a trajectory in real time and satisfies the physical limits of the robot system such as acceleration and velocity limit. Moreover, a new way to improve the previous method, which generates inefficient trajectories in some cases owing to the characteristics of the trapezoidal shape of trajectories, is proposed by introducing a triangle shape. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed method is shown through a numerical simulation and a comparison with the previous convolution method.

Rapid Preliminary Design of Interplanetary Trajectories Using the Evolutionary Mission Trajectory Generator

Science.gov (United States)

Englander, Jacob

2016-01-01

Preliminary design of interplanetary missions is a highly complex process. The mission designer must choose discrete parameters such as the number of flybys, the bodies at which those flybys are performed, and in some cases the final destination. In addition, a time-history of control variables must be chosen that defines the trajectory. There are often many thousands, if not millions, of possible trajectories to be evaluated. This can be a very expensive process in terms of the number of human analyst hours required. An automated approach is therefore very desirable. This work presents such an approach by posing the mission design problem as a hybrid optimal control problem. The method is demonstrated on notional high-thrust chemical and low-thrust electric propulsion missions. In the low-thrust case, the hybrid optimal control problem is augmented to include systems design optimization.

Reduced aliasing artifacts using shaking projection k-space sampling trajectory

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yan-Chun; Du, Jiang; Yang, Wen-Chao; Duan, Chai-Jie; Wang, Hao-Yu; Gao, Song; Bao, Shang-Lian

2014-03-01

Radial imaging techniques, such as projection-reconstruction (PR), are used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for dynamic imaging, angiography, and short-T2 imaging. They are less sensitive to flow and motion artifacts, and support fast imaging with short echo times. However, aliasing and streaking artifacts are two main sources which degrade radial imaging quality. For a given fixed number of k-space projections, data distributions along radial and angular directions will influence the level of aliasing and streaking artifacts. Conventional radial k-space sampling trajectory introduces an aliasing artifact at the first principal ring of point spread function (PSF). In this paper, a shaking projection (SP) k-space sampling trajectory was proposed to reduce aliasing artifacts in MR images. SP sampling trajectory shifts the projection alternately along the k-space center, which separates k-space data in the azimuthal direction. Simulations based on conventional and SP sampling trajectories were compared with the same number projections. A significant reduction of aliasing artifacts was observed using the SP sampling trajectory. These two trajectories were also compared with different sampling frequencies. A SP trajectory has the same aliasing character when using half sampling frequency (or half data) for reconstruction. SNR comparisons with different white noise levels show that these two trajectories have the same SNR character. In conclusion, the SP trajectory can reduce the aliasing artifact without decreasing SNR and also provide a way for undersampling reconstruction. Furthermore, this method can be applied to three-dimensional (3D) hybrid or spherical radial k-space sampling for a more efficient reduction of aliasing artifacts.

Reduced aliasing artifacts using shaking projection k-space sampling trajectory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yan-Chun; Yang Wen-Chao; Wang Hao-Yu; Gao Song; Bao Shang-Lian; Du Jiang; Duan Chai-Jie

2014-01-01

Radial imaging techniques, such as projection-reconstruction (PR), are used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for dynamic imaging, angiography, and short-T2 imaging. They are less sensitive to flow and motion artifacts, and support fast imaging with short echo times. However, aliasing and streaking artifacts are two main sources which degrade radial imaging quality. For a given fixed number of k-space projections, data distributions along radial and angular directions will influence the level of aliasing and streaking artifacts. Conventional radial k-space sampling trajectory introduces an aliasing artifact at the first principal ring of point spread function (PSF). In this paper, a shaking projection (SP) k-space sampling trajectory was proposed to reduce aliasing artifacts in MR images. SP sampling trajectory shifts the projection alternately along the k-space center, which separates k-space data in the azimuthal direction. Simulations based on conventional and SP sampling trajectories were compared with the same number projections. A significant reduction of aliasing artifacts was observed using the SP sampling trajectory. These two trajectories were also compared with different sampling frequencies. A SP trajectory has the same aliasing character when using half sampling frequency (or half data) for reconstruction. SNR comparisons with different white noise levels show that these two trajectories have the same SNR character. In conclusion, the SP trajectory can reduce the aliasing artifact without decreasing SNR and also provide a way for undersampling reconstruction. Furthermore, this method can be applied to three-dimensional (3D) hybrid or spherical radial k-space sampling for a more efficient reduction of aliasing artifacts

FEL Trajectory Analysis for the VISA Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuhn, Heinz-Dieter

1998-01-01

The Visual to Infrared SASE Amplifier (VISA) [1] FEL is designed to achieve saturation at radiation wavelengths between 800 and 600 nm with a 4-m pure permanent magnet undulator. The undulator comprises four 99-cm segments each of which has four FODO focusing cells superposed on the beam by means of permanent magnets in the gap alongside the beam. Each segment will also have two beam position monitors and two sets of x-y dipole correctors. The trajectory walk-off in each segment will be reduced to a value smaller than the rms beam radius by means of magnet sorting, precise fabrication, and post-fabrication shimming and trim magnets. However, this leaves possible inter-segment alignment errors. A trajectory analysis code has been used in combination with the FRED3D [2] FEL code to simulate the effect of the shimming procedure and segment alignment errors on the electron beam trajectory and to determine the sensitivity of the FEL gain process to trajectory errors. The paper describes the technique used to establish tolerances for the segment alignment

Controls over spatial and seasonal variations on isotopic composition of the precipitation along the central and eastern portion of Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Gastmans, Didier; Santos, Vinícius; Galhardi, Juliana Aparecida; Gromboni, João Felipe; Batista, Ludmila Vianna; Miotlinski, Konrad; Chang, Hung Kiang; Govone, José Silvio

2017-10-01

Based on Global Network Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) isotopic data set, a review of the spatial and temporal variability of δ 18 O and δ 2 H in precipitation was conducted throughout central and eastern Brazil, indicating that dynamic interactions between Intertropical and South Atlantic Convergence Zones, Amazon rainforest, and Atlantic Ocean determine the variations on the isotopic composition of precipitation over this area. Despite the seasonality and latitude effects observed, a fair correlation with precipitation amount was found. In addition, Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) air mass back trajectories were used to quantify the factors controlling daily variability in stable isotopes in precipitation. Through a linear multiple regression analysis, it was observed that temporal variations were consistent with the meteorological parameters derived from HYSPLIT, particularly precipitation amount along the trajectory and mix depth, but are not dependent on vapour residence time in the atmosphere. These findings also indicate the importance of convective systems to control the isotopic composition of precipitation in tropical and subtropical regions.

Exploring the complexity of quantum control optimization trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanduri, Arun; Shir, Ofer M; Donovan, Ashley; Ho, Tak-San; Rabitz, Herschel

2015-01-07

The control of quantum system dynamics is generally performed by seeking a suitable applied field. The physical objective as a functional of the field forms the quantum control landscape, whose topology, under certain conditions, has been shown to contain no critical point suboptimal traps, thereby enabling effective searches for fields that give the global maximum of the objective. This paper addresses the structure of the landscape as a complement to topological critical point features. Recent work showed that landscape structure is highly favorable for optimization of state-to-state transition probabilities, in that gradient-based control trajectories to the global maximum value are nearly straight paths. The landscape structure is codified in the metric R ≥ 1.0, defined as the ratio of the length of the control trajectory to the Euclidean distance between the initial and optimal controls. A value of R = 1 would indicate an exactly straight trajectory to the optimal observable value. This paper extends the state-to-state transition probability results to the quantum ensemble and unitary transformation control landscapes. Again, nearly straight trajectories predominate, and we demonstrate that R can take values approaching 1.0 with high precision. However, the interplay of optimization trajectories with critical saddle submanifolds is found to influence landscape structure. A fundamental relationship necessary for perfectly straight gradient-based control trajectories is derived, wherein the gradient on the quantum control landscape must be an eigenfunction of the Hessian. This relation is an indicator of landscape structure and may provide a means to identify physical conditions when control trajectories can achieve perfect linearity. The collective favorable landscape topology and structure provide a foundation to understand why optimal quantum control can be readily achieved.

Tracking Lagrangian trajectories in position–velocity space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Haitao

2008-01-01

Lagrangian particle-tracking algorithms are susceptible to intermittent loss of particle images on the sensors. The measured trajectories are often interrupted into short segments and the long-time Lagrangian statistics are difficult to obtain. We present an algorithm to connect the segments of Lagrangian trajectories from common particle-tracking algorithms. Our algorithm tracks trajectory segments in the six-dimensional position and velocity space. We describe the approach to determine parameters in the algorithm and demonstrate the validity of the algorithm with data from numerical simulations and the improvement of long-time Lagrangian statistics on experimental data. The algorithm has important applications in measurements with high particle seeding density and in obtaining multi-particle Lagrangian statistics

Parameterization of Fuel-Optimal Synchronous Approach Trajectories to Tumbling Targets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Charles Sternberg

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Docking with potentially tumbling Targets is a common element of many mission architectures, including on-orbit servicing and active debris removal. This paper studies synchronized docking trajectories as a way to ensure the Chaser satellite remains on the docking axis of the tumbling Target, thereby reducing collision risks and enabling persistent onboard sensing of the docking location. Chaser satellites have limited computational power available to them and the time allowed for the determination of a fuel optimal trajectory may be limited. Consequently, parameterized trajectories that approximate the fuel optimal trajectory while following synchronous approaches may be used to provide a computationally efficient means of determining near optimal trajectories to a tumbling Target. This paper presents a method of balancing the computation cost with the added fuel expenditure required for parameterization, including the selection of a parameterization scheme, the number of parameters in the parameterization, and a means of incorporating the dynamics of a tumbling satellite into the parameterization process. Comparisons of the parameterized trajectories are made with the fuel optimal trajectory, which is computed through the numerical propagation of Euler’s equations. Additionally, various tumble types are considered to demonstrate the efficacy of the presented computation scheme. With this parameterized trajectory determination method, Chaser satellites may perform terminal approach and docking maneuvers with both fuel and computational efficiency.

Solar sail time-optimal interplanetary transfer trajectory design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong Shengpin; Gao Yunfeng; Li Junfeng

2011-01-01

The fuel consumption associated with some interplanetary transfer trajectories using chemical propulsion is not affordable. A solar sail is a method of propulsion that does not consume fuel. Transfer time is one of the most pressing problems of solar sail transfer trajectory design. This paper investigates the time-optimal interplanetary transfer trajectories to a circular orbit of given inclination and radius. The optimal control law is derived from the principle of maximization. An indirect method is used to solve the optimal control problem by selecting values for the initial adjoint variables, which are normalized within a unit sphere. The conditions for the existence of the time-optimal transfer are dependent on the lightness number of the sail and the inclination and radius of the target orbit. A numerical method is used to obtain the boundary values for the time-optimal transfer trajectories. For the cases where no time-optimal transfer trajectories exist, first-order necessary conditions of the optimal control are proposed to obtain feasible solutions. The results show that the transfer time decreases as the minimum distance from the Sun decreases during the transfer duration. For a solar sail with a small lightness number, the transfer time may be evaluated analytically for a three-phase transfer trajectory. The analytical results are compared with previous results and the associated numerical results. The transfer time of the numerical result here is smaller than the transfer time from previous results and is larger than the analytical result.

Trajectories of BMI change impact glucose and insulin metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, E I; Shaw, J; Cherbuin, N

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine, in a community setting, whether trajectory of weight change over twelve years is associated with glucose and insulin metabolism at twelve years. Participants were 532 community-living middle-aged and elderly adults from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life study. They spanned the full weight range (underweight/normal/overweight/obese). Latent class analysis and multivariate generalised linear models were used to investigate the association of Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m 2 ) trajectory over twelve years with plasma insulin (μlU/ml), plasma glucose (mmol/L), and HOMA2 insulin resistance and beta cell function at follow-up. All models were adjusted for age, gender, hypertension, pre-clinical diabetes status (normal fasting glucose or impaired fasting glucose) and physical activity. Four weight trajectories were extracted; constant normal (mean baseline BMI = 25; follow-up BMI = 25), constant high (mean baseline BMI = 36; follow-up BMI = 37), increase (mean baseline BMI = 26; follow-up BMI = 32) and decrease (mean baseline BMI = 34; follow-up BMI = 28). At any given current BMI, individuals in the constant high and increase trajectories had significantly higher plasma insulin, greater insulin resistance, and higher beta cell function than those in the constant normal trajectory. Individuals in the decrease trajectory did not differ from the constant normal trajectory. Current BMI significantly interacted with preceding BMI trajectory in its association with plasma insulin, insulin resistance, and beta cell function. The trajectory of preceding weight has an independent effect on blood glucose metabolism beyond body weight measured at any given point in time. Copyright © 2017 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier

An Energy-Aware Trajectory Optimization Layer for sUAS

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, William A.

The focus of this work is the implementation of an energy-aware trajectory optimization algorithm that enables small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to operate in unknown, dynamic severe weather environments. The software is designed as a component of an Energy-Aware Dynamic Data Driven Application System (EA-DDDAS) for sUAS. This work addresses the challenges of integrating and executing an online trajectory optimization algorithm during mission operations in the field. Using simplified aircraft kinematics, the energy-aware algorithm enables extraction of kinetic energy from measured winds to optimize thrust use and endurance during flight. The optimization layer, based upon a nonlinear program formulation, extracts energy by exploiting strong wind velocity gradients in the wind field, a process known as dynamic soaring. The trajectory optimization layer extends the energy-aware path planner developed by Wenceslao Shaw-Cortez te{Shaw-cortez2013} to include additional mission configurations, simulations with a 6-DOF model, and validation of the system with flight testing in June 2015 in Lubbock, Texas. The trajectory optimization layer interfaces with several components within the EA-DDDAS to provide an sUAS with optimal flight trajectories in real-time during severe weather. As a result, execution timing, data transfer, and scalability are considered in the design of the software. Severe weather also poses a measure of unpredictability to the system with respect to communication between systems and available data resources during mission operations. A heuristic mission tree with different cost functions and constraints is implemented to provide a level of adaptability to the optimization layer. Simulations and flight experiments are performed to assess the efficacy of the trajectory optimization layer. The results are used to assess the feasibility of flying dynamic soaring trajectories with existing controllers as well as to verify the interconnections between

Shaping low-thrust trajectories with thrust-handling feature

Science.gov (United States)

Taheri, Ehsan; Kolmanovsky, Ilya; Atkins, Ella

2018-02-01

Shape-based methods are becoming popular in low-thrust trajectory optimization due to their fast computation speeds. In existing shape-based methods constraints are treated at the acceleration level but not at the thrust level. These two constraint types are not equivalent since spacecraft mass decreases over time as fuel is expended. This paper develops a shape-based method based on a Fourier series approximation that is capable of representing trajectories defined in spherical coordinates and that enforces thrust constraints. An objective function can be incorporated to minimize overall mission cost, i.e., achieve minimum ΔV . A representative mission from Earth to Mars is studied. The proposed Fourier series technique is demonstrated capable of generating feasible and near-optimal trajectories. These attributes can facilitate future low-thrust mission designs where different trajectory alternatives must be rapidly constructed and evaluated.

Quantifying ataxia: ideal trajectory analysis--a technical note

Science.gov (United States)

McPartland, M. D.; Krebs, D. E.; Wall, C. 3rd

2000-01-01

We describe a quantitative method to assess repeated stair stepping stability. In both the mediolateral (ML) and anterioposterior (AP) directions, the trajectory of the subject's center of mass (COM) was compared to an ideal sinusoid. The two identified sinusoids were unique in each direction but coupled. Two dimensionless numbers-the mediolateral instability index (IML) and AP instability index (IAP)-were calculated using the COM trajectory and ideal sinusoids for each subject with larger index values resulting from less stable performance. The COM trajectories of nine nonimpaired controls and six patients diagnosed with unilateral or bilateral vestibular labyrinth hypofunction were analyzed. The average IML and IAP values of labyrinth disorder patients were respectively 127% and 119% greater than those of controls (panalysis distinguishes persons with labyrinth disorder from those without. The COM trajectories also identify movement inefficiencies attributable to vestibulopathy.

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.

Romantic attraction and adolescent smoking trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollard, Michael S; Tucker, Joan S; Green, Harold D; Kennedy, David P; Go, Myong-Hyun

2011-12-01

Research on sexual orientation and substance use has established that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are more likely to smoke than heterosexuals. This analysis furthers the examination of smoking behaviors across sexual orientation groups by describing how same- and opposite-sex romantic attraction, and changes in romantic attraction, are associated with distinct six-year developmental trajectories of smoking. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health dataset is used to test our hypotheses. Multinomial logistic regressions predicting smoking trajectory membership as a function of romantic attraction were separately estimated for men and women. Romantic attraction effects were found only for women. The change from self-reported heterosexual attraction to lesbian or bisexual attraction was more predictive of higher smoking trajectories than was a consistent lesbian or bisexual attraction, with potentially important differences between the smoking patterns of these two groups. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Classical trajectories and quantum field theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vitiello, Giuseppe; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Salerno

2005-01-01

The density matrix and the Wigner function formalism requires the doubling of the degrees of freedom in quantum mechanics (QM) and quantum field theory (QFT). The doubled degrees of freedom play the role of the thermal bath or environment degrees of freedom and are entangled with the system degrees of freedom. They also account for quantum noise in the fluctuating random forces in the system-environment coupling. The algebraic structure of QFT turns out to be the one of the deformed Hopf algebra. In such a frame, the trajectories in the space of the unitarily inequivalent representations of the canonical commutation relations turn out to be classical trajectories and, under convenient conditions, they may exhibit properties typical of classical chaotic trajectories in nonlinear dynamics. The quantum Brownian motion and the two-slit experiment in QM are discussed in connection with the doubling of the degrees of freedom. (author)

Theory of the paraxial ion trajectory in the spiral inflector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toprek, Dragan

2000-01-01

This paper presents the analytical and numerical theory of the paraxial ion trajectory through the spiral inflector. Analytical expressions for the equations which describe the paraxial ion trajectory are derived. The analytical derivations of the electric field expansion around the central ion trajectory has also been studied

Trajectory attractors of equations of mathematical physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vishik, Marko I; Chepyzhov, Vladimir V

2011-01-01

In this survey the method of trajectory dynamical systems and trajectory attractors is described, and is applied in the study of the limiting asymptotic behaviour of solutions of non-linear evolution equations. This method is especially useful in the study of dissipative equations of mathematical physics for which the corresponding Cauchy initial-value problem has a global (weak) solution with respect to the time but the uniqueness of this solution either has not been established or does not hold. An important example of such an equation is the 3D Navier-Stokes system in a bounded domain. In such a situation one cannot use directly the classical scheme of construction of a dynamical system in the phase space of initial conditions of the Cauchy problem of a given equation and find a global attractor of this dynamical system. Nevertheless, for such equations it is possible to construct a trajectory dynamical system and investigate a trajectory attractor of the corresponding translation semigroup. This universal method is applied for various types of equations arising in mathematical physics: for general dissipative reaction-diffusion systems, for the 3D Navier-Stokes system, for dissipative wave equations, for non-linear elliptic equations in cylindrical domains, and for other equations and systems. Special attention is given to using the method of trajectory attractors in approximation and perturbation problems arising in complicated models of mathematical physics. Bibliography: 96 titles.

Handling Trajectory Uncertainties for Airborne Conflict Management

Science.gov (United States)

Barhydt, Richard; Doble, Nathan A.; Karr, David; Palmer, Michael T.

2005-01-01

Airborne conflict management is an enabling capability for NASA's Distributed Air-Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) concept. DAGTM has the goal of significantly increasing capacity within the National Airspace System, while maintaining or improving safety. Under DAG-TM, autonomous aircraft maintain separation from each other and from managed aircraft unequipped for autonomous flight. NASA Langley Research Center has developed the Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP), an onboard decision support system that provides airborne conflict management (ACM) and strategic flight planning support for autonomous aircraft pilots. The AOP performs conflict detection, prevention, and resolution from nearby traffic aircraft and area hazards. Traffic trajectory information is assumed to be provided by Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B). Reliable trajectory prediction is a key capability for providing effective ACM functions. Trajectory uncertainties due to environmental effects, differences in aircraft systems and performance, and unknown intent information lead to prediction errors that can adversely affect AOP performance. To accommodate these uncertainties, the AOP has been enhanced to create cross-track, vertical, and along-track buffers along the predicted trajectories of both ownship and traffic aircraft. These buffers will be structured based on prediction errors noted from previous simulations such as a recent Joint Experiment between NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers and from other outside studies. Currently defined ADS-B parameters related to navigation capability, trajectory type, and path conformance will be used to support the algorithms that generate the buffers.

Attitude and Trajectory Estimation Using Earth Magnetic Field Data

Science.gov (United States)

Deutschmann, Julie; Bar-Itzhack, Itzhack Y.

1996-01-01

The magnetometer has long been a reliable, inexpensive sensor used in spacecraft momentum management and attitude estimation. Recent studies show an increased accuracy potential for magnetometer-only attitude estimation systems. Since the Earth's magnetic field is a function of time and position, and since time is known quite precisely, the differences between the computer and measured magnetic field components, as measured by the magnetometers throughout the entire spacecraft orbit, are a function of both the spacecraft trajectory and attitude errors. Therefore, these errors can be used to estimate both trajectory and attitude. Traditionally, satellite attitude and trajectory have been estimated with completely separate system, using different measurement data. Recently, trajectory estimation for low earth orbit satellites was successfully demonstrated in ground software using only magnetometer data. This work proposes a single augmented extended Kalman Filter to simultaneously and autonomously estimate both spacecraft trajectory and attitude with data from a magnetometer and either dynamically determined rates or gyro-measured body rates.

Analytical-numerical solution for the trajectory of seismic rays in media with vertical heterogeneity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imhof, Armando Luis; Calvo, Carlos Adolfo; Moyano, Amalia; Sanchez, Manuel

2015-01-01

A determined curve path is followed by the propagation of seismic waves generated in emitters and detected in receivers by the principle of minimum time of Fermat. An ordinary differential equation is derived from the application of the calculation of variations. Due to the compaction of the terrain, the speed usually increases with depth. The experimental laws for each soil have led to this variation leading to a numerical resolution. The adjustment of experimental speed data by an exponential function; the analytical integration of the differential equation and the numerical determination of the integration constants are studied. A geophysical method such as up-hole or down-hole has determined the experimental data. Its main application is centered in the validation of numerical models of curved trajectories. Then time of first arrivals through tomographic algorithms for detection and modeling of anomalies in the first 12 m depth. (author) [es

Developmental Trajectories of Childhood Obesity and Risk Behaviors in Adolescence

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, David Y. C.; Lanza, H. Isabella; Wright-Volel, Kynna; Anglin, M. Douglas

2013-01-01

Using group-based trajectory modeling, this study examined 5156 adolescents from the child sample of the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to identify developmental trajectories of obesity from ages 6-18 and evaluate associations of such trajectories with risk behaviors and psychosocial health in adolescence. Four distinctive obesity…

Indexing the Trajectories of Moving Objects in Symbolic Indoor Space

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Christian Søndergaard; Lu, Hua; Yang, Bin

2009-01-01

. This scenario calls for the indexing of indoor trajectories. Based on an appropriate notion of indoor trajectory and definitions of pertinent types of queries, the paper proposes two R-tree based structures for indexing object trajectories in symbolic indoor space. The RTR-tree represents a trajectory as a set......Indoor spaces accommodate large populations of individuals. With appropriate indoor positioning, e.g., Bluetooth and RFID, in place, large amounts of trajectory data result that may serve as a foundation for a wide variety of applications, e.g., space planning, way finding, and security...... for each index. An empirical performance study suggests that the two indexes are effective, efficient, and robust. The study also elicits the circumstances under which our proposals perform the best....

Influence of Aerosols And Surface Reflectance On NO2 Retrieval Over China From 2005 to 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, M.; Lin, J.

2016-12-01

Satellite observation is a powerful way to analysis annual and seasonal variations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). However, much retrieval of vertical column densities (VCDs) of normally do not explicitly account for aerosol optical effects and surface reflectance anisotropy that vary with space and time. In traditional retrieval, aerosols' effects are often considered as cloud. However, China has complicated aerosols type and aerosol loading. Their optical properties may be very different from the cloud. Furthermore, China has undergone big changes in land use type in recent 10 years. Traditional climatology surface reflectance data may not have representation. In order to study spatial-temporal variation of and influences of these two factors on variations and trends, we use an improved retrieval method of VCDs over China, called the POMINO, based on measurements from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and we compare the results of without aerosol, without surface reflectance treatments and without both to the original POMINO product from 2005 to 2015. Furthermore, we will study correspondent spatial-temporal variations of aerosols, represented by MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD) data and CALIOP extinction data; surface reflectance, represented by MODIS bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) data.

Origin of chaos in 3-d Bohmian trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tzemos, Athanasios C.; Contopoulos, George; Efthymiopoulos, Christos

2016-01-01

We study the 3-d Bohmian trajectories of a quantum system of three harmonic oscillators. We focus on the mechanism responsible for the generation of chaotic trajectories. We demonstrate the existence of a 3-d analogue of the mechanism found in earlier studies of 2-d systems [1,2], based on moving 2-d ‘nodal point–X-point complexes’. In the 3-d case, we observe a foliation of nodal point–X-point complexes, forming a ‘3-d structure of nodal and X-points’. Chaos is generated when the Bohmian trajectories are scattered at one or more close encounters with such a structure. - Highlights: • A mechanism for the emergence of 3-d Bohmian chaos is proposed. • We demonstrate the existence of a 3-d structure of nodal and X-points. • Chaos is generated when the trajectories are scattered by the X-points.

Origin of chaos in 3-d Bohmian trajectories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tzemos, Athanasios C., E-mail: thanasistzemos@gmail.com; Contopoulos, George, E-mail: gcontop@academyofathens.gr; Efthymiopoulos, Christos, E-mail: cefthim@academyofathens.gr

2016-11-25

We study the 3-d Bohmian trajectories of a quantum system of three harmonic oscillators. We focus on the mechanism responsible for the generation of chaotic trajectories. We demonstrate the existence of a 3-d analogue of the mechanism found in earlier studies of 2-d systems [1,2], based on moving 2-d ‘nodal point–X-point complexes’. In the 3-d case, we observe a foliation of nodal point–X-point complexes, forming a ‘3-d structure of nodal and X-points’. Chaos is generated when the Bohmian trajectories are scattered at one or more close encounters with such a structure. - Highlights: • A mechanism for the emergence of 3-d Bohmian chaos is proposed. • We demonstrate the existence of a 3-d structure of nodal and X-points. • Chaos is generated when the trajectories are scattered by the X-points.

Quantum trajectory phase transitions in the micromaser.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrahan, Juan P; Armour, Andrew D; Lesanovsky, Igor

2011-08-01

We study the dynamics of the single-atom maser, or micromaser, by means of the recently introduced method of thermodynamics of quantum jump trajectories. We find that the dynamics of the micromaser displays multiple space-time phase transitions, i.e., phase transitions in ensembles of quantum jump trajectories. This rich dynamical phase structure becomes apparent when trajectories are classified by dynamical observables that quantify dynamical activity, such as the number of atoms that have changed state while traversing the cavity. The space-time transitions can be either first order or continuous, and are controlled not just by standard parameters of the micromaser but also by nonequilibrium "counting" fields. We discuss how the dynamical phase behavior relates to the better known stationary-state properties of the micromaser.

Developmental trajectories of bullying and associated factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Pepler, Debra; Jiang, Depeng; Craig, Wendy; Connolly, Jennifer

2008-01-01

Trajectories in bullying through adolescence were studied along with individual, family, and peer relationship factors. At the outset, participants' ages ranged from 10 to 14; 74% identified as European Canadian with the remainder from diverse backgrounds. With 8 waves of data over 7 years, 871 students (466 girls and 405 boys) were studied to reveal 4 trajectories: 9.9% reported consistently high levels of bullying, 13.4% reported early moderate levels desisting to almost no bullying at the end of high school, 35.1% reported consistently moderate levels, and 41.6% almost never reported bullying. Students who bullied had elevated risks in individual, parent, and peer relationship domains. Risk profiles and trajectories provide direction for interventions to curtail the development of power and aggression in relationships.

FORECASTING A CORONAL MASS EJECTION'S ALTERED TRAJECTORY: ForeCAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kay, C.; Opher, M.; Evans, R. M.

2013-01-01

To predict whether a coronal mass ejection (CME) will impact Earth, the effects of the background on the CME's trajectory must be taken into account. We develop a model, ForeCAT (Forecasting a CME's Altered Trajectory), of CME deflection due to magnetic forces. ForeCAT includes CME expansion, a three-part propagation model, and the effects of drag on the CME's deflection. Given the background solar wind conditions, the launch site of the CME, and the properties of the CME (mass, final propagation speed, initial radius, and initial magnetic strength), ForeCAT predicts the deflection of the CME. Two different magnetic backgrounds are considered: a scaled background based on type II radio burst profiles and a potential field source surface (PFSS) background. For a scaled background where the CME is launched from an active region located between a coronal hole and streamer region, the strong magnetic gradients cause a deflection of 8.°1 in latitude and 26.°4 in longitude for a 10 15 g CME propagating out to 1 AU. Using the PFSS background, which captures the variation of the streamer belt (SB) position with height, leads to a deflection of 1.°6 in latitude and 4.°1 in longitude for the control case. Varying the CME's input parameters within observed ranges leads to the majority of CMEs reaching the SB within the first few solar radii. For these specific backgrounds, the SB acts like a potential well that forces the CME into an equilibrium angular position

Calculation of Coherent Synchrotron Radiation Impedance for a Beam Moving in a Curved Trajectory

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Demin; Ohmi, Kazuhito; Oide, Katsunobu; Zang, Lei; Stupakov, Gennady

2012-01-01

Coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) fields are generated when a bunched beam moves along a curved trajectory. A new code, named CSRZ, was developed using finite difference method to calculate the longitudinal CSR impedance for a beam moving along a curved chamber. The method adopted in the code was originated by Agoh and Yokoya [Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 7 (2004) 054403]. It solves the parabolic equation in the frequency domain in a curvilinear coordinate system. The chamber considered has uniform rectangular cross-section along the beam trajectory. The code was used to investigate the properties of CSR impedance of a single or a series of bending magnets. The calculation results indicate that the shielding effect due to outer chamber wall can be well explained by a simple optical approximation model at high frequencies. The CSR fields reflected by the outer wall may interfere with each other along a series of bending magnets and lead to sharp narrow peaks in the CSR impedance. In a small storage ring, such interference effect can be significant and may cause microwave instability, according to a simple estimate of instability threshold.

SU-E-T-158: Catching Errors with Trajectory Log Files

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijesooriya, K; Seitter, K; Desai, V; Dharia, I; Read, P; Larner, J

2015-01-01

Purpose: To present our single institution experience on catching errors with trajectory log file analysis. The reported causes of failures, probability of occurrences (O), severity of effects (S), and the probability of the failures to be undetected (D) could be added to guidelines of FMEA analysis. Methods: From March 2013 to March 2014, 19569 patient treatment fields/arcs were analyzed. This work includes checking all 131 treatment delivery parameters for all patients, all treatment sites and all treatment delivery fractions. TrueBeam trajectory log files for all treatment field types as well as all imaging types were accessed, read in every 20ms, and every control point (total of 37 million parameters) compared to the physician approved plan in the planning system. Results: Couch angle outlier occurrence: N= 327, range = −1.7 −1.2 deg; gantry angle outlier occurrence: N =59, range = 0.09 – 5.61 deg, collimator angle outlier occurrence: N = 13, range = −0.2 – 0.2 deg. VMAT cases have slightly larger variations in mechanical parameters. MLC: 3D single control point fields have a maximum deviation of 0.04 mm, 39 step and shoot IMRT cases have MLC −0.3 – 0.5 mm deviations, all (1286) VMAT cases have −0.9 – 0.7 mm deviations. Two possible serious errors were found: 1) A 4 cm isocenter shift for the PA beam of an AP-PA pair, under-dosing a portion of PTV by 25%. 2) Delivery with MLC leaves abutted behind the jaws as opposed to the midline as planned, leading to a under-dosing of a small volume of the PTV by 25%, by just the boost plan. Due to their error origin, neither of these errors could have been detected by pre-treatment verification. Conclusion: Performing Trajectory Log file analysis could catch typically undetected errors to avoid potentially adverse incidents

SU-E-T-158: Catching Errors with Trajectory Log Files

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wijesooriya, K; Seitter, K; Desai, V; Dharia, I; Read, P; Larner, J [University of Virginia Health Systems, Charlottesville, VA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To present our single institution experience on catching errors with trajectory log file analysis. The reported causes of failures, probability of occurrences (O), severity of effects (S), and the probability of the failures to be undetected (D) could be added to guidelines of FMEA analysis. Methods: From March 2013 to March 2014, 19569 patient treatment fields/arcs were analyzed. This work includes checking all 131 treatment delivery parameters for all patients, all treatment sites and all treatment delivery fractions. TrueBeam trajectory log files for all treatment field types as well as all imaging types were accessed, read in every 20ms, and every control point (total of 37 million parameters) compared to the physician approved plan in the planning system. Results: Couch angle outlier occurrence: N= 327, range = −1.7 −1.2 deg; gantry angle outlier occurrence: N =59, range = 0.09 – 5.61 deg, collimator angle outlier occurrence: N = 13, range = −0.2 – 0.2 deg. VMAT cases have slightly larger variations in mechanical parameters. MLC: 3D single control point fields have a maximum deviation of 0.04 mm, 39 step and shoot IMRT cases have MLC −0.3 – 0.5 mm deviations, all (1286) VMAT cases have −0.9 – 0.7 mm deviations. Two possible serious errors were found: 1) A 4 cm isocenter shift for the PA beam of an AP-PA pair, under-dosing a portion of PTV by 25%. 2) Delivery with MLC leaves abutted behind the jaws as opposed to the midline as planned, leading to a under-dosing of a small volume of the PTV by 25%, by just the boost plan. Due to their error origin, neither of these errors could have been detected by pre-treatment verification. Conclusion: Performing Trajectory Log file analysis could catch typically undetected errors to avoid potentially adverse incidents.

Approximate reflection coefficients for a thin VTI layer

KAUST Repository

Hao, Qi

2017-09-18

We present an approximate method to derive simple expressions for the reflection coefficients of P- and SV-waves for a thin transversely isotropic layer with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI) embedded in a homogeneous VTI background. The layer thickness is assumed to be much smaller than the wavelengths of P- and SV-waves inside. The exact reflection and transmission coefficients are derived by the propagator matrix method. In the case of normal incidence, the exact reflection and transmission coefficients are expressed in terms of the impedances of vertically propagating P- and S-waves. For subcritical incidence, the approximate reflection coefficients are expressed in terms of the contrast in the VTI parameters between the layer and the background. Numerical examples are designed to analyze the reflection coefficients at normal and oblique incidence, and investigate the influence of transverse isotropy on the reflection coefficients. Despite giving numerical errors, the approximate formulae are sufficiently simple to qualitatively analyze the variation of the reflection coefficients with the angle of incidence.

Periodic trajectories for a two-dimensional nonintegrable Hamiltonian

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baranger, M.; Davies, K.T.R.

1987-01-01

A numerical study is made of the classical periodic trajectories for the two-dimensional nonintegrable Hamiltonian H = 1/2(p 2 /sub x/+p 2 /sub y/)+(y-1/2x 2 ) 2 +0.05 x 2 . In addition to x--y pictures of the trajectories, E--tau (energy--period) plots of the periodic families are presented. Efforts have been ade to include all trajectories with short periods and all simple branchings of these trajectories. The monodromy matrix has been calculated in all cases, and from it the stability properties are derived. The topology of the E--tau plot has been explored, with the following results. One family may have several stable regions. The plot is not completely connected; there are islands. The plot is not a tree; there are cycles. There are isochronous branchings, period-doublings, and period-multiplyings of higher orders, and examples of each of these are presented. There is often more than one branch issuing from a branch point. Some general empirical rules are inferred. In particular, the existence of isochronous branching is seen to be a consequence of the symmetry of the Hamiltonian. All these results agree with the general classification of possible branchings derived in Ref. [10]. (M. A. M. de Aguiar, C. P. Malta, M. Baranger, and K. T. R. Davies, in preparation). Finally, some nonperiodic trajectories are calculated to illustrate the fact that stable periodic trajectories lie in ''regular'' regions of phase space, while unstable ones lie in ''chaotic'' regions

Spatio-temporal variation in density of microphytoplankton genera in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This seasonal shift may reflect how these species respond differently to environmental change, which could have implications for primary production at spatial and temporal scales. Keywords: chlorophyll a, cyanobacteria, diatoms, dinoflagellates, interannual variation, physico-chemical, seasonal variation. African Journal of ...

PARALLEL SPATIOTEMPORAL SPECTRAL CLUSTERING WITH MASSIVE TRAJECTORY DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Z. Gu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Massive trajectory data contains wealth useful information and knowledge. Spectral clustering, which has been shown to be effective in finding clusters, becomes an important clustering approaches in the trajectory data mining. However, the traditional spectral clustering lacks the temporal expansion on the algorithm and limited in its applicability to large-scale problems due to its high computational complexity. This paper presents a parallel spatiotemporal spectral clustering based on multiple acceleration solutions to make the algorithm more effective and efficient, the performance is proved due to the experiment carried out on the massive taxi trajectory dataset in Wuhan city, China.

Efficient One-click Browsing of Large Trajectory Sets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krogh, Benjamin Bjerre; Andersen, Ove; Lewis-Kelham, Edwin

2014-01-01

presents a novel query type called sheaf, where users can browse trajectory data sets using a single mouse click. Sheaves are very versatile and can be used for location-based advertising, travel-time analysis, intersection analysis, and reachability analysis (isochrones). A novel in-memory trajectory...... index compresses the data by a factor of 12.4 and enables execution of sheaf queries in 40 ms. This is up to 2 orders of magnitude faster than existing work. We demonstrate the simplicity, versatility, and efficiency of sheaf queries using a real-world trajectory set consisting of 2.7 million...

Fractional dynamics using an ensemble of classical trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Zhaopeng; Dong, Hao; Zheng, Yujun

2018-01-01

A trajectory-based formulation for fractional dynamics is presented and the trajectories are generated deterministically. In this theoretical framework, we derive a new class of estimators in terms of confluent hypergeometric function (F11) to represent the Riesz fractional derivative. Using this method, the simulation of free and confined Lévy flight are in excellent agreement with the exact numerical and analytical results. In addition, the barrier crossing in a bistable potential driven by Lévy noise of index α is investigated. In phase space, the behavior of trajectories reveal the feature of Lévy flight in a better perspective.

Rare behavior of growth processes via umbrella sampling of trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Klymko, Katherine; Geissler, Phillip L.; Garrahan, Juan P.; Whitelam, Stephen

2018-03-01

We compute probability distributions of trajectory observables for reversible and irreversible growth processes. These results reveal a correspondence between reversible and irreversible processes, at particular points in parameter space, in terms of their typical and atypical trajectories. Thus key features of growth processes can be insensitive to the precise form of the rate constants used to generate them, recalling the insensitivity to microscopic details of certain equilibrium behavior. We obtained these results using a sampling method, inspired by the "s -ensemble" large-deviation formalism, that amounts to umbrella sampling in trajectory space. The method is a simple variant of existing approaches, and applies to ensembles of trajectories controlled by the total number of events. It can be used to determine large-deviation rate functions for trajectory observables in or out of equilibrium.

A STUDY OF SHUTTLECOCK'S TRAJECTORY IN BADMINTON

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yung-Jen Chen

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this study was to construct and validate a motion equation for the flight of the badminton and to find the relationship between the air resistance force and a shuttlecock's speed. This research method was based on motion laws of aerodynamics. It applied aerodynamic theories to construct motion equation of a shuttlecock's flying trajectory under the effects of gravitational force and air resistance force. The result showed that the motion equation of a shuttlecock's flight trajectory could be constructed by determining the terminal velocity. The predicted shuttlecock trajectory fitted the measured data fairly well. The results also revealed that the drag force was proportional to the square of a shuttlecock velocity. Furthermore, the angle and strength of a stroke could influence trajectory. Finally, this study suggested that we could use a scientific approach to measure a shuttlecock's velocity objectively when testing the quality of shuttlecocks. And could be used to replace the traditional subjective method of the Badminton World Federation based on players' striking shuttlecocks, as well as applying research findings to improve professional knowledge of badminton player training

Identification method of non-reflective faults based on index distribution of optical fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Wonkyoung; Myong, Seung Il; Lee, Jyung Chan; Lee, Sangsoo

2014-01-13

This paper investigates an identification method of non-reflective faults based on index distribution of optical fibers. The method identifies not only reflective faults but also non-reflective faults caused by tilted fiber-cut, lateral connector-misalignment, fiber-bend, and temperature variation. We analyze the reason why wavelength dependence of the fiber-bend is opposite to that of the lateral connector-misalignment, and the effect of loss due to temperature variation on OTDR waveforms through simulation and experimental results. This method can be realized by only upgrade of fault-analysis software without the hardware change, it is, therefore, competitive and cost-effective in passive optical networks.

Geographic variation in ultraviolet reflectance of the wings of the female cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae.

Science.gov (United States)

Obara, Yoshiaki; Ozawa, Gaku; Fukano, Yuya

2008-11-01

The British and Japanese subspecies of the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae , differ in terms of the UV reflectance of their wings ( Obara and Majerus, 2000 ). We studied the biogeographical distribution of the female cabbage butterfly having wings with UV reflectance around the Eurasian continent, and between Britain and Japan. For the study, we collected specimens from various locations. A gradient in the UV reflectance of the wings appears to exist along the west-east axis; reflectance was higher toward the east and reached a peak in butterflies in Japan. The UV-reflecting Japanese subspecies Pieris rapae crucivora was found exclusively along the east coast of the Eurasian continent. This suggests that the Japanese subspecies has evolved from a continental ancestor, with females having UV-absorbing wings. We discuss the results of our study with regard to the evolution and adaptive significance of UV coloration in the Japanese subspecies.

Sequence-to-Sequence Prediction of Vehicle Trajectory via LSTM Encoder-Decoder Architecture

OpenAIRE

Park, Seong Hyeon; Kim, ByeongDo; Kang, Chang Mook; Chung, Chung Choo; Choi, Jun Won

2018-01-01

In this paper, we propose a deep learning based vehicle trajectory prediction technique which can generate the future trajectory sequence of surrounding vehicles in real time. We employ the encoder-decoder architecture which analyzes the pattern underlying in the past trajectory using the long short-term memory (LSTM) based encoder and generates the future trajectory sequence using the LSTM based decoder. This structure produces the $K$ most likely trajectory candidates over occupancy grid ma...

A Method of Trajectory Design for Manned Asteroids Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Q. B.; Zhang, Y.; Zhu, Z. F.; Han, W. H.; Dong, X.

2014-11-01

A trajectory optimization method of the nuclear propulsion manned asteroids exploration is presented. In the case of launching between 2035 and 2065, based on the Lambert transfer orbit, the phases of departure from and return to the Earth are searched at first. Then the optimal flight trajectory in the feasible regions is selected by pruning the flight sequences. Setting the nuclear propulsion flight plan as propel-coast-propel, and taking the minimal mass of aircraft departure as the index, the nuclear propulsion flight trajectory is separately optimized using a hybrid method. With the initial value of the optimized local parameters of each three phases, the global parameters are jointedly optimized. At last, the minimal departure mass trajectory design result is given.

Parallel Aircraft Trajectory Optimization with Analytic Derivatives

Science.gov (United States)

Falck, Robert D.; Gray, Justin S.; Naylor, Bret

2016-01-01

Trajectory optimization is an integral component for the design of aerospace vehicles, but emerging aircraft technologies have introduced new demands on trajectory analysis that current tools are not well suited to address. Designing aircraft with technologies such as hybrid electric propulsion and morphing wings requires consideration of the operational behavior as well as the physical design characteristics of the aircraft. The addition of operational variables can dramatically increase the number of design variables which motivates the use of gradient based optimization with analytic derivatives to solve the larger optimization problems. In this work we develop an aircraft trajectory analysis tool using a Legendre-Gauss-Lobatto based collocation scheme, providing analytic derivatives via the OpenMDAO multidisciplinary optimization framework. This collocation method uses an implicit time integration scheme that provides a high degree of sparsity and thus several potential options for parallelization. The performance of the new implementation was investigated via a series of single and multi-trajectory optimizations using a combination of parallel computing and constraint aggregation. The computational performance results show that in order to take full advantage of the sparsity in the problem it is vital to parallelize both the non-linear analysis evaluations and the derivative computations themselves. The constraint aggregation results showed a significant numerical challenge due to difficulty in achieving tight convergence tolerances. Overall, the results demonstrate the value of applying analytic derivatives to trajectory optimization problems and lay the foundation for future application of this collocation based method to the design of aircraft with where operational scheduling of technologies is key to achieving good performance.

Racial/ethnic differences in 30-year trajectories of heavy drinking in a nationally representative U.S. sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulia, Nina; Karriker-Jaffe, Katherine J; Witbrodt, Jane; Bond, Jason; Williams, Edwina; Zemore, Sarah E

2017-01-01

Racial/ethnic minorities bear a disproportionate burden of alcohol-related problems in the U.S. It is unknown whether this reflects harmful patterns of lifecourse heavy drinking. Prior research shows little support for the latter but has been limited to young samples. We examine racial/ethnic differences in heavy drinking trajectories from ages 21 to 51. Data on heavy drinking (6+ drinks/occasion) are from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N=9468), collected between 1982 and 2012. Sex-stratified, generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to model heavy drinking frequency trajectories as a function of age with a cubic curve, and interactions of race with age terms were tested to assess racial/ethnic differences. Models adjusted for time-varying socioeconomic status and marital and parenting status; predictors of trajectories were examined in race- and sex-specific models. White men and women had similarly steep declines in heavy drinking frequency throughout the 20s, contrasting with slower declines (and lower peaks) in Black and Hispanic men and women. During the 30s there was a Hispanic-White crossover in men's heavy drinking curves, and a Black-White female crossover among lifetime heavy drinkers; by age 51, racial/ethnic group trajectories converged in both sexes. Greater education was protective for all groups. Observed racial/ethnic crossovers in heavy drinking frequency following young adulthood might contribute to disparities in alcohol-related problems in middle adulthood, and suggest a need for targeted interventions during this period. Additionally, interventions that increase educational attainment may constitute an important strategy for reducing heavy drinking in all groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data-based control trajectory planning for nonlinear systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhodes, C.; Morari, M.; Tsimring, L.S.; Rulkov, N.F.

1997-01-01

An open-loop trajectory planning algorithm is presented for computing an input sequence that drives an input-output system such that a reference trajectory is tracked. The algorithm utilizes only input-output data from the system to determine the proper control sequence, and does not require a mathematical or identified description of the system dynamics. From the input-output data, the controlled input trajectory is calculated in a open-quotes one-step-aheadclose quotes fashion using local modeling. Since the algorithm is calculated in this fashion, the output trajectories to be tracked can be nonperiodic. The algorithm is applied to a driven Lorenz system, and an experimental electrical circuit and the results are analyzed. Issues of stability associated with the implementation of this open-loop scheme are also examined using an analytic example of a driven Hacute enon map, problems associated with inverse controllers are illustrated, and solutions to these problems are proposed. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

GeoTravel: Harvesting Ambient Geographic Footprints from GPS Trajectories

OpenAIRE

Liew, Li Ching; Goh, Ong Sing

2014-01-01

This study is about harvesting point of interest from GPS trajectories. Trajectories are the paths that moving objects move by follow through space in a function of time while GPS trajectories generally are point-sequences with geographic coordinates, time stamp, speed and heading. User can get information from GPS enable device. For example, user can acquire present location, search the information around them and design driving routes to a destination and thus design travel itineraries. By ...

Distinct trajectories of positive and negative affect after colorectal cancer diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciere, Yvette; Janse, Moniek; Almansa, Josué; Visser, Annemieke; Sanderman, Robbert; Sprangers, Mirjam A G; Ranchor, Adelita V; Fleer, Joke

2017-06-01

Insight into trajectories of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) across the cancer continuum may improve understanding of the nature of adjustment problems. The primary aim of this study was to identify subgroups of patients with distinct trajectories of PA and NA following diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Secondary to this aim, the co-occurrence between trajectories and their association with goal-related processes was explored. CRC patients (n = 186) completed questionnaires within 1 month, 7 months, and 18 months after diagnosis. Multilevel models were used to study the trajectory of PA and NA, as measured with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Four classes with distinct PA trajectories were identified: low (18.8%), increasing (6.7%), moderate (68.2%), and high (6.3%); 2 trajectories of NA emerged: low (36.3%) and moderate (63.7%). There was no significant association between PA and NA trajectory class probabilities. The average trajectory of PA covaried with levels of goal disturbance and goal reengagement over time, while the average NA trajectory covaried with goal disturbance and goal disengagement. Compared with the general population, our sample of cancer patients suffered from a lack of positive emotions, but not a high presence of negative emotions. About one fifth of patients reported low PA up to 18 months after diagnosis and may benefit from supportive care. Furthermore, the trajectory of PA was independent of that of NA and related with a distinct goal adjustment process (i.e., goal disengagement vs. goal reengagement). This finding indicates the need to tailor psychological care to the nature of the adjustment problem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Developmental Trajectories for Children With Dyslexia and Low IQ Poor Readers

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Reading difficulties are found in children with both high and low IQ and it is now clear that both groups exhibit difficulties in phonological processing. Here, we apply the developmental trajectories approach, a new methodology developed for studying language and cognitive impairments in developmental disorders, to both poor reader groups. The trajectory methodology enables identification of atypical versus delayed development in datasets gathered using group matching designs. Regarding the cognitive predictors of reading, which here are phonological awareness, phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and rapid automatized naming (RAN), the method showed that trajectories for the two groups diverged markedly. Children with dyslexia showed atypical development in phonological awareness, while low IQ poor readers showed developmental delay. Low IQ poor readers showed atypical PSTM and RAN development, but children with dyslexia showed developmental delay. These divergent trajectories may have important ramifications for supporting each type of poor reader, although all poor readers showed weakness in all areas. Regarding auditory processing, the developmental trajectories were very similar for the two poor reader groups. However, children with dyslexia demonstrated developmental delay for auditory discrimination of Duration, while the low IQ children showed atypical development on this measure. The data show that, regardless of IQ, poor readers have developmental trajectories that differ from typically developing children. The trajectories approach enables differences in trajectory classification to be identified across poor reader group, as well as specifying the individual nature of these trajectories. PMID:27110928

A new design and rationale for 3D orthogonally oversampled k-space trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Pipe, James G; Zwart, Nicholas R; Aboussouan, Eric A; Robison, Ryan K; Devaraj, Ajit; Johnson, Kenneth O

2011-11-01

A novel center-out 3D trajectory for sampling magnetic resonance data is presented. The trajectory set is based on a single Fermat spiral waveform, which is substantially undersampled in the center of k-space. Multiple trajectories are combined in a "stacked cone" configuration to give very uniform sampling throughout a "hub," which is very efficient in terms of gradient performance and uniform trajectory spacing. The fermat looped, orthogonally encoded trajectories (FLORET) design produces less gradient-efficient trajectories near the poles, so multiple orthogonal hub designs are shown. These multihub designs oversample k-space twice with orthogonal trajectories, which gives unique properties but also doubles the minimum scan time for critical sampling of k-space. The trajectory is shown to be much more efficient than the conventional stack of cones trajectory, and has nearly the same signal-to-noise ratio efficiency (but twice the minimum scan time) as a stack of spirals trajectory. As a center-out trajectory, it provides a shorter minimum echo time than stack of spirals, and its spherical k-space coverage can dramatically reduce Gibbs ringing. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Use of reflective surfaces on roadway embankment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Anders Stuhr; Doré, Guy

2007-01-01

adherence characteristics for roadway use. In Kangerlussuaq Airport, western Greenland, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been used to compare the variation of the frost table underneath a normal black asphalt surface and a more reflective surface (white paint). The GPR results have shown a clear...

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL PATTERN DISCOVERY OF TRAJECTORIES USING CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sharif

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Movement of point objects are highly sensitive to the underlying situations and conditions during the movement, which are known as contexts. Analyzing movement patterns, while accounting the contextual information, helps to better understand how point objects behave in various contexts and how contexts affect their trajectories. One potential solution for discovering moving objects patterns is analyzing the similarities of their trajectories. This article, therefore, contextualizes the similarity measure of trajectories by not only their spatial footprints but also a notion of internal and external contexts. The dynamic time warping (DTW method is employed to assess the multi-dimensional similarities of trajectories. Then, the results of similarity searches are utilized in discovering the relative movement patterns of the moving point objects. Several experiments are conducted on real datasets that were obtained from commercial airplanes and the weather information during the flights. The results yielded the robustness of DTW method in quantifying the commonalities of trajectories and discovering movement patterns with 80 % accuracy. Moreover, the results revealed the importance of exploiting contextual information because it can enhance and restrict movements.

Multi-Dimensional Pattern Discovery of Trajectories Using Contextual Information

Science.gov (United States)

Sharif, M.; Alesheikh, A. A.

2017-10-01

Movement of point objects are highly sensitive to the underlying situations and conditions during the movement, which are known as contexts. Analyzing movement patterns, while accounting the contextual information, helps to better understand how point objects behave in various contexts and how contexts affect their trajectories. One potential solution for discovering moving objects patterns is analyzing the similarities of their trajectories. This article, therefore, contextualizes the similarity measure of trajectories by not only their spatial footprints but also a notion of internal and external contexts. The dynamic time warping (DTW) method is employed to assess the multi-dimensional similarities of trajectories. Then, the results of similarity searches are utilized in discovering the relative movement patterns of the moving point objects. Several experiments are conducted on real datasets that were obtained from commercial airplanes and the weather information during the flights. The results yielded the robustness of DTW method in quantifying the commonalities of trajectories and discovering movement patterns with 80 % accuracy. Moreover, the results revealed the importance of exploiting contextual information because it can enhance and restrict movements.

Variation in prescribing for anxiety and depression: a reflection of health inequalities, cultural differences or variations in access to care?

OpenAIRE

Peters Jean; Grimsley Michael; Dibben Chris; Goyder Elizabeth; Blank Lindsay; Ellis Elizabeth

2006-01-01

Abstract Background There are large variations in mental health prescribing in UK populations. However the underlying reasons for these differences, which may be related to differences in prevalence, cultural expectations or practical difficulties in access to treatment, remain uncertain. Methods Linear modelling was used to investigate whether population characteristics or access to primary care account for variations in mental health prescribing across 39 deprived neighbourhoods. Results Th...

Adaptive Square-Shaped Trajectory-Based Service Location Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hwa-Jung Lim

2010-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper we propose an adaptive square-shaped trajectory (ASST-based service location method to ensure load scalability in wireless sensor networks. This first establishes a square-shaped trajectory over the nodes that surround a target point computed by the hash function and any user can access it, using the hash. Both the width and the size of the trajectory are dynamically adjustable, depending on the number of queries made to the service information on the trajectory. The number of sensor nodes on the trajectory varies in proportion to the changing trajectory shape, allowing high loads to be distributed around the hot spot area.

Effective Online Group Discovery in Trajectory Databases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Xiaohui; Ceikute, Vaida; Jensen, Christian S.

2013-01-01

GPS-enabled devices are pervasive nowadays. Finding movement patterns in trajectory data stream is gaining in importance. We propose a group discovery framework that aims to efficiently support the online discovery of moving objects that travel together. The framework adopts a sampling-independen......GPS-enabled devices are pervasive nowadays. Finding movement patterns in trajectory data stream is gaining in importance. We propose a group discovery framework that aims to efficiently support the online discovery of moving objects that travel together. The framework adopts a sampling......-independent approach that makes no assumptions about when positions are sampled, gives no special importance to sampling points, and naturally supports the use of approximate trajectories. The framework's algorithms exploit state-of-the-art, density-based clustering (DBScan) to identify groups. The groups are scored...

The life trajectories modality of oral history

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita de Cássia Gonçalves

2007-05-01

Full Text Available This article seeks to explore the potential of qualitative research. It presents the life trajectory modality of the oral history method, to discuss the possibility of its utilization in scientific research in the Social Work profession. The epistemological foundations of oral history are discussed to establish its scientific character. The life trajectories modality is presented as a historic and social construction that utilizes different interview techniques to give voice to previously invisible subjects, indicating the principal phases of the methodological procedures used in this approach. The conclusions highlight the importance of the construction of this model and its projection as a research proposal that implies a process of understanding and analyzing the social universes that are contextualized and interconnected, considering the realities of the life trajectories of the subjects studied.

Enabling Parametric Optimal Ascent Trajectory Modeling During Early Phases of Design

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, James B.; Dees, Patrick D.; Diaz, Manuel J.

2015-01-01

During the early phases of engineering design, the costs committed are high, costs incurred are low, and the design freedom is high. It is well documented that decisions made in these early design phases drive the entire design's life cycle. In a traditional paradigm, key design decisions are made when little is known about the design. As the design matures, design changes become more difficult -- in both cost and schedule -- to enact. Indeed, the current capability-based paradigm that has emerged because of the constrained economic environment calls for the infusion of knowledge acquired during later design phases into earlier design phases, i.e. bring knowledge acquired during preliminary and detailed design into pre-conceptual and conceptual design. An area of critical importance to launch vehicle design is the optimization of its ascent trajectory, as the optimal trajectory will be able to take full advantage of the launch vehicle's capability to deliver a maximum amount of payload into orbit. Hence, the optimal ascent trajectory plays an important role in the vehicle's affordability posture as the need for more economically viable access to space solutions are needed in today's constrained economic environment. The problem of ascent trajectory optimization is not a new one. There are several programs that are widely used in industry that allows trajectory analysts to, based on detailed vehicle and insertion orbit parameters, determine the optimal ascent trajectory. Yet, little information is known about the launch vehicle early in the design phase - information that is required of many different disciplines in order to successfully optimize the ascent trajectory. Thus, the current paradigm of optimizing ascent trajectories involves generating point solutions for every change in a vehicle's design parameters. This is often a very tedious, manual, and time-consuming task for the analysts. Moreover, the trajectory design space is highly non-linear and multi

Universal empirical relation for the variation of ksub(eff) with core dimensions of bare and reflected small fast systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, A; Srinivasan, M; Basu, T K; Subba Rao, K [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Neutron Physics Section

1977-01-01

A number of 26-group, S/sub 4/, transport theory calculations in spherical geometry were carried out to study the variation of ksub(eff) with core radius of bare and reflected small hard spectrum fast assemblies. For each system ksub(eff) was calculated for various core radii keeping reflector thickness and density constant. A plot of ksub(eff) vs. R/Rsub(c) gave an almost universal curve independent of core material, density and reflector properties. An empirical relation of the form ksub(eff) = k infinitely* (1 - exp(-Theta R/Rsub(c))) could be fitted to the ksub(eff) vs. R/Rsub(c) plot where Rsub(c) is the critical radius, and the constants k infinitely* and Theta are related through Theta = ln(k infinitely*/(k infinitely* - 1)). Thus the ksub(eff) vs. R/Rsub(c) relation is found to be governed by a single constant k infinitely*, valid for both bare and reflected systems. The agreement between DTF-IV calculated ksub(eff) values and that given by the empirical relation is better than 3% except in the highly subcritical domain where the discrepancy is a bit higher. The best fit value of k infinitely* for Pu 239 systems is found to be 2.88 and for U 235 systems 2.224. The paper discusses the physical interpretation of the form of the relation, its region of validity and makes an attempt to extend it to non-spherical geometries also.

Job satisfaction developmental trajectories and health: A life course perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Dirlam, Jonathan; Zheng, Hui

2017-04-01

Understanding the health consequence of job dissatisfaction becomes increasingly important because job insecurity, stress and dissatisfaction have significantly increased in the United States in the last decade. Despite the extensive work in this area, prior studies nonetheless may underestimate the harmful effect of job dissatisfaction due to the cross-sectional nature of their data and sample selection bias. This study applies a life-course approach to more comprehensively examine the relationship between job satisfaction and health. Using data from the NLSY 1979 cohort, we estimate group based job satisfaction trajectories of respondents starting at age 25 and ending at age 39. Four job satisfaction trajectory groups are identified, a consistently high satisfaction group, a downward group, an upward group, and a lowest satisfaction group. We examine the effects of these trajectories on several physical and mental health outcomes of respondents in their early forties. We find membership in the lowest job satisfaction trajectory group to be negatively associated with all five mental health outcomes, supporting the accumulation of risks life course model. Those in the upward job satisfaction trajectory group have similar health outcomes to those in the high job satisfaction trajectory group, supporting the social mobility life course model. Overall, we find the relationship between job satisfaction trajectories and health to be stronger for mental health compared to physical health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low-temperature relative reflectivity measurements of reflective and scintillating foils used in rare event searches

Science.gov (United States)

Langenkämper, A.; Ulrich, A.; Defay, X.; Feilitzsch, F. v.; Lanfranchi, J.-C.; Mondragón, E.; Münster, A.; Oppenheimer, C.; Potzel, W.; Roth, S.; Schönert, S.; Steiger, H.; Trinh Thi, H. H.; Wawoczny, S.; Willers, M.; Zöller, A.

2018-03-01

In this work we investigate the reflectivity of highly reflective multilayer polymer foils used in the CRESST experiment. The CRESST experiment searches directly for dark matter via operating scintillating CaWO4 crystals as targets for elastic dark matter-nucleon scattering. In order to suppress background events, the experiment employs the so-called phonon-light technique which is based on the simultaneous measurement of the heat signal in the main CaWO4 target crystal and of the emitted scintillation light with a separate cryogenic light detector. Both detectors are surrounded by a highly reflective and scintillating multilayer polymer foil to increase the light collection efficiency and to veto surface backgrounds. While this study is motivated by the CRESST experiment, the results are also relevant for other rare event searches using scintillating cryogenic bolometers in the field of the search of dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay (0 νββ). In this work a dedicated experiment has been set up to determine the relative reflectivity at 300 K and 20 K of three multilayer foils ("VM2000", "VM2002", "Vikuiti") produced by the company 3M. The intensity of a light beam reflected off the foil is measured with a CCD camera. The ratio of the intensities at 300 K and 20 K corresponds to the relative reflectivity change. The measurements performed in this work show no variation of the reflectivity with temperature at a level of ∼1%.

Optimization approaches for robot trajectory planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Llopis-Albert

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The development of optimal trajectory planning algorithms for autonomous robots is a key issue in order to efficiently perform the robot tasks. This problem is hampered by the complex environment regarding the kinematics and dynamics of robots with several arms and/or degrees of freedom (dof, the design of collision-free trajectories and the physical limitations of the robots. This paper presents a review about the existing robot motion planning techniques and discusses their pros and cons regarding completeness, optimality, efficiency, accuracy, smoothness, stability, safety and scalability.

Bohmian trajectories for an evaporating blackhole

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Acacio de Barros, J. [Departamento de Fisica, Instituto de Ciencias Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-330, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais (Brazil)]. E-mail: acacio@fisica.ufjf.br; Oliveira-Neto, G. [Departamento de Fisica, Instituto de Ciencias Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-330, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais (Brazil)]. E-mail: gilneto@fisica.ufjf.br; Vale, T.B. [Departamento de Fisica, Instituto de Ciencias Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-330, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais (Brazil)]. E-mail: tiberio@fisica.ufjf.br

2005-03-14

In this work we apply Bohm's interpretation to the quantized spherically-symmetric blackhole coupled to a massless scalar field. We show that the quantum trajectories for linear combinations of eigenstates of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation form a large set of different curves that cannot be predicted by the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics. Some of them are consistent with the expected value of the time derivative of the mass, whereas other trajectories are not, because they represent blackholes that switch from absorbing to emitting regimes.

The contribution of additive genetic variation to personality variation: heritability of personality.

Science.gov (United States)

Dochtermann, Ned A; Schwab, Tori; Sih, Andrew

2015-01-07

Individual animals frequently exhibit repeatable differences from other members of their population, differences now commonly referred to as 'animal personality'. Personality differences can arise, for example, from differences in permanent environmental effects--including parental and epigenetic contributors--and the effect of additive genetic variation. Although several studies have evaluated the heritability of behaviour, less is known about general patterns of heritability and additive genetic variation in animal personality. As overall variation in behaviour includes both the among-individual differences that reflect different personalities and temporary environmental effects, it is possible for personality to be largely genetically influenced even when heritability of behaviour per se is quite low. The relative contribution of additive genetic variation to personality variation can be estimated whenever both repeatability and heritability are estimated for the same data. Using published estimates to address this issue, we found that approximately 52% of animal personality variation was attributable to additive genetic variation. Thus, while the heritability of behaviour is often moderate or low, the heritability of personality is much higher. Our results therefore (i) demonstrate that genetic differences are likely to be a major contributor to variation in animal personality and (ii) support the phenotypic gambit: that evolutionary inferences drawn from repeatability estimates may often be justified. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Trajectory Stability in the Traveling Salesman Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Sánchez

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Two generalizations of the traveling salesman problem in which sites change their position in time are presented. The way the rank of different trajectory lengths changes in time is studied using the rank diversity. We analyze the statistical properties of rank distributions and rank dynamics and give evidence that the shortest and longest trajectories are more predictable and robust to change, that is, more stable.

A universal empirical relation for the variation of Ksub(eff) with core dimensions of bare and reflected small fast systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, A.; Srinivasan, M.; Basu, T.K.; Subba Rao, K.

1978-01-01

A number of 26 group Ssub(4) transport theory calculations in spherical geometry were carried out to study the variation of Ksub(eff) with core radius of bars and reflected small fast systems. For each system Ksub(eff) was calculated for various core radii keeping reflector thickness and density constant. A plot of Ksub(eff) vs R/Rsub(e) gave an almost universal curve independent of core material, density and reflector properties. An empirical relation of the form Ksub(eff)=Ksub(infinity)sup(*)[1-esup(-(THETA R/Rsub(c))] could be fitted to the Ksub(eff) vs R/Rsub(c) plot where Rsub(c) is the critical radius, and the constants Ksub(infinity) and THETA are related through THETA =ln(Ksub(infinity)sup(*)/Ksub(infinity)sup(*)-1). Thus the Ksub(eff) vs R/Rsub(c) relation is found to be governed by a single constant Ksub(infinity(sup(*)), valid for both bare and reflected systems. The agreement between DTF-IV calculated Ksub(eff) values and that given by the empirical relation is better than 3% except in the highly subcritical domain where the discrepency is a bit higher. The physical interpretation of the form of the relation, its regions of validity are discussed. An attempt is made to extend it to non-spherical geometries also. (author)

On Integral Invariants for Effective 3-D Motion Trajectory Matching and Recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Zhanpeng; Li, Youfu

2016-02-01

Motion trajectories tracked from the motions of human, robots, and moving objects can provide an important clue for motion analysis, classification, and recognition. This paper defines some new integral invariants for a 3-D motion trajectory. Based on two typical kernel functions, we design two integral invariants, the distance and area integral invariants. The area integral invariants are estimated based on the blurred segment of noisy discrete curve to avoid the computation of high-order derivatives. Such integral invariants for a motion trajectory enjoy some desirable properties, such as computational locality, uniqueness of representation, and noise insensitivity. Moreover, our formulation allows the analysis of motion trajectories at a range of scales by varying the scale of kernel function. The features of motion trajectories can thus be perceived at multiscale levels in a coarse-to-fine manner. Finally, we define a distance function to measure the trajectory similarity to find similar trajectories. Through the experiments, we examine the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed integral invariants and find that they can capture the motion cues in trajectory matching and sign recognition satisfactorily.

Transactive Energy Trajectories of the European and Croatian Energy Policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toljan, I.

2014-01-01

The concept of transactive energy requires harmonized operation of all entities involved in the electrical power system on market-oriented bases. Each country creates independently its direction of the development (trajectory) of its power sector, but within the framework of basic trajectories laid down by the acquits communautaire, some of which are mandatory and some of which are only recommended. Transactive energy uses economic signals or incentives for using all available new technologies in the energy sector, from production to consumption, in a way that is definitely more efficient than the previous one. The trajectories are determined by the implementation policy whose principal characteristic is non-acceptance of delay in making decisions. The benchmarking system has been introduced. After setting the goals for 2020, the acquits communautaire additionally set very ambitious goals for 2030, which will also be reflected on the costs of energy generation, and consequently on the input costs of the European economy. The intention is to reduce CO2 emission from the energy sector by 80 percent until 2050. The development of exploitation of gas deposits and the introduction of new technologies places the USA on the global level in a completely different position than before. Coal is being gradually substituted by gas, which has so far been the dominating energy source for generation of electrical energy. The results of analyses indicate that gas supply in the USA will be three times cheaper than in Europe in the next 100 years. Taking into consideration the intended application of the current drilling technology also in Europe, it is to be expected that a significant change in the European energy policy will occur. There are also forecasts in the Republic of Croatia that might significantly change the picture of the Croatian energy industry. It should be kept in mind that finding new energy sources does not imply abandoning the concept of liberalized market

[Case managers experience improved trajectories for cancer patients after implementation of the case manager function].

Science.gov (United States)

Axelsen, Karina Rahbek; Nafei, Hanne; Jakobsen, Stine Finne; Gandrup, Per; Knudsen, Janne Lehmann

2015-06-08

Case managers are increasingly used to optimize trajectories for patients. This study is based on a questionnaire among case managers in cancer care, aiming at the clarification of the func­tion and its impact on especially patient safety, when handing over the responsibility. The results show a major variation in how the function is organized, the level of competence and the task to be handled. The responsibility has in general been nar­rowed to department level. Overall, the case managers believe that the function has optimized pathways for cancer patients and improved safety, but barriers persist.

Task driven optimal leg trajectories in insect-scale legged microrobots

Science.gov (United States)

Doshi, Neel; Goldberg, Benjamin; Jayaram, Kaushik; Wood, Robert

Origami inspired layered manufacturing techniques and 3D-printing have enabled the development of highly articulated legged robots at the insect-scale, including the 1.43g Harvard Ambulatory MicroRobot (HAMR). Research on these platforms has expanded its focus from manufacturing aspects to include design optimization and control for application-driven tasks. Consequently, the choice of gait selection, body morphology, leg trajectory, foot design, etc. have become areas of active research. HAMR has two controlled degrees-of-freedom per leg, making it an ideal candidate for exploring leg trajectory. We will discuss our work towards optimizing HAMR's leg trajectories for two different tasks: climbing using electroadhesives and level ground running (5-10 BL/s). These tasks demonstrate the ability of single platform to adapt to vastly different locomotive scenarios: quasi-static climbing with controlled ground contact, and dynamic running with un-controlled ground contact. We will utilize trajectory optimization methods informed by existing models and experimental studies to determine leg trajectories for each task. We also plan to discuss how task specifications and choice of objective function have contributed to the shape of these optimal leg trajectories.

Most probable trajectory of a muon in a scattering medium, when input and output trajectories are known

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benton, Christopher J., E-mail: cjb30@bath.ac.uk [Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY (United Kingdom); Smith, Nathan D. [Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY (United Kingdom); Quillin, Stephen J.; Steer, Christopher A. [AWE, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire RG7 4PR (United Kingdom)

2012-11-21

Tomographic imaging using cosmic ray muons has a range of applications including homeland security and geological imaging. To this end, we have developed a technique to calculate the most probable muon trajectory through a scattering material, given its measured entry and exit trajectories. This method has the potential to improve tomographic algorithms, in particular by replacing the muon paths assumed by the Point Of Closest Approach (POCA) method, with more realistic paths. These paths can be calculated for arbitary matter distributions, rather than just the point scatterers assumed by POCA.

Developmental prosopagnosia and super-recognition: no special role for surface reflectance processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Richard; Chatterjee, Garga; Nakayama, Ken

2012-01-01

Face recognition by normal subjects depends in roughly equal proportions on shape and surface reflectance cues, while object recognition depends predominantly on shape cues. It is possible that developmental prosopagnosics are deficient not in their ability to recognize faces per se, but rather in their ability to use reflectance cues. Similarly, super-recognizers' exceptional ability with face recognition may be a result of superior surface reflectance perception and memory. We tested this possibility by administering tests of face perception and face recognition in which only shape or reflectance cues are available to developmental prosopagnosics, super-recognizers, and control subjects. Face recognition ability and the relative use of shape and pigmentation were unrelated in all the tests. Subjects who were better at using shape or reflectance cues were also better at using the other type of cue. These results do not support the proposal that variation in surface reflectance perception ability is the underlying cause of variation in face recognition ability. Instead, these findings support the idea that face recognition ability is related to neural circuits using representations that integrate shape and pigmentation information. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ANALYTiC: An Active Learning System for Trajectory Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares Junior, Amilcar; Renso, Chiara; Matwin, Stan

2017-01-01

The increasing availability and use of positioning devices has resulted in large volumes of trajectory data. However, semantic annotations for such data are typically added by domain experts, which is a time-consuming task. Machine-learning algorithms can help infer semantic annotations from trajectory data by learning from sets of labeled data. Specifically, active learning approaches can minimize the set of trajectories to be annotated while preserving good performance measures. The ANALYTiC web-based interactive tool visually guides users through this annotation process.

Equilibrium sampling by reweighting nonequilibrium simulation trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Cheng; Wan, Biao; Xu, Shun; Wang, Yanting; Zhou, Xin

2016-03-01

Based on equilibrium molecular simulations, it is usually difficult to efficiently visit the whole conformational space of complex systems, which are separated into some metastable regions by high free energy barriers. Nonequilibrium simulations could enhance transitions among these metastable regions and then be applied to sample equilibrium distributions in complex systems, since the associated nonequilibrium effects can be removed by employing the Jarzynski equality (JE). Here we present such a systematical method, named reweighted nonequilibrium ensemble dynamics (RNED), to efficiently sample equilibrium conformations. The RNED is a combination of the JE and our previous reweighted ensemble dynamics (RED) method. The original JE reproduces equilibrium from lots of nonequilibrium trajectories but requires that the initial distribution of these trajectories is equilibrium. The RED reweights many equilibrium trajectories from an arbitrary initial distribution to get the equilibrium distribution, whereas the RNED has both advantages of the two methods, reproducing equilibrium from lots of nonequilibrium simulation trajectories with an arbitrary initial conformational distribution. We illustrated the application of the RNED in a toy model and in a Lennard-Jones fluid to detect its liquid-solid phase coexistence. The results indicate that the RNED sufficiently extends the application of both the original JE and the RED in equilibrium sampling of complex systems.

Trajectories of acute low back pain: a latent class growth analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Downie, Aron S; Hancock, Mark J; Rzewuska, Magdalena; Williams, Christopher M; Lin, Chung-Wei Christine; Maher, Christopher G

2016-01-01

Characterising the clinical course of back pain by mean pain scores over time may not adequately reflect the complexity of the clinical course of acute low back pain. We analysed pain scores over 12 weeks for 1585 patients with acute low back pain presenting to primary care to identify distinct pain trajectory groups and baseline patient characteristics associated with membership of each cluster. This was a secondary analysis of the PACE trial that evaluated paracetamol for acute low back pain. Latent class growth analysis determined a 5 cluster model, which comprised 567 (35.8%) patients who recovered by week 2 (cluster 1, rapid pain recovery); 543 (34.3%) patients who recovered by week 12 (cluster 2, pain recovery by week 12); 222 (14.0%) patients whose pain reduced but did not recover (cluster 3, incomplete pain recovery); 167 (10.5%) patients whose pain initially decreased but then increased by week 12 (cluster 4, fluctuating pain); and 86 (5.4%) patients who experienced high-level pain for the whole 12 weeks (cluster 5, persistent high pain). Patients with longer pain duration were more likely to experience delayed recovery or nonrecovery. Belief in greater risk of persistence was associated with nonrecovery, but not delayed recovery. Higher pain intensity, longer duration, and workers' compensation were associated with persistent high pain, whereas older age and increased number of episodes were associated with fluctuating pain. Identification of discrete pain trajectory groups offers the potential to better manage acute low back pain.

Automated Trajectory Planner of Industrial Robot for Pick-and-Place Task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Saravana Perumaal

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Industrial robots, due to their great speed, precision and cost-effectiveness in repetitive tasks, now tend to be used in place of human workers in automated manufacturing systems. In particular, they perform the pick-and-place operation, a non-value-added activity which at the same time cannot be eliminated. Hence, minimum time is an important consideration for economic reasons in the trajectory planning system of the manipulator. The trajectory should also be smooth to handle parts precisely in applications such as semiconductor manufacturing, processing and handling of chemicals and medicines, and fluid and aerosol deposition. In this paper, an automated trajectory planner is proposed to determine a smooth, minimum-time and collision-free trajectory for the pick-and-place operations of a 6-DOF robotic manipulator in the presence of an obstacle. Subsequently, it also proposes an algorithm for the jerk-bounded Synchronized Trigonometric S-curve Trajectory (STST and the ‘forbidden-sphere’ technique to avoid the obstacle. The proposed planner is demonstrated with suitable examples and comparisons. The experiments show that the proposed planner is capable of providing a smoother trajectory than the cubic spline based trajectory.

I. INTRODUCTION: MOVING THROUGH ADOLESCENCE: DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN AMERICAN YOUTH.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutman, Leslie Morrison; Peck, Stephen C; Malanchuk, Oksana; Sameroff, Arnold J; Eccles, Jacquelynne S

2017-12-01

In this monograph, we investigate the developmental trajectories of a predominantly middle-class, community-based sample of European American and African American adolescents growing up in urban, suburban, and rural areas in Maryland, United States. Within risk-protection and positive youth development frameworks, we selected developmental measures based on the normative tasks of adolescence and the most widely studied indicators in the three major contexts of development: families, peer groups, and schools. Using hierarchical linear growth models, we estimated adolescents' growth trajectories from ages 12 to 20 with variation accounted for by socioeconomic status (SES), gender, race/ethnicity, and the gender by race/ethnicity interaction. In general, the results indicate that: (a) periods of greatest risk and positive development depended on the time frame and outcome being examined and (b) on average, these adolescents demonstrated much stronger evidence of positive than problematic development, even at their most vulnerable times. Absolute levels of their engagement in healthy behaviors, supportive relationships with parents and friends, and positive self-perceptions and psychological well-being were much higher than their reported angry and depressive feelings, engagement in risky behaviors, and negative relationships with parents and peers. We did not find evidence to support the idea that adolescence is a time of heightened risk. Rather, on average, these adolescents experienced relatively stable and developmentally healthy trajectories for a wide range of characteristics, behaviors, and relationships, with slight increases or decreases at different points in development that varied according to domain. Developmental trajectories differed minimally by SES but in some expected ways by gender and race/ethnicity, although these latter differences were not very marked. Overall, most of the young people navigated through their adolescence and arrived at young

Variational transition-state theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Truhlar, D.G.; Garrett, B.C.

1980-01-01

A general introduction to and some results from studies of a procedure called variational transition-state theory are presented. A fundamental assumption of this theory is that the net rate of forward reaction at equilibrium equals the equilibrium flux in the product direction through the transition state where the transition state is a surface in phase space dividing reactants from products. Classical generalized-transition-state-theory calculations for nine collinear systems are compared to classical trajectory calculations. This new technique should provide useful insight into the successes and failures of the conventional theory and useful quantitative estimates of possible errors on the predictions of conventional transition-state theory. This should also contribute to a more accurate theory now available for the practical calculations of chemical reaction rates and thermochemical and structural interpretations of rate processes

Trajectory optimization using indirect methods and parametric scramjet cycle analysis

OpenAIRE

Williams, Joseph

2016-01-01

This study investigates the solution of time sensitive regional strike trajectories for hypersonic missiles. This minimum time trajectory is suspected to be best performed by scramjet powered hypersonic missiles which creates strong coupled interaction between the flight dynamics and the performance of the engine. Comprehensive engine models are necessary to gain better insight into scramjet propulsion. Separately, robust and comprehensive trajectory analysis provides references for vehicles ...

Evolution of Quantum Phase Space Distribution: a Trajectory-Density Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue-Feng, Zhang; Yu-Jun, Zheng

2009-01-01

The trajectory-density method of a quantum system is developed by using local Koopman and Frobenius–Perron operators. We propose a new scheme of approximation from two sets of trajectory-density mixed equations. By examining the local generation and termination of trajectories, we show how they can be adopted to the propagation of negative values of the Wigner function even if it starts off positive everywhere

Controlling particle trajectories using oscillating microbubbles

Science.gov (United States)

Jalikop, Shreyas; Wang, Cheng; Hilgenfeldt, Sascha

2010-11-01

In many applications of microfluidics and biotechnology, such as cytometry and drug delivery, it is vital to manipulate the trajectories of microparticles such as vesicles or cells. On this small scale, inertial or gravitational effects are often too weak to exploit. We propose a mechanism to selectively trap and direct particles based on their size in creeping transport flows (Re1). We employ Rayleigh-Nyborg-Westervelt (RNW) streaming generated by an oscillating microbubble, which in turn generates a streaming flow component around the mobile particles. The result is an attractive interaction that draws the particle closer to the bubble. The impenetrability of the bubble interface destroys time-reversal symmetry and forces the particles onto either narrow trajectory bundles or well-defined closed trajectories, where they are trapped. The effect is dependent on particle size and thus allows for the passive focusing and sorting of selected sizes, on scales much smaller than the geometry of the microfluidic device. The device could eliminate the need for complicated microchannel designs with external magnetic or electric fields in applications such as particle focusing and size-based sorting.

Simulations of High Speed Fragment Trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Peter; Attaway, Stephen; Arunajatesan, Srinivasan; Fisher, Travis

2017-11-01

Flying shrapnel from an explosion are capable of traveling at supersonic speeds and distances much farther than expected due to aerodynamic interactions. Predicting the trajectories and stable tumbling modes of arbitrary shaped fragments is a fundamental problem applicable to range safety calculations, damage assessment, and military technology. Traditional approaches rely on characterizing fragment flight using a single drag coefficient, which may be inaccurate for fragments with large aspect ratios. In our work we develop a procedure to simulate trajectories of arbitrary shaped fragments with higher fidelity using high performance computing. We employ a two-step approach in which the force and moment coefficients are first computed as a function of orientation using compressible computational fluid dynamics. The force and moment data are then input into a six-degree-of-freedom rigid body dynamics solver to integrate trajectories in time. Results of these high fidelity simulations allow us to further understand the flight dynamics and tumbling modes of a single fragment. Furthermore, we use these results to determine the validity and uncertainty of inexpensive methods such as the single drag coefficient model.

Educational Policy Trajectories in an Era of Globalization: Singapore and Cambodia

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Charlene

2010-01-01

This paper critically discusses the educational policy trajectories of Singapore and Cambodia in an era of globalization. Drawing upon David Johnson's five metaphors to describe the historical and political forces that shape educational policy trajectories, the paper argues that Cambodia's current educational policy trajectory is characterized by…

Mobility Modelling through Trajectory Decomposition and Prediction

OpenAIRE

Faghihi, Farbod

2017-01-01

The ubiquity of mobile devices with positioning sensors make it possible to derive user's location at any time. However, constantly sensing the position in order to track the user's movement is not feasible, either due to the unavailability of sensors, or computational and storage burdens. In this thesis, we present and evaluate a novel approach for efficiently tracking user's movement trajectories using decomposition and prediction of trajectories. We facilitate tracking by taking advantage ...

Understanding interference experiments with polarized light through photon trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanz, A.S.; Davidovic, M.; Bozic, M.; Miret-Artes, S.

2010-01-01

Bohmian mechanics allows to visualize and understand the quantum-mechanical behavior of massive particles in terms of trajectories. As shown by Bialynicki-Birula, Electromagnetism also admits a hydrodynamical formulation when the existence of a wave function for photons (properly defined) is assumed. This formulation thus provides an alternative interpretation of optical phenomena in terms of photon trajectories, whose flow yields a pictorial view of the evolution of the electromagnetic energy density in configuration space. This trajectory-based theoretical framework is considered here to study and analyze the outcome from Young-type diffraction experiments within the context of the Arago-Fresnel laws. More specifically, photon trajectories in the region behind the two slits are obtained in the case where the slits are illuminated by a polarized monochromatic plane wave. Expressions to determine electromagnetic energy flow lines and photon trajectories within this scenario are provided, as well as a procedure to compute them in the particular case of gratings totally transparent inside the slits and completely absorbing outside them. As is shown, the electromagnetic energy flow lines obtained allow to monitor at each point of space the behavior of the electromagnetic energy flow and, therefore, to evaluate the effects caused on it by the presence (right behind each slit) of polarizers with the same or different polarization axes. This leads to a trajectory-based picture of the Arago-Fresnel laws for the interference of polarized light.

In situ data analytics and indexing of protein trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Travis; Zhang, Boyu; Liwo, Adam; Crivelli, Silvia; Taufer, Michela

2017-06-15

The transition toward exascale computing will be accompanied by a performance dichotomy. Computational peak performance will rapidly increase; I/O performance will either grow slowly or be completely stagnant. Essentially, the rate at which data are generated will grow much faster than the rate at which data can be read from and written to the disk. MD simulations will soon face the I/O problem of efficiently writing to and reading from disk on the next generation of supercomputers. This article targets MD simulations at the exascale and proposes a novel technique for in situ data analysis and indexing of MD trajectories. Our technique maps individual trajectories' substructures (i.e., α-helices, β-strands) to metadata frame by frame. The metadata captures the conformational properties of the substructures. The ensemble of metadata can be used for automatic, strategic analysis within a trajectory or across trajectories, without manually identify those portions of trajectories in which critical changes take place. We demonstrate our technique's effectiveness by applying it to 26.3k helices and 31.2k strands from 9917 PDB proteins and by providing three empirical case studies. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Parametric Approach to Trajectory Tracking Control of Robot Manipulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shijie Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The mathematic description of the trajectory of robot manipulators with the optimal trajectory tracking problem is formulated as an optimal control problem, and a parametric approach is proposed for the optimal trajectory tracking control problem. The optimal control problem is first solved as an open loop optimal control problem by using a time scaling transform and the control parameterization method. Then, by virtue of the relationship between the optimal open loop control and the optimal closed loop control along the optimal trajectory, a practical method is presented to calculate an approximate optimal feedback gain matrix, without having to solve an optimal control problem involving the complex Riccati-like matrix differential equation coupled with the original system dynamics. Simulation results of 2-link robot manipulator are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Lunar Landing Trajectory Design for Onboard Hazard Detection and Avoidance

Science.gov (United States)

Paschall, Steve; Brady, Tye; Sostaric, Ron

2009-01-01

The Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) Project is developing the software and hardware technology needed to support a safe and precise landing for the next generation of lunar missions. ALHAT provides this capability through terrain-relative navigation measurements to enhance global-scale precision, an onboard hazard detection system to select safe landing locations, and an Autonomous Guidance, Navigation, and Control (AGNC) capability to process these measurements and safely direct the vehicle to a landing location. This paper focuses on the key trajectory design issues relevant to providing an onboard Hazard Detection and Avoidance (HDA) capability for the lander. Hazard detection can be accomplished by the crew visually scanning the terrain through a window, a sensor system imaging the terrain, or some combination of both. For ALHAT, this hazard detection activity is provided by a sensor system, which either augments the crew s perception or entirely replaces the crew in the case of a robotic landing. Detecting hazards influences the trajectory design by requiring the proper perspective, range to the landing site, and sufficient time to view the terrain. Following this, the trajectory design must provide additional time to process this information and make a decision about where to safely land. During the final part of the HDA process, the trajectory design must provide sufficient margin to enable a hazard avoidance maneuver. In order to demonstrate the effects of these constraints on the landing trajectory, a tradespace of trajectory designs was created for the initial ALHAT Design Analysis Cycle (ALDAC-1) and each case evaluated with these HDA constraints active. The ALHAT analysis process, described in this paper, narrows down this tradespace and subsequently better defines the trajectory design needed to support onboard HDA. Future ALDACs will enhance this trajectory design by balancing these issues and others in an overall system

Depressive symptom trajectories in women affected by breast cancer and their male partners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rottmann, Nina; Hansen, Dorte Gilså; Hagedoorn, Mariët

2016-01-01

whether patients and partners had similar trajectories. METHODS: A nationwide, population-based cohort of couples dealing with breast cancer was established in Denmark. Participants completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale at baseline and 5 and 12 months later. Sociodemographic......PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of breast cancer patients and their partners based on distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms, to examine how relationship quality and medical and sociodemographic factors were associated with these trajectories, and to explore...... and medical characteristics were retrieved from registers. A trajectory finite mixture model was used to identify trajectories. RESULTS: The trajectories of depressive symptoms over time were analyzed in 546 patients and 508 partners. Among patients, 13 % had a high stable trajectory, 38 % an intermediate...

Trajectory structures and transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vlad, Madalina; Spineanu, Florin

2004-01-01

The special problem of transport in two-dimensional divergence-free stochastic velocity fields is studied by developing a statistical approach, the nested subensemble method. The nonlinear process of trapping determined by such fields generates trajectory structures whose statistical characteristics are determined. These structures strongly influence the transport

A Segment-Based Trajectory Similarity Measure in the Urban Transportation Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Yingchi; Zhong, Haishi; Xiao, Xianjian; Li, Xiaofang

2017-03-06

With the rapid spread of built-in GPS handheld smart devices, the trajectory data from GPS sensors has grown explosively. Trajectory data has spatio-temporal characteristics and rich information. Using trajectory data processing techniques can mine the patterns of human activities and the moving patterns of vehicles in the intelligent transportation systems. A trajectory similarity measure is one of the most important issues in trajectory data mining (clustering, classification, frequent pattern mining, etc.). Unfortunately, the main similarity measure algorithms with the trajectory data have been found to be inaccurate, highly sensitive of sampling methods, and have low robustness for the noise data. To solve the above problems, three distances and their corresponding computation methods are proposed in this paper. The point-segment distance can decrease the sensitivity of the point sampling methods. The prediction distance optimizes the temporal distance with the features of trajectory data. The segment-segment distance introduces the trajectory shape factor into the similarity measurement to improve the accuracy. The three kinds of distance are integrated with the traditional dynamic time warping algorithm (DTW) algorithm to propose a new segment-based dynamic time warping algorithm (SDTW). The experimental results show that the SDTW algorithm can exhibit about 57%, 86%, and 31% better accuracy than the longest common subsequence algorithm (LCSS), and edit distance on real sequence algorithm (EDR) , and DTW, respectively, and that the sensitivity to the noise data is lower than that those algorithms.

Uncertainty in predictions of oil spill trajectories in a coastal zone

Science.gov (United States)

Sebastião, P.; Guedes Soares, C.

2006-12-01

A method is introduced to determine the uncertainties in the predictions of oil spill trajectories using a classic oil spill model. The method considers the output of the oil spill model as a function of random variables, which are the input parameters, and calculates the standard deviation of the output results which provides a measure of the uncertainty of the model as a result of the uncertainties of the input parameters. In addition to a single trajectory that is calculated by the oil spill model using the mean values of the parameters, a band of trajectories can be defined when various simulations are done taking into account the uncertainties of the input parameters. This band of trajectories defines envelopes of the trajectories that are likely to be followed by the spill given the uncertainties of the input. The method was applied to an oil spill that occurred in 1989 near Sines in the southwestern coast of Portugal. This model represented well the distinction between a wind driven part that remained offshore, and a tide driven part that went ashore. For both parts, the method defined two trajectory envelopes, one calculated exclusively with the wind fields, and the other using wind and tidal currents. In both cases reasonable approximation to the observed results was obtained. The envelope of likely trajectories that is obtained with the uncertainty modelling proved to give a better interpretation of the trajectories that were simulated by the oil spill model.

A new trajectory concept for exploring the earth's geomagnetic tail

Science.gov (United States)

Farquhar, R. W.; Dunham, D. W.

1981-01-01

An innovative trajectory technique for a magnetotail mapping mission is described which can control the apsidal rotation of an elliptical earth orbit and keep its apogee segment inside the tail region. The required apsidal rotation rate of approximately 1 deg/day is achieved by using the moon to carry out a prescribed sequence of gravity-assist maneuvers. Apogee distances are alternately raised and lowered by the lunar-swingby maneuvers; several categories of the 'sun-synchronous' swingby trajectories are identified. The strength and flexibility of the new trajectory concept is demonstrated by using real-world simulations showing that a large variety of trajectory shapes can be used to explore the earth's geomagnetic tail between 60 and 250 R sub E.

Moyal dynamics and trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Braunss, G.

2010-01-01

We give first an approximation of the operator δh: f → δhf := h*planckf - f*planckh in terms of planck2n, n >= 0, where h\\equiv h(p,q), (p,q)\\in {\\mathbb R}^{2 n} , is a Hamilton function and *planck denotes the star product. The operator, which is the generator of time translations in a *planck-algebra, can be considered as a canonical extension of the Liouville operator Lh: f → Lhf := {h, f}Poisson. Using this operator we investigate the dynamics and trajectories of some examples with a scheme that extends the Hamilton-Jacobi method for classical dynamics to Moyal dynamics. The examples we have chosen are Hamiltonians with a one-dimensional quartic potential and two-dimensional radially symmetric nonrelativistic and relativistic Coulomb potentials, and the Hamiltonian for a Schwarzschild metric. We further state a conjecture concerning an extension of the Bohr-Sommerfeld formula for the calculation of the exact eigenvalues for systems with classically periodic trajectories.

An Expert System-Driven Method for Parametric Trajectory Optimization During Conceptual Design

Science.gov (United States)

Dees, Patrick D.; Zwack, Mathew R.; Steffens, Michael; Edwards, Stephen; Diaz, Manuel J.; Holt, James B.

2015-01-01

During the early phases of engineering design, the costs committed are high, costs incurred are low, and the design freedom is high. It is well documented that decisions made in these early design phases drive the entire design's life cycle cost. In a traditional paradigm, key design decisions are made when little is known about the design. As the design matures, design changes become more difficult in both cost and schedule to enact. The current capability-based paradigm, which has emerged because of the constrained economic environment, calls for the infusion of knowledge usually acquired during later design phases into earlier design phases, i.e. bringing knowledge acquired during preliminary and detailed design into pre-conceptual and conceptual design. An area of critical importance to launch vehicle design is the optimization of its ascent trajectory, as the optimal trajectory will be able to take full advantage of the launch vehicle's capability to deliver a maximum amount of payload into orbit. Hence, the optimal ascent trajectory plays an important role in the vehicle's affordability posture yet little of the information required to successfully optimize a trajectory is known early in the design phase. Thus, the current paradigm of optimizing ascent trajectories involves generating point solutions for every change in a vehicle's design parameters. This is often a very tedious, manual, and time-consuming task for the analysts. Moreover, the trajectory design space is highly non-linear and multi-modal due to the interaction of various constraints. When these obstacles are coupled with the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories (POST), an industry standard program to optimize ascent trajectories that is difficult to use, expert trajectory analysts are required to effectively optimize a vehicle's ascent trajectory. Over the course of this paper, the authors discuss a methodology developed at NASA Marshall's Advanced Concepts Office to address these issues

A new trajectory correction technique for linacs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raubenheimer, T.O.; Ruth, R.D.

1990-06-01

In this paper, we describe a new trajectory correction technique for high energy linear accelerators. Current correction techniques force the beam trajectory to follow misalignments of the Beam Position Monitors. Since the particle bunch has a finite energy spread and particles with different energies are deflected differently, this causes ''chromatic'' dilution of the transverse beam emittance. The algorithm, which we describe in this paper, reduces the chromatic error by minimizing the energy dependence of the trajectory. To test the method we compare the effectiveness of our algorithm with a standard correction technique in simulations on a design linac for a Next Linear Collider. The simulations indicate that chromatic dilution would be debilitating in a future linear collider because of the very small beam sizes required to achieve the necessary luminosity. Thus, we feel that this technique will prove essential for future linear colliders. 3 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

Evaluating Trajectory Queries over Imprecise Location Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xie, Scott, Xike; Cheng, Reynold; Yiu, Man Lung

2012-01-01

Trajectory queries, which retrieve nearby objects for every point of a given route, can be used to identify alerts of potential threats along a vessel route, or monitor the adjacent rescuers to a travel path. However, the locations of these objects (e.g., threats, succours) may not be precisely...... obtained due to hardware limitations of measuring devices, as well as the constantly-changing nature of the external environment. Ignoring data uncertainty can render low query quality, and cause undesirable consequences such as missing alerts of threats and poor response time in rescue operations. Also......, the query is quite time-consuming, since all the points on the trajectory are considered. In this paper, we study how to efficiently evaluate trajectory queries over imprecise location data, by proposing a new concept called the u-bisector. In general, the u-bisector is an extension of bisector to handle...

An alternative approach to modelling HbA1c trajectories in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

McEwan, Phil; Bennett, Hayley; Qin, Lei; Bergenheim, Klas; Gordon, Jason; Evans, Marc

2017-05-01

Time-dependent HbA1c trajectories in health economic models of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are typically informed by the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS). However, this approach may not accurately predict HbA1c progression in patients who do not conform to the demographic profile of the original UKPDS cohort. This study aimed to develop an alternative mathematical model (MM) to simulate HbA1c progression in T2DM. A systematic literature review identified studies, published between 2005 and 2015, that reported HbA1c in adult T2DM patients over a minimum duration of 18 months. Pooled data from eligible studies were used to develop an alternative MM equation for HbA1c progression, which was then contrasted with the UKPDS 68 progression equation in illustrative scenarios. A total of 68 studies were eligible for data extraction (mean follow-up time 4.1 years). HbA1c progression was highly heterogeneous across studies, varying with baseline HbA1c, treatment group and patient age. The MM equation was fitted with parameters for mean baseline HbA1c (8.3%), initial change in HbA1c (-0.62%) and upper quartile of maximum observed HbA1c (9.3%). Differences in HbA1c trajectories between the MM and UKPDS approaches altered the timing of therapy escalation in illustrative scenarios. The MM represents an alternative approach to simulate HbA1c trajectories in T2DM models, as UKPDS data may not adequately reflect the heterogeneity of HbA1c profiles observed in clinical studies. However, the choice of approach should ultimately be determined by the characteristics of individual patients under consideration and the clinical face validity of the modelled trajectories. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Variations in chemical sexual signals of Psammodromus algirus lizards along an elevation gradient may reflect altitudinal variation in microclimatic conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Martín, José; Javier Zamora-Camacho, Francisco; Reguera, Senda; López, Pilar; Moreno-Rueda, Gregorio

2017-04-01

Chemical signals used in intraspecific communication are expected to evolve or to show phenotipic plasticity to maximize efficacy in the climatic conditions of a given environment. Elevational environmental gradients in mountains provide a good opportunity to test this hypothesis by examining variation in characteristics of signals in species found across different elevations with different climatic conditions. We analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) the lipophilic fraction of the femoral gland secretions of male lizards Psammodromus algirus (Fam. Lacertidae) from six localities located along a 2200 m elevational gradient at Sierra Nevada Mountains (SE Spain). There was elevational clinal variation in climatic variables, number of femoral pores and in the relative proportions of some classes of compounds (i.e., ethyl esters of fatty acids, waxy esters, and aldehydes) but not others. We discuss how this variation would result in different physicochemical properties of the entire femoral secretion, which might help optimize the efficacy of chemical signals under the particular microclimatic conditions at each elevation.

Chaotic trajectories in the standard map. The concept of anti-integrability

Science.gov (United States)

Aubry, Serge; Abramovici, Gilles

1990-07-01

A rigorous proof is given in the standard map (associated with a Frenkel-Kontorowa model) for the existence of chaotic trajectories with unbounded momenta for large enough coupling constant k > k0. These chaotic trajectories (with finite entropy per site) are coded by integer sequences { mi} such that the sequence bi = |m i+1 + m i-1-2m i| be bounded by some integer b. The bound k0 in k depends on b and can be lowered for coding sequences { mi} fulfilling more restrictive conditions. The obtained chaotic trajectories correspond to stationary configurations of the Frenkel-Kontorowa model with a finite (non-zero) photon gap (called gap parameter in dimensionless units). This property implies that the trajectory (or the configuration { ui}) can be uniquely continued as a uniformly continuous function of the model parameter k in some neighborhood of the initial configuration. A non-zero gap parameter implies that the Lyapunov coefficient is strictly positive (when it is defined). In addition, the existence of dilating and contracting manifolds is proven for these chaotic trajectories. “Exotic” trajectories such as ballistic trajectories are also proven to exist as a consequence of these theorems. The concept of anti-integrability emerges from these theorems. In the anti-integrable limit which can be only defined for a discrete time dynamical system, the coordinates of the trajectory at time i do not depend on the coordinates at time i - 1. Thus, at this singular limit, the existence of chaotic trajectories is trivial and the dynamical system reduces to a Bernoulli shift. It is well known that the KAM tori of symplectic dynamical originates by continuity from the invariant tori which exists in the integrible limit (under certain conditions). In a similar way, it appears that the chaotic trajectories of dynamical systems originate by continuity from those which exists at the anti-integrable limits (also under certain conditions).

Model-based segmentation and classification of trajectories (Extended abstract)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alewijnse, S.P.A.; Buchin, K.; Buchin, M.; Sijben, S.; Westenberg, M.A.

2014-01-01

We present efficient algorithms for segmenting and classifying a trajectory based on a parameterized movement model like the Brownian bridge movement model. Segmentation is the problem of subdividing a trajectory into parts such that each art is homogeneous in its movement characteristics. We

Trajectory Optimization Based on Multi-Interval Mesh Refinement Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ningbo Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In order to improve the optimization accuracy and convergence rate for trajectory optimization of the air-to-air missile, a multi-interval mesh refinement Radau pseudospectral method was introduced. This method made the mesh endpoints converge to the practical nonsmooth points and decreased the overall collocation points to improve convergence rate and computational efficiency. The trajectory was divided into four phases according to the working time of engine and handover of midcourse and terminal guidance, and then the optimization model was built. The multi-interval mesh refinement Radau pseudospectral method with different collocation points in each mesh interval was used to solve the trajectory optimization model. Moreover, this method was compared with traditional h method. Simulation results show that this method can decrease the dimensionality of nonlinear programming (NLP problem and therefore improve the efficiency of pseudospectral methods for solving trajectory optimization problems.

The importance of trajectory modelling in accident consequence assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, J.A.; Williams, J.A.; Hill, M.D.

1988-01-01

Most atmospheric dispersion models used at present or probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) are linear: they take account of the wind speed but not the direction after the first hour. Therefore, the trajectory model is a more realistic description of the cloud's behaviour. However, the extra complexity means that the computing costs increase. This is an important factor for the MARIA code which is intended to be run on computers of varying power. The numbers of early effects predicted by a linear model and a trajectory model in a probabilistic risk assessment were compared to see which model should be preferred. The trajectory model predicted about 25% fewer expected early deaths and 30% more people evacuated than the linear model. However, the trajectory model took about ten times longer to calculate its results. The choice between the two models may depend on the speed of the computer available

Interpreting Early Career Trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Barnatt, Joan; Gahlsdorf Terrell, Dianna; D'Souza, Lisa Andries; Jong, Cindy; Cochran-Smith, Marilyn; Viesca, Kara Mitchell; Gleeson, Ann Marie; McQuillan, Patrick; Shakman, Karen

2017-01-01

Career decisions of four teachers are explored through the concept of figured worlds in this qualitative, longitudinal case study. Participants were purposefully chosen for similarity at entry, with a range of career trajectories over time. Teacher career paths included remaining in one school, repeated changes in schools, attrition after…

Inter-fraction variations in respiratory motion models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McClelland, J R; Modat, M; Ourselin, S; Hawkes, D J [Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London (United Kingdom); Hughes, S; Qureshi, A; Ahmad, S; Landau, D B, E-mail: j.mcclelland@cs.ucl.ac.uk [Department of Oncology, Guy' s and St Thomas' s Hospitals NHS Trust, London (United Kingdom)

2011-01-07

Respiratory motion can vary dramatically between the planning stage and the different fractions of radiotherapy treatment. Motion predictions used when constructing the radiotherapy plan may be unsuitable for later fractions of treatment. This paper presents a methodology for constructing patient-specific respiratory motion models and uses these models to evaluate and analyse the inter-fraction variations in the respiratory motion. The internal respiratory motion is determined from the deformable registration of Cine CT data and related to a respiratory surrogate signal derived from 3D skin surface data. Three different models for relating the internal motion to the surrogate signal have been investigated in this work. Data were acquired from six lung cancer patients. Two full datasets were acquired for each patient, one before the course of radiotherapy treatment and one at the end (approximately 6 weeks later). Separate models were built for each dataset. All models could accurately predict the respiratory motion in the same dataset, but had large errors when predicting the motion in the other dataset. Analysis of the inter-fraction variations revealed that most variations were spatially varying base-line shifts, but changes to the anatomy and the motion trajectories were also observed.

Trajectories of Sensation Seeking Among Puerto-Rican Children and Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Silvia S.; Wall, Melanie M.; Eisenberg, Ruth; Blanco, Carlos; Santaella, Julian; Ramos-Olazagasti, Maria; Canino, Glorisa; Bird, Hector R.; Brown, Qiana; Duarte, Cristiane S.

2015-01-01

Objective To document the natural course of sensation seeking from childhood to adolescence, characterize distinct sensation-seeking trajectories, and examine how these trajectories vary according to selected predictors. Method Data were obtained from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of 2,491 children and adolescents of Puerto Rican background (three assessments from 2000 to 2004). First, age-specific sensation-seeking levels were characterized. Then, age-adjusted residuals were analyzed using growth mixture models (GMM). Results On average, sensation seeking was stable in childhood (ages 5–10) and increased during adolescence (ages 11–17). Mean scores of sensation seeking were higher in the South Bronx vs. Puerto Rico and among males vs. females. Four classes of sensation-seeking trajectories were observed: most study participants had age-expected sensation-seeking trajectories following the average for their age (“normative,” 43.8%); others (37.2%) remained consistently lower than the expected average for their age (“low” sensation seeking); some (12.0%) had an “accelerated” sensation-seeking trajectory, increasing at a faster rate than expected, while a minority (7.0%) had a decreasing sensation-seeking trajectory that started high but decreased, reaching scores slightly higher than the age-average sensation-seeking scores (“stabilizers”). Site (South Bronx vs. Puerto Rico) and gender were predictors of membership in a specific class of sensation-seeking trajectory. Conclusion It is important to take a developmental approach when examining sensation seeking and to consider gender and the social environment when trying to understand how sensation seeking evolves during childhood and adolescence. PMID:26598479

Human action recognition using trajectory-based representation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haiam A. Abdul-Azim

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Recognizing human actions in video sequences has been a challenging problem in the last few years due to its real-world applications. A lot of action representation approaches have been proposed to improve the action recognition performance. Despite the popularity of local features-based approaches together with “Bag-of-Words” model for action representation, it fails to capture adequate spatial or temporal relationships. In an attempt to overcome this problem, a trajectory-based local representation approaches have been proposed to capture the temporal information. This paper introduces an improvement of trajectory-based human action recognition approaches to capture discriminative temporal relationships. In our approach, we extract trajectories by tracking the detected spatio-temporal interest points named “cuboid features” with matching its SIFT descriptors over the consecutive frames. We, also, propose a linking and exploring method to obtain efficient trajectories for motion representation in realistic conditions. Then the volumes around the trajectories’ points are described to represent human actions based on the Bag-of-Words (BOW model. Finally, a support vector machine is used to classify human actions. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was evaluated on three popular datasets (KTH, Weizmann and UCF sports. Experimental results showed that the proposed approach yields considerable performance improvement over the state-of-the-art approaches.

A geometry calibration method for rotation translation trajectory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jun; Yan Bin; Li Lei; Lu Lizhong; Zhang Feng

2013-01-01

In cone-beam CT imaging system, it is difficult to directly measure the geometry parameters. In this paper, a geometry calibration method for rotation translation trajectory is proposed. Intrinsic parameters are solved from the relationship built on geometry parameter of the system and projection trajectory of calibration object. Parameters of rotation axis are extrapolated from the unified intrinsic parameter, and geometry parameters of the idle trajectory are acquired too. The calibration geometry can be analytically determined using explicit formulae, it can avoid getting into local optimum in iterative way. Simulation experiments are carried out on misaligned geometry, experiment results indicate that geometry artifacts due to misaligned geometry are effectively depressed by the proposed method, and the image quality is enhanced. (authors)

Optimal Hankel Norm Model Reduction by Truncation of Trajectories

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roorda, B.; Weiland, S.

2000-01-01

We show how optimal Hankel-norm approximations of dynamical systems allow for a straightforward interpretation in terms of system trajectories. It is shown that for discrete time single-input systems optimal reductions are obtained by cutting 'balanced trajectories', i.e., by disconnecting the past

Long-term trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karstoft, Karen-Inge; Armour, Cherie; Elklit, Ask

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To (1) identify long-term trajectories of combat-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms over a 20-year period from 1983 to 2002 in veterans with and without combat stress reaction (CSR) and (2) identify social predictors of these trajectories. METHOD: A latent growth...

Quantum coherence in the reflection of above barrier wavepackets

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Jakob; Pollak, Eli

2018-02-01

region before exiting. A classical Wigner approximation, using classical trajectories which upon reaching an edge of the barrier are reflected or transmitted as if the edge was a step potential, is quantitative in the incoherent regime. The implications of the coherence observed on resonance reactive scattering are discussed.

Simulation of the trajectory of microwaves during passage of Mesoescale Convective System over Southern Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Diniz, F. L.; Munchow, G. B.; Herdies, D. L.; Foster, P. R.

2010-12-01

When the eletromagnetic wave travels in the atmosphere from one medium to another with different density and/or composition suffers small changes in speed and direction of propagation. These changes are caused by the vertical variation of atmospheric refractive index. This causes different types of trajectory deviations, which can be called: normal refraction, sub-refraction, super-refraction and duct. The condition to create duct is satisfied when there is a especific vertical profile of refraction, in this case an eletromagnectic wave will oscillate in a layer of the atmosphere. Considering that this ducts condition can causes damage in the transmission and reception of microwave system equipment (e.g. telecomunications, global positioning, weather radars and satellites) and that in the Rio Grande do Sul, state of Brazil, there are two weather radars, this study present a simulation of the trajectory that would have an eletromagnetic wave. In this study was used soundings of the atmosphere to infer the vertical profile of refractive index during the passage of a Mesoescale Convective System on September 7, 2009. In the lack of this data a numerical simulation with nested grids using Weather Research & Forecasting Model was performed to infer this.

Mean motion and trajectories of heavy particles falling through a boundary layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stout, J.E.; Arya, S.P. [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)

1994-12-31

As particles fall through a turbulent boundary layer they experience a rather complex and unique time series of aerodynamic forces and, thus, each individual particle follows a rather complex and unique trajectory to the surface. For sufficiently large and heavy particles, the turbulence induced particle motion can be thought of as a small perturbation superimposed on the mean trajectory. By ignoring the turbulent contribution to particle motion it is possible to calculate the trajectory of a particle due to the mean flow alone. The mean trajectory provides an estimate of the ensemble-averaged path of a set of particles released from a given point in the atmosphere. The effect of turbulence on individual particle trajectories, the distribution of particle displacements from the mean trajectory, and their deposition patterns on the surface will be investigated in a separate study, using a random walk model.

Principal direction of inertia for 3D trajectories from patient-specific TMJ movement.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dae-Seung; Choi, Soon-Chul; Lee, Sam-Sun; Heo, Min-Suk; Huh, Kyung-Hoe; Hwang, Soon-Jung; Kim, Seong-Ha; Yi, Won-Jin

2013-03-01

Accurate simulation and evaluation of mandibular movement is fundamental for the analysis of functional changes and effects of the mandible and maxilla before and after surgical treatments. We applied principal axes of inertia to the three-dimensional (3D) trajectories generated by patient-specific simulations of TMJ movements for the functional evaluations of mandible movement. Three-dimensional movements of the mandible and the maxilla were tracked based on a patient-specific splint and an optical tracking system. The dental occlusion recorded on the sprint provided synchronization for initial movement in the tracking and the simulation phases. The translation and rotation recorded during movement tracking was applied sequentially to the mandibular model in relation to a fixed maxilla model. The sequential 3D positions of selected landmarks on the mandible were calculated based on the reference coordinate system. The landmarks selected for analysis were bilateral condyles and pogonion points. The moment of inertia tensor was calculated with respect to the 3D trajectory points. Using the unit vectors along the principal axes derived from the tensor matrix, α, β and γ rotations around z-, y- and x-axes were determined to represent the principal directions as principal rotations respectively. The γ direction showed the higher standard deviation, variation of directions, than other directions at all the landmarks. The mandible movement has larger kinematic redundancy in the γ direction than α and β during mouth opening and closing. Principal directions of inertia would be applied to analyzing the changes in angular motion of trajectories introduced by mandibular shape changes from surgical treatments and also to the analysis of the influence of skeletal deformities on mandibular movement asymmetry. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Theoretical construction in the sociology of health: a reflection on its trajectory].

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, Everardo Duarte

2014-04-01

The scope of this paper is to reflect on the theoretical construction in the constitution of the sociology of health, still called medical sociology in some countries. Two main ideas constitute the basis for this: interdisciplinarity and the degree of articulation in the fields of medicine and sociology. We sought to establish a dialogue with some dimensions - macro/micro, structure/action - that constitute the basis for understanding medicine/health in relation to the social/sociological dimension. The main aspects of these dimensions are initially presented. Straus' two medical sociologies and the theory/application impasses are then addressed, as well as the dilemmas of the sociology of medicine in the 1960s and 1970s. From these analyses the theoretical production before 1970 is placed as a counterpoint. Lastly, the sociology of health is seen in the general context of sociology, which underwent a fragmentation process from 1970 with effects in all subfields of the social sciences. This process involves a rethinking of the theoretical issues in a broadened spectrum of possibilities. The 1980s are highlighted when theoretical issues in the sociology of health are reinvigorated and the issue of interdisciplinarity is once again addressed.

On Discovery of Gathering Patterns from Trajectories

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zheng, Kai; Zheng, Yu; Yuan, Jing

2013-01-01

The increasing pervasiveness of location-acquisition technologies has enabled collection of huge amount of trajectories for almost any kind of moving objects. Discovering useful patterns from their movement behaviours can convey valuable knowledge to a variety of critical applications. In this li......The increasing pervasiveness of location-acquisition technologies has enabled collection of huge amount of trajectories for almost any kind of moving objects. Discovering useful patterns from their movement behaviours can convey valuable knowledge to a variety of critical applications...

Clustering Molecular Dynamics Trajectories for Optimizing Docking Experiments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata De Paris

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Molecular dynamics simulations of protein receptors have become an attractive tool for rational drug discovery. However, the high computational cost of employing molecular dynamics trajectories in virtual screening of large repositories threats the feasibility of this task. Computational intelligence techniques have been applied in this context, with the ultimate goal of reducing the overall computational cost so the task can become feasible. Particularly, clustering algorithms have been widely used as a means to reduce the dimensionality of molecular dynamics trajectories. In this paper, we develop a novel methodology for clustering entire trajectories using structural features from the substrate-binding cavity of the receptor in order to optimize docking experiments on a cloud-based environment. The resulting partition was selected based on three clustering validity criteria, and it was further validated by analyzing the interactions between 20 ligands and a fully flexible receptor (FFR model containing a 20 ns molecular dynamics simulation trajectory. Our proposed methodology shows that taking into account features of the substrate-binding cavity as input for the k-means algorithm is a promising technique for accurately selecting ensembles of representative structures tailored to a specific ligand.

Supervised Learning Applied to Air Traffic Trajectory Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Bosson, Christabelle; Nikoleris, Tasos

2018-01-01

Given the recent increase of interest in introducing new vehicle types and missions into the National Airspace System, a transition towards a more autonomous air traffic control system is required in order to enable and handle increased density and complexity. This paper presents an exploratory effort of the needed autonomous capabilities by exploring supervised learning techniques in the context of aircraft trajectories. In particular, it focuses on the application of machine learning algorithms and neural network models to a runway recognition trajectory-classification study. It investigates the applicability and effectiveness of various classifiers using datasets containing trajectory records for a month of air traffic. A feature importance and sensitivity analysis are conducted to challenge the chosen time-based datasets and the ten selected features. The study demonstrates that classification accuracy levels of 90% and above can be reached in less than 40 seconds of training for most machine learning classifiers when one track data point, described by the ten selected features at a particular time step, per trajectory is used as input. It also shows that neural network models can achieve similar accuracy levels but at higher training time costs.

Multi-step lining-up correction of the CLIC trajectory

CERN Document Server

D'Amico, T E

1999-01-01

In the CLIC main linac it is very important to minimise the trajectory excursion and consequently the emittance dilution in order to obtain the required luminosity. Several algorithms have been proposed and lately the ballistic method has proved to be very effective. The trajectory correction method described hereafter retains the main advantages of the latter while adding some interesting features. It is based on the separation of the unknown variables like the quadrupole misalignments, the offset and slope of the injection straight line and the misalignments of the beam position monitors (BPM). This is achieved by referring the trajectory relatively to the injection line and not to the average pre-alignment line and by using two trajectories each corresponding to slightly different quadrupole strengths. A reference straight line is then derived onto which the beam is bent by a kick obtained by moving the first quadrupole. The other quadrupoles are then aligned on that line. The quality of the correction dep...

Convergence of trajectories in fractal interpolation of stochastic processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MaIysz, Robert

2006-01-01

The notion of fractal interpolation functions (FIFs) can be applied to stochastic processes. Such construction is especially useful for the class of α-self-similar processes with stationary increments and for the class of α-fractional Brownian motions. For these classes, convergence of the Minkowski dimension of the graphs in fractal interpolation of the Hausdorff dimension of the graph of original process was studied in [Herburt I, MaIysz R. On convergence of box dimensions of fractal interpolation stochastic processes. Demonstratio Math 2000;4:873-88.], [MaIysz R. A generalization of fractal interpolation stochastic processes to higher dimension. Fractals 2001;9:415-28.], and [Herburt I. Box dimension of interpolations of self-similar processes with stationary increments. Probab Math Statist 2001;21:171-8.]. We prove that trajectories of fractal interpolation stochastic processes converge to the trajectory of the original process. We also show that convergence of the trajectories in fractal interpolation of stochastic processes is equivalent to the convergence of trajectories in linear interpolation

DESTINY+ Trajectory Design to (3200) Phaethon

Science.gov (United States)

Sarli, Bruno Victorino; Horikawa, Makoto; Yam, Chit Hong; Kawakatsu, Yasuhiro; Yamamoto, Takayuki

2018-03-01

This work explores the target selection and trajectory design of the mission candidate for ISAS/JAXA's small science satellite series, DESTINY PLUS or DESTINY+. This mission combines unique aspects of the latest satellite technology and exploration of transition bodies to fill a technical and scientific gap in the Japanese space science program. The spacecraft is targeted to study the comet-asteroid transition body (3200) Phaethon through a combination of low-thrust propulsion and Earth Gravity Assist. The trajectory design concept is presented in details together with the launch window and flyby date analysis. Alternative targets for a possible mission extension scenario are also explored.

Factors impacting the illness trajectory of post-infectious fatigue syndrome: a qualitative study of adults' experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Stormorken, Eva; Jason, Leonard A; Kirkevold, Marit

2017-12-13

Post-infectious fatigue syndrome (PIFS), also known as post-viral fatigue syndrome, is a complex condition resulting in physical, cognitive, emotional, neurological, vocational and/or role performance disabilities in varying degrees that changes over time. The needs for health care resources are high, and costly, as is the economic burden on the affected individuals. Many factors may impact the trajectory, and frequently PIFS develops into a chronic condition. Health professionals lack understanding and knowledge, which results in delayed diagnosis, lack of recognition, appropriate treatment, support and practical help. The aim of our study was to explore, from the perspective of persons who had lived with PIFS for four years following an outbreak of Giardia l. induced enteritis, factors that may have impacted their illness trajectory and how these factors had played a role during different phases. In this retrospective exploratory qualitative study a group of 26 affected adults between 26 and 59 years old were selected for in-depth interviews. A maximum variation sample was recruited from a physician-diagnosed cohort of persons with PIFS enrolled at a tertiary outpatient fatigue clinic. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and subjected to qualitative content analysis. Unhelpful and helpful factors were associated with the healthcare system, health professionals and the affected persons were experienced as having an impact on the trajectory. External impacting factors which are related to the health care system, providers and the social security system are misdiagnosis, trivialization of symptoms, unhelpful advice, delayed diagnosis and lack of appropriate help. Internal impacting factors related to the affected individuals were lack of knowledge, overestimating functional capacity, assuming the condition will pass, ignoring body signals and denial. A model of impacting factors in each phase of the trajectory is presented. Unmet needs may

SharkDB: an in-memory column-oriented storage for trajectory analysis

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Bolong; Wang, Haozhou; Zheng, Kai; Su, Han; Liu, Kuien; Shang, Shuo

2017-01-01

The last decade has witnessed the prevalence of sensor and GPS technologies that produce a high volume of trajectory data representing the motion history of moving objects. However some characteristics of trajectories such as variable lengths and asynchronous sampling rates make it difficult to fit into traditional database systems that are disk-based and tuple-oriented. Motivated by the success of column store and recent development of in-memory databases, we try to explore the potential opportunities of boosting the performance of trajectory data processing by designing a novel trajectory storage within main memory. In contrast to most existing trajectory indexing methods that keep consecutive samples of the same trajectory in the same disk page, we partition the database into frames in which the positions of all moving objects at the same time instant are stored together and aligned in main memory. We found this column-wise storage to be surprisingly well suited for in-memory computing since most frames can be stored in highly compressed form, which is pivotal for increasing the memory throughput and reducing CPU-cache miss. The independence between frames also makes them natural working units when parallelizing data processing on a multi-core environment. Lastly we run a variety of common trajectory queries on both real and synthetic datasets in order to demonstrate advantages and study the limitations of our proposed storage.

SharkDB: an in-memory column-oriented storage for trajectory analysis

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Bolong

2017-05-05

The last decade has witnessed the prevalence of sensor and GPS technologies that produce a high volume of trajectory data representing the motion history of moving objects. However some characteristics of trajectories such as variable lengths and asynchronous sampling rates make it difficult to fit into traditional database systems that are disk-based and tuple-oriented. Motivated by the success of column store and recent development of in-memory databases, we try to explore the potential opportunities of boosting the performance of trajectory data processing by designing a novel trajectory storage within main memory. In contrast to most existing trajectory indexing methods that keep consecutive samples of the same trajectory in the same disk page, we partition the database into frames in which the positions of all moving objects at the same time instant are stored together and aligned in main memory. We found this column-wise storage to be surprisingly well suited for in-memory computing since most frames can be stored in highly compressed form, which is pivotal for increasing the memory throughput and reducing CPU-cache miss. The independence between frames also makes them natural working units when parallelizing data processing on a multi-core environment. Lastly we run a variety of common trajectory queries on both real and synthetic datasets in order to demonstrate advantages and study the limitations of our proposed storage.

Predictors of Latent Trajectory Classes of Dating Violence Victimization

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks-Russell, Ashley; Foshee, Vangie; Ennett, Susan

2014-01-01

This study identified classes of developmental trajectories of physical dating violence victimization from grades 8 to 12 and examined theoretically-based risk factors that distinguished among trajectory classes. Data were from a multi-wave longitudinal study spanning 8th through 12th grade (n = 2,566; 51.9% female). Growth mixture models were used to identify trajectory classes of physical dating violence victimization separately for girls and boys. Logistic and multinomial logistic regressions were used to identify situational and target vulnerability factors associated with the trajectory classes. For girls, three trajectory classes were identified: a low/non-involved class; a moderate class where victimization increased slightly until the 10th grade and then decreased through the 12th grade; and a high class where victimization started at a higher level in the 8th grade, increased substantially until the 10th grade, and then decreased until the 12th grade. For males, two classes were identified: a low/non-involved class, and a victimized class where victimization increased slightly until the 9th grade, decreased until the 11th grade, and then increased again through the 12th grade. In bivariate analyses, almost all of the situational and target vulnerability risk factors distinguished the victimization classes from the non-involved classes. However, when all risk factors and control variables were in the model, alcohol use (a situational vulnerability) was the only factor that distinguished membership in the moderate trajectory class from the non-involved class for girls; anxiety and being victimized by peers (target vulnerability factors) were the factors that distinguished the high from the non-involved classes for the girls; and victimization by peers was the only factor distinguishing the victimized from the non-involved class for boys. These findings contribute to our understanding of the heterogeneity in physical dating violence victimization during

Intelligent Controller Design for Quad-Rotor Stabilization in Presence of Parameter Variations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oualid Doukhi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the mathematical model of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV and the design of robust Self-Tuning PID controller based on fuzzy logic, which offers several advantages over certain types of conventional control methods, specifically in dealing with highly nonlinear systems and parameter uncertainty. The proposed controller is applied to the inner and outer loop for heading and position trajectory tracking control to handle the external disturbances caused by the variation in the payload weight during the flight period. The results of the numerical simulation using gazebo physics engine simulator and real-time experiment using AR drone 2.0 test bed demonstrate the effectiveness of this intelligent control strategy which can improve the robustness of the whole system and achieve accurate trajectory tracking control, comparing it with the conventional proportional integral derivative (PID.

Relationships between δ18O in summer precipitation and temperature and moisture trajectories at Muztagata, western China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YU; Wusheng; YAO; Tandong; TIAN; Lide; LI; Zhen; SUN; Weizhen; WANG; Yu

2006-01-01

Based on summer observations of stable isotope of precipitation at Muztagata, western China, during 2002―2003, this paper presents the relationship between δ18O in precipitation and air temperature, and discusses the effect of moisture transport on δ18O in precipitation. Results show that air temperature correlates positively with δ18O in precipitation, and the temperature effect controls the δ18O of precipitation in this area. The Muztagata region exhibits high δ18O values in summer precipitation, similar to those shown at stations in adjacent regions. According to the results of our model set up to trace the moisture trajectories, the westerlies and local moisture circulation contribute to variations of oxygen isotopes in precipitation. In addition, the impacts of the moisture transport distance, the moisture transport level, and the incursion of the polar air mass also influence the variations of δ18O in precipitation. The moisture origins and transport mechanisms also contribute to the variation of δ18O in precipitation at Muztagata.

ASTP (SA-210) Launch vehicle operational flight trajectory. Part 3: Final documentation

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, A. B.; Klug, G. W.; Williams, N. W.

1975-01-01

Trajectory data are presented for a nominal and two launch window trajectory simulations. These trajectories are designed to insert a manned Apollo spacecraft into a 150/167 km. (81/90 n. mi.) earth orbit inclined at 51.78 degrees for rendezvous with a Soyuz spacecraft, which will be orbiting at approximately 225 km. (121.5 n. mi.). The launch window allocation defined for this launch is 500 pounds of S-IVB stage propellant. The launch window opening trajectory simulation depicts the earliest launch time deviation from a planar flight launch which conforms to this constraint. The launch window closing trajectory simulation was developed for the more stringent Air Force Eastern Test Range (AFETR) flight azimuth restriction of 37.4 degrees east-of-north. These trajectories enclose a 12.09 minute launch window, pertinent features of which are provided in a tabulation. Planar flight data are included for mid-window reference.

Trajectories of Sensation Seeking Among Puerto Rican Children and Youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Silvia S; Wall, Melanie M; Eisenberg, Ruth; Blanco, Carlos; Santaella, Julian; Ramos-Olazagasti, Maria; Canino, Glorisa; Bird, Hector R; Brown, Qiana; Duarte, Cristiane S

2015-12-01

To document the natural course of sensation seeking from childhood to adolescence, characterize distinct sensation seeking trajectories, and examine how these trajectories vary according to selected predictors. Data were obtained from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of 2,491 children and adolescents of Puerto Rican background (3 assessments from 2000 to 2004). First, age-specific sensation seeking levels were characterized, and then age-adjusted residuals were analyzed using growth mixture models. On average, sensation seeking was stable in childhood (ages 5-10 years) and increased during adolescence (ages 11-17 years). Mean scores of sensation seeking were higher in the South Bronx versus Puerto Rico and among males versus females. Four classes of sensation seeking trajectories were observed: most study participants had age-expected sensation seeking trajectories following the average for their age ("normative," 43.8%); others (37.2%) remained consistently lower than the expected average for their age ("low" sensation seeking); some (12.0%) had an "accelerated" sensation seeking trajectory, increasing at a faster rate than expected; and a minority (7.0%) had a decreasing sensation seeking trajectory that started high but decreased, reaching scores slightly higher than the age-average sensation seeking scores ("stabilizers"). Site (South Bronx versus Puerto Rico) and gender were predictors of membership in a specific class of sensation seeking trajectory. It is important to take a developmental approach when examining sensation seeking and to consider gender and the social environment when trying to understand how sensation seeking evolves during childhood and adolescence. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Density, ultrasound velocity, acoustic impedance, reflection and absorption coefficient determination of liquids via multiple reflection method.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoche, S; Hussein, M A; Becker, T