Underdetermined direction of arrival estimation with nonuniform linear motion sampling based on a small unmanned aerial vehicle platform

Uniform linear array(ULA)radars are widely used in the collision-avoidance radar systems of small unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).In practice,a ULA's multi-target direction of arrival(DOA)estimation performance suffers from significant performance degradation owing to the limited number of physical elements.To improve the underdetermined DOA estimation performance of a ULA radar mounted on a small UAV platform,we propose a nonuniform linear motion sampling underdetermined DOA estimation method.Using the motion of the UAV platform,the echo signal is sampled at different positions.Then,according to the concept of difference co-array,a virtual ULA with multiple array elements and a large aperture is synthesized to increase the degrees of freedom(DOFs).Through position analysis of the original and motion arrays,we propose a nonuniform linear motion sampling method based on ULA for determining the optimal DOFs.Under the condition of no increase in the aperture of the physical array,the proposed method obtains a high DOF with fewer sampling runs and greatly improves the underdetermined DOA estimation performance of ULA.The results of numerical simulations conducted herein verify the superior performance of the proposed method.

Experimental Study of the Motion Modes of a Planar Mechanical System with Multi-Clearance Revolute Joints

Clearances in joints of a mechanical multibody system can induce impulsive forces, leading to vibrations that compromise the system’s reliability, stability, and lifespan. Through dynamic analysis, designers can investigate the effects of the clearances on the dynamics of the multibody system. A revolute joint with clearance exhibits three motions which are;free-flight, impact and continuous contact motion modes. Therefore, a multibody system with n-number of revolute clearance joints will exhibit 3n motion modes which are a combination of the three motions in each joint. This study investigates experimentally the nine motion modes in a mechanical system with two revolute clearance joints. A slider crank mechanism has been used as the demonstrative example. We observed that the experimental curve exhibits a greater impact compared to the simulation curve. In conclusion, this experimental investigation offers valuable insights into the dynamics of planar mechanical systems with multiple clearance revolute joints. Utilizing a slider-crank mechanism for data acquisition, the study successfully confirmed seven out of nine motion modes previously identified in numerical research. The missing modes are attributed to inherent complexities in real-world systems, such as journal-bearing misalignment.

Shear behaviour of a rock bridge sandwiched between incipient joints under the influence of hydraulic pressures

The rock bridges sandwiched in incipiently jointed rock mass were considered as barriers that block the fluid seepage,and provide certain shear strength reservation.For better revealing the influence of hydraulic pressure on the failure behaviour of rock bridges,direct shear tests were carried out through a newly proposed method on rock samples that contain two parallel incipient joints.By developing the gypsum-silicone pad coupling samples,a conventional triaxial test system was qualified to implement direct shear tests with satisfied sealing capability.The results showed that the rock bridges could be failed through the tensile failure,shear failure and mixed failure mechanism.The hydraulic pressure would facilitate the tensile failure mechanism and induce rougher fracture surfaces;while the normal stress would facilitate the shear failure mechanism and induce less rough fracture.The hydraulic pressure reduced the global shear strength of the rock block through reducing the efficient normal stress applied on the rock bridge area,which was highly dependent on the joint persistence,k.Moreover,because of the iterating occurrence of the hydraulic pressure lag with the fracture propagation,the rock bridge failure stage in the shear stress-shear displacement curves displayed a fluctuation trend.

Study on the effect of ground motion direction on the response of engineering structure

Due to the randomness of earthquake wave magnitude and direction, and the uncertain direction of strong axis and weak axis in the construction of engineering structures, the effect of the direction of ground motion on a structure are studied herein. Ground motion records usually contain three vertical ground motion data, which are obtained by sensors arranged in accordance with the EW （East -West） direction, NS （South- North） direction and perpendicular to the surface （z） direction, referring to the construction standard of seismic stations. The seismic records in the EW and NS directions are converted to Cartesian coordinates in accordance with the rotation of θ = 0°-180°, and consequently, a countless group of new ground motion time histories are obtained. Then, the characteristics of the ground motion time history and response spectrum of each group were studied, resulting in the following observations： （1） the peak and phase of ground motion are changed with the rotation of direction θ, so that the direction θ of the maximum peak ground motion can be determined; （2） response spectrum values of each group of ground motions change along with the direction θ, and their peak, predominant period and declining curve are also different as the changes occur; then, the angle θ in the direction of the maximum peak value or the widest predominant period can be determined; and （3） the seismic response of structures with different directions of ground motion inputs has been analyzed under the same earthquake record, and the results show the difference. For some ground motion records, such as the Taft seismic wave, these differences are significant. Next, the Lushan middle school gymnasium structure was analyzed and the calculation was checked using the proposed method, where the internal force of the upper space truss varied from 25% to 28%. The research results presented herein can be used for reference in choosing the ground motion when checking the actual damage to structures following earthquakes and explaining the seismic damage. Meanwhile, it also provides a reference value for research into the most severe ground motion.

Estimation of the 2010 Mentawai tsunami earthquake rupture process from joint inversion of teleseismic and strong ground motion data

Joint inversion of teleseismic body-wave data and strong ground motion waveforms was applied to determine the rupture process of the 2010 Mentawai earthquake. To obtain stable solutions, smoothing and non-negative constraints were introduced. A total of 33 teleseismic stations and 5 strong ground motion stations supplied data. The teleseismic and strong ground motion data were separately windowed for 150 s and 250 s and bandpass filtered with frequencies of 0.001e1.0 Hz and 0.005e0.5 Hz, respectively. The finitefault model was established with length and width of 190 km and 70 km, and the initial seismic source parameters were set by referring to centroid moment tensor(CMT) solutions. Joint inversion results indicate that the focal mechanism of this earthquake is thrust fault type, and the strike, dip, and rake angles are generally in accordance with CMT results. The seismic moment was determined as 5.814 1020Nm(Mw7.8) and source duration was about 102 s, which is greater than those of other earthquakes of similar magnitude. The rupture nucleated near the hypocenter and then propagated along the strike direction to the northwest, with a maximum slip of 3.9 m. Large uncertainties regarding the amount of slip retrieved using different inversion methods still exist; however, the conclusion that the majority of slip occurred far from the islands at very shallow depths was found to be robust. The 2010 Mentawai earthquake was categorized as a tsunami earthquake because of the long rupture duration and the generation of a tsunami much larger than was expected for an earthquake of its magnitude.

Motion planning for redundant prismatic-jointed manipulators in the free-floating mode

This paper investigates the motion planning of redundant free-floating manipulators with seven prismatic joints. On the earth, prismatic-jointed manipulators could only position their end-effectors in a desired way. However, in space, the end-effectors of free-floating manipulators can achieve both the desired orientation and desired position due to the dynamical coupling between manipulator and satellite movement, which is formally expressed by linear and angular momentum conservation laws. In this study, a tractable algorithm particle swarm optimization combined with differential evolution （PSODE） is provided to deal with the motion planning of redundant free-floating prismatic-jointed manipulators, which could avoid the pseudo inverse of the Jacobian matrix. The polynomial functions, as argument in sine functions are used to specify the joint paths. The co- efficients of the polynomials are optimized to achieve the desired end-effector orientation and position, and simulta- neously minimize the unit-mass-kinetic energy using the redundancy. Relevant simulations prove that this method pro- vides satisfactory smooth paths for redundant free-floating prismatic-jointed manipulators. This study could help to recognize the advantages of redundant prismatic-jointed space manipulators.

Direction without speed information process in the human brain: a magnetoencephalographic study using random dots apparent motion stimulus

Apparent motion stimulus induces visual perception of smooth motion even though there is no speed information. We examined whether human brain response as measured by magnetoencephalography carries direction information in the visually presented apparent motion of a randomdot pattern in a similar manner as continuous motions that have speed and direction information. Although there was no significant effect of motion direction on the peak response latency and amplitude, mutual information entropy (IE) significantly increased after the motion onset at approximately 36 ms after the response latency in 41% of the evaluations. Detailed analysis of the data from five subjects who participated in both the present apparent motion and our previous coherent motion studies revealed that the maximum IE latency (delay) for apparent motion was significantly longer than that for coherent motion, although the mean maximum IE was the same. The results indicate that direction is represented in the response waveform evoked by apparent motion but the manner is different from that for coherent motion probably due to the distinct neural processes engaged only for the apparent motion perception. We consider that direction and speed can be processed separately in the human brain because direction information was generated without speed information for the perception of apparent motion.

全膝关节置换中BrainlabKnee3导航辅助间隙平衡技术的应用优势

背景:近年来,计算机导航技术辅助关节置换逐渐受到医疗领域的关注。文献报道计算机导航在全膝关节置换中的应用临床效果不一。为了探索新一代Brainlab Knee 3导航系统的临床效果,进行了此项研究。目的:分析计算机导航系统(Brainlab Knee 3)结合间隙平衡技术在全膝关节置换中的应用效果。方法:2020年11月至2021年5月大连市第二人民医院关节外科收治71例行全膝关节置换患者,导航组35例,术中采用计算机导航结合间隙平衡技术行全膝关节置换;传统组36例,术中采用传统手术器械定位截骨。比较两组患者术中内、外侧关节间隙差;膝关节活动度、KSS评分;髋膝踝角;冠状面股骨组件角、冠状面胫骨组件角和矢状面胫骨组件角偏差值。结果与结论:①导航组伸直位内外侧间隙差0,1,2 mm的患者分别为19,14,2例;屈膝90°位内外侧间隙差0,1,2 mm的患者分别为18,15,2例。传统组伸直位内外侧间隙差0,1,2 mm的患者分别为10,20,6例;屈膝90°位内外侧间隙差0,1,2 mm的患者分别为10,15,8例。②导航组手术时间长于传统组(P<0.05),导航组有2例患者术后形成下肢肌间静脉血栓,传统组患者均无并发症。③置换后6,12个月两组患者膝关节活动度均明显增加,导航组膝关节活动度高于传统组(P<0.05)。④置换后12个月两组患者KSS评分均明显增加,导航组KSS评分高于传统组(P<0.05)。⑤置换后6个月髋膝踝角、冠状面股骨组件角、冠状面胫骨组件角、矢状面胫骨组件角偏差值均显著小于传统组(P<0.05)。⑥结果表明,采用计算机导航结合间隙平衡技术辅助全膝关节置换对关节活动度、下肢力线、胫骨假体组件位置的准确性方面具有优势,置换后关节功能恢复良好。

Strong motion characteristics of the M_w 6.6 Lushan earthquake,Sichuan,China——an insight into the spatial difference of a typical thrust fault earthquake

Near-field strong ground motions are useful for engineering seismology studies and seismic design, but dense observation networks of damaging earthquakes are still rare. In this study, based on the strong-motion data from the M w 6.6 Lushan earthquake, the ground motion parameters in different spatial regions are systematically analyzed, and the contributions from different effects, like the hanging-wall effect, directivity effect, and attenuation effect are separated to the extent possible. Different engineering parameters from the observed ground motions are compared with the local design response spectra and a new attenuation relation of Western China. General results indicate that the high frequency ground motion, like the peak ground acceleration, on two sides of the fault plane is sensitive to the hanging-wall effect, whereas the low frequency ground motion, like the long period spectral acceleration, in the rupture propagation direction is affected by the directivity effect. Moreover, although the M w 6.6 Lushan earthquake is not a large magnitude event, the spatial difference of ground motion is still obvious; thus, for a thrust faulting earthquake, in addition to the hanging effect, the directivity effect should also be considered.

Electroencephalogram evidence for mirror neuron activity during the observation of drawn hand motion

The present study used electroencephalography to examine mu rhythm suppression （a putative index of human mirror neuron system activation） at frontal sites （F3, Fz and F4）, central sites （C3, Cz and C4）, parietal sites （P3, Pz and P4） and occipital sites （O1 and O2）, while subjects observed real hand motion （real hand motion condition） and illustrative depictions of hand motion （drawn hand motion condition）. Experimental data revealed that mu rhythm suppression was exhibited in the mirror neuron system when subjects observed both real and drawn hand motion. Moreover, the mu rhythm recorded at the F3, Fz, F4, and Pz poles was significantly suppressed while observing both stimulus types, but no obvious mu suppression occurred at the O1, 02 and 03 poles. These results suggest that the observation of drawings of human hand actions can activate the human mirror neuron system. This evidence supports the hypothesis that the mirror neuron system may be involved in intransitively abstract action understanding.

Characteristics of horizontal ground motion measures along principal directions

Ground motion records are often used to develop ground motion prediction equations （GMPEs） for a randomly oriented horizontal component, and to assess the principal directions of ground motions based on the Arias intensity tensor or the orientation of the major response axis. The former is needed for seismic hazard assessment, whereas the latter can be important for assessing structural responses under multi-directional excitations. However, a comprehensive investigation of the pseudo-spectral acceleration （PSA） and of GMPEs conditioned on different axes is currently lacking. This study investigates the principal directions of strong ground motions and their relation to the orientation of the major response axis, statistics of the PSA along the principal directions on the horizontal plane, and correlation of the PSA along the principal directions on the horizontal plane. For these, three sets of strong ground motion records, including intraplate California earthquakes, inslab Mexican earthquakes, and interface Mexican earthquakes, are used. The results indicate that one of the principal directions could be considered as quasi-vertical. By focusing on seismic excitations on the horizontal plane, the statistics of the angles between the major response axis and the major principal axis are obtained; GMPEs along the principal axes are provided and compared with those obtained for a randomly oriented horizontal component; and statistical analysis of residuals associated with GMPEs along the principal directions is carried out.

Determining relative block structure rating for rock erodibility evaluation in the case of non-orthogonal joint sets

The most commonly used method for assessing the hydraulic erodibility of rock is Annandale's method.This method is based on a correlation between the erosive force of flowing water and the capacity of rock resistance. This capacity is evaluated using Kirsten's index, which was initially developed to evaluate the excavatability of earth materials. For rocky material, this index is determined according to certain geomechanical factors related to intact rock and rock mass, such as compressive strength of intact rock, rock block size, discontinuity shear strength and relative block structure. To quantify the relative block structure, Kirsten(1982) developed a mathematical expression that accounts for the shape and orientation of the blocks relative to the direction of flow. Kirsten's initial concept for assessing the relative block structure considers that the geological formation is mainly fractured by two joint sets forming an orthogonally fractured system. An adjusted concept is proposed to determine the relative block structure when the fractured system is non-orthogonal where the angle between the planes of the two joint sets is greater or less than 90°. An analysis of the proposed relative block structure rating shows that considering a non-orthogonally fractured system has a significant effect on Kirsten's index and, as a consequence, on the assessment of the hydraulic erodibility of rock.

A novel method for geometric quality assurance of rock joint replicas in direct shear testing-Part 2:Validation and mechanical replicability

Each rock joint is unique by nature which means that utilization of replicas in direct shear tests is required in experimental parameter studies.However,a method to acquire knowledge about the ability of the replicas to imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint and their dispersion in direct shear testing is lacking.In this study,a novel method is presented for geometric quality assurance of replicas.The aim is to facilitate generation of high-quality direct shear testing data as a prerequisite for reliable subsequent analyses of the results.In Part 1 of this study,two quality assurance parameters,smf and V_(Hp100),are derived and their usefulness for evaluation of geometric deviations,i.e.geometric reproducibility,is shown.In Part 2,the parameters are validated by showing a correlation between the parameters and the shear mechanical behavior,which qualifies the parameters for usage in the quality assurance method.Unique results from direct shear tests presenting comparisons between replicas and the rock joint show that replicas fulfilling proposed threshold values of σ_(mf)<0.06 mm and
|V_(Hp100)|
<0.2 mm have a narrow dispersion and imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint in all aspects apart from having a slightly lower peak shear strength.The wear in these replicas,which have similar morphology as the rock joint,is in the same areas as in the rock joint.The wear is slightly larger in the rock joint and therefore the discrepancy in peak shear strength derives from differences in material properties,possibly from differences in toughness.It is shown by application of the suggested method that the quality assured replicas manufactured following the process employed in this study phenomenologically capture the shear strength characteristics,which makes them useful in parameter studies.

Radiographic Circularity of Capitellum and Its Relation to the Range of Motion

Background: The shape of the capitellum has been traditionally described in anatomy books as part of a sphere. Alteration in the capitellar morphology following pathologies such as fractures, osteochondrosis, and degenerative arthritis has been associated with less optimum functional results. Aim: To define the relationship between the sphericity of the capitellar morphology as measured on trauma series plain radiographs and the elbow range of motion. Methods: 40 patients were included in the study. All patients recruited from the upper limb clinics presented with non-elbow joint-related complaints. The elbow range of motion was measured using a standardized technique. Digital anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of patients’ elbows were used to measure capitellar circularity using the ImageJ processing program and circularity calculation equation. Correlation analyses were conducted between the degree of capitellar sphericity and elbow range of motion. Results: The results of measurements from the anteroposterior radiographs showed a positive correlation between increased circularity and an increase in the range of flexion, pronation, and supination. The range of extension decreased with the increased circularity of the capitellum. This trend was repeated with measures of lateral radiographs but was statistically not significant. Conclusion: Native capitellar circularity has an impact on the elbow range of motion. This should be put into consideration when dealing with pathologies that affect capitellar morphology.

Cartilage Repair by Joint Distraction and Motion Using an External Fixator for Massive Cartilage Defect

The objective of the present study was to investigate our novel methods for the repair of massive cartilage defects by joint distraction and motion using an external fixator. In this study, we used a rabbit model of massive articular cartilage defect in order to evaluate the effectiveness of using joint distraction and motion with a ring-type external fixator. This external fixator has a hinged joint with a center of rotation along the femoral transepicondylar axis, which allows the knee joint to freely flex and extend. Mesenchymal cells from bone marrow, induced by spongialization, were differentiated into mature chondrocytes and formed hyaline-like cartilage as a result of joint distraction and movement. The transplantation of autologous cells expanded from bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal cells, concentrated autologous bone marrow aspirate, and concentrated autologous peripheral blood cells were all effective in promoting cartilage repair. The quality of the cartilage after long-term joint distraction for 6 months was inferior to that after 12 weeks. In general, weight bearing on the regenerated cartilage promoted cartilage repair, although this effect differed based on when gradual weight bearing was begun. Specifically, gradual weight bearing beginning at 9 weeks produced superior results to that beginning at 6 weeks. Our methods provide an optimal environment for cartilage regeneration.

Rupture directivity effect on strong ground motion during the 12 May 2008 M_(W)7.9 Wenchuan earthquake

We focus here on the rupture directivity effect on the spatial distribution and attenuation characteristics of near-field ground motions during the 2008 MW7.9 Wenchuan earthquake.We examine the difference between the observed ground motions in and opposite the rupture directions and compare them with Next Generation Attenuation-West2(NGA-West2)ground motion prediction models.The isochrone directivity predictor is used to quantify the band-limited nature of the rupture directivity effect on strong ground motion.Our results show that the observed peak ground velocity(PGV)and spectral accelerations of periods of 1.0 s and longer are significantly amplified in the rupture direction,but de-amplified in the opposite direction affected by rupture directivity effect of this event.In contrast,the effect of rupture directivity on the observed peak ground acceleration(PGA)and periods of shorter than 1.0 s are relatively weak.The rupture directivity of this event shows clear period dependent and band limited characteristics with the strongest effect occurring around the period of 7.5 s.

A Reverse Path Planning Approach for Enhanced Performance of Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Industrial Manipulators

In the domain of autonomous industrial manipulators,precise positioning and appropriate posture selection in path planning are pivotal for tasks involving obstacle avoidance,such as handling,heat sealing,and stacking.While Multi-Degree-of-Freedom(MDOF)manipulators offer kinematic redundancy,aiding in the derivation of optimal inverse kinematic solutions to meet position and posture requisites,their path planning entails intricate multiobjective optimization,encompassing path,posture,and joint motion optimization.Achieving satisfactory results in practical scenarios remains challenging.In response,this study introduces a novel Reverse Path Planning(RPP)methodology tailored for industrial manipulators.The approach commences by conceptualizing the manipulator’s end-effector as an agent within a reinforcement learning(RL)framework,wherein the state space,action set,and reward function are precisely defined to expedite the search for an initial collision-free path.To enhance convergence speed,the Q-learning algorithm in RL is augmented with Dyna-Q.Additionally,we formulate the cylindrical bounding box of the manipulator based on its Denavit-Hartenberg(DH)parameters and propose a swift collision detection technique.Furthermore,the motion performance of the end-effector is refined through a bidirectional search,and joint weighting coefficients are introduced to mitigate motion in high-power joints.The efficacy of the proposed RPP methodology is rigorously examined through extensive simulations conducted on a six-degree-of-freedom(6-DOF)manipulator encountering two distinct obstacle configurations and target positions.Experimental results substantiate that the RPP method adeptly orchestrates the computation of the shortest collision-free path while adhering to specific posture constraints at the target point.Moreover,itminimizes both posture angle deviations and joint motion,showcasing its prowess in enhancing the operational performance of MDOF industrial manipulators.

New model for deducing directional extrema based on multivariate extremum statistical theory

The parameters of principal and directional extrema in a marine environment are important in marine engineering design,especially for appropriate construction of oceanic platforms and other structures.When designing wave walls and break water structures,the orientation of the breakwater or seawall depends mainly on the direction of the strongest waves.However,the strength of the breakwater and the elevation of the seawall depend on the magnitude of the biggest wave height of the strongest waves.Thus,identification of directional extrema plays an important role in the design of wave factors.When calculating the directional extremum,different materials may require different specific computational methods,yet few theoretical studies have been conducted in this field of research.Based on multivariate extremum statistical theory,this paper utilizes a discrete random variable to build a joint probability model compounded by a discrete random variable and a multivariate continuous random variable.Furthermore,this paper provides the first investigation on the theories and methodologies to deduce wave directional extrema.The results provide tools for both creating the calculation method of the directional extremum value and providing the rational directional extremum parameters for marine engineering design.

Minimum Distortion Direction Prediction-based Fast Half-pixel Motion Vector Search Algorithm

A minimum distortion direction prediction-based novel fast half-pixel motion vector search algorithm is proposed, which can reduce considerably the computation load of half-pixel search. Based on the single valley characteristic of half-pixel error matching function inside search grid, the minimum distortion direction is predicted with the help of comparative results of sum of absolute difference(SAD) values of four integer-pixel points around integer-pixel motion vector. The experimental results reveal that, to all kinds of video sequences, the proposed algorithm can obtain almost the same video quality as that of the half-pixel full search algorithm with a decrease of computation cost by more than 66%.

A joint method to retrieve directional ocean wave spectra from SAR and wave spectrometer data

This paper proposes a joint method to simultaneously retrieve wave spectra at dif ferent scales from spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) and wave spectrometer data. The method combines the output from the two dif ferent sensors to overcome retrieval limitations that occur in some sea states. The wave spectrometer sensitivity coeffi cient is estimated using an ef fective signifi cant wave height(SWH), which is an average of SAR-derived and wave spectrometer-derived SWH. This averaging extends the area of the sea surface sampled by the nadir beam of the wave spectrometer to improve the accuracy of the estimated sensitivity coeffi cient in inhomogeneous sea states. Wave spectra are then retrieved from SAR data using wave spectrometer-derived spectra as fi rst guess spectra to complement the short waves lost in SAR data retrieval. In addition, the problem of 180° ambiguity in retrieved spectra is overcome using SAR imaginary cross spectra. Simulated data were used to validate the joint method. The simulations demonstrated that retrieved wave parameters, including SWH, peak wave length(PWL), and peak wave direction(PWD), agree well with reference parameters. Collocated data from ENVISAT advanced SAR(ASAR), the airborne wave spectrometer STORM, the PHAROS buoy, and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting(ECMWF) were then used to verify the proposed method. Wave parameters retrieved from STORM and two ASAR images were compared to buoy and ECMWF wave data. Most of the retrieved parameters were comparable to reference parameters. The results of this study show that the proposed joint retrieval method could be a valuable complement to traditional methods used to retrieve directional ocean wave spectra, particularly in inhomogeneous sea states.