Performance of direction-finding systems with sensor gain and phase uncertainties

In this paper we study the performance of direction-finding systems which attempt to estimate unknown array parameters (such as sensor gains and phases) in addition to the estimation of the directions of arrival (DOA), as a way of performing array self-calibration. We develop compact closed form expressions for the Cramér-Rao bound associated with the joint estimation of DOAs, gains, phases, and the signal covariance matrix. By evaluating the Cramér-Rao bound for selected cases we gain some insight into the performance of direction-finding systems in the presence of gain and phase uncertainties.This work was supported by the Army Research Office under Contract No. DAAL03-89-C-0007, sponsored by U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command, Center for Signals Warfare.     

Case study: paradoxical response to naltrexone treatment of self-injurious behavior

Opioid receptor antagonists have been studied in the management of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in developmentally disabled individuals. The authors present a case of a severely retarded, autistic man whose SIB increased dramatically during a trial of naltrexone. A paradoxical increase in SIB, attributed to the extinction burst phenomenon during the initial period of nonreward, is known to occur during treatment with naloxone, a short-acting parenteral opioid antagonist. It has only once been reported during treatment with naltrexone, a long-acting orally administered agent. Opioid analgesic effects and learning theory can explain both increases and decreases in SIB after opioid blockade.     

Comparison of supports for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from H2 and O2 using Au–Pd catalysts

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from H₂ and O₂ using a range of supported Au–Pd alloy catalysts is compared for different supports using conditions previously identified as being optimal for hydrogen peroxide synthesis, i.e. low temperature (2 °C) using a water–methanol solvent mixture and short reaction time. Five supports are compared and contrasted, namely Al₂O₃, -Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, SiO₂ and carbon. For all catalysts the addition of Pd to the Au only catalyst increases the rate of hydrogen peroxide synthesis as well as the concentration of hydrogen peroxide formed. Of the materials evaluated, the carbon-supported Au–Pd alloy catalysts give the highest reactivity. The results show that the support can have an important influence on the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from the direct reaction. The effect of the methanol–water solvent is studied in detail for the 2.5 wt% Au–2.5 wt% Pd/TiO₂ catalyst and the ratio of methanol to water is found to have a major effect on the rate of hydrogen peroxide synthesis. The optimum mixture for this solvent system is 80 vol.% methanol with 20 vol.% water. However, the use of water alone is still effective albeit at a decreased rate. The effect of catalyst mass was therefore also investigated for the water and water–methanol solvents and the observed effect on the hydrogen peroxide productivity using water as a solvent is not considered to be due to mass transfer limitations. These results are of importance with respect to the industrial application of these Au–Pd catalysts.     

TES modeling for analysis of a video multiplexer

The transport of video images is likely to be a major application of high-speed networks of the future. These applications are capable of utilizing the high bandwidths that will become available with the advent of B-ISDN. In this paper, we propose a new methodology (called TES) for modeling the frame bitrate stream generated by compressed video sources. The main characteristic of this method is that it can model an arbitrary marginal distribution and approximate the autocorrelation structure of the random bitrate process generated by compressed frames. We present a modeling example utilizing this method, based on data from a video coding algorithm employing a layering technique. Using the source model, we develop a simulation model of a multiplexer of video sources. We show that this model can be used to address a number of design issues that arise in this class of problem. In particular, we show that for a layered video coding algorithm, it is possible to have a gain in the number of sources multiplexed at the cost of some loss of low priority packets.     

Cryptosystems using Linear Groups

Several suggestions are presented for developing cryptosystems, both classical and public key, using a combination of combinatorial group theory and linear groups. In particular, the Reidemeister-Schreier rewriting process is used as a one way function. These suggestions raise further questions concerning both implementation and security that are being explored in the thesis of Xu [16].     

Allelotype analysis of uterine leiomyoma: localization of a potential tumor suppressor gene to a 4-cM region of chromosome 7q

The degree and nature of patient involvement in consultations with health professionals influences problem and needs recognition and management, and public accountability. This paper suggests a framework for understanding the scope for patient involvement in such consultations. Patients are defined as co-producers of formal health services, whose potential for involvement in consultations depends on their personal rights, responsibilities and preferences. Patients' rights in consultations are poorly defined and, in the National Health Service (NHS), not legally enforceable. The responsibilities of patients are also undefined. I suggest that these are not to deny, of their own volition, the rights of others, which in consultations necessitate mutuality of involvement through information-exchange and shared decision-making. Preferences should be met insofar as they do not militate against responsibilities and rights.     

Direct function calls in lisp

This paper compares implementation strategies for function calls in compiled Lisp. We discuss various ways of allowing compiled call instructions to branch immediately to a callee's code (direct calls), rather than to refer to a symbol that points to the function's definition (indirect calls). We examine the performance of direct and indirect function calls on the VAX and MC68020, and on a RISC architecture—the SPUR multiprocessor. For the SPUR architecture, single indirection slows applications by 3–4%, and double indirection slows applications by 6–8%. The performance benefits of direct function calls are considerably smaller for the VAX and MC68020 architectures. We discuss also the costs and complexities involved in implementing direct function calls.     

Transporting Deformations of Face Emotions in the Shape Spaces: A Comparison of Different Approaches

Studying the changes of shape is a common concern in many scientific fields. We address here two problems: (1) quantifying the deformation between two given shapes and (2) transporting this deformation to morph a third shape. These operations can be done with or without point correspondence, depending on the availability of a surface matching algorithm, and on the type of mathematical procedure adopted. In computer vision, the re-targeting of emotions mapped on faces is a common application. We contrast here four different methods used for transporting the deformation toward a target once it was estimated upon the matching of two shapes. These methods come from very different fields such as computational anatomy, computer vision and biology. We used the large diffeomorphic deformation metric mapping and thin plate spline, in order to estimate deformations in a deformational trajectory of a human face experiencing different emotions. Then we use naive transport (NT), linear shift (LS), direct transport (DT) and fanning scheme (FS) to transport the estimated deformations toward four alien faces constituted by 240 homologous points and identifying a triangulation structure of 416 triangles. We used both local and global criteria for evaluating the performance of the 4 methods, e.g., the maintenance of the original deformation. We found DT, LS and FS very effective in recovering the original deformation while NT fails under several aspects in transporting the shape change. As the best method may differ depending on the application, we recommend carefully testing different methods in order to choose the best one for any specific application.

     

Real-time evaluation and visualization of learner performance in a mixed-reality environment for clinical breast examination

We investigate the efficacy of incorporating real-time feedback of user performance within mixed-reality environments (MREs) for training real-world tasks with tightly coupled cognitive and psychomotor components. This paper presents an approach to providing real-time evaluation and visual feedback of learner performance in an MRE for training clinical breast examination (CBE). In a user study of experienced and novice CBE practitioners (n = 69), novices receiving real-time feedback performed equivalently or better than more experienced practitioners in the completeness and correctness of the exam. A second user study (n = 8) followed novices through repeated practice of CBE in the MRE. Results indicate that skills improvement in the MRE transfers to the real-world task of CBE of human patients. This initial case study demonstrates the efficacy of MREs incorporating real-time feedback for training real-world cognitive-psychomotor tasks.