Undersea optical stationkeeping: Improved methods

Submersibles require the capability to accurately maintain their position when they are observing, photographing, or working at a site. The most direct way for an ROV or AUV to maintain position in the near bottom environment is to track or lock onto stationary objects on the ocean floor. A particular advantage of an optical stationkeeping system is its ability to use natural rather than manmade beacons. Several improvements to our previously reported optical flow methods for the detection of vehicle motion have been investigated. Experimental results indicate that an adaptation of Newton-Raphson search combined with the use of a low-noise, high accuracy camera can drastically reduce the number of image points at which computations need be made. Other experiments with an algorithm, which accounts for illumination variations that one may encounter in undersea environments, show significant improvement in the estimation of optical flow and vehicle motion.     

Using mechatronics to teach mechanical design and technical communication

It is commonly accepted that hands-on experiences increase both learning and enjoyment during coursework. Mechatronics projects provide both interesting and relevant hands-on experiences for a wide range of topics including design processes, basic mechatronics concepts, technical communication, and working in a group environment. ME2110: Creative Decisions and Design at Georgia Tech integrates mechatronics and technical communication into a sophomore level mechanical design class. This paper describes the course in detail, highlighting the course goals and layout, tools provided to the students, industry involvement, and the main challenges of administering such a course.     

Thermal Evaluation of Scorched Graphite-Epoxy Panels by Infrared Scanning

A simple measurement system is described for evaluating damage to graphite-epoxy panels, such as those used in high-performance aircraft. The system uses a heating laser and infrared imaging system to measure thermal performance. Thermal conductivity or diffusivity is a sensitive indicator of damage in materials, allowing this thermal measurement to show various degrees of damage in graphite-epoxy composites. Our measurements track well with heat-flux damage to graphite epoxy panels. This measurement system, including analysis software, could easily be used in the field, such as on the deck of an aircraft carrier or at remote air strips.     

Psychological separation, attachment security, vocational self-concept crystallization, and career indecision: A structural equation analysis.

Structural equation modeling was used to test theoretically based models in which psychological separation and attachment security variables were related to career indecision and those relations were mediated through vocational self-concept crystallization. In contrast to previous studies, which have found either weak or no support for a relation between separation or attachment security variables and career indecision, results based on a sample of 350 college students indicated that some components of separation and attachment security did relate to career indecision in a theoretically supportable direction. Results also revealed that regardless of whether global or component career indecision measures were used, separation and attachment security effects on indecision were at least partially mediated through vocational self-concept crystallization. The strongest mediated relations were observed for the effects of attachment anxiety and maternal separation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Category Norms as a Function of Culture and Age: Comparisons of Item Responses to 105 Categories by American and Chinese Adults.

Understanding how aging influences cognition across different cultures has been hindered by a lack of standardized, cross-referenced verbal stimuli. This study introduces a database of such item-level stimuli for both younger and older adults, in China and the United States, and makes 3 distinct contributions. First, the authors specify which item categories generalize across age and/or cultural groups, rigorously quantifying differences among them. Second, they introduce novel, powerful methods to measure between-group differences in freely generated ranked data, the rank-ordered logit model and Hellinger Affinity. Finally, a broad archive of tested, cross-linguistic stimuli is now freely available to researchers: data, similarity measures, and all stimulus materials for 105 categories and 4 culture-by-age groups, comprising over 10,000 fully translated unique item responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Role of Network Topologies in the Optical Core of IP-over-WDM Networks with Static Wavelength Routing

In this paper, we present a performance analysis of network topologies for the optical core of IP-over-WDM networks with static wavelength routing. The performance analysis is focused on regular degree four topologies, and, for comparison purposes, degree three topologies are also considered. It is shown that the increase of the nodal degree from three (degree three topology with smallest diameter) to four (degree four topology with smallest diameter) improves the network performance if a larger number of wavelengths per link is available. However, the influence of wavelength interchange on the nodal degree gain is small. The performance of regular degree four topologies with smallest diameter is also compared with the performance of mesh–torus topologies (which are also degree four topologies), and it is shown that the blocking probability of degree four topologies with smallest diameter is about two orders of magnitude lower than the blocking probability of mesh–torus topologies. It is also presented a performance comparison of WDM-based networks with nodal degrees ranging from two to five and it is shown that the increase of the nodal degree from two to three leads to high nodal degree gains, while de increase of the nodal degree from four to five leads to low nodal degree gains. These results show that degree three and degree four topologies are very attractive for use in the optical core of IP-over-WDM networks.     

Decision Support System for Stakeholder Involvement

Stakeholder involvement is essential to the development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) and its implementation plan. A tool, beyond a simulation model, is needed to support the decision making process that requires negotiation and compromise among stakeholders. The decision support system (DSS) described herein has a TMDL module to calculate various combinations of point and nonpoint loads that can meet the water quality criteria. Its Consensus module allows stakeholders to formulate, evaluate, modify, and vote for alternatives. The DSS displays bar charts for pollution loads from various subwatersheds and attributes the nonpoint loads to land uses. The water quality consequence of the pollution loads is output in maps, which shows sections meeting criteria in green and those not in red. The DSS requires a front end effort of site specific adaptation and model calibration. An Internet-based stakeholder process was developed to allow more concerned citizens to participate in management decisions.     

A methodology for assessing gamebird use of short rotation coppice

Gamebirds provide a considerable incentive to plant and manage new woodlands. The supplementary income thus generated can improve their overall value. Other studies suggest that Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) crops may provide an attractive habitat for some gamebird species and could increase the value of the crop. To investigate this, the use by pheasants and partridge of different types of SRC at one site was assessed.

A method using sand quadrats to record gamebird footprints and hence relative use was developed. Pheasant footprints were recorded more frequently in the quadrats alongside the willow coppice, whereas partridge footprints occurred more frequently alongside the poplar coppice. Footprint analysis offers a reliable method of investigating how gamebirds use different types of SRC within small areas. The results are considered in terms of the placement of short rotation coppice plantations in the landscape to improve their ecological design.     

Microsatellite instability in follicle centre cell lymphoma

Fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to assay 12 microsatellite markers (APC x 2, DCC, P53 x 2, RB1, NM23, WT1, D6S260, D6S262, D6S281 and TNFa) to look for evidence of microsatellite instability in 40 cases of follicle centre cell lymphoma (FCC). Evidence of novel alleles seen in the tumour tissue but not the normal uninvolved tissue was seen in seven cases (17%). In only two of these cases (5%) was more than one locus involved but in these cases multiple affected loci were seen (4/12 and 7/12 respectively). The detection of microsatellite instability indicates a DNA repair defect such as that which would be predicted to occur in cells with mutated mismatch repair genes, a novel finding in FCC lymphoma.