Passive-Based Walking Robot

In this article, we presented our passive-based biped Denise. Using only two foot contact switches as sensors and simple on/off pneumatic muscle action, it walks at 0.4 m/s and can handle floor disturbances up to 6 mm (leg length is 0.7 m). Its simplicity, efficiency, and die natural look of its motions make it a promising lead for the development of commercially viable humanoid robots. The aim of this article is to provide other researchers enough details so that they can reproduce the work or use it as a basis for future research.     

Remote sensing of species mixtures in conifer plantations using LiDAR height and intensity data

In even-aged, single species conifer plantations LiDAR height data can be modelled to provide accurate estimates of tree height and volume. However, it is apparent that growth models developed for single species stands are not directly transferable to a more general situation of mixed species plantations. This paper evaluates the ability of small footprint, dual-return, pulsed airborne LiDAR data to estimate the proportion of the productive species when mixed with a nurse crop in closed canopy plantations. A study area located in Galloway Forest District in Scotland is used as an example of Lodgepole pine and Sitka spruce mixed plantation; this area contains good examples of a wide range of pure and mixed species plantation types. Three species groups are studied: areas of pure Sitka spruce, areas of pure Lodgepole pine and areas where the two species have been planted together. Two approaches are assessed for detection of plantation mixtures: the first uses LiDAR intensity data to separate spruce and pine species and the second uses LiDAR-derived canopy density measures, coefficient of variation, skewness, percent of ground returns (which provides a measure of canopy openness) and the mean canopy height, which enables areas with height variations to be identified. From analysis of LiDAR data extracted from 54 study plots using logistic regression, the coefficient of variation and LiDAR intensity data provide the most useful predictors of the proportion of spruce in a pine/spruce mixture with coefficients of determination (R²) of 0.914 and 0.930 respectively. The method could be developed as a mapping tool, which in combination with existing inventory data should help to improve timber volume forecasting for mixed species even-aged plantations.     

Thermal simulation for geometric optimization of metallizedpolypropylene film capacitors

In this paper, the authors use an analytical model to calculate the losses in the metallized polypropylene film capacitors. The model is validated experimentally for capacitors having the same capacitance but different geometry. For each group of capacitors, a temperature distribution in the roll is assumed with the aim of optimizing its thermal performance. It appears that the heating of a long capacitor is higher than that of an equivalent flat capacitor subjected to the same electric stresses     

Providing application-level QoS in 3G/4G wireless systems: a comprehensive framework based on multirate CDMA

The emerging applications for 3G and 4G wireless systems typically require highly heterogeneous and time-varying quality of service from the underlying protocol layers. The wireless links, however, provide only an unreliable communication channel that suffers from temporal outages. As a consequence, protocol mechanisms are needed that, based on the unreliable wireless links, provide the different service qualities required by the emerging applications. We identify the emerging IP-based applications for 3G and 4G wireless systems and categorize their QoS requirements. We discuss the wireless access mechanisms that show promise as the basis for supporting these applications. We then propose a set of protocol mechanisms that, based on the discussed wireless access mechanisms, provide the required QoS for the different application categories.     

Microwave beam imaging by recombination continuum from the positive column of gas discharge in a cesium vapor-xenon mixture

A new sensitive method for imaging of the spatial distribution of microwave intensity is proposed. The method is based on the imaging of the 6P-recombination continuum of cesium, emitted from a nonequilibrium plasma of the positive column of gas discharge in a cesium vapor-xenon mixture. It is demonstrated that the spatial distribution of intensity of 35-GHz microwave radiation measured by this method in a focal plane of a lens well coincides with the pattern obtained with the aid of a movable microwave detector. The time resolution of the proposed microwave imaging system reaches 1 ms.     

Dynamic light scattering by gels under hydrostatic pressure

Measurements of variation with pressure of the collective diffusion constant D_c in polyacrylamide gels using both a good solvent (water) and a theta solvent (methanol 30% - water 70% by volume) are reported. From these observations the variation of ξ_h, the hydrodynamic screening length in the gel, is obtained, and compared with ξ_st, the static screening length. The latter is obtained from measurements of the density of the polymer solutions. In the concentration range studied (3%–10%) and for pressures up to 3 kbar, both ξ_h and ξ_st diminish with increasing pressure (i.e. the solvent quality improves), but the variation of ξ_h is more than an order of magnitude smaller than ξ_st for both the poor and good solvent cases.     

Effect of dose rate and length of storage on the ESR signal strength in irradiated chicken bone

One hundred and twenty-five pairs of chicken drumsticks were randomly allocated to one of five dose rates: 5, 10, 15, 20 or 600 kGyh-. The highest dose rate was obtained using a linear accelerator whilst the remaining dose rates were provided using a ⁶⁰Co gamma source. Each batch of 25 pairs was further divided into groups five of which were stored at 4°C for 0, 7, 14, 21 or 28 days. ESR spectroscopy was used to measure the intensity of the radiation-induced signal. There was a quadratic relationship between ESR signal strength and dose rate, which although statistically significant is unlikely to be of practical importance. The magnitude of the ESR signal declined by about 20% over the first 14 days of storage at 4°C and thereafter the decrease was minimal.