General Pattern Research Articles

Age, composition and spatial distribution of sandy loess in north‐eastern Germany (Fläming, Brandenburg)

AbstractThe sandy loess deposits in the lowlands of northern Germany present a valuable sedimentary archive for late Weichselian periglacial geomorphodynamics. While other aeolian sediments from the Late Quaternary, especially loess deposits and sand dunes, have been studied and dated in some detail in the last decades, sandy loess has received less scientific attention with respect to its genesis, composition, age and provenance as well as distribution patterns. In this study, we present detailed results for three sediment sections located on the Fläming ridge in the south of the state of Brandenburg. According to our results from luminescence dating, the sandy loess deposits of this area were deposited during the late MIS 2 (19–14 ka) with a highly variable thickness of at least up to 4 m, followed by a deposition of periglacial coversands shortly thereafter. The sandy loess deposits display a homogeneous geochemical composition and grain size characteristics similar to loess sections in the main loess areas to the west and south. Furthermore, we analysed a large dataset of geological drill data and performed a spatial interpolation of sandy loess distribution in the Western Fläming. Despite the strongly dissected modern landscape of the Fläming ridge which is partly the result of intense Holocene soil erosion processes, general patterns of the original loess distribution could be deduced. Based on these findings, we were able to identify the low‐lying areas to the north and north‐east of the study area to be the most likely source areas for the sandy loess as a result of katabatic winds originating from the Fennoscandian Ice Shield. Thereby, this study yields important insights regarding aeolian transport and deposition patterns under periglacial conditions in the Central European Lowlands.

Territory occupation sequence and population change 2005–2019 in a satellite versus core area for Grasshopper Warblers Locustella naevia

Because of habitat preferences and variation at a landscape level, a species’ distribution tends to show a level of aggregation. In the Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia, the distribution is linked to suitable breeding habitats of open grassy and herbaceous grounds, often adjacent to water. Consequently, the presence of the Grasshopper Warbler at landscape level will consist of core and satellite areas. In theory, birds can sense habitat quality and should occupy territories within those areas based on territory quality. It might also result in different population trends between different areas in the landscape. I tested these assumptions through a 15-year study in a satellite area, comparing the results to a nearby core area. In both areas, the males occupy a territory based on the perceived attractiveness, and general patterns of the territory utilization were similar between areas. Territory density was lower and the males arrived later in the satellite area, thereby confirming the satellite/core area relationship between the study areas. In the core area, no significant change in population size was noted, while in the satellite area, the population decreased significantly.

Quality improvement initiative to standardise the anthropometric assessment for children under the age of 5 years at an urban primary health centre in New Delhi

BackgroundAnthropometric assessment in the paediatric population is particularly important to assess the child’s general health status, nutritional adequacy, and growth and developmental pattern. However, there are often shortcomings in the...

The chained difference-in-differences

This paper studies the identification, estimation, and inference of long-term (binary) treatment effect parameters when balanced panel data is not available, or consists of only a subset of the available data. We develop a new estimator: the chained difference-in-differences, which leverages the overlapping structure of many unbalanced panel data sets. This approach consists in aggregating a collection of short-term treatment effects estimated on multiple incomplete panels. Our estimator accommodates (1) multiple time periods, (2) variation in treatment timing, (3) treatment effect heterogeneity, (4) general missing data patterns, and (5) sample selection on observables. We establish the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimator and discuss identification and efficiency gains in comparison to existing methods. Finally, we illustrate its relevance through (i) numerical simulations, and (ii) an application about the effects of an innovation policy in France.

Solute export patterns across the contiguous USA

AbstractUnderstanding controls on solute export to streams is challenging because heterogeneous catchments can respond uniquely to drivers of environmental change. To understand general solute export patterns, we used a large‐scale inductive approach to evaluate concentration–discharge (C–Q) metrics across catchments spanning a broad range of catchment attributes and hydroclimatic drivers. We leveraged paired C–Q data for 11 solutes from CAMELS‐Chem, a database built upon an existing dataset of catchment and hydroclimatic attributes from relatively undisturbed catchments across the contiguous USA. Because C–Q relationships with Q thresholds reflect a shift in solute export dynamics and are poorly characterized across solutes and diverse catchments, we analysed C–Q relationships using Bayesian segmented regression to quantify Q thresholds in the C–Q relationship. Threshold responses were rare, representing only 12% of C–Q relationships, 56% of which occurred for solutes predominantly sourced from bedrock. Further, solutes were dominated by one or two C–Q patterns that reflected vertical solute–source distributions. Specifically, solutes predominantly sourced from bedrock had diluting C–Q responses in 43%–70% of catchments, and solutes predominantly sourced from soils had more enrichment responses in 35%–51% of catchments. We also linked C–Q relationships to catchment and hydroclimatic attributes to understand controls on export patterns. The relationships were generally weak despite the diversity of solutes and attribute types considered. However, catchment and hydroclimatic attributes in the central USA typically drove the most divergent export behaviour for solutes. Further, we illustrate how our inductive approach generated new hypotheses that can be tested at discrete, representative catchments using deductive approaches to better understand the processes underlying solute export patterns. Finally, given these long‐term C–Q relationships are from minimally disturbed catchments, our findings can be used as benchmarks for change in more disturbed catchments.

Alfvén Wing‐Like Structures in Titan's Magnetotail During T122‐T126 Flybys

AbstractIn this paper, we study Titan's magnetotail using Cassini data from the T122‐T126 flybys. These consecutive flybys had a similar flyby geometry and occurred at similar Saturn magnetospheric conditions, enabling an analysis of the magnetotail's structure. Using measurements from Cassini's magnetometer (MAG) and Radio and Plasma Wave System/Langmuir probe (RPWS/LP) we identify several features consistent with reported findings from earlier flybys, for example, T9, T63 and T75. We find that the so‐called ’split’ signature of the magnetotail becomes more prominent at distances of at least 3,260 km (1.3 RT) downstream of Titan. We also identify a specific signature of the sub‐alfvenic interaction of Titan with Saturn, the Alfvén wings, which are observed during the T123 and T124 flyby. A coordinate transformation is applied to mitigate variations in the upstream magnetic field, and all the flybys are projected into a new reference frame—aligned to the background magnetic field reference frame (BFA). We show that Titan's magnetotail is confined to a narrow region of around ∼4 RT YBFA. Finally, we analyze the general draping pattern in Titan's magnetotail throughout the TA to T126 flybys.

Aggregate Boid behavior to aid in artificial autopoietic organization

Analyzing carbon-based life on earth can lead to biased inferences on the nature of life as might exist in elsewhere in the universe in alternative forms, therefore, scientists have looked into either abstracting life into constituent systems it is comprised of, or logics of life, or lists of essential criteria, or essential dynamic patterning that characterizes the living. A system-level characterization that is and referred to as a general pattern of minimal life is autopoiesis (Varela et al., 1974) including production, maintenance and replacement of required constituents for setting up and maintaining an internal environment with self/other separation that regulates and is constitutive of processes that produce the environment and components for processes that comprise this ongoing activity of self-production in ‘recursively’, i.e., in a manner that allows the organizational pattern to continually reconstitute the conditions, components and processes required for its own perpetuation. This seminal concept of an autopoiesis is instantiated in life as we know it, but might also be instantiated in different media and in unforeseen ways. Other researchers have argued life is more than autopoiesis and that it is a co-emergent property of autopoiesis and cognition. Life produces many emergent properties such as synchronization and patterns as seen in flocks and herds of different animal species. The mechanics of this synchrony displayed in flocks and herd animals has been extracted by Craig Reynolds into a generative model referred to as “Boids”. With these concepts in mind, we address the following research question: How can the synchronous maneuvers and aggregate behavior of Boids contribute to constitutive subsystems in realizing an autopoietic system? Can such a system exhibit minimal cognition? This work attempts to answer these questions with a bottom-up approach to constructing an artificial life system. We exhibit a computational model of autopoiesis and a minimal level of cognition in the sense of M. Bitbol and P. Luigi Luisi, whereby an autopoietic entity engages in active assimilation of external components as part of its activity of self-production.

The Northeast of England in the era of the Wars of the Roses (using the example of the Paston family)

The subject of the study is the participation of the English small-scale provincial nobility in the events of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) and their behavior patterns in the context of a dynastic conflict, using the example of the fate of John Paston from Norfolk County (northeast of England). Special attention is paid to how the relationship between the average nobleman and his neighbors was built, the circle of his acquaintances, the degree of involvement in national politics, personal conflicts and motives. Both the general patterns characteristic of the fate of most representatives of the privileged class of the XV century are considered, as well as the specifics that distinguish the region specifically studied and the personalities of interest to us in comparison with data from other counties (primarily the south-west of England). The main source is the fundamental family archive "Letters of the Pastors", which contains invaluable information on the English history of the period we are interested in. The research is based on the principles of historicism and scientific objectivity and is based on the problem-chronological principle. Analytical, comparative historical and dialectical methods are used in the analysis of historical sources. Due to the fact that the study is built around the biography of a particular person, the events of the epoch we are interested in are considered from the perspective of microhistory. Within the framework of the study, the working hypothesis developed by the author in other articles ("John Trevelyan and the Wars of the Roses", "English provincial Nobility and the Wars of the Roses", "The political struggle of the era of the Wars of the Roses in the light of English parliamentary legislation") on the evolution of the policy of the royal power in relation to the provincial nobility is being tested. At the initial stage of the Wars of the Roses, the Lancastrian party is the first to move to form the ranks of its supporters in the counties, which, using the example of Norfolk, leads to a conflict between John Paston and Lord Molanes, a prominent supporter of the Lancaster dynasty. The fact that Paston did not become an active Yorkist turned into difficulties for him at the next stage, when King Edward IV switched to a policy of reconciliation of warring factions, which is why the nobles, who remained neutral during the conflict, found themselves at enmity with both supporters of the Yorks and former Lancastrians reconciled with the new dynasty.

Occurrent beliefs about emotions predict emotion regulation in everyday life.

Whether and how people regulate their negative emotions matters a great deal. However, it is not yet clear why people regulate as they do. One promising idea is that people's beliefs shape their emotion regulation choices, and initial evidence indicates that individuals' dispositional beliefs about emotions are indeed associated with general patterns of emotion regulation. The present study extends prior work on emotion beliefs to better understand how occurrent (i.e., momentary) beliefs about helpfulness, controllability, and justification of specific emotions shape whether and how people regulate negative emotions in everyday life. Participants (N = 143; U.S. community college students recruited in 2022; 76% female; age = 18-60) completed a 7-day experience-sampling protocol in which they were pinged three times per day to describe their most recent negative experiences and answer questions about their emotions, occurrent beliefs about emotions, and emotion regulation. With respect to whether people regulate their emotions, results reveal that people regulate their emotions more when they perceive them to be less helpful. Exploratory analyses additionally show that people regulate negative emotions more when they perceive them to be more controllable and when emotional intensity is relatively high. In terms of how people regulate their emotions, people are more likely to use reappraisal when emotions are seen as more helpful, more controllable, and less justified; and more likely to use distraction when emotions are seen as less helpful and more justified. These findings contribute to a more fine-grained understanding of how beliefs shape emotion regulation in everyday life.respect to whether people regulate their emotions, results reveal that people regulate their emotions more when they perceive them to be less helpful. Exploratory analyses additionally show that people regulate negative emotions more when they perceive them to be more controllable and when emotional intensity is relatively high. In terms of how people regulate their emotions, people are more likely to use reappraisal when emotions are seen as more helpful, more controllable, and less justified; and more likely to use distraction when emotions are seen as less helpful and more justified. These findings contribute to a more fine-grained understanding of how beliefs shape emotion regulation (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Ondas longas de crescimento econômico na Ásia e na Europa Ocidental, 1950-2020: existem aspectos de causação e contradição circular-cumulativa?

ABSTRACT This paper discusses some comparative analysis between the pattern of economic performances in Asia and Western Europe during 1950s-2020s through political economies perspective. The Asian and Western European economic performances are investigated through some stylized facts in the sense of economic factors. Three analyses are used to explain the general pattern of these regions. First, this study examines the pattern of GDP growth per capita during the 1950s-2020s, focusing on several countries in this region. Second, the analysis captures the pattern of linkages of economic variables in this region related to the principle of Circular and Cumulative causation (CCC) and contradiction. Third, the analysis employs a historical perspective underpinned by the results in the second analysis. This third analysis is crucial to appreciating Asia’s global economic performance and also the process of Western deterioration phenomenon through long wave, including the occurrence recession and financial crises. The institutions of globalization and neoliberalism that put the power of capital promoted a financial crisis several times during the decades of 1980s-2020. The financial crisis is depicted by contradictions in the structural linkages among economic factors in Western Europe over the period.

Parental Education as a Factor Correlated to Cognitive Performance in Offspring

Abstract Background The purpose of the study was to investigate the correlation between the results of 4 cognitive tests and years of parental education and to analyze their impact on cognitive performance in mentally healthy subjects. Subjects and Methods The sample consisted of 72 mentally healthy subjects (25 men, 47 women) assessed by 4 cognitive tests – the Trail Making Test A (TMT-A), the Trail Making Test Β (TMT-B), Digit Symbol Test (DST) and Verbal Fluency Test (VFT). Results were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis and the partial correlation method to control the influence of one factor on the correlation between two variables. Results More years of parental education were associated with higher cognitive results. All four tests showed that mother's years of education have stronger positive influence on the cognitive performance of the child than fathers's years of education. For mothers this positive influential correlation have reached statistical significance for two cognitive tests – TMT-A (p < .000) and TMT-B (p < .007) and for DST was dose to reaching statistical significance (p <. 103), while for fathers only TMT-A has showed a statistically significant correlation. These general patterns of tendencies of parental education as a factor correlated to cognitive performance in offspring are retained even after Controlling for subject's age or years of education, which independently have strong correlations with the results of the 4 cognitive tests. Conclusions Mother's years of education affect cognitive functions of the offspring much more than father's years of education.

Evolutionary adaptations generally reverse phenotypic plasticity to restore ancestral phenotypes during new environment adaptation in cattle.

Phenotype plasticity and evolution adaptations are the two main ways in which allow populations to deal with environmental changes, but the potential relationship between them remains controversial. Using a reciprocal transplant approach with cattle adapted to the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent lowlands, we aim to investigate the relative contributions of evolutionary processes and phenotypic plasticity in driving both phenotypic and transcriptomic changes under natural conditions. We observed that while numerous genetic transcriptomic changes were evident during the forward adaptation to highland environments, plastic changes predominantly facilitate the transformation of transcriptomes into a preferred state when Tibetan cattle are reintroduced to lowland habitats. Genes with ancestral plasticity are generally reversed by evolutionary adaptations and show a closer expression level to the ancestral stage in evolved Tibetan cattle. A similar trend was also observed at the phenotypes level, with a majority of biochemical and hemorheology phenotypes showing a tendency to revert to their ancestral patterns, suggesting the restoration of ancestral expression levels is a widespread evolutionary trend during adaptation. The findings of our study contribute to the debate regarding the relative contributions of plasticity and genetic changes in mammal environment adaptation. Furthermore, we highlight that the restoration of ancestral phenotypes represents a general pattern in cattle new environment adaptation.

Comparative Analysis of Gender-Based Differences in Behavioral Mastery, Goals, and Characteristics in Autistic Individuals: An Applied Behavior Analysis Study.

Introduction It is widely recognized that the prevalence and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more common in males than in females. Despite this, there is a significant gap in the body of autism research that investigates gender differences for treatment effects of applied behavior analysis (ABA) across a variety of measured variables. This research aims to comprehensively evaluate gender distinctions concerning target behavioral objectives, goals, and deficit variables. Materials and methods This study analyzed retrospective data from 100 participants, including 89 juveniles and four adults, with seven cases lacking age documentation, who underwent a three-month ABAprogram from March 19 to June 11, 2023. The ABA program included various methodologies such as functional analysis, discrete trial training, mass trials, and naturalistic training. Data on outcome measures, including target behavioral proficiency, age, average trials to proficiency, average teaching days to proficiency, open behavioral objectives, and target trends, were collected using the "Catalyst"software (Catalyst Software Corporation, New York, NY). Participant demographics were summarized using statistical analyses for categorical (gender and race/ethnicity) and continuous variables (percentage of mastered behavioral objectives, age, average trials, average teaching days, open objectives, percentage of failed objectives during maintenance, percentage of objectives with upward, downward, and flat trends). These statistics included mean, standard deviation, median, and rangeand were analyzed inferentially using nine separate two-sample independent t-tests and corresponding effect sizes using Cohen's d. Results There were no statistically significant disparities based on gender (p > 0.05) across all nine variables examined: Percentage of Targets Mastered, Age, Average Trials to Mastery, Average Teaching Days to Mastery, Open Targets, Percentage of Targets Failed in Maintenance, Percentage of Targets Trending Up, Percentage of Targets Trending Down, and Percentage of Targets Trending Flat, and wide confidence intervals were detected. Conclusions Non-significant gender differences in response to ABA treatments regarding these nine behavioral goals, mastery, and deficitvariables may be relevant. They suggest that ABA treatments could be equally beneficial for both male and female autistic individuals. These results should be interpreted cautiously. The general pattern observed, characterized by broad confidence intervals, carries a degree of statistical uncertainty, which may suggest substantial gender differences. These results might question the prevailing beliefs about the variation in treatment response based on gender. This could profoundly impact clinical practices, implying that healthcare professionals should not favor one gender over another when suggesting ABA therapies. Instead, the treatment advice should be tailored to each child's unique requirements and traits, regardless of gender. The investigators expect these results to encourage additional research in this field. Comprehending the elements that affect treatment response is vital for improving treatment results and customizing care.

Extreme specificity in obligate mutualism-A role for competition?

Obligate mutualisms, reciprocally obligate beneficial interactions, are some of the most important mutualisms on the planet, providing the basis for the evolution of the eukaryotic cell, the formation and persistence of terrestrial ecosystems and the establishment and expansion of coral reefs. In addition, these mutualisms can also lead to the diversification of interacting partner species. Accompanying this diversification is a general pattern of a high degree of specificity among interacting partner species. A survey of obligate mutualisms demonstrates that greater than half of these systems have only one or two mutualist species on each side of the interaction. This is in stark contrast to facultative mutualisms that can have dozens of interacting mutualist species. We posit that the high degree of specificity in obligate mutualisms is driven by competition within obligate mutualist guilds that limits species richness. Competition may be particularly potent in these mutualisms because mutualistic partners are totally dependent on each other's fitness gains, which may fuel interspecific competition. Theory and the limited number of empirical studies testing for the role of competition in determining specificity suggest that competition may be an important force that fuels the high degree of specificity. Further empirical research is needed to dissect the relative roles of trait complementarity, mutualism regulation, and competition among mutualist guild members in determining mutualism specificity at local scales.

Cryo-electron tomography reveals the packaging pattern of RuBisCOs in Synechococcus β-carboxysome

Carboxysomes are large self-assembled microcompartments that serve as the central machinery of a CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM). Biogenesis of carboxysome requires the fine organization of thousands of individual proteins; however, the packaging pattern of internal RuBisCOs remains largely unknown. Here we purified the intact β-carboxysomes from Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 and identified the protein components by mass spectrometry. Cryo-electron tomography combined with subtomogram averaging revealed the general organization pattern of internal RuBisCOs, in which the adjacent RuBisCOs are mainly arranged in three distinct manners: head-to-head, head-to-side, and side-by-side. The RuBisCOs in the outermost layer are regularly aligned along the shell, the majority of which directly interact with the shell. Moreover, statistical analysis enabled us to propose an ideal packaging model of RuBisCOs in the β-carboxysome. These results provide new insights into the biogenesis of β-carboxysomes and also advance our understanding of the efficient carbon fixation functionality of carboxysomes.

Ultrastructural Organization and Metal Elemental Composition of the Mandibles in Two Ladybird Species.

The mandibles are among the most important appendages of insects' mouthparts. Their morpho-functional organization is correlated with the variation in dietary preferences. In this study, we investigated the ultrastructural organization and metal composition of the mandibles of two ladybird species with different dietary habits: Harmonia axyridis (an entomophagous species) and Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata (a phytophagous species). The ultrastructural organization was studied using Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy, whereas the metal composition was investigated using Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Significant differences were observed in the general organization and metal enrichment pattern between the two species. The mandibles of H. axyridis are large and present a molar part with two teeth, with the apical one showing a bifid apex. In contrast, S. vigintiquatuorpunctata exhibited a molar region with several teeth on its apical part. The study revealed significant differences in metal content between the teeth and the prostheca of H. axyridis. Mn was the most abundant element in teeth, whereas Cl was more abundant in the prostheca. In the case of S. vigintiquatuorpunctata, Si was the most abundant element in the prostheca, while Mn was more present in the teeth. A comparison between the two species revealed that both teeth and prostheca showed significant variation in the elemental composition. These findings underscore the role of dietary preferences in shaping the structural and metal composition variations in the mandibles of these two ladybird species.

Spirit of Entrepreneurship in Islamic Higher Education

Purpose: This research aims to analyze the meaning, management, impact of implementation, and formulate ideas for developing entrepreneurship in the Sharia Economics Study Program at IAIN Curup.Design/Method/Approach: This field research uses a qualitative descriptive approach. The primary data sources in this research are the chairman, secretary, Sharia Economics Study Program staff, and HMPS Sharia Economics students. The data collection techniques used is observation, interviews and documentation. Meanwhile, data analysis techniques go through the stages of reading all the data, compiling data, knowing general patterns of data, grouping data, conclusions, and triangulation.Findings: The research results show that students see entrepreneurship as creating, developing and managing businesses for profit. Preparation for business, characteristics of entrepreneurs and ICT are also important. Meanwhile, success can be seen from profits, achieved goals, business development, customer satisfaction and product consistency. Students run the Nurulillah Shop entrepreneurial business with facilities and funding from the study program and HMPS, integrating ICT in promotions, and managing time and business management with group strategies. The application of entrepreneurship has an impact on increasing knowledge and skills, motivation, benchmarks for facing business challenges, financial independence, and developing relationships that support the development of entrepreneurship. The development idea formulated is called Entrepreneurial Prosperity, namely to achieve success in entrepreneurship through product development, science and technology, partners, support, awards and mentorship.Originality/Values: contribution to this research is to see the spirit of Sharia Economics students in entrepreneurship in the IAIN Curup environment

Pengembangan Model Manajemen Evaluasi Pembelajaran Terpadu untuk Pendidikan Islam Anak Usia Dini (PIAUD)

Early childhood requires a learning approach that considers individual needs and encourages the development of socio-emotional and cognitive skills. A stimulating and inclusive learning environment is essential to ensure every child has an equal opportunity to thrive. This research investigates various practical pedagogical approaches in early childhood education, focusing on developing socio-emotional, cognitive, and holistic skills. This research uses a qualitative approach by conducting a comprehensive literature review of various effective learning strategies in early childhood education. Data were analyzed thematically to identify general patterns and emerging trends. The research results show that a practical pedagogical approach in early childhood education involves using inclusive and child-centered learning methods that emphasize developing socio-emotional and cognitive skills. Involving parents, school staff, and the community has also proven critical in creating a supportive and stimulating learning environment. This research concludes that quality early childhood education requires a holistic and inclusive pedagogical approach. Educators and educational practitioners must continue developing evidence-based learning practices and integrating findings from this research into their daily practice. This will ensure every child has the same opportunity to develop to their full potential in a supportive and stimulating learning environment.

LOAD-LOADING CAPACITY AND CRACK FORMATION OF REINFORCED CONCRETE CYLINDRICAL SHELL WHEN CHANGING ITS THICKNESS

The results of experimental studies of long cylindrical shells with the aim of determining their stress-strain state, load-bearing capacity and crack resistance when the thickness of the shell changes are described. A special stand was developed by the authors to implement the task. 4 models of a cylindrical shell made of reinforced concrete (samples RC1-RC4) were manufactured and tested. The thickness of the samples was 45, 50, 55, 60 mm, and the cross-sectional dimensions of the side elements were changed accordingly. The distributed load (vertical) was applied in four strips, each 13 cm wide, and only the body of the shell, i.e. the side members were not loaded. The shell hinges from the corners on 100x100mm plates. Inside each side element are two reinforcing rods with a diameter of 10 mm. In order to obtain a complete and reliable picture of the deformation of the shell surface, 4 hour-type indicators are attached to each of the three zones located between the load chains. In addition to indicators, strain gauges were pasted on the shell, which were used to monitor deformations on the upper and lower surfaces. The loading process ended when the tested shell lost its ability to resist the external load. The magnitude of the load corresponding to this moment was taken as the bearing capacity of the shell. Simultaneously with the shell samples, control samples of prisms and cubes were made to determine the physical and mechanical characteristics of concrete. Graphs of the dependence of the relative deformation on the load were constructed. The bearing capacity of the shells and the load at which the first crack formed were determined. By the time of loss of bearing capacity, cracks with the same initial opening width of 0.05 mm had formed in all shells. The final crack opening width, as well as the load-bearing capacity, slightly increased with increasing shell thickness. However, the load at the beginning of crack formation turned out to be the largest for the two average values of the shell thickness – 50 and 55 mm. The general pattern of cracking of all samples is almost the same. The test methodology and the developed stand are universal in nature and will be used for further research.

Image moment-based visual positioning and robust tracking control of ultra-redundant manipulator

Image moment features can describe more general target patterns and have good decoupling properties. However, the image moment features that control the camera’s rotation motion around the x-axis and y-axis mainly depend on the target image itself. In this paper, the ultra-redundant manipulator visual positioning and robust tracking control method based on the image moments are advocated.First, six image moment features used to control camera motion around the x-axis and around the y-axis are proposed. And then, a novel method is proposed to use to select image features. For tracking a moving target, a kalman filter combined with adaptive fuzzy sliding mode control method is proposed to achieve tracking control of moving targets, which can estimate changes in image features caused by the target’s motion on-line and compensate for estimation errors. Finally, the experimental system based on Labview-RealTime system and ultra-redundant manipulator is used to verify the real-time performance and practicability of the algorithm. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the validity of the image features and tracking method.