Angle Interval Research Articles

GPS Based Navigation Performance Analysis within and beyond the Space Service Volume for Different Transmitters’ Antenna Patterns

In recent years, global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based navigation in high earth orbits (HEOs) has become a field of research interest since it can increase the spacecraft’s autonomy, thereby reducing the operating costs. However, the GNSS availability and the GNSS-based navigation performance for a spacecraft orbiting above the GNSS constellation are strongly constrained by the signals’ power levels at the receiver position and the sensitivity. The simulated level of signal power at the receiver’s position may considerably increase or decrease when assuming different gain/attenuation values of the transmitter antenna for a certain azimuth and elevation. Assuming a slightly different antenna pattern therefore may significantly change the simulated signal’s availability results and accordingly the simulated navigation accuracy, leading to an inexact identification of the requirements for the GNSS receiver. This problem particularly concerns the case of orbital trajectories above the GNSS constellation, where most of the signals received are radiated from the secondary lobe of the transmitters’ antennas, for which typically very little information is known. At the time of this study, it was possible to model quite accurately the global positioning system (GPS) L1 antenna patterns for the IIR and IIR-M Blocks because of the precise information available. No accurate information was available for the GPS L1 antenna patterns of the IIF Block. Even less accurate information was available on the GPS L5 antenna patterns. In this context, this paper aims at investigating the effect of different antenna pattern assumptions on the simulated signal availability and on the consequent simulated navigation performance of a spaceborne receiver orbiting in a very highly elliptical orbit from the Earth to the Moon. Initially the impact of averaging the transmitter’s antenna gain over the azimuth, a typical assumption in many studies, is analyzed. Afterwards, we also consider three different L5 antenna patterns assumed in the literature (the precise L5 patterns are unfortunately not yet fully available). For each of the considered antenna pattern assumptions, we simulate received signal power level, availability, geometric dilution of precision (GDOP), and navigation accuracy in order to evaluate their different effects. After identifying the most conservative assumptions for the transmitters’ antenna patterns, for each elevation of the receiver antenna, we also compute the number of available GNSS observations and analyze their distribution. Moreover, possible aiding of the acquisition process using the prediction of the elevation at which the signal is transmitted, as well as the elevation at which the signal is received, are discussed. Finally, the impact on the GDOP of using only signals transmitted from certain angle intervals of the transmitter antenna pattern and the importance of selecting the transmitters that provide the best GDOP (in the case of a receiver with a limited number of channels) are considered and discussed.

Elastic analytical solutions and angular distributions near spot weld nugget in lap-shear specimens

Spot welding has been a remarkably important joint method for automotive body engineering. Based on a simplified two-dimensional analytical model in a lap-shear specimen, the elastic analytical solutions near spot weld nugget are theoretically derived to analyze stress distributions. A Cartesian coordinate system is centered at the center of the nugget, and the shear or resultant force acting on the nugget is marked as the positive x-direction. The results show that the normalized radial and hoop stresses are negative at the angle intervals between [66.25°, 113.75°] and [246.25°, 293.74°], while the normalized shear stress is negative at the angle intervals between [0°, 90°] and [180°, 270°]. It can be observed that the locations with the initial yielding failure change gradually from the normalized radial distance of 1.34 to the circumference of the spot weld nugget, and finally to the infinity as the angle increases. The normalized effective stress could approach to 1.84 as the normalized radial distance goes to infinity. In addition, the obtained analytical solutions are validated in the comparison with numerical results. The locations with peak Von Mises stresses along the circumference of the spot weld nugget have a good agreement with the analytical solutions. It indicates that the initial yielding locations would likely occur at the four special angles of the spot weld nugget. Therefore, the derived stress distributions in this study are beneficial for analyzing yielding failure behavior or evaluating damage evolution on engineering structures jointed with spot welds.

Direction-dependent Corrections in Polarimetric Radio Imaging. I. Characterizing the Effects of the Primary Beam on Full-Stokes Imaging

Abstract Next generation radio telescope arrays are being designed and commissioned to accurately measure polarized intensity and rotation measures (RMs) across the entire sky through deep, wide-field radio interferometric surveys. Radio interferometer dish antenna arrays are affected by direction-dependent (DD) gains due to both instrumental and atmospheric effects. In this paper, we demonstrate the effect of DD errors of the parabolic dish antenna array on the measured polarized intensities of radio sources in interferometric images. We characterize the extent of polarimetric image degradation due to the DD gains through wide-band VLA simulations of representative point-source simulations of the radio sky at L band (1–2 GHz). We show that at the 0.5 gain level of the primary beam there is significant flux leakage from Stokes I to Q, U amounting to 10% of the total intensity. We further demonstrate that while the instrumental response averages down for observations over large parallactic angle intervals, full-polarization DD correction is required to remove the effects of DD leakage. We also explore the effect of the DD beam on the RM signals and show that while the instrumental effect is primarily centered around 0 rad-m−2, the effect is significant over a broad range of RM requiring full polarization DD correction to accurately reconstruct the RM synthesis signal.

Improvement of FDM parts’ surface quality using optimized neural networks – medical case studies

PurposeTo improve the quality of the additive manufacturing (AM) products, it is necessary to estimate surface roughness distribution in advance. Although surface roughness estimation has been previously studied, factors leading to the creation of a rough surface and a comprehensive test for model validation have not been adequately investigated. Therefore, this paper aims to establish a robust model using empirical data based on optimized artificial neural networks (ANNs) to estimate the surface roughness distribution in fused deposition modelling parts. Accordingly, process parameters such as time, cost and quality should be optimized in the process planning stage.Design/methodology/approachProcess parameters were selected via a literature review of surface roughness estimation modelling by analytical and empirical methods, and then a specific test part was fabricated to provide a complete evaluation of the proposed model. The ANN structure was optimized by trial and error method and evolutionary algorithms. A novel methodology based on the combination of the intelligent algorithms including the ANN, linked to the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA), was developed. The PSOICA algorithm was implemented to increase the capability of the ANN to perform much faster and converge more precisely to favorable results. The performances of the ANN models were compared to the most well-known analytical models at build angle intervals of equal size. The most effective process variable was found by sensitivity analysis. The validity of proposed model was studied comprehensively where different truncheon parts and medical case studies including molar tooth, skull, femur and a custom-made hip stem were built.FindingsThis paper presents several improvements in surface roughness distribution modelling including a more suitable method for process parameter selection according to the design criteria and improvements in the overall surface roughness of parts as compared to analytical methods. The optimized ANN based on the proposed advanced algorithm (PSOICA) represents precise estimation and faster convergence. The validity assessment confirms that the proposed methodology performs better in varied conditions and complex shapes.Originality/valueThis research fills an important gap in surface roughness distribution estimation modelling by using a test part designed for that purpose and optimized ANN models which uses purely empirical data. The novel PSOICA combination enhances the ability of the ANN to perform more accurately and quickly. The advantage in using actual surface roughness values is that all factors resulting in the creation of a rough surface are included, which is impossible if other methods are used.

Mental body transformation deficits in patients with chronic balance disorders.

Movements may be generated consistent with imagining one's own body transformed or "disembodied" to a new position. Based on this concept we hypothesized that patients with objective balance deficits (obj-BD) would have altered neural transformation processes executing own body transformation (OBT) with functional consequences on balance control. Also we examined whether feeling unstable due to dizziness only (DO), without an obj-BD, also lead to an impaired OBT. 32 patients with chronic dizziness were tested: 16 patients with obj-BD as determined by balance control during a sequence of stance and gait tasks, 16 patients with dizziness only (DO). Patients and 9 healthy controls (HCs) were asked to replicate roll trunk movements of an instructor in a life size video: first, with spontaneously copied (SPO) or "embodied" egocentric movements (lean when the instructor leans); second, with "disembodied" or "transformed" movements (OBT) with exact replication - lean left when the instructor leans left. Onset latency of trunk roll, rise time to peak roll angle (interval), roll velocity, and amplitude were measured. SPO movements were always mirror-imaged. OBT task latencies were significantly longer and intervals shorter than for SPO tasks (p < 0.03) for all groups. Obj-BD but not DO patients had more errors for the OBT task and, compared to HCs, had longer onset latencies (p < 0.05) and smaller velocities (p < 0.003) and amplitudes (p < 0.001) in both the SPO and OBT tasks. Measures of DO patients were not significantly different from those of HCs. Mental transformation (OBT) and SPO copying abilities are impaired in subjects with obj-BD and dizziness, but not with dizziness only. We conclude that processing the neuropsychological representation of the human body (body schema) slows when balance control is deficient.

Efficient operation of residential solar panels with determination of the optimal tilt angle and optimal intervals based on forecasting model

A solar panel tilt angle plays a great role in the performance of the solar panel which is either fixed at an optimal tilt angle or continuously adjusted using a solar tracking system. Solar tracking systems are not cost efficient especially for residential usage. On the other hand, a fixed tilt angle results in a huge loss of solar energy. One resort to solve this problem is to adjust the tilt angle a limited number of times. In this paper, a novel procedure is proposed to select the number of intervals and their durations by solving an optimisation problem. The proposed algorithm is consisted of four major steps. First, the solar radiation of the next year is predicted using historical data. Second, using a bee algorithm the optimal tilt angle of each interval is computed. Third, an optimisation problem is solved to get new periods for each interval. Finally, a stopping criterion is checked to decide whether the previous step should be repeated or the algorithm has been converged. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is studied at nine different locations across the US. The results show improvement of the solar power generation by using the optimal intervals.

Results of a 10-year survey of workload for 10 treatment vaults at a high-throughput comprehensive cancer center.

The workload for shielding purposes of modern linear accelerators (linacs) consists of primary and scatter radiation which depends on the dose delivered to isocenter (cGy) and leakage radiation which depends on the monitor units (MUs). In this study, we report on the workload for 10 treatment vaults in terms of dose to isocenter (cGy), monitor units delivered (MUs), number of treatment sessions (Txs), as well as, use factors (U) and modulation factors (CI) for different treatment techniques. The survey was performed for the years between 2006 and 2015 and included 16 treatment machines which represent different generations of Varian linear accelerators (6EX, 600C, 2100C, 2100EX, and TrueBeam) operating at different electron and x‐ray energies (6, 9, 12, 16 and 20 MeV electrons and, 6 and 15 MV x‐rays). An institutional review board (IRB) approval was acquired to perform this study. Data regarding patient workload, dose to isocenter, number of monitor units delivered, beam energies, gantry angles, and treatment techniques were exported from an ARIA treatment management system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, Ca.) into Excel spreadsheets and data analysis was performed in Matlab. The average (± std‐dev) number of treatment sessions, dose to isocenter, and number of monitor units delivered per week per machine in 2006 was 119 ± 39 Txs, (300 ± 116) × 102 cGys, and (78 ± 28) × 103 MUs respectively. In contrast, the workload in 2015 was 112 ± 40 Txs, (337 ± 124) × 102 cGys, and (111 ± 46) × 103 MUs. 60% of the workload (cGy) was delivered using 6 MV and 30% using 15 MV while the remaining 10% was delivered using electron beams. The modulation factors (MU/cGy) for IMRT and VMAT were 5.0 (± 3.4) and 4.6 (± 1.6) respectively. Use factors using 90° gantry angle intervals were equally distributed (~0.25) but varied considerably among different treatment techniques. The workload, in terms of dose to isocenter (cGy) and subsequently monitor units (MUs), has been steadily increasing over the past decade. This increase can be attributed to increased use of high dose hypo‐fractionated regimens (SBRT, SRS) and the increase in use of IMRT and VMAT, which require higher MUs per cGy as compared to more conventional treatment (3DCRT). Meanwhile, the patient workload in terms of treatment sessions per week remained relatively constant. The findings of this report show that variables used for shielding purposes still fall within the recommendation of NCRP Report 151.

Underlying Topography Estimation over Forest Areas Using High-Resolution P-Band Single-Baseline PolInSAR Data

This paper discusses the potential and limitations of high-resolution P-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (PolInSAR) in underlying topography estimation over forest areas. Time-frequency (TF) analysis in the azimuth direction is utilized to separate the ground scattering contribution from the total PolInSAR signal, without the use of any physical model, because the P-band PolInSAR data have a significant penetration depth and sufficient observation angle interval. To achieve this goal, a one-dimensional polynomial fitting (PF) method is proposed for correcting the residual motion error (RME). The Krycklan catchment test site, which is covered with pine forest, was selected to test the performance of the digital elevation model (DEM) inversion. The results show that the PF method can correct the RMEs for the sub-look interferograms well. When compared to the existing line-fit method, the TF+PF method can provide a more accurate DEM (the accuracy is improved by 26.9%). Moreover, the performance of the DEM inversion is free from the random-volume-over-ground assumption.

A Swiss cheese error detection method for real-time EPID-based quality assurance and error prevention.

To develop a robust and efficient process that detects relevant dose errors (dose errors of ≥5%) in external beam radiation therapy and directly indicates the origin of the error. The process is illustrated in the context of electronic portal imaging device (EPID)-based angle-resolved volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) quality assurance (QA), particularly as would be implemented in a real-time monitoring program. A Swiss cheese error detection (SCED) method was created as a paradigm for a cine EPID-based during-treatment QA. For VMAT, the method compares a treatment plan-based reference set of EPID images with images acquired over each 2° gantry angle interval. The process utilizes a sequence of independent consecutively executed error detection tests: an aperture check that verifies in-field radiation delivery and ensures no out-of-field radiation; output normalization checks at two different stages; global image alignment check to examine if rotation, scaling, and translation are within tolerances; pixel intensity check containing the standard gamma evaluation (3%, 3 mm) and pixel intensity deviation checks including and excluding high dose gradient regions. Tolerances for each check were determined. To test the SCED method, 12 different types of errors were selected to modify the original plan. A series of angle-resolved predicted EPID images were artificially generated for each test case, resulting in a sequence of precalculated frames for each modified treatment plan. The SCED method was applied multiple times for each test case to assess the ability to detect introduced plan variations. To compare the performance of the SCED process with that of a standard gamma analysis, both error detection methods were applied to the generated test cases with realistic noise variations. Averaged over ten test runs, 95.1% of all plan variations that resulted in relevant patient dose errors were detected within 2° and 100% within 14° (<4% of patient dose delivery). Including cases that led to slightly modified but clinically equivalent plans, 89.1% were detected by the SCED method within 2°. Based on the type of check that detected the error, determination of error sources was achieved. With noise ranging from no random noise to four times the established noise value, the averaged relevant dose error detection rate of the SCED method was between 94.0% and 95.8% and that of gamma between 82.8% and 89.8%. An EPID-frame-based error detection process for VMAT deliveries was successfully designed and tested via simulations. The SCED method was inspected for robustness with realistic noise variations, demonstrating that it has the potential to detect a large majority of relevant dose errors. Compared to a typical (3%, 3 mm) gamma analysis, the SCED method produced a higher detection rate for all introduced dose errors, identified errors in an earlier stage, displayed a higher robustness to noise variations, and indicated the error source.

Bijective Digitized Rigid Motions on Subsets of the Plane

Rigid motions in $\mathbb{R}^2$ are fundamental operations in 2D image processing. They satisfy many properties: in particular, they are isometric and therefore bijective. Digitized rigid motions, however, lose these two properties. To investigate the lack of injectivity or surjectivity and more generally their local behavior, we extend the framework initially proposed by Nouvel and R\'emila to the case of digitized rigid motions. Yet, for practical applications, the relevant information is not global bijectivity, which is seldom achieved, but bijectivity of the motion restricted to a given finite subset of $\mathbb{Z}^2$. We propose two algorithms testing that condition. Finally, because rotation angles are rarely given with infinite precision, we propose a third algorithm providing optimal angle intervals that preserve this restricted bijectivity.

Automotive brake squeal analysis with rotating finite elements of asymmetric disc in time

The new finite element brake squeal model is proposed where the finite elements of a real brake disc rotate in time. Contact nodal forces between the rotating disc and stationary pads are allocated to the moving contact area at every time step. When the proposed model is applied to an asymmetric automotive brake disc, it becomes the periodic time-varying brake system. The stability boundary of the discrete time-varying system is numerically calculated by the Floquet theory. Also, the quasi-static linearized eigenvalue analysis is conducted to show that the unstable modes repeatedly appear at the short interval of the disc rotation angle. The results are consistent with the angle-dependent local phenomenon of squeal termed squeal periodicity in the squeal experiment. In the nonlinear time-domain analysis, the squeal vibration increases and then decays in time for the rotating mode shape functions. It demonstrates that the rotation of an asymmetric disc can change the nonlinear squeal behavior as well as the linear stability character drastically.

The Angle Between the Sample Surface and the Shear Plane; Its Influence on the Direct Shear Strength of Jointed Granitic Rocks and Opalinus Claystone

Shear strength along rock discontinuities by means of direct shear strength tests were performed on granitic and clayey rocks. Both rock types represent potential host rocks of radioactive waste. The paper focuses on the effect of one parameter in particular influencing the shear strength: the angle enclosed by the plane of the sample surface and the shear plane, in the direction of shear. 3D surface roughness measurements were carried out on 18 Opalinus Claystone sample (Switzerland) and 6 on granitic rock sample (Hungary) surfaces. An interval of angle was analyzed in the direction of shear and against the direction of shear. Direct shear strength tests were carried out under constant normal loading (CNL) conditions, the influence of the angle on the shear strength values were determined. Additionally, a percentage value was calculated for how much the range of both peak and residual shear strength values change, with taking into consideration the effect of upslope and downslope shear.

Compact Pattern-Reconfigurable Monopole Antenna Using Parasitic Strips

A monopole antenna array with pairs of switchable parasitic strips is proposed to realize eight beams for azimuth omnidirectional coverage. The proposed antenna consists of one active monopole and four pairs of parasitic elements. Each pair of parasitic elements is formed by two switchable parasitic strips. By switching p-i-n diodes, a pair of parasitic strips can be used as a director or a reflector. By introducing a shorter parasitic strip between the monopole and the longer strip, the radiation impedance of the monopole is increased when the monopole and the reflector/director are closely positioned. As a result, the diameter of the whole antenna array is only 0.1λ0, where λ0 is the operating wavelength in free space. For demonstration, the antenna is designed to realize eight beams in the azimuth plane with a 45°-angle interval at 1.575 GHz for global positioning service with the peak gain of all the beams larger than 7 dBi at the elevation angle of 60°.

Relation of muon flux local anisotropy with primary spectrum index

Muon hodoscope URAGAN allows to obtain the angular distribution of the muon flux. This distribution may be characterized by a vector of local anisotropy (the sum of the vectors of the particle arrival directions, normalized to the total number of muons). It was shown that annual variations in the vertical projection of the anisotropy vector AZ are not related with changes in atmospheric conditions. The dependence of AZ on the index of the primary particles spectrum γ was calculated for several zenith angle intervals with the help of simulation of generation and propagation of secondary cosmic ray particles through the atmosphere using the CORSIKA package. Experimental temporal series of the vertical projection of the local anisotropy AZ for several intervals of zenith angles were obtained for 2007-2015. According to the obtained AZ time series, annual and diurnal changes of Δγ were estimated.

Ultra Wide Band Radar Cross Section Reduction of a Perfectly Electric Conductor Sphere by the Application of Multilayer Metamaterial Coatings

A full-wave analytical method using the addition theorems and Hertzian potential functions are used to compute the radar cross section of a sphere coated by several layers composed of common materials and metamaterials. The minimization and maximization of radar cross section of a perfectly electric conductor sphere with such coatings are realized in a frequency band-width and in a wide interval of angles. One of the novelities of this contribution is, taking into dispersion relations of physically realizable metamaterials. So that the optimization procedure for RCS reduction is applied due to the coefficients describing dispersion characteristics. The method of least square is used for the design of a class of radar absorbing materials. The minimization of the error functions are performed by the combination of genetic algorithm and conjugate gradient method. It is shown that the proposed method of computation of radar cross section and its extremization effectively leads to the design of dispersive and isotropic metamaterials for the realization of radar absorbing materials.

Inductor Current Ripple Comparison Between ZSVM4 and ZSVM2 for Z-Source Inverters

Yushan et al. , and Siwakoti et al. , proposed that “the ZSVM4 resulted in the lower current ripples when compared to ZSVM2.” However, some different opinions were presented in this paper. With the space vector modulations (SVMs) strategy, the ZSVM4 results in the lower current ripples when compared to ZSVM2 in parts angle intervals. While in other intervals, the conclusion will be opposite. The maximum current ripple of ZSVM2 is lower than that of ZSVM4. Both simulations and experimental results have verified these theoretical findings.

On two different kinds of resonances in one-dimensional quantum-mechanical models

We apply the Riccati–Pade method and the Rayleigh–Ritz method with complex rotation to the study of the resonances of a one-dimensional well with two barriers. The model exhibits two different kinds of resonances and we calculate them by means of both approaches. While the Rayleigh–Ritz method reveals each set at a particular interval of rotation angles the Riccati–Pade method yields both of them as roots of the same Hankel determinants.

Ground track maintenance for BeiDou IGSO satellites subject to tesseral resonances and the luni-solar perturbations

Eight inclined geosynchronous satellite orbit (IGSO) satellites in the Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) have been put in orbit until now. IGSO is a special class of geosynchronous circular orbit, with the inclination not equal to zero. It can provide high elevation angle coverage to high-latitude areas. The geography longitude of the ground track cross node is the main factor to affect the ground coverage areas of the IGSO satellites. In order to ensure the navigation performance of the IGSO satellites, the maintenance control of the ground track cross node is required. Considering the tesseral resonances and the luni-solar perturbations, a control approach is proposed to maintain the ground track for the long-term evolution. The drifts of the ground track cross node of the IGSO satellites are analyzed, which is formulated as a function of the bias of the orbit elements and time. Based on the derived function, a method by offsetting the semi-major axis is put forward to maintain the longitude of the ground track cross node, and the offset calculation equation is presented as well. Moreover, the orbit inclination is adjusted to maintain the location angle intervals between each two IGSO satellites. Finally, the precision of the offset calculation equation is analyzed to achieve the operational deployment. Simulation results show that the semi-major axis offset method is effective, and its calculation equation is accurate. The proposed approach has been applied to the maintenance control of BeiDou IGSO satellites.

On the Spatial Resolution of GNSS Reflectometry

A method for defining the spatial resolution of a Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry delay-Doppler map (DDM) and of any derived geophysical product is proposed. An effective spatial resolution is derived as a function of measurement geometry and delay-Doppler (DD) interval, and as a more appropriate representation of resolution than the geometric resolution previously used in the literature. The definition more accurately accounts for variations in the scattered power across different pixels of the DDM and more accurately includes the power spreading effect caused by the Woodward ambiguity function. The dependence of the effective resolution on incidence angle, receiver altitude, and DD interval is analyzed and compared with the dependence of the geometric resolution with similar parameters.

Effect of post injection strategy on regulated exhaust emissions and particulate matter in a HSDI diesel engine

We investigate effects of post injection strategies on regular exhaust emissions and soot particulate matters on in-cylinder emission control. A trade-off relation indicates that CO and THC emissions increase as post injection timing delays, but NOx emission significantly decreases when crank angle intervals increase because of cylinder volume expansion and heat transfer. In PM emission, total particle concentration and particle size distributions indicate that, at early post injection timing, SOF emission is relatively low but soot emission is relatively large caused by high temperature and local lean oxygen conditions. As crank angle intervals increasing, soot emission decreases quickly and becomes insensitive to the post injection timing. When SOF emission has an obvious increasing trend, there is a lowest level for the PM emission at intermediate post injection timing. Moreover, variations for total particle concentration are similar with soot emission at different post injection strategies. Particle size distribution result illustrates that PS is insensitive to post injection timing at different post injection strategies.