Short- and long-term changes in joint co-contraction associated with motor learning as revealed from surface EMG.

In the field of motor control, two hypotheses have been controversial: whether the brain acquires internal models that generate accurate motor commands, or whether the brain avoids this by using the viscoelasticity of musculoskeletal system. Recent observations on relatively low stiffness during trained movements support the existence of internal models. However, no study has revealed the decrease in viscoelasticity associated with learning that would imply improvement of internal models as well as synergy between the two hypothetical mechanisms. Previously observed decreases in electromyogram (EMG) might have other explanations, such as trajectory modifications that reduce joint torques. To circumvent such complications, we required strict trajectory control and examined only successful trials having identical trajectory and torque profiles. Subjects were asked to perform a hand movement in unison with a target moving along a specified and unusual trajectory, with shoulder and elbow in the horizontal plane at the shoulder level. To evaluate joint viscoelasticity during the learning of this movement, we proposed an index of muscle co-contraction around the joint (IMCJ). The IMCJ was defined as the summation of the absolute values of antagonistic muscle torques around the joint and computed from the linear relation between surface EMG and joint torque. The IMCJ during isometric contraction, as well as during movements, was confirmed to correlate well with joint stiffness estimated using the conventional method, i.e., applying mechanical perturbations. Accordingly, the IMCJ during the learning of the movement was computed for each joint of each trial using estimated EMG-torque relationship. At the same time, the performance error for each trial was specified as the root mean square of the distance between the target and hand at each time step over the entire trajectory. The time-series data of IMCJ and performance error were decomposed into long-term components that showed decreases in IMCJ in accordance with learning with little change in the trajectory and short-term interactions between the IMCJ and performance error. A cross-correlation analysis and impulse responses both suggested that higher IMCJs follow poor performances, and lower IMCJs follow good performances within a few successive trials. Our results support the hypothesis that viscoelasticity contributes more when internal models are inaccurate, while internal models contribute more after the completion of learning. It is demonstrated that the CNS regulates viscoelasticity on a short- and long-term basis depending on performance error and finally acquires smooth and accurate movements while maintaining stability during the entire learning process.

Optical trapping of carbon nanotubes and graphene

We study optical trapping of nanotubes and graphene. We extract the distribution of both centre-of-mass and angular fuctuations from three-dimensional tracking of these optically trapped carbon nanostructures. The optical force and torque constants are measured from auto and cross-correlation of the tracking signals. We demonstrate that nanotubes enable nanometer spatial, and femto-Newton force resolution in photonic force microscopy by accurately measuring the radiation pressure in a double frequency optical tweezers. Finally, we integrate optical trapping with Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy demonstrating the use of a Raman and photoluminescence tweezers by investigating the spectroscopy of nanotubes and graphene fakes in solution. Experimental results are compared with calculations based on electromagnetic scattering theory. © 2011 by the Author(s); licensee Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, Messina, Italy.

Particle Image Velocimetry analysis in dynamic centrifuge tests

The Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique is an image processing tool to obtain instantaneous velocity measurements during an experiment. The basic principle of PIV analysis is to divide the image into small patches and calculate the locations of the individual patches in consecutive images with the help of cross correlation functions. This paper focuses on the application of the PIV analysis in dynamic centrifuge tests on small scale tunnels in loose, dry sand. Digital images were captured during the application of the earthquake loading on tunnel models using a fast digital camera capable of taking digital images at 1000 frames per second at 1 Megapixel resolution. This paper discusses the effectiveness of the existing methods used to conduct PIV analyses on dynamic centrifuge tests. Results indicate that PIV analysis in dynamic testing requires special measures in order to obtain reasonable deformation data. Nevertheless, it was possible to obtain interesting mechanisms regarding the behaviour of the tunnels from PIV analyses. © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, London.

Wave propagation in nonlinear one-dimensional soil model

The objective of the research conducted by the authors is to explore the feasibility of determining reliable in situ values of shear modulus as a function of strain. In this paper the meaning of the material stiffness obtained from impact and harmonic excitation tests on a surface slab is discussed. A one-dimensional discrete model with the nonlinear material stiffness is used for this purpose. When a static load is applied followed by an impact excitation, if the amplitude of the impact is very small, the measured wave velocity using the cross-correlation indicates the wave velocity calculated from the tangent modulus corresponding to the state of stress caused by the applied static load. The duration of the impact affects the magnitude of the displacement and the particle velocity but has very little effect on the estimation of the wave velocity for the magnitudes considered herein. When a harmonic excitation is applied, the cross-correlation of the time histories at different depths estimates a wave velocity close to the one calculated from the secant modulus in the stress-strain loop under steady-state condition. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wave propagation due to sinusoidal excitation in nonlinear one-dimensional soil column

The objective of the author's on-going research is to explore the feasibility of determining reliable in situ curves of shear modulus as a function of strain using the dynamic test. The purpose of this paper is limited to investigating what material stiffness is measured from a dynamic test, focusing on the harmonic excitation test. A one-dimensional discrete model with nonlinear material properties is used for this purpose. When a sinusoidal load is applied, the cross-correlation of signals from different depths estimates a wave velocity close to the one calculated from the secant modulus in the stress-strain loops under steady-state conditions. The variables that contributed to changing the average slope of the stress-strain loop also influence the estimate of the wave velocity from cross-correlation. Copyright ASCE 2007.

16 chip, 18 Gchips/s walsh-code implementation of an ECDMA access network using two time-shifted FIR filters

We demonstrate for the first time an electronically processed Walsh Code with 16 chips at 18Gchip/s. An auto-cross correlation ratio of 18.1dB is achieved between two orthogonal codes after transmission over 10km of SMF. © 2009 OSA.

Weak measurement of qubit oscillations with strong response detectors: Violation of the fundamental bound imposed on linear detectors

Qubit measurement by mesoscopic charge detectors has received great interest in the community of mesoscopic transport and solid-state quantum computation, and some controversial issues still remain unresolved. In this work, we revisit the continuous weak measurement of a solid-state qubit by single electron transistors (SETs) in nonlinear-response regime. For two SET models typically used in the literature, we find that the signal-to-noise ratio can violate the universal upper bound "4," which is imposed quantum mechanically on linear-response detectors. This different result can be understood by means of the cross correlation of the detector currents by viewing the two junctions of the single SET as two detectors. Possible limitation of the potential-scattering approach to this result is also discussed.

Stochastic resonance for modulated gain in a single-mode laser

Stochastic resonance (SR) induced by the signal modulation is investigated, by introducing the signal-modulated gain into a single-mode laser system. Using the linear approximation method, we detailedly calculate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a gain-noise model of the single-mode laser, taking the cross-correlation between the quantum noise and pump noise into account. We find that, SR appears in the dependence of the SNR on the intensities of the quantum and the pump noises when the correlation coefficient between both the noises is negative; moreover, when the cross-correlation between the two noises is strongly negative, SR exhibits a resonance and a suppression versus the gain coefficient, meanwhile, the single-peaked SR and multi-peaked SR occur in the behaviors of the SNR as functions of the loss coefficient and the deterministic steady-state intensity. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influences of quantum noises on direct-modulated properties of 1.3-mu m InGaAsP/InP laser diodes

Due to the zero dispersion point at 1.3-mu m in optical fibres, 1.3-mu m InGaAsP/InP laser diodes have become main light sources in fibre communication systems recently. In fluences of quantum noises on direct-modulated properties of single-mode 1.3-mu m InGaAsP/InP laser diodes are investigated in this article. Considering the carrier and photon noises and the cross-correlation between the two noises, the power spectrum of the photon density and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the direct-modulated single-mode laser system are calculated using the linear approximation method. We find that the stochastic resonance (SR) always appears in the dependence of the SNR on the bias current density, and is strongly affected by the cross-correlation coeffcient between the carrier and photon noises, the frequency of modulation signal, and the photon lifetime in the laser cavity. Hence, it is promising to use the SR mechanism to enhance the SNR of direct-modulated InGaAsP/InP laser diodes and improve the quality of optical fibre communication systems.

Stochastic resonance in single-mode semiconductor lasers

Owing to the considerable virtues of semiconductor lasers for applications, they have become the main optical source for fiber communication systems recently. The behavior of stochastic resonance (SR) in direct-modulated semiconductor laser systems is investigated in this article. Considering the carrier and photon noises and the cross-correlation between the two noises, the power spectrum of the photon density and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the modulated laser system were calculated using the linear approximation method. We found that the SR always appears in the dependence of the SNR upon the bias current density, and is strongly affected by the cross-correlation coefficient of the carrier and photon noises, the frequency of modulation signal and the photon lifetime in the laser cavity. Hence, it is promising to use the SR mechanism to enhance the SNR of direct-modulated semiconductor laser systems and improve the quality of optical communication. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stochastic resonance in quantum-well semiconductor lasers

The quantum well (QW) semiconductor lasers have become main optical sources for optical fibre communication systems because of their higher modulation speed, broader modulation bandwidth and better temperature characteristics. In order to improve the quality of direct-modulation by means of the stochastic resonance (SR) mechanism in QW semiconductor lasers, we investigate the behaviour of the SR in direct-modulated QW semiconductor laser systems. Considering the cross-correlated carrier noise and photon noise, we calculate the power spectrum of the photon density and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the direct-modulated laser system by using the linear approximation method. The results indicate that the SR always appears in the dependence of the SNR on the bias current density, and is strongly affected by the cross-correlation coefficient of the carrier and photon noises, the frequency of modulation signal, and the photon lifetime in the laser cavity.

Solid-state qubit measurement with single electron transistors

In this paper we consider the continuous weak measurement of a solid-state qubit by single electron transistors (SET). For single-dot SET, we find that in nonlinear response regime the signal-to-noise ratio can violate the universal upper bound imposed quantum mechanically on any linear response detectors. We understand the violation by means of the cross-correlation of the detector currents. For double-dot SET, we discuss its robustness against wider range of temperatures, quantum efficiency, and the relevant open issues unresolved.

measuring acoustic wave transit time in furnace based on active acoustic source signal

Accurate measurement of transit time for acoustic wave between two sensors installed on two sides of a furnace is a key to implementing the temperature field measurement technique based on acoustical method. A new method for measuring transit time of acoustic wave based on active acoustic source signal is proposed in this paper, which includes the followings: the time when the acoustic source signal arrives at the two sensors is measured first; then, the difference of two arriving time arguments is computed, thereby we get the transit time of the acoustic wave between two sensors installed on the two sides of the furnace. Avoiding the restriction on acoustic source signal and background noise, the new method can get the transit time of acoustic wave with higher precision and stronger ability of resisting noise interference.

Coherent laser control in attosecond sum-frequency polarization beats using twin noisy driving fields

Based on the phase-conjugate polarization interference between two-pathway excitations, we obtained an analytic closed form for the second-order or fourth-order Markovian stochastic correlation of the V three-level sum-frequency polarization beat (SFPB) in attosecond scale. Novel interferometric oscillatory behavior is exposed in terms of radiation-radiation, radiation-matter, and matter-matter polarization beats. The phase-coherent control of the light beams in the SFPB is subtle. When the laser has broadband linewidth, the homodyne detected SFPB signal shows resonant-nonresonant cross correlation, a drastic difference for three Markovian stochastic fields, and the autocorrelation of the SFPB exhibits hybrid radiation-matter detuning terahertz damping oscillation. As an attosecond ultrafast modulation process, it can be extended intrinsically to any sum frequency of energy levels. It has been also found that the asymmetric behaviors of the polarization beat signals due to the unbalanced controllable dispersion effects between the two arms of interferometer do not affect the overall accuracy in case using the SFPB to measure the Doppler-free energy-level sum of two excited states.

Radar interferometer measurements of space debris using the Evpatoria RT-70 transmitter

The ability of the Evpatoria RT-70 radar complex to perform research on space debris was investigated in four trial experiments during 2001-2003. The echo-signals of 25 objects at geostationary, highly elliptical and medium-altitude orbits were recorded on magnetic tapes at radio telescopes in Russia, Italy, China and Poland. The multi-antenna system configuration gives potential to supplement the classic radar data with precise angular observations using the technique of Very Long Baseline Interferometry. The first stage of such processing was fulfilled by the correlator in N. Novgorod, Russia. The cross-correlation of transmitted and received signals was obtained for the 11 objects on the Evpatoria-Bear Lakes, Evpatoria-Urumqi and Evpatoria-Noto baselines. This activity also promoted developing the optical observations of geostationary objects, conducted for the improvement of the radar target ephemerides. (C) 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.