We propose a new class of algorithms for minimizing or maximizing functions of parametric probabilistic models. These new algorithms are natural gradient algorithms that leverage more information than prior methods by using a new metric tensor in place of the commonly used Fisher information matrix. This new metric tensor is derived by computing directions of steepest ascent where the distance ...

Polymorphism often occurs in energetic materials. Differences in the forms range from conformational changes in the molecule from one system to another, to conformational equivalents packing in different manners. These differences, whether drastic or subtle, can lead to substantial alterations in stability and performance. The authors recently reported on the crystal structures of five polymorp...

Sieck, Gary C., and Michael Regnier. Invited Review: Plasticity and energetic demands of contraction in skeletal and cardiac muscle. J Appl Physiol 90: 1158–1164, 2001.—Numerous studies have explored the energetic properties of skeletal and cardiac muscle fibers. In this mini-review, we specifically explore the interactions between actin and myosin during cross-bridge cycling and provide a conc...

Respiratory measures of oxygen and carbon dioxide are routinely used to estimate the body's steady-state metabolic energy use. However, slow mitochondrial dynamics, long transit times, complex respiratory control mechanisms, and high breath-by-breath variability obscure the relationship between the body's instantaneous energy demands (instantaneous energetic cost) and that measured from respira...

Commonly available nonconventional energetic materials such as H2O2, ammonium nitrates (AN), and reactive materials (e.g., mixtures of metals and metal oxides), as well as conventional plastic explosives primarily made of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX), cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine (HMX), and triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB), are often subjected to...

Speech understanding in noise is affected by both the energetic and informational masking components of the background noise. In addition, when the background noise is everyday speech, the relative contributions of the energetic and informational masking components to the overall difficulties in understanding speech are unclear. This study estimated informational masking effects, in conversatio...

Various methods of determining the energetic performance of vehicles were described and compared. Earlier work emphasized maximum vehicle power and theoretical performance limits, and characterized the vehicle or payload in terms of weight. Energetic efficiency was calculated here as the payload mass times distance moved divided by thermal energy used. This efficiency was multiplied by average ...

This paper presents a study of run-up/overtopping over smooth impermeable dike with promenade using 2D and 3D mesh-based mesh-free numerical models results from physical modelling for strong energetic incident waves. These waves induce plunging wave breaking complex water/air mixture turbulent flow before overtopped the dike, challenging configuration models. The analysis is structured in two p...

A new energetic particle-induced geodesic acoustic mode (EGAM) is shown to exist. The mode frequency and mode structure are determined nonperturbatively by energetic particle kinetic effects. In particular the EGAM frequency is found to be substantially lower than the standard GAM frequency. The radial mode width is determined by the energetic particle drift orbit width and can be fairly large ...