We demonstrate a digital micromirror device (DMD)-based optical system that converts a spatially noisy quasi-Gaussian to an eighth-order super-Lorentzian flat-top beam. We use an error-diffusion algorithm to design the binary pattern for the Texas Instruments DLP device. Following the DMD, a telescope with a pinhole low-pass filters the beam and scales it to the desired sized image. Experimenta...

In radar signature analysis, the root mean square (RMS) surface slope is utilized to assess the relative contribution of multiple scattering effects. For an exponentially correlated surface, an effective RMS slope can be determined by truncating the high frequency tail of the roughness spectrum. The choice of the cutoff frequency and the effect on surface scattering simulations are discussed.

This paper reports the development of a quantitative target approximation (qTA) model for generating F(0) contours of speech. The qTA model simulates the production of tone and intonation as a process of syllable-synchronized sequential target approximation [Xu, Y. (2005). "Speech melody as articulatorily implemented communicative functions," Speech Commun. 46, 220-251]. It adopts a set of biom...

We introduce a method, known as one-dimensional sonomyography (1-D SMG), that uses A-mode ultrasound signals to detect dynamic thickness changes in skeletal muscle during contraction. We custom-designed a 1-D SMG system to collect synchronized A-mode ultrasound, joint angle, and surface electromyography (EMG) signals of forearm muscles during wrist extension. We extracted the 1-D SMG signal fro...

Standing people are exposed to whole-body vibration in many environments. This paper investigates the effects of horizontal whole-body vibration and standing posture on task performance. Sixteen participants were exposed to random vibration (up to 4 Hz) whilst performing a timed pegboard task in two standing postures. Objective and subjective indicators of performance were used. Time taken to c...

The wavefront of an injection-seeded soft x-ray laser beam generated by amplification of high-harmonic pulses in a λ=18.9 nm molybdenum plasma amplifier was measured by a Hartmann wavefront sensor with an accuracy of λ/32 root mean square (rms). A significant improvement in wavefront aberrations of 0.51±0.03λ rms to 0.23±0.01λ rms was observed as a function of plasma column length. The variatio...

Dust storms are devastating natural disasters that cost billions of dollars and many human lives every year. Using the Non-Hydrostatic Mesoscale Dust Model (NMM-dust), this research studies how different spatiotemporal resolutions of two input parameters (soil moisture and greenness vegetation fraction) impact the sensitivity and accuracy of a dust model. Experiments are conducted by simulating...

Electromagnetic tracking devices are widely used in biomechanics. In this article a method is evaluated to construct models of articular surfaces using an electromagnetic tracking device. First, the accuracy of the space tracker was examined and optimised. Then, from several joint surfaces random points were measured and eighth degree polynomials were fitted to these measurements. To check if t...

In this paper I analyze how debt structure and the strategic interaction between shareholders and creditors in the event of default a¤ect expected stock returns. By endogenizing shareholders’decision to default, the model generates new predictions linking …rm characteristics to expected stock returns through an intuitive economic mechanism. In particular, the model predicts that expected stock ...