The face inversion effect in microgravity: is gravity used as a spatial reference for complex object recognition?

Complex objects are better recognized under a specific orientation. When presented upside down, a face, even very familiar, is recognized with greater difficulty than when presented upright ("Inversion effect"). Up to now it was not possible to decide whether the direction provided by gravity or the one provided by the retina and the body constitutes the spatial reference involved in this "Inversion effect". Three cosmonautes learned photographed faces on the ground and had to recognize them both on ground and on flight. Other photographed faces were learned in flight and where presented for recognition on flight. Results show that the Inversion effect is still present on flight for faces that have been learned on ground as well as for those learned on flight. Persistence of the inversion effect in 0-G shows that gravity is not involved as a spatial reference in recognition of faces. Learning and recognition performances of faces learned in flight were significantly lower than performances for faces learned on ground. A possible role of gravity in configural processing, but not in the Inversion effect, is suggested.     

Certain approaches to the development of on-board automated training system

Perspectives of long-term space programs make it necessary to develop autonomous computer expert system for crew-members physical state control. The purpose of the work--to develop a set of objective formalizable physiological indices of working capacity suitable for reliable algorithmization of physical state control. Investigations were performed in on-earth microgravity simulation (3- and 7-day dry immersion, 6 subjects; 4-month antiorthostatic hypokinesy, 10 subjects) with volunteers' participation as well with 34 members of MIR-station expeditions during flights. Model exercise investigations were made also with 20 young male volunteers to evaluate the validity of different physical state indices. A set of indices was found which, being simple enough for measuring, performs to get satisfactory adequate evaluations of current organism physical state in long-term real or simulated microgravity. It was proved that some ergometric indices along with heart rate derivatives could reflect real working ability even better than traditional characteristics of organism energy systems state.     

Adaptation of neuromuscular activation patterns during treadmill walking after long-duration space flight

The precise neuromuscular control needed for optimal locomotion, particularly around heel strike and toe off, is known to he compromised after short duration (8- to 15-day) space flight. We hypothesized here that longer exposure to weightlessness would result in maladaptive neuromuscular activation during postflight treadmill walking. We also hypothesized that space flight would affect the ability of the sensory-motor control system to generate adaptive neuromuscular activation patterns in response to changes in visual target distance during postflight treadmill walking. Seven crewmembers, who completed 3- to 6-month missions, walked on a motorized treadmill while visually fixating on a target placed 30 cm (NEAR) or 2 m (FAR) from the subject's eyes. Electronic foot switch data and surface electromyography were collected from selected muscles of the right lower limb. Results indicate that the phasic features of neuromuscular activation were moderately affected and the relative amplitude of activity in the tibialis anterior and rectus femoris around toe off changed after space flight. Changes also were evident after space flight in how these muscles adapted to the shift in visual target distance.     

快速加热下铜再结晶织构的形成模型与模拟

基于形核的Gibbs-Thomson关系理论和由晶粒尺寸效应引起的优势生长机制。综合各种理论，建立了铜再结晶织构解析式数学分析模型。计算机模拟结果表明，在较慢的加快速度下，完全再结晶时织构为单一的立方组分；在快速加热条件下，完全再结晶时织构可由立方织构组分和保留的冷轧织构组分所组成；再结晶织构受加热速度的影响。     

多(全)电发动机

简要介绍了磁性轴承、整体式起动／发电机和燃气涡轮发动机分布式控制系统的工作原理、发展状况和关键技术。     

Concerning the interpretation of the ultraviolet radiation from B stars

Measurements of the shape of the ultraviolet spectrum from B stars are compared with the theoretical spectra predicted from a homogeneous series of eight model atmospheres which are known to be close to a state of radiative equilibrium and to give a good representation of the ordinarily observed spectral region. The broad-band photometer measurements of Byram, Chubb, and Friedman in the region 1314 indicate that the stars become brighter in the ultraviolet as their temperature increases. The theoretical spectra reproduce this trend. However, the theoretical spectra are about three times as bright at 1314 relative to their brightness at 5560 as is observed.The spectral observations at 50Å resolution of Stecher and Milligan of six absorption-line stars are compared in detail with theoretical spectra. The observed shape of the spectrum is reproduced well by the models from 2600 to longer wavelengths. At wavelengths shorter than 2600 Å, the observed fluxes from B stars are less than the predicted fluxes. At 2000 the deficiency is between a factor two and a factor four. The spectrum of Canis Majoris is observed to have a different shape from that found for four other early-type stars. In the case of Canis Majoris the deficiency at 2000 is about a factor 13.The proper manner in which to compare theory and observation is discussed and some astrophysical terminology is explained. Theoretical fluxes, , are given in Table 1 for eight early B type model atmospheres at wavelengths between the Lyman limit and 6251. These fluxes have been computed without consideration of the opacity due to line blanketing. It is shown that line blanketing can probably account for the differences noted between predicted and observed ultra-violet spectra of B stars. It is not necessary at present to invoke unusual sources of opacity in the stellar atmosphere or in the space between the star and the earth in order to explain the observations. Spectra of B stars in the 2000 region at sufficient resolution to show the line spectrum would clarify the problem.     

Gated Phase-Locked Loop Study

The objectives of this paper are threefold. The first is to obtain a sampled data model of a gated phase-locked loop. Data from measurements made on an actual loop constructed in the laboratory are included, and the good agreement between measured and calculated results serves as a verification of the model. Second, with the aid of the model, some of the basic operating properties of the system will be presented. Third, comparisons will be made between gated and continuous loop operation.     

Huygens' Surface Science Package

The design and performance of the Surface Science Package (SSP) on the Huygens probe are discussed. This instrument consists of nine separate sensors that are designed to measure a wide range of physical properties of Titan's lower atmosphere, surface, and sub-surface. By measuring a number of physical properties of the surface it is expected that the SSP will be able to constrain the inferred composition and structure of the moon's near-surface environment. Although the SSP is primarily designed to sense properties of the surface, some of its sensors will also make measurements of the atmosphere along the probe's entry path and will complement the data gathered by other experiments on the Huygens probe. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nonparametric Radar Extraction Using a Generalized Sign Test

A nonparametric procedure used in a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) radar extractor for detecting targets in a background of noise with unknown statistical properties is described. The detector is based on a generalization of the well-known two-sample sign test and thus requires a set of reference noise observations in addition to the set of observations being tested for signal presence. The detection performance against Gaussian noise is determined for a finite number of observations and asymptotically, for both nonfluctuating and pulse-to-pulse Rayleigh fluctuating target statistics. It is noted that the performance loss, as compared to the optimum parametric detector, depends critically on the number of reference noise observations available when the number of hits per target is not large. In the same case a much larger loss is also found for a pulse-to-pulse fluctuating target even though the asymptotic loss is the same as for a nonfluctuating target. A comparison is finally made with a detector based on the Mann-Whitney test, which usually is considered to be one of the better nonparametric procedures for the two-sample case.     

Random hysteresis PWM inverter with robust spectrum shaping

A hysteresis current-controlled pulsewidth modulation (PWM) scheme is simple and robust in switching control, but it is subject to not constant switching frequency. However, since its harmonic spectrum is not randomly distributed like those yielded by the random PWM (RPWM) scheme, the annoying harmonic effects still exist. A random switching control strategy is proposed here to let the harmonic spectrum of the hysteresis current-controlled PWM inverter be randomly distributed. First, the effect of varying band on the harmonic distribution characteristic of a hysteresis current-controlled PWM scheme is analyzed. Then a random hysteresis PWM scheme and its quantitative design procedure are proposed. Finally, a robust spectrum shaping technique is devised such that the desired harmonic distribution pattern can be achieved. In the resulting frequency spectrum, the magnitudes of lower frequency harmonics are shaped and reduced. Hence the inverter output with a better harmonic attribute is obtained. Validity of the proposed random hysteresis PWM scheme is verified by some simulated and measured results