Narrow band quantitative and multivariate electroencephalogram analysis of peri-adolescent period

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The peri-adolescent period is a crucial developmental moment of transition from childhood to emergent adulthood. The present report analyses the differences in Power Spectrum (PS) of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) between late childhood (24 children between 8 and 13 years old) and young adulthood (24 young adults between 18 and 23 years old). RESULTS: The narrow band analysis of the Electroencephalogram was computed in the frequency range of 0--20 Hz. The analysis of mean and variance suggested that six frequency ranges presented a different rate of maturation at these ages, namely: low delta, delta-theta, low alpha, high alpha, low beta and high beta. For most of these bands the maturation seems to occur later in anterior sites than posterior sites. Correlational analysis showed a lower pattern of correlation between different frequencies in children than in young adults, suggesting a certain asynchrony in the maturation of different rhythms. The topographical analysis revealed similar topographies of the different rhythms in children and young adults. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrated the same internal structure for the Electroencephalogram of both age groups. Principal Component Analysis allowed to separate four subcomponents in the alpha range. All these subcomponents peaked at a lower frequency in children than in young adults. CONCLUSIONS: The present approaches complement and solve some of the incertitudes when the classical brain broad rhythm analysis is applied. Children have a higher absolute power than young adults for frequency ranges between 0-20 Hz, the correlation of Power Spectrum (PS) with age and the variance age comparison showed that there are six ranges of frequencies that can distinguish the level of EEG maturation in children and adults. The establishment of maturational order of different frequencies and its possible maturational interdependence would require a complete series including all the different ages.     

Foundations of continuous-time recursive utility: differentiability and normalization of certainty equivalents

This paper relates recursive utility in continuous time to its discrete-time origins and provides an alternative to the approach presented in Duffie and Epstein (Econometrica 60:353–394, 1992), who define recursive utility in continuous time via backward stochastic differential equations (stochastic differential utility). We show that the notion of Gâteaux differentiability of certainty equivalents used in their paper has to be replaced by a different concept. Our approach allows us to address the important issue of normalization of aggregators in non-Brownian settings. We show that normalization is always feasible if the certainty equivalent of the aggregator is of the expected utility type. Conversely, we prove that in general Lévy frameworks this is essentially also necessary, i.e. aggregators that are not of the expected utility type cannot be normalized in general. Besides, for these settings we clarify the relationship of our approach to stochastic differential utility and, finally, establish dynamic programming results.     

Integral equation formulation for buoyancy-driven convection problems

An integral equation formulation for buoyancy-driven convection problems is developed and illustrated. Buoyancy-driven convection in a bounded cylindrical geometry with a free surface is studied for a range of aspect ratios and Nusselt numbers. The critical Rayleigh number, the nature of the cellular motion, and the heat transfer enhancement are computed using linear theory. Green's functions are used to convert the linear problem into linear Fredholm integral equations. Theorems are proved which establish the properties of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the linear integral operator which appears in these equations.     

Control concepts for a parallel manipulator with flexible links

Light-weight robots are advantageous considering the low energy consumption and the low material cost. However, in light-weight structures significant oscillations can occur which make the control very challenging. Objective of this research is end-effector trajectory tracking of a parallel manipulator with flexible links. Hereby, only the manipulator's drives are used, and no additional actuation on the flexible bodies is considered. For accurate trajectory tracking, feedforward control of the manipulator is used based on inverse dynamics and servo-constraints, combined with feedback control of the drive positions. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysis of repeated impacts on a steel rod with visco-plastic material behavior

In machine dynamics impacts are usually common phenomena, resulting from collisions of moving bodies. Even low velocity impacts might produce high stresses in the contact region, which result in inelastic deformation. Thereby, visco-plastic materials, such as steel, show a significant increase of the yield stress with the strain rate. In machine dynamics repeated collisions occur, resulting in repeated impacts on a previously deformed contact area. Then, inelastic deformation and the resulting residual stresses produced by previous impacts have an influence on the behavior of the following impacts. Thus, the impact behavior varies with the number of impacts. This paper presents a numerical and experimental evaluation of repeated impacts with identical impact velocity up to 3 m/s, whereby the deformation history of the contact area, due to previous impacts, is included. The approach is applied to longitudinal impacts of an elastic steel sphere on a steel rod with distinct visco-plastic material behavior which is identified by Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar tests. A Finite Element analysis and experimental verification using two Laser-Doppler-Vibrometers are performed. It is shown that for an accurate impact simulation the FE model must include the visco-plastic material behavior of the steel. Further it is found that the maximal contact force, the rebound velocity and the coefficient of restitution increase with the number of impacts, while the contact duration decreases with the number of impacts. After several impacts these quantities show saturation to a constant value, indicating no significant additional inelastic deformation in the later impacts. Further, the residual stress distribution, the maximal von Mises stress distribution and the local deformation at the contact point are evaluated and a characteristic force-deformation diagram is obtained. Finally, an analysis is performed to describe the relation between maximal force and remaining crater at the contact point.     

Effect of Pr-Ca substitution on the transport and magnetic behavior of LaMnO3 perovskite

The effect of simultaneous substitution of a fluctuating cation and a divalent cation in LaMnO₃ perovskite modifies the properties of the material to exhibit large valence colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) effect. A good example of these properties is (La_1−2x Pr _x Ca _x )MnO₃ (LPCMO) type CMR material. In this communication it is reported that, with the increase in x (for x=0.1, 0.15, 0.2), the T _c varies between 100 and 120 K with improvisation in metal-insulator transition. Interestingly, resistance increases with x from few hundred ohms to few kilo ohms with corresponding decrease in the unit cell volume. The results of the studies using X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrical resistivity, magnetoresistance and ac susceptibility measurements on LPCMO samples for understanding the structural, transport and magnetic properties are discussed in detail.     

Backward nonlinear expectation equations

Building on an abstract framework for dynamic nonlinear expectations that comprises g-, G- and random G-expectations, we develop a theory of backward nonlinear expectation equations of the form

$$\begin{aligned} X_t = {\mathcal {E}}_t \Bigl [{\textstyle \int _t^T} g(s,X) \mu ({\mathrm {d}}s) + \xi \Bigr ], \quad t \in [0,T]. \end{aligned}$$

We provide existence, uniqueness, and stability results and establish convergence of the associated discrete-time nonlinear aggregations. As an application, we construct continuous-time recursive utilities under ambiguity and identify the corresponding utility processes as limits of discrete-time recursive utilities.

     

A Discrete Element Approach for Wave Propagation in Thin Rods

Wave propagation and evoked side effects, such as material failure, are important parts of analysis of dynamically exposed structures like buildings or machinery. One of the numerical analysis tools for wave propagation is the well-known Finite Element Method (FEM) with its impressive performance but also with the drawback of not being able to model easily material failure, discontinuities and contacts. In contrast, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) is capable to describe these effects on a meso-scale more easily. The here selected concept is based on a DEM particle which is considered as deformable, and can establish and remove lasting bonds with other particles. The simulation example used is a thin rod that has been an extensive numerical and experimental research subject since the last century. A longitudinal wave is excited within the thin rod by simulating an impact on one end of the rod in a free-free configuration. It is found, that the simulation data, the velocity profile and the resulting displacement at the end of the rod, are in good agreement with experimental obtained data. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)