Seyoung Kim

Postural feedback scaling deficits in Parkinson's disease

Many differences in postural responses have been associated with age and Parkinsons disease (PD), but until now there has been no quantitative model to explain these differences. We developed a feedback control model of body dynamics that could reproduce the postural responses of young subjects, elderly subjects, and subjects with PD, and we investigated whether the postural impairments of subjects with PD can be described as an abnormal scaling of postural feedback gain. Feedback gains quantify how the nervous system generates compensatory joint torques based on kinematic responses. Seven subjects in each group experienced forward postural perturbations to seven different backward support surface translations ranging from 3- to 15-cm amplitudes and with a constant duration of 275 ms. Ground reaction forces and joint kinematics were measured to obtain joint torques from inverse dynamics. A full-state feedback controller with a two-segment body dynamic model was used to simulate joint kinematics and kinetics in response to perturbations. Results showed that all three subject groups gradually scaled postural feedback gains as a function of perturbation amplitudes, and the scaling started even before the maximum allowable ankle torque was reached. This result implies that the nervous system takes body dynamics into account and adjusts postural feedback gains to accommodate biomechanical constraints. PD subjects showed significantly smaller than normal ankle feedback gain with low scaling and larger hip feedback gain, which led to an early violation of the flat-foot constraint and unusually small (bradykinetic) postural responses. Our postural feedback control model quantitatively described the postural abnormality of the patients with PD as abnormal feedback gains and reduced ability to modify postural feedback gain with changes in postural challenge.

Leg stiffness increases with speed to modulate gait frequency and propulsion energy

Bipedal walking models with compliant legs have been employed to represent the ground reaction forces (GRFs) observed in human subjects. Quantification of the leg stiffness at varying gait speeds, therefore, would improve our understanding of the contributions of spring-like leg behavior to gait dynamics. In this study, we tuned a model of bipedal walking with damped compliant legs to match human GRFs at different gait speeds. Eight subjects walked at four different gait speeds, ranging from their self-selected speed to their maximum speed, in a random order. To examine the correlation between leg stiffness and the oscillatory behavior of the center of mass (CoM) during the single support phase, the damped natural frequency of the single compliant leg was compared with the duration of the single support phase. We observed that leg stiffness increased with speed and that the damping ratio was low and increased slightly with speed. The duration of the single support phase correlated well with the oscillation period of the damped complaint walking model, suggesting that CoM oscillations during single support may take advantage of resonance characteristics of the spring-like leg. The theoretical leg stiffness that maximizes the elastic energy stored in the compliant leg at the end of the single support phase is approximated by the empirical leg stiffness used to match model GRFs to human GRFs. This result implies that the CoM momentum change during the double support phase requires maximum forward propulsion and that an increase in leg stiffness with speed would beneficially increase the propulsion energy. Our results suggest that humans emulate, and may benefit from, spring-like leg mechanics.

Azimuth Beam Pattern Synthesis for Airborne SAR System Optimization

The limitation of the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of an airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system is not a serious problem to obtain high azimuth resolution and wide swath imaging compared with a spaceborne SAR system. Hence, continuous high azimuth resolution imagery over a wide area can be obtained using an antenna having a wide beamwidth. Since a small antenna with a large beamwidth has very low gain, which results in di-culty in detection; the azimuth beam pattern optimization of a large active phased array antenna is needed for airborne SAR system optimization. To improve the airborne SAR system performance, such as the noise- equivalent sigma zero (NEae0), the azimuth resolution, the radiometric accuracy (RA), and the azimuth ambiguity ratio (AAR), we present an optimal azimuth beam pattern mask template and suggest an azimuth beam pattern satisfying the mask template using the particle swarm optimization (PSO). The mode having the proposed beam pattern guarantees continuous and high resolution images, simultaneously.

Perturbation-dependent selection of postural feedback gain and its scaling

In this study we examined whether the selection of postural feedback gain and its scaling is dependent on perturbation type. We compare forward pushes applied to the back of a standing subject to previous work on responses to support translation. As was done in the previous work, we quantified the subjects response in terms of perturbation-dependent feedback gains. Seven healthy young subjects (25±3 yr) experienced five different magnitudes of forward push applied by a 1.25 m-long pendulum falling from the height of 1.4m toward the center of mass of the subjects torso. The loads on the pendulum ranged from 2 to 10 kg. Impulsive force, ground reaction forces and joint kinematics were measured, and joint torques were calculated from inverse dynamics. A full-state feedback control model was used to quantify the empirical data, and the feedback gains that minimized the fitting error between the data and model simulation were identified. As in previously published feedback gains for support translation trials, gradual gain scaling with push perturbation magnitude was consistently observed, but a different feedback gain set was obtained. The results imply that the nervous system may be aware of body dynamics being subjected to various perturbation types and may select perturbation-dependent postural feedback gains that satisfy postural stability and feasible joint torque constraints.

Antenna Mask Design for SAR Performance Optimization

In this letter, an effective technique for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) antenna mask design is presented for optimizing the system performance of an active phased array SAR. The SAR antenna radiation pattern has an important effect on the system performance. Therefore, the authors derived the quantitative equations for the SAR antenna mainlobe and sidelobe mask design on the basis of the system performance measures such as the range-to-ambiguity ratio (RAR), the noise-equivalent sigma zero (NESZ), and the radiometric accuracy. The antenna mask template should be designed to minimize the ambiguous signals reflected from the antenna sidelobes and maximize the system sensitivity, i.e., the NESZ, determined by the antenna mainlobe. The simple iterative method such as random-mutation hill climbing was utilized to successfully assign the sidelobe level at each ambiguous area using the derived equations. Finally, the antenna patterns were synthesized with reference to the optimized antenna mask templates using the particle swarm optimization, and the swath width, RAR, and NESZ performances were evaluated in order to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technique.

Wideband Linear Frequency Modulated Waveform Compensation Using System Predistortion and Phase Coefficients Extraction Method

This letter presents an effective method to compensate for the wideband linear frequency modulated waveform errors using system predistortion coefficients. The coefficients can be readily extracted by measuring and analyzing the changing rates of the period of non-constant beat frequencies generated from a nonlinear system in the time domain. The amplitude distortion components are examined using the polynomial curve-fitting method. In order to experimentally validate the practical feasibility of the waveform generator and the predistortion coefficients extraction module, the waveforms amplitude ripple, range resolution, and peak sidelobe ratios are measured and analyzed. The measured amplitude ripple at 5.3 GHz is improved from 1.835 to 0.333 dB and from 2.793 to 0.75 dB within 50 and 85 MHz bandwidth, respectively. Finally, the range resolution is improved from 4.102 to 3.103 m for 50 MHz bandwidth and the peak sidelobe ratio is improved from 7.78 to 20.55 dB for 85 MHz bandwidth with the applied predistortion.

The oscillatory behavior of the CoM facilitates mechanical energy balance between push-off and heel strike.

Humans use equal push-off and heel strike work during the double support phase to minimize the mechanical work done on the center of mass (CoM) during the gait. Recently, a step-to-step transition was reported to occur over a period of time greater than that of the double support phase, which brings into question whether the energetic optimality is sensitive to the definition of the step-to-step transition. To answer this question, the ground reaction forces (GRFs) of seven normal human subjects walking at four different speeds (1.1-2.4 m/s) were measured, and the push-off and heel strike work for three differently defined step-to-step transitions were computed based on the force, work, and velocity. To examine the optimality of the work and the impulse data, a hybrid theoretical-empirical analysis is presented using a dynamic walking model that allows finite time for step-to-step transitions and incorporates the effects of gravity within this period. The changes in the work and impulse were examined parametrically across a range of speeds. The results showed that the push-off work on the CoM was well balanced by the heel strike work for all three definitions of the step-to-step transition. The impulse data were well matched by the optimal impulse predictions (R(2)>0.7) that minimized the mechanical work done on the CoM during the gait. The results suggest that the balance of push-off and heel strike energy is a consistent property arising from the overall gait dynamics, which implies an inherited oscillatory behavior of the CoM, possibly by spring-like leg mechanics.

Resonance-based oscillations could describe human gait mechanics under various loading conditions

The oscillatory behavior of the center of mass (CoM) and the corresponding ground reaction force (GRF) of human gait for various gait speeds can be accurately described in terms of resonance using a spring-mass bipedal model. Resonance is a mechanical phenomenon that reflects the maximum responsiveness and energetic efficiency of a system. To use resonance to describe human gait, we need to investigate whether resonant mechanics is a common property under multiple walking conditions. Body mass and leg stiffness are determinants of resonance; thus, in this study, we investigated the following questions: (1) whether the estimated leg stiffness increased with inertia, (2) whether a resonance-based CoM oscillation could be sustained during a change in the stiffness, and (3) whether these relationships were consistently observed for different walking speeds. Seven healthy young subjects participated in over-ground walking trials at three different gait speeds with and without a 25-kg backpack. We measured the GRFs and the joint kinematics using three force platforms and a motion capture system. The leg stiffness was incorporated using a stiffness parameter in a compliant bipedal model that best fitted the empirical GRF data. The results showed that the leg stiffness increased with the load such that the resonance-based oscillatory behavior of the CoM was maintained for a given gait speed. The results imply that the resonance-based oscillation of the CoM is a consistent gait property and that resonant mechanics may be useful for modeling human gait.

An Optimal Antenna Pattern Synthesis for Active Phased Array SAR Based on Particle Swarm Optimization and Adaptive Weighting Factor

This paper shows that an optimal antenna pattern for active phased array synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has been synthesized to meet the best performances based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and adaptively selected weighting factors. Because the antenna radiation pattern has a very close relation with the performance of an active phased array SAR system, the authors derived the multi-objective cost functions on the basis of the system performance measures such as the range-to-ambiguity ratio, noise equivalent sigma zero, and radiometric accuracy. The antenna mask templates were derived from the SAR system design parameters in order to optimize the system requirements. To efiectively minimize the cost functions and to search for the amplitude and phase excitations of an active phase array SAR antenna, the authors applied the PSO technique to SAR antenna pattern design and also carefully selected weighting factors to improve the fltness of the cost functions on the basis of the SAR performance.

Fabrication and Properties of the SiC Candle Filter by Vacuum Extrusion and Ramming Process

Porous SiC candle filter preforms were fabricated by extrusion and ramming process. To fabricate SiC candle filter preform, commercially available 85 -SiC powder and 44 mullite, CaC powder were used as the starting materials. The candle type preforms were fabricated by vacuum extrusion and ramming process, and sintered at 2 h in air atmosphere. The effect of forming method on porosity, density, strength (flexural and compressive strength) and microstructure was investigated. Also, corrosion test of the sintered candle filter specimens as forming method was performed at in IGCC syngas atmosphere. The sintered SiC filter which was formed by ramming process has more higher density and exhibit higher strength than extruded filter. Its maximum density and 3-point bending strength were 2.00 g/ and 45 MPa, respectively.