The visibility-aware path planner addresses the problem of path planning for target visibility. It computes sequences of motions that afford a line of sight to a stationary visual target for sensors on a robotic platform. The visibility-aware planner uses a model of the visible region, namely, the region of the task space in which a line of sight exists to the target. The planner also takes the orientation of the sensor into account, utilizing a model of the field of view frustum. The planner applies a penalty to paths that cause the sensor to lose target visibility by exiting the visible region or rotating so the target is not in the field of view. The planner applies these penalties to the edges in a probabilistic roadmap, providing weights in the roadmap graph for graph-search based planning algorithms. This thesis presents two variants on the planner. The static multi-query planner precomputes penalties for all roadmap edges and performs a best-path search using Dijkstra's algorithm. The dynamic single-query planner uses an iterative test-and-reject search to find paths of acceptable penalty without the benefit of precomputation. Four experiments are presented which validate the planners and present examples of the path planning for visibility on 6-DOF robot manipulators. The algorithms are statistically tested with multiple queries. Results show that the planner finds paths with significantly lower losses of target visibility than existing shortest-path planners.

Eglė Meškauskaitė. Cognitive maturity for school of preschool-aged children with defective sight in the context of integrated education. Scientific adviser: prof. habil.dr. Vytautas Gudonis. Vilnius Pedagogical University, Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology, Department of Pedagogy, Branch of special education. – Vilnius, 2005. In order to determine cognitive maturity for school of preschool-aged children with defective sight in the context of integrated education 50 children with defective sight from the kindergartens of Kaunas and Vilnius, in respect of whom integrated education is applied, and 50 children with good sight from the kindergartens of Kaunas, Kulautuva and Raudondvaris have been examined. The research is based on a questionnaire which has been developed in accordance with the “General Programmes and Education Standards. Preschool Education” (2003). The data processing has revealed that the maturity of children with defective sight for school in the context of having an interest in the self, the own body, adults, knowledge of the close natural environment and the world, performance of practical tasks is not only lower than the one of children with good sight, but even higher. No differences between children with good sight and children with defective sight have been established as regards other principal capacities connected with children’s cognitive maturity for school, as set out in the general programmes and education standards. It has been established that... [to full text]

Simultaneous prompting is an errorless learning strategy designed to reduce the number of errors students make; however, research has shown a disparity in the number of errors students make during instructional versus probe trials. This study directly examined the effects of error correction versus no error correction during probe trials on the effectiveness and efficiency of simultaneous prompting on the acquisition of sight words by three middle school students with moderate intellectual disabilities. A single-case adapted alternating treatments design (Sindelar, Rosenberg, & Wilson, 1985) was employed to examine the effects of error correction during probe trials in order to reduce error rates. A functional relation was established for two of the three students for the use of error correction during probe sessions to reduce error rates. Error correction during assessment probes required fewer sessions to criterion, resulted in fewer probe errors, resulted in a higher percentage of correct responding on the next subsequent trial, and required less total probe time. For two of the three students, probes with error correction resulted in a more rapid acquisition rate requiring fewer sessions to criterion.

Šiame darbe nagrinėjama panoraminio vaizdo tyrimo metodikos ir taikymo problematika. Aptariami pagrindiniai algoritmai naudojami ArcGIS programoje. Darbe pateikiama keletas pavyzdžių, kaip panoraminio vaizdo tyrimai taikant GIS programinę įrangą yra pritaikomi praktikoje. Antroje darbo dalyje yra atliekamas tyrimas, kurio tikslas išsiaiškinti, ar racionalu ir reikalinga būtų taikyti panoraminio matomumo tyrimus žemėlapyje, nekilnojamo turto reklama užsiimančiuose interneto puslapiuose. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidžia, kad vietovės vaizdingumas yra svarbus veiksnys renkantis nekilnojamą turtą, o žmonės yra pasiruošę naudotis naujomis žemėlapio funkcijomis suteikiančiomis daugiau galimybių atliekant nekilnojamo turto vertinimą, tačiau panoraminio matomumo įrankio diegti į sistemas nerekomenduojama, dėl darbe aptariamų šios funkcijos trūkumų. Kita vertus autorius siūlo diegti naujas funkcijas, kurios pagerintų nešališką nekilnojamo turto vertinimą. / Work is developing the problem of methodology and applications of viewshed. Author is writing about main algorithms of this GIS function in ArcGIS program. Few practicable applications of viewshed are presented at work also. Item, some problems of these algorithms and applications of viewshed are developing. In second part of work author presents research about applications of viewshed for the internet web sites where is presented commercial of realty. The result consequent upon the research said that visibility is one of the main criterions of realty. Also Purchasers are ready for innovations of geographical information systems. On the other hands realty needs new GIS and mapping applications. In the conclusion of work author says that it is not worth to add the tool if viewshed to GIS systems to web pages of commercial of realty, because this tool have some problems for applications. On the other hand author suggests add some other functions to these maps which will improve neutral evaluation of realty.

Rock climbing is thought to rely upon the interaction of various performance components, and has previously been described as a complex multi-faceted sport. It has been suggested that psychological aspects of performance, such as task perception and the interaction of resulting pre-climb anxieties, contribute greatly to the physiological responses and the overall performance during ascent. However, research which seeks to investigate both psychological and physiological responses during specific bouts of rock climbing are few in number. This thesis attempts to contribute to the novel yet limited body of field based psychophysological research relating to rock climbing. To this end, the studies contained within this thesis investigated psychological and physiological responses as a result of difficult on-sight rock climbing. Elaborating upon previous research, additonal factors which are thought to influence these responses were explored. More specifically, differences in responses between ability groups, style of ascent, and route type were investigated. In study one, differences in psychological and physiological responses with respect to ability level and ascent style were investigated, during a single on-sight ascent. Seventy-two climbers were split into ability groups defined as lower-grade, intermediate, advanced and elite based on self-reported on-sight grades (Ewbank) of ≤17, 18-20, 21-24 and ≥ 25 respectively. Each climber attempted an on-sight ascent of a designated test route set on an indoor artificial climbing wall. A separate test route was set for each ability group which targeted their self-reported ability with respect to best on-sight. Participants were randomly assigned to either a lead or top-rope ascent and climbers were not informed of their style of ascent until 15 min prior to climbing. Responses to the climbing task were measured pre, during, and post-climb using a number of psychological and physiological markers. In total fifty-two participants successfully completed their on-sight ascents, and data for successful ascents were analysed and compared. Pre-climb variables were considered together in order to investigate pre-climb state, more specifically levels of anxiety, prior to ascent. Results indicated that there were no significant differences for grouped pre-climb variables with respect to ascent style. These results suggest that irrespective of ascent style, successful climbers exhibited similar psychophysiological responses prior to attempting an on-sight ascent. Furthermore, this trend was replicated across all ability groups. These findings were thought to be indicative of the high demand and level of uncerainty imposed by the on-sight condition of ascent, lending support to previous suggestion that an on-sight ascent induces the highest anxiety response. During the climb, HR and were measured and averaged across the entirety of the ascent. When expressed as a percentage of and the average HR and responses during ascent were found to be comparable across ability groups. As such, all ability groups appeared to utilise similar fractions of maximal capacity, with elite climbers successfully ascending a route up to eight difficulty grades harder than those of lower ability, whilst still performing at the same workload intensity. It would appear that oxygen uptake during rock climbing may not be directly related to difficulty or personal ability. A technical advantage, personal climbing style, and possible physiological adaptations may be contributors to more strategic and efficient ascents resulting in the capacity to climb at higher grades of difficulty. The second study presented within this thesis was comprised of two phases of investigation; (1) to investigate whether psychological and physiological responses to competition-style climbing differed with respect to ability level, and (2) to investigate potential psychological and physiological differences based on route type and outcome (success and failure). In phase 1 of study two, intermediate, advanced and elite climbers attempted an lead on-sight ascent of a competition-style route which increased in difficulty as the climber progressed. The route was set with the intention of being just beyond the upper limits of the elite climbers self-reported best on-sight ability (~26 Ewbank). This was done in order to ensure that a fall from the route was highly likely, even for the elite climbers. All climbers failed to successfuly ascend the test route and as such all climbed to the point of failure resulting in a fall. The results obtained both prior to, and during ascent suggest that the intermediate and advanced climbers in the current study may have been limited by technical ability as opposed to physical exhaustion, or increased levels of anxiety. Elite climbers were to be able to maintain a more sustained physical effort during the more difficult phases of the climb. This appeared to be reflected in post-climb blood lactate concentration and ratings of task demand with respect to both physical demand and effort. As such it may be that elite climbers are more accustomed to maximal effort and demonstrate an increased tolerance to the higher exercise intensity required during more difficult ascents. In the second phase of study two the psychological and physiological responses of climbers in a competitive setting obtained in phase 1, were compared with those exhibited by participants during both successful and unsuccessful lead on-sight ascents in study one. The aim of study two phase 2 was to determine whether the responses of successful climbers differed from those who succeeded by reaching the top of a route, and performances in a competitive context where success is denoted by the distance achieved by a climbers on their ascent. The main findings in this instance were that although there were no significant differences observed between categories of ascent (successful, unsuccessful and competition) for grouped pre-climb variables, trends in CSAI-2R responses indicated high cognitive anxiety coupled with lower self-confidence prior to unsuccessful ascents. As such it may be that self-confidence acts as a buffer in moderating success in rock climbing, demonstrating the role of positive emotions and their impact upon performance as opposed to the detrimental effect of the negative. A second finding of this study was that there appeared to be a differing HR- relationship based on ascent category. Modest increases in were shown for all ascents, irrespective of ability level. A plateau in response was accompanied by a similar plateau in HR response during successful ascents, yet HR was shown to increase in a linear fashion until point of failure during unsuccessful ascents. It is possible that these findings highlight the presence of a climbing specific limitation.

This study examined how variables related to habitat cover types can affect the positional accuracy of Global Positioning System (GPS) data and, subsequently, how wildlife home range analysis can be influenced when utilizing this inaccurate data. This study focused on measuring GPS accuracy relative to five habitat variables: open canopy, sparse canopy, dense canopy, open water, and building proximity. The study took place in Hillsborough County, in residential areas that contain all of these habitat types. Five GPS devices, designed for wildlife tracking purposes, were used to collect the data needed for this study. GPS data was collected under the aforementioned scenarios in order to induce error into the data sets. Each data set was defined as a 1-hour data collecting period, with a fix rate of 60 seconds, which resulted in 60 points per sample. The samples were analyzed to determine the magnitude of effect the five variables have on the positional accuracy of the data. Thirty samples were collected for each of the following scenarios: (1) open grassland with uninhibited canopy closure, (2) sparse vegetation canopy closure, (3) dense vegetation canopy closure, (4) close proximity to buildings (<2 m), and (5) open water with uninhibited canopy closure. Then, GPS errors (in terms of mean and maximum distance from the mean center of each sample) were calculated for each sample using a geographic information system (GIS). Confidence intervals were calculated for each scenario in order to evaluate and compare the levels of error. Finally, this data was used to assess the effect of positional uncertainty on home range estimation through the use of a minimum convex polygon home range estimation technique. Open grassland and open water cover types were found to introduce the least amount of positional uncertainty into the data sets. The sparse coverage cover type introduces a higher degree of error into data sets, while the dense coverage and building proximity cover types introduce the greatest amount of positional uncertainty into the data sets. When used to create minimum convex polygon home range estimates, these data sets show that the home range estimates are significantly larger when the positional error is unaccounted for as opposed to when it is factored into the home range estimate.

Die kürzer gewordenen Bremswege moderner Pkw erlauben ein schnelleres Anhalten im Gefahrenfall. Dadurch erscheint es möglich, zukünftig auch kürzere Haltesichtweiten im Straßenentwurf zu fordern. Es ist jedoch fraglich, ob ein verringertes Sichtweitenniveau eine ausreichende Fahrerorientierung gewährleisten kann. In drei umfangreichen Versuchsreihen wurde das Blick- und Fahrverhalten von Probanden bei Versuchsfahrten im realen Verkehr sowie im Fahrsimulator untersucht. Das Untersuchungsprogramm umfasste Fahrten mit Blickbewegungsmessung, die Bearbeitung von Nebenaufgaben sowie die Reaktion an plötzlich auftauchenden Hindernissen. Ausgewertet wurden der Verlauf von Beanspruchungsindikatoren, Zuwendungshäufigkeiten zu Nebenaufgaben sowie Parameter des Fahrverhaltens bei geringer werdenden Sichtweiten. Aus den Ergebnissen konnten verallgemeinerungsfähige Aussagen zum Verhalten von Fahrern bei unterschiedlichen Sichtweiten abgeleitet werden. Es wurden Sichtweitenbereiche definiert, in denen eine ansteigende Beanspruchung der Fahrer auf eine unzureichende Orientierung über den Streckenverlauf hinweist bzw. in denen plötzlich auftauchende Hindernisse nur noch unter Schwierigkeiten gemeistert werden können. Daraus wurde ein entwurfsklassenbezogenes Modell einer Orientierungssichtweite abgeleitet, das die Belange der Fahrerorientierung im Straßenentwurf würdigt. Die Ergebnisse wurden bei der Fortschreibung der Entwurfsrichtlinien für Straßen berücksichtigt.

Syftet med denna studie är att utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv, få en överblick, samt större förståelse för min egen lärandeprocess i a prima vista-spel. I bakgrundskapitlet beskrivs några metoder och strategier för att utveckla a vista-spel, samt tankesätt kring a vista-spel i dagens musiksamhälle. För att observera min övning i a vista-spel, användes videoinspelningar, loggbok samt självobservation. I övningen användes pedagogiska a vista-träningsböcker samt visböcker, med blandad repertoar. Resultatet visade att användning av redskap såsom; metronom, träningsböcker, kropp, samt noter ledde övningen framåt. God kroppshållning och teknik visade sig också vara avgörande för ett mer säkert a vista-spel. I diskussionsdelen jämförs temaresultat, metronom, material, kroppshållning, omtagningar samt noter med tidigare forskning och litteratur. / The purpose of this study is to observe and understand my learning process in sight-reading from a socio-cultural perspective. The second chapter is about the methods and strategies which can improve sight-reading and about the thoughts of sight-reading by musicians of today. Video recordings and a logbook were used to observe my practice in sight-reading. In this practice pedagogic sight-reading materials and songbooks with a wide repertoire also were used. The result showed that the use of tools like; metronome, work of material, the body, and notes of music improved my practice. For a good result a good posture and technique also proved to be important. In the last chapter my theme results, metronome, material, posture, retakes and notes of music were compared with previous research and literature.

This thesis documents the construction of a performance project, At Last Sight, which was made with a group of undergraduates at University College Chester. The leader of that project is the same person as the writer of this thesis; this locates the act of writing as something embedded within the process of performance making. The writing forms an address to the unreliability of objective observational analysis. It does so through a resistance to those attempts at impartiality and detachment that might usually be expected in an academic investigation. In this case partiality and involvement are more than central to the investigative process, they form the very structure of enquiry. The body of this work was written at the same time as At Last Sight was being constructed, and the ideas encountered herein possess many of the rhythms of performance making. Space is both somewhere performance is made and an integral aspect of the made work. In a similar way the following chapters amount to more than the site where work has been recorded. In tracing the footprints that led to At Last Sight the thesis reveals itself as an element of that which is being traced. Where At Last Sight revealed the performers as the to-be-watched and also as the watchers, the study functions as the to-be-read and also as the reading. In this way the documentation becomes the documented. This notion of integration between the subject and its study runs through the thesis. Approaching performance analysis as something `other' creates a gap between it and its subject that can deny the best attempts to bring the two together. Approached in a less compartmentalised way the analysis is allowed to form an indivisible correspondence with the analysed. When the division between the act and the analysis is dissolved the documentation is able to exist as both fixed object and time-based event. Something of the fluidity of process is acknowledged and articulated in each of the sections presented.

In the field of wireless multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, remarkable capacity enhancements may be achieved in certain environments relative to single-antenna systems. In a non-line of sight (NLOS) environment with rich multipath, the capacity potential is typically very good, but in a line of sight (LOS) environment with a high Rician K-factor, the capacity improvement may be severely limited or almost disappear. The objective of the research described in this dissertation has been to develop a more thorough understanding of the capacity limitations of MIMO in a LOS environment and explore methods to improve that capacity. It is known that for a LOS link with a given range, an optimal antenna configuration, which usually involves large antenna spacings, can be computed to maximize the capacity. A method is here proposed for achieving near-maximum MIMO capacity in LOS environments with suboptimal array configurations. Suboptimal arrays may include small antenna spacings and/or arrays rotated off normal. The method employs single-antenna full-duplex, amplify-and-forward relays, otherwise known as "wireless repeaters." We have designated this concept repeater-assisted capacity enhancement (RACE) for MIMO. Potential applications include tower-mounted or building-top cellular backhaul and high-speed wireless bridge links (explored in Chapter 5) and ground-to-air sensor network backhaul links and base-to-mobile links in a cellular configuration (explored in Chapter 7). We have analyzed this concept in simulation for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint links and have found the following critical parameters for system design and deployment: orientation, antenna spacing, and antenna patterns of the transmit (TX)/receive (RX) MIMO arrays; and position, noise figure, TX/RX isolation, and antenna patterns associated with the repeater(s). Simulation results for an n[subscript R] xn[subscript T] MIMO link demonstrate nearly a factor of n=min{n[subscript R], n[subscript T] } improvement in capacity relative to a single-input single-output (SISO) link using n-1 optimally placed wireless repeaters supporting the link. Other portions of analysis presented include the development of a determinant-based metric for capacity (D) and an exploration of upper and lower bounds of capacity as a function of D. The position of repeaters is analyzed theoretically and a metric introduced based on D intended to quickly and intuitively determine optimal positions for repeaters assisting a given MIMO link based on TX/RX node steering vectors.