A trajectory tracking controller based on differential flatness is presented for a nonlinear bicycle model. This controller maps the bicycle dynamics into a point mass located at a center of oscillation with an additional degree of freedom of yaw dynamics. A state transformation is performed that reveals structure in the yaw dynamics resembling a Liénard system. A candidate Lyapunov function inspired by this structure is used to assess the stability of the yaw dynamics while tracking straight-line trajectories and steady turns. The basin of attraction of the controller is limited by actuator constraints and the presence of unstable equilibrium points during turns with high lateral acceleration. The controller properties and the stability of yaw dynamics are demonstrated in simulation.

Mechanisms responsible for the pulsatile release of gonadotrophin secretion in prepubertal heifers are not fully known. We have shown that an excitatory amino acid agonist, N-Methyl-D,L-aspartic acid (NMA), induces an immediate release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in prepubertal heifers. Nitric oxide (NO) has also emerged as an important regulator of LH release in rats. This study was designed to test the role of NO in the regulation of gonadotrophin release as well as the possible mediation by NO of the effects of NMA and gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) on gonadotrophin secretion in heifer calves. In experiment 1, four groups of five prepubertal heifers (33 weeks old) received one of the following treatments: (1); N-G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, a NO synthase inhibitor, 35 mg/kg, i.v., once); (2) NMA (4.7 mg/kg, i.v., once); (3) L-NAME+NMA (as above); and (4) Vehicle (saline, i.v.). All heifers in all groups were also challenged with a bolus injection of GnRH (10 ng/kg, i.v., once). Blood samples were collected every 15 min for 10 h. L-NAME was injected after the first blood sample, NMA after 2 h and GnRH after 6 h of blood sampling. Administration of L-NAME alone, suppressed the spontaneous pulses of LH (P<0.04). Heifers in the NMA group responded with a significantly greater LH release than did the heifers in the L-NAME+NMA group (P<0.05). Following the GnRH challenge, heifer calves treated with L-NAME or NMA had higher LH pulse responses than the controls (P<0.05). In a second experiment, four groups of five heifer calves (34 weeks old) were given one of the following treatments: (1) L-NAME (as above); (2) L-arginine, a NO precursor (ARG, 100 mg/kg/h, i.v. drip infused for 6 h starting 2 h after first blood sample was taken); (3) L-NAME+ARG (as above); and (4) Vehicle (saline i.v. bolus and drip for 6 h). Blood samples were taken every 10 min for 8 h. Administration of L-NAME suppressed the pulsatile release of LH and FSH (P<0.05). Compared to the control group, infusion of ARG by itself did not change the pattern of LH secretion (P>0.05); however, in heifers given L-NAME, ARG restored a normal pattern of LH pulses, similar to the control values (P>0.05). It was therefore concluded that NO is involved in the regulation of LH, and possibly FSH, secretion and that NO may mediate, at least in part, the stimulatory effects of NMA on LH, and to some extent FSH, release. The responses to GnRH led us to suggest that NO may have inhibitory effects on the pituitary and NMA may have increased pituitary sensitivity to GnRH.

A strongly layered garnet pyroxenite, consisting of cm-scale layers of garnetite, garnet orthopyroxenite, garnet clinopyroxenite, and websterite, occurs in the Biskupice garnet peridotite, which is located in migmatitic gneiss of the Gföhl Assemblage in the Vysočina District, western Moravia. Major-and trace-element compositions and REE patterns of minerals and layers in the pyroxenite are consistent with origin of the layers by HT-HP crystallization and accumulation of variable proportions of garnet, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene. The present compositions of the minerals (pyroperich garnet, low-Al, low-Ca enstatite and low-Al, high-Ca diopside) are the result of extensive subsolidus re-equilibration at ~900 ºC and ~37 kbar, during the Variscan (332 Ma) Orogeny. Neodymium and strontium isotopic values (ε

Multirotor aircraft have become a popular platform for indoor flight. To navigate these vehicles indoors through an unknown environment requires the use of a SLAM algorithm, which can be processing intensive. However, their size, weight, and power capacity limit the processing capabilities available onboard. In this paper, we describe an approach to state estimation that helps to alleviate this problem. By using an improved dynamic model we show how to more accurately estimate the aircraft states than can be done with the traditional approach of integrating IMU measurements. The estimation is done with relatively infrequent corrections from accelerometers (40Hz) and even less frequent updates from a vision-based SLAM algorithm (2-5 Hz). This benefit of requiring less frequent updates from processing intensive sources comes without significant increase in the estimator's complexity.

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