The detection of atmospheric methane on Mars implies an active methane source. This introduces the possibility of a biotic source with the implied need to determine whether the methane is indeed biotic in nature or geologically generated. There is a clear need for robotic algorithms which are capable of manoeuvring a rover through a methane plume on Mars to locate its source. We explore aspects of Mars methane plume modelling to reveal complex dynamics characterized by advection and diffusion. A statistical analysis of the plume model has been performed and compared to analyses of terrestrial plume models. Finally, we consider a robotic search strategy to find a methane plume source. We find that gradient-based techniques are ineffective, but that more sophisticated model-based search strategies are unlikely to be available in near-term rover missions.

An inverse energy method for the identification of the structural force in high frequency ranges from radiated noise measurements is presented in this paper. The radiation of acoustic energy of the structure coupled to an acoustic cavity is treated using an energetic method called the simplified energy method. The main novelty of this paper consists in using the same energy method to solve inverse structural problem. It consists of localization and quantification of the vibration source through the knowledge of acoustic energy density. Numerical test cases with different measurement points are used for validation purpose. The numerical results show that the proposed method has an excellent performance in detecting the structural force with a few acoustical measurements.

This study explored the target sound source location at unknown situation and processed the received signal to determine the location of the target, including the reconstructed signal of source immediately. In this paper, it used triangulation sound sources localization and time reversal method (TRM) to reconstruct the source signals. The purpose is to use a sound source localization method with a simple device to quickly locate the position of the sound source. This method uses the microphone array to measure signal from the target sound source. Then, the sound source location is calculated and is indicated by Cartesian coordinates. The sound source location is then used to evaluate free field impulse response function which can replace the impulse response function used in time-reversal method. This process reduces the computation time greatly which makes possible for a real time source localization and source signal separation.

La démarche de cette étude s'inscrit dans le cadre de la volonté politique d'Eurocopter France d'améliorer le confort acoustique des cabines d'hélicoptère, le but étant d'identifier les contributions des différentes sources de bruit sur le niveau de bruit interne et d'analyser les chemins de propagation (solidiens et aériens) de l'énergie depuis son origine jusqu'à la cabine. La gamme de fréquence analysée est celle du dB SIL4 (353–5650 Hz), qui permet de caractériser les perturbations engendrées sur l'intelligibilité d'une conversation. Ce travail a pour but de conduire à préconiser des solutions techniques pour améliorer le confort acoustique des matériels et notamment des panneaux d'habillage. La modélisation de la réponse acoustique de la cabine est réalisée à partir de mesures expérimentales réalisées en vol afin de prendre en compte tous les phénomènes associés au déplacement et à la déformation de la structure. Dans un premier temps, les différentes méthodes de diagnostic de bruit interne et de localisation de sources acoustiques sont recensées dans l'optique de statuer sur le système le mieux adapté au milieu hélicoptère. Les outils de simulation utilisés pour exploiter les résultats obtenus et répondre aux objectifs visés sont ensuite présentés.

The present study focuses on the question of whether inter- and intramodal forms of attention are reflected in activation of the same or different brain areas. ERPs were recorded while subjects were presented a random sequence of visual and auditory stimuli. They were instructed to attend to nonspatial attributes of either auditory or visual stimuli and to detect occasional target stimuli within the attended channel. An occipital selection negativity was found for intramodal attention to visual stimuli. Visual intermodal attention was also manifested in a similar negativity. A symmetrical dipole pair in the medial inferior occipital areas could account for the intramodal effects. Dipole pairs for the intermodal attention effect had a slightly more posterior location compared to the dipole pair for the intramodal effect. Auditory intermodal attention was manifested in an early enhanced negativity overlapping with the N1 and P2 components, which was localized using a symmetrical dipole pair in the lateral auditory cortex. The onset of the intramodal attention effect was somewhat later (around 200 ms), and was reflected in a frontal processing negativity. The present results indicate that intra- and intermodal forms of attention were indeed similar for visual stimuli. Auditory data suggest the involvement of multiple brain areas.

P300 amplitude and reaction time (RT) are strongly affected by the sequence of events preceding the eliciting stimulus. Sommer, Leuthold and Soetens (1999) found that robust sequential effects in P300 amplitude could be dissociated from more variable sequential effects in RTs. However, global changes in P300 amplitude and topography gave rise to the suggestion that sequential effects are specific for a subcomponent of P300 that is separate from and anterior to the classical parietal P300. Here, confirming evidence for dissociable subcomponents of P300 is reported from two experiments. Independent component analysis separated a centrally distributed sequence-sensitive subcomponent from a more parietal subcomponent. Subsequent dipole source analysis indicated a deep mesial source for the sequence-sensitive subcomponent. Overlap with reafferent somatosensory activity appears to be responsible for an apparent lateralization of this component towards the hemisphere ipsilateral to the responding hand.

Interhemispheric interactions were studied with functional brain mapping of visual processing. Children performed a reaction time task with uni- and bilateral targets and nontargets. The visual evoked potential (VEP) was segmented into P1a, P1b, and N1 microstates using map rather than channel features. Map latencies, amplitudes and sources were tested for bilateral interactions. Bilateral targets yielded shorter VEP map latencies but later response onsets than unilateral ones. Source analyses of the unilateral VEPs indicated a transition from contra- (P1a) to ipsilateral (P1b) visual cortex activation (interhemispheric transfer). Bilateral VEPs were smaller than the summed unilateral VEPs in all microstates, indicating that interhemispheric interactions both precede and follow interhemispheric transfer. Brain mapping of uni- and bilateral VEPs in children thus revealed several distinct forms of interhemispheric interactions in the same, early time range.