On Correspondence

This paper is an essay review of Steven French and Harmke Kamminga (eds.), Correspondence, Invariance and Heuristics. Essays in Honour of Heinz Post (Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1993). I distinguish a varity of correspondence relations between scientific theories (exemplified by cases from the book under review) and examine how one can make sense of the the prevailing continuity in scientific theorizing

New mathematical foundations for AI and Alife: Are the necessary conditions for animal consciousness sufficient for the design of intelligent machines?

Rodney Brooks' call for 'new mathematics' to revitalize the disciplines of artificial intelligence and artificial life can be answered by adaptation of what Adams has called 'the informational turn in philosophy' and by the novel perspectives that program gives into empirical studies of animal cognition and consciousness. Going backward from the necessary conditions communication theory imposes on cognition and consciousness to sufficient conditions for machine design is, however, an extraordinarily difficult engineering task. The most likely use of the first generations of conscious machines will be to model the various forms of psychopathology, since we have little or no understanding of how consciousness is stabilized in humans or other animals

From 2,3-Diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene to Fluorazophore-L, a membrane-bound fluorescent probe for antioxidants

The aim of this work was to synthesize and to establish a new fluorescent membrane probe for antioxidants by exploiting the exceptional properties of the long-lived fluorophore 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (DBO) alias Fluorazophore-P. The first step was to find an appropriate synthetic route towards a lipophilic derivative of Fluorazophore-P, namely Fluorazophore-L, that should enable an efficient and facile incorporation into model membrane systems. The water-soluble hydroxy-substituted Fluorazophore-H was chosen as a key compound and served as a versatile precursor for various members of the Fluorazophore-family, including Fluorazophore-L. For example, substantial contributions in the synthesis of fluorazophore-labeled peptides to monitor the length-dependence of end-to-end collision rates of polypeptides were done within this work: "A Fluorescence Based Method for Direct Measurement of Submicrosecond Intramolecular Contact Formation in Biopolymers: An Exploratory Study with Polypeptides", R. R. Hudgins, F. Huang, G. Gramlich, W. M. Nau, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 556-564. (Appendix) In this context, the search for a mild and selective method to substitute a harsh hydrolysis step, led to a study about a photo-cleavable Fluorazophore: "A Photoactivable Fluorophore Based on Thiadiazolidinedione as Caging Group", G. Gramlich, W. M. Nau, Org. Let. 1999, 1, 603-605. (Appendix) Fluorazophore-L (Fluoazophore-L) was designed as a head-labeled palmitic acid derivative. Experiments in homogeneous solution confirmed that Fluoazophore-L preserves its photophysical properties, namely the long-lived fluorescence and the essentially diffusion-controlled reactivity towards α-tocopherol (α-Toc). Its capability to serve as a membrane probe was assessed by air/water monolayer experiments (surface pressure-area isotherms) and preliminary spectroscopic measurements. It could be shown that Fluoazophore-L partitions into monolayers of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine (POPC) and that even pure Fluoazophore-L forms stable monolayers at the air-water interface thus presents a highly amphiphilic molecule: "A Long-Lived Amphiphilic Fluorescent Probe studied in POPC Air-Water Monolayer and Solution Bilayer Systems", G. Gramlich, J. Zhang, M. Winterhalter, W. M. Nau, Chem. Phys. Lipids 2001, 113, 1-9 (Appendix). The first assignment of Fluoazophore-L in model membranes was a study of its interaction with the water-soluble antioxidant vitamin C, thus examining interfacial reactivity. Singlet-excited Fluoazophore-L was used as a mimic for highly reactive lipid alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals. This work revealed an unexpected inversion of the pHdependent activity pattern, which could be ascribed to an interesting surface effect: "Increased Antioxidant Reactivity of Vitamin C at low pH in Model Membranes", G. Gramlich, J. Zhang, W. M. Nau, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 11252-11253 (Appendix). Finally, the intrafacial reactivity of α-Toc in liposomes and micelles could be probed by means of Fluoazophore-L. In micelles and in membrane structures a more demanding quenching kinetics than in usual organic solvents arises. In the case of small micelles Poissonian statistics has to be applied while in liposomes a two dimensional diffusion rate limits the maximum reactivity. In this study, the "immobile" probe/quencher pair Fluoazophore-L/α-Toc was used for the first time and the validity of different quenching models was discussed. The resulting diffusion rate constants for α-Toc provide important benchmark values for antioxidant research: "Diffusion of α-Tocopherol in Membrane Models: Probing the Kinetics of Vitamin E Antioxidant Action by Fluorescence in Real Time", G. Gramlich, J. Zhang, W. M. Nau, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 5482-5492 (Appendix). A global fitting routine was developed to allow appropriate data processing of fluorescence quenching in membrane models. This fitting procedure was also successfully employed in the simultaneous fitting of steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence quenching by host-guest complexation with cyclodextrins. "A Joint Structural, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Investigation of Substituent Effects on Host- Guest Complexation of Bicyclic Azoalkanes by β-Cyclodextrin", X. Zhang, G. Gramlich, X. Wang, W. M. Nau, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 254-263 (Appendix). For the quenching models used, it is essential to ensure that reaction between singletexcited fluorazophores and hydrogen donors as antioxidants occurs only by hydrogen transfer and upon contact of probe and quencher. To clarify this process experiments using spectroscopic methods were contributed to a detailed theoretical study of reaction pathways: "Fluorescence Quenching by Sequential Hydrogen, Electron, and Proton Transfer in the Proximity of a Conical Intersection", A. Sinicropi, R. Pogni, R. Basosi, M. A. Robb, G. Gramlich, W. M. Nau, M. Olivucci, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2001, 40, 4185-4189 (Appendix). In summary, the result of this study was the design and synthesis of the new fluorescent membrane probe Fluorazophore-L that combines the unusual properties of DBO with a complete incorporation into model membranes. The properties of the new probe were assessed in monolayer and by fluorescence lifetime experiments. Its potency was proven by the interaction with natural antioxidants located in the proximity of membrane mimetic systems. These quenching experiments allowed a new insight into the processes involving antioxidants in microheterogeneous environments, especially an unusual inversion of the well-known reactivity pattern of ascorbic acid and the observation of the lateral diffusion of α-tocopherol along the surface of supramolecular assemblies

Design of an Anthropomorphic, Compliant, and Lightweight Dual Arm for Aerial Manipulation

This paper presents an anthropomorphic, compliant and lightweight dual arm manipulator designed and developed for aerial manipulation applications with multi-rotor platforms. Each arm provides four degrees of freedom in a human-like kinematic configuration for end effector positioning: shoulder pitch, roll and yaw, and elbow pitch. The dual arm, weighting 1.3 kg in total, employs smart servo actuators and a customized and carefully designed aluminum frame structure manufactured by laser cut. The proposed design reduces the manufacturing cost as no computer numerical control machined part is used. Mechanical joint compliance is provided in all the joints, introducing a compact spring-lever transmission mechanism between the servo shaft and the links, integrating a potentiometer for measuring the deflection of the joints. The servo actuators are partially or fully isolated against impacts and overloads thanks to the ange bearings attached to the frame structure that support the rotation of the links and the deflection of the joints. This simple mechanism increases the robustness of the arms and safety in the physical interactions between the aerial robot and the environment. The developed manipulator has been validated through different experiments in fixed base test-bench and in outdoor flight tests.Unión Europea H2020-ICT-2014- 644271Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad DPI2015-71524-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad DPI2017-89790-

Waste Reduction, Construction and Demolition Debris: Guide for Building, Construction and Environmental Professionals, Revised November 2008

This document is intended to lay the foundation for resource reduction strategies in new construction, renovation and demolition. If you have an innovative idea or information that you believe should be included in future updates of this manual please email Shelly Codner at [email protected] or Jan Loyson at [email protected]. Throughout this manual, we use the term “waste reduction” to define waste management initiatives that will result in less waste going to the landfill. In accordance with the waste management hierarchy these practices include reducing (waste prevention), reusing (deconstruction and salvage), recycling and renewing (making old things new again) - in that order. This manual will explain what these practices are and how to incorporate them into your projects