Modularity in robotic systems

Most robotic systems today are designed one at a time, at a high cost of time and money. This wasteful approach has been necessary because the industry has not established a foundation for the continued evolution of intelligent machines. The next generation of robots will have to be generic, versatile machines capable of absorbing new technology rapidly and economically. This approach is demonstrated in the success of the personal computer, which can be upgraded or expanded with new software and hardware at virtually every level. Modularity is perceived as a major opportunity to reduce the 6 to 7 year design cycle time now required for new robotic manipulators, greatly increasing the breadth and speed of diffusion of robotic systems in manufacturing. Modularity and its crucial role in the next generation of intelligent machines are the focus of interest. The main advantages that modularity provides are examined; types of modules needed to create a generic robot are discussed. Structural modules designed by the robotics group at the University of Texas at Austin are examined to demonstrate the advantages of modular design

Low Cost, Low Complexity Sensor Design for Non-Cooperative Geolocation via Received Signal Strength

Obtaining accurate non-cooperative geolocation is vital for persistent surveillance of a hostile emitter. Current research for developing a small, cheap and energy efficient sensor network for non-cooperative geolocation measurements via received signal strength (RSS) is limited. Most existing work focuses on simulating a non-cooperative network (NN) and in doing so, simulated models often ignore localization errors caused from the hardware processing raw RSS data and often model environment-dependent errors as random. By comparing real-time measured non-cooperative geolocation data to a simulated system a more accurate model can be developed. This thesis discusses the development and performance of a small, low cost, low complexity, and energy efficient sensor network that can locate a NN via RSS. The main focus of this research effort is designing a Poor Man\u27s Spectrum Analyzer (PMSA) to locate a wireless device in a non-cooperative network (NN) that is transmitting in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) radio band of 2.403 GHz to 2.48 GHz by measuring the emitter\u27s received signal strength (RSS)

Valuing the risk associated with willow and miscanthus relative to conventional agricultural systems

The agronomic characteristics of willow and miscanthus make these crops highly susceptible to risk. This is particularly true in a country such as Ireland which has limited experience in the production of these crops. Issues such as soil and climate suitability have as yet to be resolved. The lengthy production lifespan of energy crops only serve to heighten the level of risk that affects key variables. The uncertainty surrounding the risk variables involved in producing willow and miscanthus, such as the annual yield level and the energy price, make it difficult to accurately calculate the returns of such a project. The returns from willow and miscanthus are compared with those of conventional agricultural enterprises using Stochastic Efficiency with Respect to a Function (SERF). A risk premium is calculated which farmers would need to be compensated with in order for them to be indifferent between their current enterprise and switching to biomass crop production. With the exception of spring barley, a risk premium is required if farmers are to be indifferent between their current enterprise and willow or miscanthus. The value of the risk premium required to entice farmers to switch to miscanthus production is significantly less than that required for willow. This suggests that a greater level of risk is associated with willow than with miscanthus.Biomass, SERF, Risk Premium, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty,

The reaction Cl + H2CO yields HCl + HCO: Decreased sensitivity of stratospheric ozone to chlorine perturbations

The absolute rate constant for the reaction Cl + H2CO yields HCl + HCO was determined by the flash-photolysis resonance fluorescence method to be 7.5 plus or minus 0.9 (2 sigma) times 10 to the minus 11th power cu cm/molecule sec at 298 K and to have a negligible temperature dependence. This rate which is more than 2000 times faster than the rate of Cl + CH4 indicates that formaldehyde (H2CO) will compete significantly with methane (CH4) for the conversion of active chlorine in the stratosphere to the inactive reservoir HCl. Chlorine will thus be a less efficient destroyer of stratosphere ozone than previously believed. Ambient stratospheric ozone will depend less on the ambient chlorine amount and the predicted response to chlorine perturbations will be lessened. One-dimensional eddy-diffusion photochemical model calculations indicate a factor of 1.1 less sensitivity to chlorine than recently reported. For a steady-state CFM release at 1975 rates (750,000 tons/year) the eventual ozone depletion is now calculated to be 14%

A case of elbow hyperextension leading to complete brachial artery rupture

BACKGROUND: To our knowledge there are no cases in the literature of traumatic vascular injury of the brachial artery by elbow hyperextension without elbow dislocation based on either clinical or radiological evidence. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the first case of complete brachial artery rupture resulting from a hyperextension injury to an elbow, without dislocation. The history, early assessment and operative treatment with figures are presented. CONCLUSION: We advocate prompt clinical assessment by orthopaedic and vascular teams and early surgical exploration and repair

Urban flood impact assessment: A state-of-the-art review

Copyright © 2013 Taylor & Francis. This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Urban Water Journal (2013), available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1573062X.2013.857421There is another ORE record for this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/10871/31595Flooding can cause major disruptions in cities, and lead to significant impacts on people, the economy and on the environment. These impacts may be exacerbated by climate and socio-economic changes. Resilience thinking has become an important way for city planners and decision makers to manage flood risks. Despite different definitions of resilience, a consistent theme is that flood resilient cities are impacted less by extreme flood events. Therefore, flood risk professionals and planners need to understand flood impacts to build flood resilient cities. This paper presents a state-of-the-art literature review on flood impact assessment in urban areas, detailing their application, and their limitations. It describes both techniques for dealing with individual categories of impacts, as well as methodologies for integrating them. The paper will also identify future avenues for progress in improving the techniques.Research on the CORFU (Collaborative research on flood resilience in urban areas) project was funded by the European Commission through Framework Programme

First Evidence of NfN_f-Dependence in the QCD Interquark Potential

We present a lattice calculation of the interquark potential between static quarks in a ``full'' QCD simulation with 2 flavours of dynamical Wilson-quarks at three intermediate sea-quark masses. We work at $\beta = 5.6$ on lattice size of $16^3 \times 32$ with 100 configurations per sea-quark mass. We compare the full QCD potential with its quenched counterpart at equal lattice spacing, $a^{-1} \simeq 2.0$ GeV, which is at the onset of the quenched scaling regime. We find that the full QCD potential lies consistently below that of quenched QCD. We see no evidence for string-breaking effects on these lattice volumes, $V \simeq (1.5\,\,{\rm fm})^3$.Comment: 9 pages (1 tex file epsf-style + 6 ps-figures

Ocular Biomarkers of Disease: Employing Routine Eye Exams to Promote Better Health Surveillance

America’s burden of vision impairment, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and cardiovascular disease will continue to rise over the next 40 years. The burden of these diseases will be greater for women, Hispanics, African-Americans, and those from lower socio-economic regions. A key challenge is to develop strategies to deny the organization of the pathologies that eventually lead to the manifestation of the disease. An important feature within this battle is the development of appropriate tools and biomarkers for early reconnaissance of the enemy. Recent advances in Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) present a unique opportunity to examine physiological features of the eyes that overlap with structures within the brain and heart. Specifically, tracking of the vessel density and thickness of the nerve fiber layers of the eye may provide valuable information regarding an individual’s path towards visual impairment, ADRD, and cardiovascular disease. Thus, OCTA can extend eye care beyond capturing those who are at risk for vision loss, and include examination of biomarkers which provide information concerning trajectories of cognitive and cardiovascular health. Given loss of vision is perceived as ‘the worst ailment that could happen to person’ across all ethnic and racial groups, Ophthalmologists and Optometrists can not only provide a path toward improved eye health, but also serve as an innovative access point for early detection of individuals at risk for ADRD and Cardiovascular disease

HOX genes in ovarian cancer

The HOX genes are a family of homeodomain-containing transcription factors that determine cellular identity during development. Here we review a number of recent studies showing that HOX genes are strongly expressed in ovarian cancer, and that in some cases the expression of specific HOX genes is sufficient to confer a particular identity and phenotype upon cancer cells. We also review the recent advances in elucidating the different functions of HOX genes in ovarian cancer. A literature search was performed using the search terms HOX genes (including specific HOX genes), ovarian cancer and oncogenesis. Articles were accessed through searches performed in ISI Web of Knowledge, PubMed and ScienceDirect. Taken together, these studies have shown that HOX genes play a role in the oncogenesis of ovarian cancer and function in the inhibition of apoptosis, DNA repair and enhanced cell motility. The function of HOX genes in ovarian cancer oncogenesis supports their potential role as prognostic and diagnostic markers, and as therapeutic targets in this disease