Improving human-robot interactivity for tele-operated industrial and service robot applications

In industrial robotics applications, teach pendant has been widely used by human operators to pre-define action trajectories for robot manipulators to execute as primitives. This hard-coding approach is only good for low-mix-highvolume jobs with sparse trajectory way-points. In this paper, we present a novel industrial robotic system designed for applications where human-robot interaction is key for efficient execution of actions such as high-mix-low-volume jobs. The proposed system comprises a robot manipulator that controls a tool (such as a soldering iron) to interact with the required workpiece, a networking server for remote tele-operation, and an integrated user interface that allows the human operator to better perceive the remote operation and to execute actions with greater ease. A user study is conducted to understand the merits of the proposed system. Results indicate that human can operate the system with ease and complete tasks more quickly and that the system can improve application efficiency

Aerobic Biotransformation of Fluorotelomer Thioether Amido Sulfonate (Lodyne) in AFFF-Amended Microcosms

The aerobic biotransformation pathways of 4:2, 6:2, and 8:2 fluorotelomer thioether amido sulfonate (FtTAoS) were characterized by determining the fate of the compounds in soil and medium microcosms amended with an aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) solution. The biotransformation of FtTAoS occurred in live microcosms over approximately 40 days and produced 4:2, 6:2, and 8:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (FtS), 6:2 fluorotelomer unsaturated carboxylic acid (FtUCA), 5:3 fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (FtCA), and C₄ to C₈ perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs). Two biotransformation products corresponding to singly and doubly oxygenated forms of 6:2 FtTAoS were also identified through high resolution mass spectrometry (MS) analysis and liquid chromatography tandem-MS. An oxidative assay was used to indirectly quantify the total concentration of polyfluorinated compounds and check the mass balance. The assay produced near complete mass recovery of FtTAoS after biotransformation, with 10% (mol/mol) of the amended FtTAoS accounted for in FtS, FtCA, and PFCA products. The transformation rates of identified products appear to be slow relative to FtTAoS, indicating that some intermediates may persist in the environment. This study confirms some of the sources of FtS and PFCAs in groundwater and soil at AFFF-impacted sites and suggests that fluorinated intermediates that are not routinely measured during the biotransformation of PFASs may accumulate

Evidence of Remediation-Induced Alteration of Subsurface Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Distribution at a Former Firefighter Training Area

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of fluorinated chemicals that are utilized in firefighting and have been reported in groundwater and soil at several firefighter training areas. In this study, soil and groundwater samples were collected from across a former firefighter training area to examine the extent to which remedial activities have altered the composition and spatial distribution of PFASs in the subsurface. Log K[subscript oc] values for perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), estimated from analysis of paired samples of groundwater and aquifer solids, indicated that solid/water partitioning was not entirely consistent with predictions based on laboratory studies. Differential PFAA transport was not strongly evident in the subsurface, likely due to remediation-induced conditions. When compared to the surface soil spatial distributions, the relative concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and PFAA precursors in groundwater strongly suggest that remedial activities altered the subsurface PFAS distribution, presumably through significant pumping of groundwater and transformation of precursors to PFAAs. Additional evidence for transformation of PFAA precursors during remediation included elevated ratios of perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) to PFOS in groundwater near oxygen sparging wells

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Severe early onset preeclampsia: short and long term clinical, psychosocial and biochemical aspects

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder commonly defined as de novo hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks gestational age. It occurs in approximately 3-5% of pregnancies and it is still a major cause of both foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide1. As extensive research has not yet elucidated the aetiology of preeclampsia, there are no rational preventive or therapeutic interventions available. The only rational treatment is delivery, which benefits the mother but is not in the interest of the foetus, if remote from term. Early onset preeclampsia (<32 weeks’ gestational age) occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. It is, however often associated with maternal morbidity as the risk of progression to severe maternal disease is inversely related with gestational age at onset2. Resulting prematurity is therefore the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in patients with severe preeclampsia3. Although the discussion is ongoing, perinatal survival is suggested to be increased in patients with preterm preeclampsia by expectant, non-interventional management. This temporising treatment option to lengthen pregnancy includes the use of antihypertensive medication to control hypertension, magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and corticosteroids to enhance foetal lung maturity4. With optimal maternal haemodynamic status and reassuring foetal condition this results on average in an extension of 2 weeks. Prolongation of these pregnancies is a great challenge for clinicians to balance between potential maternal risks on one the eve hand and possible foetal benefits on the other. Clinical controversies regarding prolongation of preterm preeclamptic pregnancies still exist – also taking into account that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands5 - a debate which is even more pronounced in very preterm pregnancies with questionable foetal viability6-9. Do maternal risks of prolongation of these very early pregnancies outweigh the chances of neonatal survival? Counselling of women with very early onset preeclampsia not only comprises of knowledge of the outcome of those particular pregnancies, but also knowledge of outcomes of future pregnancies of these women is of major clinical importance. This thesis opens with a review of the literature on identifiable risk factors of preeclampsia

Measurement of associated W plus charm production in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

Peer reviewe

Oxidative Measurement of Perfluoroalkyl Acid Precursors: Implications for Urban Runoff Management and Remediation of AFFF-Contaminated Groundwater and Soil

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are used to impart oil- and water-repellant and surfactant properties to numerous products, and they are among the most persistent chemicals to ever enter commerce. PFAAs are detected in the blood of humans all over the world. The two 8-carbon PFAAs, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), have been associated with a number of adverse health outcomes. Compounds capable of transforming to PFAAs, known as PFAA precursors, are a potentially important but poorly-understood source of indirect PFAA exposure. Unlike the PFAAs, there are many types of PFAA precursors, some of which are not publically known, and analytical standards for their measurement are often unavailable. Thus, a central challenge to characterizing PFAA precursor occurrence is a lack of available analytical tools to measure them. In this research, a new oxidation-based technique of PFAA precursor measurement was developed for aqueous and solid samples. Along with other analytical tools, this precursor assay was used to gain insight into the occurrence and fate of PFAA precursors in two sources: urban runoff and soil and groundwater impacted by firefighting materials known as aqueous film forming foams (AFFF).The occurrence of PFAA precursors in urban runoff was investigated to determine the extent to which runoff could serve as a source of PFAAs to drinking water supplies during storage in aquifers or reservoirs. An indirect technique of measuring PFAA precursors was developed for urban runoff samples by exposing samples to a high concentration of hydroxyl radicals and converting precursors to measureable perfluorinated carboxylate products (Chapter 2). By comparing perfluorinated carboxylate concentrations before and after oxidation, the total concentration of PFAA precursors was inferred. Analysis of thirty-three urban runoff samples collected from locations around the San Francisco Bay, CA indicated that C8 forms of PFAAs and C6 forms of PFAA precursors were predominant in runoff. The assay demonstrated that commonly measured PFAA precursors represented only a small fraction (&lt;25%) of the total concentration of precursors present in runoff, confirming the utility of the precursor assay.To assess the persistence of AFFF-derived PFAA precursors, groundwater, soil, and aquifer solids were obtained in 2011 from an unlined firefighter training area at a U.S. Air Force Base where AFFF was regularly used between 1970 and 1990 (Chapter 3). To measure the total concentration of PFAA precursors in archived AFFF formulations and AFFF-impacted environmental samples, the oxidation-based assay developed in Chapter 2 was adapted for these media. This precursor assay was employed along with direct measurement of twenty-two precursors found in AFFF and a suite of other poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). On a molar basis, precursors accounted for 41% to 100% of the total concentration of PFASs in archived AFFF formulations. In the training area, precursors measured by the precursor assay accounted for an average of 23% and 28% of total PFASs in groundwater and solids samples, respectively. Thus, much of the mass of precursors released at the site appeared to be converted to perfluorinated carboxylates and sulfonates over a residence time of twenty years or more. One precursor in AFFF, perfluorohexane sulfonamide amine, was detected at low concentrations on several highly contaminated soil and aquifer solids samples, but no other precursors also measured in AFFF formulations were detected in any samples at this field site. Suspected intermediate transformation products of precursors in AFFF that were directly measured accounted for approximately half of the total precursor concentration in samples from the training site.In order to elucidate the conditions most amenable to AFFF-derived PFAA precursor transformation, microcosms were constructed with soil and sediment inocula and were incubated under different redox conditions with two different types of AFFF (Chapter 4). Live microcosms amended with AFFF manufactured by 3M demonstrated an ability to utilize the carbon in AFFF, but no changes in PFAS concentrations were observed over 60- to 90-day incubation periods. The main precursor in AFFF manufactured by Ansul, 6:2 fluorotelomer thioamido sulfonate (6:2 FtTAoS), was transformed in both aerobic and anaerobic live incubations. Under aerobic conditions, three amendments of 6:2 FtTAoS were completely transformed over a 90-day incubation and 8% of the 6:2 FtTAoS loss was accounted for as perfluorinated carboxylate and fluorotelomer sulfonate transformation products. Two additional aerobic transformation products containing one or two oxygen additions to 6:2 FtTAoS were also identified. Transformation was much slower under all anaerobic conditions, with complete transformation of 6:2 FtTAoS under live nitrate-reducing conditions after 200 days of incubation and 45% to 71% transformation of 6:2 FtTAoS after 320 days of incubation under sulfate-reducing, iron-reducing, and methanogenic conditions. A transformation product not observed under aerobic conditions, a carboxylate hydrolysis product of the 6:2 FtTAoS amide group, was identified under all anaerobic conditions. Application of the precursor assay to microcosm slurries suggested that all unquantifiable biological transformation products under aerobic conditions were partitioned to the microcosm slurry. In the anaerobic microcosms, the precursor assay indicated that unidentified biological transformation products were either sufficiently volatile to leave the slurry or unable to be oxidized to perfluorinated carboxylates. Transformation products reported in soil and groundwater beneath many U.S. military firefighter training areas (Chapter 3) are consistent with the aerobic transformation products observed in Ansul AFFF-amended microcosm

Oxidative Measurement of Perfluoroalkyl Acid Precursors: Implications for Urban Runoff Management and Remediation of AFFF-Contaminated Groundwater and Soil

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are used to impart oil- and water-repellant and surfactant properties to numerous products, and they are among the most persistent chemicals to ever enter commerce. PFAAs are detected in the blood of humans all over the world. The two 8-carbon PFAAs, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), have been associated with a number of adverse health outcomes. Compounds capable of transforming to PFAAs, known as PFAA precursors, are a potentially important but poorly-understood source of indirect PFAA exposure. Unlike the PFAAs, there are many types of PFAA precursors, some of which are not publically known, and analytical standards for their measurement are often unavailable. Thus, a central challenge to characterizing PFAA precursor occurrence is a lack of available analytical tools to measure them. In this research, a new oxidation-based technique of PFAA precursor measurement was developed for aqueous and solid samples. Along with other analytical tools, this precursor assay was used to gain insight into the occurrence and fate of PFAA precursors in two sources: urban runoff and soil and groundwater impacted by firefighting materials known as aqueous film forming foams (AFFF).The occurrence of PFAA precursors in urban runoff was investigated to determine the extent to which runoff could serve as a source of PFAAs to drinking water supplies during storage in aquifers or reservoirs. An indirect technique of measuring PFAA precursors was developed for urban runoff samples by exposing samples to a high concentration of hydroxyl radicals and converting precursors to measureable perfluorinated carboxylate products (Chapter 2). By comparing perfluorinated carboxylate concentrations before and after oxidation, the total concentration of PFAA precursors was inferred. Analysis of thirty-three urban runoff samples collected from locations around the San Francisco Bay, CA indicated that C8 forms of PFAAs and C6 forms of PFAA precursors were predominant in runoff. The assay demonstrated that commonly measured PFAA precursors represented only a small fraction (&lt;25%) of the total concentration of precursors present in runoff, confirming the utility of the precursor assay.To assess the persistence of AFFF-derived PFAA precursors, groundwater, soil, and aquifer solids were obtained in 2011 from an unlined firefighter training area at a U.S. Air Force Base where AFFF was regularly used between 1970 and 1990 (Chapter 3). To measure the total concentration of PFAA precursors in archived AFFF formulations and AFFF-impacted environmental samples, the oxidation-based assay developed in Chapter 2 was adapted for these media. This precursor assay was employed along with direct measurement of twenty-two precursors found in AFFF and a suite of other poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). On a molar basis, precursors accounted for 41% to 100% of the total concentration of PFASs in archived AFFF formulations. In the training area, precursors measured by the precursor assay accounted for an average of 23% and 28% of total PFASs in groundwater and solids samples, respectively. Thus, much of the mass of precursors released at the site appeared to be converted to perfluorinated carboxylates and sulfonates over a residence time of twenty years or more. One precursor in AFFF, perfluorohexane sulfonamide amine, was detected at low concentrations on several highly contaminated soil and aquifer solids samples, but no other precursors also measured in AFFF formulations were detected in any samples at this field site. Suspected intermediate transformation products of precursors in AFFF that were directly measured accounted for approximately half of the total precursor concentration in samples from the training site.In order to elucidate the conditions most amenable to AFFF-derived PFAA precursor transformation, microcosms were constructed with soil and sediment inocula and were incubated under different redox conditions with two different types of AFFF (Chapter 4). Live microcosms amended with AFFF manufactured by 3M demonstrated an ability to utilize the carbon in AFFF, but no changes in PFAS concentrations were observed over 60- to 90-day incubation periods. The main precursor in AFFF manufactured by Ansul, 6:2 fluorotelomer thioamido sulfonate (6:2 FtTAoS), was transformed in both aerobic and anaerobic live incubations. Under aerobic conditions, three amendments of 6:2 FtTAoS were completely transformed over a 90-day incubation and 8% of the 6:2 FtTAoS loss was accounted for as perfluorinated carboxylate and fluorotelomer sulfonate transformation products. Two additional aerobic transformation products containing one or two oxygen additions to 6:2 FtTAoS were also identified. Transformation was much slower under all anaerobic conditions, with complete transformation of 6:2 FtTAoS under live nitrate-reducing conditions after 200 days of incubation and 45% to 71% transformation of 6:2 FtTAoS after 320 days of incubation under sulfate-reducing, iron-reducing, and methanogenic conditions. A transformation product not observed under aerobic conditions, a carboxylate hydrolysis product of the 6:2 FtTAoS amide group, was identified under all anaerobic conditions. Application of the precursor assay to microcosm slurries suggested that all unquantifiable biological transformation products under aerobic conditions were partitioned to the microcosm slurry. In the anaerobic microcosms, the precursor assay indicated that unidentified biological transformation products were either sufficiently volatile to leave the slurry or unable to be oxidized to perfluorinated carboxylates. Transformation products reported in soil and groundwater beneath many U.S. military firefighter training areas (Chapter 3) are consistent with the aerobic transformation products observed in Ansul AFFF-amended microcosm