Interface Gráfica para o Robix

This work presents a graphical environment to simulate a robot arm linked, through an usb port, to a Robix robot arm controlled by an Arduino microcontroller, which is programmed to receive data from the graphical simulation program. The movements to be done by the Robix are programmed and verified by the operator. Then, this information is sent to the microcontroller, which drives the appropriate servomotors of the robot to perform the movements required in the simulation environment

System design by simulation - a case study for sensor tags embedded in tyres

The implementation of ID functions and sensors in a tyre has been discussed intensively for some time past. Such an intelligent tyre is necessary to identify the manufacturer and the type of the tyre. Additionally, physical parameters of the tyre can be measured during use to warn the driver against possible damages or to test different tyres in a lab. The RFID technique is one possibility to realise such an application. During system design, there is a big challenge to answer at least two important questions. The first one is if the system would work with the selected antenna shapes, sizes and positions. And the second one is, which antenna design is more advantageous than others depending on power consumption of the tag, rim shape, size and material as well as using a steel cord in the tyre or not. Answering those questions in a correct way, within an appropriate amount of time and without doing a lot of prototyping is very difficult, because there are relations between electrical and electromagnetic models that must be considered carefully. This paper will focus on these challenges. It will show a way to analyse an inductively coupled transponder system that can be used for such an application. And it presents an approach for modelling and analysing the transmission channel as well as the electrical system behaviour including the influence of a metal rim and the steel cord. Additionally, a discussion is done concerning business value of such a design flow considering different RFID applications with other application specific requirements but finally the some challenges on system design

Combined system analysis and automated design of RFID transponder systems

RFID transponder systems including ID and sensor functionality conquer more and more new application areas. Especially passive transponders with integrated sensors represent miniaturized and autonomous functionalities. That can be used in industry for process monitoring or automation. Just as well complex and implantable diagnostic systems are available in e.g. medical engineering using that technology. Considering these manifold usage scenarios and considering different specifications on performance and capabilities a customized configuration of the transponder system is necessary. In this connection often used approximated or closed formulas for system design do not meet the requirements of accuracy for most cases. Furthermore, searching for an optimized system solution is often impossible. On the other hand numerical tools using e.g. FEM are well known. But automated system optimization can only be done partly and with big efforts. Considering that, this paper focuses on methods for a combined system analysis and an automated design of RFID transponder systems to open up that bottleneck. The most important goal of the presented methods is a high efficiency and a sufficient accuracy. That is necessary to consider field models and electrical circuit models concurrently and to find an optimal solution within an adequate amount of time. The methods are brought together in a new software tool called TransCal. It could be an interesting approach to design the transmission channel, to optimize the antennas and to integrate it into the whole system

Gender differences in ethanol preference and ingestion in rats. The role of the gonadal steroid environment.

An ethanol oral self administration paradigm showed the existence of gender differences in alcohol preference in rats: whereas males and females initiated alcohol drinking at similar rates, females maintained their preference for ethanol over a longer duration. Neonatal estrogenization of females, which effectively confers a male phenotype on a genetically female brain, resulted in patterns of drinking that were similar to those displayed by intact male rats, indicating that gender differences in alcohol drinking patterns may be, at least partially, accounted for by sexual differentiation of the brain. To test whether gonadal steroids also exert activational effects on ethanol-seeking behavior, we also examined the effects of gonadectomy alone, or in combination with gonadal steroid replacement therapy. Castration did not significantly alter ethanol consumption in males, although treatment of castrated rats with dihydrotestosterone resulted in a significant inhibition of this parameter. As compared with the situation in intact female rats, ethanol ingestion was significantly reduced in ovariectomized female rats receiving estradiol (E2) and in ovariectomized female rats receiving combined E2 and progesterone replacement therapy. However, neither ovariectomy nor progesterone replacement in ovariectomized rats resulted in ethanol drinking patterns that were different compared to those observed in intact female controls. Thus, dihydrotestosterone and E2, respectively, appear to exert modulatory influences on the male and female rats' preference for ethanol, but further investigations are necessary to determine to what extent these effects result from activational actions on the brain

Gender Differences in Ethanol Preference and Ingestion in Rats The Role of the Gonadal Steroid Environment

An ethanol oral self administration paradigm showed the existence of gender differences in alcohol preference in rats: whereas males and females initiated alcohol drinking at similar rates, females maintained their preference for ethanol over a longer duration. Neonatal estrogenization of females, which effectively confers a male phenotype on a genetically female brain, resulted in patterns of drinking that were similar to those displayed by intact male rats, indicating that gender differences in alcohol drinking patterns may be, at least partially, accounted for by sexual differentiation of the brain. To test whether gonadal steroids also exert activational effects on ethanol-seeking behavior, we also examined the effects of gonadectomy alone, or in combination with gonadal steroid replacement therapy. Castration di