Experimental investigation of feedforward control schemes of a flexible robot manipulator system

This paper presents experimental investigations into the applications of feedforward control schemes for vibration control of a flexible manipulator system. Feedforward control schemes based on input shaping and filtering techniques are to be examined. A constrained planar single-link flexible manipulator is considered in this experimental work. An unshaped bang-bang torque input is used to determine the characteristic parameters of the system for design and evaluation of the input shaping control techniques. The input shapers and filtering techniques are designed based on the properties of the system. Simulation results of the response of the manipulator to the shaped and filtered inputs are presented in time and frequency domains. Performances of the shapers are examined in terms of level of vibration reduction and time response specifications. The effects of derivative order of the input shaper on the performance of the system are investigated. Finally, a comparative assessment of the control strategies is presented and discusse

Peran Hukum Pidana dalam Menanggulangi Tindak Pidana Perjudian Sabung Ayam pada Masa yang Akan Datang melalui Pendekatan Non Penal

Perjudian merupakan fenomena sosial yang dapat ditemukan di belahan dunia manapun. Khusus di Indonesia, salah satu bentuk perjudian yang ada di beberapa wilayah adalah sabung ayam. Banyak efek negatif perjudian khususnya perjudian sabung ayam, tetapi upaya penanggulangannya sering tidak mendapat dukungan dari sebagian anggota masyarakat. Banyak kalangan berdalih bahwa perjudian sabung ayam berkaitan dengan budaya setempat, adat kebiasaan, dan sebagainya. Artikel ini mencoba untuk menganalisis faktor-faktor yang menyebabkan tumbuh suburnya perjudian sabung ayam. Selain itu, tulisan ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis upaya yang dilakukan pemerintah dalam hal penanggulangan tindak pidana perjudian sabung ayam. Dari hasil penelitian dinyatakan bahwa perjudian sabung ayam seringkali disamarkan dengan pelaksanaan upacara adat tabuh rah dimana pelaku termotivasi untuk memperoleh keuntungan sebesar-besarnya bagi kesejahteraannya. Sebagai bentuk upaya penanggulangan tindak pidana perjudian sabung ayam, dapat dilakukan melalui 2 (dua) tahap, yaitu upaya penal maupun non penal. Upaya non penal dimaksud antara lain: peningkatan kesejahteraan masyarakat, penanaman nilai-nilai pendidikan dan pemahaman agama, peningkatan kesadaran akan kepatuhan hukum bagi masyarakat, serta peningkatan peran lembaga adat dan lembaga agama

The Impact of Supervisory Inputs on Postgraduate Students

Pengawasan telah menjadi isu utama dalam studi di sekolah pascasarjana. Pengawasan dapat didefinisikan sebagai hubungan orang per orang secara intensif dan interpersonal. Pengawas dirancang untuk dapat memfasilitasi perkembangan akademik mahasiswa baik terkait dengan tugas maupun penelitian mereka. Paper ini menunjukkan betapa kompleksnya bidang pengawasan terhadap mahasiswa, yang dipengaruhi oleh banyak faktor, di antaranya latar belakang sosial, kepribadian pengawas dan mahasiswa, hubungan yang berkembang di antara mereka, keahlian pengawas, dan masalah-masalah yang dihadapi oleh para mahasiswa. Paper ini mendiskusikan pentingnya input-input kepengawasan dalam proses pengawasan, dan juga meneropong hakikat interaksi sosial antara pengawas dengan mahasiswa. Sasaran yang dituju dalam paper ini adalah untuk mengembangkan pengawasan yang efektif terhadap mahasiswa sekolah pascasarjana guna menghasilkan modal sumber daya manusia yang unggul. Kata kunci : pengawasan, mahasiswa pascasarjana, input kepengawasan, dan pengawasan efekti

Kidney Injury Molecule-1 Signalling in Ischemic Acute Kidney Injury and Phagocytosis

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is defined by the rapid loss of kidney function due to tissue damage. It affects 10-30 % of hospitalized patients and is independently associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is the most common pathoetiological mechanism of AKI, whereby tissue injury is mediated by reactive oxygen species. Ischemic AKI leads to the rapid upregulation of a transmembrane protein, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) on the apical membrane of proximal tubular epithelial cells (TECs). Previous work from our group and others demonstrated that the extracellular domain of KIM-1 specifically binds to phosphatidylserine on apoptotic cells, thereby transforming KIM-1-expressing TECs into semi-professional phagocytes for apoptotic corpses. The pathophysiological role of KIM-1 in AKI and relevant signalling mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Using an in vivo model of AKI in mice genetically deficient in Kim-1, we reveal that Kim-1 expression protects mice from tissue damage and renal dysfunction after AKI. To uncover the signalling pathways downstream of KIM-1 in TECs, we performed protein-protein interaction studies to uncover two signalling partners, the alpha subunit of the heterotrimeric G12 protein (Gα12), and the dynein light chain protein (Tctex-1). We provide evidence that KIM-1 interacts with both Gα12 and Tctex-1, using co-immunoprecipitation, GST-pull down and confocal microscopy co-localization studies. We show that KIM-1 upregulation during IRI suppresses endogenous Gα12 activation and down-stream effectors. Further, we reveal that KIM-1-inhibition of Gα12, and the down-stream mediator RhoA, are crucial for TEC-mediated clearance of apoptotic cells. Tctex-1 is bound to KIM-1 during the early stages of phagocytosis becoming dissociated at later stages. Here, siRNA mediated studies informed us that Tctex-1 expression is necessary for phagocytic uptake of apoptotic cells. Finally, given our data showing that TECs isolated from Kim-1-deficient mice were virtually incapable of phagocytosis, it can be inferred that our findings regarding Gα12 and Tctex-1 do not solely apply to phagocytosis by KIM-1, but to all other mechanisms of uptake of apoptotic cells by TECs. In summary, our results suggest an important protective role of KIM-1 in ischemic AKI that is mediated via non-phagocytic and phagocytic mechanisms. The work described in this thesis provides several novel mechanistic insights into the functional role of KIM-1 and suggest potential therapeutic targets for future development

A systematic literature review on safe health information technology use behaviour

The implementation of health information technology (IT) is one of the strategy to improve patient safety due to medical errors. Nevertheless, inappropriate use of health IT may have serious consequences to the quality of care and patient safety. Most of the previous studies have been focused on the sociotechnical factors contributed to health IT related errors. Little focus has been given on the use behavior that influence the safety of health IT adoption. In order to address this gap, this study investigates the use behavior that influence the safety of health IT adoption. Systematic literature review was conducted to identify articles pertinent to safety of health IT. Science Direct, Medline, EMBASE, and CINAHL database were searched for reviews relevance articles. A total of 23 full articles were reviewed to extract use behavior that influence the safety of health IT adoption. Workarounds, adhere to procedure, vigilant action, and copy and paste behavior were discerned as the significance use behavior that influence health IT safety adoption. This study may be of significance in providing useful information on how to safely practice health IT adoption

Simultaneous Analysis of Bioactive Markers from Orthosiphon Stamineus Benth Leaves Extracts by Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Purpose: To develop a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the analysis of the crude extracts of Orthosiphon stamineus.Methods: A simple and facile analytical method was developed using RP- HPLC with UV detection for the identification and quantitation of bioactive markers present in O. stamineus extracts. Four different bioactive markers were used for the analysis, namely, rosmarinic acid, orthosiphol-A, 3’-hydroxy-5, 6, 7,4’-tetramethoxyflavone (TMF) and 5, 6, 7, 3’, 4’-pentamethoxyflavone (sinensetin), using an isocratic mobile phase methanol: tetrahydrofuran: water (0.1% H3PO4) (55:5:40) on Nucleosil C-18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 ìm particle size) at a flow rate of 0.7 ml/min and detection at 330 nm with 30 min separation time.Results: The bioactive marker orthosiphol A was identified and isolated from the water extract of O. stamineus leaves. The standard calibration curves for the marker were linear in the range 0.01 - 500 ìg/ml with a regression coefficient (r2) > 0.9996. The recoveries of the four markers were in the range 83.2 to 106.4 % at relative standard deviation (RSD) values < 5 %. The limit of detection (LOD) and of quantification (LOQ) were 2 and 20 ng/ml, respectively.Conclusion: The developed method is simple, sensitive and specific for simultaneous determination of the indicated marker compounds either qualitatively or quantitatively, and may be used as a fingerprintprofile for the standardization of extractives or herbal medicines from O. stamineus

Development of sustainable biodegradable lignocellulosic hemp fiber/polycaprolactone biocomposites for light weight applications

Biocomposites with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) as matrix and lignocellulosic hemp fiber with varying average aspect ratios (19, 26, 30 and 38) as reinforcement were prepared using twin extrusion process. The influence of fiber aspect ratio on the water absorption behavior and mechanical properties are investigated. The percentage of moisture uptake increased with the aspect ratio, following Fickian behavior. The hemp fiber/PCL biocomposites showed enhanced properties (tensile, flexural and low-velocity impact). The biocomposite with 26 aspect ratio showed the optimal properties, with flexural strength and modulus of 169% and 285% respectively, higher than those of neat PCL. However, a clear reduction on the mechanical properties was observed for water-immersed samples, with reduction in tensile and flexural moduli for the aspect ratio of 26 by 90% and 62%, respectively than those of dry samples. Summarily, the optimal sample provides an eco-friendly alternative to conventional, petroleum-based and non-renewable composites for various applications.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Information security culture in healthcare informatics: a preliminary investigation

Information security culture becomes an enabler towards an effective security practice. Human factors are recognised as one of the factors in addressing the issue of information security in healthcare informatics. Inculcating information security culture among healthcare practitioners is identified to be one of the solutions for a better security practice. Thus, identifying the issues and factors that influence information security culture are important. A preliminary investigation involving six healthcare professionals and academics have been carried out for better understanding on the critical factors that may influence the information security culture. In-depth interview method is chosen in this study. Thematic coding was conducted to characterise the themes and asses the factor that found to be influential. Results from the indepth interviews with healthcare expertise showed that four main themes may influence the degree to which information security may be cultivated. Security behaviour, security value, security awareness, and enforcement of security policy are the themes addressed by the key informants as the influential factors inculcating information security culture. This study also found that various level of healthcare professional exhibited different outcomes in information security culture. Findings from this study may provide guidance to the healthcare organisation to ensure their employee inculcate information security culture in holistic manner

Empirical model for terengganu forward scatter radar seaside clutter with UHF band

No Abstract