Requirements for implementing real-time control functional modules on a hierarchical parallel pipelined system

Analysis of a robot control system leads to a broad range of processing requirements. One fundamental requirement of a robot control system is the necessity of a microcomputer system in order to provide sufficient processing capability.The use of multiple processors in a parallel architecture is beneficial for a number of reasons, including better cost performance, modular growth, increased reliability through replication, and flexibility for testing alternate control strategies via different partitioning. A survey of the progression from low level control synchronizing primitives to higher level communication tools is presented. The system communication and control mechanisms of existing robot control systems are compared to the hierarchical control model. The impact of this design methodology on the current robot control systems is explored

Teacher Knowledge: An Ideal Typology

ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: TEACHER KNOWLEDGE: AN IDEAL TYPOLOGY Gordon Anthony Michaloski, Doctor of Philosophy, 2009 Dissertation directed by: Professor Linda Valli, Department of Curriculum and Instruction This collective case study examined the possible roles for received knowledge and classroom experience in the formation of an ideal typology for teacher knowledge. The problematic nature of teacher knowledge development was examined with regard to behavioral, psychological, and social influences. Theoretical underpinnings drew principally from schema theory and formative theory about the nature and development of teacher knowledge. The compatibility of tacit and codified knowledge about teaching was a key concern. Special attention was given to examining how teachers integrate received knowledge with classroom experience and the frequently reported discord between the two. Other issues addressed included teacher compliance and the effectiveness of teacher preparation. An initial conceptual framework founded upon possible roles for received knowledge and classroom experience was expanded into an ideal topology for teacher knowledge when combined with a concern for personal versus collaborative processes. Data suggested four ideal types: a) personal-experiential, b) personal-received, c) collaborative-experiential, and d) collaborative-received. The qualitative research design involved open-ended questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and lesson plan documents from 14 classroom teachers in the mid-Atlantic region. Participants were chosen from public and private schools, and were diverse in ethnicity, gender, years of experience, teacher preparation, and grade levels taught. The purpose of the study was twofold: a) to arrive at a better understanding of the relationship between received knowledge and classroom experience in the formation of knowledge about teaching, and b) to contribute toward general theory on teacher knowledge and its development. The study is significant in that a better understanding of how teachers integrate classroom experience with received knowledge may contribute to a more workable model for teacher knowledge development and thereby contribute toward more effective planning of teacher education, professional development, and graduate level coursework

Web-enabled, Real-time, Quality Assurance for Machining Production Systems

AbstractIn order to maintain the close control of production quality, frequent measurement and process parameter adjustments are desirable. In the discrete parts industry, part inspection is intended to be a metric for the process quality but quality control is typically done long after the part has been machined. The long latency between machining and quality assessment makes it difficult to incorporate quality feedback into production. Quality assurance relies on continuous real–time quality feedback, which is not a complex concept. However, the collection and representation of the necessary process data and quality measurement data is challenging. This paper discusses Web-enabled, real-time quality data and statistics based on the integration of two manufacturing open specifications: MTConnect and Quality Measurement Results (QMResults). A pilot implementation that integrates the two technologies and produces Web-enabled, real-time quality results in a standard XML representation from Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tool inspections will be discussed

Analysis on Feasibility and Technology Transfer in Civil Construction: Capability Matrix in Conjunction with Ergonomic Strategies

Technological changes brought a need to review the architecture of operational activities, and it was up to ergonomics to turn to what would be called “external variables”, technological variables and sociological variables. The objective of this research is to build and test a tool that can guide the strategic actions of Ergonomics as to evaluating the feasibility of projects, in the operational phase, as well as in the technology transfer that these projects may present. For this work, the Methodology used was divided into two parts: building of the research portfolio and building details as to the Project Feasibility Analysis model. Based on the results found through the development of a tool to guide Ergonomics, by means of the operational feasibility of the project, in combination with technology transfer, a tool called Capability Matrix was built, which proved to be flexible and efficient, having a greater potential compared to that of its initial design. This investigation leaves as a perspective for future works the application of the matrix to other civil construction activities, in addition to enabling technology transfer to other activities belonging to civil construction and the industry in general

Modeling of urban bus drivers thermal sensation vote as a function of the thermal comfort parameters

Research into thermal comfort in vehicle environments has been gaining prominence among researchers due to the impacts generated, which range from maintaining the thermal sensation of the occupants, to ensuring the satisfactory performance of drivers in terms of safety in traffic and in energy sustainability. With this background, this study aimed to evaluate the thermal comfort parameters that influence the thermal sensation of urban bus drivers. To this mean, the four environmental parameters in the cabins of urban buses were measured and the two personal parameters of three drivers of the same bus line were estimated, and the influences of these six parameters on the subjective thermal sensation were analyzed using the Ordinal Logistic Regression Models of the Generalized Linear Models methodology. The field survey was performed from September to December 2021 and over three daily trips, totaling 180 measurements of thermal conditions. As a result, both the Predicted Mean Vote index and the thermal sensation votes indicate that the environments of the bus drivers\u27 cabins analyzed are, in general, within the scale of thermal discomfort by heat, with a predominance of the "Warm" class. Furthermore, the model adjustments converged on only three distinct models and they demonstrated that the thermal sensation was influenced by the environmental parameters, and not by the personal parameters. Finally, we concluded that the model that best fit to the sensation was that as a function of the air temperature, with a moderate explanatory ability due to the value of Pseudo R2 = 0.669. In addition, the proportional chance curves of this model indicated the following air temperature ranges for the respective heat thermal discomfort classes: when ta < 28°C, the greater chances are in the choice of thermal neutrality and the other classes of thermal discomfort by cold that were not reached by this research, which were not achieved by this research; for 28°C ≤ ta ≤ 30°C the tendency is higher for a slightly warm sensation; for values in the range 30.5°C ≤ ta ≤ 32.5°C it is more natural that they opine on the heat scale; and for values of ta > 33°C the tendency is for conductors to feel extremely hot

Synthesis of Manufacturing and Facility Data for Sustainability Analysis

This paper discusses data synthesis of production and facility knowledge for sustainability analysis by applying the ISA 95 "Activity Models of Manufacturing Operations Management" (MOM) model. Presently, production and facility management are "silo" operations, which basically function independently of each other. This paper presents the addition of facility activities to the MOM model, in accordance with the needs for attaining a holistic view of sustainability analysis. Historically, production and facility data are represented in various forms, e.g., data bases, CAD, and spreadsheets, without a common unifying representation. This paper addresses the issue by introduced Core Manufacturing Simulation Data (CMSD) Standard. A case study of the data synthesis for a precision sand casting production facility is provided

Usability of Immersive Technology for Education and Training of Firefighters in Brazil

Practice-based training in realistic environments is important in preparing a firefighter. Live infrastructure simulation training with real fire and smoke, using real buildings and equipment, has been the only practice-based training format accepted and available, but sometimes with limitations. The integration of virtual re-ality and artificial intelligence can provide interaction for different fields of application and possibilities for complementary training. However, there is hesitation, often in doubt as to the real, often in fire situations. This article investigates how immersive VR supports cognitive processes and affects fidelity in firefighter training. The data were collected from 91 participating firefighters, including instructor officers and firefight-ers from Paraná and other states, participated in various scenarios, and real and virtual firefighting simula-tions. With tactile feedback, students used PPE for daily use at work and other equipment such as hoses and nozzles. In this bias, the usability of the immersive technology was compared with the real fire simulation performed in training containers. The results showed that tacit and explicit knowledge compared through VR can be shared correctly within the Fire Department facilities

Introducing Virtual Reality for Firefighter Skills Training: Opinions from Sweden and Brazil

The emergence of immersive virtual reality (IVR) technologies has raised interest in the use of fire and rescue services (FRS) as a supplement to the established practice-based hot fire-live simulation (HF-LS) training. This is due to features such as time efficiency, portable technologies, and training in scenarios not possible in HF-LS. However, whether IVR provides realistic firefighter training situations has been called into question. Previous studies have revealed differences regarding perceived presence in, and attitudes toward IVR training between novice firefighters (who can only relate to HF-LS training) and experienced firefighters (who can relate to both HF-LS and real fires). In the present study, two groups of experienced full-time employed firefighters, 53 from Brazil and 18 from Sweden tested the same IVR technology. The hypothesis was that differences in national education and training programs and real fire experiences might influence experiences in IVR technology. This study examines the differences and similarities in experienced presence, opinions on whether the graphical representations and tasks performed convey realism, and attitudes toward the IVR-supported training format. Data were collected via systematic post-training presence questionnaires and observations. The results revealed a highly experienced presence and perceived realism of the representations by the participants from both countries. However, attitudes toward using IVR technologies differed. The motivation to utilize currently available IVR training tools was higher in Brazil than in Sweden. This may be partly explained by less frequent HF-LS training opportunities in Brazil. Nevertheless, further research is needed to investigate the training transfer of IVR technologies and how these can better support skills training

Gerenciamento de projetos em escritórios de projetos públicos: O caso do Serviço Social Autônomo Paraná Projetos / Project management in public project offices: The case of the Autonomous Social Service Paraná Projetos

O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar o nível de transparência dos projetos públicos gerenciados pelo escritório de projetos do estado do Paraná, o Paraná Projetos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, definida como exploratória, desenvolvida pelo método de pesquisa documental que se apoiou em arquivos públicos e documentos oficiais, disponibilizados nos sítios eletrônicos. O caso apresentado ilustra os conceitos da revisão, assim como o nível de transparência do gerenciamento de projetos está aquém do ideal. Ao final, o trabalho abre possibilidades para a continuidade da pesquisa sobre o tema abordado