Man-Machine Control of Space Robots under Uncertainty

Control problem of space robots is characterized by several challenges. The first one is that the area is full of uncertainties due to lack of information. Another difficulty is tasksharing between an operator and a partly autonomous robot. Moreover, there are several constrains on the robot operations, including communication delay and an appropriate temperature at which robot can work. Design of the robots navigation should be based on consideration of trade-offs between several conflicting criteria, such as maximization of the robot safety, minimization of the energy consumption, maximization of the value of information collected by the robot during its movement. Our research objective is to design man-machine interactive system, dealing with navigation problem of space robots. This paper focuses on the problem of path planning for small robot exploring a small asteroid. This problem is solved by an operator controlling the robot from Earth

Pembangkitan Ekonomis pada Unit Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Diesel Telaga Gorontalo Menggunakan Algoritma Genetika

The increasing daily need towards electrical energy demands for generation companies to conduct operational cost-saving strategy including the generation fuel. One of the strategies that can be done is through economical generation optimization. The genetics algorithm of the heuristics method is known for its ability to overcome the problems characterized as non-linear, non convex, integer/ discrete, not continuous, and a system with a lot of variables. The evaluation technique employing the evolution theory has been applied to the case of IEEE 26 buses power system and diesel power generation in a unit in Telaga, Gorontalo. The result shows that the proposed method is believed to be able to minimize the generation cost better than the previous method. The method is tested by applying for its real system in Telaga, Gorontalo and it is found that the total cost at Rp 20.201.000,00 per hour with total load at 5.000 kW

Kajian Ekonomis Pembangkit Hybrid Renewable Energi Menuju Desa Mandiri Energi Di Kabupaten Bone-Bolango

Energy crisis due to extensive uses of fossil fuel and environmental issues caused by unsustainable uses of energy driving the world and Indonesian government to accelerate the USAge of renewable energy such as hydro, wind and solar. One of the government approaches is to implement a program called Independent Energy Village (IEV). Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) serves to design a micropower systems and to facilitate the comparison between some of power generation technologies. Researcher models the power system based on the physical behavior and overall cost, which are the total cost of installation and operation of the system during operation of the system. HOMER allows researcher to compare various forms of system designs technically and economically. This research was conducted in the village of Lombongo, District Suwawa, in Bone-Bolango Gorontalo. Some of the modeling results showed that the combination of micro-hydro and solar power have the most favorable economic value if operated over 25 years with a Net Present Cost (NPC) is US$-369,087.00 and a Level Cost of Energy (LCOE) of -0.106 US$/kWh below the level energy costs of PLN at 0.116 US$/kWh in whch made this hybrid plant is very competitive. The hybrid plant has micro-hydro generating capacity of 58,9 kW with annual production of 657,384 kW, while solar power plant with a production capacity of 15,7 kW per year 20.091 kW

Temperature Evolution of Sodium Nitrite Structure in a Restricted Geometry

The NaNO$_{2}$ nanocomposite ferroelectric material in porous glass was studied by neutron diffraction. For the first time the details of the crystal structure including positions and anisotropic thermal parameters were determined for the solid material, embedded in a porous matrix, in ferro- and paraelectric phases. It is demonstrated that in the ferroelectric phase the structure is consistent with bulk data but above transition temperature the giant growth of amplitudes of thermal vibrations is observed, resulting in the formation of a "premelted state". Such a conclusion is in a good agreement with the results of dielectric measurements published earlier.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Purpose in life and tobacco use among community-dwelling mothers of early adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The rising prevalence of tobacco use and tobacco-attributable deaths among women is of worldwide concern. In particular, smoking prevention for mothers in early midlife is a significant international public health goal. A higher sense of purpose in life (PIL) is thought to reduce detrimental health behaviours. However, little is known about the association between a sense of PIL and tobacco use. This study investigates this association among community-dwelling mothers of early adolescents. DESIGN: This population-based cross-sectional study uses a self-reported questionnaire from the Tokyo Early Adolescence Survey, a large community-based survey conducted in Japan between 2012 and 2015. SETTING: Participants were randomly recruited from the resident registries of three municipalities in Tokyo, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4478 children and their primary parents participated. Responses from 4063 mothers with no missing data were analysed (mean age=42.0 years (SD=4.2)). MEASURES: Participants' tobacco use, including the number of cigarettes smoked per day, was documented using a questionnaire. PIL was assessed using a Purpose in Life scale derived from Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale. RESULTS: Greater PIL was associated with a decreased likelihood of tobacco use, even when adjusted for confounders (OR=0.80, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.91). Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that PIL was inversely associated with tobacco consumption among mothers. These associations remained after controlling for psychological distress, socioeconomic factors and frequency of alcohol consumption among moderate to heavy smokers (OR=0.70, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.86), while attenuated among light smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing PIL may be a valuable intervention for reducing tobacco use among women in early midlife. This study can contribute to our understanding of the psychology of smoking behaviour and shed light on the targeted intervention to reduce tobacco use among early midlife mothers

Maternal diabetes in early pregnancy, and psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms in 10-year-old offspring: A population-based birth cohort study

Epidemiological studies have suggested that maternal diabetes in pregnancy increases the risk of schizophrenia in offspring. A recent cohort study observed that maternal diabetes in early pregnancy is also associated with psychotic experiences in the general adolescent population. However, it remains unclear whether maternal diabetes in early pregnancy is specifically associated with psychotic experiences, or is generally associated with broader mental health problems, including depressive symptoms in adolescence. The present study investigated the longitudinal associations between maternal diabetes in early pregnancy, and psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms in 10-year-old offspring. Our data were derived from the Tokyo Early Adolescence Survey, a population-based survey of early adolescents (N = 4478) and their primary caregivers. Diabetes in early pregnancy was determined by records in the mother's Maternal and Child Health Handbook, documented during the pregnancy. Psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms were established through self-report by the offspring at 10 years of age. Diabetes in early pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of hallucination in the offspring (auditory hallucination [odds ratio {OR} 4.33, 95% confidence interval {CI} 1.12-16.75]; visual hallucination [OR 6.58, 95% CI 1.69-25.66]), even after adjusting for depressive symptoms and other covariates. However, the association between maternal diabetes and delusional thoughts was not significant and diabetes in early pregnancy was not associated with adolescent depressive symptoms. Our investigation suggests that maternal diabetes in early pregnancy may specifically affect the risk of hallucinatory experiences in adolescent offspring

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

The Discovery of LOX-1, its Ligands and Clinical Significance

LOX-1 is an endothelial receptor for oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), a key molecule in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.The basal expression of LOX-1 is low but highly induced under the influence of proinflammatory and prooxidative stimuli in vascular endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, macrophages, platelets and cardiomyocytes. Multiple lines of in vitro and in vivo studies have provided compelling evidence that LOX-1 promotes endothelial dysfunction and atherogenesis induced by oxLDL. The roles of LOX-1 in the development of atherosclerosis, however, are not simple as it had been considered. Evidence has been accumulating that LOX-1 recognizes not only oxLDL but other atherogenic lipoproteins, platelets, leukocytes and CRP. As results, LOX-1 not only mediates endothelial dysfunction but contributes to atherosclerotic plaque formation, thrombogenesis, leukocyte infiltration and myocardial infarction, which determine mortality and morbidity from atherosclerosis. Moreover, our recent epidemiological study has highlighted the involvement of LOX-1 in human cardiovascular diseases. Further understandings of LOX-1 and its ligands as well as its versatile functions will direct us to ways to find novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cardiovascular disease

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals &lt;1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data