A survey of adaptive control technology in robotics

Previous work on the adaptive control of robotic systems is reviewed. Although the field is relatively new and does not yet represent a mature discipline, considerable attention has been given to the design of sophisticated robot controllers. Here, adaptive control methods are divided into model reference adaptive systems and self-tuning regulators with further definition of various approaches given in each class. The similarity and distinct features of the designed controllers are delineated and tabulated to enhance comparative review

Modularity in robotic systems

Most robotic systems today are designed one at a time, at a high cost of time and money. This wasteful approach has been necessary because the industry has not established a foundation for the continued evolution of intelligent machines. The next generation of robots will have to be generic, versatile machines capable of absorbing new technology rapidly and economically. This approach is demonstrated in the success of the personal computer, which can be upgraded or expanded with new software and hardware at virtually every level. Modularity is perceived as a major opportunity to reduce the 6 to 7 year design cycle time now required for new robotic manipulators, greatly increasing the breadth and speed of diffusion of robotic systems in manufacturing. Modularity and its crucial role in the next generation of intelligent machines are the focus of interest. The main advantages that modularity provides are examined; types of modules needed to create a generic robot are discussed. Structural modules designed by the robotics group at the University of Texas at Austin are examined to demonstrate the advantages of modular design

FIIs and Indian Stock Market: A Causality Investigation

While the volatility associated with portfolio capital flows is well known, there is also a concern that foreign institutional investors might introduce distortions in the host country markets due to the pressure on them to secure capital gains. In this context, present chapter attempts to find out the direction of causality between foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and performance of Indian stock market. To facilitate a better understanding of the causal linkage between FII flows and contemporaneous stock market returns (BSE National Index), a period of nineteen consecutive financial years ranging from January 1992 to December 2010 is selected. Granger Causality Test has been applied to test the direction of causality.Aczkolwiek brak stabilności związany z przepływami kapitału portfelowego jest dobrze znany, to istnieje również obawa, że zagraniczni inwestorzy instytucjonalni mogą wprowadzać zakłócenia na rynkach krajów przyjmujących z uwagi na wywieraną na nich presję, aby zapewniać zyski kapitałowe. W tym kontekście niniejszy rozdział próbuje poznać kierunek przyczynowości pomiędzy zagranicznymi inwestorami instytucjonalnymi (FIIs) i działaniem indyjskiej giełdy. Aby ułatwić lepsze zrozumienie związku przyczynowego między przepływami FII i mającymi miejsce w tym samym czasie wynikami giełdy papierów wartościowych (BSE National Index), wybrany został okres dziewiętnastu kolejnych lat począwszy od stycznia 1992 do grudnia 2010. Do zbadania kierunku przyczynowości zastosowano test przyczynowości Grangera

TINJAUAN HUKUM ISLAM TERHADAP TINDAK PIDANA SUAP DI INDONESIA

Tinjauan Hukum Islam Terhadap Tindak Pidana Suap Di Inonesia. Latar belakang masalah dalam skripsi ini adalah membicarakan masyarakat suatu keharusan yang melekat pada perbincangan mengenai hukum. Hukum dan masyarakat merupakan dua sisi dari satu mata uang. Begitupun dalam pelayanan publik, hukum dan masyarakat berperan penting. Dan salah satu yang sering terjadi dalam pemerintahan adalah korupsi. Perbuatan-perbuatan yang disebut sebagai perbuatan korupsi sebenarnya merupakan suatu gejala sosial yang telah ada di Indonesia, salah satu contohnya adalah suap korupsi yang dilkukan oleh mantan Gubernur Banten, Ratu Atut Chosiyah yang ditetapkan ditetapkan sebagai tersangka oleh KPK dalam pengadaan alat kesehatan di Banten. Dari latar belakang masalah di atas, maka yang menjadi rumusan masalahnya adalah apa faktor yang melatarbelakangi terjadinya tindak pidana suap di Indonesia dan bagaimana tinjauan hukum Islam terhadap tindak pidana suap di Indonesia. Adapun tujuan dari penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui latar belakang terjadinya tindak pidana suap dan untuk mengetahui tinjauan hukum Islam terhadap tindak pidana sua di Indonesia. Metode dalam penelitian ini adalah menggunakan jenis penelitian pustaka (library research), jenis data yang digunakan adalah data kualitatif serta sumber data berupa bahan hukum primer yang berkaitan dengan permasalahan yang dibahas, yaitu al-Qur’an, hadits,fiqh jinayah, Undang-undang Dasar 1945 dan Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana (KUHP), Undang-undang yang berkaitan dengan materi pembahasan tugas akhir penulis, yaitu Undang-undang TIPIKOR. Hasil penelitian dalam skripsi ini adalah faktor yang melatarbelakangi terjadinya tindak Pidana suap di Indonesia adalah 1.Keinginan hidup mewah dan cepat kaya dan sentiasa mengejar kebendaan tanpa memikirkan tentang halal dan haram. Apa yang diutamakan nya hanyalah nilai-nilai material, dengan membuang jauh tanggung jawabnya sebagai seorang pejabat yang diamanahi dengan kuasa dan pertanggungjawaban. 2. Kerendahan moral ditambah dengan nafsu yang tidak lagi dapat membedakan antara nilai-nilai yang baik viii dan buruk. AdapunTinjauan hukum Islam terhadap tindak pidana suap di Indonesia adalah Dalam hukum islam sudah jelas tindak pidana suap (rishwa) perbuatan dosa hukumnya haram dan mutlak, karena merusak tantanan kehidupan masyarakat

Towards a Robuster Interpretive Parsing

The input data to grammar learning algorithms often consist of overt forms that do not contain full structural descriptions. This lack of information may contribute to the failure of learning. Past work on Optimality Theory introduced Robust Interpretive Parsing (RIP) as a partial solution to this problem. We generalize RIP and suggest replacing the winner candidate with a weighted mean violation of the potential winner candidates. A Boltzmann distribution is introduced on the winner set, and the distribution’s parameter $T$ is gradually decreased. Finally, we show that GRIP, the Generalized Robust Interpretive Parsing Algorithm significantly improves the learning success rate in a model with standard constraints for metrical stress assignment

Lupus nephritis management guidelines compared

In the past years, many (randomized) trials have been performed comparing the treatment strategies for lupus nephritis. In 2012, these data were incorporated in six different guidelines for treating lupus nephritis. These guidelines are European, American and internationally based, with one separate guideline for children. They offer information on different aspects of the management of lupus nephritis including induction and maintenance treatment of the different histological classes, adjunctive treatment, monitoring of the patient, definitions of response and relapse, indications for (repeat) renal biopsy, and additional challenges such as the presence of vascular complications, the pregnant SLE patient, treatment in children and adolescents and considerations about end-stage renal disease and transplantation. In this review, we summarize the guidelines, determine the common ground between them, highlight the differences and discuss recent literature

Locally Constrained Homomorphisms on Graphs of Bounded Treewidth and Bounded Degree

A homomorphism from a graph G to a graph H is locally bijective, surjective, or injective if its restriction to the neighborhood of every vertex of G is bijective, surjective, or injective, respectively. We prove that the problems of testing whether a given graph G allows a homomorphism to a given graph H that is locally bijective, surjective, or injective, respectively, are NP-complete, even when G has pathwidth at most 5, 4 or 2, respectively, or when both G and H have maximum degree 3. We complement these hardness results by showing that the three problems are polynomial-time solvable if G has bounded treewidth and in addition G or H has bounded maximum degree

Comparison of FcRn- and pIgR-Mediated Transport in MDCK Cells by Fluorescence Confocal Microscopy

Protein delivery across polarized epithelia is controlled by receptor-mediated transcytosis. Many studies have examined basolateral-to-apical trafficking of polymeric IgA (pIgA) by the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR). Less is known about apical-to-basolateral transcytosis, the direction the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) transports maternal IgGs across intestinal epithelia. To compare apical-to-basolateral and basolateral-to-apical transcytosis, we co-expressed FcRn and pIgR in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells and used pulse-chase experiments with confocal microscopy to examine transport of apically applied IgG Fcγ and basolaterally applied pIgA. Fcγ and pIgA trafficking routes were initially separate but intermixed at later chase times. Fcγ was first localized near the apical surface, but became more equally distributed across the cell, consistent with concomitant transcytosis and recycling. By contrast, pIgA transport was strongly unidirectional: pIgA shifted from near the basolateral surface to an apical location with increasing time. Some Fcγ and pIgA fluorescence colocalized in early (EEA1-positive), recycling (Rab11a-positive), and transferrin (Tf)-positive common/basolateral recycling endosomes. Fcγ became more enriched in Tf-positive endosomes with time, whereas pIgA was sorted from these compartments. Live-cell imaging revealed that vesicles containing Fcγ or pIgA shared similar mobility characteristics and were equivalently affected by depolymerizing microtubules, indicating that both trafficking routes depended to roughly the same extent on intact microtubules