Worker-robot cooperation and integration into the manufacturing workcell via the holonic control architecture

Cooperative manufacturing is a new field of research, which addresses new challenges beyond the physical safety of the worker. Those new challenges appear due to the need to connect the worker and the cobot from the informatics point of view in one cooperative workcell. This requires developing an appropriate manufacturing control system, which fits the nature of both the worker and the cobot. Furthermore, the manufacturing control system must be able to understand the production variations, to guide the cooperation between worker and the cobot and adapt with the production variations.Die kooperative Fertigung ist ein neues Forschungsgebiet, das sich neuen Herausforderungen stellt. Diese neuen Herausforderungen ergeben sich aus der Notwendigkeit, den Arbeiter und den Cobot aus der Sicht der Informatik in einem kooperativen Arbeitsplatz zu verbinden. Dies erfordert die Entwicklung eines geeigneten Produktionskontrollsystems, das sowohl der Natur des Arbeiters als auch der des Cobots entspricht. Darüber hinaus muss die Fertigungssteuerung in der Lage sein, die Produktionsschwankungen zu verstehen, um die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Arbeiter und Cobot zu steuern

EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DIESEL EXHAUST PARTICLES ON GASTRIC STEM CELLS

I would like to express my special thanks to the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi Emirate and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for their input and support. Last, but certainly not least, these acknowledgments would be incomplete without expressing my deepest appreciation to my family. Special acknowledgment of this achievement goes to my parents, who not only showed me unconditional love, acceptance, and respect for the person that I am throughout my life, they also showed me the strength of character which has brought me to where I am today. To my wife, for her love and the tremendous amount of support, which she gave me, both of which were vital ingredients in the completion of this study. To my lovely children, Mariam, Khaled, Maha, and Abdulla, for Even though stem cells have attracted many scientists because of their unique properties and therapeutic applications, it is not known how the environmental toxic factors could affect their features and functions. This study is focusing on the interaction between environmental diesel exhaust particles (DEP) and the stomach stem cells. In the stomach, the stem cells are responsible for generating and maintaining different types of cells which are organized to form numerous tubular glands. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of DEP on mouse gastric stem cells. The hypothesis is that DEP could have deleterious effects on the properties of mouse gastric stem cells such as their viability and migration. An immortalized mouse gastric stem cell line was used to develop a simple in vitro model to test the effects of exposure to various concentrations of DEP. Stem cells were cultured using routine tissue culture protocols. The DEP was added to the culture media at different concentrations: 1, 10, and 100 μg/ml for different timepoint up to 72 hours. Then, stem cells were analyzed using: cell viability assay, wound healing or migration assay, oxidative stress analysis by measurement of reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation, and nitric oxide, expression analysis of genes specific for cell proliferation, cell death, and oxidative stress using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and expression of stem cell-specific proteins using western blotting. While DEP induced a reduction in the growth rate of gastric stem cells only at high concentration, no significant effects were found on cell migration, cell death-related genes/proteins. Only minor changes were observed in oxidative stress parameters. However, these findings were interestingly associated with the downregulation of Notch 1, 2, and 3 proteins. Since Notch signaling pathways play an important role in the development and differentiation of stem cells, it will be interesting to determine which mechanisms and target genes are involved in an animal model of DEP exposure. In conclusion, this study establishes an in vitro model system to investigate the biological feature of gastric stem cells when exposed to environmental pollutants. In addition, demonstrating the effects of DEP on adult stem cells will help in raising public awareness about environmental hazardous agents.r patience, understanding, and support. Without them, my DBA could have been an extremely lonely trip

Coding by Design: GPT-4 empowers Agile Model Driven Development

Generating code from a natural language using Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, seems groundbreaking. Yet, with more extensive use, it's evident that this approach has its own limitations. The inherent ambiguity of natural language presents challenges for complex software designs. Accordingly, our research offers an Agile Model-Driven Development (MDD) approach that enhances code auto-generation using OpenAI's GPT-4. Our work emphasizes "Agility" as a significant contribution to the current MDD method, particularly when the model undergoes changes or needs deployment in a different programming language. Thus, we present a case-study showcasing a multi-agent simulation system of an Unmanned Vehicle Fleet. In the first and second layer of our approach, we constructed a textual representation of the case-study using Unified Model Language (UML) diagrams. In the next layer, we introduced two sets of constraints that minimize model ambiguity. Object Constraints Language (OCL) is applied to fine-tune the code constructions details, while FIPA ontology is used to shape communication semantics and protocols. Ultimately, leveraging GPT-4, our last layer auto-generates code in both Java and Python. The Java code is deployed within the JADE framework, while the Python code is deployed in PADE framework. Concluding our research, we engaged in a comprehensive evaluation of the generated code. From a behavioural standpoint, the auto-generated code aligned perfectly with the expected UML sequence diagram. Structurally, we compared the complexity of code derived from UML diagrams constrained solely by OCL to that influenced by both OCL and FIPA-ontology. Results indicate that ontology-constrained model produce inherently more intricate code, but it remains manageable and low-risk for further testing and maintenance

Design and Implementation of an expert System for Monitoring and Management of Web-Based Industrial Applications Master Thesis

Human is an intelligent creature – intelligent in design and behaviour. From the human first second on the earth, he is trying to collect the knowledge and use it for surviving and extending his own kind. Human knowledge collection is all based on his observa-tions and discovering for his own environment, the information with time turns to be the human experience which is the main sort of his intelligence of dealing with different situations. Expert system is one branch of artificial intelligence science which the human in-spired from his own being. Human always tries to inherit his own experiences to the next generations. But with the vast wide spreading of the information in the present century, a new need imposed itself to emulate the human experience and behaviour in a similar way; from this point expert computer systems have been invented. Expert system is mainly transforming the human experiences into software forms. To act in a similar manner the human behaves. The expert system is always collecting a huge amount of information from its domain, and transform them to knowledge, using those rules the human assigned based on his own experiences. In industry we try to apply the same concept to have intelligent automated system, but for this purpose; all the information should be in an easy form of industrial language and follow a reliable industrial protocol to communicate in an efficient way. As the internet is the main source of the data on our planet currently, it was so con-venient to structure all the industrial data in same language the internet use and follow similar communication protocols. From industrial point of view a web based monitoring systems – should be the base of information for the mentioned expert system. During this master thesis we achieve this goal, by dividing the problem into two main sub problems. The first part is to implement a web based monitoring system on PLC controlled produc-tion line made by FESTO and used for teaching purpose in TUT - Tampere University of Technology – FASTory lab facilities. The second part is to design and implement a convenient industrial expert system to process this web based monitored information for managing from the business point of vie

Maternal and child health nursing practices in rural health centres, Ethiopia: prospects for health outcomes

The Purpose of the study to provide evidence-based suggestions for maternal and child health nursing practice guideline improvements based on in-depth investigation of existing situations, challenges, missed-opportunities, innovative ideas and best practices that could improve the maternal and child health care practices. The method of the study applied was qualitative study design which was conducted by using phenomenological and ethnographic approaches. Totally, 42 in-depth interviews and 12 focus group discussions were conducted. Among Key informant interviews, 24 (57.1%) were female participants and 18 (42.9%) participants were male. Each focus group discussion involved 6 individual participants in which 8 Fucus Group Discussions purely involved 48 (66.7%) female participants and 4 Fucus Group Discussions purely involved 24 (33.3%) male participants in the context of twelve rural health centres in six selected districts, namely: Babile, Chalanko, Dadar, Fadis, Kersa, Meta and Gursum which are found in East Hararghe Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. The study involved healthcare managers, community leaders, religious leaders, health officers, midwives, nurses, health extension workers (HEWs), traditional birth attendants (TBAs), volunteer health promoters and mothers, as well as family members. Data collection instruments used were In-depth interview questions, focus group guides and observation checklists with audio recorder and camera. In qualitative research, the triangulation of these methods was advantageous for enabling participation of a broad spectrum of participants and a range of views concerning the investigated phenomenon of MCH care practices. Data analysis was performed based on the need for triangulation in this study and its vast sample size, both inductive and deductive analytical approaches were applied to analyse and interpret the collected data from these varied categories of research subjects by using the Atlas ti Version 8.2 statistical software. The study found out the environmental, physical, institutional, material, financial, ethical, attitudinal, perceptual, behavioural, procedural conditions and human interaction that positively or negatively affect the quality of maternal and child health care services. The study further explored major barriers, enabling factors and innovative ideas for improving maternal child health care practices based on the lessons learnt from experiences in the context of local communities. v The study inferred useful insights on the nature of existing maternal and child health care related issues including: the rationale, purpose, components, methods of care and practice, nature of interaction, levels of satisfaction and level of dissatisfaction. Based on the findings, the recommendations were given largely focus on multiple approaches and guidelines for improvement of maternal and child health practices by all stakeholders, from the personal, institutional/ organisational and governmental levels.Health StudiesPh. D. (Nursing

Analysis of ChatGPT on Source Code

This paper explores the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and in particular ChatGPT in programming, source code analysis, and code generation. LLMs and ChatGPT are built using machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques, and they offer several benefits to developers and programmers. While these models can save time and provide highly accurate results, they are not yet advanced enough to replace human programmers entirely. The paper investigates the potential applications of LLMs and ChatGPT in various areas, such as code creation, code documentation, bug detection, refactoring, and more. The paper also suggests that the usage of LLMs and ChatGPT is expected to increase in the future as they offer unparalleled benefits to the programming community.Comment: 40 pages, examples provided for each experimen

Enhancement of student performance prediction using modified K-nearest neighbor

The traditional K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm uses an exhaustive search for a complete training set to predict a single test sample. This procedure can slow down the system to consume more time for huge datasets. The selection of classes for a new sample depends on a simple majority voting system that does not reflect the various significance of different samples (i.e. ignoring the similarities among samples). It also leads to a misclassification problem due to the occurrence of a double majority class. In reference to the above-mentioned issues, this work adopts a combination of moment descriptor and KNN to optimize the sample selection. This is done based on the fact that classifying the training samples before the searching actually takes place can speed up and improve the predictive performance of the nearest neighbor. The proposed method can be called as fast KNN (FKNN). The experimental results show that the proposed FKNN method decreases original KNN consuming time within a range of (75.4%) to (90.25%), and improve the classification accuracy percentage in the range from (20%) to (36.3%) utilizing three types of student datasets to predict whether the student can pass or fail the exam automatically

Toward a sustainable cybersecurity ecosystem

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Cybersecurity issues constitute a key concern of today’s technology-based economies. Cybersecurity has become a core need for providing a sustainable and safe society to online users in cyberspace. Considering the rapid increase of technological implementations, it has turned into a global necessity in the attempt to adapt security countermeasures, whether direct or indirect, and prevent systems from cyberthreats. Identifying, characterizing, and classifying such threats and their sources is required for a sustainable cyber-ecosystem. This paper focuses on the cybersecurity of smart grids and the emerging trends such as using blockchain in the Internet of Things (IoT). The cybersecurity of emerging technologies such as smart cities is also discussed. In addition, associated solutions based on artificial intelligence and machine learning frameworks to prevent cyber-risks are also discussed. Our review will serve as a reference for policy-makers from the industry, government, and the cybersecurity research community

Assessment of Plasma Cystatin C among Sudanese Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Cystatin C is mainly used as a biomarker of kidney function. It is freely filtered by glomerulus, and does not return to the blood stream or secreted by renal tubules. It has been suggested to be closer to the “ideal” endogenous marker.Objectives: To assess the plasma levels of cystatin c, creatinine clearance, blood HbA1C% and body mass index among Sudanese with type 2  Diabetes.Materials and methods: This is a case-control study conducted in diabetic centers in Khartoum state, Sudan, from March 2010 to November 2013. A total of 300 Sudanese patients with type2 diabetes (49% males and 51% females) as a test group, and 150 healthy subjects (48%males and 52%females) as a control group were enrolled in this study. Both groups were matched for gender and age. The plasma levels of Cystatin C, creatinine and blood HbA1c were measured using Nephelometry technique. Creatinine clearance was calculated for each participant. SPSS was usedfor analysis of data.Results: The means of the plasma levels of Cystatin C, HbA1c% and the body mass index (BMI) were significantly raised in the diabetic group  compared to the control group (p<0.05).There is significant moderate negative correlation between Cystatin C and creatinine clearance (r=0.69,p=0.015) in the diabetic group, and there is a significant strong positive correlation between the plasma levels of Cystatin C and HbA1c%(r=o.78, p=0.044).Conclusion: The present data indicates that among Sudanese patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, plasma levels of Cystatin C are significantly raised and has a significant strong positive correlation with glycated  haemoglobin % and a significant moderate negative correlation with creatinine clearance.Key words: Type 2 Diabetes, Cystatin C, Glycated Heamoglobin, Sudan

Effect of Fixatives' Temperatures on Subsequent Histochemical Staining

Background: Fixation is complex series of chemical events which differs for the different group of chemical substances found in tissues. Some chemical reactions, including those involved in fixation occur more rabidly at higher temperature.Objectives: Toassess the effect of varying fixatives' temperature on the quality of subsequent histochemical staining.Methods: Rabbit samples were collected including tongue tissue to demonstrate collagen fibers using Van Geison’s stain, and liver tissue to demonstrate cell morphology using Erlich’s haematoxylin. Specimens were divided into pieces; each sample was fixed in the following fixatives: formal saline, neutral buffer formalin (NBF), Carnoy’s and Bouin's fixative in different temperatures as follow 4C°, 25C°, 37C° and 60C°. There after, tissues were embedded in paraffin and cut sections into 5 micron and stained with Ehrlich’s hematoxylin and Van Gieson histochemical stains.Results: For Erlich’s heamtoxylin, formal saline gave the best result for tissues fixed at 60C°; NBF gave the best results at 37C° and 60C°. For Van Geison stain, formal saline and NBF the best results obtained at 37 C°.Conclusion: The study concluded that using 10% NBF, 10% Formal saline, Carnoy’s and Bouin’s fixatives applying different temperatures include 4C°, 25C°, 37C° and 60C° affect the subsequent histochemical staining of Ehrlich’s hematoxylin, and Van Gieson.Keywords: Fixatives, temperature, Van Geison, Erlich’sheamtoxylin, stai