Multiple configuration shell-core structured robotic manipulator with interchangeable mechatronic joints : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Engineering in Mechatronics at Massey University, Turitea Campus, Palmerston North, New Zealand

With the increase of robotic technology utilised throughout industry, the need for skilled labour in this area has increased also. As a result, education dealing with robotics has grown at both the high-school and tertiary educational level. Despite the range of pedagogical robots currently on the market, there seems to be a low variety of these systems specifically related to the types of robotic manipulator arms popular for industrial applications. Furthermore, a fixed-arm system is limited to only serve as an educational supplement for that specific configuration and therefore cannot demonstrate more than one of the numerous industrial-type robotic arms. The Shell-Core structured robotic manipulator concept has been proposed to improve the quality and variety of available pedagogical robotic arm systems on the market. This is achieved by the reconfigurable nature of the concept, which incorporates shell and core structural units to make the construction of at least 5 mainstream industrial arms possible. The platform will be suitable, but not limited to use within the educational robotics industry at high-school and higher educational levels and may appeal to hobbyists. Later dubbed SMILE (Smart Manipulator with Interchangeable Links and Effectors), the system utilises core units to provide either rotational or linear actuation in a single plane. A variety of shell units are then implemented as the body of the robotic arm, serving as appropriate offsets to achieve the required configuration. A prototype consisting of a limited number of ‘building blocks’ was developed for proof-of-concept, found capable of achieving several of the proposed configurations. The outcome of this research is encouraging, with a Massey patent search confirming the unique features of the proposed concept. The prototype system is an economic, easy to implement, plug and play, and multiple-configuration robotic manipulator, suitable for various applications

The effect of search frictions on wages

Labour market theories allowing for search frictions make marked predictions on the effect of the degree of frictions on wages. Often, the effect is predicted to be negative. Despite the popularity of these theories, this has never been tested. We perform tests with matched worker-firm data. The worker data are informative on individual wages and labour market transitions, and this allows for estimation of the degree of search frictions. The firm data are informative on labor productivity. The matched data provide the skill composition in different markets. Together this allows us to investigate how the mean difference between labor productivity and wages in a market depends on the degree of frictions and other determinants. We correct for worker self-selection into high-wage jobs. Using within-market variation, we also investigate the extent of (and explanations for) positive assortative matching.Labor market imperfections; job durations; productivity; heterogeneity; sorting; assortative matching

The Effect of Search Frictions on Wages

Labor market theories that allow for search frictions make marked predictions on the effect of the degree of frictions on wages. Often, the effect is predicted to be negative. Despite the popularity of these theories, this has never been tested. We perform tests with matched worker-firm data. We effectively compare different markets with different degrees of frictions and different market outcomes. The worker data are informative on individual wages and labor market transitions, and this allows for estimation of the degree of search frictions. The firm data are informative on labor productivity. The matched data allow for an assessment of the skill composition in different markets. Together this allows us to investigate how the mean difference between labor productivity and wages in a market depends on the degree of frictions and other determinants. Using within-market variation, we also investigate the extent of (and explanations for) positive assortative matching. We perform separate analyses for The Netherlands and Denmark.labor market imperfections, job durations, productivity, heterogeneity, sorting, assortative matching

Industrial Psychology : goodness of fit? Fit for goodness?

Inaugural lecture--Dept. of Industrial Psychology, University of Johannesburg, 6 November 2006This paper represents a critical reflection on the relevance of industrial psychology. Against a historical-developmental background of the discipline, the inquiry questions its goodness of fit, i.e. its contribution to organisation and society. It is found that the fit is limited to its relevance for inwardly focused organisational behaviour due to its endorsement of the instrumental (strategic) motives of organisations that subscribe to an owner/shareholder agenda. Industrial psychology’s potential fit for goodness is explored with a view to enhance its relevance in an era of goodness. Scientific and practical interaction between industrial psychology and business ethics is suggested to facilitate movement away from a descriptive approach. The heuristics of reflection, resolve, research and resources are suggested to facilitate movement towards a normative (multiple stakeholder) paradigm aimed at broad based goodness and sustainability. Lastly, the potential risks inherent to an application of the heuristics are accounted for

Effects of feeding rapeseed oil, soybean oil or linseed oil on stearoyl-CoA desturase expression in the mammary gland of dairy cows

Extensive biohydrogenation of dietary fatty acids (FA) occurs in the rumen of dairy cattle, giving rise to a high proportion of saturated FA in milk fat. Saturated FA may contribute to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome (Williams, 2000). Saturated FA, as well as several mono-unsaturated FA, can be desaturated by ¿9-desaturase, also known as stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), present in the mammary gland of dairy cows. It is known that nutrition, especially polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), can affect the expression of SCD in rodents (Ntambi, 1999). Although various FA have been identified which can affect mammary SCD expression in dairy cattle, such knowledge is limited compared with rodents. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary FA supplementation of C18:1 cis-9, C18:2 cis-9,12 or C18:3 cis-9,12,15, by feeding rapeseed oil, soybean oil or linseed oil respectively, or its mixture, on SCD expression in the mammary gland of dairy cows

The combined honours student experience survey data and the perceptions of staff and students

Data analysis from the University Student Survey (2016) at Canterbury Christ Church University revealed that combined honours students (n=780) were less satisfied than single honours students. The qualitative comments of the students referred to concerns about identifying with and belonging to the programme; and self confidence. In addition, on one programme (n=89), combined honours student were less satisfied than their single honours classmates on 18 of the 22 USS satisfaction measure statements. Three focus group with staff on this programme (n=18) and interviews with students (n=8) were undertaken to investigate the issues of lack of satisfaction further. This paper will report on the ongoing investigation and the potential development of learning and teaching interventions

What Explains the Variation in Estimates of Labour Supply Elasticities?

This paper performs a meta-analysis of empirical estimates of uncompensated labour supply elasticities. We find that much of the variation in elasticities can be explained by the variation in gender, participation rates, and country fixed effects. Country differences appear to be small though. There is no systematic impact of the model specification or marital status on reported elasticities. The decision to participate is more responsive than is the decision regarding hours worked. Even at the intensive margin, we find that the elasticity for women exceeds that for men. For men and women in the Netherlands, we predict an uncompensated labour supply elasticity of 0.1 and 0.5, respectively. These values are robust for alternative samples and specifications of the meta regression.labour supply, meta-analysis, uncompensated elasticity

Resonant diaphragm pressure measurement system with ZnO on Si excitation

The principle of measuring pressure by means of a resonant diaphragm has been studied. An oscillator consisting of an integrated amplifier with a piezoelectrically driven diaphragm in its feedback loop has been built. The oscillator frequency is accurately proportional to the square of the pressure in the range of 60 to 130 Torr.\ud The frequency range is 1324 to 1336 Hz (this range being limited by a spurious mode which could be suppressed by better processing) for a 25 mm diameter diaphragm made of a silicon wafer and with PZT ceramics as driver and receptor. We have made an integrated version (1 × 1 mm2) of a square resonant diaphragm pressure guage by selective etching of (1 0 0) planes with ethylenediamine. The piezoelectric driving materials was sputtered zinc oxide. A driver was deposited midway between the bending point and the point of greatest curvature.\ud A receptor was located at a symmetrical position to give a optimum transfer condition.\ud The integrated current amplifier had a low impedance differential input stage, two gain cells and a high impedance output stage. These electrical conditions ensured maximum elastic freedom of the diaphragm. A digital circuit in I2L technology has been designed and made with eight-bit parallel read out of the frequency. This circuit may be directly connected to a microprocessor. The whole system contains the sensor chip, the analog amplifier chip and the digital chip, all in compatible technology.\ud \u

Modeling the Demand for Train Kilometers: A Microeconometric Approach

Consumer demand for rail transportation has traditionally been analyzed by means of aggregate demand systems and disaggregate discrete choice models. It is remarkable however that no serious efforts have been made to develop a disaggregate structural demand model, which takes account of the fact that consumers face a nonlinear budget constraint. It is argued that the use of such a model is necessary, because individuals typically have the opportunity to choose between many different types of tickets. It is therefore clear that consumer demand for transportation not only depends on price, but also that the 'consumption' of a certain amount of transportation will have causal influence on price. An important distinction between the present case and earlier studies of 'discrete/continuous goods', such as labor supply and electricity demand, concerns the nature of the discrete choice: While in earlier applications one single simultaneous choice is made for both the discrete and the continuous choice, the demand for transportation requires two explicit choices - a discrete choice for mode and/or ticket type and a continuous choice for the amount of transportation. Evidence from our data suggests that the explicit nature of the discrete choice is likely to lead to an extra source of optimization error as compared to Hausman's 1985 overview, which means that many observed combinations of discrete and continuous choice are demonstrably suboptimal - regardless of individual preferences. Estimation of the model for non-peak hour travelers by train in the Netherlands shows that the (absolute value of the) price elasticity of the demand for train kilometers equals about unity, and that the income elasticity is fairly small (about 0.05). It is suggested that the estimated model can be extended in many ways.