Precise computer controlled positioning of robot end effectors using force sensors

A major problem in space applications of robotics and docking of spacecraft is the development of technology for automated precise positioning of mating components with smooth motion and soft contact. To achieve the above objective, a design method was developed for optimally placing the closed-loop poles of a discretized robotic control system at exact prescribed locations inside the unit circle of the complex z-plane. The design method combines the merits of the pole placement and the linear quadratic design approaches. The proposed design procedure is based on the assignment of one real eigenvalue or two complex conjugate (or real) eigenvalues at each design step. The method involves solutions of simple algebraic equations and this is considered to be efficient for on-line or off-line computations. Also, two methods for the linearization of the nonlinear model of a robotic manipulator were presented. Since automatic control of multi-degree freedom robotic manipulators involves high nonlinear equations of systems, a pilot project was proposed involving the control of a one-dimensional system. This simple system can be readily implemented for testing the concepts and algorithms

An introduction to the interim digital SAR processor and the characteristics of the associated Seasat SAR imagery

Basic engineering data regarding the Interim Digital SAR Processor (IDP) and the digitally correlated Seasat synthetic aperature radar (SAR) imagery are presented. The correlation function and IDP hardware/software configuration are described, and a preliminary performance assessment presented. The geometric and radiometric characteristics, with special emphasis on those peculiar to the IDP produced imagery, are described

NIVEAUX DE L'EUROPIUM-155

Le spectre d'électrons et le spectre [γ de 155Sm [MATH] 155Eu (22 min) ont été observés à haute résolution. Un schéma de niveaux est proposé

Quantitative information flow, with a view

We put forward a general model intended for assessment of system security against passive eavesdroppers, both quantitatively ( how much information is leaked) and qualitatively ( what properties are leaked). To this purpose, we extend information hiding systems ( ihs ), a model where the secret-observable relation is represented as a noisy channel, with views : basically, partitions of the state-space. Given a view W and n independent observations of the system, one is interested in the probability that a Bayesian adversary wrongly predicts the class of W the underlying secret belongs to. We offer results that allow one to easily characterise the behaviour of this error probability as a function of the number of observations, in terms of the channel matrices defining the ihs and the view W . In particular, we provide expressions for the limit value as n → ∞, show by tight bounds that convergence is exponential, and also characterise the rate of convergence to predefined error thresholds. We then show a few instances of statistical attacks that can be assessed by a direct application of our model: attacks against modular exponentiation that exploit timing leaks, against anonymity in mix-nets and against privacy in sparse datasets

Clinicians\u27 delirium treatment practice, practice change, and influences: A national online survey

Background: Recent studies cast doubt on the net effect of antipsychotics for delirium. Aim: To investigate the influence of these studies and other factors on clinicians’ delirium treatment practice and practice change in palliative care and other specialties using the Theoretical Domains Framework. Design: Australia-wide online survey of relevant clinicians. Setting/participants: Registered nurses (72%), doctors (16%), nurse practitioners (6%) and pharmacists (5%) who cared for patients with delirium in diverse settings, recruited through health professionals’ organisations. Results: Most of the sample (n=475): worked in geriatrics/aged (31%) or palliative care (30%); in hospitals (64%); and saw a new patient with delirium at least weekly (61%). More (59%) reported delirium practice change since 2016, mostly by increased non-pharmacological interventions (53%). Fifty-five percent reported current antipsychotic use for delirium, primarily for patient distress (79%) and unsafe behaviour (67%). Common Theoretical Domains Framework categories of influences on respondents’ delirium practice were: emotion (54%); knowledge (53%) and physical (43%) and social (21%) opportunities. Palliative care respondents more often reported: awareness of any named key study of antipsychotics for delirium (73% vs 39%, p\u3c0.001); decreased pharmacological interventions (60% vs 15%, p\u3c0.001); off-label medication use (86% vs 51%, p\u3c0.001); antipsychotics 79% vs 44%, p\u3c0.001); benzodiazepines 61% vs 26%, p\u3c0.001); and emotion as an influence (82% vs 39%, p\u3c0.001). Conclusion: Clinicians’ use of antipsychotic during delirium remains common and is primarily motivated by distress and safety concerns for the patient and others nearby. Supporting clinicians to achieve evidence-based delirium practice requires further work

A Mendelian Trait for Olfactory Sensitivity Affects Odor Experience and Food Selection

SummaryHumans vary in acuity to many odors [1–4], with variation within olfactory receptor (OR) genes contributing to these differences [5–9]. How such variation also affects odor experience and food selection remains uncertain [10], given that such effects occur for taste [11–15]. Here we investigate β-ionone, which shows extreme sensitivity differences [4, 16, 17]. β-ionone is a key aroma in foods and beverages [18–21] and is added to products in order to give a pleasant floral note [22, 23]. Genome-wide and in vitro assays demonstrate rs6591536 as the causal variant for β-ionone odor sensitivity. rs6591536 encodes a N183D substitution in the second extracellular loop of OR5A1 and explains >96% of the observed phenotypic variation, resembling a monogenic Mendelian trait. Individuals carrying genotypes for β-ionone sensitivity can more easily differentiate between food and beverage stimuli with and without added β-ionone. Sensitive individuals typically describe β-ionone in foods and beverages as “fragrant” and “floral,” whereas less-sensitive individuals describe these stimuli differently. rs6591536 genotype also influences emotional associations and explains differences in food and product choices. These studies demonstrate that an OR variant that influences olfactory sensitivity can affect how people experience and respond to foods, beverages, and other products

Characteristics of a Widespread Community Cluster of H275Y Oseltamivir-Resistant A(H1N1)pdm09 Influenza in Australia

Background. Oseltamivir resistance in A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza is rare, particularly in untreated community cases. Sustained community transmission has not previously been reported

Globally prevalent PfMDR1 mutations modulate Plasmodium falciparum susceptibility to artemisinin-based combination therapies

Antimalarial chemotherapy, globally reliant on artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), is threatened by the spread of drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Here we use zinc-finger nucleases to genetically modify the multidrug resistance-1 transporter PfMDR1 at amino acids 86 and 184, and demonstrate that the widely prevalent N86Y mutation augments resistance to the ACT partner drug amodiaquine and the former first-line agent chloroquine. In contrast, N86Y increases parasite susceptibility to the partner drugs lumefantrine and mefloquine, and the active artemisinin metabolite dihydroartemisinin. The PfMDR1 N86 plus Y184F isoform moderately reduces piperaquine potency in strains expressing an Asian/African variant of the chloroquine resistance transporter PfCRT. Mutations in both digestive vacuole-resident transporters are thought to differentially regulate ACT drug interactions with host haem, a product of parasite-mediated haemoglobin degradation. Global mapping of these mutations illustrates where the different ACTs could be selectively deployed to optimize treatment based on regional differences in PfMDR1 haplotypes.This work was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (R01 AI50234, AI124678 and AI109023) and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigator in Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases award to D.A.F. This research also received funding from the Portuguese Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), cofunded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2-O Novo Norte); from the Quadro de Referencia Estrategico Nacional (QREN) through the Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) and from the Projeto Estrategico - LA 26 - 2013-2014 (PEst-C/SAU/LA0026/2013). M.I.V. is the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from FCT/Ministerio da Ciencia e Ensino Superior, Portugal-MCES (SFRH/BPD/76614/2011). A.M.L. was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Overseas Biomedical Fellowship (585519). R.E.M. was supported by an NHMRC RD Wright Biomedical Fellowship (1053082). A.C.U. was supported by an Irving scholarship from Columbia University. We thank Dr Andrea Ecker for her help with plasmid design and Pedro Ferreira for his expert help with Fig. 6.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Constraint-based modeling analysis of the metabolism of two Pelobacter species

BACKGROUND: Pelobacter species are commonly found in a number of subsurface environments, and are unique members of the Geobacteraceae family. They are phylogenetically intertwined with both Geobacter and Desulfuromonas species. Pelobacter species likely play important roles in the fermentative degradation of unusual organic matters and syntrophic metabolism in the natural environments, and are of interest for applications in bioremediation and microbial fuel cells. RESULTS: In order to better understand the physiology of Pelobacter species, genome-scale metabolic models for Pelobacter carbinolicus and Pelobacter propionicus were developed. Model development was greatly aided by the availability of models of the closely related Geobacter sulfurreducens and G. metallireducens. The reconstructed P. carbinolicus model contains 741 genes and 708 reactions, whereas the reconstructed P. propionicus model contains 661 genes and 650 reactions. A total of 470 reactions are shared among the two Pelobacter models and the two Geobacter models. The different reactions between the Pelobacter and Geobacter models reflect some unique metabolic capabilities such as fermentative growth for both Pelobacter species. The reconstructed Pelobacter models were validated by simulating published growth conditions including fermentations, hydrogen production in syntrophic co-culture conditions, hydrogen utilization, and Fe(III) reduction. Simulation results matched well with experimental data and indicated the accuracy of the models. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed genome-scale metabolic models of P. carbinolicus and P. propionicus. These models of Pelobacter metabolism can now be incorporated into the growing repertoire of genome scale models of the Geobacteraceae family to aid in describing the growth and activity of these organisms in anoxic environments and in the study of their roles and interactions in the subsurface microbial community