Architecture of a Cyberphysical Avatar

REACTION 2012. 1st International workshop on Real-time and distributed computing in emerging applications. December 4th, 2012, San Juan, Puerto Rico.This paper introduces the concept of a cyberphysical avatar which is defined to be a semi-autonomous robotic system that adjusts to an unstructured environment and performs physical tasks subject to critical timing constraints while under human supervision. Cyberphysical avatar integrates the recent advance in three technologies: body-compliant control in robotics, neuroevolution in machine learning and QoS guarantees in realtime communication. Body-compliant control is essential for operator safety since cyberphysical avatars perform cooperative tasks in close proximity to humans. Neuroevolution technique is essential for ”programming” cyberphysical avatars inasmuch as they are to be used by non-experts for a large array of tasks, some unforeseen, in an unstructured environment. QoS-guaranteed realtime communication is essential to provide predictable, boundedtime response in human-avatar interaction. By integrating these technologies, we have built a prototype cyberphysical avatar testbed

Recent Advances in Vehicle Exhaust Treatment with Photocatalytic Technology

Vehicle exhaust has been acknowledged as an essential factor affecting human health due to the extensive use of cars. Its main components include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which can cause acute irritation and chronic diseases, and significant research on the treatment of vehicle exhaust has received increasing attention in recent decades. Recently, photocatalytic technology has been considered a practical approach for eliminating vehicle emissions. This review highlights the crucial role of photocatalytic technology in eliminating vehicle emissions using semiconductor catalysts. A particular emphasis has been placed on various photocatalytic materials, such as TiO2-based materials, Bi-based materials, and Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), and their recent advances in the performance of VOC and NOx photodegradation. In addition, the applications of photocatalytic technology for the elimination of vehicle exhaust are presented (including photocatalysts combined with pavement surfaces, making photocatalysts into architectural coatings and photoreactors), which will offer a promising strategy for photocatalytic technology to remove vehicle exhaust

Recent Advances in Vehicle Exhaust Treatment with Photocatalytic Technology

Vehicle exhaust has been acknowledged as an essential factor affecting human health due to the extensive use of cars. Its main components include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which can cause acute irritation and chronic diseases, and significant research on the treatment of vehicle exhaust has received increasing attention in recent decades. Recently, photocatalytic technology has been considered a practical approach for eliminating vehicle emissions. This review highlights the crucial role of photocatalytic technology in eliminating vehicle emissions using semiconductor catalysts. A particular emphasis has been placed on various photocatalytic materials, such as TiO2-based materials, Bi-based materials, and Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), and their recent advances in the performance of VOC and NOx photodegradation. In addition, the applications of photocatalytic technology for the elimination of vehicle exhaust are presented (including photocatalysts combined with pavement surfaces, making photocatalysts into architectural coatings and photoreactors), which will offer a promising strategy for photocatalytic technology to remove vehicle exhaust

Public relations in leisure facilities

TITLE: Public Relations in Leisure Time Centres AUTHOR: Kamila Müllerová DEPARTMENT: Centrum školského managementu SUPERVISOR: Ing. Bc. Blanka Pechová ABSTRACT: This bachelor thesis is aimed at finding public relations concept for leisure time centres which can be subsequently implemented by particular leisure time centre management in their own regional public relations policy. The thesis considers public relations an important tool for a successful run of a leisure time centre within the marketplace of leisure time activities and services. There are three distinctive parts of the thesis; theoretical, research and practical one. The objective of the theoretical part is to introduce the institution of the leisure time centre in general and define the main aspects of public relations subject matter. The basis for this part became findings from available literature and other sources regarding public and media relations cited as follows. The research part builds on analysis of the state, run and the true practice of PR in leisure time centres. The instrument of the research was a web-site questionnaire. The conclusion of this part serves as one of the bases for the final outcomes of the thesis. The subject of investigation became leisure time centres located in the Czech Republic. The practical part of the..

Influence of drilling parameters on bone drilling force and temperature by FE simulation and parameters optimization based Taguchi method

During bone drilling surgery, the bone drill can generate drilling force and frictional heat, which may lead to mechanical and thermal damage to the bone tissue. This paper presents a finite element (FE) simulation of bone drilling for cortical and cancellous bone, analyzing the influence of drilling parameters on bone drilling force and temperature. The simulation results reveal the change laws of axial force and temperature during different density bone drilling for various parameters. To optimize the bone drilling parameters, the Taguchi method is applied to conduct bone drilling simulation experiments based on the FE simulation model. The optimal values of axial force and temperature are predicted and calculated under the condition of optimal drilling parameters. Furthermore, a robot bone drilling experiment platform is used to verify the bone drilling FE simulation model and the optimal parameters. The research demonstrates that the FE simulation model effectively explores the influence of drilling parameters on bone drilling force and temperature, while the Taguchi method optimizes the drill parameters to minimize the mechanical and thermal damage to the bone tissue

The Momentum Transfer Mechanism of a Landslide Intruding a Body of Water

Landslide-generated waves occur as a result of the intrusion of landslides such as mud flows and debris flows into bodies of water such as lakes and reservoirs. The objective of this study was to determine how the momentum is transferred from the sliding mass to the body of water on the basis of theoretical analysis and physical model experiments. Considering the viscoplastic idealization of natural landslides, the theoretical model was established based on the momentum and mass conservation of a two-phase flow in a control volume. To close the theoretical equations, slide thickness and velocity passing through the left boundary of the control volume were estimated by lubrication theory, and the interaction forces between the slide phase and water phase, including hydrostatic force and drag force, were given by semiempirical equations fitted with experimental data obtained using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The near-field velocity fields of both the sliding mass and the body of water, as well as the air–water–slide interfaces, were determined from the experiments. The theoretical model was validated by comparing the theoretical and experimental data of the slide thickness and slide velocity, as well as the momentum variations of the two phases in the control volume

Visualization 3: In vivo volumetric imaging of biological dynamics in deep tissue via wavefront engineering

Transient morphologies of the mitochondria in lymphocytes Originally published in Optics Express on 25 January 2016 (oe-24-2-1214

Attitude-Oriented Stability Control with Adaptive Impedance Control for a Wheeled Robotic System on Rough Terrain

Base stability for a wheeled robot while driving over rough terrain is a challenging issue. This paper proposes a novel base-stability control framework, consisting of an AVIC (adaptive variable-impedance control), AVIC-based tracking controller, and a THV (terrain height variation) and AC (attitude control) AC-based controller to stabilize the base on rough terrain. The AVIC-based controller aims to track the desired trajectory of the robot base while suppressing lumped disturbance, including system uncertainties in the internal dynamics and unknown external disturbance. The THV-based controller is utilized as a feedforward controller to improve posture tracking performance in order to achieve a horizontal posture. The AC-based controller is employed to maintain the horizontal posture of the base. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controllers are validated by a series of numerical trials, and the results are evaluated

Visualization 5: Multicolor multiphoton in vivo imaging flow cytometry

Typical results of cross-sectional imaging of neutrophil trafficking at 2 kHz frame rate. Originally published in Optics Express on 21 March 2016 (oe-24-6-6126

Visualization 4: Multicolor multiphoton in vivo imaging flow cytometry

Neutrophils traffic through the vasculature of mouse ear. Originally published in Optics Express on 21 March 2016 (oe-24-6-6126