1,651 research outputs found
Design of a force reflection controller for telerobot systems using neural network and fuzzy logic
No full textThis paper presents a new method for selecting the force-reflection gain in a position-force type bilateral teleoperation system. The force-reflection gain greatly affects the task performance of a teleoperation system; too small gain results in poor task performance while too large gain results in system instability. The maximum boundary of the gain guaranteeing the stability greatly depends upon characteristics of the elements in the system such as: a master arm which is combined with the human operator's hand and the environments with which the slave arm contacts. In normal practice, it is, therefore, very difficult to determine such maximum boundary of the gain. To overcome this difficulty, this paper proposes a force-reflection gain selecting algorithm based on artificial neural network and fuzzy logic. The method estimates characteristics of the master arm acid the environments by using neural networks and, then, determines the force-reflection gain from the estimated characteristics by using fuzzy logic. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, a series of experiments are conducted under various conditions of teleoperation using a laboratory-made telerobot system
Electrohydrodynamic Sprayable Amphiphilic Polysaccharide-Clasped Nanoscale Self-Assembly for In Vivo Imaging
No full textThe work presented in this report demonstrates that amphiphilic polysaccharide-clasped self-assembly (Amp-SA) with nanometer size, encapsulating hydrophobic nanoparticles (NPs) can be generated via electrohydrodynamic spraying. It is observed that the formation of hydrophobic NP-encapsulated Amp-SA is dependent on the surface chemistry of NPs. The citrate-coated magnetic NPs (MNPs-Cit) were also prepared and compared. The hydrophobic magnetic NP-encapsulated Amp-SA (Amp-SA-M) exhibited around 2.7-2.8-fold higher values in r2 relaxivity than that of MNPs-Cit. In addition, the resulting Amp-SA-M achieved ��17.2-fold higher values in r2/r1 ratios than MNPs-Cit. The enhanced performances in magnetic transverse (r2) relaxivity and r2/r1 ratio as well as the in vivo behavior of Amp-SA-M suggest the potential of Amp-SA-M as a promising MRI nanoprobe. This approach based on the nature-originated amphiphilic biopolymers may provide a novel insight into electrohydrodynamic techniques that have the ability to create various nanostructures, encapsulating high-quality hydrophobic nanomaterials for applications in diverse biotechnology.11Nsciescopu
Accelerated norm-optimal iterative learning control
No full textThis paper proposes a novel technique for accelerating the convergence of the previously published norm-optimal iterative learning control (NOILC) methodology. The basis of the results is a formal proof of an observation made by the first author, namely that the NOILC algorithm is equivalent to a successive projection algorithm between linear varieties in a suitable product Hilbert space. This leads to two proposed accelerated algorithms together with well-defined convergence properties. The results show that the proposed accelerated algorithms are capable of ensuring monotonic error norm reductions and can outperform NOILC by more rapid reductions in error norm from iteration to iteration. In particular, examples indicate that the approach can improve the performance of NOILC for the problematic case of non-minimum phase systems. Realisation of the algorithms is discussed and numerical simulations are provided for comparative purposes and to demonstrate the numerical performance and effectiveness of the proposed methods
Polysaccharide-Hydrophobic Nanoparticle Hybrid Nanoclusters for Enhanced Performance in Magnetic Resonance/Photoacoustic Imaging
No full textPolysaccharide-nanoparticle (NP) hybrid nanoclusters have great potential to revitalize diverse bioapplications; however, fabricating polysaccharide-based hybrid nanoclusters composed of high-quality NPs generated in the organic phase remains a challenge. Here, using calcium alginate as a polysaccharide/tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH) combination, we report a novel approach to the design of alginate-hydrophobic magnetic-plasmonic core-shell (MPCS) NP hybrid nanoclusters (A-MPCS HNCs). Furthermore, we observe the dependence of the formation of A-MPCS HNCs on the TMAOH concentration. The enhanced performance in both magnetic resonance r(2) relaxivity and photoacoustic (PA) signals and the biocompatibility/bioactivity as well as the in vivo performance of A-MPCS HNCs shows them to be a promising magnetic resonance/photoacoustic dual-mode imaging agent. Our strategy could open doors to the use of other precious high quality nanomaterials created in the organic phase via well-established synthetic chemistry in the. design of alginate-hydrophobic nanomaterial hybrid nanoclusters, giving rise to novel and multifarious bioapplications.11Nsciescopu
Recommended from our members
The Life and Work of D.H. Hyers, 1913-1997
No full textThe following is a sketch of the life and work of Donald Holmes Hyers, Professor Emeritus from the University of Southern California. The theorem put forth by Hyers in 1941 concerning linear functional equations has gained a great deal of interest over the past two decades. Hundreds of articles have been written citing his works, many of which have furthered the theorem. This paper contains a brief description of Hyers’ theorem, a biographical essay and an extensive bibliography of Hyers’ work and works citing the Hyers theorem or the D.H. Hyers–S.M. Ulam–Th.M. Rassias theorem or related subjects of almost the last three decades. The author of this paper is the grandson of D.H. Hyers
The treatment of Italy and Italians in D.H. Lawrence's writings
No full textThis thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author.
Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to
make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field
Environmental (waste) compliance control systems for UK SMEs
No full textWhile the ‘environment’ is often perceived as a heavily regulated area of business, in reality, directly-regulated businesses represent a small proportion of the business community. This study aimed to evaluate and outline potential improvements to compliance controls for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those involved in the waste sector. Forty-four SMEs from England were interviewed/audited between April-September 2008. Using a UK-based system as a case-in-point, the Environment Agency’s (EA) Operational Risk Appraisal (‘Opra’)/Compliance Assessment Report (CAR) system was analysed. Environmental compliance performance indicators and an initial assessment methodology for SMEs were developed. The study showed:• Compliance with permitting legislation was poor in many areas.• Regulatory authorities are either unable/failing to implement their enforcement policies or unable/failing to identify non-compliances due to the infrequency or limited nature of their inspections.• Improvements are needed to the EA Opra/CAR system – control measures are not fully taken into account when calculating risk.Recommendations to improve SME compliance controls include using internationally applicable general and specific compliance and non-compliance performance indicators, re-designing the Opra system and using an initial assessment methodology based on understanding the hazardousness of SME categories, compliance levels and operator competency.<br/
The Importance Of Sex In Marriage Reflected In D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover Novel (1928): A Psychoanalytic Perspective
No full textThis study is about the importance of sex in marriage in Lady Chatterley’s Lover. The objectives of the study are conducted to identify the indicators of the need for sex of the major character, to describe the major character attempt to meet the need, and to reveal the underlying reason of why the major character did viewed from the psychoanalytic perspective. The object of the study is Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence. It used psychoanalytic perspective. This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The type of data in this study is a text that consists of words, phrases and sentences. There are two data sources in this study. The primary data source is Lady
Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence. The secondary data source consists of the other data, which have a relationship with the study, such as some biography of
the author, and other relevant information. The result of the study shows the following conclusions. First, based on the structural analysis the author wants to deliver a message that the meeting of sexual need is important in marriage. Second, based on the psychoanalytic perspective, it clear that in this novel D.H. Lawrence describes psychological phenomena in which one is seeking for the sexual satisfaction from a person other than one‟s spouse
Fabrication of Microgel-in-Liposome Particles with Improved Water Retention
No full textCorneocytes represents the main water reservoir of stratum corneum, and that ability intimately arises from their architecture and total composition. Here we describe a novel method for fabricating a microgel-in-liposome (M-i-L) structure consisting of a sodium hyaluronate microgel and a lipid membrane envelop in order to mimic corneocyte cell structures. The essence of our approach is to use a lecithin-based microemulsion with a very low interfacial tension between the water droplet and oil continuous phase. Using this emulsion enables us to stabilize a dispersion of microgel particles without phase separation or aggregation. The addition of excess water produced single-core or multicore microgel particles enveloped in a lipid layer. To demonstrate the applicability of this unique vesicle system, we encapsulated a high concentration of natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the microgel core and investigated how the M-i-L structure affected the water retention in comparison with other control systems. We have observed that our M-i-L particles with the NMF in the core, which mimicked the corneocyte cell structure, showed an excellent ability to retain water in the system. This experimental result inspired us to investigate how corneocyte cells, which feature a lipid-enveloped hydrogel structure, provide such long-lasting hydration to the skin.close2
- …
