Robots have been increasingly used in uncertain environments where direct contact with the surrounding environment exists. A design procedure of an adaptive fuzzy control, which can be carried out systematically, is suggested in this paper. The developed adaptive laws learn on-line the fuzzy rules of the control system and the uncertainties of the plant. Adaptive fuzzy control is integrated in ...

Many real-world collaboration scenarios involve a helper remotely guiding a worker performing a task requiring the manipulation of physical objects/devices. Systems currently available for remote guiding have limitations for industrial use, particularly in terms of supporting the mobile aspect of work. To meet these needs and as part of our work for the mining industry, we have developed two sy...

The various positional isomers of oleic acid (18 : 1Δ9c or 9c-18 : 1) may have distinct biological effects. Detrimental effects of consumption of industrial trans-fatty acids (TFA) (elaidic acid; 18 : 1Δ9t) from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils on CVD risk factors are well documented. In addition, epidemiological data suggest that chronic consumption of industrial sources of TFA could alte...

A gene (ssg) encoding a putative glucoamylase in a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the properties of the recombinant protein were examined in relation to the glucose production process. The recombinant glucoamylase was extremely thermostable, with an optimal temperature at 90 degrees C. The enzyme was most active in the pH r...

Reflection curves on surfaces are important tools for free-form surface interrogation. They are essential for industrial 3D CAD/CAM systems and for rendering purposes. In this note, new approaches regarding the computation and rendering of reflection curves on surfaces are introduced. These approaches are designed to take the advantage of the graphics libraries of recent releases of commercial ...

The main aim of the paper is to highlight the relation between flexibility and vertical integration. To this purpose, we go through the selection of the optimal degree of vertical disintegration of a flexible firm which operates in a dynamic uncertain environment. The enterprise we model enjoys flexibility since it can switch from a certain amount of disintegration to vertical integration and v...

Process synthesis and design of plant operation are related topics but current industrial practice solves these problems sequentially. The implication of this sequential strategy may result in design of processing systems which are very hard to control. This paper presents a discussion on drivers for an integrated approach and outlines the challenges in formulation of such a multi-objective syn...

Factors in the urban environments of highly industralized societies are important causes of disease. This review examines urban diseases of small and large intestine. The urban environment is pervaded by chemicals including drugs, food additives, pesticides, industrial products, etc., which are potential causes of disease. Examples of typical urban, as contrasted with rural, intestinal disease ...

A collaborative study of 10 centres during the winters of 1973-4 and 1974-5 showed that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the major cause of admission to hospital for respiratory disease in children under 5 years of age in industrial, urban, and rural communities. In all areas the distribution of clinical symptoms and their severity was similar, but the rate of admission in relation to popu...

Kim argues that weak and global supervenience are too weak to guarantee any sort of dependency. Of the three original forms of supervenience, strong, weak, and global, each commonly wielded across all branches of philosophy, two are thus cast aside as uninteresting or useless. His arguments, however, fail to appreciate the strength of weak and global supervenience. I investigate what weak and g...