Staples (Canada)

Abstract This paper presents a comparative study of analytical and deep learning (DL) approaches for solving the inverse kinematics (IK) problem in high-degree-of-freedom (DOF) robotic manipulators, focusing on the Lunar Exploration Rover System (LERS). The IK problem, central to robotic motion control, is traditionally solved using analytical methods, but recent advances in deep learning provide new opportunities to enhance precision and efficiency. The study evaluates the performance of DL Neural Networks, in addressing the complexities of high-DOF manipulators. A detailed comparison is conducted between traditional geometric solutions and DL-based models, with an emphasis on robustness and computational efficiency under noisy conditions. The results demonstrate the potential of DL methods to outperform traditional techniques in high-DOF environments, paving the way for future advancements in autonomous robotic systems. In addition to the IK study, the paper discusses the design and integration of the LERS robotic system, which plays a critical role in advancing autonomous lunar exploration under the ARTEMIS program. As part of this international collaboration involving NASA, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), LERS is tasked with supporting both crewed and unmanned missions on the Moon. LERS is designed to perform precise robotic manipulation tasks such as deploying infrastructure, gathering scientific data, and managing lunar resources, all of which are vital for future missions to Mars. The implementation of advanced IK solutions is key to enabling the precise control of LERS’s robotic arms, allowing for the successful execution of complex tasks such as assembling habitats, handling materials, and conducting scientific analyses on the lunar surface. This work highlights the importance of IK in ensuring that robotic systems like LERS can operate with the precision needed for the next generation of lunar missions.

Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides are widely reported to contaminate and poison nontarget wildlife, primarily predatory birds and mammals. Exposure pathways, however, have not been well defined. Here, we examined potential movement of rodenticides from deployment of bait to exposure of small mammals and other biota. At two adjacent working farms, we placed baits containing either brodifacoum or bromadiolone. We monitored movement of those compounds to the surrounding environment by collecting small mammals, birds, and invertebrates. Similar collections were made at a third agricultural setting without active bait deployment, but located among intensive livestock production and regular rodenticide use by farmers. Livers and whole invertebrate samples were analyzed for rodenticides using a sensitive LC-MSMS method. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from both baited and non-baited farms had residues of brodifacoum or bromadiolone, implicating rats as an important exposure pathway to wildlife. Among 35 analyzed nontarget small mammals, a single vole had high hepatic residues (18.6 μ/g), providing some indication of a small mammal pathway. One song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) sample from a baited farm contained 0.073 μg/g of brodifacoum in liver, while 0.39 μg/g of diphacinone was measured in a pool of carrion beetles (Dermestes spp.) from the non-baited farm area, implicating avian and invertebrate components in exposure pathways. Regurgitated pellets of barn owl (Tyto alba) selected randomly from baited farms contained no detectable rodenticide residues, while 90% of owl pellets collected from a variety of farms, and selected for the presence of rat fur, contained detectable anticoagulant residues. We recorded behavior of a captive sample of a representative songbird, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus); they readily entered bait stations and fed on (unloaded) bait.

Religious ferment in the Kasai Province of Zaire in the decades preceding and following independence gave rise to a number of independent religious movements, some of which were overtly political. In an effort to control these movements, the Zairian government passed a law in 1971 which restricted the religious practice of these independent groups. As a direct result of these legal disabilities, a considerable number of independent movements in the Kasai sought affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This study surveys the history of the relationships between the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the above independent churches from 1972 to 1985 and attempts to analyze both the successes and the failures of the SDA Church in its efforts to accommodate, incorporate and institutionalize them. This study is motivated by a concern to document the experience of the Seventh-day Adventist Church with the independent churches in the Kasai. As such it is an historical study which seeks to survey what happened in a broad sweep in chronological succession. The data is drawn largely from sources within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The data includes: articles published in denominational papers, correspondence between Church officials and the parties involved in the Kasai experience, statistical records, and two sets of questionnaires. Personal interviews were conducted with members of the Kasai expatriate missionary and Zairian pastoral staffs. It is concluded that the Adventist Church did not maximize the possibilities of incorporating into its membership those independent churches wnich requested affiliation. This was largely due to a lack of adequate understanding of the independent churches, an unrealistic evaluation of the dynamics involved, the failure to adequately accommodate styles of worship and leadership, lack of continuity in leadership and strategy, and the general unpreparedness of the Church to cope logistically with the situation. The utility of the study lies in the idea that this analysis of the Kasai movement should provide a basis for some understanding of similar movements, and should help to equip the Church with ways of working with them.

THE CHOICE OF A LAMP FOR UTILIZATION IN A ROADWAY LIGHTING SYSTEM GENERALLY DEPENDS ON THE QUALITY OF THE RESULTS OBTAINABLE FROM SYSTEMS EMPLOYING THE LAMP UNDER CONSIDERATION. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITY INCLUDE GLARE CONTROL, UNIFORMITY OF ILLUMINATION (OR PAVEMENT LUMINANCE), ECONOMICS, AND AESTHETICS. FOUR ROADWAY LAYOUTS ARE USED TO ILLUSTRATE A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO DETERMINING THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF SPACING, MOUNTING HEIGHT, POWER CONSUMPTION, ETC., FOR SEVEN DIFFERENT LIGHTING SYSTEMS. THE MAJOR ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS ARE INITIAL EQUIPMENT INVESTMENT, INITIAL LABOR, ILLUMINATION CALCULATIONS, ANNUAL COSTS, ANNUAL MAINTENANCE, ANNUAL FIXED COSTS, AND RELATIVE COSTS OF LIGHT. A COMPUTER PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED TO DETERMINE SYSTEM COST PER FOOT-CANDLE. SIX CONCLUSIONS ARE DRAWN: SYSTEMS EMPLOYING HIGHER LUMEN OUTPUT LAMPS ARE THE MOST ECONOMIC IN TERMS OF DOLLARS PER FOOT-CANDLE; HIGHER MOUNTING HEIGHTS GENERALLY PRODUCE BETTER UNIFORMITY; MOUNTING HEIGHT SELECTION DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO THE MINIMUM MOUNTING HEIGHTS RECOMMENDED BY THE IES; WHILE IES SUGGESTS SPECIFIC DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS FOR SPECIFIC ROADWAY CONFIGURATIONS, ACCEPTABLE RESULTS CAN BE OBTAINED WITH VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE SEVEN CLASSIFICATIONS EXAMINED; A DISTRIBUTION CANNOT ALWAYS BE FOUND TO PRODUCE ACCEPTABLE UNIFORMITY FOR EVERY GIVEN ROADWAY CONFIGURATION IF THE MOUNTING HEIGHTS AND SPACINGS ARE RIGIDLY DICTATED; AND ON A TYPICAL LARGE HIGHWAY INTERCHANGE THE CONVENTIONAL MOUNTING HEIGHT OF 45 FEET IS MORE ECONOMICAL IF ONLY THE AREA OF THE PAVED ROADWAY IS CONSIDERED, WHILE 100 FEET IS LESS COSTLY IF THE ENTIRE AREA IS CONSIDERED.