5. Co-creating a Desired Future

This thesis addresses the design of optimization-based control laws for the case where convergence to a desired set-point, minimization of an arbitrary performance index, or a combination of the two, is the desired objective. The results are developed within the sample-data Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework considering constrained nonlinear continuous-time time-varying dynamical systems. For a given time sampling, a sample-data MPC control strategy consists of i) choosing among all future finite horizon predictions of state and input trajectories of the system the one that minimizes the given performance index, ii) applying the optimal input trajectory to the system until a new time sample is reached, and iii) iterating this process. The performance index is chosen to describe the specific control problem under consideration. In a classic Tracking-MPC framework, where the main goal is to steer the state of the system to a desired steady-state, the performance index is properly chosen to penalize the distance from the current state to a desired one. In order to capture more complex control objectives, in recent years a growing attention has been dedicated to a new class of controllers that goes under the name of Economic-MPC. Here, the term economic is used to stress the fact that the performance index is a general index of interest that we wish to minimize, e.g., economic, which does not denote the distance to a desired set point. This setting makes full use of the potentialities of optimization-based control strategies. Although, it comes with disadvantages. In fact, by choosing an arbitrary performance index, it is difficult to predict, and therefore certify, the evolution of the closed-loop system, which could potentially manifest undersirable behaviors. This thesis provides analysis and certification of a variety of closed-loop behaviors stemming from the use Economic-MPC controllers. A set of tools for design of provably correct MPC controllers is provided for the case where the performance index is of the Tracking-MPC type, purely economic, or a combination of the two. The results focus the certification of both closed-loop economic performance and closed-loop state evolution. The proposed strategies are applied to a range of motion control problems for underactuated vehicles. An MPC controller for Trajectory-Tracking and Path-Following with convergence guarantees is first proposed and then extended, using the results presented on Economic-MPC, to address the control problems of distributed formation keeping, energy efficient trajectory-tracking, and target-following through highly observable trajectories.

This article compares family values and family future orientation between German and Russian adolescents. Based on different cultural values in Germany and Russia a higher family orientation of Russian as compared to German adolescents was assumed. Adolescents from both countries responded to a questionnaire of general and family-related values and family-related future orientation in the framework of the VOC-study. Results showed that for both German and Russian adolescents a future family of one's own is of high importance. The majority of adolescents from both countries (and both genders) reported wanting to get married in the future and to have (preferably two) children. Russian as compared to German adolescents reported a higher importance of traditional family values and child-related values (value of children), as well as a stronger desire to have children. Russian girls were most likely to abandon own career plans for the benefit of a future family. The results are discussed with regard to psychological models of cultural values' and the notion of a regaining strength of traditional family values in the course of social change in Germany and Russia.

The human hand is an amazing tool, demonstrated by its incredible motor capability and remarkable sense of touch. To enable robots to work in a human-centric environment, it is desirable to endow robotic hands with human-like capabilities for grasping and object manipulation. However, due to its inherent complexity and inevitable model uncertainty, robotic grasping and manipulation remains a challenge. This thesis focuses on grasp adaptation in the face of model and sensing uncertainties: Given an object whose properties are not known with certainty (e.g., shape, weight and external perturbation), and a multifingered robotic hand, we aim at determining where to put the fingers and how the fingers should adaptively interact with the object using tactile sensing, in order to achieve either a stable grasp or a desired dynamic behaviour. A central idea in this thesis is the object-centric dynamics: namely, that we express all control constraints into an object-centric representation. This simplifies computa- tion and makes the control versatile to the type of hands. This is an essential feature that distinguishes our work from other robust grasping work in the literature, where generating a static stable grasp for a given hand is usually the primary goal. In this thesis, grasp adaptation is a dynamic process that flexibly adapts the grasp to fit some purpose from the objectâ s perspective, in the presence of a variety of uncertainties and/or perturbations. When building a grasp adaptation for a given situation, there are two key problems that must be addressed: 1) the problem of choosing an initial grasp that is suitable for future adaptation, and more importantly 2) the problem of design- ing an adaptation strategy that can react adequately to achieve desired behaviour of the grasped object. To address challenge 1 (planning a grasp under shape uncertainty), we propose an approach to parameterizing the uncertainty in object shape using Gaussian Processes (GPs) and incorporate it as a constraint into contact-level grasp planning. To realize the planned contacts using different hands interchangeably, we further develop a prob- abilistic model to predict the feasible hand configurations, including hand pose and finger joints, given the desired contact points only. The model is built using the con- cept of Virtual Frame(VF), and it is independent from the choice of hand frame and object frame. The performance of the proposed approach is validated on two differ- ent robotic hands, an industrial gripper (4 DOF Barrett hand) and a humanoid hand (16 DOF Allegro hand) to manipulate objects of daily use with complex geometry and various texture (a spray bottle, a tea caddy, a jug and a bunny toy). In the second part of this thesis, we propose an approach to the design of adapta- tion strategy to ensure grasp stability in the presence of physical uncertainties of objects(object weight, friction at contacts and external perturbation). Based on an object-level impedance controller, we first design a grasp stability estimator in the object frame using the grasp experience and tactile sensing. Once a grasp is predicted to be unstable during online execution, the grasp adaptation strategy is triggered to improve the grasp stability, by either changing the stiffness at finger level or relocating the position of one fingertip to a better area.

An understanding of light and its interaction with matter is essential to produce images. As the modeling of light sources, light transport and light reflection improves, it becomes possible to render images with increasing realism. The central motivation behind this thesis is to improve realism in computer graphics images by more accurate local shading models and to assist the user to obtain the desired lighting effects with these more complex models. The first part of the thesis addresses the problem of rendering surfaces illuminated by extended (linear and area) light sources. To compute the light reflected by a surface element in a given direction, one needs to determine the unoccluded regions (shadowing) of each light source and then to compute the light reflection (shading) from each of these regions. Traditionally, point light sources are distributed on the lights to approximate both the shadowing and the shading. Instead, an efficient analytical solution is developed for the shading. Shadowing from extended light sources is a fairly expensive process. To give some insights on the complexity of computing shadows, some properties of shadows and algorithms are presented. To reduce the cost of computing shadows from linear light sources, two acceleration schemes, extended from ray tracing, are introduced and evaluated. The second part of this thesis addresses the problem of achieving a desired shading effect by building up systems of constraints. This approach is called inverse shading. It allows a user to obtain a desired lighting effect by interacting directly with the scene model. An interactive modeling system has been built to study the introduction of rendering issues into the modeling process itself. Two rendering aspects are considered: shading and shadows. By specifying a highlight position and size, the unique direction of a directional light source as well as the surface glossiness are determined. Interactively moving this highlight on the surface redefines the light direction while changing its size redefines the surface glossiness. By manipulating shadow volumes (the volume within which a particular light cannot be completely seen), the light source definition and position can be modified. By assigning colours to various points in a 3D scene, information about the colour of a surface as well as other surface characteristics can be deduced. This relatively new concept of defining the causes by manipulating the effects is expected to have a major impact on the design of future computer graphics modeling systems. It begins a new family of tools for the design of more intuitive user interfaces.

Objective To understand the current situation of college students’fertility awareness in Hunan province, then provide the basis for the related government departments and universities to develop sexual education programs. Methods Using stratified random sampling method, 1 100 college students from three comprehensive universities in Hunan province were surveyed with fertility awareness questionnaire which mainly includes the fertility desire, the fertility awareness, the source of fertility knowledge and the behavior choice under the condition of infertility. Results The average recovery rate was 93%, and the expected average ages of college students when they have the first and last child were (28.6±1.8) years old and (35.1±3.8) years old. About 86.4% college students overestimate the age when fertility begins to decline, 74.3% college students overestimate the success rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF), 90% college students want to have 1-2 children in the future, 5% college students don’t want to have children in the future; for the importance of having children, college students give 8 points (range from 0 to 10); 57% college students get fertility knowledge through the internet. Conclusion Based on the misunderstanding of women’s fertility, the decision to delay childbearing may increase the risk of infertility in the future, and result in involuntary absence of children. Key words: Fertility awareness; Fertility; Delayed childbearing; In vitrofertilization (IVF); College students

Semiconductor nanowires are an emerging class of materials with great potential for applications in future electronic devices. The small footprint and the large charge-carrier mobilities of nanowires make them potentially useful for applications with high-integration density, but also to replace thin-film transistors in large-area electronics. This thesis investigates the use of wet-chemically grown ZnO nanowires for the fabrication of high-performance, low-voltage field-effect transistors (FETs). The first part of this thesis addresses the electrical characteristics of the wet-chemically grown ZnO nanowires. The as-grown ZnO nanowires are highly conductive due to a large charge-carrier concentration caused by dopants unintentionally incorporated into the ZnO nanowires during the synthesis. This large charge-carrier concentration makes it difficult to modulate the conductivity of the nanowires by an external electric field, so that the as-grown wires are not suitable for FETs. A post-growth annealing step is employed to dramatically reduce the charge-carrier concentration of the nanowires which makes it possible to fabricate FETs with useful characteristics. ZnO-nanowire FETs in a global back-gate geometry based on annealed ZnO nanowires have a transconductance of 300 nS, an on/off current ratio of 107 and a subthrehold slope of 500 mV/decade. The maximum field-effect mobility of the annealed ZnO nanowires is around 50 cm2/Vs. An important requirement to obtain good FET characterisitcs is to minimize the influence of the source and drain contact resistance on the total device resistance. The material used for the source and drain contacts in this thesis is aluminum. It is demonstrated that the use of a plasma treatment in the contact regions prior to the evaporation of the aluminum contacts can greatly influence the contact properties between ZnO and aluminum. An argon-plasma treatment locally increases the charge-carrier concentration in the ZnO. It is shown that the doping effect of the argon-plasma treatment can be exploited to reduce the contact resistance between alumiunm and ZnO and improve the electrical performance of the FETs. In the second part of this thesis, the influence of the ambient air on the electrical characteristics of the ZnO-nanowire FETs is investigated. The electrical conductivity of the FETs is strongly affected by the distinct atmospheric conditions, which makes it difficult to obtain reliable FET characteristics. The potential of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) based on fluoroalkylphosphonic acid molecules to passivate the ZnO nanowires against the undesirable effects of the ambient and to stabilize the electrical performance of ZnO-nanowire FETs is demonstrated. The stabilizing effect is attributed to the formation of a densely packed, hydrophobic SAM on the surface of ZnO and aluminum oxide. The quality of the hydrophobic SAMs is confirmed by means of water-contact-angle measurements on SAM-covered ZnO single crystals that show a contact angle of more than 110°. The third part of this thesis is dedicated to the fabrication of high-performance ZnO-nanowire FETs with patterned metal top-gate electrodes. A top-gate fabrication process is developed that uses a very thin gate dielectric consisting only of an alkylphosphonic acid SAM that can be deposited from solution. The insulating quality of the SAM is investigated for top-gate FETs that utilize either gold or aluminum for the top-gate electrode. Gold top-gate FETs show a transconductance of 1 µS, an on/off current ratio of 107, and a steep subthreshold slope of 90 mV/decade. The thin gate dielectric makes it possible to operate the gold top-gate FETs at low voltages of 1 V and simultaneously reduces the undesired gate current by more than three orders of magnitude compared to gold top-gate FETs that have been fabricated without a gate dielectric (MESFETs). The gate current of the gold top-gate FETs with SAM gate dielectric is as low as 1 pA for gate-source voltages between -1 V and 0.5 V. When aluminum is used for the top-gate electrode, a hybrid dielectric is formed at the interface between the SAM and the aluminum, consisting of the SAM and a spontaneously formed aluminum oxide layer. Owing to the hybrid gate dielectric, the aluminum top-gate FETs are operated with gate currents below 1 pA for voltages up to 3 V. The top-gate fabrication process does not require temperatures above 160 °C, which makes it possible to fabricate FETs on unconventional substrates that cannot tolerate high temperatures, such as glass or flexible plastics. Integrated circuits on single ZnO nanowires that are fabricated on glass and plastic substrates are demonstrated. The maximum switching frequency of the inverters is 1 MHz.

In recent years, first principles periodic Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculationhas been used to investigate heterogeneous catalytic reactions and examine catalyststructures as well as adsorption properties in a variety of systems. The increasingcontribution to give detailed understanding of elementary reaction mechanism is critical toprovide fundamental insights into the catalyst design. It is a link to the fundamentalknowledge and a bridge to the practical application. DFT calculations is also a powerfultool to predict and yield promising catalysts which is time- and cost-saving in the practicalend.Because of the recent boom in natural shale gas deposit, there is an increasing interestin developing more efficient ways to transform light alkanes into desired and high-valuechemicals, such as propylene. Propylene is a valuable raw material in the petrochemicalapplication to make value-added commodities, such as plastics, paints, and fibers, etc. Theconventional cracking, steam cracking (SC) and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), could notmeet the growing demand of propylene. Thus, it has motivated extensive research ofproduction technologies. On the other hand, the abundance of light alkanes extracted fromthe shale gas makes on-purpose production an appealing method which is economicallycompetitive. Non-oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (PDH) is a one of ways to makeup the supply and solve the issue.xiiiAccording to the current research and industrial work, platinum (Pt) shows promisingperformance for the PDH. However, it suffered from some major drawbacks, such asthermodynamic limitation, rapid deactivation leading to poor catalytic performance andfrequent regeneration. In addition, it is a relatively high cost noble metal. Consequently,many efforts have been devoted to the enhancement of the catalytic performance. It wasfound that the stability and the selectivity of Pt-based catalysts can be improved viamodifying its properties with transition metals as promoters.In this thesis, DFT calculations were performed for propane dehydrogenation overtwo different catalyst systems, bimetallic platinum-zinc alloy and monometallic platinumcatalysts. The work provides insights into the catalyst crystal structures, the adsorptioncharacteristics of diverse adsorbates as well as the energy profiles regarding to theselectivity of the propane dehydrogenation. Bulk calculation signifies a stable tetragonalconfiguration of the PtZn catalyst which is in accordance with the experimental result. Thethermodynamic stability regarding to the stability of bulk and surface alloys are studiedwith the consideration of physical constrains. We have identified the thermodynamicstability of several PtZn low-index surface facets, (101), (110), (001), (100) flat surfacesand stepped surface (111), at certain chemical potential environmental conditions throughthe surface energy phase diagram. Stoichiometric and symmetric (101) slab isthermodynamically stable under the region of high Pt chemical potential, and the offstoichiometricand symmetric (100 Zn-rich) slab under the low Pt chemical potential.In this work, PtZn(101) is used as a model surface to demonstrate the effect on thecatalytic performance with zinc promotion of platinum. In comparison with Pt(111) surface,an elimination of 3-fold Pt hollow site on PtZn(101) is of important and it leads to thexivchange of binding site preferences. The divalent groups (1-propenyl, 2-propenyl) changefrom Pt top site on PtZn(101) to 3-fold site on Pt(111), which is because of the lack of Pt3-fold site on alloyed surface. As for propylene, it changes from di-σ site on PtZn to 𝜋 siteon Pt. The surface reaction intermediates are found to bond more weakly on PtZn(101)than on the Pt surface. Especially, the binding energy of propylene reduces from -1.09 to -0.16 eV. The weaker binding strength facilitates the activity of propylene on alloyedsurfaces.Through a complete and classic reaction network analysis, the introduction of Znshows an increase in the endothermicity and the energy barrier of each elementary reactionon the alloy surface. With the consideration of entropy for kinetic under real experimentalcondition, the alloying of Zn is found to lower the energy barrier for the propylene productdesorption and increases that for propylene dehydrogenation. Meanwhile, the competitionbetween desired C-H and undesired C-C cleavages is investigated. It is found that thecleavage of C-H is energetically favorable than that of C-C. These positive factorspotentially lead to a high selectivity toward propylene production on PtZn(101).Subsequently, Microkinetic modeling is performed to estimate kinetic parametersincluding the reaction order, rate-determining step to build a possible reaction mechanism.Finally, conclusions brought out about the comparison between bimetallic andmonometallic catalyst, and suggestions for future work are presented.

The U.S. cattle inventory was at 87.7 million head at the beginning of 2014, the lowest inventory since 1951. Cattle producers have downsized their herds in recent years due to increased incidence of drought and high feed prices. A tight U.S. beef supply coupled with a strong demand for beef are driving beef prices to record highs. Given these conditions, cattle producers will be looking to rebuild their herds in the near future. The beef industry’ s rebuilding strategy should reflect consumer desires in order to sustain beef demand. Recent literature suggests a strong consumer focus on beef quality. Quality can embody many factors, but is most often described as the beef sensory characteristics such as flavor, color, tenderness, and juiciness. These characteristics contribute to the consumer’s beef eating experience and are largely determined by USDA beef quality grades. Estimating beef demand differentiated by quality grade will help determine the best rebuilding focus for the future of the beef industry.

The sexed semen technology is a breakthrough technology for sorting of X and Y bearing chromosome to produce progeny of a desired sex with 80–90% accuracy. Among several methods of sorting X and Y bearing semen, flow cytometry is the best method, as it doesn’t changes more sperm morphology. The sexed semen technology has several advantages like production of more female calves and more milk, lowered risk of dystocia, increased efficiency of progeny testing (PT), embryo transfer and in-vitro fertilization program. However, involvement of high cost and reduced conception rate with sexed semen are the major hurdles in adoption of this technology. In India, first male calf named Shreyas was born on 1st January, 2011 using sexed semen. After that predetermined sex of female as well as male calves were born. Sexed semen with proper management practices on dairy farms will help to grow herd internally with improved traits of female calves. Thus, with more organized dairy farming, the demand for sexed semen is expected to rise in near future. Keywords: Sexed semen, flow cytometry, X and Y chromosome, sperm sexing, dairy Cite this Article Talokar Amol J, Rajalaxmi Behera, Laishram Arjun Singh et al. Sexed Semen: A Boon for Indian Dairy Farming. Research & Reviews: Journal of Dairy Science and Technology . 2017; 6(1): 10–16p.

Virtual earthquake engineering laboratory with physics-based degrading materials on parallel computers

Engineering design would be easier if a computer could interpret initial concept drawings. We outline an approach for automated interpretation of line drawings of polyhedra, and summarise what is already possible, what developments can be expected in the near future, and which areas remain problematic. We illustrate this with particular reference to our own system, RIBALD, summarising the published state of the art, and discussing recent unpublished improvements to RIBALD. In general, successful interpretation depends on two factors: the number of lines, and whether or not the drawing can be classified as a member of special shape class (e.g. an extrusion or normalon). The state-of-the-art achieves correct interpretation of extrusions of any size and most normalons of 20—30 lines, but drawings of only 10—20 lines can be problematic for unclassified objects.Despite successes, there are caseswhere the desired interpretation is obvious to a human but cannot be determined by currently-available algorithms. We give examples both of our successes and of typical caseswhere human skill cannot be replicated.

A Hybrid Modelling Framework for Ecosystem-Based Climate Change Adaptation Using System Dynamics and Bayesian Networks

In the digital platform economy, individual freelance workers are matched to their temporary employers thorough online systems. Workers interact with platform firms individually, undermining collective action and hence worker power. This is an issue for policy, as these workers do not have the protections afforded to those in traditional industries. The platform economy has also enabled open source, where the software architect creates a boundary around the software code they accept from a distributed group of contributors. The role of the software architect raises interesting questions about power in what can be seen as a form of networked organisation. Open source can be viewed as a narrative of software code and discussions about it that create a boundary around the project. Open source can also be framed as a business model, where value created by contributors is captured by the software architect for the benefit of both contributors and users. Business models can be viewed as a narrative that can both express and create a desired future for the entrepreneur. The potential of open source to inform narrative forms of business model is the research area. Taking a social constructionist perspective, this study used workshop and participant observation techniques to engage with the founders and other stakeholders in three case study organisations. The empirical contribution is that a narrative form of open source business model can have a power-balanced structure through a discursive process of boundary management. The methodological contribution is that annotated portfolio techniques can reveal an entrepreneur’s business model design from ethnographic data. The theoretical contribution is the importance of conceptual integrity to business models as well as to software engineering. The issue of conceptual integrity can be explored further in future research on factors in business model success.

Healthcare professionals do not often encounter patients who refuse treatment. Generally, ill people are grateful to receive treatment, or may even demand it. However, some patients refuse treatment. Their reasons for so doing are often complex, associated with deep-seated emotions, and should be of concern to healthcare professionals. Nurses in particular must endeavour to understand why treatment they consider to be beneficial to a patient may not be viewed as such by said patient. Most treatments have what is called a risk–benefit ratio, an uneven balance of the risk of adverse outcome compared to desired effect. It is the patient who receives the treatment and takes the risk. As such, health professionals must be aware that patients have the right fully to understand their treatment and any resultant risks. For example, how often do nurses administer an arachis oil enema without ascertaining whether the patient has nut allergy? Arachis oil is extracted from peanuts ( Arachis hypogaea ) and about one in 100 people in the UK are allergic to peanuts (www.patientuk.co.uk). The risk to the patient may be hidden, illustrating the need to obtain informed consent to all treatments. In the NHS, patients do not have the right to demand specific medical treatment (General Medical Council, 2010; Royal College of Physicians, 2010). However, they have the right to refuse specific treatment. Advance refusal of treatment will be considered in this article. Such refusal usually means that a person has thought about which clinical treatments they wish to forego in the event that they are unable to express their wishes for treatment at a future date. In other words, at the critical time of decision-making, an individual might be unconscious, too unwell, or mentally incompetent to make or express an informed decision. This sort of planning for future care is termed …

In this thesis we present the design and implementation of a novel self-reconfiguring modular (SR-MR) robotic system: Roombots. We are aiming at three main applications with Roombots; locomotion through self-reconfiguration in the regular cubic 3D-lattice on structured surfaces, locomotion in non-structured environments applying central pattern generators (CPG) as the locomotion controller, and self-assembly and reconfiguration of static objects of the day-to-day environment, such as furniture. Robot assemblies from self-reconfigurable modular robots have the ability to adapt to a given task and working environment by altering their shape through a series of reconfiguration moves, and attachments and detachments between the modules. We are interested in self-reconfiguring modular robots for their shape-changing capabilities, and their distributed characteristics. We envision the following applications for Roombots: First, self-reconfiguration in a structured 3D lattice, i.e. a floor and walls equipped with connectors. Embedded connectors can provide pivot points for locomotion of SR-MR assemblies, and docking and recharging places for our adaptive furniture pieces. Second, our proposed concept for locomotion control of modular robots on non-structured ground are central pattern generators. Third, we would like to build adaptive and versatile furniture from modular robots and light-weight elements. In the following we are able to count more than 60 modular robotic systems, developed over the last two decades. However we were unable to identify an existing system which could provide us with all desired kinematic and geometric capabilities. This led us to design and implement a novel self-reconfiguring modular robotic system: Roombots. To tackle the module design we attempt to identify both meaningful design parameters from existing modular robots, and essential features for our applications. The combination of both leads to the kinematic and geometric description of the Roombots modules, and eventually to its implementation. In order to be able to assemble furniture from our Roombots units in the future, we need a reconfiguration framework which supports the specific requirements of Roombots. Metamodules made of two units attached in-series are attracted and guided by a virtual force-field, they use broadcast signals, look-up tables of collision clouds and simple assumptions about their near environment to reach their seeding positions, which are currently hand coded. For the task of locomotion in non-structured environments we propose a framework for learning to move with modular robots using central pattern generators and online optimization. The distributed implementation of CPGs offers an ideal substrate for producing locomotion patterns and for online learning, and an optimization framework for fast learning.