Kinematics of a Cable-Driven Robotic Platform for Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing

Concrete additive manufacturing (AM) is a growing field of research. However, on-site, large-scale concrete additive manufacturing requires motion platforms that are difficult to implement with conventional rigid-link robotic systems. This paper presents a new kinematic arrangement for a deployable cable-driven robot intended for on-site AM. The kinematics of this robot are examined to determine if they meet the requirements for this application, the wrench feasible workspace (WFW) is examined, and the physical implementation of a prototype is also presented. Data collected from the physical implementation of the proposed system is analyzed, and the results support its suitability for the intended application. The success of this system demonstrates that this kinematic arrangement is promising for future deployable AM systems.

A Survey and Taxonomy of Electronics Toolkits for Interactive and Ubiquitous Device Prototyping

Over the past two decades, many toolkits for prototyping interactive and ubiquitous electronic devices have been developed. Although their technical specifications are often easy to look up, they vary greatly in terms of design, features and target audience, resulting in very real strengths and weaknesses depending on the intended application. These less technical characteristics are often reported inconsistently, if at all. In this paper we provide a comprehensive survey of interactive and ubiquitous device prototyping toolkits, systematically analysing their characteristics within the framework of a new taxonomy that we present. In addition to the specific characteristics we cover, we introduce a way to evaluate toolkits more holistically, covering user needs such as 'ease of construction' and 'ease of moving from prototype to product' rather than features. We also present results from an online survey which offers new insights on how the surveyed users prioritize these characteristics during prototyping, and what techniques they use to move beyond prototyping. We hope our analysis will be valuable for others in the community who need to build and potentially scale out prototypes as part of their research. We end by identifying gaps that have not yet been addressed by existing offerings and discuss opportunities for future research into electronics prototyping toolkits.

A Global Ecological Classification of Coastal Segment Units to Complement Marine Biodiversity Observation Network Assessments

A new data layer provides Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) labels for global coastal segments at 1 km or shorter resolution. These characteristics are summarized for six US Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) sites and one MBON Pole to Pole of the Americas site in Argentina. The global coastlines CMECS classifications were produced from a partitioning of a 30 m Landsat-derived shoreline vector that was segmented into 4 million 1 km or shorter segments. Each segment was attributed with values from 10 variables that represent the ecological settings in which the coastline occurs, including properties of the adjacent water, adjacent land, and coastline itself. The 4 million segments were classified into 81,000 coastal segment units (CSUs) as unique combinations of variable classes. We summarize the process to develop the CSUs and derive summary descriptions for the seven MBON case study sites. We discuss the intended application of the new CSU data for research and management in coastal areas.

Two Fascinating Polysaccharides: Chitosan and Starch. Some Prominent Characterizations for Applying as Eco-Friendly Food Packaging and Pollutant Remover in Aqueous Medium. Progress in Recent Years: A Review

The call to use biodegradable, eco-friendly materials is urgent. The use of biopolymers as a replacement for the classic petroleum-based materials is increasing. Chitosan and starch have been widely studied with this purpose: to be part of this replacement. The importance of proper physical characterization of these biopolymers is essential for the intended application. This review focuses on characterizations of chitosan and starch, approximately from 2017 to date, in one of their most-used applications: food packaging for chitosan and as an adsorbent agent of pollutants in aqueous medium for starch.

Actuation Technologies for Soft Robot Grippers and Manipulators: A Review

Purpose of Review The new paradigm of soft robotics has been widely developed in the international robotics community. These robots being soft can be used in applications where delicate yet effective interaction is necessary. Soft grippers and manipulators are important, and their actuation is a fundamental area of study. The main purpose of this work is to provide readers with fast references to actuation technologies for soft robotic grippers in relation to their intended application. Recent Findings The authors have surveyed recent findings on actuation technologies for soft grippers. They presented six major kinds of technologies which are either used independently for actuation or in combination, e.g., pneumatic actuation combined with electro-adhesion, for certain applications. Summary A review on the latest actuation technologies for soft grippers and manipulators is presented. Readers will get a guide on the various methods of technology utilization based on the application.

Why it’s time to strengthen and widen the microbial test panel

The testing of culture media, and conducting microbiological method suitability studies, disinfectant efficacy studies, Antimicrobial Effectiveness Test (or Preservative Efficacy Test) and associated activities, requires the use of a test panel of microorganisms. These organisms need to be representative of the intended application and be of a suitable range in order to demonstrate that a low level of viable cells can be recovered without any indication of the inhibition of growth or excessive growth-promotion (typically defined as the recovery of between 50 to 200% of the challenge count). This activity provides the basis for the release of culture media or for verifying that a method is suitable for recovering any microorganisms that might be present in a product sample. This approach has been established for several decades and in many cases the types of organisms selected for the panel are drawn from guidance presented in the major pharmacopeia. The test panels of organisms recommended by compendia along with specific standards are in place to allow for reproducibility between laboratories. In the case of most standards (such as the disinfectant efficacy norms), these are designed to be multi-industry. Hence the presented organisms may or may not be suitable for the intended application. In addition, with the compendia, all too often the organisms recommended for, say, the Microbial Limit Test method verification, are applied to the release of all culture media used for all activities, be that the test for sterility or for the recovery of organisms from water systems. Not only is this inappropriate – for the microbiologist should be reviewing the panel and deciding upon the appropriate organisms – the recommended panels have not kept pace with improvements with our understanding of the types of microorganisms likely to cause contamination. Take, for example, the inclusion of Salmonella in the panel for the recovery of so-called ‘objectionable microorganisms’ for use with the Microbial Limits Test ¹. To my knowledge and based on discussions with microbiologists over a couple of decades, no Salmonella has ever been recovered from a raw material. Equally the selection, especially in relation to the testing of culture media used for cleanroom environmental monitoring, has not moved forwards with the findings from the human microbiome project and the depth of species richness found on the human skin microbiome. The argument that the test panel quoted in the compendia is representative and thus if culture media release testing can recover such organisms then it can reasonably be assumed that any other similar organisms can be recovered does not really hold up. Unless, that is, the only concern is with the recovery of non-fastidious mesophilic organisms. Instead, I maintain that in terms of the appropriate panel, this should be based on: • What is currently being recovered, and • What should theoretically be recovered.

Information Safety Assurances Increase Intentions to Use COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, Regardless of Autonomy-Supportive or Controlling Message Framing

Promoting the use of contact tracing technology will be an important step in global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Across two studies, we assessed two messaging strategies as motivators of intended contact tracing uptake. In one sample of 1117 Australian adults and one sample of 888 American adults, we examined autonomy-supportive and controlling message framing and the presence or absence of information safety as predictors of intended contact tracing application uptake, using an online randomized 2 × 2 experimental design. The results suggested that the provision of data safety assurances may be key in affecting people’s intentions to use contact tracing technology, an effect we found in both samples regardless of whether messages were framed as autonomy-supportive or controlling. Those in high information safety conditions consistently reported higher intended uptake and more positive perceptions of the application than those in low information safety conditions. In Study 2, we also found that perceptions of government legitimacy related positively to intended application uptake, as did political affiliation. In sum, individuals appeared more willing to assent to authority regarding contact tracing insofar as their data safety can be assured. Yet, public messaging strategies alone may be insufficient to initiate intentions to change behavior, even in these unprecedented circumstances.

Study on the technical and economic feasibility of echelon use of waste power batteries used in new energy vehicles in China

The echelon use of power batteries is considered as an efficient recycling method which can effectively extend the service life of power batteries and reduce costs. The echelon use of power batteries is encouraged by national policies and widely concerned in the industry so it has quickly became a hot spot among the issue about industry development. This article compares and analyzes the battery standard requirements for power batteries and the intended application fields of echelon use and the economics of using lead-acid batteries and decommissioned power batteries in different application fields. This article initially draws the conclusions about the technical and economic feasibility of echelon use of power batteries.

Bar Category of Modules and Homotopy Adjunction for Tensor Functors

Given a differentially graded (DG)-category ${{\mathcal{A}}}$, we introduce the bar category of modules ${\overline{\textbf{{Mod}}}-{\mathcal{A}}}$. It is a DG enhancement of the derived category $D({{\mathcal{A}}})$ of ${{\mathcal{A}}}$, which is isomorphic to the category of DG ${{\mathcal{A}}}$-modules with ${A_{\infty }}$-morphisms between them. However, it is defined intrinsically in the language of DG categories and requires no complex machinery or sign conventions of ${A_{\infty }}$-categories. We define for these bar categories Tensor and Hom bifunctors, dualisation functors, and a convolution of twisted complexes. The intended application is to working with DG-bimodules as enhancements of exact functors between triangulated categories. As a demonstration, we develop a homotopy adjunction theory for tensor functors between derived categories of DG categories. It allows us to show in an enhanced setting that given a functor $F$ with left and right adjoints $L$ and $R$, the functorial complex $FR \xrightarrow{F{\operatorname{act}}{R}} FRFR \xrightarrow{FR{\operatorname{tr}} - {\operatorname{tr}}{FR}} FR \xrightarrow{{\operatorname{tr}}} {\operatorname{Id}}$ lifts to a canonical twisted complex whose convolution is the square of the spherical twist of $F$. We then write down four induced functorial Postnikov systems computing this convolution.