Programming tool-use actions.

When humans plan to execute a tool-use action, they can only specify the bodily movement parameters by taking into account the external target or goal of the tool-use action and the target-movement mapping implemented by the tool. In this study, the authors used the movement precuing method to investigate how people prepare for actions made with tools. More specifically, they asked whether people would be able to specify the spatial target and the target-movement mapping of the tool-use action independently of each other, and to what degree they would be able to prepare these components in advance. In 3 experiments, they precued either the target or the target-movement mapping of tool-use actions involving either a compatible or an incompatible target-movement mapping. Results indicate that participants benefit from partial advance information about the target-movement mapping, whereas no significant effects were found for precuing the spatial target of the action. These results occurred regardless of whether the target-movement mapping was compatible or incompatible and provide evidence for the notion that the target-movement mapping of a tool-use action is part of its cognitive representation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

福建大樟溪流域综合规划的环境影响研究

从流域和区域对水资源需求及环境保护要求出发,提出了在大樟溪干流刘岐、岩前和莒口增设鱼道、取消船闸和航运的建议;从流域环境保护要求提出了主要水库的最小下泄流量;根据大樟溪流域人口、经济及土地资源的状况,提出了从泉州、莆田和福州等水资源受益区安置移民缓解土地资源紧张的模式来提高龙湘水库的调节库容,以提高流域及区域对水资源需求与调配能力,确保河道生态安全、生产生活用水安全等流域规划的新思路、新理念。     

Theoretical Investigation of Time Suboptimal Control of Industrial Manipulators Along Specified Paths

A method for the time suboptimal control of an industrial manipulator from an initial position and orientation to a final position and orientation as it moves along a specified path is proposed. Nonlinear system equations that describe the manipulator motion are linearized at each time step along the path. A method which gives the control inputs (joint angular velocities) for time suboptimal control of the manipulator is developed. In the formulation, joint angular velocity and acceleration limitations are also taken into consideration. A six degree of freedom elbow type manipulator is used in numerical examples to verify the method developed.     

网络计划之实践

通过对所参与工程的实践体会。介绍网络计划技术在旧厂改造工程中的重要作用和几种主要管理方法。     

基于能力拍卖和多Agent的综合生产计划分布式建模及求解

把拍卖和市场理念引入到生产计划的求解过程中,结合多Agent理论,对大规模生产系统按生产单元建立分布式模型.各个生产单元看作相对独立核算的经济实体,其目标是实现自身利益最大化.当生产能力足够时,按照需求进行生产;当生产能力不足以完全满足需求时,紧缺生产资源的持有者按照单位能力获得最大收益的原则进行生产竞价与拍卖,实现了各个生产单元的分布式自主协商决策,并设计了求解算法.算例研究证明该方法的可操作性和求解的有效性.     

Success and failures in urban transport planning in Europe—understanding the transport system

Technological determinism has become a kind of religion for many people since it appears to offer solutions for societal problems as never before in history. Transport is one of the fascinating technology branches developed during the last 200 years. Effortless movement over long distances has become possible for car users as long as cheap fossil energy is available. However, the effect of fast transport on urban structures and society was not taken into account when developing these technical means. Technologists and economists have used indicators for expected benefits of these fast transport modes without taking into account the real system effects on society and urban structures. Plausible assumptions and hopes instead of scientific understanding of the complex system are used in practice. In contradiction to widely held beliefs of transportation planners, there is actually no growth of mobility if counted in number of trips per person per day, no time saving by increasing speed in the system, and no real freedom of modal choice. Modal choice is dependent on physical and other structures, the artificial environment built by urban planners, transport experts and political decisions. The core hypothesis of traditional urban and transport planning ‘growth of mobility’, ‘travel time saving by increasing speed’ and ‘freedom of modal choice’ are myths and do not exist in the real urban and transport system. This is the reason why urban planning and transport planning based on traditional non-scientific assumptions is creating continuously not only more transport problems, but also environmental and social as well as economic problems all over the world, where these principals are applied. Urban transport planning in Europe, understanding the transport system and the solutions are presented in this paper.     

Line balancing in a just-in-time production environment: balancing multiple U-lines

The introduction of multiple, independent production lines has helped many firms to increase their production flexibility, provide for redundancy when equipment breaks down, reduce idle time and labor costs, and achieve many other benefits. This paper introduces and formalizes the multiple U-line balancing problem. Optimal solution methodologies are provided for Type I (minimize the number of stations for a given cycle time), Type II (minimize the cycle time for a given number of stations), and cost-minimization line-balancing problems. A branch-and-bound algorithm is also developed for the situation in which equipment requirements are dependent on the line configuration and the task assignment to stations. Computational results indicate that the greatest benefit of exploiting multiple lines occurs for smaller cycle-time problems that require higher output.     

Global Level Path Planning for Mobile Robots in Dynamic Environments

This paper presents a self-adapting approach to global level path planning in dynamic environments. The aim of this work is to minimize risk and delays in possible applications of mobile robots (e.g., in industrial processes). We introduce a hybrid system that uses case-based reasoning as well as grid-based maps for decision-making. Maps are used to suggest several alternative paths between specific start and goal point. The casebase stores these solutions and remembers their characteristics. Environment representation and casebase design are discussed. To solve the problem of exploration vs. exploitation, a decision-making strategy is proposed that is based on the irreversibility of decisions. Forgetting strategies are discussed and evaluated in the context of case-based maintenance. The adaptability of the system is evaluated in a domain based on real sensor data with simulated occupancy probabilities. Forgetting strategies and decision-making strategies are evaluated in simulated environments. Experiments show that a robot is able to adapt in dynamic environments and can learn to use paths that are less risky to follow.     

Strategic appraisal of energy models for Mozambique

The needs that an energy supply system must meet are constantly changing, due to technological, social and political reasons. Effective energy planning is a dynamic process that is repeated periodically and adjusts to changing conditions. Energy decision makers and planners are no longer able to rely on inductive decision making since they have to investigate the effect of various decision parameters and possible future changes. To help in this process, models have been developed where estimates of future load growth, candidate power plants, fuels and other key factors can be introduced, from which the planners can evaluate decision parameters and the available alternatives. The paper presents the different methodologies and practices that are used by 11 energy models for energy demand forecasting, supply side management and generation expansion planning, demand side management and integrated resource planning. The paper concludes to the presentation of a strategic appraisal of the examined energy models appropriate for energy planning in Mozambique. Three models are proposed for conducting demand forecasting, generation expansion planning and demand side management. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Simon Effect With Stationary Moving Stimuli.

To clarify whether motion information per se has a separable influence on action control, the authors investigated whether irrelevant direction of motion of stimuli whose overall position was constant over time would affect manual left-right responses (i.e., reveal a motion-based Simon effect). In Experiments 1 and 2, significant Simon effects were obtained for sine-wave gratings moving in a stationary Gaussian window. In Experiment 3, a direction-based Simon effect with random-dot patterns was replicated, except that the perceived direction of motion was based on the displacement of single elements. Experiments 4 and 5 studied motion-based Simon effects to point-light figures that walked in place--displays requiring high-level analysis of global shape and local motion. Motion-based Simon effects occurred when the displays could be interpreted as an upright human walker, showing that a high-level representation of motion direction mediated the effects. Thus, the present study establishes links between high-level motion perception and action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)