The integration of manipulation and vision for assembly and quality control

The recent, development of industrial robots has produced quite powerful and cost-effective manipulators. Some crucial operations, as managing parts with random orientation or realigning pieces, can now be solved with the aid of vision systems connected with the manipulator. Quality control can be partially done during the assembly itself.

The solutions we may adopt to integrate manipulation and vision can be various. If we want to make it easy to program the system as a whole, with the same programming language, we should study solutions in which manipulation and vision use high-level languages To this end we will discuss how the choice of the programming language for the application programs is crucial.

The hardware and software structures of an operational example of such a system are presented. Examples of programs are given     

DETERMINISTIC AND N0NDETERMIN1STIC PROGRAMMING IN ROBOT SYSTEMS

The modem results of artificial intelligence research have provided new techniques useful foi the design of more sophisticated and advanced industrial robots. The use of computer integrated assembly systems is becoming more and more important in industrial applications

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how with the use of an automatic problem solver it is possible to achieve the automatic emergency recovery from a failure occurring during the assembly process. An experimental computer program implementing the required problem solving activity has been written in MICROPLANNER and tested on a UNIVAC 1108 computer.     

DETECTION OF VIBRIO ALGINOLYTICUS AND VIBRIO PARAHAEMOLYTICUS IN SHELLFISH SAMPLES USING COLLAGENASE-TARGETED MULTIPLEX-PCR

The increase of Vibrio infections especially associated with the consumption of contaminated seafood and fish underlines the necessity of an efficient monitoring system for Vibrio spp. supported by appropriate detection tools both in food products and in clinical samples. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the reliability of the collagenase‐targeted multiplex‐polymerase chain reaction (m‐PCR) for the detection of Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shellfish samples enriched in alkaline peptone water (APW). The coupling of a pre‐enrichment phase of the samples with the specificity of the PCR‐based assay was applied successfully to the detection of V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus, demonstrating that collagenase‐target m‐PCR may be used as a valid molecular target to discriminate the three Vibrio species.     

DETECTION OF COW MILK IN BUFFALO "MOZZARELLA" BY POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR) ASSAY

The authors used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay on buffalo mozzarella, a typical Italian dairy product, from the Apulia markets to evaluate the presence of cow milk and verification of the mozzarella label. The results obtained from 30 mozzarella samples demonstrated the presence of the cow genome in 22/30 samples, highlighting contamination as probable fraudulent adding of cow's milk or use of the same equipments in both working cycles.     

COMPARISON OF REVERSE PASSIVE LATEX AGGLUTINATION TEST AND IMMUNOBLOTTING FOR DETECTION OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL ENTEROTOXIN A AND B

Staphylococcal foodborne diseases resulting from consumption of food contaminated with staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) produced by certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus are the second most common foodborne illnesses in the world. Analytical methods are essential for routine monitoring purposes and safeguard public health. Different methods for SE detection have been proposed although their use in a complex matrix is often limited by the presence of substances that interfere with tests. In this article reverse passive latex agglutination (RPLA) and immunoblotting methods based on specific antibodies and currently available for SE detection have been compared. Culture filtrates from enterotoxin S. aureus strains isolated from cheese samples were identified by SET‐RPLA. Then the culture filtrates identified as staphylococcal enterotoxin A and staphylococcal enterotoxin B by RPLA test were analyzed with immunoblotting. The results obtained suggest that either SET‐RPLA or immunoblotting may be applied to culture filtrates for the detection of SEs with good correspondence of results. Although SET‐RPLA represents a simple method for routine monitoring purposes, a positive result by a rapid method (RPLA) is only regarded as presumptive and must be confirmed by standard methods ( Feng 1996 ), such as immunoblotting method.     

ER exit pathways and the control of proteostasis: Crucial role of the UPR,COPII, and ER-phagy in the secretory pathway

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site of entry of all proteins that function in the secretory pathway including the extracellular environment. Because it controls the folding of newly synthesized secretory proteins, the ER is indispensable for the maintenance of proteostasis in the secretory pathway. Within the ER and, in part, in post-ER compartments, the quality control of protein folding is under the regulation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways. The UPR strategy is to enhance protein folding, increase the ER degradation pathway of misfolded proteins, and allow the exit from the ER of only correctly folded proteins. The latter is controlled by the multimeric complex COPII, which also provides some of the components for ER-phagy the only route for the disposal of protein aggregates. In this overview, we wish to contribute to the introduction of new perspectives in the study of the mechanisms underlying the control of proteostasis within the secretory pathway.     

The PAH and Nitro-PAH Concentration Profiles in Size-Segregated Urban Particulate Matter and Soil in Traffic-Related Sites in Catania,Italy

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) were identified from both air particulate matter and soils. For air sampling, a six-stage cascade impactor was situated in an urban area (Catania, Italy) that is recognized for its high traffic volume. The soil samples were collected every 1.5 km from under the grass by the side of the median of a Catania road along its full length (8.2 km). HPLC in electrochemical-fluorescence detection mode was used for selective separation, identification and quantification of analytes in air and soil samples, providing both good selectivity and sensitivity. The seasonal trends, effects of urban traffic, and source profiles are discussed herein. Higher PM₁₀ concentrations were observed for summer (43 μg m^?3) in comparison to winter (24 μg m^?3). Conversely, the PAHs contained in PM₁₀ were higher in winter (0.48 ng m^?3 for fluoranthene) than in summer (0.14 ng m^?3 for fluoranthene). Analysis of the size-segregated urban particulate matter showed that the amount of PM_0.5 (stage 6) was always higher than the amount of other particles (stages 1–5). Furthermore, the PM_0.5 was always higher in summer (about 40%, m/m) than in winter (about 30%, m/m). Finally, the amounts of PAH and nitro-PAH in PM_0.5 (stage 6) were always higher, by a maximum of one order of magnitude, than that of other particles (stages 1–5). This result is crucial because ultrafine particles have a tendency to move into the blood through the alveolar epithelial barrier. Moreover, the air and soil pollution levels agree with those found in other cities with similar levels of pollution. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds to view the supplemental file.