Modelling and condition-based control of a flexible and hybrid disassembly system with manual and autonomous workstations using reinforcement learning

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing - Remanufacturing includes disassembly and reassembly of used products to save natural resources and reduce emissions. While assembly is widely understood in...     

Dengue virus infection: epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and prevention

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the isolated urinary bladder spontaneously releases substance P (SP) or bradykinin (BK), which can act as potent mediators of pain and inflammation of the urinary bladder, and whether peptidase inhibitors enhance peptide release. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urinary bladder segments (2 x 10 x 0.8-1 mm) were isolated from guinea pigs and studied in vitro; tissue contraction was assessed using force-displacement transducers and the release of peptides by specific enzyme immunoassays. RESULTS: In the absence of any exogenous agonists, the inhibition of neutral endopeptidase and angiotensin-converting enzyme by phosphoramidon and captopril, respectively, increased the frequency and magnitude of spontaneous motility of isolated bladder strips. Phosphoramidon increased the net release of SP-like immunoreactivity (SP-LI) and captopril increased the net release of SP-LI and BK-LI, concomitant with contraction. Peptide-LI was recovered primarily from bladder mucosa and to a lesser degree from detrusor smooth muscle. Similarly, peptidase inhibitors primarily affected the bladder mucosa; phosphoramidon induced a fourfold increase in SP-LI and captopril induced a significant increase of SP-LI and BK-LI from the mucosa. Tissues contracted in response to peptidase inhibitors in the presence of atropine and indomethacin, but contraction was reduced significantly by in vitro capsaicin desensitization or removal of bladder mucosa. BK stimulated SP-LI release from mucosa but not detrusor. SP stimulated increased BK-LI release from mucosa and detrusor. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the basal release of peptide-like immunoreactivity by isolated bladder and further support the concept that peptidases located in the bladder mucosa are important in terminating the effects of endogenous peptides.     

Extraction and quantification of phytoestrogens in foods using automated solid-phase extraction and LC/MS/MS

Phytoestrogens are a group of polyphenolic plant metabolites that can induce biological responses. Their bioactivity is based on their similarity to 17beta-estradiol and their ability to bind to the beta-estrogen receptor. Although epidemiological data are inconclusive, phytoestrogens are considered to be beneficial for a variety of conditions, for example, hormone-related cancers like breast and prostate cancer. To investigate the biological effects of these compounds and to assess the exposure of larger cohorts or the general public, reliable data on the phytoestrogen content of food is necessary. Previously, food analysis for phytoestrogens was performed using either HPLC-UV or GC/MS. Here, we describe the development of the first generic method for the analysis of phytoestrogens in food, using automated solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The presented method shows a good reproducibility and can be easily adapted to other phytoestrogens if required.     

Geometry of Scour Holes Associated with 90° Spur Dikes

The stable pools formed by spur dikes can be a significant factor for improving aquatic habitat in unstable degraded streams. Prediction of the volume and geometry of the scour hole associated with a spur dike yields information that is valuable for assessing the potential benefit to the aquatic habitat. Volumes of the scour hole in the vicinity of model spur dikes were measured in a laboratory flume under clear-water overtopping flows. Spur dike length, flow depth, and shear velocity ratio were varied in the experiments and found to significantly influence the volume of the scour hole. For overtopping flows, the ratio of the flow depth to the spur dike height was found to be an important control on the geometry of the resulting scour hole. At higher flow depth to spur dike height ratios, the location of the maximum depth of scour changed from the upstream point of the dike toward the channel bank and caused a secondary scour zone to form downstream of the spur dike. A preliminary technique is proposed to predict the volume of scour for spur dikes perpendicular to the bank.     

Variability in Suspended-Sediment Concentration over Mobile Sand Beds

Lateral and longitudinal variability in suspended-sediment concentration was investigated over dune and upper-regime plane beds under steady, uniform flow in a laboratory flume. A much greater sampling time was required to reliably predict mean concentration in a dune bed than for an upper-regime plane bed. Laterally separated, simultaneous samples over both dune and upper-regime plane beds were poorly correlated.     

Genetics of human sex determination and its disturbances

The genetics of human sex determination is considered in view of the various disorders of gonad development. The Y chromosome plays an important role in the induction of sex determination by encoding the testis-determining factor (TDF). However, not all deviations in regular development can be explained by mutations of the TDF as unique factor. Therefore, it is necessary to postulate other mutations in still unknown genes of the cascade for male-specific determination as well as the requirement of an ovary-determining factor for regular female development.     

Self-adjusting multi-objective scheduling based on Monte Carlo Tree Search for matrix production assembly systems

As a response to the low utilization of production lines in the context of an increasing number of product variants with significant differences in cycle times, line-less modular assembly concepts known as matrix production have evolved. Whilst the many degrees of freedom a matrix production offers provide different ways to react to disturbances and balance utilization, it also increases the complexity for scheduling exponentially. For real-time scheduling high solution quality and high efficiency are needed. This paper contributes a multi-objective scheduling approach based on Monte-Carlo Tree Search that self-adjusts to the scheduling problem to improve solution quality and execution time.