Thesis (Ph. D.)--RAND Graduate School, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

by Mark E. Connelly. / Bibliography: p. 21. / "April, 1981." / Air Force Office of Scientific Research Contract AFOSR 80-0229

This work presents a framework by which a massive multiagent organization can be controlled and modified without resorting to micromanagement and without needing advanced knowledge of potentially complex organizations. In addition to their designated duties, agents in the proposed framework perform some method of determining optimal traits such as configurations, plans, knowledge bases and so forth. Traits follow survival of the fittest rules in which more successful traits overpower less successful ones. Subproblem partitions develop emergently as successful solutions are disseminated to and aggregated by unsuccessful agents. Provisions are provided to allow the administrator to guide the search process by injecting solutions known to work for a particular agent. The performance of the framework is evaluated via comparison to individual state-space search.

This thesis describes a navigational strategy for automatically guided vehicles and a behavioural control implementation using a modified zero order Sugeno fuzzy inference engine. Animals are examined as a model of intelligent behaviour and behavioural control implementations discussed and compared. The features and the requirements of a behavioural control implementation are identified and modifications to Sugeno inferencing are then described which allow these to be met. A successful implementation is then presented. The navigation task is examined, as are various methods of representing space. Special structural features of constrained spaces are identified. A route based navigation system exploiting diese features is then developed. The strategy combines the representation of space with the task description into an easily communicated message. This navigational strategy is then successfully integrated with the behavioural control implementation presented earlier. The influence of spatial structure on the complexity of the navigation task is investigated with a view to the categorisation of space. A definition of maze-spaces is developed from this. Conclusions are then drawn on the themes of the work, and suggestions made for further investigations.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-08-12Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:47:14Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 borrasca_ag_dr_araca.pdf: 844710 bytes, checksum: d1c813312e1b09f119604bb41d9ee6ab (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Proposição: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar, qualitativa e quantitativamente, o comportamento da membrana de matriz óssea homógena desmineralizada e conservada em glicerinae e membrana de Ptfe no processo de reparo ósseo de cavidades cirúrgicas preenchidas com osso autógeno realizadas em tíbias de ratos Material e Métodos: Foram utilizados 60 ratos (Rattus norvegicus albinus, Wistar) machos, com aproximadamente 250 gramas divididos em três grupos: o grupo I (Controle-sem membrana), grupo II (membrana homógena) e grupo III (membrana de ptfe). Após tricotomia, anestesia e antissepsia foi realizada uma incisão longitudinal nas regiões antero-laterais de cada tibia. Após exposição das tíbias, duas cavidades cirúrgicas de 2mm de diâmetro foram preparadas com trefina em baixa-rotação refrigerada, uma no membro posterior esquerdo e outra no membro posterior direito, sendo a primeira preenchida com o osso autógeno particulado coletado durante a realização das duas cavidades e recobertas pelas membranas utilizadas no estudo. Aos 10 e 60 dias pós-operatórios os animais foram eutanaziados e as peças obtidas foram processadas laboratorialmente para a realização de cortes semi-seriados com seis micrômetros de espessura e corados pela hematoxilina e eosina para análise histomorfométrica. Resultados e Conclusão: A membrana homógena mostrou-se biocompatível e cumpriu sua função e em termos de área óssea neoformada as membranas obtiveram desempenho semelhantes / Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of membrane of a demineralized homogenous bone matrix and preserved in glycerin and the Ptfe membrane in the process of bony repair of surgical cavities filled out with autogenous bone accomplished in tibias rats. Materials and Methods: Sixty male rats weighing approximately 250 g were selected and assigned to two groups, as follows. Group I (without membrane), Group II (homogenous membrane) and Group III ( Ptfe membrane). After anesthesia, shaving and antisepsis, a longitudinal incision was made in the anterolateral areas of each tibia. After exhibition of the tibias, two surgical cavities of 2mm of diameter were prepared with trefina in refrigerated low-rotation, one in the left posterior member, other in the right subsequent member, being the first filled out with particulate autogenous bone collected during the accomplishment of the two cavities and covered with the membrane. Ten and sixty days postoperatively, the animals were euthanized and the anatomical pieces were submitted to routine laboratorial processing and serially sectioned to obtain 6-μm-thick sections, which were stained by hematoxylin and eosin for histomorphometric analysis. Results and Conclusions: The homogenous membrane proved to be biocompatible and fulfilled its function and in terms of bone area formation membranes had similar performance

In this thesis, the problem of intercepting highly manoeuvrable threats using seeker-less interceptors that operate in the command guidance mode, is addressed. These systems are more prone to estimation errors than standard seeker-based systems. Several non-linear and optimal estimation and guidance concepts are presented in this thesis for interception of randomly maneuvering targets by seeker-less interceptors. The key contributions of the thesis can be broadly categorized into six groups, namely (i) an optimal selection of bank of lters in interactive multiple model (IMM) scheme to cater to various maneuvers that are expected during the end-game, (ii) an innovative algorithm to reduce chattering phenomenon and formulate effective guidance algorithm based on 'differential game guidance law' (modi ed DGL), (iii) IMM/DGL and IMM/modified DGL based integrated estimation/guidance (IEG) strategy, (iv) sensitivity and robustness analysis of Kalman lters and ne tuning of lters in filter bank using innovation covariance, (v) Performance of tuned IMM/PN, tuned IMM/DGL and tuned IMM/modi ed DGL against various target maneuvers, (vi) Performance comparison with realistic missile model. An innovative generalized state estimation formulation has been proposed in this the-sis for accurately estimating the states of incoming high speed randomly maneuvering targets. The IMM scheme and an optimal selection of lters, to cater to various maneu-vers that are expected during the end-game, is described in detail. The key advantage of this formulation is that it is generic and can capture evasive target maneuver as well as straight moving targets in a uni ed framework without any change of target model and tuning parameters. In this thesis, a game optimal guidance law is described in detail for 2D and 3D engagements. The performance of the differential game based guidance law (DGL) is compared with conventional Proportional Navigation (PN) guidance law, especially for 3D interception scenarios. An innovative chatter removal algorithm is introduced by modifying the differential game based guidance law (modified DGL). In this algorithm, chattering is reduced to the maximum extent possible by introducing a boundary layer around the switching surface and using a continuous control within the boundary layer. The thesis presents performance of the modified DGL algorithm against PN and DGL, through a comparison of miss distances and achieved accelerations. Simulation results are also presented for varying fiight path angle errors. Apart from the guidance logic, two novel ideas have been presented following the evolving "integrated estimation and guidance" philosophy. In the rst approach, an in-tegrated estimation/guidance (IEG) algorithm that integrates IMM estimator with DGL law (IMM/DGL), is proposed for seeker-less interception. In this interception scenario, the target performs an evasive bang-bang maneuver, while the sensor has noisy measure-ments and the interceptor is subject to an acceleration bound. The guidance parameters (i.e., the lateral acceleration commands) are computed with the help of zero e ort miss distance. The thesis presents the performance of the IEG algorithm against combined IMM with PN (IMM/PN), through a comparison of miss distances. In the second ap-proach, a novel modi ed IEG algorithm composed of IMM estimator and modi ed DGL guidance law is introduced to eliminate the chattering phenomenon. Results from both of these integrated approaches are quite promising. Monte Carlo simulation results re-veal that modi ed IEG algorithm achieves better homing performance, even if the target maneuver model is unknown to the estimator. These results and their analysis o er an insight to the interception process and the proposed algorithms. The selection of lter tuning parameters puts forward a major challenge for scien-tists and engineers. Two recently developed metrics, based on innovation covariance, are incorporated for determining the filter tuning parameters. For predicting the proper combination of the lter tuning parameters, the metrics are evaluated for a 3D interception problem. A detailed sensitivity and robustness analysis is carried out for each type of Kalman lters. Optimal and tuned Kalman lters are selected in the IMM con guration to cater to various maneuvers that are expected during the end-game. In the interception scenario examined in this thesis, the target performs various types of maneuvers, while the sensor has noisy measurements and the interceptor is subject to acceleration bound. The tuned IMM serves as a basis for synthesis of e cient lters for tracking maneuvering targets and reducing estimation errors. A numerical study is provided which demonstrates the performance and viability of tuned IMM/modi ed DGL based modi ed IEG strategy. In this thesis, comparison is also performed between tuned IMM/PN, tuned IMM/DGL and tuned IMM/modi ed DGL in integrated estimation/guidance scheme. The results are illustrated by an extensive Monte Carlo simulation study in the presence of estimation errors. Simulation results are also presented for end game maneuvers and varying light path angle errors . Numerical simulations to study the aerodynamic e ects on integrated estimation/ guidance structure and its e ect on performance of guidance laws are presented. A detailed comparison is also performed between tuned IMM/PN, tuned IMM/DGL and tuned IMM/modi ed DGL in integrated estimation/guidance scheme with realistically modelled missile against various target maneuvers. Though the time taken to intercept is higher when a realistic model is considered, the integrated estimation/guidance law still performs better. The miss distance is observed to be similar to the one obtained by considering simpli ed kinematic models.

Orientador: Osvaldo Magro Filho / Coorientador: Alessandra Marcondes Aranega / Banca: Edmur Aparecido Callestini / Banca: Eleonor Álvaro Garbin Júnior / Banca: Daniela Ponzoni / Banca: Celso Koogi Sonoda / Resumo: Proposição: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar, qualitativa e quantitativamente, o comportamento da membrana de matriz óssea homógena desmineralizada e conservada em glicerinae e membrana de Ptfe no processo de reparo ósseo de cavidades cirúrgicas preenchidas com osso autógeno realizadas em tíbias de ratos Material e Métodos: Foram utilizados 60 ratos (Rattus norvegicus albinus, Wistar) machos, com aproximadamente 250 gramas divididos em três grupos: o grupo I (Controle-sem membrana), grupo II (membrana homógena) e grupo III (membrana de ptfe). Após tricotomia, anestesia e antissepsia foi realizada uma incisão longitudinal nas regiões antero-laterais de cada tibia. Após exposição das tíbias, duas cavidades cirúrgicas de 2mm de diâmetro foram preparadas com trefina em baixa-rotação refrigerada, uma no membro posterior esquerdo e outra no membro posterior direito, sendo a primeira preenchida com o osso autógeno particulado coletado durante a realização das duas cavidades e recobertas pelas membranas utilizadas no estudo. Aos 10 e 60 dias pós-operatórios os animais foram eutanaziados e as peças obtidas foram processadas laboratorialmente para a realização de cortes semi-seriados com seis micrômetros de espessura e corados pela hematoxilina e eosina para análise histomorfométrica. Resultados e Conclusão: A membrana homógena mostrou-se biocompatível e cumpriu sua função e em termos de área óssea neoformada as membranas obtiveram desempenho semelhantes / Abstract: Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of membrane of a demineralized homogenous bone matrix and preserved in glycerin and the Ptfe membrane in the process of bony repair of surgical cavities filled out with autogenous bone accomplished in tibias rats. Materials and Methods: Sixty male rats weighing approximately 250 g were selected and assigned to two groups, as follows. Group I (without membrane), Group II (homogenous membrane) and Group III ( Ptfe membrane). After anesthesia, shaving and antisepsis, a longitudinal incision was made in the anterolateral areas of each tibia. After exhibition of the tibias, two surgical cavities of 2mm of diameter were prepared with trefina in refrigerated low-rotation, one in the left posterior member, other in the right subsequent member, being the first filled out with particulate autogenous bone collected during the accomplishment of the two cavities and covered with the membrane. Ten and sixty days postoperatively, the animals were euthanized and the anatomical pieces were submitted to routine laboratorial processing and serially sectioned to obtain 6-μm-thick sections, which were stained by hematoxylin and eosin for histomorphometric analysis. Results and Conclusions: The homogenous membrane proved to be biocompatible and fulfilled its function and in terms of bone area formation membranes had similar performance / Doutor

Abstract Course: Thesis in logistics for the MBA program, 4FE19E, VT18 Authors: Niklas Carlsson and Filip Norberg Supervisor: Hana Hulthén Examiner: Helena Forslund Title: Automated Guided Vehicles – A preliminary study on the central warehouse of Rusta AB. Background: Automated guided vehicles (AGV) is a driverless truck, programmed to automatically transport goods from point A to point B without human interaction. Rusta AB is in the middle of an expansion of its central warehouse, the warehouse today is 64000 m2 and when the development is completed it will be around 100000 m2. This will mean longer distances for Rusta’s truck drivers to transport pallets. Therefore, Rusta got interested in investigating automated guided vehicles, in which truck flows there are opportunities to implement them and if they can lead to a cost reduction and increased productivity. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to create a decision-making model that is based on the implementation of an AGV system as a complement to a traditional truck fleet, for companies to use. To determine in which flows in Rusta’s central warehouse that are best suited for an implementation and also what type of AGV that fits best within each flow. In order to be able to answer these questions, it is required that the decisionmaking model presented is carried out. The study is a preliminary study and should be used as part of the decision-making basis when Rusta make the decision to use a AGV system or not. Method: The study is a single case study where the authors have mainly used a qualitative method through the study. However, in the final chapter of the study, a quantitative method is used. The study contains both primary and secondary data. The empirical data has been collected through interviews, observations and measurements. The questions have been analysed on the basis of grounded theory, however, not all parts of the grounded theory are used as it does not fit the research design on which the study is based. v Conclusions: A decision-making model for the strategic decision to implement AGV contains crucial and influential qualitative and quantitative factors that a company should take into account before making a decision. Five possible flows were identified where there were conditions that suited the use of AGV and it was also determined that a low-lift AGV forklift with laser navigation should be used. The flows stood up to the demands that were made both on the basis of the decision-making model that was created and also to the specific needs of each flow. Thereafter the quantitative part of the decision-making model was based on the qualitative analyses. Here it became clear that by implementing AGV in the best suited flows, Rusta could get a significantly lower cost without getting lower capacity. Rusta was therefore recommended to implement AGV in three of the five possible flows. The recommended AGV type is a low-lift AGV like the Toyota Material handling LAE250 or Jungheinrich ERE-AGV. This would reduce costs by around 600,000 SEK per year compared to the conventional trucks used today. The large cost reduction is mostly due to the lower costs for the staff. Through this, Rusta achieves the objective of the investment, to lower costs of their operations in its central warehouse. Keywords: Automated guided vehicles, distribution warehouse, flow chart, decisionmaking model

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:28:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2002-03-01Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:07:24Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silverio_kg_me_arafo.pdf: 1644294 bytes, checksum: 5d943591d5c51a3846c75163db9a2ebb (MD5) / O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar in vitro o efeito do condicionamento radicular com fator de crescimento de fibroblastos básico (b-FGF) sobre a morfologia e densidade de fibroblastos. Para tal, blocos de dentina com 4 mm2 de área de superfície foram obtidos de raízes de dentes humanos extraídos devido severo envolvimento periodontal, sendo instrumentados manualmente e autoclavados. Noventa amostras foram selecionadas aleatoriamente e distribuídas em 3 grupos segundo o tratamento de superfície prévio ao condicionamento com o b-FGF: sem tratamento - controle; 50 mg/mL de cloridrato de tetraciclina e EDTA a 24%. As 30 amostras de cada um destes 3 grupos foram distribuídas em 3 subgrupos quanto à dose de b-FGF: 0 æg/mL - controle; 50 æg/mL e 125 æg/mL. Após os tratamentos, as amostras foram incubadas a 37º C e 98% de umidade com 2mL de meio Eagle, sendo 1mL com fibroblastos de linhagem contínua (células McCoy) na concentração de 1 x 105 células/mL e 1mL meio sem células, por 24 h. Após as 24 h, as amostras foram submetidas a preparo de rotina para MEV e então, fotomicrografadas nos aumentos de 500X (densidade celular) e 1000X (morfologia celular). Em seguida, as fotomicrografias foram avaliadas por 3 examinadores treinados, calibrados, independentes e cegos, os quais verificaram morfologia e densidade celular segundo os escores propostos por Gamal et al. (1998) e Jenkins et al. (1988), respectivamente. A aplicação da Análise de Regressão pela Técnica da Árvore demonstrou haver diferenças estatisticamente significantes para a densidade celular (p<0,0001) entre os grupos EDTA, tetraciclina e controle, sendo que também houve diferenças entre as doses de 0/50 æg e 125 æg de b-FGF nas amostras condicionadas com EDTA (p<0,0001) e entre as doses de 0 e 50/125 æg de b-FGF nas amostras condicionadas com tetraciclina... . / The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the effect of the root surface conditioning with basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) about morphology and density of fibroblasts. Dentin slices of with 4 mm2 of surface area were obtained from roots of teeth extracted due to severe periodontal involvment. These were scaled and sterilized. Ninety samples were randomly distributed into 3 groups according to treatment before application of b-FGF: non-treated - control; 50mg/mL of tetracycline HCl and EDTA 24%. The thirty samples of each group were distributed into 3 subgroups according to the concentration of b-FGF: 0 æg/mL - control; 50 æg/mL and 125 æg/mL. After treatments, the samples were incubated at 37ºC and 98% humidity with 1mL of Eagle Medium with 1 x 105 cells/mL of fibroblast from continuos lineage (McCoy Cells) plus 1mL this solution without cells during 24 hours. The samples were submitted to routine preparation for SEM and photographed at 500x (density celular) and 1000x (morphology celular). Three independent and blind examiners evaluated the fibroblast`s morphology and density, according to Gamam et al. (1998) and Jenkins et al. (1998), respectively. Classification and Regression Trees test results indicated significant differences on the density (p<0,0001) among EDTA, tetracycline and control groups with also differences between concentrations of 0/50æg and 125æg of b-FGF at the samples conditioning with EDTA (p<0,0001) and between concentrations of 0 and 50/125 æg of b-FGF at the samples conditioning with tetracycline(p<0,0001). The results of this test to morphology indicated significant differences between treatment or non-treatment with b-FGF, and that concentration of 125 æg demonstrated to be more favorable than the concentration of 50 æg. In conclusion, the treatment of root surfaces with b-FGF influenced the density... (Complete abstract, click electronic address below).

abstract: This dissertation presents research findings on the three materials systems: lateral Si nanowires (SiNW), In₂Se₃/Bi₂Se₃ heterostructures and graphene. The first part of the thesis was focused on the growth and characterization of lateral SiNW. Lateral here refers to wires growing along the plane of substrate; vertical NW on the other hand grow out of the plane of substrate. It was found, using the Au-seeded vapor &ndash; liquid &ndash; solid technique, that epitaxial single-crystal SiNW can be grown laterally along Si(111) substrates that have been miscut toward [11&minus; 2]. The ratio of lateral-to-vertical NW was found to increase as the miscut angle increased and as disilane pressure and substrate temperature decreased. Based on this observation, growth parameters were identified whereby all of the deposited Au seeds formed lateral NW. Furthermore, the nanofaceted substrate guided the growth via a mechanism that involved pinning of the trijunction at the liquid/solid interface of the growing nanowire. Next, the growth of selenide heterostructures was explored. Specifically, molecular beam epitaxy was utilized to grow In₂Se₃ and Bi₂Se₃ films on h-BN, highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and Si(111) substrates. Growth optimizations of In₂Se₃ and Bi₂Se₃ films were carried out by systematically varying the growth parameters. While the growth of these films was demonstrated on h-BN and HOPG surface, the majority of the effort was focused on growth on Si(111). Atomically flat terraces that extended laterally for several hundred nm, which were separated by single quintuple layer high steps characterized surface of the best In₂Se₃ films grown on Si(111). These In₂Se₃ films were suitable for subsequent high quality epitaxy of Bi₂Se₃ . The last part of this dissertation was focused on a recently initiated and ongoing study of graphene growth on liquid metal surfaces. The initial part of the study comprised a successful modification of an existing growth system to accommodate graphene synthesis and process development for reproducible graphene growth. Graphene was grown on Cu, Au and AuCu alloys at varioua conditions. Preliminary results showed triangular features on the liquid part of the Cu metal surface. For Au, and AuCu alloys, hexagonal features were noticed both on the solid and liquid parts. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 2014