This thesis examines the politics of local, governance in the Scottish Highlands, taking the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) network - made up of a central core and 10 Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) - as its institutional focus. It synthesises regulationist approaches and neo-Marxist state theory to explain LECs as part of a broader process of re-regulation under consecutive Conservative governments. LECs are unelected, business-led agencies operating at the local level. The political discourse through which LECs were established and promoted created expectations of local autonomy among business representatives that clashed with the centralising tendencies of Thatcherism. The thesis examines how the resultant tension between local initiative and central control has been worked out within the HIE network. It relies on data collected from seventy semi-structured interviews with representatives of HIE, LECs, local authorities, businesses and community groups. The initial chapters introduce the research and consider key methodological issues, set out the theoretical framework, and review the practices of the Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB, HIE's successor). The thesis then explores the key tension between local initiative and central control, explaining how it has been mediated and resolved through routine institutional practices. It also examines HIE-LECs relations with other key agencies, notably local authorities, through selected examples of multi-agency partnerships and assesses LECs' local accountability and representativeness. Finally, a concluding chapter sets out the main findings and considers their implications. While key managerial 'technologies' such as targeting, audit and financial controls allow central government to monitor and steer the HIE network, the thesis argues that the authoritative resources of the HIE core - grounded in the combination of local knowledge and technical expertise inherited from the HIDB - enables it to adapt key aspects of the operating regime to its own purposes. Local autonomy is limited by the relative centralisation of the Network, and LECs operate in a system of structured flexibility in which their scope to adapt policy to local conditions is constrained by state rules and procedures. In emphasising that local autonomy is limited by hierarchical mechanisms of control, the thesis argues that local governance in the Scottish Highlands continues to be underpinned by government. It also points to the limits of the regulation approach and neo-Marxist state theory as theoretical perspectives, suggesting that neo-Foucauldian writings on govemmentality are useful in providing stronger analytical purchase on the specific mechanisms and procedures through which state regulation is practised.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1985.

Submitted by RICARDO FERNANDO NUNES null (ricardofnes@gmail.com) on 2016-05-09T19:20:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ricardo_Nunes_Pos_Defesa_FINAL.pdf: 4578185 bytes, checksum: 7d5f2601e5d33327aef16ab69587d77f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-05-12T19:25:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 nunes_rf_me_ilha.pdf: 4578185 bytes, checksum: 7d5f2601e5d33327aef16ab69587d77f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-12T19:25:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 nunes_rf_me_ilha.pdf: 4578185 bytes, checksum: 7d5f2601e5d33327aef16ab69587d77f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-31 / Neste trabalho apresenta-se uma abordagem para o mapeamento da cinemática inversa utilizando Redes Neurais Artificiais do tipo Perceptron Multicamadas na configuração em paralelo, tendo como referência o protótipo de um manipulador robótico de 5 graus de liberdade, composto por sete servomotores controlado pela plataforma de desenvolvimento Intel® Galileo Gen 2. As equações da cinemática inversa, normalmente apresentam múltiplas soluções, desta forma, uma solução interessante e frequentemente encontrada na literatura são as Redes Neurais Artificiais (RNA) em razão da sua flexibilidade e capacidade de aprendizado por meio do treinamento. As Redes Neurais são capazes de entender a relação cinemática entre o sistema de coordenadas das juntas e a posição final da ferramenta do manipulador. Para avaliar a eficiência do método proposto foram realizadas simulações no software MATLAB, as quais demostram pelos resultados obtidos e comparações a uma RNA do tipo MLP simples, aproximadamente redução das médias dos erros das juntas em até 87,8% quando aplicado à trajetória e 80% quando aplicado a pontos distribuídos no volume de trabalho. / This paper presents an approach to the mapping of inverse kinematics using Artificial Neural Networks Multilayer Perceptron in parallel configuration, in the prototype of a robotic manipulator 5 degrees of freedom, as reference, composed of seven servomotors controlled by development board Intel® Galileo Gen 2. The equations of inverse kinematics, usually have multiple solutions, therefore, an interesting solution and often found in the literature are the Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) because of their flexibility and learning capacity through training. Neural Networks are able to understand the kinematic relationship between the coordinate system of the joints and the final position of the manipulator tool. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed, simulations in MATLAB software are performaded, that demonstrate by the results obtained and compared to a simple MLP type RNA, one reduction in mean errors of the joints by up to 87.8% when applied to the path and 80% when applied to points distributed in the work space.

Orientador: Suely Cunha Amaro Mantovani / Resumo: Neste trabalho apresenta-se uma abordagem para o mapeamento da cinemática inversa utilizando Redes Neurais Artificiais do tipo Perceptron Multicamadas na configuração em paralelo, tendo como referência o protótipo de um manipulador robótico de 5 graus de liberdade, composto por sete servomotores controlado pela plataforma de desenvolvimento Intel® Galileo Gen 2. As equações da cinemática inversa, normalmente apresentam múltiplas soluções, desta forma, uma solução interessante e frequentemente encontrada na literatura são as Redes Neurais Artificiais (RNA) em razão da sua flexibilidade e capacidade de aprendizado por meio do treinamento. As Redes Neurais são capazes de entender a relação cinemática entre o sistema de coordenadas das juntas e a posição final da ferramenta do manipulador. Para avaliar a eficiência do método proposto foram realizadas simulações no software MATLAB, as quais demostram pelos resultados obtidos e comparações a uma RNA do tipo MLP simples, aproximadamente redução das médias dos erros das juntas em até 87,8% quando aplicado à trajetória e 80% quando aplicado a pontos distribuídos no volume de trabalho. / Abstract: This paper presents an approach to the mapping of inverse kinematics using Artificial Neural Networks Multilayer Perceptron in parallel configuration, in the prototype of a robotic manipulator 5 degrees of freedom, as reference, composed of seven servomotors controlled by development board Intel® Galileo Gen 2. The equations of inverse kinematics, usually have multiple solutions, therefore, an interesting solution and often found in the literature are the Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) because of their flexibility and learning capacity through training. Neural Networks are able to understand the kinematic relationship between the coordinate system of the joints and the final position of the manipulator tool. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed, simulations in MATLAB software are performaded, that demonstrate by the results obtained and compared to a simple MLP type RNA, one reduction in mean errors of the joints by up to 87.8% when applied to the path and 80% when applied to points distributed in the work space. / Mestre

The thesis deals with design and realization of communication among autonomous mobile robots and stationary localization stations using Nucleo development boards and a wireless IQRF modules. The theoretical part is focused on characterization of suitable hardware elements and communication technologies. In the practical part, the thesis deals with the description of possible communication schemes, used hardware, developed algorithm, software of individual members and diagnostic tools developed for thesis's purpose. In the last part, attention is paid to testing the resulting solution.

Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / This thesis describes the design and implementation of a video compression development board as a standalone embedded system. The board can capture images, encode them and stream out a video to a destination over a wireless link. This project was done to allow users to test and develop video compression encoders that are designed for UAV applications. The board was designed to use an ADSP-BF533 Blackfin DSP from Analog Devices with the purpose of encoding images, which were captured by a camera module and then streamed out a video through a WiFi module. Moreover, an FPGA that has an interface to a logic analyzer, the DSP, the camera and the WiFi module, was added to accommodate other future uses, and to allow for the debugging of the board. The board was tested by loading a H.264 BP/MP encoder from Analog Devices to the DSP, where the DSP was integrated with the camera and the WiFi module. The test was successful and the board was able to encode a 2 MegaPixel picture at about 2 frames per second with a data rate of 186 Kbps. However, as the frame rate was only 2 frames per second, the video was somewhat jerky. It was found that the encoding time is a system limitation and that it has to be improved in order to increase the frame rate. A proposed solution involves dividing the captured picture into smaller segments and encoding each segment in parallel. Thereafter, the segments can be packed and streamed out. Further performance issues about the proposed structure are presented in the thesis.

This thesis deals about a digitizer design. The digitizer is part of air-band monitoring receiver. Requirement is digitalization of two audio signals. The device communicates with PC through USB interface and it provides reading and writing to SD card. The STM32F4DISCOVERY development board with processor STM32F407VGT6 was used for design and function testing. This development kit is supplemented with other peripherals on an extern board (input audio circuits and SD slots). The thesis describes briefly theory for each issue which this project deals with. One part is engaged to the hardware design. Then there is a description of the PC software for the device controlling. The main part of the thesis is about the development of the firmware for MCU, which manages AD conversion, formatting of the voice signal, USB communication (HID and Mass Storage class), recording and reading from the SD card and additional peripherals.

The aim of the work is the design and implementation of two circuit boards delivering learning platforms, which will consist of two separate circuit boards with ARM MCU and a programmable FPGA gate array that will be interconnectable and appropriately complemented by peripherals. These platforms will be developed by analysing current teaching and development platform solutions and then demonstrating on practical examples. The main benefit of this work should be update and simplification of existing equipment. At the same time, there is an emphasis on greater transparency of the whole solution, so that it is not too complicated for an aspiring student to familiarise himself with modern micro-controllers and programmable gate arrays and can link the simpler units into more complex ones, where the individual boards can be used as separate working units and their interconnection will provide a computationaly stronger yet more complex device.

<p>A power assisted wheelchair combines human power, which is delivered by the arms through the pushrims, with electrical motors, which are powered by a battery. Today’s electric power assisted wheelchairs use force sensors to measure the torque exerted on the pushrims by the user. The force sensors in the pushrims are rather expensive and this approach also makes the wheels a little bit clumsy. The objective with this project is to find a new, better and cheaper solution that does not use expensive force sensors in the pushrims. The new power assisted wheelchair will instead only rely on its velocity, which is measured with rotational encoders, as feedback signal and thereby the project name “Torque Sensor Free Power Assisted Wheelchair”. </p><p> </p><p>The project consisted of two main parts; an extensive construction part, where an ordinary joystick controlled motorized wheelchair has been rebuild to the new power assisted wheelchair without torque sensors and a development part, where different torque sensor free controllers has been designed, simulated, programmed and tested.</p><p>The project resulted in a torque sensor free power assisted wheelchair, where the final implemented design is a proportional derivative controller, which gives a very good assisting system that is robust and insensitive to measurement noise. The proportional derivative control design gives two adjustable parameters, which can be tuned to fit a certain user; one parameter is used to adjust the amplification of the user’s force and the other one is used to change the lasting time of the propulsion influence.</p><p>Since the new assisting control system only relies on the velocity, the torque sensor free power assisted wheelchair will besides giving the user assisting power also give an assistant, which pushes the wheelchair, additional power. This is a big advantage compared to the pushrim activated one, where this benefit for the assistant is not possible.</p>

A power assisted wheelchair combines human power, which is delivered by the arms through the pushrims, with electrical motors, which are powered by a battery. Today’s electric power assisted wheelchairs use force sensors to measure the torque exerted on the pushrims by the user. The force sensors in the pushrims are rather expensive and this approach also makes the wheels a little bit clumsy. The objective with this project is to find a new, better and cheaper solution that does not use expensive force sensors in the pushrims. The new power assisted wheelchair will instead only rely on its velocity, which is measured with rotational encoders, as feedback signal and thereby the project name “Torque Sensor Free Power Assisted Wheelchair”. The project consisted of two main parts; an extensive construction part, where an ordinary joystick controlled motorized wheelchair has been rebuild to the new power assisted wheelchair without torque sensors and a development part, where different torque sensor free controllers has been designed, simulated, programmed and tested. The project resulted in a torque sensor free power assisted wheelchair, where the final implemented design is a proportional derivative controller, which gives a very good assisting system that is robust and insensitive to measurement noise. The proportional derivative control design gives two adjustable parameters, which can be tuned to fit a certain user; one parameter is used to adjust the amplification of the user’s force and the other one is used to change the lasting time of the propulsion influence. Since the new assisting control system only relies on the velocity, the torque sensor free power assisted wheelchair will besides giving the user assisting power also give an assistant, which pushes the wheelchair, additional power. This is a big advantage compared to the pushrim activated one, where this benefit for the assistant is not possible.