Integrated microfluidic devices for biomedical analysis attract lots of interest in the MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems) research field. However, the characteristic Reynolds number for liquids flowing in these microchannels is very small (typically less than 10). At such low Reynolds numbers, turbulent mixing does not occur and homogenization of the solutions occurs through diffusion processes alone. Hence, a satisfactory mixing performance generally requires the use of extended flow channels and takes longer to accomplish such that the practical benefits of such devices are somewhat limited. Consequently, accomplishing the goal of u¡VTAS requires the development of enhanced mixing techniques for microfluidic structures. This study first presents a microfluidic mixer utilizing alternatively switching electroosmotic flow and proposes two microchannel designs of T-form and double-T-form micromixer. Switching DC field is used to generate the electroosmotic force to drive the fluid and also used for mixing of the fluids simultaneously, such that moving parts in the microfluidic device and delicate external control system are not required for the mixing purpose. Furthermore, this study also proposed a novel pinched-switching mode in the T-form microfluidic mixer, which could be effectively increase the perturbation within the fluid to promote the mixing efficiency. In this study, computer simulation for the operation conditions is used to predict the mixing outcomes and the mixing performance is also confirmed experimentally. Result shows the mixing performance can be as larger as 95% within the mixing distance of 1 mm downstream the common boundary between the different sample fluids. The novel method proposed in this study can be used for solving the mixing problem in a simple way in the field of micro-total-analysis-systems. Furthermore, in order to demonstrate the proposed micromixer is feasible for on-line bio-reaction, this study designs a fully integrated device for demonstration of DNA/enzyme reaction within the microfluidic chip. The microchip device contains a pre-column concentrating region, a micro mixer for DNA-enzyme mixing, an adjustable temperature control system and a post-column concentration channel. The integrated microfluidic chip has been used to implement the DNA digestion and extraction. Successfully digestion of £f-DNA using EcoRI restriction enzyme in the proposed device is demonstrated utilizing large-scale gel electrophoresis scheme. Results show that the reaction speed doubled while using the microfluidic system. In addition, on-line DNA digestion and capillary electrophoresis detection is also successfully demonstrated using a standard DNA-enzyme system of $X-174 and Hae III. Finally, this reasearch also proposes a novel cell/microparticle manipulation platform by integrating an optical tweezer system and a micro flow cytometer. During operation, electrokinetically driven sheath flows are utilized to focus microparticles to flow in the center of the sample stream then pass through an optical manipulation area. An IR diode laser is focused to generate force gradient in the optical manipulation area to manipulate the microparticles in the microfluidic device. Moving the particles at a static condition is demonstrated to confirm the feasibility of the home-built optical tweezer. The trapping force of the optical tweezer is measured using a novel method of Stocks-drag equilibrium. The proposed system can continuously catch moving microparticles in the flowing stream or switch them to flow into another sample flow within the microchannel. Target particles can be separated from the sample particles with this high efficient approach. More importantly, the system demonstrates a continuously manipulation of microparticles using non-contact force gradient such that moving parts and delicate fabrication processes can be excluded. The proposed system is feasible of high-throughput catching, moving, manipulation and sorting specific microparticles/cells within a mixed sample and results in a simple solution for cell/microparticle manipulation in the field of micro-total-analysis-systems. In this thesis, low-cost soda-lime glass substrates are adopted for the microchip fabrication using a simple and reliable fabrication process. Three kinds of novel microfluidic devices including an electrokinetically-driven microfluidic mixer, a high throughput DNA/enzyme reactor and an optically cell manipulation platform are successfully demonstrated. It is the author¡¦s believes that the results of this study will give important contributions in the development of micro-total-analysis-systems in the future. With the success of this study, we have a further step approaching to the dream of lab-on-a-chip system for bio-analytical applications.

Nowadays premium promotion has caused a stir in many industries. Sales promotion comprises a multitude of marketing tools designed to stimulate the purchase of goods and services by providing an incentive. Among those promotion tools, premium occupies a very important place. It belongs to non-monetary promotion which is different from the monetary one that we generally know. Many experts address that in long term, monetary promotion might have imposed negative impact on their own brand. However, premium promotion is one of non-monetary promotion, and it brings up consumers the ¡§gains¡¨, not the ¡§reduced losses.¡¨ The academic research on the subject in Taiwan or even in other countries is scarcely seen, although premium-based sales promotions are commonly used on marketing practice. It is a kind of multifunctional promotion tool. For example, attractiveness, the linkage with main product, immediacy, mention of value, and free/self-liquidating product etc. are needed to highly care about. Premium promotion may avoid some negative influences from price promotion. However, if marketers cannot operate premium well, it might still cause some problems. This study does not only discuss Consumers¡¦ Overall Appreciation, but also try to find out Perceived Manipulation Intent beyond consumers. This thesis is 2¡]high/low attractiveness¡^x 2¡]high/low perceived fit between the premium and the product¡^x 2¡]direct/delayed¡^x 2¡]mention/not mention of the premium¡¦s value¡^mixed experiment design ANOVA. Mentioning the value of the premium and immediacy are between-subject factors and attractiveness and perceived fit between the premium and the product are within-subjects factors. The purpose of this study is the effect of four premium independent variables on Overall Appreciation and Perceived Manipulation Intent of Consumer Reaction. The study shows: 1. High attractiveness, high product-premium fit, and direct premium all have significantly positive effects on consumer¡¦s overall appreciation. 2. Attractiveness and product-premium fit has an interaction effect on overall appreciation, and fit is like a moderator. 3. Product-premium fit and mention of value has an interaction effect on overall appreciation. 4. Attractiveness, product-premium fit, and immediacy has an interaction effect on overall appreciation. 5. Attractiveness, product-premium fit, and immediacy has statistically significant on perceived manipulation intent.

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L'objet de cette thèse est la mise en place d'une méthodologie pour la conception préliminaire orientée tâche de manipulateurs mobiles. Elle s'appuie en l'occurence sur les algorithmes évolutionnaires pour effectuer la synthèse de chaînes cinématiques et d'entrées de commande. La méthodologie met donc en oeuvre plusieurs niveaux d'optimisation orientée tâche :<br /><br />- recherche d'une configuration initiale d'un robot, avec minimisation de l'erreur en position de l'effecteur du manipulateur mobile à la position initiale désirée et de la direction réelle avec la direction désirée, évitement d'obstacles<br />- génération de consignes avec minimisation de<br />l'erreur en position de l'effecteur à la trajectoire désirée, évitement d'obstacles et minimisation de la distance à parcourir jusqu'à la position finale désirée<br />- élimination préliminaire des structures cinématiques non adaptées localement aux contraintes de la tâche, avec prise en compte des obstacles, respect des contraintes de structure et minimisation de la masse des robots<br /><br />La sélection finale d'une solution structurelle est alors<br />essentiellement basée sur ses performances dans la réalisation de la tâche. Les différents aspects de la méthodologie sont détaillés et analysés par les résultats de simulation dont la pertinence de l'approche est extraite. Les avantages liés à l'utilisation des algorithmes évolutionnaires et aux adaptations développées dans ce manuscrit, ainsi que leurs limites, sont synthétisés en fin de document.

Th. doct.--Droit pénal--Montpellier 1, 2003. / Bibliogr. p. 257-293. Index.

This dissertation advances the capability of autonomous or semiautonomous robotic manipulation systems by providing the tools required to turn depth sensor measurements into a meaningful representation of the objects present in the robot's environment. This process happens in two steps. First, the points from depth imagery are separated into clusters representing individual objects by a Euclidean clustering scheme. Each cluster is then passed to a recognition algorithm that determines what it is, and where it is. This information allows the robot to determine a pose of the object for grasp planning or obstacle avoidance. To accomplish this, the recognition system must extract mathematical representation of each point cluster. To this end, this dissertation presents a new feature descriptor, the Cylindrical Projection Histogram which captures the shape, size, and viewpoint of the object while maintaining invariance to image scale. These features are used to train a classifier which can then determine the label and pose of each cluster identified in a scene. The results are used to inform a probabilistic model of the object, that quantifies uncertainty and allows Bayesian update of the object's label and position. Experimental results on live data show a 97.2% correct recognition rate for a classifier based on the Cylindrical Projection Histogram. This is a significant improvement over another state-of-the art feature that gives an 89.6% recognition rate on the same object set. With statistical filtering over 10 frames, the raw recognition rate improve to 100% and 92.3% respectively. For pose estimation, both features offe rrotational pose estimation performance from 12° to 30°, and pose errors below 1 cm. This work supports deployment of robotic manipulation systems in unstructured glovebox environments in US Department of Energy facilities. The recognition performance of the CPH classifier is adequate for this purpose. The pose estimation performance is sufficient for gross pick-and-place tasks of simple objects, but not sufficient for dexterous manipulation. However, the pose estimation, along with the probabilistic model, support post-recognition pose refinement techniques. / text

Individuals view an overwhelming number of mediated messages every day, even if most of these messages are merely glanced at or given minimal amounts of attention. It is not possible or advantageous for individuals to critically evaluate all messages they encounter. In that first glance or initial impression, however, our brains process the visual arguments designed by photo manipulation presented in messages. This happens instinctually, almost instantaneously, and most often underneath our radar of consciousness. Following, individuals decide to attend to the information (or not) though conscious processing. Regardless of decisions for elaborative processing, however, the initial visual processing of photo manipulated arguments influences how individuals think, feel, and behave – whether they are aware of it or not. This dissertation contributes to our understanding of the role of implied visual arguments for persuasive message processing in three ways. First, Experiment 1 identified and provided empirical evidence for effects of photo manipulation as a visual persuasion technique. This experiment was a necessary first step in exploring the cause-and-effect relationship of photo manipulation and attitudes to better understand influences on message perception. Second, Experiment 2 tested currently used dual processing approaches for persuasive messages to overcome the gaps that currently exist. Theoretical frameworks widely used in advertising and communication research – ELM and HSM – largely overlook the influence of visual communication and visual processing. These models do not account for the current understand of the brain mechanisms and processes for message processing. Findings from Experiment 2 provide evidence for the need to refine these models to account for influential visual processing variables that are largely absent from the literature. Third, findings from both experiments contributed to the conceptual refinement of visual literacy with evidenced-based support for the boundaries of when this concept is (or is not) influential for assigning meaning to visual messages. / text

Starch is an important component of a wheat grain, comprising 50-70% of its dry weight. Its biosynthesis involves a complex pathway mediated by several enzymes, each of which is encoded by genes that have more than one family member. To better understand starch synthesis in wheat grains, this study characterized the sucrose-starch metabolic pathway using physiological, molecular, biochemical and metabolic approaches. These analyses led to the identification of genes that appear to have predominant expression during grain development in wheat including, TaSUT1, TaSuSy2, AGPL1, SSI, SSIIIa and SBEIIa, suggesting that these genes play a regulatory role in starch accumulation. This was further confirmed by comparative analyses of starch synthesis between cultivars with contrasting thousand kernel weights, which revealed a closer association of the expression of the same set of genes with starch accumulation in developing wheat grains. The effect on starch yield of one of the candidate genes identified, AGPase, was examined through a transgenic approach, which involved expression of a gene encoding modified version of maize AGPase large subunit, designated as Sh2r6hs, in wheat under the control of maize’s constitutive Ubiquitin1 promoter. This manipulation of the wheat AGPase activity produced wheat lines with increased AGPase activity, grain weight and grain starch level, suggesting that the wheat grain size can be enhanced through increasing the capacity of starch synthesis both in the source and sink tissues. The study also identified and characterized a partial fragment of wheat rbcS promoter, and indicated that the promoter fragment can potentially be used as a tool for targeting the expression of genes of interest in photosynthetic source tissues. / October 2014

Molecular diagnostics offer quick access to information for healthcare decision-making towards personalized therapeutics, but complicated procedures requiring extensive labor and infrastructure restrict their use. Droplet-based technologies can expand the accessibility of molecular diagnostics by miniaturizing devices, shortening sample-to-answer times, decreasing costs and increasing throughput. Methods for droplet manipulation are central to the automation of molecular diagnostics protocols. The innovative method, wire-guided droplet manipulation (WDM), is the actuation of liquid droplets in a hydrophobic milieu with a wire, or needle, guide. In this work, WDM is demonstrated for the automation of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on reprogrammable platforms for the diagnosis of cardiovascular infections. WDM is used to minimize thermal resistance by convective heat transfer for PCR amplification at a maximum speed of 8.67 s/cycle. The oil-water interfacial boundary is shown to passively partition molecular contaminants from sample matrices, including blood and heart valve tissue. Molecular self-assembly at the oil-water interface is used to increase PCR efficiency with blood in situ and is used as an innovative sensing modality for real-time monitoring of PCR amplification. Temperature feedback controlled droplet actuation is achieved by using a thermocouple loop as a functionalized wire-guide. Our novel methodology for real-time PCR, droplet-on-thermocouple silhouette real-time PCR (DOTS qPCR), utilizes interfacial effects to achieve droplet actuation, relief from PCR inhibitors and amplification sensing, for a sample-to-answer time as short as 3 min 30 s. DOTS qPCR addresses three major issues for rapid PCR—sample preparation, rapid thermocycling and sensitive real-time detection—on an inexpensive, disposable device with smartphone-based detection. In contrast, commercially available real-time PCR systems rely on fluorescence detection, have substantially higher threshold cycles, and require expensive optical components and extensive sample preparation. Due to the advantages of low threshold cycle detection we anticipate extending this technology towards trending biological research applications such as single cell, single nucleus, and single DNA molecule analyses, especially in droplet microfluidic platforms.

Current robot manipulation and control paradigms have largely been developed for static or highly structured environments such as those common in factories. For most techniques in robot trajectory generation, such as heuristic-based geometric planning, this has led to putting a high cost on contact with the world. This approach and methodology can be prohibitive to robots operating in many unmodeled and dynamic environments. This dissertation presents work on using haptic based feedback (torque and tactile sensing) to formulate a controller for robot manipulation in clutter. We define “clutter” as any environment in which we expect the robot to make both incidental and purposeful contact while maneuvering and manipulating. The controllers developed in this dissertation take the form of single or multi-time step Model Predictive Control (a form of optimal control which incorporates feedback) which attempts to regulate contact forces at multiple locations on a robot arm while reaching to a goal. The results and conclusions in this dissertation are based on extensive testing in simulation (tens of thousands of trials) and testing in realistic scenarios with real robots incorporating tactile sensing. The approach is novel in the sense that it allows contact and explicitly incorporate the contact and predictive model of the robot arm in calculating control effort at every time step. The expected broader impact of this research is progress towards a new foundation of reactive feedback controllers that will include a higher likelihood of success in many constrained and dynamic scenarios such as reaching into containers without line of sight, maneuvering in cluttered search and rescue situations or working with unpredictable human co-workers.