Architecture for Living Neuronal Network Control of a mobile robot

The intelligent controlling mechanism of a typical mobile robot is usually a computer system. Research is however now ongoing in which biological neural networks are being cultured and trained to act as the brain of an interactive real world robot – thereby either completely replacing or operating in a cooperative fashion with a computer system. Studying such neural systems can give a distinct insight into biological neural structures and therefore such research has immediate medical implications. The principal aims of the present research are to assess the computational and learning capacity of dissociated cultured neuronal networks with a view to advancing network level processing of artificial neural networks. This will be approached by the creation of an artificial hybrid system (animat) involving closed loop control of a mobile robot by a dissociated culture of rat neurons. This paper details the components of the overall animat closed loop system architecture and reports on the evaluation of the results from preliminary real-life and simulated robot experiments.

Information servers, present and future

Mainframes, corporate and central servers are becoming information servers. The requirement for more powerful information servers is the best opportunity to exploit the potential of parallelism. ICL recognized the opportunity of the 'knowledge spectrum' namely to convert raw data into information and then into high grade knowledge. Parallel Processing and Data Management Its response to this and to the underlying search problems was to introduce the CAFS retrieval engine. The CAFS product demonstrates that it is possible to move functionality within an established architecture, introduce a different technology mix and exploit parallelism to achieve radically new levels of performance. CAFS also demonstrates the benefit of achieving this transparently behind existing interfaces. ICL is now working with Bull and Siemens to develop the information servers of the future by exploiting new technologies as available. The objective of the joint Esprit II European Declarative System project is to develop a smoothly scalable, highly parallel computer system, EDS. EDS will in the main be an SQL server and an information server. It will support the many data-intensive applications which the companies foresee; it will also support application-intensive and logic-intensive systems.

The calculation of force constants and normal co-ordinates II: methyl fluoride

The mathematical difficulties which can arise in the force constant refinement procedure for calculating force constants and normal co-ordinates are described and discussed. The method has been applied to the methyl fluoride molecule, using an electronic computer. The best values of the twelve force constants in the most general harmonic potential field were obtained to fit twenty-two independently observed experimental data, these being the six vibration frequencies, three Coriolis zeta constants and two centrifugal stretching constants DJ and DJK, for both CH3F and CD3F. The calculations have been repeated both with and without anharmonicity corrections to the vibration frequencies. All the experimental data were weighted according to the reliability of the observations, and the corresponding standard errors and correlation coefficients of the force constants have been deduced. The final force constants are discussed briefly, and compared with previous treatments, particularly with a recent Urey-Bradley treatment for this molecule.

Controlling a mobile robot with a biological brain

The intelligent controlling mechanism of a typical mobile robot is usually a computer system. Some recent research is ongoing in which biological neurons are being cultured and trained to act as the brain of an interactive real world robot�thereby either completely replacing, or operating in a cooperative fashion with, a computer system. Studying such hybrid systems can provide distinct insights into the operation of biological neural structures, and therefore, such research has immediate medical implications as well as enormous potential in robotics. The main aim of the research is to assess the computational and learning capacity of dissociated cultured neuronal networks. A hybrid system incorporating closed-loop control of a mobile robot by a dissociated culture of neurons has been created. The system is flexible and allows for closed-loop operation, either with hardware robot or its software simulation. The paper provides an overview of the problem area, gives an idea of the breadth of present ongoing research, establises a new system architecture and, as an example, reports on the results of conducted experiments with real-life robots.

Architecture for neuronal cell control of a mobile robot

It is usually expected that the intelligent controlling mechanism of a robot is a computer system. Research is however now ongoing in which biological neural networks are being cultured and trained to act as the brain of an interactive real world robot - thereby either completely replacing or operating in a cooperative fashion with a computer system. Studying such neural systems can give a distinct insight into biological neural structures and therefore such research has immediate medical implications. In particular, the use of rodent primary dissociated cultured neuronal networks for the control of mobile `animals' (artificial animals, a contraction of animal and materials) is a novel approach to discovering the computational capabilities of networks of biological neurones. A dissociated culture of this nature requires appropriate embodiment in some form, to enable appropriate development in a controlled environment within which appropriate stimuli may be received via sensory data but ultimate influence over motor actions retained. The principal aims of the present research are to assess the computational and learning capacity of dissociated cultured neuronal networks with a view to advancing network level processing of artificial neural networks. This will be approached by the creation of an artificial hybrid system (animal) involving closed loop control of a mobile robot by a dissociated culture of rat neurons. This 'closed loop' interaction with the environment through both sensing and effecting will enable investigation of its learning capacity This paper details the components of the overall animat closed loop system and reports on the evaluation of the results from the experiments being carried out with regard to robot behaviour.

Investigating the prevalence and causes of prescribing errors in general practice: the PRACtICe Study

Aim: To determine the prevalence and nature of prescribing errors in general practice; to explore the causes, and to identify defences against error. Methods: 1) Systematic reviews; 2) Retrospective review of unique medication items prescribed over a 12 month period to a 2% sample of patients from 15 general practices in England; 3) Interviews with 34 prescribers regarding 70 potential errors; 15 root cause analyses, and six focus groups involving 46 primary health care team members Results: The study involved examination of 6,048 unique prescription items for 1,777 patients. Prescribing or monitoring errors were detected for one in eight patients, involving around one in 20 of all prescription items. The vast majority of the errors were of mild to moderate severity, with one in 550 items being associated with a severe error. The following factors were associated with increased risk of prescribing or monitoring errors: male gender, age less than 15 years or greater than 64 years, number of unique medication items prescribed, and being prescribed preparations in the following therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, infections, malignant disease and immunosuppression, musculoskeletal, eye, ENT and skin. Prescribing or monitoring errors were not associated with the grade of GP or whether prescriptions were issued as acute or repeat items. A wide range of underlying causes of error were identified relating to the prescriber, patient, the team, the working environment, the task, the computer system and the primary/secondary care interface. Many defences against error were also identified, including strategies employed by individual prescribers and primary care teams, and making best use of health information technology. Conclusion: Prescribing errors in general practices are common, although severe errors are unusual. Many factors increase the risk of error. Strategies for reducing the prevalence of error should focus on GP training, continuing professional development for GPs, clinical governance, effective use of clinical computer systems, and improving safety systems within general practices and at the interface with secondary care.

Massive Science with VO and Grids

There is a growing need for massive computational resources for the analysis of new astronomical datasets. To tackle this problem, we present here our first steps towards marrying two new and emerging technologies; the Virtual Observatory (e.g, AstroGrid) and the computa- tional grid (e.g. TeraGrid, COSMOS etc.). We discuss the construction of VOTechBroker, which is a modular software tool designed to abstract the tasks of submission and management of a large number of compu- tational jobs to a distributed computer system. The broker will also interact with the AstroGrid workflow and MySpace environments. We discuss our planned usages of the VOTechBroker in computing a huge number of n–point correlation functions from the SDSS data and mas- sive model-fitting of millions of CMBfast models to WMAP data. We also discuss other applications including the determination of the XMM Cluster Survey selection function and the construction of new WMAP maps.

Statistical computations with AstroGrid and the Grid

We outline our first steps towards marrying two new and emerging technologies; the Virtual Observatory (e.g, Astro- Grid) and the computational grid. We discuss the construction of VOTechBroker, which is a modular software tool designed to abstract the tasks of submission and management of a large number of computational jobs to a distributed computer system. The broker will also interact with the AstroGrid workflow and MySpace environments. We present our planned usage of the VOTechBroker in computing a huge number of n–point correlation functions from the SDSS, as well as fitting over a million CMBfast models to the WMAP data.

Detection of phenolic compounds using impedance spectroscopy measurements

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) and layer-by-layer films (LbL) of a PPV (p-phenylenevinylene) derivative, an azo compound and tetrasulfonated phthalocyanines were successfully employed as transducers in an ""electronic tongue"" system for detecting trace levels of phenolic compounds in water. The choice of the materials was based on their distinct electrical natures, which enabled the array to establish a fingerprint of very similar liquids. Impedance spectroscopy measurements were taken in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 1 MHz, with the data analysed with principal component analysis (PCA). The sensing units were obtained from five-layer LB films of (poly[(2-methoxy-5-n-hexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene]), OC(1)OC(18)-PPV (poly(2-methoxy,5-(n-octadecyl)-p-phenylenevinylene)), DR (HEMA-co-DR13MA (poly-(hydroxyethylmethacrylate-co-[4`-[[2-(methacryloyloxy)-ethyl]ethylamino]-2-chloro-4-nitroazobenzene]))) and five-bilayer LbL films of tetrasulfonated metallic phthalocyanines deposited onto gold interdigitated electrodes. The sensors were immersed into phenol, 2-chloro-4-methoxyphenol, 2-chlorophenol and 3-chlorophenol (isomers) solutions at 1 x 10(-9) mol L(-1), with control experiments carried out in ultra pure water. Samples could be distinguished if the principal component analysis (PCA) plots were made with capacitance values taken at 10(3) Hz, which is promising for detection of trace amounts of phenolic pollutants in natural water.

Agents and the Grid: Service Discovery

The Grid is a large-scale computer system that is capable of coordinating resources that are not subject to centralised control, whilst using standard, open, general-purpose protocols and interfaces, and delivering non-trivial qualities of service. In this chapter, we argue that Grid applications very strongly suggest the use of agent-based computing, and we review key uses of agent technologies in Grids: user agents, able to customize and personalise data; agent communication languages offering a generic and portable communication medium; and negotiation allowing multiple distributed entities to reach service level agreements. In the second part of the chapter, we focus on Grid service discovery, which we have identified as a prime candidate for use of agent technologies: we show that Grid-services need to be located via personalised, semantic-rich discovery processes, which must rely on the storage of arbitrary metadata about services that originates from both service providers and service users. We present UDDI-MT, an extension to the standard UDDI service directory approach that supports the storage of such metadata via a tunnelling technique that ties the metadata store to the original UDDI directory. The outcome is a flexible service registry which is compatible with existing standards and also provides metadata-enhanced service discovery.

Machine learning and small robot navigation

Developing successful navigation and mapping strategies is an essential part of autonomous robot research. However, hardware limitations often make for inaccurate systems. This project serves to investigate efficient alternatives to mapping an environment, by first creating a mobile robot, and then applying machine learning to the robot and controlling systems to increase the robustness of the robot system. My mapping system consists of a semi-autonomous robot drone in communication with a stationary Linux computer system. There are learning systems running on both the robot and the more powerful Linux system. The first stage of this project was devoted to designing and building an inexpensive robot. Utilizing my prior experience from independent studies in robotics, I designed a small mobile robot that was well suited for simple navigation and mapping research. When the major components of the robot base were designed, I began to implement my design. This involved physically constructing the base of the robot, as well as researching and acquiring components such as sensors. Implementing the more complex sensors became a time-consuming task, involving much research and assistance from a variety of sources. A concurrent stage of the project involved researching and experimenting with different types of machine learning systems. I finally settled on using neural networks as the machine learning system to incorporate into my project. Neural nets can be thought of as a structure of interconnected nodes, through which information filters. The type of neural net that I chose to use is a type that requires a known set of data that serves to train the net to produce the desired output. Neural nets are particularly well suited for use with robotic systems as they can handle cases that lie at the extreme edges of the training set, such as may be produced by "noisy" sensor data. Through experimenting with available neural net code, I became familiar with the code and its function, and modified it to be more generic and reusable for multiple applications of neural nets.

Informatização da operação e da gestão de uma unidade de saúde de alta complexidade do sistema único de saúde (SUS): estudo de caso do instituto de medicina integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (Imip) sob o enfoque do isomorfismo institucional

O trabalho buscou identificar e avaliar a escolha do Imip à luz da teoria neoinstitucional, mediante os mecanismos isomórficos que caracterizam o campo das organizações de saúde. Trata-se de um estudo de caso, tendo o Imip como objeto de análise, voltado especificamente para dois modelos de informatização da operação e da gestão, a fim de verificar qual o mais adequado para as especificidades da instituição, incluindo o aspecto financeiro, custo/benefício. O primeiro modelo se refere a um sistema próprio de informatização; o segundo a um modelo de sistema de gestão já existente, comercializado por empresa especializada nesta tecnologia. A metodologia abrangeu pesquisas bibliográficas, documentais e de campo. O referencial teórico foi a teoria neoinstitucional e o trabalho de campo constou de uma pesquisa incluindo observação simples, visando compor variáveis dos dois modelos avaliados, e coleta de dados realizada por meio da aplicação de dois questionários: um questionário aberto, com os dirigentes do Imip, e um questionário misto, com cem colaboradores, utilizadores do sistema, escolhidos aleatoriamente, por sorteio. Entre os achados se identificou claras referências ao isomorfismo, principalmente o mimético, nas percepções dos indivíduos respondentes. Ao final da pesquisa, foi possível concluir que a contratação de um sistema de gestão hospitalar, já existente no mercado, concebido e comercializado por empresa de tecnologia especializada no segmento da saúde, justificou-se como a melhor escolha para a organização, pois, as semelhanças existentes entre os processos do Instituto e aqueles contidos no sistema eram muito mais relevantes que suas particularidades. Outro fator relevante levou em consideração os elevados custos para uma única instituição desenvolver e manter sozinha um sistema atualizado segundo as exigências normativas e técnicas necessárias às organizações de saúde e os padrões de qualidade da informação estabelecidos pelo SUS.

Os efeitos da modalidade pregão na execução dos contratos continuados: um estudo de caso

O presente trabalho investiga os impactos das licitações do tipo menor preço, realizadas por meio de Pregão eletrônico, no desempenho das execuções dos contratos contínuos, efetivados pela Superintendência de Administração da AGU em Pernambuco - SAD/PE -, no período de 2006 a 2010. Teve como proposição a premissa de que a contratação do tipo menor preço pode, em função de suas próprias características, estimular uma redução excessiva nos preços ofertados pelos licitantes e originar contratações com valores muito baixos que interferem de forma negativa no desempenho da prestação dos serviços, gerando infrações contratuais e diminuindo a vida útil dos contratos contínuos. A aparente economia, consequência da acirrada competição nos leilões invertidos, que caracterizam a modalidade licitatória Pregão, em médio e longo prazo, pode ser questionada. Os resultados confirmaram a proposição, evidenciando um percentual de 55% dos contratos, oriundos de Pregão eletrônico, com infrações e 31%, rescindidos unilateralmente por descumprimento de cláusulas contratuais. Foi identificada uma relação, de força moderada, inversamente proporcional entre a economia inicial gerada na licitação e o tempo de execução dos contratos, sugerindo uma tendência no sentido de que - quanto maior a diferença entre o valor referencia e o contratado na licitação, menor o tempo de execução do contrato, pois, parte das contratações muito abaixo do preço de mercado, geraram contratos com pequena vida útil e com muitas infrações. As análises dos dados apontam para a necessidade de se relativizar a adoção da modalidade licitatória Pregão, repensando-se a sua indicação para serviços continuados

Sistema auxiliar na análise de mamogramas digitais

This work proposes the development of a Computer System for Analysis of Mammograms SCAM, that aids the doctor specialist in the identification and analysis of existent lesions in digital mammograms. The computer system for digital mammograms processing will make use of a group of techniques of Digital Image Processing (DIP), with the purpose of aiding the medical professional to extract the information contained in the mammogram. This system possesses an interface of easy use for the user, allowing, starting from the supplied mammogram, a group of processing operations, such as, the enrich of the images through filtering techniques, the segmentation of areas of the mammogram, the calculation the area of the lesions, thresholding the lesion, and other important tools for the medical professional's diagnosis. The Wavelet Transform will used and integrated into the computer system, with the objective of allowing a multiresolution analysis, thus supplying a method for identifying and analyzing microcalcifications

Desenvolvimento de Uma Órtese Ativa Para os Membros Inferiores Com Sistema Eletrônico Embarcado

This work presents the development of a prototype of an intelligent active orthosis for lower limbs whit an electronic embedded system. The proposed orthosis is an orthopedical device with the main objective of providing walking capacity to people with partial or total loss of lower limbs movements. In order to design the kinematics, dynamics and the mechanical characteristics of the prototype, the biomechanics of the human body was analized. The orthosis was projected to reproduce some of the movements of the human gait as walking in straight forward, sit down, get up, arise and go down steps. The joints of the orthosis are controlled by DC motors equipped with mechanical reductions, whose purpose is to reduce rotational speed and increase the torque, thus generating smooth movements. The electronic embedded system is composed of two motor controller boards with two channels that communicate with a embedded PC, position sensors and limit switches. The gait movements of the orthosis will be controlled by high level commands from a human-machine interface. The embedded electronic system interprets the high level commands, generates the angular references for the joints of the orthosis, controls and drives the actuators in order to execute the desired movements of the user