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Wheelchair robot navigation in different weather conditions using single camera is still a challenging task. The purpose of this study is to develop an autonomous wheelchair robot navigation method in different weather conditions, with single camera vision to assist physically disabled people.

A road detection method, called dimensionality reduction deep belief neural network (DRDBNN), is proposed for drivable road detection. Due to the dimensionality reduction ability of the DRDBNN, it detects the drivable road area in a short time for controlling the robot in real-time. A feed-forward neural network is used to control the robot for the boundary following navigation using evolved neural controller (ENC). The robot detects road junction area and navigates throughout the road, except in road junction, using calibrated camera and ENC. In road junction, it takes turning decision using Google Maps data, thus reaching the final destination.

The developed method is tested on a wheelchair robot in real environments. Navigation in real environments indicates that the wheelchair robot moves safely from source to destination by following road boundary. The navigation performance in different weather conditions of the developed method has been demonstrated by the experiments.

The wheelchair robot can navigate in different weather conditions. The detection process is faster than that of the previous DBNN method. The proposed ENC uses only distance information from the detected road area and controls the robot for boundary following navigation. In addition, it uses Google Maps data for taking turning decision and navigation in road junctions.

As compared with the maneuvering flight studies for single main rotor helicopters, the corresponding studies for coaxial rotor helicopters are relatively poor. In this paper, the maneuvering flight governing equations for coaxial rotor helicopters is established. By introducing induced velocity interference factor analysis, the coaxial rotor aerodynamic interference can be taken into account. With the combination of coaxial rotor helicopter control features and nonlinear inverse simulation technique, the governing equations for maneuvering flight can be solved so as to determine helicopter control input, control force and moment, and helicopter body attitudes which are needed for performing a specified maneuver. Good results of the sample calculations of level turn and lateral jink maneuvers are obtained and simply analyzed.

The Industrial Training Act will have two effects on apprentice training. Firstly, more training will take place, and the demand for that already scarce commodity — the Apprentice Instructor — will increase. Secondly, the long‐term demand will be not only for more training, but for more efficient training.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the use of Petri nets in a job shop setup for the improvement in the utilization of machines.

The study discusses concepts such as reachable state, token and matrix equations set, and demonstrates the improvements in machines’ utilization in a job shop. It makes use of algorithms to generate reachable markings to obtain utilization. The study not only describes the application of theory, but also extends the body of knowledge on Petri nets and job shops.

In this study, machines’ utilization has been studied in a job shop with six machines and eight products. The study finds that substantial utilization improvement in job shop set up can be obtained through the application of Petri nets. The study also exposes that Petri nets are mostly used for machines, jobs and tools scheduling problems, but its use in machines’ utilization is neglected. The framework and application presented here along with generalizable findings, is the first to report about machine utilization improvement in job shop manufacturing environment.

Job shops are characterized by high unit production cost, low investments, low volume and high variety, complex flows, flexible and skilled work force, general purpose machines, high material handling; resulting in poor utilization of machines. Therefore, the findings of this study can help in reducing such costs through better machine utilization. This can help in increasing the competitiveness of the companies.

The contribution of study lies in investigating and improving stage wise utilization in a job shop setup. It has never been reported before.

In a modular transformer with a wounded amorphous core, the authors should make some cutting to limit the eddy currents in its magnetic ribbon. The purpose of this paper is to deal with 3D magnetic field analysis, including the eddy currents induced by varying frequency of power. The influence of the core leg cutting on the power losses values, in the three variants of a one-phase modular transformer structure, has been presented.

3D field problems including eddy currents of various frequency were analysed using the electrodynamic potentials and V within the finite element method. The wave method and iterative one of the laminated core homogenization, have been employed. The values of the calculated losses have been verified experimentally.

The reduction of the core losses by axial cutting of the transformer legs is an efficient approach for the loss limitation. The wave method is not acceptable for homogenization of the amorphous core for its operation above 1 kHz. The iterative method is the better way to perform the homogenization.

Due to very thin (less than 50 μm) amorphous ribbon, the unhomogenization of the laminated magnetic core should be performed. Thus, the solid core with equivalent parameters has been assumed for the computer simulations. For the frequencies above 1 kHz, the iterative method should be used to determine the equivalent electrical conductivity of the solid substitute core.

Using the wave method with the electrodynamic similarity laws and assuming the wave penetration depth, the equivalent electrical conductivity of the homogenized core, has been determined. This approach is valid for supply frequencies below 1 kHz. For the higher frequencies the authors had to use the iterative method. It seems to be valid for another cores with amorphous and nanocrystalic ribbons. For the modular amorphous core it is only way to calculate the losses in the solid geometry of the homogenized laminated magnetic circuit.

An alternative algorithm has been developed for computing the behaviour of flows within arbitrary ducts and channels. This technique requires a small number of downstream marches in the primary flow direction, employing, on each march, numerically efficient procedures originally developed for a single sweep non‐elliptic flow solver. The multiple sweeps allow the capture of effects such as upstream pressure influences and streamwise recirculation. The energy equation is also solved to allow for varying heat transfer between the fluid and the boundary walls. The numerical work is further complicated by considering flows within turning sections of ducts which demonstrate large transverse velocities and consequent distortion of the primary flow. The computations are validated by comparison with a number of fluid/heat transfer experiments. The majority of these are taken from studies of turning flows within circular arc ducts which display the various pressure and transverse flow phenomena for which this new algorithm was initially developed to represent.

This paper aims to study the turning strategies for the bounding quadruped robot with an active spine and explore the significant role of the spine in the turning locomotion.

Firstly, the bounding gait combining the pitch motion of the spine with the leg motion is presented. In this gait, the spine moves in phase with the front legs. All the joints of the legs and spine are controlled by cosine signals to simplify the control, and the initial position and oscillation amplitude of the joints can be tuned. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed gait, the spine joints are set with different initial positions and oscillation amplitudes, and the initial position and oscillation amplitude of the leg joints are tuned to make the virtual model do the best locomotion in terms of the speed and stability in the simulation. The control signals are also used to control a real robot called Transleg. Then, three different turning strategies are proposed, including driving the left and right legs with different strides, swaying the spine in the yaw direction and combining the above two methods. Finally, these strategies are tested on the real robot.

The stable bounding locomotion can be achieved using the proposed gait. With the spine motion, the speed of the bounding locomotion is increased; the turning radius is reduced; and the angular velocity is increased.

A simple and flexible planning of the bounding gait and three turning strategies for the bounding quadruped robot are proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed bounding gait, along with the beneficial effect of the spine motion in the yaw direction on the turning locomotion is demonstrated with the computer simulations and robot experiments. This will be instructive for the designing and actuating of the other quadruped robots.

The Howard Shuttering Contractors case throws considerable light on the importance which the tribunals attach to warnings before dismissing an employee. In this case the tribunal took great pains to interpret the intention of the parties to the different site agreements, and it came to the conclusion that the agreed procedure was not followed. One other matter, which must be particularly noted by employers, is that where a final warning is required, this final warning must be “a warning”, and not the actual dismissal. So that where, for example, three warnings are to be given, the third must be a “warning”. It is after the employee has misconducted himself thereafter that the employer may dismiss.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the behaviour of economic sentiment indicators at rent‐growth turning points and indicators' ability to forecast such turning points. More specifically, the paper looks at whether early signals are generated for forthcoming periods of negative and positive office rent growth. The analysis aims to complement structural model forecasting in the real estate market with short‐term forecasting techniques designed to predict turning points.

The objective of this study is achieved by deploying a probit model to examine the ability of economic sentiment indicator series to signal the direction of office rents and the strength of movement in this direction. The main advantage of this approach is that it is geared towards predicting turning points. Probit models are non‐linear in nature, and as such they can capture more effectively the likely asymmetric adjustments when turning points occur than linear methodologies would. The analysis is applied to three major office centres – La Défense, London City, and Frankfurt – to examine whether the results will differ by geography.

The findings reveal that the probit methodology utilising information from economic sentiment indicators generates advance signals for periods of contraction and expansion in office rents across all three markets: La Défense, London City, and Frankfurt. The lead times for La Défense and Frankfurt are longer than those for London City and range between three and nine months. The evidence in this paper clearly supports the appeal of sentiment indicators and probit analysis to inform forecasting and risk assessment processes.

Acknowledging the limitations of structural models and related methodologies and the lack of adequate research on turning‐point prediction in the real estate market, this study forecasts episodes of negative and positive office rent growth applying appropriate techniques and data that lead economic activity, are of monthly frequency, and are not revised historically. The paper raises awareness of a forecasting approach that should complement structural models and judgmental forecasting, given its suitability for short‐term forecasting and for signalling turning points in advance.