text:
$6 million for Lebanon Bypass, local projects
Federal transportation construction dollars once earmarked for a proposed highway interchange near Highland will instead be directed toward numerous other local projects, the largest of which is the U.S. Route 50 bypass at Lebanon, according to State Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon).
Sen. McCarter announced the funding for the Lebanon project during a meeting of the U.S. Route 50 Coalition at McKendree College Tuesday.
"Once the federal government turned down approval for a new Interstate 70 interchange at Illinois Route 160, Senator James Clayborne (D-East St. Louis) and I petitioned state transportation officials to reallocate the funding for the Route 50 bypass and other critically important local road projects," said McCarter.
In a letter to the two lawmakers, the Illinois Department of Transportation agreed with request and transferred $6 million under the state's Jobs Now! program to more than a dozen other local transportation projects, including $4 million in funding for pre-construction activities for the bypass.
"Maintaining a quality transportation system is important for many reasons," said McCarter. "It helps foster economic development and job creation, and it means safer roads for motorists."
In addition to the $4 million for the Lebanon bypass, other projects given the green light include:
$1 million Storm sewer replacement in Centreville
$132,000 Sidewalk replacement in Greenville
$125,000 Intersection improvements at 5th Street and Walnut Street in Highland
$125,000 Roadway improvements near Okawville High School in Okawville
$120,000 Pre-construction activities for Sunset Drive in Vandalia
$100,000 Improvements to Douglas Street in Effingham
$ 80,000 Improvements to Pleasant Avenue in Centralia
$ 75,000 Culvert improvement on Wildwood Lane in O'Fallon
$ 65,000 Improvements to Randolph Street in Carlyle
$ 50,000 Landscaping at the Interstate 55/70 and Illinois route 162 interchange in Troy
$ 50,000 Improvements to 2nd Street in Altamont
$ 8,000 Culvert improvements on Genko Avenue in Mills Township in Bond County
Principles Of International Business Class
Sen. McCarter: We Can Fix the State Economy
Senate Week In Review
IDOT Reviewing Road Improvement Contracts
KC Nursing Graduate Receives Award
U.S. Route 50 Coalition Meeting

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In other words, it is impossible for us to spend our way to the end of poverty. The rising tide does not raise all boats equally. The world is not big enough to sustain the kind of growth we require. If we want to see a fairer deal for the poor, we need to consume less ourselves. We need to make wealth history.


Growing up, I went to four schools: Tremont Nursery School, Tremont Grade School, Tremont Junior High School, and Tremont High School. Notice a theme? I moved through the Tremont school system the same way my dad did, the same way his parents did… you get the picture.
Fast forward and here I am a 39-year-old, married for 16 years, mother of four whose 7th grader has gone to 7 different schools. How badly have I screwed him up, I often wonder.
Sending my children to new schools every few years has definitely pulled on my mama heartstrings, specifically because this is an experience I never faced as a child. I can't ease their anxiety with stories of my own anxiety and success. I can't relate at all in fact, except to tell them that as the kid who never moved, I LOVED having new kids in school. This excitement never seems to calm their fears and is instead typically met with the ever-rolling tween eyes.
Because I really, truly believe that God's Word is relevant to any situation we face in life, I know these scriptures will help me…and you…to send our kids into new schools or experiences with the confidence that they are perfectly known and loved by a God who is far more able to care for them than we are.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 reminds us to "pray without ceasing". This is by far the most important part of parenting, regardless of your situation. Unfortunately, we are prone to consider prayer as that thing you do when you can't do anything else. This is so far from the truth! Prayer is the most powerful tool we have in our parenting toolbox. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the grave is available to us through the Holy Spirit in prayer. Let that soak in for a moment. Don't ever think that any human action could possibly be stronger than the power of God Himself. Pray for your kids.
Psalm 139:5 says, "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me." Our kids will never experience anything that surprises God. He knows what successes and trials lay ahead, and He is there. for. it. We must believe that as much as we love our kids, our Heavenly Father loves them even more. He loves them perfectly. As we sit at home or work and wait and wonder how their day is going, He has them hemmed in with His hand on them. Remind your kids (and yourself) that they are never alone.
Genesis 22:7-8 describes a moment surely I will never face–when Isaac says to Abraham, "'My father!' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' He said, 'Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' Abraham said, 'God will provide for himself the lamb...'" Our relocation is beyond our kids' control. They don't choose to attend new schools, we choose that for them. It causes major mom-guilt when they are scared or nervous because of a decision Jason and I have made. But I have learned that, like Abraham, I have to trust that God will provide. He will provide peace. He will provide comfort. He will provide friends. And even if He doesn't, I trust that He is using the hard things for their good and His glory. It's not easy…AT ALL… but God is faithful. More faithful and trustworthy than you or I could ever dream to be. Trust God with your children.
Going to a new school is a milestone in the life of a child, no doubt. Fortunately, children are much more resilient and flexible than their mamas! By praying for them, reminding them that they're not alone, and trusting God with their very lives, our hearts can be at peace knowing that they are in the care of One who is far more equipped than we are for this parenting gig. And we can rest assured that we have not completely screwed them up…this time.
Elly loves Jesus and is passionate about encouraging women with Biblical truth. She learned to study God's word at Saddleback Church in Southern California, where she was encouraged and trained to write and teach. Her passion is for all women to find joy in God's word as they journey with Him each day. Elly currently lives in Illinois with her husband, Jason, and their four children.


Let this page serve as a general outline of your next steps.
We hope you found the facility to be an exciting option in starting, growing, or expanding your foodservice dreams. I am more than positive your mental gears are turning. Let's grease those gears and point you in the right direction. Below you'll find the recommended steps to get started with Dream Kitchen.
Don't worry; we're not here to critique your business plan. It's merely advisable that before renting kitchen space, you have a basic plan in place. Remember Dream Kitchen has the service to help you get started so if you are looking for extra help let us know.
Who on my team needs a manager license?
Who on my team needs a handler certificate?
Do you need expert help from Dream Kitchen?
How will you Sell those Products and Services?
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Get 3 months free at Dream Kitchen after successful completion of Dream Kitchen EDU program.
Dream Kitchen members can have their website professionally designed with $300 down and $100 payments for 5 months.
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Insurance comes in all shapes and sizes. Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP) provides policies that are perfect for startups and your budget. Please note that Dream Kitchen does not require that you use FLIP, this is only a recommendation.


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En sismologia, un eixam de terratrèmols és una seqüència o sèrie d'esdeveniments sísmics que es produeixen en una àrea local en un període de temps relativament curt. El temps utilitzat per definir l'eixam en si varia, però pot ser de l'ordre de dies, mesos o fins i tot anys. Aquest alliberament d'energia és diferent del que passa habitualment quan un terratrèmol important (sacsejada principal) és seguit d'una sèrie de rèpliques: en els eixams de terratrèmols, cap terratrèmol de la seqüència és clarament una sacsejada principal. En particular, un cúmul de rèpliques que es produeixen després d'un tremolor principal no és un eixam.

Història i generalitats
A les muntanyes Ore (Erzgebirge) que conformen la frontera entre la República Txeca i Alemanya, des del  se sap que la Bohèmia occidental i la regió de Vogtland són propenses a eixams sísmics que solen durar de poques setmanes a alguns mesos. El geòleg austríac Josef Knett, mentre estudiava el 1899 un eixam de prop d'un centenar d'esdeveniments que es van sentir a l'oest de Bohèmia/Vogtland el gener i febrer del 1824, va encunyar el substantiu Schwarmbeben, és a dir, 'eixam sísmic'. El terme «eixam» s'explica per hipocentres que donen la impressió d'aglutinar-se com un eixam d'abelles quan es dibuixa en un mapa, una secció transversal o, millor encara, en un model 3D.

Un dels eixams més ben documentats es va produir a prop de Matsushiro, un suburbi de Nagano, al nord-oest de Tòquio. L'eixam sísmic de Matsushiro va durar del 1965 al 1967 i va generar aproximadament un milió de terratrèmols. Aquest eixam tenia la particularitat de situar-se just sota un observatori sismològic instal·lat el 1947 en un túnel militar inactiu. Va començar a l'agost de 1965 amb tres terratrèmols massa febles per sentir-se, però tres mesos després es podien sentir un centenar de terratrèmols diaris. El 17 d'abril de 1966, l'observatori va registrar 6.780 terratrèmols, amb 585 d'ells amb una magnitud prou gran com per sentir-se, la qual cosa significava que es podia sentir un terratrèmol cada 2 minuts i 30 segons de mitjana. El fenomen es va identificar clarament com a relacionat amb un augment del magma, potser iniciat pel terratrèmol de Niigata de 1964, que va succeir un any abans.

Els eixams sísmics són efectivament comuns a les regions volcàniques (per exemple, Japó , Itàlia central, la depressió d'Afar o Islàndia ), on es produeixen abans i durant les erupcions. Però també s'observen en zones de vulcanisme quaternari o de circulació hidrotermal (per exemple, Vogtland/Bohèmia occidental o el massís dels Vosges); o també, encara que amb menys freqüència, lluny dels límits de les plaques tectòniques (Nevada, Oklahoma o Escòcia ). En tots els casos, la migració de fluids a alta pressió a l'escorça terrestre sembla ser el mecanisme activador i el procés de conducció que regeix l'evolució de l'eixam en l'espai i el temps. L'eixam del terratrèmol de Hochstaufen a Baviera, amb hipocentre a 2 km de profunditat, és un dels rars exemples on es podria establir una relació indiscutible entre l'activitat sísmica i les precipitacions atmosfèriques.

Els eixams de terratrèmols plantegen qüestions des del punt de vista de la seguretat ciutadana: primer perquè no es pot determinar el final de l'activitat sísmica; en segon lloc, perquè mai no es pot tenir la certesa que no es produeixi un altre terratrèmol amb una magnitud superior a la dels tremolors anteriors de la seqüència (el terratrèmol de L'Aquila del 2009 a Itàlia és emblemàtic, amb una magnitud M W de 6.3 després d'una activitat en forma d'eixam amb magnituds entre 1 i 3). Tot i que els eixams solen generar xocs moderats, la persistència dels terratrèmols sentits durant molt de temps pot ser pertorbadora i causar angoixa en la població.

Exemples
Els exemples següents es trien per les peculiaritats de certs eixams (per exemple: gran nombre d'esdeveniments, interacció complexa amb xocs més grans, llarg període de temps, hipocentre molt poc profund) o per de la seva ubicació geogràfica a l'entorn de l'àmbit catalanoparlant, com alguns eixams que es produeixen en zones asísmiques. No pretén ser una llista de tots els eixams que estan succeint a la zona ni a tot el món.

França
 A Alps de l'Alta Provença, la vall d'Ubaye és la zona sísmica més activa dels Alps francesos. Els terratrèmols poden seguir allà l'esquema clàssic de sisme principal més rèpliques (per exemple, el terratrèmol M5.5 de 1959, que va causar greus danys i dues víctimes). Però l'energia sísmica és alliberada principalment per eixams. Això és particularment el cas a la vall alta, entre Barceloneta de Provença i la frontera franco-italiana. A principis del , La Condamina e lo Chastelar va experimentar una excepcional activitat d'eixam en una zona on normalment només es produeixen uns quants esdeveniments de baixa magnitud cada any. Un primer eixam es va desenvolupar el 2003-2004 quan es van detectar més de 16.000 esdeveniments per la xarxa local de vigilància, però amb magnituds baixes (2.7). En un mapa, l'eixam 2003-2004 té una longitud de 8 km. Després d'un període d'inactivitat gairebé completa, va ser seguit per un segon eixam (2012-2014), amb una longitud d'11 km. Aquest segon eixam va ser iniciat per un terratrèmol de M4.3 el febrer de 2012. Un altre terratrèmol de M4.8 a l'abril de 2014 va reactivar l'eixam el 2014-2015. Aquests dos grans xocs, que van causar danys a les localitats properes, van ser, per descomptat, seguits de la seva pròpia seqüència breu de rèpliques, però aquesta activitat de 4 anys per a xocs de magnitud moderada caracteritza clarament un eixam. La majoria dels hipocentres es van situar en el rang de profunditat de 4-11 km, en capes de sol cristal·lines. Els mecanismes focals impliquen falles normals, però també falles de lliscament.

 A la baixa vall del Roine, el Tricastin és conegut des del  com la seu dels eixams de terratrèmols que de vegades han causat danys, com el 1772–1773 i el 1933–1936, i que es van caracteritzar per detonacions semblants a les bombes, almenys així foren descrites pels habitants. Des de 1936 no s'ha documentat cap activitat sísmica a la regió, fins que va aparèixer un eixam molt feble durant uns mesos el 2002-2003 (magnitud màxima 1,7). Si els seus focus no haguessin estat situats just sota un caseriu de les rodalies de Clansaias i molt a prop de la superfície (200 m de profunditat), aquests sismes haurien passat desapercebuts. En un escenari de sismicitat "ultra-superficial", fins i tot els terratrèmols de magnitud molt baixa (1 o 0 o fins i tot de magnitud negativa) es poden sentir com a explosions o sorolls de martells hidràulics, més que com a vibracions. La majoria dels focus es van localitzar en una llosa de pedra calcària de la capa del Cretaci superior que esclata periòdicament al llarg dels segles per motius encara desconeguts durant uns mesos o uns quants anys. Es valora que una profunditat focal de 200 m és un valor rècord mundial per a esdeveniments tectònics.
 Als Alps francesos, la vall de Mauriena és de tant en tant propensa a eixams de terratrèmols. Durant el , un eixam prolongat va durar 5 anys i mig, des de desembre de 1838 fins a juny de 1844. Alguns terratrèmols de la seqüència van causar danys a la regió pròxima de Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, i aquest llarg eixam amb molts esdeveniments sentits va fer les coses especialment difícils per a la població. Més recentment, un eixam va donar-se a l'octubre del 2015 a prop de Montgellafrey, a la part baixa de la vall. La seva activitat es va mantenir baixa fins al 17 d'octubre de 2017, quan es van produir més de 300 terratrèmols en una quinzena de dies, amb una magnitud màxima de 3,7 que es va assolir dues vegades a finals d'octubre de 2017. L'activitat sísmica va durar un altre any sencer, donant així una durada de més de 3 anys per a l'eixam complet.

Espanya
 A El Hierro, la més petita i allunyada cap al sud-est de les Illes Canàries, es van registrar centenars de petits terratrèmols des del juliol del 2011 fins l'octubre del 2011 durant l'erupció El Hierro del 2011-12. L'energia acumulada alliberada per l'eixam va augmentar dràsticament el 28 de setembre. L'eixam es va deure al moviment de magma sota l'illa i el 9 d'octubre es va detectar una erupció volcànica submarina.
 Entre desembre de 2020 i gener de 2021 es produeix un eixam sísmic a l'àrea metropolitana de Granada, Andalusia, Espanya; amb més de 1.150 sismes registrats a data de 9 de febrer de 2021, el més fort de 4.5 en l'escala de magnitud de moment. Els epicentres dels sismes es produeixen a l'oest de la capital, en els termes municipals de Santa Fe, Atarfe, Chauchina i Pinos Puente principalment.

Itàlia
 La primera quinzena de maig de 2022 es va produir un eixam sísmic a l'entorn de Florència i Chianti. Els moviments més forts van tenir magnituds d'entre 3.6 i 4.1.
 Entre el 9 i el 12 de novembre de 2022, es va produir un eixam sísmic localitzat a la mar Adriàtica davant les costes de Pesaro i Fano a uns 30 quilòmetres de profunditat. Després d'un sisme intens de magnitud 5.7 en l'escala de magnitud de moment el dia 9, el més intens en 100 anys a la zona, es van succeir el dies posteriors desenes de sismes menors, com per exemple un total de 89 en unes poques hores el dia 10.

Referències

Terratrèmols

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The source data for this corpus was crawled from the Saeima's website where verbatim reports of all the sessions of the Saeima are published in text format. The texts are processed using a semi-automatic pipeline to identify the boundaries of speeches and the speakers. The text is split into utterances, where each utterance contains a speech from only one speaker.
The Corpus of the Saeima includes transcriptions of parliamentary debate from 7 parliamentary terms (5th-12th), covering years 1993-2017. The transcriptions of the Corpus of Saeima contain 38 million tokens, 497 thousand utterances and 468 speakers.
The available metadata for each utterance includes the date and type of the parliamentary session, speaker's name and affiliation.
Role - a role (e.g. Prime Minister) which the person represented when giving a Speech.
For example, a Speech is represented by lpv_eu:Speech, its properties include date (dc:date), sequence number and spoken text (lpv:spokenText), and it is related to the Meeting it is a part of (dct:isPartOf), to the Speaker (lpv:speaker) and its Role (lpv:spokenAs), and to the named entities mentioned in the text (schema:mentions).


Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive officer of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, said: "Our open innovation approach will allow us to invest and collaborate with start-up companies and technology entrepreneurs, who will benefit from the global scale of the Alliance. This new fund reflects the collaborative spirit and entrepreneurial mind-set at the heart of the Alliance."
By making such investments, Alliance Ventures will help identify and support the development of new technologies for potential use by Alliance members. Such initiatives are aligned with the objectives of Alliance 2022, which aims to strengthen cooperation and to double the annualized synergies generated by Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors to more than EUR10 billion by the end of 2022.
The $200 million initial venture capital investment comes in addition to more than EUR8.5 billion in total annual research and development investments by the Alliance members.
"This investment initiative is designed to attract the world's most promising automotive-technology start-ups to the Alliance," said Carlos Ghosn.
Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors represent the world's largest automotive alliance. It is the longest-lasting and most productive cross-cultural partnership in the auto industry. Together, the partners sold close to 10 million vehicles in nearly 200 countries in 2016. The member companies are focused on collaboration and maximizing synergies to boost competitiveness. They have strategic collaborations with other automotive groups, including Germany's Daimler and China's Dongfeng. This strategic alliance is the industry leader in zero-emission vehicles and is developing the latest advanced technologies, with plans to offer autonomous drive, connectivity features and services on a wide range of affordable vehicles.


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Home » Movies » Django Unchained
Zain Bhatti July 3, 2021 13292
The famous Quentin Tarantino is one of the most celebrated contemporary Western directors in the industry. His films have a tendency to be highly inspired, taking in art styles, settings, genres, and even some shot compositions from cinema all around the world.
He doesn't shy away from showcasing whatever he wants, and his films are often met with a lot of controversies. So, imagine the irony when he fed into that as he created Django Unchained, a film about a Black Bounty Hunter in the 19th century.
How to Stream or Download Django Unchained Full Movie Online
To stream or to download the film from a digital store of y our choice, click on the Download button that is located below this review
The Movie Review
The film follows Django, as he is saved from slavery by a German bounty hunter named Doctor King Schultz. Together, Django and Doctor King Schultz start to hunt down bounty targets that Django can identify due to their affiliations within the slaving businesses. However, Django asks for one thing in return; to find and rescue his wife Broomhilda.
The movie is essentially one of the best pieces of revenge fantasy that I have ever come across. Tarantino masterfully invests a huge chunk of time in giving these characters conversations, and development to make them more realized. This is a tremendously long film, stretching over two hours and forty-five minutes worth of time. However, it uses that time efficiently.
Obviously, this wouldn't be the case if it wasn't for some absolutely magnanimous performances out of the star-studded cast! The actors Jamie Fox, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio bring their absolute A-Game for this film. We also see longtime collaborator and friend of Quentin Tarantino; Samuel L Jackson as he makes an appearance in the film.
The acting is absolutely beautiful, each character is played masterfully. In particular, Jamie Foxx's Django and Leonardo DiCaprio's Calvin Candy were both phenomenal. Leo even went so far as to physically injure his hand while shooting and he still went on with a scene despite very real blood absolutely dripping out of his hand.
I'll go out on a limb here, but Django Unchained is Tarantino's most stylized film yet. This film is gorgeous from start to finish, absolutely dripping with an aura of inspiration yet originality.
This is mainly due to Robert Richardson's mastery of the camera and lighting. His collaborations with Tarantino started with Kill Bill, and have spanned up till his bigger projects such as Inglorious Basterds, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Together they create each shot to be some of the most iconic poster-worthy material.
However, there is one aspect of this film that just simply cannot be ignored; the heavily criticized depiction of racial discrimination in the 19th century. The film used a lot of derogatory slang words and often shows an unending amount of torturous treatment of African American individuals.
I'll be honest; as far as the racial slurs go, they shouldn't be used that much even within the context. However, it still works to an extent within the context of the film. This is a revenge fantasy; you want to show the opposition as the vilest and most despicable beings alive. This is just so when our protagonist does terrible things to them; we know he's doing it for a reason.
I usually enjoy violence in Tarantino films, though I still think Django went a bit overboard with some of it. There is one scene in particular that jumps into my mind every time that I think of this film; it's a scene where a man is forcefully fed to dogs while he's still alive.
So, in conclusion, Django Unchained is one of the most refined revenge fantasies for a time when there was little to no hope in the lives of the African people who were forcefully brought into America.
The film is like a multilayered cake, it creates a narrative thick with metaphors and nods to classic Westerns, yet does its very own thing and blows it out of the water with most of its subjects and themes. Not to mention, the film is just amazing. It's well written, directed, acted, and shot. It's just an all-rounded package!
Django Unchained is a 2012 western film by Quentin Tarantino. Download it now and embark on a journey to the 19th century Texas.
Django Unchained Review Summary
User Rating: 3 (2 %s votes)
www.sphe.de
full movie online
Tags: Revisionist Western MoviesWestern Movies
Zain Bhatti
Zain is an aspiring filmmaker who has invested thousands of hours of his life into understanding films and the way they are made. He has a passion for films, a love for cinematography, and adores a film that breaks the rules to bring something refreshing to the table!
Apart from films he also has a love for video games with immersive worlds and adores any piece of consumable media that he can analyze for countless hours.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
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Postconviction DNA Testing, § 974.07; Sentencing – Harsh and Excessive Review
State v. Dwain M. Staten, 2011AP916-CR, District 1, 5/8/12
court of appeals decision (not recommended for publication); for Staten: Michael J. Steinle; case activity
Postconviction DNA Testing, § 974.07
Postconviction testing at state expense requires, among other things, that the defendant show a reasonable probability he wouldn't have been prosecuted or convicted with exculpatory test results. Staten, whose defense to sexual assault was consent rather than misidentification, argues that he would be exonerated if testing showed semen from another man; the court rejects the claim:
¶13 As noted, the vaginal and cervical swabs showed the presence of one man's semen. The DNA from that semen matched Staten's DNA. Staten, in fact, admitted that he had sex with S.P. on the day of the crime. Contrary to the theme underlying Staten's argument, the issue here is not mistaken identity but, rather, consent. Staten admits that he had consensual sex with S.P., and S.P. testified that she did not consent. Whether S.P. had sex with Ace or someone else is not material to whether she consented to have sex with Staten. See Wis. Stat. § 972.11(2)(b) ("If the defendant is accused of a crime under s. 940.225 … any evidence concerning the complaining witness's prior sexual conduct … shall not be admitted into evidence during the course of the … trial, nor shall any reference to such conduct be made in the presence of the jury," with exceptions not material here.).
S.P. alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a lone individual during a break-in; Staten claimed that he had consensual sex with S.P. immediately after another man ("Ace"). By invoking the rape-shield law, § 972.11(2)(b), and deeming Staten's claim "not material" in any event, the court seems to be saying that evidence of Ace's consensual sex with S.P. at the same time as Staten wasn't admissible, ¶8. (Well, perhaps not literally at the same time, but more accurately, part of the same alleged event.) True, the rape-shield law is constitutional on its face, State v. Pullizzano, 155 Wis.2d 633, 456 N.W.2d 325 (1990), but Staten might have an argument in the first instance, that this isn't really prior, but more or less same-time, sexual conduct. Of course, the easy rejoinder is that Staten's account made S.P.'s alleged conduct with Ace to be "prior" – whether prior by minutes or weeks, the whole point of the rape-shield law is to preclude a defense that just because a victim consented to sex with one individual doesn't mean she consented to sex with another; precisely the point, really, made by the court of appeals. And so Staten would have to argue that under the circumstances, such a rigid and mechanistic construction of the rape-shield law would violate his right to present a defense, Chambers v. Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284, 294-95 (1973). He was, after all, permitted to testify that S.P. had sex with Ace immediately before he did; and if his story seemed to be outlandishly confected, it surely would have been rendered plausible by corroboration in the form of DNA.
Sentencing – Harsh and Excessive Review
The 35-year sentence, based on "appropriate" factors such as the aggravated nature of the offense and Staten's prior serious record, wasn't harsh and excessive, ¶¶14-19. General standard of review recited:
¶15 Sentencing is within the discretion of the trial court, and our review is limited to determining whether the trial court erroneously exercised that discretion. McCleary v. State, 49 Wis. 2d 263, 277–278, 182 N.W.2d 512, 519–520 (1971). The trial court must consider the three primary sentencing factors: the gravity of the offense, the character of the defendant, and the need to protect the public. Id., 49 Wis. 2d at 274–275, 182 N.W.2d at 518. We will find an erroneous exercise of discretion "only where the sentence is so excessive and unusual and so disproportionate to the offense committed as to shock public sentiment and violate the judgment of reasonable people concerning what is right and proper under the circumstances." Ocanas v. State, 70 Wis. 2d 179, 185, 233 N.W.2d 457, 461 (1975).
Next post: Rape Shield Law – Prior Untruthful Allegation
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Bioengineered and biohybrid bacteria-based systems for drug delivery
Hosseinidoust, Z., Mostaghaci, B., Yasa, O., Park, B., Singh, A. V., Sitti, M.
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 106, pages: 27-44, Elsevier, November 2016 (article)
The use of bacterial cells as agents of medical therapy has a long history. Research that was ignited over a century ago with the accidental infection of cancer patients has matured into a platform technology that offers the promise of opening up new potential frontiers in medical treatment. Bacterial cells exhibit unique characteristics that make them well-suited as smart drug delivery agents. Our ability to genetically manipulate the molecular machinery of these cells enables the customization of their therapeutic action as well as its precise tuning and spatio-temporal control, allowing for the design of unique, complex therapeutic functions, unmatched by current drug delivery systems. Early results have been promising, but there are still many important challenges that must be addressed. We present a review of promises and challenges of employing bioengineered bacteria in drug delivery systems and introduce the biohybrid design concept as a new additional paradigm in bacteria-based drug delivery.
pi Hosseinidoust, Z., Mostaghaci, B., Yasa, O., Park, B., Singh, A. V., Sitti, M. Bioengineered and biohybrid bacteria-based systems for drug delivery Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 106, pages: 27-44, Elsevier, November 2016 (article)
A 5-D localization method for a magnetically manipulated untethered robot using a 2-D array of Hall-effect sensors
Son, D., Yim, S., Sitti, M.
IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 21(2):708-716, IEEE, October 2016 (article)
This paper introduces a new five-dimensional localization method for an untethered meso-scale magnetic robot, which is manipulated by a computer-controlled electromagnetic system. The developed magnetic localization setup is a two-dimensional array of mono-axial Hall-effect sensors, which measure the perpendicular magnetic fields at their given positions. We introduce two steps for localizing a magnetic robot more accurately. First, the dipole modeled magnetic field of the electromagnet is subtracted from the measured data in order to determine the robot's magnetic field. Secondly, the subtracted magnetic field is twice differentiated in the perpendicular direction of the array, so that the effect of the electromagnetic field in the localization process is minimized. Five variables regarding the position and orientation of the robot are determined by minimizing the error between the measured magnetic field and the modeled magnetic field in an optimization method. The resulting position error is 2.1±0.8 mm and angular error is 6.7±4.3° within the applicable range (5 cm) of magnetic field sensors at 200 Hz. The proposed localization method would be used for the position feedback control of untethered magnetic devices or robots for medical applications in the future.
pi Son, D., Yim, S., Sitti, M. A 5-D localization method for a magnetically manipulated untethered robot using a 2-D array of Hall-effect sensors IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 21(2):708-716, IEEE, October 2016 (article)
High-Performance Multiresponsive Paper Actuators
Amjadi, M., Sitti, M.
ACS Nano, 10(11):10202-10210, American Chemical Society, October 2016 (article)
There is an increasing demand for soft actuators because of their importance in soft robotics, artificial muscles, biomimetic devices, and beyond. However, the development of soft actuators capable of low-voltage operation, powerful actuation, and programmable shape-changing is still challenging. In this work, we propose programmable bilayer actuators that operate based on the large hygroscopic contraction of the copy paper and simultaneously large thermal expansion of the polypropylene film upon increasing the temperature. The electrothermally activated bending actuators can function with low voltages (≤ 8 V), low input electric power per area (P ≤ 0.14 W cm–2), and low temperature changes (≤ 35 °C). They exhibit reversible shape-changing behavior with curvature radii up to 1.07 cm–1 and bending angle of 360°, accompanied by powerful actuation. Besides the electrical activation, they can be powered by humidity or light irradiation. We finally demonstrate the use of our paper actuators as a soft gripper robot and a lightweight paper wing for aerial robotics.
DOI Project Page Project Page [BibTex]
pi Amjadi, M., Sitti, M. High-Performance Multiresponsive Paper Actuators ACS Nano, 10(11):10202-10210, American Chemical Society, October 2016 (article)
Programmable assembly of heterogeneous microparts by an untethered mobile capillary microgripper
Giltinan, J., Diller, E., Sitti, M.
Lab on a Chip, 16(22):4445-4457, Royal Society of Chemistry, October 2016 (article)
At the sub-millimeter scale, capillary forces enable robust and reversible adhesion between biological organisms and varied substrates. Current human-engineered mobile untethered micromanipulation systems rely on forces which scale poorly or utilize gripper-part designs that promote manipulation. Capillary forces, alternatively, are dependent upon the surface chemistry (which is scale independent) and contact perimeter, which conforms to the part surface. We report a mobile capillary microgripper that is able to pick and place parts of various materials and geometries, and is thus ideal for microassembly tasks that cannot be accomplished by large tethered manipulators. We achieve the programmable assembly of sub-millimeter parts in an enclosed three-dimensional aqueous environment by creating a capillary bridge between the targeted part and a synthetic, untethered, mobile body. The parts include both hydrophilic and hydrophobic components: hydrogel, kapton, human hair, and biological tissue. The 200 μm untethered system can be controlled with five-degrees-of-freedom and advances progress towards autonomous desktop manufacturing for tissue engineering, complex micromachines, microfluidic devices, and meta-materials.
pi Giltinan, J., Diller, E., Sitti, M. Programmable assembly of heterogeneous microparts by an untethered mobile capillary microgripper Lab on a Chip, 16(22):4445-4457, Royal Society of Chemistry, October 2016 (article)
Composition-dependent underwater adhesion of catechol-bearing hydrogels
Wu, H., Sariola, V., Zhao, J., Ding, H., Sitti, M., Bettinger, C. J.
Polymer International, 65(11):1355-1359, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, September 2016 (article)
Interfacial adhesion-mediated transfer printing processes can integrate functional electronic microstructures with polymeric substrates that are bendable and stretchable. Transfer printing has also been extended to catechol-bearing adhesive hydrogels. This study presents indentation adhesion tests between catechol-bearing hydrogel substrates with catechol concentrations varying from 0 to 10% (mol/mol) and thin-film materials commonly used in microelectronic fabrication including polymers, noble metals and oxides. The results indicate that the interfacial adhesion of catechol-bearing hydrogels is positively correlated with the concentration of catechol-bearing monomers as well as the retraction velocity during transfer printing. This study can inform transfer printing processes for microfabricated structures to compliant hydrated substrates such as hygroscopic monomers, mesoporous polymer networks and hydrogels. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
pi Wu, H., Sariola, V., Zhao, J., Ding, H., Sitti, M., Bettinger, C. J. Composition-dependent underwater adhesion of catechol-bearing hydrogels Polymer International, 65(11):1355-1359, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, September 2016 (article)
Bacteria-Driven Particles: Patterned and Specific Attachment of Bacteria on Biohybrid Bacteria-Driven Microswimmers (Adv. Healthcare Mater. 18/2016)
Singh, A. V., Sitti, M.
Advanced Healthcare Materials, 5(18):2306-2306, September 2016 (article)
On page 2325, Ajay Vikram Singh and Metin Sitti propose a facile surface patterning technique and a specific, strong biotin–streptavidin bonding of bacteria on patterned surfaces to fabricate Janus particles that are propelled by the attached bacteria. Such bacteria-driven Janus microswimmers could be used for future medicine in targeted drug delivery and environmental remediation.
pi Singh, A. V., Sitti, M. Bacteria-Driven Particles: Patterned and Specific Attachment of Bacteria on Biohybrid Bacteria-Driven Microswimmers (Adv. Healthcare Mater. 18/2016) Advanced Healthcare Materials, 5(18):2306-2306, September 2016 (article)
The effect of temperature and humidity on adhesion of a gecko-inspired adhesive: implications for the natural system
Stark, A. Y., Klittich, M. R., Sitti, M., Niewiarowski, P. H., Dhinojwala, A.
Scientific Reports, 6, pages: 30936, Nature Publishing Group, August 2016 (article)
The adhesive system of geckos has inspired hundreds of synthetic adhesives. While this system has been used relentlessly as a source of inspiration, less work has been done in reverse, where synthetics are used to test questions and hypotheses about the natural system. Here we take such an approach. We tested shear adhesion of a mushroom-tipped synthetic gecko adhesive under conditions that produced perplexing results in the natural adhesive system. Synthetic samples were tested at two temperatures (12 °C and 32 °C) and four different humidity levels (30%, 55%, 70%, and 80% RH). Surprisingly, adhesive performance of the synthetic samples matched that of living geckos, suggesting that uncontrolled parameters in the natural system, such as surface chemistry and material changes, may not be as influential in whole-animal performance as previously thought. There was one difference, however, when comparing natural and synthetic adhesive performance. At 12 °C and 80% RH, adhesion of the synthetic structures was lower than expected based on the natural system's performance. Our approach highlights a unique opportunity for both biologists and material scientists, where new questions and hypotheses can be fueled by joint comparisons of the natural and synthetic systems, ultimately improving knowledge of both.
pi Stark, A. Y., Klittich, M. R., Sitti, M., Niewiarowski, P. H., Dhinojwala, A. The effect of temperature and humidity on adhesion of a gecko-inspired adhesive: implications for the natural system Scientific Reports, 6, pages: 30936, Nature Publishing Group, August 2016 (article)
Magnetic propulsion of robotic sperms at low-Reynolds number
Khalil, I. S., Fatih Tabak, A., Klingner, A., Sitti, M.
Applied Physics Letters, 109(3):033701, AIP Publishing, July 2016 (article)
We investigate the microswimming behaviour of robotic sperms in viscous fluids. These robotic sperms are fabricated from polystyrene dissolved in dimethyl formamide and iron-oxide nanoparticles. This composition allows the nanoparticles to be concentrated within the bead of the robotic sperm and provide magnetic dipole, whereas the flexibility of the ultra-thin tail enables flagellated locomotion using magnetic fields in millitesla range. We show that these robotic sperms have similar morphology and swimming behaviour to those of sperm cells. Moreover, we show experimentally that our robotic sperms swim controllably at an average speed of approximately one body length per second (around 125 μm s−1), and they are relatively faster than the microswimmers that depend on planar wave propulsion in low-Reynolds number fluids.
pi Khalil, I. S., Fatih Tabak, A., Klingner, A., Sitti, M. Magnetic propulsion of robotic sperms at low-Reynolds number Applied Physics Letters, 109(3):033701, AIP Publishing, July 2016 (article)
Six-degree-of-freedom magnetic actuation for wireless microrobotics
Diller, E., Giltinan, J., Lum, G. Z., Ye, Z., Sitti, M.
The International Journal of Robotics Research, 35(1-3):114-128, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, June 2016 (article)
Existing remotely actuated magnetic microrobots exhibit a maximum of only five-degree-of-freedom (DOF) actuation, as creation of a driving torque about the microrobot magnetization axis is not achievable. This lack of full orientation control limits the effectiveness of existing microrobots for precision tasks of object manipulation and orientation for advanced medical, biological and micromanufacturing applications. This paper presents a magnetic actuation method that allows remotely powered microrobots to achieve full six-DOF actuation by considering the case of a non-uniform magnetization profile within the microrobot body. This non-uniform magnetization allows for additional rigid-body torques to be induced from magnetic forces via a moment arm. A general analytical model presents the working principle for continuous and discrete magnetization profiles, which is applied to permanent or non-permanent (soft) magnet bodies. Several discrete-magnetization designs are also presented which possess reduced coupling between magnetic forces and induced rigid-body torques. Design guidelines are introduced which can be followed to ensure that a magnetic microrobot design is capable of six-DOF actuation. A simple permanent-magnet prototype is fabricated and used to quantitatively demonstrate the accuracy of the analytical model in a constrained-DOF environment and qualitatively for free motion in a viscous liquid three-dimensional environment. Results show that desired forces and torques can be created with high precision and limited parasitic actuation, allowing for full six-DOF actuation using limited feedback control
pi Diller, E., Giltinan, J., Lum, G. Z., Ye, Z., Sitti, M. Six-degree-of-freedom magnetic actuation for wireless microrobotics The International Journal of Robotics Research, 35(1-3):114-128, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, June 2016 (article)
Gallium Adhesion: Phase Change of Gallium Enables Highly Reversible and Switchable Adhesion (Adv. Mater. 25/2016)
Ye, Z., Lum, G. Z., Song, S., Rich, S., Sitti, M.
Advanced Materials, 28(25):5087-5087, May 2016 (article)
Gallium exhibits highly reversible and switchable adhesion when it undergoes a solid–liquid phase transition. The robustness of gallium is notable as it exhibits strong performance on a wide range of smooth and rough surfaces, under both dry and wet conditions. Gallium may therefore find numerous applications in transfer printing, robotics, electronic packaging, and biomedicine.
pi Ye, Z., Lum, G. Z., Song, S., Rich, S., Sitti, M. Gallium Adhesion: Phase Change of Gallium Enables Highly Reversible and Switchable Adhesion (Adv. Mater. 25/2016) Advanced Materials, 28(25):5087-5087, May 2016 (article)
Patterned and Specific Attachment of Bacteria on Biohybrid Bacteria-Driven Microswimmers
Advanced Healthcare Materials, 5(18):2325-2331, May 2016 (article)
A surface patterning technique and a specific and strong biotin–streptavidin bonding of bacteria on patterned surfaces are proposed to fabricate Janus particles that are propelled by the attached bacteria. Bacteria-driven Janus microswimmers with diameters larger than 3 μm show enhanced mean propulsion speed. Such microswimmers could be used for future applications such as targeted drug delivery and environmental remediation.
pi Singh, A. V., Sitti, M. Patterned and Specific Attachment of Bacteria on Biohybrid Bacteria-Driven Microswimmers Advanced Healthcare Materials, 5(18):2325-2331, May 2016 (article)
Shape-programmable magnetic soft matter
Lum, G. Z., Ye, Z., Dong, X., Marvi, H., Erin, O., Hu, W., Sitti, M.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(41):E6007–E6015, National Acad Sciences, May 2016 (article)
Shape-programmable matter is a class of active materials whose geometry can be controlled to potentially achieve mechanical functionalities beyond those of traditional machines. Among these materials, magnetically actuated matter is particularly promising for achieving complex time-varying shapes at small scale (overall dimensions smaller than 1 cm). However, previous work can only program these materials for limited applications, as they rely solely on human intuition to approximate the required magnetization profile and actuating magnetic fields for their materials. Here, we propose a universal programming methodology that can automatically generate the required magnetization profile and actuating fields for soft matter to achieve new time-varying shapes. The universality of the proposed method can therefore inspire a vast number of miniature soft devices that are critical in robotics, smart engineering surfaces and materials, and biomedical devices. Our proposed method includes theoretical formulations, computational strategies, and fabrication procedures for programming magnetic soft matter. The presented theory and computational method are universal for programming 2D or 3D time-varying shapes, whereas the fabrication technique is generic only for creating planar beams. Based on the proposed programming method, we created a jellyfish-like robot, a spermatozoid-like undulating swimmer, and an artificial cilium that could mimic the complex beating patterns of its biological counterpart.
pi Lum, G. Z., Ye, Z., Dong, X., Marvi, H., Erin, O., Hu, W., Sitti, M. Shape-programmable magnetic soft matter Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(41):E6007–E6015, National Acad Sciences, May 2016 (article)
Inflated soft actuators with reversible stable deformations
Hines, L., Petersen, K., Sitti, M.
Advanced Materials, 28(19):3690-3696, March 2016 (article)
Most soft robotic systems are currently dependent on bulky compressors or pumps. A soft actuation method is presented combining hyperelastic membranes and dielectric elastomer actuators to switch between stable deformations of sealed chambers. This method is capable of large repeatable deformations, and has a number of stable states proportional to the number of actuatable membranes in the chamber.
pi Hines, L., Petersen, K., Sitti, M. Inflated soft actuators with reversible stable deformations Advanced Materials, 28(19):3690-3696, March 2016 (article)
Chemotaxis of bio-hybrid multiple bacteria-driven microswimmers
Zhuang, J., Sitti, M.
Scientific reports, 6, pages: 32135, Nature Publishing Group, March 2016 (article)
In this study, in a bio-hybrid microswimmer system driven by multiple Serratia marcescens bacteria, we quantify the chemotactic drift of a large number of microswimmers towards L-serine and elucidate the associated collective chemotaxis behavior by statistical analysis of over a thousand swimming trajectories of the microswimmers. The results show that the microswimmers have a strong heading preference for moving up the L-serine gradient, while their speed does not change considerably when moving up and down the gradient; therefore, the heading bias constitutes the major factor that produces the chemotactic drift. The heading direction of a microswimmer is found to be significantly more persistent when it moves up the L-serine gradient than when it travels down the gradient; this effect causes the apparent heading preference of the microswimmers and is the crucial reason that enables the seemingly cooperative chemotaxis of multiple bacteria on a microswimmer. In addition, we find that their chemotactic drift velocity increases superquadratically with their mean swimming speed, suggesting that chemotaxis of bio-hybrid microsystems can be enhanced by designing and building faster microswimmers. Such bio-hybrid microswimmers with chemotactic steering capability may find future applications in targeted drug delivery, bioengineering, and lab-on-a-chip devices.
pi Zhuang, J., Sitti, M. Chemotaxis of bio-hybrid multiple bacteria-driven microswimmers Scientific reports, 6, pages: 32135, Nature Publishing Group, March 2016 (article)
Targeted drug delivery and imaging using mobile milli/microrobots: A promising future towards theranostic pharmaceutical design
Vikram Singh, A., Sitti, M.
Current Pharmaceutical Design, 22(11):1418-1428, Bentham Science Publishers, March 2016 (article)
Miniature untethered medical robots have been receiving growing attention due to technological advances in microactuation, microsensors, and microfabrication and have significant potential to reduce the invasiveness and improve the accessibility of medical devices into unprecedented small spaces inside the human body. In this review, we discuss therapeutic and diagnostic applications of untethered medical microrobots. Wirelessly controlled milli/microrobots with integrated sensors are revolutionizing micromanipulation based medical interventions and are enabling doctors to perform minimally invasive procedures not possible before. 3D fabrication technologies enabling milli/microrobot fabrication at the single cell scale are empowering high-resolution visual imaging and in vivo manipulation capabilities. Swallowable millirobots and injectabale ocular microrobots allow the gastric ulcer imaging, and performance of vitreoretinal microsurgery at previously inaccessible ocular sites. Many invasive excision and incision based diagnostic biopsy, prostrate, and nephrolgical procedures can be performed minimally or almost noninvasively due to recent advancements in microrobotic technology. Advances in biohybrid microrobot systems are pushing microrobotic systems even smaller, using biological cells as on-board microactuators and microsensors using the chemical energy. Such microrobotic systems could be used for local targeted delivery of imaging contrast agents, drugs, genes, and mRNA, minimally invasive surgery, and cell micromanipulation in the near future.
pi Vikram Singh, A., Sitti, M. Targeted drug delivery and imaging using mobile milli/microrobots: A promising future towards theranostic pharmaceutical design Current Pharmaceutical Design, 22(11):1418-1428, Bentham Science Publishers, March 2016 (article)
Parallel microcracks-based ultrasensitive and highly stretchable strain sensors
Amjadi, M., Turan, M., Clementson, C. P., Sitti, M.
ACS Applied Materials \& Interfaces, 8(8):5618-5626, American Chemical Society, Febuary 2016 (article)
There is an increasing demand for flexible, skin-attachable, and wearable strain sensors due to their various potential applications. However, achieving strain sensors with both high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a grand challenge. Here, we propose highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensors based on the reversible microcrack formation in composite thin films. Controllable parallel microcracks are generated in graphite thin films coated on elastomer films. Sensors made of graphite thin films with short microcracks possess high gauge factors (maximum value of 522.6) and stretchability (ε ≥ 50%), whereas sensors with long microcracks show ultrahigh sensitivity (maximum value of 11 344) with limited stretchability (ε ≤ 50%). We demonstrate the high performance strain sensing of our sensors in both small and large strain sensing applications such as human physiological activity recognition, human body large motion capturing, vibration detection, pressure sensing, and soft robotics.
pi Amjadi, M., Turan, M., Clementson, C. P., Sitti, M. Parallel microcracks-based ultrasensitive and highly stretchable strain sensors ACS Applied Materials \& Interfaces, 8(8):5618-5626, American Chemical Society, Febuary 2016 (article)
Stretchable, Skin-Mountable, and Wearable Strain Sensors and Their Potential Applications: A Review
Amjadi, M., Kyung, K., Park, I., Sitti, M.
Advanced Functional Materials, 26, pages: 1678-1698, Febuary 2016 (article)
There is a growing demand for flexible and soft electronic devices. In particular, stretchable, skin-mountable, and wearable strain sensors are needed for several potential applications including personalized health-monitoring, human motion detection, human-machine interfaces, soft robotics, and so forth. This Feature Article presents recent advancements in the development of flexible and stretchable strain sensors. The article shows that highly stretchable strain sensors are successfully being developed by new mechanisms such as disconnection between overlapped nanomaterials, crack propagation in thin films, and tunneling effect, different from traditional strain sensing mechanisms. Strain sensing performances of recently reported strain sensors are comprehensively studied and discussed, showing that appropriate choice of composite structures as well as suitable interaction between functional nanomaterials and polymers are essential for the high performance strain sensing. Next, simulation results of piezoresistivity of stretchable strain sensors by computational models are reported. Finally, potential applications of flexible strain sensors are described. This survey reveals that flexible, skin-mountable, and wearable strain sensors have potential in diverse applications while several grand challenges have to be still overcome.
pi Amjadi, M., Kyung, K., Park, I., Sitti, M. Stretchable, Skin-Mountable, and Wearable Strain Sensors and Their Potential Applications: A Review Advanced Functional Materials, 26, pages: 1678-1698, Febuary 2016 (article)
Size optimization of a magnetic system for drug delivery with capsule robots
Munoz, F., Alici, G., Li, W., Sitti, M.
IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 52(5):1-11, IEEE, January 2016 (article)
In this paper, we present a methodology for the size optimization of an external magnetic system made of arc-shaped permanent magnets (ASMs). This magnetic system is able to remotely actuate a drug-release module embedded in a prototype of a capsule robot. The optimization of the magnetic system is carried out by using an accurate analytical model that is valid for any arbitrary dimensions of the ASMs. By using this analytical model, we perform parametric studies and conduct a statistical analysis [analysis of variance (ANOVA)] to investigate efficient ways to distribute the volume of the ASMs so that the dimensions and volume of the magnetic system are minimized while optimal flux densities and magnetic torques are obtained to actuate the drug delivery system (DDS). The ANOVA results, at 5% significance level, indicate that changes in the angular width followed by changes in the length of the ASMs have the highest impact on the magnetic linkage. Furthermore, our experimental results, which are in agreement with the analytical results, show that the size optimization of the magnetic system is effective for the actuation of the DDS in capsule robots.
pi Munoz, F., Alici, G., Li, W., Sitti, M. Size optimization of a magnetic system for drug delivery with capsule robots IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 52(5):1-11, IEEE, January 2016 (article)
Gaussian Process-Based Predictive Control for Periodic Error Correction
Klenske, E. D., Zeilinger, M., Schölkopf, B., Hennig, P.
IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology , 24(1):110-121, 2016 (article)
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ei pn Klenske, E. D., Zeilinger, M., Schölkopf, B., Hennig, P. Gaussian Process-Based Predictive Control for Periodic Error Correction IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology , 24(1):110-121, 2016 (article)
Dual Control for Approximate Bayesian Reinforcement Learning
Klenske, E. D., Hennig, P.
PDF link (url) [BibTex]
ei pn Klenske, E. D., Hennig, P. Dual Control for Approximate Bayesian Reinforcement Learning Journal of Machine Learning Research, 17(127):1-30, 2016 (article)
Experimental investigation of optimal adhesion of mushroomlike elastomer microfibrillar adhesives
Marvi, H., Song, S., Sitti, M.
Langmuir, 31(37):10119-10124, American Chemical Society, August 2015 (article)
Optimal fiber designs for the maximal pull-off force have been indispensable for increasing the attachment performance of recently introduced gecko-inspired reversible micro/nanofibrillar adhesives. There are several theoretical studies on such optimal designs; however, due to the lack of three-dimensional (3D) fabrication techniques that can fabricate such optimal designs in 3D, there have not been many experimental investigations on this challenge. In this study, we benefitted from recent advances in two-photon lithography techniques to fabricate mushroomlike polyurethane elastomer fibers with different aspect ratios of tip to stalk diameter (β) and tip wedge angles (θ) to investigate the effect of these two parameters on the pull-off force. We found similar trends to those predicted theoretically. We found that β has an impact on the slope of the force-displacement curve while both β and θ play a role in the stress distribution and crack propagation. We found that these effects are coupled and the optimal set of parameters also depends on the fiber material. This is the first experimental verification of such optimal designs proposed for mushroomlike microfibers. This experimental approach could be used to evaluate a wide range of complex microstructured adhesive designs suggested in the literature and optimize them.
pi Marvi, H., Song, S., Sitti, M. Experimental investigation of optimal adhesion of mushroomlike elastomer microfibrillar adhesives Langmuir, 31(37):10119-10124, American Chemical Society, August 2015 (article)
pH-taxis of biohybrid microsystems
Zhuang, J., Carlsen, R. W., Sitti, M.
Scientific reports, 5, Nature Publishing Group, June 2015 (article)
The last decade has seen an increasing number of studies developing bacteria and other cell-integrated biohybrid microsystems. However, the highly stochastic motion of these microsystems severely limits their potential use. Here, we present a method that exploits the pH sensing of flagellated bacteria to realize robust drift control of multi-bacteria propelled microrobots. Under three specifically configured pH gradients, we demonstrate that the microrobots exhibit both unidirectional and bidirectional pH-tactic behaviors, which are also observed in free-swimming bacteria. From trajectory analysis, we find that the swimming direction and speed biases are two major factors that contribute to their tactic drift motion. The motion analysis of microrobots also sheds light on the propulsion dynamics of the flagellated bacteria as bioactuators. It is expected that similar driving mechanisms are shared among pH-taxis, chemotaxis, and thermotaxis. By identifying the mechanism that drives the tactic behavior of bacteria-propelled microsystems, this study opens up an avenue towards improving the control of biohybrid microsystems. Furthermore, assuming that it is possible to tune the preferred pH of bioactuators by genetic engineering, these biohybrid microsystems could potentially be applied to sense the pH gradient induced by cancerous cells in stagnant fluids inside human body and realize targeted drug delivery.
pi Zhuang, J., Carlsen, R. W., Sitti, M. pH-taxis of biohybrid microsystems Scientific reports, 5, Nature Publishing Group, June 2015 (article)
Structural optimization for flexure-based parallel mechanisms–Towards achieving optimal dynamic and stiffness properties
Lum, G. Z., Teo, T. J., Yeo, S. H., Yang, G., Sitti, M.
Precision Engineering, 42, pages: 195-207, Elsevier, May 2015 (article)
Flexure-based parallel mechanisms (FPMs) are a type of compliant mechanisms that consist of a rigid end-effector that is articulated by several parallel, flexible limbs (a.k.a. sub-chains). Existing design methods can enhance the FPMs' dynamic and stiffness properties by conducting a size optimization on their sub-chains. A similar optimization process, however, was not performed for their sub-chains' topology, and this may severely limit the benefits of a size optimization. Thus, this paper proposes to use a structural optimization approach to synthesize and optimize the topology, shape and size of the FPMs' sub-chains. The benefits of this approach are demonstrated via the design and development of a planar X − Y − θz FPM. A prototype of this FPM was evaluated experimentally to have a large workspace of 1.2 mm × 1.2 mm × 6°, a fundamental natural frequency of 102 Hz, and stiffness ratios that are greater than 120. The achieved properties show significant improvement over existing 3-degrees-of-freedom compliant mechanisms that can deflect more than 0.5 mm and 0.5°. These compliant mechanisms typically have stiffness ratios that are less than 60 and a fundamental natural frequency that is less than 45 Hz.
pi Lum, G. Z., Teo, T. J., Yeo, S. H., Yang, G., Sitti, M. Structural optimization for flexure-based parallel mechanisms–Towards achieving optimal dynamic and stiffness properties Precision Engineering, 42, pages: 195-207, Elsevier, May 2015 (article)
Controlled surface topography regulates collective 3D migration by epithelial–mesenchymal composite embryonic tissues
Song, J., Shawky, J. H., Kim, Y., Hazar, M., LeDuc, P. R., Sitti, M., Davidson, L. A.
Biomaterials, 58, pages: 1-9, Elsevier, April 2015 (article)
Cells in tissues encounter a range of physical cues as they migrate. Probing single cell and collective migratory responses to physically defined three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments and the factors that modulate those responses are critical to understanding how tissue migration is regulated during development, regeneration, and cancer. One key physical factor that regulates cell migration is topography. Most studies on surface topography and cell mechanics have been carried out with single migratory cells, yet little is known about the spreading and motility response of 3D complex multi-cellular tissues to topographical cues. Here, we examine the response to complex topographical cues of microsurgically isolated tissue explants composed of epithelial and mesenchymal cell layers from naturally 3D organized embryos of the aquatic frog Xenopus laevis. We control topography using fabricated micropost arrays (MPAs) and investigate the collective 3D migration of these multi-cellular systems in these MPAs. We find that the topography regulates both collective and individual cell migration and that dense MPAs reduce but do not eliminate tissue spreading. By modulating cell size through the cell cycle inhibitor Mitomycin C or the spacing of the MPAs we uncover how 3D topographical cues disrupt collective cell migration. We find surface topography can direct both single cell motility and tissue spreading, altering tissue-scale processes that enable efficient conversion of single cell motility into collective movement.
pi Song, J., Shawky, J. H., Kim, Y., Hazar, M., LeDuc, P. R., Sitti, M., Davidson, L. A. Controlled surface topography regulates collective 3D migration by epithelial–mesenchymal composite embryonic tissues Biomaterials, 58, pages: 1-9, Elsevier, April 2015 (article)
Transfer Printing of Metallic Microstructures on Adhesion-Promoting Hydrogel Substrates
Wu, H., Sariola, V., Zhu, C., Zhao, J., Sitti, M., Bettinger, C. J.
Advanced Materials, 27(22):3398-3404, April 2015 (article)
Fabrication schemes that integrate inorganic microstructures with hydrogel substrates are essential for advancing flexible electronics. A transfer printing process that is made possible through the design and synthesis of adhesion-promoting hydrogels as target substrates is reported. This fabrication technique may advance ultracompliant electronics by melding microfabricated structures with swollen hydrogel substrates.
pi Wu, H., Sariola, V., Zhu, C., Zhao, J., Sitti, M., Bettinger, C. J. Transfer Printing of Metallic Microstructures on Adhesion-Promoting Hydrogel Substrates Advanced Materials, 27(22):3398-3404, April 2015 (article)
Biomedical applications of untethered mobile milli/microrobots
Sitti, M., Ceylan, H., Hu, W., Giltinan, J., Turan, M., Yim, S., Diller, E.
Proceedings of the IEEE, 103(2):205-224, IEEE, March 2015 (article)
Untethered robots miniaturized to the length scale of millimeter and below attract growing attention for the prospect of transforming many aspects of health care and bioengineering. As the robot size goes down to the order of a single cell, previously inaccessible body sites would become available for high-resolution in situ and in vivo manipulations. This unprecedented direct access would enable an extensive range of minimally invasive medical operations. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the current advances in biomedical untethered mobile milli/microrobots. We put a special emphasis on the potential impacts of biomedical microrobots in the near future. Finally, we discuss the existing challenges and emerging concepts associated with designing such a miniaturized robot for operation inside a biological environment for biomedical applications.
pi Sitti, M., Ceylan, H., Hu, W., Giltinan, J., Turan, M., Yim, S., Diller, E. Biomedical applications of untethered mobile milli/microrobots Proceedings of the IEEE, 103(2):205-224, IEEE, March 2015 (article)
Collective 3D Migration of Embryonic Epithelial Mesenchymal Composite Tissues are Regulated by Surface Topology
Song, J., Shawky, J., Kim, Y. T., Hazar, M., Sitti, M., LeDuc, P. R., Davidson, L. A.
Biophysical Journal, 108(2):455a, Elsevier, January 2015 (article)
Cells in tissues encounter a range of physical cues as they migrate. Probing single cell and collective migratory responses to physically defined three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments and the factors that modulate those responses are critical to understanding how tissue migration is regulated during development, regeneration, and cancer. One key physical factor that regulates cell migration is topology. Most studies on surface topology and cell mechanics have been carried out with single migratory cells, yet little is known about the spreading and motility response of 3D complex multicellular tissues to topological cues. Here, we examine the behaviors of microsurgically isolated tissue explants composed of epithelial and mesenchymal cell layers from naturally 3D organized embryos of the aquatic frog Xenopus laevis to complex topological cues. We control topology using fabricated micropost arrays (MPAs) with different diameters (e.g., different spacing gaps) and investigate the collective 3D migration of these multicellular systems in these MPAs. Our topographical controlled approach for cellular application enables us to achieve a high degree of control over micropost positioning and geometry via simple, accurate, and repeatable microfabrication processes. We find that the topology regulates both collective and individual cell migration and that dense MPAs reduce but do not eliminate tissue spreading. By modulating cell size through the cell cycle inhibitor Mitomycin C or the spacing within MPAs we discover a role for topology in disrupting collective enhancement of cell migration. We find 3D topological cues can direct both single cell motility and tissue spreading, altering tissue-scale processes that enable efficient conversion of single cell motility into collective movement.
pi Song, J., Shawky, J., Kim, Y. T., Hazar, M., Sitti, M., LeDuc, P. R., Davidson, L. A. Collective 3D Migration of Embryonic Epithelial Mesenchymal Composite Tissues are Regulated by Surface Topology Biophysical Journal, 108(2):455a, Elsevier, January 2015 (article)
Three-dimensional heterogeneous assembly of coded microgels using an untethered mobile microgripper
Chung, S. E., Dong, X., Sitti, M.
Lab on a Chip, 15(7):1667-1676, Royal Society of Chemistry, January 2015 (article)
Three-dimensional (3D) heterogeneous assembly of coded microgels in enclosed aquatic environments is demonstrated using a remotely actuated and controlled magnetic microgripper by a customized electromagnetic coil system. The microgripper uses different 'stick–slip' and 'rolling' locomotion in 2D and also levitation in 3D by magnetic gradient-based pulling force. This enables the microrobot to precisely manipulate each microgel by controlling its position and orientation in all x–y–z directions. Our microrobotic assembly method broke the barrier of limitation on the number of assembled microgel layers, because it enabled precise 3D levitation of the microgripper. We used the gripper to assemble microgels that had been coded with different colours and shapes onto prefabricated polymeric microposts. This eliminates the need for extra secondary cross-linking to fix the final construct. We demonstrated assembly of microgels on a single micropost up to ten layers. By increasing the number and changing the distribution of the posts, complex heterogeneous microsystems were possible to construct in 3D.
pi Chung, S. E., Dong, X., Sitti, M. Three-dimensional heterogeneous assembly of coded microgels using an untethered mobile microgripper Lab on a Chip, 15(7):1667-1676, Royal Society of Chemistry, January 2015 (article)
Integrating mechanism synthesis and topological optimization technique for stiffness-oriented design of a three degrees-of-freedom flexure-based parallel mechanism
Lum, G. Z., Teo, T. J., Yang, G., Yeo, S. H., Sitti, M.
Precision Engineering, 39, pages: 125-133, Elsevier, January 2015 (article)
This paper introduces a new design approach to synthesize multiple degrees-of-freedom (DOF) flexure-based parallel mechanism (FPM). Termed as an integrated design approach, it is a systematic design methodology, which integrates both classical mechanism synthesis and modern topology optimization technique, to deliver an optimized multi-DOF FPM. This design approach is separated into two levels. At sub-chain level, a novel topology optimization technique, which uses the classical linkage mechanisms as DNA seeds, is used to synthesize the compliant joints or limbs. At configuration level, the optimal compliant joints are used to form the parallel limbs of the multi-DOF FPM and another stage of optimization was conducted to determine the optimal space distribution between these compliant joints so as to generate a multi-DOF FPM with optimized stiffness characteristic. In this paper, the design of a 3-DOF planar motion FPM was used to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of this proposed design approach.
pi Lum, G. Z., Teo, T. J., Yang, G., Yeo, S. H., Sitti, M. Integrating mechanism synthesis and topological optimization technique for stiffness-oriented design of a three degrees-of-freedom flexure-based parallel mechanism Precision Engineering, 39, pages: 125-133, Elsevier, January 2015 (article)
Actively controlled fibrillar friction surfaces
Marvi, H, Han, Y, Sitti, M
Applied Physics Letters, 106(5):051602, AIP Publishing, January 2015 (article)
In this letter, we propose a technique by which we can actively adjust frictional properties of elastic fibrillar structures in different directions. Using a mesh attached to a two degree-of-freedom linear stage, we controlled the active length and the tilt angle of fibers, independently. Thus, we were able to achieve desired levels of friction forces in different directions and significantly improve passive friction anisotropies observed in the same fiber arrays. The proposed technique would allow us to readily control the friction anisotropy and the friction magnitude of fibrillar structures in any planar direction.
pi Marvi, H, Han, Y, Sitti, M Actively controlled fibrillar friction surfaces Applied Physics Letters, 106(5):051602, AIP Publishing, January 2015 (article)
Probabilistic Interpretation of Linear Solvers
Hennig, P.
SIAM Journal on Optimization, 25(1):234-260, 2015 (article)
ei pn Hennig, P. Probabilistic Interpretation of Linear Solvers SIAM Journal on Optimization, 25(1):234-260, 2015 (article)
Probabilistic numerics and uncertainty in computations
Hennig, P., Osborne, M. A., Girolami, M.
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 471(2179), 2015 (article)
We deliver a call to arms for probabilistic numerical methods: algorithms for numerical tasks, including linear algebra, integration, optimization and solving differential equations, that return uncertainties in their calculations. Such uncertainties, arising from the loss of precision induced by numerical calculation with limited time or hardware, are important for much contemporary science and industry. Within applications such as climate science and astrophysics, the need to make decisions on the basis of computations with large and complex data have led to a renewed focus on the management of numerical uncertainty. We describe how several seminal classic numerical methods can be interpreted naturally as probabilistic inference. We then show that the probabilistic view suggests new algorithms that can flexibly be adapted to suit application specifics, while delivering improved empirical performance. We provide concrete illustrations of the benefits of probabilistic numeric algorithms on real scientific problems from astrometry and astronomical imaging, while highlighting open problems with these new algorithms. Finally, we describe how probabilistic numerical methods provide a coherent framework for identifying the uncertainty in calculations performed with a combination of numerical algorithms (e.g. both numerical optimizers and differential equation solvers), potentially allowing the diagnosis (and control) of error sources in computations.
ei pn Hennig, P., Osborne, M. A., Girolami, M. Probabilistic numerics and uncertainty in computations Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 471(2179), 2015 (article)
Series of Multilinked Caterpillar Track-type Climbing Robots
Lee, G., Kim, H., Seo, K., Kim, J., Sitti, M., Seo, T.
Journal of Field Robotics, November 2014 (article)
Climbing robots have been widely applied in many industries involving hard to access, dangerous, or hazardous environments to replace human workers. Climbing speed, payload capacity, the ability to overcome obstacles, and wall-to-wall transitioning are significant characteristics of climbing robots. Here, multilinked track wheel-type climbing robots are proposed to enhance these characteristics. The robots have been developed for five years in collaboration with three universities: Seoul National University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yeungnam University. Four types of robots are presented for different applications with different surface attachment methods and mechanisms: MultiTank for indoor sites, Flexible caterpillar robot (FCR) and Combot for heavy industrial sites, and MultiTrack for high-rise buildings. The method of surface attachment is different for each robot and application, and the characteristics of the joints between links are designed as active or passive according to the requirement of a given robot. Conceptual design, practical design, and control issues of such climbing robot types are reported, and a proper choice of the attachment methods and joint type is essential for the successful multilink track wheel-type climbing robot for different surface materials, robot size, and computational costs.
pi Lee, G., Kim, H., Seo, K., Kim, J., Sitti, M., Seo, T. Series of Multilinked Caterpillar Track-type Climbing Robots Journal of Field Robotics, November 2014 (article)
Segmented molecular design of self-healing proteinaceous materials.
Sariola, V., Pena-Francesch, A., Jung, H., Çetinkaya, M., Pacheco, C., Sitti, M., Demirel, M. C.
Scientific reports, 5, pages: 13482-13482, Nature Publishing Group, July 2014 (article)
Hierarchical assembly of self-healing adhesive proteins creates strong and robust structural and interfacial materials, but understanding of the molecular design and structure–property relationships of structural proteins remains unclear. Elucidating this relationship would allow rational design of next generation genetically engineered self-healing structural proteins. Here we report a general self-healing and -assembly strategy based on a multiphase recombinant protein based material. Segmented structure of the protein shows soft glycine- and tyrosine-rich segments with self-healing capability and hard beta-sheet segments. The soft segments are strongly plasticized by water, lowering the self-healing temperature close to body temperature. The hard segments self-assemble into nanoconfined domains to reinforce the material. The healing strength scales sublinearly with contact time, which associates with diffusion and wetting of autohesion. The finding suggests that recombinant structural proteins from heterologous expression have potential as strong and repairable engineering materials.
pi Sariola, V., Pena-Francesch, A., Jung, H., Çetinkaya, M., Pacheco, C., Sitti, M., Demirel, M. C. Segmented molecular design of self-healing proteinaceous materials. Scientific reports, 5, pages: 13482-13482, Nature Publishing Group, July 2014 (article)
Bio-Hybrid Cell-Based Actuators for Microsystems
Carlsen, R. W., Sitti, M.
Small, 10(19):3831-3851, June 2014 (article)
As we move towards the miniaturization of devices to perform tasks at the nano and microscale, it has become increasingly important to develop new methods for actuation, sensing, and control. Over the past decade, bio-hybrid methods have been investigated as a promising new approach to overcome the challenges of scaling down robotic and other functional devices. These methods integrate biological cells with artificial components and therefore, can take advantage of the intrinsic actuation and sensing functionalities of biological cells. Here, the recent advancements in bio-hybrid actuation are reviewed, and the challenges associated with the design, fabrication, and control of bio-hybrid microsystems are discussed. As a case study, focus is put on the development of bacteria-driven microswimmers, which has been investigated as a targeted drug delivery carrier. Finally, a future outlook for the development of these systems is provided. The continued integration of biological and artificial components is envisioned to enable the performance of tasks at a smaller and smaller scale in the future, leading to the parallel and distributed operation of functional systems at the microscale.
pi Carlsen, R. W., Sitti, M. Bio-Hybrid Cell-Based Actuators for Microsystems Small, 10(19):3831-3851, June 2014 (article)
Continuously distributed magnetization profile for millimeter-scale elastomeric undulatory swimming
Diller, E., Zhuang, J., Zhan Lum, G., Edwards, M. R., Sitti, M.
Applied Physics Letters, 104(17):174101, AIP, 2014 (article)
We have developed a millimeter-scale magnetically driven swimming robot for untethered motion at mid to low Reynolds numbers. The robot is propelled by continuous undulatory deformation, which is enabled by the distributed magnetization profile of a flexible sheet. We demonstrate control of a prototype device and measure deformation and speed as a function of magnetic field strength and frequency. Experimental results are compared with simple magnetoelastic and fluid propulsion models. The presented mechanism provides an efficient remote actuation method at the millimeter scale that may be suitable for further scaling down in size for microrobotics applications in biotechnology and healthcare
pi Diller, E., Zhuang, J., Zhan Lum, G., Edwards, M. R., Sitti, M. Continuously distributed magnetization profile for millimeter-scale elastomeric undulatory swimming Applied Physics Letters, 104(17):174101, AIP, 2014 (article)
Biopsy using a Magnetic Capsule Endoscope Carrying, Releasing and Retrieving Untethered Micro-Grippers
Yim, S., Gultepe, E., Gracias, D. H., Sitti, M.
IEEE Trans. on Biomedical Engineering, 61(2):513-521, IEEE, 2014 (article)
Project Page [BibTex]
pi Yim, S., Gultepe, E., Gracias, D. H., Sitti, M. Biopsy using a Magnetic Capsule Endoscope Carrying, Releasing and Retrieving Untethered Micro-Grippers IEEE Trans. on Biomedical Engineering, 61(2):513-521, IEEE, 2014 (article)
Investigation of tip current and normal force measured simultaneously during local oxidation of titanium using dual-mode scanning probe microscopy
Ozcan, O., Hu, W., Sitti, M., Bain, J., Ricketts, D.
IET Micro \& Nano Letters, 9(5):332-336, IET, 2014 (article)
pi Ozcan, O., Hu, W., Sitti, M., Bain, J., Ricketts, D. Investigation of tip current and normal force measured simultaneously during local oxidation of titanium using dual-mode scanning probe microscopy IET Micro \& Nano Letters, 9(5):332-336, IET, 2014 (article)
SoftCubes: Stretchable and self-assembling three-dimensional soft modular matter
Yim, S., Sitti, M.
The International Journal of Robotics Research, 33(8):1083-1097, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, 2014 (article)
pi Yim, S., Sitti, M. SoftCubes: Stretchable and self-assembling three-dimensional soft modular matter The International Journal of Robotics Research, 33(8):1083-1097, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, 2014 (article)
Carlsen, Rika Wright, Sitti, Metin
Small, 10(19):3831-3851, 2014 (article)
pi Carlsen, Rika Wright, Sitti, Metin Bio-Hybrid Cell-Based Actuators for Microsystems Small, 10(19):3831-3851, 2014 (article)
Staying sticky: contact self-cleaning of gecko-inspired adhesives
Mengüç, Y., Röhrig, M., Abusomwan, U., Hölscher, H., Sitti, M.
Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 11(94):20131205, The Royal Society, 2014 (article)
pi Mengüç, Y., Röhrig, M., Abusomwan, U., Hölscher, H., Sitti, M. Staying sticky: contact self-cleaning of gecko-inspired adhesives Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 11(94):20131205, The Royal Society, 2014 (article)
Dynamic Trapping and Two-Dimensional Transport of Swimming Microorganisms Using a Rotating Magnetic Micro-Robot
Ye, Z., Sitti, M.
Lab on a Chip, 14(13):2177-2182, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014 (article)
pi Ye, Z., Sitti, M. Dynamic Trapping and Two-Dimensional Transport of Swimming Microorganisms Using a Rotating Magnetic Micro-Robot Lab on a Chip, 14(13):2177-2182, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014 (article)
STRIDE II: a water strider-inspired miniature robot with circular footpads
Ozcan, O., Wang, H., Taylor, J. D., Sitti, M.
International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 11(6):85, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, 2014 (article)
pi Ozcan, O., Wang, H., Taylor, J. D., Sitti, M. STRIDE II: a water strider-inspired miniature robot with circular footpads International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 11(6):85, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, 2014 (article)
Soft Grippers Using Micro-Fibrillar Adhesives for Transfer Printing
Song, S., Sitti, M.
Advanced Materials, 26(28):4901-4906, 2014 (article)
pi Song, S., Sitti, M. Soft Grippers Using Micro-Fibrillar Adhesives for Transfer Printing Advanced Materials, 26(28):4901-4906, 2014 (article)
Can DC motors directly drive flapping wings at high frequency and large wing strokes?
Campolo, D., Azhar, M., Lau, G., Sitti, M.
IEEE/ASME Trans. on Mechatronics, 19(1):109-120, 2014 (article)
pi Campolo, D., Azhar, M., Lau, G., Sitti, M. Can DC motors directly drive flapping wings at high frequency and large wing strokes? IEEE/ASME Trans. on Mechatronics, 19(1):109-120, 2014 (article)
Magnetic steering control of multi-cellular bio-hybrid microswimmers
Carlsen, R. W., Edwards, M. R., Zhuang, J., Pacoret, C., Sitti, M.
pi Carlsen, R. W., Edwards, M. R., Zhuang, J., Pacoret, C., Sitti, M. Magnetic steering control of multi-cellular bio-hybrid microswimmers Lab on a Chip, 14(19):3850-3859, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014 (article)
Analytical modeling and experimental characterization of chemotaxis in serratia marcescens
Zhuang, J., Wei, G., Carlsen, R. W., Edwards, M. R., Marculescu, R., Bogdan, P., Sitti, M.
Physical Review E, 89(5):052704, American Physical Society, 2014 (article)
pi Zhuang, J., Wei, G., Carlsen, R. W., Edwards, M. R., Marculescu, R., Bogdan, P., Sitti, M. Analytical modeling and experimental characterization of chemotaxis in serratia marcescens Physical Review E, 89(5):052704, American Physical Society, 2014 (article)
Swimming characterization of Serratia marcescens for bio-hybrid micro-robotics
Edwards, M. R., Carlsen, R. W., Zhuang, J., Sitti, M.
Journal of Micro-Bio Robotics, 9(3):47-60, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 (article)
pi Edwards, M. R., Carlsen, R. W., Zhuang, J., Sitti, M. Swimming characterization of Serratia marcescens for bio-hybrid micro-robotics Journal of Micro-Bio Robotics, 9(3):47-60, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 (article)
Influence of Magnetic Fields on Magneto-Aerotaxis
Bennet, M., McCarthy, A., Fix, D., Edwards, M. R., Repp, F., Vach, P., Dunlop, J. W., Sitti, M., Buller, G. S., Klumpp, S., others,
PLoS One, 9(7):e101150, Public Library of Science, 2014 (article)
pi Bennet, M., McCarthy, A., Fix, D., Edwards, M. R., Repp, F., Vach, P., Dunlop, J. W., Sitti, M., Buller, G. S., Klumpp, S., others, Influence of Magnetic Fields on Magneto-Aerotaxis PLoS One, 9(7):e101150, Public Library of Science, 2014 (article)
Liftoff of a Motor-Driven, Flapping-Wing Microaerial Vehicle Capable of Resonance
Hines, L., Campolo, D., Sitti, M.
IEEE Trans. on Robotics, 30(1):220-232, IEEE, 2014 (article)
pi Hines, L., Campolo, D., Sitti, M. Liftoff of a Motor-Driven, Flapping-Wing Microaerial Vehicle Capable of Resonance IEEE Trans. on Robotics, 30(1):220-232, IEEE, 2014 (article)


Echinacea 'Merlot' | TERRA NOVA® Nurseries, Inc.
Huge 5″ wide, rose pink flowers centered with orange cones sit atop stunning, well branched, burgundy-black stems. These are strong enough to break scissors! Like a fine wine, this beauty has great fragrance. Thirty five flowers graced our second-year plant. Was given the Dallas Arboretum Seal of Approval in the Perennials for Purgatory trials.
27" / 34" / 30"
It has very large flowers combined with wine red stems and petioles.
Wonderful in mixed beds, borders in the sun garden. Great cut flower.
Was given the Dallas Arboretum Seal of Approval in the Perennials for Purgatory trials.


text:
The Crabcake that Ate Baltimore
But it was an enormous crabcake! Seriously!
We took my Mother-in-Law out for her birthday yesterday (and despite celebrating on 6-6-06, she's a lovely person and the sweetest MIL anyone could ask for). She chose a new-ish restaurant called By the Docks, way out on Eastern Boulevard in Essex, past the waste water treatment plant, past Martin's airport, and almost to Bengie's drive-in. Pretty much the edge of the universe, and just about as far East as I am willing to travel. Mom told me that when she made our 6 p.m. reservation, she was informed that it would be held for fifteen minutes only and would be given away after that point; I laughed. Why would a hole-in-the-wall in Essex have a crowd at 6 o'clock on a Tuesday? But when we got there, the parking lot was packed. Luckily, we arrived a mere 10 minutes late and were ushered by a bored teenager to our window table in the cramped and noisy dining room.
My friend Jill, who had eaten at By the Docks on her birthday just two days prior, said the restaurant wasn't very relaxing. She didn't elaborate, so I assumed that the decor was spartan or ugly and the chairs were hard. It was rather drab - a large square room painted a pale blue, with little ornamentation but for a large sailfish and a couple of small prints. Not exactly cozy, but it was actually the noise factor that made the place un-relaxing. Customers, packed cheek-to-jowl at tables both in the main dining room and upstairs, chattered quite loudly, laughing and having a good time. It was irritating, but the most annoying sound was the clatter of ceramic dishes and flatware being tossed into plastic bins by the busy busboys. I cringed every time a table was cleared. The din was so bad, I had to strain to hear my brother-in-law speaking, and he was mere inches away. Across the table, the conversation between my husband and his mother sounded like faraway whispers.
But let's get to the food here, shall we? By the Docks is your typical Baltimore seafood restaurant: crabcakes, a broiled seafood platter, and stuffed shrimp, a couple of steaks, and some token pasta dishes. Entrees came with a salad and a choice of "vegetable." I put the word in quotes because I don't consider baked potatoes, french fries, or applesauce to be veggies. Cole slaw barely passes. And the veg du jour - corn, most likely canned and served in a bowl of it's own juices - is an insult. Would making some steamed broccoli or asparagus really hurt that much? Don't Baltimorons *like* green vegetables?
Anyway.... Jill recommended the crabcakes, saying they were very large and full of meat, but rather light on the seasonings. Three of us opted for that, and my BIL Craig decided on scallops.
The crabcakes were absolutely huge. A normal entrée had two golden-brown softball-sized mounds of meat, garnished with an unattractive pile of shredded carrot and two lemon wedges. My crabcakes were stuck together, and they had ragged square edges, as did those of Neal and Flo. I imagine that huge ice-cream scoops of crabcake mixture were placed side-by-side on a baking sheet and broiled en masse. Whatever the method, the cakes were obscenely large. And...they were good. There was very little filler and the meat actually seemed to be backfin. There was even a little crab mustard here and there. It was almost as if they picked the crabs themselves, the lumps were so large and intact. They were very mildly seasoned, but the restaurant thoughtfully provided shakers of Old Bay along with the usual salt and pepper on every table.
The cole slaw, which came in a separate bowl, diner-style, was minced so finely it was practically a puree. It was fairly dry and mostly flavorless.
Craig's scallops also arrived as a large portion, a bowl heaped high with half-dollar sized shellfish dusted with an afterthought of paprika, garnished with more shredded carrots. They were perfectly cooked, but a tad on the bland side. Our waitress, who had never eaten much seafood in her youth, wanted to know how we'd describe scallops to someone who had never eaten them before. She said the best she could come up with was "Old Bay-flavored Jell-O," a description I found extremely unappetizing.
I was able to eat one of my crabcakes and Flo could only finish half of her single. Neal did a more admirable job and got partway through cake #2. The rest was packed into foam take-out containers. And I will feast on my leftovers for lunch today.
So after reading about our orgy of crab, you probably want to know the bottom line. Well, the crabcake platter, with a salad and "vegetable" cost a whopping $21.95. The whole bill, for four dinners, two iced teas, a Scotch and water, and a glass of wine was just under $92. No wonder the place is crowded on a Tuesday - bountiful seafood at ridiculously reasonable prices.
Maybe next time we'll try the $18.95 24-ounce Porterhouse....
Labels: Baltimore restaurant, crabcakes, seafood
Father's Day Feasting