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Knowledge‐based programming has provided a paradigm for the development of more effective and robust systems in a variety of fields. Its application to flexible assembly systems (FAS) clearly has its origins and continues to receive impetus from the close historical links between the academic disciplines of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. In this article some of its potential benefits to assembly systems are examined within the context of a SERC/ACME‐funded research project carried out at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth. The STAR project explored the potential of a variety of knowledge‐based systems in a number of roles and demonstrated how they might co‐operate. Some of these concepts were further explored and applied in the subsequent EUREKA/FAMOS project known as InFACT.

OUR publication date precludes more than the beginning of our study on the Library Association Conference which, from the point of view of numbers, has been one of the largest. We shall continue in our next issue such comment upon it as the importance of the subjects under discussion would seem to warrant.

Error recovery is the detection and correction of abnormal events or conditions in the operation of a robot system.

Currently, there are some finite element head models developed by research groups all around the world. Nevertheless, the majority are not geometrically accurate. One of the problems is the brain geometry, which usually resembles a sphere. This may raise problems when reconstructing any event that involves brain kinematics, such as accidents, affecting the correct evaluation of resulting injuries. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop a new finite element head model more accurate than the existing ones.

In this work, a new and geometrically detailed finite element brain model is proposed. Special attention was given to sulci and gyri modelling, making this model more geometrically accurate than currently available ones. In addition, these brain features are important to predict specific injuries such as brain contusions, which usually involve the crowns of gyri.

The model was validated against experimental data from impact tests on cadavers, comparing the intracranial pressure at frontal, parietal, occipital and posterior fossa regions.

As this model is validated, it can be now used in accident reconstruction and injury evaluation and even as a design tool for protective head gear.

It is of practical importance to measure and control the morphological state of thin film superconductors. Properties such as critical current, magnetic response and high frequency response are significantly affected by the microstructure of granular thin film specimens. A simple and functional method, magnetically modulated resistance, is described for assessing the granularity of superconductors.

Multi‐dimensional sensor information space enables a system to detect and handle previously unknown errors.

This paper presents a review of published literature on robot reliability and safety. The literature is classified into three main categories: robot safety; robot reliability; and miscellaneous. Robot safety is further categorized into six classifications: general; accidents; human‐factors; safety standards; safety methods; and safety systems/technologies. The period covered by the review is from 1973 to 2001.

Electromagnetic shielding (EMS) fabrics composed of cotton, polyester and other high-polymer short-staple fibers are widely utilized in various fields. However, the inevitable pores in these fabrics lead to the leakage of electromagnetic waves, which severely diminishes the fabric’s shielding effectiveness (SE). To address this issue, this paper proposes the implantation of a metamaterial structure known as the “split ring resonator (SRR)” into the fabric.

Firstly, the types and principles of SRRs are analyzed. Through electromagnetic simulation and emulation, the effectiveness of SRRs in dissipating electromagnetic waves is confirmed. By selecting different embroidery methods, various shapes of SRRs are implanted into the fabric. Subsequently, through testing and analysis of sample fabrics embroidered with SRRs, it is concluded that implanting appropriate SRRs into pure cotton fabrics and cotton/polyester/stainless steel-blended EMS fabrics can effectively impart or enhance the SE of these fabrics.

For pure cotton fabric without inherent SE, the peak SE value can reach over 30 dB within the 6.57 GHz–7 GHz frequency band, and the minimum SE is greater than 10 dB in the 7 GHz–9.99 GHz frequency band. For the cotton/polyester/stainless steel-blended EMS fabric, the improvement in SE across all frequency bands exceeds 10 dB, averaging around 15.6 dB. The circular type SRR demonstrates the most significant improvement in fabric SE. When the substrate is composed of pure cotton or a cotton/polyester/stainless steel blend, the circular SRRs provide an average enhancement of more than 4 dB and 6 dB, respectively, than other shapes. The fewer the holes created by the implantation method, the higher the SE of the fabric after SRR implantation, with the invisible embroidery technique being the most effective. It improves the fabric’s SE by an average of about 2 dB more than flat embroidery and can be up to an average of around 6 dB higher than the backstitch embroidery technique. For every 0.2 cm increase in the size of the SRRs, the average SE increases by about 4 dB, and for every 0.5 cm increase in the spacing between them, the fabric’s SE decreases by an average of more than 2.7 dB.

This paper offers a novel approach to counteract the issue of pores reducing the SE of EMS fabrics and provides a new method for developing lightweight, thin, low-cost and high-performance EMS fabric composite materials.

While qualitative work has a long tradition in the strategy field and has recently regained popularity, we have not paused to take stock of how such work offers contributions. We address this oversight with a review of qualitative studies of strategy published in five top-tier journals over an extended period of 15 years (2003–2017). In an attempt to organize the field, we develop an empirically grounded organizing framework. We identify 12 designs that are evident in the literature, or “designs-in-use” as we call them. Acknowledging important similarities and differences between the various approaches to qualitative strategy research (QSR), we group these designs into three “families” based on their philosophical orientation. We use these designs and families to identify trends in QSR. We then engage those trends to orient the future development of qualitative methods in the strategy field.

The concept of organizational identity became a subject of interest within the academic milieu in the mid‐1980s. In this paper, we propose the construct of legacy identities, those persistent identities that, first, endure over time at different levels of expression and, second, are comprised of resilient ideals from the past that represent the perceived persistent character of what the organization used to be. This construct is derived from a case study that portrays the radical transformation of a former state‐owned Brazilian company that became a subsidiary of a North American firm and survived the crisis that originated from its parent company’s debacle. Building on data from the case study, we develop a framework that shows the salience of different identities through time in the company and seek to explain the dynamics underlying these changes.