The benefit of being physically present: A survey of experimental works comparing copresent robots,telepresent robots and virtual agents

The effects of physical embodiment and physical presence were explored through a survey of 33 experimental works comparing how people interacted with physical robots and virtual agents. A qualitative assessment of the direction of quantitative effects demonstrated that robots were more persuasive and perceived more positively when physically present in a user׳s environment than when digitally-displayed on a screen either as a video feed of the same robot or as a virtual character analog; robots also led to better user performance when they were collocated as opposed to shown via video on a screen. However, participants did not respond differently to physical robots and virtual agents when both were displayed digitally on a screen – suggesting that physical presence, rather than physical embodiment, characterizes people׳s responses to social robots. Implications for understanding psychological response to physical and virtual agents and for methodological design are discussed.     

Polymers dynamics of the nonfluoro,nano-brush repelling agent with self-stratifying property in water-based coatings

While perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), also known as C8s, are used extensively in textile repellent coatings, concerns have arisen for their carcinogenicity and hazardous effects on the environment. In this study, a novel water-based, nonfluoro, and nanobrush textile repelling agent was prepared by conventional sol–gel chemistry using amorphous fumed silica and n-octyltriethoxysilane as the starting materials. Minimal interaction between the designed repelling agent and marketed water-based resins was confirmed using linear viscosity region (LVR) analysis and asymmetric-flow field-flow fractionation (AF4), suggesting the self-stratification potential of the repelling agent. More specifically, the repelling agent exhibited excellent compatibility and self-stratifying ability with a force-emulsified acrylic-based resin, affording a water contact angle of 104.3° when incorporated at 7% solid content. Performance tests carried out on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) revealed excellent adhesion (100/100) of a final formulation, and a significant increase in water contact angle from 80.1° to 103.8° after treatment. In addition, the fouling area after the removal of a submerged sample from a mixture of slurry, polymer, and oil decreased from 48 to 1% when the repelling agent was added. Moreover, the sludge-fouling property remained unchanged after 1000 cycles of abrasion. These findings demonstrate the potential of the described nonfluoro, nanobrush repelling agent as an environmentally safe alternative for use with commercial resins, in turn realizing a fully water-based hydrophobic coating. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48003.     

Modified embedded-atom method interatomic potential for the Mg–Zn–Ca ternary system

Mg–Zn–Ca alloys are representative Mg alloys with high formability at room temperature. Their high formability is thought to be related to slip, twinning, and recrystallization of the alloys, but the detailed mechanisms have not yet been clarified. To enable atomistic simulations for investigating those behaviors, an interatomic potential for the Mg–Zn–Ca ternary system was developed. The development was based on the second nearest-neighbor modified embedded-atom method formalism, combining previously developed Mg–Zn and Mg–Ca potentials with the newly developed Zn–Ca binary potential. The Zn–Ca and Mg–Zn–Ca potentials reproduce structural, elastic, and thermodynamic properties of compounds and solution phases of relevant alloy systems in reasonable agreement with experimental data, first-principles and CALPHAD calculations. The applicability of the developed potentials is demonstrated through calculations of the effects of Zn and Ca solutes on the generalized stacking fault energy for various slip systems, segregation energy on twin boundaries, and volumetric misfit strain.     

Improved formic acid oxidation using electrodeposited Pd–Cd electrocatalysts in sulfuric acid solution

In the present research, nanostructured Pd–Cd alloy electrocatalysts with different compositions were produced using the electrodeposition process. The morphology of the samples was studied by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Also, the elemental composition of the samples was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and elemental mapping tests. Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods were employed to determine the electrochemical corrosion properties of the synthesized samples in a solution containing 0.5 M sulfuric acid and 0.1 M formic acid. The linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry techniques were also employed to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity of prepared samples toward the oxidation of formic acid. In this respect, the influence of some factors such as formic acid and sulfuric acid concentrations and also potential scan rate was investigated. Compared to the pure Pd sample, the Pd–Cd samples were more reactive for the oxidation of formic acid. Besides, the sample with a lower amount of Pd (Pd_1·3Cd) demonstrated much higher electrocatalytic activity than the Pd_7·1Cd and Pd_2·1Cd samples. The observed high mass activity of 15.06 A mg^?1_Pd for the Pd_1·3Cd sample which is 21.1 times higher than Pd/C is an interesting result of this study.     

LaZSM5-Al-Mg催化剂上乙烯与甲苯烷基化制对甲基乙苯

以LaZSM5沸石为基质,添加铝和镁的氧化物所制得的择形催化剂,可大大提高乙烯与甲苯烷基化制甲基乙苯中对甲基乙苯选择性。考察了稀释气和反应产物的添加对烷基化反应的影响。失活后的催化剂可烧炭再生。     

一种基于三次样条函数求离子浓度的自动算法

本文提出了一种用三次样条函数模拟双次标准加入法测量方程，直接求解离子浓度的自动算法。比较了三咱不同边界条件下用要池数计算离子浓度的结果。造出节点区间两极端点的二阶导数为零时的三次样条函数为最佳模拟函数。并讨论了该方法在实际分析中误差的来源及消除办法。经对一系列文献数据的验算对比，表明本法完全可代替传统的迭代法和查图法，且能方便地设置在智能化的电位分析系统中。     

新型硅蜡乳液的制备

将蜂蜡用复合乳化剂乳化时加入自制的乳化助剂，制得稳定的蜡乳液，将该乳液与羟基蛙油乳液复配，制得乳白色略带蓝光硅蜡乳液，该硅蜡乳液用于绵羊服装革作顶层手感改善剂，除了获得油润的蜡感和滑爽感之外，还使成革具有抗菌和抗静电作用。     

Al2O3对镁铬耐火材料致密化的影响

为了提高镁铬耐火材料的烧结性能,通过考察气孔率、体积密度和常温耐压强度与Al2O3加入量之间的关系,讨论了Al2O3添加剂对两种不同镁铬耐火材料致密化的影响.结果表明,镁铬耐火材料的骨料不同,Al2O3对其烧结性能和致密化的影响也不一样.     

A family of lower- and higher-order transversal linearization techniques in non-linear stochastic engineering dynamics

Sample pathwise numerical integration of noise-driven engineering dynamical systems cannot generally be performed beyond a limited level of accuracy, especially when the noise processes are modelled using (filtered) white noises. Recently, a locally transversal linearization (LTL) strategy has been proposed by the author (Proc Roy Soc London A 2001; 457 :539–566) for direct integration of deterministic and stochastic non-linear dynamical systems. The present effort is focussed on a host of extensions along with detailed theoretical error analyses of the linearization approach, especially as applied to problems in non-linear stochastic engineering dynamics. Thus, to begin with, estimates of local and global error orders in the basic LTL scheme are obtained separately for the displacement and velocity vectors when the system is driven either by a set of additive noises or by an arbitrary combination of (independently evolving) additive and multiplicative noises. Following this, a new family of higher-order LTL schemes is proposed in order to improve upon the basic LTL method and the associated error orders are established. A stepwise implementation of the lower- and higher-order versions of the LTL method, along with certain computational aspects, is also outlined. The proposed schemes are numerically illustrated, to a limited extent, for a single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) and a two degree-of-freedom (TDOF) non-linear engineering systems under additive and/or multiplicative white noise excitations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

微絮凝接触过滤处理低浊度含藻水的研究

通过现场试验，对微絮凝过滤处理生活用水所带来的一系列问题进行了详细、科学的分析，在大量试验数据基础上对产生问题的原因进行了研究并取得了初步结论。在此基础上，提出了改进措施，取得了实效。