Remote Interaction between Human and Humanoid Robot

The last few years have been characterized by the continuous development of information and communication technologies, robotics technologies, and home automation technologies. The number of application areas for such technologies is increasing, especially in fields rather outside the pure industrial scenario, often identified as service applications. These are healthcare, public service provisions, social services for disadvantaged citizens, technical aids for promoting the independence of disabled and elderly people, and many others.With this joint research Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and Waseda University, starting from the current availability of several mechatronic prototypes in their research laboratories, intend to validate different telecommunication tools for the remote control of mechatronic systems by demonstrating the feasibility and potential benefits deriving from the integration of such technologies.     

Chlorination of UO2 and (U,Zr)O2 solid solution using MoCl5

Conversion of UO₂ and (U_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ solid solution into chlorides by MoCl₅ was performed in order to confirm the applicability of the chlorination by MoCl₅ to a pretreatment of fuel debris by pyrochemical methods. Chlorination of (U_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ powders and dense pieces was successfully achieved at 573 and 773 K, respectively, based on the following chemical reaction: 2(U_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ + 4MoCl₅ = UCl₄ + ZrCl₄ + 4MoOCl₃. Rough separation of MoCl₅, ZrCl₄ and MoOCl₃ from UCl₄ was achieved by volatilization under temperature gradient. From these results, fundamental feasibility of the chlorination method using MoCl₅ as a pretreatment of fuel debris was shown.     

The Effects of Wet-Milled Wood Flour on the Mechanical Properties of Wood Flour/Polypropylene Composites

The sizes and shapes of wet ball-milled wood flour were investigated based on their average particle size, size distribution, their solution viscosity, and scanning electron microscopy images. The ball-milling conditions were combinations of rotational speed (150, 200, and 250 rpm) and milling time (1 to 16 h). The average diameter of the wood flours decreased and the degree of fibrillation of the wood fibers increased with the ball-milling time at each rotational speed. Ball-milled wood flours having the same average particle size had similar surface fibrils that were tens to hundreds of nanometers wide. Ball-milling at 200 or 250 rpm could pulverize just as effectively as that at 150 rpm because the size reduction and fibrillation progressed more quickly. Tensile and bending properties of the composites prepared from the ball-milled wood flour (4 wt% in polypropylene) were evaluated. Morphological changes in the wood fillers had little effect on the properties of the composites. The tensile and bending properties of the composites containing the wood filler were 10% higher than those for the unfilled resin.     

Tangent height registration method for the Version 1.4 data retrieval algorithm of the solar occultation sensor ILAS-II

The Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer-II (ILAS-II) is a satellite-borne solar occultation sensor onboard the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II (ADEOS-II). The ILAS-II succeeded the ILAS. The ILAS-II used four grating spectrometers to observe vertical profiles of gas volume mixing ratios of trace constituents and was also equipped with a Sun-edge sensor to determine tangent heights geometrically with high precision. The accuracy of gas volume mixing ratios depends on the accuracy of the tangent height determination. The combination method is a tangent height registration method that was developed to give appropriate tangent heights for the ILAS-II Version 1.4 data retrieval algorithm. This study describes the method used in the ILAS-II Version 1.4 retrieval algorithm to register tangent heights. The root-sum-square total random error is estimated to be 30 m, and the total systematic error is 180 m at an altitude of 30 km. The influence of the tangent height errors on the vertical profiles of gas volume mixing ratios in ILAS-II Version 1.4 is estimated by using the relative difference. The relative difference for each species is within 7% (20%) for an altitude shift of +/-100 m(+/-300 m).     

Membrane reactor immobilized with palladium‐loaded polymer nanogel for continuous‐flow Suzuki coupling reaction

A catalytic membrane reactor, which was immobilized with palladium‐loaded nanogel particles (NPs), was developed for continuous‐flow Suzuki coupling reaction. Palladium‐loaded membranes were prepared by immobilization of NPs, adsorption of palladium ions, and reduction into palladium(0). The presence of palladium in the membrane was confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy; palladium aggregation was not observed. The catalytic activity of the membrane reactor in continuous‐flow Suzuki coupling reaction was approximately double that of a comparable reactor in which palladium ions were directly adsorbed onto an aminated membrane. This was attributed to the formation of small palladium particles. The reusability in the continuous‐flow system was higher than that in a batch system, and the palladium‐loaded membrane reactor had high long‐term stability. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 582–589, 2015     

Experimental and computational investigation into suppressing natural convection in chilled ceiling/displacement ventilation environments

The combination of chilled ceiling and displacement ventilation systems can cause destruction of the displacement flow pattern in some circumstances. This paper reports on the performance of a new technique for achieving stable conditions for displacement airflow in the presence of a chilled ceiling system. The technique is based on the attachment of a honeycomb slat system to the underside of a chilled ceiling, thereby suppressing downward cool natural convection. Investigations were carried out using both computational and experimental methods for a range of typical office environment conditions. The results showed that a slat depth to width ratio of 10 could suppress the natural convection by more than 80% when the Rayleigh number reached 7 × 10⁶. This confirms that the technique is capable of minimising downward cool air currents, resulting in preservation of the displacement flow pattern in the presence of the chilled ceiling. The proposed slat system can raise the general air temperature in the space allowing some displacement flow pattern to occur. The outcome of this study is the emergence of a honeycomb slat-based approach for improving the performance, together with provision of general advice for designers as regards the combination of radiant cooling/displacement ventilation systems.     

Preparation and characterization of carbonaceous materials containing nitrogen as electrochemical capacitor

Carbonaceous materials containing nitrogen (C/N materials) were prepared by a pyrolysis of 2,3,6,7-tetracyano-1,4,5,8-tetraazanaphthalene (CAN). A C/N material prepared by the pyrolysis of CAN at 1070 K (CAN-1070 K) had a C/N atomic ratio of 3.0 and a non-crystalline carbonaceous structure with a BET surface area of 880 m² g⁻¹. The material CAN-1070 K showed large capacitances of 160–180 F g⁻¹ and 110–120 F cm⁻³ in case of current density of 10 mA cm⁻² (2 A g⁻¹) by using three-electrode cell in 1 M H₂SO₄ aqueous solution, in comparison with that of activated carbon (160 F g⁻¹ and 55 F cm⁻³) having BET surface area of 2300 m² g⁻¹. ESCA study indicated that pyridinic and quarternary nitrogen atoms existed in the C/N materials, which could result in producing a pseudo-capacitance in addition to the electric double layer capacitance. Also introduction of nitrogen into the carbonaceous material could enhance the wettability of material, which might also improve the capacitance.     

Strain-time effects in low-cycle fatigue of nickel-base heat-resistant alloys at high temperature

A series of strain controlled low-cycle fatigue tests in the simulated high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) helium environment were conducted at 900°C on Hastelloy X and its modified version, Hastelloy XR. In those tests the effects of strain rate and hold time on high-temperature low-cycle fatigue behavior were investigated. Decreasing the strain rate led to notable reductions in the fatigue life. In the tests with the trapezoidal strain waveform, the fatigue life was found to be reduced most effectively in tensile hold-time experiments. The tendency was interpreted through the feature of the crack morphology.