A wide view auto‐stereoscopic 3D display with an eye‐tracking system for enhanced horizontal viewing position and viewing distance

This paper describes the development of auto‐stereoscopic three‐dimensional (3D) display with an eye‐tracking system for not only the X‐axis (right–left) and Y‐axis (up–down) plane directions but also the Z‐axis (forward–backward) direction. In the past, the eye‐tracking 3D system for the XY‐axes plane directions that we had developed had a narrow 3D viewing space in the Z‐axis direction because of occurrence of 3D crosstalk variation on screen. The 3D crosstalk variation on screen was occurred when the viewer's eye position moved back and forth along the Z‐axis direction. The reason was that the liquid crystal (LC) barrier pitch was fixed and the LC barrier was able to control the only barrier aperture position. To solve this problem, we developed the LC barrier that is able to control the barrier pitch as well as the barrier aperture position in real time, corresponding to the viewer's eye position. As a result, the 3D viewing space has achieved to expand up to 320–1016 mm from the display surface in the Z‐axis direction and within a range of ±267 mm in the X‐axis direction. In terms of the Y‐axis direction, the viewing space is not necessary to be considered, because of a stripe‐shaped parallax barrier.     

Nonlinear control for rotational movement of cart-pendulum system using homoclinic orbit

In this paper, we deal with the control method for rotational movements of a pendulum using a separatrix. We design a controller that attains a homoclinic motion or a heteroclinic motion of the pendulum and the asymptotic stability of the cart by using a kind of forwarding control design. First, we derive a controller that converges to a homoclinic orbit via a Lyapunov function of the pendulum subsystem. Next, we give a nonlinear stabilizing controller via another Lyapunov function of the cart subsystem. Moreover, using the third Lyapunov function and adding a complementary control input, we guarantee that the pendulum converges to the homoclinic orbit and the cart is stabilized. Finally, the simulation and the experiment using the rapid controller prototyping system based on MATLAB/Simulink are performed to demonstrate the forward upward circling and the giant swing of the pendulum.     

High‐pixel‐rate grating‐light‐valve laser projector

Abstract— A high‐pixel‐rate, high‐contrast (30,000:1) wide‐color‐gamut grating‐light‐valve laser projector is reported. A new optical engine enabling high‐frame‐rate (240 Hz) scan projection is employed. Panoramic wide‐angle‐scan projection with a 64:9 aspect ratio was also developed. Speckle noise is eliminated using a simple but highly efficient technique. The optical throughput efficiency of the grating‐light‐valve laser projector is reviewed.     

RUNA: a multimodal command language for home robot users

This article describes a multimodal command language for home robot users, and a robot system which interprets users’ messages in the language through microphones, visual and tactile sensors, and control buttons. The command language comprises a set of grammar rules, a lexicon, and nonverbal events detected in hand gestures, readings of tactile sensors attached to the robots, and buttons on the controllers in the users’ hands. Prototype humanoid systems which immediately execute commands in the language are also presented, along with preliminary experiments of faceto-face interactions and teleoperations. Subjects unfamiliar with the language were able to command humanoids and complete their tasks with brief documents at hand, given a short demonstration beforehand. The command understanding system operating on PCs responded to multimodal commands without significant delay. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Success rates in a multimodal command language for home robot users

This article considers the success rates in a multimodal command language for home robot users. In the command language, the user specifies action types and action parameter values to direct robots in multiple modes such as speech, touch, and gesture. The success rates of commands in the language can be estimated by user evaluations in several ways. This article presents some user evaluation methods, as well as results from recent studies on command success rates. The results show that the language enables users without much training to command home robots at success rates as high as 88%–100%. It is also shown that multimodal commands combining speech and button-press actions included fewer words and were significantly more successful than single-modal spoken commands.     

Deformation characteristics of ultra-thin liquid film considering temperature and film thickness dependence of surface tension

Thermocapillary deformations of an ultra-thin liquid film caused by temperature distribution were three-dimensionally analyzed using the unsteady and linearized long wave equation considering the temperature and film thickness dependence of surface tension. The temperature and film thickness dependence equation for the surface tension of a liquid was firstly established. The temperature dependence of the surface tension was obtained experimentally using a surface tensiometer and the film thickness dependence was obtained theoretically from the corrected van der Waals pressure equation for a symmetric multilayer system. Time evolutions of depression and groove of the ultra-thin liquid film caused by local heating were obtained quantitatively.     

Spin Injection Processes in ZnSe-Based Double Quantum Dots of Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors

Spin injection processes in the double quantum dots of ZnSe-based diluted magnetic semiconductors are discussed. Double quantum dots are fabricated from ZnSe-based double quantum wells by electron beam lithography and wet etching. In these samples, the photo-excited carriers in the magnetic dots are injected into the non-magnetic dots. The circular polarization degrees of photoluminescence from the non-magnetic dots are measured by micro-photoluminescence measurement system under the magnetic field up to 5 T. The maximum spin polarization degrees of injected carriers determined from our experiment are 10% for double quantum wells and 15% for double quantum dots. The spin injection efficiency was estimated both from the observed circular polarization degree and the diffusion length of carriers. We concluded that the spin injection efficiency is increased in the double quantum dots.     

Aerobic Exercise Ameliorates Cancer Cachexia-Induced Muscle Wasting through Adiponectin Signaling

Cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by muscle loss that cannot be reversed by conventional nutritional support. To uncover the molecular basis underlying the onset of cancer cachectic muscle wasting and establish an effective intervention against muscle loss, we used a cancer cachectic mouse model and examined the effects of aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise successfully suppressed muscle atrophy and activated adiponectin signaling. Next, a cellular model for cancer cachectic muscle atrophy using C2C12 myotubes was prepared by treating myotubes with a conditioned medium from a culture of colon-26 cancer cells. Treatment of the atrophic myotubes with recombinant adiponectin was protective against the thinning of cells through the increased production of p-mTOR and suppression of LC3-II. Altogether, these findings suggest that the activation of adiponectin signaling could be part of the molecular mechanisms by which aerobic exercise ameliorates cancer cachexia-induced muscle wasting.     

Immunomodulatory effect of mushrooms on cytotoxic activity and cytokine production of intestinal lamina propria leukocytes does not necessarily depend on β-glucan contents

We evaluated the effects of seven mushroom extracts (Grifola frondosa, Pholiota nameko, Panellus serotinus, Hypsizygus marmoreus, Pleurotus cornucopiae, Armillaria mellea, and Flammulina velutipes) on cytotoxic activity and cytokine production of lamina propria leukocytes (LPLs) isolated from rat small (S) and large (L) intestinal mucosa. Boiling water extracts from seven species of mushrooms showed no direct cytotoxicity against the YAC-1 target cells. However, prominent increases of cytotoxicity were observed in S- and L-LPLs co-cultured with P. serotinus extract. Cytokine production (TNFα, IFNγ, IL-12 p70, and IL-4) of S- and L-LPLs was stimulated in response to P. cornucopiae extract. Mushroom extracts contributed to target cell adhesion and/or cytokine production in the effector cells. The promotion of cytotoxic activity in S- and L-LPLs was not necessarily related to β-glucan content of the mushroom.