A reduction method of dynamic false contour utilizing the frame‐rate‐control method with suppression of the side effect on PDPs

Abstract— The plasma‐display panel (PDP) is a type of flat‐panel display that can display a high‐quality image. However, when moving images are displayed, annoying disturbances such as false contour noise occurs. This noise is called dynamic false contour (DFC). To achieve a higher‐quality image, DFC has to be reduced. Therefore, a new method to reduce DFC is proposed. To find a way to reduce DFC, a new evaluation value for it has been defined: the evaluation value of dynamic false contour (EVDFC). This value is defined on the basis of a person's subjective evaluation. By applying this value, the cause that generates DFC can be identified. On the basis of these studies, a new method for reducing DFC by applying frame‐rate control (FRC) with suppression of the side effect is proposed. This improved method can be used to provide high‐quality images.     

Bottom-up multi-agent reinforcement learning by reward shaping for cooperative-competitive tasks

Applied Intelligence - A multi-agent system (MAS) is expected to be applied to various real-world problems where a single agent cannot accomplish given tasks. Due to the inherent complexity in the...     

SleepExplorer: a visualization tool to make sense of correlations between personal sleep data and contextual factors

Getting enough quality sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. Many people are tracking their sleep through mobile and wearable technology, together with contextual information that may influence sleep quality, like exercise, diet, and stress. However, there is limited support to help people make sense of this wealth of data, i.e., to explore the relationship between sleep data and contextual data. We strive to bridge this gap between sleep-tracking and sense-making through the design of SleepExplorer, a web-based tool that helps individuals understand sleep quality through multi-dimensional sleep structure and explore correlations between sleep data and contextual information. Based on a two-week field study with 12 participants, this paper offers a rich understanding on how technology can support sense-making on personal sleep data: SleepExplorer organizes a flux of sleep data into sleep structure, guides sleep-tracking activities, highlights connections between sleep and contributing factors, and supports individuals in taking actions. We discuss challenges and opportunities to inform the work of researchers and designers creating data-driven health and well-being applications.     

Virtual segment: Store–carry–forward relay-based support for wide-area non-real-time data exchange

We have proposed the concept of the virtual segment (VS), in which a global communication service is provided by combining a store–carry–forward scheme using vehicles with broadband wireless/wired network infrastructures along roads connected to the Internet. The VS can be a practical framework for non-real-time, asynchronous message transfer (especially for large messages) in a cost-effective manner. In this study, a critical implementation design issue, the message forward scheduling, in the VS approach is discussed and investigated through computer simulation by our developed VS simulator that has reflected the results of the field experiment for realistic performance evaluation.     

Stick-slip motion control based on cutter location data for an orthogonal-type robot

In this article, a new desktop orthogonal-type robot, which has the capacity of stick-slip motion control based on cutter location data, is presented for lapping small metallic molds with a curved surface. The robot consists of three single-axis devices with a high position resolution of 1 μm. A thin wooden stick tool with a ball-end shape is attached to the tip of the z-axis. In order to improve the lapping performance, a novel stick-slip motion control method is developed in the control system. The small stick-slip motion is orthogonally generated in the direction of the tool’s movement. The effectiveness of stick-slip motion control is examined through an actual lapping test of an LED lens cavity.     

Temperature-controlled molecular dynamics study on velocity-dependent threshold behavior of dynamic nano-friction

Laws of dynamic nano-friction (i.e., continuous wearless friction) were searched for under steady spatial distributions of the local quasi-temperature, by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The temperature control of the non-conservative model was carried out by extending the isothermal MD method using the Nosé–Poincaré thermostat. The results suggested that the threshold phenomenon characterizes sliding-velocity dependence of the nano-frictional force between crystal lattices constituting a nano-electromechanical system (NEMS). This phenomenon was turned out to be a universal feature, whether heat transfer to the environment exists or not.     

The effects of a convex rear-view mirror on ocular accommodative responses

Convex mirrors are universally used as rear-view mirrors in automobiles. However, the ocular accommodative responses during the use of these mirrors have not yet been examined. This study investigated the effects of a convex mirror on the ocular accommodative systems. Seven young adults with normal visual functions were ordered to binocularly watch an object in a convex or plane mirror. The accommodative responses were measured with an infrared optometer. The average of the accommodation of all subjects while viewing the object in the convex mirror were significantly nearer than in the plane mirror, although all subjects perceived the position of the object in the convex mirror as being farther away. Moreover, the fluctuations of accommodation were significantly larger for the convex mirror. The convex mirror caused the 'false recognition of distance', which induced the large accommodative fluctuations and blurred vision. Manufactures should consider the ocular accommodative responses as a new indicator for increasing automotive safety.     

Antiferromagnetic Transition in Sr14−x Ca x Cu24O41 Investigated by Specific Heat Measurements

Results for low temperature specific heat for single crystals of ladder/chain materials Sr _14–x Ca _x Cu ₂₄ O ₄₁ (x= 0, 8, 10, 11.5) in magnetic field up to 15 T are reported. A sharp peak of the specific heat of a single crystal Sr _2.5 Ca _11.5 Cu ₂₄ O ₄₁, was found at 2.3 K, clearly indicating the onset of a long range order. In measurements of the specific heat in magnetic fields the transition temperature, T _N , was found to shift to lower temperatures with increasing magnetic field, indicating that the ordering is antiferromagnetic, which has been confirmed by neutron scattering measurements. With decreasing x T _N rapidly shifts to lower temperatures. For x=10 T _N decreases to 1 K and for x= 0 no anomaly indicating the transition was found down to 0.6K