The interaction between a robot and multiple people based on spatially mapping of friendliness and motion parameters

We aim to achieve interaction between a robot and multiple people. For this, robots should localize people, select an interaction partner, and act appropriately for him/her. It is difficult to deal with all these problems using only the sensors installed into the robots. We focus on that people use a rough interaction distance among other people . We divide this interaction area into different spaces based on both the interaction distances and sensor abilities of robots. Our robots localize people roughly within this divided space. To select an interaction partner, they map friendliness holding the interaction history onto the divided space, and integrate the sensor information. Furthermore, we developed a method for appropriately changing the motions, sizes, and speeds based on the distance. Our robots regard the divided spaces as Q-Learning states, and learn the motion parameters. Our robot interacted with 27 visitors. It localized a partner with an F-value of 0.76 through integration, which is higher than that of a single sensor. A factor analysis was performed on the results from questionnaires. Exciting and Friendly were the representatives of the first and second factors, respectively. For both factors, a motion with friendliness provided higher impression scores than that without friendliness.     

Electrode heat balances of electrochemical cells: application to NaCl electrolysis

This paper deals with a method of estimating single electrode heat balances during the electrolysis of molten NaCl-ZnCl₂ in a cell using a-alumina diaphragm. By measuring the thermoelectric power of the thermogalvanic cells: (T) Na/-alumina/NaCl-ZnCl₂/-alumina/Na(T+dT) and (T) C,Cl₂/NaCl-ZnCl₂/Cl₂,C(T+dT) the single electrode Peltier heat for sodium deposition and for chlorine evolution at 370° C were estimated to be –0.026±0.001 JC^–1 and+0.614±0.096 J C^–1, respectively.     

Development of double-decker pulse radiolysis

Double-decker pulse radiolysis (DDPR), which utilizes double-decker electron beams, was investigated to develop a new pulse radiolysis with a high time resolution. The double-decker electron beams were generated by injecting two UV pulses into a photocathode radio-frequency gun. In the pulse radiolysis, one electron beam was used as a pump beam, and the other was converted to a probe pulse. Finally, as its first application, the DDPR was successfully used for observing solvated electrons in water, with a 10%-90% rise time of 8.6 ps.     

A simple carbon growth mechanism using atomic carbon addition by ring opening

Linear-carbon-chain molecules have been shown to form by the atomic carbon addition-ring opening reaction (ACAROR) mechanism. In this study, the synthesis of fullerene by ACAROR was attempted in order to determine the universality of this mechanism. The photochemical reaction of fullerene C₆₀ with C₃O₂ at 1100 °C produced fullerene C₇₀ with negligible side-products. The fact that the only chemically active species in the reaction system were :C and carbonyl carbene, :CCO, and that there were no by-products produced by the cleavage of the overall structure, together with the reported results on the gas phase reaction of fullerene C₆₀ with carbon atoms, leads to the conclusion that the likely formation mechanism is ACAROR. Carbon growth by ACAROR is simple and efficient and hence, becomes overwhelmingly dominant in unfavorable conditions, such as ultra low temperatures and incomplete combustion conditions.     

An Efficient Synthesis of Chiral Alcohols via Catalytic Hydrogenation of Esters

A ruthenium complex was found to catalyze the hydrogenation of chiral esters without the loss of their optical purities under mild and neutral conditions. This method can avoid a violent quench step and an extraction step which accompany conventional reduction using metal hydride reagents such as sodium borohydride and lithium aluminum hydride.     

Computer Supported Social Networking For Augmenting Cooperation

The exploration of social networks is essential for finding capable cooperators who can help problem-solving and for augmenting cooperation between workers in an organization. This paper describes PeCo-Mediator-II to seek capable cooperators through a chain of personal connections (PeCo) in a networked organization. Moreover, this system helps to gather, explore, and visualize social networks in an organization. The experimental results show that the system facilitates users' encounters with cooperators and develops new helpful connections with the cooperators.     

Large-scale atomistic modeling of nanoelectronic structures

Large-scale molecular-dynamics simulations are performed on parallel computers to study critical issues on ultrathin dielectric films and device reliability in next-decade semiconductor devices. New interatomic-potential models based on many-body, reactive, and quantum-mechanical schemes are used to study various atomic-scale effects: growth of oxide layers; dielectric properties of high-permittivity oxides; dislocation activities at semiconductor/dielectric interfaces; effects of amorphous layers and pixellation on atomic-level stresses in lattice-mismatched nanopixels; and nanoindentation testing of thin films. Enabling technologies for 10 to 100 million-atom simulations of nanoelectronic structures are discussed, which include multiresolution algorithms for molecular dynamics, load balancing, and data management. In ten years, this scalable software infrastructure will enable trillion-atom simulations of realistic device structures with sizes well beyond μm on petaflop computers     

Muc-1 core protein is expressed on multiple myeloma cells and is induced by dexamethasone

Monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) that selectively identify Muc-1 core protein (MoAbs DF3-P, VU-4H5) determinants were used to identify the Muc-1 glycoform present on 7 multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines, 5 MM patient plasma cells, 12 MM patient B cells, as well as 32 non-MM cell lines and normal hematopoietic cells. Flow cytometry studies demonstrated that all MM cell lines, MM patient plasma cells, and MM patient B cells expressed Muc-1 core protein epitopes. Circulating B cells from 4 normal donors also expressed Muc-1 core protein. In contrast, Muc-1 core protein was absent on 28 of 32 non-MM neoplastic cell lines, 17 of which expressed Muc-1. Splenic and tonsillar B cells, CD34(+) stem cells, resting T cells, and bone marrow plasma cells obtained from normal donors both lacked Muc-1 glycoforms. We next studied the effects of estrogen, progesterone, and glucocorticoid receptor agonists and antagonists on Muc-1 expression, because consensus sequences for the response elements of these steroids are present on the Muc-1 gene promoter. These studies showed that dexamethasone (Dex) induced Muc-1 expression on MM cell lines, as determined by both flow cytometry and Western blot analyses. Dex also induced upregulation of Muc-1 on prostate and ovarian cancer cell lines. Time and dose-response studies demonstrated that Dex induced maximal cell surface Muc-1 expression by 24 hours at concentrations of 10(-8) mol/L. Dex induced Muc-1 upregulation could be blocked with a 10-fold excess of the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU486, confirming that Dex was acting via the glucocorticoid receptor. No changes in Muc-1 expression were observed on MM cells treated with estrogen and progesterone receptor agonists and antagonists or with RU486. These studies provide the framework for targeting Muc-1 core protein in vaccination and serotherapy trials in MM. In addition, the finding that Muc-1 expression on MM cells can be augmented by Dex at pharmacologically achievable levels suggests their potential utility in enhancing treatments targeting Muc-1 in MM.     

Evaluation of Injured Axons Using Two-Photon Excited Fluorescence Microscopy after Spinal Cord Contusion Injury in YFP-H Line Mice

Elucidation of the process of degeneration of injured axons is important for the development of therapeutic modules for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. The aim of this study was to establish a method for time-lapse observation of injured axons in living animals after spinal cord contusion injury. YFP (yellow fluorescent protein)-H transgenic mice, which we used in this study, express fluorescence in their nerve fibers. Contusion damage to the spinal cord at the 11th vertebra was performed by IH (Infinite Horizon) impactor, which applied a pressure of 50 kdyn. The damaged spinal cords were re-exposed during the observation period under anesthesia, and then observed by two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy, which can observe deep regions of tissues including spinal cord axons. No significant morphological change of injured axons was observed immediately after injury. Three days after injury, the number of axons decreased, and residual axons were fragmented. Seven days after injury, only fragments were present in the damaged tissue. No hind-limb movement was observed during the observation period after injury. Despite the immediate paresis of hind-limbs following the contusion injury, the morphological degeneration of injured axons was delayed. This method may help clarification of pathophysiology of axon degeneration and development of therapeutic modules for the treatment of spinal cord injury.