Adsorbed Atoms and Molecules Destined for a Reaction

The idea of an activation complex is popular for explaining reaction rates, but the characteristics of reactions and catalysis may not be explained in this way. A predestined state for each reaction composed of surface atoms and adsorbed species is responsible for these features. Two single Sn atoms trapped in adjacent half-unit cells of an Si(111) 7 × 7 surface is an example of a predestined state. An isolated Sn atom in a half-unit cell does not migrate to other half-unit cells at room temperature, but when two single Sn atoms are in adjacent half-unit cells they undergo rapid combination to form an Sn₂ dimer. In addition, these two single Sn atoms replace the center Si adatoms and an Si₄ cluster is formed. The spatial distribution of molecules desorbing from surfaces may reflect the predestined states for the desorption processes. The spatial distribution in the temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of NO on Pd(110) and Pd(211) surfaces and that in the temperature-programmed reaction (TPR) of NO + H₂ were studied. N₂ desorbing from Pd(110) by the recombination of N atoms obeys cos⁶ – cos⁷ but the N₂ produced by a catalytic reaction of NO with H₂ obeys cos. In contrast, the N₂ desorbing with NO at 490 K in the TPD of Pd(110) shows a sharp off-normal distribution expressed by cos⁴⁶( – 38). The adsorption of NO on Pd(211) predominantly occurs on the (111) terrace but the spatial distribution suggests that the predestined states for the reaction and desorption are formed on both the (111) terrace and (100) step surfaces.     

DCOB: Action space for reinforcement learning of high DoF robots

Reinforcement learning (RL) for robot control is an important technology for future robots since it enables us to design a robot’s behavior using the reward function. However, RL for high degree-of-freedom robot control is still an open issue. This paper proposes a discrete action space DCOB which is generated from the basis functions (BFs) given to approximate a value function. The remarkable feature is that, by reducing the number of BFs to enable the robot to learn quickly the value function, the size of DCOB is also reduced, which improves the learning speed. In addition, a method WF-DCOB is proposed to enhance the performance, where wire-fitting is utilized to search for continuous actions around each discrete action of DCOB. We apply the proposed methods to motion learning tasks of a simulated humanoid robot and a real spider robot. The experimental results demonstrate outstanding performance.     

A study of topographic effects on chemical force microscopy using adhesive force mapping

Origins of peak broadening in a histogram of measured adhesive forces were studied. The adhesive forces were measured in water by pulsed-force-mode atomic force microscopy. One sample was prepared by a microcontact printing method on a sputtered gold film with fine grains, on which CH(3)- and COOH-terminated regions were produced. Gold surfaces of other samples were chemically modified homogeneously by a self-assembling method in solution. Their surfaces were, however, topographically different, i.e. (i) an Au(111)-terrace-rich gold film prepared by vacuum vapor deposition at high temperature and (ii) sputtered gold films on cover glass with different grain sizes obtained by different deposition time. These sample surfaces and the probe tip surface were all CH(3)-terminated by self-assembled monolayers with CH(3)(CH(2))(19)SH. The main origin of peak broadening in the histogram was the topographic effect. Namely, the change in the grain sizes and the change in multiplicity of contacts between the tip and convexities of the grains resulted in the distribution of the observed adhesive forces.     

Real‐time up‐converter from HDTV to 4K with super‐resolution: Breaking the Nyquist frequency barrier

This real‐time up‐converter from high‐definition television (HDTV) to 4K with a novel super‐resolution (SR) creates 4K video with frequency elements higher than the Nyquist frequency of the original HDTV video. The novel SR uses non‐linear signal processing to overcome the theoretical limitation of the Nyquist frequency.     

Three-Dimensional Structural Aspects of Protein–Polysaccharide Interactions

Linear polysaccharides are typically composed of repeating mono- or disaccharide units and are ubiquitous among living organisms. Polysaccharide diversity arises from chain-length variation, branching, and additional modifications. Structural diversity is associated with various physiological functions, which are often regulated by cognate polysaccharide-binding proteins. Proteins that interact with linear polysaccharides have been identified or developed, such as galectins and polysaccharide-specific antibodies, respectively. Currently, data is accumulating on the three-dimensional structure of polysaccharide-binding proteins. These proteins are classified into two types: exo-type and endo-type. The former group specifically interacts with the terminal units of polysaccharides, whereas the latter with internal units. In this review, we describe the structural aspects of exo-type and endo-type protein-polysaccharide interactions. Further, we discuss the structural basis for affinity and specificity enhancement in the face of inherently weak binding interactions.     

单向纤维复合材料的偏轴实验方法开发与评价(英文)

This study presents an integrated method suitable for off-axis tension and compression testing in unidirectional composites,and its application to the testing of in-plane shear characterization.A new rotating-grip test fixture,incorporating the attractive features of the existing pinned-end fixture and hydraulic wedge grips,has been developed.The proposed gripping system consists of two sets of jaw faces,each with a pair of self-aligning bearings that allows for loading in the axial and radial directions.Fi...     

Interference from irrelevant features on visual discrimination by macaques (Macaca fuscata): A behavioral analogue of the human Stroop effect.

To study the operation of selective attention in a conflict situation with automatic processes, we trained 4 Japanese macaques; (Macaca fuscata) extensively on a manual go/no-go task. The monkey had to discriminate either the color, shape, motion direction, or location of a visual stimulus. In each trial, the behavioral meaning of the relevant feature (go or no-go) could either be congruent or incongruent with irrelevant features of the same stimulus. Reaction times were slowed, and error rates increased when irrelevant stimulus features were incongruent with the required response. The effects were obtained when the monkey attended to the color, shape, or motion direction, but not when it attended to the location of the stimulus. The effects were cumulative so that the interference from 1 incongruent feature was smaller than that from 2 incongruent features. We propose that the present paradigm provides a behavioral analogue of the human Stroop effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of light intensity and water temperature on oxygen release from roots into water lettuce rhizosphere

The oxygen release rate into the rhizosphere by a floating aquatic plant-water lettuce-was determined under various light intensities (0.0-1.2x10(5)lx) and water temperatures (10-35 degrees C). The net specific oxygen release rate was expressed by a model equation comprising the gross oxygen release rate and the rhizosphere respiration terms. Experimental and simulated results show that the net specific oxygen release rate increased with light intensity up to the optimal value, but slight inhibition by higher light intensities was observed at 10-20 degrees C. With increased water temperature, the respiration rate became larger than the gross oxygen release rate. The maximum net specific oxygen release rate of 11.0-12.5mg-O(2)kg-wet(-1)h(-1) was obtained at the optimal condition of about 25 degrees C and 9.0x10(4)-1.1x10(5)lx. The net oxygen release rate was negligible at 35 degrees C at any light intensity because the respiration rate was much greater than the gross oxygen release rate into the rhizosphere.     

Nontrivial quantum effect of defect-induced magnetic moments in spin chains

Low dimensional strongly correlated systems have great potential for new quantum devices. Among them, quantum wires are actively investigated with development of new methods based on self-organized formation. For magnetic wires (chains), impurity doping, which causes inhomogeneity of magnetic interaction, can bring new magnetic properties to the systems. In the present study, the effect of inhomogeneity (defect) on magnetic chains with bond alternation is focused on. Defects induce local moments in the magnetic chains at low temperatures. However, depending on the relation of the distance between the defects, the magnetic profile is found to be drastically changed.