The World robot summit disaster robotics category – achievements of the 2018 preliminary competition

The World Robot Summit is a robot Olympics and aims to be held in a different country every four years from 2020. The concept of the Plant Disaster Prevention challenge is daily inspections, checks, and emergency response in industrial plants, and in this competition, robots must carry out these types of missions in a mock-up plant. The concept of the Tunnel Disaster Response and Recovery challenge is emergency response to tunnel disasters, and is a simulation competition whereby teams compete to show their ability to deal with disasters, by collecting information and removing debris. The Standard Disaster Robotics challenge assesses, in the form of a contest, the standard performance levels of a robot that are necessary for disaster prevention and emergency response. The World Robot Summit Preliminary Competition was held at Tokyo Big Sight in October 2018, and 36 teams participated in the Disaster Robotics Category. UGVs and UAVs contended the merits of new technology for solving complex problems, using core technologies such as mobility, sensing, recognition, performing operations, human interface, autonomous intelligence etc., as well as system integration and implementation of strategies for completing missions, gaining high-level results.     

Computation of mutual entropy in quantum markov chains

There are several damping phenomena in quantum optics. Such phenomena have been usually explained by open systems. In statistical physics, open system dynamics have been used to study the irreversibility and the approach to equilibrium. In this paper, the dynamical change of the mutual entropy for an open system, frequently studied in the quantum optics literature, is rigorously computed through a model of quantum Markov chain. In particular, the concrete formula of Stinespring expression for such a model is obtained and applied to the derivation of the mutual entropy, and some computational results are presented.     

Effect of Milling on Slip Casting of Partially Stabilized Zirconia

Specimens of partially stabilized zirconia were slip cast from aqueous suspensions and sintered at 1500°C for 3 h. The relative density of the cast specimens and the firing shrinkage of the sintered specimens depend on the milling time for the suspension. Vickers hardness and K_IC values of 11.46±s0.07 GN/m² and 6.10 ±0.04 MN.m^3/2, respectively, were obtained for all sintered specimens. The dispersion of the suspension is important in increasing the relative density of the cast specimens.     

Decreasing the number of test specimens by utilizing both fracture stress and fracture location for the estimation of Weibull parameter

In a bending load test for brittle materials, such as ceramics for spacecraft and aircraft, decreasing the number of test specimens required is a crucial problem. This paper discusses the effectiveness of using the information of both fracture stress and fracture location to decrease the number of specimens required to obtain the same precision as the Weibull estimator. The following results were obtained: It was found that by adding the fracture location information, the precision of the Weibull parameter estimation under the optimal design became 1.5–1.9 times better compared with the case of using only the fracture stresses. This means the number of samples necessary to attain the same precision becomes 1/1.5–1/1.9. Tables and figures which give information on the number of samples necessary to attain the required precision are given.     

Volumetric properties of mixtures of 1,4-dioxane and water at high pressures

Densities of aqueous of 1,4-dioxane have been measured at temperatures from 298 to 348 K and at pressures up to 40 MPa by a vibrating-tube method. Molar volumes obtained with an estimated uncertainty of ±0.2°,% are correlated with pressure by the Tait equation within the experimental uncertainty. Pressure and composition dependences of the excess molar volume, partial molar volume, and isothermal compressibility are determined and they are compared with those of other aqueous solutions.     

Is it possible to differentiate between choledochal cyst and congenital biliary atresia (type I cyst) by antenatal ultrasonography?

Both choledochal cyst and congenital biliary atresia (type I cyst) may share the same ultrasonographic pattern. We report 2 cases which were shown to have cystic structures on the upper abdomen by antenatal ultrasonography. The size of the choledochal cyst found at 24 weeks' gestation increased steadily as gestational age advanced. But the size of the cyst in congenital biliary atresia found at 29 weeks' gestation remained unchanged throughout the remaining pregnancy. Cyst enlargement, therefore, may suggest the possibility of a choledochal cyst.     

Bias-stress-induced increase in parasitic resistance of InP-based InAlAs/InGaAs HEMTs

The reliability of InP-based HEMTs is studied, focussing on how it is affected by the doped layer material and gate recess structure. Bias-and-temperature stress tests reveal that fluorine-induced donor passivation in the recess region, formed adjacent to the gate electrode, causes the source resistance (R_s) to increase at large drain bias voltages. The increase in R_s can be prevented by using InP or InAlP as the carrier supply layer material instead of InAlAs. On the other hand, the increase in the drain resistance (R_d) does not depend on the material of the carrier supply layer, which suggests that a mechanism different from that in the case of R_s should be considered. It is also found that a deep gate recess suppresses the increase in R_d after long-term stressing.     

Forming mental models in learning operating procedures for terminalequipment

People faced with an unfamiliar product or service tend to fall back on mental models based on analogical relationships with familiar products or services. Two experiments on the analogical relationships or metaphors that people might use when operating a communications terminal are described. In the first experiment, the role previously acquired operating knowledge has in determining the mental models people use when directory dialing with novel equipment is examined. In a second experiment, it is shown that an explicit appeal to an analogy between conventional mail and electronic mail can help users learn to use an electronic mail system, and make it easier for them to remember how to use the system as long as 90 days after initial exposure. It is concluded that the mental model is constructed only from the user's operating knowledge acquired as a result of past experiences, and the metaphor method is effective when the instructions are metaphorically taught     

STRUCTURE FORMATION OF COATED FILMS WITH DISPERSED PIGMENTS DURING DRYING

In the drying of coated films with dispersed pigments, such as floppy disks, the structure of the film is formed during the drying process and depends on the drying condition. It is important to understand the structure formation during drying for the design of the dryer and die better quality of the product. We measured die drying characteristics of the film and determined the structure of dried film experimentally. A qualitative model for the structure formation during drying of the coated film is suggested.