Multimodal sensing and active continuous closed‐loop feedback for achieving reliable manipulation in the outdoor physical world

The use of field robots can greatly decrease the amount of time, effort, and associated risk compared to if human workers were to carryout certain tasks such as disaster response. However, transportability and reliability remain two main issues for most current robot systems. To address the issue of transportability, we have developed a lightweight modularizable platform named AeroArm. To address the issue of reliability, we utilize a multimodal sensing approach, combining the use of multiple sensors and sensor types, and the use of different detection algorithms, as well as active continuous closed‐loop feedback to accurately estimate the state of the robot with respect to the environment. We used Challenge 2 of the 2017 Mohammed Bin Zayed International Robotics Competition as an example outdoor manipulation task, demonstrating the capabilities of our robot system and approach in achieving reliable performance in the fields, and ranked fifth place internationally in the competition.     

Comparison of activities in selective catalytic reduction of NOx by C3H8 over Co/MFI, Fe/MFI, and H/MFI zeolite catalysts

The Co/MFI(SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 30) were prepared by a precipitation method with NaOCl in alkali solutions exhibited high activities to N₂ at 250 °C for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO_x. These catalysts showed two UV–vis bands at 700 and 400 nm, indicating the presence of octahedral Co(III) as well as tetrahedral Co(II). The high SCR activity over such Co(III, II)/MFI(30) seems to come from Co(III)---O moieties. The Co(II)MFI(30) catalysts prepared from Co(II)Cl₂ exhibited low SCR activities due to the presence of tetrahedral Co(II) ions in MFI. Less CO formation occurred over Co/MFI catalysts. The Fe/MFI(30) catalyst exhibited high activity due to the presence of some Fe---O species in MFI but more amount of CO were produced during SCR. H/MFI(30) catalyst exhibited a good SCR activity. However, more amount of carbonaceous deposits were produced on it. The correlation between acid concentration and SCR activity was discussed over H/MFIs.     

Fuzzy inference and fuzzy inference processor

Fuzzy inference, a data processing method based on the fuzzy theory that has found wide use in the control field, is reviewed. Consumer electronics, which accounts for most current applications of this concept, does not require very high speeds. Although software running on a conventional microprocessor can perform these inferences, high-speed control applications require much greater speeds. A fuzzy inference date processor that operates at 200000 fuzzy logic inferences per second and features 12-b input and 16-b output resolution is described     

Comparison of coal hydroliquefaction catalysed by ZnCl2-MCln (CuCl,CrCl3 and MoCl5) and ZnCl2 melts

Hydrogenation of four bituminous coals impregnated with 5 wt% of either mixtures of ZnCl₂-MCl_n (CuCl, CrCl₃ and MoCl₅) systems or ZnCl₂ was carried out using a batch autoclave system at 400° for 3 h at 9.8 MPa of initial hydrogen pressure. The ZnCl₂-MoCl₅ system showed the highest yield of the hexane-soluble (HS) fraction compared with the other systems irrespective of the coal used. The difference between the yields of HS fractions using the ZnCl₂-MoCl₅ and other systems was most marked for coals of fairly low volatile matter content, though the conversion was relatively low (47–66%), whilst for coals of high volatile matter content HS yields with the binary melt systems were high (86–91% conversion). Elemental analyses of the HS fractions indicated that the ZnCl₂-MoCl₅ system is most favourable in decreasing the average molecular weight and the heteroatom content of HS, this characteristic trend being confirmed also with five HS fractions separated by Chromatographic techniques. Both elemental analyses and molecular weights of asphaltene (benzene-soluble materials, BS) indicated that the ZnCl₂-MoCl₅ system is also most effective in cracking coal structure.     

A parallel method for large sparse generalized eigenvalue problems using a GridRPC system

In this paper we present a master–worker type parallel method for finding several eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a generalized eigenvalue problem , where A and B are large sparse matrices. A moment-based method that finds all of the eigenvalues that lie inside a given domain is used. In this method, a small matrix pencil that has only the desired eigenvalues is derived by solving large sparse systems of linear equations constructed from A and B. Since these equations can be solved independently, we solve them on remote servers in parallel. This approach is suitable for master–worker programming models. We have implemented and tested the proposed method in a grid environment using a grid RPC (remote procedure call) system called OmniRPC. The performance of the method on PC clusters that were used over a wide-area network was evaluated.     

Real-time measurements of spatial velocity distribution with a laser Doppler imaging system

A new laser Doppler imaging system with a TV camera has been constructed, which brightly displays 1-D velocity distribution on a monitor. Some characteristics of this system have been experimentally investigated from measurements of simple velocity distribution on a constantly rotating ground glass disk. From an adaptation to fluid flow, it has been shown that the measurements of spatial velocity distribution can be achieved in real time.     

Effect of chitosan-gluconic acid conjugate/poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogels as wound dressing on partial-thickness wounds in diabetic rats

We previously developed chitosan cryogels from chitosan-gluconic acid conjugate without using toxic additives for wound care. In this study, we improved physiological characteristics of the previous cryogels by incorporating poly(vinyl alcohol) that also form cryogels. Mechanical strength of the cryogels was more than two times higher than that of the previous cryogels. Furthermore, the incorporation of poly(vinyl alcohol) enhanced water retention and resistance to degradation of the gels by lysozyme. The cryogels retained the favorable biological properties of the previous cryogels that they accelerate infiltration of inflammatory cells into wound sites. Time period for repairing 50 % of initial area of partial-thickness skin wound treated with the cryogels (4.0 ± 1.1 days) was shorter than those with gauze (6.5 ± 0.3 days) or a commercial hydrogel dressing (5.7 ± 0.3 days). Finally, we confirmed that incorporation of basic fibroblast growth factor into the cryogels was effective to further accelerate wound healing (2.7 ± 1.0 days). These results demonstrate that the cryogels in this study are promising for wound care.     

Light-Wavelength-Based Quantitative Control of Dihydrofolate Reductase Activity by Using a Photochromic Isostere of an Inhibitor

Photopharmacology has attracted research attention as a new tool for achieving optical control of biomolecules, following the methods of caged compounds and optogenetics. We have developed an efficient photopharmacological inhibitor—azoMTX—for Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR) by replacing some atoms of the original ligand, methotrexate, to achieve photoisomerization properties. This fine molecular design enabled quick structural conversion between the active “bent” Z isomer of azoMTX and the inactive “extended” E isomer, and this property afforded quantitative control over the enzyme activity, depending on the wavelength of irradiating light applied. Real-time photoreversible control over enzyme activity was also achieved.     

Direct Reprogramming and Induction of Human Dermal Fibroblasts to Differentiate into iPS-Derived Nucleus Pulposus-like Cells in 3D Culture

Intervertebral disc (IVD) diseases are common spinal disorders that cause neck or back pain in the presence or absence of an underlying neurological disorder. IVD diseases develop on the basis of degeneration, and there are no established treatments for degeneration. IVD diseases may therefore represent a candidate for the application of regenerative medicine, potentially employing normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) induced to differentiate into nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Here, we used a three-dimensional culture system to demonstrate that ectopic expression of MYC, KLF4, NOTO, SOX5, SOX6, and SOX9 in NHDFs generated NP-like cells, detected using Safranin-O staining. Quantitative PCR, microarray analysis, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting revealed that the induced NP cells exhibited a fully differentiated phenotype. These findings may significantly contribute to the development of effective strategies for treating IVD diseases.