Automated tuning of inter-dot tunnel couplings in quantum dot arrays

Semiconductor quantum dot arrays defined electrostatically in a 2D electron gas provide a scalable platform for quantum information processing and quantum simulations. For the operation of quantum dot arrays, appropriate voltages need to be applied to the gate electrodes that define the quantum dot potential landscape. Tuning the gate voltages has proven to be a time-consuming task, because of initial electrostatic disorder and capacitive cross-talk effects. Here, we report on the automated tuning of the inter-dot tunnel coupling in a linear array of gate-defined semiconductor quantum dots. The automation of the tuning of the inter-dot tunnel coupling is the next step forward in scalable and efficient control of larger quantum dot arrays. This work greatly reduces the effort of tuning semiconductor quantum dots for quantum information processing and quantum simulation

Improved depth perception with three-dimensional auxiliary display and computer generated three-dimensional panoramic overviews in robot-assisted laparoscopy

In comparison to open surgery, endoscopic surgery offers impaired depth perception and narrower field-of-view. To improve depth perception, the Da Vinci robot offers three-dimensional (3-D) video on the console for the surgeon but not for assistants, although both must collaborate. We improved the shared perception of the whole surgical team by connecting live 3-D monitors to all three available Da Vinci generations, probed user experience after two years by questionnaire, and compared time measurements of a predefined complex interaction task performed with a 3-D monitor versus two-dimensional. Additionally, we investigated whether the complex mental task of reconstructing a 3-D overview from an endoscopic video can be performed by a computer and shared among users. During the study, 925 robot-assisted laparoscopic procedures were performed in three hospitals, including prostatectomies, cystectomies, and nephrectomies. Thirty-one users participated in our questionnaire. Eighty-four percent preferred 3-D monitors and 100% reported spatial-perception improvement. All participating urologists indicated quicker performance of tasks requiring delicate collaboration (e.g., clip placement) when assistants used 3-D monitors. Eighteen users participated in a timing experiment during a delicate cooperation task in vitro. Teamwork was significantly (40%) faster with the 3-D monitor. Computer-generated 3-D reconstructions from recordings offered very wide interactive panoramas with educational value, although the present embodiment is vulnerable to movement artifacts

Introducing artificial depth cues to improve task performance in ITER maintenance actions

Maintenance operations on ITER tokamak components will be largely performed by remote handling. In previous work it was shown that representative maintenance tasks could be performed significantly faster with direct visual feedback than with camera feedback. In post-test interviews, operators indicated that they regarded the lack of 3D perception as the primary factor hindering their performance. This paper discusses various techniques to improve depth perception in teleoperation, including stereo vision, head tracking, virtual camera views and depth gauges. The most promising techniques were tested. Performance metrics included time-to-complete, path analysis and operator work-load. In a first experiment, artificial depth gauges views were tested in a 1:1 scale hardware testbed with mechanical master-slave manipulators handled by experienced operators. Robust real-time image processing was achieved with marker-based objects. The simple depth gauge and graphical overlay did not significantly improve task performance. Operators commented on their view of the task being “obstructed” by the graphical overlay, and the depth gauge was judged not very informative. In a second experiment, real time tracking was combined with VR display including stereo and head tracking. While stereo was found to improve the task performance significantly over the 1 camera (mono) condition, head tracking unexpectedly did not

Catching gas with droplets : modelling and simulation of a diffusion-reaction process

The packaging industry wants to produce a foil for food packaging purposes, which is transparent and lets very little oxygen pass. To accomplish this they add a scavenger material to the foil which reacts with the oxygen that diffuses through the foil. We model this process by a system of partial differential equations: a reaction-diffusion equation for the oxygen concentration and a reaction equation for the scavenger concentration. A probabilistic background of this model is given and different methods are used to get information from the model. Homogenization theory is used to describe the influence of the shape of the scavenger droplets on the oxygen flux, an argument using the Fourier number of the foil leads to insight into the dependency on the position of the scavenger and a method via conformal mappings is proposed to find out more about the role of the size of the droplet. Also simulations with Mathematica were done, leading to comparisons between different placements and shapes of the scavenger material in one- and two-dimensional foils

Catching gas with droplets : modelling and simulation of a diffusion-reaction process

The packaging industry wants to produce a foil for food packaging purposes, which is transparent and lets very little oxygen pass. To accomplish this they add a scavenger material to the foil which reacts with the oxygen that diffuses through the foil. We model this process by a system of partial differential equations: a reaction-diffusion equation for the oxygen concentration and a reaction equation for the scavenger concentration. A probabilistic background of this model is given and different methods are used to get information from the model. Homogenization theory is used to describe the influence of the shape of the scavenger droplets on the oxygen flux, an argument using the Fourier number of the foil leads to insight into the dependency on the position of the scavenger and a method via conformal mappings is proposed to find out more about the role of the size of the droplet. Also simulations with Mathematica were done, leading to comparisons between different placements and shapes of the scavenger material in one- and two-dimensional foils

Catching gas with droplets : modelling and simulation of a diffusion-reaction process

The packaging industry wants to produce a foil for food packaging purposes, which is transparent and lets very little oxygen pass. To accomplish this they add a scavenger material to the foil which reacts with the oxygen that diffuses through the foil. We model this process by a system of partial differential equations: a reaction-diffusion equation for the oxygen concentration and a reaction equation for the scavenger concentration. A probabilistic background of this model is given and different methods are used to get information from the model. Homogenization theory is used to describe the influence of the shape of the scavenger droplets on the oxygen flux, an argument using the Fourier number of the foil leads to insight into the dependency on the position of the scavenger and a method via conformal mappings is proposed to find out more about the role of the size of the droplet. Also simulations with Mathematica were done, leading to comparisons between different placements and shapes of the scavenger material in one- and two-dimensional foils

Nesting ecology of Podocnemis expansa (Schweigger, 1812) and Podocnemis unifilis (Troschel, 1848) (Testudines, Podocnemididae) in the Javaés River, Brazil

Nest site has influence on incubation duration and hatching success of two Neotropical turtles, the Giant Amazon River Turtle (Podocnemis expansa) and Yellow-Spotted Side-Neck Turtle (Podocnemis unifilis - "Tracajá"). The 2000 and 2001 nesting seasons have been monitored at the Javaés River in Bananal Island, Brazil. Although they nest on the same beaches, there is a separation of the nesting areas of P unifilis and P. expansa nests on the upper parts of the beach. The incubation duration for P. expansa is influenced by the nesting period, the height of the nest from the river, the clutch size, and the grain size in the site of the nest. Nests of Podocnemis expansa placed in coarse sediments have shorter incubation duration than those placed in finer sediments. The hatching success in P. expansa is influenced by grain size, incubation duration, and nesting period. The grain size is negatively correlated with hatching success, indicating that the nests situated in finer-grained sand have better chances of successful egg hatching than those in coarser-grained sand. Nests of the end of the reproductive season have lower hatching success and incubation duration than those at the start of the season. For P. unifilis, the nesting period and nest depth influence the incubation duration; moreover, the river dynamics significantly affect the hatching success. The oscillation of the river level and the moment of initial increase, the height of the nest from the river level, and the nesting period are all decisive components for hatching success. The results of this research show the importance of protecting areas with great geological diversity, wherein the features of the environment can affect the microenvironment of nests, with consequences on incubation duration and hatching success