Automata Quest: NCAs as a Video Game Life Mechanic

We study life over the course of video game history as represented by their mechanics. While there have been some variations depending on genre or "character type", we find that most games converge to a similar representation. We also examine the development of Conway's Game of Life (one of the first zero player games) and related automata that have developed over the years. With this history in mind, we investigate the viability of one popular form of automata, namely Neural Cellular Automata, as a way to more fully express life within video game settings and innovate new game mechanics or gameplay loops.Comment: This article was submitted to and presented at Alife for and from Video Games Workshop at ALIFE2023, Sappro (Japan

The PennState/Toru\'n Center for Astronomy Search for Planets Around Evolved Stars. Basic parameters of a sample of evolved stars

The objective of the PSU/TCfA Search for Planets Around Evolved Stars is to study evolution of planetary systems in the stellar evolution timescale. For such an analysis precise physical parameters of the hosts of the planetary systems are essential. In this paper we present an attempt to obtain basic physical parameters for a sample of evolved stars observed within our survey with the High Resolution Spectrograph of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope.Comment: 2 pages, to appear in "Extreme Solar Systems", 2007 ASP Conference Series, eds. Debra Fischer, Fred Rasio, Steve Thorsett and Alex Wolszcza

Development of an Evolutionary Three-Dimensional Scroll Compressor

A novel three-dimensional scroll compressor was developed. The authors have produced 3D scroll compressor since 2004. The 3D scroll is able to compress refrigerant in axial direction as well as in existing radial direction by employing steps at the bottom and the tip of the scroll which change the height of compression chamber on the middle of the compression process. For the purpose of further performance improvement, the authors developed an evolutionary three-dimensional compression mechanism, named e-3D scroll . The e-3D scroll is equipped with a sloped tip and a sloped end plate in each scroll instead of the steps in the conventional 3D scroll. The height of compression chamber decreases continuously with progression of compression by the sloped shape. The e-3D scroll achieved considerable efficiency improvement compared to the conventional 3D scroll since there is no leakage loss in the steps while keeping the advantages of high compression ratio, large capacity and small size by the sloped tip and end plate. In addition, the noise and vibration of the e-3D scroll compressor reduced significantly since the rate of change of cylinder volume throughout the compression process and the torque variation in the rotation became smaller than the conventional 3D scroll. This article describes the compression mechanism and the performance improvement technology in the e-3D scroll

An efficient decentralized learning by exploiting biarticular muscles - A case study with a 2D serpentine robot -

2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Pasadena, CA, USA, May 19-23, 200

ダイオキシン モデル カゴウブツ ノ チョウオンパ ブンカイ

This paper presents some results of the research work aiming to find out a methodto decompose a dioxin-like compound. As a model, 4-chlorodiphenylether was chosen. Ultrasound energy in combination with Raney Ni catalyst was employed for this research. The best conversion of 4-chloro-diphenylether (>95%) was achieved for 20 kHz at 60 -C and O.lg Raney Ni.This combination of ultrasound and a catalyst is a promising one as a possible technique for dioxin decontamination

Second nationwide surveillance of bacterial pathogens in patients with acute uncomplicated cystitis conducted by Japanese Surveillance Committee from 2015 to 2016: antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus

The Japanese Surveillance Committee conducted a second nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of uropathogens responsible for acute uncomplicated cystitis (AUC) in premenopausal patients aged 16–40 years old at 31 hospitals throughout Japan from March 2015 to February 2016. In this study, the susceptibility of causative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus) for various antimicrobial agents was investigated by isolation and culturing of organisms obtained from urine samples. In total, 324 strains were isolated from 361 patients, including E. coli (n = 220, 67.9%), S. saprophyticus (n = 36, 11.1%), and K. pneumoniae (n = 7, 2.2%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 20 antibacterial agents for these strains were determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) manual. At least 93% of the E. coli isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, whereas 100% of the S. saprophyticus isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. The proportions of fluoroquinolone-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli strains were 6.4% (13/220) and 4.1% (9/220), respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility of K. pneumoniae was retained during the surveillance period, while no multidrug-resistant strains were identified. In summary, antimicrobial susceptibility results of our second nationwide surveillance did not differ significantly from those of the first surveillance. Especially the numbers of fluoroquinolone-resistant and ESBL-producing E. coli strains were not increased in premenopausal patients with AUC in Japan

The Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA) for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE): Mission, science, and instrumentation of its receiver modules

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is a science mission led by the European Space Agency, being developed for launch in 2023. The Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA) is an instrument onboard JUICE, whose main scientific goals are to understand ice tectonics based on topographic data, the subsurface structure by measuring tidal response, and small-scale roughness and albedo of the surface. In addition, from the perspective of astrobiology, it is imperative to study the subsurface ocean scientifically. The development of GALA has proceeded through an international collaboration between Germany (the lead), Japan, Switzerland, and Spain. Within this framework, the Japanese team (GALA-J) is responsible for developing three receiver modules: the Backend Optics (BEO), the Focal Plane Assembly (FPA), and the Analog Electronics Module (AEM). Like the German team, GALA-J also developed software to simulate the performance of the entire GALA system (performance model). In July 2020, the Proto-Flight Models of BEO, FPA, and AEM were delivered from Japan to Germany. This paper presents an overview of JUICE/GALA and its scientific objectives and describes the instrumentation, mainly focusing on Japan’s contribution