Autonomous Robot Navigation with Rich Information Mapping in Nuclear Storage Environments

This paper presents our approach to develop a method for an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) to perform inspection tasks in nuclear environments using rich information maps. To reduce inspectors' exposure to elevated radiation levels, an autonomous navigation framework for the UGV has been developed to perform routine inspections such as counting containers, recording their ID tags and performing gamma measurements on some of them. In order to achieve autonomy, a rich information map is generated which includes not only the 2D global cost map consisting of obstacle locations for path planning, but also the location and orientation information for the objects of interest from the inspector's perspective. The UGV's autonomy framework utilizes this information to prioritize locations to navigate to perform the inspections. In this paper, we present our method of generating this rich information map, originally developed to meet the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Robotics Challenge. We demonstrate the performance of our method in a simulated testbed environment containing uranium hexafluoride (UF6) storage container mock ups

Chemical Compositions, Extraction Optimizations, and In Vitro Bioactivities of Flavonoids from Perilla Leaves (<i>Perillae folium</i>) by Microwave-Assisted Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) have been gradually applied to green extraction of active ingredients. In this study, microwave-assisted NADESs were applied to the extraction of flavonoid compounds from perilla leaves. Through comparative experiments, NADES-3 (choline chloride and malic acid at a molar ratio of 1:1) was found to have the highest extraction efficiency of total flavonoids, including apigenin 7-O-caffeoylglucoside, scutellarein 7-O-diglucuronide, luteolin 7-O-diglucuronide, and scutellarein 7-O-glucuronide by HPLC-MS. The following optimal extraction parameters were obtained based on response surface design: water content in NADES of 23%, extraction power of 410 W, extraction time of 31 min, and solid–liquid ratio of 75 mg/mL, leading to the extraction yield of total flavonoids of 72.54 mg/g. Additionally, the strong antimicrobial and antiallergic activity, inhibition of nitrosation, and antioxidant activity of total flavonoids by using NADESs were confirmed. This new extraction method provides a reference for the further exploration of NADES systems and may be widely used for the green extraction of natural active ingredients

Measurement of the 52Fe mass via the precise proton-decay energy of 53Com

The proton decay of 53Com(3174.1 keV; 19/2−) was investigated via the fragmentation of a 58Ni primary beam. The proton-decay energy was determined with an improved precision to be 1558(8) keV. With this new result and the mass of 53Com, the 52Fe mass excess was derived to be −48330(8) keV, which is in good agreement with the AME12 value. A new recommended value of −48331.6(49) keV is given

Measurement of the

The proton decay of 53Com(3174.1 keV; 19/2−) was investigated via the fragmentation of a 58Ni primary beam. The proton-decay energy was determined with an improved precision to be 1558(8) keV. With this new result and the mass of 53Com, the 52Fe mass excess was derived to be −48330(8) keV, which is in good agreement with the AME12 value. A new recommended value of −48331.6(49) keV is given