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In this paper, the processing of the data of a 3D light detection and distance measurement (LiDAR) sensor mounted on a mobile robot is demonstrated, introducing an innovative methodology to manage the data and extract useful information. The LiDAR sensor is placed on a mobile robot which has a modular design that permits the easy change of the number of wheels, was designed to travel through several environments, and saves energy by changing the number and arrangement of the wheels in each environment. In addition, the robot can recognize landmarks in a structured environment by using a classification technique on each frame acquired by the LiDAR. Furthermore, considering the experimental tests, a new simple algorithm based on the LiDAR data processing together with the inertial data (IMU sensor) through a Kalman filter is proposed to characterize the robot’s pose by the surrounding environment with fixed landmarks. Finally, the limits of the proposed algorithm have been analyzed, highlighting new improvements in the future prospective development for permitting autonomous navigation and environment perception with a simple, modular, and low-cost device.

Studying the properties of thermoelectric materials needs substantial effort owing to the interplay of the trade-off relationships among the influential parameters. In view of this issue, artificial intelligence has recently been used to investigate and optimize thermoelectric materials. Here, we used Bayesian optimization to improve the thermoelectric properties of multicomponent III–V materials; this domain warrants comprehensive investigation due to the need to simultaneously control multiple parameters. We designated the figure of merit ZTas the objective function to improve and search for a five-dimensional space comprising the composition of InGaAsSb thin films, dopant concentration, and film-deposition temperatures. After six Bayesian optimization cycles, ZTexhibited an approximately threefold improvement compared to its values obtained in the random initial experimental trials. Additional analysis employing Gaussian process regression elucidated that a high In composition and low substrate temperature were particularly effective at increasing ZT. The optimal substrate temperature (205 °C) demonstrated the potential for depositing InGaAsSb thermoelectric thin films onto plastic substrates. These findings not only promote the development of thermoelectric devices based on III–V semiconductors but also highlight the effectiveness of using Bayesian optimization for multicomponent materials.

Wide-bandgap chalcopyrite materials are attractive candidates for a wide variety of energy conversion devices such as the top cell of tandem-type photovoltaic devices and photoelectrochemical water splitting hydrogen evolution devices. Nevertheless, simultaneous realization of high open circuit voltage (VOC) and high fill factor (FF) values has been challenging, and thus, the photovoltaic performance has been limited. In this article, high VOCand high FF values of wide-gap chalcopyrite CuGaSe2thin-film solar cells are simultaneously demonstrated using an aluminum-induced back-surface field effect. An independently certified photovoltaic efficiency of 12.25% was obtained from an elemental In-free CuGaSe2:Al (bandgap energy ∼1.7 eV) solar cell (VOC: 0.959 V, short circuit current density: 17.64 mA cm–2, FF: 72.5%). In addition, an over 1 V-VOCCuGaSe2cell (FF: 74.5%) was obtained even with the use of a conventional CdS buffer layer. Although incorporation of aluminum often leads to degradation of the chalcopyrite solar cell performance, the addition of a small amount of aluminum is found to be effective in enhancing wide-gap chalcopyrite photovoltaic performance.

Initiating as an androgen-dependent adenocarcinoma, prostate cancer (PCa) gradually progresses to a castrate-resistant disease following androgen deprivation therapy with a propensity to metastasize.

Group IV materials are promising candidates for highly reliable and human-friendly thin-film thermoelectric generators, used for micro-energy harvesting. In this study, we investigated the synthesis and thermoelectric applications of a Ge-based ternary alloy thin film, Ge1–x–ySixSny. The solid-phase crystallization of the highly densified amorphous precursors allowed the formation of high-quality polycrystalline Ge1–x–ySixSnylayers on an insulating substrate. The small compositions of Si and Sn in Ge1–x–ySixSny(x< 0.15 and y< 0.05) lowered the thermal conductivity (3.1 W m–1K–1) owing to the alloy scattering of phonons, while maintaining a high carrier mobility (approximately 200 cm2V–1s–1). The solid-phase diffusion of Ga and P allowed us to control the carrier concentration to the order of 1019cm–3for holes and 1018cm–3for electrons. For both p- and n-type Ge1–x–ySixSny, the power factor peaked at x= 0.06 and y= 0.02, reaching 1160 μW m–1K–2for p-type and 2040 μW m–1K–2for n-type. The resulting dimensionless figure of merits (0.12 for p-type and 0.20 for n-type) are higher than those of most environmentally friendly thermoelectric thin films. These results indicate that group IV alloys are promising candidates for high-performance, reliable thin-film thermoelectric generators.

The flux of the CaO‐Al203‐BaO‐CeO2‐MgO system as a desulphurization flux containing no fluorine for the secondary metallurgy process was evaluated in this study. The flux composition was designed using the eutectic compositions of the binary systems. The melting and desulphurization abilities of the fluxes were evaluated by measuring their liquidus temperatures and the distribution ratios of sulphur between the fluxes and the carbon‐saturated iron or stainless steel. The lowest liquidus temperature of 1325°C was obtained by adding 5.7 mass% MgO to the 80mass%A‐20mass%B flux. (A: 12CaO‐7Al2O3, B: BaCeO3+12mass%Al2O3). The distribution ratios of sulphur and sulphide capacities of the fluxes in this study were higher than those of the commercial product of calcium aluminate flux. This means that the CaO‐Al2O3‐BaO‐CeO2‐MgO fluxes developed in this study have higher desulphurization and melting abilities compared with the commercial product of calcium aluminate flux.

Pseudomalignant erosion is a diagnostic pitfall for pathologists in the differential diagnosis of malignant neoplasms. Here, we present a challenging case of a biopsy specimen from the eroded head of a polyp at the esophagogastric junction. A malignant neoplasm could not be ruled out due to the presence of bizarre stromal cells. A second biopsy performed after the administration of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for 4 weeks revealed endoscopic resolution of the polyp along with the complete histological resolution of the bizarre stromal cells and led to the diagnosis of pseudomalignant erosion in a reflux gastroesophageal polyp. In conclusion, histological and endoscopic response to PPI therapy is an important clue for the correct diagnosis of reflux gastroesophageal polyps with pseudomalignant erosion.

Robust and good tracking control of the speed and the tension in web handling systems in spite of changes of set point is surely one of the important challenges in the web transport systems future development. In this paper, the authors experimentally demonstrate the real applicability of a decentralized robust control to a multi-span web transport system, which is composed of twelve guide rollers, four main sections mutually interconnected with each other. The overlapping methodology has been applied for the system decomposition.The experimental results carried out using the robust decentralized control show an excellent velocity and tension tracking in each controlled section of the system.