Effects of Winding Attachment Positions on Output Characteristics of Flux‐Modulating Synchronous Machines

The flux‐modulating synchronous machine (FMSM) is a new type of multipole SM with nonoverlapping concentrated armature and field windings on the stator. This paper compares the output characteristics of two FMSMs through finite element analysis (FEA) and experiments. In both of the FMSMs, the attachment positions of the armature and field windings are swapped. To determine the reason for the discrepancies in their output characteristics, unsaturated inductances were calculated using a d‐‐q equivalent circuit. In addition, the calculated results of the inductances were confirmed through a visualization of the leakage fluxes using FEA. The results of the study show that the synchronous inductance can be reduced by attaching the armature winding to the air‐gap side of the stator teeth and that the reduction leads to an increase in output power.     

Improvement in the DOA estimation of broadband signals usingpartially IIR beamformers

An ideal broadband beamformer requires an increased number of taps for each filter, which in turn increases the complexity of the design. It is shown that for angles near the broadside of the antenna the beamforming is more accurate compared to the angles near the endfire, and it is advantageous to use recursive filters combined with a computed number of zeros for angles near the endfire. The proposed method is used for estimating the arrival angle of the incoming signals and displays uniform accuracy for all angles     

Continuous hydrolysis of olive oil by lipase in microporous hydrophobic membrane bioreactor

Continuous hydrolysis of olive oil byCandida cylindracea’s lipase was studied in a microporous hydrophobic membrane bioreactor. Olive oil and buffer solution, fed continuously through two compartments partitioned by membrane, caused reaction at the interface of lipase-adsorbed membrane and buffer solution. Fatty acid was obtained in a single phase without being mixed with components of other phases. At all mean residence times, countercurrent flow mode was superior to cocurrent one. The lipase was adsorbed onto the membrane, and its adsorption was suggested to be partially specific from the experiments with enzymes having various levels of purity. The percent hydrolysis depended hyperbolically on the interfacial enzyme concentration. The hydrolysis seemed to be limited by diffusion of fat or fatty acid through the micropores of the membrane at higher interfacial enzyme concentrations. The lipase was stabilized significantly by glycerol added to the buffer solution. Satisfactory performance of the membrane bioreactor was obtained in a longterm continuous operation which lasted for 24 days by feeding buffer-glycerol (18.0%) solution over the adsorbed lipase. The operational half-life of the adsorbed enzyme was 15 days at 40 C.     

Preparation of one-dimensional polymer films by modification of a hydroxymethylbenzene self-assembled monolayer on iron with alkyltriethoxysilanes for preventing iron corrosion

A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of p-hydroxymethylbenzene HOCH₂C₆H₄ - (HOMB) moiety adsorbed on iron by the formation of a covalent bond between carbon and iron atoms was prepared by electrochemical derivatization of an iron electrode with p-hydroxymethylbenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate HOCH₂C₆H₄N₂BF₄. The electrode covered with the HOMB SAM was modified with alkyltriethoxysilanes C_nH_2n+1Si(OC₂H₅)₃ (C_nTES, n = 8 or 18) to prepare a film of one-dimensional polymer. The protective ability of the polymer film was determined by polarization measurement of the covered electrode in an aerated 0.5 M NaCl solution. The ability was enhanced by modification of the HOMB SAM with C_nTES markedly. The iron surface coated with the one-dimensional polymer film of the HOMB SAM modified with C₈TES was characterized by contact angle measurement and FTIR reflection and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. The persistence in the protective ability of the polymer film against iron corrosion in 0.5 M NaCl may be associated with the strong adsorption via the covalent bond, revealed by electron-probe microanalysis.     

Eosinophil chemotaxis induced by several biologically active substances and the effects of apafant on it in vitro

Chemotaxis of guinea pig eosinophils induced by various stimuli in use of a modified Boyden chamber technique in vitro and the effect of a platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonist, apafant (CAS 105219-56-5, WEB 2086 BS), on it were examined. The eosinophils were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage from the animals treated by i.v. injection with Sephadex G-200 and purified by Percoll density gradient centrifugation. PAF significantly and potently induced the chemotaxis at a broad range of 10(-17) to 10(-7) mol/l, where no concentration-dependency was observed. Leukotriene B4 also induced the chemotaxis in a concentration-dependent manner at 10(-14) to 10(-12) mol/l and the enhanced migration was not declined until 10(-7) mol/l. Interleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-8 and regulated on activation normal T expressed and secreted (RANTES) only modestly enhanced the chemotaxis in some concentrations at 10(-13) to 10(-7) mol/l with or without significance and with no concentration-dependency while formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), a known chemoattractant, increased the migration at 10(-7) to 10(-5) mol/l. Apafant at 10(-8) to 10(-6) mol/l strongly and concentration-dependently inhibited 10(-8) mol/l PAF-induced chemotaxis. However, the drug showed nominal or no influences on their chemotaxis stimulated by the other agonists, at the concentrations of which the enhanced migration was observed. From these results, it is concluded that IL-5, IL-8 and RANTES, different from PAF and LTB4, are not potent stimuli for the eosinophil chemotaxis and that apafant is a selective antagonist of PAF, which is expected to be therapeutically effective for PAF-associated diseases including bronchial asthma.     

Direct digital design of computed torque controllers

Direct digital design of computed torque controllers for a robot manipulator is discussed in this article. A simple discrete-time model of the robot manipulator obtained by Euler's method is used for the design. Taking account of computation delay in the digital processor, we propose predictor-based designs of the PD and PID type controllers. The PID-type controller is designed based on a modified version of the discrete-time integral controller proposed by Mita. For both controllers, the feedback gains can be determined easily by using simple formulas. A simulation example is presented to illustrate the relevance of the proposed designs and the robustness of PID-type controller against physical parameter variations. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Percutaneous ethanol injection therapy by ethanol mixed with CO2 microbubble for hepatocellular carcinoma

One of the shortcomings of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is that many sessions are necessary to accomplish the treatment. This may be caused by which the ultrasonography (US) image does not reflect correctly to the kinetics of injected ethanol into HCC nodule. It is considered that number of treatment sessions are able to be reduced if we just enough injected labelled ethanol under US into HCC nodule. Therefore, we tried PEIT by ethanol mixed with CO2 microbubble (CO2 ethanol). The injected CO2 ethanol was aquired as hyperechoic image without strong acoustic shadow to the end of injection. Consequently we could reduce the number of treatment sessions to almost 1 for lesions < or = 3 cm in diameter and markedly reduce total dose of injected ethanol. The detectable rate of CO2 ethanol leaked out HCC nodule was high. No serious complication occurred. There have been only 1 lesion of local recurrence and no case of intrahepatic and peritoneal dissemination for 11.5 months on average of observation after PEIT by CO2 ethanol (CO2PEIT). These findings suggest that CO2PEIT is useful method for reducing the number of treatment sessions and total dose of injected ethanol, moreover preventing complication by ethanol leakage.     

Effects of pramipexole on contraversive rotation and functional motor impairments in 1-methyl-4-phenyl1,2,3, 6-tetrahydropyridine-induced chronic hemiparkinsonian monkeys

Rotational and functional motor behavioral changes were studied in five MPTP lesioned chronic hemiparkinsonian Macaca nemestrina monkeys after i.m. pramipexole, a predominant D2 subfamily agonist. Pramipexole induced contraversive rotations in a dose-dependent manner with an optimal dose of 56 microg/kg for approximately 2 to 4 hr after injection. Three different rating scales were used to determine drug-induced functional improvement. They included a monkey parkinsonism rating scale, volitional responses to fruit presentations, and number of hand movements that appeared volitional. A dose of 56 microg/kg of pramipexole produced functional improvements on hand disability, and on a parkinsonian rating scale for monkeys in a dose-dependent manner from 32 to 100 microg/kg. These doses produced an increase in significant hand movements in the affected (contralateral) as well as in the normal (ipsilateral) hand to the side of the brain lesion compared with 5% dextrose in water vehicle control. With a dose of 100 microg/kg, the therapeutic effects of pramipexole on hand movements were less than with 56 microg/kg, due to side effects such as scratching.     

Separation of di- and tripeptides with solvent extraction and an emulsion liquid membrane

The extraction equilibria of various di- and tripeptides with di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) were studied at low pH values. The complex extracted to organic phase consisted of one molecule of peptide and two molecules of D2EHPA dimer. The extraction constants of the peptides correlated well with the distribution coefficients of peptides between 1-octanol and water, which is a measure of hydrophobicity. The permeation rates of peptides through an emulsion liquid membrane were examined by using D2EHPA as a carrier, Span 80 as an emulsifier and kerosene as a diluent. The rates varied considerably with peptide type, depending upon the hydrophobicity.