Reaction properties and interfacial intermetallics for Sn−xAg−0.5Cu solders as a function of Ag content

Wetting and interfacial reactions were investigated for Sn−xAg−0.5Cu alloys, in which the Ag content had a variation from x=1.0 to x=4.0. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to investigate the range of the melting temperature and the solidification temperature by measuring the endothermic and the exothermic heat flow, respectively. Low Ag contents increased the melting temperature ranges and deteriorated the wetting properties such as zero cross time and wetting force measured at two seconds. The extent of undercooling increased and the thickness of intermetallic compounds (IMC) decreased as the Ag content decreased. As the Ag content decreased, the initial IMC thickness decreased due to the large undercooling and, during the solid aging at 170°C, the IMC growth slightly decelerated because of the small diffusion coefficient. For the application of good drop shock reliability, Sn−Ag−Cu solder of low Ag content should be beneficial due to the restraint of the IMC growth (Cu₆Sn₅ and Cu₃Sn) and of the coarse plate-like IMC (Ag₃Sn).     

Physiological mechanism underlying the improvement in visuospatial performance due to 30% oxygen inhalation

This study investigated the effect of 30% oxygen inhalation on visuospatial cognitive performance, blood oxygen saturation, and heart rate. Six male (25.8(mean)+/-1.0(SD) years) and six female (23.8+/-1.9 years) college students participated in this experiment. Two psychological tests were developed to measure the performance level of visuospatial cognition. The experiment consisted of two runs: one was a visuospatial cognition task under normal air (21% oxygen) condition and the other under hyperoxic air (30% oxygen) condition. The experimental sequence in each run consisted of four phases, that were Rest1 (1min), Control (1min), Task (4min), and Rest2 (4min). Blood oxygen saturation and heart rate were measured throughout the course of four phases. The analysis of behavioral performance with 30% oxygen administration when compared to 21% oxygen revealed that the mean performance was improved. When supplied 30% oxygen in the air, the blood oxygen saturation was increased while the heart rate was decreased compared to those under 21% oxygen condition. We conclude that 30% oxygen inhalation enhanced visuospatial performance by the increased the oxygen saturation in the blood.     

The Effects of Subcritical Water Treatment on Antioxidant Activity of Golden Oyster Mushroom

Subcritical water (SCW) extraction of golden oyster mushroom (GOM) was carried out at various temperatures (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 °C) for 10, 30, and 60 min, and the antioxidant and certain physiological activities of the extracts were evaluated. SCW treatment of GOM increased the antioxidant activity of the extracts. The SCW extraction of GOM at 250 °C for 60 min or 300 °C for 30 min showed relatively high levels of total phenolic content, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, and reducing power. The β-glucan content was the highest when SCW extraction was carried at 200 °C for 60 min, while the highest 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activity occurred at 300 °C for 60 min. These results indicate that the temperature and time of SCW extraction significantly affect the antioxidant activity as well as the nutraceutical compound levels of GOM extracts.     

Stimulation Pattern-Free Control of FES Cycling: Simulation Study

The aim of this paper is to investigate control strategies for functional electrical simulation (FES) cycling, with particular focus on the generation of stimulation intensities for multiple muscles, without any predetermined stimulation pattern. The control system is developed by imitating the biological neuronal control system. Specifically, the control signal on the level of joint torque (quasi-joint torque) is generated from the feedback information of lower extremities. The quasi-joint torque is then distributed to each muscle and the muscle delay is compensated, and finally, the stimulation intensity is determined. Parameters of the control system are optimized by the genetic algorithm with cost function of energy consumption and cadence error. The proposed control system is evaluated by computer simulation. The controller generates efficient stimulation even during the muscle fatigue process and successfully continues cycling without any predetermined stimulation pattern. Moreover, the controller is robust to the parameter error in the muscle delay compensator and also to the disturbances. It is expected that the proposed method would improve the FES cycling performance and relieve patients by eliminating the experimental determination of the stimulation patterns.     

An improved model-based predictive control of vehicle trajectory by using nonlinear function

A new model-based predictive control algorithm for vehicle trajectory control is proposed by using vehicle velocity and sideslip angle. Based on the error function combined with vehicle velocity and side slip of a bicycle model, a predictive control method has been proven to be useful on low velocity. Thus, it could be applied for an autonomous vehicle without a driver. Although an autonomous robot is not necessary to be driven with a high velocity, a commercial vehicle has to be driven at high velocity. Thus the previous predictive control formulation is not enough for a commercial driving system. This study is proposed to enhance the capacity of the predictive controller for rather high speed vehicles. This paper was presented at the 4th Asian Conference on Multibody Dynamics(ACMD2008), Jeju, Korea, August 20–23, 2008. Mr. Jeong-Han Lee is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Pusan National University under the supervision of professor Wan-Suk Yoo. His research interests are focused on the area of adaptive control using multibody dynamics. Dr. Wan-Suk Yoo received his Ph.D. degree in 1985 from the University of Iowa. In 1994, he became a full professor at the Pusan National University, and he was selected an ASME fellow. He is serving as a vicepresident of the KSME.     

Interaction of acoustic surface waves induced by inter-digital transducer with wall thinning defect in pipe structure

Most structural health monitoring (SHM) systems require transducers permanently attached to or integrated with the monitored structure to form a type of smart structure. It is difficult to permanently attach traditional ultrasonic transducers for non-destructive testing of structures for health monitoring. However, inter-digital transducers (IDTs) can be considered for on-site SHM because of the small size and economic efficiency of the IDT sensor. In this paper, an alternative sensor approach is proposed using IDT rather than conventional transducers to identify the interaction of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with a wall-thinning defect. The SAWs generated by IDT sensors are modeled using the finite element analysis method. Acoustic wave propagation behavior in plate and pipe structures was reviewed, and the effect of the curvature of curved plate was investigated. From the interaction behavior observed between SAWs and a wallthinning defect in the pipe, which was determined using numerical simulation and tests, a novel concept is proposed for characterizing wall-thinning defects in pipelines.     

Green pigment in crushed garlic (Allium sativum L.) cloves: Purification and partial characterization

Unknown green pigment, responsible for greening in crushed garlic cloves, was purified and characterized by using a series of column chromatography, liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization (LC–ESI), fast atom bombardment (FAB), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The purified green pigment was highly polar and slightly viscous, with a garlic flavor, and easily turned to a yellow or brown color with exposure to room temperature. The absorption spectrum in methanol showed a crude methanolic green pigment-like profile with two absorbance maxima at 440 and 590 nm.     

Large Deflection Analysis of a Thin Plate: Computer Simulations and Experiments

Many previous studies have conducted computer-aided simulations ofelastic bodies undergoing large deflections and deformations, but therehave not been many attempts to validate their numerical results. Thesubject of this paper is a thin clamped plate undergone large vibrationdue to attached end-point weight. The main aim of this paper is to showthe validity of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) bycomparing to the real experiments. Large oscillations of thin plates arestudied in the paper with taking into account effects of an attachedend-point weight and aerodynamic damping forces. The physicalexperiments are carried out using a high-speed camera and dataacquisition system. For numerical modeling of the plate, the absolutenodal coordinate formulation is used.     

Plate bending wave propagation behavior under metal sphere impact loading

A loose part can cause component damages and material wear on nuclear power plants; thus, a mass estimation of the loose part is crucial to safety management. A bending wave propagation of a structure under the loose part impact loading is precisely simulated to accurately estimate the mass of a loose part. Lamb’s general solution for an arbitrary impact force function and Hertz impact theory have been used to identify the characteristics of the bending wave that is impacted by a metallic loose part in reactor pressure boundary components. However, these approaches cannot provide accurate information on the acceleration response that is required to identify the impact source. In this study, the bending wave propagation behavior of plate structures under a simulated loose part (Metal sphere) impact loading was modeled using a Finite element analysis (FEA) technique. The characteristics (e.g., Maximum acceleration amplitude, primary frequency, and bending wave velocity) of the impact response signal from a metal sphere were analyzed with the FEA results and were verified with experimental results. In addition, the correlation between plate thickness and characteristic length was presented. Results from this study can be utilized to estimate the location and mass of a loose part for condition monitoring and diagnostics in nuclear power plants.     

Matching of physical experiments and multibody dynamic simulation for large deformation problems

Many papers have studied computer simulations of elastic bodies undergoing large deflections and large deformations. But there have not been many attempts to check the validity of the numerical formulations because the simulation results could not be matched without correct input data such as material properties and damping effects. In this paper, these values are obtained from real experiment with a high-speed camera and a data acquisition system. The simulation results with the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) are compared with the results of real experiments. Two examples, a thin cantilever beam and a thin plate, are studied to verify whether the simulation results are well matched to experimental results.